《Sins of the Forefathers: A LitRPG Fantasy Isekai》


 Chapter 1 - Arrival in Green [Vol. 1 Start]

    From one moment to the next, I was somewhere else. There was no in-between frame, no flash of light, or expository dialogue to explain my change in circumstance. I didn¡¯t get a reason for the complete ruination of my life.


    No, I got to fall on my ass in the middle of a forest clearing in-between eye blinks.


    At the very least, I wasn¡¯t naked at the time, being out and about and wearing regular worn clothes and worn shoes. I couldn¡¯t even imagine how much more confused I would have been if I had been transported in the middle of the night or in the dead of sleep, instead.


    I like to consider myself a fairly level-headed person most of the time, but this went beyond the norm. Bearing my new, extraordinary circumstances in mind, however, I¡¯m willing to forgive myself for being stunned enough to not realize I wasn¡¯t alone. To be fair, I don¡¯t think they had noticed me yet either.


    Maybe fifteen feet away from where I was sitting, there was a scene out of a historical period piece happening. What appeared to be a train of perhaps thirty wagons with covered roofs had created a circle around a bonfire. Inside that circle, I could see a mass of people in rough-spun clothing going about their day, setting up a camp, and doing chores. On the outskirts of the camp, however, the most visible people would have to be what could only be guards. They didn¡¯t look to be very attentive, as it appeared that the guards of this camp were the restless teenagers given a spear and busy work.


    At the same time that I noticed the nearest ¡®guard¡¯, he noticed me. With a shout, the nearest one attracted the attention of the others and started towards me. Scrambling to my feet, I tried to make myself look non-threatening to the pissed-off-looking teen by raising my hands and speaking calmly.


    ¡°Hey, uh, I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s going on, but I¡¯m not looking for any troub-¡± I started. Before I could finish my sentence, the teenager had gotten close enough to me that he could ready his spear, point it at me, and start shouting.


    The problem was, I didn¡¯t understand a word of what he was saying. Frankly, I couldn¡¯t even identify the language that he was speaking.


    That did not have great implications.


    The shouting of the guard had not only drawn the attention of the other guards, which were starting to stream over to me, but it appeared to have drawn attention from the camp itself. Appearing at the edge of the camp was an older man in more functional-looking armor than the leather gambesons over simple woolen clothing that the teenagers had. This guy was wearing actual chainmail, a steel helmet, leather vambraces, and carrying a sheathed sword at his waist and a shield over his back.


    Making his way over to us, the older man barked a command at the other guards and made a dismissive motion at them. As they started to return to their posts, what I could only conclude was their overseer had reached the guard still pointing a spear at me.


    Taking his eyes off me to speak to the older man, the teenager started jabbering away at the older man excitedly. As he started to speak, the overseer turned a suspicious glance my way based on whatever the guard was telling him. However, whatever he was being told was clearly not making him very happy. Before the teenager was even finished speaking, the older man snapped something at him that made him fall quiet.


    Taking a closer look at me, the older man suddenly began to frown harder than he had been. For some reason, he just kept awkwardly looking at me, as if something would change if he stared long enough. Several minutes passed in this way before the man turned and spoke to the teenager again, suspiciously keeping one eye on me. Suddenly, the teenager was staring intently at me as well, but whatever they were trying to do was clearly not working. The teenager squinted suspiciously before he turned to the older man and said something to him.


    The older man was quiet for a few seconds before glancing at me again. Suddenly, in a startlingly fast movement, the overseer grabbed a wooden truncheon he¡¯d hidden in his belt behind his sword and swung at my head with blinding speed.


    I was only able to recognize what was happening as the club neared my temple. Before I could react, from one moment to the next, I was unconscious.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...


    I couldn¡¯t tell how long I''d been out of it. For all I knew, I had been out for days.


    As I slowly started to come to, I was barely cognizant of my surroundings. Frankly, I felt like total shit. I had a massive, pounding headache and a ringing in my ears like I had never experienced in my life. I hadn¡¯t even opened my eyes yet and wasn¡¯t even sure I was able to considering how groggy I was feeling. I barely retained enough presence of mind to wonder if this was what a concussion felt like.


    What had actually awoken me, however, was the feeling of a wet rag being gently dabbed on my face.


    Slowly cracking one eye open, I tried to look at whoever was touching me. I couldn¡¯t manage it, however, as my eye wasn¡¯t able to focus properly. All I was able to see was a vaguely human shape gently wiping my face with a rag.


    And then I passed out again.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...


    When I woke up for a second time, I felt fine. Which, frankly, startled me awake very easily once I realized that fact.


    Jerking my head up from where it had been resting on my chest and opening my eyes, I was actually able to take in my surroundings this time.


    It was nighttime when I woke up and I must have been in the back of one of those wagons I had noticed earlier. I was sitting in the back of one of them with my arms tied behind my back to a post built into the wall of the wagon. Furthermore, I had a rag tied around my mouth in order to prevent me from speaking. Glancing around, I guessed this must have been one of the supply wagons considering the number of food products I could see sitting in crates around me.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    At the back of the wagon, the opening had been left uncovered to a view of the outside. This didn¡¯t help me very much however, the way the wagon was situated meant that all I had was a view of the forest not very far away. Looking at the forest, I could guess that this caravan had moved from the place I had arrived in, however. From what little I could see; it looked like a much smaller clearing.


    It must have been very late when I woke up because I didn¡¯t hear any activity from the camp where I was. I could see a faint amount of firelight from what remained of the bonfire, but other than the faraway crackling of logs and the call of faraway insects, that was all I could hear.


    Taking stock of myself, I felt surprisingly fine. Despite being hit in the head extremely hard, by my standards at least, I don¡¯t think I even had a scratch to show for it. The only aches I could complain about were the ache in my arms from being tied, and the ache in my ass from sitting on wood in one place for who knows how long.


    Relaxing now that I didn¡¯t seem to be in immediate danger, I let my head fall back against the wagon wall with a thunk.


    What the fuck was happening to me, I thought to myself. I had to wonder if anything that was happening to me was even real. Was this all a dream? Did I get hit by a car, and this was a coma? Recollecting the series of events that had brought me to this point, I stifled a hysterical laugh from exploding out of me. First, I get teleported somewhere else completely out of the blue instantaneously. Second, I get threatened with a spear by a skinny teenager. Third, I get knocked the hell out by some medieval LARPer and then tied up in the back of an honest-to-God wagon.


    I couldn¡¯t comprehend how this was happening, and I didn¡¯t want to.


    I must have spent the next hour staring blankly at the other side of the wagon before something knocked me out of it. Raising my head, I was able to put my finger on what had unsettled me. The insects had stopped, and the forest had gone silent.


    Something must have caught my eye in my peripheral vision because I looked out to my right at the forest through the wagon''s back.


    There was movement in the trees.


    Freezing up in immediate terror like a mouse before a cat, I tried to look more closely at what was happening at the tree line. As I watched, several indistinct man-like forms started to slink out of the darkness and into the clearing. It was hard to focus on them, however, as the forms of these creatures were blurred somehow. It reminded me deeply of a movie I had seen as a child about an alien stalking an army platoon.


    Whoever or whatever was getting closer to the caravan was extremely cautious, even with their ability to become semi-translucent. Squinting, I was able to make out over a dozen forms slowly crawling along the ground, making their way towards the caravan.


    For a moment I considered trying to call out to try and wake the caravan or even alert any potential guards that had missed the coming danger. But, for whatever reason these paranoid idiots had put a gag on me. Beyond that, I didn¡¯t even have much room to thrash about to try and make some noise, being bound to the wall the way I was.


    That decision seemed like it would come back to bite them in the ass shortly.


    Before long, the forms that were creeping across the clearing had passed beyond the limited sight allowed by the portal of the wagon. I tensed up, dreading what was surely going to happen soon. These people, this caravan was undoubtedly in real danger right now. Nobody that had any kind of pure intentions would be trying to approach a camp so stealthily. I made the decision to try and hunker down closer to the wagon floor and behind the crate of vegetables I had been looking over the top of.


    For long minutes, I didn¡¯t hear anything but the stifled sound of my own breathing. Then, a stifled scream, as if it had been cut short somehow.


    After that, the camp erupted in a riot of noise, too difficult to parse all at once.


    The sound of banging and shouting, as if someone was pounding on a metal object.


    The high-pitched scream of a woman, stifled.


    The cry of the horses, frightened by the noise.


    The cacophony of steel upon steel.


    Considering everything that was no doubt happening in the camp, the attack didn¡¯t take overly long. Ten, perhaps fifteen minutes after the ambush had occurred, the furor died down. Outside the wagon, I could hear a harsh, guttural voice in that same language I didn¡¯t understand earlier. There was an intonation to one of these voices, louder than the others that I couldn¡¯t place, as if every word they spoke had an undertone.


    It didn¡¯t in any way sound human.


    They were yelling and screaming at other people, hitting them as well from the fleshy noises I could hear. I couldn¡¯t really tell what they were doing, but most of the voices seemed to be congregating near the bonfire.


    After a few moments, one of the harsh voices yelled loudly, causing most of the moans and crying to quiet down, if not stop. Then, what seemed to be a long explanation from the same voice that had yelled.


    This seemed to spark something in the humans, as one masculine voice spoke up, angry and frightened. This caused the harsher voices to erupt in even harsher laughter.


    Then, a slicing noise. And two separate thuds.


    More screams and cries from the gathered humans, before harsh yelling and screaming caused them to cease.


    After that, things moved quickly. I heard struggling as the surviving humans were separated out and moved around the camp. I heard people rummaging about through the items left around the camp. I heard the wagons and horses being readied to move out.


    I heard the heavy sound of boots moving to the back of the wagon I was trapped in.


    With a growling laugh, the figure at the wagon opening tossed something into the wagon that landed in front of me.


    It was a woman. Hogtied.


    Our eyes met.


    She was younger than me perhaps, but only by a few years. Brown hair, brown eyes, tanned skin, and the build of a woman that worked for a living. She could have been anyone back home, the veritable Jane Everywoman.


    Right now, she was covered in mud, blood, and tears.


    After a moment, the woman seemed to dismiss me. Turning on her side away from me as best as she could, I could hear her start to sob silently into the gag that they had fitted her with. Much like my own.


    As the wagon started to move out, no doubt being directed by one of the raiders, the end oriented itself towards the bonfire I had seen and heard. I risked a quick peek over the top of the crate I was cowering behind.


    Fading in the distance, I could see a vision of horror. The raiders had callously tossed over a dozen human bodies on top of the bonfire. Men, women, those teenage guards, and even a few children were visible.


    Burning.


    Crackling.


    An indescribable smell of burning human meat reached me, even at this distance.


    Slumping back down to hide behind the crate once more, I helplessly stared at the wall over top of the still sobbing woman.


    Captured twice since I¡¯d gotten here, wherever here was.


    What the hell was going to happen to me now?

 Chapter 2 - Sadism Trek

    I was jolted awake by a boot to the ribs.


    Somehow, I managed to get some fitful sleep in the aftermath of the caravan ambush. It didn¡¯t feel like more than a handful of hours. I was still exhausted.


    Looking up from where I had been slumped over, I finally managed to get a good look at the people that had attacked the caravan last night.


    Tall, was my first impression. I wasn¡¯t a short man by any measure, but this man (?) towered over me by at least a foot. He was visibly stooping over in the cramped confines of the wagon. Lithely muscled, pale-skinned and completely bald, they were wearing a combination of rough leather armor and simple leather clothing, all a uniform brown. One of the most striking things about them had to be the mask. They had a finely detailed wooden mask covering their face, carved into the shape of a wolf''s head. I could still see his eyes though, an intimidating amber, through the appropriately placed holes. However, what caught my attention the most were the ears.


    They were long, extending perhaps six inches from their head and pointed, in an upwards manner.


    Catching sight of them, I wasn¡¯t as surprised as I perhaps should have been. Obviously, of course, the murderous raiders that killed over a dozen people were some kind of fantasy elf.


    Booting me in the ribs again, the elf shocked me out of the stupor I had fallen into staring at him. This time he also barked something at me, obviously a command of some kind. Realizing that the elf had untied and ungagged me at some point, most likely before he woke me up, I raised my hands in a plaintive manner and tried to talk to him.


    ¡°Look man, I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re trying to say to me,¡± I said slowly, even though I realized he most likely didn¡¯t understand me any more than I did him. Hopefully, the tone at least would tell him I didn¡¯t intend to try and fight him. Right now, at least.


    Even though I couldn¡¯t see his face under his mask, I could still tell that the elf was still surprised by what he had heard. He stared at me blankly for a few seconds before a small laugh escaped him. That small laugh quickly escalated though, as before long the elf was veritably howling in laughter, even slapping his right thigh for good measure.


    I didn¡¯t understand what was so funny, and I didn¡¯t get a chance to. Darting a hand my way, the elf grabbed my right forearm in an iron grip and yanked me to my feet roughly. Putting me before him, he jerked the arm he was holding behind me and started to march me forward toward the exit of the wagon.


    I yelped like a struck dog from this sudden movement. Before I could even try and say something to the elf, we had reached the exit. Suddenly, a boot struck me in my back with force, launching me out of the wagon.


    I landed painfully on my front from the sudden booting I had experienced. Laying there dazed, it felt as if the world had gone white for a moment, preventing me from seeing or hearing anything going on around me.


    Out of nowhere, a hand grabbed me by the hair and yanked me to my knees. I grunted from the pain, unable to see from the dust that had gotten into my face from the throw. I could hear an excited chattering coming from what must be the elf that had manhandled me, though. He called out, and I could hear some answers from what must be the other raiders.


    Rubbing the dust from my eyes, I could finally see what had been going on outside the wagons. Once again, the wagons had created a circle once the raiders had stopped for the night. However, what was happening inside that circle was far different from the near idyllic period piece scene from yesterday.


    The elven raiders had brought out all their captives from yesterday and forced them to their knees to sit in a group. For some reason, just like me, everyone had been unbound and ungagged. I could see the woman from last night in that group. Guarding them were four other raiders, nearly identical to the elf that had roughed me up. All of them were bald, all of them had wolf masks on, all of them had amber-colored eyes, and all of them were male. The only difference that could be distinguished between them were the types of leather armor and clothing they wore or didn¡¯t wear, and the different weapons they were holding.


    With the limited amount of vision that I had from the elf holding my head tight by my hair, I could see other elves ransacking the other wagons. They were tossing things out of the wagon that they didn¡¯t want or need or could sell I suppose, and keeping what they wanted.


    At the words of the elf holding me, I could see some of the elves going through the wagons look our way. Stopping what they were doing, three of them wandered over in our direction, curious about whatever my captor was saying to them.


    When they had reached us, the elf holding me seemed to start explaining something to the others, ending in another laugh. Whatever he was saying to them must have made them as shocked as he had been earlier, because the elven raiders looked at each other in a dumbfounded manner before erupting into laughter. The elf holding me by my hair shook me like a dog, as if to punctuate the joke.


    Wrenching me back to my feet by my hair, I was shoved into the group of other survivors and down to my knees. Looking around at the others, I could see that they were mostly women, with only a few other men. I suppose that most of the men had been killed in the fighting.


    A shout directed my attention to the front of the group. Another elf, different from the others was standing in front of our group, holding a spear planted firmly in the dirt. Looking closely, I could see that this elf had slightly higher quality gear than the others, with a distinct red marking on his mask¡¯s left cheek. A single claw mark.


    Now that he had the group''s attention, the presumed leader began speaking to the group in the disturbing voice that I had noticed last night. He explained something to them in a matter-of-fact manner in short sentences. He clearly didn¡¯t care what the group thought of what he was saying, because whatever he was saying caused some of the women to start crying. He just talked over them until he was finished.


    Something he had said must have frightened one of the surviving men past the point of reason, as with a shout he surged up and ran out of the circle of survivors. Not looking back once, he made a break for it towards one of the gaps between wagons. Surprisingly, the guards were fairly nonchalant about this and didn¡¯t make any effort to chase him.


    The elven leader laughed and took a stance. Hauling the massive spear he had been holding above his shoulder, the elf looked more like an Olympic javelin thrower than a bandit. The spear took on a slight red glow somehow, and with a shout the leader threw the spear with a crack of air, faster than I could see.


    Straight through the fleeing man.


    With the momentum of both the spear and the man running, the spear ended up pinning the man through the chest to the ground. The man gave a short, weak scream before trying to scrabble at the instrument of his death lodged in him.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Then he stopped.


    This caused more than a little bit of crying and wailing from the group of survivors, particularly from one older woman that bore a resemblance to the now-dead man.


    I understood now why the group had been untied. It was so that he could frighten us so badly that he could make an example out of someone for the cost of disobedience. And looking at the cruel delight I could see in his amber eyes, I could take a guess as to why he had ungagged everyone.


    He liked the screams.


    The leader stood by patiently as the sobs of the group began to quiet down, and then motioned to a group of elves that had been standing off to the side. As one, they began to move in towards the group while at the same time the guards pressed in tighter, as if to remind everyone of the consequences of disobedience.


    The extra elves and the guards began to separate out the group and rebind and gag the group of survivors. I was singled out by who I could tell was the same elf that had laughed at me earlier. He bound and gagged me before mockingly patting me on the cheek and laughing once more.


    After that, all of the survivors including myself were hauled up over the shoulders of individual elves, one on each shoulder as if we weighed no more than a five-pound sack of potatoes. Instead of taking us back to individual wagons like we had been in, the elves took us to one of the wagons that they had cleaned out. Tossing us in, they didn¡¯t even tie us to posts on the walls like I had been earlier.


    Nobody really struggled anymore, we had all been disabused of the notion of resistance.


    I struggled my way into sitting up against the wall of the wagon before trying to take a better look around the wagon at the survivors. Now that I could concentrate on it, I could tell that there were ten women and four men, not including me. Fifteen people, cramped together like rats in one small wagon.


    The others were able to really take note of my presence now as well, and they clearly didn¡¯t care that much for me. They congregated into groups away from me as best they could, eyeing me suspiciously. I was an outsider after all. Not too long ago I had been a prisoner of their own, some stranger one of their guards had pulled in from nowhere. The only person that didn¡¯t seem to care all that much about my presence was the woman that had shared a wagon with me last night. Instead, she just stared off into space mindlessly, unable to care for the world around her and out of tears.


    The elven raiders snapped the small wooden gate at the back of the wagon closed, leaving us to an uncertain fate.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...


    After a while, the caravan started moving again. I could hear the raiders out there, directing the horses.


    As the caravan got underway, I started to wonder what these murderous assholes wanted with us. Objectively, I could understand why someone would raid a caravan, even if I found it reprehensible. Some people didn¡¯t care about what happened to others, they just wanted their stuff. But why had they taken prisoners? Were they intending to ransom us off to some presumed human authority? Eyeing the number of female captives with me, I tried not to think of why the raiders could want them.


    I supposed eventually I would find out why they¡¯d taken us.


    The day passed slowly for us survivors. The only thing of note was that one of the men was unable to help himself anymore and shit his pants. I tried not to hold it against him, even if it caused the wagon to stink.


    There was nothing for us to do, no conversation to be had with these gags in. All they could do was huddle together in search of a minuscule amount of comfort. All I could do was stare off into space and think about what was going to happen to me next.


    Eventually, night came, and the caravan didn¡¯t stop this time. The raiders drove through the night.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...


    The next morning, I woke to shouting.


    One of the surviving men was being dragged out of the wagon by one of the raiders by his still-bound feet. The man was trying to struggle away from the elf, but he was clearly no match for the strength of the elf. As he passed me, I could see that it was the man that had soiled himself.


    There was another elf at the entrance of the wagon that was doing the shouting. As the elf and the struggling human got closer to him, both elves grabbed the human man and bodily tossed him outside the wagon.


    The elves followed him and from outside came the sound of what was unmistakably a beating. I could hear the sound of fists on flesh, a mix of shouting and laughter from the raiders, and the muffled screams and cries of the man.


    Nobody inside the wagon made a sound.


    Once the beating was over, the elf that had been shouting earlier appeared at the entrance once more. This time he was clearly addressing the whole group when he began to shout again. I suppose he was telling us to hold it or pay the price.


    After that, we were picked up and taken outside once more. This time, the caravan had stopped next to a stream. I suppose this was why they hadn¡¯t stopped last night, they wanted to reach a source of water. One by one we were carried out of the wagon and down to the stream. Once there, they unbound and ungagged us again.


    One of the captors barked a command at the group before gesturing to the stream. First, the survivors took great gulps of water, and then they began to do their business.


    I followed their lead, making sure I was upstream of everyone else.


    When we were done, each of the survivors was given a small loaf of bread and given instructions once more. We ate as quickly as we could, so as not to annoy our captors.


    After that, we were bound and gagged once more and tossed back in the wagon. Once there, we were finally able to lay eyes on the man from earlier. He¡¯d been stripped naked and then beaten black, blue, and bloody before being tied up again. Frankly, he¡¯d been beaten so bad I wasn¡¯t sure he was going to survive. They must have broken some ribs, because it was obvious he was having difficulty breathing.


    There was nothing any of us could do for him.


    The caravan started moving again.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...


    The man didn¡¯t survive the night.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...


    This pattern would repeat itself for the next week or so. Honestly, it was hard to keep track of time with the inconsistent way that the raiders drove the caravan.


    It was also hard to keep track of time because of how weak everyone was getting. We were being given so little food and water that it was difficult to keep our strength up. Increasingly, I found myself spending more time asleep than I was awake.


    But no matter how weak we got, none of us forgot the lesson learned from the now-dead man.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...


    Eventually, the raiders must have reached where they were intending to go. I was too out of it from weakness to notice initially, but the caravan had been stopped for much longer than usual.


    But I noticed when the raiders appeared at the back of the wagon for the final time.


    They marched into the wagon and started to grab us one by one before taking us out of the wagon. Even if we had the inclination to struggle against them, we were too weak to do so at this point.


    They took us outside before unceremoniously tossing us to the ground in what seemed to be a prepared spot.


    Struggling to my knees, I finally got a look at the destination that the raiders had been driving us towards.


    It was a farm.

 Chapter 3 - Haggling Before the Gates

    Actually, farm didn¡¯t do it justice. It was more of a plantation.


    Stretching out in vast fields in front of me were crops, as far as my eye could see. From a cursory look, it didn¡¯t appear to be a mono-crop being grown. Ordered in neat plots, I couldn¡¯t quite tell what was being grown from my position. From a distance, I could see a great many different people working in those fields. However, those same people gave me a sinking feeling in my chest, even exhausted as I was.


    They were obviously slaves.


    All of them were wearing threadbare clothing, with what appeared to be dull black metal collars clamped around their neck. None of them appeared to be in amazing shape, with sunken cheeks and emaciated forms. Toiling away in the fields before me, they were to a fault, as silent as they could be.


    Each plot had what could only be an overseer or perhaps a guard, to keep an eye on the ¡®property¡¯. These were slaves as well if not slaves in better shape. The overseers were dressed in slightly better clothing and were obviously better fed. These guards also carried a truncheon at their belt, while trotting around upon the back of a horse in order to keep a better eye out. They still had the collars on, though.


    They were, all of them, human. Even the overseers.


    Several of those overseers were sitting on horseback in a group not too far away from us, eyeing the raiders uneasily. They didn¡¯t seem to care overmuch for those of us that had been dumped in the dirt.


    Tearing my eyes away from the overseers before me, I noticed the dirt road snaking its way in between two different types of crop fields. In the distance, I could see a cloud of dirt making its way in our direction rapidly. As the cloud got closer to us, I was able to make out the vague shape of what was coming our way. It looked to be a horse-drawn carriage.


    After perhaps five minutes of waiting, I was finally able to get a better look at the carriage as it stopped not far from us. It was, in a word, gaudy. Painted a dark green color, it was covered in gold ornamentation. Even the horses seemed more expensive than the simple workhorses that the caravan and the guards were using. No, these were pure white despite all the dust they had kicked up, with an almost disdainful bearing to them. What caught my attention the most, however, were the two people sitting on the carriage¡¯s driver¡¯s bench.


    I think they were dwarves.


    One was obviously a servant of some kind, based upon his almost comically stereotypical butler uniform. With short-cropped brown hair and clean-shaven cheeks, he didn¡¯t at all match my mental image of a fantasy dwarf. The second one must have been a guard of some kind, based on his gear. He was wearing, of all things, a full suit of shining silver and gold ornamented plate armor. His breastplate was covered by a green and gold cloth tabard cinched at his waist, with an image of a bull mid-rear painted across it. He had a gaudy-looking longsword belted at his hip, with golden bull horns functioning as a cross guard, and a kite shield slung across his back. I couldn¡¯t make out any features under his helm.


    Both dwarves hopped down from the seat of the carriage. The servant hurried to the door of the carriage, while the presumed guard leisurely hopped down and ambled over to stand next to it. The armored dwarf stood to the side of the door, with a visibly bored posture, while the servant went to open the door. With a bang, the door opened before he could, sending the servant dwarf flinching back.


    Striding down the steps of the carriage was a dwarf that was equally as gaudy as the carriage he had rode in on. Pale-skinned, he wore rich forest green silk robes with a shining golden cape secured to his shoulders with a golden chain. He had much longer hair than the servant dwarf, pitch black in color falling to well below his shoulders. He also had a voluminous beard, reaching mid-chest length that had several braids in it, capped with golden rings. In fact, gold seemed to be a theme with him. He had golden rings on each of his fingers, several golden chains around his neck, multiple golden earrings, and he even had golden ornamentation on his belt. Even his shiny black leather boots had golden clasps on them.


    Catching a glimpse of his eyes, I could see that they were a bright gold as well, with a slight glow to them. Striding in our direction, he had a walking stick painted as green as the carriage, equally as decorated.


    Stopping perhaps twenty feet away from us, the lead dwarf made a show of looking at the lineup of caravan survivors arrayed in the dirt. As he looked over us, I caught his eye briefly. Despite their warm color, they were anything but friendly. He looked at me like I was a bug he had crushed underfoot, with a slight curl of disgust to his lip.


    Finished with his inspection, the leader of the dwarves spoke into the crowd of raiders that had arrayed themselves behind us. Hearing boot steps behind me, I saw the leader of the raiders that I hadn¡¯t seen in days step out.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    He said something back to the dwarven leader before they seemed to enter into some kind of back-and-forth exchange. Whatever it was that the elven leader was saying didn¡¯t seem to make the dwarven one very happy, as he raised his voice briefly, making the armored dwarf lay a hand on his sword. This didn¡¯t seem to sit well with the raiders, as I heard some shuffling and mumbling behind me, which only stopped when the leader raised his hand without looking backward.


    He said something again to the dwarven leader, which seemed to calm him down. Not taking his narrowed eyes off the leader of the raiders, the richly dressed dwarf held a hand out to the servant dwarf to his right behind him. The servant stepped up briefly, took a small bag off his belt before handing it to his master, and stepped backward with a bow. Looking down finally, the dwarven leader opened the bag and spilled its contents in his hand revealing a pile of gold coins. Taking some away, he deposited exactly fourteen gold coins back into the bag.


    Exactly the number of survivors arrayed before him.


    As the lead dwarf tossed the bag of coins to the elven raid leader, I closed my eyes briefly in despair. I suppose I knew now why we had been spared in the ambush upon the caravan.


    We were meant to be sold as slaves.


    Opening my eyes again, I risked a quick glance at the other survivors to my left. The numb look on their faces told me that they already knew that this had been the fate that awaited them.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...


    After that, the elven raiders left, taking the caravans that they had stolen along with them without a backward glance at the people they had sold into slavery.


    As they left, the servant dwarf hurried around to the back of the carriage before unlocking something. From behind it, I heard the servant bark a command at the slave overseers that had been standing off to the side during the entire exchange. They hurried to obey, moving over to where he was. I could hear the clank of chains as something was unloaded.


    From behind the carriage, the overseers carried out lengths of chains with manacles and collars attached to them. As they got closer to us, a few of the other overseers unsheathed their truncheons before moving in to hover over us with fearsome scowls on their faces as if to intimidate us. They needn¡¯t have bothered, as we were all too weak from hunger and dehydration to even consider resisting them.


    One by one, the overseers began to truss us up in shackles and chains. When it came to be my turn, all I could do was limply let them do what they wanted. Even if I hadn¡¯t been weak from neglect, I had never been very physically inclined in my life, before I¡¯d been dropped in this hellhole. I was placed at the very back of the line.


    Yanking us to our feet, we were just in time to see the richly dressed dwarf from earlier climbing back into the wagon and slam the door behind him. Hurrying back to the carriage from where he had been directing the overseers, the servant dwarf climbed into the driver¡¯s seat, while the armored one sat next to him. Shouting a command back down to the overseers, the servant dwarf gestured back down the dirt road in the direction that he had come from. The overseers bowed to him before performing some kind of salute, thumping their right closed fist over their hearts.


    The servant dwarf reared the horses and the carriage around, before setting off at a breakneck speed down the dirt road back the way they had arrived. Watching them fade into the distance with unfocused eyes, I was nonetheless startled when the chain attached to my neck was yanked on. Jerking my head to my right, I saw the dirty face of one of the overseers shouting at me. He pushed me forward with the truncheon as the procession of chained slaves started to move.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...


    The overseers marched us for miles in the heat, weighed down with chains, collars, and manacles. No matter how much they shouted, they seemed to catch on that we were too weak to move any faster.


    As we proceeded down the dirt road, I could see that we were surrounded by crops. I didn¡¯t personally know much about farming, but there seemed to be a larger variety of goods being grown here than I would expect. I only recognized some of them, but wheat, corn, and cotton were among the crops I was able to discern. Something about the huge variety of crops that I could see didn¡¯t seem right to me, but I was too exhausted to think about it.


    After perhaps an hour of continuous shuffling at our slow pace, buildings began to come into sight in the distance. These were ramshackle things, that looked like they were made from driftwood than any kind of sound material. From those ramshackle buildings, I could see dirty faces peering out at us. Primarily women both young and the elderly, I could see some elderly men as well. All of them wore threadbare rags. All of them also wore those same black collars the overseers were wearing. The overseers yelled something at them, and the other slaves disappeared.


    I suppose these were the slave bunks.


    As we moved further up the road, I began to see what appeared to be a wall in the distance. Made of carved wooden logs with points at the top, the wall had a gate in front of us that had two guards manning either side of it. These guards were also in full plate with the same tabard as the armored dwarf from earlier, but far less decorated and without a helmet. These dwarves were also carrying spears instead of a sword and shield. Strangely, they were clean-shaven to a fault as well.


    When our procession reached the gate, one of the overseers stepped up. With lowered eyes and a deferential bearing, they tried to speak to the guard. The guard cut him off with a wave of his hand before moving off to the side and opening a smaller door rather than opening the gates. Gesturing at us in an impatient manner, the dwarf began to wave us in.


    I couldn¡¯t muster up the energy to be surprised when the other side of the wall contained a full-blown dwarven settlement.

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    Thank you for reading Sins of the Forefathers up to this point!


    Unfortunately, in order to comply with Amazon¡¯s exclusivity requirement, the first volume has been pulled. Royal Road, Scribble Hub, and Patreon have allowed me to reach this point, but now it¡¯s time to grow even more.


    However, in return, that means you can now read the first volume, Chained Awakening right now on Amazon Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Print! I will be leaving the link to the Amazon editions below.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    I will be leaving the first few chapters up on RR and SH, as that is the limit that Amazon will allow. Further updates to the story beyond the first book and beyond will continue, as I have absolutely no intention of stopping now.


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 Chapter 35 - Greenrise [Vol. 2 Start]

    It had been nearly a week since Azarus and I had arrived in Rhoscara at this point, and we were leaving soon. The other day, Azarus had joined Elysael and I for dinner and told us that he had finished his business in the city. It was time to leave.


    The morning of our departure from Rhoscara found me leaning up against a tree in the gardens, contemplating the horizon. I hadn¡¯t slept well the night before, and so I¡¯d given it up as a lost cause and came out here for some peace and quiet. Somehow, I had managed to wake up after sunrise every day since I had arrived on this planet, and I was interested to see if it was any different.


    It had been a¡­strange week for me.


    After that hectic first day, the rest of my stay in Rhoscara had been completely uneventful. I had spent most of my time either wandering the castle or holed up in the surprisingly public library that it housed. Once I had realized that Language Adaptation also extended to full-length books, I had been incredibly relieved. In retrospect, kind of obvious if I could read the basic signs I¡¯d seen since I arrived on this planet.


    The library wasn¡¯t some huge, sprawling complex like I had first thought it would be upon hearing about it. Rather, it was a small series of interconnected rooms that reminded me of a local bookshop from back home. Cozy, rather than colossal. I¡¯d tried to use my time in there to good use. I¡¯d been getting sick of wandering around like a clueless tourist, needing to have basic things explained to me like I was a child. I¡¯d skimmed through a variety of books in the limited amount of time that I had, to the best of my ability. I felt like I had, at the very least, a better grasp on Velancia, Herztal, and the basics of the System.


    Herztal¡­


    From what little I¡¯d read, the human kingdom seemed incredibly fractious. It seemed to be divided into numerous little fiefdoms and territories, each with its own ruling noble of some kind. Small disputes and infighting were not uncommon between them, oftentimes verging on outright battle. However, the kingdom was set up in such a way that they all owed their allegiance to a High King, which was advised by a House of Lords. Supposedly, this style of governance was enough to curtail outright war within the Kingdom, but I had my doubts it worked perfectly. Reading between the lines of the treatise I had found, it sounded to me like the House of Lords did most of the actual governing, while the High King made the final decisions. Apparently, the current High King was Otto III, of the Eisenherz dynasty. The book hadn¡¯t been new enough to tell me much about him, however.


    Other than burying myself in books or wandering, I¡¯d been able to spend a surprising amount of time with Elysael. I¡¯d found her to be a startlingly down-to-earth person, despite her position. She¡¯d seen how clueless I was in regard to most facets of Velancian society and had taken it upon herself to educate me. Most of the time, those conversations would veer into the direction of history, dwarven or otherwise. She had quite the passion for the subject, it seemed. At the very least, I was never bored when I was essentially hanging out with her. In return, I opened up to her about Earth, which she had been intensely curious about. Strangely, she had been fairly disinterested in my tales of technology from my homelands, while deriving more enjoyment from the society instead. I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that someone who was essentially a politician was more interested in that.


    In between her duties, we¡¯d taken almost all of our meals together, sans Azarus. I had seen little of him until the other day. We hadn¡¯t even really had much of an opportunity to speak to each other. The one time that I had managed to corner him in order to speak about the developments with my Professions, he¡¯d shushed me and said we shouldn¡¯t talk about anything in Rhoscara. Honestly, I think he was being a little paranoid. It¡¯s not like there were people watching us all the time, or something.


    I was snapped out of my contemplation by the sunrise starting in front of me. I have to say, I didn¡¯t expect it to look like it did. Everything else fled from my mind as I watched, entranced.


    It was green.


    Rather than the typical progression of cool blue night giving way to warm yellow sunlight like back home, the light was green. Slowly, as the sun began to creep over the horizon, emerald green light spilled forth over the curvature of Vereden. It was almost as if the blue of the night sky was mixing with yellow of the sunlight. God, even Vereden¡¯s star looked green as it began to show itself. It was beautiful and fascinating and incredible all at once. It was also entirely alien, to my Terran sensibilities. I couldn¡¯t help a small chill from racing down my spine.


    Over the next fifteen minutes, I watched as the sunrise progressed. Slowly, the green tint to the light began to fade, shifting into the more familiar yellow shade of sunlight I¡¯d spent my whole life beneath. I had no idea what had caused that green light. Atmospheric conditions? Was the star itself just weird? Actually just magic? Who knows. Before long, the star had fully cleared the horizon, to cast warm morning rays down upon the planet.


    I was snapped out of my sunrise viewing by the sound of boots behind me. Turning around, I saw that Azarus had snuck up on me while holding two mugs of steaming hot liquid. ¡°Hey.¡± He said to me tiredly, while handing me one of the mugs.


    I took it, nodding gratefully to him. Taste-testing it, I found that it was a local blend of tea. I¡¯d gotten familiar with it over the last week and had grown a small taste for it. In the absence of coffee, it was the best I could do.


    I decided not to ask Azarus about the sunrise. I somehow doubted that, even if he had answers for me, he would be willing to talk about it while we were still within city limits.


    We sat and stood around in silence, respectively, for a few moments before I broke it. ¡°Time yet?¡± I asked Azarus shortly.


    Azarus grunted and shotgunned whatever was left in his mug. ¡°Yeah. Time to get goin¡¯.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    First, though, we had to say our goodbyes. Azarus had already collected our meager belongings and loaded them into whatever cart we were using to get home. I walked with Azarus through the halls of the palace until we reached the same office where I had first been introduced to Elysael.


    You know, the one we trashed.


    Miraculously, upon opening the door, it had been completely restored to its former state. To the best of my memory, it looked the exact same as it had before it had been destroyed. Guess that was the power of fuck-off royalty money.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Elysael herself was sitting behind her desk, already knee-deep in reports when Azarus and I entered her office. She must have woken up far before either of us, because there were the remains of a breakfast resting upon a platter off to the side and a cup of tea to her right. At our entrance, she lifted her head and gave the two of us a tired smile.


    ¡°Ah, Azarus, Nathan.¡± She greeted us, rising. ¡°Is it that time already?¡±


    Azarus nodded at her. ¡°Yeah, it is. I want to hit the road early.¡±


    Elysael nodded back at him, understanding. ¡°I see.¡± She answered quietly. ¡°Well. I wish you, both of you, safe travels. My understanding is that the scouts have reported no undue monster presence between here and Addersfield. It should be an uneventful trip.¡±


    Azarus grunted. For a moment, an almost uncomfortable silence ruled the office. I was both surprised and a little confused, honestly. But thinking on, perhaps I shouldn¡¯t be. Maybe Azarus¡¯d had business in the city during our stay, but that didn¡¯t fully explain his nearly complete absence from the palace. I had barely seen him at all. Perhaps there was some unresolved tension between them?


    Probably not my business.


    I cleared my throat uncomfortably, causing Elysael''s eyes to shift my way. I smiled at her. ¡°Thanks for, you know, everything. I appreciate you letting me stay in the palace during our stay. I honestly enjoyed my time here.¡±


    Elysael¡¯s smile grew a touch more genuine. ¡°It was no problem at all, Nathan. I, too, found myself enjoying your stay. I found our conversations most enlightening.¡± She stretched one of her hands in my direction. ¡°I truly hope we can meet again, one day. Perhaps after you¡¯ve solved the issue of your current circumstances?¡±


    I stared at her hand for a moment before something I had read this week clicked in my brain. Recalling the book on dwarven customs, I stepped up to Elysael''s desk and reached out myself. I firmly grasped Elysa''s forearm while she did the same for me. The both of us gave a quick squeeze, before dropping our arms. I stepped back.


    ¡°Goodbye, Nathan. May we meet again.¡± Elysael said, giving me a somewhat melancholy smile and inclining her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you around¡­Ely.¡± I replied, returning the smile. Her smile widened slightly.


    Azarus stepped up then and gruffly stuck his arm out too. Elysael gripped it as well and then repeated the ritual.


    ¡°Goodbye, cousin. I hope you find a¡­way out of your current circumstances as well.¡± Elysael said evenly.


    Azarus¡¯s brow furrowed slightly. ¡°Ah, thanks. See you later, then?¡± With a final nod to each other, Elysael sat back down while Azarus turned around and strode to the door. Opening it, he stepped outside. I followed him, and with one final look back at Elysael, I shut the door behind us.


    Turning in place, I found myself facing Azarus. He was giving me a weird look, with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked him, baffled. He just rolled his eyes at me and shook his head. Pivoting in place, he strode down the hall without answering me. I hurried to catch up to him. ¡°No, seriously, what?¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...


    With a grunt, Azarus finished securing the last of the cargo in the cart he had rented. He had explained to me that Gren had already left Rhoscara, and probably wasn¡¯t even back in Addersfield either. As a traveling trader, he could be anywhere in the Principality right now. Azarus had told me that Gren was one of the few people with a wagon that he trusted, and so he had decided to just drive us back to Addersfield himself. The cart he had chosen wasn¡¯t as nice as the one we had taken here either. It wasn¡¯t as big and didn¡¯t have a canvas-covered roof like Gren¡¯s. It was only a two-horse cart as well, so Azarus had told me to expect the trip back to take slightly longer. I was going to be riding up front with him, this time.


    Currently, Azarus and I were at the same inspection station that we had gotten off at when we arrived at the city. We had pretty much made a beeline through the city, taking a much shorter and more direct route to the gates than the scenic one a week ago.


    Azarus had waved me off when I had offered to him help with the final checks to the cart. Which, you know, I suppose was fair. It¡¯s not like I knew anything about the cargo he was hauling back to Addersfield.


    Hearing the crunch of metal-clad boots to my rear, I was surprised to recognize who was approaching me. It was the dwarven captain I had met and come up with the disgraced noble plan before we entered the city. Gastone, I think. He looked just as tired as last time and was carrying a steaming cup of tea, in a mirror of Azarus from earlier. Seeing that I noticed him, he nodded at me.


    ¡°Taking off, are you?¡± He asked me casually.


    ¡°Ah, yeah. Heading back to Azarus¡¯s place.¡± I answered him.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Gastone took a sip of his tea. ¡°You know, that stunt you pulled in court really got the city whispering. Even started a bit of a trend with the younger, more romantic sorts.¡±


    I was taken aback by that. ¡°What? How?¡± I asked him, startled.


    The captain smirked slightly at my confusion. ¡°Well, some of them started prancing about with decorative collars around their necks and going on about ¡®undying loyalty¡¯. Well,¡± He paused. ¡°Until their parents caught wind of them. They stopped that right quick.¡±


    I could feel my face go red at his words. ¡°Ah,¡± I said weakly. ¡°That¡¯s¡­good. That they were stopped.¡±


    He took another sip and grinned at me. ¡°Yeah, you could say that.¡± He sobered then. ¡°It¡¯s not really something to joke about.¡±


    Turning away from him to watch Azarus, I just nodded wordlessly. Now that I thought about it, this guy was the only other person than Ely that knew I was actually a slave.


    ¡°Thanks for your advice,¡± I said, without turning to face him. ¡°It¡­worked out. I got what I needed.¡±


    He was silent for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± He said softly. ¡°I¡¯m glad it worked out.¡±


    The both of us grew silent then.


    Before long, Azarus had finished with his checks and walked over to the two of us. ¡°Enzo.¡± He greeted the captain with audibly more enthusiasm in his tone than he¡¯d had with Elysael. He thrust an arm in Gastone¡¯s direction. The captain nodded back at him with a smile and they squeezed forearms once before dropping them. ¡°What brings you out here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, just seeing you off. All of your paperwork is in order, so you can leave at any time.¡± Captain Gastone answered.


    Azarus nodded back at him before sighing. He shifted his shoulders. ¡°Well, that time is now. It was good seeing ya, Enzo. Take care of yourself, yeah?¡±


    ¡°The same to you, my friend. Watch your back.¡± Gastone replied, with a small note of warning in his voice.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Azarus said, noncommittedly. With one final pair of goodbyes from the two of them, Azarus walked over to the cart and jumped up into the driver''s seat.


    ¡°Goodbye, Captain,¡± I said to him, turning to follow Azarus. I was stopped by the Captain speaking again.


    ¡°You should watch your back too, Mr. Hart.¡± I heard him say. Turning back to him, I saw a serious look on his face. ¡°It¡¯s a dangerous world.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say to that, so I just nodded back at him and finished walking over to the cart. Climbing into the passenger¡¯s seat, I was startled when Azarus handed me a wide-brimmed straw hat. Taking it, I looked at him questioningly.


    Azarus smirked back at me. ¡°No fancy roof for you, this time. You¡¯re gonna have to rough it out in the sun with the rest of us.¡± He pulled out an equally flopped straw hat and jammed it onto his head.


    I rolled my eyes at him but put the hat on anyway. I didn¡¯t know if you could still get sunburns with an active Status, but there was no use tempting fate.


    With a shout and a snap of his reigns, Azarus got the wagon underway. As we left the city, I turned around one last time to take in the view of Rhoscara.


    It really was a beautiful place.

 Chapter 36 - Family Politics

    Azarus and I traveled in companionable silence for most of the first day. We didn¡¯t even really stop in order to have lunch, we only stopped the cart when the sun went down. Once we did, I helped Azarus set up our campsite for the night. Thankfully, Azarus had remembered to buy some camping supplies while back in Rhoscara. I wanted to help him set up the tent he had bought, but I didn¡¯t really know how to set up an old-fashioned tent. I was only familiar with modern ones from back home that essentially snapped into place. I would have ended up just standing around uselessly, but I did know how to make a campfire, so I busied myself doing that instead.


    In no time, our campsite was settled for the night. I found myself staring blankly off into the trees off the side of the path, while Azarus poked idly at the fire with a stick. The sun was going down, I noticed, as if from far away. As the sun set through the trees, I leisurely noted that there was no transition into green light at sunset like there was at sunrise. How the hell that worked one way, but not the other, I had no idea. I¡¯d already resolved to ask Grey, or rather Greycton, about it when I got back to Azarus¡¯s place. He could probably explain it better than Azarus.


    Speaking of.


    I dragged my eyes over to Azarus to see that he was gazing blankly into the fire like I had been with the sunset. ¡°Hey,¡± I said to him, quietly.


    Slowly, he dragged his gaze up to meet mine and blinked at me. He made an inquisitive noise from the back of his throat.


    I leaned back onto my hands. ¡°So, what¡¯s up with you and Ely, anyway?¡±


    His eyebrows rose at my question before he sighed. ¡°Eh, it¡¯s not that complicated. Just¡­family business, y¡¯know?¡±


    I shrugged my shoulders at his deflection. ¡°I¡¯m interested, and I¡¯ll listen. If it¡¯s not too personal, I mean. She seemed all right to me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I bet,¡± Azarus muttered under his breath. He took a deep breath before expelling it. ¡°S¡¯got to do with how I¡¯m not a recognized member of House Florens, all right? My ma was a Florens, but my da was a Savoy. Which makes me a member of House Savoy.¡± He sighed again. ¡°Relations between ¡®em ain¡¯t great, to say the least.¡±


    ¡°All right. What does that have to do with you and Ely?¡± I asked him patiently.


    He switched his gaze to over my head. ¡°We may be blood, but she has more to worry about than me. She¡¯s the Prince now, after all. She can¡¯t just bend over backward to help one family member that¡¯s not even fully recognized. And that¡¯s the problem.¡± Azarus was quiet for a moment before continuing. ¡°When ma died¡­da didn¡¯t take it well. He fell into a drunken stupor that lasted years. S¡¯what killed him in the end.¡±


    Hmm. I see.


    It didn¡¯t match up completely, but I guess we had some things in common. Even though I wasn¡¯t a dwarven noble.


    Whatever.


    I let Azarus continue speaking.


    ¡°After da died, first I came to live in Rhoscara. Nobody within House Savoy wanted to look after me, not even my glorious uncle, the Prince. Not that I would¡¯ve wanted to.¡± He spit into the fire. ¡°That didn¡¯t work out, so I left for some more¡­ distant relatives.¡± He smirked at that, amused for some reason.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± I asked quietly, curious.


    ¡°I left for the mountain holds,¡± Azarus said proudly, thumping his chest. My eyebrows shot up at that. From what I remember of what Gren had told me, that had probably really pissed some people off. On both sides of his family. Azarus grinned at the look on my face. ¡°Oh yeah, the old Jarls made me the dwarf I am today! Everything I know, I owe to them. They taught me how to fight, how to smith, and how to be a ¡®real¡¯ dwarf.¡± He finished, in a mocking tone, still grinning.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised they took you in,¡± I said to him. ¡°From what I understand, there¡¯s some bad blood.¡±


    ¡°Oh, aye.¡± Azarus nodded. ¡°Like you wouldn¡¯t believe. But they got a kick out of taking in such a blue-blooded noble brat and trying to indoctrinate him. But we ended up getting along just fine after a while. Wasn¡¯t even any bad blood when I eventually left. Still.¡± He shrugged. ¡°When I came back, I had to work my way back into the good graces of both families. Because of my da, I¡¯m considered more of a Savoy, and Ely can¡¯t show too much favoritism considering that. Which leads me to the current situation.¡± His faint grin fell off finally. ¡°She knows I¡¯m in a hard place with the whole Grey thing, and has flat-out told me she can¡¯t do anything to get me out of it. I get it. I do. But that don¡¯t help me. So, I gotta help myself. Like always.¡±


    I let out a breath through my nose. I can see how that would cause some hard feelings on his behalf. I can even see why Ely can¡¯t help him out. With him being a sort of fringe member of the House, and not even a full one, it came down to inter-House politics. She would likely be stepping on a bunch of toes by trying to interfere in another House''s internal matters if she helped him. From what I had read about dwarven society, that was almost grounds for war. They were really, absurdly big on House sovereignty when it came to matters like this. I didn¡¯t get it, but I didn¡¯t need to. I wasn¡¯t a dwarf in the end.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°I see,¡± I said quietly, before nodding at him. ¡°Thanks for telling me. You didn¡¯t have to.¡±


    Azarus looked embarrassed at that. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s not a secret. You could probably get the story from plenty of other people.¡± He stood up at that. ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s about time you hit the hay.¡±


    I stood up for a moment before pausing as I registered his words. ¡°I should hit the hay? Not you?¡±


    Azarus nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll take first watch tonight. I¡¯ll wake you up later, and you can take second. We¡¯ll switch off tomorrow.¡±


    Oh, right. This wagon wasn¡¯t warded like Gren¡¯s was.


    I nodded at Azarus, slightly uneasy. ¡°Well, goodnight then,¡± I told him before retreating to the tent. Slipping into my bedroll inside, I tried not to think about monster attacks. Before long, I fell into an uneasy sleep.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    The trip back to Addersfield took a bit longer than it had leaving it. We added on another day to the journey, bringing it up to five days versus four. It was a bit more exciting as well, as we actually did get attacked by monsters this time. On the second day of our trip during our lunch, what looked like a feral goat charged out of the bush at us. Bleating and snarling, it looked crazed, with rolling red eyes. Observe told me it was a level five ¡°Wooly Rascal¡±, but I didn¡¯t get a chance to do much more than that.


    With barely anything more than an annoyed glance, Azarus had hurled the spoon he¡¯d been using to eat his oatmeal at the monster. The utensil had spun through the air with unerring accuracy and messily sliced the top of the goat¡¯s skull off, horns and all. I had been so shocked by the sudden attack that I could do nothing but gape at the scene, a spoonful of my own oatmeal dripping in front of my face. Azarus hadn''t cared about it at all though, and just retrieved his spoon and finished his lunch. Thankfully, he wiped his spoon down first.


    The second time apparently happened while I was sleeping, and Azarus was on his watch. I didn¡¯t hear anything during the attack and didn¡¯t learn until we were back on track the fourth day of travel. He didn¡¯t even tell me what had attacked us, just off-handedly mentioned it during idle conversation.


    The people of this planet were really desensitized to the possibility of monster attack, I guess.


    The fifth day of travel saw us traveling through familiar woodland. I could tell that we were getting closer to Addersfield. I could recognize some of the landmarks from when we had left. Before long, maybe about midday, I could see the fields. Exchanging a glance with Azarus, I nodded at him and climbed over the back of the seat of the cart, and sat down among the crates. It wouldn¡¯t do for me to be seen sitting with my ¡®master¡¯ after all, as if I was an equal or something.


    As we exited the forest road and entered the path that wound through the fields to the town, I glanced around, discomforted. It had been a while since I¡¯d seen any of my fellow slaves, and the sight of so many toiling in the fields troubled me.


    My eye caught something unusual as I panned my eyes around. Strangely, there was a dwarf out in the fields as well. I couldn¡¯t pretend that I knew what it was like out in the fields all the time, but from my experience and from what I had seen and heard, that almost never happened. Maybe he was subbing in as an overseer or something? Even stranger, he wasn¡¯t watching any of the slaves around him.


    He was watching us.


    The dwarf, dressed in the armor of one of the town guards, was staring intently at our wagon. It was hard to make out from the distance between us, but he also looked like he had his hand to his mouth. Something about that struck me as strange, but I didn¡¯t know why. Still, I could feel a sense of unease creep down my spine. I tried to shake it off, and tore my gaze away from the dwarf.


    After perhaps a half hour, we had made our way through the fields and reached the gates of Addersfield. Like always, there were two of the town guards out front, on either side of the large wooden gate.


    Even though they had to have seen us, they weren¡¯t looking at us. Azarus slowed the cart in front of the gates and waited for a moment.


    The guards continued to not acknowledge us.


    After a minute, Azarus spoke up. ¡°Oi.¡±


    The guards stared at a distant point on the horizon, silent.


    I heard Azarus hop down from the cart. Curious, I sat up on my knees and looked over the driver''s bench. Azarus was striding over to the guard on the left, visibly annoyed. ¡°OI!¡± He said in the guard''s face, raising his voice.


    The guard finally turned his eyes to meet Azarus¡¯s. Even from where I was, I could see the regret in them. ¡°Apologies, Lord Azarus.¡± He muttered.


    Azarus visibly tensed up. He whipped his head around to look at me.


    Our eyes met.


    His were filled with panic.


    Before Azarus had a chance to do anything, the gates in front of me began to groan open. Azarus¡¯s face took a grim countenance, and he turned to face them. I turned to watch as well.


    As the gates opened, I could see that there was a crowd on the other side gathered. All of them were part of the town guard. There must have been at the very least thirty of them gathered in front of us, all of them standing at attention. To a one, their hands rested on their sheathed swords, ready to draw in an instance.


    Azarus stood up to his full height, but lowered his head as if he was a bull about to charge. Slowly, ponderously, he began to march in order to stand before the large group of guards. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± He asked commandingly in a menacing tone, somehow projecting his voice throughout the gate square.


    None of the guards answered him.


    Someone else did instead.


    ¡°Why, it¡¯s a welcoming ceremony, dear cousin.¡± A mocking voice called out from behind the group of guards. Wordlessly, without being commanded to, the mass of guards shifted to reveal the owner of the voice.


    Magnus.

 Chapter 37 - Welcoming Ceremony

    My breath hitched in my chest. Oh¡­fuck. What the hell was he doing here?


    Lord Magnus of House Savoy was much as I remembered him to be. Dark of hair and beard, both were worn long and elaborately styled. Shorter than Azarus, he was dressed in fancy-looking green and gold robes, complete with a fucking mantle. Even from where I knelt in the wagon, I could see the malevolent glint in his pale, golden eyes.


    Azarus took a deep breath before speaking. ¡°I¡­appreciate it, cousin.¡± He said between gritted teeth. ¡°But I don¡¯t need one. I¡¯d prefer to just get back home after my long trip.¡±


    Magnus chuckled to himself in the dead silence of the square, before walking forward to stand an arm¡¯s length before Azarus. He shook his head. ¡°Oh no, I don¡¯t think so. After all, I wouldn¡¯t want to be seen as unwelcoming, would I? No, no, that wouldn¡¯t do at all.¡± He paused for a moment before meeting Azarus¡¯s eyes. ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly be seen to be less welcoming of my blood than that Florens harlot.¡±


    That made Azarus tense up even more and take a step forward to Magnus. Before he could take more than a single step, however, every guard in the square reacted. All of them reached for their weapons at once, creating a cacophony of clanging armor. Azarus paused while Magnus barely reacted, beyond a slight widening of his smile.


    ¡°Oh yes.¡± Magnus nearly purred. ¡°I heard about your grand entrance to Rhoscara.¡±


    I felt the blood drain from my face, leaving me feeling light-headed. He knew about that? He knew about the whole scene in Elysael¡¯s throne room?


    But¡­


    That was where I had boasted about not having a complete slave bond¡­


    While I was panicking, Magnus had continued speaking. ¡°I have to say, cousin, I didn¡¯t know you had it in you. I¡¯ve always thought you were too unspeakably dull to conduct such an act before a court. However¡­¡± He suddenly lurched forward closer to Azarus. ¡°I DON¡¯T APPRECIATE YOU STEPPING ON MY TOES!¡± Magnus screamed, an inch away from his face.


    Stepping back and straightening his clothes, Magnus wasn¡¯t smiling anymore. ¡°You know I¡¯m using those filthy knife ears to supply the slaves I need.¡± He hissed. ¡°Father won¡¯t send any more, and I don¡¯t have the coin to buy them at market rate. I will not be denied my entertainment if I¡¯m to be consigned to this filthy backwater.¡±


    Wait, what?


    He was only pissed about the elf thing?


    From where I knelt, I could see that Azarus was slightly confused as well.


    Magnus must have noticed as well, because he sneered. ¡°Oh, do wipe that pathetic look off your face. There¡¯s no use pretending innocence in this matter. My agent in that strumpet¡¯s court supplied me with a full transcript of your so-called ¡®welcoming ceremony¡¯. I know all about how you flounced around that dingy little hall, practically weeping about the poor humes being enslaved at the border. How the nasty knife ears have been snatching up the peasants, and how you supposedly drove them off.¡± He threw up his hands in frustration. ¡°Father expressly forbade such interference! How did those gullible dunces fall for such drivel!¡±


    Azarus glanced over at me while Magnus was throwing a temper tantrum. I think we had both realized what was happening by now. Somehow, Magnus had either received wrong information, or his information had been doctored before he had received it. Everything that I had done in court was being attributed to Azarus instead, excluding everything to do with me. I tried to hide the relief on my face. Azarus smirked at me slightly before blanking his face and turning back to face Magnus.


    ¡°As it is,¡± Magnus continued after calming down, glowering at Azarus. ¡°I intercepted a report that the band of rabid dogs I¡¯d contracted have been driven deeper into the Barren Forest by Rhoscaran troops. So, how do you intend to atone for your actions?¡±


    Azarus was silent for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ve made my stance on slavery quite clear in the pa-¡± He tried to say evenly.


    Magnus interrupted him with a sharp gesture. ¡°Spare me from your bleeding heart, fool. I don¡¯t care.¡± Suddenly, Magnus turned to face me where I knelt in the back of the wagon. ¡°Besides, your stance has clearly changed. You¡¯ve been gallivanting around with this cattle for some time now. I¡¯ve no idea how you smuggled it into the city, wearing one of my collars.¡± He said, striding over to the wagon. In one smooth motion, Magnus jumped up onto the drivers bench that I was kneeling behind, in order to stare down at me. I flinched away from his stare, lowering my head in the way I¡¯d learned to act as a slave. ¡°Well, slave? How did my cretin of a cousin hide your presence in the most vehemently anti-slavery city in the Principality?¡±


    I flicked my eyes up to meet his briefly, only to lower them again at the disdain I found there. I worked my mouth soundlessly for a moment, shaking my head. I didn¡¯t know what to say.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    He didn¡¯t like that.


    In a movement faster than I could follow, Magnus darted a hand out and grabbed me by my hair. I cried out in pain as he lifted me effortlessly and dangled me off the side of the wagon, shaking me by my hair. ¡°Answer me, maggot!¡± He barked.


    I scrabbled at the arm holding me fruitlessly, barely able to think through the pain of my entire body weight being held up only by my hair. ¡°I don¡¯t know! I don¡¯t know!¡± I cried out.


    ¡°Magnus!¡± I heard Azarus bellow off to my right. ¡°Put him down!¡±


    Magnus looked over his shoulder and sneered. ¡°Well, if you insist.¡± With a heave, Magnus swung me around and tossed me as if I was a sack. I flew through the air, flailing in panic, only to crunch into the dirt at Azarus¡¯s feet on my left side. The impact stunned me, driving all the air out of my lungs. I felt large hands on my shoulders that then rolled me onto my back. Above me Azarus was trying to say something with a worried look on his face, but my ears were ringing too loud to understand him. Azarus looked to my left side and grimaced. Sluggishly, I swiveled my head to follow his gaze and saw my left arm.


    Oh.


    That was a bone.


    The fall onto my left side must have badly broken my upper left arm about midway down. Underneath my arm, I could see a grey protrusion of stone sticking up out of the earth. I had landed right on it. The bloody, broken end of my left humerus was poking through the skin in a gruesome manner. Suddenly, the pain of the break hit me all at once and I let out a strangled cry. Instinctively, I tried to grip my left arm with my right, only to flinch away at the heightened pain. I began to hyperventilate, my vision narrowing.


    Abruptly, I felt hands grasp my head and drag my gaze up. Azarus met my gaze with grim determination. ¡°Can you hear me?¡±


    I stared at him blankly for a moment. Fighting through the pain, I shakily nodded at him.


    ¡°I need to set the arm,¡± Azarus told me soberly.


    I felt animal panic grab hold of me at the thought and began to struggle weakly against his hold.


    ¡°Calm down. Calm down!¡± Azarus raised his voice, trying to fight through my panic. ¡°I have a healing potion, and it¡¯ll be over quick. It won¡¯t heal the break completely, but it needs to be done or you¡¯ll bleed out.¡±


    In a haze of pain, I didn¡¯t even register Azarus¡¯s words for a moment. Finally, I registered what he had said. ¡°O-okay.¡± I said, weakly.


    Taking a deep breath, Azarus looked around for a moment. Reaching over, he grabbed a stick out of the dirt off to his right. ¡°Bite down on this.¡± He told me grimly, putting the stick up to my mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll go on the count of one.¡±


    Craning my neck up shakily, I bit down on the stick, dimly aware of the taste of dust in my mouth now. I nodded at him, barely able to focus.


    Azarus nodded back at me and then reached down to grab my left shoulder with his left hand, and my arm with his right. His grasp sent a fresh new wave of pain through my body. The stick muffled my moan. ¡°Alright.¡± He said ominously. ¡°Three-¡±


    Suddenly, in a brutal move, Azarus yanked on my arm below the break, hard. Then, he immediately shoved downwards on the bone protruding through my skin, causing it to slip back inside. The entire time, I was blinded by excruciating pain, nearly blacking out. Through a haze, I felt a hand grab the stick out of my mouth and shove a bottle up against my lips. I was barely aware of this, so I couldn¡¯t make myself drink it. I felt my head being tilted backward, and then a cool liquid poured down my throat.


    I laid there, insensate for a while. Gradually, I became aware the pain was starting to dull. Where before it was agonizing, easily the worst pain of my life, it slowly became bearable. But it didn¡¯t completely go away. My arm was still on fire, it just wasn¡¯t screaming at me like before. I opened my eyes, unaware that I¡¯d closed them in the first place, to find Azarus hovering over me anxiously. I blinked slowly at him.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡± He asked me, concerned.


    I tried to take a deep breath, only to break into a coughing fit. ¡°I-¡± I started haltingly. ¡°I don¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°As touching as this whole scene has been.¡± I heard a sarcastic voice speak off to the side. ¡°We¡¯re not done here, cousin.¡±


    Azarus¡¯s face hovering about me own hardened. Slowly, he straightened up to face Magnus. I sluggishly turned my head to face him as well, still laying in the dirt.


    ¡°No,¡± Azarus said quietly, menacingly. ¡°I think we are. We¡¯re leaving.¡± He visibly dismissed Magnus, and turned back around to help me sit up. As I did, I let out a hiss of pain. My arm was still on fire, but it didn¡¯t feel like it was still completely broken at least. Once I was on my feet, Azarus slung my right arm over his shoulder to support my weight. It was probably the only way I was going to be able to walk, with how weak I still felt.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare¡­¡± I heard Magnus say behind us, in a rising tone. ¡°TURN YOUR BACK ON ME! STOP HIM!¡±


    Two of the armor-clad town guards stepped in front of us, their swords still barred from earlier. This time, those swords were raised directly toward us.


    Azarus stopped, tensing up. All I could do was hang off his shoulder, a cold sweat rolling down my back. Slowly, Azarus turned the two of us to face Magnus again.


    The look on his face chilled me. His aristocratic, dwarven features were twisted into a mad rictus of hate. He was baring his teeth at us like he was an animal, with a crazed glint in his gleaming golden eyes. ¡°I am your LORD!¡± He howled at us. ¡°That is my PROPERTY you are carrying!¡±


    Azarus ignored him, cutting his eyes to take in the guards that had slowly surrounded us. They had encircled us, weapons barred. I could see him visibly weighing our, or rather his, odds against them. By the grim set to his face, they weren¡¯t great. He cut his eyes back to Magnus. ¡°What do you want.¡± He said stonily, more a statement than a question.


    ¡°What do I want, what do I want.¡± Magnus mocked, still sneering at us. ¡°I want to not be sentenced to this pathetic backwater, with its backward peasants. Alas, I need to suffer this hovel for a while longer. So, I¡¯ll need to manufacture my own entertainment. Do you care for this slave, cousin? Have you, perhaps, grown attached?¡± He said, a horrible smile stealing across his face.


    Alarm was growing on Azarus¡¯s face. ¡°Magnus, don¡¯t.¡± He said, almost pleadingly.


    Judging by the glee in Magnus¡¯s eyes, he didn¡¯t care. Slowly, he lifted a hand to point directly in our direction. Specifically, at me. ¡°Take him.¡± He commanded the guards. ¡°It¡¯s time for a hunt.¡±

 Chapter 38 - Stone Broken

    Azarus¡¯s whole body tensed. His arm thrown across my shoulders began to feel more like a steel bar. Whatever he was planning on, he didn¡¯t get the chance to act on it.


    The guards advanced on us with startling speed.


    One of the guards lunged at us once in range, arm outstretched. At the same time, Azarus first yanked his arm from around my shoulder and shoved me behind him. Then, he met the lunge of the guard with one of his own. In one smooth, practiced motion, he set his stance and grabbed the outstretched arm of the dwarven guard, and threw him. The armor-clad guard flew through the air, clanging all the while, before impacting the dirt with a crash. The entire exchange only took a few seconds.


    I blinked.


    Azarus reset his stance, feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent, and back slightly hunched. His arms were curled out to his sides, with his hands curled into pseudo-claws.


    The rest of the guards halted their advance, wary to approach.


    Someone clad in armor, not one of the town guards, stepped out of the crowd to advance on our position. After a moment, I actually recognized him. This was the guard that had been accompanying Magnus, the day that he had bought me. He was still wearing the same nearly ornamental silver and gold armor, wearing a similarly gaudy green and gold tabard with the image of a rearing bull on the front. Azarus must have recognized him as well, because I saw his back tense up even more.


    ¡°Cease this foolishness, boy.¡± A voice rang out from the helm. Whoever was in that tin can almost sounded bored of the situation. He didn¡¯t even seem threatened, standing almost casually with one hand resting on the pommel of his sheathed sword.


    Azarus let out an even breath. ¡°Can¡¯t do that, Stonebreaker.¡±


    The knight, Stonebreaker apparently, sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just a slave.¡± He said dismissively. ¡°There are over a hundred of them in this settlement alone. If you need another after this one is used up, I¡¯m sure you can find another.¡±


    Azarus didn¡¯t answer, still standing protectively in front of me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you,¡± Stonebreaker said derisively. ¡°You brought this on yourself.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t track what happened next. One moment Stonebreaker was standing about twenty feet away from us nonchalantly. The next, Azarus was doubled over in pain, with the fist of the armor-clad dwarven knight buried in his stomach, right where the diaphragm of a dwarf must be.


    I¡­guess that Azarus couldn¡¯t track him either.


    Azarus fell to his knees, clutching his injured chest. I stood behind him gormlessly, still clutching my injured arm.


    One of the guards approached the knight. ¡°Thanks, Stonebreaker. I don¡¯t know how we were going to-¡±


    The guard was interrupted by Stonebreaker. Specifically, by being backhanded halfway across the clearing by the knight. He didn¡¯t even turn to face the guard that he had struck. ¡°That¡¯s ¡®Sir¡¯ Stonebreaker to you maggots. Don¡¯t forget that.¡± He said contemptuously. ¡°What are you waiting for? Restrain them.¡±


    The guards hurried to obey him. Two of them grabbed the weakened Azarus by his arms and hauled him to his feet, while one approached me. I tried to back away, but I wasn¡¯t quick enough to stop him from roughly grabbing me and pinning my arms behind my back. The guard¡¯s move agitated my previously broken arm, causing both it and me to cry out in pain. Both of us were hauled in front of Magnus, who had been watching the entire scene with a sick sense of glee.


    He tsked at Azarus, faux shaking his head. ¡°Now what did that accomplish, cousin? Look at you now.¡± Turning away from the two of us, he pointed at a handful of guards who were standing off to the side. They visibly straightened up at his scrutiny. ¡°Go round up a few strong-looking slaves, and bring them to the back clearing. Now.¡±


    The guards saluted at him in the dwarven manner and hurried off to do his bidding.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Azarus struggled to say, hoarsely. He lifted his head sluggishly.


    Magnus paused, turning back to Azarus. He smirked at him. ¡°Oh? Do you have something to say, cousin?¡±


    ¡°If,¡± Azarus said, breathing heavily between every word. ¡°You¡¯re going¡­to do this¡­at least¡­let him have¡­a weapon¡­¡±


    Magnus laughed at him, shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯m not going to waste a perfectly good weapon on a slave of all things.¡± He said, still chuckling. He turned to Stonebreaker, who had been standing off his right. ¡°What about you? Are you going to give the cattle your sword?¡±


    The knight¡¯s helmet-clad head turned to face Magnus slightly. ¡°No.¡± He said with finality.


    ¡°In¡­the cart¡­spear¡­¡± Azarus managed to wheeze out.


    That caused Magnus to raise an eyebrow. He flicked a hand out at another guard after a moment. The guard holding me released my arms and hurried to obey the dwarven lord to rummage around in the cart for my spear. I staggered under my own weight for a moment, weakened from my injury before finding my footing. Shortly thereafter, the guard jogged back over to Magnus, spear in hand. He wordlessly handed it to him and then stepped back into the crowd of other guards instead of grabbing me again. Magnus looked over the weapon he had just been handed with a sneer.


    ¡°Your work, I¡¯m assuming?¡± He asked Azarus contemptuously. ¡°I recognize the plebian style.¡±


    Azarus didn¡¯t answer, somehow still struggling to breathe.


    Magnus suddenly smirked. ¡°Hmph. Well, this just won¡¯t do.¡± He said, holding the spear aloft. ¡°After all, this slave is injured, isn¡¯t he? You need two functioning arms to use a spear.¡±


    Uh, I mean, that wasn¡¯t technically true. I could probably still use the spear with one arm fucked like this. It¡¯s not like the spear Azarus had given me was a pike or something.


    A few of the guards exchanged glances as well, while Stonebreaker audibly sighed inside his helmet.


    Magnus either didn¡¯t notice or didn¡¯t care. ¡°No, no, no. This won¡¯t do at all.¡± In a sudden move, he gripped the spear with both hands and brought the shaft of the spear down upon his knee. With an audible crack, the spear splintered in half just below the point of the spear. He tossed the broken shaft off to the side, before holding up the blade. It only had a few inches of haft left, sticking out of the bottom of the socket. ¡°A dagger suits a slave better, I feel.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Azarus stared up at Magnus, despair creeping onto his face.


    With a smirk, Magnus threw the ¡®dagger¡¯ at my feet. I just stared down at it blankly for a moment, before looking back up at Magnus. His smirk shifted to a scowl.


    ¡°Are you going to scorn my generosity, slave?¡± He growled, threateningly.


    I didn¡¯t even know what was going to happen to me, but I guess I should take my new ¡®weapon¡¯. It probably wasn¡¯t anything good. I bent down to pick it up, careful of the splintered end. When I looked up, Magnus had turned away from me.


    ¡°Well, time to get this show on the road,¡± Magnus said, wicked delight in his voice.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    The guards marched Azarus and I through town, and along the side path that I was familiar with by now. Before long, we had passed right by the path that led to Azarus¡¯s house. I couldn¡¯t help a longing glance in that direction.


    Strangely, Azarus was still hunched over, gasping for breath as we were both marched along the path. The guards had stopped manhandling us by this point, assured we were cowed. I sidled up to Azarus, keeping a wary eye on them anyway.


    ¡°You okay?¡± I whispered to him.


    Azarus cast a side eye at me between labored breaths. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± He wheezed. ¡°Stonebreaker just has some strong afflictions, that¡¯s all. Ya should worry about yourself.¡±


    I furrowed my brow. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s a hunt?¡± I said to him, careful to keep my voice down.


    Azarus opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted.


    ¡°Quiet.¡± Someone said behind us. I started, turning my head slightly to see who had spoken. It was ¡®Sir¡¯ Stonebreaker, which surprised me. Somehow, he had snuck up on us in full armor. ¡°If you ruin the boy''s fun, I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going to have to listen to his whining.¡±


    Azarus turned to face Stonebreaker and glowered at him. ¡°Fuck you, Vincenzo Stonebreaker. You know this shite is evil just as well as I do.¡±


    The knight just hummed noncommittedly. ¡°Maybe. But I don¡¯t care. The Prince ordered me to obey his son, and that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do. That¡¯s what loyalty is.¡± He said pointedly.


    ¡°Piss on your loyalty,¡± Azarus grunted.


    Stonebreaker didn¡¯t reply. He just kept walking behind us at a steady pace. I guess he was our watcher. Or rather, Azarus¡¯s watcher.


    Azarus looked back over at me and worked his jaw for a moment. A resigned, almost defeated look fell over his face before he shook his head at me slightly. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± He said quietly, almost ashamed.


    The rest of our walk along the path was spent in silence. I kept a white-knuckled grip upon the ¡®dagger¡¯ that Magnus had given me, trying to keep myself calm. I was sure that whatever was going to happen to me wasn''t going to be pleasant.


    Before long, we had exited the path out into the small backyard of Magnus¡¯s manor. I could see that across the clearing, the guards at the back gate clearly hadn¡¯t been prepared to see their liege-lord. Much less the large party that was following him. Magnus just strutted across the clearing as if he owned it. Which, I guess he did.


    He didn¡¯t even need to say anything to the guards, they just moved to immediately open the gate as we drew nearer to it. Without even glancing at them, Magnus strode through the gate, everyone else following him. Once everyone had passed the gates, he glanced around and frowned in irritation.


    ¡°Where are those fools?¡± Magnus muttered to himself audibly, tapping his foot in impatience.


    Everyone in the clearing beyond the gate stood around awkwardly in silence, while Magnus began to get more and more annoyed. We must have been waiting around for nearly five minutes before someone cleared their throat nervously behind me. Craning my head slightly, and seeing that everyone else did the same, I could see that it was one of the guards. He was pointing a finger over his shoulder in an awkward, anxious manner.


    ¡°Ah, my lord?¡± The guard said uneasily. He fidgeted when Magnus turned around to glare at him. ¡°They¡¯re here.¡±


    Following his thumb, I could see three guards just exiting the same path that we had.


    They were herding three other slaves, all of them male. All of them whipcord thin, and emaciated. All of them visibly terrified.


    I guess they knew what was coming.


    I could see Magnus smile malevolently out of the corner of my eye. ¡°Excellent.¡±


    Once the guards had prodded the other slaves into the clearing with us, Magnus turned to face me and crooked a finger. Before I could even think about disobeying, one of the guards shoved me. I stumbled forward, almost tripping and falling on my face. When I found my feet again, I discovered that I had been forced to the front of the group. Right next to the rest of the slaves. They didn¡¯t even look at me, too busy watching Magnus with wide, frightened eyes.


    Speaking of, Magnus spread his arms wide and fixed a manic grin on his face. ¡°Welcome, slaves! To my little monthly hunt!¡± He cackled. ¡°While I recognize you three sorry ingrates, there¡¯s a newer slave in our lot! I¡¯m sure you know what this is, but I doubt the new cattle does.¡±


    The other slaves didn¡¯t even turn to look at me they were so petrified.


    Magnus snorted. ¡°Here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen. You four,¡± He said, pointing at us. ¡°Are going to enter the forest. But, you see, you¡¯re not going to be doing any traditional hunting, oh no. Rather, you¡¯re going to be the ones that are hunted. Not by anyone here, of course. We¡¯re not savages after all.¡± He broke into a chuckle.


    The guards broke into an uneasy, forced chuckle as well. As for me, I felt a chill down my spine and tried to fight a sense of growing panic.


    ¡°You see, you¡¯re going to be hunted by the monsters that are lurking just beyond the wards.¡± Magnus continued after he stopped chuckling. ¡°Your job is to herd the monster that hunts you back to this clearing so that I can kill it. After all, I need to continue getting levels somehow, don¡¯t I?¡± He chuckled again, shaking his head. When he finished, he held up a finger. ¡°However! There are rules to this little hunt. Firstly, you need to herd a monster back that is actually worth my time to kill. After all, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to get much Aether from some piddly level-five monster, now, am I? Secondly, there is a time limit to this hunt. You have until sundown to successfully herd a monster back to me.¡±


    Magnus looked up at the sky, shading his eyes with his right hand.


    ¡°That might just be a little under six hours, I believe.¡± He looked back at us. ¡°Now, ¡®Lord Magnus¡¯, you must be thinking, ¡®how am I supposed to do that when my Virtues and Skills are suppressed? We can¡¯t even use Observe to tell what monster is good enough!¡¯. Well, that¡¯s just not my problem, now, is it? Because here¡¯s the final rule. If you don¡¯t succeed, you die.¡± He smiled, almost benevolently at us. ¡°If you herd a substandard monster back here, you die. If you don¡¯t complete your task in the allotted time, you die. If you try to run and never return, well, you get the idea. And that¡¯s all thanks to what I have right here.¡± He finished, drawing a polished slate of black stone from an inner pocket in his robe.


    I furrowed my brow seeing it. I swear to God, it looked similar to a tablet computer from back home. It wasn¡¯t, I know, as it was very obviously stone. But the resemblance was there.


    Azarus audibly grunted in disgust at the sight of the stone tablet. ¡°Swiped that from Orin, did you?¡±


    His words made Magnus smirk, but he didn¡¯t acknowledge them beyond that. ¡°With the press of a rune on this slate, I can kill any one of you instantaneously. And the beautiful part? I don¡¯t know how you¡¯ll die. Every slave I own is fitted with a collar that has a random death enchantment on it. Poison, beheading, or even explosions, I truly can¡¯t tell which you have. But you¡¯ll be dead all the same, so I suggest you try hard.¡±


    When Magnus finished, he made a motion to the guards. The guards that had been looming over us four slaves stepped back. I never took my eyes off Magnus, however. He had stepped to the side and made an almost sweeping bow in the direction of the forest. When he straightened back up, he found that we hadn¡¯t moved an inch. He raised a mocking eyebrow in our direction.


    ¡°Well? If I were you, I¡¯d get to it. You don¡¯t have all day, you see.¡± Magnus said tauntingly.


    None of us moved for another moment before one of the other slaves took an unsteady step forward. As if he had broken something that was holding the others back, the other two slaves broke out into unsteady and panicked runs in the direction of the forest. Nearly tripping over his own feet, the last slave took off into a stumbling run of his own.


    I just stared disbelievingly at Magnus for a moment, before a shout broke me out of my stupor.


    ¡°Go!¡± I heard Azarus cry out behind me. ¡°He¡¯s not joking! Go!¡±


    Nearly out of instinct, I broke out into a run of my own, as if I was a rabbit startled by a gunshot. By the time I had crossed half of the clearing, I was full-on sprinting. Before long, I had reached the tree line. Risking a glance back over my shoulder, I somehow caught Azarus¡¯s eyes over the distance. He mouthed something to me, but I couldn¡¯t quite make it out.


    Resigned to my fate, I turned back around and entered the forest.

 Chapter 39 - The Hunt Begins

    I sprinted through the forest for perhaps five minutes before I started to slow down. Coming to a stop, I hunched over and put my hands on my knees in order to catch my breath. But I was fighting something else that was making me breathe hard, and that was my own panic. My breaths came in harsh gasps even though I had recovered from my mad dash through the underbrush of this damn monster-infested forest. Fuck.


    Fuck fuck fuck.


    Get it together, dumbass. You didn¡¯t have time to have a panic attack.


    Casting a wild eye up through the treetops, I tried to get a handle on the time. The canopy wasn¡¯t too thick where I was, and I was still able to see sunlight. I couldn¡¯t see the position of the sun though, so I could only guesstimate. Midday-ish? Maybe? So like Magnus had said, I maybe had six hours at the absolute most in order to find a high-level monster in this hellhole, survive its attack, and somehow lead it back to the back gate so that fucking psycho could kill it.


    All right then. Work with what you got.


    I was still wearing the traveling clothes that I had been gifted back in Rhoscara by Ely before I had left. They were higher quality than the slave clothes I had been given by Azarus. They included a good pair of leather boots, so that was a stroke of luck. Perfect for tromping through the brush.


    But that was about it, other than my new ¡®dagger¡¯.


    I hadn¡¯t expected to need anything when we woke up this morning, and I¡¯d been advised by Azarus to not wear anything fancy when we got back to Addersfield. Couldn¡¯t have a slave wearing anything nice, after all. I didn¡¯t have any food on me, and more importantly, I didn¡¯t have water. I hoped my energy held up.


    No other tools on me, either. I was lucky to have the spearhead, but I sure as hell wasn¡¯t going to thank Magnus for that. My brief experiences in the scouts when I was a kid told me that having anything with a blade on it was a huge boon to survival. Thank fuck that Azarus had spoken up. I would have appreciated having the spear more, but at this point, I would take what I could get.


    So, how was I going to do this?


    First, I needed to find a monster. It had to be a strong one, too. I hadn¡¯t thought to Observe Magnus to tell what level he was, but something told me it wouldn¡¯t have mattered if I had. He was assuredly much higher than me, so it would have just shown up as question marks. So how strong was he, then? What would constitute a good enough monster? I wracked my brain to try and remember if Azarus had ever said anything. The only thing that came to mind was Azarus mentioning that he was over a hundred levels above me, and that Magnus was jealous of Azarus for being higher level than him. So, fucking anywhere between level four and one hundred and four? Great.


    Last time we were in this forest, Azarus had told me that the further you went into the forest, the stronger and higher level the monsters became. We¡¯d meandered not far from the clearing, maybe about fifteen minutes run from the clearing. That had netted us monsters that were around the level five to six range. I needed to go much farther than that if I wanted to find something strong enough. Damnit, I just had to hope I could survive long to reach that area, and then survive the stronger monster as well.


    I needed to get moving, fast. I had no time to take it slow through this forest, and I didn¡¯t have time to care if the weaker monsters around my level tried to attack me. Hopefully, I could just run from them. I let out a shuddering breath at that. I hadn¡¯t done so hot, fighting a monster entirely on my own last time. This time, I had to suck it up. If I had to fight something, I had to make the first move. I had to be aggressive<u> </u>if I was going to survive this.


    Standing up from the hunched-over position I¡¯d been in while my thoughts raced, I slapped my cheeks to psych myself up. Luckily, I didn¡¯t stab myself in the face with the spear blade I was still clutching in my right hand.


    I could do this, I could do this, I could do this.


    Digging my feet into the loam beneath me and getting into a runner¡¯s stance, I tensed my whole body. At an unseen signal, I took off.


    Deeper into the forest.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...


    I was running through the forest for maybe ten minutes, doing my best to dodge roots and branches in my path, when I ran into my first problem.


    Something was crashing through the brush behind me. Chasing me.


    Making sure there was nothing coming up, I risked a quick glance behind me. I made sure not to stop running, though.


    Fuck. Yeah, that was a monster, all right. I couldn¡¯t get a good look at it through the brush, but there was something audibly panting as it chased me. I threw out a quick Observe, hoping it could track whatever it was even though I couldn¡¯t


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.95428%">Name</td>


    <td style="width: 92.0449%">Scrappy Warg Runt</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.95428%">Level</td>


    <td style="width: 92.0449%">8</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.95428%">Age</td>


    <td style="width: 92.0449%">3 weeks</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.95428%">Species</td>


    <td style="width: 92.0449%">Monster</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.95428%">Abilities</td>


    <td style="width: 92.0449%">Lunge</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Lunge?Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Seconds after I noticed that, a large wolf-like creature shot out of the brush behind me, like an arrow out of a bow. Its large, bearish jaws were wide open and dripping. My eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets from where I had been looking over my shoulder.


    Something strange happened then.


    As if I was moving in a daze, I stopped on a dime, transferring all my forward momentum onto my right heel. I spun around quickly, crouching slightly in the same movement. As the Warg flew through the air at me, it felt like the world had slowed to a crawl. I must have been the one moving, but it didn¡¯t feel like it. I watched as my arm raised my dagger to point above me, and as the Warg descended on my position.


    The world sped back up. With a crash, the Warg fell onto my blade. At the same time, I shoved the monster off to the side so it didn¡¯t pin me. I stayed crouched for a moment, watching the monster that was lying off to the side. I needn¡¯t have bothered though, as it was clearly dead. It wasn¡¯t moving, or even breathing anymore. Like most monsters I had seen die though, it wasn¡¯t bleeding. As if to punctuate my observation, the Warg puffed into greasy black smoke, leaving behind a tiny, grain-sized gem.


    I blinked.


    Slowly, I rose my crouch and furrowed my brow. Looking down at my hands and the dagger clutched in one, I contemplated what I had just done.


    Well. That had gone way better than the first time I had fought a monster by myself.


    Where did that come from? I¡¯d never shown that kind of combat prowess before. It¡¯s not like anything had changed since the last time I¡¯d gotten into a fight, back when I¡¯d gotten my ass kicked by the Blade-Rack Hart. The last time I¡¯d checked my Status, I hadn¡¯t noticed anything that could cause this.


    Huh.


    I shook it off. I didn¡¯t have the time to be woolgathering. I only had a handful of more hours to get Magnus¡¯s sadistic task done. I didn¡¯t give much of a shit about the monster core that it had dropped. It¡¯s not like I had anywhere to put them after all. These pants didn¡¯t have pockets, and I didn¡¯t have a bag on me. Casting one last puzzled glance back at the spot the Warg had died, I took off back into the forest again.


    This time, I was more confident about my chances. Maybe I really could do this after all.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    I had several more chances to test that confidence, as I made my way deeper into the forest. Two more times I ended up fighting and killing monsters again, both of them Wargs as well. The first one repeated the same strategy of the Warg I had killed earlier. I¡¯d killed it pretty much the same way, by letting it fall on my dagger during its lunge. I didn¡¯t stick around to watch it puff into smoke, I just took off again after retrieving my knife.


    The second one, I ended up being the one to ambush it. I had been sprinting along through the forest, when I saw another one of the Warg Runts directly in my path. I noticed it first and made a split-second decision to try and copy its own tactics. In moments, I was upon it before it could detect me. Taking a running jump, I had pretty much tackled the weird bear-wolf from behind. The Warg had been too stunned by my tackle and hadn¡¯t reacted in time to save itself from being shanked. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t get off of the monster in time to avoid a face full of greasy, foul-smelling smoke. I barely avoided vomiting on the newly revealed monster core beneath me.


    Lesson learned, I guess. Even if I had grown more confident in my combat ability, don¡¯t tackle monsters unless you want to inhale smoke that¡¯ll make you dry heave.


    Other than those two, I didn¡¯t hear or see any more monsters. I found it slightly odd that I didn¡¯t fight anything other than Wargs, though.


    I must have been outright sprinting through the forest for most of an hour when I finally noticed the changes in the forest around me. They¡¯d been so gradual during my run that my adrenaline-flooded brain didn¡¯t realize them until they were unmistakable. I slowed down gradually until I had stopped completely to take them in. Casting my head around, I couldn¡¯t help a sense of foreboding from falling over me.


    The forest had grown visibly darker.


    I¡¯m not just talking about the amount of visible light, although that had reduced significantly as well. While the canopy in this area was denser and blocked out more light, it still seemed darker than it should have. It was nearly dark enough in here to be poorly mistaken for nighttime. I say poorly, because the overall effect was as if there was a filter over the forest obscuring the visible light. The overall effect was similar to a terribly done effect from old movies back home called ¡®day for night¡¯, when the movie would be filmed during the day with blue filters in order to simulate actual nighttime.


    Seeing something like that in real life was bizarre.


    That wasn¡¯t the only thing though, as the actual forest seemed¡­twisted somehow. The trees were gnarled, with darker and more vicious-looking foliage now. The brush was denser, and cruel as well, with far more barbs and hooks on them. It was quiet, too. As had been explained to me before, animals and monsters didn¡¯t care about each other at all. This had resulted in the previous stretch of the forest sounding like, well, a forest. Distant animal sounds, bird calls, and insect noises blended into the background to make it seem natural, despite the bloodthirsty beasts. There was none of that, now. Hell, I didn¡¯t even hear the sound of wind through the leaves, or the creaking of branches.


    It was dead silent. Eerily so.


    All right, I admit it, I was spooked. But on the other hand, I was guessing that I had reached the higher-level area of the forest. That had to be what this Halloween-esque landscape indicated.


    I needed to slow down, then. Judging by the increased density of the brush before me, I don¡¯t even think I could continue running through it if I wanted to. Even if it wasn¡¯t too dense, I¡¯d probably be torn to shreds by the thorns if I tried. I was going to have to navigate this part of the forest carefully, which didn¡¯t speak well of my odds of leading a monster back through this mess.


    If I was in the higher-level zone, then I couldn¡¯t take the risk of blindly sprinting through this place, even if I could. Depending on how much higher level than me the monsters were, they might be able to kill me in an instant if I wasn¡¯t careful. I was going to have to try and stealth this as much as I could, while simultaneously trying to track a monster.


    Thankfully, I hadn¡¯t forgotten about my ace in the hole. The Scintillant Blade had somehow managed to wound Azarus before we had left for Rhoscara, despite the massive level gap between us. I was counting on that skill saving my hide if I got into a fight that I couldn¡¯t either escape from or lead back to Magnus.


    Steadying my breath, I began to creep my way through the perilous thicket before me.

 Chapter 40 - Creeping Crimson

    I tried to move through the thick brush quietly, as I made my way deeper into the forest. It was difficult though, as the forest was much thicker in this part. The trees were closer together, as were the bushes. That wasn¡¯t even mentioning how much more hazardous the actual foliage was. Despite my fairly high-quality clothes, I had still gotten scratched up by all the thorns and burrs. It was like it had a mind of its own, deliberately seeking out any patch of bare skin it could find. I really hoped none of it was poisonous.


    It¡¯s not like I could cut the brush in front of me either, even if I wanted to. I¡¯d tried to cut some of it with my spearhead, and it didn¡¯t even scratch one of the thorns. I might be able to cut it with The Scintillant Blade, but I wasn¡¯t willing to cast that much light around me. It would improve my vision, but it would also alert any monsters around me to my position. Luckily, I was able to gently brush the foliage away from me in order to get through.


    I wasn¡¯t able to creep through it the way that I wanted to. Preferably, I would be at the very least crouched down in order to minimize my profile, but that wasn¡¯t viable. The scrub was densest closer to my legs but thinned out somewhat as it got higher. If I tried to crouch walk through this, I would probably lose an eye.


    The oppressive atmosphere was keeping me on edge. The silence was stifling, frightening. The only noise that echoed around me was my own careful movements. I couldn¡¯t help but wince every time I stepped on a branch, and a sharp snapping sound rang out beneath me. The reduced light made it hard for me to see my feet in order to avoid them.


    How the hell was I supposed to creep up on something like this? I was more likely to get jumped by a monster instead. And considering how much stronger than me the monsters around here were, that was¡­probably not good. Even then, how was I going to lead a monster back to Magnus through all this harsh terrain? If the monster chasing me didn¡¯t kill me, rushing blindly back through this brush would.


    I stopped for a moment, telling myself that it was to catch my breath. In reality, I had to breathe in order to calm my doubts. It didn¡¯t matter all the problems I had with my plan, goddamnit. I didn¡¯t have any other choice. I was either going to make this work somehow, or I was going to die. Either to a monster or Magnus.


    Not that much difference between them, honestly.


    Strangely, after about five minutes of making my way through the forest, the foliage began to change somewhat. The leaves changed not only in shape but color too. They were broader now and an almost red color, made all the more ominous by the strange light. Instead of thorns, it seemed like the brush had cruelly shaped hooks instead.


    Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed movement off to my right. Instinctually, I whipped my head around. Nothing. I held that pose for a few moments, my heart thundering in my ears from the adrenaline. Still, nothing jumped out at me. Slowly, I started moving again, head still swiveled in the direction I¡¯d seen movement.


    As I was making my way forward, I felt something¡­unusual under my foot. Looking down, I could see that I was standing on an oddly fleshy vine, covered in barbs and barely visible.


    The vine undulated violently under my foot as if it was alive. In a sudden movement, it rose up violently and threw me off of my feet and onto my back. Before I could even catch my breath, the vine hovering above me lashed down on my prone position. Sinuously, it wrapped around the leg that had stepped on it, cutting through both my pants and the skin beneath it.


    Before I could even scream, I started to get dragged along the forest floor at incredible speed, as if the vine was a tow line retracting. Instinctively, I covered my head with my arms in order to protect my head. Even now, I could feel the hooks of the brush slicing into my flesh as I was dragged. I couldn¡¯t even think of trying to cut the vine, I was moving too fast.


    Suddenly, the vine that had been dragging me came to a stop, but it didn¡¯t let go. Cautiously, I moved my arms away from my face in order to see where I¡¯d been taken. I felt my heart drop at what I saw.


    I¡¯d been dragged to a small clearing in the forest, with even less visible light in it than the rest due to the thicker canopy. Sitting in the center of the clearing was a large¡­bud of some kind. Dark red in color and made of thick leaves, it was about the size of a dumpster from back home and anchored to the forest floor. Its leaves were wrapped all around it in a spiral pattern, blocking anything from sight. Stretching out from the bud were dozens of vines similar to the one still holding onto me. They traced their way out from the plant far off into the distance out of the clearing, similar in appearance to a spider web.


    Yeah, fuck this. I grasped for my spear blade near my belt, hoping I hadn¡¯t lost it during the drag. Thankfully, it was still there. Lurching up, and doing my best to ignore the pain radiating off my leg from the hooks, I swung the knife at the vine at a point below my foot. My knife only managed to give the vine the equivalent of a paper cut, from which a deep red, sap-like liquid welled up.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    As soon as my knife connected with the vine, every other vine in the clearing shivered simultaneously. But that wasn¡¯t as important as what was happening in the center of the clearing. Slowly, the leaves surrounding the bud began to unfurl.


    There was another, smaller bud in the center. But this one wasn¡¯t standing straight upright, rather it looked like it was lying on its side. I paused for a moment in my hacking, confused.


    I wasn¡¯t confused for long.


    Gently, two slits on the top side of the bulb opened, revealing bright red slit eyes, with black sclera. They swiveled in my direction, before focusing on my position. Gradually, the smaller bulb began to rise up out of its nest of leaves, revealing a long thick neck similar to the vine that was still clamped to my leg, with crimson leaves growing along its length. Only it was much, much larger than the vines. As it rose to its full height, it almost looked like a fucked up snake made of foliage. As if to accentuate this, a hood similar to a cobra''s opened up on the monster. Moments later, the bulbous head split nearly completely in half horizontally in order to reveal a mouth full of thorn-like fangs.


    As I was gaping at the monster in horror, it caught sight of me. Our eyes met. Nothing. I saw nothing in its gaze. Flat and empty, it had no regard for me at all.


    Instinctively, I tried to Observe the creature. I had the thinnest shred of hope that, somehow, this monstrous beast wouldn''t be as obscenely, terrifyingly strong as it seemed.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.996%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.61988%">Name</td>


    <td style="width: 94.3762%">Vermillion Viperthorn (Prime)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.61988%">Level</td>


    <td style="width: 94.3762%">??</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.61988%">Age</td>


    <td style="width: 94.3762%">??</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.61988%">Species</td>


    <td style="width: 94.3762%">??</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.61988%">Abilities</td>


    <td style="width: 94.3762%">??</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Yeah, those hopes were dashed.


    I was knocked out of my stupor by being bodily whipped into the air by the tentacle that was still dug into my leg. I screamed as I flew up into the air, suspended by the surprisingly strong plant-like limb. In a blur, I was able to see more tentacles sprouting from the base of the monster and racing to my position. Before I could react, another tentacle had grasped my other leg and was helping to hold me upside down in the air.


    The tentacles started to reel me in towards the monster, as if I was a fish caught on a hook.


    Through the blood rushing to my head and the adrenaline coursing through my veins, I felt a sudden calm come upon me. I had an idea, and I only had one chance at it. Otherwise, I was fertilizer.


    The monster brought me to hover above it, suspended by its hooked appendages. Slowly, I could see the fibrous snake''s head open its mouth in preparation of dropping me inside.


    Now.


    The Scintillant Blade.


    At the same time that my dagger burst into wispy rainbow flames, I lurched upright and slashed at the tentacles holding me upright. My splintered spearhead knife sliced through them cleanly.


    In the split-second before I began to fall towards the plant snake, the creature let out an eerie, high-pitched screech. I whipped my head around to watch as I fell.


    The world slowed to a crawl.


    In a freeze frame, I could see that the monster below me was undulating in surprise. Thankfully, in the time it took for me to reach the head, it had closed its mouth. I readied my blade.


    With a thudding sound, I fell right onto the top of the monster''s head, covering its eyes with my body. The monster let out another screech in response and began to whip its head about in an effort to dislodge me. I managed to hang on though, by wrapping my legs around the neck of the monster just below its head and digging my free hand into one of its fist-sized nostrils. That just made the monster struggle harder.


    I held on desperately as the creature whipped about. Somehow managing to keep my bearing, I raised my still-shining dagger above my head. Before I could plunge it down into the snake''s head, I felt several of the monsters barbed tentacles lash against my back. I cried out in pain at the tearing sensation, as they cut right through my shirt to lacerate me. For the next few seconds, the monster lashed me several more times, as if it was trying to grab me.


    I grit my teeth. I had to do it now. If it managed to grab me, I was dead. In one swift movement, I rose up and drove my shimmering spearhead into the top of the monster''s head. In fact, I drove it in so far that the blade disappeared from sight.


    If I thought that the monster was panicked before, it was nothing compared to now. The snake creature began to flail about wildly. I tried to hang on desperately, while at the same time trying to drive the spear head into the monster by slamming my palm down on the exposed part. I didn¡¯t care that the butt of my ¡®knife¡¯ was a splintered mess from when Magnus had broken it off. I didn¡¯t care that I was just driving splinters into my hand.


    I just wanted this thing to die.


    So I told it that.


    ¡°Die!¡± I screamed hysterically, slamming my hand down on the knife over and over. ¡°Die die die die die! Just! Fucking! Die!¡±


    With a screech, the monster finally managed to grab hold of me. It wrapped a tentacle around my right arm as I was bringing it up to slam down again. With a lurch, the monster nearly wrenched my arm out of the socket as it whipped me off of it. As I flew through the air off to the side of the monster, I amended that. Judging by the popping noise my shoulder had given off, it had definitely dislocated my arm.


    I hit one of the trees at the edge of the clearing with a slam, my head bouncing hard off of the bark. As darkness began to creep into my vision, I had just enough time for one last thought.


    Sorry, Azarus. Sorry, Grey.

 Interlude 4 - Malice

    The silence in the clearing was oppressive.


    After Nate and the other slaves had been forced into the forest, Magnus had ordered his guards to go fetch the usual things he needed for a ¡®hunt¡¯. Namely, his small mobile gazebo, complete with a chair and a side table. Anticipating what else he wanted, and afraid of his reaction if they hadn¡¯t, the guards had also brought back one of the manor servants with refreshments as well. Only for Magnus, though.


    Now Magnus was idly sipping on juice, reclining in an extravagant chair and watching the tree line in anticipation. All the while his servant did a masterful job of hiding his nervousness behind him. Probably had a ton of practice.


    Azarus didn¡¯t care about any of that, though. He was used to Magnus¡¯s egotism, by this point. He¡¯d dealt with it all his life and was tired of it. When he¡¯d been younger, he¡¯d been disturbed by the countless acts of his younger cousin¡¯s cruelty. Even from a young age, Azarus had been certain that the way that Magnus acted was wrong somehow. From the lack of care for others, to the sudden spurts of violence, Azarus had grown numb to it over the years. By now, he had ceased to be merely disturbed by Magnus. He was outright disgusted by him as well.


    If pressed, Azarus would have a hard time naming someone that he personally hated more than Magnus. Oh sure, there were people in his life that had caused him more hardship. He held plenty of general resentment for people in his family, either matrilineal or patrilineal. With all the shit his uncle had put him through, he no longer held even the slightest bit of affection for the bastard.


    Azarus tried not to hold the same feelings for Ely. He really, really did. But sometimes, even though he knew it was selfish of him, he just wished she would stick her neck out for him even once. He wished that the girl who used to defy her father to play knights with him as a child would use her pull for his benefit for once. Gods, at least she was apologetic about it. More than he could say about the rest of his blood. Most of the fuckers took active delight in taking advantage of him.


    Azarus cast a baleful glare over at Magnus, who was eating dainty little sandwiches now. If the heir of Savoy noticed at all, he didn¡¯t care. Gods, he should have known better than to have just waltzed in the front gate. In retrospect, he knew that he should have delayed their return to town until the much earlier morn, when it was still dark out. Magnus, the lazy shite, would have been much less likely to wake up so early in order to ambush them. If he had just been able to get Nate back in his house, he would have had enough legal protection to at least delay Magnus. By dwarven law, anyone who was sheltering under the lawful roof of another had certain protections. He doubted he could have kept Magnus away forever, but Azarus could have at least prepared Nate for this shite better.


    Nate¡­


    Azarus heaved a sigh, casting his gaze downward to stare at the dirt beneath his feet. He was trying to be optimistic about Nate¡¯s chances, but it was hard. The guy had little to no training, and now he was supposed to wrangle a high-level monster back here? Azarus truthfully didn¡¯t see how it was possible. The last he¡¯d been able to check, Magnus was around level seventy-two. That meant that Nate somehow needed to find and safely lead a monster that was at least sixty-two back for Magnus to kill steal, in order to satisfy his heartless challenge. That was the only way that Magnus would get anything out of killing a monster. After that, the Aether density released from the monster¡¯s death would be too low to contribute much. Nate wasn¡¯t even level ten, for god¡¯s sake. The man didn¡¯t even have a class.


    To the best of his knowledge, only a handful of slaves had ever survived one of Magnus¡¯s ¡®hunts¡¯. They¡¯d all been either former woodsmen or professional soldiers. Even then, they typically didn¡¯t survive for long afterward. Azarus knew that of the slaves that had managed to survive one of these hunts, none were still alive. Magnus, the sadistic shite, was frustrated whenever one of his slaves managed to succeed. So much so, that he made sure they were included in the roster whenever he held another one. Given that Magnus held one of these abominations nearly every month, the successful slaves didn¡¯t typically last long. Either they didn¡¯t manage to recover from their wounds in time to perform again, or their luck didn¡¯t hold out.


    Azarus was broken out of his musings by movement out of the corner of his eye. Looking up, he could see that the bushes at the tree line were rustling. He could feel his heartbeat pick up in anticipation at the thought of what that might mean. Was it Nate? Was he coming back? Azarus could see that the other people in the clearing had noticed, as well. The guards as well as Magnus. Magnus sat up in his chair while setting his drink down on the table next to him, while two of the guards stepped in front of him protectively, swords drawn.


    ¡°Out of the way, fools,¡± Magnus grumbled. ¡°You¡¯re blocking my view.¡±


    The guards acquiesced, mumbling apologies. Magnus didn¡¯t even notice, just staring at the trembling bush across the clearing hungrily.


    A few moments later, one of the slaves stumbled out from the tree line. Azarus tried not to be disappointed and focused instead on the state of the human.


    He didn¡¯t look great. The slave was covered in blood and it wasn¡¯t hard to see why. He was covered in wounds, big and small. Scrapes and gashes littered his body, with the largest being the one on his gut. As the slave limped his way into the clearing, Azarus could see that the man had been nearly disemboweled and was barely holding himself together by clutching his stomach. It seemed like something had taken a pretty successful swipe at his head as well, as the man was missing his left ear entirely. By the time the man made it halfway across the clearing, however, it was clear.


    The slave hadn¡¯t brought back a monster with him. Nothing followed out of the trees.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Azarus took a deep breath. He knew what that meant. Judging by the malicious glint growing in Magnus¡¯s eyes, he did too. Azarus made the conscious decision to not Observe the man.


    He didn¡¯t want to carry the weight of his name.


    Slowly and dramatically, Magnus stood up from his extremely out-of-place extravagant chair. By the time the slave had reached the foot of the stairs that led up to the gazebo, Magnus had stood up to his full height and was glaring down at the slave imperiously.


    ¡°Well, well, well. What do we have here, hmm?¡± Magnus said, with a cold smile.


    The slave fell to his knees at the foot of the stairs, unable to hold himself up under his own strength. Panting, he gazed up at Magnus standing above him. ¡°Please¡­please m¡¯lord¡­¡± The slave uttered weakly.


    Magnus raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh? Please what? Please show mercy? Please don¡¯t make me go back in there? Oh, please. I¡¯ve heard it all before.¡± He smirked. ¡°Or perhaps you mean¡­please kill me?¡±


    The slave was clearly too delirious from blood loss to care about Magnus¡¯s grandstanding. ¡°Please¡­please¡­I tried, m¡¯lord¡­I tried¡­the beast almost killed me¡­¡±


    Magnus rolled his eyes dramatically and sighed. ¡°Oh yes, I¡¯m sure you tried very hard.¡± He waved a hand dismissively. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t matter now, does it? I gave very clear instructions, and outlined the very clear consequences if you didn¡¯t follow them.¡±


    The slave started breathing heavily in a panic that managed to pierce his agony. Bonelessly, he flopped forward onto the stairs. Slowly, the slave started crawling up the stairs. He reached out weakly to grasp at Magnus¡¯s robe hem. ¡°Please¡­¡± The slave sobbed. ¡°Please m¡¯lord¡­show mercy¡­¡±.


    His words only made Magnus sneer. ¡°Get¡­¡± Magnus said derisively, winding back his right leg. ¡°OFF of me, you worm!¡± He kicked the slave off of him, sending him flying off of the gazebo. The slave flew through the air and landed in the dirt with a strangled moan of anguish.


    Azarus clenched his fists at the blatant sadism on display. He stepped forward from where he had been standing off to the side. His movement made the guards snap to attention and stand in front of him, barring the way. Azarus just ignored them to stare up at his cousin. ¡°Stop it, Magnus.¡± He growled. ¡°If you¡¯re going to kill him, just do it already. Stop torturing the man already.¡±


    Magnus looked up from where he had been inspecting the hem of his robe to sneer at Azarus. ¡°Having a bit of a conscience attack, are we cousin? No longer willing to sit back and watch as I have fun with my property, are you?¡± He laughed derisively. ¡°How terribly amusing that this new development only occurred after you grew attached to some cattle of your own.¡±


    That actually managed to cause a pang of guilt in Azarus. Magnus wasn¡¯t wrong, he supposed. Not for the reason that he¡¯d said, of course. But it was far easier to ignore the way that Magnus mistreated his slaves when it didn¡¯t happen in front of him. The way that slavery was so prominent in this town disgusted him. Most of the people in this town disgusted him. Before Nate had come around, he¡¯d spent most of his time hiding out in the home he had built for Grey and himself at the edge of town. It was so, so easy to forget that outside of his walls, while he was smithing, his sadistic cousin was routinely subjecting people to sadistic death games.


    But what was he supposed to do about it? Even if he wanted to do something for the slaves of Addersfield that Magnus was mistreating, the law wasn¡¯t on his side. Magnus was perfectly within his right under the eyes of the Principality to do whatever he wanted with, as he said, his property. While slavery wasn¡¯t as popular in non-Savoy owned lands, within them slaves were considered little better than cattle. . He would just be throwing away either his life or his freedom if he tried to interfere and stop Magnus. He¡¯d never done anything about it before, as he didn¡¯t know what that would mean for Grey. Probably nothing good. He doubted most other dwarves that his uncle would assign to care for Grey would treat him like an actual person, and not just an artifact and potion machine. Once Nate had entered the situation, his responsibility for the two men had only grown.


    That wasn¡¯t even counting his responsibility towards the human kingdom for getting Grey out of here¡­


    Gods, but things had been so much easier back in the Holds, where slavery was looked down upon.


    He couldn¡¯t afford to antagonize Magnus, here and now. Not even for a man that Magnus was blatantly torturing in front of him. That didn¡¯t mean the decision didn¡¯t make him feel like slime, though. He scowled, but stepped back from the guards.


    He didn¡¯t look at the slave, who had begun sobbing to himself quietly.


    Magnus chuckled mockingly. ¡°I thought so. Now scurry away, you feathered half-breed. I¡¯m busy.¡± He turned back to the slave that was now staring blankly at the sky while he sobbed silently. ¡°Now, where were we¡­¡± Magnus descended the stairs theatrically, seemingly for his own benefit. Certainly, nobody else in the clearing was impressed by his self-absorption.


    He came to stand above the despairing slave lying in the dirt. Slowly, making sure that the slave was tracking his movements, Magnus reached into his robes. He drew the black tablet he had shown off earlier out of an inside pocket. The slave let out another sob at the sight of it.


    ¡°Now¡­¡± Magnus said breathily, eagerly. ¡°Let¡¯s see what kind of collar you were fitted with, hmm?¡±


    Bringing the tablet up and scrolling through something only he could see, Magnus smiled sinisterly and looked up one last time to lock eyes with the slave. He didn¡¯t break eye contact with him as he casually reached out and pressed a finger onto the tablet.


    The reaction was immediate.


    The breaths of the slave gradually began to pick up, as he began to gasp. His hands flew up to grasp at his neck as he experienced a shot of adrenaline, despite his wounds. He managed to crawl to his knees as the color on his face began to change from the pale white of blood loss to a pale blue.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Magnus exclaimed in surprise. ¡°Now that¡¯s a rare one. I didn¡¯t even know I had any more breath-stealers.¡± He watched hungrily as the slave began to slowly asphyxiate in front of him.


    The rest of the clearing was dead silent as the slave was slowly choked to death by the collar around his neck. Azarus couldn¡¯t watch anymore by the time the slave began to dig bloody furrows into his neck in a desperate attempt to get his collar off.


    He looked away. Damn his cowardice, but he looked away.


    Before long the gasps of the slave ceased as he died. The silence in the clearing was broken by Magnus letting out a satisfied sigh. ¡°Well!¡± He said, clapping his hands once. ¡°That was a nice, satisfying diversion. But I think we all know which¡­conclusion I¡¯m looking forward to the most, eh?¡± He finished, shooting a smirk over his shoulder at Azarus.


    Azarus grit his teeth in order to not react to his cousin¡¯s obvious provocation. He wasn¡¯t sure he succeeded.

 Chapter 41 - The Hunted

    I slowly drifted back to consciousness, lying on my left side facing a tree.


    Honestly, this was a surprise to me.


    As I gradually became more aware of my surroundings, I tried to move. I immediately stopped due to the flare of pain. I couldn¡¯t stop a small whimper from escaping my lips. Slowly, I tried to puzzle out where the pain was coming from by shifting around a little, still lying down. From what I could tell, my back didn¡¯t feel great, but it wasn¡¯t killing me as much as I would have expected. You know, from the way I had been flung around and all.


    Wait, fuck.


    I sat bolt upright, disregarding the agony my movement caused in a haze of sudden panic-fueled adrenaline. I didn¡¯t care about the pain, I had to know if I was about to die. Twisting around urgently, I wildly scanned the clearing that I remembered fighting the plant monster in.


    Nothing.


    In fact, the clearing was empty. The monster was gone. Where before the clearing was festooned with branching red vines that culminated in some kind of Venus fly-trap, snake monster, now there was nothing. The vines had disappeared with the monster.


    Letting out a breath I didn¡¯t know I had been holding, I scooted backward to lean against the tree I had woken up in front of. Did I kill it, I wondered? I remembered flashes of my fight with the monster vaguely. I knew that I had managed to plunge my dagger into its head before the monster flung me across the clearing in a panic, knocking me out. The creature had seemed like it was rooted to the forest floor, so it was unlikely to have just picked itself up and moved.


    I guess there was an easy way to tell. I squinted at the center of the clearing, where the monster had been rooted. After a second, I was able to make out a brief glimpse of rainbow light, in between the blades of grass. Letting my head fall back against the trunk of the tree with a thunk, I let out a slight sigh of relief. That was the monster core, I¡¯m guessing. Which meant that damn monster was dead.


    Which presented another problem. While I had no illusions about leading an immobile monster back to Magnus, that had still been the first high-level monster I had found in this part of the forest. And I had nearly died. Hell, it had knocked me out, and I had no idea how long for. There was no way for me to check the time, and with the way the sun was obscured in this part of the forest, I couldn¡¯t even check the sun¡¯s position. For all I know, I had been out so long that Magnus could be issuing my collar¡¯s kill order any second now. I tried not to think about it.


    And I was probably injured, as well. I hadn¡¯t forgotten about that flare of pain that had stopped me in my tracks earlier. Slowly, I tried to feel out where the pain was coming from by tensing my muscles one by one and moving around slightly. I stopped once I reached my left arm. You know, the one that Magnus had broken earlier.


    Shit, of course. Azarus had told me that he hadn¡¯t been able to completely heal me with what he had on hand. The bone must have still been weak, and either the slam against the tree or the fall must have hurt it. Tracing my left bicep and carefully feeling it out, it didn¡¯t seem completely broken again. But it definitely didn''t feel great, I determined with a wince and a hiss of pain. All right, I had to do something about that.


