《Through the Void (and Back Again) [Progression Epic]》 Chapter 1: Bon Voyage Bon Voyage As everyone knows, all good adventure stories need their humble origins. Not only does it allow the reader a chance to learn important commonly known exposition with the narrator, but it also becomes the foundation of that character¡¯s relatability as they progress further and further through whatever truly outrageous, ridiculous things they do. This story, or as one could put it, the Logan Brewer story, starts in the back of the old local cafe Logan had worked at for years. Minutes earlier, he had just finished locking up at 9:28 P.M. Logan remembered because he had to include it in the closing report, along with the fact that they had sold exactly 19 croissants that day. Logan was out back of this cafe, walking through the small tomato garden that the owner¡¯s kept in the back, out to the alley. As is often the case outside of food establishments, the unholy smell of hot waste on a summer day had created a permeable bubble of stench he would be forced to walk through on his way out to the streets. Thankfully, Logan had always come prepared for traps. Grabbing his deodorant from his work bag, Logan unpopped the top and held it up under his shirt. Then, ducking his nose down in there too, he casually strolled past the domain of the dumpsters to sweet sniffing freedom. In truth, the smell of heavily used old spice wasn¡¯t a far cry better than compost, but in his mind Logan had successfully navigated the last obstacle on his way home, and now had smooth sailing ahead. Skipping out of the alley he was saddling up next to the parked cars when Logan tripped on something and fell straight in the road. Directly in the path of an oncoming SUV which proceeded to pop his head like a grape.
Now, they say when you die you get a short flashback of your whole life, regrets, accomplishments, and all that jazz. Maybe Logan died too quickly for that, or wasn¡¯t worth the budget or something because he did not end up getting the lifetime highlight montage. Which honestly made him quite angry at the moment. All Logan got was a second to think, Damn. Then everything went¡­ err, away. Quite honestly Logan didn''t have the linguistic skills to explain it. Or really a complete recollection of what was happening. Logan simply felt very small and warm, like the 5 minutes in the morning you let yourself slip back into your blankets before you get up for the day. And then just like those 5 minutes, he felt an inevitable pull on his being. Logan tried to resist the strange sucking sensation, but he couldn¡¯t hold out. Despite its description, the experience was less sensual and more soul-shaking and terrifying, being scooped out of what felt like the safest home he had ever known, so soon after experiencing death. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem Logan had a choice in the proceeding, as his being began to zip away faster and faster. Suddenly Logan was alone, in the endless void. At first Logan¡¯s impromptu voyage wasn¡¯t too bad, but as the acceleration showed no signs of stopping it just as quickly started to wear on his being. Quite literally, as Logan could feel the outside of his essence start to fray, becoming gradually more strained. This was alarming to Logan on multiple levels, because beyond this situation obviously seeming terrible and becoming more uncomfortable and painful by the second, it also brought his current form to hand. He was a sphere, or orb, of some sort. However, it was clear his spherical shape was because he was corded into himself, better described as the metaphysical version of some balled up laundry. Or, from Logan¡¯s current perception that¡¯s what he believed he was, as Logan clearly didn¡¯t have any eyes, nerve endings, or even a brain with which to perceive things. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Which may have been a good thing, because if Logan had a brain it would have already died again from the shock of the situation. It also probably let him not feel any of the feely things that people who die might feel, like regret over not accomplishing that much in a relatively short life of 26 years. Just as the speed was starting to accumulate to the point Logan could feel his being unravel, he began to sense something that wasn¡¯t the void of nothingness he found himself in. And it looked like he was headed straight toward it at terrifying speeds.
Thankfully, Logan wasn¡¯t quite capable of panic or alarm, because he didn¡¯t think he could do anything about the outcome regardless. Instead Logan made sure to brace for impact, as the non void expanded in his view. BANG! Logan entered the non void like bullet through human flesh, slicing through the outer layers with ease until he hit the metaphorical bone. Suddenly, Logan found himself halted in this non void space, seemingly unharmed by his immense crash. Extending his limited perception Logan tried to gain some clues about his whereabouts. When he put what he found together, it was likely that he had crash landed into another planet. Although he wasn¡¯t completely sure, it seemed like the most obvious answer, as it would explain the nature of Logan¡¯s crash pretty well, and the size of the non void. What Logan was sure of, was that he was slowly unraveling. The cords of his being had begun coming apart, and Logan could tell that soon he would completely unspool. Which seemed a bit like final death to Logan, so he would like to avoid that. The next nameless period of time Logan spent slowly dying, attempting to come up with a way to, well, really do much of anything. So far, Logan hadn¡¯t figured out how to interact with his surroundings, and he was quickly running out of time. Already the center of Logan¡¯s soul was pulling apart, slowly flowing out into nothingness. It was not a pleasant sensation. Somehow, as he could feel himself slowly fading, Logan managed to register panic with a brain to process it. His thoughts spun at a frantic rate, trying to find a way to cling to existence. Just as all hope appeared lost, Logan felt another presence pull aside of him. Its radiance dwarfed his own, and for some reason Logan sensed that it was smiling. Suddenly, a beam of pure power erupted through Logan, and he was pulled into a deep sleep.
As Old Jeremiah had lived in the Inaug Forest since he was known simply as Jeremiah, he had seen countless strange sights. Wild beasts with strange internal light, apparitions that seemingly vanished come the day, and talking fungi were just some of the more notable scenes he had been witness to in those woods. As he looked over his shoulder at the unexpected passenger in his rickety wagon however, he decided they didn¡¯t quite hold a candle to the spectacle he had witnessed that night. It had been as though the stars had shifted, creating a strange violet vortex that had spat out lashing winds and radiant light in equal measure. Old Jeremiah had never been an overly religious man, his faith in the scriptures built more on the trust the church was righteous more than any true belief, but on that night he found himself questioning if he should have taken the preacher''s sermons more to heart. Jeremiah thought he just might from then on. Focusing on the present, Jeremiah examined the man laid out in the bed of his cart. He looked young, but that may have been because of the extreme lack of hair anywhere on his naked body. The man also had extremely pale skin, the sort that one was most likely to see on a person of noble heritage. However, making it unlikely he was of noble birth was the giant marking on the man''s back. Although Jeremiah had never seen this marking, it vaguely reminded him of slave marking branded onto servants of nobles. How a slave had put on that mystic lightshow was beyond him, but if he ended up interfering in a Lord¡¯s business he would regret it, while if he was shown to be helpful and useful, gifts and glory may fall upon him just as easily. In Old Jeremiah¡¯s mind, the only option was to extend every courtesy to the mysterious stranger that had wound up in his lap. And that started with getting him safely through the monster infested Inaug Forest back to Jeremiah¡¯s cottage on its edge. Turning his eyes back to the worn path, Old Jeremiah gripped the reigns. The Forest had begun singing its nightsong, which meant he had best get a move on, or risk the man in his cart not being the strangest thing he saw that night, or any night ever again. Because although he had lived next to the Inaug Forest his whole life, there was a reason Old Jeremiah lived next to the Forest, and not in it. He had no doubts that lurking in its depths were creatures capable of fighting the strongest men in the Kingdom of Austen to a standstill. Chapter 2: Introductions Hi I¡¯m Logan Now, Logan prided himself on his ability to party away his mediocrity, so when he woke up on a hay cot, he wasn¡¯t too thrown off his game. Mostly because Logan immediately woke up to his heart pounding, his body drenched in sweat, and his game already completely, irreparably thrown off. Didn¡¯t I just die? How am I still here? Logan questioned as he ran his hands over his face. When his hands didn¡¯t feel anything on his chin he was flummoxed. Then, when he didn¡¯t feel any hair over his eyes Logan was alarmed, and when he finally didn¡¯t feel anything on his scalp he was fully distressed. The men from both sides of Logan¡¯s family had all lost their hair in their early 20¡¯s making his full mane of locks at 26 a family heirloom that he had a keen interest in passing on. Losing such a treasure was only slightly preferable to the death it seemed he had somehow dodged. Panicked totally exclusively at the loss of his hair, Logan ripped his eyes open and jerked his body upright. Bringing him directly face to face with a gnarled old man. ¡°AHHH'''' Logan yelled as he instinctively shied away from the close proximity. However, despite his noise and sudden movements, the old man had done little except blink casually in reaction. Adjusting his eyes over to where Logan flinched to, he asked, ¡°Who are you, stranger?¡± His voice had a lilting cadence to it, like he couldn¡¯t be bothered to move his tongue any faster than a crawl. Contrary to how his voice carried however, were the old man¡¯s eyes, which shone with a keen and pointed interest. ¡°It¡¯s proper manners to introduce yourself before asking a stranger¡¯s name, isn¡¯t it?¡± Logan reflexively snarked. As his heart continued to pound in his ears, Logan tried to take more even breaths. He realized that getting defensive with the man whose cot he was likely on was quite rude. Finally, after what felt to Logan like eons of staring defiantly into the old man¡¯s crag-like face, he stood to his full height, which frankly, felt preposterous. His close to 7 foot frame towered over Logan in the cot, which was not raised off the ground. ¡°Correct, you would be, sirrah. I am known as Old Jeremiah, and I have tended the border of the Inaug Forest for nigh on 3 score, apprenticed for 12 years prior.¡± The man had taken a slightly more deferential tone, almost like he thought I was someone important. ¡°Ah, well then Jeremiah. Hi I¡¯m Logan.¡± Logan went in with an extended arm. After an extra tense couple more seconds of staring, the old dude, Jeremiah, said, ¡°Welcome, ¡­Logan, to my home. For some reason, his words had an effect on Logan, and even as he went to nod his head, Logan felt his eyelids meet, and promptly decided it was more appropriate to stay like that for another couple of hours.
Gregor did not much like most of the responsibilities he was bound with as the mayor¡¯s eldest son. Whether it be accompanying tax collection visits¡¯, bearing witness to trade deals being made, or being drowned in mathematics and accounting classes, he found all the minutia and social expectations tedious at the best of times, and simply unbearable at worst. However, he managed to persist for one reason. Every Sunday, his efforts were rewarded with free time and reign to practice his affinity. When he was younger, the day had been taken up by martial training and Beast Hunts, but as he rapidly surpassed everyone in the village in both size and skill, his father had recognized his sons¡¯ prowess and had given him the time for his own pursuits. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Gregor had never had so much fun in his life. Although sometimes he just went to local markets and just enjoyed the scintillating sounds and scents, he more frequently followed a plan he had been formulating since he was about 12. One day, while he had been on one of his first few Beast Hunts, Gregor had heard a flutter from his periphery and had reflexively loosed his arrow at it. As he turned, he nearly launched the arrow straight into the neck of the soldier next to him, the arrowhead instead shaving off some stubble and flying off into the woods without more than the whistle of the air. ¡°Oi lad, watch it!¡± The soldier who had just nearly been killed to friendly fire lashed. Gregor looked down ashamed. ¡°S-sorry, I heard the sound of wings and panicked.¡± The soldier chewed on his words for a bit before he eventually spat out, ¡°Well then check if your shot landed, boy.¡± Apparently that meant now, and alone. Gregor, quivering just a bit, stepped out of the Hunt Party. He looked back over his shoulder one more time, praying someone would recognize his plight and come to his aid. Even just one adult would be a relief. Seeing that no one was willing or aware, Gregor sighed, and then trekked out after his wayward shot.
Gregor thankfully had no trouble finding his arrow. It had flown straight and true, hitting a large oak almost a dozen yards from the path. Most of the trouble came when he tried to understand what he had pinned to the tree with his reflexive shot. He couldn¡¯t tell for sure with all the leaves and branches in the way, but more than anything it looked like a large book with wings attached to it. Deciding to get a closer look, he shimmied his way up the trunk and climbed the tree. After 15 minutes of strenuous effort, and a couple close calls, Gregor finally managed to haul himself up the final branch and get an unobstructed view of his prey. As he had thought from the ground, this creature was strange. Although his arrow had pinned both wings together, instead of being attached to a bird as they should be, a book was dangling down underneath them, banging itself against the trunk in a repetitious struggle to free itself. Even more peculiar, the wings did not produce any blood, and the creature gave no obvious sign of pain, instead seeming like it was still trying to simply beat its wings to control its halted flight. The book itself looked expensive, with silver embellishments on the black leather cover and along the spine that was visible next to the wings. Shuffling into arms length of the book, Gregor just barely managed to open it enough to see inside. The Symbols he witnessed seemed to blast themselves into his brain, which Gregor would have thought was insane if not for the obvious magical aura it was giving off even to his underdeveloped senses. He dropped his hand and brought it before his face, letting the book close and the sensations stop. Gregor was shaking uncontrollably. Not only was this the strongest source of magic he had encountered in his life, it also represented the biggest opportunity of his life. If he was correct, that was a Codex, a training manual for the soul, and an incredibly powerful one. Although Gregor had never seen a Codex, or even met someone who had, his instructors seemed to agree that some Codices could contain enough Affinity that someone could imprint off the book alone, and begin to follow the same path as the author. Gregor had never even heard stories of Codices with wings, but twists of fate like this were what made legends. And made little boys into mighty heroes, defeating their enemies with style and saving their home. This little boy wanted that, and wanted it badly, so with a grunt, he unsheathed the oversized knife at his belt and slashed at the Codex¡¯s wings. The frail black bird wings crunched before they cut apart, forcing Gregor to hack mercilessly again and again, as the book continued to move rhythmically, totally unaware of its plight. Finally, he leaned in and sawed through the last bit and the book dropped, through his grasping hands, the swaying branches, and weaving leaves, until it hit the ground with a thud, finally inert.
Gregor¡¯s descent followed many of the same features as the books¡¯. He too, fell through the branches and leaves, after a branch he was holding onto for support snapped. Fortunately, he had made it most of the way down, only falling about 8 feet. Still, the fall knocked the breath out of his lungs, and it hurt in a way he had only known his combat training to hurt. Which, finally made him realize that maybe it was for his own good. Although Gregor wanted nothing more than to simply lie there on the bed of roots and greenery while he recovered, he instantly scrambled for the now motionless book only a couple of yards from where he fell out. Securing it, Gregor pulled off the pack from his back and slipped it safely inside. Only then did he get a sputtering breath in. Taking a couple of seconds to calm his heart and rub at his already bruising back, he sat on the Forest floor. As he looked up, he frowned. Gregor could have sworn the Forest was a lot louder just a couple minutes ago¡­ Taking his cue, he jumped to his feet and rushed out of the forest at a measured pace. The only thing in his mind were his instructor''s words, reminding him to not show his fear to the Forest and its predators. Or else. As the noise quieted even further into an oppressive silence, Gregor upped his pace in response. He could almost feel the Beasts, the attention like a chill along his spine. Thankfully just as he thought they might close in on him, Gregor once again caught sight of the Hunt Party. Never before had Gregor been so glad to see the scruffy men as he burst back onto their path. If the Beasts were the cold at his back, the Hunt Party was the roaring hearth, and tucked in front of it once again, Gregor felt safe at last. With the treasure secured soundly in his pack, it even felt like the holidays. Chapter 3: Old Fashioned Austen Hospitality Old Fashioned Austen Hospitality As Logan once again roused from unconsciousness, he was greeted bodily with a throbbing headache. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he had been out, but it seemed like it had been a while because his throat was absolutely parched and his stomach was also making its complaints known. However, the complaint center was closed for business at this second, dealing with its own internal struggles. His head felt like someone had cut it open, popped out the important bits, and used them like a dishrag on toxic waste, before tossing them back into place. Even though his head had hurt last time he had woken up, it was nothing like this. The only time Logan had ever experienced a headache of a similar magnitude was when he had gotten food poisoning twice simultaneously, causing some nasty bacterial infection and¡­ a lot of gross stuff to happen, including intense dehydration and malnutrition. When that had happened, Logan had gone to the hospital to be stabilized. He wasn¡¯t sure exactly where he was, but something told him that hospitals were not in his near future, considering the hay cot he was still sleeping on, and THE FACT HE HAD ALREADY DIED THAT DAY. Or maybe it had been more than a day, it had been hard to tell while dead, Logan squelched out of his brain. Regardless, he desperately needed nutrients and water if he was going to live, somehow, and he had already had a trail on how he was going to get them. A scent trail if you would, considering Logan¡¯s whole plan was to follow the delicious and hearty smells wafting to his nose and hope he didn¡¯t kick the bucket trying. However, he would need to see to optimize his routing, so Logan wrenched his crusted eyes open. And immediately, he flinched from the sudden light, slammed them shut, and promptly fell off the cot.
Logan was lucky the cot was, again, just a mound of hay on the packed dirt floor, as he had only rolled off about a foot. However, in his weakened state, that was more painful than it would be normally. Mostly, because Logan had his eyes closed so he ended up hitting his head, causing it to spin and contract even tighter. Ignoring all the pain, both new and old, Logan pushed himself to his hands and knees. This time, he slowly opened his eyes, and between that and looking down at the ground, Logan was able to adjust. It also caused his brain to throb harder, but at this point, it was just a drop in the ocean of pain he was drowning in. Carefully, he crawled through the dirt in the direction of the wonderful smell. He would only occasionally glance upwards, as the direct light of what Logan could now identify as a lantern was still too much to handle in large doses, but it was enough that he could easily avoid the sparse wooden furniture in the house as he pushed onwards. After a couple minutes of mucking about, Logan made it to a door. Considering that he had no idea where he was, and if it was safe, he grabbed the door frame and hauled himself into a crouch. It took Logan a few seconds to find his balance. Even though he could tell he was the same as he always had been, sans hair obviously, his body still felt strangely alien, like he had never used it before¡­ Pushing the door open, Logan came face to branch, he supposed, with a forest. Giant oak and hickory trees stretched as far as he could see in front of him, reminding him of recreated pictures of when the dinosaurs had roamed the Earth. Logan spotted a fire a little over to his left, with the same old man as before tending to both the fire and an oversized pot of stew. If his senses were still somewhat functional, that was the source of the irresistible aroma, so Logan made his way over to the fire, albeit at a slow and shambling pace. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
As Logan drew closer to the fire, his stumbling gait drew the attention of Jeremiah, the old man he had met last time he woke up. Sitting on a log, his frame was still close to Logan¡¯s 6 foot height, and his face was just as weathered as he remembered. Jeremiah made eye contact and just stared. Although he felt like he was dying on his feet, Logan didn¡¯t ask for some stew or speak at all. For some reason Logan thought the old man was testing him, and if he didn¡¯t know the rules, he would have to pay to find them out. Logan had learned that lesson through sports gambling when he had turned 21, throwing away too much money that he really couldn¡¯t afford to waste. So instead Logan didn¡¯t play the game. He saved his energy, just staring back, until Old Jeremiah spoke. ¡°Welcome back to the land of the living, lad. First have some stew, and then we shall talk.¡± With that said, Jeremiah grabbed a massive ladle in the similarly oversized stew pot, and filled a deep wooden bowl with just one scoop. He then held out the soup between us, a peace offering. Logan wasn¡¯t going to pass up that offering in the slightest, but before he did he nodded his head in appreciation at the old man. Then he dug in without remorse, absolutely devouring the whole bowl. Logan was eating so fast that the stew was getting suctioned into his mouth, the wooden spoon he was using doing little more than assisting the initial momentum. After he finished eating, Logan was left feeling a little guilty. He couldn¡¯t even remember what it tasted like. Shaking his head, he looked back to Old Jeremiah. The man hadn¡¯t made a noise while Logan had eaten, simply sitting, and as he seemed to do often, staring. Getting uncomfortable finally, Logan started with, ¡°Thank you for the food, it was a lifesaver.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll not leave a guest to his grave if I can help it, even if he is uninvited.¡± ¡°Ah, actually, if you don¡¯t mind, where might I be, perchance?¡± ¡°Just on the edge of Inaug Forest, sirrah.¡± Logan had never heard of Inaug Forest, but that didn¡¯t necessarily mean much. In the last couple of years he had rarely gone out of his house except to work or party, so maybe there was a forest nearby he just didn¡¯t know about. But Logan was afraid that wasn¡¯t the case. Knowing he had to face it, he asked, ¡°And where might that be, sir?¡± ¡°Oh, were ye unknowin¡¯ of the Forest lad? The Forest resides in the central region of our noble Kingdom of Austen.¡± Shit.
Logan tried not to let the dismay show on his face, but he was afraid he didn¡¯t quite pull it off. This had been exactly what he had been worried about, having read a fair bit of modern literature that started off with situations similar to the one he was in now. However, unlike the main characters of those stories, Logan had no illusions he was a hero lying in wait. Logan had been a barista, line cook, and also occasional sneaker reseller. Having worked all of those jobs for quite some time he could confidently say their skills didn¡¯t translate in the slightest to monster slaying. So doing as he always did when faced with an overwhelming problem, Logan distracted himself from the future, and dived back into the conversation with Old Jeremiah. ¡°Oh of course, that Forest. Yes, yes that checks out. Now, where exactly did you find me?¡± ¡°I found ye in a clearing a little ways over into the Forest. Ye made an awful big spectacle when you showed up, it was hard to miss ye lad.¡± Old Jeremiah drawled out. Logan remembered very little from getting to this ¡®Austen Kingdom¡¯ but he remembered how small he had felt, and distinctly not really having a body, so he was very curious about this ¡®spectacle¡¯. Unfortunately, now was not the time to ask. A massive centipede rushed out of the bush sprinting with all its multitude of legs for his empty stew bowl. Logan had always hated bugs since he had traveled to Central America as a child, and had been stung and bitten by such a large variety that he felt specifically targeted. So when a centipede almost the size of a chihuahua showed its ugly face-ish side, his fight or flight instincts triggered hard. Grabbing a rock slightly larger than his fist, he bent over and brought it down hard on the centipede''s midpoint. With a squish, the centipede separated in two, but the centipede¡¯s front half still scrambled to Logan¡¯s bowl. So he brought the rock down again. And again. Then one more time for good riddance. Looking up he saw the only motion Jeremiah had made was to raise his eyebrow. Ah well, that''s an embarrassing overreaction then I guess¡­ ¡°I hate Bugs¡±, Logan muttered, barely audible enough to be heard over the sound of his breathing and the crackling fire. He brought up the rock to drop it in the fire when a loud chiming, like the air being strummed, startled him into dropping it into the dirt instead. Chapter 4: Gods Damned Gods Damned ¡°Ok, what the hell was that?¡± Logan asked as he spun about. Despite the noise sounding like it came from the surround sound at a movie theater, there was no discernable source. Which did nothing at all to make the loud chiming noise less of a threat in his mind. ¡°Oh, that there was a rye centipede. Nasty buggers who are almost impossible to deal with in an overgrown field. Venomous bite that¡¯s strong enough to kill a hearty man in 10 heartbeats.¡± The old man¡¯s ramblings on the centipede brought Logan¡¯s thoughts to a halt. He had really just killed that thing with no hesitation. Yeah it had sprung up at him, but his response was violent, and fast. He hadn¡¯t even thought about it. And he might have died. Again. ¡°Oh, well, glad I killed it then.¡± Logan sputtered out. ¡°I was, I mean, I-I meant to ask what was the noise that came about after I killed it. The loud, resonant one.¡± Jeremiah¡¯s grizzled face grew weary. For a few long moments, he simply stared at Logan, puzzled, until he slowly ventured forth his answer. ¡°Mayhaps you kindled your spirit, my friend.¡± That did not qualify as an explanation to Logan. No part of the sentence made sense to Logan by itself, beyond the endearment, and all together, it invited numerous questions from Logan¡¯s singular innocuous query. Therefore Logan was left with only one possible response. ¡°What do you mean by that, exactly?¡± With this the old man¡¯s face took a pensive turn, no longer confused and more decided in nature. Old Jeremiah proceeded to take a large pipe from an embroidered leather belt pouch. And as he slowly began to pack the pipe with some mysterious blend, the old man launched into an epic tale, the crackling of the campfire his only co-orator.
¡°Many centuries ago, before the coming of all three Eras, before the birth of life, before this planet, and before even the universe beyond, there was nothing. Then, as if someone willed it to be, everything sprang into existence. All the wide cosmos was born, along with the soil beneath our very feet. However, what made our planet special, beyond the life-giving climate and fertile soils, was that we stood upon the anchor point of reality, and as such, our planet had a guardian. Much had been lost to time, but the guardian''s name was Churau, and Churau was the First God.¡± ¡°For a time, balance existed. Churau anchored the universe through our planet, and our planet flourished. Life arose, and God found himself curious. Eventually sentients came about, and Churau learned empathy. For millennia it watched us in our attempts towards greatness. But when our follies almost broke the world, and threatened God¡¯s directive¡­Charau knew change must happen.¡± With this, the old man took a deep drag of his pipe, and then slowly exhaled through his nose. The fragrant aroma drifted across the dying embers of the fire and smeared themselves obnoxiously into Logan¡¯s nostrils. As Logan swiped the air, Old Jeremiah continued his tale. ¡°Instead of erasing us, as was its right, Churau spared us all, and sacrificed itself to bridge the divide. This was the First turning of the Ages, into the Second Ages, a time we know much more about. This was the reign of Apostles, as King of the Gods, the fragment of Churau¡¯s being he devoted to his previous primary directive. All the other countless fragments filled the sky as the stars we see today, and the Pantheon as Gods.¡± ¡°Once again, the world thrived. The Gods brought in an age of enlightenment the world had never seen, all peoples living as one, for the betterment of all. The beginning of the Second Era was the greatest advancement of science and artistry ever seen, lad, with most of the most sought after knowledge into the modern times being derived from the lost discoveries of those years. However, again, it was not to be.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°As the countless years of the Gods¡¯ lives aged on, they noticed a growing strain on their presence. Beasts grew stronger, and Monsters, aberrations and worse began to appear with greater and greater frequency, while slowly, fear and panic grew. The Gods attempted to guide us, and they made the planet strong, taught us the arts of war and discipline. But we were only mortals, and we mortals were not enough.¡± ¡°Still, for centuries, our ancestors fought against the coming night, never surrendering, praying one day, something might change. And Apostles, or mayhaps some lost remnant of Churau answered all of our prayers. When all seemed lost, once again God sacrificed himself, and his body fell to Earth. As he fell, he blessed all living and natural things with his presence, his essence, and allowed them to reach past the mortal coil if they could just kindle their spark of divinity.¡±
To this point, Old Jeremiah set his pipe down, closed his eyes, and collected himself. Logan could tell he was doing something, but he couldn¡¯t quite make out what. Straining his eyes, Logan stared intently at the old man until suddenly he could faintly see a shimmering, bright, naruto swirl below his navel, surrounded by eddies of light flowing in rotations. Logan wasn¡¯t sure, but he could assume the old man wasn¡¯t ¡®kindling his spark¡¯, but some other equally vague mystical terminology. Whatever the phrasing, Logan didn¡¯t think it was quite the same as the chiming noise from earlier. After all, the cause of that was evidently Logan¡¯s butchering of the rye centipede, and this new technique looked far too complex for Logan to have done it accidentally in his quasi-berserker state. Opening his eyes, the currents surrounding Old Jeremiah¡¯s core gradually drifted apart, with a small portion being pulled inwards, and the rest dispersing. As that happened, Logan noticed his headache coming back, and as the light show was finished, he relaxed his own eyes again, and Jeremiah¡¯s core faded into his subconscious. Then the old man once again picked up and relit his pipe, settling back into his storytelling. ¡°As grateful as we are for his sacrifice, it came with a cost. Now, the Gods have all but retreated from this world, as most of their attention must go to the stability of reality. Only in times of great need are their voices even heard, and sometimes not even then, causing many to lose faith. Monsters have not increased, but they have not ceased their eternal wars on us either. The world is still unbalanced, and although Humans have been given power, we have lost guidance, so the world still sits in the dark, dying day by day.¡± Well. Goddamn.
As Gregor got out of the Sunday morning Mass, he didn¡¯t take the time he normally would to wander the market and chat with people. Instead he blazed his way through the leaving crowds, and raced back to the village manor. Barely stopping long enough to tell the maid Marjory a flustered ¡°Hello¡±, followed by ¡°Please don¡¯t let anyone disturb me for a couple hours¡±, he rushed into his room and slammed the door. Of course, with his strength, he couldn¡¯t really slam it or the hinges would break, but it still made a decent boom as it closed. Next week would be his 18th birthday, and as he was becoming a man of the village. Which meant a couple of things, at least here in Alteep village. First, it meant that most of the village would gather at the end of the season and celebrate him and the others who turned 18 over that period. Then, after everyone was nice and toasty, the newly initiated would then declare their intentions. If you wanted to stay, a job and home would be arranged for you. If you wanted to leave however, that¡¯s where things get tricky. To leave, the village would require something to take your place, a way to compensate for not having you to help out. For most people, they would join the Legion, and send home their wages. However, if Gregor would do that, he could never afford to invest in his own growth, which had led to his current scheme. Gregor, still breathing a little heavy from his rapid pace, leaned over and filched his treasure from its hidden spot under his cot. Over the years, he had filed down the wing stubs until it looked like they were never there to begin with. He still wasn¡¯t sure why it had ever had them to begin with, but Gregor figured it would be easier to explain as just a mythical artifact, if not a unique one. Still, this book was easily worth Gregor''s weight in gold, as Gregor recognized its power if it were able to transform a boy with no instructor into the strongest man for miles. Make no mistake, at this point, Gregor thought, the only things that could challenge him in a fight would be found deep within the Inaug Forest just outside of town. Even then, the old man who lived at the edge of the Forest kept the monster¡¯s ecosystem too stable for any true horrors to rampage. However, that just made gifting Gregor¡¯s treasure to the village that much harder. He knew that he could pull up any page simply from memory, with how much time he had poured into reading it, and with the benefits the techniques themselves provided. Still, this book had symbolized the hope of a heroic future for longer than he had found women attractive. Losing it now would sting, but was necessary. Of course, while holding his most secret possession in his hands, is when Gregor¡¯s father, Mayor Grenneth Rinks barged in. His father started to say something, but the words died on his lips, as his eyes made sense of the tome in his son¡¯s hands. Chapter 5: Herald Herald As an atheist, Logan found his reaction upon being told God was not only real, but essentially dead multiple times over, to be very surprising. He was both relieved and flat out thankful that there were still some lowercase ¡®g¡¯ gods running around out there. Mostly this was because Logan suspected any possible route back to Earth would likely involve interacting with at least some form of higher power. Strangely, thinking about going back to Earth was where Logan¡¯s emotions really got all¡­ strange. He would miss his family of course, and the smattering of friends he had made over the years, but if he was honest with himself, Logan had been coasting for years already. He had been relatively happy with where he was, even if some people looked down on Logan for it. But, Logan supposed, death was probably the best wake up call you could get. After he ran through that thought in his head, Logan then realized that he had very rudely stared at Jeremiah after the man had told a truly intriguing, and likely immensely relevant story, at least for Logan¡¯s current situation. Clearing his throat, he floated out a ¡°Well that was a great summary of world history.¡± Mhmmm, that was maybe a tad more patronizing than I intended. Logan sensed that was the wrong reply when the old man simply grumbled and told him off, saying that he should return to the cottage and cot respectively, for more continued rest. That was not a particularly hard sell to Logan, who once again, as soon as Old Jeremiah mentioned his rest, felt ready to fall over where he sat. Logan didn¡¯t even remember reaching the cot before sleep took him.
The sight of his father standing over him filled Gregor with dread. The Mayor was a large man at almost six and a half feet, with a wild head of untamed red locks, similar to Gregor¡¯s own. Most would describe his father¡¯s mere physical presence as intimidating but that wasn¡¯t what caused the drop in his stomach, as Gregor now resembled nothing more than a sized up model of his father. He had held onto this secret for so long, to finally lose control of it caused a panic of an instinctual level. Gregor almost started sputtering out excuses, but instead took several deep, calming breaths. ¡°Father, this is good timing. I¡¯ve been meaning to tell you for a while now, but hadn¡¯t found the courage. This is the Codex I found, and it is the reason I¡¯ve grown so strong.¡± There, the truth of everything was finally out. Gregor watched the emotions swirl around his Father¡¯s face, until it settled on a mix of consternation, shock, and¡­ awe. ¡°D-do you have a master? Where did this Codex come from?¡± The Mayor of Alteep village ran a hand over his face and through his hair. ¡°No, father, I came across it in the Inaug. It contains no Affinity either, only runes and mantras to help in focused mental exercises and meditations. These exercises allow your soul to slowly change your body how you wish.¡± ¡°Like a power from legend¡­ Son this will be a family heirloom.¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°A village heirloom, I¡­ intend to gift it to the village come the end of the season.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve set your sights beyond here already, haven¡¯t you.¡± Gregor¡¯s father said it as a statement of fact rather than a question. There was a weight behind his words and eyes that Gregor had never seen, or perhaps had never realized existed. Suddenly, the man that Gregor had looked up to his whole life, seemed just a fraction older, and smaller. Gregor didn¡¯t remember when all those gray hairs had grown wild in streaks through his fiery mane. The moment ended though, and now the Mayor spoke, not Gregor¡¯s father. ¡°The village of Alteep will accept this generous gift with grace. Never before has the future of the village seemed so bright. Wherever you go, hold fast to this: the village will always open its doors to you and your companions.¡± Then, in a slightly lighter voice, his father Grenneth asked, ¡°Will you join the Legion?¡± All Gregor could do was hope was the tremble of fear he felt didn¡¯t herald a terrible future. ¡°Yes.¡±
On his third time unconscious, Logan finally had the mental bandwidth to dream. He found himself drifting in an endless expanse of stars, the bright pinpoints of light sending steady streams of light towards him. Logan would have expected to feel cold, but in this vision, he instead felt empowered to the extreme, as if all the potential of the universe stemmed from him. The exhilarating chorus flooding through him filled Logan with a thrill unlike any he had known. Unlike the rush from caffeine, sugar, or more exotic drugs, Logan was becoming progressively more energetic every second. The endless depths of power seemed to pool its excess in Logan¡¯s body, bringing the torrential rush down from a death race to more manageable levels. Then, with a loud snap ringing his head, Logan seemingly passed a threshold. Suddenly, the energy itself started whispering in Logan¡¯s mind, strange and archaic syllables that somehow reverberated with his soul on a fundamental level. It was now flowing through him not as some nameless energy, but as a companion he could recognize, and control, from his voyage to the Austen Kingdom. The Void. The Void was simultaneously the absence of existence, and its source. It brought substances together to create, and pulled them apart to destroy. It provided the separation and division required to foster life, and would destroy anything or anyone who dared challenge its grasp on the order of the Cosmos. All elements were simply a reflection of a fraction of the whole, the Void. As all of this compositional information entered Logan¡¯s brain, he didn¡¯t question how he knew it. The knowledge made him feel complete for the first time since he had been reborn. All the uncomfortable feelings of being alien to his own body suddenly disappeared leaving him more peaceful than he could remember being for well, ever, even while Logan still resided on Earth. There was something about being suspended among the stars that reminded Logan of his hazy experiences of death, except the feeling of safety was of a slightly different cut this time. Instead of being curled up into himself, in his soul¡¯s version of the fetal position, he was now standing and staring proudly into the void, ready to intercept anything that might whisk him away this time.
Of course that was when he recognized that he was not alone. Although Logan couldn¡¯t see anything beyond the starscape, along with the growing awareness of his element was the awareness of where energy of the Void started and ended. No part of the Void encroached for miles in any direction of Logan¡¯s location. Instead, inside that space felt suspiciously like¡­ the source of the energy flowing through Logan¡¯s body. Which made no sense to Logan, as his newfound understanding told him that nothing existed in reality before the Void, not even the Gods, although Logan had yet to meet them. What could possibly be its source? As Logan was pondering this, a new, heady sensation began to come on. A pressure was building against him, like the Void was trying to make him a part of the whole. His soul slowly, but surely, finished the process it had begun on his impromptu trip across reality. Logan¡¯s core unfurled, until it no longer looked like the glowing naruto swirl it had started off as, and instead, eight grasping tendrils extended off of it, reaching out towards the Void. As soon as the process completed, the pressure on Logan¡¯s mind redoubled. Just on the edge of his senses, was¡­ something beyond. The closest his strained mind could come to comprehension of the entity was Infinite. To whatever was reaching out to him, reality was little more than an absent thought, infinitesimally irrelevant and meaningless. Then the being made direct contact, and Logan¡¯s brain shut all systems down. The only thing he could perceive was one single word, or more accurately a concept, as the being he was connected with most assuredly didn¡¯t know English. ¡®HERALD¡¯ it implied, as the starscape around him shattered and Logan was sent spiraling back down to reality. Chapter 6: Bear Territory Human Nature Logan, once again awoke to a splitting headache. However, this time he immediately forced his brain into overdrive. ¡®Was that real?¡¯ was all Logan could think. He could still remember everything about the Void, but that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t just some hot air his brain had cooked up. Unfortunately, being able to see the tendrils that were his soul, with his eyes closed, confirmed it. Uh oh. ¡°Holy shit.¡± ¡°Watch your tongue lad.¡± Old Jeremiah loomed huge over Logan from across the room, his 7 foot frame and broad shoulders making the small cottage look like a hobbit¡¯s home. And just like the greatest sorcerer of those films, he had silver hair. Except, Old Jeremiah¡¯s hair appeared to be actual silver, a full head of strangely metallic strands. Logan had never seen it in the daylight and he had not noticed. ¡°Ye finally noticed, did ye, lad?¡± Jeremiah looked inquisitive, whilst somewhat wistful. ¡°Yeah man, having a full head of hair at your age is mighty impressive.¡± Old Jeremiah was taken aback, shock written clearly on his face. Which, Logan thought, was surprisingly expressive for looking like a mountain side made of flesh. What was less surprising, was that Logan could see the naruto swirl beneath the old man¡¯s navel without focusing now. That must be his soul. Am I even human anymore, with my soul twisted like this? Logan waved a hand in front of his face. To add insult to injury some of Logan¡¯s tendrils waved in sync as if they were miming his motions, as Old Jeremiah finally belted out a resonant, but surprisingly high pitched laugh.
¡°Ask yer real question there, Logan.¡± The use of his name brought Logan¡¯s head from his musings. So far, Logan couldn¡¯t remember the old man using his name, instead calling him ¡®lad¡¯ and ¡®sirrah¡¯, the latter Logan didn¡¯t even know the meaning of, but assumed it was similar enough to the former. His wisecrack must have won him some points in Jeremiah¡¯s book. ¡°Jeremiah, why does your hair look like a nice pocket watch?¡± ¡°Not quite sure why yer pocket would need to be watched, but it is true, I am a descendant of Svell.¡± The old man¡¯s tone conveyed that he thought this meant volumes. Which, considering that Jeremiah was the one who was native, it likely did. Unfortunately, or fortunately, he supposed for the old man, Logan didn¡¯t have a clue what that meant. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve lost me there. What does that have to do with your hair, exactly?¡± Logan hoped this was an innocuous question, as he didn¡¯t know yet if he wanted to let on he was from another world. In the stories he had read, telling people you come from an alternate reality, and then having them learn science was a surefire hack. Now that he was living that fantasy out however, social normalities stood in the way of just explaining to the massive old man that Logan was essentially an alien. Thankfully, it seems like it was innocent enough. ¡°Ah, I sometimes forget the young ones don¡¯t know. Natives of Svell are of mixed heritage, some with other sentient blood, some with Beast blood.¡± ¡°Beast?! Really?¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Yes, it was a gift of the Goddess of Life. Many subraces have been made throughout the Ages. I myself have the blood of elves in me, although I have not met a single of my ancestors.¡± Oh thank god, that is not where my mind went. Logan let out a breath and smiled at the man. Old Jeremiah had been nothing but kind to him so far, a point that Logan was becoming acutely aware of. He really needed to find some ways to pay him back¡­ ¡°If ye don¡¯t mind, I would like to ask ye a question as well, lad.¡± Old Jeremiah returned what could pass for a grin, in the loosest, literal sense. ¡°Who are ya? Do ye, perchance work for a Noble?¡± ¡°Ah, no, definitely not.¡± The breath went out of the old man in a sigh. ¡°Then lad, if ye want to stay here to recuperate, you''ll have to work.¡± This the old man said with a much wider smile, all of his yellowed teeth showing. Logan shivered.
Heading out the door of Jeremiah¡¯s cottage, the old man led Logan over a ways, almost a dozen yards, just to the edge of the Inaug Forest. Here, Jeremiah stopped before stomping his right foot three times. He then crossed his arms, and turned to face Logan without saying a word. So both men just stood there, facing each other. Logan was determined not to put his foot in his mouth, and he really had no idea what was happening. The old man had simply repeated that he intended to put Logan to ¡®work¡¯ when asked, and had left it at that. Eventually, though, Logan hoped something would happen. Watching Jeremiah¡¯s soul spin in place was making him increasingly uncomfortable. Old Jeremiah simply stood there, garnering all of Logan¡¯s attention with sheer presence, at least, until the bear showed up. Now, Logan had never seen a bear in person, but for the bear to be 10 ft. at the shoulders struck him as abnormal. And an abnormally giant bear meant get the fuck out of dodge ASAP to Logan. Following his instincts, Logan backed away slowly while preparing to turn and run. ¡°Stop.¡± The old man said. Logan wasn¡¯t sure how that was going to save them, but maybe bears here in Austen understood English. He wasn¡¯t too keen for a conversation, however. ¡°Stop it, Logan.¡± Logan stumbled in place at the use of his name and half-turned back around. Amazingly, the bear had moved over next to Old Jeremiah, and sat down next to him. What made Logan stop running altogether however, was the bear¡¯s soul. Somehow, he could pick up the bear''s intention simply by glancing at its core. Logan instinctively knew that this bear meant no harm. Logan could also tell the differences between the bear¡¯s soul and Jeremiah¡¯s with the two side by side. The bear, while clearly possessing a soul and some level of intelligence, could never become more than a bear. Sure, one day it might be truly mighty, and be capable of fighting an army to a stand still. But it would never stop to consider if it might have some other purpose in life, never desire to create art. Which was a weird form of poetic irony, mostly because the person who could literally see that art was what made humans really human, had only made ¡®art¡¯ by vomiting onto his white sheets after a long night out. Logan didn¡¯t think that was fair but it also made him realize something personally important. Even if you weren¡¯t 100% homo sapien, it didn¡¯t really matter as long as you could act humane. Old Jeremiah himself wasn¡¯t completely human, and despite being partially non-human the man had been nothing but kind to Logan, even if he was a little gruff. As long as he had the nature of a human Logan decided, even if his soul fell apart he could still be the same person as always. People talked about it all the time, so called ¡®human perseverance¡¯.
Logan finally started with ¡°Why is there a bear here?¡± He was relatively calm now after learning he could immediately tell if the bear went hostile, but that still didn¡¯t mean he wanted to be around when it inevitably would. ¡°I called this one here today to teach ye the ropes, he¡¯s been my partner since he was just a cub.¡± ¡°How did you call him here? I didn¡¯t see you do anything except stand menacingly.¡± ¡°What do ye mean lad? I just said the Beastie here is bonded to me. I can call him without a thought.¡± Wait, was Old Jeremiah a druid? That would explain why he lived alone on the edge of a massive forest at his age. Wicked. ¡°Can you call on his power then?¡± The old man gave Logan a strange look, before answering, ¡°...Yes lad, I can.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so cool, do you have to shout like, ¡®Bear Claw¡¯ or something like that, or is it one of those things where suddenly your enemies are all like ¡®He suddenly gained the strength of ten men!¡¯ or maybe¡­¡± Logan trailed off as the realization he had been rambling hit him. ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s your business, my bad.¡± Old Jeremiah was simply smiling though. Perhaps the warmest smile Logan could imagine him forming was plastered all over his crag-like face. Logan didn¡¯t know what he had said to make the man so happy, but he would take the small victories. ¡°Aye lad, I do shout BEAR CLAW!¡± he shouted with a laugh in his huge voice, and with that swept his left arm down in a lazy motion. In a swirl of energies, a 12 foot long bear claw burst into existence and followed the motion, grazing in front of Logan¡¯s nose, and tearing a few handspan wide seams into the Earth inches from his toes. That was when Logan learned that Old Jeremiah¡¯s sense of humor was lethal. For him, at least. Chapter 7: Blessings and Abilities Blessings and Abilities ¡°What the fuck dude? Why are you laughing at that?¡± After calming down for a minute or two, Logan had mostly forgiven the old man.It was made all the more difficult by the constant guffawing coming from Jeremiah. Even the bear was making some sort of panting laugh, adding to Logan''s boiling frustration. ¡°Ah, lad, you should have seen yer face! Harharhar, I¡¯ll remember it for the rest of my days.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad at least someone enjoyed it.¡± Logan said sullenly. In response to his bad mood, the bear lifted its bulk from the ground and made its way to Logan¡¯s side. Although its spirit remained passive, it was still hard for Logan not to flinch back when it brought its massive head directly in front of his face. Then, the almost 14 ft. tall, massive bear did something amazing. It started licking him on his face like an overgrown dog. The bear, with jaws easily big enough to fit the majority of Logan¡¯s arm inside the incisors, was instead using its newspaper-sized tongue to slobber all over Logan. And although Logan wasn¡¯t usually a fan of getting licked by dogs, he was going to let it slide this one time, for very obvious reasons. But barely, because it''s breath stunk to the high heavens! ¡°That¡¯s just Bennett¡¯s way of making yer acquaintance.¡± Old Jeremiah¡¯s voice came from somewhere behind the bear, Bennett¡¯s, bulk. When Bennett finally stopped his greetings, and after carefully wiping his dripping face in his shirt¡¯s belly, Logan managed to respond, ¡°Well nice to meet you too, Bennett.¡± ¡°Now that the two of ye have said your g¡¯days, let¡¯s get down to business. Lad, I want ye to try and make a bond with the Beastie here. Logan just gave the old man a stare. Now how the hell am I gonna explain why I don¡¯t even know where to start. ¡°I¡¯ve actually never had the chance to bond before. Can you show me how it¡¯s done, old man?¡± Although Logan didn¡¯t really feel the sass he put behind his words, he thought sparking Jeremiah¡¯s competitive side would draw attention away from his short-coming. He trusted the old man, but didn¡¯t actually know Jeremiah all too well, and figured holding out on his origin would be for the best, at least until Logan knew more about the circumstances in which he found himself. ¡°Of course lad, ye can watch as I draw on the bond. Focus on sensing what I¡¯m doing with my soul, aye?¡± Thankfully, the old man wasn¡¯t very perceptive of Logan¡¯s tactics. ¡°First, calm and even yer breath, until it fades into the back of yer thoughts. Without focus, ye might be able to use yer spark. Unfortunately, ye won¡¯t be able to control it, and are more likely to injure yerself than any enemy. The bonding technique be an ability, not a Blessing, so anyone with effort can learn it.¡± Well, guess I better focus up then.
Gathering his thoughts and controlling his breathing, Logan slowly leveled his exhales, and calmed his mind. Eventually, after around 5 minutes of this, Logan felt himself slip into the space between sleep and waking. He could feel his body, but wasn¡¯t able to move without abandoning the mental state. Thankfully, even with his eyes closed he could see the patterns Jeremiah¡¯s soul was weaving. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Good, good, now¡­ focus on the pulse of blood throughout yer body. It should be easier to feel with your head cleared. Ye want to sense the farthest reaches it travels to, and imagine it going even further, extending out of yer fingers, toes, and the top of yer noggin.¡± It was easy to find his pulse. The trance-like state of meditation he was in made isolating the flow of blood in his system simple. It was with the next bit of instructions that Logan started to struggle. For some reason, even thinking of following the old man¡¯s technique made Logan waver dangerously close to falling out of the meditative trance. After taking a couple of seconds to fully resubmerge his mind, Logan would make a push to try and imagine his pulse flowing farther away from him, only for him to slip back towards consciousness. This cycle continued on for a couple of rotations, until Logan got bored of following instructions. Although he suspected that Jeremiah couldn¡¯t tell, Logan knew for a fact that his soul was intrinsically different to the old man¡¯s. Assuming that was where the disconnect was coming from, he tried the only thing he could think of. Logan attempted to will his soul tendrils directly to follow the complex pattern Jeremiah¡¯s spark was weaving. Surprisingly¨Cor maybe not, he considered¨Cthe tendrils were much more responsive to his requests in this state than before. They quickly snaked to do his bidding, looping around one another in increasingly sophisticated motions, until Logan found himself back at the top of the pattern. This might just work. After another couple rotations of watching Jeremiah, and making sure his soul was following suit appropriately, Logan returned the bulk of his attention to Bennett, all without opening his eyes. It was time to learn magic, or die by being mauled by a massive bear in the attempt.
Thankfully, Logan could understand what he was supposed to do without any more input from Old Jeremiah. After all, the old man¡¯s soul was already demonstrating the completed version of a bond, every rotation of his spark sending a loop through the bear¡¯s core and back to his own. Logan already had the correct circuit. Now he just needed to connect it to the bear-tery. With the patience of a saint, Logan carefully began to expand the rotations of his soul in Bennett¡¯s direction. He was hopeful that even if he spooked the creature Jeremiah could calm it once again, but there was no reason to find out. Hopefully. Inch by spiritual inch, Logan expanded out towards the bear. Eventually, the extended tendrils of his soul came up right next to Bennett. This was it, druid magic or bust. Or Logan thought, until a third option decided to make itself known. As Logan brought his soul into the bear¡¯s core, his sensations were suddenly jumbled. His emotions instantly boiled up in a mix of confusion, curiosity, and most prevalently, a primal fear that eclipsed any other panic Logan had ever experienced. Even focusing as intently as Logan was, it still took him multiple moments to identify that the emotions weren¡¯t his, as Bennett¡¯s mind was exuding them as deeply as Logan could conceive. His contact with Bennett had caused a fight-or-flight response within the bear¡¯s slightly-more advanced mind. However, despite towering over the diminutive human, Logan could only grasp a single concept of the bear¡¯s thoughts on him. Predator. The bear¡¯s presence was growing weaker but Logan still felt the connection. As he went to draw on its power, though, Logan felt himself get blocked out completely. Opening his eyes, Logan looked up to find only himself, and an openly shocked Jeremiah. Bennett was nowhere to be seen, but the trampled foliage leading into the Forest revealed what must have happened. For some reason, a bear bigger than any you could find on Earth had fled in fear. Of him. Logan just laughed. Magic was gonna be fun.
Apparently what Jeremiah was teaching Logan was called an ability. Logan had thought it was depressingly generic at first, until the old man had explained there were also Blessings. From his explanation, Logan thought they were a lot similar to the other abilities, but there was a slight difference. ¡°Tis¡¯ true lad, Blessings be much the same as abilities. However, other people can never learn a Blessing, even after years of effort. Others can sometimes pick up an ability. Don¡¯ no why, so don¡¯ ask.¡± Huh. That gave Logan a lot to think about. He might not be able to have Blessings with his soul. That put a real damper on his mood, until Logan shook himself out of it. No need to get depressed about something that wasn¡¯t even confirmed yet. For all Logan knew he could just be getting in his own head. Instead, Logan knew what he was gonna stay focused on. The magic. Chapter 8: Time to Learn Time to Learn Gregor stood in the center of the empty training field, all fifteen of his combat instructors arrayed against him. Well, really they were off duty town guards, but here he gave them the respect that comes with the position of teacher. Accordingly, he wouldn¡¯t hold back, and gripped his sword firmly. Kicking off the ground, Gregor launched himself at one of the larger combatants on the field. However that wasn¡¯t why Gregor singled him out. The reason for that was who this man was, one Squad Captain Minshew Sylvester, the person Logan deemed as most likely to successfully coordinate his opponents. So Gregor cut that future out at its roots, his second monstrous step taking him past Minshew¡¯s guard to deliver all his momentum with a volatile shoulder slam. Gregor saw his victim¡¯s body fly over 5 yards as he turned his attention to the rest of the converging guardsmen. Three of them reached him simultaneously, but their numbers ended up working in Gregor''s favor as two of the guards struggled to get an angle to attack him without hurting their compatriot. That left the third of their number isolated against Gregor for just a moment. That was much too long an opening to leave Gregor, as with a simple parry and riposte, disarmed, then dismounted the guard from the Earth, sending her flying into another of Gregor''s opponents. He quickly leapt after the space her short flight had created, just as he felt the displacement of air on his back. He then turned his back on the guard who had dropped his weapon to catch his fellow, and stood his ground as he was once again approached on three sides. Unfortunately for his training partners, this is why he had created his own special move. Gregor swung his sword horizontally with impossible speed, before reversing grip and doing a mirror movement back through the space he had just cut. He didn¡¯t exactly understand why, but doing such an action at his speeds created a vortex of air that accompanied the momentum of his swings, battering any enemies within range of Gregor with intense air pressure. Another five enemies fell, including the man standing at Gregor¡¯s back. Gregor had found that people who weren¡¯t as durable as him would pass out automatically via some function of their ears. He had learned this via numerous complaints from sessions just like the one undergoing this second. The guards wouldn¡¯t be happy with him, but at this point they knew what they were signing up for.
With the last group falling out of the contest, Gregor now stood in a one on eight. Although these were better numerical odds than he had started with, the fight reaching this stage introduced new dangers. Namely, Ian Greene, the town¡¯s sole Attuned. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Ian¡¯s element of choice was obvious immediately, as head sized chunks of rock rapidly began flying towards Gregor. However, Gregor was familiar with the man''s abilities and tendencies, turning what could have been a mad dash to avoid getting brained into a calculated slalom through the obstacles as he made his way into closing distance of the attuned. If the fight had been just between Gregor and Ian, there would be no doubt of Gregor emerging victorious. Unfortunately for Gregor, they were not alone. The guards had clearly done some planning, or more likely Minshew had, as the seven remaining quickly pulled out crossbows with blunted tips. Normally, these and the boulders would be lethal, but Gregor wasn¡¯t normal and both sides knew it. Although his strength was a mighty advantage, it also meant that others were able to use closer to lethal force and level the playing field. This quickly showed its merit, as the systematic barrage forced Gregor to abandon his momentum and try to stand his ground against the hail of projectiles. He wove his wooden sword in complex dance with his body, as he pivoted and sashayed into the path of the least danger. Still, try as he might, Gregor couldn¡¯t evade, deflect, or block all the impacts, and was eventually made to say the words, ¡°I yield.¡± The projectiles stopped, and Gregor sat down on the packed Earth, bruises already forming all over his body. Standing over the yard, Gregor¡¯s father looked down, studying as the downed men shakily got to their feet. Grenneth was the reason Gregor had started having these sparring sessions once more. Since his discovery of the Codex, his father had pushed Gregor relentlessly, to the point he wondered if it was training at all, or some experiment to test the limits on what would become the village''s foundational power. Catching his breath, Gregor stared straight back at his father. Then he stood back up, and got ready to run the gauntlet again.
Logan¡¯s next couple of days passed in a blur. Mostly because he spent the majority of the time with his eyes closed, in a deep self-induced trance-like state. It was a blast. Magic, that he could do. It made it easy to accept his new waving appendages. Instead of calling them tendrils, Logan officially named them his tentacles. Within a day of learning it was possible, Logan had gained control over them as easily as any of his other limbs, and now found himself absently weaving patterns in the scant few minutes he wasn¡¯t practicing real magic. Well, technically it was called Divinity, as it originated with the King of the Gods death. Jeremiah had laughed before saying magic wasn¡¯t real and a whole spiel when Logan had pressed for more information on the bonding failure. Apparently, the old man hadn¡¯t expected Logan to be able to even attempt to bond Bennett the Bear. Most people just couldn¡¯t do it, regardless of if they had an instructor or not, Jeremiah had said. Given the complexity in the pattern, Logan concluded his ability to directly perceive souls must be abnormal. Sure it had been difficult for him then, but now? After just two days Logan thought he could execute the sequence perfectly. Still, it had started bothering him when he had realized his previous attempt should have been good enough to work. Logan had realized immediately that he was no longer human, but had learned nothing about what he actually was. He knew his kind must be intimately attuned with the Void, as that knowledge still hung ripe at the back of his mind, trying to sneak onto the tip of Logan¡¯s tongue.However, with that knowledge came the absolute certainty that channeling any void energy through his body would instantly kill him, as Logan lacked the immense strength necessary to control the Void even if it would answer his call. Still, that didn¡¯t stop him from trying to figure out how to control said energy. As Logan slowly peeled Jeremiah¡¯s other spells out of him and practiced, he had Divinity on his mind. Chapter 9: Divinity Divinity When Jeremiah taught Logan a combat spell, it was time to put his practice to the test. Although the spell would only cause small to mid-sized roots to wrap up a target, it was all the encouragement Logan needed to go on a small hunting excursion. Jeremiah didn¡¯t seem eager to let him loose after their last outing, but with a little cajoling Logan managed to convince him. That¡¯s how he found himself traveling along the south-western reaches of the Inaug Forest, quietly tracking around, looking for something to test his newfound powers on. Logan had mostly taken to just categorizing things by Earth metrics, but really his ¡®spells¡¯ were more like achieving directed telepathy through intense, focused meditation. He would need to find a target in an area with foliage, while staying hidden long enough to actually activate his Blessings to the fullest extent. That''s what Jeremiah had called some of the abilities that came from Divinity, and Logan felt like the word fit like a glove. He was certainly feeling blessed right now, a large smile gracing his face. It widened as Logan found himself suddenly staring at the perfect scenario to test his skills. Ahead, there was a small animal staring out of the edge of the forest at the plains. From a distance, it was hard to make out what exactly it was, but the creature reminded Logan of a certain electric rodent from pop culture. Creeping up just a little further into the surrounding shrubs, Logan slipped into the comfortable meditation state that had almost become second nature. As his tentacles subconsciously formed the required symbols, Logan¡¯s mind reached out to the long grass in front of the creature and imparted his desire. He would have preferred to have the large gnarled roots of the Forest¡¯s trees do his bidding, but had found in earlier testing that such old and proud trees would require forewarning before acquiescing to his wants. The much younger and more impressionable blades of grass were more easily malleable, and would still serve his purpose. As Logan firmly applied his will, the rodent sensed something was amiss, and redirected its gaze straight to Logan¡¯s hiding spot. Too late, Logan thought as the grass jumped to do his bidding. Suddenly the little guy found himself bound and pulled over into plains, where more and more of the grasping grass reached out and joined in the fun. Without any remorse, the grass slowly smothered any movement or motion until the beast was completely and utterly immobilized. Logan whistled. That had gone well.
Standing over his catch, Logan analyzed it further. The creature really did look like Pikachu, with a chunky body and short stubby appendages. From its former stance, it looked like it would normally stand on two feet, despite its stature. Those same stubby appendages were still struggling mightily against its bond. However, as soon as Logan looked into its eyes, the thing stopped resisting. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. That didn¡¯t bother him, as Logan could get a better view when it wasn¡¯t moving. Logan was just noting how his face was actually kinda cute, when suddenly the air turned sour. The little guy had soiled himself. Of course, because the rodent was fighting against seed and soil, it would only serve to benefit its enemies in the long run. It did, however, bring the full realization of what he had come to do into Logan¡¯s brain. As he had been trekking around, hunting down some prey, Logan had also been fantasizing about what he was going to do once he found it. In his mind, he would fight a scrappy fight with a strong opponent, and would somehow manage to convincingly come out on top. Then he would practice his magic on the beast until he learned some crazy soul attack to make him into a legend. Instead, he was simply terrorizing a helpless animal. Logan didn¡¯t even know where to begin on developing an attack with his soul. Even his back up plan of killing it to bring back to Jeremiah for dinner, seemed barbaric now. Logan felt sick. Logan took a few steps backwards, but remained focused on the foot long rodent he had caught. He felt his resolve tighten as he looked down on it, and a realization occurred of what he must do. Logan slipped back into his meditative trance and began weaving the bonding patterns.
