《Tales of My Ascension Have Been Exaggerated》


 Chapter 1: Hostile Negotiation

    Spring was always a welcome time of year, the clear nights were cooler than the summer, and yet more hospitable than the winter. Spring was seen by many as a return to life and easier times, but for the woman standing on the beach, it was only another incentive to keep training. She held a twin pair of blades lightly in her hands, twirling them expertly around her lithe form. She continued her elegant movements practicing defensive forms, and continuing her usual exercises. While she spun and practiced, her pale blue shawl billowed out behind her like a cloud against the night sky. Her bare feet collected sand as she continued on into the late night, pressing on even as the tide rose.


    Brackshore village was a small settlement on the west coast, that had recently seen a blight take most of its crops. This forced the villagers to fish for the majority of their food, but unfortunately, the only reliable fishing grounds were nearly a mile off the coast. It was so rare for a fishing boat to return unaccosted that the woman and nearly all of the children in Brackshore had been trained in combat from youth. Raids were a constant threat from all sides, raiders from the sea, and bandits from land. The woman paused her practice for a moment brushing back her auburn hair, she then turned her gaze to the ocean causing her expression to sour as the waves rolled up onto the beach.


    Her attentions were pulled from the ocean, as she heard the soft sound of sand giving way before heavy footsteps behind her. She turned to see an elderly man approaching her, carrying what looked like a metal training dummy. ¡°Dad!¡± She exclaimed, her sour expression vanishing into a warm smile. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Just something I had my friend whip up for me.¡± He smiled back, looking into her emerald eyes. ¡°He did say that there was and I quote, ¡®like a ten percent chance it would explode,¡¯ so don¡¯t push it too hard, okay Val?¡±


    The woman warily took the device from her adopted father and looked it over. It seemed like most ordinary training dummies she¡¯d seen in the past, but the metal adornments gave it a sturdier look than she was used to. She grabbed the torso more firmly and rammed the post into the soft sand of the beach.


    ¡°There¡¯s a switch right by the neck.¡± Her father pointed out, ¡°Give it a shot.¡± As she went to oblige, Val transitioned both swords into her left hand and searched for the toggle her father had indicated. When she found the switch and flipped it, the device gave off an eerie hum, and a light blue glow surrounded it. Val took a step back and watched hoping intently that the device wouldn¡¯t blow up in her face.


    Her hope was rewarded as six metal arms rose up from the side of the dummy, and began to spin and twirl in an attacking motion. ¡°This is awesome! I don¡¯t even think they have these at the palace!¡± She smiled and returned a sword to each hand. She then stepped towards the whirlwind of a device and resumed her training routine, this time using her blades to block and deflect the attacks of the dummy, rather than practicing stances and forms.


    Since she was only wearing simple clothing,she continued only blocking for a short time until she was comfortable with the pace of the attacks, and once she was ready she began to weave her own attacks back towards the dummy. She did her best to push herself fast enough, so she wouldn¡¯t be caught by one of the arms during her own attack. She then decided that it was a good time to attempt something a little more flashy. She parried the next attack and then ducked down under another, before leaping over the dummy striking it in the back, as she completed the jump. She smiled broadly at her success before turning around, to see that the dummy¡¯s arms had caught on each other and that it couldn¡¯t move anymore. It gave off a high pitched whine, which continued until the arms flew off the dummy and it crumpled into a pile of parts.


    With a heavy sigh, Val looked towards her father, who simply gave an apologetic shrug. Val chuckled and returned to the form practice she had started with. Her father sat down on the beach and watched as she continued, practicing until the moon was high above them. He didn¡¯t interrupt her motions until he heard a heavy bell ringing sharply in the distance. ¡°Val. I think there might be an attack.¡±


    Val lowered her swords and slowed her breathing, so she could listen as well. For a moment, the only sounds they could hear were the ocean waves as the tide approached them, and the insects that chirped quietly in the night. Val was nearly ready to resume her practice when the bell rang again this time accompanied by two other chimes. ¡°It¡¯s the dock!¡± She exclaimed with worry. ¡°The attack is coming from the ocean!¡± The urgency in her voice mounted, as she wanted to go aid the others who might be in trouble.


    She turned back towards her father, planning on escorting him home before going to aid the fight, but he gestured for her to run. ¡°They need your strength, Val. I¡¯ll be fine, there¡¯s an outpost on the way. I¡¯ll make sure to stay with the guards until the fighting is over. Just don¡¯t get hurt.¡±


    Val gave a swift nod and then began to run up the beach towards the opposite end of town. Soon the soft sand turned into a harsher gravel beneath her feet, and she winced. Had her boots been on the beach with her, she would have donned them before running off to join the fray, but she had left them behind expecting to be home before any trouble stirred up. With a grimace, she pushed herself faster, knowing that her feet were beginning to develop calluses from her frequent lack of footwear. Soon she stepped off of the gravel, and onto the wooden planks of the wharf, where she could see the commotion of figures clashing in the night. From the looks of it, the villagers were outnumbered, which only made Val run faster.


    She soon reached an intersection of the wooden planks beneath her feet, where both paths before her circled around before meeting on the other side, creating a small pool of water that was fenced off from the wider ocean. Since the attack had come from the ocean, going to the left would be safer, but the right path was much shorter. Seeing the others in danger meant she had only one possible choice.


    Val darted to the right, her feet slamming against the well cared for wooden planks soaking up water, which washed off the sand and gravel. She had nearly cleared the halfway point when the water around her erupted upwards in a massive fountain of mist, as a creature jumped onto the dock to meet her. Much to her horror the creature before her was a chondricthian. It hunched forward as it adjusted to being on land, stretching out a long grey tail behind it. Even in it¡¯s hunched over state it towered over her. That paired with its gnashing teeth and powerful legs would have made it horrifying enough to deal with, but even worse the grey creature had six bulky arms sprouting from its torso with a membrane flowing between them that gave it a supreme physical prowess.


    Val staggered back a moment and readied her blades, which elicited a smile with far too many teeth from the beastly figure before her. ¡°Duelist Frohk will gladly fight this little one.¡± The chondricthian then drew six curved swords, as if to mock the fact Val only had two arms. Val immediately took a step backward, going on the defensive. Perhaps perceiving her small retreat as weakness, her foe lunged forward and swung three swords her direction. Val used both of her blades to parry the attack giving herself just enough time to leap backward out of the strike that followed from the other three blades.


    Val had been training from the day she could hold a sword to fend off a chondricthian, but even that couldn¡¯t prepare her for the ferocity that came every time she encountered one. This was only further emphasized as the behemoth in front of her grew frustrated with her successful defense, and lunged forward attempting to bite into Val¡¯s arm. Sharp pointed teeth slammed against each other, as Val used her right blade to catch the side of her target¡¯s mouth. Blood sprayed outward as her cut came clean, and the chondricthian staggered backward caught off guard by the force of her blow.


    While he reeled she pressed her attack and brought her swords down overhead slashing in opposite directions. Metal rang out in the night as her own attack was deflected forcing her once again to leap back from the creature. A large wave crashed up against the dock spraying the combatants with a cool mist and forcing Val to cover her eyes for a moment. That moment offered up an opening in her defenses and she felt a blinding pain as metal lacerated her left shoulder. Val cried out causing the chondricthian to laugh, ¡°Defender human is too weak. Chondricthians win today.¡±


    Val wanted nothing more to come up with a scathing retort, but the pain of the cut and her desire to stay alive preoccupied the majority of her mental capacity. If perhaps, she knew any of her father¡¯s healing spells she could repair the damage but seeing as she was still untrained in any magical practices she would have to rely on her pure physical prowess. It was then that an idea struck her. Chondricthians were notoriously top heavy due to their excess limbs and were only able to balance as well as they did because of their lengthy tail. She stepped back trying to gain ground, deflecting attacks where necessary and dodging the rest. Once she had created a small opening between the pair she stepped forward and launched herself skyward over the next assault. She nimbly twisted as she flew through the air, rotating to give her still functioning sword hand extra momentum, and aimed carefully for the tail of her foe. Her attack fell true and her blade cleanly sliced through the beast¡¯s appendage setting him off balance and tumbling forward.


    ¡°Don¡¯t count me out just yet.¡± She smirked kicking the remnants of the tail into the water. Her enemy turned snarling and began to lumber towards her with far less grace and precision than she had seen previously. He brought all six swords crashing towards her, but she was easily able to step back and watch as he crashed into the dock splintering boards around him. Val moved to strike again but winced as her wounded shoulder gave out forcing her to drop one of her swords.


    Val prepared to retreat backward again as soon as her enemy charged, but the charge never came. Instead, an arrow embedded itself in the creature¡¯s forehead, forcing him to fall forward with a heavy thud upon the wooden dock. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m late!¡± A cheery voice called out, ¡°Gotta say though, I never knew you were so acrobatic. I¡¯m impressed with that flip.¡±


    ¡°Kyron! You saw that, and it took you that long to help out?¡± She grumbled spinning to face her friend. He was covered in blood and grime, indicating he had been at the site of the main battle. He was a mousy young man with dark brown hair and grey-blue eyes, but Val had always commended his perfectionist attitude with a bow.


    ¡°What?¡± He exclaimed, ¡°Don¡¯t judge me, I was aiming.¡± He then held up a quiver to point out that he was out of ammo, ¡°Had to make that shot count.¡± He gave a playful smirk and then gestured for Val to come towards him, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get you patched up quick. We caught one this time. She surrendered.¡±


    Val was speechless for a moment. Every chondricthian, she had ever seen, was intent on fighting to the death. Never had she ever heard of one being captured or even less so surrendering. ¡°Why?¡± She asked, finally finding her thoughts on the matter, ¡°What¡¯s different about her?¡±


    ¡°Well apparently, her name starts with Speaker. Sounds like she¡¯s supposed to negotiate with us or something.¡± He again gestured for Val to follow. ¡°We should get your dad too. Quite a few scrapes among us, but they didn¡¯t even kill anyone today. We held like never before¡±


    Kyron offered for Val to put her arm around him for support, but she declined instead preferring to hold it and walk at her own pace. The two ran back to town, making the first stop at her father¡¯s house. It was a bit run down on the backside, but he made sure that the front where he kept his clinic was in perfect shape.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Val leaned up against the wall on the stoop, while Kryon pounded on the door. She grimaced, not from the pain in her shoulder, but from the lecture, she was sure to receive. Her father had always been strict when it came to her martial practices, and always scolded her when she was injured. ¡°You have to learn to fight properly. That¡¯s the best way to make sure you don¡¯t die.¡± It was clear that he wanted her form and style to be perfect so that he wouldn¡¯t lose her, but it certainly didn¡¯t help her feel any better when he made her parade around town in bandages, while she healed with mundane methods instead of applying his magic to her wounds.


    The door opened moments later, and Val¡¯s father appeared carrying a medical bag and a notebook. He looked her up and down, held out his hand and said a few incomprehensible words, causing Val¡¯s shoulder to immediately heal itself. ¡°You¡¯re lucky something important is happening tonight.¡± He said breathing a little heavily. ¡°Normally you¡¯d be in a sling for months with that kind of gouge. Don¡¯t let it happen again¡± He finished sounding more desperately concerned than commanding, but Val understood his meaning.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± She said firmly as she leaned over to grab her boots off the stoop. She was determined to make sure she didn¡¯t get hurt again, but she knew that no matter how well practiced she was there was always the chance for her to misread a situation. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    The group of three immediately began to head back towards the dock with Kryon leading the way. ¡°Come on you guys, we gotta hurry. They¡¯re gonna start without us.¡±


    Kyron ran forward ahead of Val and her father, and when he was out of earshot Val¡¯s father spoke, ¡°That boy is one of the least disciplined militia members I¡¯ve ever seen. And even still he¡¯s the best shot I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s only a year older than me. And I know I could keep up with him. Why won¡¯t they let me join the militia yet?¡± Val said with a small whine in her voice. She was practically an honorary member of the town¡¯s defenses, but she longed to officially join so that she could be given missions and tasks rather than just butting in whenever a raid targeted the village.