    Sitting up with a groan of effort, I painstakingly tried to pull my shirt off over my head. Ignoring the sweat, dirt, and blood caked into it, I tied the long sleeves together, ignoring the pain as best I could from moving my left arm. I looped the tied sleeves over my head, and then carefully threaded my arm through the bottom of the shirt so my hand hung out the neck. Carefully standing up, I tested out my makeshift sling. I discovered that it was a little loose, but it was the best I could do. At the very least, it was supporting my arm. Sort of.


    I was knocked out of my inspection by the crack of a twig, somewhere beyond the tree line across the clearing. I froze, trying to listen more carefully. It came again, closer this time.


    Something was approaching the clearing. And the only thing in this forest were monsters.


    Feeling another surge of adrenaline, I looked around frantically. I couldn¡¯t find my knife. Whether I had dropped it after the fight, or when I had gotten thrown, I had to conclude it was gone. I had no time to look for it. I had to hide before whatever was coming this way found me with my pants down. I frantically scurried around behind the tree I had woken up in front of and leaned back against it. I was trembling, and almost hyperventilating. I raised my right hand and clamped it over my mouth, to muffle the sound of my breathing.


    Behind me, I heard the crack of a branch as whatever was coming finally entered the clearing. Thump, thump, thump, I heard, as the beast ponderously made its way further into the clearing. Whatever it was, it sounded big. I heard some snuffling noises as if the creature was trying to find a scent. I had to know. I had to know what kind of monster was lingering in the clearing behind me. Screwing up my courage, I risked a quick peak around the tree. I was dumbfounded at what I saw.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    It¡­kind of looked like a bear? But if a bear had been impregnated by a rabbit, and then birthed some kind of unholy abomination baby. The absurdity of the monster''s appearance cut through my panic briefly, giving me the courage to take a closer look at it.


    It was big, obviously. It had the floppy ears of a rabbit, but the general body type of a bear. Its back legs were larger, more heavily muscled, and curled inwards more like a rabbit, though. It didn¡¯t hop around, but it was kind of skipping. The snout reminded me of a mix of both creatures, being longer than a bears, but wider than a rabbit¡¯s. It had the floppy ears as well.


    I nearly used Observe on the monster, before I remembered that things could tell when you used it on them. At least...I think so? I knew that people with a Status could tell, but I didn''t know if monsters could as well. The question had just never come up, and now I was regretting it. I decided to err on the side of caution and not potentially give myself away. I guess calling it a bear-rabbit would have to do for now.


    The creature was snuffling around in the center of the clearing, clearly looking for something. It must have found whatever it was looking for, as with a grunt it buried its head in the grass. It came up holding the monster core of the plant creature in between its very sharp-looking fangs.


    Despite myself, I felt a flare of indignation rise up. What the fuck, monster? That was mine, goddamnit. I killed that plant-snake fair and square. I could do nothing but watch as the bear-rabbit gulped the monster core down without crunching into it in one motion. The creature straightened up briefly as a shiver went through its form, before relaxing. It seemed to let out a pant of almost satisfaction afterward.


    I pulled back from looking around the tree to lean back against it. All right, all right. What now? I still needed to lead a monster back to Magnus, and there was a viable target behind me. But how the fuck was I supposed to do that? I didn¡¯t have a weapon anymore to defend myself, and I was injured again. Was I just supposed to pull my pants down and slap my ass at it? Taunt that huge bastard all the way through the forest? I let out a small, silent breath of frustration.


    I looked around to see if I could get any inspiration, before furrowing my brow in confusion.


    The forest looked different.


    Oh, it was still dark and foreboding, with the pseudo day-for-night filter over everything. The trees were still tall and cramped together. But the thorns seemed if not gone, then at least vastly less dense. Maybe the monster I had killed had been the source of most of the thorns I had seen? It actually seemed possible to navigate without getting shredded now. I felt a surge of hope at the thought. Maybe I didn¡¯t have to fight the rabbit-bear at all. If I had a straight shot back to the clearing, then all I had to do was outrun this monster. It would be hard, but it theoretically seemed possible.


    I was broken out of my thoughts by the sound of the monster starting to scent around again behind me. Well, if I was going to do this, I had to get an eye on the monster. Peeking back around the tree, I was just in time to see the creature pick up something else from the forest floor.


    My knife.


    Which it ate as well.


    I must have made a sound of some sort, as the monster immediately turned in my direction. I didn¡¯t react in time to pull my head back around the side of the tree. Human green met monster red. We just stared at each other for a second, before I slowly pulled back from around the tree. My heart was pounding in my chest.


    When I heard a roar behind me, I bolted. I pushed off from the tree I was hiding behind and took off into the forest. Good thing too, as I began to hear the monster chase after me with a huge thumping gait, crashing through the underbrush. I ran harder, panting.


    I didn¡¯t want to look back behind me as I ran, but I heard the crashing stop briefly behind me and I had to. I didn¡¯t stop running myself, though. I wasn¡¯t an idiot. What I saw nearly gave a heart attack, though. The monster had lowered into a crouch while staring at me, laser-focused. In a snapshot, I saw its enormous back legs bulge grotesquely. Seconds afterward, it launched itself at me like a missile in an inhumanly fast lunge.


    My eyes nearly popped out of my head as it nearly flew at me, far faster than it was running. Desperately, I lunged out the way of its flight path. I didn¡¯t see it, but I heard the woosh of air as it shot past me and barreled right into a tree with an enormous crashing noise. I just picked myself back up and tried to reorient myself as best I could in the direction of the clearing, to the best of my memory. The monster must have picked itself up because I heard it start to chase me again.


    Okay, so it could sort of jump like a rabbit, I thought to myself in between panicked breaths. Yeah, that made sense. Hearing it pause again behind me, I reflexively dived again. This time, I got to watch as the monster struck a tree. I picked myself up again and started running again.


    It could apparently lunge pretty often as well. The cycle repeated itself times three more times as I tried to create distance between myself and the monster. It wasn¡¯t working out very well, as every time I tried, the monster just ate up that distance in a lunge. It wasn¡¯t extremely difficult to dodge, as it never tried to change its attack pattern, almost like it was a machine. The problem was, I was starting to get tired from the constant dodging. The running wasn¡¯t bad, but the constant lunging was. I wasn¡¯t sure if I could keep it up for long, considering I wasn¡¯t even out of the high-level zone of the forest.


    I had to change things up.


    The next time the bear-rabbit did its lunge and crashed into a tree, I took my chance while it was briefly stunned. I made a break for a nearby tall tree and scrambled up it. Even though it seemed part bear, I hoped this huge bastard wasn¡¯t able to climb easily. Once I reached a high branch, I looked down. The monster had recovered by that point and was staring up at me balefully. It paced back and forth in front of the tree briefly before suddenly charging at it. The impact shook the entire tree, but it held up just fine. In fact, looking down, it had only managed to strip some bark. Otherwise, the tree was fine.


    I let out a shaky sigh of relief when that was all that the monster did. It didn¡¯t start trying to climb the tree. It did, however, keep repeating its assault. I winced every time.


    Well, all right. I was up a tree now. Great.


    Now what?

 Chapter 42 - Class Selection

    The tree might but holding up fine, but I wasn¡¯t sure for how long. The repeated assaults of the bear-rabbit had started to splinter the base of the tree. Eventually, I think the monster was going to knock my tree over and then slaughter me like a pig. I couldn¡¯t just stay up here forever.


    Making sure to keep a firm hold on the trunk of the tree so the impacts didn¡¯t knock me off, I glanced around. It didn¡¯t help me much. There wasn¡¯t anything up here but branches and other trees. Unfortunately, the other trees were too far away from me in order to just jump to another one.


    Alright, I thought to myself, doing my best to ignore the repeated impacts to the tree. What else do I have? I didn¡¯t have a weapon; this fucking bear had eaten it. I didn¡¯t have two functional arms. I didn¡¯t have any other tools. All I had was my Status, and a few skills that were not applicable in this situation.


    Wait.


    My Status?


    If I had managed to kill that plant monster, then maybe I had gotten something for it. Since I had woken up, I hadn¡¯t thought to check my Status¡­


    Grasping onto that thin thread of hope, I mentally triggered Hidden Amidst the Spheres. I let out an audible sigh of relief at what I found.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Your Status has changed!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Would you like to review your Status?</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Y/N</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Alright, here¡¯s hoping for a miracle. I mentally selected yes.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have gained six levels!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have sixty unspent Virtue points.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Congratulations, you have reached level 10 (14)! Class selection is now available!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Would you like to select your class?</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Y/N</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I furrowed my brow slightly. Okay, that was a bit weird. What was up with the two numbers for my level? Ten, and fourteen. I had apparently gained six, or maybe ten whole levels from killing the snake. But I was only level ten, according to my Status? Whatever, that wasn''t the most important thing right now. It was time for Class Selection. Azarus and Grey had told me a little about that. Apparently, once you reached level ten, you qualified to select your first class. This was apparently not just a huge boost in power, but you gained more skills directly related to combat. Well, I sure as fuck need that now, so let¡¯s do it. First though, I assigned the sixty points I''d gotten from my level ups in the ratio I''d been doing so far.


    I mentally selected yes again. This brought up a new menu that I had never seen before in my Status.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center"><u>Class Options (Level 10)</u></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">[Night Owl (Common)] (STR/SPR)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">[Rebellious Beguiler (Common)] (INT/PER)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">[Thornblade Acolyte (Superior)] (INT/DEX)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">[Rhetorical Fist (Superior)] (STR/WIS)</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Well. Well, all right. I guess I had to choose from these options then.


    I could strike out two of these right away, I¡¯m guessing. From the explanation about Virtues that Grey had given me, I knew that Strength and Spirit were the Virtues of Cultivators. I had already decided to become a Mage instead, so Night Owl and Rhetorical Fist were right out. I couldn¡¯t deny being curious about what the hell a Rhetorical Fist was supposed to be though.


    I was a little surprised none of the options had indicators if they were for Cultivators or Magi. I suppose I was just supposed to guess based on the Virtues. They only had what I assume were words that indicated their rarity.


    Moving on, that left only two options. Rebellious Beguiler and Thornblade Acolyte. I had no other explanation about how they functioned besides their names and the Virtues listed next to them. So, let''s break it down, even though I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to pick. Best I could tell, Rebellious Beguiler could possibly be...some kind of illusions class? That sounded kind of useful in this situation. If I picked that, I might be able to lead the monster back to camp through illusions without ever risking myself at all.


    But I didn¡¯t know that for sure, and I had no guarantee that my illusions would be strong enough just after getting them. They might not affect the bear-rabbit enough at such a low level, and then the damn thing would just end up mauling me. Plus, there was the fact that I hadn¡¯t invested a bunch of points into Perception. I¡¯d invested mostly in Intelligence and Wisdom. Which, thankfully, one of the classes favored.


    Thornblade Acolyte sounded¡­fine, I guess? It was an Intelligence and Dexterity class, which was okay I suppose. I¡¯d invested enough points into Dexterity so far that I didn¡¯t feel like I was gimping myself. Most of my points had been distributed into Intelligence and Wisdom, though. I doubted having points in Wisdom was going to hurt me. But at this point in time, I needed to consider what could help me survive this situation the best. Besides, I had a weirdly good feeling about it.


    Even beyond that, of my two viable choices, one was a Common rarity, and the other was a Superior rarity. I guess that made it just better overall as well.


    Taking a deep breath, and ignoring the growls of the bear below me, I mentally selected Thornblade Acolyte. A new dialogue popped up.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have selected Thornblade Acolyte.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Would you like to proceed with this class choice? All choices are final.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Y/N</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Selecting yes, I was caught off guard by the sensation of electricity running up and down my spine. I stiffened, nearly losing my grip on the tree trunk. A moment later, the feeling wore off. I resisted the feeling to shake myself like a dog.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I didn¡¯t¡­really feel all that different, to be honest. A bit disappointed. I¡¯m guessing that I needed to check my Status again. I did so.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have ascended into the class [Thornblade Acolyte]!]</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have learned the class skill Thorn Shot!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have learned the class skill Thorn Grapple!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have learned the class skill Thorn Cloak!</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Okay, I hadn¡¯t expected to get three skills out of classing up. Neither Azarus or Grey had said anything about it, either. I guess I was just going to have to survive this in order to ask them. All right, let''s try these out. I¡¯ll try the cloak one first.


    Thorn Cloak.


    Because I was expecting it, I wasn¡¯t surprised when a literal cloak materialized over my shoulders. Looking down, I was surprised by what it looked like however. The skill name was literal, as it appeared to be a hooded cloak woven out of literal thorns, hooks, and burrs, blood red in color. Despite that, it wasn¡¯t scratching me at all. Lifting my injured arm slightly to look inside of the cloak with a wince, being careful to maintain my grip on the tree, I saw that the inside of the cloak was smooth to the touch. Lowering my arm, I took a closer look at the cloak, furrowing my brow slightly. I couldn¡¯t place it initially in my tired state, but I realized why the cloak looked so familiar to me after a moment.


    All of the thorns and hooks looked like the kind that had been used by the plant monster from earlier. I was a little weirded out by it, frankly. Were all of these thorn skills like that? Did I somehow only get this class because of my encounter with that thorn snake? I guess that was another thing to ask the guys.


    Stopping my examination of my new cloak, I realized that it had been a few minutes since the rabbit-bear had rammed into the tree I was on. Looking down, I found that the creature was milling around in confusion. It had stopped its assault on the tree and was sniffing around the base and the general area. It was almost like it had lost track of me. Was that because of the cloak? Did it have a magical effect or something? I didn¡¯t have time to think about it, because it seemed like the monster had given up. It turned around and started to leave.


    Fuck that, I needed this thing. Time to test skill number two. I didn¡¯t know how this skill worked, so I just winged it and pointed the index finger of my good hand at the beast before activating it.


    Thorn Shot.


    Before my outstretched finger, floating in mid-air, materialized a cruel blood-red thorn the size of my palm. Milliseconds afterward, the thorn shot through the air in the direction of the bear-rabbit with a whisper of air. I didn¡¯t see where the thorn hit the creature, but I sure saw its reaction. It spun in my direction with a startled grunt, locking eyes on my form a moment after. Letting out a furious roar, it charged back to the tree I was up. Hurriedly, I wrapped my good arm around the tree trunk again and braced myself.


    Good thing I did, because the impact of the charge this time was the largest that the monster had done yet. So much so that impact generated an audible crack from the tree. Dreading what I would see, I looked down at the base.


    Yup, that wasn¡¯t good. The monster had finally managed to break the trunk of the tree. It was only held up by a small section of wood at this point. Already, I was hearing the whole tree begin to creak and groan. The bear-rabbit must have known it too, because it was backing up to finish the job with one last charge. I only had seconds before the whole thing came down.


    Fighting panic, I cast a wild eye around me before the memory of my last new skill penetrated my alarm. I guess I was going to have to spider this shit. Locking eyes with the nearest tree to my position, I outstretched my arm again in that direction, palm facing outwards.


    Thorn Grapple.


    Just like last time, a blood-red thorn materialized before my open palm. This one was different than my shot skill though, as attached to the base of my palm was a vine, similar to the vines of the plant monster from earlier. It shot away from my palm, changing in shape mid-flight, vine extending behind it. It opened up in a cross shape before it reached the tree branch I had been aiming at. Sinuously, it wrapped around the large branch in an unnervingly self-directed manner and dug it¡¯s thorns into it. Seconds afterward, I was yanked off of my feet when the vine attached to my palm began to retract at incredible speed. I flew off of the branch I had been standing on, nearly yanking my arm out of its socket. Good thing too, as seconds afterward I heard the monster slam into the tree for the final time, followed shortly afterward by the tree itself coming down in an enormous crash.


    I was nearly horizontal in the air as I was reeled in like a fish to the other tree. Reaching it, I managed to find my footing on a branch below the one my grapple was attached to. Bending over with one hand on the new tree¡¯s trunk, I tried to catch my breath and calm my racing heart from the impromptu flight. I managed after a moment and straightened up, still somewhat shaky. Turning around, I found that the tree I had been clinging to was now flat on the ground, with the monster sniffing around the top of the tree where I had been standing. I let out a breath of relief. All right, these skills seemed pretty good.


    Yeah, I could work with this.


    In fact¡­I think I knew how I was going to lead this huge bastard back to the clearing.


    I felt an unhinged smile grow on my face.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    I panted as I ran through the last stretch of the forest before I reached the clearing.


    I winced at the sound of a furious roar behind me.


    The plan that I had settled on was to carefully lead the monster from tree to tree by shooting it with thorns. First, I would grapple to a new tree. Then, I would shoot the creature with a thorn in order to grab its attention and make sure that it didn¡¯t start to wander off. I had found that my new cloak had some kind of effect that worked similarly to camouflage, making the monster lose track of me once I left its line of sight. It wasn¡¯t foolproof though, as a few times the skill hadn¡¯t affected the beast at all. I was thankful that it did work sometimes though, as it made the whole process less stressful. I didn¡¯t think this monster could catch me out of the air since I hadn¡¯t seen it jump upwards once, but I didn¡¯t like tempting fate.


    Once I had reached the lower-level region of the forest, I had been relieved to be able to track the time of day again. Judging by the light filtering through the trees, it was sometime in the late afternoon. I didn¡¯t think it was close to sunset, and thus death for me, but it was hard to track. I had to hurry. It had been harder to grapple in the lower forest, as well. The trees had been farther apart, and I had needed to aim more carefully in order to reach a new tree.


    I had managed to lead the bear-rabbit through the majority of the woods before abandoning my plan once I got close to the clearing, to the best of my memory. I¡¯d defaulted back to the original pattern of dodging out of its way once it did its lunge, made easier by the cloak. I didn¡¯t know how many new levels I had gotten in my Thorn Cloak, but it had started to affect the beast more often after it lost sight of me following its lunge. Then I would get a bit ahead of the monster and then shoot it again.


    Rinse, repeat.


    But now that I was close to the clearing, I had dismissed the cloak. I wasn¡¯t supposed to be able to use any skills with a collar on. If I showed up to the clearing with a very obvious skill-made item of clothing on, Magnus would probably kill me anyway. Good thing my thorns didn¡¯t seem to stick around after being embedded into something, in this case, the bear. They dissipated after a few minutes, leaving behind a hole. I didn¡¯t need this asshole looking like a pincushion and giving me away.


    Dodging out of the way of another lunge from the monster, I spied something in the distance that caused my heart to leap into my throat.


    The exit to the clearing.

 Chapter 43 - Gift of Aether

    I wasn¡¯t able to see the clearing fully from how far back I was, but the sight still gave me a rush of wild hope. Somehow dredging up more energy from my exhausted frame, I accelerated, putting on a burst of speed. The bear creature recovered from slamming face-first into a tree from its failed lunge behind me. It let out a roar as it reoriented and began chasing me again.


    C¡¯mon, c¡¯mon. Only a little bit more. You can do this. You can do this! You can fucking do this, Nathan!


    Reaching the tree line, I burst out of it into the clearing proper. In a freeze frame, I took in the sight of everyone in it. There was Azarus standing off to the side of a¡­fucking gazebo? The hell? When did that happen? He had caught sight of me at the same time I did him. He was gaping at me, slowly lifting one arm to point in my direction. There was Magnus of course, sitting up in his chair in interest at my entrance. His guards seemed on edge, having moved to stand in front of the bottom of the gazebo with their weapons drawn.


    Time sped up. I accelerated into the clearing, waving my one good arm like a crazy person. ¡°Hey!¡± I shouted at the far group repeatedly in a hoarse voice. ¡°Behind me! It¡¯s coming!¡± I didn¡¯t know if they heard me or not from this distance. It didn¡¯t matter though, because I heard the monster crash through the tree line behind me. The reaction from the group was immediate. The guards tensed up and stepped forward while drawing their weapons, while Magnus fully stood up from his lounge chair with an excited look on his demented fucking face. Azarus caught my attention more though, because he shifted his pointing finger to behind me and shouted at the top of his lungs with an alarmed look on his face.


    ¡°-k out!¡± I heard faintly. Shit.


    I dove off to my right frantically. Just in time too, as the bear-rabbit flew right over my head once I had hit the dirt. I lifted my head to track its progress. This time, there was no tree to block the lunge of the monster. It flew pretty damn far, landing not far from the gazebo that Magnus was standing in, causing the guards to frantically stumble away from it. Catching sight of the dwarves in front of it, the monster seemed to immediately forget about me despite how long it had been chasing me. It roared.


    I was still too far away to hear what he said, but I was able see Magnus say something to the guards with a disdainful look on his face and gesture to the monster. Slowly standing up, I saw the guards steel themselves and then charge the beast I had spent so long leading here. My attention was stolen though when I saw Azarus jogging in my direction, not seeming to care about the monster at all.


    I had managed to find my footing by the time he reached me, but was caught off guard when he hugged me. Since he was pretty tall for a dwarf, our heads were nearly level, with his only a handspan beneath my own. I was startled, but I still managed to wrap my good arm around him tentatively in return. Not long afterward, he pulled back while looking me in the eye. He visibly grimaced at the sight of me. ¡°Are ya all right?¡± He asked me, concern thick in his voice.


    I can only imagine how messed up I looked. I couldn¡¯t see myself, but I knew I was covered in sweat, dirt, and blood. More of the blood than I cared to admit was my own, lost from either my short fight with the plant monster or from being scratched up from my frantic run through the forest. I had managed to keep my arm in my makeshift sling as well. Overall, I just felt like exhausted shit and I imagined I looked like it too.


    I sighed tiredly. ¡°Could be better,¡± I told him with a wan smile. Before we could continue our conversation, our attention was stolen by the sound of the bear-rabbit beginning to roar frantically. Looking over, I could see that the guards had managed to subdue the monster. If I¡¯d had the energy, I would have laughed at the sight of five guards-dwarves using their entire body to pin each of the creature¡¯s limbs and its head. Following my gaze, Azarus frowned at the sight. Turning back to me, he jerked his head in that direction in a motion to follow him. We managed to reach hearing distance of the group by the time Magnus had dramatically finished descending the short stairs. He threw the two of us a disinterested glance before turning his attention back to the monster. He studied the monster for a moment.


    A large smile grew on Magnus¡¯s face. ¡°Well, well, well.¡± He said in an imperious tone. ¡°Will you look at that. One of the cattle actually managed to succeed. It even managed to procure a suitable specimen. Will wonders never cease¡­¡± It was hard to hear him over the roars of the monster, but I couldn¡¯t help but wonder who he was talking to. After a second, I concluded it was himself. I guess he just wanted to remind everyone of how important he was or something.


    ¡°Well, I graciously accept this gift of Aether.¡± He continued, his smile taking on a sinister edge. Approaching the monster, he settled into a stance and drew back his arm as if he was going to punch the monster before forming his hand into a knife-hand position. At an unseen trigger, his hand began to emit a green and black aura of energy that roiled over the points of his straightened fingers. The monster must have sensed something because its struggles intensified along with its roars. With a shout of effort, Magnus speared his hand down at the head of the monster.


    His hand punctured the skull of the monster easily, splitting its skull in twain and causing it to burst violently in an explosion of gore. He didn¡¯t stop there, however. Magnus continued on until his arm was buried elbow-deep into the abdomen of the monster, causing viscera to spray everywhere. Its struggles stopped immediately. What was more disturbing, was that Magnus didn¡¯t immediately withdraw his arm. In fact, he pushed harder, until he was cheek to destroyed cheek with the monster. He stayed there, motionlessly, silently, until the monster began to dissolve into greasy black smoke.Stolen novel; please report.


    Once it had fully dispersed, only then did Magnus rise up from his crouching position. He didn¡¯t turn to face anyone. He didn¡¯t acknowledge the guards that had held the monster down so he could kill it, as they got up and moved out of his line of sight. He especially didn¡¯t acknowledge me, who had brought the monster here in the first place. He didn¡¯t even spare a glance at the core glimmering at his feet. He just stood there, staring off into the distance. I didn¡¯t want to see the look on his face.


    For the first time, I found myself intimidated by Magnus as a person. Sure, I was scared of him in the past, but that was because of his position and what he could have done to me. I had never considered what he could personally do to me, as someone with a higher-level Status than mine. Considering his depraved mindset and general malice, that didn¡¯t bode well for the future.


    Still staring off into the distance, Magnus finally let out a satisfied sigh and turned to face Azarus and I. Flicking a hand in our direction dismissively, he spoke. ¡°You may go.¡± He said disinterestedly. ¡°The cattle has fulfilled its obligation satisfactorily.¡±


    Azarus snorted disdainfully at this cousin¡¯s words. ¡°Whatever.¡± He grunted. He turned around in order to leave. I followed his lead sluggishly, exhausted from my ordeal.


    We were stopped when Magnus spoke again, causing the two of us to pause. Azarus didn¡¯t turn to face him, but I did. Magnus was sneering at the both of us again.


    ¡°But remember, cousin.¡± He said warningly. ¡°That human is my property. I may have lent it to you, but never forget that. If you go behind my back with it again, I¡¯ll simply have it thrown to the dogs.¡±


    If I hadn¡¯t been so exhausted, I probably would have cared about him casually threatening my life. As it was, all I did was blink slowly at the death threat. Azarus didn¡¯t give him the satisfaction of a reaction. He just started walking again. I followed at his heels, barely remembering to adopt the posture of an obedient slave in my worn-down state.


    We began making our way to Azarus¡¯s house.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...


    Azarus and I didn¡¯t speak on the short trek to his house. We simply trudged along in silence, mutually aware that it wasn¡¯t safe to speak out in the open so close to where Magnus had been. Before long, we had reached the clearing where his house waited for us. Entering it, we crossed the clearing to stand in front of the door. Azarus opened it and ushered me inside. I closed the door behind us. Afterward, I slumped up against it and slid to the floor with a long sigh.


    I pulled my knees up and buried my face in them like I was a child, trying to control my breathing.


    In and out.


    I was dimly aware of Azarus walking away in the direction of the kitchen. Grey must have been in there because I heard an indistinct conversation. I wasn¡¯t paying attention though, because I was trying to hold myself together.


    I guess it was just now hitting me that I was safe after my ordeal. God. Just¡­how do I deal with what I had gone through? Now that it was over, I was astonished that I had managed to survive and triumph over the task Magnus had forced me into. It felt like sheer dumb luck that I had succeeded.


    If I hadn¡¯t stumbled on the plant monster¡­


    If I hadn¡¯t managed to kill it by the skin of my teeth¡­


    If I hadn¡¯t leveled up into the exact right class to survive the bear-rabbit¡­


    So much had gone right that it almost felt suspicious, in all honesty.


    I was broken out of my thoughts by the gentle clearing of a throat in front of me. Looking up, I found Grey sitting in his chair right in front of me. Blinking at the sight of him, I was surprised by the wave of emotion that swept over me. It had been weeks since I had seen Grey, and I was surprised at how much I had missed him.


    Seeing that he had caught my attention, Grey smiled at me gently. He picked up a glass of water that he had been holding in his lap and offered it to me wordlessly. Suddenly aware of how desperately thirsty I was after hours of sprinting through a forest, I took it gratefully. Grasping it with both hands, I gulped it down greedily.


    ¡°Slowly, now.¡± I heard Grey say. ¡°It¡¯s not going anywhere.¡±


    Finishing the glass, I lowered it and gasped for breath before speaking. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to Grey, my throat already feeling better.


    Grey nodded at my words with a hmm. Wordlessly, he offered me his hand in a motion to help me up. I took it gratefully, somewhat surprised at how easily a man in a wheelchair could help me up. I rose to my feet with a groan.


    ¡°If you¡¯re hungry, there¡¯s food in the kitchen as well,¡± Grey said to me kindly. ¡°Or would you prefer to wash yourself, first? Speaking from experience, I well know that the detritus of battle isn¡¯t comfortable.¡±


    I looked at him in surprise. ¡°You know about what happened?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Grey nodded. ¡°Azarus filled me in on the basics.¡± He paused, before continuing. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry that you had to experience that, Nathan. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve had a run-in with the most horrific practice of this town, driven by that reprobate Magnus.¡±


    My breath hitched in my throat briefly, before I cleared it and shook my head. ¡°Not¡­not now, yeah? I think¡­I¡¯ll take that bath first. Food isn¡¯t going anywhere, yeah?¡± I smiled weakly at Grey.


    ¡°Very well.¡± Grey nodded slightly, with an understanding sigh. ¡°Azarus and I will be in the kitchen in the meantime. Take your time. Some roast chicken and potatoes will be waiting for you when you¡¯re finished.¡±


    With one last parting nod at Grey, I walked up the staircase to the second floor.

 Chapter 44 - Explanations

    I took a longer bath than usual, taking the time to try and decompress. I must have just laid in the tub for nearly half an hour after cleaning myself, simply trying to clear my mind. I don¡¯t know how successful I was at that, but at least I was thankful for the magic in the tub. I¡¯d experienced it before, but the water was self-cleaning or something. Thank God I wasn¡¯t just floating in a bunch of re-hydrated blood, sweat, and mud.


    When I finished, I realized I hadn¡¯t brought a clean set of clothes with me into the washroom. There was no way I was going to put my old clothes back on, considering they were ruined. They were little better than rags at this point, with all the battle damage. A shame though, they had been a gift from Ely.


    I wrapped a towel around my waist and walked to my room. I doubted either Grey or Azarus cared if I walked around half-naked. Once there, I got changed into some of the old clothes that Azarus had gifted me back when I first arrived. Just a simple white tunic and brown pants, nothing special. When I was done, I left my room and headed down the stairs to join the others.


    Entering the kitchen, I found that Grey and Azarus were hunched over the table whispering to each other about something. As soon as I stepped inside though, they stopped and straightened up to look at me.


    I raised an eyebrow at them. ¡°Am I interrupting something?¡±


    Grey smiled disarmingly at me, unfazed. ¡°Not at all, Nathan. Azarus was merely informing me of some¡­developments, nothing more.¡± He gestured to the third spot at the table. ¡°Take a seat. How are you, Nathan? You...don''t appear to need any medical assistance, but I can retrieve a potion if you need it."


    I shook my head tiredly at Grey''s question. "No," I sighed, wincing despite myself. "I''m fine. Just a few scratches, really. They''ll probably be gone by morning." I left out the fact that my arm was still tender, and I had a persistent migraine from where I''d been thrown into a tree. For all I knew, that was just from the hunger. "No need to waste another potion."


    Grey nodded his head slowly. "Very well, if you insist. Azarus, if you would?"


    At his urging, Azarus grunted in assent and got up from the table. Walking over to the stasis cabinet that functioned as a pantry and fridge both, he opened the rightmost door. Inside was a plate of food, upon which rested half of a roast chicken and some equally roasted potato chunks, still steaming. The wonders of domestic magic, I suppose.


    When he placed the plate in front of me, I was aware all over again of how ravenously hungry I was. Slipping Azarus a quick thanks, I tore into the food in front of me, barely remembering to wash it down with the water from the pitcher in the center of the table. I ate everything on the plate that I was able, going as far as to suck every bit of meat I could off of the chicken bones. When I finished, I sat back with a satisfied sigh. I luxuriated in the feeling of a full stomach for a moment before turning my attention back to the others.


    ¡°Thanks again. I needed that.¡± I said to them gratefully.


    ¡°Thank him,¡± Azarus said wryly, jerking a thumb in Grey¡¯s direction. ¡°It¡¯s not like I cooked it.¡±


    Grey shrugged. ¡°I was in the midst of cooking dinner when you returned. It was no trouble to make more.¡± He paused. ¡°Well¡­in any case, I suppose we have a few things to discuss, don¡¯t we?¡±


    I fixed him with an unimpressed stare. ¡°Uh-huh. We sure do, ¡®Headmaster Greycton¡¯.¡±


    Grey winced slightly. ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± He said, scratching his beard sheepishly. ¡°Azarus told me that Prince Elysael let that slip.¡±


    ¡°What I don¡¯t understand.¡± I began, crossing my arms. ¡°Is if you¡¯re someone important, why you tried to hide it from me? I mean, I got the impression you were more important than you let on. It¡¯s not like the Savoy Prince would go through all this trouble to hold someone captive in the middle of nowhere for just anyone. I, uh, I assume so anyway.¡± I finished, glancing at Azarus.


    He shrugged at me and wiggled his hand back and forth.


    Looking back at Grey, I continued. ¡°It¡¯s just odd, man. Why?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­well, it¡¯s both complicated and not at the same time.¡± Grey began, folding his hands in his lap. ¡°To begin with, let me fully re-introduce myself. In actuality, I am Headmaster Greycton, of the Academy of Mystic Arts and Archmage of the Indigo Circle, at your service.¡± Before I could even speak, he held up a hand to stop me. ¡°I know that none of those names or terms mean anything to you, Nathan. Please, let me explain from the beginning.¡±


    Grey paused for a moment. ¡°I am¡­somewhat well-known.¡± He began slowly, only to be interrupted by a snort of disbelief from Azarus. Casting an annoyed glance at him, Grey continued. ¡°Both for some of my personal exploits and for my position. You see, the Academy is the foremost, and truly only place upon mainland Vereden where mysticality is explored in depth. What this translates to in practice, is that we teach young neophytes to harness the forces that reside beyond the reach of their Status. In other words, Magic and Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°So, you run a school basically. Like, the school. That right?¡± I asked Grey, curious.


    My question made him let out a short laugh and smile wryly. ¡°Yes, I suppose so. The Academy resides in Herztal, much to the consternation of certain political bodies. While we are largely an apolitical organization, the fact can¡¯t be denied that while we admit students of all races that are eligible, our presence within the Human Kingdom leads to some parties equating us to them. This isn¡¯t true of course, but the Academy has enjoyed a largely amicable relationship with the Royal House of Herztal for centuries.¡± His smile faded. ¡°Which is what I believe contributed somewhat to my current predicament.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Grey and Azarus shared a glance.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been entirely truthful with you about why I¡¯m so eager to be rid of this place, Nathan,¡± Grey said to me seriously. ¡°Truthfuly I¡¯m confident that in time I could devise a method in which to free myself. In fact, I¡¯m certain that Prince Anguis of House Savoy is counting on that eventually, in the fullness of time. However, I don¡¯t have that time. I was captured and removed from my position for a very particular reason.¡±


    Leaning forward, I interrupted him. ¡°Because Herztal is at war?¡±


    Grey raised his eyebrows at me in surprise before glancing at Azarus. He just shrugged at Grey, causing him to look back at me. ¡°What have you heard, Nathan? Is this another thing the Prince told you?¡±


    ¡°Not really, no. I just heard something off-hand.¡± I replied, somewhat taken aback.


    ¡°Hmm. Well, you¡¯re incorrect, Nathan. The Kingdom isn¡¯t at war. It¡¯s experiencing a civil war. One that is almost entirely my fault.¡± Grey told me gravely.


    Azarus burst into the conversation. ¡°Godsdammnit Grey!¡± He said frustratedly. ¡°I¡¯ve told you time and again, this whole mess isn¡¯t your fault!¡±


    Grey rounded on Azarus with more anger than I think I¡¯ve ever seen from him. ¡°And I¡¯ve told you I disagree!¡± He snapped back. ¡°They are my creations! I brought them into this world, and I¡¯m responsible for anything they do! Anything they become! And certainly, anything that happens to them because I¡¯m stuck in this damnable house!¡± He finished half a step from full-on shouting.


    I was taken aback. This was the first sign of contention I¡¯d ever seen between Grey and Azarus. They had, almost frustratingly, always presented an almost unified front whenever explaining things to me.


    ¡°Uh.¡± I broke in. I almost flinched when Grey¡¯s eyes snapped back to me with speed. ¡°What ¡®creations¡¯ are you talking about?¡±


    Grey took a deep breath. ¡°I¡­¡± He almost looked lost for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ve always been something of a¡­tinkerer, you could say. I enjoy experimenting, you must understand. I derive deep personal joy from pushing the farthest bounds of mysticality. I was born in a small farming community on the periphery of the Kingdom known as Hollow Hill. As I grew, I witnessed firsthand the problems that plague the common man. Even with a Status, Vereden is a harsh world. The constant struggle between a need to provide for one¡¯s family, in combination with the need to fight off the beasts that plague the land left a deep impression on me. The travels that I¡¯ve experienced over my long life had only reinforced this dichotomy. Fifty-three years ago, I hit upon an idea. What if¡­I could ease this burden?¡± He fixed me with an almost manic look. ¡°What if I could improve the lives of all free-thinking sapients upon this world?! What if I could alleviate the common man of the need to choose between both worlds?!¡±


    ¡°Sounds¡­kind of arrogant,¡± I said to him slowly.


    Grey deflated like a popped balloon and lowered his head. ¡°Yes.¡± He whispered, almost ashamed. ¡°Yes, it was. I was.¡±


    The table was quiet for a moment.


    Stirring, Grey continued, still staring at his hands. ¡°But it worked, you see. Some time ago, I witnessed a unique type of monster in the northern highlands that inspired me. It appeared to be some kind of stone man. It was quite a fight; I can tell you. Very resistant to magic. I had to rely upon my companions in order to finish the creature off. I¡¯ll never forget it, you know. It was called a Deviant Golem.¡± He recounted with a far-off look on his face.


    I began to get an idea of where this was going. A bad idea.


    ¡°And so, I thought to myself.¡± Grey continued. ¡°If the System can create a man out of stone, why can¡¯t I? I began experimenting. It took me a decade of constant work, constant testing and retesting. So many, many failed prototypes. In the end, the first wasn¡¯t even made of stone, but shining silver mithril. But I succeeded. Forty-three years ago, the first of the AutoVants were born. My Autonomous Servants.¡±


    Finally looking up from his hands, Grey gave me a weak smile. ¡°At first, they were difficult to produce. But over time, I refined the process of creating a fully functional AutoVant, eventually learning to create them from different materials. Even the stone I was so inspired by. Months of work became weeks. Weeks became days. Until the process of creating a single AutoVant was so streamlined that even a mere neophyte mage could likely enchant one, singlehandedly. I was ecstatic of course. I released the design process out into the Academy at large, and eventually the Kingdom itself freely. There was roaring, massive demand for them immediately. After all, why wouldn¡¯t there be? For the farmers of the Kingdom, this meant they could delegate the endless backbreaking drudgery of farm work to a new type of tool. For the military, it meant they could drive the hostile creatures of this world farther beyond the frontier without risking soldiers. In all walks of Herztalian life, the AutoVant rapidly grew to prominence. It seemed as if the Kingdom was entering into a golden age. No longer did man have to toil endlessly, forsaking their individual passions.¡±


    Grey sighed, and seemed to stare off into the distance.


    ¡°Of course, it didn¡¯t last.¡± He nearly whispered, before locking eyes with me. ¡°I did not design the AutoVants to be sapient, merely to accept verbal orders. But they didn¡¯t stay that way. Five years ago, they slowly started to¡­wake up, for lack of a better term. The first of these was the very first that I created, all those years ago.¡± He took a deep breath before smiling widely. ¡°I was astonished, but in my own way overjoyed. My pursuits had never left me with the time to pursue a family, and so I took this as a sign. I adopted her. My Sylvia¡­¡±


    His smile faded.


    ¡°But it didn¡¯t end there. More and more, the AutoVants began to achieve sapience all across the Kingdom. This caused some alarm and unrest of course, but nothing that wasn¡¯t manageable. To this day, I have no idea why or how they gained full sapience, merely that they did. Eventually, the situation must have reached a tipping point of some sort, because the System took notice. Everyone upon Vereden received a simultaneous notification. ¡®A new race has been detected, beginning System Initialization¡¯.¡±


    I furrowed my brow, breaking out of the spell I had fallen under listening to Grey. ¡°Wait,¡± I said, holding up a hand. ¡°I swear I¡¯ve heard about that before. Isn¡¯t System Initialization the thing that caused everyone to gain a Status centuries ago? Didn¡¯t you say that never happened again?¡±


    My words caused Grey to let out a short laugh. ¡°A minor historical omission.¡± He admitted shamelessly. ¡°At the time, I didn¡¯t wish to overwhelm you with the full scope of the situation.¡±


    I felt my eyebrow twitch. ¡°Don¡¯t do that again, dammit. Just tell me upfront.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Nathan.¡± Grey acquiesced, suspiciously easily. ¡°Well, the Second Initialization, as it came to be called, accelerated the situation. Every remaining AutoVant that had not gained sapience already gained it immediately. In addition, all of them gained a Status, fully cementing their position among the peoples of Vereden. The AutoVants organized, and chose a new name for themselves.¡±


    ¡°The Sculpted.¡±

 Chapter 45 - Sculpted

    ¡°Until this point in time,¡± Grey said. ¡°AutoVants, the Sculpted, were legally considered to be property. Naturally, they objected to this legal status. Even before the Second Initialization, there were individuals that protested before the House of Lords their status as being little better than slaves, even after they had gained full sapience. These appeals went nowhere, however. There were, and are, a great many nobles in the House that have created an enormous amount of wealth off of the back of AutoVants. But it was only after they gained their Status and organized under their new, self-chosen racial name that they demanded, quite forcibly, to be granted their freedom. Again, they were denied.¡±


    Grey scoffed.


    ¡°Unsurprising, in retrospect. In my long life, I¡¯ve noticed that the nobility never truly changes. They have ever considered anyone not part of their ranks mere servants who exist to maintain their lavish lifestyles. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t care if their servitors gained the ability to think and feel. If it wasn¡¯t for the wisdom of the Royal family all those centuries ago, slavery would still be legal within Herztal. Ah, no offense intended, Azarus.¡± Grey said to Azarus, somewhat sheepishly.


    Azarus shrugged, indifferent. ¡°None taken. I agree with ya.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± I broke in. ¡°What was the actual argument they gave for denying the, ah, Sculpted their freedom? If they had become a bunch of real boys and girls, and were even recognized by the System, what stopped them?¡±


    Grey turned back to me and waved a hand irritably. ¡°Some nonsense about how their prior legal status as property directly commissioned for a certain task superseded any claims of personhood. The majority opinion of the House was that they had the same legal status as a garden hoe. Bah! It was a transparent ploy to keep hold of the force that had so radically shifted the Herztalian markets, and the Sculpted knew it. So, they protested. En masse, they abandoned their posts and attempted to peacefully protest for their rights. The nobility did not appreciate this. Many times, the guards were called to break these mass protests up, citing that property did not have the right to free assembly. Eventually, these protests would escalate more and more often into outright violence. But it was difficult for such a young race to effectively fight back against such entrenched powers when their collective Statuses were so young. And so, they turned to me, to fight on their behalf.¡±


    ¡°I was happy to do so. After all, I felt a collective responsibility to the entire race, not to mention my direct adoption of one of their members. I stepped in and acted as a shield for these protests. The violence died down, and it seemed as if popular opinion was shifting in favor of the Sculpted. I strongly,¡± Grey said sarcastically, ¡°Suspect that certain members of the House of Lords did not appreciate my intervention. It is at this point that I suspect Prince Anguis, Lord of House Savoy steps in, whispering in the ears of key House members. He likely saw an opportunity to destabilize the Kingdom from within. This collar around my neck came from his coffers, of this, I have no doubt. It is no small feat to restrain the Status of a person with my advanced level, and requires both powerful enchantments, exceedingly rare materials, and stupendous skill in order to create such a powerful collar.¡±


    Grey sighed, rubbing his brow in frustration. ¡°I don¡¯t even truly know how they got it on me. I simply went to bed one night after a long day at the Academy, and when I woke, I was collared and bound in the back of a wagon traveling through the Barren Forest. I never even saw the face of the person who drove the wagon, I was only given minimal provisions through a small hatch at the front of the wagon. Weeks of non-stop travel later, we arrived in Addersfield and I was given to Magnus, and then promptly handed over to Azarus.¡±


    ¡°That was a damned surprise, let me tell you,¡± Azarus said wryly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t told why I had to come down here. Thought I was going to be babysitting Magnus, or something. Didn¡¯t expect the gods-be-damned Headmaster of the Mystic Academy.¡±


    Something occurred to me, and I grimaced. Uncomfortably, I motioned toward Grey¡¯s legs. Or rather, lack of them. ¡°So, uh, when did that happen?¡±


    Grey¡¯s face twisted in hatred. ¡°Magnus.¡± He spat. ¡°That feculent little toad wasn¡¯t ordered to maim me in such a fashion, I¡¯m certain of it. He merely wanted to do it anyway, with some poppycock excuse of ¡®making sure I didn¡¯t escape¡¯. The only reason I was deprived of my legs was to satisfy his own twisted desires. And I. Will. Not. Forget. That.¡±


    A tense silence fell over the table for a moment, before Grey visibly tried to calm himself down by letting out a long breath. ¡°As it stands, to the best of my knowledge, the situation with the Sculpted immediately deteriorated with my absence. Forewarned of it, the nobles began to brutally crack down on any dissidence with increasingly severe violence. From what Azarus,¡± Grey nodded at him. ¡°Has been able to find out, this was the breaking point for the Sculpted. They scattered, and rather than seek legal redress, they formed a rebellion. They found far more sympathy among the populace than anticipated, and thus many collaborators. Over the months since my capture, their rebellion has spiraled out of control into a full-on Herztalian civil war. There were many members of the House of Lords that always supported the Sculpted fight for freedom, and they took that chance to publicly support the rebellion with supplies, weaponry, and even soldiers. The situation is becoming untenable, and the High King is suspiciously silent. I¡¯m sure Anguis is nearly cackling with glee at the chaos he helped concoct.¡±


    Grey leaned forward on the table in order to better meet my eyes. The look on his face was intense. ¡°Enter you, Nathan. While I might be able to concoct a method to free myself eventually, I don¡¯t have that time. Whatever powers you may possess as a Precursor might well be able to free the both of us. I don¡¯t mean to pressure you Nathan, but I need to be free from this cursed place. I need to be there, in the Kingdom, in order to settle this civil war. I need to prevent my country from burning to the ground, as a result of my actions. I need to find out what has happened to the High King. I need to be there in order to find out what has happened to my daughter.¡±


    I took in a shuddering breath when he was finished, unaware that I had even stopped breathing. Right.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    No pressure.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...


    After Grey¡¯s explanation, we all agreed to retire for the night. It had been a long day for both Azarus and I, myself more than him. I think the food was the only thing that had been keeping me up during our conversation with how exhausted I was. Before we all broke for our respective rooms though, Grey asked me to meet him in his after breakfast. I was too tired at the time to ask what for. Climbing the stairs, entering my room, and flopping into my bed, I was out like a light nearly instantaneously. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t have any nightmares.


    I woke fairly early in the morning, but I still felt fairly rested. I took the time to just laze about in bed for a while. It was nice to be back in a moderately comfortable bed again after using a sleeping cot during our travels. It didn¡¯t compare to the sinfully soft bed I¡¯d used back in Rhoscara, but it was nice. Comforting, in its own way.


    Rising out of bed with a groan and getting dressed in the same old, same old, I exited my room. Blearily, I shuffled down the stairs and into the kitchen. I was the only one in there, so I took the time to make myself a simple breakfast. Once I was done and had cleaned up after myself, I remembered that Grey had asked me to meet him in his room. Exiting the kitchen and walking over to his room beneath the stairs, I softly knocked on the door to see if he was awake.


    ¡°Come in.¡± I heard faintly through the door. Guess he was up.


    Opening the door, I found that Grey was sitting in his wheelchair at his work desk. At my entrance, he turned to face me with a small smile. ¡°Good morning, Nathan.¡± He said to me.


    ¡°Morning,¡± I replied. ¡°Did you already eat?¡±


    Grey made a dismissive motion with his hands. ¡°No need. I¡¯m perfectly fine. Enough about me though, I¡¯m quite tired of speaking about myself after last night. Rather, I think we should begin your education on certain matters. Starting first with whatever Profession you acquired in Rhoscara. I¡¯m quite excited to see what was unveiled.¡±


    Walking further into the room, I took a seat on the bed not far from Grey. ¡°Huh,¡± I said thoughtfully. ¡°Well, last time I checked, it was locked. It was something called ''Aetherial Melding''. Did Azarus tell you that we, or rather I, experienced a System Judgement when I finally got Artistry from El-, er, the Prince?¡±


    "Aetherial Melding?" Grey¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°He did not, in fact. Most intriguing, if not entirely unexpected. Whatever it is that you¡¯ve gained as an eighth Profession is entirely unique, to the best of my knowledge. The name tells me nothing."


    ¡°Right.¡± I nodded. ¡°So, it was locked, and the Prince told me that I would probably need to unlock my first class to unlock that too. Well, in the forest I managed to level up enough to get my first class-¡±


    ¡°Congratulations!¡± Grey broke in eagerly, leaning in. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± I was somewhat taken aback. ¡°Well, it¡¯s something called Thornblade Acolyte. From class selection, it told me it was an intelligence and dexterity class. It, uh, kinda saved my life. Not sure I would have gotten out of the forest alive without the skills it gave me.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Intelligence and dexterity classes are uncommonly taken during first selection.¡± Grey said musingly. ¡°I don¡¯t typically recommend it to most students, but I believe it¡¯s viable with your advanced proportion of Virtue points. I¡¯m not personally familiar with the ¡®Thornblade¡¯ prefix, but ¡®Acolyte¡¯ is well-researched indeed.¡±


    ¡°Is that the way classes work then? Prefixes and suffixes in combination that determine the function?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Broadly speaking, yes,¡± Grey answered. ¡°At least, when it comes to lower-tier classes like your own. But enough about classes, you were saying that your mysterious eighth Profession was previously locked, yes? Have you checked if it¡¯s been unlocked yet?¡±


    I shoot my head. ¡°No, I was too exhausted after getting home yesterday, and I was too busy running for my life in my forest to think about it. Gimme a sec.¡±


    Mentally pulling up my Status, I felt relief flow through me. Despite Ely¡¯s reassurances, a little bit of the panic attack I¡¯d had all those weeks ago still lingered in the back of my mind. But I had definitely unlocked something.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Name</td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">Nathaniel Eugene Hart</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Title</td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">N/A</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Level</td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">14</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Age</td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">24 Sol</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Race</td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">Human (Precursor)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Affinity</td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">Terrestrial</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Classes</td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">Thornblade Acolyte (Superior)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Professions</td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">Aetherial Melding</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Health</td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">190/190</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Stamina</td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">100/100</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Vitality


    </td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">19</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Strength


    </td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Spirit


    </td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Dexterity


    </td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">28</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Perception


    </td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">19</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Intelligence


    </td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">37</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Wisdom


    </td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">37</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Free Points


    </td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">40</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23231%">Options</td>


    <td style="width: 92.7609%">[Talent Page], [Skill Page], [Profession Page]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Woah, what? Last I''d checked, I''d been level ten when I selected my class in the forest.


    Wait.


    Hadn''t that screen before I''d picked Thornblade Acolyte said something about level fourteen? It had been in parenthesis, though. Huh. Maybe I''d just been prevented from getting those extra levels before I picked my class. Well, whatever. Before I spoke to Grey, I went ahead and assigned my free points. That brought my Vitality and Perception to twenty-three, my Dexterity to thirty-six, and my Intelligence and Wisdom to forty-nine.


    Damn, but I''d gotten a ton out of killing that snake monster. I wonder what the deal with that was?


    Once I''d seen my main Status screen, I maneuvered over to the Profession pane and its glowing web.


    After examining my Status for a few moments, I closed it and looked up at Grey. ¡°Yup, it¡¯s unlocked alright,¡± I said to him, a little bit of my relief coloring my voice. "But the symbol in the center has changed. The fist opened up."


    At Grey''s raised eyebrow, I continued.


    "It''s an open palm, now."

 Chapter 46 - Aetherial Melding

    ¡°And, well, my entire Profession pane has changed. Again.¡± I said to Grey.


    It had. Again. For like the third time or something.


    Where before it had been a series of seven concentric circles with an eight in the middle, those were all gone. None of the symbols for the seven Professions I had chosen were even there anymore. Now it was just the open palm in the center, larger than before and no longer bound by a circle. It was still radiating out a blue light, though. I guess that this open hand was the symbol for my ¡®Aetherial Melding¡¯, whatever that meant.


    I explained all of this Grey.


    ¡°Fascinating¡­¡± He breathed. ¡°Beyond even the existence of an eighth Profession, I cannot recall a single historical example of such a thing. The alignment of a Status window so radically changing shape is unheard of, and curious indeed.¡±


    Honestly, to me, it seemed more like a webpage that was constantly being updated. The developer, in this case, the System, just kept adding or changing things to a ¡®page¡¯ and deciding they didn¡¯t like the layout. I decided not to try and explain the oftentimes byzantine process of webpage design to Grey.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I told him. ¡°Whatever you say. But, uh, why don¡¯t we try and see what it does? So, how do you use a Profession? Do you just, like, activate it like a skill?¡±


    Grey snapped out of his scholarly fascination in order to shoot me an amused look. ¡°''Use a Profession?¡¯ Nathan, Professions aren¡¯t skills. You merely create things that fall within their category.¡±


    I was startled. ¡°Wait. Wait a second. Are you telling me that when someone says they¡¯re, say, a Medicinal Alchemist and they want to make a Healing potion. They have to just¡­follow some kind of¡­ recipe¡­ in order to get one?¡± I said, starting to feel foolish as I spoke.


    By the grin on Grey¡¯s face, he thought I was as well. ¡°Yes Nathan, that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying. I can see where you¡¯ve gotten the idea that even Professions are skill intensive, much like most of the System, considering your relative newness to it. But no, one merely learns how to create items that exist within their specialization in order to contribute to their Profession¡¯s Impact. This is also the only way that you¡¯re going to be receiving any Status Aether from the System for your creations. There are no levels to the Profession system, no skills beyond the skill you possess. Which is why your eighth Profession is so curious, really. Neither Azarus or I have any idea what field of crafting is not covered by the seven already existing Professions.¡±


    Something about that explanation didn¡¯t sit right with me. After a moment, I realized what it was. ¡°But¡­that doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± I said to Grey, leaning forward. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that most people learn two highly specialized, differing methods of crafting entirely on their own? Even most peasants devote their life to two, maybe contradictory, ways to make a living? That doesn¡¯t make sense, man.¡±


    Grey gave me a puzzled look. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know what you mean, Nathan. That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying, as I have already explained to you before why most people take two Professions.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± I started, waving a hand in a frustrated manner. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense, man! Learning a trade, one trade, is a lifelong process! How are people supposed to have any time to themselves if they¡¯re always learning and experimenting and devoting themselves to two differing paths! Most things they make should be middling at best if they always have to think about their second Profession!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that at all, Nathan,¡± Grey said confusedly. ¡°Even your average peasant is fully capable of acquiring the necessary skill in order to be considered a master in their chosen Professions. Well, if they put a modicum of effort into it.¡± He paused, taking in my own confusion. ¡°Are you perhaps saying that¡¯s how it works back on your home planet?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± I said, pointing at him. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying! People, normal people, don¡¯t typically have the mental capacity to devote themselves to two differing paths at once! Absolutely not the degree they¡¯re even going to become a master at it before they¡¯re an old man. I¡¯m telling you; the System has got to be helping your learning rate if your regular Joe-Bob peasant is able to learn how to build perfect houses and how to butcher perfectly at the same time!¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Grey pondered. ¡°It¡¯s an interesting theory, Nathan. I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever heard this specific idea about the Profession system. Certainly, it¡¯s been postulated that there must be some kind of active component to it beyond generating Impact. However, the theories I¡¯ve read and heard have rather focused on the output itself. The old belief was that merely possessing a certain Profession instilled a certain intrinsic mystical quality to the items you create. However,¡± He said, raising a hand with a smile. ¡°For once, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s run off on an academic tangent. We were discussing your new Profession, remember?¡±


    I settled down, a little sheepish. ¡°Ah, yeah. Right.¡± I paused. ¡°So¡­if Professions don¡¯t use skills¡­and every kind of crafting you know of is covered already¡­and we don¡¯t know what ¡®Aetherial Melding¡¯ does¡­what now?¡±


    Grey tapped his fingers on the arm of his wheelchair in thought. ¡°Well, I suppose all we have is speculation. As I said, I truly doubt that it is activated as a skill, but that¡¯s no reason to discount the possibility. I¡¯ve prepared a small collection of herbs right here,¡± He turned around and motioned to a small tray on the desk behind him. ¡°That can be used to create a weak Healing potion. Merely some Moonwort, Ae¡¯la Vine, and Bronzeleaf, nothing special. Give it a try.¡±


    At his urging, I stood up from where I was sitting on his bed and walked over to the desk. Exchanging one last glance with Grey, I held my hands out over the tray of herbs laying next to a bottle half full of water. I gave it a shot and tried to activate it out loud. ¡°Aetherial Melding,¡± I said, concentrating.


    Nothing happened.


    ¡°Not unexpected,¡± Grey said, unphased.


    I dropped my hands from over the tray and crossed my arms in thought. I looked back over at Grey. ¡°What next? You¡¯re the expert here.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Grey snorted. ¡°An expert in a previously unknown Profession, am I? Truly, your confidence is inspiring.¡± He said, only mildly sarcastic. ¡°Well, I do have at least one idea. The wording ¡®Aetherial Melding¡¯ is curious to me. Despite being the cornerstone of all mystic arts, Aether is rarely so directly mentioned. Perhaps the Profession has something to do with Aether itself?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°So¡­how do we get some raw Aether then?¡±


    ¡°I will provide what we need,¡± Grey said. ¡°The production and manipulation of raw mystical energy is a fairly advanced technique in the arsenal of a Magi. It has little actual practical applications that we¡¯ve been able to find, merely being a training tool. Thankfully, I still have some minor capabilities available to me despite this damnable collar and can provide it. One moment.¡±


    Grey cupped his hands in front of him and furrowed his brow in concentration. Nothing happened for a few seconds before something began to coalesce above his open palms. Slowly swirling into existence, spinning like a planet on its axis, an orb of cool silver light formed. In its depths, I could see the occasional flash of an obsidian aurora.


    I was impressed, despite myself. I still hadn¡¯t gotten completely used to magic, and this was pretty damn magical.


    Grey breathed out heavily once he had finished forming the orb. He looked up at me expectedly.


    I stared back at him, nonplussed. ¡°What am I supposed to do with it?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Grey said, embarrassed. ¡°Perhaps first try and sense it?¡±


    ¡°And how do I do that?¡± I said impatiently. ¡°It¡¯s not like I know what I¡¯m doing here.¡±


    ¡°Just¡­try, Nathan,¡± Grey said frustratedly. ¡°This is one of those aspects of being a Magi that comes naturally to everyone. An Aetherial sense can be refined, but all Magi can sense the presence of mystical energies. You cannot quite be called Magi as of yet, but you should still possess some ability due to your Virtues.¡±


    Whatever, worth a shot.


    I approached Grey and held my hands over the ball of light. I didn¡¯t feel anything, to be honest. The ball didn¡¯t give off any heat, and its slow-spinning wasn¡¯t affecting the air around it. I looked up at Grey. ¡°Can I¡­touch it? It¡¯s not going burn me or anything, will it?¡±


    ¡°It will not burn you, no,¡± Grey said to me.


    Stretching out my index finger to the Aether, I lightly lay it upon the orb. He was right, it didn¡¯t burn me, but it did do something. The moment I laid a finger on it, it was as if a shot of cool lightning ran down my spine. I felt energized in a way I¡¯d never felt, while at the same time, it felt like all the small hairs on my body stood straight up at once. Honestly, it was pretty pleasant.


    But in the background, over the invigorating feeling, I swear I could feel something. I closed my eyes and furrowed my brow, trying to chase it. I stood there over Grey, almost unconsciously fully laying both of my hands on top of the ball of Aether for several minutes chasing the feeling. Slowly, I managed to track it down.


    It was¡­like a wave, but not? No, that¡¯s not right. It was like a pulse. Not like a heartbeat, but more like a drum. What was strange though, is that it didn¡¯t feel like it was originating from the orb of Aether. Rather, it felt like I could feel a continuous pulse, originating from all directions, breaking over the ball of energy in front of me and outlining it in my mind''s eye. I furrowed my brow in confusion, feeling out what I could. Where was the pulse coming from? From what Grey had told me before, Aether was all around us and was a fundamental component of all mystical energies. If something was breaking over the surface of this ball as if it was incompatible¡­


    I opened my eyes and frowned at Grey in confusion. ¡°That isn¡¯t Aether, is it?¡±


    Grey smiled at me widely. ¡°Well done, Nathan. Indeed, this is not Aether at all. This is pure Mana, the refined component of Aether that Magi utilize.¡±


    ¡°But I thought you said you were going to supply some raw Aether?¡± I said confusedly.


    ¡°Did I? Or did I merely say I would provide what we need?¡± Grey said mysteriously. ¡°In truth, Nathan, nobody can produce and manipulate raw Aether. The entire System would collapse if we could. If one could simply learn how to process and manipulate Aether at a whim, what would stop them from funneling that Aether into their Status and growing in strength infinitely?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± I said. ¡°That makes sense, I guess. So¡­what was I feeling?¡±


    ¡°The impression of the worlds Aether is what you felt,¡± Grey answered. ¡°We cannot sense Aether by ourselves, but we can sense its wake as it interacts with another energy. In this case, Mana. This kind of rudimentary Aetherial sense is something that all Magi and Cultivators are capable of. There are, of course, more advanced forms of mystical sensing, but that is beyond the scope of your ability at present.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said thoughtfully.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Grey said wryly. ¡°Being a Magi often means working around such restrictions in creative ways. Why, in fact-¡±


    I held up a hand to stop him. ¡°Gimme a second,¡± I muttered his way, laying my hands around the orb of Mana again. I¡¯d had an idea. I concentrated, barely aware of the fact that Grey had stopped speaking. Shortly, I found the pulse again and concentrated on it, this time listening more intently. I know that Grey had said that people couldn¡¯t directly sense Aether by itself, but¡­


    It didn¡¯t feel that way to me.


    Now that I was paying more attention, and knew what I was looking at, I could sense¡­or hear¡­or even sort of see in my mind¡¯s eye something else. Every time that the pulse, which emanated at a steady rate, struck an object it was like the object itself sort of pulsed back. It wasn¡¯t one-to-one, and it wasn¡¯t at the same strength. But there was undoubtedly a response, and it was different. When an object responded, it was like I could feel some kind of pool of energy residing in it.


    Slowly, I moved my hands off of the orb, concentrating all the while to make sure that I could keep track of the pulse. It was difficult, and the pulse became steadily harder to feel the more I moved away from the orb of Mana. I stood still for a moment to make sure I could keep a hold of it. Once I was sure that I had a grasp on the Aetherial pulse in my mind¡¯s eye, I slowly moved in the direction of the desk, and towards the tray that held the potion herbs from earlier. Laying my hands on them, I concentrated harder.


    There. I could sense it. Every time the greater pulse struck the herbs, I could feel a resonance from them, emanating from a pool of energy within them. Carefully, barely aware of what I was doing and guided by an instinct I didn¡¯t understand, I reached out with my hand and touched the herb on top of the pile.


    I touched the pool of power within the herb, as well. Somehow.


    It responded.


    The reservoir of energy inside the herb strengthened somehow, resonating with me now. I could feel it more closely. I could feel the potential inside of it. In a daze, I gathered all of the herbs on the tray into my hands and held them. One by one, all of them began to resonate with me. Within my cupped hands, the boundaries that separated each pool of power began to break down. Before long, I could feel only one font of energy in my clutched hands, swirling together to form a greater whole. Dazed, eyes still tightly closed, I held my hands over the small glass bottle of water on the tray and let the power drizzle out of my cupped hands and down into the mouth and neck of it. Slowly, I opened my eyes.


    On the tray, sitting inside the bottle was a bright, cherry red liquid.


    ¡°Nathan¡­¡± I heard Grey breathe. Sluggishly, I turned my head to see him. Grey was sitting on the edge of his seat, eyes bulging out of their sockets in astonishment. I¡¯d never seen him so stunned. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± I tried to answer. I didn¡¯t manage it.


    I passed out instead.

 Chapter 47 - Testing

    I awoke to the sound of rattling drawers and the muttering of Grey. I was laying in his bed again, in a mirror of my first day here. He must have moved me here after I had¡­passed out? Was that what had happened to me? Groggily, I raised my head to look around. I don¡¯t think I had been out for very long, based on the light streaming through the window. Off to the side, I spied Grey hunched over his desk messing with something. I guess that was where the muttering was coming from.


    I tried to sit up more, only to be hit with an almost bone-deep wave of exhaustion when I did so. Flopping back down onto the bed, I must have made a noise. Grey stopped his muttering and fidgeting and turned around to peer at me. I had to withhold a smile at his appearance. He was wearing a pair of oversized goggles of some kind. They were festooned with bits and bobs of a type that I didn¡¯t recognize, and must have had some kind of magnification built into the lenses. The effect left his eyes looking comically large.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Grey blinked at me. ¡°Welcome back to the land of the living, Nathan.¡±


    ¡°I-¡± I tried to say, before breaking out into a fit of coughs. Grey wheeled over to my bed, helping me to sit up. I was surprised at how weak I felt, and how much help I needed in order to just sit up in a bed. Once I was up, Grey handed me a glass of water sitting on his bedside. I took it gratefully, taking a few greedy gulps. Holding onto it, I tried again. ¡°How long was I out?¡±


    ¡°Oh, perhaps an hour,¡± Grey said, taking off his goggles and resting them in his lap. ¡°Not long. In retrospect, I¡¯m not terribly surprised once I examined you.¡±


    I took a breath, starting to feel a little better. ¡°Yeah? What happened to me? One moment I was doing¡­something with, uh, I guess ¡®Aetherial Melding¡¯. The next, I¡¯m out.¡±


    ¡°Complete Stamina drain,¡± Grey answered matter of factly. ¡°So much so, that you drew on your own life force briefly to supplement your output.¡±


    I tensed in sudden nervousness. ¡°That¡­doesn¡¯t sound good.¡±


    Grey waved me off, completely at ease. ¡°Oh, it only sounds worse than it is. While it¡¯s sub-optimal to draw upon your own life force, or more technically the inherent Aether of your soul, you¡¯re fine. You didn¡¯t draw deeply enough to injure yourself, merely to exhaustion. You should recover shortly, although I don¡¯t recommend drawing on your Stamina again until much later in the day.¡±


    I let out a breath. ¡°Okay then.¡± I paused briefly to sit up in a more comfortable position, already starting to feel better. ¡°So¡­Stamina drain. I guess I¡­tried too hard or something? Making that potion? You know, we¡¯ve never even talked about what Stamina is. I know Mana, Aether, and sort of know Ki, but not Stamina.¡±


    ¡°Making that potion, he says,¡± Grey muttered under his breath disbelievingly. He shook his head. ¡°Stamina is easily explained. It¡¯s believed to merely be a by-product waste energy produced by a soul. In truth, you don¡¯t keep a Stamina bar for long, if you desire to be a Classer. It¡¯s completely replaced by Mana or Ki upon performing the needed rituals to break through the first threshold. As for your first question¡­Let¡¯s start from the top, shall we? Nathan, did you understand what you were doing?¡±


    I frowned slightly, fiddling with the glass of water in my hands and staring off into space. ¡°Sort of? I¡¯m not going to lie, a large amount of what I did was instinct. It¡¯s¡­hard to describe. It¡¯s like I had control of myself, but there was a separate layer of understanding over everything. I don¡¯t want to say it was anything like a System interface or something but¡­¡± I made a noise of frustration, looking back over to Grey. He was leaning forward in his chair, chin resting on an arm propped up on his leg, listening intently. ¡°Using Aetherial Melding felt both instinctual and guided at the same time. Am I making sense?¡±


    Grey was silent for a moment, before making a vague noise of assent. ¡°Hmm. Continue, please. Try and describe the process.¡±


    Over the next several minutes, I explained everything I had done with the herbs to Grey. I told him about the waves of Aether, and how they seemed to resonate with the Aether within the ingredients. I told him about how they responded somehow to both myself and the Aether of the plant that he had described to me earlier. I told him about how once all of the herbs had begun resonating with me, the boundaries that separated them began to break down.


    ¡°How?¡± Grey interrupted me. ¡°How did you break down the boundaries separating each herb''s individual Aether pool?¡±


    All I could do was shrug at Grey¡¯s question, to his frustration. I had no idea how I had done that. It was one of the things that had felt guided.


    Once I had finished my explanation about how I had done everything, about how I had merged the Aether of the herbs together, I fell silent. Grey was visibly pondering what I had told him.


    ¡°Extraordinary.¡± He commented after some time, before focusing back on me. ¡°Before we continue, let me tell you my own findings.¡± He wheeled away from the bed and back over to the desk, motioning for me to follow him.


    I stood up from the bed, still exhausted, but recovered enough to manage standing. I shuffled over to the desk to see what Grey wanted to show me.


    ¡°This,¡± Grey said, motioning to the potion I had made, still sitting on the tray. ¡°Is ridiculous. It is indeed a minor Healing Potion, but not like any I¡¯ve ever seen before. It is, quite frankly, too good. Unnaturally so. I have seen grandmaster alchemists, myself included, struggle to create a potion this perfectly brewed, if such a word even applies. The potency of this potion is such that it could nearly be considered a regular strength Healing Potion. Which, I assure you, is quite an accomplishment, considering the weak ingredient base used in its creation. I have never seen the like, and if I had, I would have most likely taken the creator as a personal apprentice.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said, quite intelligently. ¡°How do you know how good it is?¡±


    ¡°Observe,¡± Grey told me, pointing to two small, rectangular pieces of paper laying next to the tray. ¡°This is Aether reactive paper. Quite expensive to make, and I have limited quantities of it in my captivity. I was terribly surprised that the Prince was even willing to supply me the small amount I have. The point is, this type of paper is useful in alchemy to determine relative strength between potions.¡±


    Okay, so kind of like PH strips back home. Only, magic, and not like PH strips at all.


    Whatever.


    I focused back on Grey.


    ¡°The paper on the left.¡± He pointed towards it. ¡°Was treated with a random weak Healing Potion that I have on hand. While the one on the right was treated with the potion you created. Do you see the difference?¡±


    I focused on the two strips of paper at his behest. On both pieces of paper, there was a small droplet of absorbed liquid, likely from the two droppers I noticed off to the side. On both strips, the area where the liquid had been placed wasn¡¯t red like I would think it was, considering the color of the potion. No, both of them were green, oddly enough. At first glance, I couldn¡¯t tell the difference. But taking a closer look¡­


    I looked back up at Grey. ¡°The one on the right is a little blue?¡± I asked unsurely.


    Grey smiled at me and nodded. ¡°Indeed. The way these papers work is by assessing their relative rarity as measured by the System. Very often, a mere diagnostic skill like Observe does not have the requisite detail to give precise readings for objects. This paper helps provide a¡­somewhat more accurate reading on the rarity of liquid applied. Of course,¡± He waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Mere color analysis isn¡¯t precise enough oftentimes, which is why there are even more specialized tools to analyze these results. Alas, I do not possess them here.¡±


    ¡°Rarity, huh,¡± I said to Grey. ¡°How does that work?¡± I remembered seeing what I¡¯d thought were rarity indicators on my class selection screen.


    ¡°Oh, yes.¡± He blinked. ¡°Ah, well. It¡¯s the method that the System uses to determine the relative strength between items and Classes. Nearly universally, an object of a higher rarity is either more potent or more powerful. Fairly easy to remember. In order, they are Poor, Common, Superior, Rare, Legendary, Artifact, and Unique. Correspondingly, their colors are white, green, blue, purple, red, gold, and a rather fetching rainbow color.¡±


    I raised my eyebrows in interest. ¡°Rainbow, huh? Like the color of my skill?¡± I was referring to the aurora that my skill The Scintillant Blade surrounded weapons I held in.


    ¡°Indeed. Quite a coincidence, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± Grey smiled wryly. ¡°Back on topic though, as you noted both potions read as Common in quality. However, the one that you created is of such a purity that it is verging into Superior quality. Very curious, as I rarely notice such a phenomenon in regards to lower quality goods.¡±


    I nodded to show I understood. ¡°All right, I get it. What now, then? Where do we go from here?¡±


    ¡°Why, we experiment of course!¡± Grey said cheerfully. ¡°Your new Profession is curious indeed, and I for one am quite eager to test the limits of it. What else can it be applied to? What determines a successful creation? How freeform can your creations be, using this Profession? I already have theories about how it functions, but I¡¯m excited to either prove or disprove them!¡±


    I held up a hand. ¡°Not to rain on your parade, but slow down there. Is this it then? Is this Profession the silver bullet, the secret weapon you¡¯ve been hoping I had? Do you think this is what we need?¡±


    Grey visibly calmed himself at my words, folding his hands in his lap. ¡°Possibly.¡± He answered soberly. ¡°Very possibly, indeed. While it is not the fantastical solution that I had hoped for, it is promising. I had, rather foolishly in hindsight, imagined you manifesting some completely ridiculous skill to solve all of our problems with a wave of your hand. I really should know better by now, at my age. While knowledge of Precursors is rare, the System simply doesn¡¯t provide solutions without a degree of effort attached. It¡¯s a fantastical ability, of course, but if we are to devise a method of escape through its use, it will require research.¡±


    I took a deep breath, and then let it out in a long exhale. I nodded. ¡°All right. I¡¯m up for it. Where do we start?¡±


    Grey let out a small, short laugh. ¡°Well, first you have to recover enough Stamina in order to use it again, Nathan. We don¡¯t want you drawing on your life force any more than you need to, hmm?¡±


    I felt my face redden before I coughed into my fist in embarrassment. ¡°Right, right. Yeah.¡±


    ¡°No need to worry,¡± Grey said, smiling and shaking his head. ¡°I believe you¡¯ll have recovered enough to start attempting small experiments after lunch. The food will help in that matter. Speaking of, I believe we¡¯re approaching that time. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re hungry, but I¡¯m feeling a mite peckish myself.¡±


    Since I wasn¡¯t in an anime or something, my stomach didn¡¯t choose that convenient time to rumble. But I was definitely feeling a bit of emptiness in my belly and told Grey that.


    We decided to take a brief break for lunch.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Grey and I threw together a short, simple lunch from whatever we could find in the cupboard. Azarus didn¡¯t join us, but I wasn¡¯t too bothered by it. I could hear the audible, rhythmic hammering of his own work from out back in the smithy. Grey told me it wasn¡¯t uncommon for him to get lost in his work. I guess we could tell him later what we had discovered about my new Profession.


    Once we were situated back in Grey¡¯s room, we got to work. This time, Grey had me testing at a much reduced intensity than immediately trying to create a potion. For now, Grey had me trying to sense and break down single ingredients to see what would happen. He was pretty happy about what we found.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be,¡± Grey said wonderingly, holding a small vial of my latest attempt up to the light beaming through his window. He turned it back and forth, letting the light stream through the small amount of thin pearlescent liquid within. ¡°As I suspected, you¡¯re creating Essences wholesale from the raw ingredients.¡±


    This last time, Grey had given me a small, white tuber and asked me to try and break it down into a bottle. When asked what it was, he told me it was a powerful restorative named Mirthroot.


    I was resting after this last attempt, leaning back on my hands on Grey¡¯s bed. ¡°Yeah? What¡¯s that?¡± I said once I had caught my breath.


    Grey snapped out of his wonder to look over at me. ¡°Ah, essentially an Essence is a purified form of an ingredient in Alchemy. Think of them as the purest expression of a particular ingredient. Very useful, if not somewhat wasteful to create in the traditional method. Typically, you need a not insignificant amount of a particular ingredient in order to distill one. If someone had told me that one day, I would be holding an Essence created from a one-to-one conversion of particularly ornery ingredient like Mirthroot, I would have laughed in their face.¡± He set the bottle back down on the desk before corking. ¡°I¡¯ll just be holding onto that. It¡¯ll be quite useful in my work. Now, let¡¯s get back to testing, shall we?¡±


    I sighed at the nearly manic excitement on Grey¡¯s face, before sitting back up. I guess there was more work to be done.

 Chapter 48 - Ghrian Dorcha

    ¡°Interestin¡¯.¡± Azarus said idly, cutting into the steak on his plate.


    After we had gotten back from our lunchtime break, Grey and I worked on testing my new Profession for the rest of the day. In between breaks to let my mana recover, Grey had me identifying and breaking down alchemical ingredients and herbs all day. I hadn¡¯t seen the point in repeatedly breaking down herbs when I¡¯d already shown I could do it, and I¡¯d said that to Grey. He had patiently explained to me that this was merely practice in getting me to use the Profession, in getting me in the mindset where I could resonate materials and break them down. I¡¯d known I entered a form of trance every time I tried using Aetherial Melding, but I hadn¡¯t been aware that each time I did it was nearly ten minutes of effort on my part. I guess I could see the utility in speeding up the process, but honestly, I think part of it was Grey wanted more Alchemical Essences to work with as well.


    Once the sun had started to go down and we¡¯d heard Azarus stomp back into the house, we had mutually decided to stop for the night. Well, mutually after I had browbeaten Grey a little, considering how much that guy liked to research. I needed to stop, honestly. It¡¯s not that I wasn¡¯t enjoying what we were doing on some level, but goddamn was it exhausting after a while. I hadn¡¯t expected repeatedly exhausting my Stamina reserves to be so physically exhausting as well. I guess magic needed plenty of effort, just like everything else in life.


    After making our way to the kitchen, which had by default become the household¡¯s meeting place, Grey had started making dinner. On one hand, I felt a little bad about making an elderly disabled man cook for three people. On the other, not only was he good at it, but he seemed to derive a simple joy from it. Even if I don¡¯t think I was a bad cook myself, I¡¯d let him have it.


    Azarus had entered the kitchen at around the time Grey had finished, fresh from the bath. Once we¡¯d settled down to eat, conversation about my new Profession naturally flowed from there.


    ¡°Interesting?¡± Grey spluttered. ¡°That¡¯s all you have to say? It¡¯s an entirely new Profession that works by directly manipulating Aether! It¡¯s more than a little bloody interesting!¡±


    Azarus snorted, directing his fork to point at Grey. ¡°Yeah, and that¡¯s interesting like I said. We¡¯ll see how it works with forging later, I suppose. Don¡¯t forget, you were the one that were so excited about this¡­Aetherial Melding, yeah?¡± He said, looking over at me. At my amused nod, he continued. ¡°I just think it¡¯s neat, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Neat, he says,¡± Grey muttered, cutting into his own steak vigorously. ¡°Neat my well-educated behind. This is damned revolutionary for the Aetherial sciences¡­¡± He continued to mutter to himself under his breath.


    When Grey wasn¡¯t listening, Azarus shot me a smirk. I just shook my head at their antics with a smile and got back to eating. The rest of the table set to eating in mostly companionable silence. Once everyone was finished, the conversation picked up again.


    ¡°So,¡± I said to Azarus, content to have a full belly. ¡°Do you want me to try and forge some stuff with you tomorrow then?¡±


    ¡°Eh, I¡¯d like that, but we can¡¯t,¡± Azarus answered with a lazy shrug. ¡°With all the excitement lately, we forgot we had another commitment to see to. Remember?¡±


    I stared at him blankly for a moment, baffled.


    ¡°Bleddyn.¡± Azarus reminded me.


    Oh. Oh¡­shit. The ¡®butcher¡¯, who was actually an old-timey barber. The one that had taught me Fleshcraft. The one that had only taught me the Profession under the condition that I would return and learn from him.


    ¡°Well, you know, that¡¯s kind of a problem now,¡± I said wryly. ¡°Considering I don¡¯t even have a Fleshcraft Profession anymore.¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± Azarus grimaced. ¡°And he¡¯s not going to let go of this. Some kind of matter of honor thing with his people.¡±


    Grey looked up from his plate. ¡°Ah, the butcher, yes? I believe he¡¯s one of the hill folk? I¡¯ve had dealings with his people before, and it¡¯s not likely to be an issue.¡± He leaned forward. ¡°In fact, I believe there¡¯s an easy way to bring him into confidence in regards to Nathan''s new Profession. After all, he still needs to test the other Professions fields than what we can provide.¡±


    ¡°Are ya mad?¡± Azarus blurted out. ¡°I like Bleddyn, I do. But I don¡¯t know if I trust him with any of our secrets.¡±


    Grey waved off his concerns with a hand holding a fork. ¡°Normally, I would agree, but the hill folk and I have an understanding. When you go to him, simply ask him to keep a secret at the request of Ghrian Dorcha. No true son of the hills would deny you then. And besides, it¡¯s not as if we¡¯re reading him in on our intentions to escape. Merely¡­requesting his assistance with an unusual skill.¡±


    Azarus and I shared a glance.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    I leaned forward. ¡°Ghrian Dorcha, huh. What¡¯s that about?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, an epithet that I received during a Grand Aonach of the hill clans after I performed a service for them. This was¡­some time ago indeed, my my. Where do the years go¡­¡± Grey trailed off, staring into space for a moment. After a moment, he shook his head. ¡°In any case, you¡¯ll be fine. I suspect your friend Bleddyn will be an asset in our quest to understanding your new Profession, Nathan.¡±


    I took a deep breath before nodding. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll¡­take your word for it.¡± I looked over at Azarus. ¡°So, I guess we¡¯re going into town tomorrow then?¡±


    Azarus looked between Grey and me for a moment before throwing up his hands in frustration. ¡°Fine. Fine! We¡¯ll do it your bloody way then. Aye, we¡¯ll head into town in the morning. Be it on your heads if this blows up in our faces.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    I had trouble sleeping that night. I don¡¯t know what caused it, but I found myself tossing and turning in my bed for hours. I was exhausted after a long day of testing, but somehow, I couldn¡¯t get my mind quiet enough to rest. All I could do was think about Atherial Melding, for some reason. I was excited.


    Something in me was honestly a little giddy about what I had spent the day doing. Thinking back on it, the hours had flown by with Grey because I had truly been enjoying myself. Beyond all the System and Status stuff, beyond the elves and dwarves, making things with magic had really appealed to something deep inside of me. I¡¯d had moments of wonder before about the world I had found myself in, but nothing on this scale. It was mystical in a way that appealed to the memory of my younger self, who would spend hours upon hours reading fantasy books. Sometimes just to block out the world.


    Eventually, I must have passed out, if from nothing but pure fatigue. I must not have slept long, because it felt like only minutes later I was woken up by a pounding on my door. The pounding continued for a few moments, but I was too out of it to tell if the person on the other side had said anything. Whatever, it was probably Azarus, and I knew what he was up to. Judging by the light coming in through my window, it must have just been after sunrise. Blearily, after a few minutes of trying to wake up, I stumbled out of bed. After getting dressed and splashing my face with water in the washroom, I lurched my way downstairs to a kitchen.


    Azarus was in there and greeted me with a grunt. For once, I didn¡¯t say anything back and just grunted in return. I just made myself some tea and helped myself to some of the toast Azarus had left out on the counter. After a quick, silent breakfast, we mutually decided it was time to leave for town, with minimal conversation. I guess neither of us was in much of a talking mood today.


    Once we got on the path to town from Azarus¡¯s house, I started to feel more human, rather than a shambling corpse.


    I broke the silence. ¡°We doing this the way Grey said?¡±


    Azarus merely grunted in assent.


    The rest of the walk into town was silent between us. It didn¡¯t feel adversarial or awkward or something. It just felt like neither of us had anything to say.


    Once we got closer to town, I slipped in behind Azarus and adopted my usual deferential posture among other dwarves. I most likely needn¡¯t have bothered, because we didn¡¯t see anyone else on the main thoroughfare. I guess not everyone wanted to be out and about at the ass-crack of dawn like Azarus. After a short walk, we reached the butcher shop. This time, Azarus didn¡¯t bother kicking in the door like last time, merely opening it like a normal person. Inside, the human woman I¡¯d had a few run-ins with wasn¡¯t behind the counter this time. Instead, it was Vandimar, the dwarven owner of the shop. Strangely enough, he was eating his own breakfast at the front counter.


    Our entrance caused the bell above the door to jingle, catching his attention mid-sip from a steaming mug. Hurriedly setting it down, Vandimar smiled tiredly at us.


    ¡°Ah, welcome, welcome my friends.¡± He said in a low voice. ¡°Come in. We haven¡¯t opened quite yet, but most of us are up.¡±


    Azarus and I approached the counter. I broke the silence first, looking around. ¡°Where¡¯s Rachel?¡±


    Vandimar grimaced at my question, cupping his hands around his mug. ¡°Ah. Yes. She is¡­indisposed. I¡¯m afraid that one of the fellows that were involved in Lord Magnus¡¯s¡­hunt was a relation of hers. He did not survive the encounter, I¡¯m afraid. As it is, I¡¯ve given her leave to process the loss. I¡¯d ask you to leave her to her grief, for now.¡± He smiled wanly at me. ¡°I was quite distressed to hear of your involvement in that debacle, Mr. Hart. I¡¯m relieved to see you in good health.¡±


    I let out a long sigh. So, one of those other poor bastards was family to Rachel, then. I¡­hadn¡¯t even thought to ask what had happened to them after I had gotten out of the forest. Did that make me a bad person? I had just automatically assumed they were dead. Which, apparently at least one of them was. I decided to ask about the other one.


    My question caused Vandimar to raise one perfectly sculpted eyebrow at me. ¡°You did not know? You were the only survivor of the¡­expedition, Mr. Hart.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think to ask,¡± I said quietly, a little ashamed of myself. I may have gone through hell in there, but those other guys were people too, Goddammit. ¡°I was pretty out of it after everything, and then yesterday we were busy with something¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°I see,¡± Vandimar said softly. ¡°Do not be ashamed, Mr. Hart. I¡¯m certain it was a traumatizing experience, and we all experience trauma differently.¡±


    I exhaled. That didn¡¯t really excuse it though, as far as I was concerned. ¡°The next time you see her, can you give her my condolences?¡±


    ¡°I will do so, Mr. Hart.¡± Sitting up more on his stool and pushing his plate to the side, Vandimar smiled wider at us. ¡°Now! What can I do for you gentlemen?¡±


    Azarus finally spoke up from where he had been hanging back. ¡°Got to see Bleddyn about something. And¡­¡± He dug around in his pocket for something, pulling out a small leather bag. He underhand tossed it across the counter. Vandimar caught it neatly and pulled on the drawstring to look inside. He took a long, drawn-out smell of the contents and then cinched it closed with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you, Lord Azarus.¡± Vandimar inclined his head. ¡°Once again, you pull through. Bleddyn is in the back. I believe he¡¯s setting up for the day.¡±


    Azarus grunted and started to make his way behind the counter and through the door. I followed him, after exchanging one last set of acknowledging nods with Van. My last sight of him was an understanding smile before the door closed behind me.

 Chapter 49 - Thunderheart Oath

    Inside the back room was the same preparation room I¡¯d seen weeks ago. It didn¡¯t seem to have changed all that much. It was still tiled, with knives and tools scattered across the large wooden tables situated along the wall. It still had hooks hanging from the ceiling, and it still had a large metal door along the left side. I¡¯d learned last time that it led to a large-scale version of the stasis cabinet from back home, to store the meat.


    We didn¡¯t have to wait for Bleddyn this time though, as he was in the prep area. Before we came in, he seemed to have been preparing for the day in his own way by sharpening his tools. He was standing at the central wooden table, surrounded by knives of all kinds, one in his right and a long iron rod in the other. He¡¯d stopped at our entrance, looking up at Azarus and I as we entered his domain. He raised an eyebrow at us.


    ¡°Mornin¡¯.¡± Bleddyn greeted us, sounding not at all phased by the early hours. I guess he was a morning person. ¡°I¡¯d heard you lot were back in town, what with the feckin¡¯ hunt and all. Didn¡¯t expect you though, Azarus. Thought we agreed only the pup needed to come by for lessons?¡±


    Azarus grunted while I mouthed the word ¡®pup¡¯ to myself, mildly insulted. ¡°Wasn¡¯t planning to. Something came up we need to talk about, though.¡±


    The ¡®butcher¡¯ carefully set his tools down on the table. ¡°Aye? Do we, now?¡± He said, sounding not at all impressed.


    Azarus merely stepped to the side and looked over at me with a raised eyebrow. It was as if he was telling me this was my show. I rolled my eyes at him and stepped up. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said to Bleddyn. ¡°We do, and¡­it¡¯s kind of weird.¡±


    Bleddyn crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°Go on, then¡±


    I scratched the back of my head in a nervous gesture. ¡°Sure, but first we have a sort of unusual caveat. See, we need to tell you something kind of¡­secret. Something that affects our previous agreement. Something we would, personally, like to keep close to the chest, yeah? But we understand that both of us are bound by that agreement, so we have a request before we tell you. We, or rather a companion of ours, is requesting that you keep that secret safe. That companion being Ghrian Dorcha.¡± I finished, sounding out the name Grey had told me. I wasn¡¯t sure I had gotten it right.


    I must have though, because Bleddyn stilled at the sound of the name. For a moment, he looked shocked enough for a weak breeze to knock him over. ¡°Ghrian Dorcha, you say.¡± He finally said hoarsely, after a minute or so.


    ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± I said, a little taken aback by his extreme reaction.


    Bleddyn slowly started shaking his head in disbelief. ¡°By all the gods, that¡¯s who Magnus has you keeping an eye on?!¡± He said to Azarus, who merely shrugged in answer. ¡°I¡¯d heard there was some big muckety muck prisoner you were meant to be keeping an eye on, but I didn¡¯t expect him. What the hell are the Savoy doin¡¯, keepin¡¯ a hold of the bleedin¡¯ Headmaster of the Academy while there¡¯s a bleedin¡¯ war¡­goin¡¯¡­on¡­¡± He trailed off. ¡°Oh. Shit.¡±


    Yeah, from what Grey had told me, that sounded like an appropriate response to the situation.


    Bleddyn tensed, before picking up one of his knives and pointing it at Azarus. ¡°And you! You¡¯re just goin¡¯ along with it?! You should damn well know what holdin¡¯ onto the Headmaster is causin¡¯ in the Kingdom!¡±


    Azarus matched his aggressive gesture with one of his own, stepping up. ¡°Ya don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± He said lowly, dangerously.


    Bleddyn leaned forward and actually bared his teeth at Azarus. ¡°Try me.¡±


    I stepped forward, putting myself between the two of them with my arms raised. ¡°Woah! Woah! Calm down! Azarus, will you please let me handle this?!¡± I said to him, motioning him backward. Azarus did as I said, slowly backing away to lean against the far wall, eyes still narrowed at Bleddyn. I turned back to Bleddyn and met his eyes. ¡°Look. It¡¯s not like that. Azarus is just as trapped here as, uh, the ¡®Headmaster¡¯ is. And,¡± I took a sudden, wild, unplanned leap of faith. ¡°It might not have to stay that way for long, if you help us. Understand?¡±


    ¡°Nate, the fuck?!¡± I heard Azarus exclaim behind me. I didn¡¯t take my eyes off of Bleddyn, though.


    I saw the light of understanding dawn in his eyes at my words. Slowly, not taking them away from mine, he sat the knife he had been holding back down on the table. ¡°Alright,¡± Bleddyn said slowly. ¡°By the blood of my ancestors, by the sacred silver light of the moon, and by the entreaty of Ghrian Dorcha, I shall not speak a word of what I learn this day. May Mother Raven take my eyes, and Father Wolf eat my heart if I forsake this vow.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said slowly. ¡°That¡­sounds like it works.¡±


    Bleddyn nodded at me and walked from around the table to grab some chairs that were sitting in the corner of the room. Walking over to stand in front of me, he sat three chairs down in a circle and sat down in one of them. Worldlessly, he motioned to the others. I took his invitation and sat down in one of the chairs across from him. When I didn¡¯t hear movement from behind me, I closed my eyes in frustration. ¡°Azarus, please.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    After a second, I heard a grunt of assent. Moments later, Azarus sat down in the chair to my right, arms still crossed and almost glaring at Bleddyn. He didn¡¯t seem to care though. Bleddyn just kept his eyes steady and on me.


    I took a deep breath.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Over the next perhaps half hour, I explained my Professions situation to Bleddyn. I wasn¡¯t totally honest with him, of course. I felt bad about it, but I didn¡¯t tell him I was a Precursor. What I told him was that it was true that I had been Unawakened up until recently. But when we checked my Status afterward, I¡¯d found that I had mutated racial talents. Supposedly, this wasn¡¯t out of the ordinary, from what I¡¯d been told. The longer you waited after the minimum age to get Awakened, the more likely you were to encounter mutated talents. I told him that I had gotten lucky, and they hadn¡¯t been detrimental. The opposite, in fact.


    I told him that one of my racial talents allowed me to learn each of the seven core Professions. That by the time I came to him, I¡¯d already learned the four I could from Azarus and the ¡®Headmaster¡¯. I told him that while I¡¯d been in Rhoscara, I¡¯d managed to get the last of the seven Professions I¡¯d needed, Artistry. Then I told him about the System Judgement that had occurred afterward.


    ¡°When I went to check my Professions after that, they were gone,¡± I said to Bleddyn. ¡°In their place was something that was locked by the fact I didn¡¯t have a class yet. I was a little panicked by that,¡± An understatement. ¡°But there was nothing I could do about it yet. I suppose I got my chance to find out during Magnus¡¯s ¡®hunt¡¯. I managed to level up enough in that forest to unlock a class and the new Profession at the same time.¡±


    I finished by telling him about what Grey and I had discovered about my new Profession, ¡®Atherial Melding¡¯. How it seemed to break down items into raw Aether, ¡®meld¡¯ that Aether together, and then solidify back into the desired item.


    ¡°But as interesting as it is, I don¡¯t have Fleshcrafting anymore,¡± I said awkwardly. ¡°I just have one Profession now. And, uh, I know you were meant to help teach me Fleshshaping, so¡­¡±


    Bleddyn was silent for a moment, absorbing my story. He leaned forward, putting his chin on his closed fist and closing his eyes. ¡°Tricky.¡± He muttered. ¡°By the laws of my people, I¡¯m supposed to teach you. But I can¡¯t now, and I don¡¯t know if something like this has ever happened before. Didn¡¯t even know you could lose a Profession, even if you got somethin¡¯ else out of it. By the gods, I wish I had an elder to consult about this.¡± He finished with a sigh.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± I spoke up, causing Bleddyn to open his eyes. ¡°Gr-the Headmaster had an idea about that. We¡¯re still testing this new Profession out, and we did want your help with that. We don¡¯t know the limits of it, and want to find out if I can do the same thing with other Professions that I could with Alchemic ingredients.¡±


    That caused Bleddyn to perk up. ¡°Oh, aye?¡± He said, excited just at the mention of Grey.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I nodded. ¡°So, if you agree, you would sort of still be teaching me Fleshshaping in a way. Just¡­a strange, never before seen kind of it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Let me ask you somethin¡¯.¡± Bleddyn said, meeting my eyes. ¡°The reason the Headmaster¡¯s so interested in this new Profession. Is he hopin¡¯ it might be able to help with our¡­mutual situation?¡± He made a gesture to his collar-bound throat, so similar to my own.


    I didn¡¯t answer with words. I just gave him a slight nod. Azarus let out a small snort at my actions off to my right, where he had been silent during my entire explanation.


    Bleddyn stood up abruptly from his chair and thrust his right arm in my direction, startling me. I stared at it blankly for a moment before stretching my own out to meet him. Rather than taking my hand, he grasped my forearm firmly and pulled me upright. Once I¡¯d stumbled to my feet, I found Bleddyn staring at me with a steely gaze. I met his eyes, trying to match his intensity to the best of my ability.


    ¡°I, Bleddyn of Clan Thunderheart, son of Gruffydd, son of Caradog do so swear. Upon my blood and the blood of my father¡¯s father, I will help you in your task. I do not know what the Headmaster hopes to learn from Fleshcrafting, but I will not shy from duty when it comes to my door. I will help you test this Profession.¡± Bleddyn said solemnly.


    I took a deep breath. ¡°On behalf of Headmaster Greycton of the Academy of Mystic Arts, as well as myself, I thank you for your help.¡±


    We exchanged nods.


    After dropping our clasped forearms, the two of us stood in silence for a few moments. Awkward silence, actually.


    Azarus broke it. ¡°If you two are done with all the posturing and swearing and the like.¡± He said sarcastically, still leaning back in his chair with his arms folded. ¡°Don¡¯t ya be having testing to get to?¡±


    I felt my face heat up in embarrassment while Bleddyn rolled his eyes, unfazed. I guess it was a little over the top to be making all these grand statements in the back of a butcher¡¯s shop.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Bleddyn said dismissively, making his way over to the stasis closet on the left wall. Opening the door, he began to rummage around for something. Movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention though, so I turned to face it. Azarus had stood up and started to make his way to the door.


    ¡°Are you going somewhere?¡± I asked him, surprised.


    Azarus turned slightly to look over his shoulder at me. ¡°Aye, I¡¯m thinking my part here is done. I¡¯m gonna head back home and let Grey know everything seems fine. When you''re done here, just head home. Shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Before I could get a word in otherwise, Azarus opened the door, stepped through, and closed it behind him. I stared at the door he had just left through, nonplussed. Well, all right then.


    My attention was stolen by Bleddyn exiting the storage closet holding what looked like a large deer. A normal one, for once. No blades on its horns at all. Carrying it over to the large central table in the center of the room, he lay the carcass down on it. ¡°C¡¯mere.¡± He motioned to me.


    I obliged him, curious.


    ¡°So, this one here has already been bled, but I haven¡¯t had the chance to skin, gut, or section it,¡± Bleddyn told me. ¡°Now, I don¡¯t know how your fancy new Profession works, but I figure that¡¯s a good place to start if you want to see if you can ¡®Craft it. So, first I want to see if you can skin the hindquarters.¡± He finished, tapping on a large section of one of the deer¡¯s rear legs.


    I raised an eyebrow at him but shrugged. I was up to it, I suppose. It¡¯s a good thing I wasn¡¯t squeamish. I lay a hand on the section Bleddyn had pointed out and began to concentrate on the pulse of Aether like I had yesterday.

 Chapter 50 - Switch-Up

    Time passed, and before I knew it, two weeks had gone by.


    I was busy during that time. Every day was devoted to trying to train my usage of Aetherial Melding. If I wasn¡¯t trying to refine my control, I was trying to understand the Profession deeper. Typically, if I wasn¡¯t working with Grey on this, I was working with Azarus out back in the forge. If I wasn¡¯t working with either of them, I was in town working with Bleddyn. After our first session, Bleddyn had insisted that I visit him at least twice a week. It was pretty exhausting, but in a rewarding way. I didn¡¯t mind it so much. Hell, when I wasn¡¯t working with anyone else, I was experimenting with it myself.


    It was interesting work, as well. I felt like I understood Aetherial Melding much better and how it functioned. Especially so after I had worked with both Azarus and Bleddyn, considering I¡¯d had some interesting breakthroughs with both of them. With Bleddyn, I¡¯d discovered how the Profession functioned with flesh. When working with dead flesh, we¡¯d found that I could essentially do whatever I wanted to it. I could part it out, I could skin it, I could even remove entire portions of it like bone. I wasn¡¯t breaking the meat down to pure Aether like I had with alchemical ingredients either. Out of curiosity, I''d attempted to refine a hunk of deer flesh into an individual Essence like I had with Alchemical ingredients, only to be immediately knocked out. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t seem to do it. It was like I was getting an immediate drain of everything I had in me, followed by the mental equivalent of an error message. I don''t think it was possible for me, at least at my skill level. For Fleshcrafting, It was more like I had a guiding mental hand that was doing the work instead of my physical one. There was a large skill component to it though, as Bleddyn had told me that my ¡®cuts¡¯ looked like someone had given the world''s sharpest knife to a complete amateur.


    When it came to live flesh though, we had discovered that I had limited ability to influence it. It was much, much more difficult for one thing. With flesh that was already dead, it didn¡¯t have Aether actively flowing through it anymore, so it was a simple matter to synchronize with its stable nature. Not so with living flesh. We¡¯d found that it was a constant struggle to synchronize my Aether with the Aether of something still alive, as living Aether was constantly in flux. Bleddyn had a small rabbit farm out back of the butcher¡¯s shop, so we¡¯d experimented on them. I couldn¡¯t use the Profession to slaughter the animal outright, strangely enough. It didn¡¯t feel like I could deliberately cause harm with the Profession. The Aether pulse would just completely destabilize every time that I tried. On the other hand, we had actually tried to do some minor first aid on another visit, which lay in the realm of my long-gone Profession Surgery. It was exceedingly difficult, but I had actually managed to ¡®meld¡¯ some fine linen thread into a small cut on Bleddyn¡¯s arm to form an impromptu stitch. I¡¯d been pretty happy about that because it meant that my old desire for the Surgery Profession wasn¡¯t completely dead. It was just going to be monstrously difficult and involve a ton of practice.


    On the other hand, smithing with Azarus had revealed some interesting things as well. On our first session, we discovered that I could break down metals, ores, and woods into raw Aether like I had the alchemical ingredients. I''d even pissed off Grey fiercely for some reason, when I had presented him with an Essence of Iron Ore. He''d glowered at me and snatched the vial he called an ''impossibility'' out of my hand and retreated to his room to study it for the rest of the day. For now though, they didn''t seem very useful for smithing though, at least at my skill level. However, when I tried to recombine them into a usable form like a small cooking knife, it hadn¡¯t worked. The process failed intrinsically. We¡¯d been puzzled by this, and after some trial and error hadn¡¯t produced any results, we had gone to Grey to ask his opinion. His mood had improved at the question actually, and pointed out something that in retrospect had seemed obvious.


    ¡°Does it not stand to reason,¡± Grey had said. ¡°That you need to involve fire in the ¡®meld¡¯ in order to produce a blade?¡±


    Somewhat sheepishly, I had pointed out that I hadn¡¯t needed anything extra in order to make a potion.


    Grey had smiled at that. ¡°Ah, but you did have something extra. Remember that the bottle you added the combined Essences into possessed a quantity of water inside? By now, I believe that the ritualistic act of combining those Essences into water is the act that actually produced your potion during the meld. You simply had to correctly combine the Astralized ingredients first.¡±


    So, we tried adding fire to the ¡®meld¡¯, as Grey had called it. Since I couldn¡¯t exactly stick my hand into the forge¡¯s furnace unless I wanted to lose it, we tried with a torch. First, I ¡®Astralized¡¯ an iron bar and a lump of charcoal that Azarus gave me with one hand. Then, once I had the Astralized raw materials, I Astralized the fire dancing on the head of the torch with my other hand. Slowly, I had combined both of these two ¡®Astral Essences¡¯, as I started calling them afterward, I tried to shape them into a small blade. I succeeded in creating a small, warped steel blade before shortly passing out again. Just like with the potion, it had been too much effort at one time and I had drained my Stamina.


    The individual Astralization process of both the materials and the fire had been pretty clunky though. So, the next time that Azarus and I had met up to work on smithing, he¡¯d surprised me with something. He¡¯d designed and made a custom type of crucible for my use. I¡¯d been touched and grateful, but also pretty amused because it reminded me of a bullet grill from back home. Just instead of meat or vegetables, I was grilling smithing materials. I¡¯d used it a few times, and it had been much easier to use.


    I was deeply tempted to try and make a smithing apron with the words ''We Be Grillin'' stitched on it.


    For once though, today wasn¡¯t about testing Aetherial Melding. Since we¡¯d discovered that performing any kind of meld was impacted by my Stamina pool, we¡¯d been planning to do another monster ¡®hunting¡¯ trip. Getting me some more levels was still likely to be an important part of whatever plan we used to escape, after all. We¡¯d had to wait around until we could go into the forest though, since Magnus limited the amount of times that Azarus could level himself. I was looking forward to it, actually. With a class under my belt, I felt more confident in my ability to fight monsters. We¡¯d already been in the forest for about an hour, clearing out whatever monsters we could find.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    After killing another warg and collecting its core, I held it up to the light to let it shine through. I eyed the rainbow light it gave off thoughtfully. ¡°So, what are these used for again? We haven¡¯t used them once in our experiments.¡± I said, turning to face Azarus and leaning on my new spear. Azarus had given me a new one before we had left since my first was both broken and lost somewhere in this very forest.


    Azarus pushed off of the tree he had been leaning on while I had fought. ¡°Mainly used in enchantment.¡± He said idly, walking up to me. Taking the core from me, he examined it for a moment before grunting dismissively and handing it back. I put it into the pouch I¡¯d taken along for just this purpose. I fingered the necklace I was wearing in thought, a frame that held my first tiny monster core from my first kill. Azarus had made it for me a while back, and I¡¯d just never felt comfortable wearing it out of the house until now.


    ¡°Enchantment, huh,¡± I said. ¡°I have to admit, I¡¯m surprised Grey and I haven¡¯t touched that yet.¡±


    Azarus shrugged. ¡°Same reason you and me haven¡¯t done anything with Engineering yet, yeah? We¡¯re trying to make sure you understand how your mumbo-jumbo works with each Profession before jumping into another. But,¡± He said, leaning in. ¡°I know Grey has plans there, so expect to be diving into Enchantment soon.¡±


    I snorted. ¡°I wish he¡¯d tell me his plans. Why does he do that, anyway? We¡¯re all in this together, why does he keep trying to play everything so close to the chest?¡±


    We started to make our way deeper into the forest during our conversation.


    ¡°Eh, the man is older than dirt,¡± Azarus said. ¡°Those Magi, the older they get, the cagier they are. I think it¡¯s just habit, so try not to take it personally.¡±


    ¡°How old is he, anyway? He looks about sixty-ish to me.¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Sixty.¡± Azarus snorted, amused. ¡°Way off the mark there. I think he¡¯s somewhere around seven hundred? I ain¡¯t too sure on the exact year, so don¡¯t quote me on that.¡±


    I stopped walking in pure astonishment. When Azarus heard me stop, he turned around to face me, puzzled. When he saw my face though, he snorted in laughter. I paid it no mind.


    ¡°Are you shitting me?¡± I said in disbelief. ¡°Seven hundred? How does that happen? Is he¡­immortal?¡±


    Azarus outright laughed. ¡°Gods, no! Ain¡¯t no-one immortal, at least on Vereden. Well, maybe the Mad God.¡± He corrected himself. ¡°Who knows? The man is just pretty highly leveled. I thought we¡¯d told you that a high-level Status gave you more years?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡± I trailed off. I didn¡¯t think that meant centuries. I shook my head and started walking with Azarus again.


    We walked in companionable silence for a bit, not finding any monsters yet. Azarus broke it first, surprisingly.


    ¡°So, you gotten any levels yet?¡±


    Casually, much more confident in its usage these days, I mentally pulled up my Status.


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said, surprised. ¡°That¡¯s odd.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Azarus said.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t checked since I got out of the forest, and when I did was level fourteen. It¡¯s saying I¡¯m level eighteen now.¡± I answered.


    This time it was Azarus who stopped walking in astonishment. ¡°How the bleeding hell did that happen?¡± He sputtered. ¡°I know ya haven¡¯t been sneaking out to hunt, so how did you get four bleeding levels?! The only Aether ya should have been getting¡¯ was¡­from¡­crafting¡­¡± He trailed off before a look of realization stole across his bearded face.


    ¡°Wait yeah, you guys mentioned you get level Aether from Professions. Why the hell are we out here?¡± I asked confusedly.


    ¡°Because normally, crafting Aether is shite,¡± Azarus answered brow furrowed in thought. ¡°S¡¯well known that you only get a seventh of the Status Aether ya would from crafting something compared to hunting. That¡¯s per Profession, mind. Even then, the amount of Aether ya get from making, say, a dagger is tiny compared to even the lowest-level monster. So, someone with two Professions would get two-sevenths of the level Aether ya should get from crafting, and crafting anything has low amounts of Aether released from it already. But¡­¡±


    I caught on. ¡°But I have a Profession that deals directly with Aether already. Something completely new. So¡­¡±


    ¡°So, who knows how much Status Aether you¡¯re getting just from crafting.¡± Azarus finished for me. ¡°Damn! Why didn¡¯t we think about this? If you¡¯ve already gotten four levels since ya were in the forest a few weeks back, it has to be pretty damn good Aether gain.¡± Azarus abruptly turned around and started marching back the way we came. I hurried to keep up with him.


    ¡°What, are we done?¡± I said once I caught up.


    ¡°No point being out here now,¡± Azarus said with a frown. ¡°Want to get Grey¡¯s thoughts on this before we go any further.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Grey said, confused. He set down the mug of tea he was holding. ¡°Would you mind repeating that?¡±


    When Azarus and I had gotten back to the house, we¡¯d found Grey in the middle of his lunch. We¡¯d interrupted him, and told him about my mysterious levels gained since Magnus¡¯s ¡®hunt¡¯.


    Patiently, we explained our thoughts about my Aether gain to him again.


    Grey¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Well. Hmm. I should have thought of that. It does change things, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Well, for one it should speed up our rate of testing, now, shouldn¡¯t it?¡± He said with a smile. ¡°If you don¡¯t need to risk leveling expeditions in order to raise your level, that just means our work itself will contribute to your Statusial growth. It¡¯s curious though. I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever gotten more than a handful of levels through pure Professional creation in all my years.¡±


    I sat down in a chair across from him, while Azarus helped himself to some of the extra lunch Grey had made in the background. ¡°You know, we were talking about that. Your age, I mean. How old are you? Azarus thought you seven hundred.¡±


    ¡°Does he now.¡± Grey snorted into the tea he had picked back up. ¡°Unfortunately, Azarus is incorrect.¡±


    I relaxed. I knew it. Humans just didn¡¯t get that old.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually in my nine hundreds. He confused my level with my age.¡± Grey continued with a slight smirk, visibly enjoying the shock on my face.

 Chapter 51 - Damned

    Later that night, Grey and I were relaxing in his room. The sun was setting, and his room was lit by flickering candlelight by now, casting everything in dancing shadow. Azarus had called an early night, citing some business he had early in the morning. I don¡¯t even know how it had happened, but Grey and I had migrated to his room where he had broken out a bottle of liquor. I didn¡¯t typically drink much, but I wasn¡¯t opposed to a bit of social drinking if the situation called for it.


    I was slouching in an extra chair that Grey had, sitting at a small corner table. Grey was across from me, idly staring off into space. He¡¯d been like that for a while, honestly. I guess he was a contemplative drunk. Speaking of, I reached down and picked up my glass with a splash of dark liquor in it. Taking a sip, I grimaced at the extremely powerful taste but continued drinking anyway.


    ¡°God, that stuff is rank,¡± I said, setting my glass back down.


    Grey broke out of his trance long enough to let out a short laugh. ¡°Gnollish liquor. An acquired taste of Azarus¡¯s that he¡¯s been forcing on me. I must admit, I have been growing a taste for it.¡± He said, picking up his own glass and taking a sip. He grimaced himself. ¡°Somewhat.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like a mold,¡± I muttered.


    My mentor, I suppose you could call him, merely hummed.


    We sat in silence for a short spell before Grey broke it.


    Stirring, he caught my attention. Once he had it, he spoke up. ¡°I believe I know where to go from here, Nathan. At the very least, I have an inkling of an idea.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡± I asked, swirling the liquid in my glass idly.


    ¡°In regards to your Professions¡­and our potential escape,¡± Grey said seriously.


    His words sent a shiver down my spine, making me sit up and pay full attention. ¡°Go on,¡± I said cautiously.


    ¡°The way I see it,¡± Grey said, drumming his fingers on the table. ¡°There are two objectives we need to fulfill if we are to escape. The first, is we need to destroy the control slate that is bound to our collars.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah I suppose,¡± I said confusedly. ¡°That makes sense, but I didn¡¯t know it was an option. If it was that easy in order to stop being a slave, why haven¡¯t you brought it up before?¡±


    Grey shook his head. ¡°Merely destroying the control slate would not stop me from being a slave. If you¡¯ll recall, a slave binding has two components to it. One is the collar itself, which possesses the death and tracking enchantment. The other is the actual brand, which possesses the Status binding effect and the identification enchantment that you luckily do not have. The brand itself is symbolically linked to the collar, but it does not require it to function. These two separate enchantment cores work together in order to bind a slave. Destroying the slate would, however, prevent Magnus from remotely executing both of us after our escape. As well as complicating our re-capture through ease of tracking.¡±


    ¡°So, you just want to escape then? At least for now?¡±


    ¡°I believe it¡¯s our best option, yes. My understanding is that the situation in the Kingdom is not yet dire enough that my presence wouldn¡¯t calm matters, at least for a time. My Status, and thus my strength would still be bound. However, if I could have access to the higher-order tools I possess at the Academy, it would be much easier for me to devise a method of breaking my slave binding.¡± Grey answered soberly, despite the alcohol that he was even now studying in his glass.


    ¡°I see,¡± I said quietly. I guess it must have been painful for him to reach this decision. Despite myself, I felt a pang of shame. I knew Grey had been hoping I would manifest some kind of crazy ability to instantly free him from his binding, and I hadn¡¯t. Sure, I had manifested some kind of extremely interesting new Profession, but it seemed like a stretch that it was going to save us. I guess the wonder of Aetherial Melding was wearing off for Grey, and reality was setting in. I studied my glass in silence for a moment, before raising my head back to Grey. ¡°And the second thing we need?¡±


    ¡°What we need, is to create the conditions that would facilitate our escape,¡± Grey said, rising from his own contemplation of his glass and meeting my eyes. His gaze was surprisingly cold, sending a shiver down my back. ¡°I believe I know how. We¡¯ll break the wards.¡±


    ¡°Break the wards? Which ones?¡± I asked tentatively. ¡°What would that do?¡±


    ¡°Addersfield possesses a standard set of settlement wards. In my time in this wretched town, and despite my bound Status, I¡¯ve felt them out gradually. It is a stroke of luck that my slave binding did not also bind my higher-order senses, honed over many years. The wards here are nothing special, merely a set of monster-repellent wards and intrusion wards. They encircle the town, precisely along the borders of the wall. Walls in small settlements such as this are almost always built along the ward boundaries.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t say what breaking them would do,¡± I said quietly, with a growing sense of trepidation.