Even though Logan created the pattern almost immediately, he didn¡¯t initiate contact yet. Instead, he made sure it was perfect as he calmed his thoughts. Logan wasn¡¯t sure of how exactly the abilities worked, but given that the ones Logan could use seemed to connect the targets¡¯ minds he thought clearing his own might help the small guy follow suit. It took him almost a minute, but once Logan felt his muscles lose tension he connected to the creature with the bonding pattern. As his tentacle looped into the creature''s soul, Logan could suddenly feel its abject terror. It felt exactly the same as Bennett the bear¡¯s had. However, this time Logan¡¯s partner wasn¡¯t going to run away. Couldn¡¯t more accurately, and that allowed Logan time to study why it was so afraid of him. It didn¡¯t seem to be because of his control of the plants, which the creature hadn¡¯t even deduced yet. Nor did it seem to be innately cowed by humans. Which left only one option left. Logan was not happy that whatever he was now seemed to be interfering with his Divinity. From the creature¡¯s jumbled thoughts, he could tell that whatever type of being Logan now was, usually meant a swift death for one of the rodent''s kind. But it had no reason to think so, no memory to go off of. It was simply the rodent¡¯s natural instinct to fear Logan for what he was. Which again, did not sit right with Logan. He still felt the exact same as he had in his previous life, the only difference now was his soul vision. Surely if he could show the little guy who he really was the creature wouldn¡¯t be so afraid, right? So, Logan felt around at the connection he was forming and tried to change it slightly. As he mentally grabbed it, he forced his side of the connection wider. It hurt Logan deep in his chest, but that didn¡¯t matter right now. He was going to show this stupid overgrown hamster that he was a fucking good guy. As the pain intensified, Logan¡¯s perception of the connection only grew sharper. Now, it resembled the ninth tentacle in Logan¡¯s collection, except it led straight into the soul of the rodent, and was a blue shade, unlike the purple of Logan¡¯s soul. Their minds crept closer and closer together, as Logan pulled and heaved on the connection. He could feel some of the essence of his being slip away in the effort, but he saw it being fed into the bond and was content. Everyone knows that the strongest spells always require the caster to sacrifice something. Logan just hoped he would survive to see the effects. Finally, Logan felt something in him snap, and a great light blinded him. Even as his consciousness once again faded, Logan noticed the bond was stronger than ever. Then he had time enough to worry he was getting addicted, before Logan blacked out. Chapter 10: Levels to This Levels to This Logan awoke to loud chiming. He jolted up and frantically looked around for a few seconds before eventually placing the noise as the same one he had initially heard at Jeremiah¡¯s campfire, his first night on this world. He wasn¡¯t sure what had triggered it this time, but it seemed like it only affected an individual¡¯s hearing, and wouldn¡¯t draw any predators this way. Logan felt wrung out, and he had a squelching headache. Trying not to move his head too much, Logan attempted to figure out how long he had been out. Strangely, he found it instinctive to gauge the sun¡¯s positioning and the shadows to tell it had only been a few minutes. Logan didn¡¯t remember being so aware of solar positioning, but he did think sundials were pretty rad, so he would take it. Then, when he finally got to his feet, Logan looked out into the Forest and suddenly had an overload of new information fire across his neurons. The forest suddenly spoke to him in a way that Logan didn¡¯t fully grasp, but sang of danger. Logan¡¯s earlier assessment that the predators hadn¡¯t taken notice was incorrect, their presence clearly written in the signs the Forest gave. Uh oh, time to skedaddle. Unfortunately, Logan was also uncomfortably aware of a new connection in his mind, compelling him to stay. Whatever changes Logan might have experienced from the advanced bonding process, the little guy clearly had taken the brunt of, as his previously tannish fur had become a very dark collection of blues and purples, and had faint white spots on it, like a bed of stars. His face, which had already been kinda cute, suddenly became absolutely adorable, shortening and compacting slightly, with his face flattening just a bit to round out the effects. As sensationally cute as Logan¡¯s little friend had become, this was no time to dwell on it. Logan just scooped him up into the cradle of his arms, and ran back to Jeremiah¡¯s cottage, his occasional glances at the forest just quickening his pace.
As Jeremiah explained upon Logan¡¯s arrival back at his cottage, Logan had experienced a Full Bond. That was the reason behind both Logan¡¯s sudden knowledge of forestry, and the creature, known as a Rizzel apparently and still sleeping away the aftereffects of the Bond, suddenly had the color scheme of a penguin. ¡°Yes, this be the same bond I used with Bennett. Although yer method is mighty peculiar.¡± Jeremiah said with a side eye towards Logan. Logan had learned from experience in his stay that if he ignored a subject, Jeremiah would drop it. Although the old man was definitely trustworthy, Logan didn¡¯t see a reason to tell him. At the end of the day, it would only make their relationship more stressful, and Logan currently lived in the man¡¯s house. ¡°Aye, this be the second level of Bonding technique.¡± Huh. Something Jeremiah had just said triggered an idea in Logan¡¯s cranium. ¡°Hey Jeremiah, just as I completed the bond I ¡®kindled my spark¡¯ again. What does that mean? Do I have a second level soul?¡± Logan asked. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. The old man replied with a chuckle, before saying, ¡°I suppose ye could say that. In that case I have a twelfth level soul, and Bennett a tenth level soul. Kindling doesn¡¯t necessarily equate to greater power, as folk¡¯s innate power defines how much a person might grow. But kindling is the concentration of that power, availing them new Blessings, and greater control¡­¡± Is that why I don¡¯t have any Blessings, I¡¯m not a high enough level? For some reason that seems unlikely. I can mimic Jeremiah¡¯s basic Blessings, but from what he has told me most people have to study intensely to do so, and for most of the more complex and powerful Blessings that isn¡¯t even an option. I guess even if I end up always having to copy other people, more control might be nice. Still, it dashed Logan¡¯s plans of cheesing his way to the top. Although it would still provide nice benefits to Logan, it didn¡¯t seem like gaming the level system on this new world would yield him draconic rewards, and his focus on meditation had been correct. The old man then continued, ¡°... it essentially is compacting the essence of your soul, making your true being closer to being one of the fundamental laws of reality. Ye¡¯re body becomes strong as steel, and resistant to outside influences. It is called Divinity, because to walk the road to its end, is supposedly to join the Gods¡¯ in their quest.¡± Logan revised his view of Kindling immediately, because contrary to what Jeremiah had just said, it seemed it did relate directly to power. ¡°What¡¯s their quest?¡± ¡°No one knows, all those the Gods¡¯ inform join them on their journey.¡± And bonus, Logan at least had a lead on how to get home now.
Logan Brewer Rank: 2
Mind 4
Body 5
Soul 15
Abilities
Bond Root Hidden Abilities
Soul Sight This was the character sheet Logan had come up with after consulting with Jeremiah, who turned out to be something of a local expert in the matter. Apparently before the current Mayor took over some 20 years ago, Jeremiah had been the most powerful person around, and had been asked to gauge other¡¯s strength for quite some time. He had never thought to enumerate the results, but had quite a few interesting methods of testing Logan''s potential. He had said it would be best to set the average statistic of 10 to that of a fifth kindle man, as that was the average around these parts. For Logan¡¯s Mind stat, the old man would quickly say items and Logan would have to rattle off their colors before moving on. Apparently the man judged Logan to be about where he would expect someone on their second kindle to be. Then for the Body, it was even more simple. Logan just went out and found the heaviest rock he thought he could lift, and then had to lift it over to Jeremiah¡¯s cottage. Suddenly Logan knew why the terrain around the old man¡¯s place was dotted with boulders. Logan himself managed to bring over a pretty hefty rock, netting himself an above average score for strength. Finally, for the soul stat, Jeremiah just stared at Logan for a brief few seconds, hyper focused on his task. Then his eyes suddenly widened, and he tilted his head while looking at Logan. ¡°15, lad.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Logan had asked. The old man had simply grumbled a bit before writing something down on the sheet of paper they had been using. Then Jeremiah handed it over before storming off. On the sheet was assumedly the old man¡¯s statsheet.
Old Jeremiah Rank: 13
Mind 18
Body 28
Soul 26
Does this mean he¡¯s more than 5 times as strong as me? Logan absently asked himself, as he thought over how to optimize his build. Chapter 11: Furry Friend A Furry Friend It was several more days before Logan¡¯s Bonded creature woke up. In that time, he trained with Old Jeremiah, as after he had learned of the old man¡¯s prior experience as an instructor, he quickly pestered him into making him a course. The result was Logan running to and from a boulder about a kilometer away from the cottage, five times before every meal. Then after every meal followed an hour of light sparring, with soft padded equipment similar to what boxers use, only it covered Logan¡¯s whole body. The routine was rigorous by Logan¡¯s standards, but Jeremiah said it was his standard advice, as both exercises would improve both Body and Mind. Logan wasn¡¯t sure how that worked but trusted his advice on these things, and so despite his flagging endurance, had pushed through to follow the program to the tee. And Logan had to admit, the results were already evident on his body. He was looking lean and toned, two words that had definitely never applied to him before in life. Well, his other life, as Logan had officially been alive on this planet for a week and a day. Regardless, he was enjoying the new sensation. That¡¯s why when his new companion finally awoke, Logan found himself flexing in the reflection of the water collector. Jeremiah had some errands to run in town, and had given rein of the place to Logan. It had meant a day of mostly leisure in his down time, but then, as he was just about to showcase his triceps, Logan felt a mental tug on his fresh bond and heard a startled noise from behind him. When he turned around he found himself immediately drawn to the counter where they had decided to keep the Rizzel. Unsurprisingly, it was looking around, eye¡¯s fresh with wonder for the world. Logan could intuit through the bond that the little guy wasn¡¯t anxious at all. From its thoughts Logan felt a strong sense of safety, and that proximity to him was the reason. The Rizzel¡¯s new starscape coat shimmered as it slowly pushed to its feet. The little guy¡¯s face reacted with a new intelligence it didn¡¯t have previously. It smiled at him. If the Rizzel¡¯s face hadn¡¯t been altered by the transformation, Logan thought it might have looked disturbing. As it was, Logan found it actually a little endearing. He thought most people might have cooed out loud, which he thankfully did not do. Although Jeremiah was on a shopping trip, Logan still had his pride. With it staring at Logan affectionately, he didn¡¯t really know what to do. He asked in a pet voice, ¡°Do you have a name, little guy?¡± -No.- Holy shit the rat just spoke in my mind! -What yours is mine.- That made Logan freeze up. Was it saying it knew how to talk because of him? He did not mean to change the bond this much. Whatever he had done to the creature seemed to be a lot more permanent than he had intended, if it had developed the ability to understand and telepathically communicate in English. Which brought him ironically back to his first question. Sighing in acceptance of the responsibility, Logan enunciated mentally, You don¡¯t have a name, huh? -No.- The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. How does Remy sound? Logan had always been partial to Ratatouille, the Pixar film growing up and thought if he was going to have a pet rat, it may as well try and learn to cook for him. -Sure!-
It turns out, thumbs are pretty important for cooking. Remy¡¯s singular attempt was such a catastrophic failure that Logan had to abandon the idea in its entirety. Still, Remy proved to be a massive boon to Logan. The next week or so was spent on finishing up Logan¡¯s basic training, and learning what Remy the Rizzel could really do. In theory, it wasn¡¯t massively complicated. The Rizzel could teleport almost twenty feet in any direction. In practice, it was massively hard to incorporate into any strategies of attack with Logan. Between Logan¡¯s primary attack being a root, and Remy only being able to teleport, their damage options were limited. Still, Remy¡¯s contributions to Logan¡¯s mobility were to be noted. The Rizzel¡¯s scouting allowed Logan to go into the outer reaches of the Inaug Forest. Between the ability to teleport almost instantly, and his keen senses in the Forest, Remy was easily able to chart a course through the less hostile sections. The Rizzel was careful to warn about the predators deeper in the trees though. Logan didn¡¯t want to try and test his power, only to find his head ripped off, so he heeded the advice. In addition to his other notable abilities, Remy communicated that he felt capable of further growth, making Logan smile. The little guy still sounded somewhat childish as he spoke, so knowing that he might mature a bit was also a relief. Remy¡¯s abilities had changed massively since his minor evolution, but perhaps the most important to Logan was the calming effect he had on his owner. Since arriving in this world, of which he still didn¡¯t know the name, Logan had become increasingly manic, diving into magic and his new life with a willingness and stamina that was unsustainable. When Remy came and curled up next to Logan to sleep, the formerly 26 year old man found himself crying. He had died, lost almost any hope of seeing his family again, and was stuck in a world without any conveniences, where he found himself likely at the bottom of the totem pole in the grand scheme of things. Truth was, Logan knew he would be wallowing in despair if he allowed himself a moment to think. But when that moment came, and Logan had Remy right next to him, radiating faith in his protection, Logan found himself thinking through the tears, that maybe things would work out for the best.
The final surprise Remy the Rizzel supplied came on the last day of their training, the day before Jeremiah had agreed to take them on an excursion into the Inaug. This morning, the two had been practicing their coordination like they had become accustomed to, when suddenly Remy stopped. Since Remy normally had a moment of collection before he teleported, Logan continued with his charge forward, bringing the padded short sword into the right hand side of the training dummy. When no follow up occurred, he found himself looking over his shoulder at his companion. The Rizzel was simply standing there, with his head tilted slightly. The little guy looked confused about something, but given that they had literally run this exercise for days now, trying to sync up the teleport, that didn¡¯t make a bunch of sense to Logan. Remy might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but the Rizzel had proven it was unwise to underestimate its intelligence when they had sparred. -Why not take?- What? What¡¯s up little guy? -Here.- Suddenly, the bond between them was highlighted in Logan¡¯s vision. Usually it was half faded, its presence half formed completely in his mind, but now it was glowing angrily in his vision. Then for the first time since Logan had formed it, the bond went completely silent, no longer communicating Remy¡¯s existence into his mind. This sent a flash of panic through Logan¡¯s brain until he saw what was happening on Remy¡¯s end of the bond. He saw the Rizzel in a state of complete focus, desperately trying to finish whatever task it started. The task of which seemed to be giving Logan a part of his soul. A chunk of the small creature¡¯s being had already started flowing across the bond, seemingly clogging up the connection that had started to feel intimately comfortable for Logan in the week and change since he met Remy. The panic in Logan¡¯s mind got a massive boost when he saw that. And of course, now would be when he couldn¡¯t communicate with his companion. ¡°NO! Stop Remy, what are you doing?!?¡± Logan screamed out at the overgrown mouse, but he refused to listen. The fragment had already gotten a quarter of the length of the bond but Remy was flagging, and Logan could tell that the effects of failure would be catastrophic. So Logan did the only thing he thought might keep them both alive. He grabbed the fragment with his tentacles, and forcibly completed the process, dragging it into his soul, consequences be damned. As had become ritual in events like these, Logan blacked out. Chapter 12: Beam Me Up, Scotty Beam Me Up, Scotty With a final breath Gregor opened his eyes, ending the guided meditation he had been leading. All around him, other leading members of the village began rousing in similar fashion, having been the ones following Gregor¡¯s lead. Over the previous days, Gregor had initiated lessons on the subject matter of his Codex, trying to get the various leaders, including his Father, Captain Minshew, and a smattering of others to a level where they could pass on the techniques themselves. Unfortunately, it had been proving quite difficult. Gregor had suspected as much, but many of the more specialized meditations were almost impossible without starting them as a child. The souls of adults were simply too determined to reshape so easily. Which, from Gregor¡¯s admittedly basic understanding of the principles, seemed to be the primary enabler of the more serious and high level techniques. In essence, his Codex began by slowly shaping the soul until it matched his physical body. This point is where most of the benefits became obvious, as Gregor had then began blending his physical and spiritual essences into one whole. This was where Gregor¡¯s understanding ended, but the results spoke for themselves. He hadn¡¯t lost at arm wrestling since he was 14, even against men more than twice his weight. ¡°Gregor, a word please.¡± Mayor Grenneth was the first to stand up of the group, and his impressive frame cast a shadow over Gregor¡¯s face. As the rest of the members of the village stood and filed out, the two members of the Greatwood family drew close. ¡°Son, are you sure that the Legion is the correct path to take?¡± His father barged straight at the topic, as this was not the first time they had rehashed this conversation. This time, Gregor thought he might try a different tact than he had previously. ¡°It isn¡¯t the correct path.¡± ¡°...Gregor. Please elaborate further on that statement.¡± ¡°The correct path would be to stay, raise up a generation of indomitable warriors in Alteep, and become a hero of the nation. However, that is not what I desire at all. Father, from your own mouth I have heard you admit to never traveling more than two villages over. If I follow the correct path, I¡¯m sure I will follow suit, but I desperately want to go beyond.¡± ¡°What I desire is to see more than any man has ever seen, to know more than any other knows. The only way I could think to get started on that journey was to join the Legion. So that is what I plan to do.¡± Gregor stated, as if daring his father to disagree. Perhaps, Gregor wanted him to disagree. All his life he had been used to following his father¡¯s lead, with this plan to leave being his first original creation. However, it wasn¡¯t to be, as his father simply looked at his son, and gave a single nod.
Logan awoke with a start. There he was, laying on the ground with Remy curled up on his chest, the door still flung wide open from his rush inside. At this point the pulsing in his head was a familiar companion, maybe even more than the Rizzel sleeping on top of him. Speaking of Remy, it was time to see what the little rascal had forced onto him. Logan wouldn¡¯t tell him, but honestly wasn¡¯t angry at all. After all, Logan had forced this whole bond thing on Remy, and he hadn¡¯t felt any resentment for that. So he could definitely let something like this slide, but maybe after he figured out exactly what had happened. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. The first place he went to for changes was internal, as Logan took a gander at his soul. The new addition was immediately obvious to him, as it was a slightly different shade, and packaged in its own self contained unit. From Logan¡¯s viewpoint, it looked like an organelle in the cell that was his spirit. Deciding that the gift was definitely worth a closer look, Logan closed his eyes and began to meditate. In the trance-like state that followed, the only thing in Logan¡¯s perception was his soul, suspended in the plane of existence. Suddenly, Logan could intuit the purpose of the fragment, and that it was safely integrated with his being. The gift was the chunk of Remy¡¯s soul that contained his teleporting ability. Logan¡¯s initial thought was to get excited at the possibilities, but in seconds a pit of dread had formed in his stomach. If I have part of Remy¡¯s soul, what happened to him? Logan brought Remy¡¯s soul into his perception, portraying them side by side. With the direct comparison, Logan was able to quickly identify the same organelle-esque structure in Remy¡¯s soul as that existed in his own. How¡­ I swear¡­ As if reading his thoughts, which he definitely was, Logan¡¯s companion opened his eyes and mentally responded. -What yours is mine- Does that mean you copied it back, after you gave the Blessing to me? -What yours is mine- ¡­Huh, I guess so little guy. Maybe give me a bit of heads up before you do something like that again? The Rizzel just stayed curled up on Logan¡¯s chest, and went back to sleep.
When Logan went to experiment with teleporting, it predictably came with a new landslide of quirks and kinks to work out. Perhaps the biggest surprise was visually. Logan had started to attempt to teleport, but as he did suddenly a whole graph full of intersecting lines sprang up in his vision. They ran all over his sight at regular intervals, and threw Logan off enough that he didn¡¯t even properly teleport, just warped to the exact same spot. Pop! The traveling itself was a doozy. As Logan started the process, he felt his entire being get distorted. It felt similar to holding a vacuum against your hand, but for Logan¡¯s whole body at once. He found it easily on his top ten list of uncomfortable sensations he had ever experienced, probably sitting at around 6 or 7. Logan¡¯s previously mentioned bout with simultaneous food poisoning took up the majority of the upper list, admittedly. The arriving process was thankfully less uncomfortable, instead just feeling like a release of pressure. In the same vein as the earlier analogy, it felt like then removing the vacuum from contact with your skin. Even after Logan arrived however, the lines stayed present in his vision, making Logan swivel and rotate his head like an owl on cocaine. Everywhere Logan looked there were small white lines stretching out, that were weirdly tied to the topography around him. For some reason, the white lines felt extremely close like if Logan just stepped forward¡­ Pop! And Logan went through the teleporting process all over again. A grand total of seven times before he figured out how to disable the white lines. After a couple times, Logan had figured out what they were, but it still took him more time afterwards to learn to cancel his own Blessing. It turned out teleporting, at least the way Logan and Remy did it, was more of a mode almost, instead of just a skill. The white lines were something like spatial connections, and it seemed like the only restriction Logan had on the ability was a range of 10 meters. Other than that, it didn¡¯t matter if Logan could see where he was going or not, he would still pop right over. All in all, Logan was very impressed with it, even if teleporting seemed like it would require many hours of work to be able to do effortlessly. Him and his companion would soon be a force to be reckoned with, as long as Logan put the effort in.
Logan Brewer Rank: 2
Mind 6
Body 7
Soul 19
Abilities
Bond Root Hidden Abilities
Soul Sight Blessing Mimic Blessings
Teleport Chapter 13: Festival Festival It was time. The end of season festival was finally upon Alteep village, and that meant Gregor was almost completely free of his responsibilities. Today, all the preparations would already be made, and the party would begin in earnest. Gregor himself was ready, and found himself meandering aimlessly through town. Drinks would undoubtedly flow into eager tankards for most of the day as various games would be played. There was a basket weaving contest, a boar hunt, and an all day fishing competition, that Gregor thought was likely an excuse to get away from all the noise. Still all would spend the day as they pleased, celebrating a successful harvest. Gregor was looking forward to the day as well. It promised the same things Gregor had scraped tooth and nail for as a child, both free time and normal social interactions. It was the night he was more anxious about. Before the entire village would gather in the town square for a toast, Gregor and the other 6 freshly minted adults of the previous season would declare their intentions, to which the toast would then be made in the name of. Although he had already cleared his path forward, Gregor still felt trepidation about making it official. It didn¡¯t help that he would be standing with people he hadn¡¯t really spoken to in years, either. Ever since adults had begun coming to Gregor for advice, and for his help, the other children his age had simultaneously stopped associating as much with Gregor. This trend continued as he grew older, until now he hadn¡¯t seen or spoken to one of them since he was 15, if Gregor¡¯s memory served. At the time, Gregor had just thrown himself further into his advancement, but now that divide filled Gregor with some regret. Part of him wondered if there was something he could have done differently. As Gregor¡¯s feet found themselves settled in the doorway of the tavern, he knew the answer to his problems. Day drinking.
Woah. The alcohol had gotten to Gregor¡¯s head much faster than he had been anticipating. All the other warriors Gregor had seen could handle loads of the stuff, so Gregor assumed he could too because he was stronger than them. That was wrong. Not him being stronger than them obviously, but the alcohol part. Gregor didn¡¯t normally think he would say those sorts of things so easily if he could handle the alcohol like them. Which again, he couldn¡¯t. Still, he lifted the next round to his lips and kept drinking. If Gregor didn¡¯t, his eyes would be magnetized again to the woman polarizing the room. Maybe because he had just been thinking about it, but of course, one of the new adults of Gregor''s age, Amar Ket had entered the bar during his second drink, and the atmosphere had suddenly shifted. Maybe it was just because Gregor felt hyper aware of the woman, but it seemed like all the women were casting furtive glances at her, while the men were casting glances of an altogether different nature. Although Gregor too thought her body was attractive, all lithe curves and slender limbs, and her hair was an exotic pearlescent white, what really drew Gregor¡¯s attention was her face. Namely, as far as Gregor remembered, Amar Ket never even smirked. And today, on her face was the most glorious smile Gregor had the pleasure of witnessing. Despite his best efforts not to stare, Gregor kept finding his attention focused on the way her lips creased at the corners as she laughed over a drink, or how her cheeks had just a little flush to them. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Luckily, he didn¡¯t think she had seen. Gregor was not in any state to present himself, and for some reason he kept drinking instead of being sensible and leaving. He had finally decided to do just that when Gregor felt a hand on his shoulder. ¡°If you wanted to talk, you could have walked over to me.¡± Oh my. Somehow, despite Gregor¡¯s finely honed senses, the one person he had been paying attention to, Amar Ket was standing at his left shoulder.
¡°Uh, well, how have you been? You seem to have been doing well.¡± Gregor didn¡¯t think he did that bad considering he felt a more visceral fear than he could ever remember experiencing from a Beast Hunt. ¡°Well Gregor, I¡¯ve been doing quite alright actually, thank you for asking. The question everyone wants to know is, how have you been doing Gregor? How is the future mayor?¡± ¡°Haha, I doubt I¡¯ll ever become mayor.¡± Gregor said as he took another swig from his tankard in order to play it cool. Amar¡¯s voice had become more resonant since he had last spoken to her, and the effect was not non-existent on Gregor. ¡°Oh? And why would that be? You¡¯re certainly intelligent, and rational enough. And no one could question your strength.¡± ¡°Can I tell you a secret, Amar?¡± It was probably the alcohol loosening his lips, but Gregor figured he was going to tell the whole town in a matter of hours. He might as well. ¡°Of course, Gregor.¡± Amar said with a playful smirk. Before Gregor could feel the flushing of his face he carried on. ¡°I¡¯m not going to stay in the village. I plan to leave for the Legion Conscription Officer a town over as soon as the festival ends.¡± Amar just laughed. This puzzled Gregor, as he didn¡¯t think it was really a funny response, or that preposterous that it deserved to be laughed at. ¡°Sorry, it''s just that if you say that I feel compelled to tell you my secret in turn- I plan to do the exact same thing.¡± Gregor let out a chuckle. ¡°Well, I can drink to that.¡± He said as he lifted his ale. Amar lifted her own in response. Cheers and laughter resounded out as their drinks met.
Finally, Old Jeremiah had decided Logan could accompany him on an excursion through the Forest. Up until this point, the only time Logan had been was when he first arrived, apparently, but that didn¡¯t count as he had been unconscious the whole time. Now, he would get to see what Jeremiah said could make Bennett the bear into an afternoon snack. And hopefully, he could avoid that unfortunate outcome himself. That would be nice. To that end, Logan was following closely behind Jeremiah, doing his best to remain quiet. So was Remy, the little guy half perched on Logan¡¯s shoulder. The Rizzel¡¯s eyes were as vigilant as Logan¡¯s own, which was cute, but Logan would definitely see a predator coming with his soul sight. The question was if he could run quick enough. With Logan¡¯s teleport, it was at least possible, and those were decent odds in his book. Still, Logan didn¡¯t think he would take the risk of hunting in the Forest alone. Something about the noise and the presence it had kept him on edge. Now that he was here, imagining Bennett as something¡¯s dinner seemed more and more realistic. Slowly, the three of them made their way through the foliage, until they came unto a clearing. Jeremiah took three steps in, and then abruptly held up a hand. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong.¡± On the other end of the clearing, four horse sized abominations descended from the trees. Until they had revealed themselves, Logan had no idea they were there, even with his soul sight. They weren¡¯t exactly close, standing around 40 feet away, but their size made their grotesque forms easily discernible. They resembled long, slender spiders, except on top of their back they had another set of stunted legs growing out. These half formed appendages writhed and wormed, as if looking for prey to choke. If there was anything Logan hated in the world, or worlds, it was bugs. Especially when they came in a size fit for nightmare fuel. ¡°Jeremiah, you got this, right..?¡± The old man¡¯s face was as pale as a sheet. Chapter 14: Odds of Survival Odds of Survival That was when Logan realized he was going to have to take the initiative. Faster than he ever had by half, Logan wove the patterns for Root on three of the demented spider things. The forth, he instead tried to bond with, hoping for the primal fear it caused to send at least one of their enemies retreating. Instead, it showed almost no reaction, and just raced forward as its brethren began to abdicate their fibrous restraints. As the spider smoothly charged forward, Logan mentally projected, I¡¯ll go right, you go left. and hoped Old Jeremiah would be alright. -Ok.- Suddenly, the spider was in Logan¡¯s face. If he hadn¡¯t been practicing incessantly, he might have fumbled or panicked when it went to crush his head in its mandibles. Instead, both Logan and Remy were able to follow the plan. Less fortunately, Logan quickly realized it had been a shit plan, as now the other spiders were charging at them, and they were split up. ¡°Ye dirty abominations!¡± Jeremiah roared and suddenly his massive frame was glowing with an internal light. The old man cocked back his paw, and when he swung it a massive bear claw sprung out. The spiritual appendage whistled with devastating potency and the clearing resounded with a loud crack as the attack made contact with the spider¡¯s outer carapace. The twisted spider was driven into the ground by the force of the blow, but still managed to extend its iron mandible as far as it could reach. Which happened to be right into Jeremiah¡¯s stomach. ¡°Aagghhhh, damn you!¡± The old man bellowed out in rage. The wound was already staining his garments a deep red, and Logan could tell that at least one vital organ had to have been ruptured. Still, Jeremiah formed another Bear Claw and finished the downed opponent. This seemed to make the other demented beasties a little skittish, as they stopped their reckless attack. Logan however, could tell the old man was spent, and teleported over to his side as Jeremiah almost collapsed to one knee.
¡°Are you ok, do you have some way to heal?¡± Logan asked Jeremiah as he hooked his arm around the man¡¯s shoulders. ¡°What are ye talking about lad, ye¡¯re 50 years too young to ask me that.¡± Although Jeremiah said that, there was a slight wheeze to his breath that made Logan panic. He wasn¡¯t an expert, but he was pretty sure that¡¯s what people sounded like when they had a punctured lung. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, me and Remy have been practicing. Some silly looking spiders aren¡¯t gonna stop us.¡± Logan tried to radiate confidence as he said it, but it was a thin veneer, and he had no doubt the old man saw right through it. Jeremiah chuckled, although the effort clearly pained him. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about ye lad. Ye and that Rizzel would be damn hard to catch even for me. Alteep village is right behind us though. They¡¯ll be celebrating the season¡¯s end, and these beasties will tear right through them.¡± Jeremiah managed to get out, all while keeping his eyes on the spiders. ¡°Ye need to warn them, get Gregor ready for battle. He¡¯s the only one who can fight this many.¡± Logan didn¡¯t know who Gregor was, but this wasn¡¯t the time for dallying. In his soul sight, he could pick out two more of the spiders, ignoring the clearing altogether racing towards the edge of the Inaug. Hoping he wasn¡¯t leaving the old man to die, Logan pulled on his teleport blessing. White lines sprung up in front of his eyes, illuminating the path he could take to outpace the twisted spiders. ¡°You had better stay alive out here, old man.¡± Logan said as he stepped through reality to 10 meters toward the edge of the Forest, and Alteep village. As Remy joined him momentarily, the duo proceeded to hold nothing back in their dashed dash away from the pursuing spiders.
As Jeremiah watched the young man teleport away, he sighed out loud. Somehow, Logan had become more meaningful to him in only a couple of weeks than he could have imagined. As a descendant of the elves, Jeremiah had been ostracized from his birth, living out in that cottage beside the Inaug his whole life. The only companion of his early years had been his mother, who had taught him of his ancestors. The elves were the greatest disciples of the Goddess of Life, seventh of the Eight Great Deities, and this role often granted Blessings related to nature. Jeremiah¡¯s was the ability to channel the power of nature through his hands. That¡¯s why when a spider finally overcame its hesitance, Jeremiah wasn¡¯t cowed. The power of the eldest trees flowed through his forearms, making them as tough as the strongest bark. It was natural that the spider couldn¡¯t penetrate its tough outer layer. Jeremiah only had so much leverage, however. The spider was too large and heavy, simply knocking the old man to the ground, if it couldn¡¯t kill him outright. Jeremiah wasn¡¯t done yet, though. Channeling Bennett, he smashed a powerful clawed paw into the abomination''s weaker underbelly. Its carapace shattered against the force he brought to bear, and Jeremiah pushed it aside. He felt determined to protect Logan, the strangely ignorant young man that had miraculously appeared. His heritage may have prevented him from finding a family, but Logan hadn¡¯t batted an eye. For one of the few times in his life, the old man had felt welcomed and it impassioned him to spend what remained of his life making sure the young man could survive. Nature would have taken its toll on him in the following seasons regardless had fate not run its course. That was why when the spider he had thrown away flopped onto the deformed legs on its back and flung itself once again at Jeremiah, he wound up falling victim. Both his body too old to dodge out of the way, and his mind too ready to accept defeat, and succumb to death¡¯s embrace. Still, another thought of someone else crossed his mind, and he brought down another Bear Claw, finally killing the abomination as it tried to encroach to feast on its prey. Almost a decade now, he had once trained a girl in a similar way to young Logan, and the memory of her brought defiance back to his mentality. The other spiders, perhaps sensing this, skittered around him, and took off in the direction of Alteep. Jeremiah tried to follow, but his wounds were too deep, and too much blood had already drained from his system. He hoped he had done enough for Logan, as he collapsed to the ground.
As Logan and Remy blipped across the terrain of the Forest, they desperately tried to track and stay ahead of the spiders. The unnatural creatures were both quick and sure of foot, navigating the foliage in the muted light. During Logan¡¯s training he had never pushed further than six teleports at a single time, but by the time he was out of the Forest Logan was already at eight uses. Remy had been a bit more efficient, managing to make it out in 7 jumps, but they were both exhausted. -We go.- Yeah, buddy, Logan hoisted the Rizzel onto his shoulder and took off at a run towards Alteep village. Although he hadn¡¯t yet visited, it was easy to locate on the horizon through the prairie grass, if only because there was nothing else present. After maintaining his full speed for more than a minute, Logan became even more grateful for Jeremiah¡¯s mentorship. If he survived, it would be because the old man had prepared him well for this. And from Jeremiah¡¯s tone, the entire village should get ready, and this Gregor person would need to be at least as prepared as Logan if they wanted a chance. As Logan finally pulled into shouting distance of the village, the spiders finally broke out of the Forest¡¯s treeline. It was all Logan could do to not simply shout out ¡®Monster! Monsters!¡¯. Logan held back when he spotted Alteep¡¯s streets filled with folks in varying states of inebriation. As he swore inwardly, Logan just hoped this Gregor fellow was in condition to fight. He didn¡¯t like their odds of survival otherwise. Chapter 15: First Contact First Contact Gregor was the most drunk he had ever been. Hours of drinking had worn on him, and now even he could tell his speech was slurring. His eyes were lidded, and Gregor could barely see, but still his attention was locked on Amar Ket. Even after leaving the tavern, they had joined the flow of the celebrations together, and had made their way through the village. At one point she had asked Gregor why he wasn¡¯t competing in any contest. He thought he managed not to come off as a braggart when Gregor said he wasn¡¯t allowed because it would be unfair. He wasn¡¯t sure it worked, but Amar didn¡¯t seem to care. She simply shrugged it off, and dragged him along to the next event, the boar chase. In the competition the boar would be shaved and coated in oil, then let loose in the village, and contestants would be forced to hold and lift the animal in the air for fifteen seconds. Of course, the other competitors and the boar itself would be loath to let that happen, and the game had been known to last almost through the night. Both Gregor and Amar were standing towards the edge of town when suddenly a man with bright purple eyes appeared in front of them. On his shoulder, of all things, was a Rizzel, although this one was oddly colored. ¡°Are you Gregor?¡± The man asked, staring directly at him. Gregor was an honest drunk and so he was swift to answer. ¡°Yessir.¡± ¡°Good, you need to get ready, there are at least two crazy monsters that are about to attack the village. I¡¯m hoping Jermiah can hold off the rest, but it wasn¡¯t looking so good back there.¡± ¡°Jeremiah? The Forest caretender?¡± Amar cut in, stealing the strange man¡¯s attention. ¡°That¡¯s the one. I¡¯m sorry, you are?¡± ¡°It¡¯s common courtesy to introduce oneself first before asking it of another.¡± This appeared to take the man aback, as he hesitated a second. Then he put on an easy going smile, and began to speak. ¡°Of course. I¡¯m Logan Brewer, and I¡¯m here to help.¡±
¡°Of course. I¡¯m Logan Brewer, and I¡¯m here to help.¡± Logan had plastered on his barista smile, but he wasn¡¯t sure if it conjured the right effect. He was sure that the way he continuously looked over his shoulder, monitoring the spiders in his soul sight, did not help. He wasn¡¯t sure if crack existed here, but surely there were some crazy magical drugs out there. As he looked back at Gregor to gauge his reaction, he found the man with his eyes closed, in a silent meditation. Logan was amazed once again by the uniqueness of Gregor¡¯s soul, as it was diffused through his body in a great twisting haze. That very feature had been what allowed Logan to find his target so quickly, as it stood out compared to the others around them. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Well then Logan Brewer, I¡¯m Amar Ket. It''s nice to meet you, and where are the monsters we are to fight?¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± Amar gave Logan a look that spoke a thousand words. He responded by raising a hand, pointing towards the edge of town. ¡°They¡¯re out there, closing in on the town. I¡¯ll go keep them busy while you two get ready.¡± With that, Logan flared the white lines representing teleportation routes, and got out of dodge. Although the woman with Gregor, Amar was startlingly beautiful, something about her made Logan think of Jeremiah, and those thoughts pushed him back to the battlefield. The old man had been as gracious a mentor as Logan could have expected in a completely different world. He deserved all of Logan¡¯s efforts. Bracing his stomach, Logan made two more teleports and found himself back outside of the village, and in the path of the two horrifically grotesque spiders. ¡°Anybody ever taught you two how to tango?¡± Logan asked the twisted abominations as his faithful companion Remy appeared at his side, and his tentacles began weaving patterns in the air. ¡°Because it''s time to dance, whether you like it or not.¡±
Logan cast Root and suddenly the prairie grass was his to control. The many stalks curled up around the spiders¡¯ legs. Unfortunately, the spiders themselves had many legs, and though the ability stopped their momentum, both enemies maintained their balance. However, the ability still managed to buy Logan and Remy some time. Neither of them were particularly effective at attacking, and the spiders almost seemed engineered to be able to always counter attack. Their second set of legs were always writhing right where an attack would be most effective, creating a nearly perfect guard. It didn¡¯t help that all Logan had to attack with was a small belt knife, or his fists. He had received little to no training in the usage of either, unless you counted Logan¡¯s high school self defense class. He certainly didn¡¯t. It appeared as though the spiders were of a similar mindset, as both ignored the Rizzel flanking down their left side, and tried to converge on Logan. Even though his stomach was already churned up like a barrel of butter, Logan forced his eyes to see the white lines once again, and teleported across his view. As he stepped into the space 10 meters to his left, regrouping with Remy, the spiders once again turned and charged directly at Logan. Out of options, Logan resolved to just cast Root as much as he could to buy time. Logan just hoped that those two were quick about getting ready. He couldn¡¯t imagine attempting to slash at one of these things without losing at least an arm. Logan had personally seen it easily piece Jeremiah¡¯s stomach, and though he may be an old man, Jeremiah was still in outrageous shape. The mental image of a mandible going straight through Logan¡¯s head was at the top of his mind. So call him a coward, but Logan thought his plan had the best chance of success. When Gregor seemingly appeared, a spider instantly de-mandibled in front of him, Logan was convinced of his genius.
As soon as Gregor came into battle, he realized it would be grueling. What should have been a blow that separated its thorax had missed, leaving him to try and hold momentum. A slash that was parried by a leg. The follow up thrust dodged with almost a prance. Gregor let out an audible sigh. Suddenly it was the spiders turn to take the lead. Its compatriot had reached their scuffle and it was all Gregor could do to keep up with the pace they set. Sixteen legs with only two minds attacked him in unison, all working to manipulate the space Gregor had, and his ability to retaliate. Every thought was of defense. When a giant glowing bear claw came down on the spiders, Gregor realized that defense might be his only job today. Amar had joined the fight, and it seemed her skills were of a more exotic variety than Gregor¡¯s own. Another bear claw pounced out of her palm but the spiders suddenly gave space, and it only met air. ¡°Yeah, you better run!¡± The strange man, Logan, yelled at the retreating abominations. At least, that¡¯s what Gregor assumed they were. After so many years of searching and hunting in the Forest, Gregor thought he knew all the naturally forming monsters, and had never seen these. They were clearly spiders, with eight legs, but were shaped almost like a wolf, with a narrow and slender abdomen. If anything, they looked like common beasts, Wolf Spiders, which were rare but existed in the forest. Then there were the nightmarish twisted legs coming off of their backs. Each was a different size, and they all writhed, as if constantly in their dying throes, but already Gregor suspected they could still be controlled by the creatures. And then there was the shade of their carapace. At first glance, it appeared black, but Gregor could tell it was distinctly purple on closer inspection. He didn¡¯t know why that stood out to him, but it did. Suddenly, the spiders deformed appendages stopped their tortured movement. Both foes crouched their back legs low, almost as if¡­ ¡°Separate! They''re about to fire!¡± Gregor shouted. Little did he know how right he was. Huge globules of an orangish goop launched through the air at an arc towards them. Gregor turned and grabbed Amar in a fireman''s carry, and hoped Logan followed his instructions. Gregor could have looked back, but his gaze was taken by the substance launched by the spiders. As the goop had slowed down in the air, it had combusted, and now a curtain of flaming acid descended from its arc. All Gregor could do was stare, and pump his legs harder. Chapter 16: Hold Firm Hold Firm How is that fair? The curtain of napalm rained down towards Logan as he found a suitable location to teleport too. He realized he was hardly in a place to judge as the projectiles had a zero percent chance of hitting him. Logan was still a bit pissed though because he had to use another teleport through, and he only had so many more before he would lose control of his stomach. Remy popped into reality onto Logan¡¯s shoulder, and a sigh of relief escaped Logan¡¯s mouth. Hey little guy, you should get out of here for a bit. I¡¯ll let you know when it''s safe ok? -I wanna help!- Yeah, the best way to help right now is to protect yourself, I need to focus up out here. -Aw, ok- With a pop, Remy disappeared. Their teleporting powers offered a lot of protection, but Logan had been curtailed to a bystander in this fight as he didn¡¯t have the offensive power to crack through the spiders¡¯ exoskeleton. Looking regretfully down at the small knife in his hand, Logan couldn¡¯t even imagine nicking the abominations with it. Keeping Remy around would hold him back, and frankly Logan might be better off running himself. Still, he had to try for Jeremiah. Logan turned his gaze to the spiders once more. They were once again readying to shoot, but something about their souls stood out to Logan. There was a bulge coming out of their souls in the exact same spot, making him think it was the Blessing they were about to use. As his tentacles wove about in the corners of his eyes, Logan had a devious thought. If he didn¡¯t have any way to attack, maybe Logan could turn his enemies weapons against them. It sounded a lot more fun than waiting to get turned into a capri-sun for a couple weeks. Logan gritted his teeth again, and teleported over to where Gregor and Amar were standing. He would need to coordinate this one. ¡°Hey guys, I¡¯ve got a kinda risky plan, do you two think you could take their attention for a minute or so? Really put them on the back foot, and make them back up?¡± Last time Logan had received a Blessing that wasn¡¯t his, he had fainted, and although he would be more braced this time, preparation comes in all forms. This backup plan seemed more likely to keep him alive than just toughing it out. ¡°Hah, I¡¯ll only need a minute to beat them!¡± Amar said with a throaty laugh. If the Bear Claws she used like Jeremiah hadn¡¯t scared Logan, Amar¡¯s sheer confidence did. He would rather not get on the bad side of that woman. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°We can hold them that long, yes.¡± Gregor was a bit more cool headed with his response. ¡°Well alright, let''s go violate their souls, shall we?¡±
Logan¡¯s plan was simple, and he explained as much to the other two. It mostly involved getting the spiders¡¯ attention and forcing them to drop back again. When it looked like they were going to launch a fresh batch of napalm, Logan would teleport in and try and steal their Blessing. If it worked, and that was a big if, Logan would probably be able to hurt the spiders, assuming they weren¡¯t immune. Seeing as they only used the fire inducing goop at a range, Logan was willing to take the chance. Gregor stood up, and just ran off, no confirmation, just action. The spiders had started advancing again, and he met them in the center of the prairie, fires bursting up theatrically from the napalm sprayed liberally around. Amar was right behind him, screaming out a fierce cry. Logan didn¡¯t want to rely completely on those two, so he tried to help by casting Root on both of the enemies. To his surprise it appeared to actually do something, as Gregor swiftly de-mandibled the other spider. Both he and Amar had reached close range. Watching from afar, Logan made sure he would be in position for the spiders to back up. He would probably only get one attempt at this before the enemies got wise. On cue, their enemies broke free off their restraints and tried to create some distance. This was Logan¡¯s golden chance. In his practice, he had found that he could cast the bond spell with as few as five tentacles. That¡¯s why, when a bulge appeared on the souls of spiders, three of Logan¡¯s spiritual appendages had already begun snaking into the abominations core. This time, Logan wasn¡¯t just extending an invitation. He wrapped all three of his tentacles around what he knew to be the Napalm Spit Blessing and heaved. Logan¡¯s theory that the bond spell allowed interaction between souls was correct, and now he was actively pilfering the Blessing and cutting the connections.There was an oddly limp resistance, and if anything, it felt like the creature actually wanted to be rid of the Blessing. Then the Soul Fragment was free, and it was all Logan could do to hold on.
Logan didn¡¯t realize that the Bond with Remy had guided the process last time he had done this. Now that he was flying solo, there were no helping hands. Just the raw force and spiritual momentum Logan could create with his tentacles. In other words, Logan was flying by the seat of his pants. He had a feeling letting go wouldn''t have hurt him, but his prize was metaphysically in his grasp. Quitting now would leave a sour taste in Logan¡¯s mouth. So instead he pulled even harder, and yanked the Blessing through the remaining space and into his soul. As it entered, a bubbling pain started up in his core, running out from his spark and rapidly filling his entire body with its misery. It felt like he was getting burned from the inside out, and for a second Logan worried he might have made a terrible mistake. He really had no idea how this transfer worked, and his imminent immolation might be an unintentional side-effect. Then Logan felt a snap, like everything was clicking into place. A relaxing cool breeze started to drift out from his soul, and Logan realized he made it through the worst. Somehow, his brain didn¡¯t manage to process the two massive spiders charging his body. Logan¡¯s head hit the dirt, and his eyes closed. Unconscious, once more.
When Gregor saw Logan collapse in front of the spiders¡¯ charge, he blamed himself for not asking for more details. This seemed like a terrible plan. At least the strange man had managed to stop one of the fire attacks, but the other spider¡¯s projectiles remained uninterrupted. The burning globules falling around Gregor made him weave on his path to cover Logan. He was worried he would be too late until a Bear Claw from Amar came down between his target and their adversaries, buying Gregor the time to place his body in between. Gregor didn¡¯t have particularly strong feelings about the man who had warned of the attack, but leaving him to die wasn¡¯t even an option for Gregor. The man had clearly risked life and limb to give Alteep village a chance, and the least Gregor could do was try and do the same to keep him alive. But still, falling unconscious randomly in a battle is not ¡®a risky plan¡¯. It¡¯s suicidal at best! However, there was nothing Gregor could do now but try to follow along and keep Logan alive. Maybe if he could replicate his feat and make both enemies unable to spit fire, they would retreat back into the forest. As they continued to push Gregor, despite both steadily losing fluid from their faces where they had lost their mandibles, he realized that enemy retreat was unlikely. So as iron hard legs began to swipe and stab at him, Gregor returned like for like, unwilling to go entirely on the defensive. A thrust was countered with a parry and riposte. When a leg speared toward his stomach, Gregor floated out of the way. Although the spiders were fast they still couldn¡¯t match his agility. Gregor just wasn¡¯t sure how long he could keep this speed up. In his head he was silently cursing the prone man behind him, wishing that their plan had more time and involved more planning. Holding firm seemed like a slow and painful way to die. Chapter 17: Escalation Escalation As Logan stewed in the recesses of his own mind, tiny pricks of light began to appear in the distance. It wasn¡¯t long before he became cognizant and when Logan did he recognized where he was. The Void. Once again, Logan found the strange non-substance welcomed his presence and he basked in its energies. Power unrivaled flowed through him, drenching through his pores, into his bones and blood. It felt so good to relax in peace, that Logan closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. Logan hadn¡¯t realized, but he had been pushing himself incessantly. Something about the wide open space of the Void made Logan feel comfortable. Maybe it was that it reminded him of that period of time after he died, where Logan had truly felt safe. But that didn¡¯t seem quite right, it was more as if Logan were slowly dissolving away¡­ When he had that thought, his eyes shot open, and immediately made out the state of his body. It had begun to drift apart, pulled to shreds by the forces of the Void. But the Void was Logan¡¯s force, and he made it obey his will. The pieces slowly unseparated themselves, building out Logan once more until he was whole. That¡¯s when the panic hit. Logan had no idea if this were a dream or not, but the stakes felt real, and Logan had almost died without resisting. A shiver went down his spine, as he thought about it. Then he shivered again, and became aware that he wasn¡¯t alone. Someone, no, something was watching him, the same being from his last vision. He knew then, that even the Gods must be infants to whatever he was encountering. Just its sheer presence caused the weight of ages to drag on him, like time was a force like gravity. That wasn¡¯t what unnerved him though. What caused Logan to break out in shakes was the intent he received from the being. It was¡­ pleased¡­ with him.
As Gregor stood in protection of their fallen comrade, Amar stepped to his side. Her stark white hair whipped in the low prairie winds, and for a second Gregor got distracted. The spiders attempted to push to punish, but the woman next to him had other plans. The grass reached up as a yellow-greenish wall and locked down one of his would-be attackers, as the other got a glowing Bear Claw to its head. The damage was brutal, as multiple of the spiders deformed back legs getting hacked off. The stumps sprayed sordid blood, already dark and congealing. ¡°Looks like we should pair off, will you be ok if I leave that one to you?¡± Amar said smugly as she looked back at him. Gregor scoffed. ¡°If you¡¯re talking like that, you better kill yours before Logan here wakes up. Would be embarrassing to only present him with one of the pair.¡± ¡°Oh ok then, you¡¯re on chump.¡± Amar turned back to the spider and began engaging it again. Gregor laughed. He knew there was something he had liked about this girl and now he knew what. Gregor had never met a girl who would go into battle with him. He felt lovestruck. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Then the spider broke free of its restraints and actually struck him across the face. Gregor didn¡¯t think many people had been hit by an around 200 lb. spider before, but safe to say it wasn¡¯t pleasant. Not only did it hit like a truck going over the speed limit, but it also had grossly thick hair on its legs that got in Gregor''s mouth. Thoughts of romance had literally been wiped from his head, and now Gregor was focused. This spider had ruined enough of the festival, it was time to end it.
Logan jolted back awake. The roar of the fires blazed all around, getting smoke in his eyes as soon as they opened. Luckily, Logan was able to make out that the fires weren¡¯t directly next to him when his sight cleared. Around him, Amar and Gregor fought back the two spiders in bursts of movement that hurt Logan¡¯s head. Everything swayed as if Logan were watching it from under the sea, fractal and fluid. Suddenly he became aware of a furious burning in his wrists, as if a swarm of fire ants were excavating a nest in his bones. Logan wanted to say he was proud for not screaming out¡­ but it was mostly as a result of falling face first into the dirt and getting a mouthful in the process. He could barely pay attention as the fire settled in his wrists. It was pure agony, clearing out Logan¡¯s top ten worst experience list with ease. The beating of his heart sounded like being too close to a helicopter. Then, just as Logan thought he might pass out again, the pain subsided. It didn¡¯t simply stop, but drained out over a period of five seconds. If anything, it felt like his body had adjusted to whatever had triggered the fit. Which, considering what he had just done, Logan assumed was the Fire Breathing Blessing. Which raised the question, why did his wrists hurt? For Logan, there was only one way to find out. He stood, raised his hand, instinctually triggered the newest addition to his soul. Logan¡¯s hand spasmed and his wrist flicked back. Logan felt something new flex, and then a large orange spray burst from the recently opened apertures on the base of his palm. The spray wasn¡¯t as large as the spiders¡¯ but still sizable and it burst into flames only 4-5 feet from Logan¡¯s position. ¡°Holy shit, I¡¯m the American Military¡¯s dream version of Spiderman!¡± It wasn¡¯t quite the iconic fireball, but it was definitely a whole level more destructive than anything Logan could have managed before. Logan couldn¡¯t help it, and let out an involuntary cackle As he laughed for a couple seconds, Logan realized the noise had settled to just wild whooshing of flame, all noises of combat suspiciously absent. When Logan opened his eyes, he found that both Gregor and Amar had finished their respective battles, with twitching spider corpses clearly evident behind them. ¡°Oh, I guess I¡¯m a little late for the fun¡­¡± Gregor just gave him a look, and said ¡°Yes.¡±
Unfortunately, Logan was too late for the fun, and just in time for the truly life threatening battle. Just as Gregor was opening his mouth to continue, five more spiders came from the Forest, and they weren¡¯t alone. The mother of all spiders came lumbering along behind them. The monstrosity was easily three of four times larger than its compatriots, and it was clearly a mother. This was because its deformed back legs clutched at a massive sac full of eggs. Some of which had clearly already hatched, as baby versions of the abominations crawled along the webbed package. ¡°...Or maybe not, you guys may wanna check this out.¡± Logan couldn¡¯t see their faces as they turned around, but he could hear their reactions. They were audible, and depressing. ¡°Oh Churau¡­¡± ¡°We need to evacuate the village.¡± Gregor said. The tone of his voice brooked no argument. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go get people moving, try and find some way to stall them out. I¡¯m not sure how long it will take people to gather.¡± Gregor had a wry smile on his face, that confused Logan given the circumstances. ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be an issue, at least right now.¡± Amar looked over, and gave a nod. ¡°It is that time of the night. If you go to the town square now you should be able to catch everyone.¡± Logan was confused. What reason would the entire town have to gather in the square if they saw fires out in the fields. Wouldn¡¯t they go and try to put them out instead? Logan didn¡¯t know the answer, but they made it sound like it was time sensitive. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be back as quick as I can, just stay alive you hear me?¡± Logan had rather enjoyed meeting the two people around his age, even if circumstances were a bit dire. Having them die before they could make an adventurer¡¯s party or something seemed like a waste to him. With that, Logan teleported off towards the town. Chapter 18: A Toast to Alteep A Toast to Alteep Strangely, Logan felt completely fresh when he teleported. The continued uses had started to wear on him, but after his little cat nap Logan was topped off on gas again. It gave more confirmation that these visions of the Void and beyond were dangerously real. Logan didn¡¯t have the time to consider the consequences of that now, but they assuredly existed. Instead, Logan just used his newfound energy with abandon, reappearing repeatedly across the landscape until he once again found himself on the edge of Alteep starring in. This time the town was completely different, even with all the decorations still out. Namely because it was empty of the crowds from only 15-20 minutes earlier. Logan could still hear sounds of merriment, but not a soul was in sight. Well, that technically wasn¡¯t true, Logan could see their souls. It looked like Gregor and Amar were right, as a huge crowd was gathered toward the center of the village. Logan took off at a sprint, deciding that teleporting in front of the general populace seemed like a good way to start a panic. Something told Logan that any evacuation that took place would have to be relatively timely, at least if anyone wanted to actually evacuate. The village itself was larger than Logan had expected from a distance. As he was pounding down the boulevard, many residences and places of business passed by, even if most were only one story tall. Thinking about it, that may have been why Logan assumed it was a smaller village, because he was so used to buildings having height to them. As he passed by the end of what appeared to be a market area, Logan arrived in the town square. Or at the edge of it, as it was packed end to end with villagers, all with a drink in hand. On a stage in the center of the square, a man who looked like Gregor was giving a rousing speech about the importance of community. Well how am I supposed to get their attention now¡­
As Gregor and Amar engaged the horde, time started to blur. Bristled appendages swung from every direction as the two ended up back to back against the swarm. Five spiders meant eighty legs in this case, so when it felt like the attacks had no pause, it was because they didn¡¯t. Thankfully the horde mother was still lumbering into combat. Using just a single blade was hindering Gregor¡¯s defense, and he was having to weave masterfully to compensate. Legs rained down like a hail of insectoid icicles. Four legs came in unison from the left, and Gregor contorted under them, only to rise up into a block on another two attacks. Gregor was worried at this rate they might never get a chance to recover, but Amar had other ideas. Thick cords of plant life burst up and wrapped around their foes, granting them a slight reprieve. Gregor was going to make the most of this. Launching into action, Gregor became a dervish of steel. Everywhere he looked and some places he didn¡¯t, twisted legs fell from demented spiders. Mandibles joined them in pairs, and by the time the spiders had extricated themselves from the roots, all of their opponents sported signs of the counter attack. Still, Gregor hadn¡¯t managed to inflict lethal damage on a single target. ¡°I used all the grass around here in that Root, we should relocate!¡± Amar shouted over the growing blaze around them. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°We can get back closer to the town, we just have to be aware how close we end up!¡± Gregor yelled back. At some point, Gregor and Amar would lose this fight. That point was when the horde mother would join the combat, as they didn¡¯t have the strength to fit something of that size head on. Gregor hadn¡¯t ever seen something alive be so big as the enormous spider queen. Something of that nature boggles the imagination, even just looking at it. Gregor and Amar pushed away from the regathering abominations, and picked their way through the flame-ridden fields. Expecting resistance, Gregor remained prepared to intercept any attack. However, the spiders were unexpectedly skittish around their own toxic flames. ¡°Gregor, I may have a plan to hold them back for a while.¡± ¡°I think we may be of a like mind on this plan.¡±
Logan had decided to screw tact, and go for maximum wow factor. He hoped the man currently speaking could keep the crowd under control enough for this, but Logan didn¡¯t have time to dawdle around. POP! Logan was suddenly on stage, next to the man speaking. From up close, he really did resemble an older version of Gregor, enough to make it obvious that he was Gregor¡¯s father. His wild hair flowed out in a mane that made Logan nostalgic for his own hair. However, now was not the time to lament. ¡°Ahem, I am Logan Brewer, and I am here to warn you of an attack. Please stay calm.¡± Logan said all of this while raising his empty hands. ¡°Gregor and Amar Ket are fighting against the abominations right now outside the city walls. Anyone capable of fighting should head out to help them, just head to the fires on the north side of the village.¡± The crowd in front of Logan just stood there, slack jawed. It had been obvious that his sudden appearance and vocal urgency wasn¡¯t going to get them to stop celebrating and fight on a dime. Still, Logan had hoped otherwise. ¡°Son, I don¡¯t know who you are, but-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your son.¡± Logan said while pointing north. ¡°He¡¯s out there fighting for his life right now.¡± This seemed to get the man¡¯s attention. He gave Logan a once over, and then looked very intently into Logan¡¯s eyes. Then he gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod, then turned to his people. ¡°You heard him, folks. Guardsmen, I want you in the fields within five. Civilians, make your way to the grain house on the south side of town. Keep orderly, follow Mrs. Greatwood direction in the procession. We all know Alteep has faced worse threats before without fail, do not worry! For Alteep!¡± With this Gregor¡¯s father raised his large mug and knocked it back. All around him, citizen¡¯s of Alteep joined in the toast, downing their drinks before sorting into their various groups. The children hardly even fussed, and Logan watched as the village of almost a thousand people orderly followed directions. Before his eyes, lines of guards lined up, and although a few were clearly inebriated, no one shirked responsibility now. Runners were sent to fetch the various groups patrolling the streets as well. Gregor¡¯s father stood again on the stage, and this time, he shouted, ¡°Men, let us show our attacker¡¯s Alteep¡¯s strength! Forward!¡±
Logan didn¡¯t stick around to watch any longer. The seconds he could save by teleporting there might be the only thing that would keep Amar and Gregor alive. With a series of successive ¡®pops¡¯, Logan found himself back on the edge of the village. To his surprise, the two people Logan was looking for were standing only fifteen to twenty feet beyond the dividing line. They were both running back and forth the pools of flaming napalm goop like headless chickens as the spiders on the opposite side mirrored them in a strange ritual dance. ¡°What the absolute fuck is going on here?¡± Logan shouted exasperatedly. ¡°Logan, you¡¯re back¡­ We¡­ have been¡­using the¡­ flames as a wall.¡± Amar said while sprinting forwards. At the end of her trek, she batted out with a Bear Claw at spider, through one of the few gaps in the napalm covering the ground. Suddenly, the situation made a lot more sense. Logan realized that the spiders weren¡¯t mirroring the people, but the other way around. Which meant¡­ ¡°So the spiders are weak to their own fire?¡± ¡°It appears so, they seem to have given their own fire attacks a wide berth, although I believe I saw the behemoth step in a puddle or two.¡± A smile crept onto Logan¡¯s face. ¡°Alright it¡¯s time to light em up then.¡± Chapter 19: Mothers Call Mother¡¯s Call ¡°Alright it¡¯s time to light em up then.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, I never said what I was trying to do with that first plan, I just sprung it on you two. Well, sit back and watch, because it¡¯s my time to shine.¡± With that, the strange man teleported away once more. Gregor thought he was foolishly reckless, but couldn¡¯t deny that if Alteep survived, it would likely be due to Logan¡¯s actions. Still, he could afford to explain his ideas in more detail. It was starting to frustrate Gregor. As if the man could hear his thoughts, Logan appeared on the other side of the wall of flames, behind even the twisted spiders. If anything went wrong, there was simply no way for Gregor to make it over to assist, so all he could do was keep plugging the gaps in the flames and sneak occasional glances. Gregor reached a breaching point and battered at the two spiders trying to force their way through. They were less wide than natural spiders, but their increased bulk was still too much to fit comfortably through, which worked to Gregor¡¯s benefit. After a couple slashes almost sent them into the roaring chemical fires, they skittered away, looking for other gaps to squeeze through. Suddenly a piercing shrieking noise rang out over the battlefield. Gregor took the reprieve he earned to look over at the source of the noise. As he thought, Logan had done something strange again. Somehow, he had managed to cover a spider in its own incendiary spit, and it was writhing in pain, flipping itself from front to back, alternating sets of legs as it tried to scrape the foul secretions off its carapace. ¡°Now how did he do that?¡± Gregor mused aloud.
