《Noblesse Oblige: Ascendance》


 Prologue

    Somewhere in a vast expanse of white, with no clear boundaries to see, a voice spoke out.


    "Your Holiness, we''ve discovered an Irregularity in one of your Worlds."


    The voice was serene and ethereal, almost as if it was not of this world, but no figure the voice could belong to was to be seen.


    After a while, another voice was heard. This second voice sounded male yet female, young yet old, quiet and yet reverberating, echoing through the entire space. And even though it wasn''t nearly as beautiful to listen to as the first voice, it carried a not to defying dignity and never-ending confidence.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "An Irregularity? Hmm... Interesting. How long has it been since the last one?"


    "In human terms exactly 982 years 6 months and 44 days, your Holiness."


    "Yes...Yes! Now I remember! That was quite interesting to watch, wasn''t it?"


    The two held a, for an average person, cryptic conversation.


    Speaking in lofty terms, with a hint of disdain at the mention of humans.


    The first voice continued.


    "Your Holiness, do you not intent on stopping it....or at least interfering?"


    "You are right! As it is now, it isn''t nearly interesting enough.


    Let me sow some seeds, spreading the chaos further.


    Hehehe...Let''s just hope they won''t all die without showing me something magnificent."


    "...."


    "...."


    The voices vanished, causing not a ripple.


    The white space returned to simplicity, all that was said seeming like a lie.


    With none noticing the disappearing of a third, leaving not a sound behind.

 Chapter 1: New World (1)

    "Hey, Hurry up, will you?"


    At the sudden shout, Ray snapped out of it.


    Looking up his group was already far ahead, waiting for him to catch up.


    He was currently on an excursion with his class, hiking a mountain he didn''t even know the name of.


    And while it seemed nonsensical to him that an economics major in his third year had to go on an excursion on a mountain, just so the freshmen could make some friends, he still went along trying to look friendly to keep appearances up.


    "Just a bit tired, I''ll be right there."


    "Sure, we''ll go ahead then."


    Conversing in a half-assed manner with his group, he restarted his bored march to the top.


    The group consisted of four people plus him, with two of them being in the same year as him and the other two being freshmen.


    First was the person who shouted so rudely at him, Josh.


    He was rich, handsome and extremely unlikeable...at least to Ray. All in all, he was the leader type of person who liked to put other people down and himself on a pedestal.


    Next to him stood Sarah, who was, admittedly, as beautiful as she made herself out to be.


    With lush blonde hair, blue eyes and a body any man would kill for, she was clearly not Ray''s type. Or so he tried to convince himself.


    The freshmen walked a small distance away from the other two, seemingly still uncomfortable with their seniors.


    Max was quite the bulky guy and apparently played some kind of sport, though Ray wasn''t interested enough to actually ask what. He had short black hair and wore a college jacket and jeans, which was strange considering the setting they were in. Of the group, with the exception of Ray, he was walking behind everyone, panting and wiping away his non-existing sweat. He was obviously faking it, staring the whole time he was walking at Sarah''s butt.


    ''What an amateur.''Thought Ray to himself.


    Being so obvious in staring at her would only bring him trouble later on.


    Of course, he would never do something like that, as he respected women.


    The last one in the group was Lisa. Ray didn''t have much of an impression of her with the only things he knew about her being ''short and shy''.


    She had shoulder length black hair, about 150cm tall and was apparently right in Josh''s strike zone, as he tried to approach her in any way possible during this excursion.


    Lisa, on the other hand, didn''t seem as eager and tried to, almost unnoticeably, reject Josh''s advances.


    The only reason why Ray could see her trying to reject him was because he liked to observe and analyze other people and became quite sensitive as a result. Else they would have just looked like a young couple flirting to him.


    Josh though didn''t seem to notice her unwillingness and continued his "charming" flirting.


    "Are you sure this is the right way?"


    Sarah''s complaining voice cut Ray''s thoughts off. She seemed angry for having to hike this long without being the focal point.


    "Yeah, I am! This is the exact route on the map. Wanna take a look?!"


    She probably didn''t expect Josh to get that angry, just because she interrupted his flirting, but not wanting to lose out she snapped right back.


    "We''ve been walking for hours now on a trail that should have taken us one and a half, how is that the right route?! Max, don''t you agree with me?"


    Slightly bewildered for being spoken to so suddenly he replied, "Y-Yeah...we should take a look at the map and orientate us."


    "Tsk"


    Although clicking his tongue, Josh stopped walking, took down his backpack and started unfolding the Map. Ray, who finally caught up to the group, also took a look from behind and began drawing a mental map comparing the way they walked until now and the route before him.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    After a few seconds of staring at the map, Sarah started talking again, in her default bitchy voice, she is best known for.


    "See I was right, although the trail we are walking on looks like the one on the map,


    it''s way too long. It''s definitely not the right one."


    "But that''s impossible. I walked exactly how I was supposed to.


    If this is not the right trail where are we then?"


    "How am I supposed to know, you''re the leader right?


    Now get us on the right trail; I want to get out of this gross forest!"


    After speaking her piece of mind, Sarah turned around and sat down on a nearby stone, with an extremely content expression. Josh, being reprimanded like that, was obviously not happy but couldn''t say much as it really seemed like it was his fault. With a red face, he snorted and looked at the map again, trying to make sense of the situation.


    But even though it seemed like a simple case of being lost, Ray was confused.


    The whole time he compared the route they walked and the one they were supposed to walk and still couldn''t find any difference.


    ''This doesn''t make any sense.'' He thought


    ''The trail should have long have ended with the cottage being in view. Not to mention that weird cliff I can''t find anywhere on the map.''


    Looking ahead he could see a huge cliff that seemed way out of place right in the direction they were walking in. It seemed to be getting closer even now that they were standing still, but that had to be an optical illusion.


    Rationalizing his thoughts like that Ray made a suggestion


    "Why don''t we keep walking for now? There is no reception out here and going back before nightfall is impossible, so our only choice is reaching the summit. Since the cottage should be there, we''ll reach it eventually."


    "Hmpf, That''s what I intended to do anyway. Lisa come on, let''s go."


    After picking up his backpack and taking Lisa''s hand, Josh started walking again, without waiting for the answer of the others.


    Max, unexpectedly, started going up next, probably because he noticed how short Lisa''s skirt actually was.


    Left behind Sarah and Ray turned to look at each other, confusion in both their eyes. She didn''t imagine she would possibly, once again, be ignored and he didn''t think his suggestion would be accepted without any contention.


    Despite their similar emotions Sarah, as soon as their eyes met, snorted lightly, sprung up from the rock she was sitting on and tried to catch up to the group. Laughing lightly while shaking his head, Ray also started walking as he didn''t want to be left behind.


    After another two hours of hiking, everyone in the group was genuinely concerned. It was slowly getting darker, and the summit was still nowhere to be seen. Without any rations, except a few snacks, and no tents they wouldn''t have a good experience staying outside during the night.


    Ray, however, was more concerned with the strange cliff that was extremely close at this point. Not only was it not marked on the map they received, but it was also a lot bigger than he initially thought.


    ''There is no way I would have missed a cliff that big looking up the mountain.''


    Not able to come up with an answer himself, Ray decided to ask the other group members.


    "Hey guys, have you noticed anything strange about that cliff over there?"


    "Cliff? What are you talking about?" Josh queried in an annoyed voice.


    It seemed the long hike was taking it''s toll on him as he didn''t flirt with Lisa anymore and strolled up without a tone.


    Pulling his gaze away from the rear of the girls Max also chimed in.


    "No, look he''s right. There is really one. How come we didn''t notice until now?"


    "So what if there is a cliff? It''s not like it''s going to help us."


    "Yeah, but it''s only a short distance away, and if we have to spend the night here anyway, we may as well do it under a roof of rocks, not in the midst of the woods."


    Though it was not the conversation Ray hoped for, he couldn''t deny that Max had a point.


    Staying by such a visible way-point would undoubtedly make it easier for the rest of the class to find them than if they slept next to random Tree A.


    And as it seemed Sarah thought the same as she immediately seconded Max.


    "Josh, Max is right, if we have to sleep out here, it''s definitely better over there."


    "Okay, Okay, we''ll go to the damn cliff, but don''t complain to me if we can''t find the trail tomorrow."


    Coming to such a conclusion, the group quickly moved up to the cliff, not wanting to waste any more time and finally rest. Unexpectedly when they arrived at the foot of the cliff what greeted them was not a simple stone wall, but a three meter tall and at least five-meter wide entrance to a cave. Looking into it one could not see a speck of light or make out anything that was inside, as if only darkness prevailed within. The strangest thing but was the unusual smoothness of the outer walls. No cracks or irregularities could be made out, no moss or other plants found growing on it and no traces of any human activity discovered.


    Awed and strangely fascinated by their finding, the group stood before the cliff, mouths agape staring into the abysmal cave. The first one to recover and speak out was unexpectedly Lisa, who didn''t say a word the whole way up.


    "I''ve never seen something like this! I wonder if it''s a man-made cave?


    Maybe we should check it out?"


    She exclaimed with a sparkle in her eyes.


    The rest of the group looked at each other. None of them was as excited as Lisa seemed to be and appeared somewhat unwilling to go into the cave. But the sun was almost entirely down and sleeping inside the cave seemed to be the best course of action, considering the relative safety, from the whims of nature, within.


    While the four were still contemplating what to do, Lisa already started skipping towards the cave, in the best mood she showed that day. Having no other choice, the rest followed her, slowly disappearing into the darkness.

 Chapter 2: New World (2)

    Inside the cave, it was entirely black. Ray couldn''t see the others nor his Hands in front of his eyes. And even looking back the entrance was not to be seen.


    ''Weird...no matter how dark it is inside here, I should be able to look outside.''


    After a while of careful treading forward, he felt a presence right next to him.


    "Are you sure it''s safe in here? What if the cave collapses?"


    Sarah murmured in a trembling voice.


    He didn''t know if she had confused him with Josh but answered her nonetheless.


    "It should be fine; it looked solid from the outside. Still, we shouldn''t go in too deep. Let''s just re-"


    Yet before Ray could finish his sentence, he felt a vibration and small pieces stone falling onto him, making him immediately swallow his words.


    "....Did you feel that just now?"


    And apparently, he wasn''t the only one paying attention to it, as Max asked carefully.


    But instead of an answer what he got was a second, noticeably stronger, vibration.


    ''This is bad...We have to get out of here!''


    "RUN TO THE ENTRANCE!!!"


    Overcome by panic and fear Ray shouted, even though not all of them had already registered what was going on.


    Still, hearing his fear-stricken scream and the third vibration, the others also started, almost instinctively, running towards the entrance.


    ''When did this damn passage get so long!?''


    While running Ray thought back to how slow they walked inside the cave. They definitely couldn''t have come far, but now running back the distance seemed endless. Even after minutes of running they still didn''t reach the end. All of five of them were already bathing in sweat, completely drained, with only their survival instinct driving them on.


    But as the saying goes ''If it''s a blessing it''s not a curse, and if it''s a curse it''s unavoidable''.


    Eventually, the vibrations got so strong, that regular walking became impossible, nothing to say of running. Rocks fell from the ceiling all around them, threatened a painful death. Unfortunately, in this darkness, it was impossible to determine where they would fall down.


    ''Damn it! At this rate, we''ll be crushed under the rocks before we can reach anywhere near the entrance!''


    Wracking his brain, Ray tried to come up with a solution and almost screamed the only thing he could think of.


    "GET TO THE WALL AND CLUSTER TOGETHER!!"


    Nobody had any strength left to think at this point and just did what he said. As it was too dark to see anything and the shaking too strong to orientate oneself they separated. Sarah, Max, and Ray tried to go for the left wall and Josh and Lisa for the right. But as they were crawling to the respective walls an especially strong shaking occurred throwing them around, left to lie on the floor, unconscious.


    ...


    After an unknown amount of time, Ray woke slowly up.


    His whole body was hurting, and he could feel the rubble on top of him.


    Trying to get up he was relieved, as he wasn''t squashed under some boulder or buried in soil. Looking around, he realized that his surroundings got a lot brighter. Though not to the extent of being illuminated, he could at least see his own miserable state. The others also came to themselves one after another and luckily no one was hurt badly, except a broken rip maybe.


    "Is everyone alright?" Ray asked, though only to somehow calm himself down. He knew that he had to remain calm, especially in such a situation.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Getting up from the ground groaning, Josh grumbled, "I just almost died, how am I supposed to be alri-"


    Halfway through his sentence, Josh''s eyes went round. His mouth opened up, but no words would come out. Trembling he pointed behind Ray with his finger, stuttering, "T-T-The Pas-Passage! It''s blocked!"


    At once, still on the ground or not, the whole group looked behind them and saw massive boulders blocking the entire passage in that direction. Immediately despair clouded their faces. Not only were they caught in an earthquake, but the only way back was also sealed.


    ''At least there is still another way out.''


    The only saving grace in Ray''s mind right now was the fact that there was still a chance, that the other way would also lead to the surface. Even if he didn''t know how long it would take, it was the only chance at survival.


    His group, on the other hand, wasn''t as optimistic. Josh still stood with his finger up, as if frozen. Sarah was sitting on the ground her face twitching in a weird way, Max was clutching his hair mumbling something inaudible and Lisa, who Ray expected to have the weakest mental fortitude, was...smiling. She didn''t look remotely disturbed, as if this situation was just an everyday occurrence. Noticing Ray''s gaze, Lisa didn''t dodge at all and stared right back, still smiling from ear to ear.


    Not wanting to bother with her strange quirks right now, Ray clapped his hands to get the groups attention and spoke in a confident voice to reassure them, "Guy''s we can''t stay here since we don''t know when these earthquakes are gonna come back."


    Finally putting his finger down and awakening from his trance, Josh challenged Ray, "Even if you say that the passage is blocked. We can''t go back!"


    "That''s why we''re going to walk in the other direction. As far as I can see it''s almost clear of rubble, so we should be able to get out that way."


    "You say that so easily, but what if it just leads us further down this damn hole! There''s no way I''m risking that!"


    ''This idiot. Just look at the situation before you talk.'' Slowly getting annoyed by Josh''s rebukes, Ray frowned. ''Still, I can''t get angry right now, or we will never get out of here.''


    "Josh, if you have a better suggestion just say so, but standing here around is not an option or do you want us to die in this cave?!"


    Hearing this, Josh''s face went red. Even in such a situation, humans don''t act too differently from their fundamentals.


    "Okay everyone, stand up. We don''t have much time, let''s hurry."


    Taking this as a signal, Sarah and Max stood up, following Ray deeper into the cave. Lisa took one last glance at the closed off passage, eventually going after them. Seemingly left behind Josh slightly panicked, but noticing he''s all alone with only darkness around him, he went into a short run to catch up.


    Trudging the cave wall along, Ray felt extremely tired. Not only because of the traumatizing earthquake he just went through, but also because the events, of the whole day, didn''t seem to make any sense. The never-ending trail, the enormous cliff nobody noticed and now that mysterious earthquake. It felt like something was forcing them to where they are now, not even stopping when they are in danger. Still, he had to keep going. Forced or not, just remaining on the spot, waiting for death wasn''t something he wanted even to imagine.


    Thinking this far Ray suddenly felt air brush against his hair. The surroundings also got brighter the further he walked, seeming to indicate the end of the tunnel.


    ''Already? We''ve just walked for under 5 minutes and at a slow pace at that.''


    Although he was happy with finally getting out of the cave, he couldn''t help but feel discomfort at this reoccurring theme of inexplicable events. Listening, he could hear the others cheering behind him, not even questioning the bizarre build of the cave.


    But even Ray could not hide his joy at being able to breath fresh air again.


    Stepping outside the cave, Ray closed his eyes and stretched, taking in the warmth of the sun and the unique smell of the mountains. Max was already on his knees thanking God, and Sarah broke into tears the moment she stepped outside.


    When Ray opened his eyes again, he saw Lisa, who appeared to be dozing off at the edge of the overhang they were standing on.


    At that moment he noticed something weird. Looking around he could see that the altitude they were at now was a lot higher than when they walked into the cave, even though at no point was the tunnel they walked through slanted upwards.


    Being slightly at a loss Ray strolled next to Lisa, but when he looked up into the horizon, all he could see was a vast, seemingly never-ending forest.

 Chapter 3: Scouts

    ''What is...this?''


    It was true that a forest surrounded the mountain they climbed, but standing this high he should be able to see the highway leading up to the mountain, the checkpoint at the foot or at least some kind of human activity, but nothing was to be seen. As if this was an ancient forest, never touched by men before. A light mist donned the top of the trees, adding a mysterious layer over the whole scene, and all kinds of sounds could be heard, from familiar animals like birds and bears to unknown low roars and high pitched cries.


    "Isn''t it beautiful?" Lisa suddenly whispered.


    Remembering her presence, Ray turned to look at her. She was still gazing into empty space, a small smirk on her face, but now he didn''t think it was strange anymore. Confronted with such a foreign, yet mesmerizing view, even he was stunned for a while.


    "It is, but....where are we?"


    Ray knew they weren''t on the mountain, they started out from, anymore.


    No matter how much he wanted to deny it and no matter how ridiculous it sounded, going by the events up until now and the sight before him, it was impossible to refute.


    Shrugging her shoulders and pointing to his left, she replied, "I don''t know, but this place is quite odd. In front and to the right are only trees, but to the left, all of a sudden, are mountains, with not a blade of grass on them."


    Following her finger, Ray was, once again, shocked. These majestic and expansive woods, as if cut off by the Gods, had an extremely evident boundary and nothing grew over it. The mountains were the same. Not a fragment of the brownish yellow soil fell over into the forest.


    The two seemed to reject each other fundamentally.


    ''This can''t be real! How is that even possible?!'' Despite not being a geography or physics major, he knew that without outside intervention something like that wasn''t possible. No, even then it didn''t seem plausible.


    Like for many things that day, Ray couldn''t come up with a satisfactory answer. He decided to abandon thinking about it for the moment, as they still had the problem of not knowing where they were or how they could get home.


    Just as he was about to turn to the others, he heard a sound, coming from a path that led downwards.


    Slowly two men came into sight, both wearing leather armor with chainmail draped over it. A short sword at the waist and a wooden shield in hand, they looked like medieval soldiers. Overall the equipment seemed to be of low quality or merely overused, as scratches and dents were all over them.


    The shields, both carried, looked, at first glance, to be the same run of the mill product, but they had two vastly different insignias on them.


    One was a bull, standing on its hind legs, with a triangular shield as it''s background. It radiated strength and an overbearing feeling of bravery.


    The other shield depicted a winged snake coiling around a sword. It had a strange glint to its eyes, making it seem intelligent and vivid.


    Ray noticed that, compared to their poor armor, the paintings on the shields were incredibly lifelike, almost as if a master artist painted them. This mismatch created a disharmonious feeling making it an eyesore to look at.


    "Dammit, why do we have to patrol around this deserted area. Who in their right mind would willingly come here?!"


    "Well orders are orders and skipping out on them definitely wouldn''t do us any good."


    Having come a bit nearer, Ray could pick up bits and pieces of their conversation.


    ''Patrol? Orders? '' Hearing them talk made Ray frown. ''Are they soldiers? But why out here, there''s nothing but nature. And that weird clothing....''A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Connecting the dots, he could now somewhat guess what happened to them. Still, he didn''t dare confirm this, as it was utterly absurd.


    With Ray being able to see them, it wasn''t long until the two men also noticed the groups presence.


    "?!"


    "Who are you?! How come you are here?!"


    While the man with the bull on his shield was taken aback and appeared petrified, the other one immediately yelled at them after recovering from a short surprise of meeting people in such a place.


    Ray''s mind started operating at max speed right away. There was no way he could tell them they walked through a cave and magically ended up here, especially if this was the kind of scenario he thought it was.


    "W-We were trapped in that cave after an earthquake and had to come out on this side. The actual place we wanted to go to is the cottage owned by our private college. You don''t happen to know how we can get there?"


    Josh, on the other hand, didn''t seem to think like him and blurted it all out, without any warning. At first, he sounded a bit nervous but got more confident the more he spoke and, in the end, his tone carried a distinct hint of pride when he mentioned their college.


    "Kid, what are you talking about? Don''t try to distract us with your bullshit! Odo let''s catch these pricks. Maybe we''ll get rewarded by the count!"


    Having awoken from his stupor, the first man also started shouting at the group and, apparently, wanted to exchange them for some benefits.


    "Idiot, what reward? We can speak of luck if we don''t get denounced for allowing people to get this close to the camp. Still, you''re right, Bert. We have to catch these kids and bring them before the commanders."


    The one called Odo didn''t seem to agree with his partner entirely but still voiced his consent on the, for Ray and the others, important part.