    ¡°When monster-repellant wards are broken,¡± Grey continued, ignoring me. ¡°It acts as a beacon. Monsters have far keener Aetherial senses than most give them credit for. They are well aware of zones that have large concentrations of Aether that they could devour, if only they weren¡¯t being repelled by powerful wards. This does two things. With the first, the shift in ambient Aether acts as an artificial spawning period, resulting in an increased production of monsters in the area. With the second, it draws those monsters to the former area like moths to a flame.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    My mouth opened involuntarily, listening to Grey. I didn¡¯t speak though.


    ¡°They come in waves, at that point,¡± Grey said somberly. ¡°Waves upon waves of monsters, both large and small. They come until they have devoured every source of Aether they can find in that previous void. Every person that lives and breathes. This process is well documented and known as the Breakage Effect. It is also¡­an internationally recognized war crime to deliberately inflict on others.¡±


    I looked back down at my drink, so I wouldn¡¯t have to meet Grey¡¯s intense gaze. ¡°And the punishment?¡±


    ¡°Unilaterally agreed upon execution. In all territories, in all nations.¡± Grey finished grimly.


    We sat in silence for a time. I broke it.


    ¡°And you want to do this?¡± I whispered. ¡°What about all the other people in town?¡±


    Grey grew suddenly furious in a way I had never seen before. He pounded the table in anger with the hand holding his glass, cracking it. ¡°They can be damned! There are no innocents in this den of fools, Nathan! No families raising children, no simple traders trying to make a living! Everyone here was handpicked by House Savoy from their slavishly loyal retainers in order to support their heir! All of them to the last are profiting from the broken backs of human refugees they¡¯ve collared and bound! Stolen innocents, and for what?! So he can feed them to the monsters every month in order to satiate his sick desire?! Piss on the people of this town! Let them be fed to the monsters!¡±


    I stared at Grey¡¯s heaving form for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple, man,¡± I said, pained. ¡°You know it isn¡¯t. What about Van? Vandimar? He¡¯s one of the dwarves of this town, and he doesn¡¯t like slavery much himself. He¡¯s even trying to save up money in order to free Bleddyn as well. And what about Gren, the merchant that drove us to Rhoscara?¡±


    ¡°What about him?¡± Grey said bitterly. He picked up his glass and threw back what was left in it, uncaring of how some had seeped through the new cracks.


    ¡°He¡¯s based out of Addersfield for now, and he¡¯s an all-right guy. He took a risk on Azarus and me, taking us to a city that¡¯s so anti-slavery. He could have lost a huge chunk of his livelihood if we¡¯d been discovered. Look, my point is this. I get that this town is probably packed full of assholes that don¡¯t give a shit about us, or any other slave. But we don¡¯t know everyone here. There are probably plenty of people in town that don¡¯t deserve to become monster chow, and I personally know a couple. And,¡± I said, leaning forward. ¡°That isn¡¯t even counting all of the other slaves. They sure as hell don¡¯t deserve being caught up in all of this.¡±


    ¡°Of course they don¡¯t,¡± Grey said, frowning. ¡°I¡¯m not a monster, Nathan. I¡¯d planned to escape with them as well. With the control slate destroyed, they can follow us back to the Kingdom. In the chaos of a Ward Break, the guards will be too busy trying to survive to care about the slaves. Once in the Kingdom, I¡¯ll personally take responsibility for them until I discover a means to break their bindings as well.¡±


    ¡°And Gren and Van?¡± I said, matching his frown.


    ¡°They are free to accompany us as well. I don¡¯t hate dwarves blindly, Nathan. Merely those that are content to suffer the existing franchise of enslavement. Ah, dammit.¡± Grey said, finally noticing the spill he had made. He grabbed a rag that was sitting on a nearby dresser and began to mop it up.


    ¡°Look, why do we even need to break the wards if we¡¯re already planning to destroy the control slate? Can¡¯t we just¡­escape with the rest of the slaves after we¡¯ve done that?¡± I said, waving a hand aimlessly.


    Grey shook his head. ¡°If we leave the guards functional, they¡¯ll catch us easily. Azarus, and anyone else we may end up taking with us, may be able to defend our group during our travels. But he would not be able to defend us from the entirety of the Addersfield guard complement. No, we need to occupy the guards, and a Ward Break is the best option available to us.¡±


    I leaned back in my chair and let out a long sigh. ¡°All right. Okay. I¡¯m not saying I agree with this yet, but how do we do that? Break the wards? Hell, how do we even break the control slate?¡±


    ¡°Both can be achieved through the same device. A Ward Breaker. A highly illegal device, the design is a remnant of the last major conflict between the Kingdom and the Principality. It could be used to both break the wards and the control slate. I know how to construct one, and I can teach you how. The ease of use your Aetherial Melding provides means you should be able to create one. Well, after I give you a grounding in Abjuration.¡± Grey said, amending himself.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you make one? I mean, they already have you making a bunch of stuff already.¡± I said, waving at his desk that was strewn with a variety of tools.


    ¡°I cannot, unfortunately. The specifics of my binding prevent me from directly acting in a manner to free myself. Fortunately, that binding does not keep me from either speaking of how to escape or from indirectly acting to free myself. In this case, teaching another how to escape. My binding is suspiciously lenient in that one regard. Either Prince Anguis was abnormally careless with the design of my custom binding, or¡­¡±


    ¡°Or?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Or the blind spots in my binding are another indication that I was always meant to escape at some point. Perhaps at a much later date, when I could not prevent the Kingdom from burning down around me. Damn that dwarf.¡± Grey finished, glowering.


    ¡°I see,¡± I said quietly. I can¡¯t imagine how much that stung, being strung along like that. ¡°What¡¯s Abjuration, then?¡±


    Grey shook his head as if to clear the thoughts from it. He grabbed another glass from the tray that held the liquor we had been drinking and filled it with more dark brown booze. Cradling the glass, he answered me. ¡°One of the thirteen schools of Magecraft. It primarily deals with defensive spells, such as ward crafting and other barriers. As you have yet to pass the first threshold and gained the ability to produce Mana, you would not be able to practice the art. But you would still be able to learn the fundamentals of the subject. You should be able to craft the Ward Breaker through Enchanting after you have a sufficient background in the subject. We¡¯ll need to focus heavily on teaching you both Enchantment and Abjuration if we have any hope of success, however.¡±


    I took a deep breath and held it for a moment, before breathing out. ¡°Just¡­let me think on it, all right? I¡¯m down for learning Enchanting and, uh, ¡®Abjuration¡¯, but I¡¯m not sure about intentionally killing everyone in the entire town just yet. Let me sleep on it, all right?¡± I said, standing up from the table with a slight wobble. I wasn¡¯t drunk, but I was at least tipsy.


    Grey looked up at me somberly. ¡°I understand, Nathan. I truly do. It¡¯s not an easy decision to make, but remember this. There are no true non-combatants in this town, merely collaborators at the absolute best. Even if it¡¯s a difficult decision, we have limited options, and the longer it takes for us to escape, the longer the bloodshed in the Kingdom will continue. The very foundations that hundreds of thousands, nay, millions rely on could come crumbling down if we linger here too long.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­keep that in mind.¡± Leaving Grey to stare into his glass forlornly, I left the table and the room altogether. Ascending the stairs, I opened the door to my room and flopped into my bed without changing out of my clothes.


    Staring up at the ceiling, I only had one thought running through my mind.


    Fuck.


    I didn¡¯t get much sleep that night.

 Chapter 52 - Coming to a Decision

    ¡°He wants to WHAT?!¡± Azarus shouted, accidentally slamming his hammer down onto his thumb in surprise. With a shouted curse, he hurled the hammer away from him into the corner of his forge before turning to face me.


    I was leaning up against the doorway looking in, my arms crossed. I had woken up later than I usually did these days, and by the time I had everyone was already at work. Last night¡¯s conversation with Grey had laid heavy on my mind, so I hadn¡¯t felt very hungry and skipped breakfast. I was more interested in getting Azarus¡¯s take on Grey¡¯s plan and had gone out back to explain it to him in his forge. When I found him, he had been working on what looked like what might be a dagger of some kind.


    I winced at the clanging sound of the hammer rattling to a stop in a far corner of the forge. I explained myself again, telling Azarus about how Grey wanted to break both the slave control slate that Magnus held, and the wards around Addersfield. How he wanted to intentionally trigger what he called a ¡®Breakage Effect¡¯, calling down a horde of monsters onto the town, potentially killing everyone in it. How he wanted to do this primarily to keep the guards occupied from chasing us down after our escape and recapturing us.


    Azarus listened to my explanation with a mouth gaping open in surprise. When I finished, a complex series of emotions flashed across his face, too fast for me to decipher. Bonelessly, he walked over to his workbench and slumped backward onto the short, squat stool there. Azarus clasped his huge hands together tightly and hunched over to stare at them blankly. ¡°It¡­well¡­it would work, I think¡­¡± He said tonelessly, after a moment.


    I was shocked, and honestly a little angry. ¡°That¡¯s it? That¡¯s all you have to say? Grey wants to kill everyone in town, and all you can say is ¡®That¡¯ll work¡¯?¡±


    Azarus looked up at me and shook his head a little helplessly. ¡°Don¡¯t know what else to say. It would work, all right. It would be dangerous for us too, what with all the monsters about, but I think we could do it. If we managed to break both the slate and the ward-stone.¡±


    I threw my hands up in disgust. ¡°Forget if it would work! What about the fact we might be killing an entire town of people in order to escape?! What about that?!¡±


    Azarus shook his head again, slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. Do you remember the knight that kicked my arse a few weeks ago? Stonebreaker?¡±


    I did remember who he was talking about. That knight had taken Azarus out in one swift punch to the gut like we were in a cartoon or something. Azarus had stayed down as well, due to something he had called ¡®afflictions¡¯. I nodded at Azarus.


    ¡°He¡¯s no joke, if that weren¡¯t bleeding obvious. He¡¯s one of my uncle¡¯s strongest knights, known as the ¡®Blightguard¡¯. Don¡¯t know his level, but it¡¯s got to be at least two hundred above my own. There ain¡¯t nothing this area could throw at him that would pose a threat, even with a Break.¡± Azarus said, sitting up and crossing his arms uncomfortably.


    My eyebrows rose, as well as my spirits. ¡°Would he help in the defense of the town?¡± I asked hopefully.


    Azarus grunted and uncrossed his arms to wiggle a hand back and forth in a ¡®so-so¡¯ gesture. ¡°Maybe? He might be here to guard Magnus, but the dwarf is still a knight. That comes with oaths about protecting people sworn to his lord. Unless Magnus specifically gave orders to not help in the defense, I can¡¯t see him not helping.¡±


    ¡°He certainly seemed to have no problems about kicking your ass and trussing me up so Magnus could throw me to the forest.¡± I said to Azarus, doubtful of these ¡®oaths¡¯.


    ¡°Nah, in the eyes of the law, and his oaths, he was acting in the right.¡± Azarus shook his head for a third time in as many minutes. ¡°My uncle sent him here to protect and follow Magnus¡¯s orders in his absence, and Magnus¡¯s orders were to be a little shite. In the eyes of the law, I was defying my ¡®rightful lord¡¯, and got beat down for it. As for you? You¡¯re a slave, and neither Stonebreaker nor Savoy knightly oaths give a rat¡¯s arse about slaves.¡±


    I hummed. ¡°If he¡¯s so strong, would a Break even stop him long enough for us to escape?¡±


    Azarus let out a short, mirthless laugh at my question. ¡°You¡¯re only saying that cause you don¡¯t understand the scope of a Break. It¡¯ll last for weeks, and that¡¯ll be weeks of non-stop fighting. It¡¯d be tough, but with the guards, he¡¯d be able to handle it. But they¡¯d all be too damn tied up in the fighting to even dream of chasing us.¡±


    I studied Azarus for a moment. ¡°You still don¡¯t look too enthused by this, even if the town isn¡¯t doomed.¡±


    ¡°That would be because you don¡¯t understand the cultural stigma associated with intentionally instigating a Break, Nathan.¡± A voice said from behind me.


    I turned around in surprise to find that Grey had managed to wheel his way along the path between the house and the forge in complete silence. He had snuck up on Azarus and me while we were stuck in conversation.


    ¡°Grey!¡± I said, startled. ¡°How long have you been there?¡±


    Grey smiled wryly at me from his wheelchair. ¡°Oh, long enough to hear you begin speaking about Sir Stonebreaker.¡± He nodded at Azarus in greeting. ¡°Azarus.¡±


    Azarus nodded back. ¡°Don¡¯t see you out here often, Grey. What brings you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I suspected Nathan would be speaking to you. As it turns out, I was quite right. Speaking of.¡± Grey turned to face me. ¡°I¡¯d like to apologize to you, Nathan. I¡¯m afraid the alcohol caused quite an outburst from me, and I didn¡¯t manage my explanation well enough. I believe I¡¯ve caused you some distress, and for that, I apologize.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, it¡¯s all right,¡± I said, shifting uncomfortably. I conspicuously noted that he didn¡¯t apologize about the contents of what he said, only about how he said it.


    ¡°As I was saying, the stigma associated with instigating a Break is¡­quite severe, within both Herztal and Velancia. The generational trauma that was inflicted due to its misuse in the past was so severe that the act has become quite taboo indeed. I do not blame Azarus for balking at the idea of it.¡± Grey explained.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    His words made Azarus look away in discomfort and scratch the back of his neck.


    Grey hummed. ¡°As it is, I wasn¡¯t aware of Sir Stonebreaker¡¯s capabilities. The fact that there exists a guardian capable of repelling a Break within Addersfield only reaffirms my belief in this plan.¡±


    I took a deep breath before glancing at Azarus. He still looked uncomfortable, but he wasn¡¯t speaking up against the plan. ¡°Well¡­how do we even do this? If we¡¯re going through it, that is.¡±


    ¡°Come inside, both of you,¡± Grey said, nodding slightly to himself. ¡°I believe it¡¯s time we discuss the particulars of this¡­plan.¡± He wheeled himself around and began to roll back along the path to the house. I followed him but stopped after a moment when I heard that Azarus wasn¡¯t. Turning around, I saw that he was still sitting on his workbench stool, this time staring down at his hands. I couldn¡¯t see his face.


    ¡°Coming?¡± I said quietly, only loud enough for Azarus to hear.


    ¡°Gimme a minute,¡± Azarus grunted. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­just give me a sec and I¡¯ll join ya.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said simply. I left him where he sat, and made my way into the house.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Grey seemed to have been anticipating this conversation because he had prepared the table for it. It had been cleared, and the only things on it were a large rolled-up scroll, as well as an ink well and a fountain pen. While Grey and I waited in silence for Azarus to join us, I idly toyed with the pen. Grey didn¡¯t seem to care. When I had first seen one, I had been mildly surprised. I¡¯d been expecting the people of this culture to be using quills or something, but apparently, they¡¯d had pens like this for decades. I¡¯d tried it, and I wasn¡¯t particularly great at using it.


    And¡­


    I was distracting myself. Damnit.


    I was broken out of my daydreams by Azarus entering the kitchen. I carefully sat the pen back down next to the inkwell. It looked like he had cleaned some of the soot that often stuck to him after a stint in the forge. He sat down at the table without a word.


    Grey nodded at the both of us, before wordlessly unrolling the scroll so it lay on the table. Getting up, I could see that it was a rough, overhead map of a town.


    ¡°With Azarus¡¯s help,¡± Grey began. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on this for some time. I¡¯m certainly not a cartographer, but I believe I¡¯ve put together an accurate enough map of Addersfield for our purposes.¡±


    I suppose so. I could see the rough shape of what I knew.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a large settlement. There are two entrances to the town. The main gate in the front, and the gate behind the manor for forest access. The main thoroughfare extends from the manor near the rear all the way to the front gate. On either side of the thoroughfare, there are residential areas intended for use by servants, merchants, and guards. Not many, of course, as only the richest of those in town are not simply living out of their shops, barracks, or the servant quarters inside the manor. I believe this includes your friend Vandimar, correct?¡± Grey said, looking up.


    Azarus was silent for a moment. ¡°Yeah.¡± He said roughly. ¡°Van lives above the shop with Bleddyn and that woman.¡±


    ¡°Rachel,¡± I spoke up quietly. Azarus nodded slightly in acknowledgment.


    ¡°We,¡± Grey continued, pointing to a small stylized copse of trees to the left of the manor with the dry fountain pen. ¡°Are here. As pointed out previously, there are walls encircling the entire settlement. Not terribly impressive walls, as they¡¯re not meant to keep out determined attackers. In this case, they mainly mark the edges of the ward boundaries. The slave quarters exist right outside these walls, just barely within a weakened outwardly radiating effect that wards typically provide. These quarters extend on either side of the wall, and slightly outwards.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know that. I had wondered why the slaves were kept outside of the walls.


    ¡°Our objectives lie within the manor,¡± Grey said, dipping his pen inside the ink. He made a small, black x mark on top of the manor. ¡°Both the ward stone and the control slate are likely to be inside of it. Break the ward stone, and the wards collapse, signalling a start to a Breakage Effect. Break the slate, and our collars will be rendered useless, along with the death and tracking enchantments.¡±


    Azarus spoke up. ¡°Magnus doesn¡¯t usually have the slate. Orin, that is Orinbar, typically has it. Magnus swipes it for his damn hunts, and Orin doesn¡¯t care as long as it gets returned.¡±


    ¡°Then one of our objectives must be to steal the slate from Steward Orinbar.¡± Grey nodded at Azarus. ¡°The other must be to somehow sneak into the manor and destroy the ward stone.¡±


    Both Grey and Azarus turned their heads to look at me.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°What are you looking¡­at¡­Wait. Wait wait wait. You don¡¯t mean me, do you? You want me to sneak into the manor and break this ¡®ward stone¡¯? You guys do remember that I¡¯m not even level twenty, right? I don¡¯t even know what a ¡®ward stone¡¯ is!¡±


    ¡°Well, ya do have a stealth class.¡± Azarus pointed out.


    ¡°Not merely that.¡± Grey picked up. ¡°Remember, Nathan, that you possess a skill to veil your Status that is difficult to peer through. It would take a concerted effort by a very high-level individual to pierce it. It would avail you well if you were questioned while inside.¡±


    ¡°Okay, one,¡± I said, raising a finger. ¡°There is a high-level person in the manor, remember? Stonebreaker? If he¡¯s so much stronger than Azarus, then he should be able to break my veil. Two,¡± I said, raising a second finger. ¡°Even if I change my Status, it doesn¡¯t change what I look like. There are tons of people that have seen what I look like, including Stonebreaker.¡±


    Grey waved my points away, literally. ¡°I can teach you some subterfuge techniques to physically disguise yourself as a slave-servant before your entry into the manor. I have some experience in this manner.¡±


    ¡°And Stonebreaker ain¡¯t here to guard either the ward stone or Orin,¡± Azarus said, cupping his chin in thought. ¡°He¡¯s only here to guard Magnus. He might stop ya if he found ya in the process of breaking the stone, other than that he probably wouldn¡¯t give a shit.¡±


    I looked between the two of them desperately, mentally grasping for straws. ¡°Wait!¡± I said desperately. ¡°Why can¡¯t Azarus do this? He goes to the manor all the time!¡±


    Azarus shook his head. ¡°Yeah, I go there. But only to drop shit off or bitch at Magnus. I haven¡¯t even spoken to Orin in months. Even then, I¡¯m not exactly welcome in the manor proper. I have guards on me every second that I¡¯m inside.¡± He smirked slightly. ¡°It¡¯s like Magnus doesn¡¯t trust me, or something.¡± He seemed cheered up at the thought.


    Fuck.


    Grey must have seen the rising anxiety on my face because he raised a hand. ¡°Calm yourself, Nathan. I have no intention of sending you inside the manor anytime soon. We¡¯ll need to construct the Ward Breaker first, and that will take some time. Plenty of time in order for us to teach you the basics of subterfuge and infiltration. Why, you¡¯ll likely pick up the Skills for them as well!¡±


    He did manage to calm me down, but only a little. I took a deep breath. ¡°Are we really doing this, then? We¡¯re going to go ahead with the plan for the Ward Break?¡± I said, looking between Grey and Azarus.


    Azarus grimaced but seemed more certain than he had earlier. Grey was still unphased.


    ¡°I will not force you into it, Nathan, but I believe we should,¡± Grey said seriously. ¡°I do not believe we have a better option than to go forward with this one.¡±


    I was quiet for a moment, thinking. I was still a little leery of involving the entire town in a Break. Even if most of them wouldn¡¯t spit on me if I was on fire because I was a slave, I was sure there must be some people that didn¡¯t deserve the danger in town.


    Right?


    But¡­


    ¡°All right,¡± I said, uncertainly. ¡°Okay. I guess we¡¯re doing this then.¡±


    For now.

 Interlude 5 - A Patient Promise

    The hunter waited patiently on a hill overlooking the town.


    This must have been the fourth such small settlement that the hunter had investigated over its months-long search, but they were optimistic about this one. So many of the towns that they had observed and searched in their quest had been nothing more than they seemed, but this one was strangely fortified. The hunter had noted that this one possessed far more intricate wards than most small villages owned, indicating a great deal more money poured into them. No doubt their quarry would describe these wards as ¡®standard¡¯, but he¡¯d always had a skewed sense of scale.


    They had very briefly, and very lightly tested them and found that this town actually had intruder tracking and detection wards. Unusually strong ones, at that. Some further testing had determined that whoever had set these wards up, they¡¯d paid top dollar for the kind that surrounded the entire settlement like a dome. No digging up from underneath these wards. Not only that, but the hunter could tell from long experience that these were the kind that required a specially keyed pass device to not set off the intruder alarm. Tricky, but not without its own weaknesses. Unfortunately, those weaknesses required specialty equipment that the hunter simply didn¡¯t have at hand. They could acquire that equipment, certainly, but they were still unsure if this town was worth the effort of the lengthy round trip that would take.


    Despite themselves, however, they were inclined to stick around for other reasons. The hunter had been observing this particular town for close to a month, now. Not only was this the largest slave-owning plantation that the hunter had seen so far, but it also seemed to be one of the bad ones.


    Several weeks ago, the hunter had been observing the town from far, far away when they had noticed a cart come trundling into town. Shortly thereafter, the occupants of the cart, a burly dwarf and his human slave, had been confronted by a force of guards led by a much fancier-looking dwarf. After a short confrontation, the burly dwarf and the slave had been captured and then marched to the back of the town and into the small clearing beyond the walls. They had watched, aghast, as the fancy dwarf had forced three other slaves in addition to the one from earlier into the woods, mostly unarmed. The forest had been too dense for the hunter to see what had happened inside, but they had seen the results. Two of those slaves never returned. Another was killed after returning to the clearing, wounded. Only the original slave had survived, and they had done it by leading a mature Ursalag variant back to the clearing to be killed by the noble.


    The hunter was conflicted. On one hand, their mission was not only personal but of grave importance to the future of the Kingdom. On the other, the hunter hated slavers like this one. They wanted to kill him and rid the world of one less putrid stain upon it. Only the knowledge that they were too far away from the noble to get to him in time before he retreated behind his wards kept the hunter from making the attempt, those weeks ago. Well, that and the knight they had seen. They were unfamiliar with the fully armor-clad dwarf, but the hunter gave good odds the knight was stronger than they were after the display they¡¯d seen from them earlier.


    Still, there were other oddities about this settlement that gave the hunter pause. In the time that the hunter had spent observing the town, the cart with the burly dwarf and the slave had been the only travelers to go into or out of the town. Which was extremely odd. Small towns like this, especially ones with massive plantations were often the trading lifeblood of a region. It was like the town was both entirely self-sufficient and unwelcoming, which spoke of either extreme wealth or extreme preparation. Perhaps both. Grain and products from the fields were tended to and then collected by the slaves, after which they were taken into town and disappeared. Initially, the hunter hadn¡¯t even thought to look for storage until an idle thought caused the hunter to make an observation.


    There were no granaries in town.


    Long surveillance had discovered that there were no visible storage facilities of any kind for the products the plantation produced. After noticing this, the hunter had tracked a slave pulling a cart laden down with grain from the fields with their far-eye. The guards had taken the cart once it had passed through the gates and into the town proper. From that point, the much stronger and not Status bound guards easily hauled the cart to a far corner of the settlement. Once there, they dragged the cart into a small building that almost looked like nothing more than a servant''s shed. After some time, the cart had been rolled out of the shed, this time empty. The shed was far too small to store even the amount of grain that had been on the cart, much less the other loads that the hunter had seen disappear into it. The answer was obvious.


    This plantation wasn¡¯t for profit. It was to build an underground stockpile. Well, presumably. That was the hunter''s running theory.


    The hunter couldn¡¯t imagine how much they had stored at this point, or how massive the underground storage must be. The plantation was growing and storing a massive variety of goods, that could only be possible through the use of alchemical fertilizers. Expensive ones, at that. Otherwise, the land would have long grown depleted from the stress of so many different goods.


    The mystery of this plantation was alarming enough that the hunter had long since determined that they needed to stick around and find out what was going on. They¡¯d decided that they were going to have to interrogate the next traveler they saw either going in or going out of the settlement. Preferably out. They¡¯d been reluctant to do so earlier because they had so few of the resources necessary for a clandestine capture and interrogation. But the hunter had ultimately decided the use was justified in this case. Luckily for them, the hunter seemed to have finally hit the jackpot, after nearly a month of observation


    This morning, they¡¯d noticed that a small cart was being prepared in town by a team of guards, led by a very richly dressed dwarf. A different one from the bastard that had thrown those poor slaves to the monsters. He¡¯d visibly been giving instructions to a smartly dressed guards-dwarf, before personally handing the guard a fancy leather messenger bag.


    The hunter felt their mouth curl up in a smile at the thought of that bag.


    Speedily, the hunter packed up their small campsite on a distant hill overlooking the town and set off.


    They had a path to prepare.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Corporal Sven yawned as he sat in the seat of his messenger¡¯s cart.


    Despite the early hour, he enjoyed his work. It had been nearly three years since he¡¯d enlisted in the Velancian military, one since he¡¯d managed to score a transfer to the Savoy private guard. Bribing that Savoy scout had been the best decision he¡¯d ever made. Life in the proper military hadn¡¯t suited him very well, with how tight of a ship those Orsini ran. Early on he¡¯d managed to weasel his way into the messenger corps because of how well he knew his way around a horse and cart. But they¡¯d run him too hard, and he hadn¡¯t liked that. Everyone knew that the Savoy scouts would recommend you for a little bit of gold, and thank the System for that. He much preferred how lax things were with the Savoy.


    It hadn¡¯t been long before he¡¯d fallen into the messenger gig with the Savoy as well. Hell, because he knew how to keep his mouth shut, he¡¯d even fallen into this cushy job. Sven might have been stationed out in the ass end of nowhere, but the pay was double the usual rate and Addersfield didn¡¯t have much in the way of messages that needed delivering. Typically, he only needed to deliver a progress report from Steward Orinbar to Vittolia. Once there, he was to personally hand the report to Prince Anguis, and nobody else. Sven liked that. He enjoyed how it made him feel important, to be hand-delivering important information to the Prince. He enjoyed lingering in Vittolia even more, though. There were many madonna¡¯s of the street corner who knew ol¡¯ Sven by sight in Vittollia.


    He¡¯d been on the road for a few hours now, enjoying the early morning. His was a small cart, with only a few things packed into it that were being delivered to the big city. Addersfield had long since fallen out of sight behind him, and he was looking forward to the unofficial ¡®off-time¡¯ he¡¯d be spending in the big city.


    All in all, Sven of Mache was pretty happy with life.


    Sven was snapped out of his day-dreaming by the horse pulling his cart slowing down to stop with a whickering noise. Focusing back on the road, he was puzzled to find that a tree had seemingly fallen onto the road, blocking it off completely. ¡°Ain¡¯t been no storms lately.¡± He muttered to himself. Seconds later, a realization hit him and Sven¡¯s face fell. This wasn¡¯t his first time around the bend, after all. ¡°Aw, shite.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± A completely unexpected voice said from behind him. Moments later, a great force struck Sven on the back of the head. The world went dark.


    Sometime later, Sven slowly began to awaken. His old military training though told him not to let on with that fact. Without opening his eyes, he slowly began to test his limbs, only to find that they were all bound in some way. He was sitting on the ground, but his hands were tied behind him. His ankles seemed to be tied together as well.


    ¡°You can stop pretending to be asleep, now.¡± A feminine voice called out from in front of him, with an almost tinkling quality to it. ¡°I know you¡¯re awake. No use pretending. The quicker this is over with, the quicker we can all go about our business.¡±


    Resigned to being caught, Sven opened his eyes. A quick glance around confirmed his suspicions. He¡¯d been captured, all right. And from the oldest trick in the book at that, the ol¡¯ tree in the middle of the road. He resolved then and there never to let the guys find out about that. He¡¯d never live it down.


    Well, assuming he got out of this with all his bits still attached.


    Sven found that he was lashed to a tree off to the side of the road not far from his cart. That wasn¡¯t what held his attention, though. His attacker did because of how odd they were. He could tell they were one of the tall ones, even with them being crouched a few arms lengths away from him. Definitely weren¡¯t a dwarf. They were covered head to toe in a form-fitting, one-piece leather suit of some kind. It was very obviously heavily enchanted, as well. The whole thing was visibly camouflaging around the lady in front of him, making her blend in with the environment. Over that suit, the lady was wearing a long cloak, similarly enchanted to the suit. Not a single inch of skin was visible, covering even the head completely. The only openings he could see were two small holes, revealing silvery-blue eyes that were glowing slightly in the shade of the tree branches above. They were idly toying with a long, blackened dagger from where they were crouched in front of him.


    Sven¡¯s spirits fell even further. ¡°Bugger.¡± He muttered. ¡°Ye ain¡¯t a bandit, are ye. Yer a spook.¡±


    The leather-clad figure let out a small snort at his words. ¡°Something like that.¡±


    Sven let his head fall back and hit the tree trunk with a thunk. ¡°All right, what do ye want?¡±


    ¡°Just like that? No protests? No ranting and raving about how you¡¯ll never betray your masters?¡± The spook asked dryly.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t no job worth dying over,¡± Sven said matter-of-factly, shrugging his bound shoulders as much as he was able to. ¡°It¡¯s a good gig, but I ain¡¯t gonna risk the knife fer a bunch of lordlings. Ask yer questions.¡±


    ¡°So cooperative.¡± The lady said letting out a small, silvery laugh. They rose from where they were crouching and began to approach Sven. ¡°In return, I won¡¯t even have to use the entire truth potion on you. Merely a few drops to loosen your tongue.¡±


    ¡°Wait a tick,¡± Sven said once the leather-clad figure was standing over him. He got the impression they were raising an eyebrow at him. ¡°Can ye get me hair out from under these ropes first? It¡¯s pinchin¡¯ mighty fierce.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...


    The hunter couldn¡¯t help the thrill of elation they felt after they¡¯d finished the messenger¡¯s interrogation. They¡¯d learned a great deal that only reinforced their desire to stick around and investigate this town, apparently named ¡®Addersfield¡¯.


    How very Savoy of them, to name it after a snake.


    The hunter had been very interested to learn that the Heir of House Savoy was in residence in the town. But they¡¯d felt their core veritably stutter inside their chest when they¡¯d learned why. Apparently, Heir Magnus had been given the responsibility of looking after an important political prisoner, along with his out-of-favor cousin Azarus. The hunter had learned that the burly dwarf they¡¯d seen those weeks ago had actually been Azarus, who apparently had some kind of feud with Magnus.


    The guard hadn¡¯t known who the prisoner was, nobody in town but the Heir, the Steward, and the cousin knew precisely who it was. Only that it was an open secret that the Savoy princelings were guarding an important prisoner.


    It had to be him.


    The hunter didn¡¯t know of any other important figures that had gone mysteriously missing in the past year that would fit. Certainly not anyone else that the bastard Anguis would send his only son and Heir to look after.


    Once the hunter had finished their interrogation, they¡¯d fed the guard a mild memory loss potion and set him back up in his cart once he passed back out. Afterward, they¡¯d easily moved the fallen tree out of the road, not without some small amusement that such a stereotypical setup had actually worked. With a slap on the horse¡¯s rump, the cart had rumbled off on its way. The guard would wake up in an hour or so, groggy enough that he would believe he¡¯d merely fallen asleep on the road, unaware of his interrogation.


    Once they¡¯d cleaned the ambush area sufficiently to erase any tracks, the hunter began sprinting back to their watch post in anticipation. All they needed now was confirmation that their target actually resided in the town, even though they had a strong suspicion. Their commander wouldn¡¯t accept the existence of a maybe in order to move any more forces through dwarven territory, even for a rescue of this importance. Even though the hunter knew their watch over the town would likely continue for some time while they waited for a perfect moment to strike, they couldn¡¯t help a rising sense of anticipation.


    Help was coming, Father.


    I promise.

 Chapter 53 - Impatient and Ominous

    I yawned, resting my chin in my palm.


    I was sitting at the front desk of Van¡¯s butcher shop, right next to the woman I had met all those weeks ago. Rachel, her name was. It was still early in the morning and when I had gotten there, Van had met me at the front desk with an apologetic expression. Apparently, Bleddyn was dealing with a larger than normal order today and it would be some time before he could teach me, if he even had time. I¡¯d offered to help, but Van had told me that Bleddyn had preemptively turned me down. The order was for the manor, and it needed to be done perfectly. My ¡®cuts¡¯ were still too amateurish to risk ruining the meat, and potentially coming down on both Van and Bleddyn.


    I¡¯d stuck around anyway, deciding to help out Rachel at the front desk instead. I¡¯d taken up plenty of Bleddyn¡¯s, and thus the shop¡¯s, time over the last few weeks that I didn¡¯t mind giving back to it some.


    It had been pretty chill so far. There had been few customers so far considering the still early hour, and conversation between Rachel and I was sparse. Mostly, I had been daydreaming and thinking about lessons with Grey. Since we had decided to go forward with the plan ¡®unleash hell on Addersfield¡¯, we¡¯d shifted tracks from what we had been doing. Almost all of my time was spent in Grey¡¯s room either learning Abjuration theory or experimenting with Enchanting through Aetherial Melding.


    Abjuration was¡­interesting, I suppose. It was the first school of formalized Magecraft I was learning, even though I couldn¡¯t practice it yet. Apparently, that was because you needed to be able to generate your own mana in order to do so, and I couldn¡¯t yet. I had managed to pry out the reason from Grey, and according to him, level one hundred was the breakpoint there. At that level, you did¡­something that I couldn¡¯t get him to describe to me, and from that, you gained the ability to take in raw Aether and transform it into Mana or Ki. Depending on whether or not you decided to become a Mage or a Cultivator.


    Sometimes, it was pretty damn tiring how cagey that man could be.


    I¡¯d been pretty surprised at just how close to science actual Magecraft was, but then again, I shouldn¡¯t have been. Back in my old world, science itself was just a process, and here Magecraft was definitely just a complicated series of processes on how to shape mana. I¡¯d spent most of my time learning terms like ¡®sympathetic resonances¡¯, ¡®mana layering¡¯, and ¡®intentional thought forms¡¯. Grey was insistent that all of this studying was essential to understanding how a Ward Breaker was constructed. At least he wasn¡¯t a bad teacher. He¡¯d have to be a good one, considering how hed had become the head of the largest school on Vereden.


    On the other hand, we¡¯d discovered that Enchanting through a meld was very¡­fluid, I guess you could say. When we had first started to practice with it, I had seen Grey grow almost jealous of Aetherial Melding for the first time. For me, Enchanting through a meld was a very free-form, very loosely defined kind of thing. Through practice, I¡¯d found that I could sort of nudge and direct the required Aether into the enchanting forms needed with my senses and layer them onto an object.


    Apparently, that wasn¡¯t how orthodox Enchanting functioned at all.


    Grey told me that ninety-nine percent of Enchanting involved carving runes into the object that you wanted to be enchanted. He had taken an old Enchantment Disc apart in order to show me. Sure enough, underneath the shell of the disc I had seen a complicated arrangement of extremely tiny characters carved into both halves of the iron disc. According to Grey, many, many years ago, people had been ¡®gifted¡¯ a strange and expansive set of characters by the old and mostly dead Gods. From what Grey told me, there were hundreds of these runes and it was possible to combine them to create unique ones. These characters had a strange effect on ambient Aether, drawing it in until it produced a mystical reaction. The way that Grey described it to me, the effect of a runic string was determined by the sequence of runes that were used in an unbroken, flowing arrangement. He equated it to almost being a form of poetry, but I think he was just waxing poetic himself.


    It wasn¡¯t like that for me, obviously. I just directed the Aether manually and layered it on the object to be enchanted. It was exhausting, by far the most exhausting individual Profession I had experimented with through Aetherial Melding, but it was incredibly convenient compared to traditional Enchanting. But it wasn¡¯t without its drawbacks, to Grey¡¯s poorly concealed relief. We¡¯d discovered that my melded enchants were pretty temporary, only lasting a few hours at best. Traditional enchants were far longer lasting because they were anchored to the physical existence of the runes. Without them, my enchants began to degrade almost immediately. Maybe in the future, I could figure out a way to anchor my meld enchants better, but that would likely come with more skill. Grey had actually begun to teach me the traditional way of enchanting. It might end up being the only Profession I learned conventionally. For now, I still wasn¡¯t able to able to make a Ward Breaker.


    I was getting close, though. Turns out, if you devote nearly all of your time to learning to make one thing and one thing only, you started to understand it.


    I was broken out of my daydreaming by Rachel shifting on her stool next to me. Looking up, I saw someone walking past the window towards the front door of the shop. A customer, then. Moments later, a clean-shaven dwarf dressed in the uniform of the manor servants strode into the shop. My spirits fell at the sight of him. Despite being a servant, I could tell this guy was one of the arrogant ones, just by the look on his face. I was proven right by the sneer he developed at the sight of Rachel and me behind the counter.


    ¡°Slaves!¡± He barked at us. ¡°Where is your master? I refuse to deal with one of your kind.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    This was far from the first dismissive customer I had encountered in the brief time I¡¯d been here. I bet Rachel had to deal with this all the time. She had told me to let her handle this kind of situation before, so I just lowered my head.


    ¡°Apologies, master,¡± Rachel said in a deferential tone, bowing slightly over the desk in her chair. ¡°Master Vandimar is currently occupied in his office and has instructed me to watch the shop in his stead.¡± She was talking clearer than I normally heard from her, considering her usual accent.


    The arrogant dwarf¡¯s sneer deepened. ¡°Perhaps you misheard me, cattle. I refuse to deal with one of your kind, and I don¡¯t care if that glorified merchant is busy counting coppers. Fetch him. Now.¡± He said, menacingly.


    Not looking up, Rachel leaned her head near to mine. ¡°Go get Van, will ye? I don¡¯t think this ¡®un will take no fer an answer.¡± She whispered to me.


    Nodding shallowly, I slowly slid off of my stool and walked around the desk. Sidling around the manor servant, and making sure to keep my posture as deferential as possible, I made my way to the staircase leading to the second floor. As I ascended the stairs, I was keenly aware of the servant¡¯s eyes drilling into my back.


    Once I was out of sight, I let out a short sigh of relief. It never got any easier, being around most dwarves in town. Most weren¡¯t as bad as that guy, but some got pretty close. I¡¯d had some close calls with people like him, just on the short walk into town some days. Shaking it off, I made my way to Van¡¯s office and opened the door. Inside, it was smaller than you would expect it to be. Much smaller than Ely¡¯s, anyway. The only things inside were two rickety bookcases, a large wooden desk, a couple of chairs, and a cot in the corner. From what Rachel told me, Van spent most of his time up here. He even spent most nights in here.


    My entrance caused Van to raise his head from the parchments he was inspecting and blink bleary eyes at me. ¡°Nathan? Whatever brings you up here?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a guy from the manor raising a stink downstairs,¡± I answered, jerking a thumb over my shoulder behind me. ¡°Doesn¡¯t want to talk to Rachel, and ¡®demands¡¯ you come down instead.¡±


    My words caused Van to let out an audible groan and begin massaging his forehead. ¡°Impatient fool. I told him the order wouldn¡¯t be ready till midday.¡± He sighed. ¡°No doubt the privileged idiot is going to insist on hovering over our shoulders until it¡¯s done, now. He¡¯ll just slow the whole thing down.¡± Looking up at me, Van gave a tired smile. ¡°Inform the gentle dwarf that I¡¯ll be down momentarily. In the meantime, you should probably head home today Nathan. Bleddyn is unlikely to have the time or energy for your usual session.¡±


    I shrugged, unbothered. ¡°Yeah, I was getting that impression.¡± Honestly, the only reason I was still coming to these sessions was because of Bleddyn. Once we¡¯d finalized a plan on how to escape, it had become obvious that Fleshcrafting lessons weren¡¯t going to help much. However, I had agreed to get trained by Bleddyn, and I didn¡¯t want to cause him an honor issue by suddenly refusing. Frankly, he¡¯d become a bit of a friend, too. I didn¡¯t mind hanging out with him for the brief time we had every week. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later, Van,¡± I said, turning around to leave.


    Van gave a short, distracted farewell as I closed the door to his office. Taking a deep breath, I walked back down the stairs, making sure to adopt a deferential posture again. Once I had reached the shop floor, I bowed slightly to the visibly impatient servant. ¡°Master Vandimar will be down shortly, master. He begs your forgiveness for the delay.¡±


    ¡°He will not receive it.¡± The servant growled self-importantly.


    I bowed again, before walking around him, making sure to read lightly. You never knew what could set off these types. Once I¡¯d made it back around the desk, I bent down to whisper in Rachel¡¯s ear. ¡°I¡¯m off. Bleddyn¡¯s not likely to have time for me, today. See you later, yeah?¡±


    Rachel flicked her eyes in my direction and gave me a small, almost imperceptible nod. ¡°Thanks fer keepin¡¯ me company this morn¡¯. Twas nice.¡±


    I gave her a small smile, thankful that my face was hidden from the servant. Straightening up, I walked back around the desk and began to carefully make my way to the door. Once I had reached it, I was stopped before I could open it.


    ¡°Wait!¡± The servant barked behind me. I froze. ¡°Face me, slave.¡±


    Slowly turning around, I made sure to bow again. ¡°How may I serve, master?¡±


    Through my eyelashes, I could see the servant narrow his eyes at me in suspicion. ¡°Who are you, cattle? Who do you belong to? Vandimar Bellucci only possesses two slaves, the butcher and the woman.¡±


    I could feel myself break out into a cold sweat. How the fuck did he know that? ¡°This one is nobody important, master,¡± I said, bowing deeper. ¡°This one belongs to Lord Azarus of House Savoy. My master sometimes lends me to Master Vandimar when he has no use for me, that day. As it is, master Vandimar has no use for me either, and I¡¯ve thus been dismissed.¡±


    ¡°Is that so.¡± I heard the servant say, suspicion thick in his tone. ¡°I thought I recognized you, chattel. You¡¯re the one who survived Lord Magnus¡¯s last hunt, aren¡¯t you? How¡­fortunate for you.¡±


    I didn¡¯t like the sinister way he said that at all.


    ¡°Run along now, fool. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have plenty to prepare for, later.¡± He said with a chortle, malice thick in his voice. I saw the servant turn around and dismiss me in my peripheral vision, and took the chance to escape, almost rushing through the door. Nearly running through town, I started making my way back to Azarus¡¯s house, sweating the whole time.


    Fuck, what did he mean by that? Was Magnus cooking up some more evil, petty-minded shit? I made it back to the house and informed Grey and Azarus about my encounter with the servant. They didn¡¯t seem as alarmed as I was but took it seriously anyway. I was promptly given a variety of items to hide away on my person. Among them was a new dagger Azarus had made for me recently. Other than that, the only thing we could do we wait around to see if anything was going to happen.


    I don¡¯t think any of us were really surprised when a large squad of guards showed up at the house around midday. They demanded Azarus turn me over and rebuffed him when he insisted on accompanying me. I think everyone involved saw Azarus visibly weigh his odds against the squad and come up short.


    To be fair, it was probably the largest gathering of Addersfield guards I had seen up to that point. Guess they hadn¡¯t forgotten their tussle with him a few weeks ago.


    The guards hauled me along the back to the back of the manor, and into the clearing behind it. I couldn¡¯t say I was all that surprised when I found Magnus sitting in that same gazebo from last time.


    ¡°And here it is,¡± Magnus said, sweeping his arm in a grandiose manner. He gave me a soulless, sinister smile. ¡°The star of the hour.¡±


    Here we go again.

 Chapter 54 - Oh, Nevermind Then

    ¡°Fuck.¡± I said to myself, standing in the middle of a narrow forest clearing.


    Turns out our suspicion had been right. Even though it hadn¡¯t yet been a month since his last ¡®hunt¡¯, Magnus was doing another one. I guess that malicious little shit just couldn¡¯t wait to torment more slaves. When I¡¯d been dragged to the same clearing behind the manor, Magnus had already had two other dead-eyed slaves clothed in little better than rags waiting. After a short, self-aggrandizing speech that I honestly hadn¡¯t paid much attention to, we¡¯d been let loose into the forest. I knew what I had to do; I didn¡¯t need to listen to that asshole jerking himself off over his own perceived brilliance.


    All right. All right! I knew where to go, and I knew what to do! I was stronger than I had been last time, and I was more comfortable with my class and skills. Monsters at this level, or even fifty levels above me were dumb as shit from what I¡¯d learned from Grey. I¡¯d had the right idea last time, getting that bear-rabbit stuck in a loop and exploiting it.


    Let¡¯s do this.


    Sufficiently hyped up, I broke out into a sprint in the direction of the higher-level zone. However, I didn¡¯t make it very far. No sooner had I passed the tree line to exit the clearing than I found myself inexplicably flying through the air and spinning. Caught off guard, I couldn¡¯t even tell what happened to me it was so quick. Seconds afterward, I found myself hanging upside down. Dazed, with blood running to my head, I looked upwards.


    I¡­somehow, I was caught in some kind of rope trap? Both of my feet were bound by thick lengths of rope, from which I was hung like a side of beef by a tree branch far above me. What the hell? Had I stumbled into a hunter¡¯s trap or something? I didn¡¯t even know anyone hunted in these woods for anything but monsters.


    Before I could reach for my hidden dagger to try and cut myself down, I heard the sound of boots crunching in the fallen underbrush. Looking back down, I was stunned by what I saw from my upside-down perspective. Slowly, I saw the blurry figure of a woman fade into view maybe twenty feet from my position. As she walked closer to me, she became more and more defined, until I could make out her form more clearly. My first thought was that she looked like she had a leather fetish. Clad head to toe in it, the only thing visible about her was her bright blue glowing eyes. Not even her hair was visible.


    When the woman reached my position, she crouched down to better meet my eyes. ¡°Well.¡± I heard a feminine voice say, with an oddly ringing metallic tone to it. ¡°I was wondering when you would finish your little inspiration party in that clearing.¡±


    I felt my cheeks redden slightly. I¡¯d thought I was alone, so I¡¯d done plenty of arm pumping. That didn¡¯t matter right now, though. ¡°So, uh, is this your doing then?¡± I said, gesturing above to the rope.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± She made a vague noise of assent. She didn¡¯t say anything else though, she just continued to stare into my eyes intently.


    ¡°So¡­¡± I trailed off. When she still didn¡¯t say anything, I grew a little irritated despite my vulnerable position. ¡°Do you need something, lady? I¡¯m kind of busy.¡±


    She let out a small laugh. ¡°I do, yes. I happen to have some questions for you, Mr. Mysterious Slave.¡±


    Mysterious? The hell was so mysterious about me? Aside, from, you know. The obvious stuff she couldn¡¯t possibly know about. Maybe she¡¯d been trying to Observe me? I kept my Status veiled with Hidden Amidst the Spheres these days as a matter of routine. Either way¡­


    ¡°Can you cut me down first?¡± I asked her. ¡°I¡¯m getting a headache. I promise I won¡¯t run without hearing you out first.¡±


    ¡°How bold of you, to make demands of your captor.¡± The lady said, amused. ¡°Still, I believe you. Very well.¡± In one smooth motion, she stood up from her crouching position and drew a small throwing knife from a gauntlet on her left arm. She flicked it idly at the rope holding me up, easily slicing through and lodging the knife in a nearby tree. At the same time, I fell face-first into the dirt. Pushing myself up, I spit out a dead leaf that had gotten into my mouth. Wonderful.


    With a grunt, I sat up and leaned against the tree I had been suspended from, still sitting. Looking up, I heave a sigh. ¡°All right. Ask your questions quickly. I¡¯m on a time limit.¡±


    That sobered the woman up from the mildly bemused manner she¡¯d been treating me with. Carefully, the woman lowered herself to the ground to sit directly across from me, folding her legs beneath her. Leaning forward, the woman spoke intently. ¡°You are the slave that belongs to Azarus of House Savoy, correct?¡±


    I grunted; not unlike the person she was asking about. ¡°Sort of. I technically belong to Magnus, but Azarus asked for me and Magnus didn¡¯t care to say no.¡±


    The woman was silent for a moment. I got the impression she was surprised. ¡°You are¡­shocking direct for a slave. Few are the bonded that would refer to their owners so frankly.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t a question,¡± I said, irritated. ¡°Get on with it. I don¡¯t want to die from being held up too long.¡±


    She nodded sharply. ¡°Very well. I¡¯m looking for someone, and my investigation has led me to this town. I¡¯ve been observing it for some time now, and have noticed irregularities that lead me to believe my quarry is here. I must ask you, have you heard or seen anything that indicates Magnus of House Savoy is harboring political prisoners?¡±


    I was taken aback, though I tried not to show it. I was silent for a moment myself. ¡°Who are you, lady?¡± I asked cautiously.


    That caused the woman to narrow her glowing blue eyes at me. ¡°Inconsequential. Now, answer my question.¡± She said menacingly.


    I tensed up. ¡°You want me to answer that, you answer mine. Cause my answer to that really fucking depends.¡±


    In a move too fast for me to decipher, much less react to, the woman exploded in my direction from her sitting position. Instantly, she¡¯d pinned me to the tree with one hand with the other held a knife to my throat. ¡°All you¡¯ll get from me.¡± She hissed into my ear. ¡°Is that I¡¯m a daughter searching for her Father. Now speak, or suffer.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Despite the perilous situation, I wasn¡¯t afraid. Her words had jogged a memory loose regarding a conversation I¡¯d had with Grey several weeks ago. I opened and closed in mounting astonishment. Finally, I managed to get the word out. ¡°Sylvia?¡± I asked in disbelief.


    Slowly, the woman who I suspected was Grey¡¯s Sculpted daughter drew the dagger away from my throat and kneeled in front of me. ¡°Where did you hear that name?¡± The woman said quietly, voice thick with emotion.


    I stayed where I¡¯d been pinned against the tree, still gob-smacked at the sheer cosmic coincidence. This was the one person in the world who probably wanted Grey to be free as much as he did, and she had held me up at knifepoint. I pushed down a hysterical laugh. ¡°Well, because you¡¯re right. Magnus is keeping one specific political prisoner, at the orders of his Father. But he¡¯s been foisted off on his cousin for¡­reasons. Grey, or rather Headmaster Greycton, is in the village, sitting around in Azarus¡¯s house.¡± I paused awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s, uh, nice to meet you. He¡¯s talked about you a little.¡±


    Sylvia closed her eyes tightly and balled her hands into fists in her lap. ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡± She said tightly, shooting to her feet. Rapidly, she walked some distance away from me and behind a tree. I don¡¯t think she walked far enough way though, because shortly thereafter I heard low, muffled sobs from where I was sitting. I tried not to listen.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Sometime later, she approached me again, with her composure intact again. While she¡¯d been gone, I¡¯d gathered and dusted myself off. I¡¯d spent the time both awkwardly staring off into space and nearly bouncing on my tiptoes in impatience. I didn¡¯t have a ton of time to waste.


    Before she could say anything, I held up a hand. ¡°Hey, can we, like, run and talk?¡± I asked anxiously. ¡°I really don¡¯t have a ton of time to get this done for that fucker Magnus.¡±


    Sylvia paused and then nodded at me. ¡°Very well. Lead the way.¡±


    I took off, Sylvia hot on my heels. Running wasn¡¯t as strenuous for me since I¡¯d gotten my Status, and especially since I¡¯d leveled up more lately, so it wasn¡¯t hard for me to run and speak at the same time. As we started to make out way to the higher-level area of the forest that I¡¯d been to last time, I told her all about Magnus¡¯s little ¡®hunts¡¯.


    ¡°Tch.¡± She said, clicking her likely metal tongue and making a noise akin to a ringing bell. I¡¯d noticed that if I was having an easy time of the run, Sylvia looked like she was nearly gliding around the forest floor, with how simple it was for her. She was probably higher level than me, which was unsurprising. ¡°I¡¯d suspected he was up to such things, and there have always been rumors about him. How¡­degenerate.¡±


    ¡°Degenerate. Yeah. You could say that.¡± I said between even breaths. Movement caught my eye up ahead. Turning to face it, I saw that it was another damn Warg. ¡°Fuck.¡± I said under my breath, reaching for my still-hidden dagger.


    Sylvia¡¯s hand on my arm stopped me though. Turning to face her, I saw that she was shaking her head slightly. ¡°Allow me.¡± She murmured. Still racing towards the Warg, she raised her right hand and made a flicking motion with it, causing a small heat shimmer in front of it. Ahead of us, the Warg tensed up and snapped its head to the left. With a distorted howl, the creature sprinted off in the direction it was looking, never even noticing the two of us.


    I furrowed my brow. ¡°How¡­?¡±


    Sylvia gave a low chuckle. ¡°You can consider me something of an illusionist. What that fodder saw was the two of us taunting him off to the side, and then sprinting away. By the time the illusion dissipates, we¡¯ll be long gone.¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡± I wanted to be more impressed, but I still felt pretty focused on the task at hand.


    Much sooner than I would have expected, we reached the gloomy high-level zone. I was surprised by what I found, though.


    The sinuous red vines were back, snaking through the thorny underbrush. I slowed down when I saw them.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Sylvia asked me.


    ¡°I¡­know these vines. I killed a monster last time I was here that was using them as a trap. But¡­now they¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Such is the nature of monsters. Ever do they return, no matter how many times you destroy them.¡± Sylvia said dismissively. ¡°Is this beast a viable candidate for ¡®Lord¡¯ Savoy?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No, it was immobile. We should go around this stuff though; the brush is too dense.¡± I¡¯d been planning on doing this anyway, before Sylvia even showed up. Last time, I hadn¡¯t had Thorn Grapple. Now I did. Sylvia seemed higher level than me anyway, she could probably keep up.


    Extending a hand upwards, I shot out a blood-red thorny vine upwards towards the tree branches. Feeling it catch, I reeled it in, shooting into the overgrowth and landing on a tree branch. Looking around, I saw that we were in a particularly dense section of it. I could just hop and skip my way across them, the branches were so dense. When I turned back around, Sylvia was standing patiently right next to me, giving me a speculative look.


    I jumped. I hadn¡¯t even heard her, much less felt the branch bend to accommodate her solid metal weight. I shook my head to clear it of useless thoughts. ¡°All right, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Sylvia merely hummed in the back of her throat.


    We set out across the treetop.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    It didn¡¯t take us long to find a monster. More importantly, this one wasn¡¯t rooted to the forest floor.


    ¡°That¡¯s one fucked up looking deer,¡± I said, looking down. I was crouched on a wide branch in order to better look down. Idly, I used Observe on the creature below us.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 9.83092%">Name:</td>


    <td style="width: 90.1623%">Corrupted Blade-Rack Hart Alpha</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 9.83092%">Level:</td>


    <td style="width: 90.1623%">??</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 9.83092%">Age:</td>


    <td style="width: 90.1623%">4 months</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 9.83092%">Species:</td>


    <td style="width: 90.1623%">Monster</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 9.83092%">Abilities:</td>


    <td style="width: 90.1623%">??</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Corrupted, huh. I could see why it was called that. The ¡®hart¡¯ milling around below us barely even looked like the monster I¡¯d once gotten my ass handed to me by. It wasn¡¯t even red, dammit. That was what made a stag a hart. I should know.


    Instead of seeming to be flesh like the others, this one looked like it was made out of plant material. Green and fibrous, it looked like it had similarly green bark-like armor growing on it, but in a haphazard way, shooting off in random directions. It still had the same silverly antlers that had goddamn knives growing on them, but they were¡­wrong. There were too many of them for one, with multiple sets of antlers growing from its head, both large and small. That wasn¡¯t what caught my eye the most, however.


    Creeping all along its sinewy body were bright red, thorny, hooked vines.


    Syliva hummed in the back of her throat, catching my attention.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I whispered. I didn¡¯t know if that monster could hear us up here, but I wasn¡¯t going to risk it.


    ¡°I was perhaps too dismissive, earlier. It¡¯s possible that the beast you fought last time was the Prime of this forest if it¡¯s taken to corrupting other monsters.¡± Sylvia whispered back to me. I guess she didn¡¯t know if it could hear us either.


    ¡°Prime?¡± I asked, confused. I¡¯d never heard the term before.


    Sylvia¡¯s eyes darted away from the monster to meet mine. Seeing that I was serious, I could see her furrow her brow behind her thin mask and hood. Oh, right. She didn¡¯t know I was a Precursor, at least not yet. I¡¯m guessing that was common knowledge.


    ¡°It¡¯s not important right now,¡± I said in a low voice, shaking my head.


    Sylvia remained staring at me for a moment before speaking. ¡°Very well.¡± She whispered. Turning her attention to a pouch on her belt, she rummaged around in it before producing a tightly folded piece of rough paper. ¡°Take this, and give it to my father when you see him next. I took the time to pen it earlier. I believe I know how we¡¯re going to lead your monster back to Magnus.¡±

 Chapter 55 - Awkward Celebration

    It hadn¡¯t taken long for Sylvia and I to lead the Stag through the forest at a leisurely pace, once she¡¯d trapped it in illusions. That had turned out to be her plan, which was obvious in hindsight. Of course an illusion ninja would solve a problem through the use of illusions. Whatever she was showing it, the beast was downright docile on the trip back and followed us like a faithful hound.


    As we had been making our way back to the clearing, I¡¯d explained our current escape plans. Sylvia hadn¡¯t seemed to care much about the potential fate of the townspeople, which I also shouldn¡¯t have been surprised about. Maybe it was uncharitable of me, but the people of this world just seemed more inclined to brutality. The monsters constantly roaming the land and the need to cull them might play a factor in that.


    Either way, once we¡¯d reached a point near the clearing, Sylvia had told me to run ahead and she would send the Stag after me. Following her directions, I burst out of the forest into the clearing behind the manor at a full sprint, with plenty of time to spare. Judging by the sun¡¯s position, I¡¯d definitely gotten back here much quicker than I had last time.


    As I ran across the clearing, I tried to inject some panic into the arm-waving I was doing at the guards.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I yelled across the field and pointed over my shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡±


    However, by the time I reached the guards, the Stag hadn¡¯t shown its face just yet. The guards looked unimpressed, and Magnus was starting to get a gleeful little smile on his face.


    C¡¯mon, Sylvia. Any time now, I thought in rising anxiety.


    Magnus started to rise up from his chair in this pavilion, before stopping with a frown. The guards on either side of me tensed, causing me to turn in relief. Across the clearing, the Stag was just now exiting the tree line. Even from here, I could see that it looked confused. Seconds later though, it seemed to catch sight of the large group of dwarves and one human. Letting out a vicious warbling roar, the beast lowered its antlers and began charging across the field at us at a surprising pace. I tensed up in surprise. At the rate it was going, it would reach us in seconds.


    With a thud, Magnus landed in front of the guard squad, startling me. It looked like he had jumped straight from the pavilion. ¡°Out of my way, fools.¡± He grumbled. By that time, the Stag was nearing us. With a sneer, Magnus effortlessly grabbed the charging Stag by its sharpened antlers and stopped it in place instantly, uncaring of the blades on them. In a quick, violent motion he threw the monster onto the grass below us. Lifting a foot, Magnus drove it down on the neck of the beast, snapping it with a resounding crack.


    Even from my position, I could see that he wasn¡¯t as satisfied with this kill as he had been with the rabbit-bear. Letting out a huge, put-upon sigh Magnus waved a dismissive hand over his shoulder. ¡°The cattle may leave.¡± He said irritably.


    Stepping away from the guards hesitantly, I tried to gauge if they would stop me. They didn¡¯t though, so I turned around and started to make my way to the still-open gate. Walking through, I turned around one last time to look at the clearing.


    Magnus was watching me.


    A chill ran down my spine from the look on his face. Completely blank, it was as if he¡¯d been hollowed out, leaving only animal instinct behind. As the gates began to close in front of me, I saw, for a split second, his eyes narrow.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    It didn¡¯t take me long to get back to Azarus¡¯s house. The strange encounter with Magnus had only driven my desire to get back even higher. Opening the front door, I didn¡¯t even get a chance to call out a greeting before I heard the clatter of a chair and the rapid stomping of boots. Azarus shortly appeared in the doorway to the kitchen across the hall. Catching sight of me, a relieved look stole across his broad, hairy features. Raising a hand of greeting to him, I didn¡¯t get a chance to say anything before he crushed it against me in a one-armed hug. More of an arm across the shoulder thing anyway.


    ¡°Ya all right?¡± He asked concerningly, letting go with a clap on my shoulder.


    ¡°Yeah, actually,¡± I said to him. ¡°For more than one reason. I¡¯ll tell you about it in a bit. First, though, where¡¯s Grey?¡±


    ¡°Right here.¡± The man himself said, wheeling into view in front of me. ¡°Is something the matter, Nathan? You¡­appear to be in much better health than you were last time.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Nothing is the matter. I, uh, have something for you though. See, I met someone in the forest. Someone that wasn¡¯t supposed to be there. They were looking for you, Grey.¡±


    Grey was visibly startled, before leaning forward in his chair almost hungrily. ¡°Was it a rescue party? Have my compatriots finally found me?¡± He asked eagerly.


    ¡°No to the first, sort of to the second,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°See, you actually told me about the person I met, briefly. It was your daughter, Grey. I met Sylvia, and she gave me a letter for you.¡±


    ¡°Sylvia?¡± Grey breathed.


    I stepped forward, past a gob-smacked Azarus, and pulled out the tightly folded piece of paper Sylvia had given me. Grey held out a trembling hand and accepted it from me, before fumblingly unfolding it. With wide eyes, he veritably devoured every word on the page. When he finished, he crushed the paper against his chest over his heart and began to weep softly.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Grey whispered. ¡°Oh, my Sylvia. You¡¯ve found me¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Grey had apologized to us, before asking for some time to regain his composure with a watery smile. While he retreated to his room, Azarus and I sat down at the kitchen table.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°Ya really ran into his daughter in the forest? Just like that?¡± He asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Hey, I was surprised as you were,¡± I said wryly. ¡°I didn¡¯t even tell you how I met her, yet. She got me with a rope trap not far in, and started to interrogate me while I was just hanging around.¡±


    At that, Azarus burst into laughter, while I heard a voice from the doorway.


    ¡°Yes, that sounds like my Sylvia,¡± Grey said with a chuckle of his own, wheeling into the kitchen. ¡°She¡¯s always been fond of her traps.¡±


    ¡°You all right now, Grey?¡± I asked, over the laughs of Azarus.


    Grey smiled at me. ¡°Yes, thank you. It was simply¡­a shock. A welcome one, but a shock nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say,¡± Azarus said, his laughter dying down. ¡°Not every day ya expect your daughter to come riding to the rescue and leave a letter with your new apprentice.¡±


    I flicked my eyes in Azarus¡¯s direction, slightly confused at his words. Apprentice? Since when? Looking back over at Grey, I found him staring at me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged in an acquiescing manner. With a silent chuckle, Grey nodded at me in confirmation.


    All right, I guess I was Grey¡¯s apprentice now.


    Azarus missed Grey and I¡¯s silent conversation and continued speaking. ¡°What did she even say in the letter, anyway? Is she coming to get ya?¡±


    ¡°Alas, no. At least not yet.¡± Grey shook his head. ¡°The letter was written in a code known only to the two of us, devised when she was still young and freshly sapient. It included further code words confirming her presence near Addersfield. She¡¯s been observing the town for some time now before she ran into Nathan here. The town is apparently more than it appears.¡±


    I leaned forward in interest. ¡°In what way?¡±


    ¡°According to Sylvia, none of the products that Addersfield produces are shipped out,¡± Grey answered me. ¡°Everything is carted off to a small shed on the outskirts of the walls, and disappears inside. Sylvia theorizes that, based on the amount of produce delivered to such a small building, Addersfield must have an underground storage facility.¡±


    Grey and I turned to Azarus at the same time. Unfortunately, he just looked confused.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t never heard anything about that.¡± He said with a frown, brow furrowed. ¡°I thought it was just a regular plantation but now that you mention it¡­I¡¯ve never seen a shipment leave town other than one of Grens. And all he does is trade with the locals.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Grey said thoughtfully, drumming his fingers on the table. ¡°And you have no idea what the purpose of this supposed stockpile is?¡±


    Azarus shook his head slowly before snorting. ¡°No, but it sounds like something the Prince would do. Anguis is a canny, cagey bastard at the best of times.¡±


    ¡°Well, that wasn¡¯t the only thing Sylvia included in her letter. She writes that now that she had confirmation of my presence, she was going to stay for a few more days. She feels she needs to finish her reconnaissance on Addersfield before leaving for the Kingdom. There, she hopes to gather some of my allies and return to possibly rescue me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she told me she was leaving soon,¡± I said to Grey. ¡°Which means we don¡¯t have to go forward with our plans, right?¡±


    Grey looked at me with a raised eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure of that, Nathan. There are complications to consider, and I¡¯d feel more comfortable continuing with our plans. Once Sylvia returns with help, we can make contact with her in the forest and consolidate our plans with theirs.¡± He paused, before continuing slowly. ¡°You¡­did tell her that I had been branded and collared, yes?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did,¡± I said, almost offended that he would think I was that absentminded. ¡°I told her about our plans, so she knows about the Ward Breaker.¡± I paused as well. ¡°You know, she never asked me how I could still use my Status in order to make one even though I was a slave.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised.¡± Grey shook his head. ¡°She has extensive training as an infiltration and scouting specialist. She likely knew that the how wasn¡¯t as pertinent as the fact that you could, in the moment. In any case, she wrote that she should return in several weeks. In that time, I expect you¡¯ll be able to construct a Ward Breaker, Nathan. You¡¯re getting close to fully understanding the concepts involved.¡±


    Yay.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Later that night, Grey and I were drinking again, this time with Azarus included. We¡¯d just finished dinner not long ago, and Azarus had broken out the same Gnollish alcohol in celebration. We were still in the kitchen, nursing glasses of awful liquor.


    Eh, whatever. Booze was booze. I took a sip.


    Azarus had his feet up on the cleared table, while Grey was relaxing in his wheelchair, nearly slumped over. Sluggishly, Grey reached fumblingly for his glass and took a gulp from it. He¡¯d had the most out of all of us.


    Grey didn¡¯t set his glass down, instead sitting up in his chair. ¡°My friends¡­ a toast! To my daughter, for never giving up on her old man! To family!¡± He said, slurring slightly and raising his glass.


    I saw Azarus roll his eyes before taking his feet off the table. Yeah, I guess he wasn¡¯t too keen on his family. Still, he raised his glass as well. ¡°To family.¡± He said, unenthusiastically. I don¡¯t think Grey noticed.


    I pushed down my own feelings and raised my glass as well. ¡°To family,¡± I said quietly, clinking my glass with the others.


    We all took a drink, only some of us fighting down a grimace at the taste.


    The group fell silent for some time before Grey broke it again. ¡°You know, Nathan, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard you speak on your family before.¡±


    I stiffened.


    Grey continued, not noticing. ¡°I know Azarus¡¯s situation, but I know nothing of yours. Getting word from Sylvia made me realize that.¡±


    I took a deep breath, before letting it out. ¡°Not much to say,¡± I said shortly.


    Azarus glanced at me, before Grey spoke again. He must have heard something in my tone. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure that isn¡¯t true. Please, share with us.¡± He said with a wobbly smile.


    I stared down into my glass before sighing. ¡°Well, I only really have my father anymore and¡­¡± I pushed down a surge of emotion. ¡°I¡¯m not sure he¡¯s still around.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Azarus asked me quietly, while Grey stared at me in drunken confusion.


    I didn¡¯t look up from my drink. ¡°Well, I was his caretaker,¡± I said quietly. ¡°We don¡¯t have magic back home, so you can¡¯t just wave your hand and cure serious injuries. The same accident that took my mother crippled my father. After that, it was always just the two of us. I was an only child, and we didn¡¯t really have any other relatives. They were all either dead or estranged.¡±


    The table was silent for a moment, my words puncturing even Grey¡¯s drunken state.


    ¡°Mom¡¯s death was hard on him, even beyond his suddenly being disabled.¡± I continued, in a low voice. ¡°He¡­struggled with serious depression for years. Sometimes¡­most of the time, I think the only reason he stuck around was because I was there. If I¡¯m gone¡­¡± I fell quiet again, fighting with myself. ¡°Since I¡¯ve been gone, I¡¯m not sure if he¡­survived. Either from nobody to care for him or¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t bring myself to say it.


    Grey broke the silence, seeming to have sobered up slightly from my words. ¡°Nathan, I¡¯m sorry. I truly didn¡¯t mean to-¡±


    I shook my head, cutting him off. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± I said, standing up from the table. ¡°I¡­try not to think about it. Sorry for ruining the mood.¡± Keeping my breath even, I walked out of the kitchen.


    As I reached the bottom of the staircase to go to my room, Grey''s voice drifted to me from the kitchen.


    ¡°Damnit.¡±

 Chapter 56 - Restless Experimentation

    I didn¡¯t go to sleep immediately after retreating to my room.


    All the talk of families had brought all kinds of memories rushing back to me. How it had felt to lose Mom, all those years ago. The struggle to care for Dad right afterward, and how I¡¯d had to grow up quickly. How I¡¯d had to learn to take care of myself even after he¡¯d recovered from his injuries, because he was too depressed to even get out of bed some days. The way I¡¯d barely finished high school and had no hope of attending college, if only because I needed to be home to care for Dad.


    Life had been rough for me for a while now, even beyond the whole being transported to another planet and enslaved thing. Sometimes I¡¯d felt I had no future. Before my capture, I¡¯d been working a dead-end part-time job just for us to struggle by. No girlfriend, and few friends, I was amazed that I wasn¡¯t as depressed as Dad was. But¡­


    I¡¯d adapted. Just like how I¡¯d adapted to being a slave, I suppose. Still, in my heart of hearts, I didn¡¯t have much hope regarding Dad¡­


    To chase thoughts of the past out of my head, I¡¯d started practicing in my tiny second-story bedroom. Grey had previously given me several of the books that he had on hand about Enchanting and Abjuration. None of the really advanced reference materials that his captors had graciously let him have to facilitate his work, but the more beginner-friendly stuff. Apparently, the people who¡¯d arranged for Grey to even have reference materials had kind of just thrown a bunch of random books on the subjects together and shipped them to Azarus before I¡¯d arrived. Luckily for me, that meant I could get a background in the subjects beyond just Grey¡¯s lectures.


    I considered it fairly interesting material, but it wasn¡¯t working very well to keep my mind off of things. I¡¯d been staring at the same page for nearly five minutes now. Fuck it, maybe some practical work would be better. Setting the book down, I picked up a blank enchantment disc that I¡¯d personally forged out on my grill. I hadn¡¯t done any scribing work on it for it to be functional yet, and I didn¡¯t feel like it now. I just wanted something to focus on while I fired up Aetherial Melding.


    Closing my eyes, I easily entered the trance required for me to sense the pulse of Vereden¡¯s Aether. Slowly, I started to stir it about. I didn¡¯t even know if I had any kind of enchantment in mind to practice with. Honestly, I was just kind of playing with the Aether. Through previous tries, I¡¯d found that this was incredibly relaxing. Just feeling the pulse of Aether as it washed over me was almost¡­fun. It was as if I was on the beach, and letting the waves break over me. The surging of the Aether as it crested over me, the indescribable vitality that I could feel flowing all around. It was already doing the job of taking my mind off of things.


    On a whim, I redirected the ambient Aether by syncing it with my own. This was typically the first step I needed in order to start enchanting something, but that wasn¡¯t what I intended. Slowly, I tried something I hadn¡¯t yet. I let the Aether start to gradually stream around me until I was surrounded by an ethereal blanket of pure energy. Even without my eyes open though, I knew that none of this would be visible to the naked eye. From what I¡¯d learned, it took vastly more concentrated Aether than this minuscule amount to be observable.


    I sank into the warm embrace of the Aether surrounding me, and drifted¡­


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    I don¡¯t know how long I sat at that desk in my newfound state of meditation, but gradually I became aware of an almost tickling sensation. It didn¡¯t happen often, but every once in a while it was like a feather would be dragged down my back. Gradually coming back to awareness, I was startled to find that I¡¯d managed to keep the cloak of Aether flowing around my form the entire time I¡¯d been drifting, almost subconsciously. Mentally, I shook that off though. I was curious now where that sensation was coming from, and how I was even feeling it.


    Patiently, I waited for the feeling to repeat itself. It wasn¡¯t long before I felt another feather light touch along my back. Briefly opening my eyes, being careful not to lose my hold on the Aether, I looked over my shoulder. Nothing. I waited for it to happen again. This time, I was able to tell that the touch was occurring on the cloak of Aether that surrounded me. I was just so in tune with energy right now that my senses were confusing a touch on it, as a touch on my skin. Cool.


    I still hadn¡¯t been able to tell where it came from though, so I concentrated harder. There! This time, I was able to tell where the feather sensation was coming from. I was a little startled by it though.


    It was coming from my collar.


    As I watched with my Aetherial sense, every few minutes my collar would extend a thin strand of what appeared to be Mana. Languidly, it would sweep that strand of Mana across my shoulder blades before retreating. I guess that the feather-brushing sensation I¡¯d detected was what Mana against Aether felt like.


    I was initially puzzled by what exactly the collar was trying to do, before remembering what exactly was on my left shoulder. My false dummy brand. It clicked then, for me. I remembered everything Grey had told me all those weeks ago about how the complete slave binding circuit functioned. First, you were outfitted with a collar, which had the tracking and death enchantment built into it. Only after you were wearing a collar were you then branded, which contained the Status binding enchantment. The brand itself would only work when applied by a specially prepared iron, and even then, it wasn¡¯t activated immediately. That was the function of the all-important third enchantment on the collars. The activation enchantment.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    That was it! That was what I was feeling. That thin strand of Mana that I was feeling sweep across my shoulders must be the Status binding activation enchantment. I¡¯d never received a proper brand, thank God, and thus the collar couldn¡¯t ¡®hook¡¯ onto it and block mine. Even after all this time, my collar was still trying to bind my Status. It couldn¡¯t though, and so it was stuck in a kind of loop, eternally trying and always failing. Even if I couldn¡¯t feel it, this must have been happening for months.


    Morbidly interested despite myself, I waited until the enchantment sent out another strand of Mana and cautiously grabbed it with Aetherial Melding. I kept a very light touch on it though, because I didn¡¯t want to accidentally set off the fucking bomb enchantment set into my collar. The Mana was interesting to my senses, though. Carefully, I let my senses rest on it. Beyond the raw energy part of the strand, I was able to sense something pulsing up and down it. Recalling my studies, I recognized it as what Enchanters called Intent. One part of Grey¡¯s lectures had taught me that Intent was what gave an individual enchantment direction. This Intent I was feeling must have been the actual activation signal. Interesting.


    Slowly, I let go of the strand of Mana. Mentally, I let out a sigh of relief when it retreated back into the collar with no issues. Even I recognized that playing with part of my collar''s enchantments was reckless. It was probably too dangerous to mess with. I decided not to tell Grey that I had nearly killed myself by screwing with my collar.


    I was hit with a sudden wave of exhaustion once I¡¯d finished. All that messing about with Aether had tired me out where my studying hadn¡¯t. Getting out of my desk chair, I stumbled my way over to my bed and fell face-first into it.


    I was out like a light almost immediately.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    I actually slept surprisingly well. Despite being up working far past my usual bedtime, I felt surprisingly refreshed when I woke up. Not only that, but I woke up earlier too. Judging by the lack of light outside, I think it may have even been before sunrise. Who knows, maybe it was the Aether meditation that gave me some fantastic sleep.


    In a remarkably good mood, I made myself a quick breakfast and a cup of steaming hot tea. On a whim, I took a chair along with my meal outside to wait for and watch the sunrise. Before long, the sun began to peek over the horizon, bathing Azarus¡¯s backyard in that same green light I¡¯d seen back in Rhoscara. You know, now that I thought of it, I¡¯d never asked Grey about this.


    Speaking of¡­


    Behind me, I heard the sound of wheels entering the kitchen through the kitchen window. Standing up and setting my plate on my chair, I looked inside to find Grey peering blearily around. I waved my free hand to catch his attention before motioning him outside. Before I sat down, I saw him begin wheeling in my direction. Shortly thereafter, the backdoor opened to my right and Grey poked his head out.


    ¡°Nathan?¡± He said in surprise. ¡°My word, what are you doing out here at this hour?¡±


    I took a sip of my tea and shrugged at him. ¡°Dunno. I just¡­felt like it, I suppose. I slept better than I expected and came out here to watch the sunrise. Speaking of, I have a question for you. C¡¯mon out, will you?¡±


    With a bemused smile, Grey did as I bid him and fully wheeled outside to sit next to me. ¡°What question would that be?¡±


    With the hand holding my mug, I gestured out before us. ¡°What¡¯s with all the green?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to be more specific than that, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Grey said with a smile, nodding towards the copse of trees across from us.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the sunrise. Why exactly is it green for a bit? Where does it even come from? That sure as hell doesn¡¯t happen back home.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Grey said, interested. ¡°Well, you¡¯re in luck. I happen to have some personal interest in Aetherological Astronomy. The brief period of green light you¡¯re referring to is known to occur because of an interaction between the Aether of Vereden, and the Aether of our sun and moon. As the sun rises, the comparatively stronger Aether of our sun suppresses the Aether of our moon. The waning of the Elysian Aether, combined with the waxing of the Tarusian Aether causes the Aether of Vereden to flare and briefly color the sunrise. An entirely harmless, and quite striking phenomenon.¡±


    I hummed, interested. I knew he¡¯d know the answer. ¡°Elysian? Tarusian?¡±


    Grey chuckled and shook his head. ¡°The names of our moon and sun. Elys is our moon, and Tarus our sun.¡±


    I nodded to myself, satisfied. Slowly, I continued eating my breakfast and sipping at my tea. In the meanwhile, Grey and I watched the sun continue to rise over the horizon. By the time the green period of it had finished, so was I. Grey spoke up again around then.


    ¡°Nathan, I¡¯d like to apologize for my tactlessness last night.¡± He said, turning to face me. ¡°I¡¯m afraid the alcohol suppressed my social graces, and I touched upon a sore subject. At the same time, I¡¯d like to apologize for never inquiring about your own personal familial situation. It was quite thoughtless of me, and I apologize for my lack of empathy.¡±


    I shook my head, surprisingly at peace. ¡°It¡¯s fine, really. I never brought it up either, you know? I just¡­don¡¯t like to think about it often, for obvious reasons. Water under the bridge, as far as I¡¯m concerned. Whatever happened to Dad¡­¡± I paused for a moment, suppressing a pang of emotion. It faded, though. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll ever find out, and I just need to deal with that.¡±


    ¡°As you say,¡± Grey said, still audibly concerned. ¡°I¡­did have another idea I wished to bring up with you.¡±


    I latched onto the change of subject, desperate to change the awkward subject. ¡°Oh yeah, what was that?¡±


    ¡°Well, the thought occurred to me, that in order for our plan to succeed, you need some training in stealth and infiltration. Originally, I was going to instruct you myself, but isn¡¯t there a much more capable specialist in the subject currently camping just outside the walls?¡± Grey said with a smile.


    Oh.


    Hmm¡­


    I leaned forward closer to Grey in interest. ¡°Tell me more.¡±

 Chapter 57 - Midnight Rendezvous

    With a grunt, I finished climbing the outer wall of Addersfield. Swiftly, I scaled the log at the top and dropped down to the forest floor beneath me.


    After our morning talk, Grey and I had waited for Azarus to wake up before discussing our new idea with him. That idea being, I should make a nighttime trip in order to rendezvous with Sylvia and ask for her assistance in learning some basic stealth and infiltration. Maybe pick up the skills for them in the process.


    This wasn¡¯t as crazy as it sounded.


    Turns out, the Addersfield guard was pretty reliant on the usage of the wards in order to track intruders and escapees. They only bothered to keep sentries at the front gate and the back one, with no patrols along the walls at all. The wards automatically tracked everyone who entered and exited the town. Hell, from what Azarus had told me once he was up, you couldn¡¯t even physically enter the town unless you were keyed into the wards that Grey was so intent on breaking. Apparently, visitors, merchants, and even all the townspeople were assigned little charms that acted as passkeys for entering the town. He¡¯d shown me his, a little rectangular wooden trinket with some runes on it.


    But according to Grey, our slave collars had the same passkey enchantment built into them. Otherwise, no slave would be able to labor for their ¡®master¡¯ inside the walls. When I¡¯d expressed incredulity at this apparent security flaw, Azarus had shrugged and told me that the control slate was better for keeping track of slaves that tried to escape. I didn¡¯t have to worry about being tracked just outside the walls though, as the slate didn¡¯t give pinpoint accurate location data for each collar. It only acted as a sort of homing beacon for them.


    Azarus had agreed that our plan had merit and forged a quick pair of climbing claws for me. I''d actually asked him why I even needed them, when I had a skill custom-made for scaling surfaces like Thorn Grapple. Grey had interjected at that point, and told me it was better to learn the actual skill of climbing, if I wanted to learn proper infiltration techniques.


    Whatever, I was down.


    Afterward, we¡¯d just waited for the sun to set in order to outfit me for the expedition. Azarus had found some black clothes in the back of his closet that surprisingly fit me. They¡¯d also laden me down with the same potions and dagger that I had taken with me into Magnus¡¯s latest hunt.


    After that, it had been an easy matter for me to cut through the forest near Azarus¡¯s house with my Thorn Cloak active. Even if I didn¡¯t need to, I was still careful not to make much noise though on my trip to the outer walls. I didn¡¯t want to tempt fate. Once there, I¡¯d taken out the steel climbing claws Azarus had made for me and easily scaled the Addersfield wall.


    Looking back up, I resisted the urge to whistle. I¡¯d just dropped maybe thirty feet without feeling any sort of strain. Having a Status was pretty damn useful.


    Rising to my full height, I took a quick look around. I¡¯d dropped into a section that hadn¡¯t been cleared, it seemed. There was nothing else but trees around me. Problem was, I couldn¡¯t see the hill that Sylvia had told me she was camped out on from this position. I¡¯d have to find a break in the overgrowth in order to signal her.


    I set off.


    It didn¡¯t take me long to find a suitable signaling point. Maybe ten minutes at the most. Stopping in a small forest clearing, I reached into the pouch that Grey had outfitted me with and drew a small mirror. Lifting it, I tried to angle the mirror to catch the light of the full moon we were having tonight and angle it to the hill I could make out. Shit, I hope I wasn¡¯t screwing this up. It¡¯s not like I¡¯d ever tried to mirror signal someone before.


    I nearly had a heart attack when a voice spoke up from behind me.


    ¡°No need for that.¡±


    Barely stifling a scream, I spun around in a panic, fumbling for the dagger sheathed at my belt. A firm hand clamped down on it before I could. Following the arm to its source, I found a familiar leather-clad figure.


    ¡°Be calm,¡± Sylvia said to me, soothingly. ¡°It is only I. Apologies for startling you.¡±


    ¡°Shit, Sylvia.¡± I gasped, panting slightly from the adrenaline rush. ¡°Where did you come from? How did you find me?¡±


    Sylvia stepped back, letting go of my hand. ¡°I was inspecting the walls. I hadn¡¯t done so yet and thus made the decision to do so before I left. Movement along the walls drew my attention, and I came to investigate and thus led me to you. More importantly, what are you doing out here?¡± She asked curiously, movement behind her mask implying a raised brow.


    I finished calming down, glancing around in the process. ¡°Yeah, about that. Is it safe to talk here?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Sylvia replied without even looking. ¡°There are no guards outside the walls tonight, and there are no monsters anywhere near our position.¡±


    I took a breath before nodding. I had no idea how much higher level than me she was. I¡¯m guessing her senses were far better than my own. ¡°So, you know our whole plan on how to escape, right?¡± At her nod, I continued. ¡°Well, Grey brought up that I still need to learn some basic stealth and infiltration if I¡¯m going to break into the manor, and-¡±


    Sylvia cut off my rambling. ¡°And he suggested that I should teach you before I leave. Perhaps just enough so you earn the Stealth skill?¡± She said with a thoughtful nod. ¡°Yes, that sounds like Father. Very well, I agree.¡±


    I stared at her in slight disbelief. ¡°What, just like that?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± She said, unperturbed. ¡°It¡¯s no great burden. However, this isn¡¯t the ideal place for such instruction. I would suggest you follow me to my camp, but you lack the speed to make the journey before night¡¯s end. I will carry you, and there will I train you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wha-¡± I barely managed to get out before Sylvia scooped me up in a princess carry in a blur of speed. As she started running at speeds that far outstripped my own, I covered my face with my right hand in embarrassment.


    I could never let Azarus know about this.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Perhaps fifteen minutes of running later on behalf of Sylvia, we reached her campsite. Thankfully, she set me down as soon as we reached it. As I self-consciously straightened my clothes, I cast an eye around the location.


    It really wasn¡¯t much.


    Located next to a small grouping of trees on top of a low hill, it looked to me like it was just a tent. The tent itself was set up out of the way of prying eyes, easily concealed by the foliage it was surrounded by. I didn¡¯t see anything else that indicated her presence in the area. There wasn¡¯t a campfire or anything to cook food, or even for warmth or light. Which made sense, I suppose. You didn¡¯t exactly want to give away your position when you were spying, after all. I was knocked out of my inspection by something being thrown into my chest. Catching it, I looked down at what it was.


    It looked like a mass of human skin.


    Yelping, I dropped the seeming flesh ball at my feet and stared at it, horrified. Hearing a short, silvery laugh I look up to find Sylvia chuckling at me with a hand over her masked mouth.


    ¡°You have nothing to fear.¡± She said to me, still chuckling. ¡°I assure you, it¡¯s not what you think. Please, inspect it more closely.¡±


    Giving her the side eye, I nonetheless did as she said. I gingerly reached down and picked up the fleshy mass between my thumb and index finger, causing it to unfurl. Furrowing my brow in confusion, I used my other hand to stretch it out.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    It¡­kind of looked like a mask? It seemed to be one, at least. It was a thin length of what appeared to be skin, cut in the shape of a face. It even had holes for the eyes, nostrils, and mouth. It seemed kind of featureless though.


    ¡°Fat.¡± I heard Sylvia say. Snapping out my inspection, I shot Sylvia a startled, wounded look.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked, offended. I wasn¡¯t fat, thank you very much. If nothing else, the food on Vereden had agreed with me and I¡¯d lost what little extra weight I¡¯d had.


    ¡°That, is a fat. Or rather, a Facial Alteration Tool.¡± Sylvia answered, audibly amused. ¡°It¡¯s an arcane construct used for spy craft. They allow you to manipulate the shape of your facial features once applied. I was issued a number of them for my expedition, despite their general uselessness for one of my kind. You may take my stock with you when you leave.¡±


    Oh.


    I felt my cheeks heat up slightly in embarrassment, before shaking it off. I held the¡­FAT up to the moon in order to allow the light to stream through it. Now that I had a better look at it, I could tell that it wasn¡¯t real skin. The light revealed there weren¡¯t any veins inside of the mask.


    ¡°Did¡­did the guy who named these things choose the name on purpose? You know, for the acronym?¡± I asked, curious despite myself.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± Sylvia shrugged. ¡°They were invented before my time. In any case, while I have no use for them, I do know how to activate them. I will teach you how, and then I¡¯ll begin instructing you on basic stealth and infiltration tactics.¡±


    I lowered the FAT and nodded at her. ¡°All right then. Let¡¯s get started.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Sylvia taught me what she could over the coming hours. I wasn¡¯t used to telling time by moonlight, but Sylvia told me we¡¯d been practicing for around three hours.


    She was¡­a demanding tutor.


    Between the lectures on stealth tactics, Sylvia had me running drills. We started out with what was essentially hide and seek, and varied it up with other things. Trap setting and detection, body language demonstrations, acrobatics practices¡­


    It was a lot to pack into one night, but we managed.


    I collapsed with a groan, back on the hill that Sylvia¡¯s camp was set on. Sylvia had declared that it was time to take a break before finishing, and who was I to argue with her? Rolling onto my back, I gazed up at the sky, physically exhausted in a way that I hadn¡¯t been for a while. With a small chuckle, Sylvia gracefully sat down next to me on my right.


    Mentally, I pulled up my Status. Time to see if any of this had been worth it.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Name:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">Nathaniel Eugene Hart</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Titles:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">N/A</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Level:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">19</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Age:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">24 Sol</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Race:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">Human (Precursor)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Affinity:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">Terrestrial</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Classes:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">Thornblade Acolyte (Superior)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Profession:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">Aetherial Melding</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Health:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">280/280</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Stamina:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">100/100</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Vitality:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">28</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Strength:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Spirit:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Dexterity:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">46</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Perception:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">28</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Intelligence:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">64</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Wisdom:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">64</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Free Points:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">0</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.0124%">Options:</td>


    <td style="width: 94.0186%">[Talent Page], [Skill Page], [Profession Page]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Mentally selecting the Talent page, I pulled it up.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9801%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 31.153%; text-align: center">Racial Talents</td>


    <td style="width: 36.1635%; text-align: center">General Talents</td>


    <td style="width: 32.6803%; text-align: center">Class Talents</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 31.153%">Hidden Amidst the Spheres: Veils your Status</td>


    <td style="width: 36.1635%">Spear Proficiency Lvl. 3</td>


    <td style="width: 32.6803%"> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 31.153%">The Scintillant Blade: Strike the root</td>


    <td style="width: 36.1635%">Acting Lvl. 4</td>


    <td style="width: 32.6803%"> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 31.153%">Dream of the Infinite: Allows unshackled Aetherial growth</td>


    <td style="width: 36.1635%">Stealth Proficiency Lvl. 2</td>


    <td style="width: 32.6803%"> </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 31.153%">Language Adaptation: Allows understanding and communication with all discovered species</td>


    <td style="width: 36.1635%"> </td>


    <td style="width: 32.6803%"> </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    There it was. I¡¯d gotten the Stealth talent. Hell, I¡¯ve even gotten a second level in it, somehow. I let out a sigh of relief.


    Sylvia must have heard me, because she turned her head to face me. ¡°Hmm?¡±


    I was startled, despite myself. That¡¯s right, most people needed a reflective surface to check their surface.


    Wait.


    More than that, Sylvia still didn¡¯t know anything about me. Especially the whole Precursor thing.


    ¡°I¡­have a skill that lets me check my Status,¡± I said tentatively. Sylvia let out a slight sound of surprise, but I continued before she could speak. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s a racial. You see, I¡¯m actually¡­not a normal human. I¡¯m a Precursor.¡±


    I saw Sylvia blink at that. We sat in silence for a moment before Sylvia broke it.


    ¡°And that is¡­?¡± She asked curiously.


    I blinked back at her. She blinked back.


    ¡°You¡­don¡¯t know?¡± I asked, stunned. Immediately afterward, I felt like a massive fool. Of course not everyone would know about your super special race, you dumbass. Grey told you that Precursors were rare. Not everyone was obligated to pander to you.


    ¡°Ah, no,¡± Sylvia said, sounding embarrassed herself for the first time I¡¯d know here. ¡°Since I became aware, I¡¯ve simply not had to time to pursue my studies the way I wished to. I¡­only had a few, short, peaceful years with my father before the Uprising began, and since then I¡¯ve been quite busy. I¡­apologize if your race is more commonly known.¡±


    Only a few years? But from what Grey had told me, the Uprising only began recently¡­


    I remembered then, what he¡¯d told me about Sylvia¡¯s people. The Sculpted, they were called. It had only been five years since the first of them had become fully sapient, which must have been her. He¡¯d told me that he¡¯d adopted the first of them to do so, which was also the first he¡¯d successfully made. If that was true, despite her maturity and capability, Sylvia was actually only about five years old¡­


    I sat up with only a little difficulty. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry. I was being inconsiderate. It¡¯s actually not that commonly known, from what I understand. Let me tell you about it, starting with what Grey told me.¡±


    For the next while, I told Sylvia about myself. About how I¡¯d been transported here those months ago, and then enslaved. How Grey and Azarus had saved me and then taught me. I told her about my home, and about what Precursors were supposed to be. I told her about my Precursor racial ¡®powers¡¯, and our quest to understand and unlock them. Sylvia absorbed my explanation easily. She didn¡¯t make a sound, simply paying me rapt attention.


    Once I was finished, we sat in silence for a moment longer. I was tired myself, and I think Sylvia was absorbing everything.


    She broke the silence eventually. ¡°I see.¡± She said quietly. Slowly, her hands drifted to her head. Gradually, she began to undo a number of cleverly hidden clasps strewn about her masks. One by one, her leather covering began to fall away from her head, revealing more and more gleaming silver skin. Unfastening the last of them, her mask fell away from her head completely, unleashing a wave of gold that fell down her back.


    It was her hair. I think it was actual, spun gold. Long, if not for the metallic sheen to it, I would have mistaken it for real, keratin-based hair. When Sylvia turned to face me, my breath caught in my throat.


    ¡°Thank you for telling me.¡± She said softly, fully unmasked for the first time since I¡¯d met her.


    She was beautiful.


    If¡­not slightly inhuman.


    Delicate, feminine features set into a perfectly oval face; I could see how it had been literally hand sculpted. Gem-like blue eyes, that might have actually been carved out of gemstones, quite literally glowed in the dark of the night. But it was her inhuman features that drew my eyes the most. It looked like it was constructed out of dozens of thin plates made out of a shining silver metal that articulated around and against themselves to create a human face. They perfectly mimicked the facial muscular groups that existed in a human one. As I watched, they shifted noiselessly and seamlessly with every minute change in expression. But it somehow didn¡¯t trigger an uncanny valley effect in me. The gaps and seams in between the thin plates were so slight that it appeared more like she had facial tattoos. It was¡­ a striking effect.


    As I watched her, I¡¯m sure with my mouth agape, I saw her purse her lips. That knocked me out of my stupor. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± I stuttered. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­I¡¯ve never met one of your people before and you¡¯re.¡± I groped for the word. ¡°Gorgeous.¡± I breathed.


    Under the light of the full moon, I¡¯d never seen anyone or anything so beautiful.

 Chapter 58 - Stealth Lessons

    After my little explanation and subsequent embarrassment when seeing Silvia without her mask, we picked up on the training again. Nothing heavy or physically strenuous again, she just showed me how to use the FAT. It was kind of fun, actually. It was like playing with clay, to an extent. The mask could adhere to my face by itself, and using a small mirror you could hand adjust your facial features. Once you had reached a face you liked, you could freeze the mask into that configuration with a command word. The mask degraded though, so you could only use a single one a few times. Thankfully, Silvia had been given five of them for her mission, even though she didn¡¯t have a use for them.


    Hooray for bureaucracy.


    That only took us about half an hour though, and now that we were done, we were preparing to head back to town. Silvia had told me that she was going to help me sneak back over the wall. In the meanwhile, we were just chatting.


    ¡°¡­and I don¡¯t even know what a Precursor is,¡± I said to Silvia, adjusting the pouch with the FAT¡¯s in it. ¡°Sure, I know what Grey¡¯s told me, but that isn¡¯t helpful. That only tells me I¡¯m supposed to be special somehow, and that we¡¯re rare. But I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m here, and I don¡¯t know the reason. Did a god bring me here? Did the System? I really don¡¯t know, and sometimes I think Grey expects too much from me because I¡¯m supposed to be some mysterious figure out of legend.¡±


    I don¡¯t know why I was dumping all this on her. I hadn¡¯t even spoken about this to either Grey or Azarus, because I didn¡¯t want to ruin their expectations. I knew that they¡¯d been placing their hopes in me for some time now, and I didn¡¯t want to spit in their face after how they¡¯d saved my life. But Silvia? For some reason, I found myself spilling all of my garbage to her. Maybe it was because I¡¯d just met her, or maybe it was because she was the daughter of the man I¡¯d found myself apprenticed to.


    Hell, maybe it was because she was pretty. I wasn¡¯t perfect, sue me.


    Silvia paused putting her mask back on her face. So far, she¡¯d only strapped the lower portion back onto her metallic face. Right now, she was in the process of collecting her literally golden hair. ¡°I understand, perhaps better than you know. All of my people do.¡± She mused. ¡°We¡¯re so young, and as a people, we don¡¯t understand who we are. Not truly. Not yet. We only know what we don¡¯t want to be, and that¡¯s property. And so, we fight, in order to secure a future free from the yoke and plow. Perhaps¡­perhaps you need to find something worth fighting for as well, Nathan. A path that you believe in.¡±


    I was silent, mulling over what she¡¯d said. A path worth fighting for, huh. What would that be for me? I didn¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think I wanted to try and get home to Earth. The only thing that really tied me back there was Dad, and I wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d survived my absence. There were so many painful memories tied to it that I felt no particular fondness for my former home.


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± I whispered. ¡°Maybe for now I can just fight for a new start. Maybe I can just try and build a new life here.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡± Silvia acknowledged, strapping the last of her mask on her head. ¡°Sometimes just fighting for a chance to discover yourself is enough. It¡¯s what we¡¯re doing.¡±


    You know, for a five-year-old magical robot, Silvia came off as pretty wise.


    ¡°But enough of that.¡± She continued. ¡°We need to get you home.¡±


    Addersfield had never been a home for me, not even Azarus¡¯s house. But I got what she meant.


    I nodded, but I¡¯d forgotten one important detail. Before I could even object, I found myself scooped up into another princess carry.


    Oh, whatever. Might as well enjoy the ride. I sat back in Silvia¡¯s arms and watched the forest blur by us.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Once we reached the walls, Silvia didn¡¯t put me down immediately. Instead, she leaned down closer to me.


    ¡°I will only remain at my camp for the next two days before I depart.¡± She whispered to me. ¡°You are welcome to join me for additional lessons in that time.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± I whispered back.


    Then, Silvia got a glint in her eye that I was beginning to learn meant mischief. ¡°Then, for now, I bid you goodbye.¡± Before I could say anything in return, she reared me back with me in her arms and tossed me straight up and over the wall, as if I was a ball. I flew with surprising speed, easily clearing the top. I barely managed to hold in a scream at the abrupt throw, and doubly so as the ground began to rapidly close in on me. With a muted thud, I managed to stumble my way into a controlled landing, leaving me sitting on my ass. Staring at the wall in disbelief, I shook my head. That woman was going to be the death of me, I swear.


    Wavering to my feet, I activated Thorn Cloak. With one last glance at the wall, I started making my way through the forest to Azarus¡¯s place.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    I came back out to Silvia again, over the next few days. I found I enjoyed the lessons that she would give me. I actually enjoyed it more than the sporadic combat training that Azarus put me through, every so often. As part of our training, Silvia took the time to involve me in her surveillance of Addersfield. She called it extra training as a scout. The cool part of it was that she had an actual extendable enchanted spyglass. Part of those enchants included some kind of night vision enchantment, allowing us to see things clearly in the dark of night.


    It was pretty cool, honestly.


    Silvia pointed out the shed she had written about to Grey. It didn¡¯t seem like much to me. It just looked like a ramshackle wooden building, barely large enough for a cart to fit inside. Certainly didn¡¯t look like the secret entrance to a potential underground storage bunker. Since all our training sessions took place at night, we were never at the right time to see a delivery disappear inside. But what did I know? I took her word for it.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Part of that surveillance was actually of use to me, though. Silvia let me use her spyglass to inspect the mansion intently. The entire point of this training was to get me to infiltrate it, after all. While I was studying the manor, Silvia pointed out features and rooms on the mansion that she had suspicions about. One of the most useful things she pointed out to me was the servant¡¯s entrance. That was likely going to be my entry point. After all, slaves were kind of servants for these people.


    It was a large building, especially compared to the rest of Addersfield, but it wasn¡¯t that big. There were only so many rooms that my objectives could be in. She indicated three rooms in particular, one on the second floor, two on the third. One, she suspected belonged to an important official, based on the amount of time she could see firelight dancing in the window. Apparently, the occupant had a tendency to work late into the night. If her suspicion was right, that one might belong to the Seneschal, Orinbar. Vandimar¡¯s uncle.


    Silvia strongly suspected that the other two rooms belonged to Magnus in some way. One was probably his personal chambers, and the other? Well, the other one might just be the room the Ward Stone was kept in. But I couldn¡¯t just work off of assumptions. I was still going to have to infiltrate the manor. When, if, the time came for us to set off our plan to escape, I would need certainty on the location of both the Control Slate, and the Ward Stone.


    Too bad that Silvia couldn¡¯t do it for me. She was without a doubt the better stealth specialist. Unfortunately, you needed a specially attuned pass device to bypass the wards around Addersfield.


    Silvia told me she had actually held up a messenger from Addersfield not far from the town. She¡¯d pilfered both his pass key, and a number of documents from him. Upon inspecting it, that had been when she¡¯d realized they needed to be attuned. Sadly, the documents had been useless for her too, to her later regret. They¡¯d been written in a code that she wasn¡¯t able to break. She¡¯d need to bring them with her when she left in order to get the papers deciphered.


    But beyond even that¡­


    I spent a lot of time just speaking with Silvia. She was just¡­so easy to talk to. It¡¯s not like I was just complaining to her, either. We spoke about our individual childhoods quite a bit. Well, hers was much shorter than mine. Technically, her ¡®childhood¡¯ as she called it was the first two years after she became aware, before the Uprising began. It was interesting, and honestly kind of amusing, to hear how Grey had acted as a sudden unexpected father to a magical construct with the maturity level of a late teen. Apparently, that¡¯s the level of personality that all Sculpted came into existence with.


    In return, I told her about Earth and my life back on it. Things that were mundane to me, were fascinating to her. Looking back on it, I agreed. While Vereden wasn¡¯t as uncomfortable for me to live as I would expect of a swords and sorcery fantasy world, it wasn¡¯t Earth. God, what I wouldn¡¯t do for a modern air conditioner.


    Wait.


    That should be possible, from my understanding of Enchanting. Project for later.


    Moving on, I think I could definitively say that I¡¯d made a friend. It felt¡­good.


    As all good things do though, our training eventually came to an end. After we had finished our last training session on the third day of it, Silvia had surprised me with an awkward hug. I¡­didn¡¯t expect that out of her. She hadn¡¯t struck me as a particularly physically affectionate person. I¡¯d awkwardly returned it.


    ¡°Please, look after my father.¡± She had whispered in my ear. I¡¯d promised I would.


    The next morning, Grey, Azarus and I decided that it was time.


    I was going to break into the manor.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°Seriously?¡± I said incredulously to Azarus. ¡°I don¡¯t?¡±


    Azarus shrugged. ¡°Yep. Ya don¡¯t need different clothes. The manor slaves don¡¯t have any kind of special uniforms. Based on my impression of him, Orin would just say that¡¯s a ¡®frivolous expense¡¯. Dwarf¡¯s kind of a spend-thrift.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I can just wear my normal clothes,¡± I said, shaking my head. Said normal clothes were a simple white lace up tunic, and brown breeches.


    ¡°Not entirely true.¡± Grey cut in. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to wear your shoes. After all, there¡¯s no use wasting good footwear on a slave of all things.¡± He rolled his eyes.


    The three of us were gathered around the kitchen table, going over the plan for my infiltration. We¡¯d gotten up so early that the sun wasn¡¯t even up yet. Things were going unexpectedly well.


    ¡°God, security is so sloppy here,¡± I muttered to myself. Part of my training with Silvia on stealth and infiltration had necessarily included some knowledge of what I needed to infiltrate. In other words, I was actually able to understand just how poor Addersfield security was. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the wards, this place would have spies waltzing in and out every day, no problem.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s simply the way things go, normally,¡± Grey told me. ¡°The all-encompassing versatility of most wards renders many security practices moot. After all, you can typically tune them to achieve the desired effect without installing inconveniences like sufficient precautions.¡±


    ¡°Their fuck-up is our gain,¡± Azarus grunted. ¡°What else does he need?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have my FAT,¡± I said, ignoring Azarus¡¯s chuckle. I didn¡¯t blame him. ¡°But that does nothing for my hair, just my face. Grey?¡±


    Grey nodded and sat two full vials on the table. ¡°As requested, I took the time to brew some simple hair coloring. This one,¡± He pointed to. ¡°Will darken your hair to a near pitch black. A very frequently occurring shade among the common citizenry. The other will reverse the coloring. Simply apply either potion to your hair, and it will absorb and change the hue rapidly.¡±


    I took the vials and stepped away from the table. I took a deep breath. ¡°All right then. I¡¯m going to go put the FAT on and apply the potion. I¡¯ll be back in a bit.¡±


    Exchanging serious nods with Grey and Azarus, I exited the kitchen and walked up the stairs to the washroom. Entering it and closing the door, I got started. First, I used the potion on my hair. Sure enough, the contents of the vial were rapidly absorbed into my hair. Seconds later, it had darkened to a very dark black. After that, I took out one of the FAT¡¯s that Silvia had given me. I¡¯d gotten used to manipulating them after our practice, so it didn¡¯t take me long to rearrange my facial features. When I was finished, a stranger stared back at me from the mirror. It was a little disconcerting, actually, not recognizing yourself in the mirror. Self-consciously, I reached up to trace the scar I had received from the Blade-Rack Hart those months ago. It was probably my most noticeable facial feature these days, and now it was hidden beneath a layer of false skin.


    I shook it off. Daylight was burning, and I needed to get his done.


    I exited the washroom and walked down the stairs to find Grey and Azarus waiting for me.


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Azarus said. ¡°How did ya get in my house?¡±


    I rolled my eyes at him. ¡°Well, you know, the window was wide open,¡± I said sarcastically. ¡°I just couldn¡¯t help myself.¡±


    Grey ignored our banter. ¡°And you have your dagger?¡± He asked anxiously.


    Turning away from Azarus, I nodded at him. I patted my hip. ¡°Yeah, It¡¯s right here.¡± Said dagger was in a simple sheath strapped tightly to my thigh. Honestly though, if I ended up needing it in the manor, I was probably fucked. I was taking it more as a tool than a weapon.


    Grey took a deep breath before letting it out as a sigh. ¡°Well then. That¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Nothing to it, but to do it,¡± I said with a faint smile, knowing full well I was making a reference none of them would understand. They still nodded solemnly though, as if I had said something profound.


    It¡¯s the little things, sometimes.


    Gathering my courage for the last time, I left Azarus¡¯s house.


    Time for a sneaking mission.

 Chapter 59 - Infiltration

    It was early enough in the morning that the green period hadn¡¯t ended yet. Once again, I left Azarus¡¯s house not from the entrance onto the side road, but through the forest with Thorn Cloak active. Even though I was heading toward the wall again, I didn¡¯t intend to go far outside of it. I was angling for the servant¡¯s entrance into the manor, which was along the opposite side of the manor from Azarus¡¯s place. There was no convenient connecting stretch of forest that I could slink through to reach it, so I¡¯d have to briefly go outside the wall in order to bypass the guards along the back gate.


    Before long, I¡¯d reached the wall. Swiftly getting out my climbing tools, I scaled the wall much quicker than I had the first time, Thorn Cloak still running. I¡¯d had plenty of time to practice climbing this wall during my trips out to see Silvia. Dropping down to the other side as quietly as I could, I started making my way along the outer wall as swiftly as I dared. Before long, I¡¯d reached the clearing where Magnus¡¯s hunts occurred and the back gate stood. Even from my position, I could hear the creaking of the guard¡¯s armor as they shifted in place before their post. Taking a breath to settle my nerves, I crept my way out far enough into the clearing to minimize whatever unintentional noise I would make. Slowly, I navigated my way across the clearing until I was on the other side, conscious of all the little stealth tricks Silvia had taught me.


    Once I was safely ensconced within the tree line of the clearing, I caught myself before I could let out a relieved sigh. No unnecessary noise, fool. Shaking it off, I slunk my way back to the wall at an angle, making sure to arrive far from the guards. Briefly peeking through the tiny gaps in the logs of the walls, I was able to confirm that there was forest on the side. Taking out my climbing claws again, I scaled the wall again before dropping down to the other side. All right, now to get to the servant''s entrance.


    It didn¡¯t take me long to find it, as it was close to the back of the manor, but thankfully out of sight of any guards. Okay, now it was time for the next part of our plan.


    Silvia had confirmed for me that the manor¡¯s contingent of slaves didn¡¯t actually live inside the manor. Every morning, the slaves would trudge up the pathway along this side of the manor and enter this door. Supposedly, they would be put to work once inside. Silvia had suggested that I find a way to slip in with that group of slaves in order to get inside. Once there, it was my job to think on my feet in order to do my reconnaissance and find both the slate and the Ward Stone.


    Getting my first close-up look at the door, I noticed that there was a row of large bushes on either side of the pathway that extended out in front of the servant¡¯s entrance. Making a split-second decision, I darted my way out of the tree line and into the foremost bush that still technically stood on the main path. Once inside, I crouched down in it as low as I could in order to minimize my profile and prayed Thorn Cloak would keep me hidden. It should, though. My impression of the skill is that it was meant for hiding in foliage.


    The green period began to end not long after that, and down the path, I could see movement. Before long, I saw a haphazard group of dispirited slaves trudging their way down the small dirt road. I noted that they didn¡¯t have a guard escorting them, which I could only be thankful for. That would have complicated matters. I couldn¡¯t help but hold my breath in anticipation. Once the front of the group had reached my position, the slave that had been leading them turned around and gave the group a weak smile, but didn¡¯t say anything. Turning back around, he walked up the path to the door and opened it. As the group of slaves were walking past my position, I waited for my moment. The minute that the last person in the group passed me, I instantaneously canceled Thorn Cloak and slid out of the bushes to walk behind him. I mentally winced at the slight rustling noise my exit had caused, but the slave in front of me didn¡¯t even react. Once it was my time to enter inside, my eyes met those of the lead slave who was holding the door open for the group. Giving him a weak smile, I was internally relieved when he didn¡¯t hesitate to return it. Looks like I¡¯d managed to avoid raising any suspicion among the other slaves, at least. The lead slave closed the door behind me.


    Discreetly looking around, I noticed that we had entered what appeared to be a kitchen that was currently empty. That didn¡¯t last long though, as with a bang one of the servant dwarves of the manor barged through the door on the far wall, causing the group of slaves to jump. Actually, looking closer at the servant, I think this was the same one that had visited Van¡¯s shop the other day.


    He didn¡¯t waste a minute. ¡°You!¡± He barked, pointing at a slave. ¡°You, and you! Cleaning!¡± He pointed to a different slave. ¡°You! Cooking!¡± This continued on until he pointed at me. Thankfully, with the FAT I wasn¡¯t recognized. ¡°You! Dishwashing!¡±


    Shit. How was I going to case the manor if I was stuck in the kitchen doing dishes?


    Still, I did as I was told and walked over to the primitive dishwashing station. I didn¡¯t want to raise any suspicion by pissing off the servant dwarf. Thankfully, even if it was meant for slaves, it looked like they had still shilled out for a familiar handful of small metallic discs at the sink. I think there was a cleaning solution of some kind that I was supposed to use as well. There was a wooden bucket full of what looked like small white pellets. The sink was full of dirty dishes already, so I filled it with water by pressing one enchantment disc and then heated it up with another. Taking a handful of the pellets and a nearby rag, I got to work on the dishes.


    The servant dwarf finished giving out assignments to the slaves and bustled out of the kitchen, leaving us slaves to our work. I guess that uptight asshole had his own duties to look after. Thank God he didn¡¯t feel the need to hover over us.


    As the kitchen slave got to work on their cooking, I nonetheless kept ready. I was going to have to wait for my chance, and if one didn¡¯t come?


    I would make it.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    I think I¡¯d figured out how I was going to do my snooping.


    Once the kitchen slaves had finished their cooking for breakfast, one of them had wheeled out a cart that was apparently meant to be delivered around the mansion. Once the fancy plates of food had been loaded up on it, the entirety of the kitchen staff had stood around for a few moments in dead silence. The leader from earlier stepped up then and volunteered to deliver the food with a shaky smile.


    I¡¯m guessing that delivery service wasn¡¯t a very pleasant task in a manor filled with uppity nobles.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    It took the delivery man maybe twenty minutes to return to the kitchen after finishing. When he did, his face was bloodless from fear and stress. Nobody asked him what he went through, because I suppose this group knew what it was like. I could take a guess, myself.


