ã€ŠTale of Deprivedã€‹


 Prologue

    Prologue ¨C

    <hr>

    Unclothed, frail, weak, malnourished, a lone man walked on a field of dust. This field of dust was a wasteland where bones of those who walk it could be seen. This man walked unknowingly. In this desert of despair where light was blocked by the thick mist of dust. He walked through this valley of death with his hand on his chest.

    ¡°HELP ME,¡± said the man.

    No one would answer him. The wind and the dust carried his voice off. Indeed, there was only the whizzing of pebble and stray dust particles that would reply to him. This man with a frail frame marches this desert in search of any light to be seen.

    A single grain of sand in the midst of dust, this man started to his feet in hope that was nowhere to be found. Trek as he might in this endless sea of dust that swallows people whole. Crying, the man moved his legs hopelessly until he saw this trails of dust. Hope burst forth on his heart.

    He waved his hands at the figures on that storm of dust. The riders wore a cloth around their heads. Above their shoulders, a long barrel poked out. They wore light armor and they focused their gaze on him who was shouting. The riders encircled him. The man who waved his hands felt that there was something wrong. He could not understand their words. How could he? He was a foreigner of this world. Thus, a net was thrown at him. The net¡¯s thin materials scratched his arms. He cried out in pain as he stops resisting.

    The rider saw how quick the frail main gave up. One of the riders dragged the net, scratching the man further, injuring his already weak and frail body. The man took the net away. The deprived frail man looked at the rider who took out a leather canteen. The rider gave the frail man bread too. This wasn¡¯t mercy. This was to ensure that the frail man would survive the journey. They would haul this frail young man back to the city of storms, a city where men and women who lost their way will be sold into slavery.

    They took the deprived, the denied, back to the city. The journey was harsh for the riders. That was twice as harsh for the deprived who had his limbs tied up like a pig. The deprived man can only shout in pain. He was gagged by the riders. The riders only heard a muffled cry of desperation.

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    Along the way, through hills of dust and sand, the riders witnessed the appearance of giant sandworms. If the riders didn¡¯t know better, they would have died right there. But the flint-lock rifles behind their backs proved useful, along with their specially coated bullets, and dynamites.

    The giant sandworm that was a big as any tower died just like that. The riders took some of the flesh and carried on. Through seven days the riders gallop through the desert. In the morning they rode, in the night they rest while eating lavishly, while looking at the deprived who was still struggling for his dear life.

    The men were impressed. They thought that such frail would man wouldn¡¯t survive. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t know that the frail man could see red when he¡¯s about to die. Just a bit of relief and he would be able to regain his strength. Such ability was something that he had in him. He only needs to find relief at near death and his meager regeneration kicks in.

    The riders ¡®rewarded¡¯ the deprived man with food and water. After that, they drag him to the city of storms where ¡®deprived¡¯ like him would be collared to become a slave. The riders sold the deprived man for five gold coins. The riders laughed at the misery of deprived. He watched them gallop away. Deprived stared at the square houses made of chiseled sandstones.

    Deprived, lowered his head. The Slave Master who owned him now instructed the guards to bring him to the cages. He was put into the cages. Like dogs, the other slaves scampered about as food was thrown at them. Deprived, sat there motionlessly along with the other three. One had strange dog-like ears holding a little girl with the same features, while the other was a burly man with two protruding horns near his ears.

    The lavish nobles with baggy sleeves came to look at these set pieces of living merchandises. With their heads down, the four deprived, the ones denied of freedom was picked by a middle-aged master of strange fetishes. Deprived didn¡¯t know anything, as he was dragged along with the four.

    Unable to comprehend anything in this foreign world he didn¡¯t belong. Deprived could only lower his head and make his head bow.

    Whether it was fate or him alone that made him bow his head. It doesn¡¯t matter. This was the fate of a deprived who wandered on a foreign world.

 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1 ¨C The Four Slaves of the City of Storms (1)

    In a tightly locked room where dirt enters from a hole, a man, a horned man, a woman and her sister who had cat ears sat. The deprived man lounge on a busted cushion, the burly man with two protruding horns crossed his arms. He stared at the two sisters eating two pieces of bread. They are far from the burly man with two horns. But his gaze was soft and caring. This burly old man had scars on him. He had the look of a warrior compared to the deprived man behind him who looks weak and frail, his body so thin that you could almost see his ribs.

    ¡°What a weak human,¡± The woman said.

    ¡°Leiko,¡± the burly man said calmly, ¡°I know he can¡¯t understand us. But we are all the same here. Just slaves, and there should be no need to fight.¡±

    ¡°Shig, you seem to forget that the same ¡®humans¡¯ have enslaved us.¡± there was venom on her tongue, ¡°Do you expect me to treat this weakling as equal just because he has the mark of a slave like me?¡±

    Shig crosses his arms, ¡°So you would step on the same level as the humans who violated you? Leiko, it is best that there¡¯s no trouble that should occur within the confine of this room. After all, we cannot escape if we gather too much attention.¡±

    ¡°You are right, but,¡± the venom in her eyes was still there, ¡°How do you expect me to get along with a human after all of this?¡±

    ¡°I am not expecting you to treat the deprived human anything. I expect you to leave him alone completely.¡±

    ¡°Are we taking the Human with us?¡±

    ¡°We are.¡±

    ¡°Tsk, you Cornus people and your pity.¡±

    ¡°It is not pity Leiko. It is merely pride. I don¡¯t want to step on the same level as the humans.¡± Shig explained as he looked at the frail deprived man who seems to have lost his mind.

    ¡°Poor man, he cannot understand the world.¡±

    ¡°He has gone mad.¡±

    Shig recalled the days since he was brought along with the three. Leiko was taken to the master¡¯s chambers and was played with. Shig was taken to the ¡®guest¡¯ who loved exotic Cornus like him. He was toyed with, played as if he was a toy. The only one that was spared from such violation was the frail man and the young girl with them, Kioko. Shig would not care for the deprived man if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he cared for the young girl despite not knowing anything about the words they speak. Leiko has grown bitter and the only reason why she still has reason was simply that of what the deprived man did.

    The deprived man would eat less. He would give his piece of bread to the hungry Kioko. Indeed, after being violated by her masters, Leiko became bitter and her attitude towards human has gone down the drain. She tolerates the human but one mistake and she will not hesitate to kill him despite the kindness he shows.

    ¡°No, he merely cannot understand us,¡± Shig said after some thought.

    ¡°Human,¡± Shig said softly, ¡°I am Shig.¡± he pointed at the deprived man, ¡°You are?¡±

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    The deprived man tilted his head. He pointed at himself before saying, ¡°Joshua...¡±

    ¡°Joshua?¡±

    The deprived man nodded. Shig was quite surprised how he was able to communicate with the human. He looked the human in the eye and he was able to see some light on it. Shig never saw such light before. The human had lost all light in his eyes and now it was back.

    ¡°Shig.¡± he pointed at himself. ¡°Those are Leiko and Kioko.¡± then towards the Cattus sisters.

    ¡°Shig?¡± he pointed at Shig, then towards the sisters, ¡°Leiko and Kioko?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Shig was a bit glad that it wasn¡¯t fruitless. ¡°You can¡¯t speak?¡± Shig gestured by pointing at his mouth and shaking his head.

    ¡°I see...¡±

    The deprived man seems to understand and nodded his head. He spoke something but Shig wasn¡¯t able to know what language he was speaking. It was a language, who he as a mercenary hasn¡¯t heard before. Shig thought he must be some foreigner and nodded his head.

    ¡°Do you know what language was that?¡± Leiko asked.

    ¡°I have no idea.¡± Shig said clearly, ¡°The language is foreign to me. I¡¯ve traveled in many countries but I don¡¯t know it.¡±

    ¡°Is it rare or a madman¡¯s babble?¡±

    Shig shrugged, ¡°Who knows? There are only about fifty known countries in this world. The world¡¯s too big and the Gigantes Sea is too vast to cross. Maybe he came from such far country that I haven¡¯t gone before.¡±

    ¡°You sound sure, Shig.¡±

    ¡°I am. I¡¯ve traveled forty countries before being captured by these bastards. Even though I haven¡¯t gone to the ten known countries, I met people from there.¡±

    ¡°I see. So how did this human come here then?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve no idea. A shipwreck or could it be that he wandered and got lost? I¡¯ve heard that the space in the desert has gone awry.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that thing the scholars are enthusiastic about.¡±

    ¡°Mhm, it is hard to say. But this human is unlucky as us then.¡±

    Shig shrugged his shoulders. Leiko lost interest as she took care of her little sister. Joshua, the deprived man looked at the odd people in front of him and kept quiet. He could not understand them anyway. Thus he kept quiet about it and just lean on the wall in silence. He stared at the sconce placed on the wall. He could not understand where he was and what happened. But he knows one thing for sure.

    The collar and the chains made it obvious that he was a slave now. Maybe the shock of all the pain made him blank out. Yet now that he had some time to clear his mind. Joshua knew that this world isn¡¯t kind. He knows that as a slave here. He had to make sure that he survives.

    Joshua looked at the three. He could not understand them. Their words were foreign to him. No amount of racking his brain made him know what language they are speaking. However hard it might be, Joshua knows that he needs to ¡®follow¡¯ these three. After all, even he could understand the look of people who wanted to escaped.

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2 ¨C The Four Slaves of the City of Storms (2)

    Days passed. Shig took the piece of metal from Leiko and bent it to shape a totem. Shig asked Leiko to bring him twenty scraps of metal and any kind of gem. Shig was a Cornus. He belongs to the race of ¡®Horn¡¯ people that worships the Totem God Malfuso Dol Foranto Ig. In human tongue, the Cornus God was simply called Malfuso of the Horn. He was the war god of the Horn people. Their wise and strong God that bestows them power in their time of need.

    The ¡®totem¡¯ that Shig was making allowed him to summon the blessing of Malfuso that would allow him to move faster and possessed the strength of a bull, as long as dawn was two hours near and that there should be three planets in the sky shining brightly from the distance. Shig persuaded Leiko to take the risk and steal the scraps of metal. Shig was strong enough to bend the scrap metal and form it to the shape of his God.

    ¡°Malfuso...¡±

    ¡°My people¡¯s God, Our True Savior, the Cornus¡¯s Guiding Light. He should help us escape from this place.¡±

    ¡°Will this be truly enough?¡± said Leiko with worry. ¡°The owner had situated riflemen on the rooftop. There are three lancers and armed officers patrolling the courtyard and the exit.¡±

    ¡°It should be. Or is your God fickle?¡±

    Leiko frowned. The Goddess of the Cattus people, Neleko have given her people the blessing of the moonlight and the grace of the cat. Born with the features of a cat, the Cattus people can ask for the blessing of their God as long as the conditions are right. The conditions are that the moon should be up. And that there should be two twinkling stars and the two moons should had three whiskers; a sign of Neleko''s presence

    Such conditions are unfair. But luckily the condition will be met at the same time that the totem will be completed. As long as they have the totem and the blessing of the Goddess Neleko, they might escape from the mansion and hide in the back alleys of the city of storms until they get enough coins to travel out of the desert city and head back to the City of Chalampom, situated near the sea of Gigantes Ocean.

    ¡°It will. Neleko has proven herself to us. I should worry about that totem of yours working, Shig.¡±

    ¡°It will work. If not then we will miss the chance to escape. I rather not stay in this dirt-ridden room any longer.¡±

    ¡°I share the sentiment,¡± said Leiko. ¡°And...You better hide that totem for now Shig.¡±

    ¡°Is he here?¡±

    ¡°That should be him...¡± Leiko¡¯s brows narrowed as she looks at the two guards carrying Joshua. The deprived man¡¯s head was bloody and there were traces of semen on his thighs. The guards clearly had enough of his deranged face, so they threw him into the room, his face smacking heavily on the stone floor.

    ¡°Joshua...Are you okay?¡±

    Kioko, Leiko¡¯s younger sister approached Joshua. She patted his head and looked at him worriedly. They became friends after spending times playing in the room. Whenever Shig or Leiko was getting played with or used like stools or chairs for the degenerate masters of the mansion. He would play with the little girl. Distracting her from the cruel truth behind that door, where man¡¯s cruel and vile nature can be truly seen.

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    ¡°He got used by the Dolce of Alva huh.¡±

    ¡°Most men would fawn over that drill-like haired bitch. Too bad they do not know the true colors of that lady with a fetish for having her asshole poke.¡±

    Shig smiled wearily, he looked at the wounds that Joshua obtained. ¡°Looks like that sadist truly had her way to this human, look, she didn¡¯t even bother to remove the choker on him.¡±

    ¡°And his full of bite marks too, down on the neck and down to his navel. I¡¯ll never understand humans and their fetishes.¡±

    ¡°Are you fine Joshua?¡± Shig kneeled near Joshua and patted his cheek. Kioko looked at Shig with doll-like eyes and asked, ¡°Is Joshua fine Uncle Shig?¡±

    ¡°He should be little lass. Give him some space will you?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Obediently, she started to her feet and went to where Leiko was. Shig tapped Joshua¡¯s cheek again. This time it made Joshua awake. He looked at Shig and nodded his head. Like usual, he crawled to his spot, grab his ragged blanket and covered his body with it. Shig took some of the bread left behind by the guards and threw it towards Joshua. He took the bread. He ate half of the bread before offering it to Kioko. Leiko made a look of confusion as she watches Kioko take the bread and sit near the deprived man.

    ¡°A man with a soft heart, something rare these days.¡±

    ¡°Foreign he is...Kioko likes him.¡±

    ¡°A rarity isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Kioko knows how to stay away from people. She has this talent of seeing through people lies. He is a good person or a good liar.¡±

    ¡°Still can¡¯t trust the human, Leiko?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t. Not after all of this. Having your chastity stolen, played like a toy, and then fed me pills that ruin my womb for their own pleasure. I¡¯ve been tainted and in our tribe¡¯s law, I should be thrown down to pit for mating with male of another race. I am destined to be alone for the rest of my years. And you expect me to open up to a human just because he is nice to my little sister?¡±

    Shig could not find any good words to reply. He left Leiko alone and watch on the corner of the room with his burly arms crossed. There was a closed window covered with metal bars inside the room. Shig¡¯s eyes pointed there as he prays to his God. Although, his God was that of War, but it was also a God of the Wise.

    To Shig, all beings had their sliver of Evil. He had witness companions die before him. Friends killed out of evil and out of greed. Maybe Shig had become jaded from all of his travels. Or was it the roads Shig traveled that made him see things calmer?

    ¡°O my Wise and Mighty God, may you guide us in our escape.¡±

    And so he prayed...that such mental fortitude would stay.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3 ¨C The Four Slaves of the City of Storms (3)

    Lo and Behold! Shig of Cornus has arrived. He has arrived to grace this arena and show us the might of the wandering mercenary. The wearer of the red cloak, the atoner, the blood-crazed bull of the North!

    And so Shig stood tall in the middle of an arena. In front of him were two man-scorpion and three she-elves with flimsy bows in their hands and a quiver behind their left shoulder.

    He is on the move folks! Oh, what a smash to the head! Will the man-scorpion hit the bull of the north? Oh!!! What a cleave to the neck! What¡¯s this? The archer tried to shoot him in the neck!? What a big mistake! O wondrous people of the City! Look at this horned one! What a spectacle! Such rage in battle!

    Shig kept his calm look of anger. Blood spilled down his right arm as he finishes off the she-elf that tried to shoot him. He looked at the she-elf who has despair on her face.

    ¡°Forgive me, I¡¯ve no choice,¡± He spoke their language.

    The elf looked at Shig. She made a heart salute.

    ¡°Your blade gives me honor.¡±

    Although shamed, the elf had the honor to die with a weapon on hand.

    ¡°Human never understands do they...or is this their way?¡±

    The other she-elves did a heart salute as they battle Shig. The man-scorpions rushed at Shig. He took a stance and readied his blows.

    There it is folks! An overhead swing! One swing and he was able to cleaved the monster in half! What a monster! Truly worthy of the title of the blood-crazed bull of the north! A dodge people! A pirouette that ends with a wondrous splitting of a skull! And a throw! What a strength-filled throw! Oh! The elf¡¯s heart could be seen! Take the heart bull!

    Shig did what the loud-mouthed herald said and pleased the crowd by ripping the elf¡¯s heart. The elf had this calm look on her face. She died with honor as she leans her back on the ground of sand. Shig presented the heart to the roaring crowd. Although he was disgusted, he needed to act like the crazed bull to please his master who watches from the sides. He looked at the master of his. He was extremely pleased with the other lavish nobles praising him. Shig wanted to smash his master¡¯s head. But with how things are he pretended to act as a mad warrior until his foes were killed by his hand.

    Roaring, the crowd cheered for Shig as he then raises his hands in return to the cheers of the human watching him and roared as if the bloodlust still affected him. Shig¡¯s master had this smug smile as he orders his guards to chain Shig again. The ¡®owner¡¯ of the arena stopped Shig and his master. He praised Shig¡¯s master and honored him with praise which made the Shig¡¯s master smugger than he should be.

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    I promise that I¡¯ll split your skull soon, Shig thought as he follows the guards back to the carriage. Shig stayed silent and the guards didn¡¯t even bother him. Although they tried to act tough before, they all abandon that thought after seeing Shig fight. Shig sustained no injuries other than a few scratches during the matches and although they have flint-lock pistols and their own personal melee weapons, how can they compare to Shig who fought against Elves who had the blessing of the wind? It was foolish to provoke the crazed bull so they meekly guarded Shig.

    The road that leads back to the mansion was filled with people. Merchants, peddlers, travelers, and Mercenaries litter the street. They made quite the hubbub. Shig looked at the window and noticed the giant moths flying above the city. These giant moths sprinkled glittering dust. Shig could see the dust particle fall and sway down. The people on the street who noticed the rain of dust particles quickly covered their mouth with a cloth. Shig too covered his mouth, preventing the dust particle entering his mouth.

    The dust particle from the giant moths swells the mouth and bloats the nose. It causes about eighty-seven silver coins for an antidote. Shig didn¡¯t have the money or even the freedom so he took care of himself while not mentioning anything to the clueless driver who watched the dust particles. The other guard seems to have thought to teach the man a lesson. After that short rain of dust particle, the driver who watched foolishly had his mouth and nose bloated. He was in pain and since he was unable to drive. One of the guards took over and drove forward. Shig kept his face calm. He looked at the ¡®carriage¡¯ that was powered by a liquid known only as Lebon¡¯s fuel. This fuel allowed automobiles such as this to move. The design of the automobile isn¡¯t that wonderful at the moment. However, such vehicle was now studied further and many talks of making use of it as war machines have begun.

    Shig has lived for years and has seen things. From mysterious floating islands to giant blue mushroom forests that was home to many blue butterflies. Shig has seen the gray dolphin great lake where sentient dolphins ferry cargo and deal with any race in exchange for fish and vegetables. The humans have their own great kingdoms and such. Shig knew that there were talks of flying balloons being used as transport and that there are people daring to invent flying machines now. Shig was quite impressed by this, though he thinks that the humans, especially, the ones in this city of storms should learn to be more empathetic.

    The carriage arrived at the mansion. Shig was then led back to where the others were staying. While walking, he glanced at the guards and took note. When he arrived he was welcomed by the sight of Kioko and Joshua playing patty cake. Leiko sat near the worn table and welcomed Shig. She looked exhausted. But she still had the time to greet Shig who looked and smelled blood.

    This room was a Shig¡¯s home. And seeing them, Shig¡¯s determination to escape with them doubled.

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4 ¨C The Four Slaves of the City of Storms (4)

    The night was dark and stormy. The moon casts light but the dust storm covered the whole city in storms making the moon¡¯s light sparse. Perhaps it was due to this ¡®storm¡¯ that it was called the city of storms in the first place. In a room, the four slaves eyed at their door. The three understood each other while the other couldn¡¯t. He did not know the common tongue and was unable to communicate.

    ¡°Looks like the Malfuso and your goddess favors us today,¡± said Shig smiling.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of this place, Shig,¡± Leiko replied with a smile

    Nodding, Shig offered the totem to his God. He prayed words of power. Words that even Leiko could not understand. This ¡®prayer¡¯ made the totem vanished into thin air. What remained were white particles of light coating Shig¡¯s body. This white particle turned red and Shig¡¯s body became reddish. Coated in red, Shig ripped apart his chains and twisted the handle of the door.

    He then turned to the others and ripped their chains away. ¡°Finally no more chains to bind me,¡± Leiko said while showing a savage¡¯s smile. Shig nodded his head and gestured towards Joshua to follow him. Joshua followed behind as Shig and Leiko lead the way.

    ¡°You...guard Kioko.¡± Leiko pointed at Kioko. Joshua clearly didn¡¯t understand it so Leiko acted as if she was shielding Kioko. This action made Joshua nod his head. He held Kioko¡¯s hand and nodded at Shig and Leiko to confirm that he understood what Leiko meant.

    Seeing Joshua take care of Kioko, Shig muttered something and his arms suddenly change. His burly body got covered with a thick black hide, and around his shoulder was a thick fur. His head became that of a bull. Leiko, who like Shig transformed into that of a werecat. She grew claws and her body was covered with black fur resembling her black hair and cat ears.

    Joshua who was holding Kioko¡¯s hand got stunned. He looked at the two who transformed and wasn¡¯t able to move. ¡°Come on!¡± Kioko pulled Joshua¡¯s arm, allowing him to regain his senses. Joshua looked at the two and thought to himself. They are allies. There¡¯s need to worry. This thought allowed him to follow the two who moved under the storm of dust¡¯s cover. The two were swift. Joshua kept his distance as he watches the two predate the guards. In their other forms, the two didn¡¯t have to use weapons. Leiko in particular, who was chained in silver chains, was now strong enough to tear through thin armor. Shig was already strong in his demi-human form. But his demon form made him able to fight two lancers and crushed their armor and uses it to kill the riflemen that targeted Leiko. The two worked together so well that it made Joshua look at them in amazement and fear. Although when hit, he could see red, before his regeneration kick in and heals him fast. He didn¡¯t want to be shot or stab too many times.

    So he let the two faced the guards. His job was to keep watch of Kioko. That¡¯s why despite all the guards all alert now. Joshua, who could not understand anything other than the need to escape, decided to be brave. Kioko who was ready to defend herself looked at Joshua. She could see that he was nervous but feeling the tight grip of Joshua''s hand, made Kioko smile.

    ...

    Shig and Leiko fought the guards. The ¡®noise¡¯ from the fight was muffled so they didn¡¯t have to worry about fighting others. They fought most of the lancers and the heavily armored ones. The riflemen tried to aim at them but the wind from the dust storm allowed Leiko outmaneuver and flank the riflemen.

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    While they fought, the master of the mansion came out with his guards. He looked at the transformed Leiko and Shig and ordered his guards to fight them. The guards wielded hand cannons and rifles. They wore thick yet light armor so Shig had to hit the dirt and use the furniture and pots around the houses as a projectile to fight back. Leiko encircled them while they were distracted. Because of this Leiko was able to get behind the one wielding the hand-cannon and tear through the wielder¡¯s neck. The Master of the Mansion shouted in panic, he was about to run away only to see Shig in his human form holding a battle axe. Using this battleaxe, Shig split the master of the mansion¡¯s head as promised and took the man¡¯s heavy purse.

    ¡°Your transformation reached its limits?¡± asked Leiko.

    ¡°Yes, but we do not need to worry about that.¡± he pointed at the armor that the man who wielded the hand cannon wore. ¡°That should be useful.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡¯ Nodding her head, Leiko turned towards the two that were approaching. ¡°Kioko are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sister!¡± Leiko was about to asked Joshua only to remember he could not understand her words. Shig finished looting the young master. He then threw the boots and clothes to Joshua and told him to wear them. Shig wore the thick yet light armor of the hand cannon wielder. He invaded the mansion along with Leiko who was still in her beast form.

    While they were away, Joshua unclothed the dead guard. He wanted to vomit at the sight of all of this but his fear made him endure it. Despite seeing it as taboo, Joshua wore the guard¡¯s shirt, boots, pants, cloak, and waist cape. He wrapped the belt pockets and then took all the bullets that the guard had. Joshua couldn¡¯t carry all of the rifles so he kept only two of their flint-lock pistols and hung a dagger to his belt where it was easy to reach. Joshua¡¯s equips was quite heavy. Indeed, he looked weak and frail but it doesn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t have the strength to carry them. He was malnourished, that¡¯s all.

    Taking hold of the rifle, Joshua waited for the two to come. After a few minutes inside, the two came back holding leather bags filled with gold coins and trinket. Leiko was back to her human form and she wore a cotton robe padded with leather. She brought another robe for Keiko while Shig had already made the thick yet light armor as his own. With the cloak covering the armor, no one would notice the leather bag and the bandoliers wrapped around Shig.

    After looting and killing everyone inside the mansion. Shig realized that his plans of escape turned into a massacre. Indeed, escaping would be easy but he considered their expenses. They have enough coin to pay for half of the trip to the city of Avila. But it wouldn¡¯t be enough. And he had to what he needed to do.

    As they leave the mansion. Shig took notice of the carriage. He thought for a while before mounting the carriage, trying to make it work. Although he has experienced a lot, Shig still didn¡¯t know how to operate the carriage automobile.

    ¡°Just leave it,¡± Leiko said. But Joshua, who seems to have understood Shig¡¯s plight, made Shig move away as he fiddled with the carriage. Then, he was able to start the engine of the carriage. Witnessing this, Shig patted Joshua¡¯s shoulder and opened the gates of the mansion. Leiko and Kioko boarded the carriage as Shig then returned and sat beside Joshua and started pointing where he should go.

    It could be said that things went well for them. But as they drive away from the mansion, the dust storm that covered the city slowly settled.

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5 ¨C The Four Slaves of the City of Storms (5)

    The dust that covered the city of storms vanished. Driving, the carriage that the four stole was quite easily recognizable. The ¡®emblem¡¯ on it was easy to spot. They just massacred the entire mansion so the four didn¡¯t have time to waste. They went to the nearest dwarven smith. Shig knew the way so he pointed the directions.

    The dwarven smith¡¯s workshop was situated near the wall of the city. The dwarven saw the carriage coming so he opens the workshop doors and put on his best smile. This smile vanished though when he saw Shig riding the carriage. The dwarven¡¯s face frowned as he touches his forehead.

    ¡°Shig...do you know what the hell are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Then why the hell did you bring yourself here? Look, I know that you got collared by some noble. But once they find out that you came here. Do you really think that I wouldn¡¯t be in trouble!?¡±

    ¡°Barbados, aren¡¯t you leaving this shithole anyway?¡± Shig assisted Leiko and Kioko out of the carriage. Barbados the Dwarf looked at the two Cattus sisters, saying. ¡°And you bring with yourself two of the Cattus Race to boot.¡±

    ¡°This is Leiko and Kioko. Leiko, Kioko, this is Barbados the Dwarf, a Smith and a blood brother of mine.¡±

    Barbados nodded, then looking at Joshua who was looking at them. ¡°Who¡¯s that? A guard of the mansion you were enslaved off? Or a fellow slave?¡±

    ¡°His name is Joshua. He doesn¡¯t speak the common tongue so forget about communicating with him.¡±

    ¡°How can someone not know the common tongue? Even a beggar knows how to speak it!¡± says the Dwarf, as he circles around the carriage. His eyes were examining the automobile as if obsessed.

    ¡°He¡¯s probably a foreigner who got lost when the space around the desert distorted.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Barbados eyed Joshua before giving a helpless sigh, ¡°So do you want me to modify this carriage for you? You should know that riding this flimsy thing in that vast desert is the same thing as committing suicide.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why we wanted you to have it instead.¡± Shig crossed his arms, ¡°The dust storm has cleared. We massacred an entire mansion and the Dolce of Alva should find out what happened by now.¡±

    ¡°Bloody hell, you blood crazed bull. Why didn¡¯t you just escaped? That owner of yours was a kin of the Dolce of Alva. And this blood carriage must be hers! No one in the right mind other than that Dolce would bring a carriage like this here!¡± The dwarf said loudly, ¡°Thank the Gods you haven¡¯t murdered the Dolce! A whole army would be after you!¡±

    ¡°I know. Hence, we made sure she was out when we did the deed. I am not that foolish.¡±

    ¡°Yet you bring her property in my workshop! Shig, we are blood brothers, we¡¯ve slain dragons and laugh at the middle of battles but this is just!¡±

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    ¡°So will you do this for me? How much can you pay for the carriage?¡±

    Barbados could only lower his shoulders, ¡°Enough to buy you a sand gator mount. That should fit this whole team of yours. Are you going to Avila then? Really, once you got there you¡¯d met with folks trying to recruit you on their army.¡±

    ¡°I know. Do you think I have a choice?¡± Shig smiled weary, ¡°These guys need my help. I just can¡¯t leave them alone.¡±

    ¡°Ah, the strange empathy of the Cornus right there.¡± Barbados took hold of a wrench, ¡°You horn people are strange beings. That strange sentimental empathy is as good as a curse.¡±

    ¡°It is our nature. But are you going to help us?¡± asked Shig.

    ¡°Do you think that I would abandon my blood brother? Come get the girls to the living room. There should be food in my cooling box. And you human get out of the carriage and follow them.¡± Barbados gestured Joshua to follow Shig and others. Joshua could tell what he meant so he followed Shig into the living room. Behind him, the sounds of the metal meeting each sounded. The dwarf started his dismantling.

    Inside the living room, there was a couch, a table, and a square wooden box. Shig went to the wooden box and pulled out some food. The Cattus sisters put the leather bags down. Shig placed the food on the table. Fruits, celery, sugar cane, beef jerky, was ready for them to eat. Kioko took the sugar cane, Leiko, however, told her to eat some of the beef.

    Joshua meekly took a fruit and sat on the opposite side of the couch. Shig took some of the fried celery and nibbled on them. His thoughts went to the City of Avila and the Warlord there who was on warpath. Shig has been trying to avoid that warlord. She was a young warlord, and someone familiar with him. She was the daughter of a blood brother and Avila was his city. That warlord was now struggling to keep that city of mercenaries afloat. Shig has tried to avoid going to the city. But it seems like fate wanted him to there.

    As Shig was in deep thought, Kioko pulled Joshua¡¯s sleeve. Joshua looked at Kioko in confusion. She wanted to make Joshua follow him so she gestured at him. Joshua has no clue what she was saying. But her gesture made it clear for Joshua that she wants to be followed. Joshua followed Kioko to wherever she wanted to go. Leiko saw them and followed behind.

    Kioko led Joshua up to the stairs. They went past Barbados¡¯s room and went up through this narrow staircase. Joshua didn¡¯t know what Kioko wanted. But the moment he stepped his foot out. He saw something amazing. Behind Kioko was a myriad of stars. A pinkish and a green aurora were painted in the sky. The galaxies were seen and several dots could be gazed upon. He saw the nebulas. He saw the two moons and the planets aligned. In this enormous sky, Joshua felt like he was a speck.

    The wind was gentle. Joshua then felt something happening. Although the scene in front of him was already awesome. The sprinkle of diamond-like dust that was falling like rain made Joshua even more stun. That spectacular scene made him thought.

    Ah, I''m really in a foreign world.

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6 ¨C Dolce of Alva

    Indeed, if she stayed in that mansion, she would have been part of the dead and mangled corpses lying around the mansion of her kin. Dolce, of Alva, looked at the gore-filled hell before her. The guards that she was with entered while her maidservant covered her mouth in disgust.

    ¡°What happened here?¡±

    Though calm she was happy that she went to the bank. Before the dust storm started she collected some of the gold coins to buy the dumb slave her relative bought. She expected to return the way it is but to witness such disgusting scene made her feel like the dust storm was her lucky charm.

    Indeed, if she stayed and died, she wouldn¡¯t worry about the bastards that killed her. She would meet them in hell herself. But Dolce didn¡¯t have the wanting to die. She just got her freedom and decided to play around. She was supposed to be wed to some rich scum. That ¡®scum¡¯ died and in defiance of the Alva title. She came to this city located in the middle of a desert to stay with her degenerate relative.

    When her relative bought some slaves, she mustered the courage to grab the malnourished one and played with him. The slave didn¡¯t understand her. But he wasn¡¯t dumb and he could follow gestures. She was inexperienced, and she made that slave as her testing doll. She made that slave suffer. The slave was tough and through strange arousal she found herself having anal sex with the slave. The pleasure and pain she felt was quite something. She wanted to buy that slave for her own pleasure. But it seems like that slave ironically saved her from being one of the corpses that she sees.

    ¡°Madam, the people inside are dead.¡±

    ¡°I can see that.¡±

    Dolce waved the guard away. She looked at the pile of bodies. Her eyes glimpse of the bloody scene. The innards splattered on the walls; the brains smashed into walls. A pool of blood that filled an entire square block and the various crumpled armor that lay on the ground made her strangely unaffected.

    ¡°Madam what should we do?¡± says her maidservant.

    ¡°Chase the escapees. Family is family. This hideous massacre shall not be tolerated.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    The maidservant scurried away. Dolce started to her feet and walk upon the bloodied mansion. She passed the halls and saw the corpses mangled and clawed. To her surprise, she found herself in the room where the slaves were or at least the four where that slave should be. She expected nothing. But she found it strange that those demi-humans would take a human would them.

    ¡°Madam, we found the master of the house.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    She turned her back away and followed the guard. There, she found her relative lying on his pool of blood with his head split apart. The ¡®relative¡¯ who took her in was at least nice to her. She felt pity but that was all she can give to this relative.

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    ¡°Mhm, it seems like they unclothed the guards.¡±

    The guard that was with her relative was either unclothed or torn apart by a claw or some sort of battleaxe. His relative seems like he was cleaved by a battleaxe. She noticed the trail of rag clothes. One of them was from the slave Cattus girl who the guard played with a lot. Then, the cloth of the slave she had the first time of having sex with.

    ¡°Madam!¡± a guard shouted. ¡°The vaults and all the money that the master had are all gone!¡±

    That was not good, she thought. She moves to where the vault is and there she saw the safe that her relative had torn apart. All the gold and trinkets that could be found were almost gone. There is some leftover but it was pretty scarce.

    She moved and checked the vault. After that, she left the vault only to find what she expected. The ¡®carriage¡¯ she brought here was gone. It was a gift to her relative but now it was stolen by the slaves. She found herself in a bad mood. She kept her calm look but there is a brewing rage inside her heart.

    ¡°Make sure to find the slaves and the carriage. The dust storm should have hampered their travel. There¡¯s no way that they would be able to cross the desert without the help of mounted pullers dragging the carriage by the use of a sled. So move!¡± she ordered.

    The guards who heard began to move. The maidservant that was with Dolce kept vomiting in disgust. She saw degenerate thing while working for the lady. But the sight of all this blood didn¡¯t well with her. It was her first time seeing so many dead bodies. She thought that it was lucky that she was out to gather coins when all of this happen.

    Dolce of Alva sat on the stone block while adjusting her frilly black skirt. She thought how she should take care of this problem. Tugging her springy golden braid, Dolce of Alva then saw the stardust that comes after the storm. It was spectacular as always but she had things to think off. After all, here was she surrounded by corpses and a vault so empty along with an expensive carriage of a gift stolen.

    This was not okay. She would have to care of all of this. She was quite defiant to her clan but with how things are. Alva of Dolce could only lower her shoulders. A fierce look came upon her face. As if awakened, she started to give commands to her people. There were only a few of them, but she knows that a noble title holds weight. That¡¯s why she was confident that she could have the slaved chased.

    A mansion massacred by four slaves. This thing will not last and the news about the mansion massacre will be exposed. So why would she need to hide it any longer?

    Then, the city guards responded to the call. And like Dolce, they imagined the four slaves could not get away. And knowing that, the guards made the whole city locked the gates. Of course, she knew that finding the four slaves wasn¡¯t going to be easy.

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7 ¨C Chase of Slaves (1)

    The place was filled with wrath and tears.

    A single bloody crazed bull gazed upon the piles of bodies.

    Swords, spears, bows, and shields were littered.

    Body armor, greaves, and gauntlets lay crumpled.

    A single bull horned man standing, looking up, intoxicated with his victory.

    On his arms, there a woman wore a blue garb.

    Blue was her color.

    Without her, he could only wear the red garb.

    That was his amends.

    The amends of the blood-crazed bull that lost everything...

    <hr>

    Shig woke up. He rubbed his face. He lifted his body up and stared blankly at the space. It was that dream again, the dream that made his heart wither like a flower. He¡¯s the wearer of the red garb, the blood-crazed bull that showed his back as if suicidal.

    But that past was long gone now. He was now a runaway slave trying to save three people from such life. He had no purpose and thought that he should become a slave for this. After all, why would a renowned bull of the demi-humans become a slave in the first place? It was a simple. He wanted nothing. He didn¡¯t want to participate in wars. He didn¡¯t want to do anything with politics. That''s stupidly he chooses to be enslaved. He wanted meaning or a goal to strive for.

    Was it to make amends? Or was it his withered heart that made him do something foolish? It doesn¡¯t matter. Right now, he found something to do. Protect these young ones. Protect them until his body becomes a barrel with many holes.

    It was odd that ¡®fate¡¯ made him care for them. Indeed, he really did find something when he became enslaved. He smiled wearily. It looks like the bad choice he made worked out, a gamble which made Lady Fortune smile upon him. He was withered inside but the goal he had right now made him feel awake.

    Save them from despair. Save them from slavery. Save them from this blasted city and escape to Avila. That was Shig¡¯s goal now. After wandering for so long while helpless and in despair. Shig felt like he finally found the best excuse.

    Was he righteous? Was he a savior? No, he isn¡¯t. What made him do all of this was simply to feel good. Shig can lie all day but he knew that he didn¡¯t help them out of pity or sympathy. He helped them out of his damn ego. He was by no means a good guy. He was just some withered heart Cornus who use his people¡¯s well knowned sympathy to play hero.

    But...even though it started as a lie ¨C somewhere along the line, he fooled himself into caring for them. The Cornus Sympathy he had that was buried by all the bad temper and failures he had was dug and revealed. That ¡®sympathy¡¯ that he didn¡¯t know he had was finally shown to the world.

    Thinking about it, Shig smiled helplessly. He stared at the streak of light and stood up. He strides towards the living room and found Leiko and Kioko. The two sisters were peacefully eating bread. He didn¡¯t want to ruin the sister¡¯s bonding time so he greeted them ¡®good morning¡¯ and went to the garage where he found Barbados and Joshua.

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    Barbados was dismantling the carriage. Shig examined and made a weary smile. The Dwarven have quite the skill in dismantling the carriage. The carriage was halfway done and the only thing that was needed to be dismantled was the casing where the carriage¡¯s engine was.

    ¡°Looks like its halfway done.¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    Barbados was calm now. He was the type of person who could easily adjust to any situation as long as he was given time. His voice was soft now unlike when they first arrive in his workshop. He kept on working on the casing of the carriage.

    ¡°How¡¯s the outside?¡± said Shig.

    ¡°Terrible. All the heralds are mouthing about your escape. There are drawings of you. They are offering quite the amount of gold for your capture. Though luckily your reputation as the crazed bull and what you did at that mansion made the foolish ones back off. But there are fools who would want to take a shot. Thinking they¡¯ll get lucky. Damn, you guys really did mess up that mansion.¡±

    ¡°Well, it had to be done.¡±

    ¡°It had to be done? You lot could have just maimed them. But you killed them in cold blood. Shig, I may not favor the humans, especially those who enslave people. But by the Heavens to massacre even the servants.¡±

    ¡°They fought back. And Leiko wasn¡¯t having it. Do you expect me to let them stab me, Barbados? And what is this that I am hearing? Are you talking about empathy? When did you have it?¡±

    ¡°We are getting older by the years, Shig. I do not fear death. But I fear not seeing how the technology of this world can go far. You may not fear the divine¡¯s wrath. But I do. You are my blood brother Shig. But I am not the same drunkard fool who fought with you now.¡±

    In his eyes, there was tiredness and pain. Shig wanted to know what did this blood brother of his experience that made him like this. But in the end, he kept to himself and hid that curiosity within his heart.

    ¡°You¡¯ve changed old friend.¡±

    ¡°And you too. I can¡¯t believe that there would be a time you¡¯d be trying to play hero. Is this amends or your way of helping yourself?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s both, Barbados.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Barbados bit the wall of his cheeks. He ignored Shig as he continued dismantling the carriage. Shig saw that Barbados didn¡¯t want to be bothered. So instead he looked at Joshua who was tidying up his rifle. If he could understand their words, maybe Joshua would have felt weird hearing Shig''s reason.

    ¡°You¡¯re really piqued by that rifle huh,¡± Shig muttered. Joshua seemed particularly interested in the rifle. Though looking at it, it seems like he was capable of handling it well. ¡°I guess that is good to know. But can he truly use it and point at his fellow human being?¡±

    That was Shig¡¯s question. After all, he knew that once the carriage was dismantled. The sand gator mount would be ready for them. Barbados has promised the engine along with the bag of golds and trinkets to a fellow dwarven merchant as payment for the sand that Shig and the others will use to escape.

    They practically spent all their money on purchasing the sand gator. The rest of the gold will be used for housing and food once they arrive at any resting place. Of course, Shig knows that all of this will be useless if they are killed by their hunters.

    Escaping this city of storms will be hard.

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8 ¨C Chase of Slaves (2)

    Leiko waited for the news. She looked at her sister. Her eyes shining dimly and brightly, as her thoughts brew like a storm.

    Should I really trust that human? He¡¯s kind to my sister. But knowing humans, they are two-faced beings. Should I trust my sister¡¯s safety to this human?

    She was sitting quietly. Nibbling on the bread she eats. Kioko looked at her sister. She raised her brows and wondered what her sister is thinking about. She thought, ¡°I wonder if Big sister is having deep thoughts again?¡± and continued eating her bread.

    Shig can be trusted. He had done things to save us. I can trust him with my life. That crazed bull is good for us. But that human...what did he did for us? He drove us here but that was it. He is good to my sister. But, but, I just can¡¯t trust any human...not after all that they did.

    Her tribe was lost to humans. Her family lost to humans. Her body¡¯s chastity was lost to humans. All she had was her sister. And she almost and might lose her. She could not trust the human named Joshua. Not because of whom he was as a person. But because of what race he was. He was not the person who enslaved them. He was just some unlucky foreigner who could not even speak the common tongue. He¡¯s not a bad guy. Or at least that¡¯s what she thinks. But her prejudice and racism against humans made her reject what goodness Joshua has.

    He¡¯s been good to Kioko. Shig thinks that he¡¯s pitiable. No, maybe this could work. I can watch over this human. Indeed, maybe they trust him but I just can¡¯t.

    Blinded by prejudice she was. She could not begin to trust Joshua. Consideration was all she could offer the human. That was all she could give. After all, if she could. She would keep Kioko away from him. But her sister was her weakness. What her sister wanted. She would give it. She was her everything. She was her light to this cruel world. She wanted her sister to be happy. Being hated by sister would break her. Her sister is her pillar of support. Once that ¡®pillar¡¯ is gone. She would fall apart.

    That¡¯s why even though she wanted her sister to be by her side all the time. She could not do it. For whatever reason, her sister was fond of the human who sees him as her playmate. She would play with him and just yesterday she took the human to see the rain of stardust that made the human stun. Leiko thought that was the human¡¯s first time. And the look he gave was rather innocent and strangely pure.

    It was also because of that look that her head brew a storm. Her prejudice and thoughts clashed. But in the end, the prejudice and the cynical thoughts she had about humans won. That¡¯s why she can only sigh helplessly while the bread is in her hand.

    The door leading to the garage opened. Leiko looked. She saw Shig¡¯s burly body enter. He looked at the room before landing his eyes towards her and saying, ¡°It looks like the engine will be delivered soon. Get ready Leiko. Barbados said that bounty hunters are looking for us. Expect resistance and hopefully, we survive this. The sand gator mount will be waiting. We¡¯ll follow Barbados. Make sure to cover yourself with the robe.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Leiko nodded.

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    Joshua followed Shig. Looking at Joshua, a clear frown appeared on Leiko¡¯s mouth. Joshua noticed the stare. He looked at the Cattus sisters before nodding his head at them. Although he could not speak, he can at least do that gesture.

    Leiko crossed her arms. She pulled Kioko near her and made her wear the robes and sweeping her cat ears back. Like Kioko, Leiko did her head and covered her cat ears. While she was adjusting her robe, the dwarven who had grease all over him entered the living room and went up to his room. Shig and Joshua came down with the bag of gold and trinkets. Followed by that, Barbados came down sporting a cloak, covering her muscled arms.

    ¡°Try to not act. Let the human with the guard armor lead us. That should let us blend into the crowd. Make sure he draws his rifle and raise his chin up. That should make him look human.¡±

    ¡°How the hell do I convey that?¡±

    ¡°Just try.¡±

    Helplessly, Shig acted like a mime and gestured Joshua to do what Barbados said. It took a while, but Joshua did what Barbados instructed. With that done, the five of them went out of the workshop. Barbados locked his workshop and then pushes his cart that contained the engine.

    The five of them started walking through this box-shaped house lined streets. There were people walking around the street. And on the side are peddlers hawking their merchandises while buyers gather around them. The buildings had smiths hammering heated metal. There are merchants shouting their accessories, showing them off to the pretty ladies that pass by.

    The streets were narrow. So it took a while for Barbados to make his way through. Then, the five entered a much wider street. They continued strolling down this street until they went to the general direction of one of the gates where the mount seller was. They arrive at the mount seller¡¯s shop. It was fairly big place hugging the wall of the city of storms. There, Barbados called another fat dwarf who wanted to see the engine. This fat dwarf examined the engine and see how brilliantly it was dismantled. He didn¡¯t lollygag and told Barbados to complete the payment. While the payment was happening, the Dwarf said.

    ¡°Would you like for the gates to open for two minutes?¡±

    Which made Shig listened in. The fat dwarf wanted the other bag of trinkets. With that bag, he would make way for them out of the city. It was a tempting offer which Shig did not refuse. He accepted the offer and together the four mounted the sand gator. That sand gator has a massive toothless mouth. It was about three feet tall and has a length of about ten feet.

    This massive sand gator had a built-in carriage behind its back. Shig controlled the sand gator using the specially made reins and made the gator move. The sand gator¡¯s four legs started to the gates. The guardsmen who were near the gate tried to stop them to check their identities. But suddenly, the gate opened on them and they were pushed away by the gator. One of the guards who was far from them quickly got alerted and operated the crank siren.

    With a very loud noise, the siren echoed and was met with a reply by various sirens. With the siren going out, many of the hunters assured that the slave¡¯s that has a big money on them was escaping. And rather quickly, the chase for the slaves happened.

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9 ¨C Chase of Slaves (3)

    In this vast desert where hills of sands can be found, a creature that lived on the sands crawled through the dunes. Behind them was whirling dust of storms. Riders wearing armor, riding two-legged frilled lizard race through this vast desert chasing after them. Shig holds the reins of the gator while trying to keep his eyes focus on the road.

    ¡°Looks like a battalion of riders is after us.¡± Leiko said, ¡°Looks like that Dolce really wanted us back.¡±

    ¡°We will be hung. Even your sister won¡¯t be tolerated for what we have done.¡±

    Leiko¡¯s brows creased. She glimpses at the human holding the repeater crossbow that was armed and readied. There are four repeaters that were loaded on the carriage along with the hand cannon that Shig stole from the mansion. Leiko carried a crossbow herself to protect the carriage from the incoming riders from the distance.

    The sand gator has been moving quite well. But the speed of the two-legged frilled lizards was quite something else. They were able to traverse the hills of sands with ease and now they are right behind them. Joshua, who was watching the riders could not help but pray that they won¡¯t catch up. He¡¯s been trying to make sense of what¡¯s happening. He doesn¡¯t know anything about this world. Not the language and not even the people that are with him. All he knows was their names and his guess, that those are their chasers.

    Trying to make sense of all this made his head hurt than it should be. How this all started didn¡¯t make sense to him at all. From the desert and now back to the same desert that deprived him of water and food. The searing heat and the overbearing desert sand that is around him made Joshua squint. The cloak he wore along with light armor he was given made things even hotter. He could not complain about that. With the riders racing towards them, his mind was worried at the chance of death. His face changed badly.

    Leiko caught glimpse of Joshua¡¯s face changing. She thought that he was nervous. She didn¡¯t like that. The ¡®riders¡¯ was getting closer to them and there was no need for fear. He was clearly afraid. And fear could prove fatal to this bout. She wanted to convey alarming words to him. But how could she? She doesn¡¯t know how to speak to him. Not to mention that making gestures at the moment while the sand gator treks the land with speed. ¡°How could I tell him not to panic?¡± she thought. ¡°There are many things to say about this human. He might risk my sister¡¯s life. I can¡¯t let that happen.¡± She concluded.

    ¡°Calm down. Try not to panic,¡± She taps her chest and breathed in and out. She was trying to make a gesture of calming down. Joshua caught sight of what she was doing. He looked at her with a confused expression before touching his chest and breathing in and out. Joshua then understood what she was trying to say and calmed down.

    Then, after a few minutes of calming down, the riders could be seen clearly without a blur. The rider on their frilled lizard mounts pointed something in their direction. Before Joshua could shout something, he heard gunfire and the whiz of bullet passing through his left ear. Joshua fell down on the carriage. Leiko clicked her tongue as she shoots the crossbow repeater. The movement of the sand gator along with the gust of the wind made the crossbow repeater practically useless.

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    ¡°Damn it! They are using rifles!¡±

    Leiko shouted the obvious thing. Shig urged the sand gator to move. The gator crawled through this hell. The riders coordinated with others as they reload their rifles. Like a cavalry firing line, they continued shooting at the carriage. Leiko tried to helplessly shoot the crossbows but it was impossible to hit them. Having no choice she hid under the carriage along with the cowering Joshua who was holding his head. Leiko sneered while holding Kioko who was obviously afraid.

    ¡°Don¡¯t hide! They are getting nearer Leiko! Try and do something! There are a goddamn rifle and a hand cannon there damn it!¡± Shig shouted. Leiko clicked her tongue as she then pulled Joshua to Kioko. ¡°Take care of my sister human!¡±

    Shivering, Joshua nodded his head at Leiko. He went to where Kioko was and holds her in his arms. Leiko took the hand cannon and aimed at the rider that was nearing them. The rider saw the hand cannon and tried to strafe left. But Leiko pulled the trigger and the rider along with his mount was blown away. Leiko pulled the hand cannon back. She then took the rifle that Joshua dropped and aimed at the riders again. The exchanged of gunfire happen. The sand gator¡¯s scale was tough but it was due to Shig¡¯s control of the sand gator and instinct that the sand gator could avoid some injury. Leiko opened fire while cursing the human that wasn¡¯t helping her at all.

    ¡°They are getting closer! Damn it! They really did send a battalion after us!¡±

    ¡°Keep shooting Leiko!¡±

    ¡°I am trying!¡±

    Leiko shot her rifle. But the riders were getting better at dodging. She was outnumbered by one to ten and the time she had to reload was getting longer. Cold sweat was covering her, and the feeling of fear crept up. She looked at the corner of her eye and she saw Joshua muttering something under his breath. She didn¡¯t have time to hear what he was saying when the bullets whiz past by her head.

    Joshua kept on praying the Lord¡¯s Prayer. He was trembling. He was unable to move as the bullets past over his head. He was slightly tearing up. Kioko saw this and looked at her with watery eyes. Looking at those eyes, Joshua felt even more scared. The thought of losing his life became greater, and knowing that he wasn¡¯t able to fire back at them made him feel even worse.

    He urged himself to move his body. But before he could even a move an inch, Leiko who was shooting at their chasers turned to them, her mouth open as if she was trying to warn them. Then, Joshua saw the explosion behind her. His vision then twirled as time then slows down. Slowly, he saw the carriage being flipped. He was being thrown away as his vision tunneled red. Red veins appeared on his vision as he tries to understand what was happening. He saw the sand. He saw Leiko shouting something. He saw Shig transformed into a bull. He didn¡¯t know what to do. But seeing Kioko being blown away too, he grabbed her and without thinking use his back to cushion their impact. He felt his being shake as his body smashes at the sand.

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10 ¨C Chase of Slaves (4)

    All he could hear was his heart beating. The noise of metal clanging; gunfire was firing; people shouting; whether in despair or in pain; the blood curling shouts were something he could not hear. All he could hear was the beating of his heart. He was heavily breathing. His ears were ringing as he was oblivious to the battle happening.

    Where am I? Ah, that¡¯s right. A foreign world; got slaved; chased, then got blown away by some explosion that flipped over this sand gator. How absurd. This world is really fucked up. I don¡¯t know why I am still alive after that explosion. I wonder where Kioko is. Where is Shig? Where¡¯s Leiko?

    His vision was tunneled red. Red veins appeared on his vision as his flickering-blurry vision made it hard for him to see what¡¯s happening. He tried to lift his head up. But he didn¡¯t find any strength in him. Suddenly, he saw a floating word in front of him. It was not some virtual words that you¡¯d find in any program. It was like he was just seeing floating words.

    >Stand up

    >Surrender

    Then, the ticking of clock happened. All the noise vanished as he could only hear the tick and tock of a clock. What was this? What is this thing? Was this a choice for him? It was obvious what he was going to choose.

    >>Stand up

    He chooses to stand up. Then, the words floated in front of him. In the middle of his vision, this word shone. He heard his breathing back. He heard the clangs of metal. He heard his own heartbeat thumping loudly. Pain assaulted Joshua. He was weak. He could not stand. But as he focuses his mind staring at the floating word, he felt something pump his heart. Like a defibrillator charging his heart back up. Thump. Thump. Thump. He felt his heart loudly beating as Joshua finally regains air that his lungs craved

    He saw a man with a rifle. This man turned the barrel of his rifle at Joshua¡¯s head. He was about to pull the trigger. Joshua didn¡¯t have the strength. But suddenly words floated again.

    >RESIST

    But this time there was no other option. He focused his mind on that word and suddenly without his will. Joshua grabbed the barrel. He pulled it then let go as the man who was aiming at him fell down. Rolling backward, Joshua stood up weakly. He thought that such words would appear again but he was wrong. He was struck by the butt of the rifle. He felt his cheeks ache in pain. He looked at the rifleman. He was making a sneering face as he was about to execute Joshua.

    >RESIST

    The same words floated again. Joshua didn¡¯t hesitate to focus his mind on that word. Then, his body moves again without his own will. He kicked the rifleman right in the knee. The rifleman staggered. This allowed Joshua to tackle the rifleman and grab the dagger hung on his belt. Joshua hesitated. But suddenly, the word ¡°KILL¡± appeared before his eyes.

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    Joshua paused. Joshua hesitated but heard the sound of Kioko shouting.

    When can a man be brave?

    When can he stand up for himself?

    ROAR!

    DO IT!

    Joshua shouted!

    ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH¡±

    As he plunges the dagger into the rifleman¡¯s throat. Then, the word ¡®Kill¡¯ vanished from his sight.

    I did. I killed someone! Damn it!

    Joshua was not pleased by this. Killing someone was something he was not okay with. He was normal human being. He was not a psychopath who feels nothing about killing someone. But what can he do? What could he do? Offer his life to someone? Joshua had many flaws. He had many troublesome things. But going out on someone¡¯s term? Fuck that!

    He could now allow anyone that. That¡¯s why he bit his lip. He truly wanted to cry for the sin of killing. But what mattered was right now. He had to run. And he did! He ran towards where Kioko was and found her being dragged by the hair. It angered him, which made him draw the flintlock pistol on his belt and shoot it at the man¡¯s chest. The man who dragged Kioko looked at Joshua with widened eyes before throwing his head back with his eyes rolled.

    Joshua ran to Kioko. But a bullet whiz passes him. He did not see any words that floated. It only meant that the floating words he could see are only available when he is on the brink of death. Indeed, he could feel his body ached. His was still seeing transparent red yet he ran towards Kioko. He pulled her up and piggybacks her.

    In the distance, he could see Shig fighting the others in his bull form. He was extremely wounded and he had slashes and bullet wounds on him. Leiko who was on her werecat form fought the others. She saw Joshua carrying Kioko. And seeing her sister safe, Leiko had this look of relief as she then swipes her claws in mid-air and slashes the throat of a rider. The rider fell down and rolled down the sand. Not wasting any time. Leiko mounted the frilled-lizard mount and gallop towards them. She stops before Joshua. Joshua didn¡¯t think of anything and just handed Kioko to her. Then, Leiko pulled the flint-lock pistol from Joshua¡¯s holster and shot another rider near Shig.

    Shig saw that the mount and climbed on that lizard. Then, with a swing of his axe, he killed the riders and trot towards them. Without waiting for Joshua¡¯s approval, he grabs him and then Shig dropped something to the ground. Joshua saw that it was a small barrel and seeing the light on it fizzling. Joshua covered his ears as the small barrel explodes.

    ¡°GO! I¡¯ve disabled most of their rides! Go now!¡±

    Whipping the lizard, Shig and Leiko rode far from the battle while Joshua clings to the frilled lizard''s saddlebag. He looked at the distraught riders. Some of them tried to give chase but they considered their comrades and stopped. Joshua felt relief but then he suddenly feels his head go blank. He lost consciousness.

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11 ¨C Thrill of the Hunt

    Dolce, of Alva, looked at the injured riders. On their faces is a shame. They brought their comrades on makeshift stretchers that were dragged by their remaining mounts. The riders had scratches on them. The claw marks on their armor showed the marks of werecat¡¯s claw. The ¡®riders¡¯ carried by makeshift stretches were halted by four-wheel carriage. The carriage driver told the chasers to haul the injured on the carriage. They complied and they followed the carriage to the nearest hospital.

    ¡°They failed,¡± Dolce said.

    ¡°Sadly they did.¡± replied the maidservant.

    ¡°The crazed bull of the north is worthy of his reputation. To think he would best a battalion worth of riders armed with rifles and live.¡± Dolce smiled, touching her right cheek.

    ¡°The Crazed Bull had help from that Cattus. According to the riders, the Cattus transformed into a werecat, and due to this they lost against the Cattus.¡±

    Dolce lazily leans her cheek with her right hand. ¡°Is that so? What about the dumb slave? What about that little one?¡±

    The maidservant nodded and told her. ¡°The human slave fainted when their carriage exploded. But that slave awoke and killed two men it seems. The little Cattus was then taken by that slave.¡±

    ¡°I see. How did they know that?¡± asked Dolce.

    ¡°One of the men who had his leg blown apart told this humble servant. They say that they heard the bull of the north call the slave Joshua.¡±

    ¡°Joshua?¡± she smiled, ¡°A good name worthy of a prey.¡±

    ¡°Prey...what do you mean by that madam?¡± asked the maidservant.

    ¡°Did you think that I would be displeased with this result?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Then you are wrong,¡± she smugly said. ¡°I indeed wanted that slave back. But not to the point my head would swell in anger. That ¡®slave¡¯ is my thing. With my relative dead all of his belongings are mine. So that slave should belong to me.¡± she snickered, ¡°That bull of the north will go to Avilla City. Once he reaches Avila he will have the protection of that bitch of a Warlord. You should have heard the rumors yes?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡± says the maid while nodding her head, ¡°The Warlord of Avilla has been looking for that bull. Something about an oath made to her father.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. That bull will go to that place. He will receive the blessing of the Warlord on a warpath and his status as a slave will be lifted. The four will have their slavery revoke just by being with that warrior. However, they won¡¯t experience such luxury.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Why?¡± said the maidservant, ¡°I thought that they won¡¯t be treated like slaves anymore as long as they have the protection of the crazed bull?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem, my maid. He is the ¡®crazed bull¡¯. He¡¯s a bloodthirsty bull of death; a demi-human whose reputation is well known throughout this continent. Do you really think that they will respect a demi-human? Fear him maybe but respect? They will show it to him. But inside they are sneering and spitting. You know how things are.¡±

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    ¡°I see.¡± said the main in understanding. ¡°But doesn¡¯t it mean that milady will lose her rights to that slave?¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡± she smiled lightly, ¡°But it doesn¡¯t mean that we cannot put a bounty on his head. In all Alva, that man shall have a bounty. We¡¯ll offer a bit of gold to capture them back. Of course, with the crazed bull around, that would be hard, that bull will protect them.

    The maidservant raised a brow. She was trying to comprehend something that would allow her to understand the thoughts of her master. Of course, Dolce wasn¡¯t really thinking too much. She was simply amused by the events that are happening. She wasn¡¯t angry or frustrated. She was merely thrilled that such thing did not come to her. To describe it, it would be like a flower on top of a mountain. Taking that flower will be troublesome. But the pleasure of the climb and the reaching of that flower make it all worth it.

    This is fun, she thought. She looked at the cloudy yet dusty skies of the city of storms. There were clouds of different sizes. There are long-beaked birds with wide wings glide above them. The city of storms won¡¯t be having another storm for quite a well. That¡¯s why she turned to her daydreaming servant.

    ¡°Prepare the carriages. We¡¯ll be leaving for Duesa City.¡±

    ¡°Duesa City...why would you want to go there milady?¡± asked the maidservant.

    ¡°Do you want to question me?¡± said Dolce calmly but coldly.

    ¡°No milady, it was my mistake to say such things.¡±

    ¡°Good. Now inform the soldiers. Make sure to put the mansion for sale. Have all the guards and the servants to pack my luggage. Anyone who tries to scour something on my luggage will be killed. So tell them to be careful.¡± Dolce instructed while having this cruel look on her.

    ¡°As you wish milady.¡± says the maidservant as she walks down the stair, the hemmed of her skirt brushing the floor. Dolce looked at her servant before sneering. She looked at the skies again and pictured what face would that slave when she captures him. It was not like Dolce was evil. She was merely having fun at the expense of some slave. It was natural for her to think this way because of the social hierarchy established. She has noble blood, therefore, she has the right to do so.

    Compared to the other nobles like her. She considers this new thrill of hers as rather tame. At least she was not cutting the limbs of her slaves and making them as their toys. At least she wasn¡¯t torturing them. In fact, she was only enjoying the thrill of the hunt. She was the leader of the hunters while the four slaves were her prey.

    In fact, she was too lenient. The riders she told to chase them was too small. If she wanted to she could have may huntsman and bounty hunters chase after them. But to Dolce, it won¡¯t be that much fun.

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12 ¨C From one Deprived to Another

    In a small oasis with a little palm tree near it, where four people gather by a campfire. The frilled lizard with them drank the water on the oasis. A horned man covered in bandages was overlooking the fire while his arms were crossed. A cat-eared woman tended to a little girl who is looking at the unconscious human with them. The weather was cold and damp. The desert was hot in the morning while it was freezing cold in the evening. The warm kept them awake while the smell of roasted meat made the three who was awake feel their stomachs growl.

    ¡°The food will be ready.¡±

    ¡°Uh yeah...¡±

    ¡°Are you okay Leiko?¡±

    ¡°I am okay Shig...¡± she glances at the human who was sleeping on a fur sleeping bag.

    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine Leiko. I know that you owe him now but no need to think hard about it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡±

    Leiko heard what happened. Kioko told her and she said how horrible it was to be dragged by the hair. Luckily, she was saved by Joshua who killed his perpetrators. Knowing this made Leiko feel like she owes this human a favor. She doesn¡¯t like it but what can she do? Her weakness was her sister and even though her blind racism and hatred for humans outshine the kindness in her. She still knows that what Joshua did was worth owing him favors.

    ¡°The human...he did well.¡±

    ¡°He did. He saved my sister. That¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°Leiko...look at him. He is squirming around. He¡¯s probably having nightmares.¡±

    ¡°It may have been his first kill,¡± says Leiko as she stares at Joshua who¡¯s having terrible nightmares about what happened at that place.

    ¡°The first act of taking a life is something you¡¯d remember for the rest of your life. I killed at the age of thirteen. I was a foolish boy that wanted to know the glories of war. I thought that I¡¯d be okay but when I first killed someone. I vomited and I wasn¡¯t able to consume anything for two days. What about you Leiko?¡±

    ¡°My first kill was the human raiders.¡± She said with a bitter cold look on her face. ¡°Pardon, but I rather not talk about this.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± Shig lowered his shoulders he then kindled the embers on the campfire. ¡°Anyways, having to kill for the first is nasty. It¡¯ll never leave you until the day your roll down your grave. At least the reasons he killed for is to protect someone. Isn¡¯t that right Kioko?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± said Kioko as if she understood.

    Leiko frowned. She looks at her sister with heavy eyes. There was this look of pity and sadness on her face. It was a face that Shig could understand. He wanted to speak about it but the look on Leiko made Shig understand that it is for the best. Ignorance is bliss. After all, how can a little girl like her still act that way despite all the hardships she has gone through?

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    Leiko knows that someday she had to talk about that to Kioko. But at the moment she didn¡¯t want that. She didn¡¯t want to see her little sister to become a lifeless doll again. How would you cope in the face of despair?

    ¡°See? Even Kioko agrees. Indeed, one should not be judged by their race, but by the content of their character. We don¡¯t know what his real thoughts are. But we know that he is a good guy. Would a typical human rescue your sister? Would he risk his life for Kioko if there wasn¡¯t any goodness in him?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Shig smiled, ¡°Leiko, the world¡¯s a cruel and a beautiful place. All of these are parts of life. I am not saying that you should forget about your grudges and hatred. I just want you to understand that not everyone is out to get you. The world isn¡¯t after you. And really, I think Joshua¡¯s reason for saving Kioko is that she was his friend. You see them play a lot so it was obvious what he would do.¡±

    Leiko was still undecided. He looked at Joshua and he was still wriggling. There are tears in the corner of his eyes. There was this look of helplessness. Like a lost puppy that was taken from his home. Kioko saw this look and immediately tap Joshua¡¯s forehead. This gesture made Joshua calm down.

    ¡°Mother...¡±

    Although Leiko was unable to understand his words, that sweet and wanting word made her understand who she was calling for. When it was dark and the night was terrible. She and her sister would call out to their mother. It was obvious whether human or demi-human they would long for the embrace of their mother. And hearing that made Leiko remember her days in her tribe, those peaceful days she longed for. Just playing around with her little sister, and training with her older kinsmen. She and sister would be then running around the riverbanks of the Cattus River while the flying fishes are trying as they climb the upstream river. The wind would blow from the great plains of Acatusia and she would see the sunset in the distance as her mother along with her father carrying their meal for the night would tell them to come home. At night she would enjoy their meal and when they are tucked to bed. She would dream of the stars and her dreams and the big world out there. She once dreamt of traveling the world. She couldn¡¯t understand her elders once. But now that here she was in some small oasis. Leiko felt like there was something missing inside her. Such empty feeling that made her wants to claw her chest out.

    The campfire fizzled and sparked. The burning of wood could be heard. She looked at the flames before closing her eyes in thought. She gave a big sigh of relief as she looked at Shig.

    ¡°Fine...I¡¯ll trust him a little. But that¡¯s all I can give him, Shig. From one deprived to another.¡±

    ¡°I see. That¡¯s good enough.¡± Shig smiled.

    After that, they rested for a while before starting their journey to the City of Avilla where they may find shelter and a bit of hope.

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13 ¨C Avilla City

    The walls of Avilla came to view as the bluish stone battlements overlooking the road shadows the travelers. In front of the gates are two guards armed with a rifle. They wear the color blue on their armor. Above them were two cannons pointed to the road. At the tower up above the walls are two giant ballistae that are ready for use. The gates of the city were lowered. There¡¯s a long line of travelers seeking entrance to the city. From merchants to mercenaries to travelers who are just here for sightseeing.

    There was this smell of flowers coming from the plains that oddly meets with the desert that is blocked by this ridge and mountain. The scent of flowers and the desert gives this aroma that was unable to be described other than soothing and calming. Hence despite the long line the people waiting are being strangely patient.

    Among the liners are four people riding frilled lizard mounts. They have sand on their clothes and one could see the wounds on them. Worth noting was the burly man with a horn whose wounds and scars are impressive. Behind the horned man was a thin framed human wearing light armor. On his waist are flint-lock pistols. The other mount has two Cattus girls who seemed young. Their black cat-like ears located on top of their head makes them noticeable. They wore robes and the look of the tall one was quite fearsome. She had this grimace as some of the humans look at her.

    ¡°Leiko please...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine Shig,¡± said Leiko.

    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t start anything. Just endure their lusty looks.¡±

    Leiko snorted. She hissed at the people looking at her. They would have argued with her if it wasn¡¯t for Shig¡¯s intimidating presence. Among these many people, Kioko who¡¯s in front of Leiko lowered her head. She was shy faced with this amount of people she didn¡¯t know. She was looking around. She then saw Joshua making a funny face. This made her laugh adorably. Her shyness vanished along with it.

    Leiko caught a glimpse of Joshua¡¯s funny face and the way he was able to make her sister laughed. She wasn¡¯t bothered since she now trusts the human a bit.

    Joshua saw Leiko¡¯s face. He threw his head back and pretended to have not done anything. He whistled awkwardly. This made Leiko feel like she really scared the man.

    Joshua wasn¡¯t scared. He was just worried that the only people he knows in this world would hate him. That¡¯s why he tries to be lenient. Not to mention that when they were being chased by the riders in the desert. It was his fault that they did badly. He didn¡¯t fight until he saw Kioko being dragged by the hair. This did not sit well with Joshua so he had to kill someone.

    Killing someone didn¡¯t make him happy. After killing someone Joshua¡¯s nights were filled with nightmares. He would dream of the faces of those he killed. Their eyes rolled back. Blood seeping out from the wounds that he inflicted himself.

    Joshua would shudder at those dreams. He was by no means heartless. So such event affected him badly. He¡¯s trying to make it not to appear. But even though they didn¡¯t know what language he was speaking. They could tell what he was thinking by how he acts. They were not dumb people and he was not sketchy or smart enough to fool them. He wasn¡¯t special by any means. Just some unlucky dude that got lost in some foreign world.

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    The line moved. The clanking of armor, the sounds of boots and the click of tongues came along with it. The four arrived in front of the guards. The guards drew their eyes at the four and told them to pay up. It was a necessity for the people to pay taxes to enter the city. All those who would live would pay while the travelers had to pay a bit more due to the tax imposed that is considered lenient.

    Avilla City is prosperous. They have no lack of money but it always good to have more money on the city¡¯s coffins. Luckily, Shig kept enough money to pay for their entrance. The guards didn¡¯t bother them and let them get a move on inside the city. Once inside the city the four saw the building-lined street of Avilla. The houses were made of brick and stones. And the roofs were tilled and this same grayish color. The street in front of them was filled with people heading deeper into the city. Above the scenery is a stronghold flying the colors of blue. Shig knew that flag fondly and cherishes it. He fought for the warlord of the city once. Its warlord was his partner in arms and now his daughter owns this city. Shig didn¡¯t want to work. But with how things are he has no choice but to keep his promise to his old friend.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be going to that stronghold.¡± He told them.

    ¡°Can¡¯t we just rest for a moment?¡± Leiko complained.

    ¡°No, I¡¯d rather not spend the rest our money on Inns. Not to mention we don¡¯t know if that warlord¡¯s daughter will accept me.¡±

    ¡°So you are risking it?¡± She looked at Shig.

    ¡°Yes. We might and just might need the money. So until then let us go and meet my partner¡¯s daughter.¡±

    And so they rode their frilled lizard onwards to the stronghold. The main road leading to the stronghold was wide. It fit the soldiers, the patrols, the caravans and the various travelers that are sightseeing. Many kinds of mounts and horses are on the main road, so their mount didn¡¯t gather too much attention. It took minutes to reach the stronghold. Once there, the guards asked them what their reasons are for approaching the stronghold. Shig told them and hearing this made the guards recognize the demi-human in front of them. They¡¯ve heard of a fight in the desert when the bird messengers arrived. A battalion worth of riders brought down by some crazed bull. Know this made the guards tensed and polite. They immediately told the others to call for the warlord of the City. A few moments later, a pale-haired woman garb in plate armor appeared before them.

    She looked at them for a while before turning her eyes to Shig.

    ¡°Welcome to my City Uncle Shig.¡± said the woman.

    Shig smiled wearily. ¡°It is nice meeting you again Mia.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve finally come to fulfill your promise?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Shig said. He didn¡¯t refuse nor tried anything. The woman heard that clearly and smiled saying. ¡°Welcome to Avilla City then Uncle Shig. May you be good to me.¡±

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14 - Family is Family

    Shig moved to a balcony overlooking the City of Avilla. On the railing, the pale-haired warlord of the city watches the outline of her city. Her eyes were like dew as she gives this look of tiredness.

    ¡°She has grown beautiful isn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Shig replied.

    ¡°Through the years I¡¯ve steadied my warpath,¡± said Mia, watching the skyline of the City. ¡°The City isn¡¯t this big when my father owned it. But my constant expanding made this city tremendous and large. Can you see that over there?¡±

    Shig looked at the place Mia¡¯s pointing. ¡°That¡¯s the Blue¡¯s District. Is that where your army is?¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve heard of it,¡± she smiled. ¡°I''ve built a district for my loyal soldiers. Former mercenaries who had nothing to live for and made it their home, their families live there, their children tucked in the safety of those small walls. I¡¯ve done all of this but do you know what I lack Uncle Shig?¡±

    Shig looked at Mia. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°A competent warrior,¡± she said, looking at Shig coldly. ¡°I would have such competent warrior if he took his oath seriously. Do you know what they call me? I am called the Pale Haired Lady of Avilla, the White Flower that leads thorns and fortunes.¡± She breathed in. ¡°I am called that but it sounds like that I am weak yet strong. I never solidified that fear that makes the citizens rest easy.¡±

    Shig creased his brows. ¡°Is that so? I think the guards were lenient and were doing their job.¡±

    ¡°That may be so,¡± she grimaced. ¡°Yet the insides of the blue district are starting to rot. The men and women are only worms that lives on pension and salary as if it was all that matters. There are a popular brothel and tavern in that area. Most of the soldiers there either fuck or drinks until they have fainted still. Do you know what happened when some spies entered the quarters? They manage to get the documents that lead to where our spies and scouts.¡±

    ¡°I am assuming that you punished them?¡± Shig said.

    ¡°Of course I did! Ma Deus! Those imbeciles will be the death of me, Uncle. My trusted Lieutenants have been doing well but I am afraid that I would have to personally let some blood from that growing pig of a district.¡±

    Shig frowned. ¡°I thought that you¡¯ve act already.¡±

    ¡°How could I?¡± she snorted. ¡°The fools down there worship me. Do you think that they would be that foolish to act like that in front of me? One click of my finger and all their foolish pension and salary would be all gone. Those bastards eat the fat of this city. But yet they never contribute much other than keeping residents of the city well and safe.¡±

    ¡°What do you me to do about them?¡± said Shig, crossing his arms. ¡°I do not know what my role is in this city. But I assume it would about them since you are telling me all of this.¡±

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    Mia grinned. ¡°Of course that¡¯s what your role will be Uncle Shig. You promised my father that you¡¯ve become his confidant. But you left and then I¡¯ve heard you became a slave to same noble that had a connection to the Alva¡¯s. So Uncle Shig my terms are simple. I want you to be the Lord Enforcer of my City. You¡¯ll be my iron right hand and strike down these fools. Of course, the salary will be big for your sake Uncle.¡±

    ¡°I do not need the salary. I only want it to go to my companions.¡± Shig replied.

    She opened her mouth. ¡°Ah, that man and the Cattus sisters you brought to my stronghold. Do not worry they will become free. The Cattus Sisters can work. The tall one can work for you while little one can study as a Herald. Can she read?¡±

    ¡°I don''t think so,¡± Shig nodded. ¡°But about the man with me.¡±

    ¡°That deprived looking one. What about him?¡±

    ¡°You might have noticed that he cannot understand a word everyone is saying.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see. Is he deaf?¡± Mia asked.

    ¡°He is a foreigner that doesn¡¯t speak the common tongue. It would be best if he is taught how to speak and read the common tongue.¡±

    ¡°Is that all?¡± Mia frowned. ¡°That is fine. I can have that man taught by a few scholars inside my stronghold. He¡¯d be employed if he wants to.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mia,¡± Shig bowed his head. ¡°Although I¡¯ve escaped from my promises, you still welcomed me into your home and treated us like this. I hope that you forgive me for not being here until today.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing Uncle Shig,¡± Mia waved her hands. ¡°I¡¯ve spent time playing with you when I was a child. Do you think that I can hate my Uncle despite know what he had gone through in life? You lose your eternal partner. I understand that. I may be a bit upset that you left while I was alone to take care of the city. But thanks to that I¡¯ve grown strong and wise. I do not hate you Uncle. Never would I. My father and my mother had passed away. In this world, there are only a few I could call friends and family. A family is a family, Uncle. I consider you family despite those horns of yours.¡±

    ¡°Mia...¡± Shig didn¡¯t know what to say really. He expected to be rejected. He expected to be thrown away or killed. But to think he would be welcomed with this kind of hospitality was something he did not expect. Indeed, maybe he was too jaded that he thinks that he¡¯d be treated badly once he arrives here.

    ¡°Really Uncle,¡± said Mia, grinning. ¡°I¡¯ve changed Uncle. I am not that na?ve and innocent of a little girl anymore. But even so, it doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯d turn into some villainess that would hurt one of my closest ones. We may be of a different race. But bonds and friendship still exist here. So please be at ease okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it looks like I will..¡± Shig smiled.

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15 ¨C Awkwardness of Silence

    The room was lavished. A chandelier hangs up the ceiling. There are lamps filled with oil nailed to the walls. The walls have paper flower designs on them. The flooring of the room was quite simple. There is a mat on the floor and in the middle of the room, there is a table with four chairs on it. Three of the chairs were occupied, and the young girl eating the sponge cakes was staring at the two who didn¡¯t say anything to each other.

    How could they say anything to each other? Joshua didn¡¯t know the common tongue. And Leiko could not be bothered to speak to Joshua who doesn¡¯t know the common tongue. How could she express herself to this human? There was a language barrier between them and she was already having a hard time conveying gestures to him. What more if she tries to talk to him? It was impossible and thus she can only keep silent.

    Joshua himself knew that he could not say anything to her. Although he was with two people here, he felt like he was alone in his own world. Their words to him were like gibberish to him. He was able to understand only a few words like ¡®Hello¡¯, ¡®Good Morning¡¯, ¡®Good Evening¡¯, ¡®Follow me¡¯, ¡®Are you okay¡¯, ¡®Are you alright¡¯ and a few cursing words that he learned from Shig and Leiko.

    He was not that dumb. He could understand but it would take a while before he can understand everything. None one of them speaks his language and thus it was hard for him to know where to start. That¡¯s why he can only say words like ¡®Are you okay?¡¯ to Leiko who then told him. ¡°I am.¡±

    He learned already what the words for ¡®I am¡¯ are. Still, it didn¡¯t mean he can communicate her. So he could only sit in silence while trying to savor the sponge cake that was laid in front of him. There is also tea but he wasn¡¯t fond of hot tea so he didn¡¯t drink it until it was cool. Leiko found it odd and could only sip on the tea while praying that Shig would arrive to diffuse this awkward silence between them. Luckily for them, Kioko¡¯s playful manner made the two at peace. There was no threat of sand worms appearing. There were no riders that are armed with rifles looking for them, and certainly no dust entering their mouth when they breathe.

    The curtain on the widows swayed. A ray of light entered through the glass window and created spots of light on the floor. Kioko ate her sponge cake without being troublesome. Joshua and Leiko stayed quiet as a mouse while trying to relax.

    Joshua leaned on the table while his cheeks were in his hands. He looked at the curtain and stared at it while eating the sponge cake.

    Meanwhile, Leiko has started to talk with her sister. This was her way to avoid such awkwardness. Luckily, the door opened and Shig, who was wearing a red sash around his waist now and looked at the three. He eyed Joshua before turning to Leiko.

    ¡°How is it?¡± said Leiko, curious.

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    ¡°It is fine. We can stay here. Mia has agreed to shelter us. And if you want you can have Little Kioko here learn how to read the common tongue along with Joshua.¡±

    She looked at Shig in the eyes. ¡°Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Shig nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be using my salary as the Lord Enforcer to fund their education. Do you mind?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Leiko shook her head. ¡°In fact, I wanted to teach my Sister to read for a while now. But I think a scholar will do her more good. Will Joshua be learning with her?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I made sure of that,¡± said Shig, sitting down and eating one of the sponge cakes. ¡°I rather have them together when they learned. As for you Leiko, would you mind being my assistant?¡±

    She crossed her arms. ¡°You want me to assist you in this city¡¯s affairs and problems?¡±

    ¡°Yes. And you should know that the blue district that we¡¯ll be working on have demi-humans on them. So there¡¯s no need to worry about meeting too many humans when working.¡±

    ¡°You really thought this through huh?¡± said Leiko, with a raised brow.

    ¡°Yeah, since we¡¯ve worked together well. Of course, if you like to you can always reject the offer and stay in the stronghold as a guest. Mia allows it.¡±

    ¡°No need, I shall work for my stay here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡± Shig gave a sigh of relief.

    ¡°So when will we start?¡±

    ¡°Soon once you get acquainted with the city. I can tour you. But I do suggest that Joshua and Kioko start learning. Especially Joshua, well...¡± Shig looked at Joshua and then back to Leiko. ¡°He being unable to understand us is quite the problem. And it would be a bit better if we can understand what he wants to say. That way we would know what his true colors are.¡±

    Leiko nodded. ¡°I agree. I find it troublesome not being able to speak. It is not like I want to chat with him or anything like that. It is just hard to trust someone who you know nothing about. So I think him learning to converse with would be great. Maybe I¡¯d begin to trust him more then.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Shig looked at Leiko in agreement. ¡°So that¡¯s settled then? You¡¯ll work for me and be my assistant?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will. No need to worry, Shig. I¡¯ll help you. And besides, it is not like me and sister and has a place to return to. And with how things are. I think it is for the best that I stay on these walls.¡± She said with this looming sadness on her face. Shig opens his mouth and tried to say something but he closed it again and bit his lip. At this moment it was best to keep silent. After all, his words won¡¯t do any good to someone like Leiko who bottles the pain she experienced in her heart.

    What need was there to say? He was not there when those thing happen to her and sweet words won¡¯t heal her wounds.

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16 ¨C A Certain Circumstance

    In the first month, 13th, of 1810, the news of the new Lord Enforcer spread around the City of Avilla. The name Shig of the Red Garb spread among the people. The people already knew the name. Most of the people know him as the Blood Crazed bull of the North. Now that he was Lord Enforcer of the City. They went with the formal title of ¡®the Red Garb¡¯ which symbolizes the red cape that hangs over Shig¡¯s shoulder.

    Two days the printing presses worked nonstop in spreading this news. There were also new rules which were then announced by Heralds to the plebian masses who could not read the pamphlets spread by the soldiers of the City.

    These pamphlets made commotions in the Blue District. The demi-human community was quite surprise yet glad that the Lord Enforcer of the City was a Cornus and his assistant was a Cattus. The humans in the city frowned. But they had no choice with the Lady herself announcing her decision. They already knew of her relations to the blood-crazed bull. In fact, Mia of Avilla won¡¯t have had this City if it wasn¡¯t for his father and Uncle Shig¡¯s previous work.

    The City was located on two important routes. These routes made this city quite the route to take. Located east the city is a well-known route that people from the Salevela Island located up far northeast of the continent. The island is far away and it usually docks at the City of Chalampom located just north of the City of Storms. South East of Avilla is Duesa City, a rather small seaside City known for their white sands and round house''s situated on top of the water where Gondola¡¯s are mainly used to ferry travelers and residents of the city. It is strangely prosperous because of the nobles around the place.

    But these cities have one thing in common. They rely on the roads of Avilla to travel to the Helena Citadel, the Capital of the Freelands territory. There are five Kingdoms in the Livia Continent. Avilla City, Duesa City, The City of Storms, and the City of Chalampom are part of the Freelands demesne.

    The other Kingdoms are The Holy Midland, where the Knight Templar¡¯s gather along with its citizens. Then, North of Midland is the Bali Kingdom, home of the Shonis Natives. South of Midland was where the Cagan Kingdom was, the Kingdom where most demi-humans gather and are currently at war with Holy Midland. Then, northwest of the Midland is where the borders of Maltius La Fende is, a tightly locked kingdom that prefers to keep out of touch with the people. They rarely interact with the other Kingdoms and prefer to stay neutral, they are also highly advanced and their well-fortified borders make those who tried to invade them shriek in horror.

    Anyways, since Shig was now the Lord Enforcer of the City of Avilla. The various nobles and the bounty hunters who knew of what happened in the city of storms and its desert decided to halt the prize on Shig¡¯s head. Leiko, Kioko, and even Joshua had their bounties halted.

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    Their status as slaves was also personally revoked by the Warlord of Avilla, Mia. With this, the bounty hunters sent by a certain Alva backed off. Though certainly the one that put the bounty wasn¡¯t displeased by such result, in fact, the lady who heard what happened just laughed thinking that time will come that she¡¯ll be able to move the bounty again.

    Still, Shig, who was quite relieved about all of this started to work his job seriously. With Leiko, he made rounds in the Blue District and perfectly laid his iron fist at the district. The lazy good for nothing soldiers of the district experienced the Cornus Regime that Shig was trained at. The men carried logs and practiced their arms until they lay on the ground sweating heavily exhausted. Some men grew angry at such training. But Shig merely smiled at them. Show them his pearl teeth and asked them to make him revoke the training by beating him in a sparring. Some men tried to do so, bravely. But mostly all of them ended being choked and slam on the ground.

    The women who grew lazy faced Leiko. Some of them faced the Cattus with a bit of sneer. However, like Shig, she challenged those who complained head on and proved her authority. She was a Cattus and that was her own and most effective way of dealing with anyone. The fringes of the Blue District and even the brothels and tavern grew wary of the Lord Enforcer and his assistant. Of course, Shig and Leiko warn them to be humble about their time. The brothel wanted to bribe Shig but Shig¡¯s wither heart made him frown badly instead. Shig imposed a schedule and the tavern was only allowed to serve mead and alcohol in the afternoon.

    There was a complaint obviously. But what can they do in the face of the Lord Enforcer? In any case, the tavern became a hubbub in the afternoon. Things even got lively when tired men came to the tavern. Oddly, they found it their haven when training is done or when they are done patrolling. Though there is complains in the brothel of the Blue District being filled with men wanting massage more than playing in the bed.

    The Warlord of the City, Mia, was rather impressed by Shig¡¯s work. She knew the efficiency of her uncle but seeing how little time he made the Blue Strict straightened up made Mia rather relieved.

    Shig has had an imposing figure. Leiko was also a great help to him. And every night the two would return to their home quarters in the stronghold. Where they would be greeted by Little Kioko and the unable to speak or understand Joshua.

    The four looked like some odd family. But they are family. Born of odd circumstances, these four were slaves met in the desert where they had one thing in common: being chained. That made them family. It was not because they particularly like each other. It was because of that certain circumstance that they are here.

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17 ¨C Superposed Inverted Colors

    Joshua woke up with a flat, expressionless gaze. He looked at the world with its colors inverted. It was not rare for him to see the world like this. Since finding himself in this world, he has experienced this kind vision.

    He was unable to concentrate when faced with his world inverted.

    He stood up.

    He looked at the garb he hung before sleeping and wore it. The garb was his light armor, surcoat, and trousers tucked on his boots. He glimpsed at the pistols on his drawer. He took it then turned his attention to the workbench that his room has. On the workbench is a disassembled rifle. Sawed, cut, drawn, and covered in pencil linings.

    Ever since he started staying in the stronghold of Avilla, Joshua started to learn the language. It has been a month and still, he was unable to read. He can speak to the others but not yet to the point of fluency. He was always alone and since he was a slow learner. He was told to self-study. He also has this urge to be helpful. So when he can he would cook for the others. He was not that great of a chef. But he had enough learned skills from watching and helping cooking with his mother that it could be edible. Joshua¡¯s average on every front, luckily he knew how to do the math and how to craft.

    He also had this hobby of watching online video tutorials. Hence he started ¡®improving¡¯ the rifle he got for free into a much better rifle. Joshua wanted the rifle to be superposed loaded. He wanted to integrate a sliding lock that would slide along the barrel and locked in place to each hole, then the lock would be primed, cocked, and fired at each hole to discharge the bullet. He remembered seeing such design on a website once. He remembered it so he tried imitating it while making use of the tools around the stronghold.

    Of course, he wasn¡¯t that much of a genius or a craftsman to recreate a repeating flint-lock rifle. So he instead brought the awful drawings he had and brought it to the stronghold smith, Benton.

    Joshua showed the stacked charge rifle design. The smith who saw the designs raised a brow at the drawing and found it interesting enough. Joshua wasn¡¯t able to communicate with the dwarf so the dwarf told him by stick drawings that he should mark and draw on the rifle to show him how it is done.

    So Joshua drew the sequence that the barrel has along with where the hammer and prime should be. The powder, ball, the powder, and etc for each desired charge. Joshua measured the rifle and drawn sixteen rows that should allow the charges to be set. Sixteen rows, sixteen hammers that would then be controlled by a sliding lock and a lever mechanism. The design was quite hard to fully comprehend so he asked the smith to measure it with his own judgment.

    Anyways, since working with the rifle¡¯s design. Joshua has been suffering insomnia. He never got a good sleep with all the vowels, intonations, and the words practiced he did in the evening after class. One month of constant practice and working on the rifle made him fast tired.

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    Right now, he sees the world in inverted colors. He already wore his garb and taking a look at his rifle. He left the room and went to where the study room is. The study room is where all the books and students of the stronghold gather. There are few noble scholars attending the session. Most of them ignore Kioko and Joshua out of pride. Sure, they snort and comment about their former status as slaves. But they don¡¯t go shouting that they are some young master of some clan and start talking how trash they are. Noble they are, they have reasons and their reasoning tells them not to mess with the family of the current Lord Enforcer.

    Besides, they won¡¯t get much from Joshua who couldn¡¯t understand their manner of speaking at all. They are a rude bunch but they do not overstep their bounds.

    Joshua walked on the hallway before turning left. He entered the study room and looked at the desk and tables arranged together. The old scholar who teaches Joshua caught a glimpse of him and handed him a set of words he needed to memorize. Joshua looked at the set of words written on a freshly inked parcel and waited for the inverted world that he sees to return back to normal. It took minutes, after that he then started memorizing the words.

    The Old Scholar was named Gale. He had worked for the Avilla ever since the warlord was young so he didn¡¯t mind about Joshua and Kioko¡¯s former status. What he was worried about was if he could teach Joshua. It took him a week to converse with Joshua. Gale was also well-learned so he was able to read Joshua¡¯s body language and deal with him. To Gale, Joshua was at least not dumb. He thought of him as a well-educated lad whose only downfall was that he could not understand the common tongue of the land.

    Old Gale also gave him a set of arithmetic questions to gauge how good he was with numbers. Thankfully, the young lad was versed in numbers and he used techniques that were unknown to him. Though some of the methods he used were the same principles and this made him think fairly of Joshua.

    As a scholar, Old Gale wanted to learn as much as he can. He had seen a lot ever since then. And parting his knowledge to others is always a pleasure to him. That¡¯s why he agreed to Mia¡¯s request. And he was not disappointed.

    As for Kioko however, Old Gale had this pitiable feeling towards her. Some can see that she seems like a happy-go-lucky kid. But to Old Gale¡¯s eyes, she was only a kid who has already left reality. To cope with the harshness of life, she decided to cover her eyes with a tinted glass that would allow her to look at the world kindly without hating it.

    Old Gale had seen so many kids like here. Whether human or not, such kid was not that hard to find in this world. That is why despite the urge to wake the little girl up to reality before her, Old Gale decided to hold back and let her be.

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18 ¨C Price of Knowledge

    It was a grease-filled room. The smell was unbearable for unaccustomed noses. A dwarven with burly arms sat in front of a table. With a pen on his hand, he wrote about a certain letter to a lord.

    Greetings Lord Alva,

    My stay on this Avilla stronghold has been productive. The warlord of the City has no knowledge about our relationship. She believes that I work solely for her. It has been a long time since I¡¯ve worked here. She trusts me enough not to put a little bird near me. As you said, she was an already an experienced warlord. You¡¯ve might heard that she recently employed Shig of the Red Garb. Shig the Red Garb had been a torn to the Knight Templar¡¯s. I am a worshipper of the Luci Fera despite my race as a dwarf. I am loyal and will be always.

    But that was not why I wrote this letter. I wrote this to inform you of a certain schematics that I recently got hold off. A man named Joshua, who I believe is a foreigner had drawn up an interesting design; a rifle that could fire repeatedly. If it was the older ages, My Lord, I think that such rifle will be inadequate to produce. I¡¯ve seen the drawings and the number of details. I¡¯ve copied the mechanism and the system that this rifle do. The sliding lock, the lever mechanism of this rifle was ingenious. My eyes was widened in surprise.

    My Lord, this weapon can be reproduced on our factories back in the lands of Alva. The runes, the fireball spitting runes have grown inadequate at the invention of rifles and firearms. Yet the drawing and schematics that I would deliver along with this letter will change the world. A peasant, a slave, and even a brainless fool could operate a rifle. Now imagine the devastating force that this sort of rifle could do.

    I believe that this human named Joshua, a former slave, a foreigner could produce interesting designs despite his inadequacies. He lacks fluency in the common tongue but the ideas on his head are marvelous. This man cannot be bought, and sending him away from the ¡®family¡¯ he has here will be difficult. But, I¡¯ll be watching him, my lord. I believe that this human will produce more interesting designs for us.

    The rifle he had produced made me think of that greatly. I¡¯ve high expectations for this human and I believe that we can use him. My Lord, the creation of this rifle will change things. With our conflict with the Shonis natives and their Bali Kingdom, we¡¯ve no choice but to steal the ideas of this human. Both the Bali and the Cagan are after the Holy Midland.

    May God forgive me for this deceit, and so I wish that you¡¯ll have the decency of owing the creator of the rifle. It may not matter much, and the designs will not go unnoticed. But the loyalty in me has decided to give out the designs of to you, my lord, my vassal. My heart aches that I had to steal such wonderful designs. I have the blessing of Innictis, and this will cause my blessing to falter.

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    That is why I wish that you¡¯d spare me from losing such blessing milord.

    Eternally Loyal,

    Benton

    The dwarf wrapped the letter in a paper envelope as he seals it with wax.

    Inscribing four runes, and mixing two poison powder on the letter. The dwarf sealed the letter and put it on a tube. Standing up, he walked to the window and whistled loudly.

    The cry of a falcon sounded as it glided and landed on the window. The dwarf tied the tube to the legs of the falcon. The dwarf fed it food, patted its head and made it fly away up above the blue sky. There was a look of guilt on the dwarf¡¯s face. But it vanished as he slaps his cheeks and turned to the door.

    Carrying his toolbox, he walked out and strolled down the hallway. As he walks he saw the face he was trying to avoid. It was Joshua who was carrying his book. The young man wasn¡¯t thin anymore. He wasn¡¯t malnourished and he was cleaner than everyone. It was a habit of the young man which the dwarven did not understand at all.

    ¡°Good Morning, Benton,¡± Joshua said.

    ¡°Good Morning, Joshua.¡± The dwarf replied, ¡°Going to Old Gale now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Joshua, go to study, Gale now.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Joshua was still learning. The dwarven understood this so he nodded his head. ¡°Good, learn much so you can speak good okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Joshua said brightly.

    ¡°Good man.¡±

    The dwarf patted his shoulder. Joshua staggered as he then smiles wearily as he left to go to the study room. The dwarf looked at the back of the young man who he had stolen from. The trace of guilt lingered but he kept it bottled. There was a fine line between association and loyalty. Benton has grown accustomed to the warlord and this stronghold. But his loyalty lies elsewhere. He has always been a loyal servant. And the only reason why he was here in the first place was that of a rather long plan.

    This gamble was something that he has worked on for years. Before the Warlord of Avilla was Mia¡¯s father. Benton has already worked for this stronghold while showing his loyalty elsewhere. His Lord wanted eyes and ears. He also wanted to know how much military force that the Avilla will produce. And there was no better position to know all of this than the stronghold¡¯s head smith. Benton was not spy at heart. He was a smith but he at least knows how to deliver messages and inform his own lord the forces that Avilla has.

    Avilla was a major city of the Freelands. It was also near the Giantess Sea and has always been a good strategic location. Many wanted to subdue and take Avilla for themselves. Many failed as she always bounces back. That¡¯s why the Lord of Alva has decided to send Benton here in hopes that someday the City will be theirs.

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19 ¨C Sweet and Simple

    It was a windy day, Leiko stared at the sky. Leaves from the trees glide as they follow the wind. She tucked her robe and followed the way leading to her new home. She found herself in the room. There was no sign of anyone other than the young man, whose complexion was now renewed. He was Joshua. He wasn¡¯t as thin as he was before. He was vigorous and could now somewhat talk.

    ¡°Ah, Leiko, welcome,¡± said Joshua.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Kioko?¡± asked Leiko.

    ¡°She¡¯s still learning with Mr. Gale. Do you want me to pick her up?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no need to do that, Joshua.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Joshua nodded. He turned to the drawings he had.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± asked Leiko, curious.

    ¡°Schematics,¡± said Joshua, drawing this crude outline. ¡°I wanted to create something.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Leiko saw that the drawings were something she could not understand. So she just sat near the table.

    ¡°Would you like some tea?¡± asked Joshua.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she told him with her eyes away.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Leiko looked at Joshua. Although he was still not fluent, she could feel warmth in his voice. It was the voice of someone who was glad to see her. She was not that dumb to notice that Joshua looked at her as a big sister that he owes his life too. She wanted to be distant to him. She wanted to stay away knowing that she has this bitter feeling when interacting with humans.

    ¡°Here you go,¡± said Joshua, pouring hot tea on her cup. ¡°Be careful, it might burn your tongue.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She accepted the cup of hot tea. She sipped on it gently while eyeing Joshua who went back to his drawings. She put her cup down and turned to Joshua with this calm look.

    ¡°Joshua.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t trust you that much.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Joshua smiled thinly. ¡°I cannot imagine what you went through. I¡¯ve no words to console you, other than I am sorry that it happened to you.¡±

    She listened.

    He continued, ¡°And I know that telling you to forget will not happen. I am not that insensitive. I know how to sense that you don¡¯t want to talk about it. Indeed, you really don¡¯t like my race. How could I spite knowing what happened? Leiko, do I have the right to tell you anything?¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Exactly, that¡¯s why I don¡¯t dare to preach goodness. I don¡¯t dare to say anything else. I am trying to be nice to you. I am trying despite knowing your deep seething hatred towards us humans. Do you know why?¡±

    She shook her head.

    ¡°Because you save me from that den Leiko, you rescued me from slavery along with Brother Shig. How could I just turn blind to that? So what if you hate humans? You may not trust me. You may hate me. But that¡¯s understandable. You¡¯ve been through a lot. I can understand that that¡¯s why I am being nice.¡±

    ¡°And being so honest right now,¡± Leiko told him.

    ¡°Yes, I can now talk to you guys. I¡¯ve studied hard and worked hard because I wanted to say thank you.¡±

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    Joshua stood up. He put his hands on the side and bowed his head.

    ¡°Thank you for saving me. Thank you for giving me liberty.¡±

    She eyed Joshua with her mouth slightly opened. ¡°You are welcome.¡±

    ¡°I am being blunt with you, Leiko. I cannot lie to you knowing that you¡¯d hate me if I do. I understand how little your trust is to me. I am not that blind to see that. That¡¯s why I am being honest here.¡±

    ¡°You are telling me that you are being nice to me so that I¡¯d trust you. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s force?¡±

    ¡°It is forced,¡± He nodded his head. ¡°But this is what I truly think. I don¡¯t want to lie to my benefactors. I don¡¯t want to lie to the only family that I have in this world. I cannot tell you anything. But in this world, at this moment, you, Kioko and Brother Shig is the only family that I have. I am afraid of losing my family. I am afraid that you three would leave me alone. That¡¯s why please Leiko! Please let me treat you like a family! Please...I beg you...don¡¯t leave me alone...don¡¯t hate me.¡±

    Joshua sobbed. He wasn¡¯t acting like a man. He was acting like a child that didn¡¯t want to be abandoned. Just a lonely person who found a family to belong to.

    Leiko usually had this calm look of anger on her. Yet seeing Joshua act like some lost child made her smile wearily. She pressed her forehead. She looked at Joshua who was sobbing and said.

    ¡°You act like a baby. Men should not cry.¡±

    ¡°Maybe, but my heart tells me to.¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± this time Leiko made this calm yet warm look. ¡°You are not fooling me are you?¡±

    ¡°I am not!¡± shouted Joshua. ¡°How could I lie to the family?¡±

    ¡°You are a human. You might be fooling me.¡±

    ¡°I am not!¡±

    ¡°You are!¡±

    ¡°I am not damn it!¡± shouted Joshua.

    ¡°I know you aren¡¯t.¡±

    Joshua turned his eyes to Leiko. He saw her right hand on top of his head.

    ¡°You are a good person, Joshua.¡±

    ¡°I am not.¡±

    ¡°You are.¡±

    ¡°I am not.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you really aren¡¯t. It¡¯s rare to see someone pour their heart out like that,¡± she sighs. ¡°It amazes me how can you just cry that easily. Indeed, you may not be a good person. I maybe am being fooled here. But...somehow, I think I want to trust you. I might not be able to trust completely. But I¡¯ll trust you a bit. But that¡¯s all I can give at the moment. Maybe, I¡¯d changed. Maybe there would be a time that I¡¯d truly make an exception for you. But right now, my heart is a mess. The wounds from before have not healed. But in time...maybe I¡¯d think that I¡¯d learn to treat you nicely.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Joshua looked down.

    ¡°But don¡¯t worry,¡± she rubbed his head. ¡°I¡¯ll be good to you. Kioko really likes you. And knowing her, she might pout at me and call me a mean person if I don¡¯t. So don¡¯t look so down okay?¡±

    Joshua raised his head. He looked at her with pure eyes and said.

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    It was just a simple thank you yet it made Leiko smile heartily.

    There was a calm smell of tea in the air.

    It made the two calmed.

    And when Shig and Kioko arrived, they didn¡¯t see the usual awkward scene. What they saw was just two people drinking tea together.

    It was sweet and simple.

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20 ¨C Ploy (1)

    In the office of Mia of Avilla. There lays a letter sealed with wax. A man wearing a military coat with a big red cross on his heart was seen standing with his arms tucked behind his back. Mia of Avilla seemed like she did not like the messenger. Her eyes having this strange look. Almost seething to the point of spitting fire.

    ¡°Is this true?¡± said Mia, taking her eyes off the letter.

    ¡°It is madam.¡±

    ¡°Bali and Cagan spies had really come to this place. And despite all of this that is happening. You expect me to believe that the greedy warlords of the Freelands wanted to warn me about these assassins. How generous.¡±

    ¡°I am only a messenger madam.¡± The messenger said.

    ¡°Yes, it seemed like you are. You deliver their words through tongue and words. How many months had you traveled to get to the Freelands soldier?¡±

    ¡°Two months, Madam.¡± said the messenger. ¡°I had to trek the mountains and avoid the recent Cagan headhunter¡¯s madam.¡±

    ¡°Headhunters?¡± Mia raised a brow.

    ¡°Yes, scalpers that came from Cagan. They have been picking off Knight Templar¡¯s off the road. Three weeks ago this humble messenger almost became part. Only through luck and skill that I was able to reach this city, madam.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, indeed I¡¯ve heard of that caravan attack resulting in the death of a fifty templar knights armed with rifles and bayonet. So you are a survivor.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Madam,¡± The messenger swallowed hard.

    ¡°To employ a Knight Templar messenger to be their errand boy. Not to mention this far from the Holy Midland. This is rather too generous. What¡¯s inside this letter bastard?¡±

    ¡°Nothing Madam...I shall now leave.¡±

    ¡°Shig,¡± Mia called out.

    The messenger tried to leave out of the door but he saw a burly body blocking his way. He looked up and saw the two horns of Shig. The Knight Templar messenger shivered. Sweat beads fell down his forehead as he tries to gather words to say.

    ¡°May I know why you are in such a hurry?¡±

    ¡°I have things to deliver,¡± answered the messenger.

    Shig wasn¡¯t having any of it. ¡°You think of us fools. Leiko had sniffed three poisons on that letter. The message carried by word had truth on it but it was ploy to let our guard down.¡±

    ¡°Shit!¡± the messenger tried to take the dagger hung on his boots. But Shig was faster and was able to grab the messenger. The messenger struggled but before long he was knocked unconscious by the bear hug that Shig did.

    Mia reclined in her chair with a matchstick in her hand. ¡°And the bastards think that such foolish trick will kill me.¡± She lit the letter. ¡°Or are they messing with me? Thinking that I¡¯d be foolish to open a letter sealed with three kinds of poison, hoping that I¡¯d die? How ridiculous.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Shig crossed his arms. ¡°The leaders of the Freelands are getting ridiculous. All the money and all the greed is getting to them. They think that it would be easy to take this land from your hands¡±

    ¡°At least we got something from this messenger.¡±

    ¡°Bad news!¡± a voice called.

    Shig turned and saw a soldier with a rifle running.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong soldier?¡±

    ¡°An Assassin has slipped past us! They are after Old Gale!¡±

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°What!?¡± Mia stood up. ¡°What do they need him for?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know madam!¡± the soldier huffed air. ¡°All we know is that other one had gone and scaled the walls! The other now lies dead after biting his tongue!¡±

    ¡°Shig!¡± Leiko came out of the shadows.

    ¡°Go ahead Leiko! Take care of Old Gale and make sure they are safe!¡±

    Leiko ran at full speed out of the office. Her heart pumping badly at the thought of her sister being in danger. Shig looked at her before dragging the soldier that was sleeping on the floor with a look of anger that made Mia feel a cold wisp of air on her spine.

    ...

    Meanwhile, in the study room, a person running at full speed launched towards Old Gale. Surprised, Old Gale stumbled back and saw the pistol pointed at his face.

    Joshua saw the pistol and the trigger finger of the assailant moving.

    Unknowingly he threw his book at the assassin.

    The assassin staggered but he closed in at Joshua and was about to pull the trigger in anger.

    Joshua thought that he was done for. But words floated in front of his eyes. When these visions appeared Joshua focused his mind.

    >Counter!

    Without his input, his body moved on its own. His right arm crooked and held the assailant by the wrist. Joshua then grabbed the torso of the assassin and tackled him out of the window where things slowed down for Joshua.

    The glasses broke. The wooden frame of the window splintered.

    Joshua saw the sky first before seeing the words floating in front of him. The wind caressed his face as gravity does its job and made Joshua and the assassin''s body plummet straight down the ground.

    He didn¡¯t hesitate.

    Nor he could back down when faced with death.

    His action was outrageous.

    But he didn¡¯t turn tail as he chooses.

    His body moved while time seemed slow.

    Time didn¡¯t slow down.

    But it was those words that made his body feel like it slowed down.

    His arms moved as he took the pistol from his holster

    He pointed the flintlock¡¯s barrel at the person¡¯s chest.

    He took a shot.

    The man screamed in pain.

    He tried to struggle but they were in mid-air.

    Joshua took another pistol without his will.

    He aimed it at the man again.

    He pulled the trigger.

    Blood splattered.

    The man¡¯s eyes then rolled up.

    Joshua then saw the words in front of him changed. He focused his mind on the words.

    As he kneed the body of the man.

    Using the man¡¯s body as a cushion. He landed on the bed of flowers with a loud splat. Joshua bounced like a ball as he quicly stood up while shuddering.

    His limbs felt numb and when the words vanished. Joshua felt like he lost all strength in him. He looked at the assassin that attacked them before falling down flat on the flagstone.

    He heard someone shout. There were boots hurrying to where he was. What was that? Who was that? Why did they attack Old Gale? Joshua thought as his consciousness disappears.

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21 ¨C Ploy (2)

    News of Joshua tackling someone out of the study room¡¯s window spread on the stronghold. The study room was located at the second floor of the stronghold and he did it while killing a heavily trained Bali assassin, who had many hits. Joshua suffered swelling after he jumped off the building. And if the Bali Assassin was not there to break his fall. He would have broken his legs badly.

    Kioko and Old Gale were safe. Leiko arrived in time to secure the two while the stronghold was then locked, and visitors were inspected thrice. The Warlord of the Stronghold, Mia of Avilla, ordered her soldiers to search for any remaining assassins lurking the city. The manhunt was led by the Lord Enforcer who found four assassins from the Cagan who wanted the Warlord¡¯s life.

    As for the Knight Templar that was ordered to deliver the letter to Mia. He was taken to the public square of the city of Avilla and was personally executed by the Warlord of the City to warn those who acts against the state will be labeled as traitors. Mia of Avilla used this excuse to eliminate four leading merchants who had colluded with the other states.

    The City of Avilla was turned upside down. The Blue District soldiers marching down the streets with their arms in order to seek enemies of the state. The constant execution in the public square turned the whole city of Avilla gloomy. The mood of the city became grey. The people held their heads down hoping that they won¡¯t get mistaken as an enemy of the state.

    Back in the Stronghold, Shig with his arms crossed thought of the actions that Mia did. Behind him was Leiko who adjusted the crossbow she recently own. She preferred the crossbow rather than the firearm. She was oiling her crossbow. Delicately tuning the strings and adjusting the mechanism of the crossbow.

    ¡°A tiresome work,¡± said Shig.

    ¡°Rooting out assassins is hard. Good thing you didn¡¯t have to follow the scent of poison,¡± said Leiko flatly. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you hated poison that much.¡±

    Shig spread his hands. ¡°My memories of poison are terrible.¡±

    ¡°Who would have good memories with poison?¡± Leiko raised a brow.

    Shig wearily smiled. ¡°Yeah, who would have good memories about them?¡±

    Shig turned around and sat on the table with his hands cupped. He looked at the crossbow that Leiko has, before turning his eyes down to the table. He smelled some fresh aroma. He heard boots stomping down. He and Leiko were on the blue district. They had stayed here waiting for any news that would need their attention.

    ¡°Bali and Cagan, the Holy Midland sending some poison doesn¡¯t add up. Sure there are fanatical Templar¡¯s out there but they rarely used the method of poisoning. Hmm, this must the native of Shoni¡¯s work.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Who knows? Maybe the Templar¡¯s had grown weary and decided they want Lady Mia dead,¡± said Leiko. ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t want a place of Avilla after all?¡±

    ¡°Maybe, but the Templar¡¯s are a proud bunch. Not to mention they consider their oaths holy. Breaking them is the same as spitting on their God¡¯s face. And these fanatical knights won¡¯t dare to disgrace their God just like that.¡±

    Leiko nodded. ¡°You are right. Those crusading Knights are too fanatical to break their oaths.¡±

    The Knight Templar¡¯s had the reputation of devoted fanatics that adheres to their God¡¯s Will. As long as God wills it they will follow. They are blind devotees that would storm citadels or even declare war to a nation who blaspheme their God.

    One would think that in an age where rifles are present. One would think that the Knights would go extinct. But these knights did not care for that. Instead, they adapted to the world smartly and grab rifles to arm themselves. Once they wore heaver armor but know they wear light armor and a white surcoat with a giant Red Cross painted on their back. Around their waists are bandoliers containing ammunition and explosives while at the back of their waist are their trustee swords that they could pull whenever they engage in close quarter combat.

    They are a dangerous bunch and are usually heavily armed. That¡¯s why Shig and Mia didn¡¯t buy the messenger¡¯s story about the ambushed Templar¡¯s. The Templar¡¯s might be fanatics. But they are well-trained fanatics that are trained to fight to a state just by guerilla warfare alone. They are natural at hit and run. They are too good that Shig found it hard that such messenger was a templar.

    ¡°They think that Mia is a fool. Or that someone doesn¡¯t know to make a ploy.¡±

    ¡°Maybe, though they should know better how to deal with Avilla City. This place had seen wars and many wanted her to be brought down. A gateway to all trade routes. Do you think that they can easily tame her and her mistress?¡±

    ¡°No they can¡¯t,¡± said Leiko, finishing her maintenance.

    ¡°Sir,¡± A voice called.

    Shig looked over the door and said, ¡°Come in soldier.¡± and saw a rifleman enter with rifle tucked neatly. The soldier eyed them and bowed respectfully before saying. ¡°Sir, someone is here to see you.¡±

    ¡°Who is it?¡± said Shig, curious.

    ¡°She¡¯s someone that wants to speak to both of you, Sir.¡±

    It was Leiko¡¯s turn to be curious. ¡°Who¡¯s the lady that wants to see us?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I had the right to say her name at the moment, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°Just send her in and let us see.¡± Shig gestured the soldier. The soldier nodded his head and went back to call for the lady. Shig and Leiko readied themselves and tried to look proper. But then, a woman with her springy hair walked right inside the room with a maidservant beside her. She wore a frilly black dress. She had the bearings of a noblewoman and she smelled of high class perfume.

    Shig and Leiko looked at the lady with a flat gaze first. Then, their gazes turned to that of a demon as they halted their urge to draw their weapons out and murder her right in the spot.

    ¡°It is pleasure to meet you two, I am Dolce of Alva,¡± she grabbed the hemmed of her frilly skirt. ¡°I would like to discuss something.¡±

    Shig and Leiko gritted their teeths madly.

    While the she-devil just smiled sweetly.

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22 ¨C Ploy (3)

    ¡°Your presence here is disturbing,¡± said Shig bluntly. He didn¡¯t hide the grimace on his face. Leiko as well didn¡¯t pretend she liked the Heiress of Alva.

    ¡°Oh my, am I hated?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything to you two didn¡¯t I?¡±

    Her sweet smile was so disgusting to them. It was the smile of a she-devil. Leiko would like to claw her face out. But she was here as a messenger and her status as a noblewoman was too high. If she was alone she would have gladly murdered her on the spot.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°So why am I being treated like this? I did not mistreat you two when you were slaves. I didn¡¯t hit you. I didn¡¯t use you two like what my degenerate relative did.¡± She twirled her hair around her fingers. ¡°In fact, the only slave I had time enjoying myself with is that man named Joshua. Where is he? I heard that he did something impressive. What happened to him that made him face an assassin from the Bali and live? Or is this man different from the man I know?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the same.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± she smiled as if she was excited. ¡°Has he been fed something? How come that weakling suddenly was able to tackle someone out of a window and survive? Was he fearless? Was he fooling me all the time? Hey, did he grow some muscles? Does anyone try to obtain him? How many women had he slept since we parted?¡±

    Shig creased his brows. ¡°You speak as if you own him.¡±

    ¡°I do own him. I was supposed to buy him out of my degenerate relative¡¯s hand. He was supposed to serve under me.¡±

    ¡°Too bad then,¡± Leiko sneered. ¡°You cannot buy him anymore. He¡¯s a free man and a disciple of Old Gale. Not to mention that he had contributed to this city by killing an invader. I believe you do not have any right to do so.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I will have that right soon.¡± She smiled flatly. ¡°Do you know why the Cagan and the Bali attacked?¡±

    Shig kept the angry look on his face. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°The City is prosperous, isn¡¯t it? Sending and receiving traders from the Holy Midland. Effectively supplying the Knight Templar¡¯s their needs. We the Alva had sent many products to this city. In fact, if we had this city then it would be ten times more prosperous than it already is. Ammunition, food, and construction materials are carried here over here to be traded. The trading post we have here earns us over thousands of gold in revenue. And the Warlord here earns millions just by trading with the Holy Midland. There¡¯s a tunnel here that leads straight to the Holy Midland. West here, that tunnel connects to various networks that allow this city to be called the gateway to all trade routes. This city had been sending supplies to the Holy Midland. Now imagine the Bali and Cagan hearing about this route?¡±

    ¡°They would be worried,¡± Shig answered.

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± she pointed at Shig. ¡°They would destroy it. But how could they do when the tunnel is protected by the Freeland Commandos? The Scoped Rangers that effectively hides like shadows? Even getting near that place is damn impossible without being blown away by the recently installed artillery. Not to mention you have Knight Templar¡¯s patrolling now.¡±

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°So?¡± Leiko sneered. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±

    Dolce¡¯s face went cold. ¡°What I am trying to say you disgusting cat is that the Bali and the Cagan have decided to cut the head of the snake. Injuring the body will be hard. But once you cut the head the whole thing falls apart.¡±

    ¡°Impossible!¡± Shig slammed the table. ¡°The Bali and the Cagan are far away! They can¡¯t come here by boat either! And even if they start an invasion near the ocean we will spot them!¡±

    She laughed devilishly. ¡°You aren¡¯t thinking that much! Have you heard the rumors of creating machines that can fly above the sky?¡±

    ¡°You mean,¡± Leiko sweated.

    ¡°At the eve of the 11th month last year, a person with eccentric interests discovered how to make people fly!¡± She stood up with her hands spread. ¡°That¡¯s right! The Shonis native used this invention of his to build things that would change warfare forever! Who said that rune magic was done? Who said that they can¡¯t be used anymore when faced with rifles and cannons?¡± She slapped a drawing of a ship tied to a giant balloon. ¡°Behold you simple minded fools! A floating warship that can carry armies up the air! And behold!¡± She pulled another paper out of her pockets. ¡°And this is a device that allows anyone to fall from the sky without harm!¡± It was triangular or pyramid-like device. One look at it made Shig¡¯s heart tremble.

    It was easy to understand really. Warships that could fly above the sky and men armed with a device that allows them to safely fall down from the sky. Avilla City has big walls and the right artillery. But can they shoot down everyone with that? The time needed to load cannons. And even the distance of these ships would make any rifle useless.

    Shig can imagine hundreds of men bypassing the walls and heading straight down to the stronghold. ¡°Why are you showing me this? How did you get this information in the first place?¡±

    ¡°Easy there, we the Alva have many spies in many different places. So take this information that I showed to you and deliver it your warlord. She may have the blessings of the Gods and the spirits. But even a warlord faced with hundred men armed with rifles would die.¡±

    ¡°Shit!¡± Shig took the papers and went out of the door. Leiko glared at Dolce of Alva.

    ¡°What are glaring for you stupid cat?¡± she smiled madly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried?¡±

    ¡°So this is what you meant? Are you expecting this city to fall into the hands of the Bali and the Cagan forces?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but maybe a miracle will happen. Though I expect this place to be bloody and filled with corpses. But do not worry. The Alva will clean the place up.¡±

    ¡°I see. And here I thought you were interested in him?¡±

    ¡°Interested?¡± she laughed softly. ¡°I am merely wanted to see if that thing would survive. You see, I am a spectator of these grand events. Whether people die or live means nothing to me. I cannot mourn them all, can¡¯t I? But I¡¯d be disappointed if he dies too fast. So don¡¯t die too miserably Cattus. Maybe if you survive I¡¯ll buy you as a pet too.¡±

    Dolce played with her lips as she strides out. Leaving those words made Leiko hate that woman more than she already does.

 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23 ¨C Ploy (4)

    Joshua awoke from all the commotion.

    He thought what was happening, so he inspected outside while clearly limping. He was using a walking stick and as he peeks outside of the courtyard of the stronghold. He saw men carry crates. He looked at the other open crates and saw rifles, a whole stack of them.

    What¡¯s happening? Joshua thought. He made his way down the corridor until he approached a door. Inside there was a smell of coal and greased. Joshua opened the door and strut towards a wooden box to sit. Benton the Smith looked at Joshua who sat and went back to his work.

    ¡°You are here,¡± said Benton, pounding his hammer at a mold.

    Joshua breathed a sigh. ¡°Why are there weapons being unloaded and distributed?¡±

    ¡°War,¡± said Benton dryly. ¡°The Bali and The Cagan are sending their forces to deal with Avilla City.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± asked Joshua.

    ¡°Because they think of as a threat,¡± replied Benton. ¡°Sending supplies from them and being allied with the Holy Midland. This day had come sooner than I thought. I expect months of sieges. But to think that they would take to the sky and drop down using those devices. The age of swords and axes are truly fading away.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± said Joshua confused.

    Benton pounded the mold he created before turning to Joshua. ¡°Men from the Cagan and the Bali will be arriving through giant airships. Dolce of Alva gave this information to the Lord Enforcer a day ago. Now everyone is panicking to get ready.¡±

    ¡°It was her!?¡± Joshua shuddered. His eyes had a look of fear. He remembered the sadistic Dolce of Alva. How she was stern and malicious. How she made a man out of him and how he experienced pleasure yet terror at the same time.

    Benton looked at Joshua. ¡°You are afraid of that Dolce?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Joshua replied softly. ¡°She is a she-devil. A sadist that seemed to become unhinged! I remember her words! I did not understand them but now that I do.¡± He held his forehead. ¡°I feel like I would crumble!¡±

    Benton snorted. ¡°You say that you experienced pleasure. Yet feel like you would crumble? Are you bragging lad?¡±

    ¡°I am not!¡± shouted Joshua. ¡°That she-devil is dangerous! She sees me nothing but a toy for her to play! You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Benton snorted. ¡°I¡¯ll probably won¡¯t.¡±

    Joshua put his palm on his forehead. ¡°Anyway, she gave the information about the invaders?¡±

    ¡°Yes, if she didn¡¯t then this City would be defenseless as men armed with rifles and bayonets cover the sky. The rain of bombs will destroy the walls. The garrison will die at the hands of the cannons that will be unleashed upon us. It can still happen. But this city might be able to fight back at least.¡±

    ¡°Damn it,¡± said Joshua weakly. ¡°I thought peace would last and here I am proving myself wrong again.¡±

    ¡°Only fools would think that,¡± replied Benton. ¡°War is the bread and butter of this continent. Warlords go to war to conquer or to defend. Soon, this city will be again facing enemies. Many will die. Many will suffer to defend this city. I may die. You may die.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die,¡± Joshua replied softly.

    ¡°No one does,¡± said Benton. ¡°But as of now, you are part of Avilla. This stronghold has housed you and fed you. And you protected it yourself by killing that assassin. Joshua, you are a good person but your heart is soft at times of peace, and only at the face of danger that it hardens like steel. Tell me, what do you think of all of this?¡±

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°I think it is waste of time,¡± said Joshua honestly. ¡°These factions should talk. Negotiate. You say that they are attacking this city for supplying. But I think they have other motives.¡±

    ¡°They do. The City is a gateway to all trade routes. It is not that hard to think that many would like to subdue her.¡±

    Benton said while checking the molding he made. Joshua looked at him with a flat expression. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why talking is out of the question for them,¡± he sighed.

    ¡°Do you think they are evil?¡± asked Benton, his eyes seemingly wanting to hear this former mute¡¯s opinion.

    ¡°It is subjective. All that matter is the point of view,¡± said Joshua sternly. ¡°They think that they are taking down the supplier of their enemies. Those who supply their enemies are their allies. Therefore we are evil for helping their enemies.¡± Joshua paused. He grabs the pistol hung on his belt. ¡°As for us, we think that they are evil for trying to attack us. On my mind right now they are evil for simply trying to take this city. This city only supplies their enemy and I think they pay gold too. So how come we are evil for selling merchandises? No, they are evil. But if one would look at the whole situation using neutral eyes. One would think that both think that each other is evil. Perspective, if I was a member of those factions I would think that they are evil.¡±

    Benton smiled. ¡°That is one way of looking at it. Or are you simply undecided?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Joshua caressed the barrel of his pistol. ¡°But all I know is that I want to live and protect the family I have here.¡±

    ¡°They are not your real family.¡±

    ¡°But they are only one that I have now.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡¯

    Benton nodded his head. He started pounding the mold he made.

    ¡°Benton,¡± Joshua said with a flat voice. ¡°That mold you are making...are you trying to recreate the mechanism?¡±

    ¡°You can tell?¡±

    ¡°I am the one who gave you those schematics after all.¡±

    Benton looked at him. He saw Joshua¡¯s flat, expressionless face. ¡°I am trying to make one for myself.¡±

    ¡°Is that so,¡± he replied coldly. ¡°Too bad then, it is missing something important.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡± said Benton, surprised. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The superposed design is brilliant. But without the safety mechanism, it is a grenade waiting to be triggered. You¡¯d blow your fingers up if you try to.¡±

    Benton got furious. ¡°What the hell lad! Are you trying to kill me?¡±

    ¡°I am not.¡± Joshua looked cold. Almost as if he was psychotic. ¡°But are you Sir Benton?¡±

    ¡°Why do you ask that?¡±

    ¡°Nothing really...I¡¯ll share the safety mechanism. I hope you won¡¯t share it with evil.¡±

    Joshua said standing up. He looked at Benton with an odd look in his eyes before striding out of the room. Benton stopped his molding. He thought of something uneasy but he shrugged it off.

    It can¡¯t be, right?

 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24 ¨C Crafter¡¯s Paranoia

    Benton saw that the sun was slowly resting. The hubbub aside, he didn¡¯t want to continue any longer after learning that the mold he was crafting has a big fault to it. He could not continue with that kind of fault and without that safety mechanism, he can¡¯t continue out of anxiety.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± said Benton, lowering his hammer and thongs down. He placed them on the table, as he stretches his weary arms. Ray of moonlight entered through his window. He glanced at it before standing up and packing his toolbox.

    After that, he went out of his workshop. Outside he saw soldiers scurrying around with their rifle at hand. Most of them looked terrified. Mostly paranoid about flying ships and men falling down upon them like angels of death armed with rifles instead of scythes.

    Benton could understand the fear. The thought of it scares him despite being calmed outside. He learned it from before and was planning to excuse himself out of the battle. He could fight but with how things are he had to make sure that the designs for the guns that Joshua drew up would be available. It was one thing to draw the designs and schematics. But giving the product was much better to do so. Not to mention that he the mold that he was planning to create for the rifle was now halted.

    ¡°It may blow your fingers up.¡± Those words rang in his head again. It made Benton¡¯s face crumple as he walks down the corridor leading to his room. The servants of the stronghold greeted him. The soldiers would occasionally stop him to ask for guidance but he was able to reach his room.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± he looked around. He smelled something odd inside his room. Grease; falcon droppings; and what seemed to be rust? But he had many things inside his room so he how could he search for it? It must be the piled up steel rusting and the wind blowing. Benton thought.

    ¡°What¡¯s that¡± He caught a glimpse of something. He inspected it closer. It was a tiny fuse laid on the ground. Knowing it was a fuse. Benton took it before it could cause an accident in his room. He cleaned the fuse up before finally settling down in his chair facing his table. He took the schematics drawn up by Joshua and glance at it. He tried finding any ¡®mistake¡¯ on it but he could not discern anything! He tried looking at the rows where the powder and bullet should be put on and started to think that there might be more to it.

    ¡°He said that there is a safety mechanism but what it is? I find nothing that could be a safety mechanism,¡± said Benton with a low tone. Indeed, he was an experienced smith. But as a craftsman, he was paranoid. He had to be thorough or the user of his creations will suffer for it. He can¡¯t be making tin weapons that would easily break. Benton tried to ponder about it but found no clue on what to do. So he decided to sleep instead.

    ...

    The next day, the training of the soldiers doubled. The sunlight¡¯s ray entered through Benton¡¯s window. He looked at the sun placed up in the sky. He rubbed his eyes as he stood up, prepared all his tools before leaving the room. In the corridor, there was someone grumbling as he carries this box filled with raw materials.

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    ¡°Morning Alchemist,¡± said Benton.

    ¡°Benton, a fine noisy morning,¡± replied the Alchemist, still keeping that frown of his.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is the noise getting to you?¡±

    ¡°No! Gods no! How long do you think I¡¯ve lived in this stronghold?¡±

    Benton raised a brow. ¡°So what are you grumbling about then?¡±

    ¡°Someone stole my ingredients!¡± he stomped his foot. ¡°The jar of powdered aluminum, the rusts and even the fertilizer strip that I was planning to experiment on!¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that''s why you are furious,¡± said Benton. ¡°So what¡¯s inside the box?¡±

    ¡°More of the stuff,¡± he sighed. ¡°I needed the stuff for an experiment. Luckily, someone bought me all of this from some old mine just by the outskirts of the city.¡±

    Benton started walking with the alchemist. He was named Old Forsa and he has been staying in this stronghold for years now like Benton. The two were friends and their profession sometimes would mix well in some circumstances.

    ¡°I¡¯d thought you¡¯ll run away from this war old friend.¡±

    ¡°Bah!¡± he snorted. ¡°I¡¯ve been in enough sieges, concocted medicines and brew numbing potions that it doesn¡¯t matter to me anymore!¡± he looked outside. ¡°I might actually want to see these giant warships and the rain of armed men. Old friend, do you really expect me to stay away from this kind of event that might change history itself?¡±

    Benton smiled. ¡°No, old friend, you¡¯ll roll on your grave if you miss this.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Old Forsa smiled. ¡°The time of sword and axes are soon going to over. Men will change their ways of killing men. What a time to be alive isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Benton nodded. He didn¡¯t say anything as he walks with Forsa to the corridor where their respective workshops are. The corridor was quiet and the only one that was walking towards them was the limping Joshua, carrying a tightly sealed box with a u-shape handle. Joshua saw the two approaching so he nodded at them and made a slight bow.

    He wanted to know the safety mechanism but the flat, expressionless gaze of Joshua made Benton swallow his words instead. ¡°What¡¯s with that lad¡¯s face?¡± Forsa commented.

    Benton said. ¡°Anxious, it is not every day you¡¯d hear that there will be an invasion coming from the sky.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm, makes sense to me,¡± said Forsa. ¡°Though the lad smells like vinegar.¡±

    Forsa looked at Joshua for a moment before leaving. ¡°Goodbye,¡± he said to Benton, entering his lab. Benton entered his own workshop as well. But as he reaches for the door, he noticed that there was something off. He inspected the doorknob closer but shrugged it off. He then entered his workshop, smelling something strong. It was pungent.

 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25 ¨C The Gray Man Woes

    It was a simple mentality that he had. He was always a kind of a mess. Sometimes psychotic. Sometimes sane. Indeed, he was normal mostly. But Joshua had a problem when faced with trouble. He would become calm and collected. He¡¯d get used to trouble as long as he experiences it. It was not like he was unafraid of the world before him. It was just that he aligned his thinking that this world was dangerous. He must learn how to fight back. There are many things that are a threat to Joshua, the war, and the hidden dangers made him think like this.

    That¡¯s why since knowing that there was going to be an invasion. He racked his brain and thought of many possibilities. The rifle he modified won¡¯t save him from an army of men armed with rifles. Sure, he could shot at least sixteen rounds of bullets from the rifle. But what about reloading the weapon? What about inserting the paper cartridges and the lead balls? It would take time to reload and even if he was able to reload. He would have to consider the flying bullets whizzing past him.

    How could he win? He was not some super soldier. All he had was the floating words that would aid him at the time of death. But that alone was not enough to ensure that he wouldn¡¯t face death. He was not lucky. If he was, then he wouldn¡¯t be in some foreign world that he did not know off. He wouldn¡¯t be worried about some damn war killing him.

    Think! Think! Joshua thought of many ways. What he came with for help were the tutorial videos and mixtures that thought as deadly in his world. It was lethal and effective that it made Joshua immediately scour the stronghold for any materials he could gather. At first, he went to where the alchemy labs are and took some powdered aluminum and rust, along with a few chemicals that surprisingly were there he could use. After that, he went to the kitchen for some alcohol and oil and some wax. He also took some unused bottles. Then, he sneaked to the workshop of Benton and took some scrap metal. The room was messy as always. He was able to scour for the materials he needed. But before leaving the room, Joshua sneered. He had this disdainful face as he thinks of something rather sinister. It was the first time in his life that he thought of doing something to a person. He didn¡¯t have these thoughts before. But if anything, he knows that this world was a world he couldn¡¯t be as meek back in his world.

    He was a gray man. A person who blends in with what people wear and tried his best not to be recognized. He went with his life like a ghost. A meek ghost that wanted nothing but peace as he goes on with his life. But all of the sudden he was thrust into an unknown world.

    Now, that he found a family here.

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    He would do anything to protect his family. It was his attachment, his anchor that keeps him sane after the experiences in the city of storms where his mind broke after days of slavery. He could not forget how he was taken for granted. His liberty and freedom were taken from him. He felt like he was in a chasm of dread. And only because of Shig and Leiko that he managed to escape from that chasm. Joshua may act cowardly. He may be afraid, but so what? When was the time to be brave? That¡¯s right, one can only brave when there was a need to be!

    Joshua heaved a sigh. He looked at the soldiers building bunkers out of sandbags. There were ballistae¡¯s being pulled to fringes of the battlements. Cannons were being rolled down. While riflemen started to carry ammo down tunnels that connect to defensive places. The City of Avilla has a sewer and tunnel network. It also means that they have various defensive positions that could be used to defend the city.

    What the defenders were worried about were the bombings that would happen. Any fool would think of the bombs that they would certainly drop from the sky. It was a waste to think they would just point their artillery at the city when they can just drop their bombs.

    Joshua knows that the stronghold that was made of cobblestone and stone will smash! Even if the bombs don¡¯t go off. The falling momentum and the force would be enough to cause devastating damage. Joshua shudders just by thinking about it. He had seen war movies and flicks. But experiencing themselves made him terrified.

    To him, such fear was rather primal. He wanted to run. He wanted to get away from this place. But what kind of bastard would run away from family? He might be a coward but he was never a bastard who would do that. That¡¯s why despite the fear he keeps his mind intact.

    He looked at the items he took. He took the empty bottles and started filling them with oil and petrol. He took the petrol gas from the lab, the oil from the kitchen. He filled the bottles with them and then took the shave candles and wax inside it. It was enough to have the bottle and petrol inside. But Joshua wanted them to stick to his enemies so he added wax.

    As for the other ingredients like the powdered aluminum and rust, he had other uses for them. For now, he focused on making his own kind of bombs. He had only a few things he knows that he could use. After all, he just cannot suddenly invent things. He wasn¡¯t some chemist who knew various formulas. He didn¡¯t have the resources to even have them. He could recognize some chemicals because of their smell and appearance. But that¡¯s all. That¡¯s why dreaming of creating grand things was out of a question for him.

    That¡¯s why he can only work on things like a Molotov cocktail. He knows that it isn¡¯t enough but if he can use it to protect himself and the family he has here. He would be satisfied.

 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26 ¨C Runes and Steeled Hearts

    The sky seemed to split. The giant clouds that blocked the way vanished. They evaporate as they get near the overbearing heat coming from this furnace inscribed with glowing lines etched in runes. The runes gleamed like diamonds. A man in robes and surcoat looked at the furnace, clearly satisfied.

    Looking farther one would see a giant ship consisting of hundred or even more ships lifted by air balloon while being navigated by four giant wings that allowed the ship to glide and turn using the aileron built on it. The ship looked like a normal sailing ship, but without sails. There were four giant prolate spheroid shape balloons that keep the ship afloat. The furnace in the middle was powering up this spinning device that helps the giant warship to fly.

    The warship was made of ashen spruce wood. This wood was light and strong. It was a native tree only available to the Bali and the Cagan territory. Using this type of wood they made these giant warships that could fly. But these ships wouldn¡¯t fly this well if it wasn¡¯t for the runic engravings hastily made. Magic was a slowly vanishing art. It has many uses but the humans have started to forget about. The art was still relied on Bali and Cagan, and with a combination of a feather rune and float runes. Runes were words of power that contained magic on them. Like a language the runes have a different set of words in order to be used. Only a few know the runes powers, but there are stones from the past inscribed with runes.

    Using these stones they manage to build something this absurd. Magic was indeed being lost, the era of sword and axes were also starting to past by. But it doesn¡¯t mean that they vanish from the world. The Bali Kingdom had been always fascinated by these runes. The runes are their forte once but the Holy Midland, the home of the Knight Templar¡¯s deemed the use of runes as sacrilege, a blasphemy to the Gods. Ritual Magic was deemed okay for it was only a call to one¡¯s God. Hence, the Knight Templar¡¯s declared war against the rune magic users over the Livia Continent. This crusade made the rune users afraid, many of them die and a hundred years of bloodshed and burning of books made this art slowly vanished.

    The Templar¡¯s were not unreasonable on the crusade they started. Indeed, they treat it as sacrilege and blasphemy but because of a reason. The reason was that once upon a time ago. A kingdom of gloom vanished after prospering with the use of runes. Runes are like chemical mixtures. They can do good but once mixed badly. One would result in a harmful effect or like what happened to that kingdom of gloom. They vanish as a result of an explosion of words of power.

    The Knight Templar¡¯s thought of rune magic as good once. But after seeing the destructive might that ended the lives of millions of people in a blink of an eye, how could they stand by and make the same mistake that destroyed a kingdom? So instead of relying on rune magic, the Templar¡¯s turned to their God Luci Fera to bless them in battle instead.

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    The Bali and the Cagan¡¯s know the danger. But what need was there to worry about such danger when their lands are in danger? To cut the throat of the snake they turned to one of the secret societies that still study the runes. It was dangerous indeed but they thought of using the power of the runes to build the flying ships that they now fly.

    Dangerous it was, but to proceed with such plan. They have to do this. They have to make use of the runs and capture Avilla City.

    The soldiers think that they are the ones that are good. After all, what they are doing right now was simply stopping their enemies. Good men and women who boards ships think nothing of evil. They are not evil for they have the mind of chaos. They are simply soldiers ordered to kill and protect their homeland.

    ¡°I¡¯ll die for the homeland,¡± said the soldier.

    ¡°I¡¯ll protect them. That I¡¯ll do and return to mom,¡± said another soldier.

    ¡°God, please let me return home to my child.¡± said a man in prayer.

    Each of these ships contained men and women with worry in their hearts. Many of them will die. Many will suffer at the hands of a bullet or they won¡¯t even reach the ground as they¡¯ll get killed by rifles as they parachute down.

    They may be of different race and origin. But the one thing that these people had along with Avilla City was their hearts. They have something to protect. It didn¡¯t matter if it was evil or not. It didn¡¯t matter if both sides think that they are. It was really simple: All of them are foolish men and women willing to fight for what they believed.

    If it was evil to protect your homeland; then they are evil.

    If it was evil to kill for your homeland; then they are evil.

    If it was evil to defend your family; then they are evil.

    These soldiers are willing to become evil. All they need to do was harden their heart. Steel their mind as they point their rifles. There are many things that they don¡¯t know. There are many questions swirling on top of their head. Many of them want nothing more than to live in peace. But with the war going on how could they achieve that wish?

    The time for talk was long over when the Holy Midland Templar¡¯s stepped on their lands. The years of war made them think that unless the other nation kowtows to their feet. They won¡¯t stop. They won¡¯t bow their heads at their enemies.

    So with steeled hearts and minds, the soldiers of the Bali and the Cagan winged battalion prepared themselves. Up above the clouds, the winged army flew to where Avilla City was while using the cover of the clouds. With the goal of taking a City that could allow them to penetrate the Holy Midland¡¯s defenses and strike the heart of the Holy Midlands Capital itself

 Chapter 27

    Chapter 27 ¨C In Her Little Head

    Lately, Kioko has been having fun. Kioko found a good big brother. We met him in this really huge desert city. He was thin. But now big brother Joshua had muscles on him. Sister Leiko tells me he was malnourished, and that was the reason why he was thin. Kioko likes big brother Joshua. She plays with Kioko every day and he would agree to my requests.

    We would play on the garden of the stronghold. There¡¯s this big flower there, the roses and the tulips are so amazing that Kioko founds herself looking at them all the time.

    Kioko likes this stronghold. It isn¡¯t smelly. There are no bullies that would play with big sister even though she hates it. This place really cheered them up. Back when we were in that dark and smell room. Brother Joshua would always cry with really dark eyes. It was scary. He would laugh. He would grind his teeth and say, ¡°No, this is just a dream, please wake me up¡± while slapping himself. I didn¡¯t know what he meant by that. But now I know since he told me. He doesn¡¯t really like remembering what happened there. Kioko doesn¡¯t understand. He''s acting like Big Sister when it comes to this topic.

