《Lore - The Collapse of Starlight Tower》 Prologue - The End of Maven Kingdom If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Chapter 1: Lisk 18 years later Lisk was a rather skinny young man, about 26 years old. He was shorter than the average man in Greater Birchland, but he was not too short. When he was young, Lisk was an obnoxious prankster. He would hack down entire birch trees to build wooden rafts, wooden swords, wooden horses, or whatever his imagination let him come up with. He was very resourceful with the crafts of woodworking, but sometimes he simply placed piles of wood in front of people¡¯s doors to block them from going in and out of their own homes. Other times, he would build bird nests, put dead animals inside, and place them inside people¡¯s houses. This naturally got him into a lot of trouble, his mother warned him, ¡°If I get another complaint about you, I¡¯m turning you into the Enforcers.¡± Enforcers are the law protectors of Greater Birchland. They were known to be ruthless. If they get to the criminal, the criminal is likely to serve life imprisonment eating barks and being cellmates with opposums. Lisk, of course, knew that was just an empty threat, his mother would never do that. He was her only son, and his father worked in a distant land so Lisk only got to see him once every few years. Lisk did tone down the mischiefs as he grew older and became more mature. The Greater Birchland is ruled by the Channing family. It was established as a republic, but in reality, everyone knew the Channing family had power over everything. The Consul George Channing was known to be a strict but effective ruler. There were a famine when Lisk was eight that starved a majority of the citizens of Greater Birchland. Channing ruthlessly began to search the houses of the wealthy for food and wealth and seized whatever they could have found, and distributed it across the land. Many elites of Greater Birchland resented him because of this, but the effectiveness Channing averted this crisis with made him loved by the general citizens. Of course, nothing is without consequences, when Lisk was nineteen, George Channing was mysteriously murdered. His son, Joseph Channing, who was only fourteen at that time, inherited his father¡¯s position of Consul, making him the youngest ever Consul in Birchland¡¯s three-hundred-year history. This was amusing to Lisk at the time, but Joseph soon turned out to be just as efficient as his father, but also way more stubborn and way more merciless. When he was sixteen, Joseph began invading neighboring land and acquired land from the Crystal Lake kingdom and the Timeless Plateau tribes. Those neighbors had co-existed with Greater Birchland for a century, but Joseph¡¯s fondness of wars and expansionist ambitions changed all that. ¡°I hate war.¡± Lisk remarked to his friend and training mate Dust. ¡°That kid been that way since he was fourteen. It¡¯s like he enjoys it, every bit of it.¡± Dust swung his right fist at a eight-foot tall birch tree. The trunk cracked. Dust followed through and slashed the tree with his left hand. The trunk collapsed to the ground. Dust sighed, ¡°I still can¡¯t break this damn thing with just one punch. Am I hopeless?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need me to tell you that anymore, good.¡± Lisk smirked, ¡°I wish someone can talk some sense into the kid, causing all this rift with all our neighbors will eventually come back to bite him.¡± Lisk hopped four feet into the air and straightened his right leg, and with the speed and agility of a leopard he swung through a birch tree with his leg. The broken trunk piece traveled about ten feet through the air, and it collided with another birch tree, the impact snapped the other tree in half. Dust applauded, but at the same time he looked disheartened. He asked, ¡°When will I be able to get there?¡± ¡°I have three more years of training than you, but you might get here faster than I did.¡± Lisk assured Dust. Lisk and Dust were students of the Warrior School¡¯s bare-hand combat methods. Although neither of them actually attended Warrior School, they often watched people from the Warrior School train, and they have picked up bits and pieces of the methods of the school. The Warrior School is located at a remote mountainside spot in Greater Birchland. Many enrolled in the school to learn the methods of different weaponry and bare-hand combat. It was a rough place though. A great majority of people go home after less than a year since they were told they had no gifts for Warrior School. This sneak peeking, of course, was a practice that was borderline illegal. The people that do this were called smitelers. Smitelers are a rodent that can imitate movements, and sometimes even speech. Legends has it that they were often used in war time to send messages. The animal is believed to have gone extinct.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. There were no laws against smiterlering, but combat schools punished those they caught in the act. The forgiving schools would let the offender off with a beating, while the less forgiving ones would break the offender¡¯s limbs. ¡°We should get going.¡± Dust looked at the sky, the Sun was setting. Greater Birchland was a great place to be at this moment. The sunsets during the spring were always majestical. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s time already.¡± Lisk remarked, ¡°The Plunderers are beginning to act earlier and earlier.¡± Dust seemed a bit concerned, and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think these Plunderers are like the ones we have seen in the past.¡± They trekked through Greater Birchland on their horses, eastward to the borders of Greater Birchland and Crystal Lake. The exit of Greater Birchland was a forest containing a stream that eventually led to Crystal Lake. Rumors stated that Bigfoots and lions existed among the birch trees in the forest. The stream was called the Crystal Stream, and the Collectors found it an ideal supplier of River Crystal, an ingredient for medical procedures. Night finally settled in. Lisk and Dusk reached the borders of Crystal Lake. Birch trees were still abundant by the side of the road, and their presence extended well into Crystal Lake territories. Lisk had tracked down the Plunderers¡¯ movements and they knew this time, the target was Duke Yastin of Crystal Lake Kingdom. The Duke was traveling with about ten servants, and he had countless valuables with him. This is a cursed habit that the royalty of Crystal Lake Kingdom always had --- no matter how perilous the road is reputed to be, those fools always feel the need to flash their stature. ¡°It¡¯s the only thing to uphold their sense of worth.¡± Lisk remarked, ¡°They win no wars, and live constantly in fear being overran by the more powerful authorities nearby. They had to show their worth and pride through their wealth.¡± George Channing had left the Crystal Lake Kingdom alone for decades. He reasoned that there isn¡¯t much land to be gained there, and because the Crystal Lake boasted a long shoreline, it actually served as a guard for the Greater Birchland because it made sure that the Greater Birchland did not touch a body of water. George Channing¡¯s concerns was not unwarranted, the Greater Birchland did not have a navy, or soldiers and generals that were experienced in on-water combat. Although his father was quite happy to have Crystal Lake as a cushion to help secure the Greater Birchland, Joseph Channing was not so complacent. He eyed the abundant resources that could be gained from the invasion of Crystal Lake Kingdom. River Crystals, supplies of silver, and fertile farmlands, there was everything Joseph wanted. Lisk and Dust settled on top of a birch tree, watching for signs of light to signal the arrival of the Duke. An hour or so later, a dim candlelight and a few horses passed by, with a man rocking a glittering golden helmet. ¡°How thick can this guy be?¡± Dust whispered, but Lisk motioned him to be quiet. He knew that the Plunderers couldn¡¯t be too far from them right now. Sure enough, leaves rustled and five masked men appeared from the birch trees around, surrounding the Duke and his companions. ¡°I have a lot of gold to give you. I am in a hurry and must make it to Joseph Channing by the day.¡± The Duke pleaded. Lisk frowned as he watched on. He heard movement beside him, and he grabbed Dust¡¯s shoulders immediately and whispered, ¡°Not yet.¡± One of the masked men laughed hysterically, ¡°Gold? You think we need gold?¡± ¡°What do you think we are, Plunderers?¡± Another man sneered. ¡°These people aren¡¯t Plunderers, where did the Plunderers go?¡± Dust asked. That wasn¡¯t the primary concern for Lisk. It doesn¡¯t matter where the Plunderers went, if they don¡¯t show up today, they will be here tomorrow. Their existence did not bother Lisk. Lisk was much more concerned with who these mysterious people surrounding the Duke currently are. ¡°What do you want?¡± The Duke¡¯s voice trembled. A sword was flashed and a stream of blood came down the Duke¡¯s neck. The Duke fell of his horse and lied flat on his stomach. The glittering golden helmet fell out and one of the men kicked it away, grunting, ¡°I expected more of a fight.¡± This was the third different voice Lisk had heard. All the Duke¡¯s servants could do now was to stay in place and hope for the mercy of these masked men. One of the men raised their sword. ¡°Enough, Hans, we got the job done. He¡¯s not reaching Joseph Channing now.¡± The fourth man spoke for the first time. ¡°Yes, but we can¡¯t have any surviving witnesses.