Logan had been making chaos. As soon as he had teleported into the enemy lines he was already lambasting one of the spiders with their own noxious medicine. As the orange goop sprayed from the new orifices located at the heel of his palm, it landed heavily on the abomination only a couple meters from Logan. For a brief moment the spider''s carapace just sizzled under the toxic chemicals leaving it free to turn on Logan before the ignition occurred. Then the mixture burst into flames and the spider collapsed in a rictus of pain, a horrible screeching coming from its mouth. Logan winced both because of the noise and some instinctive sense of sympathy. This was a mistake, as the other spiders turned on the noise and began rushing Logan¡¯s position. As he looked back, four huge forms were already within ten feet of him and were closing in fast. Once again, Logan''s inexperience showed. Although he had been training intensively, Logan hadn¡¯t really faced real combat before. He had tried to seek out the opportunity, but to no avail, and now it was evident, as once again Logan flinched back. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. This was especially costly, as Logan needed to see in order to teleport, which meant his instinctual closing of the eyes would likely cost him his life. As he imagined oblivion closing in again, Logan¡¯s resolve hardened. Not again, I refuse to die again so soon! Reaching out, Logan flashed through the pattern for Root almost instantly, seizing control of the little uncharred plant life left around him. It wasn¡¯t enough to stop all four of the remaining spiders, but it might be enough to move him. With a mental command, the cords of prairie grass flung Logan about twelve feet towards the sky. Shooting upwards, Logan felt the whistling of the air beneath him as the spiders just narrowly missed out on skewering him. Logan¡¯s escape wasn¡¯t complete yet, as the spiders waited for gravity to return their prey to them. Unfortunately for them, Logan wasn¡¯t about to wait for gravity to move him around. At the pinnacle of his arc, Logan popped out of existence and reappeared behind the fires, his already arrested momentum allowing him to gently land on the ground. ¡°Welcome back.¡± Gregor said. ¡°Thanks, you should have seen it out there, the traffic was killer.¡± The blank look on his face made Logan crack up, despite the situation.
Now that the spiders weren¡¯t actively pushing to get past the barricade their comrades unwittingly constructed, the trio could once again take stock of the situation. Standing side by side, Amar, Logan and Gregor watched the fires smolder and flicker while finally, the largest threat appeared on the field. Literally. The horde mother and her brood towered over the other combatants and made her adversaries tilt their heads backwards in order to fully observe her. Logan decided right then and there that after today, he would try to avoid looking too closely at a spider. Ever again. Freshly hatched spiderlings ran down her tremendous legs and joined the fray, spreading out with their older brethren to line up against the wall of flames. Still, the abominations showed patience, and waited for something. Logan tried to remain positive, but seeing the forces arrayed against them, and not seeing them fall to animal instincts meant that any battle would be prolonged and bloody. ¡°Troops, reinforce my son¡¯s position!¡± Almost fifty pairs of feet stomped out of the village¡¯s edge, and Logan¡¯s spirit buoyed. Gregor¡¯s dad had showed up with reinforcements of their own, and now the two sides could really throw down. The horde mother must have been thinking the same thing, because that was when it made its move. A huge foreleg swept out across the semi-permanent wall of flames. Although the napalm collected on the horde mother, she gave no indication of pain, and simply brushed open a wide breach, directly in the center of the field. Then she let out a shriek, and all the humans covered their ears. The shriek sounded like the call of banshee through autotune, all layering vibrations at a decimal and pitch that made Logan think his ears would bleed. Then thankfully the cry tapered off, and all the defenders had to do was stop the horde of spiders running down their throats. Logan¡¯s new life surprised even him sometimes, but this was exactly the sort of thing he had imagined doing. Only in all those daydreams, he hadn¡¯t imagined it would happen after only a couple weeks revived.
Jeremiah knew he didn¡¯t have much time left. That¡¯s why when Bennett showed up in the clearing, tears came freely from his eyes. Bennett had been one of Jeremiah¡¯s true friends and companions in this life, both titles he used sparingly. However, the big fuzz ball letting out concerned pants was one of them. Honestly, Jeremiah hadn¡¯t minded being born an outcast. His size had kept the worst of the harassment to a minimum and instead people had just left him alone. The quiet had been his friend and mentor, since his mom passed. She had been the one to teach him about the old ways of the world, and about the history of the elves. His childhood had been filled with their ancient heroes, those who carried the Goddess of Life¡¯s will into the world. Those had been the days when he had woken up with purpose. Then she had died, and somewhere along the way, Jeremiah lost sight of those heroes. Eventually he¡¯d lost sight of everyone else entirely, and had wound up entirely alone. As he found himself aging, with no one to pass his life lessons onto, he had tried to rectify that, but it was too little too late. Even the one time he had dared to hope fell apart quick enough. Then Jeremiah lost sight of even that. It wasn¡¯t until Logan had showed up that Jeremiah found himself cracking the occasional smile. He had never been a very warm person, but still, it felt good. He was glad to have gotten the chance to truly live for a couple more weeks, before his time expired. Really, Jeremiah thought it was more than he had deserved, as he felt the last of his strength leave. Right as his mind was fading, Jeremiah thought he heard a very familiar voice say, ¡®Join me.¡¯ before he passed. Chapter 20: Crash and Burn Crash and Burn As the guards of Alteep charged forward, Gregor hung back with his father to survey the initial situation. He noticed Logan and Amar shadowing him, but his attention was on his father, and the battlefield. The horde mother thankfully remained in the rear after creating the breach, instead allowing her dread spawn to rush the defenders down. So far, the guardsmen were managing to hold against the horde, due to the already injured state of the wolf-sized abominations. Still, the horde was growing before their very eyes as more and more spiderlings hatched and joined the fray. Unless the horde mother was destroyed, their defenses would not hold forever. ¡°We need a plan to destroy the behemoth.¡± Grenneth said from next to him. ¡°I concur, unless it''s removed I can¡¯t fathom how we emerge from this.¡± ¡°How can we defeat something so large? Getting within range to attack pushes beyond bravery into something more foolish.¡± Amar queried from Gregor¡¯s left. It was one of the same problems that Gregor had just been considering. On top of that, he didn¡¯t really think that his sword would be able to inflict meaningful damage on something of that size. A pit slowly started to open up in his stomach. Taking down such a creature felt impossible. ¡°We use fire.¡± Logan spoke up, standing slightly apart from the Alteep natives. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you realized, Logan, but it did not seem that averse to flame.¡± Gregor was sure Amar¡¯s slightly incredulous face was a mirror of his own, but that didn¡¯t seem to dissuade Logan in the slightest. ¡°The chemical fire didn¡¯t seem to take too well to the thicker carapace that beast has, true. But I¡¯m looking at a huge bunch of kindling right now, and I bet once the flames catch, they¡¯ll burn all night.¡± Logan said while staring intently at the horde mother. Gregor followed his gaze to the egg sac webbed to the creature''s hideous back. A plan had started to form in his head, but he needed to confirm some things first. ¡°Logan, that spider from earlier¡­ Can you repeat that?¡± ¡°Yes, but for something that big I think I¡¯ll need more time. People will have to defend me while we are pretty close to that thing.¡± ¡°Then Amar, do you think there''s enough grass left to pin one of the horde mother¡¯s legs?¡± ¡°Ahhh, just maybe, but we¡¯ll have to be fast, before the flames burn any more.¡± ¡°Alright, then here¡¯s what we have to do¡­¡± This time, they would follow Gregor¡¯s plan.
Grenneth, Gregor¡¯s father, had decided to lead the guards, so it was the same trio as before who would carry out the plan. Now that the enemies had the front door open, they had left their flanks unprotected, so the three of them managed to sneak around the right side of the caustic flames and wrap around the horde mother. That didn¡¯t mean they were in the clear, as a veritable army of spiderlings was now crawling from their mother¡¯s back. Unlike their older kin, they were still a pale, almost translucent off-white color, only broken up by their beady eyes staring manifold at their foes. Stolen story; please report. However, fighting against a number of smaller foes was a problem that Gregor had a solution to. With a slash, and immediate counter swing, Gregor created an air pressure that blasted their opponents away using what Logan would have assumed was a Blessing, if he couldn¡¯t see that Gregor was using no such thing. ¡°Was that¡­ just physical strength?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Holy shit that¡¯s impressive. I wonder what he benches. Running forward, the rag tag group crashed into the rest of the spiderlings, Logan letting Amar and Gregor do most of the heavy lifting. While they had regrouped, Logan had picked up a sword, but he was most definitely still an amateur, despite his weeks of practice. Still, between his two partners, they had it covered, crushing or killing multiple enemies with every attack. Logan still wondered why Amar had the Bear Claw, as he didn¡¯t think it was an Ability, but most of the nuances were lost to him, as Jeremiah himself didn¡¯t know many distinctions. Now wasn¡¯t the time to think about such things regardless. Instead Logan focused on the rapidly approaching horde mother, and more specifically, their target. In order to spray down the egg sac and ignite it, Logan would have to be within 10 feet to be accurate. Therefore, the plan called for them to take one of the eight different skyways leading up to their goal. As another wave of spiderlings crawled down the appendage through slaloms of long thick bristle hairs, Logan thought they had their work cut out for them.
Hacking through the horde of spiderlings, the trio finally reached the area directly around the behemoth horde mother. This portion of the plan was Amar¡¯s responsibility as she had to use Root to stabilize the leg while they traversed upwards. In a massive casting, all of the remaining prairie grass answered her call and corded itself into heavy knots. The cords just seemed to keep growing longer and longer until Logan was sure that it extended well beyond the length of the grass. ¡°Hurry, the grass won¡¯t hold it forever, I¡¯ve had to overtax it!¡± Amar shouted over the chaos of the battlefield. The trio rushed up to the leg, with Gregor taking point. Once they reached the base, they realized there was a slight issue with their plan. Although the leg was large enough to support all three of them, the carapace itself was too slick to climb up. They stood there, momentarily stumped, until Logan had a gross idea. While slashing through another descending spiderling, Logan reached a foot out experimentally. Instead of stepping directly onto the outer shell, Logan stepped instead on the branch-thick hairs protruding from the oversized appendage. It bent under his weight, but its tensile strength was enough to hold him, and Logan took another step upwards. ¡°Come on.¡± The other two followed Logan up their makeshift steps, ascending while all the while clearing the path of newly hatched threats. Logan considered feeling sorry for the babies, but one and all they had attacked humans on sight, seconds after birth, so it was easily muted. When they reached the next segment of the leg, Amar lost control of the plant life, and the leg began to move again. Luckily, they had reached a segment that was more level, so all the shaking managed to accomplish was decrease the oncoming spiderling population. Then they reached the top of the behemoth''s back. The egg sac was right in front of them, held in place by the horde mother¡¯s deformed second set of legs. This had gone a lot smoother than Logan had thought it would. He looked over at Gregor and gave a single nod. It had been a good plan, better than Logan could have crafted. Now came Logan¡¯s turn.
Standing in a spot between the extra legs of the horde mother to avoid getting squashed, Logan once again turned into a human flamethrower. Spraying his incendiary secretion, Logan lined the side of the egg sac with caustic flames. He dumped as much as he could, but his reserves of the mixture ran low after only a couple seconds. The three stood there for a couple seconds, not to cherish the dying shrieks of the unhatched spiderlings, but to see if the flames would take hold. After waiting in anticipation, they realized that although they were indeed spreading, it would take far too long. ¡°We need to rotate around this thing and douse it in more flames. Are you up for more, Logan?¡± ¡°Looks like I don¡¯t have a choice. Let¡¯s hurry up before we get cooked too.¡± The trio started making their way around the edge of the horde mother¡¯s back, but it was slow going. The bulk of the space was taken by the deformed legs and their precious cargo, leaving the three attackers to skirt the perimeter, and shimmy around tight spots. The whole time there was no break from the press of spiderlings. If anything, more and more seemed to emerge from their eggs, as they sensed the impending doom of the fire. Unluckily for them, Gregor was there. His blade was in constant movement, zipping from one target to the next like a hornet ripping through the air. The spiderlings might as well have burned to death, for all their misguided escape attempts worked out. Bisected spideling corpses were so plentiful they had begun to pile up between the bristle-like hairs in stacks, as if the horde mother was using her own offspring as decorations. Through it all, they managed to wrap around the back of the behemoth abomination, starting fires on the web sac in four other locations. The horde mother had begun to let out a caterwauling wail and seizures ran through its enormous body. From the heat Logan himself was experiencing, he thought it was being cooked alive, with too high an internal body temperature. The job was done, now they just needed to get to safety. ¡°Alright, what¡¯s the exit plan?¡± Logan asked. ¡°I uhhh, may not have gotten that far.¡± Gregor replied, somehow managing to sound sheepish despite the layers of spider entrails covering him. ¡°I got it, don¡¯t worry boys.¡± Amar grabbed both of their shoulders, and pulled them off the edge. As they fell, Logan felt the supple cords of plantlife grab them, and relaxed. Then Logan looked up, and the tension came flooding back. The horde mother was collapsing, right on top of them. There was time enough for Logan to hear a successive symphony of ringing notes through the air, before he, Amar, and Gregor were all buried.
End of Act I Chapter 21: Aftermath Aftermath The rest of the battle went rather rapidly after the horde mother collapsed. The majority of the spiderlings burned along with her, so all that was left was dispatching the four already wounded full grown abominations. Several of the guardsmen were left with gruesome injuries, but there were no deaths on the side of the humans. Gregor, Amar, and Logan had to be excavated from the horde mother¡¯s corpse, but they were mostly fine, if covered in a disgusting, thick layer of entrails and webbing. After a thorough dousing, the three of them were right as rain, and engaged Grenneth in a debrief. ¡°Today will be a day that Alteep celebrates for generations. That all the injuries incurred today shall heal with time is nothing less than a miracle. And no one can claim more credit than you three, you should be very proud. Thank you especially, Logan Brewer, I fear what would have occurred had you not been here to sound the alarm.¡± ¡°I only managed to do so because of Old Jeremiah, and excuse me sir, but I need to go check on him. He¡¯s tough, but he had been hurt pretty badly when I last saw him.¡± Logan turned to leave, but a sight at the edge of the forest brought him to a standstill. Bennett the bear had shown up, but that wasn¡¯t what had claimed Logan¡¯s attention. Slung over the bear¡¯s enormous back was just the person Logan had been about to look for. With a quick teleport Logan closed half the distance between them. As he got a closer look, he realized something was horribly wrong. Jeremiah¡¯s side was stained red, and he hadn¡¯t patched up the wound. Beyond that, the large man was much too still. Logan couldn¡¯t see any breathing. Running up to Bennett, the fear of the enormous bear temporarily forgotten, Logan checked on the old man. Before he even laid a hand on him though, he knew. Old Jeremiah had passed from this world. Logan just stood there in shock. Hadn¡¯t they saved the day?
Jeremiah¡¯s death shook Logan to his core. Literally, as he had found his tentacles quivering whenever he wasn¡¯t paying attention to them. To be fair, Logan¡¯s actual body had been shaking just as badly. Up until that point, adrenaline and discomfort had always pushed his mind forward, and that wasn¡¯t sustainable. Up until that point, he had treated this world like a game almost, knowing there were dire consequences here, but not facing any yet. Up until that point, the point where the person he had just lived with for two weeks died, Logan could pretend he was ok. Upsettingly, the villager¡¯s didn¡¯t seem too perturbed by Jeremiah¡¯s death. Their indifference would have absolutely infuriated Logan, if he hadn¡¯t found a compatriot in his grief and pain. Amar had been the only one to feel as devastated as Logan at the old man¡¯s passing. Gregor had offered his sympathies, but the girl with the luscious white hair had cried with him. Both of them had been a mess for hours, until they pulled themselves together to try and lay the man to rest. Somehow, Logan sensed that her hurt might even surpass his own. Together with Bennett, the two had trekked out deep into the Forest. As if sensing their mood, the Inaug kept its denizens in check, leaving them to find their destination unmolested. They settled on a clearing at the base of an old oak tree. Seeing it had made the two of them shed a couple more tears, as it just had the same presence as Jeremiah had in life. Laying him at the tree¡¯s base, they both used Root to gently manipulate the oak¡¯s hearty gnarls. Soon, the roots fully encased him, and resubmerged into the soil. Afterwards, all that remained to tell the great man¡¯s fate was upturned earth and ancient oak. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Logan wanted to do more to commemorate it, but knew the old man would be against disturbing nature too much. No, he would much prefer what they had done, and both Logan and Amar had known that without saying it out loud. It spoke to how deeply Amar knew Jeremiah, and Logan wanted to ask about it, but now wasn¡¯t the time. Leaving Bennett to his forlorn calls, the two began to make their way back to Alteep village. Even if the Forest¡¯s creatures had avoided them so far, come nightfall they would not be so lucky. It was with shattered hearts and crystalized memories they left the clearing with the great, proud oak.
With Amar and Logan gone, Gregor was left to direct the cleanup. He had the injured carted into town after first aid for more thorough treatment to be rendered. Others were clearing the fields and finding ways to smother the chemical fires. Some industrious guards were even bottling the stuff, figuring it might have value to traveling traders. Despite the relatively simple procedures, it wasn¡¯t until it was almost turning from day to night, that Gregor finally got away. Still, he didn¡¯t rest, instead seeking out his father, who had gone into town to direct and reassure the citizens that the threat had been vanquished. Gregor was glad none of the gentler folk had witnessed the crazed battle. Even with minimal casualties, the abominations would surely be haunting the dreams of many of the guardsmen. As Gregor pulled up next to his father, he asked, ¡°What will be the next moves? If there are new creatures in the Inaug Forest, we should send people to scout and document.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll send word to the Legion. When they hear of abominations from the Inaug, an outpost will be constructed here.¡± Gregor was stunned. Grenneth was a truly independent man, and it seemed to go against character for him to bring an outside influence into his home. Was he that shaken by the battle? As if reading his thoughts, Grenneth shook his head. ¡°Austen needs to know if there is a threat. The safety of the villagers is more important than any pride we might have.¡± Then he added with a wink, ¡°And besides, maybe my son will end up staying in his village after all. Stationing someone in their hometown is standard procedure.¡± ¡°Father¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m just ribbing you son, I¡¯ll request you be stationed elsewhere. I¡¯ll draft up the letter first thing tomorrow, and you can take it with you when you enlist.¡±
The next morning came quickly after Logan and Amar returned. He hadn¡¯t wanted to sleep at Jeremiah¡¯s, so after asking Gregor he borrowed a spare bedroom and passed out there. As the morning light streaming through the shutters woke Logan, the half second before he remembered everything made that decision worthwhile. Strangely, when he woke Logan realized he had lost his Napalm Spray Blessing. Or more accurately, it seemed to have broken down in his soul, leaving even smaller fragments caught where his tentacles met. It didn¡¯t cause Logan any pain, and it wasn¡¯t enough to upset him even further, so he left it alone. He could deal with it later. When he wandered downstairs, apparently the Greatwoods had one of the few multistoried buildings, Logan found Gregor and Amar dressed in full traveling gear, organizing large packs as Gregor¡¯s parents gave seemingly unwanted help and advice in equal measure. ¡°You¡¯re leaving? Right now? Are attacks like that so common?¡± Everyone in the room looked up at him. Amar and Gregor met him with a wave, while the elder Greatwoods just pursed their lips. ¡°Logan, Amar and I intended to join the Legion after the festivities. Now, well, we need to notify the Legion of the appearance of abominations in the Inaug, so we are being sent to deliver a missive while we enlist.¡± The Legion? Like the Roman army? Probably not, seems pretty unlikely, but still, sounds cool enough. As Logan thought about it, he realized that he should probably follow Gregor and Amar. Not only were they both good people, but they seemed strong. And sticking next to the strong people sounded like a good plan for staying alive. ¡°Well then, count me in. Let me just get one thing and we can hit the road.¡± This seemed to take them aback for a second, but Amar quickly recovered. ¡°Be our guest, just don¡¯t take too long now, you hear?¡± Her eyes still red from crying, glinted with steely determination. Clearly this meant a lot to her. Gregor was nodding next to her, already starting up on packing again. ¡°It¡¯ll be just a second, don¡¯t worry.¡± Walking through the entrance room, Logan emerged from the front door into a small courtyard. You out there, little guy? -Yeah! It safe? Logan ok?- Yeah, just tired. Logan responded. What would you think about going on a little adventure, bud? -Is fun?- Hopefully, Remy. Hopefully. Logan mentally replied, while looking at the rising sun Chapter 22: No Rest for the Wicked No Rest for the Wicked As soon as Remy rejoined Logan, the three of them made their way through the Alteep to its Eastern border. The villager itself was slow, as if everyone just wanted to spend time with their families after the scares of the prior day. At this point Gregor made sure he had the map supplied to him handy, although there was a trodden dirt road trailing out into the distance. As they set off, Logan found neither of his compatriots looking back, even a single time. Both had a steely resolution emitting from their eyes, and not for the first time, Logan wondered about their respective pasts. Although he would rightly consider them friends and comrades, he had just met them yesterday. By the time that Alteep had faded to a bump on the horizon and still no conversation brewed, Logan gave in. He thought that maybe offering a little about himself might kick start things, but was once again hesitant to reveal his true origins. ¡°I¡¯m sure you two are wondering where I came from. Apparently, Jeremiah had found me out in the Inaug Forest only a couple weeks ago. I can¡¯t seem to remember much about my old life beyond my name, so if you¡¯re curious, imagine what I feel like. Now that I¡¯ve opened the can of worms, does anyone else wanna get in this?¡± Gregor looked over and gave a nod. ¡°I¡¯m Gregor Greatwood, son of Mayor Grenneth Greatwood. I have spent much of my life training, following a Codex I found as a child. That is why my physique is so honed, much of my spark has been diffused through my corporeal form.¡± Huh, that explains why his soul is so unique I guess. ¡°Well that¡¯s pretty damn cool. What is a Codex, exactly?¡± ¡°Huh, well Logan, it is¡­ a mystic book, I suppose. It instructs one on certain Abilities and ways to harness one¡¯s soul. They are often made by those who have a Blessing that deals with knowledge or intuition.¡± ¡°Neat, that¡¯s good to know. Amar, do you have anything like that to share?¡± Amar glanced behind her shoulder. Since Jeremiah¡¯s passing, all the life she had been filled with yesterday had left her. Even though her determination was evident, Amar still looked a large margin more fragile than previously. So when she just shook her head and continued walking, it wasn¡¯t completely unexpected. Lapsing back into silence, the three young adults and one young Rizzel continued their journey.
Several hours later, the group reached a fork in the road. Gregor, utilizing the map, declared that they were to follow the leftmost path, and they continued on. However, not even fifteen minutes later they were still walking down the road, when Gregor saw a shadow of a man creep out of sight. Then a cold woman¡¯s voice said, ¡°Give us all you got, we want your money not your lives, but if you try and make a move we won¡¯t think twice.¡± Gregor sighed, then said, ¡°Unfortunately, we have some need for our possessions, so we find ourselves at an impasse here. Could we pay a toll, and just move on our way?¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°Ah, that is rather unfortunate, because we don¡¯t care a lick about your needs. Consider yourselves lucky to live and drop your belongings where you stand.¡± Gregor shook his head and got ready for combat, while motioning for the other¡¯s to do the same. Together the three of them grouped up side by side, as a stream of bandits trickled out from the foliage into plain sight. From their well fed bodies and well crafted, if patchwork gear, Gregor gathered that they had been waylaying travelers and merchants at this pass for quite some time. Putting a stop to their reign of this road would benefit Alteep. It was the least they could do to clear the trash on the way out. Once the last of the bandits entered the road, it was an eight on three fight. The would-be highwaymen carried mostly spears, with two holding standardly made shortswords. However, they clearly lacked more than the most basic training. Definitely not the worst odds Gregor had been in, and with the support he had at his side he would be more than willing to take on twice the number. ¡°When you¡¯re all bleeding out in the dirt, you better go quietly kids.¡± Logan spoke up for the first time. ¡°Yeah, let''s save the witty banter for some fights with tension, shall we?¡± Apparently, he too thought little of their opponents. Then Amar chimed in as well, saying, ¡°Boys, please shut up and fight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I jus- ah fuck it, she¡¯s right.¡± All three of them were in accordance. It was time to dispose of these bandits.
As the fight began, Gregor launched himself at their enemies at a speed that Logan struggled to even see. The effects were immediately obvious though, as Gregor had barreled his way past two of the thugs knocking them over, to engage their leader off the rip. That left Amar and Logan- -And Me!- ¡­And Remy, of course, to deal with the other five who hadn¡¯t been other five who hadn¡¯t been occupied, and both of them had the same idea. As one, they harnessed control over the foliage at the edges of the dirt road and restricted the movements of their foes. Human targets found it a lot harder than the abominations to shrug off the wrapping greens. Then, Amar and Logan laid into them. Amar summoned a bear claw from both hands and started wailing on three of them, while Logan punished the other two with his sword. Thankfully, both of them had the sense to use the blunted sides of their respective attacks, and though the bandits were left bloody and unconscious, they would most definitely live. The first two guards Gregor dropped had regained their feet, but upon seeing their compatriots'' plight quickly dropped their own weapons at their feet and dropped once more to their knees. -Haha, weak!- So true little guy, so true. Gregor himself stood over their disarmed leader, and then said, ¡°We will gather them up and take them with us as we enlist. It¡¯s less than a day''s journey so we should be able to keep them in line. Hopefully, it will give us some priority as we arrive.¡± ¡°Aye aye captain, at your command.¡± At that Gregor gave him an eye roll, and the trio waited until their attackers roused until cajoling them back to their original path. There would be no rest for the wicked.
The rest of the day passed in similar silence, but the prisoners added a palpable tension to the group. That was why all three of the group from Alteep let out sighs of relief upon seeing the next town over appear, only an hour before the sun was to set. Or maybe their asses are as sore as mine. Looking at both Gregor¡¯s sculpted muscle, and Amar¡¯s lithe form, Logan doubted that was the case, and therefore kept his complaints to himself. If wouldn¡¯t do to ruin his new friends¡¯ opinion of him, by marking himself as a whiner. Still, Logan wasn¡¯t sure if he managed to keep his gait steady by the time they were walking into the village proper. However, something stood in their way that marked this village as distinct from Alteep. This village, which Gregor had called Restel, had a close to ten foot wooden palisade surrounding it. Logan didn¡¯t much see the point, as the abominations would have easily torn through or climbed its fence, but maybe they had other issues here. A guard stopped them at the end of the road, and with a few quick responses Gregor managed to get them all inside, and some of the guardsmen to handle taking the bandits to a holding station. By now, the sun had almost finished its descent below the horizon, and the three of them were still recovering from the day before. They decided to enlist the following day, and spent some of their coin renting three of the last remaining rooms at the local inn. The three ate a meal in the silence that had hung over them all day in the common room, before excusing themselves back to their individual rooms. All three had important thoughts of the future and the past on their minds, and not enough trust yet in their hearts to share their worries. Chapter 23: Open Doors Open Doors Gregor paced back and forth in the small room his group had found themselves in. He found himself at an impasse, of sorts. His head told him that he should just undress, and get some rest, but for some reason he felt a pull out towards the hallway. Well, Gregor knew the reason, he just didn¡¯t know if it was wise. About the hundredth time Gregor crossed the breadth of his rented room, he decided enough was enough. If it was weighing on him that deeply, he should just do it. Taking a breath and a plunge, Gregor opened up his door and walked out into the corridor. The local inn was called Restel¡¯s Rest, and was a nice enough affair, profitable enough to afford and maintain a second floor of guest rooms. The group from Alteep had bargained for rooms upstairs, where the noise from the common room would be as intrusive, so when Gregor arrived at his location he was alone with just the rhythmic beating of his heart. With a knock, he made his presence known. From the other side of the door, Gregor heard a shuffling, but no one came to the door. Gregor had known that this might happen but still, he had something to say. ¡°Amar¡­ I¡¯m so sorry for your loss. It is clear that Jeremiah was deeply important to you. I may not have known him well, but he was a man of character, and kind. If you need someone to talk too, or just to have around, I am here for you. And if¡­ maybe you would prefer someone else, Logan seems to have known Jeremiah and I am sure he would be open to talking as well. I just want you to know that you don¡¯t have to be alone, unless you want to be.¡± Gregor said all of this in what felt like a single breath of air. He hadn¡¯t meant to keep talking, but his worries had bubbled out. Somehow, this had made him more anxious than the horde mother. But when he heard Amar head to the door, that all disappeared. Opening the door just a sliver, she peaked half of her face and long white hair into the doorway. ¡°Thank you, Gregor. Good night.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just¡­-¡± She cut him off. ¡°I meant it. Thank you.¡± ¡°Oh, o-ok then. I¡¯ll be here.¡± Amar just raised an eyebrow, gave a sad smile and said, ¡°Go to bed, Gregor. I¡¯ll see you in the morning.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Then the door closed in his face, and so he took her advice.
As Logan headed to sleep, he worried that he would have another vision of the Void. Although up until this point, the infrequent pit stops had boosted his arsenal, Logan was worried about the consequences for acquiring that power. Nothing came free, and Logan was worried about footing the bill. So even though he was situated on another hay cot, (Logan was beginning to think beds hadn¡¯t been invented) he found himself unable to sleep. Remy the Rizzel had no such compunctions and was whistling away as he curled up against Logan''s side. That left Logan to just stare up at the simply made ceiling, inspecting the paint flakes. Of course, time alone with his thoughts lead them back towards Jeremiah. Logan had already gotten used to his presence around him, like a mountain looming in the distance. Knowing that the man wasn¡¯t back in his cottage, boiling a pot of tea, or tending to the plants at the edge of the Forest hurt like someone squeezing his stomach into a ball. It stung Logan that he hadn¡¯t done anything to protect Jeremiah. At the time, his passing didn¡¯t even seem possible, but that was a reality Logan would have to adjust to if he wanted to survive here. It seemed like regardless of how strong you were, size and numbers would always be relevant. Without the Napalm Blessing, Logan was once again extremely reliant upon his group mates in pitched fights. The thought did not comfort him. To try and rectify that, Logan decided he could start improving right then. Getting on the wooden floor, he started doing as many pushups as he could. This way, Logan was working on his body, and keeping his body awake at the same time. Always better to kill two birds right? If one were metaphorically trying to kill as many birds with a single stone, that is. Anyways, that¡¯s what Logan was doing when his whole room started to glow.
It took Logan several frantic seconds to realize the new source of light in the room was, well, him. Specifically, Logan¡¯s back was glowing a soft, yellow green shade that illuminated the room in a warm buzz. When Logan tried to figure out why, he made out the corners of a large marking on his back that looked suspiciously like¡­ ¡°When the hell did I get a tattoo? There¡¯s just no way¡­¡± It wasn''t simple work either. From the admitted bad angles Logan could get off the edges of his own back, it looked like it spread all the way across his shoulder blades to stretch end to end. It was hard to make out what the design was, but the bits and potions he could see seemed to be rounded edges. ¡°Well, this is a terrible prank. A glow in the dark tattoo, at least I won¡¯t be falling asleep anytime soon with all this light.¡± If it was just going to make light, Logan could probably just ignore it for a little bit. After all, he didn¡¯t know the first thing about it, so worrying wouldn¡¯t accomplish anything. So, Logan got on the floor once again, and resumed doing push ups until exhaustion. Then, the light intensified, and another presence arrived in the small, rented room. The pressure this being exuded gave off a physical weight, and Logan could feel himself slipping away. The last thing Logan remembered before fading into sleep was the feeling of a smile resting on his face.
Logan woke the next morning to Remy padding back and forth across his chest. With a groan, he scooped the little guy up and deposited him off to the side before sitting up. Logan¡¯s back was aching from sleeping on the hardwood floors, but it was better than having his brain melted by whatever had decided to say hello last night. His tattoo had stopped glowing, and Logan thought that he and his companion were alone once more, although he didn¡¯t know for certain. It occurred to him that even if he knew it was there, Logan couldn¡¯t stop it from doing whatever it desired. On that unpleasant note, Logan decided it would be better to just get some breakfast. Like yesterday, his new traveling partners would likely try and leave as early as possible, so he should get ready. When Logan arrived downstairs in the common room, he found both Amar and Gregor already there as he predicted, awkwardly staring down at the piles of fresh food in front of them. Although Logan was interested in the steaming hash browns and eggs, he didn¡¯t think that was what captivated the two of them. From the hints of life that had reappeared in Amar¡¯s demeanor, and the anxious energy coming off of Gregor it was clear that something had happened last night. However, it would be in bad form to pry right away. Chapter 24: Approaching Approaching After breakfast, the trio went to drop off Grenneth¡¯s letter and enlist. They made their way across town to the Legion barracks they had seen on their way into town last night. From an outsider¡¯s perspective, the whole operation seemed to run quite smoothly. Men and women filed in and out at impressive rates, everyone knowing where and how to move to remain maximally efficient. They walked up to a kiosk stationed on the outside of the gate surrounding the barracks. The young woman inside appeared to be the only relaxed worker on premise, because as they approached she had to bring her feet down from their kicked up position on her desk. ¡°How may I help you three today?¡± Gregor stepped forward and produced the message. ¡°We have been sent here to deliver this missive from the Mayor of Alteep Village to the Legion members stationed here. We also wish to enlist, if that isn¡¯t too much of a bother.¡± ¡°No bother at all,¡± The woman said as she took the letter from Gregor. ¡°You¡¯re hardly the first, after all.¡± ¡°Haha, yes, well I have my Assessment Card here, if you need¡­-¡± Gregor said while taking a small note card from his bag, before he was interrupted. ¡°Nope, we haven''t done that here since the recruitment efforts began. We don¡¯t have the manpower, so all recruits are being assessed on site at Marineford. You can show off when you get there.¡± ¡°Recruitment?¡± Amar asked. ¡°Yeah, the war effort. Or, well the higher ups are just calling it a regular recruitment drive, but I¡¯ve never seen a push like this. Everyone knows it''s because Grecia has fallen to Harth in the North. The rumors have been swirling about the battle. Apparently the High King led the charge himself, killing the Grecia¡¯s Aegis in single combat, and the country fell within a day. Some whisper that Svell was allied with Harth as well, but no one I trust has said it yet.¡± This lady liked to talk. She barely even took a breath before she continued. ¡°Regardless, ever since those rumors started spreading, the Captain here has been in a frenzy about in a twist about getting numbers up, the way he only gets when the people at the top start shouting orders, you know? And it seems all you newbies have only got the rough and dirty version of basic before getting shipped back here, so I hope you already know what you¡¯re doing.¡± Logan gulped.
The three of them were directed to a caravan at the edge of the town¡¯s palisade that was decked out in red and silver, apparently the legions colorscheme. There were a handful of wagons there, with maybe 40-50 people looking like they were getting ready to leave. As the trio walked up, they were approached by an official looking man. ¡°Hello there, more recruits?¡± The man¡¯s voice was somewhat gruff, but he was clearly trying to be amicable. ¡°Yessir!¡± Logan said with a salute. The man looked puzzled by Logan¡¯s actions, but went on to say, ¡°...Well then you all are in luck, as we were just about to head out, and we have just enough room to squeeze three more aboard. Welcome.¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. From showing the group from Alteep to where they could grab a tent come nightfall, and who to ask for food, the man had practically shown them the entire setup. It wasn¡¯t complex, but it was an efficient formula for moving people with minimal resources. ¡°Well, if you all have any more questions, just look for me. I¡¯m Grant Cobald, by the way. Hope you three enjoy the trip.¡± With that, the man bid his adieu and left the three to their own devices. They didn¡¯t have much to distract them, so they ended up just waiting for almost a half hour for the caravan to get rolling. Although they had wheels, the wagons were not any faster than walking. In fact, Logan often found himself limiting his pace to remain even with the wooden monstrosities. Logan¡¯s ass was sore just from looking at the way they were bouncing around. Or maybe it was from all the physical exertion he had done, but Logan thought the first option was funnier. Regardless, as the hours slipped by, Logan found himself more and more worn down. The aches in his legs were ever present, and no amount of stretching seemed to avail any relief. When Remy scampered ahead as the sun was almost setting, he had no energy left to pursue. -Woah¡­- What is it, little guy? -Lots of¡­ water.- Cresting over the hill, Logan saw what Remy was chattering about. Just ahead, beyond a military outpost and the largest town Logan had yet to see here on this nameless planet, was an ocean. Yeah Remy. That¡¯s the sea. Pretty awesome right? -Yeah!-
As they were finally approaching the encampment well after dark, the new recruits were brought to an empty barracks and told to orderly decide on sleeping arrangements. Of course, the men and women were split off, and Logan ended up bunking with Gregor. The two of them had claimed the farthest bunk, and had kept to themselves since arrival. Both still hadn¡¯t fully processed the intense battle from days prior, but there was shit that still needed to happen. Logan was worried about Gregor, mostly because it was easier than worrying about himself. Amar was obviously distraught and subdued since Jeremiah¡¯s death, but Gregor had been totally fine after the battle. Logan didn¡¯t know too much about this place, but he suspected their scramble against the horror spiders wasn¡¯t a regular occurrence, from the fuss Grenneth had raised. As Logan inspected the young man across from him, he noticed that he was fidgeting with a small white note card. Logan thought Gregor had called it¡­ ¡°That¡¯s an Assessment Card, right? What is that?¡± ¡°Ah, wha- Of course, this is an Assessment Card, yes. It is¡­ a collection of the measurements of my characteristics. It categorizes me by Tier, and ranks me accordingly. My father once paid for a Guild worker to come out to Alteep and test me with ritual magic.¡± Oh, so maybe Logan wasn¡¯t a genius when he thought of making a statsheet. It appeared that others had the idea, just Jeremiah hadn¡¯t been aware enough about the larger world to know. Also getting the young man talking sounded like a good idea to get him out of his own head. ¡°Could I maybe see that real quick?¡± ¡°Sure, it will help to familiarize with it, all new Legion recruits eventually get Assessed, so you should get a card too.¡± With that Gregor handed over his card.
Name: Gregor Greatwood Tier: D
Body: S Rank
Mind: A Rank
Spirit: A Rank
Affinity: N/A
Abilities:
N/A
Blessings:
Battle Meditation
Logan wasn¡¯t sure exactly what the ranks were, but he assumed S Rank meant Gregor was pretty kick ass. ¡°Can you explain a little what this means?¡± ¡°Of course. The Tier that one is indicates how many times they have kindled their spark. For D Tier, that number is between 10-25. We use cutoffs at certain points because there is a sudden jump in power there. At ten, for example, one¡¯s body hardens and strengthens to a decent degree.¡± ¡°Interesting. Then I assume the Ranks are scaled against other people within the Tier?¡± ¡°You would be correct in that thinking. I¡­ you know about Blessings and Abilities, right?¡± ¡°Yessir, I should be good now. Thanks for letting me see this, I had been using a system to keep track but this seems a lot more efficient.¡± Logan said as he handed back the card. Learning that there was a system out there reassured him, because since the battle, Logan had been convinced his own methods wouldn¡¯t hold up long term. Not only was it inefficient to require someone stronger than him to check, but the numbers themselves didn¡¯t seem like they would scale that well in the future. Regardless, this system appeared much more lean than his own. ¡°No problem, I hope you found it helpful.¡± With that, Gregor went back to his bed. Soon, the whole barracks had settled down, and after trekking all day, sleep claimed them all with a vengeance. Chapter 25: Assessment Day Assessment Day The blaring of trumpets burst through the barracks and brought the new recruits up and out of bed in seconds. Logan quickly tossed on a shirt he had discarded last night, then followed by tying his boots in record time. The male recruits went outside and rejoined the women, and then were directed to stand in lines out in a training field, with a small command tent in front of them. Then a woman with wild black hair and scars on her arms visible from a distance exited the front flap. ¡°Alright recruits, unfortunately due to the influx of fresh bodies around here we can no longer spring to have everyone Assessed. Today, all that will be happening is a small interview, and your placement. Over the course of your basic training, if you show promise or potential, you will then earn the right to be Assessed.¡± ¡°If you have already been Assessed prior, give your Assessment Card to your proctor during the interview. Now, the first person may go in, and the rest of you may wait to be interviewed.¡± The woman motioned until the line got moving, then left the field. No one seemed to pay her any mind as she sauntered off, acting like she ran the place. Which, considering she didn¡¯t introduce herself, maybe she does. Logan didn¡¯t really know anything about what he was walking into, he had mostly just gone with the flow. Now there was no more chance to back out, he would be joining the Legion. As the line gradually shortened, Logan wondered what the interview would entail. He hoped they didn¡¯t try and dig too much into his past. Explaining that wouldn¡¯t go well.
People that filed into the tent inevitably left through the same flap they entered, before taking a left out of the field. The line seemed to stretch forever, the sun visibly moving as they shuffled forward in line. Still, it eventually became time for the group from Alteep to take their turns. Gregor entered the tent first. He was in there for quite a while, maybe half of an hour, before he eventually came out with a sheepish smile. Then he did something no one else had done yet, and left the field to the right. It seemed Gregor¡¯s Assessment Card had been enough to ensure him some form of special treatment. Logan would have been jealous but he didn¡¯t have the time. It was his turn next. At an attendant¡¯s gesture Logan walked forwards and proceeded into the tent. When he was just about to walk in, the same attendant stopped him and pointed towards Remy, perched on his shoulder. Logan, setting the Rizzel down, looked in his eyes. I¡¯ll be right back, you stay calm ok? -Sure!- As Logan lifted the flap to enter, his eyes registered a long table with three different people sitting behind it. On the left end was an older man, with salt and pepper short cropped hair that really made him look like he belonged here in the military. On the right side of the long wooden table was a young woman who could not claim the same. Her soft figure and her petite stature, combined with her lab coat and wireframe glasses made the words ¡®sexy librarian¡¯ come to mind for Logan, even though it was a touch crass. As much as he would have liked to sit and talk to her, preferably over a nice dinner and drinks, the last occupant in the room demanded his attention. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The last man in the room was stoic, with long black hair that tapered off around his shoulders. A hideous scar traced over his swarthy skin and across his left eye, disfiguring his otherwise handsome face. Still, the dynamics of the man¡¯s pure presence forced Logan to focus every atom of his being on him. That¡¯s how Logan was able to identify where that man¡¯s attention was directed. Namely, at the tentacles hovering around and over Logan¡¯s head. ¡°Huh, well this one should be interesting. Young man, what are you?¡±
Shit can he see souls too? That was the only explanation Logan could think of. He didn¡¯t know how else it was possible to make out Logan¡¯s inherent differences, but the timing couldn¡¯t be worse, running into the first other person who could see them here of all places. Well, it was likely because he was here, so Logan figured a little honesty would serve him best. But just a little. For the rest, good old fashioned ignorance could take a person a long way, and it was time for Logan to ride that wave. ¡°I don¡¯t quite know sir. I don¡¯t have memories of my whole life, but a couple days after I woke up, I had a vision, and when I came to my soul had been changed. I don¡¯t know how or why it happened.¡± Logan looked at the stoic man and tried not to gulp. Instead he focused on trying to keep his tentacles as non-threatening as possible until the man replied. ¡°Huh, neat. Well son, you have me in a bind, because the method I have to ensure you¡¯re being honest doesn¡¯t seem to work on you. And, well, I need to know you are who you say you are. To keep everyone safe. You understand?¡± While he spoke, the man tilted his head to the side, and smiled in a way that never reached his eyes. Logan did understand. If he gave this man sitting so casually in front of him the slightest inclination of violence or espionage, his goose would be cooked. ¡°Sir, I promise that I am really a fresh recruit who has only stayed alive by sticking by stronger people. It seems like there are some unique things I can do, but if I had to go to war in a couple weeks I¡¯ll die for sure. Could you just assign me to someone tough enough to watch me, and also maybe keep me alive? Sir.¡± Uh oh I got a little too frank there towards the end. Tehe. ¡°Signing up for Reena¡¯s squadron, heard loud and clear. I¡¯m going to trust you until you step out of line, but don¡¯t think for a second we don¡¯t have our eyes on you. Now, you''re going to want to leave the tent and head out to the left, then stop once you reach the quartermaster¡¯s office, you can¡¯t miss it. You¡¯ll be directed around from there.¡± Towards the end of the man¡¯s dialogue the two other¡¯s at the table started shaking their heads. Looking between the two, the other man looked confused. ¡°What did I do?¡± The other military man at the table spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s what you didn¡¯t do, which is follow the script, or ask any of the questions we are supposed to ask.¡± ¡°...Sorry?¡±
They ended up skipping most of the questions, but they wrote down his name and barracks number on a huge list of names spanning what looked like hundreds of sheets of paper. Then Logan was shooed out of the tent, and back out onto the training yard. Grabbing Remy and giving a little wave to Amar before he left, Logan headed out the left side of the camp, following the majority of the people that came before him other than Gregor. From there Logan wandered down the camp''s thoroughfare until he came upon the building that he assumed to be the quartermaster¡¯s office. The building itself was nondescript, but it was hard to cover up the line of fresh recruits leading out of the front door. So Logan just got in line. Nothing else to do, really. It was slow going, as the line really only moved forwards every ten minutes or so. It wasn¡¯t long before the rest of the recruits joined in the line behind Logan. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t see Amar there, so it looked like it would be just Logan and Remy for a little bit. Logan figured he might as well use the time in line to scope out his peers. For the most part, he found himself unimpressed. Most people looked completely ordinary, but Logan supposed that Gregor would appear normal at first glance too. Instead, Logan decided he should try and study their souls, as the man Logan had just met implied Soul Sight could be used to detect lies. If that were the case, maybe there was a lot of information Logan wasn¡¯t perceptive enough to understand yet. As the line progressively shrunk, Logan started to make out more details in his observations. It wasn¡¯t enough to really claim he had discovered anything, but Logan felt like he could discern subtle differences between souls at this point. Then, Logan¡¯s part of the line made it inside, and he had to put his impromptu training on the back burner. Chapter 26: Induction Internal Matters Although the building''s exterior may have been plain, on the inside it was anything but ordinary. Between all the people buzzing about, and the strange assortment of non-perishables, weapons, and an odd amount of boots, it resembled nothing more than an eye spy scene from a children¡¯s book. The line Logan was in still stretched on through the chaos until it reached another doorway in the back of the main room. That left Logan to still wait for the seemingly endless line to finally admit him, all the while dodging the various people rushing about. That is, until he wasn¡¯t quick enough. While he was trying to move out of the way of a man carrying a crate, Logan got blindsided by a young woman with fiery red hair. He didn¡¯t notice what color her hair was right away though. The first thing Logan noticed was the pain in his back from getting shoved with something hard and metallic. The next thing was the sudden addition of more weight for him to carry, catching him off guard, and sending the two to the floor. Then, that was when he noticed the mop of red hair spooled all over him. ¡°What the hell were you doing in my way you asshole!¡± Getting to her feet, the woman rose over Logan. She was reasonably tall, standing at almost six feet, with strong and well defined arms. ¡°W-what?¡± Logan was pretty sure she knew what he was doing in the line, so Logan didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°All these damn recruits, always taking up space that they are just gonna waste and stand around pointlessly in¡­ If I had the time I would teach you a lesson.¡± ¡°Uhhh, I¡¯m¡­ sorry?¡± Logan, standing himself, realized that the metal thing that jabbed into his back had been a truly hefty looking smith¡¯s hammer. Although no one would call the woman in front of Logan dainty, the hammer¡¯s size still made the redhead holding it appear undersized with its bulk. ¡°You better be. Once you finish induction I expect you to report to my station to formally apologize.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, just¡­ Whose station should I go to to apologize?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Arasaka. You better not forget, recruit.¡± Yeah, Logan didn¡¯t think he would be forgetting anytime soon.
Thankfully, the people around Logan let him keep his place in line after the incident with Arasaka, otherwise he might have lost his cool. Instead, it only took Logan another half hour to finally make it to the front of the line. In that time, Remy had finally lost his patience, and had begun pestering Logan nonstop, so it was with doubly great relief to leave the endless line behind him. The attendant at the door motioned Logan forward, and he entered the destination point of the line. Walking through the doorway, Logan came upon a rather ordinary office that wouldn¡¯t look too far out of place on Earth. Behind a simple wooden desk was a similarly simple man, wearing what Logan had learned to be simple fare, a linen tunic and trousers. His face, despite being plain, kindled warm thoughts in Logan, as he reminded him of an aging grandpa. ¡°Hello there son, I¡¯m Quartermaster Kelvin Scotts, and I¡¯ll help you get all sorted out for your stay here. What¡¯s your name son?¡± The quartermaster asked. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I¡¯m Logan Brewer, and I think I¡¯ve been assigned to ¡®Reena¡¯s Squadron¡¯? Uhh, sir.¡± As Logan said this Kelvin started scratching down notes on a clipboard. ¡°Hmmm, really now? Reena¡¯s gotten a decent amount of fresh meat today, unusual that. Some batches she doesn¡¯t get anyone, but I guess a few of you fit the crazy mold this time, eh?¡± ¡°Sorry, sir, I don¡¯t really know what you mean by that. Is¡­ Reena¡¯s squadron special?¡± ¡°Eh, you¡¯ll see for yourself soon enough. No sense trying to prepare you for it regardless. Now, let me see what size uniforms you¡¯ll need.¡± With this the man took out a tape measurer and began taking the various sizes for Logan¡¯s Legion gear. Which, at further questioning, would be almost exactly what Kelvin himself was wearing, just with some additional leathers and the Legion¡¯s signature red overcoat. Then, Logan found out the reason for all the boots outside. Making Logan take off his boots, Kelvin quickly measured his insole and other relevant parts of his feet. ¡°Lots of quartermaster apprentices think they have some genius wisdom when they say ¡®An army marches on its stomach¡¯. Then they lose a third of their army¡¯s feet to rot and infection, and they realize that an army marches on its feet, same as the rest of us. A good boot is worth as much as the man who wears ¡®em, in my book.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll do my best to fill the boots you get for me, then.¡± With a harumph, Kelvin finished writing the required measurements, and shooed Logan out of the room.
Watching both Logan and Gregor enter and then exit the tent without issue, some of the anxiety left Amar. She had some concerns over Gregor¡¯s unique exit, but he hadn¡¯t raised a fuss so she imagined he would be alright. So, as they always did when she had a second, Amar¡¯s thoughts turned to Jeremiah. Her father. And he had died without knowing. Amar had meant to tell him that very night, but¡­ ¡°Dammit.¡± She said under her breath. This was not the time. As Logan walked out the tent he gave her a little wave before heading the same direction as most of the other recruits. Then it was her turn, the attendant controlling the line waving her on through. Amar stepped forwards, and walked in the tent. Immediately, her focus was drawn to the man sitting in the center of the table, although both a woman and another man flanked him on either side. Amar felt her hackles raise, as though the man were a predator. She wasn¡¯t much for that comparison, because that squarely labeled her as the prey. ¡°Huh, two in a row for Reena. I guess miracles do happen statistically every now and again. You happen to know the guy who just left?¡± Despite the man¡¯s aura, his tone and face were nothing if not cheery. It broke the paralysis that had been triggered in Amar for a second, clearing her head. ¡°Yes sir, Logan Brewer, I just traveled from Alteep village to enlist with him.¡± ¡°Oh, so you two know each other, how interesting. Reena¡¯s gonna have a fun-¡± Just then, the tent¡¯s flap opened again, and the scarred woman who had spoken earlier entered. ¡°-time. Speak of Death and she shall appear, wouldya look at that.¡± The woman did not appear impressed, just grunting in response. ¡°Well, if you are gonna be like that, why don¡¯t you take your latest recruit to her new barracks?¡± She just flipped him off, and stalked back out. ¡°Come on.¡± Came through the flaps as they swung closed. Amar rushed after her new Captain. Behind her as she was leaving, Amar heard the other man speak up for the first time. ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, we literally just talked about this Michael.¡±
From there, the attendant outside informed him how he could find Lieutenant Reena¡¯s barracks and Logan left the quartermaster¡¯s office. Walking even further down the thoroughfare, Logan kept going until he reached the edge of camp. Just like the attendant had said, his destination was there, slightly separated from the rest of the structures. Just like the new recruits'' barracks, there was a building for both male and female troops. In fact, everything about the layout looked identical to the other barracks he had seen on camp, but the people standing out front¡­ Well, they immediately drew Logan¡¯s attention. Logan didn¡¯t know if he had ever seen a group where every member stood out so much. There were about ten people standing together in between the buildings, each wildly different than the last. Logan wanted to spend time inspecting each one of them, but a familiar hair shade drew his eyes first. Araska stood with her back to Logan, talking to the rest of the group. When they noticed Logan¡¯s approach however, she turned with them. ¡°Ah, here to apologize already are you? That was quick, I must have scared you silly huh, recruit?¡± ¡°Ah, Arasaka, I am sorry again. But no, this is apparently my squadron, I¡¯m under ¡®Reena¡¯s¡¯ command.¡± ¡°That¡¯s Captain Frear to you, and I doubt it. This is where they send the people who actually have some potential, and from your physique and pet rat that seems unlikely.¡± Ok, Logan had been willing to put up with this girl, but she was crossing a line there. Remy was nothing but a refined Rizzel, and didn¡¯t deserve to be slandered. ¡°Never insult Remy again. I don¡¯t care if you wanna be a bitch to me, but the little guy doesn¡¯t deserve that and I won¡¯t stand for it.¡± Stepping right up to Logan¡¯s nose, Arasaka said, ¡°And what are you going to do about it?¡± Chapter 27: Peace Making Peace Making ¡°What are you going to do, Arasaka?¡± Another voice rang out across the barracks¡¯ training field. Stepping back, both Logan and Arasaka turned to the newcomer. It was the same woman who had initially greeted the recruits this morning. Up close her numerous scars were even more noticeable, crossing her body in random formations. She had a similar presence to the interviewer, demanding your absolute attention. ¡°Captain Frear, I-...I¡¯m sorry, I let my emotions get the best of me. B-but, this man shouldn¡¯t be here, he has absolutely no coordination. We need to keep our reputation.¡± Logan rolled his eyes at that. She had been the one to bump into him, while he was mostly standing still in a single file line. Then he realized he wasn¡¯t the only one not amused by Arasaka¡¯s tactics. Captain Frear, or Reena, was giving Arasaka a very pointed look. Under the Captain¡¯s gaze, the usually fiery woman became very uncomfortable, going as far to fidget slightly, before retracting her statements. ¡°Sorry ma¡¯am, please ignore my outburst.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I was planning on doing that regardless. What you should be worried about is the punishment coming your way after I settle the new recruits in the barracks.¡± Arasaka gulped. Logan could tell she wanted to push back, but the Captain had already moved on. ¡°Alright you fresh shits, time to learn up from down. Now pack it up and follow me around, I¡¯ll do a quick circle of the camp before I let you free on the barracks. And you, go join the others.¡± That¡¯s when Logan noticed the person standing behind Captain Frear. Thankfully, it was a familiar face. It appeared that Amar had been assigned to the same Squadron as Logan. He was happy, but it also made him wonder where Gregor had ended up.
Gregor¡¯s day had been odd. He had expected an unusual response, but he hadn¡¯t expected to immediately become the apprentice of Marineford¡¯s major. In fact, Gregor would rather not have that honor, but as the major was the highest ranking officer here, it was hard to turn the man down. As a result, Gregor had ended up separated from all the other recruits, with a private room and space to himself. Certainly, the benefits to his new position were making themselves known. Still, Gregor was suspicious. Although he knew that his Rankings were impressive for his Tier, his treatment still seemed out of place. It was these thoughts that consumed Gregor¡¯s mind as he sat on his newly acquired cot. He was so lost that when the door swung open he jolted from his seated position. ¡°At ease, I¡¯m just here to check in.¡± The major, the man who had conducted most of the recruitment interview, walked into the room with a casual air. ¡°So, how are you liking your new lodgings Gregor? Up to your standards, I hope.¡± ¡°Yes sir, I¡¯ve enjoyed them very much¡­¡± ¡°Go on.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°... But, I¡¯m not sure if I deserve the honor, sir. I am not really all too special, surely there are others better fitted for this role.¡± ¡°Ah, I see you don¡¯t know why I chose you, Gregor.¡± ¡°No sir.¡± ¡°Gregor, feel free to call me Michael when we are alone, as my apprentice you can have some familiarity. Just make sure to keep to ¡®the major¡¯ while the troops may hear. And the reason I selected you is simple. Your ¡®Battle Meditation¡¯ Blessing is one of a rare category of Blessing, that can propel its users to the highest peaks imaginable. Coupled with Ranks that show a strong work ethic, you are easily the recruit with the highest potential this camp has seen.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let it get to your head, but if you make sure to remain diligent there is no doubt you could surpass me given time. ¡®Battle Meditation¡¯ and it¡¯s like often end up multiplying the user¡¯s Ranks far beyond their Tier. So, I decided to help speed things up by taking you under my wing. Not much to think about, really. Just the right decision.¡± Gregor hadn¡¯t known that his gift was so rare, as he usually barely gave it any mind. Its main effect was the dilution of time the more adrenaline he had surging through his veins, so Gregor didn¡¯t have to think about the Blessing, he just used it passively. Knowing that it had other uses caused his mind to whirl. ¡°Haha, I know that look. Well, I¡¯ll leave you to contemplate for tonight, Gregor. Tomorrow morning though, you better be ready to get to work.¡± ¡°Yessir!¡± Major Michael gave Gregor an eye. ¡°Yes¡­ Michael.¡± ¡°That¡¯s better. Rest well, apprentice.¡±
The rest of Logan¡¯s tour went fairly straightforward. Captain Frear showed them to the mess hall, camp training grounds, and where the latrines were. Which, unfortunately, seemed to just be a somewhat large ditch with a bit of coverage. Although it wasn¡¯t ideal, it was the best plumbing system Logan had seen since coming here. Logan just hoped he wasn¡¯t the one who had to shovel it out. Finally they reached the barracks once again. As much as Logan wanted a second to talk to Amar about her interview, it wasn¡¯t to be as the Captain split them by sex and told the members who had been around for a while to answer the remaining questions. There were four men in the Squadron, two of whom had been here for longer than a day. One of whom didn¡¯t seem very interested in talking, but as Logan found out, that was definitely not a problem for Jerry, his other new senior. Jerry was a slight man, who didn¡¯t have the feeling of a professional soldier, but constantly assured the newcomers at every chance that ¡®Reena¡¯s Squadron¡¯ was the place for the best recruits. Really, Jerry just jumped at every chance to say anything, which were offered in bulk by the other fresh recruit, Larry. ¡°Aren¡¯t we lucky to be in the Squad, Jerry? All the women are bombshells!¡± ¡°Eh, who cares. I guess they are traditionally good looking, but if they are in this squad they gotta pack a mean punch, so watch out. Even Arasaka is dangerous.¡± That got Logan¡¯s attention. The annoying woman had stayed on his thoughts throughout the night so far. ¡°Hey Jerry, what¡¯s her problem?¡± Logan said, speaking up for the first time in a while. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the way she treated you but eh, I can understand her own short fuse. She¡¯s feisty because her skill set would normally mark her as a crafter, so others look down on her. I expect she will apologize herself at some point in the next day, unless you actually deserve such treatment.¡± Huh, I thought he was going to say she was just mean. Maybe I should wait and give her a chance. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll accept if she extends the olive branch.¡±
When Logan started falling asleep he instantly felt the Void begin to form around him. Jerking back awake, Logan decided that he could stay up tonight. He considered just resting in bed with Remy, but a strange noise kept drawing his attention. It sounded like a rhythmic banging, -not like that, clearly the sound was made from metal on metal contact. Despite Logan¡¯s efforts to stay in bed, his curiosity eventually got the best of him. After all, no one had ever mentioned a curfew. Slipping outside, Logan entered the space between the two barracks. The noise was coming from a small roofless hut just a few feet from the girls barracks. Strangely, Logan hadn¡¯t noticed it during the day, but he wasn¡¯t always the most observant. Walking over to it, Logan stepped in the doorway. Instantly he was blasted with both heat and sound. Something about the hut must have dampened the noise because on the inside was what looked like a miniature forge to Logan. Arasaka was standing over it, going to town on a piece of metal with her oversized hammer. Logan wanted to get her attention but was scared to break her focus. It was almost ten minutes before she took the piece she was working and quenched it. That¡¯s also when Arasaka notice Logan. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± She semi-cocked back her hammer, ready to strike. ¡°Woah, I just wandered in here and got caught up in watching you work! It¡¯s cool stuff.¡± Logan said all this with his palms raised. Arasaka at first looked like she was about to still use the hammer, but then she seemed to deflate. ¡°I owe you an apology.¡± ¡°Huh, well Jerry was right, I¡¯ll be. How about we save that for after a proper reintroduction. It¡¯s nice to meet you, I¡¯m Logan Brewer.¡± Logan extended a hand. Arasaka hesitated for a moment, sweat still dripping down her arms, and then took Logan¡¯s offering. Chapter 28: Differences Differences ¡°I¡¯m Akari Arasaka. I¡¯m sorry for how I acted.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright Ak-¡±, a look stopped Logan dead. ¡°Arasaka, you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t but I do, that¡¯s the reason I end up behaving that way sometimes. I¡¯m not sure if anyone¡¯s told you yet, but this Squadron operates a little differently than others. Most Squadrons just get filled with forty recruits, and train with their Captain under standard protocol, for a standard duration before becoming proper Legionnaires.¡± After saying this Arasaka picked up her tongs again and grabbed the metal piece she had just quenched. The heat in the forge room was making Logan¡¯s eyes water a bit, but Arasaka was showing depth he hadn¡¯t expected immediately, and thought she deserved to be heard out. ¡°Captain Frear¡¯s Squadron obviously does not have forty recruits. Instead it is filled with people who have unique powers to integrate with their peers, and those who require additional vetting before being allowed into the Legion. Oftentimes, those are not mutually exclusive categories. Therefore this Squadron ends up stationed here for a lot longer, all while participating in more dangerous missions.¡± Suddenly what the quartermaster had said made a lot more sense. The conversation with the man took on a whole new light in Logan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Huh, well, I guess more time to train isn¡¯t bad. What was that about more dangerous missions? That doesn¡¯t sound like a safe environment to train fresh recruits in.¡± ¡°All Squadrons carry out missions, eliminating monsters and controlling the population of beasts. We just take the tougher ones, because we often have the personnel to handle it. Also Captain Frear is significantly stronger than the other captains, having reached B-Tier herself.¡± That didn¡¯t sound too bad to Logan, it was pretty much what Jeremiah had done, if more violent. He could also handle his own safety by teleporting, so he wasn¡¯t too worried. However, there was something that had been bugging him for a while.