    ''F*ck! Why is this idiot always talking before thinking.'' Ray gnashed his teeth, ''I have to remedy this before it is too late!''


    "Excuse me, but there must be a misunderstanding. We just became a bit lost and stopped for a second to rest. But we are about to depart, so if you could allow us to go our way?"


    He knew lying would make the situation only worse, as he didn''t know where they were now and couldn''t say where they had come from, so he pointed behind him while talking to them, indicating that they didn''t want to go near, wherever the two came from.


    "Sorry kid, can''t do. We have orders to take anyone with us we encounter, so you can either quietly follow us, or we''ll drag you all there."


    Still, Ray''s soft approach didn''t seem to work, as Odo spoke in an increasingly harsher tone, slowly pulling his sword out.


    "Hiii!!"


    Seeing the sharp glint of the sword, Max freaked out and voiced something that could only be described as the stifled scream of a pig.


    Unfortunately, for him, that sound brought Odo''s attention right onto him.


    Scared by the blade, Max struggled to get on to his feet, trying to run away,


    but as soon as he rose and started sprinting, the sword flashed and cut directly into his left leg.


    He fell, not realizing what happened and gradually looked down to his legs.


    "AAAHHHH!!!"


    They say you don''t feel injuries you don''t notice, but if you do they will hurt even more.


    Max''s leg was cut down to the bone. Blood and flesh littering the ground. Coupled with his ungodly scream, it made a horrendous picture.


    ''I have to help...They will kill him!'' Shocked to his core, Ray was rooted to the ground, not daring to move, but his mind working all the same.


    The others were equally horrified by the rapid development. Just a few minutes ago, they were still thanking God for surviving the earthquake, and now they seemed, again, at death''s door. Whether it was Josh, Sarah or Lisa they were all paralyzed, not knowing what to do.


    Odo looked down on Max, not a change in his expression. For him, cutting someone down was seemingly nothing special. Not worth mentioning.


    "See what happens when you try something. Well...since I don''t actually want to drag someone along the mountain I''ll end this quickly."


    Declaring so, Odo raised his sword above his head, wanting to go for a clean cut across Max''s neck. But before he could swing down Ray, who ran forward without thinking, crashed into him, shaking up his stance and almost making him fall over. Lisa, as if given a signal by this, sprinted after him and tried to distract the one named Bert.


    Unfortunately, Ray never took any martial arts classes and also didn''t work out much, so the only thing he could do is try to ring Odo to the ground.


    "You little shit! Don''t make this more difficult than it is!"


    Quickly gaining the upper hand, Odo put his arms around Ray and lifted him up. Surprised by this show of strength, Ray couldn''t react in time, was thrown to the ground and subdued. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lisa, who was hugged in a chokehold from behind by Bert.


    "Bert, we let one escape."


    "Does it matter? We have the others. Let''s not mention him.


    Hehehe, I wonder what the commanders will do with these little scouts."


    ''Escaped?'' Ray wondered. Weren''t they all here?


    Barely raising his head, he could see Josh''s running silhouette disappear into the mountains.


    ''Motherf*cker''

 Chapter 4: Nobles

    Dragged by the rope that bound his Hands, Ray had to try hard to control himself and not start cussing outright.


    Right after he and Lisa had been taken down, Odo and Bert tied up their hands, leaving only a short leash for them to pull at.


    Sarah was already out of commission when Max got his leg cut up, so Odo simply threw her over his shoulder, carrying her like a bag of potatoes.


    Dealing with Max turned out to be a bit harder for them. Not wanting to deal with any more trouble, they decided against killing him, since Ray and Lisa may have gotten aggressive again.


    To get him down the mountain, and to wherever they were going to, Max was bound, from beneath his shoulders to his waist, with rope and dragged across the ground. His wound still open, Max quickly lost consciousness, bleeding profusely as they proceeded.


    ''I hope it won''t take much longer to get to their camp.'' Seeing his condition, Ray was quite worried about Max''s health. He didn''t like him particularly nor would he, under normal circumstances, care about him, but doing nothing while he was dying, especially if he could still be saved, didn''t sit right with him.


    "Sirs, may I how long we still have to walk to get to your camp?


    My friend over here doesn''t look like he can endure this much longer."


    "Hahaha, ''Sirs'' he says! Does he think treating us like nobles would change anything?"


    "Don''t worry kid, we''ll be there soon enough, and if he doesn''t survive, then that is his Fate. Nothing we could do about it."


    Hearing Bert''s laughter and Odo''s nonsensical reply, Ray''s temples popped up, ''Nothing we could do?! Not to mention that it''s your fault he''s bleeding in the first place, you even have the face to blame Fate when he ends up dying!''


    ...


    After advancing a while in this manner tents slowly came into view.


    The camp was built into a small valley, surrounded by steep cliffs, except on the northern and southern side.


    The tents had all sorts of colors and sizes, arranged in a manner that seemed to have no pattern, with the only noteworthy thing being the shade of the colors getting darker the further one walked to the center.


    "Halt! Who are you?!"


    As soon as the group arrived in front of the camp, a voice called out to them, seeking identification.


    "Odo of the 3rd infantry brigade, 2nd division, Tohil Legion, coming back from patrol. We caught a few suspected scouts and have to see the commanders immediately!"


    The guard was at first unperturbed, only asking for appearance''s sake, but when he heard ''Scout'', he instantly transformed into a proper soldier, running off to find his superior.


    Odo, however, didn''t even bother waiting for him to come back and continued on his way into the insides of the camp.


    Once he was within, the sounds of tinkering and forging, laughter and fighting and, to his dismay, screaming and crying, assaulted Ray''s ears.


    The smell perpetrating the air was reminiscent of blood and sweat, making his blood boil and awakening a strange desire to struggle again, against Odo, even though he knew it would be useless.


    Walking through the camp, almost every soldier gave the group a weird glance or gawked at the girls with a lustful look in their eyes.


    The camp wasn''t too big, so it only took them a few moments to walk to the center, in front of the biggest tent.


    Stolen novel; please report.Two guards stood before them, not even moving their eyes at their arrival. The equipment they wore looked to be of better quality, suggesting a higher status than the common soldier.


    The guard from the gate must have reached the commanders'' tent before them, as it took only a few seconds of waiting for an authoritarian voice to reach their ears.


    "Are you waiting for an invitation? Hurry in we are busy!"


    Rushed by the voice, Bert pushed Ray and Lisa into the tent, quickly following after. Odo also went in, although a lot less hurried.


    When Ray stumbled inside, he was immediately pushed onto his knees


    and gripped by the hair, his face pulled up to better showcase his features.


    "We greet the esteemed nobles!"


    Both soldiers put their right hand on to their chest, shouting some kind of formal greeting.


    "Mmh, so these are the scouts you caught?"


    The man who spoke had the same authoritarian voice they had heard outside the tent. He had incredibly fierce looking features and a stature that bulged with muscles. His short red hair and the dangerous glint in his eyes only reinforced the impression of a seasoned warrior.


    To his right and left sat, respectively, a middle-aged man and a young girl, possibly in her twenties.


    All three of them looked at the students with a curious expression like they were watching some rare animal at the zoo.


    Ray noticed that especially the middle-aged man showed an amused grin, but his eyes were completely frozen over, not a hint of emotion visible within.


    "Your Lordships, before we begin I wanted you to know that we are definitely no scou-"


    THUD


    "SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH MAGGOT! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK IN FRONT OF THESE HONORABLE NOBLES!!!"


    Hitting Ray''s head on the floor Bert made him stop talking. Right after he looked up to the Nobles, a flattering expression on his face. Whether or not his anger was real, the intent behind the action showed.


    Waving his hand, the middle-aged noble dismissed Bert''s actions,


    "It doesn''t matter if you''re a scout or not. Coming close to the army camp, during an expedition, is an insult to the brave soldiers and more importantly us Nobles. No excuse could pardon your crimes, and you all should be executed. Odo, YOU were the one who found them, so you''ll be the one to end them."


    "A-At once, your Excellency!" His eyes shifting and teeth almost clattering, Odo barely managed to response.


    But as he tried to pull his sword out, the man in the middle voiced his discontent.


    "Count Selwin, wouldn''t it be inappropriate to dispose of them right now? After all, we are in the midst of a campaign."


    Squinting his eyes the Count challenged the other Noble.


    "So you are suggesting to let them go? These possible enemy scouts?"


    "No, but we could torture them to get information and, afterward, bring them in front of His Majesty to be judged."


    "Esteemed Baron, I understand your eagerness to...contribute to our glorious country, but I doubt His Majesty has the time to bother with such minor problems. I highly recommend ending this now."


    Still pressed against the ground, Ray could feel cold sweat run down his back. The people sitting before him were essentially deciding his Fate. Whether he lived or died, was entirely up to their moods and so far it didn''t seem to be going well. Running his mind, he couldn''t think of anything he could do, as he wasn''t even allowed to speak, not to mention defend himself. He couldn''t count on the others either. Two were still unconscious, and the last one had a rather bored look on her face, not even bothering to listen to the conversation.


    ''How is she not worried?''


    To him, it was inconceivable to be that apathetic when someone argued about whether they should torture or just kill you outright.


    As he was thinking about such things, the young woman, who was quiet up until, now slammed her hand on the table.


    "How can you argue about something so inconsequential as these peasants death right now?! We should focus on our duty and secure the border! There''s not a speck of time to waste, so forget them and concentrate!"


    For Ray, this was a godsend. He couldn''t help but want to crawl up to and thank her a thousand times.


    But as he thought his life was saved and the didn''t have to worry anymore, the conversation continued.


    "What do you suggest then, Miss Crowell?"


    "Isn''t it obvious...


    Just throw them into the pit."

 Chapter 5: First Blood

    ''It''s literally just a pit.''


    Thrown into a dirty hole, on the side of the camp, Ray was quite astounded.


    Although he didn''t expect a jail to the standards of a modern person,


    after the ominous mention of ''The Pit'' from the women, he thought it was going to be some magical, kilometer wide, gorge with a dragon as their warden.


    Imprisoning people in a hole with some wood, cut in a grid, put over it, was an insult to any serious criminal.


    The Pit wasn''t even particularly deep, maybe two meters, but climbing out of it would be a death sentence, so Ray stayed put.


    Looking at his side, Sarah was still unconscious, and Lisa almost instantly fell asleep, a slight snoring coming from her. To him, it was both a wonder and an alarming sight at the same time. Sleeping in these circumstances and that fast on top of it didn''t speak for a healthy state of mind, even if she was tired. Max wasn''t put in the same pit as them, possibly to receive medical treatment, as he couldn''t hold on much longer without it.


    ''Still, this day was way too turbulent.''


    The sequence of events, leading up to their imprisonment, was in no way logical. But after he met the Nobles, even the last shred of doubt vanished from Ray''s mind.


    ''Another world, huh. Aren''t we supposed to go through some magical closet and be greeted by a giant lion or an evil witch? Instead, we get two dirty old men and no dinner...This world is shit.''


    Having such rude thoughts, he drifted into sleep.


    .....


    "AAArrggghh!"


    "DIE!"


    "Urgh"


    Slowly opening his eyes, Ray lazily sat up, yawning and stretching.


    ''Ah right, we were thrown into this damn hole.


    But why is it so loud outside, isn''t still in the middle of the night?''


    From his position in the pit, he couldn''t see much except a few people running around, but he very well perceived the constant screams, the clashes of metal and the crackling of fire.


    Trying to figure out what was going on, he grabbed onto the edge of the pit, peeking beyond his place of confinement, although he instantly wished he had never done so.


    The camp resembled hell. Bodies stretched, wherever one looked. Fire consumed the tents, with occasional people running out of them, burning.


    Cavalry ran rampant across the grounds, piercing soldiers with their spears and discarding them like dirt after their death.


    Even the Nobles, who were so high and mighty just a few hours ago, had to fight for their survival. The Baron was leading a few dozen soldiers in resisting the invaders, trying to preserve what was left of the camp.


    Count Selwin directed another batch, securing important facilities and strategical positions.


    And only the young miss was arguing with her guard about something, not participating in the battle.


    Appalled as he was watching these scenes, he didn''t notice a stray arrow flying straight in his direction. The arrow landed right in front of his eyes, scaring him into falling back into the Pit.


    ''I have to wake the others up... We have to run away. This is our only chance!''


    Recovering somewhat, Ray scrambled to the girls, shaking and pushing to rouse them from sleep.


    After both had arisen, he told them about the attack and the need for them to run away immediately.


    Lisa gained control of herself very quickly, determination filling her eyes, and even Sarah put on a brave front, not showing her shivering hands.


    He, once again, grabbed onto the edge of the pit and pulled the arrow inside. Cutting through the ropes proved to be a lot more difficult than he thought it would be but in midst such an intense battle no one bothered looking after or stopping them.


    Having freed themselves after a while, Ray pushed the wood over the Pit away, climbing out of it. He helped the other two get out and observed the battle around them.


    As they didn''t have any weapons nor any experience in fighting, their only choice was to search for a safe passage and slip away undetected. Getting caught up in the battle would, most likely, mean death.


    ''We have to hide as we go.''


    Looking around Ray mapped a route within his mind that appeared to be safe. The valley, they were in, only had two entrances, one in the south and one in the north. Going by the direction they were running in, the enemies most likely came from the southern side, pushing north, so they had to go in the same direction.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    As he rushed between broken tents and pushed over carts, Ray could witness the true bloodiness of war. Every step he took was painted with carnage and slaughter. He couldn''t even count how many separated body parts he had seen on the way. For an average person of the 21st century, this was a scene they would never encounter, except in gory horror movies and lousy web novels.


    Keeping his urge to vomit down, he assessed the situation. They were almost at the northern exit and would only need to sprint the last dozen or so meters to get out of the camp.


    The soldiers and invaders were busy butchering each other and didn''t notice their escape yet, but it was only a question of time until someone would discover them.


    "We have to run straight through for the last bit. Can you keep up?"


    Feeling the necessity to protect them, Ray made sure to walk at a pace the two could follow. Although it may be unnecessary, finding some kind of purpose, apart from keeping himself alive, was what kept him sane at the moment, so he held onto it.


    But looking over his shoulders, there were not two figures quietly running after him. Instead, he found, Sarah who was caught by an invader, his hand over her mouth so she wouldn''t scream, slowly dragging her somewhere. Lisa, on the other side, was nowhere to be seen. She must have taken another route or gone somewhere else altogether.


    Still, no matter the reason, he had to first solve the problem in front of him before looking for her.


    Getting out of his hideout, Ray dashed for the invader holding Sarah. Even without a weapon or knowledge of martial arts, he could at least tackle him, free Sarah and run away afterward.


    "Argh"


    A few meters in, he heard someone shout out in pain. His eyes flashing to the right, he caught sight of a wounded cavalryman, who didn''t have his horse under control, charging into his direction.


    Quickly evading the galloping horse by jumping back he lost his footing, almost falling over.


    The cavalryman collapsed as he rushed past him, crashing right into Ray and making both of them hit the ground.


    He could only watch as the invader abducted Sarah further into the camp.


    ''F*UCK! I have to catch up fast, or she''ll be lost too!''


    Trying to push the body, that lied on top of him away, he noticed that the guy was still alive, though seriously injured. Eventually, he would regain consciousness, and whether he is an invader or a defending soldier, both wouldn''t spell anything good for him.


    ''What do I do!? What do I do!?''


    After racking his brain and frantically searching left and right for a few seconds, Ray fixed his gaze on a half broken sword lying just a bit away from him. His eyes becoming bloodshot, he slowly reached for it.


    He had never killed someone before. Not even a serious fight had he experienced, yet he had to choose between letting this unknown guy live and risk his own safety or end his life, securing his in the process.


    He had no time to think properly. The man could wake up any second and Sarah was still being dragged away, her state unknown. Wrapping his hands around the handle, Ray''s mind was in chaos. Never would he have thought, that one day this decision waited for him, but reality was cruel, and time waited for no one.


    "Urgh"


    Feeling the man on top of him budge, Ray brandished the fragmented sword and blood splattered.


    He had stabbed it right into the man''s neck, and after a few twitches, he stopped moving, never to take a breath again.


    At that moment, Ray''s head went completely blank. He didn''t even register what he had done and only snapped out of his trance after the blood on his face dripped on the ground. Trembling he raised the hand, that held the blade, staring at it with confusion and disbelief.


    ''I...I did that?''


    The situation didn''t seem to make any sense, as anything that happened to him lately.


    ''I''m sorry...''


    His whole body still shivering, Ray got out from beneath the still warm corpse, sluggishly taking steps backward.


    He turned around, not seeing or hearing anything except his own clattering teeth. The initial slow steps gradually becoming faster, eventually changing into a full-fledged sprint.


    ''I''m sorry...I''m sorry...I''m sorry...I''M SORRY!''


    With only a single thought occupying his mind, he bolted out of the camp into the mountainous region, not even remembering Sarah who he wanted to save.


    ...


    After a while of running, the hard ground and sharp peaks became soft brown soil and ancient trees.


    Coming this far Ray''s lungs gave out, and he collapsed onto his knees, gasping for breath.


    He was steadily recovering his psyche, only now thinking of the others he left behind.


    ''I have to go back...Sarah and the others are still there...


    But...if I get caught again...


    Did I even have a choice other than running away?...''


    Kneeling within the silent forest, Ray pondered over his choice.


    Killing for the first time definitely left a mental scar on him, but did that justify abandoning his companions when he knew what would await them? Couldn''t he have done something for them, and...was it even necessary to murder that soldier?


    Bearing guilt and regret, Ray tried to calm his mind and sighed. What was done was already done. He couldn''t spend forever lamenting over his decisions. He had to move on.


    Standing up, he wanted to determine his location, when he heard a rustling up front.


    Slowly a small figure came into sight. It was only as big as an elementary schooler and had strangely androgynous features. Except for a few branches and leaves, nothing covered its body, not even shoes. It''s glowing silver hair, and pure white eyes radiated a charm that was hard to resist, yet difficult to approach, capturing anyone''s gaze nearby.


    "Hooh, a Hume who comes into the forest on his own volition, how rare, how rare, hihihi."


    Sizing Ray up with a playful gaze, the creature monologued while snickering under its breath.


    "What...are you? And where am I?"


    "Oh! Hume, are you perhaps confused? Did you hit your head? Are you bleeding? Can I watch if you are dying?"


    Tilting its head, it rapid fired questions, but didn''t wait for Ray to answer any of them and jumped on a rock spreading its arms.


    "This one is the Spirit of Wilted Flowers!


    Welcome to the Forest of Alquorai!"

 Chapter 6: Desperation

    Staring at the strange creature, still posing, Ray couldn''t bring himself to utter a word.


    ''Haha...a Spirit...and some Woods...


    IS THIS DAY NEVER GONNA END?!''


    "Hohoo. Hume, are you so impressed you can''t say anything?


    Understandable, Understandable...No being cannot be awed, faced with this Spirit. But do not ogle too much, this one''s Minions don''t like that.


    And do not look at me with those hollow eyes, one may think this one did something to you."


    Still disturbed over the weird display he just witnessed, Ray resolved never to question any more happenings this world would throw at him. For the sake of his own mental health.


    He stood up, dusted himself off and attempted to hold a proper conversation with the self-proclaimed Spirit.


    "Sorry, I-"


    "You are excused! This Spirit is quite magnanimous, isn''t it?"


    "?"


    Raising its chin, the Spirit seemed pleased with itself for forgiving Ray, which only confused him in turn. The odd style of conversing and abrupt interruption wasn''t something he was used to, but since he made up his mind to get some information out of this curiosity, he steeled himself not to get angry no matter what it says or does and continued.


    "Sure...anyways, my name is Ray, and you said these are the Woods of Aloray? Could you tell me more?"


    As Ray spoke, the Spirits face quickly became red. It put its hands on its hips and shouted.


    "ALQUORAI, WOODS OF ALQUORAI! And what is there to tell? The Woods are the Woods; everyone knows that?"


    ''This won''t get me anywhere...I better change the subject.''


    "So are there any other Spirits here? You said you have Minions, right?"


    "Huhuhu, of course, of course. Someone as great as me obviously has his followers. Come out!"


    "!"


    The trees shaking and bushes rattling, more and more people showed themselves, all around the two. Unlike the spirit, these people were, without exception, tall, lean and muscular. This overly similar creepy physique knew no gender bounds, as even the women looked almost identical to the men, with only their privates differentiating them.


    None of them had any facial expression, looking stiff and unnaturally placid. Their long and pointy ears gave away that they were not human..or at least not of a race Ray knew of. The most noticeable feature of them though was the eyes which, much like the Spirits, didn''t have any iris or pupil, being entirely white.


    ''F*ck! I''ve been played!''


    "HAHAHA, You didn''t notice anything, did you?!


