《Fortress Seven》
Chapter 1: Village
The slow rhythmic beat of footsteps sounded under the red and orange forest, crunching dead leaves under each soft blow to the earth.
As the sun set, a dark haired boy nearing adulthood strolled down a desolate and lonely dirt path, carrying the bodies of three rabbits slung over his shoulder. Dressed in extremely worn peasant like clothing, the only thing differentiating himself to a passerby is his beautifully crafted leather arm guards and similarly decorated sheath, although now only containing the remains of an engraved steel blade fitted with a large black gem, minus a large majority of the blade itself.
As he crossed a rotting wooden bridge over a small river and crested the ridge of a hill, a small village presented itself to him, derelict and abandoned. Surrounded by a corroding and half destroyed wooden palisade, eight buildings circled a small center plaza. He was home. He quickened his pace and sighed ¨C after a long trip away hunting and sleeping under trees, having a roof over his head made the ruins he called home seem like heaven.
He awoke in the center of the village ten sunrises ago, unsure of anything. All he knew was that he recognized this village as home and that he was hungry. He had noticed the corpse of a rabbit sitting across him, staring at him with its lifeless beady eyes and with the remains of a blade that he found next to him, diced it and quickly turned it into a meal. As he dined on the convenient meal, he questioned the possibilities of his past.
Had the village been attacked by bandits, and he was knocked out cold? No, the ruins seemed far too old to warrant anything even close to that kind of assumption and the lack of responsiveness from the rabbit proved the lack of humans in the area. Could he have been the survivor of a calamity, where he was the last remaining human left? It could be possible, after all, he hadn¡¯t met any other humans aside from himself.
It was at around that time he had then decided to set out and explore.
As he reflected on the past, the smell of burning wood drifted towards him. Something wasn¡¯t right. As he glanced upwards, a pillar of smoke rose into the sky from the center plaza, his view of it blocked by the wooden palisade. He placed his hand on the hilt of the sword. The blade, albeit lower in combat effectiveness, still proved a deadly adversary for anyone that allowed its serrated edge to come close. In all honesty, it proved to be more similar to a dagger than a sword in relation to its length. Engraved in its hilt was the single word, ¡®Reverend¡¯.
He let his thoughts run wild as he sprinted towards the gate of the village. It seems that his previous theory was wrong again.
The sound of hammers driving wood into the ground rang through the entrance of the village as the male voices complained about their situation.
Hearing as they were all occupied, the boy snuck through the gate. How humiliating, being forced to sneak into your own home. Until he could confirm if these people were hostile, he couldn¡¯t take any chances. He had to find out more about himself.
¡°Do you really believe what the old man said before we left? It''s been bothering me for a while.¡±
¡°Bout¡¯ the adventurers or do you mean what would happen if the next batch is late?¡±
¡°That this place hasn¡¯t been patrolled for decades ¨C no wait ¨C centuries. A girl like her shouldn¡¯t be moving through here.¡±
The sound of a clicking tongue could be heard.
¡°We wouldn¡¯t be here in the first place if that girl hadn¡¯t been so sentimental. We¡¯ll be late for the departure otherwise, taking the long route.¡±
¡°You shouldn¡¯t talk about the bos-¡°
A deep voice roared across the enclosure.
¡°Oi you two, pipe it down and get the fires burning already, else you¡¯re the first ones to go up on duty. Tear them damn derelicts down if you got to.¡±
The boy was shocked. What did they just say? At that moment, the crackling of flames reached his ears.
¡°Pull the smallest down first, the barricades should be enough defense from the demons for now.¡±
Splintering wood shattered through the air as an axe swung into a brittle wooden wall, completely obliterating it into an explosion of splinters.
A dark shape dashed out from the darkness swinging a half broken blade, disarming the defiler from any further damage with the axe. Shocked, the man who seemed like their leader shouted out loud.
¡°Ey? Who the balls are you?!¡±
Stay¡ aw¡ My. Home!¡± His mouth was moving, but barely any sound came out. It seems his vocal chords weren¡¯t used to speaking.
A smile appeared on the man¡¯s face. ¡°Oi, lads! Looks like we caught ourselves a savage. I wonder how much he¡¯s worth.¡±
A gigantic man towered above the boy who seemed dwarfed in comparison. Two large metallic chains slung over either of his shoulders revealed an arsenal of hand axes and other small weapons above a worn leather vest.
It was at this point the boy noticed the massive change to the center of the plaza. Surrounding a small stone well stood seven large covered horse drawn wagons, each flanked with a contingent of armed guards, the majority armed with long swords and leather armor while three others seemed unarmed.
In comparison to his half a blade named Reverend, it would seem he had made a drastic miscalculation.
The leader roared again. ¡°You two chit chatterers, what are you waiting for? You¡¯re on duty ¨C snatch him! The rest of you finish off the ruins and get this fire going, on the double. Unless all of you want some combat training with some demons tonight.¡±
The two guards who the boy assumed were talking earlier advanced towards him, faces relieved that their threatened front line duty had only amounted to capturing a single savage so far.
¡°T-There¡ There are no demons here! Please stop!¡±
The sudden outburst of fairly comprehensible language shocked the men before him, who merely saw him as a savage.
Their leader replied for the group. ¡°Ey? What¡¯s a savage like you know about demons?
Ignoring the boy¡¯s pleas, he picked up the disarmed axe on the ground and swung it at another wall of the semi-destroyed building. However, before his axe made contact, it his entire right arm went limp, dropping the axe on the ground. ¡°Eh?¡±
He grunted again startled once more. Confused he attempted to move it to no avail. He looked over his shoulder, where the hilt of an engraved blade sat wedged in his shoulder with the figure of a small boy hanging off of it.
The faces of every person in the plaza were warped in shock.
¡°W-wha, WHAT?!¡± Screaming in rage, he swung his body around, throwing the boy, still gripping the blade off of his shoulder into the crowd of shocked faces. ¡°¡ Kill this little ant¡ you IMBECILES!¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Still struck by rage, the man pulled two of the largest axes in his arsenal, and threw them directly at the boy, glancing off the shoulders of a man unfortunate enough to be in the line of impact and sending him and the blades flying in opposite directions.
Knowing he had little chance to win, but with a burning desire to protect his home, he began sprinting towards the nearest door aiming to break contact after being satisfied that the intruders would momentarily pause their destruction. He would escape through the rear entrance and decide what to do later.
A mere five steps away from the entrance, the silence was pierced by a splintering explosion in front of him, covering the building he was running to with flame. He spun around to find the source and noticed the three seemingly unarmed guards crushing glass between their fingers ¨C their eyes glowing a mixture of deep crimson reds and silver whites. Successive glowing balls of flame seemingly appeared at will from the tips of their fingers, inaccurately blowing the ground around him into chunks of flying earth.
Forced to change direction, the boy began running parallel along the rows of houses, and weaving between the still dazed swordsmen ¨C forcing the flame-men to redirect their flames to avoid harming their allies, hitting two buildings in the process.
A pained roaring voice could be heard over the calamity of the situation. ¡°DON¡¯T WASTE YOUR ORBS ON SCUM LIKE THAT, YOU¡¯RE RUINING THE FIREWOOD!¡±.
The yell of their leader broke the daze of the numerous guards in the area, and they all directed their gazes towards the running boy and began their pursuit.
The Reverend that the boy was carrying was useless against the full swords of the guards. No matter how well-crafted it was originally, there was little he could do when his reach was so short and facing so many enemies at once. He had to take his bets on the fact that their leader had called for the explosions to stop, and lead the line of pursuers into the next closest building ¨C the one he had awoken in.
As he ducked behind the door frame and escaped into the interior, the sounds of the pursuers died away. He decided that they could easily destroy this building, with him in it and he held his breath in anticipation, hoping for his own life¡¯s safety, but also the building.
In the distance, the booming voice of the guards¡¯ leaders could be heard over the crackling of flames. ¡°Well? What¡¯re you waiting for?¡±.
The sound of armored footsteps began echoing outside the building, as they suddenly burst into the room. His shorter blade had an advantage in the closer confines, and he aggressively attempted to ward them off, taking advantage of the slower movement of his armored opponents, slashing at their wrists and chests. He grabbed anything from his surroundings and tossed them forwards slowing the movement of the advancing horde from pushing him steadily backwards. However, as one by one they retreated from light injuries, it seemed as if the battle of attrition was to be won by him.
A sudden burst of splinters from the boy¡¯s left threw him against the wall as a gigantic silhouette stood outlined against the moonlit exterior. Swinging the blunt side of an axe to its side with his left arm, the shadow knocked the boy flying through a thin wall, and directly into the room he originally woke up in.
Stopping against a wall underneath a window, he realized he was unable to move a muscle. While he held tactical advantages of moving into this space against numerous opponents ¨C the far more experienced and large leader easily brute-forced his way into the small space, making the situation extremely unfavorable.
Bleeding profusely from his nose and dozens of splinter cuts on his face, he closed his eyes in too much pain to move anything else. He accepted his failure, and he felt as if death was the only way he could repay the damages he brought upon his home.
¡°You¡¯re one bloody mess of an empty aren¡¯t you, eh?¡±
He could hear the rugged breathing of the leader in the distance, as he stumbled across the floor, using his axe to bash away a wooden beam that blocked his way.
¡°I was willin¡¯ to let ye live you know? But after what you did to my damn arm ¨C it¡¯s gonna¡¯ cost hundreds of ¡®you¡¯s to get this healed. Empties like you wouldn¡¯t know, though.¡±
The heat of rash breathing was directly on the boy¡¯s face now. Each breath blowing a new wave of disgusting air towards him.
¡°It doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re goin¡¯ to survive for much longer ¨C so why don¡¯t I just put your little head out of its misery? We¡¯ll start with the arm just like mine. Ey?¡±
He could feel the leader weighing his axe against his right arm, moving it backwards and forwards horizontally, trying to aim it properly for a clean blow directly across his entire body.