¡± The third voice replied. The man raised his sword and struck down each of the Duke¡¯s defenseless servants, one by one. ¡°Hans! Good grief.¡± The fourth voice sounded appalled, ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± The men hurried away from the night as Dust moved as if he was going to pursue them. Again, Lisk grabbed Dusk¡¯s shoulders, who was now evidently annoyed, ¡°Are we going to just let them get away with...¡± ¡°Neither me or you are going to last a minute against one of them, let alone five.¡± Lisk sighed. ¡°How can you tell?¡± Dust raised his voice a little bit, which was met immediately by a hush by Lisk, Dust then lowered his voice, annoyed, ¡°How can you tell?¡± ¡°How quickly the guy pulled his sword and struck down ten people is evidence.¡± Lisk replied. ¡°Those people are servants. They don¡¯t speak combat.¡± Dust was still not convinced. ¡°Yes, but the speed of the sword does not lie.¡± Lisk explained. He had overseen enough sword duels at Warrior School to know what speed of sword would be measured as fast. That was a hobby of Lisk¡¯s: going to the mountainside by Warrior School and hiding in a birch tree so he could observe high-level combat and learn a thing or two from it. It was against the rules of non-students to observe classes in session, but Lisk hid well enough so he was never caught, and his eyesight was sharp as an owl so even sitting on a branch at a distant birch tree he was able to observe the lessons. Chapter 2: Odd mans warning ¡°Crystal Lake Kingdom is not happy about this. They claimed they had sent the Duke for diplomatic reasons.¡± ¡°Yes, but they didn¡¯t realize Joseph is a war hawk, a hungry one at that too.¡± ¡°Keep your voices down. Would not be good if you got overheard by any of the king¡¯s people.¡± Amongst the chatter, Lisk noticed an older man, taller than everyone else in the room by at least a foot and half, held a quill in his hands. He stroked the feather with his thumb and index finger gently.Appearing to be deep in thought, he seemed to intend to write something, but he probably never came up with what he wanted to write down, for he simply just repeated the same motionwith his fingers and the quill for hours. The man¡¯s hair said he was eighty, his face claimed fifty, but his body disagreed and conveyed thirty. A man his size doesn¡¯t go unnoticed, and his scruffy hair and unkempt beard made sure of that. To say that his clothes were rags would be too generous, and his hygiene would probably benefit by rolling around in the mud. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting looking homeless guy.¡± Dusk remarked. Lisk was unsettled by the man¡¯s presence though. He couldn¡¯t explain it, but he got a chill every time he snuck a glance at the man. Finally he decided it was best to not look that direction at all. ¡°What are you talking about? He looks so peaceful and grandfatherly.¡± Dusk replied when Lisk told him something about the man was unnerving. Dusk observed the proceedings in the room with caution. The taverns, the restaurants, and the teahouses are where people gather to discuss current events. Dusk had heard and learnt plenty from simply sitting in and overhearing conversations. While Lisk no longer looked in the man¡¯s direction, Dusk stole a few more glances that way. The man¡¯s eyes answered back. Dusk quickly turned around and pretended to be minding his own business. It was too late. The man paced around the room, but with each coming second he was getting closer. ¡°Sad death, wasn¡¯t it.¡± The man was talking to them. Lisk glared at Dusk as if Dusk had awoken the devil, which seemed ridiculous to Dusk. Why was Lisk so afraid of this man? Unique presence? Sure. What exactly was so intimidating about this man? ¡°He will be forgotten in no time. Things, when they are gone so unspectacularly, they don¡¯t get remembered. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± The man¡¯s voice was grim. To Lisk, his voice was what death would sound like if death had a voice.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Maybe the general public will forget him, but there will be those who remember him. Every death is like that.¡± Lisk replied. The man laughed hysterically, ¡°You are too young.¡± Lisk observed the man¡¯s face. Beneath the white hair and beard were scars, and lots of it. There was also an imprint on his right cheek in the shape of a crescent. ¡°This death itself won¡¯t be remembered, but its effects will be well-felt. I¡¯m afraid that Birchland would likely not be a paradise in the coming years.¡± As soon as the man uttered his last words, he disappeared. Lisk didn¡¯t see him go out the door. It was like he simply vanished. ¡°Do you think he¡¯s right?¡± Dusk asked pensively. ¡°No, Crystal Lake won¡¯t start a war on us. One, they usually had a good relationship with Birchland and they are understanding enough, so if Joseph can send envoys along with gifts to ease the tension¡­¡± Lisk was not convinced by the suspicious man. ¡°I¡¯m going to stop you right there. Maybe the old and dead king will do what you said, but Joseph won¡¯t do anything to ease the tension.¡± Dusk reminded Lisk, ¡°This is a guy who started invading all the smaller kingdoms and autonomous tribes up north as soon as he took the throne. Have you heard his motto? Cross the Pearl Sea on the east, and journey the Camelback Plains on the west, upon arrival, we ravage all the kingdoms and take gold and slaves upon victory.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a rumor. Also, Crystal Kingdom know they won¡¯t be win a war against us, so they won¡¯t start one.¡± Although Lisk also knew Joseph was a warmonger, he couldn¡¯t believe Joseph¡¯s ambitions to be so wild and unchecked. East of Pearl Sea were the Parable Pennisula, which had contents that not many people in the main landmass knew about. To the west was the Camelback Plains, and somewhere farther west laid the Disconnect Hills, which had a kingdom that was maybe a bit smaller than Birchland, but still a very large and formidable one. Both directions were uncharted territory for many in Birchland. ¡°I absolutely believe Joseph said that.¡± Dusk told Lisk. Lisk paused for a moment. Dusk pressed on, ¡°Lisk, come on, think about it logically. Your high profile diplomat dies on the turf you are trying to make peace with, who do you naturally blame?¡± Lisk was not convinced, but he wouldn¡¯t doubt for long. A man entered, and the crowd gathered around him. Lisk recognized the man. He carried three things on him at all times: a bag, tobacco, and a silver cup. His name was Angers, the most reliable information in town. It seemed like he knew everything that was happening, and why it was happening. Naturally, everyone tried to listen to what he had to say. ¡°Crystal Lake tried to blame King Joseph for the death of Duke Yastin.¡± Angers cut straight to the point. ¡°What did King Joseph say?¡± Someone in the crowd yelled out. ¡°Did he deny it?¡± More questions followed. ¡°Did you find out who killed the duke?¡± Angers raised his hand to quiet the crowd down, then replied, ¡°King Joseph told the king of Crystal Lake Kingdom that they were crazy at first. When the king of Crystal Lake demanded more, Joseph said he sent the assassins to kill the Duke.¡± The crowd gasped in shock. Dusk turned and looked at Lisk in triumph. ¡°Sir Pearce is going to have a discussion at his manor in a week on this incident.¡± Angers said, ¡°He lives not too far away from the Crossover, he invited an exclusive list of guests, but you all can go feel the buzz.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go to Sir Pearce.¡± Lisk told Dusk. ¡°He won¡¯t let you in.¡± Dusk gave Lisk a look that combined amusement with confusion. ¡°I will find a way in. I¡¯m setting off today. The Crossover isn¡¯t close to here.¡± Chapter 3: Sir Pearces Manor Lisk yawned, as he studied each participant at this gathering. The nobles appeared more or less the same, all wearing barracans and sporting enough jewelry to feed an army for a week. The warriors school pupils and sword masters provided a stark contrast, most of them wore a plain gray coat and yielded rusty weapons. His eyes stopped when he spotted an unique presence in the room. That man. Lisk gasped. No. That boy. What in the name of the land. A young man, appearing to be in his teens still, sat at a table by himself, but that¡¯s not what made him noticeable. The adolescent had a husky build, wavy black hair, and large auburn eyes. Even though he was sitting, Lisk could tell that he was very tall. On the table laid a sword enclosed in a wooden sheath decorated with emerald stones. An old hunchback sat down at the young man¡¯s table and began conversing with the man. Lisk¡¯s curiosity got the better of him as he leaned in to eavesdrop. ¡°That looks like a solid piece of metal.¡± The hunchback¡¯s voice was coarse. The young man glanced at the hunchback, and merely nodded. ¡°You aren¡¯t from around here, are you?¡± The older man was clearly in a better mood for conversation. Once again, the young man did not open his mouth as he answered by shaking his head. Lisk initially thought the young man and the hunchback are of the same party, but that clearly could not have been the case. He was even more intrigued about the origin of this mysterious teenager now. ¡°Can I see it?