    I remember having this big brother once. He was like us but he had stripe ears. Where was he? The last time I remember was that his head bloomed like a flower. He was staring at the sky with no light on his eyes. Big Sister Leiko was rather loud when she saw that. I don¡¯t really get it.

    Anyway, I always asked Sister, ¡°When will we return home?¡± but sister always says, ¡°Soon, but for now just be good and follow sister¡±. Kioko doesn¡¯t understand sister. But since it was sister saying that, I trust sister.

    I also have a new uncle. He had these big bull-like horns. He looks scary with all the muscles and scars on him. But like Brother Joshua, he is really kind. He would pat Kioko¡¯s head and sometimes he would let Kioko ride on his shoulders.

    Uncle Shig¡¯s really kind and calm. But sometimes I would find him staring at the moon. He would hold a blue cloth in his hand saying, ¡®My love¡¯ and praying with his eyes closed. Uncle Shig saw me when I peek at him once. He didn¡¯t scold me and just said, ¡°Do you want to hear a story, Kioko?¡± and I nodded. He told me.

    ¡°Once upon a time there was a very hot-headed bull. This bull wore a red garb. This red garb came from a friend who likes him, was a hothead. She wore blue, it was her color. His was red. Together, they fought in many lands and protected many people. Some say that they are evil. Some say that they are good. The red garb man loved his partner. To him she was everything. But one day, she went to heaven. The red garb man was left alone to walk the road. His heart withered but the red garb man knows that he¡¯ll be joining her in heaven.¡±

    Kioko did not understand why the blue garb woman went to heaven first. Uncle Shig smiled, and told me, ¡°She was tired so went there first.¡± I then asked, ¡°Are you tired too?¡± which Uncle Shig replied, ¡°Yes, I am tired too. But do not worry about it okay? I¡¯ll take care of you three.¡±

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    Kioko doesn¡¯t understand. But it made Kioko ask Big Sister, ¡°Sister, was mother and father tired? Was that why they went to heaven?¡± and she looked at me with this sad smile. ¡°Yes, they were tired so they went to heaven.¡±

    ¡°Are you going there too when you are tired?¡± I asked. Big Sister Leiko hugged me suddenly. ¡°No, I am not going there yet. Not until my heart still beats loudly, never.¡± I didn¡¯t get it. But I said, ¡°Okay, so don¡¯t go to heaven yet without me okay?¡±

    Sister Leiko smiled at me. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    Kioko did not really understand why. I asked other people but they looked at me oddly. I tried asking Big Brother Joshua but he would change the topic and instead plays patty-cake with me. Kioko founds it as weird but doesn¡¯t think much about it.

    Though one day, this bad man tried to bully Old Gale. Old Gale was nice so Kioko didn¡¯t understand why that bad man wanted to bully him. Luckily, Brother Joshua pushed the bad man away. The bad man¡¯s head bloomed like a flower. Just like that stripe-eared big brother. Just like mother and father.

    Brother Joshua injured his leg. Kioko would bring him food. But lately, Big Brother Joshua has been making these mean eyes. When he sleeps he would start shouting about his mother and father. He would shout, ¡°No! No!¡± while sleeping that I sometimes Sister Leiko would go to his room and pat his head. Big Brother Joshua would calm down. He would start sleeping.

    I didn¡¯t let Big Sister see peeking. But once she leaves I would go to Big Brother Joshua¡¯s room and looked at the things he gathered in his room. It was his stuff so Kioko didn¡¯t touch them. I patted his forehead too. This made Big Brother tensed down.

    Kioko returned to her room. There, I started to draw and memorize the words. I fell asleep. But I was alarmed up by this really loud bang. I rubbed my weary head. I went out and skipped towards where the study room was. Big Brother Joshua has stopped going to the study room for a while now. Kioko understands that he was injured. Old Gale understands too so he didn¡¯t mind much.

    Lately, Kioko noticed that there are many soldiers running around. Old Gale looked at me oddly. He changed the topic and told me to focus on my studies.

    Kioko doesn¡¯t really understand why they would look at me like that. Kioko doesn¡¯t really understand that great now. Ever since bad men came to the village and bullied Kioko¡¯s head, Kioko has started to understand things less. Kioko doesn¡¯t think much of it though.

    As long as Big Sister Leiko, Brother Joshua and Uncle Shig are with me. Kioko is happy!

 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28 ¨C Worries both in and out

    ¡°You are your own Lord now my daughter.¡±

    Mia stared at the city that she owns. Her hair flying back as it waves. Her pale hair gleamed in the sunlight rays. Her palms leaned on the rails of the balcony. She looked at the blue horizon filled with clouds of worry. Her biggest challenge was getting nearer by the day.

    ¡°Mia, are you okay¡± a voice called out. She looked at the owner of this voice and said. ¡°Yes I am, Uncle Shig. Thank you for working hard.¡±

    Shig waves his hands. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. As for you, you should rest. We can¡¯t have our Warlord tired.¡±

    ¡°I will. I¡¯ll just watch the sky for now,¡± said Mia. ¡°Uncle Shig...do you think we will win?¡±

    Shig looked at her. ¡°What¡¯s this? Don¡¯t tell me you are losing your confidence now?¡±

    ¡°No, not at all!¡± she answered quickly as she could. ¡°It¡¯s just that you don¡¯t heart invasions coming from the sky. Or giant ships that carry an army of armed men ready to drop down our heads, carrying bombs. My father taught me how to defend against rifle fire. How to wield a sword and defend a city, but never did he taught me to deal with such kind of siege.¡±

    ¡°It is a new tactic,¡± Shig crossed his arms. ¡°But we have to make do, Mia. We have things to protect here and this city belongs to you and you must protect it. Fear does not help us in this predicament.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± she said sheepishly. ¡°But what can I do?¡±

    The wind blew her hair. She looked at the soldiers that have started digging trenches outside the walls.

    ¡°Be brave,¡± said Shig. ¡°That¡¯s all we can do right now. Mia, even though I say all of these things, I am scared. I am scared of losing all the ones that I grew to care.¡±

    She smiled at him. ¡°They are a good people, Leiko, Kioko and even that Joshua.¡±

    ¡°They are. They have it rough. Do you know what Joshua gave me today?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Shig pulled a Molotov from his pocket.

    ¡°Is that a bottle?¡±

    ¡°Joshua calls it the poor man¡¯s grenade. I thought it was was drinking but throwing this at someone is rather deadly. It has wax shavings inside it. And along with the petrol and oil, it sticks to the skin. We can use this kind of solution to throw at the enemies.¡±

    ¡°Amazing, simple effective,¡± she looked at the Molotov. ¡°Does he have more than that?¡±

    ¡°Yes, apparently he also designed this weapon. He laments that it¡¯s already too late. But look at this, Mia.¡±

    Shig took out a paper drawing. Mia recognized the paper and the way it was drawn. Clearly drawn by Sir Benton but there were odd lines and rows, mechanisms that a normal flint-lock rifle shouldn¡¯t have.

    ¡°This is...if this is true then this rifle can fire sixteen shots...Stacked charge?¡± she eyed the paper. ¡°This was made by him?¡±

    ¡°He drew it, I assumed that he was the one that designed it,¡± said Shig looked at the rifle with creased brows. ¡°And I am hoping that it won¡¯t fall to the enemies¡¯ hands.¡±

    ¡°It is a dangerous weapon,¡± she lamented. ¡°Can he still draw this kind of outline? Or did Sir Benton produce this already?¡±

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    ¡°The rifle he had right now has been modified. It can fire sixteen rounds now. The reloading time takes too long but it is deadly.¡±

    ¡°Tell him to burn any things related to this. Have Sir Benton stop and if possible destroy all his copies as well. Make sure that this does not exist. Until we win, this design shall not be used.¡±

    ¡°About Benton,¡± said Shig lowly. ¡°I think Joshua suspects him as a traitor.¡±

    Mia tensed up. She looked at Shig calmly, trying to hide her surprise.

    ¡°Does he have proof?¡±

    ¡°I think he does,¡± said Shig. ¡°He has been staying in his room tinkering with things. I can tell that the items are from the alchemy lab and the workshop. He must have found something.¡±

    Mia pressed her forehead. ¡°Do I have to really jail Benton now?¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t,¡± said Shig crossing his arms. ¡°Joshua told me that he made something that would burn the safe box that Benton has. Joshua has also told me that there are still other things missing from that paper that he only knows. Even if Benton sent some message to whomever he was colluding with. Their designs would be wrong. At best their fingers would be blown apart. But we can''t be content with that. Humans are clever and they can figure things out.¡±

    Mia touched her chin. She looked at Shig. ¡°How did he find out about this anyway?¡±

    Shig laughed. ¡°Mia, remember when those assassins attacked?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I remember. What are the relations to this and to that?¡±

    ¡°When Joshua was trying to get himself a walking stick he caught a glimpse of Benton packing his drawings on a tube. And then one time from a window he saw Benton putting the tube on a falcon''s legs. Joshua was rather curious about it and went there to see what¡¯s up.¡±

    Mia listened. Her face cold as ice.

    ¡°He said to me that he opened the lock. He scoured his table and saw that he was sending his drawings to someone. He also found runes on his safe box along with poison. The runes are words of power for fire and water. The poisons are from a dire scorpion stinger located on the fringes of the blackened forest of Cagan,¡± said Shig with a cold tone. ¡°If you don¡¯t have the proper rune reader and the antidote, you probably won¡¯t be able to read the letters.¡±

    ¡°Do you have the letters?¡± asked Mia with a low voice.

    ¡°Yes, it is secured. But I suggest not bringing it up until this is over.¡±

    ¡°What if he escapes with the safe box of his?¡± Mia said angrily.

    ¡°Joshua rigged something on the box. Like I said he made something that could at least melt the box inside and turn the letters to ashes. And if he tries to take the box, I believe that Benton won¡¯t go down unscathed and at worst he would have both of his arms blown apart.¡±

    ¡°What did that Joshua do?¡± she looked at Shig in question.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it seems to be something dangerous.¡±

    Shig heaved a sigh and did not say anymore. Mia looked at Shig before looking at the city. She clenched her fist, feeling head in pain from what she just heard.

 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29 ¨C Overshadowed City

    A little girl ran to the streets with her straw doll. She looked happy as her shoes step on heaved cobblestones of the city. She looked at her surroundings. She saw that people walking by her had gloomy faces. She was just a little girl who didn¡¯t know things. So she ignored them and went to this park with a big tree on it. She waited for her friends but they didn¡¯t come up.

    It took a while but she saw her mother running around. She had tears in her eyes as she took her child¡¯s hand. ¡°Why did you get out? It¡¯s dangerous!¡± said the mother. The little had tears in the corner of her eyes. She wanted to cry but then she saw a soldier coming at them. ¡°Madam, you should go the shelters now. Have you packed your things?¡± said the soldier, looking at them.

    ¡°Yes Sir!¡± she answered. She looked at her daughter again, ¡°Come now, just follow mother back to the shelter okay? Your friends will be there,¡± saying that rather sweetly. The little girl had this gentle smile on her face. The soldier who came to them looked at the pair of two. Another soldier patted his shoulder.

    ¡°That¡¯s what are we fighting for,¡± said the soldier.

    ¡°Yes. My little kid is in the shelters now. We may not live but no way am I going out without a fight. This is our city. This is our home. We don¡¯t bow to strangers and invaders.¡±

    The soldier clenched his fist. ¡°I am afraid really.¡± The soldier looked at the morning sky. ¡°I am afraid of what will happen. But you know that little girl¡¯s straw doll reminded me what I needed to do.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s to fight,¡± The soldier cuts in. ¡°I¡¯d fight for this City. And I know that with the Warlord with us. She¡¯d die for us. And even the Lord Enforcer won¡¯t abandon us. All we have now is our hearts and guns. I just hope that I¡¯d get to see my little kid again. You know, I was supposed to have another kid.¡±

    ¡°Then we really need to fight hard don¡¯t we?¡± said the soldier with a weak smile.

    ¡°Yeah, and after all of this is over, we should drink with the lads. I heard that the aunty will brew us juniper mead for free. Have a feast for us.¡±

    ¡°Hah,¡± the soldier smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to that brew then.¡±

    ¡°Me too, man.¡±

    The soldier had this tired look as he replied. The two looked at the street. It was empty and deserted. The cobblestone streets were dusty and not a single soul could be seen. This street would always be filled with hubbub and noise. But now it was silent. Most of the citizens have either fled or hide in shelters that lead them to safety. The two soldiers have been searching for any citizens that try to take advantage of the situation. Exploiters and looters aren¡¯t new. So they had to make sure that the buildings are safe.

    ...

    Leiko climbed this tower. It was situated in one of the middle outposts located at the heart of the city. She was eyeing anyone that could be still wandering around. Leiko was fast. She could travel back to the stronghold with ease. She had companions with her. They are fellow demi-humans that lived in the City. They were guarding the tower and they have been assigned as messengers.

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    ¡°Okay, looks like its all clear here. Return to your posts now.¡± She ordered. The demi-humans nodded their head and went down the tower. She was left behind with only the sound of their steps ringing out. She gave a sigh to the silence. She looked around once again and saw two soldiers going to their posts. At the street north of her, she was able to spot a mother and a little girl being lead by three soldiers.

    ¡°That¡¯s that then,¡± she heaved another sigh. She tucked her rifle and slowly climbed down the tower. Her coat would sometimes caress the iron ladder. She wore a military coat and light leather armor. She knew that it was ineffective against lead balls. But it was better than nothing. Once she stepped down she adjusted the crossbow on her back. She struts down this house-line street. She turned to the left and head right to the main road leading to the stronghold.

    She was welcomed with a salute the moment she arrived on the stronghold. Inside, she smelled the oil and the petrol. She looked at the giant slingshot that was prepared by the soldiers who would be firing them at the airships. The concoction that smelled was the poor man¡¯s grenade that Joshua gave to Shig. It was a simple projective that uses petrol and wax to set aflame soldiers. It was highly effective especially with the soldiers carrying paper cartridges that could easily explode.

    ¡°Joshua,¡± she mumbled under her breath. Lately, despite her complains and hatred. She started to worry about the human that treats her as a family. He was a kind person, which she could see. But lately, he has been hiding inside his room. He had this crazy look as he goes out. He always smelled of metal and grease and gunpowder that she wondered what he was doing. She entered his room and saw that it was filled with the poor man¡¯s grenade and modified bombs. There was even this mustard-like smell that reeked too much even for Leiko to handle.

    She climbed the stronghold. She walked down the corridors while avoiding the soldiers from talking to her. She went to the room where she and others have been staying. She peeked and saw that it was empty. Kioko has already been transferred to a safe place. The only one inside was Joshua who was armed to the teeth. His grey hair stained with different kinds of chemicals. His face was dirty and he was holding on to his rifle. He looked paranoid. She wanted to say something to him but she stepped out.

    She hesitated but before she can think of going in instead. She heard the sirens of the city go off. Hearing it, Leiko sprinted down the corridor and went slid through a window to climb up this terrace where she could see things clearly. It was then that she saw the sky get covered with hundreds of flying ships. The sun that was shining brightly once was now covered by giant warships. The city was overshadowed by the ships. And then she heard the sounds of falling with her cat-ears.

    A tower that stood tall on the corner of her eye got smashed.

    What followed was a round of explosion that deafened her.

 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30 - Hail of Iron

    There were screaming. Men and women who were outside the stronghold screech in terror as the balls of iron drop down them. The craters formed from each drop were about five foot wide. The explosion that the bombs carried made those who were turned into a confetti of blood and gore.

    The men and women returned fire. The soldiers down the front part of the stronghold tried to fight back. But the iron bombs dropped upon them smashed their machines. There were shouting down the streets. Many men and women scattered as they took cover.

    If one would look far from the city. They would see the city being rained down by the hail of iron coming from the flying ships. It was like rain. It was like hail. But instead of water or snow, what rained upon them were bombs that made everything seemed hopeless.

    The rain of bombs made everyone deaf. The constant booms from every corner made anyone who had courage cover their ears. A soldier could be seen pointing his rifle up. His ears were bleeding as he helplessly shoots the flying ships without any hope of hitting one.

    The ballistae and the cannon group tried to take aim. But the defensive structure they were in got blasted away. A soldier carried his arm while picking up his fingers. A woman, with long braided hair, crawled while having tears in her eyes. The smell of gunpowder and blood made the hail of bombs even worse. Fighting? No, it was a one-sided barrage of bombs. The people inside the stronghold could not even move from their position. Everyone was glued to where they are. No one tried to move at the fear of being hit by those bombs.

    The time seemed slow for everyone. The hail of bombs didn¡¯t even last for a minute but many have died already. Some even tried to flee but they were stopped by a crate exploding at them. The poor man¡¯s grenade that was put away spilled and those who tripped on them got their face burned as wax stick on their faces. The petrol caught fire and it made many fell to the fire that they were supposed to throw at the enemy above them.

    A young man hid under a well. The well was safe for a good five seconds before one of the bombs went inside and killed the young man. The young man wasn¡¯t able to scream at all. His head flew up, burned, charred and unrecognizable.

    There was a building on the market that houses a stubborn merchant. The merchant didn¡¯t want to abandon his gold. But now he wished that he did. The left part of his body was torn away. The alcohol he drank a while ago made him stay alive for a good thirty seconds before having his innards hit by an iron ball that didn¡¯t explode.

    There were outposts stationed outside the City. They saw the attack and hail of bombs. The terror they felt and constant booming made them run away. Some of the loyal ones open fired at the balloons only to see the cannonball they launched dropped down not even reaching the skies.

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    A ballistae man had his leg broken when a piece of tile flew at his knee. The man¡¯s face was dyed in blood. But there was this crazy look on him as he rushes at the ballistae and aimed one of the warships flying above. He pulled the lever. The ballistae¡¯s arrow flew up and like a spear of salvation. The ballistae spear hit the balloon of the warship. The warship lost balance. It got off-sided as it tilted to the right, dropping the crew down who did not expect the spear to reach them.

    The man who took the shot made a smile. He dropped down, his back sliding down as the floor he was standing on got covered with blood. The man lost all light on his eyes. But that didn¡¯t mean that he did nothing worth. What he did was followed by others who saw the balloon go down. There was hope to found. The flying machines can be brought down!

    These thoughts scattered around. Like a domino falling into another domino. It caused a chain reaction of brave men fighting back, not caring for their dear life. The flying ships got shot down. But there hundreds of them in the sky, it may seem insignificant but the brave men and women who aimed and hit the balloons gave some few breathing rooms. The soldiers rallied their comrades as fierce look on their eyes made them move their legs.

    Some pulled the reserve ballistae. Some brought the cannons and instead of putting cannonballs in them, they put spears and launch them. It was an improvised way, but these allowed them to hit some balloons and fell them down. Some soldiers got used to the sounds of bombs. They moved and crawled, they maneuvered as they began to see patterns on which way to run and duck and cover.

    The ten minute barrage was devastating. But as survival instincts kicked in and the soldier¡¯s adrenaline pumped, they began to act like cornered animals. If they die then they rather die fighting. The heads of the soldiers were filled with that as they rely on their own luck. But fortune favours the bold, and these bold woke from their nightmare.

    In a room where most of the furniture¡¯s are broken, the windows shattered, and the ceiling pierced. A man armed to the teeth took cover under the bed. His eyes were dulled in fear. His breeches wet with pee. His hand was shaking but his heart was focused on one thing. He had a goal. He waited for the hail of bombs to stop. But the bombs didn¡¯t stop falling. He became worried, he became anxious.

    A bomb dropped above where he was hiding. He saw words float in front of him as he rolled out of the bed, sprinted to the shattered window and jumped down recklessly. He landed on this pile of bush, his body got lashed but he was able to land despite his shaking legs.

    Joshua stood up. He started to his feet as he runs inside the door and took cover. He held his rifle near his forehead. He prayed to his God as he tries to calm himself down. He had to wait. He had to wait for the bastards to parachute down before he can unleash what he created. He could smell the mustard-like smell. So he knows it wasn¡¯t broken yet. He knows that hope was still on his saddlebag.

 Chapter 31

    Chapter 31 ¨C Siege of the ruined City (1)

    There was rubble, pebble, blood, intestine on the ground that Joshua was running. He smelled innards, gunpowder, and heard shouting from people who had been hit. He had been dodging the bombs and thanks to the words floating in front of him. He was able to avoid death. Like a QuickTime event that he would see when he faces certain death. It wasn¡¯t invincible though, and those that the vision didn¡¯t recognize as life-threatening would not let this strange guidance appear.

    That¡¯s why when Joshua sprinted down this area. He was suddenly hit by a stray cannonball that made him flipped sideways. His back smashed upon the wall and he writhed in pain. He stood up. It was rare for him to act brave. It was not that he wanted to be brave. But the situations call him to be brave.

    He had been living in a safe world. Things like these made him want to squeal and cry. He wanted to run away but his heart told him not to. He imagined Shig, Leiko, and Kioko, their faces made him gather all the courage he had. His breeches were wet with piss. He was shitting himself as every bomb drops near him.

    BE BRAVE JOSHUA!

    He eggs himself up to keep his feet running. The way he was running made sense to him. He found three or two soldiers or unluckily servants sprawled on the ground with their eyes facing the ceiling. His heart would hurt. The images he was seeing made him want to run away. But Joshua would shake his head. He would fight on and continue despite the despair around him.

    Either that or run away. He has already started running through hell. He was already halfway down this path. But what choice did he have? To turn his back and sprint back to the way he just passed by? He was already dirtied and wounded by all the dodging he does. He faced near-death twenty times just by crossing a destroyed hall. He only wanted to go and find the place where Kioko was.

    He found the place after running. He saw that the way was blocked. The rubble must have come down when the hail of bombs dropped near. He carefully listened until he heard the sound of someone crying. Joshua got happy, he wanted to drag the rubble but what was he? He was just a human that could not even calm his shaking hands. The rubble that was blocking the entrance weighs too much for him to even think of lifting it.

    He had those words floating but so what? It only activates when he faces death. It was his convenient ability that only allowed him to save himself for a quick second. That ability could not move boulders. That ability could not let him become superhuman. He was already lucky that he had this ability. So Joshua could not curse or even mock his own helplessness.

    The people down there were clearly crying. He wanted to save them but what can he do? Use the bombs he had modified to open the path? How can he do that without hurting them? It was easy to say he wanted to save them. But doing that so might cause their death, so instead, Joshua steered clear and shouted. ¡°Do not move! Unless you hear a friendly soldier or me shouting! Don¡¯t make a sound! Please, I am begging you all to stay alive!¡±

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    Then, Joshua ran again. He ran through the once lavish corridors until he was able to reach the office of the Warlord. There he found Shig wounded, his stomach bleeding heavily. He was trying to breathe but clearly, he was having a hard time. Near Shig was the Warlord of the city, armed with plate armor that got thrashed by the rain of bombs. Her hair was dyed in red. Her face was scratch all over. She didn¡¯t mind it as she looked at Joshua.

    ¡°You are Shig¡¯s friend?¡± said Mia.

    ¡°Yes, I,¡± Joshua approached while stuttering, it was clear that he was shaking. His legs betrayed him. Mia could see the wet patch on his crotch. He smelled of crap and the mustard-like smell that was surrounding him made it even worse. She would have called out but the smell of the air around her made her tolerate it.

    ¡°Do you have any numbing drug on you?¡± said Mia.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any,¡± replied Joshua. ¡°What¡¯s this drug anyway?¡±

    ¡°Painkillers...There should be one but I can¡¯t leave Shig alone. Can you go? How did you even reach this place?¡±

    ¡°I managed somehow,¡± replied Joshua, then coughing. ¡°So where can I find one?¡±

    ¡°Down this floor, there should be a cabinet. Take them all if you can. And hurry up, the bombs might fall again and Uncle Shig needs to move. See if you can find any round-bottomed flasks filled with blue pills.¡±

    Joshua nodded. He sprung into a sprint and went through the rooms and started scouring for what Mia described. He found five bottles of the blue pills and immediately handed them to Mia. Mia was surprised how he was able to come back fast. But she didn¡¯t think much and made Shig take some of the blue pills.

    Shig¡¯s expression softened. His crumpled face turned normal as he looks at Mia and Joshua. ¡°Ah, I am still alive?¡±

    ¡°Sadly you still are Uncle,¡± she said almost sobbing. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get out of here.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± said Shig, he looked at Joshua. ¡°It¡¯s nice seeing you, Joshua. Did you see Leiko?¡±

    ¡°No I didn¡¯t,¡± Joshua said truthfully.

    ¡°I see. Let¡¯s pray that she¡¯s still alive,¡± Shig stood up and lifted his burly body and cracked his neck. ¡°I should be fine for now; the painkillers are working and the bandages should keep me intact,¡± Shig closed his eyes after saying that. He prayed and suddenly his body became that of a bull.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± His voice changed. ¡°And Joshua...¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Can you look for Leiko? Or anyone that could help us,¡± It was a rather faint smile. Despite the bull-like head. Shig was able to express what he wanted. Joshua could only nod at that. He bid them goodbye and left. He wanted to stay but knowing that Shig was okay made him hopelessly thought that they should be fine.

    He wanted to think that despite knowing that there was still an army of men that have not yet to come down.

 Chapter 32

    Chapter 32 ¨C Siege of the ruined city (2)

    There were flapping sounds of fabric coming from the sky. Joshua looked up and saw that the men from the flying ships have finally descended. He had seen airborne troops drop down on an air force show once. But seeing pyramid-like chutes fill the sky made his mouth open wide. He stood stall surrounded by corpses and rubble. Wounded, breathing heavily as he shakily moves his feet.

    Standing in the middle was dangerous. Joshua took cover and watched as the men from the flying ships landed. They started to move, they took perimeter checks and secured areas as they move. Every ten men captured a street. They took cover and made use of the houses to aim at any enemies. The struggling men of the City were shot when they appeared crawling. Some started to open fire and gunfire rang out as they exchanged gunfire.

    Joshua had a rifle that could fire continuously. But he was not dumb enough to reveal himself. Instead, he crawled through the city and looked for any signs of resistance that are still fighting the Cagan and Bali air army. Joshua somehow managed to avoid any confrontation. He timed his sprints when gunfire rang out. He would cross this long street when bombs explode. All of that just to reach this single bastion of hope that stood brightly like a lamp shining in the darkness. The moths were attracted to this light, both the allies and the invaders.

    There was someone standing bravely in the middle of all of it. It was not Leiko; it was just some Proctor, a man in his twenties who had the courage to attract the people around him. He was injured, covered in dust and bruises, but he stood among the men of the city with his rifle¡¯s barrel aimed at the raining men that came from the skies.

    ¡°Open fire damn it! Two volley fire! Fire, and reload! Take cover you daft bastard!¡± he shouted while commanding the troops around him. Joshua looked at him before turning his eyes to the cat-like person dodging the bullets. Covered in fur, this black-furred werecat leaped around like a dancer of death as she takes people¡¯s life with claws and bolts. This cat-like person met eyes with Joshua. She spun mid-air and landed on her shoulder, taking cover from the volley of fire that almost riddled her bodies with holes.

    ¡°You are a still alive Joshua!¡± shouted Leiko.

    ¡°Yeah...we need you back there.¡± Joshua slid down on this wall for cover. ¡°Shig¡¯s injured and everyone¡¯s been scattered. And the way to the entrance where Kioko and the servants hid is now blocked.¡±

    Hearing Kioko¡¯s name made Leiko¡¯s cat eyes dilated. She grabbed Joshua¡¯s shoulder and shook him. ¡°Is she alive? Why didn¡¯t you rescue her and came here instead?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t! I can¡¯t lift the rubble and blow the entrance up! I might murder them! I can¡¯t do that! That¡¯s why I came here looking for you instead!¡±

    Leiko grabbed Joshua¡¯s head. She turned it towards the direction of the men fighting the invaders. ¡°Look at this place! Do you think we can run with all these enemies? How did you manage to come here?¡±

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    ¡°I just did! I can get us back there!¡±

    Leiko looked at the men fighting again. There was a choice for her to make. But the choice she chose the one that mattered to her most. The men and women who fought there were not Kioko. Thus she was able to choose immediately.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°What about them?¡± Joshua asked.

    ¡°Let them fight on their own,¡± she bit her lip. ¡°I pray that whoever God they follow shine their way through these tribulations!

    Joshua painfully nodded. He looked at the men and women fighting and turned his back on them. He sprinted away while Leiko followed after. Gunfire, bombs, and rubbles, and even suffering men, the two ignored them all.

    ...

    ¡°Captain!¡± shouted a man who lost his eye. ¡°She really did abandon us! Look at her run!¡±

    ¡°Steady your aim brother!¡± he shouted back at the man. ¡°She only wanted to save her sister. She told us that herself. She fought for us and took down those hand cannon fucks rightly! How can we complain when she did what she promised?¡±

    The man took cover. A bullet whizz past him, almost taking his head out. He grinned. ¡°Indeed right Captain! Fuck! It would be nice having a Cattus with sensitive instincts fight for us! But by our God Luci Fera, it seemed that would be too easy eh?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is soldier!¡± The Captain dived down to cover. ¡°We may die here but at least we know that we fought under the hellfire of bombs! They may speak of our defeat! But to me, you are all brave men fighting with bravery! To die with you all is an honor!¡±

    ¡°Shut your trap Captain!¡± a voice of a woman called. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to die here! Unless I take a piece from you! So take a cover your dumbass!¡±

    ¡°Fierce isn¡¯t she captain?¡± grinned the soldier. ¡°She makes a fine bribe! Hey! Let me marry you if we get out of this alive!¡±

    ¡°Shut up! The Captain¡¯s only for me! I¡¯ll consider when you¡¯re dead!¡± the girl opened fire. Her brunette hair shone as the smoke blew it. The Captain looked at the girl. He finished reloading and open fire again. ¡°Damn you bastards! Thinking of all of these when we are near death!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright captain!¡± hollered another soldier. ¡°As long as you here you¡¯d be our guiding light!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± shouted the Captain. ¡°I am just some Proctor who got involved on this! If you cowardly fucks didn¡¯t move we would have been fucked over by now! Stop calling me Captain! My name is Archie, of Village Garl damn it!¡±

    ¡°Whatever you say Captain!¡± shouted the soldiers. The girl with brunette hair grinned. ¡°This Cassia shall follow you, Captain! It¡¯s not like there are officers here than you!¡±

    Archie looked at the men and women surrounding him. He was scared shitless, yet he bantered with these fools despite his pounding heart. To live or to die without fighting back was something he could not stomach. He only fought with his rifle and killed a few, and now these soldiers gathered around him. Taking for some beacon of light he never was. But so what? No one else wanted to take control of the situation. No one wanted to become their hearts so he had to do it. He had to fight! He had to somehow find hope in the chasm of despair he was in.

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33 ¨C Siege of the ruined city (3)

    He had seen the light. He had seen what it was that he wanted. The back he protects was none other than Archie. Their new ¡®Captain¡¯ that appeared out of nowhere. Like a hero without a cape, the man came to their time of need. He knew that he was too afraid to act. He revered Archie for saving them, giving them the courage to aim the muzzle of their rifles back at the enemy.

    It had been awhile since the Cattus took out the hand cannon men. Now they were only worried about the bombs that would be dropping. But he knew that as long as the troops of the men that came from the sky was down with them. They cannot recklessly drop their bombs at them anymore. This gives him a bit of relief, but that relief would vanish away as the bullets fly above him.

    He had been ripping paper cartridges and firing his rifle. His teeth hurt, his gums seemed like it would swell. He was sweating cold sweat so much that his tunic was wet. Around him, the soldiers fought on while suppressing their fear. They all worked like some damned puppets that listen to the voice of reason that is Archie.

    ¡°Line two! Duck! Line one open fire!¡± his voice was stern but shaky. Most of the men that gathered knew that he was just some Proctor who reported to his officer who was now lying down on some street with his head smashed open. He wasn¡¯t trained to command these struggling soldiers. He was just some village grunt yet here he was standing up for them.

    ¡°Line one! Switch! Line two reload now!¡± Archie shouted.

    He looked at Archie as he reloaded his rifle and aimed at the grunt far from him. He smelled the smoke from the gun, his face crumpled as he coughs and takes another cartridge from his saddlebag. His mouth was filled with the taste of gunpowder. He was partly deaf like everyone else but oddly Archie¡¯s shout was clear to them.

    ¡°Take cover!¡±

    ¡°Line up!¡±

    ¡°Daft bastards don¡¯t freeze and fight for goodness sake!¡±

    He was a man with words. And even though he was acting like that. How could they question him? How could they say ¡®stop that¡¯ and berate the guy that was commanding them? Like madmen and madwomen, the soldiers and stray guards kept their hearts silent.

    He would smash someone¡¯s head if they try to act cocky. He wasn¡¯t that great. Back before all of this started, he was just drinking mead and cat whistling tavern girls. Now he was fighting like a man unchained and unhinged.

    ¡°Captain!¡± shouted a soldier suddenly. ¡°Incoming!¡±

    Most of them looked up. He looked up as he saw a flying galley approached them. His legs froze. ¡°DAMN IT! DO NOT FREEZE! RUN LIKE HELL!¡±

    Everyone started to scatter. He vaulted away from his cover and sprinted to the nearby houses like most of the soldiers. The enemy did not let them go, they fire at them. He was able to see the lad he was fighting with die just like that. He looked at the captain and the brunette haired girl that was with him. They ran across the merchant stalls. The guy that was with them, who was bantering had his back riddled with holes as he lay flat on the ground with his eyes blank.

    Archie grimaced but he ran until he reached cover.

    Meanwhile, he was able to take cover. He carefully maneuvered through until he reached the house where Archie and the brunette haired Cassia took cover. Archie looked at him oddly, his brows creased tightly. ¡°Why did you fucking run here?¡±

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    ¡°I am here to help Captain!¡± said he.

    ¡°Fuck, I am not the Captain damn it!¡± shouted Archie.

    The woman grinned. ¡°You are now and will always be our captain!¡± she commented.

    ¡°Damn you all!¡± Archie cursed. ¡°If we can only get rid of the balloons then we might not die here.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t fly sadly,¡± she told Archie.

    ¡°How about stealing that, Captain?¡± he pointed at the air balloons that were descending down.

    ¡°What are those?¡± said Archie. ¡°Are they bringing their ammunition down here too? And those are clearly cannons! They might be transporting them. Shit, maybe we can try?¡± He started to ponder.

    ¡°That¡¯s too crazy even for us!¡± said Cassia. ¡°How do we even get out there? No, in fact, how can we go there and not die the moment we appear at them? It may be a good plan but by the heavens, we will just fall to our deaths!¡±

    ¡°What choice do we have?¡± said Archie. ¡°We can¡¯t run from all of these bombs forever! This is a lost cause but even so might just be able to light some hope here!¡±

    ¡°This is absurd!¡± said Cassia.

    He looked at them and said. ¡°How about we retreat back to the stronghold? I am sure that the Cattus and the Lord Enforce can help us.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t leave them here.¡± Archie shook his head. ¡°Do you want to leave them here? These bastards can¡¯t even get their shit together.¡±

    ¡°Leave them to me, captain,¡± someone crept up to them. He looked at the ragged soldier and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Just a bastard with a group of stray soldiers with him, leave the people here. Go and report what you thought to the warlord. It¡¯s crazy but at this point, we need to be as crazy as well.¡±

    Archie eyed the ragged soldier. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°No, I am not. I don¡¯t even know how long we can hold the line here,¡± he wiped his forehead. ¡°But by the Gods, we will let you escape back to the stronghold if we must. My boys will hold the line; you three go back and tell them the crazy idea you thought about.¡±

    Cassia eyed Archie. He looked at her before nodding at the ragged soldier. ¡°Hold the line brother, and may God bless you.¡±

    ¡°Go Captain. Make sure to head back to the stronghold. It¡¯ll make this last stand of ours worth it.¡±

    He looked at the ragged soldier. He just noticed that his stomach was practically hit. He must have been taking those painkillers but he was sure that the ragged soldier won¡¯t last long if he bleeds that heavily.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Archie standing up. ¡°Let¡¯s go Cassia and you...let¡¯s go.¡± he looked at him.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m with you Captain,¡± he said.

    The ragged soldier looked at the three running away. He touched his forehead and shouted something to the group of men behind him. It was loud and they were deafened. But it was clear what the ragged soldier said to them.

    Hold the line. That was all he wanted from them.

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34 ¨C Siege of the ruined city (4)

    Joshua laid on his stomach. He watched two soldiers walked passed before suddenly sprinting. The soldiers saw Joshua. They pointed their guns at them. But before they can pull the trigger, a swift claw cleaved through their necks. The soldiers fell as the doer of the attack took their ammunition and threw them at Joshua.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± said Joshua, taking the bag of ammunition. He took a paper cartridge inside it and placed them on the rows of his rifle. He then took the lead balls and inserted them before priming them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we should reach the stronghold through here,¡± Leiko grimaced with her werecat face and went down this tunnel. She followed this tunnel and behind her was Joshua who was full of bruisers and dirt. She was too covered in soot and ashes. She had the smell of blood and gunpowder. Her black fur was smothered by gray.

    Leiko kept on walking this tunnel until she found the entrance. Her senses made her notice that there were others behind the door. She readier her claw and turned her crossbow to the front, rushing out of the door to aimed at the people behind. The soldiers behind wore the blue garb of the City. They pointed their rifles but stopped after seeing the familiar face of the assistant of the Lord Enforcer.

    ¡°Madam!¡± said one of the soldiers. ¡°Are you okay? Are there any others?¡±

    Joshua came out of the door while holding his rifle. The soldier furrowed their brow as they looked at him.

    ¡°We are the only ones that came here. Where are the Lord Enforcer and the Warlord?¡± Leiko said with a stern voice.

    A soldier stepped forward. ¡°They are defending the front Madam!¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she nodded her head. ¡°Do you have anyone that knows how to dig a tunnel here?¡±

    The soldiers looked at each other. A man with his head almost covered in bandaged took a step forward. ¡°I do. What should you need me for?¡±

    Leiko gestured at Joshua. He answered. ¡°The tunnel that the servants used has been blocked. Can you help us remove them?¡±

    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s better than staying here,¡± he said, taking his saddlebag from the floor. Joshua nodded at the soldier and then led Leiko and that soldier to where the tunnel was. They arrived there and started planting the explosives. The soldier made sure that no one was nearby by using this extendable pipe, He then spoke into that pipe and after that he prayed as he lights the fuse, making the explosives he planted made this sizzling noise.

    Boom. The explosives made the rubble that blocked the tunnel flew. Leiko quickly jumped down, she shouted Kioko¡¯s name as Joshua followers. The three followed the tunnel until they saw servants from the stronghold holding their rifles at them. Noticing that it was a soldier of the city, and Leiko, they lowered their guns at patted their chest in relief.

    ¡°Sister!¡± a voice called out. Leiko turned to that voice. Her werecat form vanished as she tightly hugged the running Kioko who was covered in dirt and soot. It was a tight hug. A very tight one that it made Leiko feels like her chest has gone light. Joshua looked at them, he squatted on the ground, his arms leaned on his thighs. The solder that followed them turned to look at the servants. He started talking them, checking if they are alright.

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    ¡°Big Brother, Joshua!¡± shouted Kioko, her little legs stretching towards him. Joshua smiled wearily at Kioko. In return she patted his dust-covered head, tilting her little head to the right, saying. ¡°Are you okay? Mhm, there are flowers on your body brother.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Joshua looked at his body. He found no flowers, but then he realized that Leiko was staring at him. He said. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s nothing alright?¡±

    ¡°Uh huh,¡± said Kioko gently. ¡°What¡¯s happening out there Brother Joshua?¡± she said innocently.

    Joshua looked at Leiko, then to the others. ¡°There are fireworks out there, and it¡¯s dangerous to go out. They might fall on your tiny head. You are scared of them aren¡¯t you?¡±

    She looked surprised. ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°I just know,¡± he looked at Leiko while saying that.

    ¡°So behave for a moment okay?¡± said Joshua, walking to Leiko with a frown. ¡°So what should we do?¡±

    ¡°Have people defend this tunnel. It¡¯s thicker than the other tunnels. And if we hold the line here then there should be no worry about putting bullets on them,¡± She looked at the tunnel. The tunnel was straight. It was reinforced with brick and stone. It was perfect to make a defensive position.

    ¡°I can see that,¡± Joshua commented.

    ¡°You there,¡± Leiko hollered at the soldier. ¡°Call the other soldiers and make a defensive line here. And Kioko, stay here and make sure you don¡¯t follow us okay? Listen to that big brother over there.¡± she pointed at the man holding a rifle.

    ¡°Okay!¡± said Kioko obediently. It made Joshua raised his brow in surprise.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she told Joshua while gesturing at the soldier and the man holding a rifle.

    Joshua followed Leiko. They went through the tunnel and went upstairs. While heading there, Leiko finally said what was in her mine. ¡°What are those canisters on your belt? They have been bothering me for a while.¡±

    Joshua bolted. ¡°Shit, did it start leaking?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so,¡± she looked at the canisters. ¡°Is that a smoke bomb?¡±

    ¡°Kind off,¡± he took a step, pulling one. ¡°But this one doesn¡¯t just obstruct the eyes. It kills.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s poisonous?¡± she looked at the canister.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a modified smoke bomb. Instead of emitting normal smoke, it emits Chlorine gas. I found some bleach and ammonia in Old Forsa¡¯s lab. I don¡¯t know how and where he got them but it allowed me to create this nasty stuff. It even surprised me that I was able to make it despite knowing that it would bloat my body into one big yellow balloon if I wasn¡¯t careful enough. It¡¯s unstable since I just mixed them together in a hurry. If released it should evaporate like a normal gas, and then the added distilled sulfur poison should do the trick to kill them or at least that¡¯s what I think.¡±

    ¡°You are creating something that you haven¡¯t even tested?¡± said Leiko with a sneer.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have time,¡± Joshua stopped. He made this crazy look. ¡°And besides, I should be able to test them sooner or later.¡±

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35 ¨C Siege of the ruined City (5)

    There were people defending the front of the stronghold, they gathered and returned fire at the enemies while keeping the giant warships above them by using the cannons to launch spears to shoot holes on their balloons. In the center of the soldiers were the Lord Enforcer Shig and the Warlord Mia who completely abandoned her plate armor. She wore a velvet tunic along with a cape around her shoulders. She was grazed, her hair had blood on it, it made her look like a war goddess.

    Archie, Cassia, and he arrived on the stronghold. Archie and Cassia told the Lord Enforcer and the Warlord about their plan. The Lord Enforcer listened, shouting it was brilliant. He threw his head back and laughed. He shouted, ¡°They can be taken down! Now we just need a good pilot to take us to these air balloons!¡± he then looked at the man who was carrying odd canisters around his belt.

    He looked at this lad who has a grayish black hair. He pointed at himself as Shig stares at him. He didn¡¯t know much but seeing the Lord Enforcer pat the lad made him thought that he was going to be their driver.

    ¡°Will he really do?¡± Archie stated his concerned. He agreed with Archie. The lad seemed like he wasn¡¯t up to the task. But the lad took a stepped forward, he put his foot down and said. ¡°I can do it. In fact, if you want to go up there and stay alive then you¡¯ll need me to reach that place,¡± he sounded confident as hell.

    He didn¡¯t know where he got this confidence. But the assistant of the Lord Enforcer chimed in. ¡°Joshua might not look at it, but he¡¯s good at dodging. Really good I daresay.¡±

    Cassia frowned. ¡°But can he fly these air balloons?¡±

    Joshua replied, ¡°I know that to fly those things we need to heat the air and make it less dense. And when it is less dense the balloon would become buoyant enough to fly. My only problem is how to steer the air balloon. I have no idea which the wind will take us. At best I can try to make use of the weights to tilt the air balloon and steer us to that giant warship there and crash it without survivors.¡±

    Everyone looked at Joshua in surprised. They wanted to know how he knew all of this. Joshua could see the look on their faces so he answered. ¡°I just thought about it. Imagine a leaf being pushed up when heat from a flame propels it up.¡±

    The Warlord wasn¡¯t convinced. But she didn¡¯t have time to ask so she nodded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how he knows all of this. All I know is that he is with us. Uncle Shig, I mean the Lord Enforcer and the Cattus trusts him. So about we trust this man and stop getting ideas? His identity can be assured by them. Or do you want to argue about this and let those damn warships hovering above us kill us all?¡±

    No one could argue with that. Everyone kept silent as they agreed to let him steer the air balloons. The only problem right now was how to get one. He looked at the city¡¯s outline. Black smoke rises above everywhere and there was a black mist forming around the city. All the smoke that the guns made and the bombs made the skyline of the city into this smoggy polluted mess.

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    Archie turned to the sky. He noticed something and said, ¡°Looks like that motor carriage is still intact. Who owns that?¡±

    Cassia leaned to see what¡¯s up. ¡°I don¡¯t know, probably a noble.¡±

    The Warlord of the City crossed her arms. ¡°That¡¯s a gift from some boot-licking noble. We can use that to drive to where any of these balloons are.¡±

    The Lord Enforcer then exclaimed for everyone to hear. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ll be driving that too, Joshua,¡± said Shig smiling. The lad named Joshua grimaced as he nodded his head in understanding.

    Everyone gathered, but of course, they were able to discuss because the enemies halted their attack for a brief moment to reload. The fighting continued on, the men and women staying on the fort kept the warships away while shooting at the enemy soldiers.

    There were a group of soldiers that pulled the carriage up. Meanwhile, there were frilled-lizards near the Warlord along with the Lord Enforcer whose voice was slowly starting to dry with all of the orders he was giving. Archie, Cassia, the right hand of the Lord Enforcer, Leiko and the lad hid while preparing for whatever job they needed to do.

    He himself volunteered to follow Archie, his captain. He was not the drunkard that cat-whistled tavern girls anymore. He was now a soldier who just wanted to support the back of the Captain he recognized. It was foolish; it was the bravado of the useless but so what? If he can make a difference then he¡¯ll join him.

    Then, as time goes on, and as the crew was ready. Everyone hopped in the motor carriage. The driver, the young lad started the car and drove through the ruined street. Along the way, soldiers that came from the sky attacked them. They shot back while getting the support of the Lord Enforcer who already transformed into a raging bull armed with hand cannons. Behind him were the soldiers of the city, rallied to protect the carriage. Cannon fire, rifle fire, and even strings being let go were heard.

    The driver, the lad named Joshua was a good one. He was able to avoid danger, even the passing bullets seemed like he could dodge. The bombs from the sky, he was able to somehow steer clear. Everyone who rode the carriage, Archie, Cassia, and Leiko was impressed by the lad¡¯s driving skills.

    They doubt him, he too doubted him. But knowing that he can do it, he too gathered his courage, and together with Archie, shot their way through the army of men and went to the nearest balloon that was sighted. There were men surrounding the air balloons carrying cannons and ammunition.

    It was impossible to take them all down so the lad named Joshua crashed into one of the stationed cannons that the enemies placed and shouted, ¡°Jump!¡± as everyone abandoned the carriage. He felt that he was shaken up. But Archie pulled him up as he then hugs the flipped carriage, protecting Joshua who was fiddling the air balloon.

    Their objective was to reach the skies and slay the dragon.

 Chapter 36

    Chapter 36 ¨C Up the Sky (1)

    The firefight between the Crew that wanted to slay the warship and the soldiers got harder. Archie was able to return fire, but if it wasn¡¯t for Leiko who was running around killing the dangerous ones, they would have already died twice. Joshua was still trying to operate the air balloon. Cassia who was sticking to Archie constantly shouted. ¡°Is it fucking done already?

    The lad replied. ¡°No, it is not! I don¡¯t know what these glowing stones are!? I thought they were using burners damn it!¡±

    ¡°Can you make it work!?¡± shouted Archie.

    ¡°I can, just give me a minute and figure this thing out!¡±

    He shook his head. He had gone mechanical as he aims, shoot and reload. He was getting used to handling the gun better. He should have been scared but he was strangely focused. There were soldiers rallying towards them but it seemed like the rallying that the Lord Enforcer did allow the enemy to focus on them. There were still bombs being dropped but it was minimal compared before. He thought that it might because they had their own soldiers now. Even they aren¡¯t that coldhearted to sacrifice their men.

    This allowed him and the others to defend the air balloon. Joshua was able to somehow figure out how the runes worked. He shouted. ¡°Get in now! Leiko we should go!¡±

    He ran towards the hot air balloon and vaulted into the wicker basket. He peered outside and returned fire. Leiko, the right hand of the Lord Enforcer sprung away from the rooftops she was dancing around and landed on the wicker basket. The soldiers closed in, but Joshua willed the balloon up as it propelled to the sky. Using the ropes, he dodged the bullet fire and made use of the green colored runes to speed up the balloon. The air balloon reached up to one thousand feet. The warships were still four thousand feet away so everyone inside the wicker basket calmed their breaths.

    ¡°They really still do exist,¡± said Archie, looking at the rune stones levitating the air balloon.

    ¡°And you don¡¯t find it weird that I can transform into a werecat?¡± While Leiko snarled at their surprise. Cassia frowned and then said. ¡°Well, it not like every day you¡¯d see hails of bombs and magical rune stones that should have been lost through time.¡±

    ¡°Good point,¡± he said.

    Archie wanted to touch the runes but Joshua shouted. ¡°No, don¡¯t touch them. You might will us down. I do not want to go back down.¡±

    ¡°Okay...¡± Archie put his hands up, backing away from the rune stones acting as the burner for the hot air balloon. Joshua heaved a sigh, he looked at the burning flames coming from the runes before resting his back on the wicker basket.

    ¡°This is quite the ride isn¡¯t it?¡± said Archie. He looked at the outline of the mountains beyond the city. It was serene and relaxing, different to the now ruined City of Avilla.

    ¡°It is,¡± commented Cassia. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d live long enough to see that I¡¯ll be up in the sky.¡±

    Archie smiled helplessly. ¡°Hopefully we returned alive.¡±

    ¡°I hope so,¡± said Cassia. ¡°And so that you can marry me.¡±

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    ¡°You really are serious with that?¡±

    Cassia replied by sticking her tongue out playfully.

    Meanwhile, Leiko sat near Joshua. She taps his knee. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s strange,¡± said Joshua with a weary smile.

    ¡°What¡¯s so strange?¡± she raised a brow.

    ¡°You saying that it¡¯s just strange,¡± Joshua said wearily.

    ¡°I can be nice.¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± he said breathing out. She didn¡¯t like that so she slightly pouted. Joshua looked at her and said. ¡°But thank you for asking. That means a lot especially coming from you, Leiko.¡±

    ¡°Is that?¡± she curtly said.

    He didn¡¯t really know what¡¯s up. In fact, he was just staring at his companions while glancing at the armada of warships floating above. The balloon was getting closer to the warships, and seeing this even Joshua stood up. He took the rows of fabric packed together on one corner of the wicker basket and said. ¡°You guys should wear these parachutes. They used this to fall down, and there is a big chance that we need to jump down instead of using the balloon. And also take these canisters with you.¡± he handed the canisters on his belt. ¡°These are poisonous, and do you see that trail of smoke that¡¯s smothering the other ships? If we can somehow take these and mix them into that smoke, we might just be able to poison an army of them.¡±

    Archie breathed cold air. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it doesn¡¯t hurt to try.¡±

    Cassie glance at the canister and said. ¡°Are you joining? You sound like you are staying behind.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll guard the balloon. It¡¯s best that you three head back. But like I said if it¡¯s troublesome then jumped and use the parachutes. That cord sticking out of the chutes should allow you to use it. Just make sure you strap it carefully.¡±

    Cassia nodded. ¡°What about you Miss Right hand?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be protecting him. And if we want to take that thing down then we need to light it on fire. There¡¯s an army waiting for us up top. We can¡¯t fight them and at best you need to just throw the canisters and mix them with that giant trail of smoke while Joshua and I will try to light the balloons on fire with the runes while also covering you.¡±

    Archie asked. ¡°If that¡¯s all we need to do, then shouldn¡¯t we stay here?¡±

    ¡°And risk dying together?¡± Leiko snapped. ¡°My sister¡¯s waiting for me there and I don''t want to leave her alone. So we will go with this tactic. Try and do your best to reach the smokes while I¡¯ll support you three. There are cannons there so just shoot them and the barrels of gunpowder they have.¡± she paused. ¡°What I am trying to say is that we need to light that giant airship like a floating campfire and have it affect the other ships while at it. Who knows? We might just get lucky and they¡¯ all lit on fire.¡±

    There was this wide grin at the face of the lord enforcer¡¯s right hand. Everyone on board of the air balloon grins slightly as they egged themselves up. Lock and loaded, they knew that they have to do something about that monstrous thing and it won¡¯t be easy.

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37 ¨C Up the Sky (2)

    The balloon floated near the warship. It brushed through the clouds, making a trail that made the balloon appear. The soldiers on the deck of the warship glanced at the balloon with their eyes glaring red. They run near the railing of the warship. They pointed at the air balloon while keeping their eye on the balloon, ready to shoot anytime. It was eerie quiet, only the blowing wind and constant booms down below was there.

    A soldier looked up. Then, he saw a muzzle aimed at them. He tried to open his mouth, only to feel his front burning as he gets blown back away. What happened next were three figures vaulting out of the wicker basket of the air balloon. The one leading them shot his rifle at the soldiers. They thought he had to reload but they were surprised how he was able to shot the rifle again.

    The air balloon behind them floated up, a person, no, a werecat appeared and pointed the barrel the hand cannon at them. They scattered, but they were blown away by the blast. The explosion and the gunfire made everyone aboard completely alert. The air balloon that carried the three floated just up the deck of the warship, supporting the three by the use of hand cannon.

    ¡°Go! Go! Go!¡± shouted Archie. He slid towards cover and fired the rifle that Joshua lent to him. It was useless to him with how he was using the air balloon to glide and help them.

    ¡°Shit!¡± shouted Cassia, hugging a crate. ¡°This is crazy! A fucking army! We are outnumbered here!¡±

    ¡°No shit!¡± he shouted, taking a round bomb from his pocket, lighting it, throwing it at the enemy. The bomb exploded as the soldiers taking cover was then blown away.

    ¡°Nice!¡± shouted Archie. He stood up and pointed his rifle, continuously firing it until he reached another cover. He spotted a soldier that was lighting a fuse, but the air balloon up above them shoots out a shot and killed the thrower. Leiko, who was eyeing the deck, gave Archie a nod as she targets the others that tried to flank them or chase them away from cover.

    Cassia sprinted and slid through cover. She reloaded her rifle masterly and shot it at the enemies. Cassia hugged the cover as ten she peered up, only for a bullet to almost hit her head. ¡°Shit!¡± she shouted, trembling slightly.

    He like the two of them sprinted to another cover. The armies of soldiers coming at them looked like ants from Leiko¡¯s view. Leiko saw him avoiding the cover, she supported him while Joshua steers the air balloon using the green runes blowing wind. The deck exploded into loud firefights, and only through the support of the air balloon that they manage to somehow stay alive through all these hail of bullet fire. Leiko was a brilliant shot with the hand cannon, she made sure to time her every shot when they were reloading. She did not give any of the enemy soldier¡¯s leeway to pin them down. Of course, the three on the board maneuvered through these pillars. They also made use of the crates and explosives to fend the enemy soldiers.

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    Cassia was not able to fire repeatedly like Archie. But she instead made use of the rifles around the ship and shoot them instead of hers. He who was following them use the bombs, he acted like as his their covering fire if Leiko was busy priming her hand cannon. Occasionally, Joshua would go near the balloons keeping the warship afloat. He would use the rune stones that acted as a burner to burn them.

    The warship was already half tilted. It was blowing smoke and this made the three fighting on the deck release the canisters given by Joshua. The canisters produced yellow smoke. This smoke scattered through the wind, enveloping the whole army. Joshua steered to see what happened. To his disappointment, he could only see that the smoke bombs only weakened the enemy. He did not have time to worry about his failure. Instead, he steered and assisted the three on the deck.

    On top of the deck, three were pinned down by a group of soldiers. Leiko tried to aim but her werecat form vanished. She returned to her normal form and using her demi form weakened her too much. She wasn¡¯t able to support the three and because of that, Cassia got her left shoulder pierced by a stray bullet. She shouted and cried loudly as she touches her wound in agony. Archie who was fighting saw Cassia go down. He roared, he slid near where she was and tightly wrapped her wound with a piece of cloth. Thankfully, he who was behind Archie and Cassia managed to somehow give them cover, giving Leiko enough time to prime her cannon and shoot the group of soldiers.

    The floating warships give this eerie sound. The planks below the ship caught fire. There were explosions inside as the barrels exploded when it made contact with the fire. The floating warship rumbled as it then shook the three below who noticed how fast the fire scattered. It was getting hellish down there, Joshua steered near them but the fire pushed the air balloon way.

    ¡°Try and reach the other side of the ship!¡± shouted Joshua. ¡°I can¡¯t get close to the fire! I¡¯ll try to catch you guys! Go!¡±

    ¡°Come on Cassia,¡± Archie hung Joshua¡¯s rifle on his back and carried Cassia. She protested. ¡°Just run without me...I¡¯ll just hold you two back.¡±

    ¡°No! Fuck that! We are leaving! This ship¡¯s going down and I am not leaving you here!¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°No buts!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll protect you two,¡± He said sternly. ¡°I¡¯ll cover your backs! So let¡¯s run!¡±

    ¡°Thanks, buddy!¡± said Archie. ¡°What was your name? Shit, I am sorry I didn¡¯t ask till now!¡±

    He smiled. He wanted to answer but a pillar where a rope was tied to, got loose. The balloon popped and burned, it fell as the three then started sliding down the ship¡¯s deck. Archie cursed, making use of his and Cassia¡¯s weight to steer clear of the bodies and obstacles. There were still soldiers, and luckily for Archie and Cassia, he was there to cover their backs.

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38 ¨C The Brave Hearts (1)

    The sky looked bright. Shig liked the sky as the black mists that gathered were blown away by the blazing warship. The first assault that was done by air, men that came from the sky with parachutes on their backs, were done in by a crew of five in an air balloon, just with a rifle and a few bombs, and a bit of girth on them.

    ¡°That¡¯s what you call bravery,¡± Shig laughed.

    ¡°Uncle Shig!¡±

    ¡°Damn it! Protect the Lord Enforcer you damn bastards!¡±

    ¡°Uncle Shig, stay with us! Don¡¯t close your eyes!¡±

    Shig could hear them shouting. He looked at his charred body. His torso filled with lead. This won¡¯t kill him but his body won¡¯t be able to fight. He should be sad yet the beautiful sight of a burning warship that blazes brightly up made him unable to think otherwise.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it great?¡± he could imagine her say that as her blue cape flaps about in the wind.

    ¡°It is,¡± said Shig softly. ¡°The Era of Sword and Axes are gone. But brave men and women never cease to exist do they?¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t, my love,¡± The apparition chuckled. ¡°Even at times of fear, they¡¯ll come running. Not knowing anything, not having anything other than the courage in their hearts. They¡¯d listen to their voice of reason, sprinting to danger.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, some wants honor, some wants recognition. Some just follow their heart, believing in something they didn¡¯t know they believed. Bravado, ego, pride, all men, and women here have that. Or maybe they are just like me, a fool that knew nothing, only ending up on events like this. Well, it is not like I hated being that fool.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± said the apparition, her voice was gentle as water. ¡°Shig, you can¡¯t fall down here. That little girl shouting for you needs you. She isn¡¯t a cold warlord, just a lonely one.¡±

    ¡°Hah,¡± he smiled thinly. ¡°Indeed, what about the others?¡±

    ¡°The Cattus has her sister, while the one you saw broken and deprived of everything in that room has a steady heart. If he didn¡¯t have the heart, he wouldn¡¯t be up there, assisting brave men and women, giving them the ray of hope that they need. Despite all the blood and tears, despite all the death and despair, people will find a way to light the darkness.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Shig breathed heavily. ¡°You are right, now¡¯s not the time for weakness. I can¡¯t let these young ones. I am a Cornus damn it! The Proud Bull of the North! The Red Garbed One!¡±

    Shig lifted his body up forcefully, he took the pills from the flask from his pocket and ate them all. The soldier that was watching him do that got slack-jawed, he wanted to speak something but the figure of the Lord Enforcer rising despite his wounds made him stagger back. Mia, who was a bit rattled, woke up from her fearing daze.

    ¡°Uncle Shig!¡± shouted Mia, keeping her head down as she approaches Shig. ¡°Are you okay? You are wounded! Don¡¯t just stop stand!¡±

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    ¡°Hah!¡± Shig threw his head back and guffawed. ¡°My dear, you are underestimating this bull. A few bullet wounds won¡¯t kill me!¡±

    He said with bravado, despite half of his body charred and injured.

    ...

    The man held his rifle. He held it tightly as he looked at the dead enemy soldiers that lined up. Behind him were the servants of the stronghold. They are cheering him on, struggling to keep their spirits up. He was exhausted and his spirit was rattled as he too was surprised how he could kill so many people. He was just the guy who handles the explosives. He was from a certain village, somewhere outside the city where a river ran behind, filled with pebbles of white and gray, where the blue stream gushed, making serene noises.

    He could have escaped from all of this. Yet here he was standing up for these citizens that wanted his help. Hold the line. That¡¯s what he was asked for. That¡¯s what he did. He could hear loud noises despite the thickness of the tunnel. He shuddered just by thing what was happening there. He could barely see with one eye, and his other hurting. He had taken pills but it was still hurting him, bothering him.

    ¡°Why am I here?¡± he asked himself. He smelled around him. The dust and the smell of the dead gathered, forming this pungent smell. It reeked badly that the gunpowder smell seemed the best thing to smell. Rubble falls down from the top; the walls of the tunnel shook, as each movement of anything rattles him, making him point his rifle at the line.

    ¡°Mister...¡± a weak voice called out. ¡°Are we going to be safe?¡±

    He looked at the little girl holding a straw doll. It looked new. ¡°Yes, big brother is here to protect you okay? Don¡¯t fear.¡± He tried his best say that.

    ¡°Okay. But you look hurt Big Brother...¡±

    ¡°I am fine. Just go back to your brother, and make sure to keep your little head down okay?¡± He said, patting the little girl¡¯s head. The mother of the little girl was just near, she gestured at her daughter, hugging her tightly. He made a sigh as he then caught a glimpse of a dulled eyed little girl with cat-like ears. He remembered that she was the sister of the assistant of the Lord Enforcer. She was sleeping tightly, despite the noises around her. He wanted to know if she was alright, but he saw the little girl with straw doll approached her along with her mother.

    Usually, it was rare a sight to see demi-humans and humans get along. But the sight of them snuggling and taking comfort made him feel something warm. He looked around him again. He then realized why he was standing here for. It was to protect these people. He was no cold-hearted bastard. He was a human with a guilty. He couldn¡¯t abandon these people.

    It¡¯s troublesome, but he could only curse himself for being soft-hearted. So, he steeled himself, gripping his rifle, pointing his eyes like a hawk to the tunnel that he was guarding.

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39 ¨C The Brave Hearts (2)

    There were sizzling noises everywhere. There were crackling sounds as the flames bursts and char the deck of the ship. The ship was turned into a tower of flames. Above this tower of flame was the balloon that kept the warship afloat. The embers flew making the other ships catch fire. Oddly, the mission of the five who attacked this armada of flying ships succeeded. Not every ship was destroyed, but their reduced numbers made everyone down below have a wide breathing room for an offensive.

    The three brave hearts who attacked the main ship huffed badly. The Captain, Archie, was carrying Cassia behind his back. Near him was him who was covering their backs sternly, shielding them from any soldiers that were able to step on the platforms.

    They were inside the airship. He could see a glimpse of the air balloon piloted by Joshua in the distance. He was sweating. There were burns on his tunic as he tries to gather the air that he could inhale. The heat was continuously exhausting their air supply. He was tired. His body was so fatigued due to what he just went through. But how can he complain when Archie was carrying Cassia all the time? He doubled his burden and yet here he was, standing near him, huffing, gathering all his strength to save the life of one feisty soldier.

    She was crying, sobbing, begging him to let go. He could not allow that, Archie didn¡¯t let her sacrifice herself. She tried to but Archie tied him, and her taking the rope off means that he will surely suffer misfortune too. He was astonished by this behavior. It was extraordinary, it was amazing that a Proctor, who was just there at the right time made through this place.

    He too was amazed by what he was doing. He has been following the Captain and but he was now here acting like some damned Hero. He would have died if he didn¡¯t follow the Captain. He was sure that if he was alone here. He would have died by either fire or bullet.

    ¡°Damn it...it¡¯s getting hot here. The air is getting thinner. We need to find a way out of here!¡±

    ¡°Archie...please just let me go,¡± Cassia was a mess.

    ¡°No. I am not leaving you behind.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°Just let me think Cassia!¡± shouted Archie. He looked around and then saw a hole that was open. He could see some blue on that hole. ¡°Maybe we can get out of there!¡±

    He looked at where he was looking at. ¡°I can¡¯t jump,¡± he said. ¡°My chutes gone and I¡¯ll fall to death.¡±

    Archie grimaced. ¡°Then what can we do?¡± He looked at the hole before taking a glance at the canister on Cassia¡¯s belt.

    ¡°That Canister!¡± he shouted, taking the belt. ¡°Maybe we can draw Joshua out there! The color of the smoke should!¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t if he will,¡± he said, finally showing pessimism.

    ¡°No! We just have to trust in Joshua! Do we have any choice here?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°Then let¡¯s do this.¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡± Archie started to run there. ¡°I am glad that you¡¯re here with us brother!¡±

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    ¡°Me too,¡± he grinned madly.

    The three carefully crossed the fallen beams and unstable platforms. He took point while Archie was taking Cassia with him. There were corners, and the gaps between each jump to reach the stable platforms. He was careful but there smokes around them that it was hard to just aim. The ship was swaying, and he could feel that there was, even more, rasps sounds happening.

    They crossed this burning platform. There was an obvious pain on Archie¡¯s face but he along with him endured. They manage to finally reach a straight path that could lead them throughout of the ship. There was a faint smile on Archie¡¯s face, still hoping that the smoke bomb will work. He too had this smile but it vanished as he heard loud grunts coming from behind them.

    ¡°ENEMIES ARE BEHIND US ARCHIE!¡± he turned his back and pointed at the rear. Archie stopped his legs, he looked at him and said. ¡°What are you doing? Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of them Archie!¡± shouted him. ¡°Throw the smoke and I¡¯ll try to hold them off for now!¡±

    ¡°Shit!¡± shouted Archie. ¡°Take this rifle! You¡¯ll need it more than me!¡±

    ¡°Thanks!¡± He caught the rifle. He put his cheek on the butt and aimed straight at the place where the footsteps were. He could hear Archie running to their escape. He could hear the enemy and when he saw a bit of their body appear. He pulled the trigger of the rifle. The man who appeared got his sides torn. His friend pulled him back as they tried to shoot at him. Of course, they didn¡¯t expect him to pull the trigger again and shoot another bullet. Three more rounds came out of the rifle. It hit two while the other took cover, fearing that they¡¯ll be hit the moment they show their body to him.

    ¡°Come on you fucks!¡± he taunted.

    The enemy soldiers didn¡¯t move. He found it unusual and by the time he knew their intentions. They already were near to Archie who was waving his hands down, which he assumed to Joshua who saw the smoke. He was oblivious to the danger behind him. He wasn¡¯t even paying attention!

    ¡°ARCHIE!¡± shouted him, running while dodging the debris and embers falling on top of him. Archie took notice of his shout. He was able to catch glimpse of the attackers and uses the rifle on him to shoot. The soldier fell on his knees, he then uses the butt of the rifle to smack the soldier dead. He could hear more people coming from their direction. He noticed that this was the only place where the air was coming in.

    ¡°We need to go brother!¡± shouted Archie, ready to jump. ¡°Come on now! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Okay...¡± he said slowly.

    Archie turned towards the open path. He looked down and saw Joshua readying to catch them. Nodding his head, he turned to inform him but what he saw made his eyes wide open. Behind him were a group of soldiers, and Archie witnessed him, kick him in the torso. He felt pain. He said.

    ¡°Godspeed Brother, it was an honor fighting by your side.¡±

    Gravity took hold of Archie and Cassia¡¯s weight. In their eyes clearly reflected the man who fought with them, the man whose name they didn¡¯t even know! He was wounded. Surrounded. But yet that man turned his back on them, knowing that he¡¯ll be facing the soldiers alone.

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40 ¨C A Hero Nobody Will Know Off

    What was I thinking? What did I drink that made me turn my back on them? I didn¡¯t know why I did that. All I know was that my body moved on its own. It was obvious that they¡¯d shoot the balloon. Maybe they won¡¯t. Maybe, Joshua, that lad would be able to dodge their attacks. Maybe I should have trusted him as well as Archie trusted him.

    ¡°Kill the bastard!¡± shouted an enemy soldier. I didn¡¯t think twice to roll over to cover. They fired at me with their rifles, the bullets whizz past me like leaves in a windy spring. I can taste smoke. I can taste the dust. I cannot breathe properly. I was having a hard time taking in the air. I looked at my left side. I was shot and bleeding. I wouldn¡¯t have this wound if I didn¡¯t kick Archie out.

    I wasn¡¯t mad, however. I was strangely calm. Everything seemed like it was slow. As if my life just turned slow as my heart pumps rapidly like a frog¡¯s throat. I was stuck in this heat haze that made me want to choke. My ears were ringing but even so, I decided to fight back.

    I shot one in the neck. The other soldier near this ember-filled beam got his right in the chin. I had a few bombs on me and I threw them. They exploded and made way for me to climb through this narrow path leading up this flat unstable platform. Everything was on fire. But I wasn¡¯t able to feel the heat at all. I was cold, really cold. My vision was blurring as take a step. My brain seemed like it was warning me that I was dying. I was dying. I knew that the moment I got hit on the sides to protect Archie.

    I have no idea why. I have no idea why would I suddenly do that. Like I said, my body moved on its own. I couldn¡¯t help but kick him away from danger. I wasn¡¯t friends with him. I didn¡¯t know him. But the battle we fought today made me see him that can do more good down there.

    In the back of my mind, I knew the battle was far from over. There were still flying ships around us. I know that. That¡¯s why I decided to die trying. That¡¯s why I stood running, sprinting through these obstacles, vaulting like mad as I jumped to another ship, not minding that my limbs were aching and hurting.

    I could feel my bones break. I could feel that I had already surpassed the limit. I was running on my last fumes. I was running on a rush of bravado and bravery. I was running and shooting down those who stood in my way like a man possessed.

    I did not even think of the bullets that entered my body. I was numbed all over that the only thing that was in my head was to not get my brain blown apart. I can¡¯t move without my brain. That¡¯s why I took cover and slid away from the bullets coming at me. I was outnumbered and outgunned. The rifle, the lad¡¯s rifle was no use to me. I had to throw it and I resulted in disarming and stealing weapons that I found on the ship that I just jumped.

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    Maybe I was possessed? Maybe because of this stupidity of mine that these frightened men clamored in terror. What do they see? Do they see a bullet-riddled madman on death¡¯s door? Do they see me now as some demon that was killing their friends?

    ¡°COME AT ME!¡± I shouted with all the voice I had. I speed through the ship and finally was able to reach the deck where this captain almost slid my throat. I was able to somehow punch him in the neck. And without thinking I turned his vessel and crashed it into the rows of flying ship before me.

    I managed to take four flying ships. But at the fifth one, my body could not function anymore. My left arm dangled, and I could see one of the toes on my right feet was facing the wrong direction. My vision was blood-red. I was shaking, shuddering as I try to fight back helplessly.

    I was still flying the ship that I steered. I was taking cover on the barrels while making use of the crates of rifle that was already loaded. I was weakening by every second. I was slowly losing my strength as I could hear my heartbeat started to slow down.

    It was a miracle itself how I was able to last this long. I was pale as a sheet of white paper. I was leaking blood, and I was running out of ammunition.

    I was done for. I could see a bomb rolled near me. I looked at the bomb before being thrown upward to the air. I floated like a kite with no strings. I stared dully at the sky.

    Ah, it should be alright now. To think that a drunken fool like me who had nothing to do other than cat call tavern wenches and drink all day after a day of patrol would end up like this. To think that I¡¯d be staring at a giant warship falling down to earth while my back smashes against this curvy structure that crushed my right ribs.

    I had no idea what I was thinking. Strangely, I was thinking that I did my best. I was thinking that while looking at the angered soldiers who wanted to finish me off badly after what I did.

    I didn¡¯t show them the satisfaction that they¡¯ll get for killing me. I showed them a devilish smirk as I wait for them to pull the trigger.

    I had gone past being afraid. But oddly, if there was one thing that I¡¯d regret not doing. That was at least to tell my name to them. I wanted them to know that I, a bastard was able to play the role of the hero even for a short time.

    And so with that last devilish smirk comes the flash that ended my life.

 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41 ¨C Thorn Cross Legion

    ¡°Bastards!¡± shouted a soldier. ¡°All of them are demons that could not stop seeking death!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± howled another one. ¡°We¡¯ve enough of them! Just don¡¯t annoy us! Damn it! What are these bastards taking that made them act like men unhinged?¡±

    There was clamor on top of a ship. The men saw the nameless soldier¡¯s maddened crazed. The way he dashed to his death, was exhilarating and outright that of mythical tales. Not to mention the single balloon that contained only five figures, doing this much damage to the armada of the sky.

    ¡°Where are the Cagan native fools!¡± hollered a soldier. ¡°I thought they are with us here! Comrades in arms, bah! I spit on their furry features! We are taking the front yet they are touching themselves behind our backs like cowards!¡±

    A soldier took a deep breath. He was pulling a rope to adjust the balloons of the ship. ¡°Damn it, who thought of it as a good idea to take the front! The Vanguard Ship¡¯s fucking down!¡±

    There were many soldiers complaining about their situation. They¡¯ve seen the display of recklessness that their enemy has shown. And the nameless soldier who fought to his death only to be put down madly by rifles was something they¡¯ve feared.

    It took one man to bring fear. And it took five just to set ablaze the front guard of the armada of the sky, forcing them into a dire situation. The ships were also subdued by this harsh sulfuric smell that made those with weak stomach vomit and goes limp. It was not poisonous but it made them limp just by smelling it.

    ¡°Captain!¡± a soldier called while running. ¡°Sir, I think we need to change directions. There are embers flying around that might put embers on our balloons! I suggest that we change course or else we¡¯d be put down like the Vanguard ship!¡±

    The Captain glanced at the soldier. He tapped his fist on the steering wheel before howling. ¡°Brave men! We are changing course!¡±

    The Captain held the steering wheel with both hands. With a twist, he made his flying tilt to the side as it then avoided the embers flying around. It made the other ships behind them wonder, but seeing the falling Vanguard ship and the amount burning ships in front of them. They followed suit only to make chaos up in the sky.

    The Vanguard of the Ship led them to this place. Yet it was now going down like a meteor that caught fire from the sky. The sight of the giant warship was visible to everyone. It was clearly seen and the people down this narrow mountain path saw it clearly.

    ¡°By the Gods, they¡¯ve summoned flying vessels just to invade the City.¡± a man said in plate armor. He wore a gray tunic and on his body were bandoliers and bombs. Behind his back was a rifle, and on his waist was a sword. His great helm shone as the fires of the flaming armada ship glowed brightly. Behind him were legions of men with the same outfit or less. Wearing Great helm, with swords and rifles on them, their surcoat was painted with a cross with a crown of thorns that coiled around the structure of the cross.

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    They were riding mountain horses that were clearly bulky and strong. They were able to climb this passable mountain with thick shrubs and steppe path because of these horses. The horses had armor on them, they had saddlebags but the horses acted like it was no big deal.

    ¡°Looks like we aren¡¯t just fighting them.¡± said the man with a spyglass. ¡°Those ships flying in the rear must be the Cagan sky army.¡±

    A man spied on the sky too. He said. ¡°Yes, that animal bared flags they fly. No doubt about it. Where are the sky griffons?¡±

    ¡°There should be on their way Sir.¡± said the soldier. ¡°But are we sure our griffons can fly that high Sir? Even before this absurd scene. We haven¡¯t flown that high, not even when that hill-like barbarous dragon came and attacked the Holy Midland thirty years ago.¡±

    The man pocketed his spyglass. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. In the name of God, we shall purge the invaders that threaten our allies. We must not fear. We must not adhere to the fear of the sight before us. The people of Avilla City are outnumbered and we¡¯ve heard the booming sounds that ravaged their city. Yet look at the skies! They are torn and their ships aflame, clearly by the hands of those people.¡±

    The man then turned his head to the soldiers behind him. ¡°Knight Templar¡¯s of the Thorn Cross Legion! We must fight the enemy! We must bring them to heel! Assist the City of Avilla! Bright forth their knees to the ground and let them know, not even their ships can save them from the wrath of this legion!

    ¡°HORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡±

    ¡°Men of the Thorn Cross, rally behind me! Artillerymen! Ready the four-legged dragons and point our guns at the demi-human fleet. Chase them! Bring them down! My Templar¡¯s! Follow me! We shall now join the people of Avilla in their fight! Execute the invaders! Show no remorse! Show no pity! Show them the might of the servants of the God of Light! PURGE THEM ALL!¡±

    ¡®HORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA¡±

    The men behind him shouted. A series of booming stomps came inside the forest as hundreds of mounted rider¡¯s gallops out of the forest. Behind them was an army of four-legged dragons strapped with giant cannons behind their backs. Despite the size of the cannons, the four-legged dragons were able to keep up with the fast horses of the Templar¡¯s.

    There was a cloud of dust that formed the field. And distance away from this field of dust, a woman with drill-like blonde hair smiled devilishly at the sight of the Templar¡¯s that came from the Midland at her behest. A simple note she gave made these fanatical Templar¡¯s appear carrying flying griffons and a battalion worth of dragon artillery.

    ¡°My lady was this truly necessary?¡± said her servant.

    ¡°Of course it is. With this, I doubt the Warlord of Avilla can refuse the favors that I, Alva of Dolce did for her. Even if she hates it, she will owe me and I¡¯ll be able to plant seeds for my horrendous family there.¡±

    She smiled. The maidservant nodded her head as she watches the Templar¡¯s of the Thorn Cross Legion charge their enemies.

 Chapter 42

    Chapter 42 ¨C Down they go

    It didn¡¯t need him to be a genius to know that there was someone missing from the three. Piloting the balloon silently, Joshua steered it away from the falling armada ship and made the vessel hover around the center of the city, near the stronghold.

    ¡°Can I take a look at that wound?¡± said Joshua, breaking the silence.

    ¡°Are you a doctor?¡± asked Archie, with a sorry look on his face.

    ¡°No, but I know how to handle first-aid. Her wound seemed like it¡¯ll get infected. I have some anti-infection ointment here and a few gauzes to spare.¡±

    ¡°You are prepared,¡± said Leiko.

    ¡°Just paranoid, I believe,¡± Joshua made sure the ropes are tight and reached into his pockets. ¡°I know that we would be getting shot and I just took it with me.¡±

    ¡°Okay Joshua,¡± said Archie, pointing his chin. Cassia got the message. ¡°Here¡¯s the wound, as you can see the bullet''s still lodged there.¡±

    Joshua grimaced as he looked at the wound. ¡°I¡¯m no doctor but we¡¯ll need to have that remove.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± said Archie. ¡°I¡¯ve removed a bullet wound before. Here, let me take the bullet.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± asked Cassia with fear in her tone. ¡°I trust you, but.¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t tense up,¡± said Archie, making use of his thumb and pinkie finger to remove the bullet. If a doctor could see this he would have scolded Archie. Cassia shouted in pain, she gritted her teeth and tried to force her tears back.

    ¡°That¡¯s one way to take the bullet,¡± Joshua moved near Archie, taking a round-bottomed flask containing some sort of paste.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± asked Cassia.

    ¡°Anti-infection or at least what it should be. But it¡¯s just a mixture of activated charcoal, ginger, garlic, and Chamomile. It should sting.¡±

    ¡°You are blunt,¡± Cassia frowned. Joshua then replied. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lie. So do you want me or Archie to do it? I¡¯ve no gentle hands.¡±

    ¡°Archie will do.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead then,¡± Joshua passed the flask to Archie. He took the flask, scoped the ointment with his index and trigger finger, and applied it to Cassia¡¯s wound. She shouted as tears came out of the corner of her eyes.

    ¡°This sting¡¯s a lot!¡±

    ¡°It should be,¡± said Joshua calmly. ¡°Or else it means it didn¡¯t work.¡± Joshua thought about a certain phrase he would hear from doctors.

    ¡°Damn it,¡± she cried. ¡°What does this even do?¡±

    ¡°Make sure you don¡¯t get your arm amputated,¡± Joshua said blandly. It made Cassia, who asked what the ointment was for hang her jaw. ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°It should be okay, Cassia,¡± said Archie. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡± he scoped some salve from the flask and wiped it on his wounds. He squealed. ¡°It really stings a lot.¡±

    ¡°Told you,¡± Cassia said. She looked at Leiko who was crossing her arms. ¡°Do you want one?¡±

    Leiko nodded. ¡°It won¡¯t hurt if I do.¡±

    Joshua looked at the three. He sighed and turned his eyes at the armada ship. It crashed just outside of the city and it carved the plain, leaving burn marks behind. The shockwave then followed, making Joshua steer the balloon and making it over rightfully again.

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    ¡°That¡¯s one giant fall,¡± he said slowly. ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Archie said.

    ¡°That guy who pushed you two out. What¡¯s his name?¡± asked Joshua.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Cassia answered. We were too focused on taking down that warship that we forgot to ask a comrade¡¯s name.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s terrible,¡± commented Leiko.

    Cassia smiled wearily. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me that. Still, I wish we could have known his name.¡±

    ¡°And now it¡¯s too late,¡± Archie said while looking at a far distance. ¡°Not to mention that we still have enemies before us.¡±

    Joshua, Leiko, and Cassia looked at the Cagan fleet that flew passed through the burning ship. But even with that, they noticed the thundering sounds coming yards away from the City.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± asked Joshua, looking at the dots of people running around. ¡°Oh God, don¡¯t fucking tell me those are enemies too?¡±

    Leiko squinted. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so, that crest of arms and banner. That should be the Thorn Legion. Their Thorn Cross coiled with thorns says it all. And if anything, we should be glad since they are the best allies of the Freelands.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you can see their banners from here,¡± said Archie in disbelief. ¡°I can¡¯t see anything if I don¡¯t use a spyglass.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because your human and I am a Cattus,¡± Leiko said as if it was obvious.

    ¡°True,¡± Archie shrugged.

    Joshua said. ¡°So I shouldn¡¯t be scared of these guys right? And what are those things?¡±

    Cassia peered to see what¡¯s up. ¡°That¡¯s a four-legged land dragon. Usually found on the borders of Midland and Cagan. Strong, feral, but can be tamable if one puts their mind to it.¡±

    ¡°But a battalion of them,¡± Joshua swallowed. ¡°And they even have artillery cannons on their backs that are reaching the ships!¡±

    ¡°I heard they use pierce rounds now instead of the usual ball shells,¡± Cassia grunted as she leans her other arm on the wicker basket. ¡°They said that they made their shells pointed so they can fly faster than an arrow, to pierce through instead of blasting through.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s neat,¡± Joshua said. ¡°They are allies, right? They won¡¯t suddenly stab the City right?¡±

    ¡°No they won¡¯t,¡± said Leiko. ¡°They are fanatical and zealous but never do they stab their allies unless those allies are heretics.¡±

    ¡°I wonder who called them?¡± asked Archie, his brows furrowed. ¡°In fact how did they arrive here so fast?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Joshua. ¡°But I am taking this Air Balloon somewhere and hide it. I don¡¯t like the sound of these ¡®fanatical and zealous¡¯ Knights.¡±

    ¡°Making it you escape route eh?¡± said Leiko. ¡°It¡¯s not like I want to keep on riding this, and? What about the runes?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take them. I think I can make use of these burner runes and wind pushing runes.¡±

    As he said that, Joshua steered the Air Balloon away and started finding a place to hide it. Archie and Cassia wanted to comment but their guts told them to let Joshua do what he wanted. It was a gut feeling, and this gut feeling has saved them.

 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43 ¨C A Time to Rest the Veil of Bravado

    The battle for the City was not over. The stronghold was pinned down and only through the fall of the giant vanguard ship of the Bali and Cagan air forces that the defenders of Avilla started to gain six major positions that made them able to circle a line of defense around the stronghold

    Outside the outskirts of the City of Avilla, the Thorn Legion made their moves. Lock in combat they made use of their four-legged dragon artillery to disrupt the airspace around the Cagan airships, rattling their ships, preventing them from approaching a firing range that¡¯ll allow them to bombard the City of Avilla again.

    Meanwhile, the rest of the Thorn Legion suppressed the fallen Bali Soldiers who survived the landing of the armada ship through the use of their parachutes. Most of them were shot without question.

    The Warlord Mia governed the defense. She had been informed of the presence of the Knight Templar Legion through their messenger eagles. The message made her click her tongue in. She didn¡¯t want to owe the Thorn Legion and not to mention the bearer of the warning had made it clear that she¡¯ll be watching from the distance until the situation stabilizes.

    As for the Lord Enforcer of the Warlord, Shig of the Red Garb, he¡¯s unable to battle. Instead, he laid orders to the troops and made use of the remaining blue district survivors to organize strike teams that will disable points of interest such as mortar points and artillery batteries set up by the enemies.

    Their strikes were precise and by the end of the night when the moon came out. The strike team that was hastily organized from a few stragglers was able to capture small defensive positions. Of course, the enemies didn¡¯t falter either after being gunned down. They started making use of the environment and engaged in guerrilla tactics.

    It was a constant battle for each side. The fatigued ridden soldiers were unable to catch a glimpse of sleep due to the constant eruption of artillery and gunfire. And although the sky has already turned dark, the constant fiery blooms of fire that appears out of the sky made them unable to sleep.

    It was obvious enough that the supplies around the City were in disarray. Some of the civilians started to take supplies from warehouses, forcing the soldiers to guard against their own people. So it was now a battle soldiers and looters and invaders.

    The Warlord of the City, Mia has headaches thinking how to manage through this. Her city was destroyed, and it would take months to regain its glory back. Not to mention that there was also a chance that she might need to abandon the city totally and let another faction acquire the rights to rule it. Avilla City was now vulnerable to various warlords that wanted to take advantage of its location. It was a piece of a pie that was ready to be taken a bite.

    ...

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    As for the ones that took down the warship. They were welcomed with salutes. Archie and Cassia especially were greeted by the Warlord in thanks for their service. Leiko, the right hand of the Lord Enforcer was given praises as well as for the pilot of the balloon, Joshua.

    Joshua only steered the air balloon. He didn¡¯t fight in the deck of the ship so he wasn¡¯t praised as much as Archie or Cassia. But Archie himself tells the story of a comrade who sacrificed his life in order to save them from the airship. He was also tired and basking in glory was not something he could do. He wanted to rest. Cassia was injured. So she took her rest.

    As for Joshua, he went to his own destroyed quarter. He made sure that no one was around him before collapsing to the floor with all of his limbs shaking. His heart pounded madly. His eyes dilated as he pants heavily. He tried to calm himself down but the thought of what he did made him weak in his knees.

    What was I thinking! Damn it! Whoa, me!

    He could not believe what he had done. To think that he was able to do all of those astonished him. It wasn¡¯t because he was brave. He was just caught along with the waves that instead of turning back. He went along with and surf with the waves.

    From running around the city to flying an air balloon, dodging bullet fire and cannon fire. It was something that he¡¯d expect to do. And now that he was alone from anybody eyes. He was able to take that false bravado off and now acted like a human scared witless.

    It was not pure bravery. Just pure instinct and shock that made him act in a flight or fight pattern. But Joshua knows that the only reason he was able to keep his focus on and not fear was because of the QuickTime event and the ability to see only red when hurt. If it wasn¡¯t for those two factors then he would have long died.

    But still, it didn¡¯t mean that he had truly no courage or bravery. Joshua was battered and bruised. He did what he needs to do and now he thinks that it should be fine to act weak when he¡¯s alone. He didn¡¯t have to wear a brave mask of bravado that allows him to act through what he was doing with a single-minded determination.

    So in this moment, Joshua was just himself. Shaking and scared witless, panting and terrified. Joshua hugged his knees while trying to motivate himself to keep on going. He had a done a lot. He had done something that he himself doesn¡¯t believe.

    If Archie or Cassia could see him now, they would wonder where that stoic Joshua went. But who could blame Joshua for hiding his fear under a veil of bravado? Could he have done all of that without others help? No, he couldn¡¯t. He was able to spend this time alone because of the factors around him. But in honesty, Joshua only wanted to be alone so he can face the dangers again.

    He had to rest. He had the right to do so now that was he alone. Just so that he could face the next trials again with a brave face. He didn''t want to break.

 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44 ¨C Oddity of a Lady

    ¡°Go and Cut the throat of the snake.¡±

    That would be easy, he thought before. But yet here he was leaning his elbow against a fence. In front of him was a group of Knight Templar¡¯s that managed to surround him. He, a Lord of a Were Clan. It was the ultimate dishonor to be. But the enemy managed to clip his ships wings. All the confidence that he had in trusting any machinery was done and over. He was enthusiastic once but now he had no love for them. Not at the end of his life.

    ¡°Oh, so this is the noble lord that crashed his flying vessel?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I expected the Templar¡¯s to come at me. Yet what is this? A little noble lady comes near me while surrounded by armed Templar guards?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, pardon for being neglected by the important ones,¡± she grabbed the ends of her skirt, bowing gracefully. ¡°I am Dolce, of Alva, I have come to see and meet this noble lord.¡±

    ¡°An Alva to boot, another snakes come at my feet,¡± he spat on the ground. ¡°I¡¯ve been defeated by the mighty Templar¡¯s yet I now face an Alva brat. What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Nothing really,¡± she smiled, taking tiny steps while holding a gun in her hand. ¡°You know Mister whatever Lord you are of a certain clan- oh don¡¯t bother telling me ¨C because I couldn¡¯t care less. You see, there¡¯s this thing called loyalty to your homeland. My homeland crosses the path of the Holy Midland and the Freelands. Do you know what¡¯s my city called?¡±

    ¡°Aequilavium City, a fine city, if it wasn¡¯t for any human presence there it would have been a majestic one.¡±

    ¡°At least you know,¡± she smiled, approaching, the barrel of her gun aimed at him. ¡°So you see, due to this my Alva Clan had the status of being dual citizens. My clan has been questioned a lot. For our trade, and which side we truly loyal are. And do you know what the answer is?¡±

    He looked at Dolce with his fierce eyes. ¡°You are like dogs that lick those that had bigger bones and meaty treats.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s actually funny,¡± she giggled. ¡°But wrong.¡±

    She pointed her gun at his knee and pulled the trigger. There was a loud gunshot which was followed by the noble lord of Cagan wincing in pain.

    ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH¡±

    ¡°For the fierce glare I thought you¡¯ll not shout like this,¡± she harrumphed disapprovingly. ¡°But I guess a bullet to the knee really hurts?¡±

    ¡°You bitch! How dare you!¡±

    ¡°Oh my, what a tongue do you have your poor little noble, it must be hard. Being clipped from the sky, surrounded by the good men of the Thorn Legion and then looked down by a frilly skirt noble lady. How disgraceful, shouldn¡¯t you consider killing yourself already? How can you live like this?¡± she said, reloading her gun.

    ¡°You sadistic piece of shit,¡± grunted the Noble Lord. ¡°You Alva pieces of garbage are all the same!¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s where you are wrong,¡± said Dolce with her brows meeting. ¡°By no means am I talking to you like this out of evil. You see, I was quite fond of just watching the battle and enjoying the fresh vineyard smell of the village that you just crashed through. I mean, I can understand escaping from battle. But how could you just crashed down a vineyard and order your men to kill the villagers who welcomed me with a wonderful wine when I visited here? They were great men and women and their products were great. Yet they now lay dead, their product lost and their recipe gone. So here I am punishing and making use of these bored Templar Knight¡¯s that clearly wanted to honor their God. Now I gave them a chance in exchange for this justice.¡±

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    ¡°You are a derange lady! I demand the proper treatment that a prisoner of war should!¡±

    ¡°A prisoner of war?¡± she scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t remember hearing or getting any decree of war from the other. You there, the one with the silver bangle, may I ask you something?¡± she called.

    ¡°Yes, milady?¡± said the Templar. ¡°What do you need?¡±

    ¡°Did we get a decree of war from these fine people?¡±

    ¡°No madam, I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°I see. Now, what¡¯s the usual punishment for people like him?¡±

    ¡°They are considered rogue agents. This invasion they are to accomplish is considered unethical and violates the treaty of war established by the God of War himself. This man is nothing more than an assailant and has no rights to plead the treaty of war.¡±

    ¡°See?¡± she looked smugly at the noble Lord. ¡°He says that you are a rogue agent. And thus you do not have the right to be treated as a ¡®war¡¯ prisoner. You are an assailant, a rogue criminal that crossed the borders of a nation and murdered a group of villagers who makes fine wine. Ah, really, it saddens me to think about the lovely wine that I¡¯ll never able to taste.¡±

    ¡°Absurd!¡± shouted the Cagan Noble Lord. ¡°I¡¯ll not fail because of some noble bitch!¡± He stood up trying to grab Dolce but she took a step back and aim at the noble Lord''s other knee.

    ¡°GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH¡±

    The noble shouted in pain as the bullet pierces his kneecap. It made an awful crunching sound. Blood seeped out of the noble¡¯s knees. He was crying and despite his status and calmed attitude once. He was now having a hard time accepting his death at the hands of some she-devil noble.

    ¡°You see dear Lord. I may be a bit of strange, but that¡¯s what I was. I have many lacking things. I do not consider myself evil. It was just that the people near me were rather twisted and apathetic. But I am a lover of freedom and of nice things. I¡¯ve only slept with one guy and it was even a slave!¡± she laughed mockingly. ¡°But you see I am fond of both of my homelands and people who brew good wine. Peasants they may be are, but you killing them made me angry.¡± she gave this cold look. ¡°I will not kill you. But I will make sure that you will be handled by these angry men. So go ahead boys, you can now do your justice.¡±

    With that, Dolce holstered her pistol and walked away from the Templar¡¯s who happily lynched the noble. Her maidservant walked with grace towards her master.

    ¡°Are you alright milady? This seemed like too much to do for you.¡±

    ¡°Forgive me,¡± Dolce made a wry smile. ¡°I got angry. Have you made contact with the gravediggers or any priest?¡±

    "Yes, milady,¡± she bowed.

    ¡°Good. Make sure that these fine winemakers get their burial. They deserve it.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Dolce then walked towards her carriage with an aloof face. Her hair bounced as she painfully misses the taste of the wine that the village made for her.

 Chapter 45

    Chapter 45 ¨C Determination of a Former Proctor

    Archie sat on ammo crate with a wooden bowl filled with fish and vegetable, made by the servants of the stronghold, who managed to get their hands on the supplies after the soldiers of the west flank of the city were able to retake the warehouse and market avenues.

    This is good.

    He thought.

    I thought it would be less tasty. But I guess the other civilians out there don¡¯t get this kind of food. Damn bastards really.

    He cursed under his breath. He looked at the bowl once again and started eating the contents.

    I can¡¯t complain about now. Have to get my strength and keep on fighting. These people need my help and I had to somehow help them.

    He determined himself. He had the choice to flee. He was given the chance to accept the post of staying in the stronghold along with the others.

    I can¡¯t stay there. I have to save them.

    A switch was inside his head. It was a candle light that made Archie¡¯s heart burned with the urge to save the people that were suffering around him. He became a Proctor for his village because he wanted to uphold what was right. Indeed, he never expected that somehow along the line he would find himself in the middle of the war.

    To think that I¡¯d be able to take down a flying warship and escape unharmed. But I guess it¡¯s thanks to him that I am still alive.

    Archie stopped eating. He looked at the sky again. He closed his eyes and remembered the face of his nameless comrade who without fear turned his back to face the incoming enemies as if it was the natural thing to do.

    I got here without knowing his name. That guy really saved me. Brother, I don¡¯t know I¡¯ll repay you for that, but know this, I ain¡¯t giving up. This city will be ours and your death won¡¯t be in vain. I promised you that. Your name was lost along with your life. But I won¡¯t forget the bravery that you showed me.

    Archie¡¯s heart boiled with determination. Despite the death and despair that covers him. Archie had his soul lit by his own fire of determination. Indeed, he was just some Proctor once who found himself leading a group of soldiers. But now he was the guy that stormed a giant flying warship and took it down along with the others.

    There was no need to talk about what he had become. To the others, Archie was a real hero. He was a person that would lead them out of this despair along with the Warlord who still defends the city with an unbending will. She would never abandon them just as much as Archie.

    Archie went back to his own bowl of soup. He started eating once again and swallowed hard once he was finished. Clapping his cheeks, he stood up, took his rifle and went to the soldiers that were gathering. The soldiers saw Archie and greeted him with a pat on the shoulder or a slap on the back.

    ¡°Are you ready boys!?¡±

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    ¡°Fuck yeah!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡±

    With a vigor that was like a campfire in the middle of a dark chasm, the soldiers shouted. Right now, they were the kindles that keep Archie burning furiously. That¡¯s why seeing that made Archie order everyone to take back the other places.

    Archie led the retaking of the main road. He and the soldiers stormed the main street and fend off the first line. After defending the first line successfully, Archie and the others waited for reinforcements and took the fight to the alleys of the city.

    There were many stray enemy soldiers in the alley. There were times that Archie and his group would get pinned down. But Archie was able to pull them through somehow and kept fighting the enemies in the alley. After passing through various alleys, taking cover, taking fire and bashing heads.

    Archie and the other soldiers reached this enemy outpost. There were soldiers in the outpost with fixed positions. There were snipers. There were grenadiers that attacking straight would be suicide. Of course, Archie and the others weren¡¯t stupid enough to do that. They waited for their allies and once the strike team made of Demi-Human from the blue districted arrived. The snipers and the grenadiers were taken by surprise. There was a tunnel near the outpost and it made a good way to surprise them.

    ¡°Go! Take this outpost me! Let us go!¡±

    Archie sprinted out of cover. He vaulted through obstacles and fixed himself on a sandbag. Two soldiers took cover with him as they fired their rifles. Archie then supported them by opening fine as they painstakingly reload their weapons.

    The firefight between the outpost and the defenders of the city took four to finish. By the time Archie shot the commanding officer in the face with his rifle. The outpost was littered with the dead. There was a pungent smell of gunpowder and burned meat. There were mists of black that was caused by the constant emission of smoke from the rifles. Not to mention the grenades that went off.

    Archie stood away from the commanding officer. He leaned on the hastily created fortifications and took a big breath. He was tired. He was covered in soot. But his eyes still burned brightly as if it would never extinguish. He walked back to where his soldiers were. They were tired as Archie but like him, their eyes burned brightly with.

    ¡°Good works boys. Rest now, we still had to return back and then fight again.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Captain!¡± said the soldiers.

    Archie nodded at them, he then looked at the sky in thought before walking down to where the Blue District team was. Archie said. ¡°Thank you for cooperating with us. We appreciate it.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± said the soldier with a furry left arm. His claws were sharp. ¡°We had to retake this place anyway. It will help us in defending the main road. The west flank of the city and the fringes are the things that we need to worry now. So,¡± he patted Archie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Fight hard Captain, we had a City to take back.¡±

    Archie clenched his fist hard, his eyes filled with determination. ¡°You got it."

 Chapter 46

    Chapter 46 ¨C Different Roles to Play

    Benton had many concerns staying inside the stronghold. He was worried about the bombs and the falling rubble. There were many shakings and so far he had been unable to sleep. Not to mention that there was a gaze that keeps bothering. Like an unseen shadow that would strike his heart soon.

    Benton had become wary for the past few days. The war has been taking a toll on him. He was having daily headaches about the ammunition and the arms that needed to be repaired or cleaned. Not to mention that he had no choice but to sort through the explosives while making sure that he wouldn¡¯t suddenly blow up.

    It has been hard for Benton. He hasn¡¯t sleep or eaten well. The only reason why he was able to function was that of that lingering fear that covers him. What or where was it? Where was this malicious gaze coming from?

    This made Benton afraid. In his years living in this stronghold, this was his first time being so wary of any shadow that would come after him. Like a dagger that just near his neck.

    ¡°Benton?¡± said Forsa.

    ¡°Yes? Benton shook his head. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°You look out of your mind,¡± Forsa took a bottle of mead and drank it. ¡°Or are the explosions getting to your head?¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Benton sighed deeply. ¡°I am tired, and all these maintenances are making my hands hurt. My arms barely move now.¡±

    ¡°To think that I¡¯d heard the day you¡¯ll say that,¡± Forsa snickered. ¡°I guess all these blood and violence tires people out no matter how strong they are. Even that crazed bull looks like he hasn¡¯t been sleeping for days. The same can be said to the Warlord.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Benton crossed his arms. ¡°Can¡¯t you blame the lass? She¡¯s not even past twenty-one and she has been keeping this city alive. Since her father died, she has been here all alone. She¡¯s lucky to have Shig of the Red Garb to accompany her in these darkest days.¡±

    Forsa smiled wearily. ¡°And thankfully we have heroes around too. Thank the heavens we have Archie around.¡±

    ¡°Archie did his best. Though the lad seemed like he would handle everything, everyone¡¯s so tired yet that lad¡¯s eyes falter whatever the Gods have been throwing so far at him. Not to mention that girl he was with. Cassia I think? She¡¯s been going around helping the stronghold, acting as the Warlord¡¯s aid at the moment. Not to mention that Leiko and others had started drawing fire from enemies. She hates human but she isn¡¯t that cold to gaze past through the innocent women and kids around.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Benton then remembered. ¡°There¡¯s also that lad who could not speak. He piloted that air balloon yeah?¡±

    ¡°Oh that lad, he has great knowledge. He made this formula that helps infection. He cooks well too.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all you can say?¡± said Benton.

    ¡°Yeah, he piloted that air balloon but that¡¯s really it. He contributed but he isn¡¯t really racking up more merits other than that.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Benton raised a brow.

    ¡°Yeah, that lad has been staying inside. I believe he would hide in the kitchen. Occasionally he would visit my lab and that¡¯s that.¡±

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    Forsa said while drinking mead again. Benton looked at his old friend saying. ¡°Weird that he did all of that and now he¡¯s staying on the sidelines.¡±

    ¡°The lad named Joshua is good as a support. But I say that Archie does better in playing the role of the Hero. Charismatic and has the guts to keep his word true. It¡¯s quite rare to have someone like that. And yet he was only a Proctor of a village once.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Benton shrugged.

    ¡°Well, it is not like I am comparing the two.¡±

    ¡°True that,¡± said Benton. ¡°Though I think there¡¯s something wrong about the lad.¡±

    ¡°Not really...¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s only me?¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡±

    The two sat quietly for a while. But after drinking his mead Forsa left. Benton was left with a pile of guns in front of him. He was in the hallway of the stronghold. In front of him were the soldiers that were getting ready. There was rubble around the place. There were many wounded that it made Benton¡¯s face crumple. It was a terrible smell and it was still getting thicker every single day.

    He observed the soldiers. They were running around the place while some pull their comrades inside. There were many soldiers carrying around equipment. But what Benton noticed was this young lad carrying something. He recognized the man as Joshua, who he has been taking note. He was carrying a pair of greaves and bracers to Archie who was maintaining his rifle.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± said Archie.

    ¡°Could help you,¡± Joshua equipped one of the bracers. ¡°I hastily welded the runes to this bracer. It should spit fire if you focus your will on it.¡± He then pointed his palm out as a pillar of fire comes out of it. It made everyone look at him.

    ¡°That¡¯s something,¡± said Archie. ¡°But what about the air balloon now?¡±

    ¡°It has holes in it. And I don¡¯t think it will do us good to fly it again.¡±

    ¡°I see. So what''re the greaves for?¡±

    ¡°This.¡±

    Joshua wore the pair of greaves. After that, he suddenly got pushed ten feet up in the air before landing back to the floor.

    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°Great isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°It is. Why do you give me these things?¡± said Archie. ¡°It should work for you.¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± said Joshua. ¡°I am not really going there. And I think you are going to need these more than me. I am not that good of a fighter anyway.¡±

    ¡°Still...it doesn¡¯t mean you cannot use this.¡±

    ¡°Just take them, Archie,¡± Joshua removed the bracer and graves he equipped. ¡°You have nice greaves so let¡¯s exchange.¡±

    Archie looked at Joshua. ¡°Thanks for this...this will help me.¡±

    ¡°It sure will you goddamn Hero.¡±

    Joshua patted Archie¡¯s soldier before taking his leave. Benton watched them from far but the moment Joshua¡¯s eyes turn to him. Benton felt something crawl down his spine. It was a very dull eye lacking any light. It was a pure seething hatred filled with a fury so tranquil that it made Benton shudder in fear.

 Chapter 47

    Chapter 47 ¨C Another way to help

    Three weeks of siege made everyone jumpy. There were camps just on the outskirts of the City. There were guns and soldiers. The soldiers are marching about everywhere with their guns. While the cannon fire keeps on pouring down at the enemies who try to approach the City.

    Along the way, many had started to perish. The supplies that were inside the stronghold could hold the soldiers for a month. The medicine, however, has started to run out. There were only a few doctors in the stronghold. And only Old Forsa and Joshua, who had first-aid training was able to help them. There are servants who know medicine. But they are lacking. Some of them even still believe in the old medicine ways.

    Joshua knew how to dress a wound. He had experience or at least heard the treatment he does by word of mouth. From a slow orientation in high school or wherein an afternoon he would listen to his biology and chemistry teacher speak freely to the point that he had remembered them out of pure boredom.

    He didn¡¯t really have the ideas of being nurse. He had thought of it before but yet here he was in a besieged city looking taking care of the injured men and women. There are some soldiers that are lining up. Some of them salute Joshua for his work in patching them up.

    Joshua hasn¡¯t been playing the hero or saving the day like Archie. He was just here in this stronghold trying to do what he can. He didn¡¯t have that much courage in him. But at least he helped Archie by giving him the ability to spit fire from his hands or leap up a building and escape. Right now, he was a very effective soldier. Joshua wasn¡¯t cut for the deal. He didn¡¯t have Archie¡¯s determinator attitude. He was just a guy that wanted nothing but to help in what little way he can. Sure, he has already assisted in piloting four of them. But that was something he would hesitate to do again.

    Right now he was just glad that he was in here. He had three reasons why he was staying. The first reason: Protect the only family he had. The second reason: Help the people with what he can. And the third reason: Keep an eye out for a certain person.

    He could survive out there. He could escape but because of that three reasons that Joshua decided to stay. He had nothing to go anyway and right now he was penniless. He only has one hundred coins in his pockets. Most of his meal was covered by the stronghold or was already around. Joshua couldn¡¯t imagine himself going out there. He knows that he had little to no knowledge outside the walls of Avilla. He had seen the city of storms. Its diamond dust rain and sandstorms. It was glorious to him.

    There are many places that Joshua wants to see. But the world out there was cruel and he could only keep himself safe in these walls.

    ¡°Are you done?¡± said a soldier.

    ¡°Yes, oh, drink this,¡± Joshua took the bottle of alcohol by his side. ¡°It dulls the pain.¡±

    ¡°It really is okay to drink this?¡±

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    The soldier asked. His stomach and arm have a huge wound. It was a terrible thing to look at.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not like you are going to fight in that condition of yours. Just drink it, and rest.¡±

    The soldier took the bottle with a grin. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll drink this then.¡±

    ¡°Okay, please go,¡± Joshua nodded at the soldier who then left. Joshua looked up and saw a little girl crying her eyes. Her left arm was wounded and her mother was taking her to Joshua.

    ¡°My daughter is injured!¡±

    ¡°Okay, just let her sit,¡± Joshua offered the stool. The little girl stiffly sat on the stool, looking at Joshua with fear. ¡°Is this going to hurt?¡± said the little girl in fear.

    ¡°It will sting a little, but we need to treat it okay?¡± Joshua softly said. He patted the little girl¡¯s head before gesturing her mother to help. ¡°Stay still okay?¡± he said as takes out the bottle of alcohol. He had watered it down a bit and made use of it to sterilize wounds.

    ¡°Ouch!¡± the little girl squirmed in pain. Her mother held her tightly so she won¡¯t move.

    ¡°Stay still okay,¡± Joshua poured the bottle of alcohol slowly. He took a round-bottomed flask, scooped the salve he made with his index and middle finger, applying it to the little girl¡¯s arm. The salve stung the little girl. She made this pained expression.

    ¡°Please endure it okay?¡± said Joshua in worry. ¡°It would be bad if I mess this up.¡±

    ¡°Please behave dear,¡± said the mother. The little girl nodded her head bravely.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good girl,¡± Joshua turns his attention to the wound. He focused and neatly dressed the wound of the little girl. After he properly dressed it, he looked at the little girl. ¡°That should do it. Try not to play around away from your mother okay?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ right dear, listen to the good brother okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, mother...¡± she meekly nodded her head. She looked at Joshua. ¡°And thank you, mister, for taking care of my wound.¡±

    The smile of the little girl made Joshua daze. The little girl in front of her was bright. She holds the straw doll on her right hand yet despite the despair and pain that she was in. She could still give a soothing smile that would calm anyone¡¯s heart.

    Joshua thought that it was a good. He thought that maybe he really didn¡¯t have to go out there to help. He can stay in this place and already help people.

    ¡°Thank you, and be careful,¡± Joshua patted the little girl¡¯s head. The mother looked at Joshua. ¡°Thank you for this doctor!¡±

    ¡°No problem, be safe,¡± Joshua wave his right hand away. The mother left with her daughter, holding her hand as she walks past the crowd of soldiers and back to where there were fewer soldiers. Joshua peeked at the injured. There were still many and knowing this. He called them to take a look at their wounds.

 Chapter 48

    Chapter 48 ¨C The End of A Long Siege (1)

    The battle between the forces of the city was getting rougher. The City of Avilla¡¯s defenders were taking grounds each day. The templar¡¯s with their zeal and fury made the forces of Cagan fight a desperate battle. The Cagan¡¯s had the same attitude. Each of their attacks was as fanatical as the Templar¡¯s. They know that this surprise attack using the new flying ships was a desperate attempt to divert the attention of the Templar¡¯s and cut the throat of the snake that supplies them food.

    Yet, here they are. Completely surrounded and despairingly cornered at each turn because of the Templar¡¯s arrival. The Cagan¡¯s had the superiority of being able to use the blessing of their God¡¯s and fight like true animal men and women.

    But even that wasn¡¯t enough to give them an advantage against the heavily armed Templar¡¯s. The Thorn Cross Legion has been fighting the Cagan ever since the Holy Midland¡¯s Paragon called a crusade to purify the Cagan territories. The Bali had hated the Holy Midland. Yet the Holy Midland would stand stall and face these two countries with pure zeal and fanaticism.

    Of course, the Cagan had true madmen and women in their ranks. At the end of the 1st month, when the second month of the year arrived, the Cagan and the Bali troops created a suicidal strike team that had fanatically engaged the troops and strike the heart of the City.

    This strike team was composed of the best men and women of both the Bali and the Cagan¡¯s. They manage to take a few outposts but they were fended off by Archie, along with the soldiers he led. It was a desperate battle and even Archie came out of the battle injured.

    He survived. But his spirit was beaten when faced with such enemies that could go to extreme lengths. The strike team that attacked Archie scattered. Archie, thanks to the rune gears that Joshua gave him, was able to survive. Archie didn¡¯t have the experience of fighting Cagan and Bali forces before. The encountered injured him but it made him understand what made people like Shig and Leiko truly dangerous.

    The Warlord of the City, Mia, was also worried by the strike team that injured Archie. Luckily, the Red Garbed Bull, Shig was back in action. He was slightly injured, he had bandages around his stomach, but he was able to stand and protect the Warlord as her guard. The strike team tried to but Shig along with the help of Leiko was able to fend the assassins and get rid of them.

    They didn¡¯t leave anything. They didn¡¯t reveal anything that might help Mia. All the strike team assassins from Bali and Cagan were devoted. It made Mia, despite seeing all of this blood and death scared. She was afraid of people who could abandon their lives for the sake of getting their goals. She would sacrifice her life if it matters. But still, their fanatical disregard for their life made Mia afraid.

    The battle against the City, the Templar¡¯s, The Bali and Cagan forces were slowing coming to a conclusion. The Thorn Cross Legion was able to make use of their four-legged dragons to seize control of the ships. Their griffons flew through the sky and boarded the ships, stealing it and making use of it. The Templars were efficient. They manage to take a warship that they were able to make use to defeat the enemy before them.

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    The Bali and Cagan forces that were facing the Thorn Legion took a stand in this ashen wood forest. The forest had great hills. There was a river that shined blue as it winded down to this valley. There were good cover spots and it made them able to fight back.

    But how could they stand against the might of armed Templar Knights? With their zeal and superior firepower and numbers, they were able to flush the Bali and Cagan forces away from those cover spots. They were bombarded. Their blood dripped the beautiful streams of water mixing it, making the fishes swim in a blood red water.

    The ashen wood forest was charred. It was bald and burning once the Templar¡¯s were done raining hellfire. The survivors or at least the ones that got captured were dragged and chained. They were herded like cattle and was taken to the Justicar to face judgment.

    About one hundred twenty-five surrendered. Fifty-five of them were treated not guilty of their crimes. The others were burned together in groups. In the dark night, their screaming was heard. Tied to a burning stake with hay all over them, the one hundred ¡®guilty¡¯ men and women were burned for their sins.

    How were they judged? Nobody knows other than the Justicar who leads the Thorn Cross Legion. After burning one hundred sinners, the moral of the attackers were fading. They getting outflanked, bombarded, and charred at each turn. Their ships lay burning outside the city. Their brave men and women sprawled embracing their innards or dying slowly as they bleed out. Some were killed as they struggle to get up. Some didn¡¯t even have the chance to say their surrenders.

    It was cold and brutal. The Thorn Legion spared no quarter. The City of Avilla¡¯s defenders did not taint their hands and allowed the Thorn Legion to do the job. Their job was to protect their home from the burglars. And now that the enemy was undone, they shouted their hearts out in joy. The civilians lauded their Warlord. They cheered for their Heroes and the brave soldiers who fought for them.

    Of course, the Thorn Legion was welcomed to the City. The leader of the Thorn Legion met with the Warlord. Some expected the Justicar to spit in the crazed bull¡¯s face. But it seems like the Thorn Cross Legion and Shig had already made amends. Shig was a mercenary. He was someone who fought everywhere. Even the Thorn Cross Legion acknowledges him.

    The celebration started. A party was made for everyone. But in the middle of that party, the Warlord Mia stood up. She looked at the drinking smith and asked him:

    ¡°Sir Benton, are you working for the Alva¡¯s?¡±

 Chapter 49

    Chapter 49 ¨C The End of A Long Siege (2)

    Benton expected that after the siege was done. He would be able to roll on a satin bed. He would drink mead and go back to work. But who would have thought that those words would come out of Mia?

    ¡°What?¡± said Benton confused.

    ¡°A simple question, Sir Benton,¡± Mia said slowly. ¡°Are you working for the Alva¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Benton stood up. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on this stronghold for year¡¯s milady! How could I betray you?¡±

    Everyone looked at Benton as he said that. The main hall was still in disrepair. There were rubble and fallen debris but it was safe compared to the other locations. Benton could see that all of their eyes were gathering at him. He was sweating.

    ¡°I would like to believe that. But Sir Benton, I have evidence that proves that you are working for the Alva¡¯s. And at the moment,¡± She closed her eyes. ¡°I hate traitors. I hate them with all my spite that I may just hang them on that platform there for everyone to see.¡±

    ¡°Milady!¡± protested Benton. ¡°I have in this City for years! I have served under your father as loyal retainer! Yet you accused me of being a traitor?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°How absurd this is! To think that I would be labeled as a traitor! My heart¡¯s wounded!¡± he shouted. ¡°So where is this evidence milady?¡± Benton gritted his teeth.

    Mia looked blandly at Benton before gesturing her chin. Then, Joshua, who was sitting quietly along with Archie and Cassia stood up and walks in front of Benton along with a bundle of rolled parchments.

    ¡°You...¡± Benton said coldly.

    ¡°Hello, Sir Benton,¡± Joshua adjusted his voice. He coughed before continuing. ¡°I am here to say that you are traitor.¡±

    ¡°How so lad?¡± said Benton with venom on his tongue.

    Joshua grinned maliciously. ¡°What I am holding are letters from you. These letters had the wax seal of the Lord of Alva. There are also reports here how you have already detailed the entire place. You¡¯ve made two maps for this place, one for the Warlord and one for your other Warlord.¡±

    ¡°Tsk, is this all you can do?¡± said Benton. ¡°Prove that it is mine?¡±

    Hearing that made Joshua look at Benton as if he was dumb, he pointed at this hand. ¡°I¡¯ve observed the writings around this place. I¡¯ve been learning and Old Gale there on the table can prove that those are your writings.¡±

    Old Gale stood up. ¡°I vouch for him. Those letters are clearly him. No doubt. No one writes like that other than him.¡±

    ¡°Old Gale...!¡± shouted Benton. ¡°You testify against me?¡± He then looked at Mia. ¡°Milady, this is clearly false and I¡¯ve done nothing wrong.¡±

    Yet what Benton got was silence. She only stared at him as Joshua continues.

    ¡°And that¡¯s not at all. I¡¯ve managed to bait your falcon into delivering your letters to me. Usually, you would only feed your falcon rats but to make your Falcon disloyal. I¡¯ve fed it a marinated roasted duck. The falcon was lured and I was able to get a tube containing letters from the Lord of Alva himself. The letter reads: I thank you, my friend, this gun will be mass-produced at once!¡±

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    Joshua unrolled the letter for everyone to see. Then, they saw that seal of the Lord of Alva. Benton looked at Joshua who stating all of this. He wanted to refute but Joshua continued.

    ¡°As you can see, you have been handing reports; dossiers and many more. I have investigated you. I have scoured your room and found three secret compartments. There are four letters you didn¡¯t burn. The others were as old as your service in this stronghold.¡±

    Benton cut in. ¡°So you¡¯ve been spying on me!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Joshua coldly. ¡°The moment you wanted to create the repeating rifle. I was curious. At first, I thought it was nothing. I recreated that Lorenzoni system poorly. I wanted to know why you would be interested so I investigated out of paranoia. And this ¡®paranoia¡¯ made me found about this.¡±

    Benton looked at Joshua angrily. ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°Trying to speak? Or would you like me to continue and tell the people around me about the letters? Read them aloud so they can hear the sweet words of the Lord of Alva.¡± Joshua folded his arms. ¡°By heavens, I am in no position to do this. I am a newcomer and you may be jailed for this. But if you are trying to sell that lever and sliding lock system to further someone¡¯s agenda. Then by the Gods, I will not stand for it.¡±

    Benton stood still. Suddenly, he threw something out of his pocket. This created a thick smoke that covered the hall for ten seconds, enough for Benton to escape. But oddly, no one chased Benton. Everyone waited. As Benton runs inside his workshop, take his strongbox, and ran to the stables to get a mount. But as he rides away, he was able to notice that there was no one chasing him. He was surprised. But as he let his guard down he opens the strongbox of his to check.

    But as he did, he saw that inside there was string connected to an oddly shaped bomb crafted with scrap metals. He could smell rust and aluminum. It didn¡¯t bother him but a single clink of the string along with something being pulled made Benton want to throw his box out.

    Yet it was too late. The strongbox he was holding exploded right in his face. The combination of gunpowder exploding then the Thermite made Benton¡¯s face explode. His body tumbled down, the mount he was riding tripped as it squealed in pain as the Thermite burns even its scale.

    The explosion was like thunder. In the room where everyone was partying, there was nothing but a cold harrumph of the Warlord of the City. Of course, Joshua, who already long rigged Benton¡¯s box with a Thermite bomb, knew that it would happen. If it failed then Benton would be killed by the Knight Templar¡¯s.

    Joshua was about to return to his seat. But suddenly the cold silence was broken by a haughty cackle. The voice made Joshua shudder in fear. The cackle of that sweet yet devilish voice made him stop. He looked at where that voice was. All the confidence that he had when presenting the evidence against Benton vanished.

 Chapter 50

    Chapter 50 ¨C She Broke Me

    Maybe I¡¯ve started to forget about it. But the moment I heard her voice. I feel like all the despair that she made me go through flashed before me. I looked at the lady of Alva shuddering. She was walking. Her wide hips swaying back and forth along with her frilly dress, that hair that bounces along with every step she makes.

    She had the usual devilish yet sweet smile that would make any fool fall for her. She was a beautiful woman. I cannot deny that. And I won¡¯t lie that I didn¡¯t enjoy her violating me. But despite that pleasure. Despite all of that I cannot look at this woman right in the eye. She looked at me as if I was a thing. The way she strides towards me. The way she playfully prances around like a snake coiling around her prey.

    I stood still. I could not move. I could not hear anything at all. I was scared down to my wits. I¡¯ve faced dangerous things but yet in the face of this woman. I could not think straight. And all the confidence and courage that I had dispersed like a smoke blown by the wind.

    I was scared. I was afraid. I tried to move but there was no response. There were noises. There were blurry distortions going around me. My heart pounded roughly as she keeps talking about something. I¡¯ve grown deaf to what she has been blabbering. But I could smell the fragrance that she wears. I could remember her womanly scent. I could remember her lewdness as she treats me a like a toy. The tiny sweat on her filled my nose with this feminine fragrance.

    But smelling her made me even more scared. I could remember the way she made me feel like it was nothing. I remember kneeling on my four like a dog to his master. I remember the way she shouted at me. The way she treated me like a dumb mutt as I try my best to please her. She was unhinged. She was someone who had this odd look of freedom on hers. She vented all her displeasure at me. She was so free at that time as if all of the worries on her life disappeared.

    She was entertained by the dumb person before her. I could not speak the language. She could not understand my pleas. And even though I know to read and write the common tongue of this land. All of the cells in my body tell me not to remember what she said during those days as her slave.

    Indeed, if I just focus on what we did that maybe I would be smug about it. She was a fucking beauty. That she was. Yet even with that. Even with all of her smiles and the lewd parts of her. I cannot stand her. I cannot imagine myself talking to this woman.

    She still blabbered on. My lips were trembling. I turned to Shig. He was listening to her. I looked at Leiko who had already left the moment she arrived. Please save me.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Archie and Cassia were looking at the lady as if she was their savior. I remember that she was the one that warned us of the invasion. And judging by the looks that the Templar¡¯s gave at her, the way they approvingly nod their heads made me realize that these Templar¡¯s might be here because of her too.

    She was the queen of the stage at the moment, the leading lady of the banquet while I was the clown who could not perform out of stage fright. I am rooted while my eyes are lowered to the ground. I could feel her predating around me. I tried to move away. But she would block me as if she knows that she was doing.

    The time that she keeps circling around made me feel like I was a trap in a nightmare. The people around me turned into blurry shadows that keep emitting these buzzing noises. The world seems to have become inverted yet she had her colors. She was the one that had color right now.

    I wanted to shout. I wanted to run away. My legs are shaking. My hands are shivering as she continues to babble on with those sweet red lips of hers.

    I could not stand it anymore. I truly wanted to escape. I tried. But she would pull my hand and make me stay near her. I could sense that there were soldiers who looked oddly at me. Maybe they think why anyone would try to refuse a beautiful woman like her. She was noble-born. She was beautiful and sexy. She had everything she could offer any fool.

    But they are wrong. Beyond this beautiful lies the devil that she is. Beyond the sweet charming smile and friendly personality lies a sadist who would cast someone¡¯s pride.

    Call me everything you can. But what she did to me there undermined me. She made me feel hell. She made me act like for her pleasure.

    She toyed with me. Made use of me as some dumb plaything she could please herself with or vent her grievances to the world. She was a person who clearly knew the difference between that of a lower person. She made me realize that and she made me feel the lowest of low. I remember crying only to be slapped. I remember begging her to stop only to have her shove her toes in my mouth.

    She made me feel like I was a dog. She made me feel less human. She ruined me. She destroyed something within me that made me lost all of my dignity as a human. My petty pride, bravery, and courage were nothing. My ideals were hurt by her. She made me feel like all of those were nothing to her. It was nothing to her.

    That¡¯s why as I looked around me. As they nod their heads and get bewitched by this she-devil. I tried to gather the rage that I felt during that time. I wanted to make use of that anger. To break free from this fear that was holding me.

    But the moment she turned her face to me.

    All the raging courage was gone.

    Ah...

    She broke me.

 Interlude

    Interlude ¨C 1

    News of the Siege of Avilla reached the ears of many. Some grin at the thought of the defenseless Avilla. While some frown at the presence of the Thorn Cross Legion in the Freelands.

    But beyond these many pricked ears. There¡¯s a group of excavators working down a ruin. The cavern was old yet it was made of cement and marble. There¡¯s a group of men and women wearing crude equipment. They wore a helmet that was connected to a tank by a tube. The tube was providing them air. The underground cavern that they were in was full of stalagmites and crystal that gives a green hue.

    They wore bronze wrought iron equipment. There were guards around them but the eerie silence of the cavern made no one wanted to talk brightly.

    ¡°How¡¯s the artifact?¡± said the excavator.

    ¡°Intact, but the conditions are odd. This artifact should date older than us. But yet it feels like it is more advanced.¡±

    ¡°This place is where those who came before us. You¡¯ve heard of the mighty civilizations right?¡±

    ¡°Ay, who wouldn¡¯t have heard?¡±

    ¡°Many wouldn¡¯t know. We¡¯ve only started to hear about this civilization. If it wasn¡¯t for the dwarven people excavating these ruins then we wouldn¡¯t have seen it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and they almost got destroyed just by digging. Sir, do you think that we would meet ¡®them¡¯ here.¡±

    ¡°I hope we don¡¯t,¡± said the man gravely. ¡°We don¡¯t have enough arms around us. Not even a few guards to spare after the Bali and Cagan fiasco.¡±

    The excavator went silent. He stared at the grid lines that seemed to cover the monolith with blue highlights. The monolith keeps on blinking. The rough breathing of the excavators as they inhale the air on their tanks was quite something.

    They were people of secret origins. A team of excavators using experimental equipment made to combat the conditions given by this mission.

    No one knows of this mission aside from the Guardians who provide them with the resources they need. These guardians were interested in what on earth was the monolith that they have discovered.

    The project was founded by this single ruin that was uncovered. In fact, most of the people here were bright men and women that have studied in archives and academies only to gather here.

    There was a giant facility just outside of these caverns. This facility was guarded by men with firearms far greater than they should have. Things can be kept secret. And before long it can be revealed as well. These men and women had guarded that secret and made use of it to keep this cavern and facility a secret from others. If a peasant could see these people now, they would run in fear at the sight of ¡®Metal-headed tube men¡¯ that walks around breathing through tubes.

    That¡¯s why a few only knew of the secret here. And even if they do know they would get a bullet to the head. It was steampunk society here. A secret society filled with secrets and intrigue.

    ¡°Sir,¡± said a man.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

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    ¡°We found something?¡±

    ¡°Take me to it.¡±

    The man nodded. He led the Sir to this narrow chamber. It was filled with lights powered by a bulb attached to a motor that creates electricity. It was noisily humming.

    ¡°What did you found?¡± said the Sir.

    ¡°Something odd, like a disk array.¡±

    ¡°An array?¡± the Sir walked to this platform. He looked at the runic writings and frowned. There were letters and vowels he could not read. It was colored black and blue. The letters were giving a faint light as it blinks. It was just like the monolith they found.

    ¡°This is,¡± The Sir caressed the writings. ¡°Incredible, the thing is intact just like the monolith in the main cavern. What is this?¡±

    A scientist looked at the wrought iron machine with meters and wirings. It was crude and clunky. It acted like a diagnosis machine.

    ¡°It gives faint reading Sir. There is electricity flowing around the disk array. And our meters are giving red warnings. If we dig further we will be exposed to this energy-like poison.¡±

    ¡°An Energy-like poison you say?¡±

    ¡°Something we could not see or taste. If we are exposed we might just have died. Even our suits wouldn¡¯t be able to take the brunt of this poison, Sir.¡±

    ¡°I see. Are you saying that we will need more than this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± the scientist said, marking the meters, writing them down with his notes. The excavator that took the Sir looked at the disk array. Then, he saw something that looked like a button. He hesitated. But he pushes the button. There was engine-like noise followed by something ominous.

    The Sir looked at the excavator as if maddened. ¡°What have you done!?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know Sir!¡± shouted the excavator back.

    ¡°You fool!¡± the Sir pulled a pistol out of his holster. Unlike the pistols used by the common people, the pistol he pulled was finely crafted. Pulling the trigger, a pointy bullet instead of a ball came out. This bullet pierces through the skull of the excavator as if it was nothing.

    ¡°Damn it! Everyone evacuate now!¡± he hollered while pulling the trigger again. This time another bullet came out. He didn¡¯t even have to take a paper cartridge or prime his gun to shoot another bullet. The only thing that happened was that the gun spits out a bullet casing. The Sir gritted his teeth, spitting at the scientist he scuttled towards the entrance only to hear something that he could never understand. Like someone speaking but through a machine.

    ¡°SHEOL IS HERE. THE QUIETUS WILL COME FOR ALL AND PULL US BACK INTO THE ABYSS. BE WARNED OF THE QUIETUS! SHEOL WILL COME. SHEOL AND THE LEGION OF QUIETUS WILL ASUNDER US.¡±

    The Sir wanted to know what he just heard. But he could understand the language. He could not tell what the voice meant. He wanted to stay but the loud humming made him unable to stay. He ran as green fluid made of radioactive materials seeped out of the monolith. Before long, the room was filled with glowing green liquid.

    It killed forty people as they exposing themselves to it.

 Chapter 51

    Chapter 51 ¨C No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

    A favor was something that Warlords take seriously. But each favor carries weight. Each has a weight that could prove good or bad to the Warlord. Now imagine the Warlord of a City being ungrateful to the benefactor who warned them and called reinforcements for them. That person, Dolce, who entered haughtily requested one thing after seeing Joshua¡¯s cold-hearted presentation of evidence against Benton, who then died by Thermite Bomb.

    Dolce was quite excited seeing Joshua. The little thing plaything she had once played all new and supple. He wasn¡¯t like the first time they met. He wasn¡¯t thin, he didn¡¯t show bones. He was average and even had a bit of muscle in him. It was quite enough for her to be oddly happy. But seeing that thin peasant presenting himself with confidence, gesturing his arms, presenting what he has found with a cold tune was quite the show. She was impressed by how she acted. As if the sheep that she thought he was suddenly showed his true form.

    It was euphoric for her. So how could she not step in happily? She thought that she¡¯d be just getting a meek slave. But to think that the moment that her slave got a foothold, he was able to do things that she could not possibly imagine. Piloting an air balloon? Creating a lever and sliding lock system that could allow a rifle to fire continuously? Then, discovering a spy sent by her father and rooting him out? Not to mention allowing that same spy to die by his own hand?

    She was ecstatic. She heard what he did. And knowing that made her want to procure him. She wanted her toy back. So she presented herself and boasted about the help she got. The Templar¡¯s were behind her. They approved of what she wanted. Not to mention that getting Joshua was the same as getting the designs to the rifle.

    The Warlord Mia was not happy to it. The Lord Enforcer by her side wanted to throw away that favor. But with the Thorn Cross Legion behind her. And the good that she did for the City despite her intentions. It was obvious that the Warlord Mia had no choice but to accept her favor of letting ¡®Joshua¡¯ come with her.

    Joshua, who was afraid silly of the lady begged to them. ¡°Please don¡¯t hand me over to her! Shig! Please save me!¡±

    Shig wanted to try. Yet how could he act recklessly in front of these zealous templar¡¯s ready to exact vengeance upon the blood-crazed bull? How about Leiko? She lowered her head in shame, protecting her little sister in her arms. The only that wanted to save Joshua from the Lady was Archie. He stood up for him. He made clear his intentions, even mentioning the merits that Joshua did, which only made things worse for Joshua since knowing that he piloted an air balloon and save people using the knowledge he had was quite pleasing to hear.

    Of course, the one thing she didn¡¯t like was the sudden disappearance of confidence that Joshua had. Looking at him, she frowned. Where did that confidence go when faced with her? She was perplexed how the wolf before her turned into a sheep. She wanted to know why. But it was no time to do so with everyone watching.

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    As for Joshua, he watched Archie get subdued by the Templar¡¯s. He watched Shig lower his head in shame. He watched Leiko embrace Kioko within her arms, trying to keep her quiet. Joshua knows that everyone had something to protect. He knew that they know he treated them as a family. He fought for this city. He did what he did so he can protect the ¡®family¡¯ he had. He understands their reasons. He was told from the very beginning and knew that they would choose their own.

    Joshua understood that. He could. He wasn¡¯t smart or unreasonable. He was afraid, but his reasoning didn¡¯t leave him. He can understand what they are doing. He was trying to accept it all in a stoic manner. But even so, his heart broke into pieces. Sure, he could understand. But it didn¡¯t mean his heart was steel.

    He could only lower his head. He tried to gather the bit of courage he had not to cry. His heart wanted to shout: ¡°PLEASE SAVE ME FROM THIS SHE-DEVIL¡± but his mind told him to accept this in a calm manner. He truly wanted to be saved. He appreciated Archie being taken down by Templar¡¯s trying to save him. He could see Shig clenching his fist badly trying to stay calm.

    But they didn¡¯t act. All Joshua could hear was the please voice of the she-devil that wanted to claim him. All Joshua could hear was her she-devil¡¯s voice slithering to him.

    But what can he do?

    He wanted to protest his freedom.

    But looking around him made him realize.

    That despite all the feelings he had in this situation. It didn¡¯t really matter. They made their choice. And now he finally understood that he was truly alone in this world. He had allies. He had friends. But these friends won¡¯t help him because of the consequences that might happen to them. Shig could save him but the Templar¡¯s will interfere. The Warlord helping him would mean that she doesn¡¯t give respect to her benefactor. Leiko was a Cagan native. There would be a chance that she would be discriminated by the zealous templars. She had made it clear to Joshua that she would everything for her little sister. That¡¯s why she wouldn¡¯t act. Archie was a great guy. He tried but now he was bruised and beaten on the ground trying to protest in front of a Justicar.

    There was no need to talk about the obvious. Who won in this matter was none other than the Alva¡¯s. Dolce had the lucky roll and now she had the chance to get the rifle designs and at the same time get her plaything back. She was the winner of this entire tirade.

    As for Joshua, despite all the good he did. He was rewarded for this. He had the right intention but the consequences of revealing what he knew and doing what he did landed him in this position. It may be cruel, but his choices brought him here.

 Chapter 52

    Chapter 52 ¨C Leap of Faith

    After the party was done, Shig rushed out of the room. Mia followed, she saw Shig smashing his fist at the wall.

    ¡°Damn it!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, Uncle.¡±

    ¡°Calm down?¡± Shig looked at Mia with fury in his eyes. ¡°You expect me to calm down after selling out my family?¡±

    ¡°I know it was hard,¡± she said calmly. ¡°But do you think I have the choice? Do you think that I would let you die at the hands of the Templars? Uncle Shig, you know that despite you friendliness with the Templars. They are ready to gut you the moment they can find a chance! I know that it hurts! I know because I witness him do good in my city. But weighing the lives of others, making me choose? Do you expect me to exchange the life of my Uncle to some guy I barely know?¡± There were tears in her eyes.

    ¡°I know,¡± Shig bit his lip. ¡°But still, to see him look so defeated. Even Archie stood up for him. Yet I stood there like a statue. I did nothing for him! What kind of fucking person I am who couldn¡¯t even protect his family?¡±

    ¡°You had no choice in the matter,¡± She said bitterly. ¡°I know that she was coming to gloat over this lucky chance. But I never expected her to take him. Does she really want him that much?¡±

    ¡°As a plaything that is,¡± Shig slid his burly body down and sat. ¡°He¡¯ll break if he¡¯s with her. Do you know how many times he broke back when we were in the city of storms? If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that we escape, he would haven¡¯t gotten well. He would have stayed a husk of a person that was deprived of everything. That woman¡¯s a devil. She¡¯ll use him and throw him away...I want to save him.¡±

    ¡°But Uncle...¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Shig clenched his fist. ¡°I promise your father that I¡¯d protect you. I¡¯d help you manage this city as best as I can. But know that I will be happier if you tell me to rescue her.¡±

    Mia looked at Shig. ¡°I am sorry.¡±

    ¡°I know you are,¡± Shig patted her head. ¡°You are breaking my heart trying to pick a choice. I...¡±

    ¡°I am sorry, Uncle Shig,¡± said Mia in tears. ¡°Forgive me for this...¡±

    ¡°Poor Child...I should be the one ashamed. I am coward damn it.¡±

    Shig¡¯s face crumpled like paper. He could only curse inside his heart knowing that right now a friend he treated as a family was now being taken to somewhere in whatever fate that will be waiting for him. He wishes he could do something. But between his niece and Joshua, he had to make the terrible choice of picking Mia. She has been fighting hard. She¡¯s been carrying the lives of a hundred people behind her. And that alone weighs over a single life. Shig doesn¡¯t want to choose, but how could he now that it was done?

    ...

    In a carriage, Joshua sat with hollowed eyes. There was no light in his eyes. He was sitting meekly as Dolce pokes his cheek trying to get a reaction from him. She was trying hard. But Joshua doesn¡¯t even try to respond to her. She was sitting on his lap. Her other arm crooked around his neck. She was sitting like a princess, trying to make him move.

    ¡°Oh my, you act like a puppet now. Where¡¯s the confidence? Are you trying to act like a sheep only to reveal yourself as a wolf? Or are you trying hard to get?¡± she said in sweet whispers. Her maidservant looked at her Mistress as if she was indecent.

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    ¡°Hmm, he¡¯s being quiet.¡±

    ¡°I think he just wants to ignore you milady?¡±

    ¡°I can tell,¡± She smiled sweetly, still hugging Joshua as if he was some kind of comfortable seat. They were in a carriage and it moves through this narrow hill that has flat roads that can be crossed even with a motor carriage. The carriage was rocky but Dolce did not mind for she was having fun playing with Joshua despite him not responding.

    ¡°Milady, I think this man is being disrespectful.¡±

    ¡°Come on now, dear. He''s just shocked that everyone abandoned him except for that one guy. I heard he did wonderful things. But what can he do when faced with an army of armed to the teeth Templars? So my Joshua here is just saddened that he was abandoned.¡± She caressed his cheek while smiling mockingly.

    Joshua stayed still. Not moving. Not giving Dolce any chance to play with him. It was fun but Dolce was getting impatient. She thought of something and immediately said. ¡°But don¡¯t worry...You¡¯ll be living on my terms. Your mine now and what I want, you will do. Of course, you can always escape through death. But I am guessing that you are too cowardly for that my Joshua.¡±

    She then laughed haughtily. Joshua¡¯s ear pricked. He looked at Dolce with his hollow eyes. It was so sudden that Dolce leans back a bit. She stared at his eyes, and seeing sparks in it made her want to speak but she was cut in.

    ¡°Your terms, you say?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are mine. It means that you will live on my terms. How you live, and how you die will be on my terms. So you can do nothing about it. And I can see that you are too cowardly about it. So don¡¯t worry okay?¡± she caressed his cheek again. ¡°I¡¯ll take good care of you my Sheep in wolf¡¯s clothing. Maybe you¡¯ll show your true self soon.¡±

    Joshua looked at her dazedly. She waited for something. She wanted to hear him lament his fate.