¡°What¡¯s the difference between beasts and monsters? And where perhaps, might abominations fall on that scale?¡± Logan had fought what Gregor and Amar had called abominations back in Alteep, but no one had ever really explained what that meant. For a while, Logan had thought it may just be a synonym for monster, but the days on the road had dispelled that notion. ¡°Beasts are naturally occurring inhabitants of Earth, while monsters form from certain conditions about the environment being reached. Although it isn¡¯t known, it''s common thinking that monsters are Death¡¯s creations. Now, as for your last question¡­ abominations are a relatively new concept. They used to just be monsters, but as new types kept appearing some magical researchers discovered the presence of a unique element in some of them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one, but I¡¯d love to get my hands on a corpse or two. I bet I could make some cool stuff out of one. Anyways, the Nobles and the Royals like to keep a close eye on their appearances so they send the Legion out when they appear.¡± Well, now the villagers'' reaction made sense. Still, Logan wondered what that unknown element was. He was trying to think, but the heat was really getting to him at this point, with sweat dripping down his brow. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Ah, well, thanks for telling me all that, I appreciate it.¡± ¡°No problem, it¡¯s the least I could do after acting so embarrassingly¡­¡± Arasaka seemed to realize then that Logan couldn¡¯t take the heat. Literally. ¡°Why don¡¯t we pick this up another time. It¡¯s late, and you should rest before your first day here. You are going to need to be alert.¡± ¡°Ok, will do. Thanks again.¡± Logan walked out of the magically soundproofed hut and back into the cool night air. If this was just his second night, Logan had the feeling he would actually learn a lot here.
After his conversation with Arasaka, Logan was still left with his original problem. Afraid to sleep, he wandered out through the camp at large, trying to figure out its shape. It turned out that it was a giant loop, with the command and support tents in the center, and the various Squadrons located on the outside. After a walkthrough, Logan decided if he was going to be up, he might as well be training. So he started running. At first he tried counting the laps, but soon Logan fell into a pattern of just focusing on his own footfalls and ignored the outside world. Only the occasional left turn slowed his stride at all. Time slipped away and all that processed in Logan¡¯s mind was.. Pat¡­ Pat¡­ Pat¡­ Pat¡­ Pat¡­ Pat¡­ The wind whistled in Logan¡¯s ears over his mostly bald head. For the first time since the battle at Alteep, everything felt clear. All the crazy experiences he¡¯d had recently crystallized together, and Logan could move forward again. It wasn¡¯t until Logan could tell the night was almost finished that he made his way back to his barracks. Slipping inside, Logan got into the showers as the trumpets began to wake the others up. Somehow they had water on tap, but it wasn¡¯t through a mechanism Logan recognized, and it looked somewhat rough hewn. Instead of any noticeable faucet, once Logan pressed the button water just started pouring on his head. And Logan didn¡¯t mean the water came out from a spot above him. No, a continuous rain of lukewarm water followed him around wherever he moved. It was nice to finally have a shower, but Logan couldn¡¯t quite get his legs properly under the water. That¡¯s what he was trying to do when Jerry stuck his head in. ¡°Like it? One of the few joys of being part of Frear¡¯s Squadron. Arasaka made these a while back, while a water attuned was passing through basic.¡± Well now Logan was doubly relieved they had mended fences. If he had pissed off the person in this world who invented the shower, life would become unbearable pretty rapidly.
As Amar had slept that night, she had dreamt the strangest dream she could remember in quite some time. Everything had been so abstract, but she could remember seeing huge swathes of the most vivid colors, luscious greens, yellows and purples. As the colors had surrounded her, Amar had closed her eyes and felt a presence accompanying the wild visages. It made her think of her mother, before she had passed, and of the summer Jeremiah had taught her about his history, and by extension, her own. That was why Amar was in the Legion, now. Learning about the history of Svell before the Goddess of Life had intervened and brought an emissary to guide them had shown her that she needed to be strong enough to fight for herself. As those memories played, Amar could hear the gradual rustling of leaves in the wind, and a creak burbling. She could tell the presence was smiling as it spoke to her through the noises of the world. ¡®My Child¡¯ W-who are you? There was no response, and as Amar opened her eyes she began to see the vivid colors fading. A desperation filled her, and a sense of longing, but the vision was not over yet. Over the last of the noises came one more phrase. ¡®Watch¡­ the stranger¡­¡¯ Then the blaring of trumpets were in her ears, forcing Amar back into the land of reality. Staggering out of bed, Amar tried to focus on getting ready for the day. If she let the vision distract her too much, the first day in a Squadron would ruin her. It was a famous breaking point for dropouts. Even if her sleep had been marred, she was thankful to have gotten the full amount. Amar couldn¡¯t imagine going into today not in peak performance. Chapter 29: First Day First Day As Captain Frear had her Squadron line up, Logan¡¯s body ached. He was starting to regret training all night as the rising sun blared directly in his eyes. Logan desperately wanted to shield his eyes, but didn¡¯t want to draw attention. He stood on the far left of the line, so might be able to get away with something. Maybe if I disguise it as a salute¡­ ¡°Name, recruit!¡± Suddenly Logan recognized that Captain Frear was in front of him, and was doing roll call. ¡°Uh, Logan Brewer¡­ ma¡¯am¡± Even though she gave him a glare, Logan seemed to pass muster just barely, and Captain Frear moved on down the line. Jerry and Larry answered, and then the Captain moved onto the other man who had been in the barracks last night. She called for him and he answered as Lucius, with no last name. This was enough for the Captain, who moved down the line to the woman¡¯s half. First up was Amar, which brought her presence in this Squad back to his mind. How did she fit the requirements to end up assigned here? After Amar, came a few other people Logan hadn¡¯t met properly yet. Next was a young woman with pale cyan hair, who introduced herself as Aerie, who was in turn followed by Sophia, a tough looking middle aged woman. Then, second to last in line was another woman with startling white hair like Amar. It was hard to tell her age, but she appeared to be young, with shorter, cropped hair. Her given name was Lexie Lockhardt. Last in line was Arasaka, who introduced herself. That made Logan realize that this exercise was likely for the recruits, not Captain Frear, who had known at least some of these people''s faces before today. ¡°Listen up, I will not remember either your name or your face, so I will just call you all ¡®you¡¯, ¡®punk¡¯, or maybe ¡®shithead¡¯. If you cannot deal with that, you do not belong in the Legion, and I will personally ensure you never make it in. Do we understand each other?¡± Well. Looked like Logan had gotten the wrong thinking there.
Gregor¡¯s morning started out more relaxed than the previous. He had heard the trumpets, but they had been located far enough away that he just rolled back over and got some more sleep. After another hour or so, he had rolled out of his cot, and gotten dressed for the day, before heading out for breakfast. He had found it in a private cafeteria, where Gregor met Major Micah also enjoying a meal. Gregor joined his new mentor, and together they feasted on a heaping plate of eggs, thick cut bacon and toast. Many minutes after greeting each other, more words were exchanged. ¡°-Burp- Ah, that was a good one. Love the bacon we get from the sea hogs, really juicy stuff. So, what do you want to do today?¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°I, uhh, wasn¡¯t expecting to be asked.¡± Micah gave him an exasperated look. ¡°I took you as my apprentice because you clearly have direction, but need to be supported. I don¡¯t want to hold your hand, but I¡¯ll guide you if you get too off path. More importantly, what do you think is the next thing you need to fill in your gaps?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t have anything that empowers an attack, so I can¡¯t always translate my strength onto larger and more durable opponents.¡± ¡°So ability training, huh. I¡¯ve got a couple of good ones you might like. You just use a single sword, yeah?¡± ¡°Uh, yessir.¡± ¡°I told you, just call me Micah.¡±
As the two of them walked out into a training yard, Micah began to explain to Gregor about the ability he was going to try and teach him. The result didn¡¯t sound complicated, but the process was confounding Gregor. ¡°You have to focus on your being, really focus on letting it radiate out. Let it feed out into the air.¡± Gregor was trying to do what Micah was instructing, but it felt like the complete opposite of what his Codex had been instructing him to do for years. He could feel the flow of his essence, but every time Gregor tried to direct out into the air, it just looped back on its tracks. Still, he tried. After a little while, Micah left Gregor to sort it out on his own in the training yard, and Gregor stayed there for hours sitting and meditating. The first thing the Major had told him about this particular ability had stuck with Gregor, and he wanted it. ¡®This ability is in general use, so anyone can use it regardless of affinity. All it does is create an aura based off of your spark, so its use is entirely decided by your own potential. Would probably be a good fit for you to start off with, kid.¡¯ At this point, Gregor¡¯s spark was half physical, so he was interested in what his aura could accomplish. That was why Gregor was still there sweating as the night fell. Finally, he felt his essence slip out of his body and into the air. Suddenly, Gregor could feel the space around him, like an extra limb. Strangely, he could also see and hear and taste from the air that he controlled, and he felt his senses overwhelmed. Gregor fell to the ground, and vomited, any control of the working vanishing and freeing him from some of the sensory overload. Unfortunately, laying in vomit wasn¡¯t much better, and Gregor quickly rolled out of the noxious puddle. Success had never tasted so vile.
¡°Time for a day one tradition people!¡± Captain Frear shouted at her Squadron. All the people who had been here for a while groaned, while the new recruits just looked confused. ¡°Mission day again Captain? You never let us get a break.¡± Jerry complained to the Captain. ¡°Of course not, you bums might as well go hunt food if you¡¯re just gonna sit around here. So up and at ''em, today¡¯s target is a pair of Salt Kings that have been spotted along the coast, too close to Langst Harbor to tolerate.¡± At that, the Captain motioned them all closer and showed them a map of the area. Marineford was slightly to the Northwest of the town, and closer to the sighted Beasts. It would be a quick trip before the fight, at least. ¡°Remember, as Salt Kings are Beasts, you only have to drive them off to complete this mission. Normally, we wouldn''t even bother with them, but they are close enough to interfere with local fishermen. I won¡¯t coddle you, so only expect my help unless it''s obvious you are about to die, and maybe not even then.¡± ¡°Alright, that should cover it all, let''s head out!¡± The Captain had already turned and begun the march onto the thoroughfare. Left with no choice but to follow, her Squadron fell into ranks and began to haphazardly march after her. They certainly weren¡¯t coordinated or intimidating, but they cut an interesting profile as the group left the military camp and started on a beated road. As they left, Logan¡¯s nerves rose. Once again, it felt like it was much too soon for him to see combat, but there was no other choice. At least this time, his group was a bit larger and better prepared than his last endeavor. And, it seemed they had a bit more experience on their metaphorical sleeves. Jerry asked the group, ¡°Since we are going to be fighting together, why don¡¯t we introduce ourselves and our skill sets while we have the time?¡± Chapter 30: Salt Kings Salt Kings ¡°Since we are going to be fighting together, why don¡¯t we introduce ourselves and our skill sets while we have the time?¡± Jerry¡¯s question made the group come out of whatever musings they had been entertaining during the march and acknowledge one another. Eyes shifted around as people looked to take in their peers, while also keeping pace with the march. ¡°Since it seems we are still a bit hesitant, I can start us off.¡± Jerry offered. ¡°I come from Mirris Kingdom down south, where I was part of an Organics Research Team there. For personal reasons, I quit, and now I¡¯m here.¡± For some reason, the cyan haired Aerie was making a face at this, but Jerry just continued. ¡°I have a variety of aides I carry with me that boost my performance in battle, and I can identify most Beasts and Monsters and their corresponding weak points.¡± It sounded like Jerry was a support type, like an alchemist. His ¡®aides¡¯ sounded mysterious, but if he was on an Organics Research Team he was probably a chemist or a biologist of some sort. Logan didn¡¯t see any reason not to keep the game going further, so he offered up some of his own information. ¡°I¡¯m more of a mobile support class, I can move pretty fast in eyesight, and also tangle up opponents with roots. I probably can¡¯t hold the front too long, but I can help someone hold it alright.¡± At that, the group went quiet for a second. It looked like Amar was just about to speak, when suddenly, Arasaka started talking. ¡°I¡¯m Arasaka and I¡¯m an enchanter¡­ but I wanted to fight. My family comes from the Sun Kingdom, and my eyes can identify the flows of power invested in items. That means I can make enchantments synergize in unique ways by layering them.¡± Well, it definitely sounded like their Squad was going to have an interesting time fighting. Everyone so far had pretty unique skills, which wasn¡¯t too surprising considering where Logan had ended up.
Just as Amar was about to speak again, the Captain pulled the procession to a halt. Really, what she did was stop dead in her tracks and let Larry run into her back, but it accomplished the same effect. ¡°Listen up, we are almost there. Remember the details of the mission and go have fun.¡± The Captain just waved them on, and the Squad crested the next hill. They were here at the ocean, and their targets were in plain sight. The Salt Kings were huge albino crocodiles, about the same size as a school bus but wider, both equipped with a preposterous set of jaws. They lazed on the shoreline, but most of their bulk reached far above the seafoam crashing into the sand. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Salt Kings are cousins of salt-water crocodiles, but they have grown to a size where they often go to sea and hunt whales as their main source of food. They can make large waves with their tails, and are weak at the point where the neck meets under their jaw.¡± Jerry listed off. The information gave the group a chance to make a solid plan, but before they could Larry just charged at the Beasts. The large man carried a massive battle axe at his side as he tore through the turf at full speed towards the surf. In response, the massive creatures opened their eyes lazily, gazing at the strange beast willing to feed itself to them. It didn¡¯t seem to occur to the Salt Kings that they might not be the ones eating at the end of this fight. Logan was determined to see them surprised though, so he teleported down next to Larry. ¡°Hey big guy, you wanna give the rest of them a chance to catch up? I don¡¯t think they can keep up with you and me.¡± Logan¡¯s appearance took Larry off guard. The big axman staggered to a stop, clearly confused. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just distract them with a shouting match or something, yeah?¡± Then the guy actually started yelling at the massive crocs. Logan couldn¡¯t help but just laugh.
The Salt Kings started rousing, but the rest of the Frear Squadron had caught up before they were seriously moving. Although the Squadron didn¡¯t have a set plan, everyone knew what they could contribute and tried to line up to optimize their own skills. That left four frontliners Larry, Amar, Lucius and Sophia, and four back liners including Logan. As for the last person¡­ Logan had lost track of Lexie somehow after teleporting, which scared him. So far nothing had been able to hide from his soul sight, and Logan wasn¡¯t thrilled about that changing. Still, as the massive Salt Kings started to writhe through the turf towards their newest prey, Logan was thankful the Squad had a balanced formation. With Larry the beefcake holding the frontline, they should be as safe as possible against 30 foot long lizards. Which was not safe enough for Logan, which was why he was in the back line. If things got sticky he could teleport in and help, but Logan wasn¡¯t willing to sacrifice himself for anyone here. After Jeremiah¡¯s death, Logan had seen the consequences of playing the hero. To start, Logan activated Root and sifted around for potential targets. He found a small amount of seaweed, but Logan didn¡¯t think that it would do anything against the Beasts so he let the Ability drop. Instead, he unbuckled his sword and held it at the ready. If his magic wouldn¡¯t do anything he would have to rely on steel. ¡°Raahhhhh!¡± Larry roared and charged in once again. Closing into range, he swung his axe directly into one of the Salt Kings lower jaw. It opened its mouth and made a strange noise, but showed no signs of discomfort at the big man¡¯s attack. ¡°Larry, get out of the way!¡± Jerry shouted over the noise of the waves. Then he threw a concoction of some sort at the small wound Larry had just opened up. The man had a great throw and his aim was true. The bottle shattered and sprayed the wound with a green caustic acid. The croc''s leathery skin smoked, and this time it was clearly agitated. ¡°Hrraahhhhaa!!¡± It roared. ¡°Nice, keep attacking!¡±
Lucius and Sophia followed up with four swords flashing at the other Salt King. Quick attacks rained down on its hide, tearing it up. Another roar echoed its kin, and both Beasts were fully enraged. Logan was starting to think the Beasts were just going to sit there and die before he realized what they were doing. Jerry had mentioned it earlier, but Logan hadn¡¯t quite understood what the man had meant when he had said ¡®they can make large waves¡¯. What looked like a miniature tsunami was headed straight towards shore as the Salt Kings swung their tails in unison through the tide. The Squadron wasn¡¯t equipped to handle this, but Logan thought he had an idea. Using Root once again, he reached out to the scattered patches of seaweed and grabbed onto his Squadmembers to anchor them to the ground. Then Logan had time to brace as the wave broke over their heads. Strangely, the water wasn¡¯t as violent as Logan expected, but it was still rough. Almost a minute later, the water subsided, and Logan could finally breathe again. Gasping for air, he found the others in similar states. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for their opponents. A Salt King lunged forward at Larry, and would have gotten him if Amar didn¡¯t knock him out of the way with a blunted Bear Claw. The other one had continued to swing its tail, and it found the bodies of Sophia and Lucius as its targets. The two humans get smashed by the tail, sailing through the air afterwards. As Jerry ran over to those two to give them some emergency treatment, Logan surveyed the field. He would have to make a move, and fast. Chapter 31: Belly of the Beast Belly of the Beast As the water level once again subsided, Frear¡¯s Squadron was in dire straits. The Salt Kings were of course completely unaffected, pursuing their prey in the wake of the wave they created. Arasaka, being the farthest frontliner standing, was in their cross hairs. The Salt Kings were sliding forward, using the low tide as a lubricant to slip over the sands. Closing in on Arasaka, the front croc snapped its teeth at her, trying to cleave the woman in half. Somehow, Arasaka managed to dive out of the way. She was still in range of the Salt King, and it was quick to follow up again. Then Amar stepped forwards, smacking the Beast with a Bear Claw. It didn¡¯t seem to injure it, but the Salt King was knocked off target. Logan was unsure how they were going to even scare these Beasts away when Lexie reappeared over the Salt King that was in back. Standing on its back, she drove a dagger through the croc''s milky eye until her elbow was deep in the socket, before disappearing again. The blinded Salt King let out a roar that dwarfed their previous cries. All the humans on the shore had to cover their ears in response, but still the cries caused blood to leak out of eardrums. For a few seconds, no one could hear, but that didn¡¯t stop them from responding to the now rampaging Salt Kings. The Squadron all backed up as much as they could, but the thirty foot lizards ate up ground at a prodigious rate. It was all they could do to dodge out of the way frantically at the two Beasts snapped and chomped at them. As their big teeth flashed again and again, Logan started to think of a plan. He had heard of crocodiles letting other animals clean out their mouths before. Logan didn¡¯t think the Salt Kings would be too open to the idea at the moment, but it inspired him to think beyond the ordinary. As Logan¡¯s hearing started coming back he shouted to the rest of the Squadron. ¡°I got something, just stay alive!¡±
Amar barely heard Logan over the humming in her ears. Moreover, she didn¡¯t really care what he said, as she was more concerned with staying alive as the twin giant crocodiles came at her and the other front liners. As she dodged out of the way of the latest snapping of giant jaws, Amar managed to back out of range for a quick second. Looking around, Amar didn¡¯t see Logan, but she did make out both Lucius and Sophia getting back to their feet. Jerry must have managed to help heal them with some concoction. Larry was still dancing in front of the Salt Kings, the big man surprisingly nimble and adroit at maneuvering his body. All the while he was laughing maniacally and slashing periodically with his enormous battle axe, but he couldn¡¯t hold forever against the Beasts. Casting Root, Amar flung herself with some seaweed back into the fray. Unfortunately her arc trajectory wasn¡¯t the best. Instead of sending her on to the back of the half blinded Salt King, she was flying straight towards the open gullet of the uninjured one. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Aaaahhhh!¡± Amar screamed as she flailed through the sky. Unable to correct her trajectory, Amar sailed straight into the giant jaws of the Salt King, landing on its tongue. Most definitely not a place she expected to be, and an even stranger place to find Logan. Actually, on second thought in the mouth of an oversized crocodile is exactly where she expected Logan to be.
Logan was pleasantly surprised to find Amar sail into the Salt Kings mouth to join him. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I¡­ are you here on purpose?¡± ¡°Yeah, I thought you had the same idea. If we can¡¯t get through their skin, we could try cutting the Salt Kings from the inside out.¡± At least, that¡¯s what Logan''s plan had been. He had teleported into the uninjured Beast¡¯s jaws, already past its enormous teeth. Logan hadn¡¯t counted on the smell being quite so rank, which had stalled him until he saw Amar fall down in here with him. ¡°Well, since you¡¯re here¡­ do you wanna kill this thing with me?¡± Logan asked. ¡°It would be my pleasure Mr. Brewer.¡± The two of them began to make their way over the tumultuous surface of the Salt King¡¯s tongue to the back of his mouth where the brain would be. The smell only worsened as they progressed further towards the digestive tract, but they had no choice but to continue on. Then they reached a swell where Logan thought he might be able to jump and slash the roof of the Salt King¡¯s mouth. Just as they were about to cut into the flesh, the ground suddenly tilted almost 90 degrees clockwise, leaving Logan and Amar tumbling towards terrifying teeth. Just as suddenly, the mouth was righted. Amar and Logan were able to stagger back to their feet in time for the mouth to tilt in the other direction and steal their balance once again. The Beast must be trying to eat more of their Squadmates. Determined not to let that happen, Logan stood once again. Amar was quick to join him, and together they made their way back to the danger zone. Suddenly, the floor wasn¡¯t perpendicular once again, but this time Logan was ready. Stabbing his sword down into the soft flesh of the tongue, Logan managed to secure a hold for both him and Amar, who was grabbing onto his shoulders. ¡°Logan, I can get you up there!¡± Realizing what Amar meant to do by the readied Bear Claws on both arms. This wasn¡¯t the time to second guess anything. ¡°Send me!¡± Logan shouted above the strange noises the Salt King¡¯s innards were making. Then Amar smashed Logan with both blunted Bear Claws, launching him like a missile towards the roof of the mouth.
Logan smashed through the Salt King¡¯s brain matter like a sledgehammer through drywall. Namely, he sent bits and pieces raining through the sky in some sort of twisted horror version of a firework. The sound of Logan¡¯s Spark Kindling rang out in his ears. He clenched his fist and felt physically stronger suddenly. Then Logan realized that he was now rushing through the air at least 30 feet above the water. Waiting until his upwards momentum arrested, Logan teleported back down to the shore. Although he was still tumbling along the sands for ten feet or so, it was without the bone shattering force that such a large drop would have generated. Dazed, Logan looked up to admire his handiwork. The Salt King he had rammed through was clearly dead, unmoving with its head angled to the side. That was the good news. The bad news was that the other Salt King was in a frenzy. It had stopped snapping out at its attackers and begun just rolling around and lashing out. In the process it was kicking up huge waves that, although they didn¡¯t match the initial flow of water, were still disrupting the Squadron effectively. The Beast would be unapproachable in this state, and Logan didn¡¯t even want to consider going in its mouth while it was rolling so violently. Then Logan realized he might not have to. The mission only called for the Squadron to drive the Salt Kings off, and Logan had something perfectly tailored for that. Calling up Bond, Logan readied his tentacles. Then he teleported in, and made his play. Questing out, Logan¡¯s tentacles made contact with the beast soul, and for a glorious second, reality slowed down. Logan could now feel everything running through the Beasts mind, its anger, pain, and most importantly, what Logan was looking for, good old fashioned primal fear. At Logan¡¯s metaphysical touch, the Salt King stilled. For the first time, even after its mate¡¯s death, it had finally recognized that it was not the predator here. That was Logan¡¯s job. Chapter 32: Restless Restless Now the remaining Salt King stilled on its rampage. Logan¡¯s reinforced presence had triggered an instinctual fear response, and the bus sized lizard froze. The Beast''s eyes were locked onto Logan¡¯s and for almost thirty seconds no one moved. Then Logan took a step forward, and the spell was broken. The Salt King pushed away, using its body and writhing to get away as fast as its short legs could take it. The Frear Squadron watched on as the crocodile made it out to sea, where it was nothing more than a suspicious ripple on the surface. ¡°Good job, recruits! I wasn¡¯t expecting to make it through that one without casualties. Maybe you fragile flowers actually have what it takes.¡± The Captain herself was standing on the crest they had walked over to get to the shore. Her black hair whipped about in the sea breeze, cutting an impressive silhouette. Her Squadron gradually turned their collective attention on her as she continued talking. ¡°Now, collect yourselves, and give me a second to collect our spoils. Everyone takes five and then we hit the road again!¡± Logan slumped down into the sand at her words. The raw adrenaline leaving his system was enough to make him collapse, but knowing he had to march all the way back to camp¡­ Amar offered him a hand back to his feet. He wasn¡¯t sure when she had made it out of the Salt King¡¯s corpse, but the proof of her exploits were covering her armor in a thick layer of viscera. ¡°Thanks, I probably shouldn¡¯t be sitting down if we are going back right away.¡± ¡°Yeah, likely not. That was some good work back there with the Salt King.¡± ¡°You too, great idea to turn me into a rocket.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a¡­ ¡®rocket¡¯.¡± Uh oh, that was a faux pas. Logan knew that he should avoid talking about Earth stuff, but the release from after the battle dropped his guard. ¡°Uh, it¡¯s something that shoots really fast in a straight line. Kinda like a bomb mixed with an arrow, at least a little.¡± Amar just gave Logan a strange look.
It turned out when Captain Frear said collect their spoils, she meant that she would carry the whole Salt King. Over her shoulder. The Captain still led the line, and by the time they were back in camp, was the only person who didn¡¯t look winded at all. The Squadron¡¯s procession back to camp was met with some awed looks, and a few cheers along the way. The thirty foot lizard made an impressive and daunting trophy, and Logan saw more than a few soldiers turn away in fear at the corpse. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Seeing those reactions made Logan proud, because he hadn¡¯t frozen up even when the thing was alive and hungry. He didn¡¯t think he was better than anyone else, but Logan felt confident in his ability to at least affect the outcome of a fight at this point. Thinking more on it, Logan realized that was probably the purpose of this initial mission, to send recruits through the crucible to harden them on the other side. If that was the point, it had definitely succeeded. Although Logan¡¯s body was sore and tired, he still felt ready if another fight was necessary. Which it was not, as the Squadron was released for the night as they returned to the barracks. After promising to cuddle with Remy to make up for his absence once he was clean, Logan ended up in the shower. The lukewarm water wasn¡¯t great, but it was still enough to get Logan to relax even further. By the time he was out Logan was feeling nice and sleepy, ready to hit the sack. Cuddling up with his Rizzel companion, Logan spread out in his cot. The hay wasn¡¯t that comfortable, but at this point Logan had acclimated and it felt great after a long day of killing giant crocodiles. As Logan felt himself drifting off to sleep, the only thoughts in his head were warm and fuzzy.
As Logan¡¯s consciousness drifted to the other side, his mind met the cold ambivalence of the Void. Instantly he jolted back awake with a gasp, awaking Larry in the process. ¡°You ok, man?¡± ¡°Yeah, I-I just need some fresh air, is all. I¡¯ll be back.¡± Logan squeezed his way around the rodent who somehow ended up monopolizing most of the space on the cot. Standing, he walked out the front door, for the second night in a row. Unlike previously, Arasaka didn¡¯t have her little hut setup tonight. She must have been too tired from the day¡¯s mission to pursue her craft through the wee hours of the night. Logan couldn''t help but think that she had the right idea, sleeping the night away. Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t appear to be on the cards for Logan. He was dead tired, but he didn¡¯t have much else to do, so Logan ran a repeat of the night before. Doing laps around the camp, Logan moved a reduced pace from his previous efforts, but that was expected. The fact that he managed to keep moving was impressive enough. Logan soon found himself in a similar trance to the previous night, where all the man could hear were the sounds of his own footfalls, and breath. Everything else seemed to fade into the background, leaving Logan¡¯s mind refreshingly clear. Instead, Logan recalled the Squad¡¯s efforts against the Salt Kings. They had managed to fend for themselves, but if the Beasts had taken them seriously immediately Logan had no doubt they would have perished. Their cohesion needed a lot of work if they wanted to have a chance to actually end up in the Legion. Thoughts on how to work together and improve their camaraderie filled Logan¡¯s mind as he endlessly ran in loops. As others slept, he would improve.
By the time the sun was about to come up the next morning, Logan wasn¡¯t as tired as he thought he would be. For some reason, he even felt a bit more alert than he had the previous night. The sound of trumpets blaring filled the morning air, and as Logan made his way back to the barracks he heard the noises of people stirring inside. The first person to make it outside to join him was Aerie, the woman with cyan hair. Extending a hand, Logan offered an introduction. ¡°Hi, I know we fought together yesterday, but it''s nice to officially meet you. I¡¯m Logan Brewer.¡± Aerie just looked at the proffered hand for a second, before ignoring it and responding with, ¡°I remember.¡± ¡°Ah, well, good work yesterday, I guess. Glad everyone made it out mostly fine.¡± ¡°Hmmmm, yes.¡± Aerie said. Then she proceeded to line up for roll call, and ignore Logan. It looked like at least some of the people in this squad were here for good reasons. Luckily, next out was Jerry, who never passed up an opportunity to fill the silence. ¡°Good morning you two! Sleep well after your first mission?¡± ¡°Uhhhhh¡­¡± Logan didn¡¯t have the heart to tell him that he hadn¡¯t slept at all. Aerie didn¡¯t have such compunctions. ¡°I don¡¯t think Mr. Brewer slept at all, as he was already out here and sweaty by the time I emerged. As for me, you should be aware of my answer.¡± Logan looked between the two of his new Squadmates. The words Aerie had said would normally lead Logan to think they had the sort of relationship that involved rendezvous in the night. However, the animosity Aerie spoke with convinced Logan that was not the case. ¡°Ah yes, well, it was more of a social formality than a serious query¡­¡± Before the conversation could continue further, the rest of the Frear Squadron emerged from their barracks, and the Captain herself appeared with impeccable timing. ¡°Attention!¡± All thoughts of his Squadmates vanished, as Logan began another grueling day with the Legion. Chapter 33: Advancing Abilities Advancing Abilities After that first mission, the Frear Squadron spent the next several days drilling over basic weapon forms, and formations they might use next time out in the field. Logan still didn¡¯t know exactly what everyone could do, but he at least knew their general roles now. The training itself was intense, lasting from dawn until about an hour before dusk, with hardly a break for meals. Even the members who had been a part of the Squad previously struggled to keep up with the pace set. Logan himself¡­ was keeping up perfectly. He¡¯d been forced to keep avoiding sleep by his recurring visions, but for some reason he hadn¡¯t felt any more tired than if he was getting a full eight hours in. His body was slightly sore, but it wasn¡¯t even bad, as Logan was expecting hell considering he was pushing himself to run for about six hours a night. It was strange, but Logan wasn¡¯t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. If Logan could keep up with the Legion¡¯s training without having to see the Void again, that seemed like the wise decision to make. So he continued with his routine, realizing that worrying more about it would not accomplish anything. If anything, getting extra exercise seemed to be helping Logan catch up to his peers in the Squadron. However, there was someone lagging behind. Remy the Rizzel had given Logan his most important ability, teleportation, which had saved Logan¡¯s life on more than one occasion. However, it was growing increasingly obvious though that taking Remy anywhere near a battle was an irresponsible decision. Although the little guy was hard to pin down for the same reason Logan was, Remy couldn¡¯t really contribute offensively which made his presence in a fight a distraction to Logan instead of a boon. The worst part of the problem was that Logan didn¡¯t know what he should do about it. On one hand, Logan knew that Remy wanted to help keep him safe, and would gladly step into a fight for his sake. On the other hand, Logan wanted to keep Remy safe, so keeping him away from conflict was the obvious choice. Logan didn¡¯t know what the right decision was, but thankfully he had some resources he could check with. He figured that the Captain was probably the best bet, as she had likely dealt with previous squad members with companions. Or at least Logan hoped she had, as he had no idea how common such Bonds were.
¡°Huh? You want me to teach an animal?¡± ¡°No, ma¡¯am, if you would just teach me any offensive Abilities that might help I can teach them to Remy.¡± ¡°And why should I do more work just for your benefit?¡± ¡°Uhhhh¡­ I¡­ don¡¯t know¡­?¡± ¡°Exactly, there is no reason. But¡­ If you were willing to do some things for me, I might be able to free up a little bit of time to teach you. How does that sound?¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. It sounded extremely sketchy to Logan. What things would he be doing, and why wouldn¡¯t she just say? ¡°What exactly do you want me to do, Captain?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing too big. So what do you say?¡± Logan thought back on how the conversation with Captain Frear had gone. He had managed to secure some individual training on an ability that she insisted would increase his offensive capabilities. Still, as Logan massaged the Captain¡¯s back, he couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was being taken advantage of. ¡°Oh, yeah¡­ Stay on that spot for a while.¡± Her muscles were tough as an iron rod, and just as reactive to Logan¡¯s ministrations, but it seemed like the Captain was enjoying it at least. Logan kneaded his hands against the skin just inside the shoulder blades, applying as much pressure as he could. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, but aren¡¯t you a bit young to be so completely bald? Did your hair start to go, and then you leaned into it?¡± A single tear rolled down Logan¡¯s cheek.
As Gregor worked on projecting the Aura Ability once again, his thoughts drifted to his friends. Even though he hadn¡¯t been with them that long, it felt strange to have not seen either Amar or Logan since enlisting. Gregor couldn¡¯t complain about the conditions he was living in, of course. As the Major¡¯s apprentice, he was situated in a suite that connected to Micah¡¯s rooms. Even though he had been the Mayor¡¯s son, Gregor had never lived in luxury like this. In the restroom, there was even an attachment that dripped water onto your body from above. Gregor had to ask someone what it was, and apparently it was for washing your body at your own convenience. It felt nice, but was slightly unnerving to Gregor, so he avoided it until he noticed that he was particularly pungent. No, Gregor could not complain about his situation, except to say that it was lonely. He would wake up, have breakfast with the Major, and then practice in solitude for most of the day. Major Micah tried to be present as much as he could, but the duties of running Marineford took most of his time. Shaking his head, Gregor tried to focus on the Aura Ability. Although he could now use it somewhat consistently, it still took a decent amount of charge up time, and the additional senses still caused Gregor to lose control. Improvements were being made nonetheless, and for that Gregor was proud. Concentrating his efforts, Gregor once again expanded his perception. He had quickly learned that the nature of his aura was an extension of himself, in the most literal sense. Gregor knew it was similar for other people, but for him, the nature of his being made it manifest at the extreme. Scintillating scents and crazed colors flooded Gregor¡¯s mind as he struggled to maintain his focus. The rush threatened to overwhelm him, but Gregor was determined to hold on this time. Straining, Gregor forced himself under control as vertigo started to assail him. Then, amazingly, Gregor¡¯s body adjusted. Instead of becoming more unbearable by the second, his brain started to be able to process the information, and slowly, Gregor was able to relax. When ten minutes later, Gregor was still exuding an aura with no mental strain at all, he knew he had successfully learned his newest trick.
After massaging the Captain, she did actually show Logan a new Ability that he could apparently learn. Logan still didn¡¯t know the exact system for Abilities, so Captain Frear informed him of them first. ¡°First of all, there are several different types of Abilities. A vast majority of all Abilities are what we refer to as the Attuned Abilities, the users of which are called the Attuned. Being Attuned simply means you have an Affinity, or predilection for a specific God¡¯s Domain, be it Earth, Fire, Wind, Air, Light, Shadow, Life, or Death.¡± ¡°Then there are General Use Abilities that everyone can use. What I¡¯m about to show you is one of those. That does not mean it is inferior to any other Ability. In fact, it¡¯s something that I use quite regularly when I fight, so I¡¯m definitely not screwing you over here, recruit.¡± ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am, I appreciate that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get smart with me Brewer.¡± Captain Frear said. ¡°Watch how I do this carefully now. Use those eyes of yours to really pay attention.¡± Did Captain Frear know Logan could see souls? It seemed like she did somehow, or maybe it was just a coincidence, but Logan did watch as she spun her soul in a tight pattern, like braided hair. Suddenly, in her hand was a blade of energy, almost four feet long. ¡°Woah¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s called the Soul Sword Ability, and this is what you get in exchange for your daily massages.¡± ¡°Woah thanks so mu- did you say daily?¡± Captain Frear just raised an eyebrow at Logan. ¡°You didn¡¯t think one massage was worth great power did you?¡± Logan most definitely had. It looked like he would get to know the Captain a bit more than Logan was expecting during his stay at Marineford. Chapter 34: Day to Day Day to Day The rest of Logan¡¯s first week at Marineford went similarly to the first half, only once the Squadron divided for the night Logan would give the Captain a massage, before getting a private lesson. When he phrased the situation like that it sounded like a ¡®fun time¡¯ might be happening, but there was no fun for Logan to be had. Just giving the massage was enough to get Logan sweating again, as Captain Frear¡¯s muscles were impossible to work without Logan using his entire body. Then came the lessons, which Logan tried to purge from his mind after. He thought he would have learned the Soul Sword Ability already if the Captain wasn¡¯t always cursing him out like a sailor from about two inches from Logan¡¯s ears. Her ¡®reasoning¡¯ for the abuse was simple, if Logan couldn¡¯t handle a verbal assault while using the Soul Sword, what illusions did he have of using it under a physical assault? Unable to argue with her reasoning, Logan continued to submit himself to the unique brand of torture for about an hour every day, until the week passed. Then, the Frear Squadron had another mission. ¡°Alright listen up people, it''s mission day again. This time, you all got lucky, we aren¡¯t headed down to the shore again. Instead, we have received a request to deal with a new population of Mruklurks that have appeared in a cave formation by the bluffs.¡± ¡°In case you¡¯re a bit daft, that means bring a portable source of light, you will need it. Any questions?¡± Without waiting for a response, the Captain turned and continued on. ¡°Good, let¡¯s get going.¡± And just like that, the Squad was off, following their Captain as she led them on towards their destination. However, the atmosphere of the Squadron was tense, and there was not a lot of trust to go around it felt like to Logan. Maybe that was something he could change.
¡°So, me and Amar joined up from Alteep Village. I think we heard from Jerry and Arasaka, but I would love to know a little more about you all.¡± Everyone in the group looked over at that, but they looked a little hesitant to come forward. So Logan took a page from his old high school teachers, and called on someone who had just spoken to him, even if she was slightly rude. ¡°Aerie, how about you start us off?¡± ¡°I-Alright. Similar to Jerry, I come from Mirris, where I was an¡­ associate of the Organics Research Team.¡± ¡°Oh, do you two know each other?¡± Logan asked her. Jerry spoke up instead. ¡°No, I have heard of her, though.¡± ¡°You would have, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Aerie retorted, with an intense vitriol. ¡°Uh, Aerie, what does your skillset look like?¡± Logan changed the subject. A shouting match would be the least productive thing for team cohesion right now. ¡°I¡¯ve already saved your life with it. I¡¯m a Water Attuned, did you think that everyone just walked off getting hit by that wave the Salt Kings made? That much force would have crushed most everyone''s ribs.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Huh. I thought it was weird that it didn''t really hurt. Thank you, Aerie.¡± This seemed to take the cyan haired woman aback. Some of the anger visibly drained from her face, and her face¡¯s heat took on a new meaning. The break in the conversation let Logan turn his gaze over to Jerry. So far, the man had appeared nothing but kind, but Aerie had a serious grudge against the man for some reason. Jerry noticed Logan¡¯s gaze on him, and winked. The expression looked odd on the studious mans¡¯ face, but Logan was the only one to catch it. The rest of the group had once again focused on themselves, leaving Logan¡¯s intentions unrealized. He would have tried again, but the bluffs were coming into view, and Logan realized their destination was upon them. As the Captain turned to give them one last pep talk, Logan focused up.
¡°Alright now, your targets are in there somewhere, good luck finding the buggers. And remember, you can leave one alive, but you can¡¯t leave two. We found sex doesn¡¯t matter when these things wanna reproduce, they¡¯ll find a way.¡± On that disgusting note, the Captain shooed them onwards. The Frear Squadron walked forwards as a unit this time, Larry having learned his lesson. The big man was still at the front of the squad, but was keeping pace alongside Arasaka and Amar. This time, Lucius and Sophia were slightly farther behind that front trio, in a formation they had practiced throughout the week. It allowed them to focus on damage with their double sword style, while the front three could harry their opponents and attract their attention. Then, in the back Logan, Aerie and Jerry were the rearguard. Although Logan had been practicing, he wasn¡¯t proficient enough with the Soul Sword to use it safely and consistently. Jerry¡¯s inclusion in the backline was obvious, because the man was their tactical foundation, while being the only one who could keep the others alive, beyond his other utility. Aerie carried with her a crossbow, which she had used as her primary weapon in training. Logan didn¡¯t know why she didn¡¯t just use her Divinity, but so far he had never witnessed her using any mystical skills directly. As for Lexie, that was anyone''s guess. She had disappeared as the Captain was still talking. Logan was hoping he never had to fight her, when Jerry started talking. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard, but Mruklurks appear like small, humanoid salamanders. They are weak to fire and any attack to their heads, with minimal intelligence at best. Be careful, as they possess a mild contact poison that will paralyze a person in large doses. They often try to swarm larger prey to accomplish such a feat.¡± ¡°Good intel.¡± With that, the Frear Squadron was in the cave system, hunting Mruklurks.
Arasaka had several pieces of metal that had been enchanted to glow a soft yellow color. Passing them around, the Squad had more than enough light to navigate by in the tunnels. The only problem was they didn¡¯t know where to navigate to. At a fork almost 50 feet into the small mouth of the cave system, the group had already come to a small impasse. They had no information on where in the cave the Monsters were, and taking a wrong turn could delay the mission by hours, maybe even a full day. These caves were apparently notorious for connecting to a much larger system. Finally, Jerry spoke up. ¡°The Mruklurks should attack us as soon as they become aware of our presence. Either way we travel, we don¡¯t need to explore completely as long as we make plenty of noise.¡± That''s how the Frear Squadron had ended up wandering down the left branch of the caves, singing a folk song. ¡°Tomorrow, the songs have been sung. Tomorrow, the bells have been rung. Tomorrow, the tears have stung. Our eyes upon our face. Tomorrow, the fathers are gone. Tomorrow, the taps have all run. Tomorrow, the tears have stung. Our eyes upon our face. For when War comes, the worst is done. Our fate is sealed, our lips are mum. There is no hope beyond the hope That you find in rum. Tomorrow, the songs have been sung. Tomorrow, the bells have been rung. Tomorrow, the tears have stung. Our eyes upon our face.¡± It added an eerie overtone to the entire expedition, as they traveled further and further into the ground. At every intersection they repeated the song, to increase the chance of stumbling upon their targets. Logan was completely lost at this point, but Jerry was confident he knew the way out. So far they hadn¡¯t run into any Mruklurks, but it was only a matter of time. The Frear Squadron would be searching through these caves for as long as it took to find them. Larry alone carried enough food for the entire group to eat today, so time was not an issue. They would keep hunting the Mruklurks until the job was done. Logan just hoped he would be able to take a shower tonight. Chapter 35: Mruklurk Hunt Mruklurk Hunt The Squadron eventually found the Mruklurks. After 13 hours of searching. Lexie had even reappeared a couple hours in. They did in fact, have to retrace their steps all the way to that original fork, but it all worked out in the end. If by working out, you meant the Frear Squadron had to fight a pack of Monsters while half of their members were almost sleep walking, and definitely out of formation. As the Squad got mobbed in the center of the four way intersection, they managed to rally a little bit. Logan, having not slept for over a week now, felt completely alert. As the slimy amphibious humanoids came out of the tunnels Logan stepped forward and wove the patterns for the Soul Sword. Luckily, his tentacles danced the steps correctly and the resultant blade slashed a leading Mruklurk in half. ¡°Get back in formation!¡± He yelled at the squad, before promptly teleporting out of harm''s way. Larry was there to pick up the slack, eager to wade into battle. Behind him, the formation filled out, and Lexie once again was invisible even to Logan¡¯s enhanced sight. Larry¡¯s axe swept through the initial wave of enemies, clearing a large path. Then, executing a maneuver they had drilled prior, Amar leapt into that space, and swept out with her own Bear Claws. Instantly, all the momentum the enemies had built with their charge died. With their enemies on the back foot, Lucius and Sophia moved in for easy kills, duel swords flashing for both of them. Some of the Mruklurks from the side tunnels tried to skirt around the carnage of the frontlines and head for the rear. Luckily, Arasaka was paying attention and intervened with a large metal shield, pushing the Monsters back. Jerry then threw a bottle at their feet, while Aerie used her crossbow. Logan took a couple steps backwards and surveyed the battlefield. Too late, as somehow a Mruklurk had snuck up behind him, wrapping him in a full tackle. His clothes prevented the contact poison from effecting him immediately, but the Monster seemed to sense this, and tried desperately to rip them off Logan¡¯s person.
Logan barely managed to keep his feet, and focused on a spot just a few feet to his left. Teleporting, he left behind his assailant, but the Mruklurk managed to keep some of Logan¡¯s clothes in the process. Standing only a few feet from the Monster now shirtless, Logan tried once again to summon the Soul Sword. Focusing, he brought both his hands together and swung, only for nothing to happen except his pride taking a hit. With the amphibian scrambling towards him, Logan was forced to teleport again, this time further into the tunnel. Standing behind the frontline, he once again tried to summon the Soul Sword. Logan really brought all of his attention, all the neurons in his brain, onto this one task. His tentacles wove about in a twisted dervish. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. And it worked. The Soul Sword originated from his right hand. Determined not to let it drop again Logan ran over to assist the frontline, instead of teleporting. He hadn¡¯t practiced doing this, but had seen how they like to coordinate. The two swords users both flashed from target to target, usually eliminating targets, but sometimes just savaging their bodies. Amar too, was able to hurt large quantities of the Monsters, but wasn¡¯t able to kill them. So Logan stood just behind them, finishing off their downed opponents. Instantly, the trickle of Mruklurks who had previously found their way through to the backlines were being obliterated, as if they had instead found their way into an industrial grade blender. The lessened pressure on everyone allowed the battle to flow smoothly for several seconds. Then an unnatural scream sounded out in the cave, echoing off the walls. It had come from behind, the Mruklurks, and it sounded like it was getting closer.
The frontline continued to make hay while the sun was out, but they were drawing closer, bracing for whatever was coming their way. Logan used it as an opportunity to retreat to the backlines once again, taking stock on the way. Everyone seemed to be alright health wise, but it looked like Aerie was running low on crossbow bolts. Maybe with some luck, Logan might even learn what she could do. Then, the Frear Squadron learned what had made that noise. Bursting out of the central tunnel, a massive, bulkier Mruklurk screamed its presence out. Although it was easily twice as wide as its compatriots, it was only a foot or two taller, making it around Logan¡¯s height. Still, from the bulge of its muscles as they contorted, Logan did not want to tangle with that thing. ¡°MINE!¡± Larry screamed. Apparently he had the opposite reaction of Logan. The large man charged at the Monster, and tried to cleave it in two with a massive overhead chop. Instead, halfway through his motion a moist mitt came up and blocked Larry¡¯s axe dead. The Monster and the man started wrestling over the weapon, and the rest of the Squad was left to handle the rest. Without their spearhead, the Frear Squadron found the horde more difficult to handle. Although their numbers were diminished significantly, it was still the Mruklurks largest strength against the humans. As such, they tried to group up and mob a single target, as Jerry had warned once again. This time, the Monsters target was Amar, who had wound up exposed with Larry¡¯s indisposition. Ganging up on the white haired girl, the Mruklurks flew at her in groups, all trying to pin her down. Amar batted them out of the air with Bear Claws, but she was gradually getting surrounded. The situation looked dire until someone shouted out. ¡°Everyone get down and close your eyes!¡±
Logan immediately listened all the while keeping the Soul Sword active, having seen no better options. Then, someone brought the sun into their cave. It was so bright, even though Logan was laying down, eyes closed, face in the dirt, his eyes stung. All around him the Mruklurk let out terrible gasps, and Logan thought he could hear them sizzling. The light lasted for almost half a minute, and then just as rapidly as it appeared, it vanished. Logan pushed back to his feet and opened his tender eyes. He found that many of the Mruklurks had been half-baked alive, tottering around but clearly not fully functional. Logan was glad he had managed to hold onto the Soul Sword pattern for this moment. Sweeping through the tunnel Logan cut the Monsters down in lots, felling multiple with every swing. However, Logan realized that his pathing had been suboptimal, leaving him opposite of the last of the stunned enemies. Gritting his teeth, Logan forced himself to teleport. His concentration wavered with the spike of nausea that rose up, but somehow his tentacles maintained their elaborate pattern. Appearing on the other side, Logan slashed out and cleaned up the rest of the stunned Mruklurks. That¡¯s when he noticed what the healthy ones were up too. After having their first target foiled, the reduced horde of Monsters had shifted gears and begun to crowd Larry. Although he would normally be able to handle it, Larry was too busy grabbing the handle of his axe, wrestling with the larger Mruklurk. The smaller Monsters crawled all over Larry, trying to peel off his armor and clothing. It looked like the Squadron had leapt from the frying pan into the fire, until suddenly a Water Arrow shot out from Aerie. It launched out with great speeds, cutting through the chaos at the perfect angle to pierce the Mruklurk leader¡¯s chest, leaving a gaping hole. Chapter 36: Found Family Found Family From that point, clearing out the rest of the Mruklurks was trivial, although Larry did get scratched up a bit in the process. He was perfectly fine after Jerry smeared some sort of disinfectant jelly on the cuts. All in all, the expedition was a success, and now began the tedious period of time where they had to drag all the bodies out. Luckily, they wouldn¡¯t be required to carry them all the way to base, and a separate crew would come and collect them to be processed and cured for food stores. The Frear Squadron was still left to retrieve their kills, as the collection team wouldn¡¯t know their location, and more hostiles could have appeared in the meantime, even if it were unlikely. Groaning, the Squad complied with their disgusting task, as most of the bodies had been partially roasted by whatever Arasaka had done to create that light. It was unpleasant work to say the least. Several hours later, the Squadron had finished its task, and was ready to finally return back to Marineford. Of course, they still had to march all the way back, but at that point most of their minds were already goop at that point. Even Logan was feeling tired, as the adrenaline had long faded, leaving his body overtaxed. His teleportation was noticeably less harsh on his systems now for some reason, so Logan wasn¡¯t too exhausted though. So when he got back, he played around with Remy to make up for leaving him alone again. Logan would throw acorns around the field, and the Rizzel would teleport around and catch them. It was a satisfying game for both parties, so Logan was almost disappointed when Amar interrupted him. ¡°Can we talk for a few minutes please?¡± Logan threw one more acorn for Remy, before turning to one of the people he had known longest in this strange, new world. Hey bud, I need a sec. -Sure!- ¡°Sure thing, what do you want to talk about?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve been trying to talk to you for a couple of days now, but you are never back in the barracks. What do you do all night?¡± ¡°I u-uh¡­¡± This was not what Logan had been expecting from this conversation. ¡°I guess I go running¡­?¡± Amar just raised an eyebrow at that. ¡°Really. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter too much to me if you want to keep whatever you are doing at night a secret. I¡­ Well, Gregor told me that I should talk to someone about Jeremiah, before we made it here, and you knew him the best after me, so I figured we could talk about him a little.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Oh, yeah of course. Do you want to head to the cafeteria or is it fine out here?¡± This is what Logan had been expecting. They hadn¡¯t really spoken of Jeremiah since the day of the funeral, and Amar had clearly been different afterwards. Logan hadn¡¯t known her for long at that point, and hadn¡¯t wanted to intrude, but had been worried. ¡°Out here is fine. He always loved being outside, I could tell he was more comfortable under the sky than a roof.¡± ¡°Very true. I loved his accent, although that man always tried to avoid speaking as much as possible. I remember the one of the first nights I met him, he told me all of this history stuff, I thought he was a blabbermouth! Imagine that, huh.¡± ¡°He was my father.¡± Amar blurted out. ¡°What¡­ Really?¡± The news shocked Logan. Jeremiah had always appeared so solitary, he couldn¡¯t imagine the man having a daughter, at least not one that he never mentioned. ¡°He, well, he never got a chance to know. I was going to tell him the night of the festival, but¡­¡± ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m-I¡¯m so sorry Amar.¡± Suddenly so much about her response made sense. She was grieving, and felt guilty that Jeremiah had passed without ever knowing.
¡°If there is anything I can do for you, all you have to do is ask. My condolences for your loss.¡± ¡°I-I never even got to tell him I- '''' At this point the tears were flowing down Amar¡¯s face, which was causing Logan to tear up in response. ¡°Shhh, it''s ok, you aren¡¯t alone. It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡± Amar had leaned into him, as Logan gave the young woman a big hug. From there the conversation devolved for more than a half hour as Logan just consoled Amar. He was sure she hadn¡¯t done anything like this since she had lost Jeremiah, and he didn¡¯t mind being a shoulder for someone to cry on at all. Especially as Amar was one of the few people who had really earned his trust. After about an hour, she managed to compose herself. ¡°Sorry, I needed to sleep hours ago, staying up must have taken more out of me than I thought.¡± Logan didn¡¯t think that was the case, but he wasn¡¯t going to say anything. Somewhere through the night, Logan had realized that he had to look after Amar. She was strong, but she was still a fair amount younger than him, and needed someone watching her back. Moreover, Logan owed it to Jeremiah to protect the man''s remaining family. In a way, Amar was now Logan¡¯s family, like a little sister or maybe a cousin. He would never say it out loud, of course, as Logan had a feeling it would sound incredibly lame or cringey. Instead, he would do things like tonight, just giving her the reassurance of another¡¯s presence. That was enough, Logan thought.
As Gregor went down to the private dining room, he found himself looking forward to breakfast. Over the week he had been here, it was the only time of day he could reliably get human interaction. Once he got there, Gregor met Micah at the table, and after getting some food for himself, joined the Major. Together, they slowly worked their way through their heaping plates of food. Lots of eggs with baked in cheese and sausage links went brim to brim, with a selection of bagels between them. They spent several minutes wordlessly, before they were forced to come up for air. Then the two of them spoke of the usual things, how Gregor¡¯s training was progressing, and how the camp had been running. The Major complained about how his coworkers were too strict, and should loosen, and Gregor gently disagreed. Everything went as it had the days prior, but Gregor didn¡¯t mind. He had been finding the routine of improvement satisfying, content with how he was spending his days. The ability Micah had introduced him to had almost endless applications for Gregor, and spending time exploring them was fulfilling and exciting. ¡°Gregor, you know, I¡¯ve been wondering, why did you join the Legion?¡± Micah asked over a mouthful of eggs. ¡°I wanted to see the world, and if I serve a term in the Legion I¡¯ll be able to see a majority of Austen. Then, after the term is finished I can travel wherever, on what I''ve saved up.¡± ¡°Oh, so you want to travel? Like up North, maybe?¡± ¡°Uh, usually I would say yes, but with the war brewing going North may be a tough proposition.¡± Micah just stared at Logan for a couple of seconds, before saying, ¡°Yes, yes of course.¡± Leaving it at that, the two men finished up their breakfasts, and got ready to face the day. Gregor had another interesting idea for the Aura Ability. Chapter 37: Progress Report Progress Report Logan, after saying good night to Amar, stayed up of course. He played a bit longer with Remy, before the Rizzel was also ready for sleep. Then, Logan was alone out in the training yard for the Frear Squadron. His last conversation had filled him with new determination. It was time to swap up his training plan. It had served so far to bring Logan up to a par with his peers, but now it was time to be confident in more than his endurance. His last fight had shown him his current shortcomings. Whipping his tentacles into motion to summon the Soul Sword, Logan cleared his mind. Logan had access to two amazing fragments of Divinity, but working them in tandem felt nearly impossible. But he had done it last fight, and Logan suspected he would have to be able to do it consistently to survive. Since Logan had killed that Salt King, teleporting had become slightly more manageable for Logan¡¯s body. Before, jumping around had always left his stomach incredibly nauseous, but now Logan had progressed to just feeling slightly queasy and disorientated. However, those were things he could work around with experience. So Logan spent that night getting said experience, summoning his Soul Sword and practicing teleporting between the motions of the basic kata they had been taught. As he began, Logan found himself thankful the Soul Sword passed harmlessly through its user, as Logan might have lost an arm or two otherwise. However, as the night progressed, so did Logan, and as the sun was set to rise and Logan called it quits, you could hardly tell he felt like a shaken soda as he popped around the training field. A passing stranger might even call him graceful. Maybe. As Logan toweled off the worst of the sweat and stepped into the magic shower once again, he found himself excited for the day. It felt like he was really starting to build into a routine here at Marineford. While he was thinking about it, he should probably get into the habit of getting to know the rest of the Squad members.
