《Records of The Last Land》


 Chapter 1: Blood on the Sand

    It was quiet, unnaturally so, It was market day in this town so the streets should have been jammed with loaded carts, buyers and sellers; the air busy with the sounds of barter as coin and goods changed hands at merchant stalls. Above that the smell of freshly cooked food that convinced people to delay the day''s business to try sugar sweets and skewers of spicy meats. A stage stood where the town crier should be relaying the latest news in the kingdom to the passers-by, or on other days where criminals would beg forgiveness under the executioner''s axe.


    A cat slunk out of the shadows and hopped onto the stage taking advantage of the emptiness to laze in a prime patch of sun. A sound made the cat twitch its ears and look around but it was just a tattered beggar also trying to get some rest under an archway. Turning back the cat stretched out and gazed down the road as the sound of cheers reached it from the edge of town.


    On the north side of town, a gigantic arena was built into the side of a hill it was here where the cheering sounded from. In the stands men, women and children cheered as they looked downwards into the ring, in the ring, there were 5 brawny men armed with swords and spears and a colossal black bear roaring at the surrounding crowd. This was a massive creature that would have stood over 3 meters high on its hind legs, with dark black fur and a blood-soaked maw, it roared. The cause of the blood was the corpse of the sixth man that lay behind the bear missing an arm, and a head. The remaining men calmed their panicked breathing and spread out once again surrounding the beast. At this, the crowd cheered and shouted encouragement, only some of which was for the fighters.


    The bear roared again and charged at one of the fighters, cursing he tried to roll out of the way but the bear wiped out with its razor sharp claws catching the man full in the chest. The fighter flew backwards and did not remain in one piece sending blood arcing through the air until it coloured the sand floor of the arena red. The crowd cheered again but the bear didn¡¯t stop turning it charged at two more men, they panicked one bringing up a large square shield the other raising a large axe above his head. The bear thrust it''s now bright red claws straight through the shield and the man behind it, getting its leg stuck, the other man brought his axe down, biting into the bear''s shoulder, amazed he had hit the bear he drew the axe above his head again, this was a mistake. The bear¡¯s head snapped forward opening its mouth wide, full of 6 inch long teeth, it bit through the axeman¡¯s throat tearing it away.


    While the bear tried to dislodge its foot from the shield and the bearer¡¯s stomach a net dropped on top of the bear and an arrow lodged itself in the bear''s hide. The man who threw the net unsheathed a short sword and started hacking at the creature as arrows peppered its side, the bear continued to struggle. The crowd cheered again as this tense fight between the last 2 men and the bear caused their blood to boil. In a box above the crowd, a group of affluently dressed elderly men sat in fur lined chairs as pretty maids served them fine wine.


    ¡°A good fight¡± one said in a gruff voice.


    ¡°Quite¡± another agreed in a snooty and cruel way while his eyes drank in the violence


    ¡°That bear was indeed a good find lord mayor¡± the man that said this was plump and wore the most lavish clothes among the lot. He looked at the beast in quiet admiration while his hand tapped with no rhythm on the arm rest.


    ¡°We found it shortly after you left last year, in a cave in the hills, took 30 men to capture it¡± the mayor laughed obviously happy at the compliment ¡°it is a magnificent beast, admirably your men are able to put up a fight¡±


    The plump man scowled at this but quickly fixed his expression ¡°if these men can not defeat the beast I shall send out my own beast for the next fight, what do you say?¡±


    The mayor wore a confident smile and quickly answered ¡°it would be the perfect end to the day¡±


    As they said this the bear roared dislodging its foot, lashing out tearing through the net and the man with the short sword who flew away in a cloud of blood. The beast¡¯s eyes found the last man, the archer who had been stinging it with arrows and bounded towards him. The man¡¯s courage failed him, he ran towards a metal gate in one corner of the arena in a bid to escape the crowd booed hurling insults and stones at the man.


    ¡°Coward!¡± the plump man said with anger on his face. As the man neared the gate an arrow flew out of the darkness and hit him straight in the chest dropping him to the floor, the man struggled until the bear reached him, then he didn¡¯t struggle anymore.


    ¡°Shall we see this beast of yours Menas¡± the mayor chuckled while looking at the plump man¡¯s scarlet features.


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    ¡°Indeed,¡± Menas said his voice seething with anger as if his wished he was the bear on the sand ripping the archer''s body to shreds. He beckoned a man from the edge of the room and whispered to him, the man stood up nodded and left the room. He travelled down several flights of stairs and along the round corridor beneath the stands, the cheers of the spectators shook the corridor as they watched the bear snack on the 6 fighters. He eventually reached a small room in which there were several men.


    If someone else had entered the room they would have wondered what was wrong. Several men sat on benches, they were just as big as the men who had just fought, if not more so and all were armed. However, they all avoided looking into the far corner and shuffled up the benches away from that corner. Even the full armoured guards avoided looking at that corner. The problem was that in this corner was only a boy holding a long unadorned spear which could not be that frightening surely, admittedly the arms holding the spear had python like muscles beneath the skin but so did the arms of every man in the room and he was at least a head shorter than any of them. No, it was his aura that made them all shrink back as savageness poured from him like a river that had been dammed for weeks before being opened again. The man took one step towards that corner but stopped when he realised the boy''s eyes with green irises and vertical slits for pupils were fixed on him, the wildness in those eyes made his mouth go dry.


    ¡°N...Nihe get ready¡± the man choked halfway through the instructions, after managing to get the rest of the instruction out he quickly left the room, retreating under the gaze of those eyes. Nihe stood up and walked towards a ramp opposite the door the man left through, the men he passed held there breath and seemed to be trying to sink into the walls. Only after Nihe left, going up the ramp did they release their breaths and slump in relief at his exit.


    Back in the box the man returned and said ¡°Nihe is ready¡± then stepped back against the wall.


    ¡°Nihe? What type of beast is a Nihe, Menas?¡± the mayor looked at the plump man with expensive clothes curiosity in his voice.


    Menas laughed before explaining ¡°Ha¡­ Nihe is a very special beast, you see nearly 15 years ago I paid 300 Kings for a very special breeding opportunity. I had Mar ¡®king of the arena¡¯ impregnate a female slave. When she gave birth I spent an additional 800 Kings for a high-grade body cultivation method and trained the boy in it while at the same time forging him as a fighter and now he is truly a beast in human skin, best of all he is my beast¡­ HaHa¡± Menas threw his head back and laughed again at the end of his story.


    The others in the box took a sharp intake of breath as they thought this story through, first there was the name Mar, they all knew it. Mar was the finest gladiator in 100 years he had won 100 straight fights in each of the 6 royal colosseums and eventually was released by his master when he completed that record about 7 years ago, he had since vanished off the face of the earth and into legend. Then there was the fact that this Nihe was his son, indeed breeding exceptional fighters wasn¡¯t uncommon but Mar¡¯s owner had been extremely tight with opportunities to do so which had increased the value 10 fold, considering that a meal could be brought from a food stall for 6-7 rooks this told how expensive this chance had been.(10000 Rooks -> 1000 Knights -> 100 Bishops -> 10 Queens -> 1 King)


    But then they frowned at the next part ¡°Menas? Are you lying? how could you get a high-grade body cultivation method for only 800 kings?¡± All the men were confused by this, after all, the average price for mid-grade body cultivation techniques was 1000 kings as these cultivation techniques were rare. High-grade cultivation techniques were closely guarded secrets and when they were sold there prices easily went above 10,000 kings. Hearing Menas had gotten one for 800 kings made them doubtful that this was true but what he said next made them believe it and anxious to hear the details.


    Menas laughed again at their curious faces then said ¡°The technique is indeed high grade but there is one detail about it that makes impossible for anyone to willingly practice it, the technique requires a ceremony to grant the user the body needed to use it¡­¡± the men leaned forward, such ceremonies were signs of the highest among high-grade techniques and greed shone in their eyes ¡°shortly after birth the infant who will practice the technique needs to be bathed in blood¡­¡± The surrounding men¡¯s faces twisted this was indeed unpleasant but¡­ ¡°...the blood of the infant''s mother¡± then the men shot back, as if recoiling from a snake, such a method was not just beastly it was demonic and their expressions continued to worsen as they heard more details from Menas ¡°originally there were 6 children of different notable gladiators but only Nihe who had Mar¡¯s physic survived the ceremony¡± at this the mayor actually leaned away and threw up before looking at Menas in a new light, a fearful light.


    At this point sound drew their eyes back to the arena, the crowd cheered as the figure of Nihe entered. He was taller than average for a 14-year-old boy but still smaller than a full grown man, his frame was not bulky but muscles rippled like snakes under his skin when he moved. Nihe wore light leather armour around his wrists, shins and torso and carried a wooden spear that was taller than him, his face showed no emotion but the slitted eyes, signs of the ceremony, radiated a wildness out from beneath his black messy hair.


    The crowd¡¯s cheers faltered as the gate swung closed behind Nihe, they had thought that he was just the first in an even larger group than last time but for there to be the only one. Only those in the box understood that this was most definitely a worthy competitor no actually it was probably a little unfair for the bear. The cheers picked back up when Nihe began to circle and the bear, who had noticed the wildness in the boy''s, eyes did the same.


    Suddenly Nihe rushed at the bear, this stunned the crowd as no one had challenged the bear so directly today and they cheered this hot-blooded youth, some, however, chided his stupidity from the stands. The bear also began to charge, it did not roar, though, keeping its entire focus on the boy who gave it a dangerous sensation. When they got close the bear leapt opening its mouth to bite the boy, Nihe suddenly stopped letting momentum carry his spear forwards in a thrust. An old soldier in the crowd sighed ¡°too soon¡±, indeed when the thrust was fully extended the spear was still not at the bear, however Nihe did not stop his movements and brace for impact he instead let go of the spear with his leading hand and let it move through the fingers of his right hand towards the bear. Nihe then grabbed the end of the spear with the fingers of his right hand just as it was about to pass through completely, he moved his palm to the base of the spear and pushed with the strength of high-grade body cultivation method. The spear bowed and then shot forward like a bolt of lightning into the open mouth of the bear, still in flight, is cut straight through the bear''s brain and exploded out the top of its head.


    The crowd was shocked by the boy¡¯s victory, the men in the box were shocked by his strength, and the guards and retired soldiers were shocked at his manipulation of the spear. Then the crowd burst into cheers and the silence was broken, Nihe looked at the bear and spoke under his breath ¡°I hope it was quick¡± then turned back to the gate walking away as blood spread from the bear and people applauded him from the stands.

 Chapter 2: After the Fight

    Nihe looked up, It was several hours after his fight with the bear. The crowds of spectators had left long ago all talking about the show. He had heard the conversations through the small barred slit in the cell that served as a window to the street above.