    ¡°You really are sadistic aren¡¯t you?¡± said Joshua with a crazy look. ¡°Did daddy didn¡¯t pay attention to you when you were young? Or is that why you¡¯d rebel against him? Using someone like me to vent the lack of attention your daddy didn¡¯t give you?¡±

    ¡°How can you be so rude to the lady!?¡± the maidservant shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t you know who your master is now!?¡±

    Joshua looked at her with a crazed look too. ¡°I know. But listen, I seemed to forget something. I am no fucking peasant. I was born free. And if you are trying to take that freedom out of me, deciding on your own terms then...¡±

    Joshua paused. Dolce¡¯s brows met as she suddenly felt her vision twist. She landed on the ground, and she saw Joshua kick the door open. The carriage was near a cliff. And seeing Joshua look at her with his back facing the chasm, she shouted.

    ¡°Are you mad!?¡±

    ¡°I am!¡± Joshua shouted madly, a grin was plastered on his face. ¡°If it is my time then it is my time! I¡¯ll rather die on my terms that become your slave ever again!¡±

    With that, Joshua leaps out of the carriage while still showing that maddened grin. Dolce tried to reach out with her hand but she was held back by her maidservant. ¡°Milady it is dangerous!¡±

    Dolce tried to struggle. But all she could see was Joshua falling from a great height, down to the river where mists seemed to gather.

 Chapter 53

    Chapter 53 ¨C Near-Death Gambit

    Joshua could not allow himself to become a slave. He had to jump. He had to take a leap of faith. Not because he wanted to die. But because he knows that he had the QuickTime event ability he had to avoid death. The ability doesn¡¯t work unless he was nearing death. That¡¯s why he chooses to near himself to death, despite the chance he might die if it didn¡¯t work.

    Hence he started falling down this chasm. He felt his face flapping as he falls from the great height. Below him was a river of mists. And as he falls down he resisted the urge to faint. He waited for the floating words that only appeared when he was about to hit the water.

    He focused his mind. His body moved on its own as he straightens his legs only to feel his right ankle twist. He felt his leg tighten in pain as his body tries to hold on only for his right wrist to break as well. With his arm and leg useless, Joshua could only flap his left arm and his left leg like a madman unable to swim. He felt the water enter his throat. He was being carried by the river. He could not see anything due to the mist. But there are times he would see the floating words in front of him, allowing to him dodge the pointy rocks that would definitely carve his chest.

    Joshua struggled for too long. He didn¡¯t lose consciousness since the floating words made him see through the turbulent river ride until he was able to hold on to the banks of the river. Crawling, with his right arm and leg broken. Joshua sat up and lean his back on a tree.

    ¡°HA HA HA HA HA!¡± A maddened laugh escaped from his mouth. ¡°Take that you son of a bitch! Ha ha, sob...hic it hurts!¡± As he then breaks down, crying in pain. He looked at the world. He was seeing red veins. As if someone put a red filter on his eyes.

    He was injured and putting strength to both right leg and arm caused him pain. He didn¡¯t have anything on him. Not money or medicine. He had nothing the moment he was forcibly taken by Dolce. So healing himself up or making some bandages to wrap his injured arm and foot was something he could not do. He could rip his clothes off but he was just too weakened to do it. He could not find the strength to rip through the tough fabric.

    ¡°Damn it,¡± he curses as he tried to move, yet the pain made him stop. He could feel that his right shoulder was aching. He was having a hard time to breathe and was coughing. He looked dully at the sky. ¡°At least I am not a slave,¡± as he comforts himself with that thought.

    He was tired. He felt like he just made use of all of the strength he had. His eyes were getting heavy as his eyelids slowly close, fainting from the exhaustion.

    ...

    Joshua suddenly woke up coughing. He clenched his chest while trying to gasp for air. He looked around him. There were mists and it was obvious that night had already come. He wanted to stand up. He wanted to get away from this place, but his body didn¡¯t listen to him. His nose was clogging up. His body was feeling so fatigued that it was hard to move. His chest was in pain too.

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    There was only silence around him. There were noises of animals coming from the distance. There were cricket noises while the only thing he could see was the white mist that gathered near the bank. It was cold and humid. Joshua was shivering but he could only endure it. He was still seeing red. And as time passes his ability would remind him to stay alive. The floating words would tell him.

    >Stay Alive?

    He had no choice but to stay alive. He could only wait while in pain. He could only endure the ache that he was feeling. He did not have the strength to stand. He did not even have the power to make a fire to warm himself up. He was just sitting with his back leaning on a tree. Shivering, coughing, moaning, and mumbling. He was beaten and battered by the gamble he made.

    Indeed, he was free but his condition was so poor. Sleeping seemed so wonderful to him, but the floating words would tell him to stay alive without his own will.

    The surrounding noise makes him alive.

    There were fireflies that would occasionally fly by the river. They were in groups and Joshua could only stare at them in wonder. The school of fireflies flickered blue. They played around the banks of the river before dispersing like stars. They were like the only lights in the area. The mist that gathered made it hard to see the raging river that battered him.

    Joshua looked at the trees. There were tall and solid, they had a greenish yet gray color as if there was a rain of ash that happened. Their dews were falling from the tips of the leaves. Joshua was thirsty so he opens his mouth, trying to catch any water to drink.

    He was getting tired. He was slowly losing all strength he had. He truly wanted to give up right there, but the sound of footsteps made him slightly open his eyes. His vision was blurry but he could see someone with a hatchet approaching him. He doesn¡¯t know if this figure was friendly or not. But right now, he could only close his eyes, hoping that he wouldn¡¯t have to react to his ability. He wanted to at least hope that the figure in the mist would save him, not turn the edge of his hatchet to his head.

    So, Joshua closes his eyes. There was only the silence and footsteps, and their rhythm made Joshua slowly feel like his consciousness was moving away from him. The footstep was getting closer. It was heavy, and he could tell that it was wary too.

    But...Joshua wanted to believe that there would be hope.

 Chapter 54

    Chapter 54 ¨C Not Everyone is out to Get You

    It was the tenth of the second month of the year 1810.

    In a house, there was a person whose right arm and leg was covered in bandages. The house was simple. It was made of wood and stone. It had a fenced crop field where the wheat was shining brightly along with the sound, dancing to the eastern wind. A few feet away from the fenced crop field were people pushing wheelbarrows or carrying their tools. They wore simple tunics, straw hats as they try to go where their work was.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± while he was sitting Joshua looked at the person who carried a hatchet. He was bearded. He had well-toned arms that one could see his scars. ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for days. What happened to you?¡±

    Joshua moved and leaned near the window. The sun entered through the window. Outside, there was calm wind blowing. Giving this calm yet peaceful feeling as if the wheat fields were an ocean and wheat were waves that were moving. There was a soft rustling sound that could be heard.

    ¡°You save me?¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± replied the man. ¡°And it would help to know who I am speaking to.¡±

    ¡°Joshua, thank you for saving me, and you are?¡±

    ¡°The name is Dan.¡± He dragged himself near the bed. ¡°And what happened to you lad?¡±

    ¡°I jumped off a cliff.¡±

    ¡°Trying to take your life?¡±

    ¡°No, I wanted to escape from a slaver. So I took a leap of faith, and found myself in that river where you found me.¡±

    ¡°Is that so,¡± he folded his arms, leaning back. ¡°But that river¡¯s full of rocks and is impossible to swim. You are quite lucky aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Lucky?¡± Joshua looked down at the blanket. ¡°Maybe I am.¡±

    ¡°Nobody could survive that jump with just a few broken ribs. Yet you broke an arm and leg. That¡¯s lucky enough.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Now, you¡¯ve been taken care by my wife. So at least tell me this. What was the reason you were taken by a slaver?¡±

    ¡°People made a choice out of my own will. I was given despite my efforts.¡±

    Dan frowned. ¡°You were betrayed?¡±

    ¡°No, I am pretty sure they made it clear to me that they have their own reasons. Did you hear what happened to Avilla?¡±

    Dan raised a brow. ¡°I hear that it got razed by the Bali and Cagan. Were you from that place?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I fought for that city yet I was taken as a slave.¡±

    ¡°So it is true then...no wonder we were hearing artillery fire echoing through the valley. Were there really flying ships?¡±

    ¡°Yes, though The Thorn Cross Legion should be in that place now.¡±

    ¡°Good God, the Templar¡¯s here in the Freelands?¡± Dan clicked his tongue. ¡°I thought that those zealous soldiers would stay in their Midland. But I guess they just can¡¯t help but scuttle when their supply lines are in trouble. Ah, good thing we didn¡¯t make a deal with the Warlord there.¡±

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    ¡°Where am I anyway?¡± asked Joshua.

    ¡°Edawick Meadow,¡± Dan said. ¡°Or just call it the New Town of Edawick. This town was a small hamlet once but with settlers moving it became this big. We just need more walls, preferably thicker ones.¡±

    Joshua looked outside. He could see the long grass dotted with flowers. There were cows in the distance and there was a flock of sheep being led by a Sheppard.

    ¡°This is a nice town.¡±

    Dan smiled. ¡°It is, I¡¯ve lived here for five years. And I say it is one of the best choices that I made.¡±

    ¡°I can see why.¡± Joshua watched the small kids running around. Some of them carried wooden toys and straw dolls. ¡°This place is peaceful.¡±

    ¡°It is. Far from the Big City and the lands are well-protected by an armed militia we formed to defend this town. There are dire monsters around, but a quick shot of a rifle or the usual boom from the cannon scares them.¡±

    Joshua nodded. ¡°Anyway, I must be a real pain to care off. I am sorry but I really have no ways to pay you.¡±

    Hearing this, Dan looked at Joshua with a frown. ¡°You know, not everyone had cruel hearts. I was just being a Good Samaritan. The world¡¯s tough but sometimes you just have to show that there can be good in it. So please try not to insult the goodness that I handed you with.¡±

    ¡°That was not my intention.¡±

    ¡°I know. And you should know that I was just helping a stranger out.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s...really nice of you of you Dan.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Dan lifted his back away from the wall. ¡°Though I can tell that you don¡¯t have any reason to go back to Avilla now, can¡¯t risk being enslaved, unless you want that?¡±

    Joshua smiled wryly. ¡°I¡¯d rather not break my arm and leg again.¡±

    ¡°I figured, well if you want too you can work in this town until you get enough travel expenses. This house is big, and my wife works in the bakery so it¡¯s usually vacant. Do you have anything you can do?¡±

    ¡°I can do some basic healing if anyone¡¯s wounded. Also,¡± Joshua glanced at the kids running around with toys in hand. ¡°I think I can carve some toys for the kids, well, if someone would provide me with wood.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you can craft?¡± Dan looked at him. ¡°I am a lumberjack and well, you see I am actually expecting a kid. Been trying to find a craftsman to build me a crib but well there is only a few craftsmen that are willing to come here.¡±

    ¡°Then let me help, well at least until after my arm starts to feel fine.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Dan made a smile. It was quite heartwarming to look at. It was the face of a father eager to wait for his child. ¡°I guess you¡¯d be staying with us eh?¡±

    ¡°Not like I have any choice with this arm and leg. So please take care of me. I¡¯ll try not burden you guys too much.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure!¡± said Dan with a grin. ¡°So we have a deal then, it looks like helping you out was not a bad idea.¡±

    ¡°I guess so.¡±

    Joshua made a weary smile. He turned his eyes at the idyllic town. It was so peaceful and the soft sunlight covering it made Joshua feel like he¡¯s going to stay in this town for a while.

 Chapter 55

    Chapter 55 ¨C Dazed Maiden

    The carriage moved to this straight path. Inside the carriage, Dolce looked dazedly at the sky, her thoughts wandering aimlessly, questioning what happened days ago.

    ¡°Milady...¡± Her servant said worryingly. Dolce hasn¡¯t been eating properly. Her usual tone was gone and she was just staring at space as if she could not be bothered to listen to her maidservant. She did not want to eat. She did not want to move as if she was caught in a spell.

    ¡°Why...¡± she muttered yet again, the shadow flicker on her face, her carriage moving down the road. Her maidservant wanted to say something, but the last time she tried she given a glare so cold it made her spine shiver. She could wrestle her fingers, trying to think what she should do.

    ¡°Am I ugly?¡± said Dolce.

    ¡°Of course not milady!¡± said the maid hurriedly. ¡°You are beautiful!¡±

    ¡°Then why did Joshua jump off the cliff?¡±

    ¡°He is just a madman!¡±

    ¡°Maybe, but even though I was trying to be flirty with him, he just leaps away as if he could not stand my presence. Most men would crawl to just try to get my favor...yet he didn¡¯t even give me a single warm glance. Instead, he looked at me with disgust as if I was dirt on the road. He insulted me and insulted the father that I hate the most in the world. I gave him my virginity, and even though he should be glad that I¡¯ll be taking care of him, yet why? I don¡¯t understand it all.¡±

    The maid really wanted to say anything that might comfort the lady. But her thoughts were scattered, fumbling as she tries to find the right words. She has been with Lady Dolce for quite a while now. She has seen her eccentricities and she has seen her rebellious side. She wasn¡¯t evil, and she wasn¡¯t doing anything out of being evil but interest. She was just interested in things and she has been raised in a high society where what she does was acceptable to her peers.

    ¡°Milady, you shouldn¡¯t think much about it.¡±

    Her words got Dolce. But Dolce looked at her as if she was retarded. ¡°Do you hear yourself? Not much to think about? Are you dumb? Are you mentally crippled? I was just rejected by a slave despite my beauty. I can understand if that slave got bored with my beautiful body, but we didn¡¯t even any intercourse. I didn¡¯t make love with him, especially with you around. Yet despite the prospect of being able to make love with a beautiful woman like myself. He decided that it was better to jump down a chasm than become mine. Do you know what I am getting at?¡±

    She stomped her feet. She folded her arms, lifting her fair breast angrily. The maidservant hurriedly bowed her head. ¡°It was not my intention!¡±

    ¡°It was not your intention?¡± she said angrily. ¡°I have no idea that you could be this idiotic...¡± suddenly Dolce went silent again, her outburst disappearing.

    The maidservant sighed inside seeing this. Dolce has been bursting with anger every time she says anything. It was hard to reason with the Lady, especially with her utterly confused.

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    ¡°Why...¡± Dolce said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said the maid tiredly. ¡°Maybe his pride was hurt? No one wants to be a slave?¡±

    Dolce looked at her maid oddly. ¡°Even to someone as beautiful as me?¡±

    ¡°You are beautiful milady,¡± said the maid tiredly, ¡°But I think that man wasn¡¯t a peasant. He said, ¡°I was born free¡¯ and no peasant would be that confident in culling a traitor spectacularly. He was a foreigner, but a peasant? I don¡¯t think he was. I think he was offended that you were taking his freedom away. I,¡± The maidservant wanted to say ¡°I don¡¯t want my freedom to be taken too¡± but she kept it in her heart.

    ¡°It makes sense. I¡¯ve heard that he was a foreigner. Still, am I lacking?¡± said Dolce with her face looking, even more, confuse than ever. ¡°Yet did he not fancy my appearance?¡±

    ¡°Madam, I think he wasn¡¯t interested in that. I,¡¯ she blushed. ¡°I¡¯ve seen what you two did at the city of storms, any man would be pleased, but remember madam, you broke him more than you should. I think he¡¯s afraid of experiencing that and no amount of pleasure would make him stay with you.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± asked Dolce.

    ¡°It is something that I too will never understand. But I say it is pride, milady.¡±

    ¡°Is that so¡± she leaned in the carriage¡¯s seat. The carriage rocked as it passed over a stone bridge. Beside the carriage, they could see travelers riding their mounts or carriages.

    ¡°Milady,¡± asked the maidservant in a low voice.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°What do you think of that man?¡±

    ¡°He bothers me.¡±

    ¡°No love?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by love?¡± Dolce¡¯s face crumpled like paper. ¡°How could I be in love with someone like that? No, I don¡¯t think it is love. I just don¡¯t know why he would act like that. And even if it is, I cannot love a dead man.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± the maid agree. ¡°But milady, if that man is alive, what would you do?¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Dolce¡¯s voice trailed off. ¡°I have no idea. I don¡¯t know how to face someone who hates me enough to leap down a chasm. I don¡¯t know. I really don¡¯t know. We¡¯ve tried searching for that man¡¯s body for five days. And we know that he probably didn''t survive that river of death, and even if he does...I hope we don¡¯t meet again.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± asked the maid.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He scares me, that maddened look he gave me made my heart pound harder than it should. There was a sense of worry inside me when he fell down that chasm, I hate that feeling. And I am glad that he¡¯s dead. I hate the fact that you even suggest it is love. I hate that the first man that I gave my body to, threw his life away like that. I hate this feeling and I think I am done playing with slaves ever again.¡±

    Dolce leaned her elbow in the window. She rested the side of her head, as she watches the road. The maid looked at Dolce before holding her words. She leans back and then behaved herself. If her master didn¡¯t want to speak about it, then why should she?

 Chapter 56

    Chapter 56 ¨C Avilla City and Compromises

    He could move his body now. After the beating, he has gotten from the Templars. Archie thinks that at least he got least off compared to the others, who had their body¡¯s burn in a cross for their defiance. Archie saw the cruelties of the Templars themselves. The way they burn the bodies of the men and women from Bali and Cagan did not sit well with him.

    Archie didn¡¯t want to sit around. He scuttled from his bedroom and trudged down the ill-repaired corridors of the stronghold. He reached a room, there were people inside, but his eyes went to the woman sitting in one of the tables, she faced the windows, eating a bowl of soup.

    Archie sat near her. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the food?¡±

    She looked at Archie. ¡°Skewed meat soup, it¡¯s pretty bad compared to the food that he made.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Archie with a frown. ¡°He can cook well, I think even the other miss his food.¡±

    Cassia looked around. ¡°You could say that again.¡± She turned her eyes at Archie. ¡°So how are your bruises?¡±

    ¡°Feeling better,¡± Archie lean his elbows on the table. ¡°But I still get some ache there and then.¡±

    Cassia looked serious. ¡°Those bastards really got you. Those piece of shit Templars is really something.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t blame them really,¡± Archie looked at the scratches on the table. ¡°They were acting as ordered, but still don¡¯t make it right.¡±

    ¡°Will be sold out by the Warlord if it benefits her?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Archie thought deeply. ¡°Shig explained it to me well. It seemed like Joshua¡¯s rifle designs and involvement made the Alva want him. There are benefits of getting him, and with how this City owes that lady a favor. I don¡¯t think she had the chance to refuse with an army of zealous of Templars ready to act in the name of Goodness.¡±

    Cassia beamed up. ¡°I actually thought you didn¡¯t think about anything when you rush to save him.¡±

    Archie frowned. ¡°No, I am not that stupid. I hesitated but my heart told me to go. It was the right thing to do and he was my friend. How could I just stand there knowing that he¡¯d be a slave?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± said Cassia with a sad tone. ¡°How can we know that something like this will happen? All of them stood still why you tried, Archie. Honestly, you¡¯re making me fall for you harder than I should be.¡±

    ¡°Haha...¡± Archie looked at Cassia. ¡°Thank you, though I wish I could have done something to save him. But I know that forcing him out of that lady¡¯s hand will be bad. This city had suffered long enough, and it¡¯s hurts saying this but there was no choice there.¡±

    Cassia gave a saddened look. ¡°It is cruel really...all his efforts and what he did only to be treated like that. I know this world isn¡¯t all sunshine and rainbows but...I too wish there was a better path.¡±

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    Archie nodded. He ate along with Cassia before leaving for his duties. He walked through the castle corridor and greeted the soldiers he fought with. While walking, he noticed Leiko walking towards him with her head down. Archie tried to hold his words out but he could not help but stop in front of her, his face looking aloof.

    ¡°Why are you still here?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you hate humans?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Because I want to, and it is not your concern soldier.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Archie sneered. ¡°I understand that you are wary of the Templars. I understand that you have a sister to protect. But not even a single voice to give for Joshua?¡±

    Leiko twitched. ¡°You won¡¯t get it.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t. I know that you have something to protect. You say you hate humans and I can understand that. But not even a single word to help a person that has helped you and has been good to you. It¡¯s bothering.¡±

    Leiko glared at Archie. ¡°You say you understand. But yet you insist that I somehow help him despite all the Zealous Templars around him? Do you think that I can just stand there and say ¡®Don¡¯t do that¡¯ despite the fact that my sister might get harm? I am not you and I cannot just rush in and allow myself to be beaten senseless. I know that I should have helped him. But making me choose the life of my little sister to the man that I just met months ago? Blood is thicker, and my sister has nothing other than me.¡±

    ¡°At least you could have said something!¡± Archie insisted.

    ¡°And then what? Say vain words? Say Empty Promises? Say that I¡¯d save him like you did?¡± She spread her arms. ¡°No. I won¡¯t compromise my sister. And I know what I did. You don¡¯t have to preach it as if I was wrong about my choice.¡±

    Archie bit his lip. ¡°You were wrong. But I don¡¯t blame you. What I wanted from you at least was to give him a voice. It doesn¡¯t make it right that he¡¯d be given away just like that.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Leiko nodded and continued walking. Archie watches her back for a while before striding on outside of the stronghold. He could see the Templar¡¯s forming rows in front of the stronghold. Their leader, the Justicar that came with them started praying to the sky, praising the light and its wonder. Archie watched them before shaking his head. He then went to where the soldiers he was in charge with and directed to them where they should go. They march together along the streets of Avilla. The city was getting help from the Thorn Cross Legion. The broken roads were getting fixed. The buildings were getting repaired. With the help of the Templar¡¯s arrival in the city, the Merchants have started coming again. Of course, they offered to help the City but not without making it clear they wanted a foothold in the City. A much tighter foothold compared before. Archie knew that they have come here seeking to tighten their leash on Avilla. But he could also tell that they won¡¯t be that successful with the Templar¡¯s around.

 Chapter 57

    Chapter 57 ¨C Warmth of Bread

    The bakery of Edawick wasn¡¯t much. It was a simple establishment made of wood and stone. There was a counter and inside the building was a giant oven where the people inside could work. There was apron wearing people inside the building, kneading and baking bread.

    Joshua was among them. He was not fond of the ovens at first. The ovens were crude compared to the ones he would use when baking with his mother. But he got used to it after a few times. The people inside also helped him so it wasn¡¯t that hard to learn. After he got accustomed to the way the oven worked. Joshua made some of the bread that his mother used to make. He created some waffle bread and melted butter on top of the bread. When the bakers tasted the bread he made. They approved of him, patting his back.

    ¡°This is good bread!¡± said the baker. Joshua thought he would be offended. But it seemed like the idea of haughty and prideful bakers were just his imagination. In fact, he and the baker named Silo got along with each other. Silo was quite the aspirant. And learning some baking techniques that came from the modern earth made Silo¡¯s skills quite unimaginable. Joshua didn¡¯t really hide the process of how he baked bread. It was nothing to hide for and not hiding anything made people appreciate him despite being a newcomer.

    He has been alternating between making toys for the kids of the town and sometimes going to the lumber mill to help in pulling levers. The lumber mill was located near a swift and gentle river. In the bed of the river, there were pebbles and boulders, dry and gray in the sun. The lumber mill made use of the river to propel the mechanism that turns the levers of the lumber mill. It was an interesting design and Joshua has gotten used to in watching the mill worked.

    Anyway, he would use some of the logs that were stored to craft some toys and dolls. It was funny actually. He used to hate extracurricular activities such as art class and home economics. But now he was quite glad that he paid attention to those classes. Now he won¡¯t have to worry about being useless. It may not be that much of a grand skill. He was not that much of a craftsman but at least it was passable enough to make the things he created likable by the kid¡¯s standard.

    He was glad that he wasn¡¯t useless. He was glad that Dan gave him this choice. He and his wife Nana were quite hospitable to him. He was quite happy that despite him being a stranger. They gave him a chance to stand against the situation he found himself in. The two were quite the happy couple. Miss Nana herself was quite a cherry one. Like Dan, she left the life of being a mercenary and move into this idyllic town to start over. She was someone that came from the Salevela Island. She and Dan met in a job once and since then haven¡¯t separated. She has abandoned the life of danger and now prefers peace.

    Miss Nana¡¯s stomach was bulging. Dan couldn¡¯t leave his job alone as a lumberjack and a hunter. So since Joshua was around, he asked him to assist his wife. Nana appreciates Joshua¡¯s help and Joshua was quite glad that he could repay them in a small way.

    Anyway, he has been drawing on what crib he should make. He has already outlined it and the only thing he needed to do was build it. Joshua sat on a stump near the river. He could hear the mill turning as the water moves it. His leg was still hurting. His right hand was a bit unsteady but he could make it work now.

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    Joshua feels like he was relaxed here. The difference between a stronghold and an idyllic town was quite something. In here Joshua felt like he could stay still and relax. There was no threat. There were no political problems to worry about. He only had an old flintlock pistol to use, which was given by Dan for protection.

    The place was so peaceful that Joshua has grown to like it. Indeed, his heart was in turmoil after being sold off just like that. But the calm river and the soft hushing of the wind and the wheat fields made Joshua¡¯s heart still. He could remember what happened in the city of storms and Avilla. He remembers the awful death and pain that echoed there.

    This place was like heaven. In fact, he was starting to think that jumping down a cliff was worth it. It was a strange thought, and now that he was in here. He could feel that it may not be so bad. As he was stuck in his thoughts, Joshua heard soft footsteps coming his way. Instinctively, he reached out to his holster and stared at the person who was coming.

    ¡°Oh Cyra,¡± said Joshua, recognizing the girl from the bakery. ¡°Here to deliver food for the lumberjacks again?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Cyra. She was quite the simple woman. She has a black hair tied into a braid that reaches her hips. She had a bit of freckle and with a single look at her, you could tell that she was a soft-spoken girl. She wore a simple dress along with a bodice. She carries a basket as she strides near Joshua. ¡°Are you creating toys again, Joshua?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, do you think the kids will like it?¡± Joshua showed the toys. Cyra looked at them and widen her eyes. ¡°They are well made and I think they will like it.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Joshua manhandled the doll he was creating. ¡°I think it lacking a dress.¡±

    Cyra smiled. ¡°It sure is. Do you know how to sew one?¡±

    ¡°Nope, I can patch up any holes in my shirt but actually make one? I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    ¡°Then let me help you.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Joshua looked up her. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to trouble you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She places her hands on her hips. ¡°But you have to teach me how to bake that bread you baked! That one with the melted butter was so good!¡±

    Joshua smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a deal then. So are you going to deliver that bread?¡±

    ¡°Oh right!¡¯She beamed up. ¡°Here, have one.¡±

    Joshua took it. ¡°You made this?¡± he took a bite of the bread. ¡°It¡¯s good...¡±

    ¡°Not as good as that buttered bread you made. I am proud of it.¡± She lifted her chin proudly. Joshua glanced at the bread, it was warm and he bit at it again. It was rather tasty. But that was not it. He felt at peace.

    ¡°This is good.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Joshua smiled. Cyra raised a brow before scuttling towards the other lumberjacks. Joshua looked up at the sky. It was blue and it felt endless to him.

 Chapter 58

    Chapter 58 ¨C Speed of Light (1)

    Cyra looked at the ceiling, she blinked, and, sat up. She rubbed her eyes. She looked at the window, taking a glimpse of the morning sky. There was a faint smell of flowers riding over the wind. It was time to get up so she washed, change, and then braided her hair. She looked at a green brooch place on top of the side table near her bed. She nodded her head in affirmation, walking out of the room, out of her house where she observed the busy road of Edawick.

    She scuttled with a basket hung on her elbow. She patted her skirt and walked idly while basking under the sun. Her house was only minutes away from the Town¡¯s bakery. Once she arrived in the bakery, she laid her basket on a long table. She grabs her apron in one of the hangers, she wore it and readied the ovens.

    Moments long, she heard someone enter the bakery. She saw the workers of the bakery. She also saw the newcomer of the town¡¯s bakery entering. He wore a simple shirt with an overcoat, with pants tucked inside his boots. He was limping a bit, and his right hand was covered in bandages.

    ¡°Good Morning, Joshua.¡±

    ¡°Hello, early, as usual, aren¡¯t you, Cyra?¡± Joshua smiled.

    Cyra patted the side of the oven. ¡°Well, someone has to start the ovens. Are you helping us again?¡±

    Joshua nodded. ¡°Yes, Miss Nana had to take care of the rest, though.¡±

    ¡°I think Miss Nana appreciates your hard work.¡±

    ¡°I know. I am actually thankful that I get to help her and Dan.¡± Joshua walked near Cyra. ¡°I have been living with them and I don¡¯t want to burden them. This is something I could do.¡±

    ¡°You make good bread. So no complains here.¡±

    Joshua grinned at that. ¡°Anyway, do we have any specific orders today?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s someone purchasing a bulk of bread today. The alderman said that we need to bake for them.¡±

    ¡°Buying a bulk of bread?¡± said Joshua. ¡°Are they having a feast?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± said Cyra, shaking her head. ¡°The alderman did say that they are innovators and excavators working on something. Edawick is a part of their route when going to their site so they stop here and buy supplies. The alderman was notified about them so we are to bake bread for them.¡±

    Joshua folded his arms. He inspected the kitchen. ¡°I think we are going to need help from the other bakers. Are they coming soon?¡±

    ¡°They should arrive past twelve.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Joshua said, stretching his arms. ¡°Very well, let¡¯s start this then. We¡¯ll ask the others to help us once more arrive.¡±

    Before long, Cyra and Joshua coordinated together in baking the bread. The other bakers also helped them in this and by twelve when the bulk buyer arrived. Most of the bread was ready and was sitting in wooden trays, looking piping hot and giving off this sweet sugared smell.

    Cyra was a bit tired. She sat in one of the stools, taking a breather. She looked at Joshua. He was taking a break as well, shaking his wrist.

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    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± asked Cyra.

    ¡°A bit, but I can endure it.¡±

    Cyra thought of what he heard from Miss Nana. She has heard that the reason why Joshua was limping or has bandages around was that of escaping from a slaver. ¡°Are your wounds healing well?¡±

    ¡°They are healing, but it takes time, a broken bone doesn¡¯t heal that fast.¡±

    ¡°True, though I think you are doing well despite it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better than not moving it.¡±

    Cyra looked at Joshua. She then turns her face to the counter where she saw men in black clothing, wearing capes over their shoulders enter the bakery¡¯s front. She stood up, walked to the counter and said. ¡°Are you the people that the alderman said that would come?¡±

    ¡®Yes, do you have the bread ready?¡±

    ¡°They are ready, can you please wait?¡± Cyra took her leave and made everyone arrange the bread in a neat orderly fashion inside the baskets. Carrying them to the front where the man that Cyra speak to began to taste one of the bread inside the basket.

    ¡°These are good. Better than we had. I applaud your bakers.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Sir. We bring our best as asked.¡±

    The man nodded at that. He folded his arms, leaned back and ate the bread. He gestured to his comrade and the two ate some bread satisfied. Cyra and the other bakers carefully brought all of the bread that they made. The men who wanted the bread took them. They paid with a bag of gold, which the bakers were quite surprised at.

    ¡°This should be enough right?¡± said the man.

    Cyra nodded. ¡°Yes, thank you for the patronage, Sir!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll come back if we ever need another bulk to buy.¡± The man said, taking his leave.

    Cyra watched him go and then went to the owner where she handed the bag of gold. The owner was satisfied. She called everyone to her office and everyone was handed a one hundred coins for their good work. Cyra was quite happy for the reward. Her shift was done, so she took her share, and untied her apron and put it back on the hanger. The bakery need to restock so she decided to go out.

    ¡°Taking your leave?¡± asked Joshua who was leaving as well.

    ¡°Yeah, are you going to the workshop again?¡±

    ¡°I am, actually, can you help me with those dresses for the dolls? Or should I ask for another time?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I can help right now. But let me buy some things in the market for a while.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll accompany you.¡±

    Cyra nodded her head. Together, the two walked to the marketplace. Joshua watched Cyra haggle with the shopkeepers for a good hour before returning back to her home. Once she put the things she bought. She and Joshua went to the workshop and started preparing the materials. Joshua started making the dolls, adjusting the stuffing, sewing the rag close, while Cyra earnestly sews the dresses that the straw dolls will be wearing.

 Chapter 59

    Chapter 59 ¨C Speed of Light (2)

    Joshua worked hard all day inside the workshop. He looked beside him and he could see Cyra resting her head on the table. He smiled at the sight of her. He then turned his attention back to the carving toy he was making. The toy¡¯s image belongs to a rather niche hero that people admired. He was the symbol of hope and many knew of his feats.

    Somehow Joshua wanted to bring this toy here. He wanted to bring the ¡®All heroes wore red cape¡¯ in this world. Not because he really likes them. But because of the hope, it gives to him at least. He could remember the days he would wear a red cape himself. He would play with his friends and then act out as hero and villains.

    Joshua loved playing that game. And despite the oddity that he was now lost in some foreign world. He felt like that memory was precious. Usually, tales of being lost in another world that person would end up in many things. Joshua had a rough start in this other world. He broke three times at the hands of Dolce. He fought in the siege of Avilla and then piloted an air balloon to send three people to bring it down. Only to be sold back to the person who broke him.

    Joshua could not stomach being a slave. So he took a leap of faith and ended up in this town. This town was peaceful. It was welcoming and it gave him a chance to do things normally. He could stay in this town and not worry about the things that might happen.

    It was odd really. That despite being transported into a foreign world instead of saving the world or helping people from external threats, he found himself making use of the normal things he had learned from his life. He was crafting toys. He was making bread. He was making use of the basic things he learn from school to not become useless.

    This was fine for him. He had some ability to protect himself but it was barely useful. He could still get knocked out. He could survive through that ability but what could it do him good when his limbs are gone? Joshua could imagine a scenario where his limbs were cut off. How could he survive that? It was hard to think. And Joshua knows that his ability was a double-edged sword. It can help and at the same time, it could make him suffer. He learned that when the ability kept him awake when he was going down that surging river.

    So how could he ever think of being a hero? He had already gotten himself fucked over by the people he naively treated as family. He doesn¡¯t blame them. Their choices carried the weight of an entire city. He was angry at them because of not standing up for him. He was disappointed by them. Heck even Archie, the guy he recently befriended was the only one that stood up for him. He even got beaten up by the Templar¡¯s doing so.

    Joshua thinks that there was no place for him in Avilla anymore. Joshua learned that being optimistic in this world won¡¯t do him any good. He had to learn that things will not be great all the time. It¡¯s sad but he had to be pessimistic about things here.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Yet the little bit of peace that was he was experiencing made that thought dull.

    ¡°Wait...is it night already?¡± said Cyra, waking up. ¡°Oh no I forgot to bring the bread to the guys in the logging camp!¡±

    Joshua looked at her. ¡°Want me to accompany you? I am already done here. And this is partly my fault.¡±

    ¡°Thank you! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Cyra stood up and ran to the door. Joshua followed. The two went back to the bakery. They took the bread for the loggers and marched out of the town, down to this winding dirt path that leads to the forest. The forest was bare and gray, there were powdered leaves everywhere, making their steps louder than it should be. They passed through this forest and exited out only to see this steeped hill.

    ¡°The logging camp should be behind this hill!¡± said Cyra, tugging her coat as she walks to the hill. Joshua followed her and once they reached the hill. Joshua stopped his legs. He looked up at the sky as he gazes in wonder. The sky was so big, it seemed like it would swallow him. There two moons in the sky. There were stars and planets that could be seen. There were galaxies and nebulas, systems that seemed to dot the sky infinitely. The hill was being basked by the moonlight.

    There was a comforting wind coming from the forest. Joshua could see the dotted lights in the logging camp.

    Cyra had noticed that Joshua stopped moving. She was about to ask him why. But she saw his eyes shining brightly at the sight of the wonders of the sky. Joshua usually had this dull look in his eyes. So seeing his eyes having a shine on them genuinely surprised her. She took a look at the sky too. There he was able to see the gigantic sky. She has seen this view ever since escaping into this town. She remembers the time she had in the tower. IT was quite the big tower and the view just look like this.

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful isn¡¯t it?¡± Cyra said.

    ¡°It is,¡± Joshua nodded.

    Then, suddenly three falling stars streak through the sky at the speed of light. Cyra felt her heart jump seeing that. Instinctively, she wished dearly for her old home and the parents she once loved.

    ¡°What did you wish?¡± asked Joshua.

    ¡°Home,¡± Cyra replied. ¡°I wish that the home I knew would be safe. What about you Joshua?¡±

    ¡°Peace, I just want some peace and a place to call home.¡±

    Cyra did not understand. ¡°I see,¡± but she could feel that he had some heartaches. ¡°I hope that you find that home you are looking for, Joshua.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡±

    The two looked at the gigantic myriads of starts for a while. Before long, they continued their trail to the logging camp. Where they sat and ate with the loggers in peace.

 Chapter 60

    Chapter 60 - The Lost Shiva (1)

    Archie went out of the stronghold. Noticing the glaring sun, he covered his eyes only to see a sad little figure near the stairs. He could recognize the little black cat-ears the little girl had.

    ¡°Kioko, what are you doing here?¡± asked Archie.

    Kioko turned to him. ¡°Big brother, did Brother Joshua go to heaven too?¡±

    ¡°No he didn¡¯t,¡± said Archie, kneeling on one knee. ¡°He just went away with someone.¡±

    ¡°But he didn¡¯t say goodbye to Kioko. Does Big Brother Joshua hate Kioko?¡±

    ¡°How could he?¡± Archie said softly. ¡°He just had to leave in a hurry. So he didn¡¯t have time to say goodbye. Do you miss him?¡±

    She nodded her little head. ¡°When Big Sister isn¡¯t there. Big Brother would play with me. He would also bake me delicious bread. I miss him.¡±

    Archie opened his mouth. He tried finding something to say but he closed his mouth instead. He just sat near the stairs and stared at the sky. ¡°If he ever comes back here, I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    ¡°When will he come back?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    She frowned deeply. She hugged her knees as she looked at the distant space. Archie wanted to say something to cheer her up. But he could hear someone approaching. Seeing the person, he stood up. ¡°You should take care of your little sister. She¡¯s quite sad.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Leiko nodded her head. She patted Kioko¡¯s head and took her back to the stronghold. Archie watched her go. She didn¡¯t say anything nor Archie wanted to speak to Leiko. He was already aware that no matter what he says. He could never agree with her. She was right. But Archie finds her ¡®right¡¯ rather heartbreaking.

    But what can he do? He already tried and that got him having a bad relationship with her. She hates humans. And him being righteous made her dislike him.

    Really, what a mess, Archie thought. He walked down the stairs. He then went to where the Templar¡¯s called him and went there. Along the way, he met soldiers, peddlers, and civilians who have already known him. Archie didn¡¯t like the attention but what he did during the siege made him famous.

    So he had to greet a lot of people. After walking through various streets, cutting to alleys, he arrived in the blue-district where the Templar¡¯s have begun operating. With the permission of the Warlord of the City, they have constructed their own base here.

    They surrounded the base with their own. Archie could see the Templars fanatically training. Each time he comes here he would see them training obsessively. There was a trainer that was leading them. He wore robes and armor, while completely being armed to the teeth.

    He didn¡¯t have time to admire them so he went to where he was supposed to go. It was a repaired building and inside the building was the Justicar of the Thorn Cross Legion. He sat on a wooden chair, facing piles of documents that sat up a big table.

    The Justicar noticed Archie¡¯s presence. He laid his pen down and stared at him with bland eyes. ¡°So you¡¯ve finally come?¡±

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    ¡°Yes, you needed me?¡± said Archie, folding his arms.

    ¡°Maybe, I¡¯ve called you here for a favor.¡±

    ¡°A favor?¡± said Archie.

    ¡°Yes, a favor. You see, we cannot trust the Lord Enforcer of this town. We have met on many battlefields, either as allies or foe. So how could we ever have a healthy relationship with Shig of the Red Garb? Who is a Cornus?¡±

    ¡°And so you call a simple Captain?¡±

    ¡°A simple captain?¡± the Justicar chuckled. ¡°You are quite humble aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s the truth.¡±

    ¡°Yes indeed, maybe you are just a Captain. But you are the Captain who fell down that giant warship. You fought alongside the lady named Cassia and are Heroes of this City. That is an impressive feat.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Archie lent back. ¡°What do you want from me?¡±

    ¡°I want you to come with us on a mission.¡±

    ¡°I am not joining the Templars,¡± said Archie.

    ¡°Join? You misunderstand. We do not let anyone join our order that easily. You are not a citizen of the Holy Midland, and thus you have no place in our order unless you want to move to the Holy Midland and become its citizen. You see, we only want your help. You are a good soldier and those runes of yours can help us.¡±

    Archie frowned. ¡°Are you after them?¡±

    ¡°Oh please, don¡¯t make that face. We are not after your runes. We, the Thorn Cross only need our faith and zeal. We shall not blaspheme our God with such heresy. It should be destroyed.¡± The Justicar glared coldly.

    Archie took a step back. The Justicar then said. ¡°But do not worry we shall not confiscate those runes of yours. They have been very helpful to you and like I¡¯ve said. We need your help.¡±

    Archie could not understand. ¡°Why would you need the help of someone like me? You have an army of Templars and four-legged dragons. What could I do that you Templars couldn¡¯t do?¡±

    ¡°A lot, you see, the Warlord doesn¡¯t trust us. That is understandable, and we need someone to accompany and observe us in this mission. You see, we could not bring the Lord Enforcer of the City. And we the Templar¡¯s could not possibly accept someone that belongs to the Werecat tribe. My men would lynch her at the spot. So having no choice, we¡¯ve decided to pick you, the Hero of Avilla to come with us in good faith with the Warlord.¡±

    Archie¡¯s brows narrowed even further. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you would need me. Exactly what is this mission that you are referring to?¡±

    The Justicar stood up. ¡°Do you really believe that the Bali and the Cagan forces would spend such large amount of resources and risk them all just for a single city? They didn¡¯t come here just for the City. They¡¯ve come here looking for something that could change the tides of war. And that something has been found recently.¡±

    The Justicar produced a map and laid it out on the table. Archie looked at the map and saw that there was a location marked. ¡°What you see right now is the location of the ruins of those beyond us. The place where the Bali and Cagan forces wanted to have, and we finally found it.¡±

 Chapter 61

    Chapter 61 - The Lost Shiva (2)

    Archie heard absurd things. But the things he was hearing from the Justicar made him both worried and scared. ¡°Are you saying that they did all these destruction and death for the sake of some ruins?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the Justicar nodded. ¡°It is the cruel truth, but they were never after the city itself. They only made Avilla as their excuse, while keeping their eyes on the real price that is the ruins marked in this location.¡± He pointed at the mark on the map.

    ¡°Is that really it then?¡± asked Archie. ¡°What about the Thorn Cross Legion. Don¡¯t tell me you came here with the same intention.¡±

    ¡°No, we did not. We came here because of the request of the Lady Dolce. Of course, we thought of what she said in that note. Coming here in this city would allow us to defend the supply lines that feed our soldiers fighting in the front-lines while at the same time, find the ruins that our scouts have reported. Don¡¯t you find it odd? That they made such excuse? Even a blind fool could tell that they won¡¯t just gather their forces like that just to take this City. If they gathered that kind of army in the front-lines it would change the tides of battle. So why would they gamble away their flying ships here when they can use those to break our lines?¡±

    The Justicar spread his hands. ¡°It¡¯s simple really. They know that whatever is inside that ruin. It is worth gathering their forces. But too bad that they¡¯ve met with someone like you who destroyed their vanguard ship and then face my Legion¡¯s full might.¡±

    ¡°This is complicated,¡± Archie touched his head. ¡°So you are saying that whatever is inside that ruin. It was worth all the death and destruction?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± said the Justicar straightly. ¡°They deem it worthy to sacrifice their lives for this ruin.¡±

    Archie glared at the Justicar. Not even bothering to hide his suspicions. ¡°Do you want to take whatever is inside that ruin then? If so, why should I help the Templars take it?¡±

    ¡°Because we made an oath that we¡¯d never use anything that we might find against the city. Or do you prefer the others to take the weapons inside the ruin and use it? Do you find us evil?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I just don¡¯t trust the Legion.¡±

    ¡°I can understand that. But let me say this to you, Archie of Avilla. It¡¯s either we get what is inside the ruins. Or let the others take it.¡±

    Archie folded his arms. ¡°Now I am even more confused. Whatever is inside that ruin, won¡¯t it be better if you keep this as a secret? You could take it and never bother to ask me to join.¡±

    The Justicar smiled. ¡°Do you know how the Templars started?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Archie shook his head.

    ¡°We started as traveling knights protecting people across the Holy Midland. We protected people from barbaric Cagan natives and fended off raiders from the Bali. We were protectors of the weak and frail. Our symbol is the cross, the cross which signifies the sword we carry. Our Cross is thorn because, in order to protect, we need to bloody ourselves. We are people of gray. We belong neither to good or evil. We are just Templars doing what our goals are. To protect the weak, we kill, and if taking these weapons with us means that we can protect better. Then why should we not get them?¡±

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    ¡°Yet you guys burn people alive,¡± Archie scowled. ¡°There is no right to that. That¡¯s not protecting.¡±

    ¡°And you prefer those sinners to be alive? To walk this earth while knowing that the food they get or the water they may drink might be needed by others? Why should we let those men be kept alive when they can be redeemed through a baptism of fire?¡±

    ¡°Because they are people!¡± shouted Archie.

    ¡°They ¡®were¡¯ people. They abandoned that right when they attacked this place.¡±

    ¡°So that does that mean that I should be burned into a stake like them then?¡±

    ¡°No, you protected people. You protected your home. There is no sin in that.¡±

    ¡°This place isn¡¯t your home.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t. But this place feeds our troops. Therefore we should protect this place in order to protect those who are fighting for our home.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that a Templar from the Holy Midland is saying all of this. Spouting this nonsense, trying to keep his feeble reasoning right and true, are you not ashamed?¡±

    ¡°Why should I?¡± The Justicar frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t care whether you believe my words. What I want from you is cooperation. We made an oath to the Warlord of this City. And isn¡¯t it better for someone as righteous as you to keep watch over us ¡®hypocritical¡¯ Templars that you mistrust so much?¡±

    Archie stared coldly at the Justicar. The Justicar stared back with a slight grin in his mouth. ¡°So what do you say Archie of Avilla? Would you join us in this mission or would you not?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll join. Just so that I can see what¡¯s inside this ruin that you Templars want so much and report it to the Warlord,¡± Archie grimaced. ¡°That is if you people could hold back on killing me there.¡±

    Archie could never trust the Justicar in front of him. He wasn¡¯t na?ve enough to believe his words. In his head, no person that could allow anyone to take someone as a slave would have great and selfish intentions. Indeed, the Templars are well-known for keeping their oath. Archie might have believed the Justicar if he didn¡¯t watch Joshua get taken into slavery because of a mere request.

    The Justicar offered his hand. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you think of us. What we need from you is cooperation and that you¡¯d watch our backs as we watch yours. Can we agree on that, Archie of Avilla?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can,¡± Archie took the Justicar¡¯s hand. ¡°Let us work together and see what¡¯s inside this ruin, Justicar.¡±

    ¡°Good, which we shall do.¡±

    The two shook hands. They started coldly at each other. There was no trust in this agreement other than that both sides will watch each other¡¯s back. Archie doesn¡¯t know what danger there was inside the ruins. But he knows that it was enough to make the Templars asked for help.

 Chapter 62

    Chapter 62 ¨C The Lost Shiva (3)

    The Templars wanted to go to the ruins immediately. But before diving inside the ruins, they wanted to make sure that they were armed and ready. Archie was given some of their equipment. He would have been fine but what he received made him frown. The designs of the rifles were the same as the rifle that Joshua designed.

    ¡°You already made them?¡± Archie said, examining the rifle. ¡°I thought it would take awhile?¡±

    The gunsmith looked at Archie then to the gun. ¡°There were some complications, the lever used to switch the balls were hard to recreate. Luckily, the Lady of Alva gave us the designs. I¡¯ve been able to recreate the rifle with that.¡±

    ¡°In just a few days?¡± asked Archie.

    ¡°Yes, because it was a good design that Justicar needed. Just rotate the lever and you can fire sixteen shots. How can we not recreate such wonder? Here, I¡¯d give you a pistol too.¡±

    ¡°Generous.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be giving this to you if it wasn¡¯t for the Justicar authorizing it.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough, but thank you.¡±

    ¡°Take care of them. At least I know that you know to handle them.¡± The gunsmith shooed Archie away. Another Templar walked in and took the rifle and the pistol. The gunsmith was eagerly showing the Templar what and how to handle the rifle and pistol.

    After taking the firearms, Archie went to where his group was. He saw Cassia sitting around with a rifle in hand. She caught a glimpse of Archie, then gesturing him to sit near her. ¡°Got your guns?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, these guys are really single-minded. To think they¡¯d be able to reproduce the repeating rifles and even make a pistol out of it.¡±

    ¡°I heard that they looked into his drawings. At least they credited the designs to belong to whoever Lorezoni is.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but I am going to remember it as something Joshua introduced.¡±

    ¡°Mhm, I hope he¡¯s fine.¡±

    Archie frowned. ¡°I hope so too. I¡¯ve heard of the Lady of Dolce. The eccentric princess of the Alva¡¯s whose change was rather drastic.¡±

    ¡°A brilliant woman turned into a miserable lady. How can you blame her when her father is a Sociopath who could order his men to die? You heard of the Siege of Alfan?¡±

    ¡°I heard of the Lord of Alva, using his own troops as a body shield to take out enemies from the Bali. Leading the charge himself, some say he¡¯s a madman, some say he''s just gone mad during that time.¡±

    ¡°Now imagine growing with a lunatic of a father. I can¡¯t blame her for growing up twisted, but still, it doesn¡¯t make right.¡± Cassias rested her chin on her palm. ¡°I really hope that he¡¯d do fine dealing with her.¡±

    ¡°I hope so too.¡±

    Archie nodded with worry. He then sat quietly while waiting for the rest of the Templars.

    Minutes later, the Templars arrived armed to the teeth. What surprised Archie was not the Templars. But the spheroid balloons that landed near the base of the Templars. There was a long wicker basket attached to the spheroid air balloon. The Templars looked at the balloon, approaching it while their rifles hanging behind their backs.

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    ¡°Archie, I¡¯ve enough flying up to the sky.¡±

    ¡°I thought you enjoy it.¡±

    ¡°Not unless Joshua¡¯s piloting it. The thing scares me.¡±

    ¡°Then you could stay in the stronghold. Watch over the soldiers and get praised by the women around you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass. You might need my help and I don¡¯t trust the Templars enough to leave you alone with them inside whatever ruin we are going to.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for this, Cassia. There are only a few I could trust to watch my back with.¡±

    ¡°Hey now, there is no other Captain that I would follow other than you. Besides, we¡¯ve been through a lot. And you still haven¡¯t given me that damn ring.¡±

    Archie wryly smiled. ¡°You really are adamant about that. I thought it was a spur of the moment?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? Who wouldn¡¯t want a hero as a husband? Besides, you should be thankful to me.¡±

    ¡°Thankful for what exactly?¡± asked Archie.

    ¡°That I keep lusty women off your back. Oh, you can¡¯t believe how many are hearts are beating for you.¡±

    ¡°I should thank you for that?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you should. At least I am not forcing you. But I might.¡±

    Archie grinned at that. ¡°Well, thank you for that Cassia. I really appreciate that.¡±

    ¡°No problem at all, Archie. No problem at all.¡±

    Her grinned reached up to her ears. Archie could only sigh at that face. Then, the time for the two to board the spheroid air balloon finally happened. Along with the Commander of the Templars, the Balloon flew to the sky with the use of the runes that they scavenged from the airships they felled down. Seeing this, it made Archie realize that the reason the Templars didn¡¯t really need to steal the runes especially when they can make things like these. He also noticed that the Commander that was in the air balloon having a box attached to the back of his waist. The box was connected by a tube that was attached to the left vambrace of the Commander¡¯s arm. Archie wondered what that was for. But whatever that it is, Archie could definitely smell gasoline inside the box.

    The air balloon glided through the clouds. Most of the Templars were aloof. They were busy admiring the view as the air balloon quickly traversed the outskirts of the city, flying straight to the deep forest where Archie could see a valley shaped like a seashell. The air balloon quietly approached the valley, and as it does, the Commander of the Templars spied the area with his spyglass.

    Archie looked around this seashell-like valley. He could see the outline of some hills. He could see the green and bare trees covering the entire forest. There were signs of logging, and beyond the forest, Archie could see white smoke ascending up. The valley was rather eerily quiet. Archie was getting anxious and indeed his anxiousness wasn¡¯t just simply paranoia.

    Suddenly, the Templar commander halted the pilot. He told everyone: ¡°Get down! All of you!¡± as a giant sparrow with little horns in its wings approached the air balloon with haste. The pilot quickly made use of the green runes to dodge the giant sparrow. The Templars didn¡¯t waste time. They immediately pulled their guns up and shot at the sparrow, only to witness a group of them approaching.

 Chapter 63

    Chapter 63 ¨C The Lost Shiva (4)

    The sparrows encircled the air balloon that they were riding. The Templars immediately acted and engaged the sparrows. Their aim was off due to the trembling air balloon. But they were no amateurs and armed with the new rifles. They were able to shoot down the sparrows trying to attack. Their actions were precise. It was coordinated and practiced.

    ¡°Hold your fire, men!¡± the Commander clenched his right hand up. ¡°Steady your aim...Fire now!¡±

    The barrels of the rifles spurt out iron balls that penetrated the bodies of the sparrows. Robotically, the Templars rotated the lever of the rifle, took aim and again fired.

    ¡°Damn mutants. It seems like this place is indeed crawling with filth.¡±

    ¡°Mutants?¡± asked Archie in a low voice. ¡°Are there dire monsters in this place?¡±

    The Commander glared at Archie coldly. ¡°You saw the mutated sparrows, didn¡¯t you? Those are horned sparrows. And they are mutants.¡±

    The air balloon shook. The Commander grabbed the tightened rope that holds the balloon together. He continued. ¡°And it looks this place is crawling with them.¡±

    ¡°Then should we land?¡± asked Archie.

    ¡°No, too many trees here,¡± said the pilot who overheard Archie. ¡°There¡¯s a clearing over there, it would do as a landing zone for us. Is that okay Commander?¡±

    ¡°Carry on, I trust your judgment.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Commander. Hold on tight!¡±

    The pilot took control of the air balloon. It glided down to the clearing where it then landed rather roughly. The Templars and the others dismounted the air balloon. The Pilot anchored the air balloon and slowly deflated the balloon. The Commander walked towards the center of the clearing. He cleared his throat as he looked at everyone.

    ¡°Steadfast men, at ease and listen well.¡±

    The Templars stopped moving. They straightened their backs and perked their ears. Archie folded his arms, he leaned back as he listened along with Cassia.

    ¡°As you can see the place is crawling with mutants and filth. We expected this area to be isolated. But to think that it would be infested with mutants and dire monsters. Men, I would like to remove the filth that stains this wonderful place. But we have a mission to do. His Holiness has given us his blessing and in the name of God we shall take whatever is inside that ruin and repossessed it for the greater good.¡±

    Archie frowned at that. He looked at the Templars. They were egged on as they raised their chins up mightily. Cassia poked Archie¡¯s side. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll leave this place alive? Fanatical Knights and Mutants are a dangerous combination, Archie.¡±

    ¡°I know. But it is too late to back out now. We¡¯ve come this far, so might as well follow them. Besides, I am worried about what¡¯s inside the ruins. And if anything, the Warlord should know what is inside it. At least that way Avilla¡¯s safety can be assured.¡±

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    Archie said with a frown on his face. He has no idea what he will find there. But right now he was feeling anxious. He was feeling worried that the situation was getting more dangerous.

    ¡°Come on me, rest up and reload. We¡¯ll move after a few minutes. You two over there!¡± shouted the Commander. ¡°Rest up, there¡¯s a lot to trek.¡±

    Archie and Cassia nodded. They rested near the Templars and reloaded their weapons. They also took some of the bandoliers offered to them. The air balloon carried five small crates of ammunition. There were overall twenty people that boarded, and the five crates were carried by the Templars while the others carried ration. Archie and Cassia had prepared their own ration, but they didn¡¯t have that much ammunition so they were grateful for the bandoliers.

    The wind blew through the forest. The leaves fell down, making the Commander nod his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go, time to move. We don¡¯t need to stay here. And brother, go and report what we have witnessed here. Return after five days, and bring some brothers to purge this land of filth.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Commander! I shall report to the Justicar once I returned,¡± The pilot saluted.

    ¡°Good, may God bless your flight and be safe brother.¡±

    The pilot nodded his head. The Commander turned to his Templars and marched in formation to the forest. Archie and Cassia followed behind them, meeting tall trees, stepping on fallen leaves as they walk inside. The forest was rather scenic. There were small animals crawling around. There were also mutants who would appear out of nowhere. Black deer¡¯s that have red eyes were seen by the company. Usually, deer¡¯s are easy to scare but the deer that the company met was aggressive. They had to kill the deer.

    The company continued on. They arrived in a winding narrow tree-lined path which led them to this concealed area. The company was rather perplexed about the place. Luckily, they didn¡¯t get lost and was able to exit the path and trek through this stepped hill that led them to a huge area filled with tall grasses. The company moved gingerly through the area. Their eyes were peeled as they skulk around the tall grasses. There were movements and one of the Templar¡¯s shot a two-headed beetle in the head. To make sure that the beetle was dead. The Templar beheaded it and made use of the blood of the beetle to conceal the company¡¯s scent. The Templar carried the beetle¡¯s head for a while until the company exited out of the tall grasses.

    The company then found itself in an isolated place. Unlike the paths they crossed, the area that they arrived to was misty. The visibility was rather poor. Forcing the Templars to lit a lamp and trudge through this misty area. The passing through this are irritated, Archie. But he never let his guard down.

    Then, the company finally arrived in the place where the ruins should be. The Commander wanted to secure the area first so he made everyone search. The area was desolated. There were signs of people around the area, but they either forget or abandon their belongings

    It took awhile but after clearing the area. The company moved inside the entrance of the ruins and there they saw something that made their eyes go wide.

 Chapter 64

    Chapter 64 ¨C The Lost Shiva (5)

    There was a giant metal building in front of them. There were vines covering the building, but it didn¡¯t hide the size of the structure. The building was domineering. It had this eerie look as it stood quietly. The Templar¡¯s could tell that the thing was foreign. In their life, they haven¡¯t seen such strange construction.

    What is this?

    Archie thought. He looked at the construction. It was odd. It looked like it has been here for a while yet there were no signs of rust. The building seemed like it was battered and burned but it was standing tall. In the right, Archie could see burned metal. The fallen metal on the ground was intact but the material was something that he hasn¡¯t seen in his entire life.

    How can a building be constructed?

    It was a question for Archie. He couldn¡¯t see any metal screws on the building. As if the building was combined together with some sort of method unknown to him. In this age, most of them haven¡¯t seen such pure metal building. The building was colored with a stripe of black and white. There was also a marking on the side of the building, which everyone assumed to be a number.

    ¡°By the Gods, what is this metal construction?¡± said a Templar.

    ¡°Commander, what should we do?¡±

    The Commander was slack-jawed. He prayed to the Light and stared at the building. ¡°Be careful, this place stinks of danger.¡±

    As if that wasn¡¯t obvious enough? Archie remarked inside his head. He looked at the building again. Approaching it slowly, extending his hand towards it. Cassia watched him. Luckily, the building did not do anything to Archie. But instead, there was a loud alarm that sounded out.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Everyone drew their rifles. They looked around them, scanning the area while trying to keep their arms steady. The sound that was ringing out made them nervous. Their hearts pumped erratically as the sharp alarm digs through their eardrums.

    ¡°INCOMING!¡±

    The Templar shouted. Everyone looked at where the Templar was looking. There, they saw a black orb with two metal arms hovering above the ground. Its metal eye stared at them before it turned red. Suddenly, the black orb flipped forward, behind the strange thing two metal barrels appeared out of it.

    Everyone looked at the two metal barrels. But they know in their hearts what that was. They scattered around and took cover using the obstacle around the place. Archie and Cassia hunkered down two boulders. The Commander of the Templars hid in one of the fallen metal.

    The Black Orb rained bullets towards them. It was a continuous buzzing that made everyone deaf to the ear. The Templars were no fools. They were able to keep their heads down. But the machine suppressed most of the Templars. The other tried to fight back using their rifles. Only for their bullets to be deflected as if was nothing.

    The Commander could not sit still. He couldn¡¯t watch his men die at this strange machine that was attacking them. He bellowed, he gathered all the courage he had as he charges out of his cover while the machine was distracted. ¡°IN THE NAME OF GOD YOU SHALL NOT CONTINUE!¡±

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    Like a man possessed, he pointed his left vambrace at the machine. It spewed gasoline using the tube and it painted the machine with it, wetting it. Followed by that, the Commander urged his will, summoning a blaze of fire that engulfed the machine.

    The Commander scuttled back to cover. ¡°USE YOUR EXPLOSIVES MEN!¡±

    The Templar¡¯s reacted. They pulled and lit their grenades, throwing it at the machine. The Machine created a buzzing sound. Its color suddenly changes as it expelled cold air out of the holes from its body that extinguished the fire around the orb. It scanned the area.

    What followed were the red lights that dotted everyone¡¯s chest. The red dot of lights that was on their chest made everyone felt a sense of dread. The Templar¡¯s who were not lucky got their chest caved in. Like a hand cannon, the caliber of that shot was too strong. Five Templar¡¯s died in the first shot. Another two died trying to take cover. Three died when they tried to fight back.

    The Commander wanted to face the machine. But the five templar¡¯s drew the attention of the flying orb and told the Commander to run inside the ruins. The Commander could not abandon his subordinates. But they reminded the Commander about the mission. So while the other five held the machine back. The three remaining Templars pulled back along with Archie and Cassia.

    They ran inside the ruins. They descended down a flight of metal stairs that lead them to this gigantic hall made of metal. There was a room in front of them. It had a thick glass that seemed like it served as a counter. The insides of the place were covered in a murk and filth. The walls were ruined. There were metal vines that appeared out of the ceiling. It was a strange place. The Commander could not think or understand the place other than this place was not a simple ruin at all. It was far different from what they could have imagined.

    ¡°What was that thing?¡± Cassia could not hold it anymore. ¡°It tore through everyone like nothing. What if there is more of that thing here?¡±

    ¡°Calm down, Cassia,¡± Archie patted her shoulder.

    ¡°Calm down? Are you telling to calm down after that?¡± She was shouting. There was a panic in her eyes. ¡°That thing caved in their chest! There was not a single scratch with the explosives and setting it fire didn¡¯t do anything to it! Archie, do you expect me to stay calm after seeing that? The dire monsters and mutants can be killed. They don¡¯t have tough shells and they can be felled! And I feel much better if I can hurt them damn it!¡±

    ¡°Just calm down for now okay? I don¡¯t feel good either but panicking doesn¡¯t really help us here,¡± Archie tried to appease the panicking Cassia.

    The Commander who just watched his Templars die turned his head to Cassia. He was about to spew forth words that might calm the panicking Cassia. But before he could take three steps towards her, he and Archie watch as her head explode into many pieces.

 Chapter 65

    Chapter 65 - The Lost Shiva (6)

    It was fast and crude. Her head exploded; lifeless; Blood spurting like a fountain. Archie watch her fall down. His face painted red as her brain matter sticks to his cheeks. Archie stood like a statue. His mind unable to comprehend what happened just now. The Commander of Templars noticed the barrel of a weapon sticking out. A long bullet casing bounced off the door as the Commander tackled Archie.

    The other Templars had their heads exploded just like Cassia. The barrel of the weapon pointed at them. But what happened was that the Commander only heard a click. He looked up. He saw that the weapon wasn¡¯t firing. He didn¡¯t have time to thank the Gods. He dragged Archie out of the line of fire and hunkered down for cover.

    ¡°Ah, I need to get her body.¡±

    ¡°Stop it! We don¡¯t know if there are more of those things!¡±

    Archie wasn¡¯t himself. He stood up gingerly and tried to walk towards there. The Commander could not allow the remaining person alive with him to die. He smacked Archie¡¯s stomach and pinned him down.

    ¡°STOP RIGHT HERE YOU FOOL.¡±

    ¡°I have to save her...she could still be alive...¡±

    It was obvious enough that Archie was shocked to still. Her head exploded right in front of him. There was still some of her pink fleshy from her head sticking to his face. He was crying. What happened was too fast for him. He has seen what cannons and firearms could do. But seeing the person he had spent life and death with just die easily like that shook Archie¡¯s being. She didn¡¯t have a chance to fight back at all. How can he not despair?

    ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°Just stop right there. I just watch my men die. All of them, who have families waiting for them back in the Holy Midland, is now dead. She isn¡¯t the only one here, you fool! You aren¡¯t the only that wants to return their bodies! So unless you want their bodies to rot inside here then calm the fuck down Archie of Avilla!¡±

    Archie looked at the Commander. ¡°I am sorry. I just can¡¯t believe that something like that exists.¡±

    ¡°You are not the only that is surprised. Let¡¯s move before we end up like them. We¡¯ll try to recover their bodies if we can. That thing outside might come back here. You know how ineffective our weapons are.¡±

    Archie nodded. He stood up. He glanced at the dead a few steps away. His heart was aching badly. But he has stepped on this hell already. Going outside will do him no good. He can only follow The Commander who has already lost his men just by going inside. They didn¡¯t know what¡¯s inside the place. But they are sure that this place was no ordinary ruin.

    It was a death trap filled with weapons that surpasses the pathetic things they have on them. There was fear in their hearts. But they soldiered on and went inside this narrow corridor where they saw a giant tunnel leading down. The Commander raised his left palm and made the fire rune on his left arm burn like a torch. He pointed it towards the dark, as he takes the steps down.

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    Archie followed closely, he lit a fire with his runes and carefully followed the Commander. He didn¡¯t have fear when coming here. He expected the place to be falling apart with age. But he never expected that he¡¯d be able to witness a flight of steps that was completely made of metal. The two continued walking down the steps while smelling the metal-like air.

    ¡°This is an odd place. Could we even use the weapons here?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Damn it, I¡¯ve terribly underestimated this place,¡± gritted the Commander. ¡°I should have brought an entire battalion and artillery here.¡±

    ¡°Too late for that now,¡± said Archie in a low voice. ¡°And can cannons even hurt the plating that protected that orb thing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better to try and find out.¡±

    ¡°That is if we stay alive here.¡±

    The Commander stopped. He looked at Archie. ¡°You are acting calm already?¡±

    ¡°Commander, if I don¡¯t act calm. If I think of what just happened. I think I might stop moving my legs. I need to pretend to be calm. I need to or surely I will just stop right here and not move. That¡¯s right, Commander. I am acting calm because it works for me.¡±

    The Commanded nodded his head in understanding. He continued walking, waving his left hand to light the way. ¡°For what¡¯s it is worth. I am sorry for your loss.¡±

    Archie did not reply. ¡°I thought you Templars are heartless beings.¡±

    The Commander stopped walking. He glared at Archie murderously. ¡°We are not. We are faithful and loyal servants of Gods. But that does make us less human? No, we are not, those ¡®heartless¡¯ assholes you refer to have families. One of the guys who drew that black orb thing had a kid waiting to be born. If I ever walk out of this place alive and return to the Capital. Do you think it would be easy to face his wife and hand over his coffin? My men are loyal servants. We may be fanatical but we are not heartless. Call us that ever again, and by what is good and righteous I will not stand if you insult us ever again.¡±

    ¡°I did not mean it,¡± Archie said apologetically.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t care if you are coping yourself up by saying that. Just don¡¯t say it again to my face, bastard. I am in no mood to jest or entertain anything. Let¡¯s just explore this damned ruin and hope for the worst to happen.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    The Commander marched on. His steps were heavy. It echoed through the narrow flight of steps. Archie stood still before continuing. He could not get what happened out of his head. He could not think straight. He did not even know why he said those words in the first place. ¡°Damn it, Cassia, why do you have to die that easy on me!¡± He cursed while trying to hide his grief. It didn¡¯t matter how mentally strong he was. What he saw was something that he could never forget.

 Chapter 66

    Chapter 66 ¨C The Lost Shiva (7)

    The interior of the ruin was rather eerie and desolate. The corridors had signs of battle. There were charred walls that seemed like it got melted by something hot enough to burn through the metal plating of the walls. There were skeleton remains but they were mostly not human. There are human-like remains but most of them were crushed to bits. As if there was something that broke their bones, crushing them through something big and wide.

    Archie and the Commander walked through the interiors. They searched for any signs of anything that they could use. Most of the items, however, were unusable. They did not know what they are for. It was far too advanced for them so they could only leave them behind.

    The two were in a room filled with equipment. There were chairs and tables. There were strange box-like furniture¡¯s that the two could not figure out what they are for.

    They were tired after searching cautiously through the area. Luckily, there were no death traps so far. And even though there are similar looking ones. They were empty and they would only make clicking sounds. The two was happy to hear the sounds. They have been wary, scared at any barrel that points at them.

    Archie was stressed out. He felt like a single mistake he would end up dead like Cassia. Meanwhile, the Commander was more steadfast. He tried to take investigate everything while keeping aware of his surroundings. Archie was impressed by the Commander. He could keep his head. He was a person who¡¯s a man in a mission.

    The Commander was examining the furniture around him. He had no idea about them. He could only shake his head wryly each time he finished his examination.

    Archie was taking a rest in the middle of the room. He would sometimes look at the vines that streak through the ceiling. He could see some odd light shining past this sealed room where a skeleton was trapped in between. The place was a metal graveyard. At least that¡¯s what Archie thinks.

    The Commander walked around. He investigated the room before sitting near Archie with a downward expression. ¡°All of these things are beyond us. I don¡¯t understand how any of these things work.¡±

    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t work,¡± Archie pointed at one of the furniture. ¡°Most of them are either burned or destroyed. I don¡¯t know why but the ropes that are inside them have tiny metal wires. And they are charred. Something must have melted them off.¡±

    ¡°But they are well-preserved,¡± said the Commander. ¡°I am no historian but I can tell that these things are years old. The metal plating that covers this entire ruin isn¡¯t rusting. Whatever they did, it made these things last this long without any single rust. What is this place?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been asking that question for a while now,¡± Archie¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°We don¡¯t know and searching this ruin gives us nothing at all. We don¡¯t understand any of these things. And going on further seemed like a dangerous case.¡±

    ¡°So you want to come out of this place empty-handed?¡± The Commander glared at Archie.

    ¡°I don¡¯t. But the deeper we go down. The tougher it is to take a step. I am not that much of a superstitious person but this place reeks of death and despair. Each hall had signs of battles. Each wall had disturbing burns. There are skeletons that we don¡¯t know off. And many skeletal remains are laid everywhere as if they were forgotten. This place is more of a graveyard than a ruin, a dangerous tomb that preys us with death at each turn.¡±

    Stolen novel; please report.

    Archie said that with clear fear in his tone. The Commander looked at Archie with questioning eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you are a brave man, Archie of Avilla. Why are you so scared? Why are you this afraid of this ruin?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯ve seen what the weapons here could do. You can feel safe in the face of anything with a weapon. But holding an iron sword to a dragon¡¯s face would make anyone feel scared. I consider the death traps around here as dragons and the weapons we have are nothing more than frail iron swords that won¡¯t even damage their scales. Fifteen of your men died instantly at the black orb with metal arms. Cassia and the others also died just by a single weapon attached to a wall. How can I not fear?¡±

    Archie spoke with a grimace. The Commander said. ¡°Yet you still move despite it all.¡±

    ¡°Because I have no choice but to move, do you really think that I¡¯d just go back to the entrance and have myself killed? You wanted something from these ruins. And I¡¯ll be getting something here. All those lives lost just so that we can search this blasted ruin must not be forgotten...¡±

    Archie clenched his fist tightly. The Commander smiled at that.

    ¡°You are a good man, Archie. I can understand your fears.¡±

    ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I can only complain. I¡¯ll open my mouth to cope with this bullshit. But it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll stop fearing for whatever that lurks there.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    The Commander nodded. He kept silent and prayed to his God. Archie stayed still in deep thought. He waited for the Commander until he was done. The two then continued their exploration of the ruins. But as they dive deeper they were starting to smell cold air. Archie could feel the windy smell of water. Archie wondered if there was an underground river down the tunnels. But when he and the Commander exited out of the tunnels, they found a strange room filled with giant glass tubes.

    There was blue liquid inside the tubes. The Commander inspected the tubes. There was something inside the tubes. They looked human but their appearance was different as if they were mutated. The Commander looked at the tube. He wondered what the creature is inside. But as he observed the creature inside, he cleared the dust around this slant table that had many odd shapes. The Commander patted the dust away, only to feel like he pushed something.

    Then, it happened. The tubes that were holding the creatures inside shook. Archie took his rifle and pointed at the shaking tubes. The Commander cursed, ¡°Fuck, I must have pressed something¡± as he took cover in one table. The shaking ¡®awoke¡¯ the specimens inside. And as the tubes retracted, the creatures were released to the floor. They seemed frail but the moment they raised their heads and showed their glowing blue eyes.

    The Commander knew he messed up.

 Chapter 67

    Chapter 67 ¨C The Lost Shiva (8)

    ¡°Mutated mutants!?¡± The Commander rolled back. He kicked the blue-eyed creature away. It stumbled back but as it tried to pounce on the Commander. Archie pulled his rifle up and shot the blue-eyed monster in the chest. The blue-eyed monster got hurt.

    ¡®They bleed!¡±

    The Commander smiled at that. He pointed his left hand at the blue-eyed creature, releasing the gasoline to the fiend, burning it.

    The blue-eyed creature roared in pain. It rolled twice in the ground before suddenly clenching both fists and screaming words that the Commander did not understand. Unknown power surrounded the blue-eyed creature. It bellowed the eeriest voice it could as it charges like a cannon firing towards the Commander. The Commander widened his eyes. He pointed his left palm at the creature.

    The Creature halted mid-air. Then, it suddenly pirouetted out of the line of attack and was about to hit the Commander¡¯s head. Luckily, the creature had its head blown apart by Archie.

    The Commander stumbled. He looked at the blue-eyed creatures waking up. There were weakened creatures and using the chance he had. The Commander blew their heads apart with his rifle. The other creatures, however, managed to wake up and released this aura that made them charge like cannons.

    One of the creatures tried to take the Commander¡¯s head. But the commander rolled away just in time. However, he saw the metal plating behind him get caved in by the fist of the creatures. His breathing went heavy, his lungs felt like it got devoid of air as he realizes how absurdly powerful the creatures are.

    ¡°They have the strength of a Cagan High Warrior! What Gods have blessed these abominations!?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care! Just shoot them until they are dead,¡± Archie shouted while rotating the lever of his rifle. He aimed at the enemies. ¡°They don¡¯t care! And they won¡¯t say who their God¡¯s are!¡±

    The Commander clicked his tongue as he rolled to the side. A creature pounced on him again. He uses both of his legs to throw the creature away, he then rolled sideways and shoot the creature in the throat. He stood up. He slid through cover and quickly rotated the lever of his rifle before shooting it again.

    ¡°I am out soon! Give me cover!¡±

    Archie nodded his head. He took an explosive from his pocket and threw it at the enemies. The enemies, however, grab the explosive that he threw. Surprised, Archie bit his lip, as he shoots the explosive that was thrown at him.

    ¡°These guys have absurd reflexes! Fuck they are starting to learn!¡±

    The Commander grimaced at that. He inserted the iron balls inside his rifles, and inserting powder inside, before priming it. He then pointed his rifle at the blue-eyed creature and started firing them. But the creatures have started to learn. They took cover and made use of the blue energy discharge they have to fire at them within a range.

    Their attacks were Psion-based and it charred through the metal walls as if they were nothing but termite-ridden brittle wooden panels. The Commander swallowed hard. He still fired at the creatures, hitting some of them. The creatures looked at them with their blues menacingly glowing.

    The blue-eyed creatures suddenly erupted into a sprint. The Commander stumbled back and kept his arms steady but it was useless. The blue-eyed creature broke the rifle apart with a chop. The Commander felt like his hands just met with something heavy. He tried blocking with his hands. But the creature¡¯s shoulder tackle made his arms produce a cracking sound that made his arms hung broken in a different direction.

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    The Commander looked at the blue-eyed creature with his mouth open. Blood leaked out of his mouth as he then watches the blue-eyed creature pull his right arm back, punching a hole in his chest, breaking his spine in the process too. The Commander went limp and died right there.

    Archie caught a glimpse of what happened to the Commander. Fear covered him, but his instincts made him reach to the flask of gasoline inside his pockets and threw them at the blue-eyed creature. He then produced fire from his hands using the runes while using the greaves he had to move away from the blue-eyed creatures.

    The blue-eyed creatures were slowly learning. They chased after Archie around the big room while Archie tries to shoot them down. Archie felled five of the ten creatures. But the remaining creatures moved like they were getting better. They made use of the tubes as cover. They made use of their Psion-based powers to block some of Archie¡¯s attacks. Some of the creatures used their Psion abilities to charge like a speeding bullet towards Archie. But Archie made use of the green runes attached to his greaves to fend them off.

    The fight between Archie and the blue-eyed monsters were starting to get heated. But the creature seemed like they had a great stamina while Archie was getting exhausted. His breathing was heavy. His aim was starting to falter. But Archie couldn¡¯t just stand there and die. He fought back. He made use of whatever he got until he felt that all the ammo he had was gone.

    His rifle was empty. He made use of his pistol and tried to make it last. But the blue-eyed creatures were agile. And as they began to corner Archie, he started to break a sweat. His heart was pumping heavily and his ears felt like there was a constant ringing. Archie tried to focus. But the pressure that was amassing to him made him stumble. While running for his life he tripped and was flung back by the blue-eyed creature¡¯s powers. Archie hit his head. Blood covered his left eye. He leaned his back trying to aim at the enemy. He shot. He rotated the lever of his pistol. He shot. He reloaded. He shot desperate as he took two down. The three creatures approached him while glowing blue.

    Archie didn¡¯t want to give up. Despite the meaningless resolve he had. He pointed his pistol at the enemy. The enemy seemed to have sensed his desperation. But they didn¡¯t get cocky as they approached him. Archie took a shot. He tried rotating his pistol only to find out that was only one bullet left. He tried to shoot the bullet. But the blue-eyed creature thrust its palm towards Archie, hitting Archie with a gust of Psion wind that made him groan in pain as his back pounded on this metal tube.

    But...the creature made a mistake. What the creature did broke something that Archie was leaning on. The metal tube opened. A figure with long silky blonde hair reaching down the back of her knees fell down in front of Archie. This figure wore an armor made of metal that acted as an exoskeleton.

    Archie stared at the pale skinned woman. This woman looked at the creatures before her. An unknown voice resounded. It wasn¡¯t the woman¡¯s voice. It came from the suit of armor that she wore. Archie tried to speak. But the woman suddenly dashed to one of the creatures, grabbing its neck and choke slamming the creature, forming a crater.

 Chapter 68

    Chapter 68 ¨C The Lost Shiva (9)

    Who is he?

    The girl thought as she looked at that surprised face. He was bloodied. His clothes were rather outdated.

    Where am I?

    She looks around her. She saw that it was a modified laboratory. She could recognize the failed mutants. Psion-wielding humans turned to something like this for the sake of humanity¡¯s fight against the unknown. She smashed the throat of the mutant before her. She turned to the other remaining mutants and activated her augmentations to the fullest. The things implanted inside her body excreted toxins that turned her pale skin to blue. Her blue eyes turned blood red as she suddenly moves with a mechanical sound. The failed mutants that saw her tried to activate their Psion abilities. But she was fast. She charged like a raging torrent at them as she quickly defeats the enemies before her with relative ease.

    Threat Eliminated. My Type-Shiva Augmentations are working at least. How about my Omni-Forge? Is it working?

    She touched her left gauntlet. She summoned a hologram that allowed her to read her current status.

    ¡°Type-Shiva Serial Number 00-555-72: Cpl. Zola Dawn. Omni-Forge, do you function?¡±

    The hologram on her left gauntlet shimmered and flickered. Then, a virtual eyeball appeared. It scanned Zola from head to toe before suddenly speaking out a mechanical voice.

    ¡°Shiva Type Soldier Confirmed. Welcome Back, Corporal Zola Dawn. Your body has been in Cryostasis for One Hundred Thirty-Five years, Eleven Months, and thirty-five days, and thirty hours.¡±

    Zola widened her eyes. ¡°That long?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Corporal Zola. You have been asleep for a century after the escape ship that you were riding was shot down by a Quietus Type Ship. Thermal radar suggests that aside from the non-augmented human before us. There is no one that survived the crash.¡±

    ¡°Then why am I inside a Cryostasis pod?¡±

    ¡°The data shows that a surviving scientist pulled the Corporal into the pod,¡± The Omni-Forge showed images of a person putting Zola inside the pod. ¡°The person¡¯s current whereabouts are unknown. And possibly he has died.¡±

    ¡°I see. So where are we?¡±

    She looks around her.

    ¡°Atmosphere scans suggest that we are in a Terra-Type planet with same qualities as Gaia.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± She said, looking at the person near her Cryostasis pod. ¡°How could that be?¡±

    ¡°It seemed like the Ship that the Corporal was on board, got involved in a space-time storm that made the ship drift into a new cycle where the current technology seemed primitive. The human before us seemed to possess gunpowder technology. Their clothing material suggests outdated materials.¡±

    ¡°So you are saying?¡±

    ¡°The Corporal has traversed an alternate cycle of Gaia. There are new elements in the vicinity that suggests that this world has strange mixtures that might prove valuable to be researched. However, the computation power needed is not available.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. What about the Quietus? Did they follow over?¡±

    ¡°This Unit is currently accessing laboratory data, processing through, filtering relevant information, sorting through, and completing the process, compiling it. Information suggests that a Quietus Ship emerged along within this cycle. The Number of Ships: 1. But the technology is enough to wipe out every hostile. The Quietus, however, is unable to call out reinforcements. Probability suggests that they have been subduing the area through mutations.¡±

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    ¡°Damn it,¡± She cursed lowly. ¡°So what are my chances of winning against the Quietus of this cycle?¡±

    ¡°Body scan suggests that Corporal¡¯s Bionics isn¡¯t going to be enough to fight the Quietus herself. It is heavily recommended for the Corporal to recuperate and allow the people of this area to fight the Quietus. United Alliance Codex suggests that the Corporal isn¡¯t entitled to protect the people of this cycle. They are not United Alliance citizens.¡±

    ¡°I see. Omi-Forge, scrap codex manual, scanned for highest authority.¡±

    ¡°Acknowledged: The Corporal has the highest rank in the area, scrap the codex?¡±

    ¡°Yes, do it.¡±

    The Omni-forged loaded and deleted all Codex data. Seeing that, Zola sighed to herself and turned to the human was looking at her oddly. ¡°Who are you and what are you doing at this place?¡±

    The person before her spoked. Obviously, she couldn¡¯t understand a single damn thing he said.

    ¡°Omni-Forge, can you translate?¡±

    ¡°Scan suggests that doing so would consume the limited power that this Omni-Forge has to implant translated data to the user. Doing so would mean that the user would have lost this unit. Would user like to continue?¡±

    So all that scanning burned this Omni-Forge of mine?

    She thought. She looked at the human before her. Was it worth losing her Omni-Forge just so that she could speak to him? It would take too long for her to learn and speak fluently their language. The Omni-Forge she had was absolutely useful. But she could tell that it could not perform well as perfect as she remembers. Turning it on itself has consumed the little power that it had.

    ¡°Do it. Goodbye, Omni-Forge.¡±

    ¡°Very well, processing language, please speak to the native so this unit could analyze their langue patterns and imprint it on the User¡¯s neural network.¡±

    Zola spoke to the native. The person didn¡¯t understand and started saying things. To her it was gibberish. But as she had to completely analyze the language. So she had no choice but to continue this gibberish conversation. The Omni-Forge started to stutter. It slowly flickered dimly as it then gives off a rather lonely sound before it implanted the language to her.

    She felt electricity running through her brain. As if there was something that was being carved inside her brain. She stumbled for a moment. She then looked at the person before again, speaking. ¡°Can you understand me now?¡±

    ¡°What the hell?¡±

    ¡°I see. I guess it worked,¡± She looked at her left gauntlet with a bitter smile. ¡°I hope this is worth it.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°So tell me what are you doing? And where am I? You smell of blood and gore. Can you tell me what¡¯s going here?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I am Archie of Avilla. I came here to search the ruins.¡±

    Then, Archie started to narrate how he ended up here. He also told Zola about who sent them here. Zola had many things to ask. Luckily, she was able to converse through this Archie. However, as she talked to him. She understood that she¡¯ll never get along with them. Their time was far too apart. And she feels too alone. No one in this world would understand her.

 Chapter 69

    Chapter 69 ¨C The Lost Shiva (10)

    Archie followed her. She roamed the corridors of the laboratory while keeping an eye on this metal box that she would occasionally rip the metal wires inside. Archie was curious and since had calmed down. He asked. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    She stopped walking. ¡°Disabling this place so that no one can find what¡¯s inside.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Archie shouted. ¡°You can¡¯t do that! All the technology here might have some use!¡±

    ¡°No, what you see here is too advanced. They won¡¯t do anyone good and if the Quietus finds this base then expect cities to burn and innocent people to die. Or would you like that?¡±

    Archie hurriedly shook his head. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make it right! Destroy this place? Imagine how things would go!¡±

    ¡°How things would go?¡± she laughed. ¡°What you see here are things that nobody would know. It would take a thousand years before you could understand these things. And this place is nothing but a horrid laboratory for failed mutants. I guarded this ship as it escaped. Did you saw those non-human remains down the hallways? Those are the Quietus¡¯s pets. Husks of monsters turned into cannon fodder for people like me to fight against them. And I am not letting you idiot¡¯s messed things here. You speak of four-legged dragons and griffons. I believe you but at the same it made me want to destroy this place even more. I cannot risk anyone making use of the things here. Human ingenuity has been one of our biggest strongpoints after all.¡±

    Archie made this miserable face. He looked at Zola in agony. ¡°So you are saying that all of this is for nothing? We came here to find something. Yet the people that I was with are now all dead. Do you really think that I could just return back and say that they all died and only I was left alive?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll let you carry that drone back with you. That¡¯s my thanks for waking me up. But beyond that, I won¡¯t just let anyone fool play with this lab.¡±

    Archie felt anger in his heart. But he calmed himself down. He looked at Zola with this disappointed look. ¡°So that¡¯s it then? Destroy this place and leave me nothing? Hah, what a big joke this is...all of this for nothing?¡±

    Zola folded her arms. She furrowed her brows and replied. ¡°You will get something,¡± she said softly. ¡°But I am sorry. I have to destroy this place. I cannot let the Quietus salvage this ship. Doing so would prove dangerous to this world.¡±

    Archie¡¯s face was pathetic. He clenched his fist tightly. He closes his eyes, opened it, asking softly. ¡°So is this Quietus thing you keep saying are dangerous? They followed you here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they are dangerous half-synthetic beings that will try to take these lands.¡±

    ¡°Why would they do that?¡±

    ¡°So they can survive. They are half alive after all. And I imagine them being pleased that they have come into this ripe cycle with untouched resources. I can imagine them taking this base. Making nasty bombs and wiping every threat that they could see. This era still has no way of fighting back. That thing you saw out there is made of titanium alloy. Now imagine the fiends I speak off as two-legged, seven-foot-tall creatures carrying far superior firearms, and imagine them attacking a city along with those things. Do you think any of you would survive? Even your gun there won¡¯t work.¡±

    ¡°I have no what you are saying,¡± said Archie truthfully. ¡°But you are saying that all of these wouldn¡¯t work?¡±

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    ¡°Yes. Unless you have something that can melt their metal instantly then you can¡¯t win. Not to mention that some of them have Psion-based abilities that could repel any lead-based bullets or hot plasma launchers. These things you call as bullets would be akin to throwing a pebble at a cliff and expecting that cliff to explode.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it.¡± Archie¡¯s eyes narrowed as he takes a step. Zola arrived at another metal box and ripped the metal wires inside. She took some of the unburned fuses from the box and pocketed it on her belt pockets. She closed the box forcefully, before continuing deeper inside the place. Archie followed timidly. ¡°So this is the right thing to do? Prevent them from taking this place? But is alright? No matter what, this place is yours.¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡± she laughed mockingly. ¡°Why would I want this dreadful place? Do you find yourself pleased in owning such metal tomb? I don¡¯t. I want this place to be gone.¡±

    ¡°You really hate this place.¡±

    ¡°I do. Those things you see back there are mutated freaks. They are poor bastards that were experimented here so they can fight the Quietus. If I had the choice I wouldn¡¯t want to be on this ship.¡±

    ¡°Ship, you¡¯ve been calling this place a ship.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a spacecraft laboratory that orbited around an asteroid. If what I am thinking is right then you are wrong. This is no boat but a vehicle that can traverse the stars.¡±

    Archie held his forehead, rubbing it as he tries to swallow all of the information that Zola has been speaking. ¡°First it was flying warships, second these dammed ruins and now ships that could traverse the stars. I think I am going to go crazy at this point.¡±

    ¡°Flying ships...are they powered by helium?¡±

    ¡°They are powered by this.¡± Archie opened his left palm and conjured fire. ¡°Runestones, they can produce fire this easily.¡±

    Zola looked at the red rune stone attached to Archie¡¯s gauntlets. She touched her chin saying, ¡°It naturally produces fire yet it doesn¡¯t burn you. Hmm, interesting, I would have loved to examine this but sadly I can¡¯t just take it from you now can I?¡±

    ¡°The Commander has something like this. You can take it and study it for yourself. They are rare after all.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Zola nodded her head. She looked down at a flight of steps, descending down and readying herself for anything. She looked at the dimly lit room. It was huge and in the middle, there was an automaton standing tall. Archie could not take his eyes off this machine. He walked unsteadily towards it while feeling amazed at it.

    ¡°This is...¡±

    ¡°A Mechanize armored suit huh?¡± Zola circled around the tall thing. She looked for something and when she found the button. She pressed it, making the hulking giant shrink into a bracelet that fit rightly on her wrist.

    ¡°I thought you are going to destroy everything?¡± asked Archie.

    ¡°Not everything. And this can still be used.¡±

    Zola did not explain any further. She continued on what she did and destroyed the fuse circuit boxes around the buried ruined ship. Like she said what she would, she destroyed anything that might prove useful. Archie could only witness her destruction of these things.

 Chapter 70

    Chapter 70 ¨C A request for the dead

    The entrance of the ruin was filled with the fallen. Those that came with Archie were lying on the ground. Their eyes staring emptily at the darkened sky, their mouth had a line of blood. The orb that caused their death floated before them. It stayed still as it is, hovering at one of the bodies. Its arms were opening the chest of one of the Templars. It was studying it as if it was used to it. Indeed, it was a medical drone used to help the scientific people of the lab. But without them the medical drone had nothing. It was its ode to the dead. It was merely a machine following pre-determined orders.

    Suddenly, the ground shook like an earthquake. The medical drone turned its robotic eye towards the front of the entrance. There, the drone saw Zola Dawn exit the ruins casually. Behind her was Archie who was sternly looking at the medical drone with hate in his eyes.

    The Medical drone turned to Zola. It extended its arms and tried to go into combat mode. But Zola¡¯s exoskeleton suit made a piston-like sound. She appeared before the Drone and with her gauntlet she pounded the robotic eye of the medical drone. The medical drone went into a frenzy. It switched to its sensor only for it to detect Psion traces around it. The medical drone tried to fight back but Zola easily disabled the medical drone with both of her hands acting like a hammer to an anvil.

    The Medical drone got neutralized. But before it died it sent three strings of words to another unit. It was an S.O.S alert that Zola would have caught if her Omi-Forge was fully functional. But it was impossible for her to detect it. The medical slowly lose all of its power. It was dead. Yet it sent a dangerous signal that might cause a disaster.

    Archie looked at the machine with frost in his eyes. But even though he got revenge on that thing, he felt rather empty. He stood there. Around him were the bodies of the Templars who had their chest dissected or caved in. Archie didn¡¯t know what the drone did but he knew that it defiled the dead. He could not stomach the scene before him.

    Meanwhile, Zola looked at the medical drone. She made use of her Omni-Forge tool to pry the metal plating of the drone opened. She took the memory chip of the drone and installed it inside her Omni-Forge. Her Omni-Forge wasn¡¯t that functional anymore but it could still act like her personal radar and PDA. There were various recordings inside the medical drone. If Zola wanted to know what happened. Scouring the memories of the medical drone unit was her best start. She was satisfied with it.

    Archie saw that she was busy. He looked at the bodies and searched their belongings. He found their tags that were hanging around their necks. He heard that the Templars had these tags. Since they are sent around everywhere dangerous and tags like these were vital for them. It helped in identifying their body.

    ¡°Dog tags huh?¡± said Zola. ¡°And they bear the cross on them. These are the Templars?¡±

    ¡®Yes, I believe we also drag the Commander just near the entrance. You saw their crest, you even took his runes. Why are you asking now?¡±

    ¡°Just making sure,¡± She looked at their dissected torsos. ¡°Looks like the drone studied them. It probably thought that they were different creatures that needed to be studied.¡±

    Archie stood up. He looked at her with a frown. ¡°Studied? You mean that it did all of this just so that it can study them?¡±

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    ¡°Yes,¡± Zola said aloofly. ¡°This thing¡¯s purpose is to heal and study. You guys had different DNA signatures so it might have thought that you guys were not human and mistook you for hostiles. And since it killed these people, it started to study them.¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t right at all,¡± Archie said in frustration. ¡°These things...they are evil.¡±

    ¡°Evil you say?¡± Zola raised a brow. ¡°Do you think that Doctors would know how to treat a body if they didn¡¯t know how it works?¡±

    Archie wanted to refute. But he could not find any word to say at all.

    ¡°Still, there should be a way to make it less bloody,¡± said Archie. ¡°No one should be defiled like this.¡±

    ¡°It is a machine. It doesn¡¯t know what humane is. It doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s good or evil. So don¡¯t be surprised that it did this.¡±

    Archie kept silent. He looked at the dead bodies before asking Zola. ¡°Can you help me move the bodies? I want to make sure that they are taken care off until the others arrived.¡±

    Zola raised a brow at that. She folded her arms and asked. ¡°Others will be coming here huh, how long until they arrive?¡±

    ¡°Probably five days from now by airship. I don¡¯t expect them to be happy at all of this. I am beginning to question if all of this was worth it in the first place.¡±

    Zola sighed. She looked at Archie aloofly. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll stay fresh. They¡¯ll rot and I am no embalmer. We¡¯ll attract animals or even worse, those dire monsters you speak off might come and take a bite of us.¡±

    ¡°You are strong, right? Just give me this. I don¡¯t care if you want to stay far when the corpse starts rotting. I just want to send them back home,¡± said Archie with his face crumbling. ¡°And I want to bury Cassia not here. But in Avilla where she belongs.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Zola had many objections to this. She thinks that they should be buried or burned already. But seeing Archie¡¯s face made her unable to speak those words. She remembered the time she had to leave her maimed comrades alive. She remembered how they all struggled to keep fighting. How they spoke of their dreams despite the despair around them. She had seen things that no normal would have seen. Archie¡¯s face was too familiar. And no matter how hardened she became while serving as a soldier for a galactic war. She did not have the heart to disrespect Archie¡¯s wishes. She did not have the cheek to ignore his request.

    So she only nodded silently. She helped Archie take the corpses back to the entrance. She helped him lay them on the ground. She then stayed away from the entrance of the ruins. Watching Archie¡¯s back as he guards the corpses. For five days she watched him. And when the airships arrived, she watched them take their dead without any disapproval. In order blend into this world and not get any attention. She dematerializes her exoskeleton suit back to her belt. She changed her outfit to resemble their way of clothing.

    She then bid her goodbye to Archie. She had little to no knowledge about this world. And she didn¡¯t have any obligations to follow Archie. So she left like the wind. Making Archie wonder what she would do or that if he¡¯ll be able to se her.

 Chapter 71

    Chapter 71 ¨C Bits of Troubles

    The river slowly flowed down in a serene manner. The fishes swam in groups. The pebbles and boulders would split the water into two channels. The river sparkled. It gave a feeling of calmness.

    Joshua stood near the banks of this river. His eyes followed the stream. He looked at the blue river as it serenely flows down to the right. He remembered. He remembered that he was still holding the rifle he got from Dan. Dan was in the logging camp. Like always, he was going there to help out and gather the wood needed for the crib that Dan wanted to make.

    ¡°My friend, you really like staring at things eh?¡± a voice said. Joshua turned to where the voice was. It was Silo who was accompanying him. He was helping him carry the wood for him. He was steps away from the river banks. He was pushing a wheelbarrow with him.

    ¡°It¡¯s a habit. I just like taking in the scenery before me. But I appreciate you calling me out on that, Silo.¡±

    ¡°No problem, my friend,¡± he patted his chest. ¡°As long as I am here, you shall be notified of the little things you do.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Joshua grinned. ¡°Then, I hope you pay me for all the lessons I gave you for free. Let¡¯s see, from how to bake the bread, from making the recipes your own, and then for bothering me. I guess I¡¯ll take an annoyance fee too.¡±

    ¡°An annoyance fee?¡± said Silo. ¡°I thought you enjoy my company?¡±

    ¡°Because I am annoyed by how dense you are. I pity Cyra.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Exactly, see?¡±

    Silo looked at Joshua with this dumb expression. The girl behind her, Cyra, looked at him as she wanted to give up. She had this wry smile as she tried to listen to Silo. Joshua has been observing the two. Cyra was a plain girl but she tries her best to be noticed. Silo was a dense bastard. He was a single-minded bastard that came to Edawick to serve as a baker. He and Joshua have been getting along. And ever since Joshua settled in Edawick, he has been hanging out with these two. He enjoys their company. They are good amiable people that Joshua likes.

    But everyone in Edawick was hospitable. Joshua wasn¡¯t some lazy bum. He helped around so the people accepted him. The kids were fond of Joshua for the new toys that he made for them. While the others like the bread that he makes. It wasn¡¯t much of an accomplishment. But it was enough for them to appreciate him. Joshua also tried to be amicable. He tried his best to be amicable so that he won¡¯t get berated.

    But sometimes he would wonder what would have happened if he didn¡¯t have these things. He was just some guy who paid attention to some niche things. All he had was the things he learned normally. He was not that foolish to think that just because he was lost in a foreign world. He would be able to save the world. He learned hard how being good bit him badly. If he doesn¡¯t learn then he knew that his life would be more miserable.

    The three continued their walk to the logging camp. Along the way, they met a few of the loggers returning back to Edawick with a cart. Once they arrived at the camp where the loggers were. Joshua greeted the head of the loggers and asked. ¡°Are there any injured? Got hurt?¡±

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    ¡°None aside from the usual splinters,¡± the head of the loggers said. ¡°But thanks for asking anyway lad.¡±

    ¡°I see. Well, Silo and Cyra are here. They should have the bread.¡±

    ¡°Bread again?¡± the head of the loggers snapped. ¡°And I am guessing that Silo made the bread again. So when will we get those ¡®waffles¡¯ of yours? They0 are delicious, especially the melted butter.¡±

    ¡°They take time to bake. I¡¯ll make one when I can, Sir¡±

    The head of the loggers patted his shoulder. ¡°Good lad, though why can¡¯t you teach Silo?¡±

    ¡°It was from my mother. I am rather fond of them.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Well, can¡¯t be helped then.¡±

    Joshua has taught Silo how to bake like modern times. But even so, he didn¡¯t teach him the recipe of his mother¡¯s waffles. Maybe it was selfishness or sentimentally, but he rather keep it to himself. It was the only thing that he had to remember his mother. He didn¡¯t have any way to return home. So eating the waffles was the only way for him to remember home. He would pretend as if it was his gentle mother serving a plate of waffles on the table. It was a sad thing to do. But after what happen in Avilla where his ¡®family¡¯ abandoned him. Joshua could only do this to soothe his heartaches.

    Joshua went around the camp. The loggers were cutting down trees. They would saw the lumber and drag them to the carts so they can be hauled back to the lumber mill in Edawick. He looked at the unlit campfire area. There, he saw Silo and Cyra distributing the bread. He looked for Dan and he saw him talking to a lumberjack. The lumberjack was strangely armed to the teeth.

    ¡°Aye, there were blood trails down the valley. Dire monsters, their lungs, their heart, their heads cut open. Something dissected them I tell you Dan, and it makes me worried that whatever thing is doing this. It might not stop at just monsters. The trail¡¯s getting closer to home.¡±

    ¡°What about the scouts?¡±

    ¡°No one heard from them six days after that huge tremor coming from the valley. I don¡¯t remember any volcanoes around the valley. So it might be just the regular earthquake, but I fear that it awoke something that should be sleeping.¡±

    Their talk was grim. Joshua tried to keep his steps quiet but he was noticed by the lumberjacks who then nodded at Dan, before leaving. Dan grabbed the sling of his rifle, he walked to Joshua.

    ¡°Heard all of that?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sounds grim.¡±

    Dan folded his arms. ¡°We¡¯ve never seen something like this. We thought it might be just the usual dire monsters. But this thing is far dangerous that it should be. It tore through those hard-scaled monsters that even we try to avoid.¡±

    ¡°I see. Are you planning to hunt whatever that thing is?¡± said Joshua.

    ¡°What choice do we have?¡± Dan gripped the sling of his rifle tightly. ¡°That thing¡¯s close to home. And I am not letting my family be in danger.¡±

    Dan said with an angry tone. He walked back to the camp. Joshua watched him go. He looked at the forest. ¡°I hope it isn¡¯t something terrible. Oh God, please don¡¯t let it be something.¡±

    Joshua prayed earnestly.

 Chapter 72

    Chapter 72 - The Eye of Trouble (1)

    There was silence in the town of Edawick. Three days after the talk. The man who was talking to Dan in that forest was found dead along with the scouts that tried to investigate the happenings around the area. The dead were laid in the park for the vigil. Men and women bowed their heads as they surround the coffins of the dead.

    ¡°And so may they return to the hands of the lord. Their hearts and souls may rest in heaven with peace.¡±

    A priest¡¯s litany was heard through the park. The families of the dead scouts sobbed quietly as they stare at their dead loved ones. Joshua looked at the coffins. There was a feeling of dread in him. He has seen the bodies when they were pulled by cart. He was carrying lumber from the logging camp when he saw their pitiful state. Their bodies were opened from chest to crotch. Their innards emptied. Their limbs were broken and their expression froze as if they died screaming at the mercy of the thing that killed them.

    Most of the people participating in this gloomy vigil had their fists clenched. Joshua, in a way, could only show sympathy at the dead. His eyes did not have the same venomous tone that everyone had. The vigil for the dead lasted about thirty minutes. They then took the dead to the cemetery where the family members cried for their dead in agony.

    Joshua carried five red flowers tied with a white string. Everyone carried these red flowers to symbolize that they want to get justice for the dead men. Joshua offered the five flowers to the caskets. He then bowed his head and went back to Dan¡¯s side. Dan gazed at the caskets with sad eyes. ¡°They were good honest men that only wanted to protect their town. They do not deserve this fate.¡±

    Joshua kept silent. He was unable to say anything.

    ¡°You know...I saw them holding their rifles. I saw that their fingers were on the trigger. They died fighting. But even so...this is just too sad. Even the dire monsters don¡¯t treat them like this. Their faces looked miserable. Their limbs were twisted as if the abomination that did it were playing with them. This isn¡¯t just right.¡±

    Joshua could hear a sob escape out of Dan¡¯s mouth. Dan looked down. He lowered his hat to cover his eyes. ¡°But...my heart tells me to get revenge for them.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s stopping you then?¡± asked Joshua with worry.

    ¡°Family,¡± said Dan bitterly. ¡°I have a wife and an unborn child. I am no longer the hot-blooded brat that lusts for fame and glory. These men were hardened soldiers. Soldiers that should have their rest in this town. But why does this has to happen? They should not have suffered like this. Damn it, I want to take revenge. But I know that I can¡¯t do it. I just can¡¯t and I hate it. Even she objects to it. She knows that I might do it. I want to, but I can¡¯t.¡±

    Joshua could not say anything to that. He stayed silent through the whole funeral and watched the grave keepers cover the caskets. Slowly, the rain bore down the tired town of Edawick. There was a patter on the tile roofs. Teapots swayed and hissed along with the cold wind. Those in the sidewalks looked on as the water puddle in the streets began to make them wonder if they could get home without their boots getting mud in them.

    Joshua walked through the puddle-filled streets of Edawick. There was no drainage system in the town so most of the water gathered in the streets and alleys. The rain was pouring hard unrelentingly but he ignored the rain. His cape was making sounds at it meets the heavy downpour. He looked around and there, he saw a friend of his sitting on a bench while staring at the sky. His hair was wet and his usual optimist smile was gone.

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    ¡°Hello, Joshua.¡±

    ¡°Silo, what are you doing?¡±

    He smiled tiredly. ¡°Same thing I want to ask you. Why are you strolling in the rain?¡±

    Joshua sat down on the bench. ¡°So why are you really here?¡±

    Silo¡¯s smile turned into a bitter frown. ¡°I actually know one of them. I won¡¯t mention his name. It hurts. But he was a good man, a good person who I met when I was just a brat working as some merchant¡¯s bootlicker, trying to get by. Things are hard out there in the road. You¡¯d worry about things and there are times you don¡¯t eat. That old man used to give me half of his bread. Heck, I¡¯d stupidly say to him that someday when I get rich. I¡¯ll let him drown in bread. Of course with how things are with the war. I¡¯d had to improvise and instead trained to become a baker. He used to eat my lame bread. He¡¯d do it with that wide grin. I, that man was like the father I never had. I thought that one day I¡¯d repay him for that kindness. I guess that isn¡¯t happening anymore.¡±

    It was hard to tell whether Silo was crying or not. The rain was pouring down hard. Maybe he sat here so that he won¡¯t be seen crying. Joshua thought.

    ¡°I guess you need to live on,¡± said Joshua.

    ¡°No.¡± Silo looked hatefully at the empty space. There were red veins in his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the hell tortured him, but I won¡¯t stand for it!¡± he pounded his knees. ¡°I can¡¯t forgive that abomination for what he has done to the old man!¡±

    There was hate. The bitter sadness overwhelmed him as if he lost all reason. The optimistic yet cheerful Silo was gone. What Joshua was talking too was nothing but a grieving young man who lost a father figure.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid,¡± said Joshua. ¡°You know how dangerous that thing. Even Dan doesn¡¯t dare to fight it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Silo said hatefully. ¡°I am joining the hunt for that thing.¡±

    Joshua¡¯s forehead crumpled. He thought of Cyra who was affectionate to Silo. He thought of Dan¡¯s bitter expression as he doesn¡¯t dare to fight the thing that killed the scouts.

    Joshua thinks that what Silo was thinking was foolish and going blind with hatred, not knowing anything other than to get some vengeance. It was stupid but not unreasonable. Joshua thought how he should persuade him out of this. But yet he can see that Silo was determined to fight. And he wasn¡¯t a bastard that lets his friends die. He knows that he has the ability to survive near-death situations. But he knew that Silo would be in danger.

    ¡°Damn it you stupid idiot,¡± Joshua clenched his fists. ¡°I¡¯ll try to help you so you won¡¯t die out there.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± said Silo. ¡°You have no reason to involve yourself here. I appreciate the thought, though,¡± Silo sternly said.

    ¡°I know basic first aid. If your ass gets handed to you then I might pull you there. Fuck, Cyra is going to worry herself to death with this stupidity of yours!¡±

    Silo wanted to say a lot of things hearing that. But knowing that Joshua was coming along, he can¡¯t help but said. ¡°Thank you, and I am sorry that I roped you in. You can still not go along.¡±

    ¡°And let you die? Fuck you...¡±

    Joshua said bitterly. He just couldn¡¯t help himself from helping a friend. He feels like a damn idiot.

 Chapter 73

    Chapter 73 ¨C The Eye of Trouble (2)

    Joshua told Dan and Nana his decision to help Silo in hunting down the thing that killed the scouts. Dan was not amused. Nana got angry at Joshua for his hot-headed decision.

    ¡°So you are risking your life just like that?¡± Nana said. ¡°What if you die? Look at you, you are still pale and your limping isn¡¯t gone!¡±

    ¡°I am sorry. But unless Silo backs out then I¡¯m going with him.¡±

    Dan shook his head. ¡°This is dangerous, Joshua. Nana¡¯s right. You¡¯re in no good shape to fight. What would you do if you encounter this thing that killed hardened soldiers?¡±

    ¡°I can dodge. I am very good at that.¡±

    Nana frowned at that reply. She said. ¡°Overconfidence kills! How about I tell Silo to stop this nonsense?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think he will listen,¡± Joshua replied with a frown. ¡°He is adamant in hunting down. He might look dumb and stupid but I think his former profession as caravan guard will help him. And I think the men going for the hunt will need a medic. I can treat wounds and they are going to go to the deep forests. I¡¯ve heard that there are many monsters there. I fear that they might need me.¡±

    ¡°Still, do you really know what you are staking in here?¡± Dan was irritated. ¡°Just because Silo is going there you are going too? I know that he is your friend but to go this far? Don¡¯t tell me you have fallen in love with him?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Joshua laughed a bit. ¡°It¡¯s just that there is this shy girl that probably wants him to stay alive. You know how I manage to survive a jump off a cliff. I have a knack for surviving near-death situations and if there is anyone that might pull Silo out of that hunt alive. Then it¡¯s going to be me.¡±

    ¡°You are making this hard!¡± Nana smashed her fists at the table. ¡°Look at you and your bravado! I¡¯ve seen foolish brats like you go out there and think they can make a difference! That ego of yours will kill you!?¡±

    ¡°Ego you say?¡± Joshua tilted his head. ¡°This is no ego. I am just stating the truth. I can do it not because of some baseless confidence. It¡¯s hard to explain but let us just say that I got a blessing.¡±

    ¡°A blessing?¡± exclaimed Dan. ¡°So you are going there because of this ¡®blessing¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I want to go.¡±

    ¡°Dan!¡± Nana shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t try to sound as if you are letting him!¡±

    Joshua looked at Nana with warm eyes. ¡°Miss Nana, Sir Dan, I thank you for worrying this much. But there is really no need to be this worried. It is not like I am your family?¡±

    When Joshua said that Dan and Nana looked at each other, Dan particularly looked mad as if he got insulted by Joshua¡¯s words.

    ¡°So that¡¯s it? Why do you care? Is it not like you are a family? So that¡¯s how it is? The past days your stay with us was nothing?¡±

    Miss Nana looked sad when Dan said that. Joshua felt guilty so he explained himself. ¡°Sir Dan. The reason why I jumped off the cliff is that I was taken as a slave. The people who I thought were ¡®family¡¯ after being with them for a few months threw me away when faced with a big choice. They treated me well. They acted nice at me well. But the moment that a heavy choice was weighed upon them. They did not even try to speak up. It was then that I realize that I failed to connect with them. I did not make an impact on them. I was na?ve to think that they would abandon the safety of their niece or sister over me, a complete stranger that they did not know for years. I deluded myself that maybe they treat me as a family. But they did not. I misunderstood badly how slow trust can be build up. I didn¡¯t touch their heart. Heck, even a righteous stranger stood up for me and let himself be beaten. Yet the people that I thought I bonded with did not do anything for me. I may have offended you by saying that why should you care when I am not your family. But Sir Dan, would you risk the safety of Miss Nana over me?¡±

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    Dan twitched at Joshua¡¯s question. He looked down and answered. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I can do that. You are right.¡±

    ¡°I know. I can understand why they did that. Trust isn¡¯t easily acquired. It needs to be built up and a single sentence could crumble a year¡¯s worth of trust. The people that I was with had priorities. This werecat woman that I was with hated humans for what they¡¯ve done to her. She said it to me straight but I was foolish to think that she would stand up for me. She trusted me a bit but it was not enough to make her risk her little sister. The other one was a proud warrior that lost his purpose. He was lost wanderer that wanted to find something to fight for. And I know he was fulfilling his promise. He knew the niece that he had was in trouble. Comparing his niece, who carries a weight that I could never bear on my shoulder, to me is an insult. There was a big stake and I could tell from his blood-soaked palms that he had to make a choice. I can understand that but it hurts. I am sorry for what I said to you two. You are good people. But even so...I had to this.¡±

    Dan and Nana felt like Joshua was in pain. His words to them felt like if he was convincing himself that they did nothing wrong. It was as if he was trying to make it sound that they did not have a choice. They have the choice. They could have done something but they did not have trust or that deep bond that would make those that abandoned him stand up for him. So for Dan and Nana, it felt like he was deluding himself. They find it saddening.

    Joshua could see the look of pity on their faces, he sighed, he said. ¡°So that¡¯s my reason. But even though I was rather rude just now, I hope that if I come back. You won¡¯t treat me badly ha ha ha,¡± A rather hollow laugh escape from Joshua.

    Dan felt angry and pity at the same time. ¡°Fine, go ahead. You still owe for saving you. So return back so you can build that crib.¡±

    Joshua smiled. ¡°Thank you, Dan, for your understanding. And I am sorry Miss Nana for being rude.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Nana said.

    Joshua then turns towards the door, carrying a bag he bought from the markets. Dan looked at Joshua¡¯s back. He said. ¡°Joshua...¡±

    Joshua halted his steps. He turned around and looked Dan in the eye. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t assume that people are the same. I can tell that those people who abandoned you had to make choices. I can probably do the same if it comes to it. But remember that even though this world is filled with things like that. Not everything has to be cynical. That¡¯s all. Come back to us, and maybe you¡¯d start to listen to us older people.¡±

    ¡°I see. See you later Sir Dan and Miss Nana. I hope that I can build that crib for your baby.¡±

    Joshua left with this sad smile. Dan felt that Joshua''s back was rather weary. It was the back of a soft-hearted lad who could not abandon a friend. He had the means to protect his friend. And he is exercising it. Yet he has hurt already. Yet despite that, he follows his soft heart.

    He knows that trust cannot be easily earned. It cannot be given lightly just because of a few exchanges of words. Joshua had learn that well yet he still goes and follow what his heart told him to do.

 Chapter 74

    Chapter 74 ¨C The Eye of Trouble (3)

    Joshua walked to where the hunting party was. There, the armed hunters loaded their luggage into this mount that had the look of a Komodo dragon. There was a large carriage compartment on this mount. It was enough to carry the luggage and twenty armed to the teeth men.

    Joshua approached near the mount. He saw that Silo was there. He was wearing a simple tunic with a cape and across his back was a rifle. Around his belt were pouches that Joshua assumed to be where his ammunitions are. Silo raised his head and caught sight of Joshua.

    ¡°You look like you coming with us,¡± He looked at Joshua¡¯s appearance. ¡°And you only have that rifle and pistol on you? What¡¯s in the bag behind your back?¡±

    Joshua lowered his sight to his waist. ¡°Medicine, food, and ammunition ¨C pretty much the things that we should have in this hunt, can¡¯t be too careful and I think I am still lacking a lot.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s in the canteen?¡± Silo asked.

    ¡°I brought Lemon and milk.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I said Lemon and Milk, what¡¯s wrong them?¡±

    Silo was confused. He was baffled at what the hell Joshua was bringing.

    ¡°What about water?¡±

    ¡°I have one.¡±

    Silo wanted to say more. But Joshua looked like he wouldn¡¯t give reasonable answers. So Silo just shrugged it off. He sat on the ground, his hands resting on his knees. Joshua wasn¡¯t fond of standing around so he just sat there too. The two watched the men of the hunting party load the baggage. After they were done, they got told to stand up and listen to the leader of the hunt named Kars.

    Kars looked at the men going with him. Particularly, he felt like it was not enough. But with how dangerous the thing they are hunting. He knows that they should have more people. But most of those who had seen the corpses of the dead could not muster the courage to hunt the things. Kars appreciated the people that came here. In the moment, the town was in danger. And brave men are needed at times like these.

    ¡°Thank you all for coming here,¡± said Kars. ¡°Right now this town needs your help. There is an abomination lurking out there. We don¡¯t know what is it or where it is. All we know that we should follow the trail of dead bodies that the abomination should have left for us. The rain must have wiped the blood, but the corpses should be there.¡±

    Kars put his hands behind his back, walking from left to right.

    ¡°So I ask all of you to peel your eyes open. Make sure that you report any carcass you see. Men...¡± Kars face looked grim. ¡°The creature we are hunting could tear through the hardest dire monster scale and fur. We don¡¯t how it does that but that only proves that we must be careful. I know that many of you want revenge. But I implore you all to keep in mind the people that are going with you. Fortune favors the bold, but too much boldness might lead to our deaths. That¡¯s all.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Kars finished talking. He went to the others talked in a group. Silo heaved a sigh, he caressed his rifle. Joshua brought his hands together. He looked in front of him and saw someone familiar walking with worry on her face. Seeing this person, Joshua poked Silo¡¯s sides. Silo reacted by giving Joshua a glare. He wanted to say something but he heard.

    ¡°Silo, tell me! What are you doing!?¡±

    ¡°Cyra?¡± he looked at her. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    She stomped her right foot. ¡°You know what I am talking about! I¡¯ve heard that you and Joshua are going to hunt that thing! Please don¡¯t go! You¡¯ll be killed!¡±

    Silo looked serious. ¡°I can¡¯t do what you ask. I need to find that thing. I need to take revenge for what it did to my old man!¡±

    ¡°What if you die? Do you really think it would be what your old man wants!? Please stop this nonsense of yours!¡±

    Silo¡¯s face turned beet in anger. ¡°Nonsense you say? My old man due to that abomination and you say that me taking the matter with my own hand is ¡®nonsense¡¯!?!¡± he glared at her angrily. ¡°How dare you! How can you know when you don¡¯t know the feeling of seeing the father you respect gutted like some animal!¡±

    Cyra stumbled back. She fumbles about on what to say but she gathered her courage and faced Silo¡¯s angered face. There were tears running down her cheeks. ¡°I don¡¯t know about it! I just don¡¯t want you to die, why can¡¯t you see that, you dense idiot!¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t know anything about it then shut up! You¡¯ll never understand it!¡±

    Their argument was getting heated. Joshua folded his arms and watched them, thinking if he should intervene. But like those around him. They decided to stay out. They know that this was a good yet at the same time bad thing for the two.

    ¡°Please listen to yourself! Why can¡¯t you let the others do it, why do you need to risk your life!?¡±

    ¡°Because I need to see whatever that tortured my old man suffer! Like I said why do you care at all damn it! You always look me with pity! Always teasing me and putting me down! So why in the heavens would you care now!?¡±

    Silo had this look of fury. Joshua felt like he really needed to calm the situation. But what happened next made every hunter in the team widen their eyes and grin.

    A huge slap in the face followed by Cyra grabbing Silo¡¯s head. Her lips intertwined with his. Silo looked shocked. He took a step back and wanted to say something but he got pulled yet again into another kiss. Joshua looked at the two while sighing. He said. ¡°Finally, you dense fuck.¡±

    ¡°Do you get it now?¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°Do you get it now?¡±

    Silo took a deep breath.

    ¡°I think so. But I still cannot stay. I just can¡¯t. I am sorry.¡±

    Cyra looked at him with her face in anguish. She bit her lip. She then turned to Joshua who was silently standing there with his arms folded.

    ¡°Please take care of him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I am here for.¡±

    Cyra nodded her head. She looked back at Silo.

    ¡°Please stay alive.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    Then, they just ended their conversation. She walked away with tears on cheeks. Silo, who just learned something sat dazedly, trying to collect his thoughts.

 Chapter 75

    Chapter 75 ¨C The Eye of Trouble (4)

    The Komodo dragon hauled the hunters down this slant road. It hissed and took careful steps. The rider of the Komodo dragon mount had his eyes focus on the road. He was holding onto thick reins that seemed to have been pierced under the mount¡¯s jaws. Grumbling while at it.

    The hunters on the mount were talking. Joshua was among them. He was seated next to Silo who has been contemplating about what the hell just happened back then. Joshua had many questions about this mission. One, in particular, is why there was no one calling help from the surrounding Warlords. He did not find any answers to his own so he turned to Silo.

    ¡°What do you mean get help from an army?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, if this thing is really troublesome then shouldn¡¯t we get help from a Warlord?¡±

    ¡°And get the town annexed by them? Joshua, where have you been? This is the Freelands. A once barbaric frontier where the dire monsters are plenty, and where each City and Town looks after their selves, trying to somehow turn into a habitable and civilized area.¡±

    ¡°Huh? But Avilla City was helped by Holy Midland Templars.¡±

    Joshua got confused on what Silo was saying.

    Ah,¡± Silo gave this look of disdain, ¡°you mean those Imperialistic bastards? Joshua, those Templar bastards would annex the Freelands whole if they weren¡¯t in a war against the Bali and the Cagan. They want this land but at the moment they can¡¯t stretch their army thin. The Freelands is a ragtag land where Warlords are selfish and weak. They are only ¡®Warlords¡¯ in name but to the Templars, they are nothing small-time dictators that they can look down upon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s doesn¡¯t make sense. I thought they were honorable? Why would they look down on the Warlords?¡±

    Silo made this grumpy face. ¡°Like I said, the Templars think of the Freelands as a barbaric frontier reaped with untapped resources. Have you been to their homeland? Their roads are paved in stone. Their cities are made of cobblestone and marble. They have tall buildings as high as towers. And I believe that in the Midland. Motor Cars have been popularized. You¡¯d see two-wheeled vehicles roaming around and they have this lamp that is powered by what they call as electricity.¡±

    ¡°What? Are they that advanced?

    ¡°Yeah, people their wear suits and dress. Even their citizens wear good clothing. So imagine them looking at the Freelands. They think that we are savages, and they have the power and influence to do so. Heck, they practically own the Freelands.¡±

    ¡°Is that really it?¡± asked Joshua.

    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± Silo spread his hands. ¡°We are free in name only. But unless the Warlords of the Freelands unite, then we might as well give the Freelands to the Templars. Those Imperialistic bastards like to intervene in the Freelands for their own interest. Heck, I believe that they have allied with a few Warlords who support them.¡±

    ¡°So you are saying that.¡±

    ¡°The Warlords have two choices. They either cooperate with the Templars or they¡¯ll get annexed. Do you know that a few hundred miles from here there was a city? That City was interconnected with Avilla but when that City refused to cooperate with the Templars. Saboteurs appeared. Rebel groups and people who suddenly hated the Warlord of that City appeared. It was chaos and at the end, the Warlord was burned on a cross.¡±

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    Joshua felt complicated hearing all of this. He said. ¡°And here I thought they are at least a bit honorable.¡±

    ¡°Honorable?¡± Silo sneered. ¡°They are a zealous and fanatical bunch. They have good soldiers and there are Legions of them that will fulfill their promise. Honestly, the problem isn¡¯t with them, but their politicians who had the interest of their own country in their heads. The Templars are God-fearing individuals but sadly they have this attitude of looking down at others. Heck, I heard that recently they made Avilla theirs now.¡±

    ¡®What?¡± Joshua exclaimed. ¡°They captured the city?¡±

    ¡°No, it is more like the Warlord there showed weakness and allowed the Templars to take control of the city¡¯s problems. The Templars now own the trade union of the City. Avilla is a good trading route. Their roads lead to the other Cities and towns. So it obvious enough that they would do something like that. Not to mention that Warlord just lost half of her army to defend against the enemy. Now she owes The Templars and the Alva¡¯s. And if anything, it is stupid to owe the Alva¡¯s.¡±

    Joshua frowned. ¡°No wonder you call them Imperialistic.¡±

    ¡°The Holy Midland just wants an Empire,¡± said Silo with disdain. ¡°They¡¯ll do anything to have a slight control of the Freelands. And with the Alva¡¯s helping them, it seems like they manage to control a weak warlord in abiding by their wishes. I do not fault the Warlord of Avilla. But the moment she let the Templars inside her city. And foolishly thought they will help in goodwill. Then she¡¯s an idiot. And she was doing so well. What a stroke of bad luck.¡±

    Joshua folded his arms. ¡°What about her councilors?¡±

    ¡°Oh, well I heard that she has a Lord Enforcer. But the Lord Enforcer she had by her side was nothing but a warrior. He was no politician and he probably wasn¡¯t able to see through the Templar¡¯s slimy hearts. But anyway, don¡¯t expect that we get help from the other Warlords around this part of the Freelands. Not with the Templars making their moves.¡±

    Joshua said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense. Why would the Warlords not worry about the Templars? Letting foreigners intervene in their own land.¡±

    ¡°Have you been listening, Joshua?¡± Silo gave this irritated look. ¡°The Templars are a faction you don¡¯t want to fight with. They are prideful, honorable and horribly fanatical. They fulfill their oaths but other than that their leaders are slimy bastards with dreams of Imperialism and annexation. Indeed, there might be people who will try to make them leave. But I doubt that they do well. I heard that the Templars that have subdued Avilla are the Thorn Cross Legion. Those Templars have dragon artillery and griffons. A typical warlord state won¡¯t stand chance against the bastards.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Sounds like we really are just alone in this huh?¡±

    ¡°Yep, sadly, and I rather not have Edawick fall to the Templars. It is better for our town to stay being a hidden rural town rather than have them interfere in our affairs. They¡¯ll leave us alone as long as we trade with them and work with them. But we shouldn¡¯t let them think of us as weak. Or else they¡¯ll coil around us. The Templars like others to believe that they are allies. But in reality, they only think of their own interests. We are not their equal.¡±

    Silo said sternly. Joshua nodded his head and kept silent in thought. Then, their travel continued on as the mount they are riding entered the deep forests.

    There was no help coming for them.

 Chapter 76

    Chapter 76 ¨C The Eye of Trouble (5)

    The plateau was located in a rather high vantage point. The mountains outlines could be seen past this green forest that stretches for miles. There were clouds just above and the hunters who urge their mount to climb this place looked at them using binoculars. It was rather windy up the plateau. Joshua stood near the edges despite that. He was looking at the winding river that connects to this rigid valley.

    ¡°This is quite a sight isn¡¯t it?¡± said Silo who stiffly walked near Joshua.

    ¡°Afraid of heights?¡± asked Joshua.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Silo shook his head. ¡°Just a bit chilly here. And that you know plunging down this height might cause your body to splatter.¡±

    ¡°So you are afraid of the heights, got it.¡±

    Silo was displeased by that. He looked at Joshua with this big frown. ¡°If that¡¯s what you think.¡±

    ¡°Right...So why are we here in this place, Silo?¡±

    ¡°We need to set up camp here. Down there below the forest is too dangerous. Dire animals and dire monsters might attack us. In here would see anything a mile away. And look at that.¡±

    Silo pointed to a direction. Joshua lowered his eyes and he could see a piece of land dyed in blood. It was far away from him but the color of red made Joshua know that there was a massacre that happened there.

    ¡°Are those beasts?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a tower of dead carcasses. Want to take a look?¡±

    Joshua nodded. He took the binoculars from Silo¡¯s hand and pointed it to where the red land was. There, he saw the corpses of dire monsters piled up into a tower. Their stomachs slit open. Their organs were castrated and dissected. Eyeballs, livers, kidneys and all sorts were littered and torn in the ground. It was a horrible sight of animals swimming in their own pool of blood.

    It disturbed Joshua enough to pull his eyes away from it. ¡°Horrible.¡±

    ¡°It sure is. But you can see that?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Take a look again.¡±

    Joshua pointed the binoculars back to the tower of corpses. ¡°So what do you want me to see?¡±

    ¡°Look at their wounds.¡±

    Joshua squinted and observed the open wounds of the corpses. He noticed that the wounds of the corpses were cauterized. As if it was burned by something enough to seal the wounds.

    ¡°Hey Silo. Are there dire monsters that can spit lasers here?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s a laser?¡±

    ¡°Oh right, I mean fire? Are there any monsters here that can spit fire?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Most of the wyverns and land dragons here have been hunted to death. So why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Their stomachs are burned by something. They got cauterized. Now that I am seeing all of this, it looks like the work of something that really wants to study the innards of these creatures. Are we sure that they aren¡¯t humans? Are there any tribes that are obsessed with body research here? As far as I can see, they don¡¯t seem to have eaten these corpses.¡±

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    ¡°No idea what you are saying here, but I am guessing that whatever creature that did was sadistic enough to do this. Anyway, we should just focus on finding it and learn some way to kill it miserably.¡±

    Joshua did not like that. Things like this were worrying enough. Joshua could not accept that simple reasoning. Find it then learn some way to kill it miserably? Joshua thinks that¡¯s stupid. The fact that the enemy they were facing could make a tower of corpses was worrying enough. But they are blinded by vengeance that Joshua could not help but worry.

    The hunters loaded the entire with tents. The hunters readied their rifles and made sure that their bombs were ready. The camp did not have any sort of cheery mood. Most of the people had grim faces. Silo and Joshua were quite aloof. They weren¡¯t cheery for any reason.

    Most of the people here wanted things to be done. Kars, the leader of this hunting team was angry enough. But he didn¡¯t let people make a stupid mistake. He understands that their enemy was something strong. If it wasn¡¯t strong then it wouldn¡¯t have easily killed those hardened scouts. So Kars made everyone prepare. There was no happy drinking or chatting. The Camp was rather tense and stiff. Most of the hunters were focused on making sure that they were armed and ready.

    Joshua also readied himself. Unlike the stronghold, Joshua did not have access to potent materials. He had only a few items in him. But it was enough for him to make smoke bombs and Thermite bombs that might help in the hunt. He got the ingredients from the smiths of the town. As for the other ingredients he bought from traveling peddlers who visited the town.

    But even with the rifle, pistol and the bombs at his disposal. Joshua doesn¡¯t think that everything will go well. The thought of the tower of corpses made Joshua worried. Those things he saw were scary enough. They were dead and mutilated but their appearance was something Joshua could not imagine facing. Whatever that thing that killed those dire monsters, it was strong enough to mutilate and dissect them thoroughly.

    So Joshua was worried that they might not truly be enough. But even so, Joshua wasn¡¯t here to take revenge. He wasn¡¯t here to slay some evil monster. He was here to protect a friend he recently made. He doesn¡¯t know what he was thinking coming here. Maybe he was just a soft-hearted fellow. Maybe he was an idiot. But all in all, he came here because his heart told him: ¡°Go and protect your new friend.¡±

    Normally, one would think how stupid it is to do that. It is their life. Why should Joshua care about he spend it? But the thing was that Joshua wanted to believe that maybe he can help this friend out. He wanted to give this foolish friend of his protection. Maybe he¡¯s only the one that thinks this way. But why does it matter? He was already here facing this danger he doesn¡¯t know off.

    So he doesn¡¯t want to falter and give in to fear. He wanted to be stoic about it and make it through this trouble.

 Chapter 77

    Chapter 77 ¨C The Eye of Trouble (6)

    Lightly, the rain poured down this fern-ridden area. The rainwater glazes the leaves. Each droplet traced the patterns in each one of them and making them shine as it falls down the ground with a patter. He could smell the wet ground and the water rising above. He could hear the sound of his cape meeting the rainwater.

    Joshua was holding his rifle tightly. He was hiding in this tall bush with his eyes squinted. In front of him were hunters hunkered down as well. Their eyes focused on the bloody piece of land. If it wasn¡¯t for the rain, they would have smelled the blood coming from that place.

    ¡°Bloody hell, another land filled with corpses?¡±

    ¡°Kars, what should we do?¡±

    ¡°Silence, just hunker down in silence. The blood¡¯s fresh, so hunker down silently until I say otherwise.¡±

    The Hunters nodded their heads. They kept their body down as they stare at the pile of freshly tattered corpses. Joshua did not move an inch like them. He was stiffed and his right foot was hurting. It was bothering really. Despite wanting to help, it seems like his right foot would falter his will down.

    Silo could see Joshua struggling to hunker down. He approached him quietly while stilling keep his body low. He crouched near him, saying. ¡°You okay?¡±

    ¡®I am. Right foot¡¯s hurting but I can manage.¡±

    ¡°Your right hand is shaking too.¡±

    ¡°It does?¡±

    He looked at his right hand. It was indeed shivering

    ¡°Damn, it really is shaking isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Did you take those painkillers?¡±

    ¡°Nope, I think I should save them. I¡¯ll manage I think.¡±

    Silo looked at Joshua as if he wanted to tell him otherwise. But Silo instead nodded his head and keeps his body near the bushes.

    Kars and the others were gazing at the pile of bodies. There was a hunter clinging to a tree. He was using the binoculars to survey the fresh pile of bodies in front of them. He was covered in rain gear. His hooded cape made him blend.

    The hunter scanned the area. Raising his left hand, he pointed in one direction, making Kars and the others move to where the hunter was telling them to go. Kars and the others were used to this. They were able to silently traverse the bushes silently without making a sound. The rain was giving them cove so it was like there was no one moving. The hunter above then turned to Joshua and the others. He directed them to a position, which Joshua and others moved too.

    Kars and others were near the place. They could smell the nose stunting corpses. They were mutilated and skinned to such degree that if it wasn¡¯t for their shapes. Kars and the others wouldn¡¯t have known what the corpses are. Their miserable appearance was quite shocking. Kars has seen these beasts roam around the lands. Their might was tales for the young children¡¯s of any settlement. But yet here they are reduced to tattered and torn sacks of meats.

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    A hunter stood up while leaning his rifle on his shoulder. He walked to one of the corpses with a ghastly face.

    ¡°This no joke at all Kars, this thing¡¯s a spike hog! And a big one that is!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Kars shouted. He ran towards the corpse and there he made a horrified expression. Joshua stood up and abandoned cover like the rest of them. The area was clear and the hunter was giving them a go to take a look.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± asked Joshua.

    ¡°It¡¯s a dire monster that belongs to the ¡®Don¡¯t fuck with it without cannon¡¯ class. You see those giant spikes near that bloody corpse?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Joshua glanced at the spear-length spike of the hog.

    ¡°Those things can punch through ten-centimeter metal plates likes nothing. When firearms weren¡¯t invented it would take an entire elite battalion of hunters just to take one down. They have thick hides and are fast. They can roll like boulders and break any wall with those giant spikes. But look at this monster. Cut to pieces, lacerated, battered and torn. There are long cuts on its pelvis area and it looks like the poor thing got its spike torn pluck off one by one. Good God, what kind of monster does this? Are we even facing a monster here?¡±

    There was a trace of fear on everyone¡¯s faces. Joshua looked at that mutilated spike hog. He was feeling anxious even more now that he has seen such dangerous monster fall prey this easily. What¡¯s worse was that when the hunting team inspected the other corpses. They found a dangerous monster that was far dangerous than the spike hogs.

    It made the hunting team even more afraid of whatever. There was nothing they could for the dead monsters. So the hunting team decided to trek back to the plateau where they gathered around the campfire and started to discuss what to do. Can they even find the thing? And even if they do find the thing, can they defeat it with their flimsy and meager flint-flick rifles?

    The Hunting team knows that whatever killed the spike hog and the other dangerous monsters. It was dangerous and that there was a big chance that they are just heading to their own deaths. Kars was starting to understand this. But even so, he urged everyone to still push through this mission. Even if they don¡¯t kill the thing they are looking for. They at least need to know whatever the thing was. Kars didn¡¯t want to go back without taking revenge. Silo shares the same feeling but seeing the monsters dead like that. He can¡¯t help but wonder if this was all indeed suicidal.

    Joshua could tell that the bits of enthusiasm that everyone had the moment they saw those dead monsters were gone. All of them now were looking like they were afraid. It was as if the reality of whatever their fighting was and how dangerous it was finally starting to kick in their heads. Like a bucket of cold water over their heads. The hunters realized that the enemy they are facing might be too much for them.

    But even with that. They must at least know what the thing was. They need to soldier on and find out! They would go out there and search for the damn thing.

    And that was their biggest mistake.

 Chapter 78

    Chapter 78 ¨C The Eye of Trouble (7)

    The more the hunting team ventures on this forest. The more they feel the dread of this thing that they are chasing. Joshua followed them through thick forests and areas bustling with wildlife. There were animals that were alive. But most of the ones they saw were feasting like hyena¡¯s on the corpses of the dead.

    In a particular clearing, Joshua saw a cub getting its head torn off by a panther-looking animal with a curved horn on its forehead. The hunters didn¡¯t want to waste their energy in hunting the monster down so they just let it get away without firing a bullet at it.

    The hunting team got lethargic. The stress of not knowing the enemy or whatever it was and the fact that all the enemies of the thing they encountered were laying dead made the hunting team feel like they are facing a dragon with flimsy weapons. It didn¡¯t help that the weather was worst. At night they couldn¡¯t make a fire and they had to do with the tin can they brought. It was cold and humid. Their food was unheated and they had to be careful about their surrounding as if they were being stalked.

    In the evening they are easily awakened by crunching twigs or the rustling of leaves. The rain pouring down their heads, and the cold wind coming from the mountains made it worst.

    This continued for a week. The hunting team was weary and battered by the forest¡¯s weather. The morale was also getting lower each day.

    Every day they witnessed carcasses of the dead, yet they found no sign of the thing that they are hunting for. All they get were dead and more traces of massacre.

    Joshua was tired as well. He was getting no proper sleep. He was getting sick from all the cold. His limping wasn¡¯t going well. There are times his injuries would hurt. The wrist and foot he broke were hurting. He didn¡¯t know why it was hurting. But he can at least tell that his living conditions weren¡¯t helping him. To Joshua, this chase seems like a fruitless hunt for something that they don¡¯t even if they can beat.

    Joshua could tell that whatever it was they are chasing. It was dangerous. It could tear through them and kill them like nothing. The whole group has acknowledged this and they know that fighting it isn¡¯t a viable option. The hunters were vengeance filled. But they were not stupid people. They can see that they will not stand a chance just by the trail of corpses the thing leaves behind.

    They only wanted to see what the enemy was. They want to know what it was and study it. To fight an enemy they must first know it. If it was dangerous then they only had to find a way to deal with it. But that was thinking with optimism. And that optimism was draining as a sleepless day passes.

    ...

    The boulder was covered in moss. There were to gray tree that stood in front of this boulder. Ferns and wild grass grew beneath the boulder. There was a smell of gravel around. The patter of rain dropping down, as it slid down the boulder making path. Joshua stood near the boulder, observing its mossy appearance.

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    The rest of the hunters investigated the other side of the boulder. Where a tall and lean giant of yellow-brown skin laid beheaded, planted, its head smashed on the rocks. Its head was still connected to its own spine. The hunter¡¯s had this grim look on their faces as they gaze upon this monster.

    ¡°A high ogre with a blessing...it died this miserably?¡± Kars said.

    ¡°Yes. Damn it, how can we fucking against a thing that made a joke out of a high ogre?¡±

    High ogres are wayfaring creatures that pilgrimage around the world to seek spiritual guidance. Unlike their lower ogre brethren, the High Ogres have no concern other than their own homes. They do not kill. They do not steal. They are considered reasonable beings that trade with humans. And they are blood strong, enough to match a dragon in raw strength.

    ¡°Look at it Kars,¡± one of the hunters said. ¡°The Hogre has the blessing of its War God yet it loses this badly. Godgre¡¯s blessing isn¡¯t something to scoff at. Back in the Midland wars, we saw this kind of Hogre fighting the Werelion Clan to stand a still. It didn¡¯t die despite being struck hard by cannons and artillery. Yet it died this horrifically? Look! There is even a gleam in its eyes. That is enough to tell me that the thing died without any resistance at all.¡±

    ¡°What kind of monster are we truly facing here?¡±Kars lowered his rifle. His head bowed.

    Everyone¡¯s got even more down. The gloom aura surrounding them increased. Joshua glances at the splattered head of the Hogre. It was not surprising anymore. He has seen many kinds of beast. To him, this beast was just another one. Initially, he was surprised but now he was feeling apathetic to it. In fact, he thinks that maybe this will scare the hunters into backing down and retreating. Maybe he will get out of this bug infested forest and get some good rest in a satin bed.

