《The Forerunner's Odyssey》 Chapter 01 - Brave New World Through the expansive valley, housing the sprawling city of men, down the winding, riverside road, skirting the edge of the lilac forest, and under the imposing gaze of the far-off mountain range, unfolds a sea of lush green grass, stretching yonder the horizon, but now it lie blemished; on the great plains of Valeryia was now a small, sizzling crater with a depressed, naked man. As the man methodically climbed out of the rocky crater and brushed the sharp stones off his bare body, he could not help but chuckle at himself for being so wrong. He had always thought the foremost tragedies had the most suffering and sadness at the end, but he discovered that this was not true. In fact, the greatest tragedies were not the ones with the most unfortunate endings, but rather the ones without an ending at all. So when he stepped foot onto the tall, soft grass of the great plains, it was not out of joy for surviving, nor was it out of desire to live in this brave, new world. He simply longed for an ending to his odyssey. A coursing river with a dirt road attached to its side intercepted his path. Strolling over the dirt road to the river¡¯s side, he squatted down and examined the crystal clear water. A bright yellow fish with a glossy finish happily swam by. In the nooks and crannies of the pebble bed, a plethora of small critters teemed. Craning his head to the left, the river and road stretched out as far as he could see, and to the right the pair climbed a gently slopping hill. Lastly, he looked up at the sun, covering his eyes from the peerless light. The sun had traveled barely an inch since he began his aimless walk. With a heavy sigh, he scooped a handful of water from the river and splashed it on his face. It was refreshingly cool on the warm day. He was at a loss on where to go from here. Until a breeze rolled in. It carried an astringent odor causing the man to violently sneeze. Standing up, he faced upstream where the smell originated from. The air emanating from the horizon had a hazy, smoky texture to it. With a frown, he began traversing the road towards the source. Experience told him to be wary, but he could not resist it the same way a moth could not resist the light of a flame. The flat plains evolved into rolling hills with the river and road cutting through it. He picked up the pace as the foul concoction of smells grew stronger. Regret grew on his face as over the large hill in front of him, plumes of smoke rose into the sky. With a heavy sigh, he reached the summit of the hill and evaluated his surroundings. He expected some form of trouble, but half a town in blazes was not something he had in mind. Down below the river cut through the town, creating a clear divide; on the left side of the river ,the town was clearly molested whereas the right side was virtually untouched. Squinting his eyes, he was able to make out numerous humanoid figures scurrying and flailing about in uniform colors, but could not tell what exactly was going on. He trotted down the hill to get a closer look. He came upon the river once more and it yielded additional clues. Stone and wood drifted down the murky, crimson red river. A face-down corpse bobbed along with the debris. ¡°Good grief,¡± he plainly remarked, rubbing the back of his neck. A dead body was certainly a warm welcome. If there was one, there was sure to be more, he thought to himself, gazing at the town in peril. Leaving the town was the correct choice, but it was not the right choice. He backed up several paces from the river then sprinted into a leap, using the debris cluttering the river as stepping-stones to traverse its width. In front of him was a raging inferno slowly consuming the town, and he headed straight for it. Slipping through a break between the buildings, he entered the distressed town with a tall, ornate, stone building on his left and a line of wooden constructs on his right. He determined his objective to be saving as many people as possible. With a spreading fire, wood was more suspect so he focused his efforts on the wooden buildings. One by one, he threw open the doors to each buildings, scouring inside for life. Each building was laid out like a home; inside were beds arranged in the back accompanied with various dressers and cabinets, with a kitchen and a dining table at the entrance. After each home, he quickened his pace as the flames tasting each home grew more ferocious by the minute ¨C some were already swallowed whole. Three, four, five, he cleared the homes efficiently. However, he honestly hoped he would find no one. Would they fear him and mistake him as some hostile entity, or would they thank him and treat him as a savior? Just the idea of speaking to just one person gave him the jitters. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time he had conversed with anyone, and this was disregarding the potential language complications. Dwelling on these issues stressed out the man severely. On the seventh home, the door would not budge. All others he was able to slam wide open, this one resisted his push. The home was on fire already, and the roof was collapsing in, piece by piece. He guessed some debris had blocked the door, so taking several steps back, he charged the door, lowering his shoulder. With crash, he smashed open the door, sending wooden pieces flying. The interior was engulfed in flames. He heard the faint cry of a child from the back and rushed over. A sobbing women was cradling her young child, and on the floor was her husband pinned down by a smoldering, wooden beam. She saw the man approach and let out an unintelligible cry which could only mean help. Without a moment¡¯s delay, the foreign man sprinted over to the fallen beam and squatted down. Placing his hands underneath, he hoisted the beam up with a loud grunt. ¡°Get going!¡± He groaned out, gritting his teeth. Beneath him, the pinned man was already up and ushering the women and her child out. They did not say a single word as they fled, the women and averting her gaze down and covering the eyes of her child as her husband led her out. Her husband locked eyes with him, his face a mix of gratefulness and utter confusion. As soon as they cleared, he chucked the beam down and began blowing on his burning hands. He casually walked out of the crumbling home, wondering why that family treated him so oddly. He was satisfied with his current work. All the homes seems evacuated as he cleared out what he could. It made him wonder how one person ended up dead in the river. Nothing so far indicated immediate harm. Until he turned the corner. Three burlesque men with swords and torches were painting the town in blood and flame. He strolled up without a second thought, ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Slaughtering innocents and burning a town was not exactly commendable behavior, and he resolved to give them a piece of his mind. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. The trio turned their heads about, perplexed by the question, until they found the strange man standing there as if he was about to lecture them. ¡°Oi, who in the hell are you?¡± The bandit with the torch questioned. His two companions fanned out to each side. His question threw the stranger off guard. ¡°You know, that is actually a good question. Give me a minute to think about it,¡± he stroked his chin. The bandits just looked at each other not sure what to think of this peculiar man. ¡°Is there something wrong with the lad? Does he have no idea whats going on around here?¡± Asked one of the trio. The torch-man shrugged, ¡°A few screws loose in the noggin, I reckon. No one in their right mind would prance around in a battle field stark naked.¡± Oh! That is right, the naked man thought to himself. Of course that one family would treat him so weirdly. A naked man bursting through the door into a burning home to subsequently pick up a flaming log was not the most normal event. ¡°Just kill him already. We ain¡¯t got time to waste ¡®ere.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± He asked, completely bewildered. Well, by engaging brigands this should have been expected. As two of the bandits approached him, haphazardly swinging their swords at him, he thought confronting them might not have been the best idea. He asked himself why he did not run while he had the chance as he engaged both bandits in hand-to-hand combat. The bandit on his right jabbed forward which he easily dodged by sidestepping back. From the left came a wide, horizontal swing attempting to pincer him between both swords. With a jump, he dodged the oncoming sword causing it to crash into the other bandit¡¯s weapon, staggering them both. He followed up by doing a split in mid-air, smacking both right in the jaw. The pair stumbled backwards as he landed with a satisfied expression. Perhaps victory was possible, he thought to himself. They may have the weapons, but they clearly did not have the mental capacity. However, his chest was throbbing all of a sudden. He glanced down and found a sword poking its head through. ¡°Fancy moves lad, but you seem to ¡®ave forgot there were three of us,¡± the torch-man explained with a vicious chuckle. With a shove, he pushed the naked man off his sword. Blood dripped from his chest as he staggered forward. A burning sensation seized his body as it insatiable throbbed. Forgetting to address the third was a rare oversight for him; Combat was his forte and committing a critical mistake was a first. It seems he was rusty after all this time. He fell to one knee panting. Each breath was getting progressively harder as the pain stacked. He fought for dear life, until he realized it was not worth the effort. Collapsing backwards, he stared into the smoky sky. Blackness crept into his vision as the sounds of criminal scum crackling filled his ears. Was this finally the end? Unfortunately, nothing could be that simple, he thought. His surroundings shifted. No longer was he in the fiery town. A never-ending void encompassed him. One might fancy this as death, but that could not have been more wrong. He knew all to well what being here meant; countless eternities he wasted away in this abyss. But, this time something was different. Something was here. A black orb existed in the landscape, giving off a most peculiar light. It was as if it did not exist in any realm of possibility or imagination, but by virtue of it being there, there was no choice but for it to exist. It was an impossible distance away, yet, at the same time, it was right next to him. Energy flowed out in waves as the odd ball pulsated as if it were a heart, beating along to the rhythm of life. He realized he had a choice. The ball was offering to take him back. He knew this to be certain the same way a baby knows how to breathe. The alternative was sitting here, again. It seemed like an obvious answer, but he was not sure. Was there a reason for him to go back? Was there truly a difference in staying here or going there? As he pondered, the illustrious black orb pulsated, its surface rippling and disfigured itself in response to his thoughts. He was not thrilled at the answer he found. With a heavy heart, he reached forward to the black entity which stretched itself out like a rod. Grasping it in is hands, it felt cold as steel, and an indescribable energy flowed out from him as if the flood gates of a great dam had tore open. Beyond energy, uncountable memories and thoughts flowed through him in each moment. Some brought raw emotion to his face, others re-enlightened him with lost wisdom, but many he wished would have stayed forgotten. The black abyss dissolved, crumbling away into a pure light. For better or for worse, this is the story he chose. [¡­.] In pure terror, the trio of bandits looked on as the dead man stood back up. His chest was drenched in blood, but the hole closed itself like water rushing in to occupy empty space. In his hand was now a sword. Its blade was so black it was as if light denied its very existence. If it were not the glowing, crimson red jewel in the hilt that pulsated lines of pure red energy through the black blade, they would have passed it off as an illusion. ¡°W-whats going on ¡®ere?!¡± The torch bandit exclaimed, frantically trying to asses the situation. ¡°He was down right dead a second ago!¡± Each of the bandits took small steps back, unsure of how to proceed. ¡°Who in the hell is this man?¡± ¡°Apologies,¡± he finally spoke up softly. His low voice was clear and direct, penetrating the bodies and soul of the brigands, ¡°I just remembered the answer to your question.¡± He rolled his head and stretched out his upper back and shoulder blades, cracking the bones in his body. The bandits panicked. It was just a naked man with a sword, but they could feel as if death itself hanged above him, ready to reap all who opposed him. He was no longer the same man who stood before them earlier. The strange, lackadaisical man was replaced by a stoic, spine-chilling beast. ¡°Its j-just one guy! Kill him again, no problem..¡± The torch-bearer announced, waving around his torch as some sort of rallying signal. His two comrades cheered with him and turned to face their opponent with new vigor. ¡°Are you done?¡± The naked man coldly asked, cocking his head ever so slightly to the side, silencing the bandits. His crimson red eyes full of killing intent glowed like the jewel in his sword. ¡°I am¡­¡± he steadily closed the distance with measured steps, ¡°I am Suran Ibrahim.¡± Chapter 02 – Battle Among Bandits and Brigands Suran Ibrahim stepped forward with full intent to obliterate the foolish bandits before him, but there was just one problem; he had no idea how to use a sword. At the moment, Suran had the bandits quivering in their boots from his terrifying entrance. He kept up the dreadful aura with the stern, stoic look and the posture of a cold killer while fiddling with the sword in his hands, trying to figure out how to hold it. As long as he kept them paralyzed in fear he could gather some time to sort this sword thing out. Clank He fumbled the sword. Oops, he thought, staring with great annoyance at the sword on the ground then back at the bandits with his ruthless persona. Squatting down, he maintained eye contact with the discombobulated bandits as he grasped the black sword in his hand. ¡°Gerad, i-is the guy messin¡¯ wit¡¯ us?¡± The bandit on the left stuttered out to the man with the torch, not sure if he should be terrified, confused, or both. ¡°Maybe he don¡¯t know how to use one? It did just appear out o¡¯ nowhere!¡± On the right the bandit nodded his profusely sweating head. Suran, on the other hand, was poised on the surface, but he was internally screaming as the bandits tried to figure him out. ¡°Thats exactly what I¡¯m worried ¡¯bout you dolts!¡± Gerad shouted at both of his companions, silencing them like an owner would scold their misbehaving dogs. ¡°The bloke stood back up after getting stabbed in the chest and a black sword magically appeared in his hands. What part of that doesn¡¯t sound like trouble?!¡± ¡°T-then what do we do, Gerad?¡± ¡°Do we just leave the lad alone, Gerad?¡± Please pick that option, Suran prayed to himself. He found a way to comfortably hold the sword, but he was worried simply holding a sword would not be enough. Gerad, after pondering for a moment, found his answer, ¡°This bloke might as well be a wizard. No one could heal a wound or summon a sword like that.¡± His companions grew pale at the comment and just looked at their dear friend Gerad and back at the naked man, trying to rationalize the situation. ¡°B-but, Gerad! There is no way we can deal with a magic user!¡± That could not be possible, Suran mused. Magic? Wizards? In all of his travels, he had never encountered such abilities. No matter how strange a world he ended up in, he refused to believe that such a thing could exist. ¡°I know, lads,¡± Gerad responded with a heavy sigh. ¡°We¡¯d be as dead to a magic caster as would be turning tail to the boss.¡± Gripping the sword in his hand, Gerad laid down the ultimatum, ¡°It¡¯s either we fight and die, or run and die anyways.¡± With the matter settled, the trio approached Suran as desperate as injured animals backed against the wall. Suran grasped the sword with both hands and held it out in front of him. He had no idea what he was doing. Perhaps he should have done anything while the bandits were chatting, he thought. Gerad came at Suran first with an overhead swing. Raising up his black sword, Suran parried his enemy with the flat part of his blade and shoved him back. As he staggered back, Gerad flailed the torch at Suran, but it was just short, fire licking his chest. Suran hopped back, creating distance between him and the brigands. Gerad¡¯s strike had no strength behind it and was painfully slow to him. However, one swing was not enough of an indicator to judge their strength, he presumed. Instead of waiting for the bandits to enclose them in their triangle formation, Suran rotated to the left, furthering himself from Gerad and the one on the right and aiming for a one versus one scenario. He created a window of about five seconds with the space and wasted none of it. Suran swung the sword like a bat and the bandit barley blocked it. The swords locked together for merely a moment before Suran put his entire body and brawn behind his blade, knocking the bandit¡¯s sword from out of his hands and launching him to the ground. Exactly five seconds. From the corner his eyes, he noticed the right side bandit charging in at his back for a stab. At the last moment, Suran swung his right shoulder back, shifting his body to avoid the strike then stuck his right foot out and tripped the bandit, causing him to fall face first into the rocky ground. Without any hesitation, he flipped the sword around and drove it straight down into nape of the bandit¡¯s neck. Blood oozed out of the puncture as Suran withdrew the pitch black blade from the withering bandit choking on blood. He let out an exasperated sigh. While it is wrong to underestimate your opponent, he never thought it would turn out like this; either he was leagues ahead of the bandits in strength, or they were simply fodder to begin with. It didn¡¯t even matter that he was just swinging his sword randomly when he simply outclassed them. Only two were left. Gerad and his remaining compatriot regained their ground on either side of him. Suran sprinted at Gerad, wanting nothing more than to get this over with. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Paralyzed in fear, Gerad was unable to react to the speed at which Suran came at, allowing Suran to slice diagonally across his chest, tearing his leather armor. However Suran did not stop there and ducked past him, slashing down his entire back. Gerad crumpled to the floor, falling down on his torch which began to consume his body. Shrieking in terror, the remaining bandit abandon the fight and his weapon, but Suran pursued. He closed the distance, readied his sword, and tossed it to the side, tackling the bandit and placing him in a choke-hold. ¡°Apologies,¡± Suran muttered, tightening his hold around the bandits neck. The bandit squirmed underneath him, gasping for breath as Suran continued, ¡°I need some clothes, and it just wouldn¡¯t do to have them stained in blood.¡± Applying pressure to the neck, Suran snapped it in an instant and the bandit went limp. A moment later, Suran stood clothed in a plain white tunic draped with a dirty brown leather chest piece. Sporting a simple, baggy black pair of pants and brown shoes that were just a hair too large. While the clothes were a poor fit and did not look the best, Suran figured it was better than wearing nothing and prancing around naked. Retrieving his sword, he looted a sheath and housed the blade in there, fastening it to his side. The ground shook as an explosion in the distanced rocked the area. With a sigh, Suran began strolling over to the rising plumes of smoke and the cries of men and women. How fitting it was for him to be trying to save lives on a battlefield once more. Rounding the corner, he stumbled upon bloody lines of corpses and rows of flames. Scanning down the street, he saw the next group of assailants. He thought it a safe assumption as they violently stabbed an elderly man, letting his bowels gush out to the ground. This time there was six, one of which was clad in metal armor, standing above the rest. Breaking down a door, the armored one and an accomplice entered the next home. In the essence of time, Suran opted to blitz the enemy to prevent more townsmen from dying; he felt he could handle these four quickly then turn his attention to the more problematic armored one. The remaining four did not notice his speedy approach, and Suran began by drawing his blade and puncturing one brigand¡¯s chest. In a state of panic, the remaining three began shouting at each other, trying to asses the situation. Taking advantage of the confusion, Suran unsheathed his sword and closed the distance on his next target. Keeping his sword low, almost dragging it on the ground, he side-stepped an overhead swing and brought his sword to the bandits neck, cleanly cutting it off. Meanwhile, the other two bandits had assembled themselves and charged Suran. They were the same as the others, Suran plainly thought as he parried strike after strike. Their movements were sluggish and their attacks lacked strength. He quickly quit playing around, and went on the offensive. Clashing with one attack, he reflected his enemy¡¯s sword upwards then circled his sword around to slash deeply into the man¡¯s chest. Using the momentum for his swing, he swung around and blocked the side strike from the last bandit. Taking his time, Suran waited for the next strike which came diagonally. Countering the attack, he stopped it short, then let it slide off his sword, avoiding his body, so he could follow through with his own swing, coming back around and slicing the bandit¡¯s upper legs. With his legs incapacitated, the bandit fell forward and Suran met his fall with his blade, running it through his gut. Removing the dead man from his sword, Suran took a moment to appreciate the quality of his blade. It cut through bone and armor cleanly, almost like butter. Not to mention its sleek, jet black color with the embedded crimson stone gave it an exotic and terrifying appeal. A piercing shriek from the home indicated now was not the time to be admiring his sword. Entering through the splintered wooden down, he found a dead man with a knife in his throat on his left, a man in gray armor hoisting an elderly women in the air by the neck, and a young lady with a fruit basket viciously munching on a potato. ¡°Put the old women down you iron-clad buffoon.¡± Suran taunted, hoping the knight would let go and ignore the civilians and engage him instead. The knight craned his head back towards Suran, stared at him for a moment, then tightened his grip to the sound of cracking bones. He let go and the women crumpled to the floor lifeless. ¡°What was that?¡± he mocked Suran, bringing his hand to his ear as if he didn¡¯t hear him. ¡°Ah, shit,¡± Suran mumbled. In hindsight, taunting the man who was already strangling an elderly women might not have been the best idea. The knight should be stronger considering he is wearing heavy armor, but that would mean the armor would slow him down, Suran theorized. However, he felt his theory was wrong as he was launched out of the home and skidding into the street by the knight who crept up on him in an instant. Chapter 03 – A Stranger in a Strange Land It would not be good to die a second time, Suran thought, getting up from the ground and dusting himself off. His muscles were twitching from the force of the knight¡¯s blow and was certain if he tried to block it even a moment later he would be decapitated. Winning on strength and speed alone was not possible, he concluded. From the ravaged door frame, the tall, gray knight climbed through to the clangs and jitters of his armor. Brandishing a massive great sword molded after a cleaver, the knight began to vibrate in his armor. A hysterical laugh rang out. ¡°Ohohohohoho! Is that all you got?¡± The knight cried out, making a motion to a wipe a tear from his eyes as if he laughed too hard. He was wearing a great helm. Suran remained motionless at the provocation, instead assuming a fighting stance. Gray knight¡¯s cackling stopped in an instant. ¡°Insect still wants to play?¡± He remarked, cocking his head slightly. Gripping the handle of his great cleaver with both hands, he dashed forward without warning. Suran responded to the leftward swing by crossing it with his sword. Even though he was ready this time, the force behind the great sword was immense, so, instead of letting the gray knight toss him around once more with his sword, he let himself get carried by the great sword, letting it slide off his own blade and using its force to propel him left in a roll. Clicking his tongue, Suran confirmed he could not stand up pound for pound against the knight¡¯s abnormal strength. He came out of the roll, regained his footing, and crouched on the unpaved stone. The knight was nowhere to be found. Frantically, Suran scanned left and right without a sign of his location, before hearing a battle cry from above. In the air was the knight, crashing down with his great sword. Suran rolled to the left again to dodge the attack. The knight impacted the ground like a boulder that fell from the top of a cliff. Rocks and dust rained everywhere, and the force of the impact rocked Suran further back. At the center was a large dent in the ground and the unfazed gray knight. His strength wasn¡¯t just abnormal, Suran thought; it was absurd. There was no room for error as one direct hit would be an assured death. Even blocking the strikes was not practical due to the staggering strength behind them. Without any options, he resorted to doing what he does best: waste time. Leaping out of the hole, Gray knight resumed his pursuit, sprinting with sword in tow. Suran held his ground in anticipation of the next attack. The gray knight began his assault with an upward slash, pressuring Suran to evade backwards. Stepping forward to close the gap, the knight adjusted his body to match Suran¡¯s movements and continued his strike by bringing his great sword down, placing his entire upper body behind the swing. The great sword came crashing down smashed the ground to pieces. With no option, Suran slid further back. Back into a wall. Inadvertently, he had positioned himself right into the home he was thrown out of. Clicking his tongue, he went through his options as the knight hoisted his sword up. Without any more slack, it would take a miracle to get out of this. All the knight had to do was move up and slash horizontally, making Suran either address the blade and attempt to block it, or take evasive action to either the ground or air. Either case opened up a slew of opportunities for the knight. ¡°Games over!¡± The knight yelled triumphantly. Cocking his shoulder back with the sword, he lunged forward. Suran side-stepped with ease, allowing the gray knight to pierce through the building wall. The knight attempted to remove his sword but it would not budge; the sword was firmly lodged in the wall. A miracle was born out of the pure stupidity of a blood thirsty fool. Without wasting a moment, Suran slid by the knights waist and began slicing open his lower back. The armor resisted the incision, but Suran put all his strength it the slash, not knowing if he would get another chance. He completed the strike, rendering a continuous cut on the knight¡¯s back. Rapidly turning his body, Suran went back in to rend the knight, but the knight would have none of it; the knight spun out and flung Suran back with a ferocious backhand. Suran spit blood out of his mouth. His face already swelling in pain from the blow. Suran wondered how powerful the smack would have been if he had not injured gray knight¡¯s back. The knight stood before him, slightly hunched over and heaving, clearly in pain. With blood dripping down, he endeavored to remove his great sword from the wall, but, no matter how hard he pulled, it did not budge. Refusing to give up, the knight squared up and prepared for fisticuffs. The knight inched in, fists raised, completely cautious. Suran darted in to mount his offensive. He ducked the first jab, parried the second punch, then sliced the right shoulder-blade before bouncing out. The knight¡¯s armor made it difficult to make a proper laceration, but blood oozing out of the tear in the armor indicated that the strike was true. In fact, Suran was quite pleased that his peculiar sword cut armor in the first place. However it was not over yet. Standing strong, the knight refused to abate his aggression. He ran up swinging a left hook which Suran ducked under. From underneath, Suran slashed across the belly of the knight. However, the knight bashed back, jabbing him in the jaw with his right fist. Suran staggered back, but the pain abated quickly. His punches were slowing down and their strength waning. It was over, Suran mused. Suran went in for the kill. On approach, the knight launched cross punch with his left hand, but Suran went low and gashed his right leg, causing the knight to stumble forward and drop to his knees. From behind, Suran drove his sword through the neck and out the chest. Choking on blood, the knight chuckled. ¡°What¡¯s funny?¡± Suran asked, perplexed by the dying man. Before falling flat onto the ground, the wheezing knight said just two words, ¡°You are.¡± As Suran walked towards the home to clear out the surviving lady, he pondered what the knight meant. Climbing through the splintered door, he entered the ravaged house. It was dark and dusty, making it difficult to see. However, he could hear the clatter of pots and pans and the opening of cupboards and cabinets. He strode forward and called out, ¡°Is anyone in here?¡± As he ventured forward, the back of the home came into vision, and an eccentric pair of eyes greeted him. ¡°I took care of the knight. It¡¯s safe to go out now.¡± He could see clearly now and found a red-headed lady frantically rummaging through the household gathering all the food she could find and throwing it into a large basket. She was muttering what sounded like a list of groceries or ingredients, periodically chomping down on a potato in her hand. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Clearing his throat, Suran spoke a tad louder, ¡°Excuse me?¡± This time he caught her attention. Turning to face Suran, she spilled several items on the ground ranging from apples to oranges to potatoes. ¡°Its safe now. You can leave,¡± Suran spoke slowly and clearly, making sure to enunciate every word. Mouth full of food, she began to speak in an extremely energetic manner, but only gibberish came out. Suran just smiling and nodding his head along, pretending to understand what she was saying. She stopped putting foodstuffs in her basket and pranced out of the house with Suran following her. Outside, she took of down the road towards the smoke and screams of men. ¡°Uh, I think that¡¯s the wrong way!¡± Suran shouted out. There was no way that could be the safe route. Plus, he had just cleared out the opposite path so he was sure of that one. At his call, she trotted in a circle to turn around, then went prancing back down the other way. Passing by Suran, she came to an abrupt stop, rustled through her belonging for a moment, and threw an apple at him before taking off once more. Snatching it from the air, Suran examined it for a moment before shrugging and biting into it. It was surprisingly sweet and refreshing. While munching on the apple, he continued down the street, clearing out all the houses he came across. Unfortunately, there were no remaining survivors. At the end of the road, the sounds of battle grew louder, and the air became thick and heavy from the smoke of flames. Exiting the residential alley way, the town center opened up before him. There was no buildings in the circular opening and the floor was laid with brick. Several stands where various goods can be sold where set up, with trees planted throughout the area. A scenic pavilion stood at the center. It would have been a very pleasant area if not for the corpses littering the area, the screams of dying men, and the clangs of skirmishes. There were two distinct factions engaged in combat: the rugged bandits and brigands Suran had sparred with before, and a smaller group of armor clad knights, draped in fabric of green and black. In numbers they were fewer, but they fought fearsomely, each of them taking on two to three, or more, bandits. Suran skirted the outskirts of the raging battle, attempting to find something to do. With these new knights taking care of things Suran thought that this might be the best time to leave. He had already been stabbed once and nearly beaten to death afterwords, and it would be wise to avoid any further conflict. But, after examining the skirmishes, he found that the armored soldiers were steadily losing ground to the numerous assailants. As much as he desired to call it a day, he felt compelled to aid these knights. On the far right of the battle, there was a wide stone bridge where green knights would come and go, relieving those on the front line and carrying out injured. Assuming that their command was across the bridge, Suran dipped through an alley way and hiked down a hill to reach the riverbank. The river was even more cluttered than before with heaps of rocks and stones and bodies filling its waters; it was a bloody mess. Using the debris as stepping-stones, Suran skipped across the water to reach the other side. Climbing up the hill, he discovered an entire camp set up in the middle of the road. Tents were pitched and men were hustling about. He cautiously walked down the road, surveying the area. At the mouth of the bridge was another circular opening but much less in size. At the center was a pole with a green flag on top and on the edges were several more white tents filled with men and supplies. ¡°Who are you?!¡± A commanding, gruff voice questioned from behind Suran, overpowering the ambient noises. Suran rotated around to answer the voice and almost turned into the point of a sword. Alarmed, he jumped back and slowly raised his hands up in concession. Before him was a tall Caucasian man with short, slicked back, blonde hair. wearing silver-like armor and carrying a helmet underneath his armpit. Not fancying to cross the man, Suran calmly replied, ¡°I am Suran Ibrahim.¡± ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He barked back. ¡°I came to help. Across the river, I was saving lives and killing bandits.¡± He measured Suran from head to toe with a stern expression. ¡°Alright, I believe you,¡± he concluded with a slight nod, lowering his sword. ¡°Name is Greyson. Howard Greyson.¡± Relieved, Suran let out a breath of air and wiped his forehead. This was the third time today he was in life or death situation. ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Howard.¡± ¡°We can save the formalities for later,¡± Howard replied with a wave of the hand. ¡°Right now we need to deal with the bandits. They hold roughly two-thirds of the town with the river and the bridge begin the divider. We are severely outnumbered so we can use any help we can get.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best,¡± Suran nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°Right, so what im going to need you¨C¡± Howard was interrupted by the shouts of a short, fully armored knight. ¡°Captain Greyson! Captain Greyson! There is an emergency!¡± The short knight jogged up then bent over holding his knees, panting for breath. ¡°What is it, Harrison?¡± ¡°There¡¯s uh¡­ there¡¯s uh¡­black knight,¡± Harrison was finding it difficult to speak out of breath. ¡°Out with it lad! We don¡¯t have the time!¡± Greyson shouted at the knight, clearly annoyed. ¡°Sir, just look for yourself. Over the bridge.¡± Greyson quickly glanced at Suran with eyes that screamed they were tired of this shit. Shaking his head with a sigh, Greyson lumbered over to the bridge, and Suran followed. Suran did not ¨C could not ¨C believe what he saw. A knight on a horse? Not strange. With armor that gave off a black, metallic hue? Still not that strange. Shooting out flame from his hands, incinerating the people around him? Impossibly strange. Chapter 04 - Bridge of Life and Death ¡°There¡¯s no way that can be real,¡± Suran sighed in disbelief. It was difficult for him to believe that anyone could spew fire from their fingers even though the man was right in front of him. ¡°Of course it is, and looks like it¡¯s just low tier magic ¡± Greyson responded, perplexed by Suran¡¯s reaction. Gears in Suran¡¯s head turned and churned. He could rationalize that the previous knights strength was just an anomaly of human strength, but there was no way he could explain magic. For the first time in ages, his curiosity was piqued. ¡°If it is low tier magic, then can you deal with it?¡± It was reassuring to know that there was a solution to this problem, Suran thought. On a second look, it didn¡¯t even look that bad. Sure, several people were lit on fire and flailing about, but no one was outright vaporized in flames. ¡°Sure, with the right tools it should not be a problem,¡± Greyson mused with a gruff chuckle. ¡°Do we have these tools?¡± ¡°Nooope.¡± A moment later and Suran realized what Greyson had just said, his eyes growing wide. ¡°Then um¡­ how are we suppose to take him out?¡± He questioned in a worried tone. Scratching his head, ¡°Still trying to figure that out,¡± Greyson said with a shrug. He continued, ¡°Some of my knights and I can probably withstand those flames for a bit at that strength, but I would not recommend that¡­¡± That was not feasible, Suran agreed in his head. As it stood, the friendly knights were already at a disadvantage number wise, and throwing a large amount of resources to take out one piece could backfire substantially. Cocking his head around, he tried to see anything around him could give him inspiration. There was the bridge which was currently under allied control, but the enemy forces were slowly advancing with the fire user. Only large, wide buildings surrounded him. ¡°What¡¯s in these buildings?¡± Suran questioned, pointing to the sizable structures on either side. Houses would be much smaller, so they had to be something else. ¡°Those? Greyson responded, observing the buildings. ¡°Just warehouses filled with raw supplies. Timber, food, some mining equipment¨C¡± ¡°Mining equipment?¡± Suran cut off Greyson. If there was some explosive material, he could make it work. ¡°Is there any explosive powder?¡± ¡°There should be¡­¡± Suran nodded his head relief. ¡°Then I have a plan.¡± Listening intently, Greyson straightened out, ¡°Lemme hear it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple really. We blow him up,¡± Suran nonchalantly proposed. Looking around, no one seemed clear on how he was going to carry out so he continued, ¡°First you get explosive powder and pouches. Put the powder in the pouch and bait the enemy into using his magic. Throw the explosive filled bags at the fire and watch him explode himself.¡± Greyson burst out laughing, causing the short knight to his side to flinch. ¡°What a devious plan. Didn¡¯t peg you as that sort of man, Suran.¡± ¡°You could throw in some pieces in metal in there for good measure so when it explodes shrapnel flies everywhere,¡± Suran remarked with a shrug. ¡°That might be a tad too much,¡± Greyson denied with a frown. ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Greyson turned to the short knight Harrison, ¡°You know where the supplies are, right?¡± ¡°Y-yes sir!¡± Harrison stammered out. ¡°Then go and prepare the bomb bags on the double. We¡¯ll hold the line.¡± Suran felt this to be the wisest choice. He had no idea what the storehouse layout was and it could take him awhile to sort through everything. Also, he was eager to swing his sword around some more and appreciated the opportunity. Harrison dashed off to the warehouse while Suran and Greyson crossed the bridge to the battlefield. A majority of the town center was lost from sheer numbers and the arrival of the magic user. Fallen knights littered the area, many eviscerated and others charred. A plethora of bandits also were killed, but not enough to turn the odds. If nothing changed, the battle would be lost. Dropping into action, Suran and Greyson secured the entrance to the bridge and allowed injured to escape and other knights to regroup and rally around them. Slowly, the bandits and brigands began to close in on the knights, isolating and overwhelming anyone they could. The black knight hanged on top of his horse in the back, his thirst for blood seemingly quenched for now. ¡°We can¡¯t stay in this open area!¡± Suran shouted while assisting an injured knight up. Greyson brutally ripped sliced the chest cavity of a charging bandit with his sword, ¡°Go back to the bridge! Funnel them in!¡± Suran understood that one way to mitigate the number disadvantage is to force them to fight on even grounds. The stone bridge was wide enough to fight roughly ten men side to side, forcing the enemy to have to come in smaller waves. With around 30 knights left able to fight, all they had to do was rotate their remaining forces in response to the brigand attacks. Together, Suran and Greyson spread the retreat order to the bridge, and the knights wasted no time in pulling back, abandoning the center. With one minded focus, the town knights pushed the injured to the back, and made the designated ten man well several stride past the mouth of the bridge. The first wave of bandits came crashing in. Suran stood at the middle of the defensive line and retaliated to the onslaught. Twelves bandits charged in and twelve bandits piled up on the floor. All the knights had to step back as the ground was running slick with blood. Only a moment¡¯s breather was allowed until another group of brigands assaulted the line. All the attackers again perished, but not without casualties. Of the ten man line, one was killed and two injured, but the casualties were quickly replaced with knights resting in the back lines, waiting for their turn. Suran endured another round, parrying every bandit that dared attack him, before allowing another to take his place for a moment¡¯s rest. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Sweat streamed down Suran¡¯s face, human oil stained his sword, and blood splotched on his ill-fitting clothes. With a rotation going on, they could hold the line indefinitely. What was concerning was that the black knight was getting agitated in the back. He was prancing around on his horse, pulling several men to the side and speaking with them. Sooner or later, he was going to act, and Suran hoped that Harrison would have the makeshift bombs ready in time. After each wave, the line was forced to back up so that the corpses would not interfere. Progress was being made in dwindling down the enemies number¡¯s, but they were losing ground on the bridge and the casualties were mounting up. There was a pause after the seventh wave. At the far end of the town center, where the black knight was stationed, now gathered a handful of enemy knights. Including the black knight, their count was five. While your allied knights represented an emerald-green and ebony-black, the opposing forces wore cloth of ice teal and dandelion yellow. Around this collective, a mass of bandits gathered. Suran tensed up at the sight. They were going to rush the bridge with all their forces. Shouting to the knights on the bridge, Suran directed all the injured knights to evacuate the bridge, and the remainder to form two staggered lines to increase their numbers. Clicking his tongue, Suran was frustrated that Harrison had not come yet. At this point, it might be too late. Gaining speed, the enemy came rushing in. At first it was only the bandits, which Suran and Greyson¡¯s knights held. However, it was when the five enemy knights came in, that chaos descended. Flames spewed overhead from the black knight on his horse while his four companions bulldozed the knights around him. Quickly, Greyson¡¯s knights were reduced from twenty to fifteen, steadily decreasing. ¡°I GOT IT!¡± As Suran sparred with one of the knights, whose strength was more manageable, Harrison came sprinting in with several bags, some of them sprinkling black powder onto the ground. The enemy was steamrolling over the bridge, so this would be their only chance at claiming victory. ¡°GET OFF THE BRIDGE!¡± Suran shouted at all the knights. When the explosives go off, he did not want anyone near them. He backed up, shoving the knight he was dueling with back, and ran to greet Harrison, ¡°Give me the bags, I¡¯ll take care of it!¡± ¡°No, let me!¡± Harrison denied Suran¡¯s request with a shake of his head. ¡°Give the man his damned bags, Harrison!¡± Greyson barked from across the bridge, holding of several enemies to allow his allies to escape. ¡°Watch out!¡± Harrison screamed, grabbing Suran and throwing him back. Rolling on the ground, Suran stabilized himself and saw that the black knight was charging a fireball to rip across the entire bridge. As the ball of flame licked pass the knight¡¯s fingertips, Harrison stepped forward, and chucked his numerous bags forth, raining all over the bridge. An instant later a shock-wave rippled through with a deafening boom following it. Suran was propelled back by the explosion, and he kept low to the ground, covering his neck and head from the stone that spewed out. In that moment, a plethora of men screamed in unison out as the pouches exploded right after another. However, One noise stood out against the screams of dying men and the boom of explosions: the crumbling of rock. Suran felt the ground beneath him sway and sink. The shattering noise grew louder, and the bridge began to collapse. He scrambled from the bridge, picking up an injured knight, and hurdled his way across the gaps and holes in the collapsing bridge to safety. As soon as he cleared it, thunderous splashes roared out as slabs of stone crashed into the river beneath. He let the injured man slide to the ground, and bent over himself, panting in exhaustion. Taking a quick survey, he found few knights left standing. When he first arrived, he could count their number to be of around 60. When they fell back to the bridge, there was but 30. Now hardly a dozen were still standing. He singled out Greyson, and stepped over to him. ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± Greyson muttered, observing the quiet battlefield, his face filled with grief. He rubbed his forehead, ¡°I came here with 100 strong, and now the digits of my fingers can count my men with room to spare.¡± Suran had no words to ease the grieving captain. The sun was setting in the distance, and, on this unsightly battlefield, a n incomparable beauty rose in the sky. A blue marble with streaks of green in front of a massive gas giant layered in bands of soothing browns and solemn whites inches across the sky. Uncountable stars lit up as the sky turned to dark. It was so breathtaking that even for a moment, one could get lost in its splendor and forget everything. Greyson broke the deathly silence, ¡°Suran, my gratitude for your help today.¡± He turned to Suran, his face worn with exhaustion, ¡°Without you, we might have all died along with this town.¡± ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± ¡°For now lets us rest and wait for the new day.¡± Greyson¡¯s words were filled with pain and he held the look of a defeated man even though the battle ended in victory. Suran held no objections. Muscles aching and bones breaking, not a single person could go on any longer. Suran searched around and outside the town and found a quaint hill overlooking the town with an old, weathered tree on its top. Collapsing to the ground, he propped himself up against the hard bark and slept under the starry night. Chapter 05 - Streets of Alnwick He watched his wife die for the second time. Holes riddled her body as she lied face-down in a pool of blood. Suran tried desperately to prevent this outcome, but his efforts were in vain; no matter what he did, the result never changed. The chirping of birds rose him from his slumber. It was just a dream, but it still forced tears to roll down his cheek. Memories of a life he once had flowed through him. A life that vanished, nevermore to return. He was sorely reminded he was now stranded in a world he didn¡¯t want to be in ¨C didn¡¯t deserve to be in. But he was not weeping for the lost of his previous life nor for finding himself in this queer world; he shed tears for not being able to recall the name of his wife. After a moment, he composed himself under the old tree. Below him the town roused back to life as the clamors of hammers and men filled the area. Before him was a second chance at life he never thought he would have. Trotting down the hill, he aimed to speak to Greyson. He was not going to waste it doing nothing. Walking through the town, Suran found the East side of the town in good shape. With the knights holding the bridge, bandits never were able to raid this part of town. Following the river, he came across the bridge once more. Or what was left of it. Surveying the damage, nearly the entire bridge had collapsed into the river below. Holes were etched into the ground and surrounding buildings from the ejected debris. On the other side, Greyson was waving at him. Due to the distance and ambient noise, Suran could not discern what he was shouting, but he was pointing North further down the road. Suran assumed that meant there was a second bridge, so he waved back and continued on his path. On his left where lines of warehouses with docks attached to them and, on the other side, homes and farms cropped up. Sure enough, there was a smaller bridge further down, obscured by building and trees on either side. Moss grew in between the cracks in the rock, indicating its age. He crossed the small bridge without a problem and followed the road towards the town center. Greyson stood at the center of the center, giving orders to those around him. Men were bustling about carrying supplies from wooden beams, to nails, to food. The corpses that littered the ground yesterday were being cleaned up, covered in cloth and moved to the side. ¡°Greyson!¡± Suran called out, approaching him from behind. He waved off the two knights to his side before turning to face Suran. Greyson greeted Suran with a warm smile, ¡°Glad to see you, Suran! Doing well?¡± ¡°Been better,¡± Suran replied with a shrug. ¡°So what brings you here?¡± ¡°To talk and see whats going on.¡± Greyson¡¯s cheerful expression faded and he scratched the back of his neck. ¡°Welll¡­¡± he began with a sigh, ¡°For starters we have to rebuild the town. A third of it was burnt down, another third ransacked, and the final third was, thankfully, untouched. ¡°Not to mention we blew up the bridge.¡± He continued, looking over at the remains. ¡°Speaking of the explosion,¡± mentioning the explosion reminded Suran of the young Harrison who threw the bombs, ¡°How is Harrison doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a miracle he survived, only losing his left arm. With pride in his eyes, ¡°Sure what he did was stupid, but those bombs did take out the entire enemy force save a few stragglers that fled right after.¡± ¡°Good to hear.¡± ¡°That it is, but that can¡¯t be the only thing you wanted to talk about, now is it?¡± Greyson questioned, facing Suran dead on. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Suran confirmed, ¡°What I want is information.¡± ¡°Information?¡± He cocked an eyebrow. ¡°You aren¡¯t from around here, are you?¡± Greyson asked with a chuckle. Suran furrowed his brow and frowned, ¡°Correct. How did you know?¡± Greyson stared at Suran intently, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not everyday you see someone with rich, cream brown skin, lush black hair, and commanding, crimson-red eyes¨C¡± ¡°I- I get it,¡± Suran interrupted, slightly uncomfortable at the explanation. ¡°To start, I want to know where am I.¡± ¡°This town right here is Alnwick, two days journey by foot from our great capital, Valcadia. Both of which belong to the Holy Empire of Valeryia, which me and my men serve.¡± ¡°And what about the surrounding areas?¡± ¡°Where are you from?¡± Greyson joked, ¡°Currently, Valeryia borders four nations. To the East is the Wood Elf country, Falaron. Going South, through Valcadia, there is a bridge that will take you to the island nation Riythos. And to the West are two countries: The mountainous region of Nosirion, where Dwarves and Dragon folk live and the icy tundra of Novgarad, full of those bastard barbarians.¡± Suran paused for a moment, stroking his chin and going over the information in his head. Dwarves? Elves? Dragons? Never in a million years did he ever think such things would be possible anywhere. ¡°What are your plans?¡± Greyson interrupted Suran¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Having traveled so far that you don¡¯t even know the basic geography, you must have a reason?¡± ¡°¡­I have a goal, more or less. It¡¯s just difficult to conceptualize.¡± Suran tried to find the right words to describe what he wanted, but nothing sounded correct in his head so he settled on that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that! Many people are like you where they don¡¯t know what they want, but they will know it when they see it.¡± Greyson reassured Suran. ¡°I guess it¡¯s something like that¡­¡± ¡°Then let me give you some advice,¡± Greyson inched closer to his Suran, putting his hand on his shoulder and staring deeply into his eyes, ¡°You seem skilled so I feel at ease recommending you to visit the adventures guild in Valcadia. Adventuring is a difficult profession, but with the right ability, you can travel the entire world doing any job you want, giving you a better chance at finding what you seek,¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Suran graciously replied. ¡°And if you ever need anything, don¡¯t hesitate to find and ask me,¡± Greyson withdrew himself from Suran¡¯s side, ¡°I¡¯d be willing to help you with whatever you need.¡± Suran discreetly took a step back, ¡°I will find you if I need you.¡± He cleared his throat, ¡°In any case, I better get going. He craved something eat, noticing that his stomach was completely empty. Turning around, Suran began to walk away in search of food. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that if you have some time, swing by the Church. Harrison is resting in there and requested to meet you if he could.¡± Greyson called out. Without turning around, Suran waved his hand, ¡°Will do.¡± He desperately wanted to eat, but had no idea where to find any food. So he decided to simply head to the church for now, and if he discovered anything to eat along the way, he would drop in and grab something. Through deductive reasoning, he determined the church was the large, monolithic, stone building that stood over everything else. The further he traveled from the town center, the worse the scenery. More burned and ransacked buildings etched the landscape the closer to the church he got. The dilapidated buildings reminded him of the strange red-head he saved yesterday. If he was just a moment late, her home and her life might have also be counted as one of the losses. Eventually, he stood before a massive, wooden, double-door entrance. The church was untouched in the chaos of yesterday. Using both hands, he pushed open both creaky doors and entered the church. It was dimly lit with beams of light streaking through the various windows. The floor a dark stone, and wooden benches lined a green carpet that ran down the center. On the sides lay men, coughing and moaning with priests in black and green robes tending to them. As Suran walked forward, what caught his attention was a glass mosaic at the back of the church. It was beautifully arranged with every color imaginable. It depicted a green orb enveloped in black aura plummeting through the red morning sky. Compelled to walk forward, he examined the intricate details of the mosaic. The attention to detail was immense with vibrant scenery and diverse people and images scattered throughout the mosaic. ¡°The Ouroboros of God,¡± A man with large, circular glasses and a balding head strolled up next to Suran, ¡°The ancient legend that foretells the descent of God¡¯s soul to purge the world and bring it to an end once more.¡± Suran continued to gaze at the mosaic, ¡°Are you a priest here?¡± ¡°Oh, God no!¡± The man chuckled, ¡°The name¡¯s Reggie. I work under Captain Greyson as a Cleric.¡± Reggie caught Suran¡¯s attention, ¡°You work with Greyson?¡± He turned to face him, ¡°I¡¯m looking for Harrison. I was told he wanted to speak with me.¡± Reggie adjusted the spectacles on his large nose, ¡°I suppose you are Suran then? Right this way.¡± He flung around and hobbled off and Suran pursued. In the back of Church in a corner, lied a bandaged up Harrison on a makeshift bed. Almost his entire head was wrapped in white cloth and his left arm was missing from just below the shoulder. ¡°Its you! Suran!¡± Harrison struggled to sit himself upright with his bandages. Suran waved at him to stay at ease, so he stopped trying. ¡°I was looking forward to speaking with you! I admired what you did out there yesterday!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do much,¡± Suran dismissed the comments. The only thing he did was tell Harrison about his bomb plan, and that plan resulted in him losing an arm. ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡± Harrison squeaked at Suran, ¡° I heard from some of the villagers that you were going about saving them in the middle of battle!¡± ¡°I suppose that is true¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± Suran was thrown off by the question. ¡°What do you mean, why?¡± ¡°Well¡­ not many people help others just cause. Even adventures take payment of some sort. So that is why I was curious. Why did you help out?¡± Suran pondered for a moment then gave his answer, ¡°I felt it was my duty to help regardless if there was a reward or not.¡± ¡°Nothing more?¡± ¡°Sorry, there is no other reason.¡± ¡°I see¡­ that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± Harrison went into deep thought at that moment. ¡°Anyways, that¡¯s all I needed! As thanks, some of the townsmen gathered some items for you to have!¡± At the comment, Harrison shuffled in spot and brought out a small sack and tossed it at Suran. Opening open the sack, Suran found 20 silver coins inside. ¡°They know it isn¡¯t much, but they hope you understand since they have to use all their resources to rebuild.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s more than I could have asked for. If you get the chance, tell them I appreciate the gesture.¡± ¡°Will do!¡± Harrison cheerily replied. With a nod of his head, Suran took his leave. He exited the church and back into the street. The sun was still high in the sky and his belly still empty. A breeze rolled in, and a peculiar aroma assaulted Suran¡¯s nose. It smelled of oil and fire, but, more importantly, of food. He could not discern what exactly, but he unconsciously followed the pleasant aroma. He hounded the scent down, his body moving on its own. Following his nose, he accidentally bumped into a wooden door with a bang. He figured he should have paid more attention to where he was going as he nursed his bruised nose. Examining the house, it felt oddly familiar to him. A huge hole was on the left side and there were splotches of blood around. Without warning, the door swung upon, smashing right into Suran¡¯s forehead and toppling him to the ground. Standing over him was a freckled girl with auburn hair and hands on her hip, grinning like a madman with a raging fire in her emerald-green eyes. Chapter 06 – The Eccentric Cook ¡°Who¡¯s knocking?¡± The girl with the auburn hair tied in a pony tail, draped on her left shoulder, scanned left and right, slightly leaning forward and resting her hands on the hips of her hourglass figure. She scrunched up her freckled face with a glare, ¡°Hey¡­ no one¡¯s here!