¡°Maybe this¡¯ll teach you a les ¨C well maybes not.¡±
The boy tensed, preparing for the end in the blackness. There was nothing else for him to lose, and for some reason he was content with it, feeling as if ¨C somehow he had experienced death before. Not just once, but hundreds if not thousands of times. It was an empty feeling. Then it hit him. ¡°Oh. Not again.¡±
?
To an onlooker watching from the behind the leader, the blade made its soaring arc towards him, passing directly through him and straight out the other side. A streak of liquid flew through the air from the slice, outright killing him in the process. If that cut didn¡¯t kill him, the amount of blood lost in that one blow surely did. He was dead.
Slowly, the body of the leader fell backwards landing on its back, and a small dark winged figure landed on top of the corpse. To anyone watching the scene unfold from the side, they would have seen that the leader hadn¡¯t even been close to the boy when the cut occurred, he hadn¡¯t even been in axe range. Shortly before the leader fell on the ground, a winged creature flew in from the window and tapped its nose against the boy¡¯s shoulder.
A grin appeared on the face of the boy, his eyes still closed and his aura completely changed to that of a completely different person. ¡°Tsk. I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t die just yet.¡±
A quite stammering voice could be heard from the leader; ¡°D¡ d-dragon? H-how?¡± completely contrasting his previous attitude. Completely in shock, he stopped in his tracks and rose his left arm in self-defense against the impending attack that was awaiting him.
The dragon¡¯s wing, as sharp as a blade completely sliced through the pitiful defense of the leader ¨C knocking him unconscious and sending him toppling over backwards from the force.
The combined reaction from the guards watching the spectacle couldn¡¯t be said short of an uproar. It was pure chaos.
¡°A D-Dragon!?¡±
¡°I¡Impossible!¡±
¡°Call for help! Demon attack!¡±
The guards began swarming away from the scene as if a terrifying monster appeared in front of them, emptying the room in an instant. In the face of the chaos, the boy¡¯s aura changed again - to one of complete shock as he opened his eyes to the sudden silence. He stared directly forwards at the axe that should have been his demise lying on the ground in front of him. A soft and cute sound pierced the sudden silence. ¡°Piiiiii¡±?
The boy looked up, and froze in fear directed towards the creature that was casually sitting on the body of a gigantic man surrounded by a dark sticky liquid. It stared directly into his eyes.
The sound of the door leading to the room smashed open, and the voice of a girl sounded through the room. ¡°Brutus, what¡¯s the meaning of this sudden rout and the men screaming about a demon attack? What do I even pay you all for?¡±
The figure of a girl that some would call ¡®older sister¡¯ but not yet an adult appeared in the doorway. Her silver hair reflected the moonlight, and her face was distorted in anger ¨C clearly distraught that she had to waste her time with such a nuisance.
Analyzing the scene, the girl¡¯s silver eyes grew round due to shock as she saw the body of the man the boy assumed was named ¡®Brutus¡¯.
As her gaze traveled upwards, she laid eyes on the winged creature and was stuck with fear. ¡°D-dragon?¡± She quickly reached into a small bag hung around her waist and pulled out a small orb about the size of a fingernail with glowing white colors flowing within it. She shattered it between her fingers without hesitation, and her eyes instantly turned a radiating white even stronger than the flame-men.
Realization hit him, and he instantly dove forwards to protect the creature that he had moments before absolutely feared, an inert drive within him that told him to protect it with everything he had. ¡°No! Don¡¯t hurt him!¡±. Swiping it to the side, and rolling his body around its small figure to protect it ¨C he knew his body would do nothing much in the face of the powerful force that he knew was coming.
As if this was her first time noticing him, the girl exclaimed in surprise ¡°Huh?¡±. Puzzled rather than aggressive, she casually directed her finger upwards, sending an immensely powerful gust of wind into the center of the roof ¨C blasting a hole directly through, allowing moonlight into the dark interior. ¡°Are you protecting this dragon?¡±
The boy nodded yes in response, shocked that she had so casually destroyed another part of his village. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt any more of my friends, or my home¡¡±
¡°Oh.¡± The girl looked extremely uncomfortable, as if suddenly realizing the implications of her actions. ¡°Um, what¡¯s your name?¡±
¡ What was his name? That¡¯s something he never bothered with before ¨C something completely irrelevant to him over the past few days. He looked around the room for ideas, his eyes landing on a scrap of paper half torn vertically with rough handwritten letters, the second halves of two words showing.
-ress
-en
As he read those words, a chill went down his spine. ¡°My ¨C I¡ am Ressen.¡± The two words were almost familiar to him.
It was at this moment he fainted.
Chapter 2: Wagon
Ker-thunk. The sound of a round wooden wheel slamming into the ground matched a jolt across Ressen¡¯s body which rejuvenated his consciousness.
He awoke to find a cloth canopy above his head. Still groggy, he realized that he was probably inside one of the wagons in the village square, lying on something soft and warm.
¡°Oh! ¨C er¡ You¡¯re finally awake!¡±
A soft voice sounded from just above his line of sight. Directly behind him ¨C no, directly under him sat the lap of a girl with shining silver hair and eyes ¨C wait. Wasn¡¯t she the girl that nearly killed him earlier?
He sprung on to his feet, spinning around to face her reflexively moving to grab his blade in its sheath. He found nothing there.
¡°Where¡¯s Reverend?¡±
Puzzled, the girl stared up at him.
¡°Re-ver-end?¡± The thought struck her immediately. ¡°Do you mean your blade?¡± She motioned towards the ground to her left, where the broken blade laid.
As Ressen reached down to grab the Reverend while watching her for any movements, the girl¡¯s small hand wrapped around his wrist.
She smiled at him. ¡°My name¡¯s Psia, sorry if I have to stop you ¨C but it¡¯s for my own safety you know?¡± She paused ¨C frowning for a second ¨C before looking back upwards. ¡°After all, you did almost kill Brutus.¡±
So Brutus was the name of that hulking monster on his temper tantrum. He had only stopped him from destroying his home¡
¡°You really shouldn¡¯t think badly about Brutus, he might seem rude at times ¨C but underneath everything, he really is just a big softy it just takes time.¡±
Softy. Right. He wouldn¡¯t believe any length of time would enable him to see that monster as soft. How long had it been anyways? Judging by the sun rising through the opening in the back of the wagon, it looked like it was morning. However, multiple days could have passed already, and who knows what they could have done in that time- wait. He stopped himself again. Were they moving?
Psia watched him panic for a few seconds before understanding his intentions. ¡°Please don¡¯t panic, and let me explain.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯ve been unconscious for almost two weeks now.¡±
Ressen stared at her with hostile eyes. Two weeks? What had they done with his home?
¡°We left as soon as we could ¨C after we confirmed that there indeed were no monsters in the area.¡± She tilted her head while standing up, dusting her dress off. ¡°You don¡¯t talk much do you?¡±
¡°Why am I here?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we didn¡¯t have time, and you were injured. We couldn¡¯t just leave you out there.¡±
¡°Let me go.¡±
¡°Apologies again, but we need to make a report about you, so we¡¯ll be taking you with us. We need to make sure you¡¯re okay as well.¡±
Ressen pushed his arm forwards, attempting to break the grip of the girl restraining him.
¡°You¡¯re not a prisoner, so how about this; if you answer some of my questions, I¡¯ll return your blade to you.¡±
The girl¡¯s grip was strong, and for some reason, Ressen was already far too weakened to fight against her. He relaxed and sat back down on the wooden floor. ¡°¡ Okay.¡±
¡°Hmm¡ can you smile?¡±
The random request shocked Ressen. ¡°What?¡±
¡°Ressen should smile a bit ¨C he looks really mean you know?¡±
Was this girl serious? Her tone had switched instantly from a woman doing business to that of a younger sister. ¡°Look, gir- Psia, right? Ask me your ques-¡°
¡°Does Ressen want Re-ver-end back or not?¡± the girl sung in a sing-song voice. ¡°Just turn that frown up-¡°
¡°Fine.¡± He took a break to sigh, forcing the largest grin he could, he muttered through his lips; ¡°Now?¡±
Psia pouted. ¡°Ressen is so grumpy~. What is he doing here anyways?¡±
¡°You brought me here¡¡±
¡°Nooo! What is someone like Ressen doing in the middle of the wildwoods?¡±
¡°Wild-woods?¡± Puzzled at the appearance of this word Ressen could only stammer them.
¡°Those ruins ¨C c¡¯mon! Don¡¯t tell me Ressen¡¯s been there his entire life, what is he, almost 17 years old?¡±
¡°That is my home.¡±
¡°And it¡¯s in the middle of nowhere~. The only other place more densely populated with demons would be the outer ring.¡± Psia paused and placed the tip of her finger on her lips. ¡°Ah! You¡¯re so brave ¨C alone for so long~¡±.
Ressen continued to stare at her with his fake smile paired with a glare of contempt, refusing to respond to the compliment. ¡°What were you doing there?¡±
Caught off guard by a rebuttal question Psia could only stammer out a quick response. ¡°W-wha? Just traveling through for business as a short cu-¡° her eyes grew larger, and she stood up, returning to her business tone and scolding him. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m asking the questions here!¡±
Ressen looked up at her and frowned. She was dangerous.
¡°Waah ¨C Resseeen~¡ you make things so hard.¡± Psia sat back on the ground, calming down. ¡°Ressen probably doesn¡¯t know much about the outside world if he doesn¡¯t even know about where his ¡®home¡¯ is.¡± She stared him in the eyes. ¡°Now what about that¡¡± She shuddered. ¡°Dragon.¡±
¡°Dragon?¡± What was she talking about ¨C Oh. The creature that had saved him¡ wait. ¡°Did you hurt Pii?¡± For some reason, the name Pii sounded natural.