    Of course, life wasn¡¯t that easy. The constant movement of the hunters and their roaming around the forest caught the attention of something. That something was curious at the various movements it has detected. It was trying to get more samples from its dead owners but unfortunately, the hunters caught its attention.

    So when Joshua was about to take a rest on one of the mossy boulders. He caught sight of an eight feet giant splitting the trees. His eyes widened. His limbs stiffened as he sees this bloody body with a metal orb of a head appearing out of the forest. The giant caused tremor. It approached the hunters with a few quick steps.

    The hunters stumbled back in fear. Their jaws chattered. They felt despair as the eight feet giant released a bloody aura belonging to a war god. It then released this blue light that scanned them from head to toe. Joshua saw its eyes flickered blue and red. But the moment it turned red. The combat drone that was using the body of the ogre suddenly extended its sub-arms.

    Then, time slowed down as Joshua floating words appeared before him.

 Chapter 79

    Chapter 79 ¨C The Eye of Trouble (8)

    It was a foolish action. Joshua thought. There was nothing that they could ever do to the despairing abomination in front of them. It was clear to Joshua. It was clear to him how half of the men that he was with during the past days had their bodies hit by a burning hot laser. He saw Kars left arm get amputated. He saw the hunter with the hooded cape get killed by a precise shot at the heart.

    Joshua saw clearly how Silo got his right foot cut and cauterized. If it wasn¡¯t for the floating words that were helping him, Joshua wouldn¡¯t have seen the laser coming to his neck. He tilted his head to the right. But the laser burned the left side of his neck. It felt like his skin was boiling. That hit alone made his vision perceive red veins.

    He didn¡¯t bleed. His wound was cauterized by that single shot. But the pain was there. Even the downpour of rain didn¡¯t help. Joshua kneeled on the spot. He stared at the giant that grabbed another hunter. Using its sub-arms, the combat drone opened the hunter¡¯s stomach. It scanned the body and the familiar language made Joshua shiver.

    ¡°Biometric scans suggest lower life form. Lacking any of the codex required vaccines. Counting...Scan Complete...The subject lacks 50 compulsory vaccines and thus violates Codex Law. Termination is a must.¡±

    With that mechanical voice, the combat drone terminated the hunter. It used of its sub-arms to completely reduce the hunter into ashes. That scene alone made the hunters start to run. Kars stood up and tried to run. He dragged Silo while shouting at the dumbfounded Joshua to move.

    The combat drone that was using the body of the High Ogre turned towards Joshua. It shines a blue light at Joshua and went to scan him from head to toe. There was a blinking of red and blue.

    ¡°Scanning...Subject has been vaccinated and meets the minimal requirements of the Codex Law...Error...The subject has been exposed to the current planet¡¯s mutations. The unit detects unknown energy. Scanning energy...Error...Record not found...Rerouting database...Error...Databanks unavailable. Unit shall now proceed with an individual scan...Error...The unit has sustained damage against a Xeno species. Rerouting....Error...Computing power limited...Executing partition law. Judging...Complete...The threat must be neutralized to prevent Quietus acquisition.¡±

    There was no need to talk about the obvious. Hearing that made Joshua sprint away from the combat drone possessing the Hogre, he did this mad dash as the enemy behind him points its barrels at Joshua. The barrels fired lasers. Time slowed down for Joshua as he dived to roll. He rolled sideways before pushing himself back up.

    ¡°To the forest Joshua, run to the forest damn it!¡±

    Kars shouted while dragging the screaming Silos. Joshua ran towards them while trying to avoid the burning hot lasers of the abomination. It would be faster to leave Silo behind. Joshua thought of that. Kars also thought of that. But the two did not give in to that thought. They dragged Silo away while keeping their legs moving.

    ...

    The enemy was relentless. It didn¡¯t give them a quarter as it mowed down the trees blocking its path. Kars and Joshua were panting heavily. Silo was being dragged by them and he was a burden.

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    They were relying on the obstacles to evade the enemy. But that tactic was slowly losing its effectiveness. The Combat drone was not stupid. Noticing the patterns it adjusted its strategy and proceeded to cut the obstacles using its laser armaments. This allowed the Combat drone to move forward faster.

    Silo who was still in panic screamed louder. Joshua turned his head back. Seeing this abomination coming at them like a rushing bull, Joshua removed all of Silo¡¯s bandoliers and made him cling on his back. It was a burden. Silo was heavy. He was a full-grown man. It didn¡¯t help that he was screaming at him.

    ¡°DAMN ITTTTTTTTTT¡±

    Kars shouted. Joshua then saw that the combat drone was just a few feet away from them. This made Joshua¡¯s heart pumped like crazy. He tried to run away but Joshua felt his right foot aching badly. It made his face twitch in pain. Joshua wanted to just sit down there but he decided against the idea and forced himself to move.

    The abomination with the use of the high ogre body didn¡¯t give them the chance. It leaps up and stomped both its feet near them. Kars was able to roll away. But the moment he stood up. His body bent unnaturally and the sound of his spine cracking was clearly heard. Silo saw this and despaired further. Joshua was pissing his breeches.

    But he moved. He moved because he knew that stopping would do nothing but engender him. He ran away sprinting while his eyes were leaking tears. He shouted his heart out in despair as the monsters chase him.

    But the monster behind was too agile. It was able to catch up to the normal him and tried to swap Joshua. But the QuickTime-like ability of Joshua gave him some bit of chance. He was able to move out of the way by hairs breath but he was thrown away by the gust that the Combat Droned produced. Joshua saw the world twirl before his body hit the ground with a loud thud.

    Joshua writhed. His vision was filled with red veins. All he could see was the world being tinted in red. He was coughing blood. But his ability was a double-edged sword. It allowed him to live and survive. But it also made him suffer. So when the abomination tried to terminate Joshua. He saw the floating words again that made his body move on its own will.

    Indeed, he was unable to control his body. But he was able to feel the pain. Now imagine Joshua using his injured wrist to push himself away while a terrified Silo clings to him. It was a pitiable dodge that allowed him to survive death. But the debris created from the attack hit him. A sharp piece of stone hit him right in the ribs. He was still thrown away again. He was like a puppet without strings. Silo was able to cling to Joshua. But Joshua was unable to see with blood covering his eyes.

    He tried wiping the blood blocking his sight. But what he saw was the floating words instead. He focused his mind and his body without any care. This pulled Joshua¡¯s muscles but it allowed him to live yet again.

    But the impact of the attack that combat drone did not give Joshua any quarter. And All Joshua could feel was his body falling down. He didn¡¯t know where he was going. But floating words was enough to convince him that he was in for a long fall.

    What am I doing anyway?

    He asked himself.

 Chapter 80

    Chapter 80 ¨C Down this Chasm

    Three of his ribs was broken; Lung pierced; a dislocated right shoulder; a broken femur; a damaged Scapula; and a cracked fibula. His ears ringing and a vision blurred to black and white. His state was something that normally those who would see right now would think of him as dead.

    But alas his ability was a double-edged sword. Like a defibrillator, it acted as a tool to wake him up. As if he was sunk into a deep pool of water. Joshua gasped for breath. His dead-like state was gone and now he was awake with the strange words telling him to live.

    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh¡±

    His agonizing shout resounded through this dimmed chasm where the only source of light was the blue crystals growing at black stone walls of this cave system.

    Joshua struggled to sit up. He looked around him only see the world in black and white. He was trembling. His face was covered in blood. His body was riddled with cuts and bruises. His arm was bloodied. His clothes tattered. He could barely breathe. It was hard just trying to keep his eyes open.

    He looked around again weakly. There, he found Silo barely breathing. He was twitching. He was muttering: ¡°H-help me,¡± while looking up the ceiling. He was badly injured but wasn¡¯t as bad as Joshua who had multiple injuries. Indeed, his ability gave him to survive near-death situations. But it didn¡¯t mean it will completely save him from injuries such as this.

    But despite his pitiful state, Joshua moved towards Silo. Dragging his heavy body, he kneeled near Silo and gave him a blue pill. Silo swallowed the pill. His face was starting to calm down. And when he did he saw the badly injured Joshua.

    ¡°I thank you.¡±

    Joshua didn¡¯t reply. He wanted to reply but he found no strength to do so. Weak and barely hanging on to what little strength he had. Joshua forcefully feeds himself with the blue pill. His jaws were stiffed. His mouth filled with blood. He could not feel the pill go down his throat so he pushed it down using his crooked finger. He was able to swallow it but it made him vomit a mouthful of blood on the spot.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Silo said.

    Joshua dully looked at Silo unable to understand what he was saying. He tried to speak but his jaws were not moving well. He could hope for the blue pill to work for him. It did work for Joshua. But the moment Joshua felt that pill was working. His eyes rolled back. His body slumped down and he laid down the floor as if lifeless. Silo called out to him. He shouted but Joshua did not wake up. There was only silence in the cave. The flicker of the blue crystal above and the tiny spot of light made Silo feel like this was it. He could not walk with one leg. He wouldn¡¯t even be alive if Joshua didn¡¯t save him from that beast. So Silo prayed to his God.

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    But there was no need to pray. Joshua was forcibly awakened by his ability. This time he felt a bit better. He could see the red veins around him and the black and white vision was gone. He could move his limbs but at the cost of feeling intense pain. Silo looked at Joshua as if his savior awoke.

    Joshua did not think much. He was already beyond his own limits. He could tell that his body was broken. But he couldn¡¯t give up here. Oddly, despite the despair around him, Joshua didn¡¯t cry. He just reached into his pockets and patched himself up. He had gauzes on him so he was able to wrap his wounds. He looked like a mummy after doing so.

    What to do? He thought. He could tell that he was in an underground cave system. He could not hear properly with his ears ringing badly. He could not smell but at least his vision told him that he was somewhere underground. It was kinda despairing for Joshua. But yet his heart told him to keep going.

    To him this place was hell. But what can he do in this hell? Should he wait for damnation in this place? Why should he? He didn¡¯t like the place and he wanted to find a doctor. He didn¡¯t have a mind of steel. He was merely following his common sense of wanting to live right now.

    It hurts. What would you do if it hurts? You find a way to make it stop. If you hate the place then why would you stay?

    It was a normal thought. Of course, it didn¡¯t mean there was no thought inside of him that made Joshua want to die to ease all the pain. It was just that his thought was single-mindedly focused on trying to live. It was a flight-or-fight response that made him think more to living.

    He wanted to get away from this place. He wanted to live. But yet Silo¡¯s cry would make him question something. Should he leave him to die? It would be easy to do so. Joshua knew that he could at least walk unlike him. But oddly he came to an odd decision.

    He was deprived of health here. Yet oddly this made Joshua want to spite at fate even more. So why not do everything he can to pull himself out of this? It was unreasonable. It was stupid and full of illogical holes. But yet he had nothing to lose. He was certain that it would hurt. It would be tiresome. It would make him suffer. But so what?

    He had been abandoned by people who he thought of as family. He didn¡¯t want to stoop to their level. And strangely inside Joshua¡¯s head, he wanted to see a happy ending to this friend of his that was the reason he was in this despair in the first place.

    You have dragged me here in this mess and you think that I¡¯d let you have the peace of death? Sorry, I won¡¯t let you have that peace. I am dragging you out of here out of spite. I will give you that happy ending and make you accept that girl waiting for you back in Edawick!

    It was a strange thought. Maybe Joshua had gone crazy. Maybe he broke but he was dead-set on this newfound goal. The light inside him might have been broken. But he still works. And that¡¯s all he needs to keep dragging Silo out of this chasm of despair.

 Chapter 81

    Chapter 81 ¨C The Stone Bridge

    The cave system was gigantic. It was big enough for the blue crystals that were about ten feet tall. There were small creatures eating blue spotted mushrooms around the crystal. In their eyes reflect a person covered in gauzes. He was dragging someone and creating a trail of dirt.

    It was a slow walk. A rather tiresome walk that those would see him right now would think that he was a dead man walking. Indeed, Joshua has been traversing the cave system without rest. His only rest was fainting down. Then he would be awakened by his ability, forcing him to soldier on despite his very tired body.

    Somewhere along the line, in this pitiful death march of his, Joshua has begun to forego his own being. A rest would do him good. But he made his way through the wide cavern until he reached this winding water channel. He stared at this river of blue liquid. In the water, he could see blue sponges that he hasn¡¯t seen before in his entire life. They were like sea cucumbers in a way how they look and shape.

    There was no way he would swim down there. Not with his current state where he was barely hanging on to his dear life. Where should I go? Joshua thought. He could see that was there this stone platform. It was narrow and fragile looking. He could cross it but he was worried about how to lift Silo.

    Silo was silent. But he could see that Joshua was looking at the stone platform. He got the idea. But he had no strength in his legs. He truly wanted to help but his confidence was rather broken. There was a feeling of helplessness yet he could not do anything about it. He could not understand Joshua.

    But Joshua did not want to be understood. He only was doing this out of spite. He was doing this out of the delusion that he wanted to see the friend he was dragging, back to that nice girl in Edawick. It was a stupid goal. But it was something to strive for.

    Joshua moved on. He started to his feet and arrived at the stone platform. He lifted his legs with absolute difficulty. His broken femur made this act harden than it should be. He could feel his bones creaked. He could feel his head screaming as the pain from climbing made him almost blank out and fall down the blue water. Silo helped in climbing. He used his hands to lift himself up the platform. Then Joshua started dragging Silo across the stone platform. It was slow and a careful crossing. Joshua wanted to move faster but how could he?

    He was able to cross the stone platform. But that action alone made him roll his eyes back. He fell face flat on the ground and went to sleep.

    Silo has seen this for fifteen times already. He has seen Joshua faint and stood up. It was Joshua¡¯s only rest and despite being a burden. Silo crawled near to his friend. He guarded him, waiting for him to wake up. That was the only thing he could do right now.

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    ...

    Joshua woke up. He lifted his body up almost robotically. He dragged Silo¡¯s collar again and walked down this narrow tunnel. The tunnel was enclosed. It was getting tighter the more Joshua pushes through. By the time he reached the ends of the tunnel. He saw no other way other than to crouch.

    Joshua grimaced at this. He bent his legs only to smack his head against the wall. It made him stumble back and smash his back on the ground. This made him writhe for a second. He then calmed his breathing. He proceeded to crouch while twitching in pain. He started his crawl. Silo followed gingerly.

    The two crawled for minutes. Along the way, Joshua fainted three times. He would lie down as if he was dead. But he would wake up from this state. He would then start crawling again. His eyes were very dull. His elbow was scraped and the more he forced himself his wounds were getting worse than it should be. His dislocated right shoulder was tearing. His broken femur had more cracks.

    But Joshua continued on as if it was nothing. He was not a masochist. He was not happy how he was feeling. He was munching all the blue pills he had. He had given half of it to Silo while he ate the rest of the blue pills. Silo could forgive this selfishness.

    Why would he complain when he was doing his best? Joshua could have Silo alone there in the dark. But here he was dragging him along with him despite the pathetic state he was in. Silo had his hope broken. Silo did not believe that he would be able to get out of here alive.

    But even if he doesn¡¯t believe in his own damn self. He could at least believe in this utterly unreasonable friend of his. There was no hope that could be found in Silo. But even so...he could follow the single light in from of him that shines the way.

    Joshua carried on. He dragged Silo through this wide tunnel where blue-spotted mushrooms were growing. The blue mushroom was giving a strangely odd scent. The scene smelled like blueberries. It was quite tempting to eat them but he had no time for that.

    So he started to his feet and moved out of the blue-spotted mushroom area and himself in this place where giant vines as thick as lamp poles grew. Like the other vegetation, he had seen in this giant cave system. The giant vines were glowing blue. It made him ask why they were glowing blue. Was it the blue crystal doing this? Did the organisms here adapt to the blue light?

    Joshua was piqued by this. But that interest vanished when he felt his heart ache badly. His head throbbed in pain. He kneeled as he suddenly gripped his chest badly. Joshua vomited a pool of blood. He felt his body cold but he stood up and marched on with Silo in tow.

    There was no sign of light. Joshua didn¡¯t even know if he would be able to get back by walking the path he was in. He didn¡¯t know. But he didn¡¯t want to stay and find out.

 Chapter 82

    Chapter 82 ¨C Blue Fireflies of Hope

    Joshua had been walking for days in this cave system. It was a labyrinth and without any guide or map. He could follow only what he thinks was the right way and march there without even thinking. There were dead-ends. There were narrow corridors that made Joshua spend time trying to figure out where to go. There were stone hallways that were hard to just walk because of the floor.

    There are times where he would encounter dark areas where he wasn¡¯t able to see anything at all. He walked through those dark places and somehow made it out of those places. He had been doing this death march for quite a while now. Without the sun, without the moon, he wasn¡¯t able to know what time it was. He had lost all sense of time.

    He had to keep walking. He had to struggle because he knows that standing still won¡¯t do him any good. He had been collapsing for so many times that it became a usual thing. Joshua felt like death. But still, he was moving.

    Joshua found himself in this canyon filled with blue dots of light. He was amazed by what he was seeing. There were thousands of blue fireflies dancing around a giant blue tree that was surrounded by grasses that had the color of blue. This blue tree sat on top of this mound. There was a thin mist surrounding this blue tree. Past the blue tree, however, was a tiny lake.

    Joshua didn¡¯t know why. But he felt like he wanted to go there. So he dragged Silo with him until he reached the base of the tree. It was cool and soothing near the tree. He was feeling so relaxed that he sat in this tree, resting his weary back on the tree. His eyes squinted, his face dyed in blood. Joshua looked at the tiny blue lake with cloudy eyes.

    ¡°Finally taking a rest?¡±

    Silo said to Joshua. He looked at Silo and nodded.

    ¡°I see...hey, give me that branch over there.¡±

    ¡°?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, Joshua. You¡¯ve been dragging me so much. I am ashamed. I do not know if we will ever get out of this place. We don¡¯t even know if we can make it back to the town in this kind of state. But seeing you like this. Seeing you struggle even made me want to struggle too. How do you do it? How do you endure all of this?¡±

    Joshua moved his jaws and answered stiffly. ¡°I...don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re the toughest son of a bitch I¡¯ve met. You are something else.¡±

    ¡°No, I just don¡¯t want to die,¡± Joshua replied while making a pained expression. ¡°You heard of people surviving mountains. They survive things. I am just trying to get by imitating them. I just am going to move.¡±

    ¡°But you are carrying me. You are hauling my sorry miserable ass while you look like a tiny pebble would kill you. I don¡¯t know what to say to you. Why would you haul my ass? Look at you! Your mouth is barely moving! Do you like pain so much? Are you used to this kind of shit?¡±

    ¡°Not...not really...I¡¯ve been...when I was a child I''ve been through a hospital...I remember spending time in this dark room. I was young. I was afraid of needles. I remember screaming for weeks since I had a disease years ago that made my childhood days painful....Maybe that¡¯s why?¡±

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    ¡°Still doesn¡¯t make sense why would you act so saintly. Normally people wouldn¡¯t want to suffer this hard.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Joshua faintly looked at the blue fireflies. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to make it through. I don¡¯t think I am a good person. But you know I just want to...No, actually, I just don¡¯t want to abandon people. You know why I ended up in Edawick in the first place?¡±

    ¡°Dan found you right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, after I jumped down this cliff.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± asked Silo.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to become a slave. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°So you took a gamble?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You see, back in Avilla, the people who I thought was family betrayed me. No, it is more like I had this delusion that I somehow made them trust me. They said it themselves that they will prioritize their own goals before me. I thought that maybe they will stand up for me. But they didn¡¯t. This guy who was kind of heroic stood up for me instead. Maybe...because of knowing the feeling of being abandoned like that...that I don¡¯t want others to feel that feeling?¡±

    ¡°Sounds stupid...you should take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I will. I think this is just my ego talking.¡±

    ¡°Your ego makes you for a fool then.¡±

    ¡°I know. Maybe I¡¯ll suddenly stop being stupid and leave you here?¡±

    Silo grinned at that. ¡°Hah! Too late for that already, Joshua, you¡¯ve given me hope despite all of this bullshit. So too bad I am going to use this branch as a leg. That should ease your burden and I¡¯ll help you too.¡±

    ¡°Thanks...that would help a lot.¡±

    ¡°I...thank you for this. I¡¯ve given up when that abomination attacked us. Seeing them all die like that...and then falling down this chasm made me lose hope. But seeing you not give up made me want to stand up and fight too. Joshua...no matter what happens...you did your best here. I am a witness to that. I won¡¯t fault you if you give up. You already have done things that I can¡¯t think of doing. So let¡¯s do our best and die trying okay?¡±

    Silo had this weary face. Joshua grinned slightly.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. You shouldn¡¯t give up. Someone¡¯s waiting for you and I told I her that I will look out for you.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Silo beamed. ¡°That¡¯s right...hah...will she accept the way I am now?¡±

    Joshua looked at Silo¡¯s missing leg which was now tied with a blue branch.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know...but how about we live long enough to find that out? Then we will ask her. And if she doesn¡¯t then I¡¯ll help you win her heart.¡±

    ¡°I am counting on you then...so don¡¯t close your eyes for good, brother. Please don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I will make no promise.¡±

    Silo kept silent. He looked at the tiny blue lake and prayed to his God. He prayed that after this rest. That somehow they would find a way through this. He didn¡¯t have hope. He didn¡¯t have any when he fell down here, but seeing someone struggle so hard made Silo want to struggle too.

 Chapter 83

    Chapter 83 ¨C The Isolist Tribe

    The two ventured further, assisting one another, throughout this death march of them, throughout this cavern system where they had no choice but to cooperate.

    They have been walking for days and even though their will were strong. Their stomach was not. They had to eat food. They had to replenish their energy.

    The cave system had a strange ecosystem. There were small vermins and animals. The floras around the area were blue and not a single one was familiar to the two of them.

    Silo had knowledge of herbs and eatable ingredients. But he was unfamiliar with their nature. They could not hunt so they had to result in using the flint-lock pistol that Joshua had.

    Joshua could not aim with his condition. Silo did the shot and they were able to kill this red-eyed bunny with a bluish fur. The rabbit had only one eye. Behind its neck was a triangle shaped horn.

    Silo didn¡¯t have any knife on him. So he had to use a sharpened rock to cut the rabbit¡¯s stomach open. But Silo was surprised when he saw that the color of the rabbit¡¯s organs was blue-spotted. It made Silo wonder if they can eat it.

    So he had to make a gamble. He lit a flint and made a fire. He cooked the meat and tasted it. The taste of the odd rabbit¡¯s meat was a combination of meat and fish mixed with a soggy mushroom taste.

    It was a new taste. The two really didn¡¯t have a choice so they ate the meat and continued on their journey. The meat was quite something. The only thing that the meat did to them made their tongues had blue spots. But it was a good meal. Too bad that they didn¡¯t catch anything and had to eat these sweet blue barks that Silo discovered when he was dozing around while resting.

    The cave system had these blue trees that usually sat on a small hill. The blue trees are always facing small lakes that had small aqueducts on the side where the water came from. These aqueducts actually gave the two a way to follow. After all, wherever there was water. There would be life. Or so they thought.

    So they followed where the water was flowing. It was hard to track the water path but they managed by being persistent. They would listen to the flowing water. They would follow the minimal wildlife that could be found and follow them.

    Particularly, they followed this strange bug that had this mushroom growing on its back. This bug was using the mushroom as its food source and it was a peculiar scene. To Silo, it acted like the one you would find on a farm. But the difference was that this creature was using the mushroom on its back to sustain itself by using its crooked limb to slice the mushroom

    If the creature didn¡¯t have this huge two protruding jaws, Silo would have been tempted to shot the creature and taste the mushroom that was growing on its back. But they can¡¯t afford to fight anything or waste ammunition so they only followed the creature to its burrow only found something that made them both feel scared and amazed.

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    In a giant cavern, they found a settlement of humanoid creatures that were about four feet tall. Each of these creatures had blue skin, their eyes slit, and the back of their skulls was oblong shaped. They have thin arms. They only have three long toes and four fingers. They wear strange clothes and they live in bowl-shaped houses that have mushrooms growing on it.

    Their numbers were alarming. Silo and Joshua didn¡¯t want to find out if they were friendly or not. They hid in the tall bushes and observed from the distance.

    These ¡®creatures¡¯ are the Isolist tribes. They are cave-dwelling beings that have retreated to the cavern systems to avoid the dire monsters that have polluted the upper world. They are a relatively weak and pacifistic tribe so there were only a few of them that remains. Their main sources of food are the mushrooms that they have grown to cultivate. The mushrooms are pore-based mushrooms. They are easy to grown and are native foods of these beings.

    Of course, there was no way for the two to know these. To them what they were seeing are potential enemies. So they didn¡¯t budge an inch despite their seemingly peaceful look and actions. The two stayed still and watch the creatures. They scanned the area for potential exits and they were able to find something that the Isolist beings seemed to come and go.

    Either that or through this passage where the beings carry projectile weapons made of materials that the two could not recognize. It looked like a rifle but it was made of blue wood and plant. There were strings on the weapons and each of them had this baggy container where the ammo was put at. It was a peculiar design and the mouth of the weapons seemed like they were that of a flower.

    The two did not know what that weapon can do. They do not have any wanting to find out what it will do so they decided that going towards that passage was a bad idea. They choose the exit where the normal Isolist creatures were going. There were two guards watching the path.

    It was worrying how they would get passed them. Silo brainstormed and he thought of throwing the empty container that was once filled with food for the creatures to investigate. He threw the container and when the guards heard the noise. They looked at it and investigated while making squishy sounds.

    The two hurriedly walked while trying to keep quiet as possible. It didn¡¯t work obviously but the guards that saw them had a strange reaction. Their faces twitched as if they smelled something bad. The guard didn¡¯t give chase and they covered their noses while keeping away from the two.

    The guards didn¡¯t like the smell of blood on Joshua. To them, it was a repugnant and smelly, something that they could not stand. Not to mention that the two humans were strange beings that held this dangerous weapon. The guards could tell that they wanted only entry. They were not stupid and their pacifistic nature made them stop their tracks and let the two go.

    This was their mercy for the two beings that seemed like they were cornered. And the two Isolist guards had lived long enough to know that cornered animals are hard to bring down.

 Chapter 84

    Chapter 84 ¨C Meeting of the Battered

    He was tired. The road was taking a toll on him. His eyes weary. His body was heavy as a boulder. He could not lift his arms and even he lost all feeling in his right arm. It was a sad consequence of having his wounds untreated. Without any proper cleaning and proper care, Joshua¡¯s wounds have gotten infected.

    There were lumps on his foot. His body had black spots and he was pale as a sheet. He looked like was getting closer to death. His state was so pathetic that Silo had started to worry about him. But Joshua did not falter despite this. He was in great pain. But he did not let himself become a burden. Despite every step hurting like hell, Joshua continued to trek on as if he was undisturbed.

    This even scares Silo. He could hear Joshua laughing miserably. He was muttering. He was shouting in his sleep. It was a strange behavior that did not benefit a sane man. But despite the slowly losing sanity of Joshua, he still has enough sanity to keep on walking despite the pain.

    Injured, battered, infected and slowing losing his sanity in enduring the pain, Joshua was holding on to the last grips of sanity he had. Of course, despite his strange thoughts, and strange choices, Joshua kept the goal of getting alive in the center of his mind.

    The two had already passed settlements of the Isolist. To their luck, the tribesmen and women of the Isolist tribe did not bother them. They only observe them from the distance. They did not bother them. They only watch them carry on their way.

    It bothered Joshua that they were watching. But oddly their presence made Joshua feel safe. Their watchful eye as they passed through their settlements made Joshua comfortable. But the watchful eye that was looking after them was gone when they went out of their territory.

    They found themselves in a narrow passage where instead of blue lights. They saw green crystals illuminating a chasm that seemed to be filled with beings of dread. The two did not know what was down there. So they took a look, only for them to see disgusting beings that had rat-like heads. These abominations gathered in disgusting burrows. They carry rusted spears and they seemed to worship a giant skull of a rat. They were kowtowing to this skull and there was a shamanic figure that was leading the worship to this giant rat.

    The place stinks like sewers. Compared to the places they had passed through. The place that they have ended up was disgusting and eerie. The chasm below was filled with festering corpses and in this clearing young rat-like abominations were being fed by what Joshua and Silo assumed as their younglings.

    The sight was horrible. Like a peek of hell that the two did not want to see. Joshua could not stomach the place. Luckily, they were far away from this place and they were able to avoid them completely by heading up this natural spiral stairway that leads them to this area where fresh air can be smelled.

    The two thought that there would be an exit. But to their disappointment, it was only a river that seemed to be pushing inwards the cave system. Joshua could see some light reflecting far from where he was standing.

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    ¡°Let¡¯s risk it,¡± said Joshua weakly. ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll find a way out of this place?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± asked Silo worriedly. ¡°I¡¯ve been getting better but you don¡¯t look good, Joshua.¡±

    ¡°But if this place takes us outside then it should be worth the risk.¡±

    ¡°Will we make it? I have recovered a little of my strength but you...¡± Silo looked at Joshua. In the past days, Joshua¡¯s condition was not getting good. He was weaker. And he could barely move his right leg that was swelling badly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Let¡¯s do this.¡±

    Joshua said with a bit of power in his voice. Silo didn¡¯t want to do it but he put on a brave face as he pushes through the river that was pushing them back. It was strong as expected. But Silo did not falter. He was making use of what little strength he had to carry himself and Joshua out. It was clear that Joshua wasn¡¯t contributing that much. But compared to Joshua dragging Silo for days despite being injured, this was nothing. So Silo persisted stubbornly. He pushed through while gritting his teeth. He soldiered and despite missing a leg and only having a branch support him. Silo was able to keep himself balanced and reach half of the cave where he was able to see the sun¡¯s blinding light.

    He did not see anything. He did not know when or how many days it has been but seeing the sun made Silo cry tears of joy. His heart was pumped and he pushed himself further until he was able to reach the bank of the river. When he was able to step into the sides of the river, he saw the endless blue sky. He saw the clouds that he had slowly forgotten what it looked like.

    ¡°We did it Joshua...¡± said Silo.

    Joshua stared at the sky. He was about to reply to his friend but he found out that he has fainted. He had pushed himself too much and now he was out cold. Joshua did not mind this. But yet he heard something that made him alert. In the other side of the river, there was a creature that was quite familiar to Joshua. This creature was like Joshua, it was injured, battered and clearly grasping for his life. It had a fierce look on its face. Its beady eyes were glaring at Joshua as if it was a cornered animal.

    ¡°A goblin...¡±Joshua muttered, pushing his body to stand up, taking out his pistol. He pointed his pistol shakily at the goblin¡¯s light green skin. The goblin hatefully shrieked at Joshua. It was shaking as well but it did not falter in throwing the stone that it held in its hands. The stone didn¡¯t hit Joshua. Joshua tried to shoot the pistol only to found out that it was empty.

    Seeing that the pistol was not firing, the goblin madly dashed at Joshua while limping as well. Joshua put his pistol aside and shouted at Silo. But Silo didn¡¯t respond. And before he could wake Silo up, the Goblin tackled Joshua down and together they rolled into a clearing.

    The two flew away from each other. But Joshua and the goblin¡¯s eyes met each other. Joshua was feeling weak. The Goblin was feeling weak. But it did not matter for the two as they gritted their teeth and madly shout at each other, preparing to fight for their own lives.

 Chapter 85

    Chapter 85 ¨C The First Enemy of all adventures

    Didn¡¯t know what I was even doing anymore. All I could tell that I was raging. I was blowing my fuse on this green skinned bastard that attacked me out of nowhere. My body hurts like hell. My foot was swelling. My entire being was screaming in pain.

    Yet here I am, with my arm crooked, punching my shaking fist towards this bastard''s face. This Goblin motherfucker just attacked me for no reason. I hated this bastard now. I didn¡¯t threaten this bastard. I didn¡¯t do anything that might have provoked this bastard but here he was attacking me madly. What a bastard! I thought that this battered bastard might have gone mad. But looking at its desperate beady eyes and its drooling mouth, I understood that this bastard wants to fucking eat me. I noticed that it was like a skeleton. It probably fell down that chasm like we did and was starving. Ah, you poor bastard. Are you really that desperate as we are?

    I would like to offer you food but I do not want to die. And here you are trying to claw my throat. That act was a mistake of yours. That¡¯s why I could easily dodge and punch you in your beady fucking eye. You have a very tough skull. I think I broke my middle finger. My shoulder is screaming but you are standing before me and trying to eat me!

    I did not fucking endure that deathly march just so that you can feast on me and Silo! That¡¯s why when the bastard the bastard punched me in the gut. I clenched my teeth madly. I grab the knife ears of the bastard and I made use of my forehead to headbutt the bastard!

    The bastardly goblin shouted. ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH¡± as it then kicked me right in the gut. My rib was broken. So that attack made me vomit blood. I felt like fainting but I stomped my right foot forcefully. It hurts like hell. I want to die.

    But I refuse. I refuse to die after coming out of that chasm. That¡¯s why I crooked my left arm and elbowed the goblin in the face. The tough bastard replied with a haymaker which I had to block with my right arm. My arm was already broken but despite that, I had to do it. The Goblin¡¯s attack made my right arm go totally numb. But this numbness was great. Since I could not feel a thing with my right arm anymore, I lifted it despite it shaking badly. I punched it in the Goblin¡¯s face and I could feel something break.

    The Goblin did not care either. He uses his right arm and punched me straight in the nose. I stumbled back. My vision went red and I could see red veins cover my whole sight. It made my ears ring. The Goblin tried to scratch my neck again but it won¡¯t work. Because that alone was enough to kill me so the floating words gave me a way to dodge by lowering my posture.

    I had the angle so I clenched my left fist and did a left hook at the goblin¡¯s jaw. The goblin rattled when I hit his jaw but it spat on my face. I smelled its sticky saliva and when I cleared it out of my face. I saw the goblin¡¯s fist hitting my broken rib. I tilted to the right in pain. I rolled away and then use the grass that was beneath me to blind the goblin.

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    The goblin got distracted. I then slap the Goblin¡¯s knife ears with my left arm. I then followed it with a kick to the groin which made the goblin stumble backward. It made a miserable shriek at it tries to do the same thing to me. But I was able to sidestep aside. But my right foot was hurting so I tripped. The goblin tried pouncing at me but I was able to raise my knee and hit the goblin. I mounted the goblin.

    The goblin tried to struggle. I didn¡¯t let it as I pulled the glass of lemon that was nearly gone and smashed it at the head of the goblin. The goblin screamed in pain as the lemon seeps into its eyes. I grab hold of the goblin¡¯s neck with left arm while I grab the broken shard of the glass with my numbed right arm. Using the shard of the flask, I stab the goblin in the chest.

    I stab and stab. Then, I slit open the bastard¡¯s chest slowly. The Goblin clawed my chest badly. I didn¡¯t let go of his neck and kept on slitting the bastard¡¯s chest madly. I don¡¯t know what face I was making but I was sure that I probably looked like I have gone crazy.

    I mean what the hell was this? Here I am fighting to the death a fucking goblin as if the goblin was a grand villain of some evil plot. Those heroes from the other books would find this scene pathetic, that I was struggling this hard to take down one goblin that was at death¡¯s doorstep.

    I could only kill a few in a normal gunfight and avoid death because of my ability. I couldn¡¯t take down a giant warship like Archie. I couldn¡¯t fight elegantly like Shig in the desert. And I could only run when faced with that drone headed abomination.

    And this was all I can do without any gun. Fight some starving goblin as if it was an epic match. I think it was pathetic but yet at the same time as I drove the shard of glass at the Goblin¡¯s heart. I slump my body back and oddly smiled. When I first arrive in this foreign world, I faced with riders that caught me with a net.

    And now that I killed a goblin in cold blood, I felt a strange feeling that made me think if I have gone jaded living in this world. I was strangely happy. But maybe...it was the prospect of killing a familiar enemy that all adventures start with made me this joyful.

    I didn¡¯t win gracefully. I won against this starving- near to death goblin by cutting its chest. At the same time, I got fucked up even more. Other than the ability o avoid near-death situations. I am now even more injured than I should be. I feel like death...but even so...doesn¡¯t all adventurers starts with killing a goblin?

    If so then I guess was waytoo late to do that. But at least I did it now. Ah...somehow I think I can sleep for now. I am tired...yet satisfied...

 Chapter 86

    Chapter 86 ¨C The Vileguard Templars (1)

    Slowly, the rain was pouring down the plateau. The drops of water hit the ground forming mud, every single droplet creating this watery texture. A man clad in a raincoat looked at the misty forest. Beyond the forest was a giant abomination that stood stall among the forest. It had a giant metal head. Its body was comprised of butchered meat from various organisms that the abomination harvested.

    The metal-headed abomination had this strange flare on its metal head. He didn¡¯t know what the abomination was. But he can tell that was the one they were looking for. He and the others had been hunting the thing down. The others didn¡¯t return and the only reason why he was still in this place was that of the Komodo dragon and the camp that was left behind. He was here as the Camp Keeper. He was the rider and he was waiting for them.

    ¡°What the hell is that?¡± said him. He looked at the abomination again. He had said that line for too many times already. He had been looking at this abomination who had been sitting for days around this hill of corpses. It was mutilating the corpses and using its beam a light at them that would then get devoured by this abomination. Each part that the abomination devours would be added to the abomination¡¯s body. At first, it was only the body of a giant body of a High Ogre. But as the creature fixed the creature¡¯s parts to its body, the High Ogre has started losing the read aura that surrounded it.

    The red came from the War God of the High Ogres. As the body of the High Ogre changes the blessing of the War of God vanished. It didn¡¯t recognize the body as a High Ogre anymore and was more of a being that shouldn¡¯t exist. So instead of a blessing, the abomination received dark pungy curse that leeched the land of any green. The smell of blood. The toxic aura that the abomination was leaking made him, who watches from the distance, stay away from the abomination.

    He thought to escape but he saw what happened when a deer tried to. The abomination scanned the deer with a blue light a blinding red light seared through the skin of the deer. The deer was charred, its gut sprayed on the ground, smoking black.

    The abomination had enough range to snipe a deer far from away. The only reason why he was still alive was that of the location he was in. The plateau was covered in light mist that it was difficult for the abomination to find him. He was no fool. So he stayed on the plateau and used his rifle to watch the movements of the abomination with hawk-like eyes.

    He watched the thing combine various animal parts into its body. He watched it become a disgusting monster to the point that it looked it was a monster from hell.

    Then, it was that moment that made his jaws open wide. Past the area around the abomination, he saw black smokes from the sky. Ships made of unkempt metal floated through the air. He could recognize the fuel used. It was Lebon¡¯s fuel that was made popularized by the Midland Engineers. But the ship that was floating towards the location of the abomination was something he never knew or has seen before.

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    He has heard of the flying airships that attacked Avilla City. He knew that they used what they call as air balloons to lift their ships up the sky and made use of runes. But the flying machine he was seeing was new to him. It was bulky and in the hull of the black floating ships was a black cross with a skull in the middle.

    He didn¡¯t know who the people are first. But he could tell that they are Templar¡¯s. Only Templars use their holy symbol as their sigil. And he was right when he saw one of the men from the ship, which he thought must be the captain, walked with binoculars in hand to observe the humongous abomination that was crazily devouring the animals and dire monsters it captured and mutilated.

    He watches the flying machine float. Then, the ship that numbered about ten extended long barrel that pointed to the Abomination. The Templars fired the cannons to the abomination, creating a smoking crater near the abomination. The abomination, however, was shielded by a blue dome. This blue dome protected the abomination from the artillery strike of the black-clad Templars

    The Templars then saw that the abomination was moving. They noticed that the abomination was extending its sub-arms and with evasive maneuvers, the ships were able to narrowly dodge the searing laser of the abomination. The Templars main ship, which was also the bigger, led the ships into defensive positions while keeping the pressure on the abomination. The suppressive fire allowed the Templar¡¯s to keep the abomination busy while behind the ships. There were Templars, who wore two tanks on their backs. One of the tanks was connected to their gas mask, while the other tube was connected to their charcoal colored rifles with drum magazines.

    These black-clad Templars cleared the perimeter while their flying machines floated above them. After they were done clearing the area, the Templars guided another flying machine into the fringes of the land. Then, he saw them take parts that could only recognize as giant artillery cannons.

    He has thought that he had seen amazing and disgusting. But the technology that these black-clad Templars wielded was much better than the firearms and artillery he had seen in his lifetime. In its own way, it was terrifying that a Legion of Black-Clad Templars had these kinds of weapons.

    He had to know more so he made use of his scopes to seek what the name of the Legion was. It took him time but he was able to saw the words etched into their banner.

    The Vileguards was the name of the black-clad legion of Templars.

 Chapter 87

    Chapter 87 ¨C The Vileguards Templars (2)

    Suppressive fire allowed the Vileguards to set up an artillery node. This artillery node allowed heavy loads to be hammered down on the abomination. Indeed, the abomination was suppressed. Its blue dome, however, was impregnable. He, who saw the constant firing, was stunned. The ordinance was enough to level a small village and was enough to bring down a warlord¡¯s wall.

    ¡°Good heavens,¡± said him, pointing his rifle at the abomination. The abomination was unharmed despite the constant bombardment. All those blasts didn¡¯t mean anything at all. The abomination had this protected shield that absorbed all the shells.

    To put it bluntly, the technology that this abomination had far surpasses even the Vileguards legion. These Templars had studied old relics and have slowly integrated them into society while keeping the dangerous weapons they had for their own in order to guard the Holy Midlands interest. This ¡®abomination¡¯ was a threat that they have detected through a rumor in Edawick.

    They have only sent a scout and what they found was a combination of mutilated parts of the hunters who were stupid enough to hunt for something that could kill monsters beyond their level. These territories were known for the concentration of dire monsters and humanoid beasts. They should have expected the worst.

    The Vileguards has always kept watch of the Isolist tribe who despite their peaceful nature, has been at war with the rat-kin tribe. A race of abominations that are no better than the Cagan natives. But these abominations were banished by the Werelion Clan for their disgusting nature. Even the Isolist tribe, the oblong heads, who had peaceful nature, could not stand the rat-kin for their disgusting nature. The Isolist tribe could never sleep well with such enemies lurking their territories.

    The Vileguards has been vigilant in their vigil. Now, the threat of an abomination that harvested hundreds or more stands before them. Of course, he, who¡¯s been watching through the scope, would not know anything about all of this. All he knows was that there was something going on. There was more to this event than the disappearance of the hunters from Edawick.

    To him, it was very stupid. No, every hunter knew it was a stupid idea to hunt a thing that could destroy hardened veterans with ease. Halfway through, they only intended to study the enemy. But who would have thought that the enemy would target them? He hasn¡¯t heard from them, and of course, he didn¡¯t know that most of the hunters he had been waiting for were now part of the abomination he was observing through his rifle''s scope.

    The abomination was being suppressed. Its unnatural body made of different flesh twisted and formed. The abomination that was kneeling from all the bombardment suddenly released a searing laser that marked a circle around the abomination, obstructing the line of sight of the Vileguards that had been bombarding the abomination. But the Vileguards did not stop their artillery fire. They extended their area of attack and made the abomination stop still.

    But, the abomination fired a searing laser to one of the Templar¡¯s rust bucket for a ship and brought it down to the ground. One attack brought down their shi. It cut through the hull of their flying machine without resistance at all.

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    The flying machine exploded halfway down when it was falling. The Vileguards didn¡¯t stop nor did they tremble in fear of the abomination. They were quick learners. They immediately understood that their ships could not handle the abominations superior weaponry. And a single mistake could destroy all their ships and they would all fall here.

    But beyond this perimeter, a figure carrying a bloodied person struggled walking. This person was more of a beaten corpse than it was alive. He was breathing but barely alive. His bones were broken and it could be said that he was alive by the sheer stubbornness of not wanting to die. The two saw this abomination and they only felt despair. It was bad enough that they have to traverse that labyrinth. It was bad enough that after getting out, he had to fight a goblin bastard. Now, he was seeing this humongous abomination with a tiny metal head obstructing their way.

    All hope seemed lost for the two. They sat down near a tree. But they didn¡¯t know that four eyes glanced upon them. The first pair of eyes came from the hunter in the plateau. He could recognize Silo and he was barely able to identify Joshua who looked like he was beaten to death. In fact, he wanted to ask if he was even alive.

    However, that didn¡¯t matter to the hunter. They were alive! He joyed in his heart. He didn¡¯t want to move out of fear. But seeing that the two of them were alive he immediately went for his Komodo dragon mount. He pulled the reins of the mount and rode it down the steep path that leads downwards to where the two was.

    Silo was tired. When he woke up he found Joshua near a dead goblin with its torso cut open. He could tell that Joshua struggled to kill the goblin. He wished he could have done something but it was too late to regret it. They were out of that damned place. Yet what was this abomination in front of them? Did they struggle for nothing?

    He was about to curse the heavens above for this plethora of misfortunes. But he saw a familiar beast from a distance. Seeing this scaly beast approach, Silo stood up and wave his hands at it with joy.

    ¡°Silo!¡± shouted the rider. ¡°Are you two alive?¡±

    ¡°Bloody hell we are! Quick! We need to get Joshua out of this place! His bloody injured!¡±

    ¡°Damn it! We can¡¯t escape with that abomination around. Let¡¯ patch him up in the camp and see if those black-clad Templars can distract the abomination.¡±

    ¡°The Templars are here?¡± Silo raised a brow.

    ¡°Aye, they are suppressing that abomination with their floating machines. Is he still alive?¡± asked him, looking at Joshua.

    ¡°He is barely alive. Help me move him.¡±

    ¡°I can do that.¡±

    He carefully grabbed Joshua and along with Silo, they put him at the back of the mount. Silo then sat near the rider¡¯s seat and laid his back at the seat, his gazing at the colossus figure of the abomination.

    Of course, he wasn¡¯t the only one gazing at this figure. Her blue eyes blandly staring at the horrific figure that everyone seemed to fear.

 Chapter 88

    Chapter 88 ¨C The Vileguard Templars (3)

    The sergeant handed the binoculars to the trenchcoat-clad officer. The sergeant took a step back behind the officer with his hands behind his back.

    ¡°Tough as expected, Sir,¡± said the sergeant. ¡°Not even the constant shelling does anything to that blue dome aura that that shields that abomination.¡±

    The Officer nodded. ¡°It is beyond every technology we¡¯ve seen. With that kind of technology, the Midland, no, the whole of humanity can advance one hundred years to the future.¡±

    ¡°If we ever break that shielding, Sir,¡± The Sergeant said. ¡°Hours of constant bombardment do nothing. Not to mention, that searing laser that destroys our ships instantly doesn¡¯t make this easier.¡±

    The Officer grimaced. ¡°How many ships have we lost?¡±

    ¡°Two, Sir,¡± said the sergeant. ¡°We recently had one shot down when it tried circling the abomination. We¡¯ve calculated the range and attack of the searing laser. Still, we don¡¯t know if this is all the abomination could so, Sir.¡±

    ¡°How many of our men have died?¡±

    ¡°Thirty-three killed in action, ten severely injured from the blast. Only one survived in the first crash, half of the officer¡¯s side is charred. I don¡¯t think that officer will survive to fight this abomination, Sir.¡±

    ¡°Have you given his last rites?¡±

    ¡°Positive. The Chaplain has started the last rites.¡±

    ¡°I see. Put the man¡¯s ashes to the memorial. Let his kin know that he died a soldier facing a monster that would asunder this territory.¡±

    ¡°Aye, Sir,¡± the sergeant nodded. ¡°Most of the engineers have started scavenging the destroyed hulls. All the technology that has been destroyed is now ready to be returned back for repairs.¡±

    ¡°Good. We shall not leave anything behind. Tell the men to prime the artillery guns. Are those radios working properly?¡±

    ¡°Crudely, Sir, but they are working well enough to serve their purpose,¡± said the sergeant, bringing up a sheet of paper near his face. ¡°There are technical problems, however, such a static, and worst is that the abomination is interfering with our communication lines. The ship that was recently brought down didn¡¯t get the warning and it resulted in it being unable to dodge the searing laser.¡±

    The Officer frowned. ¡°Are the engineers fixing this problem?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve no idea how to fix the static nor do we have a way to rid it. Though the engineers have a theory that as long as we evade the signal that the abomination emits. The communication line will function.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± said the Officer. ¡°Tell the Radiomen to continue their shelling. Tell the pilots to avoid the searing lasers and keep them in line for the strategy. We cannot fight this abomination up close and personal. We can only suppress it here until we find a way to defeat it.¡±

    The officer hesitated, before saying. ¡°Sir, what if we our munitions run out? The Gunnery officers have been warning us that we may not last day or two if keep on shelling the enemy this hard.¡±

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    The Officer gripped the binoculars in his hands tightly, his hands showing veins. ¡°Have faith in our artillery, Sergeant. We are the only ones that could possibly stop this abomination. Either we die fighting or let the lands burn.¡±

    ¡°I see. Then may Luci Fera¡¯s light guide us then, Sir.¡±

    ¡°And we may never falter, Sergeant.¡±

    The wind blew heavily. There was a patter in the ship¡¯s deck. The Officer lowered his binoculars and glance at the abomination that was growing bigger as time passes on. Not a single dent in the shield. The abomination was the first monster that they could not kill by shelling it.

    Their campaign has always been about artillery. The time of swords and axes were gone. Trebuchets and ballistae were no longer viable. For Artillery can solve most of their problems. Yet, the enemy before them doesn¡¯t fear their Ram-el Type-1 Cannons.

    The Officer had seen things that would break normal men of the Freelands. He had seen abominations but never had he seen such thing that could withstand their cannons. The Ram-el Cannons that they have named after Thunder of God were ineffective. And seeing such reliable weapon being unreliable had shaken the hearts and minds of the black-clad Templars of the Vileguards.

    They have established five-point battery stations around the area. Each of these artillery guns had been set up to continuously fire at the enemy. They have more stopping power compared to the Ram-el Type-1 Cannons that their ships are armed with. They could not put the cannons on their ships in fear that it would disrupt the equilibrium of the ship. The ship works by emulating the buoyancy of a boat. The thrusters act as the upward force that keeps the ship afloat while the engine that came from a ruin and was reproduced crudely keeps the ship stable.

    In the eyes of others, it was a big hunk of floating metal. But to these black-clad men, they are reliable and faster than the floating airships that the Bali and the Cagan forces had made.

    It took them years to create the unkempt floating metal for a ship. But it was their greatest triumph and their symbol to why they could fight and go unnoticed to where the Vile was. Yet here it was nothing but a rust bucket metal that could be easily shot down by an abomination. This was a blow of confidence to them and the Officer could understand the nervousness of the Sergeant who had long gong too to do his duties.

    He stood staring with his coat billowing against the wind. The rain had already drenched his face. Yet in those eyes, there was a strange spark that would blind any lesser person. There was fervor. There was zeal in the eyes of the officer. Indeed, all of them work under the dark. They have taken an oath that until they are old and weary. When they are unable to make use of their limbs. They shall watch the Holy Midland and its citizens till and protect them from the vile such as these.

    Indeed, their chances of winning are low. Their ammunition would probably not last them another two days. But yet, the Officer that watches in the bow of his ship stood stern, his watchful eyes gazing upon the blossoms of fire that his fleet drops down the abomination that threatens the land whole. This was not their home. This was far from their homeland yet they fight here in hopes that those people would not see this abomination in their homes.

 Chapter 89

    Chapter 89 ¨C The Vileguard Templars (4)

    The Templars of the Vileguard fought bravely against the abomination. They encircled the perimeter and bombarded the abomination with their weapons. Each of their tactics was defined by their commander¡¯s maneuvering and extreme measures to avoid each and every searing laser.

    It was an impeccable battle with one flaw: They relied on their artillery too much. They have set up five artillery battery points around the enemy. It was the hammer that kept on pounding the abomination. Yet their enemy was an advanced AI that had slowly studied their actions. It played coy and when it noticed that they were running out of ammunition. It kept its shield up until the last shell was released.

    What followed was nothing but a pure slaughter. The searing laser of the Combat drone that combined with the organic life form of the creatures of the area made for a dangerous Quietus. To her, it was an interesting observation of how a Quietus is made. She would love to have dealt with the abomination but she didn¡¯t have the proper countermeasures yet. So she had to painfully watch these brave men die at the hands of the abominations. It was painful to see. But she had been seeing such scenes for her life.

    Even in this world, there are men like these. She was glad. Yet seeing them die vainly while not making a mark against the abomination made her a bit angry. Their tactics were impeccable if faced with the primitive technology of this world. Yet it was nothing to the abomination.

    She had been roaming around and she found out about the world she was in. She had found that this world was in its 19th Era. There are many differences in culture. Their weapons are flintlocks and are still in the works into being repeating firearms. She had learned of the lands and how beyond the Freelands, there is a nation called the Holy Midland, a society that is in its pre-industrial age. There are already motor cars that are run by gasoline they call as Lebon¡¯s fuel. There are talks about flying machines and such. The geography of the world was quite different compared to hers. She had seen many colonized planets but the continent she was in was big and up above there were different constellations and stars. She had tried finding any familiar stars or planets through her Omni-Forge but her results were dulled by the lack of the computing power.

    She found that this world was rather different and the existence of space storms and runic energy had baffled her. This world was far different from the galaxy she once lived. To her, it was a depressing matter. Yet despite being deprived of her duties, work, and all those that she cares for after being sent in this foreign world with no way out. She could only hold her heart steady and do what she must do. Indeed, this was not her world. This was not the galaxy she fought with blood and tears. Yet, the brave men and women she had seen so far made her thought that it was not that different. The men who had different technology died against this enemy that she, had been fighting against for years.

    So when faced with this abomination. Corporal Zola Dawn, a foreigner from a different world gritted her teeth. Her eyes went red. Her pale skin turned blue as her exoskeleton armor then held her limbs. She looked like a goddess of war as she deploys her armaments. Her main armament has been created. Through her Omni-Forge she has repaired her main weapon. With her weapon, she activated her countermeasures against the enemy. The abomination noticed the presence of Zola.

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    ¡°Identifying...Codex Law suggests enforcer...warning...Personnel has been detected....Complete...Personnel passes Codex Lax standards...Submitting ID to USER Omni-Forge...Error...Omni-Forge is offline...Error...Detecting...Results Completed...Personnel infected with unknown energy...Error...Database offline...Cure unable to be found...Error...Codex Law suggests elimination of personnel...Termination Law.¡±

    The Combat Drone¡¯s optics turned red. It suddenly moved using its legs as its searing laser then fires at Zola. She watched the searing laser with bland eyes. She dodged to the side and pointed her left arm at the abomination. In her arm, there was a coiled barrel that was seething with electricity. It fired a blast of energy that made the upper shoulder of the abomination explode. The butchered meat came down and landed on the ground, making meaty sounds.

    Zola Dawn sprinted with her main weapon at hand. She aimed it at the torso of the enemy and pulled the trigger. The shot spread and created ten pan-sized holes. The abomination staggered. The coilgun that she fired at the enemy disabled the shield of the enemy while the spread shot stunned the enemy. The abomination, however, started to move and it then covered up its wounds by making use of the mutilated corpses, manipulating them by stretching them.

    ¡°Looks like I can¡¯t deal with the body immediately,¡± murmured Zola. She continued evading the enemy. Ducking down, taking a dive roll, hunkering down while making use of the coilgun on her left arm to disable the shield of the enemy while using her main weapon to damage the enemy. She didn¡¯t dare to be reckless at the face of an enemy like this. It was her first time that she had seen a newborn Quietus. Usually, the Quietus that she had dealt with was pre-created and had the appearance of humanoid figures birthed from the matrimony of flesh and machine.

    Usually, these types of abominations that she was facing were a behemoth-class abomination. It was a newborn yet it had the strength of a behemoth due to the various creatures it merged with. To her knowledge combat drones were much smarter than this. But her recent discovery of space storms had allowed her to deduce that the machinations of the drone had gone awry. The lack of maintenance also suggests that one of the main reasons the drone merge with the animal and monsters parts was in order to collect bioenergy to keep its functions running.

    ¡°It looks like this drone was set to collect organic samples. It might have been gathering samples for years now and without the facility to put them in. It went and become like this,¡± she thought. ¡°Then could it be that destroying that crippled medical ship was a mistake? Ah, if only I was able to detect this drone sooner...¡±

    She rolled. She reached to her belt and threw her last grenade which blew the abomination backward. She then leaps at the drone¡¯s main body. It tried to skewer her but she was able to dodge and point her main weapon, blasting the drone¡¯s head, revealing its insides. She tried to blast the drone again but she was blindsided and had to defend.

    The drone started to fly stiffly up to the air. She gave chase but then she saw a four-legged beast with a carriage in its back running away. The drone had gone awry and seeing the beast carriage. It seemed like it wanted to make use of the carriage. It revealed one of its sub-arms and pointed it at the beast carriage. Zola didn¡¯t waste her time, madly, she dashed towards the drone to prevent its actions.

 Chapter 90

    Chapter 90 ¨C Angel with a Shotgun

    My eyes opened on their own. I was pulled by this strange force that made my body jump away and roll despite the injuries that it has sustained. I didn¡¯t know why it did. But the moment I saw the abomination that made us both fall down that chasm of despair. I knew that death¡¯s scythe was just near me.

    There was a strange feeling of despair as I lay down in the ground broken. I could move my neck to see what was happening. But yet the loud foot stomps of the abomination made my heart jump. There was this dreaded fear as the abomination slowly approaches.

    Was this my end? I thought so. But yet at that moment, I saw the abomination fall to its side. Its metal head was shot by something loud and crude. I turned my stiffed neck to where that blast came from. There, I saw a long-haired angel wielding a shotgun. Her blonde hair reaches up to the back of her knee, her reddish eyes slowly turned to blue, as her skin returned from blue to pale in a moment. She had this focused look in her eyes, her shotgun, aiming at the blasted head of the abomination.

    It was a continuous blast that was like music to my ears. Her stern and taciturn figure wielding that shotgun made the grim mood that this forest was giving disappear. Like an angel with a shotgun, dispersing the despair with violence.

    It was like a tune that resounded through the air. The sky seemed to welcome this angel and it cleared. The endless blue sky could be seen, the sun¡¯s erupted its blinding light as it illuminates the long-haired angel that was destroying the abomination.

    There was a sound of metal bending. The constant loud noise of her weapon along with her ripping the parts of the drone made for a quite a scene. She seemed to have taken something out, and she put it into this gauntlet where I could see a hologram screen appear out of thin air. Am I seeing things? That looks advance but I can¡¯t really comment about it while being this far away.

    The woman held her shotgun upon her shoulder. She turned towards my direction and with a single leap, I could see her figure float. It felt like time slow down as I see this angel approached. She wore this exoskeleton that held her limbs tightly. She wore this carapace body armor with an odd belt around her waist. Her hair spread as she leaps towards me. She kneeled and pointed her gauntlet at me and spoke.

    ¡°Your wounds...this is a miracle you are alive,¡± said her, in a rather familiar language. She seemed to have realized that she spook to her native language. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    She said in the common tongue. I knew what language she used. It was a familiar one and looking at her talking in the common tongue of this world. I said, despite my jaw being broken. ¡°I am...fine...are you from?¡±

    That was the only words I can muster. It felt like I spent everything that I had in those five words. She seemed to know that language. I could her see blue eyes widening. Her face that was rather bland, turning that of a shock as she tries to call out to me. I could not hear her words. I could only hear this drop of water as I suddenly found myself in this beach where things were so calmed...

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    It was a fond yet a bitter memory.

    <hr>

    To her surprise, the battered man before her spoke an earth language. It was a different accent compared to the unified one she was used to. But she could tell that it was a united earth¡¯s language. It shook her being. It made her immediately pull a syringe from her belt and stab it on the neck of the man. She didn¡¯t care about what she did. She gave him the finest cure that the 25th millennium could offer. A highly regenerative Nano-stem cell that could heal a soldier at death¡¯s door and make them susceptible to revival.

    She only had one but she didn¡¯t care about that. She was a Type-Shiva Soldier that had been augmented to have a regenerative ability to fight the Quietus. She didn¡¯t care for the syringe and its value and only wanted this human who knew her language to stay alive.

    The cure was not an almighty solution. It could not bring back the dead but it could heal this man faster than normal humans should be. It was like a gift that will bring forth a semi-regenerative ability for this man. She did not know him. She had no reasons to save him other than that he knew her language.

    This man could be a deprived who got sent into this foreign. She had many questions to ask but how could she do that if this man dies? That¡¯s why she injected this man with a cure that would give him the ability to heal his cells when he is not conscious. The cure only works when the user sleeps. It doesn¡¯t mean the subject will get the ability to heal his wounds in battle. He will still need to rest in order for the Nano-stem cells to activate. They only act when there is less brain activity in the user''s head so that they don''t accidentally fry the patient''s nervous system.

    And indeed, the cure worked. The man in front of her started to get better. His wounds were healing in a slow rate. She was surprised about this. It seemed like despite being the best thing that her age could offer. It was not that compatible with this human at all. There was a difference in their body components. It was quite disheartening but she could at least put relief in the small-time regeneration that she was seeing.

    Suddenly, she heard footsteps. She turned her exoskeleton suit to mimic mode and turned it into a hooded coat that covered her features. Then, she saw a man being assisted by someone. They seemed to be looking for the man and seeing him, this man hurriedly told his companion to carry him to the carriage. They didn¡¯t notice her, but when they did. They told to come with them, telling her that it was not safe. She wanted to ask the man questions so she had decided to go with them.

    It was strange...but for the first since coming here. She felt like there might be someone that might understand her. That is if the man lived in the same era as she was.

 Chapter 91

    Chapter 91 ¨C For what¡¯s it worth

    Silo sat in the carriage. His eyes turned to the gates of Edawick. The carriage approached slowly. The rider pulled the reins and bowed his head. There was shouting. Silo saw men and women from the Town gather in front of the gates. There was a smile on their faces. But that smile vanished as they saw that there were only four people in the carriage.

    A woman with a red handkerchief for a hair band approached with her hands held together. She looked at Silo with teary eyes. ¡°Where¡¯s my husband?¡±

    Silo dismounted the Komodo dragon village. His missing leg replaced by a worn out blue branch was seen by the townspeople. ¡°I am sorry, we are only ones that have returned,¡± His voice was low, ¡°but let it be known that the abomination that we¡¯ve hunted is now dead. They did not die in vain or their sacrifice meaningless.¡±

    The woman sprawled on the ground, her tears streaming down her cheeks. His words made the people lower their heads. They would glance at Silo¡¯s leg. They had this wanting to speak their woes. Yet, they could not speak it at the sight of Silo¡¯s battered and worn appearance.

    The carriage slowly passed by the gate. The townspeople looked inside the carriage and saw Joshua¡¯s horrible corpse-like appearance. If it wasn¡¯t for his chest going up and down they would have thought that he was dead. The others had seen Joshua¡¯s appearance and if they didn¡¯t know better. They would have mistaken him for someone else.

    Then, their eyes went to the unknown person who had her features covered by a hood. Her arms were folded. Her line of sight was on the carriage¡¯s floor. She didn¡¯t utter anything. She didn¡¯t make a sound and she acted like a ghost far from this place.

    Silo gestured the rider to go where the hospital was. The rider raised a brow. He looked at Silo, before saying. ¡°How about you, you are injured? Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Silo shook his head. He looked at the distant figure walking hurriedly towards the gate. ¡°I have to talk someone. She¡¯ll send me to the hospital.¡±

    The rider of the Komodo dragon looked at where he was looking. There, he saw the girl that was waiting for Silo in these past few days without any sleep. He could understand what was going to happen. ¡°Good luck, Silo. See you later.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Brother. Make sure to bring Joshua to the hospital. He needs to be helped.¡±

    The rider nodded. He whipped the reins and spurred the Komodo dragon forward. Silo watched the mount go inside the village. Briskly, he strode near the girl waiting for him. In his eyes there was hesitation. He looked at her eyes and he saw her glassy eyes looking at him. She wore a frown, her hands clutched together as if it was in a prayer. Silo opened his mouth. He wanted to say something but he didn¡¯t find the right words.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± said Cyra.

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    ¡°I am. Well, I am far better than Joshua. He did his best for me. I am here because of him.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡± said Cyra, her hands clutched even more tightly. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°We were stupid. We thought we could handle that abomination but we were wrong. We suffered for our own stupidity and short-sightedness. We let our vengeance cloud us. Joshua was right. And through struggle, I understood that dearly.¡±

    Cyra didn¡¯t say anything. She just stood there while the townspeople walked back to the town. Silo strode slowly down the road. His leg that was replaced by a branch sounded out. Silo smiled wearily. He said. ¡°You know. I almost gave up there. No, I gave up. Do you know why I am here? Because he probably thought that I should. I shouldn¡¯t make you sad. Saying that there was someone waiting for me back here, well, are you dissatisfied?¡±

    Cyra looked up. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Look at me. I am a bastard missing a leg. Who wouldn¡¯t want someone like me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true...it doesn¡¯t mean anything,¡± said Cyra.

    ¡°I know. But still, it may have been too late of me to say this. But...¡±

    Silo kneeled on his knee. He looked at Cyra and spoke four words. These four words made Cyra widen her eyes. Holding her hands near her mouth, she broke into tears first before her face beamed into a big smile. There were some ladies who saw this scene of theirs. They smiled at the scene. To them, it was like a scene of a worn out warrior returning to his lady.

    The sun was shining brightly. Silo stood up, holding Cyra¡¯s hand. The bitter yet worn out face that he wore was now gone. There was only relief and joy. There was a jubilant feeling of joy inside Silo. He had thought of giving up. Yet right now it felt like it was worth it. Maybe it was an abrupt choice. Maybe the feeling of death¡¯s embrace made him want to sire a family.

    Indeed, maybe this is him fooling himself. He expected that she would reject him by his state alone. Yet here he was holding her hand as they walk to the hospital. They exchanged sweet words. It was odd really. Despite the aching wounds he had. Silo felt relaxed now. He could remember the dead and the hunters that were with him. But even so, the presence of Cyra made Silo calm. Indeed, he had gone through pain and suffering because of his own choices. It was too late when he realized that it was a mistake. He had to be dragged by a friend whose injuries was worse than anyone could imagine. He was walking here with his wounds slightly aching. But comparing his injuries to Joshua would be an insult. He doesn¡¯t know how he could face or repay him. But he was back in this place. He was away from the nightmare that felt like it was too long and despairing.

    The sun was up. Everything was fine for now. Indeed, there were people who got lost and died in that stupidity. But still, Silo only wanted to feel this calming bliss...he was alive. He wanted to cherish this moment of being home again.

 Chapter 92

    Chapter 92 ¨C Deprived Foreigners

    The eyes of the person open. The person felt floaty. The person looked at the place. There was an old cement-made dock in the right. It was falling apart. In front of the person was the endless sea. The person could see the horizon. It was far and wide. The sea was flat and there were no big waves that wash the grey sand

    The person felt the cold and warm wind. The person walked a step. The person leaned on the railing that looked like wood but it was just formed like lumber. It was a cement that was molded out of a lumber. The person didn¡¯t know what wood it was. The person did not ponder about it further.

    The person stared at the beach sands. The person looked at the little black crabs that dug holes. A few leaves coming from this tree rolled down the beach, which¡¯s tree the person had forgotten. Up above, the person saw this flying machine leave being a cloud of trails. A hot breeze of wind with a mix of cool air pressed upon the person¡¯s face.

    The person stared at the flat sea again. There was a tiny boat far from the shore. It was lonesome and the sea seemed like it would suddenly swallow the kayak whole, leaving nothing but the plain unmoving sea. The person could hear the leaves rustling. The person looked behind. There were men and women carrying bottles of alcohol. Some of them sat with a weary face. Some wore a construction hat. Some carried a little baby that was barely a year old, eating, celebrating the child.

    The place was quiet despite them. All the person could hear was the hush of the wind and the small brushing sound of the wands. It was a soothing feeling. The person had been trying too hard. The person had been too busy that this little bit of calmness made the person forgot all the hardship that the person has been through.

    Duties and the Obligations, the person had been choked with those two things. That the person had forgotten what was it like to stay and stare at the beach where things are quiet. No stress, just the person, and the wide sea. The person was fond of the sea. It has been long since the person went to this beach. The person remembered friends that had long moved on. The person had long forgotten their faces. And as the person grows up, alone, and without any family to wake up to, made the person realize that it was time for the person to be a good tool for society. It was a cruel truth that the person faced.

    It was a jarring truth. The person didn¡¯t want any of that truth. In the end, all the person was good for was as a tool for others. Be a good person for the sake of society. Be an upstanding citizen of the whole damned world. The person could understand the reasoning of being a cog in the world. That¡¯s why the person cherished this bit of peace.

    Of course, the person knew that ¡®peace¡¯ was taken. The person had already realized that there was no way that the person would be in that place. The person knew it too well that this bit of peace was already deprived of him. It was denied and taken.

    <hr>

    The room had a bed. It had a table near it and there was a curtain billowing along with the wind. The soft sunlight illuminated through the window, revealing the wooden pattern of the walls. In this room, a man and a woman simultaneously open their eyes.

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    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    The two said. They looked at each other before wiping their faces awkwardly.

    ¡°And you are?¡±

    ¡°Zola Dawn.¡±

    ¡°I see. I am Joshua Stanco. Are you a nurse? I am sure that this place is the hospital.¡±

    ¡°You can tell?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been helping around the place, making use of my first-aid skills to treat people¡¯s wounds.¡±

    ¡°You look fine.¡±

    ¡°I am?¡± said Joshua, observing his body. ¡°Oh, I sure had a lot of scars now...weird. Hey, I am not in some kind of heaven am I?¡±

    ¡°No. Sadly, you are still in the living.¡±

    ¡°Oh. So...anyway, about my question, are you a nurse?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then did I know you from somewhere?¡±

    She shook her head.

    ¡°No, you did not.¡±

    ¡°Then who are you?¡±

    She suddenly pulled something from her belt. It then materialized into a familiar weapon.

    ¡°A shotgun...or at least that¡¯s what I think it should be. Oh, you are that angel with a shotgun?¡±

    ¡°Angel?¡± she rested her shotgun on her lap. ¡°I don¡¯t think I am. So, now that you¡¯ve seen that. What can you tell?¡±

    ¡°You are not from here?¡± said Joshua, speaking in his native language. ¡°That you are a foreigner perhaps?¡±

    Zola smiled thinly. ¡°I guess that I am not the only foreigner here.¡±

    ¡°Looks like it,¡± said Joshua. ¡°So...I am from the 3rd millennium.¡±

    ¡°25th millennium...¡± said Zola, her head lowered down. ¡°I guess we are from a different time.¡±

    Joshua looked at her. ¡°I guess so So about we compare if we really from the same world?¡±

    ¡°I guess so,¡± she nodded.

    The two started comparing the history that they both knew. Joshua started from the first world war, then to the moon landing and so on. Zola confirmed most of the history that Joshua knew, but beyond that timeline became vague, and there was only this Dark Age where people grew in fear against what Zola calls as the ¡®Quietus¡¯ plague. A disaster that made the AI¡¯s of Zola¡¯s timeline went rogue, creating the ¡®Quietus¡¯. The unholy matrimony between the Organic and the Synthetic, creating the abomination that Joshua had witnessed in that forest.

    Joshua didn¡¯t know what to say to Zola. He only listened in silence while trying not to act as if he knows. He wouldn¡¯t know what it would be like to live in such disturbing age. He wouldn¡¯t understand her plight. He wouldn¡¯t know what it would be like.

    So he could only listen. Listen, to this person that was lost in this foreign world like him. She was speaking her truths, despite not knowing him. All Joshua knows that she¡¯s speaking because he was in the same situation. Their times were too far apart, but they at least belong to the same world and that he could understand... as a fellow deprived who was denied of his home.

 Chapter 93

    Chapter 93 ¨C An Understanding of A lost

    Joshua clenched his fist, he flexed his right arm. He observed his scarred body while keeping his other arm steady, letting Zola inspect it.

    ¡°Your arms are nicely healing. Although there is a huge compatibility issue due to the different antibodies and composition. The Nan-stem cell injection that I gave you is doing its job.¡±

    Joshua panned his head to Zola. ¡°That explains the easiness in me. Though I feel pain near my right ear and there are lumps of lymph nodes in my feet. And dizziness, tightness in the chest.¡±

    ¡°Side effects of your body being unfamiliar with the injection,¡± said Zola sighing. ¡°Usually with this injection, your wounds and scars would heal, but hey,¡± she smiled thinly, ¡°it¡¯s not like the scars don¡¯t suit you.¡±

    ¡°Hah,¡± said Joshua. ¡°At least they¡¯ll heal right?¡±

    ¡°As long as you rest for a few months then your condition might become normal. Although I suggest exercising and become fit, it is a shame for someone not to see their body in their prime.¡±

    His face made this weary look. Joshua turned to the window. The curtain was being blown by the wind. Past the window, there were the usual shepherds tending to their lamps, leading them to this green hill filled with grass, where the sheep can mow it with their teeth.

    Zola noticed Joshua wasn¡¯t looking. She tapped his left arm and let it fall down the bed. She cracked her fingers, before folding her arms, looking at the window.

    ¡°Peaceful.¡±

    ¡°It sure is. Well, most of the townspeople could sleep well now because of you, Zola. You killed that abomination and yet none of the people here would know.¡±

    Zola leaned back in her chair. ¡°Well, I rather not have them worship me as Hero. That thing needed to be killed. Though it is my shame that I was far too late in knowing that such abomination like that has formed.¡±

    ¡°How could you know?¡± said Joshua. ¡°You were gathering information and that Omni-Forge of yours have lost all data other than its primary function.¡±

    Zola¡¯s face remained unchanged. ¡°Still, it was my responsibility as Corporal of that ship to tend it. That drone informally belongs to me. Blowing that ship up, that drone and the other was my responsibility.¡±

    ¡°And you did what you did,¡± said Joshua. ¡°Besides, you save us three from that abomination.¡±

    ¡°Those ¡®Templars¡¯ helped.¡±

    ¡°And they are all dead.¡±

    ¡°They are,¡± said Zola. ¡°A shame, though it bothers me that there are floating ships like that here.¡±

    ¡°Rune Magic,¡± said Joshua, ¡°it was the thing that kept the air balloons fly. I flew one out of desperation but what Silo told me...is it true?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Though they are a rust bucket, they can fly and evade. It is surprising how these men didn¡¯t conquer the whole of this continent with these kinds of weapons. I guess those ¡®Vileguards¡¯ guards the continent. Though seeing the various creatures of this world, I can understand the sentiment. Filthy monsters and abominations that should be purge clean.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, easy with the hatred eyes,¡± said Joshua, raising both hands in an attempt to calm Zola. He had seen that ever since having a long talk with Zola. She would give out these contempt-filled eyes that were full of zeal and seething hatred.

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    ¡°Sorry, it is just that-¡°

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve told me that, Zola,¡± said Joshua. It was odd for him too. Talking to Zola made Joshua felt soft. He didn¡¯t know why but when Zola, this stranger who saved his life suddenly talked about her life. He listened. To him, it was a fascinating out of the world tale of a soldier who fought in a galaxy-wide war. She was a poor soldier who fought in a war against sentient beings that wanted nothing but to reunite all through synthesis, and making the whole galaxy anew, and at peace. Of course, that peace meant being turned into an abomination. Something that any non-machine being would utterly refuse.

    It was a horrible life compared to what had experienced. Of course, everyone¡¯s had their own sad story to tell. He didn¡¯t brag about his own and just listened to her tale. At the end, he thought that maybe being sent into this world was more of a blessing. Joshua brought that up to her. And there, he saw that seething-hatred eyes that made him shiver from head to toe.

    Indeed, Zola being spirited away might sound like a blessing to Joshua. But to Zola, it was not. It was a deprival of her right to fight. She was a loyal and devoted protector of her homeworld. She had no family. Her friend had already fallen midway and she was actually trying to give herself comfort by talking to Joshua who at least belongs to the world she once lived. Although their times were despairingly apart, Zola thought of him as an older ancient comrade that was born in the solar system. She was a citizen of earth and so was he. That was all she needs. It was downright delusional. But yet Joshua¡¯s silence as he listened to her was that of understanding.

    She saved him. So what right did he have to complain about her woes? He could not just tell her to go away. Indeed, he could not understand her plight. He could never will. But as a human, a person deprived of home, he could at least partly sympathize with her. Any words of courage would be meaningless. He had no right to say anything. He knew that well. So he could only listen. And that act made this super-human soldier from the far future of his homeworld act comfortably near him.

    ¡°And you try lessening it. At least stop scaring the kids and killing various dire monsters.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t help it,¡± said Zola. ¡°They look like they are dangerous. I didn¡¯t know that some of them were friendly.¡±

    Joshua smiled tiredly at that. He had heard from Dan how Zola patrolled around the town of Edawick. She was a restless mess according to Dan. She was someone who would only attend to Joshua, who she had declared her responsibility. After all, she was nervous what the Nano-Stem cell would do. Hence, she has been tending, examining the changes on Joshua with the use of her Omni-forge.

    It has been days since their first talk. He had been staying in the hospital and soon he would be allowed to get out. The doctor had been astonished by Joshua¡¯s recovery, though that doctor was barred by Zola.

    Anyway, it was all thanks to Zola¡¯s tending that he had recovered from the corpse-like state. It was a miracle. But Zola herself said that it was a one-time only. And if something that grave would happen again. Even the Nano-Stem cell wouldn¡¯t help him as good as it did.

 Chapter 94

    Chapter 94 ¨C Discharged

    Joshua had been allowed to get out of the town¡¯s hospital. It was a shame that he had to leave that bed. He walked down the corridor and greeted the doctor and nurses behind the wooden counter. This hospital belonged to the church of light, Luci Fera, and most of the workers here are God-fearing men and women. It was a good place. They had taken care of him so he thanked them and promised them bread that he would make. His admission to the hospital and getting the best room was a courtesy of thanks to the Mayor, who welcomed Silo, the rider, and him as good hunters.

    Although, other than the food. Joshua didn¡¯t really benefit much from the services of the doctor. After all, there was someone who was tending to him. This, someone, was standing in silence near the doors of the hospital. This taciturn person who wore a gray military coat had her arms folded.

    ¡°Finally, took your time didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I am surprised that you are still here,¡± said Joshua, looking at her narrowly. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be killing dire monsters again.¡±

    ¡°Well...I kinda wanted peace. Peace...it is disturbing.¡±

    Joshua didn¡¯t reply to that. He stretches his legs outside of the hospital and to the flagstone streets of Edawick. The townspeople were moving from every direction. Carts were being pulled. Merchants selling their wares can be heard. Children¡¯s were running around playing with their toys. Some of them were familiar with Joshua. They circled around him, making Joshua smile thinly, rubbing the head of the children.

    ¡°Popular aren¡¯t you,¡± Zola followed behind. She looked at the toys that the children had. ¡°And really... cape heroes and straw dolls?¡±

    ¡°Economy class and art class paid off,¡± smiled Joshua. He waved his hands at the children who sprinted to the park that was just near the hospital.

    ¡°Must be great...living in peace.¡±

    ¡°Peace?¡¯ Joshua scoffed. ¡°You could say that, but there were still horrible things that happen day by day. Though I am not going to compare them to sentient beings that threaten the entirety of mankind into becoming meatballs.¡±

    She raised a brow and a smile. ¡°Fine, still, this peace bothers yet surprises me. It is saddening that most of the memories I could remember was not like this. Young child like them, wouldn¡¯t be playing out in open streets like these. They would be in learning centers or academies. Learning how to become a good part of society or a soldier that would be sent out to distant colonies to fight and die there in shallow trenches.¡±

    Joshua kept silent. He rubbed his left arm quietly. She always goes on like this, thought Joshua. Whenever she had something to say, she would start to speak about the difference between this world and hers. It was a great difference in tint that made her look at the surroundings with melancholic eyes. Joshua didn¡¯t like speaking about his world. And usually when Zola speaks like that. He would just change the subject or at best keep silent.

    He let her talk. After that, the two weaved through the streets of Edawick and took turns until they Dan¡¯s house. Joshua went inside and met with Dan. Nan was inside, she was pleased and gave Joshua cup of tea. Zola didn¡¯t approach the table where Dan and Nana was. She stayed in the living room, her arms folded, and her face bland.

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    Dan and Nana weren¡¯t offended. Instead, they only talked to Joshua and his ¡®miraculous¡¯ recovery that people in the town think nothing but a blessing from their god of light. People in this world were superstitious and god-fearing. Not to mention that they did not know that it was all thanks to Zola that Joshua was able to recover in just a month.

    ¡°How''re the wounds?¡± said Dan. ¡°You looked like a corpse when you returned. Now, you look like you just fine.¡±

    ¡°Better, thanks to the angel with a shotgun.¡±

    Dan curled his brows. ¡°I see. Well, I guess this Angel Shotgun of your has helped you well. Still, it is good that you are alive, Joshua.¡±

    ¡°Yeah it¡¯s great being alive,¡± Joshua said. Dan didn¡¯t know what a shotgun was. Joshua didn¡¯t tell him what happened and what Zola could do. She was clear about her wanting of anonymity. She didn¡¯t like attention so he kept silent about what she did. So he mouthed off miracles and if anything, the presence of rune magic and blessing from Gods made it easier for them to accept what he was saying. Of course, they now think that Joshua had a guardian angel named Shotgun.

    ¡°I hope you rest well, our home is your home, don¡¯t forget that Joshua.¡± He patted Joshua¡¯s shoulder. Along with Nana, they left for the hospital where a doctor would probably check Nana¡¯s condition. Joshua and Zola were left alone.

    The two spent time in silence. Joshua offered a cup of tea, which Zola took and drank with both hands. Joshua felt like there was something lacking. So he perked up, went to the kitchen and started baking.

    ¡°Making something?¡± Zola said.

    ¡°Yep, just a bit of something to go with the tea.¡±

    ¡°You are going to empty the pot?¡± she smirks. ¡°Well, share some if you are done.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure...¡± Joshua waved his right hand. He focused his mind on the task that he was doing. From mixing the ingredients and painstakingly watching, what he was cooking to be cooked properly. It took a while to prepare the melted butter but when it was done. The tea-drinking future soldier sitting at the table lifted her eyes towards the break.

    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°Recognized it?¡±Joshua asked.

    ¡°Yeah, Waffles, with melted butter on top. Nice, I never had one since I left for the War Academy.¡±

    This time, Joshua had to ask. ¡°How many years since you have one?¡±

    ¡°When I was eleven,¡± she said, staring at the waffles with nostalgic eyes. ¡°Mum used to cook something like this. Too bad she never really had the time to cook again with the war and all.¡±

    ¡°I see. Well, eat up then, it may not be as good but hey, at least you have something.¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll devour them if they¡¯re good.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Joshua took at least one and started eating. He took a bit using the fork. Then, in the corner of his eyes, he saw Zola eating the waffles with melted butter furiously. You¡¯re tearing up, said Joshua in his head. He could see that Zola¡¯s eyes were watery. I guess even a super soldier could leak tears eating a piping hot waffle huh, thought Joshua, eating his own waffle in silence.

 Chapter 95

    Chapter 95 ¨C Whiner¡¯s Home

    Slowly, Joshua stretched his legs into this courtyard. There were new tombstones laid in this courtyard, seeing the tombstone, Joshua went to the memorial tombstone was and stared at the names written on it. In his hand was a bottle of wine. He put it on the tomb.

    The tombs were empty. There was nothing but empty coffins buried here. Joshua knew that. He was told by Silo who arrived silently like him in this courtyard of tombstones. Silo weave through the flagstone paths before standing beside Joshua.

    ¡°Silo.¡±

    ¡°Joshua.¡±

    The two looked and nodded at each other. They kept looking at the memorial tombstone. There were o still and noiseless mood around the courtyard of tombstones. The only sound that could be heard was the birds flapping their wings. And the crickets that make noises. The wind blew from the left, making Joshua¡¯s gray long coat flutter along with the wind. Silo tugged his tunic, rubbing his collar. Silo stared at the names on the tombstone.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Silo.

    Joshua looked at Silo. ¡°What exactly for?¡±

    ¡°For dragging me out of that despairing face and making me see hope despite losing it. I still think you are crazy. But I guess that crazy thing you did save us. It was stupid, isn¡¯t it? We could have avoided it all if we just stop and listened to tour voice of reason. But our anger made us unable to hear our reason. We didn¡¯t listen and we charge like fools who then was too late to realize what they were facing.¡±

    Joshua didn¡¯t reply. He listened.

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be alive if it weren¡¯t for you. You save me and give me this reason. And someone to fight for.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything special. It was my ego doing that.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± said Silo. ¡°But that Ego saved me. I thank that ¡®Ego¡¯ you speak of. Honestly, when we arrive in the town after that despairing journey. I drank myself to the bottom of the bottle. I kept whining how things should have been different. It was done. It was over. I know that there was no way for them to come back. But I keep on whining about it to Cyra who listens. She...she¡¯s too good for a whiner like me. Ah, why was I so dense? Why did I fail to see her?¡±

    Joshua smirked. ¡°Finally seeing the truth?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I do. That woman listens well. She doesn¡¯t care about my leg. She even listens to my drunk whining. I¡¯ve always asked myself what did I do to have someone like her fall for me. Do you know?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Joshua shook his head. ¡°But somewhere along the line, she must have started to like you.¡±

    Silo frowned. ¡°Maybe, still, I would like to give her the best life. I am getting married to her.¡±

    ¡°Congratulations.¡±

    Joshua replied. The bottle of wine he bought was shimmering as the sun rays hit it. Silo turned his attention to the bottle as well.

    ¡°You better give me some gift. I supposed we could drink to our hearts in my wedding.¡±

    ¡°We can do that.¡±

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    ¡°Aye, still, would it be good to whine in such good day?¡±

    Joshua puckered his lip. ¡°We are humans. Humans whine when they can. When we are tired we whine. When we are hungry we whine. When we are having a bad time we whine. It¡¯s human to whine, Silo. It¡¯s nothing special at all.¡±

    ¡°Hah,¡± Silo beamed. ¡°That¡¯s one way of putting it. Still, I don¡¯t see you whining.¡±

    ¡°I do whine,¡± Joshua looked at Silo. ¡°But I keep it to myself since I would go on long rants.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± said Silo. ¡°So when you are going to rant about my friend?¡±

    ¡°When I am alone, that would be great.¡±

    ¡°Heh, is that so?¡±

    Joshua nodded. The two kept praying for the dead. After that, they sat near the tombstones and opened the bottle of wine. Silo brought two cups and thus they drank for the fallen hunters. It was a simple ritual that Dan recommended. Silo knew the tradition and Joshua were happy to partake in a round of drinking.

    The bottle was near empty in just a matter of minutes. Joshua stared at the wine. He sniffed it and said. ¡°This is a good wine...¡±

    ¡°It is. Sadly, the village making it was crushed along with its makers. Vineyards got burned. Those Bali and Cagan warmongers crushed their airships on the village. They ransacked the village and had to be eliminated by the Thorn Cross Legion. They say that a noble lady crushed the raiders and burned them out of anger.¡±

    ¡°So this is a rare wine now?¡±

    ¡°Not really...I heard that noble lady invested some resources in that village.¡±

    ¡°She must really like the wine.¡±

    ¡°Aye, she even brought an entire regiment of guards in that village. So this wine wouldn¡¯t disappear. Though the profits of that village will be hers, it¡¯s her fief now.¡±

    ¡°What a nice noble lady,¡± said Joshua.

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Silo shrugged his shoulders.

    The two continued drinking until the wine was emptied. Silo stood up gingerly. He looked at the cloudy sky. ¡°I better go. See you around.¡±

    ¡°Goodbye.¡±

    Joshua nodded at Silo. He watched him go. His eyes would look at his artificial wooden leg skid the ground. Joshua sighed. He laid his back on the grass. He closed his eyes. He recalled the horrors that he suffered. It hurt. It made him want to give. In honesty, he wanted to whine about it. But the things that he had seen and witness made him too tired to do it.

    It¡¯s all so tiresome, he muttered. He looked at the differently shaped clouds. They move slowly across the sky. There was a breeze coming from the north. It was accompanied by the smell of floras. He was sprawling in a middle of a courtyard with tombstones laid around. The wine beside him made him looked like a drunkard. It took a while but Joshua finally stood up. He took the bottle with him and bid farewell to dead.

    He strode out of the cemetery. He eyed the town of Edawick within the fringes of his sight. He didn¡¯t want to jinx it. But he hoped that this place would be his home in this world.

 Chapter 96

    Chapter 96 ¨C the Lady of Alva¡¯s Woes

    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this!¡± the door slammed suddenly. A man in his fifties entered this lavishly decorated room. He stomped his legs towards the ringlet-haired lady with a lazy expression.

    ¡°Uncle, do you know what is knocking? It is an act of politeness that usually for having manners. And look at you, barging into a ladies room. What if I was naked? What if I had my maidservant dressing me? Where are my guards? Did you send them off? If they die I would have you pay for their coffers and pay me a fee. So why are you standing like a damn fool? Oh my, should I throw you off the plank? I always wanted to play like a hearty pirate.¡±

    The man stomped his right foot. ¡°Enough you brat, what were you thinking? Releasing all the slaves? Giving them leniency and paying them work when you only need to feed them?¡±

    ¡°Oh is that what you are seething about,¡± Dolce tilted her head. ¡°Are you sure that you should be telling me? Ah, let me tell that this ¡®ship¡¯ that you are flying on has been blessed by the Thorn Cross Legion itself. It is their thanks for allowing them to take Avilla City and purging the enemies of their demesne like a good Alva should do. So why are you yelling at me? In my own ship on what I am doing to my own crew?¡±

    ¡°You brat, do you know what you are doing? You are wasting money! And to think that I sent these slaves to you only for them to be freed! Damn your father!¡±

    ¡°And now you insult my dear father,¡± said Dolce. ¡°Do you know that this lady will get angry? My father is a lenient yet brutal man who hates and loves his daughter. Although, my defiance had made him almost throw me out. Having worked with the Templars made him reconsider. Ah, isn¡¯t it great? And what have you done you, dullard? Sit on your ass enjoying Bali native girls?¡±

    ¡°You...insolent girl, I¡¯ll have your father hear this.¡±

    ¡°Oh good Luci Fera,¡± she patted her forehead. ¡°Is this what you always do? Gawk like a dotard that could not speak anything else? Good, heavens above. Even a slave would have better rhetoric¡¯s and retort than you do. Urgg, I feel like I want to just sleep or have your head shaved. Mm, maybe I will do that out of annoyance? Elesia!¡± called Dolce. ¡°Do we have a barber on our ship?¡±

    The maid peeked out of the table. She wiped her mouth and said. ¡°N-no, milady, I don¡¯t think that there is someone like that onboard.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she nodded. ¡°Okay, you can go back to work now.¡±

    The man in his fifties looked at the maid who perked her head on the table. He could not see the maid before since Dolce was sitting on a big table.

    ¡°What in bloody heavens are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Something that you should not ask me about,¡± her face was bland but with a hint of redness in her cheeks. She moaned rather lewdly as well. ¡°So, are you done saying what you want to say to me? Are you done being an annoyance uncle?¡± she pointed at the documents laid on her table. ¡°I¡¯ve been taking care of work. Unlike you, I have little time to rest. I have fiefs to manage and fools to squander and bribe. I may not look like it. But I am now a hard worker that cares for people¡¯s lives.¡±

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    ¡°What do you really want?¡± the man in his fifties folded his arms. ¡°I¡¯ve known you from the start you brat. You don¡¯t do things like these! What are your true intentions here?¡±

    Dolce looked at her uncle with a baffled expression. ¡°Elesia, are you hearing this?¡±

    The maid that was under Dolce¡¯s frilly skirt popped her head up. ¡°Yes, milady, I heard it all clearly.¡±

    ¡°Why does this uncle of mine assume that I cannot change?¡±

    Elesia held her right hand near her mouth, wiping that suspicious liquid from her face. ¡°She thinks that the lady is a brat?¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Dolce slammed her hands on the table dramatically. ¡°What an insult to me! O my poor heart has been hurt! Elesia, look at this mean man who can¡¯t please his wife anymore! What a meanie! How could he say something so hurtful to me?¡±

    The man looked at the maid with cold eyes. ¡°You are acting without meaning!¡± the man shouted. Dolce suddenly reached out to the pistol hidden under the table. There, she showed a cold expression, far too cold that it made the man shiver. His spine tingled. He had the feeling of wanting to run away.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± said the man.

    ¡°I am pointing a barrel of a gun at your torso. Why are you so stupid that I have to explain it to you? This conversation has been me trying to make it a bit fun. First, you intrude my meager time. Second, you hurled insults right at my face. So tell me my impotent past his prime uncle. Why should I not shoot you here?¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t...dare to do it.¡±

    Dolce pulled the trigger of her pistol. A muzzle flashed and the man felt pain in his stomach. He stared at his wound. He kneeled and screamed in pain.

    ¡°Oh my, my finger slipped.¡±

    ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IT HURTS!¡±

    ¡°Oh my, Elesia, please call the doctor. Have my uncle treated okay?. I can¡¯t have him dying until he sees all of Avilla into the hands of the Templars.¡±

    ¡°Yes, milady!¡± said Elesia.

    ¡°Oh wait!¡± Dolce called out to Elesia who was leaving. ¡°You should wipe that thing on your face.¡±

    Elesia blushed. She hurriedly wiped the liquid on her face. She then left the room. Dolce sighed and turned her eyes to her uncle that was sprawled on the floor bleeding. ¡°Good lord Uncle it¡¯s just a flesh wound. Your clothes will go red at this point!¡±

    ¡°You bitch!¡±

    ¡°Tsk those are some bad manners uncle! You ruin my carpet and now you treating me this badly!¡±

    She stomped on her uncle¡¯s chest. His uncle took a deep breath as he faints. Dolce then turned her attention to the circular window of her room. Down below, past the clouds, she could see smoke rising from Avilla City. It was a tiresome sight, and although she didn¡¯t want to be here. She had to ferry this troublesome Uncle of hers down below, where the forces of the Templar¡¯s and Alva will capture and take Avilla whole.

 Chapter 97

    Chapter 97 ¨C Evil are those who lost (1)

    Avilla city was in dispute. The Templars of the Thorn Cross managed in a few months to bring the citizens of the City into their side. There were loyalists loyal to the Warlord Mia. But the citizens were bought by propaganda. A simple piece of repeated chant made the people believe.

    Indeed, throughout the month she was seen as a weak warlord. In the Freelands a weak warlord is something that people would frown upon. The people of the city had seen weakness. The propaganda and lies of the Templars made the people side with Templars in an uprising.

    A ship landed near the fringes of the city. This ship had the sigil of the Alva. The soldiers saw that and quickly they formed two lines. A man wearing pious robes walked briskly in front of the warship. A bland smile without any hint of emotion, this pious man looked at the Lady of Alva who walked alongside his Uncle.

    ¡°Lady Dolce, it is a pleasure to meet you. And this is?¡±

    ¡°My Uncle,¡± said Dolce. ¡°He¡¯ll be handling Avilla as you requested, Justicar Vigo.¡±

    The Justicar smiled. He looked at the man and noticed that he had wrapped around his stomach. This made the Justicar curious. ¡°What happened to his stomach?¡±

    ¡°A sad accident you see, I was happily testing the pistol that you¡¯ve sent for me. This Uncle of Mine came without knocking so I had shot him accidentally. Isn¡¯t that right Uncle?¡±

    The man nodded meekly. ¡°Yes, it was an accident Lord Justicar Vigo.¡±

    ¡°I see. Well, you are here so I expect that you¡¯d be as competent and wise as Lady Dolce,¡± he said. ¡°But if you change your mind, this city still can be yours once we take it.¡±

    Dolce waved her hands. ¡°I am not interested in managing an entire city that sits in the middle of all trade routes in the Freelands. I¡¯m already having a bad time managing my fiefs and properties.¡±

    ¡°A shame,¡± the Justicar shook his head. ¡°You have the abilities.¡±

    ¡°Maybe, still, is this all that you need from me?¡± said Dolce. ¡°I rather not stay in this blood, gunpowder, and death smelling city. If you need me fire a colored smoke. I shall stay in the skies and gaze at your promised victory.¡±

    With that, she whirled and walked back to her airship. Lord Justicar Vigo watched the Lady of Alva stride. Then, he turned towards the pitiful Uncle with a glare. ¡°What are you waiting for? Get to work ad accustomed yourself to the place! My men and I will soon take Avilla from the Cagan loving fool of a warlord that grips this city with her dirty hands!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± like a cowering pup, the man jogged to the Templar officer. The officer then led the man to a tent where he would be lectured about what he will do.

    The Justicar Vigo gave a deep sigh. He looked at the ascending airship of the Lady Dolce and put both hands behind his back. He walked back to their outpost where the Warlord of the City gave them. Inside the Templars were busy formulating plans to take the inner parts of the City.

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    There were many points of interests that they have already taken. But the Blue-District loyalists have defended against their assault. The Templar¡¯s have a legion of Templars waiting to storm. But the placements of their cannons in their battlements and their constant mortar fire to scare four-legged dragons and the griffons allowed them to hold the line.

    ...

    In the inner lines of the defenses, Shig stared at the tired forces. He could see that the Templars were planning to take the city in one swoop soon. It was painful to admit. But he can see that they are clearly closing in. Their paths are blocked. And the only escape they have is through the spare airship that the Templars gave to them.

    The men of the battlements were worn out. Their morale had gone so low that by the time day broke. Twenty men and women have given their arms up in surrender. The constantly repeated shouting of the heralds didn¡¯t help them. The message and promise of good lives made the people that Shig could see doubt what they are fighting for.

    Shig expected the Templars to play coy. But to think that after a single expedition they changed their masks. It was the death of the Templars that made the Justicar desire to take the City. Shig didn¡¯t know why. Archie, who returned alone kept his silence and only mention of a terrible abomination that he could not describe.

    Shig had no idea what happened. But that trip changed Archie. He was a man of hope still, but Cassia¡¯s death shook his being. Indeed, he was familiar with death. But having someone close to your heart die brutally killed something inside Archie. Shig could understand that feeling.

    Archie had been doing what he does best. Shig could see that he was trying but this time the Templars made their right choices. Shig could see that they are just waiting for the right time. He knows that once they do what they are planning. The lines that they hold will fall.

    The Templars didn¡¯t want to ruin the city. Shig knew what they have invested in it and if anything, the only mistake that they did was to underestimate those that were loyal to the Warlord of Avilla. If it weren¡¯t for the Blue District¡¯s loyalty, Avilla City would have fallen to the Templars without any challenge. Men have died. And many were starting to have doubts

    ¡°Is that I can only do?¡± said Shig. He thought of the people that were behind. The niece that he had and the two Cattus that he had taken a liking. Shig heavily inhaled. His eyes turned to the Templars in the distance. He gripped his hand cannon tightly and started to pray to his God. He had started to care about this city. Yet now it was being taken. He could not blame the people for seeing weakness at his niece and taking the Templars side. Still, despite the incoming wrath of the zealous men of the Thorn Cross Legion. Shig waited for them to arrive with his red cloak billowing against the wind.

 Chapter 98

    Chapter 98 ¨C Evil are those who lost (2)

    The night¡¯s silence was broken by flashes of artillery coming from the four-legged dragons that positioned themselves on this hill. It was a mere distraction but that made the defenders of the fortress protecting the Warlord of Avilla City break into panic. While they were agitated by the sudden artillery fire the Templars of the Thorn Cross Legion. The vanguard of the Templars engaged the middle defenses. The forces of the blue-district were mauled and suppressed by the Templars repeating rifles.

    Among their new weapon was the crank-operated machine gun that made the blue district soldiers unable to fire. The Templars however merely suppressed them while a strike force was sent to flank them from the sides. The front and middle defenses of the fortress was good. They were stern and steadfast but their sides were pathetic. The two sides relied on two officers.

    The left side was guarded by Leiko and her group of wereanimals that made the Templars hunkered. The right side was guarded by Archie and his high-morale soldiers. The two sides fought bravely. However, the Templars had every advantage they have in this fight. From Artillery fire and the firearms they use. The Templars had the best chances and they slowly pushed the defenders back into the fortress.

    The Warlord of Avilla, Mia attended to the cannon defense fire. Each of their fires was concentrated in the middle and front defenses. There were ballistae that were on constant alert for any ships that might hover above them. The ballistae have been improved so that they could reach a distance that would allow them to hit ships from above.

    The battle continued till the dawn break. The constant gunfire and artillery fire turned the areas into a place of grey mist. The repaired walls and battlements were now in ruin. There were dead littered on every corner of each alley. Some had their intestines fried. Some had their heads painted on the walls. Some had their torso cleaved and sprawled like flowers in the streets.

    Men with eyes open. Their eyes rolled back. Iron balls were spread on every nook and cranny. There were broken firearms. There were smoking craters. The houses were on fire. The windows were broken. In the left and right side of the flank. There, men and women died with their hands on their gun''s trigger.

    The rest of the flanks had retreated to the main defenses. The front lines were defeated. However, in the front lines, a burly man with a red cape fluttering behind his back proudly commanded the line. The sunlight broke and the light shined on them. By his side were Archie, Leiko, and Mia. They fought together and commanded their own group. It was a hopeless battle yet they still fought on.

    The Templars were on the move. They took cover and hunkered down inside the buildings. They made use of the windows as cover and use their machine-gun to suppress the artillery that would prove dangerous to them. The Thorn Cross Legion¡¯s superior firepower made them have a good chance. Not to mention that they were surrounded in every corner. From the left to the right, the defenders of the fortress were cornered by gunfire.

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    Bullets whizzed past by them. The constant whistle and the sudden groan of deaths made the morale slowly go down. Without any fury in their hearts, the defenders were slowly losing hope. The battle continued with more deaths and horrible explosions.

    Some broke hearts. They shouted with the wanting to live and abandoned their position. It was a spiral loss of hope. The exchange of gunfire was slowing down while the Templars have simply bunkered down and has been now withering the energy and hope of the enemy. The Templars did not charge. They merely exchanged fire and slowly cut the weeds to make sure that it would easier to take the fortress. They didn¡¯t want to corner them like rats. The Justicar know that doing so might lead to the death of his men. Desperate men are dangerous.

    The Justicar Vigo was a calm man. He controlled the battlefield thoroughly and each of his moves was done after constant consulting. Although men have died under some of his commands, the Justicar didn¡¯t falter. He let the chaplains of each company speak for him. It was turned into motivation that made the Templars focus. The wereanimals and the Cagan natives were used as scapegoats. They were mocked by the chaplains and that they are mere spies. The Templars had a bit of hatred against the Cagan¡¯s for their constant attack on the Holy Midland¡¯s borders. Thus they think that they are the righteous one right now.

    It didn¡¯t matter. To them, it was these enemies that were trying to sabotage their land. The Justicar obviously doesn¡¯t think that these Freeland citizens were Cagan spies. The Justicar had to find a reason to against this city. His men were zealous and brave. They are not stupid, however. He just can¡¯t tell them to do that and this without reason. They would do what he would order. But not telling them a lie or a reason would only put useless hesitation in their heads. So the lie of the spies was spread among his men.

    The Templars fight to their fullest bravery and now they were slowly advancing as if the time was up. The defenders were slowly being pushed back. And seeing there was no way they can hold them off anymore. Shig, the Red-Garbed Bull of the North grabbed the Warlord with his arm. He then took her back inside which made the Templars asked a question.

    They were full of doubts but seeing that their commander was gone. The Templars made a full charge against the defenses. With a quick rush, the Templars were able to overwhelm the defenses of the defenders. They took the gate. They killed the fighters in the battlements and slowly advanced inside the fortress walls. There were two walls that surrounded the fortress. The first wall had fallen and now the Templars were now ready to take the second wall.

    The sun was shining upon the Templars. Smoke was around them. Their boots marched in quick succession as The Templars rigged the gates of the fortress with a bomb.

    Then, it was open. The fortress of Avilla was now open for the taking.

 Chapter 99

    Chapter 99 ¨C Evil are those who lost (3)

    The walls blasted open. Leiko whirled around, pointing her pistol and shooting it. Archie took cover using one of the pillars, opening fire as well. Shig made Mia lower her head.

    ¡°Uncle Shig!¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    She wanted to speak. But the situation made Shig unable to listen to her. It was also something that he will not listen. He promised to her father her safety.

    The Templars hollered inside the halls. Archie reached for a grenade on his belt and threw them at the enemy. The blast rang out deafeningly. It made the little girl near Leiko shudder in fear. She covered her tiny black cat-like ears and hugged Leiko¡¯s thigh. She looked at her little sister with a frustrated face.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s move!¡±

    Shig shouted. His body partially turned that into his beast form. He clapped his hands loudly and produced a shockwave that made the Templars take cover. They weren¡¯t affected. They merely reloaded their rifles and open fired again. Shig clicked his tongue. He dashes and weaves through the corridors while dodging the bullets that were whizzing past them. They arrive in a hall that had a bunker emplacement. The men and women who were manning the bunkers started to open fire, protecting Shig and others from the Templars storming through.

    Shig and the others were running away from the Templars when they heard a booming voice coming from behind them. ¡°Shig the Cornus and Warlord Mia, you may surrender now!¡±

    The voice came from a Templar carrying a weapon that was connected to a tank. The officer stride slowly towards where the bunker was and pointed his weapon at them, then a gout of fire exploded and it then burned the men and women manning the bunkers. Their screams could be heard from the hall that Shig and the others were retreating. Their faces twitched as they move on. Behind them were the grim fates of those who were against the Templars.

    Shig and others arrived into this wide hall. There were many tools lying around. There was crafting tables as well as parts of motor cars. There, Shig turned his attention to the four-wheel car that had a deployable balloon. Shig ordered everyone to ride it and took the necessary parts and began to fiddle with it. It took time and when Shig was able to place the parts properly. The Templars barged in guns blazing, forcing Shig to have Archie operate the vehicle.

    ¡°Planning to escape means only your crimes are true!¡±

    ¡°Damn you lying Templars!¡±

    Shig rolled to cover. The Templars tried to shoot him to death but it was too late for that. He had already turned into his beast form. His senses were dialed up to eleven. His instincts and reflexes were at his peak. Like a shadowy beast, Shig sprinted through cover to cover in order to avoid bullet fire. Of course, he couldn¡¯t leave the others alone and was required to protect them.

    The Templars were not stupid. While the others were shooting Shig, the rest tried to assault the motor car, they were planning to gun down the whole carriage. But Shig ran like a crazed bull and swing his massive arm to fend the attackers. The Templars were thrown away. But the others pointed their barrels at Shig and fired at his chest.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.The bullets made Shig stumble. A streak line of blood came out of his mouth as he feels short of breath. The Templar with the flamethrower approached. He shot at Shig, which he barely avoided. His left arm was burned by the fire. Shig tried to collect himself but the other Templars fired another round of shot.

    ¡°Uncle Shig!¡± shouted Mia from the carriage. She was being held back by Leiko. ¡°Unhand me! We must save Uncle!¡±

    ¡°Run!¡± roared Shig. ¡°Archie start the engine already and leave!¡±

    Archie peeked at him with hesitation on his face. ¡°What about you!¡±

    ¡°Leave! Take care of them! Go now before it¡¯s all over!¡±

    Shig could hear the marching of Templars. He could tell that soon this hall will be filled with Templars. He couldn¡¯t allow them to be caught. The Templars justice is unsettling and he fears what would happen to Mia and to the Cattus sisters who were branded as spies of the Cagan.

    ¡°Run now!¡±

    ¡°Tremble upon this cleansing fire!¡±

    The man with the flamethrower panned his weapon at Shig. Shig leaped back only to be caught in a hail of gunfire. Archie wanted to come out and help him. But the Templars that were not firing at them tried to capture the motor car. Leiko, who was holding Mia back shouted. ¡°Go now!¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°Do you want us all to die!?¡±

    ¡°We just can¡¯t leave him!¡±

    Leiko frowned heavily. She choked Mia and laid her on the floor of the motor carriage. She then pulled the lever down and started to operate the motor car. She had seen Joshua operate a carriage once. She had also heard how the ship works and with that, she started to turn the motor engine around.

    ¡°What are you doing!?¡±

    ¡°I am saving our hides!¡± shouted Leiko with a bit of pain in her voice. ¡°I cannot let my sister die in here.¡±

    Archie looked at Leiko with despair. He bit his lip and tried to get out, but he saw Shig¡¯s glare. ¡°Go already! I can¡¯t hold them for long!¡±

    Shig smashed both his arms and created a cloud of dust. Anger filled Archie as he went to where the driver seat was and threw Leiko out of the way. Leiko did not complain. She went to her sister and embraced her. The carriage rolled away and when Archie looked back. He could see Shig¡¯s back that was so stern and taciturn that it was harrowing to look at. His red cape billowed on as he fights. It was cut and ragged. It was bloodied and worn. Yet his red cloak fluttered on.

    Shig fought without thinking. He felt blood escaping from him. He felt his ears ringing. His breathing was getting shorter. He saw the man with the flamethrower. He sprinted to where this man and brought his fist to his face. The man¡¯s head exploded. Shig heard gunfire and saw muzzle flashes. He felt more pain and he found himself kneeling.

    He felt no strength in his limbs. He looked in front of him and saw that there was a woman clad in blue. Her faint figure made Shig beamed with a bit of joy. ¡°Coming for me eh?¡± he murmured. ¡°Looks like I can¡¯t show you this disgraceful sight.¡±

    With a smile, the Red-garbed Crazed Bull of the North stood tall. Without any fear or hesitation, he fought the enemies before him with all he got.

 Chapter 100

    Chapter 100 ¨C the Progenitor¡¯s Curse

    I stood with my arms folded. In my eyes was the bull of the North. The crazed red-garbed hero tied to a cross. His body was riddled with bullets and some parts of his body were burnt to crisp. My men cheered as they raise the banner of the legion at the top of the fortress. The flag of the Thorn Cross along with the Sigil of Alva flying along with the wind, it was a beautiful sight after such battle.

    ¡°I shall take a rest now,¡± I said to my aid. I hurried towards my office in the outpost. I sat in my chair, feeling incredible relief as I do. I stared at the ceiling. Killing the crazed bull of the north was not necessary. Hanging him to a cross was a way to make the other surrenders. It was effective. And we didn¡¯t have to shed any more blood that we should have. It was a sad loss of a great man who had saved lives.

    I took some parcel and begun to write my thoughts to the Pontiff and wrote it down:

    ¡®Your Holiness, I¡¯ve acquired the City of Avilla. Indeed, our investigations of the space storms had led us to this route. Although it was heartbreaking, I had made sure to have spread the news of the ruins of Progenitor to the Bali and Cagan fools. As expected they tried taking the city. They were unsuccessful and we have taken their resources of runes. The Alva¡¯s, however, was smart enough to take advantage of the situation. Having no choice, I had to play fool towards the degenerate yet competent daughter of the Alva Lord. She¡¯s a bright young woman if she only had the pride and honor of her father.

    The ruins of the Progenitor were something we did not expect. We have seen machines that were far greater than the Vileguards. I¡¯ve seen the Vileguards but that machine that was brought by the Hero of Avilla was dangerous. I dread on what would have happened if our enemies took possession of such thing. It would be the end of us all.

    As for the lost Princess of Maltius La Fende, I have not seen her or have found a single trace. A green brooch for a clue is just not enough. Not to mention this Princess that you speak off blends well with the common people for her common appearance.

    In any case, I have stopped my scouts from searching for this Princess for now. I am more worried about the Progenitor¡¯s ruin and that the Hero of Avilla, Archie. Was lying to us and there is a missing piece. It would have been over if we captured him, but the crazed bull had interfered with us. It is my shame to have let the Warlord of Avilla escape. She would bring trouble to us and I fear that she might interfere when we are to face the growing forces of the Maltius La Fende.

    Their machines and firearms are far better than us. Our slow integration has led us to this state. Thankfully, a man named Joshua had given ideas of a design that suited for us to reveal our technologies. They do not suspect a thing and now we are free to arm ourselves with repeating rifles.

    We have also contacted various artificers that will help us in developing steam battle wagons and tanks. I fear even if we do the walking machines of the Maltius La Fende will still fend us off. They have greater technology and what makes matter worse is that the Vileguards have gone missing. My scouts have started looking for them. And I¡¯ve heard rumors of an abomination plaguing a certain town. I¡¯ve sent my men to investigate.

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    Your Holiness, I fear that the Progenitor that haunted us will get us. The Isolist are holding the Vermin¡¯s from below but I fear that those tribes will not on for long. The space storms have been frequent in the city of storms and we have received news of various beings that have been awakened by a loud tremor that shook the earth. We do not know if it was the natural moving of the earth or something else. Yet in the end, I fear that there are going to be more troubles.

    Your Holiness I have lived my life knowing that the Holy Midland might just be ready to face the dire monsters outside the Livia Continent. The Gigantes Sea separates us from them. The Maltius La Fende are willing to help us when those hordes of monsters come to us with wanting of war. We¡¯ve tried to negotiate with the Bali and Cagan¡¯s yet they do not listen. They bring war not knowing anything at all.

    I do not enjoy all this slaughter and trickery. To partake in this heresy of our faith brings me nothing but disgust. However, for the good our people I endure and stay vigilant. The Freelands is barbaric yet its untamed wilderness holds potential for greater growth. The Alva¡¯s have grown strong. Their factories are countless and their forces have grown tremendously as well. They are the only forces of this godforsaken place that might bring this land together. Their practices have been slowly culled from our teachings.

    I hate to bring more war than it should. The Livia Continent has bled for too long. But what can we do? To let it burn to ashes? No, I cannot let such thing happen and thus I strive to achieve our goals despite the looming darkness that befalls us.

    Our enemies are just beyond the giant sea. They bring the Progenitor¡¯s curse, the technology brought forth by machinations of curiosity and conquest. I despair that we have to turn ourselves into these monsters that brings nothing but destruction and death. Yet if we don¡¯t stand to fight the enemy and let our people suffer. Then we are worst than monsters.

    I¡¯ve taken Avilla. The trade of all of the Freelands is ours. We shall let the Alva do what they can to take these lands. They may have different cults of personality but at least they understand our reasoning¡¯s for wanting to take more lands. Our plans have gone well. From the first space storm in the desert and to the taking of Avilla, I hope that Luci Fera may guide and bring us more fortune. We need it.¡¯

    I stopped my writing. I grab hold of a tube and rolled the parcel inside. I closed my eyes and prayed that chaos shall not engulf these lands. We are doing the shedding of blood. But I hope that all sacrifices and deaths will lead us to the greater good and peace.

 Chapter 101

    Chapter 101 ¨C Lost Innocence Blues

    The Town of Edawick had an orange tint on it now. Leaves were on the ground, crunching as the townspeople step on them. Kids, wearing hats trotted around while making a nuisance at the harpers that was drinking their wine. A man and woman grumbled, looking at the prices of the goods. A soldier armed with a regular flint-lock rifle combed the street lazily, his impassive eyes staring at the quiet street. He yawned.

    In a house, there was a man with grey hair taking care of a woman¡¯s arm. Her arm was scraped and there was blood on her outfit. She had a bland expression. Her eyes looking past the window while trying to suppress the pain she was feeling from the rather lacking disinfectant she made along with the man.

    ¡°Reckless...¡± said the man. His hands tending to the woman¡¯s left arm.

    ¡°I know. I know. You don¡¯t have to say that again and again,¡± she grumbled. The man tightened the dressing on her left arm. She winced in pain.

    ¡°What was that for?¡± said her.

    ¡°Mistake,¡± replied him. He made a half-smile. The woman sighed deeply and leaned her chin against her palm. The man finished dressing her wounds, patting it. The woman grimaced.

    ¡°That should do it,¡± said him.

    ¡°Thank you Joshua...¡± she said, cocking her head towards him.

    ¡°No problem,¡± said Joshua. ¡°Though even do I do this your wounds heal fast.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Well, my Shiva-Type Augmentations allow me to fight on for months. Though I am out of maintenance by now and I had to rely on you for the dressing of my wounds.¡±

    Joshua grabs hold of Zola¡¯s hair. She looked at him. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Boredom, and isn¡¯t it a bother not to tie your hair into a braid?¡± said Joshua, twisting her hair. ¡°I thought it would get in the way or something.¡±

    She said. ¡°Not really. My senses are high. But I am surprised that you knew how to braid my hair without trying to pull my scalp off.¡±

    ¡°Learned it from mother, and that I used to tie braids for my nieces,¡± explained Joshua. ¡°They are a good bunch, had this teasing little one that was too naughty for her age.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Zola nodded, letting Joshua braid her hair. ¡°Does braiding my hair that enjoyable, weirdo?¡±

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like I can braid a super-soldier who came from the future every day,¡± Joshua glanced at her fine silky hair then nodded in approval, ¡°and maybe I can brag about it in the nearby future?¡±

    ¡°Hah,¡± she made this low voice laugh. ¡°Just please don¡¯t do it every time I get injured okay?¡±

    ¡°Not my fault that you get yourself hurt all the time. Then, sprawl on my couch as if you just fought something so ferocious. I can understand you''re wanting to gather as much data as you can. But can you please not get yourself hurt? Or try to get on with the languid peace that we still have in this town.¡±

    Joshua made this bitter expression. Zola caught that look with her eyes. ¡°Looks like its bothering you. The new Lord of Avilla City and that there might be landowners that want to make this town theirs.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Joshua admits. ¡°I try not to think about it. But there might be trouble if the people around don¡¯t want Templar ruling in their native lands.¡±

    ¡°Have they tried negotiations?¡± asked Zola.

    ¡°They did. At least that what Dan told me,¡± Joshua sat down on the couch. Zola adjusted herself while her bluish watery eyes looked at Joshua¡¯s wry expression.

    ¡°So, are they forcing them?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. The Mayor wants to cooperate with them in exchange for authority over the fertile lands. It was quite smart of the Mayor, but if the Templars want to they can reject it. Though I doubt they could. Dan said that the areas the Mayor told them are filled with ores such metal, silver, copper, and saltpeter that can be concocted into gunpowder.

    ¡°And the Templars can make use of the Town to harvest them while giving them how many percentage?¡±

    ¡°Twenty-percent of their harvest will go for the use of the Templars. The rest will be put to use by the town. Tempting isn¡¯t it?¡±

    She pulled her head back staring at the ceiling. ¡°Is there a catch to this?¡±

    ¡°That the Town will belong to the Templars and the surrounding lands will be under rule by the ¡®Alva¡¯,¡¯ Joshua said with disgust.

    ¡°You know of these ¡®Alva¡¯ people.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, slavers, psychopaths that undermine the pride and dignity of a person. I had run-ins with their kind and the reason why I am here in Edawick in the first place is that of them.¡±

    She was curious. ¡°You say ¡®slavers¡¯,¡± she never heard Joshua talk about what happened to him. So she had to ask, ¡°Did you get caught by these Alva¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Yes. One of them broke me,¡± Joshua¡¯s hands were held tightly together. Zola could see the flicker of despair that appeared in his eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s over now. Besides, if they tried to do something,¡± she smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll help you kick their asses.¡±

    ¡°Hah,¡± Joshua chuckled. ¡°I doubt they can win at you with that shotgun of yours. I¡¯ll pity them but as long as I don¡¯t get their attention. Then maybe they won¡¯t find me out. And hopefully, the chance of being found out by that bitch is slim. No one would survive jumping off down a cliff like that.¡±

    She raised a brow. ¡°And so I¡¯ve heard. Joshua, you look really meek and mellow but surprisingly you hare crazy and stubborn.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the compliment?¡± Joshua said listlessly.

    ¡°Not really a compliment. And you call me the reckless and crazy one.¡±

    ¡°You heard that?¡±

    ¡°Superhuman soldier, remember?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡±

    Joshua smiled wearily. Zola stood up like a cat and patted her arm. ¡°Thanks for the treatment. Though it will just heal as fast it should be.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah,¡± Joshua waves his hands. ¡°Just try to get your pretty skin not bleeding or skinned. It¡¯s a shame to see it that way.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± she smiled mischievously. Then she left the house, leaving Joshua alone with his hands spread on the couch.

    The house was something that the Mayor gave to Joshua. It was emptied out and the furniture¡¯s were from the craftsman who thought to help him out. The town was a bit thankful to Joshua. The case of the abomination and the tragic yet successful hunt made them accept Joshua here as one of them. It was great for Joshua. He now had a home in this world that he can call his own.

    ...

    Joshua took his time in resting. After that, he went for a walk to this market street where the people were crowding at the stalls. Joshua took a turn to this narrow corner and entered a workshop. The place has the aroma of freshly sawn wood. There was an old man who was shaving a four-foot long lumber. The old man took notice of Joshua¡¯s presence.

    ¡°Here for the goods?¡± said the old man.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Joshua said. He looked around. He saw the nails all over the place. Sawdust filled the place and the old man was covered in wood shavings and clippings. Joshua poised himself near the slightly clean table. The old man continued doing his work. Suddenly, he craned his head to where Joshua was.

    ¡°So all that you need are nails and four arm-length wood?¡± He put his tools down. He swaggered to where the material was kept and laid them on this long table. ¡°Here¡¯s all I got. The fees are on Dan and Nana. No need to take that pouch of yours lad.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Joshua kept his hands on his side. He looked at the materials that the old man was bundling. ¡°This is fine wood.¡±

    ¡°They came from the spruce trees deep down the jungle themselves. You¡¯re friends with that young lady right?¡±

    ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Joshua titled his head.

    ¡°I think her name was Zola.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Joshua added. ¡°Did she help or do anything?¡±

    ¡°Yes and no, she¡¯s helpful. These great lumbers wouldn¡¯t have arrived if she didn¡¯t take care of them. Aye, I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s made off but she¡¯s good at fighting and killing. Shame that she never really talks to anyone other than you or Cyra, a bit anti-social, is what I would like to describe.¡±

    Joshua frowned. He had noticed that she barely talks to anyone. She¡¯s always occupied and comes to his house either wounded or sleepy. He had observed her behavior. And all Joshua could think of her was other than that she afraid of peace. It was disturbing to her. War and conflict were so deeply engraved on her that it was making her restless living in peace. She didn¡¯t have anything do. She couldn¡¯t sit well around the house so he roams around killing anything dangerous, selling what she can get to the traders. Most of her money would end up as ingredients for Joshua to use. Joshua didn¡¯t mind using the ingredients she provided. Not to mention that he can eat them too.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Still, Zola was a restless reckless woman who had been born in times of war. Joshua was lucky enough to be far from war when he was in his world. He didn¡¯t experience the atrocities of seeing his friends blasted apart. He didn¡¯t see his home get blown up. He didn¡¯t see monstrous abominations tearing apart an entire planet with his own eyes. He could remember something and this made Joshua¡¯s face fell.

    ¡°Anything wrong?¡± said the old man.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t mind Zola. She¡¯s grown in a place where times were hard.

    The old man snarled. ¡°When did times weren¡¯t bad?¡± Joshua didn¡¯t know what to say about that. He just nodded and waited for the old man to bundle the materials before leaving the workshop slowly. Joshua weaved through the street of Edawick, passing through the house-lined streets until he found himself in the avenue where he was able to spot a familiar figure crouching near the shrubbery.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Joshua asked. The person who was crouching turned her bluish eyes towards Joshua. She then returned it to the furry creature that seemed like a hybrid of a wolf and a dog. It was an animal that Joshua didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°This creature is quite interesting,¡± said Zola.

    ¡°Well, it looks cool,¡± the pup was standing sternly. Its small red eyes looked at Joshua and Zola. ¡°And fearsome, wonder what breed or dire animal it is?¡±

    ¡°It reminds me of those popular pups from Ganymede,¡± Zola said. Her eyes were sparkling. There was this childlike look on her eyes.

    ¡°She¡¯s like a child,¡± muttered Joshua. It hit him right there that was something he had noticed. She had said it herself that she was eleven when she went to war. Joshua was still playing with action-figures when he was that age. Yet this woman in front of him was fighting abominations. He could tell that she was forced to become a soldier. It was clear that she was a soldier before she was a human.

    This was her lost innocent right now, Joshua thought. Zola was playing with the little pup with a slight smile. She was poking the little pup that seemed like it started to like her. It was then that she suddenly cocked her head towards Joshua.

    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Joshua cut her in. ¡°Want to take the little guy with you?¡±

    She blushed. Then she nodded slowly. ¡°Yes, is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Well, its fine really, but you feed the little guy yourself.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°What? You want to take care of that pup so might as well do that yourself, besides, I think it might be good for you.¡±

    She didn¡¯t say anything. She tilted her head and crouched down to pick the pup up with both hands. The pup seemed like it was happy. Then, Joshua saw a genuine smile from Zola. It was a calm smile. Zola wanted to play with the little pup so she lifted it up.

    ¡°You are now Titus!¡± said Zola. Joshua smiled at that name. He then trotted back home. Letting Zola play with the little pup that she recently named.

    ...

    Back home Joshua started working on the crib again. He added the necessary parts. He carved some designs for details and made sure to nail the parts. He measured each leg he made. He then attached a wood board. It took him a while and when he looked at the sky. He saw that the afternoon sun was up. He was busy carving when he heard a thud of wood. He turned his attention to the door. There, Silo and Cyra entered casually. Cyra bought some sort of cake from the bakery. Silo was walking with his wooden leg.

    The two sat on the couch. They stared at Joshua. He couldn¡¯t but asked. ¡°So here to just watch me? How¡¯s everything?¡±

    ¡°Fine fine,¡± Silo gave a grin. ¡°You look fine and dandy.¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Joshua nodded. ¡°Still hurting but I experienced worst.¡±

    ¡°That you do my friend,¡± Silo said with a lazy smile. Cyra was looking around the home. ¡°So where¡¯s Zola?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s out playing with a little pup.¡±

    ¡°Playing with a pup?? Cyra was surprised. ¡°That¡¯s unlike her.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised how much of a child she is,¡± Joshua said. He continued fondling the thing he was working on with focus.

    ¡°Really...that¡¯s a surprise.¡±

    ¡°Is that?¡± Silo looked at Cyra and Joshua. ¡°I thought she¡¯s the quiet one.¡±

    ¡°That she is,¡± Joshua added. ¡°Don¡¯t say that to her face though. She might punch you.¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Silo twitched. ¡°I¡¯ll try to not say that.¡±

    Cyra stood up. She walked to where the table was. She put the cake and placed them on a plate which she took from the kitchen. She brought the cake to the living¡¯s room table. Silo and Cyra started eating. Joshua looked at the two with narrow eyes. ¡°That looks really good.¡±

    ¡°Want some?¡±

    ¡°Feed me?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Silo said cruelly. Joshua lowered his shoulders. He looked at the thing he was working on before standing up. He picked some of the cakes and started to eat a piece. The three stayed eating. Then Zola barged into the room. There was a jolly look on her face but it became impassive as she took a sight of Silo and Cyra.

    ¡°Oh, hello,¡± said Zola blandly. In her cradle was the little pup. Titus, the red-eyed wolf-dog was waving its tongue.

    ¡°That¡¯s a...dire banewolf?¡± said Silo excitedly. ¡°I thought such things didn¡¯t exist anymore?¡±

    ¡°A dire banewolf?¡± asked Joshua.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Cyra stared at the little pup. ¡°It should an extinct breed. I thought that they have been hunted down.¡±

    ¡°Are they dangerous?¡± Joshua said.

    ¡°No,¡± Silo snapped. ¡°But they can be if they are not trained well.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Joshua nodded his head. ¡°Then Zola should be able to care for it.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Cyra said worriedly. ¡°That thing...I heard stories about it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± said Zola. ¡°I can take care of Titus.¡±

    ¡°Titus?¡± Cyra looked at Joshua.

    ¡°Yes, Titus, say hello to them.¡±

    The pup cooperated. It barked at the two as if acknowledging Joshua¡¯s request. Silo and Cyra seemed like they wanted to say something more. But Silo knew what Zola was capable of doing so he assured Cyra. Zola wasn¡¯t afraid and in fact, hearing that the little pup was the last of its kind made Zola care for the pup even more. She took the pup with her to the kitchen. Feeding him the preserved meat that Joshua bought a while ago. Joshua didn¡¯t really complain. It was her money so he let her do what she wants.

    Cyra and Silo casually sat around the house. Joshua just worked on what he was doing until it was done. He only needed to pain it so he put it aside. He looked at Zola. She was casually playing with the little pup. The poor pup could not dent the stick.

    Joshua squatted near Zola. He poked the little guy and the pup squirmed. It rolled at Zola¡¯s feet. He met Zola¡¯s glare. Joshua then blandly poked the little guy again. Her face twitched as she pats the little pups head in worry. She was attached to it now. And she was acting like a little girl who just got bullied.

    Joshua threw his hands up. He backed off away and back to the table where Silo and Cyra were discussing their own wedding. Joshua didn¡¯t add anything other than a suggesting the cake. Then he blurted out about wedding rings that are usually put on the left ring finger. Cyra was surprised at this. There was no tradition of putting a ring on someone¡¯s finger, and hearing that the left ring finger had a vein that connects to the heart. It made Cyra want to get one. Silo looked at Joshua with a rather tired face.

    Joshua shrugged his shoulders. He then reclined his back and took notice of the green brooch that was on Cyra. ¡°That is quite the Emerald you got there.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Cyra craned her head at Joshua. ¡°Do you what this is?¡±

    ¡°Not really, I just assumed it¡¯s an emerald brooch.¡±

    ¡°It sure is...¡± she looked down. ¡°My mother gave it to me.¡±

    ¡°It looks beautiful,¡± said Joshua.

    ¡°It is,¡± she looks somber.

    Joshua didn¡¯t ask further. Cyra¡¯s face was enough to tell that she didn¡¯t want to speak further. Joshua understood and turned his attention to the cake. It was a good cake, but it was lacking. The night went on and the two left before it was midnight. Joshua cleaned the house. He took care of the woods shavings before going inside his room for a nap. He dreamed of his old world. It was a strange dream of running throughout the halls of his old school.

    He woke up past midnight. He went out to drink some water only to find Zola resting on the couch with the little pup sleeping on her stomach. The moonlight shined on her. Her hood that was usually up was down and her long braided hair laid on the couch. Joshua knew that she had a super-human resistance and that she had already explained her constitution. Still, Joshua took some spare blanket and covered her and the pup. He then walked back to his own room, taking a rest.

 Chapter 102

    Chapter 102 ¨C A Chaos ridden burial

    The streets were filled with marching men with the symbol of the thorn cross in their uniforms. They parade while showing off their newly made rifles. They carried their banners with them, leaving a trail of dust. There was a slowly moving car behind the men. The man in pious robes waves his hands at the people before sitting down the carriage with a solemn expression.

    The streets were filled with people waving their hands at the Templars. There was fervor in their eyes, as the flotillas of airships put shadows on the road. The skidding of boots that were so synchronized. The fervor of their voices irritated him further than it should be.

    He continued down the boulevard, ignoring all the plastic faces that that joins the bandwagon cheers. He found himself in the central park where one could see the stronghold of Avilla. He craned his head up and there he saw what everyone else was gazing upon.

    ¡°You don¡¯t deserve this,¡± he murmured. He cringed at the sight of the burly man whose festering corpse was ridden with bullets, his skin and fur were burnt and there was a plague across his chest that says ¡®Here lies a traitor of the land, a false hero, a butcher of North¡¯ which made his heart boil.

    He was angered at the sight of this. He looked around. He turned to where an outpost of the Templars was and observed them. They were vigilant and their eyes never left the road. He couldn¡¯t do anything while they watch so he trotted to the alley where he unpacked his wooden backpack. Inside the pack were round bombs and a blunderbuss that was disassembled. With nimble hands, he assembled the weapon. He hung the round bounds around his belt. He then primed his blunderbuss before creeping behind the outpost.

    He saw a guard with a rifle in hand. He needed to distract the guard so he threw something to distract the guard. The guard didn¡¯t move. He merely looked at the direction but it was enough for him to slide to cover and sneak behind the guard. Using his elbow he choked the guard and his neck then made a cracking sound. The guard dropped down with his head turned. He silently opened the door and slid his leg inside the outpost. He crouched low and went the ammunition storage where the ammunition was. He saw that there were rifles on the racks. He took one with him and slung it over his back.

    He squatted near the box of explosive. He reached for his round bombs and tied a two-arm length fuse string and rigged the bomb to blow. After rigging the whole storage with his round bombs he crept out of the outpost and walked to a vantage point where he waited for the bomb.

    The parade of Templars was going on. The cheery atmosphere vanished when the bomb exploded and the outpost scattered into splinters. Black smoke raised everywhere and the people started screaming and running. He grimaced at the sight but jogged to his motor car and drives it up the stronghold.

    The stronghold was dispersing soldiers. He swung his vehicle masterfully and approached the cross where the bull of the north was left for display. A Templar was guarding the platform and saw him. The Templar tried to stop him only for him to see the muzzle of the blunderbuss go off. The Templar had his torso blown. He continued towards the cross and pulled out the ax that was on his waist. He chopped the cross down and it fell backward. He approached the cross and untied the body of the crazed bull.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    He easily lifted Shig¡¯s corpse on his shoulder. There was still confusion so he was able to amble back to his motor car and put Shig inside. He started his motor car and escaped out of the stronghold masterfully. He drove down the panic-ridden streets and went straight to the gates. The Templars were holding the gates closed. He couldn¡¯t stay around so he swung the vehicle to the right and threw the rest of the bombs he had down a manhole. He could smell the sewer and within a few seconds, the round bombs exploded, creating a chain reaction that made the Templars on the gate rushed to the scene of the explosion.

    Normally, no one should be able to do such havoc. But before he went to the city of storms he was part of the construction team that built Avilla up. He had knowledge of the city and he was one of the people who dug the sewer system. He knows what a round of bomb or a flicker of flame could do down a sewer. He had seen what it does and he had taken advantage of it.

    He was able to drive through the gates like the rest of the merchant carriages did. His vehicle speeded away from the city and he found himself in this cemetery. It was a place filled with foliage. There¡¯s a wrought iron fence around the area. There was a gravedigger smoking a roll of tobacco in the middle of the tombstone. Seeing his vehicle the gravedigger took the tobacco out of his mouth.

    ¡°Barbados!¡± hollered the gravedigger.

    ¡°Gravedigger,¡± Barbados took Shig¡¯s corpse without minding the smell. The gravedigger puffed a smoke. He looked at the corpse on Barbados¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Ah, the Bull of the North finally found his way down the grave. At least he can be with the love of his life.¡±

    Barbados nodded his head. He laid Shig¡¯s corpse on the ground. The grave keeper stretched his legs where a coffin was and pulled it near Shig¡¯s corpse.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t embalming him?¡± said Barbados.

    ¡°He¡¯s already been emptied. There¡¯s nothing I can do about it.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Barbados looked at the coffin. ¡°Good work on the coffin.¡±

    ¡°I bought it from this lad just a few kilometers away from here. I might actually have the lad build my coffins from now on. He¡¯s good.¡±

    Barbados crooked his head at the corpse. ¡°Damn bastards, they have no respect for the dead.¡±

    ¡°The time of sword and ax¡¯s done, Barbados,¡± said the gravedigger. ¡°All we have now are guns and smokes. Even a peasant could kill you now.¡±

    ¡°They could...I just wish that the dead shouldn¡¯t be displayed like some sort of relic.¡±

    ¡°Templars...they have to drive any resistance and it worked,¡± the gravedigger shrugged. The gravedigger looked meek and thin but he was able to lift Shig¡¯s dried festering corpse inside the coffin. After putting the corpse inside, the gravedigger shut the coffin with nails and started digging. Barbados helped the digger and after a few minutes of digging. They lowered the coffin down and closed the hole up. Then the two prayed to their own Gods.

    When the burial was done the gravedigger left the cemetery along with his carriage. Barbados watched him go before walking back to his vehicle.

 Chapter 103

    Chapter 103 ¨C Barbados, the old Saboteur

    The sun was covered by clouds. But a few streaks of light passed through. A vehicle hummed along the road that leads to this little hamlet village located up an isolated cliff. Barbados peaked outside the window of his vehicle. The wind pressed on his face. He half-closed his eyes and gaze at the village. He pulled his head inside. He gripped the steering while and pushed the pedal until was near the village.

    The village had kids and women ambling about. A man with cane stick looked at Barbados and nodded. Barbados pressed on inside the village until he spotted a peculiar vehicle on the fringes of the village. He swung his vehicle there and disembarked.

    He stretched his legs to the house beside it. He knocked and the door opened. The man who he met eyes with was unfamiliar. But behind him, he could see the two Cattus sisters that he met in the city of storms. In front of the two was the girl that requested him to take Shig¡¯s corpse and bury it. She craned her head towards the door and her face beamed.

    ¡°Uncle Barbados!¡± hollered the girl. She stood and sauntered to him. The man took a step back and let Barbados enter.

    ¡°It¡¯s done, Mia. He¡¯s at peace now.¡±

    Mia frowned. She lowered her head and said. ¡°I see. Thank you, Uncle Barbados. I know that it was hard to-¡°

    ¡°Hard?¡± He cuts her in. Swaggering inside, sitting cross-legged inside. ¡°The bunch whoresons didn¡¯t even notice my presence despite their flying ships and such. It was no big deal. And forgive me if I blew up the city. It is not like your managing it right now.¡±

    She looked at him. ¡°No innocent died I hope.¡±

    ¡°Better hope that,¡± Barbados snorted. ¡°You can¡¯t expect me to get away without distraction. Bah, if people died there then they can condemn me into hell.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Archie flattened his back against the wall. ¡°I heard of your reputation as a smith and a saboteur...but this.¡±

    Barbados grimly looked at Archie. ¡°Hmm, do you expect saboteurs to be honorable heroes? Look at me lad I am a mere dwarf that knows how things work. Unlike the Cagan¡¯s we have nothing but our arms and wits.¡±

    Archie shook his head. Barbados turned his eyes to the Cattus sisters. ¡°And you are still here? That¡¯s surprising even for you, Cattus.¡±

    ¡°I have no choice. The Templars knew of my face.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± He snorted curtly. ¡°To think that you human-hater would live with two humans. I guess your love for your sister outweighs that hate down eh?¡±

    There was mocking in his tone. Archie raised his voice. He wanted to speak but Mia looked at him shaking her head.

    ¡°What do you want, dwarf?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Barbados raised his hands. ¡°I just want to warn you that if I ever hear that you abandon my comrade¡¯s little girl and by the Hammers of Toran I would find you and gut your little sister in front of you.¡±

    Then the coin dropped. Leiko¡¯s face turned that of a werecat and she lunged herself at Barbados. Barbados merely snorted coldly as he crooks his arm and punches her squarely right in the chin. This made Leiko¡¯s head ringed badly. She staggered and stumbled, losing her beast form. Archie shouted. He sprinted towards Barbados only for Barbados to catch his right arm and with an elbow lock, threw him on the floor.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Enough!¡± Mia stood with a stomped. Barbados shrugged his shoulders and sat again. Mia stared at Barbados hatefully. ¡°What are you doing Uncle?¡±

    ¡°Just making a point,¡± He snorted. ¡°I know what a Cattus can do and I don''t believe she couldn''t help Shig. I know and heard what happened. Benton¡¯s a familiar bastard in the circles of smiths. His grizzly death at the hands of the mute is well known now. And you Mia, the fact that you let someone who had done such favor get treated like that and get sold to an Alva of all people? Shame on you! And do you think that the people won¡¯t turn their backs on you after you sold him? You bunch of fools!¡±

    Mia gritted her teeth. ¡°I thought it was the best. Uncle Shig also stood by my choice.¡±

    ¡°Shig was no politician. He was a warrior. He could never know what he was doing. But even he was a fool. He has grown paranoid enough that he had abandoned all of he stood for to protect you. Bah,¡± Barbados looked like he was tired. ¡°Though I cannot blame you two for all of it, you faced the Templars and I know that Vigo is a crafty bastard.¡±

    ¡°Vigo?¡± said Mia. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°The Justicar of the Thorn Cross Legion. You don¡¯t even know his name?¡±

    Archie stood up. ¡°No, everyone just called him The Justicar.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Barbados folded his arms. ¡°He¡¯s a dangerous foe. He had fought in the first war against the Cagan and had fought our warband to a standstill. And you actually trusted the bastard?¡±

    ¡°I thought we could,¡± Mia said.