    ¡°...you see how he dealt with that bear¡±


    ¡°Yes, that was some masterful spearmanship and he must have some impressive strength to put that much power into a single handed strike.¡±


    ¡°What kind of training do you reckon he''s gone through? must have been some young noble with that level of skill.¡±


    ¡°...Maybe¡±


    ¡°I reckon his family fell into ruin and their enemies captured him and sold him as a fighting slave ...Wait why maybe¡±


    ¡°Well I''m no expert but I don¡¯t think you could train that type of spear in the manner of a noble¡±


    ¡°What? Where else would he have learned it?¡±


    ¡°I duno¡­¡±


    In the corner of the cell sat on a bench cut out of the wall Nihe sat. Still pondering the words he had heard earlier as hadn¡¯t understood everything he had heard. What was a noble? Nihe had heard the word before, he had been told occasionally that he would be fighting in front of nobles but when he entered the ring he had only seen men in the stand around him. This always confused him because people used the word noble like they used the words Men, Bear, Lion and Dog. He knew that they were all different things and he had seen that each of them looked very different from each other. Nihe tilted his head what if they were like the wind? Nihe hated the wind that was what the other gladiators called it. That cold, loud nothing that would come in at night through the window and make him shiver while he tried to sleep. Yeah maybe nobles were like the wind and you couldn¡¯t see them but, hadn¡¯t they called him a noble to and Nihe was sure people could see him. Ok so people could definitely see nobles so why couldn¡¯t he?


    There was one other question he had, one which he just couldn¡¯t find a reason for they had said his enemies captured and sold him. Nihe couldn¡¯t understand this at all, well he knew what an enemy was it was something you had to kill, so why did they talk about something so strange as an enemy that would not kill you? Nihe sat with thoughts chasing each other around his head without explanations to go with them.


    A while later, Nihe was curled up in the, ever smaller, last patch of sun as the cold shadows circled him when he heard the sound of boots on stone coming up the corridor towards him. A figure appeared, through the bars of the cell door, Nihe could see a man fumbling with a large ring of keys. He was a squat man in his late thirties without a full head of hair dressed in a shabby overall that always seemed to have at least one new tear or hole but never seemed to fall apart. Nihe recognised him instantly.


    ¡°Donto!¡± Nihe leapt to his feet rushing to the door and shifting his weight from foot to foot as he waited for the older man to find the right key and open the door.


    ¡°Calm down boy, you¡¯re acting like this is a visit between friends.¡± Donto found a key that looked right and tried the door again. He removed it again cursing as it failed to turn. Nihe continued as if he hadn¡¯t heard the outburst.


    ¡°But this is only the 28th day?¡± he asked Donto through the bars.


    ¡°Aye¡­¡± Donto said his hands stopping momentarily before continuing his search for the right key. The halt in motion appeared to go unnoticed by nihe. The concept of months and years was something Nihe had not known about until recently when he had asked a question to Donto. Nihe had never understood why sometimes the gap between visits would be different, he had tried to find a pattern but after 5 visits he couldn¡¯t find it. Giving in to his curiosity Nihe had asked Donto about it and had received a confusing lecture about the order of days into months, months into seasons and seasons into years.


    Seeing that his answer had not giving the boy the explanation he was looking for Donto sighed, paused and then elaborated. ¡°The second month of the year is special, it has 28 days except for once every four years when it has 29¡±


    ¡°What¡­ Why?¡±


    ¡°I dunno, geez boy that''s how it''s always been back before the corrupt brought the land to its knees.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°The corrupt brought the land to its knees?¡± Nihe repeated the last sentence slowly as if it would make more sense to him that way. Seeing the look on the boys face Donto realised what he had just said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you would just forget that part would ya¡± Nihe¡¯s eyes gave his answer before his mouth could, this drew another sigh from the man.


    ¡°I had hoped to keep this from you as you have enough problems in your life without me adding humanities problems to your shoulders but I guess the cat is out of the bag and you won¡¯t stop pestering me regardless¡­¡± Nihe wanted to ask how the cat got into the bag but he suppressed the urge as he nodded his head vehemently as Donto continued.


    ¡°... They say The land used to stretch on forever and you could spend your entire life travelling and never see it all. They say, that even when the land did end you would only find seas still larger and more endless than the land and across those, you would find more lands just as big as this one if not bigger. They say there, were once enough men to cover the land and that they built empires larger than anything you could see today. Alas boy, that might still be the world in which we lived, if not for the corruption...¡±


    By this point Nihe¡¯s mouth was open and he had even stopped moving from side to side as he stared enraptured at Donto. This... this is a story, the realisation was the reason for Nihe¡¯s current dumbstruck appearance. Nihe always listened and remembered anything Donto said even the curses, but the stories were his favourite. It was hard to get Donto to tell stories, he said ¡®Stories are told between friends around a fire under the stars¡¯. Every now and then, however, Nihe could make him tell one, sure they were shortened un-descriptive and told so quick you would think Donto was skipping parts out but despite that Donto was an excellent storyteller. Nihe redoubled his efforts as if straining imaginary muscles to hear the words more clearly as he spoke them.


    ¡°... There are many different beliefs when it comes to the corruption, some say it''s a punishment from god, others say other things. The point is no one knows the truth as to where the corruption came from. It ripped through the land, smothered the sea and even covered the sky. It took everything the land had and changed it, beasts common and magical became twisted monstrosities that hunted men and beast and if nothing could be found to hunt they turned on each other. Many wars were fought against the corrupt but eventually, the people of the land were sent running from their homes until they reached the land around the great tree. The great tree is a manifestation of the natural power of nature and those who serve nature and harness its power were able to stop the corruption. These people are called druids and they are the heroes who protected us then and who do so to this day on the great wooden walls of Oak, Ash and Pine.¡±


    Here Donto paused and tried another key, this one worked and he swung open the door looking up Nihe and seeing he was waiting for him to continue Donto gestured down the corridor. ¡°you can listen and walk at the same time boy.¡± Nihe quickly stepped out the cell and listened as they walked together.


    ¡°It¡¯s been two thousand years since the walls were raised and still they fight to protect us.¡± Dontos voice turned sour as he went on. ¡°Of course the new kings of this land have long forgotten that always warring and fighting in their courts or on the battlefield. People have forgotten the fear of the corruption that drove their ancestors behind the druids walls.¡±


    ¡°But not you Donto?¡±


    ¡°Not always boy, when I was younger I was just as ignorant as most. However, one day before you were born I was working during the winter festival. At a wall town and ill tell you even there many miles from the wall I heard the roars of the corrupt as they attacked the wall. I¡¯ve heard nothing like it since and hope it will stay that way. Nightmares for months just from the sound of corrupt roars and there are men who fight them. I¡¯ll tell you druids are either madmen or heroes worthy of song but I will tell you that kings and soldiers who fight each other when the real enemy is all around us are fools.¡± Donto finished with a harumph!


    The two turned into a small room, on the floor, a small hole cut out of the stone. Donto moved around the room lighting torches placed in brackets on the walls as he did so Nihe noticed that as always he kept as far away from the barrels lined up beside the hole. Nihe strode forwards and using strength that did not fit his statue to rip the sealed lid of one of the barrels, as he did so he started to ask questions about the story Donto had just told.


    ¡°What is a king?¡±


    ¡°A king, you don¡¯t even know what a king is?¡±


    ¡°No, so what is it?


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so calm about not knowing such a basic thing.¡± thinking about it for a second Donto answered the initial question. ¡°A King is a man who rules over all the other men in his country with the help of the nobles.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a noble?¡±


    ¡°A noble is¡­¡±


    The questions continued flowing as the pair worked, Donto continued to answer as best he could but didn¡¯t know many specifics about the Corrupt or the Druids. As Nihe opened one barrel after another the room was slowly filled with a smell that made Donto scrunch up his nose in disgust. This made nihe laugh.


    ¡°It''s only pig''s blood, it doesn''t smell that bad¡±


    Donto shot Nihe a grim look as he responded ¡°Just get in already so I can leave.¡±


    Nihe continued to laugh as he pulled off his threadbare tunic and trousers and sat crossed legged in the small hole. Donto walked up to the first barrel and tipped it into the hole it sloshed around Nihes feet painting his skin red. Donto repeated this until all the barrels were empty and the blood came up to Nihes neck. The smell had grown so thick that Donto was green in the face he quickly headed to the door as soon as the last barrel was empty.


    Just as he was about to go he turned to look at the boy sat neck deep in pigs blood smiling broadly at him and for the third time sighed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know how wrong it is for me to put you in that pit do you?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t smell that bad¡±


    Donto turned to go chuckling ¡°one day you will know better and you might understand why I said these are not friendly visits.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be back to get you in the morning¡± and with that donto was gone up the corridor. Nihe listened until he couldn¡¯t hear his footsteps anymore. Nihe loved these meetings despite the large quantities of blood involved. Donto was the only worker who didn¡¯t appear to be scared of him even means always kept him behind a set of iron bars when talking to him. He always said that this wasn¡¯t enough to make them friends as a true friend would try to help him escape this fate. Nihe never understood that and Donto just waved him off when he asked saying ¡°I guess if you don¡¯t know better you can''t want better.¡±


    With this Nihe quieted his mind and reached out with his mind. He felt his skin crawl as his pores opened wide and the poorest parts of the pig''s blood around him were absorbed into his body. Carried along his veins it eventually reached a spot just below his navel, his Dantian there it became a read swirling gas that mingled with the other 11 shades of red gas present there. This was the source of the boy''s abnormal strength and proof that he was a body cultivator of the third rank. Something that would have shocked any number of learned people in the area of body cultivation.

 Chapter 3: Shadows in the Forest

    In the north of the last land, In a forest near where the Ker-Ja and Odun Kingdoms meet a young Doe grazes in between the trees as it moves through the forest. Eventually, it reaches a forest road walking across to snatch at some berries at the roadside. Above a squirrel goes running past causing branches to bend and flex as it jumps between them. Suddenly the Doe looks up ears pointed down the road as it hears a rhythmic thumping sound approaches. As it gets closer the Doe leaps back into the trees and turns its head in time to see six Mounted riders fly past.


    ------


    Teren looked to the side as the group of six riders continued on he had seen movement but was glad to find nothing more than a Doe looking through the trees as they went passed. Teren returned his gaze ahead scanning for any signs of movement, and then something moved. Terens hand was already on his axe handle by the time he noticed that the movement wasn''t the raising of a hostile bow but simply a squirrel running up a tree trunk. He relaxed his grip letting the masterfully engraved axe slide back into the saddle holster beside an equally well-engraved shield. Teren reached up and slicked back a loss strand of auburn hair that was obstructing his view of the road and the surrounding trees.


    ¡°Am I being too cautious?¡± Teren mumbled as his eyes began to flick side to side again. The noise of horses hooves hitting the ground and the wind whistling past their ears meant none of the five armoured riders heard him. Although, they would not have blamed him for his caution as they all knew that this trip at breakneck speeds down old badly managed roads was to do with the unrest in the castle. The King of Ker-ja was old and his health was failing he maybe had a few months left and having made no arrangements concerning his successor a bloody war for the throne was playing out in the shadows of the kingdom. The King was no visionary but he had been well liked by many. He had protected the business interest of the nobles by taxing imported goods and had won over the common people by adding two new festivals to the yearly calendar. His one vice had been, as many men before him, women. A hopeless romantic he had fallen in love with many women and had married most of them and as a result had 19 children who were eligible for the throne and many more who weren¡¯t. With the king not long for this world, many of those children had chosen now to make a play for power of the original 18 heirs only 12 still breathed.


    As the group flew round a bend in the road the rider at the front yelled out ¡°Hole!¡± The two men behind him reacted as fast as they could but the horse on the right fell as its front leg went into the pothole. The horse fell, its rider was quick witted enough to throw himself from the saddle avoiding having his legs crushed underneath the horse. Still, he hit the ground hard landing on his shoulder and letting out a cry of pain as the bones broke with an audible ¡°Crack¡±. Teren and the two riders behind the man managed to avoid him else he would have been crushed under their horse¡¯s hooves.