    This Spirit knows EVERYTHING that happens in this part of the forest, so when you ran into my territory like a madman this one''s Minions were already following you! But don''t be afraid little Hume, this one won''t hurt you.


    You will have the privilege of becoming part of my L?tv, just like them, be honored! "


    As soon as these words dropped, all the L?tv leaped forward with astonishing speed. Ray had almost no time to prepare himself for the assault when the first one was already near him.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.Not wanting to get imprisoned for a second time, he threw a straight punch, thinking he''d get entangled in a dogfight. Unexpectedly the blow connected and the L?tv went down, without standing up again.


    ''What?! So easily?''


    Anticipating an entirely different outcome, Ray was taken aback for a short moment but came back to reality as the next L?tv tried to take him down from behind.


    Kicking it in the gut, he realized, that he wasn''t made out to be a fighter. The aching pain in his limbs was already distorting his face, but he had to persevere. Else he would be, once again, at someone''s mercy.


    His inability to properly fight didn''t seem to be much of a problem in this case, since none of the L?tv could take more than one hit without slumping over. As if cut from a string they stopped moving, eyes still open, face unaffected and calm.


    He fought with everything he had, punching, kicking, biting and scratching, as long as it brought these eerie beings down, but the sheer number of them took its toll on Ray''s stamina. He knew he couldn''t sustain his struggle much longer and looked for a better way out, than beating them all to the ground.


    After a quick search, his eyes fixated on the Spirit, who was cheering and rooting with big movements on top of the stone.


    ''That''s it!''


    Having decided his course of action, Ray charged ahead, straight through anything that stood in his way. The L?tv clawed and beat him, but ultimately couldn''t stop the man driven into a corner. Drawing closer with every step he took, Ray could already imagine himself holding the small Spirit hostage, thus escape from these lunatics. But the nearer he came, the fiercer the attacks of the L?tv became, ultimately leading to them latch onto his legs and hips, slowing Ray''s advance to a snail''s pace.


    He gnashed his teeth, strained every muscle in his body and tried to shake them off, progress just one step further, closer to the Spirit...closer to his freedom.


    Eventually, every L?tv still standing was grabbing directly onto him or another one that did. Ray knew it was impossible to move even one more meter in the direction of the Spirit, but couldn''t bring himself to give up. All the bottled up emotions, he accumulated over this long day, exploded, making him more stubborn and determined than he had ever been.


    "F*CK, F*CK, F*CK!!! WHY DO AS*HOLES LIKE YOU KEEP POPPING UP THIS WHOLE GODDAMN DAY?!


    WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS WORLD?!"


    At that moment all the L?tv together with the Spirit stopped moving. The smile it wore since the beginning vanished, turning into pure indifference.


    "The World? You think the WORLD is at fault?! Hume, have you ever thought about what makes this World like it is? Why you are being preyed upon and why you can never win, no matter how much you struggle?"


    "It is because you are WEAK! You have no power, no authority, nothing that could stop any common beggar to stomp on you and end your pathetic life!


    Not the World is at fault for being cruel! No, it''s your sin for being powerless!"


    Having said so far the Spirit got down from the rock and approached Ray until he was just a hairs length away from him. His expression returned to what it was before, only with a vicious undertone within.


    "So Hume, let this one give you a choice. Become willingly one of my L?tv, and no one shall ever again trample over your pride...or risk another vain attempt defying the inevitable to satisfy your petty ego. It''s your decision."


    Ray looked into the Spirits eyes, not knowing how many seconds or even minutes passed. He realized, giving in to it was the only way to live and resisting wouldn''t do him any good, but seeing the smug grin, this fairy prick had, the anger that exploded just a moment ago came to the forefront again.


    "Hehehe, you see, I may not look like it, but my petty ego is quite big, so....no thanks!"


    Without any prior indication, Ray stretched his neck as much as he could and bit straight into the Spirits neck. Everything seemed to go red as blood spurted all around, its iron heavy taste filling his mouth, streaming down his throat.


    "AAAHHHH! HOW DARE YOU LOWLY HUME!


    WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR! GET HIM OFF ME!"


    The L?tv who clang to him tried to pull him off the Spirit with the others going around attempting to separate them with everything they had.


    Ray, however, was adamant and didn''t budge one bit. With every tug he bit harder, ripping into the tender flesh of the Spirit like a wild beast.


    The Spirit seemed to get more desperate with every passing moment, his screaming louder and more crazed. Oddly enough the L?tv got weaker, instead of the Spirit whose blood flooded the ground. Ray noticed this phenomenon and steeled his resolve to see this through.


    Distracted by such thoughts, he missed to detect the roots and vegetation around them slowly creeping up on him. The Spirit, on the other hand, flashed a savage smile when the plants coiled around Ray''s legs. It stopped fighting against him, relaxed its body and awaited the soon to come payback.

 Chapter 7: Spirit of Wilted Flowers

    The plants slithered up on Ray''s body tightening their grip, while, simultaneously, some of them pierced into the Spirit, withering away, soon replaced by new ones.


    ''Damn! I was so close.''


    Still biting into the neck of the Spirit, Ray''s whole body tensed.


    The feeling of having your blood circulation cut off was by no means a pleasant one, not to mention it happening gradually from the feet up.


    Ray wasn''t a very pain resistant person, and with all his survival instincts going off, he had no choice but to loosen his bite, allowing the Spirit to remove himself from the predicament.


    But although it was already free, the plants didn''t slacken at all and only advanced faster, steadily covering his legs and torso.


    "HAHAHA, Hume that is what you get for challenging this Spirit! Minions wrap him up and take him with us. He has to learn what it means to anger the forest!"


    Laughing maniacally the Spirit decided not to kill Ray and, instead, bring him deeper into the forest. The L?tv quickly bound the rest of his body with vines and other plants, grabbed both ends and carried him like a pig on a stick.


    The moment the Spirit opened up the distance between them Ray had already given up all resistance and let the L?tv kidnap him without complaining.


    As he dangled up and down, Ray thought about what the Spirit had previously said. Was it really his fault? Just because he was weak and without authority others could walk over him? Did this world have no such things as Human rights?


    Unfortunately pondering over something he had next to no information about, was bound no bring no results and so he tried to shake off these useless thoughts, taking the passing scenery in.


    Every tree was thick enough to need three people to hug them. The vegetation grew all over the place, leaving no visible path or trail, even though the occasional animal showing itself and the myriad of yells and cries indicated the forest being filled with life.


    He could also see that what he thought of as mist, when he first arrived, was actually small white bugs living in swarms and moving with the wind, adding a natural flair to their presence.


    Time fleeting by like this, they soon came near a clearing, that resembled a village. Houses were built on the trees and ground, with ladders and bridges connecting them. L?tv walked everywhere, most of them carrying materials to somewhere or assembling them on the spot. Neither children, elderly nor any other race or species were present. It appeared that only the Spirit and L?tv were living here, isolated from the rest of the forest.


    After a while, the two L?tv that were carrying Ray branched of the rest and brought him into a house at the foot of one of the larger trees.


    Inside was no furniture; the windows were mostly blocked up, limiting the light coming in. At the back, a thick branch of the old tree standing behind the house grew inside, seemingly acting as a supporting pillar. Unlike the fresh odor of timber, one would expect in such a cottage it smelled of decaying matter and rotting greenery, stinging in one''s eyes. The mold crawling one the walls and creaking floor plates didn''t add to the good impression either.


    Not bothering to accommodate a prisoner, they threw Ray in a corner and left without saying a word about what would happen to him from on.


    ''Don''t worry I''ll cope on my own. Thank you!''


    ...


    "By Etia''s grace, now it even captured a Human.


    Haaah, Is this nightmare never going to end."


    "!"


    Out of the darkness of the back of the house, a voice suddenly sighed and spoke in a mournful tone.


    Twisting his head, Ray saw an old man limping in front of him. His features resembled the L?tv too much for it to be a coincidence, but instead of the young and healthy ones he had seen so far, this one was clearly on the brink of death, with only his vigorous demeanor hinting at a glory long forgotten.


    "Haha, don''t be surprised, child. I''m only an old man. I couldn''t harm you even if I wanted to."


    "Now let me get those plants off you first. I can''t imagine that being comfortable."You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    The old man kneeled in front of Ray and slowly entangled him with a benevolent smile plastered on his face.


    "Thank you. Are you also a prisoner here,...?"


    "Kymil, and yes something like that. In fact, we all aren''t allowed to go out until it is our turn again."


    ''We all?''


    Looking behind Kymil, Ray spotted another 15-20 people squirming in the darkness. All of them seemed to be of old age and fairly frail. Some looked at him with vigilance and some with an almost childlike curiosity, but since none of them came near or tried to talk to him, he focused on Kymil again.


    "What do you mean with your turn? Do you know what the Spirit is gonna do with us?"


    Kymil''s eyes dimmed. Hesitating for a while, he seemed to come to some kind of decision.


    "Since you are already here with us there is no point in hiding this from you. Come, sit up. It''s a rather long story, but else do we have to do?"


    For the next few hours, Kymil told Ray about what happened at this place...the village without a name.


    ....


    Situated at the border between the Woods of Alquorai and the Barren Mountain range was an outpost created by the elves to control and monitor whoever came into the forest. The peace with the neighboring countries, however, wasn''t breached in a long time and the outpost was slowly forgotten. All soldiers and high ranked personnel abandoned it, leaving only a few workers and their families behind, who reconstructed it into a farming village. Although the village still belonged to the greater elven clans, it was independent in all but name, with next to no interaction between them and other villages or clans. Unfortunately, this autonomy became their downfall as they weren''t able to successfully contact larger settlements when disaster struck in the form of an epidemic.


    At this moment, like a savior, the Spirit appeared and promised healing and immunity to the virus, in exchange for control of a part of the forest. The villager agreed delighted and prepared everything the Spirit asked for.


    "Children are easier to heal so this one will start with them," he said and wanted all Children to assemble in the center of the village.


    As all parents always think of their children first and hope the best for them, nobody had any objections and did as he instructed.


    Gathered, the kids were covered in a certain ivy, which bound itself tightly around the children''s body so none of them could move during the process.


    Standing aside, the adults were wary and anxious, but since nobody knew anything about healing no one spoke up and let the Spirit do as it wanted. For a while, nothing substantial happened, and a few of the parents began to become suspicious of the so-called healing process when the same ivy that bound the kids sprung up from the ground beneath them and pierced their skin, sinking deep into their flesh.


    Screaming they tried to remove the plants from their bodies but noticed promptly that they could only extract the ivy if they pulled out all the innard they were connected to.


    In agonizing pain, they also had to realize their vitality was being sucked out from them. Their skin shriveling and flesh decaying more and more of the adults fell, dying to the inhuman torture they were subjected to.


    Even the children weren''t spared, as all of the stolen vitality flowed into their bodies, forcefully accelerating their growth. With their bones cracking, skin tearing and souls burning one after the other they became adults, the L?tv. When all of the children finished transforming, the surviving adults were spared, imprisoned in a house and only let out when the Spirit needed them to replenish the vitality of the L?tv.


    Obviously, the survivors were furious at first. With more than half the population killed, the children enslaved and themselves being treated like cattle, the situation neared genocide, but every revolt or act of defiance was instantly and violently struck down by the L?tv, the children of the survivors.


    ...


    "You cannot imagine the anguish of being attacked by your own flesh and blood." Kymil shook his head "All because of that cursed Spirit!"


    ''So that''s why there are only ''old'' people here and outside only the L?tv.''


    "Wait. Why did the Spirit demand control over this part of the forest, when he was going to enslave everyone anyway?"


    "It seems you are not very enlighted on the way of magic young lad.


    Well, I guess that is to be expected since you are a human."


    ''Another one looking down on humans...Great.''


    Although he grew slightly irritated at the contempt towards humans, it was an excellent way to ask questions without being suspected, so he didn''t argue with the old man.


    "A Spirit is an accumulation of mana that gained sentience through a long period of time of exposure to a law of the universe; thus they are unrivaled in the use of magic befitting their element. But every power has it''s price and limitations, and Spirits are no exception to this rule. For what they receive at birth they are restricted to using magic within the confines of their birthplace. If they want to use magic outside of that area, they have to become the rightful owners of it first, which makes expanding their sphere of influence the first and foremost goal of every Spirit.


    Fortunately, that plague outside is still relatively young and inexperienced in the use of magic; else I don''t know what would have happened by now."


    "But is a simple verbal agreement really enough to transfer the ownership of a place? And as far as I understood it, the forest doesn''t even belong to you, but the ''Greater Elven Clans'' so you shouldn''t be able to give it away, right?"


    Sighing the old elve continued.


    "Haaa, as I said a Spirit is pure mana. It doesn''t follow established customs by Humans or Elves, only the laws of this world.


    How we were recognized as the owners of this plot of land and what needs to be done to transfer the ownership of it, I cannot tell you, for even I don''t know, but it happened, and that is all that matters."


    "Now let us drop this topic. You should sleep, tomorrow will be a long day."

 Chapter 8: Determination

    Lying on his back, Ray stared at the ceiling.


    Since the moment the group of five came out of the cave, this seemed to be the first calm moment he experienced.


    From being mistaken as scouts, taken captive, almost sentenced to death to running away, killing for the first time and fighting for his life against the Spirit. Thinking back Ray was astounded that his psyche didn''t crumble yet, despite all he went through...although he had a slight panic attack when he stabbed that soldier.


    The blood he had on his hands was already nowhere to be seen, but the feeling still didn''t go away. He had resigned to the fact that he was now a murderer...


    ''And that bite...''


    In the fight with the L?tv and the Spirit, Ray had shown a ferocity he didn''t know he possessed, ultimately leading to him gnawing on the Spirits neck without any intention of backing out. The rational decision in that situation would be to comply with the Spirit and look for a way to persevere his life, later on, but the anger he felt couldn''t be contained. He had to unleash or be torn to pieces by it.


    Was it the desperation rousing his slumbering instincts showing him a path to live, or his true nature coming to the forefront, now that he didn''t have to fear the consequences of his actions anymore?


    ''Let''s not think about this anymore. I have to decide what I''m going to do now.''


    He had too many questions about this World. To start with the fact that all the people he met until know spoke English to him, independent of their race. If it was just the Humans, he could have written it off as a weird coincidence, but the Elves and Spirit?


    Since none of them were surprised at him understanding them, there had to be a universal language they all spoke. A language he seemed to have learned the moment he arrived.


    Next was the geography of this place. Although he still wondered how the mountains and the forest could have such clear divide, he already accepted it, since he also bore witness to magic. But he needed information on a larger scale. Was he on a continent or an island? How many continents existed, and what races inhabited them? Where was the next human settlement? Was a war ongoing or was that army for something else here?


    Without knowing any of these, it was difficult to decide for him what he was supposed to do, with the only thing being clear that he couldn''t stay in this village.


    After hearing the story of this place from Kymil, it was clear that whatever the Spirit did to him would be worse than death. Being turned into a mindless slave or sapped of his vitality to maintain the L?tv were both not ideal prospects, but to prevent that from happening he would have to escape from the area the Spirit controlled or kill it in one fell swoop so that it cannot regenerate using its magic.


    The second option didn''t seem like a realistic plan, as he would have to storm through a few dozen L?tv, so Ray focused on how to break out without anyone noticing.


    Just a few hours ago he had already done the same, but this time he couldn''t count on an army attacking the village. He would have to ensure the distraction himself.


    Turning to the side, he saw the ''old'' Elves cuddling in the darkness. It wasn''t only Humans that could adapt to any situation as it seemed. Even with their children taken from them and no hope in sight, these people lived to their utmost, not losing faith and hoping for a miracle.


    ''Maybe I can...''


    ....


    The next few days passed unexpectedly uneventful. Neither the Spirit nor the L?tv came for him, making it seem like he was forgotten.


    Occasionally a few L?tv would come into the house, dumping a load of fruits for everyone to eat and drag one of the Elves out. Not all of them came back, and those that did looked even more haggard than before. Some of them died a short while after they were dropped off, adding the odor of death to the already depressing ambiance.


    Over this period of captivity, Ray had already formulated a plan, on how to escape, but needed the right opportunity to make a run for it. One that, he decided, the Elves would create for him.


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    He started with feigning sympathy about the state the Elf village was in and ranted every day how hateful the Spirit was, reinforcing the idea that they had to take revenge no matter what. After the flames of hatred were reignited within the Elves and they were riled up to a near boiling point, he gave them small balls of moss, dipped in the sap of the branch of the pine tree that grew from the back inside the house, wrapped in pieces of his cotton T-Shirt. When they were picked up to serve as a vitality dispenser, they hid them inside their clothes so the Spirit wouldn''t notice anything amiss.


    Ray didn''t consider this as unethical as he really felt sympathy for them,...even though not as much as he pretended to. He also didn''t force anybody to participate in the operation, leaving it to them whether they wanted to enact revenge or not.


    "Kymil, how is everyone''s mood?"


    "Mmh, a lot of them are getting impatient and want to know what exactly you have planned. To be honest, I''m also curious. Although I don''t approve of you manipulating the others, this situation has continued for too long already. At this rate, we''ll be wiped out, so I want to seize this chance."


    "Don''t worry the plan will commence soon enough, but before that, I need all of your utmost trust and determination to see this through. When we start to resist casualties are bound to occur. I don''t want any panicking old fogeys waddling around, messing everything up."


    "Hmph, trust is not that easily earned kid. The only reason we are listening to you is because we don''t have any alternative. And don''t worry about us panicking. Even the youngest among us has ten times more experience than a smelly brat like you, not speak of our determination to kill the Spirit."


    "....Just be ready."


    ....


    The days in imprisonment continuing, Ray spend his time fueling the Elves anger every now and then, learning the layout of the village and the surrounding forest and fish for information about this world using the stories they told him.


    Lately, he had grown quite fond of the geezers who shared his plight. Even though they were an entirely different species, none of them actively discriminated against or tried to put him down, with only the casual passing remarks about the idiocy all Humans seemed to share in their opinion.


    Apparently, the Elves in this forest lived in societies arranged as Clans, with the bigger ones having more of a say of the way they face Factions outside the Woods. Since the Clans who were in power over the last few decades didn''t hold much supremacist views, the overall atmosphere in the forest leaned towards accepting alien races, as long as they didn''t cause trouble.


    Not only once caused this friendly attitude him a sleepless night.


    If possible, he wanted to help them. Free the children of the enslavement forced on them, contact other Elven communities, maybe even try to restore their lost vitality. But in the end, he always had to remind himself of the simple fact that he couldn''t do any of those. He was no superhero or had any special powers. No one to back him up, no authority and nothing that could help him overcome the situation.


    As the Spirit said, in a World where the strong preyed on the weak, he couldn''t even protect his own puny life. Speaking of rescuing others was nothing but a daydream. A fantasy only those who climbed to the top deserved to live.


    He couldn''t give up a real possibility of escaping for a rosy ideal with an absurdly low chance of success.


    If this ordeal was over, he could still come back later on, with more support or spread the news of the events that transpired here. Someone was sure to take action.


    ''That''s right...It''s not my responsibility...''


    He himself was stranded in a foreign World, all his friend lost and with no idea how he is supposed to survive after this, so why did he have to bother himself with the future of people he only knew for a few days?


    Securing his own survival was the top priority. Everything else came second,...even if it concerned the life of others.

 Chapter 9: Last Preparations

    As dawn broke anew, Ray woke up with a resolute gaze.


    His preparations were as far as they could go. The only thing left to do was inform the Elves and kickoff the plan.


    The numbers of the survivors had dwindled even further over the last couple of days, hinting at their decreasing health. If he didn''t act now, it would be too late.


    None of the Elves knew what would await them. Ray hadn''t told them much, except that he''d help them get their revenge. Still, he couldn''t understand how they chose to follow him in this near suicidal endeavor with next to no information and clear suspicion. Had their hatred already consumed them? The days as dispensable blood tanks eroded their minds to a degree of absolute apathy about anything else than vengeance?


    Shouldn''t he overthink the whole matter, lest he''d regret it forever?


    No...it didn''t matter.


    He had already decided what he had to do.


    Their circumstances. Their suffering. Their sorrow. It all didn''t matter.


    As long as he succeeded, he had all the time he wanted to drown in guilt, but right now hesitation meant death.


    Standing up, Ray walked to the middle of the small house. All eyes in the room congregated on him, eager to hear the words they waited for so long.


    Ray was never a good public speaker. Though not to the degree of having a nervous breakdown in front of people, holding a presentation in class was pretty much his limit. But right now, at this moment, when all these people dependent on him, holding expectations of great things, his blood came into boiling. He stood straight and puffed up his chest, trying to look more confident than he actually was. His voice boomed through the cottage.