    ¡°Because you have to follow the rules. When you¡¯re eighteen you get to join the militia if you want. That¡¯s the rule. They aren¡¯t going to treat you as a special case just because you¡¯re stronger than a lot of people are.¡± Her father said scolding her. ¡°If they did, then they¡¯d have to break all kinds of rules for your bloodline. It runs in the family, or so I¡¯m told.¡±


    ¡°I still have to laugh that you brought me here of all places. A stranger hands you a baby, tells you to keep her safe, and you take her to a village right next door to the chondricthians.¡± Val laughed heartily. She had heard the story of her adoption several times before, and she always liked to tease her father since he couldn¡¯t give her all of the details.


    ¡°Well it was my home, and they have a pretty excellent set of defenses if I do say so myself. Now if I hadn¡¯t facilitated your training that might have been a different story.¡± he laughed along with her joking


    ¡°Still no clue who my real parents were though?¡± Val frowned. She had always been curious about her origins, but there were never any satisfying answers when she looked. ¡°All you ever say about them is that the man who gave me to you said that ¡®Even with all their strength they didn¡¯t think they could keep her safe. That falls to you now¡¯¡± Val recited the words she¡¯d heard a dozen times before. It was obvious she wasn¡¯t from Brackshore due to her high cheekbones, regal stature, and even her fair complexion being incompatible with the hardened visage of the coastal population.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know where I¡¯d begin. Asking about strong families that live in the capital maybe? Probably family lines that have ended, and inquiring about that might bring unnecessary attention to you.¡±


    ¡°Hey, guys hurry up!¡± Kyron called from a building just ahead of them. ¡°She wants to speak to me, and I want you to be there!¡± He ducked inside the building prompting Val and her father to speed up their pace catching up to the congregation inside soon after her sprightly friend.


    As they approached, Val¡¯s father split off from her to join the impromptu infirmary that had been set up in the building. He was going to assist the other doctors in attending to the wounded, meanwhile, Val watched the center of the room where the captured chondricthian was tied up in a wooden cage. She looked very similar to the figure Val had fought, but her skin had a light blue hue to itand a softer form. Yet somehow her posture and poise made her seem even more aggressive than other Chondricthians Val had encountered.


    Whenthe prisoner saw Kyron approach she straightened up to her full imposing height and looked down at him, ¡°Defender. I am speaker Srough. I wish to know the name of the one I am making a deal with.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Kyron, but why do you wanna negotiate with me?¡± He smirked, ¡°I¡¯m just some kid who fights you lot off for a living.¡±


    ¡°Defender Kyron is strong. Defender Kyron is worthy of chondricthian respect.¡± She bowed her head to him


    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I¡¯m not sure this is what I expected out of chondricthian diplomacy.¡± Kyron tapped his head thinking for a moment, ¡°Wait I take that back, it started with a fight. Makes perfect sense.¡±


    ¡°Defender Kyron mocks us, but he isn¡¯t wrong. If the opposition is too weak to survive an attack from us how can they be strong enough to uphold our terms.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± He smirked keeping his playful approach much to the displeasure of his elders around the room. ¡°Actually makes a lot of sense.¡± His tone then took a more serious tone, ¡°You mention terms. What terms do you bring us today?¡±


    ¡°Speaker Srough comes offering a chance at peace. We will allow your village to use the fishing grounds and,¡± She paused trying to muster up the will to say something, ¡°Share our food.¡± She practically gagged at the notion, ¡°So long as you escort me to meet with your king and he agrees to help us with our problem.¡±


    ¡°What problem are you talking about?¡± Kryon asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°If it¡¯s down in the ocean there isn¡¯t much we¡¯re gonna be able to do to help.¡±


    ¡°Chondricthians are vanishing. By the dozens. Your kingdom has strong mages. They may be able to find the ones responsible¡±


    The group began to dissolve into hushed whispers deliberating whether or not to trust what the chondricthian had said. And even if they did trust her, they couldn¡¯t agree whether or not it was in their best interests to help. The chondricthians had been their enemies for as long as Brackshore had existed, and neither side seemed to have even the slightest care for the other. Eventually, Kyron spoke up silencing the squabble, ¡°While we might not have any reason to trust you, it is nonetheless in our best interests to trust you because it will solve two of our village¡¯s biggest problems if we are able to cooperate.¡± He then turned to face the crowd, ¡°I volunteer to take the chondricthian to the capital. But I¡¯d like to take a few others with me. It¡¯ll make the trip safer. Especially if this is some kind of trap they¡¯ve set up.¡±


    ¡°Unless the trap was to lure your best defenders away from the city.¡± Srough hissed from inside the cage, ¡°Foolish humans underestimate how clever we are capable of being.¡±


    Kyron turned to face her, ¡°And if you were trying to gain any trust from me you already lost it by bringing that up.¡±


    ¡°A risk that was worth taking. I can¡¯t promise that any other raiders won¡¯t attack your village, but by bringing up the possibility I can ensure you¡¯ll not be surprised by the assault. A token of aid in our young alliance.¡± Srough answered back with a guttural tone that almost sounded like her attempt at compassion


    ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll leave immediately. The remaining cover of night should be enough to get us through the open plains. By the time the sun rises, we should be into the hills as we approach Caildor Castle which will make it easier to move unnoticed.¡±


    Val watched as a few members of the militia stepped forward to volunteer to help Kyron, and he graciously accepted each and every one. When the village leaders gave their blessing, and the route was decided in depth they began the final preparations and loaded the chondricthian¡¯s cage onto a carriage so they could transport her while still imprisoned. Val followed the convoy around as they prepared, wishing that she could go with them.


    Kyron eventually pulled her aside when he was ready to go. ¡°Val, I wish you could go with me. But it¡¯s okay when you officially turn eighteen, we¡¯ll be able to have all kinds of assignments together. Right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. I¡¯m just so eager to prove myself.¡± Val said a little dejectedly. ¡°I¡¯ve gotta show I can hold my own.¡±


    ¡°Everyone already knows you can. You¡¯re only trying to prove it to yourself. Doubt doesn¡¯t suit you.¡± Kyron laughed softly in an attempt to cheer her up. Then with a wave, he turned and jumped up onto his horse and ushered for the convoy to depart.


    Val kept her eyes fixed upon her friend as he left with the chondricthian woman in tow. She ran to the edge of the town to watch them on the horizon but her attention was torn as she heard a horse nickering. She turned to search for the source of the noise only to see a hooded man lurking against the buildings and a horse charging out of town parallel to the path the convoy was taking. Val¡¯s curiosity urged her to investigate the scene, and she soon found herself within a few paces of the hooded figure. ¡°Hey, stranger! Don¡¯t think we¡¯ve met!¡± She called out eager to see his response.


    Val had hoped the man would greet her in kind but instead, he turned abruptly to look at her in shock. Val kept a cheery look on her face, but the hooded figure turned and sprinted away from her. She began to run after him and Val couldn¡¯t help but find the man slow as she instantly began to close the distance between them.


    Within a few seconds she was an arm¡¯s length behind him, and within a moment more she had latched onto his collar bringing him to a sudden introduction with the dirt. ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt me¡± the man whimpered, ¡°I¡¯m just following orders.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Val gave a devilish grin, ¡°Why would I hurt you? What orders?¡± She didn¡¯t have any real intentions of harming the fellow, but he had information about something she found suspicious, so she had no qualms about being intimidating.


    ¡°The chondricthian. She can¡¯t be allowed to reach the capital. She¡¯s to be slain.¡± the man quivered in fear, ¡°And anyone who stands in their way of killing her will also be cut down.¡±


    Val wrung the man¡¯s collar a little tighter, ¡°They¡¯re gonna kill the escorts! Why?¡±


    ¡°There can¡¯t be any evidence. No one can know about their attack.¡± Val wanted to question why he was so freely giving her this information, but the man coughed and blood began to bubble from inside his mouth. He went limp in Val¡¯s arms and before her very eyes, his body began to disintegrate. Within seconds not even a shred of clothing remained; only a pile of ash.


    Biomancers like Val¡¯s father were adept at postponing death and using their magic to heal wounds and cure illnesses, but the man Val had been interrogating had fallen victim to a magic that was the antithesis of medicine. Prestigious assassins in Telemera had developed a technique that would cause any attack they made to leave their victim unharmed. After this technique wore off all of the wounds would inflict themselves at once, which usually instantly killed the victim causing them to fade to nothing leaving no evidence.


    If the man on the horse was capable of that kind of magic she needed to warn Kyron of the grave danger he was in. Val spun on her heels and sprinted back to the village gate looking for any of the remaining militia members. After a quick search, it seemed that they had all returned to their homes for the night. She then ran back to find the quartermaster. He was always up early to tend to the stables so he was easy to find. When she approached him she began shouting, ¡°Sir! I need a horse. The escort is in danger!¡±


    He jumped and turned her way exclaiming wildly, ¡°Val! Child, you know you¡¯re too young to be taking part in any official business. People are allowed to have adventures without you!¡±


    When she was younger Val had often made up excuses that allowed her to tag along with any trips that the militia took out of the city, but she had already wasted too much time looking for militia members, so she simply dashed past the quartermaster to the stable entrance and untied the first horse she saw. The quartermaster yelled for her to stop but it was already too late. Val was seated in the saddle and spurring the horse to ride. She would have to move at top speed if she had any hope of catching up to the convoy before the pending attack. They may have only had a thirty-minute head start on her, but every second counted and the clock was ticking.

 Chapter 2: The Difference Between a Surprise Attack and a Surprise Party is How Much They Like You

    The village of Brackshore had constantly dealt with invasions by chondricthian raiders from its inception, but that had only intensified when the villagers had begun to fish on chondricthian waters. Of all the races in Telemera, the chondricthians were by far the most possessive of anything that they believed to be theirs, and they believed that anything that was within their territory was theirs, even if it was brought in by an outside guest.


    Due to their long-standing tension, Kyron had wanted to immediately dismiss the plea for help and leave the chondricthians to fend for themselves, but he couldn¡¯t risk wasting an opportunity to aid his people. So he trusted in the pleas for help and volunteered himself to visit the palace with the chondricthian in tow. The palace was a three days ride from his hometown of Brackshore, with safehouses and outposts few and far between.


    The first checkpoint that Kyron was aiming for was Caildor Castle. It was a grand palace that had fallen into ruin before even Kyron¡¯s earliest ancestor had moved into the region. The western regions in Relania had always struggled to find prosperity on the harsh plains, where dry summers and long winters left few months usable for farming. Fortunately, even in the harshest winter, the ocean still remained a fertile food source for the coastal villages. However, when fishing became too dangerous, or impractical in the case of larger cities, the villages and cities were forced to rely on imports and trade from the rest of the country.


    The kingdom was willing to tolerate these handouts as a sort of safety precaution. The villages served as a barrier and an early defense warning against the chondricthian raids letting the military know early on if an earnest invasion was starting. The western region was home to a small population of humans in comparison to some of the other races more suited to the harsh environments.