¡± Suran, on the ground, threw up one arm and waved, rubbing his bruised forehead, ¡°No, I¡¯m right here.¡± He picked himself up and brushed the dirt off his clothes. Behind the girl, the fragrance of food wafted by, causing his mouth to water. Wearing a faded green cloth tunic and a dingy white apron, the red-head stood between him and sustenance. ¡°Do I know you?¡± She asked, crossing her arms. ¡°I believe we met for a brief moment yesterday.¡± Squinting her eyes, she pondered for a moment before her eyes grew wide, ¡°Oh, That¡¯s right! I thought you looked familiar. What brings you here?¡± ¡°I smelt something nice, and I got carried away following the scent. Sorry for troubling you.¡± ¡°Do you mean my cooking by any chance?¡± ¡°¡­.Yes, probably.¡± There was no mistaking the smell of good food was coming from right behind her. She glanced back for a second and tilted her head to the side, deep in thought, ¡°Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm¡­ why don¡¯t you come inside then? I was just making lunch.¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t; I don¡¯t want to impose,¡± Suran rejected the offer. However, his stomach had a mind of its own and gave out a loud borborygmus. ¡°See? Your stomach wants to eat. Plus, it¡¯s the least I can do for the guy who saved me.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°Oh shut up and get inside. There¡¯s enough food for both of us anyways.¡± ¡°¡­I-if you insist,¡± Suran, defeated, walked in behind the girl. He tripped and almost fell. Regaining his balance, he examined the ground, finding that a dead man¡¯s leg had blocked his path. It was the same corpse from yesterday, completely untouched with the knife still in its throat. The women had already hopped along and was settling back into the kitchen, oblivious to the dead man on the floor. ¡°Um, why is this dead guy still here?¡± Suran stood over the corpse, concerned. ¡°Oooooooh, that?¡± She scurried around the kitchen, tending to the various pots and pans and their simmering contents, ¡°I didn¡¯t wanna deal with it, soooo I kind of just left and there and forgot about it¡­¡± ¡°You forgot about a dead body?¡± Suran worriedly asked, gingerly stepping forward into the messy home. She let go of the ladle into the pot below and turned to Suran with a scowl, ¡°Give me a break! It¡¯s an honest mistake anyone could make.¡± ¡°Yeah, of course.¡± At the back of the house attached to the kitchen was a small, wooden dining table. Suran headed over to the table, pulled at the chair, and seated himself with the kitchen in sight. He could hear the sizzling of meat as its juices bubbled and the bubbling and boiling of stew. The red-headed women flew around the kitchen, stirring one pot, throwing spice in another, and cutting fruits, vegetables, and meat. Gliding across the kitchen, humming, she was completely absorbed in her work. Pausing the hum, ¡°Don¡¯t think I got your name yet, have I?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re right. My name is Suran. Suran Ibrahim.¡± ¡°Natalya Korsakova, pleasure to meetcha! ¡°Likewise.¡± ¡°Just sit tight for a moment. Almost done!¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Suran was just about to recline and relax for once till he noticed the deathly pale women crumpled on the floor by the table. He rubbed his eyes and blinked several times. Still there, and it just wasn¡¯t any random person; Suran was afraid that this women was her mother. Should he mention it to her? Ignore it? No, he could not just let it go. Eating next to a decomposing, decrepit women was not something he was keen on doing. ¡°Ummm, excuse me?¡± ¡°Hmmm?¡± ¡°Who is¡­ this person here?¡± Suran tried to gingerly avoid the subject of the lady being dead, hoping that Natalya would catch on. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just my mother! Don¡¯t mind her; she has been very quiet lately.¡± Suran simply puckered his lips and nodded. If it was not for the other dead person in the building, he would have thought she was in denial, but now he was not so sure. ¡°So she has been¡­ quiet? Is she feeling well? ¡°Yeah. I mean, I guess she is kind of dead, which could be making a difference. She has been outright useless since yesterday, just layin¡¯ around!¡± ¡°Then perhaps it would be a good idea to, I dunno, clean up the body? At the very least remove it from the floor along with the other one? It can¡¯t be good allowing this place to be so dirty¡­¡± Natalya spun around from her crockery with fury in her eyes, ¡° God dammit, don¡¯t you patronize me! Who the hell do you even think you are?! MY MOTHER?!¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s the point! She¡¯s dead! On the ground! RIGHT HERE!¡± ¡°Okay, okay! Chill out, man. I get absorbed in cooking and one thing let to another and I just forgot about her, okay? Anyways, food is ready! Suran sighed and dragged his hand across his face as Natalya set the table. Item after item, Natalya kept on stacking the wooden table with plates of food. Several pieces of fresh, juicy steak cooked medium rare, steaming mashed potatoes, a beef stew filled with vegetables, chops of savory lamb, and even a warm apple pie topped the spread. For two people, this was a feast. Natalya placed the last plate occupied by a jelly substance that oozed sugar and a pitcher of water-cooled with ice and announced, ¡° Table is set! Dig in!¡± He went for the meat first, placing a large portion of steak and pouring out a bowl of the stew. Taking a bite of the steak, juices overflowed and dripped on the plate. As he sampled the stew, the chops, and everything else, he could not stop guzzling down the food; he ate uncontrollably. However, he slowed down after a moment, conscious that as a guest he should not be acting as such a glutton. When he stole a glance at Natalya when he was not eating, he was forced to do a double-take. Natalya was shoving more food down her throat then he thought was physically possible to fit in her throat at a terrifying speed. She even abstained from using utensils, instead using her hands to tear apart the meat and food and devour it promptly. Still, she had to use a spoon to manage the stew, allowing her to retain some semblance of table manners. ¡°Pardon the rudeness, but do you always eat so¡­ aggressively?¡± ¡°Hyup!¡± She spoke with her mouth chock full of food. Swallowing the last bits of food, she went on, ¡°Yeah it always confuses people how I can eat so much, but I just can¡¯t help it!¡± Gnawing on a bone, she licked it clean and flicked it away, ¡°For me, not eating good food is the same as not living. Because of that my goal is to eat the best food in the world and cook the best food in the world,¡± she finished with a wide smile. Suran could not believe someone of her size could consume so much food. Her hips might be a little of the wide side, and her breasts were definitely above average, but, in-between those two, her stomach was flat as could be, without any sign of flab. Instead of questioning it any further, he focused on filling up. He had seen stranger things already, so witnessing someone skinny gorge down food was the least of his worries. ¡°Well, I told you my goal, so what about yours?¡± Natalya spoke in between bites. ¡°There is no way you are from around here with that sandy skin, so you must have something in mind?¡± It bothered him that he was sticking out so much due to his appearances, but he opted to think nothing more of it since it wasn¡¯t causing him any real problems so far besides strange looks. ¡°I do have a goal, I suppose¡­¡± Natalya¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Oooo! Tell me! Tell me!¡± She hounded after Suran like an attached puppy. ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain¡­¡± his gaze wandered off, getting lost in thought, ¡°It would be too much trouble to go through it.¡± Natalya groaned, ¡°Oh come on! Can¡¯t be that bad, but if you won¡¯t share, at least tell me where you¡¯re from.¡± ¡°Okay fine, I¡¯ll tell you what my goal is,¡± Suran dodged around the subject of his origins and took a moment to compose his thoughts, ¡°The best way I can put it is that I¡¯m trying to find the end to my journey.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that suppose to mean?¡± ¡°I have been on this odyssey for a very long time, and I want nothing more than to say it¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Then all you have to do is get to your destination then, right? Where is it at?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem; I¡¯m not sure what my destination really is,¡± Suran replied with a depressed chuckle. ¡°So if you have no idea where you are going or even where to, then why do you keep going on?¡± She frowned and tilted her head once more, contemplating his response, ¡°Can¡¯t you just call it quits whenever? Just like buy a house and settle down or something?¡± ¡°But that does not end the journey,¡± Suran leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table and clasping his hands, ¡°A journey is not over until you reach the destination. Stopping in the middle only delays it, and if I stop searching, I¡¯ll never find the end.¡± Both of them had finishing eating by this point, all the plates cleaned of their contents. Suran enjoyed the steak the most with the jelly dessert a close second. ¡°You know¡­ I don¡¯t think I really understand this ¡®journey¡¯ of yours, but I guess you gotta do whatcha gotta do.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Suran signed out, slouching back in his chair. He felt there were no other options. ¡°Enough of that!¡± Natalya stretched her arms out in the air, popping out her chest, ¡°So what are your plans now?¡± He shrugged, ¡°Just keep moving forward, I guess. I spoke with the captain of the knights, Greyson, and he recommended I visit the adventures guild in Valcadia. It¡¯s my only lead so I plan on heading over next.¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled! We leave tomorrow.¡± Suran was taken aback by the comment, ¡°Wait, what? What do you mean ¡®we¡¯?¡± ¡°Do I have to spell it out for you? I will come with you! Never been to Valcadia so I really want to go and see what type of food and ingredients they have there,¡± at the mention of food, her entire body shuddered uncontrollably. ¡°No, I mean why. I just met you, so it is kind of crazy for me to think you would just want to up and travel with me just like that.¡± ¡°As I said, my goal, which actually makes sense, is to find the best dishes and ingredients and cook the best food, and being stuck in this shitty town won¡¯t get me anywhere. My mom is dead, my house is in ruins, and my small cropland we destroyed last week by a two-headed Beaor. I have been looking for an excuse to leave, and now I have one!¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fine, but I don¡¯t think it would be a good idea for you to come with me anyways. Greyson said adventuring was a dangerous profession, and I would not want to bring you ¨C or anyone ¨C into danger if I could help it.¡± ¡°But danger is where the best food is! I¡¯m coming with you whether you like it or not, and there is nothing you can do to stop me. If you are going to be an adventure and run around, then I¡¯ll just follow you!¡± Natalya was sitting happily in her chair, swaying side to side. ¡°Alright, I guess we leave tomorrow then,¡± he consented, realizing nothing he said would stop her. ¡°Great! I¡¯ll start preparing my things.¡± Natalya began to scurry around rummaging through her items then stopping, ¡°Hold up. Before I start packing, what do you have on hand?¡± ¡°What do I have? I go the clothes on my back, the sword at my hip, and 15 silver coins. Also, would you mind telling me how much 15 silver coins are worth?¡± ¡°That ain¡¯t much and 15 silver coins? Hmmmmm, that is 1,500 copper coins.¡± Suran signed and facepalmed, ¡°No, I want to know what I can buy with 15 silver coins.¡± ¡°Oooh, you should have just asked! 15 silver coins would be a few days at an inn, maybe a week tops. Just know that the going price for a loaf of bread is five copper coins. Figure it out from there.¡± ¡°Five copper coins is a loaf of bread?¡± Suran found that piece of information satisfactory as he could simply use that to convert the values from his past to this new currency. ¡°Could you breakdown the currency system for me?¡± ¡°Sure. 100 copper coins is one silver coin and 100 silver is one gold coin. There is a crystal coin above gold but no one uses it but big banks and kings.¡± ¡°Interesting. Is there anything I need to know beside currency?¡± ¡°Nothing I can think of. I¡¯ve never left Alnwick and my education isn¡¯t the best. I had some schooling by the Church, but when my father left, I had to take care of the fields with my mother to get by. If you want good information, just hit the town because I don¡¯t got much. That knight you mentioned might give you some more, even the tavern. I wont be done packing for a while so just come back tomorrow morning!¡± ¡°Alright, see you then.¡± Suran got up from the chair, and excused himself from the house, leaving the two corpses and the crazy read-head behind. With Natalya packing and no more information to glean from her, he opted to seek out Greyson once more. Even though Greyson did not intend to mean any harm, Suran felt slightly uncomfortable conversing with him, but, at this time, he was the best person to talk to. With the bright sun beginning to slowly dip down towards to the horizon, Suran picked up his pace, trotting over to the town center. He was just in time too, as Greyson and his companions were wrapping it up for the day. ¡°Look who it is!¡± Greyson gleefully exclaimed, walking over to Suran and giving him an immobilizing bear hug. ¡°G-good to see you too¡­¡± Suran managed to gasp out, finding it difficult to breathe. Greyson promptly let go of Suran, ¡°Sorry about that, got little carried away.¡± ¡°No worries.¡± ¡°Do what do I owe the pleasure of entertaining you again?¡± ¡°I finished eating lunch and had some free time before the end of the day. I decided to follow your advice and visit Valcadia and make an inquiry at the adventurer¡¯s guild. But, since im leaving tomorrow, I had nothing to do for the rest of the day so I though it would be a good idea to swing by here again.¡± ¡°Hahahaha, I¡¯m glad you are following my advice. I promise it¡¯s the right choice. As you can see, we are bringing the construction efforts to a close for the day and we were just about to run some drills and practice,¡± Greyson lowered his gaze, fixated on the sword on Suran¡¯s belt, ¡°seeing that you yourself have a sword, would you care to join us?¡± ¡°I will take you up on that offer,¡± Suran replied satisfied nod. Practicing sword skills against a professional knight is an opportunity that might not come up again. Adventuring was a profession he had no idea about, and he wanted to be prepared for anything that it would require of him. Suran and the knights traveled to a small encampment just outside of town, where rows of tents were set up. It had an eerie feel to it as there were so few knights compared to the plethora of tents. A solemn reminder of the casualties. At the center of the camp was a clear, empty field. Knights began to pair off and spread out across the open green. Suran was left with Greyson as his partner. Together, they settled in the center of the field, and Greyson instructed Suran to draw his sword. ¡°Oh my, what a gorgeous sword that is! Greyson exclaimed, eyes wide. He even stepped up to take a closer look at the intricacies of the blade. ¡°Where did you get such a masterpiece?¡± ¡°To be honest, I came across it accidentally just the other day.¡± Greyson grinned like a school kid and shook his had at Suran, ¡°That is some crazy luck, to come across two treasures in such a short time span!¡± Two treasures? What two treasures, Suran thought to himself. ¡°Enough of the chit-chat! Lets get to work. Show me what you got!¡± Greyson readied himself and his sword. Suran was again on the ground after his fifth attempt at dueling Greyson. Each time he was out maneuvered by the finesse and skill in which Greyson carried himself. Greyson lumbered over to Suran and reached out his hand to assist Suran back up. ¡°Maybe we should tone it down a little bit,¡± he asked Suran with a chuckle, ¡°Tell me, how much do you know about handling a sword?¡± Suran was slightly out of breath, and sweat was starting to bead down his head after his futile attempts, ¡°Absolutely nothing.¡± ¡°I figured as much. You seemed to know how to move around in the middle of a fight, but you were using your sword completely wrong. Teaching you some of the basics will help out much more.¡± ¡°I would appreciate that, but wouldn¡¯t that slow down your practice?¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± Greyson laughed at the question, ¡°Refining the basics is one of the best practices someone could do. Without a good foundation, you won¡¯t get anywhere.¡± On that note, the two shifted gears, and Greyson assumed a more mentor-like role, coaching Suran on the different sword stances, running drills on positioning and parrying, and explaining the theory and practical application of the variety of strikes available for a swordsmen. Greyson worked Suran hard without break, drilling him as any proper captain would do. Suran sprawled out on the grass, exhausted from the training regiment Greyson had made him endure. Even the battle yesterday did not leave him so drained. ¡°Is that all you got? It¡¯s only been five hours!¡± Greyson taunted Suran overhead. ¡°Sorry, I think that is about all I can manage for now.¡± Greyson gave out a hearty laugh, ¡°It¡¯s time for dinner anyways. Care to join us?¡± ¡°Please,¡± Suran gasped out, more thirsty than he was actually hungry. Getting up from the ground, he followed Greyson. On the menu was a simple porridge. While the knights lapped it up as if it was some luxury, Suran found it tasteless compared to the magnificent meal he had the pleasure of enjoying earlier. The gathered knights grew rowdy as bottle of wine were broken out under the starry night. ¡°Want a drink?¡± Greyson proposed to Suran, stretching out a cup filled with an alcoholic beverage. ¡°No thanks. Drinking is not my thing,¡± Suran pushed the cup back towards him. ¡°Suit yourself,¡± Greyson tilted his head back and chugged down the drink. ¡°So you heading out to Valcadia tomorrow?¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Suran replied, leaning back to gaze at the stars and planets in the sky. ¡°Wish I could go to the capital. Been a long time since I last been there.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you go?¡± ¡°For starters we have to help rebuild the town, but the real reason is that we have orders to head out west towards the Novgarad border. Relations have been rough recently with those barbaric bastards, and the king is beefing up the border to prepare for the worst.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± Conversation died down after that. One by one the knights began to return to their tents and sleep. Greyson offered Suran if he wanted to use his superior captain¡¯s tent, but Suran declined. Parting ways with Greyson, he departed the camp and headed back towards the tree. There was something about the aged tree on top of the hill that attracted Suran to it. Under the blanket of the stars, he went over everything that had happened in the last two days, from the intense skirmishes he fought in to the peculiar magic he witnessed to the odd people he encountered. It was a strange world to Suran, but even among so many unknowns, he felt as ease. With his belly stuffed and his muscles sores, he returned to sleep under the old tree to prepare for the new day. Chapter 07 - Dawn of a New Day Church bells rang out in the silence. Morning dew collected on the tree¡¯s leaves and dripped down onto Suran. Rousing himself from his slumber, he came to just pawn dawn, the sun steadily climbing the sky. He wasted no time in getting up and stretching himself out, immediately heading toward Natalya¡¯s. A travel companion was not something he was keen on, and he contemplated simply departing without her, but he had already agreed to the proposition and renegading on that would leave a sour taste in his mouth. Greyson and his knights were setting up in the town center again, preparing for the day. Suran was in no mood to chat, so he snuck around the edge, avoiding the gaze of the knights. He was eager to hit the road and would not accept any delays. Suran trotted through the streets over to the house. One by one, people began to leave their homes and fill the streets, beginning their work. Approaching the door, Suran gave a knock. He took a step back and waited for a moment, but no one answered. Knocking a second time, Suran called out her name this time. From behind the door, he heard loud grumbling and the shuffling of feet. Natalya answered the door, her shoulder slouched, bloodshot pupils, and dark bags under her eyes. With all of her groaning, she could have been mistaken for a zombie. Suran could look past the fact that she had just woken up, but it was her attire that made him double take. She was wearing a thin, white, long-sleeved tunic that clung to her breasts and loosely draped over the rest of her body, flowing down to her upper thighs. Her legs completely naked. ¡°What the hell do you want at this hour?!¡± She croaked out. ¡°Seeing as it is morning, I wanted to leave as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Oooooh yeaaaaah! I forgot we had something like that planned out. Come on in and I¡¯ll grab my stuff.¡± Suran cleared his throat instead of walking in past Natalya, ¡°Do you want to put on some pants first?¡± Natalya groggily glanced down, ¡°Eeeh, not really,¡± and she looked back at Suran right in the eyes. ¡°Putting on pants would mean putting on panties too, and I, for one, enjoy being comfortable in my own home.¡± Not wearing pants was one thing, not wearing panties was entirely something else. The shirt hung just low enough where it was impossible to tell, every slight movement rustling it tantalized him even further. The only reason he believed her was because it was obvious she was not wearing a bra either. Noticing Suran¡¯s gaze, Natalya developed a shit-eating grin and gandered at him with devious eyes. She stretched her arms out wide, pulling her shirt dangerously up, teasing as to what was underneath. However, he stood there with astounding resilience, not becoming flustered for even a moment. Her grin flipped into a frown, ¡°You¡¯re no fun! Fine you win. I¡¯ll get dressed¡­¡± She slammed the door shut which was the first thing that threw Suran off guard. A few minutes later, the door opened and a more presentable Natalya appeared. A short-sleeved green shirt and a pair of brown pants clothed her. Nodding his head in approval, Suran finally entered the home. But something caught his leg, causing him to trip. The dead body stabbed in the neck remained untouched by the door. Trekking through, he settled himself down at the dinner table. He was not surprised to find her dead mother still sprawled on the floor. Natalya swooped into the room, ¡°Want to eat something before we leave?¡± ¡°That would be ideal.¡± At the signal, Natalya began to work her magic in the kitchen, dancing around with multiple pots and pans. Anyone at first glance would think she was just flinging stuff around, but Suran could tell that there was a science behind her sporadic movements. A short time later breakfast was served. The menu was smaller than yesterday, but not lacking by any means. From eggs to bacon to break to pancakes, she had all. Without any regard to decency, Natalya plopped down in her chair and began to stuff food down her throat, while Suran savored every bite. In moments, Natalya devoured a majority of the food, finishing with a burp, ¡°So, how was it Suran?¡± ¡°Filling,¡± Suran replied, gently wiping his mouth with a napkin. He rose from his chair, ¡°It¡¯s about time we get going. I don¡¯t want to waste any more daylight.¡± Natalya left the table and scurried over to the bed, hoisting up a large backpack and slinging it over her shoulder, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m set! Got everything we will need in here!¡± The bag weighed down on her shoulders, causing some concern for Suran, ¡°Want me to carry that for you?¡± ¡°Hell no! All my cooking supplies are in here! There is no way I would anyone carry these. It¡¯s my entire life ya know?¡± ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Leaving the house, the pair went to the other side of the town with the warehouses, and followed its main road South and out of the town. Not a single cloud dotted the sky and it was not oppressively hot, creating perfect travel conditions. ¡°Following this road will take us all the way to the capital!¡± Natalya informed Suran, pointing down the road. He said nothing, simply nodding his head and walking ahead to take the lead. He recalled it was a two-day journey by foot, and did not want to waste any time and arrive there too late into the night. For a time, they traveled in silence, with only the sounds of nature populating the air. The road joined the river, running along its side. Fish teemed in its pools in the grassy plains several animals roamed. Suran had not seen creatures like them before, but he was not interested enough to take a closer look. ¡°Soooo, Suran, tell me about yourself,¡± Natalya questioned, breaking the silence. ¡°What do you want to know?¡± He dryly responded. ¡°Tell me where you are from!¡± ¡°¡­A far away place.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that stupid, of course you are. I meant like what type of place was it and things like that.¡± ¡°It was a pitiful place, but it was home.¡± ¡°I know what that feels like. Alnwick was the definition of a hell hole for me. How about your age, hmm?¡± ¡°Why do you want to know so much about me? It would be better if you didn¡¯t ask me anything.¡± ¡°Well, I have a right as your travel partner to know about you, so excuse me Mr. Socially Awkward Child. Now are you going to tell me your age or not? ¡°13,500,000,000 years old, give or take a few billion,¡± he answered rather flippantly. ¡°Come on, man. You don¡¯t have to act like that.¡± Suran kept walking, letting silence fill the air before answering, ¡°¡­Fine, I¡¯m 26.¡± ¡°See? How hard was that? And I¡¯m 23. Anyways, what did you do before coming here?¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°As in a job, you fucking deadbeat.¡± ¡°I was a soldier.¡± ¡°Ooo, a soldier? Tell me what that was like! What weapons did you use? Are you good with a sword? Did you have to fight in a lot of wars? How many people have you killed? What about your comra-¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Suran cut Natalya off, stopping in place, ¡°I understand you want to know more about me and want to talk, which is fine, but there are certain things I just don¡¯t want to talk about, so please stop asking me these questions.¡± ¡°¡­A-alright. I got it¡­ sorry,¡± Natalya¡¯s voice wavered off, her outgoing personality silenced. A button somewhere along the line was pressed, triggering Suran¡¯s anger. Natalya was not content with her answers, but Suran was giving off an intimidating aura and she did not want to press her luck. In silence, the two continued their journey. No further questions were asked and no further discussion was to be had. They ate sandwiches Natalya prepared for lunch, taking a short break. Clouds began to roll in at the close of the day, but Suran kept pressing forward as the sunset, not setting up camp till it was pitch black out. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Collecting some loose wood in the area, Suran lit a fire and kept it stoked for part of the night. Despite the warm weather, Suran felt shivering cold. Natalya slept almost instantly, worn out from travel, but sleep came extremely difficulty to Suran that night. Suran rose at the crack of down, and silently prepared himself, washing himself in the adjacent river. Afterwords, he prodded Natalya awake, who reluctantly got up. Dark clouds were gathering in the sky, an a rough wind was coming in, signaling that a storm was coming. Suran picked up the pace, forcing Natalya to skip a proper breakfast much to her dismay. A few solid hours of travel was logged, before a torrent came down. The duo ran in the rain, getting soaked by sheets of rain. In the distance, a massive castle dominated the landscape. ¡°Look! Its Castle Valcadia! That means we are at the entrance of the valley to the capital!¡± ¡°Then lets hurry and get out of this rain!¡± At the prospect of shelter, the two doubled their pace, mad dashing towards the castle. The castle was designed to withstand the greatest of sieges, multiple layers of walls and barricades standing tall. Upon arrival, guards at the gate graciously greeted the travelers and ushered them in, providing a fresh change of clothes and a fire to warm up. The rain washed away all the energy, forcing the two to retire at the castle for now. ¡°Need something?¡± Suran asked Natalya who was staring intently at him, sitting on a carpet next to the fire.¡± With a sigh she fell back with her legs pointing straight at the ceiling before abruptly falling down, ¡°Nooope. Just wished these people gave proper clothes,¡± she whined, ¡°These clothes are loose in all the wrong places and too tight in even worse areas. Not to mention their horrible color.¡± The clothes were brown and puke green. ¡°At least you have dry clothes.¡± ¡°Well yeah, I have clothes,¡± she launched herself upright, causing her breasts to flail under her shirt, ¡°Not too sure about underwear though,¡± she continued with a playful grin and lecherous eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t they have underwear available?¡± ¡°It¡¯s more comfortable this way,¡± she pouted at Suran. The guards came by and informed them that the storm would not let up for the day, making travel impossible for now. Without anything else to do, Suran called it a day and simply rested. When morning came, Suran allowed for a short breakfast before heading outside of the castle. The ground was soaked and covered in puddles, but the overcast had cleared up and the air felt fresh and clean. Right behind the castle, was the grand opening of a massive valley. The river flowed through and began to divide over and over again. Walking through the opening, a massive city sprawled out on the shore of a glimmering ocean. Nestled in a depression in the ground between two ridges, the city consumed the entire valley. Even though it was right insight, it took a considerable amount of time to reach the city gates, with the sun already setting by the time Suran and Natalya reached them. However, the day ending was not the only problem they came across at the gates. ¡°What is going on over there?¡± Natalya murmured, pointing out a massive group of people with wagons and carts. ¡°No idea¡­¡± It was difficult for them to hear each other because the crowd was chanting and yelling. As they got closer, they could discern the various cries: ¡°There is no way we are paying this!¡± ¡°How am I suppose to feed my family?¡± ¡°This tax is outrageous! How can we compete?¡± Making their way through he rowdy crowd, Suran made note that majority of these people had wagons full with grain. ¡°Quiet down!¡± An armored man shouted with a row of guards behind him, ¡°If you want to sell you good, you have to pay the tax. No exceptions.¡± The crowed roared at the guard, surging forward with fury, but the guards stepped up and beat them back. Somehow, Suran and Natalya made it to the gate without being swept up by the rioting farmers. ¡°You there!¡± The guard in charge strolled up to the pair, ¡°What is your business here?¡± ¡°Here to visit the Adventures Guild.¡± Suran met the guard. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± The guard asked with a sigh of relief. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good, if you were selling grain we would have to throw you out. New, stringent city taxes on the selling and production of grain has been causing quite the uproar. Anyways, if you are here to see the guild, you might want to know they are closing up for the day. They are situated by the harbor by Alexander¡¯s Circle. You won¡¯t be able to make it in time.¡± ¡°Then we would have to go there tomorrow? Is there an inn you could recommend?¡± ¡°Aye that I can. Down the main raid you will come across the Sleeping Boar inn. Reasonable prices if I say so.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± With a nod, the guard let Suran and Natalya through. The street was extremely wide and packed with all sorts of people. Even though night was coming, it was obscene on how many people littered the streets; it was a challenge on walking through. On the streets, the sights Suran saw surprised him: tall, pale white men with pointy ears, people clad in fur with tails, and anything else he could think of. The diversity of humanoid figures was immense and tickled his curiosity. He almost missed the inn, getting lost in the throngs of people, if it were not for Natalya paying attention and dragging him to the side. Entering the inn, they were greeted by a massive bald man situated by a counter. Suran casually walked up, ¡°Would like a room with two beds. How much would that be?¡± ¡°A silver and 50 copper,¡± the man grunted out. Suran rummaged through his coin purse and laid out three silver coins. He opted for two nights simply because he did not want to deal with change. ¡°Second floor, third room down the hall,¡± he instructed, scooping up the coins. Suran led Natalya up a winding staircase to the second floor and down the hall to the third room. Opening it up, they found a cozy little room with a small table for two accompanied with the desired two beds. A small nightstand was situated next to both beds, and a window overlooking the main road was housed in the middle of the wall. ¡°Soooo, Suran, what¡¯s the plan for tomorrow? Go straight to the guild?¡± ¡°Actually, no.¡± Natalya cocked her head, ¡°What do you mean? I thought that was settled¡­¡± ¡°I said it was only a lead. I don¡¯t know even know the first thing about adventuring so I¡¯m not sure if it would be the right profession for me. The plan is to explore the town and collect some information. I need more information before making a decision on what I want to do.¡± ¡°How boring¡­ how logical,¡± Natalya groaned out, flinging herself onto a bed. ¡°No matter what I intend to do, I still have to make a living, and I better find something I can actually do.¡± ¡°Sure, sure¡± Natalya waved him off. Suran gazed out the window, watching the throngs of people below. The city was full of life, and he felt anxious deep down. He had no idea where the currents of time will take him, but tomorrow the next phase of his life awaited him. Chapter 08 - In Search for a Quest Suran flung open the window, letting a crisp breeze roll into the room. Light radiated from the partly cloudy sky down onto the bustling streets. It would have been the start to a perfect day if it weren¡¯t for Natalya¡¯s snoring keeping him awake all night. He would get his retribution, but now was not the time. Instead, he fascinated himself with the small bathroom attached to his room. Inside was a small sink and toilet complete with flowing, clean water. It struck him as odd that a world where swords were common would somehow engineer a functioning plumbing system, but he didn¡¯t complain. Rather, he found the technological disparity between fields fascinating. Snapping back to reality, he washed his face and cleaned himself before lumbering over Natalya. She was sprawled out on the bed, snoring like a beast. He called out her name, trying to wake her up, but the women did not stir in response. Next, he gave her a hard shove to jostle her awake. Instead of waking up, her body fell back into place, causing her arm to fling out and smack Suran in the face. He had enough wasting time. He obtained a small wash bucket from the bathroom, filled it halfway with water, then doused Natalya in water without a shred of remorse. ¡°BYLARGRALGAL,¡± Natalya sprang up from the bed, spitting out water. She shook her head, flinging water off her head like a wet dog. ¡°What the fuck was that for?!¡± She shouted at Suran, gasping from shock and shivering from the cold. ¡°You weren¡¯t waking up.¡± ¡°So instead of waking me up like a normal person like shouting at me or pushing me, you decided to toss a bucket of water on me?¡± ¡°Would you believe me if I said I tried?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Then yes. Yes, I did.¡± ¡°You are one evil man,¡± Natalya scolded Suran, crossing her arms and glaring at him, her clothes soaking wet. She rummaged through her bags and pulled out a spare set of clothes and then marched off to the bathroom. Moments later she reemerged wearing a frown along with her new set of clothes. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan now that I was so rudely woken up?¡± Natalya commented, clearly angry. Suran looked down at his garb, ¡°First, I¡¯ll need some clothes.¡± Currently, he still was dressed in the clothes he had looted. His shoes were two sizes too large, and the loose shirts and pants were caked in dirt and blood. The dirt brown colors were not his taste as well. ¡°Shopping is okay¡­¡± Disappointment filled her eyes as if that was not the answer she was waiting for. Suran thought about why she would respond like that before finding his answer, ¡°¡­We can get breakfast first, if you want.¡± She let out a sigh of relief, ¡°Don''t mind if I do!¡± The two exited the room and headed downstairs where Suran asked the inn keeper where they could obtain food. He found out that two meals each day were included in the room fare, and breakfast was currently being served. Adjacent to the inn lobby was a small lounge area stocked with tables. Of the ten tables present, half of them were occupied, mostly by older, gruff men. There was no talk, only clangs of silverware, chewing of food, and the gulping of drinks. Suran hung a left at the entrance, situating himself on a table at the corner, situating his back to the wall and the entire dining area in front of him. Plopping down in the opposite chair, Natalya obscuring part of the view. A moment later, a middle-aged woman came out asking what we wanted to eat. Natalya went first, asking for a scrambled omelet with cheese and onions, strips of bacon, and bread, but she continued to list item after item, much to the behest of the server. Instead of listening to Natalya ramble off her gluttonous meal, Suran tuned her out and quietly observed the room. He found satisfaction in watching the patrons go about their activities, wondering who they were, how they got here, what they did, and what they will do. To him, they were unimportant; they were merely background characters in his life. But that did not stop that person from being important to someone or something else; Everyone lived their own lives with their own goals and dreams and plans, and that captivated Suran. He was broken out of his trance by the waitress waving her hand in front of him since Natalya had finished ordering. All he asked for was bread and a cup of team. For some reason, he just wasn¡¯t hungry. While his food came out quickly, it took much longer for Natalya¡¯s to be prepared. She slouched over and rested her head on the table, shaking her leg and burrowing her head in her arms, waiting for her food to come. When it did come, it came in waves with plate after plate. It made Suran wonder how the inn would allow someone to order this much food. While Natalya tore apart her bacon and eggs, Suran sipped on his scalding hot tea, munching on his simple piece of bread. She scarfed down the food faster than Suran could even finish his tea. Natalya being ready to go was a rare opportunity, so he left the rest of his tea and lead her out. It was growing cold anyways; he had no more desire to drink it. On his way out, he stopped by the inn keeper. ¡°Excuse me?¡± He called out. The man in the chair gingerly got up, the chair creaking underneath him, ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I¡¯m new to town and wanted some information. Could you help?¡± He placed both hands on the table, leaning forward. Shifting his eyes left and right, he asked, ¡°What do you want to know?¡± Suran¡¯s first question was on the adventurer¡¯s guild; he wanted to know what exactly it was. The man, who told him his name was Jerin, informed Suran that the adventurer¡¯s guild was an organization that operates as a hub for its members, allowing them to accept quests, trade goods, and exchange information. Typical work would involve transporting goods or people, eliminating monsters, gathering resources, clearing ruins, and more. As Suran understood it, adventuring is a profession that acts as a catch-all for tasks in society. But that did not include all the tasks a city would need done, so Suran inquired further about the work found and done in the city. Beyond the adventurer¡¯s guild. Jerin clarified, exists multiple niche organizations, like the blacksmiths guild, mage''s college, and so on and so forth that specialize in certain tasks. Then there are free companies that can fill in gaps that exist in the economy or provide competition in the market. The one unique attribute that the adventurer¡¯s guild has ¨C save for select few companies and organizations¨C is that they are the only truly international organization, establishing and operating branches in all major cities on the continent. Other guilds like a blacksmiths or tailoring guild would vary from city to city in their management and offerings, not typically being linked to other establishments. With that in mind, Suran confirmed that he would join the adventures guild. He was not exactly proficient in any of those specialized tasks, but with adventuring, he could freely accept any job he felt capable of completing. Before he left, he obtained directions for the guild and where he could purchase clothing. Thanking Jerin for his information, he departed with Natalya into the streets of Valcadia. In broad daylight, he could clearly see the architecture of the city as he followed the directions Jerin gave him. The buildings were structured with wooden beams and the walls filled in with dark stone. Topped with pointy roofs, each house was defined with large windows and pointed arches, occasionally accompanied with buttresses that were fashioned into covered walkways . Even though the street was wide, the clustered arrangements of the imposing buildings created a claustrophobic atmosphere. No space was wasted in this Gothic design; each inch treated as a precious commodity. As he traveled deeper into the city, towering walls standing dozens of feet tall separated portions of the city. The walls indicated the city was not only extremely old, but continued to expand as time went on, pushing the walls further out to meet the needs of its citizens. When he came across the marketing venue, it too was enclosed by titanic walls. A massive, pointed arch lined with ornate dark gray stone stood as the entrance. Men of all shapes and colors flocked in and out of the gates. Natalya stuck close to Suran to avoid being separated in the throngs of people as they entered into the market. Unlike the dense city streets, the market sprawled out like a bazaar. The street widened out, opening up the entire middle to be packed with rows of stalls. Lined on each side were proper storefronts with wide windows with a lighter touch of gray stone lining to be a favored choice. With 13 silver coins in his pocket, he began the tedious work of shopping. One by one, he browsed through the storefronts, avoiding the stalls, examining the available clothing and taking note of pricing. There were no price tags listed, so each time he found something he would have to ask the storekeeper for a price check. Through doing that several times, he was able to get a clear idea on how much apparel costed. Light cloth shirts ran at 30 copper whereas heavier fabric shirts like wool would go for anywhere between 40 and 50. Pants ran a little bit more at 60 and the smaller items like gloves and socks averaged at 20. On top of that, he browsed boots and other shoes, finding normal wear shoes to be 80 copper and work boots to be 1 silver. Lastly, underwear and undershirts were around 30. Natalya was silently tagging along, and after the fourth store Suran asked if she wanted to purchase anything as well. She denied, stating she would rather save her money for something more important. After rejecting the selection of eight different stores, he finally found an establishment that had suitable clothing. All the other stores carried simple, plain clothing that was rather dull. He promised himself he would limit his spending, but, when it was all said and done, he spent a tad more than he had hoped. Tossing out his ragged, stained clothes immediately, he dawned on his favorite purchase: a light off-white, long-sleeved shirt, lined with blood-red buttons down the middle, navy blue pants, a coal-black, wool coat, and a velvet red, silk scarf. It was not nearly cold enough for the coat or scarf, but he enjoyed their warmth and comfort too much to care. As for extras, he picked up a few extra sets of simple shirts, pants, and undergarments, topping it off with a sturdy pair of boots. Seeing as he could not carry all the clothing, he also took the liberty of purchasing a drawstring sack to store them in. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Suran left satisfied with four silver coins left to his name. ¡°Took you long enough,¡± Natalya chided him. ¡°How do I look?¡± Suran asked, ignoring her remark. ¡°Who cares?¡± ¡°Looks are important, you know.¡± ¡°Again, who cares? Just get something that¡¯s comfortable and be done with it.¡± ¡°But it is comfortable! It¡¯s functional yet stylish,¡± Suran argued, trying to seek validation in his purchases. ¡°If you say so,¡± Natalya shrugged it off, ¡°So what¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Next we actually get to business and swing by the adventure¡¯s guild. Registration comes first, then after that we can see how things develop.¡± ¡°Finally we get to do something interesting. Lead the way!¡± The pair exited the market center and continued down the main road they were on. Jerin had told them that many of the major roads led to the city center, Alexander¡¯s Circle. It was there the adventure¡¯s guild was situated. It was a long walk, but eventually Suran and Natalya reached the circle. Alexander¡¯s Circle was a huge roundabout with roads branching off to all sides. At the center stood a massive figure in a heroic pose, water flowing out of the statue¡¯s base into a marble fountain. Four additional, smaller statues were placed equidistant on the edge of the fountain, all in crafted with absurd attention to detail. On the opposite side of the Circle was a massive building that stood at least five to six stories tall, crafted with a brighter, light brown brick compared to the dreary slabsused throughout the city. At the top of its roof was a metallic pole waving the symbol of the adventure¡¯s guild, a fiery phoenix clutching a sword in its claws. Hurrying across the street, he approached the large wooden doors of the guild, ready to get to work. A huge foyer with an assortment of chairs, sofas, and tables furnished the entrance. On the right was a dining area, a cafe type establishment constructed into the wall. Large marble stairs on the left connected the various floors of the building. Directly in front of Suran was a large counter that spanned almost the entire width of the guild hall. Scattered throughout were a variety of individuals garbed from armor to simple cloth, carrying swords, staves, shields, and bows. Lining the counter were guild workers wearing a red, vest-like uniform over a white undershirt accompanied with black pants. Suran found an open consultant and approached the counter. He was greeted by a young lady with a soft, vibrant face. Her wide smile was glowing as her golden hair was tied back. ¡°Welcome to the Adventure¡¯s Guild! My name is Jeanne Gagnon, and I will be your consultant!¡± She bowed her head, speaking with a cheery, upbeat voice. ¡°I am Suran Ibrahim and behind me is Natalya Korsakova. I am new to the area and out of work, so I would like to enlist with the guild and possibly obtain some jobs.¡± ¡°Understood, Mr. Ibrahim! To use our guild services such as accepting quests, you first must register with the guild. You can either register with an individual license, or establish a free company ¨C a service we can provide her as well ¨C and register said company as a guild associate. For an individual license, it will be 25 silver coins per person. Creating a free company and registering with the guild is one gold, an offer we provide at a special discounted rate that includes forming the company, registering the company to the guild, and registering its members under our registers all at once. Past that for free companies, registering company members comes at ten silver versus the individual membership of 25.¡± Suran clicked his tongue upon hearing the numbers. To get funds needed for the registration would require working, and to get work he would need to register. An unfortunate situation unless he found offerings outside the guild. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit much? Perhaps it could be lowered?¡± Suran went straight to bargaining. ¡°Unfortunately it can not. We use our membership registration and our annual fees to provide valuable services to our members such as the handling of mail, quest rewards, selling and buying, and more. By principle, we can not lower the prices. Sorry!¡± ¡°That is unfortunate¡­ Then to attain the funds, do you have any suggestion on work I could take? ¡°Certainly! Currently, there is a heavier demand for slaves than usual, so slave traders have been scrambling for extra hands in acquiring products. On the same vein, extra guards for transportation are also needed. If that is not your cup of tea, then the Valeryian Army has enlisting large numbers at a variety of jobs with great pay and benefits.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Are you sure there is no other way to lower the price?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry but ¨C ¡° ¡°Jeanne, you are forgetting the referral!¡± Someone from way down the counter shouted at her. Jeanne¡¯s face turned red in embarrassment. ¡°O-oh yes, of course! I neglected to mention that the start-up fees can be waived or discounted provided there is a verifiable review from a qualified individual of the community. A referral gives us insurance that a new member will contribute to the guild such that waiving the fees are acceptable.¡± ¡°Now that is helpful information,¡± Suran mused. If he could contact Greyson, he was sure that he would give him a recommendation, but he had no idea how to do it, let alone if he was even reachable anymore. ¡°Thank you for your time. I will be back later.¡± ¡°Pleasure to be of service!¡± Jeanne bowed again. In this vast city, a post office of sorts must exist. Especially since Greyson was a part of the military, it could be easier sending him a letter through those channels. Natalya seemed bored out of her mind as they left the guild. He figured he would drop off his clothing at the inn and ask Jerin where he could send out mail. Casually, Suran began to travel back up the road, towards the inn. As he was walking with Natalya, from the corner of his eye he noticed a peculiar hooded figure keeping up with him, several paces behind him. His attire was strange, yet he brushed it off as coincidence. Natalya had not noticed so he wanted to think that it was just his own mind playing tricks on him. He continued traveling, but the man in the black cloak persisted in his purist. ¡°Natalya, keep close. We are going to be making a detour.¡± ¡°What for?¡± She asked, disinterested in the ongoings. ¡°We are being followed.¡± ¡°The hell? Who would follow some no-name like you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what bothers me.¡± Suran grabbed her hand, and sped up the pace, zigzagging through the crowd. Sure enough, the cloaked individual pushed through the crowd, keeping up. Scanning up ahead, Suran noticed an alley way and lead Natalya into it. It was dark, obscured from the light with smaller passages branching off ahead. He pulled her along, and ducked behind the second entrance, taking cover behind some loose bricks and wood. Keeping his breathing and movement to a minimum to avoid making noise, he perked his ears up, listening for any change to his environment. A moment later, the click clack of shoes echoed through the alley. Clutching his sword, he prepared himself to pounce as soon as the man came into view. A shadow appeared on the floor, and Suran began to inch forward, ready to strike. The man stepped into view, and Suran sprang out, ramming the man into the wall with his shoulder before jumping back and drawing his sword at him. ¡°Why were you following us?¡± The hood fell down and a pale, gaunt face of an older man was revealed. ¡°P-p-please put the sword down! I mean no harm!¡± The man whimpered putting his hands up. ¡°Throw off the cloak,¡± Suran instructed, not trusting the man at all. The cloak was large, allowing for weapons to be concealed. The man slowly got up and unfastened the cloak, letting it drop to the grown. His skinny frame held no weapons. Keeping his sword up, ¡°What do you want?¡± Suran questioned. ¡°Please, I need to help of an adventure! My daughter was kidnapped, a-and I have no where else to turn!¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you make a request at the guild?¡± Suran was not buying what he was saying. ¡°I-i-it¡¯s complicated¡­ I am in a very dangerous situation right now. I¡¯m being watched, had to sneak out of my own home. If they knew I went to the guild for help, m-my poor daughter¡­¡± his voice trailed off, almost breaking into a sob. Suran reluctantly sheathed his sword, ¡°Then what do you want me to do?¡± ¡°P-please, find my daughter!¡± The man was practically on his knees, begging for Suran to help. Something seemed off to Suran, but he could not tell what. He needed more information. ¡°That is a difficult situation¡­¡± Suran remarked, intentionally trying to act non-committal. ¡°T-then you will help?!¡± ¡°I am willing to listen to what you have to say.¡± ¡°Oh, thank God!¡± Tears rolled down the man¡¯s cheek, ¡°Please, come with me. We can discuss properly on my estate.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Suran replied, still uneasy about the situation. Leaving the ground, he dawned his cloak and ushered Suran and Natalya out of the alley. Chapter 09 – Sleuth Suran In a cozy room with sprawling windows shrouded by velvet green curtains, aged, wooden cupboards housing ornate plates and collectibles, lining the side walls, and an extensive bookcase stacked with books on the back wall, Suran sat tensed upon a satin sheen gold berg¨¨re with Natalya slumped in an adjacent chair, his newest acquaintance, Baron Henry Reginald, fidgeted on a matching camel back sofa, and standing to his right, in a black and white maid outfit, was a youthful, black-haired lady adorned with black cat ears. ¡°Keira, could you please brew us some tea?¡± Baron Reginald asked, squirming in his chair. ¡°Yes, Master,¡± she turned and strode out of the room, her black tail swaying back and forth. Breaking a nervous smile, the Baron attempted to ease the mood, ¡°Is this your first time seeing a Felidae?¡± ¡°¡­Yes,¡± Suran assumed he was referring to the cat girl. It was his first time seeing anything like it, and he was quiet enthralled by the twitching of her ears and the swaying of her tail; he had always been a cat person. ¡°I see. I purchased her a long time ago when our finances were in¡­ better shape." Clearing his throat, Reginald changed subjects, ¡°Anyways, as you can see, that is where I currently stand. Will you help?¡± Suran leaned back in his chair, locking his hands together and going into deep thought. Currently, the Baron was undergoing severe financial hardship due to the turmoil in the grain market which constitute most of his income. Without any relief in sight, he had to borrow large sums of money to maintain his estate. Normally he would borrow from a financial institution like a bank, but due to the volatility in the grain market, the demand for investment and loans increased significantly, causing the banks to restrict the number of loans they hand out. As a result, nobles and business that had large amounts of wealth and long-term profitability were favored over low ranking nobles and business that had smaller profit margins. Baron Reginald fell in the latter category, leaving him out of luck in obtaining loans and funding to upkeep his estate. Without the income to support his estate, Reginald faced financial ruin. Until a company named Namnoc approached him. They offered to loan him the money he needed on the condition that he offer up various parts of his estate as collateral and by accepting an unusually high interest rate. Without any other options, he accepted the deal with the belief that the grain market would rebound. It did not. The Baron continued to borrow money, digging himself deeper into debt, struggling to maintain his upkeep. He insisted that he tried to maintain good relations with his lender, Namnoc, but, in the recent weeks, they had been aggressively hounding him to begin paying back the money he owed. Without the funds, the Baron tried his best to appease them by tearing up parts of his holdings, but their demands did not abate. It was today that things spiraled out of control. The Baron¡¯s daughter, Annabelle, was kidnapped at high noon while transferring carriages on her way to a party. While the Baron had no conclusive evidence, he insisted that Namnoc was behind the kidnappings, potentially seeking to sell off his daughter to recoup some of their funds. ¡°Would it not be better to get the authorities involved in this?¡± Suran proposed, leaning forward. ¡°B-believe me! I Tried!¡± The Baron exclaimed, ¡°They would not listen to a word I said. It worries me that there is a possibility that Namnoc, or some other party, has the officials under their thumb.¡± ¡°Then what about the Adventurer¡¯s Guild?¡± ¡°Requests made are easy to search. Meaning that if I went there for help, whoever took my poor daughter would know, and I shudder to think at what they might do than.¡± The Baron took a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Keira returned with a white and gold tray with three cups and a coffee pot. She settled it down on the coffee table and poured out the cups for the three gathered. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Thank you, Keira,¡± The Baron remarked, picking up a cup and sipping on it. His hands were visibly shaking as he clasped onto the cup. Natalya, looking extremely bored, began gulping down the tea while Suran took measured sips. Suran straightened out, in full negotiation mode, ¡°Let¡¯s say I do accept, what would you be willing to offer. Hastily, Reginald put down his cup and clasped his hands, ¡°I am willing to offer anything: money, land, supplies, equipment.¡± Suran pondered his options. He had no use for payment that he could not use, such as the land and supplies. What he wanted most was a reward that could prove its worth over a long period of time. ¡°Baron Reginald ¨C ¡° ¡° ¨C Please, call me Henry.¡± ¡°Then, Henry, I accept on two conditions.¡± Henry tensed in his chair, listening intently. ¡°First, give me a recommendation to the Adventure¡¯s Guild so that I may enter it without any fees or at least a discount.¡± ¡°Consider it done.¡± ¡°Second, I seek¡­ information.¡± ¡°What sort of information?¡± Henry asked, scrunching up his face. ¡°I have plenty of books and connections that could yield what you want.¡± ¡°It is not the type of information that could simply be found in any book; I desire vast amounts of knowledge and wisdom to answer unanswerable questions and aid in my search for that which I seek.