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t blame Shig. He¡¯s a fool who thinks rightly of his opponents. If it was the old times then maybe Vigo wouldn¡¯t so such thing to Shig. But something changed that bastard. Something that made him does such thing to a long rival.¡±

    Leiko stood up. Kioko assisted her sister while giving a glare at Barbados. He ignored the little girl and continued speaking. ¡°Mia, I know that you plan to take the city back. But know this. You won¡¯t stand a chance.¡±

    ¡°But I have to try!¡± Mia stomped her foot down. ¡°That city rightfully belongs to me! And I will not stop until I get it back!¡±

    ¡°Then you are a fool!¡± Barbados sneered loudly. ¡°You cannot win against them. Their new rifles and equipment are no joke. They have flying flotillas guard the city and it seemed like the Alva¡¯s factories have done them well. You cannot simply win. I suggest that you give up.¡±

    Mia¡¯s face winced madly. ¡°And let those bastards get away with everything? Hah, are you going to abandon me too, Uncle Barbados?¡±

    Barbados looked at Mia. ¡°Your father wanted nothing more than to see his little girl grow up peacefully. I know about your abilities. I have seen you grow up into a fine warlord. But my little girl, the time of sword and ax¡¯s gone. This is no longer the era of swords and duty.¡±

    Barbados looked down. He thought of the moment he heard the news. He was saddened by Shig¡¯s death and the treatment that was done to him. But he had no intention to help Mia get the city back. And he only did what he did to help a comrade get his rightful burial.

 Chapter 104

    Chapter 104 ¨C The Old and Tired

    Barbados swaggered out of the house. He saw that there was an empty boulder near the cliff so he went there. He sat and rested. He closed his eyes. He recalled those that left him behind. He muttered. ¡°Y¡¯all just left me behind eh.¡±

    The memories of old and the brothers and sisters in arms of Barbados flashed before his eyes. He could recall the days they would sit under the stars. Talking about glories and their honor, their raised mugs filled with ale. It was all gone and all he had no was memories and scar.

    There was a mountain which outline could be clearly seen. The forest below had an orange tine. There were fallen leaves everywhere. There was a river down below that was shaped like a snake. There were two hills and there were mists over them. The sun was clearing up. The streaks of light shined upon the forest and the river, giving a glimmering look. Barbados took a long look at the scenery. He reached for his canteen and drank some warm ale.

    He thought to himself how long it has been since he went out of his workshop. Ever since he settled in the city of storms all he has been doing was to work for the various people in that city. The place was a living toxic ground but the city pays.

    ¡°Why do I have to leave the city just to bury you bastards?¡±

    He murmured alone in the cliff. His face knotted and he squinted. He looked at the bottom of his canteen. He has stopped drinking but ever since hearing what happened to Shig. He started drinking yet again. He would like to have followed his old friend¡¯s advice. But living seemed like it was a pain as years passed by. He was glad that he could see technology improve through the years. Yet there was this feeling of wanting to go back to the good old days.

    But he knows that such thing can never happen again. He had reminded himself over and over again. The time of sword and ax¡¯s are gone. Truthfulness was getting lesser and wars are fought with guns and artillery. If it was the old days he would be running around with his ax and sword. But now he was just dwarf mechanic gushing over how technology improves every year.

    It was fun. But yet there was this hollow feeling in his chest. Every day he finds it hard to get up. At some point, he just wants to stay still in his bed. If it wasn¡¯t for the call he would have stayed in the city of storms. But now he was here in this village that he couldn¡¯t even bother to know its name. His eyelids were heavy and the ale was at least helping him.

    Barbados hallucinated and saw figures of the old. He could see the dead. He could see those that have already left him behind. It was bitter for him. His face squirmed. His eyes filled with pain. Barbados continued drinking his ale.

    As he does Archie came out of the house and strode towards him. He looked at the old dwarf who seemed like he was tried. Archie sat cross-legged and said. ¡°Thank you for taking care of Old Shig.¡±

    ¡°Bah, it was my duty to bury an old friend,¡± said Barbados. ¡°But that¡¯s all I¡¯ll do for the little lady. She¡¯s brilliant and is like her father. But she doesn¡¯t know the scope of what the Templars could do. I¡¯ve been to the Holy Midland. It is unlike this backwater place. There are tall buildings that scratch the skies. Their roads are paved with what they call as bitumen. And vehicles such like that are popularized. Their common people wore nice clothes. There factories covers miles and their defenses are solid. Their people are covered in soot. And even though there is poverty. Everyone in that land can say that they are safe from harm. Most of the dire monsters there are either dead or tamed. The Freelands is an untouched soil. Its wilderness is untamed and there are many tribes that even the Templars are wary of. The Isolist tribes, the High Ogres demesne, the rat-kin, and various dire monsters of shapes and sizes plague the land. Maybe if they conquer the Cagan and Bali natives. Then maybe they would finally turn their attention to this land. So tell me. How do you expect Mia to hold off an entire Empire of loyal soldiers armed to teeth with those same weapons that drive them off?¡±

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    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think she can,¡± Archie admitted.

    ¡°Good. You don¡¯t think short-sighted. I¡¯ve heard of you, Archie. Your name rings even in the mouth of merchants. The big hero who got his ass kicked by Templars trying to save that poor lad named Joshua from the Templars. You are a good man. But I hope that you do not follow Mia in her foolishness.¡± He looked at the sky. ¡°She¡¯ll never give up what her father gave her. And I fear that it might lead to her death.¡±

    Archie¡¯s face hardened. ¡°So why not tell her that she¡¯s risking her dear life? She¡¯ll listen to you.¡±

    ¡°No she will,¡± Barbados said curtly. ¡°She¡¯s stubborn and her eyes are those that seek revenge. I believe she can do it. I do not doubt that. But the Templars will soon overrun her. Even if she gathers all the warlords of this land, she will not succeed. Not to mention that the Alva¡¯s have been extending their reaches. Just a week ago two warlords have joined the Alva¡¯s. The ¡®promise¡¯ of an Alva is as bright as gold these days.¡±

    ¡°So you are suggesting for her to give up?¡± said Archie with a frown. ¡°Then let all the things they did to Shig unpaid?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Barbados. ¡°Shig died saving you four. He died knowing that he was doing what he does best. His corpse was treated like trash. But his soul died knowing that. Besides, I¡¯ve done what I did. Those soldiers that hung him were only given orders. And Vigo...that crafty bastard probably wanted to make other surrenders. I can understand the bastard but I¡¯ll punch his jaw if I see him.¡±

    ¡°You are...forgiving,¡± said Archie confused.

    Barbados looked at Archie with a bitter face. ¡°I am old and tired. I don¡¯t think I can outrun the Templars influence. And Vigo...that bastard probably had something in mind.¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t hate him,¡± Archie said.

    ¡°Why would I hate him?¡± Barbados added. ¡°He¡¯s a follower of the Pontiff. He has duties to do and things to consider. I will not hate him for what he does for his home. But I¡¯ll punch him for what he did to Shig.¡±

    Archie frowned. He could not understand why a friend of Shig would be so forgiving about the person who desecrated his friend.

 Chapter 105

    Chapter 105 ¨C Archie¡¯s Luck

    Barbados was an old dog. Stubborn and would not change his mind. Archie didn¡¯t tell Mia about what Barbados wanted. He merely took a step and watched them argue until evening. Mia was no fool. She was angry and was filled with the need of vengeance but a night of arguing made her see a bit of reason.

    Archie didn¡¯t give his opinion. In fact, he just walked down the village while in thought. He passed by the village people who were starting their days. His thoughts were filled with his village. He was called Archie of Avilla after what he did. But in honestly he never really wanted the title. He was Archie, of nowhere. A Proctor turned city hero who did what nobody wanted to do during that time.

    Archie trotted to this empty area. He faced the fields where the farmers were busy taking care of their crops. There were rows of vegetables with different sizes and shapes. The baskets that were near the fences of the farmland were filled. Archie sat on a stump and rested his arms on his knees. He looked at the farmers with weary eyes. He watched them swing their tools. He could hear their tools hitting the soil. There was a fresh air coming from the forest nearby. And the air seemed to enter Archie¡¯s pores.

    Archie clutched his hand together. He looked back at the things he had encountered and reflected. From the invasion that happened in Avilla City. To the escape out here in this remote village that Mia somehow knew. He could not make due to what he should be doing.

    Still, oddly, he wanted to help her out of debt. He wanted to help her because Shig saved his life back there. Archie knew what he was doing when he fought for them. He knew that there was no hope of defending the stronghold. But he still joined them because they needed help. Justicar Vigo actually offered Archie a golden branch. But he refused them out of principles.

    And that he didn¡¯t like the Templars. Their thinking was way too zealous for him. But in honestly one of the big reason was that it was due to that expedition. He could not forget Cassia¡¯s death. He could still recall her head exploding as those turrets hit her. It was something he would never forget. Every time he sleeps he would remember. And that made it hard for him to abandon them.

    Archie doesn¡¯t what to see something as helpless as that again. It was a so helpless that it made him weak. It made him want to help people like Mia who was on the run. Any sane person would run away and try not to prove the Templars more. But yet here was helping them despite the danger.

    Archie laughed. Making the farmers glance at him. He returned their curious eyes with a smile which made the farmers returned to their work. He stood up and sauntered to the fringes of the village. He looked at the overarching cliffs down below. The road leading to this village was built of rocks and dirt. Down the road, he could see the merchants traveling with their motored carriage. He sat near the cliff and watched the merchants go up. After that, he made his way back to the village where he browed the merchandises of the merchant. There were peculiar items and one of them was an odd bracelet. This bracelet gave off a strange sign and seeing it made Archie feel like he should buy it. He bought the bracelet and half-emptied his pocket.

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    He pocketed the item and went back to the house that Mia owned. While returning he saw Barbados maintaining his vehicle. He was filled with grease and soot. He looked like he didn¡¯t want to be bothered so Archie went inside the house ambled straight to his room.

    There, he studied the bracelet and when he did he felt something changed inside him. He felt the runes that were attached to his vambraces and greaves disappear. He was suddenly in this empty void where he saw the runes now looking like tattoos instead. He focused his will and suddenly his entire arm went blazing. He shook his arm off but found out that the fire went out.

    Suddenly, he was back to his room sitting. The mattress and the small stool was the furnishing of his room. He looked at his hands and saw that the runes were now tattooed on his body. The bracelet has disappeared and was now on his left arm.

    Archie thought to himself that it was weird. But when he imagined activating the runes a wisp of fire appeared on his fingertips. It made him panic and he stumbled back. He felt something on his right and seeing that it was a branch. Archie listlessly took it and there he saw the branch blazed. It stayed lit and there was no sign of it being burned. It surprised Archie and when he swung the branch there was whistling that then scarred the cobble wall.

    Archie had no idea why. But seeing what he just did. Archie thought that he was sucked in by that item. There was synchronization between the item and the runes that made it like this. In other words, Archie got himself a new item out of pure luck. It was a coincidence and it surprised him! To think that random browsing would allow him to spot such great time.

    Lady Fortune seemed to smile at me, he thought. He then focused his will and to his surprise water appeared. He conjured wind and wind appeared. He conjured earth and he was able to launch earth pebbles. By the time he was done testing this newfound power. Archie felt exhilarated. It was an odd power that seemed like it could have many uses. He didn¡¯t know what the goddess of lucks wants from him but he knows that with this sudden luck of finding power. He would able to help them.

    He made a commotion inside. And looking around his room it seemed like he threw a tantrum. Noticing this, Archie started to clean the room with a smile on his face.

 Chapter 106

    Chapter 106 ¨C The Isolist and the Rat-Kin

    Down below the chasm, where the Isolist defends their tribe against the rat-kin, the enemy of the Isolist who had been guarding the caverns of Morose for years. The Caverns of Morose was built by the Isolist when the sun flared up. Once upon a time, it was cold and dark, the Isolist prospered for years. They manage to build houses under the gray sky but it vanished when the sun appeared to coat the world. The Isolist retreated back to their caverns. They build their cities inside the Caverns. Morose, the leader of the Isolist was one of the founding fathers. The Isolist were naturally pacifistic creatures. But even creatures like them cannot sleep still near the rat-kins.

    The Rat-Kins are vermin¡¯s of this world. The Isolist are peaceful creatures. They are inherently good yet they could not stand the vermin¡¯s who lives by filth. They can tolerate creates and even forgive dire monsters. But the vermin¡¯s are filth. They are mindless creatures that live through cannibalizing. They only seek war and their way of life was built through crushing their foes and eating them. They are filthy. They pollute the land and they breed too fast.

    Now in the caverns of Morose, the Isolist took their stand. The Rat-kin did something. They succeeded in calling the void through the space storm. It started when a rat-kin priest escaped from the craters. This rat-kin priest sacrificed the lives of its kin to venture to the vast desert where it detected the space storm. This space storm called forth many things from different voids. Beings, creatures, and malignant evil that was born from the randomness of the void, they invaded the realm while the rat-kind priest had a vision of their end. It was a simple vision that illuminated the rat-kin. This angered the rat-kind and it returned stealthily back to its home to proclaim the vision it had. Through the vision, they made shrines of their malicious god. The God of Vermins, Rak-Zal had acknowledged their presence. The God Rak-Zal was fairly surprised at the presence of these humanoid rats. It was amused to the point it bellowed and gave the vile beings sentient minds.

    With the rat-kins enlightened. They have started carving weapons out of stones. They made bows and crossbows out of the hair and bones of their food. They captured the Isolist soldiers and fattened them like livestock. The Isolist of the Morose Caverns were getting uneasy. The Tribe Chieftain of the Isolist named Solero gathered his leaders. He called for their vigilance. The leaders nodded their heads and went away leaving only Sol-One standing still with his bug-bow across his back.

    Sol-One wanted to know why the chieftain wanted to call for him. The Chieftain said his worries and Sol-One grew uneasy at the prospect of the rat-kin and the chieftain wanted Sol-One to stay vigilant. Sol-One, however, clenched his fist and spoke what he wanted. He wanted help from the other tribes. But hearing this made the Chieftain angry. He made Sol-One leave the longhouse.

    Sol-One left the Chief¡¯s longhouse with anger on his face. He looked at the village that he has stayed and grew furious at the thought of his home being destroyed.

    ...

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    The Rat-Kin of the bellows roared. Their numbers have grown to the point that a single cavern could not sustain them anymore. Usually, it only takes one giant worm to feed the whole tribe. But now it took them a dozen or more. The Rat-Kin priest took the name Zal-Vak and frowned. He sat on his stone throne and watched his hungry kin. A five-foot-tall rat-kin approached Zal-Vak. He complained to Zal-Vak how little the food they got.

    ¡°Priest-Kin. We cannot continue longer than this. Many little Kin dead. Many fellow Kin hungry. I say we go for a campaign. Rat-Kin need food!¡±

    Zal-Vak tapped his staff. He closed his eyes and opened it. ¡°Rak-Zal says that it is time. Gather all Rat-Kin. Gather all weapons. We shall wage war and conquer the Morose.¡±

    The giant Rat-Kin squeaks joyfully. He galloped away from the priest¡¯s throne and went to its kin shouting war chants. The rat-Kin who heard the cry roared in a war cry. The small and the hungry rat-kin were given stone spears. Some were given crude stone weapons that were tied merely by veins.

    The Giant Rat-Kin named Vol-Zak led the rat-kin out of the cavern. The Priest of the tribe watched them go. It tapped its staff and prayed to their God for glory.

    ...

    Sol-One stood alone in a blue-spotted mushroom tower that was turned into a watchtower. He was still fuming in anger and was trying to calm himself by guarding. But never would have Sol-One thought that in his years of guarding for the tribe. He would see a horde of Rat-Kin carrying weapons towards their tribe. Seeing this tide of vermins coming at them Sol-One sounded the alarm.

    The People of the Isolist stiffened at the alarm. They are pacifistic but despite that, they were hardened veterans of attrition. They are hunters of the Caverns of Morose and as if a switch was turned. They armed themselves and went straight to their walls where they formed a firing line.

    Sol-One stood along with his fellow leaders. The once gray soil of was now filled with squeaking vermins. He could see as many of them and it made him wonder how they could go grow so fast in numbers. But it didn¡¯t matter for Sol-One and the others. They formed firing lines and troopers were ready to take the brunt of the first attacks. They formed a shield wall accompanied with spears.

    The giant rat-kin bellowed at its kin. It pointed its weapon at the enemy and like a tide, the Rat-Kin engaged the Isolist. The Isolist tribe readied themselves like professionals. They propped themselves up and when the Rat-Kin were closed. They open fired and slaughtered the first wave with their bug-bows. The rest who went unscathed met the Rat-Kins. The Rat-Kin were not as tall as the Isolist but they had the brute strength. Some of the Isolist were able to kill but some died as fast when they got swarmed.

    Sol-One continued giving his orders. It was then that the Isolist met eyes with the war leader of the Rat-Kin Vol-Zak. Their eyes met and murderous intent was clear in their eyes.

    Then the battle below the Caverns of Morose started. It was a battle that the people above wouldn¡¯t know.

 Chapter 107

    Chapter 107 ¨C The Great Equalizer

    Joshua found himself leaning his elbows on a tavern counter. Beside him was a rather jaded old man complaining in the current era. He was arguing beside another man who seemed like he was pious.

    He didn¡¯t join them. He minded his own business. He just sat on his stool. Clicking his mug of wine and making it swirl. The tavern had a nice feel to it. Joshua had talked with the owner and he was drinking the same wine that came from this village owned by an Alva but the wine was wine. It didn¡¯t matter.

    ¡°Keep it quiet will you?¡± said the barkeeper. He wiped the table. His front tooth was missing.

    Joshua nodded his head. Taking a sip of his wine, the two that were arguing started to start mocking. The old man talked about swords while the other pious man discussed the usefulness of firearms. It was a heated argument. Both sides not wanting to lose the argument.

    It was disrupting the idyllic mood of the tavern. At least they are not brawling, thought Joshua. He had time for a drink for once so he wished that the two men wouldn¡¯t become hotheaded.

    There was a serene atmosphere. There was a lad playing the lute. A barmaid was singing as well. The two men had been keeping their voices down but as they go in deeper to their discussion. Their voices became louder. The barkeeper had this annoyed look on his face. He kept on telling them to lower their voices down or take their talk in another place. It happened about three times now. Joshua¡¯s been counting.

    The two was rather passionate about their talk. They discussed the old world and the old ways. One was a rather fond about swords and the other preached the usefulness of firearms. The pious man, however, kept on saying how it should be controlled as a dangerous weapon. He went on about how a single untrained man could still kill someone with a gun. The jaded old man grumbled how easy it was to kill a person now. The two disagreed on some points but Joshua could tell that they had one thing in common. They don¡¯t have that much fondness when it comes to firearms. The pious man considers their usefulness but thinks it¡¯s far too dangerous. The jaded man outright shows distaste for it and call it too convenient.

    It was a matter of preference among the two. Joshua had some thoughts on the subject. But he kept his own thoughts just like the barkeeper who displayed finely crafted matchlock rifles above the shelves. He found himself drinking quietly at the bar¡¯s counter. He listened to the two when suddenly he felt a nudge on his side. He looked at the person who did that and saw that it was one of the two who seemed like they want a third opinion about the matter. Joshua really didn¡¯t want to say anything but the two insisted on getting his thoughts.

    They asked, ¡°What do you think of firearms lad?¡±

    Joshua leaned back. He folded his arms He wearily narrowed his eyes at the two and answered. ¡°I think they are a great equalizer.¡±

    The two probably didn¡¯t expect that answer. They laughed and said. ¡°Why do you think that lad?¡±

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    ¡°Well,¡± Joshua cleared his throat and faced them properly. ¡°Guns are the greatest equalizer known to man. No other thing ever created by humans has equalized humans like the gun. A world without guns is a world where women and children are at the mercy of monsters, as an example. People who chortle on about the safety and rights of women and children would do well to remember that.¡±

    The two looked at Joshua with a nodding approval. Joshua didn¡¯t expect that.

    ¡°Indeed, with a gun, a child or anyone can protect themselves against a monster.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good point actually.¡±

    The two folded their arms. They had different ideas but hearing ¡®mercy of monsters¡¯ made them reflect about their opinion. The barkeeper seemed like he was fond of Joshua¡¯s answer. He grinned, showing that missing tooth. Joshua smiled wryly and turned to his drink.

    The old jaded man and the pious started nodding their heads at each other. They changed their subjects and instead they started whining and grumbling about the taxes and the recent decision of the Mayor to accept the Templars demands.

    ¡°Blessed be the firearms.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, we can use them to fend off leeches like them.¡±

    Joshua smiled. He thought to himself how easily their minds changed when it comes to their own safety. He sipped on his mug and after a few minutes he stood up and left the tavern.

    Joshua stretched his arms. He looked at the sun and narrowed his eyes at the sight of a flying airship. He looked at the sigil of the airship and frowned heavily. Alva bastards, he murmured. He didn¡¯t like that sigil and didn¡¯t want whoever owns that ship to recognize him. So he half-jogged back to his house. He passed through the house-lined streets. There were merchants arriving by carriage and he had to avoid them in a hurry.

    He took a right down an alley and took a shortcut which cut him some time. When he arrived at his house he noticed that the Alva¡¯s ship was halfway down. He sneered at the ship and entered his house. Upon entering his house Joshua immediately sauntered into his room. He locked the door and went to the curtains. He made a good long look outside the window before shutting the curtains closed.

    Joshua sat on his bed. There was a cold fury rising inside his heart. It was a tranquil yet burning fury that made him calm. He had no love for the Alva, which was clear. Seeing their ship made Joshua paranoid. His mind started like a storm as various murderous ideas came upon his head.

    What if they found me, thought Joshua. It would be sheer bad luck if they do. But Joshua didn¡¯t want to take chances. He didn¡¯t want to be a slave and if anything. This made him stood up away his bed and pulled the trapdoor that led to a basement near his bed. He strutted down and gaze upon the craft table filled with various tools and bombs. The room was greasy and unkempt. It smelled of oil and powder. But to Joshua, it was perfect. After the bad experiences, Joshua learned how to be wary. He had enough of being less prepared.

 Chapter 108

    Chapter 108 ¨C A Certain fruitful trip

    ¡°For the love that is holy,¡± hollered Dolce dramatically. Her maidservant Elesia stood in the corner not knowing what to do. Dolce staggered out of her table with a pistol in hand. ¡°Why do I have to wade through documents concerning fiefs? Elesia, why are you not doing all this work for me?¡±

    Elesia looked at her. ¡°Milady, I am not good with numbers. And my head might roll down if I dare to touch the documents.¡±

    ¡°Who cares?¡± Dolce sneered. ¡°Teach yourself to calculate numbers and for the love that is holy and blessed. Learn to read woman.¡±

    Dolce whirled dramatically and threw a bottle of wine. She managed to hit the bottle rightly. At the same time, the door opened. A young lad cowered as he speaks. ¡°Milady, the ship has landed.¡±

    Dolce turned to the young lad. She stared at him before using her hand to shoo him away. Elesia glared at the young land. The young lad went away.

    ¡°Come on, Elesia, let¡¯s see what this town has to offer,¡± she holstered her weapon. She strides out of the room and made her way through the corridors of the ship. She stepped outside hissing at the sun. She covered her eyes with her palms and ordered Elesia to bring the umbrella.

    Elesia and Dolce strolled down the paved roads of Edawick. The town was oddly relaxing and the chortle and hubbub of people made Dolce calm down. She thought that the town was nice. She roamed around the town for a while watching the park and the various buildings before heading to one of the restaurants of the town. To her surprise, it was fairly clean. The waiters were neat-looking. The tables were furnished with a clean cloth. There was a fresh smell that made Dolce sit and not whine about.

    The waiter made his way and asked Dolce for her order. She asked for the menu and the waiter did his best to narrate all of the items on the menu, impressing Dolce. She ordered some of the roasted meat and this peculiar disk named Khinkali. She waited for the disk and to her surprise, the dish that she ordered was new to her.

    Her maidservant gulped at the sight of the Khinkali. It was a new dish and when Dolce tasted it. Her face beamed. She started eating the food and by the time she was done. She ordered another batch of Khinkali and by the time she was done eating. She praised the cook and gave them an extra tip. She asked who made the dish but the cook refused her. It didn¡¯t annoy her. She was pleased by the cooking that she ordered a takeout.

    She then went out of the restaurant pleased. She patted her stomach. She roamed the town and found herself in the bakery where they ate this strange dish called Waffles. This made Dolce curious. Meanwhile, Elesia was suffering. She was having a hard time looking at the food that her master was eating.

    Dolce was smug about it. She playfully eats the waffles and made a wide grin at Elesia. Elesia winced at that grin. She lowered her head and cursed under her breath.

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    Dolce heard that and called her. To Elesia¡¯s surprise, Dolce shoved the waffle into her mouth. She bit the waffle and started eating. Dolce patted her maidservant¡¯s head and then crossed her leg. As she watches the road she saw a shy looking maiden carrying a basket. She was fairly plain. She wore a green broach on her chest and a plain white skirt.

    ¡°Can I ask you a question!?¡± she hollered at the woman. The woman stopped her tracks. She pointed at herself. Dolce nodded and told her to come. The woman nervously approached but Dolce gave a smile. She stood up and looked at the accessory on her chest.

    ¡°A nice brooch...¡±

    ¡°T-thank you,¡± said the woman.

    ¡°Are perhaps willing to sell that?¡±

    ¡°No, this is the only thing that my mother left me.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Dolce leaned back with her face looking sad. ¡°I see. Then I shan¡¯t ask for it. Take care of that brooch...okay?¡±

    The woman tilted her head. She looked at Dolce before swaggering away from her. Dolce watched her go with impassive eyes. Elesia walked near her lady¡¯s side and asked. ¡°Milady, were you interested in that lady¡¯s something?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Dolce. ¡°But it belonged to her mother. If I was her I wouldn¡¯t sell it for all the gold of the world. I understand the feeling and I shall not take it from her. Besides, that thing looks familiar.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean milady?¡± Elesia asked in confusion.

    ¡°Elesia, do you know that in the Livia continent. There are only a few Emeralds?¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and in this continent, there were only about three emeralds that were dug. Most of them were found in the demesne of Maltius La Fende, located North West of the holy midland. I wouldn¡¯t have known about these if a certain Justicar and a stupid father didn¡¯t mouth it off to me.¡±

    ¡°So is it rare?¡±

    ¡°You can say that,¡± Dolce¡¯s voice crackled. She wore a huge grin on her mouth. Her spring-like hair flapped as she whirled around in joy. ¡°This is great! What luck! To think that I would find good food and something like these! This is marvelous Elesia! I can imagine the faces of those bastards!¡±

    She was dancing happily. There was a spring in her step as she strides back to the ship. Elesia didn¡¯t know why but the lady was eager to return back to the City of Avilla despite the fact that she just left there with a disgusted look on her face.

    Dolce made the crew of her ship ready. The airship took off and left the town of Edawick in a hurry. Indeed, she was lucky. If she was minutes late then she would have boarded a ship rigged with Thermite bombs and chlorine gas. Luckily she got a lucky break and now she was flying straight away from the town with a wide grin on her face. This grin bothered Elesia. That was the grin of the Dolce of Alva who had something good happen to her.

 Chapter 109

    Chapter 109 ¨C Worry on his mind

    The giant trees were naked. The ground beneath was filled with fallen leaves. Zola found herself walking under the trees while her little pup named Titus follows behind. She has been walking through the forest for a while now. Playing with Titus and training him.

    ¡°Titus!¡± shouted Zola. Titus sped through the leaves while hanging his tongue out. Titus jumped up and flipped in front of Zola.

    She clapped her hands. ¡°Nice! Good work! Hmm, how about you get that fruit for me?¡±

    Titus barked. He sped up the tree and bit the fruit. If anyone saw this their jaws would have dropped down. A little dog that was barely tall was running along the trees like nothing. The strangest thing about all of this was the child-like Zola who was clapping her hands as she cheers for Titus.

    ¡°Good dog!¡± Zola clapped harder as she saw Zola tumble around and land gracefully. The leaves around him spread as if the little dog did it intentionally.

    Titus barked happily, wagging his tail. He backflipped which made Zola smile widely. It was a smile of a child. The child who had her innocence lost. Normally she would be out there hunting monsters. But this time she was playing with Titus, a banewolf whose potential could allow it to become the king of the jungle. Of course, it didn¡¯t really bother Zola. She had seen pups like Titus back in Ganymede. Modified dog/wolf hybrids that were sold. They were good hunting dogs that usually could tear through metal plates like nothing.

    She always wanted one ever since she saw an advertisement once. Titus was not the same breed as those pups from Ganymede. But he kinda looked the same so she had no qualms. Besides, Titus was a pure hybrid. Titus was far better than those genetically modified knockoffs. So Zola was quite proud of having Titus. Hence she had forgotten about hunting down the dire monsters.

    Occasionally she would roam around the town. She would find some monsters that she would unconditionally slaughter. She thought that feeding Titus normal cattle meat was lame. So to maximize Titus¡¯s upbringing she started feeding Titus dire monster meat. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t know that doing had made Titus¡¯s constitution stronger at the cost of Titus¡¯s growth. A banewolf relies on its sheer size to intimidate and hunt its prey. But what she has been doing stunted that growth and the constant release of her own augmentation influenced Titus¡¯s growth.

    Normally, Titus wouldn¡¯t even be able to do what it does. But a few time spent with Zola made the growing banewolf into a Psion banewolf. It would not grow bigger than a normal dog or a wolf. But it had grown stronger than its entire lines of ancestors. The last heir of the banewolf was the smallest yet fiercest.

    Titus, the little pup was engraved with the seething hatred of its kind. Yet oddly the little pup had its nature changed. This was Zola¡¯s fault. She had influenced the pulp into a loyal puppy that looked up to its owners. The little pup had been treated nicely by Zola. It was fed properly and it was not alone anymore.

    Zola patted Titus¡¯s head. She sprinted up one of the trees, shaking the leaves as she lands on the branch. Titus followed his master and stood near her. Zola looked around the area and found a humanoid with a giant eye. Zola thought to herself that it looked like an ogre. She silently weaved through the branches and watched the one-eyed ogre. The ogre was feasting upon a deer. And although Zola was quiet, Titus was not. The ogre noticed their presence and quickly used the sling that it had to attack Zola.

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    But that was the ogre¡¯s mistake. Zola caught the stone easily. Her eyes turned red. Her skin turned blue as she pitches the stone right at the eye of the Ogre. The ogre¡¯s head splintered into many pieces. Its entrails painted the grassy ground and the ogre laid dead.

    ¡°Bastard,¡± Zola murmured as she freefalls down. She looked at the ogre with disdain as she then whistled for Titus. The little pup shivered at the sight of his master¡¯s ferocious nature. Behind the beautiful face and the child-like innocence lies a soldier that had fought wars on many planets.

    Her aura when she activates her augmentations makes the little pup¡¯s instincts shiver. Zola noticed that her little pup was scared so she turned back to her usual form and patted Titus¡¯s head. ¡°I am sorry okay?¡± she said sweetly. Titus the little pup whined and nodded his cute little head. This made Zola smile.

    She turned her eyes back to the ogre. She examined the ogre. It was only wearing a loincloth and a necklace made of river shells. It smelled of fish and blood. There was really nothing great about the ogre and seeing that it carried a human skull. Zola kicked the ogre away.

    ¡°You won¡¯t be eating that vermin,¡± she said coldly. Titus looked at his master and nodded and barked. Zola leaped back into the trees and the little pup had no choice but to follow.

    The two roamed around the forest for a while before returning home. Once they entered the home they found Joshua armed to teeth, he wore bandoliers across his body, his waist had bombs and he was holding a modified rifle that Zola helped him create. He looked like he was seething with fury. His eyes were that of a broken desperate man faced with a hated enemy.

    Seeing the looked on Joshua¡¯s face, she coughed. This jolted Joshua awake from his state and he looked at Zola and then to the little pup. Slowly, his maddened eyes returned back to normal. He lowered his rifle and turned to Zola in a tired voice.

    ¡°Welcome home.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Nothing, I just got paranoid. Alva people arrived on a ship. I thought they would come for me and all.¡±

    ¡°Then you should have hide,¡± Zola folded her arms. ¡°It would be best if you don¡¯t start anything unless I am here. I can help you kick their ass.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true...¡± Joshua said with tiredness. ¡°Still, it¡¯s not like you can protect me every time right?¡±

    ¡°Gee,¡± She rubbed the back of her head. ¡°Just calm down...I¡¯ll help you and make sure that my fellow earthling won¡¯t get killed. So relax okay?¡±

    ¡°I guess so.¡±

    Joshua fell on the floor cross-legged. He flatted his back on the floor and covered his eyes with his arms. Zola ambled to the couch and watched him worriedly.

    Titus the little pup didn¡¯t really know what was happening. But it trotted towards Joshua and licked his cheek. This action made Joshua look at the little pup and smile. ¡°I¡¯ll get you two something nice okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you do that,¡± Zola said. Then Joshua stood up and distracted himself by preparing something for Zola and the little pup.

 Chapter 110

    Chapter 110 ¨C Talks about Trauma

    Joshua cooked for the two. He did it while still armed to the teeth. It was a meal consisted of fried pork and vegetable chippings. It was a simple meal that Zola could not complain about. Titus had already slept. What was left was Joshua staring at his rifle.

    ¡°You¡¯re too paranoid,¡± said Zola. ¡°Lighten up already, the ship¡¯s gone.¡±

    ¡°Aye, that¡¯s true,¡± Joshua nodded. ¡°Still, it bothers me that there might be a time that they might recognize me. I know that jumping off that cliff would at least make them know that I am dead. But lately, I¡¯ve heard talks about me killing Benton the Smith. The Alva¡¯s didn¡¯t say that I was dead either. That bitch probably didn¡¯t tell anyone that I jumped off the cliff, giving her the finger.¡±

    She looked Joshua with worry. It was obvious enough that there was this seething hatred in his voice. It was a voice filled with hatred and scorn. It felt like Joshua would go mad at the sight of an Alva.

    ¡°As long as you stay low then you¡¯ll do well,¡± Zola suggested. ¡°Honestly, I think it is stupid that you tried to blow their ship up with Thermite bombs and gassed them. Wouldn¡¯t that be detrimental? You are attracting them instead. Just hide in your basement. That should do well.¡±

    ¡°How long do I have to hide then?¡±Joshua asked with a hopeless smile. ¡°The Freelands is controlled by the bastards. They are backed by Templars who had four-legged fucking dragons and flying airships. I don¡¯t feel as important enough to that bitch. But she¡¯s the type that would capture me so that she can mock me to death. I thought I¡¯d be safe in this town. I thought that maybe they would go away. But yet a single ship with the brand of the Alva made me this uneasy.¡±

    She looked at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say. Fear¡¯s the mind killer. I can understand the paranoia but what if you fucked up? I prefer the direct way of dealing with problems myself but yours is something that shouldn¡¯t be taken care recklessly. You can always deny their accusations. You can be smart about it as long as you don¡¯t get reckless.¡±

    Joshua nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Do you?¡± Zola frowned. ¡°I can tell that you learned the hard way. No sane man would think of bombing a flying airship just because he saw their insignia. Do you think that is the sane way of doing it?¡±

    Joshua shook his head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you think that way?¡± Zola asked with a straight face.

    ¡°It was dumb, I know. But I just thought that maybe,¡± Joshua finally calmed down. ¡°What the hell was I thinking?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I would like to know too,¡± Zola leaned back on the couch. She looked at Joshua and said. ¡°Well, just try to be calm. Fear¡¯s the mind killer. It¡¯ll make you confuse and think badly. A calm mind is better than a raging one.¡±

    ¡°I just don¡¯t know,¡± Joshua looked down. ¡°I just don¡¯t think that I can keep my calm completely. That bitch...she broke me. She made me feel like a toy for her to use. Most would think that it was pleasurable. But I have my own pride. And she stomped on that flatly. I just can¡¯t help but get angry about what she did.¡±

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    Zola thought to herself how helpless Joshua looked. If Joshua was a trooper in her own world she probably would have shouted at him and tell him to man up. To her, the past is the past and one should strive to overcome it and used it as a lesson. She could not tell that to Joshua. He had done what he can to prepare. He was CRAZY enough to think of blowing up a ship up after all.

    ¡°It¡¯s pathetic really,¡± Joshua admitted. ¡°I should man up and think about this properly. I should be doing what I can to stay calm and compose. But when faced with the prospect of seeing that bitch, I just can¡¯t. It¡¯s odd that I managed to stay calm in dire situations. I can have my shit broken and I¡¯d impassively strive to live. Yet when faced with the first terror I faced in this world. I am a mess.¡±

    Joshua stared wide-eyed into space. Zola bit her lower lip. ¡°You are pretty adjusted.¡±

    ¡°No, I am not. I should say the same to you. I bet you want me to man up. I am sure that the men in your time are not this pathetic. Heck, any sane man would tell me to fuck off about this trauma. Well, I am sorry that I got traumatized by a slaver bitch.¡±

    Zola stared impassively at him. ¡°I do admit that you are looking pathetic now. In my time most men would have their lips stiffed. They would go on their lives with taciturn stoicism. They live and die for humanity. And looking at you makes me want to slap you.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Joshua laughed helplessly.

    ¡°Yes. But everyone has their sad story,¡± she looked serious. ¡°Each and everyone had their own tale. I cannot judge you for what scares you. I think that you are a brave man, Joshua. And a good friend that has been treating me well since we met, or are you doing this because I save your life?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± said Joshua, shaking his head. ¡°I am doing this because we got deprived of our homes and lost our ways of lives. We can understand each other, but not wholly. And I understand the feeling.¡±

    ¡°I see. Still, since we¡¯ve awakened in this foreign world and met. I¡¯ve helped you out and you helped me out in exchange. It is a simple equivalent exchange and you have done me well. I am not good at giving pieces of advice. I cannot dispel that trauma of yours. But let me say this. Don¡¯t let it consume you. Just stay calm and think thrice if you ever want to do something.¡±

    Joshua looked at Zola for a second. He lowered his head and grinned wearily. ¡°It is quite odd that a super-soldier from the far future is telling me all of this kind of softy talk.¡±

    ¡°I know right?¡± she shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Usually these kinds of prep talk are for disciplinary officers in my time. Still, what I want to say is don¡¯t be too stupid.¡±

    ¡°Fine, thanks for the talk Zola, I appreciate this even you really are bad at these kinds of talk,¡± Joshua grinned.

    ¡°Ah, fuck off will you?¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Joshua lifted his right fist and pointed it at Zola. She looked at that fist and bumped hers to his. ¡°Put the weapons away and calm down okay?¡±

    ¡°Aye, aye Miss Soldier,¡± Joshua nodded and stood up. He carried himself back to his own room. Zola watched him go and then she turned her eyes at the afternoon sun.

 Chapter 111

    Chapter 111 ¨C The Runaway Princess (1)

    Justicar Vigo waded through the documents. Some of the documents were lit by the sun. The others were covered in shadow. It was an annoyance to Vigo but he made what he can read. He was carefully inking the documents when the door swung open, making him pain the document in ink. Veins popped on him. He looked at the person who was loud enough to swing the door open.

    ¡°Miss Dolce, can you please knock beforehand?¡± Vigo knotted his jaws. He looked at Dolce with obvious annoyance. Dolce grinned at that, however. She said, ¡°Well Pardon me, I just came here with an important information.¡± a smile appeared on her face.

    ¡°Important?¡± Vigo turned serious. ¡°Speak, Dolce of Alva, what did you gather?¡±

    ¡°The runaway princess of the Maltius La Fende, I¡¯ve found her.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Vigo felt like a coin was dropped. He stood up slamming the table. The documents flew up the air which made Dolce looked at it amusedly. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, do you really think that I would come into this city just to amuse Justicar? Do you really not find it hard that I would stay in the same city that my degenerate of an uncle breathes the air?¡±

    Vigo shook his head. ¡°No. And I doubt you would come here just to lie. So where is the belladonna of the Maltius La Fende?¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡± She waved her trigger finger at Vigo¡¯s face. She leaned on the table, showing a playful grin, her blonde hair prattling on her shoulder. ¡°Do you think that I¡¯d just tell you? Oh and spare me that inquisitive face of yours Justicar. You know me from our dealings. I was the one that led you to this place. But I really doubt that the Thorn Cross legion would have been near the borders of the Freelands conveniently as this City was being attacked.¡±

    ¡°I do not know what you are implying,¡± Vigo said calmly. He was trying to put his best face. But it didn¡¯t matter since Dolce could see through that bit of gap. ¡°Spare me your crap Vigo, its either you give me what I want or not. You can¡¯t threaten me nor can you invoke the name of my father here.¡±

    Vigo tightened his jaw, nodding. ¡°Very well, tell me what you want, Dolce. In whatever power, I can. I¡¯ll give it you and surely the Pontiff will be delighted by this.¡±

    Dolce¡¯s face turned from a frown into a huge smile. She sat on the chair and crossed her legs, leaning her upper body back. ¡°First of all, I want Templars to watch my fiefs. Second, I want administrative officers who can manage my fiefs, they will earn their coffers, I am not that unreasonable, and all I want from them is to take care of my fattened line of fiefs. Third, I want those machine guns, those crank-operated ones to be mounted on my ship.¡±

    ¡°Those guns are confidential,¡± Vigo said gravely. ¡°I am afraid that I cannot give it you.¡±

    Dolce touched her cheek dramatically. ¡°And I am afraid that I can¡¯t give you information. Oh, come on, Justicar. I am giving you the chance to make amends to the Maltius La Fende. All I want from you are people to watch my fiefs, officers who can manage them, and lastly a weapon that I can protect my ship better. You might also add fame in that too so my father won¡¯t try to have my chastity healed by some dubious methods too.¡±

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    Vigo¡¯s face crumpled. He tapped his forehead. ¡°Is this what you truly want Dolce of Alva? What are you going to do with a machine-gun anyway?¡±

    ¡°Oh nothing,¡± she smiled cheekily. ¡°I just want to shoot dire monsters down. You see, there are many flying monsters and you should understand how terrible it is dealing with them.¡±

    ¡°Is that what you really need them for?¡± Vigo asked dubiously.

    ¡°Of course,¡± The smile on Dolce stayed. ¡°It¡¯s not like I plan to gun down my hated enemies and force various fiefs to offer tribute to me.¡±

    Vigo thought to himself that if it was another person speaking. He would have laughed at that as a joke. But this was the Dolce of Alva, a woman who had a chaotic nature. She was unpredictable and most of her decisions are made of whims.

    ¡°I hope that you don¡¯t point them at civilians.¡±

    ¡°You wound me, Vigo,¡± she reclined back while still having that smug look on her face. Vigo wanted to get away from her but he needed to know the information that she gathered.

    ¡°Fine, I shall accept your terms,¡± Vigo said.

    ¡°Ah, raised your right hand and swear by the light,¡± she pointed out. Vigo could only helplessly sigh as he takes an oath with his right hand and hand over a badge of favor to Dolce. ¡°Now, tell me what you know.¡±

    ¡°I found the Green Brooch of Maltius La Fende. It was worn by a plain-looking girl who carried a basket in the town of Edawick. For the belladonna, she was rather plain, but there was no mistake that was an emerald. It was not a fake and I can tell by the runic writings engraved on the golden metal that held it together that it was the real deal.¡±

    ¡°The plain girl you see was probably in disguise,¡± Vigo explained. ¡°The Green of Brooch of the Maltius La Fende has been rumored to conjure illusions and protect its user. It might explain why the girl you saw was plain and simple.¡±

    ¡°Oh really¡± Dolce folded her arms. She looked serious suddenly. ¡°I do not want to dip my head into the Midland¡¯s politics. But would an alliance with Maltius La Fende really benefit the Holy Midland?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Vigo nodded. ¡°The Holy Midland is surrounded in two fronts. Having the Maltius La Fende helped us would be beneficial. We can conquer the Bali and the Cagan natives and have them finally surrender. That is if we can defeat the Werelion Tribe and their Werewolf Vanguard.¡±

    Dolce nodded. ¡°Complicated, no wonder I hate mingling about politics. Anyway,¡± she smiled, ¡°that¡¯s all I have. I hope that you do well with your promise, Vigo.¡±

    ¡°We do not break our oaths. You should know that, Dolce.¡±

    ¡°I know, send me a bird or a messenger. I¡¯ll be in that village to drink wine. You know that place, do you?

    ¡°You got it.¡±

    Dolce strutted out of the room. She gave this teasing smile before slamming the door close. Vigo held his head and gave a big sigh. He found it troublesome dealing with Dolce of Alva. But what she gave was something important. It was something that could turn the tides of war back at his home.

 Chapter 112

    Chapter 112 ¨C The Runaway Princess (2)

    There was a constant grin on her lovely face. These days she found herself jolly. She had finally found a place of her own. A place where she does not have to worry. She would not have to care about a lifeless future that would have awaited her. The Town of Edawick was a blessing to her. It made her free and happy. She couldn¡¯t ask for more other than the day where she would wed the man she had fallen for would come.

    She remembered the time where her mother told her to be free. She escaped all those heavy responsibilities in spite of her own self. It was selfish. It was a callous choice that would have made her as heartless. Yet it didn¡¯t bother her. She was free and that was all that matters.

    She felt the wind caressed her hair.  She was about to go her usual workplace. She found the other side of her door noisy, she opened her door and saw various men wearing uniforms. Seeing their uniforms, and the way they were dressed. She jolted back. She put both of her hands on her chest, trying to suppress this pounding fear in her heart.

    ¡°May I help you?¡± She said.

    ¡°Miss Cyra?¡± The man in pious robes stepped forward. He wore a robe. He had a belt and there was a pistol holstered around it. He scratched the floor with soles of his leather boots. The uniformed men behind him looked at her through the eye sockets of their great helms.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she said with worry.

    ¡°Can you come with us?¡±

    ¡°May I ask why?¡± asked Cyra, stepping back.

    ¡°You know who you are.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I am getting you,¡± Cyra shook her head. She tried not looking nervous. But the man could see through her. He stepped forward.

    ¡°Cyra, of Maltius La Fende, Heiress of the Regent, daughter of the Lord Commissar. Who is the current head of the Maltius La Fende.¡±

    ¡°This is nonsense,¡± she shook her head and she took a step forward trying to get away. But the pious man and the men behind formed a wall that blocked her path. She tried to squeeze in but the pious man pulled the green brooch on her beck. This action made Cyra¡¯s appearance flicker for a moment. Cyra stole the green brooch, the pious man didn¡¯t resist as he grins at the flicker of illusion that he had seen.

    ¡°Ah, so it is true that your beauty isn¡¯t exaggerated milady.  To think that a simple accessory could hide you all these years. I am impressed.¡±

    ¡°Please leave me alone,¡± she said. Not even trying to hide it anymore. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back.¡±

    ¡°That is not for you to decide,¡± The pious man said. ¡°We¡¯ve come here to take you back your father. You have escaped your duties and it by your father¡¯s orders that we take you back by force if necessary. Wounds can heal, milady.¡±

    There was a clear threat in her voice. Cyra clutched her chest, her eyes watering as if wanting to cry. And it was in that moment, at her time of distressed a voice called out. She craned her head at the voice and saw Silo¡¯s limping figure coming towards them with fury in her eyes.

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    ¡°HOW DARE YOU!¡± he roared in fury. His reason left him. All he could see was a bunch of bastards making Cyra cry. This didn¡¯t sit well with him. It made him seethe with fury as he holds the rifles in his hand with fury. ¡°Who do you think you people are!?¡±

    This did not sit well with the Templars. They reached for their rifles and encircled the pious man and Cyra. The pious man made an impassive glare, he gestured at one of the Templars to act. Cyra did not like the looked of that gesture and tried speaking only to hear a gunshot.

    ¡°Oh no!¡± she shouted. She pushed the Templars away and there she saw Silo¡¯s prosthetic leg blown off. The Templars didn¡¯t expect that he had a wooden leg. Yet it was enough for the Templars to tackle Silo and take two punches that bruised his eye. Silo looked beaten.

    The pious man was about to say something witty but he felt a loud slap on his cheek. It made him flinch and looking at that wrath-filled face of the lady. He could only sight and glare at her. ¡°Is that man somehow important?¡±

    ¡°How dare you!¡± she said with scorn. ¡°You people disgust me! Leave me alone!¡±

    ¡°That we can¡¯t do,¡± The pious man said. ¡°How about we do this? If you come with us then we¡¯d make you that your loved one will not have his head blown away.¡± He made a fist gesture and signaled one of the Templars to point a rifle¡¯s barrel at Silo¡¯s head. ¡°No!¡± shouted Cyra. ¡°Don¡¯t do this!¡± Her weakness was clear.

    ¡°You Templar bastards!¡± shouted Silo. ¡°What the fuck are you pulling here? We didn¡¯t do anything!¡±

    ¡°Oh she didn¡¯t tell you?¡± said the pious man with a surprised. He made a gesture and two Templars held Cyra¡¯s arms. Cyra struggled. Trying to break free from the Templars grasp. But the pious man pulled the green brooch away from her and there her appearance was revealed.

    Unlike her old appearance, Cyra¡¯s features become more stunning. Her plain looking face became that of a goddess. Her green sparkling eyes made the people around her swooned at her beauty. It was like a revealing the mask. And this made Silo starey at her.

    ¡°What?¡±

    That was the only word Silo could muster. Cyra had this face of despair. The pious man explained. ¡°What you see now is a princess of the Maltius la Fende, and you are not worthy of her. So how about you stay out of our way.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not for you to decide!¡± Cyra roared. She stomped the pious man¡¯s foot, bearing no effect at all. The Pious man looked at her. ¡°Like I said Princess, your father told us to take you forcibly if necessary. He¡¯ll forgive us for this. Come on men, let¡¯s get out of here!¡±

    The Templars holding Cyra started to drag her. Silo stood up like a madman. But he was struck down by the pious man with a single punch to the gut that was followed by a blow to the head. Silo reached out with his hand. Yet the only thing he could see was Cyra screaming before everything went blank for him.

 Chapter 113

    Chapter 113 ¨C The Runaway Princess (3)

    Joshua had taken Zola¡¯s advice. He ventured into the woods with a backpack and relaxed there for a while. He returned back, a bit cheerful, with a thin smile on his face. He ambled about in the woods, kicking the grass on the floor, making crunching sounds.

    He saw the town of Edawick. He smiled. He ambled to the entrance only to feel a tingling in his palm. This made him uneasy. He went back to his home. He put his things on the table but taking his rifle with him. He left the house and roamed around the town only to see Silo¡¯s bruised face. He looked broken. His eyes bruised. His face, bloodied.

    ¡°Silo,¡± he jogged to him, ¡°what the hell happened to you man?¡±

    ¡°Hah, Joshua, so you are here, where did you go?¡± He said weakly. Joshua could hear a helpless tone in his voice. It bothered him.

    ¡°I was out in the woods. Zola took off with Titus so I took the chance to calm my head.¡±

    ¡°I see. Well, that¡¯s good for you friend.¡±

    He looked down. This made Joshua frown. He put his hand on his shoulder. ¡°What really happened here and who the fuck did this shit to you?¡±

    ¡°Bastards, Templar bastards,¡± Silo laughed while tearing up. ¡°Did you know? Apparently, she was a princess. They took her away Joshua.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Cyra, she was the princess of Maltius La Fende. No wonder she was alone when she came into Edawick and was bad at everything before the people taught her.¡±

    ¡°They took her?¡± Joshua¡¯s eye turned cold. ¡°And you let them?¡±

    Silo tilted his head. He looked at Joshua. ¡°Did you think that I didn¡¯t try?¡±

    ¡°I can see that you did. You didn¡¯t chase after them?¡±

    ¡°They were itching to pull the trigger,¡± He said. ¡°They didn¡¯t care and took her like that. Joshua, why does life kick us in the balls too hard?¡±

    Joshua bit his lip. He exhaled through his teeth and his head turned coldly calm. ¡°Are you going to chase after them?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a princess, and the Templars are holding her. Surviving that chasm was easy, but this time it¡¯s the Maltius La Fende, she is their princess, and do you know how many people have tried, yet failed, when trying to find her? Do you think that they¡¯d just let me take her back without a fight?¡±

    ¡°So you intend to abandon her? What the fuck Silo?¡±

    ¡°It is easy for you to say, Joshua!¡± Silo hissed with tears running across his cheeks. ¡°I love her. But how could I do anything?¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t even tried!¡±

    ¡°And do you think that they¡¯ll let me easily take her? Not to mention that they took her away on a flying ship! They could be heading back to the Maltius demesne right now!¡±

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    ¡°So that¡¯s it then?¡± Joshua could not believe what he was wearing. It hurt listening to the hopeless Silo. What happened? He was filled with confidence when he left and he was smiling about yet faced with these despairing event he cracked like that? Ah, could it be that she was his crutch? thought Joshua. He understood that one of the driving reasons that made Silo struggle back was her. Maybe he forced him to do so. And now that she was taken easily with Silo unable to do anything about other than cry. How could Joshua blame him?

    He clenched his fist. ¡°Damn it,¡± he murmured as he looked at the despairing Silo. He thought that he would finally be at ease after a few nights in the woods. But what was this? What was this scene before him? It was an absurd event that even he could not understand!

    Joshua shut his eyes. He flatted his back on the wall. He then wiped his face open. He took a deep breath and turned to Silo. What could he say to him? That he would take Cyra back? What can he do? He didn¡¯t know what to do at the moment. He thought that he would find anything yet there was nothing that came to him other than chase after her.

    He was no fool. He knows that doing what he wanted to do will provoke the Templars. He thought to stay low yet this happened. It was a sick cosmic joke. Joshua could not help but laugh helplessly. He stared at the streets. The people were looking at them funny. He could hear their questioning voices. What can he do? He knows that there was one option. But it would risk his life. Cyra was a friend. He treated her like a good friend.

    He thought that maybe Zola could do something about this. But he didn¡¯t know where she was. Before he left she told him that she was going to explore the forest to gather data.

    How could she know where she was? She was a free person and she was like the wind too. She could not control her and now he was faced with this dilemma. He just doesn¡¯t know.

    He could only stand witlessly staring at the flow of people walking past them. They seemed so happy and clueless. Unlike them who looked like they swallowed something awful.

    Silo was sobbing quietly. He looked so pitiful with his head leaning against a wall. There was no word of comfort that Joshua could do. He wanted to chase after Cyra. But how can she do that when she¡¯s on a flying ship and heading who knows where? If what he heard from Silo was right. Then the people who took her place importance to her. Surely, they won¡¯t just let Joshua take her back. Even if they recklessly charge they will have nothing to go for. It was like chasing a bird on foot. It was a terrible and tiresome idea.

    Joshua could start searching. He could. But it would end only in him doing a fruitless search. That was why even though he wanted to take Cyra back from the people who took her. He could only frustratingly pray that Zola would return. She maybe had  the means and that Omni-forge of hers could be helpful tracking her down.

 Chapter 114

    Chapter 114 ¨C The Runaway Princess (4)

    The sound of the wind scratching the walls of the ship could be heard.

    Cyra looked blankly at the wall of her room. She was listless. Her eyes would sometimes look at the ring in her left hand. It was a ring made silver with a little gem carved by Zola through some means she didn¡¯t know

    She was fond of the ring. She could recall the day Silo gave it to her. It was a bliss getting the ring. She could not forget it for the rest of her life. Yet it may be the last good memory she will have. She was no en route to her father¡¯s demesne. Soon she would live the life of a caged bird again.

    Just like that she felt like the days of running away have come back. She thought that when she settled down in Edawick it would be all over. Yet through some cosmic joke, she was now flying straight to the hell she did everything to escape.

    She heard footsteps coming outside. She stared listlessly only to see the door swung open. The pious pope softly walks inside with his hands on his back. He looked at Cyra, his eyes showing deep concern for her.

    ¡°I am truly sorry,¡± said the pious man. ¡°I am only doing my holy duty of taking you back.¡±

    Cyra looked at him and sneered. ¡°Pity, didn¡¯t know that you folks had that.¡±

    ¡°We do,¡± The pious man wryly smiled. ¡°But we were ordered to secure you. We do not mean you harm and it may be hard to do so after treating your beloved like that.¡±

    Cyra looked up. ¡°You know my answer.¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± The pious man nodded. ¡°Still we will not force you to forgive us. We do what we do for the sake our homes. You at least understand how your demesne could help the Holy Midland in our fight against the Bali and Cagan natives. We are spread thin and having our backs watched by the steam-powered machines of the Maltius La Fende will secure our victory.¡±

    ¡°And after that victory, you¡¯ll eventually turn your sights at the Freelands and betray the demesne. My Lord Father¡¯s no fool, and the alliance you Templars seek off will not last.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± he admitted. ¡°But if the short alliance would allow us to tame the two native nations then it will be worth in the end. If forcing a maiden back to her despite her reluctance, I would do it, no questions asked.¡±

    ¡°Well aren¡¯t you a good patriot?¡± Cyra snarled.

    The pious man shrugged his shoulders. He kept silent and watched Cyra who was hugging her knees. The pious man stood still like a statue. He looked at the round window. The clouds were moving past them. ¡°Humans sailing boats up the clouds. Things have started to change. If only there was no need for war.¡±

    Cyra looked at the pious man. ¡°The Templars could always stop and try to talk.¡±

    ¡°Talk?¡± the pious man laughed. ¡°After all the killing and slaughter, do you think they would share the same table with us?¡±

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    Cyra inclined her head. ¡°You could have done it differently.¡±

    ¡°And bow our heads to the invaders and let them subvert us? They are different from us. They can speak but their forms and natures are different. We cannot sleep with rabid dogs who suddenly goes berserk in the middle of the night when the moon is up.¡±

    ¡°And the only way is to slaughter them?¡±

    ¡°It is our right to defend ourselves. We cannot change the post and we cannot surrender. And in order to wind, we will use to get that favor from your father¡¯s demesne.

    ¡°You silly people, do you really think my father would easily do that? Remember, I am a runaway, and given the time, my father should have already sired another son or daughter. He doesn¡¯t need me at all.¡±

    ¡°Yet he still insists to have you back,¡± said the pious man. ¡°You are a fully grown woman, a beautiful woman, and your father will have uses for you.¡±

    Cyra hated to admit it but he was right. Her father can use her as a political a chip. A card he can play to further his interest. It was a sad reality and Cyra hates thinking that.

    ¡°In the end, I shall become a slave to my father again,¡± She said meekly. The pious man could not help but feel pity at Cyra. But he held that pity back. He hardened his heart and steeled his mind. Not letting emotions overtake his duties to his home.

    ¡°Sadly, that is your fate,¡± the pious man said. ¡°I do not like doing this. My Homelands forbids slavery but for the good of my people I will throw you to the worst of fate.¡±

    Cyra looked up. She couldn¡¯t even bother to entertain the pious man before her. She just looked down and gaze at her ring.

    The pious man didn¡¯t say anything. He swung the door open and went outside. He looked at the hall of the ship. It was wooden and there were a few planks holding the hull. He crossed the hall and turned to the right to enter a room. He looked at the room. There was a chair. There was a table, filled with documents, there was a rack and the symbol of the Cross nailed near the cabinet. He sat down and reclined. He closed his eyes and thought of what he was doing. He despises these kinds of mission. Particularly, he hated separating people who loved each other. It disgusts him but what can he do? This was an important duty and if the alliance between the Holy Midland and the Maltius La Fende Demesne happens, then victory will be at their hands. There will be no need to send young men and women to their death. There would be a need for blood. There are still many factors to it but this was their best chance to have one of the strongest factions in the Livia Continent to join their side.

    They would be able to defeat the Bali and Cagan natives who they were fighting for too long. He wasn¡¯t foolish enough to think that there would be a lasting peace. But a respite from all the bloodshed and all the killing, would not hurt anyone.

 Chapter 115

    Chapter 115 ¨C The Runaway Princess (5)

    Joshua waited for a week. By that time Silo became a mess of a person. He was always drunk and there was no life on him. He waited for Zola. And when she did arrive Joshua explained what happened. This made Zola react. Cyra was amiable to her and she liked her company. But the moment Joshua told her about tracking the ship down. She gave Joshua a complicated response.

    ¡°Joshua, even I couldn¡¯t track something that happened a week ago. No to mention she flew in a flying ship. All we know is that she should be in the demesne of this nation or kingdom you speak off. Getting there would be a problem. I could gather some maps and scanned them to my Omni-Forge. I can find a good route but that land is miles away from the Freelands. Even if I travel there it would take days or months.  If we have a ship then things might not be so bad. There are also things to consider like how we enter their borders without getting caught. Or the worst part of this whole fiasco. How do you take someone back who would be heavily protected? I am strong.  I have the strength of a hundred men but I cannot fight an army or a nation by myself.  I can go with the guerilla tactic and slowly cripple their kingdom. But that would take me years and a war of attrition is not that easy. I need to gather information and gather intelligence about all of this.¡±

    Hearing all this made Joshua¡¯s head swirl. He rather thought simply. He thought that maybe they could just find Cyra and take her back to Edawick. But that didn¡¯t satisfy Zola. She said.

    ¡°But that would only mean that she would be running way forever. I cannot be her guardian angel. I am sorry. But I cannot live my life here protecting her. She¡¯s my friend but I have my limits too.  And even if I somehow just take her back. Think of the consequences and the following events that may happen. She will be hunted and these Templars would be in their interest to take her back. There are many options that we could take. I could assassinate her father and then we put someone to the throne as the leader in exchange for her freedom.¡±

    ¡°You are surprisingly thorough.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying?¡± said Zola. ¡°Being thorough is good. It is the little things that matter. Look, I know that you want to save Cyra and all. I can see that there is this wanting of yours to travel far across the land to save her. But Joshua, let us be real here. She is a princess of a demesne that people refer to as the strongest in this continent. And the Lord that governs the nation is a worthy lord that has earned the respect and loyalty of his people to the point of being fanatical.¡±

    She said with furrowed brows. Joshua listened, occasionally hearing the whistles of the wind coming from the grassland where the sheep¡¯s are usually herded. The two had strolled to this small pond where they discussed thing. But so far it was just Zola giving her opinion.

    ¡°So it is too hard? Leave her alone?¡± Joshua said uncomfortably.

    ¡°No. But even I can see why they would take her. The moment you told me about this happening, I investigated. I talked to people and inquired about them. This whole thing that the Templars wants is clear. They want an alliance so they can curb the war to their victory. The Maltius La Fende had been planning to but they needed an incentive to accept the alliance. And what better way for an alliance to start other than delivering the beloved belladonna of the Maltius La Fende? Cyra may reluctant but it would be a good excuse and a start of a friendship.¡±

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    Joshua frowned. He was getting a headache from this. He wished that things would have been just simple. But the truth was there. He could only think how bothersome all of this. What he wanted was just to save a friend. Yet here he was hearing all of this from Zola.

    He kicked a pebble. The pebbled rolled far from him. Zola watched him do that. She looked at Joshua¡¯s lost face. She could not help but feel sorry for him, not as much as she feels sorry for Silo who had his bride stolen away from him.

    ¡°It¡¯s cruel really,¡± murmured Joshua. ¡°To think that they could have lived here peacefully without all of this drivel. This is one big joke really.¡±

    ¡°Well, it was not your fault or Silo that Cyra was actually a princess of a powerful kingdom.¡± Suddenly, Zola laughed. This made Joshua looked at her with his brow raised a millimeter. Zola could feel Joshua¡¯s stare. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just that the absurdness of it is just laughable. Really, how did things become like this?¡±

    ¡°You tell me,¡± Joshua sighed. ¡°I would to know or hear any answers. But you make it sound like rescuing Cyra would take a lot of effort.¡±

    ¡°It really does,¡± Zola admitted. ¡°It would have been fine if she was a just a normal princess. But the state of this continent is at the boiling point. You were there when Avilla was attacked right? That attack and their reason for attacking Avilla City, was to cut the supplies right?¡±

    ¡®Yeah,¡± Joshua nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve heard.¡±

    Zola raised a finger. ¡°But give this a thought. Why would they risk an entire fleet of flying ship just to attack the city? If they have that kind of resources then shouldn¡¯t they focus it on the front lines? Why were they so willing to take Avilla?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Joshua answered.

    ¡°I can tell you,¡± Zola smiled thinly. ¡°When I woke up here I encountered the Templars. They were scouring the lab ship that was I put to sleep in. What do you think they are doing there?¡±

    Then the coin dropped at Joshua. ¡°Ah, searching for relics?¡±

    ¡°Exactly and the Bali and Cagan hoped that these relics would help them. But the Templars won. This is just a hunch but I think the Templar led them purposely.¡±

    Joshua didn¡¯t know what to say. He folded his arms and tried not think about it. He was failing at that.

    ¡°All I want is to save a friend and yet this is just,¡± Joshua complained.

    ¡°True, sadly we cannot be retarded about this.¡±

    Zola craned her head up to the sky in thinking. It was really hard to save a Princess of a powerful nation. But Zola had started getting an idea, slowly.

 Chapter 116

    Chapter 116 ¨C The Runaway Princess (6)

    Cyra was dressed by a maidservant. She wore a green flowing dress, it was delicate and her hair was tied in a bun.  She wore a coral headband and on her chest was the green brooch. The maidservant smiled thinly after finishing her work. She left the room with a graceful bow. What followed was the pious man entering.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°I am not.¡±

    Cyra looked over her shoulder. Her nape was pure as white, her eyes glimmered that it made the pious man¡¯s chest tightened. He knotted his jaw and made sure to keep himself composed.

    ¡°Sooner we will arrive at the castle of your father. Please don¡¯t hurt yourself more than you should.¡±

    She gazed at him impassively. She walked softly across the room and looked out the window. She saw the city of her birth. It was a place far different from the Freelands. Towering marble homes, ivory buildings that reach up to the clouds, roads that are wide and large, skyways that made the various carriages and four-legged war automatons move with ease. She saw a metal contraption with two hind legs. The machine was being piloted by a soldier. A white smoke billows out of the machine¡¯s exhaust pipe. In the rightmost corner of her eye, there was a flying machine, a zeppelin hovered around this giant stronghold protected by armaments that could fire continuous artillery shells. The sun painted the city making it shimmer like diamonds.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of the cities of this demesne. But yet I could not imagine that they would have machines like that. What are they?¡± said the pious man, watching the view outside.

    ¡°Those are walkers, two-legged machine contraptions that could load and fire a cannon shell. It is moved by steam and I could see that this walker is far better than the ones I remember. They do not look like a rust bucket anymore and are they more polished. So they probably fixed its mobility.¡±

    ¡°Does the demesne have hundreds of these walkers?¡±The pious man said nervously

    ¡°Yes,¡± Cyra said blandly. ¡°This demesne has always focused on production. To protect our borders we had to be strong. That¡¯s the reason why you are here, looking for an alliance in the first place. Because this domain is strong and you need its help.¡±

    The pious man nodded his head. He looked at the city with awe.

    Cyra ignored the pious man. She walked back to her chair and sat like a doll. Her heart was rather empty. The thought of Edawick and Silo breaks her heart. She was waiting for something. Yet in the two weeks, she has been flying. She has given up. There was no way for them to reach her. She knew that chasing after her would require a miracle.

    This was the reality of her situation. She had to admit it. That¡¯s why she could stare at the ring on her left hand. The maidservant didn¡¯t bother taking it. She thought that it was an accessory that belonged to her originally. All her clothes had been taken and now she was dressed like a doll, to be presented to her awful father.

    ...

    The ship of the Templars landed on this round platform. The ship made creaking sounds as it landed on the platform. The ship was quite unkempt to the watchers of the platform. They think of it is as old and ancient. If the ship wasn¡¯t newly made then maybe they would have the worst opinion about it. But that didn¡¯t matter. They just did what their job was and looked after the flying ship.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.Workers clambered up from their posts. A few civilians stood and stared at the ship

    The flying ship disembarked a ladder. The soldiers who wore military uniforms, held a rifle in front of their faces as their eyes turned towards the ladder.

    Then they saw their princess appeared in her flowing green dress. The sun was behind her and it made the soldiers open their mouth in awe. They heard that their princess was a beauty yet they did not expect her to be so blinding.  The sun¡¯s rays improved her image by a magnitude

    Cyra took a step. The pious man followed a step behind her. She looked at the lines of soldiers on each side. Then she looked forward and saw a man wearing a black greatcoat with a golden sash across his torso. This old man had a fierce look on his face. His eyes were keen and sharp. His long white beard hair that was swept back gave him an aura of authority.

    ¡°Father,¡± murmured Cyra. She took a step forward and strolled down the line that leads to her father. The pious escorted her until she reached the father of hers.

    Cyra met eyes with her father. Her father stared at her with cold fury. He tried to intimidate Cyra. But Cyra didn¡¯t sway her eyes away. She stared at her father with an unbending look. The father and the daughter stared coldly for a second. There was a cold silence around them that the pious man didn¡¯t think of saying something.

    ¡°Father,¡± Cyra said with disdain.

    ¡°My daughter, you finally got caught,¡± her father said blandly.

    ¡°Yes. Are you happy? That your daughter has come to her dear father?¡±

    The mocking tone that Cyra had was clear. Her father¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. He remained Stoic despite Cyra¡¯s tone.

    ¡°I am. It is time for you to do your duties. You¡¯ve escaped and I thank our Templar friends for bringing you home.¡±

    Cyra¡¯s father looked at the pious man who escorted Cyra. He scanned from head to toe before gesturing for him to take a step forward. The pious man complied and he gracefully stood before Cyra¡¯s father with a solid posture.

    ¡°Lord Glarus, it is an honor to meet you. I am Abel, an agent of the Templars.  I have come here to return your daughter back to her home.¡±

    Lord Glarus inclined his head. ¡°I thank you for this wonderful gesture. I can see that the Templars aren¡¯t as backward as I thought. Very well, you can follow us into the stronghold. We have much to discuss.¡±

    ¡°I thank you,¡± Abel put his right hand near his heart.

    Lord Glarus turned his attention to his daughter. Cyra kept the cold glare on her. She didn¡¯t care whatever her father thought of her. Her father was not partly amused at his daughter¡¯s resistant. He had remembered the days she was a coward. Yet she was now giving her that fearsome look. It delighted him.

    There was no need to stay outside so Lord Glarus swaggered back inside the stronghold along with Cyra and Abel. The soldiers that were lined up dispersed and the workers who took a look at their princess went back to work.

    The arrival of the Princess was made known. The whole of the Demesne celebrated at the return of their belladonna.

 Chapter 117

    Chapter 117 ¨C The Runaway Princess (7)

    The room was decorated with paintings. The pillars had velvet hung on them. A long table filled with food and wine. The guests have scattered around. They wore fine dresses and coats. The ladies were chattering. The gentlemen were trying to look good in front of the woman of the hour. Cyra found the celebration repulsing. If someone who knew her from Edawick could see her right now. They would be surprised at the change of personality. She didn¡¯t have the aura of a shy town girl who worked in a bakery. She wore this regal aura now.

    The hubbub of pleasantries grew repulsive. The high-class individuals attending this banquet didn¡¯t know that the celebrated hated this party. If Abel, the pious man didn¡¯t inform Cyra. She would have thought that they have gone crazy. According to Abel, the people of the demesne do not know that she was a runaway princess. They thought that she was just roaming around the world, furthering her knowledge.

    This did not feel weird for Cyra though. She had thought that her father would certainly preserve his reputation. Without respect, he wouldn¡¯t be able to command the whole realm with an iron yet fair hand.

    The realm¡¯s run by a Caste-System. Most of the lower class work the factories and tend to the lands. These people here belong to the highest class. They do not know the real reason why the belladonna of the Kingdom was gone for years.

    To Cyra, they looked like ignorant fools. Especially when they flatter her with flower words that makes her vomit. She didn¡¯t like pompous words. Ever since living in the Freelands she had appreciated the common tongue.

    Most of the people in front of her were speaking the pompous langue of the Demesne. To her surprise, the pious man named Abel was able to interact with them. She didn¡¯t like Abel. But he was far better than the folks that surround her.

    She stood near her father. Her icy-eyes focused forward rather than meet with the father of hers.

    The banquet continued for a while. Lord Glarus entertained the people who were in the room and showed his lordly aura to them. At the end of the banquet, he stood in front of his throne. He started chortling about the glory and prosperity of the demesne. The nobles in the throne room cheered, clapping their hands.

    The banquet was over after the speech. The guards escorted the people out. Abel, the pious man was told to vacant the room so Lord Glarus could speak privately to his daughter.

    Cyra stood still with impassive eyes. She watched her father adjust his greatcoat. He strides towards with fierce eyes resembling that of a wolf. This was it, thought Cyra. What was she going to get? Will she get slapped and scolded? She thought of many possibilities that were going to happen to her. But when her father finally acted, she was stunned. She expected her cheek to hurt. But what did she get?

    She got a pat on the head. She looked up. She saw her father making a gentle expression.  It was from the fierce wolfish look he always shows. This time he acted like a father who finally found her daughter.

    ¡°I am glad your home.¡±

    This confused Cyra. Lord Glarus could see that well.

    ¡°You must be surprised.¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± he inclined his head. He folded his hands behind his back, looking at the ceiling. ¡°I¡¯ve grown old and soft. I would have whipped you if I was years younger.¡±

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    ¡°What happened to you?¡± Cyra had to ask. The father she knew was cruel and awful He was a man who schemed and ruse. This could be one of his schemes. His way of dealing with her, but the eyes he made convinced Cyra it was not.

    ¡°Years of dwelling in the realms of politics. The enemies we had to face have become numerous. You¡¯ve seen the city right? It is vast and prosperous. The men and women of our domain can eat three times a day. They get health care and our soldiers are taken care of when they cannot fight our battles. To do this I¡¯ve secluded our nation against the people that may harm it. I¡¯ve built walls to separate us from them. Yet your arrival changed that. The Templars, the Midland and its Pontiff can now discuss this alliance that they want.¡±

    ¡°Reject it then.¡±

    ¡°If it was that easy then I would have. I¡¯ve tried to isolate their voices yet they persist as hard as ever. They are at war and they are getting desperate. And I can understand that desperation.¡±

    Cyra raised a brow. She listened.

    ¡°Beyond the Gigantes Sea lies a large Empire. They match our technology prowess and they have studied the Progenitors as we do.¡±

    ¡°The Progenitors,¡± murmured Cyra.

    ¡°The enigmatic beings that have enlightened our people and brought forth knowledge that allowed us to be superior. We haven¡¯t gone past the Gigantes Sea because of the tides and the dire monsters that lurk down below. Yet with flying machines and flotillas, we had made contact with this Empire. This Empire talked with us. We have fruitful relationship towards them but in the end, the lust of war took them. Now they want the whole of the Livia Continent. The Templars know this and thus they need to defeat the Bali and the Cagan.¡±

    ¡°Are they really that dangerous?¡± said Cyra.

    ¡°Yes. They command flying ships like we do. They have an arsenal of walkers that and four-legged automatons that could tear through our defenses. They are unkempt but they do the job. And I fear the day their armada comes at us.¡±

    ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± Cyra said confused, holding her anger back. Was she taken away from Edawick just to hear this?

    Lord Glarus smiled, ¡°You are my daughter, the daughter of the only woman that I truly loved. I cannot fault her for freeing you. You were a precious card and in those years I was desperate. I could have searched for you. And I would have found you. But I let fate decided instead. I¡¯d let you roam the land and I counted on how many years you could survive on your own. And it took years to found you and now you are a woman with a steadfast head.¡±

    Cyra didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°My daughter,¡± He approached her. ¡°There are dark times ahead. Your younger brothers are fools. And if you would find it in your heart, please help me. I am old and I worry. I¡¯ve heard what that Templar did to take you. I am sorry, but I need your help, especially now of all time. I will need my family to help me in this endeavor¡±

    Cyra¡¯s head was swirling. She had expected worst but never in her dreams that her awful father would turn into someone who would ask for help. She had many things that she wanted to say. She wanted to curse him and demand to be returned back. But to her surprise, she listened to the reasoning of her father. And as he explained, her wits were at its end.

 Chapter 118

    Chapter 118 ¨C The Runaway Princess (8)

    Cyra staggered to her room. She was led by a maidservant who was quite enthusiastic about leading the princess. Along the way, Cyra met her young brother who wore sashes around their torso. Bearing grins and false words that she hated. However their cheeks flushed red and they ran at the sight of the emerald sash given to her.

    She had agreed to her father¡¯s request. To serve the nation and to protect everyone that lives on it. It was surprising to her that she agreed to the request. It may seem like it was abrupt but after hearing what her father had to say. How could she dare to refuse? What did she learn? She learned of an Empire on a faraway continent that would be arriving in the continent¡¯s doorsteps for a massive invasion. It was a shocking revelation.

    She rested inside her room. She felt awkward using the soft bed. But she got used to it and slept for hours. The next day she went to the courtyard where she met Abel who was looking at the giant pond. The giant pond had an arching bridge. There were odd fishes that swam around. Cyra approached Abel and said.

    ¡°So did you know?¡±

    ¡°About?¡± said ¡°The coming of an Empire.¡±

    ¡°Ah, the Empire far from the Gigantes Sea,¡± he nodded. ¡°So did the Lord of Demesne tell you everything? You looked like you have been enlightened.¡±

    ¡°He did,¡± gritted Cyra. ¡°How could I not be enlightened when someone told me that there is a warmongering Empire out there. That could threaten the livelihood of everyone living in this continent? Yes.¡±

    Abel looked at Cyra. ¡°Forgive me, you actually looked like you know what you are talking about,¡± he admitted. ¡°Or was I fooled by your demeanor when I met you?¡±

    ¡°I was born in the highest class. I was taught properly until I escaped this nation. I am no fool but I can act like one.¡±

    He smiled. He was impressed by Cyra¡¯s masks. ¡°You are the gifted heir of this demesne. Consider me fooled.¡±

    ¡°Bah, spare me that. The emerald brooch masks my appearance as well as suppressed my personality. It has been a long time that I¡¯ve been true. How do you think I¡¯ve escaped from this nation if I was inept and shy?¡±

    Abel grinned. He looked at the pond. ¡°I see. But as you said I¡¯ve known the threat. Why do you think we would steal a maiden forcibly from her beloved so that we can settle an alliance?¡±

    He said with this mocking tone. Cyra caught on that. ¡°I should hang you for hurting him.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I will not forget what you did. I should have someone shoot you for that. Just be lucky that you didn¡¯t kill him.¡±

    ¡°What if I did?¡±

    The light on Cyra¡¯s eyes disappeared. What remained was the fierce look that Lord Glarus had. It was a look that Abel wouldn¡¯t have thought she would have.

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    ¡°I would have done in all my power to convince my father to tear the Templars apart. I would have skinned you alive myself and feed your bowels to the wolves. I would have cut your limbs and displayed it as an eternal reminder of what you did. God forgives, but I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Then I am glad that I haven¡¯t done something like that.¡±

    Cyra nodded her head. She then discussed the thing about the Empire that they were facing. She needed the information and Abel knew bits of information about this Empire.

    The Empire that the Livia Continent will be facing is situated across the Gigantes Sea. This Empire had an Emperor and owns various states. The Empire had been warring for quite a while now. And only through the discovery of the Progenitors ruins. That this Empire had begun its plan to cross the Gigantes Sea. The Livia Continent is a trap in the middle of the Gigantes Sea. The Empire tried to cross the sea once before. But it proved difficult with sea currents and the dire monsters that are as big as hills and as wide as plains.

    The Empire even built an armada of ships once to face these monsters. But it proved fatal and it only made something horrible awaken from the depths. This being turned its sights on the Empire and wreck havoc. And only through five days and five nights of gruesome battle that the Empire subdued it. It was that tragic incident that made the Empire hunt down the leviathans of the Gigantes Sea.

    And they found another ruin and these ruins was something that the Maltius La Fende was eyeing on. When the two nations met they have tried discussing peacefully. But it all turned into a bitter argument that then made The Empire want to capture the Livia continent. And make them join the Empire. It was nothing but a right of conquest.

    Sooner or later the Maltius La Fende would ally itself to the Templars. But it needed to strengthen its own borders first. The demesne built walls and defensive structures across their hold. That would allow them to hold their land from the invaders. But they cannot defend forever so they made an army of men and women armed with the best thing they could give them. The Demesne didn¡¯t want to waste their men and women when an enemy was just on the other side of the ocean, waiting to strike.

    Cyra could only be depressed hearing all of this. Even if she wasn¡¯t taken by force. Then the Templars and the Demesne would ally together. And tame the Bali and Cagan natives who could pose a big problem.

    Abel felt rather sorry towards Cyra. She could have lived in that Town peacefully, ignorant of the incoming threat. But she had to be dragged into this kind of a mess.

    But now she was suddenly thrown into the role of one the Lord Commissar¡¯s enforcers. Abel doubted first why the Lord Commissar would want some shy bread making girl as his enforcer. But now that Abel had conversed with her without that mask on. He had realized that he was truly fooled. She was called the belladonna and was priced heavily. Bot because of her innate beauty, but because of how she could easily become like her father. Knowing this, Abel can¡¯t help but wonder if bringing in this girl back to the Demesne was the right choice.

 Chapter 119

    Chapter 119 ¨C The Runaway Princess (9)

    While Cyra was drowning in worry at the prospect of a foreign empire invading the continent, those who she left behind had reached a conclusion.

    Joshua and Zola had thought it all. They concluded that they really don¡¯t need to act like a terrorist. Taking Cyra back would prove rather useless if they truly want her back. But what if they just visit her? Although there was a big chance that they wouldn¡¯t get an audience with her. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to try.  So the two talked to Silo about this. But yet Silo looked at the two with listless eyes. He looked at Joshua and Zola like fools. He turned his head away from them and went back to drowning himself in alcohol.

    ¡°Pathetic,¡± Zola said. She didn¡¯t even try to say that in a low tone. Silo heard that clearly but he didn¡¯t care or wince. He just sat there with a glass of ale and a rolled tobacco. He was not that hopeful. He had grown this complex that he was not worthy of her anymore.

    This maddened Joshua. But he kept it in inside his heart. He told Zola that they should do it their self. Zola couldn¡¯t agree more. She told Joshua to pack up. Joshua did and when he was done the first he asked was how long it would take for them to get to the demesne of Maltius La Fende.

    Riding in a carriage or traveling on foot would take them months or possibly days. Joshua was bothered by this until he remembered the air balloon that he hid in Avilla City. He told Zola about this but then he remembered that there was a possibility that it could have already been taken.

    Still, he needed to check so the two traveled to the City of Avilla. Joshua did not like the thought of going back to the city. He didn¡¯t want to captured or taken note either. So he wore a hood and a mask around his mouth to hide his face. He also wore a cape to hide his heavily armed outfit.

    Zola and he traveled along with the little pup named Titus. But before that, he bid farewell to Dan and Nana who promised to look out for Silo. For the most part, the road was peaceful and occasionally the two would hitch-hike on merchants going to Avilla.

    There was big traffic of merchants going there and along the way, Joshua learned a few things. And the things he learned made him boil. He was seething when he learned what they did to Shig. Thankfully, someone took Shig¡¯s body away.

    Joshua didn¡¯t hate Shig. He was the person who was friendly to him when he arrived into this world. He was mad that he abandoned him. But he could not hate him truly. Not to mention his grizzly death was undeserving. There was nothing Joshua could do so he prayed for his soul to rest in peace.  He thought that the dead should not be hated any longer.

    ...

    When Joshua arrived and entered the gates of Avilla. He was surprised by the changes around the place. There were banners of the Templars. The roads were in disrepair, the walls were decorated and there were many peddlers entering the City. The streets were crowded and it was hard to navigate.

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    Zola was behind Joshua. On top of her head was the little pup that was looking around at the place. Zola had never entered any city before. To her surprised the city had this Easter Europe aesthetics she had seen on geographic achieves once. She was fond of the place but since they had something to. She controlled herself from exploring the city whole and followed Joshua near the stronghold.

    The stronghold was filled, guards. There were watchtowers and sentries going around. The patrols were doubled because of the recent bombing incident that happened. Joshua would like to get past the guards. But there were just too many. He turned to the walls only to despair at the height. Still, he intended to scale the wall but before he can do that he was carried like a princess by Zola.

    It was quite shameful, not because he was being carried by Zola. It was that he had forgotten that he had a super-soldier as a companion. Even Titus the little pup was able to keep up with her super-soldier of a master. The sight of a woman carrying a man and a little pup sprinting on a wall would make anyone who would see it, open their jaws in surprise and awe.

    Zola and Titus landed quietly behind the wall. Joshua stood up with his head lowered.  He was trying to keep his eyes away from the smug expression that the Zola and her little dog were wearing. Damn you two, thought Joshua. It felt quite shameful being powerless. But Joshua got past that shame and crept around the outskirts of the stronghold until he found what he was looking for. After taking the parts of the balloon, he took the runes and then told Zola to take more runes from the airship. Zola was a fast worker and she was able to take addition runes for them.

    After that, Joshua had to be carried like a princess again by Zola so that they can descend down. Zola didn¡¯t mind it and even made fun of Joshua as she ran down the wall with her little pup. Then they exited outside of the city and Joshua went to the place where he stashed the wicker basket. He attached the parts he took from the box and adjusted the runes. Zola was piqued by the runes and scanned them. After Joshua was done, he implored Zola to enter.

    Zola kept on scanning and studying the runes. The little pup Titus just kept himself cozy and dozed off while Joshua operated the balloon and made sure to keep it out of sight from the Templars and their flying ships. He elevated the air balloon. But to his surprise, there was someone else who got the same idea as him. He encountered a flying ship that looked like one of the Templars. But Joshua didn¡¯t notice any of their sigils.

    Joshua was about keep away from the ship when he spotted a familiar little figure watching the clouds. He met eyes with the little figure and that little figure opened her eyes wide in joy.

    ¡°Big Brother Joshua!¡± she shouted with utmost joy.

    Joshua stared at the little figure. ¡°Kioko,¡± he muttered with a complicated expression.

 Chapter 120

    Chapter 120 ¨C Distrust and Seething

    Meeting them truly was a coincidence. Joshua did not like the prospect of it. Since he knew that if Kioko was their then surely her big sister would be near. She was indeed near and after a few months of not seeing each other. Joshua was not glad to see her at all.

    Kioko attracted the attention of others. Archie and the former warlord of Avilla were in the flying ship. Archie, like the good person he was, was glad when he saw Joshua. He was surprised also when he saw Zola, who turned indifferent facing the group. Zola seemed like she switched personality again. Her face bland and impassive and every inquiry that Archie did were replied with a simple yet courteous ¡®I see.¡¯

    Joshua attached the air balloon to the ship. He sat and faced the people who gave him to Dolce. He met eyes with Leiko who was about to open her mouth when they met eyes.

    ¡°I had no choice-¡°

    ¡°I know,¡± Joshua snapped and interjected her. ¡°You did it for Kioko¡¯s best. I get it. You¡¯ll understand what I am feeling about what happened so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    He talked while seething. Joshua was not a saint. He was someone who trusted and got hurt doing it.  He could understand her reasons but so what?

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know. Still, I would be foolish to trust you again. You hate humans, I get it. You won¡¯t trust me nor will I ever trust you. So it¡¯s fair play.¡±

    Joshua wasn¡¯t speaking nicely. He didn¡¯t really care that Archie was looking at them worriedly. But if he stops him then he would stop. He wouldn¡¯t worry about being niceness to people who hurt him. Leiko, in particular, seemed like she was trying to make excuse. Was she feeling a bit of guilt? Joshua thought that maybe she did. But his heart told him no. It was a paranoia gripping him. He didn¡¯t want to experience the same thing twice. So even if there was a lingering hint of guilt. Joshua would be too paranoid to accept it.

    Their talk ended. Kioko approached Joshua and his treatment of her was different. He did not blame her for anything. He was nice to her.  He knew that Kioko was a broken little girl that sees world twistedly. How could he fault a lost little girl? So he treated her well.

    Leiko watched them talk. She found herself feeling odd. She remembered Joshua¡¯s tone as being warmer. Yet the way he speaks to her now was filled with a seething hate. It felt cold and distant that watching Joshua talk warmer to Kioko made her frown. He could not fault Joshua but still, she could remember the favors he did for her sister. And what way did she treat him even when he did his best to be amiable? She cannot fault Joshua for his tone. And she could only blame herself for that. It was her fault that she didn¡¯t trust humans. But does she regret it? No, she doesn¡¯t. She was single-minded but that was all Leiko is. Her sister was her world after all.

    ...

    Joshua conversed with Kioko for a while before meeting the pilot of the ship. To his surprise, the pilot was the smith that helped him them in the city of storms. Joshua thanked him. Barbados greeted him and exchanged pleasantries.  Joshua was about to leave when Barbados told him that he was the one that buried Shig. Barbados asked Joshua, ¡®Do you hate him for not standing up for you?¡¯ which Joshua replied. ¡°Yes. But I cannot hate those who are already dead.¡± Barbados nodded. ¡°I see.¡±

    Joshua left the wheel of the flying ship. He caught sight of Mia. He had nothing but contempt for her so he didn¡¯t even bother to speak to her. There was no one that he could to so he went to Archie. Archie told him what happened during the time. He also told Joshua about the ruins and his discovery of Zola. This surprised Joshua. So he asked Zola if it was true and she nodded to confirm.

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    Unlike the others, Zola entertained Archie. She was thankful for him for releasing her from the medical pod. Joshua heard what happened and he was even more surprised. Archie could not believe it either but when he talked he showed sadness. He told Joshua that Cassia was dead. Joshua fought with Cassia so knowing that made him a bit sad.

    Joshua then told Archie about his status. But Joshua¡¯s paranoia didn¡¯t let him know where he was living. He was worried and that he just couldn¡¯t tell that information. But he told Archie about why he was flying around in an air balloon. And when Archie heard where Joshua was going. He could not help but react to the big surprise.

    ¡°You¡¯re trying to get an audience of the Maltius La Fende Princess? So they found her?¡± Joshua nodded. ¡°Yes they found her and we are trying to talk to her.¡±

    Archie jolted back. ¡°This is bad. Then that only means one thing.¡±

    ¡°An alliance between the Templars and the Maltius La Fende will happen.¡±

    Mia interjected them with a grim tone. ¡°If it happens then forget about taking my city back. It¡¯s over.¡±

    ¡°Milady,¡± Archie said. Joshua looked at the lady and shrugged his shoulders. He folded his arms and said. ¡°Well, it is not like I care about that. All we want is to talk to a friend.¡±

    ¡°Can we come with you?¡± Mia said. Joshua looked at her and furrowed his brows. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Despite losing my city, I am still noble by birthright. I can give us safe passage as a neutral party.¡±

    Joshua looked at her dubiously. ¡°You have a plan?¡± Mia nodded. ¡°Yes, I do. I can see that there¡¯s you¡¯d rather jump off a cliff than trust me.¡± Joshua admitted. ¡°Yes, after what you did to me in Avilla? I might.¡±

    Mia said. ¡°Then think of it as a deal. We¡¯ll ferry you past the midland with this ship. That balloon would take you too much time.¡±

    Joshua coldly looked at Mia. He then turned his eyes to Archie. ¡°I don¡¯t trust you. But I¡¯ll trust Archie. Are you going, Archie?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll help the lady.¡±

    ¡°I see. Then that¡¯s that,¡± Joshua stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll tether the air balloon to the ship. Just don¡¯t treat us like a card you could throw away, milady. Because if you do. Then Lord God above forgive me, I¡¯ll hunt you down even it if kills me.¡±

    Mia shivered. The casualness of his voice along with the piercing coldness emitting from Zola and Titus eyes was enough to scare her. She wasn¡¯t really planning to do anything like that. She only wanted to get on the good side of a princess of the Maltius La Fende, if Joshua was stating the truth.

    ¡°I¡¯ll note that,¡± said Mia. Joshua nodded and excused himself. Zola followed behind and carried Titus along with her. Mia stood with her hair bouncing along with the wind. She was lost in thought. She expected him to be distrustful, but to outright say that? Mia thought that Joshua must be a really wary person.

    As for Joshua, he felt like he should just fly away using the air balloon. But Mia was right. It would take time and he weighted the pro and con. So he decided to fly with them.

 Chapter 121

    Chapter 121 ¨C The Paranoia of the Helpless

    The ship sailed through the sky. The wind was stable. The people onboard were in their bunkers. Joshua stayed on the deck of the ship. He looked at the land below. He leaned on the rail of the ship. Zola was near him. She was playing with Titus, poking his nose.

    There was nothing to do. There are times where the ship would sail down. Barbados was quite wary of the state of the ship. In that time Joshua would touch and praised the land. He would stay away from Leiko and Mia thought. He avoided them as possible as he could. Occasionally he would found himself playing patty cake with Kioko. The little pup Titus would join which made the little Cattus joyful.

    Zola was the silent one. Only when the deck was vacant that she would speak. Joshua had asked her. ¡°Why do you look so impassive when dealing with them? She looked at him meaningfully. ¡°I just can¡¯t understand them,¡± Joshua found that weird. ¡°Yet we understand each other?¡± She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s because we both got sent into this foreign world. Yeah, you came from a different time from mine. But still, you came from earth. You are a member of the planet that I shed blood and tears. I am like a bird that flocks together to a fellow bird. ¡°I see,¡± Joshua nodded. ¡°But you seemed lenient when it comes to Archie,¡± She tilted her head. ¡°That¡¯s because he set me free from that medical pod. I would have rotted if he didn¡¯t and I wouldn¡¯t have taken care of that abomination. So I can at least courteous with him,¡± Joshua inclined his head. ¡°I guess that¡¯s reasonable. Still, you should try not scaring them too much,¡± Joshua jested. Zola smiled and said, ¡°I might.¡±

    Joshua understood why she was doing that. He wasn¡¯t charismatic enough to tell her off and he felt like he couldn¡¯t tell her otherwise so he just let her be. Joshua did nothing but idle around. Sometimes he would maintain his things. Archie was surprised how heavily armed Joshua was. But to Joshua, he felt like it was not enough. He felt like he was still lacking things. When Zola heard this she guffawed stealthily on how paranoid Joshua was. But Joshua could not help it. He believes that the little things are important. He doesn¡¯t know if he would be facing many dangers sooner or later. Ever since Joshua arrived in this world and ever since suffering in that chasm where he dragged Silo out. He believed that he needed to be prepared. There were many dangerous things in this world. There were monsters. There were runes that could produce fire. There were abominations made of metal and flesh. There were so many dangerous things and the only thing that he had going for him was the floating words and his ability to survive. He considers himself already lucky to have the ability.

    He didn¡¯t have any magical gifts. He didn¡¯t have any talents other than the things he learned normally. He was not a genius. He was just someone who got unluckily sent in this world. Joshua wasn¡¯t optimistic about suddenly developing new powers. When he was in the chasm he didn¡¯t develop anything at all. And only because of Zola that he was saved. So how could he rely on just luck? He didn¡¯t want to experience that kind of hell so he crazily prepared. He had bombs in case he needs to destroy something or obscure something. He had ropes and medical supplies on his bandoliers. He had anything on him that might give him an advantage.

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    Joshua learned hard that day. He would be stupid if he didn¡¯t. Indeed, it seemed like it¡¯s too much but he had no power other than his double-edged ability. He could only do this to give himself a sense of safety. That¡¯s why when he cleaned and maintained his things. He was thorough. He cleaned his pistols. He made sure his bombs wouldn¡¯t malfunction. He checked his medical supplies and made sure his ropes were solid.

    When he was doing all of this maintenance Zola could not help but stare at him. There was clear fervor of fear in Joshua¡¯s eyes. She had seen such kind of behavior in her life. It was a behavior of someone who feared. She could understand that. Unlike Joshua, she was an augmented human that could punch through solid steel. She can leap ten stories high with ease and run on walls without any difficulty.

    Joshua doesn¡¯t have anything other than what he has and his own tenacity of will. Admittedly, she admires Joshua. She admired him for dragging Silo out of sheer will from whatever hellhole he crawled. It was charming to her in a way. But she fears that his paranoia would get too him. She had seen how he acted when a ship bearing the sign of an Alva. She couldn¡¯t imagine how fearful it was to live in this world. The people around him were used to this world because they were born in it. But he wasn¡¯t. It was a foreign world far different from the peaceful world he had lived.

    She had the abilities and augmentations to fend off most of this world. But that was different for Joshua. He had to be prepared in order not get killed. He learned how to cope with this world by preparing for the worst. Zola would like to help him more but what can she do? Inject him with her blood and kill him? She had already given him an ability to regenerate his wounds, albeit slow it does the job. She could no longer inject him anything other than that. Not like she had anything left either.

    It was a shame that she could not help him get stronger. But at least she can watch his back when he needs it. And if anything, he was lucky enough that he had someone like Zola as his ally and friend watching over him like an angel.

    Zola glances at Joshua. He was still painstakingly checking his things. This made Zola grin. She ambled near him and helped him maintained his things. She didn¡¯t have anything to do and the journey to the demesne of Maltius La Fende was long.

 Chapter 122

    Chapter 122 ¨C Choking Fire-point (1)

    The sun was covered by gray clouds when Joshua watched Archie performed absurd moves. His moves consisted of him producing a weapon made of dirt blazing with fire. And performing things Joshua didn¡¯t remember he could. By the time he was done with his drills. Archie turned to Joshua who looked like he can answer some questions. ¡°Bloody hell,¡± Joshua said. ¡°When did you have superpowers?¡± Archie smiled tiredly. ¡°I got lucky. Found some old bracelet that peddlers were selling. Bought it and before I know it I had these tattoo on my body.¡± He rolled his sleeves, showing rune-like tattoos on his arms.

    Joshua observed his tattoo with a fixed expression. ¡°So what exactly happened?¡± Archie sat cross-legged while swinging his stiffed right arm. ¡°The runes entered my body and before long I started practicing them,¡± Joshua nodded. ¡°I see. Is there any drawbacks to your power?¡± Archie shook his head. ¡°Aside from being exhausted to death. But I think I prefer a gun or a rifle. They are useful but not that useful when bullets fly faster than I could see them. I can turn my skin as hard as a rock. But that¡¯s it really,¡± He shrugged his shoulders.

    After that conversion Joshua watched Archie return down below the deck. There was someone playing on the deck. The little Cattus girl and the little pup were playing tag with each other. Zola was squatting with her hands on her knees, curiously watching the cat-eared girl. She was particularly cold and distant. But the sight of what she calls as a cute cat-girl made her observe keenly.

    Joshua joined her. Zola nodded at him. ¡°Cat-eared girls, though I expected them to have normal ears like ours. But I guess that would only mean that they¡¯d have four ear¡¯s,¡± Joshua said. ¡°Well that¡¯ seem to how they are,¡± Zola acknowledged. ¡°Though is strange that my Omni-forge seemed to be detecting a strange energy around her and her big sister. It is the same as that abomination I fought,¡± Joshua raised an eyebrow. ¡°Probably their God¡¯s blessing. I heard that they have that here.¡±

    Zola looked at Joshua as if he was joking at first. But then she reminded herself that this was a foreign world. Her hair whipped like a banner of a waving flag. ¡°So God¡¯s are real here?¡± she said. Joshua shrugged his shoulders and sat cross-legged on the floor. ¡°Hell if I know? This world¡¯s weird and if their God¡¯s caring then that¡¯s that.¡±

    Zola mouthed twitched. She frowned as if she wanted to complain. ¡°What a nice world it is then,¡± there was a tinge of jealousness on her tone. ¡°I hope our God back on earth was as caring as they do here.¡± Joshua pursed his lips and said. ¡°Well, the fact that we are still alive means God¡¯s looking out for us one way or another.¡± She craned her eyes to Joshua. She seemed like she had something to say but gracefully gave up on articulating it. ¡°That¡¯s good enough for me I guess.¡±

    Then she stared at Kioko who was joyfully playing around. Joshua narrowed his eyes at that scene before turning his head up where he could see the clouds moves, the glaring sun seemed like it would vaporize the clouds. There were various winged creatures that seemed to be flocking above the flying airship. But seeing that they don¡¯t seem to be taking action. Joshua found no reason to fear them. Of course, he listened to his paranoia and still made it easy for him to draw his rifle whenever those things suddenly decide to dive in and poke the flying airship¡¯s balloon.

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    ...

    Food wasn¡¯t a problem on the ship. Archie and the other had stocked up on food and water. That was no surprised to Joshua knowing that the lady was evading the Templars. The food was meant for them. Joshua had food and water which Zola carried with her belt that could minimize them to a degree. Still, they accepted the food that was given. Joshua found no reason to refuse them.

    Of course, he had one thing to really complain about, it was the food. The taste was not satisfactory. But he just can¡¯t suddenly stand up, and say how badly tasting the food was. To him, it lacked flavor and was rather bland. It probably got hastily made, he thought. So he just had to internally make due.

    Luckily, Barbados wanted to check the airship after a few days of flying. He landed it on a forest clearing where Joshua was finally able to cook for himself. He made a pot of meat stew and implored the people he was riding with to eat. They seemed to like it enough to leave the pot empty. Kioko, in particular, was happy about the food. Archie was smiling up to his ear while Barbados complimented Joshua for the food.

    Joshua was about to sip on some moonshine he made when the dwarf smelled it. Swaggering about, the dwarf asked enthusiastically and seeing Barbados wanting to try it out. Joshua shared the moonshine, only to despair when Barbados took a liking to it. He owed the dwarf for helping them in the city of storms so he let him drink the moonshine, shedding a tear stealthily.

    Under the afternoon sun, Joshua rested. He looked at the horizon and took in the fresh air before hunkering down a few steps away from the airship. Barbados had slept with the moonshine on hand. No way for them to fly without him so Joshua thought he might as well rest, trying to savor the feeling of soil beneath his feet. Flying on an airship was nice but feeling the hard ground curbs his paranoia down.

    The others were camping around the fireplace where Joshua cooked. Meanwhile, Zola and Titus were just around the corner of his eyes. He decided to might as well rest for a moment. The sailing has taken them days already and by Barbados''s estimate, it would take another three or five days to finally reach the borders of the Holy Midland. Although Mia claims that they could pass the borders by right of neutral nobility. Joshua had this tingling on his palms that made him trust his streak of paranoia.

    He expects that it wouldn¡¯t be smooth sailing. And by the time they would¡¯ve gone past the borders. Joshua wished he prepared more than he should have. Though there was nothing that he could do to prepare for what was going to happened.

 Chapter 123

    Chapter 123 ¨C Choking Fire-point (2)

    The flying airship passed the borders of the Holy Midland without trouble. It was when the flying airship flew thirty miles from the borders that the ship was intercepted by flying ships that have the same appearance of the transport that Joshua was flying on.

    They were a rather fervor bunch that blocked the ship. A man sporting a black and white tabard stood on their deck with a hoarse voice. ¡°Stop!¡± said the man. ¡°You had entered the Holy Domain of Midland. Identity or you shall be brought down!¡± It wasn¡¯t the nicest way to start a conversation, thought Joshua. They were clearly pointing their cannons at the ship. Joshua edged towards the air balloon and stealthily freed the rope that made the wicker basket cling to the ship. Just in case things go bad.

    Mia sported a dress. She swaggered and raised the badge of nobility that she had. The man in the black and white tabard gestured to one of his men, they fetch him a scope and he peered on it. The man raised an eyebrow. ¡°What business do you have on our holy domain?¡± said the man. Mia narrowed her eyes and spoke with authority. ¡°That is none of your business. We have commandeered and are on a journey to the Maltius La Fende. By right of nobility, I demand passage this instance!¡±

    The man leaned back. He was startled by Mia¡¯s stern voice. She was a warlord so she carried weight in her voice. The man could understand that well. His voice softened up. ¡°By right you will, madam. But this is the Holy Borders of Midland. I am afraid that we have to search your ship,¡± Mia frowned. ¡°May I ask why?¡± Her tone was far sterner than ever. The man straightened himself up. ¡°Cagan and Bali spies have started imitating the ships our forces ma¡¯am, and by the order of the Pontiff, we are to search every land and air vehicle. It is our duty and I am sorry that you have to permit us.¡±

    Mia frowned heavily. ¡°We are quite in a hurry. We are expected to be at our destination. Do you intend us to tarry? And are you truly soldiers of Midland?¡± she made this questioning voice. ¡°You could be imitators and scheming bandits for all I care!¡± She shouted. The man didn¡¯t appreciate that. He frowned. He thought how troublesome the noble he was facing clearly. ¡°By no means are we bandits, madam. We bear the sigil of the cross proudly. And if it relieves the madam¡¯s suspicion then we shall allow you passage.¡± The man gave up gracefully trying to argue with Mia. Mia inclined her head. ¡°Very good, now if you excuse us. We shall continue our trip.¡± Mia nodded her head at them. The men nodded in reply.

    Things went well all considering. But then it happened. The jolly Kioko ran outside of the cabin laughing. Leiko followed her and tried to catch her but it was too late. The man who saw them looked surprised at first. But upon seeing their cat-like ears, the man¡¯s face contorted madly.

    ¡°Cagan spies!¡± the man shouted furiously. Reasons seem lost on him. ¡°Bring them down, men!¡±

    If the man was pissed at Mai then clearly he took it as an excuse. Joshua didn¡¯t sit pretty hearing that. By fear of what¡¯s going to happen, he vaulted out of the ship and slip to the air balloon of his. He lifted the air balloon up and threw a Thermite Bomb on the ship¡¯s balloon. The ship immolated and the Thermite fire burned the deck with ease. The balloon still flew, however, but was rather unstable.

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    Mia hunkered down to cover. She shouted and the flying ship tilted as Barbados swung it to dodge the first volley of cannons. Archie did what he could and fire rock spikes on the people manning the cannon. Leiko held Kioko down to avoid the incoming fire. While Zola turned blue and leap up to one of the ships. With a quick stomp, she punctured a hole. The men raised their rifles only to for Psion barrier to protect her. The little pup Titus ran towards Joshua. It was able to jump the gap and make use of the wicker basket to jump to where Zola was.

    The enemy ships open fired. Barbados tired to maneuver but the ships were able to block the escape path. Luckily, Zola was able to rush through one of ship¡¯s steering wheel and made the enemy ship strafe left. She then leaped back to the ship and protected it from cannon fire. And Barbados was able to pierce through the block and flew straight. The ships gave chase but Joshua threw the bombs he had on the ships, breaking their deck and taking out of some of the ammunition crate they had. This attracted their attention and the riflemen onboard shot the balloon. Joshua cursed as he peeled the runes and jumped back to ship, rolling to break his fall.

    Suddenly, the ship that Joshua set on fire speeded to their direction. Barbados tried to dodge but he was too late. The enemy ship rammed the side. The ship that Joshua was riding shook madly as it then caught fire. There was a whining sound as the ship started falling nose first.

    The ship rumbled. Joshua held on when suddenly floating words appeared in front of him.

    >Survive

    >Surrender

    It has been a while since he saw those words. It was obvious what was he going to pick. He immediately then felt his body move on its own. He sprinted through the deck and held on the railing as the ship dove down, avoiding the stray cannonball that was going to kill him. A fire started to spread on the ship. Archie took hold of Mia. Barbados threw a parachute on them as he vaults out of the ship. Archie followed while he threw a spare to Joshua. Joshua was able to catch it, but the ship¡¯s hull exploded. He stumbled and tossed the parachute. This made Joshua grit his teeth. He didn¡¯t lose hope as he reaches for his pistol and points it on his head. He squeezed the trigger and felt that time slow down. This gave him enough time to move the pistol away. Preventing himself from blowing his own head.

    Joshua didn¡¯t have control over his ability. But he thought of this so that he can achieve a bullet time effect. It worked and Joshua was able to find a route and leap off the ship. The ship shattered. Splinters burst forth as Joshua felt the shockwave threw him like a ragdoll.

    He kept on falling. He saw the others falling down as well. Time slowed for him. He could hear his breathing as he then focused his mind on the words that appeared before him. His body moved and before long he took out the runes he peeled from the air balloon and made use of it to cushion his landing. The fall was still enough to kill him. He felt his vision reddened and he felt death closing by.

    But then a figure fell down near him. He could recognize Zola and she was able to catch Joshua. On her shoulder was Titus. And seeing that he was caught her. Joshua fainted, as the effect of the blast finally took hold of him.

 Chapter 124

    Chapter 124 ¨C Choking Fire-point (3)

    It was no surprise that there were many questions after what happened. Mia wanted nothing but to ask Zola how she attained such power. Archie knew about her power, personally witnessing it himself. Zola deflected most of Mia¡¯s inquiries with a harsh tone. Mia was persistent so Zola just said that it¡¯s her God¡¯s blessing. She asked whose God does she worship, which she replied by saying she worships Shiva. Of course wasn¡¯t a religious person. She only said, Shiva, because that was her augmentation. So in a way through Shiva, she can have the blessing of being able to punch through thick wooden floors with a stomp.

    Joshua came to be. He woke up feeling his body bulky. Zola was done talking to them so she turned to Joshua and examined him for injuries. He was fine. He sustained minor scratches but it was slowly healing. Zola still bandaged him up. She dressed his wounds and patted his shoulder. He looked around. He found himself in this dense forest. He could spot something on the horizon. He wondered what it was first. But the flashes of explosion answered his question.

    Joshua stood up gingerly. He asked Zola and she deduced that they may be near a battle zone. Barbados, who was familiar with Midland, told them that they are near the fringes of Midland where the Templars are fighting the Cagan natives. Barbados had this nasty expression as talks about the fight. Joshua looked up and he was able to spot black smoke ascending up to the skies.

    There was no use staying around. Joshua still needs to go to the Maltius demesne in hopes of getting an audience. Zola had the same goal so she agreed to continue the journey. Archie, Barbados, the Cattus Sisters, and Mia were in favor of this. They were about to trek on when they spotted a band of refugees armed with flimsy flint-locks. They seemed to be unremarkable and poorly dressed. They looked like they have seen hell and when they noticed Joshua and the others. They hastily formed a line and told them to halt. Archie, the good person he was, was able to convince them to stand down. He asked what¡¯s wrong and he learned that they were a stray band that wants to reach the safe zones. According to them, the place that Joshua and others are where the Cagan Natives are fighting the Midland Forces. They have been spearheading the territory and the refugees were forced to leave. They have been trying to get help but as things are. They have been unsuccessful and the Templars weren¡¯t able to help with the Cagan Natives wrecking havoc.

    Joshua found it odd that they didn¡¯t have carriages or escorts. Barbados enlightened Joshua. He was told that the Cagan Natives that are fighting specialize in ambushes and cutting off supplies. And that they have mistaken the band as suppliers. Even if they aren¡¯t, the Cagan forces didn¡¯t take the chances.

    Joshua thought how pitiful their situation was. He thought of just leaving them alone. But Zola, to his surprise, insisted on helping them. ¡°They are poor people,¡± she said. Joshua did not understand why but seeing the look in her eyes. He could only give up gracefully. Archie was eager about helping them. Mia didn¡¯t object. Barbados was neutral but warned that if they go with the band. Then they should expect ambush or raiders trying to get a piece of whatever wealth they had.

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    Zola still was sure about helping them. Joshua didn¡¯t say anything and just followed what Zola wants. The band started trudging through the roads. Joshua had questions so he asked. ¡°So why help them?¡± She looked at him. ¡°I just want to. They, they remind me of those refugees back on earth. They looked so pitiful that I just want to help them. You know, we usually had to look at refugees and watch them helplessly. They remind me of those refugees so think of it as me making strange amends. Sorry that I have to drag you on this despite our goal.¡± Joshua shook his head. ¡°No worries, you save my life. I¡¯ll do what you want.¡± Zola smiled at that. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The band continued for an hour before resting near a water source. The band made camp. They refilled their canteens and prepared food from their sacks. Joshua also made camp and use the little ingredients he had to cook a meal. Zola joined him and watched the band eat. The sun was slowly descending down. Barbados, who was familiar with the way Cagan natives act, told the band to quiet down. He ordered sentries around and made the fire keepers watch the fire so they won¡¯t reveal their location.

    Barbados walked to where the others were. He said. ¡°This is a problem. We are not even in the middle of the battlefields and things are worst. Are you sure that you really want to safeguard them?¡± He turned to Zola. She kept her impassive expression and said. ¡°Yes, I do. I am confident that I can.¡±

    Barbados looked doubtful. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you fight and punch through a flying ship¡¯s deck. I am confident in your ability to attack. But these are men and women that will slow us down and attract attention. It¡¯s a band that practically says rob us. It¡¯ll be hard to defend them.¡±

    Zola kept her expression. ¡°Yes, I am sure to defend them. Do you know the way?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± said Barbados. ¡°I can lead us out of this area. And I rather not fight the wars of others.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Zola nodded. Barbados inclined his head. ¡°I¡¯ll keep them safe. These folks are foolish to try and cross the hot zones with all the mortar and cannon fire are. Shit, if it weren¡¯t for the women and children and someone as powerful as you then I might as well give up on them.¡±

    There was weariness in Barbados¡¯s tone. Joshua didn¡¯t know what makes him had that tone. The short meeting concluded. The band had a silent night and luckily there were no bandits or stray artillery shells that killed them. The next morning, the band set out and was lead by Barbados.

    Joshua was still paranoid about all of this. But if Zola wanted to do this, he couldn¡¯t refuse.

 Chapter 125

    Chapter 125 ¨C Melted Heart of Steel

    Indeed, it was a shameless making of amends. There was no need to help them. There was no need to struggle for a bunch of citizens trapped in a war. But there was something about their helpless situation that made me want to help them. I know that my goal was to help a friend. Joshua was clearly hesitant to help them as I did. But I insisted, and he could only accept.

    Joshua was a not person of strength. When I met him he was battered and broken. He was the definition of a weakling in my world. Easily beaten, easily killed, he wouldn¡¯t last a single day against a horde of quietus. But how could Joshua last? He was a single weak human without augmentations. The soldiers of my time had at least the augments that allowed them to fight them. But he had nothing on him that allowed him to be strong. Yet when I saw him still breathing, in that place, despite his injuries made me appreciate him. He had the tenacity of will. He is weak. I could crush his neck as easily. Still, he was someone that understood me. He was a fellow earthling that got sent into this world of conflict. He only had his wits and paranoia to help him. A gun helps but this place breaks my beliefs. It was a different dimension that defies the world that I was in.

    Still, I was strong in this world. I am not dense to not understand my own strengths. I am rather aloof and impassive. Maybe somewhere in my heart, I couldn¡¯t understand the plight of the normal. I could understand Joshua. Not because of his strength. But because of that steeled mind, he had. He was a person that I can talk to. But I doubt that he could understand what I truly feel.

    Imagine being a powerful soldier who had to follow orders without question. Imagine seeing hundreds die each second. Imagine seeing a planet burnt to a crisp as you watch thousand frail hands reaching out calling for deliverance.

    I was told to steel my heart since I was young. Follow the orders of your superiors without question. Achieve your mission without faltering. And be the blazing sword of justice that smites the enemy back to whatever hell they crawled from.

    I was told to be a soldier, not a messiah. Yet the peace that I felt on Edawick and getting a little pup that looked like those that can found on Ganymede. The peace that I felt in that town crushed something inside of me.

    Without purpose, without orders then what should I do? I know that ridding this world of Quietus is my duty. But beyond that what should I do? I cannot find any reason and viewing these people made me think of saving them.

    I will admit that I offered to help them out my own guilty conscience. It was surprising that I would feel something like that. I thought that I buried something like that already. I should blame Joshua for this. That guy must have softened me up somehow. Titus should be blamed too.

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    Still, the people that I decided to help could only look at me with awe. To them, I must be this savior. They saw me fight enemies when we were marching on this open road. It was an odd feeling to me. To be praised as some sort of savior.

    Joshua usually jests me as his Angel with a Shotgun. But seeing what I can do if I help them. I can understand why he would say that.

    I thought that maybe I would find happiness in helping them. But what is this feeling of infernal guilt that wretches my heart?

    I don¡¯t know. I couldn¡¯t understand it. I could recall thousands of faces. Could they have looked at me the same way the people that I am helping? These feelings are new to me.

    I am a hardened soldier. I should be. Yet when we reached this fort that made these people happy. I was feeling rather weary. It was not my body that was tired. It was my heart.

    Indeed, I was strong but I noticed how frail my heart was. It was covered by this box of steel that when the covering was gone. It became fragile and weak. This feeling pains me deeply. And I found myself clambering up to the top battlements of the fort that we arrived. I was alone for once. Titus was playing with the little cat-girl.

    The fort was medieval. It was filled with little guards and the clamor below the courtyard as they build camps was quite something. I sat on the edges of the battlements with my feet hanging. I inhaled the fresh air. The place was near this stream of water, glittering as stones and pebbles below the riverbed shine.

    It was a fascinating view to look at. And I found myself wondering, sorting these new feelings that have invaded my heart. I began to understand what I have done. The blood on my hands and such would never be undone. I was a soldier who followed orders. And now that I am in this foreign world where I can easily kill and slaughter I wished to. I found myself oddly fragile and weak.

    I hugged my knees. I settled down looking weak. Maybe he saw through me but I noticed him climbing up. He was as always armed to the teeth. His grey hair was messy and yet he had this concerned look on his face. Joshua ambled towards me with a wine in hand. I don¡¯t know where he got it but I accepted it.

    I told him what I was feeling. I told him oddly like what I did when we first met. He listened to me silently. It was clear that he couldn¡¯t understand what I was feeling. He was a normal earthling. I was probably some sort of figure to him. But even so, what I needed was someone to listen to me. And thankfully he was there to listen to my plight.

    And so we sat on the battlements of the fort as I talked about these new feelings that I was discovering. And before long, I would discover it as we trek through the fire choking point that the people fears.

 Chapter 126

    Chapter 126 ¨C The Shadow Lingerer (1)

    Fire Chokepoint was a zone trapped within a circular valley. There were three entry points and four exit points. There was a fort in the middle of the zone. There were military regiments that held it but when the band of refugees arrived. It was empty. The caches of weapons and cannon weren¡¯t. There were a few guards that arrive at the same time. They joined the band.

    The fort was unlikely to be used efficiently by common people. Mia, the former warlord issued a call to order. She had the authority just by Zola¡¯s presence. Zola had been fighting and protecting the people. She has been taking out rogue strugglers and bandits.

    She was invincible that it made the common people she was protecting treat her as some sort of angel that descended. Zola had no reason to believe that. She was merely acting out of belated guilt that she had discovered. She was strong as hell. But her heart was wrought steel.

    Joshua had less to do. He felt like this background character that watched as people like Archie, Zola, Leiko, Mia, and Barbados, secure the fort. He finds it disheartening that he could nothing but follow Zola around or act like a cook for the people of the fort.

    Still, it was something to do. There was something about acting as a cook for people. They would comment approvingly on the food he made, which was enough to put a tired smile on Joshua¡¯s face. Lately, Zola has started to comment on her guilt. Joshua had no way of knowing what she felt. So he listened to her. That was the only thing he could do. He was not tactful enough or witty enough to say something. Still, listening to her newly discovered plight seemed to relieve her.

    Zola was keen on her promises. She has been acting like a super-soldier. She killed more than she could. She alone could raise the morale of the people. But she wasn¡¯t omnipotent enough to scour the whole of the territory alone. She could, but it would take her time to do so. She still remembers the goal that she and Joshua had. It was not like they intended to get embroiled in a war they don¡¯t understand. Still, Joshua wasn¡¯t that heartless enough to abandon the refugees. They didn¡¯t do anything. They were just poor sods that happened on misfortune.

    Joshua thought to himself that they were lucky enough to be protected by Zola. Not to mention that the others have been doing well in executing what they can to protect the people. Archie, in particular, was enthusiastic. He served as moral support and along with Barbados and Leiko. They protected the fort while Zola was away killing. She wasn¡¯t alone since Titus was with her.

    They were a terrible duo. Joshua knew that Titus the little pup was a banewolf. But for it to wield the Psion-based powers that Zola had was terrifying. He had seen Titus attack and seeing the little pup become a living cannonball made Joshua note to never anger the little pup or try to play ball with it.

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    Joshua was happy that she had a companion like that. He wasn¡¯t a good help to her. She was a person that he could never catch up in terms of combat capabilities. So the only he could for her was to listen to her or tend to her wounds and give her a pat for a good job done. He found it odd really. That despite what she was doing. The people around her seemed to stay away. Maybe they think that she was made of steel. She was not. Joshua knew that if she was truly made of steel. Then she wouldn¡¯t be speaking about her newfound guilt. And to Joshua, she was nothing but a friend who got sent into this foreign world like him.

    ...

    There was fighting beyond the valley that surrounded the fort. There were flashes of artillery. There were crackles of gunfire that would occasionally echo around. In the forest, there were fallen leaves. Joshua could see the stretching horizon. The sun was shining between two hills, stabbing his eyes.

    He was taking a sip of a juice made from fruits he squeezed himself. He was enjoying the wind, ignoring the thunderous boom of firepower beyond the valleys of smoking death. It was then that Barbados arrived carrying his blunderbuss with ease. He was smoking a roll of tobacco, swaggering around.

    ¡°Sightseeing?¡± he asked. Joshua turned to him with a faint smile. ¡°I guess so?¡± he sipped on his juice. ¡°At the same time, I am wondering how long can we stay in this fort.¡±

    ¡°Not long probably,¡± said Barbados with a strange confidence. ¡°With that friend of yours wrecking havoc along with that banewolf. I don¡¯t think that those poor sods would survive.¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Joshua agreed. ¡°Zola¡¯s quite strong and Titus too.¡±

    ¡°Strong?¡± he looked at Joshua oddly. ¡°They are monsters. That woman could pulverize stray camps and attend to the bandit camps that have been pestering the refugees. Archie and the Cattus gal are now taking the carriages that Zola spotted.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Joshua said. ¡°So will it be enough for all the people here in this fort? Not to mention the guards that are probably going to come with us.¡±

    ¡°It will be,¡± Barbados shrugged his shoulders. ¡°The guards are too afraid to act impudently with that woman around. So they¡¯ll endure walking alongside the carriages. That should give them exercise.¡±

    Joshua nodded. Barbados stayed around for a while before walking down the flight of stairs. Joshua roamed around the battlements of the fort before preparing food for the refugees. It was noon when Zola arrived with Archie and Leiko who was towing rows of carriages. The carriages were parked just outside and the refugees were happy to see that they might have a ticket out of the fire-choking point area.

    They were in time for the food. Joshua served them up good and for the whole day, it was peaceful. The people loaded food and water on the carriages. And by the time the morning sun came up. The refugees were ready to set out on a perilous journey.

 Chapter 127

    Chapter 127 ¨C The Shadow Lingerer (2)

    The footsteps and rumbling of carriages rang through the dirt road. The line of carriages traveled through the tree-lined path. Soldiers carrying a rifle marched with awe-like stare at the fearsome soldier that has been guarding them. She walked with her group. Her vigilant eyes were keeping the morale up.

    The trudge was nothing particular. Naked trees with leaves fallen down to the ground. There was a cold wind from the east. It made the refugees shiver every time. The smell of gunpowder was in the air. The stench seared into the lungs of the refugees. The rumble of artillery was heard. There was this startling effect that usually scares the little ones traveling along with their poor-fed parents

    The road was cleared of any rogues or enemy that wanted to harass the soldiers. In a wooden bridge that was rather unkempt. A bunch of fools tried to loot the carriages. Sadly, they ended up riddled with bullets from the band or pummeled by Zola¡¯s super-enhance fist. The others were mauled by Titus.

    The bloodbath oddly left the carriage wary than ever. The children were kept tucked inside the carriage until the band reached a clearing where the band formed a carriage fort that would allow the band to fend off anyone that might try to attack.

    Joshua as usual cooked for the people. After cooking he would find a spot for himself. Zola and Titus would join Joshua eat. Although Zola found a newfound emotion of guilt and her heart of steel was thawed. She was still as welcoming as she was, originally. There were only a few people she talks to. It was either Archie, Titus, or the little girl Kioko. She was not fond of Mia and Leiko. She respected Mia¡¯s management skills, but that¡¯s that. As for Leiko, she dislikes her anti-human tendencies. Leiko herself didn¡¯t try to speak her thoughts to Zola. Knowing that would result in her being stared down by Zola who was a humanist.

    It was something that Joshua learned kinda predicted. He had seen Zola fight and she would pummel the enemies with zeal. It was then that he learned that she hated anything that might not look human. Though she doesn¡¯t outright despite Leiko who have human features enough for her to tolerate. Joshua doesn¡¯t blame her. She lived in a world where half flesh and half metal abominations were wrecking havoc. It was not hard to guess her hatred for people who hated humans or treat their lives like cattle for slaughter. So Leiko avoided any of her contempt and was quiet. Not to mention that the reason that they were in this mess was that of Kioko appearing out of nowhere at a bad moment. So she was tactful enough to be sorry about what Kioko had done. Joshua didn¡¯t blame the little Cattus girl, however. She was just a broken little girl who could not accept reality. And hearing her speak breaks Joshua¡¯s heart. But she was far gone. Sadly, it was best to leave her to her own world.

    ...

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    The trip went well. The line carriages rolled halfway until a certain pass where things went bad. There was an ambush on all sides. Gunners pinned the carriages. They targeted the soldiers and lobbed the well-armed one. If Zola wasn¡¯t there then Joshua and the others would have been heavily injured or dead.

    Zola made quick work of one side. Painting the walls of the pass with entrails and blood that it was disgusting to look at. Zola usually relies on her close combat training and Psion abilities to make a mess of any enemies. But when no one could see her she would deploy her shotgun that fired hot searing plasma. Each bullet could tear through anything and her using it made a mess of the poor sods who faced her.

    Joshua opened fire, taking cover in one of the carriages. He thought that things were going to go their way. But it was then that thundering sound of artillery raised hell above the pass. The terrain above was covered with black mist as the caravan staggered in cover. Rocks fell from the above the pass. The pebbles rained down upon the caravan. Joshua felt his vision go red with veins appearing. His heart pounded heavily as adrenaline pumped his veins. Then he saw Zola¡¯s figure being blown back by the explosion.

    Not caring about the pebble. Joshua gathered all the courage he had to sprint towards Zola. Along the way, he felt time slow down about three times. He avoided bullets and dangerously sharp stones that would have ended his life and whirled to catch Zola. Luckily, she was alive but the taking the brunt of the explosion stunned her.

    Joshua slapped her, ¡°You okay?¡± She looked at Joshua with a thin smile. ¡°Yeah, it reminds me of an orbital drop on Jupiter that went wrong when a railgun tear through the hull of our shuttle. Still, I never thought that I¡¯d be hit by ten cannon shells.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get you off here-¡± Joshua wasn¡¯t able to finish his word when he felt time slow down. He tilted his head to dodge the bullet. But to Zola, it looked like Joshua just casually dodged a bullet. ¡°That was quite something,¡± she said. Joshua smiled wearily, dragging her to cover. ¡°Just lucky,¡± he said, obviously he had no intention to tell her.

    Titus the pup arrived at their side. He whined before releasing a bloodlust bark at the ambushers. Zola smiled at her pup, patting its head before standing up, revealing her exoskeleton that was supporting her limbs. She has been hiding her power armor for the most part and had set her suit to mimic a coat. But now that she looked pissed and her skin blue as her armor hardened up. Joshua looked at vicious grin before the armor covered her face. Then she leaped back to the pass and the bastards up was killed as brutally as Joshua could imagine.

    There was artillery fire but it stopped after ten minutes. The situation calmed down and by the time Zola returned back she landed near Joshua and handed him a box that had static noise coming from it. However, that did the ambush. They have long-range communications. Joshua did not like that for one bit.

 Chapter 128

    Chapter 128 ¨C The Shadow Lingerer (3)

    ¡°So we are facing enemies with long-range abilities,¡± Zola said, wrapping the bandage on Joshua¡¯s head. The thing about Joshua¡¯s ability that it doesn¡¯t work unless it was life-threatening. So when he ran after Zola he got hit in the head. ¡°That should be the case,¡± replied Joshua, cleaning the gash that Zola sustained. It was regenerating as he does as if her skin were stitching itself. Joshua had seen it so many time that it didn¡¯t bother. ¡°Still, quiet worrying that the technology they have is at this level. Remember those flying ships with black-clad Templars?¡± She asked. Joshua nodded. ¡°Silo told me. What about them?¡± Zola wrapped the bandaged on Joshua¡¯s head. Then she moved her hands to Joshua¡¯s arm that had a long gash. ¡°They have long-range communication. These Templars are really tricky and they have probably been scavenging ruins and studying whatever they find and probably advanced to the point of radio communication. Why hide it though?¡± she asked curiously.

    Joshua took a long at Zola who was steadily regenerating. It was quite a waste to dress her wounds but she insisted since she rather not let herself be infected by whatever was in the air. She didn¡¯t want to take chances knowing that there was no augment-doctor that could check her any longer.

    ¡°To get an advantage to whatever they are doing?¡± Joshua replied, scanning the pathetic state of the caravan. Many had lost their lives at the initial strike. There were kids who had their heads split open. There were also people who had been shot. Archie was taking care of them along with Mia.

    ¡°Still, wouldn¡¯t they benefit from it?¡± said Zola. ¡°But I got to admit that they must have expected things like this to happen. It was smart of them to hide technology like that. But knowing that the enemies now have long-range communications, I guess they might as well spread the thing already. It¡¯ll be a liability on their part. Not to mention that this thing happened.¡± Zola craned her head to the carriages. Joshua looked at the tragic carriage line as well with pity. ¡°If they have something like that maybe things wouldn¡¯t have happened to badly like this.¡±

    ¡°Did I do good Joshua?¡± said Zola, her face blank. Joshua replied. ¡°You did. Far better than we could ever do, without you, we¡¯d be laying on the ground dead.¡± A smile appeared on her face.  ¡°Thank you, but I think I could have done better. Maybe if I activated my armor then maybe I¡¯ve saved more than I did.

    Joshua inclined his head. ¡°Maybe, not like you could have imagined that they¡¯d be pouring down artillery at you.¡± Zola shook her head. ¡°I know. But I should have sensed it. I was reckless thinking I am invincible. Looks like I paid the price.¡± She looked at the carriage with a bland face. There was no guilt on her face. It was more of the look of someone who had learned her failure. There was no sympathy other than her own disappointment to her own self.

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    ...

    The state of the carriages was unsalvageable. There was no way for them to continue with them. So Mia told the refugees to bury the dead with a mournful tone. The refugees were reluctant but they had no choice but to do it. They buried the dead and left behind at least stones to mark them.

    The journey continued with everyone ragged and battered. Zola this time didn¡¯t take chances. She suited up and watched the perimeter with more vigilance than ever. The band didn¡¯t meet anything foes for the next hours. In the evening there was a bit of unrest as the carriages containing food and water got destroyed. There was only a few left and everyone had to share food. Joshua rested under a tree. The tree had big roots and he was able to recline relaxingly. He rested his weary head and looked up where the myriads of stars feasted his eyes. Galaxies and nebulas and a curtain of green and blue lights shaded the sky. The area that the band rested was comfortable enough for him to relax. Not to mention that they were being protected by Zola who didn¡¯t take any chances.

    He rested his eyes. He slides down and flattened his back on the grass. He gazed at the skies while thinking how tiresome it was all. He would like to complain. But it was his choice to get out of Edawick. It was his choice to travel for the sake of a friend.

    He never wanted this extra work. He found himself wondering why he was struggling when he could just heartlessly leave and carry on his way. But he wasn¡¯t heartless to do that. Still, he wished that things would go out smoothly. It was hard enough to get attack and the worst part was that the refugees were going to starve if they don¡¯t forage for good.

    The stars twinkled above him. The cool breeze accompanied and slowly Joshua found himself losing to the relaxing bed of grass. But his paranoia kept him awake. He forced his eyelids open, trying to scrutinize his environments. Joshua thought that maybe he should stop being paranoid, then it hit him that his streak of paranoia has been on point lately and decided to go against it. He pulled himself and instead leaned his right elbow on the tree trunk. He reached for his rifle and checked it. Since he wasn¡¯t going to sleep anyway with his paranoia keeping him away, he decided to maintain his rifle, clearing the barrel and making sure that it didn¡¯t get damaged when used it. He checked the barrel and the chamber of the rifle. He adjusted the sight and made sure that the iron balls that he loads to the rifle would fit in. He rotated the crank and filled the rifle powder and then loaded the weapon. After loading the weapon, Joshua put his rifle aside and checked his other belongings. He didn¡¯t have any bombs anymore but he still has tools that need checking.

    With that in mind Joshua checked everything he had and by the time he was done morning was two hours away.

 Chapter 129

    Chapter 129 ¨C The Shadow Lingerer (4)

    ¡°Alive,¡± snarled the wolfish man. ¡°That thing is alive! What the hell is this?¡±

    A person in a mask flickered. She had long hair and a calm disposition. ¡°It means that thing is strong. To be able to survive artillery proves that this foe is no pushover.¡±

    ¡°Dog of the Emperor!¡± said the wolfish man. ¡°You can take care of this right?¡±

    The person with the mask internally sneered. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then what use are you!¡± shouted the wolfish man. ¡°That foe is coming here and you won¡¯t do anything about it?¡±

    The masked person sneered loudly. ¡°You expect me to do more when I have done what was told of me? I killed key figures and assassinated foes that you and your wolf clan could not handle. If you cannot handle this foe then consider that helping hand of the Emperor retracted.¡±

    ¡°You just can¡¯t do this!¡± the wolfish man stood up. ¡°I thought your Empire wanted to help the Cagan!¡±

    ¡°Only when I see fit that it needs help,¡± her eye coldly piercing through the wolfish man. The wolfish man flinched back at the sight of that eye. Ever since meeting the one-eyed woman before her, he had been nothing but afraid.  This woman was named Shadow, and like her name, she could appear and disappear as if no one would ever remember her. He usually wasn¡¯t this agitated but the foe that has been wrecking havoc and taking out his Cagan forces have been tearing apart his forces, forcing him to be afraid. And that foe was slowly approaching the base that he and his people are hiding.

    ¡°And if by the hands of fate you fall here,¡± added Shadow. ¡°Then I am afraid that you are left to fend off for yourself.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s it?¡± said the wolfish man. ¡°You¡¯ll help us when the situation is under control and then abandon us when it goes to shit?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Shadow blandly. ¡°It is our best interest. And we only wanted you and your men to hold this point. There are precious resources down below but this unexpected enemy has left us no choice but to retreat. You are on your own.¡±

    The wolfish man bellowed in fury. He strikes with his claws only for Shadow to easily dodge his attack. Shadow stumbled and whirled, her foot striking the torso of the wolfish man, pushing his back to the wall of his office with a loud thud.

    The wolfish man tried to riposte. But Shadow slid on the floor as if there was ice and pointed a sharp dagger at the wolfish man¡¯s throat. The wolfish man shivered at the sight of the dagger on his throat. He stared at the eye of Shadow with fear painting his face.

    ¡°I could have murdered every single one of you without anyone noticing. Your king had tasted my blade, and only through the glace of the Empire that you and your king are alive. We have given the olive branch and now that you have lost it, failing to eliminate a seemingly unstoppable foe. You think it was wise to turn your claws at me? I should stab you right now and help the enemy but,¡± she retracted her blade, ¡°I shall let you struggle. Maybe you will produce a miracle and kill the foe.¡±

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    The wolfish-man gritted his teeth madly. He looked at Shadow with seething hatred. Still, he knew his limit and decided to risk it and fight the foe that has been harassing all of his forces. ¡°Damn you and I thought that Midland folks were bad!¡±

    ¡°We do not care what you think of us,¡± said Shadow coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t blame us for your failures. Blame fate for giving you an enemy that you not possibly stopped. It wasn¡¯t fun. You almost won too. But your luck has run out and now a foe comes to kill you. Goodbye.¡±

    With a flicker, Shadow disappeared like an illusion. The wolfish man hissed as he smashes the cobblestone wall. He then turned his sight outside and stared at the pathetic band that was nearing them. He left the room and called his men to prepare for battle.

    His men complied and they mounted rifle lines and took cover. But as the enemy arrived on their doorsteps, the wolfish man saw the foe that has been making short work of his men. They open fire at the fully armored foe who took out a weapon. This weapon spread searing bullets that punch through the torso and thick fur of his men who transformed into werewolves. The foe was surprised but it didn¡¯t matter. The foe easily slaughtered his men and when the wolfish man confronted the foe. He wasn¡¯t even able to exchange ten blows when he had his legs torn easily by the foe.

    The wolfish man lay upon the ground. He was able to stare at the sky before having his head splattered by the weapon that the foe had.

    The foe was able to massacre the encampment pretty easily. Shadow, who had observed the foe kept hidden in the shadows. She removed her mask, revealing an eyepatch covering one of her eyes. Her blonde hair billowed, her green eye coldly looked at the scene of the massacre. She took out a black box from her inner pockets. She put it near her mouth and reported what she has seen. She asked if she could engage the enemy but the voice behind the box told her to stay.

    She didn¡¯t go against order and stayed hidden. She waited for the caravan to arrive, observing keenly. The foe with the strange armor didn¡¯t show her face. The people rested before setting out again. They didn¡¯t even try to stay in the encampment and just left with haste.

    Shadow asked again it was wise to let them go. But the person she was contacting told her to keep hidden and focus her attention on the task at hand. Shadow¡¯s goal was on the Templars. And the person behind the box deduced that the foe the wolfish man was not part of the Templars. The box didn¡¯t want to provoke this mysterious foe and told Shadow to steer clear and focus on her true objectives.

 Chapter 130

    Chapter 130 ¨C Roundabout Visit

    She had expected that the princess she sold out would eventually discover the person that delivered her back to the demesne of the Maltius La Fende.

    So here she was on a ship that was no less bastardy and unkempt than she could imagine. Her previous sky ship was rather comforting than the current one. She found the new metal-made cruisers to be loud and uncomfortable. She doesn¡¯t know how such things were made so fast. But she just assumed that they were made by the people who introduced the new age of technology pushed she has been hearing about.

    ¡°By what¡¯s good in this world, when will that thruster noise go?¡± She said to the maidservant standing still. The maidservant raised her face. ¡°I am sure that it wouldn¡¯t take long now, madam.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully,¡± she briskly looked at the white marble towers scraping the clouds. The widened highway and the skyways were completely visible to her naked eye. ¡°The Maltius La Fende Demesne,¡± she muttered. ¡°Father used to say wonders about this place. How it is a realm of difference compared to the Freelands or the Midland. But now seeing that this Demesne is nothing but one of the many cities. I begin to see why they would build tall walls to protect this place.¡±

    She looked at the city again. If she wasn¡¯t worried about the princess of the demesne possibly shooting her head, she probably enjoyed the scene fully as the sun caresses her face. She appreciated the view but the nearer the cruiser approaches the landing platform. The more she became a pious woman.

    Her maidservant fell near in her. ¡°Would you like some tea, milady?¡± she said, with a faint smile on her. She looked at her maidservant with a rather bland face. ¡°Might as well,¡± she slumped her shoulders. ¡°At least I¡¯d die knowing that I drank my favorite tea.¡±

    ¡°Very well, miss.¡± said the maidservant, walking back inside the ship while the thrusters of the ship slowly kissed the lip of the landing platform. The ship rattled for a moment, but nothing that she couldn¡¯t handle. She looked at the platform. The crew marched to the ship carrying tools, and there were two walkers standing by, overlooking the ship.