The Frear Squadron¡¯s training for the day included the normal amounts of weightlifting, cardio, and combat instruction. Which, if you were to speak in metaphor, was a high enough dosage for a lethal injection. Logan was dead tired with the rest of the Squadron, but there was one person who had managed to make it through barely winded. Lexie stood, panting slightly, but clearly nowhere near as exerted as the rest of the Squad. That, beyond her literally standing, was what made Lexie stand out. As part of his earlier thinking, Logan decided to ask her about it this time. ¡°Hey Lexie, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, that¡¯s some pretty impressive endurance you got there. What did you do to get it?¡± She looked at Logan with cold eyes. ¡°By doing similar exercises to these for many, many years.¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Something about her response made Logan feel like Lexie didn¡¯t want to talk about it, but Logan still wanted to make conversation with her. Searching for another topic, Logan eventually stumbled on something. ¡°I like your hair.¡± Alright, it may not have been the best topic, but it got Lexie to lighten her guard. Clearly not expecting the compliment, the woman froze for a second before gently saying, ¡°Thank you.¡± Again something about her response made Logan think he shouldn¡¯t continue too far down that path without getting to know her better first. Logan decided to flip around his first line of questioning. ¡°Can you show me some more exercises that will help me catch up? I want to be able to handle the hardest fights better.¡± Lexie once again looked at Logan, although this time her gaze wasn¡¯t as callous. With something akin to a mental shrug, Lexie nodded at Logan. ¡°Come, let me show you some of the routines I would use.¡± Then, for the next several hours, Lexie walked Logan though multiple rotations of exercises. This lasted well after the sun had set, with very little talking between them. Logan had realized she preferred the silence, and the exercise had put Logan into a flow state, content to just move his body. When Lexie finally finished, it had been an hour since dusk ended, with night well underway. Logan walked her back to her barracks, then exchanged goodnights. He walked away as she remained outside for just a second longer, before absconding.
Amar had felt better since crying again with Logan. So many of her fondest memories centered around Jeremiah, and having built up that day so much in her head, to have her hopes dashed at the end had almost paralyzed her. But she had still kept moving, keeping to the path she had wanted to set out upon, and now, for the first time, it felt like Amar had caught her breath. The routine of the Legion had helped her with that, as well had its pace. There was no time to be moping around, and she had managed to keep up. Still, Amar hadn¡¯t realized that she had been bottling up those emotions since Jeremiah¡¯s death. She had wanted to talk to Logan a bit more about the man since he had actually known him, but maybe she had been reaching out subconsciously. Regardless, it was as if a weight had been lifted, and Amar could finally look up again. She still missed the old man, and wished things had been different, but they weren¡¯t. And maybe, that would be okay too. As she went to bed that night, Amar was thankful for Gregor, as his advice had led her to this relief. She hadn¡¯t seen the mayor¡¯s son in weeks, but hoped he was doing alright. She had heard rumors that the Major himself had taken the young prodigy under his wing, so from the sound of things Gregor was doing just fine.
Gregor could be doing better recently. After his first attempts at his new idea had failed Gregor had gotten stumped in his training. No matter what he tried, it felt like he was just a bit off, and so Gregor returned to his original experiment. As Gregor readied himself to use the Aura Ability again, he thought that he might know the reason he was in a rut. Beyond the Major, Gregor had only spoken to a handful of people in the past couple of days, and usually no more than just some passing words. Although he was doing what he wanted to be doing, in complete comfort, Gregor realized that he needed a little more than that in his life. Stopping halfway through his attempt, Gregor instead opened his eyes, and sheathed his sword. He made his way out of the training field, and walked on a path to the main thoroughfare. It was almost the end of the day, and most Squadrons were out training with their Captains. Hopefully, Gregor could find where Amar and Logan were. Mostly though, Gregor wanted to talk to Amar. He wanted to see how she was doing, as the last time he had seen her, Amar had been devastated by the passing of Old Jeremiah. She hadn¡¯t reached out to him, but he hoped she had taken his advice and confided in Logan. Amar didn¡¯t deserve to grieve alone. After searching through about half of the camp, he came upon their Squads corner. It turned out, Amar and Logan had been assigned to the same Squadron, under who Gregor assumed was Captain Frear, who the Major referred to affectionately as ¡®Reena¡¯. When Gregor arrived and started watching training, the Captain gave him a glare, but otherwise didn¡¯t bother him. It was almost an hour more before the Squadron finished its training, but Gregor didn¡¯t mind the wait. Instead, he enjoyed the nice breeze drifting through the air as he leaned up against one of the barracks. It felt good to switch up his routine a bit. Then, Captain Frear called an end to the training, and Gregor got up to say hello to his friends. Walking over, he flashed a big smile. Maybe it just felt good to see people he liked. Chapter 38: Enchanted Enchanted Amar spied Gregor waiting by their barracks out of the corner of her eyes while she was training. He had shown up randomly almost an hour before training was to finish, and his presence had distracted her during the final stretch. She had wanted to talk to him but of course was unable. As soon as training was over, Amar ducked behind the barracks opposite Gregor, and tried to wipe at least some of the sweat from her face. Then she realized what she was doing, and paused. Logan came around the corner then. ¡°Hey, Gregor¡¯s here to say hi.¡± Squaring her shoulders a bit, Amar marched out behind the barracks. ¡°Let¡¯s go see him then.¡± Walking over, the two Squadmates found their friend enjoying the nice weather. Amar tried to keep a neutral face, but seeing Gregor up close after being apart for a week, she realized she might have a bit of a crush. A large section of her wasn¡¯t ready to have such giddy feelings so soon after losing Jeremiah, but Amar had to admit¡­ Gregor had always been her type. Tall and muscular, but lean enough that his body seemed to ripple as he moved, Gregor was likely most girls'' fantasies at least in some regards. But Amar kept thinking back to him, drinking with her at her highest moment, and then offering to help outside of her door at her lowest. Giving her advice that wasn¡¯t for him, but to genuinely help her through the worst of it. Gregor honestly reminded her of Jeremiah, in that regard. Then they were face to face. ¡°Hello Logan, Amar.¡± ¡°Hi Gregor.¡± ¡°Hey Gregor, been a while. I gotta go take care of some things right now, but we can catch up another time.¡± Gregor looked flustered for a second, but managed to respond with, ¡°Sure.¡± Then Logan walked off, leaving the two of them alone together. Awkwardly they both kept trying to start a conversation only to stop to let the other go ahead. Finally Gregor gathered some courage and asked a simple question. ¡°Have you been doing a bit better since I¡¯ve seen you?¡± Amar took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ve been going alright, yeah. Thank you.¡±
Logan hadn¡¯t actually needed to do anything, he was just able to read a room. Or, in this case, a training yard, he supposed. Instead, he picked up Remy, and took his companion to an empty corner. It was high time he tried to teach Remy the Soul Sword. Hey there Remy, today we are gonna start doing something special okay? This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. -Okay! Special sounds fun!- Haha, it might be fun, but it is definitely dangerous. I need you to promise to remain as calm as you can, alright? -Okay!- Then, for the next couple of hours, Logan tried to teach the Rizzel how to use the Soul Sword Ability. Logan technically didn¡¯t actually have to teach Remy the Ability itself, as their Bond allowed Remy to copy Logan. However, the process of using the Ability was more complicated than simply having it. The Soul Sword was easily the most advanced ability that Logan had ever seen, requiring all eight of his tentacles and complete focus to replicate the pattern. Remy, although altered by Bonding with Logan, still didn¡¯t have complete spiritual autonomy, and had to learn to summon the Soul Sword by instinct. Of course, the process was ostensibly harder because Remy had the attention span of a six year old. Every couple of minutes Logan had to remind the Rizzel to focus on the training, but he never had to repeat himself. Remy was pursuing this goal with as much vigor as the little guy could muster. Unfortunately, by the time Remy was getting tired they hadn¡¯t managed to make any visual progress. At least for Remy, but Logan could see the pattern on the Rizzel¡¯s spark was nearing the final product, it was only a matter of time. Remy didn¡¯t seem too disappointed as Logan tucked him in for sleep, instead appearing content to finally be working towards helping Logan. The little guy had really tuckered himself out, falling asleep in seconds. Logan smiled. Life at Marineford was really coming together. Despite sometimes being forced to fight in life or death situations against non-humans once a week, he was starting to find the whole routine very relaxing. Remy wasn¡¯t the only one who spent that night content, even if Logan didn¡¯t join the Rizzel in sleeping.
About halfway through the night, as Logan was passing the Frear Squadron¡¯s barracks again, he realized Arasaka¡¯s magically soundproofed hut was up again. Deciding to go and spark up some conversation, Logan dismissed his Soul Sword, and let the white lines that signified teleportation destinations fade as well. Making his way to the hut behind the barracks, Logan walked in and was once again assaulted by the loud noises and heat. Arasaka was working a larger piece this time, rotating through a collection of hammers in wildly varying strokes. Determined not to bother the woman, Logan let her work in peace. As a result, Logan learned something completely new. As Araska was manipulating the metal, Logan saw her soul spin off patterns while she was working. He wasn¡¯t completely sure, but Logan would wager that she was using Abilities on the piece, improving it in some manner, or maybe increasing the precision of her strikes. It was several more minutes of the two of them focused on their respective tasks, before Amar finally quenched the piece, which was clearly now a breastplate. Then Arasaka turned to Logan. ¡°Hey there, thanks for letting me finish that real quick. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I just saw this thing set up and decided to pop in. What were you working on there?¡± Arasaka looked sheepish and shrugged. ¡°Well, after I used that item synergy on the Mruklurks, I thought of a way to make myself stronger all the time with the same principles. I haven¡¯t completely ironed out all the kinks yet though.¡± ¡°Well I look forward to seeing it in all its glory then. I¡¯ve also been meaning to ask, how did you do that to the Mruklurks? It really saved our bacon.¡± Arasaka turned even further away, clearly embarrassed by Logan¡¯s interest. ¡°I overlapped the enchantments for two glowstones, and the result was a massive temporary peak in output. I-It¡¯s a theory I¡¯ve been working on for a while now.¡±
¡°It seems like more than a theory if it¡¯s getting results like that. But enchanting huh? Is that what you were doing with your Divinity just now?¡± At this Amar slightly composed herself, her shyness shifting slightly to suspicion. ¡°Yes¡­ How could you tell?¡± ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t told anyone else yet, but I can see people¡¯s Sparks. It comes in real handy for figuring out when big attacks are coming your way, let me tell you. But enchanting, huh? How does that work?¡± ¡°W-well yes, I¡¯m an enchanter, and it¡¯s just the process of working an Ability into the base. I¡¯m sure if you can see Divinity, that you know all Abilities have a corresponding pattern. I have eyes that help me infer the way to shape the metal which lets me produce some things, but being able to see Sparks¡­ That would be amazing for my work.¡± That was interesting. Logan probably should have guessed that enchanting had something to do with the fancy patterns he kept having to weave, but now that he knew¡­ ¡°If you ever want anything, I would be more than happy to help. For, ahem, some equipment, maybe?¡± If Logan was going to be putting in some work, he may as well get some rewards as well, right? Arasaka just gave him a look for a couple of seconds, before sighing. ¡°Sure, that¡¯s agreeable enough.¡± Sweet, sounded like Logan had just scored some new toys. He had been noticing his distinct lack of gear on the Squadrons previous outings. That problem was now solved, at least, hopefully. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve wrapped up for the night, but I¡¯ll let you know when I need the assist, okay?¡± ¡°Sure thing, just give me a holler.¡± Logan walked out of the hot hut, into the cool air of the night. Looked like it was time to get back to work. Chapter 39: Mission Three Mission Three The next time Logan found himself doing his daily massage of Captain Frear, he found himself zoning out. The Captain rarely ever spoke during these sessions, and Logan didn¡¯t have to worry about putting anything less than his full power for everything. Instead he found himself entranced by the manifold scars etched in her body. There were some smaller cousins in the Captain¡¯s collection, but most of her scars were vicious and still disfigured her skin. Logan didn¡¯t go out of his way to feel them, but putting his hands on Captain Frear¡¯s scars was impossible while attempting to massage her. ¡°Focus up. Your weird tendril things start shaking when you are distracted, it''s creepy and it makes me uncomfortable.¡± Logan didn¡¯t know what he was more shocked by, the Captain¡¯s ability to see his soul, or her brutal lambasting of it. The combination punch left him flustered, so he just responded briefly. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± The brief exchange left Logan on edge suddenly, which also made him hyper focused, which he was sure was the point. Logan also realized that it had been a relatively harmless way for Captain Frear to reveal her own awareness of one of his secrets, but it still unnerved him. The rest of the massage was spent in the usual silence, Logan unwilling to push his Captain at all. Thankfully, as he finished up and was setting out, Captain Frear stopped Logan to say something. ¡°Recruit Brewer, anyone at B-Tier or higher will be privy to that particular information free of charge. It shouldn¡¯t pose any issues in the Legion unless you get put under some Noble snob, but be wary that those you have to fear the most will have the most potential reason to hunt you down.¡± Logan hadn¡¯t spoken to anyone about his soul, wisely it appeared, but had held out hope that his condition wasn¡¯t too abnormal. Those hopes were utterly dashed with those words though. Whatever Logan was, he wasn¡¯t human anymore, and there were people out there who would know.
Only a few short days later, it was time once again for the Frear Squadron to deal with their assigned mission. They had all gathered out in the training yard to listen to their Captain give some brief details before departing. ¡°Alright, listen up folks. We have a new mission today, and apparently this one is somewhat urgent. More Monsters, this time some Naga down by the shore, who may still have civilians alive. No time for more, let''s move out.. Double time, people!¡± And with that hurried pep talk, the Frear Squadron was off. This time, there was no time for conversation on the way, everyone moving at a pace that denied easy speech. There was a palpable pressure coming from the group, as despite their differences, no one wanted innocents to die on their watch. Still, even with their heightened pace, it took the Squadron almost two hours until they reached the reported site of the Naga. Their speed had been cut by the massive sand dunes they had been forced to navigate to reach their destination. Once they finally crested the last dune, Captain Frear stopped the group. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Nodding to Jerry, she indicated he should give a report on the Naga. Understanding his Captain¡¯s intent, Jerry cleared his throat. ¡°The Naga are the most intelligent foes this group would have fought, with a savage cunning not to be underestimated. Beyond that, they are serpent humanoids with long, prehensile tails. Although the Naga are powerful, it¡¯s likely that our Squadron outnumbers them. If we encounter a greater tally of foes than expected, we should retreat. Naga are known prominently for eating their prey alive when possible.¡± Logan focused to avoid gulping. This sounded like it would get scrappy. Logan was glad he had made the decision to leave Remy behind, this would not be a simple first fight for the Rizzel. Honestly, Logan didn¡¯t think it would be a simple fight for him, either.
As the Squad went further towards the shore, Logan realized what Jerry had meant by the increased intelligence of the Naga. They had created some sort of underwater structures by cording together seaweed and other marine plant life into walls that lead up to the surface of the water, which served as a roof. Logan asked, ¡°Do we¡­ have to fight them underwater?¡± Jerry looked over, and responded, ¡°As soon as they become aware of our presence, they should leave their dwellings and come to shore¡­ Although it seems unlikely they wouldn¡¯t have noticed us.¡± The Squadron mulled about, with Larry going as far as to splash both feet into the shallows. When nothing came out to greet them, a general grumbling started to ensue, everyone wondering where their targets were. Logan looked over at the Captain, to find her with an unusually pensive look on her face. Suddenly, she spun about, and turned to a spot behind them. Logan followed suit, and finally laid eyes on the targets for the Frear Squadron¡¯s third mission. The group Naga five strong slithered over the sand dunes, human captives clutched over their shoulders. Then the Monsters spied the Legion Squad that had set up outside of their residence, and started having a hissing fit. Streaming a slew of snake noises as they swiftly slithered to meet their foes, the Naga dumped their captives who had been bound in seaweed, freeing their clawed hands for battle. However, as the Naga neared their enemies, they had the sense to slow their charge down a fraction, so they could stay bunched and coordinated. Stream rolling right into the Frear Squadron, they knocked the frontline to the ground, but thankfully weren¡¯t able to capitalize on the opening before a recovery was made. Suddenly, the two groups were in close quarters, and a brawl broke out.
Engaging with their serpentine enemies, Larry was once again first to take contact. The big man flashed his equally large axe through the air at even more massive enemies. His blade made contact, but the Naga he was swinging at dodged enough that the axe just impacted some scales and deflected off. Hissing, the Naga tried to return the favor, swiping with jagged claws at Larry¡¯s head. Arasaka was there to intervene with a shield, and then Logan didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to the others anymore. One of the Naga was slithering towards him, sizing him up. Calming himself, Logan took a deep breath. This was why he had been practicing so relentlessly. Whipping his tentacles into motion, Logan braced himself. Suddenly, the Naga was right in front of him, clawed hands outstretched. Logan serenely summoned the Soul Sword, and brought it down in an overhand motion. Against a normal opponent, Logan was sure it would have connected. Unfortunately, the Naga wasn¡¯t ordinary. Leaning backwards unnaturally with the help of its prehensile tail, the Monster went almost parallel with the ground to dodge, before launching itself at Logan like a catapult. Unfortunately, this time for the Naga, Logan wasn¡¯t ordinary either. Teleporting to a spot only a few feet to the right, Logan let the Naga sail harmlessly by him as he swung the Soul Sword once more. Twisting, the Monster managed to dodge once more, but this time Logan wasn¡¯t left without consolation. The Naga¡¯s left hand fell to the ground, smoking slightly from the power of the Soul Sword Ability. Logan could see the panic in the Naga¡¯s eyes as it realized it had overextended, and left the protection of its fellows, only to get maimed. Logan just got ready to punish its mistake further. This Monster¡¯s days of eating people were at an end. Readying a horizontal slash, Logan teleported directly in front of the Naga. Its head soon followed its hand to the sand, joined promptly by the rest of its limp body. Say what you would, Logan¡¯s training was seeing results. Chapter 40: Amiss Amiss Logan turned his attention to the rest of the Frear Squadron. Lucius and Sophia were each dancing around a Naga, while Amar and Larry had teamed up on a third. That left Arasaka to handle the fourth, which she was doing with surprising ease. She had some sort of bubble surrounding her, protecting Arasaka from blunt attacks while her armor stopped the Naga¡¯s claws. Between the two forms of defense, Arasaka had rendered herself almost invulnerable. Sensing this, her opponent backed up, only to find the other Naga with similar thoughts. All four of the remaining creatures grouped up, and looked to their former fifth. Their demeanor shifted slightly, but Logan was unsure what that meant. ¡°They¡¯ll either go for the captives or the water, surround them, recruits!¡± Captain Frear shouted across the beach. This was the first time Captain Frear had ever spoken to the Squadron during a mission, so Logan hurried to comply. Teleporting across, Logan started the circle on both sides, with the rest of his Squad quick to fill in the gaps. Just as the circle was about to close, the Nagas made their move, two questing for the water, while two went for the hostages. Being opposite the water, Logan was forced to deal with the two massive Monsters barging towards him. Logan was tempted to try and stand his ground, but that wasn¡¯t his strength. Instead, he teleported upwards, his trajectory allowing him to land on one of the Naga¡¯s backs. Angling the soul sword, Logan thrust down with gravity, and speared through the Monster, killing both it and its forward momentum. Smiling as he rode its body down, Logan looked to the next Naga. It had continued its desperate rush despite the death of its compatriot, questing for the civilians. Unfortunately for the Naga, Captain Frear was standing between them. Unfortunately for Logan, she was looking straight at him, a singular eyebrow raised. ¡°On it¡­¡± He muttered under his breath, teleporting once again. Appearing diagonally to the Monster, Logan swung his sword and allowed the creature''s own force to remove its head. Hearing a now familiar thrumming of the air, Logan was satisfied with his progress. Now that Logan had the ability to go on the offense, his ability to teleport was absurdly powerful. Just another reason to be grateful for Remy.
Once again, Logan had time to scan the battlefield. One more Naga lay dead on the surf, but the last was making its way into the water. Logan was going to make his way there with a teleport, but Aerie beat him to it. Watching her Spark fluctuate, the cyan haired woman collected the water the Naga had dove in into a ball, and floated it through the air, Monster still inside. ¡°Hurry, I can¡¯t hold this up forever!¡± She shouted. Amar swung a massive Bear Claw through the bubble launching the Naga skyward. Positioning himself underneath, Larry brought his axe up to meet the descending Monster. The resulting spray was not pleasant, leaving the air stained with a copper scent. Then the field was still, all the captives secured by the Captain, and the Squadron¡¯s enemies slain. They regrouped by their leader, waiting for instructions. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Captain Frear was staring at the water, pondering something. Then she voiced her query aloud. ¡°Why were the Naga coming from inland, if the Squad was assigned the mission this morning? They should have been back here long before us. Something about this is not adding up to me¡­¡± Larry spoke up. ¡°We got the hostages, right? Why sweat the details? Ma¡¯am.¡± The Captain gave him a sour look for being direct, but otherwise considered his words. Eventually coming to agree with them, Captain Frear turned back to the path they had taken out here originally. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get a move on shall we? Head out!¡± With that, the Squad started their march back, this time moving at a more sedate pace as they had civilians with the group. It was a sobering reality, an inescapable reminder of what failure would mean, and not just for them. People would die if they didn¡¯t take care of these threats, even if it was just training for them.
As they made their way back, Logan tried to spark up some conversation with the rest of the Squad. ¡°Hey we¡¯re getting pretty good at this, huh?¡± Logan got a couple of absent stares, but Amar at least agreed. ¡°We are, that was our swiftest battle by a margin.¡± A couple of hesitant nods met that statement. Around the Squad Logan could see people letting some of the tension from the battle out of the bodies. It looked like maybe they would finally talk as a full Squadron. Pushing the envelope, Logan forged onward. ¡°I have to say, that water bubble at the end was pretty cool, Aerie. And the way you pulverized that thing Larry? Epic.¡± Larry started flexing a little as Aerie started muttering something under her breath, and Logan knew he had won two battles today. ¡°Haha, epic it was, now? Epic, truly a perfect word to describe me. You all did epic yourselves out there. Good set up, Amar and Aerie.¡± Logan, clinching it, said, ¡°It really was. Also, what was that bubble thing you had going on Arasaka, that was pretty cool too.¡± ¡°It was as an enchantment to smooth out door hinges that I overlapped and amped up. Pretty nifty, huh?¡± Soon after that, the whole Squadron, minus Captain Frear, was complimenting each other on their battle prowess. Even some of the quieter members, like Sophia and Lucius, spoke up. It really felt like the Squad was starting to bond as a whole, and the time began to fly. Their march back to Marineford wasn¡¯t filled with conversation, but even the silences were now companionable. Jerry even started whistling, and no one told him to shut up. Somehow, even their merry band of misfits was finding cohesion. Then, their time of merriment was over. Coming back to camp, they found the place almost completely deserted. It was a ghost town, no one visible in the usually humming camp. Walking further inwards, they finally found someone to talk to, a young clerk of some sort. When he spotted the Frear Squadron, he startled, no doubt at their bloody image, but Captain Frear froze him with her gaze. ¡°Speak. Now.¡±
The young man was terrified, but managed to spit out the gist of it. Apparently, Major Micah had gotten reports of a huge abomination headed towards Langst Harbor. He had decided rather to be safe than sorry, and moved the whole Company to the docks. It seemed reasonable to Logan, but something about the situation was bothering his Captain. ¡°...Something¡¯s amiss here, and I don¡¯t like it. Not one bit.¡± She looked towards the sky like it might split open at any second. For a long minute she just stared upwards, before returning her attention to her Squadron. ¡°Alright folks, we¡¯ll deposit these fine civilians with this gentleman here, and then we are marching double time once again, to Langst Harbor.¡± The clerk sputtered in protest, but another look from Captain Frear stopped him before a proper word could formulate. Instead, the young man resigned himself, and started taking care of the former captives, getting each of their names and where they resided. Despite barely stopping for ten minutes, once again the Frear Squadron was off, this time making directly for the harbor town. Logan had never been to Langst Harbor, and was looking forward to seeing what the town was like, although he wished it was better circumstances. That seemed to be a recurring theme, with Logan and nearby towns. As they marched towards Langst, the early cheriness was gone, replaced by an unease and tension stemming from the Captain. After all, if she was worried, what did that mean for them? As such, hardly a word was spoken on the next leg of the Squad¡¯s extended mission. They were all focused or focusing, there was no mental space for camaraderie. Still, Logan had faced Abominations before, and lived to tell the tale. Surely, even if it was a really big one, with the Captains and Major, the Legion would be able to fend anything off. Logan didn¡¯t quite get why they were so worried, but they were the experts and Logan hadn¡¯t known Abominations existed more than a month ago, so he would trust their instincts. For now, at least. Chapter 41: Gauntlet on the Docks Gauntlet on the Docks It wasn¡¯t long before the Squadron made it to Langst Harbor. It was immediately obvious that it was a sea town, and that modern sewage had yet to be invented, as distinctive and unpleasant scents started wafting towards the incoming group before they stepped foot onto its streets. Logan hoped he adjusted fast because he found the foul odor distracting. Just from a brief glance, it was obvious that Langst was wealthier than Alteep, if not necessarily fancy. As they marched into the paved streets, the Frear Squadron began to hear sounds of combat in the distance. This spurred the Captain even further on, and she had the Squad abandon their march in favor of a brisk jog. At this pace, they ate through the town''s layers, quickly finding themselves in the center of Langst. Between the absence of civilians, and the increasing volume of the distant clashing, it was obvious that the Frear Squadron was late for the start of combat. Rushing to try and make up for it, Logan and his Squadmates followed their Captain down just a couple more streets, and onto the battlefield. The docks were teeming with Monsters and Beasts, and desperately Squads were doing battle with individual packs. As they stepped out, the chaos caused them to freeze and stare, except for the Captain. ¡°What are you doing you fools, we are here to help them, not watch! Get those butts in gear!¡± Captain Frear shouted over the ruckus. Finding sense again, the Squad followed her lead as they steered towards the nearest group of enemies to engage. They were some sort of shellfish, appearing like penguin sized shrimp, except with a pair of flippers on their front that they used to balance themselves upright. Their gait was strange and fluttering, but surprisingly nimble as they engaged another Squadron. ¡°These Beasts are Scrampi, small, surprisingly agile, and mildly dangerous in packs, especially under the water. Nothing too special about them on land, however.¡± Jerry spoke as they pumped towards their targeted foes. . Then the Frear Squad slammed into their flank like a mack truck, Larry leading their charge through the shellfish as he laughed. The Scrampi posed little threat to their Squad, and were quickly dispatched, to the sound of several more Kindlings for Logan.
¡°I need to find Micah, something about this all isn¡¯t right. Where is that Abomination that kid was talking about? It¡¯s all¡­ off. And so am I. Keep cleaning up the mess here, understood?¡± After receiving a chorus of salutes, Captain Frear turned and left her Squad to deal with the threats here, as instructed. Larry, of course, was most enthusiastic to follow orders, charging at the nxt group with reckless abandon. To Logan¡¯s surprise however, Arasaka was hot on his heels, stomping after him in her heavy armor. Following their frontliners, the rest of the Squadron filed in behind them as they moved to engage their next foes. Thankfully, Larry had rushed at some very familiar opponents, as the Squadron ran towards a group of Naga who looked almost exactly similar to their earlier opponents, only slightly larger and darker blue in shade. Preoccupied with another Squadron, they had time to look over at Larry¡¯s battle roar but little else, as once again the Frear Squadron entered as a third party and absolutely obliterated their foes. Their teamwork and firepower were on full display as they set up openings for each other, and quickly capitalized. Even against five more Naga, the element of surprise allowed them to finish their foes in just over a minute. Behind them, two other Squadrons were shooting them dirty looks, but their Captains waved them on, even if they too looked aggravated. Logan¡¯s Squadmates didn¡¯t pay them any mind, and neither did he. Instead, they were looking for more targets. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Further down the docks, where the fighting was thickest, they spotted a behemoth. ¡°A Kraken¡­ driven to land? How could such a thing occur?¡± Jerry wondered aloud, clearly in awe. ¡°No time to get starstruck, old man, we have calamari on the menu tonight!¡± Logan said to the man. Larry was already a couple of steps into his charge as the words came out of his mouth. The Frear Squadron rallied around their berserker, and joined the other Squads fighting off the Beast.
Up close, Logan could tell that the Kraken was about the same size as the Salt Kings had been, if a bit more compact and taller than the crocs. It didn¡¯t seem like it enjoyed being completely emerged from the watery depths, but that didn¡¯t seem to hinder it too badly as it engaged two other Squadrons simultaneously. Among those Legionnaires engaging the Beast, Logan spotted a familiar face. ¡°Gregor?¡± Logan shouted over the din of the chaos. The handsome youngman turned at the sound of Logan¡¯s voice, and Gregor quickly spotted the incoming Frear Squadron. They cut a rather distinctive silhouette among the Legion, and Gregor recognized them on the spot. Breaking away from the engagement between the humans and weaving tentacles, Gregor picked his way over to his friends¡¯ Squadron. He almost got battered a handful of times just on his way over, but luckily avoided the thick moist appendages. ¡°Logan, Amar, Frear Squadron, how goes it?¡± Amar walked a few steps closer than anyone else. ¡°It has been a long day, but we are here to help. What can we do against this Beast?¡± ¡°Thank the Gods, some people who will listen. I¡¯ve been trying to convince these Squadrons to coordinate, but they seem set on taking the ¡®glory¡¯ for themselves. I would have thought Micah would have told them to be ready for what¡¯s coming¡­¡± The look of relief on Gregor¡¯s face was immediate, and it seemed obvious that the other Squads had been frustrating to deal with. The last thing he said had the opposite effect on Logan, however. ¡°What do you mean, what¡¯s coming?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, the Major said that something ¡®big¡¯ was coming, and that I should remain ready. Micah rallied the Company with talk of Abominations, so I expect it¡¯s that, but he wasn¡¯t exactly too clear with his information, or how he got it. That¡¯s just who he is though, so I don¡¯t doubt it¡¯s true.¡± Logan took Gregor¡¯s words at face value. If he trusted the Major then Logan would too, unless proven otherwise. Then the Squadron looked back to the Kraken. ¡°In the meantime, any plans for that?¡±
It turned out, Gregor did indeed have a plan for the Beast. It took a bit for him to figure out everyone¡¯s strengths, but it was a good strategy, which made Logan happy. Logan was looking forward to proving his superiority as an octopi. ¡°Alright listen up, here''s what we are going to do¡­¡± When the Frear Squadron had heard their roles, they got down to business. The two other Squadrons had not fared too well in the meantime, with numerous Legionnaires down and being evacuated by their Squadmates. That meant that the Frear Squadron was met with sighs of relief, instead of envious stares, as they engaged in combat once again. Larry, as was customary at this point, ran point, sprinting towards the base of one of the Kraken¡¯s eight tentacles. His job in this whole fiasco was one of the most risky, as he jumped straight over to the tentacle, and tried to hold at least that portion steady. The titanic Beast writhed and bucked, but somehow, although he was clearly straining tremendously, Larry miraculously managed to hold firm. Then another tentacle swung at the big man, and the person with the other most dangerous job stepped in. Arasaka, with both her bubble layer and shield held at the ready, interposed herself between Larry and the oncoming tentacle. Sophia, Lucius, and Amar all braced behind, trying to support her against the impact. Then the tentacle hit with an intense impact. Arasaka was lifted off her feet, but her support worked, providing her with enough leverage to ride the shock out, and find her feet once more. The Kraken curled its prehensile appendage in an attempt to grab up its attackers, but Jerry threw a noxious potion, while Aerie shot her crossbow. The attacks dug into its soft and quickly dehydrating flesh. For the first time, it cackled in annoyance at the humans who would handle it so roughly. Then, came the final step of the plan. Running towards the steadied tentacle, Logan, Gregor, and Lexie all swung at its base. Their fierce synchronous slashes hacked through the Kraken¡¯s tentacle, leaving it with only seven remaining, and a torrent of blood stemming from its center mass. Chapter 42: From the Depths From the Depths Gregor¡¯s plan was simple at this point, instead of trying to replicate their herculean feat, now that such a grievous wound had been inflicted upon the Kraken they could simply wait until it bled out. Apparently, simple enough for the Beast itself to intuit, as it tried to go on the offensive. Thrashing its remaining tentacles around wildly, the Kraken attacked the Legionnaires surrounding it. Arasaka was hit, and some members of other Squads, but they were extracted before anything serious resulted. Its rampage continued on, as the frontline members from the respective Squad¡¯s tried to slow the Kraken¡¯s push. Logan even saw a wall of stone erupt on one side, evidence of Divinity at play. Of course, the Beast''s bulk immediately knocked it over, but Logan at least saw the attempt. The sight reinforced just how impressive Larry¡¯s strength was. It also made Logan wish the other Squad¡¯s had worked together with them, but it didn¡¯t seem like it had mattered in the end. After the initial surge, the Squadrons fell back, and the Kraken wasn¡¯t able to rapidly pursue them across land. But it did try, leaving a great wake of oily blood behind it. Logan could hear its large beak snapping, but its pursuit was in vain, serving only to exacerbate the Kraken¡¯s bleeding, as it gradually slowed. Then, the Beast let out one last cry, before slumping over, the tension leaving its boneless limbs. Its body seemed to deflate, like it was a balloon, being saturated with blood. As Logan looked around the gory docks, he saw that most of the Squadrons were in the process of finishing their foes. There were a couple of groups still engaged in combat, but it seemed that they were in no danger of being overwhelmed. Instead, what drew Logan¡¯s attention was the wake headed towards shore. From its size, whatever was making it must be just as large as the Kraken, if not larger. Then the wake vanished, about a hundred feet from shore, leaving Logan in a lull.
Just as Logan was about to dismiss it, a huge spray of water erupted over the docks, spraying as far as the buildings almost thirty feet away. Then, another familiar form emerged from behind the temporary curtain of water. A Salt King had brought its bulk onto the docks, and not just any Salt King. Logan saw a milky left eye, courtesy of Frear Squadron¡¯s very own Lexie, which was a dead giveaway that this was the surviving Salt King from the Squad¡¯s last encounter with them. The nearly thirty foot croc opened its mouth in challenge, before it spied Logan from its good eye. Very slowly, the Beast closed its enormous jaws, and making its movements as smooth as possible, the Salt King backed into the water. It had remembered. Logan watched the croc¡¯s spines crest through the waves, as it swam along the shore looking for a safer spot to sun. ¡°How unusual¡­¡± Logan heard Jerry mutter under his breath, as the Legion went to clean up their battlefield. Logan joined Gregor and Amar as they went to do just that, looking for a chance to catch up with the young man after a couple of weeks apart. He found them separate from most of the other team¡¯s working on dissecting the corpses, investigating the severed Kraken tentacle instead of the main body. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Hey, good work out there, nice plan.¡± Gregor back over his shoulder at him, ¡°Than-¡­ What is that?¡± Logan followed his gaze back out past the docks. Once more a large wake was forming in the water, approaching Langst Harbor. It was hard to tell from this distance, but if anything, it looked to be even larger than the trail left by the Salt King. Then the sound of more footfalls turned Logan¡¯s attention again. Behind him, two more Squadrons joined Major Micah and Captain Frear out onto the docks. She looked somewhat upset, but the Major was all smiles. ¡°Perfect,¡± The Major announced, ¡°Everyone¡¯s here just in time. Good work recruits. Now, this is where the fun begins.¡±
With the full might of the Company arrayed before him, Logan felt untouchable. Regardless of the threat they faced, it seemed impossible that the Legion could lose, with Captain Frear and the Major supporting them. But, Logan realized he had judged the distance of the wake completely wrong. It was both much further out, and much larger than he had originally assumed. The wake was just now reaching the point that Logan spotted the Salt King''s wake, but was significantly bigger, creating a sizable wave headed towards the docks. Logan was still confident, but as the wave slowly approached shore, he felt a sense of apprehension wash over him. He couldn¡¯t quite place his finger on it, but something was off. ¡°Alright everyone, the initial engagement will be the decider. Brace yourselves accordingly.¡± Major Micah shouted across the battlefield. At his words, people began standing at the ready, waiting for their adversary to land. It didn¡¯t seem like it wanted to keep them waiting. As the rush of water approached shore, it gained pace before their gathered eyes, causing beads of sweat to appear on multiple foreheads. Then, suddenly, it was on them. The huge wave crashed into the docks to the sounds of raging waters and splintering timbers. The resulting spray didn¡¯t just reach the buildings closest to the docks, its force slammed Legionnaires into them, leaving men and women injured. Logan himself had almost been caught, but had timed his teleport perfectly, blinking through the solid wall of water, to see what lay behind. The resulting sight made Logan¡¯s jaw drop. The creature that was assaulting the Legion was by far larger than anything Logan had ever seen before. It had the size of the Horde Mother that attacked Alteep, but it had to have been at least seventy five feet. Logan couldn¡¯t tell exactly, as it was too massive to drag it scaled and barbed form completely to the docks. That was what had splintered the boards earlier, the creature¡¯s gargantuan mass. Still, it had managed to bring some of its bulk onto the docks, even if they quaked under its weight. After all, they were facing a hecking dragon.
When the water fell behind Logan, he heard exclamations of panic and gasps. He even heard some distant footfalls, as someone ran away. He couldn¡¯t focus on them as he was listening for one voice in particular. Jerry exclaimed, ¡°A Depth Wyrm, but¡­ what are those barbs, and why¡­ why is it here? Can we really handle this type of foe..?¡± This didn¡¯t inform Logan that much, but the tone of his voice was enough to send the message. This fight would be out of their hands, and they would be forced to rely on the Major and Captains. There they were, closing in on the Depth Wyrm, the Major trailing behind his eight Captains, when the unthinkable happened. One second, everyone was on the same side, perfectly healthy. Then Major Micah, in one swing of his sword, ruined everything. Lined up perfectly and in their blind spots, Micah swung horizontally from left to right, decapitating seven of the eight Captains, before hastily being blocked by Captain Frear¡¯s Soul Sword Ability. Then, before Logan even had a chance to comprehend what was happening, the Depth Wyrm roared. Its massive voice shook Logan¡¯s body, and then he realized it was doing more than just that. The reverberations started to quake his mind and spark, filling Logan with a terrible pain on every level imaginable. He tried to withstand the attack, and managed to last long enough to see the rest of the Legion succumb, before Logan too fell to the ground. However, the sensations of the Void instantly jerked him back to consciousness, despite the pressure his body was under. Logan didn¡¯t have the wherewithal to do more than lay there on the ground, camouflaged among the other unconscious bodies on the ground. Logan¡¯s spirit almost broke as he heard Major Micah laugh over the sound of the waves, the Depth Wyrm¡¯s call ended. Instead, he remembered a reason to steel his resolve. Looking around through closed eyes, Logan tried to recall one of the souls he had spent the most time around. There you are. A sigh of relief let out in Logan¡¯s mind. Amar was lying just to his left, almost a hundred feet away. He would get her out, and save himself too while he was at it. He owed it to Jeremiah to at least try. Chapter 43: Betrayals Betrayals This rapid series of events had completely flustered Gregor. First, the massive water spray had knocked the assembled troops into disarray, and then the Depth Wyrm itself was revealed causing another wave, except made of panic, this time. The once noble creature had been twisted beyond reckoning, with layers of teeth that extended onwards until they sprouted from outside of the Abomination¡¯s lips, before continuing down its body in random patches like barbs. Gregor was just standing there, befuddled by the sight, when the Abomination roared. Whatever the noise was, Gregor could determine it had some Divinity behind it, mostly because the entire Legion fell to the ground, unconscious. All except for three people, that is. Gregor himself was unaffected by the attack, most likely due to the unusual blending of his body and Spark. Then, both the Major and sole surviving Captain had remained untouched, as well. Looking over to them, he saw bloody murder on Captain Frear¡¯s face. Which made her utterly calm voice that much more chilling. ¡°You¡¯ll pay for that, you slimy bastard.¡± ¡°Oh, I imagine I will, but not here, and not today. I mean just look around at all the defenseless recruits here that would die, if you and I were to clash seriously. Instead, I thought of a proposition ahead of time, because I believed you might just survive, Reena.¡± ¡°Let me and my agent take the boy, Gregor, and I¡¯ll leave you to handle that Abomination. You¡¯ll still likely lose a few Legionnaires, but you have no better alternatives.¡± The Captain looked like she wanted to bite his head off, but managed to restrain herself. Barely. Instead she just snarled back at Micah. ¡°What if I¡¯m willing to let their deaths stain my hands? What if I kill Gregor, instead of letting you have him?¡± The Major laughed heartily before responding. ¡°The old you may have done that Reena, but we both know that you haven¡¯t been that person in years.¡± Then, sick of being talked about like he wasn¡¯t there, Gregor spoke up. ¡°I am right here, and I¡¯m not defenseless.¡± The Major shot Gregor a signature cockeyed grin, while the Captain gave him a side eye and a question. ¡°Do you think you can handle the Depth Wyrm?¡± Gregor gulped as he looked at the goliath Abomination that was dominating the docks, even if it was being surprisingly docile after its thunderous roar. ¡°I can try.¡±
¡°I can try.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Logan heard Gregor profess his intent to fight the sea dragon, he knew he should change his plans and assist the young man. That was probably the best way to keep everyone, including Amar, safe. Just as Logan was opening his eyes, he then heard something else that shocked him. ¡°Did you think that I would just sit back quietly and watch you attempt to subdue the Abomination? Well, I¡­ will do just that. But my agent won¡¯t, she¡¯s here to make things a bit more difficult for you.¡± ¡°Oho, can you not afford to take action either, well that¡­ Recruit Lexie, how frustrating.¡± As Logan finally opened his eyes and took in the scene around him. With shock, he saw Lexie running back out onto the docks from a side street, making Logan think back to when he heard someone running away initially. It appeared it hadn¡¯t been out of fear, but rather preparation and plotting, instead. Lexie was a traitor, same as Major Micah. There was no other explanation, and although it shocked Logan, now wasn¡¯t the time to think. Instead, he teleported between Lexie and Gregor, making himself an obstacle. He staggered, but managed to hold to his feet. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re gonna have to deal with me first. Gregor, kick that dragon¡¯s scaly behind for me, okay?¡± Gregor let out a deep laugh, and a smile broke out onto his face. His stance relaxed, just a measure. ¡°I guess some people are genuinely good. Leave it to me, my friend.¡± Then, Gregor began to glow with an inner light. Soon it had moved to the air surrounding him, and then the young man stretched into a tremendous leap at the Depth Wyrm, sailing at it from thirty feet in the air. That left Logan to face his now former-Squadmate, Lexie. If that was her real name, he supposed.
¡°Why are you doing this, Lexie?¡± ¡°This was always the plan, Logan. I had thought we were to stay undercover for longer, but the High King¡¯s defeat of Grecia has escalated our timelines. So, we move.¡± Logan wanted to ask more, but doubted he would get much out of the apparent spy. Instead, he focused on summoning his Soul Sword, his soul tentacles weaving about in the required patterns. Then Micah cut in. The former Major didn¡¯t look too upset by Logan¡¯s appearance, instead appearing simply disappointed to be interrupted. ¡°Ah, one of the anomalies. It breaks my heart, but the possibility was accounted for. Agent L, you may dispose of him.¡± With that the fight between the former Squadmates commenced. Lexie¡¯s strengths of course, did not lay in a frontal assault, and the white haired woman faded out of Logan¡¯s vision, rapidly becoming invisible even to Logan¡¯s enhanced Soul Sight. This is not going to be fun. Before, Lexie had needed to come out of stealth to attack, but seeing as she was a double agent, Logan doubted this was the extent of her abilities. Instead, Logan tried to buy himself a minimum amount of time to formulate a plan by teleporting to a nearby rooftop. After popping back into existence across the docks, Logan crouched on his new perch, and tried to rack his brain for a way to beat Lexie that involved more than ¡®Swing blindly, and pray¡¯. So far, he wasn¡¯t having any ideas, and praying seemed more and more sensible to Logan. Then, he heard a tile rustle to his right. Turning, Logan saw the tile partially come loose, and realizing what that must mean, readied his teleport. He was just in time to, as the next time he appeared, Logan had a thin cut on his neck. Lexie had been so fast to find him, Logan had to assume that regardless of where he showed up, it was just a matter of time for her to find him. But, the brief encounter had given Logan clues on how to beat her, and Logan just needed to piece them out.
This time, Logan continued to move about, even though it distracted him slightly. He figured his one advantage was his instantaneous movement, so he needed to maximize that Blessing. It was also Logan¡¯s first serious fight alone with another human. He had caught those bandits, but that had been with Amar and Gregor, and they had easily overpowered their foes. Logan had never experienced the wild thrashing of his heart in his chest Therefore, five rooftops later, Logan finally figured out how to detect Lexie. Her Divinity masked her from even Logan¡¯s sight, but it didn¡¯t seem to inhibit the other senses. The only problem was Logan didn¡¯t have the sensory power to detect the spy. Gregor might, but he was off fighting the Depth Wyrm, and Logan didn¡¯t know of any other humans who might. But, Logan was Bonded with a Rizzel, and he was confident Remy could get the job done if Logan could call the little guy here. Remy! Come here if you can hear me, I need you! Logan couldn¡¯t tell if the Rizzel had got the message, so he decided to keep teleporting in the direction of the camp while mentally broadcasting his request. Remy! Remy! Can you hear me! It wasn¡¯t until Logan made it all the way to the last rooftop at the edge of Langst Harbor that his efforts were rewarded. He had never tested the maximum range of the Bond, and had gotten lucky. Remy! I need you here in town! -Okay, Remy is on the way!- Chapter 44: Pitched Combat Pitched Combat As Gregor leapt into the air, he relied on the newfound control his Aura Ability gave him. As he expanded his Aura into the air surrounding his body, he gained control over it, like it were a limb he had forgotten about his whole life. Gregor could reduce the air resistance on his body to zero, even using the air to keep him suspended for longer than normally possible using some tricks he had picked up. He had never quite tested it to these extremes, but there was no better time to find out then when Gregor needed it to work. As he sailed through the air, thirty feet and still rising slightly he knew it had succeeded. His leap had turned into a controlled glide, and now, he at least had a method of approaching the Depth Wyrm. As he sailed towards the Abomination, his mind whirled trying to think of ways to actually hurt it. The creature¡¯s scales looked to be close to the same size as Gregor himself, truly putting into perspective the sheer difference in scale between the two. Gregor didn¡¯t have any hope of staying hidden from the Abomination, as its beady pure black eyes followed Gregor¡¯s every shift and movement. So, Gregor would have to get a little creative. Changing the trajectory of his descent, Gregor instead cut right and plummeted, heading straight for the thrashing waves. As he impacted the salty spray, the cold water settled over his body, Gregor¡¯s Aura seamlessly incorporating the transition, and allowing him greater mobility once more. He wouldn¡¯t be able to match the Depth Wyrm in speed, but with his size and maneuverability, Gregor should be able to pull it into his tempo. Soon enough, the Wyrm submerged to follow him, and Gregor had to get busy. He tried to keep as close to the Abomination¡¯s gargantuan body as he could, but Gregor kept having to dodge the Depth Wyrm¡¯s fangbarbs as it lowered its bulk back into the depths while the current it created made it hard for him to control himself even with his Aura. As the oxygen started to burn in Gregor¡¯s lungs, he realized maybe fighting the Depth Wyrm on its home turf hadn¡¯t been the brightest idea.
Channeling his Aura heavily through his blade, Gregor utilized another application he had learned for the Ability. Gregor hadn¡¯t experimented that much with this yet either, but from the few times he had used it, results had been impressive. Slicing through the currents, Gregor managed to wedge his blade into one of the Depth Wyrm¡¯s scales. He had thought to wait until the Wyrm settled in the water, but it didn¡¯t seem like that was the Abomination¡¯s intent as it lived up to its name, descending ever deeper into the water. Forcing Gregor¡¯s hands, he braced both his sword and feet against the creature¡¯s bulk, and pulled. Using the wedged blade like a springboard, Gregor launched himself, as he felt the Depth Wyrm¡¯s scale come loose. Its screeches resounded through the waters below Gregor. Then, bursting through the white caps, Gregor came back up above the surf. His momentum carried him further and further into the air, and it was to good effect. From the waters, the Depth Wyrm had pursued Gregor¡¯s ascent, its endlessly toothed maw exploding through the depths and questing after Gregor. The Abomination¡¯s mass provided it massive momentum, and its pace almost caught up to Gregor. But once again, his Aura Ability provided the advantage, and as the Depth Wyrm¡¯s upwards force died, Gregor was able to gently balance himself on one of the Wyrm¡¯s manifold fangs. For a second, the two foes were suspended in mid air, but then the crystalized gem in time shattered, and gravity took its dues. Both Gregor and the Depth Wyrm fell through the air towards the docks, with differing speeds. For the Depth Wyrm, the descent towards solid land was likely uncomfortable at least, while for Gregor, his glacial velocity made the view almost picturesque, marred only by the rampaging Abomination he was fighting. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! As Depth Wyrm crashed towards the docks, Gregor thought it was time to clean up the scenery a bit.
Remy! I need you here in town! -Okay, Remy is on the way!- Relief filled Logan¡¯s chest as the sound of the Rizzel¡¯s animated voice washed through his mind. Suddenly, he had a chance in his fight against Lexie. As he thought that, Logan reflexively looked around, not that it would do him any good. Logan hoped he had lost his former Squadmate in his mad scramble across Langst, but wanted to remain cautious just in case. When he heard the whistle of the wind behind him, he jumped, reappearing on another rooftop. Logan looked back, but obviously there was nothing he could see there. Remy, when you get to the town, head to the docks, okay? By the water, little guy. -Okay? Remy can do it.- Alright Remy, I¡¯m counting on you. -Will be right there!- Thanks little guy! Logan would just have to trust Remy to figure out how to get to the docks, as Logan had to start making his way back, or Lexie might realize she could just go harry Gregor. He started picking his way back along the streets, teleporting in a zagging pattern across rooftops and hidden vantages trying to stay hidden from Lexie. He wound up on a church tower that was significantly the tallest structure in the town able to overlook the rest of Langst with a birds eye view, at four stories or so tall. From there, Logan could see the docks, but worryingly, not Gregor or the Depth Wyrm. He thought he could make out the forms of the Captain, and former Major, but it was hard to tell from this distance, as they weren¡¯t glowing yellow. Logan teleported down to the streets. Then a mental call rang out in his head. -Here!- At the docks already? Good job, Remy. -No, Remy came to Logan!- At that, Logan looked around frantically, until he saw the little Rizzel walking towards him from inside a side alley. He was about to admonish Remy, when he beat him to the punch. -Dodge!- Logan¡¯s mind didn¡¯t fully process the word, but his body reacted from the drilling and training the Frear Squadron had done so far. Logan teleported to a white line right behind Remy, and scooped the little guy up. In the street, Lexie appeared, and stared at Logan.
While the traitor just watched Logan, he put Remy on his preferred shoulder perch. The Rizzel seemed inquisitive, but guarded now. Logan thought he understood the danger posed by Lexie. Then, the spy finally spoke. ¡°Where were you trained?¡± ¡°Right in front of you. You even taught me some things yourself, remember?¡± ¡°Then, where did you learn that Teleport Ability? Who taught you?¡± Logan just laughed. He doubted she would believe that the Rizzel sitting on his shoulder was to thank for his most prized Blessing, the thing that had saved his bacon more times than he could count. Instead, he changed the subject on Lexie. ¡°You could have stayed here with the Frear Squadron. I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯ve been enjoying my time here.¡± This time, it was Lexie¡¯s turn to laugh. It wasn¡¯t cheery at all however, instead sounding somber and defeated. ¡°No, I could not have. Fun and enjoyment are irrelevant.¡± ¡°Then I pity you.¡± She just smiled forlornly, and vanished once more. Logan was quick on the uptake this time, immediately getting Remy situated. I need you to teleport up to the rooftops and tell me where her scent is coming from, okay? -Yessir! Remy go!- With that, both Rizzel and human teleported, with Remy heading up to some of the detailing on the church, while Logan appeared out in the streets. Logan wound his tentacles into motion, quickly summoning his Soul Sword as he paced around. Where is she? -Here!- Then, Logan felt something across the Bond with Remy. Suddenly overlaid with his vision with a red splotch, moving slowly towards him. If anything it looked like it was about to- Logan teleported, and took off running. Not away from his opponent, but to the instrument of her demise. Sizing up the heavy oak church doors, Logan decided they were perfect. Lowering his shoulder, he rammed one side down and grabbed it midair. Then, Logan teleported one more time. Right over the red splotch. Lexie might have been quick, but instantaneous was hard to beat, and so was almost five hundred pounds of man and wood falling onto you without any possibility to adjust. The weight smacked her to the paved roads Logan had noted earlier, and although Logan quickly got off, the traitor did not move. Logan had never killed a human before, but he didn¡¯t have time to process it. Instead, he looked in the direction of the docks and got to teleporting. Chapter 45: Divine Inspiration Divine Inspiration Logan, chaining together as many teleports as he could while still seeing straight, made his way to the streets right outside the docks. As he was running out, Logan overheard the conversation between the Captain and former Major once again. ¡°It¡¯s about to roar again, the Recruits won¡¯t survive that regardless. Your little game is up Micah, and it looks like it''s just gonna be me and you.¡± ¡°Ah, unfortunately, it does appear that way. This was not the outcome we were hoping for, but it was within reason. Very well Reena, it looks like our showdown will have to happen now, after all.¡± Logan could see the Depth Wyrm¡¯s soul, and similarly to the unnamed spiders in Alteep, Logan could sense the shape of the blessing within it¡¯s Spark. It wasn¡¯t as clearly distinct, but Logan felt an underlying affinity for the Blessing, even at a distance. Rounding the corner to come out on to the docks, Logan opened his mouth only to get immediately silenced. ¡°Cap- Aghghhha-¡± A wave of water smacked into Logan disorientating him, before ground seemed to roll out from under him. Landing flat on his back, Logan looked through the spray to see the Depth Wyrm had heaved its bulk back onto the docks, body tensing up in challenge. It was definitely about to roar. ¡°Logan!?¡± The Captain exclaimed. On his backside, Logan saw Gregor, glowing golden and floating down towards the Abomination from above it in its blind spot. Puzzle pieces started to whirl together haphazardly in his dazed head. ¡°No time gotta go!¡± Giving it a shot, Logan teleported directly in front of the Depth Wyrm. Shaken, he started weaving his most comfortable pattern with three of his tentacles. Then, just as it was about to unleash another soul shaking screech, Logan called out for the Abomination¡¯s attention, buying vital seconds. ¡°Hey you butt-ugly sack of rotten teeth!¡± Then Logan took a deep breath, and spoke in a much lower voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t say you could do that, did I?¡± Then he reached out for the Abomination''s soul with his tentacles, and all hell broke loose.
As Logan was desperately wrangling the Abomination for a piece of his soul, while Gregor was preparing his strike, Logan heard a final scrap of the conversation between the Captain and former Major. ¡°Ah, it looks like we both get to witness a much more satisfying outcome after all, eh, Reena?¡± ¡°What are you playing at here, Micah? Who has their eyes on that boy?¡± The former Legion officer looked uncharacteristically serious for a second. ¡°We both know there¡¯s only one player with enough power to make these moves. This one goes all the way to the top.¡± Then, his demeanor shifted back once again. ¡°Why else would I kill my friends, and blow the cover that I worked an entire decade for?¡± There was silence for a beat, then Micah resumed speaking. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I¡­ Well, believe it or not, I enjoyed this time greatly. I¡¯ll end this stalemate here, and let you go help out those young Legionnaires, how about? Sounds good?¡± Logan didn¡¯t get to hear her reply, as Gregor¡¯s strike came just then. For half a moment, the young man¡¯s sword bit into the flesh of the Depth Wyrm, and everything froze. Then, a massive explosion came from the point of impact, radiating outwards. As Logan saw the approaching blast, he was left with a dilemma. Logan only had enough time to claim his prize from the newly deceased Depth Wyrm, or teleport to safety, not both. Logan desperately wanted the new Blessing, so he grit his teeth and stood firm. After all, a little pain was to be expected in growth, right? As the new Blessing hit Logan¡¯s core, he underwent a massive spiritual shock. Then, the explosion hit, and the shock was more than spiritual.
As Gregor slowly drifted down towards the Depth Wyrm, all of his focus was on his blade, and Aura Ability. Feeling his being slowly ripple outwards from his body, he refocused that power and condensed it over and through his sword, causing the ordinary steel blade to glow with the same inner light as Gregor. Still, he pushed harder, trying to ensure the lethality of this next strike. He was vaguely aware that the Depth Wyrm was in the process of doing something, but he couldn¡¯t spare the mental space to consider what that meant beyond where his swing should land. The inches mattered, as Gregor was trying to perfectly align his swing with the one chink in the Depth Wyrm¡¯s armor, where a scale was half bent out of place. Gregor kept his eyes centered on that one spot, and brought his sword over his right shoulder. Gradually, he let his pace pick up as he controlled his descent towards his destination. As his pace increased though, so did the strain on his Spark. Holding all of the excess Aura Gregor had created in his sword while also controlling his fall was pushing Gregor¡¯s Ability to the brink. Though his mind felt like it was burning through its capacity, Gregor couldn¡¯t afford to pay attention to his own condition. Too many people were relying on him here. But it looked like it was all in vain. Below him, Gregor could see the Abomination¡¯s maw open up for another roar. It was too late. Then, at the last second, Logan showed up, shouting some incoherent nonsense. For some inexplicable reason, the appearance of the man was enough to delay the creature¡¯s cry for just a few moments longer. It was all Gregor needed. Keyed in on his target, his horizontal swing launched like a comet. All the Aura that Gregor had packed into his steel coated the edge and gave it all the strength of Gregor¡¯s very soul. The enhanced sword sliced straight through the exposed flesh of the Depth Wyrm, before the Aura Blade, as Gregor had taken to calling it, reached the same critical failing point as it had on previous attempts. All the Aura that had been contained in the steel exploded out un-corralled as soon as Gregor¡¯s Ability entered his opponent¡¯s flesh, and he lost control over it. The result was a shaped explosion a dozen times stronger than any attack Gregor had previously created, obliterating the Depth Wyrm¡¯s neck, and leaving its head attached by only a thread.