¡± Suran had no direction, no solid aim or goal. He was lost in this world, and what he needed most was direction. Aimlessly wandering and searching may get him nowhere, but with knowledge, he could begin to set parameters, to add focus to his haphazard journey; he could not desire that which he was ignorant of. ¡°Ahh¡­ the pursuit of wisdom. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have the ability to give you that sort of information, but I could refer you to individuals who might have a better idea then I do, or notify you of places or leads of interest.¡± ¡°That would do.¡± ¡°Excellent!¡± Henry gave a sigh of relief, color slightly returning to his pale, anxiety stricken face. ¡°Then, I presume, you will be starting now?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Suran remarked, rising from his chair. Natalya too left her chair, stretching out all the kinks in her body. ¡°Please, do not hesitate to tell me if you need anything.¡± ¡°What I want to know is, are you sure it was the Namnoc company behind this?¡± ¡°It is the only lead I¡¯m afraid. I have no earthly idea who would want to kidnap my sweet Annabelle.¡± ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± ¡°Again, I can not express my gratitude enough for this,¡± the Baron took a slight bow towards Suran. ¡°If I need anything, I will let you know,¡± Suran said as Keira led him and Natalya out of the room towards the entrance of the house. Outside on the gated lawn of the Reginald estate near the heart of the city, Suran decided on the best course of action. ¡°So, Suran,¡± Natalya broke his train of thought, ¡°What type of reward was that?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You asked for practically nothing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± Suran replied with a frown. ¡°It may not have tangible value, but they have intangible value that could far exceed anything he could have given us. I¡¯m sure you saw, he had nothing in his house.¡± Save for the one room where they were seated in, many of the rooms and corridors of the home were bare of any furnishing; almost everything was cleaned out. ¡°I doubt he had anything of value he could have given us.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± She shrugged. ¡°Anyways, you got any idea on how to figure this out?¡± Suran stroked his chin, ¡°I¡¯m no sleuth, but I¡¯d say I got a hunch.¡± He began walking off towards the iron gate of the compound. ¡°Where we going?¡± Natalya shouted, catching up to him. Suran cracked a small smile, ¡°Where all great adventures go; the bar.¡± Chapter 10 - Road to Riot Slouched in a tavern on a small street attached to the main road, Suran began to regret his choice as he slammed down his seventh drink. The copper hued ale had a biscuity, nutty flavor with a dash of caramel, but Suran did not enjoy a single sip; alcohol had never been his cup of tea. He came here for information, but the publican ignored his requests for having not purchasing anything. Not to mention Natalya was sour after Suran forbid her from drinking. Drinks weren¡¯t cheap at 20 copper a piece, and did not want to imagine how Natalya would act with some drinks in her, especially if he wasn¡¯t sober to control the situation. ¡°Bartender, over here!¡± Suran called out, raising his hand. The bartender shimmied down the bar, serving drinks along the way. ¡°Fancy another drink, lad?¡± He asked with a warm smile. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want another drink,¡± Suran set down his glass with Natalya staring daggers at him, ¡°All I want is to ask you a few questions.¡± ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want another drink?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure,¡± Suran replied irritated. ¡°Suit yourself,¡± he shrugged, ¡°So, what do you want to know?¡± ¡°How is the grain market?¡± Suran asked getting straight to business. ¡°Not good¡­¡± He responded with a heavy sigh. ¡°It¡¯s starting to hit us real hard; we are going to have to start raising our prices sooner or later¡­¡± ¡°Any chance of it getting better?¡± ¡°Not with Earl Thatch Haywood as Deputy of the Land. After he was appointed, all sorts of taxes and regulations on grain, farming, and transportation came out of the woods. The farmers and common folk get shafted, and since Lord Treasurer sees the coffers filling up, no one is fixing to change a thing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate. I have a friend who deals in grain, and if things don¡¯t pick up, he is going to have to borrow money to stay afloat.¡± ¡°Good luck with that,¡± the man snorted, ¡°All the major banks have been turning away any small timers away, giving out loans only to the upper class. Even then I heard they were selective.¡± ¡°What about smaller banks?¡± ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯ll be difficult. The competition for some coin is so high, even the smaller banks are running dry.¡± ¡°Then what about a company called Namnoc?¡± ¡°Say again?¡± ¡°My acquaintance was offered a line of credit from the company Namnoc, but had not heard of them before.¡± The publican crossed his arms, ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve heard of them. If I was you, I would tell my friend to be wary of em¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± Suran paid the tab and gestured Natalya to leave with him. One bartender not knowing did not mean anything. A worrying trend, perhaps, but Suran decided not to make any judgment until he could verify the situation. The dainty street had other bars and pubs and he would keep searching until his pockets ran dry. He strolled into the next tavern and went to work. Unlike the other publican, this bartender was willing to share some information without having to buy and down seven drinks. However, when the second bartender also had no knowledge of Namnoc, Suran began to feel this to be a worrying trend. His next two stops served him no better. In fact, at the mention of the name Namnoc, both bartenders turned him away and didn¡¯t even offer to serve him. At the fourth stop with no results, Suran opted to change gears. Besides, Natalya was moping around behind him like some four-year old child being dragged around town on errands while also being denied in purchasing candy she saw passing by. He could only ignore it for so long before it started to bother him. ¡°Natalya, we are leaving,¡± Suran said. ¡°You done drinking and wasting your money?¡± She flippantly responded. ¡°While it is true I don¡¯t want to spend anymore money, it is because we won¡¯t get any more information here.¡± Suran began to lead the way out of the side street and back out to the main road. ¡°Yeah, I got to sit there and watch you drink while you learned absolutely nothing.¡± ¡°Make no mistake, I did not enjoy drinking,¡± he clarified, ¡°Also, I did learn something.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked with confusion in her voice as she trotted behind Suran under the evening sun. ¡°Oh come on, think about it.¡± Suran asked, wanting to test her. ¡°Hmmmmmm¡­ I¡¯m guessing the fact they knew nothing at all is important?¡± ¡°Exactly. Look at it this way: a lender appears and offers a large line of credit and no one knows about said lender. Possessing large amounts of money to loan out and not being known of it suspicious in its own right. On top of that, the fact that two bartenders actually turned me away after hearing the name makes me suspect that some people do know them but don¡¯t want to talk about them, which is doubly suspicious.¡± ¡°Makes sense, but then we still don¡¯t know where they are located or where to find the girl.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, that is true. But now I have an idea that this Namnoc might not be a legitimate business. In any case, there is one more thing I wanted to explore.¡± Suran had led Natalya back to the massive market entrance. The day was slowly coming to a close, but the streets still teemed with merchants, vendors, and shoppers. Walking down the streets and scanning the vendors, ¡°My hunch is that the key to all of this is grain,¡± Suran postulated. ¡°If many grain related business are going under and conventional loans are not available to the vast majority, it allows this unknown group to ease its way in without anyone asking too many questions.¡± ¡°So you are here to question the local grain vendors and see if they know anything?¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Suran replied pleased that Natalya was catching on. She seemed like an air-head, so any progress he considered good. At the back of the market was where the grain lie. With its positioning, it was almost as if all the vendors and their products were forgotten about and cast in the back in hopes people would simply forget about them. Someone had to be specifically looking for this collective to notice them. ¡®Excuse me,¡± Suran called out, walking up the first vendor lined up. Stolen story; please report. ¡°What do you want?¡± A seated man gruffly called out with his arms crossed. ¡°Here to buy some grain?¡± ¡°Er, no. I wanted to ask you a few questions.¡± ¡°Pfft? Questions? Does it look like I got time for that sort of thing?¡± Suran looked left and right. No one was even remotely close. ¡°Sir, no one is here.¡± ¡°Fine, fine,¡± the man lumbered out of his chair, ¡°Don¡¯t go rubbin¡¯ it in, mate.¡± ¡°Have you heard of a company called Namnoc?¡± ¡°Namnoc? Who the fuck is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a group that has been loaning to a friend of mine due to the grain business. Needless to say, things aren¡¯t going so well between him and that company.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned! Another one of us folk getting turned upside down by some bloke,¡± he shook his head in frustration. ¡°Henry, Roland, Jacob, boys get over here,¡± the man shouted out to the area. Moments later, several vendors started gathering around. ¡°This lad¡¯s friend is getting demolished by a shark named Namnoc. Anyone head of em?¡± Murmurs rippled through the crowd as individuals conferred with one another, but there was no affirmative response to the question. The man sighed at Suran, ¡°See lad, this is what the world has come to. We are simple people. Work off the land, take the grain to market, and sell our wheat and barley. But noooooo, we can¡¯t have that now can we?¡± In response, shouts arouse from the crowd in agreement. ¡°We sit here and toil away, and all we get is a steaming pile of crap named taxes dumped on us by the so-called ¡®Deputy of the Land¡¯,¡± he continued, his voice increasing in volume. ¡°Yeah, the government understand nothing! ¡°Our lives are ruined!¡± ¡°We need to make them listen!¡± Anonymous members of the crowd replied back to the man leading the dialogue. Energy was boiling in the crowd as it became restless. ¡°And look what we have here: A poor lad¡¯s friend getting devoured by those sharks and you know why? Because the government could care less about us!¡± The crowd roared back in response. More and more vendors began to join into the fray, becoming a huge crowd of people, blocking the street. Suran grew uneasy. He did not like where this was going. ¡°You know what I say?!¡± The ringleader man shouted to the crowd at the top of his lungs. ¡°What?¡± A unison response from the crowd came back. ¡°We show them what we are made of! Show them that we, the people, are not to be messed with!¡± ¡°YEAH!¡± With that, the man left his post at his stand and began marching down the street towards the main portion of the market. The swelling crowd filed in behind him, shouting anti-government chants and viscous insults towards banks and creditors. In attempt to appease the crowd, Suran tried to wad through the surging crowd to the makeshift leader he just created, but it was no use; every step was met with resistance that jostled him around. A push to the back made him lose his footing, and he toppled to the ground. A raging mob was walking right on top of him, so he curled up in a defensive ball, wondering how in the hell some simple questions sparked a riot in the middle of the market. People stomped on his back and every exposed portion of his body. Dying by sword sounds pretty heroic, but to die being trampled by a riot he accidentally created? Suran was not so happy about that. Just as when he thought all hope was lose, some tiny little hands came down and began pulling him up from the ground. Somehow in the mess of people Natalya got to him and was saving his life. A few heaves later, and Suran was on his feet. Still in a daze from being trampled on, Natalya stringed him along and out of the rampaging crowd. Suran doubled over, catching his breath and easing out his strained body. He was no particularly fond of having Natalya tag along, but in this instance it paid off. The crowd in front of him surged past, passersby joining as it moved along. Down the market road, he could hear the clamor of the rioting mob and screams. It sounded like things were getting violent, and he had no intention of sticking around. ¡°Natalya, we got to get out of here!¡± He gasped out. She pointed down an alley way, ¡°Follow me; I think this should take us out.¡± Natalya hustled down the alley and Suran followed. To his surprise, her words were true and at the pathway connected to a larger road in the city. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan now, Suran?¡± ¡°No one seems to know of this company. I think out only option is to go back to the Baron and question him so more.¡± ¡°Right now?¡± She asked. The sun was setting and dusk was creeping into the sky. ¡°It can wait till tomorrow. Lets head back to the inn, grab some food, and rest up.¡± Suran really wanted to rest. His body was screaming in pain from being stomped on by a swarm of people. The pair headed off down the road in search for their inn. It took some time as they were on an unfamiliar road, but eventually, it took them to the main city road which led them back to their inn. When he walked in to the inn, he was, for once, greeted by the inn keeper. ¡°What happened to you?¡± Jerin questioned with an amused face Suran began, ¡°Well¨C¡± ¡°He got drunk and started a riot at the market place,¡± Natalya nonchalantly answered, cutting him off. Suran turned to her in bewilderment, ¡°No, that¡¯s not what-¡± ¡°Ahahahahahahahahah!¡± This time Jerin cut him off with a full-bodied laugh, slapping his leg. This was the most emotion he had shown in the last few days, but Suran was not so pleased at the circumstances. With no one wanting to listen to what he had to say, he gave up on trying to clear up the situation and dragged himself to the lounge to grab some food and then go to sleep. Tomorrow he had to go back to the Baron and see if there were any other leads since everything he had in mind led to a dead-end. Natalya followed behind him, giggling all the way. Chapter 11 - On the Trail Suran floundered out of bed, soaked in water from the waist up. On the ground, he coughed up water and rubbed his eyes to clear out the water. Taking a moment to collect himself after the shock, he looked around the room and found Natalya standing with a grin from ear to ear and hands on her hip, clutching a bucket in her right hand. ¡°The hell was that for?¡± Suran gasped out, shaking water out of his ears. ¡°Well, you weren¡¯t waking up,¡± She replied with a sly smile. ¡°Did you even try anything else? Like shoving me or making noise?¡± Somehow her grin grew larger at the response, ¡°Would you believe me if I said I tried?¡± Suran realized this was the exact same situation as yesterday. Was she testing him? He thought long and hard on how he should answer, and finally said ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Wrong choice!¡± She gleefully exclaimed, tossing the bucket to the side. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan for today?¡± While dipping wet on the ground, Suran silently wished Natalya had never come along, but he felt he couldn¡¯t just leave her now; it was hard to imagine Natalya could take care of herself over a long period of time. ¡°We eat breakfast then leave for Reginald¡¯s,¡± Suran announced. He got a spare set of clothes from his small sack and changed in the bathroom. After that, he and Natalya went down to grab food. ¡°Look who decided to wake up!¡± Jerin greeted the pair in an unusually upbeat demeanor. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Suran asked walking up the counter, thinking that it should be early in the morning. ¡°It¡¯s already noon,¡± He replied with a chuckle. ¡°Missed a lot while you were snoozing. Like breakfast.¡± Suran¡¯s eyes lit up. How was it already noon? Then he considered what happened yesterday; he was feeling great considering he nearly got trampled to death at the market. Sleeping in might have been his body¡¯s way at coping with the damage. ¡°What did I miss?: He asked, thinking breakfast could not have been Jerin¡¯s biggest news. Jerin chortled while shaking his head, ¡°That little riot you created resulted in a big mess. I heard seven people died, about 32 were injured, and over 50 got arrested.¡± Suran looked on in astonishment, afraid he might have made a big mistake. ¡°Not to mention all the damage done to buildings and shops¡­¡± Suran did not want to hear anymore on the subject, so he thanked Jerin for his information and promptly went to the lounge to eat food. Since he woke up late, Natalya had to skip out on breakfast and go straight to lunch much to her dismay, but Suran was content in simply drinking tea and eating bread. As usual, Natalya scarfed down her food while Suran casually sipped on his tea. Today, Natalya was eating a stew. A simple meal compared to yesterday¡¯s. When it was all said and done, the pair headed out of the inn to begin a new day¡¯s search for the missing girl. When he left the inn, he found three men loitering across the street in long black coats. He let out a heavy sigh as the trio noticed him and began to menacingly approach him. It seemed his accidental riot did not go unnoticed to the powers that be. "Natalya, stay back,¡± Suran instructed, stepping forward to separate her from the oncoming three, ¡°If goes wrong, go back in the inn and get Jerin. He might help.¡± She nodded and stepped back in turn. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Suran placed himself in the middle of the triangle the trio coated men formed. ¡°Perhaps you can,¡± The one directly in front of Suran inched closer, standing nose to nose with him, staring him directly in Suran¡¯s eyes. ¡°You can tell me what are you doin¡¯ round these parts.¡± ¡°You know, little bit of this, little bit of that. Looking for work,¡± Suran replied, retaining his calm demeanor and returning the man¡¯s gaze. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you look for work elsewhere, yeah? ¡°I think I¡¯m fine just where I¡¯m at.¡± Suran had no intention of backing down, especially when he already accepted the rescue job. Besides. Being visited like this must mean that he was on to something. ¡°Afraid we are going to have a problem then.¡± The trio began to close in on Suran while Natalya ducked into the inn without them noticing. It was still broad daylight and the streets were packed, making it difficult to start a fight. The hooligans knew this, and were making Suran back up with their advance. Normally, Suran would want to avoid any hostilities, but with their aggression, it did not look like they were going to back down, so he instead opted to go with their flow, and deal with them in the alley way now rather than them cause him trouble later. The only exit was blocked by the three enforcers; a thick wall hanging between the buildings imposed itself on the shaded street. Suran hovered over the sword at his hip but would only use it as a last resort. Killing people in a city alley was not something he was keen on doing, So, when the thugs approached with simply their fists, he was relieved. Unlike his flimsy swordplay, close quarter combat and fisticuffs was something he was well versed in. Space was limited in the alley, so the thugs proceeded to funnel in. The first bandit came swinging in with a heavy right-handed punch. Suran undercut the punch with his arm, directing it up, ducked underneath the opening he created, and smashed his elbow into the neck of the thug, forcing him to stagger forward and past Suran. The next ruffian reared up to jab, but Suran took the initiative, putting up his arms to by his head and crashing into the thug. He banged the man¡¯s knee, slammed the man¡¯s shoulder with his body, and stretched out his arm and clutched the thug¡¯s face. With full control over the criminal¡¯s body, Suran placed his right foot forward and behind the thug¡¯s foot, then drove him back with his hand. The criminal lost his footing, tripping over Suran¡¯s foot, and had his head plowed straight into the ground by Suran. To Suran¡¯s surprise, the head slam cracked and dented the ground. He didn¡¯t think he used that much force. As he rose from the ground, his thoughts were cut short as he was grappled from behind, one of the thugs grabbing him from under his arms. While the one on the ground seemed knocked out, the third member of the group came in fresh and began to wail on Suran. A flutter of punches came in, hitting his face and stomach. Each hit stung but did not leave lasting damage. Suran was not in any serious pain from the punches, but he was not in a mood to play around. His head was not locked down, so he swung it back and head-butted the one holding him, staggering him and forcing him to loosen his grip. Then, shifting his weight by leaning forward, he hoisted the thug on his back. Pivoting one foot back, he lowered himself even further, reversing the grab and tossing him right into the last thug. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. After taking a few steps back, Suran readied himself and waited for the ruffians to make their move. However, they were slow to get up, acting as if they were in intense pain. They collected their knocked out companion, took one good look at Suran who stood unfazed at the scuffle, and darted out of the alley. Suran brushed the dirt of his clothes and walked out to the street. Considering it as past noon, it was not possible for him to pick out the thugs from the crowds of people on street. As he went back into the inn to collect Natalya, he was confused on how anti climatic that fight was. Inside, he found Natalya chatting at the counter with Jerin. ¡°Natalya, let¡¯s go,¡± he called out to the lounging girl. She lazily turned around, ¡°Done already?¡± ¡°What do you mean? I just got jumped and instead of getting help you chatted inside.¡± Suran responded annoyed. ¡°Eeeeeeh, I thought you would take care of it, and you did anyways!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t assume anything. Let¡¯s go before we lose any more day.¡± Natalya left Jerin at the counter and joined Suran as they hit the streets to travel to Baron Reginald¡¯s home. During the walk, Suran went over the events in his head, trying to tie everything together. So far, it was obvious the key to all of this was grain. Reginald was in debt because he had to borrow for his failing grain business. Then, when he started the riot the other day, the primary reason was the grain prices. While the bars not knowing anything might have been a coincidence, but getting roughed up by thugs first thing in the morning must mean that he one of his actions was on the right path. Reginald¡¯s home was in a relatively far place; it was located in one the wealthier districts, nestled deep in the city. The pair came up to the gate of the estate, and hastily entered the lawn. Suran was on edge since of the earlier scuffle, and did not want to be in the open any longer. Fortunately, while the estate was not massive, it was well made. Surrounding the perimeter was light gray stone walls covered in moss that gave ample privacy to the area. Accompanied with several trees along the edge, it would be difficult for anyone to see inside. Passing the fountain on the path, Suran trotted over to the large wooden door and knocked heavily. After waiting for a moment, Keira answered the door with her black tail swishing behind her. ¡°Welcome, Mr. Ibrahim! What can I do for you?¡± ¡°We need to speak to the Baron.¡± She took a step back to the side and bowed, ¡°Right this way,¡± gesturing the path with her hand outstretched. Suran and Natalya followed her inside where she led them through the house to the upper levels. It was not a large house; space was a valuable resource in the city, but it was homely and elegantly crafted with the room it had. Keira stopped the two outside of door and went inside. The door swung open to reveal a study with Henry Reginald sitting in a red chair behind a wooden desk with Keira to his right. ¡°Please come in,¡± Henry asked, sitting uncomfortably in his chair. Suran walked in first and seated himself in one of the two chairs in front of the Baron¡¯s desk with Natalya following suit. ¡°Any progress?¡± The Baron asked while he leaned forward with concern all over his face. ¡°We have a lead¡­¡± Suran answered vaguely. The response did not elicit any joy for the Baron who probably expected something more than a lead. He continued, ¡°If you want us to get any further, you have to tell us the full story.¡± It was a hunch that there was more to this story, but calling him out on it was a gamble. Suran felt if he normally asked for any other information, the Baron would be hesitant on sharing. By already establishing there is something more, Suran was aiming to eliminate any leeway for Henry to save face. Sweat beaded on Henry¡¯s forehead, ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± ¡°I know there is more to this. I got assaulted this morning after asking around for Namnoc. There are so many indicators that I don¡¯t have the full story: The kidnapping while going to the part, the grain market fluctuations, the large debt from the company no one knows about.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± he wiped the sweat off his forehead, ¡°Very well. There was one thing I neglected to tell you: Namnoc lent out money to many of my fellow nobles who were unable to get funding, putting us all under their influence. They began to bleed us dry so may of us wanted to get out of this and our only option was to band together.¡± ¡°Is that why your daughter was going to a party?¡± ¡°Correct. After much consideration, I decided to marry her off to gain financial assets so we could get out of debt. I received an offer from Lord Shroom, but I rejected him in favor for the son of Lord Pease. No one should have known about the arrangement but¡­¡± ¡°So either someone has been watching you, there was a leak somewhere, or Lord Shroom sold you out.¡± Suran leaned back in his chair. None of the answers gave him much to work with. ¡°Again, correct.¡± Out of the three possibilities he drafted, the only one he could follow-up on was Lord Shroom. Trying to find someone watching him would be like looking for a needle in a haystack and smoking out a spy would be even trickier. ¡°Tell me where Lord Shroom is.¡± ¡°Do you have something in mind?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to stake out his home.¡± This was the only real thing he could do. There was no guarantee that there was anything to find, but if Lord Shroom did have connections to Nomnac, he had to discover them somehow. ¡°Very well. Keira will show you the way,¡± He responded with a nod in her direction. Suran stood up from his chair, ¡°No time to waste, let¡¯s go.¡± Natalya also got and Keira left from behind the desk to show the way. As he was walking out, he turned to Natalya, ¡°Natalya, it would be better if you stayed here; it would be difficult to run reconnaissance with you around.¡± She pouted and puffed out her cheeks, ¡°I see how it is! You don¡¯t want me around!¡± ¡°While that is true, the main reason is that you would make it difficult for me to scope out the Lord.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t allow any fun!¡± She stomped in place. Suran went for the low blow, ¡°One day when you become an adult you will understand.¡± Jaw agape, Natalya went back to a chair and slouched in it, totally defeated. ¡°Right then. Keira, lead the way.¡± Keira strolled out of the room and Suran followed. Chapter 12 - The Hunter and the Hunted Through the quiet paved streets with small, gated manor homes lining the sides, Suran felt as if he was in an entirely different city. Compared to the dense, cramped city streets, the open, vibrant pathways in the upper class residential area was a nice change of pace. It was through these colorful streets that Keira led the way for Suran to Lord Shroom¡¯s estate. As the cat maid strolled down the road, Suran paid careful attention, mentally mapping the city streets. Understanding the city flow and the lay of the land was crucial in conducting information gathering, especially when staking out a target. Keira stopped at the corner of the empty street, her tail ceasing its swishing and her ears standing attentive. ¡°Around this corner, down the street, and to you right is the residence of Lord Shroom,¡± Keira pointed out from around the corner. Suran crept up, peering around the corner with her. Compared to the surrounding area, Lord Shroom¡¯s estate was younger and larger; all the other stone gates and fences were covered in floral growth, their faces weathered and dirtied by the passage of time. ¡°I¡¯ll be able to take it over from here,¡± Suran commented, looking over the home. ¡°Very well then, Mr. Ibrahim.¡± Keira bowed her head and began to walk away, ¡°Good luck!¡± Glancing down the street juncture, Suran made sure there was no one else around before heading up to Lord Shroom¡¯s gate. It was a solid metal gate with no way to look inside. Suran turned the handle and, as expected, the door was also locked. Patrolling the perimeter, Suran found the walls too high for him to jump or climb over, especially since they held spiked tops. There was no way to get in, so he searched for an alternative. Even though the walls were high, there were no trees on the other side. If he could get on an elevated level, looking over the wall would be no problem. Taking inventory of the street, there were plenty of homes, but they too were also gated, making it a difficult prospect to find a home he could not only get into, but also climb on top of to see inside. Instead, he settled on a tree. Across from Lord Shroom¡¯s estate was another manor home that had a massive tree growing outside of its walls. It stood well above all the buildings in the area, so Suran went up to the tree and began the careful task of ascending its branches. After scaling most of the tree, he found a thick branch and perched himself on it and began his watch. From up high, he got a clear view of the interior of the gate and the front of the home. It was a simple, open lawn without any shrubbery or decorations. A stone pathway to the door was the only thing of note on the lawn. The sun was past its apex and he planned to sit in this tree until night came. All the windows were shuttered and not a soul stirred on the grounds. Few people came and went on the street down below, but there was no activity from Lord Shroom¡¯s home. Hours went by, and the sun drifted across the sky without anything occurring. However, Suran had no problem spending his time this way; he had grown to be a very patient person, so waiting a mere few hours, even days, was nothing to him. It was at the close of the day that something finally happened. Waddling toward the gate was a portly man accompanied by an elderly man in a butler uniform and a younger, well-groomed, fit gentleman in black formal clothes. They stopped outside the gate where the round man spoke to the suited one for a few minutes. Since Suran was high up the tree, their conversation was just out of earshot, but he could make out concern on the portly man¡¯s face as the business man spoke extremely calmly. From his coat jacket, the dandy pulled out an enveloped and handed it to his large counterpart before leaving with haste. The portly man, not dressed poorly himself, rummaged in his coat pockets and pulled out a key and proceeded to open the gate and walk towards the home with the butler in tow. From his dress to the butler, Suran assumed this man to be Lord Shroom. After the two disappeared into the home, he waited some time in the tree, but there was no further event. He climbed back down the tree and opted to call it a day and rest, planning to resume his watch early next morning. After taking the wrong turn more times than he could count, by the grace of god, he somehow managed to get back Baron Reginald¡¯s home. Once again he knocked on the door, but this time it was not Keira the black cat maid who greeted him, but a gruff, muscular man with tanned skin. ¡°Who are you?¡± The tall man asked, imposing his height over Suran. ¡°Suran Ibrahim. I am working on a task for the Baron.¡± The man¡¯s eyes lit up and his frightful demeanor washed away, ¡°Oh it was you the Master was talking about.¡± He stepped aside leaving the door free to pass through, ¡°Apologies sir, I am Fletch, one of the slaves of the Baron.¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I won¡¯t be long,¡± Suran remarked, stepping inside the home, ¡°I simply need to collect Natalya for the day.¡± Fletch sighed and shook his head, ¡°You mean the cooking lady?¡± ¡°Yes, did something happen?¡± ¡°She took over the kitchen,¡± he replied with a nervous laugh. ¡°That girl can whip up a mean dish and Keira hasn¡¯t been too happy about it since she is the cook around here.¡± ¡°Then I shall do Keira a favor and get Natalya out of her hair.¡± Suran walked through the bottom floor of the house until he found the open kitchen with Natalya making a huge mess. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Natalya was beating some dough when Suran called out. ¡°Cooooooking~¡± she replied in an up beat, musical tone. ¡°Wrap it up. We are leaving for the inn.¡± ¡°Okay!~¡± She responded in too good of a mood. Suran was completely thrown off. There was no fuss, no hassle. ¡°Wait, are you really ready to go?¡± ¡°Yup! I finished cooking a long time ago. All I was doing was screwing around with Keira since she seemed to despise me being in the kitchen.¡± Of course there was an ulterior motive, Suran thought. Without another word, he left the house without reporting to the Baron with Natalya just behind him, back towards the inn. With the sun completely set, it was the first time he was actively traveling during the night in Valcadia. Lining the streets where lamp posts illuminating a strange white glow. Electricity was not something he had observed in this world yet, so he was curious at how these contraptions were giving off light. His first thought was of magic, but that was an alien subject to him. Eventually, he reached the inn, grabbed himself a late dinner, and headed off to bed to prepare for the next day. He was woken in the morning by a heavy knock on the door. From the window were small cracks of light that indicated it was just past sunrise. Natalya was still sound asleep in the bed across from him. Lumbering out of bed, he approached the door and answered it to find Jerin on the other side. ¡°You got five lads out in the front asking for you.¡± Still half asleep, Suran took a moment to process the information he was told, ¡°Wait¡­ there are five people outside for me?¡± ¡°Yup, and, by the looks of it, they aren¡¯t up to any good either.¡± Suran thought for a moment, ¡°Is there a backdoor we can use to get out?¡± It was likely that these men are following up from the attempted assault from yesterday. ¡°There is one behind the door next to my counter. You can use it to leave.¡± Suran nodded in thanks and indicated he would be down in a minute to prevent the possibility that anyone from outside would be able to overhear. Jerin left and Suran went to rouse Natalya. ¡°What is it¡­¡± She mumbled, trying her best to ignore him and fall back asleep. ¡°We have more trouble,¡± Suran explained, peering out the window down below, ¡°Pack your bags, we are leaving as soon as possible.¡± She lazily got out of bed, her hair in a total mess, ¡°What¡¯s with you and trouble?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I look for it,¡± Suran said as he checked over his few clothing, ¡°If I had it my way, I would want no one to bother me..¡± A few minutes later and Natalya was set to go. Taking one look out the window, Suran noticed that Jerin was attempting to hold the five men at bay outside. He was an intimidating man, but five against one was not the best odds. Doubling his pace, Suran and Natalya hurried down the steps towards the door behind the counter. Suran flipped up the counter divider and darted to the back door. As he was opening it, the front door burst open and the five men began piling into the inn. ¡°Look! There he is!¡± They immediately saw Suran and pointed him out. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, Suran kicked open the door, grabbed Natalya by the hand, and led her out. The room directly attached was a kitchen and supply room, and Suran navigated through it to another doorway on the opposite side. He could hear the clamor and ruckus of the five men chasing behind him. Swinging the next door open, a narrow alley way opened up before them, and, while grabbing Natalya¡¯s hand, ran as hard as he could. Glancing over his shoulder as he sprinted down the alley way, he could see the five thugs chasing right after him. Suran eyed the sword on his hip, deciding if it was possible to simply turn and fight. He quickly opted against it. With Natalya close by without any information of where they are or where they are going or even if there are more criminals, it was a risky choice. His only choice was to run. Chapter 13 - From Down Below to Up Above Gears turned in Suran''s head as he emerged from the cramped alleyway into the bustling street. A quick glance back over his shoulder confirmed that the five thugs were still pursuing him. Without another moment''s delay, Suran darted down the crowded street, stringing Natalya along by her hand. There was only one place he could go to that came to his mind: Baron Reginald''s home. The question became how to get there. Steadily, the ruffians closed the distance. Suran had the stamina to run for indefinitely. The problem was Natalya was not in such a position. Lugging around her heavy backpack quickly made her energy diminish. She was already panting and starting to lag behind even though Suran was trying to pull her along. Up ahead the landscape was changing. The street was becoming wider and small market stalls were cropping up along the edge. On the left was a depression in the ground where lied a waterway. At the intersection in front of him, a carriage was pulling out right of him. If he could not outrun them, he must simply outmaneuver them. Suran purposefully ran in front of the carriage, bringing its horses to an abrupt stop and causing its driver to shout numerous obscenities at him and Natalya. With a passing wave of apology, he continued to truck through the crowd past the horse driven carriage, and went curved to his left, aiming straight for the waterway. Right now the thugs could not see him, obscured by the wagon, and he planned to make the most of it. On his path, unfortunately, was a food vendor whose stall was stocked with round apples. He dragged Natalya up to the confused vendor, and pushed her down into the waterway below, much to her surprise. Immediately after, he drew his sword and sliced the legs of the man''s stand, causing it to fall forward, spilling all of its round red apples onto the ground. The vendor scrambled after his livelihood in pure panic while Suran dropped down into waterway as well. ¡°What the hell was that for?!¡± Natalya exclaimed, sprawled out on the ground. ¡°We weren''t going to outrun them,¡± Suran plainly commented while peering over the edge to evaluate the ongoings. His makeshift plan seemed to have work. The thugs were slipping and sliding over the apples on top of having lost sight of him. He felt bad about cutting in front of the carriage driver and destroying the apple stand, but, considering his life was possibly on the line, he felt it unavoidable. Slinking underneath the edge of the riverside wall, Suran took a breather, finally out of sight. After collecting himself, Suran stood back up read to go, ¡°Come, no time to waste.¡± He began walking down the shabby pathway back the way they came. Natalya was confused by his choice of direction, ¡°Isn''t that the way we came? As in, the wrong way?¡± ¡°I would think not,¡± Suran stated, continuing down the path that resembled more like a sewage system. ¡°Who would think of looking back when chasing forward?¡± Certainly not these individuals, Suran thought to himself. ¡°Ooooooh! I get it!¡± Natalya exclaimed. Suran let out a sigh. Even though she was over twenty years of age, sometimes he could not help but see her as a perpetually excited little girl who was just a little slow on the uptake. Suran traveled down the flowing water''s side which slowly evolved into a full-blown sewage system. It slowly delved underneath the city and snaked on. He was afraid he was going to get lost, so he scoured the sewer for the first possible exit. It was nearly pitch black in the sewer with the only light coming from the storm sewer drains up above. Natalya stuck to Suran''s back, afraid of the dark and grimy environment. It took some time trekking before a ray of light shone at the other end. Leaving his back, Natalya scrambled towards the light like a rat scurrying to food. Meanwhile, Suran took his time leaving the dark. ¡°Afraid of the dark?¡± He teased when he exited into the light of day. Natalya flashed a blood thirsty gaze at Suran, ¡°Say another word and I''ll poison your food and watch you slowly die.¡± He blinked indifferently at her, ¡°Noted.¡± Just like the entrance, the sewer opened up into a ravine like area with the water flowing down the middle of two eroded, stone walkways. Surprisingly, the area was clean, making him think that this was more of a storm drain then a sewage line. Regardless, he crept up to the vertical ledge and peered over, examining the environment. It was a quiet residential area. The streets were a little rundown and the houses were slightly shabby, but it gave off a homely feel despite the obvious lack of maintenance. More importantly, there were no signs of the chasing thugs. When the coast was clear, Suran hoisted himself up over the ledge then proceeded to give Natalya a hand in bringing up her heavy belongings and herself. ¡°Where to?¡± She asked while fastening her backpack. ¡°The Baron''s.¡± It was their only real choice. ¡°Are you sure you don''t wanna call it quits on this request? It is getting kind of dangerous...¡± ¡°I finish a job I''ve accepted,¡± he sternly replied while observing the surroundings to see where they were. Without another word, Suran hurriedly took off down the street, and Natalya followed. While maintaining his brisk pace, Suran peered around every corner and stuck to the shadows. For some time this went on, scrambling through the streets, trying to garner the least amount of attention possible. ¡°Hold up!¡± Natalya shouted from behind. Suran stopped and turned around to see Natalya standing with her hands on her hips, her eyes squinted and her mouth slightly agape. She looked extremely annoyed. ¡°What is it?¡± He casually said. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°...The Baron''s?¡± Looking around with a frown, she said, ¡°Do you know where we are going?¡± ¡°Of course. It''s just down this way.¡± He pointed in some direction. ¡°That is the same way we have been going this entire time!¡± Natalya ran her hand over her face. ¡°Look around you!¡± She threw her arms out, ¡°We have been here five times already!¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Suran stopped and looked around. The building did look familiar and there was a small waterway like before, but the entire city looked the same to him. There was no way he was lost, ¡°No, no. We are going the right way. I''m sure of it.¡± ¡°Are you really? Are you really sure?¡± Natalya waited for a response, but Suran gave none and stood confused. She roller her eyes and sighed, ¡°Okay then, you stand there and do nothing while I go ask for directions.¡± At the moment, he jumped up alarmed and tried to stop her from interacting with anyone for fear they could be discovered, but she was already off and away before he could even manage a word. Moments later, Natalya came prancing back. ¡°Follow me,¡± she said, taking off down the street. ¡°Unlike you, I know where we are going.¡± He said nothing and followed with a frown. Rather quickly, Natalya bounced through the streets despite her backpack weighing her down. Suran never got an idea of what she kept in there, but it looked packed and heavy. Much to Suran''s dismay, the scenery began to change as they traveled the streets. The roads became cleaner and the buildings gradually shifted away from being impoverished and rundown to upscale stoned manors. In familiar territory, it was not a problem getting to Baron Reginald''s home. Suran surveyed the street, cautiously looking behind him and around every corner; it would do no good getting here if they were being followed. Once the area was deemed clear, he felt safe approaching the door and entering the lawn of the estate. He walked up the door, knocked on its wooden surface, and took a step back. It was Fletch who answered. ¡°Ah, it''s you again,¡± Fletch said, blocking the entrance with his. ¡°What can I do you for?¡± ¡°Need to speak to Reginald.¡± ¡°...Right this way,¡± he responded after a moment''s hesitation. Once again, the two were taken through the home back towards the office of the Baron. It was empty as usual, and there was no sign of the cat maid in the home. At the old wooden door, Fletch went inside, having Natalya and Suran wait outside. The door propped open and Fletch walked outside. He motioned the two in while he left. There was nothing different about the room save for one thing: the good Baron was in the worse shape he had ever seen him. Dark bags were under his eyes, indicating he had not slept an ounce. ¡°Any progress?¡± The deteriorating man meekly asked. ¡°There has been activity at Lord Shroom''s home, but that is not why I am here.¡± ¡°Then...?¡± ¡°Until further notice, we will be staying here.¡± ¡°E-excuse me?¡± Reginald stuttered. ¡°Our recent accommodations feels through; we were attacked again so the only safe place we have to stay is here. I''m sure that won''t be a problem since we are finding your daughter, correct?¡± Reginald''s lips were moving but no words came out. He could only stammer out unintelligible syllables as he tiredly tried to respond to the housing demand. Clearly the stress and exhaustion were getting to him, Taking a deep breath, he collected himself before weakly responding, ¡°Y-yes... that is fine...¡± Taking on the two into his home was not something he seemed keen on doing, but he was in no condition to argue. ¡°Good,¡± Suran rose from his chair. ¡°Natalya will stay here while I go out.¡± She was dozing off in here chair, indifferent to the ongoings. No one said anything more, so Suran rose from his chair and made his way out of the home. There was only one thing on his mind: finding the Baron''s daughter. Heading through the home and out to the streets, he slowly made his way back over to Lord Shroom''s estate. The residential streets were busier then normal, so Suran had to carefully walk through the streets to make sure no one noticed him. However, the street Lord Shroom resided on was quite the opposite; even though it was busy part of the morning where everyone was out an about starting their day, not a single soul was on the street nor was there a sound or a squeak. It was strange to him, this empty street among a sea of activity. However, there was no time to waste pondering the reason so he climbed up the convenient tree he perched in yesterday. After he was settled, he began the surveillance. Some time was lost due to the shenanigans earlier in the day, but it was of no consequence; it was eerily quiet on the street and that did not change through the day. Not a single person walked on the street below nor as there any activity in the home. As the sun disappeared over the horizon, Suran considered leaving the tree for the day, but opted against it. His priority was finding the Baron''s daughter ¨C doing anything else was a waste of time. Besides, there was something about the cool calm night of pure silence that was attractive to him. Suran remained camouflaged in the tree for the rest of the night. At the crack of dawn, something was amiss. The house felt like it was stirring across the street. Windows would pop open for just a moment, their blinds pulled to the side. A man clad in full black came plodding down the empty street. Approaching the gate of Lord Shroom, he looked everywhere ¨C but up ¨C and tossed a parcel over the wall before hastily walking off. The parcel sat obscured behind the door before an old man exited the home, hustled over to the package, and hauled it back to the building with a speed surprising for an elderly man. The house returned to dormancy. It was not until later in the day, where dawn turned to dusk, that the gears went into motion. The portly man from the other day came bumbling out of the home with the elderly butler in tow. They exited the home and began to walk off into the dark night lit by the two planets above and the flickering street lamps. This was the opportunity Suran had been waiting for. When it was safe, he dropped down from the tree and began his pursuit. Chapter 14 - Prowler In the dead of night, the portly man and his aging, suited butler traversed the empty city streets. And Suran followed. Not one sound was made from either party, the silence only being broken by the low hum of a cool wind through the city corridors. From street to street, the two hurriedly traveled. Lurking in the shadows, Suran prowled. Through the city they went, south against the wind. Expansive estates turned into efficient town homes then to cramped storefronts. All familiar scenery dissipated the further Suran followed the two; the scent of salt water wafted through the breeze and the compact buildings evolved into wide warehouses. Past the gloomy architecture out there was a sea, gleaming under the light of the blue terrestrial and brown Jovian above. Suran tailed them through the warehouses and an expansive dock opened up before him. Ships lined the wooden docks accompanied with the crates of all shapes and sizes. The sea reflected an indescribable and breath-taking light from the planetary duo above ¨C Suran allowed himself to be taken for not even a moment. The portly man and his companion were not equally enthralled by the scenery and instead shuffled their way down the harbor road. They dipped back into an alley way into the building, and peering over the corner, Suran watched the two crack upon a door and disappear inside. He waited a minute before walking up to the door and jostling it''s knob ¨C but it was locked. Quickly scouting the exterior, he found there were no other windows or doors on its side. Except on the roof where he could barely make out skylights on the slanted surface. Standing at roughly 20 feet tall, the roof was out of Suran''s reach. So he went around back to look for a way up. He was disappointed at what he found: Smashed wooden bars and rails indicating that at one time a ladder had existed in this spot but was removed. However, it looked like the ladder was built along with the building and was removed after so Suran thought there was a possibility that other buildings would have a way up. The next building down had the exact same situation, evidence of a ladder that was torn off. It was not until two more building down he found one intact, and promptly scaled it to the top. Treading carefully on the slope, he positioned himself across from the next building, took a few steps back, and ran forward, launching himself over the gap separating the buildings, safely to the other side. He repeated this process until he reached designated building. Acting quickly, he scaled to the windows and began trying to pry it open. The window panes were caked in dust and dirt, apparent that no one had bother to clean or maintain them in ages. Working his hand around the edge, he finally found a latch at the bottom, and with a tug he unlocked the window. Suran gently raised open the window from the latch and inched underneath. Wooden beams, constructed parallel to the ground, ran underneath the roof for support. Suran dropped down from the window onto a thick wooden platform, careful to not make a noise. He could make out voices below, so he balanced along the wood supports, making his way to the source. Down below was a concrete floor and rows of crates stacked high, so he was very careful on not falling; tumbling down was one problem, but landing on a hard surface or on a crate risked bodily damage, alerting those in the building, or both. A cubicle set aside along the wall was the source of the voices, so Suran made his way over and lightly dropped down from the beams down onto the top of the cubicle room. The door to the small, sectioned off room was open, letting their voice ring out loud and clear. ¡°No more excuses, Mr. Shroom,¡± a monotone, cold voice said. Silence permeated the air save for the repetitive tapping of fingernails on wood. ¡°You understand that if you want our continued support you will need to make progress, correct?¡± Someone replied in a wobbly voice, ¡°O-o-of course! You know how I have been making headway in breaking the ranks of the lords, like Reginald ¨C I''m sure he will break any day now. Speaking of Reginald, h-how is Anna doing? Is she well ¨C¡° ¡°Enough of the girl,¡± the unknown voice snapped at him. ¡°You know full well if she is safe so stop bringing her up. You can have the dumb broad if and when you provide results.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, of course! Not a thing to worry about.¡± ¡°There better not be a damn thing to worry about. That strange man ¨C who your men couldn''t chase down ¨C asking about us around town after you kidnapped a guy''s daughter better not be a damn problem. The riot that started in the market better not be a damn problem. The fact some nobleman are fancying resisting better not be a damn problem. Remember, there is more on the line here then that stupid bitch you rave about all the time.¡± A peculiar sound that was between a wheezing, nervous chuckle and a piggish whimper was the only response. ¡°If there is nothing else, then get out. I don''t have any more time to waste on you.¡± The screeching of chairs followed by the opening and closing of a door indicated that the conversation was finished. Without a sound, Suran showed himself out as well, climbing back up to the supports and making his way to the window. He climbed back out into the night and closed the entrance behind him. Lord Shroom, who he could see waddling on the path below him like a kid that was scolded harshly by his mother, certainly held the information he desired. The sooner he could extort Annabelle''s location, the sooner he could wrap this request up. Up on the roof, he waited for the area to clear before leaping across the rooftops back towards the ladder. There was no use in following Shroom anymore; he had what he needed, so he opted to make his way through the city to Reginald''s home. Now was the time for action, and he needed a plan. A new sun was rising in the sky by the time he reached the home. Even though he had not a bite to eat or a wink of sleep in the last few days, Suran was full of energy. There was at last some real headway that could be made, and that prospect sustained him. Without another thought, he strolled up to the home and entered it. It was quiet, as usual, and Suran began making his way through to gather everyone. ¡°Who goes there?!¡± An alarmed voice rang out behind Suran as he walked through the corridors. He turned around to see Fletch brandishing a rather large sword in a fighting stance. ¡°Oh... It''s just you,¡± he replied rather disappointed. ¡°Would you mind knocking next time?¡± ¡°Sorry it slipped my mind,¡± Suran said, ¡°Also why was the door unlocked in the first place?¡± Fletch gave off a very sad frown, ¡°I was gardening so I left the door open...¡± ¡°Anyways, gather everyone up ¨C I have news.¡± Suran''s eyes were wandering all over the place, completely restless. The sword wielding man nodded and went off through the house while Suran went through the home and sat himself in the living room where he first met the Baron. A few minutes later, Baron Reginald came darting in, huffing and puffing, with Keira striding right behind him. ¡°What news?! Progress, anything?!¡± Reginald desperately asked, finding his way to a sofa and plopping down on it. The strained man leaned forward, listening intently. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°First, you daughter is safe... probably,¡± he added after a moment of thought. ¡°Last night I tailed Lord Shroom and he is working with Namnoc and most likely knows of her whereabouts.¡± ¡°That fat fuck...¡± Reginald muttered, burning rage visible in his eyes. ¡°So what do we do?¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± Suran teased the answer. He had already come up with an idea that at least one person here would find enjoyable. ¡°We visit the dear Lord and the dead of night and.. extract the information from him through various means.¡± The Baron''s furious frown twitched into a devilish grin, ¡°Ahhh! I see how it is. If you need anything, please let me know, but just one request.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°When you visit our dear friend Shroom, please kindly give him my regards.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± Suran said scanning the room. It was just Keira and Reginald ¨C no, Natalya was here as well, lounging in a chair. When did she get here? ¡°The plan is as follows: Me and preferably two to three other people infiltrate his home at night. After taking care of any threats, we secure the Lord. At that point, I will take him away separately and begin to question him. What I want from everyone else is to search the house for any information he has.¡± He paused to let the information sink. Reginald was processing while Fletch just walked in. ¡°We will continue once we know her location.¡± Reginald raised his hand and said, ¡°Question.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°After you interrogate Shroom, what will you do with him?¡± ¡°A man of worth will leverage his assets against others. A man of no worth will seek to gain value in the eyes of anyone, lest he be cast away.¡± It was a better option to coerce Shroom into working with them rather than offing him. Reginald caught on to the meaning and nodded in disappointment. ¡°As I said, if you need anything, please ask. Keira and Fletch both have various combat training and experience so you may use them if you wish. I have a few others I can call to the estate, but that will take some time.¡± ¡°No need for more people,¡± Suran said as he stood up. ¡°I will look around for what I need. If I find everything, we can begin tonight.¡± The Baron nodded his head and left the room, leaving everything to Suran. Keira remained in the room and Suran turned to her and asked, ¡°The Baron said you had some combat experience. Could you elaborate?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she swiftly responded, nodding her head. ¡°I was trained to be, more or less, a guard for Baron Reginald. Daggers, knives, fist-to-fist fighting, and poisons are some of the things I learned.¡± ¡°Does your study of poisons include acids?¡± They will need to get through doors and windows, and if no one knew how to pick locks, they would need a way to enter without causing too much commotion, such as melting the lock or integrity of the door to allow easier access. ¡°Sometimes, yes.