¡± The hunchback pointed at the weapon on the table. The young man merely pushed it towards the hunchback without a care. His eyes were fixated in the direction of Sir Pearce. The hunchback unsheathed the sword, sliding his fingers up and down the steel, and nodded approvingly. He was completely within the music of his own world as he rotated the sword around to admire it. Lisk frowned as he watched the sequence unfold. The sword appeared mostly mundane to him besides the fact it looked very heavy. That can¡¯t be very agile in combat. Lisk thought, but then again the young man looked like a titan so he might not struggle using his clumsy weapon. I would love to see him use it though. Sir Pearce cleared his throat and grabbed the attention of all the gatherers around. The noise in the room faded quickly like a receding ocean wave. Sir Pearce was a bit stocky, with a rounded chin, and appeared less than noble-like than what Lisk would have imagined. He looked like he had too much greasy food. Lisk thought. ¡°Good people of Greater Birchland, I gathered you here to voice a grave concern of mine.¡± Sir Pearce spoke. He sounds like he¡¯s talking through his nose. Lisk snuck a glance towards the hunchback, and frowned as he realized the old man was still checking out the piece of steel. ¡°Our new king has broken barriers and a peace that had been upheld for hundreds of years. Our old king had not moved his army into a border he deemed untouchable because he knew the consequences of going into war with our neighbors is mutually destructive. What our young king is doing strikes me as a risky proposition.¡± Sir Pearce raised his wine glass, took a sip from it, and put it down, ¡°I would like to hear some opinions.¡± ¡°I wholeheartedly agree.¡± A young man with dirty blonde hair and a long ponytail said, ¡°Even if we conquer Crystal Lake Kingdom, we don¡¯t have the proper naval forces to defend the sea. We are just asking for trouble.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more than just our defenses. I don¡¯t like making war with our neighbors who we have coexisted with for a long time. The animosity we have with the people there now is unpleasant.¡± A middle-aged man, whose facial hair covered most of his features, voiced his opinion. ¡°Points well-taken.¡± Sir Pearce nodded. He continued, ¡°I also cannot comprehend killing their Duke who was intending to be an ambassador to resolve this whole situation. It was said all he brought with him was several unarmed servants.¡± ¡°We need to voice our opinions and have them heard by the king.¡± The young man with dirty blonde hair said.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Sir Pearce unrolled a piece of parchment and placed next to his wine glass on the table, ¡°I have a petition here for all of you gentlemen to sign. I have voiced our concerns and the king shall see it. I just want you all to read over it and sign on the bottom.¡± As people stood up to get in line, a man wearing a thick red leather coat got to the parchment first and proceeded to rip the piece of paper apart. The gatherers watched in shock initially as the parchment torn apart into little crumbs. Then the dirty-blond young man¡¯s face tingled with rage as he demanded to know, ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± ¡°This idiotic piece of paper does not need to waste the king¡¯s time.¡± The man who destructed the parchment claimed, ¡°King Joseph knows how to lead an army better than any of you. For he had been doing it since he was nine. Most of you here have never ever even been in a real fight, let alone on the battlefield.¡± No one had a response prepared for the man¡¯s words. Lisk supposed that there was truth to what the man was saying. Nobles in the Greater Birchland don¡¯t ever learn combat because they have armguards that do it in their place. Lisk also r ealized that the nobles¡¯ motive of keeping peace with Crystal Lake Kingdom could also be somewhat self-benefitting. The expensive imports, jewelries, vases, herbs and even some commodities like metals and spices, all came from merchants of Crystal Lake Kingdom. These merchants were skilled in sea navigation, mining, and herb harvesting. If Greater Birchland were to merge with Crystal Lake Kingdom, these commodities would be devalued because King Joseph would most likely ask for a redistribution of the resources across Greater Birchland. The dissenter continued, ¡°All your points are unintelligent to say the least. When we conquer Crystal Lake Kingdom, we would acquire their naval forces, and then expand our influence by the sea.¡± ¡°What about the years of peace we upheld? What about the potential unnecessary deaths of soldiers and civilians at the cost of a completely unnecessary war. Our neighbors do not propose any harm to us. Their existence only benefits us. They protect our borders and they bolster our trade.¡± Sir Pearce argued. His voice was shaky, perhaps he did not expect the presence of such a strong dissenter. ¡°The strong must get stronger to survive. If the strong does not become stronger but its neighbors do, then the strong will eventually become the weak. This is a long due and necessary action.¡± The dissenter said, then he raised his hand and called out, ¡°Men, kill these rebels!¡± Sir Pearce gasped. Ten people from the various tables stood up and withdrew their weapons. None of the nobles were even armed, so Lisk smirked as he scanned all the pale faces in the room. His heart was racing quickly as well though. He did not want to accidentally end his life in this place. The tall young man who was sitting with the hunchback stood up casually and walked towards Lisk. ¡°Better get out of here quick.¡± The young man muttered. Lisk, realizing the young man was talking to him, nodded and got onto his feet. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going, kid!¡± One of the ten armed dissenters screamed at the young man, sprinting to block the doorway as he brandished his blade. The young man disregarded the dissenter and walked towards straight towards the door. The dissenter, displeased at the lack of respect he is getting, yelled ¡°dumb shit!¡± and swung his blade at the top of the young man¡¯s skull. The young man dodged the attack by simply taking a few steps to the right. He stared blankly at his attacker, then at the blade, and suddenly he tapped his own head, frustratingly remarked, ¡°Oh gracious, I almost forgot! Hunchback, my sword!¡± The hunchback, still sitting at his table, smiled, ¡°You have to come get it yourself, I can¡¯t lift it.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± The leader of the dissenters who torn the parchment demanded. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, General Farvale.¡± The young man smiled. The dissenter¡¯s face darkened, as he demanded, ¡°Kill him.¡± ¡°General Farvale, why are you so secretive about your identity.¡± The young man smirked as he went to retrieve his sword. Two armed dissenters lunged their spears at him, but the young man quickly lifted his sword to counter the attack. As soon as the three weapons made contact, the two spears flew high and out of the dissenter¡¯s hands, to a spot about thirty feet away. Two more dissenters swung their rod at him, but the young man deflected the first attacker¡¯s rod with his sword, and stepped away from the trajectory of the second attacker¡¯s rod, which then hit the ground instead. The young man took the chance to swing his sword at the second attacker, who was still readjusting his weapon from his previous miss, but it was too late. The young man¡¯s sword landed on the second attacker¡¯s neck, and the first casualty of the gathering made many of the nobles panic. General Farvale yelled, ¡°Go! All of you! Get him!¡± Before anyone moved, the young man swiftly moved towards General Farvale, and his sword had landed on General Farvale¡¯s neck. General Farvale shuddered, ¡°What do you want.¡± The young man chuckled. ¡°You want me to release everyone here?¡± General Farvale frowned. He tilted his head slightly back so he was a bit farther from the blade. The young man shook his head, ¡°No, I don¡¯t give about any of those people. I want two things. One, you let me, the hunchback, and that man right there in the humble clothes¡­¡± He pointed at Lisk, ¡°¡­walk out of here. Two, tell Joseph to rethink his Crystal Lake decision. Tell him to use his head on the potential impact of the war and see what he thinks.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± General Farvale nodded. ¡°Move your guards.¡± The young man said. ¡°Retreat away from the door, all of you. Let the hunchback and the peasant through.¡± General Farvale commanded. Chapter 4: The Guard At the Crossroad ¡°I don¡¯t know any more than the young man than you do, but his name is Magnus.¡± The hunchback told Lisk. Lisk and the hunchback had trekked for over an hour now in order to avoid the pursuit of the dissenters. The one thing Lisk was curious about was that young man he witnessed. The young man¡¯s sword movements were sharp and crisp,and agile as an eagle, which was surprising for someone with such a tall and bulky frame. Lisk could tell Magnus was definitely amazing in combat, although his style could have major weaknesses because of its predictability. To Lisk, Magnus seemed to be focused in precise and logical movements with his sword, and largely reliant on his strength and swift movements. However, there were very few elements of surprise when Lisk watched him swing his sword, Lisk pretty much knew Magnus¡¯ every next move from watching his eyes and body. ¡°Where do you come from?¡± Lisk asked the hunchback. ¡°I¡¯m a blacksmith. I am in Lower Birchland in the city of Equon.¡± The hunchback replied, ¡°You can come find me if you need to forge a new weapon.¡± ¡°Are you expensive?¡± Lisk felt the rust and dirt on the sword that he carried, and realized how dull the metal was. ¡°Depends on the person.¡± The hunchback smiled. ¡°If I visit you, will you give me discounts.