    As the sun began to rise over the horizon Kyron could see the outline of Caildor Castle. He gave a sigh of relief knowing that refuge was just ahead and calmed his horse to a walk until the carriage carrying his captive was level with him. ¡°Speaker. We¡¯ll be stopping for a rest. The scouts will go hunting so we can save our rations. Do you have a preference for a meal?¡±


    ¡°Just make sure it¡¯s a large enough meal to satisfy Speaker Srough¡¯s hunger.¡± She chuckled with mirth, ¡°Your hunters will need at least two deer to feed all of us.¡±


    Kyron scoffed and urged his horse back to the front looking around at his allies. It was then that he noticed something was amiss. The soldier at the front of the caravan was slumped lightly off to the side and his horse was beginning to waver on its path. Kyron rode closer to the man ready to investigate the cause for his slumped posture, but before he could close the distance the rogue horse reared and dropped the lifeless body of the soldier to the floor.


    Kyron gave an urgent shout and charged towards the man lying in the dirt and leapt from his horse to check on the fallen soldier. ¡°We¡¯re under attack! Find a defensible position!¡± Kyron began to shout. He drew his bow and nocked an arrow looking around for the potential attackers. When he couldn¡¯t see any of the assailants he turned the soldier over finding a trio of arrows embedded in the man¡¯s chest.


    Kyron¡¯s expression turned to sorrow and then anger, the fallen man, Varack had been the first to volunteer to help Kyron on this mission. Varack had shared a similar view to Kyron on the negotiations, and he knew that even with the danger it was the village¡¯s best shot at survival. Kyron wanted to take time to mourn the man, but he had other lives he had to protect first.


    ¡°Get the carriage up ahead! Once it¡¯s secured get back here and we can fight back!¡± His orders were interrupted by the sound of more arrows sailing through the morning light. One struck Kyron¡¯s foot pinning him to the dirt and causing him to cry out in anguish. When he searched for his traveling companions he saw the carriage tip over and his fellow soldiers in similar situations as he was.


    Counting the original soldier Kyron had seen fall, three of his escort guard had already perished and he hadn¡¯t even laid eyes on their attackers. Kyron grimaced to himself, ¡°Half of us are already dead.¡± He used his free foot to snap off the arrow trapping him in place, and charged towards the carriage hoping to use it for cover. He heard another volley of arrows sailing towards the bottleneck he was trapped in. Even with his wounded foot Kyron was able to limp behind the carriage just before the barrage landed.


    Noting the direction and angle the arrows had come from Kyron guessed that the attackers were coming from the west. Were they chondricthians out to free their captured ally? Not likely. The arrows were flying with far more precision than most chondricthians were capable of. Nonetheless, Kyron called out to the carriage, ¡°Speaker! Are you behind this?¡±


    ¡°Speaker Srough has no desire of being shot with arrows. This plan would not align with my best interests¡± The sharklike woman said with a bit of contempt in her voice, ¡°If chondricthians were ambushing you they would not do it from afar with arrows.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Kyron simply groaned in frustration at the situation before drawing back his own arrow and firing it towards the direction he suspected the attackers were coming from. He watched his arrow¡¯s trajectory keeping his aim in mind so he could adjust for a second shot, except he never saw the arrow land. Instead, a small portal tore through reality swallowing his attack whole, and then without giving him a second to react another portal spat the arrow into his back slamming him headfirst into the carriage.


    Kyron groaned and tried to hold fast to the last remnants of his fading consciousness, but the pain was overwhelming and forced him into an unnatural rest. The last thing he saw before his union with the dirt beneath him was a figure in black armor cresting the hill. And with that last image, Kyron knew that his death was imminent and that he wouldn¡¯t even be awake to see his killer¡¯s face.


    For a time there was nothing for him, except the black void of his overwhelmed mind dragging him further away from the waking world, but then, what felt like an eternity later, a noise roused him from his stupor. He heard a feral scream and the clamor of combat, which brought a surge of breath flooding into his lungs. His eyes snapped open revealing Srough standing with her back to him, surrounded by five figures wearing the same armor Kryon had seen before blacking out.


    It looked as though Srough had disarmed and dispatched a few other assassins before getting surrounded, and she was now turning their own weapons upon her attackers. The five figures moved at once to assault her, and Kyron was graced with the impeccable defense that followed as Srough used a single arm to engage with each assailant while using her spare arm to weave attacks back towards her foes or enhance her defenses against a particularly aggressive attack. Even with her flawless protection, she was forced to maneuver back towards Kyron as they simply outnumbered the beastly woman.


    Shaking off the haze of his trauma Kyron tried to stand but the arrow in his shoulder made that impossible for the time being. He was determined to find some way to help but in his handicapped state that was practically an impossibility. His struggles went wildly unnoticed as the battle raged around him, the attackers trying to wear down the chondricthian who was protecting him.


    Kyron began to lose hope with each step his defender took back conceding ground. This continued until Srough was only a step away from Kyron, and the combatants hesitated, hearing the heavy hooves of a charging horse. Kyron managed to prop himself up just in time to see Val come soaring into view as she leapt from the back of her horse, tackling one of the assassins.


    Using the surprise of Val¡¯s arrival to her advantage, Srough impaled another foe through their stomach before throwing him into another assassin. With the tides turned in their favor, the duo quickly dispatched the remaining enemies with ruthless efficiency.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Val panted catching her breath, ¡°I¡¯m late¡± She braced herself on her knees and looked around at the carnage of the battle. ¡°That was a smart move letting the chondricthian out.¡±


    Srough began to bellow with laughter at Val¡¯s remark, ¡°Speaker Srough was not set free. I burst from the tiny cage with ease to come to Defender Kyron¡¯s aid. I was only staying in the box as a courtesy.¡±


    ¡°Well, thanks for your kind manners,¡± Kyron said rolling his eyes. ¡°One of you mind pulling this thing out of my shoulder?¡± he gestured to the arrow inhibiting him. ¡°Titan¡¯s Blood, that was a massacre.¡± he grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s like they were waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°They were.¡± Val said frowning as she grasped onto the arrow, ¡°The entire negotiation was being spied on. For whatever reason, they¡¯re trying to stop her from reaching the capital.¡± She gently pulled the arrow from Kyron¡¯s back and pointed it at the chondricthian woman.


    ¡°But how did they know we were going to negotiate with the chondricthians in the first place?¡± Kyron interjected. ¡°They don¡¯t typically work with other races, so it probably wasn¡¯t them double crossing us. So was someone spying on them first?¡±


    ¡°Not possible. Other species are like slugs in water. They have no hope of being stealthy in our territory.¡± Srough smirked with arrogance heavy in her voice. ¡°Even the foolish head-tails aren¡¯t able to avoid the power of our noses.¡±


    ¡°Look I hate to break up a good debate, but we really need to move to safety. If we can make it to the ruins, we can set up camp, so we don¡¯t get ambushed again.¡± Kyron returned, to the mission at hand. ¡°I vote after we wait the day out, we head back to Brackshore. We¡¯re gonna need to rethink this route if we don¡¯t want to get ambushed again.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea,¡± Val chimed in, ¡°If they recorded our route before they might do it again. I think we need to do something they won¡¯t expect.¡± She turned in thought, ¡°We could try to make for the scarred land to the north, but I¡¯d rather face another band of assassins.¡± She said shivering at the thought.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a bad plan too,¡± Kyron said nodding in agreement. ¡°I think we need to misdirect them somehow. If they think we¡¯re heading one way, and we are actually going another it might give us a shot.¡±


    ¡°So assuming that there actually are more assassins going to be chasing after us,¡± Val started, ¡°We could send a bunch of horses in different directions. If we send the horses in sets of three the remaining assassins would have to divide their forces to follow all of the tracks. Then once we¡¯re close enough we could probably take the last leg on foot so they won¡¯t know what to look for.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s decided then.¡± Srough answered, ¡°We¡¯ll rest here until night, and I will attend to Kyron¡¯s wounds. Then once we can make our departure in secret we can finish this journey to the safety of the kingdom.¡±


    The group then gathered the horses that had stayed through the battle and led them into the ruined castle. When they tied off all the horses and patched up Kyron¡¯s injuries they settled into a pattern of rest, while making sure that one person was always keeping watch.

 Chapter 3: Either A Barbarian, a Hero, or an Archer Walks Into a Bar

    Once the cover of night fell giving the trio enough concealment they put their plan into action, setting each group of horses down a different road. There were fifteen horses in total, so they made four decoy groups, while they took the road directly east. The road would lead them to the city of Kanazaval on the Gaithal River, where they could find a ferry that would carry them up to Daksalnir, the capital of Relania.


    Taking that route meant they would only have one more stop before their end destination, which was both beneficial and dangerous. It would mean the road was less populated, so there would be fewer people who could give them away, but they would be more exposed with no refuge for miles if they were attacked again.


    For the first few hours of the ride, no one spoke as the tension of possibly being hunted by assassins weighed on their minds, but eventually, Kyron spoke up, ¡°So Val, your dad said something about you applying to the military academy Daksalnir?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they have some of the best arcane tutors in the country. I want to round out my skills you know? If I can be well versed in both martial and arcane strength I¡¯ll feel unstoppable.¡±


    ¡°Speaker Srough despises magic, but understands its value. If you can keep your strength and learn magic even chondricthian warriors would be wise to fear you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment.¡± Val smiled as she looked to the south, wondering how long it would be until she could see the delta that formed as the Gaithal River began to find level ground and flow into the ocean.


    ¡°So what type of magic are you thinking of learning?¡± Kyron prodded further, ¡°I¡¯m willing to bet you¡¯d be excellent at transmutation.¡± He started to mime attacking with swords, ¡°You know, changing your weapons mid-fight.¡±


    ¡°Well, I want to learn a little bit of everything, but, I was thinking of focusing on enhancements. If I can make slight alterations to myself to fit the situation better I¡¯ll be more versatile.¡±


    Kyron laughed, ¡°Shapeshifters have always baffled me. If they can change their aura to become something else, why don¡¯t they just alter themselves to become invincible?¡±


    ¡°I think they have to follow some sort of blueprint or something. They¡¯re not titans. They can¡¯t create something unnatural. Maybe if someone gained enough power, or found a zokai strong enough to produce that level of energy.¡± Val said thinking about the fundamentals of magic she had studied in her father¡¯s library.


    Every living thing across Telemera bore an aura around their bodies, and that aura was a source of arcane energy that sapient creatures could tap into to achieve incredible feats. The stronger a person¡¯s aura, the stronger the magic that they could conjure, but there were certain artifacts that carried their own auras, known as zokai, that a talented mage could use to achieve power beyond their own capabilities.


    ¡°So you¡¯ll just have to get strong enough to do it then right?¡± Kyron teased, ¡°I dunno, I don¡¯t really have any magical talent.¡± He gave a quick shrug, ¡°I¡¯ll just have to improve my aim enough people think I¡¯m cheating.¡±


    ¡°Hey, look ahead, there¡¯s the river.¡± Val pointed out. ¡°And there¡¯s the city. We¡¯ll need to resupply before heading north. I doubt any ferry will be willing to feed a chondricthian. For free even less so.¡± The river in question was far enough across that from their vantage point it stretched onto the horizon.


    ¡°I feel like one of us should go in alone to secure the ferry passage. A chondricthian in town is sure to spark up rumors.¡± Kyron mused aloud, ¡°We need to be in and out before word can spread.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Val volunteered, ¡°If there are any people working for the group that tried to kill us in this city they might have your description Kyron.¡±


    Without further discussion, it was decided, and Val pushed on ahead of the others to secure their passage north. As she approached the city the rural unkempt path transformed into the smoother ride of an official road. Even Val¡¯s horse seemed to appreciate the change as the gentle creature gave a whiny after the first few steps. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    When she reached the gates of the city the guards on watch motioned for her to slow down as she approached, ¡°Hail traveler! What business have you in Kanazaval. Doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯ve brought anything to sell.¡±


    ¡°Just trying to get passage to Daksalnir,¡± Val replied not wanting to give any unnecessary information away. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about attending the academy up there when I¡¯m old enough.¡± She wished that she hadn¡¯t needed to lie to the man about her true purpose, but she took solace in knowing that what she had said was also technically true.