    Still, the important part was that the kitchen staff apparently took turns delivering meals. As unpleasant of a task as it seemed, that was the perfect chance for me to do my searching. I would just have to wait for the next meal to go out and then volunteer. It wouldn¡¯t be long I think, because the kitchen staff immediately started cooking again once the leader returned.


    I was right. A few hours of work later, I got my chance. The staff had finished lunch for the nobles of the manor and were loading up the cart again. Drying off my hands on a nearby rag, I focused on the group gathering. Walking over to them, I spoke up before anyone else could.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± I said, trying not to sound too eager.


    Five different pairs of eyes swiveled my way instantly. Some were filled with relief, and others pity. The leader from earlier spoke up. ¡°Are¡­you sure? You look¡­new.¡± He said hesitantly. ¡°You don¡¯t know what they¡¯re like up there.¡±


    I gave him a weak smile. ¡°Well¡­I¡¯ve got to learn somehow, yeah?¡± I took a not-altogether fake breath to steady my nerves. ¡°I¡¯m sure. I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The leader answered, ashamed relief in his eyes. ¡°If you¡¯re sure. Take the cart and wait outside. Mr. Pignolo will be by in a bit to lead you around. You¡­really don¡¯t want to make him wait.¡±


    I nodded at him and did as he asked. Taking the cart, I wheeled it out of the kitchen doors to wait in the hall beyond. Sure enough, the servant dwarf from earlier in the day came bustling down the corridor shortly thereafter. That must be ¡®Mr. Pignolo¡¯.


    He didn¡¯t bother with any niceties, not for a slave. ¡°You!¡± He barked at me. ¡°Follow!¡± He didn¡¯t even wait for a response before turning back around to impatiently hold open the door at the end of the hall.


    I did as he asked, making sure my head was sufficiently lowered. I didn¡¯t want to make eye contact with Mr. Piggy. Well, that and I didn¡¯t want him to see the brief smirk that flashed across my face.


    I had to resist the urge to say ¡®I¡¯m in¡¯ like I was some kind of spy from back home.


    Once I had entered the manor proper, I was unsurprised to find that it was almost unspeakably gaudy. Unlike the more tasteful usage of gold I¡¯d seen back in Rhoscara, this place was almost eye-searing in comparison.


    Gold paint, gold chandeliers, gold ornamentation. The only thing that kept it from being visually indistinguishable from all the gold was the occasional smidgeon of green on the carpet or drapes.


    I¡¯d say gag me with a spoon, but I didn¡¯t want any of this gold in my mouth.


    Over the next few minutes, Mr. Piggy led me around to various functionaries and fops that were lingering around the manor. Whenever we¡¯d reach a destination, I would wheel the cart into the room, and then Piggy would do the actual serving. I guess these pricks didn¡¯t want grubby little slave fingers anywhere near their food. Never mind the fact it was slaves that made it in the first place. Whatever, it¡¯s not like nobles were known for rationality.


    So far, I hadn¡¯t suffered anything more than a few sneers from these assholes. I hadn¡¯t experienced anything yet that would account for the fear on the last delivery guy''s face. But I was probably going to find out, shortly.


    The last delivery was apparently going to the head honchos.


    The Seneschal, Orinbar. And¡­


    Magnus.


    Mr. Piggy led me up to the second floor, near where I estimated that one of the rooms Silvia had pointed out to me was. Sure enough, once we¡¯d reached a more opulent than normal wooden door covered in golden ornamentation, Mr. Piggy stopped us. I could vaguely hear conversation drifting out of it from the distance I stood. Straightening his clothes, Piggy turned around to give me the evil eye. ¡°Stand up straighter, maggot.¡± He hissed to me. ¡°I will not have you embarrass me.¡±


    Fuck you too, buddy. I did as he asked though, and stood up as straight as I could.


    With a quiet huff, Piggy turned back around and rapped smartly on the door, causing the sound of conversation to cease. Smoothly, the servant opened the door and impatiently waved me inside.


    Magnus and whom I could only assume was Orinbar were inside. The Seneschal wasn¡¯t quite what I was expecting. Clean-shaven like all the other non-noble dwarves I¡¯d seen, he had a sharp look to him. He had the same blond hair that Van did, but his was slicked back heavily, exposing a prominent widow''s peak. I only caught a brief glimpse of his eyes, but they were a hard, unforgiving steel grey. Luckily, neither he nor Magnus were paying much attention to me. In fact, Magnus wasn¡¯t paying much attention to anything, I noticed. He was glowering in the large padded chair he was sitting in, and hadn¡¯t even looked over his shoulder at us as Piggy and I entered the room. I only had a few minutes before I was asked to leave though, so I had to hurry up. Concentrating, I took in the office as discreetly as I could.


    It was visibly different from the rest of the manor. For one, it wasn¡¯t even a tenth as gaudy. Gold ornamentation was kept to a minimum, in favor of more earth tones. Green was still a common color, but so were browns and greys. Rather than being painted in gold, the wooden furniture was unadorned except for carvings of snakes spiraling up and down their surfaces. The largest piece was the absolutely massive desk that Orinbar was sitting behind, and Magnus in front of. There were a few bookcases, and what looked like a large metal safe along the back wall. I didn¡¯t even need to wonder if the slate was in there, because I could see it clear as day.


    The control slate was on the desk, sitting just to the right of Orinbar.


    Orinbar¡¯s eyes flicked up from the document he was inspecting to look at Mr. Piggy, only briefly lingering on me. ¡°Giancarlo.¡± He said evenly, in a surprisingly deep voice. ¡°I assume that is lunch?¡±


    ¡°As you say, my lord,¡± Piggy answered him, bowing extravagantly. Even though ¡®Giancarlo¡¯ wasn¡¯t able to see it, I was. Orin wasn¡¯t impressed by the grandstanding, distaste flickering across his face. It was gone by the time Mr. Piggy straightened back up. In a flashy movement, Piggy took the last two plates, still hot from the enchanted cover over the top of them. ¡°For you, Lord Magnus.¡± He said, setting it in front of the bastard.


    He didn¡¯t acknowledge either Piggy or the food.


    Piggy¡¯s smile faltered, if only briefly. Walking around to the other side of the desk, he sat the other plate in front of the Seneschal. ¡°And for you, Lord Orinbar.¡± At the very least, Piggy got a slight nod from Orinbar.


    Walking back over to me, Piggy jerked his head at the door. Getting the hint, I wheeled the cart back around and out the door. Before he shut the door behind us, Piggy turned around. ¡°Have a good day, my lords.¡± He said simperingly. He didn¡¯t get a response before he shut it.


    When Mr. Piggy turned back around to face me, he had a scowl on his face. ¡°You will wait right here.¡± He hissed, leaning forward. ¡°Wait for the lords to be finished with their meals, and then collect the plates when Lord Orinbar signals for it. Afterward, take it back down to the kitchen. If you don¡¯t, I swear to the gods I¡¯ll have to you whipped to death, do you understand me?¡±


    I bowed my head. ¡°I understand, master."


    ¡°You had better.¡± Piggy narrowed his eyes at me. He didn¡¯t bother with anything else, he just turned around and left down the hallway in a huff.


    I hope you get gored by a real pig one day, you bastard.


    Calming down, I was positioning myself next to the door when I heard conversation start back up in the room. The door was leaking a surprising amount of noise out of it. Risking a look up and down the corridor I was standing in front of, I saw that there was nobody else around. I leaned in closer to the door in order to better eavesdrop.


    I might as well get something out of this if I was going to stand out here.

 Chapter 60 - Close Call

    I didn¡¯t quite have my ear pressed up to the door, but that wasn¡¯t far off. Through my position huddled next to the door, I was able to make Magnus and Orinbar¡¯s conversation.


    ¡°-question why you even care, old man.¡± I heard Magnus say, derision dripping from his voice. ¡°Do you have sympathies for the cattle? Do you feel bad for them?¡±


    ¡°I care nothing for the ultimate fate of a lowly slave, Magnus,¡± Orinbar said evenly, only a smidgeon of frustration leaking through in his voice. ¡°My problem is the waste of resources. My problem is that every time you put on one of your little performances with the slaves, productivity drops. My problem is that Rhoscaran scouts are now driving back the Elves we depend on to acquire below-market rates for replacement slaves. We only have so much disposable income, as you well know. This settlement was never intended to have a positive gold flow.¡±


    I perked up at that. Were they going to talk about the warehouse Silvia thought existed?


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like my problem,¡± Magnus answered flippantly.


    I heard creaking inside. ¡°It is your problem,¡± Orinbar said menacingly. ¡°Do not forget, as vital as this operation is to require my services, you are still the nominal leader of Addersfield. You must take this more seriously, Magnus! The stockpile we gather here is too important to the Prince¡¯s future plans! You are meant to learn a lesson from this posting, as well as keep out of the public eye. Your father is still busy sweeping your latest misstep under the rug. It was far too public this time.¡±


    ¡°Do you expect an apology out of me, old fool? I would do it again.¡± Magnus said, with an audible sneer in his voice.


    Orinbar made a noise of intense frustration. ¡°You raped and killed another member of the nobility, Magnus!¡± He nearly hissed. ¡°By the gods, you flayed her alive! If you weren¡¯t Prince Anguis¡¯s son, you¡¯d have been hanging from the gallows that day! The Prince needed to make uncomfortable concessions to the Luminarans to hide your misdeeds. Concessions that delayed his plans even more.¡±


    ¡°None may deny me,¡± Magnus said dismissively. ¡°The cunt deserved it. Is this the only reason you called for me, Sensechal? To harangue me? If so, I think I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± I heard the sound of a chair being pushed back inside, causing me to scramble away from the door. I¡¯d just managed to take an unassuming, meek posture next to my cart when the door nearly slammed open next to me. Magnus strode out, his features twisted in a state of contempt that seemed to be his default expression. He didn¡¯t even look at me as he stormed down the corridor toward the stairs.


    Through the open door, I heard the sound of Orinbar letting out a long, drawn-out sigh of frustration. ¡°I do believe I¡¯ve lost my appetite.¡± He muttered, before raising his voice. ¡°Slave! Come collect these plates.¡±


    I grabbed my cart and started wheeling it into the room, being careful not to catch Orinbar¡¯s eye. ¡°Yes, master,¡± I said quietly, once inside. Carefully walking over to the desk, I noticed that both plates were still covered. I guess neither of them was hungry after all. Grabbing first Magnus¡¯s and then Orinbar¡¯s, I¡¯d just set them both down on the cart when I felt a familiar tingle on the back of my neck. Someone was using Observe on me, and considering there was only one other person in the room, I knew who it had to be. I could feel myself break out into a cold sweat.


    ¡°John Doe, is it?¡± I heard Orinbar say from behind me. Slowly turning around, I saw that Orinbar was fully focusing on me for the first time. He¡¯d sat up straight and laced his fingers together in front of his chest. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I recognize you.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t asking a question.


    ¡°This is my first day in the manor, master,¡± I answered him, trying to play the part of the meek slave as best I could. ¡°I-I worked in the field before this.¡±


    Orinbar hummed. ¡°Is that so?¡± He slowly started reaching for the control slate to his right, causing me to unwittingly tense. ¡°You see, Mr. Doe, I have quite the memory. The admissions paperwork for every slave that Addersfield acquires crosses my desk eventually. And I¡¯m afraid that I do not recognize your name.¡±


    I was frozen in fear at this point.


    ¡°Let us see if you are truly one of our slaves, shall we?¡± He finally took his eyes off of me to rapidly scroll through the slate before stopping. He tapped on the slate, causing something to happen that nearly caused me to go wild with terror.


    My collar began to heat up, for the first time since it had been placed on me. Involuntarily, hands flew up to rest on it. I didn¡¯t know what I was intending to do, but I never got the chance.


    ¡°Do not!¡± Orinbar barked. ¡°Unless you wish to cause your own death, I do not recommend tugging on your collar at this time.¡±


    I froze, as still as a statue. I didn¡¯t even dare to move my hands away from my neck.


    After a few tense moments, I was able to see Orinbar relax from his tense posture. He sat down the control slate and brought up his right hand to begin massaging the bridge of his nose. ¡°The fools must have botched the form.¡± He muttered, irritated. Looking up at me, Orinbar waved a hand dismissively. ¡°You may relax, slave. Your collar has been authenticated as being the property of Addersfield. Before you go, when were you¡­indentured? I¡¯ll need to amend your paperwork.¡±


    Visibly shaking, I lowered my hands from my collar. ¡°I-I was captured three m-months ago, m-master.¡± I didn¡¯t have to fake the stutter in my voice this time. I¡¯d just barely managed to avoid discovery. Still, I retained enough presence of mind to give a later date to my capture than it actually was.


    ¡°Very well. You may go.¡± Orinbar said, dismissing me. I jerkily turned around and began to wheel the cart out of the room. Before I could leave though, I was interrupted one last time. ¡°Oh, and Mr. Doe?¡± I shakily turned to look over my shoulder, but Orinbar wasn¡¯t even looking at me this time. ¡°The kitchen slaves may have those meals. It wouldn¡¯t do to waste them.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    I managed a nod, even though I was sure he didn¡¯t see it. Maneuvering the cart through the door, I shut it behind me.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    When the kitchen slaves saw how shaky and pale-faced I was from my time delivering meals, they gave me knowing looks. They didn¡¯t ask me what had happened, which I was grateful for, but I did get a few pats on the back. They were pretty grateful when I told them we could have the last two meals as well. Apparently, they didn¡¯t get fed much more than table scraps usually. We divided up everything on both plates, and tried to enjoy the little bit that we were fed for the day.


    I didn¡¯t really taste any of it, though. I was still thinking about my close call with Orinbar. God, I was so damn stupid. Of course, they would have methods of checking if a slave was legitimate or not. I¡¯m betting that infiltrating a spy as a false slave was a very common method of use against the dwarves. I¡¯d gotten lucky, in some regards. If my collar hadn¡¯t been a real Addersfield collar, he might have killed me right there on the spot. I¡¯m sure he was a higher level than I was.


    I tried to shake it off. I¡¯d only found the location that the control slate was kept in so far. Orinbar might have had the slate on his desk right then, but I¡¯m betting that he stored it in the safe that I had seen in his office. But that was only the slate. I still needed to find the ward stone.


    My plan to use the food deliveries had worked so far, so why fix what wasn¡¯t broken? There was still one more meal in the day, and I doubted that Magnus would be lingering around Orinbar¡¯s office again. Wherever he spent most of his time in the evening, I was hoping it wasn¡¯t too far from the stone. I just had to wait for my chance.


    In the meanwhile, I got back to dishwashing.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    After hours of mindlessly scrubbing dishes, my hands were getting pretty raw. With my stats, it wasn¡¯t hard work per se. But I was still pretty mentally exhausted by the time dinner was rolling around in the manor. When I volunteered to push the cart again, the kitchen slaves tried to protest. They told me that I¡¯d already done enough for one day, especially for someone new to the manor. But I was adamant. Probably too much, if I was being honest.


    I¡¯m not going to lie; it was a little uncomfortable to be called brave by one of them. I was sparing them the possibility of punishment, but I wasn¡¯t volunteering out of the goodness of my heart. Still, I got through their thanks with only a mildly uncomfortable hug from one of the female kitchen slaves to show for it.


    Once I¡¯d gotten through the kitchen doors, I waited for Mr. Piggy to show up again to lead me about. He didn¡¯t, though. It was a different dwarven servant this time. I didn¡¯t get much of a look at him before he began impatiently waving me forward from the open door.


    I didn¡¯t ask questions. I¡¯d probably get a swift backhand if I tried.


    Delivering the dinner for the day carried on much similar to how it had at lunch. I was directed around the manor by the new servant, whose name I didn¡¯t know, and instructed to wait while he served the food to the fops. We even briefly stopped by Orinbar¡¯s office again, to deliver his meal. This time, I only got a single disinterested glance from him before we were dismissed.


    Before long, I was directed upstairs again. But this time we didn¡¯t stop on the second floor. We went up to the much smaller third. The third floor seemed to only consist of one short hallway in which two large sets of doors lay on either side of it. The servant directed me to stop just outside of the one on the right. He took a long, deep breath to steel his nerves before firmly knocking on the large and gaudy double doors.


    I¡¯m guessing even his servants were wary of Magnus.


    He didn¡¯t get a response. The servant tried again, knocking slightly harder, as if he was scared to be too loud. Still nothing. Maybe he wasn¡¯t in there?


    The servant seemed to think he was though, because he reached for the rightmost handle anyway. Smoothly opening the doors, the servant stepped inside with me hot on his heels. I was briefly stunned by the sheer gaudiness of the room inside.


    It was everything you would expect from a noble with more money than decoration sense. It was massive, for one. Filled to the brim with gold-painted wooden furniture, it had a huge four-poster bed, dressers, wardrobes, vanities, you name it, it was in here. There was even a massive green and gold carpet that dominated the center of the room. But that wasn¡¯t what caught my attention the most.


    Magnus was standing just in front of an open set of balcony doors, letting the evening air swirl about his room. Just over the horizon, I could see the sun beginning to set. But in front of Magnus, was an easel.


    He was painting.


    I couldn¡¯t see just what he was painting just yet. He was blocking my view of it. He had a palette of paints sitting balanced on a stool next to him, and brush in his right hand. Magnus hadn¡¯t looked our way since we¡¯d entered the room.


    ¡°Your dinner, Lord Magnus.¡± The servant murmured in the eerily silent room. Magnus didn¡¯t answer for a moment, only staring at his own work. The servant merely stood around awkwardly holding the plate he had picked before finally moving to set it down on a nearby table. The clank of the metal plate hitting the wood seemed to finally break him out of his stupor though.


    Slowly, he turned around to stare at the two of us blankly. By moving out of the way, however, I finally got a look at what he had been painting.


    It was me.


    Not me as I was with this mask on, but me with my actual face. It was¡­it seemed to be a scene of the first hunt I had participated in. But what he¡¯d painted hadn¡¯t happened. On the canvas, I was being mauled to death by the bear-rabbit that I had lured to the clearing. Blood was everywhere, and I had four deep claw wounds inflicted on my face, bursting my left eye. I was missing my right arm as well, while my left was outstretched toward the viewer. The face of the me on the painting was twisted in panic.


    I¡­I didn¡¯t¡­I couldn¡¯t¡­


    How do you even react to the sight of something like that? Was that why he had picked me for the second hunt? He wanted to see me mauled to death by a monster because I had escaped his torment the first time?


    Slowly, I became aware that I wasn¡¯t the only one frozen in horror at the sight of the paint. The servant had frozen in place as well, staring at it with an open mouth. The entire time the two of us had been staring at the painting, Magnus had just been staring back at us with an expressionless face in silence.


    The servant snapped out it first. ¡°M-my apologies, my lord.¡± He stuttered. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to your work.¡± He hurried over to the cart and me and leaned up to hiss in my ear. ¡°Get out of here, unless you want that to be you.¡±


    Horrified, I stared at him for a moment before coming to my senses. Swiftly, I turned the cart around and nearly rushed after the fleeing servant. As soon as I was outside, the servant shut the door behind us as quickly as he could. The entire time that we¡¯d been in the room, Magnus hadn¡¯t spoken a word to us.


    I was breathing pretty heavily at this point. I couldn¡¯t even describe the rush of fear-based adrenaline that had hit me, seeing a depiction of myself like that. I turned my head to look at the servant with wide eyes, forgetting myself for a moment. He stared back at me with a dour look, before placing his right index finger over his mouth in a shushing gesture.


    Dude, you didn¡¯t have to tell me that. I never wanted to think about that again, much less talk about it.


    Clearing his throat, the servant spoke. ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait here for Lord Magnus to be finished.¡± He said dispassionately.


    Oh.


    Shit.

 Chapter 61 - Drained

    Well, here I was. Standing in front of a door again, waiting for a noble to finish eating so I could collect his plates like he was a child. Not only that, but it was a noble that apparently wanted to see me viciously mauled to death. Great. I didn¡¯t even have the option of eavesdropping this time. Magnus hadn¡¯t made any noise inside his room since I¡¯d been standing out here, much less spoken.


    Whatever, I wasn¡¯t actually up here to wait on Magnus anyway.


    While I may have been distracted by Magnus¡¯s horrific painting, I¡¯d still gotten a good look at his room. Nothing in there had matched the description Grey had given me of a Ward Stone. The room hadn¡¯t even had any connecting rooms to check, either. Bizarrely, I¡¯d noticed a section of the room that contained a bathing and washing station with little sectioning off. I had no idea what that was about.


    There hadn¡¯t been any kind of safe in the room either, to potentially store it in. From what Grey had told me, you couldn¡¯t do that with Ward Stones. They had to be resting on a specially prepared plinth that helped project the field the stone produced. It was apparently as much a part of the setup as the stone was, and it wasn¡¯t portable.


    If the stone wasn¡¯t in Magnus¡¯s room¡­


    Then I had to check out the only other room on the third floor.


    Casting a glance back over my shoulder at the door to Magnus¡¯s room, I soundlessly walked across the hall to the door on the left side of the corridor. I was mindful of the noise that my feet were making on the hardwood flooring, as I had no idea the level of Perception that Magnus had. Once I had reached it, I reached out and gently tried the rightmost double door handle, only for it to refuse to budge.


    Shit, locked.


    Unfortunately, the lessons on stealth Silvia had given me hadn¡¯t included lockpicking. Like a fool, I hadn¡¯t even thought to ask for them. I stood there for a moment, contemplating the keyhole I could see beneath the handle. You know, it was actually pretty damn big, about the size of my upper thumb. Maybe I could see something through it?


    Crouching down, I put my eye level with the keyhole. And yup, I was right. I could see through it just fine.


    The room on the other side of the door wasn¡¯t quite as big as Magnus¡¯s had been. It was sparsely decorated, and only really had one thing in it. I felt a surge of adrenaline run through me at the sight of it.


    That had to be the Ward Stone.


    Hovering over the top of a nearly four-foot-tall sculpted column of marble was a basketball-sized chunk of clear blue crystal. Carved in the shape of a heptahedron like Grey had told me it would be, the stone and the marble plinth it rested above were absolutely covered in carved runes. For a moment, I just watched it spin in place.


    Standing up and taking a few steps back from the door, I soundlessly pumped my fist in triumph. I¡¯d done it. I¡¯d managed to find where both the control slate and the Ward Stone were being kept. Now I just had to wait for my chance to exfiltrate the manor. It shouldn¡¯t be that long, only a few more hours. The slaves weren¡¯t allowed to stay in the manor, after all.


    However, I didn¡¯t get to enjoy my success for long.


    I never saw the blow that knocked me out coming.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    I don¡¯t know how long I was unconscious. Slowly, I began to drift back to consciousness, aware of a vicious pain in the back of my head and a sticky sensation in my hair. I tried to open my eyes, only to hiss at the candlelight that burned them. I retained enough presence of mind to recognize this sensation.


    Shit, I had a concussion.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re awake.¡± I heard groggily somewhere above me. Despite my concussion, that voice sent a spike of ice running down my spine.


    That was Magnus.


    Eyes flying open, I tried to jerk upright and escape from him. Only, I was stopped in my tracks by something holding me down. Turning wild eyes to whatever it was, I discovered that I had manacles attached to both of my arms. Jerking on them, I found there was no way I was getting out of them easily. They were bolted to the floor.


    Fighting against my concussion as hard as I could, I cast a wild gaze around. I was in Magnus¡¯s room again, in the center of it this time. He had rolled the large rug I had noticed out of the way to expose a square section of stone that had multiple metal inlets. My chains were attached to a few of them, and I was resting in the middle of the square. Not only that, but I could see multiple dark brown stains set into the stone around me¡­


    ¡°Oh, do calm down, cattle.¡± I heard Magnus say contemptuously behind me. Jerking my head around, I found him staring at his grotesque painting in front of the still-open balcony doors. Beyond him, I could see that the sun had finally set. Fuck. If the sun was down, that meant the slaves had already been dismissed for the night.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°W-what do you want with me?¡± I asked, very real fear in my voice. Had he seen past my mask somehow? Did he know who I was?


    ¡°Did you enjoy gaping at my work earlier?¡± Magnus said, not answering my question. ¡°I¡¯ve felt unusually inspired, lately. It¡¯s not often one of my chosen prey escapes me, and now this one,¡± He tapped a finger right over my mangled face on the painting. ¡°Has done so twice. I admit, it has my blood up. But I¡¯m not quite satisfied with this piece yet. I feel like it¡¯s missing something. And I believe I know what that is.¡± Magnus finally turned around to face me.


    He had a large, deadly-looking dagger clutched in his right hand.


    ¡°The reds aren¡¯t quite right.¡± He said with a crazed glint in his eyes.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Magnus bled me nearly to the point of death. I can only guess that he¡¯d figured out, through long practice, how much blood he could take from one person before they weren¡¯t of any use anymore.


    First, he¡¯d pinned me to the ground with only one hand by putting his hand over my mouth and holding me there. Nothing I did even budged him, no matter how hard I struggled. Then, he took his dagger and opened an artery in my right arm in order to get me bleeding. He collected everything I lost in a bowl he¡¯d brought with him. At one point, I was so desperate and wild with fear I even tried to reach for my dagger. I don¡¯t know what I was intending to use it for when Magnus was so much stronger than I was, but I wasn¡¯t thinking straight in my panic.


    But even that was denied to me. The chains holding me down were so short and tightly connected to the floor that I couldn¡¯t reach the hidden sheath on my thigh. Not with Magnus holding me down. All I could do was stare up at him above me with wild eyes as he stole my literal lifeblood.


    Even that wasn¡¯t enough for him, though.


    Dazed and weakened, I watched as Magnus held the bowl up to examine it critically. He clucked his tongue before shaking his head. ¡°Not nearly enough.¡± Before I could even scream, Magnus pounced on me again while withdrawing something from a pouch on his waist. This time, he grabbed my nose and forcefully shoved something against my mouth, nearly breaking my front teeth. From my prone position, I looked down at whatever it was. It was a small bottle full of a dark, nearly wine-red liquid.


    A potion.


    I didn¡¯t want to drink it, but I had no choice. Eventually, I needed to breathe, and Magnus took that opportunity to pour the potion down my throat. I had to swallow it, or I would die drowning on land. I could feel the potion begin to work rapidly on me, and I watched with dull eyes as the trickling wound on my right arm began to gush once more. It seemed as if Magnus¡¯s potion was some kind of blood replenisher.


    Things grew hazy after this point.


    I don¡¯t think that was the last time Magnus used a potion on me, in order to get more blood. But I can¡¯t be sure. All I know is that he bled me enough to fill a small bucket by the time he was done.


    I was drifting in and out of consciousness at this point, well aware that I was in real danger of death from exsanguination. Despite Magnus being finished with me, the wound on my right arm was still oozing. Completely out of my mind, I watched dully as Magnus began to mix something into the bucket and mix it in with a satisfied hum.


    So, this was how I was going to die. Bled out by a madman in order for him to make a more depraved painting.


    I¡¯m sorry, Grey. I¡¯m sorry Azarus.


    I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to help you escape, after all.


    I passed out, certain I was about to die.


    But not for long.


    A hideous burning sensation, originating on my wounded arm, shocked me back to life. My eyes flew back open and I screamed wildly in renewed agony from the sensation of my cut wound melting closed. Magnus was standing above me, holding a red-hot hooked fire poker over the injury he had caused on me, cauterizing it with a bored look on his face.


    ¡°Oh, cease your caterwauling, bloodbag,¡± Magnus said scornfully. ¡°You should be grateful I¡¯m doing anything at all. You¡¯re only getting this much because I don¡¯t want to be bothered calling for your corpse to be taken away. You can haul your own carcass out of here now that I¡¯m done.¡± With a contemptuous flick of his wrist, Magnus tossed the fire poker back into the fireplace from which it had originated, on the eastern wall of his quarters. The first erupted into renewed flames, burning away my blood and viscera stuck to the poker. With a spoken word from Magnus that I didn¡¯t understand, the manacles around my wrists fell off.


    Despite being released, I felt too weak from blood loss to even contemplate getting up and escaping. I still tried though. Shakily, I turned over onto my stomach and tried to push myself up, only to fail. I fell flat on my face. In front of me was one of the discarded bottles of blood-replenishing potion. Through blurry eyes, I was able to tell that there were still a few drops left inside. Maybe¡­maybe that would be enough¡­


    I grabbed at it desperately with weakened fingers, barely managing to tilt it up enough for the few remaining drops to fall into my mouth. I let go of it afterward, the glass clattering to the stone section of the floor beneath me. I¡­I think I felt a bit better. But only slightly. I managed to get myself up onto my knees this time, in order to see that Magnus had completely turned his back on me. He was painting with my blood.


    I felt a surge of never before felt hatred roll over me. I wanted to kill Magnus more than I had ever wanted to kill anyone in my life. Slowly, my hand began to drift toward my hidden dagger. If I got him in the right place with The Scintillant Blade, maybe it would be enough¡­


    I was shocked out of my revenge fantasies by Magnus speaking again. ¡°If you¡¯re not out of my chambers in the next few minutes, cattle, I¡¯ll finish the job.¡± He said with his back still turned, audibly bored with me. He never once stopped painting. ¡°I don¡¯t care what Orinbar says about it.¡±


    Damnit. I hated him, and I wanted him dead, but I was too weak right now. If I tried to attack him, I wouldn¡¯t be able to get my blade in his back fast enough. He would be able to hear me coming from a mile away and would kill me instantly for trying.


    I didn¡¯t bother saying anything in return to his order. I merely pushed myself up on wobbly legs and stumbled my way out of his door. Before I closed it behind me, I made sure to turn around and burn the image of Magnus merrily painting away with paint made from my blood into my memory. I didn¡¯t want to forget this.


    Another time, Magnus. I promise you that.

 Chapter 62 - Bloody Promise

    I staggered down the third-floor stairs of the manor, my left arm clutched over my right. I may not have been bleeding anymore, but the burn from the cauterization Magnus gave me was still painful. I was delirious from the blood loss, and could barely see in front of me. I don¡¯t think I was able to keep up my slave act very well as I shakily made my way down the staircase to the first floor, but I didn¡¯t care. The only thing on my mind was getting out of the manor and back to Azarus¡¯s house.


    When I managed to reach the first floor, I literally bumped into someone as they were turning a corner to climb upwards. Dazed, I fell backward onto the step behind me, staring blankly at the person I¡¯d run into. It was the servant dwarf from earlier who had led me to Magnus¡¯s room.


    ¡°Watch where you¡¯re¡­going¡­¡± He started irritably, before trailing off. He must have recognized me, even as covered in blood as I was. He reached up and covered his face with his right hand and sighed. ¡°I see.¡± He said tiredly. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll fetch the cart later, then.¡± Surprisingly, he reached down and hauled me up by my shoulders. I stood on wobbly legs, nearly listing over before slinging my left arm over his shoulder. ¡°The other slaves have already left for the night, so you need to go too.¡± He said, not unsympathetically. ¡°You don¡¯t want to be seen by old Piggy lingering around the manor after dark.¡±


    Blearily, I turned my head slightly to look at him. I retained enough piece of mind to be amused, despite myself. I guess I wasn¡¯t the only one that called him that.


    Surprisingly, the servant didn¡¯t lead me to the servant¡¯s entrance attached to the kitchen. In fact, he led me to the main door of the manor. With his free hand, he opened it up for me. Outside, it was fully dark, with the moon bright in the sky above us. The dwarf holding me up spoke again. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to take you back to the barracks, so you¡¯re going to have to make your way back there yourself.¡± He told me. When he let go of my arm, I nearly fell over before I got my feet back under myself. Staggering out of the door and into the night air, I was hit by a wall of summer heat that sapped even more of my strength. As I stood there gormlessly, I heard the door close behind me.


    Fuck, what now. This wasn¡¯t how I was intending to leave the manor. Originally, I was going to leave the same way I got in, by the servant¡¯s entrance. From there, I was going to retrace my steps and go over the wall again until I could get back to Azarus¡¯s house. I couldn¡¯t do that, now. On the other hand, I don¡¯t even know if I had the strength in me to scale the walls and hold Thorn Cloak active at the same time. The original plan hadn¡¯t counted on me being weakened via exsanguination.


    While thankfully, there weren¡¯t any guards currently stationed outside the manor to see me, I knew that there were patrols on the streets just outside. There always were, at night. I was going to have to improvise. Shakily reaching up to my face, I undid the FAT attached to it with a whispered command word and stuffed it down my pants.


    I¡¯d had an idea. Hopefully, I wouldn¡¯t need it in case a guard found me. I think the dark of the night would be enough to hide my darkened hair in case I was found, though.


    I passed through the thankfully still-open manor gate and turned to my right. That way led to Azarus¡¯s house and the small side path it lay on. I¡¯d only managed to make it a few steps down the dirt road when I was interrupted, though. ¡°You there, stop!¡± I heard from behind me.


    Of course, a guard would find me nearly immediately.


    I did as ordered though, and turned around to face the sound of the rapidly approaching guard.


    He slowed as he reached me, furrowing his brow. ¡°I recognize you.¡± He said. ¡°You¡¯re Lord Azarus¡¯s slave. What are you doing out here?¡± I recognized him, as well. I¡¯d seen this guard several times, during my visit¡¯s Van¡¯s shop. Thank fuck, I think this would work. He hadn¡¯t even commented on my hair.


    I cleared my throat weakly. ¡°I¡¯m returning from Master Vandimar¡¯s shop, master,¡± I said, bowing my head.


    ¡°This late?¡± I heard him ask skeptically.


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± I answered, struggling to keep my voice even. ¡°It was a large order.¡±


    I heard the guard hum. ¡°Be on your way, then.¡± He said dismissively. ¡°Oh, and do something about the blood before you leave the butchers again. We don¡¯t need you dripping it everywhere around town.¡±


    ¡°As you say, master,¡± I murmured. Get fucked, bastard. This was my blood.


    I heard the guard turn around and begin walking away from me. I did the same, turning around and trying to hurry back to Azarus¡¯s. I wasn¡¯t very fast though, not in my weakened state. I could feel myself growing even weaker, as well. By the time I had reached the entrance to the clearing where the house was, the world was spinning around me. I could barely walk straight.


    I only managed to make it a few steps inside when I felt the last of my strength leave me. Slumping onto my knees, I could feel the world growing dark.


    I fell face forward, losing consciousness as I did so.


    Strangely, I thought I could hear voices.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    I woke up in a familiar bed. Not mine though.


    Grey¡¯s.


    I¡¯d woken up in this bed often enough after overexerting myself that I didn¡¯t even need to open my eyes to recognize it. As I clawed my way back to consciousness, I felt a wave of relief pass over me. Grey or Azarus must have found me after I¡¯d passed out. Thank God.


    I took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. I opened my eyes when I was done, wincing at the sunlight from the open window above me. Sitting up, I looked around.


    Yup, this was Grey¡¯s room and Grey¡¯s bed. And I wasn¡¯t alone in here. Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t Grey though. Azarus was in the room, nominally watching over me. I say nominally, because he was snoozing himself in a chair not far from the bed. Grey was nowhere to be found.


    My movement must have been enough to alert him though, because Azarus jerked awake with a snort a few seconds later. When he opened his eyes, he jolted in his chair when he noticed me.


    ¡°Nate!¡± He said, jerking forward to look at me. He was visibly concerned. ¡°Are ya all right? We were worried when ya didn¡¯t get home on time. I was just heading out to look for ya when we ya passed out in the yard. What happened? Only thing we found on ya was a nasty-looking burn.¡±


    Reminded of the burn, I realized that I hadn¡¯t felt anything from it since I woke up. Looking down at the crook of my right arm, I pushed up my sleeve. It looked healed, to me. Instead of being a nasty swollen and blackened burn, it was just a scar now. I could visibly make out the shape of the hooked fire poker from the raised pink flesh. From past experience, I could guess that Grey had used one of our potions on it.


    Idly, I wondered if he¡¯d used one of the ones I¡¯d made. But I shook it off.


    I looked back up at Azarus and shook my head. ¡°Magnus,¡± I spat his name. ¡°Happened to me.¡±


    Azarus¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Did he figure ya out? How did ya escape? Are they comin¡¯?¡± He said alarmed, half-rising out of his chair.


    I held up a hand to stop him. ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­fine. He didn¡¯t figure out who I was. He just saw a convenient target and decided to take advantage of that.¡± I said bitterly.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Azarus said lamely. He sat back down with a thump. ¡°Oh. I see.¡± He finished glumly. I guess he knew how Magnus was.


    We sat in silence for a moment before I broke. ¡°Azarus,¡± I said, catching his attention. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill him.¡± The declaration hung heavy in the air for a moment before I continued. ¡°Before we escape, I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m going to kill him. That monster¡­I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d be able to live with myself if I left before I could settle matters.¡±


    Azarus was silent for a time before he met my eyes. ¡°I get it.¡± He murmured. ¡°I really do. There ain¡¯t no love lost between us, and if you¡¯re worried about that don¡¯t be. I know what he¡¯s like. How wrong he is. He¡¯s like a rabid animal that should¡¯ve been taken out back and put down ages ago, but he ain¡¯t been. Too politically important.¡± He shook his head before sighing. ¡°Do what ya gotta. I won¡¯t stop ya.¡±


    I nodded at him, and he returned it. All right then.


    I swung my legs off the bed and stood up with only a slight wobble. Looking around, I found a change of clothes already laid out for me on the bedside table. Luckily, I was at least still wearing underwear. I reached for it to put it on.


    I spoke again with my shirt halfway on. ¡°Where¡¯s Grey?¡± I said, my voice muffled by the cloth.


    With my vision still obstructed, I heard Azarus stand up from his chair with a scraping noise. ¡°He¡¯s in the kitchen, whipping something up for breakfast.¡± He said, voice still subdued.


    I finished clothing myself and nodded at Azarus. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s go then. I need to tell you guys what I found.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Azarus was right, and we found Grey frying up some local tuber reminiscent of potatoes. I¡¯d had some before, and the smell reminded me of how little I¡¯d been given to eat yesterday. My stomach audibly rumbled, which must have alerted Grey. He looked over his shoulder from his position at the stove and started.


    ¡°Nathan!¡± He said, shocked. Hurriedly, he moved his pan over to the tabletop next to him and turned his chair around. Wheeling over to where I was standing in the doorway, he looked up at me in concern. ¡°Are you all right? What happened?¡±


    Unconsciously, my left hand reached up to grasp my new ¡®gift¡¯ from Magnus on my right arm. Grey¡¯s eyes followed my movement before meeting my eyes. I looked away.


    ¡°Magnus happened,¡± I said shortly. ¡°Beyond that, I don¡¯t really want to talk about it yet.¡± Looking over the top of him, I smiled wryly. ¡°More importantly, you might want to watch that.¡±


    Following my gaze, Grey saw the pan he¡¯d set to the side scorching the wood of the table, wisps of smoke rising from the contact. ¡°Ah, dammit.¡± He muttered, before hurriedly wheeling back over and resuming his cooking.


    Before he could speak again, I did. ¡°I¡¯ll talk about what I found in the manor after we eat,¡± I said. ¡°I only got one small meal yesterday.¡±


    As Azarus and I sat down at the table, Grey made an acknowledging noise.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    I sat back in my chair with a content sigh. As always, Grey was a surprisingly excellent cook. Looking up, I saw that both Grey and Azarus were looking at me in expectation. I leaned back forward. ¡°First things first,¡± I started. ¡°I found both the slate and the stone.¡±


    Grey smiled while Azarus nodded solemnly. ¡°Excellent job, Nathan! Where are they kept?¡±


    ¡°Sylvia was pretty much right on the money about where they would be,¡± I said, causing Grey to smile wider. ¡°The slate was in Orinbar¡¯s office, which is on the second floor, third room on the left. Big fancy door, not so fancy office.¡±


    Azarus nodded. ¡°That sounds like Orin. He¡¯s not big on what he sees as ¡®extravagance¡¯.¡±


    I nodded back at him and continued. ¡°I saw a safe in there that I think he keeps it in. As for the stone¡­¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s on the third floor in its own room across from Magnus¡¯s.¡± I wasn¡¯t able to keep my hatred for him from seeping into my tone, causing Grey to look at me in concern and Azarus to look away.


    ¡°Are you all right, Nathan? What happened to you?¡± Grey asked me.


    I was quiet for a moment, fighting with myself about whether or not to tell them. Eventually, I decided to answer. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it much, but I¡¯ll say this. Magnus wanted a more realistic red color for a painting of his, so he took it from me. Just¡­please don¡¯t ask for details.¡±


    My words caused Grey¡¯s eyes to grow wide in horrified surprise and Azarus to look away from me, almost in shame.


    I shook my head slowly. ¡°It¡¯s done. I survived.¡± I stood up from the chair. ¡°Now I just need to finish the Ward Breaker, and we¡¯re out of here.¡±


    But not before I had my revenge.

 Chapter 63 - Bad Feeling

    I couldn¡¯t bring myself to rest much over the next few days. I knew that I¡¯d lost most of the blood in my body several times over and needed to recover, but I couldn¡¯t stop. I had to keep working, I had to keep studying and practicing. I needed to finish the Ward Breaker in a way that I couldn¡¯t properly describe. Ever since I¡¯d gotten back from the manor, I was increasingly anxious about even being in Addersfield anymore. Knowing that I was inside the same walls as Magnus and I couldn¡¯t stop him just yet was driving me mad. It was like an itch under my skin that couldn''t be scratched.


    I could tell that Grey and Azarus were becoming increasingly concerned for me, too. I know that what I was doing wasn¡¯t healthy for me, but I couldn¡¯t help myself. The work was becoming an obsession, and it needed to be finished. I tried to keep in mind that I wasn¡¯t doing this only for myself but to free Grey from his bondage and Azarus from his family as well. But it was hard, knowing that as soon as I finished the Breaker, I could plan my re-infiltration of the manor. And ultimately?


    My assassination of Magnus.


    I¡¯d had the right idea in those seconds before I¡¯d left his chambers, I¡¯d decided. I was going to use The Scintillant Blade. I¡¯d hide in a position that would bring him near me, maybe even in his own room, and then I¡¯d tear out his throat with a brilliantly burning dagger.


    To that end, I¡¯d decided I needed more practice with one. I¡¯d been having trouble sleeping lately and had gotten up early again. I¡¯d wanted to get more work done when I¡¯d gotten the idea to try and make a practice dummy out behind the house. I wanted to be more comfortable with a knife before it came time to end Magnus. I¡¯d grabbed an extra pillow and blanket and headed outside into the green period of dawn and scavenged some dead wood from the nearby copse of trees. After that, I¡¯d fired up Aetherial Melding and got to work. I¡¯d had an idea.


    This wasn¡¯t the first time I¡¯d tried to use the Wildshaping part of Aetherial Melding, but it was likely the largest item I¡¯d made so far. Before this, I¡¯d only really made small carved figurines. In a way, it reminded me of a Fleshcraft meld. Plant matter like wood, I¡¯d found, was easy to work with. Stone was a whole other, pain in the ass matter, but I digress. You typically wanted to work with dead wood anyway, so it responded well to my nudges and shaping. The fibers of the pillow and blanket weren¡¯t hard to change shape, either. In no time, I¡¯d woven together the various branches into a kind of curling cross shape that seemed sturdy enough. It had some hooks on it, and on those hooks, I fused the fabric of the pillow and the blanket together to form the rough shape of a dwarf. Into it, I stuffed plenty of fallen leaves and grass from the clearing around me.


    When I was finished, I had¡­a sort of lumpy dwarven-looking scarecrow. I was breathing hard from the exertion of all the melding I¡¯d done. I¡¯d gotten much more used to the strain of using my Profession over the last few weeks though, so I recovered soon. I¡¯d come a long way from passing out at making a simple weak potion.


    I was startled out of my inspection of the dummy by a voice behind me.


    ¡°Nate?¡± I heard a tired-sounding voice call out groggily from the house. Turning around, I saw that the voice belonged to a bare-chested Azarus, leaning out of the window of his bedroom. I felt a small surge of guilt. All of my gathering and crafting must have woken him up. ¡°What the hells are ya doing out here?¡±


    I might have felt a little guilty, but I also saw this as an opportunity. I¡¯d been wanting to ask Azarus for something.


    I walked over to where Azarus was leaning out of the house and looked up. ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep, so I started making something to practice on,¡± I called up to him. ¡°Hey, can I ask you a favor?¡±


    Azarus furrowed his tired brow down at me. ¡°Yeah? What do ya need?¡±


    ¡°I want to pick up Dagger Proficiency,¡± I told him. ¡°You said you knew how to all kinds of weapons, before, so I wondering if you¡¯d be willing to help me get it.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t no ¡®Dagger Proficiency¡¯.¡± Azarus shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s Knife Proficiency. And why the hell would ya want to-¡± He stopped himself mid-sentence, face falling. ¡°Oh. Yeah. I¡­guess I could do that. Give me a minute, and I¡¯ll be down.¡± He disappeared back into his room and shut his window behind him. I remained staring at the window for a moment in contemplation, though.


    Was it fucked up of me to ask someone to train me to kill his own cousin? Yes. Was I still doing it anyway? Also yes.


    I¡¯d make it up to him later.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Azarus kept to his word and came out to meet me dressed for practice a few minutes later. He gave my hastily put-together, slapdash training dummy a bit of a side eye, but incorporated it into his training anyway. For the next several hours, Azarus ran me through the knife-fighting drills that he knew. He taught me how to strike and how to slash properly. How to parry with a fighting dagger, and how to disarm an opponent. He even had me demonstrate my strikes and stabs on the dummy. With visible reluctance, he pointed out the best areas on the pseudo-dwarf to aim for. Either to debilitate my opponent, or to strike a fatal blow.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    I paid more attention to the second one.


    We only really stopped for the day once Grey woke up and poked his baffled head outside the back door to ask what we were doing. That was fine though, as by that time I¡¯d managed to pick up Knife Proficiency. Only at level one, but that was enough for now. I wasn¡¯t looking to get into a knockdown drag-out fight with Magnus. He was still over fifty levels above me, and I¡¯d get demolished in a straight brawl.


    But for an assassination? One that involved my skill that seemed to penetrate all defenses and level differences?


    It would do.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Despite how determined I was to finish making the Ward Breaker, I couldn¡¯t work on it all the time. I just didn¡¯t have the stamina or strength. I needed some kind of break, and I knew what I was going to do. Ever since my encounter with the guard after I left the manor, I¡¯d been wondering if he¡¯d checked my alibi with Van. I¡¯d told him that I was coming home from a long day working at the butcher''s, and it seemed like he had bought it. But I wanted to be sure.


    Grey was working on some more items and potions for Prince Anguis when I left, and Azarus was in the forge, as he usually was. Despite how close we were to escape in general, Grey thought it was a good idea to not arouse any suspicion by stopping his work and regular deliveries. I let Grey know where I was going and left him to it, and headed out. After a short walk along the side path, I emerged out on the far side of town. I was¡­a little surprised at what I saw.


    The town was busier than I had ever seen it. I slowed before I entered the main thoroughfare, hiding behind a building to check it out. It looked like the townspeople had been whipped up into a frenzy. There were people running back and forth carrying supplies and barking orders at their slaves doing the grunt work. I saw multiple teams of slaves carrying around large pieces of furniture and carting them off down the other side path. The one that ran down the opposite, right side of the manor that I¡¯d found the servant''s entrance on. In fact, here one came.


    I flattened myself against the side of the building I was hiding against and prayed I wasn¡¯t noticed by the Overseer that was directing the team of slaves. I needn¡¯t have bothered though; they didn¡¯t once even look in my direction. They just continued carrying what looked like a large bench down the other side of the manor.


    All right, this was giving me a bad feeling. I needed to get back to Azarus¡¯s place and let the guys know something was up. I could try going back to Van¡¯s place another time. Before I left, I risked another glance down the main thoroughfare. I nearly felt my heart stop in shock at what I saw.


    A group of guards were dragging Bleddyn out of Van¡¯s shop.


    I was just barely able to see it from where I was, but the commotion was drawing attention from the rest of the street. A pair of guards were holding a struggling Bleddyn by his arms and force marching him out of the building. No matter how hard Bleddyn struggled though, he wasn¡¯t able to budge the grip of the two armored dwarves. They still had their Status after all, while Bleddyn¡¯s had been stolen from him.


    Staggering out of the building behind him was an injured Vandimar. He had blood running down the left side of his face, and a rapidly swelling purple knot on his cheek. Despite this, he was dogging the steps of the guards, visibly pleading with them. I was too far away to hear what he was saying. They didn¡¯t seem to be paying him any mind, however. In the still-open doorway of the shop, I could see the frightened face of Rachel peaking around the frame.


    Somehow, even across this distance, Bleddyn and I managed to lock eyes. He stopped struggling long enough for his own to widen in horror. Slowly, carefully he tried to mouth something to me. Despite the language barrier that separated us, crossed only by a skill, I was still able to understand him.


    ¡®Look out.¡¯


    His warning came too late.


    ¡°Well, well, what do we have here,¡± I heard behind me. I stiffened in surprise. I hadn¡¯t heard anyone sneaking up on me, considering the attention I¡¯d been paying to Bleddyn. ¡°Could it be a slave trying to dodge the ¡®festivities¡¯?¡± The voice asked mockingly, followed shortly by a few separate snickers.


    Slowly, dreading what I would find, I turned around.


    There was a group of Addersfield guards behind me. Three in total, I even recognized a few of them. The speaker was the guard that had backhanded me all those weeks ago when I had learned Wildshaping. I didn¡¯t recognize the second, but the third was the guard I had lied to the other night.


    He recognized me, as well.


    ¡°Hey, wait a second,¡± He said, pushing to the front of the group. ¡°I know this one. It¡¯s Lord Azarus¡¯s.¡± He glanced over at the leader of the group. ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to¡­?¡± He trailed off.


    The leader peered at me closer. He smirked. ¡°I do believe you¡¯re right, Corporal Rossi. I recognize him now. That is Lord Azarus¡¯s slave. Bad luck, meat.¡± He said, advancing on me.


    I didn¡¯t give him the chance. Ducking under his open fist as it swiped at me, I turned to run back to Azarus¡¯s. I didn¡¯t know what was going on and I didn¡¯t know what these guards wanted. But I wasn¡¯t inclined to find out. Azarus had told me what to do if anything like this ever happened, and it was pretty much ¡®let me handle it¡¯. I had to get back to his house.


    Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t get very far. Halfway back to the entrance to the side path, I was hit by a side tackle from the guard I didn¡¯t recognize. We flew several feet horizontally before crashing into the dirt. The breath was knocked out of me from the impact, and the world spun as the guard held me down.


    As I stared upwards, dazed, the leader of these guards appeared above me. He was smirking and shaking his head as if my attempt to escape them was one big joke. ¡°Nice try. But now it¡¯s time for lights out.¡± He said mockingly, rearing back his armor-clad right foot.


    I didn¡¯t even get the chance to scream before the boot struck the side of my head, robbing me of consciousness.


    The world went dark.

 Chapter 64 - Ill-Fated Reunion

    ¡°Mr. Hart? M-Mr. Hart, can you hear me?¡±


    Slowly, I started to drift back to consciousness, aware that someone was calling my name. They were lightly shaking my shoulders as well. For a moment, I didn¡¯t know what was going on. I hadn¡¯t even opened my eyes yet, and my head was throbbing. I couldn¡¯t think straight.


    As if from far away, I heard another voice. ¡°Move, boy.¡± A more masculine voice said. Shortly, I began to be shaken more roughly, stirring me back to consciousness more effectively. ¡°Get up, Nate. You can¡¯t afford to be out right now.¡±


    I cracked my eyes open gradually, only seeing blurs for a moment. When my eyes finished focusing, I found that a rough-looking Bleddyn was hovering over me, hands on my shoulders. Fretfully hovering behind him was another familiar face. One I hadn¡¯t seen in weeks.


    It was Walter, the young slave that had taught me Wildshaping all those weeks ago.


    I blinked slowly at them, my brain rebooting. Abruptly, I remembered what had happened to me, eyes widening. I¡¯d been violently knocked out by a group of guards, and presumably captured by them. I jerked upright, nearly slamming my head into Bleddyn and whipping my own around in a circle wildly. The sudden movement made me surprisingly nauseous, nearly sending me back down to the floor, if not for the grip Bleddyn still had on my shoulders.


    ¡°Easy there, Nate,¡± Bleddyn said soothingly. ¡°You took a hard blow to the head. I wish you could just stay out to recover, but we¡¯re kinda buggered right now.¡±


    I blinked up at him, strangely doing so one eye at a time. ¡°What,¡± I croaked out, before clearing my throat. ¡°What happened? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Bleddyn shook his head, hands still on my shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Nobody here does.¡±


    At his words, I took another look around. I was in what looked to be a hastily constructed tent. It wasn¡¯t very big, leaving everyone that was inside of it fairly cramped. Other than Bleddyn, Walter and I, there were five other slaves inside the tent for a total of eight people. The other five slaves were scattered away from us, all male and all of them watching everyone else with distrustful eyes.


    I slowly stood up, aware of a sticky sensation on my face. Touching it and looking at my hand, I found that it was blood. I grimaced and looked back at Bleddyn. ¡°How bad does it look?¡±


    ¡°Could be worse,¡± Bleddyn said doubtfully. ¡°Bone didn¡¯t look cracked before it healed a little.¡± Implying that bone had been visible at one time. Shit. And from the woozy sensation I was feeling, I had to wonder if I might have another goddamn concussion.


    I took a deep breath before attempting to smile at Walter, who was still hovering next to us and wringing his hands. ¡°Walter,¡± I said, trying to project confidence into my voice. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again. I wish it were under better circumstances.¡±


    Walter gave me a terrified, wobbly smile in return. ¡°I-it¡¯s good to see y-you too, Mr. Hart.¡± He managed to stutter out.


    I tried to give him a reassuring smile. From the look on his face, I¡¯m not sure it worked. Turning back to Bleddyn and leaning in, I kept my voice as low as I could, aware of all the eyes that were on us. ¡°Is it another hunt?¡±


    Bleddyn leaned in and shook his head minutely. ¡°Don¡¯t think so,¡± He muttered to me. ¡°This is too big a production for one of those. Been hearing too many people outside, too much being moved about. We got guards stationed outside watching us, as well. Last time I tried to look out the tent, I nearly got a fist to the face.¡±


    I snorted softly. ¡°You already look like you got one of those.¡± Bleddyn had a large, purplish-black eye developing over his right one.


    He smiled grimly in return. ¡°Well, when they came for me, I didn¡¯t go without a fight.¡± I matched his smile with a low, short laugh before falling silent for a moment.


    ¡°Then Magnus has cooked up some fresh new hell to put slaves through, then,¡± I murmured somberly. I must not have been speaking as quietly as I thought, because one of the slaves in the tent let out a low moan of despair at my words.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Bleddyn snorted softly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it past the fucker.¡±


    Our conversation was interrupted by a guard abruptly storming into the tent with a smirk on his face. His entrance caused the other slaves in the tent to scramble as far away from him as they could, huddling together. Walter somewhat emulated them, hiding behind Bleddyn and I. The two of us turned to face the guard, Bleddyn with a sneer and myself with a frown.


    The guard, the one that I think had tackled me earlier, didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°Time to go, meat.¡± He said maliciously. ¡°Out of the tent.¡± When nobody in the tent moved to follow his instructions, he narrowed his eyes at us and raised a gauntleted fist. ¡°Now, unless you want to catch a wallopin¡¯. And I guarantee you, you don¡¯t want that right now.¡± At his threat, the five other slaves began to scramble out of the tent, streaming alongside the other slaves. The guards'' eyes fell on the three of us, causing Bleddyn¡¯s sneer to deepen. From what I¡¯d learned of Bleddyn, he was probably gearing up for another fight.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    I leaned into him again. ¡°Not now,¡± I whispered in his ear. ¡°We need to at least figure out what¡¯s going on. And if I know Magnus, he¡¯s got some kind of grand, self-fellating speech planned all about how clever his latest scheme is.¡± For a moment, I thought Bleddyn was going to ignore me, before he gave a slight, nearly indiscernible nod. I turned slightly to look over my shoulder at Walter and gave him a gesture to follow us.


    As a group, the three of us walked out of the tent, Bleddyn never losing his sneer and making sure to retain eye contact with the guard as we passed him.


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    I was unsurprised when it turned out we were in the back clearing behind the manor. It seemed like this was where Magnus did his dirty work.


    Well, most of it. My hand tried to reach up and cup my burn scar, but I forced it down.


    The clearing had been transformed, though. The tent that we had exited was a ramshackle-looking thing, situated along the wall and out of the way. Least of the changes, it seemed like someone, most likely a slave, had come through and cut the grass lower in order to make it look more presentable. They hadn¡¯t done much for patches of blood or burnt grass that I knew came from the deaths of unfortunate slaves, though. The mobile pavilion was back as well, but that didn¡¯t catch my eye much. I was used to the sight of it. More importantly, though, Bleddyn had been right.


    It looked like the entire town was out here. Including the guards, which were scattered throughout the clearing.


    Arranged on either side and slightly behind the pavilion were tons of chairs and benches that were surrounded by chattering dwarves. Behind the accommodations and on the other side of the gate from us, I saw what looked like a few tables of food and drinks. There were rows of seating stretching out in a semi-circle as if they were pointed in a certain direction. Looking around, I found what they were facing. It looked like a large circle made of stones positioned in the center of the clearing.


    The sight of it gave me a bad feeling.


    I didn¡¯t get to inspect my surroundings for long though, as my attention was stolen by the sound of a bell ringing. Snapping my head in the direction of the noise, I found a familiar sight. Pignolo, the cruel dwarven servant from the manor, was standing out in front of the pavilion ringing a bell. The chatter and conversation of the gathered dwarves began to die down, with them directing their eyes to Mr. Piggy.


    ¡°Good citizens of Addersfield!¡± He called out, once he had their attention. ¡°I present to you, Lord Magnus, Heir of House Savoy!¡±


    At his words, the gates to the right of our group began to open up. Out of them strode Magnus, dressed in the most opulent set of green and gold robes I¡¯d seen on him. Accompanying him was a team of four Addersfield guards, with Stonebreaker following along behind the group. Even though I couldn¡¯t see his face, the knight still looked visibly displeased from his body language alone.


    At the sight of Magnus, the crowd began to clap politely. Magnus strutted from the gate like I¡¯d never seen before, plainly enjoying the attention. He quickly ascended the back steps of the pavilion and turned around to address the crowd, raising a hand in the process. The applause died down quickly. Magnus smiled insincerely at the gathered dwarves.


    ¡°My friends,¡± He said, trying his hardest to project his voice across the clearing. ¡°Thank you for gathering here today for my little soiree. Lately, I¡¯ve been finding myself terribly bored, and why wouldn¡¯t I? There¡¯s simply so little to amuse oneself with in this,¡± He paused, before continuing. ¡°Charming little town. Why, lately I¡¯ve grown dissatisfied with my usual method of entertainment!¡±


    You mean, when you regularly feed hapless slaves to bloodthirsty monsters?


    ¡°And If I, with all of my privileges have been so discontent of late, I can only imagine how you feel!¡± At his words, the crowd began murmuring among themselves. From my position, I could see that a number of them looked confused. ¡°So, I¡¯ve decided to put on a little show for the both of us.¡± His fake smile became very real and very cruel. ¡°Some good old-fashioned blood sport.¡±


    The crowd grew deathly quiet.


    Magnus turned his eyes to us, the group of slaves practically hiding in the corner. Even from this distance, I could see the malicious glee in them. With his right hand, he gestured to us in a sweeping motion, causing every eye in the clearing to fall on us. I stiffened. In fact, most of us excluding Bleddyn froze in some way. He just glared back.


    ¡°Huddling in the corner like rats on a sinking ship are the stars of today¡¯s entertainment!¡± Magnus grandstanded. ¡°Gathered are the refuse and the malcontents of Addersfield¡¯s slave population! This lot are the weak, the sickly, the too young and too old, and finally the belligerent!¡± I cast an eye at the other slaves. I guess that guy did look a little sick, and those guys looked a bit on in their years. Walter could be the young, and Bleddyn was definitely the belligerent.


    Wait. Did that make me the weak?


    ¡°Today, these eight slaves will compete for our amusement! In a series of duels!¡± Magnus continued, waving Pignolo over to his position. He hurried up to his master''s position, carrying a wooden case of some kind. At a gesture from Magnus, Pignolo opened the case and showed its contents to the crowd. I wasn¡¯t able to see whatever it was from my position. ¡°With these kitchen knives! Using these¡­fine instruments, these repulsive slaves shall battle to prove that they¡¯re worthy of a second chance. For you see, I¡¯m not completely without mercy.¡± He said, smiling maliciously in our direction.


    Yes you are, you sick son of a bitch.


    ¡°The winner of this little tourney shall go on to become one of the Overseers.¡± Magnus continued, causing the other five slaves that I didn¡¯t know in our group to perk up and start paying rapt attention. ¡°Three square meals a day, a reduced workload, and your own room within the Overseer¡¯s quarters. That sounds quite fair, does it not?¡±


    The clearing was silent, except for an awkward cough from the gathered dwarven crowd.


    Magnus suddenly frowned. ¡°I said, aren¡¯t I being fair?¡± He asked menacingly.


    That caused the crowd to speak up.


    ¡°Of course, Lord Magnus!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the very spirit of generosity, My Lord!¡±


    I tried not to be disgusted with the crowd, but it was hard.


    Magnus switched back to his insincere smile. ¡°As I thought. As for the rules of the tourney, the cattle do not need to kill each other. A sufficiently disabling wound will suffice. For now.¡± He said, amending himself at the last moment. ¡°As for you, my loyal subjects, you may avail yourself of the provided delectables during the intermissions. For now, be seated. We have a first bout to get to, don¡¯t we? Guards, gather the cattle and distribute the cutlery.¡±

 Chapter 65 - Life or Death

    Most of us were shuffled off back into the tent after that. Two of the other slaves I didn¡¯t know were held behind by the guards, though. The last thing I saw before the tent closed behind me were knives being given to the disturbingly eager slaves.


    Once inside, we self-segregated again. Me, Bleddyn, and Walter settled into a corner, while the other three slaves spread out and began giving each other distrustful looks.


    Bleddyn was the first to speak. ¡°That sick fucker,¡± He growled. ¡°How does he think he¡¯s goin¡¯ ta get away with this?¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Easily, I¡¯m guessing,¡± I said resentfully. ¡°He gets away with all kinds of shit. Who¡¯s going to stop him?¡±


    Bleddyn just glowered at the tent wall, roughly in the direction Magnus might be. He didn¡¯t say anything, though. He knew I was right.


    My attention was stolen by motion out of the corner of my eye. Turning my head to face it, I found Walter shaking in fear. The poor kid seemed like he was about to start crying. He looked up at me from where he was sitting on the floor. ¡°W-w-what am I supposed to do, Mr. Hart?¡± He managed to stutter out. ¡°I-I¡¯ve never fought anyone in my l-life. I¡¯ve o-only killed a few monsters before.¡±


    Bleddyn¡¯s head snapped around to fix on Walter. He spoke before I could. ¡°Survive, boy. That¡¯s all you can do. Those others,¡± He said, jerking his head at one of the other slaves. ¡°They actually want this. They¡¯ve been broken by their brand, and now they¡¯ll kill whoever they need to for an easier life.¡±


    I took a deep breath before crouching down to meet Walter¡¯s eyes. ¡°He¡¯s right, Walter,¡± I said, gentler than Bleddyn. ¡°None of us would need to do this in a perfect world. None of us-¡±


    I was interrupted by a surprising number of cheers erupting from the spectators outside the tent. I glowered off into thin air at the noise. It sure didn¡¯t take them long to get over their discomfort with Magnus¡¯s latest scheme. ¡°None of us,¡± I continued when the noise died down. ¡°Deserve this. It¡¯s not right, but when you get called out there, make sure you defend yourself.¡±


    Walter stared at me with a bloodless visage before jerkily nodding his head. ¡°I-I¡¯ll try.¡± He whispered.


    I didn¡¯t get the chance to speak again, as the tent flap was raised by one of the guards. Stepping back into the tent was one of the slaves that must have been fighting, covered in blood.


    He wasn¡¯t followed by the other one.


    The blood-splattered slave didn¡¯t meet anyone¡¯s eyes as he slunk into the tent. Bleddyn spat off to the side as the slave passed us, shuffling off to an isolated section of the tent to be alone.


    One of the guards stepped into the tent with a satisfied smirk. ¡°Made five gold off of that one,¡± he said jovially, letting his eyes rove across the slaves of the tent. I tensed as his eyes fell on our group. With a smirk, he pointed at one of us. Dread pooling in my stomach, I followed it to Walter.


    ¡°You, boy.¡± The guard said smugly. ¡°You¡¯re next.¡±


    Walter looked up at me with terrified eyes. He started trembling harder from his position on the floor. Meanwhile, I heard the guard pick another person out of the other slaves. I didn¡¯t turn to see who though, I just laid a comforting hand on Walter¡¯s shoulder. Slowly, I felt a deep well of furious resentment rise up from deep within me. Over the top of Walter, I met Bleddyn¡¯s eyes. I could tell how much he hated this as well, from the full-on teeth-bared snarl on his face. I took a deep breath and tried to put a comforting look on my face. With Bleddyn¡¯s help, we both kneeled down and got Walter onto his feet, from a hand under each of his arms. Once he was up, I clapped both of my hands down on his shoulders and met his eyes with an intense stare.


    ¡°You can do this, Walter,¡± I said lowly. ¡°Magnus never said anything about killing, for once. I think you just have to fight to submission. You can do this. I believe in you.¡±


    Bleddyn nodded on the other side of Walter. ¡°Give ¡®em hell, boy.¡± He said gruffly.


    Walter tried to smile at us but only ended up grimacing. He didn¡¯t get the chance to speak.


    ¡°Now, boy,¡± The guard said, annoyed. He hadn¡¯t moved from his position at the tent entrance, even as the other slave slunk by him. I shot him a dirty look. Perhaps fortuitously, I didn¡¯t get the chance to say anything to him before Walter started to tremblingly walk past him and approach the guard. Once he¡¯d passed the guard, he turned around and mouthed something at us before the flap closed.


    ¡®Thank you.¡¯


    Walter disappeared from view.


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    Shortly after, I heard Magnus smugly give the order for the fight to start. Now that I was listening for it, I could hear the sound of shuffling sound of feet and the grunts of the fighters. Only barely though, as it was nearly drowned out by the boos and jeers of the watching dwarven spectators.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    I couldn¡¯t stop myself from pacing in the tent after Walter left. I was listening as hard as I was able to, but I wasn¡¯t able to keep track of the fight very well purely through sound. I could tell that Bleddyn was trying to as well, and strangely, I think he was able to follow it more closely than I was. I thought it was odd, considering how I was the one with a secretly active Status, and thus a more active Perception Virtue, but I didn¡¯t get the chance to think on it more deeply.


    The crowd suddenly erupted into an explosion of cheers and boos as they had earlier. The fight must be over¡­


    Both Bleddyn and I turned to stare at the entrance of the tent in tense silence. I knew it was wrong of me to hope that Walter had won, and possibly killed another man, but I couldn¡¯t help it. He was just a teenager, dammit.


    The flap suddenly opened, revealing the winner of the bout. I felt dread pool in my stomach at the sight of who it was.


    It wasn¡¯t Walter.


    Instead, it was one of the older slaves, covered in a spray of blood. I lurched forward, unsure of what I was even intending to do before a guard walked into the tent dragging something.


    This time, it was Walter.


    The guard was dragging him by an arm, leaving a trail of blood behind him. I didn¡¯t get a better look at Walter before the guard bodily threw the teen at Bleddyn and me. We just barely managed to get our arms up in time in order to cushion his fall. I think the only reason I didn¡¯t stagger from the weight was because of Bleddyn. Hurriedly, we set him on the ground to look him over. I took in a sharp breath of air at what we found, while Bleddyn cursed under his breath.


    There was a kitchen knife buried up to the hilt in Walter¡¯s stomach.


    Fuck.


    Walter was still alive, if barely. He was gazing blankly at the tent ceiling above while he bled out on the dirt beneath us. I don¡¯t even know if he was aware of us hovering over him. Short, sharp breaths marked by a wheezing noise told me that this wasn¡¯t a minor injury at all.


    I don¡¯t think he had long.


    Panicking slightly, I looked around the tent another time to see if there was anything that we could use as a field dressing. I wasn¡¯t expecting these bastards to have left a convenient potion laying around, but no. There was nothing in the tent but a bunch of unfortunate slaves. There wasn¡¯t even any water to wash the wound with.


    Bleddyn caught my attention with a hard punch to my shoulder, knocking me out of my panic. ¡°Nate,¡± He hissed at me under his breath. ¡°Do what I trained you for.¡± He made a cupping motion with his hands.


    I gazed at him uncomprehendingly for a moment before realization struck me. When it did, I gaped at him. ¡°Are you serious,¡± I hissed back, aware of the guard selecting the other two slaves that hadn¡¯t fought yet. ¡°I¡¯ve never done anything like this before. It¡¯s not the same as a small cut on your arm.¡±


    ¡°You have to try,¡± Bleddyn furiously whispered at me. ¡°You¡¯re the only chance the boy has.¡±


    Goddamnit, he was right. Aetherial Melding was the only chance Walter had of living through this. Surgery using it was hard, but it was theoretically possible. The most first aid I¡¯d ever done with a meld was stitch together small cuts. I made a sound of intense frustration, aware of the eyes of the other slave on us.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I whispered to Bleddyn. ¡°Make sure nobody can see what I¡¯m doing. I¡¯ll give it a shot.¡± Exchanging nods, Bleddyn stood up halfway to hunch over our position, hiding the view of Walter and me as much as he could with his body.


    Taking a deep breath, I thought of what I needed to do first. I¡¯d need something to stitch the wound closed, first. I didn¡¯t have the luxury of nice, clean suture thread, so I¡¯d have to make my own. Reaching up, I ripped the right sleeve off of my shirt. It wasn¡¯t hard, as the material wasn¡¯t extremely strong. But that would work for my purposes. Concentrating with the sleeve cupped between my palms, I entered into the trance I needed to manipulate Aether for a meld.


    Once I had a grasp on the Aether, I got to work. What I needed to do wasn¡¯t hard. I was going to break down the cloth of the sleeve into individual strings that I could use to bind the wound, and whatever internal damage there was, back together. This type of suture wasn¡¯t ideal for internals and would likely stick around inside him, but hopefully, I¡¯d be able to just dissolve it later on if he healed with another meld. I¡¯d just have to hope Walter hadn¡¯t lost too much blood yet to die from that.


    It didn¡¯t take me long, and when I was done there was a large pile of white linen string laying in my lap. I opened my eyes and took a deep breath, aware of a small amount of strain. I¡¯d rushed that part, as I wanted to save the largest amount of my concentration for what was coming next.


    I needed to remove the knife.


    I was going to have to work the fastest I¡¯d ever had with a meld. If I didn¡¯t, Walter would likely die from blood loss while I was trying to save his life. ¡°All right,¡± I whispered to myself, aware of Bleddyn watching my every move. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    Reaching down, I yanked the knife out of Walter¡¯s gut as swiftly and as cleanly as I could, in order to minimize any more damage. Walter cried out weakly at the movement, becoming more aware from the spike of pain. He looked down at me with dazed eyes, as I cupped my hands around the large stab wound and concentrated fiercely to re-enter my trance. Feebly, he reached down to swipe at my hands, too weak from blood loss to understand what was going on. ¡°No¡­¡± He trailed off.


    Not opening my eyes, I spoke. ¡°Hold him down, Bleddyn,¡± I said lowly. I heard Bleddyn shift above me, but I couldn¡¯t see what he was doing. I was too busy feeling out the wound with my Aetherial sense.


    It wasn¡¯t great.


    The knife had entered him just below his stomach. And as I feared, it had caused more than just muscular damage inside. From what I could tell, it had missed his small intestine and instead penetrated right into his large intestine. Thankfully, from what I could tell, it was mostly empty at the moment, so nothing was leaking out of it that would cause sepsis other than blood. For once, the trend of not feeding slaves much had worked in our favor. Still, I¡¯d need to stitch together both Walter¡¯s large intestine, as well as the wound on his abdomen.


    Carefully reaching down and making sure not to lose my concentration, I grabbed my makeshift suture with blood-soaked hands. Bringing the thread to the wound and concentrating harder than I ever had in my life, I got to work.

 Chapter 66 - Courting Death

    I wasn¡¯t sure how long exactly I worked to save Walter¡¯s life, but it couldn¡¯t have been long. The precision of my Aetherial sense and the ability to directly manipulate the flesh below me meant that the process was surprisingly quick, if not incredibly mentally intensive. I couldn¡¯t allow my concentration to slip for even a moment. If it did, and I wasn¡¯t holding the wound together through sheer mental pressure while I worked, Walter would likely bleed out and die.


    I kept in mind I likely didn¡¯t have very long before it was my turn to fight and I had to leave Walter alone. He had to be stable by the time I left him. I couldn¡¯t ask Bleddyn to watch him either, as it hadn¡¯t escaped my attention who the last two slaves that hadn¡¯t fought were. It looked like Magnus wanted the last fight of the first round to be Bleddyn and me.


    I was lucky that whatever was going on out there seemed to be the longest of the fights so far. My concentration had nearly been broken several times by the reactions of the heartless crowd, with their cheers and their jeers. But eventually, I finished.


    I think¡­I¡¯d done it.


    Snapping out of my Aetherial sense with a deep gasp of air, I nearly fell onto my ass at the wave of exhaustion that hit me. Instead, I fell back onto Bleddyn¡¯s legs, as he was still leaning over me. It looked like he had stopped holding down Walter by this point, as apparently, the teenager had lost consciousness sometime during the procedure. I felt my own waver from the strain of what I had done, nearly knocking me out.


    Seconds later, I felt myself being shaken back to awareness. Slowly blinking my eyes, I found that Bleddyn had moved to crouch in front of me. He was staring at me with a concerned expression on his face. ¡°Oi,¡± He said lowly. ¡°Ye can¡¯t sleep now. I think they¡¯re done out there, and we¡¯ve got to check on the boy before they come for us.¡±


    Breathing deeply, I nonetheless nodded at him. He nodded back and moved out of my way so I could inspect Walter. Well, he was breathing at least. It was unsteady and slight, but it was there. He¡¯d likely passed out from the shock of both the wound and the impromptu surgery. He was pale from blood loss, which unfortunately I don¡¯t think I could do anything about. I didn¡¯t have any of the blood-replenishing potions that Magnus had forced down my throat.


    As for the surgery itself, it seemed like it had been a success. I¡¯d managed to stitch close both the wound on his abdomen, and the perforation on his large intestine. Probably not very well, though. The stitches weren¡¯t very neat, and I¡¯d likely used too much thread, but at least Walter wasn¡¯t bleeding everywhere anymore. Instead, I was covered in his blood now.


    Tiredly, I tore off the remaining sleeve on my tunic and started winding it around Walter¡¯s stomach, with Bleddyn¡¯s help. When I was done, I cinched it off as best I could as a makeshift bandage.


    God, I wish I had some kind of medical training to tell whether or not I¡¯d just saved his life, or doomed it.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve done all I can now for him,¡± I said to Bleddyn lowly. ¡°It¡¯s up to him now if he pulls through.¡± Bleddyn nodded at me seriously and opened his mouth to reply, but didn¡¯t get the chance.


    Behind us, we heard the tent flap fly open. Bleddyn shut his mouth and narrowed his eyes. I turned around to see what he was looking at to find another blood-soaked slave stumbling into the tent. This one looked rougher than either of the first two winners, and multiple cuts lingering on his skin. He wasn¡¯t followed by another slave, only the same guard that was assigned to mind us. I let out a rough breath from my nose. That made two other slaves that were likely dead by now.


    I didn¡¯t get very long to contemplate the slave though, as the guard immediately turned to Bleddyn and I. ¡°Up and at ¡®em, you two,¡± He said to us maliciously, before pausing at the sight of me. He smirked at my blood-soaked form. ¡°Well, well, what do we have here? Could it be that one you is being a little¡­preactive?¡±


    Bleddyn stood up first and helped me up after him. He spat on the ground at the guard''s words while I woozily tried to steady myself. ¡°It¡¯s proactive, ye dumb twat,¡± He said mulishly, causing the guard to scoff. ¡°Besides, the boy already lost. Why would we try and kill ¡®im now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy watching you bleed, slave,¡± The guard sneered. ¡°Out, the both of you.¡±


    Out we went.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Exiting into the inappropriately bright and cheery sunlight, I was surprised to see that another confrontation was already taking place. This time, between Magnus and Orinbar, the Seneschal. They seemed to be having a heated argument. Magnus was sneering down at him from his place higher up on his pavilion. While Orinbar was standing at the bottom of the steps around the back half, with an incredibly frustrated look on his face. Interestingly, Stonebreaker was standing up on the pavilion as well with Magnus. He¡­didn¡¯t look very pleased.


    The crowd was politely pretending not to notice any kind of confrontation happening, while at the same time very obviously paying rapt attention to the two dwarves.


    As the guard directed us closer to the pavilion, we must have been noticed by Orinbar. If anything, the sight of us made him look even angrier. ¡°Even the damn Butcher, Magnus?!¡± He shouted at the heir. ¡°Never mind Azarus¡¯s personal slave, you¡¯re trying to get the town''s only butcher killed?! How are we going to get our meat if we don¡¯t have a Butcher!¡±


    Magnus scoffed and sneered. ¡°Azarus doesn¡¯t have a personal slave. What he has is a worthless piece of meat that I¡¯m loaning him. I can do whatever I want with cattle that I own. As for the Butcher, what does it matter? This one isn¡¯t even a real Butcher anyway. I¡¯ll just assign another slave with Fleshcrafting to the job if it dies.¡±


    Orinbar literally shook in anger before he snapped. ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far this time, Magnus! As far as I¡¯m concerned, you¡¯ve sabotaged this operation for the last time! You care more about your own base enjoyments than you do furthering the interests of House Savoy!¡± He straightened his already neat vest. ¡°I¡¯ll be contacting the Prince to see about recalling you back to Vittolia. Perhaps he can correct your behavior.¡±


    Magnus lurched forward with a snarl on his face. ¡°Oh, are you now, old man? You pathetic weakling, you think I¡¯ll let you? Guards!¡± He snapped at the guards-dwarves who had gathered to watch the confrontation. ¡°Restrain the Seneschal, and escort him back to his office. Make sure he doesn¡¯t leave. I¡¯ll deal with him¡­later.¡± He said ominously.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Two guards hesitantly stepped forward to obey Magnus¡¯s order. Both of them laid a hand on Orinbar¡¯s shoulders to lead him away. On the pavilion, Stonebreaker let out an audible snort of disgust that rang out from his helm. Orinbar looked at the hands on his shoulders disbelievingly for a moment before looking up at Magnus. ¡°You cannot be serious, Magnus. This settlement would collapse in a day without me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m deadly serious, Seneschal,¡± Magnus answered with a twisted smile. ¡°Take him away.¡±


    The guards did as ordered, directing the shocked Orinbar out of the clearing and back through the gate. Before long, the trio had disappeared off in the direction of the manor. With a self-satisfied noise, Magnus turned back around to look at Bleddyn and I, who had been watching the show behind him. At the sight of us, an evil glint entered his eyes. ¡°Well, well. I believe this might end up being my favorite bout of the day. If it isn¡¯t the rebellious Butcher and the cattle that survived two of my hunts.¡±


    Bleddyn already had a sneer on his face at the sight of Magnus, but his words only caused it to deepen. On my part, I was trying not to let my exhaustion from the surgery show on my face. If I showed any weakness at all, I¡¯m sure that Magnus would pounce on it.


    Magnus continued. ¡°You two maggots have the honor of being the last match of the first round, and I believe I¡¯ve changed my mind. The way the other cattle slaughtered each other was most pleasing to me. My order that you don¡¯t need to fight to the death is rescinded.¡±


    His words caused a stir among the crowd. Bleddyn didn¡¯t show a reaction, but I¡¯m sure my dread broke through my mask. Even beyond the fact that Bleddyn was my friend, I didn¡¯t think I would be able to take him in a fight even if I wasn¡¯t exhausted. I might have had an active Status, but the impression I¡¯d gotten for him over time was that he was just way more experienced than I was. Hell, he definitely had a higher level than I did, locked away behind his brand.


    ¡°You will fight and die for my amusement this day, and I will enjoy it immensely,¡± Magnus said, locking his eyes on me with sick glee. ¡°Guards, distribute the cu-¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The entire clearing went silent at the word, causing it to echo.


    Magnus¡¯s eyes slowly drifted to my left, where Bleddyn stood with a smirk on his face. ¡°Do you care to repeat that, cattle?¡± He said, disbelievingly.


    Bleddyn took a step forward. ¡°I said, no,¡± He continued forward with another step. He was now only around ten feet from Magnus. ¡°In fact, fuck no. I¡¯m not going to play yer sick little game, ye twisted cunt.¡±


    Magnus chuckled disbelievingly, glancing around at the dead quiet clearing. ¡°You choose to defy me? Here and now, when I¡¯m surrounded by my soldiers and supporters?¡± In an extreme shift, he suddenly lunged forward and gripped the railing of the pavilion so hard it splintered under his grasp. ¡°You court death, mongrel.¡± He snarled madly.


    From behind him, I saw something silvery drop into Bleddyn¡¯s palm from his long sleeve. My lips parted slightly in silent shock. He must have grabbed it sometime during the surgery, but I hadn¡¯t seen him do it.


    The knife that had been buried in Walter¡¯s stomach.


    Bleddyn grinned wildly up at Magnus. ¡°Ye FIRST,¡± He bellowed, whipping his arm up and tossing the knife point first at Magnus¡¯s face.


    The world nearly slowed to crawl at the rush of adrenaline I felt. In a freeze frame, I could see everything that was happening. The knife was flying through the air fast enough that Magnus couldn¡¯t react in time. The audience was only barely beginning to react to the sight of the blade, and a great clamor was erupting from them. The various guards around the clearing were charging at Bleddyn, some of them drawing their blades. Magnus¡¯s eye¡¯s widened slowly at the approaching knife.


    Meanwhile, Stonebreaker moved.


    Time sped up.


    In front of me, Bleddyn was still standing with one arm outstretched from his throwing position. Suddenly, he began laughing wildly at something. ¡°Ha Ha HA HA HA H-¡± He was cut off briefly by one of the guards tackling him and wrestling him to the ground. His laughter picked up again though, undeterred.


    Numbly, I followed his gaze to where he¡¯d been staring.


    On the podium, Stonebreaker was standing just off to the side of Magnus, one arm outstretched in front of Magnus¡¯s face at eye height. Pinched in between his gauntleted index and middle finger was the blood-soaked kitchen knife that had nearly stolen Walter¡¯s life. But¡­


    The entire knife wasn¡¯t present before Stonebreaker¡¯s fingers.


    Slowly, stumblingly, Magnus backed away from the knife in front of his left eye with a faint, but audible wet plopping noise. As he did so, Stonebreaker tilted the knife up just enough for everyone to see what was on the point.


    A ruined, punctured eyeball.


    Suddenly, Magnus let out a high-pitched scream of pure agony. The view of Magnus wasn¡¯t blocked by Stonebreaker anymore, as he had stepped to the side, with a vaguely self-satisfied air. As suspected, Magnus¡¯s left eye was just gone. In its place was a bloody, empty eye socket.


    Some of the dwarven women in the audience screamed at the sight, while the clamor from the rest of the audience picked up.


    ¡°You!¡± Magnus suddenly screamed through his wails at Stonebreaker, clutching his empty socket. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop it!¡±


    Over the din of the crowd, I still managed to hear Stonebreaker¡¯s reply. ¡°I did,¡± He said, somewhat smugly. ¡°Enough that it wasn¡¯t fatal, at least. Chin up, boy. You¡¯ll get it grown back. Once you¡¯re back in Vittolia, at least.¡±


    Oh. I see. So Stonebreaker was more on Orinbar¡¯s side¡­


    Magnus must have realized that as well, because a rictus of hate suddenly stole across his face. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with you later.¡± He snarled. Suddenly, he rounded back on the clearing where Bleddyn was being held down by the guards. In an explosive movement that cracked a wooden board beneath him, Magnus jumped down to land in front of Bleddyn. He grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head up to meet his eyes. ¡°Try and kill me, will you!¡± He screamed in Bleddyn¡¯s face, spittle impacting him. ¡°You¡¯ll beg for death by the time I¡¯m done with you!¡±


    Bleddyn gave a pained chuckle from his position on the ground. ¡°I doubt that.¡±


    Magnus slammed his head back on the ground forcefully. He looked up at the guard that was directly on top of Bleddyn. ¡°Take him to the cells,¡± He hissed. Standing up, he screamed at the onlookers. ¡°Everyone LEAVE! We¡¯re DONE!¡± He started hurriedly sprinting in the direction of the manor once he¡¯d finished with his orders.


    I took a breath for the first time in a long time. I watched numbly as the guards picked up Bleddyn roughly and began to march him away towards the manor as well. Before he got too far away though, Bleddyn turned around to meet my eyes. First, he smiled at me, surprisingly content for a man that was likely to be tortured to death soon. Then, he mouthed something at me, for the second time that day.


    ¡®The boy¡¯.


    Walter¡­


    Suddenly glancing around, I saw that the clearing was in a state of panic. The crowd was rushing out of it quickly, and the guards were preoccupied with them. Nobody was paying any attention to me anymore. Realizing what Bleddyn had meant, I walked back to the tent we¡¯d been held in as quickly as I dared. Once inside, I sprinted over to where Walter was still laying in the dirt where we had left him. Putting my head to his chest and the back of my hand over his mouth, I found that he still had a heartbeat and was still breathing, although both were weak. He was still alive then, thank God.


    Carefully, I began to pick up Walter as gently as I could and put him in a fireman¡¯s carry. Standing back up, I ignored the hesitant questions from the other slaves. I didn¡¯t care about people that would willingly kill another slave when they didn¡¯t need to. Poking my head out of the tent, I saw that the coast was fairly clear. Hurriedly, I made my way over to and outside the gate undetected in all the confusion. Once clear, I rushed as quickly as I dared to the side path that led to Azarus¡¯s house.


    Thank you, Bleddyn. I wouldn¡¯t forget this.


    I swear, I won¡¯t let you die in that house.


    That¡¯s a promise.

 Chapter 67 - Savior

    It didn¡¯t take me long to reach the side path that led to Azarus¡¯s house. I didn¡¯t even get stopped once on the way, even though I was far from the only person on the path. There were dwarves all around me, streaming back into town from the back clearing now that their ¡®entertainment¡¯ was over. Rather than be concerned about the senseless violence that Magnus had been inflicting on people, they seemed more interested in gossiping about Magnus¡¯s injury.


    These bastards¡­


    I don¡¯t think I gave a shit if they were all killed in the Ward Break anymore. Not after how they¡¯d all cheered on desperate slaves senselessly killing each other.


    Slipping into the side path, I glanced around. Nobody else was outside, and for once I didn¡¯t hear Azarus working in the forge. Flicking my eyes upward, I tried to take the time. It was getting to be about evening now, and the sun was only starting to lower across the horizon.


    I frowned. Was it possible that Grey and Azarus had no idea about anything that had happened in town today? Yes, yes it was I decided. They were isolated out here, and wouldn¡¯t have heard anything considering the house¡¯s distance from both the clearing and town proper. Shit, I wasn¡¯t even coming back that late. I¡¯d stayed out later than this at Van¡¯s shop, just testing out Aetherial Melding and helping Bleddyn with his workload.


    Bleddyn¡­


    I shook it off and started jogging my way across the clearing. Once I reached the front door, I barged in without bothering to be quiet, careful not to jostle Walter too much. ¡°Hey!¡± I called out to the house. ¡°Need a little help here!¡±


    I heard a thump from upstairs and rattling noise from under the staircase. I guess I knew where everyone was, now. Moments later, the door to Grey¡¯s room under the stairs opened and the man himself poked his head out. ¡°Nathan?¡± He called out confused, turning his head to face me. ¡°Whatever is¡­the¡­problem¡­¡± He trailed off at the sight of a bloodied teenager resting on my shoulder. Grey cursed and waved me over. ¡°In here, quickly!¡±


    I did as he bid, hurriedly walking over and maneuvering my way through the doorway. Once inside, I found Grey rummaging through his desk, pulling out bottles of potions and various medical supplies. ¡°On the bed.¡± He said curtly, not turning to face me.


    Carefully, I made my way to his bed and laid Walter down on it, mindful of his head. Once I was done, I took in his state for the first time since the tent and cursed softly. He didn¡¯t look good. Walter looked like he had lost even more color, and his breath was coming in short and shallow. I was interrupted by Grey wheeling back over and dumping a load of supplies and bottles on the bedside table, before leaning over to inspect Walter. His eyes lingered on my makeshift bandage before flicking up to meet mine.


    ¡°What happened?¡± He asked me seriously.


    ¡°Knife wound to the gut,¡± I answered curtly, knowing full well that wasn¡¯t the only thing he was asking. ¡°I did what I could with Aetherial Melding-¡± I was interrupted by the door behind us slamming open to admit a bare-chested Azarus with soaking wet hair, wearing only a pair of pants. I continued without acknowledging him. ¡°So I¡¯ll have to dissolve the internal stitches at the same time you give him potions.¡±


    ¡°The hell¡­¡± I heard Azarus breathe out behind me. I ignored him.


    Grey stared at me for a moment before nodding. ¡°Let¡¯s get to work then.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Grey and I worked on Walter for the next half hour. We took turns between sessions administering various potions and me dissolving my makeshift sutures through Aetherial Melding. It took longer than I¡¯d hoped it would because I¡¯d already strained myself near to my breaking point using my Profession. By the end, I was surprised that I wasn¡¯t unconscious.


    But we did it.


    Woozily, I tried to focus on Walter to see how he was doing. Though my eyesight was blurry, I could tell that he looked much better. The huge knife wound on his stomach was nothing more than a vivid red scar by now, with my simple linen sutures nowhere to be found. I knew that the ones I¡¯d placed on his large intestine were gone as well. He was breathing much steadier now, and even had some color back in his cheeks. He¡¯d better, considering how many blood-replenishing potions we¡¯d poured down his throat.


    In a fog, I thought I heard someone calling my name. I tried to focus. Looking up, I found that Grey was now looking at me in a concerned manner, and not Walter. Azarus was standing behind him as well with a furrowed brow. Slowly, I blinked one eye at them and then the other.


    ¡°Yesss¡­?¡± I slurred, trailing off.


    ¡°Nathan¡­what happened?¡± Grey asked me, troubled. ¡°Who is this young man? I thought you were just going to visit Vandimar¡¯s shop today.¡±


    Azarus spoke before I could. ¡°His name¡¯s Walter Meyers.¡± He said with a frown. When Grey turned around to look at him with a raised eyebrow, Azarus shrugged. ¡°Observed him.¡±


    When Grey turned back around to look at me, he did so with a furrowed brow of his own. ¡°That name¡­isn¡¯t that the young man that taught you Wildshaping, Nathan?... Nathan?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t paying attention to them. Instead, I was trying to get up and walk to the door. Stumbling to my feet, I took one staggered footstep. ¡°Can¡¯t¡­can¡¯t talk¡­gotta¡­gotta ssssave¡­Bledynnn¡­¡± I didn¡¯t manage either another step or another word.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Instead, I fell over face-first, losing consciousness on the way down.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    I snapped back to awareness all at once, shooting upright from a prone position. Looking around wildly, I found that I was in my own bed for once. Memories rushing back to me, I cursed. I¡¯d pushed myself too hard, trying to save Walter. Looking out the window, I guessed that it was sometime in the middle of the late night. I felt dread pool in my stomach. Who knows how long Magnus¡¯d had his hands on Bleddyn by now?


    I knew that I¡¯d pushed myself too hard saving Walter, but I was going to have to push myself again. As I got up from the bed, the thought crossed my mind that Grey and Azarus didn¡¯t even know what had happened to me yet, but it didn¡¯t matter. If they were still up, I¡¯d tell them after I¡¯d succeeded.


    I needed to finish the Ward Breaker, if I wanted to save Bleddyn before he was tortured to death.


    If that hadn¡¯t already happened¡­


    Luckily, I had everything I needed for it here in my room already. Moving over to my small work desk and sitting in the chair, I started pulling materials out of the drawers. First, I pulled out the physical blanks I needed for the artifact. With Azarus¡¯s help, and Grey¡¯s guidance, I¡¯d ¡®smithed¡¯ these myself over the last few days. Made of silver, they resembled a two-pronged long fork with a thick handle, more than anything. Nearly as long as my forearm, the blanks were mostly a silver rod with a spherical cap on one end, and two sharpened prongs on the other. There were circling strings of tightly carved runes running all up and down the length of it, terminating and meeting just below the prongs in one large rune. That was the activation rune, I¡¯d learned. Inside the end cap were multiple cores that we¡¯d harvested from monsters over the last few weeks. They were meant to power the device.


    From what I¡¯d been told, once it was finished, you were meant to stab the prongs into the ward stone, press the rune, and the Breaker would do its job.


    All I needed to do now was to shape the enchantment, and then layer it over the blank. The problem was, that was the hardest part. Most people weren¡¯t capable of this kind of work until they were able to shape Mana even if they had Enchanting as a Profession, but I was cheating through Aetherial Melding. Raw Aether would work just as well as the Mana to power the enchantment, according to Grey. But it would be harder.


    I was determined, though. Not only so we could get out of this fucking town, and not only so I could finally kill that bastard, Magnus. But so I could save my friend.


    I got to work.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I hissed, throwing away another ruined blank. It impacted the wall above my bed, prongs first, and stuck into it. I didn¡¯t care though. I just picked up another one and prepared myself.


    I¡¯d already ruined two of the blanks by burning them out. The reason that it was harder to layer raw Aether as the enchant was because of how much more potent it was than normal Mana. It was so potent in fact, that it was destroying the blanks, essentially burning them out and ruining the precisely carved runes.


    Entering into my trance, I stopped myself before I could go any further. Slowly, I leaned back in my chair while letting out a sigh while folding my hands over the blank. I couldn¡¯t afford to ruin many more of these. I didn¡¯t have enough to waste them on frustrated repeat attempts.


    I was getting pretty close, though. I felt like I was successfully creating the enchantment just like Grey had taught me to, but I was fumbling the attachment at the last moment. The Aether was just too strong, and it resisted enough that I had trouble in those last few crucial seconds.


    I needed to calm down.


    After a moment, I recalled not too long ago when I had managed to find a moment''s peace. About a week ago, I¡¯d entered into a deeper trance than usual and fallen into a state of almost meditation after an uncomfortable talk about family with the guys. In that trance, I¡¯d felt more connected with Aether than I ever had before or since. Well, it was worth a shot.


    Slowly, I sank deeper into my trance. Before long, I began to feel the current and pulse of the Aether around me more keenly. Breathing deeply, I lifted a free hand and began to direct the invisible energy to swirl about and coat me, not unlike how I had before.


    Yeah¡­


    This was working¡­


    I could feel myself begin to relax as I was embraced by the Aether of Vereden. After a time, I was so in tune with it again that I felt that same tapping sensation on my back as I did last time. That was the endlessly repeating Mana-based activation enchantment built into the collar. The one that couldn¡¯t do anything because I didn¡¯t actually have a real brand for it to activate. But¡­


    Something was different.


    Sitting up straighter in my chair, being careful not to lose my hold on the ambient Aether, I concentrated. What was that? Every time I felt the useless tapping sensation, I felt an answering reverberation from the Aether cloak that surrounded me. Focusing harder, I paid rapt sensorial attention the next time it came. There! I was dumbfounded and confused at the source.


    It.


    Well.


    It was coming from the enchantment blank¡­


    I had never taken my hand off of it while I was meditating on the Aether, and thus it had been covered by the same cloak of invisible power that I was. Every time the activation enchantment touched the Aether, a portion of it propagated across the energy and reached the blank. The blank was then acting as if it recognized the activation signal briefly and responding, but nothing more than that.


    That¡­shouldn¡¯t happen. Not from my understanding of enchantment, at least.


    As I¡¯d been taught, a blank only responded this way when it received Enchantment ¡®intent¡¯ that was compatible with its runic architecture. Hell, I¡¯d felt a version of this only a few minutes ago when I was burning out those other blanks.


    Slowly, clawing its way from the depths of my subconscious, an idea rolled over me. It¡­if this worked. If I was willing to potentially waste an enchantment blank on this idea.


    It would change everything. It would change Vereden


    I took a deep breath.


    Fuck it. I still had two more if this one burned out. The potential was too high.


    Concentrating, I picked up the blank in both hands and began to layer the Ward Breaker enchantment again. But this time, I stripped parts of it out. It didn¡¯t need to be as powerful for my idea, it didn¡¯t need as many redundancies. It didn¡¯t need to bypass as many built-in defenses as a Ward Stone had. It didn¡¯t need to overpower a physical object with so much injected raw Aether from monster cores that it physically exploded.


    My target only needed the most crucial, fundamental core of the Ward Breaker enchantment.


    Deactivation.


    The enchantment clicked into place.

 Chapter 68 - Fetterfall

    For a moment I didn¡¯t dare to breathe.


    It had worked?


    It had really, truly worked?


    Trembling, I concentrated on the now no-longer enchantment blank. Slowly, I let my Aetherial Senses poke and prod the device in my hands. During my lesson on Enchantment, Grey¡¯d had me test my senses on spare enchantment discs that he had. His reasoning had been that I needed to be able to tell whenever something had been successfully enchanted.


    This¡­item. This thing in my hands was registering as successfully enchanted to my senses.


    I nearly started hyperventilating.


    Somehow, I¡¯d done it. I hadn¡¯t intended to, but I had.


    In my hands was a device that I thought could break a slave bond.


    I chuckled to myself, slightly hysterical. I couldn¡¯t be right, could I? It couldn¡¯t be this simple to free a slave. If I¡¯d actually done it, then the design for breaking a slave bond had already existed. I¡¯d just stripped it down until it wouldn¡¯t be strong enough to kill someone.


    As I¡¯d said, the Ward Breaker functioned by being inserted into a ward stone and then flooding that stone with raw Aether from the monster cores in the handle. This Aether was aspected with enchantment intent that carried the idea of ¡®deactivation¡¯. What I¡¯d done was strip several features from the Ward Breaker enchantment and massively lower the amount of Aether administered from a press of the activation rune. Normally, a single Ward Breaker only had about two charges to it due to how much Aether it took from the cores, according to Grey. However, this¡­thing I¡¯d made probably had enough juice for hundreds of uses.


    I set it down on the table with shaking hands. I¡­I didn¡¯t have time for this. I needed to finish the Ward Breaker. Once I was done with that¡­


    Then I guess I¡¯d go downstairs and show it to Grey.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    It didn¡¯t take me long to finish the Ward Breaker.


    Maybe it was because I was so keyed up from making¡­the other thing. Maybe it was from the meditation I¡¯d done. Either way, I succeeded in layering the enchantment over the blank on my very next try.


    I nearly slumped over at the exhaustion that swept over me. I clutched my pounding head with both hands and let out a low groan. I¡¯d never pushed myself so many times in such a short period of time. Between all the surgery I¡¯d done in the last twenty-four hours and making these two items, it almost felt like something was aching inside me. Fumblingly, I reached for a drawer on my desk. Opening it, I took out a bottle that contained a bright yellow potion.


    I eyed it warily.


    Grey had given me a number of these weeks ago. He¡¯d called them energy potions, and told me that I could use them to briefly to bolster myself. Kind of like a super-powered energy drink, from what I could tell. However, he¡¯d cautioned me by saying that the boost would only last about ten hours, and then I was out. Apparently, these things had a tendency to knock you out for days afterward.


    I took a deep breath. Fuck it, I¡¯d take it with me. If Grey said that my Ward Breaker was functional¡­


    Then I was kicking off everything tonight, and chugging this damn potion.


    Bleddyn didn¡¯t have time for me to pussy-foot around.


    Grabbing the Ward Breaker, the potion, and my¡­project, I exited my room and headed downstairs. Coming to Grey¡¯s room, I was surprised to hear low conversation echoing out from it. I think both Grey and Azarus were still up and in there. Good. That saved some time.


    I knocked on the door strongly and didn¡¯t wait for an answer before I barged in. Grey and Azarus were sitting at the small corner table, nursing drinks. They¡¯d turned around to face me with surprised looks on their faces at my entrance. Azarus set his down.


    ¡°Nate!¡± He said, standing up halfway from his chair. I waved him back down impatiently, causing him to pause. I hustled over to the table, dumping the three items in my arms on the table for them to see. Azarus slowly lowered back into his chair. ¡°Are ya¡­all right?¡± He asked me.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I said shortly. I slid the Ward Breaker that I¡¯d made to rest in front of Grey. ¡°Did I do it right? Is it functional enough?¡±


    Grey blinked down at the large and oddly proportioned fork before his eyes widened. He looked up at me in astonishment. ¡°Nathan, did you finish the Ward Breaker?¡± I heard an intake of breath from Azarus, but didn¡¯t turn to face him.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m asking you,¡± I said impatiently, nearly bouncing on my heels.


    Grey picked up the Ward Breaker and narrowed his eyes in concentration. Both Azarus and I held our breaths in anticipation while Grey examined it with his senses. After a moment, a smile stole across his aged face and he looked up at me. ¡°You did it, Nathan. You really did it. This is a fully functional Ward Breaker.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°Gods damn,¡± Azarus breathed out.


    ¡°With this,¡± Grey continued. ¡°We¡¯re-¡±


    I interrupted him. ¡°That¡¯s not all,¡± I said gravely. I was glad that I¡¯d done the Ward Breaker correctly, but I¡¯d already been pretty sure I had. I slid the other long fork across the table to Grey.


    He looked down at it, puzzled. ¡°Did you make a second Breaker, Nathan?¡± He reached for it.


    ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°I think¡­I made something different.¡± I stepped away from the table, full of nervous energy. I began to pace back and forth in front of the table under the confused stares of Grey and Azarus. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get anyone¡¯s hopes up. But¡­but that isn¡¯t a Ward Breaker.¡± I stopped my pacing and turned to face them. ¡°I think that can break a slave bond.¡±


    Grey and Azarus both froze. In fact, I couldn¡¯t even tell if they were breathing anymore, they were so still. Slowly, I watched their eyes drift down to the item resting in front of Grey. With a shaking hand, Grey slowly reached down to rest a hand on the item. I watched as started concentrating on his arcane senses again, and begin to inspect what I¡¯d made.


    Azarus and I waited with bated breath. This time, Grey seemed to take much longer to feel out the device. Several minutes went by as he scrutinized it. At last, he stopped and looked up at me with a furrowed brow. ¡°I¡­believe I can see what you mean, Nathan,¡± He said cautiously, hopefully. ¡°I can see the changes you made to the base Ward Breaker enchantment, but I don¡¯t know how. I¡¯ve never seen enchantment editing done in such a way.¡±


    I reached out and pulled out the third chair resting at the table. With a thump, I sat in it. ¡°We¡¯ve talked about how I can weave and layer enchantments over items before. We¡¯ve even talked about how I can perceive them during a Meld. I¡­lately I¡¯ve just been finding it easier to try and match an enchantment to its runes before I apply it.¡± I explained the rest of my process to Grey as he sat there, enraptured. I even told him about what I¡¯d noticed about the endlessly repeating activation enchantment on my collar.


    When I was done, we sat in silence for a moment. Azarus hadn¡¯t said a word in some time, merely watching our discussion with wide eyes, as if he couldn¡¯t believe what was happening.


    Abruptly, Grey picked up the item and handed it to me. In the same instant, he wheeled his chair away from the table. ¡°There¡¯s only one way to know for certain if it works,¡± He said gravely, meeting my eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t have a bond to test it on. But I do, Nathan.¡±


    Unexpectedly, Azarus stood up from the table and interrupted us. ¡°Ya can¡¯t be serious,¡± He said disbelievingly. ¡°Even if this thing works, and I¡¯m not saying it won¡¯t, mind,¡± He said to me before continuing. ¡°You¡¯re not who it should be tested on! I don¡¯t know much about enchantment, but I do know that your bond is bigger, stronger, and more complex than most! Even beyond that, we don¡¯t know what this thing could do to ya if it fails! Hell, it could trigger your collar and then that¡¯s it! You''re dead!¡±


    Grey took a deep breath before nodding. He didn¡¯t turn to face Azarus though, he just kept staring at me. ¡°You¡¯re correct, Azarus,¡± He said evenly. ¡°But everything that I understand about the principles of Enchanting and Abjuration is telling me this will work. My bond may be somewhat stronger than the average one, but not so much that this couldn¡¯t possibly work. Nathan¡­¡± He started to undo the bindings of his plain white tunic, so similar to my own. When he was done, he turned around and lowered it to expose the brand on his left shoulder blade, so much larger and complex than any other I''d seen. ¡°Do it.¡±


    Hesitantly, I approached him with the fork-shaped device clutched in my right hand. I stopped though, when Grey spoke again. ¡°I believe that this might work best,¡± He said calmly. ¡°If the tongs break the skin. The ritual act of bloodletting, even if only slight, might boost the success rate. You¡¯ll need your skill for that, though. We already know it¡¯s capable of breaking my skin.¡±


    With a deep breath, I did as he said.


    The Scintillant Blade.


    The long fork in my hand erupted into rainbow-colored fire. The light of my skill overpowered the weak candlelight that was flickering in the dim room, casting multi-colored shadows across its darkened corners. Slowly, I raised the device to hover point first over the large, dense, and complex brand that dominated Grey¡¯s left shoulder. I paused before continuing. ¡°Grey¡­,¡± I trailed off. ¡°Thank you.¡± I tried hard to convey the depths of my emotion in those two words. How grateful I was that he and Azarus had rescued me, all those months ago. How grateful I was for his tutelage. How much I just appreciated his advice and his company, on long nights.


    Grey must have understood. ¡°No, Nathan,¡± He said with a smile in his voice, without turning to face me. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Forcefully, I stabbed the fork down at the brand, leaning on it with my full weight. Even then, I only managed to slightly pierce his skin, leading to two small drops of blood starting to drip down his back. At the same time, I pressed down on the activation rune.


    The results were immediate.


    The brand on Grey¡¯s shoulder began to light up rapidly in a dazzling combination of light. I didn¡¯t get a chance to see much more though, as with a bang I was blasted off of my feet and went flying. ¡°Nate!¡± I heard behind me, over the rapid crescendo of light and noise that was beginning to fill the room. Before I could hit the wall, I was grabbed by Azarus. I wasn¡¯t paying attention to that though.


    I was watching Grey.


    From where I was leaning against Azarus, I could see the brand on Grey¡¯s back begin to shine ever brighter. It grew so bright, in fact, that I was sure the light was leaking through the curtains and lighting up the clearing outside the window. Gradually, I could see the brand begin to break down and dissolve on Grey¡¯s back from the intensity of the power assaulting it. I didn¡¯t think it was from the device at that point. I think that was Grey¡¯s power fighting back against the brand, now that a weakness had formed in it.


    At the same time, all light in the room began to dim. The shadows grew longer and darker, and the light that still existed in the room from the weak candles began to dim. Slowly, it¡­somehow began to reach for Grey, independently of the flame that was producing it. What was left was a still-burning flame that produced no light at all. Softly, Grey himself began to glow with an ethereal silver light.


    Wordlessly, Grey raised his right arm and made a sweeping gesture, from his position facing the covered window. The drapes flew open at his command.


    The room exploded into light once more. I cried out, covering my eyes at the brightness, aware of Azarus crying out behind me as well. Slowly, I tried to open them to see what was making the light. I felt my heart stutter in my chest at what I found.


    It was the moon.


    Looming full and heavy just over the trees outside the window, it was shining brighter than I¡¯d ever seen it on either Vereden or Earth. Somehow, I could physically feel the attention that it was directing onto Grey. It was as if the heavenly body was personally guiding its full radiance onto one person. Slowly, he wheeled up to the window and laid a longing hand onto it, as if he could reach up into the sky and pluck the luminous moon from the heavens.


    ¡°Elys, my love,¡± Grey said softly, lovingly. ¡°Let us never be parted again¡­¡±

 Chapter 69 - Countdown to Endgame

    Gradually, the moonlight that was streaming into the room began to weaken. At the same time, the silver glow that had surrounded Grey died out as well, letting the light return to the still flickering candles. Grey didn¡¯t move from his position at the window though, still gazing up at the full moon visible in the night sky with his hand on the window.


    With Azarus'' help, I straightened up from my position leaning against him, exchanging a disbelieving look at the same time. We both jumped though, when Grey spoke up again. Turning to face him, I saw that he still hadn¡¯t moved.


    ¡°Nathan, Azarus,¡± He said serenely. ¡°It worked, but we don¡¯t have much time. I¡¯ve been without my Status for so long that my body needs to adjust to its presence once more. I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯m going to lose consciousness soon, and I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll wake.¡±


    I jolted, adrenaline shooting through my veins. I opened my mouth to say something but didn¡¯t get a chance before Grey spoke again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, I assure you. But I won¡¯t be able to assist you with what comes next. I don¡¯t know-¡± He suddenly hunched over in his chair, hand falling off of the window. He began coughing. I hurried over to his side, aware of Azarus following me. Once I reached him, Grey looked up at me. His eyes were different, if not familiar. The sclera had grown pitch black, while the silver of his irises had begun to glow slightly. I was startled at how they looked before I remembered something. This was how they had looked all those months ago, when he had Awakened me.


    Grey gave both Azarus and me a pained smile. ¡°We can¡¯t know how many people saw my reunion with Elys. Hopefully not many, but we can¡¯t be sure. Either way, it needs to be tonight. Nathan¡­¡± He suddenly seemed to grow weary, as if his returned strength was draining. ¡°Good¡­luck¡­¡± He drifted off, losing consciousness at the same time. He slumped in his chair, head nodding into his chest.


    Azarus broke the resulting silence. ¡°Fuck.¡±


    I stood up from my kneeling position over Grey. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, letting out a stuttering breath. I took in a deeper one. ¡°But he was right,¡± I said, turning to Azarus. I met his eyes. ¡°I was going to do it tonight anyway. Magnus, he has-¡±.


    ¡°Bleddyn, I know,¡± Azarus interrupted me. At my look, he shrugged. ¡°After ya passed out, I went to see Van to see if he knew what happened. Told me the whole thing. I found out what happened to you, Bleddyn, and the boy.¡± Reminded of Walter for the first time in a while, I turned to the bed. Sure enough, he was still resting on Grey¡¯s bed. Turning back to Azarus, he intercepted my question before I could ask it. ¡°Boy hasn¡¯t woken up since ya passed out. That don¡¯t matter right now though. We both got to get moving.¡±


    I met Azarus¡¯s eyes before exchanging a nod with him. Turning around, I strode back over to the table. Grabbing the energy potion, I popped the cork and downed the whole thing at once. When I was done, I grimaced at the taste. Too goddamn sour. I didn¡¯t get the chance to think about that much longer though, as suddenly it felt like a shot of lightning lit up my spine. I straightened, feeling much better than I had before. Any kind of exhaustion I¡¯d felt before was now gone.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I said to Azarus, setting down the empty bottle and picking up the Ward Breaker. I cradled it next to the¡­Bond Breaker, I¡¯d call it. ¡°I¡¯m going to go get ready for everything. You should too.¡±


    Azarus nodded at me solemnly. ¡°Aye, I¡¯m going to go get suited up for the fight. Once I¡¯m done, I¡¯m going to pack up a bit and then light some fires.¡± At my raised eyebrow, he smirked. ¡°Gonna burn down the forest and this house with it. That should distract the guards enough to buy ya time in the manor.¡±


    ¡°Okay then,¡± I said. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    I left Grey and Walter in Azarus¡¯s care and went up to my room to get ready. Once there, I took out the outfit I was going to use for my final infiltration into the manor. I would still be wearing the same white linen slave shirt and brown linen slave pants, but under that, I had a surprise.


    Some light leather armor that I¡¯d made with Bleddyn¡¯s help.


    It wasn¡¯t enchanted considering the difficulty it had given us in making it, but it was made out of darkened and hardened leather. I say armor, but it was really just a vest to protect my vital organs. It wasn¡¯t much to look at either, because neither Bleddyn nor I had much experience with shaping leather. But it should provide at least some manner of protection if things went wrong.


    Once dressed, I strapped a dagger onto each of my thighs. The second was meant as a backup, as I didn¡¯t have the training for dual-wielding. I also put the Ward Breaker and the Bond Breaker into a pouch that I secured at the small of my back. Couldn¡¯t forget my climbing claws as well, if I wanted to take the same route to the manor as last time. Some potions went in there, as well.


    Just in case.


    When I was done, I looked around my room for what would be the last time. I¡¯d never considered this house a home. Despite the safe harbor it provided, I had never forgotten that we were in enemy territory. I¡¯d never forgotten that just beyond the forest, there was a town of people that didn¡¯t consider me a person. Only property.


    I wouldn¡¯t miss anything here. The only thing I treasured here were the¡­bonds I¡¯d made.


    Heh.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Struck by sudden inspiration, I grabbed a piece of parchment and began to scribble something down on it. When I was done, I folded it up and stuck it in the pouch as well.