¡± Lisk inquired hopefully. The hunchback chuckled, ¡°Come and you will find out.¡± Lisk did not really entertain with the idea of visiting the hunchback¡¯s shop too much. He was poor, so he could definitely not afford new swords for even half its price. He doubted the hunchback will give him that big of a discount. So he switched topics to something he was more interested in, ¡°Hey, how did you meet that guy, what did you say his name was, Marcus?¡± ¡°Magnus.¡± The hunchback corrected Lisk, ¡°I met him at a tavern.¡± Lisk nodded as he looked up at the sky. It was getting gradually darker. Lisk knew he wouldn¡¯t make it back to his tent before nighttime, and he didn¡¯t not want to travel in the dark, for unfamiliar roads contained unfamiliar beasts and passers. He needed a tavern to stay at, so he casually inquired, ¡°Is the tavern close to here?¡± The hunchback nodded, ¡°It¡¯s a few miles away.¡± ¡°Are you going back there?¡± The chilly wind was getting to Lisk, who wore only a layer of a very baggy and thin tunic, to contrast with the hunchback¡¯s oversized coat. ¡°Yes I am.¡± The hunchback replied, ¡°Rooms are about seventeen coins a night. Would you like to join?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t afford it.¡± Lisk smiled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯ll cover for you.¡± The hunchback shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s okay, there has to be cheaper taverns in town.¡± Lisk genuinely hated to owe favors to people. ¡°You don¡¯t want to go to those as a traveler.¡± The hunchback warned him, as they kept walked toward a busy crossroad, where a few carriages carried by white horses met them in their tracks. They were no longer strolling around a path that was decorated by nothing but birch trees and bushes. Houses began emerging on either side of the road, and by the time they got to the crossroad, houses completely filled the side of the roads. The carriages ahead of them blocked the entire width of the crossroads, and it seemed like the owners had intentionally lined them up to do so. Many annoyed bystanders looked on, but no one spoke. Lisk approached a short man wearing a turban who stood next to a brown horse, and tried to gauge what was going on, ¡°What¡¯s the hold up?¡± The man, without looking at Lisk, sighed as he pointed to a line of people behind a narrow lane between two of the carriages. Each person passing through the lane was inspected by an armed man. Lisk edged closer to see what was going on. As he weaved his way through the crowd to the front, he saw a man get smacked by the hilt of the guard¡¯s sword. The man went onto his knees and clutched his head in pain, as a woman sobbed audibly, ¡°He knows he made a mistake. Please spare him.¡± The guard grunted, ¡°If I wanted to kill him he wouldn¡¯t be alive this minute. Now get the fuck out of here, both of you.¡± As the beaten man and the woman scurried though the lane to the other side, Lisk saw the guard throw a white necklace into a bin, and another guard across him, slightly shorter and also armed, muttered, ¡°Why did you let them pass, that thing is like six pops.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. The first guard shook his head, ¡°They don¡¯t have anything else anyway. That was the only jewelry on that woman. I didn¡¯t want to search through that much filth.¡± Lisk was starting to get what¡¯s going on, and anger flowed through him as the next person, a seemingly well-dressed merchant, handed the taller guard a golden coin, smiling, as he walked through the lane. A young man, carrying a bushel of corn, accompanied by his old mother was next up. ¡°Please let us pass, my mother is very sick and¡­¡± Before he could finish, the taller guard smacked him with the hilt of his sword, knocking him to the ground. ¡°Leave the corn and fuck off.¡± ¡°I need this as a payment to the doctor, sir.¡± The young man begged. The guard tried to hit the young man with the handle again, but this time the young man swiftly dodged the attack. Angered and insulted, the guard withdrew his sword and swung it at the young man. The blow struck his right shoulder, and blood fell down as the young man screeched in pain and his mother opened her mouth in horror. She appeared to be trying to say something but no words were coming out as she tried to go check up on her son. Perhaps she moved too quickly, she misstepped and fell. Appalled and enraged, Lisk helped the old woman get up on her feet, and helped her towards her son. The old woman could only hold her hand over her son¡¯s pool of blood flowing from his right shoulder shudderingly. Lisk looked at the taller guard in contempt, and his gaze did not go unnoticed. The guard kicked Lisk in the legs and yelled, ¡°The fuck you think you are, bastard.¡± Lisk stood tall, to the guard¡¯s surprise. As the guard sheathed his sword and swung overhead down at Lisk, Lisk withdrew his own sword to parry the guard¡¯s attack. Upon the first contact, Lisk knew immediately these guards were no men of might. He pulled his sword back and aimed for the guard¡¯s heart, anticipating the guard to move out of the way clumsily. Lisk hoped the guard¡¯s slow movements would open opportunities for Lisk to disarm the notorious bully. The guard¡¯s speed and reaction was not something Lisk could have possibly anticipated. The man, slender and slightly taller than Lisk, could not move out of the way in time. Lisk¡¯s sword had pierced through the guard, and screams, followed by chatter, echoed around the crossroads. Lisk¡¯s whole world was sputters. He wasn¡¯t processing anything going on around him. This was the first time he had killed, and it was in front of a huge crowd of people. How did this happen? What will become of him now? He had only meant to disarm the guard, but how could this, how could this happen. ¡°He is not trained in any sort of combat.¡± He heard someone whisper to his ears, ¡°You overestimated him and his reaction and skills. Let¡¯s go.¡± Lisk didn¡¯t move, or even bother to look at who was talking to him. ¡°We need to leave here right now.¡± Lisk realized it was the hunchback talking to him, but he still didn¡¯t move. ¡°I¡¯m getting out of here.¡± After a few seconds, Lisk finally had came to his senses. The other guard had disappeared, but the carriages were still there. People passed through the lane between the carriages and dispersed quickly. Too afraid to be left alone, he chased after the hunchback. ¡°Hurry, let¡¯s get to the tavern.¡± The hunchback gestured Lisk to speed up, who quickly caught up. The walk was mostly filled with silence, as they took the eastern path of the crossroads. There weren¡¯t many people that traveled on this path, for it led to Lower Birchland. Lower Birchland had sparsely populated towns, and was surrounded by a desert. In fact, some people even refer to Lower Birchland itself as a desert, and not without good reason either. Despite being called Lower Birchland, there were hardly any birch trees there; Residents were met with a scorching sun in the summer and a unstoppable gale at night. The place did have its own unique appeals though, for the mountains were famous for their abundant ores, so it was perfect for the miners. Overall, though, the place generally did not extend an invite to large crowds. ¡°Boy, get a grip of yourself.¡± The hunchback was disturbed by Lisk¡¯s silence, ¡°This won¡¯t be the last one.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t be the last one?¡± Lisk said incredulously, unsure if he was talking to himself or the hunchback or somebody else. ¡°With the way things are shaping throughout the land, there will be war soon. The best you can do is to protect yourself. Let¡¯s sit here.¡± They have entered a fairly crowded tavern. Most were a good deal of merchants with baggages that would give any man carrying them a good training. Although there were a few people that carried weapons with them, perhaps guards or soldiers. The hunchback¡¯s eyes drifted toward an old man sitting in the corner. ¡°Copper? That¡¯s a first.¡± The hunchback seemed critical of the old man¡¯s sword. The old man sat in the corner against the wall, reading a beat-up book and occasionally sipping from his wineskin. Lisk glanced at the old man and realized the problem, too. Copper swords were generally ineffective, and the old man would not be able to hold against steel weapons with that. Perhaps the old man was simply a showman? Lisk didn¡¯t give it more thought. The hunchback¡¯s interest did not wane, though. He continued staring at the old man until the old man noticed him and stood up. He was taller and more vibrant than Lisk had expected. His face said sixty, but he walked with such firmness and energy that he might as well have been thirty. The old man walked towards the hunchback, and ran his eyes down the slightly unkempt blacksmith , ¡°You must be the renowned sword crafter.¡± The hunchback chuckled, ¡°You got all three parts wrong.¡± ¡°Did I mistake you for someone else?¡± ¡°Maybe, maybe not. I don¡¯t see how I am renowned, yes, a few have heard of me, but that is about it. Also, I make more than just swords. As for crafter, I¡¯m a blacksmith, and that is all I am. There are other geniuses behind the crafts.¡± ¡°A damn fine blacksmith you are then.¡± The old man smiled, ¡°The name is Shantorico, or just Rico.¡± ¡°Shantorico Who Treks the Camelback Plains?¡± The hunchback was taken aback. ¡°Indeed.