    ¡°Carry on then.¡± The soldier nodded motioning for her to enter the city. ¡°Good luck finding a captain. They¡¯ve been having a slow season, so most of them are drunk at one of the pubs.¡±


    Val thanked the soldier for his time and then headed towards the pier finding it just as the soldier had described. There were several riverboats and ferries tied to the dock, but there were no captains or quartermasters to be seen. Val decided then to follow the guard¡¯s advice, looking around for the taverns and pubs where the captains and crews might be drinking away the lack of business to keep them occupied.


    When she found a suitable tavern that wasn¡¯t in the midst of a brawl, she tied off her horse outside and bravely ventured inward. What she found was a poorly lit, and even worse smelling environment. She quickly noticed the bartender staring at her, and found herself wishing she¡¯d worn a hood. Her red hair often made her stand out when she wanted to blend in. It was an uncommon hair color in Relania, but it wasn¡¯t so unique that she was identifiable purely by her hair. Val tore her attention from the bar and began to search for anyone who looked like they could sail a ship.


    The first few captains that she spotted were so drunk that she doubted they¡¯d even register her voice if she¡¯d spoken to them. The next two seemed more unscrupulous from their choice of drink and company. Finally, she found a captain who barely seemed to be into his first drink, and she perched herself at the bar next to him. ¡°Greetings sir. I¡¯m hoping your ship is for sale.¡±


    ¡°As if you could afford her.¡± The captain groaned. He was wearing a long blue coat that was worn open and tattered to pieces. ¡°I used to be the finest captain in the royal navy, so I don¡¯t do charity work.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you ask me, you should at least offer a price before declining someone passage. For all you know I could be a noble traveling in rags to hide my identity.¡± Val retorted back, a little offended that he thought her poor.


    ¡°Well, you smell like you¡¯re from Brackshore. Or maybe further north?¡± He smirked knowingly at her. Val found her hand reaching for the hilt of her blade, ¡°Not to worry lass!¡± The captain continued, ¡°I don¡¯t have a thing against Brackshore. It¡¯s just all the different parts of the coast have a slightly different smell to the ocean air. The further north you go on the coast the cleaner it smells.¡±


    Val kept herself tensed and ready to move, not trusting that this captain actually meant no harm with his words. ¡°Fine, so maybe they do, it¡¯s not like I crawled out of the ocean then came straight here.¡±


    ¡°Aye, my nose is sharper than most. It¡¯s why I don¡¯t usually frequent taverns.¡± He said pinching his nose before taking a swig from his mug. ¡°Either way, call me Leon. If you can afford one hundred gold, I¡¯ll take you wherever you¡¯re headed.¡±


    ¡°And two other passengers?¡± Val asked making sure of the price she would be paying.


    ¡°Aye, but if any of you or your company prove to be capable we¡¯ll put you to work on the deck. It¡¯s only fair since you¡¯ll be taking up so much cargo space.¡± Leon demanded keeping an even tone.


    ¡°Thank you sir. I should go collect my other passengers.¡± Val said putting her coin purse on the bar next to him. ¡°There¡¯s two hundred gold in there. We¡¯ll leave as soon as I return.¡± Val stood to leave but then turned back to face him, ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you¡¯re crew wasn¡¯t too prejudiced against the species that live underwater. She¡¯s our special guest, and we wouldn¡¯t want her to feel unwelcome on her first trip to the palace.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you wouldn¡¯t dare bring a shark onto my boat now wouldya?¡± The captain called after her incredulously. ¡°If you are I¡¯m doubling the price and making you lot work for free!¡±


    Val pretended not to hear the man, but smiled to herself. If he was only upping the price, that surely meant that he was fine with the proposition, but it would make his crew uneasy. She gave a quick wave to the captain behind her, and ran back to her horse. She greeted the creature and calmed it down before untying the thoroughbred and racing back towards the road where she had left the others.


    When she passed back through the gate the guard once again called out to her, ¡°Come back soon! We hope you enjoyed your stay.¡± Val wondered if he genuinely meant that or if he was required to say it as part of his patrol.


    It didn¡¯t take long for her to meet back with Kyron and Srough, but they were both eager to see her. The pair mounted up and rode back to meet her. When they arrived, Val explained the situation to them, and when everyone was ready they began to ride back to meet up with the captain and resume the journey north.

 Chapter 4: Self Doubt on the River

    ¡°I bloody knew it!¡± Leon shouted in anguish as he saw Val and her allies boarding his ship. ¡°If ya had told me you were bringing a beast aboard I would have readied the cages up for you¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a diplomat en route to the capital. It¡¯s his job to protect her.¡± Val clapped Kyron on the back pushing him forward, ¡°I¡¯m just tagging along.¡±


    ¡°And doing all the heavy lifting.¡± Kyron grimaced as he stumbled forward, ¡°I mean if she hadn¡¯t come along I¡¯d be dead. And the shark saved my life. I owe her safe passage. I¡¯ll do all I can to ensure she gets it.¡±


    ¡°Listen, I¡¯m moved by all your honor. I really am, but folks around here don¡¯t like chondricthians, and no amount of duty or honor is going to change that. I don¡¯t want a mutiny on my hands, so she¡¯s going to have to ride as a prisoner.¡± Leon explained sternly. ¡°You both can ride as her guards, or as passengers. I¡¯ll leave it up to you.¡±


    Val thought for a moment before answering. She had no desire to stand watch the entire boat ride, but if Leon was being truthful about the displeasure Srough¡¯s presence would bring then she would have to be near the shark to make sure none of the crew tried to attack their escortee. ¡°I¡¯ll stand watch over her.¡± She confirmed coming to a decision. ¡°We¡¯re bringing her aboard so she should be our responsibility.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of you to accept. If I¡¯m being honest I was planning on throwing you in the brig with her for the trip if you didn¡¯t. Just makes everything simpler if you¡¯re all in one place.¡± Leon said in a chipper tone, causing Val to give him a dirty look as she became suspicious of his intentions.


    ¡°That¡¯s real nice of you.¡± Kyron rolled his eyes, ¡°I mean, at least now I know you really don¡¯t put much faith in people paying you money.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not completely wrong. I just don¡¯t put my faith in anyone lad. Been let down too many times to risk it. I¡¯ll trust ya when you prove you¡¯re worth trusting.¡± Leon said with a nod before turning to face the rear of his ship. ¡°All passengers are aboard! Push off!¡± He then turned back to face Val, ¡°You three head on down below.¡±


    Val felt the boat shift suddenly beneath her as the vessel finally began its voyage upriver, causing her to stumble as she began to head below deck. She looked back at Kyron and Srough motioning for them to follow her. When they were safely out of Leon¡¯s earshot she drew them in close, ¡°I don¡¯t trust that man one bit. Keep your guard up.¡±


    ¡°You really had to say that to me?¡± Kyron smirked back at her teasingly, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go put our ward in her cell.¡±


    ¡°Speaker Srough does not mind riding in a cell. All that matters is that we get to the capital.¡± Srough spoke uncharacteristically focused. ¡°This vehicle feels unnatural, the sooner we are off of it the better.¡±


    ¡°Thought you¡¯d feel more at home on the water.¡± Kyron mused aloud, ¡°Guess you¡¯re just not used to riding something instead of being in the water directly huh?¡±


    ¡°Defender Kyron is correct about this matter.¡± Srough started. She seemed as though she was going to continue in more detail on the subject before Kyron interrupted her.


    ¡°What¡¯s the whole Defender thing about anyway?¡± He raised an eyebrow looking at her quizzically, ¡°I mean why do you always call yourself by your full title in the third person?¡±


    ¡°It is your language that makes it sound weird. The common tongue of man doesn¡¯t allow for the verbal finesse that choxan does. Your language is clumsy much like your bodies. In choxan, it is considered both polite and mandatory to address anyone by their full title even yourself. If you do not you risk drawing the ire of your audience.¡± Srough explained in short.


    ¡°But you don¡¯t always do it. Are you trying to insult us when you don¡¯t?¡± Val tipped her head over to the side. ¡°That seems a little too subtle for you.¡±


    ¡°When I speak without your full title, it means that I¡¯m familiar with the concept I¡¯m addressing. That is done in an effort to match your dialect more correctly. When I¡¯m not familiar I have to translate the thought more literally. Most chondricthians lack the ability to translate as fluently as I do, hence my title of speaker.¡±


    Kyron and Val nodded in understanding, before the young archer spoke up, ¡°Huh, guess not all chondricthians are as dumb as they say.¡±


    Val glared at him, wanting to chide him for such a cavalier remark, but Srough spoke first, ¡°While it is true that my species lacks the natural intelligence that the Cephelo¡¯orua have, I do not appreciate you speaking poorly of them when they are counting on your help to save them. If your apathy were to cause them to go extinct even though you swore to aid us how would you feel?¡±


    Kyron found himself speechless and the trio fell into an uncomfortable silence as they led Srough to her cell. When they let her in Srough sat heavily on the deck and closed her eyes as she leaned up against the wall. The cell door swung shut with a resounding clunk signaling the door was locked in place.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Kyron,¡± Val began once it seemed Srough had fallen asleep, ¡°How many other races have you met? And I don¡¯t mean just in passing. Like actually gotten to know?¡±


    ¡°Well, other than Srough,¡± He whispered to her, ¡°I¡¯ve only had the pleasure of meeting a few of the shifters that live near the capital. Those guys creep me out.¡± Val recognized that he was talking about the Vincoral, a race of androgynous humanoids that subconsciously changed their appearance to make themselves more pleasing to the people they were talking to. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Kyron asked added on.


    ¡°It¡¯s just all we¡¯ve ever really known is chondricthians, and the occasional diplomat from the Cephelo¡¯orua.¡± Val frowned


    ¡°Yeah and those arrogant head-tails never wanted to talk to anyone other than the higher-ups.¡± Kyron interjected.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point. It¡¯s just weird to me that the only race we¡¯ve consistently interacted with are our enemies that we¡¯re now trying to save. Don¡¯t get me wrong I¡¯m glad to help them if it will stop the fighting. I just sort of feel like it will make Brackshore a little lonely.¡± Val laughed gently, ¡°Guess I¡¯m just used to the fighting is all.¡±


    ¡°Pfft! Don¡¯t be silly, you¡¯ll find something else to fight I¡¯m sure of it.¡± Kyron chortled, ¡°You couldn¡¯t stay out of trouble if your life depended on it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault I always run into monsters when I¡¯m running around. I mean come on, it¡¯s not like I fell in a plague nest or anything.¡± Val smiled apologetically, ¡°Besides I always took care of it on my own. So, in reality, I was just doing your job for you!¡± She nodded still smiling. She knew that she worried everyone when she got into trouble, but she couldn¡¯t help herself. It was like something inside her led her to the danger, daring her to vanquish it.


    ¡°Yeah, I know. Still, did you tell anyone else why you were running out of town?¡± Kyron grimaced, ¡°They¡¯ll be worried sick if they don¡¯t hear from you.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have time. I had to make up for lost ground to save your sorry butt.¡± Val lightly punched Kyron¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hopefully they¡¯ll just assume I couldn¡¯t stand to be left behind and ran after you. If we make them worry, they¡¯ll just be borrowing tomorrow¡¯s problems before we¡¯ve solved today¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Yeah it¡¯s probably for the best no one knows what¡¯s going on. Especially your old man. He¡¯s always worrying about you the most. He definitely thinks of you as his own.¡± Kyron¡¯s voice carried a gentle tone on the air. He knew that Val had been adopted, but she never talked much about how it made her feel.