¡°So Pii is its name? We left as soon as possible, Ressen¡¯s ¡®home¡¯ is safe, and the¡ dragon refused to part with him.¡±
¡°Wait ¨C that creature, er ¨C Pii, is here?¡±
Her voice lowered. ¡°It¡¯s sleeping right now on top of the canopy ¨C I¡¯m the only one it lets inside for some reason.¡± She pointed up above them, where a small dark silhouette imprinted across the fabric. ¡°Now¡ can you explain why you are in the possession of a mythical creature?¡±
The cart bumped against a rock in the dirt path. ¡°Eh?¡±
?
¡°A mythical creature?¡±
¡°Your¡ dragon Pii shouldn¡¯t exist in anything except for storybooks from over two thousand years ago.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t own Pii, she just was there to save me.¡±
Psia suddenly stood up and shouted at him, eyes wide. ¡°¡¯Just there to save you?¡¯ What kind of idiot do you take me for? For a demonic creature like that to just be so casual with you ¨C and even protect you¡ what magic did you use? Do you have any idea how much that is worth-¡° She caught herself on her tangent. ¡°My~ Ressen really does make things hard.¡± She took a breath but continued standing, head down in the palm of her hand.
¡°M-magic? There¡¯s no way I can do something like that¡¡± He knew this was a fact, but he internally cringed for some reason as if by reflex.
Psia peeked her eyes from around her fingers. ¡°Res- Ressen can¡¯t use magic? Has he ever been tested?¡±
¡°Tested?¡±
¡°Of course! It decides what orbs you use the best after all.¡± She paused and thought for a second. ¡°Could it be Ressen doesn¡¯t know what an orb is either?¡±
¡°No?¡±
¡°Pfft! Brutus was probably right then when he called Ressen a savage, you¡¯re just like an empty!¡±
A savage¡ ¡°Um, he mentioned something about me being an empty? What does that mean?¡±
¡°Well, an empty is basically someone without affinity with any magic, and can¡¯t use orbs. He probably suspected that when he noticed Ressen didn¡¯t have an orb on him, like this one.¡± Psia reached down and pulled a necklace out from under her shirt. A small clear crystal gem filled with a glowing white matter acted as the pendant of the necklace. ¡°This crystal is a measuring crystal, which shows what magic the user is most adept with. This means I have a strong affinity with aer and also acts as my identification!¡±
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.¡°I¡ I see.¡± Magic? Humans can use magic?
¡°I¡¯m sure Ressen is going to have some strong affinity with magic! After all, he¡¯s survived for so long alone, so that must mean he¡¯s really powerful!¡± Psia was starting to sound even more like a little kid. ¡°I really hope you¡¯re aer, so we can be together, big brother!¡±
¡°Yea- wait huh?¡± Does this girl have some brother syndrome?
Psia¡¯s eyes shot open as she realized her mistake and her cheeks blushed red, quickly changing the subject. ¡°So when we get home, we¡¯ll test you first. We need to anyways to get you into the city.¡±
At this point, Ressen realized that he had no clue where they were actually going. ¡°Wh-¡±
¡°Oh, that¡¯s right! Ressen has no idea where we¡¯re going! He¡¯ll be happy to hear we¡¯re going to Fortress Aer.¡± Psia puffed out her chest and looked proud.
¡°Fortress¡ Aer?¡±
¡°It¡¯s really hard to get into any of the Fortresses¡ so um, coming with us is something people would pay anything for so, er.¡± Psia looked dejected at Ressen¡¯s response.
¡°Ah, I see ¨C thank you then.¡±
At Ressen¡¯s response, Psia instantly perked up. However, at this exact moment, an explosion echoed in the distance, causing the cart to jolt to a standstill. Psia peeked outside of the cart quickly, looked at Ressen, and smiled. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re going to have some fun.¡±
?
In the middle of a valley, the convoy of seven wagons were surrounded by two steep cliffs of rock about the height of a few tall trees. Small shapes could be seen tossing barrels down the valley, causing even larger explosions that preceded the first, each landing closer to the convoy than the last.
As Psia jumped out the rear of the wagon ¨C her eyes burning with excitement ¨C Ressen was pulled along to witness a grand spectacle. ¡°Tsk ¨C Not even affinity users. How primitive.¡± She looked slightly sullen.
The guards that were previously traveling alongside the wagons were in complete disarray, with both their commander and employer absent.
¡°You lot!¡± Psia¡¯s voice acted as a beacon of hope for the confused men. ¡°What do I pay you for? Start setting up a defensive ring so that the casters can us-¡± She paused, and looked at Ressen. ¡°Actually ¨C just use basic wind orbs to defend the cargo. I¡¯ll take care of them.¡±
However, barrels had already landed directly between the wagons, scattering the footmen around each of their explosions.
The attackers, having seemingly found their mark, therefore sent a volley of barrels from above, sending the men guarding the wagons into a panic. The three unarmed casters were desperately grabbing red and white orbs from their pouches, crushing them, and casting fireballs to desperately pick off each of the barrels one by one, however they were nowhere near enough to even dent the torrent of barrels that were soaring towards the ground.
Psia took this all in calmly and once again changed her tone of voice, suddenly perking up from her foul mood. ¡°Ressen will be glad to know that I¡¯m using my special magic today!¡± She winked at him and pulled a clear orb the size of a pea from a pouch hidden under the folds of her skirt, holding it between the fingers of her right hand.
The orb that she held between her fingers was glowing a vibrant white, making it difficult to look at. In comparison to the orbs being used by the casters ¨C which looked like dull rocks ¨C you could describe its brilliance as a refined diamond despite its small size, with its colors pulsing inside the crystal of the orb.
Nonchalantly Psia raised her left hand into the air and looked up towards the barrels falling through the sky.
As if the attackers could predict the future, shouts of surprise rang throughout the valley as the dots began retreating behind the cover of the cliffs.
She smiled at the reactions of the retreating enemies and looked down at Ressen. ¡°Enjoy the show!¡± and she completely crushed the small orb into dust, causing her already white eyes to glow.
The instant she crushed the orb, a visible gust of wind blasted into existence just above her palm, sending a blanket of air that spanned the entire valley upwards. The hail of barrels, some of which would have landed on Psia if she were half a second slower, stopped midair and suddenly reversed their direction as if she had just reversed gravity.
The barrels, sent on opposite trajectories began landing above the cliffs, sending dozens of the attackers flying from above, black miasma flowing from their bodies. Less than fifteen seconds had passed during the entire encounter before silence returned to the valley.
¡°You-you¡¯re joking me.¡± Ressen was dazed.
The remaining guards were in complete shock from the spectacle they had just witnessed. Murmuring and whispers began running amongst them. ¡°-part of the Aer family?¡±, ¡°I thought¡ legend¡±.
¡°Ey? Madam! You had no need to use such magic, that is our job! I must apologize for such imprudence on my men¡¯s incompetence!¡± a booming voice from the wagon in front of Ressen¡¯s turned everyones heads. The figure of a hulking man, Brutus, stepped from the shadows of the wagon. His arm, face, and back, all heavily bandaged ¨C any other human would be in no shape to walk, nonetheless, move.
Psia sighed, ¡°You all seriously can¡¯t do anything right ¨C why do I hire you for these jobs anyways?¡±
¡°But Madam-!¡± Before Brutus could continue however, his eyes opened in shock as he witnessed movement behind Psia. One of the attackers, a masked survivor of the explosions and the fall began rushing towards her back with a blade in his arm ¨C desperate to gain revenge on the one that ruined their plan. There was no one Brutus knew of that was in range to stop him before his blade cleanly penetrated her body ¨C and he could only stop midway in his sentence in panic.
Ressen, dazed by the entire spectacle, had previously picked up a dull white orb in his right hand from the ground before noticing movement on the ground behind Psia. Seeing a glint of a weapon, he had realized the danger that a person that he needed more information from was about to be in ¨C and subconsciously cracked the orb, and ran forwards ¨C without a blade.
Of course Psia was shocked by Brutus¡¯s sudden lack of words ¨C someone she had always known for being frank and careful with his words had suddenly lost them. She followed his gaze behind her, to see the distorted face of a man about to stab her seconds away from impact. Her vision began blurring ¨C dismayed that Ressen would have to see her die like this.
Everyone in the valley was frozen in silence. A single boy was running towards Psia, however it was clear that he was never going to make it in time. However, to everyone in the valley ¨C the space between the boy and the gap between Psia and the attacker blurred and suddenly the boy appeared, parrying the attacker¡¯s blade upwards, sending it flying into the sky.
Ressen had only thought that he needed to get there faster ¨C and reached his arm towards where he knew Reverend would be and clenched his fist. At that moment, he was propelled forwards by an enormous gust of wind as Reverend was sent flying into his hands. Before he knew it, he was standing crouched before the attacker, holding Reverend just underneath the attacker¡¯s blade that was about to pierce him instead. Of course, he did the only thing his reflex would allow him to do, and pushed diagonally up.
?
¡°Madam!¡± Brutus cleared himself from his shock as he ran towards the figure of Psia which fell to her knees in front of Ressen. ¡°Oi, you lot ¨C clear the area and make sure this mess doesn¡¯t happen again!¡± He charged in front of Psia and grabbed Ressen by the neck, threatening him with the sharp blade of an axehead.
¡°Wh-what are you doi-¡± Ressen was choking to the sudden pressure to his neck, dropping the sword and the orb he was clutching in his hand.
¡°Brutus, what does someone like you think he is doing?¡± Psia looked down ¨C giving off a dark atmosphere.
¡°M-madam! We¡¯re guaranteeing your safety!¡± He nervously answered, giving Ressen a glare.
¡°Brutus, did you ever stop and consider ¨C that Ressen saved my life¡ and therefore is my life benefactor?¡± Psia slipped a hand into her pouch, revealing a shining white orb without looking up.