    After bringing his horse under control the rider who had been at the front rushed to the man. He was a large man and his well-polished armour, as well as the two red stripes on his shoulder, showed that he was, in fact, a captain. ¡°Joff! Are you alright son?¡±


    The injured man breathed heavily through gritted teeth as he sat up gingerly testing his arm and wincing as he answered. ¡°I¡¯m alright captain, arms burning like fire but better than having one of my legs crushed.¡±


    As Teren and the three other soldier finally brought their horses under control the captain checked on Joff¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ow¡± Joff could not help but react when the captain touched his injured arm.


    ¡°It''s definitely broken,¡± The captain said with a sigh ¡°The horse?¡± he asked.


    One of the other riders had dismounted and was checking the thrashing animal from as close as he dared. Shaking his head he replied ¡°Completely lame¡±


    ¡°Better to put it out of its misery. We¡¯ll camp here for tonight and continue on tomorrow.¡± The captain helped Joff to stand and then began to rummage through his saddlebags as he gave the order. The soldier nodded turning back to the beast and drawing a cold steel axe from his saddle holster watched for a moment to get close and deliver a mercy blow.


    Teren almost missed the swing of the axe as he focused on the second order the captain had given, almost. The smell of blood instantly filled the area and the soldier pulled his axe back wiping it on the dead animal''s hide. ¡°Camp? We are only an hour from the border. We should continue quickly to make it there before nightfall.¡± His suggestion was meet with a hard stare from the captain. The two men battled wills but Teren was quickly routed. He huffed getting off his horse and leading it off the road before tying it to a low hanging branch.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    After the sun set the soldiers began cooking, Teren wasn¡¯t pleased with the source of the meat for their meal but he decided not to voice these complaints after the smell made his stomach rumble. After 2 days hard riding and only jerky and stale bread to eat the meat tasted better than even the finest royal delicacy and he even realised he was happy the horse had been put down after all. Whilst they were eating a soldier went to relieve the captain from lookout duty, when the captain sat down, he helped himself to a massive portion of horse meat and glanced at Teren. ¡°We have been hard on the road for two days, what matter of business in Odun could be so important that the thirteenth prince¡¯s personal steward has been sent out to deal with it despite the worsening situation in the capital?¡±


    Teren met the captain''s question with a deadpan expression. ¡°I was under the impression that soldiers didn¡¯t question royal commands¡±


    ¡°Royals are not the most popular people within the army right now¡±


    ¡°The thirteenth prince has never done anything to offend the army?¡±


    The captain let out a laugh ¡°How would I know most people don¡¯t even know what the thirteenth prince looks like. For all I know he could be the arse that beat me at cards last week.¡± he leant towards Teren ¡°So?¡±


    Teren was confused ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°The prince boy, what is he like?¡± Hearing this Joff and the two other men looked towards Teren their curiosity obvious.


    ¡°The prince¡­¡± Teren trailed off as he thought of an answer to a question he had clearly not been expecting ¡°He is secretive.¡±


    ¡°We know that boy why do you think he is called the faceless royal¡±


    Teren sputtered ¡°F¡­ Faceless royal?¡±


    ¡°Yes boy, the faceless royal, the prince who doesn''t show his face at court, whose actions and motivations are a mystery you know, the Prince you serve?¡±


    Teren was at a loss as to how he should respond but after a pause, he did so. ¡°The prince does not have any interest in politics so he removed himself from noble society at a young age and instead seeks to live a quiet life.¡±


    ¡°Even now the kingdom is in chaos?¡±


    ¡°The Prince has never had designs for the crown.¡°


    The captain sighed almost seeming to deflate as the air left his lungs ¡°That''s a damn shame.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°After the death of the 4th 7th and 8th princes the military has no friends among the kingdoms heirs. Many in the army hoped the 13th prince might become king¡±


    Teren looked around, not only the Captain but all the men around the fire seemed glum at the news he had just delivered. Could it really be that big a blow did they really believe so readily in a reclusive prince who never made public appearances?


    ¡°It can''t be that ba¡­¡± Teren began to console them but he heard a thud in the forest from the direction where the sentry stood. He reacted instinctively reaching behind him towards his axe but before his fingers touched it a whooshing came from the trees and the soldier sitting opposite him jerked, an arrow had appeared in the center of his chest and he just looked at it with a surprised expression as he fell backwards. The captain rolled backwards narrowly avoiding a second arrow that hit the ground where he had just been sitting. Teren got his fingers around the axe handle, looking up he saw five men rush out of the trees towards them, plus the two archers that makes seven he thought as he rushed towards the closest assassin.


    Teren Swung his axe in a big overhead swing, this attack earned him a cold smile from the assassin as he stopped short of the swing allowing it to pass before he struck forward. Teren returned the cold grin as his axe cut through the air turning in a tight circle the momentum turning full circle. The assassin''s face showed his shock as the axe bit into him right under ribs and didn¡¯t stop until it had nearly cut him in half. Teren heard the whooshing sound again and let go of his axe as he rolled sideways. As if to add insult to injury the arrow ended up hitting the dead assassin in the shoulder as he fell. Teren came to his feet looking around at the rest of his companions. The other previously uninjured soldier was lying face down in a pool of his own blood, unmoving, However, it had evidently not been an easy feat to accomplish as the assassin nearby was holding his side where a long cut could be seen bleeding heavily. Joff was holding a shield with his good arm eyeing the trees watching for any more arrows that might come flying out from the darkness. The captain was roaring like a bear swinging a massive double-bladed axe was keeping the remaining three assassins occupied. They prowled around him out of the range of his swings armed with axes and shields, waiting for a chance to strike.


    Teren began towards the captain when the injured assassin noticed Joff. Injured man charged injured man, the assassin howled clearly enraged by the pain his wound was causing. Teren changed direction rushing towards him. Joff did his best to hold of the assassin''s axe but each hit he blocked with the shield clearly caused his injured shoulder pain. His reactions were slowing because of it and the opponents axe grew closer and closer as he dodged and blocked. Teren ran up locking his axe with the assassin¡¯s stopping it inches from Joff¡¯s face. He kicked Joff away which would hurt a lot he knew, but he also would have been willing to bet an axe to the face hurt more. Teren began to furiously attack the assassin, this made him even more mad but his strength gradually left him as his blood did and eventually he left this world with the aid of Teren¡¯s axe.


    Teren turned to face joff the man looked up from the ground. He was obviously in pain but he smiled gratefully, that was when two arrows struck him. One in the stomach, one in the leg He howled in pain and Teren rushed to help him Joff started pointing at him trying to speak but pain robbed him of his words.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay joff¡± Teren lied but he didn¡¯t know what else he could do. Then he noticed Joff was still pointing frantically but not at him, but behind him! Teren spun but that was all he could do before a shield struck him square across the jaw and his world went black.

 Chapter 4: The Lord Who Died in a Fire

    The first thing to come to Teren was the pain. That meant he was alive but Teren wasn¡¯t sure that knowing that was worth it. His head hurt worst of all right where the shield had struck him, the pain made him think his skull had shattered. By comparison, his body wasn¡¯t bad but he still ached and he could feel that his legs had gone numb. Teren tried to move but found that his arms and legs were bound and he was stuck. Teren opened his eyes and found Joff looking straight back at him from not two inches away.


    ¡°Aaaah!¡± Teren cried out in surprise reeling backwards slamming his head against a tree trunk, the pain made him kneel forward unable to massage the already growing bruise with his bound hands. ¡°Curses Jo¡­¡± Teren looked back up and what he saw made him forget whatever he had been about to say. It was not Joff in front of him, or rather, not all of him. Joff''s severed head stared blankly at him from the top of a short stick deliberately positioned so the face was directly in front of his own. Teren stared at the head for a second before falling to the side and emptying his guts onto the ground.


    A deep chuckle sounded outside of Teren''s view and an unfamiliar man¡¯s voice spoke. ¡°Ha, Oi Krunk! looks like our dangerous little Steward is finally awake.¡± Teren heard the sounds of multiple men rising to their feet and several pairs of footsteps heading towards him. Rough hands grabbed his shoulders hauling him back to his knees and spinning him around. Teren could now see the men and glared at them hatred in his eyes.


    The man who had spun him was one of the men who had fought The Captain. Tall with his head bald and eyes small, he looked like a pig and he didn¡¯t half smell like one either. The Pig grinned as he stepped back displaying the many gaps in his teeth.


    The one this Pig had called Krunk was clearly the leader and had an air not dissimilar to The Captain. He moved with the strict efficiency of a lifetime soldier and the respect he drew from the other four men was obvious.


    ¡°You cost me two of my men boy.¡± He spoke more at Teren than to him not bothered that the captured stewards eyes were looking down at the ground. Men about to die usually looked down as if not looking at their soon to be killer would help them to avoid their fate. Teren tried to respond to the statement going for something witty that would make him look heroic, however, as he was thinking what to say Krunk¡¯s fist hit him square in the stomach. The blow made Teren fall onto his side again and he would have empty the contents of his stomach onto the ground again if there was anything left to empty. ¡°I will kill you for that boy, but first I want to know something. Where were you going and who were you going to see?¡±


    Teren couldn¡¯t sit back up due to his bindings but the Pig walked back over and lifted him back to sitting position ¡°I will... not betray... my lord¡± Teren barely managed to answer between gasping breaths.


    Krunk through back his head and laughed comically and turned away walking back to the campfire calling back over his shoulder ¡°Even if there is no lord to betray?¡±


    The sentence hit Teren harder than any punch could have. All other thing seemed to fall away he no longer felt his various aches and pains and the crackling fire and swaying trees went silent. ¡°What?¡± Teren finally managed to respond.


    ¡°Oh yes, your lord is dead boy, now he''s just the Lord who died in a fire¡± The Pig answered him picking him up by his bound wrists and carrying him away from the fire.


    ¡°How?¡± As the Pig carried him Teren pressed for more details.


    The Pig smiled ¡°Terrible really, accident, a servant forgot to put out the kitchen fire and the whole place went up in flames.¡± That smile grew with every word showing just how much he was enjoying Teren¡¯s pain. The Pig dropped him to the ground facing away from the camp again before walking back to his comrades.


    Teren just lay there with the soft mud caking the side of his face and an utter feeling of despair in his heart. Everyone was dead, burned in their sleep, and Teren wasn¡¯t fool enough to not see the obvious hint behind the Pig''s words. The fire had been no accident, it had been cold-blooded murder! The flames of rage ignited in his chest and Teren let out a yell tossing and turning on the ground not caring for the laughs he heard from the men sitting by the fire.


    Eventually, his thrashing and yelling stopped and Teren¡¯s reason returned. ¡°Stupid¡± he cursed himself for his actions ¡°what can you do he already said they''re all dead.


    No wait, he said your lord was dead. The realisation came to Teren in a moment of cold clarity, they didn¡¯t know, they didn¡¯t know! In that moment Teren dared to hope, hope that he might yet live.


    A groan sounded next to him, looking round he saw that there was another body bound in the dirt. It was The Captain, Teren looked quickly towards the men and was glad to see that they hadn¡¯t heard the captain wake. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Captain whatever you do, do not move.¡± Teren gave the command as quietly as he could but in his voice was a hard edge that hadn¡¯t been there before. The captain gave no sign that he had heard Teren but he didn¡¯t move again so Teren assumed he had heard him. After looking back at the fire Teren gave another instruction. ¡°When I say, roll to face me as quietly as you can, ready¡­ now.¡± The Captain rolled and Teren was relieved that none of the men had chosen that moment to look back at their captives.