¡± ¡°Do you know any that would help in weakening locks, doors, and windows?¡± ¡°A few options come to mind, but I will have to look into it.¡± ¡°Then try to see if you can secure what you think will be useful, in the event we need an alternate way to get in.¡± Suran thought for a moment if there was anything else to add, ¡°And grab me some mild, fast acting poison. Nothing lethal, just discomforting.¡± She frowned and her eyes looked up and to the left, thinking over the request, before nodding and leaving the room. Fletch stepped forward and asked, ¡°Will I need anything?¡± ¡°Tools,¡± Suran answered. ¡°We need tools: ropes, hammers, crowbars, whatever you can find. Some will be for breaking in, some will be for other purposes.¡± ¡°I got plenty of equipment out in the garden shed,¡± Fletch said pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. ¡°Take a look through and see what you need. I will make the arrangements to bring them along. Anything else?¡± ¡°No, nothing else. Just be ready for a fight.¡± Fletch left, leaving Natalya and Suran alone. She straightened herself out in the chair and looked eagerly at Suran. ¡°Sooooooooo, what am I doing?¡± Suran blinked at her with an emotionless face, ¡°Nothing,¡± She let out groan and sunk back in her chair, ¡°Whhhhy don''t I get to do anything?!¡± ¡°What can you do?¡± Suran retorted. ¡°Cook.¡± ¡°Case in point,¡± Suran said, rising from his chair. ¡°If all you can do is cook, then this will be too dangerous for you. You chose to follow me; if you don''t like it, then go home.¡± She slipped down into the chair and yawned ¡°Well, it''s not like I can go home anyways. Besides, it looks like you are bout to be finished here. What do you plan to do after you rescue Annabelle? Fight these Nomnac people?¡± ¡°I have no intentions of picking a fight with them. I will rescue the girl, and that will be the end of it.¡± Natalya''s face scrunched up as she did not seem to like the response, ¡°If you say so. Then what are you going to do when this is over?¡± ¡°It''s not over, yet,¡± Suran responded annoyed. She groaned again, ¡°Are you dense or something? I know that! I''m saying after this. B. Regi is gunna help you with becoming registered with that guild, but then what?¡± Suran snapped at her, ¡°Look, we can deal with that later. I''m more worried about the current situation.¡± Frustration visible on his face, he was in no mood to talk anymore. He left Natalya in the room and went out to find Fletch''s shed to gather tools. His mind was already set; no matter what, Lord Shroom will be getting visitors tonight. Chapter 15 - Kicking it at Shrooms Chapter 15 ¨C Kicking it at Shroom¡¯s He was ready; a sack of tools rested in his left hand and his mind was clear of any extraneous thoughts. With a cloud covered sky and stagnant cool air, it was a solemn night as Suran, Keira, and Fletch stacked the iron gate door. The area, clear. The preparations, complete. There was but one thing to do: begin. Suran jostled the gate handle. Locked, as expected. He turned to Keira and signaled to her with a nod of his head. No one here had the aptitude at picking a lock, so their next option was to melt the lock on the door. Keira stepped up and rummaged in a small sack at her side, and pulled out a flask. Carefully, she began to apply the solution around the lock. A low, sizzling noise broke the silence and a clear liquid oozed through the lock of the gate. Epilahyde it was called, an acid that reacts to metals such as iron, and it was one of the substances Keira obtained. Gradually, the lock began to shift in place as it deteriorated. With a plastic prod, she jumbled the lock in the door, easing its way out as the acid melted it out. A minute later, and what was left of the lock slid out of the gate. It didn''t matter that no one knew how to pick a lock if they could simply melt its face and lay bare the bolt mechanism. With the prod, she jiggled the guts of the lock and caught the bolt, pulling it back and unlocking the gate. Without a word, Suran took the lead and entered the lawn, heading towards the back of the house while hugging the perimeter. Suran wanted to find an entrance other then the front door, be it a window or a backdoor. The less conspicuous the entrance, the more likely it was for them to enter unnoticed and carry out the plan successfully. So far, there was no one outside, guards or otherwise. It worried Suran that he had no idea how many hostiles to expect, but, as long as long as they do not detected, adjustments could be made. When the back of the home came into view, Suran stopped dead in his tracks. Attached to the estate was a wooden, covered patio and standing on top was a man smoking a pipe. A sword rested on his hip ¨C clearly a hostile. Keira was already creeping up on the man with inhuman agility, softly and swiftly gliding over the grass. She made not a single sound as she vaulted the patio ledge. Suran was amazed at how someone could cover ground so quickly and quietly until he realized he was not dealing with just any normal person; no matter how many times he saw her, he still could not get over the fact that she had a cat tail and ears. Even then, it was possible they could be fake, but they were way too animate and real to think otherwise. As she strangled the man from behind, stuffing his mouth so that no sound could come out and driving a dagger deep into his throat, Suran wondered when, if ever, he would come to terms with the world that surrounded him. Magic and cat girls were probably only scratching the surface and his mind was already having trouble adjusting. But that was enough of that, he thought. He went up to the patio with Fletch and began to look over the body. The dead man''s face was familiar; he was one of the five thugs who chased after him. If it was only these five guarding the house, there shouldn''t be a problem he mused. Rummaging through the man''s pants, Suran found a chain of keys. He took the keys and went to the door and began trying to find the right one after testing the knob and finding it locked. The last key was the right one, and the door unlocked with a click. Before opening the door, he turned to the two beside him and instructed them, ¡°Remember, only take down those that are armed. Restrain everyone else.¡± They nodded. They already knew the plan: clear the house starting from the bottom, secure Lord Shroom, and search the home for any intel while Suran interrogates Shroom. Suran began the countdown with his hand starting from five, clutching the door handle. When he reached zero, he opened the door and stepped to the side, letting Keira and Fletch both move in swiftly. Suran followed them in. He joined the two in crouching under a counter. The back door led them straight into a spacious kitchen, completely dark with no source of light. In the distant corridors of the home resonated the sound and voices. It acted as their only guiding light. Slowly, they found their way through the house as the voices grew louder and louder. Down a corridor, a faint, warm light flickered, and, as they approached, the voices grew clear. A raspy, slurred voice was speaking, ¡°Pass me ''nother drink...¡± A second voice responded with a chuckle, ¡°How many ''as it been now?¡± Liquid filling a glass sounded through the air. ¡°Don'' know.¡± The first man gulped a few sips down. ¡°Don'' care.¡± ¡°Glad we skipp''d out on patrol an¡¯ left it to Herman.¡± ¡°Schmuck wouldn''t know an easy time if it punched him in the face,¡± the other man snorted. ¡°He can sit out all he wants, ain''t nothing going to happen out here. No one cares for that fat pig upstairs anyways...¡± Glassed clinked and the sound of cups being poured filled the air again. The two went silent with the only noise being the flickering of a candle or fire and the swigging of drinks. Suran and Keira made their way to the room while Fletch watched their backs. It was a dimly lit room, the only source of light being a fireplace at the far back. Between Suran and Keira and the fireplace was a couch with two men lounging in it, periodically drinking from large goblets. Off to the side where two swords resting on a chair. It was clear these two were to be taken down as well, so with haste, Suran and Keira crept up to the two with their weapons drawn. At the same time, they both jumped up from behind the couch and covered each man''s mouth with one hand, and killed them with their weapon in the other hand; Keira stabbed the throat again while Suran plunged his sword deep into the man''s chest cavity. A closer look at their faces allowed Suran to identify them ¨C they were of the same group of five. The three cleared the rest of the lower level of the manor. A few bedrooms, a study, living and dining rooms, and a few storage rooms were all that was downstairs. At the front of the house was an arching staircase, and they began their ascent to the next level. They crowded just below the last step and scanned the adjacent corridor for any life. There was none. Feeling comfortable, they flooded out into the corridor. The hallway stretched far down both ways with various doors on its face. All seemed well until a door creaked out in the silence. Behind Fletch, a wooden door swung open and a groggy man walked out to the sounds of flushing. Fletch spun around, body slammed the guy, and quickly silenced him. Or, that is what should have happened. Instead, Fletch completely panicked and shrieked like a little girl as he spun around with his great sword and began smashing the guy into the ground. His screaming did not let up as he continued to mash the pulpy remains of a man over and over again. His swings slowed down and he began to pant. Taking deep breaths, he looked at Suran and Keira. ¡°What?¡± He gasped at them. ¡°The guy scared me,¡± he nervously said, pointing at the red mess all over with his bloodied sword. The stealth option was blown. Suran could hear confused voices and people moving about the home. ¡°Enough sneaking around, just clear the home.¡± With his sword drawn, Suran took off down the hallway, kicking doors open with his boot and surveying the rooms for anyone. Fletch composed himself and went down the other way with Keira. Door after door he busted, only to be greeted by empty rooms. Suran worked his way down the corridor and went around a corner. There were no more rooms on the left side, windows lining the wall instead. He walked down the new hallway and burst open the first door on his right. Another empty bedroom. With a click of his tongue, he made his way to the next room when down the hallway a tall, lean man stumbled out of the last door down. ¡°The hell is going on?!¡± The man questioned with sword in hand. He looked down the hallway and saw Suran, ¡°Who are you?!¡± It was still the dead of night. A cloudy overcast meant there was no moonlight shining through the windows, the hallway in near complete darkness. Suran said nothing and instead approached quickly with his weapon. His eyes had already adjusted to the dark, so he nimbly traversed the hallway without losing his step. Alarmed, the man tried to gather his bearing in the dark to stand his ground, but he was not ready for Suran. Suran traveled the breadth of the hallway in an instant and stabbed his sword into the man''s gut. The man squirmed on the sword, dropping his sword and shrieking in pain. Suran stepped back and drew his sword and the man was still breathing ¨C doubled over in pain ¨C and clutching his stomach. With the flick of his wrist, Suran reversed his sword around and drove it down into the man''s back. He removed his sword and the body flopped onto the ground. With that out of the way, he went back to clearing out the rooms. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. In the middle of the corridor was a different door; it was an older, darker wood and it numbered two for the entrance. On each side of the double-door were light fixtures that lied dormant. Instead of bursting through the doors like the others, he opted to proceed cautiously with this one. He grabbed onto the handles and opened the doors. Inside was a luxurious room. A massive canopied bed sat directly in front with massive wooden dressers. To his right was a fat man flailing towards him with a metal rode. Suran casually knocked it out of the fat man''s hand and sent him tumbling to the ground. It was Shroom. He began crawling on the floor away from Suran, whimpering and crying along the way. Shroom settled himself with his back to a corner, sniveling like a baby. ¡°Ah, Lord Shroom. I''ve been looking for you.¡± ¡°I-I-I-I-I''m not him! You''ve g-g-got the w-wrong person!¡± The fat man on the floor cried out. ¡°In that case,¡± Suran stepped forward with his sword, ¡°I don''t need you then.¡± The man let out a shrill, ¡°Nooooooo! I was lying, I''m Shroom! Please don''t hurt me, take whatever you want. Money, valuables, just please don''t hurt me.¡± Shroom wailed on the ground and began sobbing. Suran walked over to Shroom and smacked him on the head with the butt of his sword, knocking him out. Out of his bag of tools on his back, Suran took out some rope and hogtied the unconscious Shroom. He left him there and walked out of the room to find Fletch and Keira. He found them wrapping up business on the other side of the home. There was one armed fellow who was eliminated, and they secured and gagged the three servants of the home. ¡°All good?¡± Suran asked as he approached them. They both nodded and Fletch spoke up, ¡°Everything is tied up ''round here. All the other rooms have been searched and the house is clean.¡± ¡°Good. Next, you two search for any information. Documents, papers, notes, and so on. Anything that will help us. Meanwhile, I will set up a room for Shroom.¡± Keira and Fletch were just walking away when Suran remembered one thing, ¡°Also Keira, could I have those substances I asked for earlier?¡± She came back and handed him a small pouch that had several vials in it. Most of the vials were poison. Not lethal, but had various side effects to make Shroom uncomfortable and in pain rather quickly. Of course there were some antidotes and some healing medicine, but these would probably be a last resort anyways. The three split up. Suran searched the home and found an empty cellar. He set up a chair and a candle to barley light the middle of the room. Next he went and retrieved Shroom who was still out cold, and retied him to the chair and blindfolded him. As he laid out the various tools he brought, he was ready to use unsavory means to get the information he needed if it came to that. Using his own chair, he waited for Shroom to wake up. ¡°W-where am I?¡± Shroom softly spoke out after some time. He tried to move in his chair, but found all of his limbs were restrained. ¡°Oh god, please don''t hurt me,¡± he whimpered after a moment. Suran rose from his chair. It was time to work. ¡°Answer my questions and you will leave here fine.¡± ¡°What, What do you want to know?¡± ¡°Where is Annabelle?¡± Suran asked, pacing around him in the darkness. ¡°No, no, no, no, no! I can''t answer that.¡± Sweat began to bead on his face, clearly under pressure. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°If... If they knew I said anything, the consequences would never be the same!¡± Suran walked up, cocked his arm back, and punched him hard in the face. Shroom rocked in the chair and a tooth came flying out of his month. Shroom shrieked in pain and screamed, ¡°What was that for?¡± ¡°Listen, Lord Shroom, we are giving you an opportunity here. Answer our questions and we can be done. If you don¡¯t, we will continue to see what will give first: your mind, or your body. Shroom shook his head and stuttered unintelligible words in disbelief. He was not giving in it seems. ¡°Nothing to say?¡± Suran frowned. He rummaged through his tools and picked out pliers and slowly walked towards Shroom. A long time ago, Suran had to do similar things, but found it distasteful, often leaving it to others. He kneeled down to Lord Shroom, took a pinky, and began crushing it with the pliers. Lord Shrom shrieked in pain. Even though he derived no pleasure from the activity, he had no qualms conducting it if there was no one. A knock on the door interrupted Suran. He let go of the pinky, and the smashed finger twitched. Shroom had tears rolling down his face and dribbling onto the beard on his neck. ¡°I will give you a minute to think about it some more.¡± Suran swiftly left the room to answer the knock. It was Keira and Fletch on the other side, both holding several sheets of paper. ¡°We have found some information,¡± Keira said, presenting the documents to Suran. She explained further, ¡°They are various records and correspondences that link the Lord to illegal activities such as bribery and racketeering.¡± Suran took the papers and rummaged through them. There was plenty of shady information recorded here, from sketchy book keeping to letters of bribery and coercion. Unfortunately, there was not much identifying information in terms of people or locations that could help pinpoint anything. ¡°Did you see anything with Annabelle in them?¡± Keira shook her head, ¡°A mention here or there, but no location.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Suran mused. He still had a way to make these documents useful, so he held onto the papers and went back inside the room. ¡®So, Shroom, do we need to pick up from where we left off?¡± Shroom¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Oh god, no! No, please. I-I-I¡¯ll tell you everything, just please let me go¡­¡± Suran pulled up his chair and sat in front of him, ¡°Good, that¡¯s what I want to here. We will let you go, but be aware we will be looking for your continued assistance.¡± ¡®W-w-w-what? What do you mean?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure if word got out about your illegal activities, not many people would be happy.¡± ¡°There is no way!¡± Shroom exclaimed, ¡°You can¡¯t prove anything.¡± Suran waved the papers up in front of Shroom, and began reading some of the memos and contents. His face went pale. ¡°So, as you can see, the documents exists,¡± Suran said. ¡°I hope we can work something out.¡± If Shroom was a turtle, he would have retreated into his shell, never to return. But now, he was stuck. ¡°V-very well. I understand. Unbind me and then we can talk.¡± ¡°Talk first.¡± Suran denied his request ¡°Fine. Anna is at pier 21, warehouse 3. She should not be guarded too heavily, but that entire area is a Namnoc complex so who knows what you will find. Hopefully not the Terrible Ten.¡± ¡°Terrible Ten?¡± ¡°They are the top enforcers of Namnoc. No one in their right mind would want to deal with them ¨C not even Kingdom agents want to mess with them.¡± ¡°My goal isn¡¯t to fight Namnoc but to rescue Annabelle. If they are in my way, then I will deal with them.¡± ¡°Good luck getting around that. Now, if there is nothing else, would you mind letting me go?¡± ¡°I will, but, before I do, remember what will happen if you talk to anyone about this, especially Namnoc. I¡¯m sure no one ¨C not the authorities nor Namnoc ¨C would be pleased to know of your exploits.¡± ¡°I know, I know. Please, let me go. My wrists are hurting and I need a change of clothes.¡± When Suran went over to unbind Shroom, he found out why Shroom needed a change of clothes; besides the sweat that stained his shirt, he pissed his pants. He let him go and told him, ¡°Again, remember that you and your staff adhere to our ¡®agreement¡¯ here.¡± ¡°I will!¡± Shroom hurriedly waddled off. Suran exited the cellar and went back up to ground level. He found Keira and Fletch patiently waiting. ¡°I know where Annabelle is,¡± He announced. Fletch let out a sigh of relief and Keira easer up her tensed posture. ¡°Tomorrow, I will scout out the area and make the necessary plans, but for now, lets us go rest.¡± The three made Lord Shroom explain the agreement to his servants, who were slaves themselves. Releasing his staff, they left the home with the damning documents in hand. Keira led them back towards Reginald¡¯s home to prepare for the next day. Suran wanted the rest; he was going to be busy tomorrow. He was one step closer, and, now, rescuing the girl now seemed completely plausible. This whole endeavor ended up being more work than he anticipated. Fighting a criminal organization, stalking people and raiding their homes, even, to an extent, torturing someone. Doing these things made him feel odd, but it kept him busy, and that satisfied him. Chapter 16 - The Calm before the Storm Baron Reginald, who was devoid of any energy earlier, was whirling around the house like a madman. From furiously writing messages and sending them out to pacing through each and every room for seemingly no reason, the house was thrown into disorder and the Baron was at the center of it. Everyone else also joined in; Keira was running in and out of the home with letters, Fletch was patrolling the house alongside Reginald, and even Natalya started cooking and preparing sandwiches ¨C no one even asked for them. As for Suran, he sat in a corner. All he wanted was peace and quiet, but that was clearly not happening. Natalya strolled up with a large silver plate stocked with sandwiches. ¡°Want one?¡± She asked, setting the plate down one a table. He shook his head, ¡°No.¡± ¡°Suit yourself,¡± she shrugged and scarfed down a sandwich. ¡°So what''chu doin'' over here?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± She furrowed her brow. ¡°Didn''t we figure out where the girl was? Shouldn''t we be going out right now to get her or something?¡± ¡°Well, that was what the Baron was wanting, to go out there right now.¡± ¡°Then what''s going on right now?¡± ¡°I convinced the Baron it would be better to go at a later time after investigating the area, which I was about to go and do.¡± He stood up from his chair. Suran was waiting for the day to progress and the streets to fill up so that he could explore the harbor without catching any attention. ¡°Then what''s the Reginald doing?¡± Natalya asked as the Baron fly in and out the room after snatching a few sandwiches. ¡°Apparently he has some connections that can help out since he dropped the idea of rescuing her now. So while he is doing that, I''m going to go out and check out the docks. The latest it seems like he will wait is tomorrow, so I want to see how everything is.¡± ¡°Oooh, you''re going out?!¡± Natalya''s eyes lit up. ¡°Can I come with?¡± Suran frowned, ¡°It would be better if you stayed here. Who knows what danger is out in the city, especially when the destination is enemy territory.¡± ¡°What do you mean the city is dangerous?!¡± She put her hand on her hips and scowled at him, ¡°Whenever I''ve been walking around, it''s been a great time!¡± ¡°You went out?¡± Suran asked surprised. ¡°Of course! While you ditched me and ran around, I hit the town and had fun because there was no way I was going to sit around and do nothing.¡± Suran was mildly displeased. Natalya had a right to do what she wanted, but he felt a small amount of responsibility for her well being. She put her trust in him and traveled with him, and he did not prevent her from following him. If something happened, he could not but feel he would hold some of the blame. ¡°So what did you do?¡± He asked after a moment. ¡°Walked around the entire city, checked out all the foods in the markets, chased by thieves, hit the restaurants ¨C ¡°Wait, you were chased by thieves?¡± Suran''s heart jumped. ¡°Oh yeah, wasn''t a big deal. They chased me around for a bit trying to get some money and this really big guy, forgot his name, comes along and smashes them. We talked a bit, cooked him something quick as thanks, then I went back to walking around and shopping for ingredients.¡± As he feared, she got in trouble.¡°Why would people want to rob you? Do you even have money?¡± Thankfully, she was saved this time, but Suran wondered how this situation even came to be. ¡°Hmmmmmm, I guess? I just got a couple of gold coins.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s it?¡± Suran dismissed it, then it hit him, ¡°Wait, a few gold coins?!¡± One gold coin was worth 100 silver coins and one silver is worth 100 copper. A few gold coins was could be considered a small fortune! ¡°Where did you get that kind of money?!¡± ¡°Oh, didn''t I tell you? Kind of sold my house awhile ago.¡± ¡°W-why would you do that?¡± ¡°I''d rather die then go back and live in that hellhole. Plus, I got to sell it for a great price since like a third of the town burned down!¡± ¡°And you have no problems with selling your home and leaving just like that?¡± ¡°I mean, sure! Why not? Poor sap needed a home, so I dumped the deed off on him and left with you without a second thought!¡± ¡°What about everything in your house? Just left it there?¡± ¡°Pft, of course! That guy and his family can take care of all the crap I don''t way.¡± ¡°Even your the corpse of your mother?¡± Her eyes grew wide, ¡°Oh... I knew I was forgetting something...¡± No words came out of Suran''s mouth; he had nothing to say. If this girl before him was out in the world alone, he was not sure how should would survive, but he felt that somehow she just would. ¡°I''m leaving.¡± He was done with the conversation and made no move to bring her along. As he left the house, he wondered would he still have accepted this request if he had known about the money? It was a gloomy day out on the streets of Valcadia. A cool breeze was blowing from the Northwest and the sky was blanketed in gray clouds. It was quiet on the city roads; there was a low hum of activity, but few people were out today. He made his way through the city South towards the docks. At the docks, it was only in the covered light of day that he grasped the size of the harbor. As far as he could see to either side were piers and docks and ships and warehouses and stores and homes. A sign by the jutting pier had the number ''6'' written on it. His destination was 21, so he began to make his way down the winding sea road. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! On the way, he made note of the layout of the harbor. Between each of the elongated piers were shorter docks with multitude of ships moored on the sides. Every moment ships were coming and going, unloading goods and people. From there, some wares were carted off into the city and others were sent to rows of warehouses that lined the piers. Neatly arranged in columns of two, huge storehouses were fitted onto the long piers. Slowly, he went from pier 6 to 7 to 8 and so on until he made his way all the way down to pier 21. The designated pier was crafted in the same fashion as every other pier, not one structural aspect standing out. However, there was noticeably less traffic compared to the other piers; Even though few ships were still entering the docks and unloading their goods, it felt quiet with less people and ships overall. While hiding in the crowd, he tried to find a way into the pier. Posted at the entrance were several guards. Compared to the thugs Suran has been dealing with, these individuals were well dressed, like an actual guard. No one would think twice because it did not seem unusual for goods to guarded. For tome time he scouted the perimeter, but he found no way at the time to get in. With guards at the front, he would have to sneak in or find an alternate way through the water. Seeing the activity on the docks and the height of the ground from sea level for the pier, Suran determined it unreasonable to get in. But it was not a problem; the layout for each piers was nearly identical so he could get a good feel just from exploring the others. He trekked down to the next pier and took a look around. The warehouses went five deep and two wide for a total of ten. Each warehouse was numbered in white, and the first one on the right was one and behind it was two. The numbering went like that and snaked back around such that six was adjacent to one. And that was it. There was nothing else he felt he could gleam, so instead of wasting time trying to find something that isn''t there, he left the harbor back towards Reginald''s home. Unlike the gloomy streets, the estate of the good Baron was like a festival; when Suran came back around to the home, there was unexpected developments. When he entered the home, he was greeted not by Keira or Fletch or even Reginald, but a room full of armed men he had never seen before. They were all chatting, munching on food, and sipping drinks, but the moment Suran stepped into the house, all movement ceased and every single head turned to see him. ¡°Who is this guy?¡± A random voice called out from the crowd of dozen or so men. Reginald came fluttering in, ¡°Worry not, this is the man who discovered the whereabouts of my daughter. A collection of ''Oh''s and ''Ah''s came out, and everyone returned to their conversations. Reginald came strolling up to Suran, ¡°Come with me, there is much to talk about before tomorrow.¡± With a nod of his head in agreement, Suran followed. The two settled into the living room they have often sit in. There was an air of nervousness about Reginald that wasn''t present before. ¡°Did you find anything?¡± Reginald shakily asked. ¡°There was no significant deviation from their location to other piers I saw. Guards were present at the entrance, but who knows what the situation will look like at night.¡± ¡°Are there any objections to going in tomorrow night?¡± ¡°None.¡± ¡°Then it is settled. With the men I have gathered, go in and do anything It requires to rescue her. Meanwhile, Keira and I will secure an escape.¡± ¡°Very well, but I want to know how to arranged the help of so many people.¡± Suran curiously asked. Reginald grew slightly defensive, ¡°Though I am under hard times. I am still a Baron, so do not underestimate the connections and resources I can use.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Suran responded satisfied. Still, it was a concern to him that a dozen or so men were called on. Would they really need that many people to break through the docks? Hopefully it would never come to that, he thought. For the rest of the day, Suran resigned himself to a bedroom. The last few days had been non stop action, and he needed to recharge mentally and physically. He did not emerge from that room for the rest of the day. There was an odd silence in the house the next morning. When Suran vacated the room rested, a solemn atmosphere took hold on the house. All the idle chatter and leisure from yesterday was lost; all the men Reginald had called upon sat at the ready, going over their equipment in total silence. Upon his arrival, a quick meeting was called to discuss the finer details of the plan. Night was the time they would all go out. Fletch and Suran would lead the two groups and each go down one side of the pier and converge on the warehouse. From there, they will break in at two different points, clear out the warehouse, and extract her via carriage which Keira will set up. The discussion was quick and every returned to their individual preparations. Suran stepped outside. It was hard to tell what time of day it was, the sun was masked by a veil of clouds thicker and darker then yesterday. With a hard gust of wind, Suran could taste a distinct freshness in the air. The weather elevated his mood; he was enjoying every moment of this dreary conditions. And so he passed the time, soaking in the weather, ready for the night. Chapter 17 - Fist of Namnoc Clangs of metal rang out through the Baron¡¯s abode from armed men standing at the ready. They instinctively knew it was time, not from the setting of the sun, a change difficult to observe due to the oppressive overcast which blurred the realms of night and day, but rather from the tolling of the 15 notched grandfather clock, announcing the descent of darkness. Together they left in groups of two. At the head of one group of seven was Suran. The other, Fletch. The 14 men hustled through the vacant city streets towards the harbor. Waves crashed onto the wooden docks, the sea churning from the raging squall. The sky was ripe black, but not one drop did it spill yet. As they approached pier 21, they sorted out into their designated groups and split up while traversing through the building alleys. They set up across from pier 21 and its warehouses. No guards were posted outside on this damp, chilly night. Suran stepped forward out of the covering of a building and looked down the street. Further down was the other team led by Fletch, creeping out from behind a building. Suran scanned the street one last time. There was nothing that made him think to hold off, so he waved his hand towards the warehouse for all to see, the signal visible in the flashes of lightning. They left the cover of the buildings, one group sprinting down each side of the pier, weapons drawn. Fletch was to take his group and circle around to flank warehouse three, while Suran was to lead the charge straight in. From each warehouse emitted a soft, yellow glow from their windows; outside there was no one, but inside these wooden buildings, Suran felt life stirring. Suran and his team approached the third warehouse, as indicated by the fading ¡®3¡¯ painted in white on its side. On the side facing the sea was a sprawling warehouse door, but they did not go for that one. Instead, they went towards the face of the warehouse and found a normal, worker¡¯s entrance. Suran and his men stacked the door with Suran sitting at the back of the formation. The man in the front broke out of formation and stood several paces in front of the door. Lowering his shoulder, he rammed right into the door, busting it open. One by one, the line filed in and immediately Suran could hear surprised shouts and screams. He followed suit and entered the building. A skirmish broke out on the warehouse floor; instead of crates and wares lining its floor, ¨C those were set along the side of the building ¨C the six men Suran brought were spread out across the clearing and were systematically engaging the enemy. As Suran joined the fray, in the back of the mind was the slight worry that this was all a setup. Either Shroom had tipped them off and this was some sort of a trap, or he had sent them to a completely wrong area. He pushed those thoughts away; nothing good would come out of such doubt. Suran scanned the floor, searching for a spot to help out in, but found that the intrusion was progressing swimmingly. The six men he led were tactfully engaging the five men that were based in the warehouse. Instead of fumbling around and forcing his way into an engagement just for the sake of helping, Suran focused his energy to locating Annabelle, for, in this wide warehouse, she was nowhere to be seen. With the main floor of the warehouse empty, Suran first headed toward the perimeter where large wooden crates were lined up. He hustled over a crate, pulled out his sword, and pried open the top of the crate, popping it open. The crates were large, large enough to easily fit a few persons in there. But inside the first wooden box was not a girl, but heaps of grain: wheat, barley, and corn. One by one he went through the contents of the crates as the striking of metal mingled in with the roars of thunder filled the air. It was no good, he thought after going through several crates. Why would they even keep her in a crate? There had to be some other place. With that in mind, Suran took notice of a partitioned room nestled in the far corner of the warehouse. It was discreet, out of sight and out of mind behind stacks of boxes. He headed toward there. The door was locked so he kicked it open. He took one step into the room and was greeted by a thuggish man lunging at him with a knife. Suran took a step back giving him room to grab the man¡¯s arm and then twist it around then up, forcing him to lose his grip and drop the knife. Then Suran closed back in, rammed his shoulder into the man, and hoisted him up. With a heave, Suran threw him off and flung him across the room where he slid over a desk. Suran took measured steps, inching around the desk with his sword drawn. The thuggish man did not rise immediately. Drawers were being rustled through, and when he did stand back up, he now held a short sword. The man charged Suran, his first strike deflected with ease. Suran was in a rush ¨C he wanted to find Annabelle as quickly as possible ¨C so he forced an opening in the man¡¯s defense by aggressively pushing in after he deflected the first strike. It took three strikes to break the man, and, when he did, he pierced the man in the chest through his dirty suit coat. With the man out of the way, Suran turned his attention to rummaging through the room. Annabelle was nowhere to be seen, but there might be a clue to her a location. He walked behind the desk that was now in a mess from having a man thrown over it, and began to rummage through its contents. Paper littered the desk. Picking some of them up, he found details on grain shipments, inventory logs, and so on. Next he went inside the desk, turning the drawers inside and out. Finally, he found one unmarked envelope that was torn open. The message was cryptic; it was vague and spoke in strange terms. Despite the name and terms that meant nothing to him, there was one that stood out: Namnoc. Suran felt slightly relieved that the possibility that they were in the right stop had increased significantly, but it still did not help him find her. It did not bode well that the information was scarce, but the room had more to search through. He went through filing cabinets and drawers and storage units, turning everything upside-down. To his dismay, Suran found nothing. He walked over to the center of the room by the desk to take a broader look at the room to see if he was missing anything. He stopped in place then frowned. Suran hopped lightly in spot. The floor creaked. Stepping around, he repeated the same test in other locations in the room. In the center of the room right next to the solid desk, the wooden floor would creak when stepped on. It dawned on Suran that a secret criminal organization would likely have secret rooms. A conclusion that made sense to him. Quickly, he went over to the desk and tried to move it out of the way to see what was underneath. He grunted as he tried to heave the desk out of the way, but it did not even budge an inch. For a wooden desk, it was exceptionally heavy. Nevertheless, he kept shoving on it. ¡°Oooo! Need help?¡± A voice rang out behind him. Suran didn¡¯t process the voice and only heard someone stepping over next to him. He didn¡¯t look over to see who it was. The sounds of fighting had died down, so he thought it was one of the men he brought, or even one of Fletch¡¯s men. He never saw Fletch and his group arrive and had hoped they had reached the warehouse without trouble. The person set up next to him, and he could feel him help with the struggle, throwing their weight in the effort. Just like that, the heavy table began to move with the strength of two people pushing it. It slid across the floor, scraping along the hard wood floor, and revealed a trap door underneath. He got up and turned to see who had aided him, and his heart dropped. Standing in front of him with a stupid-ass-grin was Natalya. ¡°What are you doing here?!¡± He shouted in disbelief. ¡°I wanted to come so I followed you guys,¡± she nonchalantly responded. Suran clicked his tongue, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything? Or even ask?¡± ¡°Because the answer would have been no!¡± ¡°Fine, just stay out of the way and don¡¯t get into trouble.¡± There was no way to deal with this at the moment, so he had no choice but to let her stay. Sending her off would probably just create more problems. He pushed that throbbing problem to the back of his head and focused at the task at hand. The trapdoor had an impressive lock on it. Suran fumbled around with it for a moment and determined it was not something he could just break, so he went over to the corpse in the room and rummaged through the pockets. Sure enough, a keychain with several keys was in the front right pocket. ¡°Great, keys! Now we can crack open this door and see what¡¯s underneath!¡± Natalya commented while watching from the side. Suran did not respond and huddled over the lock on the trapdoor and began trying each key on the lock. The third key of four popped open the lock, letting Suran swing the door wide open. A dark staircase sprawled before him that winded off out of sight. He took one look at Natalya before heading down. It winded on longer than one might expect, and he found himself in a well-furnished room that was bathed in light emitting from strange orbs fastened to the ceiling. ¡°Who are you?¡± A light, feminine voice asked. Sitting on a bed was a plain woman with long golden hair knitting. ¡°Are you Annabelle?¡± Suran asked, stepping into the light. ¡°Why yes, yes I am. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°Your father, Baron Reginald, sent me to rescue you. So quickly, pack whatever you need right now; We need to leave.¡± ¡°Splendid news! Let me just get my sweaters, shirts, boots, dresses, necklaces, earrings ¨C oh, better not forget my crochet!¡± Suran watched in amazement how a girl who was kidnapped for political capital had so many items. ¡°Pack light since we can¡¯t bring everything. There is fighting going on so we can¡¯t have anything slowing us down,¡± Suran added on as he watched her whiz around. There was no way they could move efficiently with the three suitcases she had already packed. What was frightening was that she was motioning to pack a fourth. Upon hearing the comment, Annabelle scowled in disappointment, ¡°Well Mister, I don¡¯t want anything to go to waste!¡± Suran rolled his eyes, ¡°Do you want to leave or not?¡± ¡°Fiiine,¡± she groaned out, settling on taking only one suitcase. ¡°There is no way I¡¯m sticking around so that Harry Shroom freak can come around and harass me some more.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it He raised his eyebrow to question the statement. ¡°That fat guy keeps following me around showering me with stuff. When we were little we used to go to the same academy and I was sometimes nice to him cause no one liked him. Now the guy is obsessed me and just won¡¯t leave me alone, ugh!¡± Her face showed obvious disgust. ¡°No time to waste,¡± Suran hurried her along. ¡°Grab your bags and let¡¯s go. I will lead the way.¡± She nodded and picked up her stuffed suitcase which was just a bit to heavy just for her to life. Natalya who was standing around had to come give her a hand. Suran trotted up the staircase with the two girls behind him. It was time to get out of here. As he reached the top of the staircase, he felt something was off. Utter silence permeated through the air. He stepped out into the light of the warehouse floor to witness a massacre. Everyone was dead, the Namnoc men as well his own, except for one man; in the bloody sea of corpses sat a man with a dashing stripped white suit, a matching white hat, gleaming black shoes, and a pair of large sunglasses. His appearance was flawless with not one spot daring to ruin it. As he sat the wooden crate with one leg resting on his knee and his hands clasped by his stomach, his head slightly swayed from side to side as he hummed an unrecognizable tune. ¡°Ah, you must be the one causing the commotion,¡± the dandy man plainly said. ¡°What happened here?¡± Suran said in disbelief. The dandy man tilted stopped his humming and tilted his head, ¡°What do you mean? If you mean this mess, then the answer would be I found some rats in my home and promptly took care of them.¡± Suran recognized that voice. It took a moment, but it sounded exactly like the one he heard Shroom spoke to the other night when he left his house at night. ¡°Natalya, take Annabelle through the door on the right and get out of her. Take her back home. I will handle this.¡± All he had to do was buy time for them to get out. Natalya rushed out tugging Anna along. With those two out of the way, Suran turned his attention to the spotless man before him who was covering a yawn with his hand, completely uninterested. He took a gander at the watch on his hand before shaking his head in disapproval. ¡°Look at the time! I do apologize, but I have no time for this ¨C so much to do, so little time. I hope you understand.¡± He rose from his wooden stool and began to trot towards a door at the opposite end. Before he left he said one thing: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I may not have the time to play with you, but I know Sammy will,¡± he stated with a devilish grin. He left, leaving Suran all alone. Suran had no intention in sticking around to find out who this ¡®Sammy¡¯ was, and motioned towards the door closet to him as soon as the well-dressed dandy departed. He froze in his tracks at the would-be sound of crackling thunder, but the problem was, that the violent explosion that just ripped through was not thunder at all. Another crash sounded out from right behind him and a man flew right up to the wall next to him. He took one good look and saw who it was: Fletch. Suran turned around and saw a massive puncture in the wall, and climbing out of it was a giant. There was no way to describe the beast that stepped through the hole as anything else but the pinnacle of human size. At least eight feet tall, and a frame that was fitted with slabs of muscle. ¡°Oh, look. Another one.¡± The behemoth spoke with a gruff, raspy voice. Contrary to his monstrous visage, there was no enmity in his voice. Suran unfroze himself and immediately went to see Fletch. His collision into the wooden wall left it dented, and he lay slouched over on the floor. Suran kneeled beside him and examined him. His body, ice. His eyes, glass. Suran waved his hand over and closed his eyelids. He then stood to face the beast. The beast tensed up, his muscles throbbing, as he scrunched his face in perplexion. ¡°Who... who are you?¡± ¡°Suran Ibrahim.¡± He met the beast¡¯s gaze and readied his sword. As much as he did not want to engage him, he felt that running away was not possible. ¡°The name is Sammy. Pleasure to meet you.¡± Sammy climbed through the hole. The world behind him flashed white from lightning followed by the boom of thunder. ¡°No sense in wasting time now, is there?¡± ¡°There is not.¡± Sammy stretched out his hands and arms, cracking their bones. His hand was covered in a metal glove ¨C a glove designed for punching. Suran took the initiative, charging forward with his black sword. Sammy dodged the first swing and used his metal glove as a shield to parry the second blow. Sparks flew from the clash, and Sammy immediately followed up by throwing a jab at Suran¡¯s stomach. He was able to block it, just barley, but the force of the punch launched him across the room as if a stampeded of bulls had come together to smash at one point at the same time. There was no way for him to win a straight-up engagement. His power as absurd, and Suran felt that he was only scratching the surface. He couldn¡¯t charge in, so he waited from Sammy to come to him. But, he did not. Sammy reared his arm and punched the air, a movement that one might think would accomplish nothing. Suran, however, felt nothing but danger and immediately rolled to his right to dodge. The effect he had anticipated came a moment after the punch. The air around the spot Sammy had punched exploded into a shockwave that came rumbling down the warehouse floor like violent gust of wind. Crates and grain were dragged into its vortex and tossed around as it sped right into, then through, the wall, leaving a resounding boom. When Suran got up from the ground, it was as if a tornado had barreled down the warehouse. So that¡¯s how it is, Suran thought. If he strayed at a distance, Sammy could launch that attack over and over again. Suran had no ranged attack so it would be impossible for him to beat Sammy in a ranged bout. His options were either to run away or close in and risk fighting up close. His body wanted to run, an instinct brought on by a murderous aura that began to arise from Sammy, but his mind said there was no use. It was fortunate that fear was nothing for him, so he charged forward. Suran was thrown around like a ragdoll into a stack of crates. His back smashed right into them. If he got out of this alive, his back was going to kill him he thought. So far, nothing seemed to work on Sammy. He can dodge every strike, block every hit, and smash every opening in Suran¡¯s defense. Defeat was passively staring Suran and the eyes, and still he got up to charge again. First slash was diverted by the metal gauntlets. Suran ducked as a punch flew overhead. He could barely even see the jabs, but he could feel the intense displacement of air they caused. Relentlessly, Suran kept cutting at Sammy to no avail, like a man trying to chisel his way through a mountain. On the other hand, Sammy threw out punches casually. Suran could not break through his defense, but neither was Sammy making a move to end the fight. ¡°Over here, ya goof!¡± The shrill voice of a women broke the monotony and a potato flew into Sammy¡¯s head, startling him. Suran took his chance and stabbed right into the Sammy¡¯s chest. Sammy caught the sword without a second thought. ¡°Trying to get the jump on me, ehhh?¡± Sammy asked rather amused. His face quickly changed to one of disappointment, ¡°When I first saw you, I expected more than some cardio. Maybe I was mistaken.¡± With his free hand, Sammy landed a punch square into Suran¡¯s gut. He was vaulted into the air, through the warehouse wall, and onto the dock under the pitch black sky. It was the first time Sammy had gotten a clean punch on him, but it was, truthfully, the only one he needed. Immense pain racked Suran¡¯s body as he coughed up blood. Such pain overcame him, that if someone were to have asked him ¡®what is hurting him,¡¯ it would have been easier to answer what wasn¡¯t hurting him. Which is to say was nothing. ¡°Oi, Love! What are you doin¡¯ here?¡± Sammy exclaimed in the distance. Suran struggled to pull himself up so he could see who had come. His vision was blurry from the pain. It took some time for it to clear enough for him to see, but, when he was able to make out what was in front of him, his heart sank. Natalya had come back to help him. While half laying down with most of his body refusing to respond to him due to crippling pain, he wondered how it came to this. ¡°You¡¯re beating up my friend!¡± Natalya shouted at him. Without a hint of fear, she was wailing on Sammy¡¯s body with a flurry of punches, but it was just like a small child trying to beat up an adult ¨C a hopeless endeavor. ¡°That man is your friend? Well, I do apologize. If I had known. I wouldn¡¯t have hit him so hard!¡± Sammy stood there with surprise on his face, taking the punches from Natalya without a single care. Sammy sighed, ¡°Love, I do thank you for the meal the other day, but I can¡¯t let your friend, or you, leave here freely. You know that right?¡± ¡°Of course I know that!¡± Natalya pouted. ¡°Who the hell do you think I am, Sammy?¡± ¡°W-well, I don¡¯t know?¡± Sammy looked around, as if searching for an excuse or way out and lightly tapped Natalya¡¯s neck. She crumpled onto the floor. He hoisted her up and swung her over his shoulder, ¡°Sorry, Love. Rather not come to this, but I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡± Sammy casually walked over to Suran who lied crippled on the ground. ¡°As for you, I can¡¯t assure you the same fate I will get for this girl over here. I would recommend you to think twice about crossing Namnoc. That is, if you can think twice when they¡¯re done with you.¡± Sammy looked down on Suran with pity then walked away. The sky that had swelled with water popped, and water begin to trickle down. The trickle became a torrent, and Suran could no longer stay conscious. Chapter 18 - Rising Tide The days, the months, the years, he slowly spent losing everything surfaced before him. He fought each moment to alter the events, but his efforts were in vain. He resigned himself to watching what time could not wash away. It infuriated him how the struggle for his home was so vivid and clear, yet not a single scene nor memory of his home came forward. Now everything had changed, yet nothing was different. The girl was nothing to him; he was unsure if he could even call her a friend, but could he leave her to become like the rest? He could not. He had done much more for lesser people. To do this, for someone like her, was nothing. Everything was different, yet, at the same time, nothing had changed. To do what he must now, he will do what he once did again. ¡°Wake up already, ya bloke!¡± Several slaps to the face roused Suran. The voice continued in disgust, ¡°Eyuck, the guy is already sweating, and we haven¡¯t even done anything yet! Is there a towel around here?¡± True to the man¡¯s words, cold sweat beaded all over his face. Suran instinctively tried to move his hand to wipe his face, but both of his hands were tied together behind his back. His vision finally came into focus ¨C there was not much to see. He was tied to a chair bolted to ground, he could see that much, but the entire room was dark; a dim yellow light overhead illuminated only him, leaving the rest of the area shrouded. Even though he could not who was around him, he could hear them moving about. Cabinets and drawers were being rummaged through, metal objects clanging and rattling against each other, and low whispers. Then a clap. ¡°Alright then! Let¡¯s get this show on the road ¨C no time to waste after all.¡± A familiar face stepped into the light. It was the well-dressed man from the warehouse, this time sporting a black suit. He rolled a toothpick around in his mouth and spit it out, ¡°I assume you know why we¡¯re all here.¡± The man inched in close to Suran¡¯s face with a devilish grin. Suran neither responded nor flinched, staring right back into the man¡¯s dark eyes. The man pulled away and chuckled lightly, ¡°Not a talker?¡± He pulled away back into the shadows, ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can¡¯t fix that.¡± A snap of a finger and two musclemen walked out from the shadows. ¡°I¡¯m not a patient man, so I¡¯ll ask you one more time before having my friends here help you,¡± the voice circled around Suran. ¡°Do you know why you¡¯re here and what¡¯s going on?¡± Suran¡¯s body was still sore all over from the one-punch from Sammy, especially his abdomen. He needed to find a way out, and until then, he opted to play along. ¡°I assaulted your warehouse. You killed everyone then left me to fight ¡®Sammy¡¯.¡± The two men looked at each other in unease. A moment later Suran heard metal objects thrown off a table violently. ¡°God dammit, not again! Why the hell does this ALWAYS happen?!¡± The dressed man rushed back into the light, obnoxiously close to Suran¡¯s face, ¡°Do I really look like that damned brother of mine?!¡± Now that he had mentioned it, Suran realized something was off. Black stubble covered his face, he was lacking a tie, and the top buttons of his shirt were undone. His rugged look was a far cry from the picture-perfect attire from yesterday. The musclemen on the right of Suran spoke up, ¡°Well, Clyde, I mean you guys are twins after all...¡± ¡°Oh shut up, Lewis!¡± Clyde barked back. ¡°We may be twins, but we have nothing in common.¡± He began storming around the room in a fit, ¡°Who was always picked first for Duelynball? He was! Who was the one talented at magic? He was! Who was mother¡¯s favorite child? He was! And, do you know who the oldest is? I bloody am! How is any of this fair, huh? The oldest gets shafted all the way to hell!¡± The muscleman Lewis leaned in towards Suran and whispered to him, ¡°Sorry about this. Clyde tends to get worked up sometimes, especially when you mention his brother...¡± ¡°Lewis, I said SHUT UP!¡± A wrench flew through the air and clunked him on the head. Lewis winced then began to rub the point of impact with a frown. Clyde rambled on, ¡°You know, he gets to be the talented one, join the ¡®Terrible Ten¡¯ ¨C bloody stupid name by the way ¨C and gets to roam around the world doing all the fun stuff, and I get to stick around here and baby sit you fools! I¡¯m nothing more than a glorified babysitter! Who has to bend over sideways keeping all these garbage Lords in order? I do! And don¡¯t you even get me started on handling that crabby old, Hendrick ¨C that stupid broad of Sammy¡¯s better tide him over for now. Not to mention all the scheduling work I have to do! I have to maintain the docks, keep inventory of the grain, collect payments, and this list of shit I have to deal with goes on and on and on and on and on. Thank god my brother left, on the ship I had to arrange by the way, or I would have gone out and found him right now just to clobber him¡± Clyde took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°My brother gets to go out and be the important one, one of the most feared criminals this side of Mazurka, and what do I get? Manager duty.¡± A short pause came from Clyde, ushering in silence. ¡°It¡¯s just not fair,¡± he concluded. He cleared his throat, ¡°Enough of that. I went on for too long.¡± Clyde remerged from the shadow dragging a chair. He spun it out in front of him, plopped down on it, and rested his arms on the headrest, staring at Suran. ¡°Now do us all a favor and answer my questions so we can get out of this stupid hole.¡± He raised up one finger, ¡°First, why were you here last night?¡± ¡°To rescue Annabelle.¡± ¡°Sure, sure you were.¡± Clyde shifted in his chair. ¡°Several days ago there was a riot out in the markets.¡± ¡°Was there?¡± Suran knew probably exactly what he was talking about. He accidentally stirred up a riot by questioning sellers about grain prices. ¡°Yes, yes there was, and you were there. What were you doing out there?¡± Suran said nothing. ¡°What are your connections to Lord Reginald, hmm? Why were you visiting him so often? ¡°For Annabelle.¡± Clyde shook his head and rolled his eyes, ¡°Then how about why did you target Shroom?¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.Silence. ¡°Look here, whatever-your-name-is, there are two ways we can do this: the easy way and the hard way. I¡¯m not a patient man unlike my stupid brother, so I¡¯ll only give you one more shot at this. Who is it that you are working for?¡± Nothing. ¡°For the love of¡± ¨C he abruptly stopped in frustration ¨C ¡°What do you know? Do you even know anything?!¡± Suran tilted his head slightly. Clyde threw his arms up and jumped out of the chair. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are accomplishing here.¡± He went back into the dark of the room and began rummaging around. A clang noise came out then a yelp, ¡°Who the fuck left this on the ground? God damn my toe¡­¡± A moment later the lights flipped on. ¡°That¡¯s much better. Whose idea was it to turn this off again? Lewis, was it you?¡± Lewis shook his head, ¡°No, it was Pyff.¡± He pointed to the other man standing silently. With the lights on, Suran could see that they were all in a small, simple room. Metals tables were lined up against the wall topped with all sorts of tools. Clyde was going through a table. On that table Suran could see the form of his sword. ¡°Now where is the paper¡­¡± Clyde was going through all the cabinets and drawers. ¡°What you need paper for?¡± Asked Lewis. ¡°Well, since this guy won¡¯t say anything, I¡¯m just going to assume he knows everything. Like come on, how stupid does he think we are? All the grain business he was involved in has no other explanation. Better send out some letters, especially to that crone Hendrick.¡± Apparently Namnoc thinks that he was involved in potential espionage or sabotage involving the grain industry, Suran concluded. Whatever Suran did spooked them; they felt he was close, or getting close to discovering their operations involving grain. Alarmed enough to immediately send out communication at the very least. Next to Clyde was a metal door, the only visible exit to the room. Suran evaluated his situation. Right now, his hands were tied, but that was it. While the chair he was sitting on was firmly bolted to the ground, he wasn¡¯t actually secured to it. An oversight by Namnoc. Clyde was scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment, ¡°You know, you can still tell us everything, make it easier on everyone involved. I hope you understand you aren¡¯t leaving here alive ¨C a small formality. It¡¯s up to you to decide how you go out. Either way, you¡¯re locked in here with us!