Brutus flinched and dropped Ressen, immediately dropping to his knee in front of Psia. ¡°Madam, I must apologize for my rudeness ¨C however allow me to express my opinion; an Empty like him should not be around someone like you.¡±
¡°Empty?¡± She looked up staring at him with disgusted eyes. ¡°Did you see my Ressen activate that Orb by cracking it¡¡± She picked up the orb that had rolled between Brutus¡¯s legs towards her. ¡°And perform a high-level cast using so little Aer?¡±
Brutus flinched again. ¡°Madam, I must apologize once more for failing to protect you.¡±
¡°Hah? Can you all stop ignoring me already ¨C what just happened?¡± Ressen stood up, butting into the conversation.
¡°Thats what we want to know ¨C ant.¡± Brutus turned his head and glared at him.
¡°At least I¡¯m not the one uncivilized enough to attack the savior of his boss.¡±
¡°Uncivilized? I believe you were the one to attack me first at the village, you savage.¡±
¡°Both of you, calm down.¡± Psia gave a sigh and leaned backwards. ¡°Brutus, I won¡¯t deduct pay from your funds as it was my own decision to discuss things with Ressen alone without guards.¡±
¡°Madam! I am not performing this role for the pay-¡±
Psia looked at Ressen. ¡°Like Psia hoped, Ressen is a powerful Aer user! Now all we need to do is get Ressen registered!¡± She smiled. ¡°Maybe Ressen is even more powerful than me!¡±
She walked around Brutus, giving him a glare, before pushing Ressen forcibly towards the wagon, ignoring his pleas to move on his own.
After they left his sight, Brutus sighed and addressed the staring guards. ¡°Oi, you lot ¨C get moving and collect any survivors. We¡¯re still running late, and now we¡¯ve got another damn report to handle.¡±
?
By the time the two of them had entered the wagon, the convoy had already begun moving again as signaled by repetitive bumping of the wagon¡¯s wheels. However as Psia began to move next to Ressen instead of across from him, and opened her mouth to speak ¨C a voice pierced the canopy of the wagon.
¡°Madam! We require your immediate assistance on the interrogation and report. We¡¯ve discovered something that must come to your immediate attention!¡±
Psia sighed inwardly, ¡°How boring¡ at least we¡¯re almost home.¡± her voice perked up and stood straight while stretching. ¡°I¡¯ll see Ressen in a bit~¡± she winked at him and jumped out of the wagon in a tomboyish manner and disappeared around to the front of the wagon. ¡°What is it now Brutus?¡±
Ressen¡¯s eyes followed Psia out of the wagon, and until he confirmed she was out of sight, he let out the breath he had been holding in. She was making him incredibly uncomfortable. Finally at peace, he stared up towards the canopy of the wagon, at the spot where a dark shadow laid sleeping ¨C or at least should have been there sleeping. There was no bulge or shadow¡ ¡°Where did you?¡±
¡°Pii!¡± the shrill cry of the dragon appeared directly before him, manifesting in the form of a dark shape that dived onto the floor of the wagon into a sitting position like a cat. Laced with elegant jet black scales on its lizard-like body, and folded wings that if expanded would clearly cover the width of the wagon, the creature sat with its red eyes staring into his. It almost seemed like a predator eying its prey. However, for some reason, Ressen only felt warmth from its gaze.
Of course he was still on guard, so he swallowed, and interrogated it. ¡°So¡ who ¨C no what, exactly are you?¡±
¡°Pii!¡±
¡°Of course¡ and why did you save me? I can¡¯t imagine you just happened across me.¡±
The dragon perked up, its back straight and let out a resounding, ¡°Piiii!¡± before leaping into Ressen¡¯s lap, snuggling warmly within it.
¡°I suppose I¡¯m not going to get any answers either?¡± he stroked the dragon ¨C no, Pii¡¯s head. It felt like the right thing to do in this situation. He paused and remembered the rabbit that he found when he first awoke. ¡°I¡¯m going to guess that that rabbit was you?¡±
Pii looked up, and replied with a happy, ¡°Pii!¡±
With Pii in his lap, Ressen laid his back against the wooden wall of the wagon. At least he wasn¡¯t alone.
Chapter 3: Drop
Sitting on top of what looked like sheer cliffs that flattened into a massive mesa, Fortress Aer was larger than anything Ressen had ever seen before.
Towering above the rolling hills and flat grasslands surrounding it, both ends of the city went on forever, stretching for miles into the horizon. From such a low angle, you could see a giant castle-like structure in the middle of the city peeking over the glistening outer walls.
The convoy of wagons rolled towards a massive wooden platform embedded into the ground at the base of the fortress cliff, and stopped. Studying the platform further, one would notice tightly wound ropes leading to a wooden beam suspended over the cliff edge 100 meters above, where Ressen assumed the road continued.
The sun had already risen to its peak by the time Ressen exited the wagon, Pii following earnestly, claws dug into his head as it looked around, gathering in the sights. ¡°Now would be a great time to run for it¡¡±
¡°Pii?¡± The dragon looked down as if criticizing him with a ¡®And then what?¡¯ sort of look.
Before he could respond, he walked face first into a wall of flesh. ¡°Oi, ye know you can leave anytime you want.¡±
¡°Oh? What¡¯s with the sudden change in attitude Brutus?¡± This guy hated him for no apparent reason. ¡°Is this supposed to be an apology?¡±
¡°You don¡¯ have to be Psia¡¯s pet y¡¯know.¡±
¡°Whats in it for you? You act like shes your daughter or something.¡±
¡°The Lady? N-never!¡±
Oh? Brutus caught off guard? This is a change of pace. ¡°Whats with the sudden change in attitude?¡±
He took a breath. ¡°This is for your own safety. For the lady, and for you, it will not be safe for you within these walls.¡±
The nerve of this guy. ¡°You take me two weeks away from home ¨C and then tell me to scram?¡± Ressen reached for his blade. ¡°What kind of scam are you pulling?¡±
¡°Pii¡¡± crouching into an attack position, Pii also looked ready to fight.
Brutus took a step backward, ¡°I¡¯m not here to fight. It was a warning. That¡¯s all.¡± He looked up at Pii sitting on Ressen¡¯s shoulder ¡°And right now, I highly suggest you hide your dragon, as we¡¯re entering the city soon.¡±
Forced to succumb to a reasonable suggestion. What a way to end this conversation. ¡°Alright Pii, head back into the wagon.¡±
¡°Pii?¡± it looked down at him expectedly.
¡°Yeah, sorry. He is a bit of a meanie.¡± Brutus flinched at his response, causing Ressen to smile before Pii flew off.
¡°Enough now? Or do you want to tell me I¡¯m not allowed near Psia or something ¨C because I would enjoy that kind of orde-¡±
They were sharply interrupted by a recognizable voice ¡°Hey! Brutus! Where in Aer are you?¡± heads turned as a young girl with silver hair dashed around the rear of a wagon. She wasn¡¯t pleased.
Brutus stood to attention. ¡°Madam! I apologize for having rushed you.¡±
Psia came to a stop and stared Brutus in the eyes. ¡°The Kannone-¡± she began yelling before noticing Ressen. ¡°Oh! R-ressen! Was Ressen discussing something important with Brutus over here?¡±
Oh. Her. ¡°That was a long ¡®bit¡¯ you took there.¡±
¡°I-I¡ well, there¡¯s been some important things going on¡ if Ressen can wait I can explain-¡± Psia looked at Brutus as if for confirmation.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
¡°Madam, I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s in our best interests to discuss these kinds of things with an outsider.¡±
¡°Agh, why¡¯d I ask you anyways.¡± She looked back at Ressen. ¡°Well, if Ressen can see, we only just realized how close the Kannone were to one of the fortresses entrances¡ we were lucky to be the first ones to encounter them.¡±
Brutus frowned in disapproval when Ressen began a response.
¡°Kannone?¡±
¡°Ressen doesn¡¯t know of them either? The masks normally give them awa-¡± She balled her hands into fists and ground her teeth. ¡°Ah, forget it ¨C they¡¯re a bunch of idiots.¡±
¡°That doesn¡¯t expla-¡±
¡°Anyways, Brutus ¨C let¡¯s go. Call the lift.¡± Completely ignoring Ressen, she walked away Brutus following close behind.
Click. A guard nearby motioned to him by clicking his tongue. ¡°Hey, you there ¨C unless you want a shoulder like mine I¡¯d suggest you take a step forward.¡± He paused and whispered under his breath. ¡°Fast.¡±
Confused, Ressen took a step forward. A piece of rope that previously hung loosely, snapped rigid, only a few inches away from Ressen¡¯s shoulder. ¡°T-thanks!¡± he looked at the guard in front of him, who grabbed a piece of wooden railing on the edge of the wooden platform.
¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet.¡± He grinned.
¡°What?¡± is what he wanted to say, but was interrupted by the sound of crushed glass and the explosive force of the wooden platform they were standing on flying upwards, sending Ressen landing face first into the platform.
¡°Going up!¡± Psia¡¯s voice could be heard above the whistling wind, as the platform scaled the entire cliffside in three seconds.
As the wooden platform came to a stop, Ressen slowly stood back up, shouting at the guard that warned him before. ¡°Is this normal!?¡±
¡°Well, not all the time. We¡¯re just in a rush.¡± The guard still held his railing tightly.
¡°Why are you?¡± He had the time to yell before he felt what little he had eaten rise to the top of his stomach as the entire platform began falling again.
¡°Hold on Tight-t-t-!¡± he shouted as the entire platform began falling once more. ¡°They didn¡¯t enable the safeties fast enough!¡±
Ressen, dangerously close to the edge of the platform already, watched as the ground rushed up toward them, and wondered if this was already the end. The platform came to a sudden stop, and the world went black once more.
?
Ressen woke up lying on something soft and warm.
¡°Oh good, you¡¯re awake.¡± a manly voice said ¨C just above his line of sight. He was lying on the lap of a- wait. This isn¡¯t right.