    "Once, not a long time ago, this village was peaceful. Life was simple but good. None of you had to starve, freeze or suffer injustice."


    "None until the Spirit came!"


    The more Ray spoke, the smoother the words seemed to come out of his mouth. His warped expression making one think he was one of them, having experienced the same grievance.


    "He stole your home through trickery and false promises, destroying your lives work!"


    "He took your children, forcing them into a living hell, an existence that is doomed to slavery until death!"


    "He caged you like cattle, using your very life to fuel his unholy practice! Magic that can''t be allowed spread it''s filthy claws any further!"


    Like moths drawn to a flame, the Elves stared at Ray with wide eyes, attentively listening to his every word. All of them conveniently forgot that it was the Spirit who had rescued them in the first place since it cured the epidemic.


    "One after the other you have seen your friends, brethren, sons and daughters fall to that monstrosity; it''s endless greed and ambition!"


    "And for WHAT!"


    ¡°A delusion of freedom! A desire to be King! An eternal lust for power!"


    At this point, the Elves were already standing. Although none were cheering or yelling, the burning passion in their eyes, shaking fist and clenching teeth spoke volumes.


    "But that is over! We will no longer tolerate the oppression and torment!"


    ¡°To hurt one is to hurt all! And to hurt all is a declaration of War!¡±


    ¡°Today the terror shall end! We will free the children of the forest and reclaim the land! Expose the Spirits hideous actions and make sure it never sets a foot into the Woods of Alquorai again!!¡±


    With these words, the suppressed emotions erupted. Though old, none of them kept their rage at bay.


    Shouts and curses flew through the room. Mad screams and agonized howls formed a chorus. A melody of sorrow and death.


    ''This should do the trick. Now I just have to give the last push in the right direction.''


    Holding his hands up, Ray signaled for silence. The elves grumbled but eventually calmed down.


    ¡°As soon as the L?tv come in to take one of us we will start to resist. Weapons are already made, so everyone takes one. And don''t worry you don''t need to actually hurt your children. They go down with a strong hit. I have experience fighting them. Trust me.¡±


    The Elves exchanged worried looks and whispers. Some fidgeted and seemed to want to say something, but ultimately remained silent.


    The eager from before hadn''t completely disappeared but definitely taken down a notch.


    Although it seemed as if his efforts were wasted, Ray didn''t bother holding another motivational speech. The only reason he did the first one was to convince all of them that he is as emotionally invested in this operation as they are. Since he played his part, there was no need to rile them up again.


    Standing down from the middle, Kymil''s uncaring look came into Ray''s sight. The pseudo-leader of the Elves had never tried to stop any of Ray''s antics, only occasionally relaying the worries of his companions to him. Whether he actually approved, of anything he did was questionable, but at least he didn''t stand in his way.


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    ¡°About what you said at the end...¡±


    Without letting him finish, Ray waved his hand, dismissing whatever Kymil wanted to say.


    ¡°The L?tv aren''t our biggest problem. Better concentrate on how to deal with the Spirit.¡±


    Kymil frowned ¡°...If you say so. And how are you planning to defeat it?¡±


    Hearing this question a smirk came upon Ray''s face. Just thinking about beating that arrogant gnome to a pulp brought him joy. Unfortunately, that craving was unlikely to be satisfied.


    ¡°The others will first distract the L?tv, after that we will isolate the Spirit and hold him hostage. Although he can use magic, there are too many of us for it to make a difference. Once we have him, the L?tv won''t pose a problem anymore."


    Unconvinced as he looked, Kymil asked back ¡°Isn''t that overly simple? What if something goes wrong or we can''t isolate the Spirit? You don''t even know the extent of its magic, so how can you be so sure it won''t be able to deal with us?"


    ''This guy is smarter than I thought.'' Squinting his eyes, Ray thought.


    The flaws in Ray''s ''plan'' were immediately seen through. He had gone to great lengths to delay talking about the way this revolution was going to happen. Beating down every question with excuses or empty words. Never mentioning the plan more than necessary. And most importantly, nurturing the elves bloodlust as much as possible, filling their heads with nothing but sweet dreams of murder.


    But showing any of this openly would bring a great deal of trouble with it. Even the disinterested Kymil would not let it slide.


    ''Well... at least one of them is still sane.''


    Whether it was his careful manipulation or just their bottled up emotions, but most of the elves were on the brink of what can be labeled as insane.


    A good chunk of them whispered to themselves, relishing in the memory of their children. It also wasn''t rare to see someone scratch the walls until their nails came off, only for one of the others to look at the spectacle with wide eyes, limp to the nearest wall and continue the bloody performance.


    Only Kymil always kept his calm. Undisturbed by the change of his friends an maybe even family. Quiet about Ray guiding them on a road of no return. Not taking action, no matter how many died.


    It was this apathy that put Ray on guard. Going through the pain, the humiliation, the anguish the Spirit had them experience, no one, not even the coldest of people remain unaffected and unchanged.


    Kymil was a variable Ray had no way of figuring out. Something he had no control over whatsoever. Aggregating someone like that was the last thing Ray wanted to do. Not when he was so close to his goal.


    So instead of growing angry at Kymil for challenging his non-existent authority or making excuses, he relaxed his whole body, put a hand on Kymil''s shoulder and spoke in a light voice.


    ¡°I understand your worries, but taking risks is necessary. No matter what strategy we use, it will bring danger and uncertainties. The only thing we can do right now is fight to the best of our abilities and reduce the casualties to the utmost. But if you are not convinced I can still make adjustment to the plan. Only...¡±


    ¡°Only what?¡±


    Looking down while shrugging Ray said ¡°It''s nothing. Just changing the plan so close to the start may make some of them waver.


    A lack of assurance could lead to unnecessary accidents."


    Kymil''s apathetic look contorted. It was the first time Ray had seen such a livid expression on his face, and he couldn''t help but feel proud of this ''accomplishment''. He knew Kymil didn''t buy what he just said, but that wasn''t important. On the surface, he had only expressed his worry for the wellbeing of the Elves. His intentions pure and untainted.


    Whatever lied beneath that, was up for the other party to find out and interpret. None could find fault with his words, as they were as true as they were filled with deceit.


    Even if Kymil got angry as a result, Ray had ground to stand on and defend his ''plan''.


    With a somber grin, Kymil brushed Ray''s hand off "Good, good. You are right. It''s too late to make any changes. We will see if this will work.


    After today, whoever lives and dies, we will have no regrets."


    Ray watched Kymil walk away from him. The hunched back he had seen so often over the days, seemed so much more pained in this moment.


    The man who had never let him see his true emotions, who had taken the burden of remaining sober while his surroundings escaped into insanity.


    Were the circumstances different, what would have become of him?


    Were the circumstances different...could they have become friends?


    Were the circumstances different...


    Shaking his head, Ray turned away.


    Were they just different...

 Chapter 10: Escape (1)

    That night the moon shone bright. Holes in the ceiling creating a muster, the floor as a canvas and light as a brush, forms unimaginable arranged on the ground.


    A dozen silhouettes withed in the shadows, captivated by the play, but none got close.


    With a vigilant gaze, they surveyed the surroundings, letting not the slightest movement escape their eyes.


    The whole day, they spent crouching in the darkness, waiting for the L?tv to come and take one of them.


    Although his legs burnt with pain, Ray persevered. This was the first and most important step. Nothing could go wrong.


    ''They are already at their limit... any more and they''ll rush out.''


    Heavy panting and grinding teeth were more prevalent than he would like.


    The Elves had been on guard since morning, so it wasn''t a surprise they were getting impatient. Still, a nervous bloodthirsty bunch of crazed people with weapons isn''t the best audience to let wait.


    He had to get one the L?tv here somehow before his whole preparation went down the drain.


    Standing up, for the first time in hours, Ray walked to the door. Usually, there were no guards in front of the house, as the whole clearing could be overlooked from the homes atop the trees.


    Through a crack, he could see the L?tv going about their business as always. At least nothing happened that could jeopardize the plan.


    Just rushing outside was out of the question. The sharp glint of arrows reflected in the sun told him. The watchful eyes of the minions on the trees wouldn''t miss one of them. And he had no doubt if push came to pull the Spirit wouldn''t hesitate to kill them all...even if that meant cutting off the lifeline of his subordinates.


    Looking down at his wooden pike an idea dawned upon Ray. If they didn''t come to the prison voluntarily, he just had to make them have no choice but to.


    Without thinking twice, Ray stuck the back end of his pike into the crevice, trying to expand it through brute force.


    The door was already old and molded, so making an opening was easier than he thought.


    The L?tv outside looked over, probably wondering about the commotion, but didn''t interfere with Ray''s actions.


    When the hole was big enough for a head to fit through, he stepped back a bit and positioned himself.


    Inside the house, the Elves, who were already on edge, watched him curiously. While some thought Ray''s efforts in demolishing their door was still part of the plan, and everything went how their ''leader'' wanted it to go, others got into a running stance, ready to take off whenever necessary.


    Closing one eye Ray aimed at one the L?tv outside, working tirelessly without the slightest clue that he became a target.


    ''I only have one shot...Let''s hope I can throw better than fight...''


    As his tensed muscles loosened, the pike whistled through the air.


    The piercing sound of cutting air was the only thing resounding in Ray''s ears at that moment. Neither the shocked gasps of the Elves nor the ringing voice in his head, telling him to get out of here, got him out his stupor.


    Before anyone could react the pike latched into the throat of the L?tv, killing it instantly.


    The tremor of it hitting the ground booming like an earthquake in Ray''s mind.


    ''Shit! I just wanted to hit his leg!''


    A moment of silence followed before the L?tv cranked their necks, in Ray''s direction, all at once. The archers on the trees climbed down, workers dismissed their tasks and Ray started to freak out.


    He always thought the L?tv wouldn''t do anything without the Spirit''s explicit order, but apparently, he was wrong. The death of one of their comrades seemed to have ignited emotions they shouldn''t possess.


    Unfortunately, Ray didn''t have the leisure to think about the inner workings of these puppets right now. With a horde of them coming closer every second he had to prepare for the storm that was about to happen.


    At his back, the Elves seemed confused about the happenings outside. From their position, they couldn''t see the L?tv dying as Ray blocked their sight. The dozens of footsteps coming in their direction but didn''t need to be seen to understand what they entailed.


    "What happened? Is this still part of the plan?"


    "Maybe something went wrong?"


    "Shouldn''t we get ready to fight?"


    Hushed voices spread in the house. Understandably the Elves didn''t know what to do. Ray had never given them a detailed explanation of how he envisioned this day to go, so none of them could assess the situation properly.


    "Ray! Is everything alright outside? What happened?"


    The only one who spoke up and directly addressed Ray was Kymil, who bore an unusually grave expression.


    ''Right...now is not the moment to flip out. I have to direct them!''


    Finally registering the gravity of the situation Ray took in a deep breath. The panic on his face vanished, soon replaced by bravery and confidence.


    He turned around and looked over the anxious crowd. One after the other he looked in their eyes, his gaze hardening with every passing moment.


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    "Don''t be afraid, my brethren! I garnered their attention by slightly injuring one. Right now they are marching in our direction, looking for a fight. But that is exactly what we want!"


    The unrest between the Elves slowly calmed down. For them as long as they got to kill the Spirit, later on, the proceedings didn''t really matter.


    Since this was part of the ''plan'', why complain?


    "Two of you get beside the door, three in front of it! Try to intercept as many of them as possible! The rest of us will go outside through the other exit. We have to act stealthy, so we don''t attract the attention of the L?tv."


    Through the confused stares of the Elves, Ray walked up to the left side of the house.


    In a practiced manner, he started to remove the planks one by one, revealing a hole big enough for an adult to comfortably get through.


    Ray had dug this hole since the very first day he had been confined here.


    His way of doing it had similarity to the way a certain prisoner dug his way out of jail with a spoon. Only, his spoon was a rock thrice the size of his fist, and he smashed it against the mud over and over until he was done. With all the crazy Elves scratching walls and talking to themselves, another lunatic hitting the ground with a rock didn''t even stand out.


    The shock of this revealment was even bigger to the Elves than their fear or excitement.


    Wasn''t this an escape route? Couldn''t they have been gone long before this?


    "I know what you are thinking right now, but escaping from here is not that easy. The sentries are spread everywhere, not to the mention the Spirit''s control over the forest. Had we escaped we would have been found immediately."


    "But what about the bigger Clans? One person would have surely been able to slip through and contact them."


    "Yeah, if we had sent one at a time, wouldn''t it have been fine?"


    With righteous anger, the Elves raised their voices. Accusing Ray and demanding an answer.


    ''Can''t these idiots think for themselves?! Is this the right moment to question me?!''


    With the still impending disaster, Ray wanted to get out of here as fast as possible.


    In his original plan, they would lure the L?tv one by one into the house, reducing the number of enemies. Afterward, some of the others would go outside to fight the thinned out crowd.


    But now, with the circumstances at hand, he had to be flexible. And that meant faster in running away than planned.


    Since going outside without the protection of the group was suicide, he had to resolve their doubts.


    "The bigger Clans can''t help us. Just think about how long it would take for one of us to reach and convince them of deploying troops. We''d long be dead before any of that happened!"


    "Our only chance is overpowering the Spirit and his minions. If you still want to save your children then stop talking and follow me to fight!"


    The expected response of convinced roars didn''t come, but at least they seemed to accept the reality of the situation.


    Fighting amongst them wouldn''t save anyone, and the only one with a plan was Ray, so they decided to follow.


    As he crawled through the hole, the footsteps from outside came to a halt.


    He thought they had somehow seen him, but the thumping sound from the door indicated their arrival at the house''s front, which was equally bad.


    Since even he could make an opening in the door, it certainly wouldn''t withstand the assault of the muscle packet L?tv.


    "Hurry up! Everyone after me!"


    Hurried scrambling ensued. As full of murderous intent as they were, when it came down to it, they were just ordinary villagers. Expecting discipline and willingness to sacrifice oneself was too much.


    Five of the Elves in better condition remained and positioned themselves according to Ray''s instructions. Although he didn''t have much hope for them, leaving the house empty or letting the L?tv take it without resistance would arouse unnecessary suspicion.


    Outside, Ray and his team of fighters ready for retirement hid in the bushes, slowly advancing.


    Soon enough sounds of fighting came out of the house. None of these Elves were particularly good warriors; else they wouldn''t live here. With the disadvantage of being old and feeble, the time they could buy was even more limited.


    Most of the L?tv were attracted by Ray''s ''assassination'', leaving the clearing deserted for wide parts.


    At a lot a places small mounds of dirt barely concealed the bodies of fallen Elves, who died sapped of all vitality.


    One particular one caught Ray''s attention. The body was entirely covered, except a hand reaching out of the earth, inside its palm a small ball of cloth.


    "Why are you dawdling! Come, we must hurry!" Kymil shouted


    ''Tsk. Still too early...Let''s wait a bit more...''


    Tearing his eyes of the body, Ray caught up to the group, hoping there wouldn''t be any more mishaps.

 Chapter 11: Escape (2)

    Kymil''s POV:


    About a week ago a Human was captured by the Spirit.


    I found it a bit strange that he would completely ignore the agreement made between the kingdoms and the great clans and venture so deep into the forest, but they were always a foolish species. Nothing surprising.


    He was a weird one. It seemed like he knew nothing about the woods and it''s surrounding lands. Has Human culture become that deranged?


    While being imprisoned here, all of us had lost something. Whether physically or a piece of mind, no one was spared. That Human, Ray, on the other hand, seemed unaffected. He talked to the others like he wasn''t in the same situation as us. Expressing his condolences, his hate for the Spirit and his unyielding desire for revenge.


    I noticed him goading the others into fighting the Spirit, but decided to ignore it. The outcome won''t change no matter what we do, so why not let them make one last effort?


    ....


    Slowly the others began to change. The former insanity brought by despair and sorrow transformed into one driven by bloodlust and vengeance.


    I could feel that Ray had something different in mind than what he told us, but who was I to judge him? After all, I didn''t become their leader, because they wanted me to or because it was the ''right thing'' to do. It was just the safest position available. As much as the Spirit instilled fear into the others, killing their ''leader'' off would just unnecessarily destabilize the situation.


    Ray seemed to work hard towards his goal. Day and night he was busy.


    Sharpening wood to make pikes, listening to stories to expand his knowledge and spreading propaganda. In a sense, he was even more of a madman than we. Never resting, never losing sight of his goal.


    ....


    When his preparations slowly came to an end, Ray held a ''motivational speech,'' or so he called it. Railing the others up, ready to fight.


    These days I forgot more and more, why we were even clinging to this life so persistently. Nothing of what we knew remained. All that we loved so blurred. So why not let it all end?


    But the others seemed to be of different opinion. They still held a desire for revenge and restoration. Whether it was their trust in the great clans or the reignited kindle of hope that let them keep going, their motivation was only rising.


    ....


    After some upheaval and unexpected occurrences, we escaped the prison that bound us for so long.


    Strolling through the tall grass, while hiding from the remaining L?tv, we observed the clearing.


    It seemed Ray was more than interested in thegraves of our fallen friends, stopping at every chance to steal a glance.


    We had to hurry as the time we had was highly limited, yet the Spirit, our primary target, had vanished as if swallowed by the earth. At this rate, we would have to risk fleeing, without actually accomplishing anything.


    Still, a chance for some to live is better than for all of us to die.


    But before I decided to do anything, I wanted to ask for Ray''s input, as he led this operation.


    He was still distracted by the graves, not even realizing our dilemma.


    Only after I warned him did he understand the problem, but instead of looking troubled, a strange glint flashed in his eyes.


    He instructed us to spread out and look for the Spirit. With some of the L?tv already walking away from the house, it didn''t seem like we had much of a choice.


    I sneaked further into the clearing, using every bit of shade and shrubbery to remain hidden.


    As I crept around the structures of our former village, I lost sight of the others but came to see something entirely different.


    Two L?tv were dragging another one along the ground. Blood marking the way they came.


    A single pike stuck out of the dead L?tv''s neck, no other wounds visible.


    It must have been an instantaneous death.


    ''Slightly injured, he said...SLIGHTLY INJURED!''


    There was no doubt it was the L?tv, Ray attacked to attract the attention of the others. The poor child. First enslaved and forced to attack his own people, only for it to die in the name of liberation. Is there a more miserable fate?


    But where were they bringing him? The villagers were just covered with a bit of earth and going by the Spirits personality it certainly wouldn''t arrange a proper funeral for of its minions.


    Thinking I could find the Spirit by following the L?tv, I moved along the bloody trail. Broken structures and houses marked the way. Houses we used to call our homes.


    Without the memory of before their destruction, I would have never been able to recognize these piles of dilapidated materials as buildings. Half of what made them up had been transported somewhere else, leaving only ruins behind.


    I already knew the Spirit was building something, but what could possibly need so many materials?


    As the three former Elves disappeared behind a corner, I stuck close to a wall...or what was left of it. Yet before I could turn my head to look beyond it, the Spirit''s voice reached my ears.


    "What is that ruckus over there! This one is busy, don''t be so loud!"


    Silence followed. Did the L?tv ignore him? It seemed unlikely as he is effectively their master.


    Shortly the Spirit spoke up again "Hihihi, a fight you say...Isn''t that exciting! This one was getting worried those geezers wouldn''t provide any more fun!"


    "But now that you mentioned those lovelydonators...wasn''t there a new arrival...a Hume?"


    Again, no one answered. At least not out loud. I remembered at that moment that I never saw the kids talk again after their transformation.


    The ritual must have connected the Spirit to them on a deeper level.


    But if that was the case, was it even safe to harm the Spirit? What if the children get hurt in the process, and...did Ray know about this?


    As I was still immersed in my thoughts the seemingly one-sided conversation continued.


    "Anyway, this one will soon finish building the shrine. Let''s play with them until then."


    ''Shrine?''


    I knew I should have gone back and regrouped with the others, but my curiosity got the best of me. Leaning to the side, I peeked at the three of them.


    What I saw would burn itself into my eyes for the rest of my days.


    A gigantic monument, in form of a pyramid, stood in the former residential area, hidden by the buildings around it. Stairs led up to the top, ending in a flat peak, it''s four corners erecting a dome of dried leaves and dead wood. On each branch and each weed, bulging forms tried to break out from within, a silent scream passing each time they faded. On this great monolith, what stood out the most though wasn''t it''s size or crown of dread. It was the dozens of limbs and guts, seemingly growing out of it. Some were twitching, some pulsing, others were continually breaking up and repairing themselves, pus spewing out of them, coating the entire construction in a mix of yellow and red fluids.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Not even ten seconds had passed, when a shrilling voice resounded like the devils'' whisper.


    "Hohoo...Have you gotten lost o'' leader of the Elves?"