    Opening the door, I cast one last glance behind me, before I shut the door forever.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    When I reached the first floor, I looked around for Azarus. Before I could call out for him, I was interrupted.


    ¡°In here.¡± I heard from the kitchen. Entering it, I found Azarus different than I ever had before.


    He looked like he was armed and armored for war.


    He was wearing a combination of chain and light plate mail. His cuirass and greaves were chain, while his gauntlets, boots, and the helmet resting on the table were plate. He was also wearing a large leather belt on which a number of pouches and tools were attached. On the table next to the helmet, I could see a large one-handed Warhammer and an unadorned kite shield waiting for him. Everything seemed like it had been deliberately treated so that it wouldn¡¯t shine, but it was still visibly steel. Good quality steel, at that.


    I had no doubt he¡¯d made all of it himself.


    He¡¯d rolled out the map Grey had made of the town on the free space of the table, and was studying it when I entered the kitchen. He spoke before I could say a word. ¡°Got a little hand cart out behind the forge,¡± He grunted, distracted. ¡°I¡¯ll load up Grey and the boy with what I can onto it, and then make for Van¡¯s. Before I leave, I¡¯ll light some fires. That should catch some guard attention and distract ¡®em good. Once I¡¯m done with Van, I¡¯ll head over to Gren¡¯s. Luckily, I know he¡¯s in town right now.¡± He finally looked at me with a grim expression on his face. ¡°When you¡¯re done¡­come find us at Gren¡¯s. Hopefully, we¡¯ll have done enough to save the slaves from what¡¯s comin¡¯.¡±


    I nodded at Azarus, approaching the table. Looking down at the map, I let out a long sigh. ¡°All right,¡± I said quietly. ¡°Okay then.¡±


    We were quiet for a moment. I don¡¯t know what Azarus was doing, but I was mentally preparing myself. I needed to get myself into the headspace for what was coming.


    ¡°Ya should check your Status before ya go.¡± He spoke up unexpectedly. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, causing him to shake his head. ¡°Something like what ya just did for Grey? System keeps track of stuff like that. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if ya got something for it.¡±


    Is that so¡­


    I did as he asked, and pulled up my Status.


    He was right.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have gained two levels!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You are now level 21!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have twenty unspent Virtue points.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Level 20 Class ability inherited.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Would you like to review your Status?</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Y/N</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    That was all great, but it was the next few lines that had my eyebrows raising. Apparently, they were important enough to get their own, separate blue box.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">For your deeds, you have been granted the title Boundless Liberator.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Boundless Liberator grants the General Skill Synergy.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    First things first. I needed to see what ability I''d apparently gotten for getting to level twenty. I might get something that would help with what was coming. I mentally selected the yes button on the top blue box, sending me to another page.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Level 20 Class ability (Thornblade Acoylyte)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Sylvan Vigor (Skill): Gain a momentary surge of strength and speed while stamina remains.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Sylvan Vigor, huh. That sounded just like what I needed to finish off Magnus.


    All right, time to see what ¡®Synergy¡¯ was. I mentally opened up my General Skills. There were a few surprises there, actually. For one, I had an extra skill that I don¡¯t remember ever receiving a notification about.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">General Skills</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Observe Lvl. 5</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Meditation Lvl. 2</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Synergy (Unique)</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Yeah, that was a little odd. For one, unlike my other General Skills, Synergy didn¡¯t have a level to it. Whatever it was, it was as powerful as it was ever going to get. For two, when the hell did I get Meditation? I¡¯d ask how I got it, but it was honestly pretty easy to guess. My little Aether meditation sessions must have given me the skill sometime, and I¡¯d just never checked my General Skill tab before now. I mean, why would I? Before now, the only thing that had been on it was Observe.


    Still, like always, the General Skill tab didn¡¯t give any explanations about what the skills did. Didn¡¯t have Grey right now either, to conveniently bombard with questions. I had no idea what Synergy was, and I didn¡¯t have the time to puzzle it out. I mentally shook it off and opened my eyes, ending my concentration on my Status and dismissing it.


    ¡°You were right,¡± I said to Azarus, who¡¯d been waiting patiently for me. I couldn¡¯t have been under for more than a few minutes. ¡°I got a title, which gave me a Unique skill.¡±


    Azarus grunted, reaching for his shield. ¡°Guessin¡¯ ya don¡¯t know what it does.¡± He said, strapping the shield to his back. He reached for his hammer next, slipping it onto a loop on his belt. ¡°System tends to do that for Unique skills, from what I¡¯ve heard. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve got one of my own.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said quietly, watching him. I guess this was it. Struck by a sudden urge, I caught Azarus¡¯s attention. ¡°Azarus.¡±


    He looked over at me, to find that I¡¯d outstretched my arm in his direction. Catching on, he reached over himself and grabbed my forearm in the dwarven equivalent of a handshake. He met my eyes. ¡°Good luck, Nate. Don¡¯t die out there, now. Got a whole world out there I want to show ya. Vereden is more than just misery and slavery.¡±


    I snorted. Yeah, we¡¯ll see. ¡°Be careful out there, Azarus. Keep an eye on the others.¡±


    Azarus let out a small, mirthless laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. Now get goin¡¯. We got work to do.¡±


    That we did.


    With one final exchange of nods, I left the kitchen for the last time. Walking to the front door, I exited the house before turning around and looking back up at it. I guess Azarus was going to torch it soon. I felt bad for feeling like I wouldn¡¯t miss it.


    I shut the door behind me.

 Chapter 70 - Return

    I made quick time through the forest reaching the wall with Thorn Cloak active. Hell, it didn¡¯t even take me long to get over the wall as well. I¡¯d had plenty of practice by now. Before long, I¡¯d reached the clearing behind the manor where so much had happened. It didn¡¯t look like anyone had bothered to clear out the clearing after the ¡®festivities¡¯ though. Not only were the tents and benches still there, but the pavilion was as well. Trash was strewn all across it too, leaving the clearing difficult to maneuver or stealth through There was another problem, though.


    The gate was still open, and I could see guards with their backs turned to me.


    I didn¡¯t know if my stealth ability was good enough to sneak by them across the clearing, especially with how cluttered it was. Luckily, I didn¡¯t have to wonder about that for long.


    From where I was lurking in the bushes at the edge of the clearing, I was able to hear one of the guards suddenly let out a shout. ¡°What the hells is that!¡± I heard faintly.


    Shortly after, I heard both of the guards leave their posts and start running away from the gate. Taking a guess, I turned to look behind me.


    Yup, that looked like a fire.


    The glow of flames were visible over the horizon from my position. I guess that Azarus had already lit his fires. Luckily, it seemed like his distraction was working in my favor already. I just needed to take advantage. I hurried my way over to the still-open gate and cautiously peeked my way around the edge to see if anyone was out there.


    Nothing.


    Well, well. Looked like I wasn¡¯t going to need to go back over the wall after all. I could just make my way to the servant''s entrance this way. Getting out of my hiding spot against the wall, I sprinted through the gate to the forest on the other side of the manor that edged the side path. I probably needn''t have bothered though, because nobody was either behind the manor or on the other path. It was too late at night for most people to be out here other than guards, I suppose.


    After a short period of sleuthing alongside the path, I reached the servant''s entrance. Cautiously taking another look up and down the side path and seeing no one, I darted over to the door and tried the handle lightly. Locked, which didn¡¯t surprise me. I still didn¡¯t know any lockpicking, but that didn¡¯t matter. I drew one of my daggers. I didn¡¯t care if anyone found this door broken into. If everything went according to plan, this town would be knee-deep in too many monsters to care shortly.


    I jammed the dagger into the gap between the door and frame and wrenched it open sharply. The lock shattered easily. Actually, very easy. I guess it was just flimsy or something. Slowly edging open the door, I entered the kitchen and shut the door behind me,


    Only to find my first complication.


    The kitchen was filled with slaves.


    They weren¡¯t working. All the fires and candles that could have lit the kitchen were doused. Instead, they were all grouped together on the far wall, with thin burlap blankets covering them. I think they were meant to be sleeping, but my forceful entry into the room had very obviously woken them all up.


    I stared at them.


    They stared at me, with wide, frightened eyes.


    I¡­recognized many of these people from my last infiltration into the manor.


    One of them seemed to recognize me as well, even in this low light. Slowly, one of the slaves stood up from their makeshift bed, drawing my gaze.


    It was the head kitchen slave that had tried to be kind to me last time.


    Hesitantly, he stepped forward. ¡°You¡­aren¡¯t you¡­?¡±


    Making a snap decision, I re-sheathed my dagger in its hidden spot on my thigh and raised my hands non-threateningly. ¡°I need to talk to you guys,¡± I said lowly. ¡°I swear I mean you no harm, but I could use your help.¡±


    The head slave furrowed his brow at me before taking another step forward. He was stopped, however, by one of the other slaves hissing at him. ¡°Frederick! The masters will kill you if you help him!¡±


    I spoke up before ¡®Frederick¡¯ could reply. ¡°If all goes well, the ¡®masters¡¯ won¡¯t be a problem much longer.¡±


    That definitely got their attention. ¡°What can you do about the masters?¡± Frederick said disbelievingly. ¡°You¡¯re just a slave.¡±


    I shook my head deliberately, before slowly reaching for a knife on a nearby counter. My movement caused the slaves to tense, but I didn¡¯t stop until it was in my hand. ¡°I¡¯m not really a slave,¡± I said, lying only slightly. Before anyone could answer, I activated my most important skill.


    The Scintillating Blade.


    The butter knife in my hand erupted into rainbow fire, clearly the result of a skill. Which meant I very obviously didn¡¯t have a slave bond.


    Fredericks''s eyes widened before a slight smile stole across his weary face.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    I spent a few minutes speaking with the slaves. Apparently, after all the commotion earlier in the day from the pseudo-tournament, the dwarven servants hadn¡¯t let them leave. They weren¡¯t given a reason for why. They¡¯d just been tossed a few sacks to use as blankets and told to sleep in the kitchen.


    What I needed out of them, however, were directions on how to find the dungeons. That was where I¡¯d heard Magnus say to take Bleddyn. Luckily, they weren¡¯t far, according to Frederick. On the other side of the manor, across from the door that led to the main hall from the kitchen, there was another door. This one apparently led down to where the dungeons lay under the manor. One of the slaves even confirmed the presence of someone down there. According to him, they¡¯d seen a group of guards carrying a struggling man down the steps during their rounds.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    I thanked them for the information, but that wasn¡¯t all I did.


    ¡°On the far side of town,¡± I told the group of attentive slaves. ¡°You¡¯ll find a coach house where some¡­compatriots of mine are getting ready to evacuate the slaves. Don¡¯t worry about the guards on the way there, they should all be distracted by a fire. When you get there, ask for Azarus or Gren, and tell them Nate sent you. They¡¯ll know what to do.¡±


    A few of them still looked doubtful, and asked about their collars. I just told them not to worry, and very obviously patted the pouch on the small of my back. That seemed to help.


    You know, I was finding that playing the mysterious assassin kind of suited me.


    Shortly thereafter, I sent them on their way, waving off their thanks. I shut the door with the broken latch behind me and turned around.


    I knew where he was now.


    It was time to find Bleddyn.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    I gradually cracked open the door that led to the main hall. Peeking through, I checked to see if the coast was clear. The main hall seemed to be empty and dark, from what I could see. But the main doors seemed to be left open, for some reason. I thought I could hear low voices coming from it. I¡¯d have to be careful.


    Slowly opening the door the rest of the way, I crouched down to lower my profile. Creeping through the open door, I tried to stay as far away from the main doors as I could without edging onto the stairs. As I crept through the atrium of the manor, I kept an eye on the doors to my right and was able to see what was going on.


    It looked like a group of dwarven servants and functionaries were standing off to the side of the doors and watching something, most likely the fire. Good for me, I guess. That meant they weren''t paying attention to the foyer.


    I successfully reached the other side of the hall without being spotted and found the door that Frederick had told me about. Edging this one open as well, I look through the crack. Nothing. The coast was clear. Swiftly slipping through it, I closed the door behind me as softly as I could and let out a quiet relieved sigh.


    Turning around, I made my way down the short hallway on the other side. At the end, I found a set of spiral stone stairs that led downwards. I let out a silent hiss at the sight of them. Damn, rough stone like this, especially in such tight confines, echoed way more than the atrium had. I¡¯d have to move even slower down them.


    I got to work.


    The stairs went down further than I thought, with no stops on the way. I must have been descending for nearly five minutes before I reached the bottom. The stairs opened up into what must be the dungeons. It wasn¡¯t very large, only a short hallway with four large wooden doors on either side with a ninth at the end. The doors seemed to have a metal shutter at around head height for a dwarf, and another hatch near the floor. It was dark in here, with only a single torch burning off to my right, sending long shadows flickering down the hall.


    Bleddyn must be in one of these.


    Luck seemed to be on my side again because I didn¡¯t see any guards down here. I relaxed slightly, before starting my search. Entering the hallway and grabbing the torch on my way in, I started opening the shutters and looking inside the cells. To a one, they were all bare inside. The only thing that was in them were a set of shackles attached to the walls. But I didn¡¯t find Bleddyn in any of the cells on the right or left.


    Which left only the cell at the end of the hall.


    Please let him be in there¡­


    Taking a breath, I made my way to the door and opened the shutter. I felt my heart stutter in my chest at what I saw.


    Bleddyn was in there, all right. But he wasn¡¯t in good shape.


    In the dim light, I could see that he was strung up on the opposite wall, shackled at both his arms and feet. The chains holding him were bolted to the wall, like the other cells. I could see that he was covered in blood and cuts, from some kind of ordeal. He even seemed to be stripped to his waist, leaving my friend in only a pair of bloodstained pants.


    For a moment, I couldn¡¯t even tell if he was still alive. But gradually, I was able to make out the extremely slight rise and fall of his chest. I let out a sigh of relief, before fumbling with the bolt on the door to open the cell. Once inside, I was able to get a better look and grimaced at what I found. I tried not to look too closely at the¡­instruments that were lying discarded along the right wall of the cell. Instead, I hurried to Bleddyn¡¯s side while reaching for the pouch on the small of my back. Laying it down next to me, I hesitated before laying a hand on his blood slick shoulder, trying to ignore what was now coating it.


    ¡°Bleddyn,¡± I said softly, shaking his shoulder slightly. He didn¡¯t respond, so I spoke up again and shook him slightly harder. ¡°Bleddyn. Bleddyn! I need you awake, man. Please wake up.¡±


    Slowly, Bleddyn began to stir. After a moment, he raised his head slightly, letting me see his face. I barely withheld a gasp at what I saw.


    His right eye was gone.


    In its place was a ruined crater. Whoever had done this to him, most likely Magnus, hadn¡¯t bothered to be clean or precise in their torture. Instead, the entire right side of his face was a mass of tears, rips, and cuts that looked like they had been made by a dull blade. I nearly vomited at the sight, but held it in at the last moment.


    ¡°W-who¡­?¡± I heard Bleddyn say, weaker than I¡¯d ever heard him.


    I focused. Bleddyn needed help right now, not gawking at his suffering. ¡°Hey, man. It¡¯s Nate. I came for you¡­¡± I said, trailing off and reaching for the pack. I fumbled through it and pulled out one of the healing potions.


    While I was doing that, I saw Bleddyn furrow his ruined brow. ¡°Nate¡­? W-what are you doing here¡­¡± He said, slurring his words. ¡°Yer not supposed to be here¡­¡±


    I held up the healing potion to his lips, ignoring his words. ¡°Here, Bleddyn. Drink.¡± I said, tilting the potion up and letting it enter his mouth. At first, Bleddyn nearly choked on the potion, before greedily drinking it down. He must have recognized the taste.


    The results were immediate.


    Many of the cuts that lay on his body began to close up, even many of the ones that lay on his face. More importantly, it seemed like he became much more aware, as his gaze sharpened.


    Bleddyn shook his head like a dog, as if to clear it out. ¡°Fuck.¡± He breathed out. ¡°Nate, what the bleedin¡¯ hells are ye doing here?¡±


    I let out a short, quiet laugh. ¡°Getting you out of here, moron,¡± I said, relieved that he seemed to be doing better. I directed my attention to the shackles holding him to the walls. They looked strong. Stronger than the lock had been earlier, at least. Well, I had a solution to that. Drawing my dagger, I called on my skill once again.


    The Scintillant Blade.


    I confidently swiped my glowing blade at the chain holding him to the wall.


    Only for my blade to clang off of the steel chains with no effect at all.


    I gaped at the chains in astonishment. It hadn¡¯t worked?


    Bleddyn eyed my glowing dagger doubtfully with his remaining eye. ¡°Was that supposed ta do somethin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± I trailed off. Now that I thought about it, I¡¯d never tried The Scintillant Blade on anything that wasn¡¯t flesh. It had cut through some clothes, but that might just be because it was applied to a dagger.


    Shit.


    The skill was meant for bypassing defenses, I guess. It wasn¡¯t for cutting in general. I should¡¯ve known. The description said ¡®Strike the root¡¯ after all. Not, ¡®Cut through anything¡¯.


    Now what was I going to do?

 Chapter 71 - Shatter

    I nearly fell into a panic at the unexpected setback, before I remembered what else I¡¯d brought with me. Shit, it was a long shot, but it was at least an idea.


    ¡°Bleddyn, quick,¡± I whispered to him urgently. ¡°How strong are you?¡±


    ¡°The hell do you mean, how strong am I?¡± He said back to me, uncaring about his volume. ¡°Ain¡¯t very strong right now.¡±


    I gave up on being quiet. ¡°I mean, how strong are you under your brand? How high a level are you?¡±


    Bleddyn gave me a strange look. ¡°I can hold my own, I suppose. I¡¯m past my first threshold, if that¡¯s what yer askin''.¡±


    I felt a manic smile begin to crawl its way across my face. ¡°Could you break these chains if you had your Status again?¡±


    He tilted his head up to look at the chains holding him to the wall. ¡°Eh, probably?¡± He said uncertainly before firming. ¡°Nah, I could. At the very least, I could pull ¡®em out of the wall. But¡­¡± He stopped before whipping his head around to look at me with an astonished look on his face. Astonishment, and hope. ¡°Ye can¡¯t of¡­¡±


    At this point, I was baring my teeth my smile was so wide. ¡°I did, and I¡¯m going to,¡± I said. ¡°I made something new tonight. Everything is happening tonight. We¡¯re all getting out of here. I¡¯m going to rescue you, then I¡¯m going to break the Ward Stone to initiate a Ward Break,¡± At that, Bleddyn¡¯s sole remaining eye nearly popped out of its socket, but I continued anyway. ¡°And then I¡¯m going to kill Magnus. Are you with me?¡±


    Bleddyn continued to stare at me in amazement before a chuckle slipped out of him. That chuckle swiftly turned into a full on, body-shaking belly laugh that I heard echo out of the room and down the hallway. ¡°Am I with ye, ye ask.¡± He said in between chuckles, before giving me a vicious smile. ¡°Of course I¡¯m bloody with ye, ye daft fool. What do ye need from me?¡±


    I met his smile with one of my own. ¡°I just need to see your brand,¡± I told him, taking the Bond breaker out of my pack. Bleddyn¡¯s eyes locked onto it when it came into view and drank in the sight of it hungrily. I moved over to his left side, and with his help, pushed his back off the wall enough so I could touch his brand with the Breaker. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d need The Scintillating Blade to pierce his skin, unlike Grey.


    I spoke up from behind him. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    Bleddyn chuckled. ¡°More than.¡±


    I pressed the Breaker into the skin of his brand, causing Bleddyn to let out a slight hiss. At the same time, I pressed down on the activation switch.


    Just like it had with Grey, the brand on Bleddyn¡¯s back began to heat up. Just like with him, it looked like it was melting. I wasn¡¯t expecting a scene as dramatic as Grey¡¯s had been, as there was no way Bleddyn was as high-level as he was.


    But something else began to happen that was out of the ordinary.


    As the brand melted away, leaving only a large blank scar, the rest of Bleddyn¡¯s wounds began to close rapidly. The healing potion I¡¯d given him had only done so much, leaving a number of wounds still on his body. But no longer. Under my astonished gaze, I watched as Bleddyn returned to the picture of perfect health, healing everything.


    Including his lost eye.


    When Bleddyn stood up and turned to look at me with a wolfish smile, I saw that not only was his eye back, but he didn¡¯t even have any scars to show it had ever been gone. ¡°Stand back, Nate,¡± He told me, joy thick in his voice.


    I did as he said, waiting to see what he would do. Suddenly, Bleddyn lunged forward with incredible force, causing the chains that were binding him to the wall to stretch taught with a sharp snap. He didn¡¯t stop though, he merely leaned forward and strained harder with his entire body. The chains began to creak and groan from the force being inflicted on them. Even the stone that they were anchored to began to crumble behind Bleddyn. With a shout of effort, Bleddyn succeeded in wrenching free first the anchors for the chains attached to his arms, and then his legs.


    For a moment, Bleddyn hunched over breathing heavily from his exertions, before suddenly turning to me. Shortly, I found myself wrapped in a big, sweaty, bloody hug. I returned it gladly, happy that at least one thing was going right. I¡¯d managed to, at least part way, rescue my friend.


    In more than one way.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell ye,¡± Bleddyn choked out, voice thick. ¡°How good it feels ta have my strength back. Thank ye, Nate. Thank ye. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯ll ever repay ye fer this.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to,¡± I said over his shoulder. ¡°Man, you don¡¯t have to¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    It took us a few minutes to regain our composure, but when we did it was time to get down to business.


    ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± Bleddyn asked me with an eager expression on his face. ¡°Is it time ta take out Magnus?¡±


    I shook my head regretfully. ¡°No, not yet. First, we have to deal with our collars. I know where the Control Slate is stored, though. It¡¯s kept in the Seneschals office. But, uh, we¡¯ll need to stealth our way up there, and¡­¡± I gestured to the loosely hanging chains on Bleddyn¡¯s extremities. Long dangling chains weren¡¯t exactly conducive to stealth.


    Bleddyn looked down at the chains I was gesturing to with a confused expression initially, before realization stole across his face. ¡°Oh, those?¡± He said with a smirk after looking back up at me. ¡°Let me take care of those.¡± Concentrating briefly, Bleddyn very obviously started calling on a skill. I was a little surprised at what happened, though.


    Over his open palm, a long bolt of bright yellow lightning sprang into being. The caught lightning crackled and squirmed in his grip, emitting an almost chirping noise that echoed in the cell. The both of us were cast in a bright, nearly fluorescent light, far outshadowing the dim torch I¡¯d brought with me.


    Bleddyn gripped it much like how someone would grip a sword. With his ¡®sword¡¯ in one hand, he surprisingly went right after the manacles on his wrists and ankles, instead of the chains themselves. The leashed lightning of his skill cut through the steel of the manacles easily, leaving them lying on the floor when he was done with molten red cut marks on them.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    When he was finished, he looked up and saw my raised eyebrow at his actions. Bleddyn shrugged. ¡°My own skill ain¡¯t gonna hurt me. Now that that¡¯s dealt with, let''s go find that office.¡±


    I shrugged myself before nodding. ¡°All right. I know where it is, though, so follow me.¡±


    With that, we left the cell and the dungeon block altogether. Remembering the stone staircase and its poor acoustics, I told Bleddyn to follow my lead. Slowly, we crept back up it and found ourselves back at the door to the main hall. Cracking it open, I saw that it was still open, though something else was odd about it.


    There was a small amount of smoke drifting in from the still-open main doors.


    Furrowing my brow, I cautiously exited the doorway and into the atrium. Once I was far enough inside to see what was going on outside, I looked out the door. When I did so, I was surprised but pleased. Yeah, that was going to keep the town busy all right.


    The fire that Azarus started had spread to the town proper.


    In the distance, I could see teams of dwarves futilely trying to put the roaring flames out with a bucket team. But it wasn¡¯t working. The fire just kept flaring back to life no matter how many buckets of water, or even the occasional water skill that I saw, that was thrown on it. The dwarven servants and functionaries that I had seen earlier were gone from the front doors, maybe to help fight the fire.


    While it was good sign for my chances inside, the sight of the fire added urgency to my mission. It didn¡¯t look like the town was going to be able to stem the advance of the fire, and it was only a matter of time before the manor was a target for it.


    I needed to hurry.


    Exchanging a look with Bleddyn, we sped up. We needed to trade some stealth with speed.


    It didn¡¯t take us long to reach the second-floor hallway where Orinbar¡¯s office was. Luckily, we didn¡¯t run into anyone during our reckless trek there. Shortly, we found ourselves before the large and gaudy door that I knew the Seneschal hated.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how strong Orinbar is if he¡¯s inside,¡± I whispered to Bleddyn, leaning in closer. ¡°You keep him busy, and I¡¯ll try to get him with my skill.¡± I¡¯d long ago resigned myself to having to possibly kill Orinbar if he tried to keep me from destroying the control slate. I tried to ignore the voice inside that was telling me that he was Van¡¯s uncle.


    Bleddyn nodded at me seriously to show he understood.


    ¡°On three then,¡± I said lowly. I drew one of my daggers and then held up three fingers with my free hand. I started to count them down. When I hit one, Bleddyn and I burst into the room at once, prepared for a fight. Despite myself, I hoped Orinbar wasn¡¯t inside.


    He was, though. Just not in the way I¡¯d thought he would be.


    Orinbar was dead.


    His ruined corpse had been thrown carelessly along the left wall of his office. The light was dim in the room, so I couldn¡¯t tell how he¡¯d died exactly. But what I could see didn¡¯t paint a pretty picture. He looked like he¡¯d been tortured, not unlike Bleddyn. Orinbar looked worse though, to the point that I didn¡¯t want to look at him for very long. God, it was like he¡¯d been mauled by an animal.


    But he wasn¡¯t alone inside the office. A familiar dwarven figure had been hunched over the desk with his back to us when Bleddyn and I had burst in. He¡¯d whipped around to stare at us in shock at our explosive entrance, letting me see his face.


    It was Mr. ¡®Piggy¡¯, as I mentally referred to him. Or rather, Giancarlo Pignolo. The head dwarven servant of the manor.


    Initially, he started to sputter uselessly, as if he¡¯d been caught doing something he shouldn¡¯t have. But when saw who had entered the office so violently, he instead grew furious. ¡°Slaves!¡± He hissed at us, nearly apoplectic. ¡°How dare you! How dare you! Your lives are forfeit for this indignity!¡±


    I took in the scene, shocked, before directing a baffled stare at Mr. Piggy. ¡°Did¡­ did you do this?¡± I asked in disbelief, gesturing to Orinbar¡¯s corpse.


    If anything, my question only made him angrier. ¡°Not that it¡¯s any of your business, dead one, but no,¡± He said, slowly reaching behind his back for something. ¡°I¡¯m merely cleaning up after my lord. But none of that matters to you, considering you¡¯re about to DIE!¡± He roared, whipping something in front of him to point at us.


    It was the control slate.


    I felt time slow at the rush of adrenaline I felt at the sight of it. With that, he could instantly kill the two of us with a press of a button. I mentally fumbled for a skill, any skill that would help me stop him in time, slowly breaking out into a dash.


    I needn¡¯t have bothered though.


    In a leap so fast I only saw a blur, Bleddyn exploded past me, lunging at Pignolo. Mr. Piggy didn¡¯t even have the chance to react before Bleddyn tackled over the top of Orinbar¡¯s desk. Both of them landed behind the desk, obscuring my view. Seconds afterward, I heard a scream from the dwarven servant choke off into a wet gurgle. At the same time, I saw a spray of blood leap from behind the desk to paint the far wall crimson.


    I¡¯d frozen at the sudden and intense action, but the scream and the blood knocked me out of it. ¡°Bleddyn?¡± I called out over the desk tentatively without moving from my position. ¡°Are you¡­okay?¡±


    Bleddyn rose up from behind the desk, not facing me. I saw him breathe deeply before letting that same breath out slowly before he turned around. When he did so, I swear I thought I saw something off about his eyes for a moment. But when I looked again, they were just the same old normal blue.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± He said to me, unconcerned by the fresh coating of blood that now painted the front of his body. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡±


    I approached the desk and stepped around it. On the floor behind the desk, Mr. Piggy lay dead, with a horrified surprise on his features, as if in his final moments he couldn¡¯t believe what had happened to him.


    His throat had been torn out. To my eyes, it looked like something with long claws had reached in and ripped out everything below the chin, leaving his head hanging onto his corpse by a thin sinew. I cast a side eye at Bleddyn, noticing that he had a large amount of viscera coating his right hand. He ¡®surreptitiously¡¯ moved the hand behind his back.


    I shook my head. Whatever, I don¡¯t care how he¡¯d killed the servant. Either way, it couldn¡¯t have happened to a nicer person.


    Fare thee well, Mr. Piggy. At least you couldn¡¯t abuse slaves anymore.


    I put him out of my mind and started looking around for what we came here for. I found it underneath the dwarven corpse at my feet. Leveraging it up, I grabbed the control slate out from beneath him.


    I tried to ignore the copious amount of blood coating the slate now, and set it on the desk behind me. Both Bleddyn and I just stood there looking at the slate for a moment in silence. This was the real instrument of our slavery. Sure, the bond may steal the strength from slaves, but it was this thing that kept them in line. It was this device that cowed slaves into obedience and kept most from even considering the idea of rebellion, much less escape.


    Bleddyn spit on it without a word. I didn¡¯t blame him.


    Silently, I reached behind my back and withdrew the Ward Breaker from my pack. It may have looked similar to the Bond Breaker, but I could recognize the different enchantment by sensation alone. It just felt more powerful.


    I raised the Ward Breaker above the slate below. I felt Bleddyn lay a hand on my shoulder in support, but I didn¡¯t turn to face him. I only had eyes for the slate.


    With both hands and all my strength, I drove the Breaker down on the slate lying on the table. The sharpened tongs of the breaker easily punctured the solid stone. At the same time, I pressed the activation switch.


    The reaction was immediate.


    The entire sheet of blackened stone began to heat up and glow red from the raw Aether that had been injected into it. Swiftly, both Bleddyn and I backed up from the slate as it began to sear the wood that lay beneath it, sending a curl of smoke into the air. Luckily, I remembered to remove the Breaker from the slate, as I didn¡¯t want it to get damaged. We watched in silence as the heat built up in the device before it reached a tipping point.


    The control slate exploded into a cloud of dust and pebbles that ricocheted around the office. At the same time, something else happened that nearly caused me to start weeping.


    The collar around my neck that I had lived with for months. The collar that I had spent hours during late nights trying to ignore the presence of¡­


    Opened with a click of stone on stone.

 Chapter 72 - Blood Price

    With a trembling hand, I reached up to touch my collar. I found that it was only loosely hanging onto my neck. Gripping it, I slowly took the collar off of my neck to cradle it in my palms. Gazing down at it, I found I had to suppress involuntary tears. God..


    We¡¯d done it.


    Right now, every slave in Addersfield had no doubt just noticed that their collar had come loose. I had no doubt that many were celebrating, even a little, in the midst of this chaos.


    Speaking of celebration.


    Violently, Bleddyn reached up and yanked off his own collar and flung it as hard as he could away from him with a howl of victory. It spun end over end before embedding itself in the wooden wall of the now dead Orinbar¡¯s office.


    Bleddyn turned to look at me with bright, fervent eyes. ¡°Freedom!¡± He nearly hissed at me. He was trembling from pent-up emotion.


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± I said breathlessly, just letting myself revel in the feeling for a moment. I shook it off, though. I took a deep breath. ¡°We¡¯re not done though,¡± I said to Bleddyn. ¡°We still have something to do before we get the hell out of here.¡±


    Bleddyn smiled viscously at me. ¡°Magnus.¡±


    I nodded at him in anticipation. ¡°And the wards. This town¡­these people¡­they¡¯re going to get what¡¯s coming to them.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    This time while we were racing through the manor, we didn¡¯t bother being quiet. With our collars gone, I don¡¯t think either of us were very scared of the manor inhabitants any longer. As far as I knew, the only person that could even threaten someone as strong as Bleddyn was Stonebreaker. And hell, the two of us might even be able to take him. Scintillant Blade might not be able to break chains, but it could still break defenses.


    I, uh, retained enough presence of mind to realize that was a bit reckless. But the high from breaking the tablet was too strong. I felt like I could fly from the adrenaline pumping through my veins and lighting up my brain. Even though I wasn¡¯t exerting myself as Bleddyn and I dashed through the halls to the third floor, I could feel my heart pounding a mile a minute.


    We weren¡¯t quiet as we dashed down the third-floor corridor. It hadn¡¯t changed since my last infiltration. There were still only two huge doors. The one on the right was Magnus¡¯s, while the one on the left led to the Ward Stone. For a moment, I was sorely tempted to deal with Magnus first, but as much as I wanted him dead, he wasn¡¯t as important. Yet.


    ¡°Left door,¡± I breathed to Bleddyn as we flew down the hall. He sped up, throwing a grin as he passed me. I watched as he reached the door, and without stopping lowered his shoulder and blew it in with a tackle. The doors nearly exploded in a massive crash. Wood shards flew everywhere.


    Well.


    If there was anyone left in the mansion, they sure as hell knew where we were now.


    As I reached the door, I didn¡¯t slow down as I reached behind my back and drew the Ward Breaker. I charged through the ruined door with the oversized fork held in a stabbing position in my right hand, passing Bleddyn who had stepped off to the side. He had an eager grin on his face.


    No pussyfooting around with this.


    With the Ward Stone in sight, I lunged at it. I stabbed down at the brilliant shining gemstone floating above a plinth. With a shriek of metal on the stone, the Breaker slid into the stone, stopping its spinning in place. At the same time, I pressed down on the activation rune.


    The stone exploded instantaneously.


    I¡¯d been warned that this would happen, so I¡¯d already thrown up an arm to protect my face. Good thing too, as I felt stone shards lodge themselves in my forearm. I hissed at the pain, but I disregarded it a moment later and lowered my arm. I¡¯d felt something in the air.


    I don¡¯t know what I was expecting when the wards didn¡¯t just fall, but overloaded. But it wasn¡¯t this. I could see a pulse expanding out through the air originating from the position that the stone had been spinning at. Somehow, I could also feel something shattering, just out of phase with the material world.


    It was a damn odd feeling. But I reveled in it.


    Bleddyn must have felt it too, from the wild grin on his face. I smirked back at him, satisfied. It looked like my weeks of work had paid off. But we still were done.


    Speaking of, I heard a crashing noise from the room behind me. Magnus¡¯s room. I felt my eyebrows shoot up in surprise. He was still in there? Even with the fire devastating his town? I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised, but I was. But of course, Magnus wouldn¡¯t lift a finger to actually help anyone else. He¡¯d probably been sitting on his balcony sipping wine or something, enjoying the warmth of the fire.


    But he was going to regret that soon. He¡¯d just told me where he was.


    Still, I¡¯d had an idea while we were sprinting up here. I motioned Bleddyn closer, causing him to approach me eagerly, eyes hungrily watching Magnus¡¯s door behind me. I was going to have to let him down, unfortunately. I reached behind me and exchanged the Ward Breaker with the Bond Breaker. Taking Bleddyn¡¯s hand, I put it in it.


    ¡°Sorry man,¡± I said to Bleddyn, actually a little apologetic. I spoke quickly though, aware we likely only had seconds. ¡°I think you should get out of here.¡± Bleddyn looked at me quizzically, but I spoke before he could. ¡°Collars are gone, but the rest of the slaves are still bound. Take that, puncture the skin with it, and press the rune. They¡¯ll have their Statuses again.¡± I smirked at him. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with Magnus.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Bleddyn¡¯s face fell at my words, and indecision warred on his rugged face for a moment. Eventually, he nodded at me in defeat. He laid a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Tell me how it happens later.¡±


    I expected him to exit out the way we both came in, but that wasn¡¯t what he did. Instead, Bleddyn turned around and broke out into a sprint directly at the large, shadowed window on the far wall. My eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets at what he did next.


    Bleddyn bodily jumped straight through the window with an enormous crash and fell out of sight, plummeting to the ground. I lurched, nearly running to check on him before I stopped myself. He¡­probably knew what he was doing anyway. Yeah. Anyway, I didn¡¯t have time for that anyway, judging by the stomping noises I could hear from across the hall. I could feel my blood pressure spike.


    Magnus.


    I needed to get into position.


    Swiftly, I backed up and flattened myself against the wall next to the door. For good measure, I also activated Thorn Cloak. It might have been meant for stealth in a forest, but it couldn¡¯t hurt.


    I also drew my main dagger and held it in an underhand grip.


    Seconds later, I heard the door across the hall crash open. Magnus came sprinting through the door wearing only a pair of pants, uncaring about the shattered remains of the wooden door underneath his bare feet. He stopped to gape for a moment at the empty plinth.


    ¡°What the hells happened?!¡± I heard Magnus say before he spotted the shattered window. He raced over to stand in front of it and leaned over the windowsill to look out of it. He hadn¡¯t seen me at all.


    Now.


    For the first time, I activated my new skill.


    Sylvan Vigor.


    I felt a wild grin spread across my face at the surge of incredible strength that I felt flow through me. You know, now that I think about it, Bleddyn had given me an idea. I needed to hurry though, as I could tell that this was going to be temporary. I braced a foot on the wall behind me and launched myself at Magnus¡¯s back. As I flew across the room, I readied my blade and my most important skill.


    The Scintillant Blade.


    Magnus must have seen or felt something, because he tried to turn around in the milliseconds before I impacted him. It was too late though.


    I tackled him out of the window, and at the same time, I felt my blade slide into place. As we sailed out of the window, it felt as if time slowed to a crawl. I could see for miles around us. Over the top of the burning trees, I could just barely make out of the epicenter of the fire that Azarus had set. In the center of the clearing where Azarus¡¯s house had rested, the blaze seemed to be burning hottest. Even now, all that was left of the house I¡¯d spent months living in were fractured timbers and shattered bricks.


    The fire had engulfed nearly the entirety of the town at this point. There were still scattered attempts by the guards to extinguish the flames, but for the most part, it seemed like they had given up. Most of the population of the town seemed to have fled to the large fields on the outskirts of the town proper instead, where most of the residential areas lay. It didn¡¯t seem peaceful in that area though, as even from this distance I could see fights breaking out among the dwarves.


    In town, Van¡¯s shop was nothing but cinders by now. So was the coach-house that Gren owned. Instead, it seemed as if there was a long line of wagons forming just outside of the wide-open front gates. There was fighting happening there as well, but it seemed to be a small group against several squads of guards. I couldn¡¯t make out any more than that.


    But what was happening in the forests surrounding Addersfield were the most important of all. Shadows were gathering all along the tree line, as if something was only waiting for a signal to strike.


    Time sped up.


    Magnus and I plummeted through the air, with me riding his back to break my fall. In seconds, we slammed into the ground at the foot of the manor, causing my vision to white out momentarily. When I came to, I was still clutching my burning dagger, embedded into Magnus, and slumped over on his bloodied back. I fought my way through my disorientation. I needed to see where I had gotten him. Looking down, I felt an unhinged smile crawl across my face.


    My dagger had punctured straight through his left side at an upward angle, no doubt bursting a lung and hopefully his heart.


    A killing strike.


    My practice with Azarus had paid off.


    He wasn¡¯t dead yet though. I could hear Magnus gurgling in his own blood beneath me, face down in the dirt.


    Good.


    I wasn¡¯t done with him yet.


    I leaned down until my mouth was level with his left ear. ¡°Cease your caterwauling, blood bag,¡± I hissed to him, in his dying moments. ¡°Be grateful you only get this much.¡± Wrenching him onto his back using the dagger as a pivot point, I leaned over Magnus, letting the light of the fire illuminate my face.


    I saw realization steal across his face, pale from rapid blood loss. Slowly, a noise began to escape him. Though it was mangled by the sound of him drowning in his own blood, I could still recognize it.


    Laughter.


    I stayed there, leaning over Magnus, as he laughed himself to death. I never let go of the dagger. Eventually, the light left his eyes.


    I wasn¡¯t prepared for what happened next.


    Deep inside myself, I could feel something happening. Against my will, I felt something intrinsic to my very soul begin to resonate. Through the resulting panic, I was actually able to place the feeling.


    It was my racials. They were reacting to something.


    First, I felt The Scintillant Blade intensify in strength, causing the blade in my hand to flare brighter. It grew so bright that I could see the outline of my dagger inside Magnus¡¯s still, dead chest. Next, I felt Dream of the Infinite activate. I had no idea it even had an active portion. The world grew hazy, and I began to physically see a pulse all around me. I recognized it as the pulse of Aether that I felt during a meld, only actually visible to me this time. Finally, I felt Hidden Amidst the Spheres come alive.


    Only, this time it was different.


    It wasn¡¯t activating like it normally would, when I pulled up my Status. The well of strength that was intrinsic to the skill was building up, in a way that I had nearly forgotten it could do. But it didn¡¯t stop and fizzle out like it had when I had first discovered it could do this. No, this time, it continued, and began to do something else.


    It started to draw in the surrounding Aether.


    Slowly, I could see the Aether around me bend to layer over my form. I tried to yank my dagger free of Magnus, somehow aware that it was the initiator of this event, but I couldn¡¯t. More and more, Aether spilled from the environment to accumulate on me. At an unseen signal, all of the gathered Aether surged to the point of contact of my blade with Magnus¡¯s corpse.


    I felt it, when something shot up from that point, and infiltrated my Status.

 Chapter 73 - Escape

    I felt myself break out into a full-body shiver at the feeling of something infiltrating my Status. The sensation of something slithering its way into your very soul felt¡­wrong, somehow. That was beyond the fact that I could even feel my soul at all, in this instance. Confused and disturbed, I took the chance to call up my Status, to see if it could tell me what had just happened. I didn¡¯t care that I was still kneeling over the dead master of the manor. This shouldn¡¯t take long.


    Hopefully.


    Hidden Amidst the Spheres.


    Sure enough, I had notifications. More than I expected.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have gained 3 levels!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You are now level 24.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have 30 unspent Virtue Points.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have acquired the Class Skill Poisonfang Fist.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    What?


    What?!


    How had I gotten three levels? I hadn¡¯t killed any monsters or even made anything since the Breakers! Even beyond that, I¡¯d apparently gotten a new Class Skill?! But I¡¯d just gotten a new skill...


    Confused, I held up my left hand and tried to call up my new ability.


    Poisonfang Fist.


    For a moment, nothing happened, which was incredibly odd. Deep inside my Status, it almost felt as if the Skill was fighting me, as if it didn¡¯t want to be used. Eventually, though, my invocation succeeded, but not without an almost sense of reluctance.


    My left hand erupted into a roiling miasma of green and black smoke.


    I stared at my hand in abject horror.


    I recognized this skill.


    This was what Magnus had used to kill the bear-rabbit during my first of his ¡®hunts¡¯.


    How¡­how did I have this skill¡­


    Slowly, my gaze turned away from my hand and back to Magnus. Did I¡­did I take this from him? Was that what had happened, the moment he had died with my racials?


    Did I steal a skill from Magnus at the moment of his death?


    ¡°Well, damn,¡± I heard from behind me. The voice shocked me out of my stupor, especially because I recognized it. Hurriedly, I canceled the skill, causing the eerie smoke to dissipate from around my fist. God, I hoped my body had blocked the view of the skill. With a mounting sense of panic, I stood up and turned around to face the speaker.


    It was Stonebreaker, as I thought.


    He was standing about ten feet away from me, but I knew that was no protection from him. He could move faster than I could react. His armor was immaculate and shining in the dancing light from the fires across the fence. It didn¡¯t look like he had been fighting yet.


    He was watching me with a curious tilt to his helmeted head, arms folded.


    I didn¡¯t need to say anything. He just continued talking on his own.


    ¡°So, you killed the boy,¡± He said, sounding mildly interested. It didn¡¯t sound like he cared at all about the fact I¡¯d just killed his charge. ¡°I notice you don¡¯t have a collar, either. Did you kill Orinbar too, in order to get that off?¡±


    He sounded much less pleased at that possibility.


    ¡°He¡­he was already dead when w-I found him,¡± I said with a dry mouth. My heart was pounding in my ears. I knew this dwarf could kill me as easily as he breathed. I didn¡¯t know if I could get away from Stonebreaker. I¡¯d had a smidgeon of confidence Bleddyn and I might be able to take him earlier, but I had none about my chances solo. ¡°A servant let slip that Magnus killed him earlier.¡±


    Stonebreaker snorted, relaxing. ¡°Did he now. The little shit¡­,¡± He muttered to himself. With a shrug, he lowered his arms and turned to leave, visibly dismissing me. He started to walk away.


    I couldn¡¯t stop myself from speaking up. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± I said to him incredulously. Stonebreaker stopped but didn¡¯t turn to face me. ¡°I kill your charge, and you just walk away?¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to kill you, boy?¡± He replied, audibly bored.


    ¡°N-no! No¡­I just¡­you¡¯re just going to let me go?¡± I asked, confused.


    Stonebreaker turned his helmeted head slightly to look in my direction. ¡°The boy didn¡¯t matter all that much. This was his last chance with the Prince before he was cut off, anyway. I¡¯m sure,¡± He said, amused for some reason. ¡°That Anguis won¡¯t care about the loss of one out-of-control heir. Magnus was replaceable. Orinbar wasn¡¯t.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say to him at that. Stonebreaker didn¡¯t seem like he cared either way though, because he resumed walking away.


    I stood there, watching his plate clad back as he walked away, feeling like I¡¯d just dodged a bullet.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    I snapped out of it not long after. I didn¡¯t have time to stand around gaping at nothing.


    It was time to leave Addersfield behind forever. Preferably before the town was overrun with monsters.


    First, though, I¡¯d have to reach Azarus and Bleddyn. During the fall out of the window, I thought I¡¯d seen them fighting at the gates. I needed to hurry.


    I sprinted around the edge of the manor and towards the front of it, leaving Magnus¡¯s corpse to rot in the grass. Fare thee not-well, bastard.


    Once I¡¯d reached the gate, I found that the fire had reached the manor. The blaze in town had grown so strong that the winds had pushed it onto the fa?ade. As I passed through the wrought-iron gates, I saw that the front of the manor was beginning to go up in flames.


    I staggered once I sprinted into the town proper, overcome by the intensity of the flames and smoke around me. The main thoroughfare was wide enough that I didn¡¯t feel in danger, but the heat. It was nothing like I¡¯d ever felt before in my life. I raised my tunic to cover my mouth as best as I could to block out the smoke and tried to hurry to the gate, surrounded on either side by roaring flames.


    I had no idea how long it took me to make my way through town. I didn¡¯t see any of the dwarves that had been fighting the fire along the way. I think they¡¯d given up completely, and I didn¡¯t blame them. There was no stopping this fire.


    That wouldn¡¯t save them, though. These bloodthirsty bastards had a supposed horde of monsters to look forward to soon. At that mental reminder, I tried to hurry up.


    Eventually, I reached the entrance to the front gate square.


    It was wrecked.


    Even beyond the fire, the square very much looked like it had been through a battle. The buildings that weren¡¯t already burnt were shattered from what looked to be strong impacts. There were very obviously dead bodies strewn all about, as well. Mostly, they seemed to be members of the Addersfield guard that I¡¯d seen Azarus and Bleddyn fighting earlier. But I saw plenty of dead slaves, as well. Many of them were even holding weapons, clutched tightly in their dead fingers.


    I guess some of the slaves had decided to fight back, once their collars had fallen off.


    The fight was almost over, from what I could see.


    Bleddyn wasn¡¯t in the square anymore. There was only one person fighting the remaining guards.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    For the first time, I got to see Azarus fight seriously.


    It wasn¡¯t what I was expecting.


    From the gear that I¡¯d seen on him earlier, I¡¯d expected him to fight like an armored knight. You know, take a hit on his shield and then retaliate with his Warhammer. That wasn¡¯t what he was doing.


    Instead, he fought with chains.


    Extending out from his arms, it looked like he had long metal chains that sprouted from his elbows and wrapped around both of his forearms in a spiral. Both his hammer and his shield were attached to these chains.


    He was controlling them.


    Telekinetically.


    The shield hovered near his left arm, either being used to block attacks from the guards with no issue or be thrown out like a large, flat maul to be used as a weapon. I even saw Azarus reel the shield in once, grip the handles, and use it to slam a guard away from him before sending it out to attack another.


    The real star was the Warhammer, though. It too was attached to a length of chain by a loop on its handle. Azarus was throwing it around in large, sweeping motions to attack the guards from well beyond their range. Very rarely did any of the guards ever get close to him before they were smacked away.


    With a shout, I watched as Azarus flung his hammer and chain directly at one of the last remaining guards. It impacted his face with an audible crunch on his unarmored face. The blow knocked the dwarf off of his feet, where he didn¡¯t get back up. I winced, but that left only one guard left.


    I guess I shouldn¡¯t just stand around gaping at the fight. I could help.


    I drew my dagger.


    The Scintillant Blade. Sylvan Vigor.


    I broke out into a sprint at the unsuspecting guard''s back. In front, I saw Azarus notice me, causing his face to break out into a relieved smile. I stayed focused on the guard, though. Silently, I leaped forward as hard as I could, reading my blade. I didn¡¯t want to risk whatever had happened with Magnus happening again, so no leaving my blade in this guard. I had something else in mind.


    My blade sliced through the unsuspecting guard''s neck in one clean motion, causing his head to fly off behind him. A full decapitation.


    Landing on my feet in a skid, I slid forward from my leap several feet. I must have hit a rock, though, because my slide turned into a tumble at the last second. I found myself gazing up at the night sky, lit by a moon tinged red from the roaring flames around me.


    I blinked.


    Seconds later, Azarus appeared above me, his armor stained by blood and soot. ¡°Are ya alright!¡± He shouted down at me over the roaring of the flames, grabbing my right arm and hauling me to my feet.


    I staggered, but answered anyway. ¡°Y-¡± I tried to say, only to end up coughing from the smoke inhalation. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine! Did everything go all right!?¡± I said, struggling to make myself heard over the fire.


    Azarus nodded. ¡°Everything¡¯s ready! Gren¡¯s onboard! Bleddyn¡¯s helping with slaves!¡± I saw Azarus pause for a moment before leaning in. ¡°Did ya¡­get it all done?¡± He said in a normal volume.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I replied. I knew what he was asking. I met his eyes and nodded. ¡°Everything.¡±


    Azarus let out a short sigh, inaudible even from this close. ¡°All right,¡± He said, stepping away. ¡°We need ta get goin¡¯ then! We gotta leave if we¡¯re gonna beat the monsters! The Breakage Effect must be buildin¡¯ up! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    I exchanged a nod with him. We both broke out into sprints in the direction of the gates. Just beyond them, I saw a line of wagons being loaded up with supplies and slaves. Gren was there, and I exchanged a nod with him but didn¡¯t interrupt. He was obviously busy directing several other dwarves and slaves with the caravan. I guess those were his employees.


    I suppose I didn¡¯t begrudge him getting them out as well.


    More importantly, I saw Bleddyn moving among the slaves. As I watched, I saw him use the Bond Breaker on one of the other slaves. He was immediately wrapped in a hug by the openly weeping man. He said something to the now former slave and moved on to another.


    I hurried to catch up with him. ¡°Bleddyn!¡± I called. The noise of the burning town was lessened outside the gates, so he heard me and turned around. His face lit up and he rushed over to me as well. We met in between two of the wagons. He grabbed my right forearm in a tight squeeze when we did. ¡°Did ye do it?¡± He asked me breathlessly.


    I nodded at him. I understood. ¡°Yeah. Right up and through the left lung.¡± I said, letting go of his arm and patting him on the left side of his abdomen. ¡°He¡¯s gone.¡±


    Bleddyn took a deep breath, uncaring of the smoke in the air, and held it for a moment. He let it out in an explosive sigh. ¡°Less than the bastard deserves, but that ain¡¯t what matters. What matters is that he¡¯s gone.¡±


    I let out a sigh of my own and nodded. That was what mattered.


    But not right now. Right now, we needed to go.


    I said as much to Bleddyn, causing him to nod at me. Before we could say anything else, Azarus caught up with the two of us. I turned around, surprised. I hadn¡¯t even noticed that he hadn¡¯t followed me.


    Azarus and Bleddyn exchanged short nods before Azarus spoke to me. ¡°Gren says they¡¯re getting¡¯ underway now. We¡¯re out of here.¡±


    ¡°Where are Grey and Walter?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Wagon at the front. Let¡¯s go, yeah? Gren will meet us there.¡±


    Azarus broke out into a jog right past me for the front of the caravan. I moved to follow before I noticed that Bleddyn wasn¡¯t. I turned to face him, curious, only to find that he had a firm look on his face.


    ¡°Bleddyn?¡± I asked him, confused.


    He took another deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m not comin'' with.¡±


    ¡°What? What the hell do you mean, you¡¯re not coming?¡±


    Bleddyn walked up to me and set his hand on my shoulder. ¡°I talked to some of the other slaves, and we¡¯re in agreement. We¡¯re staying behind. Azarus told me about the stockpile this town has, and we¡¯ve decided to stay and fight for control of it.¡± He set his other hand on my shoulder and met my eyes. ¡°Nate, there are so many other slaves in the Principality. Most of ¡®em are human, like you and me. A lot of them got caught runnin¡¯ from the war. We¡¯re going to take those supplies, and we¡¯re goin¡¯ to help them. But I need your help first.¡±


    I gaped at him, all through his speech.


    ¡°Let me have this,¡± Bleddyn continued, holding up the Bond Breaker. My eyes numbly tracked it. ¡°I know I don¡¯t deserve to ask ye for anything more, after everythin¡¯ you¡¯ve done for me. But I¡¯m gonna anyway. Let me have this, and I swear to ye. I swear to ye that I¡¯ll fight to free every godsdamned slave in this country. I promise ye that, on the souls of all my ancestors. May Father Wolf and Mother Raven feast on my soul should I break this oath.¡±


    I¡­


    I see.


    I let out a shuddering breath. I see what he wanted to do.


    Bleddyn wanted to use the supplies that had been collected in this town, and the Bond Breaker I¡¯d made¡­


    To instigate a mass slave revolt in the Principality.


    But¡­


    ¡°What about the Breakage Effect? What about the rest of the guard?¡± I asked him, concerned. ¡°Hell, what about Stonebreaker? Can you take him?¡±


    Bleddyn shook his head with a vicious smile. ¡°Doubt it, but I ain¡¯t gonna try. I intend to let them fight it out with the monsters in town, while me and the others will wait on the edges until it¡¯s nearly done. We¡¯ll train up a bit too, and then when they¡¯re exhausted, swoop in. At that point, I reckon we can drive him off after how he¡¯ll have been fighting for weeks. Hell, that¡¯s assuming he even sticks around.¡±


    I nodded slowly. I didn¡¯t actually know if Stonebreaker was going to stick around. He¡¯d seemed pretty disinterested and done with everything, the last I¡¯d seen him.


    Slowly, I reached up and laid a hand over the Breaker clutched tightly in Bleddyns fist. I moved the hand and bident down until the haft rested over his heart. I met Bleddyn¡¯s eyes. ¡°Okay,¡± I told him somberly. ¡°Take it. Take the Bond Breaker with my blessing. And¡­¡± I trailed off, remembering something else. I reached a hand behind me to rummage around in the small pack at the base of my back. I pulled out the tightly folded sheet of paper that I had scribbled down before I¡¯d left for the manor. I hand it to Bleddyn, who looked down at it curiously. ¡°It¡¯s instructions on how to make another,¡± I said, causing his head to snap up to look at me in shock. ¡°Find an Enchanter you trust, and make more. Good¡­good luck, Bleddyn.¡±


    Bleddyn took the paper with a trembling hand and clutched it tightly. He met my eyes one last time with tears in his own. Suddenly, he wrapped me in a hug. ¡°We¡¯ll meet again one day, my friend. I promise you that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said over his shoulder. ¡°Yeah, we will.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Bleddyn and I parted at that. The last I saw of him, he was walking away from me to a large group of other slaves that had chosen not to join the caravan leaving the nearly destroyed town. God, there must have been dozens of them. Certainly a larger number than whatever guards were left in town.


    I guess revenge was a powerful motivator for some.


    It had been for me.


    As for myself, I turned away and left Bleddyn to organize his burgeoning slave revolt. As I walked by the wagons of the caravan, I looked inside of them. All of the wagons were packed to the gills with slaves. I recognized many of the faces in those wagons. In one, I saw the kitchen crew of the manor. Frederick even smiled and waved at me with teary eyes. In others, I saw some of the slaves from the caravan I had arrived in Addersfield with. Many of them were weeping, but not in sadness. Rather, I saw many slaves clutching each other tightly and wailing. Their time, and their ordeals as a slave¡­


    Were over.


    I reached the front wagon before long, where I found even more familiar faces. Gren was sitting up on the driver''s bench of the wagon and greeted me with a weary hello. Azarus was sitting next to him. We exchanged nods, but didn¡¯t say anything to each other. He didn¡¯t ask me about Bleddyn. I guess he knew.


    I climbed up into the back of the wagon. Inside, Grey and Walter were resting on cots that lay near the front of the wagon, both still out cold. They seemed fine, though. They were resting peacefully, despite the chaos that was about to descend on the village. Both Van and Rachel were in there as well. Van seemed nearly catatonic, which didn¡¯t surprise me. Rachel greeted me with a bright, cheery smile though. She told me that Bleddyn had spoken to Van about his uncle at the same time he¡¯d told him he was staying behind. I think Van would be fine eventually, though. It was just a lot right now.


    As I heard Gren let out a shout, the horse-drawn wagon lurched to life. I looked out behind me, and the rest of the caravan holding former slaves followed ours. However, something other than the wagons caught my eye.


    On a hill just off to the side of the burning town, I saw a shape come into view. The blood-red moon illuminated its form.


    It was a stag.


    Rather, from the glint of its antlers, it was a kind of monstrous stag that I was familiar with. A Blade-Rack Hart. Involuntarily, my hand came up to trace the scar on my left cheek.


    Even from this distance, I could tell that it was watching us. Somehow, I thought my eyes were meeting its own.


    I shuddered, and turned away.

 Interlude 6 - The Serpent [Vol. 2 End]

    ¡°What a mess,¡± ¡®Vincenzo Stonebreaker¡¯ said to himself, clucking his tongue and shaking his head. Following his interaction with the slave that had killed the boy, he¡¯d checked on a few things before retreating to the highest place in town to get a better look at the situation.


    That turned out to be the roof of this ridiculous manor. He didn¡¯t think he could stay up here long, though. The fire was already spreading to this very building.


    Speaking of the fire¡­


    ¡®Vincenzo¡¯ cast an eye out over the town of Addersfield. Even with just a cursory glance, he could tell that it was lost. Hell, it didn¡¯t even look like the fields were salvageable. The blaze was already raging in some of the surrounding crops, even if it hadn¡¯t reached the main portions yet. It was only a matter of time, though. The fields were too closely packed together. The fire would rip right through the entire plantation before long. Despite everything that had been invested in this little project, it was all a loss.


    Perhaps he should have listened to Orinbar about the density of the fields after all. The dwarf had told him plenty of times that they were pushing this land to the absolute brink with the variety of products they were growing. Even with the agricultural potions they''d been using liberally, the soil here was nearly a dried-out husk with how hard they¡¯d been pushing it.


    ¡®Vincenzo¡¯ glowered down in the direction of the boy¡¯s corpse at the thought of Orinbar. Orin had served faithfully for decades, never bothering with troublesome questions. He had quite honestly been one of, if not the most capable administrator in the entourage of House Savoy. It had been why he¡¯d been assigned to this little experiment. Only now he was dead, cut down in a fit of madness by the boy. It had been easy to tell the slave had been telling the truth, with his advanced senses and skills. A quick check in the former Seneschal¡¯s office before he¡¯d come up here, and he''d merely confirmed the matter. By now, ¡®Vincenzo¡¯ was used to the evidence of the now-dead Heir¡¯s proclivities. Magnus had most definitely been the one to kill Orin.


    Hmm, thinking of the slave, he wasn¡¯t sure if that one could be called a slave after all. With the loss of his collar, he was no doubt going to flee the Principality for Herztal. It would be extremely difficult to track him now, without a collar. In normal times, he could simply go through certain back channels within the Kingdom and have the property returned to its rightful place, but that was unlikely to happen now. What with the civil war, and all. ¡®Vincenzo¡¯ allowed himself a brief moment of smugness at the thought of that whole situation.


    House Savoy seemed to be losing more than just one slave, though. ¡®Vincenzo¡¯ was easily able to peer across the distance and see that Azarus the disappointment was organizing the rest of the slaves with the help of a merchant. He was cutting down guards left and right, and rounding up the slaves in a caravan that would most likely lead into Herztal.


    He hoped the fool enjoyed his exile from the ledgers of House Savoy. The raven-blooded half-breed would only be able to count on minimal support from the Florens now. They didn¡¯t think much of people with Savoy blood running through their veins, no matter how closely related to their Prince.


    No doubt this entire plan was a scheme cooked up by the Headmaster. ¡®Vincenzo¡¯ couldn¡¯t help but be amused at how bloodthirsty of a plan it was. It had been expected that the wily old man would eventually find a way to free himself, but not this way. Even now, ¡®Vincenzo¡¯ could feel the Aether building in the surroundings, as more and more monsters were spawned from a Breakage Effect. Gods, it had been a long time since he¡¯d seen one of these. Most people these days were too soft to consider initiating one.


    He supposed old Greycton really was just from another age.


    No doubt the old man was down there in one of those wagons right now, crowing to himself about the success of his plan. He¡¯d managed to manipulate both his captor and a slave into doing all the dirty work without lifting a finger. A truly spectacular performance, from the Lord of the Academy.


    However, now ¡®Vincenzo¡¯ was in a pickle. He supposed he had a few options open to him. He could stay and fight off the hordes of monsters that would no doubt be descending on the town soon. No doubt that would be well over a week of constant fighting, though. He wouldn¡¯t do it for the surviving townsfolk and guard, though. He didn¡¯t give a damn about them. No, if he stayed, it would be to protect the massive amount of agricultural products that had been secretly gathered since the inception of this project.


    He wasn¡¯t sure it was worth it, though. Not only was he exasperated with the way this entire situation had played out, but he wasn¡¯t sure the stockpile was valuable enough to expend the effort over. The Addersfield project had only been in operation for six months, after all. He¡¯d seen the reports that crossed Orinbar¡¯s desk. It was estimated that the stockpile only held around twenty thousand gold worth of supplies.


    A pittance, when compared to the greater wealth of House Savoy.


    Beyond even that¡­If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    He simply didn¡¯t want to expend the effort.


    No, better to leave for now. Perhaps in a few months, when the monster surge in the area had died down, he would see that a force was sent to this area to retrieve the supplies. The town would no doubt be emptied of inhabitants by that point, and it would be much simpler to retrieve the stockpile then.


    The slaves were all leaving, anyway. Very soon the town would be empty. Well, at least when the worthless townspeople were devoured by the surge. The stockpile would be perfectly safe in that time.


    It¡¯s not like the monsters would seek it out.


    Satisfied with his chosen course of action, ¡®Vincenzo¡¯ mentally reached out to a certain mental thread. Strumming it, he caught the attention of the person on the other end. They responded with a vague sense of exasperated surprise, along with a question. ¡®Vincenzo¡¯ mentally responded with an affirmative.


    It was time for him to leave.


    The presence on the other end acquiesced, and dissolved the mental bond that maintained ¡®Vincenzo Stonebreaker¡¯.


    With a shimmer, the construct dwarf dissolved into a fine mist of shimmering blue mana. His armor and weapons clattered down onto the roof of the manor, rolling off of the angled surface onto the ground below.


    The only thing that marked where the ¡®dwarf¡¯ had stood was the green and gold Savoy tabard he had been wearing, soon to be burned to ash by the flames engulfing the manor.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Hundreds of miles away, in an office richly decorated in green and gold, a dwarf paused in the middle of scribing his signature on a document. Slowly, he leaned back in his extravagantly decorated, massive chair and folded his hands over his stomach.


    Well.


    Hmm.


    That didn¡¯t go quite how he¡¯d wanted it to.


    Prince Anguis of House Savoy furrowed his dark brow at the memories his skill-born clone had fed to him. The persona of ¡®Vincenzo Stonebreaker¡¯ was an old favorite of his, and he¡¯d used it many times over the years. Nobody, not even the now apparently deceased Orinbar, knew about the subterfuge. It was easy to be in two places at once, when you had a Unique Skill that let you spawn a clone slaved to your will. Well, at the cost of being weakened by half, as well.


    The only problem was that his clone skill wasn''t able to be maintained indefinitely. Every few days, he had to cancel the skill and wait for it to recharge before recasting it. It only took a few hours to recharge, so his clones were well used to simply finding an excuse to wander away for that time so he could be dissolved. While ''Stonebreaker'' had been in Addersfield, that excuse had been to wander into the forest for some stress relief via monster killing. No actual killing ever happened, though.


    However, the limitations of his ability had come back to bite him in this case. He''d cancelled his clone earlier in the day, and had stayed up past his usual bedtime in order to recast it. Only, his slave had found that the town had been on fire and his current heir slaughtered by a slave. What a pain. Now his clone skill was on cooldown again, after an early cancelling.


    Anguis unlaced his hands and began to drum his fingers on the desk. With the loss of Addersfield, his plans would be set back a fair bit. Not terribly so, he admitted to himself. Addersfield was far from the only stockpile plantation he had.


    He spared a brief thought for his lost heir in Magnus, before snorting in disgust. The boy had never learned restraint. In retrospect, that particular spawn had come from poor stock. He should have known when the dam had perished in childbirth. He hadn¡¯t given a whit about the boy¡¯s proclivities before it had started to become too public. At that point, he¡¯d decided to give him just enough rope to hang himself with. Either he¡¯d succeed in his posting at Addersfield, or his obsessions would lead to his death. Hells, he¡¯d even sent a clone to observe the proceedings.


    He wasn¡¯t surprised that the boy was dead.


    Oh well.


    He had spares. What a pain it was, choosing a new one to train up. Hopefully, his new one would be even better behaved before the eyes of his court.


    The larger problem was now Headmaster Greycton. No doubt he¡¯d be traveling with all possible haste to Herztal, to settle their little civil war once and for all. The country was about to become a much more hostile place for his agents and beneficiaries inside the Kingdom. Briefly, Anguis wrote down a note to remind himself to recall the agents that were still valuable to him, and burn both the ones that weren¡¯t. Including all his human puppets.


    Still, while the length of the Headmaster''s imprisonment was shorter than he would have liked it to be, it had served its purpose. He¡¯d accomplished the goal he¡¯d set out for, while he¡¯d been out of the picture. Anguis allowed himself a brief, self-satisfied smirk.


    He wondered how the notoriously tricky Headmaster had managed to break his bond. Not only that, he seemed to have broken the bond of that one slave, as well. He''d certainly found himself with a nicely obedient little assassin.


    Standing up from his chair, Anguis walked over to stand in front of the large window in his office. Just outside of it lay the city of Vittolia.


    His city.


    While it wasn¡¯t quite as beautiful as that hole Rhoscara, it held far more power within the Principality. After all, Vittolia controlled nearly sixty percent of the dwarven agricultural market. Nobody could survive on an empty belly. Not for long.


    Gazing out across his markets and shops and nobles and peasants, Anguis once again felt a familiar certainty settle on his shoulders.


    Yes.


    This was the way. This was how he¡¯d bring dwarven kind into pre-eminence on the continent.


    By his guiding hand.


    Anguis allowed himself a brief moment of calm, before turning his mind to other matters. After all, before he¡¯d left, he¡¯d seen a curious thing from the human that had killed his son.


    A skill that he was one hundred percent certain had belonged to Magnus.


    Concentrating briefly, Anguis searched the depths of his mind for the slave''s name. He was sure he¡¯d seen it on one of Orin¡¯s dreadfully dry little reports. After a moment, he recalled it.


    ¡°Nathan Hart,¡± Anguis mused to himself before smirking slightly. ¡°What curious abilities you have.¡±

 Chapter 74 - Green Embrace [Vol. 3 Start]

    I crouched on a tree branch, far above my target. I¡¯d been stalking this particular one for nearly thirty minutes by now. The tracks that they¡¯d made were obvious enough to even my neophyte tracker¡¯s eyes. I¡¯d only acquired the General Talent for it in the last few days, after all.


    You would think taking a spear with you into the treetops would be awkward, but I was comfortable enough with the weapon by now that it wasn¡¯t an issue. Slowly, careful not to make too much noise, I maneuvered myself into the perfect position above them. Once there, I violently jumped off of the tree branch and into the open air. Midair, I pointed the blade of my spear downwards over my target and let gravity do most of the work.


    I wouldn¡¯t even need Scintillant Blade for this one.


    My spear pierced all the way through the flesh of the boar easily, pinning it to the forest floor. Blood sprayed me from the violent skewering as the wild boar let out an ear-piercing squeal. Wildly, it tried to escape by thrashing about, only succeeding in losing blood faster. Its struggles began to gradually slow, before the beast stilled.


    I stood up from my crouching position over the hog leaving my spear embedded in it for now. With a groan, I twisted my hips back and forth, cracking my back. I may not be tired, but crouching for as long as I had been tracking this boar still made you stiff. Fruitlessly, I tried to wipe some of the blood off of my new clothes before clicking my tongue.


    I¡¯d just made these, dammit. I¡¯d never wanted to see another set of white tunic and brown pants again so I¡¯d decided to fix that on my own. I hadn¡¯t wanted to use any of our limited supplies in order to do so, so I¡¯d just used what I could find in the wild. With Aetherial Melding, I¡¯d made myself a tough boar leather vest from a beast not unlike the one I¡¯d just hunted, while I¡¯d made some softer deer-skin leather pants from a kill about a week ago. I¡¯d wanted a cloak too, so I¡¯d used some wild flax to fashion one for myself. We didn¡¯t have any dyes in our supplies, and I hadn¡¯t found anything out here that I could use for that either. For now, it was just a light greyish-brown in color. I liked the look, actually. I looked like some kind of wild-man hunter. Well, other than the blood that I¡¯d just gotten on my new outfit.


    Speaking of blood.


    The boar I¡¯d just killed was leaving a large puddle under its rapidly cooling body. I stared at the pool of blood absentmindedly for a moment, lost in thought. It¡­reminded me of something.


    The guard I hadn¡¯t given a thought to murdering back in Addersfield.


    He¡¯d been fighting Azarus, and I¡¯d just come up from behind him and lopped off his head. I wanted to be bothered by that¡­. but I couldn¡¯t.


    I think I was getting used to death. That bothered me more.


    I¡­I¡¯d have to get the boar back to camp quickly, if I didn¡¯t want the scent of fresh blood to draw in any monsters. We may have been far from Addersfield at this point, but we were still feeling the effects of the Breakage Effect. Monsters were thick even this far from the now-destroyed town. Hell, in the week since we¡¯d escaped that hellhole, I¡¯d gotten six levels alone just from having to fight off monsters during my self-assigned hunting. At least that put me up to a nice, even level thirty.


    When I¡¯d gotten my next class ability, I was pleasantly surprised at how useful it was in our current circumstances. It was something called Leafwhisper Step. It was a Class Talent this time, instead of an activated skill like Sylvan Vigor had been. It made me much stealthier in forests, and it had come in handy ever since I''d gotten it. Most of the time, I didn¡¯t even need to activate Thorn Cloak to sneak up on game, unless I literally didn¡¯t want anything to see me even if I was standing right in front of them. I could definitely say that the new talent was coming in use.


    Still, that was enough lollygagging around. I needed to get this beast back to camp and thrown into our stew pot. I could feel my stomach rumble at the thought of a nice, hot meal. There were some surprisingly good cooks among the former slaves of our camp.


    Yanking my spear out of the boar, I wiped the remaining blood on it on the nearby grass. Bending down, I picked up the entire boar with ease and laid it across my left shoulder. Making sure to keep my left hand on the carcass to keep it steady, I picked up my spear with my right and set off.


    Thank God for Sylvan Vigor. I¡¯d been playing around with it and discovered that I could dial the skill down until I was getting a prolonged boost to my strength, instead of one massive surge. It wasn¡¯t hard to maintain at that low level, either. I could keep it going for at least an hour. I wasn¡¯t sure I would be able to pick up this massive pig if I didn¡¯t have the skill.


    Ah, whatever. I put thoughts of skills and hunting out of my head and focused on getting back to camp.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    It didn¡¯t take me long to get back to camp, even as bogged down as I was with a fresh kill. I hadn¡¯t gone too far from camp on this particular trip. Game was thick in this forest.


    The caravan was trying to avoid attention, so we were taking lesser-known roads that Gren knew about on our trip to Herztal. We¡¯d actually been pushing too hard over the last few days, and now we needed to take a moment to rest from our flight. We¡¯d pulled off of the narrow road we¡¯d been on and into a nearby forest clearing this morning. There, we¡¯d set up a wagon circle camp with our eight wagons and had been taking the chance to decompress. We were only intending to stay here for another day, before leaving tomorrow.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Exiting the tree line, I beheld our camp. It was busier than I expected, and I could see why.


    There was a new wagon that had entered the clearing.


    Larger than any of ours, even Gren¡¯s beast of a personal wagon, it was fairly intimidating. Where our wagons were mostly civilian use, this did not look like a civilian vehicle. Clad from the bottom up with metal plating, it wasn¡¯t even pulled by a team of horses. Rather, it was being pulled by what seemed to be a team of four enormous oxen.


    But the camp wasn¡¯t panicking. Rather, there was an air of excitement to the movement in the camp.


    I slung the dead boar off of my shoulder and let it hit the ground. I¡¯d come back for it later. Keeping a firm grip on my spear, I entered the camp proper to see what was going on. In front of the large metal-clad wagon, there seemed to be a crowd gathering. I couldn¡¯t see what was going on through the crowd of bodies, though.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± I called out to the wall of bodies in front of me. They didn¡¯t hear me, so I tried again. ¡°Excuse me! Could I get through?¡±


    The man directly in front of me finally turned around. He did a double take when he saw me and swiftly moved the side. His movement must have caught the attention of the other people before me, because they followed suit.


    I hid a wince at their awed expressions. Since our escape, word had spread around camp that I was the one who had not only built the device that had broken their Slave Bonds, but also destroyed the Control Slate and killed Magnus. There were only a few people in our caravan that didn¡¯t nearly bow and scrape at the sight of me, as if they had exchanged one master for another. There was no malice or fear involved, but it made me uncomfortable nonetheless.


    There was a reason I tried to spend most of my time outside camp, either hunting or scouting. Thank God Grey had woken up just fine a day after our escape to help take attention off of me.


    I didn¡¯t let any of this reflect on my face as I moved through the crowd to see what was going on. Off to the side, I saw Azarus watching something with an extremely surprised expression on his face. He caught sight of me at the same time I did him. In a wordless gesture, I tried to ask him what was going on. He just raised his palms, baffled.


    Okay then.


    As I exited the mass of former slaves, I felt my breath hitch at the sight of who had found us.


    It was Sylvia.


    Not just her though. It seemed like she had brought nearly a whole platoon. Over a dozen other people were either lingering around the massive wagon, or were poking their heads out of it to watch what was happening in front of it. My eyes lingered on a few of them, considering how strange they were to my Terran sensibilities. Among them were two people that I could only surmise were a Gnoll and¡­maybe an Antium?


    The Gnoll was much how they¡¯d been described to me. Around the height of an average human male, they stood upright on digitigrade legs. Covered in tawny fur, they looked like a massive fox that had learned to walk like a man. They were also clad in full plate mail with a massive greatsword slung across their back.


    The Antium (?) was more mysterious, though. I could only tell they weren¡¯t human based on the fact they had four arms. The rest of their massive, nearly seven-foot-tall frame was covered in a white, nearly Eastern looking robe with images of pink cranes in flight printed on it. Their four arms were clasped in front of them, voluminous sleeves hiding their hands. I couldn¡¯t see their face, as it was hidden by a large conical hat. Not an inch of skin, or chitin I guess, was visible to my eyes. What were visible were the four familiarly curved swords he was carrying. They had one on either hip, and two crossed over their back, hilts visible over their massive shoulders.


    Not far from my position, Sylvia and Grey were having a reunion. Sylvia was on her knees before Grey in his wheelchair, face buried in his stomach and arms wrapped around his back. Grey himself was hunched over as far as he could, with his face buried in her unconcealed golden hair. Both my distance and the murmur of the crowd around me prevented me from hearing what they were saying to each other. But they were both shaking in the telltale sign of sobs.


    I don¡¯t think they cared about the crowd at all.


    I felt a smile spread across my face at the sight.


    I was interrupted by someone else shoving their way through the crowd to stand next to me. Turning to face them, I quirked an eyebrow in question their way.


    It looked like Walter had found me.


    It had taken him a few more days after Grey for him to wake up and recover from his wounds. Luckily, I think his recovery had been sped up by Bleddyn breaking his bond and letting him have access to his Status again. Ever since he had woken up and discovered that he was free, the teenager had been in much higher spirits than I had ever seen him. He was much more confident, too.


    ¡°When¡­when did you get back, Mr. Hart?¡± Walter said breathlessly, winded from shoving through the crowd.


    ¡°Just now,¡± I said to him, only loud enough for him to hear. ¡°Left my kill near the tree line.¡±


    That caused Walter to perk up. ¡°I-I¡¯ll get it for you!¡± He told me eagerly. ¡°I¡¯ll take it to Ms. Rachel!¡±


    Before I could say anything in response, he started jostling his way through the crowd again. I lowered the hand I had raised to stop and tell him it was probably too big for him alone. I shook my head, bemused. Whatever, he could probably manage something.


    Teenagers.


    I turned my attention back to Grey and Sylvia, only to find that my conversation with Walter had grabbed their attention. Grey was staring at me with an amused, watery smile on his face. Sylvia on the other hand had stood up from her kneeling position and was staring at me with an intense expression on her silvered face.


    I was taken aback when she swiftly marched over to stand in front of me. Before I could say anything to her, she wrapped me in a fierce hug. I was frozen for a moment, before tentatively returning the embrace.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Sylvia whispered in my ear, voice nearly breaking. ¡°Thank you so much for saving him.¡±


    I shivered at the feeling of her voice so near my ear. I let out a breath. ¡°Yeah,¡± I breathed over her shoulder. My eyes met Greys. ¡°Yeah...¡±

 Chapter 75 - Reunion

    ¡°Our preparations seem a little silly, at this point,¡± Sylvia said to me later. After the reunion in front of her war wagon, Sylvia, Grey, Azarus and I had retreated to our personal section of the camp near Gren¡¯s lead wagon. There, we pulled up a few chairs around our firepit and started a conversation.


    I hadn¡¯t failed to notice that a few people among those Sylvia had brought had followed us. Among them were the Gnoll, the possible Antium, and another human. For now, they were standing off to the side silently watching us.


    Sylvia had eschewed a chair and was sitting on the grass in front of Grey, leaning back on his wheelchair. Grey had his hands resting almost protectively on her shoulders. I didn¡¯t think these two wanted to be separated again any time soon.


    I coughed, a little embarrassed. ¡°Ah,¡± I started awkwardly. The last time Sylvia and I had seen each other, she¡¯d told me that she was going to be bringing a force back to Addersfield. Once there, they would do the hard work of freeing Grey and I, along with Azarus. The only problem was¡­.


    Well.


    I¡¯d reached a breaking point where I just couldn¡¯t handle being in Addersfield for one more goddamn day. So, we¡¯d done everything ourselves.


    ¡°Sorry?¡± I said insincerely. I wasn¡¯t very sorry.


    Sylvia shook her head. ¡°No, no, It¡¯s fine.¡± She said, smiling at me. She still wasn¡¯t wearing the mask I¡¯d typically seen her wearing, during our lessons before she had left. ¡°Everything seems to have worked out well.¡± She reached up to grasp one of Grey¡¯s hands lying on her shoulder and squeezed it. Grey returned the squeeze, gazing down at his adopted daughter lovingly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Grey said, sounding more relaxed than I had ever heard from him. ¡°Now, we just need to regroup and see what needs to be done to settle the unrest within the Kingdom.¡±


    One of the people that had followed stepped forward at that, causing everyone¡¯s attention to shift to him. It was the human man. I didn¡¯t fail to notice that this guy was the first real dark-skinned person I¡¯d met so far on Vereden. Tall and lithe, he wasn¡¯t kitted out as a warrior like the others. Rather, he was wearing a set of green and white robes, with a prominent spiral stitched in gold on the front.


    ¡°Blessing of the Gyre upon you, Headmaster,¡± The man said, making an odd, but familiar gesture. He held up his right hand, palm facing us with his fingers tightly held together. Then he laid the index and pointer finger of his left hand across the bottom of his right palm. I furrowed my brow slightly, trying to remember where I had seen this before. After a moment, I remembered that Rachel had mentioned something before about a ¡®Church of the Gyre¡¯ and done the same thing. I¡¯d totally forgotten about that, and had never remembered to follow up on whatever that was.


    The man continued speaking, but what was odd was Grey¡¯s reaction. Ever since the man had stepped forward, Grey¡¯s eyes had snapped to him with an almost hungry slant to his gaze. ¡°But, I believe we have more immediate concerns? There is the obvious¡­,¡± He trailed off awkwardly, gesturing to Grey¡¯s non-existent legs. ¡°Which I can assist with. However, there is still the matter of your bound Status. Young Miss Sylvia informed us that House Savoy succeeded in inflicting you with a slave bond?¡±


    At those words, the Gnoll that was still standing off to the side let out an audible animalistic growl, while the possible Antium shifted slightly from his near statue-like pose. The near-perpetual smile that Sylvia had been sporting since her reunion with Grey dimmed slightly.


    I think all of them were a little confused at the reaction of Grey, Azarus and I. Grey merely smiled at the others, while Azarus and I exchanged a pair of smirks. ¡°That will not be an issue, Preceptor Eduard,¡± Grey said, amused. ¡°You see, my slave bond has already been dealt with.¡± He raised a hand, palm to the sky. From that palm arose a representation of the moon, eclipsed. It was a sphere of swirling dark energy, Mana to my senses, with a ring of bright silver somehow surrounding the edges of it, no matter the angle you viewed it.


    The eyes of ¡®Preceptor Eduard¡¯ nearly bugged out of his head at the display of magic, but he didn¡¯t get a chance to speak. The Gnoll instead lurched forward to stand in front of us with blatant shock evident on their vulpine features. ¡°H-how,¡± The Gnoll said in a surprisingly feminine voice. Oh, she was female. I tried not to let my surprise show on my face, but I didn''t think she was paying the slightest attention to me. ¡°How is this possible? Did you devise a way to break the slave bond, even in your own bound state?¡± There was naked hope evident in the Gnoll¡¯s voice.


    Grey shook his head. ¡°A way to break the slave bond was created, yes. But not by me. Rather, it was the work of my new apprentice that saw us freed from bondage.¡± He said, gesturing to me. Four sets of eyes fell on me instantly, mostly filled with disbelief. I tried not to fidget under the weight of their gaze. ¡°Everyone, this is Nathaniel Hart. I suspect he might become my Terminal Apprentice, so great is his potential.¡±


    ¡°Uh, hi,¡± I said to them awkwardly. ¡°Just call me Nathan.¡±


    The Gnoll took a stumbling step towards me. ¡°Can¡­you do it again?¡± She asked me haltingly.


    ¡°Yesss?¡± I said to her slowly. I wasn¡¯t even lying. I may have given away the original Bond Breaker to Bleddyn, but that hadn¡¯t stopped me from making another in my free time. I was lucky that Azarus had grabbed the Enchantment blanks I hadn¡¯t used yet when he was throwing together supplies from his house. You know, before he burned it to the ground. I¡¯d been pretty relieved when I found the blanks rummaging through a crate.


    You see, in my haste to let Bleddyn have the original, I¡¯d overlooked the fact that he hadn¡¯t freed all of the slaves before we left. There had still been a few stragglers that were bound and very upset by that fact. I¡¯d been scrambling to put together another when I found the blanks. Once I had them back, I¡¯d wasted no time in making two more Breakers to free who was left.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    They hadn¡¯t been very upset after that.


    Actually, you know what. I had one on me.


    Rummaging around in the pouch that I never took off anymore at the small of my back, I withdrew Bond Breaker number two. I held it up to the Gnoll. ¡°This is what does it. Break the skin over the bond with one of these, press the activation rune, and bam! No more bond.¡±


    The Gnoll, whose name I still didn¡¯t know furrowed her brow at the oversized fork in my palm. ¡°That¡­looks familiar¡­¡±


    The Antium finally spoke up. ¡°It is a Ward Breaker.¡± He said in a deep, rumbling voice. The Gnoll turned to face him. He took a step forward, laying a concealed hand on the hilt of one of his swords. I tensed at his surprising reaction. ¡°A weapon of terror.¡±


    When the Gnoll turned to face me, it looked decidedly less friendly.


    Before anything else could be said, Grey spoke up. ¡°It is not, in fact, a Ward Breaker,¡± He said calmly. The Antium turned his head slightly in Grey¡¯s direction while the Gnoll turned to face him completely. ¡°Peace, Illuvia. Peace, Venix. I am aware of the similarities, and it is because the design of Nathan¡¯s ¡®Bond Breaker¡¯ is based on the design of a Ward Breaker. In a feat of ingenuity, he turned the design of a weapon of terror,¡± He nodded at the Antium, apparently named ¡®Venix¡¯. ¡°Into a weapon against it. I¡¯ve examined the device closely, and feel quite foolish that I never saw the connection between both applications. It is quite capable of completely dissolving a Slave Bond, while being completely incapable of destroying even the weakest of Ward Stones.¡±


    The Gnoll, ¡®Illuvia¡¯, relaxed at Grey¡¯s words and directed an almost hungry look at my Breaker. Venix spoke up again, however. ¡°And where did the human learn to create a Ward Breaker, in order to alter it?¡± He said evenly.


    Grey somehow locked eyes with the Ant-man, even though his eyes were shrouded by his hat. ¡°I taught him.¡± He said simply.


    Venix was silent for a moment. ¡°As you say, Grey-sworn.¡± He said simply, before stepping back.


    Our group descended into a tense silence for a moment. I decided to break it. ¡°Uh,¡± I said, causing everyone to look at me. I was looking at Illuvia, though. ¡°You can have this one. You know, if you want.¡± I extended the Bond Breaker in my hand to her.


    Her mouth parted in surprise, revealing a mouth full of extremely sharp-looking fangs. ¡°You¡¯re just giving away a device that can free slaves?¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t be the first time.


    I shrugged, though. ¡°They¡¯re not hard for me to make, and I have another. I¡¯m¡­not exactly looking to keep how to make these a secret, you know? If I have my way, there¡¯ll be thousands of them across the continent by next year.¡±


    Cheers, Bleddyn.


    The Gnoll rocked back in surprise at my words, before extending a gauntleted hand to take the Breaker from me. She just gazed down at the bident for a moment before looking up at me. ¡°Thank you.¡± She eventually whispered.


    Before another awkward silence could descend on us, ¡®Preceptor Eduard¡¯ spoke up again. ¡°Praise be to the Gyre for this miracle.¡± He said fervently, making the symbol with his hands gain. ¡°If you are no longer afflicted with such evil, then I can easily provide for you the reason Miss Sylvia requested my services. A full regeneration of your missing limbs. I made sure to bring the necessary reagents.¡±


    His words brought an air of unexpected anticipation to the group. Looking around, I found that the new arrivals, including Sylvia, looked tense. But in a good way, as if they could barely restrain their enthusiasm for something. I looked around in confusion, but the Gnoll of our group provided the answer.


    Illuvia looked up from the Bond Breaker I¡¯d given her. ¡°And then the Grand Marshal can put an end to this damn war once and for all.¡± She nearly hissed in anticipation.


    Grey held up a hand, however. ¡°There is, however, a problem. The Bond that I was afflicted with was so strong, and I possessed it for long enough, that my Status has yet to fully return to me. I am fine,¡± He said, raising his voice to cut off any queries. ¡°As I am now, though, I fear I¡¯m not much stronger than my dear Sylvia is. However, I¡¯m confident that my strength will fully return to me in time. I can feel a little more of it, every day.¡±


    That deflated the mood among the apparent rebels.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Venix hummed enigmatically.


    ¡°I-I see,¡± Eduard said stumblingly. ¡°Be that as it may, we can still perform the regeneration for you. We¡­can begin the procedure at any point.¡±


    Grey patted Sylvia on the shoulder, causing her to wordlessly stand up from her seating position. He wheeled away from her over to the Preceptor. ¡°Now, if you please.¡±


    Somehow, I got the impression that wasn¡¯t a request.


    Preceptor Eduard didn¡¯t seem to mind, though. ¡°If you¡¯ll follow me,¡± He murmured to Grey. ¡°I have a station set up in our Ironclad, Headmaster.¡± I heard Eduard say, as the two of them walked and rolled away.


    You know, I was always surprised at how easy it was for Grey to roll around on rough terrain like this. Especially in his bare-bones wooden wheelchair.


    Guess I won¡¯t be seeing that anymore. Good for you, Grey.


    With Grey and Eduard gone, that just left Azarus and I with Sylvia, Venix, and Illuvia.


    Sylvia spoke first. ¡°I believe I¡¯ll go and support father,¡± She told us. ¡°He¡¯s more than strong enough for it, but I¡¯ve heard the procedure to regrow limbs for you¡­organics can be quite painful.¡± She paused for a moment, before turning and addressing me. ¡°Thank you again, Nathan. I¡¯ll never forget what you¡¯ve done for my family.¡± At that, she turned around and walked away, quickly catching up with Grey and Eduard. I was able to see the moment that she linked hands with Grey, unconcerned with the stares from the rest of the camp.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I breathed. ¡°No problem.¡± I shook my head slightly, before looking over at Illuvia and Venix. ¡°So¡­I never got introduced to you guys.¡±


    Illuvia had fallen to inspecting the Bond Breaker again, but my words knocked her out of it. ¡°Ah, my apologies,¡± She said, bowing slightly. When she straightened up, I noticed that the Breaker had disappeared somewhere on her person. ¡°I¡¯m Vanguard Illuvia, of the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn. And that¡¯s¡­¡± She trailed off, turning around to find that Venix was already walking away. ¡°That¡¯s Venix.¡± She finished, slightly exasperated.


    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± I said, amused. ¡°What¡¯s his deal, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s sworn to the Grand Marshal in some way,¡± Illuvia replied, waving a hand seriously. ¡°Neither of them will talk about how, but the going thought is that the Grand Marshall saved his life somehow.¡±


    I nodded, before pausing. ¡°Grand Marshall? What¡¯s that about?¡±


    Illuvia looked at me strangely, but answered anyway. ¡°You¡­don¡¯t know? Greycton of Hollow Hill isn¡¯t only the Headmaster of the Academy of Mystic Arts.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s also the Grand Marshal of the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn.¡±

 Chapter 76 - Projects

    It must take a long time to regrow entire limbs, because it had been hours and nobody had come out of the ¡®Ironclad¡¯ yet. Most of the people that Sylvia had brought with her, apparently all Order ¡®classers¡¯, had been shooed out of it to mingle with the camp. It had been a good idea, actually. The former slaves of our camp seemed to appreciate the presence of people who were from what seemed to be a well-known group. The caravan had lost an air of nervousness that I hadn¡¯t even realized had been lingering.


    As for myself, I tried to stay out of the way. For once, I hadn¡¯t had any difficulty in retreating to a secluded corner of our campground. First though, I¡¯d grabbed a bowl of stew from our ¡®kitchen¡¯. Funnily enough, Rachel, Van¡¯s former slave, had ended up as the head cook of the caravan. I¡¯d happily accepted a bowl of surprisingly tasty boar stew from the woman. She¡¯d been too busy for anything more than a hasty greeting, though.


    You know, now that I thought about it, I hadn¡¯t seen Van all day. He¡¯d been a little morose since leaving Addersfield. I think he might have looked up to Orinbar, no matter how much of an amoral bastard he had been. I guess he hadn¡¯t been as fucking insufferable as Magnus had been to Azarus, who hadn¡¯t displayed an ounce of remorse over his death. I¡¯d try and catch up with Van later, I decided.


    I settled down on a makeshift log bench behind Gren¡¯s personal wagon, where Grey, Azarus, and I had pitched our section of the camp. Thankfully, I was out of view from the rest of the caravan, so I settled down to eat. It didn¡¯t take me long. I was honestly pretty starving.


    Now that I was done with my dinner, it was time to get back to work on a couple of my projects. Grabbing what I¡¯d been working on from a pack I¡¯d been using for this purpose, I closed my eyes started to slip into my Aetherial Melding trance.


    However, before I could do so, I was interrupted.


    ¡°Is this seat taken?¡± I heard a familiar feminine voice say. Cracking open one of my closed eyes, I found that Sylvia was standing above me, hands on her hips.


    Abandoning my trance, I made a show of glancing down to the grass below me on my right, where my empty stew bowl sat. ¡°Well,¡± I drawled, leaning back on my hands with a slight smile. ¡°It looks like it might be taken by my bowl. I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Sylvia rolled her startlingly blue eyes at me before nudging the bowl out of the way, sending it and its spoon clattering to the grass below. With a solid-sounding thump, she settled down next to me on the log.


    I spoke before she could. ¡°So, is it done? Does Grey have his legs back?¡±


    Sylvia nodded, gazing into the small, personal campfire we had. ¡°Yes, father is fine now. He¡¯s still a little tender, so he¡¯s taking the time to speak with the classers. I think they¡¯re settling on a plan right now. He¡¯ll be along soon, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± I said, relieved. ¡°I was honestly starting to wonder where we were even going. Nobody has even said a word about an actual destination since we escaped.¡±


    Sylvia hummed, before glancing at me from the corner of her eye. ¡°Did you truly manage to create a way to break the slave bond by yourself?¡± I didn¡¯t blame her for the slight note of disbelief in her silvery voice.


    I shook my head. ¡°God no. Grey had to teach me a bunch about Enchanting and Abjuration before I could make the Bond Breaker. Even then, I was really reckless in how I made it in the first place. If I¡¯d made one small mistake, I could have killed myself in the process.¡± I paused for a moment. ¡°I kinda think the only reason I didn¡¯t is because of my Profession.¡±


    The Sculpted woman turned to face me fully at that. ¡°I don¡¯t believe we spoke much about that, back when I was teaching you. I¡¯m¡­sorry, but I don¡¯t remember what it was called.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s apparently new anyway. It¡¯s called Aetherial Melding.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you were doing before I interrupted you? Using ¡®Aetherial Melding¡¯?¡± Sylvia nodded at the odds and ends that I had sitting in my lap. I moved my hand to lay on them, somewhat self-conscious.


    ¡°Ah, yeah,¡± I said, a little embarrassed to be caught out. ¡°I was just going to work on some of my own projects.¡±


    Sylvia¡¯s eyes lit up at that in curiosity. ¡°Oh? What are you working on?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Um. Well, first, did you hear anything about a ¡®Profession Shift¡¯, a few months ago? It should have involved Clockwork Engineering?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes,¡± Sylvia said slowly, before pausing. She looked at me in surprise. ¡°Was that you? Did you cause it to change into ¡®Mechanical Engineering¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t get to keep it long, or even get to use it honestly. Aetherial Melding just came along and replaced everything for me. I¡¯m not complaining about that, mind. But I never forgot about Mechanical Engineering, and wanted to see if I could do anything in line with it.¡± I wasn¡¯t even lying. I¡¯d been working with Azarus in the evenings about the basics of how Engineering worked here, and trying to puzzle out the Mechanical version for my own use.


    ¡°What are you trying to make?¡± Sylvia asked me.


    I took a moment to look down at the metal parts lying in my lap. There were¡­a bunch of things, honestly. Tubes, springs, blades, and interlocked metal bits and bobs. I was once again lucky that Azarus had thought to save my little smithing grill and some raw materials from the fire. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to make this stuff. I looked up at Sylvia. ¡°Ah. A couple of different weapon ideas I had.¡±


    ¡°Weapons?¡± Sylvia said doubtfully, looking at the junk I¡¯d made.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said absentmindedly, fiddling with a small curved piece of iron. ¡°I thought I¡¯d try and recreate something from back home. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to, and it¡¯s a long shot, but I thought I¡¯d give it a try. The other thing is almost done, though. That turned out to be easier than I thought it would be.¡± I handed Sylvia what I was talking about. To layman¡¯s eyes, it looked like nothing more than a dagger with a slightly longer handle than usual. In fact, I had used one of my spare daggers in its construction.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Sylvia took it from me, looking it over with a curious. She looked up at me. ¡°It¡­just looks like a knife?¡±


    ¡°Look again,¡± I told her with a sly smile. I pointed to something on the hilt. ¡°Press that rune.¡±


    Sylvia took another look at the dagger, and found the rune that I was talking about. My eyes widened, however, when she pressed the rune with the dagger pointed in my direction. With a sudden flood of adrenaline, I dove to the side.


    Just in time for the blade of the dagger to shoot out of the hilt and fly through the air where I had been sitting. A variety of other things flew out of the handle in Sylvia¡¯s hands as well. Among them were hollow links of pipes and various springs and gears.


    I panted, lying on the grass. That had been close.


    Sylvia dropped the empty hilt in her hands with a gasp, flustered since the first time I¡¯d met her. ¡°Nathan! Are you alright? I-I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± I said, interrupting her babbling. Shakily, I stood up and looked in the direction that the blade had flown. I didn¡¯t have to look far, as I found it embedded in the outside wall of Gren¡¯s wagon. I took a shuddering breath. Well, at least it had missed the canvas. Gren would have been more pissed if we¡¯d torn that. I yanked it out of the wood and turned back to Sylvia. Walking over to her, I gently took my prototype from her limp hands. ¡°I¡­I¡¯ll just be taking that back.¡± I sat back down on the log with a thump.


    We sat in silence for a moment before Sylvia broke it. ¡°Is it¡­a blade shooter of some kind?¡±


    Flicking my eyes in her direction, I shook my head. ¡°No, it only did that because it isn¡¯t done.¡± I picked up a few lengths of tubing that had shot out of the hilt. ¡°It¡¯s actually supposed to be a kind of collapsible spear that can double as a dagger. I¡­like the spear for straight-up combat, but I find myself needing to do knife work pretty often. This is my attempt to bridge both of those needs.¡± I smiled wryly. ¡°I just haven¡¯t got the mechanism right yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Sylvia said thoughtfully. ¡°That¡¯s inter-¡±


    We were interrupted by a small group of people approaching the fire. I stood up to greet them, with Sylvia following a second later. Seemed to be Azarus, Gren, and someone else that I was happy to see walking around.


    Grey, standing on his own two feet.


    He was shorter than I¡¯d been expecting him to be, I noted. It was hard to gauge the height of someone when they both didn¡¯t have legs, and had been wheelchair-bound. I¡¯d built him up to be this titan in my head, considering how strong he was supposed to be. But he was an old man, after all. He looked to be maybe only an inch or so taller than Azarus, who was abnormally tall for a dwarf. Both of them were shorter than my five foot eleven frame, so maybe around five foot six or something. He was also carrying a bowl of stew, cupped in his hands.


    Sylvia perked up at the sight of Grey and walked over to greet him with a hug. Grey returned it readily, stew bowl around her back in one hand. Separating, Sylvia looked him over critically. ¡°How are you feeling, father?¡±


    Grey smiled at her wryly. ¡°Oh, the new flesh is still tender, but it¡¯s nothing egregious. The feeling will pass eventually. Other than that, I¡¯m fine.¡± He looked over Sylvia¡¯s shoulder and nodded at me. I returned it. ¡°Nathan. I see you¡¯ve been entertaining my Sylvia.¡±


    ¡°Good to see you on your feet, Grey.¡± I smiled at my mentor. ¡°And yeah, I was just showing her a project of mine.¡± I left out that she had nearly killed me with it. Gren and Azarus walked past us while we were talking, holding bowls of stew of their own. I exchanged nods with them.


    ¡°Oh? Which one? The spear or the device for flinging little balls of metal?¡± Grey asked me teasingly.


    I felt my eyebrow twitch at the now familiar jab, but smiled anyway. ¡°The spear. You know the second is still just in the concept stage.¡±


    Grey walked over to where I was standing with Sylvia trailing in his wake. Both of them sat down on the log. I followed suit, noticing that Gren and Azarus were sitting on the one across the fire. ¡°So, what¡¯s up?¡± I asked Grey. ¡°I heard you were deciding on a destination with the other guys from your Order?¡± I asked pointedly.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s hardly my Order these days,¡± Grey said, unphased. ¡°I may have founded it, but I leave its affairs mostly to my second. I¡¯ve attempted to step back and leave overall command with him, but he stubbornly insists that he¡¯s not yet worthy.¡±


    I hummed in though. ¡°You know, nobody has even told me what an ¡®Order¡¯ is, you know. If you¡¯re so involved in the running of one of these, I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t mentioned it before now.¡±


    Grey¡¯s eyebrows shot up in realization before a chagrined look crossed his wizened features. ¡°Oh, my apologies. You¡¯re quite correct, Nathan. It simply slipped my mind with how busy we¡¯ve been. An Order, or rather, a Martial Order as they¡¯re correctly termed, occupies a rather unique position within Herztalian society. Not quite an official part of the military, but also not quite civilian, they¡¯re something of an attach¨¦. They are also definitely not a mercenary force. Rather, they are organizations given charter by the crown to independently recruit and train ¡®classers¡¯.¡± Grey said, making air quotes. ¡°Those being independents that are serious about advancing their Status and reaching higher tiers. These Orders still owe allegiance to the throne, and can still be called to service alongside the military in times of great need.¡±


    Grey paused for a moment to take a bite of his rapidly cooling stew. ¡°Oh, quite good tonight. Anyway, it was realized centuries ago that while the military is effective, they¡¯re somewhat of a blunt object. A new approach was needed, alongside the founding of my Academy, to battle the ever-growing threat of monster attack on the frontiers. Thus, Martial Orders were born. In any case, we¡¯re to meet up with my second. He¡¯s been amassing troops and supplies from our allies in the Uprising as well as the Order in my birthplace. A small, sleepy little town named Hollow Hill.¡±


    I nodded at him, following along. ¡°I¡¯m guessing we¡¯re leaving soon then?¡±


    Grey nodded back at me, with a spoon between his lips. He took it out and answered. ¡°Indeed. We still need to settle a few things, and then we¡¯ll be on our way tomorrow afternoon.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    When I woke up in my tent early the next morning, I could tell that the camp was only starting to get busy. Getting up, I started to outfit myself again for another hunt. Last night, after my conversation with Grey and Sylvia, I¡¯d decided that it couldn¡¯t hurt for the camp to have a little more fresh meat before we left. This area was just too filled with game to pass up the chance. Luckily, I¡¯d remembered to leave my blood-splattered hunting outfit with the camp washers yesterday. The scent of blood that would have trailed me otherwise would have driven things away from me.


    Stepping out of my tent, I found the camp was only starting to wake up like I¡¯d thought. Azarus was awake though, drinking from a steaming mug of tea next to the embers of our campfire. He set his metal mug down for a moment to raise a tired eyebrow at me. ¡°Again?¡± He asked in dull surprise.


    I shrugged at him before smirking. ¡°Hey, this way I don¡¯t have to help pack up camp.¡±


    Azarus made a rude gesture and shooed me away. I left camp at that with a chuckle.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    It actually took me longer to find suitable game than I was expecting it to. It took me a few hours, but I eventually tracked a deer deeper into the forest than I¡¯d typically gone. Once I¡¯d found it though, it wasn¡¯t hard for me to bring down, with my literally superhuman strength and speed born from Sylvan Vigor. Hauling it onto my shoulder, I set off back in the direction that I thought camp lay in.


    On my way back, I found something else, though.


    Stopping at the edge of a forest clearing, I slowly set the deer carcass down on the forest floor. Mesmerized, I stepped into the clearing and tried to make sense of what it held.


    It looked like some kind of giant stone monument.

 Chapter 77 - Fade

    The monument was huge, taller than I was. Mostly rectangular with a flared and then tiered design at the top, it was resting on a set of circular stairs. It was set directly in the center of the forest clearing that I had found, bathed in the peaceful morning light. I stepped into the clearing in order to get a better look at it, entranced.


    As I got closer to the monument, I was able to make out more details on it. It was absolutely covered in moss, but I swear that I could see a glint of something beneath the foliage. Climbing the stairs to stand in front of the monument, I tried to wipe the moss out of the way. It was really stuck on there though, so I used the blade of my spear to scrape it away, careful not to damage the stone beneath. When I succeeded in scraping away the moss, my breath caught in my throat.


    There was a large, twisting design of a seven-armed spiral etched on the face of the monument. Elaborately detailed, it looked to me like the design had been etched on some kind of turquoise crystal set into the stone. Furrowing my brow, I realized that the design was familiar.


    After all, I¡¯d seen it just yesterday on the robe of the Preceptor.


    Below the spiral-etched crystal, I could see a line of text written in familiar-looking runes. Above the design though, there appeared to be a large, blue gem of some kind, cut into the shape of a triangle. However, the stone was jagged and broken. Half of it looked like it had been ripped away.


    I stepped back to goggle at the surprisingly beautiful monument when it was fully revealed. What was this thing? It looked too beautiful, too elaborate to have been deliberately abandoned like this in the middle of a random forest clearing. Furrowing my brow, I stepped closer to the writing on the stone. It was done in what looked like something similar to Enchanting runes. They weren¡¯t a complete match, but it was like the difference between modern English and old English to my eyes. I thought I could puzzle out the meaning if I tried.


    ¡°H-here¡­look-no¡­lies? The¡­d-¡± I tried to sound out the runes, but I was interrupted before I could get very far.


    ¡°Here layeth the door to the stars,¡± I heard a familiar voice say from behind me. Startled, I turned around as quickly as I could, instinctively readying my spear. I needn¡¯t have bothered, though.


    It was Venix, the Antium I had sort of met yesterday.


    He had somehow snuck into the clearing while I was absorbed in pondering the monument. He was still wearing the same hat and robe, and was standing maybe ten feet from my position. Eyeing his four swords, I remembered how this hadn¡¯t seemed to be my biggest fan yesterday. My grip on my spear tightened.


    He continued speaking while I was inspecting him. ¡°Step forward, wayfarer, onto the celestial road. With open hearts, embrace yon brothers and sisters yet discovered.¡± He was silent for a moment, simply staring at the monument himself. ¡°That¡¯s what it says. This¡­is a broken portal stone.¡±


    Oh.


    I risked a glance back over my shoulder at the monument. I remember Azarus telling me about these. Once upon a time, millennia ago, there had been a working portal network between a bunch of different planets. Then the ¡®Gods¡¯ had gone to war with each other, and now they were nearly all broken in some way. Apparently, there was only one working portal stone left on Vereden, and even then it was limited. It could only access one other planet. The one that the Orcs, Goblins, and Antium called home.


    Indiqua.


    Speaking of Antium¡­


    Turning around, I saw that Venix was facing me as well. Before I could say anything, he reached up to take his hat off. For the first time, I got to see the Antium man¡¯s face.


    He¡­didn¡¯t look as bug-like as I was expecting.


    His facial features were mostly reminiscent of humanity. He had a mouth, a nose, and two eyes. None of them were quite like they were on me, for example, but they existed. He wasn¡¯t very fleshy though, as his skin seemed to be made of a more inflexible copper-colored chitin. His head was completely bald of any hair, with only his two long antennae sticking out of his forehead. His nose was mostly flat and nonexistent except for a slight rise with two vertical slits for nostrils. His mouth was similar to a human as well, if not wide and possessed of rather more¡­pointed teeth in a human, obsidian in coloring. The light glinting off of his eyes drew my attention as well, letting me see that while they weren¡¯t completely compound like an actual ant¡¯s, they were still partially. He still had the normal white sclera, but he didn¡¯t have either a visible pupil or iris. Instead, it looked like a pitch-black compound structure.


    Other than¡­all of that, his facial features seemed mostly human proportions, if not with a slightly wider jaw. The overall effect was¡­a little odd. It was almost uncanny.


    However, he wasn¡¯t making a hostile move.


    Instead, Venix was bowing his head in my direction.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to apologize,¡± He told me, in his odd, flat tone of voice. ¡°I leveled an accusation at you yesterday that was uncalled for.¡±


    I blinked at him, caught off guard. ¡°Did you...track me all the way out here just to apologize?¡± I asked incredulously, relaxing my grip on my spear.


    Venix gave a short, sharp shake of his head in the negative. ¡°I did not. I was already in the vicinity when I perceived your presence.¡±


    We stood around in awkward silence for a moment. Well, at least I did. Venix gave no indication that he felt anything at all. I cleared my throat. ¡°Well¡­apology accepted. I can see how someone would have thought my Bond Breaker was a Ward Breaker.¡± I paused for a moment, before turning back around to look at the portal stone. ¡°Broken, huh. Do you know much about the portal stones?¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    I heard Venix approach closer to the monument, but not step onto the stairs. ¡°Not especially. However, I have encountered them before. All members of the Hive that step foot on Vereden must pass through one. That is where I learned the inscription.¡±


    I turned around to face him anyway in my curiosity. ¡°So you¡¯ve been through one of the portals before? What was that like?¡±


    Venix was silent for a moment. With his upper right arm, he pointed to the large green crystal spiral etched on the monument. ¡°This is not true crystal. It is the portal itself, shrunken and solidified. Upon activation, in a working portal stone, it would expand outward into the portal itself, turning to pure energy as it did so. Then,¡± He moved his finger up to point at the broken blue gem. ¡°Whatever that is, it would fire some form of¡­beam at the portal, setting the destination. Once set, you walk through the portal. It is an instantaneous transition. You cannot sense the mechanism behind it. The only reason you are able to tell you have moved planets is due to the change in Aether density.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°Does Indiqua have a weaker density or something?¡±


    Venix gave me a small, mirthless smile. ¡°The opposite. The Aether density is stronger than Vereden''s. Thus, the monsters are stronger and appear more frequently. The jungle is¡­merciless.¡±


    Huh. If the Aether is denser over there, and so are the monsters¡­


    I¡¯m guessing the people are generally stronger too.


    I didn¡¯t ask though. I just turned back to look at the broken portal stone. ¡°I wonder how they really work.¡±


    Venix stepped up beside me. I could see him shake his head. ¡°I do not know. Nobody truly does, which is why the other planets are lost to us. Their operation is fairly simple, however. Around the back, you will be able to see the control mechanisms.¡±


    Curious, I stepped around to the back of the monument to see what he was talking about. I was pretty surprised about what I found.


    Set into the back of the stone in a large circle were six colored gemstones the size of my fist, surrounding a large rune in the center. Differently from the front of the monument, none of them were covered in moss. From the top in a clockwise motion, they were red, orange, yellow, blue, a sort of blue-ish purple, and finally purple.


    That wasn¡¯t what surprised me, however.


    Laying at the foot of the monument below me, what looked like a puppy was napping in the morning sunlight. Crouching down to get a better look, I discovered that this definitely wasn¡¯t a young dog of some kind.


    It was a young wolf.


    It was lying on its side, snoozing without a care in the world. It was an almost steel grey in color, and honestly pretty cute. The only thing was, I could tell that it wasn¡¯t a normal wolf. Growing on its forehead, just in front of its tiny pointed ears, were two small bumps on its forehead. I wonder if this was an infant monster or something? I¡¯d never seen something like that before. Curious, I used Observe on it.


    Name:


    Age: 2 months


    Species: Spirit Wolf


    I blinked at the small, snoozing wolf puppy. I¡­guess it wasn¡¯t a monster, after all. Normally, a monster¡¯s species was just listed with Observe as a monster. Not whatever a Spirit Wolf was. No ability listing, either.


    Odd.


    It didn''t have a listing for either it''s level or abilities, either...


    Venix stepped around the monument, I guess because I¡¯d been silent. He spotted the puppy as well. His hairless brow raised in surprise. ¡°A Spirit Wolf?¡± He said incredulously, for once injecting emotion into his voice. I guess he had Observed it as well.


    The sound of Venix¡¯s voice seemed to finally do the trick in waking up the pup, as it yawned and stretched from its position on the stone stairs. Blinking open a pair of startlingly green eyes, the pup got to its feet and raised its head to look at me. It tilted its head to the side, almost as if it was studying me.


    For a wild animal, it was surprisingly unafraid of either of us.


    I raised my own head to look at Venix from my crouching position. ¡°You know what it is?¡±


    ¡°Only through stories.¡± He told me, still staring at the young wolf in surprise. ¡°It is a type of Mystic Beast, rarely seen. In the past, they are said to act as guides and protectors for lost¡­wayfarers...¡± He trailed off, his eyes flicking to the monument for a moment. With a small shake of his head, he continued. ¡°I had thought them a myth, in truth. I¡¯ve never heard of one appearing as a pup, however¡­¡±


    Mystic Beast¡­


    Guess I have another thing to ask Grey about, when he has the time.


    Struck by a sudden urge, I stuck my hand out for the pup to smell. It leaned in and sniffed it, causing the canine to sneeze. After that though, it licked my hand a few times before barking at me.


    Feeling a smile grow on my face, I put my hand on its head and started to pet the ¡®Spirit Wolf¡¯. It seemed to enjoy that, from its renewed panting. The pup suddenly looked up at me, causing me to lock eyes with it.


    My green eyes met its own.