¡°Whata-wah?¡± Ressen shot up and spun around to see the face of the guard with a smile plastered on his face. He really had to stop getting knocked out.
¡°You were out for only a few seconds.¡± he began, before explaining the situation.
Apparently, the system was supposed to use pulleys to draw the platform up ¨C but this system took hours. Psia had used an orb to blast the platform up and bet on the elasticity of the rope to keep the platform suspended.
Looking around at the wagons, one could see that every single one had deep rips in them, most likely caused by the slackened ropes whipping around at high speeds. The ground where Ressen had been standing before was clearly blackened with burns.
¡°T-thank y-you.¡±
¡°Ressen! Where is my Ressen!¡± Psia¡¯s shrill voice could be heard around the platform.
¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡± He winked, and walked off as Psia rushed towards him.
¡°I¡¯m so sorry! I never tried that before, and, and, is Ressen alright?¡± she ran to hug him.
¡°Wait ¨C you never tried that before?¡± He sidestepped, causing Psia to almost run off the edge of the platform causing her to fall back onto her rear. ¡°You almost killed me!¡±
¡°Ressen shouldn¡¯t worry that much! Hey, wasn¡¯t that the guard Brutus hit with his axe when he threw it at you?¡± she mentioned at the guard meeting with a group of others before entering a small shack near the edge of the cliff.
¡°Oh ¨C he helped me¡¡± he grimaced and promised to wipe his memory.
¡°Oh? That¡¯s unusual. I don¡¯t pay them for that¡¡± she stared up at Ressen¡¯s obvious flinch. ¡°Oh well. Anyways, Ressen get back onto the cart! We¡¯ve got a long way to go! I can¡¯t wait for you to see Aer!¡±
¡°Wait ¨C I haven¡¯t see Aer yet?¡±
¡°Look up dummy!¡± she pouted.
¡°Huh?¡± before him stood a vast open plain, and far in the distance stood an immense wall. From far below on the road here, the wall peeking over the edge of the cliff had seemed far closer to the edge of the rim ¨C and this size difference completely outclassed his previous expectations, showing the true immensity of this plateau.
¡°Ressen gets the same reaction as everyone else! I¡¯m glad you like it!¡±
Ressen noticed his jaw hung open, and manually closed it.
¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to be¡ this big.¡±
¡°Hurry up and get on so we can get there already! I¡¯ll run Ressen through the basics of registration!¡± she was clearly excited being so close to home.
As Ressen followed her to the cart he came from, he passed by one of the carts and looked into a hole created by the wild ropes. Inside he saw the frames of a metallic structure, almost cage-like.
¡°Hurry up Ressen!¡± Psia looked behind her and then shouted to the front of the convoy. ¡°Forwards to Aer!¡±
Chapter 4: Test
He stared at the shocked faces of those all around him as he held the orb in his hand. As a guard ran off to call for others to confirm his placement, an eerie silence played across the room.
How had he gotten into this situation? Just a few minutes earlier¡
Psia took a sniff in the air and said, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±
¡°How do you know?¡± Caught completely off guard, Ressen was sat in between Psia and Pii who were stuck in an immense stare-off.
¡°It smells a lot less like dragon¡±
¡°Pii!¡± Pii growled in response. Having been stuck in the wagon during the entire fiasco caused by Psia, Pii wasn¡¯t happy.
¡°Alright, are you two going to stop soon, or will I have to leave?¡±
¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter either way - we¡¯re actually here.¡±
¡°... really?¡± Psia had spent the entire time locked in a staring contest with Pii ever since they got here. He hadn¡¯t learned anything about the procedures¡ ¡°What about the proc-¡±
¡°Oh, they¡¯re easy!¡± The wagon came to a stop, and Psia walked backwards towards the entrance of the wagon, eyes still locked with Pii. A shout from Brutus called Psia away. ¡°I¡¯ll get them to wave us in, so follow me.¡± Psia finally turned and jumped out of the wagon.
Pii let out a victorious ¡°Pii!¡± Before snuggling against Ressen.
¡°Sorry, you¡¯re going to have to stay here again. Do a better job saving me from her next time alright?¡±
¡°Pii!¡±
¡°I¡¯m going insane¡¡± he muttered to himself as he hopped out of the wagon following Psia.
Only a few steps away from him sat the towering walls of Aer. Glistening in the sunlight. A gate the size of a tree blocked the road, and if the immense size of the cliffs had been large - the height of these walls were even greater. He wasn¡¯t even sure if Psia¡¯s previous magic could lift a platform as high as these walls.
As Ressen searched for Psia, he could see that all around them were guards doing business, and attempting to freshen up before the inspection.
¡°Over here!¡± Psia shouted, turning some heads. She stood to the right of the large gate, in front of a smaller one for human traffic. ¡°Ressen¡¯s lucky! He¡¯s early, so there''s no line yet!¡±
As he followed Psia through the door, he instantly met a dark, musty smell. The room was filled with smoke, and in the middle of it was a long desk and an old man with a long white beard. Behind him were rows upon rows of drawers and cabinets, some with pieces of paper sticking out of them and others without.
The old man looks up frowning, ¡°Mhmm...¡± and nods to a chair in front of him.
¡°So, how does this work?¡± Ressen asks before sitting down, looking around the room.
¡°Mmhmm¡±
¡°What?¡± The musty air seemed to constantly grow in thickness.
¡°Mhmm¡±
¡°Sorry, I was just asking what do I do? Or do you, or -?¡± Confused Ressen examined the room further, looking for a clue. Was this a test?
¡°Mmhmm¡±
¡°Is this some kind of joke?¡± Ressen looked at Psia, who had walked into the room after him. He followed her gaze¡ back at the old man... who wasn¡¯t even looking at him but instead staring daggers into - he traced his gaze - Psia. ¡°Huh?¡±
He stood up blocking their line of sight. ¡°Eh, are you going to take my aptitude or no-¡± Wait, what is he doing. Why is he following this girl so closely? This could be his opportunity to get out and get back to his village with his new found companion Pii. ¡°Actually I-¡±
From behind him, Psia reacted, ¡°Huh? Ressen, that¡¯s not the inspecto-¡±
¡°That''s right, I¡¯m the inspector.¡± A small voice echoed from behind a set of bookcases behind the old man. Loud banging noises could be heard, as if someone was running. Thump, Thump, Thump, BANG.
The entire room shook due to the sudden bang, and everyone looked at each other in awkward silence. From behind the staircase, a deeper voice sounded, ¡°S-sir are you alright?¡±
¡°Darn it, I just tripped - I¡¯m fine!¡± Rustling could be head opposite the bookcase.
¡°Who is that?¡± Ressen looked at Psia behind her.
Before Psia could respond, the bookcase slid open, revealing the figure of a tall, imposing man clad in armor.
¡°Y-you¡¯re the inspector?¡± Ressen looked at the man standing at the base of a staircase.
¡°Hey! Down here.¡± The squeaky voice again. ¡°I¡¯m the inspector not this dwit behind me.¡±
The old man moved out of the way, to let a small white haired boy jump onto the seat he was on. His head was barely visible.
¡°You?¡± This was getting ludicrous. ¡°You¡¯re¡ like nine years old?¡±
The boy nodded. ¡°The name¡¯s Flot!¡±
Something about his smile really ticked Ressen off. ¡°Nope. That¡¯s it. take me back. The old fart was right, this place isn¡¯t safe for me.¡±
¡°Heeh Ressen?¡± Psia looked at him in dismay as Ressen turned to leave the room.
¡°Oh - Psia. So you were the one that brought him here.¡± The little boy smirked at her. Flanked by the two men he almost looked imposing. ¡°You¡¯ve already gotten back to the city? What a shame, we could have left without you.¡±
Psia stood there, looking at him blankly. ¡°I know it was you that did the order¡¡± She fingered around in her pocket, the tension in the room rising.
This wasn¡¯t looking pretty. Pausing at the door and turning around, Ressen stood between them. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take the test¡ Flot.¡± He looked at the old man. ¡°So who is this old man?¡±
His line of sight broken from Psia, Flot returned to his obnoxious smile. ¡°Oh, this? She¡¯s just a harpy I leave here to guard the area while I¡¯m off duty-¡± He paused. ¡°Doing business.¡± he looked at the Harpy who slowly turned into her original form, revealing feathers on her arms clawed feet. ¡°An old man is slightly more intimidating - no?¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
¡°Hold on, she? N-never mind.¡± Ressen looked around the room and was shocked that no one was fazed by the sudden transformation. ¡°So, uh, the test?¡±
¡°Aah - yes sorry, you probably were confused.¡± That smirk again. ¡°I apologise, I had to leave for business.¡±
¡°You we¡¯re totally sleeping.¡± Psia had sidestepped from behind him and glared at Flot.
Ressen turned around to gave Psia a lecture, but Flot interrupted him before he could speak.
¡°No, no its all fine - some people are just jealous of others positions.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not jealou-¡±
¡°Anyways Psia, the senate called you and wish to speak to you.¡±
¡°The senate? Already?¡± Psia¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Is it for -¡±
¡°No, not on that. Luckily.¡± Flot looked at Ressen. ¡°Something a bit more confidential to do with your reports. You can take the access behind me.¡±
¡°Wait - hold on - you can see the senate just like that?¡±
Psia gripped her fists and gave Ressen the best smile she could. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back Ressen! Wait for me outside, I can¡¯t wait for Ressen¡¯s results!¡± she said before running off into the staircase.
Flot watched her run up the staircase for a few seconds. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± He turned to the harpy next to him. ¡°Follow her.¡±
Ressen¡¯s gaze followed her the entire way. He¡¯d rather be with her than with¡ Flot. And that¡¯s saying a lot considering she¡¯s a low enough reference already, but meeting a senate?