    Its body remaining on the spot, the Spirits neck turned to an impossible degree. The white eyes, I still saw in my nightmares, were staring, once again, into my soul.


    Fear overwhelmed me like a tide, threatening to drown me. I couldn''t move. Couldn''t speak. Couldn''t even utter a prayer in thought. The memory of that fateful day replaying in my mind as an endless loop.


    "Hihihi...Quite scared, aren''t you? Maybe you forgot because you didn''t go out in a while, but in these woods, nobody sneaks up on this Spirit!"


    My eyes darted around, looking for some kind of way out. The courage I once had was long gone, buried with the half of our village. A hollow shell was all that was left.


    I wasn''t the youngest anymore. Long before the Spirit came around to steal our vitality, my youth started to fade. Elves possess, compared to Humans and other species, almost boundless longevity. If the circumstances are right, we can easily live up to 200 years and beyond, but only those who live that long know that such a life isn''t necessarily a blessing.


    With age comes wisdom, love and maturity, but also pain, grief and misery.


    Although your decaying body screams with agony at every movement, the darkness you see when death extends its grasp out to you installs fear even in the bravest of men. To escape the eternal sleep, Humans and Elves alike do everything in their power to delay the inevitable, extending the torment just a bit further.


    The longer you live, the more you come to realize these things.


    And the longer you live, the more come to hate these things.


    Despite all, I still clang to life. I didn''t want to die. Not here. Not now.


    With the Spirit right in front of me, time was essential.


    Running away wasn''t an option, but so was fighting.


    Backed into a corner, I didn''t even notice the ever so slowly rising temperature or thickening air.


    Fortunately, the Spirit was much more sensitive than I was.


    Its head twitched around, nose high up in the air, searching for a cause.


    "Mhh?...What is that smell? And why is it getting warmer?"


    Born within the Forest, in absolute tranquility, the Spirit''s experience was minimal. What didn''t occur naturally within such an environment was essentially wholly foreign to it.


    A light sound of crackling was added to the mix of unfamiliar stimuli.


    Already agitated by the earlier disturbance, it was the straw that broke the camels back.


    Closing its eyes for a moment, the Spirit jumped up in an adorable manner and dashed into the village.


    With a drenched back, I stared at it running. The Spirits neck was still twisted, but that didn''t seem to bother it. The excitement of its new toy must have been too big for it to care.


    Was I that inconsequential? Abandoned for a Smell and some rise in temperature. To keep it short, yes. It was sure that for whatever reason I was there, I wouldn''t be able to accomplish it.


    But as baffled as I was by the development of my encounter with the Spirit, whatever attracted its attention couldn''t be good for our plan.


    Unexpected occurrences seldom help one achieve one''s goals.


    The ominous monument still before me, I shuffled back. The fear I felt when near this place only fueled my desire to regroup with the others.


    And although I couldn''t run with this old body, I still felt the scenery pass before me faster than ever. The wrecked houses and destroyed trees turned into a blur, leaving only the wind, crashing into my face, as an indicator of time and distance. Its scent, reminiscent of sulfur and burning flesh, attacked my nostrils, throwing my thoughts into a mess.


    All I could think of was getting back to the others. I had to tell them something was going on.


    Now that the Spirit was on alarm, we wouldn''t have a chance to confront it alone anymore. Fighting it with the children by its side would be plain suicide. As scattered as we were I didn''t expect to find and essentially rescue all of us, but I still had to try.


    Trotting along our abandoned village, I had long lost sight of the bloodstained path I had followed while tailing the L?tv. I kept going not knowing which direction I was running in. For all I knew, around the next corner the Spirit could have waited, but something kept pushing me further. I couldn''t stop.


    After a while of traveling in a trance, I noticed hurried footsteps coming into my direction. Clearing my head from all the unnecessary thoughts, I lowered my stance and got into position to receive whatever would come at me. Although it was a sorry excuse of a fighting stance, I had to work with what I had.


    To my surprise, it wasn''t a L?tv or even a new enemy. One of my comrades, old as he was, came running from a building not far of, his face eyes wide open, shouting something I couldn''t quite hear yet.


    As I reached out to him, trying to calm his unrest, he dashed into another pathway, out of my sight, leaving only his mad screams behind. To my apprehension, I had to discover that the others who were searching for the Spirit with me and Ray, were similarly rushing past me, not even sparing a glance. Bloodshot eyes, disheveled hair and black stains a commonality amongst them.


    For the first time in, what felt like an eternity, I looked up into the sky. I didn''t have any particular reason to and in retrospective, I wish I hadn''t done so.


    In the darkest hour of the night, the once peaceful sky of the forest lit up with a ferocity no dawn could bring. Small white stars fell from the heavens, burning as bright as their message of the end. Their brethren mourning the loss, as they opened a gaping hole, showing the disaster in its full glory. Even the all-illuminating moon was devoured by the Gnaw of the dancing flames.


    Under all the atrocity sat a single man, leaning over a lifeless body. His complexion resembling the body beneath him, he stared, without blinking or change in expression, at his hands.


    With hell descending on earth, he sat at a dug up grave, his emotions visible...even to the far-off me.

 Chapter 12: Inferno

    Surrounded by blazing fire, Ray was thinking about his deeds.


    After breaking up from the others, he proceeded to find the corpses that had his self-made fire accelerant on them. Every time he saw one of the decomposing Elves, he would dig them up and cover their bodies with dry leaves and branches.


    The fact that the Spirit didn''t bother making proper graves or burying them deep enough, so they wouldn''t be exposed helped a lot in his ''tomb raiding''.


    Afterward, he crouched beside them and lit them on fire using two rocks and ungodly patience.


    His plan was quite straightforward. Dig up the corpses, set them on fire, run away while everyone is confused. It wasn''t the best option, nor the most ethical, but the one Ray came up with, and so he pulled through with it.


    The whole process was so mechanic; it was hard to imagine anyone but a serial killer could actually behave in such a way.


    It wasn''t that Ray didn''t know or feel what he was doing, but as he knew what his actions entailed, taking a step back and retreating into the furthest corner of his mind was the easier option. It wasn''t as much deliberate as a sub-conscious self-preserving mechanism.


    The corpse he kneeled before when Kymil found him was his last. The last stage of his plan taking form, his consciousness gradually came to the forefront again, together with his guilt and regrets. Although he wouldn''t kill anybody directly, he couldn''t deceive himself with sweet lies. People would die. Not just one or two, but en masse. According to the Elves, the Great Clans, who house within the forest, all consist of thousands of residents, not to mention the various small villages like this one. Once the fire spread, there was no holding it anymore. He doubted that without modern equipment they would be able to put the fire out. It would continue to consume the woods until it died of its own gluttony.


    His hands were smeared with dried blood and dirt, baked into his skin by the heat. In a trance he stared at them, wondering why he didn''t feel as overwhelmed as he should be. He was sad at the loss of life, feeling responsible for their deaths, but...there was nothing more.


    A gaping hole seemed to have opened up in him, swallowing all that could pull him down.


    Ray was aware this wasn''t a good sign, but how would that change anything? If anyone who was aware of their deficiencies could change them, there wouldn''t be anything but perfect people.


    Above and around, the flames were ravaging everything that stood in their way. Going by the screams in the distance, the confusion was at its max. It was the perfect opportunity to make a run for it. If the Spirit didn''t find him afterward, it would just assume he died off somewhere.


    Yet before he could make up his mind, the sound of breaking branches drew near. Ray didn''t look back to see who it was. His experience with the elves taught him enough. There was only one person who would approach him as calmly as now.


    "You still haven''t run away."


    Ray asked in a monotone voice.


    Sitting down next to him, Kymil nodded his head. He caressed the body on the floor, disregarding the heat it was emitting.


    "You know,...this kid was once my neighbor. A lovely child. Always skipping around, looking for the next adventure, although it mostly ended in a good scolding from her mother."The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    A dry laugh escaped his lips, memories of days lost flashing by.


    "Well, now she''s just a burnt corpse. At least she can''t cause trouble for anyone anymore."


    His hand moved to her eyes, slowly closing what was left of them.


    "Say, Ray, have you somewhere to return to?"


    Kymils shifted his head to look at him. His eyes hollow and tired


    A short silence followed. Did he have somewhere to return to? He did have a family back home. Friends he moderately liked and an otherwise mediocre social life. But even if he wanted to go home more than anything else...was that an option? He didn''t know how he ended up in this world, had no information on it and was, until a few hours ago, still a prisoner. Interdimensional travel seemed an odd thing to consider right now.


    As if he got an answer, Kymil continued the conversation.


    "I don''t, Ray. I don''t."


    "This forest is all I and most of the villagers have ever known. Treading outside is unimaginable for us. Although we all came from different parts, the village has become our home. And Elves, Ray, never abandon their home."


    "..."


    "The Great Clans won''t let a wildfire uninvestigated...You''d better hurry."


    Having got Kymil''s blessing, Ray lifted his heavy legs from the crisp ground. He thought Kymil would also try to distance himself from the fire, but as it seemed he would remain by the girls'' side and indulge in melancholy. To him, it mattered little at this point. With all the horror he had been responsible for, what was one more victim?


    The flames had already consumed most of the clearing and were advancing deeper into the forest at a fast pace. If he wanted to get out he''d have to travel to the barren mountains...where he had been captured for the first time. Whether it was fate or a prank of the gods, there was no doubt it was ironic. After all, he went through to get away from those mountains, at the end he had to go back nonetheless.


    From the stories of the Elves, Ray had made out an, admittedly, crude map in his mind. By following it he should get over the Barren Mountain range and enter Human territory. Whether that was a good thing or not remained to be seen.


    Every single step crushed something beneath Ray''s feet. Wood, leaves, insects,...flesh. It all looked and felt the same. In this ashen plateau, nothing changed however far he went. The occasional scream or laughter was the only thing reminding Ray that he was still in that gorgeous forest he saw from the overhang outside the cave.


    What Kymil said about the Elves seemed to be right. On his way out Ray didn''t meet a single soul alive. They all must have run deeper into the forest. It was quite convenient for him, as the Spirit wouldn''t mobilize his L?tv to catch him, when all his dispensers were on the loose, escaping in another direction. He was still confused as to why he hadn''t seen the Spirit since his arrival, but quickly put it at the back of his mind.


    The trees getting sparser and increasingly livelier, his time inside the Woods of Alquorai slowly came to an end. Although he could have well done without this adventure, it had undeniably taught him a lot. About this world, the Elves and most importantly himself. He now knew what he was capable of when backed into a corner. The destruction he could overlook, the deaths he could justify. All so he could guarantee his own safety. From now on he had to make sure to never be this much at a disadvantage again. His fate had to be in his own hands at all times.


    Lost into thought, Ray only noticed his surroundings after a steep hill was in his way. Looking back, the divide between forest and mountain was, once again, before him. The strange phenomena hadn''t changed at all.


    Climbing up, his gaze extended deep into the horizon. One side devastated by flames reaching into the endless sky. Its ground swallowing all light, the smoke it spewed blocking any further sight.


    The other side lustless, without any life. Brown and yellow soil claiming the land as far as one could see. The occasional cloud of dust, brought up by the wind, being the biggest excitement.


    He had been here before. The scenery had changed, but his feeling of dissonance remained the same. The only thing that looked somewhat familiar to Ray was the slowly crawling sun, creeping its way up the heavens. Although a lot bigger than he remembered from earth, it brought some normalcy into his now absurd life and a rare genuine smile on his face.

 Chapter 13: Resal

    During a journey, the most essential items are usually water followed by food and camping gear. In Ray''s case, he could secure water from the prosperous forest which border he trod. Although he didn''t find any raging rivers, the occasional small stream was present. The same went for food. Hunting game wasn''t one of Ray''s few talents, so he made do with nuts and berries. It was easy to find out which ones are poisonous, by observing different kinds of animals consume them.


    It was interesting for him to see, how similar evolution has treated the two different worlds. Squirrels, birds and even boars had been frequent discoveries, their outward appearance not differing too much from what he knew. Of course, Ray wasn''t any kind of specialist when it came it came to animal species, so they might just exist on earth without him knowing.


    If you discounted all his previous experiences in this new world, one could think he was on a completely normal camping trip on earth.


    But with the normalcy of the situation, the usual, seemingly inconsequential, problems came back. His feet hurt. From dusk ''till dawn, he had run around in the forest, and now he was hiking the edgiest mountains he was ever on. The sun was already at its highest point, smothering Ray in its merciless heat. To him, it seemed even more of a hell on earth than the Inferno he had come from.


    Trudging along, Ray tried to distract himself from the tribulation he was facing, but the only thing that came into his mind were things he didn''t want to remember. In these mountains, he had killed for the first time and lost the only people who connected him to his old life. No matter what he tried to think about, his thoughts, slow as they were, always floated back to his friends. Were they still alive? If yes, how were they doing? He could only imagine the worst. This was a world where the average life wasn''t worth much, and the life of a suspected enemy as good as nothing.


    ''Well...no point thinking about it. Let¨As just march forward.''


    Leaking out a huge sigh, Ray stopped brooding. What he couldn''t change didn''t deserve his attention. He had enough problems on his own.


    ....


    The never changing scenery of the Barren Mountains was slowly making Ray depressed. He was already wandering for several days, but the end was nowhere near in sight. He had considered the possibility of the Elves having lied to him but dismissed the thought in the same heartbeat. A clinically insane prisoner with no prospects of life to speak of, lying to him about something that should be common knowledge. Unlikely. And even though Ray wasn''t a human compass, he had confidence in walking in a straight line, not to mention the boundary with the forest he had to orientate himself with.


    After walking all this while, a weird vibration made itself more and more noticeable. The arduous journey becoming even more of a hassle. For the first few hours, he dismissed it as his feet slowly giving out, the vibration being merely a symptom of his declining health. The possibility of it being a hallucination also crossed his mind. He had heard of people in the desert seeing strange things after traveling for days. Since his situation wasn''t too different, it was a legitimate speculation, right? The reality played out to be different though. Mounting a nearby hill, small black dots, getting ever so slowly bigger, came to his attention. The blinding sun prevented him from making out their shapes, but by the speed they traveled and the estimated technological advancement of this world, it had to be horses.


    ''F*CK! I hope it''s not remnants of that army. Never wanna deal with those morons again.''


    Since his first experience with the military of this world wasn''t exactly ideal, he didn''t want to bet his money on the benevolent keepers of the law coming in his direction. That said, there wasn''t much he could do to keep them from spotting him...if they didn''t already do so. Quickly sliding down the slope, he ran to the next best crevice and slit inside. Hiding in between cracks or behind hills, whilst waiting for them to pass, seemed to be the only viable choice.


    Time passed slowly. With Ray''s heavy breathing and thumping heart being the only noise around, he tried to understand the distance between him and the riders through the vibrations in the ground. But whether it was his inability to properly read the fluctuations or them having decided to tread on the spot, the tremor, shaking him up from within, remained the same however much time passed.


    After a nerve-wracking unknown amount of time, the heavy thuds of horses kicking up dust made Ray''s heart drop into his stomach. Metal clanking and horses neighing were near enough for him to pick up the clue. They had spotted him. Whether they knew his exact location had to remain to be seen, but in the end, it didn''t really matter. With potential enemies strolling around, he couldn''t just swag out of his hiding spot like nobody''s there.


    Thinking he should take the initiative, Ray put his hands up, a frantic expression on his face and stormed out of the crevice. Outside were four people, searching the vicinity. Three of them were dressed in a similar fashion as the soldiers Ray had seen before. One, however, was quite obviously different from them. A red cape at his back, so long and big it was bound to become a nuisance in battle, fluttered in the wind. His full metal armor adorned with golden linings reflected the sunlight so perfectly, one would think it was a mirror. To finish the look, a massive feather crown, resembling those of chicken, sprouted out of his helmet. It swayed with every movement he made, making Ray wonder about the neck strength one must possess to wear such an item.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    With Ray''s rather showy entrance the four noticed him without any delay, and three of them even drew their weapons. But before any of them could get a word out, Ray fell onto his knees, tears welling up in his eyes.


    "O'' Gracious Lord, so I can still be saved!"


    Surprised by his sudden action, the four stood still, confusion evident on their faces. They looked around, keeping an eye out for any other people who might come darting out of any cracks or niches.


    As nothing happened and Ray didn''t speak anymore, the man in the pompous armor stood out, his nose high up in the air.


    "Peasant, speak! Who are you and where have you come from?!"


    ''Peasant. Haven''t heard that one since Josh greeted me for the first time in college.''


    "M''Lord this one is but a humble farmers boy. Those dogs abducted me and the others from the village and wanted to bring us to their filthy lands! Luckily I could flee and meet your esteemed self here."


    The man took a closer look at Ray, but with a smile that got broader the more flattery, the latter spoke. Their weapons still out, the other three squinted their eyes at him but didn''t speak up. Ray didn''t know whether he had angered them with his words or if they had grown suspicious, but his gaze didn''t fall off the armored cockerel. Going by their behavior, his words seemed to carry the most weight.


    Scratching his stubby beard, ''His Lordship'' talked down to Ray.


    "That sounds like something those dogs of Arabet would do..."


    Making a rather long pause, the nature of his smile changed.


    "But do not worry peasant! This mighty Lord Frederic Lockhall, captain of the Knights of his Grace the Duke, shall escort you to the safety of our homeland Resal!"


    ''Thank god it worked! And I got quite a bit of information too.''


    Lowering his face, Ray picked up a small amount of dirt of the ground and threw it lightly against his face. When he looked up again, tears flowed from his eyes


    "Thank you! Thank you, your Lordship! I will never forget this favor!" He shouted at the captain.


    Lord Lockhall put his hands on his hips, in a similar fashion as someone Ray didn¨At want to remember.


    "HAHA! No need for pleasantries, peasant! Helping the weak and lowly is the duty of Knights and Nobles."


    As the captain continued to ramble on about the duty and honor of Nobles, one of the soldiers in the back approached him. His weapon sheathed and head lowered, he grumbled in a low voice.


    "Captain....what about the mission?"


    The Lord''s monologue abruptly stopped, and an awkward silence commenced. The soldiers sweated profusely but didn''t dare to make another sound. The smug smile wiped from his face, replaced by a heavy frown; the captain slowly turned to the soldier. He stared at him, hand on his sword, eyes on the neck.


    "You dare go against my orders?"


    "O-Of course not M''Lord! But his Grace''s mission..."


    At this point, Frederic raised his hand and slapped the soldier across his face.


    "Do not speak any further! Be glad I''m in a good mood, or your head would rolling at my feet by now!"


    ''A slap? How anticlimactic...''


    Ray watched the whole play captivated. Going by the conversation he deducted that Frederic wanted to use him to ditch his mission, and although it would leave a bad taste to be used by someone else, the gains overwhelmingly outweighed the losses. With an entourage of soldiers and even a Knights captain, getting into Human territory and more importantly, a safe city should be a walk in the park.


    Over the course of his two imprisonments, Ray''s clothes had taken quite the hit. A ripped apart shirt, half his pants and shoes broken beyond recognition was all he had left. He looked worse than even the poorest of beggars.


    Since he caught such an idiotic Noble, who can save him the trouble of having to explain himself, he definitely wouldn''t let him go.


    He got up from his kneeling position, and clapped lightly, focusing the attention on himself.


    "M''Lord, the day is still young. If we go now, we may reach the city before dark."


    What he did and said seemed incredibly inconsiderate given the tense atmosphere, especially since he didn''t have any idea if what he said was true, but would anybody expect a ''farmers boy'' to take such things into account? And what he lost in social finesse he made up by making a way to step down for the captain and soldier.


    Frederic swished his cape and stomped to his horse as loudly as he could, ignoring everyone around him. He had some difficulty getting on the saddle due to his heavy armor and majestic attire but was to busy pouting to think of asking someone for help. The soldiers didn''t get involved on their own either, afraid of pulling the ire of their Lord again.


    The bloke who got slapped shot Ray a glance of gratitude but was only greeted with an oblivious smile. Not saying anything more, he strode back to his comrades, who one by one started to mount their horses. Ray didn''t want to say anything unnecessary either and walked up to one of the soldiers, getting on the back of his horse after some discussion.


    The group changed direction and trotted towards Resal. During the whole journey not much was said. His Lordship was demonstrating incredible perseverance in maintaining his foul mood, and with the leader being quiet the subordinates didn''t risk anything. Although Ray wanted to get more information out of them, he decided to read the mood and don''t start asking stupid questions. He didn''t want to lose his free pass for the answer to the mystery of the continental situation.


    As time went by, the exhaustion, accumulated over the last few days, finally caught up with Ray. He fell asleep yet before they left the Barren Mountain range, unable to confirm his suspicion about the border between Resal and the Mountains.