    ¡°Come on we should get some rest.¡± Val interrupted his train of thought directing him to the cot across the hall, ¡°I¡¯ll take first watch. You¡¯ve still gotta recover don¡¯t you?¡± Kyron nodded and winced as he tenderly held his shoulder where the arrow had pierced him.


    ¡°In the morning can we see if the doctor on the crew knows biomancy? I really don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be much help if I have a bum arm the whole journey.¡± He asked as he laid down on the cot trying to get comfortable.


    ¡°Why are you asking me? I¡¯m not your keeper.¡± Val smirked playfully, ¡°Just go see if he¡¯s available right now if it¡¯s that bad. I¡¯ll be fine here on my own for a bit.¡± Kyron simply grumbled in response and stood back up to leave Val in solitary watch over Srough.


    As Kyron rounded the corner and went back above deck, Srough stirred and grunted quietly, ¡°You two have been friends a long time. It¡¯s obvious he trusts you with his very life.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but sometimes too much if you ask me. I end up having to cover his back while he lines up a clean shot.¡± Val grinned widely, ¡°Though it is nice to know he trusts me that way. The battlefield is a good place to find out how genuine someone is.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, Val. Why is it that you always fight? I don¡¯t have an appropriate title for you yet. Kyron says you are too young, and that the elder humans in your village wish you would stay out of harm¡¯s way and yet you defy them. Why?¡±


    Val stumbled over her words for a moment caught off guard by the question,¡°I don¡¯t know really. I guess, because I can I feel like I should? Besides, if I¡¯m not using my strength and talent doesn¡¯t that just mean I¡¯m being lazy?¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Srough said plainly. The single word in response to Val¡¯s uncertainty only served to make her even more uncertain. Of course, when her friends depended on her she was there to help them, but that was in no small part due to her desire to feel the joy she received from garnering their praise.


    ¡°Why do you care about the reasons I fight?¡± Val defended herself, ¡°I¡¯m fighting on your side now, isn¡¯t that enough?¡±


    ¡°No. It isn¡¯t. If you¡¯re only fighting to fulfill your whims and desires then you¡¯ll cut tail and run the moment it becomes dangerous or you grow bored. I need to know why you¡¯re helping me, so I know if I can count on you. I sincerely hope I never have to refer to you as Coward Val. You have talent, but I don¡¯t know your character well enough yet.¡±


    Val turned away from the cell with anger on her face. Her? A coward? Never! Val couldn¡¯t believe the audacity of the chondricthian woman to insinuate that she would run from a fight. But even still the doubt remained and Val began to wonder what it would take for her to turn from a fight. She was planning on joining the royal military when she was old enough, but was that simply to make sure she had someone to hold her accountable to her own power?


    It was at this moment as Val began to lose herself in her inner thoughts that a voice brought her back to the surface, ¡°You¡¯ve got that look again. I told you doubt doesn¡¯t suit you, Val. I think you¡¯re gonna need the rest more than I do now.¡± Kyron smiled flexing his newly healed shoulder. ¡°I talked to the captain on the way back, and he says the winds are favorable, so we should be able to shorten the trip to the capital by at least a day. If we¡¯re extremely lucky we¡¯ll be to Daksalnir port by the time you wake up.


    Val heeded his words and went to the cot he had been resting on. It was then that an answer came to her. She wouldn¡¯t abandon Srough and her people¡¯s plight because it was the right thing to do. She was a good person, and that meant she performed good deeds. She knew the answer was childish, but it served to calm her mind enough for her to begin drifting to sleep. She knew that when the time came that she would know why it was that she felt compelled to fight on others behalf and she knew she wasn¡¯t the kind to call it quits until the job was done. In the end, the why of it didn¡¯t matter.

 Chapter 5: Dead in the Water: Literally

    Val was awoken by a shudder running through the entirety of the ship nearly forcing her to fall out of bed. Before she could dismiss it as simply a high wave, or a set of rapids in the current, the boat shook again, and Kyron called out to her, ¡°Val, wake up!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a log, that crash woke me up. What¡¯s going on?¡± Val said sitting up and groggily looking around. ¡°That didn¡¯t sound like we were pulling into dock.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think you¡¯re right.¡± Kyron nodded and began to head towards the upper deck, but before he could even begin climbing the stairs up, Captain Leon came charging down the stairs with a sword drawn, and murder in his eyes.


    ¡°You never bothered to mention there was another interested party following in your footsteps.¡± Leon leveled his blade at Val stepping closer menacingly.


    ¡°So the assassins found us after all?¡± Val grimaced, ¡°I knew it was only a matter of time, but I hoped we¡¯d be in the capital by then.¡±


    ¡°Assassins? Is that some fancy coast-folk way of calling someone a plague tamer?¡± Leon huffed and stormed out of the room. The man¡¯s short grey hair did little in the way of hiding the blood that was dripping down his wrinkled scalp, and the sweat beading down his neck from a recent exertion.


    Val drew her own swords and began to follow after the captain calling back to Kyron. ¡°You might wanna help Srough get ready to fight if we have company on board.¡± Without waiting for a reply she rounded the corner and bounded up the stairs onto the main deck where splinters of the ship were strewn about.


    More concerning than the splinters was the blackened blood that was steaming upon the sturdy wood. She heard yelling at the bow of the ship and began to rush towards the source of the commotion as a body whistled past her and let out a sickening noise as it came to a sudden stop. Val cringed as she felt a spray of warm liquid on her arm, and pushed forward with trepidation slowing her pace.


    As the bow of the ship came into view Val¡¯s blood froze and she found herself unwilling to move forward. The entirety of the ship¡¯s front was clenched in the maw a massive creature with pitch black skin, pointed teeth, and far too many arms. Finding herself unable to count them all Val looked around at the crew members, seeing some abandoning ship, and others attempting to mount a defense against the beast trying to devour the boat.


    The boat rocked again, nearly sending Val tumbling to her knees, and that was when she saw it. Coming from the back of the massive creature¡¯s head was an ethereal string that stretched out towards the shore. ¡°Plague tamer?¡± She pondered the implications of the captain¡¯s words. The creature at the bow was clearly a vrocth¨ªzo, the race known to many as a plague or the black maw.


    ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Kyron shouted coming up beside her. Val saw the ghostly string give a slight pulse and then the boat rumbled again as the monster tried to take another bite. ¡°Is that a worldshaker? How did it grow that big so close to the capital without anyone killing it?¡±


    ¡°Titan¡¯s blood!¡± Val cursed trying to figure out why there was a string attached to the monster. ¡°Kyron,¡± She demanded, ¡°Can you see the string attached to it? Where does it lead?¡± Kyron drew an arrow and looked towards the shore tracing the string with his aim.


    ¡°It¡¯s connected to someone on the shore.¡± Kyron drew his bowstring back gently. ¡°It¡¯s hard to see from here, but I think they¡¯re focusing on something pretty hard.¡±


    The boat started to tip back as the many arms of the figure assaulting them grasped the boat¡¯s underside and began to lift. ¡°Shoot them! Aim to kill!¡± Val ordered, and Kyron released his grip sending an arrow sailing through the morning air.


    Seconds later, Val found herself deafened as the vrocth¨ªzo grasping the boat screamed, before reeling backward and dropping the boat. The creature then fell into the river slipping beneath the waves caused by the current.


    Moments later the boat ceased its rocking and returned to a gentle bob along the river, but none of the crew moved. Everyone was too shocked by what they had seen to take immediate action, and terrified that the horror wasn¡¯t over. Eventually, a few brave crewmen meandered near the edge as the boat began to drift north again. Val joined them near the edge of the boat, but instantly recoiled when she saw the water. It was pitch black, and writhing with life struggling to find the surface.


    The river began to froth and bubble as though a great heat had agitated its contents, and soon the surface tension broke revealing a horde of creatures identical to the beast that had fallen into the river. Identical in all but size, this hoard of smaller vrocth¨ªzo began trying to climb aboard the ship eager to devour the living before they would inevitably turn on the ship itself desperate for sustenance.


    Several of the remaining sailors at the rails were pulled overboard as the frothing mass of water and life reached its peak and hungry mouths gnashed at everything within their reach. ¡°Everyone get back from the rails!¡± Leon urged, trying to save any of the crew that was still within danger¡¯s reach. ¡°If we can reach top speed, then maybe we¡¯ll lose the little devils.¡±


    On his command, the crew began to work in a terrified fervor hoping that they would be able to outrun the demons. Val, Kyron, and Srough focused on aiding the crew in slaughtering any of the vrocth¨ªzo that managed to make it onboard. For a moment, it seemed like their plan was going to succeed, but water erupted in a massive spray as the enormous creature from before rose past the swirling mass with its jaws wide open.


    As the creature rose it grasped onto the boat with its many hands and brought the vessel to a halt in the water. ¡°Everyone abandon ship!¡± a crewman shouted out starting to flee his post.


    ¡°No! You¡¯ll be devoured the instant you go overboard!¡± Val screamed tackling the man before he could jump. ¡°We have to chase them off!¡±


    ¡°The lass is right!¡± Leon yelled from the rear of the ship, ¡°We¡¯re dead in the water! Quite literally if you jump, but I don¡¯t know what we¡¯re going to do next.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple really.¡± A voice unknown to Val rang out, ¡°Vrocth¨ªzo eat people to devour their auras. At least that¡¯s the prevailing theory. So, we just need to toss the person with the strongest aura overboard, and they¡¯ll all chase after that heroic figure.¡± The female voice rang full of pride and condescension.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°We can¡¯t just kill someone on the hope it¡¯ll save our skins!¡± Kyron interjected before anyone could acknowledge the girl¡¯s plan. When he found the source of the voice Kyron was more surprised than anything that she was even younger than Val. This blonde haired child was suggesting murder, and she barely seemed capable of clothing herself.


    ¡°Besides, with a hoard that large, they¡¯d be devoured in seconds and the pack would turn back for the boat.¡± Val corrected on the faulty plan. ¡°But there¡¯s an old saying my dad told me. The covenant of the hungry is often short-lived. Vrocth¨ªzo practically never work together, because no amount of food could sate their hunger. If this pack is working together perhaps we can turn them on each other!¡±


    ¡°And how do you propose we do that?¡± The young girl scoffed, tossing her hair to the side. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as controlling another person¡¯s actions with magic. And it¡¯s not like we have a perfume to spray on them that will make them smell delicious to each other.¡±


    ¡°Well actually, I was gonna use your plan. Because we do have a scent they¡¯re after that we can use.¡± Val smiled narrowing her eyes, ¡°We need to launch a few people on top of the big one. Then we have to avoid its attacks until the little ones start paying attention.¡±


    ¡°All it will take is one bite.¡± Leon started as the boat began to shake again with the massive teeth tearing through a section of the hull. ¡°But we¡¯ve got to hurry. Any more damage and we¡¯ll be sunk.¡± He then turned towards his crew, ¡°Wind dancers! To me!¡±


    A set of twins stepped forward, ¡°Yes, sir!¡± They acknowledged before standing straight and meeting Leon¡¯s gaze. Leon the covered the plan with them, while the girl ran from crewman to passenger and back again, examining everyone on the ship.