¡°Now that that pest is out of the way¡ let us start the test. Shall we?¡± He slid his hand under a pouch located at his waist and pulled out a small grey orb, cracking it slightly before sliding it into a space on his belt. He motioned for Ressen to sit.
¡°Lets.¡± He wasn¡¯t going to let the boy tick him off anymore and sat down.
That¡¯s what he thought at least, before a strong gust of wind blasted through the small space, blowing the musty smell out of the room and opening the window shutters, letting light into the room. ¡°Ah, much better.¡± Flot had seemed to rise above his seat slightly, and was now eye to eye with the sitting Ressen. His eyes were glowing slightly white. ¡°Harpies always give off a gross smell, you know?¡±
Ressen grit his teeth. ¡°Quite.¡±
¡°So, did Psia tell you the procedures?¡±
¡°Sadly, she forgot while we were being bombarded by terrorists.¡±
¡°Ah yes, just like little Psia. Always avoiding important... things.¡± He leaned forwards as if looking for Ressen¡¯s approval.
Ressen had to agree with him on that. ¡°And? How¡¯s this going to work, you going to ask me questions? Make me do a physical test?¡±
¡°No, no, nothing of the sort.¡± Flot motioned towards the guard next to him who opened a drawer and placed a perfectly clear orb on the desk between the two. ¡°Just crack this.¡±
This really is a joke.
?
The two stared at each other for a few seconds, Flot bobbing up and down on his invisible cushion of air and Ressen sitting on a simple wooden chair. ¡°I just¡ crack this? What happens?¡±
¡°Well, first off¡¡± he reaches under his shirt and pulls out a similar pendant to Psia¡¯s, slightly more grey and definitely duller. ¡°I do hope you know what this is at least? Psia does bring around some of the dullest people sometimes...¡±
¡°Yeah, Psia showed me hers.¡±
¡°She showed you hers?¡± His eyes shot open in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s rare¡¡±
¡°Haven¡¯t you seen it?¡±
¡°No¡ what was her orb like?¡± He leaned forward at a dangerous angle on his invisible cushion.
Flot was beginning to sound suspicious, and Ressen could say he definitely liked Psia a lot more than Flot. ¡°If Psia didn¡¯t tell you, I have no reason to. Can you just explain what happens?¡±
Flot started moaning. ¡°How boring-g-g, well if you won¡¯t tell me about Psia then I won¡¯t tell you about the orbs¡± he leaned sideways, cheek into palm as if bored. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let Psia tell you if you like her so much.¡±
This kid was really starting to tick Ressen off now. ¡°You¡¯re not really acting like an inspector are you¡¡± he picked up the clear orb sitting on the table. ¡°This won¡¯t kill me right?¡±
¡°Won¡¯t say.¡±
The guard standing next to Flot looked down, frowning. Not a good sign. ¡°If I die¡ well, uh.¡± Huh, he can¡¯t really tell Flot about Pii could he? ¡°You know what, screw it.¡± He held the orb between two of his fingers, and pressed down. He noticed Flot quickly ducked down behind the desk. ¡°What are you doi-?¡±
Cra-a-a-a-a-a-ck.
?
As the final sounds of the crack dissipated, no one moved. The room was completely silent, other than the sounds of chirping birds echoing through the open windows. Flot¡¯s mouth hung open alongside the guards and both simultaneously let out a gasp. ¡°Huh?¡±
¡°W-what happened?¡± Ressen looked down at his hand, where a cracked orb sat, unchanged and completely clear aside from a long crack that ran down its side.
¡°Nothing¡¡± Flot looked at the orb, and then at the guard standing next to him, and nodded towards the stairs, sending the guard running.
¡°Isn¡¯t that good?¡±
¡°Well¡ your best affinity is supposed to be reflected in this orb.¡± Flot¡¯s eyes stopped glowing and he fell to his feet, walking over to Ressen. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to literally suck out your stored energy, causing you to pass out, and store it in the orb to serve as identification...¡± He picked up the orb and began examining it. ¡°But it appears you have literally no affinity with any form of magic.¡±
¡°What?¡± It was Ressen''s turn to be dumbfounded. ¡°But I used an or-¡±
¡°Even the weakest empties have some form of affinity - the stronger your affinity the stronger the color, and the better you can use that kind of magic.¡±
¡°But I used-¡±
Flot began chuckling, which turned into a laugh. ¡°You¡ you¡¯re literally the most pathetic empty there is out there. Where did Psia find a mess like you?¡± He hopped back into his chair on his side of the desk, still holding the cracked orb. ¡°You¡¯re like¡ the biggest empty there is. The king of all empties. No, the god of empties like Kannone.¡±
¡°Kannone?¡± That name again.
¡°You¡¯d literally be worshipped!¡± Flot was cackling like a madman, taking out another orb from his pocket, and cracking it. Then he took the previously cracked one from his pocket, now completely empty, and tossed both cracked orbs at Ressen out of spite as if showing off. His eyes began to glow white again as he began floating. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see the day something like you appeared in my gate.¡± he wiped the tears that were streaming from his eyes. ¡°Little Psia will be so disappointed when her big brother turns out to be a reject.¡±
Ressen sat there in disbelief. Was he this useless? Somehow this hurt more than it should.
¡°Well, anyways keep that orb - it¡¯s supposed to be your identification, not like it¡¯s going to help you or anything.¡± He reached down under his desk and threw a necklace at him. ¡°Attach this to your stupid identification orb so you can hide it.¡±
Ressen was hit by the necklace in the face as he held both orbs Flot threw at him. ¡°Which one was mine?¡±
¡°Does it even matter? They¡¯re both empty. Like you.¡± He guffawed at his own joke. ¡°I can¡¯t wait for Psia to get a whiff of this.¡±
Oh, right Psia. For some reason, Ressen felt bad for her, after all, she was excited for him to stay¡ no, what was he thinking. ¡°Does this mean I can¡¯t enter the city?¡± This might be a lucky break for him.
¡°Of course not, but Psia¡¯s probably going to break some rules and bring you in anyway - she probably promised to show you around, and she keeps promises. You¡¯re harmless anyways.¡± He leaned as far back on his floating cushion as he could. ¡°Ah, she¡¯s always such a gullible girl.¡± He perked his ears at a sound that came from the staircase. ¡°Looks like she¡¯s coming right now. How exciting!¡± He put on a massive grin.
As Psia appeared, she had a curt smile on her face. ¡°Hello, Flot. I¡¯m not taking your job anytime soon.¡±
¡°I know.¡± Flot''s grin grew wider. ¡°Did you hea-¡±
¡°Yes, yes I did.¡± she looked at Ressen. ¡°Would you mind following me?¡±
¡°Y-yes. I¡¯m sorr-¡±
Psia completely ignored him, looking at Flot instead. ¡°I assume you don¡¯t mind do you?¡± her curt smile creating an air of awkwardness as she walked towards a door opposite to the one that they entered from.
Flot just replied with a nod and a grin that should never appear on a young boy¡¯s face, his eyes darkening from laughter.
Psia held open the door and signaled to Ressen. ¡°After you, Empty.¡±
Chapter 5: Orbs
The Fortress of Aer is an extremely dense city, with almost 60,000 affinity users living within its walls, counting only those here legally, making the number even higher... at least that¡¯s what she told him.
¡°So empty¡¡± Ressen couldn¡¯t help mumbling to himself. He looked up at the spiraling towers in the center of the city that seemed to never get closer. They hadn¡¯t seen a single living creature aside from their own horses for the past hour that they had been walking.
Psia had insisted on leaving the rest of the convoy behind, taking along only the wagon with Pii inside. However, when Ressen was preparing to jump in the back, he was quickly shot down by Psia¡¯s stare and was forced to walk alongside the wagon.
He quickened his pace to catch up with her. ¡°So, are you going to explain any of this?¡± He had been trying to make conversation with a stone-cold Psia sitting at the reins of the wagon for the past hour to no avail. ¡°What happened to the senate? Is something wrong?¡±
He tried running in front of her line of sight, but Psia turned her gaze away.
¡°Hey, what happened to the entire promise to show me around town?¡± He reached for the reins, ¡°This is a pretty lackluster tour y¡¯kno-¡±
Again Psia ignored him and spurred the horses faster.
Realizing he was about to be left behind, Ressen began running, shouting after her, ¡°Hey, could you at least tell me about Flot? What was with you two?¡± Ressen was genuinely curious, so he decided to take a shot in the dark.
The wagon suddenly stopped, causing Ressen to crash directly into the wagon¡¯s rear.
¡°Pii?¡± A small face poked out of the back of the wagon and down at Ressen who was lying on his back.
¡°Oh - hey¡± At least Pii didn¡¯t ignore him.
¡°Pii!¡± Jumping down from the wagon, Pii immediately fell on top of Ressen, giving him a lick.
Ressen guessed there was no one around to witness Pii, so he decided to let her ride on his shoulder as he ran up to the front of the wagon, intending to get to the bottom of the Wagon¡¯s sudden stop.
¡°Hey. Ressen, come here.¡±
Psia¡¯s voice shocked Ressen as he got closer. She was looking down at her clenched fists holding the reins. ¡°Psia?¡±
¡°Flot¡¡± she turned to him ¡°Flot is Senator Titus Aer¡¯s son¡ not that that name would mean anything to you.¡± she let out a sigh. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to explain some stuff to you anyways.¡±
Ressen noticed Psia was softening up, and his feet were starting to hurt, so he took a risk. ¡°Can I take a seat?¡±
Psia looked at him like an idiot. ¡°Huh? You think I stopped for you?¡± She pointed across the road at a short building to her left. ¡°We¡¯re here, this time bring the dragon.¡±
¡°Huh? This wreck?¡±
Psia shot daggers at him.
?
Carrying Pii on his shoulder, Ressen and Psia entered a short wooden building that looked out of place in contrast to the stone buildings lining the street outside. However, when they entered the subtle wooden door, he noticed the interior was incredibly well made - two spiral staircases ran up to a second floor, and every wall was covered with bookcases brimming with books and beautifully crafted furnishings fit for a king.