    Like all the other times he slept in this world, he didn''t dream. As soon as he closed his eyes, the world went pitch black. No sound. No vision. No feelings. He was scared the first time it happened, but gradually got used to it. Now it was the only refuge he had from the chaos of life and longed to remain longer each time he slumbered.


    A sudden jolt caused Ray to awake. He drowsily stretched his upper body, only to notice the grumpy face of his chauffeur. The soldier didn''t seem to like Ray getting sleep while he had to ride without any rest. Replying with a stupid smile, Ray was shocked to notice their current position, as he looked beyond the soldier.


    On a vast plain, four horses stood tall. A fresh wind, one he hadn¨At felt in a long time, filled Ray''s lungs to the brim. No ash-filled skies nor dust clouds littering the ground. No pained screams nor mad whispers. Only a clear blue sky, an evergreen prairie and the city in the middle of it all.

 Chapter 14: Acquaintance

    Tall walls, like the ones he had seen in history books. A trench filled with water, the only way connecting to the city a molded bridge. Beyond the long line of people, two guards stood in front of the gate, controlling who came and went. Those who passed were directed to another person. He didn¨At wear armor like those around him, being dressed in simple gown. Feather in hand, he noted something, each time he was spoken to.


    Escorted by the Knights captain, Ray didn''t stand in line, as his statue commanded. The horses trotted right next to the many citizens, roasting in the glaring sun, but none of them complained. With an apathetic gaze, they let the soldiers pass, some even lowering their heads. The Noble and his subordinates seemed used to such treatment and didn''t act any different than the rest of their journey.


    As Frederic approached the gate, the soldiers guarding the gate stared at them with wide eyes, one running to the man taking notes. Without stopping the five proceeded, not even bothering to return the salute of the remaining guard. Just as they were about to enter the city, a hurried voice caught up with them.


    "Lord Lockhall, what a pleasure to meet you here! It is good to see you unharmed after such a dangerous mission. And not only that, you are back in record time too! I''m sure his Grace will be delighted!"


    Pulling the reins, the four horses came to a stop. To their side, the man, previously speaking to the entering people, had his arms wide open and flashed a smile one could see from a mile away. Now that he was so near, Ray got a good look at him. Although not old, the man had grey, almost white hair. The bags under his eyes didn''t diminish the glow they emitted, only emphasizing his strangely blue iris. As he puffed out his chest, the Insignia sewn onto his humble garb came inevitably into one''s sight. It was undoubtedly a source of pride for him.


    Ray noticed the scowl on Frederic''s face and started to build anticipation for this encounter. He couldn''t blame him as the sarcasm in the man''s speech was so obvious.


    Without much delay, the captain spat.


    "Sir Baldwin, what a surprise. I didn''t expect to encounter someone of your statue playing notary at the gate?"


    Baldwin''s expression darkened, but his smile remained as it was. He walked in front of the horses and stroke the mane of Frederic''s.


    "Life has its highs and lows, my friend. After all, not all of us born into high positions. Some need to work for their pay."


    "And by the way...may I ask who your new companion is? I don''t remember seeing him when you left."


    Suddenly thrown into the conversation, Ray, who previously gloated in the misfortune of these two, sprung up. He didn''t know if he was supposed to answer himself or wait until the captain introduced him. The customs of Nobles weren''t something he was familiar with.


    Fortunately for him, Frederic didn''t let him wait. He shot him a short glance and continued his verbal showdown with Baldwin.


    "We found that peasant in the Barren Mountain range. He is an escapee and the reason we had to abort the mission."


    The notary gave Frederic a quizzical look, asking,


    "Abort the mission?"


    "It is possible for him to have vital information on Arabel''s tunnel network. Bringing him back immediately was more important than begging for the help of those underground rats."


    As the conversation took a turn Ray didn''t understand, he leaned into the ear of his driver and whispered.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions."Say, who is that guy and what did Lord Lockhall mean with underground rats?"


    Scoffing at Ray''s attempt at fishing for information, the soldier reprimanded him just loud enough not to interrupt the exchange in front of them.


    "Heh! Don''t ask ''bout shit ya don''t understand, kid. ''em muddy waters are too deep to stick yar nose in."


    Ray rolled his eyes to an almost audible degree. But as ridiculous as he found the soldiers scolding, he stopped asking; else they would grow suspicious.


    Lord Lockhall and Baldwin talked a while longer, but only discussed mundane topics. While Frederic hadn''t been away for long, it seemed much happened in Noble society. The gossip mainly revolved about the affair of some Viscount''s wife and the coming of age of a Count''s son. Nothing Ray was particularly interested in.


    What he was more worried about was the lack of a certain fire coming up during the conversation. Although he didn''t expect information to travel as fast as in his homeworld, it had been several days since the Inferno. How could a nation bordering that forest not have any intel on it?


    His every fiber screamed that something seemed suspicious, but he couldn''t put his finger on it.


    Before he had the chance to further develop his, increasingly paranoid, thoughts, the horse he was on restarted its trot.


    The city opening before him, all his previous concerns flew out the window. Floods of people rushed in between crooked buildings, dodging left and right to avoid the many obstacles. Merchants and hagglers shouted their prices into the mass, providing a never-ending noise background. Even the strong smell of feces and rotting meat contributed to the ambiance.


    The horses squished with every step on the muddy road, even though rain hadn''t come in a while. With a steady rhythm, the five advanced, in the chaotic masses, unobstructed. Wherever they went, a rift formed. Scrambling to the side, no one wanted to be near them. A moment ago strangers, people, who couldn''t get out of the way in time, were helped by whoever was next to them.


    Ray originally thought the soldiers'' help would be up to here, and he was going to be asked to dismount, and scram, but his saviors seemed to have different plans. Without stopping in between, the city''s scenery passed by until they came to another gate. From equipment to the number of guards, the security of this separator was a lot higher in quality compared to outside the city.


    Beyond the heavily manned gate, the disorganized structure of the buildings became straight and clear. Mansions lined the streets, and fashionable Noble men and women busied the stores. Here, nobody dodged their horses but kept going as if they weren''t even there. A curious glance once in a while was all they got.


    Navigating became, understandably, a lot harder and the ride wasn''t as smooth as before, hindering Ray from taking the rest of the city in. After a few more minutes of rattling on horseback, the group entered an open courtyard. Batches of soldiers trained all over, some running past them, shouting war cries. Behind the ''training grounds'' stood several imposing buildings, each in a different style. Servants hurried in between, trays with amenities in their hands.


    The closer the group got to them, the tenser the atmosphere became. Frederic''s face crumbled. He bit his lips, sunk his nails into the reins and sweated in buckets. When they were only about a dozen meters away, the large door, of the mansion in the middle, opened and servants streamed out, lining up at the sides of the entrance. Frederic and the soldiers dismounted, followed by Ray, who didn¨At know what was going on. As he leaned closer to his familiar soldier, loud footsteps accompanied by laughter reverberated from the mansion. Out of the shadows of the candlelight, a large man, by every measure, stepped into the courtyard. As he set foot onto the stairs, the servants, soldiers as well the Noble Lord Lockahll fell onto one knee at once, shouting in harmony.


    "We greet His Grace, Duke Bellridge!"


    The most sensible action for Ray would have been to imitate the others, behave like he has at least some kind of common knowledge. Unfortunately, he was to busy staring at the company of His Grace with an open mouth.


    Cold eyes, a slick smile and elegant appearance. One of the commanders of the army camp in the Barren Mountain range stood right behind the Duke. He didn¨At say anything nor did he betray any emotions, but his eyes were fixated on Ray.


    Both, stuck in their own world and thoughts, completely ignored the people around them. The soldiers and servants kneeling sneaked a few peeks in fear and anticipation. After a few seconds in absolute quiet, the Duke''s fat jiggled, his laughter resounding as loud as thunder.


    "Seems like we have a lot more to talk about than I thought, young friend."

 Chapter 15: Small talk

    "Sir...if you would let me help..."


    In a lavish bedroom, two people were staring with equally awkward faces. One stood in the doorframe, light sweat dripping from her face. Focused on the gentlemen before her, she was clearly unsure what to do, as she fidgeted from time to time, leaning forward as if to take a step, but stopping at the last moment, remaining where she was.


    "Don''t worry, I''ve got this. You can go ahead if you want. I''ll follow soon." The man spoke, a slight tremble in his voice.


    He was standing in front of the bed, and even while he talked his eyes didn''t stray from the lump of cloth before him.


    The only thing he wore at the moment were a pair of strangely big pair of boxers, possibly made out of hemp. His shame, at the fact that he was half naked in front of a stranger, was long gone, as he concentrated on the task at hand: Getting dressed.


    And while Ray was familiar with putting on a T-shirt and some sweat pants, the attire of Aristocrats was a bit more complicated to don. When he woke up, the clothes had been laid out and a maid dispatched to help him dress. All he had to do was let her do her work and enjoy the process, but unfortunately, his pride got in the way of his bliss. Feeling weirded out by the prospect of someone else dressing him, like a small child, Ray refused the help and confidently stated he could do something, as simple as this, himself.


    ''Shit! Why are there so many pieces to a damn suit?!''


    The deadlock between Ray and his clothes continued for a while longer, until a male servant entered the room, informing him of the Count''s wish to see him now.


    Maid and Master sprung up alike, cooperating with astonishing synergy to dress him up.


    Before he left, Ray caught a glimpse of himself in a silverware mirror. He had to admit: all the effort had paid off. He looked a lot more presentable than even in his best clothes from back home.


    All in black and grey, a long coat over a set-up of a vest and plain bottomed up shirt. Tight rider pants and boots finished his look.


    ...


    The servant and maid were already walking down the hallway outside Ray''s room, so he hurried along, lest he got lost. It still felt strange to him to be this relaxed inside ''enemy territory'', but since he didn¨At sleep in a dungeon or prison cell, he assumed he was safe...for now.


    After the encounter with the Duke and his guest the Count, Ray was basically ignored by the two of them. As they had left and the audience had stood up, he was brought into the central building by a servant, yet before anyone had the chance to ask him any questions. A long bath and a hefty dinner later, he slipped into silk pajamas and slept like a baby until morning. He planned to be only half asleep, remain vigilant the whole night. But the touch of a comfy bed was all that it took to destroy his scheme.


    Now, reinvigorated and refreshed, he was about to meet one of the very first people he had encountered in this new world: Count Selwin. Ray''s memory of him was quite vivid, despite the brief meeting. The impression of a cold, calculative and cruel person had imprinted itself deeply within his mind.


    It had been a while since they left the bedroom, but the hallway just didn''t seem to end. Room after room they passed, each looking the same from the outside. Ray wondered how the servants orientated themselves in this strange maze but shrugged it off as another unsolved mystery of this ''Wonderland''.


    Eventually, they came to a stop, maid and servant lining up next to the door, the head slightly lowered. It was obvious what they wanted to indicate, but Ray didn''t think he would have to go alone into the room. No knocking or announcement. Not even a small explanation about what he was expected to do.


    And despite his ambiguous status, he was quite upset about this. After all, he had shared a morning with this maid. Wasn''t that worth something?


    But as his internal complaint went unnoticed, he was forced to tackle the issue himself. Putting his hands on the doorknob, he slowly opened ''Hells Gate''. He expected a high pitched creaking sound, followed by a dark lit room filled with severed heads or a satanic ritual. Instead, a huge dining room, with passage to a balcony, greeted him. The Count sat at a small table, looking over the training field, drinking tea, occasionally nibbling on pastry. Although he must have heard Ray coming in, he didn''t as much as turn his head or acknowledge him in any other way.


    Ray didn''t want to come off as unconfident or indecisive, so he walked right up to Selwin and imitated the salute he had seen when he first arrived at the city gates.


    A small smirk came upon the Count''s face, although Ray didn''t know whether it was a mocking or an amused one. As always Selwins facial expression was an enigma for him.


    And as much as Ray enjoyed their silent conversation, he didn''t want to talk to the Count like a subordinate.


    "May I sit?" he asked.


    A few seconds passed and the only noise breaking the silence were the shouts of the soldiers down in the courtyard, and Selwin slurping his tea.


    Taking this quiet as an answer, Ray sat down across the Count, looking him straight into the eyes.


    Ray''s action would have been unacceptable in medieval times on earth and going by his previous encounters probably not appropriate here either, but he had already decided to be more aggressive in his behavior, so he delivered.Stolen novel; please report.


    With a light sound, Selwin put his cup down and looked directly at Ray for the first time.


    "Before you ask anything," He said, "Your friends are safe."


    "They are?"


    Ray''s eyes widened. Not only had they survived the enemy attack, but they also weren''t punished for attempted flight? He couldn''t believe it.


    If he had learned one thing about this world than that everyone was an absolute as*hole and those that weren''t were just well-disguised liars.


    To be shown such mercy from those people was unbelievable to him.


    Under Ray''s questioning gaze, Selwin eventually gave in.


    He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well...relatively."


    "We obviously couldn''t let them go, and the next best thing we had on hand was a sword..."


    Saying so far, the Count made a rather lengthy pause and started drinking tea again. Ray was already sweating, his fists clenched. He knew they weren''t dead, but there were a lot worse things the soldiers could have done to them.


    ''Sadistic c*nt.''


    As far as Ray saw it, Selwin was simply enjoying toying with him. He knew Ray couldn''t get the answers he desired so desperately from anywhere else and the agony delaying those brought him.


    While he thought of a snarky remark to comeback, the Count finally continued his narration.


    "Of course you have nothing to worry about. Something as barbaric as slaughtering prisoners isn''t the way of Aristocracy."


    He took another sip of tea saying, "So we sold them."


    Ray''s vision went white. He had suspected something like this, but hearing it directly from the source still had a profound impact on him.


    Closing his eyes for a moment, he took a deep breath. At least he now knew for sure what happened to his friends, making it a lot easier to formulate a plan, if he wanted to rescue them.


    Calmed down he refocused on Selwin. For a man who just spoke about selling people into slavery, he was entirely undisturbed...not even bothered. The difference in moral values was remarkable.


    ...


    "If I remember correctly, it was you who wanted to kill us on our first meeting. I wonder when you remembered those Noble values?" Ray said.


    Selwin''s hand flinched ever so slightly, but his smile didn''t falter. He leaned back into his chair, seemingly looking down on Ray he said,


    "Things...changed. But you don''t need to know anymore. After all, I didn''t call you here to answer your queries."


    A slight chuckle escaped the Count''s lips.


    "Besides, using them to make up for the War expenses seems like a worthwhile investment."


    ''What a prick'' Ray thought to himself. From his mocking smile to keeping him on the toes, and now this blatant provocation. Ray slowly became to suspect the Count only didn''t sell him off yet just to make fun of him.


    "But enough small talk" Selwin said, "I imagine you are wondering why you haven''t been subject to the same treatment as your friends."


    Ray leaned back, similarly to Selwin and intercrossed his fingers. With an, over the top posh accent, he said, "Isn''t it because I still have value for you? As I see it, the reason you wanted to have us killed in the first place, was to prevent that burly Baron from taking us to the King. It was quite obvious that you two belong to opposing factions. And although I don''t know what agreement you have reached with him to have the others sold, now that you found me, one who wasn''t part of that agreement, you want to use me against them, in whatever manner. Aren''t I right Lord Count."


    Silence followed. For the first time, the Counts expression changed in a significant manner. Even the smile he always wore became a gaping mouth.


    Only after about half a minute did Selwin''s face return to normal. His smile though wasn''t as calm and collected, but more one of excitement.


    "What an interesting accent! I have never heard it before! Do it again!" he shouted.


    This time around it was Ray''s turn to be surprised. What was intended to be mocking, turned into a delight for the Count.


    And although Selwin didn''t seem bothered to have shown such new, childish, side of him, Ray was quite disturbed. The previous impression he had of the Count wholly destroyed.


    Ray stood up, slammed his hands onto the table and shouted in indignation. "Lord Selwin, I hope you are taking this seriously. Whatever it is you need me for, I have no intention of selling myself for cheap! Although I may not be an Aristocrat, I demand certain respect in negotiations!"


    Already calmed down from his initial excitement, the Count was staring at Ray with his usual smug look. An eyebrow raised was all that remained to remind of his childish outburst.


    "Young man,...you are right. Aristocrat or not, in trade all parties are equal. Whether merchant, peasant, nobility... or even royalty, one shouldn¨At underestimate anyone; else you could only blame yourself for loosing out. But...who told you this was some kind of negotiation?"


    Selwin raised his cup but noticed quickly it was as good as empty. Instead of drinking the rest, he swirled the content, seemingly focusing entirely on playing with his beverage.


    "The reason I didn''t speak to you as an equal, even when you explained my ''predicament'' so eloquently, is because I''m not asking you to do something...I''m merely informing you about what you are going to do."


    Ray slumped into his seat. Arrogance. It was the word that danced inside his head while looking at his disputant.


    The Pride ingrained into his bones. The Confidence in his every word. The Arrogance seeping out of his very being.


    Selwin was acting like he was on an entirely different plane of existence. A step above everyone else.


    To Ray such behavior and mindset were perplexing. He had met many strange characters over the last few days, but Selwin was in a league of his own. Whether he was self-aware or oblivious didn''t even matter. He had the status and power to behave in whatever way he wanted, without any repercussions.


    The gears in Ray''s mind turned and twisted. He had to come up with something. Fast. At this rate what happened in the forest would just repeat itself.


    He didn''t want to be backed against a corner anymore. Helplessly hanging on a thread as those stronger than him decided over his fate.


    Right now all he had was a vague idea of what was going on behind the scenes of those of Nobility, but using that as a card against Selwin seemed like a far fetched idea.


    Once again he had no other choice than to gamble his life.


    "Lord Selwin, what you say is true. Right now I don''t have the means or standing to negotiate with you. But I wonder...does the same apply to, let''s say, the baron too?"


    Squinting, the Count''s eyes moved from his cup away, once again staring at Ray. His tone lower than ever before he said, "...You want to threaten me?"


    An expression of shock settled on Ray''s face. As if he had heard the most absurd thing in the world, he shook his head saying flustered,


    "By all means no, M''Lord! I wouldn''t dare! But as much as I respect your command, I can not influence the Baron or any other who may want you harm. And once faced with such adversity...unfortunately I can not guarantee anything."


    Ray stopped talking entirely. He had said all there was to say. Now that was left was for Selwin to weigh his options. To decide whether he would take Ray as one of his own or dispose of him, burying him in the most obscure corner of the annals of history.

 Chapter 16: A small grab for Power

    "Haaa"


    With a lengthy sigh, Ray closed the door behind him. Since he started speaking with Selwin, his hands wouldn''t stop jittering. During the conversation he hid them under the table, hoping the Count wouldn''t notice, but his anxiety never left him. With no real leverage or backup options, the gamble he took would have cost him everything; As little as that was now.


    The servants who brought him here were already gone, going after their own business.


    Walking down the hallway, Ray''s steps, heavy as they were, echoed through the mansion. His thoughts strayed pondering about the future. Although he experienced a minor victory, as he had convinced the Count not to enslave him, in reality, he only maintained the status quo. The world was still a mystery. Nobility was still above and beyond. And worst of all, he was still being pushed around like a puppet.


    As he reached a window, he leaned on it. Contemplating, the soldiers downstairs came into view. Their training was still not done, the shouting continuing as ever. A few men and women sunbathing in the shade were the only addition to the scenery. As a stark contrast to the sweating men of arms, these people joyfully laughed and ate, drank and sang, regaled in obscenity and hedonism.


    On closer observation was not only the Knight captain Lockhall in the lot, but the notary of the gate Baldwin was also there. With a few Ladies and another two gentlemen, they strained their smiles and made small talk or exchanged their favorite gossip.


    Listening in was not possible, but the atmosphere was typical for those of high society ¡ª lots of laughter with even more hidden hostility. The passive aggressiveness was radiating all the way up to Ray.


    One of the joyful friends stood out more than others though. With a puffed out chest and broad gestures, he dictated the group''s mood. Most of the time all eyes were on him, and the conversation seemed to revolve with him as the center as well. His curly red hair resembled one of the girls, sitting with a parasol in her hand. She was the only one who interrupted the youth sometimes, adding something of her own.


    A hand on the frame, Ray got even closer to the window. He wanted to break away from the people and circumstances that bound him, but without a firm foundation, it didn''t seem possible. At first glance, the Count seemed like a reliable partner and patron, if he only could trust him more than he could throw him.


    As he was right now, whether it was Selwin or someone else, once he outlived his use, he would inevitably be thrown away.


    He needed someone or something to alleviate his status. An event to prove...or at least seemingly prove his worth...


    Thinking of this a smirk crept upon Ray''s lips.


    ''I choose you.''


    ...