    I¡­felt something, then. I couldn¡¯t put it into words accurately. Beyond Magic, or Cultivation, or even Statuses, it felt like I was somehow brushing my soul against the pups. It wasn¡¯t scary at all, though. Somehow, I could feel the inquisitiveness of the young wolf under my hand. At the same time, I could feel that it wasn¡¯t surprised at this contact at all. Slowly, formlessly, I could feel the creature pose a question to me.


    I blinked, breaking the contact. A little dizzy, I looked back up at Venix. ¡°Has¡­anyone ever taken a Spirit Wolf as a¡­pet?¡±


    Venix blinked at me slowly. ¡°No.¡± He said. ¡°I don¡¯t believe they have.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± I said, gazing back down at the patiently waiting pup. I opened up my arms. The young wolf jumped into them at the wordless gesture. He wasn¡¯t very big right now, only about the size of a small dog back home, so it was easy for me to stand up under his full weight. The pup settled into my arms as if he belonged there. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be the first.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Venix said. I got the feeling he didn¡¯t know how to react to the whole situation. He shook his head. ¡°We should be returning to the encampment. They¡¯re likely ready to leave by now.¡±


    I nodded at him, before making my way down the steps of the broken portal stone. My new wolf watched the world curiously from his space in my arms. When I didn¡¯t hear Venix following me, I turned around to see what was holding him up.


    Venix had folded his four arms back into his sleeves and was gazing at the stone pensively. I opened my mouth to ask him what was up, but he interrupted me before I could.


    ¡°Monument now still,


    Enchantment¡¯s touch fades away,


    Forest keeps its tale.¡±


    With a deep sigh, Venix turned away from the stone and walked down the stairs. ¡°I will gather your kill. You are¡­occupied.¡± With that, Venix walked over to the dead deer I had left over on the edge of the clearing and easily picked it up. I noticed he was careful not to get any of its blood on his white robe.


    I looked down at the pup in my arms, causing it to look up at me curiously. ¡°Did he just haiku?¡± I asked, bemused. The pup barked at me in response.


    Flicking my eyes back to the monument briefly, I thought about Venix¡¯s spontaneous poem.


    Enchantment¡¯s touch fades away¡­


    ¡°How about Fade, huh?¡± I asked the Spirit Wolf in my arms.


    Fade barked at me again.


    I guess he liked it.

 Chapter 78 - Cinders

    ¡°He¡¯s a cute one, all right,¡± Azarus said to me later that day. We were sitting together in the back of Gren¡¯s wagon as it rattled along down the road.


    Venix had been right about the fact the caravan was all set and ready to go. By the time we¡¯d gotten back, the last bits of the camp had been in the process of being torn down and loaded up. Venix had handed off my kill to a harried Rachel, who had handed it off to a few of her assistants. I¡¯d stuck around only long enough to see them start tearing that poor deer apart in record time.


    Goddamn, but proper Butchers could part out an animal quickly.


    Venix had left me at that point to check in with the Ironclad, while I had meandered over to Gren¡¯s wagon. I¡¯d been greeted by either baffled or interested stares from the people loading it up. I¡¯d found out that Grey had elected to travel in the Ironclad for now with Sylvia and his apparent subordinates. That left Azarus, Walter, Rachel, Van and I to travel with Gren in his wagon. Any questions or explanations about the new wolf pup in my arms had been put off while I pitched in.


    I¡¯d set the newly named Fade down to watch the bipeds throw bags and boxes around. He was remarkably well-behaved, only watching us curiously from the side with his furry little tail wagging.


    Before long we¡¯d been on the road, leading to the current scene. Walter was playing with Fade by playing tug of war. He¡¯d elected to use some of the venison jerky the camp cooks had made. The wolf pup seemed to be both enjoying himself and the meat at the same time, enthusiastically tearing at the jerky in Walter¡¯s hands. Walter himself seemed to be enjoying himself more than I¡¯d ever seen him as well, based on the smile on his face.


    Meanwhile, Van had joined Gren up on the driver''s seat above us. They were engaged in conversation, but I couldn¡¯t exactly hear what they were saying. The tone sounded serious to me though.


    That just left Azarus, Rachel, Walter, and I inside to play with the pup. Rachel was conked out, though. I think all the frantic packing of the camp had tired her out and she¡¯d opted for a nap. Azarus and I were talking while we watched Walter play with Fade.


    I hummed. ¡°Venix told me he was a Mystic Beast. Something called a Spirit Wolf. You know anything about that?¡± I asked Azarus.


    ¡°Yup,¡± Azarus replied, eyes tracking said wolf. ¡°Well, a little at least. Mystic Beasts are kinda like animals that are a halfway point between monsters and your regular everyday beast, yeah? Something happens to ¡®em before they¡¯re born, and they absorb a ton of Aether, but not enough to mutate into a monster. Just enough for ¡®em to develop powers of their own. They don¡¯t got a Status, and they ain¡¯t worth any level progression, but ya shouldn¡¯t underestimate ¡®em. Some Mystic Beasts can get mighty powerful.¡±


    ¡°And Spirit Wolves?¡± I asked him, smiling at the sight of Fade pulling so hard on the jerky that he nearly caused Walter to fall over.


    ¡°Myths,¡± Azarus shrugged. ¡°Didn¡¯t think they really existed, to be honest with ya. What that Venix character told ya is about the extent of what I know about ¡®em. Still¡­¡± He paused, reaching up to scratch his beard. ¡°It¡¯s probably a good omen fer the future, attractin¡¯ one like that.¡±


    We sat in silence for a moment, just watching the antics.


    ¡°You know,¡± I said hesitantly. ¡°You¡­haven¡¯t really mentioned what your plans are now. With Grey free, and essentially having helped illegally free a bunch slaves¡­¡±


    Azarus hummed. ¡°Likely have a warrant out for me head now,¡± He said, unconcerned. ¡°If I ain''t have one now, I will as soon as word reaches Vittolia. Probably been stricken from the Savoy scrolls, too. I ain¡¯t gonna be welcome in the Principality any time soon.¡±


    ¡°And¡­that¡¯s fine?¡±


    ¡°It was always the plan,¡± Azarus said, turning to face me. He had a serious look on his face. ¡°I could probably go beg Ely for asylum, but I ain¡¯t gonna put her in that position. Probably gonna try and get into the Academy and pick up some more education. Or hells, maybe I¡¯ll join Grey¡¯s Order. Everyone needs blades smithed, after all. I don¡¯t think Grey¡¯s the type of man to just cast me aside, after what we¡¯ve been through.¡± A frown crossed his bearded face. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m feeling pretty damn done with my people. At least fer a while. Ain¡¯t anywhere in Dwarven lands I want to be right now, not even the holds. There was a reason I left in the first place to get into this mess.¡± Azarus had a painful look on his face at the end.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what to make of that. ¡°If¡­you want to talk about it¡­¡± I said carefully.


    Azarus was silent for a moment, with a far-off look in his eye. He turned away from me to stare at the opposite wall. ¡°Had a girl, once. In the holds.¡± He said quietly. ¡°Almost stayed fer her. Things¡­went badly, and I was politely asked to leave. No hard feelings. I just wasn¡¯t welcome anymore.¡± He sighed. ¡°Didn¡¯t want to stick around after that anyway.¡±


    I stayed silent, just letting him reflect for a moment. As close as I felt these days with Azarus, I didn¡¯t feel like it was my place to pry.


    Azarus glanced at me from the corner of his eye. ¡°You ever have anyone? You know, back where you¡¯re from?¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    I shook my head. ¡°Nothing serious,¡± I told him. ¡°A few flings here and there, but I just¡­didn¡¯t have the time or energy for relationships. It all just went to caring for my dad.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Azarus said quietly, nodding. ¡°I get that.¡±


    At that, the conversation died. We ended up mostly sitting around in companionable silence for most of the day.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    The next few weeks passed in much the same way, as the caravan trundled along toward Hollow Hill. Now that we had an actual force of armed veterans from this ¡®Order¡¯ leading the way, our pace picked up. About a week into our travel after getting underway, we finally exited dwarven lands. This was a bigger idea than I¡¯d expected it to be with the former slaves of our caravan, as we ended up stopping that night for an impromptu party. It may have added another day to our journey, but I didn¡¯t think the classers held it against the people of the caravan.


    I think they understood.


    Still, it wasn¡¯t all fun and games on our trip. While we might have escaped Velancia, Herztal wasn¡¯t exactly a safe place either. This was a country currently undergoing a bitter civil war, after all.


    As I learned, Hollow Hill was considered to be a community that was on the periphery of the Kingdom. It was on the outskirts of Herztal, but still nowhere near where we ended up exiting the Barren Forest, the land that acted as a buffer zone for the two countries. We ended up essentially skirting the borders of Herztal along the forest in order to reach our destination.


    In that time, I saw evidence of the war for the first time.


    Nearly halfway to our destination, a particular group of former slaves insisted that we alter our course slightly. It was the people that I had been initially captured alongside by marauding elves, all those months ago. Apparently, their village, or what was left of it, lay in our path.


    Rachel and Walter were among those former slaves. It was their village they wanted us to find.


    Despite the setback, the other escapees of our caravan backed them up. Under pressure from the caravan, the impromptu leaders had gathered to decide if they would acquiesce. Bafflingly, I found that I had a say in these matters, along with Grey and Gren.


    I guess because I was their leader''s new apprentice?


    I voted to change our course, of course. Not just because Rachel and Walter were my friends, but for more pragmatic reasons as well. If the village was still standing, like they had told me it had been before they left, maybe there were supplies for us to find there. We were doing surprisingly good on that front considering how impromptu our flight from Addersfield had been, but we could always use more. Or hell, maybe some of the slaves would want to hop off at that point and start a new life in a village that was hopefully still intact, if not dusty. We weren¡¯t holding anyone in this caravan captive, after all. Everyone could come and go as they pleased, as was their right as free men and women. It¡¯s just¡­no one had chosen to do that yet.


    We ended up changing our course. My hopes were in vain, however.


    When we reached the place where we¡¯d been told the village would be, all we found were ruins.


    It looked like a battle had rolled through this village. From what I understood, that¡¯s what had caused the people here to flee in the first place, only to be waylaid by elves and enslaved. They¡¯d been frightened that a battle was going to break out and spill into their home. I guess their poor headsman had been prescient after all.


    It was a burnt pile of cinders and sorrow, mostly. There weren¡¯t any buildings still standing when we rolled into the ¡®village¡¯. If that wasn¡¯t enough, it didn¡¯t look like whoever had won the battle here had bothered to collect any of the dead. There were dried-out, desiccated remains of human soldiers scattered all through the ruins, in a few different kinds of uniforms. As I was told, the remains we found wearing crimson tabards edged in green with an image of a fiery sun rising over a mountaintop were Herztalian infantrymen. The ones wearing blue and white tabards, however, with two Sculpted arms crossed over a large upright crescent moon, one arm stitched in silver and the other in bronze, represented the Uprising.


    Unfortunately, this was also how I saw other Sculpted than Sylvia for the first time. While the majority of Uprising soldier corpses here seemed to surprisingly be human, there were plenty of dead Sculpted to see.


    They weren¡¯t all like Sylvia.


    Most seemed to be made from far cheaper materials than the pure Mythril that she was. I saw plenty of them made from simple stone or iron, with some being made of softer metals like bronze. Hell, I think I even saw one made from wood, sadly shattered into a million splinters in the ruins of his armor and tabard.


    With permission from the former slaves who formerly lived here, the caravan had decided to bury the dusty remains of the soldiers who had fought and died for this small village in the middle of nowhere. We got to work on that, while the former inhabitants tried to sadly pick over the locations of where their homes had been, desperate for old keepsakes left behind.


    They had little success.


    Meanwhile, the rest of us got to work on our self-imposed task. It took quite a while, even with both the superhuman strength and endurance on display, as well as the amount of volunteers.


    There were a lot of bodies.


    When we were done with our grim work, we packed back up and left the sight of the dead village behind us.


    The mood in the caravan after finding that village was more somber. I think it was just now hitting some of the former slaves that, while they had escaped their slavery, they didn¡¯t exactly have a safe place to flee to. They had mostly fled the war in the first place, and now they were back in the middle of it. Not many of the people that we had saved had much of a life or a home to return to.


    Not only that, but the monster presence in these lands was higher than expected, even though we were well beyond the reach of the Ward Break back in Addersfield. From what I was told by a melancholic Grey one night, the bloodshed and battle that was occurring in these lands had a knock-on effect of heightening monster spawns. Apparently, it had something to do with the amount of Aether that was being released by the deaths of so many people and soldiers.


    I volunteered for scout duty, after that. The monsters that were swarming these lands apparently weren¡¯t too strong for me, so it was time for another kind of hunting. I ended up gaining another couple of levels, before we finally arrived at Hollow Hill. That put me at level thirty-two, now.


    By the end of the second week, we¡¯d finally arrived at Hollow Hill.


    I¡­certainly wasn¡¯t expecting the huge military encampment carefully arranged just outside the walls of the sleepy little town.

 Chapter 79 - Hollow Hill

    Hollow Hill was much the way it had been described to me. It was bigger than Addersfield, not that that was much of an accomplishment. It didn¡¯t hold a candle to the monstrous size that Rhoscara had been. It seemed cozy, to me.


    Much as the name implied, the town was built on top of a low hill. I didn¡¯t see what could be ¡®hollow¡¯ about it, though it was quite large. I wasn¡¯t exaggerating when I said that the entirety of the town was built upon the slopes. It was only at the base of the hill that large cobblestone walls rose up to encircle it. Still, they weren¡¯t tall enough to obstruct my view. Curiously, I could see a large, stone tower rising into the sky at the peak of the hill.


    The military encampment encircling the town was a more pressing matter, though.


    To my eyes, it didn¡¯t seem like Hollow Hill was being besieged. No, rather it seemed like the camp was growing outward from the walls like an extra town. As our caravan drove closer to the town in the distance, I was able to get a better look at the forces encircling it.


    I wasn¡¯t any kind of military expert, but there must have been thousands of soldiers up ahead. It was the single largest gathering of strength I had seen since arriving on Vereden. I hadn¡¯t seen even a fraction of this amount of soldiers when I had been in Rhoscara. I reminded myself that all of these soldiers likely had active Statuses as well, making them even more deadly. I honestly had to wonder how such a force would fair against the military from back home, even if they mostly fought in melee.


    I don¡¯t think all of these soldiers were here just from the Uprising, as well. Sure, I saw a large section with a large blue and white banner to represent them, but that wasn¡¯t the only one I saw. My eyes could see nearly a dozen different banners, all representing forces of varying amounts of size.


    I was knocked out of my reconnaissance by the wagon unexpectedly coming to a stop. Looking around in confusion, I saw that it was because the Ironclad holding the Order forces had stopped just ahead of our wagon. I don¡¯t know why, we had only reached the absolute edges of the military encampment. Luckily, it didn¡¯t seem like the guards from the encampment cared much. They¡¯d likely seen the large eclipsed moon symbol painted on the Ironclad and came to the conclusion we were friendly.


    I guess lax guards weren¡¯t only a problem in Addersfield.


    Today, I¡¯d been sitting up front with Gren when we had been approaching the town. Fade was up here with me, taking a nap on the bench next to me. He was young enough right now that he didn¡¯t do much more than eat, sleep, and play. This was one of his sleep periods. I¡¯d stood up on the bench in order to get a better view once we¡¯d arrived in eyesight of Hollow Hill.


    I looked down at Gren. ¡°Do you know what this is about?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± He shook his head. ¡°But I think we¡¯re about to find out.¡± He raised an arm to point at something ahead of us.


    Turning around to follow his finger, I saw that Sylvia was hurrying in our direction, carrying something in her arms. Before I could say anything, I was cut off by her throwing what she was carrying up at me. Barely managing to catch it before I was knocked off my feet, I found that she had thrown me a large burlap bag filled with something soft inside. Opening it, I found that it seemed to be stuffed with clothes. Fancy ones, I noticed. Where the hell had she gotten these?


    I didn¡¯t get a chance to ask her. ¡°You and Azarus put those on!¡± Sylvia called out to me from where she had thrown the bag, hands cupped around her mouth. I saw Azarus poke his head out of the slit window near the bench at the mention of his name. ¡°Both of you meet us up front when you¡¯re done!¡± Before I could ask her any questions, she scurried away to rejoin the Ironclad.


    I looked back down and exchanged a baffled look with Azarus. Gren interrupted us before we could say anything.


    ¡°Well? You heard the lady. Get to changing, boys.¡± He said with an amused grin.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    A few minutes later, both Azarus and I hopped down from the back of Gren¡¯s wagon, dressed in our new clothes. They had been as fancy as they looked in the bag, it turned out. Self-consciously, I tugged at the black, nearly military-style blazer with silver buttons I was wearing. How the hell had they gotten this to fit me so closely? I hadn¡¯t sat for any fittings. The outfit was combined with a pair of similarly cut black pants with shiny silver piping on them. Azarus was wearing an outfit to my own, tailored to meet his much stockier form.


    ¡°What the hells is Grey playing at?¡± He grumbled, tugging at this high collar.


    I shrugged at him. ¡°Guess we¡¯ll find out. C¡¯mon.¡±


    Before we left though, I asked Gren to keep an eye on Fade. The wolf puppy had woken up while we were changing clothes and was inspecting us curiously with a tilted head.


    We set off to meet the growing crowd assembling outside of the Ironclad. There were a few people from the caravan hanging around, no doubt curious to see why we had stopped. But for the most part, the crowd was comprised of the inhabitants of the Ironclad. It looked like they were all exiting the massive wagon and getting ready for something. Mostly, it seemed like they were trying to pretty themselves up, shining their armor or buffing their leathers.


    I didn¡¯t see Grey or Sylvia, though.


    Before I could try and find them, I was stopped by Illuvia hurrying out of the crowd in our direction. I didn¡¯t manage to get a word out before she started fussing over me. She straightened my jacket, combed my hair back with her claws, and even pulled my pants up higher rapidly. ¡°W-what.¡± I stepped back from her, flustered at the contact. ¡°What the hell?¡±


    Illuvia ignored me, stepping back herself. She gazed down at my raggedy leather shoes that I still hadn¡¯t replaced from my time in Addersfield. ¡°No time,¡± She said, clucking her vulpine tongue and shaking her head. She turned an intense gaze to Azarus next.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    He took an instinctual step back. ¡°Back, ya she-devil,¡± Azarus said defensively. That didn¡¯t save him from the same treatment I¡¯d gotten.


    You know, it was actually kind of funny seeing it happen to someone else.


    When Illuvia was done¡­dwarfhandling Azarus, she took out something from a pocket. It turned out to be a metal pin in the shape of a moon, half-revealed from an oncoming eclipse. She pinned it to the side of Azarus¡¯s blazer, and turned to me. She fixed one to my jacket as well. Looking down, I could see that it was a crescent moon this time.


    ¡°They mark you as members of the Grand Marshal¡¯s retinue,¡± Illuvia said shortly, interrupting me before I could even ask. ¡°Now come on, we don¡¯t have all day.¡± She got behind Azarus and I, laying a hand on our backs and urging us on. Well, okay then.


    Illuvia escorted us through the crowd of classers assembled in front of the Ironclad. It looked like everyone was just standing around waiting for something. I didn¡¯t see Grey or Sylvia anywhere, though.


    I heard the doors of the Ironclad clang open around the back of the enormous wagon. Turning around, I saw that the crowd behind me was parting. Stepping through them were the absent father and daughter.


    I could see that they had dressed up all fancy as well.


    Sylvia was wearing an outfit very similar to mine and Azarus¡¯s, except her pin looked to be a full eclipse, unlike ours. I guess because she was Grey¡¯s daughter? Her golden hair was also tied up in a high ponytail as well, eschewing her usual free-flowing style outside her mask.


    Grey though.


    Well.


    Grey finally looked like the powerful wizard he was supposed to be, instead of just my kooky and secretive old man mentor.


    He was standing straight and tall in a set of jet black robes belted at his waist, allowing me to see the white silk shirt he was wearing. Underneath that, I could tell that he was wearing a set of thin chainmail, remarkably similar in appearance and hue to the Mythril that Sylvia was born from. The robes themselves were inscribed from hem to high collar with runes wrought from the same metal. Sturdy black breaches that ended in solid leather boots completed his apparel.


    But that wasn¡¯t all he had.


    Grey had a longsword belted on the right side of his waist. I couldn¡¯t see much of the sword itself, as it was in a scabbard. But I could nearly feel the power rolling off of the blade. What he was holding in his left hand though, caught my attention much more.


    It was a staff. An actual wizard¡¯s staff.


    Made of a twinned metal that spiraled up and down the length of the staff in alternating silvery white and obsidian black, it culminated in the largest diamond at the head I¡¯d ever seen. Fist sized and clear as glass, it was carved into the shape of an orb. Deep inside of it though, I could see a spark of pitch-black energy roiling inside the gem. If the power I could feel from the sword was a bonfire, this staff was the sun. It was nearly blinding in its intensity, causing me to hurriedly try to shutter my Aetherial sense as far as I could.


    Grey and Sylvia had reached us while I was, quite honestly, gaping at them. Grey had an amused smile on his face at the look on my own. ¡°Quite different from how you¡¯ve seen me to this point, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    I numbly nodded my head. Even with my Aetherial sense muted, I could still feel the power radiating from his weapons.


    Grey leaned closer to me in order to whisper. ¡°In truth, I don¡¯t dare use either of these right now. They¡¯re too powerful for my current level of strength. If I did, they¡¯d likely tear me apart from the forces wrought.¡±


    Azarus and Sylvia leaned into our conversation as well. ¡°Then what¡¯re ya doing with it?¡± Azarus whispered back, confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s all a show,¡± Sylvia answered quietly. ¡°We¡¯re going to make a big production of marching through the camp, making sure everyone can see that Father is back. We need to, in order to assuage our allied forces. Morale has been low ever since Father¡¯s abduction, and his presence should help.¡±


    Oh, I see now. ¡°And I¡¯m guessing we¡¯re here,¡± I whispered, gesturing to me and Azarus. ¡°To show you have new allies or something?¡±


    ¡°Something, yes,¡± Grey said wryly, stepping back and breaking our huddle. ¡°Shall we? The caravan shall be following along behind us, and Illuvia has gone to instruct Gren on where to park it. Meanwhile, we march to where the allied Uprising headquarters has been set up. At my tower, in town.¡± He nodded towards the tall tower that was still visible over top of the walls, from its place at the highest point of the hill.


    I took a deep breath. ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    And so we did. For the next half hour, we slowly marched through the large military encampment, making sure that everyone could see us. The guards of the camp had finally started paying attention to us when they noticed Grey, and had scrambled to get out of the way of our caravan and procession. Not before sending a runner off to the town first, though, I noticed.


    Grey marched at the head of our column, with a stern expression on his usual affable features. Sylvia walked next to him at his right, while Azarus and I walked just off to the side and behind the two of them. Curiously enough, I eventually noticed that Venix was trailing not too far from us, eyes fixed to the crowd.


    I don¡¯t think any of us were catching much attention, though. Most of it was reserved for Grey.


    Word of Grey¡¯s presence seemed to be spreading through the camp like wildfire. As we marched through it, more and more people began to show up to gawk at us. I could visibly see the effect on the soldiers that he was having. From the sea of faces that I saw, human and Sculpted both, I began to see something inspiring dawn.


    Hope.


    By the time our procession had reached the wide open gates of the town, we had gathered quite a crowd that trailed in our wake. If not for the classers of the caravan, and the shouted gripes of Gren, they would have impeded the horses and oxen pulling it. Ahead of us, I could see that the runner had grabbed a large group of people to meet us at the gates of Hollow Hill.


    One of them stepped forward to meet us.


    While Azarus was the tallest dwarf I¡¯d ever met, this guy was the tallest human I¡¯d ever met, either on Vereden or Earth. He must have been over seven feet tall. He was clad in a set of blood-red plate armor, leaving only his face revealed. The man had a shaggy, leonine mane of golden hair, streaked through with grey, and an equally large beard of the same shade. His eyes shone a bright, almost neon blue out of his craggy, square-jawed features. While he seemed like a stern sort, just based on appearance, he didn¡¯t seem that way right now.


    He just looked relieved.


    Grey marched up to him confidently, causing the man to bend down Grey¡¯s level. They clasped forearms as if they were old friends, and leaned forward to have a short, whispered conversation. I noticed that the massive man¡¯s eyes briefly flicked up to rake over Azarus and I. His gaze lingered on me for a moment, before turning back to Grey. With a final exchange of nods, he stepped back. From his spot in front of the gates, Grey turned around to look at the enormous crowd of soldiers that had gathered to see his return. The crowd fell dead silent at the regard that Grey was directing their way.


    ¡°Friends!¡± Grey said loudly, somehow causing his voice to echo around the entire crowd. I blinked. I hadn¡¯t even seen him cast a spell. ¡°Countrymen! Though I have been unwillingly absent these long months, I have returned! I, Headmaster Greycton of the Academy of Mystic Arts! Grand Marshal of the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn! Do hereby swear! From this moment, until the last! I will fight to see an end to this pointless, senseless conflict! As of now, I promise you! The days of this war are NUMBERED!¡±


    The crowd of soldiers burst into raucous cheers.

 Chapter 80 - Goodbyes

    After Grey¡¯s impromptu speech to the troops, our caravan was quickly escorted into the town proper. The gates weren¡¯t quite shut behind us, but the large guard contingent that was posted seemed to be a pretty firm reminder not to bother us. Once inside, our ragtag caravan of former slaves was descended upon by the townsfolk at the request of Grey. A good amount of them had gathered in the town square to greet him. I guess he was pretty well-liked in his hometown.


    As I watched the people that I had helped save get escorted away by the people of Hollow Hill to get fussed over, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh of relief. I felt a little guilty about it, but I was incredibly relieved that I was no longer in any way responsible for looking after the former slaves of Addersfield. Now the work of getting them back on their feet didn¡¯t depend on the efforts of some kind of¡­homeless interplanetary strandee.


    Wow.


    I sure didn¡¯t like thinking of my situation in those terms. Moving on.


    Once the people of the caravan had been sorted out, that just left what I had been mentally referring to as ¡®my group¡¯ along with the people from the Order. In other words, me, Azarus, Grey, Sylvia, Walter, Rachel, Van, and Gren. Fade was sitting at my feet as well, silently observing our antics. I could tell that Grey was already being urged to step away into some kind of closed-door meeting. The huge guy in the red plate mail had left after exchanging some quiet words with Grey, along with a number of other Order people. Illuvia had stuck around though, presumably to keep an eye on the returned Headmaster. Speaking of¡­


    Grey cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the group. He smiled at us. ¡°Well! So our journey comes to an end. Mr. Freelith,¡± He said to Gren. ¡°As promised, you will be compensated for undertaking such a perilous task. I¡¯ll make sure that one of the Order treasurers seeks you out. Mr. Belluci, Ms. Fergusson and Mr. Meyers, I¡¯m afraid that I don¡¯t know what your current plans are?¡±


    Rachel and Walter exchanged glances while Van stepped up, looking more confident in himself than I had seen since before our escape. He bowed slightly to Grey. ¡°I will be leaving with Merchant Freelith once he has restocked, Headmaster. I¡¯ve spoken to him, and he has agreed to take me on as an apprentice.¡±


    I started in surprise. This was the first I had heard about this. Judging by the look on Azarus¡¯s face, it was for him too. ¡°You¡­sure, Van?¡± He asked hesitatingly.


    Vandimar Belluci turned to face Azarus with a melancholy smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure, Lord Azarus. I¡¯m afraid that the life of a revolutionary simply wouldn¡¯t suit me. This isn¡¯t goodbye, my friend. Only until we meet again.¡± He stepped forward and extended his arm to Azarus.


    Azarus took a deep breath and then gripped Van¡¯s forearm. ¡°Safe travels, Van.¡±


    ¡°You as well, my lord,¡± Van said with shiny eyes.


    Gren stepped up as well. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Azarus. I¡¯ll keep an eye on this soft-hands. Maybe teach him a thing or two as well.¡±


    Azarus huffed a laugh, while Van faked outrage, laying a hand on his chest. ¡°Keep an eye on yourself, too. Got the feeling Principality lands are gonna get real chaotic soon.¡±


    With the dwarves wrapping up, Rachel and Walter stepped forward to approach Grey and I. ¡°Ah¡­H-headmaster,¡± Walter stuttered, before stopping. He took a deep breath before trying again. ¡°Headmaster, I¡¯d like to ask for¡­a favor.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mr. Meyers,¡± Grey said with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Ask away.¡±


    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t have anyone anymore,¡± Walter said, eyes downcast. ¡°My family was all k-killed by those elves. I don¡¯t have any other relatives. I don¡¯t have any money. I don¡¯t even really have many levels or much skill in Professions yet. But¡­even still¡­I have a favor to ask you.¡± He raised his eyes to meet Grey¡¯s, surprisingly resolute. ¡°Will you let me attend your Academy? I think¡­that way I can have an actual future.¡±


    Grey smiled widely at Walter. ¡°I would be absolutely delighted to admit you, Mr. Meyers. I think that¡¯s a wonderful idea. Don¡¯t worry about the tuition, I¡¯ll make sure that it¡¯s taken care of. You can provisionally consider yourself a first-year student at the Academy of Mystic Arts,¡± His smile took a wry edge. ¡°Well, once the current situation in the Kingdom has been dealt with.¡±


    I stepped forward and clapped Walter on the shoulder. ¡°Congrats, Walter! Don¡¯t let all the homework keep you down, eh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say the same thing to you, Nathan,¡± I heard Grey say to me. I turned to face him in surprise. My mentor had a mischievous smile on his aged face. ¡°As my apprentice, once this conflict has been resolved, I intend to enroll you as well.¡±


    I blinked in surprise. Before I could say anything, Azarus cleared his throat loudly. Looked like he had finished his goodbyes to the other dwarves. Grey rolled his eyes. ¡°Yes, Azarus, there is a place for you. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re enrolled when the time comes. The Academy welcomes peoples of all species.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Azarus stepped back, satisfied.


    Meanwhile, Grey turned to face Rachel. ¡°And you, Ms. Fergusson? Did you have a request of me? Perhaps you would like to enroll in the Academy as well?¡±


    ¡°Nay,¡± Rachel said, shaking her head. She crossed her arms, unbothered to be talking to such a powerful person. ¡°Schoolin¡¯ ain¡¯t fer me. I was wonderin¡¯ if ye needed a cook.¡±


    Grey blinked slowly at her. ¡°Ah¡­I suppose. I would be happy to hire you on as part of my personal kitchen staff. You¡¯ve certainly demonstrated enough skill, managing the caravan kitchen. However, the majority of said staff is currently in the capital. You¡­can practice your craft in the tower until your employment can be finalized.¡±


    Rachel nodded, satisfied. ¡°Good enough fer me.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    After that, I made sure to give my own goodbyes to Gren and Van. I wasn¡¯t very close with either of them, but I still appreciated their help these past few weeks. Both of them clasped my forearm and wished me well. I did the same.


    With our business settled, Illuvia informed us that a meeting had been called to brief Grey on the war situation. Somewhat apologetically, she said that only members of Grey¡¯s retinue could follow him into the meeting, meaning that Walter and Rachel would have to sit it out. They didn¡¯t seem to mind. Hell, Walter had been happy to look after Fade while I was busy in the tower.


    I didn¡¯t think a military headquarters would appreciate the presence of an animal, no matter how cute he was.


    Illuvia led our group up through the small town of Hollow Hill to what was apparently Grey¡¯s wizard tower. He told me on the walk up there that he hadn¡¯t actually been born in the tower, but had built it centuries ago as a retreat. Sometimes, he told me, he just wanted to get away from his responsibilities and relax. It was also apparently where he had done most of his original experiments in creating the Sculpted. Sylvia was ¡®born¡¯ in that tower.


    Thankfully for my opinion of Grey, the facade wasn¡¯t extravagantly decorated. The tower was mostly plain grey stone stretching high into the sky, with a crenelated battlement at the top. It was large though. Much larger than I would expect one person to need. Honestly, it looked more like a slice of a castle.


    As Illuvia led us inside the tower, I saw that it wasn¡¯t very ostentatious inside as well. Rather it seemed like it would normally seem downright homey. I say normally, because even the bottom floor which mostly seemed to function as an entryway was absolutely packed. Tables were haphazardly shoved against the circular walls, where clerks and soldiers were pouring over parchment. On one wall, a large map of what must be the continent, or perhaps the world of Vereden, was pinned to the stone. Wherever there weren¡¯t piles of paper though, there were supplies. Crates and boxes and bags dotted every last free space available. There was a low, tense undertone to the chatter that filled the air inside the tower.


    Grey wandered over to one of the bags and opened it. I peeked over his shoulder to get a look myself. Inside, it seemed like the burlap bag was filled with flour. Grey looked up and raised an eyebrow at Sylvia.


    She shrugged. ¡°I told them that they could use the bottom floors of the tower how they saw fit.¡±


    Grey snorted before closing the bag. ¡°Are they¡­?¡± He trailed off, directing a question to Illuvia.


    She dipped her furry head. ¡°The second floor has been temporarily converted to a war room, Grand Marshal.¡±


    ¡°Temporarily converted,¡± Grey muttered to himself, before shaking his head. He started making his way through the chaos of the ground floor, with Sylvia, Azarus, Illuvia, and myself following him. Well, and Venix. Glancing back, I found that he was still following us silently.


    That guy was surprisingly unobtrusive for being a giant ant person.


    The personnel on the ground floor were too busy to pay any attention to us, so we reached the staircase set along one wall without being accosted pretty easily. Climbing up it, I found that the war room was an accurate depiction.


    The second floor was dominated by a huge circular table that lay in the center of it. On that table were more maps, reports, and scraps of parchment than I could count. I¡¯d give them this, though. It did seem more organized than downstairs.


    Arranged around the table were a¡­lot of chairs. Most of them were filled. In fact, I¡¯d say that the war room was pretty goddamn packed in general. I guess most of the important people had been notified of Grey¡¯s return.


    As we stepped off of the landing onto the floor, dozens of eyes fell on our party. The people sitting down hastily stood up. My step nearly stuttered at the attention, but Grey didn¡¯t seem to care at all. He just calmly started making his way to the biggest chair that was arranged around the table. The huge guy from earlier in the red plate was standing up from a chair next to the one Grey was beelining to. I tried to follow his example, making sure to follow in his footsteps. Illuvia faded into the crowd of people, while Venix merely lingered near the entrance of the room. As Grey reached the chair, Sylvia moved around to stand on the right and slightly behind the chair. I followed her example, deciding to stand off to the left and behind Grey, while Azarus stood next to me.


    Grey let go of his staff. It didn¡¯t fall over, instead hovering in an upright position next to him. Slowly, my mentor lowered into the chair with a sigh of satisfaction. ¡°Ahh,¡± He said aloud into the dead silent room, closing his eyes in pleasure. ¡°There¡¯s nothing quite like sitting in your own chair after a long journey, isn¡¯t there?¡± Opening his eyes, Grey swept them across the room and the people in it. ¡°Please, my friends. Be seated. Let us not waste any time. Marshal Leopold, if you would be so kind as to update me on the state of the Uprising?¡±


    One by one, the important-looking people lowered back into their chairs, some more opulent than others. The only person who didn¡¯t was the huge guy in red plate. I¡¯m guessing this was ¡®Marshal Leopold¡¯.


    Said Marshal lowered his head in Grey¡¯s direction. ¡°As you wish, Grand Marshal,¡± He said in a deep, rumbling voice.


    ¡°The Uprising is failing.¡±

 Chapter 81 - War Council

    Marshal Leopold''s words clearly didn¡¯t sit well with the audience, as I saw multiple people around the table make faces. In particular, the Sculpted in the room seemed most upset. One of them, which seemed to be made of gold of all things, nearly jumped to his feet before being restrained by another, less ostentatiously crafted Sculpted.


    The Marshal paid no attention to them, merely focusing his attention on Grey.


    Grey spoke first, though. ¡°In what way? Even in my¡­absence, I heard of a battle that occurred near the Duchy of Helstein that went poorly for our forces. Surely one lost battle hasn¡¯t spelled doom for the entirety of the Uprising.¡±


    Leopold grimaced. ¡°Normally, you would be correct. While we were pushed back in the Battle of Helstein, we didn¡¯t suffer a decisive defeat. However, we were sent reeling, and elements of the Loyalist intelligence forces took advantage of that chaos. They chose that moment to strike directly at the heart of the Uprising. Our support from the Nobility.¡±


    That didn¡¯t sound good.


    ¡°They must have been waiting for the perfect opportunity,¡± The Marshal continued. ¡°Because in an operation that must have taken months of planning, hostile operatives struck simultaneously across the Kingdom. They didn¡¯t choose to assassinate our backers, no. That would have merely emboldened their successors. Instead, these operatives chose to kidnap the children and heirs of every sympathetic hand that was outstretched to us. Since that time, the Loyalists have been holding these children hostage against the Nobility to keep them from supporting us. The knock-on effects have been costly for the Uprising.¡±


    Grey furrowed his brow. ¡°I had thought the amount of forces gathered here was thin.¡± I gave him a side-eye at that. That huge gathering of soldiers outside the wall was considered thin? Grey leaned forward in his huge chair. ¡°Do we know where they¡¯re being held? Surely, attempts at rescue have been considered.¡±


    Grey¡¯s words caused an uncomfortable stir to sweep through the room. Looking around, I saw plenty of faces that looked like they were either apocalyptically angry, or in the depths of despair.


    Leopold took a deep breath. ¡°Our efforts to locate these hostages recently paid off. Since then, however¡­we¡¯ve been at a standstill. It turns out, the Loyalist leadership decided to place them in the most well-defended and simultaneously horrific place in the Kingdom they could. The island prison of Caer Drarrow.¡±


    Grey¡¯s head reeled back as if he had been struck. ¡°Unconscionable,¡± He said in shock, before furrowing his brow in genuine anger. ¡°These up-jumped peacocks would dare to place children in those halls? In the very prison that I designed to contain classers?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t think they would stoop so low, either,¡± Leopold answered soberly. ¡°Which is why it took our agents so long to discover where they were.¡±


    Grey drummed his fingers on the table in irritation. ¡°Where is the High King in all of this? Surely, he wouldn¡¯t have approved of such a course of action?¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t been seen in months,¡± One of the bystanders seated around the table answered. Flicking my eyes in that direction, I saw that it was an older, grey-haired man dressed in rich blue clothing. His drooping face was etched in a pained frown. ¡°We¡­think that he might be¡­¡± He trailed off.


    ¡°Dead.¡± Leopold finished for him grimly.


    A tense silence descended on the room.


    ¡°Dead?¡± Grey said, shocked. ¡°How? Surely these ¡®Loyalists¡¯ wouldn¡¯t actually turn on the King they¡¯re supposed to be championing?¡±


    Another richly dressed man around the table snorted in disgust. ¡°It depends on which King.¡± He said bitterly. This one was¡­kind of fat, and dressed in browns and reds.


    Leopold nodded. ¡°The problem is that Prince Alaric, King Otto¡¯s heir apparent, has decided to back the Loyalists. We believe that he¡¯s working with them in order to secure the throne. However, it¡¯s odd. They haven¡¯t announced the King¡¯s death, even though we strongly believe His Majesty has passed. If they did, Alaric could easily ascend to the throne. Instead, Alaric has been dividing the royal family by turning on his younger brother¡¯s faction. Prince Oskar has been vocally supportive of the Uprising, to an extent.¡±


    ¡°Extent is right.¡± The fat noble said sourly. ¡°Oskar supports the idea of Sculpted personhood, but not to the extent of rebellion. Still, that¡¯s apparently enough for Alaric to turn on him. From what we¡¯ve heard, the capital is on the verge of exploding into a third side in the war. Oskar is well-loved by his supporters. Still, we can¡¯t act on it. Alaric¡¯s Loyalists have a knife to our children¡¯s throats.¡±


    ¡°Which is why we¡¯re relieved to see you returned, Headmaster,¡± The droopy noble from earlier said to Grey. ¡°You constructed the Prison, and we were hoping you knew a way to bypass its defenses in order to free our heirs.¡±


    ¡°Not only that,¡± Leopold interjected. ¡°But certain members of our leadership have, unfortunately, been captured as well. We believe that they¡¯re being held at Caer Drarrow as well.¡±


    Grey sighed. ¡°Who have they captured?¡±


    At that, the gold sculpted from earlier burst from his chair. ¡°They have Rick! They have him, I know they do!¡± He shouted in a flanging voice.


    Leopold rounded on the shouting Sculpted. ¡°Control yourself, Aurum.¡± He growled. ¡°You are not the only one to be missing comrades,¡± Under the Marshal¡¯s glower, the golden Sculpted man sunk back into his chair, chastised. Leopold turned back to Grey. ¡°It is as he says, Grand Marshal. It is believed that the Loyalists captured the current leader of the Sculpted, Woodrick. However, we¡¯re unsure. He simply disappeared one night from the Sculpted camp, with no one the wiser. That¡­¡± Leopold hesitated for a moment. ¡°That, however, hasn¡¯t been our greatest loss.¡±


    Grey raised an eyebrow at Leopold. ¡°What could have happened that was worse than losing the elected leader of an entire people?¡±


    ¡°In your absence,¡± Leopold started slowly. ¡°The Academy was left leaderless. Shortly after your disappearance, the proper succession of command took place, with your Deputy Headmistress assuming your duties. She was allowed to remain at her post in an uneasy agreement of enforced neutrality with the Loyalists, until the Battle of Helstein. In the aftermath, and when the abductions took place, many of the children and heirs that were taken were within the walls of the Academy. The Deputy Headmistress objected to this. Strongly. However, she was overpowered by the force sent to secure the children, and captured as well. We believe Lady Honoka has been interned at Caer Drarrow as well.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    I heard Sylvia gasp softly in surprise. But that wasn¡¯t what caught my attention the most.


    During Leopolds explanation, the room began to darken gradually in a familiar way. By the time the Marshal was finished, there was a visible shadow in the room. Glancing down at Grey, I saw what I was expecting. Grey was furious, face twisted in rage at what he was hearing.


    ¡°These fools think to strike directly at my Academy, do they,¡± Grey seethed. ¡°They will come to regret their decisions, I promise you. Leopold, correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but the primary instigators behind the Loyalist faction are Lords Rosberry, Valeard, Graden, and Olsen, correct?¡±


    Marshal Leopold was unphased at the environmental display of might. The same couldn¡¯t be said for the rest of the room, many of whom looked unsettled. ¡°You are correct, Grand Marshal. After your disappearance, those Lords were the ones who exacerbated the situation. Were they also the ones who¡­facilitated your absence?¡±


    Grey took a deep breath, visibly calming himself. The lighting in the room returned to normal, to the visible relief of its inhabitants. ¡°I suspect so, though I was not held by any of them. Rather, I was held in a location within Principality borders by a group that is¡­no longer of any concern. Incidentally, I suspect that the Loyalists have had some degree of dwarven support.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± A noble said, this time a woman dressed in white. ¡°The dwarves are interfering in the war? Who was it?¡±


    ¡°To a degree, I suspect so,¡± Grey said carefully. ¡°However, if my suspicions are correct, then that support has likely ended with my escape. At the moment, we have bigger things to worry about than the Principality.¡± He blatantly ignored the question of who had actually been holding him, which confused me a little and definitely irritated the woman.


    ¡°And who are they?¡± She said sharply, gesturing towards me and Azarus. I stiffened, feeling the attention of the room fall in our direction. It wasn¡¯t hostile attention, but people were definitely curious about our presence. Leopold in particular had an assessing glint in his eyes. ¡°They are dressed in your colors and bear your mark, but we have not seen them before. I cannot help but find these individuals suspicious.¡±


    Grey smiled slightly at the noble, unperturbed. ¡°Why, these are the people that helped me escape, Lady Turnold,¡± He said, causing a stir in the room. ¡°If not for their support, I¡¯m unsure if I would have managed it myself. You see, in order to keep me imprisoned, I was affixed with a slave brand and collar.¡±


    The room exploded into outraged shouts at that. Marshal Leopold put a stop to that, however, by slamming his gauntleted hand down onto the table with a thunderous crash. That worked to silence the room. ¡°Quiet,¡± He growled. ¡°Let the Grand Marshal speak.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Leopold,¡± Grey dipped his head at him. ¡°As I was saying, I was inflicted with the curse of slavery. However, this young man,¡± He said, gesturing to me. ¡°Successfully devised a method of breaking the slave bond with my tutelage. I have chosen to take him as my personal apprentice¡±


    There was an audible intake of breath at that. This time, the gazes that were sent my way were tinged with astonishment and awe. I flushed at the attention. Though, I also felt a familiar tingle run down my spine. I repressed a smirk. Yeah, you try and Observe me. I¡¯d been keeping my Status completely concealed since we escaped Addersfield, not even letting my name show.


    I guess nobles didn¡¯t care about how rude it was to just Observe someone out of nowhere.


    The woman in white wasn¡¯t finished, however. ¡°And the dwarf?¡± She said, gesturing to Azarus skeptically. ¡°You just finished saying that you were imprisoned by dwarves, and yet one stands at your side?¡±


    Grey met her eyes across the table calmly. ¡°Yes. This particular dwarf risked a great deal and lost even more to help facilitate my escape. I will not hear a word said against him. Understood?¡± His last word was said with a sense of finality.


    The woman was unperturbed by Grey¡¯s heavy tone, but seemed satisfied nonetheless. She inclined her head at Grey slightly and sat back in her chair.


    The table was silent for a moment before Grey broke it. ¡°Returning to our next course of action, yes. Yes, I do believe I can free both our comrades and the children from Caer Drarrow. There are certain aspects to the wards of the prison that will recognize my presence and grant me access. However,¡± He said to the now electrified room. ¡°I will require some time to recover from my ordeal and to assemble the tools I need for such an expedition.¡±


    That deflated the mood a little. I think some of these nobles expected Grey to immediately charge out of the room like some kind of heroic storybook character to go rescue their children.


    ¡°Only a few days, however. A week at the most. Then I intend to depart Hollow Hill once again. This time, for Caer Drarrow.¡± Grey finished grimly.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°So,¡± I said to Grey. ¡°Are we going with you?¡±


    It was later that night, and the meeting was over. After it, Grey and his followers, which included me I suppose, had followed him up to the third floor of the tower. Apparently, those were where the actual living quarters started. Thankfully, everything past the second floor had been left untouched by the chaos of the Uprising planning. People had actually respected Sylvia¡¯s wish that they stay on the first two floors.


    It was me, Grey, Azarus, and Sylvia sitting up here for now. Illuvia had left to report to the Marshal, while Venix had wandered off¡­somewhere. I¡¯d retrieved Fade from Walter, so he was sitting in my lap as well, trying to see up over the lip of the table we were gathered around. Well, that or trying to get the scraps off of my dinner plate. We¡¯d actually just finished eating dinner when I spoke up. I scooted my plate closer to the edge of the table so Fade could reach it. He enthusiastically set into the scraps of poultry left on the plate, even though he had just been fed earlier.


    Glutton.


    While I was playing with my pup, Grey had finished wiping his mouth with a cloth. ¡°Coming with me? Do you perchance mean to Caer Drarrow?¡± He asked with a raised eyebrow.


    I leaned back in my chair. ¡°Yup. Are we?¡± I said, gesturing to the rest of the table. Azarus was nursing a beer of some kind, watching the conversation with a raised brow.


    Sylvia meanwhile was meticulously clearing off her plate of food as well. It had actually surprised me to learn that Sculpted needed to eat every once in a while as well. Not as often as us organics did, but it was still helpful to them in some way. Something about Aether input? Apparently, as part of their design, they had one of those dissipating runes in their ¡®stomach¡¯ that I saw used mostly for¡­toilets. Organic material was the most efficient source of dissipated material for them, so that was why Sculpted still ate the same things we did. They could get by with just about anything, though. Some even preferred eating things like raw stone or tree bark, from what I¡¯d been told. But they could actually taste what they were eating at the time, so most of them preferred an actual meal.


    Grey hummed. ¡°I suspect Sylvia is,¡± He exchanged a nod with his daughter when she looked up at the mention of her name. ¡°And Azarus could accompany us as well, if he desires. Venix will insist, in his own way, on coming along. I¡¯ll need to acquire the services of a healer as well. Perhaps Preceptor Eduard? The nature of this mission means that it will need to be a small strike group to get in and out quickly.¡± He mused, before shaking his head and looking at me. ¡°But, well, you Nathan¡­¡±


    Azarus spoke up before he could. ¡°Yer a bit low-level, Nate.¡± He said bluntly, before taking a drink of his booze.


    Grey winced but nodded. ¡°You are¡­slightly under-leveled for such an expedition.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I can punch above my weight class with my racials,¡± I said, unbothered. It was the truth, anyway. I was the lowest level person at this table by far at thirty-two. Azarus was somewhere around one-fifteen, I think Sylvia was around ninety, and Grey of course was in his fucking seven-hundreds. ¡°Plus, Aetherial Melding is a pretty great multi-tool if it comes down to it.¡±


    Grey nodded slowly. ¡°That is true. If you insist, Nathan¡­then you may accompany us.¡±

 Chapter 82 - Synergy

    I flopped down on my bed in Grey¡¯s tower with a groan.


    It had been several days now since we had arrived in Hollow Hill, and nothing interesting had been happening. Most of the time, I had been following around Grey as his now official apprentice. During that time, I¡¯d pretty much just been a hanger-on. I didn¡¯t have much to input on meetings about administration, or military management. When I¡¯d pointed that out to Grey, he¡¯d just raised an eyebrow at me and said I had to learn somehow.


    Which, yeah. That was fair. I just wasn¡¯t enjoying feeling even more out of my depth.


    I should have followed Azarus and Sylvia¡¯s lead and bailed. Azarus had excused himself early on to go keep himself busy in the city forges, which no one had complained about. While Sylvia had just vanished into the wind. I had no idea what she was doing. I¡¯d only seen them over the last few days when we all met up for dinner in the tower.


    I¡¯d just gotten out of a meeting where Grey had been briefed on the logistical state of the Uprising. From what I¡¯d gathered? Not very good.


    Without the support of the noble families that had their children and heirs kidnapped, the Uprising was having trouble supplying their troops. Food and gear were thin on the ground without the support. Apparently, the Uprising only had a handful of months'' worth of operational capacity before they were essentially extinct as a viable combat force.


    In other words, ¡®will you please get a move on and free those hostages¡¯ had been the undertone of the meeting.


    Incidentally, that was likely going to happen tomorrow. Grey had told me privately that the excuse of gathering supplies for the trip was ¡®poppycock¡¯. He could have gotten the necessary supplies for our run on the prison in hours, with how desperate the Uprising commanders were. Instead, he¡¯d wanted a few more days for his strength to recover, as apparently, he was nearing a breakthrough in that regard. He¡¯d given me a wink at that, which, you know, I hadn¡¯t understood.


    Grey being Grey, I suppose.


    Still, we were ready now. I should be going to sleep early for the trip, but¡­


    I just wasn¡¯t tired.


    Sitting back up with a groan, I decided to try a little experiment. I¡¯d been putting something off for a while, and with how bored I was, that boredom was outweighing my apprehension. You see, I had a skill that I hadn¡¯t figured out yet.


    For freeing Grey from his slave brand, I¡¯d gotten a title from the System. However, what was important about the title, was what it gave me. The general skill Synergy.


    I had no idea what it did.


    I¡¯d played around with it after our escape from Addersfield and during the trip to Hollow Hill, but had gotten nowhere with it. When I tried to activate it on its own, I received the mental equivalent of an error message. The damn thing just didn¡¯t want to work.


    That had pretty much made me decide to put it off until later, and later was now.


    I was already a little frustrated from the endless meetings, why not add to that frustration by beating my head against a figurative brick wall?


    Let¡¯s give it another try.


    Synergy.


    There it was again. The ¡®error message¡¯ that I essentially received on trying to activate the skill. It was like the skill didn¡¯t have everything that it needed to activate. I gave it a few more tries after that, in different ways. I tried to delay the activation like I could with Hidden Amidist the Spheres. I tried to force more mental energy into the activation. Hell, I even tried to speak the skill out loud.


    Nothing.


    I fell back down on the bed, frustrated. Ugh, whatever.


    Still, I¡¯d thought of something else. Remembering Hidden Amidst the Spheres reminded me of what had happened after killing Magnus.


    I still hadn¡¯t said a word about that to anyone.


    I shivered, remembering the feeling of Magnus¡¯s fucking skill infiltrating my Status. Raising a hand, I called it up.


    Poisonfang Fist.


    My hand erupted in green and black smoke, roiling over my fingers. I eyed it with a disgruntled eye.


    I¡¯d discovered that this skill was not only a reminder of a person I deeply hated, but it was worthless for me. It was incompatible with my fighting style. I fought with weapons, while this piece of shit didn¡¯t affect them. It only worked on bare hands. Hell, even then, I doubted this skill was better than Scintillant Blade. That at least worked on bladed weapons.


    Idly, I tried to call up Synergy again, only to jolt upright. Something had just clicked into place with the skill. At the same time, the visible effect of Poisonfang Fist disappeared, but the skill didn¡¯t completely cancel.


    Somehow, both Synergy and Poisonfang Fist were active, but idle at the same time. It was as if they were waiting for something.


    Wait.


    Was that it?


    I think¡­that Synergy had something to do with skills¡­


    With a surge of adrenaline, I decided to call up another skill. Let¡¯s go with Observe. Just as an experiment, I tried to Observe the flickering candle on my bedside table. For the first time though, Observe failed on me. It was as if the skill was being blocked by something. At the same time though, I felt an almost sense of rejection coming from Synergy. Narrowing my eyes, I tried to call up another skill.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    This time, I decided to go with one of my least used ones, Thorn Shot. I didn¡¯t get much use out of it these days, with how closely I tended to fight things. Either with my spear, or my dagger. I didn¡¯t think Synergy would hurt me in any way, but that was no reason to get reckless. I didn¡¯t want to risk my only other two active skills that I used much more than Thorn Shot. Thorn Cloak and Thorn Grapple were just too valuable.


    I gave it a, ah, shot.


    Thorn Shot.


    Momentarily, a familiar blood-red thorn the size of my palm materialized over my outstretched finger before winking away. At the same time, I felt a sense of acceptance from Synergy.


    I wasn¡¯t prepared for what happened next.


    I felt it as, within my Status, both Poisonfang Fist and Thorn Shot somehow¡­detached themselves from their position within my soul. Simultaneously, I felt Synergy begin to almost open up and draw both skills into itself. Once both skills had been taken in, I felt it as Synergy truly activated for the first time.


    It began to draw in ambient Aether from my surroundings. Just like I¡¯d felt when I drew Poisonfang Fist from Magnus¡­


    The ambient Aether began to concentrate within the skill, growing denser. It was strange though. From what I could feel, it actually wasn¡¯t drawing in that much Aether. After a few minutes of this, whatever it was that Synergy was doing, it finished. With an almost popping noise, the bubble that Synergy had created to hold the two skills dissipated.


    Only one thing emerged from the bubble. Slowly, it drifted down into my soul and settled in.


    Blinking open my eyes, I emerged from the impromptu trance I¡¯d fallen into, tracing what had just happened.


    Huh.


    Pulling up my Status, I decided to see if my suspicions were correct about what had just happened.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have learned the Class Skill, Poisonthorn Shot!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have lost Class Skill, Thorn Shot


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have lost the Class Skill, Poisonfang Fist


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Yup.


    So that¡¯s what Synergy did. It combined skills¡­


    But¡­


    What could I actually combine? Did it need to involve skills that I stole from other people like I had with Magnus? Did it only work with Class Skills? It seemed like it had rejected Observe when I tried to throw that into the mix.


    I tried out my new skill.


    Poisonthorn Shot.


    Materializing over my palm was a far different thorn that I was used to seeing. Where before the thorn that Thorn Shot made was blood red in color, this one was both red and green. The same shade of green from the smoke that Poisonfang Fist had used. Speaking of smoke, that was still present as well. Black, ethereal smoke idly drifted around the form of the thorn floating over my finger. The shape of the thorn was altered, as well. Where before it had been both long and thick, this one was noticeably thinner, ending in a wicked-looking barb.


    Fascinated, I shot the thorn at the wooden paneled wall of my room before I realized what I was doing. Only when the thorn was in mid-flight trailing smoke did I remember how destructive Poisonfang Fist had been. Not only that, but I was being lent this room by Grey¡­


    I watched as the thorn embedded itself into the wood and immediately start to eat through it. In fact, the ¡®poison¡¯ of the thorn began to rapidly eat through all of the wood surrounding it. Hurriedly, I raced over to the wall and yanked the thorn out of the wall before it could eat through the stone of the tower beneath. Holding the thorn in my bare hand, unconcerned about my own skill, I watched as the wood of the wall rotted away from the impact spot.


    When the sizzling of the poison was finished, there was a hole the size of my torso in the wooden paneling. Leaning closer to the hole and waving off the fumes, I saw that the poison had actually touched the stonework beneath. There was a portion of the stone that looked as if it had been scoured by acid.


    Glancing down at the thorn in my hand, I watched as it dissipated.


    Huh.


    You know, I could use that.


    But, uh. I had to do something about this hole, first.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    I had just finished moving a nearby bookcase over the hole in the wall when I was startled by a knock on my door. Jumping, I hit my head on the top shelf of the bookcase with a curse. Clutching my head, I turned around just in time to watch as Azarus opened my door and poked his through.


    ¡°Oi, Nate. Ya wanna-¡± He paused, catching sight of me clutching my head in front of the bookcase. ¡°The hells are ya doing¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, nothing,¡± I said, lowering my head and plastering a smile on my face. ¡°Just¡­looking at the¡­books?¡±


    Judging by the flat stare I received from Azarus, he didn¡¯t really believe me. He snorted. ¡°Whatever. Like I was saying, do ya wanna come with me to the tavern? I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m feelin¡¯ restless. I¡¯m thinking some ale will calm me nerves. Maybe get some food, too.¡±


    ¡°Uh, sure,¡± I said to him. ¡°That sounds good, actually. I couldn¡¯t sleep either. I¡¯ll meet you downstairs, okay?¡±


    Azarus grunted in assent before moving to close the door. He paused though, taking a test sniff of the air and scrunching up his large dwarven nose. He gave me a strange look, before shaking his head. He left after that.


    Taking a sniff myself, I scrunched up my own nose.


    It smelled like I had been smoking something¡­recreational in here.


    Oh, whatever.


    I got dressed in my own clothes for once, and not the clothes I¡¯d been given by Sylvia. When I was done, I left my room.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Several hours later, I was drunk. In fact, I was so drunk that I was having a fucking great time. Turns out, this tavern had a bard on hand, and the locals had been teaching me and Azarus some of the local songs.


    ¡°-b on the end!¡± I bellowed along with the locals to the sound of the bard''s lyre. Me and about four other guys were standing next to each other in a line, our arms thrown over each other¡¯s shoulders and singing at the top of our lungs. I was on one end of the line, while Azarus was on the other. You¡¯d think being a dwarf he couldn¡¯t reach our shoulders, but Azarus was tall for a dwarf. He was getting along just fine, and might be singing the loudest of us. Hell, Azarus was enjoying himself more than I¡¯d ever seen him, ruddy-faced and wild-eyed.


    As our group finished our latest song, the rest of the tavern burst into cheers and whoops. Laughing, our entire line bowed with our hands still over each other''s shoulders before breaking apart. Our entire group retreated back to a table, where more ale and our likely cold food awaited us.


    When we reached the table, Azarus picked up his mug and slammed the entire thing back in one draw. ¡°MORE!¡± He bellowed, waving his empty mug to catch the barmaid''s attention. As for myself, I picked up my dinner, some kind of local meat on a stick. It was good, so I didn¡¯t care that I had no idea what animal it was from. One of our new local friends clapped me on my back as I was chewing, nearly causing me to choke if not for a swig of ale.


    The local, a guy named Rudy, laughed at me. ¡°Careful now!¡± He said, ignoring that it was him that nearly caused me to choke. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want ye to cark it afore yer big day!¡±


    His words caused another of the locals to laugh drunkenly, this time a guy named Finnick. He picked up his own mug and downed it as well, leaning back on the bench. In fact, he leaned so far back that he fell off and hit the ground. Leaning over the table, I saw that Finnick was out cold, snoring. I laughed drunkenly at him, along with the rest of the table.


    The man¡¯s brother, a man that went by Eirick, stood up on wobbly legs. ¡°I¡¯m thinkin¡¯ that¡¯s that, lads.¡± He slurred. ¡°I gotta get this ¡®ere fool back to his missus or she¡¯ll have me ¡®ead.¡± Eirick picked up his brother easily and slung him over his shoulder in a fireman carry. I retained just barely enough piece of mind to wonder if they called it that here, before shaking it off.


    Leaning over and catching the attention of the last guy at our table, a local simply called CJ, I grinned at him. ¡°Now, what¡¯s this you were telling me about a mysterious door under the hill?¡±

 Chapter 83 - The Door Underhill

    Our little group of four recovering drunks stumbled down the darkened streets of Hollow Hill, lit only by disc-based lamps. It must have been nearly midnight by now, and we really should be heading back to the tower, but I couldn¡¯t help myself.


    Earlier, one of the locals that I¡¯d met in the tavern had been telling me about a local legend involving Hollow Hill, in between rounds of drunken singing. Apparently, there was a reason Hollow Hill was called, well, Hollow Hill.


    It was because the hill the town was built on was hollow.


    Who knew?


    Anyway, apparently centuries ago, settlers into the region had nearly passed up this location altogether. However, they had found something at the base of one of the local hills.


    A large, metallic door set into the base of it.


    The settlers had made numerous attempts at opening it, to no avail. Still curious, the settlers had tried to dig around the door, only to be astonished when they discovered a continuous wall of metal extending into the dirt. Subsequent digs into the top of the hill had discovered that the walls of metal completely surrounded some kind of structure underground. That had pretty much made up the mind of those old settlers to build their new community right there on that hill.


    Thus, Hollow Hill was born. And then a few decades after that, a man named Greycton would be born there.


    I¡¯d been intensely curious about this door once I¡¯d heard about it, even through my inebriation. I¡¯d made a conscious effort to stop drinking at that point, and let my tavern food dinner soak up the alcohol in my bloodstream. That was going¡­more or less okay. I¡¯d only nearly tripped and fallen face-first into the cobblestone street three times now.


    Either way, I¡¯d decided I wanted to see this door before I left Hollow Hill tomorrow and had convinced the locals to lead Azarus and I to it. Azarus was the drunkest of our group of four by far, while the rest of us were starting to sober up a little. The door was situated around the back of the town these days, but the trip to it wasn¡¯t that long.


    In the meanwhile one of the locals, CJ, was telling me more about the door.


    ¡°Ol¡¯ Greycton is mad about that door,¡± He told me, slurring only a little. ¡°He¡¯s tried to get through it fer years. Even with as strong as he is, he couldn¡¯t get in. Every once in awhile, he comes up with some new idea on how to get through. Last time was when I was a lad, and the town made a big old festival out of it. I can still remember the flash of light from whatever it is he did. But I remember the cakes from back then more, eh, Rudy?¡± CJ said, elbowing the other local in the ribs.


    Rudy laughed and nodded. ¡°Good times, good times.¡± He said wistfully.


    Azarus laughed too, still blitzed out of his mind. I don¡¯t think he even knew what was going on right now.


    Huh. I understood why Grey had never brought it up with how busy we¡¯d been. I¡¯d ask him about it later.


    I was knocked out of my thoughts when CJ nudged me in the ribs as well. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± He said to me, grinning. Looking up, I laid my eyes on this mysterious door for the first time.


    It was a bit¡­underwhelming.


    Set into the wall of the hill was a large circular door, maybe ten feet in height. I assumed it was a door anyway, because whatever it was, it was covered in moss and vines. It was completely obscured from sight. There was a small cobblestone walkway that led up to it, and some local-looking stonework that seemed like it had been added later surrounding the entryway.


    Turning to CJ, I raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged back at me. ¡°Eh, we don¡¯t get too many outsiders that are interested. I¡¯ll just clear it out and ya can get a better look.¡± He raised a palm to point at the door, clearing about to use some kind of skill or spell or something. He was stopped by Rudy, though, when he put a hand on his outstretched arm.


    ¡°Let the new guy try, eh?¡± He said grinning. He turned to me. ¡°Go on then, give it a try. See if you can get through the door where yer master couldn¡¯t.¡± He laughed.


    I rolled my eyes, but stepped up anyway. CJ stepped back with a grin, waving me forward. Whatever, if Grey couldn¡¯t get through this door, I had no doubt I¡¯d fail too. But I at least thought I could clear away the vines with my new skill. Raising my hand, I pointed a finger gun at the overgrown ¡®door¡¯. ¡°Bang,¡± I said lazily.


    Poisonthorn Shot.


    I shot several thorns at different points on the door so the poison could do its work. The thorns burrowed through the moss and vines, but I heard the audible clink when they stopped on something metal beneath. They did their job though, as the poison began to rapidly spread and rot away the growth. Eventually, a large section of this mysterious door became visible.


    I stepped up to get a better look, the rest of the group following close behind me. There were no street lamps close by to see, but Rudy raised a hand and called up a ball of light. Giving him a nod of thanks, I leaned in to get a better look.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I was puzzled by what I saw.


    This¡­didn¡¯t look like it belonged in magical fantasy land¡­.


    I know it was a little thing, but the mysterious door that the locals had been telling me about? Well, it looked more like a vault door from back home. Huge and thick, it looked like it had been constructed of multiple pieces and then fitted together. But the seams from in between the parts were so faint that I had to get my eye right up to them to see. I stepped back, unnerved. I don¡¯t think there was a blacksmith alive that could smith so fine on such a scale. I don¡¯t even know if I could, with Aetherial Melding.


    This door looked like it had been machined in a factory.


    Stepping closer to it, I laid my hand on it try and get a feel for the metal. I was curious to see if it was machine-smooth as well.


    I don¡¯t think anyone was expecting what happened next.


    The door lit up at my touch.


    From the point of contact of my hand, veins of rainbow-colored Aether began to snake away in a web. Slowly crawling along the surface until they reached the edges of the door under three astonished gazes and one drunken one. There, they encircled it until the entire huge door was lit up. I stumbled back from the door. ¡°Wh-¡±


    I didn¡¯t even get a chance to finish my word before I, and my entire group were blown off our feet by a huge explosion of noise and air that emanated from the door. Scrambling to sit back up from my position a few feet away from the door, I watched in amazement as the door began to fold away in sections from the center in a definitely mechanical way. It was like watching a bloom in advance.


    At the same time, I had to brace myself by clutching uselessly at the grass as air began to rush into now open door. All four of us slid several feet forward, but not quite inside. When everything was over, all four of us simply sat on the ground uselessly for a moment, stunned.


    Surprisingly, it was the drunken figure of Azarus that stood up first. With a surprising expression of concentration on his broad features, he very obviously activated a skill. Azarus¡¯s skin began to redden slightly and then started to steam. A few moments later, he shook his head like a dog and turned to our two local guides. ¡°You two,¡± He said in a commanding, completely sober tone of voice. ¡°Go to the tower and tell the guards that Azarus Savoy and Nathan Hart need the Headmaster down here, immediately. I don¡¯t think I need to tell ya why, do I?¡±


    Shaking, CJ and Rudy got to their feet. ¡°N-no, milord,¡± Rudy stuttered. ¡°Right away, milord. C¡¯mon Carl.¡± CJ, apparently named Carl, nodded in a jittery manner. Both of them turned around and raced off back in the direction of town and the tower, eager to put distance between them and yawning dark portal behind them.


    Meanwhile, Azarus turned back around and offered a hand to me on the ground. I took it and stumbled to my feet. ¡°What the hells did ya do this time, Nate?¡± Azarus said to me, exasperated. ¡°I was enjoyin¡¯ my buzz, and didn¡¯t want to burn it off like that.¡±


    Shaking my shock off, I shot my dwarven friend a wounded look. ¡°Man, I didn¡¯t do shit. All I did was touch it,¡± I paused for a moment, furrowing my brow. ¡°All I did was touch it, so it must be something about me that caused it to open¡­¡± I exchanged a glance with Azarus.


    ¡°And the only thing that¡¯s really special about ye¡­,¡± Azarus said slowly.


    ¡°Is the fact that I¡¯m a Precursor.¡± I finished for him. We stood in silence for a moment, absorbing that. I glanced over my shoulder at the pitch-black opening. ¡°Huh.¡±


    Azarus shook his head. ¡°No wonder Grey couldn¡¯t open the damn thing then.¡±


    I turned back around and raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°Oh, you were paying attention, were you? Honestly thought you were too drunk for that.¡±


    ¡°Too drunk?¡± Azarus scoffed. ¡°Ya haven¡¯t even seen me really drunk. That was just a light buzz.¡±


    I shook my own head at him. ¡°Whatever man. Anyway, what¡¯s the plan? Do you really want to wait around for Grey to see what this is about?¡±


    Azarus gave me a startled look at that. ¡°Hells no. This thing opened for you. Let''s go, I¡¯ll light the way. That farmboy ain¡¯t the only one that can make a bit of light.¡± He said, holding up a hand. Over his open palm, a sphere of tightly controlled roiling flame appeared, like a star writ small.


    I smirked at him. ¡°You know, I was hoping you¡¯d say that.¡± Turning around and stepping back to stand shoulder to slightly lower shoulder, I couldn¡¯t help a sense of anticipation rising up within me.


    Now this was something that I wanted to be doing in magical fantasy land.


    Exploring strange dungeons.


    Stepping forward with my friend, we entered the pitch-black, mysterious doorway.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    I don¡¯t know what I was expecting inside, but it wasn¡¯t this.


    This didn¡¯t look like some kind of fantasy dungeon to my eyes. No, it looked like the opposite.


    Under the flickering orange light of Azarus¡¯s fire, it looked like I had stepped into the middle of some futuristic ruin.


    Gazing around in confusion, I couldn¡¯t help a chill from running up and down my back. God, this place almost seemed familiar to me, for some reason. I¡¯d never seen anything like it before in my life, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of recognition.


    I think it was because the design sensibilities were so¡­recognizable to me. This place reminded me of a hospital from back home. Only¡­


    A few centuries. No, a few millennia more advanced.


    It was clearly ruined from some kind of battle.


    It was mostly what should be a sterile white in the hallway we had entered into, but it was marred by rubble and streaks of black soot. Not only that, though.


    I saw plenty of streaks and patches of a gruesome red-brown around us.


    Clearly long-dried blood¡­


    There were no bodies, however. Not even the slightest indication of one.


    Shattered glass and machinery that I couldn¡¯t parse lay everywhere along the ruined walkway. Every once in a while, I could see a yawning open doorway on either side of the long hall we had entered into. Most of the time, they were blocked by rubble and we couldn¡¯t even see inside of them.


    Azarus and I were silent as we slowly navigated the ruins of this place. I think most of our enthusiasm had been drained as we took in our surroundings. This wasn¡¯t a place anyone should be happy to be inside.


    This¡­was a tomb.

 Chapter 84 - Ruins

    I broke the silence that Azarus and I were walking in. ¡°Do you¡­have any idea what this place is?¡± I whispered to Azarus. Despite my low tone, my words still echoed through the desolate halls that we found ourselves in. I don¡¯t even know why I was whispering, there definitely wasn¡¯t anyone in here.


    ¡°No gods damn clue,¡± Azarus whispered back. I guess he felt it too. ¡°Ain¡¯t never seen or heard of anything like this.¡±


    Something he said niggled at my brain for a moment before I figured it out. ¡°Is this something that the gods left behind maybe?¡±


    Azarus immediately shook his head. ¡°No way. I¡¯ve seen divine architecture before. Ya can see some in the capitals and it don¡¯t look like this. This is¡­¡± He trailed off with a troubled look on his face. He stopped for a moment to pick up some kind of broken machinery from the floor. I couldn¡¯t even tell what it was or what it had been used for. It just looked like a mangled collection of wires now and what might have been some kind of ceramic. ¡°I don¡¯t know what this is.¡±


    You and me both, buddy.


    Up ahead, I spied an open doorway that wasn¡¯t blocked by rubble, which was a first. I pointed it out to Azarus and exchanged a nod with him. Together we advanced on the doorway, carefully stepping over the debris that was nonetheless getting thicker in our path. When we reached it, I let Azarus go first. Not because I was spooked or anything, but because he was the one with the light.


    At least that¡¯s what I told myself.


    This room was different than the others. In a way, I thought I might be able to recognize what was in here. But I didn¡¯t like it.


    This looked like a classroom. And not for adults.


    Scattered haphazardly around the room were dozens of small desks and chairs made of the same white material everything else seemed to be. Many of them were either overturned or fractured into individual parts. Turning around, I found what I was dreading, but expecting. On the wall next to the door was a large expanse of raised material that reminded me of a whiteboard. There were holes and slashes burned into it though, exposing wires and strange-looking circuit boards.


    I tried desperately to ignore the patches of dried blood that dotted even this room.


    I breathed in and out before catching Azarus¡¯s attention. He had been in the process of looking around the room with a grim look on his face. Despite the tech gap in understanding, my dwarven friend wasn¡¯t a fool. I think he¡¯d gather what this room was for. He turned to look at me.


    I shook my head at him. ¡°Let''s¡­keep going.¡±


    He nodded silently before following me out of the room.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    This continued on for some time as Azarus and I delved even deeper into the¡­complex we¡¯d stumbled into. Because that¡¯s what this had to be. Rather than some kind of hospital like I¡¯d initially though, this had to have been some kind of all-in-one bunker or something.


    Over time, the path began to branch as we headed deeper into the complex. We tried to stay on the main path though. Azarus and I had decided in a whispered conversation not to stray too far from it, just so we didn¡¯t get lost. Not only that, but I meant deeper literally. It was hard to tell, but I think the main path gradually spiraled downwards into the earth. I had no idea how deep we were at this point, but we weren¡¯t anywhere near the surface by now.


    I could admit that this place was spooking me out somewhat, but my curiosity was greater. Before we left, I wanted to get a better look.


    What impeded us though, was the fact that the debris grew denser as we got further in. Whatever kind of battle had happened in these halls, it had grown fiercer the deeper it went. Sometimes, we had to carefully climb over rubble that nearly blocked the path. Under advisement from Azarus, we tried not to shift too much of it about. We didn¡¯t know what could ultimately cause a collapse over our heads.


    There were other open doorways that we explored on our trek. Thankfully for my peace of mind, we didn¡¯t find many more classrooms. Sometimes we¡¯d find what looked like a storeroom of some kind, its shelves bare of anything at all, but containers constructed from unfamiliar materials still present. Other times, we¡¯d find what looked to be office space. Hell, I think we even found living quarters a few times. Difficult to tell though, with how everything was smashed up from some kind of obvious battle.


    What I found odd, though, was the lack of dust. Despite how old this place must have been, there wasn¡¯t a single dusty surface to be found. Maybe that blast of air we¡¯d experienced when the door had opened meant this place had been sealed in some way? That might have something to do with it.


    It took us nearly an hour of exploration to reach the end of the main path. At that point, I was wondering if those locals had actually managed to rouse Grey and gotten him down here. We hadn¡¯t seen or heard anyone else on our tail yet, so who knew? Maybe they were just further back.


    The end of the main path was curious, however. It terminated in another door, very similar to one that had blocked the entrance into this tomb. This one wasn¡¯t covered in greenery, or thankfully rubble. Instead, it looked battle-scarred. Where before the first door was virtually unmarred, this one most certainly was not. It was covered in deep scores and dents from top to bottom. However, it was still mostly intact. Whoever had tried to get through this door had failed, because it was still sealed. With how damaged it was though, would it even open like the other one had at my touch?


    I guess we would find out.


    Exchanging a nod with Azarus, I stepped forward and laid my palm on the door. Luckily, whatever was causing me to be able to open these doors was still working.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    The same blue-green glow of concentrated Aether began to spread across the door in fits and starts, sometimes being interrupted by battle damage. Again, there was an explosion of air as it rushed into the room. Luckily, Azarus and I had hastily retreated to a safe distance this time, remembering what happened last time. Haltingly, the door the door began to unfold in a similar manner to the first, before stalling out. The door had only managed to retreat halfway before failing. Still, that was enough for us to duck through.


    For once, I stepped through the doorway first. I didn¡¯t need Azarus to go in first to light the way.


    It was already bright in here.


    Gazing around in wonder, I found that I had entered into the largest room we¡¯d found so far, lit by the glow of concentrated Aether. In here, the glow was radiating off of large, smooth blocks of the same ceramic-looking material that defined this complex. Each of them had tracers of the energy running in grooves on their surface. Still, the glow wasn¡¯t uniform, and it wasn¡¯t on all of them. Even on the blocks that still had Aether, it was weak and flickering. Even though this room seemed to be bereft of the marks of conflict that had littered this complex, I guess time had nearly finished the job.


    Stepping further into the room, I saw something along the far wall. I started making my way towards it, only to be halted by Azarus calling my name behind me. Turning around, I saw that he was staring at one darkened corner of the room with a solemn look on his face. Whatever he was looking at was underneath the shadow of one of the dead monoliths in the room. From where I was, I couldn¡¯t see what he was. He¡¯d canceled his orb of fire once he had stepped into the room.


    I walked back over to where he was, confused. ¡°Yeah? What is¡­it¡­¡± I trailed off. Once I was standing next to him, I saw what had caught his attention.


    We had found the former residents of this complex.


    Long, long dead.


    Huddled together in the corner of the silent monolith, there might have been the remains of dozens of people. It must have been an extraordinarily long time since they¡¯d died though, since their remains were all skeletonized. To my eyes, all of the skeletons looked like they were human, covered in only scraps of unidentifiable clothing that had long since decayed. Some of those skeletons¡­they¡­


    Some of them were distressingly small.


    I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the faint smell in the air that I had only noticed, not dissimilar to dust. I guess¡­these people had retreated down here, to this sealed room, during the battle that had occurred up above. Only, they had never made it out. None of them looked like they had died in any way but peacefully. If I had to take a guess¡­


    Based on the way this room seemed like it had no air in it when I opened it, they must have all asphyxiated. Simply¡­nodded off together, once the air supply had run out. Or¡­


    Was sabotaged.


    Azarus and I stood side by side, silently taking in the mass grave before us. Abruptly, Azarus made the sign of the Gyre next to me and bowed his head to these long-dead humans. ¡°May your spirits find eternal solace.¡± He said solemnly.


    I copied him, bowing my head. ¡°May you rest in peace,¡± I whispered.


    We stood there, paying our respects for several minutes to these poor people before we were interrupted. Behind us from the door, we heard the sound of movement. I turned around just in time to watch as Grey, clad in his combat robes, duck through the half-opened doorway followed closely by Sylvia and Venix. Nobody else followed behind them, so I guess it was just those three.


    Grey was looking around in amazement at his surroundings, looking more excited than I had ever seen him before he catching sight of us. He perked up and called out to us across the distance, causing Sylvia to turn around from where she had been helping the massive form of Venis through the gap. ¡°Nathan! Azarus!¡± He said, jogging over to our position. I smiled weakly at my mentor, while Azarus just greeted him with a small nod. ¡°This is incredible! Gods, it feels like I¡¯ve been waiting half my life for this moment. I can¡¯t tell you how long¡­¡± He trailed off, noticing what we had found. ¡°Oh. I see.¡± He sighed, gazing mournfully at the long-dead people.


    Sylvia and Venix had reached us as well at this point. The sight of so many dead caused Sylvia to gasp and cover her mouth, while Venix simply bowed his massive head.


    ¡°I had thought it odd that we found no remains, despite the evidence of battle,¡± Grey said somberly.


    I nodded slowly. ¡°No weapons, no signs of struggle. These were just civilians trying to get away from the fighting.¡±


    Grey gave a long sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that their remains are collected later, and then given proper burials after examination. Now,¡± He said, suddenly turning a baleful eye on Azarus and me. I stiffened in surprise. ¡°What, exactly, were you two thinking, entering this place on your own?¡±


    Azarus and I exchanged wary glances. I cleared my throat. ¡°Uh, that it sounded¡­fun? To¡­explore¡­an old ruin?¡± I said weakly. Okay, so maybe it hadn¡¯t been the best idea to go charging into this complex, but c¡¯mon! It had turned out all right.


    Grey pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. ¡°In the future, Nathan, wait for backup. From long experience, I can tell you that some of the most dangerous places I¡¯ve ever visited have been old ruins.¡± He lowered his head and muttered something indistinguishable about young people under his breath, before glancing back up. ¡°You¡¯re lucky there do not appear to be any active defenses in this¡­facility.¡±


    Sylvia stepped past the group while Grey was dressing Azarus and I down. She made a curious sound in the back of her throat, before turning to look at us. ¡°What is that over there?¡± She said, interrupting Grey and pointing at something.


    We all turned to look and follow her finger. I blinked. ¡°Ah, yeah. I was about to check that out before we discovered, well, them.¡± I said, indicating the departed. Sylvia was pointing at the object that I had seen earlier. Walking in that direction with the entire group following, I was able to see that it was a plinth of some kind as I got closer. Stepping up to it, I saw that, like everything else, it was made of the same ceramic material. It rose up to around waist height, and had a large, rectangular surface resting at the top of it. Kind of like a podium.


    Curious, I reached out to rest a hand on it, only for that hand to be grabbed by Grey. Turning to face, I saw that he was raising an eyebrow at me. ¡°Did I not just finish saying that you should be more careful, Nathan?¡± He said exasperatedly.


    I shrugged. ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s how I¡¯ve gotten everything else to work in here. The doors only opened up when I touched them. I¡­really don¡¯t think anything in here is going to hurt us.¡± I don¡¯t know why I thought that. It was honestly just kind of a feeling.


    Grey frowned for a moment before nodding slowly. ¡°I see,¡± He said slowly, obviously making the connection about my Precursor status. ¡°Well, I¡¯m unsure about that, but at the very least I¡¯m here now. If the worst happens, I should be able to prevent any harm from happening, even in my weakened state. Very well, go ahead. I admit I¡¯m curious myself.¡± He let go of my hand.


    Nodding at him, I finished laying my hand on the podium.


    The reaction was immediate.


    Around the room, many of the monoliths that were still glowing let out torturous creaking and screeching noises as they began to glow brighter. Some of them failed altogether, losing their light, but not all of them. On the ceiling far above us, recessed lights that I hadn¡¯t noticed attempted to flicker on, only to fail, leaving the room in lasting darkness. On the wall across from the podium, a blank screen of white light flashed into existence, not unlike a hologram. On that white screen, lay a blue box of a recognizable shade, with a single flashing white vertical bar inside of it.


    Under my hand, something familiar appeared, causing me to reel back in shock.


    A standard English keyboard from back home, wrought from solid light.

 Chapter 85 - Records

    I stared at the screen in shock, instinctively understanding what this was. Somehow, I¡¯d run into something that I had never expected to, here on Vereden.


    A functional computer.


    Sure, it seemed like it was way, way more advanced than anything from back home, but this was familiar to me. The screen projected on the wall across from me very obviously contained some kind of text prompt. Turning around wildly, I tried to see if the screen was being projected from somewhere.


    Nothing.


    While I was in shock, my companions were examining what had appeared curiously. Both the screen and the keyboard. Azarus had walked up to the projection and was waving his hand through it inquisitively, making interested noises as it rippled around his digits. Grey was poking at the keyboard, fascinated, while Sylvia peered over his shoulder. Both of them were delighted whenever a keystroke made characters appear in the box on the screen. Venix though, was standing off to the side, arms crossed and head tilted while he observed. He must have caught sight of my shock because he spoke to me. ¡°Hart,¡± He said flatly. ¡°Is aught amiss?¡±


    The Antium¡¯s words caused everyone in the room to look at me. ¡°Nathan?¡± Grey asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    I drew in a shuddering breath. ¡°Y-yeah, just¡­I wasn¡¯t expecting this. I recognize this for what it is.¡±


    That caused Grey¡¯s eyes to light up in hunger. ¡°Do tell.¡± He said hungrily.


    I walked back up to the keyboard and lay my hands over it. I paused, considering something first. ¡°Grey, or, well, anyone,¡± I said to the others. ¡°Can you actually make out what letters are on this keyb-I mean device?¡±


    My words caused Azarus to wander back over to our position and peer down at the keyboard alongside Grey and Sylvia. He studied it for a moment. ¡°Nope,¡± He said finally. ¡°Whatever that is, it ain¡¯t being translated by Language Adaptation.¡±


    Grey hummed. ¡°That is odd. I don¡¯t often find languages in my studies that remain untranslated. In the past, I¡¯ve only seen it with those languages that are truly, decisively dead. However, considering the apparent age of this facility, perhaps it isn¡¯t too odd.¡±


    I shook my head at them slowly. ¡°This language sure as hell isn¡¯t dead. After all, back home, well over a billion people speak it. This is my birth language. English.¡±


    Azarus¡¯s eyes bulged in their sockets, while Sylvia gasped. Venix remained silent, simply observing. Meanwhile, I saw a manic smile begin to steal across Grey¡¯s face. ¡°Is that so, Nathan? Well, well. Are you perhaps saying this facility could have been constructed by Precursors?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I said to him. ¡°What I do know, is that both the language, and this interface, are familiar to me. This is a kind of technology that I¡¯m familiar with, if not blown away by how advanced and obviously magical it seems.¡±


    ¡°Advanced?¡± Sylvia asked curiously.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I nodded at the Sculpted woman. ¡°This is way past what we can do back home. I mean, hard light? That¡¯s theoretical, to the best of my knowledge. This is like¡­¡± I paused to think for a moment, before snapping my fingers. ¡°This tech is like the equivalent of steel tools as compared to primitive stone ones.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating,¡± Grey breathed. ¡°Can you, perhaps¡­decipher what this all is for?¡±


    I took a deep breath before nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll give it a shot.¡±


    Letting my hands fall on the keyboard, I marveled at the sensation of a hard light construct. It was electrifying, almost literally. My fingertips tingled slightly. I had to suppress a hysterical laugh when my index fingers felt familiar protrusions on the F and J keys, though.


    I pressed the backspace key rapidly to delete the nonsense characters in the box from Grey¡¯s chicken pecking, drawing interested noises from the peanut gallery. Ignoring them, I considered the box for a moment. Where to start, where to start. This didn¡¯t look like a login screen, thankfully. I didn¡¯t think it was likely that we would be able to break a password if it had been protected. It looked more like a command line, to me. I may not be a software engineer, but I was at least a little computer-savvy.


    Oh, whatever. Let¡¯s just go with the obvious.


    I typed ¡®help¡¯ into the box and pressed the enter key.


    On the screen, words began to display beneath the command line in white text.


    Available commands:


    System Diagnostic


    Network


    Message


    Records


    lkasdfiedStolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡­


    After the first four commands, there was only worryingly corrupted text. I guess there might have been more, but this place or even the servers might be too degraded to provide them. Hell, I didn¡¯t even know if the commands I had would work. I guess I¡¯d find out, starting from the top.


    I typed System Diagnostic into the blinking text box and pressed enter.


    The word ¡®error¡¯ in big bold, red text flashed across the screen, causing my companions to jump.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Grey asked me, startled.


    ¡°I tried to find out how damaged this place was,¡± I said to him without turning my head. ¡°I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s so messed up that it can¡¯t even tell.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Grey muttered, confused. I doubted that. Whatever, onto the next one. I entered Network.


    This time, something did pop up.


    A stunningly detailed graphical map popped up, displaying something that I had only grown very accustomed to in the past few days, accompanying Grey.


    It was a map of the main continent of Vereden. On it, there were a bunch of dots, running from the icy northern reaches all the way down to the verdant southern tip. Nearly all of them were greyed out, but there were some red ones. There must have been well over fifty of those dots spread out across the breadth of the continent. Of those, I think there were only three of them that were still red. I felt my breath hitch in my chest, as I understood what this was representing.


    I think Grey understood as well, just from the context. ¡°My gods,¡± He breathed.


    ¡°What?¡± Azarus asked, clueless. ¡°What¡¯s goin¡¯ on?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± Grey said, ignoring him. ¡°This is the only example I¡¯ve ever hear of, when it comes to mysterious doors. Believe me, I¡¯ve certainly checked. But¡­there are this many more facilities? Just like this one?¡± His words caused Azarus to do a double take and gape at the map.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± I said, staring at the map myself. ¡°I think this means that there were this many facilities, once upon a time. But,¡± I pointed at the red dots. ¡°Now there are only these four. Grey, I don¡¯t think this was built by Precursors. If what you¡¯ve told me about how rare we are is true, there¡¯s no way we could have done it. That¡¯s not even counting the fact that this is too advanced for Earth tech.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps so,¡± Grey whispered. He raised a finger to point at the red dots. ¡°If what this map is saying is true, then one of the other facilities is in the western archipelago,¡± He said, moving a finger to point at a long chain of islands off of the west coast. He then moved his finger to point at a dot in the mountain range that seemed to be Principality lands. ¡°Another seems to be in one of the old mountain Holds. I¡¯m not familiar with this one, however. Azarus, can you tell who owns this range?¡±


    Azarus stepped up to the console and peered at the map more closely. After a moment, he grimaced. ¡°Aye, I can tell. That¡¯s Dwergar land. I ain¡¯t surprised nobody knows about another door down there. Those are some shady bastards.¡±


    Grey furrowed his brow. ¡°Dwergar¡­¡± He said to himself before frowning. He faced Azarus and made a knife hand with his right and dragged it down his left forearm in a shaving motion. ¡°As in, those Dwergar?¡±


    Azarus nodded grimly.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Grey said. ¡°I see the problem. Hmm. Well, moving on, the last seems to be¡­up here.¡± He pointed to the last of the red dots on the map, located far to the north. It seemed to be in the area beyond a northern mountain range. ¡°Beyond the northern mountains, in the frozen wastes. Perhaps the northern tribes know of it?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help a small laugh escaping me, causing the others to look at me. I waved the attention off. ¡°So there actually are northern tribes? I almost thought they were made up just for my old excuse.¡±


    Grey smiled slightly. ¡°Indeed, they are real, and just as reclusive as implied. I don¡¯t quite believe they don¡¯t have Statuses, however.¡± He looked back up at the map consideringly. ¡°I¡¯m dearly tempted to look into this matter more, especially now that we know how to enter these facilities. However, that¡¯s a matter for another time. Continue with your explorations, Nathan.¡±


    I nodded at him. Time for a new command. This time, Message. Who could it be Messaging? The other facilities? I guess we would find out. I entered Message into the box and hit enter.


    The prompt lagged for a moment, before displaying some more text.


    ¡®System Administrator unvailable. Messaging service offline.¡¯


    System Administrator? As in, the Messaging SysAdmin, or¡­


    The admin of the System?


    Oh boy, that was a can of worms. I shared what the text said with my companions.


    ¡°System Administrator?¡± Grey asked, confused. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing. Certainly, there¡¯s some form of decision-making baked into the System, as evidenced by the existence of System Judgements.¡± Grey nodded at me. ¡°However, there is little evidence of a singular mind behind the System itself. How curious.¡±


    Yeah, I guess. It was just a guess anyway. We had no idea which kind of System it was even referring to. Seeing that nobody had any more questions for that one, I moved on to the last of the available options.


    I typed in Records and hit the enter key.


    This time was different, however. Another list of options opened up on the screen. It was a pretty short list, though.


    Records:


    Staff


    aedL@gd


    EMERGENCY SUBJECTS


    One of these was not like the others. That last option, Emergency Subjects, was in red bold text.


    Ominous.


    I started from the top. As expected, the Staff record was exactly that. A list of names, surprisingly long, opened up on the screen in a vertical column. At the very top of the list, each of the names had a little designator that the person was ¡®deceased¡¯ along with a date of death. I couldn¡¯t make sense of the date though, as it was in a format I wasn¡¯t familiar with. The very first person on the list apparently died ¡®1/4/6/3/2-3/27¡¯. Going down the list, that time would go further out, but only the last part would change. Scrolling all the way down the very long list with the arrow keys, I watched as the date changed from ¡®1/4/6/3/2¡¯ to ¡®1/4/6/3/1401. That date was the very last one on the Staff list.


    Tilting my head, I tried to puzzle out what that meant. Was that last changing number the year? Did¡­that mean there were people here, in this facility, for over a thousand years? But this place looked ancient. It was falling apart around me, practically. How long ago had these people been down here?


    Without explaining things to Grey, I opened up the very last option named ¡®Emergency Subjects¡¯.


    Another list of names opened up. This time, I could tell that it was much, much smaller. Where before the Staff list had thousands of names on it, this one had less than a hundred. Whoever these ¡®Emergency Subjects¡¯ were seemed to be getting a rough deal, as they were all marked as deceased as well. Strangely, none of these names had a date attached to them as the Staff names did. However, it was the last name on the shortlist that caused my blood to freeze in my veins. This name wasn¡¯t marked as deceased, but rather ¡®active¡¯.


    It was mine.


    Spelled out in plain English on the screen was the name ¡®Nathaniel Eugene Hart¡¯.

 Chapter 86 - The Mission

    Hours later, I was back in the tavern again. It was early morning at this point after mine and Azarus¡¯s impromptu expedition. By now, it was very early in the morning. Our group had left after exhausting our options with the computer down below and then broken up to see to our preparations for the trip. Before we''d left though, I''d sealed the entrance to the bunker again at Grey''s request. Thankfully, the doors still responded to my touch despite their state of repair. Grey didn''t want anyone snooping down below and unintentionally wrecking anything. After that, I¡¯d made a brief detour to grab my bag from the tower before retreating back to the tavern, which also apparently functioned as an inn. I¡¯d wanted to be alone with my thoughts and this place was pretty much deserted at this hour. Hell, it¡¯s not like I would have been able to sleep after what I¡¯d learned, so I¡¯d decided to just stay up.


    After I had found out that, whoever had built those bunkers had something to do with Precursors, I¡¯d told my companions what I¡¯d found. Just like me, they hadn¡¯t known what to think. Azarus and Sylvia had been confused, but sympathetic, while Venix had just given me a considering look.


    It¡¯s funny, that had been the point where I had realized we¡¯d never explicitly told him that I was a Precursor. He¡¯d just kind of¡­trailed along in the background and found out from our conversations. I didn¡¯t make it a habit to go around talking about what I was, but he seemed to be pretty damn loyal to Grey. I figured it was fine.


    But Grey?


    When I¡¯d told Grey about being listed in the Records, his gaze had sharpened. I think, perhaps more than I did, Grey understood that what I¡¯d found had been important.


    ¡°Nathan,¡± He¡¯d said to me, laying a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Right now, we have more important matters than to dive into this mystery. However, as both your friend and mentor, I promise you. Once the war has been settled, we¡¯ll get to the bottom of this.¡±


    Grey¡¯s promise had, and still did, filled me with a confusing mix of emotions. On one hand, I¡¯d been resolved for some time now to build a new life for myself here on Vereden. Despite having been literally enslaved not too long ago, I felt that I was in a good position to do so. I was friends and allies with some powerful and influential people, one of whom had decided to take me on as an apprentice. Call it cowardly, but I¡¯d been reluctant to even consider the idea of pursuing a way home to Earth. I was unsure if there was even anything waiting for me back there.


    On the other hand¡­


    There was an undeniable part of me that was furious that I¡¯d ever been stolen from my home in the first place. I may have made my peace with the idea of a new life, but I wanted answers about the death of my old one. In a way, I wanted some justice or closure or I don¡¯t fucking know. The words I¡¯d seen projected on that screen in those ruins had thrown me out of whack.


    I sighed for the umpteenth time, staring down into the mug of water I¡¯d gotten for myself. Like I¡¯d said, it was dead in here. In fact, there wasn¡¯t even anyone manning the bar, nor were there any lights on in the tavern. I, uh, I don¡¯t even think I was even supposed to be in here. I¡¯d kind of snuck in.


    I may have approached Sylvia during our travels about the gaps in my stealth training. I perhaps had asked her to teach me some lockpicking. I can neither confirm nor deny that I¡¯d picked the lock on the tavern to get into it.


    Oh, whatever. I¡¯d left a few coins on the counter for the trouble. I¡¯d been given a small stipend as Grey¡¯s apprentice to use in town. I hadn¡¯t had much use for it, considering how helpful the townspeople had been once they¡¯d discovered I was Grey¡¯s newest apprentice. But it was the thought that counted.


    As we¡¯d all been leaving the ruin, Grey had told me that our wagon for the trip had been prepared. We were leaving at first light, which¡­wasn¡¯t far away. In fact, I could see green light starting to creep through the slats in the wooden window coverings, signaling the arrival of Tarus. I stood up, draining my mug and grabbing my bag. I deposited the mug on the counter next to a few coins and left the tavern for the tower.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Once I¡¯d reached the tower, I entered into it in order to go pick up Fade. The wolf was smart enough to have sought out Walter overnight as a kind of farewell for both of them, since Fade would be coming with me, but Walter wouldn¡¯t. Collecting my pup, I said my goodbyes to Walter. He seemed to be settling in fine. Lately, I¡¯d seen him acting as a kind of liaison with the Church of the Gyre. I think he was getting his own comfort from religion, after his experiences.


    If that was working, more power to him.


    Exiting the tower I was directed around the back of it by a guard. There, I was unsurprised to find a wagon waiting, with a few familiar faces alongside it. Grey and Marshal Leopold were locked in conversation, while Sylvia was sitting on a nearby crate, idly toying with a dagger. Not wanting to interrupt Grey, I gave him a wide berth as I approached the wagon. This one had a completely closed-off back, so I opened the wooden door and peered inside. It wasn¡¯t too packed with junk, not like Grens. To be fair though, we had been caring for dozens of people and needed all that junk. Instead, this seemed more outfitted with habitation in mind. It even had actual bunks. There were still bags and crates inside, they were just shoved off to the corners. I deposited my bag with the other ones.


    Once I was done, I walked over to Sylvia and sat next to her. She greeted me with a nod which I returned. Fade settled down at the base of the crate and promptly decided to take an impromptu nap.


    ¡°So, just us so far?¡± I asked her in a low voice.


    My Sculpted friend nodded slightly. ¡°Yes. Venix is fetching the horses, while I believe Azarus is gathering some additional supplies.¡±


    I looked over to the pair of older men speaking. Grey noticed me and nodded in acknowledgment, causing the Marshal to turn slightly to look at me speculatively. I tried to pretend that I didn¡¯t find the huge, armored man intimidating. Man, did that guy wear anything else? I¡¯d never seen him out of his blood-red plate.


    I furrowed my brow slightly, remembering something. I leaned in closer to Sylvia. ¡°Didn¡¯t Grey say there was going to be someone else coming? A healer, maybe that Preceptor?¡±


    Sylvia hummed. ¡°Yes, but Preceptor Eduard was unable to accompany us. Instead, Father found someone else. Someone who could function as both a representative of the Uprising and as a healer. You¡¯ve even seen them, but I don¡¯t believe you¡¯ve been introduced.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± I asked her.


    She lazily lifted an arm to point to the entrance of the tower''s backyard. ¡°See for yourself.¡±


    I followed her finger to find that a somewhat familiar Sculpted was approaching the wagon. It was that gold one that had been shouting about their leader being abducted during the first war council. Aurum, I think his name had been. He was carrying a pack and wearing a set of robes in the colors of the Uprising, as well as a staff in his right hand.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    I was almost tempted to Observe him to see if he was the real deal, but I wasn¡¯t an asshole. I was a good boy who was adapting to Veredenese social customs, yes I was.


    I watched as he deposited his bag into the back of the wagon before turning around and catching sight of us. Aurum skirted around Grey and the Marshal to approach Sylvia and me. When he reached us, I was surprised when the golden-forged Sculpted bowed his head in Sylvia¡¯s direction. ¡°Firstborn,¡± He said, far more respectfully than I remember him being.


    Sylvia let out an audible exasperated sigh at the title. ¡°Aurum, please. If we¡¯re going to be on the same mission together, I would appreciate it if you would drop that.¡±


    Aurum raised his shiny bald head, reflecting the sunlight into my eyes for a moment. The plates on his face articulated against each other for a moment in indecision before he nodded. ¡°If you say so¡­Miss Sylvia.¡±


    Sylvia sighed again.


    At that he turned to me and smiled widely, revealing that even his teeth seemed to be pure gold. ¡°And you! You¡¯re the Headmaster''s new apprentice, ain¡¯t ya?¡± He shifted his staff to his left hand and thrust his now-empty right in my direction.


    ¡°Ah,¡± I said, startled. I reached out and took his hand, leading the Sculpted man to enthusiastically shake it. I let go, trying to discreetly shake some feeling back into it. For a healer, he sure had a strong grip. Must be because the guy was made of solid metal. ¡°Yeah, I am. Nathan Hart, nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Same here!¡± He said brightly. ¡°Names Aurum! The Headmaster approached me for his rescue mission, and I was more than happy to come with! I¡¯ll be acting as your assigned healer.¡±


    Well, he was certainly friendly. I guess it had just been passion or something that had caused him to interrupt the council a few days ago. He seemed the type. Still, I was interested in him for another reason.


    I leaned forward on the crate. ¡°So, you¡¯re a healer?¡± I asked, interested. ¡°How does that work? Do you have healing skills? Are you a Mage or a Cultivator?¡± Ever since I¡¯d learned about how potent healing magic was, I¡¯d been curious about it. I¡¯d wanted to talk to the Preceptor about it during our trip to Hollow Hill, but the man had been busy twenty-four-seven. I¡¯d just never gotten the chance.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t have healers where you¡¯re from, do they?¡± Aurum asked curiously. At my shrug, he smiled widely. ¡°That¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t mind talking about it! I¡¯m actually a Mage, and that¡¯s where I get my healing spells from! There are Cultivator healers, but they¡¯re kinda funky. For me, it¡¯s mostly about staying in the back and protecting people from harm. You don¡¯t need to worry, with me you¡¯re gonna be a-ok!¡± He said, giving me a thumbs up.


    I smiled at his attitude despite myself, bemused. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re with us then. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re hoping to find¡­Woodrick, right? At the prison.¡±


    Aurum finally lost his smile at my words. ¡°Yeah,¡± He said somberly. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that some Royal agents nabbed him at the same time they nabbed the kids. I¡¯m really hoping he¡¯s there as well. Me and the other Sculpted,¡± His eyes flickered over to Sylvia briefly before focusing back on me. ¡°We¡¯ve been kind of lost without both Rick and the Headmaster. Rick is the real brain behind the Sculpted, you know? He¡¯s always been different. Without him, we¡¯ve just been kinda floundering and doing what the Order says.¡±


    I was struck then, with the reminder that the Sculpted were a very, very young people. Even if they might have been constructed any time in the last fifty-ish years, they hadn¡¯t been conscious of that existence. As a whole, most of the Sculpted had only gained full sentience and sapience during the Second Initialization five years ago.


    Aurum continued speaking. ¡°He was one of the first to come to. He was fighting for our freedom years before we could even understand what that was.¡± His face fell. ¡°We all miss him.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± I said sympathetically. I couldn¡¯t help but see him as a bit of a child, now. I know he wasn¡¯t, and that even at the time of the initialization, he¡¯d had a maturity level of a teenager. But Aurum specifically just gave me the vibe of someone who was a child at heart. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re hoping too. Nobody that the Loyalists had kidnapped deserved to be held the way they are.¡± At least, I assumed so.


    ¡°Yeah. Yeah!¡± Aurum nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Well, it was nice meeting you! I¡¯ve got to go finish getting set now, so I¡¯ll see you later! We can talk more then, okay?¡± At that, the Sculpted man wandered away in the direction of the wagon.


    When he was gone, I leaned back on my hands and gave Sylvia a bit of a side-eye. ¡°Firstborn, huh?¡± I said teasingly.


    Sylvia outright groaned. ¡°A title given to me by my Sculpted brothers and sisters. As the first of my people to both be created and gain sapience, I¡¯m given far too much regard, in my opinion. It can get a bit tiring.¡±


    I hummed to myself, amused. However, something else Aurum had said stuck out to me as well. ¡°You know,¡± I said curiously. ¡°I never asked. How long was it between when you gained sapience and the Second Initialization happened?¡±


    ¡°Four years. Why?¡± Syliva asked curiously, turning her head to face me.


    I laughed slightly. ¡°So that means you¡¯re technically only nine years old?¡±


    Sylvia snorted delicately at my question. ¡°If you count from the moment I became aware, yes. You could just as easily say I¡¯m nearly sixty, if you count the time from when I was created.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± I said, amused. Movement caught my eye at the entrance to the yard, drawing my attention. Both Azarus and Venix were returning at the same time, each with their own cargo. In Azarus¡¯s case, he was carrying a stack of crates taller than he was easily in his arms. Venix meanwhile was leading a team of four massive workhorses by the reins. The two of them seemed to be talking about something.


    I hopped down from the crate and wandered over to them. My movement caused Fade¡¯s ears to perk up, followed closely by the wolf itself. As I got closer, my pup on my heels, their conversation stopped. I eyed them curiously, but said nothing about it. Instead, I spoke to Azarus. ¡°Need some help with that?¡±


    Azarus shrugged. ¡°If ya like.¡±


    Activating Sylvan Vigor at around twenty-five percent, I took the top crate from Azarus¡¯s stack. I nearly staggered under the weight before upping my skill to fifty percent. ¡°What the hell do you have in here? Lead bricks?¡± While I was struggling with the crate, Venix passed me with a nod to attach the horses to the wagon.


    Azarus snorted at me. ¡°That one is a portable forge. We don¡¯t all got a fancy skill to do our craftin¡¯ for us. We ain¡¯t got no idea what we¡¯ll need out there, so I¡¯m bringing it with. Rest are just supplies.¡±


    ¡°Whatever man, let''s just load them up,¡± I said to him, waddling my way over to the wagon. Azarus and I loaded the heavy crates into the wagon just fine. It didn¡¯t even creak under the added weight. When we were done, I found that Grey had finished his conversation with the Marshal. Said Marshal had left, leaving my mentor alone. The rest of the group was congregating around him where he stood next to an empty crate. Azarus and I wandered over. Fade settled at our heels, watching the conversation curiously, head tilted.


    Grey nodded at us. ¡°Now that we¡¯re all here, this is what we¡¯re going to do.¡± He pulled out a map from his non-descript woolen robe and unfurled it on top of the crate. He pointed to a spot on the map, below the Barren Forest and slightly eastward. ¡°Currently, we¡¯re here. And our ultimate destination is here.¡± He said, dragging his finger to point to a small island off of the eastern coast, much farther south than Hollow Hill. ¡°However, in order to get there, we¡¯ll need to go by sea. The Uprising does not actually currently possess any ships that we could use this side of the blockade, which is obviously a problem. I possess one myself, however, it is unfortunately docked at the Academy and of no use to us. Additionally, we cannot use any of the vessels under the control of the few noble houses still able to support us. They cannot reach us, again due to the blockade. The north of Herztal has been entirely cut off from naval support, as they no doubt suspect us to be up here. That leaves us with one solution.¡±


    Grey moved his finger to point to a spot on the east coast, unmarked on the map. ¡°There is a, shall we say, unlicensed town here at this location. It is not strictly speaking a ¡®nice¡¯ place. This is the location of Herztal¡¯s largest pirate cove. Marrowmist.¡±


    Azarus snorted in disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s your plan? You¡¯re gonna get a bunch of pirates to take us to Caer Drarrow?¡±


    Grey smirked at him. ¡°It¡¯s not as crazy of a plan as it sounds. I have a certain¡­agreement with the leadership of the cove. If I lean on them, I have no doubt they¡¯ll lend us a crew for this purpose.¡±


    You know, Grey surprised me sometimes. He wasn¡¯t quite as morally pure as I sometimes thought of him as. The man seemed pretty confident about his plan. His confidence was working to reassure the group, even people that initially seemed unsure like Aurum.


    I guess I was going to get to meet some pirates.

 Chapter 87 - Journey Anew

    ¡°Are¡­you sure?¡± I asked Grey hesitantly.


    Grey rolled his eyes from his place on the driver¡¯s bench next to me. ¡°Yes, Nathan,¡± He said patiently. ¡°As I¡¯ve told you, driving a wagon isn¡¯t hard. The horses do most of the work.¡±


    I made an irritated noise, drawing the attention of Fade sitting in between us. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about driving the damn wagon. I¡¯m talking about being the face, Grey. You really want me to be the one doing the talking if we run into people?¡±


    Grey let his left hand fall on Fade¡¯s head and start scratching his ears. Fade leaned in, panting. ¡°It will be fine, Nathan. I may not have been present, but Azarus did tell me about your little performance in the court of Prince Elysael. I¡¯m sure you have the Acting ability to present a believable front.¡±


    After Grey¡¯s mission statement back in Hollow Hill, we had all piled into and onto the wagon. Grey had asked me to join him up on the driver''s bench at the time, but he had been the one to lead us out of the town. We didn¡¯t actually get much attention on the way out, despite the most famous member of our party sitting in plain sight. I guess it was understandable, though. We weren¡¯t trying to be flashy this time, unlike when we got here. All of us had changed out of our fine black and silver clothes that denoted us as members of Grey¡¯s entourage. Instead, we were deliberately dressing down.


    I was back in my handmade leathers, sans the cloak, with a spiffing new straw hat on my head courtesy of Grey. He was wearing a nondescript brown robe as well as another straw hat to conceal his face and distinct eyes. Most people hadn¡¯t even looked twice at us, on our way out of the town. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t surprised. Grey mostly looked like an average bald-headed old man, when you couldn¡¯t get a good look at him.


    Behind me in the cabin, I could hear low conversation from our companions. Couldn¡¯t tell you what it was about, though. They weren¡¯t sitting close enough for me to tell.


    I snorted at Grey¡¯s words, accepting the reins of the wagon gingerly from him. The horses didn¡¯t stutter at all, uncaring who held them. ¡°Yeah, and I bet it doesn¡¯t hurt that I¡¯m just a regular-looking human guy. I¡¯m guessing that Loyalist patrols would get extra curious if they saw any of those guys,¡± I jerked a thumb over my shoulder at the cabin. ¡°Up here. Especially our Sculpted friends.¡±


    Grey huffed a short laugh and nodded. ¡°Indeed. It would cause quite a ruckus.¡±


    We lapsed into silence for a moment, simply watching the countryside pass us by. The noise of the cart trundling along the dirt road, the muffled conversation behind us, and the sounds of nature around us¡­


    It was honestly pretty nice. I sighed peacefully, letting my worries about what I¡¯d found in the bunker rest for a moment. You know, I could see the appeal of being a traveling trader like Gren, up here in the driver''s seat. I reached over to scratch Fade¡¯s ears myself, leading to him laying his furry little head in my lap.


    Grey watched our interaction idly. He broke the silence. ¡°An odd creature, your Fade,¡± He mused. ¡°In all my years, I can count the number of times I¡¯ve seen Spirit Wolves on one hand.¡±


    I made a curious noise in my throat. ¡°What were they like?¡±


    ¡°In a word, mysterious,¡± My mentor said, cupping his chin in his hand. ¡°They primarily live in the deep woods, and only truly appear as guardians for the helpless. In my scant few encounters with them, they demonstrated some frankly odd abilities and a level of insight that was downright uncanny. They can grow quite large, you know. As large as these horses,¡± He nodded at the absolutely massive workhorses pulling our wagon. Grey smiled at my incredulous stare. ¡°Oh, indeed. It could be decades before young Fade reaches that size, however. You don¡¯t quite have to worry about your potential Familiar eating you out of house and home just yet.¡±


    I made a mental note at the ¡®decades¡¯ thing. I guess I didn¡¯t need to worry about Fade dying of old age anytime soon. I raised my eyebrow at Grey. ¡°Familiar? What, that¡¯s a thing?¡±


    ¡°For Magi, yes,¡± Grey nodded at me. ¡°It¡¯s not the most common practice, and it¡¯ll be some time before you can go through the bonding process. Both because you¡¯re not quite a Magi yet, and because of how young Fade is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± I rolled my eyes at Grey. ¡°You¡¯ve told me before. I need to reach the first ¡®Breakpoint¡¯,¡± I sarcastically made air quotes. ¡°In order to actually become a Magi. When is that again?¡±


    ¡°Level one hundred,¡± Grey said, unphased. I imagine he¡¯d gotten worse from students over the years. ¡°At that point, you¡¯ll be able to undergo the process to generate your own Mana. It will entirely replace your Stamina on your Status. Incidentally, what level are you now?¡±


    ¡°Thirty-four,¡± I told him, idly petting Fade. My pup winced when my hand ran over the small bumps on his head, just before his ears. My brow furrowed. ¡°Do you know what these are?¡± I asked Grey, concerned. ¡°Honestly, when I found him I thought he¡¯d run head first in the portal stone or something.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Grey choked on a laugh at my words. ¡°Those¡­those aren¡¯t injuries, Nathan,¡± He got out. ¡°Those are his horns.¡±


    My eyebrows shot up in surprise. I leaned in closer to inspect the bumps more closely. Carefully, I brushed the fur back from them. Underneath, the skin looked very thin and a bit irritated. ¡°Horns,¡± I said wonderingly. ¡°Is that what a Spirit Wolf is then? A horned wolf?¡±


    Grey calmed down, still smiling at me. ¡°That¡¯s part of what a Spirit Wolf is,¡± He corrected me. ¡°I think young Fade is getting to the age where his first set of horns is coming in. He¡¯ll likely be cranky about it. I know I would be, if I had horns suddenly started pushing through the skin of my forehead.¡±


    I moved my petting down to Fade¡¯s back instead and nodded at Grey¡¯s words. ¡°Yeah,¡± I murmured. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can whip up a pain-relieving cream or something for him later. I know we brought some Alchemy ingredients and a few recipe books with us.¡±


    ¡°An excellent idea,¡± Grey said leisurely, leaning back on the driver¡¯s bench to watch the horizon.