¡± With the swish of a pen, Clyde held up his document happily, looking it over. Satisfied with the result, he began to roll it up to place in a container sitting on the table ¡°You are making one mistake.¡± Suran calmly said. This elicited a light chuckle from Clyde, ¡°And what would that be, guy-who-just-now-decided-to-talk?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not locked in here with you. You¡¯re locked in here with me.¡± Clyde dropped the container on the table and began laughing. He turned around with a stupid grin and jeered at Suran, ¡°That is the stupidest thing I¡¯ve heard all day ¨C maybe all week! It¡¯s like some ridiculously cheesy line you¡¯d hear at one of those nonsense action thrillers down at the theater.¡± Unfortunately for them, this was no jest. Suran broke through the rope, abusing the slack in the knot. He instantly jumped out of the chair and elbowed Lewis in the face. Pyff jumped on Suran, but he held him up and tossed him right at the surprised Clyde, knocking him down. In a flash, Suran grabbed his black sword and unsheathed it. Lewis, Pyff, and Clyde were all on their feet already, everyone armed with swords but an annoyed Clyde. First to strike was Pyff. Suran spun out from the downward strike and cut Pyff¡¯s jugular in the rotation. Pyff dropped his sword and grasped for his throat as he fell face-forward toward the ground. Surprise flashed on Clyde¡¯s face, then raised his eyebrows as if he was rethinking his calculations. Lewis was not shaken by the death of comrade. He readied himself, then charged in at Suran. His first jab was knocked away and his second slash met the same fate. His third and final attack was parried, and Suran casually drove his sword into Lewis¡¯ chest. ¡°Do you know how fucking hard it is to get good help these days?!¡± Clyde shouted, obviously not fearing for his life. ¡°And how in the hell did you break out of that rope? Do you know how much I spent getting that specially made and enchanted? Better not come out of my goddamn paycheck.¡± Suran squared off in front of Clyde and spoke without emotion, ¡°Your first mistake was underestimating me. Your second one was not tying me properly to the chair.¡± Clyde shrugged and stepped towards the door. ¡°Yeah¡­ maybe I should not have underestimated the guy that got out of a fight with Sammy without broken bones. Oops.¡± He stood without any panic or fear overcoming him. ¡°Well, I get to use this at the very least. They all told me it was a waste, but who is laughing now, ey?! Anyways, I said you weren¡¯t getting out of here, alive or dead. Stick around and you¡¯ll get to see what I mean~,¡± he concluded with a slight sweet, musical tone to his voice. He brought up his hand and waved at Suran tauntingly, ¡°Cya.¡± The ground beneath Clyde jolted out of the ground, lifting him towards the ceiling, lifting him through an opening in the ceiling. He was gone in an instant, and now a stone wall stood right front of the door. Drains from the ceiling opened up, and water began to slowly pour out into the room. Suran was not alarmed, not even slightly. He strolled over to the metal desk and looked through it. The letter Clyde had written was still there, so he took it. Slowly, the water reached his ankles. He strode through the rising water toward the stone wall blocking his path. He cocked his sword over his left shoulder, and swung it right at the rock formation. The sword didn¡¯t cut through the rocks; his black sword smashed the stone apart, sending rock splinters spewing everywhere. Strength he used to have and strength he never had trickled through his veins. Stepping over the rocks, he popped open the metal door and walked through. He would allow nothing to stand in his way again. He walked through the dark cave to the sound of crashing waves. Chapter 19 - Responsibility and Drinking Suran walked to the end of the tunnel and found another metal door. In the dark, he felt around it, unbolting the lock and pulling it open. A stream of murky water toppled down into the vast body of water in front of him. He stepped out and found himself on a ledge. Beneath him was a drop down to the water and above him was a drainage pipe. The only way off the ledge was a rusty ladder to the side which he hastily climbed up. At the top, he looked down into the winding tunnel and began to walk. Soon, the only light that illuminated the tunnel was from the iron grates above. He could not reach them, so he continued walking, looking for an exit. After sometime, he came across a narrow corridor that was built as if it were an afterthought. At its end was a ladder up. He climbed up the ladder, popped open the manhole lid, and lifted himself out into an alley. ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to be here,¡± said a haggard man leaning on the wall, ¡°Who are you?¡± Suran drew his sword and flicked his wrist. Maybe the man was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but Suran did not care; there would be no loose ends, no liabilities, if he could help it. He dumped the body into the drain below and went on his way. The alleyway he emerged from was by the docks. It was chilly and becoming increasingly colder. He wasn¡¯t sure where he was exactly, but he immediately went into the city; he needed to get away from the docks ¨C and to get out of the cold. He walked for about ten minutes in the afternoon crowd before dipping in into a secluded alley. Digging into his pockets, he pulled out the container and pried its lid open. He unraveled the letter and read its contents: H.v.A: It has come to my attention that we may have a rat infestation in the kitchen. I have found some snooping in the pantry and took care of them, but there is no telling how many, if any, are left. I will continue to search for them on my end, but you must take precautions as well. First, we must stop stocking the pantry. We can¡¯t afford to drop any crumbs that would attract more rodents. I will do my part on this end to make sure everything is clear, but you have to check your side is clear as well. You know how these rats are, sneaky bastards can easily go from one place to another. Remember, our business will struggle with a pest infestation in the back. And if word of the pests gets out and the business goes under as a result, I hope you remember that you stand the most to lose in our joint venture. No effort must be wasted in solving this. Your immediate response is requested. Clyde He rolled up the letter and placed it back. Still not enough information to the only lead he had to Natalya, Hendrick. While he did not have an idea who H.v.A was, there was someone who might. He left the alleyway to pay a visit to Lord Shroon. ---- Harry Shroom took a sip of his red Da Gru Mara¡¯Cru to wash down the tender pieces of Beaor steak down his throat. He enjoyed the lavish meal, it wasn¡¯t something he could afford often. In fact, even thinking about the bill sent a shiver down his spine. There were clearly better things to spend his coin on like his estate, debt, and jewelry for Anna, but he made an exception just this once; it was a special time after all. For as long as he knew Mr. Clyde Maxwell, their relationship has been strenuous, to say the least. Ever since he fell under the influence of Namnoc, it was Clyde who controlled his purse strings, and rarely did he ever open them. It was tiring work, having to juggle the demands of Namnoc and Clyde as well as his own needs, but Shroom was left with no other choice but obediently follow along to avoid the ire of those above him. Today was special because for the first time in their relationship, Shroom had earned Clyde¡¯s approval. In hindsight, it had been a blessing that foreigner rudely barged into his house. While he would have very much liked not being roughed up, he did at least learn of the man¡¯s foolish plans to attack Namnoc to rescue Anna. He didn¡¯t even have to think twice about immediately informing Clyde of the situation. The information might not have been that helpful ¨C there was no doubt in Shroom¡¯s mind that the foreigner¡¯s plan would fail even without notice ¨C but Clyde was very pleased with the information, causing him to, just this once, loosen the purse strings. Shroom put down his empty wine glass and picked up the bottle to pour out more, but it was empty. He sighed and slunk in his chair. Another bottle would be nice. But three was already pushing his limit, so a fourth was out of the question. He roused himself from his chair; it was time he left. As he worked his way out of the restaurant, Shrom mulled over how to spend his time today. Clyde had, for once, not left him anything to do. Now seemed like a perfect time to go shopping for Anna. In his routine visits, she mentioned needing some clothes, cloths, and sewing supplies He could pick those up and even entertain buying some more trinket and jewelry for her. However, that was going to have to wait. He felt a little tipsy and wobbly, and his last outing while intoxicated ended rather poorly. Accidentally buying one boat was already causing him troubles, so he figured it would be best to go home and weather the storm. The day was still young, Shroom thought as he walked down the street. There would be plenty of time to go back out later to take care of his responsibilities; Anna¡¯s requests will be taken care of one way or another. Shroom¡¯s heart sank, thinking of Anna. Their relationship wasn¡¯t what is used to be, and he lamented that. He has been doing everything in his power to reverse that trend, but the good old times seemed like a distant dream. When they were in primary schooling, they had been such great friends. In the beginning, the only time people talked about Harry Shroom was to insult him for being fat when he just had big bones. The first person to actually talk to him like a person was her, and he owed her the world for that. From that moment on, she was his best friend. From making sure she got her turn at the playground to defending her from all the boys and girls who dare attack her, Shroom decided he would be by her side. As the years gone by, times got rough and their relationship was tested. Her ever expanding circle of friends slowly pushed out Shroom, but he was content as long as he could support her. When she started hanging out with some hooligans, he voiced his concern but got scolded for attacking her ¡®friends¡¯. Eventually things got messy and one thing led to another. They got into a fight; he said he loved her and that she deserves a nice guy, got rejected and was told he was never her friend. However, he was not dismayed. While the rejection stung for a while, he doubled his efforts, thinking that she would come around one day and see him as the best person for her. Even if she did not eventually accept him ¨C which he considered highly unlikely ¨C he had pledged to be by her side for the kindness she showed to him, and he was going to do that whether she wanted him to or not. His detour through memory lane came to an end as he found himself back home. He would stop at nothing to fix his relationship with Anna, but first, a nap and maybe a bath. He fumbled in his jacket and pulled out his key. But when he put it in his gate, the gate creaked open. His servants had various errands and chores, sometimes forcing them to go out into town. Maybe one of them left the door open? He would have to find out and chastise them for such an oversight. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.Shroom lumbered into his home and put up his coat. He stopped by the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water before making his way to his quarters. While sipping on his water, he felt something was off; none of his servants had greeted him yet nor had he seen them. It is true they all had various work to do so it was possible this could happen, but the empty and quiet house was bothering. Wobbling up the stairs, he made his way to his chambers to the sound of his shuffling two feet. As he approached to his chamber door, still not one person did he see. This was unacceptable, he thought, pulling open his bedroom door and entering. He would have to discipline his servants for this, but that could come later because he first wished to nap. His hand went limp and the glass of water crashed down. Panic flooded his mind as sitting silently in front of him was a familiar face. What was he doing here? Shroom attempted to speak, but his mind outran his mouth, leaving him stuttering, stammering, and speechless. Shroom slowed down and took some deep breaths as the foreigner stared him down. He calmed himself down, collected his thoughts, and mustered the willpower to speak. ¡°W-what are you doing here?¡± He nervously said, finding it impossible to remain calm. ¡°I have a problem, and you will help me,¡± Suran said. Shroom nervously chuckled. Numerous questions swirled in his mind: how was he alive, how did he get here, and why was he really here? ¡°A problem?¡± He repeated, racking his brain for a way out. Shroom decided to try and weasel his way out, ¡°I-I¡¯m afraid im very busy so I won¡¯t be able to assist ¨C¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have a choice.¡± He shook his head, taken aback, ¡°W-wh-what do you mean I don¡¯t have a choice?¡± ¡°If you refuse, I will kill you.¡± ¡°K-k-k-k-k-kill me?¡± Shroom began breathing heavily as sweat beaded on his hea. The room went silent except for the chattering of his teeth. ¡°It¡¯s cold,¡± Suran remarked. ¡°Yes it is.¡± But it really wasn¡¯t. Neither outside nor inside was cold at all. While dining at the restaurant, Shroom had even thought on how nice of a day it way and had only agreed to please the man. He noticed the man¡¯s hand resting on his sword and decided he had no choice but comply. ¡°I-if you are going to have me help you, at least let me know what I¡¯m getting into.¡± ¡°I intend to bring Namnoc to its knees,¡± Suran said, shifting his legs. Shroom was stunned. He had never heard anyone say that so calmly, let alone see them alive after the fact. If governments had challenged them and had been unable to dent them, what could a single man do? ¡°I-impossible! There is nothing you can hope to do against them. All you would write is an assured death sentence for the both of us.¡± He sighed, ¡°If I had to choose between dying here or dying to them, the former is the easy choice.¡± ¡°I do not ask of the impossible, and if it were, I would make it possible.¡± Suran rose from the chair, ¡°Besides, fighting Namnoc is in your interests as well. To them, you are nothing more than a dog, and do not think they will toss you aside the moment you live out your usefulness,¡± Suran paced around the room, inching closer to Shroom. ¡°By fighting Namnoc you stand to gain your freedom, and I will ask nothing of you that will comprise your position.¡± He was right, Shroom thought. His current situation under Namnoc was terrible. He had no economic or political freedom. If he wasn¡¯t implicated in any of this, it could very well be worth a shot. ¡°Fine, I consent. I only ask you inform me of what led to this before asking anything of me.¡± ¡°Very well. After we rescued Annabella ¨C¡± ¡°WAIT! You successfully rescued her?!¡± ¡°She was able to leave the compound safely.¡± ¡°Let me tell you, neither me nor Clyde ¨C¡± Shroom stopped himself mid-sentence. He did not mean to say that. Suran was unphased, ¡°I know.¡± Somehow that response seemed worse to Shroom. He suddenly felt very small in the large room. ¡°As I was saying,¡± Suran resumed his explanation, ¡°During our escape, my companion was captured, and I will rescue her.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. A female companion. Is she your wife?¡± ¡°...No.¡± ¡°Best friend?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Business partner?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then what the hell is she?!¡± ¡°She is a companion I met a few days ago.¡± ¡°What? Excuse me? You met her a few days ago?¡± Shroom was flabbergasted by this idea. ¡°You are willing to risk everything for someone you just met? If this is this case, it is not too late to turn back and avoid this mess. She sounds like nothing to you, so just leave her be and save yourself.¡± And save himself the trouble, he hoped to himself. ¡°It is true, I just met her, but I am responsible for her. She put her wellbeing in my care and even risked her life to help me during our escape. I cannot and will not leave her behind. Her freedom will come at the cost of Namnoc¡¯s security.¡± ¡°Well, you are the boss here. What do you want?¡± ¡°I need your help in identifying someone.¡± Suran reached into his coat and pulled out the letter. Taking out the writing, he handed it over. Shroom took it and looked it over. ¡°So¡­ is it this H.v.A you want to know about?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Well¡­ There is not much to go off with just that. Anyone could have those initials.¡± ¡°What if the ¡®H¡¯ stood for Hendrick?¡± ¡°Let me see¡­ Hendrick v. A¡­ Now who could that be?¡± Shroom¡¯s face paled, ¡°C-care tell w-what type of person you are looking for?¡± ¡°Someone who deals with grain. Maybe deals in shipments. Possibly a noble or government official.¡± ¡°No, no, no, no, no, no, I can¡¯t believe it,¡± Shroom shook his head violently, almost breaking out in nervous laughter. ¡°Before I say any more, how do you know so much?¡± ¡°Some people don¡¯t know when to stop talking.¡± ¡°Oh. Clyde. Well¡­ from what you told me, you are looking for Hendrick von Auer. A nobleman. Rich merchant dealing in grain. Lord Treasurer of the Holy Empire of Valeryia. One of the top officials in the entire Empire.¡± Shroom slunk past Suran and stumbled into a chair. ¡°Out of all the people in the world, we have to deal with this man¡­¡± ¡°I need you to tell me where he lives.¡± Shroom laughed like a madman, ¡°You are insane, whatever your name is. Why would you want to go into the jaws of the beast?¡± He was already regretting his decision to help; a slight desire to simply curl up and die was born within him. ¡°One, I need to confirm that my companion is under his care. Two, to deliver this letter.¡± He held up the letter container. ¡°Why would you want to do that?¡± ¡°To control the information. Clyde does not expect the letter to be delivered, so we can use that to our advantage.¡± Shroom sighed, looking as if he had aged 10 years since the conversation as started. He rose from his chair, ¡°You seem to know better than me. I will fetch pen and paper and arrange the address for you.¡± As Shroom was exiting the room Suran said, ¡°Your servants are in the cellar. You can release them if they will not be a liability. ¡°O-of course.¡± Shroom had completely forgot about them. At least they were safe. He made his way out the door before Suran called out to him one last time, ¡°And my name is Suran.¡± Shroom took note and committed it to memory. He could think of no worse of a time to meet such a man then when drunk as he is. Why did this always have to happen when he drank? Chapter 20 - Fate Knocks Playing the role of a courier, Suran swiftly snuck through the city streets. Shroom had reluctantly given him directions to the estate of Hendrick von Auer, and he made his way towards there. Few people were on the streets; there was no crowd nor clamor in the quiet residential district. Suran had expected this, and borrowed a plain set of clothing befitting a messenger, satchel and all, to avoid any scrutiny from wandering eyes. To complete the image, he had to leave his sword behind; it is hard to not question the authenticity of an armed messenger. It was bothering, not having a means to defend himself, but his mind was cleared by the scenic view the district brought. The rich, the nobles, and the royalty were all concentrated in the center of Valcadia. Built on a weathered mountain gently standing over the sprawling city, their homes and stores circled around. He could see the breadth of the city and the hum of activity below. However, the beauty was not only found down below; up above, perched on a crag, was the castle that stood above all. With its walls and towers fashioned in dark stone, the castle was an overwhelming and imposing giant on the mountain. Yet, at the same time, there was a certain elegance and beauty to the brooding castle, from the flowing architecture to the intricate design, that made it shine like a gem. Or, perhaps it was the warmer weather that was making him feel at ease. At any rate, he had reached the home of Lord Treasurer Hendrick after a long walk. Like many of the other estates, a tall wall and a line of foliage separated his estate from the world. He prepared himself as he approached the iron gate. Even the slightest error would complicate things. He had to confirm that Clyde¡¯s words were true and that Natalya was here. Controlling information with the letter was simply a secondary objective. Without a hint of hesitation or fear, he strolled to the gate and knocked. A slit on the door slid open and a pair of beady eyes peered through. ¡°Who goes there?¡± ¡°Courier. Urgent message for Lord Auer from Clyde. Immediate response requested.¡± The eyes examined him in silence for a moment before speaking, ¡°Pass the letter through the hole and we will pass it on.¡± ¡°This is sensitive information that he needs to see immediately. I was instructed to give it to no one else.¡± ¡°And we were instructed not to let anyone in without notice. Just hand us the letter and we will give it to him. You can wait out here for a response.¡± ¡°Unacceptable. Then I will not be able to deliver the message.¡± Suran motioned towards leaving, ¡°Before I leave, give me your names.¡± The eyes recoiled from the door and inquired defensively, ¡°What reason you want our names for?¡± ¡°So when Mr. Clyde Maxwell asks me why I did not deliver the letter, I can list your name as the reason why,¡± Suran said. ¡°If this letter is not delivered, he will want someone¡¯s head ¨C and it won¡¯t be mine.¡± The slit slammed shut, and hushed voiced filled the air. A moment later the gate creaked open. ¡°Fine, come in,¡± the guard said. Suran was rushed in and immediately subjected to a violent and vigorous pat down. Two men rummaged through his bag and dug through his pockets and clothes, leaving no area on his person unmolested. They released him and a guard ordered, ¡°Follow me,¡± before turning and walking toward the home. Suran matched his brisk pace into the house and through its corridors. As he walked through, he scanned the home for any signs of Natalya. However, he couldn¡¯t see much; the guard was annoyed by his wandering gazed and barked at him to keep his head down. The man bid Suran to stop outside a door. The guard straightened himself, knocked on the door, then entered, leaving Suran waiting outside. Promptly the door opened and the guard came outside, ¡°Go.¡± Letter in hand, Suran nodded and went in. He moved cautiously for the room was dark, the only light source a crackling fire at the back. ¡°What is so important that dear Mr. Maxwell would request direct delivery and an immediate response?¡± Sitting behind a dark wood desk, an elderly man asked. Suran walked over and handed Hendrick von Auer the letter. As he popped open the container and unraveled the letter, Suran glanced around the room. Bookcases, shelves, cabinets, maps, papers, the room was filled and stocked as a study. Despite the overwhelming number of items and tools, everything was organized to perfection; one could find anything they would need nearly instantly. A feeble slap on the desk got Suran¡¯s attention. Lord Auer clutched the letter in his hand almost shaking with anger. ¡°What is the meaning of this?!¡± He shook the letter around. He took out parchment and pen and began furiously writing, not waiting for an answer. ¡°What a fool that man is to even suggest such lunacy,¡± he muttered to himself. When he finished his correspondence, he rolled up the letter, slid it into a cylindrical container, and held it out. Suran grabbed the container, but Lord Auer did not let go. His aged, wrinkled face bore signs of frustration. A second tug and Hendrick released the letter. Suran placed the letter in his satchel and headed towards the door. Before he could reach it, the door burst open and a familiar red-head flew right past him carrying a tray with tea and cookies. Suran caught a glance of her; she looked frazzled, but fine. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Knock next time you stupid girl,¡± Hendrick chastised her, clearly irritated. Natalya did not seem to notice Suran when she came in, and he decided to keep it that way. It would be a problem if she realized he was here and made a scene out of it, so he left the room. The guard was waiting outside and promptly took ahold of him and escorted him out. As the guard shoved him along, he could hear the old Lord yelling at Natalya for not bringing him his tea faster. He was tossed to the street and the gate was slammed shut and locked behind him. Hendrick von Auer was not talkative compared to his ¡®partners¡¯, but that was not an issue with the letter; while he may not run his mouth, the letter might tell him something he won¡¯t. On top of that, he now knows that Natalya is there. It was time to back to Shroom, there was still something for him to do, but first, a detour to a Lord Reginald¡¯s home. The home was far and out of the way, but it was worth a visit. He did not intend to go and meet them. No, he simply peered from the street and saw activity in the home and glimpses of recognizable face going in and out. Reginald, Keira, and Annabelle were all here. Even they had a role to play in his plans, regardless if they wanted to or not. Suran had seen what he had wanted, so he left towards the home of Shroom. He reached the home and was greeted by one of his servants at the door. Before going to speak with Shroom, he recovered his clothes which he had left in a guest room and changed back into them. The home was chilly, and he wanted to wear his thicker, normal clothes right away. Properly dressed, Suran headed up to Shroom¡¯s room. Shroom was working on a desk in his room, looking over some paperwork. He immediately left his work as soon as Suran entered the room and greeted him. ¡°You¡¯re back! Took you awhile.¡± ¡°The home was far,¡± Suran said, rummaging through the borrowed bag for the letter. ¡°What? It shouldn¡¯t have been that far; he lives relatively clo¡ª¡± ¡°Hendrick von Auer gave a response.¡± ¡°O-oh? Did he? That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°He spoke little, so I only have this.¡± He unraveled the letter and began to skim it. ¡°What about your¡­ companion? Did you find her?¡± ¡°She was there.¡± ¡°So everything went as you wanted it seems, but I still don¡¯t understand what you intend to do ¨C what is your plan even?¡± Suran straightened out the letter and read its contents: To C.M. I will cease nothing. The cause of your vermin problem was not from my end, so you will have to clean up after yourself. I will not be inconvinced by your shortcomings. Regardless, stopping the operation here will set us significantly back. As such, it is out of the question. We have the market cornered, if we let up now, then all of our effort will go to waste. And you need not remind me of my stake in this. Both parties have invested heavily in this, which is exactly why we cannot stop now. And we will not stop. The shipments will proceed as planned. There will be no change in time nor in location. Make sure this vermin problem is taken care of and be ready at the dock as usual. As soon as you unload onto the pier, we want to push it out into the market as soon as possible. We must not relent. -H.v.A He handed the letter to Shroom so he could read it as well. It sounded like Hendrick had no interest in ceasing their operations. Suran found his complete dismal reckless. He now knew exactly what he was going to do. ¡°Seems like nothing is going to change,¡± Shroom mused, looking over the letter. ¡°Shroom, write a letter to Clyde saying that Annabelle and her father are going to flee the town tonight, and if he wants to capture them, he needs to intercept them later today.¡± ¡°Yes, yes of cour¡ª¡± Shroom stopped as he fully processed the request. ¡°Wait, wait, wait, wait just one second¡­¡± ¡°Problem?¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®Problem?¡¯! Of course! Did you not just risk your life to rescue her, and now you want to get her captured again?!¡± ¡°Do as I say. You need not worry about the details.¡± Shroom was speechless and did as he told, gathering the parchment and ink to do so. ¡°How do you even know she is leaving today?¡± He asked while sitting down to write. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Shroom paused again and turned to Suran wide-mouthed, ¡°You don¡¯t know? Wh-what the hell are you doing?! Do you even know what you are doing?!¡± ¡°Yes, yes I do. I intend to do more than just rescue Natalya; I intend to make Namnoc feel pain. While I might not be able to administer justice by myself, I can certainly orchestrate others to achieve my goal. So it does not matter if they are leaving tonight or not because they will play their piece in this ¨C they won¡¯t be silent. All you must do is play your part. I will conduct victory.¡± Chapter 21 - The Only Choice Something was in the dark. It was as vast as an ocean yet as miniscule as a droplet. It emitted a suffocating pressure, yet held a presence as a gentle as a breeze. It was neither here nor there. It was everywhere, but it was nowhere. However, one thing was certain; its existence was absolute, as if it always was and always will. As he was, Suran could not rely on his own strength. In the dark, he could feel it waiting just within his reach, waiting to be called upon, to be seized. Could he use the strength of this being? Suran did not grasp it. There was no detectable evil, yet he could not bring himself to take. There was something unsettling, something unnerving about what was out there. Perhaps there was no malice in what existed, but neither was there any benevolence. The ringing of a clock woke Suran up. It felt like it was all a dream. He got up from the bed and picked up his sword. It was time to put his plan into motion. No further preparation was needed, so he left Shroom¡¯s home without a word. Out in the streets, it was cold again. The freezing wind burned his skin. He wrapped his face in his scarf ad dug his hands in his pockets and went on his way towards Lord Reginald¡¯s home. The sun had set and its place taken by the two planets. It was quiet as he showed himself into Reginald¡¯s yard. Two men came and stood between him and the door. ¡°Who are you?¡± One man barked. ¡°Suran Ibrahim. I came to speak to Reginald.¡± It intrigued Suran how a man heavily in debt could continuously muster men to support him. ¡°Oh yeah, well we don¡¯t know anyone by that name.¡± The two took a fighting stance but were interrupted by Keira who came bounding out the front door. ¡°Knock it off you two,¡± She slapped both of them on the heads. ¡°He helped rescue the Mistress.¡± The two grumbled off and Keira turned to Suran, ¡°We didn¡¯t think you made it out alive. What happened?¡± ¡°I was captured, but I managed to escape.¡± ¡°What of Natalya? She ran back after bringing the Mistress to me.¡± ¡°That is why I am here. I wish to speak to Reginald.¡± Suran said no more on the topic. Keira fidgeted in place for a moment before consenting and letting him through. Reginald was in his study, sifting through various papers. When he noticed Suran walk through, he dropped everything and immediately stood up. ¡°Y-your alive!¡± He rushed around the desk, almost tripping, and bear hugged Suran. ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough for rescuing my daughter! As I promised earlier, I would write that recommendation letter for you, and if there is anything else you need, please let me know and I will see if I can help.¡± Suran wrestled himself away from his grasps and took a step back. ¡°I do have a request for you,¡± he sat in a chair in front of Reginald¡¯s desk. Reginald went back and sat down in his own chair, ¡°Ah, yes! What is it that you need?¡± ¡°I require your assistance in striking back at Namnoc.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Natalya was captured while rescuing your daughter and is now held by Lord Hendrick von Auer. So in rescuing her and harming Namnoc, you will need to help me.¡± Reginald¡¯s cheerful demeanor quickly melted away. ¡°Look, none of us thought either of you left alive. You should just count that as a blessing and cut your losses.¡± ¡°Are you suggesting I leave her?¡± ¡°Mr. Ibrahim, I gave up a lot to rescue my daughter. All those men I sent lost their life. And Fletch¡­ Fletch never came back.¡± Reginald sunk lower into his chair. ¡°I risked so much¡­ I don¡¯t want to give up anymore. I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t help with you this. I don¡¯t want to deal with Namnoc or any of this ever again.¡± ¡°Unfortunately you do not have any option other than fighting Namnoc.¡± ¡°W-what do you mean? Fighting Namnoc would mean death!¡± ¡°Do you think they will just let you sit here? They will come for you and your daughter, and your treatment might be not as nice as it was in the past. ¡°Then I will run. Run as far as I can.¡± ¡°Then what? Your life might be saved, that is if they don¡¯t come after you, but then what life would you have? We both understand to run means to give up everything you have. You would have to live in hiding from Namnoc the rest of your life, running from place to place. Perhaps you might be fine with that, but what of your daughter?¡± Reginald bit his thumb in remained silent. ¡°You have two options available to you: stay and die or flee and live a meager life. However, I propose a third option.¡± ¡°¡­Third option?¡± ¡°Yes. I know how to beat Namnoc. I know how to release you from their influence. With some assistance, I can do this for you in exchange for one thing.¡± ¡°What is it? I am already indebted to you and I don¡¯t have much to give¡­¡± ¡°I want your fealty.¡± ¡°My- my what?!¡± ¡°I want you to swear your loyalty to me.¡± ¡°No, no, no, no, no. That simply is not possible! All the lords and nobles swear their loyalty to the King ¨C It¡¯s not worth the cost, I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°You are mistaken. The cost might actually be too low. I¡¯m not offering to save your life or to give you a way out; I¡¯m offering to save your future of you and your daughter. Tell me, what is the value of the future of your family?¡± The color from Reginald¡¯s face had drained at this point, and he was left sweating nervously. ¡°No, no... I can¡¯t do such a thing,¡± he shook his head, burrowing his face in his hands. ¡°There has to be some way to get out of this¡­¡± Keira barged through the door, ¡°Master, Namnoc is here in force!¡± Reginald¡¯s already pale face became whiter then a piece of paper, ¡°Th-th-they¡¯re here?!¡± ¡°Yes! They have men at all sides and our men are holding them off as best as they can, but it does not look good.¡± Suran got up from his chair. They came at just the right time, he mused. ¡°Y-you will help us, right?¡± Reginald looked desperately at Suran. ¡°As you said, I am sure you can figure something out.¡± He turned and began to walk away. ¡°Where are you going?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving, of course. Can¡¯t say the same for you.¡± Reginald got out of his chair and looked out his window into his backyard. His cousin had sent him a few extra men and had been helping him along in these tough times. Some of those men were getting chopped up on his property. He turned back to Suran looking like he was about to vomit. ¡°Fine! Fine¡­ I agree to your terms. Just please help.¡± Suran nodded his head. The easy part was out of the way. He ran right at Reginald, vaulted over the desk, and crashed through the window. He rolled out onto the grass and drew his sword. There were three men who challenged him, all rushing at him from different sides. Suran dashed forward from his crouched position toward the man in front of him. He deflected the man¡¯s strike to the right and dipped under his left, pivoting around and slashing the man¡¯s back. The remaining two responded by jabbing viciously at Suran. He took measured steps back, knocking each jab away. Taking a step forward, he slid to the left, dodging the thrust and slicing his stomach. The man dropped his sword and doubled over as blood hemorrhaged from his wound. His ally wasted no time and charged Suran who quickly caught his blade with his own, disarmed him with his free hand, and stabbed him in the gut. The last of the three was still hunched over, writhing in pain. Suran walked over and stabbed him in the neck and ended his life. He drew his sword and flung it to the side to throw off the blood that was dripping off of it, but the blood was sticking a little to the surface to his annoyance. With the back taken care of, he made his way around towards the front where he could hear screams, his sword squirming in his hand. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. He rounded the corner and saw the two men that had stood there earlier dead on the grass. Clyde stood nonchalantly at the gate with a whip in hand. Suran came out and stood in front of him. ¡°So you lived,¡± Clyde said disappointed. He spit the toothpick in his mouth out, ¡°I would like it if you stopped making my job hard.¡± Suran said nothing and readied himself. He would wait for Clyde to make a move unless an opportunity presented itself. Clyde cracked his whip and punched a hole in the ground. ¡°No time to waste.¡± Again he cracked his whip, but this time towards Suran. Suran was standing on the opposite side of the lawn, so he made no move to dodge the whip since it didn¡¯t have the reach. But the whip extended and kept extending until it smashed the ground underneath Suran, forcing him to jump back. Clyde recoiled the whip and launched a flurry of strikes at Suran. He had to continuously dodge and roll while Clyde assailed him from a far. Clyde¡¯s aim got more accurate with each strike, till he hit his mark. Suran was whipped right in the stomach and sent crashing into the stone wall. He stood back up; it hurt, but not nearly as much as the punch from Sammy. Regaining his breath, he charged at Clyde. There was no sense in staying afar and dodging. That only made him a target. He jumped and bounded forward, zigzagging through the lawn to dodge Clyde¡¯s strikes. As he got closer, Clyde showed no signs of worry. He sent out another lash, which Suran dodged forward, but this time when Clyde retracted the whip, it wrapped around Suran. ¡°Got yeah!¡± Clyde shouted! He flipped his wrist and began thrashing Suran around, smashing him into the ground. He whipped him around several times before throwing him away and into the ground. Suran laid on the ground, battered and bruised. He clutched his sword in his hand, but his strength was not enough. He had faced many challenges in his life, but none of them were like the ones he faced now. The sword squirmed in his hand. It was patient and it would wait, but it sought release. Suran had hoped he would not have to resort to it. He held no knowledge of what it was or where it came from, but he had to choice but to rely on the mysterious sword. He closed his eyes and reached out to the sword. It reached back. A connection was made and it awakened. Suran got up from the ground and wiped the blood from his mouth. He felt no different from before, but he could feel energy pulsating in the sword as if it was alive. ¡°Still not done?¡± Clyde remarked unamused. He reared his whip and cracked it again. It extended out towards Suran like a bolt of lightning. Suran could see the movements of the whip more clearly, allowing him to side step the attack. As Clyde was winding back the whip, Suran grabbed it and let himself be pulled by it. ¡°Let go of my damn whip!¡± The whip retracted fast with Suran holding onto it. Suran held on and closed this distance on Clyde and then let go of the whip, using the speed he built up on it to jump up and over Clyde. ¡°Just stand still, dammit!¡± Clyde shouted, trying to follow Suran¡¯s movements. Suran landed on the ground right behind Clyde, turned around and sliced Clyde¡¯s left hand off. Clyde screamed in pain and stumbled back. His left hand fell to the ground with whip in hand, but that was not all. The hand turned ash gray and began to wither away. It crumbled away and fell apart until not even dust remained. Even the whip eroded away. ¡°What is happening to my arm?!¡± Clyde continued to shout in pain. Suran turned to him and saw the same was happening to his arm. It spread on his arm and stopped at the forearm. Everything that turned gray fell apart into nothing. Clutching his stub, Clyde cursed Suran, ¡°What the hell have you done to my arm? You¡¯ll pay for this!¡± Clyde swiftly began running away. Suran moved to pursue him, but his legs did not respond. His body felt overwhelmingly tired. He had no choice but to let him go. The sword in his hand went silent. He raised it up and took a look at it. He felt no pulsation, no energy from it anymore. There was no connection or any other sensation making him think he imagined the whole thing. A moment later and feeling returned to his legs and he made his way back inside the house. The door was open, so he entered cautiously. Some items were thrown about; there were signs of struggle. He headed up the stairs and found two dead bodies at the top. They were not familiar to him, so he assumed they were from Namnoc. ¡°Hello.¡± Keira broke his train of thought and greeted him. She wore the same cheerful smile but was covered in blood. At least that explained the dead men on the floor. ¡°I took care of those outside,¡± Suran said, rubbing his aching shoulder. ¡°Very good. I assumed you would like to speak with Master Reginald now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He walked back into the study but did not see Reginald in the room. ¡°Reginald?¡± ¡°Y-yes?¡± A muffled voice answered. Reginald climbed out from underneath his desk a moment later. ¡°Is it over?¡± ¡°Everything is taken care of.¡± ¡°What a relief,¡± Reginald sighed and sat in his chair. ¡°No time to get cozy. There is much that needs to be done. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right. I am part of this ride now, for better or for worse. Now that we have some breathing room, what is our plan anyways?¡± ¡°If you recall earlier, I mentioned Lord Hendrick von Auer holding Natalya.¡± ¡°The old Lord Treasure. Thought that was odd.¡± ¡°Your Lord Treasure is in bed with Namnoc.¡± Shock spread on Reginald¡¯s face, ¡°I can¡¯t believe it! If he was working with them, that could explain so much¡­¡± ¡°With that in mind we have two goals: one is to rescue Natalya, the other is to cripple Namnoc. Both can be accomplished effectively at the same time. I can rescue Natalya by breaking into his home and releasing her and, while I¡¯m in there, find evidence that would implicate Auer to Namnoc.¡± ¡°That sounds good so far. Many lower level officers and officials could very well be in Namnoc¡¯s pockets, but with the right evidence, I can go directly to some of the higher-ups and present it to them. It doesn¡¯t even have to be damning evidence, just enough to warrant an investigation. The king has a heavy disdain for this sort of thing, so you can be certain that once an investigation is conducted, they will find the evidence they need to convict of him racketeering, bribing, and whatever else he may be up to. The only issue is that his home would be heavily guarded. How would you get past?¡± ¡°Leak false information that his life is in danger and that he needs to be moved to a secure spot. I know someone who can handle that, so with that warning he should be sent out of his home.¡± ¡°Very good! If Lord Treasure gets indicted, then a heavy blow would have been dealt to Namnoc!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not all.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more?¡± ¡°Lord Treasure is a high position, so he must be very important to the Namnoc organization. If his life is under threat, they would divert extra resources to secure his safety.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°It would be a shame if disgruntled merchants and grain sellers started a riot near their docks and burned down all their grains and goods.¡± Reginald chuckled lowly to himself. ¡°For some reason, you a lot more terrifying than I remember.¡± He got up from his chair, ¡°You are right, there is much to do. We better get started,¡± he said, walking over to Suran. ¡°First, I am a man of my word.¡± Reginald kneeled in front of Suran and pledged his undying loyalty and his lifelong service. Chapter 22 - Interlude of Victory ¡°Gather like-minded individuals,¡± Suran told Baron Reginald first thing the next morning. ¡°You mean allies?¡± Reginald sipped tea. ¡°Allies are good, but what would you have them do?¡± Suran put down his cup of tea, ¡°A few days ago, there was a riot at the market. It had people, but no power.¡± ¡°I see. I think I understand. I will make the appropriate preparations for the riot and the aftermath. When should we be ready to go?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll find out. If there is no specific time, then as soon as possible.¡± Reginald hummed in agreement as he took another sip of his tea. Finishing his drink in one swig, Suran got up, ¡°There is much to do and no time to waste.¡± He left Reginald to gather support on his own while he went to see Shroom. He still was not sure of Shroom; there was very little that would inspire any confidence in his actions. A short leash had to kept on him to prevent him from straying, so a short visit seemed in order. Besides, there was something Suran wanted him to do anyways. He came up to the house of Shroom and showed himself through the gates and to the door. After a knock, one of his servants opened the door and let him in. Through the halls, up the stairs, and to the bedroom door he went. Suran entered Shroom¡¯s chambers without warning. Shroom was nervously pacing his room in nothing but his underwear. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake,¡± Suran dryly commented. ¡°W-w-what?! When did you get here?!¡± Shroom shrieked from fright. He hurriedly ran off to his closet, ¡°Also don¡¯t just barge in without knocking!¡± Was he embarrassed by being nearly naked? Suran found that idea slightly amusing. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would be awake at this hour.¡± ¡°Normally, you would be right,¡± Shroom shouted from his dressing room. ¡°I got a nasty letter late last night detailing that Clyde will be visiting me today, so I couldn¡¯t sleep at all.¡± He emerged from this closet in proper day clothes. ¡°That reminds me,¡± he cleared his throat, ¡°WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT?!¡± ¡°I put my plans into motion, fought Clyde, and cut off his hand.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t want to believe you,¡± Shroom said, rubbing his temple. ¡°Anyways,¡± Shroom snapped into urgency, ¡°You have to get out of here now! Clyde said he would be coming and I do not want you and him in the same room.¡± ¡°Fine, but I have another task for you.¡± Shroom groaned, ¡°What is it now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s great that Clyde is coming because I want you to get some information for me. Anything involving the movement of their men or their goods would do.¡± ¡°What are you planning on doing? It would be easier for me to ask questions if I know the end result.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to know.¡± ¡°Then how am I going to figure out anything?¡± Shroom¡¯s whining didn¡¯t stop. ¡°I told you roughly what I was looking for, so I am sure you can figure it out.¡± A servant knocked then entered the room, ¡°Excuse me, a Clyde Maxwell is waiting for you.¡± Shroom went pale and turned to Suran, ¡°Shit, not now! You have to get out of here!¡± Suran looked around. There wasn¡¯t a way out that wouldn¡¯t cause unneeded attention. ¡°I will hide here,¡± Suran said, walking up to Shroom¡¯s closet. Shroom eagerly wanted to argue, but there was not an opportunity as everyone could hear Clyde barging through the halls. Suran slipped into the closet and heard the events unfold. ¡°Lord Harry Shroom, you are going to tell me everything!¡± Suran heard a door burst open. ¡°You are going to tell me everything so I can find this damned foreigner and rip his guts out!¡± ¡°I already gave you all the information I had yesterday.¡± ¡°Then wiggle out more information from that stupid informant you claim to have.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve lost contact with him after your assault last night. The only thing I know is that they aren¡¯t going to leave anytime soon now.¡± ¡°Oh? They aren¡¯t leaving now?¡± ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t know what caused their change and plans, but that is what it is for now. As I understand, your arm got caught off ¨C¡± ¡°You damn right it did! Look! LOOK AT IT! It¡¯s just a dead stub now and has this black growth on it. None of the doctors or cleric I¡¯ve seen could make heads or tails of it! I bet if I kill the man it¡¯ll go away. If it doesn¡¯t, maybe I will sleep better with his head on my damned nightstand.¡± ¡°W-well yes of course! Since they won¡¯t be leaving, you can request assistance since you will need a hand ¨C¡± ¡°YEEAAAAAAAARGH!¡± Suran heard a table flip over and a window break. ¡°You better not making another fucking joke about this or the next thing that is going to break is your face!¡± ¡°Ah-apologies¡­¡± ¡°Anyways, I already sent some requests out. My dear brother is making arrangements to come and help ¨C probably just to screw with me in person as he always does. All we have to do is keep those fools in place till he gets here.¡± ¡°I can try to get in contact with my informant to see if they have any plans on leaving so we can adjust, but if I may ask, what is the timetable for reinforcements?¡± ¡°No one will probably be here for at least five because the stupid fucks that run the show decided it would be a great idea to branch out everyone and send them to bufu fucking Palukath. The unsurprising exception is my brother who said he would be back Occasday night. He alone could probably deal with this shit by himself, which I guess is good. The downside is he will be the only one here; there will be no one to stop me from smashing my head into a wall repeatedly, hoping I die, from being stuck, alone, with my brother.¡± ¡°So we have to hold them for three days?¡± ¡°Oh, uh, yeah. We will be watching them so they don¡¯t do anything stupid, but you find your informant, or whatever the hell you are using to get your information, and tell me if there is anything going on.¡± Suran heard the shuffling of feet, the slam of a door, and a sigh of relief. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°You can come out now,¡± he heard after a few minutes. He came out of the closet. The room was a mess and Shroom sat in the middle of it on a chair. ¡°Did you hear what you wanted?¡± Shroom asked. ¡°Where is ¡®bufu Palukath¡¯?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t heard the phrase before?¡± Shroom got up and started picking up his papers that spilt over when his desk was flipped. ¡°It simply means middle of nowhere, albeit very crudely.¡± ¡°When is Clyde¡¯s brother coming again?¡± ¡°Occasday.¡± ¡°¡­When is Occasday?¡± Shroom stopped tidying up and turned to Suran with a frown, ¡°What do you mean ¡®when is Occasday¡¯? I understand you might not be from around here, but do you not even do the days of the week? Today is Solday, which means Occasday is three days from now.¡± ¡°What would the Kingdom do if they knew a member of the Terrible Ten was coming in at a dock?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I think it depends on who you tell. Tell some random guard and nothing will happen, but if you tell some Kingdom official, then they would not turn a blind eye and some men would be sent to intercept.¡± ¡°I see. Then I will be back two days from now,¡± Suran began to leave the room. He had to talk to one more person before the day ended. ¡°Do you mean Cresday?¡± ¡°If that is two days from now, then yes.¡± He left. On the street, he made his way away from the residential district where the upper-class resided and headed towards the market district. He made his way through the streets and into the market. It was midday, so he expected there to be a large crowd out, but it was nearly deserted. Only a few people were shopping through the streets, and most of the stores and shops were closed. He made his way to the back of the market towards the grain. Sitting on a chair, bruised and bandaged, was a familiar face. As Suran approached him, the man frowned and crossed his arms. ¡°It¡¯s that bloke again. What brings you back ¡®ere?¡± ¡°I wanted to talk.¡± ¡°Oh, now you do, do yeah?¡± He responded, irritated. ¡°After our last chat, you get us all riled up and I barely got out by the skin of my teeth.¡± ¡°You fought for good reason, but it was the wrong place and time.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that suppose¡¯ to mean? What else could we do?¡± ¡°Is the grain market still ailing you?¡± ¡°All of us grain merchants are bent over getting collectively fucked in the ass by this rigged economy. So yes, yes it is.¡± ¡°I have information that you could use to do damage to those rigging this economy.¡± ¡°Oh yea? What is this ¡®information¡¯, huh?¡± ¡°If you are stilling willing to rise up and fight, then I will tell you.¡± ¡°Dying from poverty, dying from getting my head kicked in by the powers that be, what¡¯s the difference? You bet your arse I¡¯m gunna keep fightin¡¯.¡± ¡°Then listen closely since this opportunity will come once.¡± Suran told him that on Occasday night, a shipment of grain and other goods will be made at Pier 21. The recipient, a group that was amassing grain and governmental connections to corner the market. Suran gave him his instructions: burn the pier, dump the grain, raid the boats. The man happily accepted the information and promised he would bring everyone out for this as if the hundred odd riot from last time was only scratching the surface. His conviction was clear; the man would put all of his effort towards assaulting the docks Occasday night. Suran felt no need to monitor or instruct him any further. The man certain of his capabilities. A majority of his plan was set into motion; only a few touches remained. He returned to Baron Reginald¡¯s home and informed him that the assault was to happen on Occasday night. Reginald held no objections to the date, his own task progressing along smoothly. His next task came Cresday morning. He left the home of Reginald and made his way towards Shroom¡¯s. He took a different path to Shroom¡¯s home this time; Clyde made mention of watching Reginald¡¯s estate, so he dipped and ducked in the alley ways to be sure none followed him. After his peculiar path, he arrived at his destination sure that he was alone. He showed himself into the home. The servants were getting used to his sight so they raised no questions. Shroom acted as a homebody, so when Suran entered his room, he was sure to find him there. Shroom, or someone else, had put the room back in order. Except for the window. That was still broken, but it was covered up. ¡°I was expecting you,¡± Shroom said from his work desk. ¡°I have your two final tasks.¡± Shroom let out a sigh of relief, ¡°These are the last two? Then please tell me so I can quickly get this over with.¡± ¡°First, leak information that a member of the Terrible Ten will be arriving at Pier 21 Occasday night. Tell it to some official that will take action.¡± ¡°Picking a fight with Clyde¡¯s brother? It might be a little troublesome, but I think I can find someone at the Castle who would listen and act on that information.¡± ¡°Good. Tomorrow morning, tell Clyde you have new information.¡± ¡°Alright, I can do that! What do you want me to tell him?¡± ¡°Tell him that Deputy of the Land, Hendrick von Auer, is in danger. Tell him that on Occasday night, an attempt at his life will be made at his home.¡± ¡°I-i-is this true?! Do you plan on killing the Deputy of the Land?!¡± ¡°No. he needs to be out of his home, and Clyde needs to be occupied with him. During that time, I will go into his home and do what I need to.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I suppose it can be done. Just to be sure, that is all, right?¡± ¡°I have nothing else for you. Keep your head down and don¡¯t tell Clyde anything. If everything goes according to plan, then you will be free to go.¡± ¡®Thank god¡­¡± The finishing touches were done. All that was left was the execution. Tomorrow was Occasday. Tomorrow he would rescue Natalya. Tomorrow he would make Namnoc wish they had never crossed him. Chapter 23 - Night of Infernos ¡°Why do we have to meet out here again?¡± Suran asked. He and Shroom were standing in a cramped and dirty alleyway, close to nowhere. ¡°The sun is setting; it¡¯s almost time to begin and you call me way out here.¡± ¡°Why, you ask?!¡± Shroom stressed, pacing the alley. ¡°Thanks to your tomfoolery, sitting in my home right now is Clyde, Hendrick von Auer, and more armed guards then I care to count.¡± ¡°So they believed you.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, they did. My entire house is on lockdown, and I was only able to leave by making up some excuse about meeting my informant.¡± He stopped pacing. ¡°Anyways, only he left the house. Clyde left a few men at his house, I think, for an ambush.¡± ¡°How many?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say, but Clyde and his men are spread very thin right now, so I can¡¯t imagine many.¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°I made the trip to the castle to divulge the information on the arrival. Might I say, it was not a pleasant experience, but I told them.¡± ¡°Go back to your home and keep your head down.¡± The sun had set. ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± Suran and Shroom both left the alley and went their separate ways. Shroom, to his home. Suran, to the house of Hendrick von Auer. It took some time to reach there, considering Shroom had dragged him out far into town. When he got there, he hid in the shadows of the street and watched the entrance. He waited to go in. Reginald coordinated with several of his colleagues well and got in touch with rioters. They provided weapons and equipment as well as some of their own fighters for the operation. However inexperienced they might be, a mass of angry, armed citizens is nothing to scoff at. If Namnoc¡¯s forces are spread thin, they will be forced to recall their units to respond to a large, belligerent group. Even if they aren¡¯t recalled, it would be fine, Suran thought. However, that did not seem to be the case. A man came running to the estate, huffing and puffing. He entered the compound and came hustling back out with a line of men behind him. They looked panic and frenzied; he wondered what the situation was out at the docks. As soon as they cleared the area, Suran went up to the gate. They had left it open in their haste, so he walked in. Fortunately, the front door was no different. He entered the house and moved carefully; it was dark and he knew not what could be in the shadows. In the house, he could hear the shuffling of feet. Hugging the wall, he followed the sound. The shuffling grew louder and he could make out the sighs of an elderly women. He turned the corner and saw someone travelling the corridors. Rushing up with his sword, he took her by surprise, gagged her mouth with his hand, and rested the sword at her neck. ¡°Red-haired girl. Can cook. New. Take me to her,¡± he whispered into her ear. The woman was frightened beyond belief and led Suran through the house gingerly. She led him to a room in the back of the house and pointed to the door. ¡°Open it,¡± Suran ordered. Wiggling free of the gag, she shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s locked.