    ¡°Teren what about Joff?¡± the captain whispered a question to him. Teren shook his head nodding towards Joff¡¯s head still where it had been stuck on a stick next to him. The captain''s expression turned dark upon seeing the severed head. ¡°Bastards¡± he looked like he was about to start yelling and thrashing much like Teren just had but he managed to control himself better than Teren had.


    Teren took a deep breath then asked the only question that mattered right now ¡°Captain I need to know, what was the highest rank body cultivator among them?¡± The captain, clearly puzzled by the question, open his mouth but seeing he was not about to give him an answer and instead ask a question of his own Teren cut him off. ¡°That information is the deciding factor as to whether we will live, captain, or if we will die.¡±


    That made the captain shut his mouth and when he opened it again he answered: ¡°The leader is second rank, I¡¯m only first rank so I can¡¯t beat him but why¡­¡± The Captain never finished the question his eyes going wide as he stared at Teren. Teren had closed his eyes and had started breathing in a slow rhythm. Only body cultivators would be able to see the slight heat haze that had started to emanate from Teren. The Captain¡¯s mouth opened and closed like a feeding fish but eventually, he decided not to speak. Instead, he started a similar process of breaths but the heat haze he produced was far fainter than Teren''s.


    Teren finally felt the pain subside as he breathed, the cold night air seemed to spread from his lungs around his body until it reached a spot right below his navel where it collided and pushed out wave after wave of energy from his Dantain. The wave spread through his body easing all the aches and pains from being tied up and beaten. Next, his senses grew sharp, he felt each individual bit of mud on his skin and could see between the trees out into the forest. Spreading his newly improved hearing out towards the campfire the sounds of conversation came to his ears he heard the pig complain about his still being alive to Krunk.


    ¡°... Know we need the info and all but wish I could just stick my axe in that little runt.¡±


    ¡°Soon enough but I won¡¯t have you killing him until the 3rd Princes orders are carried out¡±


    ¡°Just annoys me that I won¡¯t be able to get my money off Marm¡±


    ¡°Marm¡¯s dead, you could show some respect¡±


    ¡°Respect! Funny, why would I show respect to some fool who got himself killed by an odd-eyed steward.¡±


    Teren¡¯s heart went cold, the shock nearly made him disrupt the breathing pattern. Please don¡¯t realise he prayed but the damage had been done and he could have sworn that he heard Krunk¡¯s neck crack as he turned it.


    Krunk shoot a quick question at the pig ¡°What do you mean odd-eyed?¡±


    The pig had a note of question as he answered ¡°yeah¡­ you know one green one blue like¡­¡±


    Teren didn¡¯t hear the rest as his heighten ears heard a far more terrible sound. The ¡®shick¡¯ of a dagger being drawn and the pounding of feet as Krunk run at him. Teren cursed as he realised that Krunk would be able to see the haze and that that would confirm what he suspected. Teren focused of the waves of power in his body and cursed out loud ¡°Nearly¡­¡± the sound of Krunk''s footfalls were now so close Teren¡¯s heightened senses could feel the vibrations through the ground. Just as his ears started to pick up the swish as the dagger cut the air Teren forced the waves of energy down his limbs and used the additional strength the energy gave him to rip open the ropes and dive away rolling in the dirt. He came up and looked back, he saw Krunk with his knife buried in the ground just where he had been kneeling.


    Krunk looked up hatred in his eyes and snorted when he saw Teren''s odd eyes, one green, one blue. ¡°Damm! it was just a trick!¡±


    With the energy in his body allowing him to suppress the pain that was previously muddling his thoughts Teren managed the witty response he had been going for earlier. ¡°Pretty good trick, no?¡± and with that, he launched himself at Krunk.


    Krunk struggled to pull his knife out the ground but as he tried The captain, who had been gathering breath all this time while his haze was covered by Teren¡¯s own, kicked out knocking the knife away into the trees. Teren collided with Krunk and the two men went tumbling to the ground Teren couldn''t feel his cuts and bruises anymore but he was still tired and knew he had to finish of Krunk quickly before he ran out of energy. Teren managed to get on top of Krunk and fired a quick punch into the other man¡¯s chest Krunk let out a heavy breath as the air left his lungs stopping him from completing his cycle of breath. Teren knew that if he let Krunk complete his cycle he wouldn¡¯t be able to win in his weakened state after having disrupted his breath Teren used his energy-infused arms to grasp Krunk''s neck. Krunk had known what Teren was trying to do and managed to get a hand in between Teren¡¯s chokehold and his neck and smiled up at Krunk but that smile faltered when he saw the Teren was smiling right back at him.


    ¡°Nice try,¡± Teren commented and as he did so pushed all of the energy in his body into his hands, sure Krunk''s hand would stop and ordinary man¡¯s stranglehold but Teren was a body cultivator. Without his breath, Krunk was only an ordinary man and his smiling face quickly became terrified as he felt the crushing power of the steward''s fingers. He opened his mouth to scream but he had no breath to scream with and shortly after his hand cracked as Teren broke his bones and without stopping continued to strangle the man. Krunk thrashed but soon stopped moving Teren saw the light leave his eyes and rolled off the man letting out a sigh before continuing his breath cycle was disrupted.


    Teren sat up and looked back towards the campfire. The captain was up but he was losing to the other 4 men. He had broken the ropes around his legs but as the men had known he was a cultivator his wrists were bound in iron. Still, the injured and bound Captain had managed to stop one of the assassins stabbing him in the back while he killed Krunk and Teren felt a flame of respect for the man ignite in his chest. Teren quickly got up and ran at the closet man the man saw him coming but could barely react before Teren was before him Teren drove his fist into the man''s face breaking his nose and causing him to drop the axe in his hand. Catching it as it fell he threw it at the nearest assassin. Striking him full in the chest the axe killed him instantly, The Captain used the distraction to kick one of the last two assassins in the back of the knees causing him to fall to his knees where The Captain used his heavy Iron handcuffs like a mace as he hit the man across the jaw. Teren walked towards the last man pulling the axe from the chest of the dead assassin and was happy to see that the last man was The pig and that he was shaking in fear as Teren approached.


    ¡°Y¡­ you¡¯re t¡­ the Lo¡­ lord, You¡¯re de...dead.¡± He stammered as he fell to his knees.


    With a wicked grin like that of a jester who just made a dark joke Teren spun the axe to the pointed spike and responded ¡°Correct, I am the lord who died in the fire¡± and buried the spike in The Pig''s Head.

 Chapter 5: A Nightmare and a Funeral

    The dream began in a familiar way walking through her favourite garden in Hac-Lu. The sunlight warming her skin and the soft feel of the grass carpet beneath her feet, she felt the pure happiness she felt every time she came here. It was paradise, her paradise, and that was how she knew this was a nightmare, the same nightmare. Even as she knew what was coming she tried to remain, struggled to stay here in this paradise with this happiness but soon enough she drew away from paradise shooting through a dark void until she stopped just as suddenly as she had left. In front of her was a throne room more lavish than any in the real world. Before the throne men and women in lavish clothes clinked glasses and danced. She longed to see their face¡¯s but alas they all hid them behind plain white masks that all had different expressions on them. She watched as a lady with a mask shaped into a disapproving frown and a man wearing a smiling mask danced past her. Soon enough she was noticed, Men and women began to flock to her they bowed and cheered raising glasses and offering her food. Then a horn blew and the crowd fell back as in their place several masked knights in shining armour formed a corridor for her to walk down. She walked to the throne even though every part of her wanted to turn and run, she sat down and instantly felt like her arms and legs were bound in place. Unable to move, she watched as a large man walked up to the throne and drew a golden mask from behind his back placing it gently over her face. As he stepped away revealing her to the hall the masked men and women clapped and cheered in celebration before continuing to dance and talk to each other. She didn¡¯t know how long she sat there watching the proceedings through the slits in her mask but she knew when two people stepped to stand beside the throne with her. She knew she shouldn¡¯t look at them, but eventually, her longing to see them won over her knowledge of what would come next. Looking round she saw the woman with a disapproving frown of a mask and she knew that on her other side would be the man who wore a smiling mask. Once she saw the masked woman she knew she shouldn¡¯t have looked, she tried to turn her head back but couldn¡¯t move it in feeling it bound in the same invisible ropes as her arms and legs.


    The masked woman turned to her and tilted her head inquisitively before she spoke. ¡°Are you not enjoying yourself?¡± She struggled to respond but no sound left her mouth. The masked woman looked out at the room and then back at her again and wondered aloud. ¡°Whatever could be wrong? You''re the centre of attention, everyone is singing your praises and you are a hero in their eyes.¡± As the women spoke she raised a hand and started to pull her mask away from her face. It was slight, so only she could she what lay beneath. She struggled to see, struggled to find a feature but all she could see beneath the mask was inky shadows around two bright red eyes that looked at her. She shuddered as she heard the words she already knew were coming ¡°Or is it that you know the truth, That you know that you deserve none of this at all, because you, are a killer.¡±


    She felt a hand on her shoulder and it moved her back into the chair head turned once again towards the rest of the hall. The festivities had stopped and now all the masked people simply stared at her from afar, none rushed to save her as the man with a smiling mask stepped out in front of her and drew a long sword. Finally, he spoke, in keeping with his mask, it was a jolly voice almost as if he was about to announce that this was nothing more than a joke. He did not however instead he looked straight at her and said. ¡°You could say that even now we still love you. That is because we have the decency to stab you in the chest rather than the back.¡± He lead the masked figures in a round of raucous laughter and then swung the blade down.


    Lara awoke shivering and covered in sweat, it took her a long time to calm her breathing but when she did she rolled over on her bed and cried silently into a pillow. She didn¡¯t know how many times she had had that dream but every time it left her in the same state, crying into a pillow after waking up in the night just wishing she could forget what she had seen. Lara eventually stopped her tears and got up. The room she slept in was her only sanctuary these days. After the nightmares had taken the garden from her it was all she had left but still, she ran her eyes around the room checking for masked shadows. Lara shook her head, chiding herself for her paranoia, the room was the same as it always was. A well sized third circle room, her bed dominated one wall while the opposite wall contained a desk and a waist-high bookshelf. The largest wall, opposite the door, had a large alcove within which sat a round stain glass window. Below that was a chest that contained her worldly possessions. Around the wall were mounted pots from which flowering vines grew spreading up the tops of the walls and across the ceiling towards the single hanging lamp that swayed gently on a long iron chain.


    Lara stood up and walked towards the window the bright moonlight meaning see didn¡¯t have to light the lamp. She put a foot on the chest stepping up before sitting in the gently sloping alcove. The window was her favourite part of the room it was a miss-mash of different coloured glass pieces that made no picture but simply harmonised into a mural of all the shades in the world. When she looked out she could she the world in any one of a hundred different colours depending on how she was sitting, tonight she saw the world outside in a deep purple.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Lara tried her best to forget the nightmare she had had but it wasn''t so easy. Lara had never returned to that garden since she began having the nightmare and it only seemed to come more and more frequently lately. She wondered if the garden was still the same as it was in her dreams or if, in the little over a year she had spent away from it, the place was more different than she remembered but she would never go back, that place held to much pain for her. The sun steadily rose and Lara saw the world become pink through the purple shard of glass in the window before leaving the alcove and opening the chest getting ready for the day ahead.