¡± Rico grinned. Chapter 5: Magnus Magnus rode into the deep night. He was exhausted from his five-day long trek, but he wasn¡¯t done yet. The happening at Sir Pearce¡¯smanor was just an interlude. He had heard the news at the tavern, and curiosity led him to sneak inside. He met the hunchback there, and agreed to help him confront any danger. In return, he was given a bag of gold. Now that his job was done, he could continue his road without worrying about food. Magnus had been completely broke before. He would go knock on doors and beg for food. Because of his grand stature and the large sword he carries, villagers generally were terrified enough of them to oblige. Some villagers were polite enough to invite him into their lodging, and he appreciated that. More often than not, though, he would be given his food and had to take it on the road. This bag of gold was the most money he had ever had. He did not think particularly much of it besides the fact he was relieved that he would have enough for a couple years of food now. The Dew mushroom chicken cooked at inns are much more consistent than those by random peasants. Not that he minded the inconsistency, though, as he was not a choosing beggar. Magnus began to head to a different world now. Disconnect Hills was the far west. With the Peninsula horse he has at the moment,Magnus estimated it would take six days to get there. By the end of the first day, he had reached the outskirts of Birchland and ventured in the Camelback Plains. He rode by farmlands and ranches, from sunrise to sunset. The Camelback Plains seemed so vast, but its ancient history was forgotten more and more throughout the years. A hundred years ago, the Camelback Plains used to be ruled by various tribes, until one tribe named the Ibauzun united the rest. Then they were quickly overran by the fabled Moon Kingdom. History isn¡¯t easy to preserve across tribes, as the lack of architecture or sometimes even a writing system made it difficult. Magnus rode by, wondering about all the warfare that had taken place in this now peaceful land. There were nothing but farmers now. There is one central town called Resurgence Town here where all the trade and festivals happen. Magnus remembered hearing it was named so as the town was hoping that the Camelback Plains can establish its identity once again. Soon Magnus rode into the streets Resurgence Town, and he was greeted by an inhabitant. ¡°Hello, sir. You look foreign.¡± The man, wearing a tidy black tunic and a grey cloak, greeted Magnus. There is nothing resurgent about Resurgence Town. The place just does not cut it among the most prosperous cities in the land. The flats alongside the streets are monotone and uninspiring. The population in the city was sparse, as most of the successful young men and women have moved out of the place when given the option. ¡°A passerby.¡± Magnus replied, ¡°Is there lodging in this town?¡± ¡°Yes. Follow me.¡± The stranger led Magnus to the only multi-story building within several miles. Magnus recognized it to be a tavern, but wasn¡¯t so sure anymore after he stepped in. It was dusty and silent, as cobwebs stuck to the corners of the walls, and many broken chairs and broken tables occupied the middle of the room. ¡°Something happened here.¡± The stranger muttered, ¡°Boss? Are you here?¡± No reply. Magnus realized sweet dreams for this night is off the table. He watched the man who led him to this tavern bolt towards the stairs in panic. ¡°Don¡¯t. Stay here. This could be dangerous.¡±Magnus warned. The man hesitated, but then nodded. Suddenly, Magnus heard gentle footstep coming from upstairs. ¡°Do you hear that? There is someone upstairs.¡± Magnus whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t hear anything.¡± The man replied. ¡°Stay here. I¡¯ll go check it out.¡± Magnus proposed, and then followed through as he trotted upstairs, light on his feet and quiet as a mouse. There was indeed someone there. Someone was sitting with his legs outside the window. Since Magnus could not see the person¡¯s face, he could only tell that the figure had a large frame and long and scruffy white hair. Magnus¡¯ entire body started twitching for reasons he could not explain. It was as if he was hit by a chill gust, but the gust came from inside his body. The figure felt Magnus¡¯ presence, although it did not turn around to face him. ¡°I should have known you were going to stop by here.¡± The figure remarked.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°You know me?¡± Magnus inquired suspiciously. ¡°I do. Perhaps I know more about you than you do about yourself.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± ¡°Not the type to ask questions I take it. I will be leaving.¡± The figure jumped out the window and dissipated into the night. It all happened so quickly that Magnus could not keep up. This was the first time he had ever felt something like this. Magnus knew that if the white-haired person wanted to harm him, it would happen. Magnus would not have been able to defend himself. Magnus felt relaxed and uneasy at the same time. Relaxed because he knew he was probably safe for the night, but also uneasy since there had been a grand presence that had been monitoring his life that he could not understand. Was the person a friend or an enemy? Magnus remembered his mentor Luft telling him, ¡°People are rarely just your friends or enemies. They have their own intentions, and when your goals align with theirs, they be your friend. Otherwise, watch your own throat. It can be slit open any second if you trust them too much.¡± Luft spoke the truth. Magnus knew at some point, he would have to find out the mysterious man¡¯s intentions. The night could not stay young forever, so Magnus took a light rest. He decided he will roam around the town for half or day or so the next day. The place always intrigued him, as he could not comprehend how one of the most prosperous towns in the land could just practically disappear from the memories of people. The older folks referred to it as the ghost town, and the young man and woman would reply ¡°Where?¡± when they were asked of Resurgence Town. The stranger part was that the Camelback Plains, where Resurgence Town was located, was an autonomous region. It would rarely be affected by war or change of regime, so it flourished throughout the years. Magnus was convinced that something must have happened in the last thirty years for this town to fade out of people¡¯s memories. The next morning, Magnus headed to the market. There were about twenty vendors or so, and down the street from the market there was a large plaza. The performers drew in a small gathering. There were flamethrowers, jugglers, and dancers. The audience was gently clap and cheer from time to time. The town was far from a ghost town, but Magnus can envision during its best days, the plaza was probably filled with enough people where you won¡¯t be able to get through and see the stage. Magnus walked through the market and scanned the items the vendors were selling. There were plenty of normal fruits like cherries, pears, and apples, but there were also plenty of strange stuff. The sign in front of a vendor read Ice berries. Phoenix eggs. Dust melons. Is this a hoax? Magnus thought to himself. There were no one else paying attention to that vendor, but Magnus checked out the items on the stand carefully. The ice berries looked like soft and round crystals. Magnus could see his own reflection in these berries. ¡°What in the world¡­¡± He muttered. ¡°Never seen an ice berry before?¡± The vendor who sold the eccentric items asked. ¡°No one will buy your shattered glass, Harold.¡± A neighboring vendor replied. ¡°Mind your own business Clarissa. You haven¡¯t gone around this world enough to know crap.¡± Harold shot back. Clarissa picked up an ice berry and slammed it against the ground. It broke into pieces, and it was indeed, glass. ¡°Well, ice berries are rare as shit. I can¡¯t sell them in volume, but I do have a few pieces mixed in here, you just have to get lucky.¡± Harold replied. ¡°No ice berries. Don¡¯t exist. You a liar.¡± Clarissa called out. ¡°What are the phoenix eggs?¡± Magnus turned to Clarissa, the con-man had been ratted out, but the contents of the counterfeits amused Magnus. ¡°That just a big chicken egg.¡± Clarissa replied. ¡°There are no chicken eggs that can be bigger than your big and empty head.¡± Harold shot back. ¡°How are you selling them for?¡± Magnus wanted to gauge if it was worth spending money he finally had to fulfill his curiosity. ¡°Seventeen silvers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s about fourteen meals, don¡¯t think I will be doing it.¡± Magnus replied. ¡°Fine, eight silvers.¡± ¡°Still too expensive.¡± ¡°Ican¡¯t just sell you a phoenix egg for cheap.¡± ¡°Five.¡± Magnus offered. ¡°Seven.¡± ¡°Six.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Magnus handed six silvers to Harold and took over the ¡°phoenix egg¡±. He inspected the dust melons, which looked like regular watermelons. While Magnus was trying to figure out what was so special about the melons, a hooded man came through and handed some coins to Harold, and grabbed a melon and quickly left without saying a word. ¡°Why you buy fake stuff?¡± Clarissa shook her head at Magnus while Harold grinned, ¡°Better go get a guide book from the nearby store on how to raise a phoenix.¡± Magnus left Harold and Clarissa and headed to the empty tavern. The phoenix egg was quite an inconvenience to carry, as it was probably the size of cantaloupe. so he decided to answer his questions now. He set the egg on the table and raised his sword, and slashed at it. The egg did not crack at all. Magnus quickly made another attempt, but the shell stood the test once more, and twice more, and thrice more. ¡°What is this made out of.