    She had seen walkers in Avilla when they were introduced. But comparing them to the walkers she was seeing, they were much refined and the finely welded metal plating of the walkers, along with two barrels of what she could recognize as a machine-gun. There were also tubes above the cockpit of the walkers. If she heard the crew right, then those would be the launchers. She doesn¡¯t know what they do but she sure can tell it would end up badly.

    ¡°Your tea, Miss,¡± said her maidservant. She looked at the mug and took it. She sipped on it, asking. ¡°So when are we allowed to escape from this noisy piece of a vessel?¡±

    ¡°The crew said that they need to make sure that the vessel is secured,¡± the maidservant answered. She looked at the mug of tea, turning her head to the crew who was scuttling about the landing platform.

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    ...

    It was until the crew was sure that she was led inside the palace. The palace was marvelously decorated and every corridor was clean and tidy. She saw a lot of vases and paints that made question how much they could possibly cost.

    She was then told to wait in a courtyard where she entertained herself by stirring a cup of tea. Although she was bold and brave. She still fears death. She wanted to refuse coming here. But the messenger didn¡¯t accept anything other than yes. So she had no choice.

    She was alone in the courtyard. Her maidservant was told wait since the meeting would be strictly between her and the princess. So aside from rippling noises of the nearby giant pond surrounding the area, she was sitting. There was only quiet.

    That¡¯s why when she saw the figure of a finely dressed young woman in a green flowing gown, accompanied by a pious-looking man that wore a dark robe with the symbol of the Templars on his chest. She stood up, grabbed the edge of her coat and bowed.

    ¡°I am Dolce of Alva, it is an honor meeting you formally,¡± she said. The princess glances coldly at Dolce. There was a hint of seething rage in her eyes which made Dolce uncomfortable. She added. ¡°And pardon me, for I was only doing what was expected of me. As the Alva and the Templars had been friends. And my role as the daughter of the Lord of Alva expects me to inform them of your location.¡±

    She waited for a reply. ¡°Its fine,¡± said the princess. ¡°I am Princess Cyra of Maltius La Fende, Lady Enforcer, and the Belladonna of my people. You may raise your head.¡±

    ¡°Certainly,¡± Dolce said. She looked up and found the cold eyes of the Princess. She ambled near the table. The pious looking man helped her sit down. Then, the pious man turned to Dolce. ¡°I am Abel of the Templars. It is a pleasure meeting the lady of Alva.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Dolce said blandly. She sat down and looked at the princess. ¡°You¡¯ve changed Princess. I never knew you could be intimidating.¡±

    ¡°And you know how to change your gears as easily as I do,¡± Cyra said with a thin smile. Dolce smiled back. ¡°I¡¯ve learned from my father. So, what do you want from me, Princess? I believe that me sipping tea here means that you are not going to execute me.¡±

    ¡°I should,¡± Cyra laughed. ¡°But I need you to a favor for me. You are the one that sent me here. So might as well make you work hard.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Dolce said. ¡°I guess I have no choice in this.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t,¡± Cyra said impassively. ¡°So I need you to listen to what I am about to say.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± she accepted.

    Then Cyra told her about what she needed to do. At first, Dolce was casual about it, but as Cyra continues. Dolce¡¯s face hardened with seriousness. She has seen and heard a lot of things for the past months. She changed in odd ways but the things she heard made her usual devilish ego cease.

    She wished she didn¡¯t know about the looming threat that possibly might affect the continent. It was too much of a burden, and she was going to help.

 Chapter 131

    Chapter 131 ¨C Distant Status (1)

    To his surprise, the areas beyond the fire choking point were interconnected. The cities and towns were connected by long winding asphalt roads. He had expected dirt roads and mountain passes. But the site of carriageways and highways took him by surprise. It was like he was back on a 2nd world nation. Though there are two-legged walking machines run by steam and that will likely shoot him if he wasn¡¯t inside a truck driven by a civilian who cheerfully offered a ride after seeing the refugees arrival.

    The soldiers around the road looked like world war one era. They wore combat fatigues and webbings of pouches. Their studded boots were making a sound as they march dutifully on the road. It was a sight that made him wonder. The switch of weapons was outright outrageous. Joshua still remembers fighting with a flint-lock rifle, yet the soldiers he could see were armed differently.

    The driver explained that change was suddenly ordered by the Pontiff and Ruler. It was issued as a writ and hard labor from factories allowed the soldiers in the front-lines to be equipped with the new weapons along with the help of the steam-powered machines. The pilots of the machines were still inadequately trained and most of them are just a show of terror to boost trust and morale among the troops.

    Most of the nation still wasn¡¯t armed with the new weapons. They prioritize the soldiers and the patrollers that were keeping the whole nation safe from the two nations. The driver of the truck himself was employed fifty times during the week. He carried crates of weapons and was escorted by soldiers. Thankfully, he was one of the lucky ones that didn¡¯t get ambushed. The driver calls the whole affair rushed and a logistic hell. Though the driver told Joshua how the holy writ that was issued help in making the thing a bit of organized. Not to mention there was a threat of being imprisoned or put into the mines and serve their time of digging ores.

    The truck traveled through cities and usually would just stop to refuel. The truck driver was rather enthusiastic about carrying them out of Midland and into the walls of Maltius La Fende. It was enough to make Mia asked why he was truly doing it. The driver got angry but explained that it was just an act of being a Good Samaritan.  Mia apologized which the driver accepted.

    Joshua, Archie, Zola, Barbados, Leiko, Kioko and Mia were not the only ones riding the truck. There were others but they disembarked at villages and towns that they hope would accept them. The journey across Midland was fairly peaceful. There were no accidents and mostly the truck drove his truck in the fringes of the midland, avoiding the capital and the highly secured places that might frown at the sight of Leiko and Kioko, whose appearance might stir some feelings.

    The group arrived on the borders of the Maltius La Fende demesne by the first week of the fifth month of the year. When the group arrived they gawp at the border wall that was tall enough to scratch the skies. The truck driver left them at the gates where Mia showed her noble¡¯s right.

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    The guards of the Maltius La Fende allowed passage for Mia. It took some time convincing them to let Joshua and others enter. But in the end, they were allowed to enter the demesne.

    ...

    The demesne surprised them even more than they should be. The place was far developed and the stone buildings and cement made buildings made Joshua feel like he was back in his modern world. He would have believed that if it wasn¡¯t for the spider-shaped tanks coated in white paint roaming around. The men wore vest and jacket and black pants. The women wore buttoned shirts accompanied by a jacket and wore long skirts. Their appearance was so completely different that the group had to buy clothes. Mia still had wealth so she was able to buy a pair of clothes for the group.

    Joshua sported a long coat and a vest and black pants tucked under a pair of boots. He kept his long cape, to hide the bandoliers and pouches that he had. Zola wore a sleeved shirt and long pants that were a bit larger to hide her belt and other possessions. She had drawn her hair into a ponytail and wore a hat. Mia was dressed elegantly like a noble lady she presented herself as. Barbados and Archie choose to wear the same clothes that Joshua wore, though Barbados didn¡¯t even bother to hide his blunderbuss. They look like a pair of three. Leiko and Kioko got new dresses. But since their kind was seen unfavorably by the people of the demesne, they still had to hide their animal features with hoods.

    The group traveled to where the mainland was. They hired a vehicle that brought them straight at the heart of the city. The place was surrounded by the tall white buildings. There were many guards and war machines loitering around. The castle was located in the heart of the demesne.

    The group asked for an audience and waited for a reply. Normally, the palace guards would laugh at such request. But the following days had them welcoming people from the different places to greet the Princess of Demesne. The group was searched and was stripped of their weapons.

    Joshua was obviously reluctant to part with his weapons so he handed them to Zola who stored the weapons in her belt for sake-keeping. The group was allowed to enter through this wide hallway. There were many visitors inside and all of them were headed to the throne room where the Princess of the demesne was allowing visitors to greet her.  They couldn¡¯t act like they know the princess, so they lined up like everyone, trying to be calm while the line progresses.

    It took a bit of time. But the group was allowed inside the throne room and was permitted to see the Princess that was far different from the way she looked. If it wasn¡¯t for the green brooch then the two wouldn¡¯t have been able to recognize Cyra.

    The line moved. Joshua and Zola stepped forward together and kneeled on one knee.

    ¡°Greetings, Princess,¡± they said. The princess turned her eyes to them and widened it as she saw Joshua and Zola¡¯s face.

 Chapter 132

    Chapter 132 ¨C Distant Status (2)

    ¡°You two,¡± said Cyra. ¡°This is a pleasant surprise. You must have come a long way.¡±

    ¡°Yes, your majesty,¡± replied Joshua, playing the fool. ¡°We¡¯ve come to seek an audience.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she looked at the throne room. She stood with a regal bearing. ¡°Very well, please wait for in the inner courtyard.¡± she looked at her side. ¡°Abel, please deliver then inside will you?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± he nodded.

    The pious looking man gestured at Joshua and Zola. The two stood up and gestured at the others to follow. Abel noticed the entourage and turned to the princess. She politely looked at Abel and nodded her head. ¡°You may let them in as well.¡±

    Joshua followed Abel while Zola fell in line with him. Abel had his hands behind his back. He walked softly, leading the group inside the hallway crafted finely with marble, stone, and cement.

    ¡°I wondered where the Warlord of Avilla was. To think that I¡¯ve found you here,¡± Abel said to Mia. She looked at Abel with a gaze filled with contempt. ¡°And why do you care, Templar? You¡¯ve taken my city and now your Templars hunt me like a dog. Are you going to hunt me down as well here?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± said Abel. ¡°This is the demesne of Maltius La Fende. I don¡¯t know how and what¡¯s your relationship with the Princess but you are playing well, Lady Mia.¡±

    A flashed of grin and a mocking smile.  Mia wanted to put a bullet through Abel¡¯s head but decided against it. Joshua silently strode along with Zola until they reach the open courtyard with a giant pond. He thought of the place as serene and stepped around slowly to watch.

    Abel led the group and left with a graceful bow. Mia snarled and cursed under her breath. Archie calmed her down, while Barbados watched the Cattus sisters who were looking at the fishes in the pond with interest. Joshua folded his arms and looked around. Zola stood near him, waiting to hear what happened to the princess who they thought would be struggling or afraid. But what did they saw instead? A person brimming with regal grace and confidence, that made the tow think that she was used to such matters.

    It came both as a surprise and shock. The two wanted to some answers and so they waited for the Princess to come. It took minutes but she arrived along with Abel. Behind her was a pair of guards who then was told to guard the doors of the courtyard.

    Zola and Joshua craned their necks towards Cyra. They scanned her from head to toe and wondered if she really was Cyra. Or could it be just another person posing as her? Cyra seemed to sense their suspicious gaze. She held the hem of her dress, she steps on the platform lightly and started towards the two with a gentle expression. Her aura was so calm that it made Joshua thought that maybe she¡¯s not Cyra after all.

    ¡°Are you surprise?¡± said Cyra. ¡°It must have been quite a shock to find me like this.¡±

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    ¡°I am,¡± Joshua admitted. ¡°I expected you to be struggling or panicking. But to see you like this...was quite the shock.¡±

    Cyra smiled. ¡°True, it must have been truly a shock. I thought that I¡¯d forgotten to act like a noble. But once I returned her my noble bearing seemed to have returned as well. How¡¯s Silo?¡±

    ¡°A mess,¡± said Joshua. ¡°He¡¯s been drinking and moping around without you.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she flashed a face of disappointment. ¡°I thought he¡¯d be with you.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Joshua scratched the back of his head. ¡°Knowing that you are the princess of this demesne, I think you¡¯d find it natural that he wouldn¡¯t dare to show his face.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± she held her forearm. ¡°It must have been truly a kick in his confidence. He was recovering from what happened and yet fate seemed to twist our arms.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to see him?¡± Zola cut in. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt to see him. Or are you?¡±

    Cyra smiled bitterly. ¡°I would love to. But...what I¡¯ve learned here. And the things that my father is carrying, the weight of a thousand live behind my back. I cannot abandon my father. Hah, and I thought I hate him for chasing me.¡±

    Joshua had a still look on his face. So that was it? Did he come all the way into this place for this? He didn¡¯t know what to feel. He expected something like this. Yet hearing it straight from her mouth was something. Not even a visit? What happened? He had many expectations but yet a straight up rejection. Not even a visit to a friend?

    Joshua¡¯s heart sunk. The tiredness of the journey seemed to have weighed down upon him. He just sat there without trying to convince her. Cyra could see Joshua¡¯s sullen expression. She explained her reasoning discreetly between them. Joshua listened but the threat of an Empire didn¡¯t alarm him. What could he do to something like that? Maybe it was the tiredness that made him gave up gracefully. He just wanted to sit there.

    Zola was the opposite. She listened with interest and when Cyra described the threat. She was able to understand. And when Cyra told her of the ancient ruins of the progenitor, Zola immediately offered to help. Cyra tried to not involve Zola. But Zola merely stepped out and punched the upward, releasing a shockwave that made Cyra gawp. There was no need to say otherwise. Cyra was forced to accept and even if she didn¡¯t. Zola would have acted. It was her duty and hatred for the ¡®Quietus¡¯ that inclines her to purge them with all her might.

    Then the others started to talk to Cyra. Joshua had nothing to say to her. He had done what he came for and he had seen the determined look on her face. Zola was helping her now too.

    Could he try? Could he somehow convince the Princess who had accepted an emerald woven sash to abandon what her current duties were for the sake of love? He knows the answer. And the gaze that Cyra looks at her was that of a person who could only apologize.

    It was a waste of time, Joshua thought.

 Chapter 133

    Chapter 133 - Threat far from

    Cyra discussed with Mia. Zola span towards Joshua who was looking at the pond. She patted his shoulder. He looked at her and nodded his head.  ¡°So are you returning back to Edawick?¡± said Zola. ¡°Do you intend to inform Silo about this?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Joshua said. ¡°I am not really eager to stay here. What do I do? Join you in this quest of defending a continent from this rather evil-sounding Empire?¡±

    ¡°This Empire can possibly burn this continent,¡± she said. ¡°You listened to what Zola said right? Those things are my enemies. And I am obliged to purge them. And if I can¡¯t stop them then they might become as big as the abomination that I fought in that forest. I cannot let that happen. And if this Empire knew or use the Quietus then I need to stop it.¡±

    ¡°I know you will,¡± he said. ¡°And do you really think that I can help you in this matter? This is something I probably won¡¯t be able to stand. We were helpless in that forest. So I wish you good luck, Zola. Still, I still think that this is all a waste of time.¡±

    ¡°A waste of time?¡± she raised a brow. ¡°Is that you really think?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he snarled. ¡°I came all the way here for this? What do I say to Silo? That his lover was different than we imagine now and she¡¯s saving the continent? I fought hard to come here and yet this is what I get? I could even tell that she doesn¡¯t even dare to explain it to Silo herself.¡±

    She didn¡¯t like that. ¡°So are you saying that all we did in saving those refugees are a waste of time?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Joshua curtly said. ¡°I never imply that. I am just frustrated that I walk past hell only to be disappointed this badly. Now there is a thing about some Empire fucking over. I am sorry. I am not that strong enough to be as pallid as you in receiving this news. You¡¯ve faced these things. Killed them and slaughtered them. Live your whole life fighting them. Now there¡¯s a chance that they might be coming and an Empire technologically capable as this place behind them. I don¡¯t know anymore. ¡±

    He slumps his shoulders. He looked at the ripple done in by the fishes. There was a trace of fear on his face. He was utterly confused and there was this slight fury that was churning his heart. He was regretting knowing about the enemy from beyond. He was disappointed by what he found after a long arduous journey too. There was no way for him be ignorant again about all of these matters. Now, he was just thinking of a way to tell Silo about the news that he received.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of them,¡± said Zola. ¡°Maybe I am too numb about these things that I take them well. You are right, you are normal and I guess that makes me abnormal? Hah. Good luck Joshua. Keep safe okay?¡± there was a weary tone in her voice. It was a tone that made Joshua looked at her. She wore a worried face. There was no fear just a face looking at a troubled friend.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Joshua. Zola nodded at him. She walked to Cyra and started discussing something that Joshua couldn¡¯t hear. Then Cyra walked towards Joshua with her regal bearing.

    ¡°Can I urge you to stay?¡± said Cyra.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I am tired but I think Silo needs to know about this. No point in not telling that you are fine and doing well.¡±

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    ¡°I see,¡± she nodded her head.

    ¡°Cyra,¡± said Joshua with a low voice. ¡°I really can¡¯t persuade you to back to Edawick even for a short time?¡±

    ¡°I am sorry,¡± she said. ¡°The situation here isn¡¯t that good. Although we have enemies beyond the seas, there are also enemies in this domain. I am glad that Zola¡¯s actually stronger than I imagined. Sir Archie and Barbados can help me in my newly given army. And Lady Mia can help me maneuver through all the political drivel. Miss Leiko and Kioko had decided to accompany her as an aide. It¡¯s actually helpful that you all came along. I am not alone in facing this demesne¡¯s snakes.¡±

    ¡°Snakes?¡± said Joshua. ¡°Do you have enemies here?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Cyra, walking along the fringes of the pond. ¡°My brothers are rather jealous of my newly appointed position. And knowing that, I think they might do everything to threaten me. And I believe that even the Templars would sooner know to find Silo.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Joshua grew alarmed. ¡°He didn¡¯t know anything wrong? Why would they try to target him?¡±

    ¡°A way to control me,¡± Cyr said wearily. ¡°Even though I am like this now, acting all regal and confident as if I had a new personality. The one that hasn¡¯t change is my love for him. That¡¯s why I implore you to go back to him. Please protect him. I would sleep easier knowing that you are with him.¡±

    ¡°Are they after him now?¡±

    ¡°I am afraid so,¡± she caressed her forearm. ¡°That¡¯s why it would be best if you can return back. I am going to give you a sky cruiser so you can return faster.  I can offer you arms and protection if you need it. It¡¯s the least thing that I can do for you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, where is this sky cruiser? If you are right then I need to return as fast as possible.¡±

    ¡°It should on the landing platform. I¡¯ve sent someone to guide you, knowing that you¡¯d be leaving.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate it. And I¡¯ll be taking a look at the weapons that you might give me. The fight in the fire choking point drained me all of the things that I have.¡±

    ¡°The fire choking point, you¡¯ve been there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. They can tell you about it.¡± he gestured at the group.

    ¡°I see. Oh, I need you to tell something else.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Joshua said, his feet itching to leave.

    ¡°There¡¯s someone that I¡¯ve sent to keep the people that might harm him.  If you¡¯ve come to trouble then the pilot of the sky cruiser will send for them to help.¡±

    ¡°I see. Thanks.¡±

    Cyra nodded. She turned to Abel. ¡°Take him to the armory and give him whatever he wants.¡±

    ¡°Everything that he wants?¡± said Abel. ¡°Is that wise?¡±

    ¡°I do not need to repeat myself.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± He bowed his head and gestured at Joshua. He followed Abel and stride out of the courtyard with utter haste. Cyra watched Joshua go. She clutched her chest and prayed that Silo was safe from harm.

 Chapter 134

    Chapter 134 ¨C Arms and Cruise

    The hallway was rather secured. The soldiers of the palace kept guard. Each and every one of them armed to the teeth with rifles with drum magazines. They looked at Abel with impassive eyes. Joshua followed behind Abel down a flight of stairs until they reach a place filled with armaments.

    Abel opened the Iron Gate. He stepped inside and stretched his arms dramatically. ¡°Here are the finest arms of the demesne. They are far better than the flint-locks and the recent repeating rifles that my homeland recreated. Though it should be expected that you don¡¯t how to operate them-¡°

    Before Abel could finish his introduction of the weapons that was inside the vault. Joshua scuttled to the nearest crate and opened it and took the rifle. Abel widened his eyes. He tried to prevent Joshua. But to his surprise, Joshua took the drum magazines near the crates and loaded the rifle as if he was familiar with it.

    ¡°You know how?¡± said Abel.

    ¡°I know. I can tell,¡± Joshua answered. The rifle he was holding looked like a Thompson M1A1. He has used one before.

    ¡°I see,¡± Abel nodded. ¡°What about the other weapons here?¡±

    Joshua scanned the vault. He could see familiar weapons inside the vault. There was a catalog of them. ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Then I shall leave you it,¡± Abel said. ¡°And please try not to empty the vault.¡±

    ¡°Can you fucking go already you asshole.¡±

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    Joshua shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything, was just mumbling about.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Abel said with his eyebrow raised. He left the vault and took a step outside. Joshua found it weird that he took a step. But he didn¡¯t mind it as he looked at the rows of weapons. He took the webbing of pouches and put them on a long table. He took his coat off and wore a flak vest, he then put the webbing of pouches and took the bandoliers and wrapped it around his waist. He took some holsters and equipped them. He took a scoped rifle that looked like a Mosin Nagant and put it on the table. He spotted a Luger pistol and took it.

    He skirted inside the crates. There were stick grenades and smoke canisters. He took them along with a bag he could use to pack some ammunition. Joshua recognized that packing so many ammo would encumber him. So he stashed enough ammunition inside that he could carry. Then he turned his sight to the briefcase and put the rest of the ammo inside. At this point, Joshua didn¡¯t care about being shameless. He packed them inside and locked the case.

    After that, he wore the bag. He holstered the luger-like pistol on his side. He sheathed his new combat blade on his thigh and slung his sniper rifle on his back. He took the machine gun rifle with the drum magazine and carried the things he procured outside of the room with him.

    Abel was watching the hallway when Joshua came out. Looking at how heavily armed he was from head to toe. Abel felt admonishing him. Even he wasn¡¯t allowed to take anything inside the vault because of his allegiance. Yet the person in front of him was armed to the teeth. He was covered in safety equipment and his entire body was clad in pouches. There were stick grenades slung across his chest. He carried two rifles and a case filled with supplies.

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    He truly wanted to say something but the look on Joshua¡¯s face wasn¡¯t really welcoming. Having no choice in the matter he escorted him out of the vault. While they went up the landing platform located at the top of the palace. The guards glanced at the heavily armed Joshua. They had wary stares and if it wasn¡¯t for Abel¡¯s presence. They would have probably asked Joshua to stop or worse take the weapons and drag him somewhere for questioning.

    By the time the two arrived on the landing platform. The sky cruiser was ready and waiting. Joshua looked at the person standing near the craft. He was a white-haired person with a short beard of stubble. His eyes had bags. He was pale as a sheet.

    He noticed Joshua and Abel walking. He started to his feet phlegmatically. He hailed them with one hand. ¡°Are you the one that I need to take?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Abel nodded. ¡°You will be flying this person back to Edawick and will be under your care. I believe that the Princess had said it to you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he nodded. He looked at Joshua. ¡°I am Alexander Langley, just call me Alex or Langley, I don¡¯t really care.¡±

    ¡°My name¡¯s Joshua Stanco, nice to meet you, Alex,¡± he nodded.

    ¡°Same, Josh,¡± he said slowly. ¡°Let¡¯s go before the weather changes for the worst. Want me to take your baggage?¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Joshua said. He followed Alex inside the sky cruiser. Abel watched them go before striding back inside the palace with a slow phase.

    Inside the craft, Joshua put his stuff down. He looked at the pilot readying the craft and asked. ¡°Langley...that¡¯ a familiar name?¡±

    ¡°It is?¡± said Alex. ¡°I don¡¯t really know. That¡¯s my name and that¡¯s that. No point in trying to remember anything that I don¡¯t remember. Life¡¯s good and bland. But at least I got to fly a fucking cruiser and get paid to do it. Always wanted to be a pilot and it¡¯s like a dream come true and shit.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Joshua said. ¡°Then I leave it to you then. Do you know where I am going?¡±

    ¡°I was told to. I got a map on me here. Should be no problem flying there. I hope the weather doesn¡¯t fuck us over suddenly. It¡¯s rather tiresome flying blind. So I suggest that you strap on and hold on to something. And please try not to vomit on my cruiser.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I am kinda used to flying now.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I¡¯ll hold on to that.¡±

    The conversation ended. Alex turned to his control panel and took hold of the stick. With utmost focus, he lifted the craft and slowly ascended up. The craft rotated an open space where there were no buildings. Without any obstacles barring the craft¡¯s way, Alex gunned the controls and flew the vessel straight.

 Chapter 135

    Chapter 135 ¨C Cold Calm Head

    The cruiser flew at high speed. It broke through clouds and passed through the borders of Maltius La Fende without stop. The cruiser flew to the Templar¡¯s territory steadily.

    While piloting Joshua made sure that his weapons were ready. He has always trusted his paranoia streak. He couldn¡¯t let things go wrong so he doubled checked him. Alex saw that he was fiddling with his weapons and warned him. ¡°Try not exploding the cruiser okay?¡± Joshua replied. ¡°Okay¡± which at least made Alex feel relax.

    The cruiser could fly for hours. But its main problem was that it could only glide. Indeed, the cruiser uses four thrusted that allows it to ascend. It has two wings and sub-wings that allow it to glide through the air. Of course, the thrusters itself are capable enough for a trip to Edawick and back to the demesne. But Alex had thought better and mainly used the thrusters to lift the cruiser up in high altitude to glide. Though he does it alternately since it would strain the engine.

    The journey back to Edawick was long despite the cruiser. Alex didn¡¯t risk straining the machine too much and landed on open clearings to check on machines and rest. He could fly the cruiser straight but the weather patterns made him decide against it.

    Joshua was able to rest and eat. There are supplies inside the cruiser after all. But, sleeping and eating well didn¡¯t satisfy his paranoia. He was deep in thought. He was spooked by what Cyra said. Not to mention that the idea of a friend being in danger bothered him. Adding to do that, there is an Empire that might burn the continent whole. The stress of his journey to Maltius La Fende was hitting him harder. The added stress was making restless.

    Alex was kinda worried about the guy. He would offer him a roll of cigar. But Joshua would refuse it. Instead, Alex offered Joshua some wine which Joshua would not refuse. The wine kept him still throughout the journey. But by the time the cruiser was able to cruise half of Midland¡¯s territory. It was empty. Although Alex was tasked abruptly and there should be no reason for him hurry and that he could always lie about what his cruiser could do. Alex decided to speed up and flew the sky cruiser past the borders of the Holy Midland.

    He checked the map and by the time the sky cruiser arrived. It was already afternoon. He landed the sky cruiser deep in a forest through a clearing.

    Joshua could recognize the trail so he went out of the sky cruiser. Alex clambered up his sky cruiser and manned the turret that would allow him to defend the cruiser. Joshua bid Alex goodbye and followed the trail back to Edawick. Alex watched Joshua¡¯s heavily armed figure go. The afternoon shined upon Joshua. There was a rather gloomy mood around and he saw crows fly past the cruiser.

    <hr>

    I followed the trail, the crunching of the leaves sounded out. Fall was here in Edawick. The trees were now naked and there was a cold wind. It took me a while to reach Edawick. But once I was able to spot the town. I hurried inside. The town was the same. There were peddlers coming in and out. The kids were running around playing. I half-jogged and went to where Silo¡¯s house was.

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    His house was getting nearer. But the more I walk. The more I felt this uneasiness. I tried to dispel the feeling but when I saw Silo¡¯s door half open. I drew my rifle. I hurried inside his house and caught sight of two men looking at something.

    They didn¡¯t notice me. I turn my eyes to where they are looking. Then I saw something that shook my soul. My heart plummeted down. My brain went cold. The two in front of me spoke something.

    ¡°Shit, he really did pull the trigger.¡±

    ¡°I told you not to threaten him further damn it!¡±

    Their words register inside my head. I looked at Silo. His hair was disheveled. But that was not the problem. There was a bullet wound behind his back. He was holding to a rifle that was pointed to his mouth. Behind him was his brain matter spreading the wall. His eyes were sightless. His tunic was wet with blood. There was a combined smell of tobacco, wine, and blood.

    I tried to register what was in front of me. But my brain was slow. My world has gone black and white. The two finally noticed me. They pointed their rifles at me. They spoke but I could only hear fly noises coming from their mouth.

    Strangely, when the world turned black and white, I was consumed in this cold tranquil fury. My reasoning was there. My hearing and smell senses were working. The world was black and white. But I was calm. I was so calm that it felt like I was standing on ice.

    The two seemed confused with my standing still. The one on the right tried to take my rifle. But I shot him in the leg. The one on the left tried to blast a hole in my head. But time slowed down and I saw floating words that allowed me to tilt my head slightly. The bullet whizzed past me and I shot the bastard in the stomach.

    They were bleeding. I looked at them coldly. They were speaking something. Yet all could I hear were buzzing noises. It didn¡¯t make sense to me at all. They didn¡¯t make sense to me. I wanted the noise to go away so I riddled them with bullets. I squeezed the trigger until there was nothing that was coming out of my gun.

    I could smell the smoke coming out from the barrel of my rifle. I took a step forward and search them. There was a note written in common tongue. I read the note and found out that they planned to make use of Silo as a way to control the Cyra.

    But they probably didn¡¯t think that Silo would pull the trigger on them. He probably refused whatever they wanted him to do.

    I would like to say that he died like a man. But it didn¡¯t matter. He was dead now. I feel a mix of whirling emotions stabbing my chest. But something cold kept my head calm.

    And my cold calm head told me to find who wrote the letter.

    I left the house and went to where Dan was. I need him to take care of Silo¡¯s body. I don¡¯t want the trail to go cold. But even thought I wanted to stay. My calm cold head told me to follow the lead as fast as possible.

 Chapter 136

    Chapter 136 ¨C Dolce¡¯s Melancholy

    Alex returned to the demesne bearing the news. He was alone on his ship and there was no sign of the heavily armed lad that once methodically checked on his weapons. He was gone like the wind. It has been four days since he dropped him somewhere around the borders of Midland. The last thing he saw was his lone harrowed figure walking with a gloom of cold fury.

    He returned hurriedly to the demesne. He landed his skyship and reported to the Princess, who took the news gravely. She did not show it but her mask broke apart. He had nothing to say further other than that. The Princess asked where his passenger was. He could only say that he left. Where to? Alexander Langley didn¡¯t know.

    The Princess did not press him for an answer, for he has none to say. Alexander Langley quietly strode back to his sky ship and return back to home base in order to refit and resupply his ship. His thoughts were recalling the lonely figure of a man bathe in despair. He could do nothing for him other than make the sign of the cross and pray him Godspeed.

    ...

    The sky cruiser landed on the landing platform. She looked at the familiar palace and strode with a slow phase. Her maidservant, her only friend walked near her, armed with a rifle, dressed in a sleeved shirt, a flak vest.  While Dolce sported a brown longcoat, underneath her coat was a flask vest. Her pants were of the same color and it was tightly fitted by a belt. Her boot was tucked nicely and in her thigh, there was a pistol holstered.

    A crewman tried to approach Dolce. But she gave the crewman a flick of her wrist. Her maidservant barred the crewman and accepted whatever he had in mind. Dolce did not linger in the landing area. She strides down to the palace and found herself walking in the ornate hallways of the palace.

    Her hair was no longer springy. She didn¡¯t have time to do so for she didn¡¯t have time. She hated being ruled by people. She hated her father¡¯s orders and rebelled against it. Yet she found herself in service of a foreign princess who she sold out herself. It was karma. She should be enjoying the lifestyle of the rich. And to keep herself occupied by the money she was making.

    And here she was being told to do that and that. It was irritating but she rather has the Princess of the Demesne as an ally than an enemy. It was a quite the joke really. The more she worked under someone. The more she understood what it was like being told. She did not like it. She hated it but she had no choice. To curb her resentment she thought of single-mindedly doing her task. It did her well but at the cost of being unable to groom herself as pretty as, she could be.

    Freedom, she thought. Where are you when I need you? I guess this is what it means to be someone¡¯s servant. I did not fear my father yet I would agree with this princess? Is it Fear? Or is it my own wanting to understand that man who refused me madly?

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    Her dreams have been wrought by a single defiant face. It was the face of the single man who refused her despite her willingness to offer her body like she did willingly in the city of storms. She still remembers the moments she spent making love to that bound man. The man then escaped and turned into someone who masterfully ruse a smith into death.

    She had found ways to acquire him. She was gleeful at that time. She thought of many ways she would enjoy her time with that man. Yet what did he do? He defied her. He struggled and took a leap of faith with a defiant face. That face alone brought her days of nothing but that face mocking her.

    Every night she would dream of that man scarring her. He would mock her. She would hear his laughter without end. She had fought such dreams with wine and mindless activities. But yet it did not cease. The dreams of a man who was dead did not stop. Maybe this was her own punishment for being such a tyrant. But what was she? She was told and taught how to act. And only through the past months that she had started to understand why would the lower born people would defy the words of the privilege.

    It was a lesson to her. She had received something akin to enlightenment. Of course, her overall vain and narcissism did not cease. Even though she did not groom herself, Dolce still found herself as a beautiful woman that would make men turned to her. But that confidence faltered at the thought of the man who rejected her. It irritates her but she finds comfort that the man was dead.

    Dolce found herself facing the office of the Princess. She waltzes right in without a care for knocking. She found the Princess wading through piles of documents. She was sipping wine and there were bags under her eyes. Dolce tried to be smug but found out that the Princess wasn¡¯t in the mood for jest.  Knowing better, Dolce summarized her task. To her surprise, she apparently failed. The person that the Princess wanted her to protect was dead. All her work was in vain and the stalling she did turn out to be nothing.

    She found it stupid. She thought how much of a waste of time it was. She wanted to complain clearly but the Princess of the Demesne gave her another mission, much to her chagrin. She truly didn¡¯t want to say no but the Princess was colder than ever. It was as if all optimism she had for the world was gone. She looked depressed and bleak that Dolce thought she must be using work as an excuse to distract her mind.

    Dolce did not want to anger the Princess who could easily ruin her life so she listened. She can always postpone the mission and idle. So she listened and nodded faintly before leaving the office and back to her sky ship.

 Chapter 137

    Chapter 137 ¨C Dolce¡¯s recalling¡¯s

    She left trying to scratch  any ideas in the insides of her brain. The thought of protecting someone she didn¡¯t know who or where was odd to her. The Princess told her to return back to the Holy Midland and keep watch on anything or anyone. She agreed with a fake smile. But if there was one thing she wanted. She wanted to rest. Never have been she so tired of walking and flying around.

    Her usual devilish bravado was gone. Her maidservant Elesia was behind her, eagerly following with a drawn rifle on her hand. She looked at her master with a bit of worry. Ever since being forced to work under the service of the Princess of the Demesne of Maltius La Fende. Her master hasn¡¯t been grooming herself. Her demeanor was a wreck.

    ¡°Is there anything wrong, milady?¡± she said.

    Dolce looked over her shoulder. ¡°Really, you are asking that now?¡± she said. Her tone filled with tiredness. ¡°I¡¯m trying not to work. I can probably just laze around and do whatever the Princess wants of me. But she seemed moody. So I rather not have her execute me.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± said Elesia. ¡°Why not try resting in the skyship, milady?

    ¡°Did they fix the noise?¡± asked Dolce.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s my answer.¡±

    She slumps her shoulders down. She continued trotting up the flight of stairs until she caught sight of the skyship. The crewmen were busy working on their tasks. She walked passed them and boarded the ship. The rear of the ship closed. She sauntered into the interior of the ship and walked up this passage that leads to her room and office. Elesia followed behind and closed the door behind her.

    Dolce ambled to her desk. She craned her head and gawked at the open sky. She closed her eyes. She examined her body and finds herself stiff all over. She opened her eyes. She crooked her head at Elesia and claps her hands. Elesia was used to whatever her master wants so she went out of the room.

    Dolce lifted her legs. Usually, she doesn¡¯t act in such manner. She was raised with etiquette and acting like this was unlike her. She wouldn¡¯t imagine herself wearing anything that wasn¡¯t frilly. Of course, her actually going out and working for someone was something that she wouldn¡¯t dream. She has lived her life properly and ever since what happened in the city of storms, where she acted out of defiance.  Her life has taken a strange turn.

    Her father would probably feel mixed emotions. He has always tried to make Dolce work or marry her to someone she usually hates. But through a strange twist of fate. She had found herself owning fiefs and she was now working for the Princess of the Maltius La Fende, the Princess of the strongest nation in the continent. She could now brag in front of her father and get away with. She wanted to do that but the Princess has been working her to death.

    Of all that is good, she thought. If this is how the commoners feel when they are worked to death. Then I rather not put them in the same position.

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    Of course, they still need to earn their pay. The workers that she has employed didn¡¯t try to escape nor tried to murder her lately. She has realized how a fair wage can make them loyal. In fact, they seemed to have misunderstood and thought Dolce had a change of heart. She did have a change of heart but not that much.

    The door swung open. Elesia walked with a flask and a cup. She put the cup on the table and poured Dolce tea. Dolce took the cup and sipped on it. ¡°Still using this tea?¡±

    ¡°The tea of the demesne is much fresher than the ones back home. Does the lady don¡¯t enjoy it?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she shook her head. ¡°It is tasty and I like it. I wonder how they make their tea so refreshing.¡±

    ¡°I think it depends on the brewer too.¡±

    Dolce looked at Elesia with a slight grin. ¡°Sure, whatever you say, Elesia. Come and drink some too. I think you are going to need it. Because I just know that strolling around Midland will be a chore. And get some earplugs to cover my ears.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s heretical, milady,¡± she said. ¡°I am sure that the priest would try to lynch you if they found you wearing earplugs.¡±

    ¡°I like to see them try. That will give me the excuse to shoot them in the stomach.¡±

    ¡°Milady,¡± Elesia frowned.

    ¡°Oh please wipe that frown away. I was just jesting with you. And you know that shooting a priest would just make their guards try to blow my head too.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± she patted her chest. ¡°Still, what are we doing for the Princess this time?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. She only wanted me to keep my ears on the ground. I guess she wants to monitor midland. I really can¡¯t blame her, knowing how sneaky the Templars are.¡±

    ¡°I see. But are they really trying to stir up trouble? With that Empire coming and all,¡± she said with fear in her eyes.

    ¡°Who knows? Both sides are driven by motives. And please, what need is there to fear? If they come then they will come. Fearing will not help, and you should fear when they come.¡±

    Elesia nodded her head. Dolce looked at her before feeling the floor tremble. There was a sound that came in a box up the ceiling of the office. It was a voice box that still makes Dolce uncomfortable. The ship was littered with voice boxes.

    She was surprised at the first time. But now she was impassive to it. Although she was making use of the ship, it didn¡¯t belong to her. The crewmen that pilots and maintains the ship are loyal soldiers of the demesne. The only people she has on board are the deck cleaners and guardsmen who looked after them.

    She doesn¡¯t have control over them. She hates that she could not dictate them to go wherever she wanted to unless the task given by the princess was done. Still, she tries not to fret over it. There was no need for her to get worked up as long as they don¡¯t try to shoot her.

 Chapter 138

    Chapter 138 ¨C Tiresome Matters of Midland

    There was a place recently built in Midland where flying ships could land. Dolce arrived in the capital of the Holy Midland along with the skyship. She wasn¡¯t that fond of the Holy Midland. But still, she could appreciate the baroque and gothic architecture of the midland.

    The landing area where she disembarked along with Elesia was filled with chaplains blessing the ship. There were holy water and bells being chime as chaplains give them a blessing of a safe journey. Dolce walked passed one of the chaplains, to her irritation, the chaplain sprinkled holy water on her. ¡°Bless you!¡± said the chaplain. Dolce gave the chaplain a stiff smile before striding away with haste.

    She found herself on the asphalt roads of the city. The roads were littered with motor cars spewing white smoke. There were street vendors on the sidewalk. The people walking around wore thickly padded robes and simple shirts. There were knights walking around in full plate armor. Although they carry swords, they were armed with rifles. They are the Imperial Guards of the Capital City.

    Dolce stood around, tapping her right foot. Elesia fell in line with her and looked around. ¡°Are we waiting for someone, milady?¡± she asked. Dolce looked at her. ¡°Yes, there was supposed to be a car waiting for us. Where¡¯s that chap is? I have no idea.¡±

    Elesia nodded, sensing that her master was having a bad day. The two waited for about thirty minutes. By the time a car parked in front of them. Dolce was seething with fury. She looked at the tabard wearing fool who wrapped his head with a bandana.

    ¡°I am really sorry milady.¡± said the chap. ¡°The roads were clogged and I had no choice but to wait.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Dolce said as she enters the car, not waiting for the chap to open the door. The chap lowered his head. Elesia tapped his shoulder. ¡°Come on, let us go.¡±

    The chap¡¯s face beamed. ¡°You got, madam.¡± He opened the door for Elesia. Then he entered the driving seat of the car and started priming the engine. The engine rumbled and hummed before moving forward. Dolce leaned on the car¡¯s cushion, she watched the blurry buildings as the car moves.

    ¡°Who is this person?¡± asked Elesia. Dolce looked at Elesia, noticing a playful smile on her. ¡°His name¡¯s Henry. He¡¯s the chap that spilled my drink. His working for me now, isn¡¯t that right Henry?¡±She hollered at him. Henry looked over his shoulder with a weary smile. ¡°Forgive me milady, I didn¡¯t mean it.¡±

    ¡°I know you didn¡¯t, Henry,¡± She said. ¡°But you have to pay for my dress. And that means you are going to work for me with half of your wage.¡±

    ¡°I know, and thank you milady,¡± said Henry. Elesia looked at him then to Dolce. ¡°Is he always like this, milady? He seemed like can¡¯t control his nodding.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind Henry¡¯s half-wittedness. He can drive us around Midland. He¡¯s a fool but a useful one.¡± Dolce shrugged her shoulders. Henry smile weary at those words. Elesia turned to look at Henry oddly. She wondered when the lady met him.

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    The car moved through the avenues of the capital. The car was heading to the inner part of the city where most nobles and high ranking officials dwell. Dolce watched the buildings when she noticed wanted posters. She told to Henry to stop so she can examine the posters.

    ¡°What are those?¡± she asked. Henry cocks his head and looked at the wanted posters. ¡°Ah,¡± he said. ¡°Those are the posters that have been plastered around the city, milady. They are probably the infiltrators that have been killing officials.¡±

    ¡°Infiltrators?¡± she said in bewilderment. ¡°Do you mean the enemy has managed to enter the state, directly inside here in the Capital?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I heard. The Bali and Cagan folks have somehow manage to enter by summarily executing officials. They¡¯ve sent some inquisitors but the trail¡¯s cold and gone.¡± He said.

    ¡°So you are telling me that they are still roaming around? Have they checked the ears and tails? Cagan natives can be easily spotted.¡±

    ¡°I heard that they cut their tails and trimmed their ears to make them look human. And the Inquisitors are having a hard since they have been fear mongering. And that fear is being backed up by officials dying. Even now there are checkpoints around the city, checking any car, carriages, and trucks.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Dolce nodded. She thought of what the Princess ordered. Was this the thing that she wanted her to do? Protect the officials of the Holy Midland? It seemed unlikely. The princess was vague in her words. She didn¡¯t mention any names and just told Dolce to look out for anything that might happen on Midland. At first, Dolce expected nothing to happen since it was the Holy Midland. But hearing Henry talk about Infiltrators from Bali and Cagan made her wary.

    If they were able to enter the Holy Midland and have been killing officials then they are trouble. This is problematic, thought Dolce. She planned to relax and rest around the capital but it seems like there was trouble that she might need to look up. She was fond of going around working for others but if the infiltrators are really troublesome then she needs to act. The Princess of the Demesne of Maltius La Fende sent her back here in Midland for a vague mission.

    Dolce doesn¡¯t like the sound of these infiltrators. She thinks that they are going to be trouble. If she had a choice in the matter then she would rather travel out of Midland and let the Inquisitors take care of the problem. But sadly, her hands are tied. She cannot ignore the problems. She might not like the Templars and the Holy Midland. But she still needs to act.

    What a mess, Dolce thought. She reclined her back on the seat with a tired expression on her face. She thought how tiresome things have gotten ever since she sold the Princess back. Indeed, she has gotten more cards on her hand but now she had to worry about people getting killed and things going sour. She felt she just wanted to find a solitary cabin and ignore the world. But now she can¡¯t.

 Chapter 139

    Chapter 139 ¨C Messy Evening

    The hall was lavishly decorated. There were curtains made of silk. There were round serving tables with food and wine. There are men and women carrying silver trays, serving the fine people dressed in formal clothing. There¡¯s a big chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The dining tables have lamps and candle. There are people forming groups, making hubbub as they do. There was an organ playing a nice tune. The area smelled of perfume and wine. She was usually fond of parties such as these. But she found herself socializing with the red wine in her glass goblet.

    Dolce sat on a corner where people would rather avoid her. Her table was blocked by Elesia and Henry. The two wore formal clothing and acted as her protection. The other nobles inside the party hall have their own bodyguards. But the two in front of Dolce was finely armed. They carried their rifles and were protected by a flak vest. They look intimidating and that alone was enough to keep the men from trying to get her attention.

    She came to this party because she was invited. Of course, if she knew that most of the people in the party were pompous and as vain as her. She would rather scour the midland. The only thing that she rather liked about the party was the wine and food. The atmosphere of the room would have better if the people weren¡¯t talking loudly. The organ playing across the room was making her mood a bit better.

    There was a slight cold breeze coming inside through the balcony. The party was located up a tower with a rather beautiful view of the city. The tower was owned by a high-ranking official that works under the Officiator of the City. That same person was talking to the Head Judge of the City. Dolce believes that she was only invited because of her current status. She was in cahoots with the Princess of the Demesne of Maltius La Fende, and she was an Alva. And that alone was enough for the people around her to try and make connections.

    She didn¡¯t give them the chance though. If the look of boredom and malice wasn¡¯t enough for them to take a hint, then Dolce was sure that the rifle carrying Elesia and Henry would persuade them. Thankfully, it worked and now she was able to sit back and relax. Of course, it would benefit her if she talks to the people around the party hall. They were influential and successful people that could make her status more prominent than her father. She was slowly working on the idea to stand up and put up a fake smile. She might as well get some information from the nobles around. So, she wipes her mouth with her handkerchief, she places her hand on the table and stood up. She took a step outside of her seat and poised her back straight. She was about to walk forward when she suddenly heard the sound of glass breaking.

    Then what followed was the meaty sound of a head exploding. Dolce saw a man¡¯s head explode. His eyeball came out of his eye sockets. The back of his brain spilled and the man kneeled lifelessly on the floor. Before everyone could react another shot came and hit the person standing near the man. Then, another bullet came to hit the bodyguard of the Head Judge. Dolce felt shivers on her back as she rolled back and drew her pistol and slid to cover. Her instincts prove right as many more nobles were hit by the sniper fire. Henry and Elesia smashed the table and use it as cover.

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    The door of the party hall swung open and a group of a strong looking man armed with repeating rifles open-fired on the hall. The bodyguards of the nobles open fire but they were caught by surprise. Dolce took a crack shot and managed to hit one. Henry stood up and open fired blindly, gunning down two of the burly man. He almost got his head blown up but he was pulled down by Elesia who suppressed them. Dolce took that chance to take the repeating rifle that bodyguard dropped. She loaded the weapon and cranked the lever. She hoisted it up and aimed. She shot one and sprinted to the Head Judge and the Officiator.

    The two were cowering like dogs that were bathed in cold water. She kicked them in the ribs, shouting. ¡°Get up you cowards! Take the rifles and open fire!¡±The two nodded their heads. They took the rifles dropped by their bodyguards and pressed their back on the table for cover. Elesia shouted, ¡°Reloading milady!¡± as Henry then fired blindly at the group of me. He ran out of ammo but Elesia pulled him down and suppressed them again.

    Dolce returned fire. She reached for the voice box she was given and called the pilot. ¡°ETA, two-minutes, are you sure of your location milady?¡± Dolce lowered her head. ¡°Yes, I am sure! Now come before I get killed!¡± there was static. ¡°Roger, please hold your position.¡±

    Dolce put her communicator back. She returned fire and felt bullets whiz past her head. She was cursing internally and returned fire hoping that the ship arrives soon. She could feel that the assailants were not stopping. It took a while but seeing the ship arrive made Dolce sigh in relief. She then ordered the judge and officiator to open fire. Henry and Elesia then ran to the balcony and suppressed the enemy.

    With them covering for her, Dolce grabbed the officiator and head judge to the ship. The other nobles sprinted towards the ship but got gunned down instead. Dolce was able to step on the ramparts of her ship. She shouted at the crewmen inside and before long the ship¡¯s thrusts rumbled. The rampart of the ship was about to close. But she saw one of the nobles being pulled by the assailants. There were still gunshots coming from one of the towers.

    The party turned out bloody. The assailants were approaching so Dolce took a step inside and let the ramparts close. She breathes heavily as she looked at the few nobles who survived the massacre.

 Chapter 140

    Chapter 140 ¨C Grimly Singe-Minded

    He dragged the noble and pushed him inside a cell. ¡°Bastards, the Templars will cut all of your heads!¡± he pounded on the cell. He dully looked at the noble before trotting out to the corridor where he saw the rest of the group who survived the raid.

    ¡°Bihar, Rosie, Harriet, Gomez, are we the only ones that survived?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Bihar nodded, pressing his back on the grey wall. ¡°Most of the comrades got gunned down. We expected to take casualties on our side. But this is just plain disastrous,¡± He nodded his head. ¡°Aye, we knew that it was suicidal but it worked and we at least got one of the nobles we are after. The Officiator and the Head Judge escaped. Tsk, how come we missed that person?¡±

    Rosie dusted her cape. ¡°We don¡¯t know that there was a last invitee that has a ship that fast. Shit, we messed up and now they are going after us. We manage to hide undetected but that will change now that the Lord Officiator and the Head Judge witnessed our raid. The place¡¯s probably swarming with Inquisitors.¡±

    Harriet folded her arms. She looked at the gloomy expression of her teammates. ¡°So what we are going to do then? Continue the raids or should we go back?¡±

    ¡°And spit on our comrade¡¯s death?¡± Gomez cuts in. ¡°We agreed that it is either death or victory. We¡¯ve come this far and it is thanks to the bastard currently cutting the skin of the noble we capture that we could make it this far.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s what?¡± asked Bihar.

    ¡°His interrogating the noble we caught. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll last another minute once he cuts his tendons then cauterize his wounds. Then I am giving him an hour or less.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Rosie nodded. ¡°Then I guess we should let him do so.¡±

    Everyone nodded at that. They stood still for a second or two before leaving the corridor. He stayed for a while and listened in. He could hear the noble he pushed inside the cell shouting horribly. His shriek made his spine tremble. There was a continuous pleads of mercy before the noble finally bawled like a child, telling the person who was torturing him what he knew.

    It was a confession made of stuttering and mumbling. The person that tortured the noble was quite patient. Allowing the noble to explain all he knew. By the time the noble was done talking. He heard a loud smack. The cell door opened and a person wearing a hood and cape that covered the webbings of pouches and bandoliers on him. The person sheathed his combat dagger and looked at him with dull impassive eyes. He thought that his eyes looked like a corpse. It was so cold that he still shivers at the sight of it. He spun and turned to the other direction. He carried his scoped rifle and disappeared within his sight.

    The man was quiet as hell. He barely talks and when he does. His voice was filled with a cold seething fury. He still remembers the first time that they met the guy. They were trying to infiltrate Midland. But the security of the land was high. So in order to smuggle their way in, they tried kidnapping an official.

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    Things were going too easy when did. And when they thought the official was theirs. They saw him mutilating the official. They tried threatening the man first but it ended with them just one single step into death. The man was very cautious and before interrogating the official. He had set up a tripwire that would have blasted them open. Thankfully, Bihar was able to compromise with him.

    Since the man was going after Midland officials. Bihar offered an alliance. The man hesitated and was clearly distrustful but agreed while decreeing his own terms. He would work with them but they are not his ally. He would help them only if their interest aligned. He was a paranoid man. So they had to appease him through trust.

    The group didn¡¯t regret associating with him. Although he was unhinged and grimly single-minded, the group was able to work with him. If they didn¡¯t then there was no chance for them to reach the heart of Midland. The Templars trusted the man because he was not Cagan or a Bali native. Hence they were able to continuously do what they wanted because of it.

    Still, he thought how that would change now that the Lord Officiator and High Judge knew of their existence. He warned them that it was reckless but they didn¡¯t listen. He felt that they should have. But now their cover was blown and before long the Templars will be searching for them.

    He could only shake his head at that thought. He walked to where the cell was and checked if the noble was alive. The noble was barely alive. He looked at his skinned cheek and down to his stomach, only to see a box attached to the noble¡¯s stomach. He opened the cell, went inside and squatted to check what¡¯s inside the box. He fiddled with the box only to smell a familiar scent.

    He ripped the box open and there was a click. There was a bundle of dynamite that was rigged with a flint and a string. Pulling the string primed the bomb. And knowing this he sprinted away from the cell and started shouting for everyone who could hear him, to get out.

    But it was too late. The bomb exploded and he felt his world rotate badly as he landed on the ground heavily. His bones broke. His limbs were facing the wrong direction. He looked at the building they were staying. It was burning and he could see that some of his comrades were able to escape but was badly injured, like him. He tried to crawl and take a deep breath. But he heard the cocking of a gun. He looked up. He saw the man¡¯s cold and dull eyes. His gaze was piercing his soul as if the man was looking at him like a monster.

    ¡°Stan...I thought we had a deal?¡± he asked.

    ''Stan'' gazed at him. ¡°You Bali and Cagan fucks burned down Avilla City once. You killed people. And I saw you bastards gunned the servants at that tower. I told you bastards that it would be risky. But you didn¡¯t listen and killed anyway.¡±

    ¡°You were planning to betray us?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t supposed to. But things are different now. You guys failed. And now I hope you bastards go to whatever heaven or hell you believed in.¡±

    He tried to shout curses. But he only heard the gunshot coming from Stan¡¯s gun, and the darkness surrounding his vision instantly.

 Chapter 141

    Chapter 141 ¨C Patterns of Execution

    The news of the attack spread through the capital city. The Head Judge and the Lord Officiator declared martial law and security got tighter than ever. Through her accidental efforts of saving the Head Judge and the Head Judge, Dolce was praised and got a noble title of her own. She was now Dolce Astra of Alva, an honored lady.

    And this happened after the tower attack. It made no sense to her how could they award her. But she learned that it was to hide their embarrassing actions. Luckily, no one survived the attack on the tower. So in exchange for the honored title and expunging of details, Dolce accepted it.

    She wasn¡¯t fond of the expunging of details. But the Lord Officiator and Head Judge wanted to their face. So they made themselves look like brave men when the tower was attacked. She despised it and did not care for them. But the day after the tower attack. A new accident shook the city.

    A building was found burned and around it was dead Bali and Cagan natives who had their heads shot. Dolce visited the site and found that they were summarily executed. She recognized what they wore and the Inquisitor who came to investigate confirmed that they were the same people who massacred the entire tower.

    Normally, the Inquisitor would continue their investigation. But the banner that was placed on the ground made them conclude that the deed was done by a loyalist vigilante. The Inquisitor was impressed by the pious-like words that the vigilante did.

    The Templars and the whole of Midland are fanatical and God-Fearing. So seeing the words on the ground made them thought how rightfully the killers were executed by the vigilante. No one knew who did it. But the Inquisitors assumed that justice was served.

    It sounded incompetent and unprofessional. But whoever the Vigilante was. He was able to hit the pious inquisitors in the right places and made them appreciate the Vigilante for the Justice that he has done. To Dolce, it was stupid. She didn¡¯t believe the banner and found it stupid. What was more ridiculous was that the Officiator and the Head Judge was relieved by the news. They made the soldiers lower the security of the city back to normal.

    Then a few days passed and there was no sign of the infiltrators. It was relatively peaceful but there was something that bothered Dolce. To her, the whole thing seemed like it was a giant scheme. She felt like that there was someone controlling the events. There was someone putting the right pieces and someone was manipulating the events by making use of the piousness of the people.

    Dolce didn¡¯t buy whatever that banner the Inquisitors found near that burned building. She sent people around to investigate but yet she found no trace. There was trail and every path seemed like it was taken into consideration. Whoever the assailant was, Dolce thinks that he or she was a paranoid person.

    ¡­

    Dolce walked into the administrative office of the city. It was an office filled with stacked documents, inks, and certainly the stables filled with scribes. Dolce walked past the lines of tables while Henry and Elesia follow behind. She sported her jacket and was visibly more armed than ever. If she didn¡¯t learn from what happened in the party. Then she would have been a fool.

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    She swung the door open and swaggered inside the room. The man in glasses and unruly beard looked up at her. His feathered pen stopped moving, he pushed his scroll of paper aside. ¡°Welcome,¡± he said. ¡°Are you perhaps the honored lady that wanted to know about the recent deaths of the capital?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Dolce nodded. She sat on the chair and faced the man. ¡°Have you tallied them all?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± The man opened a drawer under his table. He took out a tube. ¡°These are the recent deaths. Of course, I have to narrow it down to the important ones.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    She took the tube and pulled out the document. She examined the document and found out that there have been recent killings in the fringes of Holy Midland. Most of them are officials and their deaths are either because of mutilation or through a shot in the head.

    ¡°All the same,¡± she murmured.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked the man in glasses.

    ¡°There¡¯s someone killing them. I am sure you notice the patterns?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± the man nodded. ¡°Does the honored lady think that there is someone doing all the killing?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± said Dolce, folding her arms. ¡°I have many criticisms about the Inquisitors. But they did a good job scouring that burned building. They found the noble that they dragged. He was mutilated. All the ¡®officials¡¯ that died have their cheek skinned. Not to mention that the officials died through a bullet in the head.¡±

    The man in glasses nodded. ¡°Pray tell, honored lady,¡± He said. ¡°What makes you so sure that the person doing all these killing are the same person? It could be a group.¡±

    Dolce smiled. ¡°The man or woman for all I care is thorough. There are no bullets left or shells he or she would leave behind. But however, this person is. He or She is using the same pistol that the demesne of the Maltius La Fende.¡± she pulled a bullet. ¡°Each bullet wounds match the others.¡±

    ¡°He could have burned or hide the body,¡± exclaimed the man. ¡°Why didn¡¯t the assailant do it?¡±

    ¡°Because the assailant wanted to sow fear,¡± she said. ¡°The assailant wanted a chain reaction. Do you know that there is a rogue vigilante out there, that¡¯s dealing justice? That man wanted to sow fear and he wanted people to know who he was killing and the officials to know that he is after them.¡±

    The man in glasses narrowed his eyes. ¡°So what does this killer want to achieve in all of this killing?¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Dolce said. ¡°But I¡¯ve got all I wanted. I thank you for this document. You¡¯ve been very helpful.¡±

    ¡°It is a pleasure of mine to serve.¡± the man made a heart salute and bowed.

    Dolce left the office and went straight to the car. Although she has no care for whatever happens to the officials of the city. She needed to know who the killer was. Because if the gun and ammunitions used by the assailant belong to the Demesne. Then she can guess why the Princess sent her here.

 Chapter 142

    Chapter 142 ¨C The Cold Night

    Although he was sure that the mansion was well protected by his guards. He could not shake the feeling of fear that covers him. When did things go wrong? He thought. He recalled the day that his colleagues received information about the rise of the Princess of the Maltius La Fende. They receive the information and sent it to the Lord Officiator.

    The Lord Officiator was a greedy man. He wanted power and rise to the top. He and his colleagues were ordered to take the man who caught the heart of the Princess. Make him work for them under the guise of money and all the wealth. But who would have thought that the man was a wreck and that the soldiers pushed him into suicide?

    They tried to find the killer but they couldn¡¯t find a trace. He and his colleagues thought that it was a shame. They were about to turn their attention to somewhere else. They had a war to fight. But then the news of their colleague¡¯s death shook them. All of them went to their colleague and saw how horrible their colleague died.

    Maybe the assailant was waiting for them. Because how could he know who to target if they didn¡¯t show up at their colleague¡¯s house? That was their first grave mistake. They thought they could hide from the assailant but he had help from well-versed trackers. They deduced that he gathered the help of the Cagan natives. Each and every strike they do was coordinated by them. The infiltrators would distract the guards while the assailant would do what he came for.

    At first, they thought their guards could protect them. But one by one they were mutilated and murdered. The assailant leaves his victim¡¯s cheek skinned. So he knew that all of it was done by the same person. Their worries were slowly growing. They thought that the Lord Officiator could help them. But what did that bastard do? They ignored him and thought how silly they are for not being able to protect themselves.

    They were angered by the response of the Lord Officiator. More of them died brutally and despite that. The Lord Officiator ignored them. So when the attack on the tower happened. And they were proven right in their fears. It was too late. Most of his colleagues were dead. The Lord Officiator didn¡¯t contact him and tried to save his hide first.

    He thought that they might get a bit of relief with the Head Judge and the Lord Officiator acting. But when they heard the news that a building was burned and that the infiltrators from Cagan and Bali were dead. The Lord Officiator lowered the security. They thought it was foolish. They knew that the infiltrators were not working alone. But they didn¡¯t listen and his colleagues were still being hunted. He retreated to his mansion in fear after hearing the last of his colleagues got killed. He posted guards around his mansion and hid here.

    He thought he would be safe. But he was wrong. His servants were gone. His loyal bodyguards were dead, their mouth-foaming from poison. He didn¡¯t know how the assailant managed to know his location. But he didn¡¯t dare to ask. He took all of his belongings and tried to escape.

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    He went out of his office¡¯s door. He looked from left only to see someone standing in the right. Seeing the person, he raised his pistol and squeezed the trigger. The person tilted his body and was able to avoid it. He was shocked. He was scared. He tried to run away only to hear a gunshot coming behind him. He felt the back of his right knee hit. He landed flat on the ground. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. But he had no time for that. He crawled forward and ignored all the riches he tried to take with him.

    He was shaking. His breeches were soiled. He looked behind and saw that the person was slowly walking towards him. He ignored the pain in his right leg. He stood up and dragged himself away from the assailant. But the assailant followed him slowly. No matter where he turned the assailant would predate him. He tried shooting with his pistol. But the assailant was able to dodge them as if he could see the bullet¡¯s trajectory.

    He emptied his pistol at the assailant. But none of the bullets could hit him. He started to his feet and slowly descended the stairs. He was just steps away from his car. If he could escape he would surely find the bastard again and make him suffer. He promised himself that.

    But hope was the first step to disappointment. He tripped out of misfortune and rolled down the flight of stairs. He felt his leg sprained. He finally shouted in pain as he agonized. He despaired and when he looked he saw the assailant slowly walking towards him.

    It was night and the moon¡¯s light made the assailant a living hunter. He couldn¡¯t see his face. His hair was covered under a hood. But he could see the cold seething fury in his eyes. It was so cold and dull. It was the eyes of a madman.

    He was unruly and unkempt. In his hand was a pistol. He looked up at the man. He tried to open his mouth. He tried to plead for mercy. But yet he could see clearly that his life would end here. His life flashed before him. He looked back and if he could. He would rather avoid choosing to pick a fight with this person. He knew his sins. But he mustered up the last of his courage, asking.

    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±

    The man looked at him. He didn¡¯t say any words. He only gazed upon him. The man seemed like he was lost in thought for a second. But then his words rang out to him clearly.

    ¡°You drove my friend to his death.¡±

    Then a gunshot rang out. The man was shot in the forehead. Blood quickly filled the back of his head. His hair was wet with blood. The assailant looked at the man before walking out of the mansion, leaving only a trail of bloodied footprints.

 Chapter 143

    Chapter 143 ¨C Hyperfocus

    Body tired. Heard cries from the east of the mansion. It was a kid and a servant. They could not see my face. I let them go. No need to kill a kid and the maid. I walked out of the mansion. Mind tired. Limbs are heavy. Needed rest or I¡¯ll faint. Looked up and saw floating words.

    Objective: Rest

    The new ability is helpful. Discovered it lately, helps me focus single-focus as if I am playing a game. It is double-edged. Could kill me if don¡¯t manually rest my body. I had to rest. So I rested it back on my shack. Woke up and it was morning. Felt that I had a bad aroma. Looked up and I saw that the objective was floating. I push the words away. My mind cleared. Head hurt so much. A side-effect of too much focus brought upon by the ability.

    Strolled outside and looked around. No people stalking me. No gazed coming from everywhere. Mind hurts. I took a blue pill. Head hurt less. Recalled the man I killed and his last words at me.  Why am I doing this? I don¡¯t know. At first only wanted to kill the bastards that made Silo take his own life.

    But found out that there was more to it. Each time I kill there was more. I couldn¡¯t tell how many times I blundered. I had to stay focus. I had to scheme and considered every possibility. I made contingency for the infiltrators. Thought they were good people. But they killed innocent and discriminated against the people. They were planning to kill me. I had to kill them first. It also worked in my favor. Now they think that they are all dead.

    Found myself on some boulevard. I ate a piece of bread and cheese. I couldn¡¯t roam around the place with all my weapons and equipment. So I had to wear the piece of clothing that I bought from a store. A simple jacket and pants along with a pair of boots. My last clothing got too bloody and cut. I had to discard it.

    Went around the city and listened in. There was a herald announcing news and propaganda. Security was lifted. The guy I killed wasn¡¯t discovered yet it seems. That¡¯s good. I walked around this plaza. The whole city had a baroque and gothic appearance to it. There were many pious men and women. All of them are zealous. Not cartoony evil as I imagined.

    I couldn¡¯t blame the Templars. They were working for the Lord Officiator who was now hiring good men to protect him. It was impossible trying to kill him without having hundreds of Templars coming after me. I couldn¡¯t do it straight anymore without the infiltrators. I had to apply for a job there. They asked for my name. I told them my name was Stan. They made me shoot a few targets. I got bull¡¯s eyes on each target. Then they asked me how much of a man of God I am. I quoted some phrases from the bible. They took it as my own words and I got a job standing near the door of the Lord Officiator.

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    They said that I should show up tomorrow. They gave me my uniform. As for the gun, I would have to leave it behind. It didn¡¯t bother me. I¡¯ve no need for the outdated gun. I can probably smuggle my weapons in.

    ...

    They found the body. They won¡¯t be able to find me. They wouldn¡¯t suspect that the pious Stan would be the person that was killing them. The work was rather tedious. I need to put a fake smile. And bootlick the people around me. I acted piously. I have a few words that I remembered.

    The people in the Lord Officiator¡¯s office were pampered and pompous. Most would look at me funny. They are a bunch of rich arrogant bastards. But as long as you praise them or compliment them. They would forgive you. I made sure to act like a good worker. But I didn¡¯t risk getting too much attraction. I just did what I did. It took me weeks and since I didn¡¯t actively kill anyone. The security of the city went back to normal.

    I eavesdrop usually. They think that the assailant has died along with the infiltrators. And they barely talk about what happened as if the incident didn¡¯t happen in the first place. Most of the folks around the Lord Officiator¡¯s building were talking about the incoming winter.

    Usually, I would get to see the Lord Officiator. If it was for the floating words that I could see above my head. I would have long pointed my rifle and blasted his head off.

    Objective: Patiently kill the Lord Officiator.

    It was a big help. But in return, I have to suffer extreme headaches and a case of vertigo. It doesn¡¯t help that my vision goes black and white.  Because of this ability that I was able to keep myself calm and steady. I just needed to look at the floating words.

    It was the sixth month of the year. There was snow that would occasionally fall. The weather was getting cold. And it made it easy for me to sneak inside goods that I needed. I didn¡¯t have their help anymore. I was not stupid enough to anger the whole of the Holy Midland. I was angry and seething. But I was patient and calm with fury.

    That person asked me why I am doing all of this. I answered that I did it for my friend. I only wanted to live my life quietly. Yet I realized that waiting for things to happen was a mistake. My passiveness was a mistake. I needed to be proactive. I needed to make sure that when things happened I am ready. I have realized that and I am not making the same mistake again. Still, it doesn¡¯t mean that I am omnipotent and that I would know all of the answers.

    I know that I killed a lot of people lately. Indeed, maybe I was as bad as the people that I am killing. I didn¡¯t want any of this. But they forced me. They forced me to be as cruel as them. God may forgive them. But I won¡¯t.

 Chapter 144

    Chapter 144 ¨C Winters Chaotic Dance (1)

    He waltzed inside the building while tugging his coat. He looked in front and saw that there were many officials waiting for the Lord Officiator. The hall was usually empty but this time it was different. He looked from left to right and saw the soldiers. The soldiers were vigilant, and most of them were situated in corners where they can easily take cover.

    He weaved through the crowd and went to the lift. He felt that the metal contraption was sluggish. He didn¡¯t like how menacing the way it moves up. He was rather uneasy but he didn¡¯t let himself be spooked. The lift took a while. He arrived up to the floor he was heading and he took a step forward. The hall was silent. He trotted to one of the doors and entered the room.

    ¡°Finally here?¡± said the man. ¡°You are late. What happen?¡±

    ¡°Sorry Sir,¡± he said. ¡°The roads were clogged. I had to drive through different streets to get here.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± the man nodded. ¡°At least you are here, Henry. What about the package?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s here, Sir.¡± Henry handed the package. ¡°I think it should be satisfactory?¡±

    The man opened the package. He looked at the parcel that was put inside a tube and started reading it. His eyes were clearly focused on what was written inside. Henry stood still. He thought that it must be something important. He didn¡¯t really mind waiting. He was used to it.

    Lately, he had been involved in strange situations. It all started when he spilled his drink on the lady he was now serving. He thought how bad his luck was. How he had to fight raiders and now he was being used as the lady¡¯s messenger boy. He didn¡¯t really complain that much. He has a job and he was allowed to eat on the lady¡¯s skyship.

    He could still go back home to his flat. But he rather liked the experience of flying on a ship. He had always dreamed of soaring through the clouds and the skyship that the lady owns allowed him to fulfill that dream.

    ¡°Henry,¡± said the man. ¡°Tell your lady that she has done well. As expected of the daughter of that bastard. I thought she had no future.¡±

    Henry raised an eyebrow. The man looked at Henry oddly. ¡°She may not look like it now. But Lady Dolce Astra of Alva was famous for her laziness. She was someone that would stay and read her books inside her room than socialize with her fellow nobles. I remember her father ranting about while drunk. How useless and rebellious her daughter was. Yet now she has many fiefs of her own and in leagues with the Princess of the Maltius La Fende.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Henry nodded. ¡°The Lady sure is amazing.¡±

    ¡°She is,¡± the man nodded. ¡°She¡¯s brilliant and talented in many aspects. Though it is a shame she is no longer a pure woman.  I guess that dishonor that she did compares nothing to her achievements now. But she¡¯s a smart woman and I guess she knows what she was doing.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± Henry said. The man looked at him and grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t ponder about it, Henry. She¡¯s a good fighter and someone with a brain. She will take you far as long you stay loyal to her.¡±

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    ¡°I will,¡± said Henry. ¡°It beats working for priests and preachers who treks the fringes of our nation.¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± the man laughed. ¡°I was surprised to see that you are her delivery boy now. Still, it was nice meeting you again, Henry.¡±

    ¡°I can say the same, Sir.¡± Henry nodded. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be long dead in the battlefields by now. I guess God wanted you to serve the country longer.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± the man said. ¡°But as long as the Officiator is still in his lavish office. All I can do is make sure that he wouldn¡¯t throw the city into chaos. He controls the taxes of the city and the productive sectors of our land. In the last month, he almost starved the western fringes of our nation in favor for the production of those walkers.¡±

    ¡°Ah, those walkers do pack a punch.¡± He agreed.

    ¡°They do. But the cost of building them is high. The materials enough could allow us to produce more weapons. I rather see more repeating rifles and mortars out on the battlefield. Sigh, I hope that he consults me next time he makes those kinds of suggestions.¡±

    ¡°I wish you luck on that, Sir.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Henry.¡± the man said. ¡°Can you escort me and be a good man and take the box with you. I think the Lord Officiator would want to get his tea.¡±

    ¡°Will do, Sir,¡± Henry nodded. The man stood up and left the door. Together, they walked through the hallways of the buildings until they reach the double doors of the Lord Officiator¡¯s office. The man that Henry was following turned towards the guard standing dutifully.

    ¡°Stan, I see that you are dutifully standing still as ever,¡± the man said.

    ¡°Lord Gilbert,¡± he bowed. ¡°Are you looking for the Lord Officiator Sir? He should be in.¡±

    ¡°Good to know,¡± he patted Stan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Carry on with your work Stan.¡±

    ¡°Sir,¡± Stan nodded. Henry then followed Lord Gilbert into the room. He nodded at the guard as he did. Inside the room, the Lord Officiator was wading through a pile of documents. He noticed Lord Gilbert¡¯s presence so he stopped and put his pen away.

    The two exchanged pleasantries but all Henry could tell that they had tones of sarcasm in their voices. Henry was recognized by the Lord Officiator so he treated him well. The two had important things to discuss. They talked about the incoming winter and how the productions of the factories should be handled. The two discussed how to handle the food that was going to be sent to the battlefield.

    Henry couldn¡¯t understand most of them so he excused himself out and have a little chat with the guard named Stan. He entertained Stan and was friendly enough for him to waste his time with. By the time Lord Gilbert and the Lord Officiator was done talking. Henry was called out by the two. He was tasked to invite his lady to the building for they have important things to do. Henry couldn¡¯t refuse so he nodded his head and went out of the building.

 Chapter 145

    Chapter 145 ¨C Winter''s Chaotic Dance (2)

    Indeed, she thought herself as intelligent. But it was already the sixth month of the year. Winter has come and outside the ship, snow was falling. She was wading through documents still waiting for anything to happen. The ¡®assailant¡¯ that she was waiting to make a move vanished.

    Where was the bastard? She thought. She thought that the assailant would act fast. Yet most of the people around her have concluded that the assailant has escaped. She refuses to believe that kind of conclusion. Why would someone do so much killing and just go away without completing it?

    It doesn¡¯t make sense. And if the killer was hiding, then he or she was doing a good job. She has placed spies around the borders to watch for anyone trying to escape. She made them search for any weapon or object that might reveal the assailant.

    But yet there was nothing at all. She thought that the assailant was a ghost that disappeared without any trace. If anything she praises the assailant for his or her¡¯s paranoia. Only a paranoid fool wouldn¡¯t leave a single trace. She finds her enemy worthy in every aspect.

    If I catch that person, she thought. It would be great. There was an obsession in her eyes. Although she has done everything she can and has periodically updated the Princess. She reported blandly and the Princess would regularly tell her to keep watch.

    She wondered who the person that she was looking for. It couldn¡¯t be an agent of the Demesne, knowing how fragile the alliance was. She recently attended a meeting and it was horrendous. The icy stares and the bland monotone voices of the attendees made her thought that the Princess or the demesne wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to send someone that would cull the officials of the Holy Midland.

    Of course, she told the Princess of the assailant. The Princess was surprised by this assailant and told her to capture the assailant who is using the demesne¡¯s weapons for his or her benefit. It was obvious that she would be going to go after the assailant.

    She has spent time and energy to track the assailant down. She was someone that wouldn¡¯t give up on what she started. So there was no way she was going to let the assailant go. Besides, she rather spends her time tracking the assailant than socialize with the pompous fools who would like to get acquainted with her. Her new honored title brought nothing but opportunistic nobles trying to hit it off with her. At first, she tried chatting with them. But they were too pompous that she promised herself to never behave like that again. She then told Henry and Elesia to keep them away and reject them. Elesia and Henry were good at doing and thus she was able to wade through piles of documents and not deal with anyone who smelled of perfume and face powder that makes her nose itch.

    The dung swung opened. She looked up and saw Elesia carrying over a silver tray. She softly walked towards the table and put the tea. ¡°I thought you might need the tea, milady.¡± She said. Dolce looked at the tea. She grabbed it and took a sip. ¡°I really did need it. Is it time yet?¡±

    ¡°It is, milady.¡± Elesia nodded. ¡°Should I bring your formal dress? The Lord Officiator wanted you to be formal.¡±

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    ¡°Oh to hell with him,¡± She snarled. ¡°Just bring me my shirt and coat and my pants. Don¡¯t forget my jacket. I am in no mood to wear a frilly dress after that horrible day.¡±

    Elesia looked at her lady from head to toe. ¡°Indeed, it would take hours to groom you, milady. And we could use some makeup and powder.¡±

    ¡°No way,¡± She said sternly. ¡°Powders make my nose itch. And who knows what makeup will do to my skin? Forget it. I am still beautiful without them anyway.¡±

    ¡°As you wish,¡± Elesia said.

    She left the room to get Dolce¡¯s dress. Dolce sipped on her tea and placed her legs on the table. She looked at the ceiling and her thoughts wandered. She really hated talking to the Lord Officiator.

    ...

    Dolce dressed up and went to the Lord Officiator¡¯s building. Henry drove them there and after going out of the car. She looked at the snow-ridden streets of the City before entering. To her irritation, the lobby was filled with people who thought they are in here for some kind of party.

    Their eyes turned towards her. At first, they have the look of surprise. They probably didn¡¯t think that she would be wearing something for someone as famous as her. There was a look of disappointment in their eyes. Dolce can¡¯t be bothered to care about them and went up the lift.

    Henry pushed the button. The lift slowly ascended and as it does Henry was holding to the bar on the side. Dolce glances at Henry. Indeed, the lift was rather crude and worrying. She was about to make fun of him but then it happened.

    A loud explosion rang out. Dolce looked up and saw that blast of fire fry the upper levers. If the lift was made of soft materials then Dolce, Elesia, and Henry would have plummeted down. The explosion shook the whole building and see that staying on the lift was going to be dangerous. Dolce reached for her sidearm and blasted the hatch above them opened. She climbed the hatch while Henry and Elesia followed. Dolce looked around and saw a doorway where she could climb. She dashed and grabs the edge. She pulled herself while Henry followed. Elesia leaped and was caught by Henry.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Henry asked.

    ¡°What do you think is happening?¡± Dolce scoffed. ¡°It seemed like we got lucky. The remaining bastard has finally started making a move! Wonderful!¡±

    Henry and Elesia wanted to retort the Dolce but found no strength to do so. There was no need to stay still so the three tried to get up the lever where the explosion came. The paths were cut off. Dolce thought that the enemy must have rigged the entire building with explosives.

    Knowing this, she carefully soldiered on and used a stairway to ascend up. Luckily, there was no bomb that went off and she was able to ascend upstairs.

    She was about to move forward when an explosion rang again. This it was close and it hurled them into the walls. She felt her vision blur and when it cleared. She was Elesia holding her stomach, bleeding. Her heart sank cold.

 Chapter 146

    Chapter 146 ¨C Winters Chaotic Dance (3)

    Elesia has been with her since she could remember. She still could remember the day she met Elesia. It was the time she was eight when she met the utterly useless Elesia. It was a strange time where she watches her slowly grows into a fine servant. Dolce was someone who rarely goes out. Either she was reading books inside her room or learning how to defend herself in the courtyard. She was always with her.

    When she feels sad and lonely or when she thinks that there was no one that loved her. Elesia was always with her. She would be standing with her usual calm face, always looking out for her. Dolce is confident that even if everybody hates her. Elesia would always be with her. Her father never cared for her and she didn¡¯t spend that much time with her mother. So in her mind, Elesia was her only friend and family.

    So now that she was seeing Elesia¡¯s stomach bleeding. All the thought of trying to go after the assailant halted. She hurried to her side. She was clueless about what she was going to do. She was panicking. Henry rubbed his head. He looked at the bleeding Elesia and the panicked Dolce. He stood up and gently pushed Dolce away. He looked at Elesia¡¯s wound and told the lady that she should have medical attention.

    Dolce nodded her head. She contacted the skyship and told them to hurry. She was fuming with anger. The crew from the other side could tell that they shouldn¡¯t dawdle around. Henry stopped Elesia¡¯s bleeding. She was hit by a shard of rock and all Henry could do was pull the shard out carefully and put pressure on it.

    The hallway was being filled with smoke. They couldn¡¯t stay where they were so Henry carried Elesia to a balcony where they could breathe properly. Dolce followed while shouting at the communicator with fury. She told them to hurry up and before long the skyship arrived.

    Three crewmen from the demesne took Elesia and Henry. The crewmen were about to offer their hand towards Dolce but she shook her head. Elesia, who regain some consciousness, looked at Dolce shooing the crewman away. She wanted to stand up. She has never left her master¡¯s side and seeing her figure getting farther. She felt like she was abandoned.

    Henry wanted to follow Dolce. But seeing the look on her face made him unable to do so. It was clear that she wanted Elesia to be safe and someone to accompany her. With him near Elesia, he could report what¡¯s her condition. Still, he thought how dangerous Dolce was going.

    The skyship flew. The rampart was still open, and Henry could see the Lord Officiator¡¯s building smoking. The roads were starting to swarm with soldiers and carriages filled with Templars. Henry doesn¡¯t know who was attacking the building. But with that amount of Templars. He wondered what the assailant was going to do. How was he or she going to escape?

    ...

    Dolce looked at the skyship disappearing. That was great, she thought. She couldn¡¯t care less for the civilians or the poor people that were around the tower. All she cared for was Elesia. No matter what happens she will prioritize her more than anyone.

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    ¡°Now,¡± she said with cold fury. ¡°Where do I found you bastard?¡± It was personal now. At first, she only wanted to prevail against this enemy. Yet now she was eager to rip him or her apart for what she did. It doesn¡¯t matter what the assailant¡¯s goal. All she wanted now was to find the bastard and make him or she feel how it was like to have their stomach bleeding.

    She trotted inside the building. She looked from left to right. There was smoke coming from everywhere. She couldn¡¯t breathe so she had to make due by wrapping a handkerchief around her face. She continued walking down the hall until she reached a collapsed door. She peeked into the hall through the door and saw that she could still blast her way through the rubble.

    Dolce reached for a grenade in one of her pockets. She placed it in the hole and primed it. Taking cover, she waited for the grenade to explode before continuing forward. There were still four floors until she could reach the upper flower. It seemed stupid going out there but she thought that the assailant must have been near to trigger the blast. Of course, she thought maybe the assailant timed the bomb somewhere or rigged it to explode. But this was the Lord Officiator¡¯s building. It was already a surprise how he was able to blow the explosives. And besides, if the assailant truly wanted to kill the Lord Officiator. He or she needs to confirm that the kill was made.

    No matter how much the assailant tries. There can never be a perfect plan. There would be a big chance that the Lord Officiator survived the initial blast. Dolce couldn¡¯t hear any gunshot or explosion so she assumed that the assailant wasn¡¯t found yet.

    She climbed a flight of stairs. The stairs were wobbly and the door was half-shattered. She found herself on another floor and she saw guardsmen tending to their wounded. She approached one of the guardsmen and asked a few question. After that, she marched to the stairs only to be blocked by two guardsmen. The guardsmen were about to join their brothers. They needed to rescue them and they couldn¡¯t afford being distracted. Dolce, however, manages to convince them by saying her title and that she has a skyship that could evacuate them.

    So with the guards convinced they decided to head straight up. It was tough to breathe through the smoke but luckily they found breathing masks. They scoured the whole floor for survivors and they were able to find two who were trapped and rescued them from certain death.

    Dolce followed the guardsmen. They were looking for survivors while keeping an eye out for anyone that might look like the bastard who started this chaos. There were about four floors that they needed to cover. The smoke was getting thicker as they press on but it didn¡¯t matter. Dolce wanted to find the assailant and make him or feel the pain of having a bleeding stomach.

 Chapter 147

    Chapter 147 ¨C Winters Chaotic Dance (4)

    His body was hurting. His eyes opened. He saw the smoking hallway. What happened? He thought. He was a bit shaken so it took him for a while to remember what happened. He was asked to deliver something for the Lord Officiator when suddenly an explosion rang out and made the building shook.

    All he could remember was falling and blanking out.

    He stood up and looked around. There were only smoke and the smell of the fire. He couldn¡¯t hear anything and he was coughing. ¡°Hello?¡± he shouted. There was silence. He could only hear the crackling of fire somewhere and some stray screams that echo around.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got to find the Lord Officiator,¡± he thought. He doesn¡¯t know or what happened but he was sure that someone tried to assassinate the Lord Officiator. The whole explosion took the upper level. He was sure by now that everyone out there must have either fallen like him or badly injured. He couldn¡¯t stay any longer. He needed to do something.

    He started to his feet. He walked through the smoky corridors blind and looked for anything that might help him breathe easier. He couldn¡¯t find anything so he had to make due by ripping the fabric of his clothes and wrapped it around his face. He trekked on forward. But he arrived on a passage where the ceiling has given up. He pressed his stomach flat on the ground. He crawled through the narrow passage while hoping that it won¡¯t give up on him.

    Thankfully, he was able to get past that obstacle. He started to his feet and jumped a gap. He looked down and saw that there were hands sticking out. A man¡¯s head was crushed under the rubble. And there were children who had been crushed between the fallen rubble. He couldn¡¯t stomach the child¡¯s shouting so he pointed his pistol and gave the little kid the mercy of death.

    In his life, he had drawn a life to never kill a child. Yet he was forced to. He couldn¡¯t stomach it. But what could he do? Leave the child to suffer as the rubble crushes him? Make him suffer any longer? He couldn¡¯t save the child without equipment. He couldn¡¯t drop down and somehow lift the rubble. That was the only thing he could do for the child.

    ¡°All these deaths,¡± he said. ¡°For what purpose do many have to die?¡±

    He never bothered playing politics or knowing about it. He was a soldier, not a politician. He couldn¡¯t be bothered about it. Yet now he wanted to know why. Why was someone so eager to let people die and suffer for the sake of one life?

    He clenched his fist tightly. He turned his back away from the hole and climbed the stairway with wary eyes. The smoke around the corridor was getting denser. The crackling of the fire was getting louder. He met an obstacle as he soldiers on. It was a door that was blocked by rubble. There was no way around it so he pushed it and somehow managed to slip through the cracks.

    The hall was denser. There was someone standing, looking around. He recognized the face. He shouted, ¡°Stan! Thank God you are not dead kid!¡± he hurried towards the young man who was scratch and dirty. He was cut all over and his uniform was shredded.

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    ¡°You are alive,¡± he nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good. What about the Lord Officiator?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I have a feeling that he¡¯s alive. His office made of the toughest metal there. It also acts as a panic room so there should be no problem. And that he should have some Templars guarding him.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Stan said. ¡°How many Templars are guarding him?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± He admitted. ¡°Still, it wouldn¡¯t be bad if we assist the Lord Officiator. I don¡¯t know who the bastard is that did this chaos. But we mustn¡¯t let him succeed in his goal of killing the Lord Officiator!¡±

    Stan lowered his head. He said, ¡°I think you go and get help. I think there are some people who might be trapped. If you are right and if the Lord Officiator is alive, then there should be Templars guarding him.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he shook his head. ¡°We can¡¯t take the chances. There is strength in numbers. And the life of the Lord Officiator is at stake here!¡±

    Stan looked at him blandly. He couldn¡¯t see his clearly with all the smoke. ¡°I see,¡± Stan said in a low voice. ¡°If we want to join the Templars in protecting the Lord Officiator then we are going to need some equipment. It¡¯s best that we should be careful right? Who knows? The person that started this disaster might be still around.¡±

    ¡°Good thinking!¡± he patted Stan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s right we should be careful. And I am sure that the Lord Officiator will appreciate our good work!¡± he stopped and looked around. ¡°But where do we get some equipment, Stan?¡±

    ¡°I spotted a crate or a briefcase of some kind out there. I tried pulling it up but it was stuck. I think with the two of us we can pull it up.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go and take it then.¡± Stan turned around. ¡°I¡¯ll lead. Watch my back please.¡±

    ¡°You got it.¡±

    The two weaved through the fallen rubbles. They dodge through the hazardous areas and traversed through this smoke-filled hall. He coughed but followed Stan who seemed to remember the way clearly. He praised him internally for having a good sense of direction. They arrived in a room. He saw the crate and pulled it up. The thing was not heavy. But the rope reel was stuck. It took them awhile and they put the crate down.

    ¡°Can you check it out?¡± Stan asked. He nodded and squatted. He opened the crate and found out that the crate was filled with different kinds of weapons and equipment. They look like they were made from the demesne but they were worn. He took one of them and smiled. ¡°Stan! We got some good equipment here! Pick your stuff and we should go now!¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Stan said. He turned his head to look at Stan and saw the bottom of a barrel of a gun. He had many things he wanted to ask. But before he could say anything. He heard a loud gunshot and his vision going black.

 Chapter 148

    Chapter 148 ¨C Winters Chaotic Dance (5)

    The Lord Officiator couldn¡¯t stand. Rubble hit him right in the leg. He was miserable. His face contorted in pain. ¡°Find an escape route me!¡± one of the Templars said. The other Templars examined the surroundings but they could only see the engulfing smoke.

    ¡°Please bless us o God,¡± chanted a Templar. The mist of smoke didn¡¯t give them confidence. The fire that was crackling crept their way didn¡¯t help them. But the Templars only shield against fear was their faith. If it wasn¡¯t for that faith they would have longed despaired.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way out, it¡¯s another dead end, Sir!¡± The Templar said. The Lord Officiator looked at the Templar with a panicked expression on his face. ¡°Then make one! Do you want to be fried and be buried under the burning rubble? I do not. God will never give up on us as long as we keep hopeful in our faith! So go on men!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± shouted the Templars. The Lord Officiator nodded his head. They kept on going until they reach this round hall. The building was one of the largest architectures of the capital. It was built as a hub for the government and acts as a fort.

    ¡°My Lord you are alive!¡± shouted a voice. The Templars hoisted their rifles at the direction. The Lord Officiator halted his men as the battered figure of a guard came to view. The guard was a familiar one. The Lord Officiator signaled his men and let the guard come. ¡°You are alive, guardsman. I assume that you have news for us? Seeing that your risk your life coming into this inferno?¡±

    The guardsman saluted. ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve come to inform you that Lady Dolce Astra of Alva¡¯s skyship will be coming to our rescue!¡± Hearing that, the Lord Officiator¡¯s face brightened. ¡°Is that true? Haha, hear that men! Our faith has been rewarded! Hope kept us afloat!¡± He hollered at his men.

    The Templars guarding the Lord Officiator heaved a sigh of relief. The guardsman continued. ¡°Sir, I have something else to report.¡± The Lord Officiator craned his head back to the guardsman. ¡°What is it, guardsman?¡± The guardsman¡¯s face contorted. ¡°When I receive the message from the Lady, I was one floor above them. They were still finding a way up when I spotted two of my colleagues. I tried following them but my path was blocked. I had to take another route and when I finally caught up with them. I saw Stan shooting him. Sir, I think Stan¡¯s a traitor or possibly the one that did all of this.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure guardsman?¡±The Lord Officiator said. The Guardsman nodded his head. ¡°The smoke may be thick but no one has that grey hair among the guards other than Stan, my Lord.¡± The guardsman inclined his head. The Lord Officiator could tell that he was not lying by the slight fury in his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve done us proud, guardsman. We need to get out of this inferno before worrying over this traitorous devil.¡±

    A gunshot suddenly rang. The guardsman who was talking to suddenly spun as the bullet hit his shoulder. The Templars hunkered down. One of them pushed the Lord Officiator down. They crawled through cover. The Templars slid their backs up and peeked.

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    Another gunshot rang out.  The Templar who was trying to peek almost got his head blown apart. ¡°Enemy sniper!¡± shouted the Templar. One of the Templars pulled the guardsman away from sight. He ripped a fabric from his clothing and put pressure on the guardsman wound.

    ¡°We¡¯re pinned, My Lord!¡± shouted the Templar. The Lord Officiator pressed himself on the wall. He looked from left to right. ¡°Is there any way out other than this way?¡± The Templar gravely shook his head. ¡°I am afraid that we would be burned and get toppled down by the collapsing ceiling, Sir.¡±

    ¡°Then one of us going to try and shook the bastard,¡± one of the Templar suggested. ¡°Anyone have a bomb we can throw out there?¡± The Templars shook their heads. ¡°Afraid not, we don¡¯t carry any bombs. Not allowed.¡±

    The Lord Officiator wanted to curse whoever told them not to carry bombs. ¡°So what should we do? Wait for us to get seared and be buried?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try and get the bastard away. Someone cover me!¡± The Templar said. His fellow nodded and went into position. He gestured and counted before dashing away from cover and pointing his rifle at the sniper. The Templar was getting cover from his ally. The sniper was pinned down but he suddenly popped out of his cover and raised his head. The Templar thought he could kill the bastard. But to his surprised the sniper tilted his head to the right, dodging the bullet as if he could see it. The Templar was shocked by that sight. He tried to return fire but a bullet entered his forehead. He fell on his back. His eyes rolled.

    The other Templar managed to reach the sniper. He pointed his rifle up and emptied his bullet. The sniper dive rolled out of danger. He landed heavily. The Templar reached for his pistol He aimed at the sniper and fired first. He thought that it was over. But despite that, the sniper evaded the bullet and shot back. The Templar got hit in the throat. He stumbled back and tried to return fire only to have his head blasted.

    The Lord Officiator and the rest saw what happened. They were able to dash forward towards the Sniper. The Sniper pulled the lever of his sniper rifle. He caught the Lord Officiator and shouted:

    ¡°THIS IS IT FOR YOU LORD OFFICIATOR!¡±

    The Lord Officiator trembled. The hoarse cold voice of the sniper said it all. The Lord Officiator could recognize the voice. It was far colder and seething with anger. It was different from the calm and welcoming voice that welcomes him every time he enters his office.

    He felt like a fool. He didn¡¯t bother with the guardsman because he thought that he was nothing. How could he bother? When the lad did his work well and was friendly. Who would have thought that the seemingly hospitable lad was actually scheming devil who has put them all in this fiery hell? He felt like he was a fool.

 Chapter 149

    Chapter 149 ¨C Winters Chaotic Dance (6)

    The Templars returned fire. They fought with expertise yet the enemy could dodge their bullets. They were fateful but every aim and shot at his head. He evaded it. The sniper hunkered down behind cover. The firefight between them raged on as the fires burn around them.

    The Templars protecting the Lord Officiator knew that their enemy was deadly. They couldn¡¯t afford to be careless. The enemy was good with his gun and he had a better position than them. He also has a weapon that could fire repeatedly. Their rifle could fire continuously but it was inferior to the sniper¡¯s rifle whose bullets come from a drum magazine. It could fire bullets and so far the sniper hasn¡¯t reloaded. Not only that they could see that he still has three or more spare magazines strapped on his webbing of pouches.

    There were many factors that their enemy had done. He made sure that he had every advantage he can get. The enemy was clearly not a fool. If he was then they wouldn¡¯t be stuck in this nightmarish hell. They wouldn¡¯t be trapped in a hallway with the fire slowly crawling towards them.

    They had the numbers. But the enemy had the superior firepower and the single-minded focus. They were panicking. Their hearts were thumping furiously as they thought of many things. They thought how long until the ceiling above them collapses. They thought much time do they have until they get burned alive. The only thing that was keeping them from despairing was their faith and the promise of the skyship.

    The situation was not ideal. The honored lady that they were waiting for could be long gone. The Lord Officiator was starting to think too. But doing so would surely put them in despair. They cannot allow themselves to think that so they kept on exchanging bullets at the enemy.

    But the enemy knew what would happen. The enemy knew that he could never allow them to gain ground. The enemy lobbed a grenade at two of the Templars. They didn¡¯t even notice the grenade until they were blasted up, their legs were torn as their guts were then spread on the floor.

    When that happened the stalemate was finally broken. With the two of the Templars dead, he was able to take advantage of the situation and eliminate the panicked Templars. The Templars tried to fight back. But that explosion shook them. The wounded guardsman tried to raise his weapon only to be finished off.

    The Lord Officiator gritted his teeth. He took the rifle from one of the Templars corpses and fired blindly. He couldn¡¯t see anything and before he could even react. He felt something hit his hand. He dropped his rifle. He kneeled on both knee, shouting in pain.

    He tried taking the rifle with his other hand but he only felt the sharp searing feeling of a bullet passing through his knuckle, passing through his wrist and scraping his forearm. He could only feel pain. He bawled as tears leak out from his eyes.

    He heard a footstep. He looked up and saw the enemy. ¡°Stan you are a wretched devil!¡±

    ¡°Maybe I am?¡± He said. He walked steadily toward the Lord Officiator while still pointing his rifle at him. ¡°But do you know why I became like this? Why would I willingly kill this amount of people just to reach you? You must think that I am someone who was ordered by some politician or noble. Sorry, but this was all personal.¡±

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    ¡°Personal?¡± shouted the Lord Officiator. ¡°What did I ever do to you?!¡±

    ¡°To me?¡± he shook his head. ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything to me. You didn¡¯t tramp upon me or anything like that. But, let me ask you. Do you know who Silo of Edawick was?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± The Lord Officiator didn¡¯t get it first. But then he suddenly recalled the task he ordered a bunch of officials willing to do what he asked. ¡°So that¡¯s all? Did you want to take revenge for the bastard that killed himself? Are you mad? I didn¡¯t even do anything than order them! If you want to kill someone then do it to the bastards who made the call!¡±

    The Lord Officiator wasn¡¯t able to see it. He only saw the heel of a boot. He felt his nose break. He holds it as he looked at Stan, who was seething with hatred.

    ¡°That was IT. If YOU didn¡¯t order them to take Silo, they wouldn¡¯t have gone to Silo. And he wouldn¡¯t have died under the barrel of his own gun. YOU are the catalyst for all these! If you are wondering why I didn¡¯t go after them instead, then you are a fucking idiot. Of course, I went after them! I tracked and killed all of them just to find who out was the bastard that ordered the whole thing! Now I finally reach you. Do you know how much self-control that I needed not pull the trigger on you?¡± he pushed his boot at the Lord Officiator¡¯s throat. The Lord Officiator tried to speak but he cut him off. ¡°You made me do this. You made a monster out of me. It might sound absurd that I did all of this just for a single friend. But if there is one thing that I stood for, it would be THAT NOBODY FUCKS WITH MY FRIENDS AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!¡±

    He pulled the trigger. The Lord Officiator¡¯s eyes widened as the rifle emptied on his head. The head of the Lord Officiator was mashed. There was nothing left.

    He lowered his rifle. He was able to lower his shoulders. But then a bullet hit him right in the sides. He fell sideward¡¯s. It hurt a lot but he endured as he rolled for cover. Although he has been dodging bullets left and right, it was all because he has been abusing his ability. If it was non-lethal his ability wouldn¡¯t activate. So he made sure that he puts his vital parts clearly for the enemy to see. That way he could abuse the bullet-time effect and at the same time dodge the bullet coming towards. He had let his guard down. Still, he was able to keep firing. He was able to empty the last of his magazine and kill the attackers. Before he could try to escape from the place, the hallway where he lobbed a grenade crumbled. A beam lashed out and he was unable to dodge it. He got flung away and he landed on a balcony. It was not enough to kill him so his ability didn¡¯t activate.

    His focus crumbled. He could not see the floating words and he was feeling vertigo and a headache. He could at least recognize the snow falling down. He looked sideways and there he saw someone wearing a gas mask approaching him with a pistol that looked like the one he was using.

 Chapter 150

    Chapter 150 ¨C Winters Chaotic Dance (7)

    He looked at the figure approaching. He pushed himself up and tried to reach for his gun. But he didn¡¯t have them. He moved his head up and saw that most of his weapons got stuck above him. He was unarmed. He couldn¡¯t stand properly and the pain in his ribs was so great.

    ¡°So you are the one that did all of this?¡± the person said. He didn¡¯t reply. He only thought that despite the muffled voice of the person. He could tell he was a woman. The woman approached him carefully. He didn¡¯t move as well. He waited for something.

    ¡°You won¡¯t talk eh?¡± she squeezed the trigger of her pistol. He felt something painful and burning inside his stomach. He kneeled. He stared at the person who put the pistol on his head. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. I can tell. The way you gunned down those Templars. And all this chaos you inflicted upon many people. I saw hell down there. I may have been arrogant and sometimes cruel. But the hell that I saw down there was quite something. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t care. But your actions hurt my friend and my only family. And that is UNACCEPTABLE!¡±

    The woman lifted her leg and hit him right in the face. His ears rang badly. His headache got worse and he was bleeding badly. He could only see red veins. He should be screaming in pain. But oddly, he was smiling bitterly at the irony of all of this.

    He did this for a friend. Now he was being confronted by this woman who was furious for what he did. He knew what he was doing. He wasn¡¯t delusional enough to ignore it.

    ¡°Why did you do all of this huh?¡± said the woman. ¡°If you were planning to kill the Lord Officiator then why involve the lives of many innocent? Although I am not a good person, it saddens me to see many people die because of someone. So LET ME UNDERSTAND WHY DID YOU DO ALL OF THIS!¡±

    He got kicked again. He felt his being shook. The woman tried to kick again but he was able to block it. He wrestled the gun away from her but the woman knew how to fight. She jabbed the bullet wound he had. He was then elbowed in the chest and got tripped. He was slammed down. He was then stomped hard right in the chest.

    ¡°You at least have the will to fight,¡± she said. She reached for her pistol and pointed it his head. ¡°Still, the fact that you¡¯ve hurt my only friend doesn¡¯t change. You did well in scheming and infiltrating this building. The Lord Officiator dead and what you wanted to do was done. Congratulations, you did well. But sadly, you have to be flung away and get injured like this. I don¡¯t really care for whatever motives you have. Logically, I would have to capture you here and now. But I changed my mind.¡±

    She pulled the trigger. But this was her mistake. The floating words appeared before him. He focused his mind on that and immediately his body move against his will. He rolled away and barely avoided the bullet. He felt that the mask the strap on his mask was getting loose. He started to his feet. He crooked his arm and threw a punch at the woman. The woman was able to block his punch. But her pistol was thrown out of her hand and fell down to the streets. The man pulled his arm again and tried to punch back. The two ended up hitting each other in the face at the same time.

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    They stumbled back. The mask they were wearing fell off. The two looked at each with seething fury in their eyes. But those looks immediately froze. He could recognize her. She could recognize him. The two knew each other very well.

    ¡°You are alive, Joshua?¡±

    ¡°NO! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN THIS PLACE DAMN IT?!¡±

    Joshua lost his cool. Dolce was his personal nightmare. He broke because of her. She was his living trauma. And now that she was in front of him, he lost his calmness.

    Dolce was the opposite. She was seething with fury. She was angered for being put into this hell. But what was this? She could recognize Joshua well. And the anger that was burning her heart vanished. It was replaced with the furious beating of her heart and her cheeks heating up.

    The way he was looking at her with a despairing look. His face as he attacks blindly, as if he went mad, made Dolce feel something strange. There was swirling darkness in her eyes. There was a playful smile on her face as she dodges Joshua¡¯s attacks.

    She just kept on dodging while laughing madly. All of the emotion she felt trying to kill him vanished. It was replaced with a chaotic storm of emotions. She was surprised that the man she thought dead was alive. Had turned into someone that was able to surpass her expectations!

    She was feeling something that she couldn¡¯t describe at all!

    Joshua was trying to hit her. But his maddened state made him inaccurate. He was also hurting. His ribs were aching badly. He tried to punch Dolce bur she was able to dodge him. He tried again and again and again but he couldn¡¯t do anything.

    He lashed out again. But Dolce took of his wrist and twirled him as if they were dancing. She swirled him around and then she tripped him over. He landed on his back and his head hit the ground. Dolce mounted him and her weight bearing down upon his injured ribs made him scream. His vision flickered black and white. He looked up and saw Dolce¡¯s reddened cheeks and hazy swirling eyes. She was breathing like a maniac. There was a crazed look on her face as she licks her lips.

    ¡°You¡¯ve escaped me twice. And now that you are alive...do you really think that you can escape me again? He he he he¡±

    He tried to fight back. But his arms were pinned by her knees. Then, she lifted his head and banged her own head against his. That smack was the last hammer on the nail. Joshua felt his head go dull and as he slowly loses consciousness, he felt something soft forcing through his lips, eventually intertwining with his tongue. That sensation was something pleasurable and that was all he could feel before blacking out totally.

 Interlude

    Interlude ¨C Be reasonable

    It was a nightmare. To him, it was the worst conclusion. It was like fate wanted to laugh at him. As if in his every triumph there would be that devilish smile barring his way.

    He jolted awake. The cold disposition he had vanished. He looked around. He saw a medical room with four beds. One of the beds was occupied. The person was slightly familiar. She had black hair and light blue eyes. She was looking at Joshua with surprise.

    ¡°You are awake,¡± said the woman. ¡°I expected you to stay asleep for days with your injuries.¡±

    Joshua didn¡¯t reply. He sensed around and felt that the place was shaking. There was a humming sound comparable to a commercial aircraft. He realized that he was hovering around on a skyship. This is bad, he thought. She seemed to have guessed what he was thinking. ¡°You could try to jump again,¡± she chuckled. ¡°But I doubt the lady hasn¡¯t thought of that. And thanks for the large in the scar. I think it suits me.¡±

    He looked at her. ¡°You got injured by the last?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she nodded and smiled. ¡°I should hate you right now for giving me such a horrible scar. But I decided to be reasonable after seeing you sleeping there without moving an inch. So before you go on thinking about how you are going to be turned into a slave or forcefully be violated again. Let us be reasonable.¡±

    ¡°You expect me to believe that?¡± He said. How can he easily trust someone, especially the one who watch him suffer with a stoic expression? He recognized her and the way she followed her master without thinking. She was her loyal servant. That was clear enough.

    ¡°You should,¡± she shrugged her shoulders. ¡°But haven¡¯t you had enough killing? Or are you a person that likes killing people? Would you like to gun down the people of this skyship to escape? Know that they are poor former slaves who are now happy that they are being treated like working people by the lady.¡±

    He frowned. He folded his arms and looked at the outside. There were snowflakes swaying around. He remembered that the snowfall wasn¡¯t that heavy. ¡°How long have I¡¯ve been sleeping?¡±

    ¡°Oh, about four weeks, you were in some comatose state. The lady was worried about you.¡±

    He cringed at that thought. He then looked at his wounds and found out that he was half healed. It seemed like the regeneration ability that Zola has given her was sufficient enough to heal him. He could still pain around his limbs but it was tolerable.

    ¡°You heal fast,¡± she remarked. ¡°And although a scar on a man really isn¡¯t that as terrible. So can you do me a favor?¡±

    ¡°Why should I?¡± He said.

    She raised her shirt up, revealing the wide scar on her stomach. It was rather nasty.

    ¡°Because you put a scar on my stomach, and I think you should listen to me. Listen, I do not need anything other than you to listen to reason. Be reasonable. Do not suddenly lash out and attack my lady. She just wants to talk. She wouldn¡¯t slave you. She¡¯s bored of that.¡±

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    ¡°Did she talk you about this?¡± he narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she admitted. ¡°Still, all I want from you is to be reasonable human being. The lady is a reasonable person. She would listen to reason and I think after seeing you sleeping for weeks. I think she can be perfectly reasonable. You really impressed her to the point that she would save you from that building. You should be thankful that you didn¡¯t get killed by the swarm of Templars below.¡±

    He moved his legs and touched the floor. He tensed up and felt that he could walk. ¡°Were there a lot of Templars?¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡± She scoffed. ¡°The whole building was filled with Templars. The skies were filled with skyships and griffons. The streets had walkers and four-legged machines waiting for you. The moment you went out of the building looking like that, you would have died. So you can say that by meeting the lady. She saved your life. So that¡¯s why I asked you to be reasonable.¡±

    Be reasonable. It was the first time that Joshua wanted to scoff at that phrase. He wanted nothing to do with the lady. He wanted nothing but to escape her grasp. She was his first nightmare. When he sees her, he would only be filled with anger and fear.

    It was a hard thing to do. But what choice does he have at the moment? He was inside her skyship and he did not have any way out. He could see the clouds from the foggy window. So there was no way he could just jump. He would certainly die.

    Joshua knew fear. He has experience horrible things that would break him. But he didn¡¯t break. He was somehow able to convince himself to trudge through despite fear. Be reasonable. The maid said to him. It was a perfect reasoning. Joshua would rather jump off a cliff or gun painstakingly planned an assassination. He thought that he just needed to put his mind to it.

    So as a solution he focused his mind on making it an objective. The maid, Elesia, wondered what he was doing. But Joshua was focused that only when the words appeared above his head that he calmed down. The words ¡®Be reasonable¡¯ floated like a constant reminder. It calmed him down and put his thought into focus.

    This drastic change was felt by Elesia. As if his face flickered, his worried expression vanished and was replaced by an impassive and stoic one. Elesia thought how different he was. It felt like the person she was speaking to got replaced by someone else.

    Joshua calmed down. His thoughts cooled and his anger and fear almost disappeared. He stood up despite his wounds and as he was about to stretch his limbs. The door opened. Dolce stepped into the room and saw Joshua standing up. Their eyes met. Her smile reached up to her ears. Joshua jolted back. His focused expression vanished for a moment but it returned to the floating words above his head keep him in place.

    ¡°Hello...¡± Joshua said, his voice seething with anger.

    Dolce widened her eyes. She grabbed the end of her coat and bowed her head while keeping an irritating smug look on her face. ¡°It is nice meeting you again, formally, Joshua.¡± This time she made it sound like she truly wanted to talk to him. And it scared Joshua, wondering what this woman has in her mind.

 Chapter 151

    Chapter 151

    Snow fell everywhere. He stood in some street. His head drenched with snow. He tugged his coat. It was not cold. To Archie, it was not. He had been honing the runes that have merged with his body. So despite the bone-chilling cold, he was upright and stern.

    The Capital of the Demesne was at peace. He was now acting as the Proctor of the Princess. So he had been roaming around the capital. There was no thievery or brawls. The streets are clean. The citizens are law abiding. The markets of the city were organized. The water canals of the city were masterfully created, allowing clean water to flow.

    In fact, he had seen canoe¡¯s before the water became inaccessible. The whole city, no, the entirety of the demesne was a like haven. The difference between the Freelands and the Demesne was heavens apart. The architecture and shape of the city were made of cement and stone. The houses were made of bricks but were supported by cement. The houses had tile roofs made from precise machinery that shaped them nicely.

    He had gotten used to these sights. But he would casually stop sometimes to look at the ten-foot tall walkers. They are two-legged machines with crook cockpits. The walkers are heavily armed with machine guns and short-range artillery. He has seen them in action along with four-legged tanks that could maneuver precisely in any battlefield. The machines are dangerous but they are effective. He could understand why the Templars would copy the technology despite their version being rather inferior compared to the demesne machines.

    The Demesne was an odd sight. Ever since he has gotten involved in the defense of Avilla. He felt like his life has taken strange turns. He was just a village proctor once. But now he was a rune-wielding aide of a Princess. It seemed like fate had a way. He could still return to his village. He was able to return awhile ago and since he had nothing there.  He bid farewell to his friends and hope that they do well.

    The Freelands was his home. But now he was in a demesne, hoping that he can do any difference to this place. Archie had been always a hopeful man. His optimism kept him walking. Still, even with that he still trips and stumbles. Under the rain of snow, he was feeling melancholic.

    For all of his optimism, he could still feel sad. It had been months. He had not thought about them. Yet now that he was in a peaceful city. He started to remember those that left him. In his dreams he would remember the nameless comrade that pushed him off a burning airship, saving his life. He would also remember the cheery girl who died like nothing. Not once did he stop dreaming of those two since living in the demesne.

    Troubled times distracted him. But now he was able to remember those who died. That¡¯s why under the snow he walked silently, tugging his coat, trying to distract himself from a lonely thought.

    ...

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.The house was a two-storied building with six rooms. The inside of the house was furnished neatly with furniture and ornaments. The walls have a striped design and there was a fireplace in the living room where a carpet was laid. On the carpet was a little girl with black cat ears.

    She was sleeping with a cat-like posture. He didn¡¯t want to disturb her nap so he walked upstairs and entered his room. He sat on his bed and took a sleep. He woke up later when the snow clearer made a pass through the street of the house.

    He walked down and found Leiko lending Kioko her lap. She noticed him as he steps down. She nodded kindly and continued taking care of her sister. Although her hatred towards humans still lingers, Leiko has mellowed out. Archie noticed how this started after meeting Joshua again. Maybe she had realized something. Maybe she was just being considerate of her racism, limiting it only to fools and strangers.

    Like Archie, she was a proctor for the Princess. She handles the non-human business of the demesne. She has been good at her job. She was an enforcer in Avilla and she had experience. She adapts quickly. Archie thinks that is wonderful and actually admires how she continues.

    Still, he has nothing to talk to her. So he just sat on the table and waited for the kettle to boil. The kitchen was strange to him first. But as he stayed the appliances have become familiar to him. The stove was an interesting contraption that had a dial which he could twist, and the flint would light up the gas that was released.

    It was an ingenious appliance. And he particularly liked it along with a box that produces voices. He remembered the voice box called as a radio. It was the same as the miniature boxes that allows them to relay messages. The whole thing was a strange event to him.

    Ever since he started living in the demesne. He had been introduced to devices and machines that were far from his understanding. It was a culture shock. But he was taking it better than Barbados who has started studying the books of the Demesne. The Princess allowed him the privilege in exchange for him into becoming her engineer. Barbados was happy to oblige. He was a man with a thirst for knowledge. So how could Barbados miss the opportunity presented to him?

    Archie could hear Barbados working on something down the basement. He had made the entire room his and luckily the noises were not heard. It was six feet away from the main floor so there were no bothering noises. The kettle whistled and he stood up. He took the hot water and brewed some fine tea leaves. He put the tea in a pot and poured some for the two. Archie hollered at them if they want some. Leiko and Kioko nodded their heads so Archie took some sweets from the cooling box and put it on the table.

    Kioko started nibbling a cookie. Leiko drank her tea while feeling the warmness warm her stomach. Outside of the house, the snow was falling heavily. Archie loved the peace. But how he could know that he would discover something that would put him into a fickle.

 Chapter 152

    Chapter 152 -

    The next day, Archie found himself walking along the streets of the Demesne. His hand was in his pockets.  His face was shined upon by the sun. The road was still covered in snow. His boots were half buried as he trudges through. There were others walking behind and in front of him. The snowfall covered the sidewalk and on the road, a vehicle was clearing the snow as the motor vehicles pass. There was a walker escorting the snow clearer. The pilot wore a fur coat as his beady eyes looked at the street. Archie stopped for a moment to look at the walker, before continuing down the road, taking a right, reaching this place where a long-winded building was standing.

    Archie reached into his pockets and took out a piece of paper. He was handed to it by a messenger and was told to go and check the building out. He looked at the building. It was certainly a worn out building. It had the appearance of the buildings around it. But inside the walls of the building was another building that was made of wood and stone. It was poorly maintained and he could see green in the cracks of the building.

    He wondered why the Princess sent him here. Lately, the Princess has started overworking herself. Mia was assisting the Princess so she was overworked as her. She has told Archie about the Princess and she herself worried that the Princess¡¯ heartbreak causes her to distract herself with work and responsibilities. Mia wanted to make sure the Princess was not pushing herself too hard. But the Princess asked for Archie to take care of this matter.

    Archie could refuse. But Mia asked him to look at it so she and the Princess could drink. Archie saw the bag in their eyes so he could not help but let them relax why he sees what the fuss about the building. He approached the building with mild steps. He looked upward and saw a rather ancient flag with a Fleur De Lys and a sword.

    It was a gently waving along with the cold breeze. It was hoisted up on a rusted pole that seemed like it was made of some metal he didn¡¯t know. He looked at the door. It was as battered as the building. Though what caught Archie¡¯s eyes was how it was slightly opened. The lock of the door was busted. It looked like it was just recently pried open by something.

    ¡°Not normal,¡± thought Archie. The building was desolate and old. There was no one that would enter here unless they own the place or they have some specific business to do here. It could be that the owner lost the key and decided to pry it instead. But Archie raised his guard up. He gathered the runic energy swirling his body and concentrated it.

    He took a step inside the door quietly. He crept carefully until he reached this dusty and webbed passage. There were dust prints on the ground. He judged that there were about four people. He didn¡¯t know what they were up to, but for now, he just wanted to ask them.

    ...

    The interior was dusty and webbed. It was strangely empty and there was no furniture¡¯s around. There was only an obelisk with blue glowing lines. Archie could feel the energy from the obelisk as he peeks behind a wall. There were four people standing around the obelisk, their palms pointed at the four round stones.

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    They were mumbling a chant that was incomprehensible to Archie. The chant was mildly fast and the people that were standing seemed to be struggling. The veins on their arms were glowing red. There was a difference of color on their arms. But all of them were concentrating on doing something to the obelisk. Energy gathered into the round stones. The obelisk made a humming sound as it started rotating counter-clockwise. The four started to back away from the obelisk. There was a rumbling sound. The obelisk suddenly lowered down to the ground. Then a pod-like object manifested out of the obelisk. It opened and there Archie felt like the surrounding hummed with a song. The wind quivered and the earth seemed to be in wonder at the thought of the person that appeared.

    The person that appeared in the pod was a blue-haired girl with long ears. Her face was so pristine and delicate. She was curvaceous and her skin was like snow. Looking at the person, Archie felt his heart thump furiously. But it was calmed down by the water-like stream that filled his heart. The people near the obelisk felt the same. But they awoke from their daze. One of them howled at the long-eared woman. He pulled her blue hair and shoved her into the ground. The long-eared woman jolted awake. She was about to react but the man stomped on her stomach. Her face contorted badly, she started tearing up. She was too weak so she could only crawl and reach for anything or anyone. Archie was stunned by their actions. But he saw the blue-haired woman reaching out to someone or anything. He could not hear her voice. But the miserable face she was making made Archie¡¯s body move on its own. He went out of his cover and produced a spear made of earth. He threw it and used the wind rune. It flew to the man¡¯s hand. The other three looked at where that spear came from.

    The three of them tried summoning up energy. But Archie clapped his hands and released flame arch that made them stumble. Using that chance, Archie jumped at them and summon three spears made out of the earth. The three were able to form energetic barriers around them this time. Archie was surprised but he still threw it to them. The three were able to deflect the attack. They made gleeful smiles, only to see Archie pointing a pistol at them. Before they could react, Archie had emptied his magazine at them, killing the three.

    He landed with finesse next to the long-eared girl. He darted his eyes and saw that she was slowly standing up. He assisted her up. But then he felt an electric shock his brain. He was stunned for a moment. The long-eared woman looked at him.

    ¡°I am Eiya, thank you for helping me.¡±

    Her smile was like the sun melting the snow. It was bright. It made Archie want to protect her. Of course, he would now soon that doing so would put him into despair and a choice.

 Chapter 153

    Chapter 153 ¨C

    With the four dead and the woman saved. Archie radioed to the Princess that he found her. ¡°You found an obelisk? I see.¡± The princess sounded like she knew what was going to happen. It made Archie wonder if she knew that he would found something like this.

    He looked at the woman. ¡°You said your name was Eiya right?¡±

    The woman nodded at Archie. ¡°I am,¡± she said. ¡°And your name is Archie. Where am I? What year is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s 1810, as you can feel from the cold. It is winter.¡±

    ¡°1810...I slept for too long,¡± There was a trace of horror in her eyes. She stood still dazedly. She looked at the ceiling before pointing her eyes back at Archie. ¡°Is the world still attack by ¡®them¡¯?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®them¡¯? And if you want to see the world,¡± Archie touched his chin. ¡°You should see it for yourself.¡±

    She nodded. Archie looked at the four people. ¡°I should search them. Might be best not to leave them,¡± thought Archie. He searched the four and found strange coins and amulets. Once he took hold of the amulets. A flow of energy came inside his body.

    ¡°What are these?¡± he thought internally. Eiya glanced at him, keeping her mouth shut. There was an impassive look on her face. ¡°Shall we go?¡±

    Archie jolted awake. He looked at Eiya and smiled thinly. He led the way out of the building. Eiya followed, her barehanded feet being dirtied by the dust. She was only garbed with a simple thin robe that reveals her the side of her body, especially her wide sensual hips. It was quite sexual that Archie had to avoid looking at it.

    Still, he couldn¡¯t allow her to out while wearing that so he took off his coat and handed it to her. ¡°Please wear this coat. It is rather chilling outside.¡±

    She stopped and pulled her head back. She took the coat and smiled. ¡°Thank you, I really appreciate this.¡± She wore the coat. The two continued walking out of the building. They arrive in the hallway. Archie asked her as they do. ¡°So what are you?¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Your ears...I have never seen anyone that have knife-like ears.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± she said. ¡°I am from a long-eared race,¡± suddenly her face darkened. ¡°Have you not seen anyone that has ears like mine?¡±

    ¡°I only saw Cornu''s ears and Cattus ones. So I wonder how come your ears are long, your hair so blue and you so beautiful...ah.¡± Archie stopped himself before he could continue. He was just too honest.

    Eiya didn¡¯t expect to be complimented like that suddenly. She blushed and fidgets her fingers before looking away with red cheeks. Archie didn¡¯t have anything to say so he opened the door. There was a cold breeze that met them. Eiya took a step outside and the sun almost blinded her. When she opened her eyes however she was stunned. She blinked, unable to stray her eyes away from the towering cement buildings and the flying machines.

    A walker passed by them. A four-legged tank armed with machine guns and rocket launcher stomp heavily in the distance. There were motor cars driving past them. There were boxes hoisted up on a pole, broadcasting a voice that came from a herald.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°Was the world saved from ¡®them¡¯?¡± she mumbled. She continued looking at the unfamiliar cityscape for a while. Then she turned to Archie and asked. ¡°Is the rest of the continent like this?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Archie shook his head. ¡°This is the Demesne of the Maltius La Fende, the most advanced nation of the Livia Continent. Then there is the Templars Nation, the Holy Midland and the Freelands, the frontier of this continent that¡¯s still too wild to be tamed.¡±

    ¡°The Templars,¡± she made a weary sigh, a snowflake falling on top of her nose. ¡°They still fight on despite the odds? The crusaders of Luci Ferra who lost their way into this continent, hah, could they still be fighting?¡±

    He had not expected her to say that. ¡°Yes, they are fighting the Bali and Cagan natives.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even know those names.¡± She said with a bitter tone. Her face clouded up. She looked at the sky and spoke. ¡°At least the sky hasn¡¯t changed. But soon it might, with ¡®them¡¯ arriving and soon we might need to unite again.¡±

    Archie wasn¡¯t dumb. He could tell that she had slept for too long. ¡°Are the people there the ones you refer to? Why are they after you? Are they ¡®them¡¯?¡±

    She looked slowly at Archie before giving him a vague smile. ¡°I am sorry. But awakening at this time makes me unable to think properly. And I must say you are not surprised?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± he scratched back of his head. ¡°I seemed to have a talent for finding people inside pods.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± she blinked. ¡°Did you found someone like me?¡±

    ¡°Well, she¡¯s a bit ahead of the future. And you are...¡±

    ¡°From a long forgotten past, I am alone now it seems.¡±

    ¡°Well, not really. If you permit me, can I be your friend Miss Eiya?¡± Archie said, extending his hand gracefully towards her.

    She looked at Archie¡¯s hand and then to the sincere smile on his face. She was rather sensitive to emotions. And yet she could tell that Archie¡¯s intentions were pure and genuine. She thought about maybe she was being played by him and those four were just a red herring to throw her off guard and make her trust Archie. Yet seeing such face made her take his hand. Indeed, maybe she was being tricked, but the world before her eyes was rather too shocking. Flying machines, carriages without mounts, two-legged walkers, and towering buildings that she thought that would be impossible and too costly to make was in front of her.

    All alone. Isolated. The last of her race. She doubts that the there would be others left. She could remember the passing words of those who protected her. Lived on. Warned them. Those words rang out and she could only do what he must do. If ¡®them¡¯ was still out there. Then she must be vigilant. And if those channelers were hunting her down, then she needed someone to help her. And right now that hand was being offered to her. Thus, she can only accept Archie¡¯s hand.

 Chapter 154

    Chapter 154 ¨C

    Archie took Eiya back to the Princess. But before that, he took her shopping. He bought her some clothes. Her robe and his coat were not going to be enough to trudge through the snow. She was happy, thanking him with a smile.

    Back at the castle, the Princess met with Eiya. Their first meeting was an exchange of words interrupted by the Lord of the Demesne, Mia¡¯s father. He took a good look at the long-eared one before nodding his head. He glanced at Archie, craned around and told them about what he knew.

    Who she was and where she came from. How that she¡¯s the only alive of her race. Eiya smiled wryly at how blunt and inconsiderate the Lord was. Still, she let him talk and at the end, the Lord left the Princess¡¯s office. The Princes asked, ¡°What will you do now?¡± which Eiya replied with a face befitting of someone that was lost. She wasn¡¯t able to answer. She just left and told the Princess. ¡°I want to look around,¡± before leaving.

    She had recovered her strength by the time she arrived at the palace. She turned into a group of blue sparkling butterflies that flew out of the window, leaving only a trail of sprinkle dust. The Princess looked at the dust while she was giving this sad look. Finally turning her eyes to Archie, she said. ¡°Please look after her,¡± and left with Mia, back to her piles of documents.

    The two started working the documents. Archie turned his body and walked straight out of the door. He made a sigh, he looked left and then right. He thought where the trail of sparkling dust was. He was some on the right, whole none on the left. With that, he went to the right and swayed his head to look at the left behind sparkling dust.

    He continued following the trail of sparkling dust until he found himself on a flight of stairs leading up to a platform. ¡°Where is she going?¡± he asked. He continued climbing until he saw the light coming from above the platform. He took a step. He looked around for her but she was nowhere to be found. The crew of the platform was just standing around, fiddling with the equipment. There was a disk that Archie doesn¡¯t recognize. The mechanics were testing it and their faces was that of utter bafflement.

    He took a good look at what they call radar¡¯. The machine was quite interesting it could detect any living or machine within a distance. After checking the machine out, Archie, he left the place and followed the trail of sparkling dust.

    The search led him to the tower. He could tell that there were dust prints on the walls of the tower. The tower was tall, but, Archie took a big sigh and climbed the tower. Scaling the tower was easy. His runes have greatly enhanced his condition that he could easily make use of it to scale the tower.

    Once he arrived on top of the tower. He saw Eiya facing the cityscape of the city. The sun went down, the stars started to appear and the moon¡¯s light made her hair glitter. Sparkling blue butterflies joined her body. Her hair billowed. And she looked up at the sky with a sorrowful gaze.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.Archie could not say anything as he watches her back. That was a face he could not say anything. He just watched her stand there. The blue sparkling butterflies surrounding and joining her body. It took some time but she looked over her shoulder and plastered a bitter smile.

    ¡°This is an odd era isn¡¯t it?¡± she said. ¡°I never knew that in such time things would advance. My race would have loved to see these kinds of wonder and at the same time mumble about your race straying away from nature.¡±

    He walked over to her side. ¡°Well, the past months have been crazy. It¡¯s like someone started something. The cog started to turn when the two nations attacked Avilla. The appearance of flying ships, walking machines, tanks with four legs, and now the discovery of runes and this magic of yours is shocking.¡±

    ¡°In the past months...so you are saying that all of these things were unknown to you?¡±

    ¡°I,¡± he paused, ¡°was just a Proctor in some isolated village that was bringing taxes to the Warlord of Avilla. And then bombs started to fall from flying ships. I fought without knowing anything and somehow destroyed an entire fleet of them with the help of a nameless friend. It has been a crazy ride and I think that it would be more tiresome than it should be with a whole Empire gunning to take over this entire continent.¡±

    She looked at him. ¡°This continent was connected to many nations. We have galleons going to the North but ¡®them¡¯ arrived and with a single flash of light, turned everything into stone. Heroes gathered, and somehow we manage to fend them off through completing a barrier. I was wounded heavily and was sealed. But it looks like I slept too long and now I face an unreal age of flying ships. Even our magic cannot do something like that and through our years we never had the thought of making use of runes to fly.¡±

    ¡°You know, you could just wander the nations,¡± he said.

    ¡°I could,¡± she made a weary smile. ¡°But not after hearing that from a King that has all of this, but is still worried about the Empire that he is facing. If I am guessing right, then he is planning to have this entire continent covered in mists. The same method we did to hide our cities from ¡®them¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± he asked clearly amazed by what he heard. ¡°Then does that mean?¡±

    ¡°Yes, with that, the enemy would not find this continent. But I fear that by the time we are finished. This whole continent will be at war with the enemy Empire. They crossed the sea. I think this nation can hold them off. But they will keep coming back. The Empire this continent faces seemed to span miles of land. And if we do not create this barrier, then war will continue until this nation does not surrender.¡±

    ¡°Then we need to raise that barrier.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but it will be difficult.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡±

    ¡°I see. Thank you.¡±

    The two looked at the stars. The cold winter breeze made them feel the cold. But the stars and auroras keep them from feeling it.

 Chapter 155

    Chapter 155 ¨C

    Blackmail was the one thing that controlled him. It was revolting that he was put on a leash because of that. He could not blame them. It was true that he made chaos. Every evil must be repaid. It was repentance for those who have been killed by him.

    He could never stomach killing children and innocent. But he had done it out of cold fury. He was oblivious and that floating word above him made him into a single-minded person with a grim determination to take revenge against a friend.

    Still, he thought that it was just right. But working for the very person who made his first days in this world a living hell? The person who broke him and trampled upon his dignity and pride as a person? It was so absurd and that he should kill her.

    Yet...here he was. Facing her inside the skyship with both of his fist readied. In front of him was her looking so devilishly smug that his firm heart was being bothered. He did a straight jab. She used the back of her hand to repel his fist. She raised her leg. She hit him right in the ankle. He was too late to dodge it. He tried moving in her guard. But, she grabs his collar and threw him on the ground.

    He rolled left to avoid her incoming kick. He stood up. He raised his arms and took a step forward with his right leg. He tried a feint but she was able to knock on his chest. He squirmed back. He tried kicking her. She merely jolted back and parried his attack with a push of her palm.

    Joshua had toughened up in the months. He had grown muscles. His face was sharper than ever. He was getting used to pain. Yet, he was getting beaten up by the devilish woman in front of him. She had used what he did to keep him around. She blackmailed him into working under her. She has the permission of the King of the Maltius La Fende and escaping would only end up in his death.

    Joshua was no coward. But he has no intention of dying. He simply didn¡¯t want two nations from hunting him down. Not to mention that he had people he needed to protect. He didn¡¯t want to put a burden on them. So he agreed to work for Dolce, who clearly was amused by him.

    At first, he tried isolating himself inside his cabin. But Dolce would barge in and watch him sleep. He would wake with her just grinning on a stool. He knew that she must be trying to get a reaction out of him. He has been trying his hardest not to crack. And thanks to the objective that was floating above him. He was able to resist due to that alone.

    But he was slowly cracking. He has a great mental resistance. But she was his trauma. And because of that, there were parts of him that quivers in fear at the sight of her. She seemed to have taken a hint. And oddly she proposed to spar with him.

    Joshua agreed mainly for the thought of being able to punch her face without the whole skyship turning their guns at him. That was his intention yet...he found himself being beaten up by her. He has been training with her for the past days. But he never expected the frilly skirt damsel to be able to beat him up. He tried everything he knew but she was absurdly good.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    According to Dolce, she has been trained by masters in order to defend herself from those that might to hurt her. And thus she could kick his ass every time they spar. It was quite frustrating. It was extra frustrating simply because of the way she smugly looked at him. He was trying to be stoic as possible. But that mask was slowly cracking.

    And the face she was making as she looks over him wasn¡¯t helping at all. ¡°Need a hand again?¡± she snickered with utmost amusement. She was having fun at the sight of Joshua lying flat on the floor.

    Joshua¡¯s face twitched. He stood up without a word and raised his fist again. He wanted to hit her at least once. He couldn¡¯t stand losing to her at all.

    ¡°I think that is enough for today,¡± she said, waving her hand. ¡°I am all sweaty all over. Or perhaps do you like seeing me like this? Is this to your liking?¡± she looked down at Joshua¡¯s lower body and grinned.

    ¡°Can you please stop with that?¡± he said. ¡°Do you not get sick of trying to sound perverted all the time?¡±

    ¡°Oh please,¡± she said while pulling her shirt, sweat trailing down her clavicle and collarbone. ¡°Most men would have jumped at the thought of that remark as a sign. But I guess it won¡¯t work on someone that¡¯s itching to hurt me all over.¡±

    ¡°Try not being you and try being a modest woman,¡± he said blandly.

    She snorted. ¡°Oh my, do you really assume that just because I am a woman. It doesn''t mean that I won¡¯t have any preferences or the wanting for pleasure. Why do you men assume that we are different creatures? We are just human beings. No need to think that we are a mystery.¡±

    Joshua had no reply to that. He inhaled. ¡°Are we done here? Can I go now?¡±

    ¡°We are,¡± she said calmly. ¡°But if you want to intrude while I am taking a shower. It would be fine by me. Or would you like to rape me and strangle my neck here? Would that satisfy you?¡±

    ¡°No, I am not going to step on your level. If you want to do it that badly then ask someone who wants to.¡±

    She shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I am not that perverted. Besides, you are the only person that I¡¯ve slept with. You are my first and I am keeping it that way. Aren¡¯t you lucky?¡±

    Joshua¡¯s face twitched. He gritted his teeth and replied. ¡°Go fuck yourself.¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± Dolce said while smiling. ¡°You can freely watch me if you want to.¡±

    With that, she left while showing off her sweaty back. Joshua admits that Dolce is a beautiful woman with fine curves. But out of pride, feelings, and hatred, he could not agree to whatever she was implying. He was sane. He was not asexual either. But giving in would mean that she won again. And he didn¡¯t want to lose to her. He would rather lose to someone other than her. He couldn¡¯t stomach letting her win.

 Chapter 156

    Chapter 156 ¨C Behind the Mask 1

    Joshua looked at the land below. He took his rifle and tugged his coat while dragging a cart that had someone on it. He trotted down the rampart of the skyship, walking towards the entrance of the town. The skyship needs to be checked and the crew was starting to feel airsick. Edawick was just near, so the pilot landed near it to take care of the ship.

    Joshua pulled the cart to Dan¡¯s house. He knocked. The door creaked as it swung upon. Dan¡¯s weary eyes met with Joshua. ¡°Joshua, you are alive. That¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for leaving just like that,¡± he said apologetically. ¡°I¡¯ve done and avenged, Silo.¡±

    Dan expected those words to come out of Joshua¡¯s mouth. He took a step back and looked at Joshua. He clothed nicely and cleaned. His features were much sharper and he was roughly shaved. His hair was greyer and longer. It was neck-length and he tied with a black ribbon. His eyes had less light than the last time he has seen him.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been through a lot.¡±

    ¡°I, yes, you could say that. How are things here?¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ve buried Silo at the graveyard and well,¡± he scratched the back of his head, ¡°I have a kid now. Want to see them?¡±

    ¡°Them? Could it be that...?¡±

    ¡°I have twins it seems.¡±

    Joshua made a thin smile. ¡°That¡¯s great, then a good thing that I made this thing larger.¡± Joshua pulled the cart he was pulling a bit.

    Dan could roughly guess what the cart was. He pulled the cover and saw that it was a finely made crib. ¡°This looks great, Joshua!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, I made sure to make it good. I did promise to make one. I think that this satisfactory right?¡± he said with a thin smile.

    ¡°It is!¡± said Dan. ¡°You did well! Let¡¯s carry it inside. Nana will be happy with this!¡±

    Joshua nodded. He pulled the cart closer to the door and slowly lifted it out of the cart. Dan held the door and let Joshua come in the house. Joshua was careful not to hit the furniture. He heard footsteps and as he arrived in the living room of the house. He saw a scene that filled his heart with warmth.

    Miss Nana was holding one of her children in her arms. She was gazing at her baby with such warm-filled with eyes. Behind her was the curtain blowing along with the wind. The sunlight entered through the window, the curtain masking it. She had a blush on her cheeks. It took her a while to look at Joshua who was standing in front of her.

    ¡°Joshua!¡±She hollered with a motherly smile on her face. She gently put her baby beside the other one and calmly walked to Joshua. She was about to say something but she stopped and looked at Joshua¡¯s appearance. There was a strange look on her face.

    Joshua was confused. He wanted to speak but he felt Nana¡¯s soft palm on his head. He eyed her with a troubled expression. He couldn¡¯t understand what she was trying to do.  He looked at Miss Nana. He wanted to say something but Miss Nana interrupted him.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Child, you looked like you have seen hell. Come, sit around here,¡± she looked at the crib behind him. ¡°Did you make it?¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± he nodded.

    ¡°It is finely made. I am sure that Lumen and Lily would be happy with these.¡±

    Joshua looked at the babies. They were smiling as the sun¡¯s light caresses their face. ¡°Are those their names? They are beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she smiled. ¡°I am glad that you are here. But child...have you done it?¡±

    Joshua nodded curtly. He looked at the two babies once again. There was a bitter smile on his face. ¡°I did. Silo should be glad about what I did.¡±

    ¡°Was it worth it?¡± she asked. ¡°Transforming yourself into a vengeful ghost that came from hell so that you can avenge him?¡±

    ¡°It is. No one messes with those who I care for. I¡¯d hunt them down and make them pay.¡±

    ¡°You poor lost child,¡± she said. Dan walked over and looked at Nana. The two exchange two odd looks. They took the two babies¡¯ and pointed their lovely faces at him. He was baffled by what they were trying to do. But soon, the two opened their small eyes. They widened their eyes and started to cry loudly. Joshua panicked. He waves his hands in panic when suddenly one of the twins grabbed his cheek. He looked at the twin who was pulling his cheek. There was a stern look on the baby¡¯s face. As if it was protecting the other twin.

    Joshua¡¯s face loosened. He looked at the twin and in the baby¡¯s clear eyes reflected a scary looking man who seemed like he would devour the kids. Joshua has tried to look calm and stoic. He didn¡¯t realize that his face was that scary to the twins.

    ¡°I am sorry you two, did this brother scared you?¡±

    The other twin looked at her brother. She was giving this innocent look. As if the two could communicate. The twin who grabbed Joshua¡¯s cheek opened his tiny palms. Joshua could tell that the two were smart. He couldn¡¯t help but feel something warm and odd inside his heart.

    The twins looked at Joshua with their round eyes shining. They looked over their shoulders and saw that their parents had sad eyes. The twins were smart. And looking back at the sorrowful big brother in front of them, they raised their tiny little palms and rubbed his head.

    The twins patted Joshua¡¯s head with both of their hands. The twins were babies and before long they started pulling Joshua¡¯s long unkempt hair while giggling. Dan and Nana were quite worried what their brats did. But Joshua suddenly laughed while tearing up.

    The cold look on his face vanished. It was replaced by a face that he usually does when cooking or baking bread. ¡°You two cheeky brats, you should be prepared for Brother Joshua to tickle you two!¡±

    And so Joshua¡¯s hands descended upon the sides of the twins. The two little toddlers felt helpless as they could not crawl away from the grasp of this big brother!

    Dan and Nana looked at them as smiles filled their faces. Laughter and giggle filled the house. Joshua¡¯s mask fell. As if he found some sort of oasis in a stormy desert.

 Chapter 157

    Chapter 157 ¨C Behind the Mask 2

    The town of Edawick has been getting a lot of support from its neighboring fiefs. Not to mention that a certain somebody started to like the bread that they were producing. At first, she was glad just eating the bread. But to think that the person that made the bread was him.

    She was surprised again. She started to like him even more!

    Dolce¡¯s feelings didn¡¯t come out of anywhere. She liked him not because of his appearance. She met him when he was so thin that she thought he might snap like a twig. She didn¡¯t like him because of niceness and all of that. He was no flatterer and every time they speak he would give her nothing but words of hatred or defiance.

    She liked him by the single fact that he has earned her respect and interest. She has seen how he rise from a thin slave deprived of everything into someone who could trick a smith into suicide and bring down a web of officials just for revenge.

    It was simply too astonishing that she could not help but respect and like him. Of course, that feeling was growing. She found the guy amusing and fun. And as she was biting to the bread she bought. She could not help but turn her eyes in the direction where Joshua was carrying the crib. She wanted to know. So she followed. She bit the bread and wiped the crumbs from her mouth. Her gaze turned to the window and she saw Joshua happily playing with the twins.