Ressen couldn¡¯t help but be astonished. ¡°This place looks¡ so different inside.¡±
Pii was rustling on his shoulder, both trying to examine the surroundings and trying to catch Psia¡¯s attention.
¡°Of course. Brutus and I spent a long time with what little we had¡¡± she stood at the doorway for a second, taking in the sights before continuing down a hallway in between the two staircases, ignoring Pii who was attempting to re-ignite a staring contest on Ressen¡¯s shoulder.
As they were walking down the hallway, Ressen noticed sets of large portraits lining the walls, all of them with the same three people; Psia, Brutus, and a beautiful woman all growing older chronologically as they walked down the hallway. However, as they neared the door, he noticed the paintings were void of the older woman, peaking his curiosity. ¡°So, are these your parent-¡±
¡°No, Brutus isn¡¯t my father.¡±
¡°Ah¡ Hey, where is Brutus anyways? He wasn¡¯t with the wagons when we left them behind.¡± Considering he had warned him earlier about the dangers of being in the city, it¡¯s ironic how he is nowhere in sight.
Psia turned as she reached the door. ¡°Right¡ behind you.¡±
¡°Wha-?¡± Ressen spun around face first into a wall of muscle.
¡°Madam, I would have preferred it if you had stayed silent, however, the past is in the past.¡±
¡°Where did you come from?!¡± Ressen reached for the Ret in shock, and Pii dropped into a battle stance, slightly confused. Brutus was out of his battle armor and axes, and was instead dressed in an impeccably fitting butler¡¯s suit, completely knocking Ressen out of his flow.
¡°He¡¯s been behind us for the past hour.¡± Psia pushed open the door revealing a small sitting room with a stout table, three chairs, and a grandfather clock. ¡°Even that dragon knew about him. You really are useless.¡±
The new Butler-fied Brutus started rushing Ressen to one of the chairs on the opposite end of the room, easily pushing him despite his resistance. ¡°Wait - wait, wait, hold on you haven¡¯t even told me what we¡¯re doing here.¡±
¡°I promised you that I¡¯d show you around Aer didn¡¯t I?¡± She sat down on the chair opposite to him. ¡°Now I¡¯ll just teach you a few things and then you can help me out. Like promised.¡±
¡°Alright - alright then. So what abou-¡±
¡°Madam, here are the refreshments you requested earlier.¡± Brutus set down a tea tray that he apparently pulled out from nowhere. On it sat a kettle and a small bowl of round wrapped candies.
¡°I¡¯ll be upfront. Ressen, I don¡¯t hate you.¡±
Seriously? This girl was starting to confuse him. ¡°You sure act like you do.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve just been told¡ some disturbing things by the senate.¡± She began pouring tea. ¡°We¡¯ll be here for a while - so let Pii relax.¡± Psia looked over at the other seat next to Ressen. ¡°Ah, before that - have one of these. They¡¯re a really expensive brand of chocolate sister gave me.¡± She unwrapped one of the candies which almost looked like a burnt rock and placed it on the table.
Pii immediately broke guard stance and leaped off Ressen¡¯s shoulder, instantly gobbling the candy, and the entire bowl with a ¡°Pii!¡± before looking up.
Ressen¡¯s jaw dropped.
Psia flinched.
?
¡°Pii! That - wasn¡¯t fo-¡±
Psia stopped him with a hand. ¡°No, no. No, that¡¯s fine¡ I was going to offer the dragon one anyways.¡± She took another breath. ¡°I¡¯ll have Brutus bring¡ more.¡± She nodded at Brutus, who walked out of the room.
¡°So, time to teach you about orbs.¡± She smiled to herself. ¡°At least I¡¯ll be proving Flot wrong and do something useful.¡±
Pii jumped off the table into the seat next to Ressen.
¡°Sorry? What?¡±
¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Psia paused and reached into the bag at her waist. ¡°So, where to start¡¡± she pulled out a white orb similar to the one she used earlier during the ambush. ¡°Well, first off there¡¯s seven main attributes of orbs; Aer, Terra, Mentis, Ignis, Industria, Aether, Aqua. Luckily I¡¯ve got all seven types here, although my highest concentrations are all Aer¡¡±
She reached under the table into a drawer and pulled out six more small orbs, each about the size of a fingernail. Each one was far duller in luminosity than the white orb. She lined them up in a circular pattern and pointed to one.
¡°Red orbs represent Ignis.¡± Psia picked up the orb and crushed it into dust, causing her eyes to tinge red. She pointed a finger at Ressen.
¡°W-woah, wait what¡¯re you doing?¡± This was giving him flashbacks to the three weaponless guards at the village¡Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s a low intensity orb. Only really good for tricks.¡± a small flame shot out of her fingertip like a match catching on fire.
¡°Just a question¡¡± Ressen looked at the Aer and Ignis orbs. ¡°Your¡ guards used orbs that had both white and red inside of them when they¡ you know.¡±
¡°Ah, those exist through refining. Aer and Ignis allows users to carry flames using air, creating essentially - fireballs.¡±
¡°That sounds¡ complicated.¡±
¡°You can do combinations of practically any affinity, however they¡¯re more difficult to obtain in comparison to pure orbs that are found naturally.¡±
¡°So what are the others?¡±
Psia quickly looked at the grandfather clock behind Ressen. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll run through them quickly, clockwise from Aer.¡± She pointed at the brown orb. ¡°This represents Terra, or earth and allows for the manipulation of earth and metals. This orange one represents Mentis, or mind and represents both mental and physical strength modification.¡±
¡°Hold on, an orb can do that?¡±
Confused Psia could only reply curtly, ¡°Well yes, it¡¯s Mentis¡ well, we went over Ignis¡ next is¡¡± She pointed at a yellow orb. ¡°Ah, Industria, the energy affinity¡ although it¡¯s an interesting one we don¡¯t know much about.¡± she looked up at the ceiling and coughed. ¡°This green orb, on the other hand is Aether, or life. It¡¯s very useful for its healing properties and crop growth, and finally this Blue one is Aqua, or water and allows for the control of liquids.¡±
¡°That seems¡ simple.¡±
¡°These are just the basics you know, there are dozens of combinations.¡±
¡°Ah¡ how do you combin-?¡±
Psia interrupted him before he could finish, ¡°Well, carrying on, there¡¯s another factor in the power of an orb aside from the inert concentration.¡± She stopped and winced. ¡°Flot probably taught you when he performed the test¡±
¡°Oh yeah, he mentioned you¡ never mind.¡±
¡°Well, I organized these orbs to display their relationships with each other.
¡°As an Aer user, Ignis and Industria are complete opposites for me - and are very difficult for us to use.¡± She rubbed her finger through the dust of the Ignis orb. ¡°A strong Ignis user could actually create an explosion with this same exact orb¡¡±
Psia looked up and flicked the dust off her fingers at Pii who was rolling around on the chair next to Ressen. ¡°Cute.¡± Psia pointed at the blue and brown orbs. ¡°However, Aer users are more compatible with Terra and Aqua orbs - having similar power outputs as someone dedicated to those affinities. For me, however, since I¡¯m extremely strong with Aer magic and channeling from Aer orbs, any other kind of orb is difficult for me to channel.¡±
¡°Okay, but how do you even get these orbs?¡±
Psia looked uncomfortable while she looked at the clock again. ¡°Well¡ they typically appear at each respective Fortress that is dedicated to them naturally as ores... Aer generates a large amount of Aer ores.¡±
Wait, something bothered him. He was pretty sure he knew what ores looked like. Something wasn¡¯t right. ¡°And¡ what do these ores look like?¡±
Psia was fully watching the clock now.
¡°Psia, what do the. ores. look. like.¡± Ressen looked down at the table where the bowl of candies was turned over, and then looked over at Pii.
The grandfather clock gonged.
Psia let out the breath she was holding the entire time. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Ressen, but dragons are¡ are... dangerous.¡±
Ressen wasn¡¯t even listening to her, but watched as the previously playful Pii froze, staring at him, and the color literally drained from its scales as it fell to the ground.
¡°Pii?¡±
¡°Now it¡¯s time for you to help me out.¡± Psia nodded, and Ressen noticed a harsh breathing that he hadn¡¯t paid attention to before. It was at that moment Ressen realized Psia wasn¡¯t just looking at the Grandfather clock, but someone behind him.
¡°You know, you might not hate me - but I just as hell hate you.¡±
At least that¡¯s all he had time to say before the blunt head of a familiar axe slammed into his skull.
Et tu, Brute?
?
The scathing sound of a blade entering flesh could be heard echoing through the dimly lit cavern. A black haired boy - after opening the grand entrance to a massive space ¨C heard the sound and looked down at its origin. A large blade, with intricate dark red carvings 12 inches long protruded from the center of his chest. Slick with wetness to the torch light around him, it was a blade he recognized well. He fell to his knees into an ever-growing puddle, clutching his chest as a desperate attempt to slow the life that was ebbing away.
He looked up into the room he had just uncovered. Where he had expected a lavish hall, draped in banners and filled with soldiers standing to attention to a woman sitting opposite to him in a throne, there was only a large dirt cavern devoid of any worldly possessions aside from the flickering light of wall mounted torches. Footsteps sounded from behind him, breaking the silence previously occupied by the crackling of flames as his vision became obscured by the legs of seven cloaked individuals. His Fortresses.
He looked up at the wall of faces hidden by cloaks in the darkness. ¡°Where is she?¡± was all he could stammer in disbelief.
A figure stepped forwards from the wall and removed its cloak, revealing a luscious flow of crimson hair and pair of red eyes belonging to a beautiful smiling woman. It was someone he cared for¡ in a unique way. His heart throbbed, or was it the wound? He had no time to think as the owner of the blade stepped forth.