¡± Magnus muttered. He decided to get up and return to the vendors, but by the time he got back, only Clarissa was still there. ¡°Where did he go?¡± ¡°Probably made his money for the day and went home.¡± Magnus did not press more questions on Clarissa. He decided he needed to get going, so headed back to the tavern once again. He will have another couple hundred miles or so to go before he would reach his destination. Westward of the Camelback Plains was the Dew Forest, and farther west of that was the Disconnect Hills Kingdom. The kingdom of Disconnect Hills was not as powerful as Birchland or Vrie Empire, but it was strong and prideful enough to defend itself in case of invasions. The Vrie Empire had launched a few invasions at some strategic points like Zenith Castle, but was fiercely pushed back. The rumors have it that the princess of Disconnect Hills, Anya, is not only highly skilled in combat, but also well-versed in military strategies. She led the rebuff efforts against the Vrie Empire, and after two years, they still could not find a breakthrough. When Magnus got back, the phoenix egg had disappeared. He immediately looked for signs for danger, but could not sense anyone¡¯s presence. Could it have been the person from last night? Not usually easily spooked, Magnus decided this was probably a good time to leave this town. Chapter 6: Beneath the Castle Walls The capital of the Disconnect Hills kingdom is on the eastern border of Disconnect Hills. So afterthree days of an uneventful journey following a small trail across Dew Forest, Magus entered Hermia. The city was overcrowded, and the wagons drivers shoo¡¯d the crowd like they were chasing away pigeons. Magnus can see a large castle on a distant hill. The sky was darkening, and he decided it was time to act. Disconnect Hills used pennants as a way of conveying military authority. The owner of different pennants can mobilize various Disconnect Hills troops stationed across the kingdom. On each of the pennants there is a rare gemstone to ensure the validity of it, so it was difficult to produce counterfeits. The advantage of this system was that it reduced overhead time of hiring and legitimatizing new commanders. Magnus did not think the advantages of the system outweigh the risks, and he was about to exploit the system as he intended to take the some pennants from the castle. ¡°The Maven Kingdom is completely wiped out by Vrie. To restore it, you need to start from scratch. From ground zero.¡± Magnus remember the exchange from years ago when Luft informed Magnus of the difficulty of the task that lied ahead. ¡°Does that mean I have to recruit soldiers.¡± Young Magnus asked naively, he was about nine at this point. ¡°No.¡± Luft shot the suggestion down, ¡°Which sovereignty will let you do that? People will also look at you like a mad man, you have to get troops from someone else, and then convert their allegiances, or use them to your benefit.¡± Then Luft told Magnus about the pennant and Disconnect Hills. For years, Luft taught Magnus techniques of stealthy movement. They practiced light steps, getting up on walls, and quietly knocking out guards. After a few years, Magnus used his skills to do practical training. He would break into houses of the wealthy to steal jewelry, and then put it back an hour later. After he decided that was too easy, he would take a day before he would return the stolen items, and this modification benefited his training significantly because on the second day after a break-in, the houses would usually employ stricter security, so far he had not failed. This time was different though. Magnus knew the castle guards would be way better trained than the mercenary watchmen he had tested himself against, not to mention he also had to work with a more extensive location. Fear would not help him though, preparation would. Magnus carefully ran different scenarios through his head. He recited the steps: study the location outside,find an entry, study the location inside, find the escape routes, identify the positions of the guards, find the target, look for physical obstacles around the target, and understand the danger once the target had been acquired. It was night time when Magnus reached the castle. He found a great hiding spot in the bushes where he could watch people enter and exit the castle.Patience was also a big factor that would determine the success of these kind of maneuvers. After an hour, the castle door finally opened. A figure on the horseback emerged. As Magnus prepared to strike at the person who had just rode through the door and the guards, he saw the face under the moonlight. It was a young woman, with tied back red hair. Magnus hesitated. Could this person be Anya? The speed, reactions and the combat skills Disconnect Hills princess was rumored to be unbelievable. If that was indeed her, the surprise attack may fail and foil his entire plan. Magnus decided to not risk it and kept waiting. The door did not open for another few hours. Magnus grew tired, and decided to head back, but a voice called out, ¡°What are you doing, sneaky?¡± Magnus knew the royal guards were probably way more alert than the regular ones, but he was confident enough to not be spotted. He had a realization that he was way too exhausted from camping out the walls for most of the night so he needed rest and not confrontation. Magnus began to run but the guard chased after him. A couple minutes later, the guard still trailed him, although he could hear the panting. Magnus knew he would outlast the guard in this foot race, and he began wondering that if the guard had departed his post for so long, would it be time to circle back to the castle to break in. Magnus decided against this very quickly, he knew he was under no shape currently to take on more guards. Hearing the sound of the footsteps ebb away, Magnus found a tree to rest by. The trees in this forest by the Disconnect Hills Castle weren¡¯t the thin and prickly birch trees he had gotten used to on his visit to the Birchlands. These redwood trees reached up to the sky, with sturdy trunks and dense leaves that partially blocked out the Sun. Magnus could see how the redwood forest could serve as a great tool for the defense of the castle. The thick trunks made quite good hiding spots. He had heard the story that twenty years ago or so, the Vrie Empire¡¯s invaders calvaries were ambushed by the hidden forces in the forest. Arrows flew everywhere but only the invaders died. The generals of Disconnect Hills had a precise map of the entire forest, and made their troops practice different drills there. The soldiers knew exactly which spots they could shoot an arrow without being obstructed by a distant tree.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. This was a story that spread many years ago, so the truth had been untested for a couple of decades. Not that the Disconnect Hills royalty minded that, as these days, the Vrie Kingdom could not even break through Zenith Castle up north. It did not stop the Vrie Empire from trying though, but the six battles they had against Princess Anya of Disconnect Hills there, they have lost them all. Magnus became tempted to believe the story of the soldiers knowing the exact mappings of the redwood forest when a voice called out, ¡°Found you!¡± He was standing face to face with a young man, about the same age as him, but the boy did not appear to be a guard. For one, he had jewelries drizzled all over him. The necklace he was wearing had a purple gemstone that Magnus recognized to be the quite expensive tourmaline. In addition, he was wearing a small crown. ¡°Did not expect that.¡± Magnus remarked. ¡°Sneaking around the castle like that at midnight, good thing I noticed you, you little sketchy scoundrel. Now, confess to your prince of Disconnect Hills, who you are and what you want.¡± The young man drew a spear and pointed it at Magnus. Magnus had learned what he could about the Disconnect Hills before committing to his mission, so he knew this must have been Prince Harmon. Harmon was a few years younger than Anya, and much weaker in combat. He had not gotten the chance for much battlefield duty yet, partly was because of his youth, and partly because he was not nearly as studious or as brilliant as his older sister. Not seeing any benefits of a drawn out confrontation here, Magnus simply withdrew his heavy sword and swung it high against Prince Harmon. Prince Harmon attempted to block it, but it wasa weaker attempt than Magnus had expected. The spear flew out of Harmon¡¯s hands and Harmon lost his balance. Magnus had not put a lot of power into that strike as he did not want to hurt Harmon. The blow did what he had intended and Magnus turned around and headed back to the city. After he returned to the city he looked for a tavern. Some rest is essential after such a long night of loitering around the castle walls. He entered a small building labeled ¡°Western Lodge¡±. There were plenty of people gathered around dressed in various ways. The residents of Disconnect Hills can generally be identified by their preference of thick fur coats, generally made of wolfskin. Wolves were abundant in Disconnect Hills and generally the most hunted animal. The winters were brutal in the northern part of the kingdom as it bordered the Vrie Glaciers, and the southern part was marginally warmer. When Magnus approached the innkeeper to pay for the night, the man eyed Magnus and his eyes twitched a bit. The man told Magnus to hold out for an hour as he had to sort out some logistics with the rooms for the night. About an hour later, as Magnus was getting impatient, he heard a commotion outside. There were the sound of horses and soldiers ordering plebeians to move out of the way. Magnus stepped outside, and recognized Harmon and a troop of about twenty men were stationed outside the tavern. Harmon immediately spotted Magnus, and smirked, ¡°There you are, little scoundrel.