    "But it was nothing that impressive. I simply had to-"


    Midsentence the red-haired youth stopped telling his tale, while his expression crumbled. He saw how none of the people, who should be captivated by him, were listening to his story.


    As he followed their eyes over his shoulder, he noticed the offender coming closer with large yet unhurried strides.


    ...


    The ground crunched beneath his feet, as Ray approached the group. Hands in his pockets and chin slightly raised he walked in leisure, exaggerated slow.


    While he neared the red-haired youth snapped his head back to look at him and immediately broke into a sneer.


    He eyed the girl resembling him and said,


    "Cecilia, my dear, isn''t that the gentleman everyone is talking about. What was his name again?"


    With a small chuckle, she responded,


    "It is, dear brother. They made it seem like he had a second head; I was long since bored of all these rumors, but unfortunately, I don''t know his name either. Commoners rarely have memorable names."


    Ray scoffed. He had expected as much when he decided to come here and knew better than let them get under his skin.


    At a distance of about three arm lengths, he stopped walking. Taking his hands out of his pockets he tried himself at a ceremonial bow. A leg behind, his right arm at over his stomach the other one stretched. Although he didn''t know any actual customs or appropriate manners, they surely wouldn''t blame a peasant for being ignorant about the art of introduction.


    Locking eyes with the Knight captain, he initiated a conversation.


    "Lord Lockahll, good to see you again. I couldn''t help but be saddened by our abrupt parting. I hope you will accept my humble apologies and gratitude."


    A slight surprise washed over the group, as Ray ignored their taunts and didn''t even bother to respond, but it was nothing compared to what Frederic was feeling at that moment.


    His eyes widened. The Ray he had known, and the one right in front of him seemed like day and night. Confidence and calm emanated from him.


    But he knew it was still the same peasant he had rescued; The same who had begged him for his life and the same who, for some reason, was an acquaintance of the Count.


    Suppressing his thoughts and feelings, he said,


    "Indeed, it was a shame. I still had some questions, but since it was the Duke''s order..."


    Without breaking eye contact with Frederic, Ray continued,


    "Agreed." He said, "But unfortunately I cannot give His Lordship any appropriate answers as I would need the Count''s, if not the Duke''s approval. I hope for your understanding."


    Bulshitting on the spot and deflecting any questions unfavorable for him, to Selwin, he drove the exchange.


    "But that is not the reason I''ve come to you on his lovely day." Ray exclaimed as his smile widened.


    He raised his arms as if to hug the air in front of him and looked, slightly glazed, into the distance, reminiscent of feelings he didn''t have.


    "I have always dreamed of the wonderful life of Nobles. Going to banquets and dances, eating only the greatest food and travel to the most exotic places."


    "As a valiant Knight slaying our foreign, or worse even internal, enemies. In Court defending our rights and ruling over the masses with an iron fist but a compassionate heart."


    He dropped his arms, and his smile vanished.


    "I held the culture and heritage passed down from our ancestors in high regard and thought the very heirs of said customs would be the same..."


    "But looking at you now...It is an embarrassment" He scoffed.


    All people present stopped breathing for a moment. The soldiers in hearing distance halted their training, the whispering soon starting. As what Ray said spread like a wildfire, the other men followed their comrades'' example and proceeded to stand on the spot in shock or amusement.


    The small party of Nobles in front of him didn''t say or do anything as they watched this unfold. Some still hadn''t registered what was happening, looking in between their friends, searching for answers. As if on queue, at some point they all looked towards the red-haired boy, even the unruly sister quietly reading his mood.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    The youth in question though didn''t react in any significant manner, his sneer not moving. One could think he didn''t hear what Ray had said, but his frown gave him away.


    He stared a hole into Ray, sizing him up, not at all minding the soldiers'' stare or his groups'' plea for direction.


    ''Almost there...''


    While waiting for the soldiers to calm down and the youths to process what he had said, Ray formulated the next part of his speech.


    He turned around, as he felt enough time had passed, and directed his words at the men behind.


    "Not only did these future Lords have the audacity to hold their picknick in the training grounds of his Grace''s, the Duke''s soldiers. No! Their blatant arrogance in mocking the (arguably) strongest and bravest army in these lands while feasting on their ground only worsens their offense."


    As he spoke with increasingly higher voice and vigor, the soldiers slowly started fidgeting, some of the braver (or just easier irritable) one''s shooting the aristocrats'' nasty looks.


    Ray glanced up to the balcony; he had been on just moments ago. The Count still sat at the table, drinking his tea, but Ray could see the occasional peek Selwin shot him.


    ''Now it''s perfect'' He thought.


    With a swift motion, he pointed at the youths and shouted, "My fellow citizen and brothers in arms, while I can tolerate disrespect at me, my comrades and even my family if necessary. I will not stand in silence, watching them disrespect what we fight and live for! What we protect and love! What this great nation and our home were built upon and represent!"


    Slowly coming to an end, Ray turned to face the Lordlings again. As agitated and enraged the soldiers were, Ray knew they wouldn''t take any action. Unlike him, these people lived under the shackles of Aristocracy their entire lives, and a certain obedience and fear were long since instilled in them. A quick speech from some fresh blood may be enough to recall some of their fighting spirit and fury, but that was it.


    Luckily he didn¨At need them to do anything. The less they got involved, the better.


    "Lords and Ladies here before me, please tell if anything I''m saying is wrong, but have you not expressed your disdain for these brave men? Have you not sullied their honor with distasteful jokes and mockeries? Have you not used your superior status to oppress them into silence, while tasting on their fruits of labor?


    As if representing the charges, brought against them, Ray''s tone was full righteousness and condemnation. He had seen some of the youths trying to speak up but quickly shot the attempts down by shouting some semi-revolutionary crap that flew through his head.


    Red and shaking the group held their heads high. Although they couldn''t get a word in between to defend themselves (or to attack Ray), they very much appealed their innocence with gestures and body language.


    Only Frederic looked at his shoes with clenched fists. Aristocrat or not, the man was part of the military Ray was defending, so mixed feelings were a given.


    Finally, as he thought this stalemate of accusation versus non-verbal defiance would continue until the guards came and hanged him for treason, the red-haired boy stepped up.


    And without even realizing it Ray broke into a smile, as much as he tried to suppress it.


    ''Finally'' He thought. His voice was already coarse and the things he had left to say sparse. A few more moments and his inspiring speech would have turned into an awkward silence.


    Putting his best ''I am prepared for death'' face on, Ray stood his ground against his adversary.


    "Even if you wish to hang me now after I''ve spoken the truth, I won''t resist nor scream in indignation. Not because I''m not saddened by my fate or enraged by the Lords and Ladies who sully their families name. It is because I know that even if my name slowly drifts into obscurity, the brave men here present won''t forget what I''ve said and the vile acts you have been committing! It is because I know, as long as you don''t murder every soul who has heard my message, this life won''t have been in vain!


    So M''Lord, drag me to the gallows and show the masses my corpse, I have nothing to regret..."


    As silence commerced, the red-haired youth halted in his advance. He hadn''t taken as much as two steps when Ray began the final part of his speech. Without actually doing or saying anything he was accused of wanting Ray''s death. And with all eyes now on him, he couldn''t hastily act.


    No matter which world or time period, distinguished households always cared a great deal about their name and reputation. A fact vastly abused by Ray.


    The crevices on the youths face only increased as time passed, his frown deepening with them. After, what felt like an eternity for all involved, he seemed to have come to a decision.


    Pressing his lips together he strained a smile.


    "Well, Well, no need to be overly dramatic, our unnamed guest. Nobody is sending you to the gallows. In fact, I was quite touched by your speech and wish to express my admiration."


    Turning his upper body to face his comrades he lowered his voice and said, "Don''t you think so too?"


    The group was quick to agree and even quicker to fawn over the youth, praising his magnanimity and open mind.


    He dismissed the comments with a casual wave, a few touches of laughter and a humble attitude, but didn''t seem to mind the distraction from the topic at hand.


    Ray rolled his eyes at the childish attempt to divert the subject. If he was going to be outplayed by such simple antics, he wouldn''t have bothered at all. After all, he wasn''t here to actually administer justice.


    With a pulled down face, he returned the conversation on track.


    "M''Lord, I''m glad at least this much reason has remained in you, but my word still stands. I hope you won''t be offended if I ask for an explanation."


    The youth''s face twitched, a vein faintly visible on his temple.


    "My, My, you are an insistent one, aren''t you?" He said, turning back to Ray. "And let''s drop the M''Lord. It sounds so formal. My name is Richard Hartford, but you may call me Lord Richard. Lord Hartford is my father."


    Locking his arms behind his back, his foot started to tap in a steady rhythm. He appraised Ray one more time before saying, "As for the explanation...I''m positive you owe us one too, Mister No Name."


    Richard paused a short moment before walking next to one of his friends, tapping him on his shoulder.


    "You see, although I don''t mind the common folk speaking their mind, my friend Thomason here is a lot more of a traditionalist. Can''t you see him shaking in outrage?"


    The boy he had tapped looked bewildered at first, but after a short glare of Richard and his sister realization hit him and surprise turned into anger. He clenched his teeth and frowned as best as he could, but to those around him, he only looked like number two was on its way.


    But apparently, that was enough for Richard. With a shaking head but laughing eyes, he looked back up, meeting Ray''s gaze.


    He, on the other hand, couldn''t notice such subtle nuances as shock and disbelief filled his mind.


    ''What an...idiot'' He thought ''And here I was panicking for a second. Well, at least it''s easier to deal with it this way.''


    Anyone with half a decent mind should have noticed by now that Ray was trying to create trouble. He wasn''t even of this city (not to mention world) and doesn''t have any reason to stand up to the Nobles of it without proper cause or goal. All he wanted was to provoke some arrogant kids, so he can take it up with them as a brave speaker of the people and gain some cheap fame or shaky power. Had Richard continued to defuse the situation, Ray would have been forced to stand down, and the whole thing would have ended with him gaining enemies and another embarrassing story, but thankfully one could always count on the useless pride of a rich brat.


    Still no matter what he thought, concentrating on the subject at hand took priority. He knew things could go south in a heartbeat if he messed up now.


    He pressed his lips, and without sparing Thomason a look he said,


    "I''m not sure what you are trying to suggest, Lord Richard, but whatever punishment you see fit, I will not object."


    "...Punishment? Hahaha...No. I already said that I don''t mind peasants like you to speak their mind, so how could there be punishment?"


    Richard patted Thomason''s shoulder as a smile crept up his face.


    "When I said my friend here is more of a traditionalist, I meant he handles his grievances the old fashioned way, like many of our fathers have before us."


    Nobody seemed to mind the fact that Richard was speaking for his friend who was supposedly so offended. It was, in fact, quite natural.


    Similar to Ray earlier Richard threw his free hand up and shouted,


    "Therefore, in front of all those assembled here, I will bear witness to Thomason Petland, firstborn son of Baron Petland, challenging you to a duel of life and death!"


    After a moment of pin-drop silence, the soldiers cheered and the lordlings smirked. Only Thomason and Ray didn''t react, seemingly petrified. No doubt none of them had thought it would turn out like this. Ray''s scheme had technically succeeded. He had his head still on his shoulders, and the young Lords had given him an appropriate response, but something seemed wrong. Something he couldn''t put a finger on just yet...


    With a hearty laugh, Richard rounded up his friends and spoke a few more words about the glory and honor one would receive after winning such a fight. He walked away, leading youths to the mansion, his smugness lingering in the air long after he was gone.


    And while the soldiers slowly returned to their training and other duties, Ray was still plastered to the ground.


    ''...duel of life and death...Death...wait...What!?''

 Chapter 17: Villains

    The rest of the day went by in a swift with nothing noteworthy happening.


    As Ray walked the hallways sometimes whispers and rumors of his little act downstairs reached his ears. Most mocked or ridiculed him, but he could always hear a hint of anticipation in their voices.


    The upcoming duel would determine his life going forward.


    Triumph would mean an enormous rise in reputation and civilian support. Maybe even an Aristocrat would show interest, releasing him from the slimy clutches of Count Selwin.


    And in case he loses...well, he''d be dead, so it wouldn''t matter anyway.


    So, all he had to do was beat up some spoiled lordling in a grand manner, continue his act of a righteous citizen and lastly reap the rewards.


    It all sounded good on paper (or in his mind for that matter,) with the only problem being his absolute inability to fight. Never mind a duel to the death, he hadn''t even been in a street fight until now. And as to the aspect of being spoiled and weak; luxuries in a medieval world probably wouldn''t match what most modern middle-class families could afford, so he couldn''t hope to have an advantage there either.


    Other than brute forcing the whole thing and hoping for the best Ray didn''t have much of a plan so far. Resorting to trickery would significantly up his chances of winning, but, although he didn''t know the rules, he knew the Nobles too well by now to think they would let him get away once they got wind of him cheating. A fair fight would at least give his victory some validity, should he achieve it.


    Still, preparations had to be made. He wasn''t going to run blindly into battle just because he decided to be fair. Since he wasn''t yet familiar with this world and its customs the first step was to get to know everything he could, with the rules for the dual being right on top.


    ...


    After some asking around, they turned out to be surprisingly simple.


    Each contestant was given a weapon of their choice. No self-owned weapons were allowed to be used. The point of this rule was lost on Ray as all weapons were the same to him, but it seemed one to make things even so he wasn''t going to complain.


    The battle was to be held by either sword or magic, but never both.


    Additionally, although it was called duel of life and death, a deathblow wasn''t necessary, should both combatants come to terms.


    There were some other etiquettes he had to follow, but nothing that would directly play into the fight.


    And although the prospect of magic being used irked him, since he couldn''t use any, that was off the table from the get-go.


    All in all the rules seemed vague and open for interpretation. Abusing or working around them wouldn''t take much, and Ray could already think of a few ways to make the battle easier for himself or anger his opponent to death. He had made a decision though. No cheats. No tricks. Only two men clashing heads in the most primitive manner.


    That said, he wasn''t so naive to think Thomason would be the same.


    Whatever unwritten rules restrained him, were unlikely to hold the friendly group perfumed youngsters back.


    Since this duel was against an outsider and, more importantly, a commoner, he doubted the ruling class wouldn''t allow for some bending if it prevents blue blood from being shed.


    His first step on his path to victory took Ray into the city. He was surprised how easy it was to get out, but then again, where would he go?


    The landscape was the same as before; still so very unfamiliar and strange.


    He saw the same people with different faces, all so absorbed into their own affairs had they cellphones in their hands Ray would almost feel at home.


    Shaking his head, Ray laughed at himself. This wasn''t why he was here. He didn''t have the time to drown in sentimentality.


    Every elaborate plan started with a brilliant idea. So he walked. He walked and thought, long and hard until he came to the inner wall. He knew whatever was needed to win the fight; he couldn''t find within the sanctum of the rich. Not to mention, he''d be a lot harder to track down in the jumbled mess of the outer districts.


    As soon as he was through the gate, some people eyed him. Whether hidden or out in the open, Ray could feel their gazes on him. Some looked only for a brief moment, some too long for him to stay comfortable, but they all eventually shifted away without doing anything.


    Not minding the attention, Ray continued on his way. He wasn''t in the mood nor did he have the means to bother with these people. Down the road, as he disappeared into the sea of people, Ray constantly looked around in search of shops that sold what he needed. Luckily societies like this one weren''t known for being big on literacy, so most things were signposted.


    He tried going inside a few shops, never to buy anything, but to get a feel for the prices and people.


    His clothes didn''t exactly scream rich, but they were by no means common around here. If the shopkeepers treated him with too much suspicion he would have no chance to pull this off; after all, he didn''t have any money on him.


    Fortunately, wealthy clientele didn''t seem too rare as he was just generally ignored without much of a fuss.


    At his fourth or fifth stop, he walked into a shabby wooden building just at the entrance of an alley.


    The beggars and thugs so apparent everywhere else seemed to avoid this building like the plague, only some kids covered in grime wearing rags hanging around.


    Inside wasn''t much better. The floor was covered in holes, the shelves full of cobwebs and only a few broken wares decorated the empty racks. Behind the counter sat an old man with half-closed eyes, smoking pipe. In a corner behind was another kid crouched. At first glance, he didn''t seem different than the rest of the bunch outside, but metallic glint, hidden in one of his hands, made Ray dismiss that assumption immediately.


    Looking around one last time, he approached the counter. He was sure this was the kind of ''shop'' he had been looking for. Since he didn''t have money, his best shot was in making a debt. And who gave debts out more easily than criminals?The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Although he knew it would cost him dearly later, his first and foremost priority right now was keeping his life, so he didn''t hesitate.


    The old man lazily raised his head. He didn''t meet Ray''s eyes and only looked up high enough to see his stomach. For some reason that gaze made Ray''s hairs stand on end.


    "What d''ya want laddie?" He said, his voice coarse and seasoned.


    Coming this far, Ray failed to produce an answer. How exactly was he supposed to breach this topic? Being just an ordinary student until recently, he didn''t have any experience dealing with criminals. Posing and holding speeches was one thing, but negotiating with the medieval mafia? A whole other level.


    Rasping his voice, Ray tried to sound as casual as possible.


    "I need something to help in a dual; got anything?"


    The old man finally looked all the way up, meeting Ray''s eyes. His scleras* were an unnatural yellow, almost golden, with bags that made him look like he didn''t sleep in weeks. But before Ray could wonder if it as from a sickness or whatever was in that pipe the man grumbled in a low voice.


    "You that twat fightin'' the Petland boy?"


    Despite the harsh language and the realization the man before him probably already knew everything that had conspired, Ray didn''t falter. He had to remain steadfast if he wanted this to work.


    "I am." he said, "I am also the one who is likely going to be killed by that boy if nothing happens."


    A shrug and disgusting cough later, the man returned his posture to how it was before. Not caring about the mucus he had splattered everywhere, he resumed smoking and murmured into his pipe,


    "Don'' care, don'' wanna bother. What''s one more dead shit to me?"


    He was, of course, right. Ray''s life didn''t mean anything to the man nor did he bring any benefits if left alive. But if the whole experience of living in a new world had taught Ray something, then bullshitting.


    With a small smile on his lips, Ray moved to brand himself a criminal.


    "A dead shit? Not much. A dead potential business partner? Maybe a bit more."


    As intended that seemed to have gotten the shopkeepers interest. In hopes of striking the iron while it''s hot, Ray continued.


    "Right now I don''t only have connections to Count Selwin and the Duke; after the fight - that means if I win - I will also be a man of the people. Beloved and respected."


    Shortly confirming junkie gramps was still listening, Ray quickly churned the gears in his mind to make himself sound even more important.


    "Additionally is, to my understanding, the victor entitled to a reward of the opponents family if nothing was formally agreed upon. Whether that will be land, money or other precious items; I imagine it would be quite valuable in one way or another. With your assistance, you would help yourselves just as much as me, if not more. Whether it''s a middles-man you want or just a quick cash-grab, for a small investment, you could get both. "


    As he ended his sales-pitch, the smug expression on his face was as good as fixed. He honestly thought there was no fault in what he said and although both of them knew most of it was exaggerated, he didn''t lie. And with enough time, work and luck the possible profit he could bring in, was rather significant.


    After some silent moments, the old man sighed defeated and, without saying anything, waved Ray away. Although he still tried to get a word in before he was sent away, a swift movement from the kid in the corner discouraged him form it. Shooting the shop one last glance he, got on his way, hoping for the best.


    ¡­


    As always Ray was woken up by the gently knocking of a maid, who, after quickly laying out his clothes for the day, excused herself from the room. With sluggish movements, Ray got out of the bed and immediately noticed his usual clothes were exchanged with thin leather armor allowing for quick movement.


    It was the big day of the fight, three days after the verbal showdown and two after his trip into the shady parts of town.


    He still hadn''t heard anything from the old shop-keep but knew better than to go there again. If the villain didn''t want to help, forcing the issue wouldn''t do him any good.


    And as much as he didn''t want to get up and face the consequences of his stupidity, hiding or running away weren''t viable options. In a place full of soldiers and aristocrats that were looking forward to this spectacle, he''d be dragged back from the gnaws of death if it was necessary.


    Since his number one and two choices were squashed, Ray had decided to walk into this battle at his best. After all, he had almost two full days to train his tender student body into swordsman material.


    Now clothed and ready, Ray made his last preparations by walking up and down the room, nibbling on his nails. Hundreds of scenarios of how the fight could play out ran through his head. Although he didn''t have any hands-on experience, years of TV education fueled his imagination. Unfortunately the times he lost heavily outweighed the times he won, even in his head.


    At that moment a heavy knocking, closer to hitting, ripped him out of his reverie. Opening the door, a burly soldier in full armor stared down on him. He knew it was time.


    Ray struggled one last time, trying to buy time, but had to resign himself in the end, as the escort didn''t even raise an eyebrow; much less respond.