As if he had only realized just realized the existence of the blade within him, his body began to shake. ¡°W-why?¡±
¡°Why?¡± Her soft voice resounded his question. ¡°This is exactly why you¡¯re useless, Ignorant until the very end.¡±
¡°Useless?¡± He balked, his chest beginning to convulse. He stared at the cloaked faces behind her, hoping for an answer.
One by one, each figure removed their hoods.
¡°Selfish.¡± The first one stated, revealing his blue hair and young face paired with blue eyes.
¡°Stupid¡± Next to him, a small golden haired girl whispered softly, her voice devoid of empathy.
¡°Ignorant¡± a large figure with short brown hair smiled. His eyes gleaming hungrily.
¡°Powerless¡± A green haired beauty fixated her eyes on the blade.
¡°Weak¡± The booming voice of an incredibly muscular man with orange locks echoed through the cavern.
¡°Gullible¡± the enchanting voice of a silver-haired woman sliced through the air of the hall like a shockwave, followed by a long silence.
They had nothing else to say.
¡°Is that what you thought of me this entire time?¡±
The entire group nodded once.
¡°After all we¡¯ve been through? Are we not family?¡±
He looked at the silver haired woman, ¡°Were you not the one that promised to teach me how to get the best deals from the merchants, and not get tricked after I bought that so called ¡®legendary¡¯ sword and I promised to never fall for it again?¡±
No reaction.
He looked over at the orange-haired man with an intimidating stare. ¡°Didn¡¯t you promise to train with me every day so we could get stronger together after I promised to protect you all?¡±
The man¡¯s gaze continued to pierce him like the blade.
Frantically, he switched his eyes to the green haired girl. ¡°What about all of the times you fed me your poisonous recipes that I almost came up with my own healing magic?¡±
She continued to stare at the blade.
His anxiety grew continuously as he looked at the brown haired man. ¡°Didn¡¯t you teach me how to craft all of those stupid inventions we came up with as dreams to make peace with the demons?¡±
The man stared plainly at him.
His voice sped up, desperately looking for resolve. ¡°You¡¡± he looked at the small golden haired girl. ¡°Surely you remember all the things you taught me after I realized I knew nothing about the rest of the world?¡±
She stayed silent.
He quickly switched his gaze to the blue haired boy. ¡°We laughed about what we would do with the treasures we gained, and how to best use it - right?¡±
He blinked.
Panicked, he quickly looked at the center of his vision filled with crimson hair. He felt a pain again, this time from the blade. He stared at silence at her. Were these people really his companions that he had spent years with? He was in despair. ¡°Did¡ didn¡¯t we promise to defeat the queen together? And live together in a small cottage in the countryside in peace?¡± Tears began streaming down his face, diluting the puddle at his knees. These people were not his companions. His friends. The ones he laughed with, fought with, cried with.
¡°This is a joke, right? We¡¯re so close to¡ to saving everyone.¡±
The red haired girl cut him off. ¡°You still think there¡¯s a demon queen?¡±
He froze and felt a chill in his body.
¡°What?¡±
¡°The demon queen doesn¡¯t exist. Fabrication, trick, lie, call it what you want, but she never existed.¡±
The hero stared in silence.
¡°Do you honestly believe that you so happened to be the one to create the fortresses? That you were lucky enough to stumble across each and every one of us? That you were even able to survive this long without powers?¡±
¡°Y ¨C no! we¡¯re destined to save humanity!¡±
¡°You¡¯re still going on with that. You really are pathetic.¡±
She placed her finger on the tip of the blade and began sliding her finger towards his chest against its spine.
¡°We use you. We needed someone blinded by justice, blinded by the idea to save that world and became a ¡®hero¡¯ to help cover up our existence and act as our face as we infiltrated humanity.
Her finger reached the apex between metal and flesh.
¡°Why do you think we can use magic, something that exists only with demons?¡±
His eyes opened wide in sudden realization.
¡°You were selfish, stupid, ignorant, powerless, weak, and gullible enough for us to use your sense of justice as a perfect disguise. You can¡¯t even do anything now that you know the truth.¡±
Her finger pushed down on the blade, but the hero felt nothing.
¡°And now that we have gained the trust of humanity by defeating the ¡®demon queen¡¯ we can dispose of you.¡± She turned and signaled towards the empty room. ¡°Welcome to your new home.¡±
She gave the blade a sharp push, and with a sucking sound, it partially left his body.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, when we return we¡¯ll sing praises of you sacrificing yourself heroically to save us, hoping that we will ¡®lead humanity into a bright future¡¯. You¡¯ll achieve your dream of being a hero, won¡¯t you?¡±
She pushed herself against the ground, and stood up, looking down at him.
¡°Although¡ I do wonder what it must feel like, to find out that those sworn enemies of yours were next to you the entire time.¡±
The group began exiting the room, one by one extinguishing the flames with a burst of wind.
Not knowing how to respond, the hero said the first thing that came to his mind.
¡°Wait ¨C don¡¯t forge Re-¡± he choked, ¡°-tor¡±
The red haired woman paused before stepping out of the room and turned, smiling at him. ¡°That sword? If you can make yourself useful and survive¡ maybe you will be worthy enough to hand that back to me.¡±
She laughed and left the room.
The boom of the great doors slamming together echoed through the small space, leaving the hero in silence, aside from the sound of liquid dashing against the floor faceted by the blade. He was frozen in shock.
They were right. He depended on them. He needed them. The tears that streamed from his face earlier were greeted by an onslaught of liquid, feeding the pool at his knees. He tried moving his body, to stand up and chase after them, hoping that they would turn around and say ¡°Sorry! It was all a joke!¡±. He attempted to look at the door by turning slightly, and was met with a jolt of unfathomable pain ¨C as if his insides were pouring out of him. No, something did fall out of him he was certain of it.
¡°I don¡¯t want¡ to die.¡± Using the last of his strength, a dark shape fell face forwards into the dirt.
Update: Exams
First off, sorry for the lack of chapters this week! Unfortunately, as my exam period had started since last week, no updates will be coming out until next week, however, expect that next week''s update will be a big one since it''s the official start of the first arc! Expect a lot of things to be revealed, and the world to expand even further.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Meanwhile, knock yourself out with this diagram of the orbs!
Chapter 6: Part 1
Tick. Tock.
It was dark.
T-tick. Tock.
It was cold.
Tick. Tock.
It was lonely.
T-tick. Tock.
It was wet.
Tick. To-
Wait, what? Wet?
T-tick. Tock.
Something''s wrong.
Tick. Tock.
Where was he?
T-tick. Tock.
Where was¡ Pii? He felt kind of¡ soft.
Tick. Tock.
Oh. He knew this feeling.
T-t-t-t-ock.
His eyes shot open once more as he laid face up towards the sky.
He heard something fall onto stone next to his head. From above, a soft voice spoke to him. ¡°H-hey you¡¯re awake?¡±
At the bottom of his vision he could see stairs leading to the banks of a stone canal with a busy bridge running over it, carriages echoing a constant click clack into the shadowed area he laid in¡ and at the top of his vision he could see black locks of hair. Ressen just laid there. This was new.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
¡°You¡¯re the softest one so far.¡±
¡°E-eh?¡±
He felt the girl stumble backwards away from him as his head hit the paved stone.
¡°Are you a pervert?!¡±
¡°You there - where¡¯s Pii.¡±
¡°Pii? Wait, no I¡¯m the one asking questions - I thought you were dead!¡±
¡°Huh. I didn¡¯t think Aer could have a canal. Where does this water come from?¡±
The voice stopped stumbling backwards and fell on her rear with a plop. ¡°Ae- this isn¡¯t Aer?¡±
¡°Aer was pretty high up wasn¡¯t it¡¡±
The silhouette of a head blocked Ressens view. ¡°Hey, where do you think you are?¡±
¡°Eh? This is Aer isn¡¯t it. I¡¯m starting to prefer Flot if Psia¡¯s going to play these dumb jokes.¡±
The face stuck a hand in front of his face and waved it. ¡°Hello? This is Fortress Ignis¡ Aer is two months away.¡±
¡°I need to go find pii an- what?¡± Ressen sat up, causing the girl to fall backwards on her rear. He spun around and looked at a black haired girl dressed in a quaint dress. ¡°This is, I-ignis?¡±
¡°Aer is that city that''s really tall right?¡± She was rubbing her back.
¡°H-hey, girl, where¡¯s Pii?¡±
¡°You keep talking about a Pii¡ is that your friend or something?¡± she fumbled around in her only pocket trying to put something back in. ¡°She''s not a very good friend if you ended up in the sewers¡¡± her face had a complicated expression. ¡°Most people that end up down here are either dead or dying. I¡¯m actually surprised you¡¯re alive.¡±
Ressen¡¯s mouth flapped open and closed repeatedly as thoughts rushed through his head. Dead? What had happened? ¡°A d-dragon. Pii is my dragon.¡±
¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to stop you there. Are you sure you¡¯re not on some kind of drug?¡± She stood up preparing to leave.
Ressen was completely dejected, staring at the ground, trying to remember the previous day¡¯s events.
¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to leave you to it then¡¡± she began backing off out of the alley.
Ressen looked up in panic, realizing if she was telling the truth, he had no idea where he was. ¡°N-no! Please - Pii is all I have.¡± He stood up to try and stop her, ¡°She''s family.¡±
She stopped and turned around, ¡°A dragon is family, huh. You don¡¯t hear this stuff every day.¡± She stopped and looked like she was thinking. ¡°I don¡¯t have much time for nonsense.¡± She turned around and walked to the entrance of the alley.
Ressen stopped in his tracks. ¡°Bu-¡±
She looked back at him. ¡°C¡¯mon, what are you waiting for? Tell me everything as we walk.¡± She stood with her hands on her sides. ¡°You sound interesting, and I know a few people we can ask if you¡¯re telling the truth.¡±