Gregor descended to the docks,and rushed to his friend who had been so close to the blast radius. Gregor ran over, but he was second to arrive behind Captain Reena Frear, the last surviving and true officer. Saluting her on approach, Gregor acknowledged her as, ¡°Acting Major.¡± ¡°At ease, young man. Do you know Recruit Logan Brewer?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am I traveled to the Legion with him.¡± ¡°Then do you know how to help him?¡± At this, the Captain stepped aside, and let Gregor see Logan¡¯s body. Underneath the man¡¯s pale skin, his veins were periodically glowing a brilliant magenta, and blood was coming from every orifice. Slight convulsions were also running down his back and arms, making it almost look like Logan was trying to¡­ push something off of him. Whatever was happening, was completely, and utterly outside of Gregor¡¯s wheelhouse. He proceeded to say as much. ¡°I don¡¯t have the faintest clue.¡± Then, another voice besides the Captain¡¯s pulled Gregor¡¯s attention. Looking up, Gregor found someone familiar, and yet completely changed. ¡°Allow me.¡± Amar¡¯s always white hair, now glowed with a potency that dwarfed Gregor¡¯s own Aura Ability. Her skin now seemed to shimmer, as if it were metallic. And beyond even that, she was levitating slightly off the ground, almost half a foot or so. ¡°A-Amar¡­?¡± She let out a laugh that seemed to contain the weight of ages. ¡°In some fashion, yes, I am Amar. But I am not just the girl you know. I needed to ensure my insurance plan stays viable, so I co-opted a bit of her time, you could say.¡± Gregor was confused, if unsurprised, that this strange version of Amar was not entirely her. He was even more dumbfounded, when the strange version of Amar just waved a hand at Logan, and instantly the abnormal symptoms began to disappear and start to fade. Within a minute, Logan had settled into a more peaceful sleep. ¡°Who¡­ are you, then?¡± Not-Amar looked over. ¡°I am often referred to directly as Selerys by my priests, but most know me as the Goddess of Life.¡±
End of Act II Chapter 46: Abomination Abomination As Logan¡¯s consciousness faded, he knew where he would find himself. In the endless Void. All around him the stars twinkled in the epic distances, with Logan suspended among them. The cold radiated along his body, but it felt cool and refreshing, instead of the absolute frigidity of empty space. Afraid to turn around, Logan kept staring out into the distance, like it would delay what was about to happen. He knew that it was the methodology of children, that something didn¡¯t exist if you weren¡¯t looking at it, but Logan¡¯s panic was threatening to overwhelm all reason. Hence, he relied on a child¡¯s tactics, in prayer. Unfortunately, the reason for his dread wasn¡¯t the boogeyman under the bed. Instead, it was the endless presence that Logan could physically feel, even with his back turned. The Being Beyond the Void. Despite Logan¡¯s desperate hopes and prayers, there would be no avoiding this next interaction with this cosmic being. ¡®Turn¡¯ , the endless entity emitted into Logan¡¯s cranium. As before, no words were spoken, just the intense implication of a concept being burned into his brain. However, unlike Logan''s last interaction with this being, this wasn¡¯t the end of the meeting. A wave of pressure settled over Logan¡¯s mind, but he fought through it, and heeded the cosmic entity¡¯s desire. Coming face to¡­ well endless Void, Logan supposed. Being able to withstand at least some of the pressure this entity gave off, Logan was able to examine it. Or at least attempt to. It was hard to accurately understand what he was looking at. On one hand, Logan could tell that it was completely empty, lacking even the stars out in the distance, like Logan was looking out the edge of the expanding universe. But in Logan¡¯s soulsight, well, that¡¯s where words started to lose value. It appeared almost as though the entity¡¯s essence was... using an Ability, if Abilities required the soul to create a pattern the size of a solar system. Endless writhing connections appeared and faded in the primordial power of the cosmic entity¡¯s existence. Logan thought he may be able to discern some higher meaning from its endless complexity, but before he could, the Being connected to Logan once more.
¡®Herald¡¯, ¡®Lead¡¯, ¡®Void¡¯. Each concept battered its way into Logan¡¯s increasingly fragile mind, shaking his consciousness and redoubling the pressure on him. The being was either unknowing of Logan¡¯s pain, as it continued. ¡®Herald¡¯, ¡®Lead¡¯, ¡®Void¡¯. The concepts once again were drilled directly into Logan¡¯s thoughts, battering his brain even further. At this point, Logan felt like he had gone rounds with Mike Tyson after riding roller coasters all day. He was slowly turning into a human slurry. ¡®Herald¡¯, ¡®Lead¡¯, ¡®Void¡¯. Once more Logan was bombarded, and he finally called out to the entity. ¡°O-Ok! I¡¯ll ¡­ I¡¯ll do it. Just stop, please. I-I don¡¯t think I can survive too much more¡­¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. His words seemed to appease the being, who let off some of the pressure on Logan. The human let out a sigh of relief, even if he still felt like he was in a vice grip. Then, he realized he should figure out exactly what he was supposed to do, or the next visit would assuredly be his last. Logan harbored no illusions about being awake for the entirety of his life. ¡°W-what exactly do you want me to lead? I don¡¯t think I can control the Void¡¯s power ye-¡± The force on Logan immediately increased, and this time, beyond inserting a concept into his mind, Logan felt the entity do something else. It started rummaging through his head, its uncaring touch causing unimaginable pain to its own herald. Eventually though, it found what it was looking for. Dragging an image from a memory into Logan¡¯s mind eye, the entity once again repeated itself. ¡®Void¡¯. As his awareness shattered into a hundred million fragments, Logan was aware of only a singular focus. The image the entity had shown Logan was of one thing, and one thing only, allowing no room for interpretation. It was Logan¡¯s memory of the Depth Wyrm, about to roar. The cosmic entity wanted Logan to lead the Abominations.
When Logan awoke, he was surprised his head wasn¡¯t throbbing. Instead, he found his entire body to feel fresh, and even more strangely, to smell like pine cones. Logan would have preferred a sandalwood musk, but it wasn¡¯t a bad scent by any stretch so he ignored that peculiarity. Instead, Logan sat up from yet another cot, trying to convince himself becoming a mattress salesman wasn¡¯t in the cards for him or this planet. Looking around, it looked like he was back at the base. Logan wasn¡¯t in his barracks, but instead a single room that appeared to be of the same model and likeness, down to the well worn floors. They had done it. Logan had almost been convinced it was a fruitless effort, but somehow Gregor had managed to slay the Abomination, and save the town. A tension eased from his shoulders that Logan must have carried even through his slumber. Being alive was relaxing. Then, the door to the room burst in, and Captain Frear strode confidently into the room. Actually, she was probably Major Frear by now, Logan supposed. She wasn¡¯t smiling, but Major Frear looked less perpetually pissed off than usual. He snapped a salute, in greeting. ¡°Logan. At ease. How are you feeling?¡± Her voice was uncommonly reserved, causing some tension to creep back into Logan. ¡°I- uh¡­¡± It felt like to him that she wanted him to say something specific, but Logan didn¡¯t know what. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I guess. Surprisingly so, Ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± This didn¡¯t seem to be what the Major was looking for, but she did look entirely displeased, just¡­ reluctant. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry to do this so soon, but I¡¯m afraid it can no longer wait. What, exactly, are you?¡± Logan¡¯s mind flashed back to his recent visions, and a reactionary pain flashed through his head. Reaching up, Logan palmed his scalp, trying to relieve the pressure. Slowly, it faded, leaving Logan panting in his cot. ¡°I¡­ I think I¡¯m supposed to¡­¡± Logan didn¡¯t want to say it, because he didn¡¯t want to believe it. He was in a world of magic and wonders, but there would always be evil forces that would push for death and destruction. Logan knew that, he just never thought he would be one of them. ¡°Lead the Abominations against the world.¡± And then Logan vomited.
Major Frear questioned Logan at length, from his origins to every detail he could remember about his visions. Eventually, Logan just ended up telling the story of his time here in a single go, letting the Major ask questions and probe further when required. It took them a little more than an hour, but Logan never felt hostility from the Major, even though Logan was sure that much of what he was admitting would make him a threat to the Austen Kingdom. Still, she left no stone unturned in her pursuit of the truth, and learned just about every detail Logan could remember. Eventually, the light interrogation was finished, and the new Major let out a deep sigh. It was clear that Logan¡¯s existence was going to prove an annoyance to her, and for that he felt guilty, but there was nothing he could do except trust that Major Frear would have his back. ¡°Recruit Logan, until further notice, you are not to leave this room, understood?¡± Logan nodded in response. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be back shortly.¡± Then, she walked out the room, leaving Logan alone with his thoughts. There weren¡¯t many of them. Logan felt sick. On one hand, he was relieved to have told the truth, finally, but on the other, dread was welling up inside of him over the consequences. All of that was also overlapping with his pride at surviving, and his worries about Amar, Gregor, Remy, and the rest of the Frear Squadron. These four states warred in him, all too extreme and powerful to grapple with, leaving Logan feeling like he was being drawn and quartered emotionally. It wasn¡¯t pleasant, and Logan''s thoughts spiraled back to his recent visions, and he thought he may vomit again. Instead, a popping noise and sudden weight caught his attention. Remy had just teleported to the foot of the bed. Logan immediately grabbed him up in a big hug, pulling the Rizzel against his chest. Tears started to fall unbidden, but Logan realized holding back wasn¡¯t to his benefit anymore. -It ok, Remy here now.- Thanks, little guy. Announcement 1 Hey everyone, Spoiler alert, this isn''t a Chapter release. Instead, this post is to let you know that you are currently missing out on upcoming Chapters. As this post is released, I will be live on Twitch finishing up Chapter 50 (Yes, big milestone!) from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. (Monday through Friday C.T.). If you see this a little late to tune in, don''t worry, as you can follow the Twitch for notifications on upcoming streams, and Chapters 47 onwards will be posted to the Patreon for your consumption. If you have a question or two to ask, those are the forums to do such in. Links below. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Patreon Twitch Anyways, I''m not going to make a habit of these announcements, but I figured I should direct any readers who want more content to where they can find it, at least during this week''s break. Also, I wanted to announce that we finally hit a goal of mine, making it onto the Trending Page (for Mysteries). The support recently has really been amazing to watch, and although this announcement is likely to push our average readers down a slight amount, I wanted to celebrate the new readers that have joined recently, and really all of the readers in general. I''m so grateful that you guys can see the potential for the story behind my rough draft, don''t forget that. Thanks a million. With love, Michael D. Henry Chapter 47: Repercussions Repercussions When Amar had awoken, she had found herself in an unfamiliar cot in a room, by herself. Or at least she thought she had been alone, until the voice started sounding off in her head. ¡®Hello dear, are you feeling alright?¡¯ ¡°What- Who¡¯s there?¡± ¡®Oh, of course dear. Let me properly introduce myself, Amar. I am the Goddess of Life, Selerys and your Patron.¡¯ Amar was flabbergasted beyond the ability to speak. Why was there a Goddess in her head? Am I going crazy? Selerys laughed, and it sounded like a collection of wind chimes on a summer day. ¡®No, Amar, I have a connection with all of my descendants. This is a birthright afforded to you by your blood. Although in your circumstance, there is an extenuating situation.¡¯ Suddenly the pieces snapped together in Amar¡¯s head. She had known of Jeremiah¡¯s- and by extension her- heritage, but had never considered the ramifications of it beyond being different from the other children. You¡­ spoke to my dad, too? ¡®He never kindled his spark enough to allow us to hold a proper conversation, like this one currently. But some days, when the Forest around him was quiet, I would sing to him, and he would manage to hear bits and pieces. He was a good man, Jeremiah.¡¯ Tears found their way over the creases of Amar¡¯s smile. She would always miss him, and remember those days he had taught her when she was young, but Amar finally felt some peace at Jeremiah¡¯s passing. Thank you. Now, you said something about my circumstances? ¡®Ah, yes dear. Well, suffice to say, I will be taking a bit more of a hands on approach in your development. I can¡¯t always be hovering over your shoulder, but you will have much more contact with me than most elves. I can¡¯t tell you much more than that, Amar, although I wish I could.¡¯ Oh¡­ Amar did not quite know how to respond when a God seemed apologetic. So she just tried to be as understanding as possible, to hide that. It''s completely alright. I look forward to speaking with you more, Selerys. The Goddess¡¯ incessantly pleasant laugh came out again. ¡®Me too dear, me too.¡¯
As of today, the Frear Squadron was no more. From this moment on, under his command it would now be the Greatwood Squadron. For his contributions at Langst Harbor, Gregor had gotten a field promotion that looked likely to stick, after they cleared his background again. Major Micah¡¯s betrayal had cut deep, as he had literally slashed the Captains down to 1/8 of their number, forcing a desperate hunt for new candidates. As such, they were unlikely to find anyone to take over Gregor¡¯s new post for quite some time, and as such, the new Major had just made it official instead. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! So, Gregor had been spending most of the day trying to get to know his new subordinates, and adjusting to becoming an authority figure. His first objective had gone alright, as he had introductions with the rest of the Squad that he hadn¡¯t previously met formally, including Jerry, Larry, Aerie, Arasaka, Lucius and Sophia. Gregor of course knew that Logan and Amar were a part of this Squad, but after their roles in at Langst Harbor, they were being allowed to recover separately. However, Gregor found himself failing at his second objective. From his brief interactions with his new Squad, he realized that they didn¡¯t respect him, mostly because of his age. Sighing, Gregor realized what he was going to have to do. This had happened to him before, when he had been directed to lead a fresh batch of guards under his father, the mayor¡¯s order. Back then, he had been 14, and the grown men he had been placed in charge of took offense to that. After the first day of his training, the vocal complaints had quieted to whispers around the fire. By the end of the second day, the guards had just methodically chewed their dinner and went to bed silently. Once the third day was over, several people quit, and the rest kept training through the night. After two weeks, they had been among the most drilled guard teams in the town. Gregor¡¯s methodology was simple. They would fight him, all at once, and they would lose. Then they would repeat those two steps over and over, until they started to figure out teamwork. He was in the process of informing the Squad of that very routine, when the new Major approached. The Greatwood Squadron at least managed to snap a salute for their former Captain. ¡°At ease. Captain Greatwood, I¡¯m sorry to postpone your training procedures, but I need Recruits Lucius and Sophia to accompany me.¡± ¡°Understood, ma¡¯am. It''s probably for the best that the recruits get another day of rest, I suppose. This training will push them.¡± Major Frear smiled wildly. ¡°Good, this bunch could use it. I¡¯ll send those two back with Recruits Logan and Amar, as well.¡± ¡°Understood, ma¡¯am.¡±
Logan ended up spending most of the day in that room just hanging out with Remy. It felt nice to just give his friend and companion attention for a day, rather than grind constantly. They couldn¡¯t do most of Remy¡¯s favorite activities because they were stuck inside, but it was still a good time for both of them. Eventually though, Major Frear came back in, this time flanked by two other familiar faces. Lucius and Sophia flanked the Major, and neither of Logan¡¯s Squadmates looked particularly pleased. ¡°Recruit Logan Brewer, as you were already in my squad under surveillance, and all of your actions have been deemed to be in the good of the Austen Kingdom, despite ample opportunity to turn coats, you are released back to your Squadron.¡± Logan let out a sigh of relief, as the former-Captain continued. ¡°However, after this moment, and especially heading into the future, your actions will be more heavily monitored. These two have been personally directed by me to carry out this task, and will be occasionally reporting on your activities. Understood?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, thank you ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Alright then, you two, escort him back to the barracks.¡± With that, Major Frear turned and exited from whence she came, leaving the Squadmates alone in the singular room. Of all the members of the Frear Squadron, Logan was least familiar with these two. As they looked at him, Logan realized that may have been intentional, from their end. ¡°Ah, hi guys. Thanks for coming to pick me up.¡± There was a moment where the Squadmates just stared at one another, before Lucius and Sophia both just shook their heads, almost in unison. Then they turned and walked out, gesturing for Logan to follow.
As Logan walked several paces behind his Squadmates, he tried to pay attention to them, learn a bit about their mannerisms. That¡¯s how he noticed their interactions. At first, Logan was just looking at how they moved and such, but he quickly found his eyes drawn to their hands. Both Lucius and Sophia would make funny and strange hand motions as they swung their arms. It was silly enough that Logan tried, unsuccessfully, to hold in a giggle. The two had looked back at him until Logan had looked ashamed, then furiously went back to making their hand movements. It was at this juncture, that Logan finally realized they were talking in some sort of sign language. Of course, his realization was out loud, completely illuminating his stupidity to his Squadmates. ¡°Wait, are you guys talking in signs?¡± Lucius and Sophia looked back at him with extremely exasperated looks. He could almost hear the ¡®duh¡¯, just from their eye contact. Logan felt the heat fill his cheeks. ¡°Can, uh¡­ can either of you speak?¡± They both gave him dead looks, and shook their heads slowly, before going back to turn around. Logan¡¯s next question then took them off guard. ¡°Then, would it be possible for you to show me how to sign too?¡± Their attention snapped back to Logan. Clearly, they hadn¡¯t considered that he may have a desire to understand them after revealing he would have to work to do so. As they considered him, Logan saw something enter their eyes that made him happy. Appreciation. Slowly, Sophia nodded her head, and then Lucius joined her. Logan flashed a genuine smile. Today had been hard, but being a part of the Frear Squadron was helping Logan day by day. Chapter 48: The Greatwood Squadron The Greatwood Squadron When Logan and his ¡®escorts¡¯ made their way back to the barracks, they took a slight detour to pick up someone else. Just a little bit further down the thoroughfare, they came to a building like the one Logan had been in, where they retrieved Amar. Together, they made their way to the formerly Frear Squadron¡¯s barracks. Because apparently, Gregor had somehow ended up as their new Captain. ¡°What! But you¡¯re so young!¡± Logan exclaimed. Gregor had just stared daggers at Logan, until his purple eyes looked away in defeat. ¡°Anyways, I was in the process of explaining this just a bit ago, but now that everyone is back I can cover the new training schedule in depth. At least for these first three days, you all will be fighting with me as your opponent.¡± Logan looked back at the younger man. He thought that Gregor might just be getting cocky after killing the Depth Wyrm, but that wasn¡¯t in his nature, and from Gregor¡¯s face he looked serious, if slightly annoyed and resigned. Letting out a sigh, Gregor continued. ¡°However, all that begins tomorrow. It wouldn¡¯t do to have the training cut after only a short few hours. Therefore, for the rest of the day the Squadron is dismissed.¡± With that, Gregor gestured for the Squad to split, and that they did, with the members going their various ways to enjoy the rest of the day. Then Gregor motioned for Amar and Logan to join him, as a smile came across his face. ¡°Now that we have the formalities out of the way, let¡¯s take a little time and catch up.¡± At that, the three companions from Alteep got to talk amongst themselves for the first time in weeks. The sound of laughter and storytelling quickly became progressively more rowdy, as Gregor had planned this out, and used his newfound rank to get a barrel of mead set out for the barracks. The noise and alcohol eventually brought the rest of the Squadron back over, and by the end of the night, everyone was toasty, celebrating their survival and victory at Langst Harbor. Conveniently, no one mentioned the former Major, or the turncoat that had been amongst them.
¡°Ughhh¡­ my heaaadddd¡­¡± When Logan awoke the next morning, he laid about groggily on the ground until a panic hit his chest. ¡°Wait, I fell asleep!¡± Somehow, Logan had drank enough that he had forgotten what waited for him in his dreams. But, it seemed he had managed to get off lucky this time. Maybe the Being didn¡¯t have another update for Logan yet, which made him relieved. If he never had to witness absolute power again he would be overjoyed. Somehow, he didn¡¯t think it would work out like that for him, though. Sitting up, Logan looked around and realized he had never made his way back into the barracks. It seemed like he wasn¡¯t the only one, as Arasaka was slumped against a wall, while Larry lay cuddling with the empty barrel of mead. The sun let streams of light stretch across the field, making the morning seem almost ethereal. ¡°Good morning, there. You ready for training?¡± Gregor asked him, as the young man walked over through the light. Somehow, despite drinking the same quantities of alcohol as the much larger Larry, Gregor seemed to be completely alert and chipper this morning, which struck Logan as completely unfair. Not only had Gregor been the one who started the drinking, but he was also planning to beat them up while they were hungover? That was just rude, in Logan¡¯s eyes. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Sshhhuddup. Five more minutes.¡± ¡°Is that anyway to speak to a commanding officer, Recruit?¡± ¡°Yaaeee-sshhhuddup. Sir.¡± Logan fired off a lazy salute to go along with his attitude. Gregor just chuckled, and lowered himself down next to Logan. The two men just sat there and watched as the morning went on, and the Squad roused. Through the camp, other Squadron¡¯s had begun their day, but Gregor wisely decided to let his fresh subordinates rise naturally. Eventually, as the sun started to cross overhead, all the members of the newly named Greatwood Squadron were up, and training was ready to begin. Gregor wasted no time from that point, briefly re-explaining the exercise before situating everyone in the training yard.
Any hopes Logan possessed about Gregor underestimating his new subordinates was quickly crushed during the first encounter. Even though all eight Legionnaires from the Squadron were no slouches, Gregor showcased exactly why he had been promoted to Captaincy. At first, the Squadron had moved well to surround Gregor, with Arasaka and Larry engaging in a pincer that allowed their other melee enthusiasts to take pop shots from cover. Aerie and Jerry were bombaring Gregor at every opportunity as well, although the latter was using empty vials for safety. This was still training after all. Still, their coordination as a Squadron was enough to make Logan smile. Then he realized Gregor was still smiling, and his blood went a little frosty. For a while, Gregor kept blocking and dodging their attacks, seeming content to let the Greatwood Squadron tire themselves. However, when his moment arrived, Gregor shifted pace immediately. It started with an overextension by Larry, the big man letting loose a thunderous overhand swing that hit nothing except turf, wedging his axe firmly in the ground. As if Gregor had been waiting for it, he seamlessly pivoted into a spinning back heel kick straight into Arasaka¡¯s upheld shield, launching her away from the melee. Lucius and Sophia stepped forwards to try and contain him, creating a cage of four swords. Although they moved with grace and skill, Gregor started to glow from within, and battered their swords away with almost contemptuous ease. Amar brought a Bear Claw down into the mix to try and aid them, but Gregor leapt into the air and avoided all three of his subordinates. Logan looked up, trying to read the young Captain¡¯s arc. When he pieced it together, Logan frantically teleported over to the destination. Just in time, because as Logan popped back into reality a few feet to the right of Jerry, he only had a second to whip around and try to parry Gregor¡¯s slash with his training sword. Not that it did much, as Gregor just knocked it out of Logan¡¯s hand and smacked Jerry on the head regardless. Then, Gregor¡¯s sword descended again, except it had Logan¡¯s head on the menu this time. Finding the familiar white lines, Logan teleported to safety just in time¡­ for Gregor to dash across the field to him and hit him across the head regardless. Crashing to the ground, Logan only managed to raise his pounding head again once all of his Squadmates had joined him. Gregor stood mighty over the Squad. ¡°Again.¡±
The rest of the day was filled with excruciating repetition. The newly dubbed Greatwood Squadron were thrashed by their namesake, time and time again, leaving all eight members thoroughly discouraged, despite their victory only a few days ago. Enough so, that Logan eventually realized that was the point, as he took yet another dirt nap. Wow, I should not have called him young yesterday. Guess I should apologize, and see if he lets us off with just one of the three days he promised. Sitting up, Logan pushed himself to his knees just to have Larry crash land into him. The bigger man¡¯s weight carried the two back another five feet, before settling directly on top of Logan¡¯s head. ¡°Hrmrfff!¡± ¡°Oooouhhh, aw- Oh, sorry Logan.¡± Larry slowly rolled off of Logan, giving him access to oxygen once more. Gasping for breath, Logan looked around just to see his Squadron all collapsed, once more. Gregor stood, panting slightly, but barely having broken a legitimate sweat. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s good enough for today, let''s pack it in. Remember to stretch out and cool down, otherwise tomorrow is going to be much, much worse than today. And not just because you will be sore, do we understand?¡± A chorus of groans and affirmatives sounded up from the Squad, and then they split up for the day. There was instantly a line for the shower in both barracks, as no one wanted to get into their cot coated in mud. Except for Larry, whose snores were already fading into the background noise. Instead of lining up, Logan decided to enjoy the last little bit of sunlight, and that''s why he found himself privy between his current and former Captains. ¡°I¡¯ve just received word that we are to march North by the week¡¯s end. Do you think you can get this crowd under control by then, Captain?¡± ¡°I believe so ma¡¯am. You definitely drilled them on the fundamentals, but saying they''re ready for battle is another Beast.¡± ¡°They have no choice. These orders come from up high. Royals.¡± At that, Gregor took a minute to respond. So far, Logan hadn¡¯t encountered any nobility, but he knew that he was in the Austen Kingdom, so it made sense for a Royal family to exist. However, considering the medieval state of technology, Logan had the feeling classism was very much a thing here. Gregor¡¯s response was succinct. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that the Greatwood Squadron is ready to march, Major.¡± Chapter 49: Building Bonds Building Bonds Gregor stood in front of his new Squadron for their second day of training. In his pocket, his hand played with another new thing. Last night, after informing him of their upcoming march, the Major had taken Gregor to get his Assessment Card updated
Name: Gregor Greatwood Tier: C
Body: S Rank
Mind: A Rank
Spirit: A Rank
Affinity: N/A
Abilities:
Aura Control
Blessings:
Battle Meditation
His conflicts at the dock had managed to push him past 25 Kindles, and into the lower threshold of the C-Tier. When he had met the administrator for the Assessment, he informed Gregor that he had Kindled exactly 31 times so far in his life. Gregor was also supposed to bring the rest of his Squadron along before they were to leave Marineford. So far, Gregor hadn¡¯t noticed much difference between D and C Tier. In fact, he would say there were no discernable distinguishing features, except for a slight improvement in reading opponents movements. Still, Gregor¡¯s body was powerful, and that was enough to have left his Squadron laying in the dust and dirt once more. ¡°Again. This time, I want to see a better attempt at covering each other when your Squadmates make an aggressive maneuver. Now¡­ begin.¡± As usual, Gregor let his Squadron initiate the contest¡¯s early stages and take advantageous positioning. Realistically, it was the only time he could accurately gauge their improvement, as once Gregor went on the offensive, their formation would crumble. That was the point, after all. As he watched, Larry and Arasaka engaged him directly again. However, this time, their approach was measured, and they chose to attack from a coordinated angle instead of separating. Gregor approved, against stronger opponents using the spacial advantage superior numbers provided was crucial. As Larry swung his axe with force, Arasaka would duck into the openings he left, letting the tip of the Greatwood Squadrons spear pierce forward with no hesitation. Normally, this would have prompted Gregor to back up, but Aerie and Jerry had lain puddles of alternating water and acid, and Gregor had no desire to test either. Leaping up in the air as he did during the first drill, Gregor was immediately met by a Bear Claw from Amar, forcing him to parry, and letting Logan teleport directly behind him, and Lucius and Sophia to cover his landing. It was a well worked operation, that would have worked¡­ had they faced anyone other than Gregor. Instead, Gregor activated his Aura Ability, and stiffened the air around him, slowing both himself and Logan¡¯s descending training sword to a halt. Lashing out with his own wooden sword Logan, Lucius, and Sophia fell to the ground. Once Gregor landed, the rest shortly followed. ¡°Good job everyone. I may even let you off without a third day at this rate.¡± Gregor stated with a smile. A chorus of grunts and groans met his cheer. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
By the end of the second day of Gregor¡¯s training, Logan was feeling more alive than ever. That was because of the pain bringing awareness to places on his body that he wasn¡¯t aware existed, making Logan hyper aware of his own mortality. Jerry had kindly offered to check up on the Squadron after the day''s training, applying salves and compression bandages to help the recovery process. Of course, the recovery process was still likely to take most of the week, but every bit helped. At least, Logan told himself that as the poultice stung over his scrapes and cuts. Still, Logan kept repeating that it had been worth it, because Gregor had decided to move on to a different training regimen tomorrow. Their new Captain had claimed it was because of their improvement, but Logan could tell it was due to the imposed time constraints. Instead, starting tomorrow Gregor was going to pair the Squadron off and have them fight in one on one battles. He explained that the majority of fights ended up breaking into one on one combat eventually, so it was an important fundamental skill, to be prepared and practiced against any type of opponent. With the variety that the Greatwood Squadron had to offer, they could achieve meaningful practice on that. Logan had been paired up with Aerie, and frankly had no idea how he would go about beating her in a fight. The limits of her Divinity were completely unknown to him, so any planning Logan processed would be guesswork at best. Staring across the field at her, Logan shook his head. If he wasn¡¯t going to make any progress on this front, he had other work to do. Thanking Jerry for his help, Logan went to track down two other members of the Greatwood Squadron.
As Logan sat with Sophia and Lucius outside the barracks, they tried to impart knowledge of sign language to him. So far over the last couple of days, little progress had been made. ¡°Wait, so this is the sign for ¡®left¡¯?¡± Logan asked. Logan formed his left hand into an ¡®L¡¯ shape, and then made an outward motion with his arm. At his motion, both Sophia and Lucius gave him a nod. It had been in this fashion that Logan¡¯s learning had progressed, with Logan saying words, and them miming back the duo¡¯s motions. They had also managed to co-opt some paper, and an ink quill, but Logan had run into an issue with that as well. Although he had never even considered it because everyone he met had spoken English, when his Squadmates went to write out their thoughts, Logan realized he didn¡¯t know the written language. He had pieced together that the alphabet was similar to the one he was used to, but all of the symbols they used as characters here meant nothing to Logan. Deciding to focus on Sign Language first, the trio had discarded that method of communication, and just relied on Logan to drive the progress forward. ¡°Ok, ok, I think I¡¯m starting to get the hang of this. Let me try the sentence again.¡± This time, Logan went through a whole series of motions, arms and hands moving in sync in front of his chest. ¡®Go forwards, and go left to get into the barracks.¡¯ Or at least, that¡¯s what he was trying to say. When Logan looked at Lucius, the man was just smiling and shaking his head, before he signed the one word Logan could immediately recognize at this point. ¡®Wrong.¡¯ ¡°Well, heck. Let me try one more time.¡± Logan wasn¡¯t about to give up that easily. At his insistence, the three of them stayed out and worked on Logan¡¯s improving communication skills for hours, until they could barely stay up, after a brutal day of training. Still, all three of them retired for the night with smiles upon their faces.
Amar had a smile upon her face as she sat with her current company. Her new Captain was seated across from her, even if it was hard for Amar to think of him like that. Seeing someone you had grown up transition to a position of authority was hard to adjust too, after all. ¡°The food here for the officers is given a bit more effort, so I thought you might enjoy eating some better fare.¡± Gregor said, while looking away. Amar wasn¡¯t going to point out that he was blushing while he said that, too. She thought it was cute. ¡°Well aren¡¯t you a charmer? Thanks for thinking of me.¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­ I hope you enjoy it, then.¡± And she did. Although the food wasn¡¯t terrific, it had a level or preparation that the mass made meals of the mess hall couldn¡¯t match. A thin cut of steak, with roasted green beans and fresh bread adorned her plate, all of it quite well made. Still, she kept having her attention drawn back to Gregor. She hadn¡¯t realized it, being separated from him in the Frear Squadron, but Gregor¡¯s presence made it much easier for her to relax. Maybe it was the reminder of home, but something about his company made any tension fade from her chest. ¡°Uhh, has training been alright so far? Not too intense?¡± Gregor queried nervously. Amar managed to give him a glare. ¡°Well, my head certainly has gotten stronger from your attacks at least.¡± Gregor had the decency to look embarrassed. At least Amar had managed to get some reward out of the pain. The smile was still warmly covering her face. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry? I¡¯ve been trying to be gentle with you, at least.¡± ¡°Oh, just me?¡± At that, Gregor suddenly stood. He was clearly flustered. ¡°I just remembered¡­ actually the Major was looking for me, I should really be going.¡± As her new Captain rushed away from the scene, the smile on Amar¡¯s face just grew. Chapter 50: Assessment Day II Assessment Day II ¡°Now, I know I said we would be conducting one on one drills today, but that is going to be postponed, as the Greatwood Squadron has been called in for Assessment.¡± At their Captain''s words, a murmur rippled out amongst the Squad. Logan didn¡¯t say anything however, at a loss as to what exactly that meant. ¡°Everyone here went through a truncated version of Assessment held by the former Major upon arriving at Marineford. This was apparently due to ¡®lack of funding¡¯ but with Micah¡¯s treason, we discovered he had been mismanaging funding, sending a large portion to a separate account.¡± ¡°As such, we have redirected those payments back to where they were always intended to go, to a Guild certified Assessor, and have been sending Squadrons one by one to Assessment. Now, it is the Greatwood Squadron¡¯s turn.¡± With this explanation, Logan remembered a different explanation Gregor had once given him, weeks ago at this point, of Assessment Cards and the Ranks and Tiers involved with them. It made him excited, and somewhat sad. On one hand, it had been too long since Logan had an accurate gauge on his ability. On the other, it reminded him of his first mentor here, Jeremiah. They had made a shoddy tracking system together when Logan was just learning about the wonders of Divinity. Thinking back made him strangely wistful. ¡°Alright everyone, step to!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The Squad responded in unison, putting a small smirk on Gregor¡¯s face. Logan had to admit, his training had been good for instilling discipline in them. As the Greatwood Squadron marched down the thoroughfare, Logan¡¯s thoughts turned to his upcoming Assessment. Apparently, he wasn¡¯t alone. ¡°What Ranks do you all think you¡¯ll get? I know I gotta have an S in Body, right?¡± Larry asked, in a clear, if failing, attempt to be quiet. ¡°I really don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just hoping I can keep up with the rest of you.¡± Logan responded.
¡°Hello there, Greatwood Squadron! I¡¯ll be your Assessor today, Kavin! I hope you guys are having an absolutely wonderful day so far!¡± Woah, this guy is super enthusiastic. He must really love his job. ¡°Alrighty let''s get right to it now! Can I have the first volunteer please step up?¡± Kavin asked the Squadron. They looked amongst themselves for someone to step up to the overly excited Assessor. The moment stretched on awkwardly, until Gregor cleared his throat. Instantly, the Squads reaction changed. ¡°Ah, let me do it.¡± ¡°No, let me go first, Jerry!¡± Larry said. ¡°Actually I have seniority here, so it should be me!¡± Arasaka input. Even Sophia started grabbing people as if to hold them back from getting ahead, before Gregor cleared his throat once more. The Squadron immediately settled down again. ¡°Wow Captain, look at your Squad¡¯s discipline! Now isn¡¯t that something? Well, let''s start with the first person to volunteer, Jerry, was it?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Jerry replied respectfully. ¡°Wonderful, well lets have you step up here alright? I¡¯m going to Assess you, and it¡¯s going to feel like a pulse of lightning is pushing through you for a second! Don¡¯t worry though, it''s completely harmless, I¡¯m just using my Divinity to get an imprint of your traits! Then you can get your Assessment Card right away, isn¡¯t that exciting?¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. When no one responded right away, Kavin repeated himself. ¡°Isn¡¯t that exciting?¡± ¡°Uhhh, yes sir, very exciting sir.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so glad you think so! Let''s get to it then!¡± With that, their Assessor raised his hands to Jerry¡¯s chest, and light began to stream from his fingers. As Kavin had explained, a small pulse of light washed out over Jerry¡¯s body, extending from his chest to his toes and head, before trailing back to its origin. The process went quickly, only taking about fifteen seconds from start to finish. ¡°Whew, there we go! All done now, Jerry! Give me just a couple seconds more to make the Assessment Card!¡± With that, the Assessor turned and walked over to a small wood and metal box, the Divine energies still swirling between his palms. Once there, he thrust his hands into two holes on either side of the contraption, depositing the energies within. All at once, light began to flare on the boxes edges, and a slight whirring sound could be overheard. ¡°Ok¡­ and¡­ we¡­ are done!¡± Kavin exclaimed as the box finished its purpose.
¡°Huh, not bad at all.¡± Jerry had just received his Assessment Card, with the rest of the Greatwood Squadron standing around him, trying to peak at the older man¡¯s Tier and Ranks. Logan managed to get a good glimpse at it from his side, quickly noting the important points.
Name: Jerry Springer Tier: D
Body: D Rank
Mind: S Rank
Spirit: C Rank
Affinity: N/A
Abilities:
N/A
Blessings:
Hyperfocus
Honestly, Logan probably could have guessed at Jerry¡¯s Ranks and been 100% accurate, but he was more interested in the man¡¯s Blessing. Logan¡¯s knowledge of Blessings and Abilities were very limited, and he was dying to learn a little more. ¡°Hey Jerry, what¡¯s your Blessing do?¡± Logan asked. At first, the man looked a little annoyed, like Logan had asked a deeply personal question. Which, maybe he did, Logan didn¡¯t quite know. But Jerry quickly took a breath, and went on to explain anyway. ¡°Ah, my Blessing has been very helpful to me in my academic pursuits. It allows me to clear my brain completely and direct my attention with complete intent. This also has the effect of making my Body slightly more coordinated when I¡¯m under its effects, improving the accuracy of my throws.¡± Wow. That seemed incredibly useful to the man, and was likely the reason he had become the person he was. Logan found it fascinating, imagining how people would develop into adults with clear advantages in certain endeavors. Then, it was time for the rest of the Squadron to go through Assessment. One by one, they all stood at the front and let the energetic Kavin Assess them. Everyone in the Squad found themselves at the same D-Tier, which had provided them all with slightly enhanced Bodies. Logan wanted to know what the upcoming Tiers would offer, but before he got the chance to ask, it was his turn to be Assessed.
As Logan stood in front of Kavin, watching the Divinity swirl on his Assessor¡¯s hands, he tried not to be nervous. Kavin gave him a smile that Logan returned shakily. You just watched everyone else do it, you¡¯ll be fine. Come on Logan, just do it. Even though Logan understood that he was perfectly safe, he had never let anyone use their Divinity on him intentionally before. It felt unnatural to him, like he was being cornered in. Taking a deep breath, Logan tried to stay calm. ¡°Alrighty, here we go!¡± Kavin enthusiastically exclaimed. Instantly, the man put his hands on Logan¡¯s chest, and let his Divinity pulse outwards. His earlier description of the sensation was apt, as Logan felt like his blood had been replaced by pure electricity. However, the sensation didn¡¯t hurt, and instead felt¡­ empowering. The feeling ended almost too fast for Logan¡¯s tastes, as Kavin¡¯s Divinity snaked through his system and back into the Assessor¡¯s hands. Kavin then took the energies over to the box, letting it process them the same way he had for everyone else. However, there seemed to be a slight problem for Logan, as his Card took almost twice the time as his Squadmates¡¯ to process. Eventually, with a noise that sounded like the machine was breaking, Logan¡¯s Assessment Card came out. ¡°Huh¡­ Well I¡¯ll be¡­ Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever seen that before!¡± As Kavin handed Logan his card, he quickly looked it over.
Name: Logan Brewer Tier: D
Body: B Rank
Mind: B Rank
Spirit: B Rank
Affinity: Life & U?????n????????k?????????????n?????????o????????w??????????n????????????
Abilities:
Flora Manipulation Soul Forged Sword
Blessings:
U????????????n???????k????????????????????n??????????????????o?????????????w??????????????????n?????????? U?????n????????k?????????????n?????????o????????w??????????n????????????
¡°Uhhh¡­¡± escaped Logan¡¯s mouth as he desperately tried to come up with an excuse. Thankfully, his friend had his back. ¡°Of course, all Legionnaires¡¯ Assessments are private and not to be spoken of without their consent.¡± Gregor stated, looking over the whole group. He didn¡¯t stop holding their gaze until a chorus of affirmatives rang out. Then he motioned for the next person in line to step up to Kavin. Amar, the last to go through Assessment, walked up to the overly enthusiastic man. Chapter 51: Preparation Preparation
Name: Amar Haldir Tier: D
Body: A Rank
Mind: B Rank
Spirit: B Rank
Affinity: Life
Abilities:
Flora Manipulation
Blessings:
Natural Imbue
It has Jeremiah¡¯s last name¡­ The Card kept bringing a smile to Amar¡¯s eyes. She had never thought about it, but her true name had always been Amar Haldir, not Amar Ket. That had been her stepfather¡¯s name, but no longer her¡¯s. The joy that brought was almost enough to make her overlook the other oddity on the Assessment Card. Her Blessing was listed as Natural Imbue, instead of the Bear Claw Blessing. Had she misunderstood her Blessing this whole time. Now, Amar was alone in the barracks, but she had asked the Assessor, Kavin about it when she had received her Card. He had claimed that he personally had never seen the Blessing before, but the machine they used had a database that was compiled across the Austen Kingdom, so someone had documented it before. Still, that didn¡¯t assist Amar in discovering what the Blessing actually was. For that, she would need to experiment for herself, and she couldn¡¯t do that inside. Rising to her feet, Amar walked out to the training yard. Outside, Amar found Logan engaged in a silent conversation with Sophia and Lucius. The trio were gesturing with their hands in a way that reminded Amar of the hand sign she sometimes saw hunters and guards use back in Alteep Village. She wasn¡¯t planning on disturbing them, but Logan called her over. ¡°Hey Amar, come over here.¡± Being polite, Amar made her way over to her three Squadmates. They had their Assessment Cards out, and it seemed like they were comparing them in some fashion. ¡°Hey Amar, I¡¯m having these two teach me Sign language, do you want to join in?¡± She would have preferred to test what her Blessing actually did, but both Sophia and Lucius appeared to be happier than she had previously seen them, so she answered without thinking. ¡°Sure, I would love to.¡± The two of them flashed her their rare smiles at that.
Gregor was slightly nervous as he entered the command tent. Major Frear had an aura about her, that although it was an Ability like Gregor poses, was still very tangible. Her glare felt like it could reduce its target to a puddle. ¡°Captain Greatwood. I¡¯ve been expecting you.¡± That didn¡¯t help matters, as Gregor found himself gulping instinctually. Forcing his nerves to the side, Gregor managed to sound normal as he responded. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I¡¯m here as requested, Major.¡± ¡°Yes, I have more details pertaining to the upcoming march. Come week¡¯s end all troops stationed at Marineford will be heading North to Errstile Fort, holding the border against the recently fallen Grecia.¡± ¡°Our reports indicate that the state of Grecia is currently unknown, which is what is prompting this shift. However, I personally doubt Harth is content with just one conquest, so I would urge you to ramp up training as much as possible. I can all but see the inevitable conflict.¡± ¡°We have three days remaining before we head out. Make use of them, Captain.¡± ¡°Of course, Major, I¡¯ll do my best to ensure they are ready.¡± ¡°Good. They won¡¯t get the chance once we make it there, so the work has to be done ahead of time. You¡¯re dismissed, Captain.¡± Taking his leave, Gregor exited the tent through the flap that he walked in. Outside, the air was cool and crisp, with faint scents of the sea making their way inland. Making his way down the thoroughfare and back to the Greatwood Barracks, Gregor let his mind wander towards the Squadron¡¯s reassignment. His subordinates weren¡¯t yet ready for mass-scale conflict. Although they had some idea of formations and tactics from Gregor¡¯s training, they still didn¡¯t have the trained reactions necessary to best an intelligent opponent in the thick of battle. Gregor needed to get them running one on one immediately, and even that might not be enough with only three days remaining. His teeth grinding, Gregor tried to come up with an even more packed routine to keep his Squadron alive.
Although Gregor¡¯s previous training had been strenuous, by the end of the next day Logan was wishing to go back. Sitting on his cot in the barracks, his butt felt like it was about to peel off of his thighs, and everywhere Logan had sensation, ached. Gregor had followed through on his promise of introducing one on one to the regimen, but had added a twist he had conveniently forgotten to mention previously. The new Captain would walk along the ongoing fights, occasionally engaging both parties and transitioning the fight from a one on one, into a two on one against Gregor. His reasoning was that such quick developments would often take place on the battlefield, and becoming accustomed to the rapid changes in pace would elevate their fighting capability drastically. Logan didn¡¯t know about all that, and was left without the processing power to gauge its effectiveness. His brain felt like it had been run through a centrifuge and turned to slurry. ¡°Ueugghh¡­¡±, Logan groaned. ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Jerry said. Even Lucius had tossed up the sign for ¡®same¡¯. If nothing else, it was clear the new training was kicking the Greatwood Squadrons asses. Hopefully, it was into shape. ¡°Well¡­ if we aren¡¯t doing anything else¡­ could I maybe see your Assessment Card once more, Logan?¡± Jerry asked. The question caught Logan off guard, but he trusted Jerry to a degree. ¡°Sure, here you go.¡± Handing his Assessment Card over, Logan watched Jerry¡¯s face take on another dimension. Interest shone brightly in his eyes as he examined it, before Jerry looked back to Logan. ¡°Do you have any idea what this means? To have an unknown Affinity, incredible. There may be a whole new path of Divinity we have yet to discover!¡± Jerry exclaimed. ¡°Ah, great¡­¡± Logan didn¡¯t know where he found the energy to get so excited, because Logan himself had run out long hours ago. However, he did have some idea as to his ¡®unknown¡¯ Affinity. The Void had at this point blended deeply into the back of Logan¡¯s mind, and although Logan still felt unsure about tapping into his power, he was sure that was what the Assessment Card had picked up on. If anything, Logan was more interested in his Life Affinity, seeing as that had completely blindsided him. However, looking back it made sense, as Logan had been able to learn Old Jeremiah¡¯s Abilities without issue. Still he had no idea what he should do with his Affinities, as Logan had just copied other people for all of his progress so far. If he wanted to continue to survive, he had a feeling that would have to change.
Forcing himself to stay awake, Logan spent the night as he often did, training even more. Today however, he wasn¡¯t following a routine, or doing simple stamina training. Today, Logan decided, it was time for him to figure out the limits of his Divinity. Heading back out to the training yard, Logan landed on trying to figure out a little bit more about his Flora Manipulation Ability, what he had formerly been referring to as Root. Spinning up the pattern with his soul tentacles, Logan let himself bask in the sensations. All around him, he could feel the plant-life, as if they were laying a hand on his shoulder. Their presence weighed lightly on his mind, illuminating his surroundings mentally as the carpet of greenery filled in. Growths and flora filled in the gaps of the earth, painting a beautiful, if vague, picture. Slowly, Logan let out a breath, and tried to connect with it. Not just a singular plant, or one type of greenery, but all of it. An alien awareness started to fill his mind on the attempt, not hostile in any way, but uniquely foreign in its thought process compared to Logan. Upon encountering it, Logan startled, almost losing control of the pattern of his soul, but he managed to hold on to the Ability. As he slowly integrated more and more with the other awareness, he realized that it wasn¡¯t coming from any one thing, but the whole collection of living things around him. The trees, shrubs, plants, and grass had all formed some sort of connection from deep below, and were linked intrinsically, as the roots and links beneath the loamy soil formed into a strange whole. Logan found it breathtaking. Literally, as the strain from holding the Ability increased with every second, pressure compacting Logan¡¯s chest. Right before he let go of the pattern however, he heard a faint laughter that sounded of chimes and a warm, glowing fire. Chapter 52: Northbound Northbound Logan just spent some time catching his breath after that experience. He wasn¡¯t mentally tired, as well, he never was anymore, but between his attempts at experimentation and the training he had undergone during the day, Logan had to convince himself to keep practicing. Forcing himself to stay out, Logan moved onto the next item on his docket. He knew what both of his ¡®unknown¡¯ Blessings were, but hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to use the second since he had obtained it. The Depth Wyrms Blessing sat at the collection point of his tentacles, pulsating in rhythm with his breath. Logan found himself nervous when he considered using the Blessing, even though he felt foolish for doing so. He intrinsically knew that now that the Blessing was his, he wouldn¡¯t be harmed by its intense power, but still his mind flashed back to Langst Harbor, and the horror they had faced there. Steeling himself, Logan took the plunge, and spiritually grasped the Blessing. It felt like contracting an imaginary muscle, or tensing to the point that his veins started to pop out. Forcing the issue, Logan ripped through, and let loose a scream from his open jaw. Waves of barely visible energy rippled out in a torrent, thankfully in a cone the way he was facing, because as it had contact with the plant-life and flora he had just connected to with his Ability, the greenery was absolutely shredded. And it was loud. Like, really, really, really heckin¡¯ loud. Logan cringed back after he finished, both from the destruction he had caused to the innocent landscape, and from the noise he was sure would wake at least a few people. Looking around at the 20 feet of pure chaos he had caused, Logan tried to slip as quietly into the barracks as he could manage. As he was slipping into his cot, he heard some movement from one of his Squadmates, but Logan wasn¡¯t focused on that. I¡­ have to be careful with that one.
The next couple of days of training went in a blur, as Gregor continued to hammer adaptability into his subordinates. Their one on one training was intense, with very few breaks for resting and recuperating. Logan found himself dueling off against Aerie on the third day, having already gone through the entire Squadrons rotation, and ending up with his original partner. During the first day, Logan had struggled with beating Aerie, as she held her water stores for close range while she peppered him from distance with her crossbow. Logan had tried to teleport closer, but at this point all of his Squadmates were intimately familiar with his most used Blessing. She had instantly countered whipping him with a stream of water powerful enough to leave welts through his leathers. As he looked across the training yard at her, he grabbed the spot where he ached. She smirked at him. ¡°Ready for more?¡± Aerie asked across the field. ¡°Bring it on, you jellyfish.¡± That wiped the smug look off her face, Aerie instead growing serious. As Gregor signaled for the duos to begin, she instantly launched a blunted bolt at Logan¡¯s sternum. Dodging to the side, Logan tried to advance on the Water Attuned on foot. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. As Aerie loosed another bolt, Logan managed to stumble once more out of its trajectory, before he felt a presence at his back. Grabbing desperately at his core, Logan barely managed to teleport out of the way of Gregor¡¯s downstroke. Instantly, fighting each other was forgotten over their new common adversary, as Aerie and Logan swapped targets. Crossbow bolts covered Logan¡¯s rengage as he teleported once again, this time headed towards Gregor instead of away. As Logan brought his training sword towards his Captains head, Gregor leaned out of the way with almost casual indifference, before making to strike back. Just in time, a whip of water extended from Aeries hands to Gregor¡¯s forestalling his retaliation, and allowing Logan another swing. One which Logan ended, about two inches from Gregor¡¯s neck. ¡°Captain.¡± Logan said. Gregor just smiled.
At the end of the third day of training, Gregor made an announcement. ¡°Tomorrow, at dawn, all the Legionnaires stationed at Marineford are to leave, and march North. That includes our Squadron. Congratulations former Recruits, you have officially joined the Legion, as of this moment.¡± The Greatwood Squadron was stunned. For Logan and Amar, they had only been in training for a month, and most of their Squadmates had been here much longer. After all, their Squad was grouped together because they all had pasts or powers that singled them out as potential threats or spies. To just suddenly¡­ be done with training seemed unusual. Gregor continued on. ¡°Our Squadron will be headed to Fort Errstile, to reinforce the border after the fall of Grecia at Harth¡¯s hands. Get your effects and possessions in order today, we will not wait for you. Dismissed.¡± With that, the Squadron split off for the respective barracks for a while. Logan went to let Remy know that they would be leaving tomorrow. The little guy wasn¡¯t happy as he had gotten comfortable in Marineford, but there was nothing for it. They had signed up for the Legion, and Logan couldn¡¯t back out now that a war might actually break out. The mood in the guys barracks was unusually quiet, no doubt as a result of the news they had just received. Even Larry was contemplative. It was quickly putting a damper on Logan¡¯s mood, so he decided something had to change. ¡°Alright guys, pick those heads up. Thinking about it won¡¯t do us any good, yeah? Let¡¯s just keep training and acting like we always do, that¡¯s when we are at our best!¡± Logan exclaimed. For a couple of seconds, all he got in return were blank stares but his words eventually kindled a fire in their eyes. Logan saw the moment it happened, when their thoughts stopped spinning into the future, and suddenly they were once again living in the present. Logan felt his cheeks turn up. ¡°Trust me, we are going to go up North, kiss some ass, then get showered in medals and awards and stuff. But for now, let''s just focus on the day to day.¡± Nods met these words instead of the previous glossy eyes. Even Lucius, who so rarely showed any emotion, was looking determined. ¡°The kids right, we have nothing to fear out there. We all made it through the Depth Wyrm at Langst, what are some men going to do to us, eh?¡± Jerry added. ¡°Haha, yeah! I like that expression, kicking ass! Let''s go!¡± Jerry shouted, clearly over his hangups and back to being his normal self. ¡°Looks like we are all in agreement then. Let''s do this, guys.¡±
The next morning, as Gregor had said, the Squadron got up and was ready by dawn. As the rays of sunlight streamed down over the Greatwood Squadron, everyone was alert and wired. Even if Logan¡¯s words had calmed down half of them, Logan didn¡¯t think anyone managed to sleep much last night. Logan himself had stuck with his nightly routine of training, although he did go back to his earlier, stamina based workouts. Still, Logan felt good after resting for about an hour before the rest of the Legion had awoken, with only some slight muscle soreness that would alleviate once he got back to moving. That wouldn¡¯t have been the case before he joined the Legion. Even though Logan had been working out, and helping Jeremiah everyday, his body had hit new, unseen heights here. Logan flexed slightly as he was standing at attention, and just enjoyed the power that now rested at his fingertips. Although he had always been on the more athletic side, he had never pursued a serious attempt at building up his body. Logan regretted that now. Shifting his thoughts, Logan was just in time to pay attention to the last announcement Gregor was making before they would join the rest of the Company. ¡°...and so, we head North. Do not let your steps falter, or your minds wander. Instead, stay grounded, focused in every moment, and we will see this campaign through.¡± Huh, sounds an awful lot like the spiel I gave last night. ¡°Alright, Greatwood Squadron. Fall in with the Company¡¯s march as we join them at the parade grounds. Fall in, we head out!¡± With that, the Squadron went to join the rest of the Legion, and inevitably, journey North. Chapter 53: Days of Travel Days of Travel The next few days passed to the tune of hundreds of steps in close to unison. The Company¡¯s march up North was a very structured affair, stopping only to rest shortly during the night, and once a day at noon for a small yet hearty meal. They had taken all the provisions they required with them in a collection of supply wagons that trailed along behind the Legion troops. Logan even got a chance to talk to Kelvin, the quartermaster, on the road. Not that he would take another, if it were offered. ¡°...and that¡¯s why beans are the most efficient food to stock for an army, Logan. Not that I enjoy the inevitable smell at night, of course, but they are simply such an efficient food-¡± ¡°Oh, sorry Kelvin sir, I think I hear my Captain calling for me.¡± ¡°Oh- sure, of course, young man. Don¡¯t let me hold you back.¡± Logan had already started walking away. The older man had been chatting his ear off for hours now, Kelvin¡¯s psychotic ramblings on beans just the latest installment in a never ending series. Logan had decided to just use his duty and younger Captain as an escape, and it seemed like it had worked. Now though, he needed to talk to Gregor to see out the ruse. ¡°Hey Gregor what¡¯s up?¡± The Captain looked over, startled, as he had apparently been deep in thought. ¡°Oh- Ah, Logan how are you doing? Not too sore from the march?¡± The officer asked from upon his mount. ¡°Ahaha not yet, how about you, Captain?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. My thoughts are ahead, on other things.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Logan quietly said. The conversation died as quickly as it started, with the impending hardships looming just around the bend. It would only be another day before they could see Errstile Fort, and just beyond it, the Austen Kingdom¡¯s border. The two young men could do nothing except look to the future.
On the second to final day of the journey North, Amar found herself with an unexpected visitor. The Goddess of Life, Selerys had casually popped into her head, and started chatting with her. ¡®Hello dear, just checking in. How are you doing?¡¯ The Goddess said out of nowhere. Amar almost fell over in shock. Instead she managed to turn it into a stumble, and resume her march. Ah, hello Goddess. I am doing well, and yourself? ¡®Well my dear, well. However, I am not here to talk about myself. As I understand it, you have been traveling North, have you not?¡¯ Oh, yes Goddess, we are marching North towards Errstile Fort. I¡­ I must admit to being nervous¡­ ¡®Oh dear, sweetie, I would love to tell you not to worry¡­ but that would be a lie. War is not safe, and it''s totally normal to be afraid.¡¯ Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Ah, ok¡­ Although the Goddesses response was true and what Amar had expected, it would have been nice to have a little reassurance to boost her confidence. But when she realized what she was thinking she shook her head. Amar could make her own confidence, she didn¡¯t need to rely on anyone else, even a Goddess. Thank you for the advice, Goddess. Selerys¡¯ beautiful laugh sounded out for a while before she responded. ¡®Hahaha, I¡¯m glad to help, little one. Would that I could protect you myself, but even the Gods have limits. These days more than previous¡­ Anyways darling, if you ever have need of me, or just want an ear to listen to you, call my name. I will always be listening.¡¯ Thank you. I truly appreciate it, Goddess. ¡®Oh, no need to be so formal, just call me Selerys already, Amar. Using my title makes me feel so lonely, dear.¡¯ Ah ok. Well, thank you Selerys. It was my pleasure, dear. I¡¯m afraid something else is claiming my attention now, so I must go, but remember to rely on me if you need to. With that, the comforting presence of the Goddess of Life faded from the back of Amar¡¯s consciousness, as she let out a sigh of relief. Although the Goddess was very kind and understanding, talking to a being of legend so casually made her very stressed out, and she didn¡¯t need anymore stress right now. Instead, Amar focused once more on the rhythm of her feet, and the road ahead.
With just one more day of travel before they would reach their destination, the Legion convoy stopped for the night. The Company had managed to find a large clearing just the side of the road that could just barely accommodate their large party size. All the various Squadrons had set up separate camps and fires, with the Greatwood Squadron being no different. The Squad was all set up at their campfire, enjoying the last night before their training and duties would resume. Logan and Larry had convinced Kelvin to let them ¡®borrow¡¯ a barrel of ale, and everyone once again had a pint in hand. Logan had been talking to Sophia and Lucius, but when he started getting too drunk both his memory, and his motions started failing him, and they had eventually waved him off with a laugh. Wandering around, he plopped down right next to Amar and Gregor, who were watching the fire. Not saying anything, the trio just sat there for a while, letting the flickering flames slowly feast upon their logs. Eventually, Logan spoke up over the crackling and merriment. ¡°We¡¯ve already come a long way from Alteep, haven¡¯t we?¡± Logan asked. Quietly, Amar answered, ¡°Yes, we really have.¡± ¡°And we have even further left to go.¡± Gregor added, standing up. He raised his mug, and cleared his throat, attempting everyone in the Squad¡¯s attention. Jerry and Arasaka stopped their conversation on her enchantments, and everyone else stopped the drinking game they had been playing. Only once everyone was completely focused on him, did Gregor start speaking. ¡°I¡¯ve already said what I wanted before, but I wanted to say just a few more words. We have to stay smart, stay focused, and most importantly, stay alive. I want everyone to come home from this assignment, do you understand?¡± When no one responded, Gregor repeated himself. ¡°Do you all understand?¡± ¡°Sir, yes sir!¡± came the chorus of replies.