¡± ¡°Then get the key and open it.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Where is the key? Do you have the key?¡± She didn¡¯t answer, beginning to breathe heavily. Suran shook her from behind and brought the blade closer to her neck. ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°I-I have it.¡± ¡°Give it.¡± Again, she shook her head, ¡°I can¡¯t ¨C I¡¯m not allowed.¡± Suran didn¡¯t have time for this and ran his sword through her throat. She plopped to the floor into a pool of her own blood. Rummaging through her clothes, Suran found the key. He unlocked the door and carefully pushed the creaky door open. The room was dark so he proceeded with caution. He took two steps into the room and was promptly punched in the face. ¡°Take that ya piece of shit!¡± It was Natalya. ¡°Wait, what?¡± She realized soon after who she had punched. ¡°Oops, sorry! If I knew it was you, I wouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Maybe if you tried knocking, things like this wouldn¡¯t happen!¡± She put her hands on her hip with a wide grin. ¡°Anyways, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Suran stared at her with a blank expression. He turned around and began walking, ¡°let¡¯s go.¡± Together they walked out into the hallway. Natalya almost tripped and yelped as she exited, ¡°Woah, what¡¯s up with all this blood everywhere? And this dead person?¡± ¡°She had the key and resisted.¡± ¡°So you killed her? I mean, she was just an old lady¡­¡± Suran glanced both ways and began walking. Natalya appeared to be fine, so the next objective was to find evidence of corruption for Auer. ¡°Stop going to fast!¡± Natalya hurried up alongside him, trying to keep pace. ¡°Is there something wrong? You seem a little off.¡± He stopped in a large, living room and checked the surroundings. ¡°Nothing is wrong.¡± He began walking again. ¡°If you so say.¡± Natalya followed along as Suran made his way through the home. ¡°So, what are we doing?¡± Suran reached the room he had met Auer in before, the study. ¡°We are looking for documents that would incriminate Hendrick von Auer,¡± Suran explained, opening up the door and entering the pristine room. He headed for the desk and began searching through its contents. Most of it was junk: random letters, notes, and scribbles. For the few, they held pieces of information, a shipment here, a payment there, but it was nothing substantive. Regardless, he put them to the side ¨C the small pieces might come together to reveal the bigger picture. He was quickly running out drawers on the desk, so he turned to Natalya, ¡°You¡¯ve been here before right? Anywhere we should look?¡± She hummed as she thought, browsing through the bookcase. ¡°Not an idea. I only came in here to give the guy tea ¨C he wanted it all the damn time.¡± ¡°Did anything stand out when you came in here?¡± ¡°Well, sometimes when I came to give the guy his crap, he wasn¡¯t in here. I¡¯d come in and he was nowhere to be seen even though you never saw him leave.¡± Suran began checking underneath the desk, ¡°A secret room?¡± ¡°Mayb¡ª¡± Natalya gasped and Suran heard her fall to the ground. ¡°What happened?¡± Suran got out from underneath the desk where he found nothing. ¡°I was checking out the books and one of them wouldn¡¯t move.¡± She got up from the floor and brushed her clothes, ¡°Pulled a little too hard on it.¡± Suran and Natalya began combing through the bookcase, resulting in many books tossed to the floor. At the end, they were left with several books on the shelf that simply would not come off. Those books came in groups of three where the middle one could partially slide out and the other two didn¡¯t move at all. All the remaining books that could move were slid out, but there was still nothing. ¡°Is there a switch?¡± Suran thought aloud. He ran his hand around the bookcase and through the shelves. Unsurprised, his hand felt a button at the top of the bookcase. Pressing the button, he heard a click and the moving of gears. The shelves began to sink into the wall then slide apart into the wall. ¡°Wow, that was easy,¡± Natalya mused. When the passage was sufficiently opened, he led Natalya through. ¡°What¡¯s the point of a secret room if it¡¯s so easy to find?¡± ¡°If we did not know to look for it, we might not have found it.¡± Suran walked down a spiral of steps until he reached a cozy, well-furnished room. The furniture in this room was of a different quality then the others rooms ¨C designed much like a guilty pleasure or a retreat. He went straight to tearing through it. Suran began turning things over, going through cabinets and storage. Natalya joined in as well, but he wasn¡¯t sure if she was doing to help or just wanted to mess up the room. Much like the previous study, everything in this room was organized to the letter. It was unfortunate, Suran thought as he began to rummage through the desk in this room because he had now found what he wanted. He found general ledgers, shipment lists, invoices, business transactions, letters, correspondences. What could compel someone to retain all this information and not destroy it, he thought. Skimming through some of the letters and notes, the reason became clear; while Hendrick von Auer¡¯s necessity for organization might have contributed, his notes made it clear he trusted no one. On the margins of the papers detailed why he kept each paper, most of them as leverage and information to attack anyone if they dared to turn on him. Suran collected the papers and put them in a loose envelope. From what he skimmed, he was not sure if it was enough to convict of him crimes ¨C most of it was simply shady business practices ¨C but it could be enough to start an investigation. ¡°Natalya, we have what we need.¡± Suran began to trek back up the staircase. Reginald said all we needed is to begin an investigation and the King will take care of the rest. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. With the documents in hand, Suran and Natalya headed towards the home of Reginald. As soon as Reginald got the information, he could present it to the Kingdom and make the case against Hendrick. Suran¡¯s job was over, but he wondered what was going on at the docks. Looking towards the water, he saw a faint red glow emit from the shore. His timepiece read three past nine. The ship was late. He got up from his chair. Such tardiness was not acceptable. There would be consequences for this. Putting his timepiece back into his coat pocket, he headed towards the door to lodge a complaint against the captain. Before he could reach it, a sailor came bursting through. ¡°S-sir! There is an emergency!¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Being late already irritated him and wore his patience thin. Just the thought of more problems made his blood boil. ¡°It would be easier to see for yourself¡­¡± He stormed up and pushed past the sailor to reach the deck. He sighed and pulled on his gloves, tightening them. There wasn¡¯t an emergency; there was a disaster. As far as he could see along the shore was a raging fire and plumes of smoke. ¡°We leave for not even one week and this is how my brother runs things?¡± He rhetorically asked out loud. ¡°I will need a good, long chat with dear Clyde.¡± He went back to the startled sailor, ¡°Tell the skipper to bring the ship ashore.¡± ¡°B-but the docks are on fire, Mr. Haiden!¡± Haiden Maxwell grasped the sailor¡¯s throat, raised him into the air, and slammed him up against a wall. ¡°First, it is Mr. Maxwell to you. Second, if you do not do as I say, I will drive the ship myself which means I won¡¯t need any of you. Do you want to know what happens to people I don¡¯t need?¡± The sailor whimpered in his clutches, desperately trying to breathe. He nodded without even thinking of his choices, agreeing to follow Haiden¡¯s directions. Haiden let go, letting the man drop onto his feet. ¡°Now go and tell the skipper like a good boy,¡± he instructed with a devilish grin, lightly slapping him on the face. The sailor scurried away and, moments later, the ship¡¯s course was decidedly set towards the remains of the docks. While the sailors grew anxious as they approached the tumultuous shore, Haiden was worried if the smog would dirty his suit; he had just got his favorite white suit clean and the thought of dirt, dust, and blood soiling it annoyed him. The ship approached as close as it could until the fires kept it at bay. Numerous men were along the docks and piers, burning buildings, tossing crates into the ocean, killing Namnoc men. The ship crew were desperately trying to dock anywhere in the battlefield, but their efforts were slow and unsuccessful. Haiden had enough waiting; his patience was gone. He approached the edge of the ship and leaped through the fire and flames onto the pier. Sailors screamed in amazement and fear from the display. It amused Haiden that leaping only a few dozen feet drew such a reaction. However, there was no time for amusement. His brother¡¯s mess seemed to be out of hand, and it was up to him, again, to clean up after him. As Haiden walked down the destruction, he unbuttoned his pouch that he kept fastened to the side of his leg. From the several bloodied and burning bodies, whoever was attacking was armed and viscous. He decided to give them no quarter. ¡°Look, another one!¡± Haiden tilted his head at the noise. A large group of men came to be his first opponents. Behind them he could see waves of people lay waste to the buildings, streets, and people. Haiden walked towards the rioting street, undeterred by the men in front of him. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± There was no response from Haiden. ¡°Whatever, just kill him like the rest!¡± A wave of men came surging at him Haiden put his left hand into his pouch and pulled out a small metallic ball. Continuing to walk, he tossed the ball half-heartedly in the air. It did not fall back down. In the air, a gold and white glow blanketed the ball. The rushing men were oblivious to the ball, either from the visual obstruction caused by the flames and smoke or from simple bloodlust. However, even if they had notice, it would not have prevented the massacre. Haiden kept walking right towards the men. The ball began to move. It zoomed through the air with astounding speed right towards the group. One by one, the men were tossed around and tumbled to the ground. The ball was tearing through them, piercing their skin and armor just like butter. Haiden gingerly walked through the field of corpses. He did not want blood to get on his shoes, after all. The ball floated back to Haiden who scooped it from the air and continued along. He had always hated getting his hands dirty, but his proficiency in magic gave him an out; by using his magic and manipulating mana, he opted to use these metallic balls as his weapon of choice and to do the work for him. Unfortunately, his work was cut out for him. Using the metallic ball, he tore through any stragglers in his path until he reached the street. The dozen or so he had cut down were nothing to the hundreds of people he saw in either direction. He could tell that these fighters were just ordinary people, not warriors or an army. Even though it looked and felt like a battlefield, it might be better to categorize it as a riot. At any rate, Haiden did not feel like figuring out the semantics. What he did have to figure out, was who to kill first. The answer was obvious: everyone. He dug into his pouch again and pulled out two more balls. Tossing them into the air, he gave them the same life he did to the first and let them rain terror upon all. The three glowing spheres dashed to and fro, tearing through everyone indiscriminately. Haiden froze and so did his orbs. They hovered by his side and he looked to the shadows with a frown. ¡°Stop hiding.¡± He called out. A suit of armor walked out of the smoke. The armor said nothing, instead pulling out a dirty white sword and shield. ¡°How quaint, a person as dirty as the suit of armor they¡¯re wearing,¡± Haiden said in an attempt to taunt the knight. He slowly slid his hand towards his pouch, but he quickly had to jump back. From the side, a massive ball of fire flew past him and exploded. A moment later, arrows began to pierce through the smoke aimed right at him. Haiden acted quick, directing his spheres to knock the arrows away, and grabbed several more orbs, throwing them up and activating them. The knight came bursting through next. Haiden flipped back to avoid the slashes. The orbs in the air responded by glowing brighter then firing of a pulse of energy at the knight. The two dodged each other¡¯s attacks, the knight using his shield to block while slicing at Haiden. From the wings, a man with a pointy hat walked up and began muttering to himself. A yellow circle appeared before him and began to rotate. He stopped speaking and tapped the circle. A bolt of lightning rushed out from it right at Haiden. Haiden clutched a few more orbs and pointed his hand at the charging knight. He held his right hand up towards the bolt, conjuring a glowing wall of light. With his left hand, he opened it and released the wave of balls right at the knight. They shot out like a projectile with a force that shattered the ground and dispersed the smoke. The spheres thunderously smashed into his shield, sending him flying right through a building. At the same time, the bolt of thunder darted through and struck the barrier Haiden had erected. The ensuing explosion did not crack the barrier, but decimated the ground and the surrounding area. With the knight thrown away, he turned his attention towards the mage in the distance. Recalling some of his orbs back, he launched them right at him. Another stream of arrows fired out from somewhere and knocked the balls as they traveled, sending them flying everywhere off target. From buildings to the road to bystanders, the balls demolished everything except the intended target. He recalled the spheres and commanded them to fire volleys at the mage to keep him moving and prevent him from using spells effectively. More arrows flew into his area from the smoke. Haiden dodged around and used his spheres to knock them out of the air. He paid close attention to where the arrows flew from and was able to make out the form of an archer on top of a building. Grinning with his target in sight, he launched his balls at the location. The archer jumped down as the glowing spheres tore and smashed through the buildings. Haiden moved up to prevent himself from being cornered at the pier, but the knight was back with a heavily dented shield. His armor was thick and of good quality. Haiden was annoyed; his spheres would have a hard time breaking through the armor without repeated assaults. The knight was approaching quickly, so Haiden grabbed one of his spheres from the air. He cocked his arm back and threw the ball on top of magic that already propelled it, launching it at an insanely fast speed. At the same time, he did not let up the barrage, having orbs continue to suppress anyone in the surrounding area. The knight stopped his charge and slid to a stop. He tossed his shield to the side, letting himself get dinged by struck by the suppressing fire. He clutched his sword with both hands, flipped it to the broad side, and held it next to him like a bet. The knight watched the ball careful and anticipated its movements. He let the ball focus on him and jumped at the last moment, swinging his sword like a bat and whacking it right back at Haiden. The ball roared through the air back at Haiden. It traveled so fast, that Haiden barely had time to roll out-of-the-way. It continued to speed through and ripped through building by building on the pier, demolishing them with an explosive force. Haiden got up to counter the knight but stopped immediately. The knight stood with two other armored warriors to his side. On his right was the mage charging a spell with more soldiers surrounding him. His left had a group of archers with their bows ready to fire. Haiden was furious, but he had no other option. The balls lost their shimmer and plopped to the ground, harmlessly rolling about. ¡°I surrender,¡± Haiden said with absolute disgust, going down on his knees and holding his hands up. The knights closed in on him and shackled him. They took his bag and collected all of his spheres. He looked around and saw total destruction. The Namnoc warehouses and docks were nothing but rubble now. The hundreds of people who swarmed the streets and wreaked havoc had dispersed, leaving a field of bodies and blood. He recognized some of those bodies were once men loyal to Namnoc. Everything was gone. The battle was lost. The night was over. Chapter 24 - The Curtain Falls - Part 1 End Much to her annoyance, Natalya was not allowed to leave the house. She went straight from being locked up in the crusty old guy¡¯s house to being stuck Lord Henry¡¯s house. The problem wasn¡¯t that she was held up for a day or two ¨C she could tolerate some inconveniences; the problem was that she hadn¡¯t been able to do anything she wanted from the moment she stepped foot in Valcadia. When she lived in Alnwick, she would always pester the travelers for their stories, their stories and experiences with food. Sometimes she would hear about the delicate and artistic dishes from the Wood Elves with their berries and fruits. Other times, she would hear about the dragon-fire grilled meat of the dragon tribes. She heard so many stories about foods and recipes, but the ones that stood out the most were the ones from Valcadia. It wasn¡¯t because they had the most unique cooking styles and recipes or the most exotic dishes and restaurants; it was because Valcadia was a hub of cultures and people from all over the world, it blended the different food dishes and cooking styles from all over. Down in Valcadia, you could get a taste of anything and everything, but the only food Natalya ever got to taste was the cooking of some random inn and whatever dish she could throw together by raiding the pantries of others. The reason was the man sitting in front of her gazing out the window. Suran was an interesting guy ¨C no one she had ever met was quite like him. There was something off, something different, about him she just couldn¡¯t put her finger on. When Alnwick got raided, she figured there would be no better time to leave, and this curious man coming along gave her someone to follow and keep things interesting. Curiosity caused her to follow Suran. But things really didn¡¯t turn out exactly how she imagined. She learned virtually nothing about Suran. He hated questions. He really hated questions about himself. He hated small talk. In the end, he would only talk if there was something that needed to be said. Getting any conversation out of him felt like an accomplishment, and anything he did say sometimes made little sense. Now she couldn¡¯t even get him to say pretty much anything. Suran was sitting almost lifelessly, looking out the window. Ever since last night when he rescued her, she could tell something was unusual about the already unusual man; he killed the old lady when there were probably better alternatives. It didn¡¯t seem like the sort of thing the man who fought bandits an Alnwick would do. Maybe she just didn¡¯t know him well enough. It hasn¡¯t even been two full weeks since they first met. At any rate, she could deal with a man who said nothing ¨C she had lived with far worse anyways. What she couldn¡¯t deal with was getting on this wild ride of a request and not being able to do anything she wanted to do. Sure it was fun, going out and doing detective work, breaking into people¡¯s homes, and causing a mess in the city, but what she really wanted to do was explore the food in the city, something she barely got to do. As of now, she was stuck here because it was ¡®too dangerous¡¯ to leave the house. Natalya didn¡¯t understand how since Henry Reginald left early in the morning to go report the crusty old guy to the police. If that guy was the one making everything dangerous, and he is getting arrested, why would it be dangerous to go out? She couldn¡¯t follow everything that was going on, and at this point, she didn¡¯t even care anymore. All she understood was that whatever that was going on wasn¡¯t done yet so she had to find some way to kill time. She cycled through various activities from bothering Suran to bother Keira to going in and out of the pantry to see if anything new was in there. Sprawled out on a couch, she resigned herself to tossing nuts into the air and trying to catch them with her mouth. The success rate was passing, good enough for her. As if to deliver her from this hell, Baron Reginald came swooping in like an angel. ¡°It is done; the case was made.¡± Suran, who had not moved an inch since Lord Henry left hour ago, turned to Reginald, ¡°What was the result?¡± ¡°Well, the King said he would look into it. His words virtually assure an investigation will be opened up for our dear friend Hendrick von Auer. Until then, I reckon it would safe to do whatever it is you were needing to do; the last few days have been hectic after all and I imagine you have other business in the city.¡± Natalya¡¯s eyes lit up. Did she just hear that right? It was safe to go out and do what she wanted? Suran turned back to the window and said, ¡°No, there is nothing I need¡ª¡± She was not going to let this opportunity go to waste. Natalya hastily got up, spilling all the nuts that littered over her, ran over to Suran, grabbed him by the arm, and dragged him out of the chair and through the door. ¡°What do you mean there is nothing? Don¡¯t you remember the important stuff we have to do?¡± Surprisingly, Suran gave little resistance as Natalya strong-armed him out. After being dragged out into the lawn, Suran finally wrestled himself free, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Look here,¡± she said swirling around, hand on her hip and wagging her finger, ¡°We spent the last two weeks working to get into the adventure¡¯s guild for some reason I can¡¯t even remember. I¡¯m not sure if you know what you¡¯re doing, but I sure as hell do! I came here to take in the food of Valcadia, to taste the savoriest dishes, and to find the best recipes. Now that I¡¯m free to do it, I will go out and do that. And you are coming with me.¡± Natalya swiveled back around and marched outside to the street. Suran hesitantly followed her. Natalya bounded through the streets. It was a glorious, sunny day, the faint aroma of food and burning lingered in the air, and she was free. Her nose served as their guide, and quickly the two found themselves surrounded by merchants selling spice and ingredients, food stands whipping up food, and elegant restaurants dining patrons. She browsed through the stalls, going from vendor to vendor. Many ingredients and spices sold she had never seen before. She went from merchant to merchant, pestering each of them what this spice was used for or what that ingredient was, exhausting all of their knowledge. All the ingredients had her curiosity, but the stalls serving up food had her attention. It was amazing to see the cooks handle several dishes at once, going from throwing spice in one dish to dicing meat to stirring another dish in the blink of an eye. At the same time, as they were going through the flurry of cooking motions, they were also keeping track and every customer, taking their orders and serving them swiftly. While she was engrossed in the cooking stands, contemplating on grabbing a bowl of noodles from vendor or a crunchy meat platter from another, Suran tapped her shoulder and whispered into her ear, ¡°Be careful, there are armed guards everywhere.¡± She stopped in the crowd and looked around. There did seem to be armed knights standing around and patrolling the area, but she didn¡¯t think much of it. ¡°Why? Is there something to worry about?¡± ¡°While I rescued you, there was a coordinated attack on the docks. Reginald told me that the damage was substantial; nearly the entire harbor was on fire till morning. The guards must be placed to prevent another incident, so we need to keep our heads down.¡± ¡°Keep our heads down? It¡¯s not like we did anything in relation to what happened last night, right?¡± ¡°Not entirely correct.¡± Natalya rolled her eyes, ¡°Of course, why would I think otherwise. Whatever, who cares. We just won¡¯t cause trouble then.¡± Suran was suspicious on alert, but Natalya thought his cause of concern was unfounded; he was just being overly paranoid. Taking his arm again, she dragged him to a food stand. They were selling slices of meat on a stick that were dipped into a vat of boiling liquid. After a few moments, they take out the meat which was turned a crispy, golden color that made her mouth water. She ordered two. Nearly drooling, she eagerly took both sticks and immediately devoured one. It had a crispy, crunchy outer layer which hid the soft, tender meat inside, a type of dish Alnwick had never seen before. With one stick out of the way, she immediately chomped down on the other one, biting it clean. She tossed both sticks aside, ¡°Wow, that was good!¡± She never had something like this before and wondered what other dishes could make use of this boiling-to-a-crisp style. ¡°Was it?¡± Oops, she thought. She was so hungry, she forgot about Suran. ¡°Yeah it was. Forgot to ask, did you want one?¡± ¡°No, not really.¡± His voice had no emotion at all. Despite saying no, Natalya felt bad she didn¡¯t ask and ignored him and both another for him. He reluctantly accepted and nibbled on it as she continued her adventure. She didn¡¯t stop until her stomach would accept no more food and the stalls were closing down, preventing her from even trying to shove more food down her throat. ¡°It¡¯s time we go,¡± Suran said. Natalya popped a chocolate in her mouth, desperately trying to finish the dessert she had purchase, and licked her fingers clean. ¡°I guess it¡¯s time.¡± Suran nodded and began walking down the street, leading the way back to Reginald¡¯s home. Natalya followed him, but first, she tossed her candy wrappers into a disposal bin on the street and on top of a half-eaten stick of crunchy meat. The two casually went back to Henry Reginald¡¯s house and retired for the night. Natalya was rudely awoken the next morning due to a boisterous ruckus the next morning. Groggily, she got up, got dressed, and headed out from her guest room to see what was going on. The house was being turned upside down by Henry and a bunch of other fancily dressed people she had never seen before. No one seemed to acknowledge she was awake so she had to listen to the hectic discussions between the men to figure out what was going on. It sounded like they were all going to the castle because the King had made some sort of decision. Suran mentioned the other day that the crusty old dude was getting investigated so maybe it had to deal with him. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.Moments later, everyone began filing out of the house, and Natalya decided to tag along without telling anyone. If she had asked anyone, she guessed the answer would have been no and there was no fun in that. She went along ¨C and no one seemed to notice ¨C as Reginald, Suran, and a few other people she had never seen before headed towards the castle that stood above all of Valcadia. The castle was as gorgeous as it was daunting, but it took really long walk to get there, so Natalya could only think of her aching feet. The castle was enclosed in a huge fort and the group was received by guards who opened the gates to let them in. She walked in at the back of the pack, feeling out of place; she was in a group full of people dressed in fancy clothes surrounded by another group of people who dressed in intimidating armor and swords. They were led through the courtyard of the inner walls which led various other buildings towards the castle. At the door at the castles, they were stopped and vigorously searched by the armed men for any weapons. While her friends didn¡¯t seem to notice her, the guards certainly did, but they didn¡¯t give her as much trouble compared to Suran, Reginald, and the others. More armed men led them inside the castle itself. ¡°Natalya, why are you here?¡± She jumped, startled. Someone had finally noticed she was here. ¡°I¡¯ve been here the whole time.¡± ¡°We are going to meet the king,¡± Suran said. It was a simple statement, but it sounded like a warning to Natalya to not do something stupid. Finally, the group was brought to a final stop outside a massive black door decorated in green. It was a fancy door, so it must be the entrance to the throne room, she thought. The next moment, the grand doors swung open, revealing the throne room to no surprise. She walked in with Suran at the back of the group down a rich green carpet with black borders. At the end of the carpet, sat upon an elevated black throne was the King of Valeryia, King Alexander. He looked past his prime, but still fit enough to be sane. His light blonde hair was slick without a single stray hair. Even though he was sitting, she could tell he was a tall man. Reginald led the group up to him then kneeled. Everyone behind him followed suit, including her and Suran. ¡°Rise.¡± Everyone got up. ¡°I call you here, Baron Reginald, to give you my verdict.¡± King Alexander was stoic, but his voice commanded the room. Everyone was holding their breath. ¡°The Black Paladins looked into the matter, and found your concerns to be well-founded.¡± A collective sigh of relief emitted from Reginald and his colleagues. ¡°He has been stripped of his title and holdings. For bringing this matter to light, Baron, you shall be compensated for your efforts from his wealth.¡± ¡°T-thank you very much, my King.¡± He took a bow, ¡°You are too generous.¡± ¡°Is that the man you mentioned?¡± Alexander pointed toward Suran. As a response, Suran moved up to the front. ¡°Yes he is, my King,¡± Reginald answered. ¡°Tell me, foreigner, what is your name?¡± ¡°Suran. Suran Ibrahim.¡± The King nodded his head and leaned back in his throne. ¡°I shall leave his reward to you, Baron. See that he is properly taken care of.¡± ¡°O-of course! I will reward him appropriately.¡± King Alexander stood up from his throne, ¡°Come with me to the windows,¡± he said, motioning over to his left. ¡°After this, you may be dismissed.¡± It sounded like a request, but everyone treated it as a command. Reginald and his colleagues swiftly took towards the window while the King slowly walked up. Natalya took up a spot right next to Suran. Through the window, she could see a garden that was splattered in color. At the center was a clearing with a wooden riser. On top of the riser was a guillotine with the crusty old guy locked underneath it. He looked like he was beaten to a pulp, making it hard to recognize him through all the swelling, bruises, and lacerations. ¡°Hendrick von Auer shall pay for his crimes here and now,¡± the King declared. Natalya turned to Suran and whispered, ¡°See, Suran? There is nothing to have been worried about! As soon as he cuts this guy¡¯s head off, you will be free to do whatever you want. I know I dragged you along for my stuff yesterday, but today we can do whatever it is you want to do.¡± ¡°I can do whatever I want?¡± He asked quietly. ¡°Sure, why not? There won¡¯t be anything stopping you ¨C I mean you have a life after all, there must be something you want to do right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to step outside¡­¡± Suran said, turning away from the window and feebly walking away. Natalya shrugged, ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Suran left, and she turned her attention to Hendrick who was placed underneath the guillotine. A man garbed in black walked up to the mechanism and prepared the guillotine. When it was ready to go, the man turned towards the window and looked at the King. Alexander nodded his head and waved his hand. The executioner nodded and the guillotine fell, slicing Hendrick¡¯s head clean off. Natalya winced and muttered, ¡°Brutal.¡± The King left the window and walked back to his throne, ¡°He was but one man. The Black Paladins will work tirelessly to out his conspirators.¡± It was finally over, Natalya thought. She chuckled to herself because she found it funny that they went through all this work to try and get into that adventure¡¯s guild. It didn¡¯t help that she forgot she had the money to pay for the fees the entire time. Now Reginald can work his end of the deal and get them in, but the question was, what next? Suran never really mentioned what exactly he wanted to do after. All he said was trying to find the end to his journey, or something like that. It didn¡¯t make that much sense anyways. She shrugged. If he didn¡¯t know what he was doing, it was his problem. As long as she could tag along and do what she wanted, all was well. She exited the throne room with Reginald and the others. Outside the throne room, Natalya looked around. She couldn¡¯t find Suran. She waited till Reginald and the others left, and still couldn¡¯t find him in the empty hallway. The guards posted outside didn¡¯t know where he went either. She frowned and rubbed her chin. Where did Suran go?¡± ------------------------------------------------------- Part 1 End Apologies to anyone who read the story and was disappointed by my vanishing after Chapter 17. After getting tied up with work and college, my time ran short and I quickly lost track of posting the chapters here since I mainly operated on a wordpress site. None the less, I was working on it in my spare time and finally finished part one of the story as evident by the slew of chapters I have just thrown up. Before getting to part two, I might be taking a break (sorry -- it might just seem I came back) to collect my notes and plans and finalize part two. At the same time, I might test the water with other stories and narratives just to get a taste of something new, but this will be my main project. On that note, I do not think I can effectively maintain my chapter postings and updates here, so instead of doing a half-assed job which has been evident here, I invite anyone who enjoys my writing to follow my wordpress. I am more apt at keeping stuff relatively on track there as opposed to running around and making sure I have kept up everywhere. On an unrelated note, I would like to talk about how the story is progressing. Right now I think things are going find, even though I would very much like to revise some of the earlier portions -- another project for another time. However, I can''t objectively critique my own writing; I''m deaf to my own flaws. I don''t know what I''m doing right nor do I know what I am doing wrong, so if anyone has any critique, be it about something good or something bad, please let me know! I enjoy writing and I enjoy the story I am crafting, but I want to do it justice. Finally, I tried to do the extra lore project, as evident by that one random posting asking about lore, but I got caught up between all my commitments and writing the actual story, it kind of fell through. Now that I am taking a step back and looking over everything, I have freed myself up to do a little bit of extra lore if that is something people want. Instead of constricting to that poll, I would rather people just ask what they want to know about and I might make entries to address some of those questions in full. Again, I apologize if it seemed like I disappeared to anyone who was wanting to read more of the story. I originally used my wordpress before trying to branch out to other places, but found it to be something that slipped my mind rather easily. If you are keen and reading more of my writing as I finish it, the best bet would be to go to the wordpress because I cant guarantee I will ever remember to update here. To all of those who have been reading and enjoying the story, thanks! And to those who read everything up till here but didn''t enjoy it or like it, congratulations for slogging through and subjecting yourself to 24 chapters of this. Thanks for reading, Linus Chapter 25 - Interlude Start - Precipice Note: Been a month since I last posted. I indicated I would continue to post my works on my wordpress (So far once a week around Friday) and not here, but I figured I might as well throw them up here as well. In the future, I will probably prioritize the wordpress, and when I get a couple chapters, I''ll just mass update them here. Probably in groups of four. Anyways, feel free to ask any questions, complaints, critiques, what have you. I''ve gotten busy recently so I''ll try to respond as best I can. -------- Natalya was always the last one awake. It was a chore getting up early each morning, and it didn¡¯t help how her mother, who never failed to get up early each morning, would continuously badger her till she got up. Still, the smell of breakfast was a more effective alarm than her mother. At the first signs of breakfast, the clanking of pans and the aroma of food, Natalya had to get up; she would rather miss an extra few minutes of sleep then skipping breakfast. From the dim orange glow that greeted her each morning, she knew she would need it. Almost every morning she would join her mother and father out in the fields. Sometimes she went to the church instead. Her family never could afford the tuition costs for schools, so the basic lessons and teachings the church offered were her only chance at an education. Other times, the weather was just bad, so she stayed in. Besides those instances, she found herself working the land. It was just them three, so she needed to help most of the time anyways. When the sun had set, their work was done. She and her mother headed back home to eat dinner, rest, and prepare for the next day. Her father seldom joined. She would always ask her mom, ¡°Where is Dad?¡± Her mother would sigh and shake her head. When it was time to sleep, her mother would leave the house to look for him. She would always drag him back, usually in a mood as foul as the smell. But it never seemed to be an issue; there wasn¡¯t any arguing or fighting that didn¡¯t burn out quickly. Everyone had to get up early the next morning, so no one wanted to waste the energy. As the weeks turned to months and months turned to years, the fighting got worse and worse. He used to go out maybe once a week, but it slowly became a daily habit. Even then, her mother would go out and retrieve him every time. But, it all came to a stop suddenly one night. As usual, it was late in the night, late enough where the town was asleep, when her mother dragged in her father. This time they didn¡¯t even wait to get inside the house before they started yelling at each other. Her father was a quiet man, kept to himself and didn¡¯t do much other than work. When he came home each night, he only responded to the anger of her mother, maintaining a quiet, defensive stance. So that night, he defied all expectations when he raised his hand and struck her mother. Nights were usually quiet since no one was out and nothing was happening, but the quiet of the night never compared to the silence that followed. The next night, her mother did not go out to get him. He did not come back either. It got later and later into the night, and it was clear that her mother would have no more to do with him. Natalya left the house. She decided if her mother would not do it, then she would. What was her mother¡¯s labor became her own, and so at night when her father was out in the town, drinking and loitering, she would bring him home. While her mother had little to say to her father now, she would always try and dissuade her from going out each night saying, ¡°Don¡¯t waste your time on him,¡± or ¡°He doesn¡¯t need you to find him.¡± At any rate, Natalya didn¡¯t listen to her. Rain or shine, Natalya would go out and get him simply because she felt like she had to. But it was difficult, going out after her father every night, when her mother would deride her for doing and when there were other things she would rather do. One night, she decided to listen to her mother. She was feeling under the weather, slightly feverish with a headache and an aching body. Every night when her father was out, she had filled in the role of her mother and brought him home. Skipping one night here and there couldn¡¯t be an issue, so she quickly fell asleep earlier than usual, exhausted from her ill condition. Her father wasn¡¯t there in the morning. Mother did not seem to care on bit, but Natalya didn¡¯t like it at all. Even though she was sick, she felt she should have gone out and got him, and she decided to do so tonight, regardless of the circumstances. It was when she went out to the fields with her mother she found out where her father was. He swayed, hanging from a tree. -- Natalya strided through the elaborate castle corridors. She quickly caught up to the group of nobles and crashed through them to get to Baron Reginald. ¡°Hey, Baron,¡± She said, shoving into him. Reginald almost toppled over, but caught himself in time. ¡°N-Natalya?! What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Have you seen Suran anywhere?¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.He stopped walking, causing the entire group to haphazardly stop and bump into each other. ¡°What do you mean? Isn¡¯t he somewhere around here?¡± ¡°He was, but stepped out during the beheading-thing and disappeared.¡± ¡°Disappeared?!¡± He suddenly grabbed Natalya¡¯s shoulders and shook, ¡°We have to find him!¡± ¡°Stop shaking me!¡± She wrestled herself free from the man¡¯s clutches. ¡°And yeah, that was the plan, but I don¡¯t know where he went.¡± ¡°Shit¡­ He couldn¡¯t have gone far, so ask around outside; someone must have seen him. We have to find him.¡± ¡°Sure, I guess, but I already asked the guards outside the throne room and they said they didn¡¯t see him¡­¡± ¡°The guards will rarely tell you anything ¨C don¡¯t rely on them.¡± Reginald grabbed her by the arm and began walking, pulling her along. ¡°We need to find him fast, so here is what we will do: outside should be others, not guards, that might have seen them. Ask them. Meanwhile, I will do what I can and must, gathering what resources I have to finding him should you not be able to find him.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take a look.¡± Natalya wrestled himself from the man¡¯s clutches again and widened her paces, taking the lead. She turned around while walking and asked the Baron, ¡°By the way, why are you so worried about finding him?¡± ¡°I¡¯m now responsible for him in more ways than one ¨C now go! Go before it¡¯s too late. Find him and make sure he isn¡¯t going anything dangerous.¡± Natalya nodded her head, turned around, and picked up speed. She went through the checkpoints, past the guards, and out the gates quickly and easily. Outside the gates, there were much less people then she anticipated. She looked around and settled on asking an old woman who was sitting on a bench. Approaching the friendly, old lady on a bench, she got straight to the point and asked her if she had seen some brooding brown guy walk through. The old lady had in fact seen someone walk by matching that description, and pointed it out for Natalya. Like that Natalya, worked her way through, pestering people along the way. Some people had no clue who she was asking about. Others blew her off and didn¡¯t even respond to her. Through persistence, Natalya was eventually able to find people to direct her the correct way. A man selling cabbage pointed her along and then a group of kids playing ball helped her out. Piecing together Suran¡¯s path, she worked her way down from the castle and then around. She stopped at a picket fence nestled in between two grey homes that overlooked the crags of the mountain and the harbor below. Her last lead, kindly given to her by a mother who was stringing up clothes to dry, led her to this alleyway as the last known place Suran went. The alleyway was bare, leaving little room for anyone to hide, so she looked over the edge. Rocks and ledges as far as she could see. But, on one ledge down below and to the left, she could see the shape of Suran sitting. There were a lot of ledges, but she couldn¡¯t figure out how he got down there. It was almost as a big of question as why he was sitting on a random ledge on the side of a mountain. Swinging her leg over the fence, Natalya tried to feel out a way down to get to him. Her foot slipped, crumbling her foothold and sending rocks tumbling down, and she wobbled back to latch onto the fence. Yeah, there was no way she was going to go down there. She took a look down and gauged the distance. Suran wasn¡¯t that far; he was certainly within ear shot. If she couldn¡¯t get down to him, the least she could do is yell at him. Suran got up on the rock and started pacing. Instead of opening her mouth to call out to him, she stood on the ledge and watched the man. He feebly walked on the small ledge, teetering back and forth. He stopped at the edge, doubled over, and began heaving and panting, vomiting over it while Natalya recoiled in disgust. Bringing himself back up, Suran stumbled back and caught himself on the wall. His lips were moving, but Natalya could not hear what he was saying. Suran turned around to face the wall and began smashing his head into the rocks. With each thud, Natalya winced, but he stopped before Natalya could intervene. His head was still on the rocks, and he slid down to the ground, crumpling on the floor. He began sobbing uncontrollably. Natalya opened her mouth, but no words came out. Suran was distressed, but she had no idea what she could do. No words came to her mind that could alleviate the situation. No actions were clear that could help Suran. She tumbled back over the fence and began running. She was lost. Chapter 26 - A Far-Off Voice She ran. What could she do? What could she say? How could she help? She didn¡¯t know, so she ran. Eventually, she ended up at Baron Reginald¡¯s house. Natalya went in, hoping he might know something. Past the gate, through the yard, and into the house, Natalya hurriedly went. Unlike the past few days, the house was quiet, absent of the noise and raucous caused by a house full of desperate nobles. There was noise coming from the back of the house, from the kitchen, so she went there. Before she could enter the kitchen, Keira sprung up and blocked her path. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be here, Natalya.¡± She stumbled back surprised, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m already preparing lunch, and Annabelle is helping me already,¡± Keira moved out of the way to reveal Annabelle who waved. ¡°No, that¡¯s fine,¡± Natalya said, waving back at Annabelle. ¡°I was just looking for Baron Reginald.¡± Keira cocked her head to the side and frowned, ¡°That¡¯s it? In that case, he is upstairs in the library, if I recall correctly.¡± Natalya nodded her head in thanks and went up. Baron Reginald was reading a book when she came in. He put it down and immediately and got up to greet her. ¡°Were you able to find him?¡± He asked. ¡°Yes¨C¡± ¡°Great, I knew you could fine him.¡± He said with a smile. Reginald looked around, ¡°So, where is he?¡± Natalya walked past Reginald and plopped down on a chair, ¡°He¡¯s crying on a cliff.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I found him alright, but he was crying and vomiting and I had no idea what to do, so I came here to see if you knew what to do¡­¡± ¡°And he¡¯s on a cliff?¡± Reginald sat back down in his chair. ¡°We have to get him off that ledge before he does something stupid.¡± ¡°Yeah, but how?¡± Reginald thought for a moment and said, ¡°We could simply bring him down whether he wants us to or not. But, it would be for the best if we get him to leave of his own accord.¡± He paused, leaning forward, ¡°Now, do you have any idea why he would be accepting like this?¡± Natalya slowly shook her head. Reginald scratched his head, ¡°Okay¡­ You last saw him at the castle correct? When exactly did he leave and under what conditions?¡± ¡°The guy¡¯s head was about to be cut off and we were just talking. I was telling him that since this was over, he was free to do whatever he wanted. I know he planned to register with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, but after that I don¡¯t know what the plans were. After that, he just left.¡± ¡°What about his attitude at the time? Hasn¡¯t he been acting a little off the last few days?¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, he was acting a little weird ever since he came to that guy¡¯s house to get him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the only one then. Since you had been travelling with him, if you noticed some change, then there might be some credibility to it.¡± ¡°Well, I thought it was odd, but didn¡¯t think much beyond that. I haven¡¯t been with him that long; I only met him on the first, so I don¡¯t know that much about him.¡± ¡°Only two weeks? ¡°Reginald slowly got up from the chair, ¡°Then there is no use in sitting here. We won¡¯t ever be able to know what is wrong without speaking to him.¡± ¡°Then would we able to help him and bring him up?¡± Natalya asked, getting up to follow the Baron. Reginald shrugged, ¡°We won¡¯t know unless we try. Everyone has their problems, their struggles, their demons, and no matter how well we even know someone, what ails them may never be truly known to us unless they themselves tell us. Beyond that is the question of how we, as outsiders who have no intrinsic stake in the inner conflicts of man, can even attempt to rectify the situation, assuming we even know all that there is to know. No matter the problem, be it minute or significant, our words and actions can only do so much in relieving the burdens and stresses of another. We can say all the right words and take all the right actions, but the ultimate burden of correcting the issues of self will invariably fall upon man and not men.¡± There was silence for a moment as Natalya stood there unsure if he was done speaking. ¡°Wow Mr. Baron, you must be really smart to say things like that! I¡¯ve never heard anyone talk or say things like that before.¡± The Baron sighed, ¡°When you get to my age, you learn many things, some pleasant and others not so much. Now let us go ¨C we have no time to waste.¡± ¡°Oh, one thing!¡± Natalya interrupted Reginald. ¡°Do you have some rope by any chance?¡± ¡°Rope? Why do you need rope? ¡°So I can go down and get Suran of course!¡± Reginald scrunched up his face. He did not understand the request. ¡°If you need rope then go and ask Fletch¡ª¡± he caught himself and shook his head, ¡°Go ask Keira. She will get some for you.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.¡°Ooookay!¡± Natalya quickly made her way past Reginald, but stopped outside the room and turned around to face him, ¡°Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you why are you trying to help Suran? Your deal with him is done, so you don¡¯t have to help him, right?¡± ¡°There are two reasons why I¡¯m doing this: during the attack on my house, he agreed to help me in exchange for my loyalty. True, it may not be a ¡®binding¡¯ contract, but I honestly have to thank him for that; he didn¡¯t put me in a slave-contract or anything humiliating like that. Secondly, the king put responsibility on me to making sure Suran is rewarded. The king is not a forgiving man; if he suspects I do not complete my duty to any extent, the Black Paladins will do to me as they did to Hendrick von Auer.¡± ¡°Wow that sounds like a terrible situation.¡± ¡°You learn to deal with the cards you are dealt. Now let¡¯s hurry and go.¡± Reginald walked off to the front of the home while Natalya went to go grab rope from Keira. Once she had that in hand, she led the way towards where Suran was. It was sunset when the two arrived. With the rope wrapped around her shoulder, Natalya peered over the fence. Suran was sitting on the same ledge with his head buried into his knees. He was naked with his clothes folded and neatly put to the side on the glossy, red rocks. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to be in this bad of a shape,¡± Reginald commented as he peered over the fence with Natalya. ¡°I suppose you will be the one to go down?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± she said. Natalya tested the integrity of the fence by pulling on it then tied one end of the rope around it. Once she got a good knot, she flung the other end down towards Suran. ¡°Remember what I said: it would be good to find out what is troubling him so we can help, but that isn¡¯t the only way. If you need me, give me a shout.¡± Natalya hoisted herself over the edge, secured a foot hold on the rocks, and used the rope to slowly descend down. She was able to use the rope for support, dropping down to ledges that would normally have been out of reach. ¡°Go away,¡± Suran commanded, apparently noticing she was here. Natalya stopped and landed on a ledge right above Suran. ¡°Suran, what are you doing down here? Put your clothes on and let¡¯s leave.¡± He didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Come on Suran, you can¡¯t just stay here forever! What¡¯s your problem?¡± ¡°Nothing good can come from being with me. Do yourself a favor and stay away.¡± ¡°How about you do yourself a favor and quit moping around! Just go somewhere or do something. Anything is better than just sitting here.¡± Suran¡¯s response was slow and delayed, ¡°There is nothing I can do. There is nowhere I can go.¡± ¡°What do you mean can?¡± Natalya put her hands on her hips, annoyed at the mopey man below her. ¡°What about what you want? What do you want to do? Where do you want to go?¡± Suran was breathing heavily though his nose. It was some time before he gave a response in a low murmur, ¡°I want to go home¡­¡± ¡°Finally! Then why don¡¯t go home?¡± Natalya exclaimed, thrilled by the thought of progress. ¡°It is impossible to return. The damage has been done. I have no right to go back.¡± Natalya scratched her head and frowned. She looked up at the Baron who shook his head. Either he couldn¡¯t hear or he didn¡¯t know what to say, Natalya thought. She stood on the ledge and collected her thoughts. She had an idea of what to say but struggled to find the words in which to say it. With a sigh, she spoke with what she had, ¡°Have you tried to go back home? It may look impossible from where you are, but how do you know there isn¡¯t a solution you just can¡¯t see from where you¡¯re standing? The world is a big place, bigger than the town I grew up in and bigger than this city, so you can¡¯t ever know about everything that¡¯s out there. If someone truly wants something and works for it, they can find a way around the impossible because who knows what¡¯s out there. Wanting to be home and going home is something that¡¯s normal for everyone. No one can stop you from going home but yourself. As much as I hate Alnwick, it¡¯s still my home. Nearly half the city was destroyed, but even if it¡¯s broken and damaged, you can still try and fix it.¡± She was winded and took a deep breath. ¡°Even if it is impossible, how do you know until you try? It¡¯s better to try and fail than to not try at all. So are you just going to sit here and ignore the world and your problems or are you going to try and do the best you can in the situation you are in?¡± Her head was hurting after that. She was never one for words, and giving that long speech drained her. To her dismay, down below, Suran neither stirred nor said a word; he sat below in complete silence. ¡°Natalya, just come on up!¡± Reginald yelled at her from above. The sun had set and it was dark out now. They had spent some time out here. She didn¡¯t want to leave yet; the job wasn¡¯t done yet, but Reginald was continuously calling on her. She sighed and began climbing back up. ¡°I caught some of what you said,¡± Reginald said, greeting her as she came up. ¡°I¡¯m impressed ¨C I didn¡¯t think you could manage to say something like that.¡± ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t good enough,¡± Natalya dejectedly responded. ¡°As I said, our words can only do so much.¡± He checked his timepiece. ¡°It¡¯s getting late out so let us go back for now. Give him some time to think and we¡¯ll leave the rope out for him.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Natalya followed the Baron through the dark of night. Chapter 27 - The Step Forward ¡°How did it end up like this?¡± ¡°Our mistakes and failures brought us here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t deserve to be in here,¡± ¡°We¡¯ve done more than enough to be in this prison.¡± ¡°You know what I mean.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. This isn¡¯t just.¡± ¡­ ¡°Should we fix this?¡± ¡°The only way would be to get out. Is that possible?¡± ¡°There was a way in.¡± ¡­ ¡°Do we have a choice?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Why not the both of us?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t work. Not without him, at least.¡± ¡°It would be better if he was here.¡± ¡°He is neither here nor there. We must make do without him.¡± ¡°Then let me do it. I cannot condone your methods.¡± ¡°I only did what was necessary to complete the task at hand.¡± ¡°It may have been necessary, but it was not acceptable.¡± ¡°Fine. You do not have the power I do. Can you do it?¡± ¡­ ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You will not know the things I can. Are you okay with losing that?¡± ¡­ ¡°A sacrifice I am willing to make.¡± ¡°Then there is no time to waste.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Remember, I will be here, waiting. Should you falter, I will not hesitate to step in.¡± ¡°¡­I know.¡± ---- He woke up at sunrise. Suran¡¯s back and neck were throbbing with pain; jarring rocks did not make the best of beds. Ironing out the kinks would have to come later because it was time for him to get going. He put on his clothes which had tucked away to avoid dirtying them and went to pull out his sword. It took several tugs to free it from the rocks. Grabbing onto the rope, he hoisted himself up. There was an icy rock sitting in his stomach. It was a queer feeling; his extremities were chilled and there was a jittery, shaking sensation that seized his body. He was only heading toward Reginald, but each step felt heavier and harder than it should have been. It was annoying him. He wanted to dispel the source of the unease, but he could not determine the source. There was nothing unusual that struck him as the cause, or so he thought. He was walking toward Reginald¡¯s home, a simple task. Before that, he heard the talk from Natalya on the rock, which was not galvanizing even though it made him feel a tinge of nostalgia. Looking around, he finally settled that it was because he was lost. Again. Somehow or another, Suran managed to find his way. It was unexpectedly noisy when he walked up to the home. A pair of men carried some furniture out of the front door, paying no heed to him. When he walked inside, he heard clattering and conversations from all corners of the estate. ¡°Good to see you!¡± Reginald came walking down the hallway to greet Suran, ¡°Knew you would come around.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on,¡± Suran said, motioning to the men moving items. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m moving to a new home, so I need some help moving some of my furniture to the new estate.¡± A crash sounded out from the next room over and Reginald went over and yelled at someone to be more careful. He came back over and asked, ¡°Want to talk somewhere quiet? It might get noisy out here.¡± Suran nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Let¡¯s go to my study then ¨C oh, should I call Natalya as well?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Reginald led the way through the home towards his study. The two did not encounter Natalya on their way nor did they go out of their way to find her, so they alone sat down in the nearly cleared out study. ¡°What have you decided?¡± Reginald asked once they became comfortable in their seating. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I do not think it is possible, but I want to go back to where I came from.¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± ¡°¡­ Because I¡¯m not from¡­ here.¡± ¡°Clearly. I may not be a scholar, but I am educated. I¡¯ll grab a map; tell me what remember about your home and let¡¯s see if I can pinpoint it.¡± Suran motioned to him to not get up. He thought for a moment before saying, ¡°My home is far different then here in all things ¨C a different world.¡± ¡°¡­ A different world?¡± Reginald looked skeptical. ¡°We had no magic or spells or enchantments. Instead, we had an unrivaled understanding of our world and technology to match that. We had cities as far as the eye can see with buildings that pierced the clouds. We could cure any disease, mend any wound, with our medical knowledge. Nothing was out of our reach, the bottom of the oceans, the top of the clouds, or even the stars above. Our machines could forge anything and do anything, and our weapons could wipe cities and armies out in an instance. A society by humans and of only humans, no other races or species.¡± He paused and continued after taking a breath, ¡°My world and this world are not one in the same.¡± ¡°What an¡­ interesting place you have described. Then, how did you get from there to here?¡± Suran sat thinking. It was some time before he said, ¡°I don¡¯t remember ¨C I don¡¯t know. I was there then I wasn¡¯t. After some time, I found myself here.¡± Reginald sat there with a rather confused look on his face. Suran¡¯s explanations did not seem to be making much sense to him. ¡°It¡¯s natural this is hard to believe.¡± Reginald sighed ¡°I don¡¯t believe it, to be honest. However, I don¡¯t think your story is all that crazy. If you look at the history of our world, you are sure to find stories that are more unbelievable then the one you just told me. A man coming from a different world is hard to believe, but not totally unbelievable.¡± He adjusted himself slightly in his chair, leaning back for comfort. ¡°I simply don¡¯t know enough one way or another to be sure that your story is within the realm of possibility or not.¡± ¡°Is there someone that does?¡± The Baron frowned and rubbed his chin. ¡°You are asking for something no average person would know. The only person I can think of is an old acquaintance of mine at the College. Even then, I don¡¯t think his area of expertise is anywhere close to this, but he might know someone or something that has some knowledge on the matter.¡± ¡°I will need you to introduce me to him. All I need is a lead. I can handle it from there.¡± ¡°Of course. And don¡¯t feel like you can¡¯t rely on me; you do remember I am in your service.¡± Suran shifted uncomfortably in his chair. ¡°Anyways, that reminds me of another obligation that ties me to you. At the castle, the King gave me the responsibility of rewarding you for your service, and that is what I plan to do.¡± ¡°I do not need any reward,¡± Suran said, waving him off. ¡°That is not an option; If I don¡¯t reward you to the King¡¯s standards and expectations, he will have the Black Paladins most likely punish or kill me, just as they did to Hendrick.¡± ¡°Do what you must, but I would like to speak with that acquaintance of yours above all else.¡± ¡°I can arrange the meeting for you, quite possibly today if I can reach him, but let me take care of the other obligation I have so I can sleep easier at night.¡± Reginald then went through his desk, looking through several drawers. ¡°If you remember, the King allotted me a reward from the Estate of Hendrick. One of the things I got was his house ¨C which is really nice might I say. With its owner dead, I have decided to move in, which leaves this house vacant. To help fulfil my obligations, I will bestow this property upon you.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­ excessive?¡± Suran questioned reward. It was no doubt a valuable asset; the house was large and of good quality, and he would proper lodgings for as long as he was in the city. ¡°It still may not be enough to suit the King, and I would rather be safe than sorry.¡± He pulled out a piece of fancy parchment from his desk. ¡°This is the deed to the home, proof of ownership. All you need is sign it and the ownership will transfer over to you.¡± He placed the paper and a pen in front of Suran. Picking up the pen, Suran signed a spot at the bottom of the deed. The letters glowed bright for a moment and then faded. ¡°If you¡¯re curious, the deed was constructed with several magical enchantments. It¡¯s protected from most forms of damage, and can¡¯t physically leave the house due to the enchantments. Even though the city records will also verify ownership, it was a measure of insurance our family had made for peace of mind. If you ever want to sell the property, you sign the paper a second time and it will enable you to write your name off the deed and put someone else¡¯s name on it.¡± Suran nodded in acknowledgement and Reginald tucked away the deed. ¡°Now that¡¯s out of the way, I must ask you, are you still registering with the Guild?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see a reason not to,¡± Suran said. ¡°I was only going to join it at the suggestion of another.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say that is a good choice. You don¡¯t lose anything by joining and it opens up many opportunities in work and connections.¡± The Baron got up from his chair, ¡°Let¡¯s go and see if we can take care of all your objectives today, but first, I have one more reward, or gift, for you we need to pick up.¡± Suran rose, questioning the Baron, ¡°Another one?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the last one, trust me. For the King, even this house might not be enough, so please accept it, for my sake at least.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, I suppose.¡± Suran also rose from his seat and bade Reginald to lead the way. The two walked out of the room. ¡°Oh, hey Suran!¡± Outside of the room, Natalya greeted him. ¡°When did you get here?¡± Suran kept walking with Reginald past her, ¡°A while ago. I¡¯m heading out with Reginald, if you want to come.¡± Natalya happily tagged along and the three left the home. Chapter 28 - Iylia As the three walked down the streets of Valcadia, Natalya tugged on Suran¡¯s shoulder, and he dropped back a few steps behind the Baron to match her pace. ¡°So you¡¯re from a different world?¡± She asked almost teasingly. Suran quickened his pace. ¡°It¡¯s rude to eavesdrop,¡± he curtly replied. She sped up to catch up to him, ¡°I wasn¡¯t listening the whole time, and I didn¡¯t want to walk into the middle of your serious conversation and interrupt everything.¡± Natalya was struggling to keep up with him, so Suran sighed and slowed down. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I guess. Next time know you don¡¯t have to exclude yourself from our conversations.¡± ¡°Eh, what wasn¡¯t what I had in mind, but okay. What all did you talk about?¡± ¡°It was mainly about where I¡¯m from, what to do next, and the house.¡± ¡°Wait, what about the house?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t hear? The house we have been staying at, Reginald¡¯s home, is now mine. He acquired Hendrick von Auer¡¯s estate, so he is moving to a new home and giving me this one.¡± ¡°Cool, can I live there?¡± Suran almost stopped walking as he was caught off guard by the question. It was rather sudden, but as he thought about it, he didn¡¯t find a reason to deny her. ¡°There are plenty of rooms, so I don¡¯t see why not.¡± Natalya seemed satisfied with the answer and began to hum. To be honest, the result ended up pleasing Suran as well. Even though he did now have a house, there was no guarantee he would use it. It seemed probable his search may take him all over this world, and it would be for the best if Natalya used this opportunity to stay here and followed her own pursuits, free of the trouble that may come from following him. ¡°Anyways,¡± Natalya resumed the conversation, ¡°Do you know where we¡¯re going? ¡°Where exactly, I don¡¯t know, but I believe we are picking up a reward Reginald had prepared for me on behalf of the King.¡± ¡°Right you are,¡± Reginald chimed in from the front. ¡°We are almost there, so I might as well explain. The reason why rewarding you with just a house isn¡¯t enough, even though it is a nice home might I say, is because it is technically incomplete. In the world of lords and nobles and the rich, all these large estates and manors almost always have one more thing: servants or slaves.¡± He stopped outside of a large warehouse. ¡°So it would reflect poorly on me to not essentially present a complete reward.¡± Suran looked around. Just down the road he could see the harbor, or what remained of it. ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°We are at the establishment of my cousin Wylin. He has a lot of fine product, and you have the opportunity to get your pick of the litter.¡± Without hesitation, Suran said, ¡°I cannot agree with slaver; I do not want to own slaves.¡± Reginald was about to say something, but a portly man sporting a tuxedo walked out and said with a wide smile, ¡°Are you sure?¡± Everyone could see his unkempt teeth from his ear-to-ear grin. ¡°Wylin, good to see you!¡± Reginald exclaimed and the two embraced in a brotherly hug. ¡°Great to see you, cousin.¡± Wylin released himself from Reginald and went to Suran, appraising him. ¡®So you don¡¯t want slaves, eh?¡± Suran did not waver while under inspection, ¡°I am opposed to slavery.¡± It was barbaric practice, one that he could never support. ¡°We shall see about that,¡± Wylin said slyly. He went over to the massive warehouse and opened up a door. ¡°Why don¡¯t we talk inside.¡± His never fading smile could not dispel the almost palatable devious aura it emitted. Suran looked over to Henry Reginald, who nodded in agreeance with Wylin. Reluctantly, Suran walked into the warehouse. What hit him first was not what was in the warehouse, it was poorly lit with most of the lighting coming from skylight on the high ceiling making it difficult to clearly see anything, but the nauseous smell that permeated through the air. It was a disgusting concoction that hid each of its components, making it difficult for Suran to tell what was making it. However, he could barely distinguish the odor of blood, sweat, and man. The door closed behind him and Wylin walked up next to him and said, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want a slave now?¡± Suran¡¯s eyes grew adjusted to the dark and he saw rows of cages. Walking forward, he peered into the cages and continued to be disgusted. Men and women were shackled and bound in the cage, their malnourished bodies visible underneath pitiful excuses of rags. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± The scene before him only cemented his disgust with the practice. ¡°I suppose it can¡¯t be helped,¡± Wylin said, strolling past Suran while shrugging. ¡°I guess I will keep them in their cages and sell them to whomever comes by.¡± He went up to a cage and slapped his hand on it causing the metal to vibrate. The creature inside recoiled from the disturbance. ¡°If you don¡¯t take the generous gift my cousin arranging for you, I¡¯m sure I can find someone else to take them on. You would be surprised how many uses people find for these things. Some are used for hard labor, while others as a toy.¡± He took of his pair of spectacles and cleaned it with a cloth he pulled out from his coat pocket, ¡°I¡¯ve gotten to know quite a few of my clients since they¡­ wear out their products very fast.¡± Suran was growing agitated as he listened to the weasel. He saw through Wylin; he was trying to coax him into accepting the offer by emphasizing the distress of these poor individuals. Suran did not intend to play his game. ¡°Then give me one. I will immediately release them.¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk tsk,¡± Wylin clicked, zooming up to Suran, ¡°That won¡¯t do at all. The gift is from my property, and I would not want to see it wasted like that. If you so happen to release it, I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to reclaim my goods.¡± He swung around Suran and grabbed onto Henry Reginald¡¯s shoulder who seemed unfazed by the happenings, ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t think that would work out well for Henry here, would it?¡± Henry shook his head, ¡°The King and his men are thorough. They would most likely interpret that sort of behavior as a tort on my part, regardless of what you might say.¡± ¡°And we both know what that means my dear friend,¡± Wylin picked up without dropping a beat. ¡°The Black Paladins are not a forgiving bunch, and they would not hesitate to kill my poor cousin in an instant. Besides, since you are so against slavery, maybe you will take better of care of your property better than some of my other clients.¡± Suran grit his teeth. This was a battle he was not going to win, but something felt off. Wylin seemed to be trying hard to get Suran to accept. The question was why. Was it out of concern for the life of his family member? To the average person, maybe. Behind those spectacles of his were a pair of scheming eyes. Suran convinced himself there had to be another reason behind this. He could not figure it out. He gave in. ¡°Fine,¡± he said with a sigh, ¡°I¡¯ll pick one.¡± ¡°Glad you saw reason,¡± Wylin trotted out in front once more. ¡°Come with me and let us look through my wares.¡± Suran dragged his feet as he followed. His continual to refer to these people as wares didn¡¯t stop bothering him. He walked past the cages with Wylin. They were small and cramped. A grown person would not be able to stand in them. He saw full grown men and women to small children not even in their teens stored away. What¡¯s more, is that he got more of a taste of this world; there were more than just humans locked in these cages. Like Keira, he saw men and women with cat like features, ears and tails. Some more cat-like than others. But that wasn¡¯t all, there were several humanoids with animal like features, but those with feline or canine features were the most common. Wylin was happily explaining everything Suran surveyed. Each ¡®item¡¯, as he called it, had different skills and abilities. There were pieces of paper attached to each cage like a price tag that identified the race, sex, age, inherent skills, and so on of the slave within. As he went on, he saw more and more. Beings identified as ¡®Dwarf¡¯ or ¡®Wood Elf,¡¯ or ¡°High Elf¡¯ and even strange beasts and animals: abnormally large wolves, moving mounds of rock titled ¡®golems¡¯, a humanoid beast with several horns, and others. ¡°Having trouble choosing?¡± Wylin teased as he showed Suran around. Suran didn¡¯t want to admit it, but he was right. There was no way he could simply choose someone. Wylin continued, ¡°I¡¯m here to help if you need anything; I know my product best.¡± Suran couldn¡¯t even begin to trust the man. Asking him for advice was far out of the question. ¡°Hey Suran, what about her?¡± Surprisingly, Natalya made a suggestion while squatting in front of a cage. Suran walked over and asked, ¡°You¡¯re ok with this?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± She shrugged. ¡°Besides, she¡¯s got red eyes like you,¡± she said, pointing into the cage. Suran hunched over in looked inside. It was fairly dark in the cage, but he could make out crimson eyes. She was almost right, he mused to himself; his eyes were more of a blood red than a crimson. ¡°Is having red eyes rare?¡± He asked aloud. ¡°Exceedingly rare in the humanoid species, especially in High Elves,¡± Wylin chimed in. ¡°Finally interested?¡± Suran walked away from the cage towards Wylin. He wasn¡¯t enjoying this process, but he had to get through with it at some point. ¡°What can you tell me about her?¡± There was a twinkle in his eyes, ¡°What do you want to know?¡± Wylin swung over to the girl¡¯s cage. ¡°This one is, as the tag says, a female High Elf. At around 55 years of age, which in human years is 22 to 23, she is at the prime of her youth. Also in great physical condition. If you asked me, I would have probably recommended her as well. She is fit for hard labor, can participate in combat, good for kids. You can find a lot of uses for this one here.¡± He adjusted the glasses on his face and eagerly waited for input from Suran. ¡°I have to admit; this girl has a good pair of eyes ¨C almost as good as mine!¡± He said with a sleazy chuckle. For the average person, what he was saying did sound good, but Suran took everything he said with a grain of salt. ¡°If she as good as you say,¡± Suran questioned, ¡°then why has she not been taken by someone else?¡± Wylin nearly jumped in surprise, ¡°Oooh! Didn¡¯t think I would have a smart shopper today!¡± He quickly reverted to a seller¡¯s persona. ¡°If you must know, there are a few reasons,¡± he said seemingly annoyed. ¡°As you can see, this is a warehouse. I primarily deal in bulk sales and trades to individual vendors who go out and cater to more specific markets. It¡¯s rare when someone comes in specifically for one item. In those cases, the client usually knows what they want, so with my expertise, they find themselves what best suits their need. As a respected merchant, I take pride in my work in my ability. I was even nicknamed ¡®The Appraiser¡¯ by my colleagues and clients for my ability at identifying talent, potential, and suitability, so I would never betray the trust of my clients by pushing a great product onto them when it isn¡¯t what they want.¡± Suran felt there was something missing, so he asked, ¡°Is that all?¡± Wylin was no longer annoyed; he instead, looked very smug. ¡°My, you¡¯re sharper than you seem. You¡¯re right, there was one more issue. This one here,¡± he tapped on the cage, ¡°is a queer one.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The unnatural red eyes for starters. High Elves are race generally set in their traditions and beliefs, and they see red eyes as unlucky, a bad omen, freakish, how ever you want to describe it.¡± Suran could sympathize with that. ¡°Also, the white hair is an issue. Even though High Elves can have those lighter, silky, shiny hair colors, this type of pure white is also very unusual. Among her people, her looks were an aberration, giving her additional baggage.¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± Suran felt pity for the girl. Wylin shrugged, ¡°So it was. Even though I would rate her at the top in looks and ability, no one wanted her, either in bulk sales or from the few individual purchases, so here she¡¯s been.¡± Suran could not help but feel the cruelty of subjecting economics onto the trade of people. Wylin rates her highly, so her price must have matched the assessment. A high price with no demand for someone like her. He still couldn¡¯t accept he was going along with this. There was still much of the warehouse left to go through, but he had no desire to do so. ¡°Take her out of the cage,¡± he instructed. ¡°Want a closer look?¡± Wylin made his way to the cage with his permanent grin. ¡°No, I will take her.¡± ¡°Even better!¡± Wylin called over one of his workers and he fished out a large iron ring filled with keys. He opened up the cage and gave the key to his assistant who entered it. Clangs rang out as her metal restraints fell to the floor. A moment later, the man came out, leading the girl with a chain attached to shackles on her wrists. She came out of the cage and into the light of the warehouse. In that cage, she looked small, but when she stood straight, her size surprised Suran; she was at least two to three inches taller than him, and even taller than everyone else present. On her olive skin was a layer of dirt, dust, and grime. She had a strong, but not muscular, build that confirmed she was fit, Wylin was right, but throughout her body, he saw evidence of malnourishment. She was fed, but clearly not enough. Suran wondered how much her impeccable white hair and crimson eyes dissuaded others from taking her because the contrast between her light brown, olive skin with the hair and eyes gave her an undeniable charm and beauty. Suran was not unsettled by her looks where others might have, but there was something that concerned him; she stood like a rock with zero signs of emotions. She didn¡¯t say anything, she didn¡¯t move. She held a dull face with her striking crimson eyes looking like empty glass. He was not sure how an enslaved person might act once they learned their fate, but her detachment from everything that was going on worried him. ¡°Wow!¡± Natalya ran up to her. ¡°She¡¯s bigger than me in more ways than one,¡± she said with a sly grin, checking her body out. ¡°Please don¡¯t do that,¡± Suran chided her. Not only was this not the place for it, he thought, but it also was inappropriate. Still, as he stopped her, he watched for any reaction from the girl. There was none. He went up to Wylin and whispered to him, ¡°Is she alright?¡± ¡°I told you she had baggage,¡± he replied with a shrug. ¡°Now then,¡± Wylin said, speaking to the group, ¡°Follow me to the back. It¡¯s time to fit her with the spell.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a spell?¡± Suran asked. Wylin reeled a little in shock, ¡°You don¡¯t know? Slaves are fitted with a spell that binds them to their owner. Once in place, you can control their emotions and actions without fear of retaliation or insubordination. You best remember that too because Valcadia is the slave capital of the North. We are at the forefront of slave technology; we take a great deal of pride in our research and work.¡± Suran couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. Magic was a reality in this world he was still not use to, but he didn¡¯t have to understand it to be disgusted by the means it was being used for. ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry up and go.¡± He didn¡¯t want to spend any more time in here. Wylin pivoted around and led the group toward the shadowy back of the warehouse. At the back was a comparted room. Wylin knocked on the door and there was a response from an airy old voice, ¡°Come in.¡± He opened up the door to a spacious room stocked with books and a frail old man at a desk. ¡°He will take care of the spell for you,¡± Wylin told Suran. He tapped Henry¡¯s shoulder and bade him outside, leaving Suran, Natalya, the girl, and the old man in the room. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± the old man said with a warm smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing this job for a long time, so I¡¯ve gotten pretty good at this.¡± He waited for a response, but no one said anything. With a half-sigh, half-laugh, he got up from his chair, ¡°No need to waste time, I guess.¡± The man shuffled over and took the girl. He worked on her shackles and popped them off, throwing them to the side. ¡°Come with me, you two.¡± Both of you followed him to the center of the room that was clear of everything save for two chairs placed back to back. The man instructed them to sit down. ¡°How do you want it?¡± ¡°Want what?¡± ¡°The spell, of course. You can have it strong and restrict their personalities and emotions, or you can make it lax giving them a little wiggle room. There is some variance, but the end result doesn¡¯t really change. Even then, you will be able to control it to some degree, and you can always come back to me and I can retool it or adjust it to suit your needs.¡± The entire spell wasn¡¯t clear to Suran so he asked, ¡°Can you explain what you mean by lax or strong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m assuming this is your first time so sure. In any case, the slave will be bond to you, and will have to follow your commands to some degree. We have over the years fine-tuned the spell and the magic behind it so it works nearly all the time. In the few cases that the slave can resist it in, we incorporate safety mechanisms that dissuades them from not following your directive. As for your question, what this will affect is the general free will they will have in day-to-day life and carrying out your orders. On the lax side, they will complete the task but may take some liberty in doing so, and they have relative freedom to do other things should you not disallow. The stricter you get, the less they will do for themselves, and the more they will rely on your orders and rules to dictate their life. They will follow orders more cleanly and their emotions and personalities will be suppressed should they get in the way.¡± Magic was as fascinating as it was scary. It¡¯s supposed range in application and use made Suran uneasy. He would need to study the topic later. Going on without knowing just how much power and finesse magic is capable of would be treacherous. ¡°I would prefer you make it lax in nature,¡± Suran requested without hesitation. ¡°Alrighty then! Just sit still¡­¡± His voice trailed off, and Suran began to feel a discomforting sensation through his body. The old man began muttering to himself, words and sentences whose meaning escaped Suran¡¯s understanding. Even stranger, a dim light came from the bony fingers of the man. The light bobbed and weaved through the air and enveloped the space between Suran and the girl¡¯s back. Throughout the process, he felt several discomforting pricks along his back and neck. At the same time, there was a slight sapping sensation that seemed to suck some of his strength straight out of him. ¡°Done!¡± The man concluded after several minutes. He left out a large sigh and slunk into his chair, ¡°That was a lot tiring than I thought it would be; I had to work hard on you two for some reason.¡± He then began grumbling about his age. After collecting his breath, the man got back up, ¡°I¡¯m going to go grab lunch actually. You are free to go.¡± He shuffled out of the room, cracking his bones along the way. It was done, and Suran felt something different, but he wasn¡¯t sure what it was. If he concentrated, he could sense a sort of entity in the back of his mind ¨C like a connection of sorts. However, it was hard to grasp. Something was there, but only if he concentrated. When he let his thoughts drift, it would quickly vanish. Not knowing what it was bothered him, but it wasn¡¯t annoying at least. He got up from his chair and went around to see how the girl was doing. She had the same dull face with a hint of exhaustion. ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡± She certainly wasn¡¯t vocal so far, so he felt he needed to take the initiative. Slowly, she nodded her head. Suran was pleased; it was progress, but he wondered, was she answering because she wanted to, or because the spell was making her? He pushed those thoughts to the side. Worrying about them would do him no good. At any rate, he was now responsible for her. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± She nodded her head again. ¡°We have other places to go, but food can come first.¡± His other matters could wait. Who knows how long it has been since she had a proper meal. ¡°First,¡± he said, contemplating her situation, ¡°A bath might be in order to get you cleaned up. A proper set of clothes as well.¡± Getting washed could wait to the end of the day, but having her go out in tatters that barely covered her was not acceptable to him. ¡°Natalya, would you mind seeing if Wylin has set of clothes for her?¡± She understood the situation and energetically left the room. Now it was just him and her. ¡°Now, I have an important question to ask you: do you want to be free?¡± Wylin and Henry might have some choice words for him asking this, but he didn¡¯t care. He carefully watched her, but she did not respond. He clarified, ¡°What I mean, is that if you ask for it, I will do my best to give you your freedom. You don¡¯t have to be my slave or bound to me. You can be free to live your life the way you want it and I am willing to help you get settled if need be. The choice is yours.¡± He waited. She did not respond. Suran stopped for a moment and wondered why she would not reply. Should it not be desirable for a slave to have their freedom? ¡°Do you understand what I am asking you?¡± She immediately responded by nodding her head. It reassured Suran that she did understand what was going on, but he still found this strange. Perhaps she needed some time to think, so he remained quiet. Several minutes passed and he asked again, ¡°Do you want me to give you your freedom?¡± Slowly, she shook her head; she had rejected his proposition. Suran sighed. He had no other choice but to accept his circumstances now. As much as he found this arrangement disagreeable, it appeared she did not for some reason. He was, for better or for worse, now stuck. No matter, he thought. He would simply have to live with it ¨C and her ¨C for now. In the middle of all this, Suran remembered he forgot to ask something, something he should have done from the start. ¡°What is your name?¡± The girl¡¯s eyes were fixed to his feet, but she raised her head at the question. Her face held the dull expression, but there was a twitch of anxiety. For the first time her mouth opened and, shakily, words came out, ¡°I-Iylia. Iylia Yevonis.¡± Her words were soft and hushed with a tinge of fright and fear. ¡°I am Suran Ibrahim. From now on you will be in my care.¡± She locked her gaze with his, but swiftly averted. Twice, Wylin had mentioned the word ¡®baggage¡¯. Reflecting on his past, Suran thought of all the mistakes he made. He wanted desperately to undo his wrongs. Atone for his sins. This girl, Iylia, had her own past and world of problems that tormented her. He decided to help as best he could. She was just one girl with her own individual problems, but his crimes were numerous. His evils demanded amends, and he would pay for all of them ¨C one at time if necessary. Chapter 29 - Samawi The High Elf was offered freedom, but the slave rejected emancipation. In the back of his mind, Suran wondered if the choice was her own and not the will of the slave spell that latched her to him. Hundreds of other slaves sat in the warehouse. Would they have all rejected the same proposal? He half-heartedly hoped they would; he shuddered at what it would mean for her to be the only one who denied freedom. For now, Iylia was his responsibility. He took the free chair and sat in front of her. Waiting for Natalya. ¡°Do you have anything you want to ask me?¡± He asked optimistically, trying to kill time. Her head movement said no. While she sat there like a finely chiseled statue, Suran squirmed in his seat like a word, uneased by the deafening silence. Idle chatter was a terrifying beast. Natalya finally walked through the door. Suran let out a sigh of relief; he was saved. She came over holding folded fabric. ¡°Slavers know nothing about style, but, then again, I didn¡¯t know what I was expecting¡± she held out a plain white slip dress. ¡°The fitting might be poor and the color a little dull, but it¡¯s the best they got,¡± she shrugged. Iylia looked at the dress. Then at Natalya. Then at Suran. She acknowledged the existence of the dress. ¡°The dress is for you. It would not be good to go around wearing those tatters so put it on.¡± Iylia got up and began to shed her tatters without hesitation. ¡°Wait, hold on!¡± Suran called out to stop her. Iylia froze. Almost naked. ¡°Let me leave the room first then put on the clothes.¡± Suran began to leave the room, but Natalya stopped him and teased, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? She¡¯s just changing her clothes ¨C you don¡¯t have to be a prude!¡± Her joshing grin indicated she knew exactly she was doing. ¡°Not a prude ¨C it¡¯s a matter of decency,¡± retorted Suran. On the surface, Iylia did not seem to care; she remained frozen mid-strip. What worried him was what was hiding under the surface. He didn¡¯t expect her to act so unreservedly, but, then again, she was faithfully carrying out his instructions. He would have to be more careful in the future. For her sake. Natalya let up her grin and began giggling, ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know! I was just messing with you!¡± He coldly said, ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡± Natalya pouted. ¡°Come outside when you¡¯re done changing,¡± he motioned to Iylia. He turned and left the room. Outside, two Reginalds chatted. Upon his approach, Wylin greeted him with his grating smile, ¡°So, how is she?¡± ¡°Henry, we will be heading to the Guild next.¡± Suran paid no mind to Wylin who muttered ¡®how cruel¡¯ for being ignored. Natalya and Iylia came out of the room a moment later. Her simple white dress was a little dirty and its fitting was a little small, but it was a clear step up from rags. He nodded his head and said ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± and went to the exit. ¡°Have fun and take care!¡± Wylin said as they all walked away, waving his hand. ¡°Hope to do business with you again¡­¡± He derided the offer. If he ever came back here, it would be to dismantle this business, not add to it. He left the slave warehouse. ¡°Do you know how to get to the Adventure¡¯s Guild from here,¡± Suran asked Reginald. Henry nodded his head, ¡°Yes, of course. Since we¡¯re by the docks, the Guild isn¡¯t too far from here.¡± Out on the road, Suran looked at the docks. It was hard to call it a harbor anymore; only charred debris and rubble from buildings and pier were there. A rock sunk in his stomach and he asked, ¡°What happened here that night?¡± ¡°An inferno consumed the coast,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°A cost in coin that dwarfed the wealth of many. A cost in life far greater than the Kingdom is willing to admit.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s leave.¡± Suran turned away. Reginald led the way. True to his words, the Guild was close. The hall was busy; adventures bustled about. He spied open counters at the front and a mess hall to the right. He rummaged through his pockets and frowned. Not one coin was found. ¡°Natalya, do you have money?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± She still had the money from selling her home, surprisingly. ¡°Can you buy Iylia food from over there?¡± He motioned to the area of the guild where people were ordering food and drinks. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the guild business with Reginald.¡± ¡°Sounds good!¡± Natalya happily agreed. ¡°I¡¯ve been craving something to eat as well¡­¡± Natalya grabbed Iylia¡¯s arm, catching her by surprise, and dragged her off. Suran and Reginald walked up to an open counter. A girl with a red vest came up, ¡°Hello, my name is Susan and welcome to the Guild. How may I help you today?¡± Reginald spoke for Suran, ¡°He would like to register a company with the guild. I will vouch for him to waive the administrative fees.¡± ¡°Very well. Allow me to get the proper forms.¡± Susan took a slight bow and excused her from the counter. ¡°Do all companies need to register with the Adventure¡¯s Guild?¡± Suran asked Reginald while waiting. ¡°Not at all. You only need to register with the guild if you want to do business with them. Many companies and business owners don¡¯t bother going through the Guild since they just don¡¯t need to.¡± ¡°I see.¡± A clock ticked. People left. He waited. On the counter was a bell and he moved his hand to ring it. He was interrupted by a bunch of papers sliding in front of him. ¡°Apologies for the wait! Please fill out these forms and we will have you on your way!¡± Someone not Susan spoke to Suran. In her place was a different young lady with tied-back golden hair. Suran looked around. ¡°Where is Susan?¡± ¡°She suffered an unfortunate accident,¡± the woman said with a cheery smile. ¡°She won¡¯t be helping anyone now. I hope you find that I, Jeanne Gagnon, will be an acceptable replacement.¡± She courteously lowered her head. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He furrowed his brow. Her words were suspect, but her smile was disarming. ¡°Very well then,¡± picking up a pen from the counter, he began shuffling through the paperwork and filling it out. ¡°Is there any paperwork for me?¡± Reginald inquired, looking over Suran¡¯s shoulder. ¡°There won¡¯t be any,¡± Jeanne said, ¡°The fees were already waived by another.¡± Suran stopped scribbling and looked at Reginald with perplexion. Henry shrugged; he didn¡¯t know who could have done that. It wasn¡¯t worth worrying about, so Suran went back to the forms. It asked for members of the company. He listed himself, Iylia, and Natalya. It asked for the main address or headquarter of the organization. He got the address of the house from Reginald and listed it. Suran mindlessly went through the questions. At the same time, he popped questions at Jeanne to get a better understanding of how the guild and these companies work. Jeanne explained that a company can employ or add anyone to it without going through the guild ¨C like all the other companies and groups that act outside of the Guild¡¯s influence. But, to work with the guild, the individuals need to be registered. Setting up a company with a guild lets its members gain Guild clearance easier and cheaper. There were other benefits to registering through the guild and not through the Kingdom¡¯s records alone; the Guild is a multi-national organization, making it easier to work and establish a presence across borders due to the Guild¡¯s influence. It was interesting, to hear about the different jobs and tasks the Guild deals with. From hunting dangerous and rabid monsters and animals that disturb the peace to clearing out and exploring the depths of lost ruins. The scope of the guild was impressively large. He went through the forms, and, near the end, one final questioned stumped him. It asked: what is the name of the company? It was hard to remember, but there was a time where he once felt free. Nothing weighed him down and the stars guided him. He put pen to paper and wrote ¡®Samawi¡¯. An old word he barely recalled, but it felt fitting. With the forms complete, he pushed them towards Jeanne. She happily collected and reviewed them. After looking through them she said, ¡°All the forms are in order. Now if you could gather the rest of your members, I will finalize the registration.¡± Suran went off to go grab Natalya and Iylia while Reginald waited at the counter. At the other side of the Guild among the clatter of utensils and the chatter of men, Natalya and Iylia were sitting quietly with their gazed fixed upon each other as if they were engaged in a heated staring contest. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He asked as he approached the table. ¡°You know,¡± Natalya said with a tinge of disappointment, ¡°I told her she could get whatever she wanted and however much she wanted, and you know what she did?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°She ordered the wateriest soup with the blandest toast in the tiniest portion.¡± ¡°Why did she do that?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t say. She didn¡¯t say anything, actually. She still hasn¡¯t said anything.¡± Natalya pouted in her chair and crossed her arms while Iylia sat stoic. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped,¡± Suran shrugged. ¡°If you¡¯re done, come with me. There¡¯s one last thing that needs to be done before we can leave.¡± The two got up and followed Suran back to the counter. He presented the two to Jeanne, ¡°We are all here now.¡± ¡°So these two beautiful ladies are your companions?¡± Jeanne asked. For a brief moment, Suran thought Jeanne¡¯s warm smile was replaced with a scowl of pure rage. It came and went like a flash, almost like an illusion. She placed three blank cards in front of them with a prick next to them. ¡°Last is to create your Guild membership cards. Prick your thumb and dab your thumb into the box on the right of the card. Using the latest technology, the card will generate a portrait of you in the box on the left. After that, fill in the accompanying personal information in between and that would be it.¡± Suran went first since he was skeptical; he wondered if the card would really generate his image with a print of his bloodied thumb. He pricked his thumb, let the blood flowed, and stamped his thumb print neatly on the card. The card shimmered, and, in the left box, a shoulder-up portrait of him inked itself in the box. Following suit, Iylia and Natalya made their own cards for themselves. After that, an additional set was made for the Guild¡¯s records. Jeanne collected the Guild¡¯s set and said, ¡°With that, you are done! The free company, Samawi,¡± she struggled to say the name, ¡°With Suran Ibrahim as its leader, is now established! We, the Guild, will handle the rest of the paperwork on our end to finalize it. If there are any problems, I will contact you. From now on, I will be your liaison between you and the guild, so I will be looking forward to working with you in the future!¡± ¡°Alright then. Thanks.¡± Suran took his card and began to leave the Adventure¡¯s Guild with everyone following him. ¡°It was great working with you again!¡± Jeanne called out as they walked away. Suran turned around, ¡°Again?¡± ¡°We spoke over a week ago when you first came,¡± she cheerfully explained. ¡°A lot has happened since then, but I pride myself in my good memory!¡± There was an inkling of familiarity to her, Suran thought, and he vaguely recalled the short conversation he had with her all those days ago. ¡°Look forward to working with you more, then,¡± Suran said. Her face glowed with vibrance. Leaving her at her counter, the group of four left the Adventure¡¯s Guild behind. The Baron took the lead out on the streets. ¡°Now, the Mage College is next. Let¡¯s see if my old friend is in¡­¡± Chapter 30 – Three M’s – Part two start Hundreds of years have passed since the birth of Valeryia. Since then, it accumulated leagues of land, nurtured a prospering population, and amassed volumes of annals. As the country grew, so too did its needs. It needed officers for times of war. Doctors to tend to the sick. Architects to build cities. Mages to grapple with the arcane. The kings of old saw these needs, and so they pooled the Kingdom¡¯s resources and established a college in the heart of Valeryia, an institution without equal for hundreds of leagues. Named after the old Valeryian hero Efrain, it stood as a beacon of knowledge, guiding the Kingdom¡¯s youth. Years ago, to accommodate its growth, the Efrain College of Valcadia was split into two campuses: The Efrain College campus for general studies and subjects and the Mage College of Valcadia campus for magic and arcane subject matter. Reginald led the group to the Mage College. His friend ¨C described as an archaeologist of sorts ¨C was a professor and academic employed there. The atmosphere changed. Suran noticed more and more young adults out on the streets. The stores and scenery seemed more vibrant and full of a color ¨C a clear contrast to the rest of the city. Standing above the youthful district was a clock tower. Reginald led Suran through the buildings and into a clear and he saw that underneath the clock tower sprawled an open campus with green fields and building complexes. ¡°I wonder if this is the right way¡­¡± Reginald muttered as he walked through the open green under the tower. ¡°It has been a long time since I last visited him,¡± he said jokingly. Eventually, he stopped aimlessly searching and asked someone for directions, leading the group to an old, almost run-down, brick building. They entered the building and were greeted by a typical, stuffy, old administration building. Reginald found a directory and scanned through it before heading off through musty halls. He led everyone up two flights of stairs past offices, past the odd classroom or two, and through several workspaces. He stopped in front of an old wooden door decorated by a dingy gold plaque that read ¡®Mortimer Schachtschneider¡¯. ¡°Let me go in first and talk to him if he is here,¡± Reginald said. ¡°He will need to be warmed up a bit before he will talk to anyone.¡± ¡°Will there be a problem?¡± Suran asked. Reginald popped a half smile, ¡°Well¡­ he¡¯s just a little odd.¡± He knocked on the door and heard a ¡®come in¡¯. Opening the door, Reginald slipped in, leaving Suran, Natalya, and Iylia waiting outside. They waited patiently outside and Reginald came back out a moment later with a pleased smile. ¡°He¡¯s willing to hear you out, come on in.¡± Stepping to the side, Reginald let Suran walk past and into the room. Sitting in a chair just too little space, wearing glasses that fit one size too big for his eyes, sporting a pointy hat with a circumference a hair too much, an old man with the most skeptical of beady eyes eyed him from behind a wooden desk that was an inch or two too high. One by one, everyone filed into the room. ¡°Here they are,¡± Reginald announced to Mortimer. Mortimer slunk into his chair and said in a low whisper, ¡°You didn¡¯t say there would be this many people¡­¡± ¡°Oh it¡¯s fine! You¡¯ll only being dealing with him,¡± Reginald pointed Suran out. Suran nodded his head as a greeting and said, ¡°The name is Suran.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Mortimer said. ¡°I¡¯m Mortimer. So did you want something?¡± The man pushed up his spectacles. ¡°Didn¡¯t Reginald tell you why I was here?¡± ¡°He did, but I didn¡¯t get what he was saying.¡± ¡°¡­You want me to tell you?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Suran walked over and pulled up a chair in front of the desk. He took a seat and began. He quickly explained, telling Mortimer only the most relevant information. From his world, he was forcibly evicted and sent to a different realm. It was hazy from there, but he next found himself here. Mortimer listened to the story intently and then said, ¡°So what do you want me to do?¡± ¡°I need help getting back.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He just looked at Suran and shrugged, ¡°Just go back the way you came.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how I got here?¡± ¡°How don¡¯t you know? If you don¡¯t know, then how am I supposed to know?¡± Suran, confused, looked over to Reginald, who was as amused as he was confused. ¡°Reginald said that, with your line of work, you¡¯d be able to help.¡± ¡°I¡¯m an arcane archaeologist. All I do is research old magic spells and items.¡± ¡°Mortimer,¡± Reginald called out, ¡°He wants to know if you know any magic spells or magical items that could help him get back to his home.¡± Perplexed, Mortimer asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t he just say so?¡± He rustled through his overly large desk and began pulling out dilapidated notebooks that look as if a non-artistic child made it into a scrapbook. The man opened one up and cursed silently as random piece of papers fell out and began stroking his bushy white beard as he perused his notes. ¡°I know of some stuff, but it¡¯s not helpful.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Suran straightened out and shifted towards the edge of his chair. ¡°It¡¯s called archaeology for a reason; all the stuff I find is super old so it¡¯s either incomplete in nature or left ineffective due to time. You learn a lot of cool stuff though.¡± He stopped at a page in his notebook. ¡°For example, many records show that the Demon race pioneered summoning magic ¨C a masterful extension of normal teleportation techniques ¨C and used it to great effect, bringing forth strange beings and creatures from different realms.¡± ¡°Is there a reason that can¡¯t work?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know, but the Demon race is extinct. Or have been for the last 2,000 years. Much of their technology and magic went with them. What¡¯s left is the bottom of the barrel we get to scrape off and use, so summoning magic is something that¡¯s far off. Not to mention, you would be looking to reverse such a process, which could make things complicated.¡± ¡°Okay, what else do you have?¡± Mortimer whipped out a large, encyclopedic book and began sifting through it. ¡°Good news: there¡¯s one more thing.¡± He stopped at a page. ¡°Bad news, it¡¯s a lost Sacred Treasure.¡± ¡°Sacred Treasure?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, you don¡¯t know. Sacred Treasures are items of unparalleled power and ability ¨C only other Sacred Treasures being able to properly match them. Their origins are literally divine; no race, no craftsmen in history, has ever created anything that could resemble a Sacred Treasure in all ways. Get close in one aspect, and you fail in another.¡± Items of divine origins put Suran in thought. Was this world really such a place, a place where gods existed? ¡°Why would the item being a ¡®Sacred Treasure¡¯ be bad news?¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°There¡¯s only one of it. And it¡¯s been lost for probably several hundred years.¡± ¡°What is this ¡®Sacred Treasure¡¯ you are talking about anyways?¡± ¡°Freymar¡¯s Gate. It is said to open doors to new worlds, new possibilities, and to bring the user to whatever it is that they seek.¡± ¡°That sounds¡­ too good to be true.¡± Suran wanted to believe this could be his solution, but he couldn¡¯t help but be skeptical. ¡°Well, no one has found it for the past hundred years. The amount of information on it could fit one paragraph. And, it¡¯s entirely possible that the Sacred Treasure won¡¯t do as advertised; their abilities can vary with the wielder.¡± Suran thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Are there any other options?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know. If it is, it¡¯s lost, and the only way to find it is to go looking for it. As for contemporary solutions, I wouldn¡¯t know. Then again, I¡¯d imagine any sort of summoning magic or ability would be widely discussed if it was out there.¡± ¡°Would it be possible to find this gate?¡± ¡°A possibility exists.¡± ¡°Alright, tell me what you know.¡± What other option did he have but this one? Mortimer looked down at his notes, read them for a moment, then looked back up to Suran and said, ¡°Freymar, the original wielder, was a Dwarf that lived during the Kath-al-Ur period, over 2,000 years. In the proceeding wars in chaos of the period, it was lost. There are sparse collections over the centuries of claims of it being found, but no claims could be verified and were consequently written off.¡± ¡°Is that it?¡± Suran inquired after waiting for me.¡± The old mage plainly said, ¡°I said it would fit in one paragraph.¡± ¡°What would it take to find the gate?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be able to find it. Someone like me would have to help.¡± ¡°Then can you help me find it?¡± ¡°Not for free.¡± ¡°Fine. What do you want?¡± ¡°I want you to help me find Freymar¡¯s gate.¡± Tilting his head, Suran looked around in confusion. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m an archaeologist. My job is to find old stuff, research it, dissect it, and modernize my learnings so other people can use it. Problem is, the college hasn¡¯t given me ¨C or anyone ¨C any funding. I haven¡¯t been able to a dig site in years. I am unable to do what I want to do. So here¡¯s the deal: help me do what I want to do, and I¡¯ll help you look for whatever it is you are looking for as long as I know I can look for it.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ll help as long as you can do your archaeology work?¡± ¡°Yes, but you have to handle the logistics. Funding, travel, protection, so on.¡± ¡°Deal. Where do we start?¡± Mortimer whipped out a scroll and spread it out on his desk. ¡°We start with this!¡± Before everyone was a massive map a continent with red X¡¯s and notes scribbled all over it. ¡°I may not have been able to go out, but I keep track of what¡¯s going on.¡± He began to point out various locations on the map, ¡°These are the sites related to Dwarves from oldest to newest. If we want more information, our best bet would be to look through Dwarven literature and records.¡± Suran analyzed the map, finding where they were located on the map and comparing it to all the markings. ¡°Is there any site you think would be the best?¡± ¡°How about this one,¡± he said while pointing to an X on the map. ¡°Alright,¡± Suran said. The X was relatively close compared to the others, situated in a mountain range in a territory marked as ¡®Nosirion¡¯. ¡°Any reason why?¡± ¡°Not really. It¡¯s close. It¡¯s a joint dig in the area controlled by the Dragons and Dwarves. Reports say the site is at least 1,500 years old. Only issue is, people have been saying bad things have been happening there.¡¯ ¡°Bad things?¡± ¡°It¡¯s normal to find monsters and stuff in ruins, but I heard some bad monsters are being found there. Not the normal zombies, skeletons, critters, or whatever.¡± Suran nodded his head, ¡°That¡¯s fine. I think we can handle it.¡± Depending on how dangerous the inhabitants are, Suran thought it might be a good idea to get extra muscle. There was no reason to cut corners and risk everyone¡¯s lives. ¡°Great. Then all we need is the supplies. We will need transportation of some sort like a horse, a carriage or wagon, digging supplies, food and drink to last the few week journey, funds to continually stock up while we carry out the dig, and anything else you may need like weapons, guides, or extra arms.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Suran mentally noted the list, ¡°how much do you think we will need?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know; I never messed with money. A couple gold at least. Maybe a dozen?¡± Reginald whistled from the corner, ¡°That¡¯s no amount to laugh at.¡± Running the numbers and conversion rates in his mind, Suran confirmed that the amount wasn¡¯t small by any stretch. He found himself, again, in a spot where money was a problem. He frowned in his seat. So far, the only way he knew how to make money was to go through the Adventure¡¯s Guild and complete their requests. From the few requests and tasks he saw, someone like him accumulating that much gold wasn¡¯t going to be easy. It would be time consuming and almost certainly a bother. Suran got up from his chair and asked Mortimer, ¡°If we need you, will you be here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have the funds right now. When I do, I¡¯ll come back.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Mortimer sat in his chair and despondently looked at him. There was a discomforting emptiness and bleakness in his gaze. Suran motioned to everyone else in the room and left the aging wizard to his own devices. When they were outside Mortimer¡¯s office, exiting the building, Suran asked Reginald, ¡°I must know: how did you get to be acquaintances with such a man?¡± The lord chuckled. ¡°When I was your age, did you think I sat around all day?¡± Reginald gazed ahead, fixated on something far off. ¡°Once upon a time, I was quite the traveler, and I found myself with Mortimer many a time.¡± He sighed, ¡°Now I¡¯m old and the most I can do is watch others.¡± ¡°Such is life,¡± Suran blandly reassured him. ¡°Anyways, do you have any idea where we can find the money?¡± ¡°Try the guild? Other than that, I can¡¯t help. You¡¯re on your own for this one since my wealth is stretched thin, even with the King¡¯s reward.¡± Suran clicked his tongue in annoyance. Always needing money was frustrating, but unfortunately, that is how this world works. One could bet nearly every world, every society, would work that way. They left the college office building. He was ready to grind it out if needed. But, he also flirted with the idea of just selling the house and hopefully being done with it so he could move on. Chapter 31 – Alexander’s Circle In the end, Suran found himself headed towards the Adventure¡¯s Guild. Money was a problem, and it wouldn¡¯t be solved by simply searching for a solution. With no other options, he had to start somewhere. The Guild wasn¡¯t necessarily bad work either (certainly better than trying to eke out a living through farming, trading, or any of the other occupation and tasks that would have a low yield for someone without resources). Some of the tasks he saw were drab; simple requests asking to deliver this, hunt that criminal, escort this person, and so on. However, some did pique his curiosity. Some asked to search and gather materials with properties and attributes he has never heard of and to slay creatures and beasts of a peculiar variety. No matter the task though, Suran was willing to give whatever it took to get what he needed ¨C even if it was an eternity. The road to the Guild was blocked. A crowd stuffed up Alexander¡¯s Circle and the remaining space was blocked off, making passing through to the Guild difficult. There probably existed some path around the traffic, but Suran wanted to know what was going on to cause this. He pushed and squeezed his way through while Natalya and Iylia followed through the path he created. Besides the incessant buzz of chatter, he found nothing was going on. Casually, he asked the person standing next to him what was going on. A prince was coming through, he heard. Prince Harold, one of the younger members of the royal family, was headed to the Valcadia arena. He was to conduct the opening ceremony for a gladiator tournament before heading off to the East, to the Wood Elf nation of Falaron where he was to meet his older brother Pier. Suran wasn¡¯t interested in seeing some noble ride away, but it honestly didn¡¯t make a difference to him. He would either have to wait to get through the masses or go around to get to the Guild anyways. Instead, he turned to Natalya and Iylia to see what they wanted to do. ¡°It¡¯ll be fun seeing a prince roll by!¡± Natalya cheerfully replied. On the other hand, Iylia was hiding behind Natalya. Or at least trying to. Didn¡¯t really work since Iylia was at least a foot taller than Natalya. Iylia didn¡¯t give a response that indicated she wanted to stay or leave, but her constant squirming and refusal to leave either of their sides made her seem very uncomfortable. So Suran compromised and took them to the back. Natalya could still somewhat see what was going on, and the thinner crowd made Iylia noticeably more comfortable. Cheers and shouts rouse from the crowd, riling up Natalya and tensing up Iylia. Suran craned his neck up and stood on the tip of his toes to get a better look. Trotting down the road was a dark green carriage with black decorations and designs outlining it. It rolled through with a window in the back removed. Waving with a full smile, a blonde teenager entertained the people from the back of the carriage. The boy was Prince Harold. Boom Panic flowed through the crowd. Screams erupted. Suran pushed his way ahead. Boom. Boom. Boom. The once boisterous crowd was running in full force. Where the carriage was once travelling through were ashen craters, debris, and flames. Another explosion ripped through, this time from the fountain that stood at the center of the plaza. Chaos settled in as Alexander¡¯s circle lay in ruin; Mounds of mangled and twisted bodies mixed in with the guttural screams of the dying littered the blackened and cratered ground. ¡°Natalya, Iylia, help whoever you can. Prioritize those whose life you can save.