    ¡°Ah,¡± she mumbled thoughtlessly. ¡°Is that your real face?¡±

    She has never seen him make such a face. All she has seen was despair and hatred. Not once did she saw him make such a face. And the scene that she was seeing caused some jealousy in her heart. Not because of those who were around him, but because of the sunny scene before her.

    She thought of a memory that was buried under much sadness. She closed her eyes and thought of the days where her mother was alive. She recalled the days where she was surrounded by family and optimism. Yet, a single tragic event caused all of that to disappear. That loving family was gone. The father with a fine smile disappeared. The mother she loved was under six-feet of dirt.

    That memory was something that she had buried because of grief. But seeing such happy scene made her think of the past. The bread on her hand started getting stale. The cheerful expression that she had disappeared and was replaced by face filled with sorrow. She ate her piece of bread. She then wiped her face with a handkerchief that has her name neatly sewn to it. It covered her face like a mask. Those who were passing by could not see what face she was making behind that mask was. What kind of expression was she making as she hides her face?

    ...

    Joshua left Dan¡¯s house. The twins that he was playing with were reaching out towards him. They were speaking baby words that he could not understand. But Joshua could tell by their puppy-like eyes that they want to play with him. Of course, he knew that the two brats simply wanted to pull his hair and take revenge. Lumen, the little boy was a protective one, while Lily was a cheeky brat that was subtly tricky.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    The two toddlers were not even a year old but they were terrifyingly smart. Of course, Joshua might be just paranoid about them. ¡°Goodbye you two, make sure to stay good okay?¡±

    He waved his hands at the two. He turned around walked forward. He looked up and saw Dolce daydreaming on a bench. She was sitting without moving. Her eyes were misty. Her golden hair tied into a ponytail swayed from left to right. She would have look like a painting but the bread crumbs on her chin and cheeks ruined that picture.

    ¡°What is this devil doing?¡± he sneered. He looked at the handkerchief on her hand. He wanted to leave but seeing how stupid looking she was acting. Joshua could not help but take the handkerchief on her hand forcefully wipe it on her face.

    She was startled. She jolted and her back hit the floor flat! She blinked. She stared at Joshua¡¯s grumpy face. She didn¡¯t smile. ¡°Give it back please.¡±

    ¡°Here,¡± Joshua tried to keep a poker face but couldn¡¯t. ¡°Can you please stop daydreaming here with bread crumbs on your face? You look stupid, no, actually, you should act like this more. It suits you!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Joshua did not expect that reply. Usually, she would smile devilishly and retort with something sexually suggestive. Joshua raised his brow. He was surprised by that lackluster reply of hers.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked. Although he hated her, the look she was giving made him curious. ¡°You are not sick or something?¡±

    ¡°Oh no, just looking back at some old memories. Family...I think I needed to visit mother,¡± she said while looking at the sky. ¡°I wonder if my father has been visiting mama¡¯s grave. Has it been taken care off? Did they clean it?¡±

    She was mumbling to herself. Her right hand touched her chin as she thought deeply. Joshua crossed his arms. He looked at Dolce and was about to speak something when she suddenly stood up and put her hands inside her coat. She walked while her eyes were facing the flagstone road.  She was listlessly walking back to the direction of skyship.

    Joshua didn¡¯t know what to say to the sudden change of thoughts that Dolce was showing. He looked at her again. She was still walking down the road as if nothing mattered. There were carts and pedestrians along the road. There were buildings carrying brick and mortar. She avoided them all but Joshua followed behind.

    He predated her until she stepped out of the town and went back to her skyship. Joshua looked at her departing figure before settling his eyes at the path that leads to the graveyard. It didn¡¯t take him long to reach the graveyard. He looked for Silo¡¯s tombstones and seeing it. He sat cross-legged and pulled out a bottle of alcohol.

 Chapter 158

    Chapter 158 ¨C Behind the mask 3

    The graveyard had a gloomy atmosphere. Grass and ferns were growing everywhere and in one of the tombstones was Joshua sitting near Silo¡¯s grave. He held a bottle of alcohol. He was talking to someone who didn¡¯t exist anymore. It was a lone soliloquy filled with grief and regrets.

    ¡°Rest in peace, brother.¡± he said, ¡°may you got whatever heaven you believe in.¡±

    Joshua stood up. He looked at the sky above him before trotting about. He staggered through the streets. It was a bit quieter with the sun high up. He was feeling chilly because of the cold wind. He hugged himself and continued on until he reached the park.

    There were kids running around a fountain. The fountain was quite new. The water flowed down, making ripples. The water sparkled. The street had two sides. Joshua took the right path and focused his eyes on the town entrance. He trotted towards the entrance slowly.

    Outside, he could see a glimpse of the skyship. He walked down a dirt road path and took a left turn by the trees. He put his left palm on a tree. He stared at the skyship where the crew was doing busy work to maintain the ship. He approached the skyship and crossed his arms to look at the crew¡¯s maintenance.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Joshua felt a pat on his shoulder. He turned around and looked at Henry. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Did what you needed to do?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I did,¡± Joshua nodded his head. He looked back at the maintenance crew.

    ¡°Did you do something to the lady?¡± Henry looked at the ship¡¯s hull.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Joshua snorted. He couldn¡¯t care less about her. But he had to ask. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡±

    ¡°She has been muttering. Usually, the lady has this carefree smile on her face. Now it¡¯s gone it is quite unsettling. Did something happen there?¡±

    Joshua thought of anything. He couldn¡¯t remember anything. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just saw her staring at the air while having breadcrumbs stuck on her face.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s something,¡± Henry laughed helplessly. ¡°Any guess?¡±

    Joshua touched his chin. ¡°She was muttering about her mother. Maybe she just wants to visit her?¡±

    ¡°Ah, then it makes sense,¡± Henry said as if he understood something. He saw that there was a questioning look on his face. ¡°She¡¯s someone that the lady loves dearly. Joshua, you can insult the lady and she won¡¯t budge a bit. But say anything to her mother and she would raise hell and hunt you down even if you cross the Gigantes Sea.¡±

    ¡°Hah,¡± Joshua laughed helplessly. ¡°Maybe that would make her leave me alone.¡±

    Henry turned his eyes at Joshua. ¡°I don¡¯t care what your grudges are to the lady. But please do not include the dead. The lady of Alva was a kindhearted known for her goodness. It was also her goodness that she was killed. She was a good person and whatever the lady did to you should stay with Lady Dolce.¡±

    Joshua had many things to say about Dolce. But he stopped himself right there. He nodded silently and turned towards the skyship. He passed through the crew and continued walking until he reached his cabin. He grabbed the handle of the door and opened it. He took a step forward and saw Dolce sitting on his table with her legs double-crossed. There was a look of a daydreamer on her face.

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    ¡°What are you doing here milady?¡±

    ¡°Wow,¡± she smiled lightly. ¡°You actually called me that?¡±

    Joshua frowned. It seemed like the lady was back to her usual self. ¡°I want to take a rest. Can you leave?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°I want to talk.¡±

    ¡°We are talking.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, we are.¡± she smiled. She tapped her heel and tilted her head lovingly. ¡°Who are those people?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked, crossing his arms.

    ¡°Those twins you were joyfully playing. Your smile was quite charming. It makes me jealous.¡±

    Joshua inhaled. He looked at her straight in the eye. ¡°Don¡¯t touch them.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± she shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Do you think of me as a cruel woman? Honestly, in all of my life, you are the only one that I¡¯ve treated badly.¡±

    ¡°Well a pity for me then?¡± he sneered.

    ¡°Indeed, it was a pity that you became my first. Most men would do anything to bed me. Yet...you are disappointingly stubborn.¡±

    ¡°Then you should just give up,¡± Joshua said. He agreed that most men would love to bed her.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me? Am I too unpleasant for you? Or do you not bed women who you already slept with?¡± she said with a trace of smugness.

    ¡°Do I have to remind you?¡± Joshua hissed through his teeth. ¡°What you fucking did to me? What kind of shit you pulled?¡±

    ¡°Oh come on, I thought you enjoyed it too?¡± she said.

    ¡°YOU PUT A FUCKING PHALLIC OBJECT INSIDE MY ANUS. AND YOU SLAP YOUR GODDAMN STRAP ON EQUIPPED CROTCH AND VIOLATED MY FUCKING ASS. NO SANE FUCKING MAN UNLESS THEY HAVE A FETISH FOR IT WOULD LIKE SUCH A THING DAMN IT!¡± he raged. The veins in his eyes grew red.

    Dolce blushes as she remembered that shameless acts of hers. ¡°Oh my, you don¡¯t need to remind me of that.¡± she touched cheeks and acted as if she was embarrassed.

    ¡°Damn you shameless woman!¡± Joshua gritted his teeth. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just leave me alone?¡±

    She looked at Joshua with a straight smile. ¡°I found you interesting,¡± her expression changed. ¡°And besides, I respect you, Joshua. Although you are friends with the Princess and can easily rid of the thing that I am using to blackmail you. You don¡¯t out of friendship. So out of respect and,¡± she stood up and held his hand and his back stumbled upon the wall, ¡°affection, I am letting you go.¡±

    Joshua froze. He felt her soft lips met his. Her scent was so feminine that he felt like he was drowning. Her body was pressed again his and even though he wanted to escape. He was unable to with her arms hugging his head. The kiss ended and Joshua was baffled as she looked at Dolce¡¯s eyes.

    Dolce looked at Joshua¡¯s confused expression and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s a nice expression. I will be delivering you back to the Demesne. I¡¯ll be returning home to visit my mama.¡±

    She put her hands behind her back. She smiled and left Joshua¡¯s cabin. Joshua slid down to the floor and wiped his mouth. ¡°Damn it,¡± he cursed while trying not to imagine her soft lips and her outstanding smell. He couldn¡¯t help but feel like he lost again.

 Chapter 159

    Chapter 159 ¨C

    Dolce touched her lips and smiled. She looked at the round window of her cabin and gazed at the towering buildings of the demesne. ¡°We are here,¡± sounded a voice box. Dolce rid herself out of her daze and glance at the landing platform. She felt the ramparts of the skyship. She then saw Joshua¡¯s figure walking out of the skyship. The crew passed over him and before long he disappeared from her sight.

    ¡°Milady, would you like tea?¡± Dolce looked over her shoulder. ¡°Elesia please put it on the table.¡±

    ¡°As you wish,¡± Elesia gently put the teacup and flask on the table. She then poised herself straight and said. ¡°Is it really okay to let him go, milady? I thought you wanted to bind him into servitude.¡±

    ¡°Elesia,¡± said Dolce calmly, ¡°doing so would do nothing but make him fear me. I think it would be best if I do this. It would leave an impression that I am a changed woman. Besides, I truly want to visit mama¡¯s grave. It has been a long time. I think she might be proud that her daughter is a successful woman who owns many fiefs. Strange, that despite rebelling against father¡¯s wishes. I ended up being this.¡±

    ¡°Is it wise to go back to Alva?¡± Elesia said with worry in her mind. ¡°I don¡¯t think that your relatives will be happy that milady would return.¡±

    Dolce sneered. ¡°And do you think that they can hurt me?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she shook her head, ¡°I just don¡¯t want the lady to near that man.¡±

    ¡°True, that my father can be domineering. But he can do nothing to me. Even if he does all of it would be for naught. With my status on the continent, I fear nothing but the Empire that is crawling towards this continent. But I am sure that my father is busy leeching on my successes. That bastard¡¯s happy enough to use my status to bluff. Besides, when it comes to visiting my mama¡¯s grave. He would not interfere. Mama would haunt him if he dares to keep her beautiful daughter from visiting her mother.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she nodded lightly. ¡°Still, I receive news that the lord will be making moves against Salevela Island. Do you think that he¡¯ll be able to tame that land?¡±

    ¡®He can,¡± she said without expression on her face. ¡°With the sudden development of technology then I can tell that it will be faster. I heard that there¡¯s someone who has developed techniques in making our factories more efficient. And even without those runes, I think my father can create flying ships that would allow them to carry walkers and four-legged tanks. Not to mention the Templars will surely help my father.¡±

    ¡°Is it really wise to do so?¡± Elesia took a cup and poured herself some tea.

    ¡°It is. Salevela Island is a natural fortress. Capturing it now while they don¡¯t have the technology would be the wisest thing to do. My father wouldn¡¯t allow them to fortify the island.¡±

    Elesia nodded her head. She wasn¡¯t so sure but she could understand what the Lord of Alva wanted. He wanted to take the island down before it could fortify itself. If Salevela Island was allowed to do so then it would become an island that they won¡¯t be able to easily take. It was wise to take it while it was still discovering the armaments.

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    ¡°Would they be able to reach the island with all of those mortars?¡± Elesia asked.

    ¡°The island,¡± Dolce said slowly, ¡°will be troublesome for them. At best, if my father dies there then my brother would be able to reign supreme in all of Alva. At least my brother Don will be able to rule with a fair iron hand. He¡¯s a good fit to rule the Alva¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°You have a good opinion about your brother,¡± Elesia said with surprise in her eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯s not retarded like most of my brothers are. In fact, he understands how stupid it is to not keep in mind the people. My father has been so focused on gaining weaponry and power that he fails to notice the angry shackled people. I admit that I failed to notice them too. Hence, even my brother was quite surprised that I was able to change my mind before I got lynched by the slaves.¡±

    ¡°So does that mean,¡± Elesia felt enlightened.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she shrugged her shoulders. She then took a sip of her cup of tea. ¡°I did not totally release them because of a change of heart. I thought how that would affect the whole of Alva. Indeed, I wanted to release them and hire them instead. I thought about it for a long time before doing so. Hence now they usually don¡¯t look at me with murderous intent anymore.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Elesia nodded. ¡°I thought that the lady acted wrong, but to think that I would be the one to be wrong instead.¡±

    ¡°Elesia,¡± Dolce said gently. ¡°I don¡¯t act wrongly. I thought of the good and bad. And having slaves under you with daggers in their eyes isn¡¯t really comforting.  Now, look at them looking at the changed woman that I am with no hostility or whatsoever. Besides, I think that Joshua taught me how dangerous a slave can be. Make them desperate enough and they can do some wondrous things.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think every slave can do what Joshua has done,¡± Elesia caressed the side of her teacup. It was warm.

    ¡°Maybe, but I am in no mood to try it out. Still, most of the slaves that have been wronged would still want to take revenge. Luckily, I wasn¡¯t that excessive like my father who would put them into work without any sleep at all.¡± She looked at the window as the skyship trembled.

    ¡°You father is a cruel man,¡± Elesia said. ¡°I am lucky that you are my master, milady.¡±

    ¡°And I am lucky that you are here for me, Elesia.¡±

    Dolce said without any lies or smugness. There was a sincere look on her face. Although her family was a big, Elesia, was one of the only people she could love and trust. So when they are alone they would act like simple sisters. Not as a master and servant, but as a family.

    The skyship shook as the thrusters sounded out. It slowly lifted up to the sky before turning its nose to the direction of the Freelands. With a burst of wind, the skyship left the demesne.

 Chapter 160

    Chapter 160 ¨C

    Zola wore her exoskeleton while looking down on a snake-like road. There were people garb in unknown uniform. Most of them were uncanny and pale. She recognized them as people from the Empire. They wore different uniforms and their gait was akin to scouts.

    But what did that matter to her? She nodded at the pup that was with her and took a dive down. She felt the air, and behind her was Titus beaming with a purple light. She could see that the people down below didn¡¯t notice. But as she approaches it was already too late.

    The scouts looked up above. They felt the ground tremble and dust covered their eyes. They raised their rifles and scanned the area. But without any visibility, they were killed by a single punch to the chest. The only thing they could hear before their death was the sound of their chest getting pierced by Zola¡¯s fist.

    She fanned her fist off the blood. She looked at the scouts who were lying dead on the ground, their eyes rolled back. There were holes in the middle of their chests. Their hands were still holding their rifles. Titus circled around the dead before walking back to Zola.

    Her eyes fixated on their necks before moving towards their arms. She kneeled on one knee and took the blue crystal that was strapped on their wristbands. She narrowed her eyes. With her perception, she could see the tiny blue electricity inside the crystal.

    ¡°This is one of the many crystals that I¡¯ve found on their bodies,¡± she thought. ¡°Most of them have these currents.¡± She called out. ¡°Omni-Forge, INSPECT, Cpl. Zola Dawn,¡±

    ¡°INSPECTING,¡± a mechanical voice sounded out. Zola has reinstated the AI functions of her Omni-forge after getting materials from the demesne. Although there was still something wrong about the AI. She could still at least do some repairs. The materials from the Freelands and the Holy Midland were not suited. But the demesne had tools and materials that were passable. The AI was fixed but it was not as powerful as before she used it to compensate for her inability to speak the language.

    ¡°PROCESS COMPLETED,¡± the mechanical voice rang out. ¡°THE MATERIAL POSSESSES ELECTRIC IONS CAPABLE OF ABOUT 15.25 VOLTS, ONCE THE MATERIAL IS EXHAUSTED, IT COULD BE FILLED. THE MATERIAL HOWEVER HAS BEEN TAMPERED TO CAUSE A SHUTDOWN OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. HOST IS ADVISED TO STAY CLEAR. A DIRECT IMPACT MIGHT STUN THE HOST FOR ABOUT FIVE SECONDS.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Zola muttered. She looked at the empire scouts and focused the Psion on her body. Her focused mind turned cold and soon purple-like smoke came out of her body. Pointing her fist at the bodies, she exhaled and the bodies slowly dissolved as if acid was poured on them. She has Psion-based powers but she was making use of the nanomachines to fuel them. They would feed on her Psion energy and use it a fuel. With the fuel they are able to disassemble the body in a clean manner, leaving no trace.

    The cleaning was quite fast. Zola looked at the dissolving corpses and frowned. ¡°No matter how much I look at it. It¡¯s still peculiar as ever.¡±

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    She had seen these things clean a whole field of them. Although they were used to kill the enemy in her world, they were once terrifying but the enemy made countermeasures and thus they were converted into cleaning tools. Although she could turn them back to their original function, Zola didn¡¯t have the right tools.

    The cleaning of the corpses was done neatly. There were no traces of the corpses or the weapons that they were using. Zola only had the blue crystals and she had already made of them to supplement her Omni-Forge. It could help her Omni-forge and the blue crystal could power an ancient automobile.

    ¡°That¡¯s it, then,¡± Zola¡¯s eyes shone. She took a breath and nodded at Titus. Then she leaped away from the ground and went back to the vantage point she has used to scout for enemies. She has received a mission from Cyra. Although she is by no means a citizen of the demesne or has any obligations towards the nation. She considered Cyra as her friend, not to mention that she was concerned about this Empire that seemed to have made use of the ¡®ruins¡¯ to harvest the technological treasures of the Quietus.

    The Quietus are sentient AI¡¯s that have fused with the organic and inorganic material. They are cunning beings that would make use of those who clueless. So she could imagine the Quietus tricking an entire Empire. But she changed that idea after finding the ¡®Quietus¡¯ that the Demesne had used to elevate the nation and make its technology capable of producing skyships that have thrusts and capable of hovering without a rotor.

    In fact, she found it odd that there was a technological discrepancy among the nations of Livia continent. Not to mention that through her Omni-Forge she has discovered that the planet was titan-size and there were many odd elements and phenomena around that were not recorded by her Omni-Forge.

    The runic energy and the blue crystals were one of them. Although humanity in her world and timeline has discovered many planets and many new elements, she has never seen anything other than the Psion-based powers that were a product of many years of studying psychic abilities.

    This world was a pleasant surprise. If this planet was discovered by the people of her world, she would receive news from her Omni-Forge about a new planet to conquer. This planet was worthy to be turned into a fortress planet. The size of it was capable enough of building planetary artillery.

    Sadly, that would never happen. Zola was well verse of the technology of her world and timeline. There was no technology in her world that could allow anyone or anything to travel through another dimension. It was plainly impossible and they would need numerous amounts of Dyson Sphere to successfully power a machine that could rip through space. Not to mention that they simply do not have the ability to create many spheres with the Quietus around.

    So there was no hope for any sort of rescue. Oddly, Zola has accepted that she might have to live her life here. Still, she wanted to know how she ended up in this world. There was a single clue. And that clue was the space storm that carried Joshua and possibly her in this place.

    She wanted to investigate it but there was a problem that made her unable to do so. The Empire threatening Livia Continent was getting nearer. She could sadly not afford to do so.

 Chapter 161

    Chapter 161 ¨C

    Titus barked. Titus crawled and rolled down the dirt. Titus barked yet again. He leaps up and down and wagged his tongue. The air tasted salty, the little pup thought. He looked at his master and stared at her silky blonde hair that reached up to her knees.

    His master¡¯s hair billowed with the wind. Her waving hair made Titus look at it as if Titus was seeing a branch sway. Titus was a unique breed of banewolf. He was a fairly smart and Zola¡¯s Psion-based abilities made Titus smarter. So he could understand by instinct and intelligence that his master was a strange being. A strange and powerful being that allowed him to be powerful as well.

    Titus barked. His instincts made him play at the edges of the cliff. He barked again. He looked at the white colored scenery before him. There were snowflakes around and the river a hundred meters away from the vantage point Titus was standing on four legs made it clear that it was sparkling like gems.

    Barked! Titus barked. He looked at the other side of the vantage point at an unhurried pace. Barked! Barked! Titus calmly rolled over the snow and let its tongue go wild. Snow fell up from the sky. It was winter and usually, most dire animals like him would hide from winter or from the races that like to capture them.

    But Titus was no longer the same pup that crawling under foliage to survive. He was now a being that would not be afraid of higher caliber dire animals or monsters. With the Psion-based abilities that he gathered from his master, Titus was no longer the cowardly pup that would use another animal¡¯s protection. Titus has wolf¡¯s blood. How could Titus forever rely on the protection of them?

    That¡¯s why after a fruitful encounter with his master. Titus could proudly say. ¡°Bark!¡± and face the monsters that Titus once feared. Although it was now a bit fearless, it understood the feelings of the weak. So Titus won¡¯t thoughtlessly bite or scratch any being that didn¡¯t provoke him. Not to mention that the Titus was just a little pup! It wasn¡¯t that bloodthirsty as it was still young.

    So it was still innocent and would rather scratch on trees or play fetch with his master. Titus liked his master. Titus¡¯s have two masters. The first one was the absurdly strong Zola and the other was a fairly normal master who likes to rustle Titus¡¯s head and Titus liked the other master despite the cold eyes that the other master of Titus gives. If it wasn¡¯t for the other master, Titus would be not be accompanying Zola. Joshua, the other master had made Titus see what peace was. Although that peace was short, it was a special memory for the little pup. That short days of peace and warming his fur while following his two masters made Titus a happy pup.

    Titus liked accompanying Zola everywhere. But Titus the Pup preferred the peaceful days.

    ¡°Titus!¡± called Zola. ¡°Please take care of that monster for me okay?¡±

    Titus barked excitedly and turned to the monster that his master pointed. The monster was a dire vulture that hovered around the vantage point. It had a long beak and sharp looking claws. The vulture was clearly eyeing Titus. It made Titus barked loudly.

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    The vulture oddly screeched and glided towards Titus. The vulture was hoping to capture and bite Titus¡¯s neck. It was fairly confident that it could eat Titus. It dived down and tried clamping down on Titus.

    Titus rolled with finesse. Purple light shone in Titus¡¯s eyes. It suddenly barked loudly and the vulture¡¯s flight got disturbed. Titus tried to scratch the vulture but the Vulture was experienced and was able to strafe away from Titus¡¯s claws.

    Titus landed on his paws. Purple light sparked around Titus and rushed to where the Vulture was. The Vulture was a dire monster. It had spiky ends on its wing and was able to use it to lash out at Titus. Titus was not able to dodge that blow and scratch almost blinded Titus¡¯s eyes.

    Titus howled at the injury it got. Zola, who was looking at the scenery with careful eyes glance at the vulture with a dreadful glare, there was hatred in her eyes but she turned back to watching for the enemy. Titus saw that and ignored it. Titus looked at the vulture who was circling around Titus.

    The vulture felt something that made the Vulture want to feel. But since it was gone the Vulture wanted to catch Titus before the glare that the Vulture felt would come back. So the Vulture dived in again but it was faster. The Vulture screeched again.

    Titus gritted his fangs. Titus riled up the Psion on his body and made it go wild. Titus felt the Psion strengthen his body. His pup-sized body felt like it was energized and as the vulture swoops down. Titus dodged with finesse.

    The Vulture was shocked! It flaps its wing and climbed up to the sky. There was a strange glow coming from Titus and it didn¡¯t make the Vulture happy. But how could the Vulture let the pup go? It has been hunting and now a wolf pup with strange abilities was in front of the Vulture! All the vulture thought was how tender the little pup would be.

    So it swooped down and tried to go in for the kill. But Titus was strengthened by the Psion and was able to dodge the attack completely. Titus has witnessed how the Vulture was able to climb up with a flap of its wing, so how could Titus not learn?

    That¡¯s why before the Vulture could do the same move again. Titus swung his tiny but sharp claws at the vulture¡¯s wing. The Vulture screeched in pain. It tried to hop away but Titus¡¯s fang bit through the Vulture¡¯s neck. The Vulture struggled for a second before it stopped.

    To make sure that the vulture was really dead. Titus bit a huge chunk of the Vulture¡¯s neck and spit it out. Titus then dragged the vulture near the edges of the cliff and pushed it down with its paws. The vulture dropped like a kite and disappeared below the forest.

    ¡°Good job,¡± Titus felt Zola¡¯s palm on its head. Titus barked happily and wagged his tail. The little pup was happy to help.

 Chapter 162

    Chapter 162

    Joshua trudged through the well-paved streets of the demesne. He took a right turn into an alley and gazed at the door of a well-hidden pub that only a few visits. Joshua was informed about this pub by Alex, who was usually accompanying him now.

    Archie was nowhere to be found. He was on an escort mission for an Elf. Joshua caught a glimpse of this ¡®elf¡¯ and was quite charmed. He had seen a bull-like and cat-like person, but not an elf. To Joshua, an Elf was akin to a living fantasy of a modern person like him. That¡¯s why seeing one made him act like a fan that has seen his idol.

    Eiya saw Joshua¡¯s reaction and subsequently frown. It was quite odd to be looked at like that so she used Archie to shield herself. Archie laughed and greeted Joshua, Eiya did so too, knowing that Joshua was Archie¡¯s friend after all.

    Then they left somewhere on an important mission. Joshua wasn¡¯t able to ask them so he spent his time walking around until Alexander found him and the two became pub buddies. Joshua had already told Cyra about what he did in full detail. He was scolded for his recklessness. But he was thanked by Cyra. He was told not to be reckless and was not allowed to serve as a proctor. She was worried that his mental health might be deteriorating.

    Alexander was looking for someone to accompany him on delivery missions so he urged Joshua to work alongside him. The two have gotten along well. Alexander was an easy going person. He was carefree and he wouldn¡¯t ask too much about any other person. He was also quite generous and thus Joshua was a frequent customer in the pub that he just entered.

    ¡°Boss,¡± called Joshua. The well-muscled man behind the counter nodded at him. ¡°A mug of beer and some beef?¡±

    ¡°A mug of beer and some beef,¡± Joshua replied.

    The boss of the pub was named Lee. He was a veteran who has served the demesne and was now enjoying the benefits of a pension. The boss has no family and his kids were already married. His wife has long passed away so the boss was passing his time managing the pub.

    Joshua looked around the pub. The pub has double-seat sofas and square tables. He saw that Alexander was smoking his cigar so he chimed in on his seat. Alexander was bathing using the lamp that was placed by the boss. He turned the wheel on it and used it to warm his face.

    He lazily eyed Joshua. ¡°Is it snowing outside, Josh?¡±

    ¡°A little,¡± Joshua leaned his arms on the square table. He eyed the lamp as well. ¡°Can¡¯t really fly the skyship with visibility being so low right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Alexander agreed, ¡°Last time I tried doing so in the city I almost crashed into the bell tower. Luckily, my superior eyesight and reflexes saved me. If they didn¡¯t I would have been crushed inside the cockpit.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Joshua nodded. He looked at Alexander and asked. ¡°How long have you been working here as a pilot?¡±

    ¡°About five years I think?¡± Alexander replied. ¡°I can¡¯t remember anything after being crystallized once. All I know is that I got pulled out and then somehow got involved in being one of the pilots of the skyships. You know, they were planning to put this exoskeleton frame around the pilot to ¡®dampen¡¯ the ship. But they abandoned the idea after some thoughts,¡± he trailed off.

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    Joshua was used to Alexander trailing off sometimes. But there was something that caught his attention. ¡°You got crystallized?¡±

    ¡°Apparently,¡± Alexander reclined on the seat and shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything and at this point, I don¡¯t really care. The folks who took me out of the crystal said that I have a superior physique for some unknown reason. They say that I might be some victim of an experiment with all the gashes and scars around my body. So why would I try to remember the seemingly painful memories? What need is there to weep over parts of life?¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t remember anything?¡± Joshua crossed his arms. He glances a bit at Boss Lee who was preparing his order.

    ¡°I only remember my name and this odd heartache. Still, I tend not to think about it anymore,¡± Alexander said with a resolute expression. He then gave this look of not wanting to talk about it. Joshua understood and kept silent. He looked at Boss Lee who was carrying their meal to them.

    ¡®Here you go boys, please enjoy your meals,¡± He then looked at Joshua. ¡°Want some cigar? We got some new tobacco that was given for free by my colleagues.¡±

    Joshua dutifully shook his head. ¡°I think I just want some beer and food. Thank you for asking though, boss.¡±

    ¡°Your loss,¡± Boss Lee didn¡¯t push it. He went back behind the counter and watched his pub.

    Joshua started eating his meal like Alexander. The two didn¡¯t speak anything and just ate and drink. The others inside the pub were doing so. Most of them drank their hot coffee and their meals before saying goodbye to the boss. After a few sips, Alexander finished his drink and said. ¡°The life here ain¡¯t so bad isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡®It is,¡± Joshua agreed. ¡°But the peaceful pace of this city bothers me. Anytime now the Empire might attack and break this peace.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Alexander inclined his head, ¡°the city is well-defended. There are skyships and war machines going around while the soldiers are patrolling borders with snipers and scouts. Even that lady friend of yours is taking down enemy infiltrators. I¡¯ve been hearing good things about her while flying.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Joshua nodded. He had already heard where Zola and the little pup Titus were. He was also kind of bothered that they were doing things while he was drinking and eating all around with Alexander.

    Alexander seemed to have guessed what¡¯s inside Joshua¡¯s head. ¡°I know that you want to do something to fend off that paranoia of yours. But Joshua, you have a crazy look on your face. Try to relax and not do anything. Understand that the Princess wanted to help you.¡±

    Joshua moved his jaws but didn¡¯t speak. He crossed his arms and stared at the beer mug. Indeed, he was not getting any sleep and all of his dreams were him screaming at the people he killed. Sometime he would awake early in the evening and sweat heavily with his chest panting furiously. He wasn¡¯t in a good condition.

 Chapter 163

    Chapter 163 ¨C

    Eiya looked at the obelisk with glowing lines on it. The pod that was inside the obelisk was obviously empty. There were traces of dried blood too. It was obvious what happened. She would feel them otherwise. ¡°Life¡¯s a cruel a journey...my sisters.¡±

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Archie asked while scanning the humongous cavern. He has been escorting Eiya around various places to set up a barrier of mist that would protect the Livia Continent from invaders. The cavern was obscure and it took them days to find it because of the land around the area has changed. It wasn¡¯t for Eiya¡¯s ability to communicate with the earth then she would not have found the cavern.

    ¡°I am,¡± She responded to Archie. ¡°There was a bit of hope inside me that prayed that they might be still alive. But the reality is a cruel mistress.¡±

    Archie smiled bitterly. ¡°It is. But maybe we will find someone alive?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± she shook her head. ¡°These obelisks are connected to the root of this world. They are interconnected and if my sisters were alive I would have felt their life force. I did not feel a single thing. It could only mean they are already dead. I must have been the last one.¡±

    Archie could recall that the entrance was dug out. There were traces of tool marks and dried out footprints. It doesn¡¯t help that there was a trail of dried blood on the stone floor of the cavern.  He thinks it is sad that they were killed.

    ¡°Who are these people?¡± asked Archie.

    ¡°They are minions of the High Lords.¡±

    ¡°High Lords? What are they?¡± His interested was piqued.

    ¡°Beings that is as ancient as me. They are blood drinkers, people who were blessed by the Moon Mistress Luna with long life spans and the ability to nourish themselves. They are mutants who are stronger and faster. They have obsessions of rule and orders.¡±

    ¡°Why are they trying to killing you?¡±

    Eiya shook her head. She lifted her hand away from the obelisk. ¡°We fought them before. They hate us for our intention of letting the world stay as it is. But we allied when ¡®them¡¯ attack. We had no choice.¡±

    ¡°So now that they found out that you are alive. They are trying to rid of you,¡± Archie crossed his arm. He could not wrap his head around why did the High Lords want Eiya gone.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she said calmly, ¡°they want to kill me. The High Lords hate us for our abilities. We are naturally blessed by the sun and the moon. And we have the ability to resist their bites. We once fought them in a bloody battle that ended in their defeat. They are superhuman and could break boulders with their hands. But they are only a few. Their blood is diluted and those who fail to become a High Lord turns into a ghoulish monster that takes pleasure in violence. So why would they not kill us? As far as I know, they have already succeeded. Maybe they will completely erase our existence the moment I get killed.¡±

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    Eiya has been researching. She found no record of her race other than the scrolls that were provided by the King of Maltius La Fende. It was a heartbreaking discovery that most of her race was excluded from the history books. As if they vanished out of thin air. But she knew that the High Lords have murdered the entirety of her race.

    ¡°Still,¡± Archie said to Eiya, ¡°why would they want to kill you?¡±

    ¡°The mist barrier probably,¡¯ Eiya guessed. ¡°I am the only one who knew how to create the barrier. They must be thinking that I am dangerous and needed to be put down. Maybe they don¡¯t want this continent to be shrouded by a barrier of mist.¡±

    ¡°That means,¡± Archie realized. ¡°They might be scheming to turn over the whole of Livia to the Empire?¡±

    ¡°Possibly,¡± she replied dully. She glanced at the ceiling of the cavern. ¡°Doing so might grant them the governance of the whole of Livia.¡±

    ¡°Why would they do that?¡± Archie asked.

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Eiya said. ¡°It might be their current ambition. But this all speculation and they might have a different ambition. But one thing for sure is that they are cunning and I give them that.¡±

    Archie nodded slightly. He then looked Eiya in the eyes. ¡°Are you going to go after them after erecting the barrier?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she said directly. ¡°I will have them explain even if that means I¡¯d scour this whole city upside down.¡±

    ¡°Revenge huh,¡± Archie¡¯s expression stiffened. He was in deep thought.

    ¡°Maybe it is indeed revenge,¡± Eiya said while giving this complicated look. ¡°Still, if I ever have that chance. I want to know why they killed us all. I want to know what they are planning to do.¡±

    The conversation ended after that. Eiya prayed for her sisters and started erecting the first pillar for the barrier of mist. The pillar was made of pure earth and energy.  The pillar looked like a coiled tree. The top of the tree was spewing out mists and was starting to envelop the humongous cavern.

    The two left before they would get blinded. Outside, the afternoon sun met them. Their work here was done so Archie too the voice box that was provided by him and radioed for Alexander. It took a while but Alexander replied back and that he will be coming.

    The two waited for the skyship and by the time it arrived, it was already near evening. The skyship landed on a clearing. The landing caused the wind to blew hard and carried snow towards the two. They shielded themselves with their arms and walked to the rampart. There was someone waving a flare near the rampart. Archie got closer to the skyship and saw that it was Joshua.

    The two took a step on the rampart. Archie led Eiya inside while Joshua radioed Alexander to close the door of the skyship. The skyship made a mechanical sound before the rampart was tightly closed. The two could hear the thrusted and know that they weren¡¯t still done. Archie told Alexander their destination. They wanted to erect the barrier as soon as possible.

 Chapter 164

    Chapter 164 ¨C

    Shadow squatted on a branch silently. Her gaze looked at the official who she was targeting. Inside a carriage with guards that were armed with rifles and hand cannons. To a normal soldier, they would hesitate to engage them. But to Shadow they were nothing.

    They were all cannon fodder she could kill with ease. The bodyguards were like wheat facing a scythe. They were cut down without any warning. Blood splattered and pooled. The official inside the carriage did not know what just happened. All he saw was a fast shadow and heard sounds of pain.

    Shadow was not covered in blood. All her strike was clean and precise. Her finesse has reached mastery that she could easily do these feats. Of course, she had help from runic gestures that allows her to enhance her body. It was a lost art she acquired. Even as an agent of an Empire, she would never reveal her art.

    ¡°Please spare us,¡± the official was holding his son in his arms. There was fear in his eyes as he looks at Shadow. Every man and a parent would fear for their dear life especially if their child was with them. So how could the official not fear the killer before him? ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Your life,¡± shadow¡¯s voice was cold as ice. The cold weather didn¡¯t help in making the official feel colder. It was nearing winter and the weather was getting worse. The winds from the north were freezing the continent and the added breeze from the south made the weather colder.

    ¡°My life,¡± the official gathered his courage, ¡°does that mean that my son¡¯s life will be spared?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she said straightly without any tone in her voice. It was so bland mechanical that the official shuddered. But the official gained his wits. He knew that the monster in front of him was someone that could kill his entire escort like nothing.

    How could she fight a monster like her? There was no hope for her to defeat her. But even so, the warmth of his son made him brave. He draws his pistol and aimed it at Shadow. His gun then made a thunder-like sound as the bullet flew to Shadow¡¯s face.

    The official knew it was a gamble. He knew that there was no other way for him and sin to survive other than to kill the assassins. The distance between the assassin and the official was two arms far. A bullet could travel faster than sound. The official has a higher caliber pistol. The bullet was too fast for Shadow and it hit the mask she was wearing.

    There was a sound of metal meeting metal. Shadow tilted her head back. The official tried to pull the trigger again only to feel something sharp and acute cleaving his hand. He looked at his. His rough and calloused hand was gone. His wrist was cleanly cut by Shadow.

    ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH,¡± the man official shouted. His son jumped back in fear. Shadow came nearer and the Official could only see another flash of metal. His life ended at that moment.

    The young boy that was with the official cried. His pants were soaked with pee. Shadow gazed at the boy and then looked at the official. ¡°Your father managed to wound me. Good Job. He loves you.¡±

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    ¡°Ah-¡± the boy felt a sharp pain in his throat and heart. He felt very woozy as his sight went all black. The last sight she was the face of Shadow. In death, he was able to see the face that was shrouded with a curse.

    ...

    The boy and his father were dead. There was no need for any more witness so she made a runic gesture. The rune of fire birthed fire on his palms. The flame was blue and translucent. She flicked that flame down the corpses and before long they burned into ashes.

    ¡°That done,¡± she thought. She looked at the place where she burned the official and the boy. The only thing that was left was their bones. But even those bones were slowly turning into ashes. Shadow thought for a while before sighing deeply inside her heart.

    She could not feel anything but emptiness. All these work that she did was for some Empire she wasn¡¯t even loyal. She only joined this Empire out of similarities to her past world. The world she in was different to her past world. There were no hunters. There were no magicians and knights. There were only men and women holding weapons that could kill anyone with a squeeze of a finger.

    ¡°No matter what world,¡± she looked at the sky. Snow fell on top of her eyepatch, she was missing an eye but her green eye shone brightly despite that. ¡°I always end up this way Madonna. I am always on a path of blood and carnage.¡±

    She was cursed. She was someone who would always turn to the only path she knew. Ever since she was picked up by a Madonna and raised as a dangerous assassin. She experienced a bit of time in some village. And that time was one of the best parts of her life.

    But that was all change when one day she met a lonely witch. The man who she grew to love was separated away from her and she was cursed with no one to recognize her face. They would forget her. That¡¯s why to be recognized she would use a mask.

    ¡°Lord Paul...Lady Jessamine,¡± she murmured. ¡°I hope that you are alright.¡±

    She picked up her mask. It was made from metal she doesn¡¯t recognize. It was gifted by the Emperor she now served. It was a dented because of the bullet. She felt like if she didn¡¯t wear the mask. She would have been hit and possibly have died. She has ways to avoid that but killing young children bothers her. At first, she was apathetic to killing children. But only when she lived and interacted with children that she had these feelings. She wanted to become as cold as she was.

    But that was impossible. She would remember the garden of roses. She would remember the scarred man who she met in that village. She remembers the man who she recognizes as her bloody companion. She could not forget him. He was dear to her.

    ¡°Serge...¡± she muttered with a lone expression. ¡°Are you in this world too?¡±

    She asked. She doesn¡¯t know if there would be an answer. She was lost. She was aching. And because of that ache, she could only do what she was best at. To kill in the shadows. This was her only path at the moment.

 Chapter 165

    Chapter 165 ¨C

    Alexander steered the skyship into this open-mouthed mountain. Down below he could see a lake inside. The lake was sparkling blue, there white pebbles and boulders. There were vines hanging around the edges of the mouth. They were pushed away by the thrusters of the skyship.

    ¡°I can¡¯t enter any further. Do you want to jump? Or should I steer the ship to any plausible entry point?¡± Alexander radioed with a hoarse voice.

    The three near the ramparts could hear him. Joshua stood with a voice communicator ready. ¡°What do you want him to do?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll take a leap here,¡± Eiya said. She turned to Archie. ¡°Can you do the jump? Are your runes able?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they are,¡± Archie moved his shoulders. ¡°Let¡¯s jump then!¡±

    Eiya nodded. She mumbled something and she gently descended down to the lake as if the wind was carrying her. Archie took a jump. His foot produced a whirl of wind as slowly descended down too. Joshua took a glance at them before taking his rifle and slinging it to his back.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be following them,¡± Joshua told Alexander. ¡°Is there a problem with that?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± he radioed back. ¡°Godspeed mate,¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡±

    Joshua spread his hands and leaped down the ramparts too. He freefalls down and gestured at Eiya who was already down. She pointed her coiled root staff at him. There was a blast of green energy that wrapped around him. He swayed down and he landed one of the rocks.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± He said to Eiya. ¡°I rather not have all my munitions wet.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± she smiled. She turned her eyes to the entrance. It was dark and the mushrooms inside the entrance were the only thing there. The light was dim. There was a cold wind coming inside the cave entrance. Joshua took a step forward and produced a scope. He looked inside and could see nothing.

    He looked down. There were fishes of different kinds swimming in groups. There were water grasses and reefs. The water was so clear that it was like looking through a mirror. ¡°This is a peculiar place,¡± Joshua commented.

    Archie looked at Joshua. He scanned the area and reacted. ¡°Indeed, this is rather a beautiful and hidden place. Is there even another path down there?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Eiya said. ¡°I¡¯ve not been here for hundreds of years. There was supposed to be a shrine there.¡±

    Joshua looked at the direction Eiya was gazing. There was a crumbled ruin of wood and stone. The moss and the wild grass around the area made the ruined shrine looked like just it was another boulder and a rock formation. He wouldn¡¯t have noticed either if Eiya didn¡¯t mention it.

    ¡°Once upon a time there were many shrine maidens here. Most of them would converse with nature and hear the spirits of the mother planet. We were earth speakers. We communicate through offering our souls to the planet. We receive omens and blessings, allowing us to know the warning of this planet.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Joshua nodded. ¡°So do you know where the obelisk is? We should get going.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she turned her face to the entrance. ¡°I can feel the energy of the obelisk. I shall lead the way now.¡±

    She made a solemn expression. She trotted towards the entrance with soft steps. Archie raised his shoulders before following. Joshua draws his rifle and held it tightly. He followed the two while focusing his mind on the words that were floating above him.

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    ...

    While the three were looking for the obelisk, Alexander was surveying the area around the place. The open-mouthed mountain was located deep inside of the forests of the Holy Midland. He knew that there would be fewer bandits and thugs with the Templars being gung-ho in eliminating them.

    ¡°There seemed to be no problem,¡± he thought. ¡°I should be able to land my skyship at the place.¡±

    He looked at the clearing. He gripped the steering wheel and slowly made the skyship land on the clearing. If the skyship was a normal plane or a helicopter, then there would have been problems landing the ship. But the skyship had thrusters that could be rotated. So he was able to land the ship without any problem.

    Alexander checked the meters and gauges of the ship. They were still at passable levels and the fuel and power source of the ship was still feasible for a good trip back and forth. Satisfied, he tapped the control panel and locked the landing legs of the skyship. He then stood up and walked outside to feel the air. He has been inside the cockpit for too long.

    Getting some fresh air was something that he wanted right now. He yawned heavily. He spread his arms and stretched his upper body. He moved his limbs and was about to do some shadow boxing when he heard the sound of a blade being unsheathed from its scabbard.

    ¡°Got you!¡± he pirouetted and caught a curve blade between his palms. The pale warrior wearing a Shemagh looked at Alexander with a surprise for a while. He tried to move his blade but Alexander crooked his fist and struck the pale warrior right in the throat. The pale warrior staggered back. He tried to breathe only to feel his curve blade entering his chest.

    More people then came out from the shadows. One of them turned their gun at Alexander and shot him right in the forehead. Alexander was hit right in his glabella. His body arched and there was blood dropping. The man who shot him thought he got him. But to his surprise, Alexander poised his back straight and pointed his left palm at the man. The man suddenly felt an unknown force dragging him to Alexander.

    On the back of Alexander¡¯s left hand was a tattooed number. The number was originally one hundred but it lowered down to ninety-nine. Around the number were four dots. These dots represented the ¡®power¡¯ he mastered in five years. He used the gesture of pull to grab the man¡¯s throat. He then used the gesture push to produce a shockwave on the man¡¯s chest that ruptured the man¡¯s lungs.

    The ambushes shot at Alexander. But he produced a thin barrier that shielded him from the gunfire. With the bullets stopped he made the gesture of illusion and disappeared from sight. The attackers panicked. But before they could retaliate they were slowly killed.

    The leader of the ambushers was the only one left. He tried to shot Alexander dead but he didn¡¯t even budge. The only thing that changed was the number on the back of his left. ¡°Bastard,¡± Alexander lifted the man easily with one hand. He was a mutated being. His eyes dilated and looked like that of a beast.

    The leader tried to struggle but his neck was shattered. Alexander let the man¡¯s neck go and he sat down. He glanced at his shirt and cursed. Although his ¡®power¡¯ allowed him to negate the pain and reduce the damage. He was still mad that his shirt was now riddled with bullet holes. Still, what need was there to weep over things that have already happened? He could only be stoic about it. At least the tattooed number on the back of his left hand returned back to one hundred points.

 Chapter 166

    Chapter 166 ¨C Garden of Memories

    The labyrinth was hard to traverse. The paths were either closed off or they would find themselves in dead ends. Eiya was able to find the way through making use of what she calls as spirits. The ¡®spirits¡¯ were able to guide them through the cavern until they reach this garden filled with flowers.

    The obelisk was in the middle of the flowers. It was tall and had glowing lines. The pod of the obelisk was open. A skeleton was sitting inside the pod. The flowers have grown on the skull of the skeleton. Vines wrapped around the skeleton.

    Joshua stood still and watched Eiya kneel in prayer. Archie stood seven steps away from her. He was near this gray rock with four different flowers that Joshua could not recognize. There was light inside the garden. They bounce about and winds swayed the flowers.

    There was a soft hush as the winds sang. Joshua couldn¡¯t believe how beautiful the place was. It made him relax to the point that his mind was disrupted. If it wasn¡¯t for the floating words above his vision, he would have lost all of his focus.

    There was a strange smell. Joshua sniffed it. It was a combination of all the flowers and what one would smell near a stream of water. It drifted through the air. Joshua could tell that there was something happening. He turned his eyes at Eiya. She was muttering chants he could not understand. It was not the common tongue or the language of the demesne. It was a like an incoherent babble of gibberish.

    ¡°Is that her language,¡± he thought. ¡°Or is that a spell?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t understand. But at least he could understand that she wasn¡¯t someone hostile. Archie trusts her so he knew that she wouldn¡¯t do anything that might endanger them. He has also learned what the two¡¯s mission was. To Joshua, it felt like he was a side character that was escorting the ¡®heroes¡¯ from important places to save the world.

    ¡°Hah,¡± he laughed silently. He felt like Archie has always been involved in things like this. At first it was Avilla, then when he freed Zola and now he was in charge of escorting Eiya to these obelisks to cover the whole continent with mist that would allow the country to be safe from being discovered.

    It was an optimistic option that the Lord of the Demesne discovered. It was that reason that he told his daughter to send someone out to check the myth if it was true. The Lord himself was a scientific man who wasn¡¯t going to chase something as convenient as a mist of protection.

    But now that the myth was proven to be real and he was allowing a skyship to be used. Princess Cyra was now in charge of this mission and was hoping that the activation of the obelisk would work. At first, Joshua wasn¡¯t allowed to come but since he insisted, saying that he¡¯d lost his mind. Cyra allowed Joshua take part in this mission.

    He looked at Eiya again. Then he felt something that was melting him. It was a soft feeling that made his head get filled with a white scene. He felt like he was suddenly a ghost that was floating in a familiar place. Joshua eyed place and recognized it as his home.

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    ¡°Am I back home?¡± he thought at first. But he spotted the lonely back of his sitting in front of a computer screen. There was a form being filled by him. Joshua recalled this memory that he had put at the back of his mind. It was a depressing moment for him.

    He was a person that people disliked. He was someone that no one had confidence on. He was blamed for everything and the only thing he had at that moment was his loving family and relatives. Because of them that he able to keep any hope inside him. He was planning to do something about his situation by filling that form.

    But yet here he was in some strange world. He faced many things he wouldn¡¯t ever dream of doing. He didn¡¯t ask for any of this. He wanted nothing about this world that he was forced to live in. It was a world without his family, and where his hope was not present.

    Why would he struggle for people that ultimately gave him to Dolce?

    Because he wanted to believe that they treated him like family.

    Why would he do everything for a friend like Silo?

    Because he wanted to save a friend in trouble, and give him a happy ending.

    Why would he suffer a journey just to reach the Princess?

    So that he could see the two happy.

    Why would he go mad over a friend¡¯s death? Why would he scheme the death of a web of officials who drove his friend to suicide and suffer through all the killing?

    So that he can avenge his friend.

    Family was everything to Joshua back in his home. They were his reason to be alive. Without his family, he was a total wreck of a person. He knew that he was just running away from the reality that he could never see his family and relatives again.

    He knew that but he pretended to have a family or friends he could rely on. Indeed, there are only a few who he could rely on this world. But it doesn¡¯t mean they are his real family. He got separated away from his family. He was a sent to another dimension without any hope of being able to return home.

    He tried overlooking it all. But now that he was able to see the ¡®him¡¯ that striving hard for his family, Joshua knew that he was nothing but a delusional person who was deprived of that caring family. He was deprived of them and he thought he could ease the pain by substituting them.

    But Joshua realized that it couldn¡¯t be. The people he met in this world could never be his real family. It hurts Joshua. It pains his heart that he could not help but kneel and clutch his heart. He was crying behind himself. He felt so lonely and pained.

    He felt like he was going to break at this realization. He fooled his heart too much and now he was suffering because of it. Even the floating words above him could not help him from this.

 Chapter 167

    Chapter 167 ¨C

    The smell that akin to milk and cream mixed with flower fragrance made Joshua flop down unconscious. Archie kneeled on one knee. He touched his head, feeling a bit woozy. He wanted to feel asleep all the sudden.

    ¡°Archie, are you okay?¡± she pointed her palm at Archie. A stream of cool energy wrapped and coated him.

    ¡°What is this?¡± he asked.

    ¡°A protection spell, it should protect you from this spell,¡± she answered.

    ¡°Is this spell harmful? Is Joshua okay?¡± he looked at Joshua with creased brows.

    ¡°He should be. The spell¡¯s not harmful but it induces anyone to a state of sleep. They will be able to drift through their memories.¡± she explained. Her palms were now pointed on the obelisk.

    ¡°So it¡¯s safe?¡± Archie said. ¡°When will this spell wear off?¡±

    Eiya looked over her shoulder with beads of sweats flowing down her cheeks. ¡°As long as I make this obelisk mine then there should be no problem. But I fear that this will not be easy. If this obelisk is acting like this, then it only means that my sister didn¡¯t go down without a fight.¡±

    ¡°So are we expecting people to come here?¡± Archie stood up. He looked around him and draws his pistol from his holster.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she nodded with seriousness on her face. ¡°If the High Lords have noticed then they will be here. I am sure that they will be seeking my end. So I ask you to protect me and him for now.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Archie nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that no harm will to the two of you!¡± he declared.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she smiled curtly. She turned her eyes back to the obelisk. Her palms started to glow brightly. Particles of light gathered like floating streams of water. They coiled around her limbs, and her blue hair started to shine brightly like the stars in the sky.

    The sound of wind and water echoed around. There was a spiral of wind that enveloped the whole garden. The obelisk was slowly gathering a whirlwind of energy that laid the flowers down flat. Archie felt like he was being swept by the wind. But his body was able to absorb the essence and dampened the force pushing him.

    ¡°Sigh,¡± he inhaled. The veins on his body glowed with a greenish color. Ever since his body merged with runes, there was a huge change that happened to him. The major veins on his body were now converted into pathways that would allow the runic energy to cross his veins smoothly. The change was at first painful, but it subsided and allowed him to strengthen his body and make use of the runes other than releasing fire from his palms.

    The energy that was amassing around the garden was pure. Its essence allowed Archie to nourish his body further. He could feel all of his body getting stronger. The veins around his limbs were bulging. It was throbbing as if it was being injected continuously.

    ¡°Ah, so here you are,¡± a voice filled with apathy sounded out.

    Then ten figures dropped down the garden with ease. They had long knife-like ears. They looked like elves but their eyes were slanted. Their irises were red and two protruding fangs were on the edges of their mouth. They were garb in black robes. Archie could feel a sinister aura around them.

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    ¡°And so the last of the elves still tries to protect this land soiled with pollution and degeneracy. Helping humans, they do not deserve your help, elf.¡± the leader said.

    Eiya did not reply. Her face was still facing the obelisk as if she turned deaf to the leader who was trying to break her concentration.

    ¡°I see,¡± the leader inclined his head. ¡°You are still stubborn despite all the years being trapped inside that thing, ever so venerable to the humans who will soon turn this continent into a fiery wasteland. You are only delaying the enviable. The Old Ones tells that all shall burn.¡±

    Eiya gritted her teeth. She was trying her best but the leader¡¯s voice pierced her heart. She could tell that there was something inside her heart that agrees with him. The Old Ones were familiar seers who had once guided her own people. If what the leader said was true.

    ¡°No!¡± she purged the thought out of her head. ¡°I cannot let such thing poison me. I cannot confirm what he said as lies! I need to hear them from the seers themselves!

    The leader looked at Eiya¡¯s unmoving posture. He shook his head. There was no convincing the last of the elves. He took a step.

    ¡°Stop right there,¡± Archie placed himself in front of them. ¡°She¡¯s doing something important. I cannot let you disturb her.¡±

    ¡°Human,¡± said one of them. ¡°Get away and we might spare your life. You do not stand a chance in front of us.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ll listen to you,¡± Archie said sternly. He looked at ten of them. Then his eyes saw Joshua lying near them. His eyes were followed by one of them.

    ¡°Oh, a human, a sleeping one too,¡± the voice was cold. There was a menace in his eyes.

    ¡°What the hell are you trying to do!?¡± Archie shouted. He watched him raise his right leg to stomp on Joshua¡¯s head flat. Archie tried to stop him but he was blocked by the others. He thought that Joshua was going to die. But then it happened.

    Joshua jolted his head to the right and avoided the stomp. He raised his rifle and squeezed the trigger of his rifle at the man¡¯s chest. The man had his chest eviscerated by the rifle fire. He propped down on his knees and bled to death. The other nine were stunned by what happened. It was clear that the man who was sleeping should be dead. Yet the tables were turned immediately.

    ¡°Looks like I am still here,¡± Joshua stood up clumsily, ¡°so it was all a dream then. Looks like I am stuck in this place forever. No way back home...¡± he was tearing up. ¡°So you are the fucks that tried to kill me? I was having a NICE fucking dream. And you have to ruin it all. I do not know what you are here for. But I can see that you are trying to stop whatever she¡¯s doing. Fine then, if this world is not giving me that dream. Then I am not going to give you bastards what you want.¡±

    Anger beamed on his face. There was something menacing about Joshua that made Archie shiver. Indeed, he had tears on his face. But his look was that of someone who had his heart emptied.

 Chapter 168

    Chapter 168 ¨C

    They were minions of the High Lords. They were beings that have forsaken their high blood to gain power, abandoning their creators to worship them who could grant an infinite lifespan to the high lords. They were sinners who refused their own goddess out of fear of the wilting of their age.

    They have lived long enough to experience hundreds of battle. Indeed, the death of their comrade shook them. No matter how long-lived they were. They are still capable of dying. They fear death. So now their hearts were rattled by that fear.

    So their calmness was gone. The fear that the rifle brought to them made them wary. Their overbearing behavior was shattered at the death of their leader. Their leader was confident and a seasoned warrior. But the rifle of Joshua carved the leader¡¯s torso. He was dead.

    He had been too brazen that it led to his own demise. But how he would know that Joshua would be able to kill him? How would he know about Joshua¡¯s peculiar power? How would he know that he would be able to avoid his stomp? Now Joshua was fighting the rest of them.

    Eiya was spending her time trying to complete the ritual. It was two versus nine. They were fast and they know spells. Their leader was dead but it didn¡¯t mean that they would stay and let themselves be shot at. The garden was vast enough for them to maneuver.

    As they dodge Joshua¡¯s rifle. They grew calm. Their head cleared and they focus their minds back to their mission. Yes, their leader was dead. But their goal was not forlorn yet. So their calmness was back. They started to chant spells and threw them at Joshua and Archie.

    Joshua was able to dodge their life-threatening attacks. Archie was able to ward them off and steer them away from Eiya. The two had the advantage at first but their enemies were experts. They encircled them while keeping their speeds.

    But Joshua was calm with cold fury. His eyes were so lightless that it looks like he was staring at a black void. But that was not it. He was simply focused. He was so deathly focused that it made him feel so light and empty. The nine of them were cunning. Archie was struggling and he was too.

    ¡°What should I do?¡± he thought. ¡°They look like they regained their cool. Most of them are not letting us target them. They know that five or six rounds would allow me to carve their chest.¡±

    He looked around. What could Joshua do? They weren¡¯t foolish enough to go near him. They weren¡¯t stupid enough to fight Joshua while he was wielding his rifle. Archie could also kill them if they got close.

    Joshua surveyed his surroundings. ¡°Ah, I could use you,¡± he spotted the leader of the nine. He thought of an idea and quickly sprinted to the corpse of their leader. He took the bag on his belt and pointed his rifle at their leader¡¯s head.

    ¡°YOU!¡± one of the nine shouted with disdain. He then saw the corpse of their leader defiled and desecrated. Despite being a corpse, Joshua blew their leader¡¯s head repeatedly with his rifle. He fired his rifle until the leader¡¯s brain matter was splattered on the flowers. It was a cruel act, and he did with a provoking smile.

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    ¡°INSOLENT!¡± shouted the nine. Their anger flared up. They lost their cool and dashed towards Joshua with the intent of ripping him apart.

    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± he thought. ¡°If you don¡¯t come near me then I¡¯ll make you so! I could see that you were all shaken by his death! Now come at me!¡±

    The nine encircled Joshua. Their hands flashed with the intent of clawing his flesh out! Their intent was to kill him and do what he did to their leader!

    But that what Joshua hoped they would do! And with the threat of death coming at him, time slowed down. He saw their hands moving slowly and he willed his body to focus on the floating words above him. His body moved against his will, and he was able to dodge them by positioning his body oddly. That alone gave Joshua the advantage. He drew the dagger hung on his belt and slashed the throat of the nearest one to him.

    For Archie it was as if Joshua was able to dodge nine of them with finesse. He even saw Joshua took one of them. And it didn¡¯t stop there. The eight continued trying to take Joshua¡¯s life only for him to dodge their attacks nimbly as if possessed.

    Joshua didn¡¯t forget his rifle and squeezed it. It resulted in the death of another one of them. They were startled and angered. But that death made them back away. Joshua tried to shoot them with his rifle but that didn¡¯t work.

    ¡°Looks like I won¡¯t able to use that tactic anymore,¡± Joshua thought. He could that they were careful than ever. He knew that using the same provocation won¡¯t work. He had to think of a plan. He needs to make sure that Eiya was finished.

    ¡°Joshua!¡± shouted Archie who was near Eiya. ¡°She should be done now!¡±

    Joshua nodded. He looked at the seven remaining and thought of a plan. But they suddenly turned into a mist of smoke. Joshua then suddenly felt that he was caught by one of them. He was up in the air and he was thrown to the ground. The ground was filled with flowers but it didn¡¯t stop him from arching his back in pain.

    They were now using another method of attacking. Joshua tried to shoot but they were able to dodge them. Archie lashes out a wind blade but they jumped high and avoided it.

    ¡°Shit!¡± Joshua cursed. He saw that one of them was chanting something dangerous. He tried to rush in and kill the bastard but he was blocked by one of them. The bastard was starting to chant even more dangerously. Joshua¡¯s heart trembled at that chant.

    Then it happened. An unrelenting force suddenly pushed and flung the chanter. He was then caught by a green rope made of light and was shot three times in the chest. It happened so fast that Joshua was slow to react. He looked at where that came from and there he saw Alexander walking softly.

    ¡°Looks like they really did attack here,¡± he said calmly. ¡°Well, let¡¯s kill them. They¡¯ll pay for trying to after my sky cruiser!¡±

 Chapter 169

    Chapter 169 ¨C

    The remaining assailants saw Alexander. Feeling that he was a threat, they pounced on them with their claws. They were fast and before Alexander could react. Blood spurted out of Alexander¡¯s body. The assailants pierced Alexander¡¯s body. He was a like a wine barrel that got poked.

    There was a cruel smile on their faces. But as they look up they saw Alexander¡¯s stoic expression looking down at them. ¡°Sorry, that only took fifteen life points. Back off.¡±

    Alexander twisted his left hand and produced a shockwave that made the assailants flung. Alexander¡¯s whiter hair billowed as his dilated beast-like eyes calmly gazed at them. He made a gesture with his left hand again and there was a finger flicking sound. He vanished.

    The remaining assailants tried to peer through whatever illusion Alexander was using. But before they could see Alexander through their eyes, one of them had their brains blown up. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t bring any firearms today?¡± he commented, disappearing again.

    The six of them back off. This time they sharpened their senses father than it should be. Their hearing became sharp and they chanted a spell that lit a bright light that somehow dispelled Alexander¡¯s camouflage. Alexander didn¡¯t panic at that. He calmly raised his pistol and shot one of them.

    Another one died!

    This infuriated the assailants. They rushed at Alexander and broke his pistol. Without his pistol how could Alexander kill them immediately! That¡¯s what they thought.

    But Alexander said with a calm demeanor. ¡°Close quarter combat huh?¡± he stared at the assailants. One of them threw a straight punch at Alexander, intending to hit his head. But Alexander took a step to the right. He caught the wrist of the enemy with his left hand. He tightened his grip and pivoted his elbow at the enemy¡¯s arm. The arm of the enemy broke like a twig. Alexander put his arm near his neck and forced it through the neck of the enemy.

    The enemy¡¯s throat got ruptured. He didn¡¯t let the enemy off. He put his palm on the enemy¡¯s forehead and with an exhale. The enemy¡¯s head exploded into tiny pieces. Another one of them died. There were only five remaining of them.

    The others were killed by Joshua. But Alexander didn¡¯t stop at two. He poses his arms up and dashes at one of them. He threw a low right kick at the enemy¡¯s ankle. It broke easily and with the enemy¡¯s posture broken. He crooked his right arm and drove his elbow at the enemy¡¯s clavicle. He then grabbed the enemy¡¯s head and kneed him right in the chin.

    The enemy¡¯s eyes rolled back. He laid flat on the ground. Alexander did not show any mercy. He stomped on the enemy¡¯s larynx. The enemy died and before the other one could sneak attack, Alexander. He strikes his elbow at the enemy¡¯s stomach and grabbed the dagger hung on his belt. Making use of the dagger, he slit the throat of the enemy and then threw it at the other one.

    ¡°You are the only one left,¡± said Alexander with a frosty expression.

    The remaining minion could not help but laugh helplessly. Just minutes ago they were confident that they could kill the last of the elf and her companions. But now the tables have turned. Every one of them was dead except for him! It happened too fast!

    ¡°We still have them right?¡± he thought of the others.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Alexander made a sound. ¡°By the way, the others who tried to blow my head are dead. Honestly, if your people didn¡¯t try to fuck over my sky cruiser. I wouldn¡¯t be here. But you fucked it up. Now I have to kill you.¡±

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    His thought the moment Alexander finished speaking was to run. He tried to turn around and escape but he felt something wrapping around his abdomen. He looked down and saw that Alexander has already grabbed hold of him. He tried to escape but he was flung near Alexander and was on his knee.

    ¡°Will you kindly tell me who sent you?¡±

    ¡°The High Lords will have you all pay for this,¡± he said sternly.

    ¡°I see,¡± Alexander nodded his head. He put his left palm at the enemy¡¯s temple and said. ¡°Then may you go to whatever God you worship.¡±

    The enemy wasn¡¯t allowed to reply back. His head was blown apart by some invisible force. Behind the enemy, his brains dyed the flower patches. It spread like a wing. The wind from the obelisk finally died down. Eiya descended down and kneeled exhausted. She took a glance at the dead and said.

    ¡°This sacred place has been defiled.¡±

    ¡°Better than us being dead,¡± Alexander replied. ¡°Is the ritual done? Will they show up here?  Or do we need soldiers stationed here?¡±

    Alexander had many things to ask. Eiya looked at her and answered. ¡°Yes, the ritual is done. I doubt that they¡¯ll be able to screw with the pillars for the barrier. It won¡¯t be damage no matter what. At best they would have to rid me of my life.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Alexander took a big sigh. ¡°So do you need only a few more then?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she said with a nod. She looked at Alexander whose body was covered in blood. ¡°Would like you some help?¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± he raised his palm and shrugged. ¡°I am a mutant. My injuries will heal soon. Besides, I have a constitution that allows me not feel the pain.¡± he then looked at the tattoo on the back of his left palm. The numbers were back to one hundred.

    Joshua had a cold expression. But when the enemies were killed he slowly calmed down. The pain in his heart lingered but this was not the place to look sad. ¡°You are pretty strong, man,¡± he told Alexander. ¡°You took them down with finesse.¡±

    ¡°I have training,¡± he said. ¡°Besides, having superhuman strength helps.¡±

    ¡°So you are a mutant?¡± Joshua asked.

    ¡°Yep,¡± Alexander casually said. ¡°I drank some mutagens and got turned into one.¡±

    ¡°Does being mutant come with that kind of power?¡± Joshua inquired.

    ¡°Not really. I learned that from a friend. He was a mutant but he was long gone now.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Joshua nodded. ¡°Thanks, Alexander, good thing you were here.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± he smiled. ¡°How about we get out of here? I rather not stay here in this place. Or should we bury them?¡±

    Alexander¡¯s eyes turned to Eiya. She wondered what to say. But when she looked at the appearance of the three, she shook her head and answered. ¡°No, we should leave them be here.¡±

    ¡°You got it.¡±

    Then the four traveled back to the sky cruiser. Along the way, they saw corpses of other men and arriving at the skyship. Joshua, Eiya, and Archie were shocked to find that there was a pile of corpses. Alexander boorishly explained and after that, they left the area.

 Chapter 170

    Chapter 170 ¨C  The Hopeless Wanderers

    After leading them out of that garden, I flew my sky cruiser back to the demesne. The elf wanted to go to the other sites but I protested against it. I asked her to not hurry for we were not tireless beings. She complied after looking at Archie.

    This quest to save the continent was quite something. To me, this wasn¡¯t personal. It was just another mission given to me. Indeed, I have the power to resist or accomplish them. I know that after getting used to this strange power of mine.

    I am not from this world. I came from Langley. But even so, this body that I inhabit isn¡¯t mine. It belongs to Serge, who died in another world. That¡¯s right. I am a reincarnated who then got transported to this place. I spent a long time in a medieval-like world first. I became a bit accustomed to that world. But then that world turned into a world of eternal nights. I got crystallized by a witch mountain and Olivia, the woman who I met in a certain village was lost to me.

    I do not know where she was. When I awoke in this world, I was stuck in some village somewhere. I was taught by a herald how to speak for a year. Then I spent two years hunting down monsters for the sake of that village. After a rough time hunting, I was introduced to an official who wanted me to learn how to drive a skyship. A skyship cruiser is like a hybrid of a plane and a helicopter. It has wings and it uses the thrusters around it to hover.

    It was like a spaceship. It was so out of place in this world that I felt like it was absurd. But I didn¡¯t miss the chance to learn it. I practiced and was able to get used to the feeling of flying it. It took me two years to actually be good at flying it. Since then I¡¯ve been flying the skyship everywhere.

    It was a good life. But my heart was empty like a husk. I was left alone. I was a lost wanderer, a person that would not find his home in any world. It was a kind of homesickness that will never be cured. Once you are a wanderer of worlds. You will be deprived of any home. There will be no place for you. It is a curse. I¡¯ve learned that hard after meeting a certain person who was like me. He was sick and crippled. He was followed by curses. He was a lost wanderer like me who didn¡¯t find his home.

    His name was something he had forgotten. He was a wanderer who I met near the city of storms. He was someone who was misfortunate. He was lost in this world too. He told me that he fell off a dragon in order to save someone. He then fell down into the abyss and was left to suffer. He was not like me. He didn¡¯t get any special abilities and was left to the mercy of the world that he was thrown in.

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    I didn¡¯t know what happened to him. In a space storm, he was lost again. I felt something powerful before he got taken away. I do not where he is. But I hope that he got his happy ending. We are lost individuals and we share this misfortune. So I could only hope that he would fare better.

    The space storms were the things that sent us all here in this world. It was a singularity that threw us into this world. I think that Zola and Joshua are the same as me. They are lost wanderers deprived of their homeworld. I think Joshua and Zola already know that I am a person of the same world. But we know that such secrets aren¡¯t meant to spoken unless we want to.

    Besides, how could I do so when this body doesn¡¯t belong to me? I am just some thrill-seeking traceur who fell down a building. This body belongs to a brave person who sold his soul to save someone he admired. I felt like I don¡¯t deserve this body. But I am starting to think that I should be selfish. And besides, my power has slowly started to mold this body to my original body. I mutated and somehow my power was helping. I do not know the reason. It just happened and this world doesn¡¯t have any sorceresses or mages that reveals their presence.

    I have no time to weep over that. What need is there to weep over parts of life? I just have to accept it with my stoic mindset. It helps me greatly. But still, it doesn¡¯t rid me of any heartache that I got from the past world. Every day, and every night I could remember the day I got separated away from Olivia.

    She was my bloody companion. She was this person whose emotions are too wrecked because of the way she was raised.  She was trying to do her best. I fell for her because of that wanting. She doesn¡¯t say it but I know that she truly wanted nothing but peace. She was a person who was used to bloodshed.

    That¡¯s why I pray that if she is here in this world. She¡¯s not killing people or being used by some Emperor. It is my wish to see her again. It is a forlorn hope. This world is vast and there is a possibility that she¡¯s not even in this world.

    But...if fate permits it, I would like to meet her again. I would like to see that woman who captured my heart. I would like to see that smile again. That smile that I saw back then. That smile that I saw when we were in a garden. That smile that was enhanced by the shining roses, and the stars that were sparking behind her, I could never forget that scene.

    But that is just my hopeless wish. It has been five years. And I¡¯ve starting to forsake such hopeless wish. The world¡¯s so large and vast. How could I ever find her? And even if I do, will she remember me? Or are we going to meet as foes?

    I wish not.

 Chapter 171

    Chapter 171 ¨C

    Dolce felt the wanting of hanging herself. The trip to the city of Alva was boring. Not to mention that arriving there, she was welcomed by strange gazes from the people of the city who have never seen a skyship. Thankfully, her appearance made the city guards calm.

    She was welcomed with mixed reactions. Some lauded her return, praising her for the slaves she freed. Some sneered at Dolce for doing such things. But most of the nobles who caught sight of Dolce looked at her with disdain. She was known in the city as the heiress who gave her virginity to a mere slave.

    It was known to everyone. Dolce doesn¡¯t care, however. She strides through the house-lined streets of the city. She was wearing her jacket. She did not wear her frilly black dresses. Dolce has outgrown wearing such tiring dresses. She was now fond of tight pants and jackets. On her waist were belts for her holster and pistol. Behind her was Elesia and Henry, they were carrying their rifles, trying to look tough.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Henry murmured. ¡°The city seems like it is of two places.¡±

    The architectures of the city were different. Most of the buildings were built of brick and mortar. The roofs were arching and some were straight flat. It was a melting pot of different styles of buildings. The roads were paved well. There were cleaners and on the side, there were hawkers peddling their goods.

    There were carriages being pulled by horses. There were motor cars and was loud because of the engine. The guards of the city were armed with repeating rifles. Some of them still keep their plate armor. On their side were swords and some of them even wielded spears.

    Dolce was used to firearms, so seeing them keep their spear and swords made her curse all the fencing lessons she was battered to learn. The age of swords and axes was long gone. It was now an age where firearms and artillery reign supreme. A veteran knight who spent his life training could be killed by a greenhorn with a repeating rifle.

    She could be killed by a single well-aimed bullet. It was terrifying to think about. She could imagine that the world¡¯s way of fighting will soon change. Not to mention that moving vehicles armed with cannons and walking bipedal machines capable of destruction. Then there are the skyships that could bypass walls and fortifications. A well-placed drop could possibly kill a leader.

    There were also talks of long-range artillery. Mortars were deadly but a weapon that could fire from miles? It was unheard of. A fortified place with those kinds of weapons could easily take down cities and bring devastation to any marching army.

    The Demesne has been planning to fortify the beaches and placed such weapons. But with the Bali and Cagan natives occupying most of them, how could they ever anticipate the Empire that is across the Gigantes Sea? It would be good if they get annihilated. But it would be stupid for such thing to happen. They could make use of the Cagan and Bali forces. They could possibly ally with the Empire, leaving them to be cornered.

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    Dolce has been given reports of plans to conquer the Bali and Cagan areas. They call the plan as the thunder of God and they planned to shock and awe the Bali and Cagan natives to surrender. It was a harsh plan that involves the deaths of many. But if that means they could conquer the Bali and Cagan natives. Then they are willing to do everything.

    ...

    The three of them didn¡¯t go to the compound of the Alva¡¯s. Dolce took her time walking and only went to the cemetery when the weather seems like it would go bad.

    The cemetery was filled with snow. A lone gardener carried a shovel. He was old and wrinkled. He was clearing the stone path for the visitors. He was getting paid so it didn¡¯t matter if the cold wind was hurting his bones. The old gardener glances at the old gate. His weary eyes gazed at the three who entered. His wicker hat was getting filled with snow.

    The gardener trotted to them. He took his wicker hat. He bowed his balding head. ¡°Welcome milady, are you here to visit the lady?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Dolce answered. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be under a roof by now, Uncle.¡±

    ¡°I should be. But I can¡¯t let them be.¡±

    ¡°I see. Same as always are you, Uncle,¡± Dolce smiled. ¡°Is mama¡¯s grave well tended?¡±

    ¡°Not a single day that I do not take care of the lady¡¯s grave. The lady¡¯s a merciful anger who made this old man caretaker of this noble¡¯s cemetery. How could I let her grave go untended?¡±

    The old gardener was a person who was employed by Dolce¡¯s mother. Dolce¡¯s mother found the old gardener in the road and made him work in the cemetery. The cemetery was made for nobles. So it was a blessing for the old gardener to be able to work in the cemetery.

    ¡°Thank you for all your work, Uncle,¡± Dolce said. ¡°But next time, try letting your sons do the work.  Or unless you want to join the late gardeners soon?¡±

    ¡°Aye, I might do so. But for now, the work is good for me.¡±

    ¡°Then do what you want, Uncle,¡± Dolce told the gardener. ¡°Can you lead us back to ma¡¯s graves?¡±

    ¡°Certainly,¡± the gardener nodded.

    The three were then led to the tomb where the Alva¡¯s are laid. The gardener bid his farewell and let Dolce descend down to where her mother was laid to rest. Dolce saw that the tomb was indeed clean. There were no webs or dust. The lamps were also oiled properly.

    Dolce approached the grave of her mother. There, a painting was put up. Dolce looked at that painting with sadness. Elesia and Henry took their leave as Dolce kneels in prayer. It was a short prayer. Then, she narrated what her experiences were for the year. How she has changed and how the world was. Dolce spoke of her fears and hoped that her mother would give her strength.

    Dark days were ahead. So she wished that she could endure it.

 Chapter 172

    Chapter 172 ¨C

    Dolce was done with her peaceful discussion to her mother¡¯s tomb. Lifting herself up, she went back up and was met by heavy snowfall. Henry and Elesia were dutifully standing, waiting for her. She signaled for the two. The two followed Dolce to the stone path again. The old gardener saw them.

    ¡°Leaving, milady?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes, Uncle,¡± Dolce said. ¡°Take care, and please let your sons do the work next.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    The old gardener nodded. He led the three out of the gate and bid them farewell. The iron gate of the cemetery made a clanging sound as it was unlocked. The old gardener disappeared under the snowfall. He was like a ghost that wanders.

    ¡°The Old Uncle still works despite his age,¡± Elesia said. ¡°He was so young back days.¡±

    ¡°Is he?¡± Dolce commented. ¡°He seems to be vigorous despite his age. I thought that the old man would have croaked by this year.¡±

    ¡°Milady,¡± said Elesia helplessly. ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be good to say that to your elders.¡±

    ¡°I only speak the truth,¡± Dolce insisted. ¡°Though I am glad that he¡¯s still alive, ma was rather familiar with the old gardener.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Elesia thought back. ¡°The lady would always greet the old gardener. The old gardener also tends to the flowers back in the compound, taking a leave just so he can watch over the madam¡¯s garden. He¡¯s truly loyal.¡±

    ¡°Indeed he is,¡± Dolce nodded. She walked along the cobblestone path. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t become a servant that easily if not for his loyalty. He would still be a mere slave tending to tombs all day and night.¡±

    The old gardener had a long cloudy past. Dolce still believes that he was a skilled soldier. After all, she would notice the old gardener reporting to her father. She was interested enough to know what the old man does. Still, ever since her mother died. The old gardener refuses to get out of the noble cemetery. He was not its eternal guardian. Even Dolce is worried that the old gardener might croak.

    The snowfall was heavy. Dolce looked up and saw that the roads were filled with snow. She was having a hard time trudging through the snow. She looked at the road and some of the carriages were stuck. The horse pulled carriages were moving.

    Dolce had enough of walking so she told Henry to holler a horse carriage. A carriage came to their service and they were able to trot down the street with less difficulty. There were still motor cars and carriages stuck in the snow so there times that they had to back up and go another way.

    Dolce watched the buildings pass by. She saw fur-coated citizens ambling by. She looked at the kids with a smile. She supported her head with her left palm. She watched the snow rain with a bit of melancholy. The tapping sounds that the horse did make her recall the simple day. As the trip continued, she began to wonder what she would after arriving in that dreadful compound.

    ...

    The compound was large. The walls and gates were finely decorated. Before entering the main entrance of the compound, there was a gate with guards watching over the main entrance. The compound was well-fortified. There were guards on the walls. It was like a mini-stronghold. It was suffocating.

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    The carriage approached the entrance of the compound. It was stopped by the family guards of the Alva. The two burly guards asked who it is. But when they caught sight of Dolce, their expression turned nervous and rigid. They quickly backed off and saluted. The two guards hollered for the gate to open.

    The carriage driver took the carriage inside the entrance. He parked near the doorway of the compound and opened the door for Dolce and the others. Dolce signaled at Elesia. She handed the pay and returned to Dolce¡¯s side.

    The carriage driver smiled at the money he got. He whips his horse and went back to the entrance, intending to get out. Dolce could still hear the tapping of the horse when she found herself standing near the double-doors. She gave a sigh and entered.

    She was welcomed by a lavishly decorated hallway. There was a carpet on the ground. The walls had suits of armors and paints. There were chandeliers and silverware. She walked forward. She saw long-skirted maid who¡¯s seemed refined. She had black hair and she wore round glasses. Her hair was neatly tied into a bun.

    ¡°Welcome back home, milady,¡± Catalina said. She looked at Elesia. ¡°And you too, my precious junior. How¡¯s life outside this compound?¡±

    ¡°Strange,¡± Elesia casually said. ¡°I never knew that there would be whole lots of change.¡±

    Catalina was a bit surprised at her tone. She looked at Dolce not doing anything and smiled. ¡°It seems like the rumors are true. You have changed my junior, and you have become lenient milady.¡±

    ¡°When did I stay true to the norms?¡± Dolce shrugged her shoulders. ¡°And as always you are still beautiful. Why not accompany me? A former femme fatale will come in handy.¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡± she smiled sexually. ¡°I thought my junior here would be enough?¡±

    She looked at Henry.

    ¡°And who is this?¡± she added. ¡°She seems like a fine young man,¡± she trotted near Henry and glances at him, ¡°and well-muscled too. You have firm hands and a fine body.¡± she winked at Henry.

    Henry did not expect that. He blushed like a maiden. Elesia frowned and launch an elbow at Henry¡¯ side. This made Catalina giggle.

    Henry touched his side and looked at Elesia as if he has been wronged. She had fine curves and her face was stunning. How could Henry not be charmed by such beautiful woman?

    ¡°You can tease him later, Catalina.¡± Dolce snapped. ¡°Is father out already?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Catalina said. ¡°The only one left is the young master. There are also relatives that came to visit. Would you want to meet them?¡±

    She looked at Catalina with a bland expression. ¡°You know my answer to that, Catalina.¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± she smiled. ¡°I admit that I too hate them.¡±

    Dolce smiled gently. ¡°I missed you too, Catalina.¡±

    ¡®It is the same for me.¡±

    Catalina smiled back. She led Dolce and the others deeper inside the compound.

 Chapter 173

    Chapter 173 ¨C

    Dolce was led to her room. Her room was big. It had much furniture and stuffed toys were around. But aside from that, there was also a rack with swords and muskets. Dolce also has dresses around this particular corner. Looking at it made Dolce helpless.

    ¡°Ah, looks like my room hasn¡¯t changed. Well done, Catalina.¡±

    ¡°My pleasure,¡± Catalina bowed.

    The room was not dusted. Every part of the room was neatly cleaned. There were no traces of dirt anywhere. Dolce liked the room¡¯s appearance. She felt like she hasn¡¯t left it at all.

    ¡°Well done, Senior,¡± Elesia commented. ¡°You really are a professional.¡±

    ¡°Is that a compliment, Elesia?¡± she said. ¡°Or could it be that you need this big sister to teach you how to become a professional?¡± she softly ambled towards Elesia. ¡°I could see that you have long forgotten the etiquettes of a maid. And where is your dress? And what¡¯s with that rifle?¡±

    Catalina looked at the rifle poking behind Elesia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I heard that the rifles of the demesne are strange. But to think it would look so heavy,¡± she took a step back. Her hands were on her wide hips. ¡°And what¡¯s with the web of pouches? Even that young man had the same pouches. Are you three facing a war?¡±

    Dolce crossed her arms. She then told Catalina about what¡¯s happening to the continent. Catalina had some vague knowledge but knowing that there was an Empire trying to cross the Gigantes Sea made Catalina¡¯s expression turned into something devoid of expressions. The warmth and playfulness on her face were gone.

    ¡°I see, the master has told me that the situation will get worse. That the island needed to be conquered, and that the Bali and Cagan natives need to be subjugated as fast as possible. But to think it was worse than I expected. Hmm, looks like this big sister will be used again.¡±

    ¡°So is my father preparing to conquer Salevela Island?¡±

    ¡°He is,¡± Catalina acknowledged. ¡°Thousands of soldiers drafted from villagers. Armed with those repeating rifles and accompanied by flying ships and griffons. They have steam-powered machines as well. Bipedal walking machines, and four-legged vehicles capable of carrying cannons, it seems like Salevela would be conquered.¡±

    Dolce frowned. ¡°That is if my father can reach the aisle. That Island has been a fortress. No forces have ever conquered that island.¡±

    ¡°And the master is willing to take that honor,¡± Catalina replied. ¡°He has the backing of the Templars and the support of the demesne. The Master will be fine. But it will be a difficult battle.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Dolce said with annoyance.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Catalina was used to Dolce. ¡°And if the master perishes. Then Master Don would take the spot of the master of Alva. I doubt anyone would complain. Master Don has proven himself.¡±

    ¡°You could say that,¡± Dolce inclined her head. ¡°Big Brother Don has been the kinder version of father. Thankfully, he supports my wanting.¡±

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    ¡°True,¡± Catalina nodded in agreement. ¡°But milady, to think that you own many fiefs and are on the good side of the Princess of the Demesne, I say that you have outdone yourself.¡±

    ¡°Good side?¡± she laughed. ¡°I think the Princess wants to secretly murder me for reporting her back. But the Princess is a logical creature. Although her beloved died partly because of the Templars wanted to him. She doesn¡¯t blame me. And that annoys me. I think she¡¯s making use of me with that. That ¡®guilt¡¯ is making me work for her. I don¡¯t mind working for her as long as she doesn¡¯t suddenly decide to ask for my head.¡±

    ¡°Sounds troublesome,¡± Catalina said. She was now sitting on Dolce¡¯s bed as if it was natural.

    Dolce didn¡¯t mind her behavior. She sat on a chair and said. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter. I did trouble her and caused her heartaches.¡± Dolce was sincere as she says that.

    Catalina looked at Dolce with a warm and gentle expression. She said, ¡°You really have change milady.¡± and then smirked. ¡°Did that man who I heard so much changed you this much?¡±

    Hearing her made Dolce looked at her. She looked from left to right. Seeing that no one was around and Henry was left to guard the hall. She could reveal her expression to Elesia and Catalina. She touched her hot cheeks as her eyes became spiral and there was this madness written on her face.

    Catalina was surprised at this love-stricken face filled with obsession. She turned to Elesia but she only shook her head with a shrug. Elesia has seen Dolce make this kind of expression when they are alone. Dolce has great self-control but lately, the thought of the man who defied her made Dolce this strange.

    Catalina was interested so she asked. She was then told by Dolce about the man she has taken a liking. From the day they met and to the recent events. Dolce did not hold back. With passion, she narrated the details and by the time she was done. Catalina was greatly astonished.

    No wonder that Dolce was so enamored. Catalina could understand after being told with such details. A weak thin slave rose into someone that was able to take down a line of scheming officials who wanted to take control of a princess. And at the death of his friend the thin slave became a monster so he can take them down.

    It was a tale of someone that was deprived of everything, trying to protect something that he had. Catalina admires that. Not to mention that this man defied the lady. And this defiance turned the lady into that of what she was seeing now. It was strange to Catalina seeing Dolce act like that.

    But even though she seemed like she was love stricken. Catalina could sense that twisted desire inside Dolce. She knew that the moment the man stops defying Dolce. The obsession and love she was showing would disappear. To Catalina, Dolce was a twisted young woman. She was unpredictable.

    Catalina also considered the young man. How could a person that would trample upon a group of people, to avenge a friend, would suddenly stop defying Dolce?

    To Catalina, it was nothing but a chaotic relationship.

 Chapter 174

    Chapter 174 ¨C

    The discussion in the room kept up until the light inside the room was gone. Catalina took Elesia with her and went out of the room. They also led Henry to a room where he could sleep. Henry bid farewell to Dolce, before going with them.

    Dolce was left alone. She scanned the room. It was quiet and there was a warm feeling as she continues to look at her room. She could remember the days she stayed in this room. This room was her sanctuary. It was her paradise where she can be alone and feel comfortable.

    Dolce slid herself down the blanket. She took off her clothes underneath and dropped them on the ground. She was bare naked underneath. Her hair was spread on the pillow. Her eyes reflected the moon¡¯s light. She took a glance at the dim light and closed her eyes.

    The next day, she opened her eyes and felt the sting of sunlight. She threw the blanket on her feet and looked at the window. There was still snow falling but it was lesser. She decided to get dressed since it was getting cold. Her fur blanket was quite a miraculous blanket. It allowed her to stay warm despite being naked.

    Dolce stretched her arms. The locks of her hair covered her armpits. Her perky butt pointed behind and her round breast was pushed forward. Her body was sexily bent. A bit of wind sneaked into the room. She jumped at the cold wind caressing her thighs.

    She looked around. She saw her wardrobe and wore black pants, a coat, and gloves. She carefully tied her corsage and patted her coat. She stretched her legs towards the mirror. She turned around and nodded in satisfaction. Her hair was still messy. So she took a comb and slowly straightened it before tying it into a ponytail. Normally, she would take her time in arranging her hair or clothes. But ever since working for the princess of the demesne, she had started to let go of such tiresome rituals.

    She no longer curled her hair and she preferred outfits that she could move easily. She also took the holster of her pistol and arranged the belts on her waist. It was then that the door was swung open. Catalina entered with a silver tray and was about to open her mouth.

    ¡°Oh, you are awake,¡± she said, ¡°and dressed well too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve learned,¡± Dolce shrugged and sat on her bed. ¡°Is that breakfast?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was planning to dress you too milady,¡± she put the silver tray on the table. ¡°But it seems like my little lady has grown into someone who could dress. I am saddened yet proud.¡±

    Dolce curved her mouth. ¡°You speak as if I was someone incompetent in acting like a human being.¡±

    Catalina exaggeratedly posed. ¡°But you would take hours to curl your hair. You would complain about dress and you would always wear nothing but the frilly ones! Indeed, there is some truth about a woman¡¯s purity. There would be change, and I can tell that you enjoyed him well.¡±

    Dolce was about to take the bread and bit on it. She stopped and looked at Catalina was exaggerating her poses. ¡°How vulgar, can you not talk like that when I am trying to eat?¡± she complained.

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    ¡°Pardon, I was too excited at the prospect of my little madam¡¯s growth,¡± she covered her mouth. Then she looked at Dolce promptly. ¡°Your skyship has landed at the grounds, milady. We¡¯ve allowed it to enter the compound. It was attracting attention too.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Dolce couldn¡¯t care less. She took a bite of her bread and put on a slice of fried egg. Then she bit on a fruit. ¡°How¡¯s the crew? The ¡®visitors¡¯ are not harassing them? You should remind them that they have the authority to shoot those who try to harass them. I made sure of that.¡±

    ¡°The visitors aren¡¯t doing anything, milady. I think they aren¡¯t foolish enough to provoke you at the moment. Your prestige makes them cower, milady.¡±

    ¡°Ah yes,¡± Dolce touched her chin. ¡°Can I somehow convince you to work as a manager of my fiefs? The Templars are doing a good job and they are sending me the profits. But someone like you looking after my fiefs would be relieving.¡±

    ¡°I decline,¡± Catalina said curtly. ¡°Milady, I only serve this compound, and I am its blade as well.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Dolce accepted. ¡°Nothing makes the people that live here safer than your presence here. Do you still carry that crossbow of yours? Ah, I have one inside the skyship. I let Elesia and Henry take it to you.¡±

    ¡°Oh my,¡± she touched her cheek. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking to replace it. You came at the right time.¡±

    ¡°Why not use a gun?¡± Dolce asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s too loud,¡± Catalina replied with a thin smile. ¡°I prefer a crossbow¡¯s silence.¡±

    Dolce thought and agreed. Catalina was her master and the person who trained her most. She was a femme fatale that worked for her mother. She was someone dedicated to the Alva. Dolce learned that ever since her mother was still young. Catalina had always accompanied her.

    One of the reasons that Elesia became Dolce¡¯s servant was because of Catalina. Her mother agreed to such arrangements and thus Elesia was on her side. Catalina has trained Dolce and Elesia since young. So she knew that Catalina preferred crossbows rather than guns. She was good at it. Dolce recalled how she was able to hit a mouse in the dark, and how she was able to kill a group of assassins with a crossbow and a dagger. Guns were a threat but with how things are. Catalina could still contend with them.

    ¡°If you want to have a gun,¡± Dolce said. ¡°Then come to me. I¡¯ll get you one. I am sure that you would love the silenced pistols that the demesne produces. They can suppress the loudness of gunfire. You¡¯d love them, Catalina.¡±

    Catalina raised her eyebrows. She thinly smiled. ¡°Sounds great, I would love to have that kind of weapon.¡±

    Dolce nodded. She turned her focus back to eating. Then, she followed Catalina out and strolled around the compound. After hours of idling, Dolce spotted a flying ship approaching the compound. She could see the symbol of the Alva so she walked near the grounds and watched who it is.

 Chapter 175

    Chapter 175 ¨C

    The skyship landed smoothly. Snow was blown away and the grass hidden under the snow was revealed. There was a loud sound that came from the skyship.

    Dolce frowned at that familiar sound. It was an annoyance. The skyships that were produced by the Holy Midland were vastly inferior to the skyship that was on the left of her view. The Templar¡¯s skyship looked rusty and there were loud clanking sounds as the thrusters try to settle down.

    The flying machine went silent. The back of the skyship lowered down. A tall blonde haired man with stubble, wearing a coat, black pants, stepped forward. He had an air of confidence around him. His eyes were fierce and he was flaunting his arm that was wrapped in a bandage.

    He took another step. He scanned the grounds and was about to scowl when he spotted Dolce¡¯s figure watching from afar. His face that was stern and serious suddenly warmed. He gestured behind his subordinates and told them to take care of the ship.

    He ambled towards Dolce. He looked at his sister and said. ¡°No frilly dress. No curled hair. Are you really my sister, Dolce? Or did some bastard did something and make your face? It is pretty convincing,¡± his expression turned serious.

    Dolce replied with a smile. The two stared for a moment. Then suddenly Dolce push her first at Don¡¯s chest. Don took a step back and uses the back of her left hand to parry Dolce¡¯s fist. He was about quip something but another blow came towards him.

    ¡°Oh my,¡± he commented. ¡°Looks like you really are my sister.¡±

    ¡°Brother Don, how come you are always like this?¡± she asked with a sincere expression.

    ¡°I am always like this. Do you think that I can easily trust anyone? I should be asking why you are like this. Then this only means that you really sold your purity away for your freedom. But as you are right now, I think that no one would complain other than those fools in balls and dance parties.¡± he said with his hands behind him.

    ¡°What¡¯s with people asking why I am not wearing a dress? Catalina said that same. Always commenting on my frill dress and curly hair!¡± she humph.

    Don scanned Dolce. ¡°That was how anyone would recognize you. You were nothing after all. At first, I thought you would be called as the wench who gave her purity to some slave. But owning many fiefs, and being in good terms with Templars, while working for the Princess of the Demesne? You are lucky or cunning. Is my little darling sister a schemer?¡±

    ¡°I am a lucky schemer,¡± Dolce playfully said. ¡°And I am so wealthy that I might just buy all your assets and turn that restaurant of yours into my personal kitchen for the poor.¡±

    Dolce frowned. His brows met. ¡°If you do that, then I will have no choice but to tearfully hate you, my sister. Among us siblings, you are the only one that understood my thoughts.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Yes, I do,¡± she nodded. ¡°Are you still hunting for a good wife? There are so many that want you brother, but you won¡¯t even meet the beauty of the Holy Midland? Of all the girls in this continent, you want to seek someone that you met a long time ago?¡±

    Don looked at her sister as if he was annoyed. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand my pain. When I was lost in that Cagan forest, I met that beautiful young woman with black cat ears, her tail was so fluffy and remembering that hand as she takes me out of the forest is something I will never forget. The time we spent in that forest was something special.¡±

    The two started to walk inside the compound.

    ¡°Such affection,¡± Dolce sighed. ¡°Why not just grab some girl from Cagan and get done with it?¡±

    Don sneered. ¡°What¡¯s the use of faker? I want the real original one! No matter how much tainted she is! As long as she¡¯s not happily married, then I¡¯ll find her!¡± Don said resolutely. There was a trace of obsession in his eyes.

    The two sauntered further inside. They were met by the servants and were led to a room where they could freely walk. Dolce sat on a couch while her brother sat in front of her.

    Don took his coat and rotated his left arm. He grimaced in pain.

    ¡°What¡¯s with your arm?¡± Dolce asked.

    ¡°Got shot by this lad, he thought he could end the conflict by taking me out. Had to put the lad down and father told me to go back home. I was against it. But having my sister accompany me while the other fools are out, makes me happy,¡± Don replied with a smile. He looked at Catalina who entered and pointed with his chin.

    Catalina didn¡¯t say anything. She merely bowed her head and left the room along with the silver tray. Dolce and Don took some tea and drank them. There was silence between the two. One could only hear the silence of their drinking.

    Don looked at Dolce. ¡°What are you doing my dearest sister?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked blandly.

    ¡°What I asked you. Are you still working for the Princess and how long until you get bored of doing and shut yourself inside your room?¡± Don said with his eyes looking straight at Dolce.

    Dolce thought for a while. She thought of the threat that is coming to the continent. ¡°Brother, do you think that I can rest easy with a gigantic Empire heading for this continent?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Don said softly. ¡°A gigantic Empire crossing the Gigantes Sea, an Empire that no one heard off. They are coming to subjugate us and fellate their imperial dreams. I doubt many would kindly surrender. But will it be worth it?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Dolce raised her eyebrows. ¡°Is my big brother actually scared? I am shocked!¡±

    ¡°I am not,¡± he replied sternly. ¡°But can we just talk to this Empire? I know that the Demesne have tried doing so but failed. But still, it is the most logical option.¡±

    ¡°So act like a coward?¡± Dolce said with a sneer.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Don shrugged. ¡°The war with this Empire will be long. You have to consider many things. I merely think that we can punish them enough and make them realize that fighting this continent takes too much resource.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Dolce nodded. ¡°I thought you were scared. So what do you want from me?¡± she turned serious.

    ¡°Join the fight. You can pull some strings. We need to conquer the Salevela lisland immediately,¡± Don said clearly.

 Chapter 176

    Chapter 176 ¨C

    The mood around the room turned serious.

    ¡°Me? Joining the fight? Are you daft? Why would I want that?¡± she said with scrutiny.

    ¡°Because you are good, and the Templars owe you.¡±

    ¡°Owe me?¡± she sneered proudly. ¡°They do. But why would I want to take that Island? Let me remind you that I hate father now, and I do not owe you anything. In fact, if you weren¡¯t such a bastard then I might have considered loving you as a brother!¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Don said. ¡°But you have no choice in the matter. This continent will be covered in war and chaos. Either you join in this chaos or become its sheep. That skyship of yours can do us a lot of favor. Mine is a rust bucket that could be heard from miles.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Dolce asked with disdain. ¡°If you want the skyship then you can always ask the demesne. Aren¡¯t we all ¡®allies¡¯ now? Why not ask them to supply you?¡±

    ¡°How could we?¡± Don laughed. ¡°They already provided the rifles and the materials for the ships that will allow us to cross the gap between them. Salevela Island has many patrol boats. They are sea people that pretend to be land lovers. They excel in fighting opponents at sea! Allowing them to fortify the island will do nothing but increase their strength!¡±

    ¡°Then why not try to make them obey?¡± Dolce told him. ¡°Negotiations are always an option. Or perhaps...¡±

    Don inclined. ¡°Father tried once. You know how he is after ma¡¯s death. Always looking for a death wish, and seeking some meaning to his damned life. He tried negotiations but he was superfluous. He wanted to fight them. All the excuse that we are doing is for the sake of his finding of meaning. He is a madman that needs to be put down.¡±

    Dolce tilted her head slightly. ¡°So you are now plotting the death of our beloved father?¡±

    Don looked at Dolce for a while. He then laughed while touching his forehead. ¡°My sister, do not spew such filth from your mouth. I do not like it.¡±

    ¡°Pardon me,¡± Dolce said blandly. ¡°I almost forgot.¡±

    ¡°Sister, although you loved father once, you hated him. You despise him because of the sparse freedom. You hate father for causing ma¡¯s death indirectly. But do you know what I feel? I have this churning hatred and this maddening sensation of wanting to kill the person that killed our dearest ma. Every time I meet father. He would gloat at me. ¡°When will you kill me, my dearest son?¡± is what he would say to me. Do you know how infuriating it is?¡±

    ¡°Then why not loop the head of our father?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I cannot do that,¡± he said with clear disappointment. ¡°I want to murder father when it is time. I only protect him from fools because I rather have him die by my hand. Having him get killed by someone other else than me, annoys me.¡±

    It was twisted. Their talk was akin to a murder plot. If anyone would hear them they would be shocked. But for the two it was normal. Everyone already knew of their seething hatred towards their own father. It was not a secret.

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    ¡°You think that our father deserved to die honorably through you?¡± Dolce responded.

    ¡°Father is a bastard of the bastards! But he was a person who was known to be the savior of these lands. He led people to fight mythical creatures. He fought many of the Cagan¡¯s and repelled them from enslaving the frontiersman of these lands! Without him, there would be no Freelands! The Alva stands strong and now practically holds this land because of him! He was the shining knight that many admired! Yet what he is now?  A rotten fruit! A knight whose armor turned black and grime! He needs to be put down before he becomes the black knight that would stir this land!¡±

    Don admired his father once. But due to the death of his mother and the fall of grace of his father, Don grew to loathe his father to the point of wanting to kill him. But even though he hated his father dearly, he respected him for who he was.

    Most of Don¡¯s hatred was because of what his father became. He was nothing but a meaningless warmongering old man now. There was nothing left on Don¡¯s father. And Don finds it painful seeing his father trudged on through life. Don knows that he will soon drag those around him to his own chaotic state.

    He could have avoided the conflict against Salevela Island. But Don knew that he had to appease his old man. He wants to make sure that he would be willing to fight him to death. He wanted a duel and Don was confident he could kill his father.

    Dolce listened to her brother. The difference between them is that Dolce loved her father once. Don didn¡¯t. He merely respected him. But they now have a common interest. Dolce and Don had no familial love. Their relationship was cold and bland.

    Dolce didn¡¯t like his older brother. Don didn¡¯t like Dolce before. It was only when Dolce became rebellious and started hating her father that Don started to get along with Dolce. In fact, the only reason why Dolce was able to escape the compound was that of Don. He let Dolce go wild in the city of storms and stay with a relative. The relative owed Don so he let Dolce stay.

    Dolce was a bit grateful because of what Don did. She started to like her brother. But there was no familial love between them. To put it simply they are bad friends. That¡¯s why despite sitting together inside the room. They have this malice around them. They kept soft expressions but their hearts were that of devils.

    Don knows that his sister was not that easy. She was someone who owns many fiefs and has gained an influence in a just a few months of her rebellion. He knew that he couldn¡¯t underestimate this sister of his. That¡¯s why despite their initial relationship. Don tries to understand this sister of his.

    Bother were dysfunctional. Both were not fools. Dolce knew the intention of his brother. So she agreed to what his brother wants. She would join him.  There was no need to reject it. Besides, she wants to see how they will conquer Salevela Island. She had no intention to refuse from the start.

 Chapter 177

    Chapter 177 ¨C Deprived of Familial Love

    The pond was circular. On the side were black stones. Ferns and flowers were near the stones. There was a floating flower with a pinkish color. A fish with white and orange spots was swimming along with its fellow fishes. They were big and they would produce ripples on top of the water. The fishes would swim up and breathe in air. They would then swim back down, producing bubbles.

    Dolce squatted near the pond. Her hair fluttered in the wind. She so focused on the fishes that she had no expression. After parting ways with her brother, she let him take a rest. He was injured.

    ¡°Logical,¡± she thought. ¡°To kill the person you hate,¡± her mind thought again. ¡°It is unethical, to kill the person that was instrumental to one¡¯s birth.¡±

    Dolce thought of the discussion. It made her think. It made her come to this pond. This pond was significant to her. It was the pond that her mother told her to take care off. She has forgotten about the pond. She has let Catalina take care of it.

    ¡°Emotional,¡± she thought inwardly. ¡°Letting the guilt that appeared and making me feel emotions that shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡±

    Behind her were Henry and Elesia. They looked at the silently. The two didn¡¯t say anything. They just stood while scanning the surroundings. Dole ordered them to keep people away.

    Dolce dipped her finger in the pond. It was cold. The fishes that were swimming swam away as the water rippled. Dolce traced the water with her finger. She pulled it out. She touched her cheek. She put her hands back to her knee.

    ¡°Logical,¡± she chanted. ¡°Letting the person that angered you, die, will be satisfying. It would make you happy.¡±

    Her thoughts were sorting out the ¡®surge¡¯ of emotions she felt. She agreed to her brother¡¯s scheme. She agreed to fight for her brother. She agreed that once the farce over the island was done. She would allow her brother to duel her father to death.

    To Dolce, she thinks that her father deserves such honorable death. She wants nothing but to kill her father. Indeed, she loved her father once. But the father she knew was not around anymore. She views her current father as a despicable fool.

    She once respected her father. But that was long gone the moment her father turned into an ambitious warmongering fool. The respect she had vanished and there was only seething hate. Not to mention that her mother died because of him.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Dolce admired her mother. She followed her mother. Obeyed her mother and was willing to do anything for her mother. But the moment her mother died. Something broke inside Dolce. She needed someone to blame. So she logically thought who to blame. All her assumptions and investigations pointed to her father. He was the one to blame. She refused to believe it but when she had removed all the impossible. Whatever remained was the truth. The truth that her mother died because of her father was the truth.

    Under the snow that was starting to fall. Dolce stood up. She looked at her reflection. Her face was blank and devoid of anything.

    ¡°What am I thinking?¡± she questioned herself. ¡°Why is this happening? Am I bothered now that the time is ripe? How could I be? This is absurd.¡±

    She shook her head. Her ponytail swayed from left to right. She stomped her right leg on the ground. She looked at the pond again with meaningful eyes. She recalled the days when her mother alive. It was a time where she would sit under the grounds of the compound along with her mother. They would look at the stars.

    She recalled the scene of her mother teaching her about the pond that was in front of her. Her mother¡¯s gentle expression would narrate the fishes. She remembered that the fishes inside were the kinds of fishes that would light under the moon. Her mother called them moonlight fishes. She looked at the fishes closely. The fishes were different. They were long-lived fishes. And even the snow and cold do not bother them.

    The pond did not freeze because of its location. Catalina would also regularly check the pond. She would make sure that it won¡¯t freeze. She has done her best to do so.

    Dolce was grateful. The pond was a remembrance of her father. It was one of the things that she would be sad if it was gone. She looked at the pond with a hint of sadness. Her blank expression vanished and with her back turned around. No one was able to see the face that she was hiding from the world.

    Beyond the bravery and the eccentricity she had. Dolce was nothing but a distraught little girl that was deprived of her mother. She turned twisted and rebellious. Her mother was a shining star to her life. She was like a planet. And without that shining star, she was starting to wither.

    Her father lost his meaning when the woman he loved died. Dolce¡¯s brother lost his light and turned into his rage. They were empty. And they turned into different things in order to feel alive. Dolce hated her father to the point she would make sure that she wouldn¡¯t be of use as a card. Her brother was acting obedient but deep inside he was a schemer that was plotting to kill her father.

    ¡°How deplorable!¡± she laughed at her own self. She looked at the sky with a bitter smile and scowled. ¡°Mother, why did you leave us? Why did we become such twisted beings? A family should love each other, yet I do not feel it! Are we cursed to be like this? Without you, we are a ship without sails!¡±

    She cursed upon the sky quietly. The snow fell on her forehead. The little light coming from the sky shined on her face. She gritted her teeth. She clutched her heart and took a deep breath. Her face slowly calmed down. The woman deprived of any familial love turned back to normal.

    She looked at the fishes again. She gazed at them before turning around and striding towards Henry and Elesia. She told them that they should go. The two could feel that the lady was in a bad mood. They only nodded and followed her.

 Chapter 178

    Chapter 178

    Snow was falling. The roofs of the compound were filled with snow. The servants of the compound plowed the snow that was covering the path. A man in a fur coat was using a shovel to clear the snowy path. The sound of metal meeting stone sounded out around the stone path.

    Dolce walked passed this man. The man bowed his head and turned back to his clearing of the snow. Henry and Elesia followed behind Dolce. Their rifles were readied and they have frosty expressions.

    Dolce put her palms on the door and swung it open. She was welcomed by the decorated hallways. She strides forward and turned right, and then she turned left inside the room. She opened the door and stepped inside the door with a dull stoic expression.

    Inside the room was the ¡®siblings¡¯ gathered. They looked at Dolce with a complicated expression. They crossed their arms and didn¡¯t say anything. They went silent. They waited for the elder to arrive. Dolce didn¡¯t say anything to her siblings. She doesn¡¯t care enough for them. They feel the same.

    It took minutes till Don arrived. He sauntered with confidence and Catalina was by his side. He sat on the middle chair and reclined with his left hand touching his face. He scanned his siblings and stood up. He spoke superfluous words that made them cringe.

    The siblings cringed inside. Their faces were dull and bland. They listened to Don without any interest. They merely nodded and let him talk endlessly. Dolce didn¡¯t bother either. She wiggled her fingers and thought of random things. Don continued his speech and sat down.

    The siblings discussed but they didn¡¯t approach Dolce. Dolce glanced at the servants coming in as the siblings were occupied. The servants carried silver trays and put them on the table. The siblings took their share of the food. The manservant opened a bottle of wine.

    Dolce sniffed. She recognized the wine and smiled thinly. She took the cup that was poured for her and sipped on it. Don used a goblet. He raised it up and said. ¡°Cheers!¡±

    Dolce replied in a lackluster tone. ¡°Cheers¡¯ and continued looking sipping on her wine. She recalled the village. It was the only fief she was fond off. She has spent time on trying to nurture that village. She sent messengers and workers to replace the dead there.

    She sipped on the wine. She examined her siblings. They nodded in satisfaction at the wine. They asked which brand it was and was surprised when they learned that it belonged to the village owned by Dolce. The siblings looked at Dolce. They lowered their heads and thought how absurd Dolce was.

    She got the fiefs. She got the backing. She got it all the moment she stepped out of the compound. If she didn¡¯t have them they would call her a whore. But she was not incompetent. Six of them had only so little fiefs and were nothing compared to their little sister who did it all in just a few months.

    They felt like fools. They shut their mouths and drank the wine quietly. Don continued his superfluous tirades. The siblings then ate a meal. Don and Dolce didn¡¯t touch their food and sipped on the wine. As the other siblings continued eating, the door burst open and men armed with rifles encircled them.

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    Catalina was armed with a rifle.  She smiled as she pointed her rifle at the siblings. Dolce stood up and backed off. She flattened her back against the wall. She crossed her arms as Elesia and Henry joined her. The two pointed their rifles at anyone who looked at Dolce.

    Don stood up with a carefree smile. ¡°My brothers, I have invited you to this fine day for this sole reason. I thought you¡¯d be wiser to attend but I was wrong. You are all fools. Fools who I thought would be warier. You let me talk. You let me feed you with poison that will kill you in a matter of hours.¡±

    He looked each of the siblings and continued.

    ¡°I have thought that you all would be much wiser than this. But what is this? You fools are now in this place trapped like sheep to a slaughter. You fearful faces and silent mouths make me delighted. That¡¯s right, you feel fear. I thought that it would take years to cull you bunch of fools. But what is this? Are you all tired of living!?¡±

    Don clapped his hand. One of his subordinates squeezed his trigger finger and blew one of the sibling¡¯s head. The siblings shouted. Despair appeared on their face as brain matter mixed with their food. Don¡¯s smile didn¡¯t cease. There were drops of blood on his face.

    ¡°I have known you fools. I have observed if any single one of you here are worthy of being my sibling. Yet none of you fools were able to do anything. Look at Dolce!¡± He pointed his hand at her. ¡°She has done more than you all! Just a few months she went from a useless shut-in to a figure of this continent! What have you fools done?¡±

    Don clapped his hand. Another one of his siblings died at the hands of his subordinate. Dolce sneered at Don¡¯s comment but she continued watching.

    She continued Don¡¯s round of execution. He insulted his siblings and killed them. The room was filled with blood. The stench of death lingered. The last sibling that was not killed looked at Don. His pants were soiled with pee and shit. His teeth chattered as the rifles were now pointed at him.

    Don was dirtied with blood. His face was smiling but it only made him be a devil in front of the last sibling. The last sibling tried to say anything. But Don shook his head and clenched his fist. The subordinates of Don open fired. The last sibling was filled with bullet holes. His neck was torn. His eyeballs were destroyed.

    Don clapped his hands. The subordinated carried the siblings and the rest started cleaning the room.  Don ambled towards Dolce and looked at her calmly.

    ¡°And so it ended. They are fools. The family is much better without them. It was lucky of me that they were all useless fools.¡±

    Dolce didn¡¯t reply. She looked at Don vaguely and ordered Henry and Elesia to follow her. She went out of the room. She sauntered under the sky and looked at the man in a fur coat digging a pit large enough for the siblings to fin. The man nodded at Dolce. Dolce nodded back and strolled back to her room.

 Chapter 179

    Chapter 179 ¨C

    Henry followed Dolce with his mind disturbed. The rifle he was holding felt heavy. He felt like he wanted to vomit and run away from the madness he saw. He heard Don and Dolce discuss the cleansing. They have planned to kill the siblings and monopolized the fiefs.

    The relatives that hold the power over the assets of Alva were threatened. All of them are now loyal to Don. They were only loyal the Head of Alva through the world. Their allegiance was now with Don.

    Henry didn¡¯t like seeing such heartless scenes. But he understood that he has accepted this duty out of his own will. No one forced him. He stayed for the money that was given to him. He was loyal to Dolce. But out of principles, he hated what he has witnessed.

    ¡°I will be resting,¡± Dolce said. Elesia followed inside. She nodded at Henry before going inside the room. Henry turned around and walked out of the compound. He faced the grounds were the man in a fur coat covered the grave. There was personnel of Don around the compound. The ¡®loyal¡¯ servants of the siblings were convinced to join them. They preferred to live. They didn¡¯t want to die so they changed their allegiance.

    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Henry chanted inwards. He thought that the Alva was abnormal but he didn¡¯t expect this kind of heinous display. He thought that Dolce was insane. But Don, Dolce¡¯s brother was a lunatic. He is a heartless monster that could kill his siblings so easily in order to gain control.

    Don did all of it because of his goal to rid of his father. If Dolce didn¡¯t owe the Templars and the Demesne, Henry was sure that Dolce would be part of the people that would be killed. Dolce was enough to know Don. She didn¡¯t end up buried at that disgraceful grave.

    Don didn¡¯t care about those that he didn¡¯t respect. Henry understood that deeply. He was able to grasp how insane the two siblings were. They looked normal but their hearts were twisted to the core. Henry didn¡¯t know what to think about them anymore.

    The snow from the sky fell. Henry counted the snowflakes that drifted near him. He looked at the man in a fur coat carrying his shovel out of the snowfall. He gazed at the sky. He thought, ¡°Looks like winter is here,¡± and sling his rifle behind his back. He rubbed his palms and blew hot air on it. He viewed the snow rain as he found himself lost in thought.

    His mind drifted. He shook his head and looked over his shoulder. He saw one of Don¡¯s subordinate walking. He passed by Don. Don observed the soldier before looking back at the snowfall. Things have been insane. Yet he was here standing firmly. He wondered how long he can endure this insanity. His view of the world was changed. He didn¡¯t know what to do other than follow Dolce.

    ...

    Elesia took Dolce¡¯s clothes and carried them out of her room. She closed the door and called out to Henry. Henry marched towards her and joined her as they walked.

    ¡°Want to get out of this mess?¡± Elesia said.

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    ¡°No,¡± Henry replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can. I have no idea what will happen. I can only follow the lady as long as I can. But still, what happened a while ago sickens me. Are you used to it?¡±

    Elesia shook her head. ¡°I am not. I¡¯ll never be used to this killing. I¡¯ve witnessed death before and still, the scene that I witnessed will bring me nightmares.¡±

    ¡°Are they always like this?¡± asked Henry

    .

    ¡°No, the lady has never been part of this bloodshed. She only agreed out of spite. You know that.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Henry nodded. ¡°Still, the lady was undisturbed by it. She was watching the whole thing as if nothing mattered. Her apathy was disturbing. She did not care about them at all.¡±

    ¡°The lady has always been distant to her family. The siblings fell apart when the madam died,¡± Elesia said.

    ¡°This madam,¡± Henry worded. ¡°It seems like she¡¯s quite the enigma. Without her, this family became twisted. Was she really so wonderful?¡±

    ¡°She was,¡± Elesia commented with admiration. ¡°The late madam had it all. She was powerful, she was beautiful and she was someone with many admirers. She led a warband once. She was eccentric and every path she took was fortunate. But misfortune happened and the late madam was taken away from this world.¡± She paused. ¡°This family would have been wonderful it the late madam didn¡¯t pass away. The Master would not have become what he is and the siblings might have gotten along. They were deprived of that happiness. Sir Don and Lady Dolce were affected the most. But their siblings have moved on. Do you know why they didn¡¯t show them any mercy?¡±

    Henry shook his head in response.

    ¡°Because the two think that they didn¡¯t love the madam. So why would they love them? The Alva¡¯s are people who loved too much. Their love is suffocating and yearning. Even Sir Don couldn¡¯t let go of the person he fell in love years ago. And now the Lady is obsessed with him.¡±

    ¡°Really,¡± he patted his forehead.

    ¡°Yes, they are like that. They are trying to find to project that love. Lady Dolce and Sir Don could only do so. Without the madam, and without anything to do, how could they continue on? I doubt we can understand them.¡± Elesia paused. ¡°Henry, if you want to get away from all of this. I can ask the lady. She will listen to me. I think she would easily let you off. How about it? Do you want to get out this mess?¡±

    Henry thought for a while. He pondered on what he would do. He would go back to the Holy Midland. He would then spend his time loitering around aimlessly. He felt that he would be a husk again. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I know that this is insane. But I will not back down. I¡¯ve already witnessed all of this. I plan to stay.¡±

    Elesia looked at Henry for a second. She nodded and continued walking forward. Henry took a good look at Elesia. He didn¡¯t know what she was thinking. But alas he followed her. He was someone who didn¡¯t have any worth doing. He would rather trek this hell he stepped in.

 Chapter 180

    Chapter 180 ¨C Salevela Conflict 1

    Dolce waited for a week before Don decided to finally act. Don told Dolce. ¡°We will be now heading back. I assume that you will have no problem with me boarding your ship?¡±

    ¡°Not all,¡± Dolce replied. The two then head to the skyship Dolce owns. The crew welcomed the lady back. They didn¡¯t say anything towards Don other than the normal greeting. Don didn¡¯t care about their hospitality. He asked where his cabin was and locked himself inside.

    Dolce didn¡¯t bother. She went to her room and fiddled with her rifle. Elesia followed and helped Dolce on her rifle. She also tampered with the flak vest that the demesne gave Dolce. It was quite a long time since Dolce communicated with the Princess so she called the princess through the voice communicator.

    Dolce sat on her bed. Elesia moved the black box communicator as static sounded. The Princess¡¯s voice sounded out. Dolce tilted her head and gave her report.

    ¡°I see. So you are heading to the island to join the fight?¡± the princess said. ¡°What made you change your mind?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, I merely wanted to do this, Princess. I know that I owe you. I have a great debt towards you, Princess Cyra. But I need to do this. If I don¡¯t then I doubt that I¡¯d be following you. I can always shut myself in somewhere and hide.¡±

    ¡°Hah, is that so? I permit you to join the battle. Just radio me again if you want to go back. I have a lot of things to consider,¡± the princess sound tired.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening around their at the moment?¡± Dolce asked.

    ¡°Trouble,¡± Princess Cyra said. ¡°A lot of it, we have Zola taking care of Imperial Pests. We have High Lords trying to assassinate a person that might help repel the invasion. Luckily, Archie and Joshua were able to help this lady?¡±

    ¡°Joshua?¡¯ Dolce reacted. ¡°Is the person a woman?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Cyra said. ¡°What of it?¡±

    ¡°Nothing at all,¡± Dolce said, her face burning with jealousy.

    ¡°Eiya will need help. Joshua and Archie, along with Alexander does a good job of keeping her safe. Other than them, there are minor things that are not needed to worry about.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Dolce replied. ¡°In any case, if I am done, may I join them?¡±

    ¡°No, there would be no need,¡± the Princess replied.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°They can handle it. Focus on whatever you are doing. You owe me, Dolce.¡±

    The transmission was cut. Dolce put the receiver down and stared emptily at space for a while. Her eyes were cold. Elesia looked at her lady for a while before excusing herself out.

    Dolce sorted her mind. She cooled her head and took a deep breath. She just needs to get this farce done and she could do something about. She wanted to be sure so she called Alexander¡¯s sky cruiser. It took quite a while but Alexander responded. Dolce asked questions. Alexander answered.

    Alexander¡¯s reply eased her up. She finally settled down and lied on her bed. She felt that the skyship was lifting off. There was shaking and she had to hold on tight. She felt woozy but it vanished as the skyship started moving. Dolce looked at the ceiling. She turned and observed her room. She stood up. She took her clothes off and tucked herself inside her blanket. She closed her eyes. She fell asleep.

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    ...

    Dolce woke up. She clothed herself and placed her foot on the floor. She lifted herself up and dragged herself to the table. She looked at her rifle and tampered with it. She modified it to her liking for two hours. She then messed with the flak vest she has and then prepared her pouches.

    She fitted in ammunition inside the pouches. She has a box of magazines on her table. The ammunition she was using was the same ammunition that the demesne used. She was given a crate worth of them and the crate was just at the corner of her room.

    She put the magazine inside her pouches carefully. Then, she took her pistol and cleaned it. She has been studying the pistol she was given, along with the rifle. So she was able to disassemble it and cleaned it. She took the oil and cleaned it. She wiped the barrel. She checked the parts. Then she reassembled it. She checked the sight of her pistol and made sure that it was fine.

    The door opened. Elesia brought food so Dolce ate. She then went back to fiddling with her weapons. She looked obsessed about it but in reality, she was just bored. She even forgot to put on underwear. She was sweaty all over and since her clothes were bothering her. She took it off and worked on her weapon while half-naked.

    Sweat runs down her armpits, her back shone, and she was giving this seductive appearance. It was Dolce¡¯s private cabin and since no one but Elesia was allowed. She was not afraid that someone would barge in. And if there was anyone who she didn¡¯t know would. There was a big chance she would just shoot them. The crew already knew Dolce so there was no that dared.

    So Dolce was able to continue what she was doing undisturbed. But by the time she was done. It was already night. There were still quite away from the island so she could only lie back down. She wasn¡¯t wearing and her round perky breast was exposed. She touched her breast and looked at her hand. She finally realized she was sweaty so she grabbed a towel lying near her bed and wiped her sweat. She tossed the towel back and went back lying around.

    She stared at the ceiling dazedly. Her thoughts went blank. She could hear the sound of the thrusts of the skyship. There was chatter outside her cabin but it was tolerable enough. There was a smell of oil around her room. She has gotten used to it so she just has to wait for Elesia to take care of it.

    Dolce hasn¡¯t been on a battlefield before. She has witnessed the bombardments done to Avilla. But she never really got to see it up close. She witnessed death and despair but actually stepping into a battlefield made her wonder what she should feel.

 Chapter 181

    Chapter 181 ¨C Salevela Conflict 2

    Don¡¯s cabin was simple. It had a bed and a chair and a table. He used most of his time as the skyship travels, writing anything that corresponded to traveling on a skyship.

    ¡°Most of the engines are forbidden to be examine,¡± he thought, ¡°and most of the crew is loyal to Dolce. She¡¯d have me killed if I do anything that might intrude that line of trust that we built up¡±

    His hand was holding a pen. It was a new kind of pen that he got from the demesne. It has a tube and he didn¡¯t have to dip it top an ink bottle. It was convenient. It allowed Don to continue writing mechanically while his other hand touches his chin.

    He put his pen down. He looked at the paper and nodded. He took a tube from his bag and put the letter inside. He put the tube away and hid it under his bed. He put his hands on the table. He listened in to the noise that was being created by the thrusters.

    ¡°Not as loud as the rust bucket we call as skyship,¡± he commented inwardly. There was a big difference between the rough skyship of Midland and the demesne. Don has been impressed by such feats of engineering. He wanted to have this kind of skyship. It would help him greatly in his search for the person he met a long time ago.

    Don stood away from his chair. He put his hands behind his back and walked towards the round window of his cabin. He peeked through the window and saw the clouds that were shaped differently. Each and one of them looked like they were moving, but in truth, it was the skyship passing by the clouds. Below he could see the wide plains and forests of the continent covered in snow.

    Winter was the continent¡¯s harsh maiden. But with how things were, the whole continent might just beat winter¡¯s harsh embrace by the use of new technology that appeared. Don finds it absurd how things changed in the past months. A year ago there were no flying ships that flew around the skies of Midland and Freelands. Before he knew there were now walkers and four-legged tanks

    He was now riding on a skyship and the single-shot firearms were improved. The time of sword and axes were gone. Don understood this clearly as he fought and got hit in the arm. He saw a knight that worked under him got killed by three riflemen who had a clear shot.

    Don has fought battles using his sword and pistol. He had made stratagems but the appearance of repeating rifles on the fields that he trudges upon made him reform it all. He had to change the way he fights and rethink the way his units move. It was a tiring thing to do. But with how things were. He had no choice but comply.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    If he doesn¡¯t go with how things were. There was a big chance that he¡¯d end up as one of the nobles who were foolish enough to wield a sword in a gunfight.

    ...

    Don was not alone in his cabin. Henry was sent to him to serve him while he was alone. Henry wasn¡¯t talkative but they would play a board game.

    They sat near a table. They move their pieces and played until there was a knock on the door. Elesia gave Don his meal. After that, he would eat and study the book he took along with him. His wounds have slowly started to heal up. His wounds were completely healed by the time the skyship fly above the sea.

    There was a space inside the skyship that allowed them to view the outside world. Don was feeling nauseous so he went to that place and watched the blue sea below. The visibility was not good with snow falling around. Don was pondering when he heard someone walking towards him. He looked back and saw it was Dolce.

    ¡°Brother,¡± Dolce said.

    ¡°Sister,¡± he replied back.

    ¡°Getting some fresh air?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Don nodded. ¡°Staying coped inside a room is something that bothers me. But I guess that is different for you, sister.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, my brother. I feel like staying in the room would allow me to feel the silence. I am not like you who could wander around the world despite the weather. At this point, I just wish that we¡¯ll arrive at the fleet. Is the boat that father boarded big enough? Or do you plan to hover around my ship?¡±

    ¡°The ship that father commanded is big enough. It carries ships like the one that I boarded. They plan to do what the Bali and Cagan natives did to Avilla.¡±

    Dolce raised her brows. ¡°They plan to jump and penetrate the inner island?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Don nodded. ¡°It is a brilliant stratagem. Penetrate the heart of the enemy and take out the central command. Without the leader, they are nothing but soldiers.¡±

    ¡°And what if the soldiers that would drop down would get annihilated? Sounds like a waste of soldiers,¡± Dolce argued. To her, it was a dangerous operation.

    ¡°That is why we are only sending the best ones. Soldiers who are skilled with their rifles and are trusted because of the skills they possessed. We aren¡¯t leaving them to die either, Dolce. We are supporting them with the ships that the demesne have. Long ranged artillery wins battles now.¡±

    ¡°Is that so,¡± Dolce said.

    ¡°You are not impressed?¡± Don asked.

    ¡°I am not. I¡¯ve already seen such tactics. I was near Avilla such tactic happen. I saw them getting killed by gunfire easily. They were slaughtered as they descend down. Up in the air, they could only pray that bullets won¡¯t kill them.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Don agreed. ¡°But for the greater good, or what the father says. We must conquer the island and fortify it. Besides, the demesne has always eyed the island. We are merely assisting them to gain favor. But you do not need that favor, my sister. You are already a big deal within this world run by interest and ambitions.¡±

    Dolce looked at her brother. ¡°So what is your interest, brother?¡±

    Don smiled. He didn¡¯t reply and just walked away from the place with his hands tucked behind his back. Dolce watched his brother walk away. She was curious but she shook her head. She looked at the fleet of ships sailing together.

 Chapter 182

    Chapter 182 ¨C Salevela Conflict 3

    Hundreds of ships lined up. They leave the water behind as if they got carved by a hoe. Skyships that looked like they were painted by rust. They fly over the ships while making these loud noises. Near the skyships were ships that were hovering through the use of the balloons and runes. The runes acted like burners to keep the floating ships afloat, while the wind runes made them stable.

    They wouldn¡¯t float without the two runes. They aren¡¯t like the skyships that were purely powered by thrusters and stabilizers that keep them floating. They are powered by zero-gravity machines that were only made possible because of the engine that was copied through a slightly inferior blueprint of an engine.

    The Holy Midland have two types of blueprint for the skyships. The ones that were used by the Vileguards and the other was the skyship designed by the demesne. The design by the demesne was superior to the Midland design. It was not as loud. And fly better than the Midland¡¯s inferior design.

    The flying ships gathered around the fleet. The vessels differ from each other. Some have sails. Some were powered by steam, the smoke of the chimney rising up into the air. There was a wheel on some of the ships, acting as a paddle for the ships to move.

    Dolce looked over below. The skyship she was on slowly approached the ship that was located in the center of the fleet. It was a sturdy ship made of metal. The deck of the ship had four skyships that were being maintained by short stout people with long hair and long beards. Dolce could tell that they were the dwarves.

    The dwarves were a war-like and creative-like race that¡¯s fond of tinkering with machines. The skyships were what they call as work of arts. So it was kinda obvious that they¡¯d be on the skyship, maintaining them. The human crew isn¡¯t as enthusiastic as them. So the only way they could possibly create the skyships was to rely on the dwarves that wanted to do the job. In months, through night and day, they created the skyships and made use of the factories in their hidden cities to mass create the parts needed. Of course, they couldn¡¯t copy the skyships made by the demesne. But they were able to recreate them with the example they were given.

    Miraculous is the right word. They are miraculous workers who could do something to things they have a great interest in. They are natural savants. They are blessed with a talent for war or through creation. The God of the Dwarves is kind to them.

    Creating things like the machines that are now ready for war were the specialty of the dwarves. War and creation of something that could help war was something they are too good at. They thirst for knowledge but the dwarves are blessed with a talent for war and creation. Combine them and you have an entire race dedicated to those two things.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Dolce took a step out of the skyship cruiser. Don followed and hailed his skyship and directed them to follow the dwarf that was leading them to a pad where they can land. Dolce looked at her brother before surveying the ship. The soldiers were scurrying around the deck. The dwarves were watching the skyship she just stepped out. And a man with a great coat, with frosty eyes, was striding towards her.

    Don met the great coat wearing man with a dull fake smile. The great coat man returned the fake smile with a fake smile. The two exchanged pleasantries as they stride towards Dolce in a relaxed yet insane manner. Behind them was an aura of coldness.

    Familial love can go to hell. They don¡¯t have that kind of affection towards each other. But yet for the sake of morale, the two acted like they are such a loving family. That it made Dolce want to vomit and spit on both of them. But she waited for them to appear before her.

    The man wearing a great coat looked at Dolce. His frosty eyes coupled with a wrinkled aged face made the man looked like a handsome old man. His back was straight and lean. His frame was big yet sturdy. The man was a head tall than Dolce.

    ¡°Dolce, my daughter,¡± said the man.

    ¡°Father, my father, it is nice to meet you again.¡±

    ...

    That was false.

    Sigrid of Alva was no fool. Her daughter was a cunning schemer. She was someone that was like her mother. She was a savant. A talented she-devil that could lie with a straight face, and he knew that his son, the eldest, his firstborn hated him truly.

    Sigrid of Alva was no fool. He was a man who was able to deduce that one day all the sons and daughter he has produced with his wife would die in the hands of the eldest and the youngest. It was a spot-on prediction of the seer that was an instrument to his wife¡¯s death.

    Sigrid of Alva has lived long enough to read people. No matter what mask they hide under. He would be able to know just by looking. Greed, Anger, Lust, and Hunger, Sigrid of Alva have seen it all. He was old enough to sire three sons and three daughters.

    If he believed that there was ¡®niceness¡¯ in that ¡®nice¡¯ greeting of her daughter. He might as well bow his head in front of them and say, ¡°Just kill me¡± and so that they would be done with it. But Sigrid didn¡¯t do so. He didn¡¯t so out of the promise he made to his wife.

    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt any of them.¡±

    She said. Sigrid of Alva wouldn¡¯t break that promise no matter what happens. He could have just murdered the two. But he made a promise. He could have dragged her daughter back to the Alva compound by force. But he promised. He could have killed his eldest son who has already got most of his ¡®loyal retainers¡¯ to rebel against him. But he didn¡¯t because he promised to his dear wife.

    So he could keep his expression straight.

    ¡°Well done,¡± he said, ¡°you have used your head, my daughter. Good for you. You didn¡¯t sacrifice that purity of yours for nothing.¡±

    That was all he would say to his daughter. He turned around while hearing her daughter clench her teeth and fist. His son was speechless. But Sigrid of Alva marched on without any care.

 Chapter 183

    Chapter 183 ¨C Salevela Conflict 4

    Sigrid of Alva was surrounded by people. In a room where a map of the island was placed, five generals stood tall. They have bearings of mighty men. Sigrid of Alva treated them as his finest. But despite that, he could not remember their names. Sigrid of Alva has forgotten their names. He was a demented old man who has nothing but lust for war.

    His generals discussed. He would occasionally nod and give his insight. He would use ¡®comrade¡¯ to make sure that he wouldn¡¯t be suspected of forgetting their names. He had forgotten them. He rather not asks for their names out of pride and face. They already knew his temper so why would they ask something that is absurd to ask in the first place?

    But what did Sigrid of Alva feel as he stood in front of the war map nodding his head? Did he feel the lust for war that he wanted?

    Not at all, he only felt two murderer¡¯s eyes that would send a chill to anyone who was being stared like that. He was used to such stare that it doesn¡¯t bother them if the two pairs of eyes didn¡¯t belong to his children. He craned his neck slightly to the right and to the left. He saw his youngest daughter, the little that he doted, looking at him as if he was soon going to be a corpse. She was his ungrateful daughter that rebelled against his wishes and casted off her virginity as defiance.

    Question: Was Sigrid of Alva, Father of Dolce, angry at that defiance?

    Answer: No he wasn¡¯t.

    Sigrid of Alva thought how disappointing most of his son¡¯s and daughters. The only one that made him looked at was his son who was exceptional in every area but refuses to marry anyone other than the cat-eared person he met when he was lost in the forests of Cagan. His son was someone he could not control.

    Question: Was Sigrid of Alva, Father of Don, angry at that defiance?

    Answer: In fact, he was elated at that defiance.

    He thought that his son would be what he is when he was young. He was right. Don of Alva was a talented man who could even take the loyalty of his men from him. He was a viper that Sigrid of Alva was proud. So what about the little young lady he doted a long time ago? What about the little girl that would cling to him happily, the little girl that loved her father once? The little girl who changed into someone that was exceptional?

    Question: Was Sigrid of Alva happy at his daughter¡¯s defiance?

    Answer: He was. He was so happy that he opened a bottle of wine that he hasn¡¯t drink to savor such defiance.

    Sigrid of Alva was a powerful man. He could do anything that he desires because he was Sigrid of Alva, the man who brought stability to the Freelands. He has many friends and connection. Getting his daughter back was an easy thing to do. He could have her back if he wanted to. He could have Dolce locked up inside the Alva compound.

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    But Sigrid of Alva promised. He promised his dear wife and sweetly whispered upon her ears. ¡°I¡¯ll never hurt our children, my dear. I promised that I won¡¯t do anything to them!¡±

    His wife then died with a smile on her face. That smile was the last thing he could never forget. He would rather forget everything. He didn¡¯t want to lose that last smile of his dear wife. Without her, he was a sail in a storm. He has lost his light and he was driven by the lust for war and vengeance. That ¡®vengeance¡¯ drove him into becoming the person he was.

    He knew what he has become. He admits it. He last lost himself in pursuit of his anger. Afraid, he maintained the person he was right now in order to prevent breaking his promise. He has become so empty inside that he might as well be dead. But Sigrid of Alva was too proud of dying to anyone who he didn¡¯t worthy of dying. Despite this age of guns and artillery, he was so unsatisfied.

    But yet the faces of his last remaining children made Sigrid of Alva melancholic. He loved his children. He cried hard tears the moment he heard what his children have to do to his other children. But he promised that he wouldn¡¯t hurt them. He promised that until the day he dies. He would never break the promise that he made.

    So he could only endure and laugh like a madman. Despite his daughter and his son staying quiet in the corner of the war room, his heart was anxious. He knew what they have come here for. He knew that sooner or later he might just leave this world. He wants to face the invasion of an Empire he never heard before. But now it seems like he was trapped.

    Around Sigrid of Alva was a nest of vipers and snakes. The five generals he was talking to who wore fake smiles and fake respects made him want to scowl and sneer. He knew that they are waiting for the right time. He knew that his son, the one that was standing around the corner, crossing his arms was ready to do what he has planned for a very long time.

    Sigrid of Alva was no fool. He was a man capable of handling himself without any support. Back when he was young he found himself in this kind of situation. He never relied on anyone until he becomes a leader of a web of an alliance that has clearly deteriorated through the years of his own madness. Sigrid of Alva has made use of his own knowledge to know what his son was planning.

    Even though Sigrid of Alva planned the attack against the island, he knew that his son was one of the masterminds of this attack. His son was a brilliant person, and he made use of his injured arm to purge all the others. He couldn¡¯t get rid of Dolce, so he decided to ally with her. Sigrid of Alva was trapped. He was getting closer to his own death.

    Question: Will Sigrid of Alva resist?

    Answer: No. He made a promise.

 Chapter 184

    Chapter 184 ¨C Salevela Conflict 5

    Dolce looked at her father. He had no expression on his face. He looked at the generals around him confidently without any senselessness. He pointed his finger at the important points without any hesitation. Masterfully, he was able to command the generals while glancing at her and Don with utter coldness written on his face.

    Dolce¡¯s face scrunched up. Her expression turned that of disgust. She left the war room and walked to the edges of the ship. A dwarf told her to be careful and did not say anything else. Henry and Elesia followed behind Dolce while still holding the rifles in their hands. Most of them looked at the fleets in front of them.

    The grand spectacle was something that the two would never have thought would see in their lives. There were ships that fly up in the sky and ships that sail through the clear blue water, leaving a trail. There were humans and dwarves working together. They discussed while holding the maps of the ship. Some of them looked annoyed. Some of them looked happy talking to the dwarves.

    ¡°Milady is it alright to stay near the edge of the ship?¡± asked Elesia.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Dolce said. ¡°I got sickened inside the war room. The presence of my father disgusts me.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Elesia said blandly.

    Henry looked at the two and wondered. He had something he wanted to say. But he chases that thought away and stayed silent. Henry didn¡¯t want to intrude in the confusing relationship that Alva family have. It was like putting his arm inside a beehive. It was dangerous and it will sting. He didn¡¯t want to include himself in such farce. Elesia also warned him.

    There was a gust that came from the north. Dolce¡¯s hair swayed and she blinked. She looked at the horizon and saw the line of the ocean. The ends of the world seemed so far. The view made her calm. The angry thoughts she had inside her head disappeared like a cloud of dust in the air. She crossed her arms and lifted her breast up. She looked at the endless sky. The skyships that were different in looks and performance floated steadily up in the air. They made this humming noise.