The next leg of the journey was their last, and the Company once again set off, come sunrise. The Greatwood Squadron had resumed their positions relatively towards the back of the convoy, and the march continued. Logan took the time to inspect the changing scenery, as the Company continued Northwards. Down at Marineford, one of the more Southern parts of the Austen Kingdom apparently, the forest was closer to tropical. But up here, the trees were of a more moderate variety, with a healthy collection of oaks and spruce. It reminded Logan of the Inaug Forest, where he had first entered this world, and met Jeremiah. The noise the Company made as it marched along was enough to scare the wildlife off, but Logan could still hear the birdsong in the distance. It was relaxing to listen to, and let him just continue plodding along. That was one of the things that Logan missed most from Earth, the abundance and access to music. His ears were sad after just hearing people grunt while they worked all day. Logan was startled out of his thoughts by a commotion further up the lines. He couldn¡¯t really make out what they were saying, but it could only mean one thing. They had arrived at their destination. It took some time more before the Greatwood Squadron was far enough down the road to see the cause of the commotion. When they could make it out however, Logan immediately understood. Over the tops of heads of those in front of him, Logan could make out a massive tent city. There must have been over a hundred different tents, all set up in a massive circle, surrounding the center. There, an even larger tent was situated, easily as tall as a three story building back on Earth, with Blue and White stripes making it seem more official than its peers. Reinforcing that idea was the single wooden structure in the camp, located directly next to that central tent. Small watch towers also formed a circle around that tent, mirroring the larger ones ringing the camp. At the front of the line, Logan heard Major Frear speak to the Company. ¡°Welcome to Errstile, people. Let''s close this last stretch before we can rest, eh?¡± Chapter 54: Welcoming Party Welcoming Party As the Company filtered into Errstile, Legionnaires and military-adjacents alike stopped and looked at the procession. People swarming about stopped, and some even waved to the freshly approved Legionnaires providing backup to the fort. The layout was similar to the camp at Marineford, with a thoroughfare looping all the way around the fort, and connecting the various Squadron¡¯s barracks to the central facilities. However, some differences were immediately noticeable. Instead of the somewhat cheery and hopeful atmosphere surrounding Marineford, the troops were clearly aware of the war brewing. Anxious nerves were palpable in the air as the new Legionnaires entered the camp. The looks they got mostly consisted of side eyes and knowing stares. It was enough to send a shiver down Logan¡¯s back. Those weren¡¯t all the differences, as they were greeted with another. Back at Marineford, the Major had been the highest ranking official present, which was not the case at Errstile. The Company had all been informed to stand at the ready for an announcement. Eventually, a man in an entirely too frilly outfit stepped forward to meet the incomers, after playing a short series of notes on a small brass horn. ¡°Welcome, newly raised Major Frear, and Company. You are now in the presence of his highness, eighth in line to the throne and Lieutenant General of Errstile Fort, his royal majesty Prince Augustus.¡± Major Frear fell to a knee, and the troops from Marineford promptly followed her example. Within a couple of seconds the entire Company was down showing their respect. Except, of course for Logan. He immediately fell to the ground trying to avoid attention, but it was too late. A rather shrill voice called out over the sea of bowed heads. ¡°You there. The one who was late to show me respect.¡± Logan was afraid to raise his head, but he couldn¡¯t avoid peaking up with a single eye open. Unfortunately, he could make out a heavily dressed man extending one finger forwards, pointing directly at Logan. ¡°Ah heck.¡±
Gregor joined the Major in going to greet the Prince in a more private setting, along with the other Captains. Gregor was anxious, not only because he had never even thought about the possibility of meeting a Royal, but also because of his worries over Logan. He had just told the man to go along with it, when guards had tried to escort him away. Thankfully, Logan had listened, and hadn¡¯t run off, because if he had started teleporting, Gregor doubted anyone could have caught him without injuring Logan. Instead, the Prince¡¯s guards had taken him away to the sole wooden building in the camp, and Gregor had joined this officer¡¯s meeting. He didn¡¯t do much while he was there. Gregor and the other Captain stood in the back while the Prince communed with Major Frear, at first admonishing her for the lack of respect among her troops, before moving onto other, more tactically pressing topics. However, once he started talking of such things, it was clear the Prince had no real idea what he was doing. Gregor was sure that the Prince had received the best tutors available in the Kingdom, but apparently he didn¡¯t have much actual battle experience. He kept going over the numbers of reports, but without illuminating how the formation of the troops was arranged, or their procedures in various situations. In essence, the Prince''s tactics clearly lacked any substance, and made their purpose in reinforcing Errstile clear. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Eventually, they were dismissed. However, as Gregor went to turn to leave, he got singled out by the Prince, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. ¡°Not you. Gregor Greatwood, am I correct? Of course I am. You, my good sir, have someone quite intent on meeting you.¡± At that he chuckled slightly, in a way that seemed rehearsed to the dot. ¡°You should be quite honored, it isn¡¯t every day that someone catches the eyes of a Royal. Enjoy the attention while it lasts, mister Hero of Langst Harbor, for it is unlikely to ever happen again.¡± With that he turned away, clearly done with the one sided conversation. ¡°Guards, show him to Amelia¡¯s quarters at once.¡±
The guards weren¡¯t particularly gentle as they escorted him over to the wooden building. They had cuffed his hands behind his back immediately, and then grabbed him roughly. At least they had allowed Logan to bring Remy with him though, and the two were now being pushed through the building¡¯s entrance, with Remy riding Logan¡¯s right shoulder. Inside, it was clearly some sort of intelligence hub, but Logan wasn¡¯t given a very good glimpse. Instead, the two goons immediately manhandled him down a set of stairs into a damp and dark basement. The steps were uneven and rickety, and Logan almost fell twice during his forced descent. Those stars led out into a room that was clearly both a prison, and much larger than the building above ground. A series of five cells ringed the outside of the damp room, with reinforced dirt walls beyond the other side of the cells¡¯ bars. Logan could see that two of them were already filled, as the guards directed him to an open cell. Then they just left, leaving Logan alone with Remy, and the other prisoners. -Why are we here, Logan? We ok?- Yeah bud, we are gonna be just fine. Don¡¯t worry your cute little head about it, we could always teleport right out if we had to, right? -Yeah! Let¡¯s do it!- No Remy! Let¡¯s¡­ let¡¯s just wait a while, and relax here for a bit. You¡¯re tired too after that long march here, so let''s just chill out for a while. -Ok!- Rubbing the Rizzel¡¯s head, Logan looked around at his surroundings more intensely. Although the walls were dirt in his cell, Logan quickly realized that digging out would be impossible, or extremely difficult, as you couldn¡¯t dig your way back into the room. Wooden beams supported the walls where the cells met, so any prospective escapee would have to dig all the way to the surface to get out of their cell. Which would leave them still in the center of camp, with an obvious hole leading to their cell. Not a great method of escape, Logan decided. Apparently, he wasn¡¯t alone in that judgment. ¡°You won¡¯t escape through the dirt, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re hoping for.¡± Another prisoner said to Logan, stealing his attention.
Amar was worried for her friends at this point. Earlier, Logan had been taken off by the Prince¡¯s guards, and now Gregor had yet to come back from the officer¡¯s meeting. She hoped that he hadn¡¯t tried to stand up for Logan, because she doubted that would go well for the young Captain. The Prince had not impressed her either, rather spoiling her impression of Royals. He had appeared exactly how she imagined an ordinary person with much too much power would act, and without any of the grace or nobility she had envisioned. It was disappointing, to say the least. Amar had gone back with the Company, and eventually just the Greatwood Squadron, where they were assigned their barracks. Without Gregor to direct them, the Squadron just got themselves situated, then started to just relax around the barracks. Amar was tempted to join them, but her worry made her feet start moving automatically. She didn¡¯t know where either of her friends were, but Amar knew someone who probably. It took her a while, but she eventually found Major Frear, commanding a group of workers unloading the supplies the Company traveled with. Approaching the woman, Amar started to speak. ¡°Hello Major, I was wondering if you knew what happened to Gregor and Logan.¡± ¡°Ah, Private Amar, yes, I do happen to know where they are. I¡¯m sure you saw Logan being taken away, no doubt he¡¯s holed up in a detention cell, before inevitably being released.¡± Amar let out a sigh of breath she hadn¡¯t realized she had been holding. ¡°And Gregor¡­ Well, he seems to have caught someone¡¯s eyes, although I¡¯m not quite sure whose. Lieutenant General Augustus kept him after the officer¡¯s meeting, saying someone wanted to meet the ¡®Hero of Langst Harbor¡¯. Not quite sure where that nickname came from, but whatever.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you, Major.¡± ¡°Anything else I can do for you Private, or can I get back to work?¡± Sensing the dismissal in the Major¡¯s tone, Amar saluted and responded with, ¡°No ma¡¯am, thank you for your time Major.¡± With a curt nod, Major Frear dismissed Amar, and she began to wander back towards her Squadron¡¯s barracks. She now knew where her friends were, but she couldn¡¯t help but try and imagine what they were doing¡­ Chapter 55: Princess Princess ¡°Ah, thanks for the advice. I was coming to that conclusion myself. I¡¯m Logan Brewer, nice to meet you.¡± Looking over to the origin of the voice, he found it belonged to a woman about Logan¡¯s age, with thick, black hair. He couldn¡¯t make out any more specific details other than that in the dim lighting of the dingy prison. ¡°Hmmm.¡± Ah well, I can¡¯t blame her for not wanting to share her name in prison. Still, it would be nice to have someone else to talk to, right Remy? -Sure!- ¡°I got thrown in here for not bowing fast enough to the Prince on my first day here¡­ Pretty unfair, right?¡± ¡°Hmmm, that man is impossible to deal with. So obtuse and unwieldy, his ego.¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± This was the first time in this life that Logan had met someone who sounded so distinctly upper class. Even the Prince had sounded more bratty than elegant, but this mysterious prisoner had that quality to her speech that made Logan think of old British Nobility. ¡°Sure. I hope they let me out soon though, I really need to get back to training. I¡¯m still pretty ¡®unwieldy¡¯ myself with a blade in my hands.¡± ¡°Hmmph, I see.¡± ¡°If you''re seeing anything in this place, I¡¯m jealous, I can¡¯t even see how cute Remy is.¡± At that, Remy squeaked and cuddled up to Logan¡¯s chest, making him laugh. He wasn¡¯t sure, but he thought he might have heard his fellow inmate giggle a little. From the third prisoner he saw earlier, still not a peep. ¡°Uh, correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but aren¡¯t there three of us down here? Hello last unknown person, are you still alive?¡± It was several seconds before the woman spoke again. ¡°It is just us two, no one else remains.¡± ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m sure that two of the cells had someone in them.¡± ¡°Unfortunately¡­ He is no longer with us, the man in the last cell.¡± Several seconds passed again. ¡°Oh...¡±
¡°Welcome, Gregor, please enter.¡± Gregor had been led to a separate tent after the officers meeting, escorted by the Prince¡¯s guards. He still didn¡¯t know who had requested his presence, but the voice was distinctly female, and quite elegant. Stepping through one flap and past another, Gregor made his way into the next tent. Once inside, Gregor was immediately shocked by his surroundings. Lavish tapestries and a luscious carpet covered the extremities, while various gaudy ornaments decorated the space. Centered in the back of the tent was a mirror that probably cost more than Alteep Village, seeing how it was entirely constructed of gold. And then there was the person seated next to that mirror. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. With a cascading flow of blindingly blonde hair, a truly refined woman was seated in an elaborate rocking chair situated next to the mirror. As she swayed back and forth slightly on the chair, Gregor spent a few seconds too long just staring at her perfectly smooth and proportioned face. He may have also stared at other places, but he would never admit to that out loud. The beauty watched Gregor¡¯s face with interest, before lightly laughing. Her laughter was soft and comforting, like being wrapped in warm furs. Gregor realized he had been staring for much too long, and bowed his head. ¡°Gregor Greatwood, at your service ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°How lovely to finally meet the Hero of Langst Harbor, but don¡¯t let anyone hear you call me ma¡¯am. It¡¯s considered improper to refer to Royalty in such a way, although it doesn¡¯t bother me.¡± As those words slowly seeped into Gregor¡¯s head, he realized who exactly he was speaking to. Of course, it helped that she introduced herself too. ¡°I am her highness Arboriette Lille Austenian, although I prefer people I¡¯m close to refer to me as Arbor.¡± ¡°It¡¯s truly a pleasure to make your acquaintance, your highness Arboriette.¡± Gregor said while descending to one knee. Gregor didn¡¯t know the standard procedures for interacting with Royalty, so he lifted his head after a couple of seconds. He could have sworn there was a slightly peeved look on the princess''s face, but before he knew it her visage was back to looking graceful and kind. ¡°No sir Gregor, the pleasure is all mine.¡±
¡°Oh...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did you know him?¡± Logan asked the question to the woman he shared the dingy prison with. Frankly, he didn¡¯t care much, but at least pretending wouldn¡¯t cost him anything. It may even improve the mysterious woman¡¯s impression of him, pointless though it may be. ¡°...Yes, I did.¡± ¡°Ah, well I¡¯ll leave it there, then.¡± Instead of continuing an obviously dark conversation path, Logan focused on himself once again. His hands were still bound uncomfortably behind his back, and his body was sore from the exertion of marching for multiple days straight. All in all, it was an unpleasant situation, made worse by inability to move freely. So to rectify this uncomfort, Logan managed to stand without using his hands, and began to stretch out his body as much as possible. His cell was only five paces wide, and even more shallow length wise, but Logan made the most of the space, going through a warm up routine he had been taught in high school gym class. Logan was sure it wasn¡¯t the most effective stretching routine ever created, but it got the job done, and his blood pumping to his extremities. He had to be careful of Remy as he carried it out, but the Rizzel understood Logan¡¯s intentions, and sequestered himself in the corner of the cell for the duration of Logan¡¯s stretching. After about fifteen minutes of that, Logan¡¯s soreness had faded into the background, at least for his lower body. He would have loved to stretch his arms and chest some, but that didn¡¯t appear to be in the cards, so he sat back down on the packed earth floor. Remy crawled over and sat in his lap. -When we leave? Remy getting bored¡­- Sorry bud, if it were up to me we would already be gone. Let¡¯s just wait a little longer, ok? -Ok¡­ Remy wait.- Logan wished he could scratch the little guy behind his ears at least, but again, his hands were tied. Literally. Instead, Logan leaned back against the dirt wall, and looked for sleep to take him.
As Logan had slept multiple times since the incident at Langst Harbor, he felt slightly more safe receding into the world of his subconscious. However, as the blackness of sleep gave way to the unending darkness of the Void, he realized that was a false preconception. However, as he came to this conclusion, he also realized it was too late to leave. Instead, Logan hung, once again suspended in the endless Void. As Logan gazed out at the fields of stars and planets in the distance, he sighed. Although the sight was beautiful, and the Void''s energies flowed through his being pleasantly, it was just a precursor to an experience he would much rather avoid. Facing the music, or in this case, an eldritch power beyond reality, Logan turned himself around slowly. Only to discover he was alone. Where before, his patron had sat beyond the walls of existence, now that space was just more of the Void. Logan let loose another breath, although this time it was in relief. If the Being wasn¡¯t here, then he was free to enjoy this vision, and absorb the power inherent to the Void at his leisure. Redirecting his focus, Logan did just that, letting the various flows and energies of the Void enter and exit his soul, sifting through his being. Although it sounded painful, to an Abomination, like Logan currently was, the cosmic energy gave him a sense of fulfillment, like the purpose of his life was the collection of such a thing. Letting it wash over and around him was as simple as breathing, and just as life giving. His arms, which had carried his soreness into the vision, relaxed and began to feel limber once again. A nervousness that Logan hadn¡¯t even realized he was carrying evaporated, leaving him feeling lighter in general. The power of the Void was cleansing him of his burdens, and it felt great. As Logan felt his consciousness slip back towards his living body, he only regretted that his time in the Void was so short. Chapter 56: Denouncement Denouncement As Logan¡¯s eyes fluttered open, he quickly realized what had woken him up. Logan was getting shaken bodily by the same duo of guards who had brought him down into the cell. Remy was frantically pushing himself against the bars to try and get away from a third guard who was reaching for him. Logan felt his heart leap into his throat. ¡°Stop! I¡¯m awake, don¡¯t touch Remy!¡± The guards looked at Logan incredulously, then continued what they were doing, dragging Logan to his feet and trying to grab Remy. That wasn¡¯t acceptable to Logan, so he decided to do something about it. Teleporting outside of the small cell and leaving his restraints behind, Logan quickly wove the necessary pattern, and summoned his Soul Sword. ¡°Alright, if you don¡¯t want to do this the easy way, I¡¯m more than willing to be hard on you. Don¡¯t take my cooperation for anything other than the kindness it is.¡± The guards, turned towards Logan slowly, panic written clearly on their faces. The one who had been reaching for Remy straightened, and gulped. Then Remy himself teleported onto Logan¡¯s shoulder, and the guards'' faces paled another couple of shades. ¡°Alright, let''s go. You woke me from a nice dream, so I¡¯m not in the best mood. I want to get this over with.¡± The guards shakily nodded, and coming out of the cell, they hesitantly grabbed each of Logan¡¯s arms and proceeded to escort him up the stairs. Once again, the main floor of the building was rather busy, as people walked to and fro calling out to one another. From Logan¡¯s limited viewing, it appeared to be the camp''s intelligence hub. However, Logan didn¡¯t get much chance to investigate it, as he was quickly led outside of the wooden structure and taken on a weaving path through the camp. Logan was surprised to see so few Legionnaires about, and wondered where they could all be, as the numbers he saw weren¡¯t even enough to match the Company he had traveled up North with. Then, the guards brought Logan to the parade grounds, and his musings halted.
Instantly, Logan realized where the rest of the Legionnaires had gone. The parade ground wasn¡¯t noisy, but it was packed to the brim with men and women, standing at attention, and looking at the raised stage that had been built while Logan was imprisoned. On that stage, the Prince, his guards, a woman he was unfamiliar with, and other ranking officers were arrayed towards the crowd, and Logan realized what would be happening. His teeth gritted and ground against each other, and he felt the guards that were escorting him start to shake slightly. Logan respected that they managed to carry on with their duties however, and they escorted him onto the stage. Now, at this distance, he could hear what the Prince was saying. ¡°...today is a showcase to those who would think that the Royal family is not worthy of respect. Today, we will demonstrate the price of hubris, and the penance required for unwieldy pride. Today, I will declare the glory of the Royal family of Austenian to the heavens, as they prepare to receive this man¡¯s soul. He, who showed disrespect to his betters, will now realize his folly, and rejoice at the mercy of allowing him a clean death.¡± Logan almost broke a tooth, he was so angry. He had thought that he would be serving a little time in the camp¡¯s cells as a punishment, but now he knew exactly what the Prince intended to do. Logan was set to be executed, for no reason other than the Prince¡¯s pride. He almost spit at the man''s feet in fury. Instead, as the Prince continued on, Logan just stared directly into his eyes, a rage unlike any Logan had ever known building in his chest all the while. Even Major Micah¡¯s betrayal hadn¡¯t triggered such a response from him. ¡°Remember men, it isn¡¯t for your families, or your meaningless villages for which you fight, but the pride of the Austen Kingdom, and the Austenian family which has sheltered your peoples. You are protecting us from beasts such a-¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. At this point, the Prince had finally deemed to look at his victim, and found his gaze pulled in by Logan¡¯s death stare. A loud gulp could be heard by all, suggesting that he wasn¡¯t actually talking that loud, but some sort of Divinity was at play to project his voice across the grounds. Trying to shake it off, the Prince continued, although his eyes kept darting nervously back to his prisoner. Remy, get out of here, I¡¯ll meet up with you later, ok? -No! Remy stay and help!- It¡¯s alright bud. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to need any help here. Just stay safe, you hear me? -Okaaayyy¡­- And with that, Logan¡¯s companion teleported away. Only Logan¡¯s escorts noticed, but they were too cowed by him to make a fuss.
¡°...And now, let us commence with the execution of my will.¡± The Prince turned to Logan, and this time managed not to flinch at Logan¡¯s gaze. ¡°Any last words, you mindless beast?¡± Logan had a lot he wanted to say to this pompous, self-important prick, but he let out his breath, and focused on really getting his point across. ¡°Yes actually, I do. Mister Prince, I think you are a worthless pile of excrement that wouldn¡¯t be fit to join the Legion in any capacity if your last name wasn¡¯t Austenian. I assume that¡¯s why you are only eighth in line for the throne, and I commend the Royal family for their judgment in distancing you from ultimate leadership as best they could.¡± The Prince¡¯s eyes widened in shock and surprise at Logan¡¯s tirade, and the whole audience let out a gasp. For a moment, everyone was silent and still, but Logan wasn¡¯t done yet. Teleporting directly in front of the Prince, Logan looked him dead in the eyes as he grabbed the man¡¯s overly frilly collar. ¡°Just know that instead of the loyal soldier I could have been, your own insatiable hubris has made you an enemy today. Pray you live to regret it.¡± And with that, Logan teleported once more, just as the guards surrounding the Prince started to react to Logan¡¯s aggression. Of course, Logan¡¯s Blessing only allowed him to teleport within eyesight, so his target was easily noticed by all those in attendance. Standing on top of the wooden building, Logan felt something primal building inside of him. So he cut loose, and let his newest Blessing resound mightily from his mouth. Although he was far enough away that no one was physically hurt from his Void Screech, Logan saw many of the people in attendance cover their ears with their hands, before he teleported once again, and fled the scene.
When Gregor was summoned to meet with the Prince, it wasn¡¯t unexpected in the slightest. If anything was unexpected, it was that he was summoned cordially, instead of being bodily dragged through the camp as the Prince¡¯s next ¡®example¡¯. Still, Gregor would be a fool to expect this next meeting to be pleasant in the slightest. Logan had essentially laughed in the man¡¯s face with the Prince¡¯s entire force in the audience, and Gregor had expected that someone would be facing hell for it. He just had the misfortune of being the one closest to the perpetrator, essentially earmarking his name for the honor. Standing outside the Prince¡¯s tent, Gregor once more announced himself. ¡°Enter.¡± The Prince¡¯s words thankfully sounded measured, but Gregor didn¡¯t let out his breath yet, as he entered the man¡¯s ostentatious tent. Gregor immediately noticed the amount of people in the large tent, or the lack thereof. Instead of the usual contingent of guards, the Prince was all by himself, seated facing away from the entrance. Gregor walked over to place himself in front of his highness, and then bowed, taking one knee and lowering his head. ¡°Stand. I¡¯m not in the mood for formalities currently, so let me make this brief. Where was this ¡®Logan Brewer¡¯ born, so I may order it burned to the ground.¡± Gregor felt his pulse quicken slightly. Standing as the Prince commanded, Gregor began to speak. ¡°U-I¡¯m sorry, your highness, but I don¡¯t possess the knowledge you request. My first interaction saw him already as a grown man when he came to Alteep Village, where my father was mayor. Then, we traveled together to enlist in the Legion, but he never spoke of his earlier whereabouts.¡± ¡°Then, who may possess such knowledge? An example must be made.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the man who first contacted Logan from Alteep Village died in its defense shortly after I met Mr. Brewer. I cannot think of anyone else who would be so close to him.¡± At this, Gregor thought he saw a vein rise in the Prince¡¯s forehead. ¡°How could he be admitted to the Legion without such knowledge being obtained! This is outrageous!¡± ¡°Uh, I¡¯m sorry sir, but, Major Micah was the one who conducted his assessment and cleared him, and considering Micah¡¯s¡­ betrayal, well, there lies the answer.¡± ¡°Traitors¡­ Leave me, Captain. Now.¡± Gregor exited the tent¡¯s flap as fast as he possibly could without using his Divinity. As he left, he immediately heard the Prince¡¯s incoherent rage that he was forced to vent in impotent threats into the air. Gregor continued moving at his top speeds away from the man, even breaking into a light jog when he heard something break from inside. Chapter 57: Run In Run In Logan eventually found Remy in the woods, about twenty minutes after his display at the parade grounds. The two reunited on the edge of a copse of Oaks, where a small clearing was formed. -Remy over here!- Thanks little guy. Of course, the mental communication didn¡¯t exactly indicate direction, but Logan didn¡¯t tell the Rizzel that. Instead, he scratched the little guy for a while as he cradled him in his arms, as much for Logan¡¯s benefit as Remy¡¯s. Logan desperately needed to cool down, and little accomplished that like holding the little furball. Eventually, most of the steam had filtered out of Logan¡¯s ears, and his head felt cooler and calmer than minutes before. He let Remy hop back to the ground, and the two companions started scouting out the area of the woods they had found themselves in. Which basically amounted to finding out that they were in an area with a lot of Oaks and Spruce to Logan. His forestry skills were not up to par to really discern much, and most of the obvious wildlife had been scared off by the regular movements of the humans in the area. Uh, I don¡¯t really know what to do Remy, I¡¯m going to be honest. Logan didn¡¯t know if they should make a camp somewhere, or if that would leave them vulnerable. With no prior experience or knowledge on what to do, his brain couldn¡¯t seem to come up with a conclusive plan. If he were being honest with himself, his head was still spinning from the parade grounds. Logan had never been a very angry person, but something inside of him pushed its way out from deep inside of him there, and it had left him rattled. Then, Remy rubbed across his shins like a cat, and Logan¡¯s head snapped back to the present. -Follow.- Then the Rizzel teleported ahead, daring his companion to keep up. So Logan obliged, letting Remy take the lead.
Remy kept the pace high, leading Logan farther and farther from Fort Errstile, teleporting through the difficult terrain to save time. In fact, all of the jumping around they did while on their trek was rather thoughtful, enough to make Logan consider if Remy was more skilled in its usage than him. Considering that the Blessing originally came from the Rizzel in a way, it seemed entirely possible. With Remy leading the pair, they made excellent time on whatever path Remy had them taking, or maybe it was average time. Logan didn¡¯t quite know, but he was just impressed the Rizzel seemed to have some sort of plan already. A well thought out plan apparently, as they quickly made upon a decent cave mouth, that Remy stood proudly in front of. Logan was left in awe, and wondering how the little fur ball had managed to find the place. Remy, how did you track this down? This place looks perfect! This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. -Remy noticed this smell when we walked here! Great, right?- Definitely is, my guy. Logan walked forwards to inspect it closer. As he did, he realized what smell Remy had been talking about. It was a pungent odor that reminded Logan of food that had gone bad. Looking over at his companion, Logan asked him a question. Remy, do you know what this smell means? -Bear inside! No problem for Logan.- Ah, ok. Good to know. Logan gulped. His only reference for bears on this planet was an absolute mammoth called Bennett affectionately by Old Jeremiah, back while he was alive. If something similar was in that cave, Logan would be in for a fight. However, instead Logan thought he could just find somewhere else, they were already so far from the Fort and¡­ Deeper in the cave, and out of the light, some shuffling noises could be heard. They were faint, but just enough to register in Logan¡¯s ears, causing him to back out of the cave¡¯s mouth reflexively.
As the noises grew louder, Logan slipped even further away from the cave. Eventually, Logan was back again among the trees, as he waited for the bear to emerge from its den. It wasn¡¯t a long wait. Within seconds the Beast had exited the cave, its size revealed in the light of day. Somehow, Logan thought it may have been even larger than Bennett, its shoulders barely fitting through the cave mouth. However, standing there, Logan realized something. At the end of the day, it was just a big bear, and Logan had fought larger and more dangerous things. This was a trial, but not enough to truly challenge him. With a breath, Logan¡¯s mind centered on the fight at hand. Honestly, he felt conflicted about killing the bear. Not only did it remind him of Bennett, both being enormous brown bears, but Logan had been the one to intrude on the bears front door. As it sniffed around the area, Logan decided that if it noticed them, he would fight, but otherwise, Logan would let this Beast roam free. For a while, nothing happened, and Logan just watched the bear as it investigated its surroundings. The bird song had gone quiet and the only noise he could hear was the soft beating of his own heart. For a long few moments, Logan thought the bear might retreat back into its den, leaving without a conflict. But then, the bear looked up at the selection of trees, its thick snout pointing like a dog¡¯s. It looked like a fight was inevitable, as the Beast began shambling over towards Logan¡¯s position. Still, Logan stayed still, hoping beyond hope that the bear would walk on past him. Logan prepared his teleportation anyway, if he had to make a break for it. Logan waited up until the bear was just feet away, its every breath audible. Suddenly, Logan could tell by its soul that it would attack. Mid teleport, and he was sighing about what was about to come. He had repositioned himself with his back to the cave, and only a few seconds later Remy teleported onto his shoulder.
Logan watched the bear fumble about through the underbrush where they just were for several seconds. Sometimes he forgot to appreciate just how broken of a Blessing he had started out with. At the time, Logan had no real reference, but with his experience¡¯s, he had come to realize Divinity was much harder to accumulate for most people than he had originally thought. Such a Beast would be a challenge for most people with his Kindling, but Logan¡¯s ability to instantly reposition gave him an unfair advantage. However, just as he was musing his own superiority, a heavy burning pain burst across his back, knocking Logan forward. He spent a second disorientated on the ground, before spinning his body to rise back to his feet. -Up! Up!- Scrabbling, Logan realized his mistake. The bear hadn¡¯t been solitary in its den, and its partner must have opened up the new rents on his back. The knowledge didn¡¯t stop the pain from flooding in, and Logan almost fell as he tried to take his feet again. His overconfidence had led to a brutal injury, just as he had separated from the Legion. He needed to get away, and take care of the wounds before he lost all of his strength. This time, as Logan stood he paid attention to both his adversaries and told his plan to Remy. Remy, we need to get out of here, if we teleport away can you lead me to some clean water? -Yeah!- Alright, on three¡­ As the bears took their time waddling towards their prey, now that they thought Logan was surrounded. Instead, Logan and Remy disappeared back into the thick of the woods, and got a move on. Logan had heard of bears back on Earth traveling at 35 mph, and Logan wasn¡¯t in any mood to find out about their counterparts here. Instead, the two of them kept teleporting away, jumping through and around the landscape. Logan had no idea where they were in relation to the Fort anymore, and he couldn¡¯t spare the time to figure it out. Logan could feel the dirt seeping his wounds, and they started to sting instead of the throbbing pain they had been up until this point. Logan needed to clean the gashes, and fast. Chapter 58: False Start False Start The duo continued on for a while even after the bears stopped pursuing them. Remy had taken to leading the way once again. Still, blood swamped down Logan¡¯s back, time enough had passed for some of it to start scabbing, but still, fresh blood leaked down over it. All told, Logan was a mess. Without Remy there to actively guide him, Logan had no doubts he would have just collapsed after fleeing. Instead, the Rizzel nudged him onwards time and time again, eventually leading Logan to a decent sized stream. Meaning to strip off his shirt, Logan instead lost strength and fell into the shallow water. Instantly a pool of red bloomed out around his body, as the slight current pulled the thick clotted blood and dirt from the rents across his back. The cold and blood loss caused Logan to start shivering uncontrollably, but he stuck with it, waiting for long minutes until he dragged himself back out of the stream. Once there, Logan knew he had more pain coming. He needed to ask Remy if any dirt was still there, and to clean it out if there was. Remy, can you take a look at my back¡­ if there¡¯s any dirt or muck, I need you to scrape that out. -Ok¡­- The Rizzel¡¯s normal enthusiasm was gone, replaced with a slight trepidation. Still, he hopped to the task Logan had set out for it, clamoring onto his back. Then, without warning he began, the stinging pain on Logan¡¯s back intensifying significantly in spurts, Logan unable to see when Remy was about to begin. For long minutes, this went on, until Remy started trying to wash off Logan¡¯s back as he lay there. He had managed to stay awake so far, but now, exhaustion and pain sent Logan spiraling into sleep, with no chance for recourse. Remy stayed diligently at work, even once his companion passed out, the Rizzel slowly wiping the blood off from Logan¡¯s back, until the wounds were raw, but clean. Then, Remy curled up next to Logan, also pushed by their long day, and rapid escapes.
Amar hadn¡¯t thought that she would become annoyed at a Goddess. However, Selerys was starting to push that preconception to its limits. Ever since Logan¡¯s outburst and subsequent disappearance, the Goddess had been in seemingly constant contact with Amar, requesting that she chase after him, regardless of the dangers of being alone in unknown territory. Just the wildlife was enough of a threat, and that wasn¡¯t even touching on the potential for enemy troops that had been scarcely encountered by scouting parties. Still, the Goddess had insisted, until the point where Amar had been forced to flat out tell her that she wouldn¡¯t do it. After saying such a thing, Amar had expected some sort of divine punishment, but Selerys had just sighed, and accepted Amar¡¯s position. Her last words still hung heavy in Amar¡¯s mind, however. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡®That boy is more important than even I know. Make sure no harm comes to him, my child, or we all may pay the price¡­¡¯ Sure, Logan had some impressive Divinity, but she had witnessed Gregor trounce him many times in training, leaving Amar wondering about his significance. In fact, when she stopped to question it, many things about the young man were mysterious, from his origins to how exactly he had met her father, Jeremiah. Although they had traveled from Alteep together, and he had been willing to try and comfort and connect with Amar over her father, she didn¡¯t really know much about him. Neither did Gregor, if their brief interaction after his meeting with the Prince was anything to go by. He had said the young Royal hadn¡¯t taken the news well, and from Gregor¡¯s pale face, Amar believed it. She already thought the man had acted like a spoiled child, so a tantrum wasn¡¯t far out of place. However, for all her questions, she only knew of one person who could answer them, and he had fled out into the woods after letting loose an ear popping shriek. Amar no longer had contact with Logan, so she signed herself up for the next scouting patrols, hoping to change that situation.
Even in his vision of the Void, Logan¡¯s back ached. The telltale throbbing of the deep injuries had managed to follow him into his subconscious, as he floated among the stars and endless nothingness. However, thankfully Logan was once again alone in this space, allowed to simply float, and absorb the helpful energies of the Void. It did much to lessen the pain, letting his mind free itself of his bodily limitations as it floated off. Instead, he focused on the fonts of the Void energies in the distance, the stars. Maybe the energy came from some other source, but at this distance it seemed to trail from the bright lights dotting the starscape, leaving Logan to revel in their beauty. His gaze drifted out among the stars, leaving the pain of his body far behind. Then, slowly, he made his way back. As much as it tempted Logan to truly explore the Void, he knew that it would mean death for him. He couldn¡¯t leave Remy there, by himself. So, Logan brought his mind back to his body in this strange vision realm. Nothing really changed, and Logan just sat there for a while, stewing in the cosmic forces. He didn¡¯t know what had happened to the Being that resided here, but Logan was glad for the respite. Lately, it felt like life kept moving faster and faster, and a chance to catch his breath was appreciated. However, Logan eventually felt the pull that meant it was time to wake once more. As he gradually slipped back to reality, he realized he was lucky to wake up at all, there had been every possibility he died in his sleep there. Instead, he had managed to survive the worst of it, and push through. As the dreamscape shattered, Logan just wondered what he would do next.
Logan woke up with his face in the dirt, and morning sunlight in his eyes. The noise of the stream burbled in his ears, as his lips kissed the earth. He could feel Remy pressed up against his right hip, as his body splayed across the ground. Strangely, although his back ached, the wound didn¡¯t feel as raw and pulsating as before, instead just mildly excruciating instead of all encompassing like it had been previously. It was still raw, and ragged on the edge of Logan¡¯s mind, but he felt like he could put it to the side for the moment. Instead of focusing on his pain, Logan managed to push himself to his hands and knees before the subject was forced. Even though Logan could force himself to move past it, the reality of the human body required him to be patient, and not jostle his injuries too much. Slowly, Logan made it the rest of the way to his feet, as Remy started stirring. Looking around, Logan saw where exactly Remy had led him to in their mad search for water. They were in a small ravine that the stream ran through, surrounded by the tall trees on either side of the banks. Now that Logan was thinking about it, it was likely the natural cover kept them safe from other predators that may have enjoyed an easy meal. It seems like luck had played a large part in Logan lasting the night. Even his wounds felt like they had healed more than they should have, but Logan couldn¡¯t see his own back to verify. Remy teleported onto Logan¡¯s head instead of his normal shoulder perch, as he didn¡¯t want to hurt Logan further. The duo didn¡¯t have any destination in mind, but they set out regardless, taking a slow and steady pace, once again teleporting to avoid difficult terrain. The definition of said terrain was expanded since Logan¡¯s injury, so their time was still excellent, but Logan and Remy frequently had to take breaks to rest up. It was on one of those breaks, later that day, that the companions realized they were not alone in the woods. They were perched up in some trees, catching their spiritual breath, when Remy¡¯s ears started twitching. What¡¯s up, Remy? -People!- Chapter 59: Discovery Discovery Down below, Logan could make out the shapes of people, moving through a forest trail. As they went, they were hacking and slashing the forest around them, trying to widen whatever natural path they were treading. The noise was loud enough that Logan could now make it out, instead of just relying on Remy¡¯s hearing. It was no coincidence the group was there. They had to be chasing after Logan. Still, the methodical way they plowed through the forest gave Logan pause. It spoke of a disciplined approach that would probably account for his known ability to teleport. Instead, Logan stayed in the trees, multiple layers of greenery away from their human sight, relying on his soul sight to carry the bulk of the tracking duties. Still, with his unique set of Divinity and skills, Logan could jump from tree to tree top without alerting his opponents of his positioning. Instead, they were completely clueless to Logan and Remy¡¯s surveillance, as the companions watched over the group. They made steady progress throughout the night, clearing a somewhat winding, but easy going path through the woods that was easily five men abreast. Then, they did something Logan wasn¡¯t expecting as the sun rose. They traversed back down the path they had cut, instead of continuing their pursuit. Logan was confused as they pushed out of sight. If he was their target, and they were willing to push through the night to chase him, why would they stop as soon as the morning came? It didn¡¯t make sense to Logan. Why would they turn back? -We follow?- Sure, let''s keep pace with them. Logan responded after thinking about it for a couple seconds. Sleep was probably the smart play, especially considering the condition of his wounds, but something about this had snagged Logan¡¯s curiosity. From the experience of the group, to the strange decision to turn around at dawn, something felt strange about this to Logan. It made the choice to follow feel easy.
Logan quickly caught up to the group, even with their headstart. Teleporting has that effect in short distances. It helped that the group had clearly relaxed their vigilance on their return journey, further strengthening Logan¡¯s decision to follow the group. The one thing he was sure about was that he was still a good distance from Fort Errstile, and this group was still in hostile territory. Logan still followed at a good enough distance that he couldn¡¯t directly see them, but he heard snippets when the conversation got loud enough. ¡°...good night¡¯s work from today.¡± ¡°...hope we get ale tonight¡­ I doubt he will¡­ ¡°Quiet!..¡± And so on and so forth. Logan didn¡¯t remember the Prince putting a restriction on ale, but then again, Logan had only been there for a couple of minutes before getting detained. He really wasn¡¯t an authority on the procedures of Fort Errstile, in which lay half the problem. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. This group he was tailing was suspicious, but he didn¡¯t have any definitive ideas on what the normal was. For all Logan knew, he could be stalking a normal group of Legion scouts. But he kept course, and kept following the group as they wound through the path of cleared forest. Considering it was the second day of their likely pursuit, Logan didn¡¯t think much of it when the path trailed on longer than he would have expected. He kept following the group regardless, and pushed on. But eventually, Logan realized that he might have stumbled upon something completely different than a Legion scouting party. There was a good chance he was following an enemy group. Logan didn¡¯t know exactly who they had been sent to guard against, but there had been a reason for their reassignment. There had been a threat up North, and the Greatwood Squadron along with their entire company had been sent to reinforce their position. Logan had been told that a token force had remained behind, but that decision had to have cost the Austen Kingdom. And Logan may have just discovered why they were willing to pay such a price. Daring to teleport closer than he had even under the cover of night, Logan tried to sneak a peek. Teleporting onto a branch that almost hung over their hacked trail, Logan managed to see their clothing for the first time, and all of his suspicions were confirmed.
The branch creaked underneath Logan¡¯s feet, prompting one of the slighter party member¡¯s eyes to jump up, but Logan had already jumped away. Instead, they had their gaze centered on an empty branch, before returning forwards. Logan had sped out of there immediately, having already seen enough to confirm. The entire group had been garbed in matching white and black. Logan didn¡¯t know enough to understand what country that was, but he understood it wasn¡¯t the one whose military he had been a part of, albeit briefly. His heart was pounding, and his back suddenly felt hot. Logan collapsed against a tree, with Remy looking over worriedly. Logan managed to push back to his feet, but he leaned his head and forearms against the tree for a while. -You ok?- Logan wanted to respond immediately with yes, but his breath was coming out in ragged gasps right now. It took him several long seconds before he could look at his Rizzel companion and reply. Yeah, just give me a second. We can keep following the trail, there¡¯s no more need to risk getting seen. -Ok.- Logan spent the next minute taming his breathing. He knew his back was getting to him, and this was its way of telling him to slow down, so he listened. Now that he had the trail, Logan just needed to set up camp here for the day, before dodging their next pass through tonight. Hastily, Logan managed to make a lean to cover with some leaves to help it blend in. It certainly wasn¡¯t much, but it would help him hide from a casual glance, and give him some slight shelter from the elements. He didn¡¯t have time for much else before Logan passed out, almost collapsing directly onto Remy. Instead, the nimble Rizzel bounced around, and into the crook of Logan¡¯s left arm.
Over the past couple of days, the Prince had requested Gregor¡¯s presence several times, and demanded a thorough breakdown of all of Logan¡¯s known actions and powers. The Royal was clearly very frustrated, but each time had been surprisingly respectful of Gregor, venting his considerable anger elsewhere. Today was different however. Not because of any part of Gregor¡¯s interactions with the Prince, who had remained steadfast in his personality, and subsequent flaws. Instead, it was because of another invitation, one which Gregor was distinctly more keen to receive. The Princess had requested Gregor¡¯s presence again. The same aide as last time had been waiting as Gregor had exited the Prince¡¯s tent, asking that he attend Princess Lille come nightfall. Gregor had no desire, and no room, to decline. He was in the middle of talking to Amar about it. However, she wasn¡¯t having quite the reaction Logan had expected. ¡°...I told you already, I¡¯m happy for you.¡± ¡°And as I said before, if you didn¡¯t sound so dead while saying it, I might believe you. Is there a problem with it? It''s a huge honor, and I thought you would recognize that. To be interacting with the Royals so closely.¡± ¡°...Yes, I know. That¡¯s why I¡¯m happy for you.¡± ¡°Ughhh.¡± Gregor finally said in disgust. ¡°This isn¡¯t going anywhere, I¡¯m sorry I bothered you.¡± He walked away over to his private tent. Gregor thought Amar might have said something, but instead she just watched him walk away. He was so confused as to why she didn¡¯t understand this was a big deal. If the Royals took notice of him, he could maybe get some life changing equipment or training. His interactions with them literally were make or break for his career in the Legion, and therefore his lifeplans. Having said that, Gregor began preparing his cleanest uniform for his next meeting. It wouldn¡¯t do to be seen looking improper around the Princess. Of course, Gregor had done the same for his earlier meeting. Exactly the same, of course. Chapter 60: Searching Searching Logan and Remy had decided to make camp relatively close to their enemies¡¯ trail, despite the inherent risk involved in doing so. Logan was confident that their main base was still relatively far away, so the danger was mitigated to be cautious not to be spotted by the nightly scouting parties. For their shelter, the two had managed to find a massive Oak tree that had branches wide enough for the companions to pace back and forth upon. Using dirt, sticks, and Logan¡¯s rudimentary knowledge of building structures, a small cover between two higher boughs that would theoretically keep the elements off of their heads as they slept. At one point before deciding on this plan, Logan had asked Remy what he used to do in the Inaug forest. The Rizzel¡¯s answer had shocked Logan slightly, as Remy had said that he couldn¡¯t remember his life before very clearly. Logan thought the marked improvements to his mental acuity may have been too much for his memories to properly transfer, but he was just guessing at this point. Regardless, eventually Remy had remembered the holes and burrows he would use to stay safe at night, but the two quickly realized that Logan¡¯s size made that option untenable. Instead, in the hours before nightfall, the two went to scout out their newly claimed territory, checking in on the terrain. It was mostly the same as the rest of the forest the companions had explored. Lots of large trees, only occasionally broken up by large boulders or hills. They scouted around in a hundred yard perimeter, finding nothing of real interest in the meantime. The only thing of note in any direction was the enemies trail that led on winding into the distance. Eventually, Logan and Remy would follow that path, although Logan technically didn¡¯t have a reason to do so anymore. Regardless, he at least wanted to know what his friends would be up against, and who knew, maybe Logan would end up joining the other side if it looked fun. At this point, however, Logan had already found himself disillusioned by the military lifestyle, and doubted a change of scenery was enough to shift that. Currently, however, the two companions got ready for their cold, hungry night.
As Gregor entered Princess Lille¡¯s tent, the first thing he noticed was the scent that filled his nose. It was wafty and floral, while instinctively calming his heart, which Gregor hadn¡¯t even realized was elevated. After parsing the perfume, Gregor noticed the Princess, seated in a similar fashion to before. However, there was a difference this time, as Gregor caught a whiff of a different scent. A banquet table had been arranged in her highness¡¯s tent, covered in delectable delicacies which wafted wonderful aroma¡¯s. With such a spread out in front of him, Gregor struggled not to salivate at the sight. ¡°Welcome, please have a seat, Captain.¡± It took Gregor several long seconds as he slowly came to understand the words the Princess had just spoken. It was a slow process, mostly because the meaning had to sink through a thick layer of disbelief at his scenario. Eventually, Gregor managed to stammer out a reply, and hastily take a seat. As he did, attendants entered from a side flap that Gregor hadn¡¯t been aware of, pouring them full glasses of a deep, red wine, before exiting through whence they came. At this, Princess Lille raised her glass, and gave a small toast. ¡°To the Hero of Langst Harbor, and his endless patience in dealing with my brother.¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Gregor wanted to protest against that, not because of any falsehoods, but because Gregor was worried about the consequences of agreeing to such a thing. However, any words he may have had were irrelevant as the princess had already lifted the glass to her lips, drinking heavily. To not offend, Gregor mirrored her, also drinking deeply from his glass. The wine was smooth, and refined. Surely it was a much nicer vintage and less watered down than any Gregor would be able to drink otherwise, so he made sure to savor the full flavor as it slid down his throat in bloody waves. As he sat his glass down, now empty, he noticed the Princess¡¯s gaze directly on him. ¡°Now, let us discuss business.¡±
As Gregor had dinner with a Princess, Amar chatted with a Goddess. ¡°...know that you want me to look for Logan. I¡¯ve already gone on one scouting detail, and I¡¯m signed up for several more. Unless you want me to trek out by myself, there is nothing I can do.¡± ¡®I know dear, I just don¡¯t think you quite understand that boy¡¯s importance. No matter, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be just fine. How have you been lately, my dear.¡¯ Amar had been just fine recently, acclimating to life up at Fort Errstile rather well. Although not as well as Gregor had, absconding with Royals at seemingly every opportunity. However, she could also admit, it could have gone worse, as Logan had so thoroughly demonstrated. Instead, she had managed to find the middle group she supposed, so Amar couldn¡¯t be too unhappy. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing quite well, thank you for asking. How about yourself, Goddess?¡± ¡®Mhm, well I¡¯ll manage, certainly. I would be significantly more assured if you knew Logan¡¯s whereabouts¡­¡¯ ¡°Well, as I¡¯ve said numerous times, I¡¯m doing everything I can!¡± Amar¡¯s outburst caught the attention of several other Legionnaires using the thoroughfare. She had the dignity to look embarrassed, but she still continued, whispering forcefully. ¡°Please, Goddess, enough of that, I understand.¡± ¡®Alright, dear¡­ I understand as well.¡¯ Amar felt bad at snapping at the Goddess, considering she had been nothing but helpful, but still, Amar needed to set some boundaries, especially if Selerys could just pop into her head without any warning. Forcing Amar to hear the same things on repeat, without any recourse would be unfair, Amar thought. ¡®Alright, then dear, take care of yourself, please.¡¯ ¡°Of course, Goddess.¡±
Logan woke up normally, the next day. No visions of the Void had occurred, and instead, Logan felt well rested for what was the first time in a long time. Although he was increasingly aware that he didn¡¯t need sleep, Logan still found it to be great for his mental, and physical health. His back felt better, even if it wasn¡¯t significantly, any improvement would help Logan and Remy¡¯s situation. However, as much as Logan thought he was no longer bound by sleep, there was another necessity that desperately needed to be taken care of. ¡°Grrrmmmrrrrr¡­¡± Logan¡¯s stomach was making its desires well known as the morning sun managed to find the small holes in their temporary cover. Remy as well was making his thoughts on the matter heard, even if only mentally. -Need food!- Yeah buddy, me too. Let¡¯s go see what we can scrounge up, shall we? The two companions teleported their feet back to the ground, avoiding climbing the twenty feet back to the earth. Instead, they set out a measured pace, careful to avoid aggravating Logan¡¯s injuries. Any further setbacks would see them eating whatever greenery they could find, which was a good way to get poisoned. No, the companions needed to find some filling food as fast as possible, without any further risks. That need almost drove Logan to investigate the enemy camp, but he wasn¡¯t sure about their overall strength, or his ability to steal food unnoticed. Instead, that meant that Logan was following after Remy, using his nose to sniff out some dinner for today. The two companions were crouching through bushes, and teleporting through trees as they tried to track down some grub. Remy¡¯s sense of smell was powerful, but not precise, allowing them to find tracks and trails easily, but not the current location of many of the animals and residents of the forest. Eventually, though, they stumbled upon their prey for the day. Staying close to their current tree, the companions looked down upon an injured stag. Dried blood caked one of its sides, accompanying an obvious limp. Logan felt bad for what was surely a majestic beast, but life wasn¡¯t always kind. Feeling the yawning chasm in his stomach, Logan didn¡¯t think he could afford to be kind either. Spinning up a pattern in his soul, Logan prepared his teleport down to the stag. Chapter 61: One More Stag At It One More Stag At It Preparing to teleport directly behind the stag, Logan set his mind to one task. Utter concentration. Last time he had been in a situation like this a couple of days ago, Logan had ended up almost dying prematurely in what should have been a doable fight. Logan wouldn¡¯t make those same mistakes again. He couldn¡¯t afford to. Instead, Logan prepared himself to activate his Soul Sword Ability immediately after closing the distance with a teleport. Although the stag was already injured, Logan wasn¡¯t going to give it the chance to defend itself further. Letting out his breath, Logan teleported behind the stag, already summoning his Soul Sword. As the blade of crystalized Divinity swung down, the stag barely had time to react, turning its head in time to see the blade descend. The Beast¡¯s eyes met Logan¡¯s, and then its head was lopped off. Almost comically slowly, the body collapsed after standing for several seconds. Logan stood there for much longer, the scene flashing time and time before his eyes. Logan had killed Monsters, Beasts, and Abominations in equal measure, but never before had it been easy. This time, it had been. Enough to shock Logan, and really make him consider his course of actions. Surely he could teleport around either Fort Errstile, or the enemy encampment, and find a way to live in a small town. Then he realized that it wouldn¡¯t change anything, and this was the way of the world. Kill or be killed, such a concept had even existed on Earth for all of human history. There was no avoiding the bloodshed here, and besides, Logan was much less likely to fall to the latter than most. He may as well make use of his unwittingly acquired Divinity and skillset. -Ok?- Yeah, Remy, I¡¯m good. Let¡¯s carry this sucker back to camp, and see if I can get a decent fire going. The companions made their way across the woods, and back to their makeshift camp in the trees. Or more specifically, they chose to set up their cooking area a little whiles away to avoid bringing unnecessary attention, choosing an open area about a hundred feet from their base.
Although Logan and Remy had devoured their food, it could hardly be considered fine cuisine. Instead, the only name that quite fit was sustenance, but regardless, the companions were indeed sustained. They had gone through this well before the sun set, to avoid any potential chance of the group of enemy scouts seeing their plume of smoke and investigating. So they had enjoyed their feast of overcooked stag and let themselves relax for the first time in days. Logan had taken to tearing off small chunks of meat, and tossing them up for Remy. Of course, to challenge the Rizzel, Logan was throwing the food bits further and further, forcing Remy to teleport to catch the stag meat from mid air. After a particularly impressive catch, Remy had come over to Logan, and was receiving the appropriate amount of petting for the achievement. The Rizzel¡¯s ears were tucked back against his head like they usually were under such circumstances. Then, Logan¡¯s companions snapped to attention. Remy¡¯s ears stood at attention, and he looked to the woods around him. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. -They come. Let¡¯s go.- Huh, who¡¯s coming, Remy? -Forest cutters. Let''s go.- Although Logan doubted that''s what the enemies were actually called, he had no more appropriate names he could think of. Deciding now wasn¡¯t the time for semantics, Logan followed the Rizzel back towards the hacked out path. Teleporting back into a perch close enough to the path, Logan and Remy waited for their targets to walk past them. It didn¡¯t require them to wait long either. Within minutes, the same group that Logan had trailed last time made their way through the previously cleared path. Now that the companions had confirmed the group''s schedule, they had a decision to make. Should they follow the scouts, or follow the path back to their base?
Logan¡¯s mind was made up quickly. He didn¡¯t trust himself to fight against a group of opponents right now, but he was confident he could at least scout out the location of the enemies origins without revealing himself. Relaying his thoughts to Remy, the duo began to follow the path in the opposite direction of the group that had just passed them. Teleporting branch to branch, and jogging along its periphery, the companions made steady progress on their course. However, after over an hour of following the rough hewn path, they still had yet to discover its endpoint. It spoke to the length of time this operation had been continuing, as the path Logan and Remy had traversed would be the work of several weeks of cutting and hacking through the forest. However, that wasn¡¯t what worried Logan. Instead, Logan¡¯s mind was concerned over thoughts of the path¡¯s purpose. If they were developing a road, it seemed likely that more effort would have been put into converting the natural footing, to some degree. Contrary to that, no effort had been put in besides carving the path in the first place. It made Logan suspect that this group wasn¡¯t the only one cutting their way through the woods, creeping closer to Fort Errstile. If Logan¡¯s thoughts were correct, the enemies were attempting to figure out the range of the Fort¡¯s scouting efforts. The next step would be to begin tracking patrols, until they could surround the Fort at a pivotal moment. Although there were enough Legionnaires stationed there that a permanent scouting presence was possible, Logan didn¡¯t have faith in the Prince¡¯s tactical abilities, beyond his personal dislike for the man. Logan¡¯s escape spoke to his highness¡¯s incompetencies, although possessing a Blessing that allowed almost no cost teleportation was a massive boon to Logan in that endeavor. Still, Logan could not help feeling somewhat dismissive of the man after letting Logan embarrass him in such a manner, in the absolute center of his domain. With multiple Companies worth of manpower at his disposal, the only conclusion Logan could draw was that the Prince had either very little talent, or very little experience for his position. Either option meant that the enemies'' stratagems were much more likely to work. Pushing forwards, Logan and Remy tried to at least figure out what those stratagems were.
Amar was out on her second scouting mission since coming to Fort Errstile. Her first experience had helped her acclimate to the position, and now she felt much more confident heading out in her small group of Legionnaires. None of them had previously traveled with her, but that was how most scouting operations worked, to Amar¡¯s knowledge. When it had been announced, there had been a brief explanation that people who hadn¡¯t worked together would possess different methods of scouting, making mixing the groups more effective. Amar had her doubts, as she thought that overlapping different methods would also likely lead to blindspots, as teammates that normally covered different roles would not be there. However, she had neither the authority or the inclination to bring up such matters. Instead, Amar was happy to finally be following the Goddess¡¯s instructions. Although Logan seemed ordinary, if powerful to Amar, Selerys had constantly hammered home his importance, to the point that Amar had no doubts such was the case. The fact that the Goddess Selerys, who many considered to be the most powerful of all the Gods, was asking for Amar¡¯s assistance meant that she was likely the only one who could fulfill such a role. The weight of that honor weighed on her, far more responsibility than she ever thought she would possess, but Amar wasn¡¯t shirking away. If the Goddess needed her specifically to help, then she would be foolish to disobey. Selerys had no reputation of punishment, but even the smallest children grew up on stories of legendary heroes that followed the Gods¡¯ wills and brought order and peace to the world. With skill, perseverance, and a little luck, Amar may one day join them. However, to make it that far, she would have to survive. Setting her mind to her task, Amar engaged the Root Ability, sensing the thriving greenery around her. Although the Ability wouldn¡¯t let her detect anything beyond plantlife, with some convincing, Amar convinced the plant life around her to inform her of what they could detect, unveiling a large, if indistinct, map of the area in her mind. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Chapter 62: Build Up Build Up It took the companions many more hours of following the trail before they eventually found the enemy camp. Their speed was impeded slightly by remaining in the trees, just in case, but the hewn trail was otherwise completely clear. The wildlife even here was very scarce, as if the whole forest knew about the opposing sides destined to clash here. The uneven spans of silence it left was eerie, and made Logan feel jumpy. Still, they arrived at their intended destination without being harried. On their journey, Logan had wondered what the enemy base would look like. He still didn¡¯t know exactly who they were fighting, but he remembered that the country to the North had been called Grecia, but Logan also knew that their Capitol had been overrun. Were they fighting the remains of their army, or the ones who had beaten them? Maybe even a bandit group now that the government would be in shambles? Logan couldn¡¯t tell from seeing the encampment, but he could tell the Legion was in trouble. The companions had abruptly run into the edge of the forest in front of them, and had gazed out at the space beyond. The first thing they noticed was the sea of tree stumps, stretching out for well over a hundred yards. The second thing they noticed was where all those trees had gone. A huge fortification sat in the center of the cleared space, made of treated logs and easily thirty feet tall. The differences between this fort and the unorganized tent city of Fort Errstile were stark, making the Legion base¡¯s name sound like a sick joke. They could see the tops of heads poking out from up on the palisade, forcing Logan and Remy to stick to their location in the trees. Still, what they had learned today was enough. They had found the location of the other base, and now all Logan and Remy had to do was skirt around both of them, and find somewhere else to go. Jeremiah had mentioned his family came from Svell, so maybe Logan could head there. The two companions were just turning to leave, satisfied with their results, when the fort¡¯s huge wooden doors began to swing open.
Rows and rows of troops filed out, pouring from the door like ants from their hill. Logan and Remy scrambled back into the woods, but maintained line of sight on the door. Luckily, it didn¡¯t seem like they were paying attention to the trees at the edge of the clearing, as the soldiers formed into quick, neat lines, facing back towards the encampment. They stood at attention, before saluting someone standing in the center of the gates. Logan could only see the top of some sort of vessel, but he assumed that there was someone speaking in front of it. Whoever it was spoke out to the soldiers decorated in white and black as they patiently stood there. At this distance, Logan couldn¡¯t quite make out the words, but he knew someone who could. Hey Remy, can you make out what he¡¯s saying? -Sure Remy can! Something¡­ south¡­ and attack tonight. Lots of longer words, too!- Logan could hear his heart beating like it was inside his head. He had discovered the enemy''s base, just as they were setting out for the first attack of the war. A pit formed in his stomach. He slowly backed away further from the clearing. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Come on Remy, we have to go. -No dinner from there?- No, we¡¯re better off catching our own again. Logan left it unsaid that they might not get a chance to hunt today. If they wanted a chance of outpacing the army that would inevitably be on their heels, Logan and Remy would need to keep teleporting through the day, as Logan¡¯s walking speed wasn¡¯t too fast yet. In short distances, he could push himself, but if Logan strained too much his back was likely to reopen. The companions started moving back along the path at their respectably fast pace. Logan almost fell several times, as his head was still back in that clearing, wondering what to do next.
After ten minutes of putting distance between themselves and the enemies¡¯ camp, Logan finally made up his mind on what to do. When he had started breaking it down, he had slowly realized that it wasn¡¯t much of a choice. On one hand, Logan could abandon everyone he currently knew except Remy, travel by himself across country lines during the middle of a war. Or, he could try and sneak back into Fort Errstile, and warn Gregor or Major Frear about the impending attack, and run away. Logan knew one option would leave him with lifelong regrets, even if he managed to survive. With his choice made, Logan let Remy know where he wanted to head. For now, the two would stay on the trail made by the enemy. Then, the Rizzel would use his fine tuned senses to find Fort Errstile after they reached the end of the path, but that was many hours away, as the sun was just now setting. Now that it was urgent, Logan had started to push himself, equally increasing the strain on his raw back and their pace as they headed back towards Errstile. For now, he was managing to hold up, but even now, Logan wasn''t sure he could maintain his current vigor for their entire return trip. Still, he had to try, as the minutes he saved may well turn out crucial for the Legion. So he kept going, forcing Remy to wait for him occasionally, but the companions continued to make great time. Teleporting, once again, was pretty much a cheat code for traveling distances. After a couple hours, and the sun had long fled the sky, Logan and Remy heard the group who was making the trail hacking away ahead. Really, it was just Remy that heard them, as the Rizzel¡¯s ears could pick out a sound much farther than Logan¡¯s, but Logan picked it up soon after. They weren¡¯t making any effort to be quiet. Instead, Logan could hear loud grunts and strangely resonant clangs. It was almost closer to the sound of steel on steel, instead of chopping wood¡­ Rushing forwards, Logan decided to abandon stealth. From the noise, it sounded like a battle had broken out, and he was still in time to intervene, one way or the other. Teleporting ahead, Logan dove into the chaos.