    When the girl reached Val, she looked the red-headed woman up and down and scoffed, ¡°What¡¯s so special about you? Looks like you¡¯ll be quite the talented mage if you ever learn anything useful.¡± She then looked back towards Leon, ¡°Papa, I found this lady here! She¡¯ll escort me.¡±


    A look of shock crossed Val¡¯s face, but before she could speak Leon began barking orders again, ¡°Alright, my daughter¡¯s life is in your hands, Val. Keep her safe when you¡¯re up there.¡± He then turned towards the twins, ¡°Alright you two. Get a move on!¡±


    With a nod, the pair began to chant in tandem, and wind began to swirl around them rising to a gale within moments, clearing the deck of shrapnel. More and more air seemed to swirl around them. While the pair chanted, the young girl walked close to Val, ¡°I would draw your weapons. We might need to make our own handhold.¡±


    Val nodded still somewhat shocked this girl was Leon¡¯s daughter, but nonetheless, she drew her swords and waited, unsure of what was going to happen next. The child latched onto Val¡¯s waist and clutched her tightly just before the wind dancers threw their hands towards the deck, and an immense force lifted Val and her new companion off the deck sailing them towards the massive creature.


    Val managed to keep herself level as they arced forward, and readied to lash out at anything heading towards them. Fortunately, the beast was too focused on its attempts to eat the boat that it had never noticed the counter-attack heading its way.


    Val flipped one of her swords into a reversed grip and slammed it into the black wall of flesh as they impacted driving the blade deep creating a solid platform. ¡°Okay now, what do we do to get the little ones to pay attention.¡± Val mused.


    ¡°We¡¯re lucky the big guy didn¡¯t pay us any attention. Probably just thought we were an arrow or some other projectile. Oh, by the way, I¡¯m Marissa. I¡¯m sure you were wondering.¡±


    Val had been a little curious of the girl¡¯s name, but all the same, found it an odd time to introduce herself. ¡°Val.¡± She muttered, not wanting to off put the child while they were working. ¡°Now, what¡¯s phase two of your plan?¡±


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s easy!¡± the girl smiled devilishly as she pulled a small knife from her boot and jammed it into Val¡¯s side puncturing a lung. ¡°Now hold that there for a moment. Don¡¯t pull it out until the vrocth¨ªzo are right on top of you or else we¡¯re all dead on the boat. Toodle-oo!¡± And with that, the little girl vanished before Val¡¯s very eyes with a small pop.


    Val coughed as she felt blood beginning to well in her lungs and her mouth began to fill with the taste of iron. Her hand instinctively reached for the knife wanting to pull it loose so she could attempt to staunch the bleeding, but as hung on the side of a giant creature bleeding out she saw the boat below, and knew she couldn¡¯t help them if the girl was being honest so she waited, holding on both to life, and to the creature.


    Val¡¯s eyes slowly forced themselves closed, causing her to shake her head vigorously. ¡°Gotta stay awake.¡± her focus was repaired as she heard a feral scream. Looking around for the source of the noise Val found several small vrocth¨ªzo climbing towards her fervently. ¡°This is it.¡± She stumbled nearly losing consciousness again.


    Within moments the first plague creature had reached her and Val decided it was her last chance to try anything. Val dropped the sword not keeping her tethered to her unaware mount, and then used her newly freed hand to wrench the knife out of her side. As she did her lung drained of blood causing her to gasp in air sending pain roaring through her body. The other vrocth¨ªzo began to bite at the black flesh as they noticed the blood they were looking to devour.


    The large monster gave a howl of pain as the gnashing teeth began to sap its strength, and Val found herself unable to hold on any longer and slipped away from the sword tumbling towards the river below with the rush of wind causing her to pass out.


    Val hoped that she woke up before hitting the water so that she might be able to dive effectively and minimize any injuries the fall would cause, but Val also found herself hoping that she would wake up at all. And that was when it dawned on her, if she was thinking and hoping, then that meant she hadn¡¯t died yet. But in her unconscious mind, Val knew that falling from that height was surely lethal without the proper technique. That left her with only one question; ¡°Where am I?¡±


    ¡°Sickbay lass.¡± A familiar voice called out to her in her sleep. ¡°Seems you might be waking up soon, so I wanted to say thank you for your brave sacrifice.¡±


    Val¡¯s eyes slowly opened regarding her surroundings, and anger came flooding into her. ¡°My sacrifice?¡± She growled before noticing Marissa hiding behind Leon¡¯s coat. The girl seemed frightened but kept her gaze fixed upon Val. ¡°Wasn¡¯t really my choice to make. But I¡¯m willing to bet that one saved me?¡± She pointed at his daughter.


    ¡°Aye. Right as you started to fall she opened up a portal of some sorts and let you fall a short distance straight into sickbay.


    ¡°Papa, for the last time it¡¯s not a portal! I just made a space below you the same space as the sickbay. It¡¯s only an intermediate spell. Even you could learn it, papa.¡± Marissa grumbled


    ¡°Anyway. We¡¯ll let you sleep. Thanks to your friends the boat is just about ready to set sail again.¡± Leon smiled, ¡°The plan worked perfectly if you hadn¡¯t gathered. The large one turned on all the small ones the instant you dropped and wiped them all out, but it succumbed to its wounds and fell back under the river. We¡¯ve been plague free for eight hours now. Anyway, when you wake up we should be to the capital.


    Leon turned and left the medical ward, but Marissa lingered behind for a moment, ¡°Sorry about stabbing you.¡± A rare moment of humble sorrow flashed across the girls face, but vanished as quickly as it came, ¡°But it needed to be done. I knew you¡¯d survive anyway, so my plan was a brilliant success.¡±


    ¡°It sure was.¡± Val groaned before flipping onto her face and heading to sleep. That was twice in three days she¡¯d nearly died due to her own recklessness. Still, she was alive and that was the most important part. And soon enough Kyron¡¯s mission would be complete and they could head home to safety.

 Chapter 6: Stop and Smell the Roses

    ¡°Hey, doc! How long are you going to keep me trapped in here? I¡¯m healed, and the boats in dock!¡± Val whined, eager to do anything other than lounge around the sickbay waiting for her current caretaker to allow her to leave.


    ¡°Stop fussing.¡± The man said quietly, ¡°I was mending your shirt.¡± He turned back to face her revealing his grizzled face and scarred arms. ¡°If you plan on seeing any more combat, I¡¯d suggest investing in some armor. Or not getting stabbed¡±


    ¡°Oh ha ha,¡± Val mocked the man rolling her eyes, ¡°Since getting stabbed is something you choose to do.¡± She sat up in the bed wanting nothing more than to get out of her bedrobe and catch up with Kyron. She¡¯d told him to go on ahead, and take Srough to the palace while she waited to fully heal.


    ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not a very experienced doctor in all honesty. I wanted to make sure the work I did was sufficient before sending you off.¡± He gave an apologetic shrug, ¡°But it¡¯s not like I was trying to heal your brain or anything. Just a simple patch job on your lung.¡±


    ¡°And my side.¡± Val nodded acknowledging the man¡¯s work before practically leaping out of bed. She grabbed her shirt and moved behind a changing screen to return to her normal attire. ¡°I do appreciate the work you did though doc. Saved my life. Do I owe you anything?¡±


    ¡°What? Are you kidding me? You saved everyone on the boat, I won¡¯t let you pay me a single vaylir. I feel like we should be paying you for your help!¡± The doctor laughed, ¡°But that would make you an official mercenary wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Official? No, I¡¯m not registered, unofficially it probably would though.¡± Val remarked as she finished dressing. ¡°I¡¯d rather not join that kind of guild anyway. I¡¯m hoping to enlist in the military next year actually, I feel like I¡¯ll be able to do a lot of good there.¡±


    ¡°Depends which side you ask, but I¡¯m willing to bet you¡¯ll do fine there. Anyway, I¡¯m going to go check in with Leon, and make sure all the other wounded have healed up properly as well.¡± He then left the room, leaving Val to her own thoughts.


    Feels like I¡¯ve been going nonstop for days. She mused to herself before realizing that she had in fact not had a chance to get a proper rest since she¡¯d left Brackshore. Val gave a heavy sigh and took a moment to just look at the room she was in. The wooden planks surrounding her, and the general emptiness of the room. Aside from a few tables and other beds, there was nothing needless in the room. ¡°It¡¯s efficient, that¡¯s for sure, but there¡¯s no tools for non-magical healing. Guess he might not be trained for it¡±


    Upon leaving the sickbay and reaching the main deck of the ship, Val saw the capital¡¯s river harbor. The river was so wide at this point it was nearly impossible to see the far bank and the cliff¡¯s edge just beyond the shore. Facing the capital, it seemed impossible that any race could build the city that was filling Val¡¯s view.


    It stretched for miles in either direction, and some of the higher spires seemed to touch the sky. The beautiful marble bricks forming the main palace were clearly visible from nearly any angle and the entirety of the city seemed to shimmer with an unnatural energy. It was unlike anything Val had ever seen, and even though it seemed extravagant and over the top, she was enthralled by its majesty. The smooth architecture, the colors and even buzz coming from the docks was intoxicating, drawing Val forward wishing she had the time to visit every shop, inn and back alley, but she was here on business. The sightseeing would have to wait.


    The pristine dock was heavily populated, forcing Val to dodge between the crowd in order to make any significant headway. Most people Val bumped into wore indifference on their face but helped to direct her into the proper flow of traffic, but there were several people intent on berating her errant ways.


    Val apologized and resumed her march with the crowd, simply not wanting to cause a scene, or cause any further delays. Once she cleared the main dock and stepped onto the stone streets she found herself able to breathe in her own space again and was finally able to get a closer look at the population without coming in contact with them. ¡°So many people.¡± She muttered in disbelief.


    ¡°Sure is don¡¯t you think?¡± a chipper voice sang out behind her, ¡°Say, lady, you came with the shark right? The magistrate said I¡¯d find you here. Your friends are waiting for you, but they haven¡¯t started their meeting yet. I must say you lot gave me quite the startle bringing a chondricthian into the capital like that.¡± Val turned to find a petite girl with an elaborate grey dress, and jewels adorning her silver hair that framed her tanned skin.


    ¡°I,¡± Val started, ¡°I¡¯m glad you found me so quick. I think I¡¯m already lost and I¡¯ve only just left the ship.¡± She laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. ¡°I¡¯m Val. Can you lead the way back for me?¡±


    ¡°Sure I can!¡± The girl beamed before skipping out in front of Val, ¡°Just stay close behind me and we¡¯ll be there in no time.¡±


    Val nodded and began following the girl as she¡¯d been instructed, ¡°So tell me, what¡¯s your role here? In the capital that is.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m a maid at the palace. I clean up the place and run errands for the members of the court. I¡¯m trying to save up enough money to make it into the jester¡¯s guild.¡± She chuckled, ¡°Oh, by the way, I¡¯m Zali. But you can call me Zali¡±


    ¡°You just said the same thing twice,¡± Val commented, amused by the girl¡¯s apparent pickiness on the subject of her name. ¡°So Zali it is.¡±


    ¡°You got it!¡± Zali smiled, ¡°Tell me, Val, what was it like traveling with a chondricthian? I hear they¡¯re absolutely voracious and can eat an entire elephant on their own!¡±


    ¡°Well, not exactly, but we did have to bring a ton of extra rations for her. Maybe a full deer, not an elephant. Sometimes things get blown way out of proportion.¡± Val answered thoughtfully, noticing that as they came closer to the palace the streets were less packed, and the entirety of the area seemed more high class.


    The rough cobblestone paths transitioned into a leveled and smooth grey paving stone road that began to rise up a hill. ¡°We¡¯re nearly there now.¡± Zali smiled jumping up ahead of Val, ¡°Wanna race there?¡± The girl smirked at Val seemingly certain she¡¯d win.