    So he trudged down the hallway he once admired and now hated more than anything. The servants and maids they walked by looked at him with a mix of pity and schadenfreude. And angry as he wanted to be, at them, he couldn''t. With all honesty, he probably would have reacted the same if some poor sob ended up like him. But now that he was at the end of the joke...it wasn''t at all funny.


    Quite soon they reached the courtyard. In the short span of one night and morning, the space had transformed to conform to the needs of this day. A circular arena had been marked with wooden stakes. It was no more than ten meters in circumference, but for a sword-fight, it seemed more than enough. On both sides, left and right, seats had were set up in a dome-like manner. A quick count revealed there to be around a hundred people waiting with anticipation. And although he was one of the main attractions, Ray didn''t delude himself with the thought that all these Noblemen and women were here to see his glorious swordsmanship. They had to be either extremely bored or used the battle as a cover for the political undercurrents.


    On the opposite side of the arena, Richard and Thomason were already waiting, and for some reason, they were leaning on each other. Ray didn''t know their specific relationship, but at their last meeting, they didn''t seem close enough for such an action.


    Like every good cynic, Ray was already deep down in thoughts trying to resolve his suspicion, yet he had to let it go almost immediately as a child with a sword in hand bumped into him.


    Now on top of suspicious and afraid, he was also confused. Only a few steps from him was a weapon stand with all the swords, maces, shields and whatever he could hope for, yet this kid was here pressing a rapier in his side. Preparing to admonish the child and also let off some steam, Ray took a good look at this brat. To his surprise, he had to discover that it was the same grime covered child who sat in the corner of the old villain''s shop.


    Still lost on what this meant, Ray slowly raised his hand and took the handle of the sword. As he pulled it back to him, the child wiped the blade with a wet and dirty cloth, leaving it stained instead of clean. Wide-eyed and dazed, Ray brought the edge before himself, inspecting every inch of it. At first, he noticed nothing of note, until a small, almost transparent, drop liquid slid from the tip. Usually, he would have thought it water and moved on, but if it was a sword given by that kid...


    ''He accepted...HE ACCEPTED!''


    Like a child on Christmas morning, Ray couldn''t stop smiling from this moment forth. He didn''t notice how the courier kid pressed a sword-breaker in his free hand and vanished. He didn''t even notice the horn signaling the start of the event nor the thunderous applause right after. All he could think about was how his life had taken a turn once again.

 Chapter 18: Duel

    Surrounded by deafening cheers, the mute escort pushed Ray into the ring. He cleared his head of all unnecessary thoughts, fully concentrating on his opponents impending doom. With an evil smile and raised sword, Ray strode further in until he was a few steps from the midpoint. Courtesy commanded that both combatants meet in the middle and exchanged pleasantries before the fight. Ray took it the same as the interview before UFC or boxing fights and intended to trash talk Thomason; of course in a polite and refined manner.


    Much like himself the two Lords moved into the arena but didn''t walk up to Ray. The people cranked an eyebrow or two, as Thomason limbed into the ring, borrowing Richard''s shoulder, but didn''t stop clapping. They two stood on the edge and waited for the cheers to die down. As Richard raised his hand, silence commenced. After a quick look at his friend, who nodded in return, he said with a sigh,


    "Dear Lords and Ladies. It warms my heart to see how many of you have come to show your support for my close friend, Thomas. But as humbled as we are, we have to inform you that, in a heroic act of sacrifice, Thomason''s leg was broken, as he rescued my sister whilst hunting.


    Still, a fight was promised, and a fight must happen. Therefore, while being aware of the shame it brings, Thomason has decided to have a champion fight in his name!"


    At this declaration, the audience broke into a thousand different conversations. Some seemed quite amused, other frustrated, but no one spoke out against the act.


    Unsurprisingly, Ray, the most affected, was outraged. He didn''t believe, Thomason just conveniently broke his leg, shortly before their fight, but reason told him they wouldn''t lie about something so easily proven right or false.


    ''They broke his leg...They broke his leg just to f*ck me over...''


    The only explanation was Richard --or more likely his henchmen-- broke the leg intentionally. Whether it was solely to mess with Ray or actually to protect Thomason didn''t even matter; it wouldn''t change anything. But in an environment where access and methods of healing were highly limited, it was an insane maneuver. A wrong move and Thomason would possibly lose his leg.


    Admittedly Ray had underestimated them. Never would he have thought they would go to such extremes.


    Shaking his head he thought to himself, ''Doesn''t matter. It''d be the same whether I fight him or this champion.''


    Though the gap in skill might widen, since Ray didn''t have any, to begin with, he didn''t see the point in fretting over it.


    Taking a huge breath, Ray steeled his resolve once more and looked over to the two youngsters. As he met Richard''s eyes, the latter started to smile from ear to ear.


    And eerie as it was, Ray smiled back; he didn''t want to lose momentum or give them the satisfaction of seeing him nervous.


    Helping Thomason to the side of the ring, Richard gestured with a full swing of his free arm to the entrance. From behind the stands, a large shadow gradually approached. At first, all were calm, even Ray standing leisurely with a slight grin still on his face.


    But as the shadow grew in length far beyond what anyone expected it to, a commotion broke out within the audience.


    Forth came a giant of a man. His height easily towering over two meters fifty, with a width just as impressive. Thick hair sprouted of every spot on his body, giving the impression of fur, and only his- though hideous- human face marked him as a member of the same species.


    No weapon was in his hands, nor strapped to his back or hip, but his boulder-like fists made more than up for that fact.


    One of his eyes was missing; a black hole in almond shape was all that was left to indicate there ever was one. The other one was always roaming the audience, making everyone who met it shrink back. After a while, it finally settled on Ray, who was still watching this beast of a man with disbelief and showed the glint of a predator finding its prey. For a moment it looked like the beast would pounce on Ray without a moments notice, but a light touch on his shoulder from Richard made him back off.


    Handing his sidekick Thomason to a steward, Richard took position in front of the hulk and addressed the audience.


    "Lords and Ladies, may I introduce to you the champion of House Petland, Ol?if Thin-Hair!"


    After a moment''s hesitation, the masses began to cheer once again. Not one of the assembled Highborn didn''t clap or scream; not one, except Ray.


    He was too busy accumulating sweat on his face and panicking about the sheer difference in weight -class. Much like Ol?if, he began searching the crowd for someone willing to speak up. After all, this couldn''t be allowed. If you put a mere mortal up against the terminator in the flesh, it was clear who would win, for anyone to see. There was no point in even competing if he had to fight under these circumstances.


    ¡­


    But be it as it may, no came to Ray''s help. However desperately he looked, most didn''t even meet him eye to eye, much less tried to do something that wasn''t mocking in nature. His last resort, Count Selwin, was also not to be found. Not left nor right, he either didn''t come to see the fight or, which as more probable, watched from a private booth, somewhere with the Duke.


    Time past fast and the judge made his way to the arena. He raised his hand, a tissue within, and spoke in grandeur,


    "By the power given to me by the Duke and the two combatants, I shall witness the glory of victor and defeated; and hereby announce this duel''s beginning."


    With haste and hurry, the judge let go of the cloth and skittered from the stage, clearly afraid of the larger of the two fighters. And yet before it hit the ground, Ol?if charged ahead, with the strength and vigor one would expect from someone of his statue. It wouldn''t take more than a few seconds for the giant to reach Ray, but it was enough time for his entire life to flash before Ray''s eyes.


    From his early years of childhood to his short but eventful college experience and lastly the wonderful adventure in this new world. It seemed like he had lived a happy and fulfilled life.


    ''No! F*uck that! I don''t wanna die yet!''


    In the possibly last moment available, Ray gathered all his strength and leaped to the side, rolling out of the way of the attack.


    His own sword seemed to impale him for a moment, but missed a hairs-breath, thrusting into the air.


    Ol?if, who couldn''t stop in time, smashed his fists into the ground, throwing not only dust up, but also a good amount of dirt and stone. Spider-web like cracks, ranging from the point of impact, telling of his might.


    ''You''ve got to be kidding me?! Is that even human anymore?!''


    Crawling to his feet, Ray quickly got into position once more. Now only about two meters separated, even with all the adrenaline pumping through his veins at that moment he knew: He couldn''t dodge another one of those attacks.


    Ol?if got up, all the same, a feral grin on his face. With all those sharp fangs showing he, indeed, looked more beast than man.


    With slow steps, Ray started circling his opponent; alert and ready to act at any moment. But reacting to Ol?if''s attacks alone wouldn''t bring him victory. As he reached the left side of the giant, where he believed to be a blind spot, Ray jumped into action. He broke into a short sprint and thrust his weapon, aiming for the rips. All he wanted was to pierce into Ol?if''s flesh; even if the wound were shallow, the poison would do the rest.


    Unfortunately for him, Ol?if was as alert as him, if not even more so. The instant Ray pushed his weapon forward, Ol?if spun around to face him and grabbed the blade. As if he had picked up a branch without edge he flung the rapier, with Ray still attached to it, to the other side of the arena.


    After bouncing a few times on the way, Ray finally came to a stop. His eyes were blurry, his whole body hurting and he could barely make out the feeling of liquid flowing from his head. He just wanted to stop. To lie down on this comfortable ground and accept whatever was to come. Nothing seemed more attractive at that moment; yet when he ¨C far more by coincidence than intention ¨C saw Richard, with his smug smile, not standing far from him, he couldn''t hold back his anger and, while struggling, stood up.


    He knew it was stupid. That there was no guarantee he would win, even with the poison-coated sword. A silent voice in his head told him he had done enough. He could rest. But still, his rage demanded him to stand and fight. To struggle against Richard, the Nobles, the Spirit, society and the whole f*cking world if he had to.


    He had experienced too much, seen too much, DONE too much to give up now, just because some brat had him cornered.


    Through his bloodshot eyes, Ray could barely see the beast in front of him. Ol?if hadn''t moved from his spot since he threw Ray through the air. And although it seemed honorable not to kick someone who was already down; his mocking grimace told Ray that wasn''t the reason why he was spared.


    ''He is enjoying this. He is...playing?''Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Like a wild dog hunting for sport, Ol?if, too, was toying with his prey. He didn''t see Ray as a worthy opponent, to begin with, so what was the point in fighting in earnest?


    ''You wanna play? Fine as*hole, let''s play!''


    Moving his eyes a bit down, Ray noticed the blood coming down from Ol?if''s left hand. Although the cut wasn''t too wide or deep, the poison should still have entered his bloodstream; now it was a war of attrition.


    Aiming his sword at his opponent, Ray shouted loud enough for the whole courtyard to hear,


    "Oi, C*nt! is that all you got! Didn''t even f*cking hurt! But what was I expecting of a dick-less man-whore? Guess I''ll just have to wrap this up a go wrestle your mother in bed again!"


    With immediate effect, Ol?if turned red and shouted in rage. Similarly fast Ray turned tail and made a mad dash for the audience.


    Not quite what a man belittling his opponent''s strength should do, but beggars couldn''t be choosers.


    In his mind, he would have reached the nearest section of the stands long before Ol?if was anywhere near him, but the powerful footsteps shaking the ground, right behind him, told him otherwise.


    Abandoning all pretense, Ray ran with everything he had. At this point there would be no more talking or taking breaks; once he was caught, he''d be dead. Fortunately, by some miracle, his dwindling stamina managed to hold out until he was just a short distance away from his goal.


    Taking a huge leap, he jumped the highest he could. And despite ¨C or maybe because ¨C Ray''s confidence in his physical prowess, he knew the moment he did, that he wouldn''t make it all the way up to the railing of the stands. In a split-second decision, he drove the dagger in his hand into the wooden construct, until only the guard and handle was visible.


    A gasp escaped the Noble sitting on the other end of the plank, as a blade ripped a small part of his pants, in the crotch area, apart.


    But clearly not concerned with the man''s plight, Ray summoned all his remaining strength and pulled himself the last few dozen centimeters up. Now standing on what was supposed to protect the spectators from the fight, he took a quick look at the bewildered faces of the crowd and proceeded to kneel in order to free his secondary weapon. A quick pluck at the sword-breaker though, revealed it to a lot harder to remove than to ram in.


    Seeing the giant already closing in and preparing to follow Ray up the gallery, he had no choice but to abandon the dagger temporarily; it wasn''t the important one anyway.


    Another leap later, Ray was in-midst the already outraged audience and forced his way even further up. Climbing over all sorts of affluent men and women -- who cussed and struggled at his disgraceful behavior --, he dared a glimpse back. Unsurprisingly Ol?if had already caught up, and, with a massive crash, made the jump Ray had so struggled with, with ease. At his landing only a few spectators had raised their brows; offended, but not bothered enough to actually stand up or leave. But now? Now it was hard to find someone who wasn''t trying to flee the premises. Their composure and usual carefree manner completely destroyed, these Lords and Ladies scrambled to get away first. In droves, the front rows cleared and soon the upper ones, where Ray was, also started vacating their seats.


    Of course, while this happened, Ray didn''t stand around idle either. As soon as he noticed his plan to flee into the crowd and wait for the poison to kick in fail, he started running into the direction of the guards. Some had already made their way to the stands when Ray first jumped on them. Since the situation had deteriorated severely since then, he had no doubt they would come and try to bring order into this duel once more.


    With a mad berserker behind him and angry guardsmen in front, one would think there was no chance for Ray to continue this game of cat and mouse, but humans proved to be weirdly capable when faced with death. Slipping in between spears and armor Ray made it behind enemy lines, without getting impaled. The fact that most of the guards were focused on the walking tank also made this task a lot easier. In a quick flash of insight, Ray halted for a second and turned around to face the backs of the soldiers. Beyond them, Ol?if was rapidly advancing in his direction, and the veins bulging all over his face answered whether he would halt in front of the many weapons raised against him.


    ''Sorry mate; but this is for a greater good.''


    A quick prayer later, Ray raised his foot and planted it in the bottom of the soldier nearest to him. He couldn''t send people flying like Ol?if, but a small stumble was already enough. The giant''s attention immediately shifted to the unlucky man, sending a fist his way. Since direct interference into the duel was forbidden, all the guards stepped up with the intention of quick restoration of order without violence, but an attack on one of their own was a different matter altogether. Resolute and determined, the soldiers raised their spears and advanced on Ol?if. Some pointed to Ray as the perpetrator of the incident but were ignored in favor of the greater foe.


    Since now no one was focused on him, Ray quietly made his exit. Hopping down the rows, he occasionally sneaked a peek back, gauging the situation. The longer Ol?if was occupied with the guards and the more stamina he used during it, the easier everything after would be. It also provided Ray with much-needed rest. His lungs were already on fire, and the adrenaline couldn''t keep him standing forever; he had to end this fight soon.


    Taking a few breaths, Ray positioned himself near the center of the arena. Here he got a much better view of the giant''s fighting capabilities than before. And like Ray had thought, the man seemed almost superhuman. His fists like stone, he dented the armor of the soldiers where he hit. The spears that managed to pierce his thick hide and hair barely drew blood resulting in superficial scratches.


    But behind all those flashy moves, Ol?if''s growing exhaustion was becoming evident. And as his sweat and rough breath became more and more apparent, Ray''s confidence increased with it.


    It had been a while since he wounded his opponent and slowly his suspicions about the poison on his blade had been rising. After all, Ray wasn''t a specialist or even slightly knowledgeable about drugs and deadly substances. How long it would take to show effect, how big the wound had to be or what the symptoms would look like, wasn''t something he could fathom. Only his trust in the old man and desperation to survive drove him on for as long as it would take.


    As Ray recovered and contemplated, his eyes met with Richards once again. The young Noble had a stiff face befitting the state of the duel; his friend Thomason already thrown to the side, sitting on a nearby bench. And although the mess Ray had made caused no small amount of distress among the audience, Richard was, without a doubt, the one most affected; after all, he was the who brought the giant, however he framed it.


    With vile intent that practically dripped from his eyes, Richard spat on the ground and shouted,


    "Guards, stand down! Ol?if, get back down here and fight the one you''re supposed to fight!"


    At his roaring address, both parties separated without much ado, if not ardor. The guards still had their spears up, ready to re-engage Ol?if at the slightest sign of hostility. Their morale didn''t seem to have dropped, but anyone looking at them could tell that the engagement hadn''t ended in their favor. Apart from the ¨C in best case unconscious ¨C one''s lying at the giant''s feet, the rest didn''t seem to fare much better. Bent armor and chipped weapons were the norm, with bloody faces and strangely angled limbs being none the less. Ol?if, on the other hand, was, at first glance, mostly unaffected, the rage clouding his judgment clearing a bit, refocusing on his real enemy: Ray.


    Ignoring the piercing glares of the soldiers surrounding him, Ol?if made large strides off the stands-turned-battlefield. He made it a point to walk as imposing as possible; stomping and trampling all the way down. If it weren''t for his ragged breath and sweat dripping down his face, betraying his real condition, Ray would have just given up on the fight. You can''t win against fools and muscleheads, after all.


    A heartbeat later the two opponents stood, as in the beginning, opposite of each other. This time around though, Ray wasn''t paralyzed with fear. Whether it was because he became numb to it or because both of them were already on their last legs, he didn''t know and honestly didn''t care. Regardless of reason, he could only fight and hopefully win.


    Slowly and steadily, Ray began to approach. Since Ol?if was on the verge of exhaustion, he wanted to take advantage and make the first move this time. Still, a reckless lunge in the hope of hitting the giant already proved to be ineffective, even if he was slower now. Ol?if, much like earlier, didn''t move while he got closer. By all means, he shouldn''t have the confidence to toy with Ray, anymore, but whether out of arrogance or necessity, his stance didn''t change. As Ray came dangerously close, he stopped just out of range of his opponent. He lowered his center of gravity and took a quick step forward to take a slash at Ol?if''s abdomen. Unlike his earlier strategy though, he didn''t commit fully to the strike and moved out of range immediately after. Backing off a bit in anticipation for a counter, Ray examined the effectiveness of his new tactic. A tiny gnash gradually opened on Ol?if lower hip. The wound was so insignificant, the giant probably didn''t even notice it was there, but it proved something far more important: He was now able to injure him.


    Reaffirming this was the way to go, Ray moved to try again. With agility, he didn''t think he''d possess, he jumped into action; closing in while leaving enough room to withdraw at any point. Ol?if reacted this time instantly, his fist flying before Ray could even take a swing. The air pressure pushing against his face showed him a future of a smashed in visage, and with more instinct than skill, Ray managed to duck before the punch connected. Quickly recovering he took a stab, pulled back and jumped to the side. As he stood up, a panting and clearly angry Ol?if was upon him. With the force of a truck, the giant tried to ram into him. Ray, instead of running from the attack, angled his sword against his chest and pushed forward as well. Although he would undoubtedly end up with a few broken ribs, a skewered Ol?if was worth any amount of shattered bones. Seeing that danger the giant sought to stop in his tracks, but couldn''t stamp out all the force he had built up and crashed, a few paces next to Ray, into the ground. Not willing to let such an excellent opportunity go, Ray came to a forceful stop after a bit of stumbling, turned around and slashed with all he got into the broad back of his enemy. It didn''t take long for this bullying to stop, as Ol?if abruptly turned around, while still lying on the ground, and gripped Ray''s leg. With a ''thud'' that shook his head and dazed him for longer than he could afford, Ray was pulled into the dirt as well. Only after an excruciating crunching noise reached his incapacitated brain and sharp pain traveled up from his shin, did he snap out of his shock.


    "AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"


    Flailing around in agony, Ray barley managed to maintain a state of mind alert enough to pierce Ol?if''s forearm with his weapon. Surprisingly did he not only hit but penetrate the log like limb and pin it to the ground.


    The bliss of such success was, unfortunately, only of short-lived, as Ol?if ripped his arm with the rapier off the ground and picked it out of his flesh like a toothpick. At first, Ray thought this would be it for him. He didn''t have any more weapons, his leg was squashed, and the exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him. But even as he waited, the end did not come. With painstaking difficulty, Ray propped himself up once more and couldn''t help but let a laugh escape. The un-surmountable gargantuan who had seemed invincible just minutes ago, was barely lifting his body, coughing blood as if his lung was dissolving.


    ''Haha...f*cking finally...''


    Down-beaten as he was, Ray couldn''t even properly rejoice and just smiled bitterly. He had expected this fight to be a lot easier and less painful when he had noticed his blade was poisoned, but, as always, life disappoints. Done with everything that wasn''t sleeping, Ray made a last-ditch effort to crawl to his rapier make it back to Ol?if to stab the giant, who couldn''t even move at this point anymore, in the throat.


    This was the second time Ray had killed directly, but unlike his first murder, he felt none of the revulsion or guilt. He simply enjoyed the warm hug of their combined blood and the silent lullaby of the empty arena.