Amar¡¯s second scouting mission had been going slowly, not that her first attempt had been any faster or more interesting. All told, she had spent much of the time walking with her eyes closed, giving as much cognitive function as possible to the task of holding her Root Ability. Normally the Ability was simple to focus on. Now, however, it was feeding her back an ecosystem¡¯s worth of data, and it was taking everything Amar had to process it. A fuzzy black and white overhead view formed in Amar¡¯s mind eye, allowing her to track her surroundings in a 360, even if it was almost impossible to see something that wasn¡¯t moving. Amar was the only one in the group with any Divinity that expanded her perception, so she had been moved to the center of the scouting party¡¯s formation, to stay better protected in case of an attack. The decision had been made by the leader of their party, Lieutenant Raster. So far, his competence had impressed Amar. Although the scouting party was a temporary group, he had effortlessly taken charge, and effectively situated them in a combat formation, taking into account their various strengths and skill sets. Lt. Raster even had them remain cautious throughout their entire trip, something that definitely hadn¡¯t occurred on Amar¡¯s first mission. She had slightly been lamenting that difference, when she caught a glimpse of movement, and her mental model shrank just a little. It took Amar a quick second to realize the implications. They must have found the enemy. Calling out, Amar alerted her group to the danger. They didn¡¯t have to do much to get ready, but Amar heard several prayers from the others. Then, battle was upon them. Chapter 63: Forest Fight Forest Fight Amar had been maintaining her hold on the Root Ability so far, but she let that go as she started to sense the enemies crossing its boundaries. There were at least five enemies from her initial count, and Amar informed the rest of the group of such. By that time, the scouting party could hear their enemies hacking their way through the woods, the sounds coming in over the suddenly silent song of the forest. Their party arrayed out in a loose wedge shape, Amar still tucked in its center. The Harthian troops came streaming out of the trees, their typical white and black garb a stark difference to the earth colors around them. On first contact, they didn¡¯t shout, and wordlessly assembled into a counter formation and began advancing. Lt. Raster was the one shouting, trying to disseminate tactics. While Amar respected his attempt to control the situation, it just served to highlight the seemingly large difference in experience and cohesion between the two scouting parties. There were a few tense seconds before the fighting started. Both sides looked across the distance, trying to gauge where a weak point may be had. Lt. Raster was holding his nerves, but the rest of the group wasn¡¯t, hands and knees trembling at points. Amar realized that while the Legion was looking for a single weak point, their enemies must see nothing but openings, indecision arising from the multitudes of options. Then, they made their move, and the battle was truly underway. The enemy''s left flank pushed out suddenly, sweeping into the Legion group¡¯s right. There were two sword wielders and someone with dual axes that looked more appropriate for forestry than combat. Still, the precision with which he carried his weapons of choice spoke of a dangerous level of skill. The rest of the Harthian soldiers slowly engaged from the front, content to let their compatriots do the majority of the aggressing. The Legionnaires engaged their opponents, the clash of metal loud in Amar¡¯s ears. She took a deep breath, taking stock of the situation, before identifying what she had to do. Dashing over, Amar joined the conflict.
Despite what he had said, Logan actually teleported up into a tree perched above the conflict before making any rash moves. Logan¡¯s aches were a constant reminder not to underestimate the situation, and he wasn¡¯t keen for any more of them. Instead, Logan spent a few vital seconds understanding the situation before jumping into the middle. From above the formations the two sides were clear, although Logan didn¡¯t have much of a grasp on the tactics involved. Instead, he tried to gauge the confidence of both sides, and how that compared between the two. In that regard, the Legion was clearly following behind their enemies, who looked to be pressing into the Legion, being the aggressors and not allowing them space to think. Especially down the right hand side of the field, the enemies were really trying to push their advantage. However, so far, both sides had come off relatively evenly, with only superficial cuts occurring on both sides. It made Logan question his decision to come help out, if only for a moment. Then, Logan saw a familiar piece of Divinity that rewarded his actions. ¡°Bear Claw!¡± Logan heard Amar shout some familiar words. Then the same Blessing that Old Jeremiah had used flashed out over the right hand side of the field, bashing back their enemies as Amar committed to fighting down the flank. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. However, that¡¯s just when their enemies decided to push forwards down the front, clearly having waited for the Legion¡¯s formation to overcommit to their flank push. Racing towards them, the enemy''s formation held solid as they rushed the main force from the Legion. However, all Logan saw was an invitation. Now that the enemies were rushing in, it left a lot of exploitable space for Logan to teleport into. So readying his Soul Sword, Logan prepared to do just that. When the pattern of Logan¡¯s tentacles was perfect, Logan used his Blessing to appear down on the field right behind the most isolated enemy, pushing almost by himself down the Legion¡¯s left flank. A casual horizontal swing introduced Logan to the fight, and both sides quickly took notice.
As the soft thud echoed over the battlefield, the attention turned towards Logan from both sides. He saw looks of confusion from the enemies that mirrored the vague looks of recognition from the Legion. However, this wasn¡¯t the time to get distracted. ¡°Keep going!¡± Logan yelled out. At his words, the brief spell broke, and the fighting recommenced. This time, instead of pushing into the Legion however, the enemies had decided to deal with the thorn in their side, and protect their own flank, turning towards Logan and advancing. Three of them coordinated to try and close in on Logan¡¯s position. They clearly hadn¡¯t seen how Logan had arrived on the field, and didn¡¯t expect Logan¡¯s greatest Blessing. Logan focused in a way that had long become a second habit, letting the white lines that designated his teleport locations file into his vision. However, his companion beat him to the punch, shocking Logan. Remy teleported down in front of his companion, and let loose their second Blessing, the one Logan had ripped from the Depth Wyrm. Suddenly, a screeching shriek filled the air, literally. The enemies who had been trying to advance on Logan found themselves battered back by the Rizzel¡¯s Divinity, which created openings in their formation. Already ready to teleport, Logan made the most of those openings, jumping into the middle of the already flustered soldiers, and getting to work. A quick thrust knocked one opponent''s sword away, even as Logan spun and slashed another enemy. Their armor provided a resistance that Logan had never felt with his Soul Sword, meaning he didn¡¯t manage to finish him off, but the man¡¯s torso had still taken a pretty harsh wound. The enemies stabilized, at least until Logan teleported away, back to his initial perch. Then, Logan heard them speak for the first time today. ¡°What, where did he go?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Be careful, everyone. We may have to rethink this.¡± One of the women in the group said. ¡°Quiet, you know it doesn''t matter unless we manage to complete our jobs. We almost made it, we just need to finish up this last thing, yeah?¡± The leader of the charge said, swaying the others. ¡°Alright boss.¡± ¡°Then keep attacking! They have to be almost here!¡±
Logan looked back down at the skirmish. Logan¡¯s interruption had done some good, letting the Legion take back the initiative and the advantage in the fight overall. Their enemy¡¯s formation had broken with their fighters collapsing towards the left flank, splitting their forces into two smaller groups that the Legion had wedged between. The Legion used their superior positioning well, their earlier nerves seeming to abate, as they started pushing in at their enemies in white and black. Although they seemed determined, it wasn¡¯t long until the Legion¡¯s advantage was overwhelming, and their remaining enemies surrendered instead of fighting to the death. As they rounded up their defeated foes, the Legion kept glancing around into the darkness. Logan thought it was wise to remain wary, until he realized they were likely looking for him. The thought made him sour, Logan still upset with the Prince for costing him his place in the Legion, and the Austen Kingdom as a whole. Hiding out in a tree watching people he had beaten get tied up made Logan feel like Batman. He had always thought that the caped crusader was awesome, but for the first time, Logan realized how lonely a life like that was. Then, Remy rustled up against him, bringing those thoughts to a halt. If Logan was Batman, that meant Remy would be Robin. I couldn¡¯t ask for a better sidekick. Thanks for helping out down there, Remy. -No problem!- Logan smiled at the pride in Remy¡¯s mental voice. The little guy was always surprising Logan with how much he had grown, and it was great to see his efforts paying off. Looking back below, Logan realized that the Legion had started setting back towards the Fort.\ However, Amar had remained at the rear of their formation, lagging around the site of the battle for much longer than he groupmates. Teleporting down, but remaining in the foliage, Logan called out to her. Chapter 64: Infiltration Infiltration Amar turned around to look at Logan, with the two now alone at the battle site. He walked up to his friend, and they started conversing. ¡°You doing ok out here?¡± ¡°Yeah, somehow Remy and I have managed.¡± ¡°Well you two certainly left a mess back at Errstile, Gregor¡¯s been dealing with the fallout ever since you left.¡± Logan let out a sigh. He had hoped that his friends wouldn¡¯t get in trouble for Logan¡¯s issues, but it seemed like the Prince was just that sort of person. It didn¡¯t sound like anything extreme had happened though, so Logan moved on. ¡°Yeah¡­ tell him I¡¯m sorry when you get a chance, ok? But I have something else I have to tell you.¡± Amar looked at him for a second, before asking, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Well, me and Remy have been pushing pretty far into the woods here, and well¡­ It was no accident that we were here for the battle. We found the enemy''s base, and from what we could hear, they were planning to attack the next day.¡± Amar¡¯s face smoothed over, instantly her expression becoming hard to read. Logan imagined he had a similar look on his face when he had first seen those doors swing open, and the enemy troops poured out. After a while, Amar managed to school herself back into relaxing, and continued the conversation. ¡°Really, the Harthians plan to attack within the next day?¡± Huh, the enemies are Harthians, I think that was the country all the way up North. That¡¯s good to know, just calling them enemies was getting annoying. ¡°Yeah, Remy heard the speech their boss was giving to the troops.¡± ¡°Then I have to return to Fort Errstile, and prepare them for an attack. Thanks for letting us know¡­ and I¡¯m sorry Logan, but I have to go back.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ it¡¯s all good. It would be nice to have someone else out here but¡­¡± Logan trailed off as he thought of someone that may join him. ¡°But¡­?¡± Amar prompted. ¡°But I might know someone who would be willing to come with me. Amar, do you think you could help me sneak back into the Fort?¡± Amar¡¯s answer didn¡¯t match her annoyed expression.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Amar, Logan, and Remy made their way back towards Fort Errstile, at a much reduced pace from both of them. For Logan¡¯s part, he couldn¡¯t just teleport ahead, as he didn¡¯t want to leave Amar. For her, Amar was forced to slow down to accommodate Logan¡¯s injured back. Amar had been worried that the Harthians would catch up to them, but Logan reminded her that he had managed to gain a lot of distance by teleporting ahead of them. Remy squeaked out his agreement, which had made Amar laugh, and melted some of her tension away. Both of them still remained aware of their surroundings, however. Amar had started using an advanced version of Root that let her scout out her surroundings, while Logan and Remy kept their eyes open, and their teleports ready, in case of trouble. However, their return journey ended up rather boring, their group not being accosted until Fort Errstile was in the distance, the tents and wooden tower breaking up the endless landscape of trees and forest. Logan felt somewhat conflicted coming back here, but shrugged it off, and explained his plan to Amar. She would go back into camp, and quickly find a uniform that would fit Logan. Then, he would sneak into the Fort with her, before they split up. From there, Amar would inform the officers and the Prince about the impending attack, while Logan would find his new partner in crime. Then, while the camp was in chaos preparing, Logan would slip back out again, and try to put as much distance as he could between himself and what would inevitably become a bloody battlefield. It was a simple plan in ideation, but its execution would be the crucial step. Logan would rather not have to make another dashing escape, and hoped that if he pulled it off properly, he could waltz out the front gate, companions in tow. Of course, that was if nothing went wrong, and Logan¡¯s plan went accordingly. As he considered it, Logan found he didn¡¯t think that was very likely.
Gregor was in the middle of an officer¡¯s meeting when he heard pounding footsteps outside. Through the tent flaps, he heard a brief, terse conversation, before those flaps opened, and Amar strode in. The assembled officer¡¯s in the tent, including the Prince, looked at Amar with some disdain, but she didn¡¯t see, already dropping to one knee. ¡°Sirs, I have to inform you of an impending attack.¡± At that phrase, all the emotion drained out of the room. Silence reigned for a few tense moments, before someone found their words. Of course, it was his highness Prince Augustus who spoke first. ¡°How did you learn of the enemy¡¯s plans to attack, Private.¡± ¡°I just returned from a scouting detail, where we encountered the enemy¡¯s scouts as well. After the battle, one of our prisoners revealed their army was following behind them, and that an attack would happen within the day.¡± At that, murmurs went around the tent, as the officers involved started discussing the ramifications of the new intel. The Prince however, was silent, a vein steadily growing larger on his forehead. Then, like a dam broke, he started speaking, and didn¡¯t stop. Directions were spewed out like a geyser, rapid fire, and to each of the officer¡¯s in attendance, detailing their assignments in only a few meaningful words. It was like the Prince was a man possessed, easily directing their entire group towards the most effective ways to contribute. The tirade actually raised Gregor¡¯s opinion of the man, as he hadn¡¯t thought much of the Prince¡¯s tactical and organizational mind before. Gregor supposed there was a reason the Prince had been assigned to Fort Errstile, after all. Then, came Gregor¡¯s assignment. ¡°Captain Greatwood, I¡¯m assigning you to guard over my dearest sister. Let me make this perfectly clear, if I find she has suffered any injury, your head will roll. Next up¡­¡± Gregor gulped, and then looked over to where the Princess¡¯s tent was located. Then he gulped again.
So far, Logan¡¯s plan had actually worked. Amar had quickly come back out of the Fort with a tabard in the Austen Kingdom¡¯s colors, letting Logan slip right into the camp without issue. Then the two had split up, and Logan had started working on his mission. Gliding around the thoroughfare, Logan walked through the camp, until he reached the center. He could hear the Prince¡¯s raised voice from inside the command tent, signifying that Amar¡¯s portion of the plot was going well, leaving Logan to tackle his own objective. Walking forwards, Logan avoided the tents, and ambled over towards the singular wooden structure. As always, there was a steady stream of people trickling in and out, marking this building as the information hub for the camp. Logan had been counting on this, as it let him join the flow and easily enter the building without being stopped. Once inside, Logan looked around, and listened to all the conversations happening. It seemed they had already been clued in to the impending attack, and no one had any attention to spare for someone else. Which meant Logan¡¯s plan was still working perfectly, which for some reason made him increasingly nervous. Although things were proceeding without flaw, Logan couldn¡¯t help but feel like the other shoe was just about to drop. Regardless, Logan shook his head, and focused on what he had to do. Slipping through the throng of people, he made his way over towards a simple wooden door, and walked through. A familiar spiral staircase met him, and Logan descended into the dark and damp prison of Fort Errstile. Similarly to his last visit, only two cells were full, one holding his target, and the other holding a dead body. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m back!¡± Chapter 65: Extraction Extraction Logan didn¡¯t get the warm reception he was hoping for. Really, he should have seen it coming, since the woman had always kept him at a distance. However, she was the one person Logan knew wanted away from Fort Errstile, and well¡­ Logan was headed out anyway. Besides, Logan knew better than anyone that the Prince didn¡¯t always lock up people for the best reasons. Or, maybe not everyone. Logan thought, looking at the corpse still held in the cell next to the woman. ¡°Who are you? Better yet, who do you think I am, to know a nameless goon from the Prince?¡± Oh right, the tabard. The only people who wore them were the Prince¡¯s men, which is what had allowed Logan such easy access into the camp. Of course, it was a major defensive oversight, but none of the normal Legionaries were willing to risk doing anything to earn the ire of the Prince ¡°Uh, sorry, this is just a disguise.¡± ¡°Oh, an assassin then. Get it over with.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m n- I¡¯m the other prisoner who was here a couple days ago.¡± At this, the woman scoffed. Logan still could barely see her face in the dark basement, but he could see the doubt nonetheless. It almost made him second guess his decision to come back. ¡°The one who was executed? What games are you playing at?¡± Wow, she hasn¡¯t heard about my escape. That makes my story much less believable. Wait, I know. Logan decided to prove his identity with hard evidence. Teleporting, he slipped into her cell without a hitch. She had seen him do such before, and from Logan¡¯s admitted limited knowledge, it was an uncommon piece of Divinity to possess. However, recognition wasn¡¯t her immediate reaction. ¡°Ah!¡± The woman exclaimed while backing up. ¡°Quiet, I needed to get in here to free you.¡± Logan unsheathed a small knife Amar had given him, along with the tabard. Of course, this didn¡¯t do anything to assuage the woman¡¯s worries, being tied up before a male stranger with a knife. However, Logan didn¡¯t have the time to be considerate. Every minute he remained in camp was another that he risked discovery, and death. Time constraints forced him to grab the woman¡¯s arms to halt her flailing, and begin to saw at her restraints.
Stepping back, Logan gave the woman the limited space allowed in the dingy cell. She was still clearly weary, but Logan freeing her and then backing up had relieved some of that stress. She was also clearly beautiful from this distance, with dark curly hair that was obviously luscious despite the dirt caked in it. However, Logan pointedly ignored that, as this definitely wasn¡¯t the time. Not if Logan wanted to claim to have any morals, at least. Instead, he noticed the intense rope burn on her wrists, from being held bound for much too long. She was poking at them, and Logan winced in sympathy. His own wounds ached, urging him to rush out of the fort, but Logan managed to be patient with the woman. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. It took her several minutes to collect herself, in which Logan cut apart the cell with his Soul Sword. Then, she asked a couple more questions. ¡°How did you avoid your execution?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a little bit of a long story, but suffice to say, I escaped, and made the Prince very angry in the process. Serves him right, if you ask me.¡± ¡°And, you want to help me escape? Why?¡± ¡°To be honest, there isn¡¯t a whole lot of reason behind it. I wanted to piss off the Prince a bit more, and I was here anyway, and I didn¡¯t think it would be that hard.¡± At this, the woman shifted to look cautiously optimistic. However, something was clearly still causing her to hesitate. Logan didn¡¯t know exactly what it was, but figured they could work through it once they hit the road. ¡°We really should get going, if we get caught, I¡¯m not sure if I can get you out. I¡¯m Logan Brewer, again.¡± ¡°Anastacia. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡±
The two of them made their way up the stairs, with Logan holding her arm as if escorting her. Their ploy needed to be convincing enough to stand up to a fair amount of scrutiny, so Logan cajoled her through the doorway like he meant it. No one stopped them, and they continued through the throng of people in the communications building. The rush made Logan nervous, but he remembered that it was all part of the plan and kept on going. They had almost made it out the door, when suddenly a familiar voice stopped them. ¡°Hey, Private, what are you doing?¡± Logan tried to keep walking forwards, ignoring the call. ¡°Private, I¡¯m talking to you.¡± Knowing it was no use, Logan slowly turned around. Of course with his luck, Logan would get stopped by someone that knew him on sight. Bringing Anastasia around to keep up his cover for spectators, Logan faced Major Frear. A brief startled look crossed her face, before she schooled it back to a neutral position, revealing her recognition. Still, she continued on. ¡°What are you doing, Private.¡± What? Is she playing along with my act? Why would the Major do that..? Well, if she¡¯s keeping up appearances, so should I. ¡°The Prince requested this prisoner, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Oh, did he now?¡± Wait, is she not playing around? Or is she playing with me? ¡°Uh, yes ma¡¯am. He did.¡± ¡°Ahem. I see. Well then, carry on.¡± The Major said, turning and walking away. Logan let out a sigh of relief. Then he got a jab in his side mid exhale. ¡°We aren¡¯t safe yet, keep going!¡± Anastasia whispered furiously. ¡°Okay, okay. Let''s go.¡± Logan shot back. Exiting the communications building, Logan brought Anastasia out to the thoroughfare. Thankfully, everyone here was in too much of a hurry to wonder why a prisoner was being brought to the edge of the Fort. The same was true at the South gate, where Logan was easily able to walk out, with Anastasia in tow. Miraculously, Logan¡¯s plan had gone off without a hitch, and the two met up with Remy in the woods. After introducing his two traveling partners, the three of them set off into the woods. Of course, that¡¯s when everything went wrong.
Amar had been sent to distribute news of the attack, and therefore, got to witness how Fort Errstile prepared for battle first hand. All around the camp there was action and movement, and Amar quickly forgot about Logan in the rush. Instead, she witnessed hasty defenses being erected, sharpened logs being inserted in the ground in a grid to break up any attacking charge. They were sporadic, but there were enough of the rough logs that Amar thought it would at least give a modicum of effect. Although Amar wasn¡¯t that confident in the defenses, it appeared some people were. Or, maybe her squadmates were just overly cavalier, because when she had told them of the impending battle, only Jerry had gotten nervous at all. Larry had laughed, while Aerie had just harrumphed. Amar had shaken her head, telling them she had to keep going around before regrouping with them. Next on Amar¡¯s list was Kelvin, the quartermaster who had accompanied them from Marineford. It took Amar a surprising amount of time to find the man, for reasons she discovered once she did. It turned out, he already knew, having learned from one of the other officers, and had been bouncing around camp making sure that there were proper stockpiles in various places, so Legionnaires would have easy access to additional weapons, bandages, and more. It was an impressive amount of work for the time since Amar had come bearing the news. After meeting with Kelvin, Amar continued on her journey around the camp. Eventually, after informing another handful of people, Amar¡¯s task was done, and she had some time to prepare herself for the impending battle. At least, if Logan¡¯s information is good. Amar didn¡¯t even want to think about what would happen if it was wrong. Even if an attack came the next day instead, Amar doubted she would be around to see it take place, knowing the man¡¯s temper. Just as she was considering running away with Logan, a gut wrenching aura burst out over the entire Fort. Chapter 66: Royal Reintroduction Royal Reintroduction Logan and Anastasia were walking through the woods, moving rather slowly, when suddenly a pressure crashed down upon them like a wave. The spiritual force knocked Logan to his knees, and he had to strain to avoid collapsing completely. Then, just as quickly as it arrived, the spiritual flare ended and the pressure upon Logan released. He looked over at Anastasia, and realized she was still standing looking up at the sky in thought. ¡°We have to go back.¡± With those words, Anastasia turned around and started walking the opposite direction. Logan was so befuddled, it took him multiple seconds to process her words. What? ¡°How is that the conclusion you drew from whatever the heck that was?¡± Logan almost shouted. The idea of turning around seemed preposterous. ¡°That was my father¡¯s Presence. If he¡¯s still alive and we can free him, we have a chance to survive this upcoming battle.¡± ¡°Lady, nothing you just said made any sense to me. I¡¯m going to need a better explanation than that to willingly run back into a war.¡± At this, she looked back over her shoulder, Anastasia cast him a disparaging look. ¡°Then don¡¯t.¡± She said as she kept walking away. Logan just stood there for another couple of seconds, sputtering. He had gone through all that effort to rescue this girl when he didn¡¯t have to, then she wanted to go back in the middle of a war! What was her problem? ¡°Hey, who are you to talk to me like that? I just saved you!¡± Logan exclaimed. ¡°Who do you think I am, to talk to me like that! Watch your tongue before I take it.¡± Anastasia retorted right back. Her words made Logan think. Back when he had first met her, Logan had noted that she had a refined way of speaking, but now he thought about her circumstances a bit more. She had mentioned her father when that weird spiritual pressure had happened, and the Prince had left her alive, even though he had shown that he was more than willing to kill his prisoners if they had no use. All of this together could only mean one thing. ¡°You''re the enemy leader¡¯s daughter aren¡¯t you? Did I rescue an evil princess?!?¡±
Gregor had been escorting the princess to a small bunker to the south when the Presence had filled the sky. Or at least that''s what Gregor assumed it was, based on what he had heard. It was enough to shake his bones, like the stories said. Even though they must have been a good distance from the epicenter, many of the Princess¡¯s other guards fell to the ground or dropped to their knees, speaking to what must be an unbelievable source of power. It dwarfed anything else Gregor had ever seen, although he suspected that Major Frear and the former Major Micah could emulate such a thing to a lesser degree. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Surprisingly, the Princess herself appeared even more unbothered than Gregor by the powerful Presence pressing down on them. As the spiritual force swiftly faded, Gregor supposed that she might have more experience dealing with such things, as it was said the King possessed a rather powerful Presence himself, although not quite to the level of Grecia¡¯s Aegis. ¡°Your highness, are you alright?¡± Gregor asked. ¡°Indeed Gregor, I am fine. Such a power does not spell a good omen for the battle, however.¡± ¡°Yes, it is worrying. I have faith however, in the Prince¡¯s abilities.¡± Gregor did not in fact, have any faith whatsoever. However, he considered it the much wiser option to veer towards being overly polite to the Princess, considering their current arrangement. Then the Princess harrumphed. ¡°We will see.¡± Gregor felt she was being entirely too cavalier about the possibility of an Austenian loss, but if Gregor had learned anything about the Princess, it was that she always had more than one plan. He doubted that she hadn¡¯t even considered the possibility of their defeat and planned accordingly. Instead, Gregor¡¯s thoughts turned to his friends, Amar and his Squad members preparing for the battle, and Logan, somewhere out there in the woods.
¡°You dare accuse me of being that filth¡¯s daughter! I have nothing to do with that cursed High King, I take offense at the very implication! I am a noble daughter of Grecia, one of House Zeres. You may kneel.¡± ¡°Yeah, no shot.¡± Logan said as he waved his hand. Continuing on, Logan asked, ¡°So if you aren¡¯t the daughter of this ¡®High King¡¯, who is your dad then? Because that thing from before scared the daylights out of me, and I don¡¯t want to do something to piss someone with that sort of power off.¡± ¡°Keeping me from him is the only thing you could even do to get his attention. So either come with me or leave me alone, regardless hurry up with the decision.¡± Anastasia said as she continued to walk forwards. Or really, it was in Fort Errstile¡¯s direction, so it was backwards for Logan. He just couldn¡¯t understand why it wasn¡¯t backwards for this girl too. Scrabbling along, Logan kept up with her, although the pace was straining his injured back. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I managed to piss the Prince off pretty quickly without even doing much. I¡¯m just worried, because you won¡¯t tell me anything and are walking back into a war front.¡± Finally, Anastasia stopped, her head tilted down leaving her staring into the dirt. Suddenly, instead of just seeing an annoying companion, Logan realized how thin she was. He had just thought she was slender, but Logan now saw that she likely hadn¡¯t been getting enough food and water in the prison, and had been wasting away. The rise and fall of her chest looked labored, and Logan could tell this wasn¡¯t an easy thing for her either. ¡°My father was the Aegis, the protector lord of Grecia. Every score of years, all the warriors of the Kingdom would gather and compete for the right to become the next leader of the country. I¡­ I thought he died in the battle against Harth. If he¡¯s here, I need to see him. I have to.¡± Anastasia said softly, the bluster and facade nowhere to be found. ¡°I understand. Let me help you.¡± Logan offered.
¡°Why would you do such a thing?¡± The¡­ First Daughter of Grecia asked, half managing to compose herself again. ¡°Why not. Why did I save you in the first place? Honestly I haven¡¯t had reasons for most of the things I¡¯ve done for a while now. But it''s worked out pretty good, when I have the feeling it could have gone pretty terribly. So why shouldn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°That wasn''t a rhetorical question, by the way. Is there any other reason I shouldn¡¯t help that you haven¡¯t told me yet, beyond the obvious war thing.¡± ¡°No, you idiot. The ¡®war thing¡¯ is enough.¡± At that, Anastasia started laughing. A really strong laugh, like it was the result of emotions that had been building on the inside for a while, and been waiting for some sort of release. It brought a smile to Logan¡¯s face, and an end to their conversation. The three of them continued walking back towards Errstile, the sounds of far off combat growing ever louder in the distance. Remy hadn¡¯t said a word about the sudden change of plans, rolling with Logan¡¯s choice to help like it was only natural, and Logan was again thankful for the loyalty of his companion. As they continued to draw ever more near, Logan tried to psych himself up. He had trained for this battle, even if he thought that his recent problems with the Prince had put an end to that. Still, Logan felt woefully unprepared, between his injured back, and his lack of experience, he was terrified about the upcoming fight. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m a fairly competent fighter. And if we make it to my father well, there are only a handful of people stronger than him anywhere, so we should be relatively safe.¡± Logan looked up. He hadn¡¯t realized, but he had been staring into the ground as they walked back, and Anastasia had picked up on his nerves. Even though he was slightly embarrassed, her words reassured Logan, and he felt some confidence return. Maybe he would find a way to survive this after all. Chapter 67: Squad Goals Squad Goals At Logan¡¯s urgent request, Anastasia slowed her pace to accommodate Logan¡¯s injuries. She had realized that having someone else to fight with was a much greater benefit than throwing herself needlessly into the battle in a rush to get to her father. Still, he was forced to push himself to keep up with the woman. That meant that the three of them had to listen to the sounds of battle grow gradually louder, as they gradually drew closer to the battle site. Logan still couldn¡¯t believe he was going back after making a clean get away from the war, but this felt like the right thing to do. Logan had this sense before, and it hadn¡¯t steered him wrong yet. Making their way back over the path they had just tread, Logan and Anastasia could start to make out glimpses of the battle through the trees. Overhead plumes of fire and spouts of water were visible, as sparks and the glint of metal flashed ahead. Logan kept noticing his tentacles fidgeting in his peripherals as they approached, giving away his nerves. Then, they pushed through the last of the trees and arrived in the artificial clearing surrounding Fort Errstile. The two bipeds gasped and Remy let out a squeak. Ahead was pure chaos incarnate, men and women diving and scrapping across their entire view, tactics seemingly abandoned in favor of a wild melee in front of the Legion¡¯s base of operations. The Harthians at least managed to hold some sort of formation, moving in roaming bands of three and four, trying to pierce farther towards Errstile. ¡°I don¡¯t see my father anywhere¡­¡± Anastasia said at Logan¡¯s side. The feeling of pressure from before lingered, but it was hard to locate its source now that it was more subtle. Looking out over the field, Logan didn¡¯t notice anyone who seemed a likely suspect, either. However, on that second pass, he did see some people he recognized. The Greatwood Squadron fought closer to the heart of the field, Larry¡¯s shouts and Aerie¡¯s Divinity recognizable even through this chaotic battle. However, before Logan could say anything, they were drawn into the battle themselves.
A Harthian group came barreling at them, moving faster than ordinary humans were capable of. They must have some Divinity that boosts their speed. Too bad for them, that¡¯s my area of strength too. Logan let the white lines flood his vision in response, but before he could teleport, Anastasia flashed in front of him. Somehow she had already managed to grab two swords, although they were badly mismatched. One was more than a foot longer than the other, a real beast of a sword, but she hefted each with a single hand just the same. Even with all that added weight in metal, Anastasia managed to dash into the upcoming enemies before Logan could process anything. Instantly she was attacking, using the quickness of her approach to catch her opponents off guard. Anastasia wove her blades around like Logan used his tentacles, and before he had even really moved to help, she had dispatched the foes. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve officially joined the party!¡± Anastasia shouted over the din of the fighting. ¡°Yeah, so let¡¯s go try and meet up with our group!¡± Logan responded. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°What?¡± He heard, but Logan had already started wading into the battle at large. Thankfully he was still wearing an Austenian tabard, so the Legionnaires knew his allegiance, but that just encouraged a trio of Harthian soldiers to come chasing after him. Though they hadn¡¯t realized that Remy was there too. And that mistake cost them dearly. Remy, in a showcase Logan didn¡¯t know he was capable of, teleported on the leftmost enemy¡¯s shoulder and let out a Void Screech directly in his ear. Although it seemed like Remy¡¯s Blessing wasn¡¯t quite as powerful as Logan¡¯s, the effects were still devastating at such close range, obliterating the initial Harthian¡¯s cranium and knocking the other two back. Before Logan could move, once again Anastasia was suddenly across the field, capitalizing on the opportunity Remy had provided. Logan let out a slightly nervous chuckle. Good job, Remy. -Thanks!-
Amar was with the Greatwood Squadron, minus their illustrious Captain as they held part of the center against the Harthians. It was almost an hour into the battle, and already some of the other Squads had become diminished, but the undermanned Greatwood Squadron managed to hold up. A large part of that was Aerie and Jerry, at least in this battle. Before the attack, the Squadron had been briefed on the Harthian¡¯s strengths and weaknesses, and had planned accordingly. The enemy soldiers were reported to often have physical enhancement Divinity, so they had prepared by setting up caches of water and potions for their two long range bombardiers to go all out from the get go, and indeed that''s how it had played out. Puddles of noxious chemicals and rapidly dirtying water were strewn about where the Greatwood Squadron fought, signs of their previously dispatched enemies. The smell of the battlefield assaulted Amar¡¯s nostrils, but she kept fighting despite the distraction. Even with Jerry and Aerie controlling the flow of enemies, some soldiers still managed to push past them and into the melee. From there, it was up to the rest of the Squad. Larry, as always, was right in the thick of things, forcing the Harthians who had been forced to traverse the barrage to spread back out, disrupting any possible formation they may have formed with the wide swings of his axe. Then, the rest of the Squad intercepted the enemies once they were alone, everyone quickly taking on their enemies one on one, before moving on. Gregor¡¯s training had proven extremely effective for them, allowing them to be confident in their strengths against intelligent and malicious opponents. Because although they may not be able to stand toe to toe with the Squadron, the Harthian soldiers were not weak. She would assume that on average, the Harthians possessed more Divinity than the Legion, although that was made up for by the exceptions. However, none of their Divinity was flashy, all of it centered around making them faster or more durable. Against the Greatwood Squadron¡¯s firepower and finesse, it was lacking, but against the rest of the Legion, it was finding effect. Just as Amar had stepped back to survey how the Legion was faring, she recognized a familiar face that she definitely should not be seeing here. ¡°Logan!?¡±
Logan had just dealt with another Harthian rushing at him, when he barely managed to hear his name get called. Spinning around to find the source, Logan quickly realized that their targets had noticed them, and were making their way over to convene with Logan, Remy, and Anastasia. They, too, continued making their way towards the Greatwood Squad, and within a couple minutes they had managed to have their reunion. They had also retreated slightly from the frontlines, making it possible for them to stare awkwardly at each other for a couple seconds. Just as Logan was considering if he should just apologize and leave, Jerry shattered the tension by walking forwards and wrapping Logan up in a massive hug. The breath left Logan¡¯s lungs even as a smile crossed his face. ¡°Ca-Can¡¯t- Breathe-¡± Logan managed to squeak out. ¡°Oh, sorry, just glad you¡¯re ok, man.¡± Larry looked unusually sheepish as he set Logan down. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sure I made things harder for all of you, and I want to apologize for that.¡± ¡°Logan, it¡¯s ok.¡± Amar said. ¡°More importantly, why are you back here on the battlefield?¡± At this, Logan looked over at Anastasia. Things were quiet for a couple of seconds, until she realized Logan was waiting for her to speak, and then Anastasia introduced herself. ¡°Hello there, Legionnaires. I am Anastasia Zeres, First Daughter of the Aegis of Grecia. I felt my father¡¯s Presence here, and therefore all we must do to end this battle is find him. His power would be enough to instantly put an end to the fighting here.¡± For another couple of seconds, the Squad managed to stay quiet. Then, the flood gates opened, and a question spilled from everyone¡¯s lips. Chapter 68: Battle for Errstile Battle for Errstile ¡°We don¡¯t have the time! Everyone, we can talk once this is over, for now, we need to find my father!¡± Anastasia¡¯s voice cut through the sounds of battle and the Greatwood Squadron¡¯s mounting questions. Everyone looked at her, then back out at the battlefield and were left with no choice but to agree. ¡°That Presence was here at the start of the battle, but I haven¡¯t felt it since.¡± Arasaka said. ¡°Is that what that was..?¡± Aerie asked, her voice barely audible. ¡°We¡¯ll need to push out through the battlefield then, my father is likely injured behind enemy lines. Is anyone among you a healer?¡± ¡®Volunteer yourself, Amar. I will guide your hands should need be.¡¯ Selerys¡¯ voice echoed through her consciousness, distracting Amar for a second, forcing Anastasia to half turn away in disappointment. ¡°I can heal, if it comes down to it.¡± ¡°Oh, who are you?¡± Anastasia responded, turning back around. ¡°I¡¯m Amar Haldir, Greatwood Squadron Private.¡± ¡°Well then, all of you, form up around Amar. If she falls before our goal, this will all be without reason.¡± The First Daughter commanded. ¡°Sorry, she¡¯s a bit¡­ well, bossy, obviously.¡± Logan supplied the group. The Greatwood Squadron was slow to comply, but they eventually did group up, slowly following Anastasia¡¯s directives even though they hardly knew her. With that, they were ready to step back out into the fray, and just in time too. As Amar quickly scanned the battlefield, she could tell the Legion had begun to lose more and more ground. Soon, they would be fighting with their backs to their tents at this rate. Pushing to draw level with their Legion counterparts, the Greatwood Squadron soon resumed their conflict with the Harthians. A steady trickle of the enemy soldiers were leaking through the front lines to beleaguer the Legion¡¯s flanks, but they quickly managed to put down any that bothered their Squadron. Then they were back to the frontlines, fighting shoulder to shoulder with the other Squadrons who remained, in a desperate hold against the Harthian host. Everything was going to plan when suddenly a massive explosion sounded off above them. What felt like everyone on the battlefield turned their eyes up, to the rapidly unfolding spectacle in the sky.
While Logan¡¯s jaw was on the ground, up in the sky Major Frear engaged in a serious battle. The tell tale glow of her Soul Sword was the only way Logan could tell it was the woman he often gave massages to back at Marineford. Now, watching her fight seriously for the first time, Logan understood why she had gone a step further in mentoring him. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Major Frear¡¯s opponent hung suspended in the sky, some form of Divinity allowing him freedom from gravity, as he continually cast large balls of fire that were the source of the earlier noise. Explosion after explosion rang out, but none of them hit Logan¡¯s former Captain. How could they, as she kept zipping around, her form quickly alternating between human and living electricity. ¡°B-Tier¡­¡±, Anastasia said at the front of the group. Her energy form was fast enough that Logan could barely even process it, Logan only recognizing it wasn¡¯t teleportation through his Soul Sight, reading the fluctuations of Major Frear¡¯s tempo. As she kept at it, her opponent gradually grew angrier, his frustrations made evident by his incessant screaming. Then, after another 15 seconds or so, it appeared the Harthian had enough, and he unleashed a fiery cyclone, promising death by inferno. Literally. ¡°I PROMISE YOU WILL DIE TO INFERNO!¡± the Harthian B-tier shouted. Whether his name was inferno, or that of the spell was left unclear, but the deadly threat was not. A massive funnel of fire headed towards Major Frear, but she ducked out of it just the same, appearing next to the enemy B-Tier and slashing his neck. The force of the blow blasted him away, and with a cheer going out from the Legion side, the spell over the battlefield had ended. Logan looked down to three separate groups of Harthian soldiers trying to push them back. Digging in his heels, Logan met the oncoming battle with resolve to do his mentor proud.
Teleporting to dodge a swing, Logan speared his attacker with his own Soul Sword. As the man fell to the ground, Logan tried not to think about all the people he had killed today. If he started to, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with the next guy, who was already wildly thrusting at Logan. He actually dodged this time, his back flaring in pain but as a result Logan didn¡¯t pick up any more injuries. Then Remy jumped up onto the Harthian, and let out another ear piercing Void Screech. That bought time to look around at the progress the Squad had made. They had managed to continue to push into enemy territory, forcefully wading out into the throng of Harthian¡¯s with abandon. The Legion had pushed back after Major Frear¡¯s showing, but the Greatwood Squadron was still beyond all their comrades, now alone in their endeavor. Still, they had to keep pressing on. Ducking back into the fight, Logan assisted Jerry with an assailant that had gotten too close, despite the broken bottles of acid decorating his path. However miraculous the man¡¯s escapade may have been, it ended the moment Logan teleported behind him, impaling his enemy with the Soul Sword. ¡°Thanks for the assist!¡± Jerry shouted over the ruckus. ¡°No problem!¡± Logan shouted back, already teleporting to help somewhere else. Logan knew his role was as their group¡¯s flex, his teleportation letting him fill in gaps instantly, and prevent his teammates from getting overwhelmed. This complemented the already diverse power sets of the Squadron, and strengthened their flexibility tremendously, buying time for the appropriate people to respond to threats. However such a role required a lot from Logan, and although he was happy to work hard to protect everyone, the wounds on his back were agony as he forced himself to keep moving, to keep fighting onwards. Now wasn¡¯t the time for half measures or complaints.
Slowly the group kept on fighting, their endurance being put to the test. Eventually, even Larry¡¯s thirst for battle started to wane, but by that time they were fighting the dregs of the Harthian horde. Somehow, they had pushed through the majority of the enemy force without losing anyone, and now the bulk of the Harthian¡¯s were engaging the Legion behind them, unknowing or uncaring about the Greatwood Squadron¡¯s location. Instead, the Squad was engaged now in waves, as groups would take notice and form to fight the intruders in their midst. What was more troubling was the Presence that hung heavy over the field. It didn¡¯t have any physical effect, but it felt like the pressure added a delay to Logan¡¯s thinking, straining him in an unique way. ¡°It seems my father is close by. Our goal is almost upon us.¡± However, it appeared they had made it to the command section for the forces of Harth. In front of them, was a group that wasn¡¯t rushing to intercept them, instead fortifying their own formation, to place themselves between the Greatwood Squad and a hastily constructed tent. There were easily two dozen, all lined up into neat rows. Or are they columns? Logan mused to himself. -Hmmm?- Remy shot back. Oh, just thinking to myself. The Greatwood Squadron eyed down their newest challenge, taking the momentary respite to recover their breath. Behind them, the sounds of the battle were a cacophonous symphony for the baseline of explosions happening in the woods. Logan let out a deep sigh, and got ready for the next fight. Just then, the Presence fell even harder onto their spirits, which the Harthian¡¯s used as an attack cue. Somehow protected from the strange metaphysical pressure, the enemy soldiers advanced on the Squadron, maintaining their formation and caution despite the impediment on their opponents. Rightfully so, as Larry didn¡¯t seem to be as affected as Logan, roaring out a challenge as he barreled forwards into their lines. Arasaka was right there behind him, shielding Larry from the deluge of reactionary attacks made against the large man. Logan was left with no choice, but to teleport in after them. Chapter 69: Hard Truth Hard Truth Gregor knocked another Harthian soldier to the ground. He stood outside of the Princess¡¯s bunker, where he had been dealing with stray enemies for the entirety of the battle. It wasn¡¯t the most exciting work, but it ensured the safety of her highness, so Gregor was honorbound to his station. Still, when Gregor looked out towards the battlefield, he felt compelled to tread out there. Its siren song called to him in a way he was unfamiliar with, calling him to fight. He managed to tune it out, but it remained in the back of his mind as he kept scanning the battle¡¯s progress. Ever since Major Frear¡¯s morale boosting encounter, the Legion had managed to begin pressing back the Harthian host. Now, the only enemies he encountered were stragglers left behind, almost bordering on cleanup, more than an actual fight. Still, Gregor retained some degree of caution. The Presence that had covered Fort Errstile to commence the battle had yet to make a reappearance, leaving Gregor on edge. He couldn¡¯t help but feel like the other shoe was about to drop, and he didn¡¯t intend to let the Princess wind up underneath it. Therefore Gregor continued to be methodical about his guard job, eliminating any threats before they could even approach the bunker. Still, a part of Gregor¡¯s thoughts turned to his Squadron, and Amar. It had grated on him when he had been assigned a duty away from his subordinates, but now he just worried. He had done his best to train them for this very moment, and he had faith in their abilities, but the battlefield was a fickle place. All it took was a moment of luck for an enemy, and even the most skilled combatant could fall. The only method to avoid that fate was to accumulate power, as showcased by the B-Tier fight earlier. Even then, there were many B-Tier fighters in the Ethonian Empire. You may end up stronger than ninety nine percent of people, but it seemed like you would always have an equal in this world.
The Presence flowing over them restricted Logan¡¯s teleportation, like a film protecting physical reality. Logan ripped his way through, forcing his head back out of the void and adjusting to his new location in the thick of things. Larry and Arasaka were holding the front, and Logan had positioned himself right behind them, looking to cover their crazed push. Behind them, their allies rushed to catch up, and ahead of them¡­ Well, ahead of them was a practiced unit advancing upon them in perfect formation. It was enough to give Logan some second doubts, but the time for hesitation was long past. Instead, he let loose a battle cry alongside Remy, the two of them using their Void Screech to burst the tight ranks of the enemy. The effect was immediate, and overwhelming. The Void-touched sounds battered the first wave of Harthians to their knees and disturbed the momentum of the rest, buttering them up for Larry and Arasaka to charge right into them. Then, the fight was properly underway and it was all Logan could do to keep his head attached. An errant slash demanded a parry, while another opponent''s thrust would force Logan to dodge. He would respond with an attack of his own just to immediately receive a flurry of counterattacks. The dance seemed neverending, but Logan¡¯s endurance wasn¡¯t. He had been pushing his injured back hard for days now, and it was miraculous he had held up this long. Logan could tell he was going to lose eventually, as he became slower and slower. Logan was forced to rely on teleporting to a much greater degree, confusing the Harthian soldiers to no end, but further increasing the strain on him mentally. Still, it was only a matter of time before Logan made a fatal error. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. And it appeared he had an opponent set on making it happen. ¡°Face me like a man, you flighty twig!¡± A Harthian soldier shouted at Logan. Despite the man¡¯s uninspiring insult, he was quite the skilled combatant, managing to fend Logan off even after he teleported into a blind spot. Recasting his Soul Sword, Logan answered his enemy''s taunts.
¡°I¡¯m right here if you want some punk!¡± Logan shouted back at his adversary. Somehow, the field had cleared out a bit, and now they circled each other, looking for a weakness to exploit, a momentary advantage to gain. Like vultures staring each other down over a corpse, except the corpse had yet to be made. Suddenly, his opponent made a move. Ducking down to Logan¡¯s left, the man dove into a deep swing for Logan¡¯s neck. Forced to teleport, Logan turned it into a counter attack, as he swept out in his own return swing from the man¡¯s back. However, the Harthian was too quick, hopping forwards out of the path of Logan¡¯s Soul Sword. On the fight went, each man a flurry of movement ending in the barbed point commonly referred to as a sword. Blades met over and over, Logan losing out in the clashes to the Harth man¡¯s superior strength and speed. Logan¡¯s back ached at every contest, but he couldn¡¯t back down. Or, rather, he could, and his enemy desperately wished for Logan''s determination to waver, but Logan wouldn¡¯t let this be the end. Of course, no matter how hard he strained, Logan couldn¡¯t back up his determination, as his body failed. Overextending on a swing, Logan fell to his knees as his back spasmed in pain. His enemy, not one to miss such an easy opportunity, dashed at Logan in order to capitalize on the opening. Watching the sword descend towards his face, Logan waited for death. With neither the time to teleport, or parry the attack, Logan could do nothing but accept the inevitable attack. But thankfully, it never came. At the last moment, a Bear Claw swept across Logan¡¯s vision, and into the Harthian soldier¡¯s side. Even though he was more skilled than Logan, the enemy wasn¡¯t skilled enough to predict the bit of Divinity from his blind spot, and got flattened by it. ¡°Thanks¡­ for that¡­ Amar.¡± Logan said between gasping breaths. ¡°No problem.¡± She said, walking over to him. That¡¯s when Logan realized the field was empty, except for the Squadron.
Around them, their opposition was on the ground. Somehow, the Greatwood Squadron had managed to take on a force easily twice their number, and win without a single casualty. Logan couldn¡¯t help but let out a light chuckle. ¡°You idiot, we aren¡¯t done yet.¡± Anastasia snapped at him. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know. Just gotta take the victories when they happen, no matter how small.¡± Then Logan noticed the sound of fighting was a lot heavier than it had been for a while. Looking behind, he immediately was greeted to the sight of the Legion fighting off the last of the Harthians. It looked like the rest of their comrades were pushing back the last of the horde, the combat almost done for the day. Just as Logan was thinking that, the Presence that had been building in the background suddenly redoubled, and doubled again, forcing not just Logan but most of the Legionnaires that Logan could see down to the ground. A slow, whirring noise came from the direction of the enemy command tent, and Logan slowly forced his head to turn to it. Arduously Logan kept at it, until he had a glimpse of the thing approaching them. It was a man in a floating chair. He was naked, except for restraints holding him to the chair, and a metal muzzle silenting his mouth. However, that wasn¡¯t what drew Logan¡¯s attention. Instead, it was the mess he saw with his Soul Sight. The man¡¯s soul was in fragments, shattered almost irreparably in a way that caused Logan to wince in sympathy. Then, in an act of absolute perversion, something was moving about the fragments, causing the resultant Presence that was crushing Logan and the rest of the Legion into the dirt. ¡°Father¡­¡± Logan heard from Anastasia next to him. The realization was complete. The man that they had been trying so desperately to find, was before them. However, they were much too late, as whatever processes that had taken place had undoubtedly broken the man. Now, the Aegis of Grecia was little more than a weapon. Chapter 70: Freedom Freedom The Aegis¡¯ Presence was still pressing down on Logan and the rest of the Legion like the hand of a spiteful god. It didn¡¯t affect them bodily, per se, instead making it more difficult for them to move their bodies at all, like their minds and spirits were being separated from their physical forms. As such, Logan struggled to even lift his head to witness his impending death. Slowly, some of the Harthian soldiers roused, as the Aegis still floated, imprisoned in his chair. From Logan¡¯s view on the ground, he realized that the man¡¯s legs had been removed, leaving him incapable of even thinking of escaping his torment. Then, while their enemies still gathered, a crackling static started coming from the Aegis¡¯ muzzle. Logan doubted anyone else here had ever heard it''s like, but it was chillingly familiar to Logan. From a set of speakers overlaid over the Aegis¡¯ mouth, a man¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°-Hello there, Austenian soldiers. This is the High King of Harth, Conqueror of Grecia, Zlatan Hvarthfelt. I hope you enjoy the present I left you, as a warning and a reminder just before the Conclave. This is the fate that awaits my enemies. Surrender now, and I may yet decide spare you.-¡± Next to him, Logan heard a rustle that he couldn¡¯t turn to see. However, it wasn¡¯t long before he heard what, or rather, who, it was. ¡°Y-you monster! I¡¯ll kill you for this!¡± Anastasia raged next to him. Logan barely managed to lift his head to see that she had struggled to her feet, although her balance indicated it was only temporary. It was an impressive feat nonetheless, reminding Logan he had been mostly useless so far in this battle. With his back slowing him down, he had been a liability as much as a boon for his Squadron, and even now he could barely move his head. ¡°-Ah, Aegis'' daughter. Does seeing your beloved protector in such a state pain your heart? I truly hope it does. Don¡¯t fret too much, however, you¡¯ll soon be joining your father in my experiments.-¡± At this, Anastasia fell back to the ground, a fresh pulse of Presence enough to nullify her resilience.
Logan had to do something. As he continually failed to move his body, his mind whirled ever faster to make up for it. Eventually, Logan thought about something. The Presence may be making it harder to move his physical body, but what about his spiritual one? Giving it a go, Logan flexed his tentacles just to find they were just as responsive as ever, floating about however he wished. However, at this, Logan realized it was pointless. Even if he could move his tentacles, both his Root and Soul Sword Abilities were useless here. All the greenery had long since been stomped underfoot, and Logan obviously couldn¡¯t move his body enough for the Soul Sword. However, when Logan looked back at the Aegis'' tortured soul, something clicked in his head. Logan did actually have an Ability that he could use here, but he would only get the one shot at it. Really, attempting what he was about to do was likely suicidal, but it seemed likely he was about to die regardless, so why not? This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Whipping his tentacles into motion, Logan began to weave the first Ability pattern he had ever learned. First, he started it with all eight tentacles, but over the repetitions he continued to remove his spiritual appendages until he was running the pattern with his practiced minimum, three tentacles. The mental effort was intense, but Logan wasn¡¯t done, as he let the white lines that indicated teleportation locations flood his eyes. Strangely next to the Aegis was a spherical dead zone, like the man¡¯s Presence was pushing the spatial rifts away from him. Straining, Logan looked up, to a spot directly above the human weapon. Pulling the mental trigger, Logan slipped in and out of the Void, bursting through the Presence¡¯s interference fifteen feet above the Aegis. Immediately, Logan reached out with his five free tentacles, grabbing all the fragments of the Aegis¡¯ soul.
As soon as Logan made spiritual contact, his descent halted, the air suddenly suspending him. A purple glow emanated from his body, while the Presence slackened on the rest of the Legion. A scattering of cheers sounded out at Logan¡¯s interference, but he wasn¡¯t aware of any of it, instantly being tossed into the metaphysical maelstrom. To Logan, he was suspended in a pure white void, the only reality was him, fighting to maintain his tenuous grasp on the Aegis¡¯ soul. The fragments each resisted him separately, and Logan couldn¡¯t spare enough attention to capture any individual piece without beginning to lose his hold on the others. The thought crossed his mind that the tradeoff would be fine, but something ground against that notion. Now that Logan was in this mental space, he suddenly felt free of a fog that had been over him since he arrived here. Looking back at his decisions, Logan wondered why he had made many of them. Some of them seemed entirely unnatural to him, but he didn¡¯t have time to think too heavily on the topic. Instead, he focused on the choice he was currently making. Comparatively, it seemed so normal to him to want to keep the Aegis¡¯ soul intact. In fact, now that he was thinking about it, maybe Logan didn¡¯t need to keep a tentacle on all of the fragments after all¡­ Straining, Logan reversed his previous actions, instead of pulling on the fragments, Logan began pushing them towards each other. Like a magnet with the wrong polarity, the pieces refused to join, pushing against each other while turning slippery in Logan¡¯s grasp. Still, he pushed onwards, refusing to be swayed from his course of action. With a mental roar, Logan forced the fragments the remaining distance, then held the newly whole soul together in his tentacles. A warm started to spread, and then the white void Logan had found himself in began unraveling. Logan wanted to see the results of his actions, but a familiar song was calling his number. Logan slipped in unconsciousness.
When Logan had done whatever he did to the Aegis, suddenly the overwhelming spiritual pressure faded from Amar¡¯s soul. However, no one still moved, everyone¡¯s eyes drawn to the unfolding spectacle ahead of them. Amar heard cheers from the assembled Legionnaires, but let the noise pass through her head without giving it any thought. All her attention was consumed by the glowing purple luminescence of Logan as he contended with the Aegis¡¯ full power. Sparks flew out of the air, summoned by the intensity of whatever internal struggle they had engaged with. Getting back to her feet, Amar noticed the rest of the Squadron doing the same. To her left, Anastasia had tears in her eyes, looking at her father. The young woman¡¯s story reminded Amar of Jeremiah¡¯s death, and she felt great sympathy. Just then, Logan let out another of his resounding roars, the purple light intensifying suddenly in concert. Another voice rang out, this time from the Aegis himself. The metal muzzle covering his mouth burst apart, and his scream was raw but surprisingly healthy. Then, to another round of even louder cheering from the Legion, the lightshow finally concluded. Logan slowly descended to the ground, the Legion shouting for him the whole time. ¡°Warlord! Warlord! Warlord!¡± They screamed. Running over to Logan, Amar made sure he was okay. His eyes were open as he stood there, facing towards the Aegis. However, when Amar drew close, she realized immediately that he was unconscious. ¡®He did it¡­ I must say I didn¡¯t have faith in his success.¡¯ ¡°I didn¡¯t either, Goddess. Is he alright?¡± ¡®Yes, well, he¡¯ll need to sleep for quite some time, but young Logan has managed to avoid burning out his brain, at least so far. You¡¯ll need to watch over him, in the meantime.¡¯ ¡°Of course, of course.¡± She said, holding up Logan¡¯s shoulder. Slowly, they made their way back to Fort Errstile, as the rest of the Legion cheered. Through: Epilogue (End of Book 1) Epilogue ¡°Aaaaarrgggh! HOW? That man? Just- Arrrgh!¡± Prince Augustus Versaille Austenian shouted. The battle had gone according to plan, although there had been moments where he had worried things may turn sour. Then, just as he had considered it all but wrapped up, the Prince had his assumptions turned on their head when the bloody Aegis of Grecia had appeared and unleashed his ungodly Presence over the battlefield. At that moment, Prince Augustus had thought he may have to return to his father with terrible news, that would further remove him from the race for the throne. However, miraculous events had transpired, leaving that dark reality little more than a hypothetical. Still, Prince Augustus thought he may have even preferred that to the humiliation he was suffering currently. Even now, the rabble roared their approval at their savior. ¡°WARLORD! WARLORD! WARLORD!¡± The noise grated on him, driving him red with rage. His attendants wisely kept their distance inside the command tent. ¡°This Logan Brewer fool, we must make an example of him!¡± He shouted in his anger. ¡°Would you like us to apprehend him, your highness?¡± One of his nameless servants asked. ¡°No you fool, are you deaf? You can hear what the common rabble are cheering just as well as I can! And that is the one right my father taught me never to infringe, especially during wartime.¡± ¡°If this Logan Brewer has been appointed as a Warlord,¡± The Prince continued, ¡°Then we must be very careful with our steps from here on out.¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Just then, a massive noise sounded over Fort Errstile, and the surrounding area. It drowned out the noise of the Legion, the sound of an enormous gong echoing over all of the Austen Kingdom, and the rest of the Ethonia Empire. An equally sudden idea burst into the Prince¡¯s head, along with the overpowering sound. ¡°Ahahahaha! Perfect! I had almost forgotten, but we can use this to our advantage. As a newly risen Warlord, his attendance of the Conclave will be mandatory, and that¡¯s where we bury him. Prepare my things, we return to Auburn, and my father!¡±
Logan floated in a much more familiar Void this time, the beautiful starscape spreading out in front of him once again. He let out a relaxed breath. Even if he was dying in the real world unbeknownst to him, here in the Void he felt supremely comfortable. If anything, more than anywhere else in this new world, floating amongst the stars in the Void felt like home, a place he could always return to. His mind shifted back to the realizations he had made about his mentality while he had been struggling against the Aegis. His alarm spiked through the roof. Suddenly the comfort he had been experiencing evaporated, just like that. Of course, that¡¯s when another problem had to pop up. ¡°Welcome.¡± Spinning towards the source of the voice, Logan found himself face to face with himself. Of sorts. Logan let out a gasp as he studied the copy of himself, noticing the key differences. Notably, that the copy seemed to be made out of a condensed solar system, glowing with cosmic energies, despite sharing the same form as Logan. ¡°H-hello there.¡± ¡°General Kenobi.¡± Huh. Did this thing just make a prequel joke? ¡°U-uhhh¡­¡± The copy of Logan let out a sigh, before eventually responding. ¡°Wow, how rude of you, after I went through all that trouble to make myself mouthpiece you would feel comfortable with. But no, I get it, the physical embodiment of reality is scary no matter how it appears.¡± Thoughts slowly clicked together in Logan¡¯s head. He thought it couldn¡¯t be, but he also couldn¡¯t come up with any other answers for the mysterious intruder in his Void vision. ¡°Are you..?¡± ¡°Looks like you put it together. Yep, I¡¯m a construct made to represent my existence in a way that won¡¯t immediately scramble what little brains you have in there. Pretty neat huh?¡± ¡°But, why¡­ Why are you me?¡± ¡°Well, somehow, you managed to keep your own personality instead of becoming my host body upon your arrival. So, I was forced to recreate a model of you exactly so I could identify the issue. Unfortunately, it doesn¡¯t look like I can control you beyond making certain decisions more enticing. How sad¡­¡± ¡°Well, anyways,¡± The Being continued in Logan¡¯s voice, ¡°I figured I would use the model to communicate so I don¡¯t kill you for now. Good luck out there!¡± And with that, the vision shattered. Update and Checking In Hey everyone, Michael D. Henry here. I just wanted to write something to update all the readers on what''s been going on recently, and why Through the Void (and Back Again) hasn''t been getting updates, even once they were supposed to resume. Beyond me being more burned out on writing after that final push than I had realized, I''ve also managed to get a great job in my dream industry, as an eSports Coordinator for a new and decently sized program. For the next couple of months, it seems wise for me to focus most of my efforts towards that. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. However, I don''t want you guys to think I''m forgetting about you. I''m 100% sure that the only reason I got this opportunity was because the universe was rewarding me for sticking it out through writing Book 1. Therefore, not writing Book 2 would be spitting in the universe''s face, and neither I nor Logan have reached that point yet. Maybe one day. Anyways, I will be trying to post on the Patreon when I get time, so if you are really dying of thirst, head over there. Otherwise, it''s likely to be radio silence here on Royal Road for at least another month before regular posts resume, and even then it will likely be only 2 or 3 a week unless Book 1 becomes a Best Seller or something equally crazy. As always, thank you for your continued support. Michael D. Henry Update! Hello all! A bit of mixed news for everyone today. As is proper, I''ll start by ripping the band-aid off. Through the Void (and Back Again) will not be resuming. That''s because in the course of editting the first book, I realized how much I had missed out on and messed up in setting up the story lines I wanted to tell. It had become impossible for me to sort through all of the first book without completely rewriting it.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Which brings me to the good news! I have a new series live now! World King Chronicles This series incorporates everything I learned through writing Through the Void, and a few innovations and improvements I made during the editting process in the world building. I really hope you enjoy it, and if you read through you will definitely notice the influence, along with the increased tension and storyline. I love you all, and I hope to see you well into the future! Michael D. Henry