    -----------------


    Teren and the captain stood over the four fresh graves dug into the ground, one each for Joff and the other soldiers who had left the capital with them. They had dug through the night, finally placing the bodies inside their graves as the first rays of the sun had crept through the trees. As for Krunk, the Pig and the other assassins, well, they had left them for the animals to eat. Neither Teren or the Captain had the time or the inclination to give the men their last rights.


    After giving the four men a silent prayer both men walked over to the horses they had picked from the 13 they had to choose from. The Captain had taken Krunk''s horse, a large black beast that looked hardy and well trained. Teren elected to use the horse he had been using previously, after all, royal horses were fine beasts indeed. Before mounting up both men turned to each other, it was time for the conversation that had been put off while they worked on the 4 graves.


    ¡°Care to introduce yourself?¡± the Captain¡¯s tone was understandably harsh and his eyes made it clear he would not take a refusal to his request.


    ¡°13th prince of the Ker-Ja Kingdom or rather the former prince Danen.¡±


    The captain snorted ¡°You had better be after this mess.¡±


    Danen decided he deserved the condescension in the Captain''s tone and continued as if he hadn¡¯t noticed it. ¡°I¡¯m sure a military man like yourself can understand the reason for my deception¡±


    The Captain huffed again actually crossing his arms as he spoke. ¡°Sure I get it, your steward also acted as a body double correct?¡± Danen nodded and he continued ¡°So you swap with your steward and act as if you''re sending an overland messenger. To others it looks like you''re contacting a foreign power to back you in a bid for the throne so they wait for the messenger to return so they can find out with power has designs on the Ker-Ja kingdom. The trick is that you''re not returning and by the time they realise this you will of vanished off the face of the land.¡±


    Danen nodded before responding ¡°That''s the gist of it after the messenger leaves my double and my servants would also slip away on a boat from one of the southern ports.¡±


    ¡°But, it didn¡¯t turn out that way.¡±


    ¡°No, it looks like my ¡®dear¡¯ brother was already planning to remove me he must have realised that he was one body short and found out the messenger had left for the border. So he sent a squad to deal with me.¡±


    ¡°So do you reckon I should go to ground or not? I doubt I will last long if the 3rd prince is after my hide.¡±


    Danen pondered for a second before responding. ¡°No, as long as my brother thinks I''m dead you won¡¯t be in danger.¡±


    The captain nodded and stepped into the stirrups of his new horse before swinging himself into the saddle. Danen matched his motion, grabbing the reins before looking up again as the Captain spoke. ¡°Your majesty, one last question.¡± Danen nodded back wondering what the man wanted to know.


    ¡°Why are you running? With your talent as a body cultivator, you could easily gain the support of the army and mount a challenge for the throne.¡±


    Before answering Danen looked down at his own hands wondering the same thing. Why did he run? To escape the violence? No, he had proven with his own hands last night that he was not averted to violence. So what was it then, why did he run?. He thought he knew but he would be lying if he didn¡¯t doubt himself and his reason, never the less, he looked up and gave the answer he had come to a hundred times before leaving the capital.


    ¡°Do you think my brothers and sisters, any of them, really care about the crown?¡± The Captain frowned, clearly confused that he had received a question instead of an answer but before he could speak Danen continued ¡°I don¡¯t" and seeing that the befuddlement on the Captain''s face was only increasing he pressed on. "Sure they all want to be king or queen but they aren''t looking at the crown, just the power. I chose to run because I know that I cannot bear the weight of that crown and without the ability to do that I can never truly use the power that comes with it.¡±


    Danen made to leave on his horse but a sudden thought made him stop and look back at the captain. ¡°Captain I realised that despite my self-introduction you never returned the favour.¡±


    Tha Captain let out a low chuckle. ¡°Mar¡±


    ¡°Mar hmmm, well have a nice life Captain Mar I doubt we will meet again¡± Danen turned to go but before he got too far he heard the Captain¡¯s response


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too sure of that¡±


    Danen grinned despite himself and squeezed his horse''s flanks riding off down the road and towards a new life.

 Chapter 6: Leaving the Cage

    Nihe was bored, not that this was anything new when they were on the road. He always had hated the days spent between towns for a number of reasons but chief among them was that he was stuck in a small barred cage the whole time. Even the other gladiators got to stretch the legs sometimes but not for him, not for Menas'' most valuable possession, he could only be envious of the men who walked beside the carriages. Donto told him that most would be envious of his ability to relax the whole way however Nihe didn¡¯t understand. He couldn¡¯t think of anything better than walking and running free in the outside world.


    Nihe lay back onto the cage floor immersing himself in the sounds that floated to him from the travelling convoy. The incessant creaking of the small cart that his cage was loaded onto remained unfortunately loud. Stopping him from sleeping through the days of travel. But the sounds he was listening to came in the gaps when the cartwheels found more stable ground or those that were loud enough to reach him regardless. The prior consisted of mostly animal calls or the distant conversations of the servants and gladiators. The latter were rarer but most of the time it was either the sound of Menas¡¯ laughter from his luxury carriage or the crack of a horsewhip.


    The convoy itself was made up of 6 waggons and 12 horses and 12 pack mules. The horses were ridden by guards and the mules were either lead by some of the workers or tied to the back of waggons. Nihe would have liked it if a mule was tied behind his cart, at least he would have had someone to talk to. Nihes cart brought up the rear of the convoy allowing all the workers who walked beside the waggons to avoid him. The driver of Nihe¡¯s cart was death so even he didn¡¯t speak to the boy. Nihe wished that Donto could have driven his cart but Menas made sure Donto was always busy so that he couldn¡¯t talk to him. Menas said that he didn¡¯t want his prize beast becoming domesticated by spending too much time with people.


    Nihe rolled over on the floor of his cage. A sound from behind him caused him to look up. The sound was loud enough to get to him over the carts groaning and what he saw made it obvious why. A troop of about 30 mounted men were riding up behind the convoy. Nihes first thought was bandits they had attacked the convoy before but a group of gladiators were well equipped to kill some common bandits. Nihe quickly realised his mistake when he saw that the men all wore the same armour and colours and had a flag flying above them. Nihe had seen men like them at every big town or city they visited, Donto had called them soldiers when He had asked about them. They rode past the convoy before drawing to a stop in front of the Luxury waggon that Menas spent his days in. NIhe pressed his head against the bars of his cage but he couldn¡¯t get a good look at what was happening. It was a good thing then, that the convoy had stopped and he could now hear what was going on at the front even if he couldn¡¯t see it.


    The first sound that came to Nihe was the slamming of the carriage door and he imagined the round man, red in the face, as he heard his feet marching across the rough ground, no doubt so he could get right in the face of the soldiers before he complained. Sure enough the next thing Nihe herd was Menas¡¯ pompous outrage. ¡°What exactly is the meaning of blocking my convoy?¡± He continued long before anyone one of the soldiers could offer a response. ¡°Do you not know who I am? Who is your Lord? A single word from me and all of you will find yourselves out of the job!¡±


    In the gap created by Menas taking an exaggerated breath, A voice rose to meet his outraged rant of questions. The voice was calm in the face of Menas¡¯ anger and it¡¯s tone made NIhe imagine a snake looking down on a field mouse as it struggled in its grip. ¡°To answer your second question first. I believe you to be Menas, the Gladiator owner.¡±


    Menas clearly wasn¡¯t expecting the soldier to know who he was and when he did it left Menas without a leg to stand on. The voice continued the momentum now with them. ¡°To answer your third question second. My lord''s name is Duke Ansted.¡±


    Menas still did not respond but Nihe heard many of the convoy workers muttering though they were too quiet for him to make out much. He only heard a few hushed words.


    ¡°Ansted¡­ Duke of Arenas¡­¡±


    ¡°... Largest collection of gladiators¡­¡±


    ¡°... invite¡­ royal festival¡­¡±


    Nihe felt his pride surge as he recognised words that Donto had taught him less than a week ago. He now knew that a Duke was second only to the king and his family. And because he was aware that the king¡¯s family were called the royal family he understood why the royal festival would be a big event. Nihe couldn¡¯t imagine how amazing a festival held by a king, a Man better than all men, would be but from what he was hearing this Duke Ansted had something to do with it.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Menas finally gathered his wits around him and managed to reply. His manner and tone had changed completely from a spitting fury to a wobbling grovel and Nihe almost thought that it wasn¡¯t Menas who had spoken. ¡°My apologies good sir, hard travel on the roads has made me irritable I hope I did not offend.¡± Nihe herd the workers snigger a little at Menas'' change in attitude. ¡°Pray tell, what could the high and mighty Duke want from a poor man such as myself?¡±


    During Menas¡¯ verbal prostrating the soldier had stayed silent but NIhe had her the noises of several men dismounting and the ensuing footsteps suggested that Menas and the lead Soldier with a snake like tone were now opposite one another. The lead soldier didn¡¯t lower his voice, however, and loudly stated. ¡°To answer both your first and fourth question. We have come, to arrest you!¡±


    NIhe heard Menas yelp sounding like he was struggling against a tight grip and saw the hands of convoy guards, still in his view, grab for their sword handle but before they could unsheathe the blades. ¡°Wait! I have here an official warrant for the arrest of this man. His crimes are multiple counts of serious fraud against my duke.¡±


    Nihe didn¡¯t understand all the words he used he knew that crimes were bad but didn¡¯t get what the words warrant or arrest ment but, the guards didn¡¯t draw their swords and instead one called out ¡°May I see that?¡±


    ¡°Of course¡± After a quick response, NIhe heard footsteps and a rustle of paper and then.


    ¡°It¡¯s real.¡± At that, the workers and guards started to whisper but before NIhe could listen in that now familiar snake like tone rose above the whispers.


    ¡°Of course his possessions are now my dukes property as per the law¡­¡±


    From behind, Nihe heard a familiar voice whisper ¡°Boy.¡± He jumped as he realised that he''d been so focused on the conversation he hadn¡¯t heard the man sneak up on him.


    ¡°Donto you scared me.¡± Nihe turned around. What he saw confused him Donto was fiddling with the lock on his cage and over one shoulder was a small bag with one of Nihe''s spears tied to it. ¡°What¡¯s going on Donto?¡±


    Donto managed to force the old key to turn and the lock sprang open. He cursed at the noise as he swung the cage door open. Nihe didn¡¯t need a reason to leave his confinement and hoped down but before he could reiterate his earlier question Donto shoved the pack and the spear into Nihe arms looking over the boy''s shoulder back towards the front of the convoy.


    ¡°Donto?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Boy, there isn¡¯t enough time to explain but just accept it when I say that those men are here for you, not Menas.¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°No Boy, there is no time right now you just have to listen to me.¡± Nihe closed his opening mouth, due in equal parts to Donto¡¯s words and the rare look of worry in his eyes.