    ¡°I suppose we could, but I think that would be a little unprofessional to arrive causing a commotion like that. I¡¯ll take a rain check though. Race you at a more appropriate time.¡± Val apologized, finding herself wondering how old Zali was.


    ¡°Ugh, fine.¡± The girl dragged out every syllable possible to emphasize her annoyance, ¡°Anyway when I left, the magistrate was in a meeting with Pacisa the Peacekeeper, and they¡¯ll probably be a while, so I doubt you¡¯ve missed anything.¡±


    Val nodded, unsure of who the peacekeeper was, but continued her march towards the palace with Zali constantly badgering her the entire way. Other people might have grown quickly annoyed with the young girl¡¯s constant chatter, but Val¡¯s patience hadn¡¯t been tested yet. The pair laughed and talked until they reached the palace doors, and Zali grew quiet, ¡°Time for me to get back to work. This way.¡±


    Val was surprised by the sudden shift in tone but understood that the girl had used her time outside of the palace to vent her true personality, that she was unable to show in the role of a servant. The sudden shift also raised more questions but left no time for answers as Val was ushered inside the fine walls of the beautiful building.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Her eyes quickly adjusted to the softer lighting the indoors afforded and saw Kyron and Srough sitting in a pair of seats near the empty throne. She quickly traversed the sparse courtroom and sat next to her allies, ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late guys. Hope you weren¡¯t just waiting for me.¡±


    ¡°Val is not late.¡± Srough smiled showing her razor sharp teeth, ¡°Val arrived much sooner than anticipated with her wounds.¡± She then stretched backward with all six of her arms, using them to flex her spine. ¡°Chairs are weird. Makes my back hurt. And what am I supposed to do with my tail? I can¡¯t just sit on it!¡± She grumbled with her tail sticking straight up behind her against the back of the chair


    ¡°I guess you wouldn¡¯t really need those underwater would you?¡± Kyron mused, ¡°You could just float pretty easily if you needed to rest in one place¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is true. I¡¯m afraid with how long we¡¯ve been waiting I won¡¯t be able to sit a moment longer.¡± The chondricthian stood from her perch and twisted her back again, ¡°I grow impatient with this waiting.¡±


    The instant she spoke a door opened and a venerable figure dressed in a long ornate purple robe appeared, with a smile wide on his face. A white beard framed his square jawline, and a small patch of balding was visible from his front. The robed man walked with smooth strides towards them, ¡°It¡¯s unwise to grow impatient with titans, lest they grow impatient with you. Pacisa is ready for you.¡±


    ¡°Hey wait a second!¡± Kyron interjected, ¡°We came here to see you didn¡¯t we? Who is Pacisa?¡± He pointed a finger towards the man he assumed was the magistrate.


    ¡°Pacisa is the titan, Peacekeeper. Show your respect to them. When I heard word of your journey here I sent a request for Pacisa to mediate this discussion.¡± The magistrate gestured to the room he left.


    ¡°Come friends! Let us discuss the matter at hand.¡± A gentle voice came from the room, ¡°We must uncover the truth behind the chondricthians¡¯ plight.¡±


    ¡°After you.¡± The magistrate gestured towards the room, and followed them inside, ¡°We have a lot to discuss.¡±


    When Val stepped into the room she caught a glimpse of a grey figure, but before her eyes could focus on it she was met with a man near her own height instead. His eyes caught her own and she saw a shifting color making it hard to determine if he was actually a human. Even the man¡¯s very presence made Val feel at ease. It was as though he was literally making her stress melt away.


    Before Val could speak, however, Kyron caught the man¡¯s attention, and before their very eyes the man¡¯s blonde hair lengthened, and he transformed into a woman as she began to speak, ¡°I am Pacisa. The Peacekeeper, and as I¡¯m sure you may have guessed by now I am a Vincoral.¡± The woman smiled before continuing, ¡°I do apologize in advance. The first time people interact with me can be rather jarring to see me transform every time I change who I¡¯m talking to.¡±


    As if to demonstrate this issue she turned towards Srough, and four additional arms began to sprout from her sides, and her skin faded to a dark grey. Within moments there were two chondricthians in the room, and then moments later only one again as Pacisa began to address Kyron, ¡°I do appreciate your willingness to put aside your conflict with the chondricthian for the greater good. The world would be worse off without them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not nearly so noble.¡± Kyron said humbly, ¡°I just saw an opportunity to make life easier for my village.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not entirely true now is it?¡± The titan smiled knowingly, ¡°If you truly just cared about saving your own village why not let the chondricthians die off? It would save you the trouble.¡±


    Srough growled at this callous remark, ¡°The chondricthians are too powerful to go extinct.¡±


    ¡°You read me like a book. Although maybe the cover was written in bold lettering.¡± Kyron said sheepishly, ¡°Yes it would have been easier to deny the chondricthians and just take their fishing lands when they were too weak to fight back, but this was the right thing to do.¡±


    ¡°Now, Speaker Srough is it?¡± Pacisa began, transforming back into a chondricthian, ¡°I am terribly sorry to hear of the plight facing the chondricthians. What can Relania do to help?¡±


    ¡°Peacekeeper Pacisa, I hope that the leaders of Relania will be willing to lend us the aid of their mages to determine where our people are being taken. Anything to help would be appreciated.¡±


    The titan then turned back to the robed man, ¡°Magistrate Taylk, are these terms agreeable to you? Can you afford to spare any mages?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have any direct control over the military so I can not personally decide that matter. However, I am of the opinion that we can not spare even a single soldier for the matter. With Sekalia refusing your visit Pacisa, we may have to prepare for the eventuality of war.¡± The magistrate explained without compassion.


    ¡°Simply because the northern country refuses my visit does not mean that they are planning for war. Perhaps they feel that I am there to take something that belongs to them. If tensions were higher, then I might be more forceful about visiting them.¡± Pacisa chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s not like it would be hard for me to get a worshipper to allow me access.¡±


    ¡°Well, if we were to spare anyone.¡± The magistrate thought aloud, ¡°The best bet would be one of our scryers. But they¡¯re all on scouting expeditions and not slated to return for months. It would be at least a week before we could even get a message to the nearest outpost that a scryer is stationed at.¡±


    ¡°What about a warper?¡± Val chimed in, ¡°With teleportation couldn¡¯t it be possible to get there faster?¡±


    ¡°Not much faster. Teleportation is a very exact science, and the farther you go the more strain it puts on the body. The record for teleportation distance is only three hundred feet. A horse would likely be faster than that.¡±


    ¡°Then what if we went to find the scryer?¡± Kyron piped up, ¡°We could head straight for the coast after finding the scryer closest to the ocean, and then we could meet up with the chondricthians from there. We don¡¯t have to go back to Brackshore. The ocean¡¯s not a pond after all.¡±


    ¡°That settles it then. The magistrate will provide the location of the scryers outpost, and then you three will go find them.¡± Pacisa smiled, ¡°Then when we uncover the truth of the chondricthian disappearances.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go find the commander, and collect a map for you.¡± The magistrate said and hurried out of the office.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad that went smoothly, I have another appointment I have to attend in the west. I couldn¡¯t delay much longer. So I too shall be departing. I wish you three the best of luck!¡± Pacisa smiled and left the office following the official that had summoned the titan.


    The room was silent for a full minute before Val broke the emptiness, ¡°I don¡¯t think I should go with you Kyron. Everyone is going to be worried sick about me. What if they send out search parties and find the battleground where you were ambushed?¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Kyron exclaimed throwing his hands up in the air, ¡°You tell me all the time you¡¯re looking for a chance to prove yourself and now that one stares you in the face you want to back off? Yes, your dad will worry, but he knows you can take care of yourself, and if they find the ambush spot they¡¯ll notice your body isn¡¯t among the dead. And thirdly, if you¡¯re worried about them worrying, we¡¯ll just send a letter letting them know what¡¯s going on and that you¡¯re okay.¡±


    ¡°There is something concerning me though, Defender Kyron, how is it that Pacisa and the magistrate knew we were coming?¡± Srough stroked her chin gently, ¡°He said that he sent for Pacisa as soon as he learned of our journey.¡±


    ¡°And I never heard anyone tell them that the chondricthians were going missing.¡± Val said with a grimace, ¡°But they knew about that too. It¡¯s suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Actually we had to fill out a form with the nature of our business here. That¡¯s how they knew about that one.¡± Kyron chirped, ¡°Doesn¡¯t explain them knowing in advance.¡±


    ¡°Speaker Srough has two proposals. Firstly we say nothing and remain suspicious of the magistrate, but use it to our advantage to look out for other shady trappings he may lay for us. Or secondly, we ask him about it and operate under the assumption that the Relanian military has spies who knew about the spies who attacked us.¡±


    ¡°I say that we take the first option. If we say nothing and act as though we suspect nothing then the magistrate will act as normal. Then if we¡¯re attacked on the road again we¡¯ll know the truth.¡± Kyron whispered.


    The conversation came to an abrupt halt as the trio heard approaching footsteps. Moments later Taylk returned to the office holding a rolled up paper. ¡°Here is your map. I suggest you hurry, the scryer is set to investigate the scarred lands at the end of the week. You¡¯ll want to find them before they go in there.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your help magistrate. We¡¯ll be on our way.¡± Kyron nodded, prompting the group to stand. ¡°The chondricthians will probably owe you one. They hate that.¡± He winked as he exited the office, and Srough merely smiled in agreement.


    ¡°Oh! I almost forgot!¡± Val ran back to the desk and scribbled a note on the paper. ¡°Can you mail this to Brackshore? It¡¯s for my father.¡± Val asked the magister, ¡°I just want him to know we¡¯re all alive still.¡±


    When the magister agreed, Val was content and left the building with her allies once again faced with the city. ¡°Let¡¯s resupply and then we can start the next leg of our journey.¡± Val smiled walking side by side with her friends. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to see how the big city reacts to a big shark.¡± She teased nudging Srough, who tried to suppress a grin as they aimed for the market district.

 Chapter 7: Rearm, Resupply, and Resume

    As they walked through the market district the first thing that Srough noticed was how short nearly every other race was in comparison to her. She had originally thought that the people of Brackshore were particularly short even for humans, but that idea was soon dashed as she saw how much taller Val was when compared to the denizens of the market. Though what intrigued her most was not the size of the people before her, it was the diversity. As she tried to pick out the individuals in the crowd she was distracted by a small impact on her leg.


    ¡°Hey watch where you¡¯re going would you?¡± A small yet annoyed voice called up to Srough.


    When she looked down to find the source of the noise she was met with the odd sight of a pale white blob of a creature with four tentacle-like arms spreading upward to meet her. At the end of each stalk-like arm was an eye that was transfixed on her face. The entirety of the creature sat upon a perfectly polished stone that was rolling back and forth impatiently, ¡°An obarian?¡± Srough narrowed her brow in confusion.


    ¡°Sure am, now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m late!¡± the creature mumbled up at her, it¡¯s mouth hidden from Srough¡¯s view. It then proceeded to roll atop its rock around her before speeding off down the street.


    ¡°This city is strange.¡± Srough remarked, ¡°Chondricthian cities are only home to chondricthians, but here I see every race imaginable.¡±


    ¡°I mean a few races are less common, but yeah I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there was even another chondricthian here somewhere.¡± Val quickened her pace to match Srough¡¯s long-legged stride.


    ¡°Pfft, only if they were banished.¡± Srough laughed with mirth, ¡°Chondricthians are given the jobs best suited for them. There is no need for other races to fill in the gaps in my homeland. And since every chondricthian serves a purpose it¡¯s unlikely for anyone with standing to integrate themselves into other societies.¡± Her voice was full of pride as she explained the superior chondricthian society.