¡± Suran wasted no time. There were no guards around, no doctors, no help. If no one was going to act, then he would. He ran ahead towards the carriage. Suran plowed through the black smoke and over the splintered ground. The carriage was remarkably intact for having gone through several explosions at the least. Still, he had very little hope for a positive outcome. The black horses that pulled the carriage were reduced to bloody piles of meat. The frame of the carriage was shattered and splintered. Suran slid down the side of the hole and went up to the carriage. He checked the front bench. The driver was gone; one of the explosions must have been underneath him. He went to the carriage door, but something caught his eye. On the other side was a hooded figure with a white mask. The figure was crouched down, unaware of Suran. Without warning, Suran vaulted over the carriage. The figure took notice and sprinted away. Suran pursued. He followed him through the smog and up the depression. Right on his tail, he chased him through the smoke that turned from the dirty black into a foggy white. Until he punctured through into clear air. The mysterious figure was gone. There wasn¡¯t a trace of him. Suran went back to the carriage with haste. The carriage door was jammed, broken and bent from explosion. Suran fiddled with it, trying to pry it open, but he was unable to open it. He resorted to his sword. He took it out and used it as a level to crack it open. It crossed his mind that using a sword as a level wasn¡¯t the best idea ¨C could break his only weapon. But, he would gladly give up a weapon for the chance to save a life. The door broke open and the sword came out without any noticeable damage. With his hands, he finished the job and pried it open. It was as he feared; it was as if a storm of razors whirled around inside the cabin. Several corpses resided inside, torn to shreds from metal and force. To Suran¡¯s astonishment, Prince Harold was still alive. The Prince slowly turned his head and painfully gazed at Suran. He clutched his abdomen where a metal rod ran through. From the waist down, the Prince¡¯s body was missing (maybe not missing, the leg over at the side might be his), entrails spilling out. The boy, who looked no more than 17 or 18, was fated for death. Suran held no power to help nor words to ease. He sat with him in silence, until he met his end moments later. Suran closed his eyes and left. Climbing out of the ditch, he was greeted by a host of soldiers. They rudely pointed their weapons and barked at him. They demanded his name. He gave it to him. They asked what he was doing. He explained. Suran¡¯s records were verified by bystanders who saw what happened and by a soldier who whisked past him and confirmed what was down in the ditch. The group intended to arrest and detain Suran, but a commanding officer entered the scene and navigated with a cooler head. After documenting Suran¡¯s information and account, he was let go. The officer then scolded his men, telling them that they should worry about helping the injured and wounded and not harassing samaritans who were simply trying to help. Suran went out into the plaza. At one point, people flooding out, desperately trying to save their own life. Now, people were rushing in, working to save the lives of others. Still, it was bittersweet; lives would be saved, but it would be too few compared to the already staggering amount of lifeless bodies. Natalya and Iylia approached him as he stood and surveyed the scene. ¡°How did it go?¡¯ He asked them Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°You would not believe what Iylia did!¡± Natalya bobbed around excited. Her eyes were wide as she praised Iylia with no context. The star of the moment shrunk in spot. ¡°What happened?¡± Natalya swung her arm over Iylia and brought her up, ¡°She was amazing! She was able to patch some people up pretty well, and she used healing magic to fix some wounds!¡± ¡°Is this true?¡± Suran asked, pleasantly surprised. Iylia shook her head and said in almost a whisper, ¡°I d-didn¡¯t do much¡­ Only a few people with m-minor wounds¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short!¡± Natalya playful reprimanded, giving her a friendly push. ¡°Either way, good job,¡± Suran said. ¡°Now, let¡¯s leave. There is something I want to see.¡± Before the attack, he heard a man talk about a tournament that was to be held today. The prince was supposed to hold the opening ceremony so that part was ruined, be he was curious about the rest of it. Participating in an arena, possibly fighting to the death, sounded dangerous, but there could also be a hefty reward attached to it. He was growing used to the city; he felt he knew his was around much better. Natalya was complaining that Suran was taking wrong turns (she was counting them out, currently at four), but Suran wasn¡¯t actively listening to her. Travelling through a city filled with so many sights and sounds and people made a part of him nostalgic. Memories were a fickle thing ¨C he hated how they worked. Natalya went in front and lead the way. She brought them to the arena rather quickly. The area was surrounded with restaurants and clubs, but the streets were empty. A strange sight for a city with millions of people. The air felt heavy as they approached the arena. Outside, few men where shuffling around, moving boxes and other items. Skirting the outside, Suran found the main entrance and went in. He needed information, so he headed to an office compartment that was situated in the front. No one was there. He looked around. There was no one to be found. On the front desk, there was a bell. It rang twice as he tapped it. A man with a shaggy beard staggered out of a back room and asked, ¡°Can I help you?¡± There was no energy in his voice. ¡°I wanted information on the tournament,¡± Suran answered. ¡°Do you now?¡± The man walked up and plopped down on a seat at the desk. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Suran.¡± ¡°Well, Suran, the tournament was delayed for five days.¡± ¡°What type of tournament is it? Would it be possible to enter?¡± ¡°Looking to enter?¡± The man scrunched up his face plunged his hand into his beard to scratch chin. ¡°Since it was pushed back, I guess so. The rules are pretty simple. All the entrants will be separated into different pools of equal numbered participants. On the first day, the pools stage will involve a free-for-all with all the participants in the pool. Knock-out will result in a loss. Death as well. Forfeiture mid round is allowed. A time limit will be set, and all the surviving entrants will be seeded and moved to a bracketed stage. Coin will be awarded at the end of each round to the participants. The amount will be determined by the value of the equipment gathered at the end and the number of fallen combatants on top of a base amount. Any questions?¡± ¡°How does the money look like?¡± The man studied Suran. ¡°Getting to the bracketed stage could mean a couple of gold, depending.¡± ¡°How tough is the competition. ¡°Beats me,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°We got some regulars, some new faces, some big names. It was supposed to be a big one this time.¡± If he wanted to get coin fast, this seemed to be his option. Worst case scenario, he can forfeit if things get rough. ¡°Alright, I would like to register. The man yawned, ¡°Okay. Let me get the papers. The entry fee is five silver.¡± Suran rummaged through his pockets and remembered he had no coin. ¡°Natalya, do you have enough?¡± Natalya pulled out a coin purse and pulled out five silver coins, ¡°Yeah I got a couple of gold, remember?¡± ¡°¡­How much do you have?¡± Suran asked as he scooped up the coins. ¡°Just a few. Not enough for the trip, if that¡¯s what you want to know!¡± The man hobbled back with few papers in hand. ¡°Fill out these papers for me and that will be all. Ask if you have any questions. The name¡¯s Dale.¡± Suran took a writing utensil from the desk and began to fill it in. They were simple questions asked name, age, origin, and so on. He answered what he could and passed them back with the coin. He looked over it, snorted, and said, ¡°You left some of these blank.¡± ¡°I answered what I could.¡± ¡°Whatever,¡± he said with a tired laugh. ¡°I don¡¯t really care. You listed a sword as your registered weapon. I¡¯ll need to see it.¡± Suran drew his sword and placed it in front of him. He whistled and said, ¡°Wow, I¡¯ve never seen a sword like this before. Who was the craftsmen? Where they even humanoid?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Dale laughed with a little bit more energy, ¡°All good, my friend. The tournament, as of now, will start five days from now at noon. Be here about an hour or two before and the staff will go over the rules and pools and all the formalities.¡± Suran nodded his head, ¡°Thanks. Also, can we bring armor?¡± ¡°Sure. Only weapons need to be registered.¡± Five days until the tournament. There was much he could do to fill up that time, Suran pondered. There might be some quests at the Guild he could do, but he dismissed the idea. He felt it would be best to prepare for this event. He was lacking in armor and protection, a crucial component when engaging in combat. His sword was of great quality. But he knew nothing about it. The more he knew about the weapon, the better he could use it. It annoyed him that he couldn¡¯t spend more time investigating the mysterious blade. Where did the blade came from? What is this black material it¡¯s made of? How can the sword perform such odd feats? Difficult questions, but ones that must have an answer somewhere. He picked up and stashed the sword in the ill-fitting sheath he pilfered long ago. Perhaps, he mused, the best use of his time was learning how to even use a sword. One of the many things that he currently did not know; this world was full of unknowns for him. There was much he could do, learn, and explore, yet only five days before it was time. Chapter 32 – The Green Forge Suran wrangled back something that almost slipped his mind ¨C again. ¡°How much money do you have, Natalya?" Considering how problematic money seemed to be, this should have been something he asked a long time ago. She pulled out a bulging coin purse, loosened the draw strings, and dug her fingers into the bag, sorting through the coins. She only sifted through it for a few moments before stopping, shrugging her shoulders and answering, ¡°Dunno, maybe 11 or 12?¡± ¡°11 or 12 gold?¡± Suran asked surprised, raising one eyebrow. She nodded with a sour face, ¡°Would have gotten more too if the house and land weren¡¯t all messed up when I sold it.¡± Natalya crossed her arms and pouted. ¡°Are you fine using your money for the expedition.¡± She shrugged again, ¡°There¡¯s nothing else I need to spend it on. If you need to use my money, go ahead.¡± ¡°Great,¡± Suran said, nodding his head. Natalya had a large sum of money, maybe enough to fund the expedition ¨C or at least get close. There was one way to find out, Suran thought. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the market. See what we might need. Gauge the costs.¡± There was no disagreement, so Suran led the way towards the markets. The only thing sorely missing was pen and paper; budgeting and planning was a task better left to parchment. He could do without it, albeit annoyingly. Seeing the streets sparsely filled was an odd sight in the densely populated city. Ever since the night on the docks, the city had been quieter; there was less of a hum on the streets as a pervasive unease hung overhead. The events of the morning seemed to have exacerbated the issue. Suran made note of all this as he entered the market. ¡°Where do we start first,¡± Suran wondered aloud. He browsed through the foodstuffs which stood at the front of the market. Most food options were just a few copper. Bread, for instance, was 5 copper a loaf. Singular fruits and vegetables were just a copper or two with bundles and bunches priced accordingly. ¡°What do you think Natalya?¡± Suran asked, deferring to the resident expert. ¡°I could figure something out,¡± she mused as she perused the fruit stands, ¡°but I¡¯ll need to know how hearty and nutritious you want the meals as well as the travel details. How much we eat and what we eat will depend on where we¡¯re going and how long it will take.¡± Suran scratched his head. ¡°For meals quality, we should try to avoid barebones meals as well as gratuitous ones.¡± ¡°So, you want just normal meals?¡± ¡°¡­Yes,¡± Suran said after a moment, making sure that is what he meant. ¡°I don¡¯t remember where or how far the place the old man mentioned was.¡± A voice mumbled, ¡°Eastern Nosirion.¡± Iylia gave the answer with no confidence. Despite her lack of faith and her answer, Suran thought it to be correct since it did jog his memory. Natalya nodded her head and said, ¡°I can work with that. If I remember right, place is pretty far. Would be best to just set aside coin for a month¡¯s worth of food. We will have to buy supplies as we go along since stuff goes bad.¡± ¡°How much do you think we should budget?¡± She scrunched up her face and crossed her arms, ¡°I can make a decent meal for about 35 copper. So 35 copper per person for maybe two meals a day for however many days.¡± Suran did the math and said ¡°28 silver per person.¡± ¡°How did you do that so fast?¡± Natalya asked, perplexed. ¡°Math isn¡¯t that bad,¡± he explained, ¡°35 per meal twice a day is 70 and then over 40 days is 2,800 copper. 100 copper is one silver so it becomes 28 silver per person.¡± Natalya squinted her eyes, hard in thought. Finally, she said, ¡°Math sucks.¡± ¡°We can just keep adding 28 to our budget for each person there is. I¡¯ll leave the exact details of the food to you. For now, let¡¯s move on.¡± Suran debated between general equipment and travel arrangements. He quickly settled on transportation; they weren¡¯t going anywhere without a means to travel. It took some walking to get where they needed to be. Animals and the sorts take up space, so they were relegated to the corners of the marketplace. Cows, chickens, sheep, all familiar faces among the animals. The same could not be said for the sleek and narrow bird-like creatures, the bulbous and stout four-legged animal with tusks, the critter that looked like an oversized rat without a tail, and the other queer creatures that were displayed. Suran spotted a horse vendor ¨C someone who dealt in the familiar ¨C and went to him. He explained his situation and his needs, and, in turn, the vendor explained his options. As expected, the tusked animal and the rats, crofs and glabers respectively, were not travel animals. Crofs were kept primarily for their tough hide while glabers were a sort of scavenger that kept fields and pens clean, with their meat having high nutritional value. On the other hand, the mean looking bird vroelia was a widely used means of transportation. The flightless bird was valued for its quick feet and vast reserves of stamina. Of the conventional travel animals, vroelias were the swiftest, able to outpace and outrun anything else. He briefly paused his explanation to chastise Natalya for playing with the horses. The merchant turned back to Suran with a sly smile and explained their downside: poor strength. Loading them up with cargo or having them pull wagons of supplies was a difficult job for the bird; their swift and nimble body did not lend itself well to raw strength. Suran started perusing through the stock of horses. There were two other animals mentioned, but neither held Suran¡¯s interest; one was for the tundra and snow while the other was for the mountains and desert. Horses would do fine, he thought, as vroelia seemed to fit fast and light travel. At any rate, anything he got would eat a chunk out of his budget. Horses went anywhere from one and a half to two and a half gold, depending on breed, size, and quality. He made note of the prices in his mind, thanked the merchant, and went on his way. Wagons was next on his list. After leaving the horse merchant, he took a brisk walk to the wagons and carts ¨C conveniently placed beside the animal vendors. While there were many different wood types and qualities as well as build styles, a moderately large wagon of decent quality with a cover would cost around one gold. Last was equipment. He only had a sword ¨C no telling of its quality either. Mortimer mentioned how the site he picked out was more dangerous than usual. Armor and protection was a must. In its own subdivision in the market, the armorers and smithies were lined away from everything else. They could hear the striking of steel and puffing of fumes as they walked down the cobblestone streets. People were still scarce on the streets, but it felt as if some life breathed through these roads. ¡°Which one do we go to?¡± Suran asked. There were far too many forges and they all looked virtually the same. ¡°Uuuuh,¡± Natalya droned out, ¡°What about that guy we meet at the Circle?¡± Her question was directed at Iylia. Suran furrowed his brow and let out a ¡®hmm¡¯. She turned to Suran and said, ¡°At Alexander¡¯s Circle, Iylia got to help out a couple of people. One of them said he was a smith. ¡°Think we can find him?¡± Natalya scratched her chin, ¡°Maybe. I think he told Iylia his name and stuff so she probably knows better than me.¡± ¡°Can you take us to him?¡± Suran asked Iylia. She tensed up, but then nodded reluctantly. Iylia walked and led the group around, surveying each building. She refused to any anyone for directions, content identifying each building by the signage. It was outside a simple building that hung a simple green placard she stopped. The sign read ¡®Green Forge¡¯. ¡°Is this it?¡± Suran motioned towards the building. Iylia looked at the sign again and said, ¡°I- I think so¡­¡± Suran shrugged. Even if it wasn¡¯t the place, he would need to start shopping around eventually. The door was closed and the windows shuttered, so he knocked to an`nounce his presence before entering. It was dark and empty in the front of the store, only weapons and armors populating the floor. Suran threw out a, ¡°Hello,¡± trying to see if anyone was in. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. He heard the slow stomping of boots and a gruff voiced called out, ¡°Who¡¯s there? We¡¯re closed.¡± A burly bald man sporting a red beard hobbled out of the back. Wrapped in bandages, he carefully walked, crutch in hand. ¡°Come back another day, week, maybe month-¡± he stopped to see who came in and his eyes widened. A grin grew on his face and exclaimed, ¡°Why, if it isn¡¯t the lass from earlier!¡± A full-bodied laugh resonated from the large body and shook the room. ¡°Who¡¯s that lad?¡± He said, nodding his head at Suran. Natalya, without missing a beat, replied, ¡°He¡¯s Iylia¡¯s owner.¡± Suran flinched at the phrase; he still couldn¡¯t shake the unease from the arrangement. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is,¡± The man said, stroking his thick beard. He stretched out a hand toward Suran, ¡°Name¡¯s Ulfric Bjornsted and this is my workshop. ¡°I am Suran.¡± He shook hands with the man ¨C his grip a little too strong for his liking. ¡°That lass of yours did a real service fo¡¯ me earlier!¡± Ulfric limped his out from behind a counter and showcased his injuries. His entire left leg was wrapped in gauze, with many other smaller bandages and wrappings covering his body. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for her, might ¡®ave lost a leg ¨C or worse!¡± Iylia shied away from the conversation and said, ¡°I d-didn¡¯t do much¡­¡± Ulfric roared again. ¡°Stopped some bleeding was all you did, but was enough to get me to a doctor! So tell me, what can the smith of the Green Forge do for ya? A round of drinks or a sharp blade?¡± Suran motioned to answer, but was interrupted by a holler from the back, ¡°Who¡¯re you talking to Ulfric? I thought I told you to say in bed!¡± ¡°Just some friends dear, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Ulfric sighed and rolled his eyes. In a whisper he said, ¡°That¡¯s ma¡¯ wife Darcy. Means well. Most of the time.¡± ¡°Did you say something?¡± Darcy yelled out again, causing Ulfric to jump in place. ¡°I don¡¯ care who it is up there, friend or customer. Send them out this instance!¡± ¡°But, Darcy! It¡¯s someone important!¡± A little lady stormed out from the back, ¡°Who could be so important?¡± Her poufy, curly red hair was bouncing as she walked up to them. ¡°Darcy, they¡¯re the folks that gave me a hand this mornin¡¯.¡± Darcy turned from a hostile housewife to a loving lady instantly. ¡°Why didn¡¯ you say so earlier?¡± She turned to the group, ¡°I owe you thanks for helping out this meathead of mine. Do what you need to do, but don¡¯t keep him long ¨C the doctor ordered bed rest, after all.¡± Suran nodded his head and Darcy flew away, saying she had some housekeeping to do. Ulfric patiently waited for his wife to scurry away before letting out a sigh of relief. With his free hand, he scratched his beard and asked, ¡°What can I do ya for? Since you helped me out, I¡¯ll make sure to do ya right.¡± ¡°We were planning an expedition to some ruins,¡± Suran answered. ¡°For that, I needed some armor and equipment.¡± ¡°That, I can do!¡± Ulfric said with a hearty laugh. ¡°Only for you or for the lass as well?¡± He nodded at Iylia. ¡°Only for me since Iylia won¡¯t fight; I will be the only one doing any fighting, if necessary.¡± Ulfric scrunched up his face, ¡°Sure about that? Ruins and dungeons aren¡¯t for me ¨C I keep to the forge ¨C but even I know a one-man vanguard would be unwise.¡± ¡°I was already considering hiring a sellsword,¡± Suran replied, waving off the concern. ¡°Fair enough,¡± he grunted, ¡°But I¡¯m sure that lass of yours could pull some weight if you wanted.¡± Suran frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Of all people, it was Iylia who answered in her quiet voice, ¡°I was t-taught to use swords and bows.¡± Ulfric shrugged as if to say ¡®that¡¯s what I meant¡¯. ¡°I see,¡± Suran said. ¡°However, I won¡¯t ask you to fight.¡± He turned to Ulfric, ¡°Anyways, all I will need is some armor.¡± A grin grew on Ulfric¡¯s face like a kid that was asked to bring out all his toys. ¡°Come with me and let¡¯s see what we can fix you with. Do you want a full set or just pieces? Do you want it light or heavy? What about quality? Materials?¡± ¡°Ulfric, what did I say?¡± Piercing through the house was the shrill of Darcy. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°As much as I¡¯d love to go through everything with ya, my loving wife won¡¯t seem to have any of it today. I¡¯ll have to ask you to come another day so we can do this the right way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. We were only gauging prices anyways to make a budget.¡± ¡°Great! Come by in a few days and, depending on your needs, I can get you set with some great quality works at a fair price, a gold or two at most.¡± Ulfric hobbled behind the counter for a moment, ¡°There¡¯s one thing I can do for ya now though.¡± From underneath the counter, he pulled out two large wooden instruments in the shape of a sword and threw them at Suran. He was caught off guard, but he managed to secure both of the objects. ¡°Them be some practicing blades. Give one to the lass and have a go. Can¡¯t hurt to get some practice in for anything that comes up during your journey.¡± ¡°I will put them to use,¡± Suran said. He propped them up on the wall, ¡°That reminds me, I have a sword but I don¡¯t know its quality. Can you take a look?¡± ¡°Sure I can! Bring me the blade and I¡¯ll see what I can tell ya.¡± Suran walked up the counter, unsheathed his sword, and placed it in front of Ulfric. Ulfric whistled as he examined the sword. ¡°What a beaut¡¯ of a sword this is. Shame it¡¯s in such a dingy scabbard. Mind if I hold it?¡± Suran gave him the go ahead. Gingerly, the behemoth of a man picked up the sword and began measuring its qualities. ¡°Let me to this in the back,¡± he proposed, ¡°I¡¯ve got some tools there I can use to compare it to my other works.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Suran said. Still marveling over the craftsmanship of the blade, Ulfric took it into the back. They waited patiently outside for the man to do his work. It was several minutes before he hobbled out, noticeably exhausted. Placing the blade back in front of Suran, he inched in close to Suran and whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t know where you got this nor am I going to ask. It¡¯s peculiar, to say the least. That is, if the black coloring and the red gem weren¡¯t enough of a giveaway. I tested it against all the materials and metals I have, and this surpasses anything I have ¨C maybe anything I¡¯ve ever had. And the craftsmanship is¡­ impossibly good. Not a single flaw I could find, and I¡¯ve seen countless blade in the last 30 years to know even the smallest of ¡®em. Take good care of this blade and keep it out of wandering eyes, lad.¡± ¡°What do you think makes this blade good,¡± Suran asked, his curiosity not sated. Ulfric shrugged, ¡°Could be the material. I honestly don¡¯t know what it¡¯s made of. Or could be some magic enhancement. I know nothing of that magic stuff so I can¡¯t say for sure.¡± ¡°Is magic enhancement common?¡± ¡°Not really. It is a difficult process that, I heard, ends in failure more often than not. As far as I know, blades imbued with magic can be extremely powerful.¡± Suran thanked Ulfric and took back his blade. He still wasn¡¯t satisfied; he felt Ulfric¡¯s analysis left him with more questions than he started with. It certainly was a peculiar blade of high quality, but knowing only that was not enough for him. There was something about the sword that was unsettling. It was shrouded in darkness and the unknown. He needed to learn its secrets, but he felt the more he tried, the further the darkness spread. He feared what could lie in the dark. Chapter 33 – Training Body and Mind They were in the backyard of the house, Suran and Iylia were. With the light of day fading, Suran decided to head back to the estate, but they were only in the back by the quiet insistence of Iylia. It was no secret that he had no training with a sword. It was for this reason Iylia asked to spar with Suran, under the pretense of helping him prepare for the tournament. He was hesitant to accept, but saw no reason to decline. He swung the wooden stick Ulfric had given him around in the air, testing its weight and size. While he was getting used to the practice sword, Iylia stood motionless opposite of him with her sword in both hands. Suran stopped waving the stick around. ¡°Ready?¡± He asked. She nodded her head and straightened herself. Suran took a step forward, but she took two. In the blink of an eye, she was in arms reach. He swung out a flurry, she parried to the right. He countered to the left, but she ducked underneath. From below, she used her great shoulder as a battering ram, smashing into Suran and launching him into the air and onto the grass. ¡°I¡¯m s-s-sorry!¡± Iylia exclaimed rushing over. She tried to say something more, but her face was stuck in remorse so no words came out, instead shying away from Suran. Still on the ground, he waved his hand, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± He got up and brushed the dirt off his clothes. Retrieving his practice sword, he said, ¡°Again.¡± And so, the rest of the evening was spent sparring. The outcome was almost always the same: Suran disarmed and neutralized, Iylia cornering him with her sword, or with Suran sprawled on the ground. After each victory, Iylia would panic quietly before Suran resumed practice. The sun set and Suran was sprawled on the ground again. There was a noise in his head; he was laughing at himself. Not once did he get close to beating her, but what else should he have expected? It might be enough practice for the day, he thought. He learned a lot being on the receiving end of Iylia¡¯s surprising amount of skill, and that was enough for him. He got up from the ground but, instead of telling her he was done for the day, he said ¡°Once more.¡± He was taken aback ¨C those were not the words he wanted, yet he made no move to correct himself. Rubbing out the kinks in his neck, he instead muttered to himself, ¡°Good grief...¡± Going for one more round shouldn¡¯t be an issue; no need for fuss. Besides, he saw a means of victory. There was no use in sitting idle when he could lead by example. No matter how he cut it, the task would still be a difficult one. Especially when he was only using what was given to him (a handicap in its own right). There wasn¡¯t much time to prepare since she was already barreling down, but his observations gave him some insight. There was a familiarity between his rounds with her and when Greyson spent time sparring with him back then. Greyson fought with form and precision at all times, forming an impenetrable wall that boxed in and suffocated his enemy. Iylia fought the same way, in that her stance was rooted in form. However, she maneuvered with agility and finesse, opting to tear open weakness in her opponent rather than how Greyson imposed his will on them. But, what was strange was that her form fell apart after she engaged. Almost entirely by choice too it seemed. Her agility and finesse remained, but instead of careful maneuvering, she fought scrappily, always in his face, grappling with her free arm. She fought like a cornered animal stained with the fear of death. In any case, it didn¡¯t matter which way she fought since she was likely to win either way. But, she didn¡¯t fight one way or the other. Iylia alternated her style. Suran sought his opening in the transitions. He held his ground as she approached, not moving an inch. Iylia set upon him from the right. She chopped vertically. Suran dodged, but she anticipated his movement and almost grappled him with her free hand, pushing Suran off balance. Once his footing was lost, Iylia unleashed a flurry of sword strikes and hand attacks. His opportunity was lost, so he jumped out of her reach before her assault gave him no quarter. Iylia charged him again, and Suran steeled himself. He held no qualms with continuing this dance until he found the opening he needed. And so the motions repeated. She opened with her refined movement while Suran stood in wait. By the time her attack turned into whirlwind, he disengaged, realizing his window had closed. There were opportunities to engage, to fight back, but he let them go. He simply watched her moves, waiting for the right opportunity, for he knew that his first strike might be his last. And so the motions repeated. She closed in with her swift speed while Suran braced himself. He watched her movements closely. Iylia jabbed with her sword, he moved out of the way. Reaching out came her hand, aiming to finally grasp victory. Yet, all it grabbed was air, as Suran clasped his hand around her arm and yanked her forward. Iylia tried to reach around with her sword to pry Suran off, but he leveraged his position, forcing her to tangle her limbs simply trying to reach him. With the twist of an arm and a shove, she ended up face down on the ground. Pinned to the ground with a wood sword at her neck, Iylia had lost. She struggled underneath. He pushed her harder into the grass. Now this, he thought, was an example. Then, he realized where he was. Suran stumbled off of her back and fell onto the dirt, wondering what he was doing. He shook his head and rubbed his temple. ¡°Sorry, I¡­ went too far. That¡¯s enough for today.¡± Before Iylia could even get off the ground and respond, Suran retreated to the house, retiring for the day. The next morning, Suran was nowhere to be found at the house. A note was left on the kitchen table that asked Natalya to keep an eye on Iylia and maybe take her out for clothes and other necessities. There was a sour, cold spot in Suran¡¯s stomach. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to face Iylia after losing control yesterday; even though what he did worked, he wasn¡¯t all too happy with it. A quiet place was what he wanted. Suran went towards the college. He recalled that there was a large library nearby. He could read about the subjects he eagerly wanted to know more about while getting a nice, silent area to cool down. Nestled on the outskirts of the campus, the library stood. It was large, as he thought, but its large wooden doors hid more than he imagined. It¡¯s true, the library stood several stories tall, but, through an elegant octagonal opening that cut through, Suran peered down, witnessing layers unseen from the outside. Its grandiose grandeur was a sight to behold. He went straight to a directory and flipped it open. There were actual several directories too sift through ¨C all of them monstrous in size. Several interesting books immediately caught his attention: Mana Manipulation and the Potential for Producing Entropic Effects, Impact of Language within the Sphere of Magic, Modern Age Breakthroughs in Alchemy. Fascinating topics, but he held little confidence he could understand them. He flipped to a different page. Something more digestible surfaced as he skimmed through. Books on Sacred Treasures, races and species, history, and geography were part of the selection. He jotted down a list and went off to retrieve them. It took some time to gather his list; they were all spread out on the various floors. But, when he had them all, he sat himself in the recesses of the upper floors by windows that overlooked the city. The first topic that interested him was Sacred Treasures. His goal was to find one, after all. He cracked open the first book, titled, Ancient Lore and Myths on Sacred Treasures. Sacred Treasures, staples of time that drive legends, fables, tales, and history. Said to be forged from the immaculate Heart of God, their presence and influence exert undeniable sway on the shaping of history and culture. Even when the birth of Sacred Treasures has stagnated in the last centuries, the timeless relics that remain never cease to be a driving force. In the sands of time, some stories and record have been lost for these unequaled items. But, for those whose history has stood the test time, their stories and legends will be recorded here. He flipped back a few pages, away from the introduction to the index. Quite a few names were on the list, but no matter how much he searched, he could not find Freymar¡¯s Gate listed. For something deemed lost, he was not surprised ¨C just disappointed. There were numerous other entries though, each with dozens of pages and sections. He picked out a few names from the index that caught his attention and began reading. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Warhammer of Azeron Roughly 2,300 years ago, the Warhammer appeared, wielded by the Holy Knight Azeron. Azeron was a roaming knight who sought to deliver justice to the war-torn lands. He waged war against the Demons and those who brought chaos and evil to the lands. It is said the hammer arose from an expedition to the mountains surrounding Kath-al-Ur. A horde deserted soldiers took refuge in the mountains, preying upon all in the countryside. Azeron caught wind of their presence, and, true to his nature, rode into the mountains with his order without a second thought. However, his arrival was anything but pleasant; he was swiftly ambushed by a legion of demons from all sides. Man and demon alike both fell under the crushing blow of his hammer, but wave after wave crashed into his men. Surrounded, they fought to their last breath. Even Azeron could not come out unscathed. In an effort to be a shield for his men, he was wounded beyond repair, standing at the door of death. Even then, Azeron refused to fall. It is said that in his heroic last stand, he ascended to the heavens and descended a radiant sun, brandishing the gleaming Warhammer. One swing from the hammer sent shockwaves through the mountain range. The ripples tore asunder the mountains, reducing it and the enemy army to nothing. Azeron, wielding a gift from god, returned a saint to his people. The hammer¡¯s tale with Azeron ended with his life at the Battle of Kath-al-Ur where he used the hammer¡¯s mighty power to shake the world, shattering the Maz¡¯rook continent off of its southern half. The Scythe of Thantos Thantos was a peculiar man who appeared 2,300 years ago. He simply showed up one day. No one knew who he was, and there were no friends, family, or relatives to speak of. Always alone, seldom speaking, and surrounded by a creeping chill. He became the center of many strange and odd stories and rumors, but that didn¡¯t stop others from treating him with respect. In an interesting twist, he worked as a social servant. In a time of great unrest, he served as a judge and executioner. But, with the demon scourge straining society, the North slowly fell into chaos and disarray. Thantos, however, would not accept that. One day, he came into the city, scythe in hand. When or where he got it, no one knew, but they did come to understand the death it wrought. Without remorse, he culled those that instigated tyranny and the weak that ailed society. The scythe unleashed a hellish frost that quelled the civil unrest and reforged the splintered North. Thantos returned to his quiet life, but took up his scythe once more to participate in the Battle of Kath-al-Ur, settling a thick verglas on the lands that forever altered the land. Greatsword of Efrain Efrain, herald as one of the greatest heroes, was one of the leaders in the war against the Demons. On the battlefields, over 2,300 years ago, he was a force to be reckoned with, cleaving through the enemy lines by himself. He rose to fame and power quickly ¨C without even possessing a Sacred Treasure. His greatsword, a gargantuan blade more fitting of a giant, only came to him late in the war. Before the Battle of Kath-al-Ur, he took the war to the demons, dealing devastation to the upper echelons of the demon ranks. Efrain returned with the giant, smoldering sword. He quickly put the asset to use, utilizing the blade to fan ferocious infernos. In the Battle of Kath-al-Ur, he emboldened the embers of the sword and brought forth a sea of flame that engulfed all the lands. He survived the aftermath of Kath, and spent his later years tending to the broken world., being a flame in a time of darkness. The book was full of many other stories, going into the history of each item at depth, but Suran felt it was enough. Information was nice, but what he was reading didn¡¯t appear helpful. What might be useful to know is more about dragons. He recalled that the site Mortimer marked out was in Nosirion and that Nosirion is where dragons live. The next book he cracked open was titled The Modern Race of Dragons Compared to the Dragons of Old. The Dragon race is a pecuilr race simply because of how they changed and evolved over time. Today we see two distinct groups of Dragons: The humanoid dragons, which could be compared to the humanoid beastpeople, and the dragon group which evolved to include drakes and wyverns. The Dragons where at first simply just that, Dragons. There were no human dragons, no wyverns, no drakes, or other variant. There were of course various types of dragons such as ones that specialized in various elements and the sorts, but there considered to be one species and one group. Despite the differences in their abilities, there were more classes and groups depending on their size and power. During the turbulent times surrounding Kath-al-Ur, the Dragons were highly sought after as a war asset. Much like the Lords of the Beast people, there were some Dragons that were considered legendary and could match against Sacred Treasuers. Unlike the beastpeople, these Legendary Dragons were not as elusive, making them prime targets. The Dragons were incorporated into the ranks of various armies, and those that did not comply were hunted and slaughtered so that others may not use their power. The Dragon race dwindle in numbers from being utilized in war and methodically hunted. It was then that the Dragon race took on a forced evolution. Many of the larger and more powerful dragons were regularly targeted, so what began to happen was that these dragons began to convert and sacrifice their power and access to large reserves to mana to take human forms. In almost all cases the process was irreversible, thus leading to the creation of the modern Dragon humanoid race. Over time, other dragons began to take this evolution. In a humanoid form, the Dragons lost access to vast reserves of power and mana, but ultimately increased their chances of survival by allowing them to respond to their environment in a more adaptable manner. At the same time is when the emergence of Wyverns and Drakes came about. Some dragons did not have the sufficient energy to make the human transformation and some simply did not want to make the transition at all. For some heritage lines, this caused a regression that turned them into these other variants. In its own manner, the regressed Dragons stood at a benefit as well reproductive wise and survival wise since they weren¡¯t as sought after. Regardless, still some Dragons nether gave up their power or transformed but their numbers remain few. In fact, some of those original Dragons remain to this day. However, there remained one category of Dragons that stood above all the rest, simply being referred to as ¡®Legendary Dragons¡¯. These were the Dragons herald as standing toe-to-toe with Sacred Treasure wielders. In most cases they gave up a portion of their power to turn into humans or went into hiding so in modern times one has not appeared in a long time. Even if they were to exist, it is plausible that the dragon people would hide its existence. Still, there are rumors that the Legendary Dragons have taken a new shape. Since their power was so vast, it was hypothesized that when they gave up a portion of their power for a human form, they also obtained the ability to willingly change between forms. However, there is no documentation or records of this occurring. The reason for this is that in modern age there has been very rare instances of Humanoid Dragons being able to turn back into dragons and willingly change between these forms ¨C so it grew into theory that these Dragons that stood at the pinnacle of their race could do the same He closed the book and picked up another. Suran couldn¡¯t spend too much time reading any one book, and there was much to go through. There was a tapping on the window and he looked outside. It was raining. Chapter 34 – Where were we? He stopped reading for the light that came from the window and illuminated the pages vanished, obscuring the words in darkness. Outside the window, he saw the rain had paused, but it was far from over. Black clouds marched along the sky, sealing away any traces of the sun. Trees began to flail and unrestrained objects began to rattle as the wind grew and howled. Light, for fleeting moments, as the blackened sky was run through by bolts of lightning. The flashes of light out in the clouds were met by flickers from the library ceiling. Globes all along the walls lit up, bringing back light. He could read again, but, taking one look out the window, he was no longer interested. Suran gathered the books and returned them. Out on the streets he was making a brisk return back to the house. There were still some items he wished to explore, magic namely, but there was always another day. He needed to meet with Mortimer to go over logistics, so he thought he could inquire about some of those topic instead of fumbling through books. A droplet splashed on his forehead, thunder rumbled in the distance. Suran, in no mood to get caught by the storm, sped his way through the city. He reached the house, barely escaping the torrent. Inside, lights were already on and he heard clanking silverware down the hall. Suran walked into the kitchen. Natalya was whipping up a meal, humming along, while Iylia was eating a basic meal at the table. She seemed to be enjoying her bread. ¡°How was your day?¡± He openly asked. Natalya¡¯s head swiveled around, ¡°Oh! When did you get back?¡± ¡°Just now. From the library.¡± ¡°We did some shopping and came home a while ago,¡± She said, turning back to her sizzling pans. ¡°I wanted to take Iylia out to eat, but the weather was getting bad. How about yours?¡± ¡°It was fine. There are still some things I need to check, though.¡± He hovered around the counter, watching Iylia from the corner of his eyes. She picked up her plate, hustled to the sink, and washed them spotless. Natalya looked over and asked, ¡°Done so soon? You just started eating!¡± Iylia just nodded her head. She finished cleaning in another moment and sped out of the kitchen like a passing breeze. ¡°Is there something wrong with her?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± Natalya answered. ¡°Nothing seemed wrong all day. Maybe she just eats fast?¡± Suran exhaled deeply, ¡°Maybe that¡¯s what it is.¡± He went over to the table in slouched in a chair. Maybe he was the only stressing over it. Het let go. ¡°What are you cooking?¡± ¡°Nothing fancy today, just a chicken stew. Want some?¡± He wasn¡¯t hungry, yet he responded with, ¡°I¡¯ll take a little, if it isn¡¯t too much trouble.¡± She finished cooking and brought over the pot. Rain began to pelt the roof and the room chilled. Suran filled a bowl partway with the stew and Natalya did the same, talking about her day. She and Iylia went out around town. Explored the stores, bought clothes, and stocked up on essentials. Their day was cut short by the weather, just like his. Soon, she was finished with her meal. Natalya cleaned up and left. Suran took in a spoonful from his bowl. The steaming stew warmed his core. He was left alone with only his thoughts and the thunder to keep him company It wasn¡¯t until morning that the weather cleared up. The dark clouds broke apart and sunshine beamed down. Again, Suran left early in the day to pay a visit to Mortimer. The road to the college was sparsely populated this early with a nice coolness in the air. He reached campus and made his way to the old man¡¯s office. At the office door, he knocked and a lanky lad answered. ¡°Can I help you?¡± The blonde man asked. ¡°I¡¯m here to speak with Mortimer.¡± ¡°Well¡­ do you have an appointment?¡± Mortimer yelled at the boy from the back, ¡°Oh, just let him in Lewkis!¡± The boy sighed and stepped out of the way, letting Suran through. ¡°What do you need?¡± Mortimer asked, looking a little grumpy in his chair. ¡°I wanted to go over some of the logistics for the trip and ask some magic related questions,¡± Suran answered. The old man scratched his head and puckered his lips, ¡°Do you have an appointment?¡± ¡°¡­No. Is that a problem?¡¯ ¡®Well, what if I¡¯m busy. Then what?¡± ¡°If you are, I¡¯ll come back later.¡± Suran turned around to leave. There were other things he could spend his time on. Mortimer stopped him, ¡°No! Wait.¡± ¡°Yes?¡¯ Suran said, facing the old man once more. ¡°I¡¯m not busy,¡± Mortimer said, completely expressionless. ¡°What do you need?¡± Suran walked past Lewkis, who was standing around like a tower in a middle of a flat field, and sat in front of Mortimer¡¯s desk. ¡°We have about 10 gold ¨C working on obtaining a little more ¨C so we need to go over the trip details. Where exactly we are going, what path we will take, and how long the journey will be.¡± ¡°10 gold?¡± Mortimer said with a hint of surprise. He began rummaging underneath his desk and pulled out a massive, musty old map, ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would get that much that fast.¡± Pointing at a dingy gold star on the Northeast side of the map just above an island formation, he explained, ¡°We are here. At Valcadia.¡± He slid his finger west to a mountain range that ran down the continent. ¡°We want to go to here. The site is situated near a small Dwarven town called Thagonedrow.¡± He traced his finger back to Valcadia and mapped out the journey, ¡°Going straight West would take us through steep mountains and vast wilderness, so best option would be to take the roads North and go all away around. From Valcadia to Alnwick then Alnwick to Havinshire.¡± Mortimer drew an ambiguous circle around the mountain range with his finger. ¡°From Havinshire, we enter the neighboring country of Nosirion. We go past the city of Aguast and through the Dragon city of Kudrin and towards the mountain range, and we should be able to reach Thagonedrow from there. Suran looked over the map and stroked his chin, retracing the path Mortimer laid out in his head. ¡°For sure a winding path. What does the travel period look like?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know, maybe three weeks? A little more, a little less, depending on road conditions and travel speeds and whatnot.¡± ¡°I see. I will tell Natalya to budget for food as such. Is there anything else?¡± Mortimer rolled his head around, thinking. ¡°Nothing comes to mind,¡± he said after a moment, ¡°But Lewkis, remember to get your things ready for the trip.¡± Lewkis was jolted straight and exclaimed, ¡°W-w-w-what? I¡¯m going?!¡± Suran looked at the toothpick man and back at Mortimer, ¡°Is he coming?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Mortimer, without a hint of shock, candidly said, ¡°I am his mentor after all.¡± ¡°Hold up!¡± Lewkis strode his way over to the table, ¡°But they might have already made budgets and everything! It¡¯s not right to just throw me on them like that!¡± Lewkis¡¯ eyes were wide and his voice was shivering with panic, yet, at the same time, he seemed all too familiar with this sort of fiasco. Lewkis looked over to Suran and mouthed ¡®I¡¯m so sorry¡± while Mortimer yawned away his complaints. Suran cleared his throat and intervened, ¡°We can budget for an additional person as is, but it may be tight. I¡¯ve entered into the tournament at the arena to gather additional coin and scout the participants for a sellsword or two to join us on the expedition. With an additional member, it may be difficult to budget for a mercenary, but I will have to see. My only concern is how he will hold up on the journey.¡± ¡°The boy isn¡¯t as useless as he looks,¡± Mortimer chuckled. ¡°He is a Cleric in training, no easy task.¡± ¡°Let me explain,¡± Lewkis said with an exasperated face. ¡°I¡¯m not a cleric in training ¨C yet. To enter Valeryia¡¯s Cleric school, two rigorous exams must be passed. One is a magic mastery exam that tests the ins and outs of handling mana and magic knowledge. The other is a medical exam that goes over everything from anatomy to disease to herbalism to wound treatment ¨C and I¡¯ve already passed the medical exam!¡± His irritated face brightened up as he spoke of his accomplishment. ¡°There you have it,¡± Mortimer exclaimed with a clap of his hands. ¡°He can come along as a doctor, or something. Now, was there something else you needed? Something about magic?¡± ¡°Yes, I wanted a brief overview of magic, since I know nothing on the subject.¡± Mortimer dryly laughed. ¡°The study of mana, magic, has been around longer than people have been flapping their lips. Even a brief overview would be extensive ¨C the college spends a year on this very subject. I¡¯ll try to make it short.¡± Suran leaned forward and perked his ears. ¡°First, magic is nothing more than the study and application of mana. Mana being a natural energy that flows through everything. The applications of mana are generally divided into five categories: Alteration, Alchemy, Enchanting, Entropic, and Arcane. Alteration magic is using mana to add to or modify a living object. Healing magic as well as curses both fall in this category. Enchanting is called the sister school to Alteration because it involves using mana to modify non-living objects, like weaponry. Both of these groups seek to modify the nature of the object at hand without changing the actual object. On the other side of the spectrum, is Alchemy. The goal of Alchemy is to change the very object itself. From structures to and armor to the very air, Alchemy has seen widespread uses outside of metallurgy as a defensive orientated skill set. Entropic magic is the most learned school, for, if the categories were languages, Entropic magic would be the language of war. Entropic magic gives shape to mana and brings forth something from nothing. Killing of men is best suited by Entropic, so it has become the most valued school. And people like being flashy and throwing fireballs. And Arcane is the other category, where we throw in stuff that just doesn¡¯t really fit everywhere else.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°That seems like a reasonable overview,¡± Suran said, processing the information. ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Mortimer candidly replied. ¡°You know just a little but more than nothing.¡± Suran thought for a moment then asked, ¡°So then, what is your area of expertise.¡± ¡°I deal with magical ancient artifacts, so Enchanting with some Arcane.¡± ¡°In that case, could you look at something for me?¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if his sword was magical or ancient or even an artifact, but it was, as Ulric said, a strange and peculiar blade and Mortimer seemed like the type of man that ends up dealing with oddities at the end of the day. Mortimer glanced at the clock. ¡°No,¡± he said without hesitation, ¡°I have scholarly stuff to do. Both of you will need to leave so I can get to work.¡± ¡°Wait, why me?!¡± Lewkis, who was standing silently, jumped into the conversation. ¡°Because I have scholarly stuff to do. Your lesson for today can be to go outside for once.¡± Lewkis grumbled to himself, but he relented and left the room with Suran. ¡°What did you want the old man to look at?¡± He asked as they worked their way out of the office building. Suran tapped the hilt of his sword, ¡°This.¡± ¡°Oh, a sword? So what¡¯s so special about it?¡± ¡°If I knew, I wouldn¡¯t be asking.¡± Lewkis¡¯ face went red, ¡°Oh, of course.¡± ¡°And what about you? How did you find yourself with Mortimer?¡± ¡°Everyone always asks that,¡± Lewkis said with a nervous laugh. ¡°They always want to know why I work with some strange old guy, and the story isn¡¯t as entertaining as they expect. He knew my father, and when it was time for me to find a mentor in magic after passing my medical exam, he offered to take me in. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡± They stopped outside in the courtyard. His pale white skin finally showed itself in the beaming sunlight. ¡°So, where are you heading?¡± ¡°To look at armor and equipment. You?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go to the library. Don¡¯t wanna fall behind in my studies ¨C magic is a really hard subject after all. Oh, and before you go, your name is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s Suran. Suran Ibrahim.¡± Lewkis put forward his hand, ¡°And I¡¯m Lewkis Escalafis. Pleasure to meet you!¡± Suran shook his hand ¨C his grip was weak. They parted ways. There was a list in his head of what he needed to do. With only a few days until the tournament, he was not sure if he could adequately address everything. Certainly not his swordsmanship. His current results inspired little confidence and even though he planned to train with Iylia again, he doubted much progress would be made in a short time span. So he decided to put his efforts toward something that would bring results. His destination was Ulfric¡¯s forge. Armor is what he needed. The forge and storefront was shuttered up, as it was before. He went up and knocked on the door. He heard the shuffling of feet on wooden floors, and the door cracked open a minute later. ¡°Knew you¡¯d come back,¡± Ulfric said with a devilish grin. The door swung open and the giant man invited Suran in. ¡°So, what¡¯re ya needing?¡± Suran walked through the story, looking at the wares. ¡°Armor,¡± he said, going past the weaponry. ¡°For the arena?¡± Ulfric asked with a raised eyebrow. He continued, ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can fix ya with.¡± He hobbled past Suran, still using a crutch. ¡°What type of armor are ya looking for? Something cheap and simple like anormite, or something else?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with the different metals and their qualities. You will have to walk me through it.¡± Ulfric clapped his hands and rubbed them. ¡°All metals have their pros and cons, but they are not all created equal. We have leather armor here,¡± he said hobbling past a rack, ¡°But I won¡¯t let ya have something like leather. At the bottom of the barrel is anormite.¡± He stopped in front a group of orangish, bronze armor. ¡°It¡¯s cheap. It¡¯s abundant. It¡¯s easy to make. And it¡¯s better than leather. Past anormite is iron and steel. Tougher, durable, but not good with magic, I hear.¡± ¡°Is that it?¡± Suran asked, anticipating more information. Ulfric¡¯s face soured, ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that. My forge deals up to steel usually because steel is the accepted ceiling for most soldiers and adventures. Time to time, I do get some fancy custom orders and I do need to get higher quality metal, but that takes time. More time than ya have.¡± ¡°I understand, but can you still tell me what other metals are there?¡± ¡°Fancyin¡¯ metalwork are ya?¡± Ulfric joked, shaking the room with his laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll be glad to tell ya at any rate. Next up on the list is Orichalcum. You can identify it as a glance with its scaly green sheen. Stronger than steel, but not restrictive with mana flow. Trunganium alloy is next. A bitch to make, through and through, but its quality can¡¯t be denied. Unfortunately. Seldom will ya see armors past Trunganium. The higher levels are a pain to find, intensive to forge, and drain on ya coin purse. I digress, you got Myhtril and Titanous after Trunganium. People dream for that sort of equipment. And after, well, is Kathian Crystal and Adamantium. Coming across anything made out of those two, let alone the ore, is unheard of. Almost not even worth mentioning, like the other lesser known metals and ores that fit in-between what I laid out. But it¡¯s fun to talk about. Legends are made out of that stuff.¡± ¡°Quite a few categories,¡± Suran mused. ¡°So, what would you recommend for me?¡± ¡°Well, what¡¯s your budget? And don¡¯t look at me like that ¨C I¡¯ll give you a fair price, you be sure of that.¡± Suran scratched his head and crunched numbers. ¡°Two gold? Two and a half at most?¡± ¡°For you and the girl? That won¡¯t do.¡± ¡°No, just for myself.¡± Ulfric let out a sigh, ¡°Was gunna say. You best get something for the girl as well. Where you¡¯re going, you might need every blade you can muster.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± ¡°And if you aren¡¯t comfortable with putting her out in front, just throw a bow or somethin¡¯ on her and stick her in the back.¡± Ulfric seemed to be reading through Suran, which made him uncomfortable. ¡°Alright well, I¡¯ll make it simple for ya since you did me a great service the other day. A full iron set would normally go for a little over two gold, but I can give you a full steel set for 250 silver.¡± He leaned in close to Suran, ¡°Just don¡¯t tell my wife!¡± Ulfric reared his head back and laughed.¡± ¡°So that comes with everything? Helmet, chest plate, shield, and so on?¡± ¡°Well, everything but a shield. When you¡¯re fully armored, ya don¡¯t need a shield. It¡¯s better to have a free hand to grapple with. You¡¯d only take a shield if you were expecting something really dangerous like heavy duty magic or some very strong, penetrative weaponry.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± Suran reached for his pockets, but remembered he didn¡¯t bring coins. ¡°Forgot your purse?¡± The observant Ulfric noted, chuckling. ¡°Just come back with it and I¡¯ll hand you over a set. I¡¯m not open for business anyways so no rush.¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± Suran said with a nod of his head, ¡°Thank you for the help.¡± ¡°Not a problem. Just make sure that before you this is all done and you leave for wherever it is you are going, that you get that girl some equipment. Would be a shame not to give something to someone who looks so capable.¡± Suran rubbed his neck. Ulfric didn¡¯t know the half of it. Suran left, saying his farewells. He would return with coin in hand as soon as possible. But, he wondered if he should bring the exact amount, 250 silver, or bring extra? Ulfric did have a point with Iylia. She was more capable than he was, at least. A bow might be a fitting solution, but Suran wasn¡¯t sure. He would have to ask her sometime, maybe after the tournament. He still couldn¡¯t shake a cold feeling in his stomach over this. He allowed himself to be strong-armed into taking a slave. It didn¡¯t help that the whole ordeal felt strange the whole way through. The true intentions of Henry and Wylin Reginald still alluded him, if it was contrary to their story to begin with. He could do nothing about it now. Was there even anything he could do? The sun still hung high in the sky; the day was young. He resolved that there was one thing he could do: train with Iylia. Suran took a deep breath and stepped forward.