    ¡°Boy, in that pack I shoved some food and coin. You are gonna take this and run away from this convoy as fast as you can. Menas was hardly a saint but if half the stories about Duke Ansted are true, well... he''s worse. Look I know you probably won''t get why but try and find a town once you get away and get directions to the druids that keep you safe from the duke and they should help you with a different problem.¡± Donto paused glancing up and Nihe heard raised voices coming towards them. Donto reached into a pocket before pulling out a small thin book. ¡°Listen you must not lose this book. I know you can¡¯t read but if you get to the druids you will need it so they can help you.¡± he pushed the book into the pack in Nihe¡¯s arms. ¡°Now get going into the woods they will chase you but you should be able to handle a few of them.¡±


    There were so many questions Nihe wanted to ask but as Donto pushed him towards the trees the only one that seemed important was ¡°Donto when will I see you again?¡±


    The question made Donto stop for a second. ¡°Probably not for a long time boy and once you can read that book you might not want to see me again.¡± He gave a final push and turned back before muttering something that Nihe had to strain his ears to hear. ¡°Or maybe you will want to see me again, but not for a happy reunion.¡±


    Nihe stared at the back of the only man who had shown him kindness in his life, confused and only now noticing that leaving would mean he might never feel that kindness again. Nihe turned away and stepped forward and in that instant his scrambling mind through up and odd thought. Didn¡¯t this mean he was free? Free to run walk and see the world. maybe it was this thought that propelled Nihe forward into the trees.


    With every step that feeling grew and Nihe quickly found himself running through the trees. His doubts and worries about what Donto had said quickly faded beneath his newfound euphoria. His head quickly cleared when the sound of shouting men reached him from behind. ¡°Right, running away.¡± NIhe spoke almost to remind himself, he reached into his body to the blood in his veins and did something that would have left a certain ¡°dead prince¡± astonished as he instantly drew power to his muscles.


    Nihe used his reinforced muscles to put on a burst of inhuman speed and... ran straight into a low hanging branch. The impact sent Nihe tumbling to the ground. Pain shot through him ¡°Owwwww¡± NIhe moaned and rolled trying to get back to his feet. By the time he managed to do so the shouts had gotten much closer. Nihe set off again with much more apprehension this time. Nihe had grown up in cages and closed off arenas, neither of which were much like a forest and the change was a difficult one to get used to. There were several times where Nihe tripped over a hidden tree root or fell into thorn bushes but eventually his trained body and mind started to get used to it and Nihe found he enjoyed running through the ever changing trees and was looking forward to the next challenge they would through his way.


    After running for what felt like only a few minutes to Nihe but what the setting sun proved had been several hours he realised he could hear no shouts coming from behind him. Nihe had thankfully lost his pursuers, even for a body cultivator like him running for several hours had left him bone tired. The run had also left Nihe with something else as he stood beneath a large tree and stared at the setting sun as if he had only just realised how beautiful it was. Nihe realised that he had probably just covered more ground in that run than he could in running 1000 times around an arena and it had all been different unique. Nihe, was free, for the first time in his life and years from now, he would still remember how he felt right now and would realise how much this feeling of freedom shaped who he would become.

 Chapter 7: An Unusual Reaction

    Danen awoke still feeling tired, it was becoming an all too common feature of his mornings. When he had escaped from the Ker-ja kingdom a fortnight ago he had never thought the men he had killed would affect him like this. Despite Danen¡¯s years of combat training, he had not killed until he buried his axe in that first assassin''s chest. At the time he had moved fluidly with the reflexes that his instructors had hammered into his body. The adrenalin of the moment had even let him feel as sort of savage joy in it, however, a few nights after he crossed the border into the Odun kingdom and had started to let himself believe he had gotten away, that was when the memories had returned.


    He didn¡¯t have nightmares or wonder if the men he had felled like dead trees were haunting him. No, it was in the gap between laying down and finding sleep. The hours when he lay staring up into nothingness, alone with his thoughts. All his logic pointed towards this being silly. Danen well understood that those men would have killed him eventually and also reasoned that it was better to have transitioned to real combat fluidly rather than freezing and being killed on the spot by a foe. This was unfortunately not a logical issue because what really kept him up a night was, when he was honest with himself, not the killing so much as that savage joy he had felt. His logic had given him the adrenaline to use as an excuse but Danen wondered if that''s all it was an excuse. He wondered if he actually was a man who took pleasure in violence and death and that thought kept sleep far from his grasp any night he let it enter his conscious thought. Last night had been a prime example of what happened when he did. Lying awake for hours, Danen had watched as both logical and emotional thoughts chased each other around his head until his body had final overruled his head letting sleep come.


    Well, he was awake now so now use complaining, Danen rose, sitting up in bed before swinging his legs down to the floor. The night in this inn had been his first night under a roof in over a week, which made the fact that he had spent a large proportion of it lying awake hurt even more. The inn room was nothing fancy, the lack of furnishings and decoration showed that this was not designed for long term tenants. The room had little else other than a bed, a desk and a chair over which Danen had put his coat, damp after a light shower the day before. He stood up from the bed walking over to it running a hand over the leather. Glad that it had dried he moved on towards the door. Opening it he found a small bucket of water placed beside his doorway. Lifting it back inside and grabbing out the cloth that was floating inside he began to wipe the worst the dirt and grime from his skin, sucking in a breath at how cold the water was. One thing he did miss about being a prince were the baths, lovely and warmed by a small fire he could lay in the water for hours without it getting cold. What Danen wouldn¡¯t give for a royal bath right now. Luckily, he wasn¡¯t ignorant to how ordinary people lived and hadn¡¯t expected every inn to have heated baths, nevertheless, he had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth and although he knew many things in his old life were extravagant luxuries he had still used them for all of his life and started to miss them now they were gone. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t complain, or at least he wouldn¡¯t voice his complaints, it was, after all, a very small price to pay for his life.


    After he had washed as best he could and gotten dressed he went over to the desk and grabbed the two saddle bags that were sat there. One had a change of clothes, a large woollen travel cloak as well as a flint and tinder. The other held both his axe and shield, a large pouch of coins and various map of The Last Land. His plan was to join the druids, the druids had the power to excuse new recruits of some minor misdemeanours and more importantly to him they had little contact with the Ker-ja kingdom which was defended from corruption by the Ko-tun Mountains and had no druid forts. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t simply head for the closest fort in the Odun kingdom. he brought the maps to guide him south, Danen knew his brother thought him dead but he still preferred to be cautious planning to head through both the Odun Kingdom and the New Principalities that surrounded the two peaks of Si-Kan mountain. He would then be in the Ru-eln Dynasty and could head to the nearest city where the druids were recruiting. He was in the new principality''s now and starting to truly feel safe, perhaps that was why the sleepless nights were coming more frequently.


    Danen brought his bags with him and walked down into the taproom on the inn''s ground floor. The room was fairly quiet due to the early hour but noise of pots and pans came from the kitchen door and a small group of men sat round a table. All the men were large and Danen carefully looked over them as he walked to a table. He knew he was being paranoid but he couldn¡¯t help it. The men looked like they could snap bones with ease but the Woodsmen''s axes that lay on the table showed that they gained their brawn through labour, not martial training. ¡°Or they want me to think that so they can catch me off guard,¡± Danen mumbled to himself, the sound drowned out by the clunk of his bags as he put them down on a table. He sighed and put out a chair sitting down almost unconsciously in a place that let him see both exits, the stairs and the men. The men each held a mug of drink and he doubted that their cups were filled with water despite the morning sun streaming through the wooden shutters.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Shortly afterwards a girl walked out of the Kitchen the open door allowing Danen a whiff of the food cooking inside, the smell set his stomach growling. The girl was his age maybe a year younger just having gained a womanly figure that wasn¡¯t quite filled out yet. She still had the cute slightly round face of a girl with glowing green eyes and brown hair that only just brushed her shoulders. Her skin was remarkably pale and it didn¡¯t escape Danen¡¯s notice that each of the men at the next table were staring at her, or that each of them appeared to be tensing as many muscles as they could. The men put Danen in mind of a group of shaved bears and he had to struggle not to chuckle at the thought. The girl moved around them picking up the mugs that were empty and refilling them behind the bar before putting them back before the men.


    The largest man even tried to touch her behind but giving no sign that she had seen the hand the girl performed a quickstep that would have put Danen''s instructors to shame moving beyond their reach. It wasn¡¯t a martial move, though, Danen remembered that one of his instructors had said that normal work developed certain movements unconsciously in the same way martial artists train consciously. For example, a smith spent all his days hammering metal and unconsciously began to develop mastery in downwards swings, able to deliver more power that way than even a practised warrior.


    ¡°E-excuse me?¡± the voice snapped Danen back to reality, his eyes focusing again only to find the girl standing in front of him.


    He started, almost crying out. Danen shook himself looking at the girl ¡°Could I get some food? I paid for a room and meal last night.¡±


    ¡°What nam¡­¡± The girl started to respond but it seemed it was her turn to stare into space or rather into Danen¡¯s mismatched eyes. Danen wasn¡¯t surprised but the stare still made him self-conscious. In recent years his reason for avoiding court was his dislike of politicking and plotting against his own siblings but when he was younger he stayed away because of the stares people gave him when they saw his eyes. It didn¡¯t make him run from the room like it had when he was a child but that stare that had silently judged him as defective still made him uncomfortable. He had to admit that since he had escaped people stared at him differently, especially girls they would glance at him when they noticed before whispering to whoever they were with. This girl, however, was staring for quite a while wasn¡¯t she, he heard grumbling from the other table and coughed slightly to wake the girl.


    ¡°Ahem, miss?¡± The girl started at the sound, her face turning bright red as she quickly shuffled away towards the kitchen. ¡°Sorry! I will ask them to make your food out quickly.¡± she quickly went through the kitchen door and before it swung closed Danen saw her bury her face in her hand. What was that about? That was certainly a new reaction to his eyes but remembering her embarrassed face as she backed away brought a little brush of red to his own cheeks. Maybe it was an attractive feature in the south, that was an odd thought to him, the few nobles who he had met back in Ker-ja had either ignored it if they were being polite or consoled him like he was a freak of nature when they were being rude.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get any ideas boy.¡± The voice came from the table of woodsmen and looking over Danen saw it was the largest man who had made a grab at the girls behind while she served. Not knowing how to react to him he just stared at the man with incredulity etched on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry could you elaborate?¡± Danen was honestly confused, he doubted very much that there was any sort of relationship between the girl and this mountain of a man. Danen failed to see what he had done to offend the man.


    ¡°Oh trying to play the fool are we?¡± The man then did a very poor job of imitating Danen and spoke. ¡°Ahem, miss?¡± The words were accompanied by a swish of his hair and a blink of his eyes as he pulled them wide. This drew laughter from the other men at the table and they slapped their palms and banged their feet. The large man spat on the floor as he spoke again. ¡°Pah¡­ You think you can just flap your odd eyes and posh accent and then take any girl who blushes.¡±


    Danen felt heat rising in his chest equal parts embarrassment and anger. The imitation had been laughable and the accusation preposterous but they the thought of the girl''s red face as she left and the sound of the men''s laughter made him smoulder. The men continued to laugh as they drank and a few minutes later the girl returned. She appeared to have regained some measure of self control as her face was no longer crimson although Danen noticed that as she walked over a pink tinge returned to her ears. She set down a thick wooden plate with some freshly baked bread, sliced fruits atop. Danen noticed her efforts to make eye contact again but he purposely avoided it glancing over at the occupants of the other table, watching him like a pack of wolves watch a lone sheep. The girl caught the look and instantly seemed to lose the smile on her face. She walked over to their table grabbing up all the mugs, empty or not, carrying them over to the bar. ¡°You will be late if you don¡¯t go now Roran.¡± Danen was quite surprised that the previously blushing girl so obviously told the men to leave and did it with quite the steel edge to her voice.


    Danen held back a smile at the shock written on the men''s faces. Especially the twisted face of the large man whose name he now knew to be Roran. Roran eventually corrected his expression, appearing not to take the hint but probably just ignoring it, and sauntered over to the bar.