    The ocean floor could be clearly seen. Dolce was able to spot different kinds of fishes that seemed so different and monstrous. The noise that the large ship was making made these giants monsters stay. The sea that they were sailing is a part of the Gigantes Sea. Creatures of different sizes and forms lurk the clear water. Dolce felt like the ships were drifting on a mirror. As they pass, the mirror was disrupted. It was clear that Dolce wondered how it would look when it was night time.

    There was a breeze again. Dolce tucked her fist into her pockets. She looked up and saw a peculiar bird with an arm-size beak. The bird has two horns and four eyes. Its wings were so sharp that it glistened. It glided through the sky freely. The bird met eyes with Dolce. The bird turned its eyes away and glided away from the fleet.

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    ...

    Dolce was led to a room three floors below the deck. The room was eccentric. It was like a metal prison and through the circular glass, she could see the rows of fishes that swam with its school. The fishes made Dolce stunned. She felt afraid that the circular glass would break. But even though some fishes would bump their scaly heads at the glass, they didn¡¯t do anything.

    Dolce took her coat off and dragged a chair near the window. She looked at the circular window. She spotted the coral reefs and the cone-shaped mounds that releases hot air. Some fishes swam near these mounds and floated near it. Dolce turned her eyes at the distance. She spotted a boat-sized fish that had spots on its scaly body. The creature has giant fangs the size of an average human. The eyes of the giant fish were as big as a wheel. The fins of the creatures made the smaller ones disperse.

    The creature¡¯s head turned down. It roared and the shockwave caused by it made the glass that Dolce was looking at making this thud sound. Dolce took a step back, her heart pounded. She glances at the wall and saw that there was this switch. She pulled the switch down and the glass window was closed down. The room became dark. Dolce turned to the other switch and turned on the light.

    The room got brighter. Dolce sat on her bed and swayed her legs. She took the tube that was given to her as she was lead here and opened it. She pulled the rolled letter inside and started reading it.

    ¡°The fleet will soon arrive at the island. Please prepare yourself my dearest sister. It will be best if you can join me when we assault the beach. But if you wished to, then you can always command your skyship to drop the barrel bombs that the dwarves have created for the occasion. The fleet will surround the island. The barge ships will send the soldiers while the rest of the skyships will start their assault at the center of the island.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Dolce muttered. She crunched the paper and threw it in the wastebasket near the table. She laid her back on the bed. She looked at the ceiling while trying to sleep. The ship made a lot of noise. She wanted to back to her skyship but her crew wanted to make sure that the skyship was okay. It has been flying nonstop and they needed to make sure that it would be functional if Dolce would join the battle.

    She wasn¡¯t given much of a choice so she asked for this room. It was quite noisy but it was better than waiting outside where the snow started falling again.

    Dolce thought of the incoming event that her bother has crafted. She would soon witness the death of her father. Her father who didn¡¯t even give him any sort of affection other than the cold greeting, it made her think that indeed, her father was long gone.

 Chapter 185

    Chapter 185 ¨C Salevela Conflict 6

    The fleet arrived near the island. The ships went into formation and completely surrounded the island. The forward fleet that sent after the island was sent out. The formation was disturbed as the sea battle commence. There were casualties as the experience of the sailors defending the island was proven right. They easily drove the fleet despite the difference.

    The skyships were sent to destroy the ship. But the commander of the sea patrol of the island was able to deduce the trajectory of each shot. As if the man was possessed and he was able to conduct counter-attacks that were able to defeat one of the ships.

    The naval force was led by a certain commander. He was a brilliant leader that it made the fleet captains, want to recruit him. But Sigrid of Alva, the commander of the assault made a declaration to defeat the enemy as soon as possible.

    They followed Sigrid of Alva¡¯s command and allowed all the ships to engage the enemy. All the skyships were deployed and within an hour the naval fleet was destroyed without any mercy. The enemy was too good. But Sigrid of Alva didn¡¯t have time to play their games.

    The enemy was destroyed. The clear blue water sea was tainted with blood. Men and wrecks floated lifelessly, sometimes banging the hull of the ship. Dolce watched the floating corpses tumble upon the wrecks. Fishes that lived under the sea ate their guts. The sea turned red. The ships stumbled upon the wrecks, easily passing by. There were survivors but the ships floated past them.

    The men standing aboard pointed their rifles. ¡°Open fire!¡± shouted the commander. The men open fired and the bullets finished them off. Dolce glanced at the dead with no emotion in her eyes. She crossed her arms and watched as the ships go back to formation.

    There was mortar fire coming from the island. They would miss the ships and hit the water. The water splashed up like a geyser and Dolce would sometimes step away the water time to time to avoid getting wet. The ships that possessed mounted artillery started firing at the enemy.

    The ships that carried the soldiers slowly moved forward. The soldiers that were onboard started to ready themselves. They boarded the barges and sat with their hands shaking. They held their rifles tightly and wore their helmets. They glance at the sky before closing their eyes on prayer.

    ¡°Looks like war¡¯s starting,¡± said Henry.

    ¡°It is,¡± replied Dolce blandly.

    She looked at the ships getting ready. Each and one of them were ready to somehow cross the mortar fire coming from the fortress. Will they reach the island? She thought. The mortars of the enemy were pounding the seawaters. The barges that were trying to cross the threshold were eliminated by the mortar fire.

    The island was elevated. The main fortress of the island was located on this small mountain. The battlements of the island could be clearly seen by anyone. It was easy to spot the barges, so it was obvious that the enemy could easily target the ships.

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    ...

    The assault fleet expected resistance from their mortars and cannon. But it was odd that they didn¡¯t know that there was a group of mortars that allowed the island to defend itself from their assault. The skyships tried to assault up the air but the skyship was welcomed by artillery fire.

    The whole island was protected by the mortars. The airspace of the island was protected by the long-range artillery that the island possesses. It was expected but at the same time, they were surprised that they were able to gather the new armaments.

    In the war room, the generals and the war leader gathered. Dolce attended the meeting to listen to their new stratagem. Their new stratagem was to use the darkness of the sky. They would then start the airdrop in order to target the mortar defenses.

    The plan was simple. Distract the island by letting the artillery ships to open fire. After that, they would then make use of the noise and thunderous boom to fly above the skies. The plan was simple. Dolce understood it clearly. It was a simple plan and there were no complicated details to it.

    The meeting was adjourned. Sigrid of Alva stayed and stared at the war map. Dolce looked at her father before asking.

    ¡°Nervous?¡±

    ¡°A jest, coming from someone like you is surprising. Get out of this room, fool. You are distracting me.¡±

    Dolce rolled her eyes. She stepped out of the door and walked towards the edges of the ship. She looked at the island was constantly firing at them. She could tell that the bricked tower of the island was being used to locate the islands. They should remove that tower with mortar fire, Dolce thought.

    The barges that have soldiers inside stopped just outside the range of the mortar fire. The soldiers inside looked worried at the thought of the ship moving forward. The ships kept their distance while the barge ships were on the edges of death.

    The smell of gunpowder and blood filled the air. The booms and the mechanical noises of the ships made the whole sea seemed so loud and noisy. The wind would sometimes dampen the noises. The waves hitting the hull of the ship were the only thing that seemed so natural.

    There was a river of blood a few meters away from where Dolce was standing. The river was formed by the trail of blood. The shipwrecks of the defeated fleet were everywhere. The corpses of those who died bloated as their eyes stared pitifully at the smog-filled sky.

    One of the corpses met eyes with Dolce. The corpse had its lower mouth missing. The corpse¡¯s upper skull was blown apart. Dolce could see the brain of the corpse clearly from where she was standing. The rest of the dead stared at her as if asking.

    Dolce wondered how things would go. This was her first time being seeing this dreadfulness. It was only a ¡®small¡¯ conflict. Dolce wondered if by the time the Empire arrives, would she have to witness a sea of corpses. Would she have to walk through lands filled with the dead?

 Chapter 186

    Chapter 186 ¨C Salevela Conflict 7

    The sunlight has rested. The stars filled the sky. Nebulas and galaxies intertwined as the two moons of the world danced in the sky. As if there was some higher being that spilled sparkling stones in the sky. The ocean got higher as a result of the two moons.

    The boats quivered as the waves got higher. The spectacle above reflected at the base of the water. As if the water and the sky were the same. The fleet of ships looked like they were swimming in the stars. The ships floated without any reaction as the bombardment of the island lessened.

    The tower that was far in the distance acted as the spotlight. It was far easier to judge and without the sun¡¯s light guiding them. It was hard for the navigators and the captains to steer their boats forward. Doing so would amount to nothing but suicide.

    There two moons up in the sky. But the Gigantes Sea was teeming with danger. There were many factors that made the crew and sailors amongst the ships to speak of the horrors below the deep sea. The generals and the captains of the ships didn¡¯t sneer at the superstitious thought of the crew.

    Technology progress was always welcomed. There are those who would shout ¡®whoa¡¯ at the machines. But people wouldn¡¯t dismiss the tales of the folks that chanted tales of horror. It was before the sudden technological shift happen. People would dismiss the thought as nothing.

    But flying ships that were caused by runic stones? Mythical beings that travel the lands made them think otherwise. If the monsters are real and If the so-called ¡®runes¡¯ are no longer deem as extinct. How can the sailors ignore the tales that they have heard?

    Not to mention that the blood on the seas hasn¡¯t disappeared. The corpses drifted to the shores of the island. The skyships that should have been flying were on standby. The whole fleet was deathly silent. The only thing that could be heard was the people¡¯s noises.

    The island was lit by the lamps. It wasn¡¯t only a fortress island. It was a community and so the lights among the houses on the sides of the island were lit. No doubt there were soldiers waiting for them if they would breach the island.

    The barges that were floating on the sea were silent as well. But in the silence, there were five groups that were garb in grayish black outfits being lowered down at the other side of the ships. They were equipped with long tubes and floating devices that were powered by a hand pedal. The hand pedal was attached to a turbine that would allow them to move underwater sneakily.

    The group was armed to the teeth. Their equipment was loaded into bags that were waterproofed. Each one of them was carefully selected to be the best of the best. The ¡®sky warriors¡¯ that would be the dropping down are nothing but the second best of the best.

    Dolce wouldn¡¯t have known this if his brother didn¡¯t tell him. She watched the group of sea warriors dive down and disappear from her view. She moved to the other side and saw the bubbles that were being released by the divers. The divers weren¡¯t only equipped with the floating devices and the long tubes. They have the wind runes that would help them get under the wall of light that the island defenders built.

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    It was created by shining down the lights on their battlements. The light tower acted as the spotlight of the defenders. But the battlements acted as the screener. It allowed them to bombard any enemy that tried to take a step on their beloved island.

    The divers slowly moved under the sea. The soldiers that were on the barges didn¡¯t make any noises. They only stared at the divers who moved slowly under them. They were still visible but as they move away from the lights of the fleet. They became invisible.

    None of them can see the divers anymore. Dolce looked at the empty ocean with her binoculars. She could not see the divers but she could still spot the bubbles that were floating above. The bubbles that were produced by the floating device and the runes were the only thing that she was following.

    The bubbles moved along the sea without any problem. Dolce followed them as they cross the screen of light. The divers increased their speed as they reach the threshold. The island was unsuspecting. They knew about the flying ships and the runes that could allow them to fly through the air.

    But how could they ever anticipate that they¡¯d be used to move underwater too?

    The divers swam through until they were able to reach the beach. Dolce watched as the group that was sent to the island slowly made their way to the forest. They unloaded their weapons and armed themselves with tools that were foreign to the normal soldiers. In the few weeks, they were trained to use them. They were soldiers that were used to sword and firearms.

    They have spent their life killing. They fought through many battlefields and survive stronger and more experience. The men were ready. They passed through the forest and disappeared. Dolce put her binoculars down and crossed her arms. She waited for a while before she eventually heard the gunfire coming from the island.

    That was the sign that the fleet needed. The artillery ships turned their guns on the island and they started to open fire. The successive fire of the artillery shook the sea. The people onboard covered their ears as guns fire at the island.

    The skyships floated above the air. The barges that were on standby moved towards the island. There loud footsteps around the ship. Dolce gestured at the Henry and Elesia. She strides towards her skyship and took a step on the rampart of the skyship. The crew welcomed Dolce.  She nodded at them

    She waded through the passageway and entered her room. She put her jacket down and sat on her bed. The barrage of artillery made her almost deft. The skyship lifted up and only that made her feel a bit calm. She took a nap and waited for Elesia to wake her up.

    The incoming hours would be hard to her.

 Chapter 187

    Chapter 187 ¨C Salevela Conflict 8

    The battle on the island started. The ships that were on standby moved in, they kept on firing while the barges reached the beaches. The strike team that swam under the water has begun their rampage above the island. The beachhead was captured due to their distraction.

    The parachute troops were thrown to the center of the island. But they didn¡¯t expect that the enemy would have a crank-operated machine gun. The machine gun tore through the parachute troops while they were in the air. Only a few survive and they weren¡¯t able to find good cover.

    The parachute drop failed. The attacking forces took over the beaches and made their fort there. The ships were able to come closer because the mortars were silenced. The strike team that was sent by the fleet never came back. Most of them died at the hands of the enemies.

    Dolce watched the battle from above. She looked at the island that was ravaged by artillery fire and corpses. The forest that was near the beach was charred. The sun was hidden an hour ago was starting to rise, the stars that were up in the sky slowly faded away from the sun¡¯s mighty light.

    The skyship descended down the beach, the landing legs of the skyship touched the sandy beach. The rampart of the skyship opened, Dolce stepped out of the skyship and took a step on the sand. She looked around. The soldiers were busy creating cover and one of the generals has landed on the beach. He was commanding the troops. He was sweating and there were bags on his eyes.

    Dolce skidded through the sand and looked at the skyship owned by her brother. It landed on the sandy beach making loud noises as it does. The thrusters of her brother¡¯s ship blew sand. The soldiers that were around darted away from the skyship, they covered their eyes with their arms.

    Don stepped out of the skyship. He was armed to the teeth. He wore his body armor along with his flak vest. He was sporting fatigues and a coat. It was a battle dress and it suited him well. Don stride towards Dolce with unhurried steps. He put his arm around his waist and looked at the troops with a steady gaze.

    ¡°The island will be ours,¡± said Don.

    ¡°It will be,¡± Dolce replied, her face sporting a bland look.

    ¡°So will you proceed? You haven¡¯t killed anyone, my sister.¡±

    Dolce tilted her head towards Don. ¡°I will join the fight like the generals once the battlements,¡± she pointed at the walls of the fortress, ¡°are down.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, they are taking this defense strongly,¡± Don touches his chin. ¡°Smart men would surrender now. They are surrounded by warships and man-o-wars that I despair for them myself. Are they not surrendering because of their pride?¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Will you spore them?¡± Dolce asked.

    ¡°Yes, if they surrender quietly.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Don looked at his sister who seems like she was keeping something to herself.

    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°Brother, if you think these people would surrender. You clearly don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Don raised his eyebrows. He tilted his head in thought. He recalled the information that he has gotten from the informers.

    ¡°Ah, it seems like we miscalculated!¡± he exclaimed loudly.

    ¡°Indeed, you¡¯ve pushed these people too hard. Do you know what their culture here, right brother?¡± she looked at him with blandness. ¡°The women here give birth near the sea. They would then take their newborn to a cave and after a night they would go back and see if their child is alive. Those who have died will be buried. The ones that survived will be nurtured into a guardian of this island. They will not live in other places unless they are a diplomat. It is their belief. And cornered like rats, the beliefs of these people are something to be feared.¡±

    ¡°Yet we outnumber them. We have the superior firepower and the advantage of flying ships,¡± Don said proudly.

    Dolce agreed. She crossed her arms and looked at her brother. ¡°True, but we are still having a hard time taking care of the defiants. They knew of this place much better than, they know every crook and cranny, that it isn¡¯t surprising. Indeed, we have flying ships, we have long-range artillery, but we are a taking a while to destroy them.¡±

    Snow fell from the sky. Dolce glanced at the sky. Her palm caught some snow.

    ¡°But we will catch them. We knew that already. Still, it seems that the firepower has made us cocky. Even the sky warriors didn¡¯t survive at the hands of the enemy. Our ships have been able to get close and they were able to take the battlements cannon towers. The lighthouse has been neutralized. The villagers around the fortress have been captured and given a choice¡±

    ¡°Tell me about these choices.¡±

    ¡°They shall lay their arms down and stop fighting for their land. Or suffer the embrace of death and get a capital punishment, and possibly death by firing squad.¡±

    ¡°How many have you killed so far?¡±

    Dolce was curious. Her arms were still crossed. Snow was piling up on her head.

    ¡°All of them.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Dolce craned her neck at Don.

    ¡°Yes. Most of them refused. They didn¡¯t want to be our slaves so they chose death. They rather die free than live as a slave. I admire such resolve. Their convictions are steel. But they are foolish for that. I don¡¯t hate them for their convictions, but I hate them for their stupidity. I would like to save them but as long as our father is the leader of this fight. I can¡¯t do it. I need a way to lure father out of the open.¡±

    ¡°Good luck with that, dear brother,¡± She struck a pose.

    ¡°I do not need your luck, Dolce,¡± he said with irritation. ¡°I will replace my father as the leader of this war. Most of the generals have accepted the ¡®duel¡¯ that might happen. They are ready to act in my favor and bring the news that Sigrid of Alva, our father, will die with the use of these hands.¡±

    Dolce gazes upon her brother¡¯s frosty expression. She didn¡¯t say anything. She just left her brother and looked at the island with curious eyes.

 Chapter 188

    Chapter 188 ¨C Salevela Conflict 9

    The fortress was about four stories tall. In the side of the fortress was a mounted hand-crank machines guns that put holes into anyone stupid enough to get close. Dolce watched the whole fortress while resting her chest flat on a covered position.

    ¡°The fighting¡¯s rather intense,¡± said Elesia, who was prone next to Dolce.

    ¡°The Islanders are giving us the hard time,¡± replied Henry, who was crouched behind them his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, his cheek was planted on his rifle.

    ¡°This is their home. It would be not right if they do. They are islanders that put their newborns into cold caves. Dying for their home is tradition to them.¡±

    Dolce explained while watching a young lad get his head turned into a beehive, falling down with his eyes missing.

    ¡°Quite heartless don¡¯t you think?¡± Elesia asked.

    ¡°Yes, but is their native tradition. The Templars brand their ringer with the cross don¡¯t they?¡±

    She turned her eyes at Henry. Henry noticed the gaze and answered, showing Dolce his ring fire. There was a symbol of the cross burned on his ring finger.

    ¡°When we are five, the brand of the cross is burned into our ring fingers.¡±

    ¡°See Elesia?¡± she said. ¡°It only shows that the continent has different kinds of tradition. But sadly, the age of chivalry is dead. We, the people of the Freelands are nothing but people that have lost all tradition as the time of sword and axes are done. The only tradition left of us warmongering and slavery. Isn¡¯t that great?¡±

    There was a trace of ridicule in her voice. Elesia swayed her head. It made her realize how little knights she has seen compared to when she was little.

    ¡°I remember that there errant-knights everywhere. But they seemed to have vanished.¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they vanish?¡± Dolce said with a laugh. ¡°The invention of the musket killed their presence. If the dwarves weren¡¯t so fervor in manufacturing the weapons, do you really think that the age of knights would die so quickly?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she shook her head.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. They wouldn¡¯t die so quickly if the muskets didn¡¯t spread. It made me realize that the only reason the demesne could not be taken was that of these weapons. The weapons didn¡¯t only become better. Now we can use the rifles in our hands to continuously shoot bullets. An arrow could kill us. But we can avoid it. But can we avoid something that moves so fast? No, we couldn¡¯t.¡±

    Elesia has many mix feeling hearing that. She looked at her rifle and thought. Indeed, a simple bullet to the head would kill me. It has never been on her mind that she was this close to danger. She just judges it unworthy of her fear.

    She has been raised to be stern and steady at a hard time. There was never a time she wasn¡¯t willing to shield Dolce from harm. She was her shield. It was natural for her to die for Dolce. But the thought of a bullet killing her mistress made Dolce nervous.

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    Dolce sensed that her face turned stiff. Dolce patted her head as she turned her eyes back to the battlefield. The shielders that carried thick metal plates slowly moved towards the battlements. They made use of the shields as their cover. The crank-operated machine gun proved to be heinous, however. The shielders staggered back the force that being hailed towards them was too much. There were about five machines guns guarding the battlements.

    The four continued to fire while the last machine gun would act as cover for them. The machine gun struck bodies one after another. A figure that was carrying explosives sprinted with haste towards the battlements with no sense of fear.

    He roared madly. He carried the bag of dynamites with him and threw it above the battlements. The explosives made the battlements crumbled!

    ¡°CHARGE FORWARD NOW IS THE TIME TO KILL THEM ALL!¡±

    That voice filled with fury belonged to none other than Sigrid of Alva. He wore his great coat, and his rapier was pointed at the battlements. His roar brought unrelenting bravery to the men. Most of the ones hunkered down stood up and ran to the battlements. They had this gritted expression as they waded through the gunfire of the last machinegun.

    The last crank operated machine gun fired at the invaders. But a rifleman that was covered by bushes took sight. He shot the machine gunner and roared towards the battlements with haste.

    Dolce dashed towards the battlements too. Elesia and Henry followed her and they combed through the bullets and corpses till they were able to hug the walls of the battlements.

    Dolce looked inside. Her father was able to reach the gates of the fortress. His brother Don was setting up the explosives, as they then sprinted far from the gates and dived down to cover.

    The gates exploded. The mist covered the view but the barrage of bullets made it clear that there was a machine gunner waiting for them. But this time a soldier carried a long iron rod with him. He was accompanied by another who held him in the waist. The soldier pointed the long iron rod at the gunner. It made a loud bang as a projectile was propelled at the gunner.

    It was a shoulder mounted cannon. It was devastating and it allowed the assaulters to rush inside the fortress without any stop. The assaulters carried a massacre inside the fortress. Every defender was shot to the death by the time the sun was up high, glaring at the world.

    The island was captured. The leader of the island was dragged to the courtyard along with his family. His wife was tearing up along with his other children. They looked like they have shat their pants. They smelled of piss and blood that the ones in the front shut their noses just to breath.

    Sigrid of Alva stepped forward. He pointed his fingers at the family and shouted superfluous and exaggerated words of evil that made Don and Dolce roll their eyes and cringed. It was obvious the ones aware. But the soldiers were not, they shouted with fury and spat words of insult.

    The family was then executed by firing squad. Their bodies were then burned.

 Chapter 189

    Chapter 189 ¨C Salevela Conflict 10

    The fortress that was wrapped in loud fury became silent. What was left were only the moans of the mourners. There was a grave that punched in by wooden stakes. They were helmets that belong to the soldiers who died under fire on top of the stakes. Comrades in arms mourned their friends at the site of their arms. But they were only a few of them standing on their graves. It was not over.

    There was one enemy that still stood freely. He was the enemy that led them to die for this place. It was their choice to die here. But the leader of the assault was still standing.

    In the courtyard where the family of the island was executed, stood Sigrid of Alva and his son, Don of Alva. The two stood opposite against each other with their swords in each hand. It was a familiar look that many have seen less since the age of knights, started to fade. The rapiers they had the same sigil and guard, it was produced by the Alva smiths.

    ¡°Father,¡± Don chanted. ¡°You are hereby presented to the NEW leader of Alva. Do you have any regrets?¡±

    ¡°Regrets?¡± Sigrid of Alva snorted. ¡°I am Sigrid of Alva, Knight of The Freelands, Slayer of Hogres and Dragons, killer of Eternal Lord of the Night! Do you think that you could kill me so easily?¡±

    Don smiled. ¡°Indeed, you possess many titles, father. You are a well-known Knight that once trampled the monsters of the Freelands. Who wouldn¡¯t know of the Alva Knights? Who wouldn¡¯t want to hear the story of the Hero Sigrid and her partner, Anastasia? You and Mother have always been the glory of our family! But without her, you are nothing but a husk of yourself, a warmongering husk that needs to be eliminated!¡±

    Sigrid of Alva smiled. He was quite glad to hear that the respect that his son had for him never went away. He was feeling warm inside his heart. He looked up at the sky. He recalled the days that he and his wife Anastasia roamed the lands slaying mythical monsters that have now retreated out of human eyes. They¡¯ve killed for years and by the end of their journey, the Freelands was born.

    To Sigrid, they could have all of his titles if it means that he¡¯d be able to meet his wife again. It was his fault that Anastasia died. She died not because of a scheme. She did not die because of any political motives. She died because of coincidence. She died because he met an old enemy who had nothing to lose. She did not die under the glory of killing some mythical being. She died tragically as a human. For all her abilities and her skills, she died as a weak human being.

    Sigrid of Alva almost went mad. But the promise he made for her, didn¡¯t make him lost his way. He has started to forget. But still, he could remember his way of life and the things he thought of as glorious.

    ¡°I see,¡± Sigrid of Alva took a pose.

    Don of Alva didn¡¯t say anything and lashed out his sword.

    Sigrid of Alva parried his strike. ¡°Pathetic, do you want to be killed, my son?¡±

    Don retracted his sword back and adjusted his center of gravity and went for Sigrid¡¯s legs.

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    Sigrid jumped to avoid his legs. He landed swiftly and deflected the incoming stab from Don. Sigrid leap back took a defending stance.

    ¡°Fight back, father!¡±

    Don shouted with anger. His heart should have been gouged. He should have been stabbed if Sigrid didn¡¯t leap back. It was insulting because he was trying to kill him!

    Sigrid didn¡¯t say anything. The time for speaking was done, this was his last dance. He was surrounded by all of his peers that wanted him dead. He was given this chance of dying with honor. His wife didn¡¯t have such honor. So he was now dancing while parrying the sword of his son. He looked at his son with warm eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯ve grown strong.¡±

    He commented on his mind. He watched his son with a parent-like expression. This made Don infuriated that he rushed in front of Sigrid and tried to grab his sword.

    Sigrid made a promise to his wife.

    And seeing that his sword will soon strike his son¡¯s hand.

    He pivoted his sword to the right.

    Don took the change and stabbed him right in the chest. The guard of Don¡¯s sword met Sigrid¡¯s chest.

    Sigrid vomited a mouthful of blood. He didn¡¯t kneel. He looked at Don with a stern gaze.

    ¡°You¡¯ve grown strong, indeed. You and Dolce have become magnificent. I¡¯ve no regrets.¡±

    Sigrid was old. He didn¡¯t have his vitality anymore. He took a long look at Dolce before returning his gaze back to his son who was making a chaotic expression. He was confused and baffled. He did it all of this out of wanting to kill him. His father should be angry at him. He should curse him until his last dying breath.

    ¡°What is this? CURSE ME YOU OLD FOOL!¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡± Sigrid laughed loudly. ¡°My son, I¡¯ve made a promise to not hurt any of my children. I made a promise to your dearest mother. If I didn¡¯t make a promise to her then you fools would have long died. You two may hate me. But know this!¡± he shouted. ¡°I adore my eldest and youngest. I am a man who did it all! Know that I¡¯ve died in this duel! I choose to die here!¡± he looked at Don. ¡°The Empire will be soon here. And I doubt that it would be easy.¡±

    He grinned defiantly. The cold expression of Sigrid of Alva vanished. The expression that once long-lost appeared. He didn¡¯t wear his great coat. He didn¡¯t have any armor on. He only had his sword. He died standing, laughing at the heavens.

    Sigrid of Alva died as he was.

    Don of Alva pulled his sword back with an ugly expression on his face.

    Dolce looked at her brother with unease. The words of his father shook Dolce. She expected angry words yet she was disappointed.

    She was about to speak to her brother.

    When suddenly, the whole world flashes brightly, in the direction of the continent, there was a blinding pillar of light.

 Chapter 190

    Chapter 190 ¨C 0

    This story will not end in victory.

    This story was not meant to be a tale of victory.

    This story is a tale of deprived.

    Deprive, is to be denied.

    This is a story of those that was deprived.

    Thus this story returns back to before Dolce took a sleep in her own room back in the Alva¡¯s compound. The story points back at Zola Dawn, the corporal, the super soldier that got enhance to save humanity and act as its vanguard. She was a person that possessed powerful Psion-based abilities and an exoskeleton suit that could allow her to go further the limits of a superhuman.

    In this world she was strong. She was someone who could contend with a high ogre and face armies. She was not a God, however. She could not face an entire nation. She was superhuman and could go beyond that. But she was not tireless. She could face an entire barrage of missiles but she will get injured.

    She was strong. But she was human. She wasn¡¯t anything other than human. She was Psychic Human, but she was not beyond that. She was a superhuman but she was still human. She has mutations but she was not a mutant. She was a human no matter how she gets improved.

    Zola Dawn was still near the area where the Empire spies were lurking. She was standing on a vantage point along with her pup named Titus. The whole hill was now covered in snow. The area was covered by a snowy mist that any normal human being wouldn¡¯t see. But she could see. She was not a normal being.

    Zola Dawn has been guarding the area against spies. Each and every spy she catches turns dead the moment she spots them. Of course, the situation got worse the moment the enemy got a wind of her presence. She was sure that she was covered by her cloaking device. Her belt and Omni-Forge allowed her to stay out of sight.

    But the enemy was not foolish. Zola Dawn¡¯s presence wasn¡¯t going to disappear. The enemy that she was now facing wasn¡¯t simple at all. They used a different language but she was able to catch a scout and was able to learn the scout¡¯s language by analyzing the scout¡¯s language pattern.

    She was smarter than most use humans. She was built to stay alive and be wiser. She was a super soldier that was meant to fight highly advance super aliens. The Quietus made her and the human race she knew to evolve into beings that is beyond human.

    Learning a language to her was easy. Learning the enemy was easy. She was able to anticipate the horde of enemies that were trying to sneak their way inside the villagers and towns of the city. She learned that the enemy was well-versed in the language.

    The scout she captured told her: ¡°We were told to learn the language. Knowing the language would allow us to win!¡±

    The enemy was unable to lie before her. The human race in her world has come so far. They achieve the impossibility of building a Dyson sphere, the absurd feat of harnessing the power of a star, just so that they can fire an anti-planet type superweapon that could destroy a planet from a distance.

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    By that time humanity has discovered many ways to get information from someone. The truth serum was something that perfected and she was able to gather enemy intelligence. Because of that, she was able to intercept enemy spies and eliminate any Trojan horses that tried to sabotage the demesne.

    Zola Dawn wasn¡¯t proud of her work. It was a natural result of her job to succeed. She didn¡¯t underestimate the enemy. She knew the potential of humanity more than anyone. She knew how dangerous the whole of humanity was. Humanity was able to conquer the stars and usurp galaxies.

    Yet as she stands at the vantage point she made her camp. She looked down at the high caliber sniper rifles of the enemy. It was an anti-Material, 50cal sniper rifle that could punch through a tank without any problem. Getting hit by one wouldn¡¯t leave Zola Dawn unscathed.

    Snow fell on top of her head and piled up. Zola thought that despite not underestimating the enemy. She believes that she still underestimated the enemy unconsciously. She believes it that she was smarter and stronger than the humans of this world.

    She was not God. She was no omnipotent enough to calculate the human mind. She could predict them. She could know their pattern and think what they think. But humanity was dangerous because of their way to adapt. It was not absurd to think that the enemy she was hunting would soon adapt.

    She expected them to do so. But to face twenty master snipers who possess anti-material rifles. It was a shock to Zola. She expected them to possess the same weaponry that the demesne have. But it was far better than what they have.

    She said to herself. ¡°Looks like the enemy we are facing is far superior to what I thought they would be. To think they will have these kinds of rifles.¡± She said with a poised look. Zola pointed her palm at the anti-material sniper rifle and her Omni-Forge was able to consume them in an instant.

    What was left was the print of the rifle on the snow. Zola Dawn looked at the far distance. She squinted and wondered what the thing that was shining far away from her

    Her hear squeezed. Her instincts screamed as she immediately prone and avoided a bullet traveling from a distance. She grabbed hold of Titus. She rolled away and she jumped away from the vantage point. She active her Psion-based abilities and defended herself from the anti-material sniper rifles that trying to kill her.

    Her eyes moved in such a monstrous way. She was able to count thirty enemy snipers that were targeting her. She wondered how they were able to get close. She wondered how they were able to snipe her despite the distance. She never thought that it was impossible.

    She has seen what humanity can do.

    She could feel the danger of the sniper rifles.

    She could hear the booming shots that came from the barrels of the anti-material rifles.

    It was coming towards her.

 Chapter 191

    Chapter 191 ¨C 1

    The snowy weather was cold. There were animals hiding under the snow. But these animals were not hiding due to cold. They are hiding out of fear from the loud gunshots that they have heard.

    Zola Dawn twisted her body impossibly with finesse. She was able to escape the sniper rifles and rushed at each and one of them with quick haste. They have great sniper rifles in their possession but they were not as fast as a vehicle.

    Zola took them all down in succession. She didn¡¯t kill them all. She took some of the snipers and tried to investigate what they were doing. But the captives told her, ¡°I die for my Empire, LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE.¡± as they but their tongues.

    They died under the snowy weather. They created a pool of blood area that Zola Dawn too them. Their eyes rolled back. The snow gently landed on their opened eyes. ¡°How loyal,¡± Zola muttered. She could sympathize with the feelings. She thought that she would do the same if she was captured by an enemy.

    Despite fighting aliens, she has battled humans too. The world where she came from was still chaotic. The only thing that didn¡¯t change was that humans still have the seven sins. It was a trait that will never disappear from humanity. She stumbled on many plots and schemes from the politicians of her world. She could remember that the only reason she was on that medical ship was because of political differences. Factions and ideas never changed despite the change that humanity achieved.

    Humanity was stubborn. So only a common enemy could allow them to work together. They achieved a pseudo peace because of the Quietus that threatened the existence of humanity. The enemy was not evil. It was not acting because of difference or race. It was not because of species too.

    It was because of a foregone conclusion of joining the two together in order to create a synthesis of the two, to join the machines and flesh to unite flesh and machine.

    But they needed to convert the whole human race into slabs of meat. Doing would, the person would die, and the human would lose the soul that it possesses. A human without a soul is nothing but a husk. Treat the electrons around the body as the soul. Removing the soul would mean that what all that would be was an empty shell devoid of anything that makes a human a human.

    Zola looked at the corpse that she left behind. She pointed her palm at the corpse and decomposed the corpse. There was not a single trace left. She turned all the snipers into nothing. She didn¡¯t leave anything behind. Zola Dawn didn¡¯t want the enemy to find their snipers dead.

    She didn¡¯t get anything from them. She preferred not leaving behind anything. The enemy knew of her presence already. She didn¡¯t want any more clues for them. Whoever her enemies are, she knows that they are competent.

    ...

    The snow lessened when afternoon arrived. Zola sat near at the campfire she made. She put her chin against her fists. She wondered how many enemies have she killed during her stay in the forest of the demesne. The borders were mostly covered with forest. There were many patrols airships that are roaming the demesne borders.

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    How tiresome, she thought. Zola patted Titus and reflected on things that happened. She recalled the amount of equipment and the amount of information she got from the scouts and the spies. They are experts no doubt. They are very good at what they do but there was something that Zola could not understand.

    Why does the Empire send them at the borders? How were they able to cross the Gigantes Sea that stretches miles? She has many questions to ask. But how can her questions get answered when the enemy would bite their tongues? She has tried breaking their limbs but they would smash their heads on any sharp or hard object.

    She was impressed by their loyalty. It was bad because she didn¡¯t want to sympathize towards the invading enemy. ¡°I wonder what¡¯s stopping them from trying to try negotiating?¡± she muttered. Snow fell on her eyelashes and wiped her eyelids.

    Titus played around the snow. Titus rubbed his fur against the snow while putting his tongue out. She was playing around the fire, it made Zola smile. Her only companion under the lonely snowy borders was Titus. She has no news from the demesne. All she knew that Alexander, Eiya, and Joshua were on a mission to reinstate a mist barrier that would distract the enemy.

    All she does now was to distract the enemy and stop them from getting inside. She could just leave. She knows that any of the Trojan horses wouldn¡¯t do anything to the demesne. What she wanted from them was information. She wanted to know where their ship was. It was clear that they did not arrive one by one. It was obvious that they came along in a fleet or a possibly a ship that allowed them to cross the Gigantes Sea despite the dangers.

    She knew that she killed a lot. She knew that there was enough threat from them that made the enemy come after her. She was a threat. The enemy knew this and so they sent their snipers at her. The enemy she faced was dangerous. They were well trained and all of them were capable of turning the tides. If she was a normal human, she knew that she would die.

    They were all veterans and the way they handle themselves made Zola think that anyone other than her would certainly die out any being able to notice. She got targeted from miles away. She was able to only sense them because of her own abilities. If she didn¡¯t have the Omni-Forge and Psion-Based abilities, Zola was sure that she¡¯d fall victim to the enemies that she was facing.

    They were a strike team made of elites and veterans. The killing was easy for them. They would be able to surely kill important personnel and sabotage key locations and cause enough chaos to confuse the enemy. At first, she wondered if it was a great idea to tell them about the enemy. But in the end, she grabs her voice communicator and reported what she had seen and witness.

 Chapter 192

    Chapter 192 ¨C 2

    The enemy was tough to find. She¡¯d been staying around the demesne but she couldn¡¯t see trace the enemy at all. There was no sign of them everywhere other than the ones that would sneak inside the borders of the demesne.

    The enemy wore fatigues. Zola saw that they have made tents along the coastlines. All of them were burly and stern. Upon a closer look at them, reminder Zola of the ancient earth military that was popular on her word¡¯s history books. They look like 20th-century soldiers. Each and every one of them has arms that were the same as the demesne. But they didn¡¯t have any walkers or skyships. All they had were four-wheeled vehicles and pseudo tanks that could possibly navigate the forests of the demesne.

    Zola was in cloak mode. She faced the coastline while keeping her eyes half-opened. She looked at the men. She saw radar dishes and electric generators. She could smell diesel and some of them were roasting a hog. There were men cleaning the tanks. On the long tents, there were mechanics and repairmen working on their weapons and vehicles.

    Zola wanted to destroy them immediately. But doing would be like taking an unripe fruit. She didn¡¯t want to waste the chance so she prone just by naked bush and piled snow above her body. Her suit changed color and blended in with the environment.

    ¡°There seems to be to something that I am missing here,¡± she thought. She looked at the beach. There was a rubber boat with an engine. There were at least five rubber boats. They seemed to have come somewhere from the sea. But yet as she spies at the sea¡¯s horizon she couldn¡¯t see any warship or ships that might have ferried the soldiers to the borders of the demesne.

    Maybe the ship was located far? Are they playing safe and making it sure that no one could spy on them? Zola wondered. She wanted to kidnap one of them and asked them where the ships are currently anchored. But she was able to intercept their radio. She could tell that they regularly check on every person that was on the coastline.

    ¡°Check, are there any problems?¡± a voice said. The voice was then followed be soldiers reporting one by one. They have created a numbering system and seeing that they were doing it every hour. Zola told herself not to do anything to soldiers from now. She needed to see if there were more enemies. She would then be given the choice to annihilate them when they gather the number.

    She observed two days without rest. She heard, ¡°Never speak any secrets. We don¡¯t know if there are enemies listening,¡± a soldier replied, ¡°there shouldn¡¯t be anyone listening to this frequency. But you are right, we should be cautious. Our men have been disappearing and none of the forward scouts we have sent returned alive at all. The worst case is that they might have picked up our radios and listened in to our conversations.¡±

    Then the people behind the radio returned to normal conversations. ¡°Damn you bastards,¡± she cursed. She wanted to shred their camp and burn them but she held herself back.

    It was then that fie more rubber coats arrived on the coastline. The members that have made Camp on the beach said.

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    ¡°You guys are still alive. I heard that there was an enemy that has been killing us.¡±

    ¡°Yes, no contacts from them ever since. No traces.¡±

    ¡°Not a single one?¡±

    ¡°Not a single one at all. Even the anti-material snipers we sent didn¡¯t return home. All of them were elites and proven to be great fighters. Yet none of them sent anything. We only heard a really loud static and something that was definitely not human killing them¡±

    ¡°Not human...¡± the voice behind the radio seemed to be contemplation. ¡°Our Empire has invaded four hundred countries and saw many creatures. We were not able to reach this continent because of that Kraken that guarded the route that didn¡¯t have any destructive currents. The water flow of sea wasn¡¯t favorable enough for us. We only knew of this continent because of the ship we met a few years ago. So we knew that there are humans here.¡±

    ¡°So what is the thing that has been attacking us?¡±

    ¡°Someone that is like Shadow...the shadowy blade of the Emperor can do impossible things. So it is not impossible that there will be another shadow-like person on this continent.¡±

    Zola didn¡¯t know who this shadow was. But judging by the fear on their voices she could deduce that this Shadow was someone that could do what she can do. Either that person was someone that enhanced or possesses Psychic abilities.

    ¡°Speaking of Shadow, where is she?¡± asked the voice behind the radio.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± answered another voice. ¡°Shadow only traveled with us. The Commander cannot control Shadow for she only listens to the Emperor himself. As far as I know, Shadow should be in the placed called Holy Midland. She should be acting as a saboteur.¡±

    Zola¡¯s brows furrowed.

    ¡°The Holy Midland...that fanatical country filled with soldiers who bear the cross as their symbol huh, I guess she could work well to kill and destroy key points of that nation. Shadow is Shadow. I think she could handle the task there.¡±

    ¡°No doubt about that. Shadow is a one-man army all by herself. We aren¡¯t like her. We got ourselves picked up by someone that might be like her in skills and abilities. We should worry about ourselves not her.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± agreed a soldier behind the radio. ¡°If she was then she might have found whoever¡¯s killing our forward scouts, too bad that we can only rely on our own damn selves.¡±

    ¡°Agreed, we should stay alert. The next scouts should arrive sooner or later. Until then we should hold this line and make sure that we can use this coastline as our forward operating base.¡±

    Then they went back to their duties. Zola could tell that they weren¡¯t going to send more scouts so she radioed the things she heard and reported about ¡®Shadow¡¯ that should be operating and destroying key points on the Holy Midland. She didn¡¯t know why. But Zola thinks that ¡®Shadow¡¯ might just be someone who could kill her.

 Chapter 193

    Chapter 193 ¨C 03

    The winter rolled in, the soldiers were freezing to the bones. The coastline was covered in snow. The beach sand was long buried by the cold.

    ¡°Winter¡¯s really a bitch even in this continent.¡±

    ¡°You got that right.¡±

    The cries of the soldiers echoed out on the radio. Zola Dawn has been listening to their complaints for days now. She hasn¡¯t moved away from her position. She has been observing the soldiers and studied their movements and listened in to any of their conversations. She didn¡¯t allow any single conversation they had to escape her ears.

    ¡°These soldiers are professionals and they have bearings of a 21st-century soldier while having the 20th-century equipment. Now that I mention it, their armaments resemble that of the men who live under the star spangled banner.¡±

    ¡°They are not Yanks alright,¡± she thought for a while. ¡°Hmm, Alexander had the aura of someone coming from the nation where the Star - Spangled Banner originated. While Joshua has the European look of the old past, I think he came from Croatia?¡±

    She has guessed that Alexander was a person from another world too. It was because Alexander spoke like a modern human and he referenced old airliners. But the one thing that made Zola recognize that he was from the past world like Joshua was because of how he acted. He could still remember Alexander¡¯s lackluster expression as he admitted that he was from another world.

    He didn¡¯t tell the details. All he said to Zola was that he was a foolish traceur, an adrenaline junkie that fell of a building because of his stupidity. Zola asked if he was a soldier. He told her that he was only trained on boot camp once by some old SAS member and that was it. He was nothing special. Just some guy who got lucky in being trained by an expert.

    Zola didn¡¯t sense a lie so she let him go after saying that. But Zola noticed that while speaking he didn¡¯t have this melancholic look on his face. There was no trace of sadness on his face as he remembers his past world. As if there was another world that he missed than his past home, it was odd to Zola. She wasn¡¯t an earthling but she lived once in the earth with her mother. She learned the history of the earth but her real home was far from earth. She was from a colony planet sometimes she would miss the planet she was originally born with.

    ¡°I guess humans adapt fast, huh?¡± Zola Dawn muttered. She looked at the coastline camp of the soldiers. They sauntered everywhere and ever since the day she killed the snipers, the soldiers didn¡¯t send more, they seemed to be waiting for something. She hasn¡¯t an inch and she wanted to interrogate each and every one of them but she has to wait.

    ¡°Was I wrong?¡± She thought. Zola Dawn expected reinforcements and more soldiers arriving. But there was none of them arriving at all. Did she miss anything important? She wondered. She listened in to the radio and raised her brows.

    ¡°Listen to me,¡± said a commanding voice. ¡°The test is successful. The Thunder of God is successful. Return back home boys, it looks like that cripple has done it.¡±

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    ¡°Roger that boss,¡± the voice agreed. ¡°You heard the commander boys, we need to get out of here before they wreck the nation. At least we can avenge our comrades this way.¡± He had this somber voice.

    The coastline base camp started packing up. She didn¡¯t know what they meant by ¡®thunder of God¡¯ but she had a bad feeling it isn¡¯t good. Not to mention that they are pulling out. So she waited for the rubber boats to lessen. It was only when the last one started to move that she gestured Titus to cling to her shoulder. She pounced on the rubber boat. The ones that were driving the rubber boat panicked for a second before pointing the barrel of their rifles at Zola.

    Zola released her Psion-based ability and fried the nervous system of her enemies. Titus paddled his tiny legs and climbed aboard the rubber boat. He placed himself near the steering wheel. Zola took a deep breath after killing the enemy. She smiled at Titus before putting her hands on the steering wheel of the boat. The rubber coat was simple to steer.

    She looked at the beach first before pushing the lever of the boat forward. The boat hummed, it moved to the direction where the enemy went to. She could still trace their boats. She wasn¡¯t fond of seas so she didn¡¯t risk her life swimming towards whatever warship they have. She moved the boat through the oceans. The ocean didn¡¯t have anything other than the view below the sea. She could see corals and different kinds of fishes. She could only recognize some of the difference of the biome made her unable to know them.

    The movements of the rubber boats were predictable. She could guess where they were so she immediately covered the boat with her Psion-based abilities to camouflage them. To her surprise, there was a giant submarine floating above the water. It was obvious that the vessel could dive down and disappear.

    ¡°No wonder my tracking could not sense their submarine. At the moment it probably floated to recover the rubber boats.¡±

    She looked at the giant submarine. It was monstrously huge. It was a metal ship that has an Imperial Eagle on the hull of the vessel. It has four artillery guns that could fire a mile away. The current distance wasn¡¯t enough for the submarine to fire at land. Zola Dawn could understand why they don¡¯t go near the land. They would be spotted by the skyships and certainly, they would get targeted.

    Zola still remembers the giant artillery batteries that were located on certain key points. Their locations were vague, and Zola didn¡¯t know how much firepower the artillery batteries of the demesne of the Maltius La Fende have.

    Zola touched her chin. ¡°I should be able to easily sneak inside the submarine. At best I can use my exoskeleton suit to penetrate the hull and sink it down. But If I am able to capture this submarine...it would be a great way to get a home.¡±

    ¡°Titus,¡± she said, patting her pup¡¯s head. ¡°Stay here and wait for my signal okay?¡±

    Titus wagged his tail and sat quietly on the rubber boat. Zola smiled and started swimming towards the submarine.

 Chapter 194

    Chapter 194 ¨C 4

    Zola swiftly climbed the deck. She was on her four limbs as she inspects the deck. There were only a few of them looking at the direction where she was standing. The soldiers that were assigned leisurely chewed on their cigars as they watch the sea line.

    Some of them have light skin while some tan skin. She noticed that there were some female officers lounging on the submarine while wearing their fatigues. They didn¡¯t have the typical look of a female. They were toned and were as stern as the others.

    ¡°They looked like they are well-trained too. I guess they didn¡¯t just bring anyone other than the experts,¡± she thought.

    Zola moved quietly and went down the deck. She nimbly moves down the ladder and latched on the wall when she saw someone coming. She made use of her exoskeleton suit to magnetize her palms. She waited for the soldier to disappear up and slide down the wall and landed softly. She then sneaked through hallways. She would make use of the large passageways.

    She couldn¡¯t just walk so she had to stick like a lizard on the walls. She made sure that there was no one that noticed her. She looked around. It was a room filled with tables and chairs. She saw that there were long tables with chairs. There was a canteen and the soldiers were eating soup and bread. Some of them took out photos of their family and looked melancholic.

    ¡°I wonder if we¡¯ll be able to go home now,¡± said the soldier.

    ¡°The thunder of God''s test will soon happen. Maybe that will make the continent think otherwise. We beat the fucking Kraken and send brave men to kill hordes of sea fucking people. We conquered the Gigantes Sea. The Valor Empire will triumph.¡±

    ¡°Praise that brother, the Empire has always been victorious. We fought four hundred countries and they all fell into the hands of our Empire. We need to unite the world if we want to face the lands beyond that fall.¡±

    ¡°The lands beyond that fall?¡± Zola muttered. She leaps silently to the ceiling and listened in.

    ¡°The lands beyond that fall, to think that there might be a day that we will step and crushed those pathetic mutants. They are scourged and if we don¡¯t purge them, I fear that this world will fall. I believe that our Valor will triumph over them.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, but we need to pacify the continent. It is absurd that we should wage war against this continent. The routes are bad and creating a sea line is outrageous. This whole sea is a logistic nightmare.¡±

    ¡°The officers back at home were scratching their heads. The Emperor wants nothing but victory. We will give the Emperor Victory, and we will not fail. Still, I understand that it is hard with all the monsters around the place. Hmm, if we can conquer more nations, then we are able to proceed with the divine right that was given to us. This world belongs to humanity, as it should be.¡±

    ...

    Zola continued down the decks. Her mind was on what she heard. Indeed, she was someone pro-humanity. All the other races were not important to her. They could die for all they care. She will not care for them. She has been raised as someone that hated alien races. She only feels disgusted at the other races.

    Stolen story; please report.

    Still, Zola Dawn should not be blamed because of that. She was programmed to be a super soldier. It was not her fault that she was like that.

    She continued down the hallways. She examined the submarine¡¯s reactor. She said, ¡°To think that they¡¯d be able to achieve a fusion reactor this early. Humanity here has a greater potential, if they continue this path then by the next one hundred years...we should be able to conquer the stars.¡±

    Zola was taught that humanity comes first. The demesne has greater technologies. If they merge with this Empire then there was a big chance that humanity will become to ruler the stars. It was a great chance. She could lead humanity beyond.

    She possesses the Omni-Forge. The accumulation of humanity and the Quietus, if someone could harness the information on her Omni-Forge she was sure that humanity could achieve greater means. The world was a thousand times better.  The planet was the biggest planet she has stepped in. The calculations she did probed that. Who knows what lies beyond the lands? How many nations have formed on this planet?

    Zola started to ponder deeply. She was here to take care of the Empire. But the information she was getting made her think twice. ¡°Maybe I could work something out?¡± she thought. She went out of the engine room and went to the cargo bay of the submarine/ship.

    The bay was filled with tanks and flying machines. She spotted a helicopter and there were tanks that were being maintained. An engineer was adjusting what seemed to be a four-wheel jeep. There was a group of engineers making use of tools and cranes to assemble the tanks.

    ¡°The Demesne has advanced walkers and four-legged tanks. They can easily tear through these machines. Still, the plating on these tanks is quite something, and they have heat-seeking missiles? Wait...do they have a computer?¡± Zola thought as she skidded softly towards the cabin. She looked around and spotted a machine that resembled a computer. She approached the computer and hacked into their database. She went through the information but there was no relevant information she could use.

    ¡°Looks like my only choice is to find the commander of this vessel,¡± she thought. She went out of the cabin and sneaked through the hallways and listened in to the people around him. She heard relevant information from the officers that were chatting.

    She followed the information and she climbed up the deck and went to where the ¡®commander¡¯ of the ship was. The control room was vacant, but she heard that the commander was in the observation room. So she crept through every person that was on the ship and slowly unlocked the observation room.

    She slid inside and saw a man wearing a military coat, his band was behind his back and his stern back faced Zola. The man turned around and looked at Zola calmly.

    ¡°So you are the person that killed all my scouts. You manage to sneak inside...who are you?¡±

 Chapter 195

    Chapter 195 ¨C 5

    ¡°Zola Dawn, I belong to no one, but I came here to support the Demesne of Maltius La Fende,¡± Zola said sternly. She made her voice vibrate with her Psion-based ability.

    The Commander looked at Zola calmly. He leaned and looked at her. ¡°Are you a psychic?¡±

    ¡°Psion user,¡± Zola ambled softly to the right. ¡°Do you have a name?¡±

    ¡°Name?¡± he laughs slightly. ¡°Why would a dead man name¡¯s matter? I am an ability user yet I feel inferior. You are powerful, and you are clad in armor that strikes me as beyond our understanding. But I can see that you are somewhat reasonable.¡±

    ¡°Reason, I am capable of it. I faced your men. They are loyal and were willing to bite their tongues to not reveal any information. I applaud you men, and maybe you are too?¡±

    The Commander smiled. ¡°Indeed, if my ability didn¡¯t fail me, I wouldn¡¯t be standing here talking to you. I don¡¯t know what you did, but you have effectively trapped me. Not even the communicators are working. Hmm, I am impressed. I would like to have you in our Empire. With Shadow and yourself, we would be unstoppable.

    She heard the name Shadow again. ¡°Can you talk? Or do you want me to twist the truth from you? I have many means and you ¡®commander¡¯ is someone that I can manipulate. No matter how loyal you are, the serum that I have in me will make you talk. Even if you kill yourself now, I will be able to revive you. Giving me enough time to make you talk. I dare you to try.¡±

    ¡°I see, then there¡¯s no escaping,¡± he bit his lip. ¡°So what do you want?¡±

    ¡°Reasons, I need reasons, why are you invading the continent of Livia. Why didn¡¯t your Empire tried diplomatic truce?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± he nodded his head. ¡°We want this continent for our Empire. Hmm, I can guess that you already wrung the truth from my men. As you know, the Empire controls over four hundred states. We crushed them and made them join us in the name of the divine right. That is our reason.¡±

    ¡°So it is nothing grand?¡±

    ¡°It is nothing grand. Once we finish conquering the known nations, we are able to start our plans to invade the lands beyond the fall.¡±

    ¡°The lands beyond the falls, it seems important,¡± Zola asked with a curious tone.

    ¡°It is. It is land ripe with creatures of evil nature. Mutants, monsters, and beings that are beyond our understanding lives there and our Emperor has once seen the evil that is that lands beyond the falls. Humans are turned into cattle, and they have markets filled with human parts. The sole purpose of our crusade was to bring punishment against the evil in that place.¡±

    ¡°If they lie beyond the fall, then shouldn¡¯t your Empire be ready to face them?¡±

    ¡°We are. We can kill them. But only fools would turn their backs. An Empire so big needs constant watch. Even our superior firepower wouldn¡¯t be enough to completely reel them in. Every month, we get rebellions. We need a common enemy to unite us.¡±

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°And the common enemy can found in the land beyond the falls?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he nodded. ¡°Beyond the falls lies the orcs, the race that has been slowly staggering to progress. The last time humanity came to their place. They were captured, bred and turned into cattle. Can you believe it?  There¡¯s a community out there that farms humans.¡±

    Zola frowned. ¡°How do you know all of this?¡±

    ¡°We have our flying machines. We went there and we witnessed the horror. They are cancer and before they grow more a threat, we needed to remove them. They are strong creatures. They still have muskets as their weapons. But letting them progress is dangerous.¡±

    ¡°So after you pacify the continent, you¡¯ll move and destroy the orcs. I can sympathize with that. But the Demesne is a nation that is more advanced than your Empire. The Gigantes Sea is far and dangerous, this war of yours is a logistic nightmare.¡±

    ¡°We know. Yet we fight. We were told as soldiers. We follow orders. Most of my people here are ready to die for the Emperor. It is our divine right to do so. And how can anyone stand as our fellow humans get treated like cattle?¡±

    ¡°And yet you usurp nations and force your Empire against a nation. You could have a peaceful negotiation. Yet you refuse and now your men and women died under me. You know that this demesne will destroy your ship. They have skyships and artillery batteries that could decimate enemy incoming fleet.¡±

    ¡°We know,¡± the Commander smiled. ¡°The existence of these long-range batteries is known. Our recon team gave their life to take learn their locations. We were supposed to destroy them. Yet here we are, and here I am, trapped between a powerful ability with an absurd suit of armor. We expected things to go wrong. But for one single woman to checkmate me this easily. If I didn¡¯t have my ability I wouldn¡¯t have known that you would be here.¡±

    Zola looked at him. She said what was bothering her from the start. ¡°I do not sense fear from you. You speak calmly and you do not show any anger. What is it that makes you confident? What is it that allows you to stay composed despite the fact that you know that I can possibly kill everyone on this ship if I choose to do so?¡±

    He smiled. ¡°Once upon a time, there was a man who knew of things that our researchers didn¡¯t know. He was useless. But he had something in him. He told us something that led us to create the thunder of God, a tribute to his name. He was named Ram-El and he gave us the way that our enemy may revel in fear.¡±

    Zola¡¯s heart shuddered. In the observation deck, there was a sudden flash of light. Zola looked at the pillar of light coming from the direction of the continent. The light was so blinding.

    The Commander closed his eyes and spread his arms. He basks body upon the light that was coming from the continent. ¡°Behold Zola Dawn, the thunder of God!¡±

 Chapter 196

    Chapter 196 - Only Goodness and Mercy 1

    This is before Zola Dawn started her stakeout near the coastline.

    In an unknown part of the forest of the Freelands, Joshua found himself taking cover from the snow. He was rather cold so he rubbed his shoulders and blew some cold air, making a cloud. He thought that he¡¯d be finding caves and exploring ruins. But he was now under a tree¡¯s shade, sheltering away from the chilly snow.

    Alexander sauntered near Joshua. ¡°Want some cig, bro?¡± he offered a cigar. Joshua looked at him with a thin smile. ¡°No thanks, I don¡¯t like smoking.¡±

    ¡°Then too bad,¡± he put the cigar on his lips and lights it. ¡°Archie and the blue-haired elf will be starting the ritual. I checked the area and no enemy should be around. Let¡¯s not assume that there will be no enemy though.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ve been chasing the skyship fanatically. I guess these High Lords are really that adamant in killing Eiya.¡± He puffed some smoke. The smoke drifted forward, leaving a distinct smell.

    Joshua said. ¡°Well, we are trying to use the mist barrier to camouflage this whole continent. Not to mention that it has another effect.¡±

    ¡°That surprised me,¡± Alexander nodded.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Joshua thought about the areas they visited. Eiya has disclosed information about the mist barrier. According to Eiya, the mist barrier would be able to cover the whole of the continent. It will also suppress the monstrous beings that have ill will.

    She told them about the existence of the Isolist tribes and the Rat-Kins that has formed cities under the Livia Continent. It was an absurd tale. Joshua recalled how fearful Eiya was while talking about the old world she knew. The Isolist tribes, the one he met while struggling about with Silo and their nemesis the rat-kins.

    ¡°You met them?¡± Eiya said with surprised. She thought that they have been extinct so that was a surprise for her. ¡°I see, they are alive. That¡¯s great. I thought they are long gone, but it seems like even today they still fight the rat-kins¡±

    Then she continued explaining about the lost kingdom. There was a kingdom of many and they fought the green-skinned warriors that came from a place that was called ¡®beyond the falls¡¯. The place was a dangerous area where the green-skinned are from.

    A long time ago they tried conquering the continent by making use of giant flying whales. These whales were proud sky whales but they were captured and carved into vessels. The Orcs made use of these vessels to invade the continents in an attempt to capture more fertile lands.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    The Orcs have their reasons for invading. But their reason was not acceptable to the humans who the Orc saw only as a cattle and food for them to tend and eat. The elf race was too thin for the Orcs. Humanity didn¡¯t fear the Orcs and brought them upon their sword. They started a crusade fought the Orcs with absolute bravery.

    The elf race was a secluded race. They tend to their own business but they have their pride. The humans did so much that they had to help them.

    They created the mist barrier for the work that the humans did. They granted the humans power through the runes and spells but that made the humans stronger.

    The orcs were driven back and nature did its course and annihilated them properly. They were eaten up by the Gigantes Sea and were nowhere to be found. The few that scattered were hunted down. For one hundred years the human and elf alliance wage war against the enemy while the dwarf crafted weapons for them.

    The One Hundred years was a golden age. The continent prospered and the allure of a common enemy made the alliance work together. Many wonders and structures were formed. But in the end, the wanting for power wrecked the continent. The lands split. The mountains were cleaved. The sea brought havoc on ports and cities. The ¡®connection¡¯ that was formed from every nation vanished.

    Those who survived cursed the runic powers. They called to the light and worshipped it. The elf race tried to sneak back to their abode but the High Lords wage war against them. Humanity was frail and they weren¡¯t able to help the elf in their war.

    It was at that time that Eiya joined her sisters. She allowed herself to be trapped within the obelisk in hoping that they would be able to seal the ominous high-lords and the rat-kin that were ready to emerge. But the Isolist wage war against the rat-kin while the high-lords continued their assault against the elf race.

    The mist barrier succeeded. But even with the suppression, the High Lords succeeded in killing her race. Eiya doesn¡¯t know if there was still someone left of her race somewhere in the world.

    Joshua thought how pitiable Eiya was. He finished recalling what was told of him and looked at the sky. The sky was covered in gray clouds. Snow fell everywhere and the thick snow that filled the ground doubled. He looked to the right and saw the skyship covered by snow.

    ¡°Will the skyship be alright?¡± asked Joshua.

    Alexander turned his head at the skyship. ¡°The skyship can just blow away the snow. The plating usually heats up so no need to worry about anything. Even airliners are nothing to the skyship. The thrusters help too.¡± he said with confidence, still blowing smoke from his mouth and nose.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Joshua nodded. ¡°Still, I wonder what¡¯s happening down there.¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Alexander pointed his palm forward and released an invisible force. ¡°I can tell that the ritual¡¯s done. They should be right here now.¡±

    Archie and Eiya appeared out of the cave¡¯s mouth. Archie waved his hands and led Eiya towards the two who was relaxing under the tree. ¡°Done yet?¡± Alexander extinguished his cigar and spoke. Eiya nodded her and answered. ¡°The Ritual¡¯s done, we should hurry to the next site.¡±

    ¡°You got it.¡±

    Alexander nodded his head. He then trudged through the snow. Eiya and Archie followed and behind them was Joshua who just walked quietly without saying anything. He looked around him. There was no trace of enemies. But he felt this ominous feeling as he entered the skyship.

 Chapter 197

    Chapter 197 - Only Goodness and Mercy 2

    The winter was getting rowdy. The skyship was able to fly through the snowstorm but sustained some damage. The plating of the skyship melted most of the snow, but the thruster¡¯s interiors got frozen. The skyship was forced to land on some unknown village.

    ¡°This village¡¯s controlled by the Templars,¡± muttered Joshua. He could see the insignia of the Thorn Legion of the Templars guarding the village. They wore fur coats and they were helping the villagers store the reddish-purple wine that the villagers made.

    Alexander and Joshua sat on one of the benches. Alexander was drinking the bottle of wine he bought from the villagers. ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less. The wine¡¯s good. Reminds me of that purple wine my friend Jerne gave me once. Quite tasty I didn¡¯t know that I would ever taste something so similar.¡±

    ¡°Can I have a taste?¡± Joshua eyed the wine. Alexander glanced at him.

    ¡°Sure,¡± he handed Joshua the wine.

    Joshua took a sip of the wine. The sweet flavor of the wine burned his tongue. He handed the wine bottle back to Alexander. ¡°Good wine! Do they sell more? I might need one.¡±

    ¡°I might?¡± Alexander took a sip of his wine. ¡°I¡¯ll warn you. This kind of wine doesn¡¯t make you drunk.¡±

    ¡°I can probably make some moonshine,¡± Joshua shrugged. ¡°Mix some ale or beer on it, then add sweeter then it¡¯ll be a perfect way to get drunk.¡±

    ¡°Something bothering you?¡± asked Alexander.

    ¡°Remember that garden?¡± Joshua explained. ¡°Ever since that time I¡¯ve been dreaming of my home. That realistic feeling of standing in your own room again bothered me.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Alexander said blandly.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he nodded.

    ¡°So this has been bothering you,¡± Alexander took a sip of his wine. He looked at the falling snow and the villagers smiling about as they carry their baskets. ¡°I really don¡¯t know what to tell you. I could just tell you to be positive. Live your life as it is. But that¡¯s wrong. You¡¯re turning your eyes away, forcing yourself from thinking what is wrong. I know the feeling. The name gives it away doesn¡¯t it?¡± he smiled.

    Joshua silently nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering too,¡± Alexander continued. ¡°I am some hopeless wanderer without a home. We all are. You know, a guy told me once, who by the way was a dragon killer, and he fell down the void protecting the person who adored him. He wasn¡¯t like us who got lucky. He was sickly. He was broken. He was worse for the wear. He has infections and he lost three of his fingers. He told me that since we didn¡¯t belong to this world. We don¡¯t the blessing that the world has. He came from another world too. And somehow he found himself in this other world like me. This body doesn¡¯t belong to this world.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°What?¡± Joshua exclaimed.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain really,¡± he made a bitter smile. ¡°I told you that I got trapped into a crystal once by a despairing witch right?¡±

    ¡°You did.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, the guy I am talking about fell down the abyss. He got swallowed by a spatial storm, a space storm that misplaced us into this world. He told me that he came from the same world, he thought he died when the cruise ship he was aboard got split into by a thunder. A simple thunder wouldn¡¯t be able to split a giant cruise ship. It was a space storm, a spatial distortion. I believe that we got caught in these space storms. And trying to jump into another wouldn¡¯t mean anything at all.¡±

    He didn¡¯t say anything. Joshua caught the snow with both hands.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way back home for us. I don¡¯t what happen to him. He disappeared. Didn¡¯t know where he went. It was clear that we are chased by misfortune. My circumstance and yours is different from him. He was normal. He didn¡¯t have anything other than losing his mind and somehow slaying a dragon once. I think you have your own ability. I won¡¯t prey but we are considered lucky.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±

    Alexander drank a mouthful of his wine. He didn¡¯t bother wiping the wine on his stubble.

    ¡°That there¡¯s no need to weep over parts of life, the whole of it calls for tears,¡± he said. ¡°All we can do now is to keep a stiff upper lip. This old soldier told me that. I think he was fond of the stoics and he told me and my mates how to keep our cools in harsh times. But really isn¡¯t enough. We suffer. I suffer. You suffer. Despite that saying, it doesn¡¯t turn us into apathetic beings. My heart¡¯s broken. But I kept on walking down this unsure path for the hell of it. I mean, who doesn¡¯t want to go home? I miss my family. But such thing is impossible. Besides, they probably won¡¯t recognize me in this body.¡±

    Joshua didn¡¯t ask what he meant by that. He could see that it was a hard thing for Alexander to talk about. ¡°Alexander, when I arrived in this world. I starved and walked endlessly in the desert near the city of storms. I starved and I had to bit on carcasses just to live on. I prayed that goodness and mercy will follow me. But what did I get? A bunch of slavers catching me with a net, and they dragged me around like a pig. I got turned into a slave and got played by a noble. You are right, maybe we really lost wanderers.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Alexander nodded. ¡°Still, I do not expect anything. It hurts less that way. But,¡± he patted Joshua¡¯s shoulder, ¡°we got to trek on. Whatever happens, happens. We don¡¯t have a choice but to continue painfully. I wish that I could have avoided things. If was stronger. I was faster then maybe I wouldn¡¯t get separated from that clumsy woman,¡± a bitter smile appeared on Alexander.

    ¡°I guess we can only put a bland face and pretend that thing doesn¡¯t happen. We sure are hypocrites aren¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but what¡¯s wrong with being a hypocrite? We have power over our minds, not outside events. So all we can do now is to continue.¡±

    ¡°I guess so,¡± Joshua said.

    Alexander hailed a villager who was carrying a basket filled with wine and bought three bottles. He ambled back to the bench and handed one to Joshua. ¡°Here you go.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°You know to make moonshines right? Let¡¯s go and make some while Archie and Eiya are still gathering the supplies.¡±

    Joshua looked at the bottles of wine before smiling gently. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s get drunk then.¡±

    Alexander smirked. Joshua stood up and the two then went back to the skyship.

 Chapter 198

    Chapter 198 - Only Goodness and Mercy 3

    She jolted awake. She looked passed the snow and saw the skyship that she has been tracking down for quite a while. She held her head and tried to stand up. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ve been dreaming about that old world,¡± she muttered bitterly under her mask.

    It has been a long time since she found herself in a forest. It was that time when the Emperor of the Empire of Valor found her. She was lost. She fought enemies by her own power and abilities. This impressed the Emperor and she became a blade under the shadow. She spent the five years killing anyone that the Emperor pointed. She followed because she was lost.

    ¡°Is this what you want?¡±

    Suddenly, a composed figure of a woman wearing a maid outfit appeared before her. One of her eyes was covered by a black cloth, she was one-eyed. Her green eye looked at her calmly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she replied. She scrutinized the apparition as if looking at the mirror. There was a huge difference on what the apparition was wearing. Shadow wore a garb wrapped with her tools for killing. She wore a leather outfit and she was covered with a battered mantle.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know? Did all the killing get to you again? Ever since the Madonna died, we promised that we¡¯ll change,¡± the apparition said, her head tilted, looking confused without changing expression.

    ¡°No, I am helping because I have nothing to do,¡± she explained herself. ¡°The Emperor¡¯s facing a green horde. And the only way to stop them is the unification of all.¡±

    That was a lie that she told herself. The Valor Empire had pure thoughts but she couldn¡¯t deny their imperialist dreams. She saw how tired and old the Emperor was. The old man who held on to his life wanted nothing but to wipe out the race that killed his loved ones. His Empire grew large and strong. But it was stretched thin. Livia Continent was a good excuse for the Empire to ¡®awaken¡¯ the colonies and states of the Empire.

    The Empire was stuck in a recession and war could do wonders for the economy. Not to mention that there was something that the Empire was developing.

    She was blade under the shadow of the Empire. She has become stronger and tougher that no enemy could withstand her, especially while she was in the shadows.

    ¡°Is that the truth?¡± the apparition said. ¡°Or is to hide the lie under your heart?¡±

    Shadow could see a village in front of her. The village was composed of brick houses. She saw a familiar figure in a wheelchair smiling at some kids. She was being pushed by a young man with a bright smile on his face. The village was perceived by her eyes. She saw the image change inside a house. There was a man with white hair and pale skin sleeping on the table. She saw the image get closer to this man. A hand extended and touched his whitish hair.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°Do you remember?¡± the apparition said. ¡°Do you even know what happened on that day? When the day turned into night and end seemed to happen? There¡¯s no way or could it be that storm rattled your brain?¡±

    Shadow tried to recall. The memory was blurry and even the face of the person she was trying to grab was blurry. She tried to squeeze the memory out of her mind but she couldn¡¯t. ¡°Yes,¡± she admitted. ¡°It has been five years and I¡¯ve been trying to, I don¡¯t know.¡±

    The apparition twirled like a ballerina. She skipped around Shadow and then tapped her head. ¡°Could it be that you¡¯ve forgotten the first man who willingly caught spikes made of earth, the man who you saw in the kitchen, who you then rudely poked with a fork?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore,¡± she said. The snow was around her. She was standing on a naked tree. Behind her was an out of place cannon that was handed by a group that welcomed her. They could not penetrate the demesne, but they were able to easily enter the Freelands without any trouble.

    They were helped by a group of people that referred only as High Lords. The High Lords had recently contacted her about a group of people that were trying to cover the continent in a misty barrier. The High Lords could not allow such thing to happen and Shadow had the obligation to stop them.

    It was a matter of perspective. To Shadow, the ¡®group¡¯ was trying to stop the Empire¡¯s will. In her perspective, the group was the bad guys. She was the good one in her own perspective. That was all there is to it. Good and evil depends on who''s asking.

    ¡°This is a peculiar weapon,¡± the apparition looked at the weapon.

    ¡°The ¡®High Lords¡¯ told me that it came from the stars. It came from something that is beyond our understanding. They told me that I can use it to take that bird down.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± the apparition smiled. ¡°Always do what you are told, always the iron-blooded and cold-blooded blade. The Madonna will be proud if she¡¯s still here.¡±

    Shadow bit her lip as she recalled the words of her mother who was also her master. She was told to live her life as a good-natured servant. She was sent to a village to take care of someone. But right now she¡¯s not able to do that. She could not do what she was told to do. She was someone who was following what she was told.

    The skyship that was flying up above finally went inside the weapon¡¯s range. Shadow leaped down to the weapon and pressed the trigger. The weapon can only be used once. She was told that the ¡®weapon¡¯ is able to penetrate through any walls or vessels. She wondered why the ¡®High Lords¡¯ would give her such weapon but she couldn¡¯t care less.

    ¡°Target Acquired,¡± she muttered. The weapon¡¯s barrel started to glow. It gathered electricity around its barrel and before she could act. The weapon fired at the skyship. The lightning-like beam penetrated the hull of the ship. The skyship was able to somehow avoid exploding as it crashed down. The railgun did its job.

    Shadow then looked at the spot where the skyship crashed. She readied herself and strides towards there.

 Chapter 199

    Chapter 199 - Only Goodness and Mercy 4

    Time slowed down for Joshua.

    His ability to sense incoming death made him notice the lightning bean that pierced through the hull of the skyship. Archie and Eiya sat near where the lighting beam came.

    They weren¡¯t able to react. Archie felt the beam and tried turning his whole body into a rock. But that railgun tore half of his body diagonally. His flesh was cauterized.

    Eiya couldn¡¯t even shout as she got cut diagonally in half by the railgun beam. She wasn¡¯t able to react. The railgun continued and hit Alexander.

    The beam didn¡¯t tear through Alexander. He somehow was able to tank the attack and slid his body out of the beam. He was able to escape death.

    But the cockpit was torn in half. Alexander used his left palm to rush at Joshua who was staring mindlessly at the railgun beam.

    The cockpit exploded. The debris from the explosion hit Alexander but he didn¡¯t show any pain. He merely grabbed Joshua who got knocked out and charged out of the skyship.

    The skyship crashed down and moments later it exploded. Alexander spread his limbs while trying to gauge where the attack came from. He saw a lone figure approaching. He didn¡¯t know who the lone figure was but it was obvious that the lone figure was the one that attacked them.

    ¡°A fucking railgun, a fucking railgun damn it!¡± Alexander gritted his teeth. He looked down and felt that gravity was doing its job. He pushed his palm forward and an invisible force pushed him upwards. This allowed him to balance himself and prepare for landing.

    Joshua had fainted.  Alexander gestured with his left hand and translucent barrier protected and ensured Joshua¡¯s safe landing. It was not perfect, however, and Joshua jolted awake only to be violently knocked out again.

    Alexander then landed heavily on the ground. His landing formed a crater. The snow was blown away, leaving a cloud of mist to form around him.

    Alexander got shocked by the impact. He looked at the back of his left hand and saw that he was down to fifty life points. There was a number fifty tattooed on the back of his left hand. It slowly increased but the impact rattled his body greatly. Every bone and organ he had felt a huge impact. He spat a mouthful of blood. He wiped his mouth and spat on the ground.

    His eyes pointed at the lone figure that was wearing a mask. The lone figure¡¯s frame was feminine. She wore a mask and was clad in a black mantle. Alexander knew that the enemy was not simple. But he could feel that there was something else.

    What was the meaning of the tugging of his heart?

    He didn¡¯t know why. He could not understand why he felt like his chest would explode.

    But right now he interpreted the feeling as anger. Rage formed inside his mind, his expression turned that of a savage wolf, his eyes dilated and turned red.

    The lone figure stopped. She looked at the man before him and wondered who he was. She felt like she was familiar. His face made her heart tremble. She wanted to ask but she remembered what she was supposed to do.

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    She vanished.

    Alexander jolted his eyes open and elbowed the dagger that was trying to take his heart. He felt that a life point of his went down.

    Shadow didn¡¯t hold back. She unleashed a palm at him.

    Alexander got flung away; he rotated madly but he used both hands to stand back upright. He saw Shadow approaching him with a dagger. He took a stance and then grabbed her wrist before flinging her wrist.

    Shadow used her legs to counter the throw. She revealed a blade and tried to strike Alexander¡¯s throat. But Alexander turned his neck slightly and avoided the blow. He followed it with an honest forward kick.

    Shadow raised her knee and blocked his kick. She then turned her waist and used both of her legs to spring away from Alexander. She drew her pistol and shot four bullets at Alexander.

    The bullets hit Alexander but went out of his body. This shocked Shadow but she continued her attack until she ran out of bullets.

    Alexander didn¡¯t have his weapons. He didn¡¯t expect a railgun to hit his skyship and he was not ready. He cursed and dashed forward. He did a haymaker.

    Shadow dodged his attack. She pivoted her left elbow and hit Alexander right in the chest. She followed the strike with another and barraged him with a continuous flow of blows.

    Alexander parried and countered. His eyesight was superb and his reaction time and reflexes were superhuman. But Shadow was able to keep up. They duke it out and hurt each other as if their lives depended on it.

    Snow fell on them as it was also blasted away.

    They knew the signs of power.

    They should have suspected but they immersed in hurting each other.

    Alexander was trying to maintain his composure. He was down to forty and his regeneration wasn¡¯t able to keep up with Shadow¡¯s attack.

    Shadow was hurting all over. Every part of her body was aching. She felt her world blurry yet she moved her limbs and kept on attacking.

    Both of them didn¡¯t stop their blows. They used the signs of power and they were too helpless. Their movements became slow and before long they swung their fists slowly.

    Alexander was down to ten. Shadow was heavily injured. She did not expect that there would be someone that could match her. She was surprised. She thought she could win but yet the enemy seemed tireless.

    Alexander moved inside her guard. He grabbed her shoulders and swung his head forward.

    Shadow wasn¡¯t able to escape and her mask was broken!

    The move however blinded Alexander. He heard Shadow stumble down and he pointed the last of his willpower towards Shadow.

    He tried to summon an invisible force to flatten her but in the end, he wasn¡¯t able to do it.

    Not because of mercy.

    But because of the ear-piercing sound that rang his ears. The world went silent and as he looked at the direction where all the sound vanished.

    His face froze and there was despair on his face.

 Chapter 200

    Chapter 200 ¨C Lo and Behold, the thunder of God

    I jolted awake. Pain electrocuted my body and I couldn¡¯t calm myself down. I painfully open my eyes. I¡¯d thought that the snow would welcome my eyes. But I was wrong.

    Three pillars of light erupted in the general direction of the Demesne and the Holy Midland. It didn¡¯t stop and more pillars appeared in my field of view. They soon turned into one giant pillar and I was left shocked to my whole core.

    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK IS THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS¡±

    I shouted. I stood upright and looked at Alexander who was standing frozen at the sight of the golden pillars. Near him was someone who I didn¡¯t know. I tried going to him. I tried to move my legs. But I couldn¡¯t feel them as time slowed down for me.

    My body moved on its own. I turned around and started sprinting away from where I was standing. I shouted at Alexander. It made him unfroze and he grabbed the person that he probably defeated while I was knocked out. He tried calling me but I couldn¡¯t hear him as the shockwave from the blast rumbled my ears.

    I ran as fast I could until I found myself falling down a cliff. I was able to somehow slide down the cliff. I didn¡¯t have the time to think because my selfish ability made me move on my own.

    I cowered down the cliff. The shockwave that the pillars of lights created flung the forest away. I wondered what happened to Alexander but I didn¡¯t have time to think. I prayed for my safety. I prayed for deliverance. I was shaking all over.

    The shockwave vanished. I climbed out of the cliff and saw mushroom clouds everywhere. I¡¯ve seen such sight before in pictures and videos. It was the result of humanity¡¯s greatest weapon. It was the pacifying weapon that created a deadlock between superpower nations back in my world.

    ¡°They just fucked nuked this fucking continent!¡±

    I looked above. The clouds were red and I could see images of skulls appearing on the clouds. I trek through the ruined path. I looked around and saw no one.

    My heart was pumping too hard. I clutched my breast. I tried to stay calm. But even the ability to stay focus on the floating words didn¡¯t help me. My mental health was down the gutters.

    ¡°THE HELL IS THIS SHIT!¡±

    I shouted. I kneeled and looked down. I cried and bawled like some madman. I couldn¡¯t understand. But I know that there were people I know back in the demesne. The bright flashes destruction was obvious enough to me.

    They didn¡¯t drop a nuke on the Freelands. I don¡¯t understand why. I continued walking, swaying my hands without any care.

    The snow vanished from sight. There was nothing to see other than that the snow was completely melted. The road was too confusing. I didn¡¯t know where I was going. I blacked out while walking.

    ...

    I awoke. I looked up above and saw planes flying above. The planes were different from the skyships. They look more like the ones that I saw back on earth. There were also helicopters flying around.

    I stood up. I walked to a direction aimlessly and found myself in some town I didn¡¯t know about. There were helicopters flying around the town. Paratroopers dropped down to the town along with tanks and mechanized vehicles.

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    It was an invasion of a grand scale. The enemy wore uniforms that looked like what a modern soldier back from earth would use. They were professional and before long they were able to capture the town.

    I didn¡¯t bother hiding. The soldiers found me and they surrounded me. They spoke the common tongue so I was able to understand their intentions.

    I raised my hands up and kneeled down. I was then lead back to the town and was thrown along the citizens in the town hall. It was packed to the brim with people clutching their heads in despair.

    How can they fight an army that could send down nukes? It was a show of force and every soldier in the town didn¡¯t bother to take up arms. What was the point anyway? There was no way to win against these people. They fucking nuked the whole of the demesne.

    All of the preparations went to shit.

    I couldn¡¯t help but laugh loudly. The soldier heard my laugh and introduced the butt of his rifle at my face. I continued laughing as I vaguely recalled Eiya talking about what did the minion of the high lord meant about the continent burning. I understood now. There was no way for us to win. The Empire known as Valor have already known that doing a ground invasion against the demesne would cost them.

    Shock and Awe, it was a direct attack that made anyone unable to rise up.

    I don¡¯t know many days have passed. We were herded by the soldiers of the Empire and we told that we¡¯ll be working for them now. We will be used as miners and workers without any pay. We will be fed and when we gathered enough contributions. We would be allowed the chance to join the Empire as a citizen.

    I didn¡¯t have any loyalty. So I followed mindlessly into this mine where I raised my pickaxe and worked until my limbs weren¡¯t able to move.

    I worked alongside many like me who was working without thinking. I couldn¡¯t blame them for they know how terrifying it was to witness such might that destroyed the demesne and holy midland in one swoop

    The Bali and Cagan tried resting. They fought the forces of the Valor Empire to the bitter end. They died fighting as the nuclear bombs wiped their existence.

    I witnessed the two pillars of light turning into mushroom clouds. I was basked in that light. I looked at it and that despite all of it. It was all useless.

    All of the planning didn¡¯t do anything. Absolute power was able to smash every scheme and plans that the Holy Midland had. I survived but I felt like I died inside. I wasn¡¯t the only that felt this way. We all felt the helplessness. To live we need to work as slaves for them. It was funny really. I went back to what I was when I arrived in this world.

    By the end winter of 1810, the whole Livia Continent was neutralized by the Empire of Valor. The scorched earth tactic that was employed took the lives of the people that were living on the Holy Midland, the Demesne, Bali, and the Cagan.

    The Empire of Valor was victorious.

    <hr>

    .

 - Intermission â€“

    - Intermission ¨C

    The Empire of Valor has stood tall for hundreds of years. The Empire itself consists of four hundred colonies. Each of these colonies swears fealty to the Emperor. But the colonies aren¡¯t that fanatically loyal to the Holy Emperor. They are scheming bastards that will turncoat if given a chance. Every month, and every year there¡¯s a colony that tries to revolt despite the humility of the Holy Emperor.

    I do not believe in the ¡®holy¡¯ part of the Emperor. Why? Because I¡¯ve seen what they were doing inside the laboratory located deep inside the castle of the Emperor that lies on top of a mountain plateau. I¡¯d witness what the Emperor will do just to achieve his goal of eliminating the enemies beyond the falls.

    It took him a long time but he finally achieved it. By the end of winter of 1810, the Emperor allowed the use of the ¡®Thunder of God¡¯. The TOG was a devastating weapon that unleashed God¡¯s fury at the Livia Continent. The whole Empire was then able to subdue the continent and made the factions there surrender.

    This show of force made the colonies tremble. The TOG was a weapon that allowed the Emperor to showcase his might. It was a reminder that the Emperor will not hesitate to pulverize a nation if he sees that there is need to make them know that he rules them. The Emperor is a humble man that rules with an iron yet fair hand. He ruled the Empire of Valor for years because of his disposition. He has lived for thousands of years and yet he still has the looks of a middle-aged gentleman. No one knows his secret.

    I believe that the Emperor is wise. I believe that his choices lead the whole Empire to the right path. He needed to do all of this in order for humanity to endure the cruel world. The Emperor has known many things. His wisdom is unfathomable. His understanding of this world is immeasurable. He has learned many things from the artifacts that came from the stars.

    They call these things as the artifacts of the Quietus. It took many decades for the Emperor to unlock the secrets within the artifacts. When he did the whole Empire entered an age of Industries. We developed flying machines and warships that could cross many seas. But those machines still could not traverse the land beyond the falls.

    The Empire doubled in size because of this technology. But when the Empire met with the Kraken of the Gigantes Sea, the Emperor realized how still weak our weapons are. Then, the Empire witnessed the flying skyships of the Maltius La Fende. Their firepower and their walkers made the Emperor thought that even if the Empire crosses the Gigantes Sea, we will meet heavy resistance. We will face the technological prowess of the demesne.

    The nation itself has many defensive lines. Any ships that near its maritime line will get pulverized. Only when the first submerging ship that we managed to close and inspect the whole of the demesne. The demesne was a trouble. It was tiring to defeat with its allies being fanatical. The Emperor wanted to win the continent.

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    Then, ¡®he¡¯ appeared. A frail man with the power to unleash spells and use healing spells somehow wandered through what the Emperor call as a space storm. This spatial distortion made this frail man appear in the Empire. He was captured by the Empire and was taught to learn the language. It took two years for the man to understand the Empire. The Emperor questioned him and in the end, he was told to ¡®reveal¡¯ everything he knew.

    The frail man did what he was told to out of fear. And then he wrote that ¡®formula¡¯ that made the Emperor laugh with joy. The frail man was told what the Emperor did and he broke. He tried to escape but the Emperor didn¡¯t allow him. The man had spells and that spell made him dangerous. This angered the Emperor and the frail man was sent to the laboratory that I am in.

    I am part of the researchers that was told to study the spells. The frail man did what we told him to do. He was cooperative but the experiments we did scare him. The frail man is a weak-willed character. But I could understand after learning of him. He is missing three of his fingers. The right part near his ear was swollen. He was limping and he was ridden with diseases that worry us.

    We somehow cured his infections. But I could deduce that he¡¯s still hurting. The frail man was a broken person. He lives in a cell without any light. He would only get called out when he needs to be fed or when we need him to do what we want him to do. He was a not a smart person. His masteries of spells were garbage.

    He would do what he told like a doll. He was like a pet of ours that would do what we wanted to do. Even I am starting to feel sorry for what he was suffering. But how can a man endure so much yet not take his own life? He lives what we call as a dog¡¯s life yet he still trudges on. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s going inside this helpless man at all.

    He works but he is broken. He was stable. But yet when he heard what the Emperor did to the Livia Continent. He shouted in despair. All those lost lives were the result of him enlightening the Emperor of the formula. The frail screamed. The frail broke harder that he was now a living husk muttering his mother¡¯s name.

    The irony was that the Emperor named the weapon he developed in honor to the frail man. The frail man¡¯s name which meant the ¡®Thunder of God¡¯ was a fitting name for that horrifying weapon that made the whole Empire tremble upon knowing about it.

    The Emperor used the weapon to turn the land beyond the falls into a barren wasteland. By the time the first year of 1812 arrived, the whole world was silent and there was no one that wants to rebel against the Emperor.

    And it was all thanks to the frail man who enlightened him.

    The world was at peace...but the storms were brewing.

 Chapter 201

    Chapter 201 ¨C Despondent

    Five years have passed since the world witness the destruction of the Livia Continent, turning it into a radiated desolated wasteland. In the span of five years, the Empire of Valor was able to eradicate the monster plagued lands with a constant bombardment of the thunder of God.

    The whole world could only succumb to the overbearing power of the Empire of Valor. The Empire could not advance further and do so would lead to implosion. Thus they accepted many people from different parts of the world to migrate to their cities.

    He was one of them. He had skills in baking so he was able to work in a bakery. He worked hard to learn the Empire¡¯s language. He also poured his heart into showing his skills. Indeed, the people of the bakery didn¡¯t give him trouble, in fact, they lauded his hard work.

    But in this life, there was no such thing as smooth sailing. To gain the recipe for the bread he was making, he was framed and was stripped of his possessions. All he built and what he did go to naught. He was left to pay fines for crimes he did not do. He spent the last five years paying debts.

    He became a debt-ridden man. But he was somehow able to endure the tribulations. He was able to live his days but stuck in a limbo of depression and emptiness. To put it into words he was working, but the lights inside him were broken.

    His dull cold eyes became blander than it should be. The Empire of Valor was not a lenient place. It was a society of nepotism and cruel working hours. It was a place where anyone could only move like an automaton, a slave to society.

    He could hear the broadcast sounding out. He could hear the propaganda being churned out like water. It was ceaseless and endless. There was no end to it, becoming so troublesome to hear. He was used to hearing these broadcasts. He was able to listen to them every single day.

    It felt like someone was digging a hole in his head. The propaganda was unstopping and anyone who dared to sneer or scowl would be penalized.

    No one wanted to be penalized. They could only bow their heads and go on with their lives. The Empire of Valor has succeeded in destroying its enemies. The Empire also grew, the technological prowess of the Demesne merged with the Empire of Valor.

    The Empire was heavily armed. The Empire has the ability to dispatch heavy forces. And they have the ability to wipe out any city or nation they desire. The Empire was a domineering and the Emperor rules with a fair iron fist. As long one works hard, one would get benefits.

    But the migrants of the Empire were treated badly. There was a huge bias against the migrants. There was racism all over the place, not to mention that the cultural differences caused numerous troubles.

    He felt this difference. He knows that he wouldn¡¯t be so treated harshly if there was no discrimination. He knew that the world isn¡¯t all sunshine and rainbows. He knows that it wouldn¡¯t be so welcoming. He knew that, yet he still feels depressed over the fact that despite his single-minded thoughts. He was unable to endure greatly. The pressure and frustration crumbled him badly.

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    Still, it was not all bad luck and misfortunes. Amidst the tribulations, there were good men and women that would help out. They were only a few but it allowed him to continue living despite the world looking so gray for him.

    He opened his eyes and smelled the odor of the back alley. He was in this alley he could not remember. On his hand was a bottle of whiskey, it was empty, there was a trace of liquid in the mouth of the bottle, but it was empty. He stood up. He sat with his back arched and grabbed his head. He felt an unbearable headache. He tried to stand up. He swayed from left to right as he threw the bottle of whiskey into a trash can.

    A figure appeared around the alley. He looked at him and shouted. ¡°Fucking drunkard, go home already!¡±

    He glared at the figure and nodded his head. He used the walls of the alley to slowly walk. His head was clouded. He vomited and wiped his mouth. He continued walking down the alley until he spotted an intersection. He waited for the cars to pass before continuing on, taking a left, and then a right to a building lined street.

    The buildings were made of brick and mortar. The roofs were tiled and almost all of them were two floors high. He glanced at the buildings before continuing to this desolate alley where he took a stride to this old building. He reached into his pocket and fished out a key. He put the key inside the knob, turned it and pulled it out as he climbs up the stairs.

    There were two young women chatting. They looked at him before continuing their chat. He did not mind them. He turned to where his apartment was and entered inside. His apartment was not messy. There was little furniture but the kitchen was furnished.

    The room has no strange odor. There were no clothes strewn everywhere. There were no bottles of whiskey lying around the place. He didn¡¯t want to clean his apartment so he didn¡¯t make it dirty. It was his heaven so he didn¡¯t make it dirty.

    He ambled towards the bathroom. He leaned on the sink and looked at the mirror. The mirror showed a grizzled young man with a short beard. His eyes were dull and bland. His hair reached his neck, but it was tied by a rubber band. There was a despondent aura around him.

    It has been five years since the fall of the Livia Continent. He witnessed the ¡®thunder of God¡¯ hammer the continent into submission. He spent five full years of misery. He slowly accepted it. He was no heaven-sent hero. He was just a guy that was a victim of a spatial distortion.

    He didn¡¯t ask for any of this. That¡¯s why he could do nothing but endure his situation.

    But looking at his own face, anger swelled up inside him. He laughed helplessly as he looked down and then glared at the mirror, punching the sink in anger!

    ¡°This is nothing but a dog¡¯s life damn it!" Joshua shouted.

 Chapter 202

    Chapter 202 - A film that keeps on rolling

    Joshua sprawled on his couch. He looked at his blood-ridden hand and sighs. His situation in the Empire was very hard. He was a migrant and he could do nothing but endure. He didn¡¯t have the right to complain. He was just another migrant. He was nothing special.

    A streak of light entered through the window. Joshua looked outside. He thought that the world has changed into something resembling the 90¡¯s era of his world. But this time the there was walking tanks and skyships roaming around. The atomic bomb was also used repeatedly as if the Emperor who controlled it didn¡¯t care about the radiation wind.

    ¡°Looks like no matter what I do, I¡¯ll be just another guy huh?¡± he said lightly.

    The Empire of Valor¡¯s capital city was always covered with clouds and rains. He looked at that streak of light that was slowly disappearing. He thought that the capital city of valor was gloomy. The whole place was practically a city that was not that blessed with sun.

    It made him think how he was able to sleep in that alley without suffering. But he thought that it might because of that alley have intersecting roofs. Not to mention he didn¡¯t drown because of the capital city¡¯s excellent drainage system.

    The city was well-built. Joshua could find no fault in this city other than the sorry folks like him, who were ¡®migrants¡¯ of the city. There¡¯s a ruling class and he was at the bottom of the barrel. He had no choice but to endure the prideful looks of the winners.

    ¡°Your nation fell, ours didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°What right do you have to speak to us like that, migrant?¡±

    Those words would resound every time he dares to ask. He was a person who was just another leech of the country. The people around Joshua did not like this. Hence, he has easily framed the justice system only benefitted the true citizens of the Empire.

    Joshua has experienced the coldness of reality here. The world that he knew first strangely became a memory. He still has a house. He still can live quietly and waste his life away doing nothing.

    But there¡¯s a big problem. Joshua was not a Hero. He would never do something as foolish overthrow an Empire or rise up against such oppression. He would have tried if he was stupid. But he knew that the current state of the Empire disheartens anyone that has thoughts like that.

    Joshua has personally seen rebellions going down within two days. A huge uprising happened just a month ago but they were immediately quelled by the Empire of Valor¡¯s overbearing force.

    He saw corpses strewn across a street. Many of them were citizens, and most of them were sympathizers. They thought that living under someone who could sign the death warrant of thousands of people easily with a flick of a wrist. How could good men and women accept a ruler like that?

    Joshua, however, thinks that the Emperor did nothing wrong. He was someone who did what he could do. He managed to do what he wanted. He was able to destroy the Orcs with the bombs. The whole world has slowly started to know each other as a result of the Emperor¡¯s will.

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    Many nations started to gather to know each other. Borders were defined as maps were formed. The whole world was starting to know each other thanks to the Emperor. The Emperor of the Empire of Valor succeeded and gathering support to rebel against the Emperor is simply asking for suicide.

    The victorious is the right, absolute power dominates.

    The Emperor demonstrated it clearly. No fools other than the hopeful rebels could ever dare to rebel against the Emperor of Valor. No nation would be stupid enough to get the death warrant of the Emperor.

    Joshua¡¯s been lurking around the city. He heard of countless rebels chatting about. He heard many whispers about a group that would try to bring down the Empire.

    The Empire¡¯s strength is beyond what people could imagine. But the Empire has one big weakness that was easy to exploit. It was too big. It¡¯s stretched thin because of how big the Empire is. Not to mention that the Empire cannot nuke their own cities. The Emperor¡¯s people are loyal and brave. But killing them would turn into resentment.

    The weather outside was getting worse. Joshua turned his eyes at the letter that sat on the table. The letter came from a rebel who wanted to fight the Emperor. It was not his intention to talk to the rebel. He merely talked about what he would do if he was a rebel.

    The man was impressed by Joshua¡¯s thoughts. But Joshua didn¡¯t want to get involved. After all, that man died after being shot dead by firing squad. The letter on top of his table was nothing. He forgot to rip it apart because of his constant drunk state.

    Joshua stood and took the letter. He sauntered to the bin and enveloped the letter in flames. The letter burst forth and turns into ashes before he knew it. He ambled back to his bed and sat upright. He thought how troublesome it was that someone would actually try to recruit him.

    It didn¡¯t matter. He wanted no part of any rebellion. To Joshua, the world has already been saved by the Emperor through sheer force and power. There are many hidden enemies lurking around the shadows.  There were many dangers and individuals that would try to destroy the peace for their own selfish wanting.

    But make no mistake.

    This is a story of a story that already ended.

    This is a story of a film that kept on rolling despite it ending with the Empire¡¯s victory.

    Joshua wanted none of it all. He wanted nothing to do with all of their selfish wantings. He wanted to live as normally as he can in this world.

    So what if there were rebels? So what if he has some life-saving ability that would help him?

    Why would the world matter to him at this point?

    He has a shitty job.

    He can drink all he wants.

    He can sprawl on his couch and do nothing unless he¡¯s called at his job.

    So why would it matter if some rebels decide to mess with the Empire?

    He¡¯s living a dog¡¯s life. But it was better than dying and suffering for things he doesn¡¯t believe in!

 Chapter 203

    Chapter 203 ¨C

    The rain dropped down with a rhythm. Men and women passed by this store, creating splashes as they do. A lone man, wearing a cap, and a worn-out coat stood upright with a rifle in hand. He wore a despondent look, his eyes dull and bland.

    There was a kid that ran near the glass window of the store. He looked up at the candy and snacks inside, licking his lips. He wore average clothing. He was pressing his hands on the window. There was this hungry look on the kid that was hard to miss.

    ¡°Can stay away from the window?¡± asked the guard.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be buying,¡± said the kid.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± the guard pressed his lips.

    The kid craned towards the guard. He sized him up with his eyes.

    ¡°How much are the stuff here?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    The guard shook his head lightly. The kid crossed his arms, his face crumpled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you work here?¡±

    ¡°Do you see me inside?¡± asked the guard.

    ¡°No?¡± replied the kid.

    ¡°Then you have your answer, kid. How about ask inside? I am just paid to stand here.¡±

    The kid looked at the guard again. He put his hands on his pockets.

    ¡°They don¡¯t let you inside?¡±

    ¡°Why would they?¡±

    ¡°Because you work here!¡± said the kid. ¡°It¡¯s raining here.¡±

    ¡°Wow, aren¡¯t you a genius kid?¡± said the guard.

    ¡°Is that a jest?¡±

    The guard heaved a long sigh.

    ¡°Yes, it is. Please get inside and buy something. I am not paid to chat.¡±

    The kid folded his arms. He looked at the guard with discerning eyes.

    ¡°You are one grumpy guard. Shouldn¡¯t you be entertaining me?¡±

    The guard looked at the kid with half-open eyes.

    ¡°Do I look like an entertainer?¡± the guard said coldly.

    The kid curled his lips. He looked at the guard while tapping his fingers. The passerby¡¯s looked at the kid who was glancing at the guard. They pondered why the kid was looking at the guard who seemed like he would fall asleep anytime soon.

    ¡°No?¡± the kid said.

    ¡°Bravo, you answered it,¡± the guard grimaced. ¡°Now please buy, and please come back.¡±

    The kid frowned. ¡°You really hate talking do you?¡±

    ¡°What gave it away?¡± said the guard with a scowl. ¡°Beat it, kid, don¡¯t test my patience.¡±

    The kid looked at him. ¡°If you are a migrant, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. My pa and ma are poor, but they are still citizens of the Empire.¡±

    ¡°Threatening me now?¡± the guard sneered. ¡°I don¡¯t really care. I am paid to stop troublemakers. Even the shop owner won¡¯t give me that trouble.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± said the kid.

    He had this smug look. He was leaning while keeping this playful smile.

    ¡°You are one troublemaking kid. Why do you have to talk to me? Just get inside and be done with me. I am not that special for you to chat with.¡±

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    The kid felt that there was this cold tone on the guard. He was a kid but he could tell that the guard was truly annoyed. He didn¡¯t dare to provoke the guard further. He entered the shop and disappeared from within. The guard looked at the door before sighing.

    ...

    The rain didn¡¯t falter. It made the brick road covered in water. There were puddles forming around. The cars would splash around, making the guard who was standing guard annoyed.

    The door open, a kid stepped out of the store. He was licking on a round candy. He stood near the guard while looking at the road that was forming a mist. The rain tapped repeatedly. The water slid down from the tiled roofs of the city, creating a wall of water.

    The kid continued licking the round candy. He took out a candy cane and bit on it. He then looked at the guard with a question mark above his head.

    ¡°How do they make this stuff?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    The kid doubted the guard. The guard wanted to focus on staying guard but the kid¡¯s loud eating of his candies ticked him off. The kid was definitely doing it on purpose.

    ¡°You are annoying.¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    ¡°You are doing it on purpose.¡±

    ¡°I am only eating my candies.¡±

    The guard glanced at the kid. His cold eyes peered at the kid. The kid looked at the guard as if clueless. He knew that the guard wouldn¡¯t do anything to him.

    ¡°I am Jid, what¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°If I tell you my name, will you go and leave?¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± said the kid. ¡°Tell me.¡±

    ¡°Joshua, the name¡¯s Joshua.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so Brother Joshua, where did you come from?¡±

    ¡°Livia Continent.¡±

    ¡°That place?¡± the kid widened his eyes. ¡°I see. No wonder you looked so grumpy.¡±

    The kid heard that the thunder of God was first fired at the Livia continent. Two nations were eradicated and were forced to surrender unconditionally. There was no hope for them to endure more of the thunder of God¡¯s destructive abilities.

    Joshua could somehow tell that the kid named Jid was thinking of that. He didn¡¯t speak anything. He watched the raindrops meet with the road. He could still remember the horrifying explosion that made him realize how stupid it was to fight the Empire.

    ¡°I am sorry if that bothered you,¡± said the kid.

    ¡°No need to be sorry,¡± said Joshua. ¡°If you understand then please leave me alone.¡±

    The kid could take a hint. He looked at the guard named Joshua and nodded his head. He ate his candies silently. He then waited for the rain to falter a bit before taking his leave. Joshua watched kid disappear from his vision. He lifted his head up to the sky and thought of many things.

    The rainy city of the Capital of the Empire of Valor soothed his heart a bit. But it was not enough to quell the heartache that he felt when those bombs fell. Every single night he would have to dream about that terrifying scene. Even the whiskey cannot heal that fearsome force.

    Joshua has already set his mind straight. He had a lot of time to think when he was digging ores for the Empire. He might have lost a lot after coming in the Empire. Still, the Empire was safe. He wanted to bother none.

    Joshua stood and watched dutifully. His eyes were reflecting the rain and the passersby.

 Chapter 204

    Chapter 204 ¨C False Flag 1

    In the bar that he usually visits, he was drinking whiskey. He sat near the bar counter, filling his stomach along with the others. The bar has many visitors moments after the sun sets. The visitors are from different nations who came to the Capital of the Empire of Valor to work.

    Like Joshua, they are people who have it hard. Most of them have gloomy faces. They drink while staring at their glasses and bottles. Joshua held his glass with his right hand, his other hand held a rolled paper flour that has meat in it. He ate the meat. Each of his bite making a fleshy sound, the food was eatable.

    Joshua took a long breath. He stared at the box attached to the wall. On the screen was a young woman singing with a microphone on. She was swaying her hips sexually and moving her body fluidly. She was a like a dancing snake. The men and women of the bar were attracted to her singing.

    ¡°And baby his smile almost melted me~ Oh the lone man always crying about!¡±

    The voice of the woman was soothing. Joshua lifted his head to watch and listen. He spent some time drinking and eating before feeling woozy. Stand away from his chair, he ambled out of the bar and stepped into the rain. The intersecting roofs covered the area so Joshua was not drenched.

    The alley was dim lit. There were men and women chatting around. Some were doing their own business, while some were smoking. Joshua sauntered in the middle with his hands inside his pocket. His head was rather aching so leaned on a wall while caressing his head. His sharp gaze turned to a direction. He smelled some something odd. He followed the scent into this alley when he spotted a familiar figure being grabbed by the arm.

    ¡°Let go of me!¡±

    ¡°Come with me now!¡±

    Joshua stepped in forward. ¡°What the fuck are you doing?¡±

    ¡®Joshua!¡± shouted the person. ¡°This man¡¯s trying to grab me!¡±

    ¡°Let him go.¡±

    ¡°This is not your problem. Beat it or I¡¯ll make you, migrant.¡±

    Joshua¡¯s heart filled with rage. His eyes went cold. And a line of words appeared above his head. This made him deadly focus.

    ¡°Say that to my fucking face and I¡¯ll break you!¡± he said in a hoarse voice.

    The man that was grabbing the person clicked his tongue. He reached for his gun and pointed it to Joshua. ¡°I don¡¯t have fucking time for this!¡±

    His finger squeezed the trigger. The bullet flew towards Joshua¡¯s head. Joshua didn¡¯t fear the bullet. He merely dodged sideways and then used the wall to bounce at the person. The person shoots continuously at Joshua to no avail.

    Joshua avoided the shots that were coming towards him. He easily neared the man and pulled his fist back. Twisting his body, he launched a punch on the man¡¯s ribs!

    The word ¡®Fight¡¯ appeared before Joshua. Gritting his teeth, he pummeled the man and punched him until Joshua felt his ribs crack!

    The person pulled Joshua and told. ¡°Shit man, his beaten. Let it go. Don¡¯t murder him!¡±

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    Joshua pulled himself. He was about to take a long deep breathe when suddenly the world slowed down for him. His body moved on its own as he jumps from wall to wall. He ascended up and jumped into another building.

    Then suddenly, an explosion happened below. The whole area shattered and crumbled. The place instantly turned into a lake of flames.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Joshua asked. But the words of danger didn¡¯t stop. He focused on surviving and evaded the explosions that were happening around the place. He vaulted through buildings and bashes his shoulders on a door just to get away from danger.

    As he leaps down a two-story building. He rolled to break his fall and observed the hell that was happening around the area. What was happening? Joshua didn¡¯t know. All he knows was that the residential area turned into a lake of flames.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± shouted Joshua. He turned to the direction where his apartment was. The bar, the house, and even the store he was working burned to hell.

    ¡°Who did this?¡± a voice said.

    Joshua turned and saw a patrol stopping by to look.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! Damn it!¡± Joshua pounded his fists on the ground. The patrol looked at Joshua¡¯s anguished expression.

    ¡°Are you from their?¡±

    ¡°I am! Damn it! All of its fucking gone!¡±

    The patrol didn¡¯t say anything. He just watched him rant about as people gathered. Soon, the whole place was crowded with people. Everyone looked at the lake of flames that suddenly appeared. They didn¡¯t know what happened. Even the rain wasn¡¯t able to extinguish the fiery lake of flames that appeared.

    ¡°That place was filled with migrant, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I guess they are all dead now.¡±

    Joshua bit his lip. He grabbed his hair and stood up. He had this tired look on his face as he tries to figure out what he was going to do. It was then that someone appeared out of nowhere. A person who seemed to have a tan complexion started shouting.

    ¡°I bet the fucking Empire did this! You fuck hated us! Now you are trying to burn us!¡±

    ¡°Settle down!¡± a patrolman neared. ¡°Why would we burn the city?¡±

    ¡°Why now?¡± sneered the man. ¡°You burn our nations! You burn them all to the ground! Why wouldn¡¯t you all burn it again! You Valorians are fucking monsters!¡±

    ¡°I said settle down!¡± the patrolman angrily pointed his rifle at the man. ¡°Come with me!¡±

    ¡°Fuck you! Fucking Imperialist Scum! I know that we cannot trust you! You lured all of us here to die in this place damn it!¡±

    The tanned man charged the patrolman. The patrolman panicked and pulled the trigger of his rifle. The tanned man was shot to death, his stomach filled with holes. He fell down and sprawled on the ground. A pool of blood slowly gathered underneath him.

    Joshua stood up and watched what happened with a complex gaze. He observed the surrounding¡¯s and heard whispers. He could tell that these whisperers were foreign. If anything, Joshua understood what was going. He knew that whatever happened today. It was not the work of the Empire.

 Chapter 205

    Chapter 205 ¨C False Flag 2

    Joshua was not stupid enough to stay inside the Capital City with whatever was brewing. He could smell the trouble the moment a pamphlet was given to him. It was a pamphlet that was printed with words that would induce rage against the Empire.

    It only took three days for the whole thing to get large. Joshua was homeless so he was able to scour the area and know what the situation was. The whole thing was blown up. The official news said that it was a gas explosion. Joshua and the migrants could tell that it was not. There was no gas pipeline around the migrant¡¯s residential area.

    This official news in turned made the migrants angry. They thought that the Empire was really trying to kill them. The rebels also took the chance to recruit. The pamphlet was their work. Joshua could tell. He was being persuaded to join by someone. But he wanted to bother none. So he took a train and head to a place called Lingua Farnese where the tension between the Valorians and the Migrants are less hard.

    Joshua was trying to save money before going to Lingua Farnese. He already prepared his fare. He was planning to move in later but the situation made him go here. He was a bit worn and ragged. He was traveling with his worn jacket. He looked like a drunken hobo but Joshua didn¡¯t really care.

    Lingua Farnese was a huge vinery. Joshua looked at the land before him. The land was green and lush. There were many grape farms and there was a winding river near the county. There were wheat farms to the left of where he was looking at. Behind him, there was an asphalt road that leads to many roads.

    Joshua went down this flight of stairs. He then crossed a crossroad and sat on a park. He relaxed for a moment before continuing. He asked around the place. He was looking for a certain house. The house was somewhere around the county so it took him a long time.

    He found the house near one of the farms. Joshua ambled inside. He walked around a dirt path. On his left were corn farms and there was someone working in the fields. The person has a white hair. His body was toned and muscular. He was plowing the fields with a hoe.

    The white man has a sharp sense of hearing. He looked at where the noise came from. He spotted Joshua¡¯s hobo-like look and smiled slightly. He planted his hoe on the ground and wipes the dirt off his hands. He walked to where Joshua was and raised his right hand.

    ¡°Long time no see, Joshua. You look shit.¡±

    ¡°Bad luck. But looks like you are doing fine, Alexander.¡±

    ¡°Well, when your wife is the Emperor¡¯s blade. There¡¯s no surprise that I¡¯d be doing well.¡±

    Three years ago Joshua learned what happened to Alexander. They met again when they were processing their documents. It was at that time that Joshua learned how Alexander was doing. They were friends so he was told to come looking for Alexander when he¡¯s in trouble.

    ¡°Is that so,¡± Joshua said. ¡°I guess Miss Olivia didn¡¯t expect that she¡¯d be meeting you again.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even know she was alive,¡± Alexander said helplessly. ¡°I guess it was all good luck.¡±

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°Dear?¡±

    Joshua heard a voice. He looked at the voice was and saw a beautiful woman with a black cloth on her right eye, with blond hair, carrying a toddler.

    ¡°Miss Olivia,¡± Joshua nodded at her.

    ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Olivia nodded at him. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving you two alone then.¡±

    She went back inside the house. Alexander glanced at Joshua and said. ¡°I am sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know what she was just doing her job. It was not her fault that we were her targets at that time. But Archie was a friend of mine. So please don¡¯t blame me for being upset at her.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Alexander nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t force you to forgive her. Her skills were the only thing she had. She¡¯s someone who lived her life as a blade.¡±

    ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I rather avoid her at the moment. I don¡¯t want to hate her. I am tired of all of this. Not to mention the rebels are trying to stir shit up again.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Alexander. ¡°It will be over soon. The Crown Prince will be taking the throne. The Emperor will retreat back and continue his research. They will soon create an act of uprising.¡±

    ¡°So they had to kill a lot of migrants to do that?¡±

    ¡°Sadly, they have to do it. They needed the support. The Crown Prince agreed to it. The Emperor knows this.¡±

    ¡°Hah, what a big fucking joke this is.¡±

    Alexander looked at Joshua. ¡°Is that why you look like a hobo?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Joshua muttered. ¡°I guess I¡¯ve to find a new place for me. Well, you should know why I am here.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Alexander nodded. He stood up and took something inside his house and handed it to Joshua. ¡°Here¡¯s some money to keep you on your feet. I advise you stay out of big cities. I thought you¡¯re moving here. So what changed your mind?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Joshua pocketed the pouch. ¡°I¡¯ve been cooped inside that city. I think I just want some peace of mind. I am tired of all the fighting. Besides, there¡¯s no ¡®world¡¯ to save with that nuke around.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Alexander smiled. ¡°I hope that you get your happy ending, Joshua.¡±

    ¡°Hah, now you are bragging about?¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Alexander smirked. ¡°Goodbye Joshua, I hope you visit us if you can.¡±

    ¡°I will.  See you around, Alexander.¡±

    Joshua bid his farewell and started to walk out of the farmstead.  He stopped walking when he reached the gate. He looked at Alexander who was playing with his child. Olivia, his wife was happily smiling at Alexander and her child. They looked so happy that Joshua could not help but smile at such scene.

    Joshua has mix feelings when it comes to Olivia. She killed Archie and Eiya. She was the killer of those two. He was angry at her. But Alexander would protect her, knowing who she was. She already explained herself three years ago. And Alexander would do anything to protect her and their child.

    So how could Joshua ruin their life? He was not that vengeful enough. That¡¯s why he decided to leave them alone. The two had it hard already, especially Olivia. So Joshua left them to their happy ending. There was no need to do anything rash. Besides, he was tired.

 Chapter 206

    Chapter 206 ¨C An unlucky meeting

    The hill was green and lush. There were flowers on the hill. They have various colors as they sway left and right. He sat on the hill, his hair swaying gently in the wind. There was a blue river a few miles away from the hill. This river glistened along with the mild sun. He tugged his coat. He smelled the flowery aroma. There was a great hum that was making him relax.

    It has been ten days after visiting Alexander. He took a train and used a public bathhouse to clean himself. He then used the rest of his money to buy necessities such as a sleeping bag and cooking tools. He looked like a traveler with how he was garbed.

    Before he left the populated areas Joshua was able to hear the news. The Crown Prince did try to rebel against the Emperor. There were indeed an uprising and the Crown Prince led it. The battle over the Capital was swift and deadly. Many died but the Crown Prince declared ¡®freedom¡¯ for the migrants. The colonies also supported the Crown Prince¡¯s rise. They sent envoys and made a pact that will unite the Empire. The colonized states will still be under the Crown Prince. But they are free to govern themselves.

    The world didn¡¯t have a major enemy. There were many troubles brewing but it was not for Joshua to care. He just sat on the hill. He looked at the endless blue sky and lazed around with his back feeling cold. He couldn¡¯t care less about what the rebels are doing.

    At the moment Joshua was just sprawling around lazily with a calm look on his face. Indeed, he could just go back to Lingua Farnese and find a job. But at the moment he wasn¡¯t fond of doing so. He just wanted to lay his back on the hill and sleep.

    There were no people around him. So he just sat while feeling the sun on his face. There were birds flying around the place. They are white and long. Their beaks are hooked and long. Joshua spotted a three-legged bird. He then saw a strange dire animal with two heads.

    Sometimes, Joshua forgets that he was living in a world where strange creatures and magic exists. There were many animals around the place. There were many wonders and the likes. He started to remember that one of his wanting was to find those places.

    It was a eureka moment for Joshua. He stood up. He slid down the hill and crossed the forest before arriving at a ranger station where a ranger was cleaning the barrel of his rifle. He looked at Joshua with a questioning look. He didn¡¯t bother talking where he was. He asked if he didn¡¯t do anything. Joshua replied that he just sprawled around the hill.

    Joshua sat on a chair. He took some food and ate while listening to the voice box, a radio that was recently spread around the Empire after production. There¡¯s a factory district around the Empire. Joshua also learned that there¡¯s an entire island filled with factories.

    The radio kept on talking about news. Joshua listened in for an hour before taking his leave. The ranger had this happy look on his face as he disappears from sight. Joshua caught sight of that but just laugh helplessly. He went down this road before walking down this straight asphalt road. There were no cars passing by so he just wandered without any destination in mind.

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    He held his bag and whistled. The sun changed its position and was facing the world. Joshua¡¯s shadow moved with him and before long he saw a tree that was good enough for him to rest. He sat and leaned near the tree. He took his canteen and drink. He put his hands on his stomach as he rested.

    An hour passed by. Joshua stood up and continued walking. The sun changed its colors. The two moons above the sky were slowly appearing. Some starts shined despite the sun still being up. While walking Joshua spotted unusual creatures that made him wonder how they float. The creature he saw was a grey-looking fish that was flying. The flying fish floated around and was spitting a beam of water as it does.

    Joshua had to run because the fish targeted him. The flying fish was fast but it didn¡¯t leave its territory. Joshua heaves a big long breath. He continued his journey until he reached this waiting shed. There was a bench so he sat and waited for any car.

    It took a while and the lights above were dimmed as he spotted a car. The car was grey and looked like it was new. It was four-seated and it was slowly moving toward him. Joshua hailed the car. He thought that the car wouldn¡¯t stop but it luckily didn¡¯t pass Joshua.

    ¡°I am heading to the next town. Can I ride? I¡¯ll pay if it is bothersome.¡±

    Joshua looked at the driver who he caught taking a glance at him. Joshua waited for the driver of the car to answer. But the driver just gestured for him to enter the car. Joshua was thankful and entered the car. He put his things behind the front-seat.

    ¡°Thank you, I really appreciate it. I thought that I¡¯ve to walk to the next town. I¡¯ll be getting off there.¡±

    ¡°No need. You can continue riding with me. I am traveling around just like you, Joshua.¡±

    ¡°I see. Wait...did I tell you my name?¡±

    The driver took her glasses off and put it in the compartment of the car. She glances at Joshua and revealed her face. She was a beautiful woman with a snow-like skin. Her blonde hair was tied in a ponytail. Joshua observed her face and felt like smashing his head.

    ¡°Oh my, please don¡¯t make that face. Aren¡¯t you glad that fate seems to reunite us like this?¡±

    ¡°Well, fate seems to be an asshole then.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, you are still not kicking the door of my car open. I expected you to do it by now.¡±

    ¡®I am tired. Not to mention that you have a car.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. You would do anything for your freedom.¡±

    ¡°I give up.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not fun at all. And here I was thinking how I would tackle you and then tie you up. Then force you to marry me right here and right now. How many kids do you want?¡±

    ¡°I want to die suddenly,¡± Joshua said helplessly.

    ¡°Oh my, don¡¯t say such awful thing. This Dolce is happy to see you again. Are you trying to make me sad again?¡±

    Joshua slapped his forehead. He looked at the window and smiled helplessly. How would he ever know that he would meet Dolce in the middle of nowhere?

 Chapter 207

    Chapter 207

    The two sat on a bonfire of a camp clearing. Dolce couldn¡¯t continue driving her car so she stopped and prepared the food she brought along with her. Joshua sat near the bonfire, feeling the warmth of the bonfire. He looked at the stars before staring at Dolce who was heating her can of soup.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Heating the soup,¡± she replied, holding the can of soup.

    ¡°That¡¯s not how you do it,¡± he pointed at the can.

    Dolce glanced at the can and said. ¡°No, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve done it before! It just works¡±

    ¡°You are stupid,¡± said Joshua. He wasn¡¯t holding back when it comes to Dolce. He will always be blunt about his rapist.

    ¡°Now you wound me!¡± said Dolce with an exaggerated look. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing this for the awhile now!¡±

    Joshua frowned. ¡°For a while now, huh...¡±

    ¡°Got something in your mind?¡± said Dolce with her head tilted.

    ¡°What happened?¡± asked Joshua.

    ¡°It¡¯s a wasteland. The Holy Midland¡¯s dead along with the demesne. The Bali and Cagan natives died or were forced to work under the Empire. My City was saved from all these. My family had it good. My brother told me that was only one way to survive now is to become a business person in the Empire. So right now we are trying to become entrepreneurs. We cannot win against the Empire. The destruction of the Holy Midland and the other nations made that clear.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Joshua agreed. ¡°Unless other nations have the same kind of weapons then I doubt that anyone can stand against the Empire.¡±

    ¡°There are many ways to destroy the Empire though,¡± she said with a blank look. ¡°You can implode if from the inside or coax the other colonies in destroying it. Once the Empire starts destroying its colonies, the nations will unite against the common monster. But people wouldn¡¯t do it.¡±

    ¡°Why,¡± Joshua asked.

    ¡°They simply fear. They fear that the Empire will kill them. They fear the Empire¡¯s weapons. They fear what the Empire can do. But what they most fear is that the Empire¡¯s graciousness will go away. The Empire could turn us all into slaves. They didn¡¯t because the Emperor of the Valorians loved humanity. He was someone who wanted to destroy those monsters beyond the falls. He succeeded and now the world is seemingly united. They say that the world will be at peace. Men with ambitions will wait until they are capable of becoming free. They¡¯d be like you, who would rather jump down a cliff to be free.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s far off,¡± said Joshua with his arms folded. ¡°I am nothing at all. It was my selfish wish. Besides, you maltreated me in that city. It¡¯s normal for me to get away.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± she said with a smug look. ¡°I thought men like it when woman ogles at them? But honestly, I am surprised that you still haven¡¯t run or slit my throat. Aren¡¯t you angry? Don¡¯t you want to kill me?¡±

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    Joshua looked at her first. He then lifted his head up to the look at the sky. She was right. He should be angry at her. He should be scowling and sneering at her. He was angry at her. But right now he was so despondent. He couldn¡¯t care less about what happened five years ago.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I am too tired to do it. Why do you think that I am walking around?¡±

    ¡°You want to see sightsee?¡±

    ¡°No, I have nothing to do. I planned to waste the rest of my money and work in a town before moving to another town. I¡¯ve no home anymore with that explosion turning the district I lived in a lake of flames. Right now, I am just a wanderer.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± she nodded. ¡°No wonder you look like a homeless person. Hmm, though I must confess that I like your grizzled look. It makes me want to push you down.¡±

    ¡°Are you joking or are you really serious?¡± Joshua had to ask.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± she stroked her chin. ¡°I am now a lonely woman nearing my 30 years old. The only man that I slept with was a slave who now I met again and has now turned into a fine man with a lovely grizzled look. Do you know what I feel right now? It hurts being lonely.¡±

    Joshua didn¡¯t know to react to that. She was making this sad yet smug look that it was hard to know what she really was thinking. So he instead smiled warily and looked at the bonfire that was warming him. He took out some beef jerky from his backpack and ate them. Dolce was heating her can of soup. She opened it and took out a spoon from her bag and started eating as well.

    The night was cold and weary. The stars and the moons intertwined. The area around the camp area slowly lit us. String-like grass light up with a green color. They sway and danced along with the wind. There was a cool air coming from the field of grass, making the field look like waves.

    The sound of the bonfire crackling and the two eating was the only sound that can be heard. The two ate their food silently under the star. At the moment there was no hate between them. The old grudges of the past seem like it was slowly being wash away by the moment.

    Joshua has the reasons to hate her at the moment. He could lash out and pour his rage all over. But at the moment he could not care less about his grudges. Five years made him so despondent and uncaring. Not to mention that his ability made him think that he was safe.

    Joshua¡¯s ability turned him apathetic. The ability that allows him to escape death made him confident that he can escape every threat. He was only alive because of the ability that he was bestowed. That¡¯s why he doesn¡¯t feel any threat at the moment.

    He has nothing to do. He lost everything. He already knew that he will not have any home. He was a lost wanderer and at the moment he doesn¡¯t know if he will find a place for himself.

    After all, he has been asking why he was sent here in the first place.

    Why did he have to be deprived of the world he knew?

    What was the reason he was sent in this foreign world?

 Chapter 208

    Chapter 208

    On the road, there was a diner that travelers would stop by. Dolce decided to get a hot meal of coffee and pancake. Joshua was treated with a meal. They sat near the window, listening to the chatter around them, watching the television that was being broadcast.

    ¡°Hmm, to think that technology would progress. We used to live with oil lamps,¡± Dolce commented. She poured honey on her pancake.

    ¡°Five years of progress. Not to mention the efficiency of the dwarfs made it possible. The dwarves are pretty rich with all of these orders. They must be having a good time,¡± Joshua replied, sipping on his cup of coffee.

    ¡°Indeed, they are,¡± she wriggled her index. ¡°The dwarfs that my brother¡¯s company has are always having this gleeful look on their faces. You have to stop them from overworking themselves to death.¡±

    Joshua looked at the television. There was an odd comedy show that makes the watchers on the caf¨¦ giggle. He didn¡¯t know they were laughing at the jokes. ¡°Speaking of your family, how did you survive?¡±

    ¡°We were on an island.  Do you know why there are skyships flying around? We ¡®gave¡¯ my skyship to the Empire to give us amnesty and keep our noble rights. We have a certificate of recognition for it. Want to see it?¡±

    ¡°No?¡± Joshua said, his brows meeting. He did not understand.

    ¡°Too bad, it¡¯s quite neat. Not to mention I have a really good bed.¡±

    ¡°Stop with the sexual innuendos, please. It¡¯s early in the morning. Aren¡¯t you tired? Are you that sexually repressed?¡± Joshua complained.

    ¡°I am,¡± she said with a poised look. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve not tried to engage in any such thing. Do you know how tiresome it is to build a business empire? Do you know troublesome it is to see your smug-looking brother gloat about how lonely I am? I know that I stay inside my room reading and messing around. But how is that something to gloat at?¡±

    ¡°Calm down, you¡¯re going to spill your pancakes.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± she took a deep long breath. ¡°I am sorry. Thinking about my brother makes me mad. He¡¯s such a tool. Do you know why I am traveling?¡±

    ¡°Now that you mention it, I have no idea why you are wandering around the middle of nowhere. Are you going to visit the garden of stars?¡±

    ¡°No. I was actually heading for a matchmaking session,¡± she told Joshua. ¡°I was actually trying to move. I thought you were dead so I thought after a long while that maybe I should move on and marry anyone who might suit me. I was ready to forget you. Yet as I drive to my destination I¡¯ve got to see the single man who I feel respect and love. The man who I thought to have died again, walking around with a backpack, looking like was a worn out traveler. Can you imagine my shock? I have to wear my glasses in order to hide my redden eyes.¡±

    ¡°You were that shock?¡±Joshua raised his brows.

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    ¡°I am! I was trying to clear my heart. Yet you appeared before. Really, you are always a torn in my heart. You always defy my expectations. Aren¡¯t you quite a sinful man?¡±

    ¡°Calling me sinful huh,¡± Joshua folded his arms.

    ¡°Yes. I am calling you that. Hmm, you are truly odd. I guess apathy really gets to people.¡±

    He did not know what she meant by that. ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±

    ¡°Joshua, the look on your eyes tells it all. I saw the same kind of eyes when you broke. Are you really traveling around? Or are you looking for a place to die?¡±

    Joshua shook his head. ¡°No, I am not planning to die.¡±

    She stared at him. Her gaze was piercing his soul. ¡°Is that so?¡±

    She shook her head gracefully. She turned her attention back to her pancakes. ¡°Joshua, it is too late for me to say this. But I am truly sorry for what happened. I was in a rebellious age. I¡¯ve been living my life, strangled by my father. His death gave me freedom. And now that I¡¯ve five years to think about it, I hope that you can forgive me. I truly adore you.¡±

    Joshua didn¡¯t know to say at that moment. He scratched the back of his head. His eyes wandered around as if he doesn¡¯t know what to do. How was he supposed to reply to that confession?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I really don¡¯t know. I think I hate you. I truly do. Yet your actions and words bother me. A part of me says that you are doing all of this to trick me. But you apologizing confuse me the most. I don¡¯t understand it all. I just don¡¯t know what to think about you. And talking to you hurts me. It is a strange feeling. You are like a worm forcing your way into my heart. I wish I¡¯ve not met you again. ¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she nodded with a slight smile on her face. ¡°I guess you are honest as always. I like that.¡±

    There was nothing to say anymore. Joshua silently ate drink his coffee and ate his food. Dolce elegantly dines on her pancake while occasionally glancing at the television that was just above the counter. There was a harmonious silence around the diner.

    As the silent goes. Joshua would casually glance at Dolce. He thought of what she said, how she was acting. He didn¡¯t know what to do. He became so despondent lately but seeing someone like her made him think of something. Although he doesn¡¯t admit, the only reason that he was wandering around everywhere was that he was indeed looking for something. He hates to admit that she was right. He was truly looking for an excuse to find himself in a situation where he would possibly die.

    Joshua looked outside. A car speeded passed the diner. He lifted his weary head to peer at the sky. There were many things that were going through his head. Maybe he will find some answers once he reaches the town that he was going. He was confused. He doesn¡¯t know what he should do. That¡¯s why he can only wonder what the step he should make from now on.

 Chapter 209

    Chapter 209 ¨C

    The crown prince¡¯s troops swarmed in inside the dungeon located underneath the castle of the Emperor. There was only one thing inside their mind. That was to find the one who thought of the thunder of God. It was their duty to vanquish that evil.

    They formed around the door. A trooper bashed the door open and the other soldiers followed in. They shouted ¡®check¡¯ as they clear the room. The white coats who were working raised their hands to surrender. A woman with long blonde hair strides inside the room. Beside the woman was a dire wolf that was half as tall as her. The dire wolf was growling as it releases Psion-based electricity.

    ¡°Where¡¯s ¡®he¡¯?¡± thundered the woman.

    The white coat who was the chief of the scientists kneeled and joined his hands together. ¡°He¡¯s inside one of the cells! Please don¡¯t hurt us!¡±

    ¡°Cells?¡± exclaimed the woman. She gestured at the troops. They swarmed the laboratory and checked each and single one of the cells. They found test subjects, people who were used as experiments. This made the troopers feel disgusted. The test subjects were like herded cattle.

    ¡°Find anything?¡± said a soldier who was looking around, he wore a helmet, garbed in a web of pouches.

    ¡°There¡¯s a heavily locked one there. Call the leader.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    The trooper reported to the blonde woman. She nodded and went to where the heavily locked cell. She observed the cell. It was reinforced with metal, and there were almost twenty locks placed. She doesn¡¯t know why the person they are looking for was locked inside the cell.

    But did it matter? In their mind, the person that helped the Emperor create the thunder of God was equally a tyrant. They had to bring them down like they did to the Emperor. They think that the Crown Prince was disgusted and now they were allowed to root out the problem.

    The blonde woman with the dire wolf pulled her fist back. She then released a purple energy from her body as it crackle like electricity. She twisted her body; her fist turned into a claw as she then easily ripped the doors of the cell.

    She threw the metal door aside. She took a step and her face crumpled as she places her sight on the man who helped the Emperor.

    ¡°What?¡±

    She said as she saw the man whose legs were chained. He was hugging his knee and he was thin. The man was missing three of his fingers. There was a lump in his throat and his jaw looked like it was broken. The man lifted his head up to look at the blonde woman. He squinted because of the light.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    What was this? That¡¯s what everyone thought when they saw the ¡®helper¡¯ of the Emperor. He had scars everywhere and he was in no condition to speak or even fight. But the man stood up as if he saw the light. He was muttering, his strange looking jaw moved as he uttered incomprehensible words.

    ¡°Free?¡± he said.

    The troopers reacted. They pointed their rifles at the man, ready to bring him down if he tries to move. They need to take this man and bring him out to the people. He would be judged and dealt with. The penalty for helping the death of millions was heavy. There was no way he would not face it.

    ¡°Ah, hostile, kill me?¡± said the man. ¡°Bad people, try to kill me finally? No, I want to live!¡±

    Suddenly, the man pointed his palm at them. They could not react as a cannon-like explosion exploded. The blonde woman was forced back along with her dire wolf companion. She looked around him and saw that the men with her instantly died.

    Her heart fumed with anger. She turned her eyes at the limping figure who was trying to escape. She shouted with all of her might. ¡°YOU ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE YOU BASTARD!¡±

    The man who helped the Emperor ran with all of his might. But how could he escape the blonde woman and her dire wolf? He was easily back-kick and slammed the wall. The man who helped the Emperor squealed like a pig. He stood up gingerly and pointed his palm at the blonde woman and her dire wolf.

    Two transparent balls of energy appeared on his palm. They made the sound of a flint being lit as it then exploded towards the blonde woman and her dire wolf.

    The man who helped the Emperor tried to run away. He tripped as he does, yet he kept on crawling away in fear. He was able to arrive in this room. He pressed one button after another. He was doing something. The blonde woman didn¡¯t allow him to do what he wanted. She arrived in front of him instantly and pressed her palm to his left shoulder.

    The man who helped the Emperor was slammed into a wall, a crater appeared as the man slid down with his limbs facing the wrong way. The man who helped the Emperor teared up. He muttered something that made the blonde woman stop in her tracks. She pondered for a while. But she saw the man trying to lift his broken arm.

    But her dire wolf reacted. The dire wolf¡¯s fang bit through the neck of the man who healed the Emperor. The man who helped the Emperor shouted. He screamed as his body suddenly regenerated. He was using some sort of spell. But the dire wolf tore a chunk of the man¡¯s neck.

    The man who helped the Emperor made a look of despair. Yet his face turned that of a man who seemed to have been released from suffering. ¡°Free...finally...¡±

    The man who helped the Emperor lost the last of his life. A strange smile was plastered on his face as he didn¡¯t function any longer.

    The blonde woman and her dire wolf heard footsteps swarming inside. The troopers looked at the two and hurried near them. ¡°Captain Zola! Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the target tried to fight back. He¡¯s dead.¡±

    ¡°Good fucking riddance.¡±

    The troopers behind scowled at the man who helped the Emperor. Zola looked at them and said. ¡°I shall excuse myself; I don¡¯t want to be part of the Crown Prince¡¯s show!¡±

    ¡°Roger, bring the fucker boys, time to show the world that they are dead!¡±

    Then later that moment, two lifeless bodies that were desecrated badly were broadcast to the masses. The Emperor and his helper were now dead.

 Chapter 210 (End)

    Chapter 210 ¨C And thus it stops rolling

    The two continued on down the road. Joshua cooped behind the car while leaning his elbow on the car¡¯s window. He looked at the driver seat. Dolce was singing a song he didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°This is really odd,¡± he thought.

    It was already abnormal for him to stay near her. He thought that he would have escaped. But Dolce was not hostile. She didn¡¯t have any intentions. It bothered Joshua if she was thinking of many schemes. But so far there was no such thing.

    The view behind the car¡¯s window pass by, he thought how it looked like a film rolling. The past years have been unlucky for Joshua. He experienced hardships and suffering in this foreign world. In just a year he was able to experience things he wouldn¡¯t experience back in his old life.

    Five years passed yet after that year. It seemed like there were no experiences like that anymore. Joshua oddly found it saddening. He realized it as he saw the broadcast that happened. He saw an evil tyrant and his helper getting justice.

    In the five years, Joshua didn¡¯t experience anything worth noting. Sure, he was squandered, tricked and scammed. He lived in poverty, doing a meager job, drinking his fill until he could not stop. Only when the residential area that he lived turned into a sea of flames that events, seems to have rolled again.

    He wondered why. He thought why he was trying to escape? Was he looking a way out? Was he scared of experiencing the same suffering? Or was he running away from it?

    He doesn¡¯t know. Joshua tried to dig deeper into his mind. He stroked his chin and thought what he was looking for in the end? What was the purpose of his travels? Why didn¡¯t he stop in Lingua Farnese instead? Why didn¡¯t he look for a job as planned? Was he afraid of normalcy?

    Joshua doesn¡¯t know. He bowed his head. He peered outside. There were strange animals and it was all alien to him. He could not comprehend how these animals were able to function. He saw a three-headed worm that seemed to be eating a strange fruit.

    There were cars and asphalt roads yet these animals exist. These beasts were things he could not see in his world. He thought why he was traveling again. ¡°Could it be that?¡± he muttered inwardly. He looked up at the sky beyond the window and thought. ¡°Ah, so that was it huh? What a foolish thought.¡±

    A strange smile appeared on his face. He lowered his head down and didn¡¯t continue looking outside. Dolce looked at her rear mirror and saw Joshua¡¯s sullen expression. She didn¡¯t know what happened. She was almost tempted to stop and ask him but she continued driving her car until she spotted the town where Joshua would get off.

    Looking at the town, she thought how she could not stop him from leaving. It was there that Dolce¡¯s made a bitter yet graceful smile.

    ...

    Joshua got off Dolce¡¯s car. He looked at Dolce who was in the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Thank you for taking me here. I¡¯ll repay you soon.¡±

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    ¡°I see,¡± she said.

    ¡°Not remarks? Heh, maybe I¡¯ll see you soon?¡±

    ¡°Joshua,¡± she snapped. ¡°What are you doing out here?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said.

    ¡°Are you looking for adventure?¡± she looked at him. ¡°You have a face wants to look for adventure. Is that why you are traveling?¡±

    ¡°Like I said I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Joshua. When I said that I am sorry, I meant it. If you want to I can make amends. I...will let you take revenge on me. I¡¯ll let you take my life or do what I did to you back in the city of storms. If you want to...I¡¯ll take responsibility for my actions and take you as my husband!¡±

    Her words were resolute. Her eyes met with Joshua. Joshua¡¯s heart thudded hard. He looked at the sincere expression of the woman before him and replied earnestly. ¡°That¡¯s quite the offer...if I was crazy I might just agree.¡±

    She heaved a deep long breath. ¡°Oh I hope that you were crazier!¡± she shouted. She then extended her hand towards Joshua. ¡°It was nice seeing you. May we meet again?¡±

    Joshua smiled. He took her hand. ¡°Yeah, maybe we will.¡±

    ¡°Maybe huh?¡± she smiled slightly. ¡°Oh well, I do not own you so I might as well wait and see. I live in the City of Oasis now...visit if you can okay?¡±

    Joshua nodded. Dolce then made a wide grin as she stepped on the gas and speeded away. Joshua watched her go and sigh. He then struts towards the highest part of the town. It was a cliff with a view of the sea. It was a beautiful sight. It soothed Joshua¡¯s heart.

    ¡°No sudden call to action. No events that would lead me to glory. I started in this world with odd yet exhilarating experiences yet here I am looking at a sea. There¡¯s no demon king to slay. Or any events that require me. I guess being sent here was truly an accident. No destiny or the likes would guide me.¡±

    A bitter smile appeared on Joshua. He stood up and spread his arms like a cross. He felt the cool yet salty breeze of the sea air.

    Joshua was looking for that thrill. But clearly, there was none to be found. The world didn¡¯t have any grand events. And his willpower wasn¡¯t that strong to look for one. He was just an unfortunate dude that was thrown into this world by accident.

    There was nothing he can do about it. He was not destined. So he just sat and swayed his legs. He took a snack from his coat and started eating. He started in this world starving and alone in a desert. Now he was now facing the sea with a dried beef in his hand. He chewed on the beef jerky. He looked at the gentle blue sea and muttered. After thinking, he finally gave up.

    Then, he took a step.

    <hr>

    END