    We lapsed into a comfortable silence at that.


    Yeah, I thought to myself, one hand on the reigns and the other petting my wolf.


    Driving a caravan wasn¡¯t too bad.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    From what Grey told me, it would take us about a week to reach the coast. From there, it would take us a few more days of travel to reach Marrowmist. Grey wanted it to be the two of us up on the bench whenever we were underway, in order to minimize risk. According to him, you never knew what kind of spies could be lurking in a bush or something. That didn¡¯t mean I only had my mentor to speak to for the next week, though. There was a small latch behind the bench to let us speak to the occupants of the cabin. Other than that though, it was mostly peacefully watching the countryside go by.


    Mostly.


    Later that day, we actually had a monster charge the wagon. That sure as hell hadn¡¯t happened during the trip to Hollow Hill. Maybe because the caravan had been so large it had deterred them?


    Anyway, the monster pretty much looked like a giant, fucked up groundhog. The actual attack was a bit pathetic, though. As we¡¯d been trundling down the dirt road, Fade sat up from his nap on the bench and started barking at the horizon. Following his gaze, I watched as the monster emerged from over the top of a hill, charging down at us.


    From over a mile away.


    Nonplussed, I glanced over at Grey on my right. He was staring back at me with an amused smile. The older man swept his arm in the direction of the charging beast in a grand gesture.


    ¡°It must be young, otherwise a Dirtgnawer would have set an ambush for us,¡± He told me. ¡°By all means, engage in some target practice.¡±


    I rolled my eyes at him and slowed the wagon with a snap of my reigns. Once the horses had slowed to a stop, I stood up on the bench. Raising my arm and pointing a finger gun at the monster, I closed one eye to try and steady my aim. Lining up my ¡®shot¡¯, I started pelting the monster with multiple volleys of Poisonthorn Shot.


    My first few missed, as it was still a bit far out. But the thorns themselves actually did reach that far. I hadn¡¯t actually known how far my thorn skill could shoot.


    Neat.


    Eventually, though, I did manage to hit the ¡®Dirtgnawer¡¯, causing it to stumble. Now that it had stopped moving, it was much easier to hit. It only took two more direct hits with my thorns for the monster to puff into a greasy cloud of Miasma.


    I huffed a small laugh, shaking my head. How anticlimactic. I guess that was why fighting at range was so preferable.


    With a yip, Fade hopped down from the bench and raced over to where the monster had died. I blinked as I watched my wolf dig around at the patch of dirt, before grabbing something in his mouth. Fade bounded back over to the wagon and jumped back up on the bench. Clenched in his teeth was the small chip of a monster core that the Dirtgnawer had dropped on death, no bigger than a finger nail. The pup dropped it on the bench with a tinkling noise and stood over it, panting.


    I raised an eyebrow at the young wolf. ¡°Thanks, I guess,¡± I said to him, amused. Reaching down to pick it up, I noticed that Fade¡¯s eyes continued to track the core pinched between my fingers. He had a hungry look in his lupine gaze.


    Flicking my gaze between the core and Fade, I made an exasperated noise. ¡°If you wanted it, why did you bring it over to me?¡±


    Fade just panted at me, gazing tracking the core. I rolled my eyes and tossed the core to him. Fade snapped the gem out of the air like it was a dog treat and gulped it down in one go. He panted happily for a moment, before laying back down on the bench and promptly taking a nap.


    I shook my head and sat back down, to the backdrop of Grey laughing. As I was picking up the reigns, I heard the slot behind the driver''s bench open. Azarus¡¯s voice drifted out of it. ¡°Oi, why did we stop? Is somethin¡¯ wrong?¡±


    I snapped the reigns, prompting the horses to get back underway. I rolled my eyes unseen to my dwarven friend. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    This cycle repeated itself for the next few days. Unlike during the caravan trip to Hollow Hill, we didn¡¯t stop when the sun started to set. We didn¡¯t need time to set up a massive camp to accommodate the needs of over a hundred people, after all. No, we kept driving well into the night, and typically only stopped sometime after midnight.


    I could tell, because I''d been getting used to telling time in a world with no easily accessible clocks.


    Wait. Couldn¡¯t I make one myself?


    Adding it to the list.


    Speaking of crafting, some of us were getting a little bit of work done during our downtime. I know Azarus and I were. I actually managed to get a prototype of something I was working on done during those hours. None of us needed much sleep, even though it was nice. I think the only reason that we didn¡¯t drive for longer was so we could rest and care for the horses. They seemed to be holding up okay under the strain, to my untrained eye.


    Some of us chose to use the bunks in the cabin, while some seemed just fine sleeping under the stars. Venix didn¡¯t seem like he was sleeping at all. He told us matter-of-factly that he would be covering all guard shifts every night, and would take care of anything that approached.


    It was on the third day of travel that something changed for us.


    We encountered a Loyalist patrol.

 Chapter 88 - Poor Performance

    Unfortunately, the patrol no doubt saw us at the same time that we did them. We¡¯d been traveling for several hours by that point since we¡¯d gotten back underway. The morning light was waning, leaving us in the fullness of a fall day.


    Several miles out, I saw the patrol suddenly cross over the top of a hill on the horizon. They were traveling in our direction on the same road that we were on. I couldn¡¯t make out precise numbers from this distance, but it wasn¡¯t a small group. In the midst of a group of more than two dozen, I saw the crimson banner of the Herztalian Kingdom.


    I stiffened at the sight of it. ¡°Shit,¡± I muttered. My expletive drew the attention of Grey, causing him to look up from his book. He frowned, catching sight of the patrol as well, aged brow furrowing. He sat his book down on the bench next to Fade.


    ¡°Shit indeed,¡± He said, sitting up. Turning around, he banged on the wall behind him until the latch opened. Sylvia¡¯s gemlike blue eyes peered through it up at her father curiously. ¡°Patrol on the road. Tell the others to ready themselves, if it goes badly.¡± I saw Sylvia¡¯s eyes narrow slightly, and then bob up and down in a nod. She wordlessly closed the latch, before muffled conversation began to drift my way from the cabin.


    Meanwhile, Grey turned to me with a sober look on his face. ¡°This is what I was afraid of,¡± He told me seriously. ¡°Scouts would not have been a problem, but a full patrol will be. They¡¯ll be on edge in these lands. No doubt they have orders to search every merchant and traveler they come upon for Sculpted or Uprising soldiers and material.¡± He sighed. ¡°Depending on the officer in charge, I have slim hopes this won¡¯t devolve into violence.¡±


    I nodded at my mentor, seriously. ¡°All right. What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°Try and offer a bribe,¡± Grey told me. When my eyebrows rose in surprise, he smiled wryly at me. ¡°As I said, it depends on the officer in charge. Hopefully, the one we encounter is sufficiently corrupt.¡± Digging around in his drab robe, Grey pulled out a small, clinking bag. Handing it to me, I loosened the drawstring to look inside. A pile of gold coins greeted my gaze.


    Closing the bag, I looked up at Grey and sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll give it a shot.¡±


    ¡°Do your best, Nathan, but be prepared for battle. I¡¯ll leave it to you,¡± Having said that, Grey reached up and pulled his hat down further over his face and slumped in the driver''s seat. I heard his breath even out, as he began to pretend to be asleep.


    Meanwhile, I turned back to the road and deliberately untensed myself. Keeping my own breath even, I laid a hand on Fade¡¯s head to try and calm myself.


    Wait, shit.


    Banging on the wall behind me myself and drawing a curious eye peek from Grey, I waited until the latch opened again. This time, I saw that it was Azarus that opened it. ¡°Yeah?¡± He asked me seriously.


    Picking up my wolf pup with a curious whine from him, I passed him through the latch. He was still small enough to fit through. ¡°Take Fade, and hide him inside. He¡¯s still too young to fight.¡± I told my dwarven friend. Azarus took him and nodded at me before closing the latch.


    Turning back to the road, I steadied myself.


    All right. Let¡¯s do this.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    It took us another twenty minutes of travel down the road before the patrol drew near us. During that time, I tried to keep an eye on them as we approached each other, but I never saw any behavior that alarmed me. I don¡¯t think they were immediately suspicious of us, but it was hard to tell.


    As we came into sight of them, I got a closer look at the patrol. Yeah, these were definitely Herztalian soldiers, alright. I recognized the armor and tabard from the battlefield we¡¯d encountered on the drive to Hollow Hill.


    I retained some small hope that they¡¯d let us pass unmolested, but that didn¡¯t last long. As the wagon got close to the group of soldiers, they stopped in the middle of the road, blocking it off.


    ¡°Ho, there!¡± I heard a gruff voice called out from the mass. Stepping out of the group was a large, bald man with an impressively large mustache. He was wearing visibly more elaborate armor than the rest of his soldiers, and even had a cape slung over his shoulders.


    I guess this must be their officer. Fancy looking, eh. I knew how to play this.


    Pulling on the reigns, I slowed the wagon in front of the group of soldiers. Casting a quick gaze over the group, I counted thirty-two. Thirty-two soldiers, some of them bored, some of them extremely alert. ¡°Cannae help ye, Ossifer?¡± I asked the officer, affecting an accent.


    The officer didn¡¯t blink, just staring at me intently. I don¡¯t know what he was looking for, because he sure as hell wasn¡¯t using Observe on me. ¡°Who are you, good ser?¡± He finally asked me. ¡°These are dangerous times to be traveling in.¡±


    I shrugged at the man from up on the drivers bench. ¡°Wha¡¯, cause of that there war? Ain¡¯t no mind ta me. Jus¡¯ cause some dollies are runnin¡¯ amuck don¡¯t mean I cain¡¯t do me business.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    I heard some of the soldiers snicker at my accent. They stopped, though, when the officer turned around to glower at his underlings. He turned back around to me when he was done. ¡°And what exactly is your business, my good man?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Imma porter,¡± I told him lazily, leaning back on my hands. ¡°Got me a load ta take down the coast. Takin¡¯ me pepaw wit¡¯ me, ¡®cause maw and paw are too busy ta keep an eye on him.¡± I jerked a finger over at the ¡®snoozing¡¯ Grey, drawing the gaze of the officer. On cue, he let out a loud snore from his slumped-over position. ¡°Headin¡¯ down ta Shrievesport. Heard they¡¯s hurtin¡¯ fer grain, what wit¡¯ no boats comin¡¯ in, dontcha know.¡±


    The officer nodded slowly at my words. God, I¡¯m glad I took the time to study the map back in Hollow Hill. It was useful to know the names of some actual towns. ¡°I see,¡± He said, relaxing somewhat. ¡° And your name?¡±


    ¡°Names Martin Cross,¡± I told the officer, making something up on the spot. ¡°Who¡¯re ye?¡±


    ¡°Captain William Dallens,¡± He told me. ¡°Your cargo is grain, then? And where are you coming from?¡±


    ¡°Aye,¡± I said to the man, squinting at him. ¡°Carryin¡¯ a bunch o¡¯ grain from Willowsby way. ¡®Ere now, wha¡¯s all this aboot, then? I ent don¡¯t nuttin¡¯ wrong.¡±


    The mustachioed Captain raised his hands my way soothingly. ¡°Merely a routine inspection, good ser. Nothing more. You can be on your way. I don¡¯t think you war-¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± I heard a voice interrupt from the group of soldiers, dashing my hopes of an easy getaway. The officer turned around in surprise. A young soldier stepped out of the line of soldiers, squinting at me.


    He had a suspicious look on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m from Willowsby,¡± He said, in an accent that wasn¡¯t half as exaggerated as mine. ¡°And I don¡¯t recognize ye.¡±


    This time, when Captain Dallens turned to face me, he didn¡¯t look near as accommodating at he did before. He didn¡¯t say anything yet though.


    I felt a sweat break out on the back of my neck, but I tried not to let it show on my face. ¡°Didna say I was from Willowsby, lad. I¡¯m jus¡¯ a porter.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± The young soldier asked me disbelievingly. ¡°And yer carryin¡¯ grain? We don¡¯t even grow grain up in Willowsby. It¡¯s an apple town. Hell, we don¡¯t even got a porter¡¯s office!¡±


    Before I could speak, Dallens finally stepped in. ¡°Back in line, Private Orsen,¡± He said sternly, never taking his eyes from me. Nevertheless, the Private stepped back in line with a salute. ¡°Good ser, I¡¯m going to have to insist on a full inspection.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t asking.


    I affected an affronted look. ¡°¡¯Ere now, what¡¯s the issue? I ent lyin¡¯ to nobody now. The lad¡¯s jus¡¯ mistaken, tha¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Step down from the cart, ser,¡± Captain Dallens said menacingly, causing some of his soldiers to lay their hands on their sheathed swords. ¡°I won¡¯t ask again.¡±


    I set the reigns of the cart down slowly. Briefly, I darted my eyes over to Grey, to see that he had an eye open and fixed on me from behind the cover of his hat. He gave me a small, concealed nod. I took a deep breath. ¡°Alright, alright now. Don¡¯t get yer britches in a bunch. Imma comin¡¯.¡± Taking off my own hat and setting it on the bench, I hopped down from the wagon. Once I was down on the ground, I found that the Captain was much more imposing than he had been when I was on the bench. This guy had more than a few inches on me.


    Said officer stared down at me sternly. ¡°Proceed to the back of the cart for the inspection.¡±


    Holding up my hands in faux surrender, I complied. Captain Dallens and I walked around the back of the wagon, accompanied by around ten of his soldiers, leaving the rest to watch the horses and my sleeping ¡®pepaw¡¯. Once at the back doors of the wagon, the other soldiers stood off to a safe distance, leaving me and the Captain alone.


    Seeing one last chance to possibly settle this without violence, I shuffled in closer to him. ¡°Y¡¯know,¡± I whispered to him. ¡°I got somethin¡¯ right ¡®ere fer ye, if yer willin¡¯ ta look the other way.¡± Drawing his gaze downwards with a glance, I jiggled the bag of coins that Grey had given me.


    Captain Dallens sneered at me. ¡°Are you attempting to bribe a Royal Officer?¡± He spat off to the side, never taking his disdainful gaze from me. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to add that to your list of charges, cur. Now stand aside. Time to see what illicit goods you¡¯re actually carrying.¡± Roughly shoving me off to the side, he approached the doors of the wagon.


    Staggering out of the way of the wagon, I sighed. ¡°You know,¡± I said to the officer, dropping my exaggerated accent. ¡°I wish you were more corrupt. You¡¯re about to really regret that you aren¡¯t.¡±


    Captain Dallens paused in the middle of opening the wagon doors to throw me a confused look.


    He didn¡¯t get a chance to do anything more than that.


    With a raucous bang, the doors of the wagon burst open on their own, impacting the Captain right in the face. The officer was blown off his feet and flew for several yards, impacting a line of his men. They staggered, but managed to hold him up. It looked like the doors had managed to break his nose, because there was blood running in streams from it. However nobody, not even him, was paying much attention to that.


    They were gazing at the sandal-clad chitin foot that had just nearly blown the doors of the cart off their hinges instead. Slowly, Venix unfolded himself from the confines, rising to his full seven-foot height. Under the astonished gazes of the platoon, Venix deliberately laid his four hands on his four sheathed blades.


    On Venix¡¯s left, Sylvia grabbed the lip of the wagon roof, and flipped herself on top of it. She crouched there, maskless, golden hair flowing in the wind and silver face gleaming in the sun. On his right, Azarus slipped out of the wagon as well, hammer in one hand and shield clutched in the other. Meanwhile, Aurum peaked out from around the side of Venix¡¯s massive form, but nonetheless stayed in the wagon, clutching his staff.


    Under the incredulous gaze of the platoon, Venix spoke first.


    ¡°In fate¡¯s firm embrace,


    Refusal sealed his bitter end,


    Regret stains his choice.¡±


    I darted a quick gaze over at Venix, almost incredulous. Haiku, again? I guess it was a theme with this guy.


    While the rest of his platoon streamed alongside the wagon, drawn by the ruckus, Captain Dallens wobbled back to his feet. ¡°You¡­¡± He said disbelievingly, gazing darting among the diverse members of our party. His gaze lingered on our Sculpted members, however. ¡°Rebels!¡± He snarled.


    ¡°I suppose we are, Captain,¡± A voice drifted from the front of the wagon. Slowly, I watched as Grey stood up from his false rest and turned to face the rear of the wagon. Stepping onto the roof of the wagon, Grey walked to stand at the side of his daughter, removing his hat at the same time. Fully revealed, the Archmage gazed down at the soldiers, black and silver eyes glowing.


    A wave of disbelief rippled through the gathered soldiery. The Captain in particular seemed affected. ¡°Those eyes¡­¡± He breathed.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Grey smiled coldly.


    ¡°Now, let us talk, shall we?¡±

 Chapter 89 - Battle on the Road

    ¡°As I see things, Captain,¡± Grey said deliberately, crossing his arms over his thin chest. ¡°There are two ways this encounter can go. One, you can retreat, live to see another day, and conveniently forget you ever met us. Aided, of course, by a memory alteration potion brewed by my own hand.¡±


    Captain Dallens took a deep breath and straightened his armor before speaking. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I can do that, Headmaster.¡±


    Grey shook his head slowly. ¡°Ah, but you haven¡¯t heard your other options yet. You see, the alternative is that I and my compatriots slaughter every last one of you like dogs,¡± He said dispassionately. The tension in the air ratcheted up dramatically at the blatant threat. Several of the soldiers outright drew their swords, sending a ringing noise echoing through the fields around us.


    Not the Captain, though. He took Grey¡¯s threat in stride, not even blinking.


    ¡°I cannot allow word of my return to spread among the Loyalists just yet, you see,¡± Grey said, tapping his fingers on his arm. ¡°And thus, your knowledge of my presence is¡­inconvenient.¡±


    Captain Dallens shook his head slowly. ¡°I swore an oath to the crown, Headmaster. I¡¯m afraid I cannot break it by letting you pass. Surely, you can understand that. You were once a loyal subject yourself.¡±


    Grey snorted derisively. ¡°Loyal to the crown? Child, I am older than both the crown of Herztal and the Kingdom itself. Herztal has ever been naught but the land my Academy has rested on. I have tolerated its many faults over the years, as it has done more good for the populace than ill. But not,¡± He leaned forward menacingly. I couldn¡¯t tell if it was just a cloud passing over the sun or not, but the surroundings noticeably dimmed. Meanwhile, Grey¡¯s ecliptic eyes glowed brighter. ¡°Not in this case. Not in this conflict. Captain, you seem like a fairly upright officer. Despite us ending up in this situation, I¡¯m impressed that you resisted the bribe my apprentice offered you. It speaks well of your character. Surely, you can understand that the Loyalist desire to inflict de-facto slavery upon the Sculpted is the height of immorality.¡±


    ¡°It is not my place to question orders, my lord,¡± Captain Dallens said stolidly, eyes flickering over in my direction at the word apprentice. During their conversation, I¡¯d drawn my latest completed project from its resting place on my hip. At a glance, it looked like nothing more than a leaf-bladed dagger with an unusually long hilt, maybe half a hand longer than a normal one. It was a bit more than that, though.


    Grey shook his head, seemingly genuinely regretful. ¡°So be it then,¡± He said with a sigh. At his unspoken signal, Venix drew all four of his curved blades, getting into a stance. Azarus banged his hammer against his shield, while Sylvia drew a short sword I¡¯d never seen before. The blade itself was made from some kind of blue material, while the cross guard was stylized in the shape of a skull.


    Myself, I activated The Scintillant Blade and Thorn Cloak at the same time. As the weight of my skill-born cloak settled over my shoulders, I took a deep breath.


    With a ringing noise, Captain Dallens drew his longsword from its sheathe and pointed it at our group. ¡°MEN!¡± He bellowed. ¡°SUBDUE THEM!¡± At his command, his group drew their weapons, some more enthusiastically than others. With a cry, the group of soldiers started to charge us.


    Grey sighed. ¡°Pointless,¡± He said, raising a palm to point to the sky. From it erupted a ball of swirling darkness, larger around than a man, that shot into the sky. Some of the soldiers faltered at the obvious spell, while others continued charging. In particular, Captain Dallens made a bee-line for Venix, judging him to be the biggest threat among us.


    Well. Other than Grey.


    Venix contemptuously parried the Captain¡¯s first thrust with his lower left blade, before driving his upper two blades down at the shorter man. The mustachioed officer dodged the two swords, but missed the lower right blade as it came from beneath. Captain Dallens only managed to avoid being completely disemboweled by the smallest margin, but still managed to come away from the exchange injured. He staggered away from the Antium man with a grunt, before snapping his blade up into reflexive guard to block a follow-up blow that never came. The Captain lowered his blade, only to find Venix back in his stance awaiting him. ¡°Come,¡± The Antium said dispassionately. With a snarl, the Captain obliged him.


    I didn¡¯t have a chance to watch anymore, though. I was too busy dodging out of the way as two of the soldiers bore down on my position. With a cry, one of the younger soldiers, skin still pimply from youth, slashed his sword down at me, I easily parried his blow off to my left side, sending the soldier staggering that way.


    God, I was glad that those sparring sessions with Azarus had never stopped. I don¡¯t know how long this kid had been training, but I was just better.


    Seeing my chance, I aimed my left index and middle finger at the staggering soldier from under my blade arm.


    Poisonthorn Shot.


    My thorn shot from the tip of my fingers, aimed directly at the soldier''s face. He didn¡¯t have time to react, only barely registering the oncoming skill with eyes widened in horror. His head didn¡¯t quite explode, but there was a large explosion of blood as his face essentially caved in. I didn¡¯t get the chance to confirm if he was down though.


    I was too busy frantically diving out of the way of the second, more experienced soldier¡¯s thrust. He¡¯d come upon me from a blind spot while I was busy with the other soldier, and I only barely managed to see the stab in time to avoid it.


    I was on the ground from the dive now, though. I looked up just in time to see that the older soldier wasn¡¯t going to wait for me to get up, and was charging at my downed position for another stab. Frantically getting my still burning dagger up and pointed at the soldier seconds before he reached me, I pressed down on the activation rune on its hilt with my thumb.


    The dagger extended instantly into a short spear, aimed directly at the charging soldier. His eyes widened in alarm, but he wasn¡¯t able to react in time to avoid running straight into it. The burning blade of my spear pierced straight through his chainmail armor and exploded out of his back in a spray of blood. The soldier clutched uselessly at the segmented steel spear haft, blood running from his mouth.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Scrambling to my feet, I yanked my extendable spear out of the soldier. Gripping the spear with both hands, I spun in a circle and swung the blade at the soldier''s neck with a shout of effort.


    His head went flying, while his body slumped to its knees.


    The entire exchange with both soldiers had only taken maybe a minute. Maybe.


    I breathed heavily from the rapid exertion, searching wildly for anyone else who was trying to attack me. My quick glance found that Azarus was fending off four of the soldiers himself with wide swings of his chain hammer, while Venix was casually deflecting the blades of four other soldiers in addition to the captain. A quick glance at the wagon saw that Aurum was taking potshots at whatever soldier he could, sending balls of blue Mana flying from the end of his staff. My attention was stolen, though, when another soldier noticed me and started charging in my direction. I raised my blade, but I needn¡¯t have bothered.


    A blue short sword erupted from the front of the soldier, sending him staggering. His blood sprayed far enough that I felt some hit my face. Looking down in disbelief and clutching uselessly at the sword embedded in him, the soldier let out a weak cry.


    Sylvia materialized behind him in a shimmer of light, emerging from a cloaking skill of some type. Yanking her sword out of the soldier, she finished him by slitting his throat with a dagger clutched in her left hand.


    I blinked the blood out of my eyes at her. My Sculpted friend spared me a quick smile before a booming noise from above stole not only our attention, but everyone else¡¯s on the battlefield. Nearly everyone¡¯s neck craned up to watch as the black ball that Grey had launched only seconds ago exploded into an artificial night sky that hung lowly over us. Within it, I watched as dozens of ¡®stars¡¯ began to form in the blackness, burning ever brighter. Seconds later, at a gesture from Grey, the stars began to fall from the sky, unerringly seeking out the soldiers.


    When one of the ¡®stars¡¯ reached a soldier, they were blown off their feet in an explosion of light and fire. I hadn¡¯t noticed, but not all the soldiers had engaged our group yet. Many of them were waiting off to the side of us, waiting for a chance to dart in and attack.


    That only made them easier targets for Grey¡¯s stars. In seconds, over half of the attacking force had been wiped out by my mentor¡¯s celestial spell. I think the only reason the rest of them hadn¡¯t been killed was because they were too close to Venix or Azarus. Still, they were being hemmed in by the stars that were being directed by Grey with hand gestures, circling the individual melee¡¯s like sharks seeking a meal.


    Exchanging a glance with Sylvia, I pointed at Azarus¡¯s group and nodded at it. Sylvia nodded back at me and shimmered out of view, but not before I saw her start moving towards Venix¡¯s group.


    Meanwhile, I had broken out into a sprint in the direction of the soldiers assaulting my dwarven friend, activating Sylvan Vigor at full power while I did so. I vaulted into the air when I was close enough using my spear as a crutch, flying maybe ten feet into the air. The height I¡¯d reached made my eyes widen, as I¡¯d never tried this before, but I put it out of my mind. Below me, I was rapidly closing in on the exposed back of one of the soldiers harassing Azarus. I maneuvered my spear downwards, point first.


    With a shout, I fell on the soldier, skewering right through him, pinning him to the dirt road beneath us with a crash. That distracted the other two remaining soldiers, leaving them vulnerable.


    Azarus and Grey took advantage of that.


    Two of Grey¡¯s stars closed in on one of the soldiers at a sharp gesture from him, engulfing him in light and fire. The soldier was only able to let out a brief, tortured scream before falling silent forever. At the same time, Azarus sprang forward with a roar, forsaking the chain attached to his warhammer to instead use it as it was intended.


    He brought it down on top of the helmet-clad head of the soldier, caving it in with an explosion of gore.


    Staggering to my feet off of the soldier, I yanked my spear out of the dead soldier and retracted it to dagger-size. Breathing heavily again, I felt it as Sylvan Vigor ran out of strength. I nearly blacked out at the sudden loss of strength, but I was knocked back awake by a heavy gauntleted hand falling on my shoulder. Blinking my eyes back open, I saw that it was Azarus.


    ¡°Ya okay?¡± He asked me gruffly.


    I tried to take a deep breath, but it was interrupted by a coughing fit that caused me to double over. When it passed, I looked back up at my friend. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said raspily. ¡°I-I¡¯m good.¡± Looking around, I saw that the battle was over. All of the soldiers that had targeted Azarus and Venix were dead barring the Captain. It looked like he had just been defeated instead of killed, and was being guarded by Venix. Everyone else had been taken out by either Grey¡¯s stars, Aurum¡¯s balls of Mana, or Sylvia and I.


    A shuddering breath escaped my chest. It had just now hit me that I had killed three men in as many minutes. I shook it off though. I didn¡¯t have time to brood about killing more people, even in the thick of battle. It looked like everyone was gathering near the captive Captain. Azarus and I wandered over, being careful not to step on the bodies of the dead.


    I watched as Grey hopped off the top of the wagon where he had stood the entire battle. Once on the ground, the artificial night sky above us winked out at a sharp gesture from him, dissipating the rest of his stars. The three of us reached Venix and the Captain at the same time that Sylvia shimmered back into view and Aurum jogged over.


    Captain Dallens wasn¡¯t in good shape. It looked like other than the slash across his stomach, Venix had decided to carefully dismantle the man. Somehow, it seemed to me that the Antium had carefully slashed the Captains tendons, leaving him unable to stand under his own weight, much less control his arms. He was breathing heavily, while losing copious amounts of blood.


    Aurum broke the silence. ¡°I¡­can heal him,¡± He said to Grey hesitantly. ¡°If you¡¯d like, Headmaster.¡±


    The Captain broke in before Grey could answer. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t accept¡­healing from a¡­Sculpted,¡± He spat, in between labored breaths. ¡°Just¡­kill me.¡±


    Grey gazed down at him in pity. ¡°Was it worth it, Captain?¡± He gestured to the blood-stained fields around us, strewn with the bodies of the dead. ¡°If you had taken my deal, both you and your men would have survived. What did you accomplish with this farce? None of us are even injured.¡±


    Looking around, I saw that he was correct. We may have been splattered with blood, but none of it looked like it belonged to any of us.


    Captain Dallens sneered at Grey. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t¡­understand¡­schoolteacher. Honor¡­oaths¡­loyalty. It¡¯s foreign to¡­rebellious scum like you. My men¡­died upholding¡­the honor of the crown. I have¡­no regrets.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Grey nodded slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. All that you and your men were, all that you could have been. It¡¯s gone now, like dust in the wind. And for what? To fight for an unjust cause?¡± He shook his head. ¡°What a waste. Venix, if you would?¡±


    Venix looked up from where he had been wiping his swords clean of blood and nodded sharply. Sheathing three of them, the Antium man gripped the fourth with his lower set of hands. He stepped up to stand at the side of Captain Dallens and raised his sword over his neck. Even though he was about to die, William Dallens didn¡¯t break eye contact with Grey. Grey at least did him the honor of holding the Captain''s gaze.


    I looked away, as Venix slashed downwards with his sword.


    I still heard the thump, though.

 Chapter 90 - Honor and Loyalty

    We took the time to bury the members of the patrol. Not just because it was the right thing to do, no. But because we needed to conceal the evidence of our battle with them. If there was one patrol in these lands, there was a good chance that there were more. We couldn¡¯t give them any reason to increase suspicion in the area, at least until we¡¯d accomplished our mission.


    Still.


    There was something unspeakably grim about digging a mass grave.


    We¡¯d gathered all thirty-two members of the patrol and sort of¡­stacked them together next to the spot where they¡¯d be buried. We deliberately didn¡¯t do much to their bodies, trying to afford them the barest amount of respect. No looting of any kind happened.


    We were taking turns on the digging. Currently, it was Azarus and Venix out there, shoveling away at the earth. I was watching them, sitting up against one of the wagon wheels, having just finished my turn and handed my shovel to Azarus. I¡¯d been surprised that we had a few as part of our supplies, but when I¡¯d questioned Azarus about it, he¡¯d just grunted at me dourly.


    I didn¡¯t blame him for being standoffish. I think everyone in our group was processing the battle differently.


    I know I sure as hell was having a hard time of it.


    I crossed my arms, letting my gaze drift away from the two digging. Grey was above me somewhere, where he had pulled out a pipe for the first time since we¡¯d met. I couldn¡¯t see him from my position, but I knew that he was gazing out onto the horizon where Tarus was beginning its descent and puffing away. I don¡¯t know where Sylvia was. Sometimes she just¡­vanished into thin air and we would only see her later.


    I won¡¯t lie, I was tempted to do the same. I¡¯d discovered that hunting was a very meditative thing for me, and I longed for that kind of focus right now. Anything to drive the thoughts from my head.


    I was knocked out of my introspection by someone plopping down into the dirt next to me. Casting a gaze sideways, I found that it was Aurum, the last member of our little party. Despite being our healer, he hadn¡¯t needed to do much for us post-battle. Grey had been telling the truth to Captain Dallens, right before his death. None of us had been injured, beyond a few minor scrapes and bruises. I hadn¡¯t seen much of him after the battle, having been busy with digging.


    Whenever I¡¯d spoken to Aurum, he had seemed like a fairly friendly kind of guy. None of that was evident on his golden features right now, though. Instead, the usually jovial Sculpted was solemn. He was sitting next to me with his knees drawn up to his chest, hugging them like a child.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t my first battle, you know,¡± He told me quietly. He glanced at me from the corner of his golden eye. ¡°Was it yours?¡±


    I drew in a slow breath, memories of Addersfield flooding my brain. In particular, I was remembering our frantic escape from the town, and the guard that I had killed then. ¡°I guess¡­it depends on what you call a battle,¡± I told him, just as quietly. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve had to kill, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking.¡±


    Aurum nodded slowly. ¡°I get that,¡± He murmured. It was silent between us for a few moments before he broke it again. ¡°I¡­haven¡¯t really had the chance to know much else than this, you know?¡± He told me, letting his metallic head thunk back onto the wagon wheel. ¡°Since we all woke up, it¡¯s been nothing but battle after battle, in more ways than just¡­fighting,¡± He waved a limp hand at the pile of corpses that we¡¯d made of the patrol. ¡°Sometimes¡­¡±


    I turned to face him more, since he¡¯d trailed off. I saw that the Sculpted man had a troubled look on his face. ¡°Sometimes what?¡±


    Aurum gazed out into the sunset with an unfocused gaze for a moment before turning to face me. I was surprised at the level of sadness I found in his eyes. ¡°I wonder If any of this is worth it.¡±


    I furrowed my brow. ¡°You mean the Uprising?¡±


    Aurum nodded, troubled. ¡°So much death. So much suffering. Ever since we woke up, I¡¯ve never seen Herztal in a state other than¡­bickering, and fighting and death,¡± He drew in a shuddering breath, even though I doubted he needed it. ¡°Sometimes I think we¡¯re a curse on this land. If we had never existed, none of them would have had to die today.¡± He finished, nodding at the remains of the patrol.


    I sighed, turning to face Aurum. ¡°I get it, but let me ask you something,¡± I said to him, trying to be as compassionate as I could. ¡°Do you think the Sculpted deserve to be slaves?¡±


    The golden Sculpted reared back as if I had struck him. ¡°What?! No!¡±


    I tilted my head at him. ¡°But that¡¯s what they,¡± I nodded over at the remains of the patrol. ¡°Want you to be. That¡¯s what they died fighting for. The right to enslave an entire race of people, at the command of a bunch of greedy nobles. Let me tell you something that I¡¯ve learned. You know all that stuff the Captain talked about before his death? Honor, and loyalty, and oaths?¡±


    Aurum nodded at me hesitantly. ¡°Yes? I¡¯ve had many people try and tell me about them since I woke up. They¡¯re supposed to be really important.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all bullshit,¡± I told him bluntly. ¡°It¡¯s not that they¡¯re not important in some way. I won¡¯t argue that they can¡¯t be motivating factors for some people, but they get twisted into worthlessness so easily. What honor is there in collaring another person? What oath could possibly be worth consigning another to a life of slavery? Any person that demands that kind of twisted loyalty isn¡¯t worthy of it in the first place!¡±


    Aurum stared at me with wide eyes. Blinking, I noticed that I had gotten to my feet and been shouting at the end, and had drawn attention from Azarus and Venix. Slowly, I sat back down, letting the diggers get back to work. I let out a heavy breath once I¡¯d drawn my legs back underneath me. ¡°They¡¯re all just trappings of society. And when that society is broken in some way, hypocrites twist words like honor to justify their atrocities. When that happens, they don¡¯t matter at all. Let me ask you something else. Have you ever wondered why there are humans that are fighting for the Uprising as well? Why so many of the noble houses are split on the issue, and threw their lot in with you at all?¡±


    ¡°Um,¡± Aurum stuttered. ¡°Yes? I asked some humans why they were helping us, and they just told me it was the right thing to do.¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯re right, it is. But I guarantee that¡¯s not all. I don¡¯t know this country very well,¡± I said to him, forgetting for a moment that Aurum didn¡¯t know I was a Precursor and was thus new to Herztal. I cursed to myself mentally, when he gave me a strange look but forged on anyway. ¡°But this country had to be broken in some way, for things to have gotten to this point. There had to be deep-seated grudges and ideological issues that divided them. A civil war like this doesn¡¯t just pop up out of nowhere, even over issues as evil as slavery. In the end, I think that the Uprising was just the excuse that some of the houses latched onto, in order to effect change. And it¡¯s a damn good one. Any ruling body, any King or Council that tries to defend slavery deserves to be ousted. By force.¡± I finished, snarling. I couldn¡¯t help but rub at my left shoulder when I was done, aware of the false brand that still lingered on my skin.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    I didn¡¯t want to forget what had been done to me.


    Aurum blinked at me rapidly. ¡°Are you saying that you think the war¡­isn¡¯t our fault?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure,¡± I told him darkly, calming down slightly. ¡°But historical examples tell me it¡¯s likely.¡±


    Aurum staggered to his feet. ¡°I need to think about this. Um, thank you for the talk, Nathan.¡± Having said that, the Sculpted man wandered away from me, with a strange look on his face.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said to his retreating back. ¡°No problem¡­¡±


    I sat in silence for a moment, growing embarrassed. That guy hadn¡¯t needed me going off on him about my own doubts and bitterness. I had to keep in mind that most Sculpted were only a few years old, and were likely extremely lost about their place in the world. I wasn¡¯t surprised that some of them were uncertain about societal constructs like ¡®honor¡¯ and ¡®loyalty¡¯.


    I was knocked out of my stewing by a voice from above me. ¡°A very cynical worldview, Nathan.¡±


    Looking up, I found that Grey was leaning over the side of the wagon and gazing down at me with a raised eyebrow. I flushed. I¡¯d forgotten during my ranting that Grey was sitting up on a bench above us. He likely heard every word I¡¯d subjected poor Aurum to.


    I stood up to meet Grey¡¯s gaze better. ¡°Yeah, but am I wrong?¡±


    Grey took a puff of his pipe and held the smoke in his mouth thoughtfully for a moment. Breathing it out into the evening sky, he met my gaze. ¡°Not entirely. I will admit that things in the Kingdom had been strained for some time, even before the Second Initialization. With hindsight, I can see that the invention of the AutoVant was an unintended destabilizing factor on the fabric of Herztalian society. Despite my intentions, the reality is that the rich were growing richer and the poor were growing poorer. Tensions had been running high for some time, even before the introduction of the Sculpted as a unified force. However,¡± He said, raising a brow at me. ¡°I would advise you to keep your thoughts on honor and loyalty to yourself. It would fair poorly among certain audiences.¡±


    I rubbed the back of my neck. ¡°I get it. I wasn¡¯t even trying to say they¡¯re inherently bad, you know?¡± I told him awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­I think they¡¯re often used to justify atrocities, like what happened to both of us.¡±


    Grey smiled wryly at me, tapping his pipe on the railing of the wagon. Ash fell from it, to rest in the dirt below. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I entirely disagreed with you. Merely that it¡¯s a cynical worldview, not very popular in Herztal. I don¡¯t often see it in the young.¡± He sat his pipe down on the bench in order to clap his hands together twice. ¡°Now! Enough gabbing. I believe our compatriots are done with the hole. We¡¯ll need to properly lay the deceased in it now.¡±


    I turned around to see that he was right. Azarus and Venix looked to be done, and had started to haul bodies to carefully lay in the grave they¡¯d been digging. Grey swung himself over the railing of the wagon to land on the dirt below, surprisingly spry for such an old man. With one final nod to me, he walked over to them to assist.


    I hung back for a moment, one final thought running through my mind. There was something that had happened the last few times I¡¯d killed another person, and I was anxious to see if it had happened again. I called up Hidden Amidst the Spheres in order to see my Status.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have gained 6 levels!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You are now level 40!


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Spear Proficiency has reached level 6!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Knife Proficiency has reached level 4!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Acting has reached level 5!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have sixty unspent Virtue points. </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Level 40 Class ability inherited. </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Would you like to review your Status? </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Y/N</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Shit, like I thought. I selected yes.


    I allocated my points in the same ratio I¡¯d been using for months. Why fix what had worked for me so far? I took a look at my Status once I was done.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.996%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Name</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">Nathaniel Eugene Hart</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Titles</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">Unbound Liberator</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Level</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">40</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Age</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">24 Sol</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Race</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">


    Human (Precursor)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Affinity </td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">Terrestrial</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Classes</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">Thornblade Acolyte (Superior)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Professions


    </td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">Aetherial Melding</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Health</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">490/490</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Stamina</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">100/100</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Vitality </td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">49</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Strength</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Spirit</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Dexterity</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">88</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Perception </td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">49</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Intelligence</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">127</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Wisdom</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">127</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Free Points </td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">0</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Options</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">[Talent Page], [Skill Page], [Profession Page]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Well, I was level forty now. I''d even gotten a new class ability. And those levels had without a doubt come from killing other people. Something that was supposed to be nearly impossible.


    I didn''t care to see what ability I''d even gotten yet, from killing all those people.


    Months ago, around when I¡¯d first arrived on this planet, Grey and Azarus had told me that only killing other monsters granted a significant amount of level Aether. Something about how the Aether released on the death of a person was too personalized to integrate. I¡­don¡¯t think that was the case for me. I¡¯d noticed back in Addersfield after I¡¯d killed Magnus that I¡¯d gotten a few levels from it. I¡¯d been too busy at the time to think about the implications too deeply, but I couldn¡¯t deny the facts now.


    I could level from more than just killing monsters and crafting. I could level from killing people. Hell, I even got way more Aether from my Professions than others did.


    Not only that, but I¡¯d somehow stolen a skill from Magnus at the moment of his death. That hadn¡¯t happened today, which was honestly a little confusing. But it was something that I could do. Once I did that, I had a ¡®special¡¯ skill that allowed me to combine some skills together.


    My skills and talents were too powerful, they had too much synergy between them. With the extra sources of level Aether I had access to, I could grow much easier and faster than most could as well. This was all too much to be a coincidence.


    There had to be a guiding hand beyond the System granting me all this power.


    I felt a chill run down my spine at the thought.


    What the hell was a Precursor that someone, or something, wanted me to grow so powerful, so quickly?

 Chapter 91 - Salty Tales

    When we had finished burying the patrol, Grey got to work covering up our tracks. With a wave of his hand, fresh grass sprouted over the mass grave, concealing their final resting place forever. With another, the evidence of battle, including all of the blood spilled on the road, was blown away in the wind.


    We all piled back into the wagon after that. We might have just been involved in a battle, but that didn¡¯t mean we could stop. There was still a mission to do.


    I accepted the reins from Grey and got us back underway. But as the horses broke into a trot, I couldn¡¯t help my mind from wandering in the silence. Thoughts of my status as a Precursor kept me troubled.


    They didn¡¯t really go away.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    The rest of the trip to Marrowmist was mostly uneventful. We only encountered one other traveler on the road, and they thankfully weren¡¯t another Loyalist patrol. Just another wagon, driven by a taciturn old man with skin weathered and tanned from long days spent in the sun. He barely acknowledged us at all when we passed each other on the road.


    Didn¡¯t bother me. I¡¯d take indifference to battle any day.


    On the trip, curiosity finally won me over and I decided to check out the class ability I''d gotten from reaching level forty. Checking out my Status had to be at least a little more interesting than watching the endless rolling green hills, right?


    Apparently, I''d gotten something called Grasping Roots. It was my second activated class Skill, and this one was kinda cool. I''d tested it on the roadside under Grey''s interested gaze, and what it did was conjure up a mass of tree roots under a target and bind them with familiar grasping red thorns. It dug those thorns into the target and held them in place. I''d honestly felt a bit bad about using the Skill on the rabbit I''d targeted. Still, it became part of that night''s dinner.


    As useful as it was, I was kinda weirded out by the description of ''Immobilize your prey'', though.


    Before long, we¡¯d reached the coast. It may have been a change in scenery, but it was honestly kind of dreary. The sea that bearded Herztal¡¯s eastern coast seemed extremely cold and unforgiving. There wasn¡¯t really much of a beach to it, instead being rocky when it wasn¡¯t just sheer cliff. I asked Grey about it on our travels, and he told me that it was the north-western coast of the continent that had the pleasant, sandy beaches.


    Hooray for us that these pirates had decided to set up some in such a damp hellhole.


    Finally, after weeks of travel, Grey stopped us over the top of one of those cliffs. He had taken off his hat, and was casting a critical gaze out at sea. Following his gaze, I saw three tall, sharp spires of stone jutting out of the turbulent waters, one next to the other in a line.


    ¡°Are we there?¡± I asked him.


    Grey nodded slowly. ¡°Yes, I believe we are. I¡¯ve never reached Marrowmist overland before, but I believe this is the correct location.¡±


    I looked around us in incredulity. We¡¯d gotten off of the main road some time ago, and had reached this cliff after about a day of travel. Problem was, I didn¡¯t see a town of pirates around me. In fact, this area had nothing much at all. In front of us was naught but a roiling sea, hundreds of feet beneath. Behind us was a near-endless expanse of grassland, slowly dying with the advance of fall.


    I turned back to Grey. ¡°I don¡¯t see a pirate cove, Grey. I don¡¯t see much of anything.¡±


    Grey turned to me with a raised eyebrow. ¡°That would be because it¡¯s beneath us.¡± He said, pointing downwards. ¡°The cove is hidden beneath the cliff.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, chagrined. ¡°Then¡­how are we supposed to reach it? Is there a path along the cliff or something?¡±


    Grey shook his head. ¡°Not along the cliff, no. I don¡¯t believe these cliffs taper off for hundreds of miles. Instead, there¡¯s supposed to be a secret entrance to reach the cove somewhere in the vicinity.¡± He pointed out to sea again, at the three spires of stone. ¡°The Three Fingers are meant to mark the spot where you can find Marrowmist.¡±


    I furrowed my brow. ¡°¡®Supposed to be¡¯?¡± I asked. ¡°You don¡¯t actually know if there¡¯s an entrance up here?¡±


    Grey huffed a laugh. ¡°As I said, I¡¯ve never reached the cove overland before, only by sea. Still, I was given instruction on how to reach the path downwards, if I ever needed it. However, we¡¯ll have to search for it. In which case,¡± He said, turning around and banging on the wall behind us. When the latch opened to allow Sylvia¡¯s blue eyes to peer through, Grey spoke again. ¡°Time for a treasure hunt, my dear! We¡¯ll need everyone¡¯s help for this one, so get them all up off their behinds!¡±


    Grey¡¯s Sculpted daughter rolled her eyes at him and then nodded. Wordlessly, she shut the latch. Shortly after that, I heard a muffled conversation inside the cabin. Meanwhile, Grey hopped off of the driver''s bench and moved around to the back of the wagon. I looked down at Fade, who had been watching curiously from in between us. I sighed and then smiled at him. ¡°Up for helping with the search, boy?¡±


    The young wolf just tilted his head curiously at me. Nevertheless, he followed when I jumped down off of the bench myself and moved to follow Grey. When I reached the back of the wagon, everyone was already standing around, listening to Grey. ¡°¡­a plank, about yay high,¡± He was saying to the group, raising a hand to midchest on his skinny frame. ¡°On it should be the symbol of Marrowmist, three bones obscured by mist. I¡¯m given to understand that it marks the position of the way downward.¡± He gazed at the grassland surrounding us. ¡°However, it appears to be hidden somewhere in this mess. Once you find it, signal me and I¡¯ll know what to do with it.¡±


    When Grey was finished speaking, our group split up into pairs to search. I went with Grey, Venix went with Azarus, and Sylvia went with Aurum. I struck up another conversation with Grey as we searched through the brush for this plank of wood.


    ¡°So,¡± I said, using my extended dagger to cut some knee-high grass. ¡°You never said how you know these pirates anyhow.¡±


    Grey looked up at me from where he was kneeling. ¡°Oh? Well, that would be because I used to be one.¡±


    I nearly tripped in surprise, before finding my feet beneath me. ¡°What? When the hell were you a pirate? I thought you were a schoolteacher?¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Grey laughed as he stood up. ¡°I wasn¡¯t always the Headmaster of the Academy, Nathan. When I was a much, much younger man, before Herztal was even a unified nation, I was¡­much wilder.¡± He gazed out onto the sea with a distant gaze. ¡°Because of how close Hollow Hill is to the sea, it was common even back in those days for restless young men to escape to the waters.¡±


    I¡­guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. I¡¯d noticed several times now that Grey wasn¡¯t, strictly speaking, a paragon of morality. Since I¡¯d known him, he¡¯d demonstrated a level of flexibility that would probably have gotten him labeled a monster back home. From the plan to intentionally instigate a Ward Break back in Addersfield, to the recent battle with the Loyalist patrol.


    Grey could be surprisingly callous at times.


    I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. ¡°What was that like?¡± I asked him tentatively.


    ¡°Well,¡± Grey said thoughtfully. ¡°I was born in a fractious period of time. As I¡¯ve said before, Herztal didn¡¯t exist yet. What did exist were the many individual human Kingdoms. They had all popped up in the aftermath of the Initialization Wars, and each claimed that they were the true successors of the Gem City,¡± He glanced at me. ¡°Gem Cities are truly ancient, predating the System and dating back to the time of the Gods. We believe they were the seats of power for them. Each of the native peoples of Vereden possessed one at one point or another. In humanity¡¯s case, that would be Blutstein, our ancestral capital. In any case, the Succession Wars followed for humanity.¡±


    Grey paused to take out his pipe and fill it. With a snap of his fingers, he lit it magically. Taking a deep breath from the pipe, he held the smoke in his lungs before letting it out. He gazed at his pipe for a moment afterward, looking nearly embarrassed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve started smoking again. I gave it up when Sylvia was ¡®born¡¯.¡± He admitted, before shaking his head. ¡°Anyway, in the midst of one of the Succession Wars, I signed up with a crew at a long-destroyed port some miles behind us. I was young and rebellious at the time, and I resented the direction my parents wanted for my life, which was as a clerk. I didn¡¯t care for the Duke that Hollow Hill was sworn to, and would have rather slit my wrists than shuffle scrolls for him. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the crew I¡¯d signed up for were actually privateers given leave to plunder his enemies'' coffers.¡± He finished with a laugh.


    I felt slightly relieved. Okay, so he was a privateer. That was¡­slightly better than being a pirate.


    ¡°Oh, that was an interesting time in my life, let me tell you,¡± Grey said with a smile, nostalgia in his voice. ¡°I stayed on with that crew for nearly a decade, before the Duke was assassinated and his holdings absorbed by another Kingdom. I would spend the next thirty years of my life jumping ships, seeking out new crews.¡± He shook his head. ¡°In any case, you asked why I know these specific pirates. That would be because I attempt to keep a moderating eye on them. I won¡¯t pretend they aren¡¯t a group of scallywags, but I like to believe the threat of my wrath has decreased undue harm. Why, I¡¯ve nearly convinced the leaders to accept Herztalian commissioned letters of marque.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Nearly.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said. ¡°Is it a case of, better the dev-er, monster you know?¡±


    Grey puffed out a cloud of smoke before answering me. ¡°Partly,¡± He said vaguely, before blatantly changing the subject. He pointed ahead with his pipe. ¡°Oh look, it appears as if young Fade has found something.¡±


    My brow furrowed slightly in irritation. Goddamn cagey old man. Still, I looked where he was pointing. During our conversation, Fade had ranged slightly ahead of us to sniff around. He was stopped though, and was circling a patch of grass. He looked up at us as we neared him and barked at me.


    ¡°Well, let''s see what you found,¡± I said to my pup, nudging him out of the way with a boot. Using my spear, I cleared the grass away to reveal¡­


    A weathered-looking plank of driftwood.


    As unimpressive as it looked, Grey still let out a noise of satisfaction. ¡°Ah, there it is,¡± He said, kneeling. Lifting it up, he wiped some dirt off to reveal something carved into it. Looking over Grey¡¯s shoulder, I could see that it was a depiction of three splintered bones in row, with two wavy lines intersecting them perpendicularly.


    ¡°The mark of Marrowmist,¡± Grey said in vindication. He grinned at me. ¡°Let¡¯s just retrieve the others, shall we?¡± Raising a palm above him, my mentor cast a silent spell, sending a bolt of light soaring above us to explode in a flash. I felt a shiver run down my spine, remembering the last time he had cast a spell into the sky. I shook it off though, and collapsed my spear to sheathe it.


    Shortly after that, our four other companions reached our position. Azarus made an unimpressed noise when he saw the plank in Grey¡¯s hands. ¡°Is that it, then?¡± He asked in disbelief. ¡°What¡¯s that hunk of junk goin¡¯ ta do?¡±


    ¡°Oh, patience my young friend, patience,¡± Grey said with a smirk. Turning around and laying a hand on the carved mark, he cleared his throat. To my astonishment, he started reciting poetry.


    ¡°In Marrowmist, where pirates roam,


    A secret door, the pathway home.


    Through salty tales and treasures kissed,


    Unlock the port of Marrowmist.¡±


    Under Grey¡¯s palm, the supposed symbol of Marrowmist lit up, outlined in blue light. Meanwhile, I gave Venix standing off to my left a bit of the old side-eye. Grey now? Was this poetry thing contagious? Venix noticed my gaze and raised one chitinous eyebrow my way, causing me to hastily look away in embarrassment.


    In front of me, Grey leaned in closer to the plank and started speaking into it. ¡°Hello?¡± He said in a loud, clear voice. ¡°Is anyone there?¡±


    To my astonishment, sound began to emanate from the mark on the plank. Specifically, the sound of crashing and then muffled cursing. ¡°Who the bleedin¡¯ hells,¡± I heard a reedy voice say, sounding as if it was getting closer. ¡°Are ye? We don¡¯t got no shipments comin¡¯ in. How do ye know about this, now?¡±


    Grey smiled disbelievingly and laughed. ¡°Is that you, Skinflint?¡± He said, chuckling. ¡°You can¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t recognize my voice, do you? It¡¯s Whitegull.¡±


    There was an astonished silence on the other end of the¡­plank, for a moment. ¡°Truly?¡± The voice said, baffled. ¡°We heard ye got nabbed through the grapevine. The hells are ya doin¡¯ here?¡±


    Grey snorted. ¡°The ¡®grapevine¡¯ was correct, but I¡¯m free now. I need to speak to the Triumvirate about contracting their services.¡±


    ¡°Well, alright,¡± The voice, apparently someone named ¡®Skinflint¡¯, said hesitantly. ¡°But first ye got ta say the password if ye want in.¡±


    ¡°I already activated the message board,¡± Grey said in exasperation. ¡°Isn¡¯t that enough?¡±


    ¡°Ye ain¡¯t gettin¡¯ in without the other password,¡± Skinflint said stubbornly over the ¡®message board¡¯.


    ¡°Oh, very well,¡± Grey sighed, before clearing his throat. ¡°The password is¡­Otto the Ox can suck my¡­¡± He grimaced, but continued. ¡°Cox.¡±


    I blinked. Otto? Wasn¡¯t that the name of the now dead High King? Apparently, it was, because Azarus started snickering to himself next to me. For the first time, I got to see Grey¡¯s cheeks redden in embarrassment.


    Meanwhile, the voice on the other end of the message board started cackling. ¡°Damn right he can!¡± Skinflint hooted. ¡°Hope ye ain¡¯t standin¡¯ on it, ''cause I¡¯m sendin¡¯ up the lift!¡± Over the line, I heard a clanking noise before the light on the plank winked out.


    We stood in silence for a moment, before I felt a rumble through the ground beneath me. That rumbling gradually became stronger and stronger before something unexpected happened.


    A few hundred yards away from us, something exploded out of the dirt sending grass flying everywhere. I jerked back in surprise, instinctively reaching for my dagger. I wasn¡¯t the only one, as everyone but Grey settled into a combat-ready stance.


    But it wasn¡¯t an attack. Instead, I could see the ¡®lift¡¯. It was a huge metal platform with an attached dome, large enough to fit at least two wagons on it. On either side of it were two large steel doors, splayed wide and open. I¡­think it was the violent opening of the doors that caused the explosion of soil.


    Over the sound of falling dirt, Grey turned to us with a grin. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be alarmed. That¡¯s merely our entrance to Marrowmist. The lift, as Skinflint called it. Nathan, if you could, would you mind fetching the wagon?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to secure our ride to Caer Drarrow.¡±

 Chapter 92 - Where Pirates Roam

    I did as Grey asked and fetched the wagon, bringing it to rest on top of the ¡®lift¡¯. Once I did so, Grey activated the message board one more time and had a short conversation with Skinflint on the other side. When he was done, he bodily tossed the plank of wood away from him to land in a patch of grass some distance away from the lift.


    I climbed down from the wagon just in time for the lift to lurch into motion. The rails that the platform was bolted into shrieked in protest as they began to grind downwards. The sound and the movement spooked the horses, causing them to whinny and shuffle as much as they could in their harnesses. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t attempt to bolt. As the lift began to descend, I moved from horse to horse, trying to soothe them.


    As I was patting one of the horses, I was interrupted by an impressed noise from Azarus. Looking up, I saw that he was standing near the edge of the platform, staring off of the edge at something. ¡°I gotta admit, this is a mite impressive,¡± He said, crossing his arms over his broad chest.


    Curious, I walked over to join him on the edge. My eyebrows shot up at the view.


    Stretching out below us was a massive cavern, easily miles in diameter. The huge, yawning mouth of it opened out to sea, with the three spires of stone visible in the distance. A large portion of the cavern was filled with seawater, over which floated dozens of massive docks and what might be hundreds of ships. Some of those ships were absolutely massive, easily the largest wooden ships I¡¯d ever seen. Most of them were much more reasonably sized, though. Hanging onto a bar on the platform and looking further down, I could tell that the back half of the cavern directly underneath us was occupied by a town of some kind.


    Honestly, it didn¡¯t seem like a small settlement. Rather, this was a town nearly on the scale of Hollow Hill, with winding streets and a great many buildings and even homes dotted throughout it. This far into the cavern light didn¡¯t reach very well, so from up above I could see dozens and dozens of lights blaring out into the darkness, from lamps to torches to bonfires.


    That wasn¡¯t even to mention the people. There were easily hundreds of people out on those streets, milling about.


    As I was nearly hanging off the edge of the platform, the rest of the party came over to join Azarus and me.


    Grey crossed his arms as well and smiled. ¡°It is quite a sight, isn¡¯t it? This port was the work of generations. It may be a pirate cove, but it¡¯s actually not quite the lawless zone you would expect it to be. You¡¯ll find a surprising number of families living and working within it, unafraid of their rogue patrons.¡±


    I settled back onto the platform, letting go of the bar. ¡°With how big this place this, it can¡¯t be a secret, right?¡±


    Grey nodded. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not. I assure you, both the Kingdom and the Principality know of Marrowmist¡¯s existence. However, it would be a war in and of itself to try and root them out. There¡¯s simply too much strength concentrated here, both in naval form, and in powerful individuals. There¡¯s an uneasy agreement in place, where Marrowmist agrees to enforce a certain level of civility on its partisans in exchange for leniency.¡±


    I tilted my head in curiosity. ¡°I¡¯m surprised a bunch of pirates agreed to something like that. Isn¡¯t the whole point to be free from government control?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t pretend that there aren¡¯t those who, shall we say, vehemently disagree with the decisions of the Marrowmist leadership,¡± Grey said wryly. ¡°However such people are typically¡­dealt with. There¡¯s simply too much prosperity to go around under the current system. Lawlessness is always going to be a problem. The Kingdom decided many years ago to attempt this path in addressing it, and I must say it¡¯s worked out quite well for everyone involved. Even those who are targeted by a Marrowmist crew end up benefiting, in the long run. You would not believe the insurance schemes that have arisen in response to the rise of Marrowmist.¡± Grey finished with a chuckle.


    I shook my head at Grey¡¯s explanation, baffled. Organized circular corruption. I¡­guess if everyone was happy about the situation? It might be fine?


    Whatever.


    While we¡¯d been talking, the lift finished its descent to the town below. With another grinding noise, the platform settled into a depression set into a wooden frame. A group of men dressed in workmen¡¯s clothes hustled onto the platform and made a beeline for the wagon. I stepped forward to stop them, only to be held back by Grey.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite all right, Nathan,¡± Grey told me. ¡°They¡¯re merely taking the wagon to my residence. I assure you, our belongings will be quite safe there. After all, my name holds quite a bit of weight in this town, doesn¡¯t it, Skinflint?¡± He said, looking past me.


    I turned around just in time to watch as a tall, thin, scarecrow of a man stepped onto the platform. His skin was weathered and salt-scarred from long years spent at sea, and was wearing blue and red striped pants. He was also wearing a white linen shirt, over which he had a brown leather vest, from which hung a variety of odds and ends. He grinned at Grey with a broken smile, numerous teeth missing in his mouth. ¡°Suppose ye do, ¡®Whitegull¡¯,¡± He said, semi-mockingly.


    Grey just smiled back at him sharply. ¡°How long has it been, Skinflint? Three years? Five? Whatever could you have done to deserve message board duty? Last I heard you were sailing with Jackie Three-Thumbs.¡±


    Skinflint scowled and spit off to the side. ¡°Nothin¡¯. He jus¡¯ couldn¡¯t take a joke, that¡¯s all. I¡¯ll be back on a ship in no-time, ye¡¯ll see.¡± He hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his belt. ¡°Enough abou¡¯ me. Ye said ye want ta see the Tri-um-virate? Well, c¡¯mon then. I sent word ahead. They¡¯s expectin¡¯ ye.¡± He turned around, gesturing for us to follow him.


    Grey stepped forward confidently, seeming completely at ease about stepping into a pirate town. He paused before we left, though, causing Skinflint to turn around in irritation. Grey didn¡¯t pay him any mind, however. ¡°Aurum,¡± He said kindly to our healer, causing him to snap to attention. ¡°Perhaps you should remain with the wagon after all. I¡¯m not sure if Marrowmist is entirely¡­to your taste.¡± He said delicately.


    Aurum actually seemed relieved to be asked to stay behind. That reminded me of something. Bending down and scooping up Fade, who had been following at my heels, I deposited the wolf pup in the Sculpted man¡¯s arms. He looked down at the animal in a bewildered manner, before looking back at me.


    ¡°Keep an eye on Fade for me, will you?¡± I asked him, causing Fade to yip at me reproachfully. I rolled my eyes at the young wolf. ¡°You¡¯re a bit young to be traipsing around a pirate town. I promise, when you¡¯re big and strong, you can come on more adventures, all right?¡± Fade just chuffed at me, and settled into Aurum¡¯s arms.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Um, sure,¡± Aurum said, blinking. ¡°I¡¯ll look after him.¡±


    ¡°Are ye done?¡± Skinflint asked sarcastically, before turning around and walking off, clearly expecting us to follow. Grey rolled his eyes but did so anyway.


    The rest of us trailed in his wake.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    I kept my head on a swivel, as I followed Grey through the pirate town of Marrowmist. Not only because I was honestly a little wary of it, but because I was also interested.


    This was a pretty unique looking town.


    It wasn¡¯t ramshackle, but I wouldn¡¯t exactly call my surroundings upscale either. Rather, it bizarrely seemed like the normal working-class neighborhoods that I¡¯d seen back in Hollow Hill. Except, more nautical themed. We passed by plenty of fisheries, general stores, and an absolute ton of bars. Sure, there were some shady-looking people idling around, but by and large it wasn¡¯t quite as rowdy as I would have expected it to be.


    Honestly, I¡¯d kind of built this place up in my head, over the last couple of weeks. I¡¯d thought I¡¯d be walking into an absolutely lawless den of thieves, but it only came off as slightly dubious.


    Grey seemed to know where he was going, but was content to let Skinflint lead us through the streets, further into the town. Our procession through Marrowmist was actually garnering a bit of attention from the locals though. Every once in a while, someone would recognize Grey and do a double take, stopping in the middle of the street. That would set off a chain of other residents stopping to watch and whisper with each other.


    Skinflint seemed to love it, strutting down the streets like he owned them. Grey, though, took it in stride. I think he was just used to this kind of attention.


    Eventually, our little group reached a more wealthy-looking area of town. Well, I say wealthy, but what I really mean is gaudy. I think this was the residential area for the more, shall we say, ¡®successful¡¯ pirates of Marrowmist. On either side of me, I was surrounded by extremely tacky-looking manors, gilded in more gold and with more ostentatious decorations than even Magnus¡¯s manor back in Addersfield.


    I couldn¡¯t help but rubberneck as we walked past one of them that had a massive golden statue of a one-eyed pirate riding a shark, just beyond a metal fence. The pirate was waving his tricorne hat in the air like he was riding a bucking horse, instead of a sea predator.


    I exchanged an incredulous look with Sylvia. ¡°Have you ever been here with Grey?¡± I said to her, leaning in closer.


    She shook her head. ¡°No,¡± She said, bewildered. ¡°Father has never shared this part of his life with me.¡±


    Grey must have heard us, because he turned around. ¡°I¡¯d always intended to, my dear,¡± He said with an apologetic smile. ¡°But it¡¯s been a¡­hectic last few years, to say the least.¡±


    Sylvia¡¯s eyes trailed to another statue, this time of an octopus menacingly brandishing a different melee weapon in each of its eight tentacles. ¡°As you say, Father.¡±


    Before long, we reached the end of the block of ridiculous houses. There we found the largest of the manors by far, and also the busiest. Past the metal gate and through the open doors, I could see what looked like dozens of pirates busy partying and drinking in what looked to be an oversized tavern. The sounds of singing and laughter reached us even from the street.


    Skinflint didn¡¯t pause for a moment before barging through the gates and making for the tavern entrance like he owned the place. The rest of us followed him inside. Looking around, I hid a wince at the loud music and carousing that filled the air. Now this was what came to mind when I thought of ¡®pirate tavern¡¯. It was huge for one, and the entire massive first floor seemed to be entirely taven, with a massive bar along one wall. In one of the back corners, I could vaguely make out what seemed to be a fighting ring of some kind, but there were too many people gathered around it see what was going on. In another corner, I could see an entrance to a busy kitchen, with people coming in and out of it constantly. On the far wall was a set of wide double stairs that let up to the second floor. That was where Skinflint was taking us.


    He was stopped though, when one of the huge guards dressed in leathers at the base of the stairs laid one massive fist on his chest. ¡°Invitation only,¡± He grunted.


    Skinflint reared back and slugged the massive man in the jaw, dropping him in one punch. He spit on the unconscious guard''s body. ¡°Try and stop me, will ye. Pillock.¡± Without sparing the other guard a glance, he stepped over the guard''s body and onto the stairs. He didn¡¯t even glance back to see if we were following.


    Our group walked around the dazed guard, who was being helped back to his feet by another one. ¡°Uh, sorry,¡± I told him, slightly apologetically. I didn¡¯t know what I was apologizing for, honestly. It¡¯s not like I was the one to punch him. The guard just blinked at me stupidly.


    The second floor was much quieter than the first one, even though noise from the first still reached us. It, bizarrely, seemed much more ¡®civilized¡¯ up here, in comparison to the chaos of the first floor. Rather than open tables surrounded by drunken fools, it was littered with private booths filled up with¡­ wealthier-looking drunken fools.


    They were at least quieter about it, though.


    However, none of them were important to us. I could tell what was.


    It was the three occupied thrones along the far wall of the second floor, up on a dais. As we drew closer to the thrones, I was able to get a good look at the occupants.


    I guess these guys were the Triumvirate.


    Two of the thrones were occupied by humans, one man and one woman. The third was a dwarf, dressed in clothes with an almost militaristic cut. Said dwarf had long blonde hair, and an equally long blonde beard. Something told me he wasn¡¯t a noble, though. Maybe it had something to do with the glower he¡¯d fixed Azarus with the second he¡¯d caught sight of us.


    Just a guess, but maybe he didn¡¯t care much for dwarven nobility.


    Honestly?


    I didn¡¯t blame him.


    The human guy was likely the biggest fop I¡¯d ever seen, which was saying something considering what I¡¯d seen back in Rhoscara. He was slightly older looking, with a massive head of curled white hair, very obviously a wig. His older features were painted with thick ivory cosmetics, which didn¡¯t quite mask the huge mole he had on his right cheek. He¡¯d been checking his appearance in a small handheld mirror before our approach, but snapped it closed when he caught sight of us. Fussily, he straightened his frilly and ostentatious pearl suit and sat up straighter.


    Frankly, I wasn¡¯t intimidated by either of them.


    The woman on the other hand¡­


    Something about her struck me as dangerous.


    She was beautiful, but that seemed like one of the least important things about her. Dressed in close-cut black leathers, she nearly blended into her own clothes with how dark her skin was. Over those leathers, she was wearing a blood-red silk long coat with a cutlass belted at her hip. Long, braided steel-grey hair hung down her back, kept out of the way of her sharp, chocolate-brown eyes bearded on either side with slight crow''s feet. She was watching us now, almost hungrily.


    Looking at this woman¡­it was like staring at a naked blade. It almost hurt to see her.


    She spoke first. ¡°Well, well, well,¡± She nearly purred, once we were in range. ¡°I almost didn¡¯t believe Skinflint when he told us you were in town, ¡®Whitegull¡¯. For once, he wasn¡¯t lying.¡±


    Skinflint affected a wounded posture, one hand over his heart. ¡°¡®Ere now, tha¡¯s uncalled for. When ¡®ave I ever been anythin¡¯ but the heart of honesty?¡±


    The dwarf snorted. ¡°All the damned time,¡± He said in rough, gravelly voice. ¡°Now get out of here, bilge rat. Your betters have business to attend to.¡±


    Skinflint sneered at the dwarf but did as he was told. He turned away and strode over to one of the unoccupied booths. As he passed me, I heard him mutter to himself. ¡°Betters me arse¡­¡±


    ¡°Now!¡± The fop said in a high-pitched, nasally voice once Skinflint had walked away. He clapped his hands together, once. ¡°Let¡¯s get started, shall we?¡±

 Chapter 93 - Cold Shock

    ¡°Alphonse, Ruben,¡± Grey nodded at the man and then the dwarf, before pausing for a moment. ¡°Cassandra.¡±


    ¡°Ugh,¡± The dwarf, apparently ¡®Ruben¡¯, grunted in disgust. He reached for a nearby goblet and chugged its contents, before slamming it back on the table. ¡°I¡¯m not drunk enough for this shit.¡±


    ¡°Come now,¡± ¡®Alphonse¡¯ said, smiling insincerely. ¡°The Headmaster is always a welcome guest in our port.¡±


    Grey smiled calmly at the three apparent rulers of the town, ignoring the not-so-subtle digs. ¡°Thank you for seeing me so promptly. I promise not to take too much of your valuable time.¡±


    The woman in the center, ¡®Cassandra¡¯, leaned forward languidly, resting her chin in her hand. ¡°Let me guess,¡± She drawled. ¡°You¡¯d like our help intervening in your little war.¡±


    Grey shook his head and smiled at her disarmingly. ¡°Not at all. I wouldn¡¯t dream of asking Marrowmist to intervene in matters of state.¡±


    For some reason, that caused all four of them to let out a short laugh.


    Chuckling, Grey continued. ¡°No, I have no desire to insert Marrowmist into the conflict with the Loyalists. Instead, I¡¯d like to charter the services of a Captain willing to provide a specific service.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°And what service would that be?¡±


    Grey met her eyes. ¡°I need an experienced Captain willing to ferry myself and my companions to Caer Drarrow. There are¡­certain people that need to be freed from those walls.¡±


    I unwittingly tensed in surprise, before forcing myself to relax. I couldn¡¯t believe Grey had just outright told them the brunt of our plans. Focusing back on the conversation, I was unnerved when I saw that my slight movements hadn¡¯t escaped the notice of Cassandra.


    Meanwhile, the dwarf had burst into laughter at Grey¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s some cosmic fucking irony right there!¡± He hooted. ¡°Breakin¡¯ people out of the prison ya built with your own gods-be-damned hands!¡±


    ¡°I assure you, I¡¯m not blind to the coincidence,¡± Grey said with a strained smile. ¡°Nevertheless, with the blockade in place, I¡¯m cut off from my own ship and cannot Captain this rescue myself. Therefore, I find myself in need of Marrowmist¡¯s assistance. I assure you, I¡¯ve brought enough to pay for the service.¡±


    Alphonse and Cassandra exchanged glances while Ruben continued chortling to himself. Alphonse turned back to Grey with an overdone apologetic look on his painted features. He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid¡­that won¡¯t be possible, Headmaster.¡±


    Grey¡¯s smile faded, his eyes flicking back and forth between the leaders of Marrowmist. ¡°And why is that?¡±


    Rubens laughter died down. ¡°Because we were paid a fuck ton of gold not to intervene, that¡¯s why.¡±


    ¡°Specifically,¡± Cassandra interjected. ¡°There was a requirement to not assist you.¡±


    ¡°These Loyalists, it appears that they¡¯re aware of your,¡± Alphonse paused for a moment, visibly searching for the words. ¡°Historical ties to this town. Why, you¡¯re practically a living relic of Marrowmist! A valuable antique, one might say.¡±


    Grey hummed to himself. ¡°Is that so? My my, is that all they wanted from you, in my regard?¡± He said calmly.


    His unspoken implication hung in the air. Several of the large Marrowmistian guards that had been lingering nearby tensed up, causing our group to react as well. Venix stepped forward to stand at Grey¡¯s side, his huge frame an intimidation in and of itself. I tried to step a little bit more behind Grey, so my slow reach towards my dagger was obscured.


    Turns out, I needn¡¯t have bothered.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Ruben said, unphased. ¡°They wanted us to try and take ya too, if ya showed up here. Bugger that, though.¡±


    ¡°As strong as we are, we¡¯re aware we would need to get quite lucky indeed in order to overcome your brutish might, Headmaster,¡± Alphonse simpered, hiding his mouth behind his hand.


    ¡°We took the gold, of course,¡± Cassandra said bluntly. ¡°But it¡¯s just not worth the risk, so you and your little flunkies can relax. Still, that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re going to be getting a ship out of us.¡±


    The tension that had filled the air slowly dissipated. Through his robes, I was able to see as Grey¡¯s back untensed as well.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± My mentor crossed his arms in though, drumming his fingers on them. ¡°Quite a conundrum. I quite emphatically need to reach that prison. You¡¯re willing to forsake the Loyalist''s desire to capture me, but not their want for you to deny me service?¡±


    ¡°Turning ya away when ya come for business is one thing,¡± Ruben started.


    ¡°But actively turning on one of our own is another,¡± Cassandra finished with a smirk.


    Alphonse let out a delicate-sounding snort at the others words, but didn¡¯t contradict them.


    Grey bowed his head slightly. ¡°¡­out of us.¡± I heard him mutter to himself. Raising his head, he smirked at the Triumvirate. ¡°Out of pure intellectual curiosity, what would happen if I were to say, convince one of the Captains in this fine establishment to accept my commission? Hypothetically speaking, of course.¡±


    Alphonse rolled his eyes and flopped back in his gilded throne with a huff. Meanwhile, it was Cassandra and Ruben who exchanged smirks this time. Cassandra turned back to face Grey. ¡°Hypothetically, that Captain would be directly defying one of our decrees, and would be in violation of the Marrowmist charter. They would be immediately sentenced to a term of exile for no less than five years, and would owe significant recompense after that term if they want entrance again.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Grey sighed, reaching up to massage his brow. ¡°I see,¡± He said tiredly.


    Cassandra dropped all pretense. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a hard sell, Grey,¡± She said, not un-sympathetically. ¡°We frankly needed that gold, and can¡¯t afford to offend customers like them when their pockets are so deep. There¡¯s a lot of uncertainty going around right now, and not just because of the war. The seas have been rough lately.¡±


    Ruben impatiently waved a nearby server over and snatched another goblet of booze off their tray. ¡°It¡¯s like someone pissed it off or something,¡± He grumbled over his liquor.


    ¡°You have free reign of the town, I won¡¯t deny that to you as a signatory,¡± Cassandra said to Grey. ¡°But that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Grey said, meeting her eyes. They exchanged nods. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to your evening, then. Is my reserved room still open to my use?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is,¡± Alphonse said irately. He shooed us away with one limp hand. ¡°You may go.¡±


    ¡°Come along, my friends. Follow me,¡± Grey said to us, turning his back on the Triumvirate. With one last glance at the rulers of this town, I did the same and followed Grey back the way we came.


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel a pair of eyes on my back though. Risking a glance over my shoulder, I met the intense gaze of Cassandra. She smiled slightly at me, before I hastily turned back around and caught up with the group.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    We all followed Grey through the tavern to another set of stairs in a corner. Climbing up it, I found that the third floor was much smaller than the first and second. It seemed to just be a short hallway with a number of private rooms with embossed plates set into them.


    Grey led us to one door, covered in dust, that had a faint image of a bird in flight engraved on it. He wiped a hand through the dust, revealing the bird more clearly to be a gull. Afterward, he set his palm on the gull fully, making it glow briefly in a blue light. The lock on the door clicked open a moment later, letting Grey open it easily. Inside, the room reminded me of an old-timey smoking room, in surprisingly good condition considering how neglected the door had looked.


    Grey strode across the room while we were milling about to a small bar on the far wall. Taking down a bottle of a dark liquor, he uncorked it and took a swig. Azarus walked over to the bar as well and accepted the bottle of booze from Grey. He grabbed a glass down from the wall and poured himself a finger of the liquor, before shotgunning it in one go. He made an impressed noise at the taste, and poured himself another. ¡°Well,¡± Grey sighed, turning around to us. ¡°I won¡¯t quite say we¡¯re screwed, but things have become substantially more difficult.¡±


    Meanwhile, I flopped down onto one of the incredibly comfortable looking couches in the room with a sigh. God that was nice, after over a week of either hard bench or hard ground. I looked up at Grey. ¡°Yeah, things sound a bit more complicated than you thought they¡¯d be. If I understood that conversation right, then you¡¯re going to have to bribe a Captain around here to potentially risk their entire livelihood for our sake?¡±


    Grey grimaced. ¡°That is¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°Essentially correct.¡±


    Sylvia sat down on one of the stools at the bar, while Venix stood by the door and crossed his arms. ¡°What do we do now, Father?¡± She asked Grey.


    ¡°I, am going to need to ¡®schmooze¡¯¡± He said, making air quotes. ¡°With the other Captains down on the second floor. I need to try and convince one of them to risk the trip and certain exile afterward. Perhaps if I offered a commission with a shipping company I can pull some strings at? Maybe a position as a¡­naval¡­instructor¡­at the Academy after the war?¡± Grey sighed again, massaging his brow. He looked over at his daughter. ¡°Sylvia, something else worried me. Ruben said that the sea has been angry for some time. Could you perhaps scout the town, try and figure out what he¡¯s speaking of?¡±


    Sylvia nodded, standing up. She paused before she left, and then turned to kiss Grey on the cheek. ¡°Good luck, Father.¡± She said with a smile, pulling away.


    Grey touched his cheek with a returning smile. ¡°You as well, my dear.¡± At that, Sylvia left the room, nodding at me on the way out. Once she was gone, he turned to me. ¡°Meanwhile, I think it would be good if you and Azarus,¡± My dwarven friend looked up from his glass of liquor at the sound of his name. ¡°Attempted to mingle with the crew on the first floor. Perhaps you¡¯ll have some luck, and hear about a Captain fallen on hard enough times to accept our commission.¡±


    I stood up with a disappointed groan from having to leave my new best friend, the couch. Popping my back, I addressed Grey with a smirk. ¡°Am I going to have to punch a guard to get up on the second floor if we find anything?¡±


    Grey rolled his eyes. ¡°No, that was just Skinflint being Skinflint. Simply inform the guards that you have an urgent message for Captain Whitegull and they¡¯ll let you through.¡± Azarus set his drink down with a disappointed groan of his own, causing Grey to roll his eyes. ¡°There will be plenty of alcohol for you to drown yourself in downstairs.¡±


    ¡°Probably not as good though,¡± Azarus grumbled.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°YEAH!¡± Azarus roared, already sloshed after his fifth mug of what the locals only called ¡®grog¡¯. He waved his sixth mug around wildly from his place in the crowd ringside of the bare-knuckle brawling pit, spilling booze everywhere. I don¡¯t think he even knew which of the two heavily muscled human men fighting he was rooting for.


    After Grey¡¯s explanation, we¡¯d split up in the direction that he¡¯d suggested. He had wandered down to the second floor, with Venix trailing after him like a bodyguard. Meanwhile, Azarus and I had gone down to the first floor, and ordered some drinks.


    Things had degenerated from that point.


    I took a sip of my drink, something I was pleasantly surprised tasted like a hard root beer from back home. I was trying to keep an eye on both the tavern floor and my friend at the same time. I wasn¡¯t too concerned about Azarus, though. I knew he could burn the booze off in seconds if he was actually in trouble.


    Meanwhile, I couldn¡¯t say I was having an easy time snooping on the booze hounds of the first floor. The few people I¡¯d tried talking to had either told me to piss off, or outright threatened me. I¡¯d resorted to eavesdropping in order to try and gather information for Grey.


    I couldn¡¯t exactly say that a bunch of blackout drunk pirates were the most riveting conversationalists, however. In other words, I¡¯d learned jack and shit.


    I sighed into my mug. At least this stuff was good. I took another drink, allowing myself to enjoy the slight buzz I had going.


    My attention was stolen, however, when one of the doors on the far wall banged open. From what I¡¯d seen, those were the game rooms, where people went to gamble away all their ill-gotten goods. Two human pirates marched out of the game room, dragging a third, Sculpted pirate behind them by his arms.


    I felt my blood run cold at what I saw around his neck.


    A slave collar.


    The world slowed down around me as I found my vision narrowing down at the unexpected sight. It had been over a month now since I¡¯d seen one at all, ever since we¡¯d escaped Addersfield. In a distant corner of my mind, I could feel a quiet voice telling me that I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. Even though outright slavery was outlawed in Herztal, these were pirates. Of course they¡¯d be involved in illegal activities.


    The rest of my mind was hardening. I could feel something deep down inside of myself growing colder. It was as if a spark of purpose that I¡¯d discovered since I¡¯d freed myself was frosting over with a familiar hatred that I thought had died with Magnus.


    Sparing Azarus a single disinterested glance, I saw that he was just fine. He was a big boy, he could take care of himself.


    That Sculpted couldn¡¯t.


    I waited until the two pirates dragging the slave passed my table, and then stood up and dropped a few coppers on it. Discreetly, I followed behind the group, making sure to utilize every trick Sylvia had taught me to avoid detection.


    Out into the streets of Marrowmist.

 Interlude 7 - Poor Judgement

    ¡®Porous¡¯ Pete wondered if this was what sweating was supposed to feel like.


    He wasn¡¯t fleshy like the rest of the people sitting around the game table he found himself at. No, he was Sculpted, and sculpted out of pumice. Like the rest of his ¡®brothers¡¯ and ¡®sisters¡¯, once upon a time he had been nothing more than a mindless AutoVant, built for a specific purpose. In his case, some absolute flippin¡¯ genius had hit up on the idea of trying to reinvent the wheel. He wanted to custom commission an AutoVant for ship work at sea, and didn¡¯t want the standard wooden model designed for that purpose.


    No, he wanted a stone ¡®Vant. To work on a ship of all things.


    Beyond the fact that most of the heavier Sculpted, those hewn from metal and stone, couldn¡¯t swim, there was another problem with that. The weight, you see. Most of them just weighed too much, more than a typical fleshy crewmate. If a Captain took the heavy ones with them, then that was more cargo they couldn¡¯t haul. The wooden ¡®Vant¡¯s just weighed less, and actually floated on the open sea instead of sinking like the stone ones.


    But that customer had been insistent, and so Pete was ¡®born¡¯. The exasperated craftsman had decided to shape him out of pumice, a type of volcanic rock. It had even worked. Pete could float out in the salt.


    For a while. Until he filled up, that is.


    Only, the customer hadn¡¯t much cared for Pete¡¯s appearance. Pete was cursed to forever look like a pimply-faced hume teenager forever, with his pumice pocked skin.


    When that bastard, whoever he was, had refused to pay for Pete, he¡¯d been shuffled into a closet. That closet had been where Pete had opened his eyes for the first time, during the Second Initialization. He¡¯d stumbled out of it like an undead, all covered in cobwebs and extremely confused.


    His first memory had been of his maker letting out a high-pitched shriek of surprise, before chasing him out into the street. After that, one thing led to another before Pete had found himself serving with his current crew, and under his current Captain.


    Gods, he hoped she appreciated what he was doing.


    Pete fidgeted in his chair around the card table he¡¯d found himself at. In front of him, in the middle of the table, lay a pile of coins that had been wagered over this current hand. Salt¡¯s breath, he thought there were even a few platinum coins in the mix. Those sure as hell hadn¡¯t come from him, what with how broke he and his Captain were. No, that wasn¡¯t what he was betting on this game.


    He was betting himself.


    The only way that he had managed to buy his way into this game was to bet his freedom. Everyone knew that the Longslip boys dealt in the flesh trade, and were making coin hand over fist selling to the stunties. Pete wasn¡¯t exactly flesh, but he supposed stone worked just as well for these here bastards.


    He¡¯d been doing pretty well, for the first few games of Karat. He¡¯d hedged his bets and won a modest pile of coin to stay in the game. Only, Pete hadn¡¯t realized the trap he was falling into.


    They were letting him win.


    One by one, the rest of the players at the table had been eliminated, until it was just him and one other person at the table. Captain Donovan Longslip himself sat across from him, legs thrown up nonchalantly on the table and puffing on a cigar without a care in the world. It didn¡¯t even seem like he was paying much attention to the game at all. He was holding his cards off to his side, and was only glancing at them every once in a while in disinterest.


    No, most of his attention was on Pete, his unfairly handsome features twisted in a knowing smirk. Everyone in the cove knew that his fair face hid the blackest of all hearts.


    Pete gulped, even though he didn¡¯t need to as a Sculpted. It was just one of those things you picked up around the fleshies. He knew that he shouldn¡¯t be giving away so many tells, but everyone in the room knew that he was boned now. He drew in a shaky breath to calm his non-existent nerves, looking down at the measly two crowns in his hand. The bastards, they hadn¡¯t even bothered to make it an easily missable cheat. That wouldn¡¯t save him, though. The Triumvirate wouldn¡¯t care, if he even got the chance to plead his case to them. In their eyes, he¡¯d fallen for an easy trick, and would get what he deserved.


    These boys had set things up that way on purpose. The game had been rigged from the start. The jaws of the trap were closing in on him now. They were just waiting for him to lay his final cards on the table in order for the charade to finish.


    Pete fixed a shaky smile on his face, and tried to meet Longslip¡¯s eyes. ¡°Well, lads,¡± He said in an unsteady, whistling voice. ¡°I think I¡¯m goin¡¯ to have ta fold on this one. I¡¯ll just be gettin¡¯ out of yer hair now.¡± He tried to rise from his chair, only for a firm hand to fall on either of his shoulders and push him back down. Glancing over his shoulder, Pete found that two of Longslip¡¯s musclebound enforcers had hands on him, with sadistic looks on their stupid faces. Quaveringly, he turned back around to Longslip.


    The slaver Captain took a long puff of his cigar before speaking. ¡°No, yer not,¡± He said casually. ¡°Be a good lad now and lay yer cards on the table.¡±


    Shit.


    Almost resigned to his fate, Pete did as he was told and limply tossed his hand on the table. ¡°Two crowns,¡± He said, defeated.


    Longslip hummed to himself. He sat up, swinging his legs off the table and laying his own cards out in a sweeping motion. ¡°Four swords,¡± He said with a smirk.


    Pete gazed at the cutlasses emblazoned on Longslip¡¯s cards dully. He shook his head. ¡°Ye slimy bastard,¡± He said in disbelief. ¡°Ye couldn¡¯t even pretend, could ye? I have one of those swords.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how that could have happened,¡± Longslip said mockingly, amused at his own ¡®cleverness¡¯. He turned to face one of his subordinates in the room. ¡°How¡¯s about ye, Micah? Do ye know how those extra swords got into me deck?¡±


    Micah, a slim, dark-haired rake of a man leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, snorted. ¡°Can¡¯t rightly say I do, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t matter anyway,¡± Longslip said, turning back to face Pete. ¡°Games done, and it¡¯s time to collect me winnings.¡± He stood up from his chair and outstretched a hand to Micah. The flunky pushed off of the wall and picked up a bucket lying at his feet, taking something out of it and handing it to his Captain.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    A slave collar.


    Pete drew in a shuddering breath at the sight of it. Mockingly, Longslip snapped the open end of the collar at him, as if it were the jaws of an impatient beast. Meanwhile, Micah approached the wood-burning stove in the corner of the room. Reaching it, he drew a branding iron from the bucket and thrust it into the stove, heating it.


    Pete didn¡¯t resist as Longslip walked around the table and clasped the collar around his porous neck. ¡°Ye know me Captain ain¡¯t gonna stand fer this,¡± Pete said quietly. ¡°She¡¯ll come, and she¡¯ll make ye regret this buggery, Longslip.¡±


    Longslip chuckled, leaning down to ear level with Pete. ¡°I¡¯m intendin¡¯ on it,¡± He hissed in the Sculpted¡¯s ear. ¡°Lass as comely as her? Well, she¡¯ll probably fetch more than ye will. And she don¡¯t got anyone else to back her up no more, now does she? Yer All. She¡¯s. Got.¡± Shame and horror rolled through Pete at Longslip''s words. This hadn¡¯t just been a trap for him.


    This whole charade had been so they could bait a trap for his Captain.


    Out of the corner of his eye, Pete saw Longlip accept a burning red branding iron from Micah. With a harsh shove from Longslip, Pete fell face forward onto the table with a grunt. ¡°Now, don¡¯t scream too loud, will ye? Don¡¯t need the nobs upstairs complainin¡¯ about the noise.¡±


    As he felt the head of the branding iron hovering over his back, Pete cursed the fool who designed Sculpted to feel pain. He tried to brace himself, but wasn¡¯t truly prepared for the searing sensation of the iron as it tore through his shirt to rest on his stone skin.


    He screamed.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Pete was barely conscious as he was dragged out of the game room. He was hazily aware that the same two enforcers from earlier had him in between them and were taking him somewhere. He retained only enough presence of mind for his surroundings to appear as if they were shrouded in mists.


    So this was what it was like¡­


    As far as he knew, it was rare for Sculpted to get collared and branded like slaves since they¡¯d all been woken up. But from speaking to others, he¡¯d learned that it was a crapshoot what the binding would do to them. Most of the time, it knocked them for a loop, losing their Status all at once. Not only did they lose what strength they had fought for, they lost control of their bodies altogether. At least for a time. Apparently, for those unlucky enough to be bound, it should eventually return. But for now, he was just an unblinking hunk of rock in the form of a hume.


    Sometimes though¡­.


    Sometimes it was worse. For some Sculpted that got branded, they lost the sapience that had been given to them. They just returned to the mindlessness of the before times, when they were little better than farm equipment.


    Pete wondered which had happened to him. Was he just powerless for a while? Or¡­was he trapped inside his own mind forever, while his body was puppeted around under the command of whoever he was sold to? Was this what actually happened to his brothers and sisters who were collared and sold as slaves? He would have shivered, if he could.


    With the world in a blur, Pete couldn¡¯t track exactly where Longslip¡¯s crewmen were taking him. He could tell that they¡¯d left the tavern by now, though. He didn¡¯t think they were taking him to the docks, either, from the way he couldn¡¯t hear the sea. Wherever they were taking him, they reached it eventually. The meatheads dropped him unceremoniously against a wall, and began to beat against what sounded like a metal door. Pete strained his ears as much as he was able, when he heard the sound of a latch opening.


    ¡°Password,¡± He heard someone grunt on the other side of the door.


    Pete heard the sounds of the enforcer rummaging around in his grubby pocket. ¡°Uh,¡± The pirate said stupidly. ¡°The¡­password¡­is¡­dim¡­rum¡­run¡­you¡­moron?¡±


    The person beyond the door sighed. ¡°Close enough,¡± They said tiredly. ¡°Get in, you idiots. Bring the ¡®Vant with you. You got the slate?¡±


    ¡°Yeh,¡± The other enforcer said dumbly, rummaging around in his pockets.


    ¡°Give me that, you lunk,¡± The voice said irritated. Pete heard the sound of something shuffling hands. ¡°No doubt a dumbass like you would manage to break it.¡±


    Pete was lifted off of the ground again by the two enforcers, and dragged through the now open door. His vision was thankfully starting to improve, allowing him to just barely make out the shape of a wooden crate in the dim light. In fact, there were rows of them all around him.


    The Longslip pirates had brought him to one of their warehouses in town.


    They dragged him to the back of the warehouse where Pete assumed they kept their ¡®live¡¯ cargo. A row of huge iron cages, each big enough to hold an ox. Pete tried not to think about how many poor, unfortunate souls had been thrown in one of those to be sold to the stunties. He cringed mentally at the pain of being thrown into one of them himself, as the Longslip men clanged the door of the cage behind him.


    He lay there, motionless and silent, wanting to weep at the depths of his own failure. But he couldn¡¯t. The only thing he could do was stare up at the windows near the ceiling with an unblinking gaze in his frozen body.


    Pete wasn¡¯t sure how long he lay there before something changed.


    A shadow moved in front of one of the windows he was staring at.


    Pete¡¯s stone heart dropped in his chest, half from dread, and half from hope. Who the hell was that? That couldn¡¯t be his Captain. She didn¡¯t have a discreet bone in her body. If she¡¯d come to rescue him, he would have expected her to blow in through the front door of the warehouse.


    He watched, frozen, as the shadow over the window slowly, soundlessly opened the window and slithered inside. Once inside, they somehow clung to the wall for a moment and slowly inched the window closed. In the brief moment that the moonlight illuminated their form, he could see that they were wearing a hooded cloak of some kind. After closing the window, the figure began to lower themselves to the floor of the warehouse using some kind of spiked rope before they slipped out of Pete¡¯s view.


    The entire entrance had taken only seconds.


    Pete still couldn¡¯t move so he strained his ears as much as he could. In the dim silence of the warehouse, he couldn¡¯t hear much. His Perception wasn¡¯t as high as he wanted it to be. All he could make out were the muffled coughs and shuffling noises of the guards as they patrolled the warehouse, alert for his Captain¡¯s rescue attempt.


    Only because he was listening for it could he tell when something thumped to the ground.


    One of the guards must have heard it, too, though. ¡°Jord?¡± Pete heard one of the enforcers call out. ¡°You trip or somethin¡¯?¡± He said, moving closer to where the sound had originated. Seconds later, Pete heard a gasp from the guard. ¡°INTRU-¡±


    He didn¡¯t get to finish his shout. The enforcer was cut off with a strangled, burbling noise.


    He¡¯d done his job, though, as Pete heard the third guard in the warehouse sprint from his position with a rasp of steel. Shortly after that, he heard the unmistakable sound of battle. Grunts and the sound of steel on steel filled the air. Suddenly, rainbow light erupted from the corner of the warehouse where the fight was happening. As if he¡¯d paid to see a two-copper shadow play, Pete watched as a cloaked figure, form illuminated on the wall, thrust a spear straight through the shadow of the third guard.


    For the first time since he¡¯d been collared, Pete managed to blink. By the time his eyes opened, the light show had ended.


    The warehouse was cast in shadow and silence once more.


    Pete had managed to struggle into a sitting position by the time his possible rescuer approached his cage.


    They were a gruesome sight.


    The cloak that Pete had seen earlier was clearly from a skill of some kind, as it seemed to be made of thorns and burrs. In the dim light of the warehouse, he couldn¡¯t tell what color it was supposed to be originally.


    But now?


    It was covered in blood, dripping down the owner¡¯s frame and off the points of innumerable spikes.


    Pete felt a chill run down his spine.


    Gods, what now?

 Chapter 94 - Mistaken Identity

    As I stared at the stone Sculpted lying motionless in a cage, it felt like I was waking up from a dream.


    From the moment I had departed the tavern to track the slavers, it had felt like I was running on near autopilot. There had been no thought for what I was doing, about what the consequences might be. I had seen another person in a collar and had fallen into a near trance. Slowly, something that had frozen solid in my core with hatred began to thaw.


    I¡­remembered what I had done, of course. I¡¯d followed the men dragging the Sculpted slave to a warehouse, and finding no other entrances than the front door, had grappled to the roof. Slipping in through a window, I¡­think? I had only intended to find and free the slave inside.


    But¡­that¡¯s not what happened.


    While sneaking through the warehouse, I¡¯d nearly bumped into one of the guards inside. Before his eyes could even widen in surprise, I¡¯d used the dagger that had somehow found its way into my hand to tear out his throat. The noise must have drawn the attention of another guard though, because he¡¯d come to investigate while I was standing over the man I¡¯d¡­killed.


    He had died, too. But not before drawing the last guard in the warehouse.


    I¡¯d met him with dagger in hand, and after a short exchange of blows, I''d known I was outmatched in a straight-up fight.


    So I''d turned it into one that wasn''t.


    I''d used Grasping Roots for the first time in combat, and bound the warehouse guard in place. As the thorned roots had dug into his legs, causing him to grunt in pain, I''d struck. My brilliantly burning spear had torn through his heart.


    After that, I¡¯d¡­searched the bodies of the men I¡¯d killed, finding a control slate on the last guard.


    Then I¡¯d gone to find the slave.


    But¡­


    I could only stand there and stare at him blankly, slate in one hand, dagger held limply in the other. My gaze drifted down to the weapon I had created with my own two hands.


    I watched dully as blood dripped from the blade to land on the wooden floor of the warehouse below me.


    I¡­can¡¯t quite be sure how long I stood there, watching the lifeblood of the men I¡¯d murdered drip onto the floor.


    Eventually, I was knocked out of my trance by what sounded like a voice, coming to me far away. I let my gaze drift upwards, to find that the Sculpted had managed to struggle up into a sitting position, and was looking at me with a wary gaze in his glass eyes.


    ¡°Who¡­the bleedin¡¯¡­hells¡­are¡­ye?¡± The stone Sculpted asked me slowly, as if it was difficult to speak.


    Bleeding. Heh.


    I drew in a shuddering breath. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m someone who doesn¡¯t like slavery,¡± I said roughly. Sheathing my still wet blade with a trembling hand, I knelt down to look at the lock on the cage. I cursed to myself, as I didn¡¯t have my lockpicking tools on me. Fool, you should know better by now. I was going to have to brute-force it, if I wanted to get this guy out of here.


    Meanwhile, the Sculpted was still speaking to me. ¡°That¡¯s¡­all?¡± He said incredulously. ¡°Ye saved me¡­because ye don¡¯t like¡­slavery?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± I said to him in a low voice, bringing my hand up to rest on lock. Angling my hand away from the prone Sculpted, I cast Poisonthorn Shot on the lock from point blank range. The thorn from my skill embedded itself into the iron of the lock, quickly beginning to corrode it. I dismissed the thorn after a few moments, and then reached and yanked hard on the lock. It broke apart easily in my hand.


    Standing up, I eased open the cage door with a shriek of iron on iron. Shuffling inside, I hesitantly laid a hand on the mostly immobile Sculpted. ¡°Are you¡­all right? What¡¯s wrong? Did they do something to you?¡± He was almost acting like he¡¯d been poisoned, but that was ridiculous. Were there even poisons that could affect Sculpted?


    ¡°What d¡¯ya think¡­they did, ye daft fool?¡± The Sculped said haltingly, audibly depressingly. ¡°Put a collar around¡­me neck and¡­branded me. This is what happens¡­when my kind gets fitted¡­with one. Me life¡­is over.¡±


    I took a deep breath and smiled behind the unnatural darkness of my hood. While I had forgotten my lockpicks, there was something that I never forgot to bring with me. Reaching behind my back to my ever-present pack, I withdrew the Bond Breaker I always kept on my person. ¡°Not for long,¡± I said to him.


    His eyes tracked the oversized fork in my hands with a confused look in them, as I lay the control slate I¡¯d found on the ground. They nearly bulged out of their stone sockets when I raised the Breaker above my head and drove it down at the slate. ¡°Wait!¡± The Sculpted nearly screamed in desperation. He was probably afraid I was going to accidently activate the death enchantment in his collar.


    The Breaker punctured the surface of the slate, and I pressed the activation rune. With a flash of blue-green Aether, the control slate detonated in an explosion of black stone. Expecting it, I shielded my eyes. I heard a few pieces ricochet off of the Sculpted, though. That wasn¡¯t all I heard, though.


    I heard the satisfying click of an opening slave collar. I lowered my arm from my face just in time to watch as the Sculpted¡¯s slave collar tumbled to the ground. Even if he couldn¡¯t move, his eyes still tracked the collar disbelievingly to where it hit the wooden floor of the warehouse with a clunking noise.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°How¡­?¡± He breathed out, amazement thick in his whistling voice.


    Even if he couldn¡¯t see it, I still smiled at him. I remembered that feeling. I shook my head at him, though. ¡°I¡¯m not done. Next, your brand.¡±


    The Sculpted¡¯s eyes grew comically wide at my words. ¡°Ye can do that?¡±


    I nodded at him, reaching out to shift the Sculpted man onto his front. He tried to help me as much as he was able to, even with the way he struggled to move. It was easier than I thought it would be. For a man made completely out of stone, he was surprisingly light.


    Tugging down the back of his shirt, I exposed the back of his left shoulder. Sure enough, seared into the honeycomb-like surface of his stone skin was a familiar-looking brand. I couldn¡¯t help but scowl at the sight of the S with a slash through it. I¡¯m guessing these pirates were selling to the Savoy, considering they were using one of their brands. Whatever, that wasn¡¯t what was important right now.


    I stabbed the Breaker down in the stone of the Sculpted man¡¯s back, right over the brand. Thankfully, the original design of the Breaker had been intended for Ward Stones, so it had no problem penetrating the stone. I pressed the activation rune, causing the brand to light up in ethereal light for a moment, before dying down.


    Two things happened the moment I did so.


    First, the Sculpted man beneath jerked in place, as if he had suddenly regained complete control of his body. Still lying down, he turned his head in place to give me an amazed look.


    The second thing that happened?


    Well, secondly, the front door of the warehouse on the far wall exploded. I flinched, letting go of the Breaker and standing to look behind me. I looked just in time to see someone flying through the broken wall where a door used to be, sword brandished in front of them.


    Right at me.


    My eyes bulged, but I managed to draw my dagger and fully extend it just in time to catch a downward chop from whoever this was in a block. The impact was so great though that it both drove the breath from my lungs, and me down to one knee. I desperately reinforced my strength with Sylvan Vigor at full power in order to halt the advance of their blade any further, but it wasn¡¯t working. The blade was still advancing on me, inch by inch. Whoever this was, they were way stronger than I was.


    Straining, I looked up, trying to see the face of my attacker. In the dim light of the warehouse, I thought they were a woman, but that was all I was able to make out. Only, they had reared back, and were driving their blade back down at me with a snarl on vaguely feminine features. Desperately, I tried to brace myself better from my bad position. I don¡¯t know how many more of those I could take.


    ¡°Stop! Stop,¡± I heard from behind me, moments before the woman¡¯s blade could impact my spear. It instantly halted, inches from likely blowing right through my guard. Seconds later, the Sculpted that I had rescued scrambled over to stand in between the woman and I. Gently, he nudged the woman¡¯s cutlass away from my spear. ¡°Captain, it ain¡¯t what ye think. This weirdo saved me.¡±


    Weirdo?


    The woman finally spoke, never taking her stormy blue eyes off of me. I didn¡¯t dare move under her piercing gaze. ¡°Ye got a damn fork stickin¡¯ out of yer back, Pete,¡± She said in a low, smoky voice. ¡°That don¡¯t look like no kind of rescuin¡¯ I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    Oh. I¡¯d¡­kind of left the Breaker embedded in the Sculpted man¡¯s back. Yeah, I could see how that looked bad. The Sculpted, apparently named ¡®Pete¡¯, grew a surprised look on his face, and groped uselessly behind him, trying to reach the Breaker. He couldn¡¯t quite reach it, though.


    Suddenly, a familiar blue short sword snaked around the neck of the woman still standing over me. The woman stiffened in alarm. With a shimmer of light, an illusion broke, revealing Sylvia standing right behind her clad in her full stealth suit. My Sculpted friend leaned in closer to her. ¡°And you¡¯ve got a sword at your neck.¡± She hissed in her ear. ¡°I¡¯d advise you to think about your next move carefully.¡±


    The tension in the room ratcheted up massively with the now three-way standoff. I was still kneeling, frozen in a guard while being threatened by the woman¡¯s cutlass. Pete had frozen in place as well, right arm over his back. Out of the corner of my eye, though, I noticed his left hand drifting closer to his waist.


    ¡°That will be quite enough of that, I believe,¡± I heard a voice say from the shattered doorway. Craning my head slightly to look beyond the woman, I found Grey standing there, unconcerned about the rubble. I nearly sagged in relief at the sight of my mentor.


    He strode into the warehouse as if he owned it, reaching us in no hurry. ¡°You can let go of her, my dear,¡± He said to his daughter in a soothing voice. ¡°I know this one.¡±


    Slowly, Sylvia withdrew her short sword from around the neck of the woman in front of me. She backed away until she was standing off to the side. She never took her eyes off the woman, nor sheathed her blade.


    Meanwhile, the woman sagged slightly, letting out a shuddering breath. Almost subconsciously, she raised her unoccupied hand to rub at her throat where Sylvia¡¯s blade had rested only moments ago. She paused, turning to face Grey in the dim light of the warehouse. ¡°That voice¡­can¡¯t be,¡± She said in disbelief. She sheathed her sword, and with her now free hand, used it call forth a ball of light, bright as any LED from back home. I squinted in the bright light, my eyes adjusting to it. When I could see well again, I got my first good look at this woman.


    She¡­well she definitely looked like a pirate Captain.


    She was dressed astonishingly similar to the pirate leader I¡¯d met earlier, Cassandra. She was wearing nearly identical black leather armor across her form, except with a blue overcoat draped over her shoulders instead of a red one. On her head was a black and white tricorne hat with a red feather in its brim. The woman itself had dark, nearly midnight black hair cut into a shoulder-length bob. Her face was all sharp corners and high cheekbones with thin lips, but I wouldn¡¯t say she was ugly. From my position, I was still able to see her dark, stormy blue eyes. All in all, I¡¯d describe her as¡­striking.


    Said striking woman was still staring at Grey. ¡°Whitegull?¡± She said, incredulous. ¡°What business do ye have with these blaggards?¡±


    Oi, woman. I just saved your friend. A little gratitude would be nice.


    Grey chortled to himself. ¡°These ¡®blaggards¡¯ are my daughter,¡± He said, nodding to Sylvia first. ¡°And my apprentice. Of who is most definitely not supposed to have gone off on his own to rescue slaves at the first opportunity.¡± He finished, fixing me with a raised eyebrow.


    I flushed, standing up from my crouch and collapsing my spear. I dismissed my cloak, since I didn¡¯t think I needed it anymore. When I did so, small drops of blood that had been lingering on it fell around me like raindrops to rest on the floorboards beneath. ¡°I¡­¡± I started, and then stopped. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­know what happened. I couldn¡¯t stop myself,¡± I said quietly.


    My words caused Grey and Sylvia to look at me in concern. Grey walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Later,¡± He told me quietly, before turning around to face the Captain with a forced smile. ¡°Isabella! How long has it been? Why, the last I saw of you, you were still apprenticing with Cassandra.¡±


    The Captain, apparently ¡®Isabella¡¯, grimaced. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± She said, almost automatically.


    ¡°These days, they call me Bella the Blue.¡±

 Chapter 95 - Bella the Blue

    Isabella, or rather ¡®Bella the Blue¡¯, turned the Bond Breaker over and over in her hand. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be damned,¡± She said, staring at it in amazement. ¡°A way to really free slaves. That¡¯s gonna put a craw up the butt o¡¯ some around here.¡±


    After our short confrontation with her at the warehouse apparently belonging to someone named ¡®Captain Longslip¡¯, Grey had invited Bella and Pete back to his private room at the manor tavern. Which is apparently what it was called, as it had no official name. Once we¡¯d left the warehouse we picked up Venix, who had apparently been waiting for us outside. Back at the tavern, we also found a deeply drunk Azarus haranguing a pissed off looking bartender.


    We took him with us, rather than let our dwarven friend get shanked.


    A difficult decision to be sure.


    When we got back to Grey¡¯s room, Azarus took one of the couches and pretty much immediately passed out, filling the air with snores. Grey took mercy on our ears and cast some kind of sound muffling spell over his prone form. Meanwhile, most of the group settled around the bar for whatever conversation Grey wanted with Bella.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother me none!¡± Pete, apparently called ¡®Porous¡¯ Pete by the locals, crowed with a bottle of rum in one hand. He raised it in my direction with a beaming grin, causing me to give him a wan smile. I was happy for him, of course. I just¡­wasn¡¯t in a celebrating mood. I¡¯d declined to sit at the bar with the others, instead sitting on one of the unoccupied couches.


    ¡°I imagine not, young one,¡± Grey smiled at the Sculpted man, taking down a few glasses from the shelves behind him. He grabbed a bottle of liquor as well and filled five glasses with it. Sliding them to the people sitting at the bar, I wasn¡¯t surprised when Bella and Pete accepted them. But I was a little when Sylvia and Venix did. I¡¯d never seen either of them drink before. Sylvia seemed a little disinterested in it, but Venix took a small sip, seeming to enjoy the taste.


    Bella looked up from examining the Bond Breaker to look at Grey. ¡°This your doin¡¯, then?¡±


    Grey shook his head, swirling his liquor in his glass. ¡°Not at all. The Bond Breakers are a design of my apprentice''s making,¡± He said, nodding at me.


    When Bella turned around to stare at me incredulously, I smiled at her weakly and shrugged. ¡°You¡­can keep that, if you want.¡±


    If anything, the incredulous look on her face deepened. ¡°Yer just willin¡¯ ta give away doodads that can free slaves?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said quietly, giving her a shallow nod. ¡°I¡¯ll just make another later.¡± Bella was holding the last of the Bond Breakers that I had from the blanks Azarus had made me back in Addersfield. It wasn¡¯t a big deal, though. It really wasn¡¯t difficult for me to churn out another these days.


    Bell shook her head at me. ¡°Yer not gonna make many friends in this port, slingin¡¯ these around. Still, thank ye. Both fer the fork, and fer freein¡¯ me dumbass crewman. Speakin¡¯ of,¡± Setting down her glass, Bella turned around and slammed a fist into the shoulder of Pete sitting next her. The impact actually caused a small amount of stone dust to fall from his sleeve from the force. It also caused the Sculpted man to hop off of his stool and clutch his shoulder in pain.


    ¡°Argh fuck damnit,¡± He cursed, giving his Captain a wounded look. ¡°Ye almost broke me arm off with that!¡±


    Bella glowered at him, holding up a leather-gloved fist in his direction. Pete cringed away from it. ¡°Ye¡¯d deserve it, ya daft fool! What the hells convinced ya that joinin¡¯ a game with the Longslips boys was a good idea! It¡¯s a damn miracle yer not ship bound fer the Principality right now!¡± Pete mumbled something under his breath, causing Bella to glower at him harder. ¡°Speak up, ya scallywag!¡±


    Pete threw his arms up in frustration. ¡°We need the coin, that¡¯s why!¡± He started glowering himself. ¡°Sides, it were a trap anyway. And not fer me. They wanted to nab you, Captain. I was just bait.¡±


    ¡°Course it were a trap,¡± Bella said, sounding completely unsurprised. ¡°That dog Longslip has had it out fer me fer ages. But that don¡¯t excuse ye. Ye know I can¡¯t afford to lose anyone else right now.¡±


    Grey made an interested noise from where he was leaning against the bar, drawing the attention of the two pirates. ¡°It sounds to me, Bella,¡± He said with a smile. ¡°That you might have fallen on some hard times as of late.¡±


    Bella snorted, grabbing her glass and throwing its contents back. ¡°Hard times, ye say,¡± She said bitterly. Gingerly, Pete sat back down on his stool, now that his Captain¡¯s wrath had been diverted. ¡°Aye, ye could say that. If ye call hard times losing nearly everythin¡¯ ye¡¯ve built up over yer life to a bunch of gods be damned monsters.¡±


    Sylvia spoke up at that, drawing attention. ¡°Then, you were the Captain that I heard had been assaulted by a herd of Neptaurians? Father,¡± She said, turning to face Grey. ¡°I did as you asked, and conducted a short investigation. When the Triumvirate spoke about how the sea is angry lately, they were speaking metaphorically. The talk of the town is about how a Neptaurian Prime has risen in the local waters and gathered a herd to harry any ship they find.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Grey frowned deeply. ¡°A Prime,¡± He said, drumming the fingers of his right hand on the bar. ¡°Complication after complication.¡±


    I furrowed my brow. Prime. I¡¯d heard that word before. After a moment, I remembered where. Sylvia had remarked ages ago, way back during the hunt I¡¯d met her in, that the snake monster I¡¯d fought in the forest might be a Prime. It had never come up again after that, though.