¡± As Magnus wondered the chances of the current encounter being a coincidence, Harmon assured him it was not, ¡°No criminal can get away from me. I sent the word out to have every innkeeper and shopkeeper to signal to me when they spot a young brat carrying a big and clumsy sword, and here you are.¡± The sword¡¯s uniqueness got Magnus in trouble. In addition, Magnus knew he was not one to blend in with the crowd, as he was about twice most men¡¯s size. ¡°Now, I suggest you give up and let me arrest you, or your life may be in danger.¡± Magnus simply shrugged, ¡°Try me.¡± Magnus dodged the prancing spear of Prince Harmon smoothly, as if wind has naturally carried him that way. He was not quick at all in his movements, and all the onlookers were not convinced he had actually dodged Prince Harmon¡¯s quick and fierce strike. Prince Harmon readjusted his horse, and charged towards Magnus again. Magnus ducked, sidestepped, and backtracked a few step to dodge several more hits, effortless in his movements. His foot had not left the ground he was standing on since that initial charge by Prince Harmon. Frustrated, Prince Harmon decided that he was going to aim directly at Magnus¡¯ skull from the top of his head and drill down. He charged ferociously at Magnus again as he swore he was going to make this one hit. This time, Magnus swung his sword to parry Harmon¡¯s spear. The spear flew our of Prince Harmon¡¯s hands, and Prince Harmon lost his balance and fell off his horse. The crowd was shocked that this boy, barely looking twenty, was able to beat one of the most powerful warrior of the Disconnect Hills in combat. At least that¡¯s what the citizens of Disconnect Hills were led to believe. The rumors outside of Disconnect Hills did not reach this consensus. They watched Prince Harmon clutch his arm in pain, as several servants helped him up and quickly hurried him inside the tavern. Magnus sighed. His task just became that much harder that he had now caused a commotion. He wanted to travel across the Disconnect Hills unrecognized while he went about his business to search what he needed, but now with thousands of people witnessing his tussle with Prince Harmon, he wasn¡¯t sure how he could travel across the land safely. Magnus decided that he would try to infiltrate the castle one more time, but from the hill-side instead of town-side. That meant he had to get around to the back of the castle. Still restless, Magnus decided he needed some sleep. He hurried towards the castle and scurried to the backside. He had not visited this face of the castle as he did not circle around the structure last time he was here. As he got there, a wolf leapt out of the darkness and launched itself at him. Magnus could not anticipate the beast¡¯s attack and fell over. The beast disappeared into the night. Magnus recollected himself, and looked for signs of the animal. Under the moonlight, Magnus saw a cut on his arm. Then an unspeakable agony overtook him. Chapter 7: The Desolation Hills Magnus rolled around on the grass as he tried to alleviate his pain. He felt hopeless as he accelerated him towards a steep downhill. Everything on the hill cut into him, the little pebbles, the sharp and jagged rocks, and the spikes from the bushes. He felt nothing though, for he could experience no greater pain than the one he already did from the toxin. ¡°Stop, just hold still. The toxin will spread across your body faster if you keep moving frantically.¡± Magnus opened his eyes. He was now at bottom of the hill, and sitting across him was a girl with long braided red hair , wide dimples, and hazel eyes. She bit down firmly on her lips and squeezed her shoulders tightly, and then exhaled long breaths. Magnus saw a wound on her left arm and realized she had been cut by the same plant. It awed him though to see that she was holding back pain so well. Then she screamed. Tears fell down her face as she looked at Magnus, ¡°It will be okay.¡± She closed her eyes for a few seconds, and spat out blood. This continued for about a minute or so, and Magnus panicked as he thought she might be exhaling her last breath as he watched her, not knowing what he would be able to do. Except it wasn¡¯t. The girl stood up and smiled, ¡°That should be all the toxins.¡± Her voice sounded much more pleasant now. So she actually did manage to get rid of all the toxins in her body, to Magnus¡¯ surprise. The girl held out a pill and told Magnus, ¡°Take this. It will stop the pain.¡± Magnus swallowed the pill and drowse set in immediately. When he had finally awoken he realized was laying on a bed made from a stack of hay. He no longer felt any pain. He stood up and took a sigh of relief. Where was he though? He was within moist walls, and the ceiling above dripped water. There was nothing else but a table and a few chairs in this room. There was a crumbled book laying on the floor, flipped open upside down and its pages dripped in a puddle. Magnus recognized the title of the book to be ¡°Return of the Shepherd¡±. He was curious and intended to pick the book up, but before he could do that, the door opened and the red-haired girl entered again. She was quite tall, and looked no older than Magnus himself. The first thing she saw was the book on the floor, which caused her to stomp her feet furiously, muttering, ¡°Oh my goodness, this is so irritating.¡± She then picked the book up, shaking and slapping its pages frantically in hopes of drying the manuscript. Frustrated, she threw it onto the table, and turned to Magnus, ¡°I got food outside.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Magnus replied politely, ¡°Can I get your name?¡± ¡°Amelia.¡± The girl replied as Magnus followed her outside the shed. There were a line of very small and beaten down structures on either side of a main sloping road in this town. The houses were largely made with stone, and some of them had flat wooden roofs. It was hard to imagine how well some of these structures would hold up against blizzard or thunder. There was a fire pit outside the shed used for cooking. Amelia had given a plate of carrots, onions and lamb to Magnus and sat down at the edge of the fire pit. ¡°How did you get lost?¡± Amelia asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Magnus replied. ¡°How did you end up in Desolation Hill?¡± Amelia stared at Magnus, somewhat jesting. ¡°You were lost weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Desolation Hill?¡± Magnus wasn¡¯t familiar with the landmarks around the area. Amelia smirked, ¡°So how did you get lost?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Magnus insisted. ¡°You contracted one of the most deadly poisons in the Hills, and you fell off a mountain.¡± Amelia shrugged, ¡°Fine, do you remember where you came from at least.¡± Magnus stayed silent. He did not know how far his descent had taken him. He also did not want to answer Amelia¡¯s question with full honesty. So he replied, ¡°A tavern in Dew Forest.¡± ¡°Dew Forest? How did you end up at the bottom of Desolation Hill from Dew Forest. Also, why would anyone travel to Dew Forest, there¡¯s nothing there. What were you doing there, looking for the imaginary magic school?¡± Amelia mused. ¡°No.¡± Magnus replied, but he was glad to sidetrack the conversation. He knew Magic School is located somewhere in the Dew Forest. He had never doubted its existence until now, but that was of no interest to him. There was something else in the Dew Forest that he was interested in, though. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Antyllo. Do you know who that is?¡± Magnus wasn¡¯t actually even sure if that was a person. Luft had told him that he had three things he had to do in the next couple years: steal the pennant, find Antyllo, and visit the Starlight Tower Ruins. ¡°You are looking for Antyllo? Just go to Medicine School.¡± ¡°Where is Medicine School?¡± ¡°In the Dew Forest, and it actually exists, I have actually been there.¡± ¡°How do you know that Magic School doesn¡¯t exist if you have never been there?¡± ¡°Everything you hear of magic is a tall tale.¡± Amelia told Magnus. Magnus contemplated this. Although he had never seen magic himself, he had vague memories circling in his mind. ¡°The fire needs to be gone from him. He needs to be absolutely free from any trace so they don¡¯t track him down. He will grow up a normal boy. Well, not normal, but he will learn differently.¡± That was the words he remembered. Sparrow had spoke to a strange man that day. Magnus had heard it all, but to this day, he still didn¡¯t understand what it meant. He remembered two hours of pain, although from what he could not recognize. He swore he saw fire conjured, but whenever he asked Sparrow about it, Sparrow told him it was child¡¯s imagination. After that, Sparrow started training with Magnus, and taught him things like bare-hand combat, swordsmanship, and self-defense. Sparrow was pleased Magnus improved in every aspect rapidly, and Magnus thought Sparrow¡¯s instructions were always great, and he pinpointed Magnus¡¯ weaknesses very accurately. A horde of riders entered the town on the jagged roads. Amelia muttered, ¡°Uh oh. We need to get out of here.¡± She hastily went inside the house and shut the doors. Within a minute, however, someone knocked clumsily on the door. ¡°Shit.¡± Amelia bit her lips, frantically looking around.