    ¡°Come now, Jen. No problem with us finishing our drinks, in fact, why don¡¯t you join us?¡± as he finished speaking walking closer and reaching out his hand again in the same way he had earlier. Jen seemed to know what was coming and Danen expected the same result as last time, however, instead of quickly stepping out of reach she rounded on him her eyes hard and slammed one on the half-filled mugs into the side of his head.

 Chapter 8: Meeting Her Parents

    Jen swung the mug hard, it let out an almighty crack and Roran fell to his knees, ¡°Roran you spend all your spare time here chasing my skirt when you should be working to earn a bit of money for your wife and child of only one year! My parents tolerate you because they fear your father but I won¡¯t If you''re going to start terrorising customers.¡±


    Roran got to his feet shaking on wobbling legs. His friends stood stunned by Jen¡¯s outburst of anger but Danen recognised that Roran was shaking at least partially with rage and reached towards the bag with his axe and shield inside. ¡°Corruption take you!¡± Roran cursed as he steadied himself and grabbed Jen¡¯s arm shoving her back into the bar. ¡°I¡¯ll take you right here and be done with you!¡± Danen heard calls from the kitchen, but whoever made them would never make it in time, he pulled back his arm and let fly. His shield went flying across the room, the throw wasn¡¯t perfect but his shield was large so despite being a little to the left its rim still caught Roran in the back of the head. The shield was also heavy so this blow did far more damage than Jen¡¯s wooden mug. The giant man slumped to the floor. Jen moved away clutching her chest looking up at Danen in surprise.


    This time Roran''s friends didn''t remain still and were already starting to walk towards him through the tables. Danen was ready however reaching down and taking out his heavy war axe placing it on the table with a heavy clunk. ¡°I believe the lady told you not to terrorise guests?¡± The sight of the axe stopped them in their tracks but it still looked like they might continue towards him. Come on, Do it! A part of Dannen hoped they would attack him, give him a reason to bloody his axe. He quickly banished the thought with a shake of his head before watching the men as they stood there weighing their chances of winning.


    The pause in the men¡¯s advance also gave Jen a chance to get her breath back. She straightened her back and coldly looked at Roran¡¯s friends. ¡°Don¡¯t you three start as well!¡± Hearing her speak they turned to look at her faces twisted as if they were about to retort but what Jen did next made them forget any words before they reached their tongues. After shouting at the men she rolled over Roran with her foot and then stomped the same foot into Roran''s face. Roran¡¯s nose made an awful cracking sound and blood sprayed over his face, dripping onto the floor. Looking up at the men again she spat a command at them. ¡°Get him out of here now!¡±


    Jen¡¯s mix of violence and menacing tone worked and Danen watched as the men scurried over to their fallen friend, they lifted him by the arms dragging him away evidently worried by all the blood that splashed onto the floor as they went. He himself had been surprised by the stomp, Jen had not held back and he swore a broken nose didn¡¯t normally bleed that much. Jen slowly calmed her breathing and turned his way but just as she was about to speak the kitchen door swung open and two people came hurrying out.


    The first was a man, his clothes were simple but well made, Danen noticing the fine cotton and metal buttons of his shirt. His forehead was beaded with sweat and a kitchen rag was thrown over one shoulder. His eyes looked over the room before him and the sight of blood and scattered teeth set his gaunt hands shaking with worry. ¡°J-Jen-n-ny¡­¡± he started to ask the obvious question but the shaking of his hands seemed to influence his words.


    A stutter and a bad one at that, The thought crossed Danen¡¯s mind but before the man got to ask his question a second person came out the kitchen and asked it for him. ¡°Jenny, What was all that racket? Sounded like there was a fight was going on.¡± The second newcomer in as many seconds was a middle-aged woman the spitting image of Jenny if a little aged. The only real difference being that this woman''s eyes were a deep brown whereas Jenny¡¯s were a dazzling shade of green. Danen¡¯s eyes flicked back to the man seeing his green eyes, Her father., the realisation surprised him because apart from her eyes Jenny bore no resemblance to the man. The woman who was obviously Jenny¡¯s mother walked up to her daughter, which was when she saw the blood.


    To Danen¡¯s surprise, the woman did not scream, shout or jump back from the scene. Far from it, the first thing the woman did was rush the remaining steps to her daughter using her hands to brush the hair out of her face checking her skin for cuts or bruises. Jenny was quickly hit with a barrage of questions by her mother. ¡°Jenny are you okay? Are you hurt? Who did this? Was it Roran or...?¡± Her eyes flashed to Danen and it was only then that he realised his axe was still resting on the table. Danen embarrassedly knelt to stow the axe back into the back and was about to make a plea of not guilty before the woman¡¯s Judicial stare.


    Jenny, however, beat him to it. ¡°No mum. He didn¡¯t do anything, in fact, he saved me from Roran.¡± Danen thought that the state of Roran¡¯s face was proof enough that Jenny hadn¡¯t needed saving but decided that this wasn¡¯t the time to voice that particular thought.


    After hearing what Jenny had said the woman¡¯s glare softened considerably and she gave him a quick nod before turning back to her daughter. Danen didn¡¯t quite know what to make of the gesture pondering if it was an apology for the false accusation or thanks for helping her daughter. He hoped it was both and so decided to take it as such walking across the messy tap room towards his shield. Righting the tipped over tables and chairs as he went and stepping around the droplets of blood on the floor. He caught sight of something next to the smear of blood leading from the door to where Jenny and her concerned parents were standing. Corruption! is that a tooth? She really didn¡¯t hold back anything, did she? Danen shivered moving pointedly around the tooth before continuing onwards.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Oh mum, I¡¯m sorry I shouldn¡¯t have. If his father gets involved¡­¡±


    ¡°Nonsense Jenny, Roran might be able to use his father¡¯s name to make us ignore a bit of rowdiness and drunken mischief but that doesn''t mean he can start a fight.¡±


    Jenny¡¯s father who had been eyeing the blood spoke up. ¡°Jen-n-ny, t-the bl-blood?¡±


    Jenny looked at her parents and then down at the floor replying in a small voice. ¡°I stomped on his nose.¡± A short silence followed this statement and Danen stood still not wanting his footsteps to break it.


    ¡°You¡­ stomped.¡±


    ¡°Hi-is f-fa-face¡±


    Danen wondered why they were so surprised but then he remembered that they had walked into the room and seen their harried looking daughter standing in a bloody and messy taproom and a stranger sitting with an axe on his table. They probably assumed he had been the one to spill the blood, which was, in Danen¡¯s opinion very unfair, after all his axe hadn¡¯t even been bloodied.


    ¡°Oh no¡± Jenny¡¯s mother had gone pale and although her father didn¡¯t speak his hands trembled more violently than before.


    Seeing the look on her parents faces tears started to well at the corners of her eyes ¡°His father¡¯s not gonna let this go is he?¡±


    That made them snap out of the daze they had been in since hearing their daughter''s admission. They shared a quick look and her mother stepped forward pulling Jenny into her arms. ¡°It¡¯s okay dear, you can go stay with my family in the dynasty until the mayor and his son calm down. If anything it¡¯s about time you meet my side of the family.¡± She used the most reassuring tone she could but upon hearing that Roran¡¯s father was the mayor¡¯s son Danen understood just how bad this situation was about to get for the family. He had passed through many small villages like this one on his way south a seen many mayors, they had no bloodline but were just as tyrannical as many of the nobles back in Ker-ja. They represented the law in their village and to offend them was to offend the law.


    ¡°Your father will take you. I can look after the inn for a couple of weeks by myself.¡± Hearing this Jenny¡¯s father nodded but Jenny herself looked aghast at the suggestion.


    ¡°No father can¡¯t leave you alone to deal with the mayor. I can travel by myself. ¡± The comment made the man in question stop his nodding and look at his wife. Danen saw the fear in his eyes, not fear of his wife but fear he may be abandoning her when she needed him. The look sparked a memory in Danen, he had often seen his father wearing that same look during their infrequent meetings. Although his father had many children he always tried to find time to spend with them and Danen even felt like he had been given more time than many of his other siblings. Oddly enough his father had been one of only two family members who hadn¡¯t tried to coax him back to society, the other had been his mother but she had died giving birth to him so perhaps she didn¡¯t really count. He remembered how the same look had often been on his father¡¯s face as he left his small courtyard in the palace, wondering if it was right to leave his reclusive son, wondering if there was more he could do. Despite how often that look crossed his face his father never tried to drag him out into the world instead he brought the world to Danen telling stories describing the wonders of the last land. Danen had loved his father for that. That love for his father had been the biggest reason to stay without it, he would have left Ker-ja months ago. He had spent that time pondering if he should step out the shadows and try to continue his father''s legacy but his father was a great man, a man who could use words to move the wonders of the world to a lonely courtyard in the royal palace. In the end, he had left because he couldn¡¯t be the successor to such a great man. Two days before he left he had visited his sickly father and sat by his side for hours while he slept, in the end, he had never woken him and simply left a note on his bedside before leaving.


    Danen sighed quietly to himself bringing himself back to the real world. The three other people in the room were still stood by the bar. Jenny was debating with her mother over what her father should do and her father was looking from one to the other the same guilty look in his green eyes as he tried to make an impossible choice. Perhaps it was because of that guilty look, maybe it was because he was at least partly responsible for this whole mess or it might even be the odd reaction Jenny had had to his eyes but he knew he couldn¡¯t leave this family without at least offering help.


    He reached down picking up his shield and turned clearing his throat. ¡°Ahem, forgive me for interrupting.¡± All three of them turned to look at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to eavesdrop on a private conversation but I feel I am also responsible and might be able to help. I am currently heading south to the Rul-en dynasty myself and might offer an escort.¡± Both Jenny¡¯s parents narrowed their eyes at him suspicious as any parent should be when a strange boy offered to safeguard their daughter. Danen had expected this and turned his head meeting her father¡¯s stare as he spoke again. ¡°I would hope to keep you from making an impossible decision.¡± The words made her father¡¯s eyes widen as he realised that Danen had seen his dilemma. Next, his gaze softened considerably as he understood that Danen was earnestly trying to help them.


    Jenny¡¯s mother seemed about to speak but her father put a hand on her arm to stop her. She looked surprise but when she looked questioningly at her husband he simply nodded. In the way only a wife can she understood her husband''s meaning and it was a mark of the trust and love between them that she didn¡¯t object to his decision. ¡°Thank you, that would be most kind of you.¡± She bowed to Danen and then turned to Jenny. ¡°Come on, let''s go pack you some things for the journey. Your father will get some food from the cellar for you.¡± Before Jenny could speak her mother had grabbed her hand and dragged her away. Before leaving her father nodded once in thanks to Danen. Danen nodded back before gathering his bags and going to saddle his horse.


    Not even an hour later Danen and Jenny were riding from the village, They rode as fast as they could but Jenny was not the greatest rider and their family''s only horse was an old mare that couldn¡¯t compete with Danen¡¯s royal mustang. Eventually, her horse grew tired and they had to slow the horses until they were walking side by side. Danen noticed that Jenny, who hadn¡¯t spoken since her tearful goodbye with her parents, was fidgeting in the saddle and glancing his way.