    ¡°That¡¯s a little narrow-minded don¡¯t you think?¡± Kyron frowned, ¡°I mean for one, I¡¯ve never met a chondricthian mage. If you weren¡¯t so nationalistic you¡¯d probably learn a lot from the other races. And the other races could stand to learn a lot from you!¡±


    The small debate was soon interrupted as the call of a nearby shopkeeper caught their attention, ¡°We have all the supplies you could ever need! Our rations will get you where you¡¯re going, guaranteed to last your whole trip! Stock up now!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how much money we have.¡± Kyron reached for his coin purse while Val did the same.


    While they began counting out the small silver coins Srough stepped into the shop, ¡°Shopkeep! We¡¯ll need a full week of rations for five people.¡± Even though there were only three of them Srough knew that a week¡¯s worth of human rations would only last her two days if she was lucky. Their meals were just too small to satisfy her hunger.


    ¡°Alright, and that will run you,¡± The portly man running the shop fidgeted with his flat capped hat, ¡°Five thousand vaylirs.¡±


    Surprised by the price Srough began to explain, ¡°Well, we¡¯re on official business, I suppose you¡¯ll have to talk to Magistrate Taylk about that.¡±


    ¡°Okay, maybe I should put this in terms your kind can understand, no coin, no food.¡± The keeper glared at her, ¡°Understand?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not how it works here. I see.¡± Srough mused turning back to look for Val and Kyron, ¡°We only need five thousand for our rations.¡± She called over to them as they continued to count their coins.


    ¡°What?¡± Val exclaimed, ¡°How much food are you trying to buy?¡± she stepped into the store looking around incredulously, ¡°It¡¯s usually about twenty-five vaylirs a head per day. That¡¯s way overpriced.¡±


    ¡°What are you charging? Ten coins per bite?¡± Kyron grumpily asked the shopkeep.


    ¡°Not at all! I simply have taken the liberty of adding a security surcharge due to the transaction involving a monster dumb enough to think it¡¯s a human.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Srough looked at the shopkeeper in shock, ¡°I would never want to be a human. You¡¯re far too fragile.¡± She grinned showing off her pointed teeth.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s see if I can phrase this in terms your  advanced mind can understand.¡± Srough continued her voice lowering into a growl, ¡°If you refuse to assist my allies in a fair purchase then, we¡¯ll have to take our business elsewhere.¡± She paused to let her threat sink in, ¡°If you don''t understand then I can put it in simpler terms.¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡± The shopkeep threw his hands in the air, ¡°One thousand Vaylirs, but I won¡¯t charge anything less¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re talking.¡± Val said dropping a pouch of coins on the counter, ¡°Very well handled Speaker Srough. Though to be honest, I was pretty sure you were about to draw your swords.¡±


    ¡°The thought did cross my mind.¡± Srough laughed as the shopkeep went to collect the package of rations, ¡°But I insist, while we¡¯re speaking your language just call me Srough. If I understand your tongue correctly, you only use titles on formal occasions?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct, but if I didn¡¯t know any better I¡¯d think the chondricthian was starting to think of you as a friend Val.¡± Kyron snickered poking at his friend.


    ¡°Well, as a matter of fact.¡± Srough started out before changing the subject, ¡°Let¡¯s get these rations loaded up.¡± The shopkeeper returned with a small pack of rations which would easily last a week.


    ¡° I was planning on trying to buy some armor. I¡¯m tired of getting stabbed.¡± Val said with a sideways grimace


    ¡°You weren¡¯t tired of it at some point?¡± Kyron gave her a funny look, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were a masochist.¡±


    ¡°Very funny¡± Val sighed, ¡°Come on let¡¯s get going.¡± She slung the pack of rations over her back rolling her eyes at Kyron¡¯s jab.


    ¡°So we can just go get the other supplies we need and then we can head back to the ship and collect our horses,¡± Srough said with finality


    ¡°I suppose, all we really need is the armor right?¡± Kyron rubbed his jaw as they left the shop.


    ¡°Well, more importantly than armor, I actually need a new set of swords. I lost mine when I fell off that monster.¡± Val smiled apologetically, ¡°But should be at the same place right?¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°There¡¯s an armory shop just down the street, there¡¯s the sign.¡± Kyon pointed to a wooden sign that creaked gently in the wind. On the sign, there was a blackened silhouette of an anvil and sword, and the shop¡¯s name: The Blade and the Wind.


    Following the street down towards the shop, Val began to consider what she was planning on getting. She didn¡¯t have enough money to afford an elaborate plate mail or anything like that, and even if she could the heavy weight would hamper her agility.


    When she walked inside the store she was immediately awed by the raw selection of armor and weapons the store held inside. But her attention was pulled from the armor she wished to buy when she saw a pitch black set of scale armor with a red stripe on the shoulder. ¡°Kyron. Does this look familiar to you?¡± She said pointing to the stand.


    ¡°That¡¯s the same armor the assassins'' were wearing. Even down to the color accent.¡± His expression hardened, ¡°We might have a problem here.¡±


    ¡°Anything I can help you folks with?¡± a young man greeted them from behind causing Kyron to jump, ¡°That¡¯s a fine set of armor you¡¯re looking at.¡±


    ¡°Well, I was wondering if you produced this one in bulk.¡± Val started off slowly, not wanting to give away her position, ¡°I was considering trying to armor the militia in my hometown with this style.¡±


    ¡°We used to.¡± The clerk said, ¡°But a private investor bought the entirety of the line. We only have the display model left. It¡¯s a good discount from being on display.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass on that one. Thank you though. I actually need to look at your weapons first.¡± Val pointed towards the racks of glistening weapons on the back wall.


    ¡°Ah! Yes. One moment, allow me to go grab our fitting kit from the back.¡± He smiled and then ran off.


    ¡°Fitting kit?¡± Srough rolled her back and flicked her tail impatiently. Her narrow head tipping from side to side as she stretched out, ¡°I thought you pointed at the weapons.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just as confused as you.¡± Val admitted, ¡°I thought I did too.¡±


    They walked over to the wall of weapons and waited for the man to return. As he rounded the corner his long and unkempt black hair fell into his eyes causing him to stumble and nearly fall dropping the box he was carrying.


    ¡°Woah! Sorry about that¡± He laughed as he set the box by Val¡¯s feet. ¡°Here, the stuff in there will help us figure out what weapon is your best fit.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I already know that.¡± Val laughed, ¡°I¡¯m familiar with, and prefer a set of identical one-handed blades. One for each hand.¡±


    ¡°Just humor me. It¡¯s part of the job anyway. Since you¡¯re already familiar with paired blades I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll go that way for you.¡± He said pulling a set of small knives out of the box. ¡°Each of these are made with a different weight and balance to give me a feel of what might work best for you.¡±


    He then handed her a pair of identical knives, and Val took one in each hand. ¡°Go on give them a twirl, I wanna see how you would move in a fight.¡± Val obliged the man and began to spin the daggers in her hand feeling their balance.


    ¡°These are really well balanced. But how will that tell you if I¡¯m more suited to use two weapons.¡± Val said continuing her circular motions.


    ¡°It¡¯s mostly a test of your dexterity. Try one of these next.¡± He said passing her a much larger knife. When Val closed her hands around it her arm was pulled down by its unexpected weight. When she quickly recovered from the weight the salesman looked impressed, ¡°Seems you¡¯re strong enough to use our heavier blades as well.¡±


    ¡°And why are you so keen on testing what she is capable of?¡± Srough said stepping towards the man, ¡°If she wants the twin blades isn¡¯t that what you should focus on selling her?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a point of pride.¡± He explained, ¡°While carrying steel forged by this business, her accomplishments and possible failures will reflect upon us. If we sell a weapon to the inexperienced and they get themselves killed then that reflects poorly on us.¡±


    ¡°Okay, fine,¡± Val said curtly beginning to show signs of impatience. ¡°Any other knives you want me to hold.¡±


    ¡°No, but I do have a proposition for you. If you buy a greatsword from me, then I will give you your choice of complimentary twin blades to carry for free.¡± He then gestured to the back wall where every kind of sword imaginable hung on display.


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want people to embarrass your steel.¡± Val frowned, ¡°I¡¯ve never used a greatsword. And won¡¯t you lose money on that sale?¡±


    ¡°Consider it an investment. I have a hunch that you¡¯ll be able to learn the greatsword with ease. Just remember, The Blade and the Wind values our customers'' hidden strengths.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Val said slowly, ¡°Give me a little bit to pick out the weapons and then I¡¯ll meet you at the counter.¡± Val then walked over to the wall and began inspecting the blades hoping she could find the weapons becoming of her abilities.


    She very quickly found a greatsword that she liked the look of, and picked it off the shelf. It was light enough that she could hold it with a single hand, but it was clear from the long hilt that it was meant for two hands. The guard and grip were a crimson red, and the blade itself had clean silver running the edge of the nearly four-foot blade. The crimson color continued up the blade encircled by the cutting edge on either side, before the blade quickly curved inward to its pointed tip.


    After deciding that she like the greatsword, Val began to look for paired blades that she would like. Rather than searching by their look, she grabbed them off the shelf and felt the swords¡¯ balance. Eventually, she found a sword that she liked the feel of but frowned when she lifted the partnered blade. ¡°This one is heavier.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes!¡± The shopkeeper called out, ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯ve been calling a fraternal pair of twin blades. They¡¯re forged in the same style, and design, but each one has it¡¯s different uses. With your strength that pair would work well for you. Go ahead and unsheathe them.¡±


    The lengthy swords were both curved with a single edge and a simple guard. The hilts were black with a red embroidery and capped with a flat pommel. All in all, they were identical in shape, but one blade held a plain steel color, and the heavier one was a deep blue color that seemed to glow softly.


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between them?¡± Val said eyeing the sapphire blade with intrigue.


    ¡°The blue one is made from a material that can hold a finer edge. You¡¯ll find it easier to cleave through your targets with that one. And the steel one is simply faster, and perhaps a small bit more durable. The steel is better suited for blocking.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take these three then.¡± Val decided, ¡°How much does it come to?¡±


    ¡°Eight thousand vaylirs. Though it would be ten thousand just for your pair of blades there.¡±


    Val grimace, ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll be going without armor a while longer. I doubt I¡¯ll be able to afford anything of use.¡± She then looked down eyeing her simple clothes. Plain white cloth, with patches over the holes that had formed over time.


    Val finished her transaction and looked into her coin purse noting she had enough coin left for a few days meals but nothing more. She¡¯d have to start saving up again when she got home. With the girl rearmed, the trio left the shop and returned to the boat, where the captain was waiting for them.


    Leon lead their horses towards them with a smile on his face, ¡°Glad to see the city didn¡¯t swallow you whole. You three want a lift back to Kanazaval? Or is this where we say goodbye?¡±


    ¡°This is where we say goodbye.¡± Srough nodded, ¡°We still have a long journey ahead of us before we can return home. Thank you for your assistance, Captain Leon.¡±


    The captain stayed to talk with them while they loaded the rations into the saddlebags, and complemented Val on the sword strapped to her back, ¡°I¡¯m impressed you can carry a sword that big. I think it¡¯s taller than my daughter.¡±


    Val laughed as she stepped into the saddle of her horse, ¡°It might be, but I prefer to use these kinds.¡± She gestured to her belt where the twin blades were fastened, ¡°Easier to move with.¡±


    And with that, the group said their final farewells to the captain and began to ride west away from the capital. Srough hoped they would be able to make the journey faster than the week they had estimated, but knew they were likely to be limited by the horses¡¯ stamina and the need for rest. The trepidation of the delay shook her resolve, but she pushed it aside needing to keep a brave face to ensure her new human companions commitment.