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Just ignore them.¡± Magnus whispered. ¡°No, they will just kick the door down.¡± Surely enough, the door was broken down, and an angry man, with a misfit golden helmet, a fur coat,and large big boots entered. He did a great job keeping himself warm everywhere except his face. The helmet was so misfit that it could not cover his ears. Amelia certainly noticed, ¡°Hey, is that cantaloupe you¡¯re wearing really going to stop someone from chopping off your head?¡± The man angrily pointed a finger at Amelia, ¡°You won¡¯t get away this time.¡± Amelia chuckled, as the man withdrew his spear to attack. Magnus withdrew his own sword, ready to help whenever needed. Amelia, however, showed no fear. She was so swift that the man¡¯s strikes could not touch within three inches of her. Frustrated and furious at Amelia¡¯s glee, the man threw his spear at her. Amelia ducked the flying spear and it shattered the window behind her. Magnus quickly stepped in, menacingly pointing his sword at the man, and threatened him to take steps back. The man, faced with Magnus and without arms, grunted and turned around to leave. ¡°We have to go.¡± Amelia hurried Magnus, and jumped out the shattered window. Magnus followed her, asking her, ¡°Where are we going.¡± ¡°The stable. Get some horses and run away.¡± Amelia told him. Magnus followed Amelia to the stable, and once they got there, Amelia hastily handed coins to the stable master and headed out south with Magnus. ¡°Why are we going South?¡± Magnus inquired. ¡°I¡¯m getting chased by the Disconnect Hills Kingdom. They probably shut off all three directions to leave this land, but they won¡¯t expect me to go right back.¡± Amelia smirked, proud of her wit. Magnus was not so sure this plan would work, but there were indeed no guards or soldiers as they rode down South. ¡°What if someone recognizes you?¡± Magnus asked. ¡°The people that recognize me are all probably going to be back up north. The people that¡¯s after me here have never seen me.¡± Amelia got off her horse as they approached the gate of a city called ¡°Disconnect Hills¡±. ¡°What do they want from you?¡± It was early dawn, as they walked through the gates, the shops were all closed, but there were some farmers that started setting up their stands. The smell of fresh vegetables awakened Magnus. Not that he ever got too sleepy, but after an entire night of riding, he felt a little bit tired. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that either, mister.¡± Amelia took her horse to the stable, which still had not opened, but she left it there, and Magnus followed, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Magnus hesitated, but followed her. She understood what Magnus was wondering about, and explained. ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to speak to people if possible. The money doesn¡¯t matter to me. I have enough.¡± There were several stable chains across different cities. How these stables worked is that a borrower would borrow a horse, put down some deposit, and get it back once they return the horse at a stable of the same chain. The deposits are usually pretty expensive, around five gold, which is about a month and half¡¯s worth of food for the poor. It surprised Magnus that Amelia was willing to give up this much money, but he knew there must be a story behind her. Later on the shops opened, and Magnus and Amelia decided to get a meal at a place called John¡¯s. Amelia handed a few coins to pay as they ordered food. Moments later, a figure with a black cloak entered, the head was covered by a hood so the face couldn¡¯t be seen. Amelia¡¯s focus shifted towards the figure, as so did Magnus¡¯. It was still early in the morning, so there was no one else in the restaurant, but even the server had disappeared.The figure slowly turned towards them as well, and Magnus and Amelia both put their hands around their waists, as they both had a good sense of danger. In this case, though, it was too obvious the hooded figure meant no good. The hooded figure also withdrew a sword and went for Amelia¡¯s throat. Amelia dove to her left to avoid it. The strike came so fast. Amelia looked so clumsy dodging this strike than she did when nimbly dodging the attack from yesterday. The figure went for Amelia again and Magnus met it with his sword. The sword flew out of the hooded person¡¯s hands and went in midair, but the person caught it and retreated a few steps. A few more people entered the restaurant. It was a familiar foe for Magnus, as Prince Harmon stepped in, looking at Amelia, then looking at Magnus. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this one to be here, but perfect.¡± The hooded figure angrily yelled at Prince Harmon, ¡°What took you so long?!¡± It was a young woman¡¯s voice. Surely enough, when the figure took off the hood, it was a young girl, probably little older than twenty, with blue eyes just like Prince Harmon, and blonde hair just like Prince Harmon, although a lot longer, tied back in a braid. ¡°Sorry sister, I had to get reinforcements.¡± Prince Harmon helped identify this woman in front of them. Magnus have heard of her. Princess Anya of Disconnect Hills, who was not only a fierce and quick fighter, but also an intelligent tactician in battle. She had won various battles for Disconnect Hills the past few years, fending off various invasions by the Vrie Empire. It was told that she was one of the reasons that Vrie could not break through the critical border between Disconnect Hills and the Vrie Glaciers. ¡°Come any slower I¡¯ll add you to my tally here.¡± Princess Anya angrily yelled at Prince Harmon. Prince Harmon winced, and clearly did not take his sisters¡¯ words for a joke, replied, ¡°Sorry sis.¡± As soon as the word ¡®sis¡¯ dropped, Harmon¡¯s sword went straight for Magnus. Magnus parried it. Harmon was fearless, and Magnus admired that, but his technique was flawed and he left holes everywhere. Magnus parried an attack and kicked Harmon in the stomach, sending Harmon flying backwards, falling into a table. Immediately, about ten guards surrounded Magnus. Soon it seemed like more, and he was trapped between a sea of guards. Magnus peeked at Amelia, who was dodging Anya¡¯s attacks and waiting for an opportunity for her counterattack, but Anya¡¯s technique was a lot more solid than Harmon¡¯s, and she left nothing for Amelia to exploit. ¡°Where is the book?¡± Anya demanded. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t have it.¡± Amelia trembled. ¡°I will end you now.¡± Anya went for a strike directly to Amelia¡¯s heart, and swift as an eagle sweeping through the air, the sword hit Amelia. Magnus gasped. The strike was not one that could have been dodged. Surely, Anya had ended Amelia¡¯s life. Magnus felt sick as he slashed two guards¡¯ throats and tried to rush to Amelia. But what he saw was that Amelia was gone. Anya¡¯s sword had been broken into two pieces, and Anya was left dumbfounded. Magnus could not comprehend what had happened, but he did not have time to, as he struck at another guard. ¡°Stop!¡± Anya demanded at the guards. ¡°Sis. What happened. How did that wench get away.¡± ¡°Watch your mouth, Harmon. You know I hate words like that.¡± Anya responded angrily, and Harmon winced again, asking, ¡°Okay sis, but how did she¡­ did she break your strike?¡± ¡°Bullshit. Of course not. Golden-plated armor. That¡¯s what it is.¡± ¡°Where did she get that?¡± Anya ignored Harmon, and assessed Magnus, ¡°There aren¡¯t many people that can hurt my brother like that.¡± ¡°Honored.¡± Magnus replied coldly. ¡°Why are you with that girl?¡± Anya demanded. ¡°Do I need to answer you?¡± ¡°No, but do you think you will be able to get away from here?¡± ¡°I like my chances.¡± ¡°People that have been so arrogant in front of me don¡¯t get good endings.¡± ¡°That makes me the first then.¡± ¡°Harmon, your sword?¡± Anya tested Magnus with a strike, and Magnus dodged it. Anya followed up with three more strikes. Her third strike came in from the side, trying to slash Magnus¡¯ arm. Magnus simply met it with his sword, and Harmon¡¯s sword snapped in two. Magnus¡¯ sword pointed at Princess Anya¡¯s neck, and none of the guards dared to move. ¡°What a piece of crap.¡± Anya had never suffered a defeat like this against anyone, her pride was hurt and she had to find an excuse, ¡°Harmon¡¯s sword is horrible, you won¡¯t get so lucky once I get my sword fixed.¡± ¡°But are you going to have the chance, I can kill you right here.¡± Magnus had no intention of killing Anya and Harmon, but he wanted to induce fear and see their reactions. He felt immature, but he was curious on how such prideful people would react to these threats. ¡°You.. You won¡¯t dare.¡± Anya was showing a bit of fear, but she did not waver. ¡°Try me.¡± Anya did not speak, but closed her eyes, awaiting her fate. Magnus glanced at Harmon, who yelled, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± ¡°Shut up if you want your sister to live.¡± Magnus told Harmon, and Harmon did not speak more. ¡°The name is Magnus. Hope you both remember this. Princess Anya, Prince Harmon.¡± Magnus lowered his sword and walked out the door. ¡°So you do know who I am.¡± Anya yelled after him. ¡°And now hopefully you know who I am as well.¡± Magnus replied. ¡°I won¡¯t forget.¡± Anya said spitefully. Magnus knew she was right though. Harmon carried a spear and a sword with him, but Harmon only ever used the spear, so the sword was a backup. The quality was not horrible, but against top notch weapons, it could not win. Magnus knew he would not be able to get the best of Anya so quickly if she had a proper weapon.