    ¡°Is there something I can help you with?¡±


    She started, clearly, she hadn¡¯t thought he had noticed her. ¡°Well¡­ I just wanted to¡­ ask for your name?¡± at the last word she blushed again looking away and Danen had to stifle a laugh at the girl but it was true that he had never given his name.


    He decided it was best to simply do a formal introduction. He bowed as low as he could in a saddle and said ¡°My name is simply Danen, It is my pleasure to escort you to the Dynasty.¡±


    She actually did laugh when she saw him bow but she returned the introduction with a wide smile. ¡°Jenny Green, but just call me Jen.¡±

 Chapter 9: Harsh Reality

    Freedom, it turned out, was not as fun as Nihe thought it would be. When he had stood staring at the sun on that first evening he had been filled with joy as he started to understand how big the world really was. It had been over a week since then and now he staggered forward between the trees. Nihe was suffering twice, once for the numerous scratches and cuts that covered his body and once for the painful hunger that made his limbs weak and his head spin. After having eaten his way through the supplies Donto packed for him Nihe had eaten some of the fruit growing on a bush to sustain himself and had been left paralysed on the ground for an hour. Nihe had quickly realised it was not a good idea to eat the strange plants. That had been when the first predator had attacked him. Nihe had fought many beasts in the arena, but out in the forest, Nihe had gained a new appreciation for how scary they were. Wolves came at him in packs and worked together biting and slashing at him or a hog would rush him and attempt to spear his stomach with its giant tusks. Nihe had fought and killed each new threat as it appeared. He had even tried to stomach some of the raw meat since he had no way to cook it but he couldn¡¯t keep it down so he just struggled onwards.


    Nihe knew now that his freedom meant that not only was he able to explore the world, he was also free to die at any time. If he didn¡¯t find help soon he might well do so whether it be from starvation or on the claws of some beast. Nihe had always been fed in his cage, even if he was not well fed, and he had lost his fear of fighting in the arena years ago. He was experiencing true hunger for the first time and the fear he thought he had lost was returning in force as his situation only got worse. Nihe didn¡¯t know much, many people might consider him an idiot and it was debatable as to whether they were wrong but after a lifetime of tough training and bloody combat, Nihe knew almost everything about the human body and its limits. Right now he knew that his body was at its limits in more than a few ways. He was a body cultivator of the third rank but even the powerful energy in his veins was nearly gone. Without sustenance, Nihe couldn¡¯t replenish his energy and now only had a little bit left.


    Nihe¡¯s dragging feet caught on a tree branch and the boy went down in a tumble. He just lay there for a while as he stared at the forest floor, fallen leaves and twisting roots that fought each other for space both above and below the surface. After a time Nihe managed to sit upright. He shuffled until he could rest against the very same tree that had caused his fall. He doubted he would ever get to meet a druid, in fact, he doubted he would ever meet another human for as long as he lived, admittedly that would probably not be much longer. His hands moved into the small sack, there was no food left so Nihe just ran his fingers through some of the loose coins at the bottom. The coins clinked together and Nihe felt the cool metal against the tips of his fingers. When his fingers brushed up against the smooth leather cover of the book that had been thrust into his arms by Donto, Nihe paused. He hadn¡¯t bothered with the book in the days he had been running and fighting his way through the forest. He pulled it out a took a look at it for what he realised was the first time. The book really was thin, the leather cover easily being twice as thick as the pages it contained. The cover itself was fairly simple the leather had once been dyed red but time had worn it away allowing the leather''s natural brown to see the light again. Neither the front or the back were decorated, in fact, the only way to differentiate them was the small symbol of golden thread that had been sewn into the centre of the cover. Looking closer at the symbol Nihe saw it was an eye, not human but like his own, the pupil was a vertical slit down the middle dividing the iris in two.


    Nihe opened the book, he couldn¡¯t read and the jumble of symbols arranged in lines made his head start to ache after staring at them for too long. The book, however, contained more than just words much of the space was taken up by diagrams and sketches, to begin with, they showed animals, twelve of them, with diagrams which as far as NIhe could tell seemed to show how to bleed blood from the animals. Nihe couldn¡¯t put his finger on it but the animals were familiar to him somehow. Nihe was slightly confused until he turned past the last of these, a drawing showing how best to string up a pig carcass. On this page, the sketch showed a man sitting cross-legged in a large pit while other men tipped large barrels of blood over him. Eyes widening, understanding came to Nihe and he flipped back over the drawings. This book was the manual for his cultivation technique. Nihe had been instructed and trained in this technique since he could remember¡­ well, anything. He had never seen the manual before now, however, he had known there was one from the way Menas¡¯ trainers had told him he should cultivate ¡°exactly like it¡¯s written in the manual.¡± A statement that Nihe had always found vexing as at that point he didn¡¯t even know what a manual was and even when Donto explained Nihe was left confused. He¡¯d never seen the manual and eventually, Nihe had just forgotten about the manual simply cultivating as he had been taught. Now that he finally held the thing in his hands Nihe found himself wishing he could read it maybe it contained some secret about his cultivation technique that could save him from his seemingly inevitable demise.


    With that thought, Nihe remembered his current predicament, Alone and starving in a dangerous forest full of wild beasts. Feeling his spirit groan under the weight of his predicament Nihe sighed, he was doing that a lot since escaping his cage. ¡°At least I can''t blame the animals for being wild.¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrr.¡± Great, now his stomach was talking to him. Maybe I''m going mad? Maybe, but Nihe hoped not he didn¡¯t want to go mad, he didn¡¯t want to die either but it seemed what he wanted was, as always in his life, irrelevant.


    ¡°Grrrrrr.¡± Odd, I didn¡¯t feel my stomach growl that time. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Nihe sat bolt upright, his eyes scanned the forest around him. It was a bear, Nihe winced internally, this was not good. Wolves and Hogs were dangerous but they were smaller than a man even a boy like Nihe was larger than them. Being small meant that when he stabbed them with his spear he could easily push through to their heart or lungs or that if they got past his spear he could push or shove the animals away from him. Nihe wasn¡¯t going to be able to push this bear away.


    Nihe had seen bigger bears but they had been in the arena and although they had been bigger than this bear they were gaunt and starved, ghostly versions of what they had been in the wild. This bear was neither gaunt nor starved, even on four legs the bear was as tall as Nihe and the thick brown fur that covered its bulk did little to hide the shifting muscles that spoke volumes about the bear¡¯s strength. Nihe new that the bear''s strength wasn¡¯t all he would have to contend with either bears are fast, really fast. Nihe would have been able to just about lose the bear if he had been at full strength and run as fast as he could but now he wouldn¡¯t make it past a couple of trees before the creature caught up to him. Even if Nihe got away that massive twitching nose would probably find him again within a day if the bear decided to hunt him. Nihe had never thought about his senses of smell and hearing but being attacked by the same wolf pack three days in a row would make anyone respect a predators heightened senses that put even Nihe¡¯s keen ears and nose to shame.


    Nihe sat there looking at the bear a mixture of awe and fear keeping his body still. Nihe realised that his stillness might be the only reason the bear hadn¡¯t killed him yet. It stood there staring at him with a cold intensity. Finally, his fear overpowered his awe allowing him to move. Nihe searched through his blood for any energy he could use and managed to scrape enough together for one final burst of power. His eyes still focused on the bear, Nihe moved his pack onto his shoulder and broke eye contact with the bear looking for his spear, that was a mistake. The second he broke eye contact the bear roared and Nihe herd a few pounding strides before the bear leapt at him. Nihe leapt for his spear rolling over it as he managed to close a fist around the shaft coming up in a crouch facing the bear. The bear turned quickly but seeing that Nihe was holding his spear now it didn¡¯t immediately charge and began circling him looking for a moment of weakness. Nihe felt a cold pit form in the bottom of his stomach. This bear wasn¡¯t just well fed and in better condition, than an arena bear, it was smarter too. In the arena bears lost both their strength and rationality to the pain of starvation charging fighters in a manic rage. Nihe had fought bears in the arena before and had gotten used to those charges using his cultivated strength and speed to hit weak points like the mouth or eyes turning the bears own momentum against them. This bear was smart enough not to give him the opportunity to do that. Nihe realised that he had no chance to kill this creature his only hope was an escape and to do that he first needed to ensure the bear wouldn¡¯t be able to track him. NIhe knew he would only have once chance at this and readied himself to draw on the power in his blood.


    The bear snarled coming in and swiping a claw as big as Nihe''s entire head at him. Nihe dodged out of the way a big exaggerated roll that took him nearly 3 meters from the bear. The bear growled and started its advance again. Nihe dodged its next swipe, in the same way, earning him another growl from the bear. Nihe breathed out, the bear was really angry, it was now or never. On the next attack, the bear swung fast almost lunging at him trying to swat him before he had a chance to roll away again. NIhe didn¡¯t roll away this time taking a small step backwards out of the bears reach. As the bear¡¯s claws swung past Nihe he felt it draw five bloody lines in the skin of his arm. Ignoring the burning pain Nihe swung his spear down giving it all the force he could without using his cultivation. He drew a single blood gash on the bear''s face bisecting the beast¡¯s nose. The bear recoiled and Nihe took that moment drawing on the blood in his body he turned and ran.


    Nihe had only gone about 20 meters when he heard the roar of anger and the thudding of four massive paws on the forest floor. Nihe knew he would only be able to outrun the bear as long as he had the energy to draw on and he was running out fast. He cut between the trees looking for thick patches of trees or narrow gaps in the underbrush that would slow the bear down or force it to go around. Nihe ran flat out and when he ran out of energy in his blood the angry roars of the bear were distant, he hoped that would be enough. He kept running even without his energy but before having taken more that 10 steps he tripped on a tree root and went tumbling over a ledge and down the side of a hill. Nihe lost his spear in the tumble but he clutched the strap of his pack for all he was worth. Nihe seemed to roll for hours but eventually, he felt himself burst through a bush rolling to a stop on hard packed dirt. The sun shone down at his making think he had stopped in a clearing. Nihe quickly pulled on the pack''s strap and felt relief as he saw that his pack hadn¡¯t torn in the fall. It was only then that Nihe noticed the sound of hoofbeats coming towards him.


    Nihe looked up wondering what manner of forest beast had come to kill him now but what he saw made him break out in a cold sweat riding towards him were 2 people were they the same men who had killed Menas. Donto had said they had been after him after all. were these two going to capture him and take him to that Duke Ansted, Donto had told him he was worse than Menas and that thought made Nihe shiver. As the horses came close Nihe tried to get a good look at the riders but the morning sun behind them only showed Nihe vague silhouettes. Nihe tried to stand to prepare but after the fall his body had all but shut down. When the horses were next to him they pulled up and one of the riders dismounted. They were not soldiers.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± The person who had dismounted was a lady, no not a lady, a girl. She rushed over to him and knelt down next to him she had brown hair and green eyes which quickly moved over all the cuts and scars on his body. ¡°No, of course, you''re not okay, stupid question.¡± and then she turned to the other rider and called out. ¡°Danen he¡¯s in bad shape.¡±


    Nihe followed her gaze looking up at the man who was still mounted and staring at the forest on either side. He turned to glance at Nihe and their eyes met. The man''s eyes were different colours something Nihe had never seen before and as he watched the man''s pupils dilate and felt his own do the same as he remembered what his own eyes looked like. The man spoke ¡°Your eyes¡­¡± and he heard a sharp intake of breath as the girl beside him noticed them as well, shuffling away from him.


    Nihe was just about to reply when he heard it.


    ¡°Roarrrr!¡±