    ¡°Aye,¡± Bella said tiredly, reaching for the bottle lying on the bar. She poured herself another drink and stared down at it morosely. ¡°Me fleet were the first to run into the Seahorsemen. We weren¡¯t expectin¡¯ them, and they ran roughshod all over us. They tore right through us, sinkin¡¯ me entire small fleet and killin¡¯ nearly me entire crew. I¡¯m lucky that I still had a ship in port, or else I¡¯d¡¯ve been out on the street beggin¡¯ with the whores.¡±


    I stirred from where I had been listening. ¡°How did you survive?¡±


    Bella looked over her shoulder at me briefly, before turning back around. ¡°After those shites had wrecked me ships, they left without makin¡¯ sure everyone was dead. Damn odd behaviour fer monsters, but then again, they didn¡¯t have to. We were all dead in the water anyway. We were too far from shore to make it back, even with our levels.¡± She sighed, before turning a wan smile Pete¡¯s way. ¡°Enter Pete here. He could float just fine by himself without any effort, unlike us. He swam around and grabbed hold o¡¯ who he could, includin¡¯ me, and we swam back to the cove clingin¡¯ to him. Took us days, it did, and we still lost some people to exhaustion on the way. But with the help of our life raft here,¡± She patted Pete on the shoulder much more gently than her previous punch. He grinned back at her, raising his bottle in salute. ¡°At least a few o¡¯ us survived the attack.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like ta see one of those wooden bastards do the same!¡± Pete boasted, thumping his skinny chest. ¡°They¡¯d¡¯ve sunk way before I would!¡±


    Grey smiled at her. ¡°An intriguing tale, and one that makes me believe that we can, perhaps, assist one another.¡±


    Bella raised an eyebrow at my mentor and smirked. ¡°Oh, aye? How so? You recrutin¡¯ fer yer little civil war with the watchacallem, Loyalists? Gonna ask me to fight fer the rights of Sculpted everywhere, like ol¡¯ Pete here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, in a way you could say so,¡± Grey smirked back at her. ¡°What I need is a crew that¡¯s willing to accept a commission to ferry myself and my companions to the isle of Caer Drarrow. And it occurs to me that you might be familiar with those waters, with how you used to sail with Cassandra.¡±


    Bella leaned forward to rest her cheek on her fist, elbow on the bar. ¡°Mayhaps I am,¡± She grinned at Grey. ¡°But ye see, there¡¯s a couple o¡¯ problems there. First is that order from the Triumvirate. Can¡¯t go around helping ye and risk exile, now can I? Second, well, those Seahorsemen are still out there, aren¡¯t they? They¡¯ve been keeping most crews on land fer awhile now. Ain¡¯t no-one willin¡¯ to risk runnin¡¯ into a Prime led herd o¡¯ monsters.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, those are issues,¡± Grey said, crossing his arms and nodding sagely. He grinned back at the pirate Captain though, surprisingly boyish. ¡°But not insurmountable ones. Let us talk terms, yes?¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    While Grey and Bella haggled over a yet unsigned contract, Sylvia offered to show me back to Grey¡¯s own manor here in Marrowmist so we could link back up with Fade and Aurum. Apparently, he had one not far from where we were, which didn¡¯t surprise me. We weren¡¯t needed for this part, I trusted Grey would get us the ship we needed. We woke up a groggy and still drunk Azarus, and took him with us. Venix stayed behind, to fulfill his apparent role as Grey¡¯s bodyguard. Pete saluted us with his bottle of rum on the way out.


    Sylvia led us out of the manor tavern and down the road to the right of it. Before long, we¡¯d reached a manor with its gate thrown wide. Pass through the open gates, I saw that the same image that had been on door of Grey¡¯s private room was engraved on them. That of a bird in flight. Over the hedges in front of us, I could see Grey¡¯s manor. It was more modestly sized than some of the behemoths I had seen in this section of town, and was painted white with only two stories to it.


    Continuing onward and passing the hedges that blocked the view of the front door, I stopped in place. My jaw dropped in astonishment at what I saw. I wasn¡¯t the only one, as both Sylvia and Azarus stopped abruptly as well on either side of me. Azarus burst out into uncontrollable drunken laughter, while Sylvia buried her face in an open palm.


    ¡°Father, really?¡± I heard her say in secondhand embarrassment, voice muffled by her hand.


    As for myself, I just shook my head in amazement.


    In front of us was a large fountain, with a solid gold statue on top of it, standing in the uppermost bowl. Considering how everyone around here called Grey ¡®Whitegull¡¯, I wasn¡¯t surprised that it was a statue of a seagull. It just¡­wasn¡¯t quite what I¡¯d expected.


    It was a pirate seagull. Almost cartoonishly so.


    The seagull was saluting with its right wing, with a golden dagger clenched between its beak. Somehow, I got the impression that the seagull was smirking around the blade. On its head it was wearing a tricorner hat, while an eyepatch rested over its left eye. The chest of the gull was puffed out, to give it an almost cocky air.


    I can truthfully say I¡¯d never seen such a ridiculous statue in my life. However¡­


    ¡°Honestly,¡± I said in an impressed tone, gaining the attention of both Sylvia and Azarus. Azarus turned to me with a grin, while Sylvia peaked at me from in-between her fingers. ¡°It¡¯s a really good statue. Whoever made it was pretty talented.¡±


    Azarus burst out into wheezing laughter again, while Sylvia just groaned at me.


    My attention was stolen from the awesome statue by the sound of muffled barking. Beyond the statue, the double doors of the manor opened and Fade came racing out towards us. I kneeled down in time for my wolf to skid to a stop in front of me. He sniffed at me wildly for a moment, before giving me an almost concerned look. He yipped almost scoldingly. I got the impression that he was chiding me for getting in a fight.


    Look at me, the wolf-whisperer.


    I ruffled the pup¡¯s ears, giving him a small smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be okay, boy,¡± I murmured to him. He gave me a doubtful look, and then licked my hand consolingly. Yeah, I¡¯m not sure I believed me either.


    Meanwhile, Aurum poked his bald, golden head out of the open doors of the manor. ¡°Oh! Hello there!¡± He waved to us. ¡°C¡¯mon in! It¡¯s a little dusty, but nice enough in here!¡±


    I stood up and walked over to enter Grey¡¯s manor, my friends and companions at my heels.


    One of them, literally.

 Chapter 96 - Concerned Friends

    Thankfully, the inside of the manor was just as tastefully decorated as the outside. I only had experience with manor decorations in the style of dwarven nobility, and this wasn¡¯t anywhere near that. Rather than having gold everywhere, Grey¡¯s pirate home seemed to be mostly wood and earth tones. He had plenty of nautical embellishments dotting the wall, though.


    However, this place didn¡¯t seem very lived in. Everything was covered in sheets, from the couches and chairs in the sitting room near the door, to the dining table we found. Those sheets were covered in dust, as well. I wonder why this place didn¡¯t have a stasis enchantment on it like the room in the tavern? As it is, those of us with of a fleshy persuasion were sneezing constantly just being indoors, while our Sculpted friends were unbothered. Fade abandoned me only a few minutes into our explorations, racing out the front door to the gardens outside. I didn¡¯t blame him.


    Azarus and I got to work making at least one area livable, dusting the sitting room and opening a window. When we were done, I collapsed onto one of the couches with a sigh. Azarus had done the same, only he had claimed one of the other couches in order to get some sleep. My dwarven friend had passed out nearly immediately and was snoring not far from where I was sitting. Aurum had wandered off somewhere. I think he was still curious about the manor and was exploring it a bit more.


    That left only Sylvia and I in the sitting room. Well, the only conscious ones, at least. I closed my eyes, and let my head roll back to rest on the head of the couch. I was¡­pretty tired. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. When I had woken up this morning, before we¡¯d even gotten to Marrowmist, I don¡¯t know what I was expecting. But it certainly hadn''t been...


    I sighed, my eyes still closed.


    I...almost didn''t want to do what I was about to do. I didn''t need any more confirmation, but...


    I needed to check what I''d gained from my little...episode.


    I pulled up my Status with Hidden Amidst the Spheres.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have gained 4 levels!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You are now level 44!


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Stealth Proficiency has reached level 5!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have 40 unspent Virtue points.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Would you like to review your Status?</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Y/N</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I sighed silently, but selected yes. I might as well get this over with. It was a familiar process now for me to allocate my Virtues the way I''d been doing, and it didn''t take me long. When I was, I dully took a look at the finished product.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.996%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Name</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">Nathaniel Eugene Hart</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Titles</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">Unbound Liberator</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Level</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">44</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Age</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">24 Sol</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Race</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">


    Human (Precursor)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Affinity </td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">Terrestrial</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Classes</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">Thornblade Acolyte (Uncommon)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Professions


    </td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">Aetherial Melding</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Health</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">530/530</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Stamina</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">100/100</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Vitality </td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">53</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Strength</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Spirit</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Dexterity</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">96</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Perception </td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">53</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Intelligence</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">139</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Wisdom</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">139</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Free Points </td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">0</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Options</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">[Talent Page], [Skill Page], [Profession Page]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I was knocked out of my inspection by feeling someone sit beside me on the couch. Cracking an eye open, I saw that it was Sylvia.


    She had a concerned look on her metallic face.


    Lightly, as if she was afraid I would lash out, she lay a cool hand on my forearm. I twitched slightly, but didn¡¯t move otherwise. ¡°Nathan,¡± Sylvia said in a concerned tone. ¡°Are you¡­all right?¡±


    Fully opening my eyes, I turned away from her to stare off into space. I took a deep breath and held it for a moment, before letting it out slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I answered in a low tone.


    ¡°I see,¡± Sylvia said quietly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you start from the beginning? What possessed you to assault that warehouse?¡±


    I continued staring out into space, not looking at her. I don¡¯t know why I was so afraid of looking at her. It¡¯s not like I was particularly interested in the ship wheel on the far wall. Maybe¡­I just didn¡¯t want to see the pity on her face.


    ¡°One minute, I was fine,¡± I said slowly. ¡°The next, I saw Pete being dragged out of a room with a collar around his neck. I¡­it was like something immediately hardened inside me. The world narrowed, and I suddenly didn¡¯t care about anything but the fact there was a slave in front of me.¡± I stopped for a moment, before haltingly speaking again. ¡°I didn¡¯t care about the mission. I didn¡¯t care about Azarus. I don¡¯t even think I cared about myself anymore. In my mind, it was like I was back in Addersfield, and Magnus was taunting me again.¡± I nearly snarled his name, tensing up at just the mention of my former ¡®owner¡¯.


    ¡°Nathan¡­¡± I heard Sylvia say, concern thick in her voice. ¡°Look at me.¡±


    Reluctantly, I tore my eyes away from the wall to look at Sylvia. There wasn¡¯t any pity on silver features. She just looked worried. Her hand drifted from my forearm to rest on top of my hand, while her other came around to cup the bottom of it. She met my eyes.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to lecture you,¡± Sylvia began soothingly. ¡°But¡­you understand that this cannot happen again, correct? You may have unusual abilities, but you¡¯re still fairly low-leveled. What if the guards in that warehouse had been too much for you? I cannot imagine how that would have ended. I only found your location because of the noise that woman made destroying that wall, and I cannot promise I will always be there to assist.¡±


    I took another deep breath and nodded. ¡°I know. They kind of were too much for me,¡± I admitted quietly. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they were all stronger than I was. I just¡­got the drop on them.¡± I was telling the truth here. I was pretty sure that all three of the now dead pirate guards could have taken me in a straight fight, if I didn¡¯t have any tricks up my sleeve. Thankfully, I had a few of those. But¡­


    I couldn¡¯t depend on those always being enough to save me.


    We sat in silence for a moment before Sylvia spoke again. ¡°I¡­cannot comprehend what you experienced, under the yoke of slavery. Unlike many of my brethren, I was spared that fate from the moment I became aware. But¡­that does not mean you must bear this burden alone, Nathan. I am here, if you wish to speak of it.¡±


    I smiled at Sylvia, gazing into gemlike blue eyes, before shaking my head. ¡°Not¡­yet. I don¡¯t think I want to talk about¡­that. But thank you, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± I squeezed her hand, before forcing a smile on my face. ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly good at this. Was it Grey that taught you how to comfort other people?¡± I couldn¡¯t keep a note of doubt from creeping into my voice. Grey had his virtues, but I don¡¯t think that emotional understanding was one of them.


    Sylvia obviously recognized the change in subject, but played along anyway. ¡°Hmm, no. Father was not the one to teach me my¡­social graces, so to speak. Rather, it was one of the people that we seek to rescue from the prison. Lady Honoka.¡±


    I raised my eyebrows in interest, hearing that name. ¡°I never got an explanation about who that is, you know? Are you and Grey close to her?¡±


    Sylvia laughed slightly, with a peculiar look on her face. ¡°Lady Honoka is an old¡­friend,¡± She said the word ¡®friend¡¯ in a slightly doubtful tone of voice. ¡°Of Fathers. They have a very strange relationship. Regardless, she remains the second in charge of the Academy, as well as the lead instructor of Cultivation. Father meanwhile heads up the Magecraft division.¡±


    ¡°And¡­she taught you?¡±


    Sylvia nodded, smiling fondly. ¡°Yes. I would say that I owe much of my socialization to Lady Honoka. Father is somewhat¡­absentminded at times. Not to say that he is neglectful of me or doesn¡¯t care, no. More that he can easily become absorbed in his work, leading to long disappearances. Conversely, Lady Honoka¡¯s door was always open to me. I spent a great deal of time with her,¡± Her face fell. ¡°And now the Loyalists have locked her up in one of the harshest places in the Kingdom. I didn¡¯t even know. She hadn¡¯t been captured before I left on my hunt for Father.¡±


    I reached over to lay my other hand on top of hers this time, in a mirror of her from earlier. I met Sylvia¡¯s eyes again. ¡°She won¡¯t be in there much longer, Sylvia. We¡¯re nearly there.¡±


    Sylvia smiled slightly at my words. ¡°Yes. We are, aren¡¯t we,¡± She said softly.


    Suddenly, I heard the front door of the manor bang open. From the entryway of the manor, I heard Grey¡¯s voice. ¡°We¡¯re here! Everyone, if you could meet us in the sitting room!¡± He called out, unaware that most of us were already in there. His call must have been enough to wake up Azarus, because I heard him stop snoring and groan. At the same time that Azarus was sitting up on his couch, Grey appeared in the doorway of the sitting room. He was trailed by Venix, and stopped in momentary surprise at everyone¡¯s presence within. Actually, he was staring at both Sylvia and I. He raised an eyebrow our way, with a curious look on his aged features. Venix was unphased, and merely passed Grey to slowly lower his massive frame into one of the available chairs. It creaked audibly under his weight.


    All of a sudden, I remembered that Sylvia and I had essentially started holding hands during our conversation. I flushed, gently prying my hand out of hers, to her curious gaze. I¡­don¡¯t think she was aware of the subtext of a man and a woman holding hands, even if that woman was a sort of magical robot. Grey¡¯s other eyebrow rose as well at me.


    I coughed into a closed fist. ¡°So, uh, how did it go? Did Bella agree to transport us to Caer Drarrow?¡±


    While Grey was staring at me, Aurum appeared in the doorway as well, edging past my mentor with a quick smile. He shuffled into the room and sat in one of the unoccupied chairs. Curiously, Fade appeared as well, apparently drawn by Grey¡¯s shout. He sauntered into the room and jumped up onto the couch I was sitting on, settling down at my side. I reflexively laid a hand on his back.


    Grey blinked slowly at the scene. ¡°Well,¡± He said slowly. ¡°Yes, she did. But not without some concessions.¡±


    Azarus yawned, stretching. It seemed like he had recovered from his drunkenness. ¡°Yeah? What did she want?¡±


    Grey wandered in, and with a shooing motion to make room, sat next to Azarus on his couch across from Sylvia and I. ¡°For one, I had to promise her and her crew a position in a shipping company that I own to offset her exile. When the war is concluded, she is essentially to become a law-abiding citizen. At least, for a time.¡±


    Sylvia hummed. ¡°I am surprised that the Captain took such an offer. She did not strike me as a¡­peaceable woman.¡±


    Grey smiled wryly at his daughter. ¡°Oh, I assure you, she is not. However, she lost nearly the entirety of her wealth to the Neptaurian Prime. She needs time to rebuild her fortunes, as well as her fleet. It¡¯s far easier to do so with legitimate employment, especially in the likely post-war environment. I imagine it¡¯s going to be a very¡­difficult time, to be a pirate.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d think it would be easier, right?¡± I said, drawing Grey¡¯s attention. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the military, or the navy I guess, be occupied with mopping up whoever loses afterward?¡±


    ¡°Ah, but there is a factor you¡¯re not considering, directly linked to the existence of the Neptaurian herd that attacked Isabella,¡± Grey said knowingly. ¡°In the aftermath of large-scale conflicts such as this one, monsters are always stronger and appear more frequently. I believe that¡¯s why this herd has appeared out of nearly thin air. They are only the start to the surge of monster attacks, and there hasn¡¯t even been any pitched battles in months. Once the war is concluded, the Kingdom will be downright infested with beasts. While it is true that both the Herztalian military and navy will be occupied, it¡¯s because they¡¯ll be busy with monsters. The seas will not be safe for anyone not willing to battle them, which most pirates are not. Thus, piracy will also drop.¡±


    I nodded at him to show I understood. Meanwhile, Aurum spoke up in a confused tone. ¡°Neptaurian herd?¡±


    Grey turned to face Aurum in surprise. ¡°Ah, my apologies young Aurum. I forgot for a moment that you did not accompany us, and thus did not meet Captain Isabella,¡± He said in chagrin. He spent a few moments explaining things to Aurum, while I gazed at the Sculpted out of the corner of my eye. Yeah, probably for a damn good reason. The guy was made of solid fucking gold, for God¡¯s sake. He would have been grabbed off of the streets in a heartbeat in this pirate town and probably melted down. Poor guy would have become the new gilding on a ship faster than you could blink. ¡°As it so happens, the Neptaurians are involved in another of the concessions I had to make for Captain Isabella.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Let me guess. She wants us to take care of them.¡±


    Azarus snorted while Grey smiled at me wryly. ¡°Are you perchance a prophet as well, Nathan? You are correct. Part of Isabella¡¯s demands for her assistance involved culling the herd. She was quite unwilling to abandon vengeance for her lost ships and crew from their attack.¡±


    Venix spoke up for the first time. ¡°It is likely we were going to encounter this herd anyway,¡± He said flatly. ¡°As the only ship leaving the port, these predators were inevitably going to attack.¡±


    ¡°As you say,¡± Grey nodded. ¡°I agreed to Isabella¡¯s demand. As we speak, she¡¯s rallying her remaining crew and procuring supplies for the expedition on my coin. Tomorrow morning, we¡¯ll be setting sail to hunt the herd. After that, onwards to Caer Drarrow,¡± At the look on everyone¡¯s faces, Grey smirked at us. ¡°Oh, it won¡¯t be so bad. A herd of Neptaurians will be good Aether for many of you. I imagine there will be plenty of levels to go around. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll be dealing with the Prime myself. It¡¯s likely beyond anyone else.¡±


    I guess I was going to see what exactly a ¡®Neptaurian¡¯ was pretty soon.

 Chapter 97 - Dockside Deals

    At dinner that night, I asked Grey why this house was so dusty, and why it wasn¡¯t in stasis like his room at the tavern had been.


    ¡°There is a size rule to the usage of stasis runes,¡± My mentor explained to me patiently. ¡°My private room is about the maximum size that you can manage for a single array. This is the reason we typically use them for things such as object storage, especially for consumables.¡±


    I leaned on the table in front of us, my plate empty after the meal. ¡°So, why didn¡¯t you just outfit each individual room with a stasis array then?¡± The rest of our companions were either absorbed in their own conversations, or watching our own in mild curiosity. Small lessons like this were typical of Grey and me, and they were used to seeing them. I couldn¡¯t help the fact that I was almost always curious about the magic that I saw in use around me. Even the very casual stuff like the stasis arrays.


    Grey snorted at my question. ¡°I may have accumulated a degree of wealth over the years, but I¡¯m not made of money. The cost to outfit every space in even this small manor would be extravagant indeed. That¡¯s even if I did all of the tedious work myself, mind. The material cost alone would cause many noble houses to blanch. No, it¡¯s simply not practical to outfit an entire house with stasis runes. Especially not for a domicile that I only use once every few decades.¡±


    I nodded. Mentally, I made a note to ask him to teach me the correct runic sequence for a stasis array.


    ¡°However, that doesn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t pay for the installation of one in my kitchen, obviously. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to enjoy this meal. Speaking of,¡± Grey stood up from the table and began collecting everyone¡¯s plates, seeing that they were finished. He gave me a pointed look and gestured to the other dishes on the table with a free hand. I got the hint, and rose from the table to help him. The two of us carried the plates and utensils into the kitchen and got to work cleaning up.


    While I was setting the plates into a washbasin, Grey startled me by laying a hand on my shoulder. Looking over my shoulder, I could see that he had a concerned look on his face.


    Ah. I get it.


    I guess now was the time to talk.


    ¡°Nathan, are you well?¡± Grey asked me, concerned. ¡°The way that you pursued those pirates earlier was most unlike you.¡±


    I turned around to face him and took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m¡­better than I was,¡± I told him honestly. ¡°I talked to Sylvia but¡­I still don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me. Why that happened.¡±


    Grey shook his head firmly. ¡°There is nothing wrong with you, Nathan. I¡¯m beginning to suspect that you are not quite as unaffected by your experiences in Addersfield as I hoped. I believe, at this point, that you merely possess some unconfronted trauma from your time as a slave.¡±


    I was silent for a moment before nodding slowly. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said quietly. ¡°You¡¯re probably right. But¡­what do I do about that? Am I just going to fly off the handle again, the next time I see a slave?¡±


    Grey smiled helplessly at me. ¡°I truly don¡¯t know Nathan. I regret to say that I have no experience as a Mind Healer. Once the war has reached its conclusions and I have full access to my resources again, I will see that you have access to the Academy¡¯s Mind Healer. Until that time, all that I or anyone else can do is try and support you.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± I said. ¡°Okay. For now my issues just¡­aren¡¯t as important.¡± I took another deep breath, and let it out slowly. ¡°Let¡¯s just get to work and then get some sleep. Big day tomorrow, yeah?¡±


    Grey nodded at me, before gesturing to the still-dirty dishes. ¡°As you say.¡±


    We got to work.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Rather than even try to clean a few bedrooms for our use, those of us of a fleshy persuasion just crashed in the sitting room of Grey¡¯s dusty manor. It¡¯s not like we weren¡¯t used to sleeping close to each other at this point, and it was both roomier and more comfortable than either a campsite or the wagon. Our Sculpted members, wholly unbothered by the layers and layers of dust, found their own accommodations.


    I settled onto one of the couches with Fade lying on the floor next to me. As soon as my head hit my pillow, I was out like a light. It had been a long day.


    We woke early the next morning, before the green period had even begun. We got to work immediately, hauling the cart out from where it had been stashed behind Grey¡¯s manor. We weren¡¯t intending to take it onto the ship, but there were still valuable supplies stored in it. Nobody was willing to leave something like our weapons and armor behind, after all.


    This time, Grey drove the wagon while I sat next to him on the driver''s seat. He easily maneuvered our horses through the gates of his manor, and through the streets of Marrowmist. Because it was so early, most of the businesses were still closed. Even the taverns.


    I guess even pirates had to rest sometimes. Some of them were doing that on the streetside, snoring away with a bottle of liquor in hand.


    As we rattled through the cobblestone streets of Marrowmist, I saw the sun start to rise over the horizon. Despite the fact we were in an enormous seaside cavern, some of the green period light still reached us. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the effect of the green light reflecting off of the water and scattering through the cavern.


    Man, sometimes Vereden managed to surprise me with its beauty.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Before long, Grey had directed us down to the docks. By that time, the green period had passed. From a distance, the docks seemed as sleepy as the rest of the town right now, which was surprising. Weren¡¯t docks always supposed to be busy? But, if nobody could leave right now because of the Neptaurian herd, then maybe it made sense. Why prep your ship when you know you weren¡¯t going out that day, after all? The lone exception was the harbor master¡¯s office that we saw with its lights on. There were a few people loitering outside of that.


    Grey though, directed us to the lone dock that did seem to be busy. A little less than two dozen people were swarming around one ship in particular, a large two-masted one. My mentor hummed to himself, seeing the activity.


    I glanced at him. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Grey shook his head. ¡°I can see that Bella is light on crew, that¡¯s all. We may need to assist with certain duties on our voyage.¡±


    Uh, alright. Whatever you say.


    When the wagon rumbled to a stop on the dock where the ship rested, I was startled by a loud voice from above us.


    ¡°Oi!¡± I heard. Looking up, I saw that Bella was leaning over the back half of the ship and waving at Grey and I with a grin on her face. Seeing that she had our attention, she grabbed a nearby hanging rope and swung off of the side of the ship to land easily next to Grey¡¯s side of the wagon. The thump she made upon impact with the dock startled the horses, causing them to shuffle in place. I slid off of the driver''s bench to reassure them, while Bella started talking to Grey.


    ¡°Well, here she is,¡± She said cockily, throwing an arm out to sweep over the length of the ship. ¡°The Thorny Reef in all her glory! Such as it be. She ain¡¯t me flagship, gods rest her soul, but she¡¯s a fine ol¡¯ girl all the same.¡±


    Sliding down from the driver¡¯s bench himself, Grey ran a critical eye over the ship and nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Hmm. She¡¯ll do, for our purposes. A brigantine, correct?¡± He said to Bella.


    The pirate Captain nodded and crossed her arms. ¡°Aye. She ain¡¯t no warship, and she ain¡¯t no cargo hauler. But she¡¯ll get the job ye want done all the same.¡± She paused for a second, to glance over at where I was soothing the horses. I flushed slightly, caught in the act of eavesdropping. Bella didn¡¯t seem to care though, just turning back to Grey. ¡°Ye know these beasties ain¡¯t settin¡¯ a hoof on me ship, right?¡±


    Grey rolled his eyes at her. ¡°I was captaining ships before you were a sparkle in your great-grandfather¡¯s eye, Isabella. I wasn¡¯t intending to bring the horses with us. Speaking of, Nathan?¡±


    I nodded, already knowing what he wanted. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯ll get on it.¡± Moving around to the back of the wagon, I was unsurprised to see that our companions were already unloading things from it. They knew what the plan was as well. I got to help unloading.


    When we were done and our supplies were resting on the dock, I hurried back over to the front of the wagon. Grey and Bella were already gone, visible on the deck of the ship to my side. I climbed up on the driver''s bench of the wagon, and snapped the reigns to spur the horses. Turning the wagon back around where we came, I directed it to the harbor master¡¯s office that we had passed by earlier. Once I had reached it, I hopped off the bench and walked inside.


    Earlier, Grey had asked me to negotiate the sale of the wagon and horses to the harbor master. He had assured me that in this port, the harbor master would be willing to buy odds and ends. Such as a wagon and four horses formerly owned by the Uprising.


    He was right, and I did manage to negotiate a sale. But I walked out of that office feeling like I had just been fleeced. I guess that was just part of doing business with pirates.


    Before I left the office, I said my goodbyes to the horses. I was a little sad to see them go, actually. For my first time driving a wagon halfway across the countryside, they had been surprisingly friendly. They hadn¡¯t ever really given me any trouble. I hand-fed them some oats, said my goodbyes, and then got on my way.


    By the time I had returned to the Thorny Reef, I was unsurprised to find that our gear and supplies had already been loaded up onto the ship. Those crew had looked like they worked fast. I walked up the gangplank to set foot on the ship that would likely be my home for the foreseeable future. Looking around I found that it looked¡­pretty much as expected. It was a pirate ship, all right. Still, I found a smile creeping onto my face. As a kid, I¡¯d loved pirates and sailing and everything about it. It had never gone anywhere, of course, but the fantasy of it had stuck with me. Now it seemed like I would be living it.


    I was jolted out of my introspection by someone bumping into my shoulder. It was Azarus, with a raised eyebrow. He jerked his head to follow him. ¡°C¡¯mon. We¡¯re meetin¡¯ with the Captain in her cabin.¡± I nodded at him, and followed him inside the ship and through a few corridors, passing by several curious crewmen along the way. At last, we arrived at a slightly fancier-looking door. Azarus opened it without knocking and ushered me inside. Our companions were in the room, with Grey and Bella hunched over a large table with a map spread out over it. They looked up at our entrance.


    Grey waved us over. ¡°Ah, Nathan. I trust the sale was successful?¡±


    I held up a clinking bag. ¡°Yeah, got it here. Can¡¯t help but feel like I was taken advantage of, though.¡±


    Bella openly laughed at me. ¡°With ol¡¯ Reggie, ye probably were!¡±


    Cassandra chuckled as well, leaning over both Grey and Bella¡¯s shoulders. ¡°The man has always been canny.¡±


    Wait.


    Cassandra?


    Everyone took notice of the Triumvirate member at the same time. Including Grey and Bella, whose shoulders she was leaning on. Bella let out a surprisingly girly shriek of surprise and jumped away from the woman in a red coat.


    Grey though?


    Grey had a more violent reaction.


    Spinning in place in a move nearly too fast for me to track, I saw his fist erupt into black and silver light as he used his momentum to hook a punch at Cassandra. She caught it easily, not even blinking. Directing a languid glance at the shining fist she held in her hand, Cassandra smirked at Grey. ¡°Losing your touch, are you Whitegull? Time was, a blow like that from you would have torn me apart.¡±


    For some reason, Grey narrowed his eyes at the woman. I understood a moment later. Somehow, Cassandra knew that Grey wasn¡¯t quite up to his old strength just yet. He was still weakened from his time as a slave.


    In a belated reaction, my companions tensed up, ready for a fight. Most of us didn¡¯t have our weapons on us, but Venix did. He narrowed his eyes at the dark-skinned woman and set his four arms on his blades, but didn¡¯t draw them yet. Oddly, Fade was the only one of us that didn¡¯t show any aggression. He just looked at Cassandra with a calm, even gaze from his place near my feet.


    Meanwhile, Bella had recovered her equilibrium. She balled her fists up and shook one of them at Cassandra. ¡°Don¡¯t do that shite, woman! Ye know I hate it when ye just pop up out of nowhere!¡±


    Cassandra turned her gaze from Grey to smirk at Bella. ¡°Oh? Are you really in a position to be making demands to a member of the Triumvirate?¡± She gave a low laugh, gaze sweeping across everyone in the office. I felt a chill run up my spine when her gaze lingered on me for a moment. ¡°You are aware that you¡¯re aiding someone in direct defiance of one of our orders, yes?¡±


    Realization stole across Bella¡¯s face, causing her fist to drop back to her side limply. ¡°Oh.¡±


    The tension in the room skyrocketed.


    I slowly started to reach for my dagger, sheathed at my waist.

 Chapter 98 - The Thorny Reef

    Cassandra let go of Grey¡¯s shining fist, and shrugged. ¡°Oh well, I guess you¡¯ll just be exiled for five years then.¡±


    The tension in the room deflated like a stuck tire.


    I blinked.


    Bella¡¯s eyebrow twitched, staring at her apparent former mentor with annoyance writ across her face. ¡°That¡¯s all? Ye came just to tell me somethin¡¯ I already knew was goin¡¯ ta happen?¡±


    Cassandra walked over to Bella and pinched her cheek between her index and thumb, like she was a precocious child. She laughed when Bella swatted her arm away in irritation. ¡°Well, I had to say goodbye, now didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Bella huffed. ¡°I¡¯d ask how ye even found out, but that¡¯s a dumb question. Ye¡¯ve got ears in every corner of this damn town.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, it is a dumb question,¡± Cassandra said in amusement, nodding.


    Deactivating whatever skill or spell he was using on his fist, Grey sighed and reached up to massage his brow. ¡°How very like you, Cassandra. I see time hasn¡¯t dulled your twisted sense of humor.¡±


    Cassandra looked over her shoulder at Grey. ¡°Time has certainly dulled aspects about you, old friend.¡± She said pointedly.


    Grey winced, but didn¡¯t say anything in response. I get it. It was one thing for someone else to figure out Grey¡¯s possible weakness, but it was something else entirely to confirm it.


    While the strong people were bantering, the rest of us in the room were relaxing now that it was obvious a fight wasn¡¯t going to happen. Venix released his hold on his blades and stepped back near the door, apparently indifferent to the pirate leader in the room now. I let out a sigh of relief myself, and took my hand away from my dagger. I jumped a little bit when Sylvia shimmered into view next to me, shedding an illusionary cloak. I hadn¡¯t even noticed her disappearing. She gave me a slight smile at my startlement, before focusing back on the conversation.


    Cassandra had dismissed Grey to continue talking to Bella. ¡°It¡¯s a good call, really. Getting out of town for a few years and building yourself back up should work just fine. You were going to be facing an uphill battle to rebuild yourself if you stayed, with all the sharks circling.¡± She paused for a moment, before laughing slightly. ¡°Do you know, Longslip actually came to complain to me about how you damaged one of his warehouses? According to him, it was completely unprovoked.¡±


    Both women laughed at that. Meanwhile, I winced slightly.


    Bella shook her head and wiped a tear of mirth from her eye. ¡°I ain¡¯t surprised. Both that you already heard about that, and that the dog had the gall to try and lodge a complaint.¡±


    ¡°He smelled blood in the water, like the bottom feeder he is,¡± Cassandra shrugged. ¡°But enough about that trash. You know I¡¯m not one for sentimentality, girl, so I¡¯ll say this. Return strong, or don¡¯t return at all. These waters aren¡¯t for the faint of heart or weak of arm. If you decide you can¡¯t hack it anymore out in the Kingdom, just stay there. It¡¯ll be better for the both of us. After all, I can¡¯t have the reputation of Cassandra the Red be sullied by a weakling.¡±


    Bella smiled mirthlessly and shook her head. ¡°Ye haven¡¯t changed, Cass.¡±


    ¡°Us old fogies don¡¯t tend to do that, my dear,¡± Cassandra answered, unphased. ¡°Once you get to a certain age, or even a certain level of power, you become set in your ways. At that point, it¡¯s better for everyone if you step aside for the new blood. Isn¡¯t that right, Whitegull?¡±


    Grey snorted from his position near the map table. ¡°Speak for yourself, harpy.¡±


    Old fogie? I swear this woman didn¡¯t look more than forty-five.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine by me,¡± Bella said stubbornly, ignoring the byplay. Turning her back on her mentor, the Captain of the Thorny Reef strode for the door confidently. ¡°Now if ye¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯ve got a ship ta run.¡± She threw the door of her own room open with a crash and stalked out of it.


    Grey walked over to stand next to Cassandra. She turned to face him with a wry smile. ¡°Children, eh?¡±


    Grey rolled his eyes at his apparent old friend. ¡°It was a long time coming. It will do her good to get out of this town. I don¡¯t believe she¡¯s ever truly known freedom from underneath your wings. Not in this town.¡±


    Cassandra hummed noncommittedly. Slowly, the smile fell off of her face until her face was an impassive mask. She met Grey¡¯s eyes, unblinkingly. ¡°If you get her killed, you and I are going to have a problem, Greycton,¡± She said bluntly.


    ¡°I assure you, I have no intention of placing her in the line of fire,¡± Grey said, unflinching under Cassandra¡¯s hard stare. ¡°However, at one point, you¡¯ll have to accept that Isabella has become her own woman. Her own Captain.¡±


    Cassandra inclined her head slightly at Grey, but didn¡¯t say anything in response. From one moment to the next, the member of the Triumvirate disappeared. It was like she had teleported or something, soundlessly and with no indication whatsoever.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    With her gone, Grey turned to face the rest of us. He clapped his hands together, once. ¡°Well! Now that that¡¯s over with, it¡¯s time for us to get settled. Sylvia, I¡¯ve secured a cabin for our use. Azarus, Venix, Aurum and Nathan, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to bunk with the crew down in the hold. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get used to the rocking of the hammocks eventually.¡±


    I blinked. Hammocks?


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Later that day, I was hunched over the railing of the ship and vomiting my guts out. I didn¡¯t know this about myself, but apparently I was prone to seasickness.


    Fucking yay.


    I¡¯d never been on a boat to figure this out before. What a great time to discover it. I groaned out loud, clutching my stomach. Oh shit.


    I vomited over the side of the railing again. Afterward, I just hung over the railing, wishing that the rocking would stop.


    Shortly after Cassandra had left, the ship had gotten underway. Grey had shown the four of us where we would be bunking down in the hold, while at the same time Bella was taking the Thorny Reef out of port. It turned out we were going to be sleeping in some tiny alcoves along the outer walls of the ship, where literal hammocks were slung between two wooden beams. I¡¯d been dubious of them, but surely they couldn¡¯t be worse than sleeping out in the wilds. Fade had taken one look at them, and promptly went and found Grey. He''d apparently whined enough at my mentor that he was willing to let the pup stay in their room on the trip.


    Little traitor. You should suffer with your master.


    That had been before the constant rocking had started to get to me. Now, I was dreading trying to sleep in a few hours. God, why couldn¡¯t my stats help with this?


    The next time I came up for air, I found a small portion of a light brown root being held in front of my face by a feminine hand. Following it, I found that the hand belonged to Bella, standing off to my side with an amused expression on her face.


    I tried to ask her what she was doing, but all that emerged from my mouth was a miserable groan.


    Bella snorted, and waved the root underneath my nose. Whatever it was, it smelled great honestly. Kind of citrusy. ¡°Take this and chew on it, landlubber. It¡¯ll help calm your stomach.¡±


    I don¡¯t care that it meant accepting a mysterious herb from a pirate. I¡¯d take literally anything to stop the roiling of my stomach. I took it from her and started to desperately chew on it. At the very least, it was pleasant tasting.


    Bella leaned on the railing next to me while I was chewing the root. It only took few minutes for whatever was in the root to start working. Thank God, my stomach started to settle down. I slumped over the railing, this time in relief. I glanced up at Bella to my left. ¡°Thanks for that. I didn¡¯t expect the rocking to get to me this much.¡± I paused for a moment. ¡°Aren¡¯t¡­you supposed to be at the helm?¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t no problem,¡± Bella told me, gazing out at sea. ¡°Common enough that we keep a bit of Riging root on board. Pretty tasty when tossed in the pot, too. And I got a helmsman watchin¡¯ the wheel right now, so it ain¡¯t a problem.¡±


    Looking past her, I saw that she was right. A bandanna-clad crewman that I hadn¡¯t met yet was peacefully minding the helm of the Reef. He must have noticed me looking his way because he nodded at me. I nodded weakly back.


    Bella hummed, casting an eye down my way. ¡°So, what¡¯s yer story? No offense, but ye don¡¯t strike me as strong enough to be sailing with Whitegull of all people.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m not. Not yet, anyway. I¡¯m his apprentice. I¡­helped him out of a bind not long ago, and he took me on when I had nowhere else to go. In thanks, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Apprentice, eh,¡± Bella said musingly. ¡°That have anythin¡¯ to do with those Bond Breaker¡¯s o¡¯ yers that I¡¯ve never heard about?¡±


    I straightened up and gave a noncommittal shrug. ¡°Those are really more my thing than Grey¡¯s.¡± I may have been thankful for the root, but I wasn¡¯t going to be spilling all of my secrets to this woman.


    Still, Bella didn¡¯t seem like she believed me. ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± She said disbelievingly, before tilting her head thoughtfully. ¡°So, that¡¯s where he was. Must have been branded by the stunties or somethin¡¯.¡±


    I gave her a bit of a side-eye. Pretty insightful for a pirate. I turned around and leaned backward on the railing of the ship. ¡°What¡¯s your story then? If I¡¯m Grey¡¯s apprentice, were you Cassandra¡¯s?¡±


    Turning to face me in surprise, Bella stifled a laugh. ¡°Apprentice,¡± She snickered. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that. But I don¡¯t mind talkin¡¯ about it. I was a foundling more than an apprentice. Cass found me hidin¡¯ in a cupboard on a ship that she plundered.¡±


    My eyebrows rose at that. ¡°What were you doing on the ship? Were you with your parents? Did she¡­¡± I trailed off. I left it unsaid.


    ¡°I don¡¯t rightly know,¡± Bella answered, unbothered. ¡°And I can¡¯t say I care much. I don¡¯t have any memories from back then, what does it matter ta me if Cass killed me parents? I owe Cass more fer the woman I¡¯ve become. After she took me in, I lived as a ship rat under her wings fer years. Once I was fully grown, I struck out on me own. Took a bit, but I had me own small fleet after a few years. And then I lost it all to a pack of damn monsters.¡± She finished bitterly.


    Yeah that¡­sounded like it sucked. I didn¡¯t get the impression she wanted platitudes from me though, so I didn¡¯t say anything in response. I just made an acknowledging noise, and then let the sound of the rolling sea surrounding us fill the air.


    We stood in silence for a moment, while Bella calmed down.


    We were interrupted by the sound of the cabin door leading to the lower decks opening. Azarus stepped out of it, holding his hammer in his right hand. He scanned the deck and saw Bella and I next to the railing. Slinging his weapon over his shoulder, he approached us. ¡°Oi, Nate,¡± He called out with a grin. ¡°Did ya think that just because we¡¯re on a boat ya were getting¡¯ out of practice?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called a ship, stuntie!¡± Bella called out before I could answer. ¡°It ain¡¯t some kinda pansy ass ittle bittie boat!¡±


    Azarus snorted when he reached us, apparently unconcerned with being called what I thought was a dwarven slur. ¡°Whatever ya say.¡±


    ¡°And I don¡¯t care if¡¯n ye want to practice, but don¡¯t go bustin¡¯ up me deck or we¡¯ll have problems,¡± Bella said, her hands on her hips.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Azarus said dismissively. ¡°We¡¯re just goin¡¯ to be doin¡¯ weapon practice. We won¡¯t put a scratch on your ship.¡±


    Bella snorted in response, but nodded at me in goodbye before stalking away back to the helm. I watched her go, but was knocked out of it when Azarus slugged me in the arm. I yelped like a struck dog and turned to stare at my dwarven friend. ¡°The hell was that for?¡±


    Azarus laughed at me. ¡°C¡¯mon, lover boy. Ya can moon after more women when we¡¯re done.¡± He wandered away at that, in the direction of the upper deck.


    I blinked at his retreating back. Lover boy? Where did that come from?


    I shook my head, and followed Azarus to get my daily ass-kicking from the weapon master.

 Chapter 99 - Calamitous Taboo

    It had been three days since we¡¯d started sailing at this point. And Grey had been right. Not long after our departure, and after Azarus had gotten done smacking me around, our group had been put to work on the ship.


    I think I got off easy, though.


    As the lowest level person in our party, I¡¯d been assigned the dullest and simplest jobs that were free. In practice, that meant I¡¯d been mostly swabbing the deck for the last three days. Bella was pretty strict on this. She wanted her deck to be clean and clear at all hours of the day. Not something I would¡¯ve expected from a pirate, but what did I actually know? She wasn¡¯t a very typical person, anyway. Not from what I¡¯d learned about her.


    Wet the deck, scrub the deck, rinse the deck. Hour after hour of it.


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t mind the work. The repetitiveness of it was almost meditative after a while. I think I needed the mindlessness of something like this, after discovering that I wasn¡¯t quite as mentally sound as I¡¯d thought I was.


    But the day¡¯s work was over, and I was done as well. I wasn¡¯t part of the night shift, so I¡¯d handed off my mop and bucket to the other guy. I think his name was Hans? We hadn¡¯t talked much.


    I hadn¡¯t seen much of the others since we¡¯d gotten underway, either. Azarus and Grey were on the night shift, while Venix was on the day shift with me working the rigging. Guy seemed good at it, what with how strong he was and the fact he had four arms. Aurum had been assigned to the infirmary when it was discovered he was a healer, and Sylvia was working the crow¡¯s nest.


    Right now, I¡¯d been invited to a game of cards with three of the other crewmen. Apparently we were playing something called Karat, which I¡¯d learned was pretty similar to poker from back home. It wasn¡¯t one-to-one, but I could see the similarities.


    Guess there were only so many ways you could design an easy to understand card game.


    I¡¯d picked it up quickly.


    Laying my cards on the table with an exaggerated flourish, I smirked at the three other guys at the table. ¡°Two moons, and three stars. What did you call that? A constellation?¡±


    The guy across from me, Morlow, cursed and tossed his hand of cards down on the table. ¡°Shoulda never taught ye this game, landlubber.¡±


    The other two players, guys I¡¯d met named Laryn and Curloch, revealed their cards as well with a disappointed air. None of them had a better hand than I did. I let out a short laugh, and took my winnings from the pot.


    ¡°Aw, man,¡± Laryn said with a crestfallen air, watching me take the gold coins. ¡°That was me pay fer the last week.¡±


    Yeah, yeah. Calm down. I¡¯m not an asshole. I was going to bet it all again on the next hand anyway, no matter my cards. I didn¡¯t need the crew to start resenting my presence on the ship if I started winning all their wages.


    That sounded like a good way to get shanked in your sleep by a disgruntled pirate.


    Curloch dragged all of the loose cards his way, and began shuffling them. ¡°So, how ye enjoyin¡¯ sea life, lad?¡± He asked me energetically, apparently already over his losing hand. The man had an easy smile on his chubby features.


    ¡°Not too bad, not too bad,¡± I said, accepting my cards from him. I wasn¡¯t even lying. I could definitely see the appeal of living a life at sea. The widest open space possible, the salty smell of the brine, the wind in your hair¡­


    Yeah, I liked it.


    Morlow broke out of his glowering to snort at me, accepting his own cards at the same time. ¡°Say that when ye¡¯ve spent more than a few days out on the drink, boy. It ain¡¯t all fair winds and smooth sailin¡¯ like this.¡±


    ¡°Gods, the Captain ran into a damn Prime last time she went out!¡± Laryn broke in anxiously. ¡°A Prime! How often do ye hear o¡¯ one o¡¯ those formin¡¯, ¡®specially out at sea?¡±


    ¡°And now we¡¯re sailin¡¯ right back into the beastie''s murderous arms,¡± Curloch said, smile dimming. ¡°And after all them people we lost to it.¡±


    ¡°Were you guys there? Last time the Captain ran into the Neptaurians?¡± I asked the group, betting the gold I¡¯d just won. I had shit all for a hand, though.


    ¡°Nah, we were in port,¡± Laryn shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ve been with the Reef fer decades at this point, even before Captain Bella took over. It were pure luck on our part this ship weren¡¯t part of the fleet when they were all sunk. Gods rest their souls.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t no gods anymore, ye doofus,¡± Morlow scowled at Laryn, running a hand over his bald head. ¡°Pray to the Gyre, if yer gonna be doin¡¯ any prayin¡¯. At least the System has our backs these days.¡±


    I took note of that. So, the Church of the Gyre had to do with the System. I¡¯d been wondering exactly what it worshipped. I¡¯d wanted to speak to Preceptor Eduard about whatever it was, all those weeks ago. But I¡¯d never gotten the chance. I decided not to ask these guys about it, though. Seemed like knowledge that would be too common. Instead, I asked them a question that would hopefully not seem too suspicious.


    ¡°So, Primes,¡± I said, laying my cards on the table. ¡°I never learned much about those. What can they do? What should we expect?¡±


    Thankfully, I didn¡¯t get any odd looks from the table. They were too busy comparing hands. Curloch won this one, and dragged the winnings his way with a woop. Still laughing, he took the time to answer my question. ¡°Primes are a pain in the ass, that¡¯s what they are.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Think of ¡®em like¡­¡± Laryn broke in, grasping for the right word. He snapped his fingers, finding it. ¡°Like Captains o¡¯ monsters! They get born among a group of ¡®em, and it¡¯s like they almost infect that group. They gather a crew o¡¯ their own, and get to work pillagin¡¯. They¡¯re a right pain in the arse whenever one pops up. ¡®Course, it¡¯s not like they¡¯re as bad as a Calamity or some-¡±


    Laryn didn¡¯t get the chance to finish his sentence. Morlow turned to face him at speed and stood up abruptly. In a lunging motion across the table, his fist crashed straight onto Laryn¡¯s face, cutting off his words. I jolted in surprise at the sudden assault. Laryn fell back, stunned, still sitting in his chair


    ¡°DON¡¯T YE SAY THAT WORD ON THIS SHIP!¡± He bellowed, standing over Laryn¡¯s dazed, prone form. He reached for a knife on his belt and drew it, waving the blade wildly over Laryn¡¯s downed form. ¡°DON¡¯T YE SAY THAT, YE HEAR ME?! YE¡¯LL DOOM US ALL!¡±


    What? What did he say? Rewinding the conversation in my mind, I tried to remember what Laryn had said to set Morlow off. Was it¡­Calamity? I decided not to try my luck and risk setting off Morlow again. I glanced over at Curloch, to see what he thought of this. He was glowering down at Laryn as well from his seat at the table.


    ¡°Ye damn fool,¡± Curloch spat off to the side. ¡°Ye know better than to tempt the sea like that. Ye¡¯ve been sailing fer decades at this point. We¡¯ve both known Captain¡¯s that¡¯d keelhaul ye for even saying that word on their ship.¡±


    Still huffing in rage, Morlow turned to face me. ¡°All ye need to know about Primes,¡± He told me shortly. ¡°Is that they¡¯re bigger, smarter, and stronger than normal monsters. And they make other monsters stronger and smarter too. Now get out. This game is over.¡± He finished, with a pointed look at the door.


    I stood up from the table slowly, with raised hands. ¡°All right,¡± I said as non-threateningly as I could. ¡°I¡¯m going.¡±


    Curloch broke in, turning to face me with an apologetic look. He stood up from the table as well. ¡°Ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ to do with ye, lad. We just got to have a little chat with our mate here. Now run along. Got another day o¡¯ toil tomorrow.¡±


    I nodded to show I understood and walked out of the door. As I turned around to close it behind me, my last sight of the three was Curloch bending down to crouch next to Laryn. He had a hard look on his usually jovial features.


    The door shut.


    Huh. Now what?


    I was broken out of my thoughts by the sound of a shout behind me. Turning around, I saw Bella at the wheel of the ship, with Grey standing next to her. The both of them were illuminated by the rising moon behind them.


    ¡°Oi!¡± Bella called down to me, from my position on a lower deck. ¡°What¡¯s all that noise, then? I heard shoutin¡¯!¡±


    I made my way up to them, jogging up the stairs to the helm. Once I reached the of them, I open and shut my mouth once, searching for the words. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know. We were just playing cards, and then Morlow went off on Laryn.¡±


    Bella snorted, relaxing somewhat. ¡°Eh, that¡¯s just Morlow. Man has one of the shortest tempers I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Grey piped in, incidentally puffing on his pipe as well. ¡°What did this Laryn say?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well, we were talking about Primes, and then Laryn said they weren¡¯t as bad as a Ca-¡± I cut myself off, glancing at Bella. ¡°As a word that starts with C, and rhymes with humanity.¡±


    God, I hoped Language Adaptation translated that correctly, or else I¡¯d probably just sounded like a crazy man.


    Apparently it did, because Grey started coughing on his pipe smoke, shooting me an incredulous look.


    Meanwhile, Bella¡¯s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. ¡°Oh hells, I better go make sure they don¡¯t kill the dumbass. Whitegull, take the wheel.¡± Grey nodded at Bella, still coughing slightly. She didn¡¯t see though, as she was hurrying down the stairs that I had just come up. Grey and I watched her cross the deck in a hurry and enter the door to the room with the three crewmen.


    When she vanished from sight, I shot Grey a glance out of the corner of my eye. ¡°So¡­¡± I trailed off, once I got his attention. ¡°Can I ask what that was about?¡±


    Grey snuffed his pipe and then tapped it on the wheel in front of him, causing ash to rain from it and blow away in the wind. Stowing the pipe in his robes, he gave me a contemplative look. ¡°I assume you¡¯re referring to Calamities, then?¡± At my startled look, he smiled at me and shook his head. ¡°I assure you, it¡¯s fine to speak out loud about them.¡± He paused for a moment, before amending himself. ¡°In general terms.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t ominous at all. ¡°Alright, what are ¡®Calamities¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Super-monsters,¡± Grey said bluntly. ¡°Beyond even Prime¡¯s, Calamities are enormous monsters of unfathomable power. Beyond harassing a shipping lane like the Prime we hunt, a Calamity hunts nations. We are quite lucky indeed that there are currently no living Calamities known to exist.¡±


    I felt a chill run up and down my spine. Nations?


    Grey continued. ¡°And I assure you, that isn¡¯t an exaggeration. Many years ago, Vereden was home to another race of people,¡± He paused for a moment with a conflicted look on his aged features. ¡°I¡­cannot speak to you their name. If I had a scrap of paper on me, I would tell you in that manner. Alas, I do not at the moment. In modern times, they¡¯re referred to as The Lost. They were a brilliant people, really. Quite academic, quite inventive. Physically, they were smaller than even our dwarven friends, but similar enough in appearance to humanity. They were the sole masters of a small subcontinent off of the northeast coast of mainland Vereden. They are also, unfortunately, all dead.¡±


    My eyes widened in shock. An entire race of people? Just¡­gone?


    ¡°In their endless curiosity and, frankly speaking, arrogance, they sought to understand the process by which Primes and Calamities were formed. They experimented on quite a few species of monster to find this process. Unfortunately, they were successful in creating a Calamity. And it hated them,¡± Grey said ominously. ¡°I also cannot tell you the actual name that this quite intelligent monster took for itself, for one simple reason. This beast cursed both the name of the people that created it, and its own name, with a form of taboo. It somehow knew whenever someone, anyone in the world would speak either of those names. It passed this ability onto its spawn, and unfortunately, we can¡¯t be certain that all of them were destroyed. And it and its children hunted, endlessly, for decades. Even after it had genocided the entirety of The Lost, it hunted. You see, it hated The Lost with such a passion that it not only wanted them dead, but for them to be erased from history altogether.¡±


    Grey¡¯s words hung heavy in the night air.


    ¡°Finally, a coalition comprised of Kingdom and Principality joined together in order to hunt the creature in return. I was part of the army assembled for this purpose, incidentally. I wasn¡¯t quite as strong then as I am now, but I was still quite a powerful up-and-coming Classer. It slaughtered many of us when we finally cornered the beast. Including my own mentor.¡± Grey went silent for a moment, before continuing in a quieter tone. ¡°He saw potential in me, after I had my fill of the sea. And then he died, at the talons of what we now refer to simply as the Sea Beast. Quite¡­ironic.¡±


    I¡­didn¡¯t know what to say to that. I don¡¯t think Grey was in much of a mood to speak after that as well. He fell into a moody silence after this impromptu horror lesson, staring off into the night sky at Elys on the horizon. Thankfully, Bella returned shortly after that. I noticed that she had gotten some blood on her blue coat, visible under the moonlight. She shooed Grey away from the wheel, and me off to bed.


    As I left the helm, my last sight of Grey was him standing at the back railing of the Reef, staring off at the full moon in the distance. I left him to his contemplation.


    I had never forgotten the way the moonlight had embraced him, when he was freed from his slave brand.


    I went to bed in my hammock that night, with visions of some unspeakable Sea Beast slaughtering people by the thousands running through my mind.

 Chapter 100 - Two For One

    When I swabbed the game room the next day, there were some bloodstains on the floorboards. After having a night to dry on the wood, I almost couldn''t get them out. I had to scrub pretty hard in order to do so. I almost wondered if Morlow and Curloch had killed Laryn, but I saw him in the galley for lunch. He looked pretty beat-up, but not in a way that would explain the blood stains I saw.


    ¡°Oh, they took me eye,¡± He said offhandedly when I asked him about it, pointing to a bandage over his left eye. When I stared at him, aghast at his nonchalance, he smirked back at me mirthlessly. ¡°I deserved it. Had a bit too much to drink, I did, and started talkin¡¯ about things I shouldn¡¯t¡¯ve. Me mates were lenient on me. And it ain¡¯t a big deal, anyway. I¡¯ll get it grown back once we get back to port from this here business.¡±


    Okay. Well.


    I don¡¯t think I would be that relaxed about someone literally carving out my eye. But maybe it was because I came from someplace where you couldn¡¯t just go to the equivalent of a doctor and get it grown back.


    After that little episode, it was pretty smooth sailing for the next few days. I did my assigned duties, spoke to my friends when I could, and even tried to learn a few things about sailing. With the way that Grey had spoken about having a ship somewhere down south, it might be helpful. You know, what with being his apprentice and everything.


    I¡­don¡¯t think I was going to follow too closely in his footsteps, though. I wasn¡¯t interested in becoming a full-on pirate.


    Excuse me.


    Privateer.


    However, on the fourth day after that little incident, I was called to the Captain¡¯s quarters after hours. When I got there, I found my entire party in there, along with Pete. You know, I hadn¡¯t actually seen him over the last few days. Weird. It wasn¡¯t that big of a ship.


    Bella impatiently waved me in. ¡°Close the door, will ya?¡±


    I did as she asked, raising an eyebrow in a wordless question at the closest person to me. That turned out to be Sylvia, who just shrugged at me. I decided to wait for the explanation instead of just bothering people with needless questions.


    ¡°All right,¡± Bella started in a firm tone. ¡°Now that yer all here, we can start. We¡¯re getting¡¯ close to the Seahorsemen¡¯s huntin¡¯ range. I reckon we can expect them to start tryin¡¯ to hit us soon.¡±


    The mood in the room grew much more serious. I stood up straighter, and paid even closer attention to Bella.


    Said Captain leaned over the map table, where one was laid out. She waved our group closer. When I approached the table, I saw that the specific map she had seemed to be of a long stretch of coast where some locations were marked.


    ¡°This,¡± Bella said, pointing to a spot on the coast. ¡°Is where Marrowmist is. And this,¡± She said, moving a finger to a point on the open sea about a hands length away from Marrowmist. ¡°Is about roughly where we are.¡±


    Grey cleared his throat politely, and used his finger to move hers down slightly. At Bella¡¯s dirty look, he just smiled at her, as if butter wouldn¡¯t melt in his mouth.


    Bella snorted, but continued. ¡°Over here,¡± She said, moving her finger to point at a small spit of rock on the map. ¡°Is where Caer Drarrow is. Now that¡¯s where I¡¯m takin¡¯ ye, but first we¡¯ll have to deal with the Prime and his herd. Now, I talked to some of the other Captains back in port, and we figure that their range is somewhere around¡­here.¡± She said, making a large circle on the map.


    Inside said circle was the island of Caer Drarrow.


    Grey¡¯s attention sharpened. ¡°Wait,¡± He said, raising a hand. ¡°That cannot be right. Such a large hunting ground is unheard of. Even for a Prime. Especially for a Prime. They¡¯re not known for ranging far and wide in search of prey. Why would they? They¡¯ve already reached the apex designation for their species. Their bestial instincts tell them that all they need now is to defend their territory, and control their underlings.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, but this is what I¡¯ve been told,¡± Bell said stubbornly. She stabbed a finger down at the map, farther from where we were, but still within the circle she had indicated earlier. ¡°I was around right here when I was attacked and lost me fleet. I know they range farther than they should.¡±


    Grey stroked his bare chin contemplatively, while I considered the problem. ¡°Is it possible,¡± I spoke slowly, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°To control monsters?¡±


    Grey¡¯s stroking stilled at my question. ¡°Elaborate please.¡± He said, directing an intense gaze at me.


    ¡°Well,¡± I said, a little unnerved at the strength of his stare. ¡°I already know it¡¯s possible to influence monsters, through the Breakage Effect. If this Prime and its herd are acting unusual, maybe they¡¯re being compelled somehow.¡±


    While Bella was mouthing the words ¡®Breakage Effect¡¯ to herself in confusion, Grey¡¯s frown grew deeper with every word I said.


    When I finished, he was scowling. ¡°Damn,¡± Grey said in frustration. ¡°It¡¯s possible, if not difficult, to influence the behaviors of monsters.¡± He heaved a sigh. ¡°You cannot outright control them, but¡­¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Are ye sayin¡¯,¡± Bella said slowly, dangerously. ¡°That I lost me fleet because someone¡¯s been playing silly buggers with a bunch of damn monsters?¡±


    Grey gave a short nod. ¡°Isabella, whereabout on this map is the current blockade line, separating the north and south of the continent?¡±


    Bella narrowed her eyes at Grey, but hunched over the map again. She studied it for a moment before she outright scowled. Wordlessly, she drew a straight line across the open waters of the map.


    Right through the bottom portion of the range circle she had drawn earlier.


    And near Caer Drarrow.


    Grey heaved a long, drawn-out sigh. ¡°Damn,¡± He said finally. ¡°The Loyalists are directing the herd.¡±


    Aurum spoke up hesitantly. ¡°How is that possible, Headmaster?¡±


    ¡°As Nathan said, it¡¯s possible to influence monsters in certain ways,¡± Grey answered. ¡°I cannot say which way they¡¯re using, but the evidence available to us suggests the possibility. These are low tactics indeed, but I can see the masterminds behind the Loyalists stooping to this degree.¡±


    ¡°Hold on now,¡± Azarus frowned, and crossed his arms. ¡°Bit of a stretch, don¡¯t ya think? It could just be a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°No, I see what he¡¯s saying,¡± I said before Grey could, studying the map. ¡°If the blockade line is directly in the path of the herd¡¯s hunting range, why aren¡¯t they being attacked by it? They must have some way to ward off the Neptaurians.¡±


    ¡°As you say, Nathan,¡± Grey said wearily. ¡°Before we had even left Hollow Hill, the latest intelligence was that the blockade was whole and undamaged. The Uprising¡¯s intelligence agents would have noticed if it was under attack by a Prime led monster herd.¡±


    ¡°And those agents would have had no idea that the herd even existed,¡± Sylvia said in a displeased tone. ¡°Their mission was to observe the blockade, and not the waters north of it. If these monsters were avoiding the line¡­¡±


    ¡°All right, all right,¡± Azarus said, raising his hands. ¡°I get the point.¡±


    Bella took in all of our conversation with a narrowed gaze, before speaking up. ¡°I don¡¯t care much about any o¡¯ that. What I care about is killin¡¯ the damn things.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re in luck, my dear,¡± Grey said with a shake of his head. ¡°I believe our goals align. You see, if the Loyalists have been directing the herd, they must be providing a safe haven for them as well. It just so happens that there¡¯s a convenient cave at Caer Drarrow, hidden under the water line.¡±


    I suppressed a sigh. I think I knew where this was going.


    ¡°Call it fate, but that same cave has been our destination this whole time. It is from there that I can access the prison interior, through a backdoor that I installed during its construction.¡± Grey said with a grim smile.


    A sharp smile grew on Bella¡¯s features. ¡°Well, well, well. Looks like we ain¡¯t gonna have to comb the waters fer the Seahorsemen after all.¡±


    I guess not.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    After inadvertently discovering our target¡¯s location, Bella had left the room to adjust our course. We didn¡¯t need to wander about through the Neptaurian¡¯s hunting range anymore, waiting for an attack with baited breath.


    No, we were going to beard the dragon in its den.


    So to speak.


    While Bella and Grey left to adjust our course toward Caer Drarrow, I retreated to the same room that I had played cards in a few days ago. It was empty at the moment, as most of the crew were either asleep or working their night shift. I should be asleep as well, but I was feeling restless. I¡¯d decided to get some crafting in to try and calm my mind. I was nearly done with my most important project anyway.


    Way back after we had escaped Addersfield, I¡¯d hit on an idea. Back home on Earth, we had conquered our planet through the use of a certain weapon. One that I wanted to see if I could recreate, with my oh-so-special Profession.


    The gun.


    I had no hope of being able to recreate anything modern from back home, but I think I understood the mechanism behind an extremely simple hand cannon. I was far from a gunsmith, but it was basically just a metal tube stuffed with gunpowder and a metal ball.


    Hardly the most complicated thing I¡¯d made at this point.


    Honestly, I wondered why nobody on Vereden had made any yet. From what I¡¯d seen, they certainly had the tech level for it. It¡¯s not like they would be completely useless in a society where nearly everyone had a Status and a Class with some combat capabilities. I think a large amount of the monsters I¡¯d fought here could have been killed more easily with a gun.


    If this worked out, I would get to work on trying to advance to flintlock pistols. For now, my test bed gun was just too unwieldy to use in combat. I mean, Mechanical Engineering was a thing on this planet now, and Aetherial Melding was pretty much all of the Professions combined. I should be capable of it, especially after I¡¯d managed to make my spear.


    Heh, I guess I might end up being the equivalent of Sam Colt on this planet. I may not have made the people on this planet, but I was fine trying to make them all equal. Man, I¡¯d love a revolver.


    Picking up the finished product, I cast a gaze over it. It¡­pretty much looked like an iron tube on a stick. There was a hole in the side where I could insert a firestarter, but it wasn¡¯t much more complicated than that. This was really just a proof of concept.


    Setting it back down, I picked up the small bag of black powder that I¡¯d managed to kludge together. I¡¯d needed Grey¡¯s help with this part, as I hadn¡¯t remembered the correct ingredients. I¡¯d remembered charcoal and sulfur, but that was all. When I¡¯d talked to Grey about the creation of black powder during our trip to Marrowmist, he¡¯d actually been a little interested in it. He¡¯d considered my question, and then directed me to a grey, powdery substance that he said was typically used in the tanning of leather. I don¡¯t know what it was called in the local languages, but Language Adaptation had translated it to saltpeter.


    Which was the right ingredient. As soon as I¡¯d heard that word, I¡¯d remembered that was what had been missing. I¡¯d tested the mixture several times, to the interested gaze of our party. It had worked just fine, producing a satisfying sizzle and flash of light when ignited. Interesting smell, too.


    It was time to test this. I, uh, knew that most people on the ship were sleeping, but¡­


    I was too excited from having finished this to wait any longer. If the noise of the gun going off woke people up, I¡¯d just apologize.


    I mean, what were they gonna do? Throw me overboard?


    I picked up my proto-gun, the powder, the simple lead balls that I¡¯d made for bullets, the stick I¡¯d be using as a firestarter, and a torch. I¡¯d just light the end of the stick in the torch to produce the fire I¡¯d need. Then, shove it in the back hole to set off the powder. In the meanwhile, I shoved everything in an empty sack I¡¯d grabbed from the hold.


    Once I¡¯d gathered my things, I left the room to go try out the gun on the upper deck.


    I¡¯d make sure I was extra careful. Didn¡¯t want to set the ship on fire, after all.

 Chapter 101 - Testing Setback

    Because it was night, the decks were mostly clear. Grey and Bella were up at the helm as usual, consulting a compass and map and likely plotting and adjusting the route to Caer Drarrow. Sylvia¡¯s gleaming form was visible up in the crow''s nest, where she waved down at me. I absentmindedly waved back. Other than that, there was only one other crewman that I saw, leaning against the starboard side rail and seemingly napping on his feet.


    I walked away from the others up and toward the fore of the ship. Looking around, I confirmed the coast was clearing and started setting up. First I poured some of the black powder down the barrel of my primitive firearm, and then tamped it down with the stick I was going to use as a firestarter. Then, I dropped one of my lead shots down the barrel.


    You know, now that I was actually doing this, I realized that I didn¡¯t know what the fuck I was doing. The entire process that I was working from was guesswork. I was basing the entire thing on old memories and childhood movies. It was entirely possible that this abomination in my hands would explode.


    I contemplated the device in my hands, and then shrugged.


    Eh, whatever. I¡¯d probably live.


    Status had to be good for something.


    I first lit the torch and then set it into a brace near me, and then lit the end of my stick on fire. I put it out, so there were only glowing embers on the end instead of a full-on fire. Seemed like a good idea to me. Bracing the wooden end of the pseudo-cannon on the deck of the ship like it was a firework, I aimed it at the sky away from the sails. I brought the glowing end of my stick up level with the hole near the base of the iron cannon.


    With an excited grin on my face, I jammed it into the black powder and braced myself for the explosion, closing my eyes.


    After a few moments, I opened them in confusion.


    Nothing had happened.


    Looking down, I confirmed that the glowing end of the stick had entered the small hole. Furrowing my brow, I stirred it around inside the barrel a little. I definitely felt the powder in there. Taking out the stick from the hole, I held it up to look at it. Yeah¡­it was definitely still lit. If anything, it was glowing a little brighter, as stray sparks were now flying off of it from the residual black powder.


    Odd.


    Okay¡­attempt number two. This time keeping my eyes fixed on the entrance hole, I stuck the firestarter in the hole again. I paid close attention this time, but nothing happened inside the hole again. No sparks, no explosion, no boom, and most importantly, no gunshot. The black powder that had previously been sparking on the end of the lit stick was now inert.


    What the hell?


    Okay, maybe the powder was bad somehow? Last time I tested it was a few days out from Marrowmist. Could the sea air have dampened it or something?


    In the...few seconds that it had been inside the gun.


    I sighed, and went through the process of unpacking the primitive firearm. Taking the sack I¡¯d held everything in, I dumped everything in the barrel out on top of it. Taking the torch in my right hand and a handful of black powder in my left, I walked up to the railing of the ship. I leaned over it leading with the torch, holding it over the calm waters below. Holding my left hand over the torch, I let some of the black powder escape my hand, to drift down onto the flame below.


    The powder ignited just fine, leading to a momentary flash of dim light. That was great, but it wasn¡¯t what had caught my attention.


    The flash of light had illuminated something below me in the water. A pair of large yellow eyes, glaring upwards.


    My breath caught in my throat. Slowly, I opened my hand and let a little more black powder drift down onto the torch. This time when the flash of light happened, I didn¡¯t see anything below me.


    No eyes.


    Maybe it had just been a really big fish or something? I let out a shaky breath, and laughed slightly. Man, I wasn¡¯t normally this jumpy. Maybe I should just get some sleep, and try and figure out what was wrong with the gun tomorrow.


    I backed away from the railing and turned around, torch in hand.


    The light illuminated a massive, quadrupedal form with the torso of a man growing from it standing in front of me. I didn¡¯t get the chance to either inspect it more or even scream before a massive hand closed on my mouth, nearly enclosing my entire head. Swiftly, whatever this was drove me down to the deck, seemingly making an effort to be quiet.


    I tried to scream into the hand holding me down, grasping at it ineffectively. However, my scream wasn¡¯t just cut off by the hand, but by the sphere of water that was somehow starting to engulf my head. The hand on my face loosened only slightly, but only enough that water started to rush into my mouth. Wild with panic, I activated Sylvan Vigor and tried to pry the hand holding me down off of me.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    I still couldn¡¯t budge it, though.


    Fuck. Fuck¡­


    I could already feel myself slipping from the asphyxiation. I couldn¡¯t do anything to this thing, so I had to grab the attention of the other people on deck. Desperately, I moved my eyes around as much as I was able to, hoping for a magical solution.


    I found one.


    I¡¯d dropped the torch not far from my position, and lying close to it was the small sack of black powder that I¡¯d made. With a surge of hope, I scrabbled frantically for the torch from my prone position. My heart lept as my hand closed around it. Desperately, I tossed it to the open sack.


    It exploded immediately, in a massive flash of light and flame. The creature holding me down reared back with a strange chirping noise, releasing my face. Luckily, the sphere of water around my head dissipated as well, letting me cough up the water in my lungs.


    Above me, the monster that had nearly killed me was hit by a bright silver bolt of power. It was blown off of its¡­hooves, impacting the railing behind it with a screeching noise. Despite how drained I felt, I still tried to scramble to my feet. I don¡¯t think the monster was dead from whatever had hit it, and I needed to get up anyway. The explosion of the black powder had lit a few fires around me, and I needed to struggle away from it.


    I needn¡¯t have bothered.


    Sylvia fell from the sky like an avenging angel, blue short-sword plunging into the flesh of the creature. Whatever it was managed one last weak chirping noise before slumping over, dead. Sylvia abandoned her blade in the flesh of the monster, uncaring about the corpse of the beast. She instead hurried over to my side, and helped me to my feet.


    ¡°Nathan, are you well?¡± Sylvia asked me urgently. ¡°Are you injured?¡±


    ¡°N-¡± I tried to say, but broke out into a fit of coughs instead. I shook my head. ¡°No, I¡¯m¡­fine. Thanks to you.¡± I smiled at her weakly from my hunched-over position. That didn¡¯t seem to reassure her much, as she still looked worried.


    Our attention was stolen when what seemed like the rest of the ship stormed onto the deck we were on. Leading the way were Grey and Bella, with spell and sword in hand, both gleaming silver. I guess it had been Grey that had sniped the creature away from me. Most of the crew were bleary-eyed and half-dressed, but that didn¡¯t prevent them from seeming very willing to jump into battle. Among them were Azarus and Venix. Azarus didn¡¯t have a shirt on, but he still had his hammer and shield ready. Venix had one of his four swords drawn and was scanning the deck with sharp eyes.


    Speaking of, at the same time that they arrived, the creature finally dissipated into a puff of Miasma. Everyone on the deck watched as Sylvia¡¯s sword and a monster core the size of a golf ball fell to the deck.


    Bella broke the silence. ¡°Can anyone tell me,¡± She said in a rising tone. ¡°JUST WHAT THE BLEEDIN¡¯ HELL IS GOIN¡¯ ON?!¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    It took the crew a bit to put out the fires caused from my explosion. Of which the Captain of said ship wasn¡¯t too happy about.


    I fell on my ass, knocked there by a swift hook from Bella. The world went white for a moment as I experienced a ringing noise in my ears. When my sight cleared up, I found Bella standing over me with an outstretched hand and an irritated look on her face. I took it, grateful for the hand up.


    We were in her Captains quarters again, and I¡¯d just finished explaining what had happened. After which Bell had decided to deal out a little corporal punishment for the damage I¡¯d caused to her ship.


    I didn¡¯t blame her.


    Still.


    I rubbed my aching jaw. That woman could throw a mean punch.


    Bella was still giving me the evil eye. ¡°Don¡¯t test explosives on a ship, ye moron.¡±


    I held up my hands in surrender. ¡°Hey, it wasn¡¯t supposed to explode. Well, much,¡± I amended. At the incredulous look on her face, I smiled weakly. ¡°It was meant to be a small, controlled explosion. The only reason there was anything louder than a ¡®pop¡¯ was because I was trying to alert the ship.¡±


    Bella snorted, while Grey stepped between us shaking his head. ¡°Be that as it may Nathan, you should have waited until we reached the shore to test your ¡®gonne¡¯. Isabella, as Nathan¡¯s mentor, I¡¯m fine with whatever punishment detail you wish to assign him.¡±


    I winced, but nodded slightly. I¡¯d let my enthusiasm get ahead of me on this one, I acknowledged that.


    Bella waved Grey off, muttering something about Mages under her breath. ¡°Just make sure ta clean and polish the decks after the fire and we¡¯re good. We got more important things ta worry about right now.¡±


    ¡°The Neptaurian,¡± Sylvia interjected, pushing off of the wall she¡¯d been leaning against. ¡°Who was most assuredly a scout of some kind.¡±


    So that had been a Neptaurian. From the brief glimpse I¡¯d gotten of it, I hadn¡¯t been sure. Using Observe on the beast hadn¡¯t been high on my list of priorities while it was drowning me. It had almost seemed like a kind of¡­aquatic centaur or something, like the creature out of Greek myth from back home.


    I¡¯d probably be getting a better look at more of them soon.


    Bella nodded at Sylvia¡¯s observation. ¡°Aye, it was for sure a scout. And it must have been new, or else we¡¯d¡¯ve known about.¡±


    ¡°How? How could you have possibly known about it?¡± I asked Bella, puzzled. ¡°Do you have some kind of¡­ship sense skill or something?¡±


    ¡°Gods no!¡± She said, barking out a laugh. ¡°I wish I had somethin¡¯ like that. We just have someone keepin¡¯ a watch on things under the ship. Only, he were off duty when that one jumped ye.¡±


    What? Keeping a watch under the ship?


    The door of Bella¡¯s quarters creaked open, drawing the attention of everyone inside. Pete slipped through, but froze when he saw everyone looking at him. He let out a nervous laugh, running a hand over his porous head.


    Bella rolled her eyes and nodded at him. ¡°Pete¡¯s been pullin¡¯ shifts under the ship fer the last few days. It ain¡¯t like he needs ta breath down there. Just needs somethin¡¯ to weigh ¡®im down a bit and a chain attached to the ship, so he don¡¯t float to the top.¡± She smirked. ¡°His punishment fer tryin¡¯ to deal with the Longslip boys.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t gotta breathe, but it¡¯s still cold down there, Captain,¡± Pete said mournfully.


    ¡°Suck it up,¡± Bella scoffed at him. ¡°Cold don¡¯t hurt you none.¡±


    Grey cleared his throat, interrupting the back and forth. ¡°As amusing as this is, we still have the problem of the herd possibly being alerted to our presence.¡±


    Bella turned away from Pete to shrug at Grey. ¡°It ain¡¯t really a problem. We¡¯re goin¡¯ to slaughter the lot of them, ain¡¯t we? If they show up before we reach this cave o¡¯ yers, that just means we ain¡¯t takin¡¯ a guess on their nest.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Grey sighed. ¡°Since this was likely a new scout, then herd might be unaware of us, and thus can¡¯t set a trap.¡±


    ¡°Aye,¡± Bella nodded. ¡°Now all we need is ta reach the island, and take them out. Should only take a couple more days, if the wind is fair.¡±

 Chapter 102 - Island Arrival

    Bella didn¡¯t see the point in hiding that our plans had changed from the crew, which was reasonable. Everyone knew that we were heading straight to Caer Drarrow now.


    Now that we were alerted to the Neptaurian scouts, the mood on the ship took a more serious turn. Everyone was aware that with every hour we grew closer to Caer Drarrow, the possibility grew that we would be attacked by a Neptaurian at any time.


    Which did happen.


    It wasn¡¯t constant, but with Pete keeping an eye out, we had an early warning system for the arrival of the scouts. He must have a build that specialized in Perception or something, because he could spot them miles out from underneath the Reef. Over the next few days of travel, we encountered three more scouts.


    I wasn¡¯t involved in fighting these scouts, as I was still caught up in my punishment detail. I¡¯d gotten to watch as the crew of the Reef easily dealt with the scouts that had come by. It was cool to watch, if nothing else. I¡¯d seen Morlow, the angry guy I¡¯d played cards with a few days ago, literally harpoon one of them out of the water and drag the screeching Neptaurian onto the deck.


    In the light of day, I¡¯d gotten a much better look at them. You know, when I wasn¡¯t fighting for my life against one of them trying to drown me.


    They were large, bigger than any man, dwarf, or Sculpted. From hooves to head, I¡¯d say the average Neptaurian was about nine feet tall. And they really did seem similar to the myth of the Centaur from back home. They had the same basic body plan of one, with an equine lower body and a humanoid upper body. However, these Centaurs had neither hair nor skin. Instead, they were covered in dense blue scales, reminiscent of fish. On their massive four fingered hands were equally massive talons as well, easily extending out several feet. All of them had bulbous yellow eyes that glared out at the world from a flat face, with a mouth filled with what seemed to be shark teeth.


    But perhaps the oddest part of them had to be their tail. Because they didn¡¯t have any hair for a tail like a normal horse, they instead had a large finned one. It honestly looked like something you would see on a shark, similar to their teeth. It gave most of the Neptaurians I saw a decidedly odd silhouette. I guess it made sense, when I thought about it. They were aquatic creatures, and needed some way to swim through deep water easily.


    But damn. I hadn¡¯t even seen that huge ass tail during my first encounter with a Neptaurian. I guess you really missed some things when you were being asphyxiated.


    While the crew was fishing for Neptaurians, I¡¯d finished fixing the burn marks the first day by cheating. I¡¯d had an idea, you see. Why not see if I could use Aetherial Melding to try and fix the planks of the deck? It was an interesting idea, and I¡¯d wanted to see if I could ¡®meld¡¯ damage away from an object, essentially repairing it. Fade had kept me company through all of my drudgework. While I hadn''t seen him much during the trip to the island, he still sought me out sometimes.


    Like now, so he could watch me repair the ship. Somehow, I thought the little wolf was amused by my labor.


    Turns out I could fix the damage with Aetherial Melding. But there was a catch. I needed material to replace the damaged portions with, which I had an easy solution for. Some of the planks on the deck had been too damaged by the fire to stay, so I¡¯d been given a few replacements for them. I¡¯d taken a few portions of the wooden planks, astralized them, and then used that astralized material to repair the decks very quickly. The crewmates that walked passed me during this process could only watch in confusion. Bella had even come by to watch as well, watching me with a hawk-eyed glare in case I damaged her ship any further.


    But everything was fine when I was done. In fact, funnily enough, the boards that I had fixed looked visibly newer than the ones that surrounded them. When I had somewhat smugly pointed that out to Bella, she had given me a bit of the old evil eye. What wasn¡¯t so funny was that she left down to the cargo hold, then returned with a bucket of wood stain and ordered me to use it on the deck by hand. Apparently, with no ¡®funny business¡¯.


    All right, fair enough.


    However, a few days after adjusting our course directly to Caer Drarrow, the Neptaurian attacks abruptly stopped. No more scouts were even getting in range of Pete¡¯s detection. He told us that he sometimes thought that he saw one or two way out into the distance, but they never drew close anymore.


    This was apparently a bad sign.


    ¡°They know we¡¯re out here now,¡± Grey told me, with narrowed eyes directed out onto the horizon. I was standing with him on the stern of the ship, standing behind the helm with Fade at our feet. Bella was with us, no doubt paying attention to our conversation as well.


    ¡°Because the attacks have stopped?¡± I asked my mentor.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Grey nodded seriously. ¡°There¡¯s no other reason for their probing to cease. I suspect that the Prime has noticed he¡¯s been losing scouts out in this direction, when they don¡¯t report in.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I glanced at Grey from the corner of my eye. ¡°Just how smart are Primes? You¡¯re talking about it like it¡¯s intelligent and running a military squad or something.¡±


    ¡°It is intelligent, Nathan,¡± Grey said, turning to me. ¡°Not as intelligent as you or I, but intelligent nonetheless. Primes are fully capable of basic reasoning and trap setting, more so than your usual monster. They¡¯re bestial, yes, but not stupid. It would be wise not to underestimate it. Remember that.¡±


    Trap setting, huh. I guess that the snake Prime back from the Addersfield forest had nearly killed me with a trap.


    Our conversation was interrupted by a silvery, bell-like whistle erupting from above us in the crow¡¯s nest. Activity on the ship ceased, with every eye turning upwards, mine included. Sylvia was up there, waving down at the deck. She cupped her hands around her mouth. ¡°Land!¡± She called down. ¡°Land on the horizon!¡±


    The ship exploded into action, including Bella. She spun the wheel rapidly to the left while calling out commands. ¡°Hard port! Drop anchor! Furl sails!¡± She bellowed rapidly, and then paused for a moment. ¡°Reel Pete up!¡±


    The crew had seemingly anticipated her orders though, because they were already doing the things she had ordered. The sails of the Reef were untied from their rigging and rapidly furled by the crewmen calling all over them. A few crewmen, including Azarus, heaved a massive iron anchor over the side of the ship. Meanwhile, Pete was getting reeled in like an unruly stone fish by his improvised rigging. The Sculpted shed water like a sponge as he breached the surface.


    I leaned into Grey. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the anchor not be very useful? Aren¡¯t we too far out?¡±


    Grey shook his head slightly, watching the chaos. ¡°No, the waters around Caer Drarrow are notoriously shallow. It¡¯s one of the reasons that the island was chosen for the prison. It helps prevent both a clandestine underwater approach, and discourages escapes. Far easier to find escapees in shallow water, you see.¡±


    I made a quiet noise of understanding, while Bella was bellowing orders to her crew. Before long, the Thorny Reef had come to a complete stop. When the ship had halted completely, Bella shouted one final order. ¡°Meetin¡¯ on deck!¡±


    Grey and I exchanged nods, and followed Bella down to the main deck of the Reef where everyone was gathering. We found our companions pretty quickly once down there, as it was pretty easy to pick Venix¡¯s massive frame out of a crowd. I admit, I was only slightly startled when Sylvia dropped down out of the sky from the crow''s nest with a muted thud, so similar to how she had killed the Neptaurian a few days ago. Fade wagged his tail at our Sculpted friend, causing her to briefly reach down and pet him.


    Once everyone had assembled, Bella turned to face Grey with a raised eyebrow. Grey took the hint and stepped up. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve arrived at Caer Drarrow, it¡¯s time to discuss our next steps. Bella, if I could borrow your far eye?¡±


    Bella grunted, and opened a small tube at her waist. From it, she withdrew a small collapsed telescope. I¡¯d seen it a few times on our trip to the island, so I wasn¡¯t too surprised at its appearance. I just considered it another indication that Vereden wasn¡¯t quite as primitive as I sometimes thought it was.


    She handed it to Grey, who extended the small spyglass and turned to face the distant island. From where I was standing, I could only see a small black dot on the horizon, now that I was looking. Grey looked through the telescope for a few moments, before frowning and making a considering noise. He lowered the glass and turned to face the gathered crowd.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not quite as bad as it could be,¡± Grey said, causing a stir in the crow.


    The hell does that mean?


    ¡°The hells,¡± Pete started, before spitting out a handful of seawater. ¡°Does that mean?¡±


    Yeah, what he said.


    Grey rolled his eyes slightly. ¡°It means that there is a gathered force on the island, but not an excessively large one. There are two corvettes currently docked at the island, neither of which seem to be excessively armed. I do, however, believe that they¡¯re adapted troop transport.¡±


    Bella hissed to herself. ¡°Damn. I don¡¯t care if they¡¯re just ferries, the Reef can¡¯t outrun a corvette. Much less two of the damn things.¡±


    I heard Curloch laugh from the crowd. ¡°Then we¡¯ll just have to make sure they can¡¯t follow us!¡±


    The gathering of pirates chortled among themselves, only slightly sinisterly. I laughed along nervously. I guess some sabotage was on the menu, during our prison break.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Grey said, unfazed. ¡°I would recommend it. In the meanwhile, I expect somewhere between two to three hundred garrisoned troops on the island, with the presence of the corvettes. A not insurmountable force, with the strength gathered here, but we should avoid open combat if possible.¡±


    Two¡­to three hundred? And that wasn¡¯t cause for concern? I cast a gaze out at the people gathered here. There were maybe around thirty crewmen for the Reef, while there were seven people in our group of people. If it came to open conflict, that was a hell of a disparity in numbers. Nobody else looked concerned, though. Maybe Grey really was just that much of a force multiplier.


    Bella cut in. ¡°What about the damn Seahorsemen? Can ye see them on the island?¡±


    ¡°As I¡¯ve told you, Isabella,¡± Grey said with a frustrated sigh. ¡°I believe the Loyalists are granting them sanctuary in an underwater cove around the back of the island. Said cove is roughly beneath the northwestern cliffs. Thankfully, our approach has left us perfectly positioned to approach the cove. However, not in the Thorny Reef.¡±


    ¡°No shit,¡± Bella rolled her eyes. ¡°We¡¯ll be using the lifeboats to reach the island. The Reef ain¡¯t a big girl, but she¡¯s big enough to catch more than a few eyes.¡±


    ¡°We?¡± Grey raised an eyebrow at Bella. ¡°Are you going to accompany our group then?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am,¡± Bella scoffed. ¡°I¡¯ll be goin¡¯ with ye to kill the Seahorsemen, while me men go slit some throats and slash some sails.¡±


    Grey tilted his head in acceptance. ¡°Very well. I welcome your blade at our side.¡± Grey turned to face our group now. He met my eyes. ¡°Ready yourself, my friends. We leave soon.¡±

 Chapter 103 - Cold and Dark

    It didn¡¯t take me long to get ready for the fight. I¡¯d had my leather armor set aside in my bunk, ready for this moment for a while now, just ready to rush into it. I didn¡¯t quite need to rush, but I did hurry. This was the armor that I¡¯d used in the escape from Addersfield, if not improved a little bit. Far better than the everyday leathers I¡¯d slapped together for everyday use. They even had a few enchantments on them.


    Nothing major, not like the armor that Sylvia had. Just some durability enchants, really. I¡¯d done them myself. I didn¡¯t take the cloak, though. Honestly, it just seemed like a bad idea to take that when I¡¯d shortly be needing to take a dive in the ocean, from what Grey had told me. If I needed any kind of concealment, my Thorn Cloak would work better anyway.


    I also took a few wax sealed potion bottles with me in a sack. I¡¯d brewed these with Grey a few days ago. They were mostly healing potions, as we had no idea what kind of shape the prisoners would be in. We couldn¡¯t expect Aurum to do all of the work, after all. Even though, you know, that was why we had brought him. There were a few odds and ends in the sack as well.


    Finally, I grabbed my most recent creation, other than the strangely non-functional gun. A second collapsible spear. The first had mostly been a prototype, and had honestly been a bit fragile and finicky. This one was better constructed and had a more robust design. Unlike my first, I wasn¡¯t afraid this was going to fail after a jaunt through the cold seawater. Still, I took both that I had with me. I just sheathed my old one at the small of my back. I wasn¡¯t intending to dual-wield them or anything, I didn¡¯t have that kind of coordination.


    Yet.


    Honestly, I just wanted the backup.


    When I was done with my preparations, I exited the cargo hold and headed up to the main deck. There, I found my companions standing around while Bella directed the crew with the preparations for the lifeboat. The sight of my friends gave me a moments pause. It had been a while since I had seen everyone dressed for battle. From Azarus¡¯s full armor, to Sylvia¡¯s enchanted leathers, to Venix¡¯s robe. Hell, Grey was even wearing the black and silver outfit I¡¯d seen him wear back on the march into Hollow Hill. He even had the sword he had told me was too strong for him in his weakened state, although he wasn¡¯t carrying the staff. It was belted at his waist, radiating a subtle power. Aurum wasn¡¯t much different, though. It seemed like he was always wearing his robes, although he was clutching his staff a bit nervously.


    It seemed like they had finished prepping the boat as I joined the group. At Grey¡¯s instruction, we all started piling into the boat that we would be using. The other one that the Thorny Reef had would be used by the crew to sneak onto the island for sabotage. As I was climbing into the boat, I had to catch Fade before he lept into the boat with us.


    "Sorry, little guy," I told my pup with an apologetic tone. "You can''t come with me this time. I don''t think you''d make it on the swim. You''ll have to stay on the ship."


    Fade huffed at my words, but still backed down. As he turned around to leave, I swear I could see a scheming look in his wolven eye. Which was ridiculous, right?


    Right?


    Bella shouted over to her crew from her position on the lifeboat next to me. ¡°Curly!¡± She shouted. Curloch, who was standing not far from the railing of the ship, looked up. ¡°Yer in charge! Give the bastards no quarter!¡±


    Curloch gave a bellowing laugh at his Captains words, and gave a lazy salute. ¡°Aye aye, Captain! Send those beasties to the hells fer me!¡±


    Bella laughed in return, before gesturing to the crew. At her order, they dutifully began to lower the lifeboat onto the open ocean. Before long, the lifeboat had hit the water with an oddly dull plopping noise. Without even being asked, Venix grabbed both the left and the right oars on the boat with two of his arms and began to row us away from the Reef.


    As we began to leave the ship behind, I saw the crew fully lower the sails and then begin to lower the mast as well. Without both of those, the profile of the Reef was much smaller and stealthier, which made sense to me. I watched as large oars sprouted from the sides of the brigantine, and started to row it away from us. Both of our groups had one ultimate destination.


    The island of Caer Drarrow.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    The ride towards the island was oddly tense. I think most of us were psyching ourselves up for the possibility of a long day of tense battle. Hell, I know I was. The plan might not have been for us to fight our way through the prison and slaughter everyone we came across, but we still had to fight and kill a herd of Neptaurians and their Prime. We¡¯d have to go through them before we even got into the prison.


    The only people who didn¡¯t look like they were mentally preparing themselves for battle were Bella and Venix. Bella just looked eager, while Venix was as stoic as usual. Strangely, I took a little comfort from my Antium companions'' steadfastness.


    As we approached the island, the structure of the prison itself revealed itself to my eyes. If I could describe it in one word, I¡¯d say ominous. It was built entirely of a pitch-black rock quarried into massive stones that shone in the fading sunlight. The actual construction itself was purely utilitarian, with no acknowledgment of aesthetics at all. Frankly, it almost reminded me of communist block architecture from back home. It was just one massive black cube, with openings in the walls for barred windows. There were five towers on the prison that I could see. One at each of the four sharp corners, with one larger tower in the center. I know it was silly, but it felt like the structure was judging us somehow on our approach, and we were found wanting.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Well fuck you too, you monument to misery. I was going to plunder your halls, soon enough.


    It took us maybe half an hour for the rocky cliffs of the island to begin looming over us. Grey examined the rocky walls in front of us with narrowed eyes, before directing Venix to continue rowing farther up along them.


    ¡°Stop,¡± Grey said suddenly, causing Venix to cease rowing. He looked up and down the cliff face before nodding to himself. I looked as well, but I didn¡¯t see anything special about the walls. The only thing I saw was the massive fortification of the prison looming over us. ¡°Yes, this is it. Directly below this cliff face is the cavern.¡± He turned to face the group. ¡°Into the water, now. It¡¯s time for a brief jaunt beneath the waves.¡±


    One by one, most of us did as he said, hopping off the side of the boat to swim in place in the water. The only two that didn¡¯t were Sylvia and Aurum, which¡­made sense, now that I thought it. They were pure metal, and weren¡¯t likely to float like Pete could. That guy was made of porous stone after all. Sylvia folded her arms, seeming like she was waiting for something, while Aurum smiled nervously.


    Grey looked at the rest of us, swimming in the water next to us. ¡°I will be ferrying our Sculpted companions. Make sure you follow us closely, else you become lost in the deep.¡± At that, he took a deep breath and clasped his hands in front of him, concentrating on something. Seconds later, a visible bubble began to expand from his form, causing him to bob to the surface. The old man was now standing in a large sphere of air, seemingly strong enough to hold his weight and big enough for a few more people.


    Entirely unconcerned, Sylvia hopped off of the boat and passed through the bubble without popping it. Once inside, she took a position next to her Father and lay a hand on his shoulder. Aurum visibly took a deep, extraneous breath to calm his nonexistent nerves, and then followed suit and jumped off of the boat. He passed through the bubble as well to stand on Grey¡¯s other side. Once both Sculpted were standing in the bubble, Grey let out the breath he had been holding. The bubble stabilized to my eyes, even if it didn¡¯t freeze or anything. From his position inside the artifice, Grey nodded at those of us swimming outside of it before making a downward gesture with his hand.


    The bubble began to sink beneath the waves.


    Those of us still on the surface look at each other for a moment in bafflement.


    Bella grumbled. ¡°Man couldn¡¯t do that fer the rest of us?¡± She sighed before taking a deep breath, and diving.


    Yeah, no kidding.


    I followed her lead and dove beneath the water. Azarus and Venix followed suit.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Grey may have told us that the waters near Caer Drarrow were shallow, but they didn¡¯t seem shallow to me. All around me the water was dark, and seemingly endlessly deep. If I was by myself, I don¡¯t think I could have navigated this.


    Luckily, I wasn¡¯t.


    Ahead of us, Grey had ignited a magical light of some kind in his moving bubble. Thank God, or else I couldn¡¯t see an inch in front of my face. Even beyond the reach of his silvery light, all I could see was dark water.


    Odd.


    It wasn¡¯t even night yet on the surface.


    Still, I and my group were able to follow Grey¡¯s bubble on the short swim beneath the surface. It wasn¡¯t long before he led us to a yawning mouth in the rock face that must have led to the prison interior somehow. We passed through it no problem, although I almost wished I hadn¡¯t. The minute that I passed through the underwater portal, the water changed.


    The temperature plummeted, and the darkness around us grew to a pitch black.


    The water hadn¡¯t exactly been warm before, but now it was downright arctic. Even underwater as I was, it felt like the breath I was holding in my lungs could freeze solid any second. God, I could see small chunks of ice floating passed my eyes. That was almost the only thing I could see. Where before the waters were unnaturally dark, now it was like a veil of darkness had descended on the world. I couldn¡¯t even see my fellow swimmers anymore.


    I needed to get out of this water, and soon. Or else I felt like I was going to freeze to death.


    Grey¡¯s bubble was the only source of light in this darkness, and it had started moving upwards once we had passed through the entrance. I swam harder, and even managed to pass by Grey in my urgency.


    I didn¡¯t even see the surface of the water before I breached it along with the other swimmers. I was so stunned by hitting the surface that I involuntarily let out my breath, before taking in a shuddering new one.


    I immediately regretted it.


    The air in the cavern around me felt like it was even colder than the water I was swimming in. The breath I had taken in felt like glass running through my lungs it was so sharp.


    To my side, Grey¡¯s bubble hurtled out of the water like it had been shot from a cannon. It had visibly frozen over, obscuring those within. Thankfully, I could still see the light blaring out from the bubble, frosted as it was. The light from the bubble illuminated a rocky shore moments before it impacted it. The bubble shattered with a sound akin to broken glass as it hit the stone, falling in frozen pieces around its previous inhabitants.


    I didn¡¯t see the impact though. I had immediately started swimming for the stony shore the moment the light had lit it up. I had to get out of this water.


    When I reached the shore, I hung on to it sluggishly, almost too weak to pull myself out of the water. The cold was sapping my strength at an alarming rate. In a haze, I activated Sylvan Vigor at full power. Finally, with the strength granted by my skill, I managed to crawl onto the shore. I flopped onto it, rolling on my back with closed eyes and trying to catch my breath.


    When I opened them again, I felt that breath freeze inside me. It wasn¡¯t just the cold that was doing it, this time.


    Although the ceiling was obscured in darkness, I could still see lights twinkling above me like malicious yellow stars illuminated by Grey''s still active spell. Only, they weren¡¯t actually stars.


    They were eyes.

 Chapter 104 - The Caves of Caer Drarrow

    The eyes that were watching us from the ceiling didn¡¯t blink once as they watched my companions scrabble onto shore. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see everyone capable of it shivering from the cold. I could feel it myself, but I was frozen in place.


    I didn¡¯t know if the owners of those eyes had noticed that I had seen them yet. Whatever was up there, most likely a group of Neptaurians, hadn¡¯t shifted or moved even once since I¡¯d seen them. From the number of eyes that I saw, there must have been over a dozen of them above us. What the fuck were they doing up there? Neptaurians were mostly aquatic creatures to my understanding, not goddamn bats. I had no doubt they were strong enough to cling to the ceiling, but¡­


    Wait, what the hell was I doing. I didn¡¯t have time to be frozen like this, I had to warn everyone. Slowly, trying not to draw attention, I tried to sit up, shivering from the cold all the while. My slight movement immediately drew the attention of several of the eyes, causing them to fix on me.


    I wasn¡¯t able to keep my own from meeting the eyes of the lurking creatures above us.


    The pair I¡¯d met narrowed at me, causing a ripple among the rest of them. Almost as one, I saw quadrupedal shapes begin to fall from the ceiling.


    I abandoned any attempt at stealth. ¡°ABOVE US!¡± I shouted into the cavern air, scrambling to my feet. My voice echoed off the walls, though it did its job.


    My companion''s heads rocketed upwards, just in time to watch as over a dozen Neptaurians closed in on their position. Azarus and I rolled out of the way in order to avoid being crushed under one particular Neptaurian, while I could see Venix unsheathe his four swords at lightning speed and block the claws of another.


    With a shout from Grey, the light that he had been projecting intensified. Suddenly, the entire cavern was illuminated in a bright silver glow, that managed to fully dispel the darkness surrounding us. Stumbling back to my feet, I drew my collapsible spear, and extended it in one motion. I didn¡¯t want to fight these guys up close. At the same time, I activated The Scintillant Blade, lending my own rainbow light to the cavern. I saw Azarus draw his hammer and shield from their place on his back, while activating whatever skill he had that caused the chains he used in combat. Meeting his eyes briefly, we got back to back.


    I didn¡¯t get a chance to check on the others. The Neptaurians chose that moment to attack.


    One of them charged my position, claws brandished, hoofbeats ringing off of the cavern walls. Ducking down, I set my spear and let the aquatic horse creature impale itself on my spear from its own momentum. The creature shrieked as my burning blade easily pierced its scales, scrabbling weakly at the spear in its chest. Thank God for The Scintillant Blade. The skill hadn¡¯t failed me yet. Well, except that one ti-


    I was knocked out of my odd mental tangent by the sound of an impact on metal from behind me, followed by a grunt of effort. Immediately collapsing my spear to get it out of the flesh of the Neptaurian, I spun in place. Behind me, Azarus was buckling under the blow of one of the Neptaurians as it bore down on his shield.


    Automatically bringing up my free hand, I aimed it at the face of the pseudo-Centaur and cast Poisonthorn Shot. The corrosive barb pierced into the right eye socket of the monster, causing it to reel back in pain with screeching whinny.


    Azarus didn¡¯t miss his chance.


    Directing a chain to wrap around the neck of the monster, he yanked downwards on the chain with his right hand. Simultaneously, he maneuvered the edge of his shield underneath the falling jaw of the beast. I didn¡¯t know this, but apparently the edges of that shield must be sharpened or something.


    The head of the Neptaurian was sliced in half crosswise, and the beast fell over dead. No doubt because I could see whatever passed for a brain on that thing.


    Nice.


    Azarus turned to look at me, and we exchanged short nods. Our attention was stolen when we heard the war cry of another Neptaurian. Another one was charging on our position.


    A flash of light came from behind us, flowing around both of our forms, casting us in shadow on the far wall of the cavern. At the same time, I heard a shouted word from Grey, followed a crackling boom and the sound of several screaming Neptaurians.


    The Neptaurian charging us flinched and stopped, blinded by the light.


    This time, both Azarus and I didn¡¯t miss our chance.


    Azarus threw out a chain with his hammer attached to it, winding it around the legs of the monster. He yanked, causing the creature to fall over with a nicker. As he was doing that, I was running at the downed creature with my spear trailing me. Before I reached the monster, I engaged Sylvan Vigor for a brief burst of strength, and jumped as high as I could manage. As I descended towards the downed Neptaurian, I angled the blade of my brilliantly burning spear over its form.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Impact.


    Driven by both my skill and the weight of my jump, my spear pierced through the equine abdomen of the Neptaurian. The creature let out a final weak screech, and then fell silent forever.


    I didn¡¯t get a chance to celebrate the kill.


    I was knocked off of the Neptaurian I was standing on by the charging swipe of another, accidentally losing my grip on my spear and leaving it behind. I cried out in pain as I flew, as I¡¯d felt the beast¡¯s claws slice through my flesh. I hit the floor of the cavern with a grunt of pain and slap of wet clothing on stone. I looked up in time to see a Neptaurian charging on my downed form, claws brandished. My eyes widened in panic, causing me to scrabble at my back for my spare spear-dagger.


    I needn¡¯t have bothered.


    With a whisper of air, a blade shaped entirely of condensed air came out of nowhere and bisected the monster¡¯s upper body from its lower one. The beast didn¡¯t even get the chance to blink before it fell over dead, the pieces of its form skidding to a halt next to me.


    I blinked.


    Seconds afterward, a bloodied but manic Bella appeared above me. She thrust her left hand down in my direction with a wide grin, a drawn cutlass in her right. Hastily, I grabbed hold of it and let her yank me to my feet. I looked around to see how the fight was going.


    It seemed to be dying down. There were only a few stragglers left out of the attacking Neptaurians.


    I watched as Venix separated all four legs from a Neptaurian he was dueling, before ending it in the next motion. Azarus was also finishing off one of them that he seemed to have been grappling with, bursting it¡¯s head open with one brutal down swing of his hammer. I guess that¡¯s why he hadn¡¯t been able to help me with the one that had knocked me off my feet.


    On the other side of the cavern, Grey was surrounded by a group of five charred Neptaurians, seeming to not have even drawn his sword. Aurum was huddled behind him with eyes wide from fear that was rapidly dwindling. Sylvia was standing next to her Father in a guard position, blue short sword drawn but unbloodied. Honestly, I don¡¯t even know if she had needed to fight during the impromptu ambush.


    Meanwhile, Bella was clapping me on the shoulder, causing me to hiss in pain. Looking at the shoulder she had touched, I saw that it had three deep claw marks in it from the Neptaurian she had killed. ¡°Ooh, sorry about that.¡± She winced, wiping my blood from her hand on her pant leg.


    I took a breath to settle my nerves after the battle. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll just-¡±


    I was cut off by cool blue light descending on my form. With a sigh of relief, I felt the wounds on my shoulder close. Looking up, I saw that Grey, Sylvia and Aurum were approaching us. Aurum had his staff out and pointed at me.


    I gave a low chuckle. ¡°I was going to say, I¡¯ll just get Aurum to look at it. Thanks man.¡± I said to the Sculpted healer.


    He gave me a shaky smile in return. ¡°I-it¡¯s my job.¡±


    Now that the battle was over, I was starting to feel the cold of the cavern again. I shivered, rubbing my hands over my arms. Doubly so because of the blood I¡¯d lost.


    Grey must have noticed, because he frowned and cast a glance at our party that was converging on us. ¡°Everyone else is uninjured?¡± At their nods, he continued. ¡°I see. Good job.¡±


    Aurum spoke up hesitantly. ¡°Is that¡­it then? Did we get the herd?¡±


    Grey immediately shook his head. ¡°No, these were just meant to soften us up. The Prime was not among their number. Believe me, we would have known. Everyone has noticed the unnatural cold that permeates this cavern, yes?¡± At our nods, he continued. ¡°Obviously, this is unusual. The cavern was a bit chilly the last time I was here, but it wasn¡¯t bone chilling.¡±


    Azarus sighed. ¡°I¡¯m guessin¡¯ the Prime is the one that¡¯s makin¡¯ it so damn cold?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Grey nodded. ¡°I believe it¡¯s having an effect on the surrounding Aether. The beast must be Ice aspected in some way. Perhaps Darkness as well, judging by the gloom.¡±


    Grey was still holding up a bright ball of silvery light, allowing us to see in the cavern. I glanced out at it from his words. Seemed likely to me. I remember how the forest outside Addersfield had been crawling with those red vines, as if to indicate its presence.


    As I watched the cavern, the bodies of the ambushing Neptaurians began to poof into Miasma, leaving behind their cores. I pinched my nose against the smell. ¡°So, you think the Prime is further in?¡± I asked my mentor in a nasally tone.


    ¡°I do,¡± Grey smiled at me in slight amusement. ¡°But first, I believe we should light a fire. We¡¯re in danger of frostbite from the cold, if we don¡¯t warm ourselves up first.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at Grey. ¡°Isn¡¯t it kind of dangerous to light a fire in such a confine space? Couldn¡¯t we suffocate?¡±


    Grey shook his head. ¡°We won¡¯t linger for long. Only enough to warm our bones as we venture in deeper to slay the Prime, and ultimately, access the prison. Everyone, search around to see if there¡¯s anything we can burn.¡±


    Our group dispersed to do as he asked. It didn¡¯t take us long to notice that there was plenty to burn.


    It looked like the Neptaurians had been dragging their victims back to this cave. There were¡­a lot of bones in here with us, along with scraps of driftwood and clothing. I grimaced to see all the remains of the people that had been killed by these monsters, but continued my searching. Other people didn¡¯t seem to have the same hesitance that I did.


    Bella crowed to herself, causing me to look over in her direction. She was holding up a gold coin that she seemed to have pulled out of a small sack she had found. She grinned at me, when she noticed my staring. I shook my head, and got back to work.


    Before long, we had found enough rags and driftwood to burn for a small fire. I settled down next to it, and held my hands out in order to warm them with a satisfied sigh. Grey sat down next to me, and copied my actions.


    As he was warming his hands, he addressed everyone, who had gathered around the fire. ¡°I would expect more traps or ambushes further in. This Prime seems like a canny example of its kind indeed.¡±


    Oh, joy.

 Chapter 105 - Without a Trace

    I shivered in the freezing air of the cavern, edging closer to the large fire we¡¯d created. We¡¯d found more than enough material in the cavern to light a bonfire, surprisingly. You would think that it would be too wet to light, but eerily it was almost bone dry. I can¡¯t tell you how unsettling it had been to discover that the driftwood in this underwater cavern was as desiccated as it was.


    Still, it made for excellent firewood. I held my hands out to the fire, warming my bones.


    My companions were arranged around the fire as well, recovering after the brief fight we¡¯d had with the Neptaurian ambush. Mostly, they were either cleaning themselves off or cleaning their blades. Or in Bella¡¯s case, standing around impatiently, waiting for Grey to give the word to pack up. I wanted to tell her to calm down, but I don¡¯t think she¡¯d take it very well. We were only intending to stick around for a few more minutes anyway. Still, that gave me enough time to consolidate whatever gains I¡¯d gotten from the battle.


    I pulled up my Status, using Hidden Amidst the Spheres.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have gained 7 levels!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You are now level 51!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have 70 unspent Virtue points.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Level 50 Class ability inherited.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Would you like to review your Status?</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Y/N</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    My eyebrows shot up. Seven levels? Wow, I almost felt like thanking the Neptaurians that had ambushed me. I¡¯d even gotten my level fifty ability from fighting them.


    I mentally selected yes, causing another box to pop up.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Level 50 Class ability (Thornblade Acolyte)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Ringed Mind (Talent): Reorganize your mind.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Reorganize your mind? What the hell did that meannnnnnn¡­..


    Suddenly, I was paralyzed by a downright terrifying sensation. I could barely describe the feeling, but it was almost like the structure of my very train of thought was changing in real time. Not only that, but I could swear that I felt my brain morphing inside my skull.


    Slowly, my thought process changed, gaining what felt like¡­levels, each with their own speed and agility. There were three of them, which I guess were the ¡®rings¡¯ of the talent. The outermost ring of thought was the fastest, and the most similar to how my previous thought process had functioned. It was faster than my mind had been previously, though. My thoughts in this ring moved with a speed and agility that was nearly frictionless, making connections and observations at a speed that I¡¯d never experienced. But it was as I moved downwards or, rather, further into the recesses of my mind that things became strange.


    The middle ring of my consciousness was similar to what my mind had been like before, but it also seemed to be representative of more than the outer. Within it, I could feel my desires on a deeper level and almost control them, propagating outward. For example, I could feel my desire to retract my hands from the fire in an almost tangible sense, as I¡¯d frozen in place with them too close to the flame. Eyes still frozen open, from within my middle thought ring, I¡­turned off that desire. Suddenly, it was as if I didn¡¯t feel the uncomfortable heat of the fire on my hands anymore. Even if I intellectually knew that I was in danger of burning my hands, I didn¡¯t have the automatic need to do so. Hurriedly, I switched it back on, withdrawing my hands from the flame to lie trembling in my lap.


    But it was the very center of my new consciousness that frightened me the most. It also possessed a thought process like the outer ring, but this¡­¡®core¡¯ was so much more. Instead of manipulating my mind and its reactions like the middle one, I could manipulate my body. It was like I was now directly overseeing the automatic functions of my physical self. They still functioned without my input, but I could now¡­weigh a finger onto them. For instance, right now I was fucking terrified out of my mind at the amount of control I had over myself. From within my core ring, I could see how my body was being flooded with fear from the adrenaline that was pumping through my body and caressing my brain. With only a moment¡¯s thought, I shut down the production of adrenaline in my body from the fear that had been flooding me.


    Instantly, I could feel myself calm down. With the fear dying down, I curiously massaged another gland in my brain, causing it to release another hormone that felt really fucking good. Oh God, this was nice. I could feel myself not only calming down, but a large smile stretching across the features of my outside body from the induced pleasure.


    I let my outer two rings drift in a sense of artificial bliss, for a moment. Still, my core thought process retained enough presence of mind to realize this wasn¡¯t the best time to be indulging in such a high.


    Later, though¡­


    I returned to the task at hand, marveling at the sensation of having three separate streams of thought. It wasn¡¯t like they were three different people, though. This wasn¡¯t a ¡®we¡¯ situation. All three of them were still me. I just had more flexibility now, with two of the thought streams having extra capabilities.


    For a moment, I thought I could sense something else from my core, but the sensation was fleeting. And honestly, this wasn¡¯t the best time for such experimentation. As fun and interesting as this was, we still had things to do. I still had things to do.


    I focused back on my Status, and selected the still waiting Yes prompt to view it. Once I did so, I allocated my Virtue points in a now familiar process.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.996%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Name</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">Nathaniel Eugene Hart</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Titles</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">Unbound Liberator</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Level</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">51</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Age</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">24 Sol</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Race</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">


    Human (Precursor)Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Affinity </td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">Terrestrial</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Classes</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">Thornblade Acolyte (Uncommon)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Professions


    </td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">Aetherial Melding</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Health</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">600/600</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Stamina</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">100/100</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Vitality </td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">60</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Strength</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Spirit</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Dexterity</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">110</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Perception </td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">60</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Intelligence</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">160</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Wisdom</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">160</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Free Points </td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">0</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 5.38218%">Options</td>


    <td style="width: 94.6147%">[Talent Page], [Skill Page], [Profession Page]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nice, neat numbers. Not that I could do much with some of them yet. I was incredibly curious about what having my own Mana would be like. At this point, I was halfway there to level one hundred, and reaching the first ¡®threshold¡¯.


    I was broken out of my life-changing moment by Grey standing up from the fire, drawing the attention of everyone around it. Grey picked up a nearby bucket that we had scavenged from among the debris and tossed the seawater he¡¯d filled it with earlier over the flame. Our warm respite from the freezing temperature of the cavern died with a hiss. I shivered in the cold, before dialing down my sensitivity to the cold with my middle mind.


    Ah, that was better.


    ¡°We must press on,¡± Grey told us, tossing the bucket to the side carelessly. ¡°We can¡¯t dally too long, else we risk the sabotage crew being discovered.¡±


    ¡°Finally!¡± Bella blurted out, throwing up her hands. ¡°It¡¯s like you landlubbers ¡®ave never taken a dip beneath the waves!¡±


    Grey rolled his eyes but didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he reconjured the orb of bright silver light he¡¯d extinguished earlier and set it to hover in front of him. The rest of us clambered to our feet, some with more reluctance than others. Azarus in particular still looked miserable from the cold, and I didn¡¯t blame him. He was not only smaller than everyone else, but he was clad in full plate mail armor. The dwarf had frost crystallizing in his firey beard.


    When he saw that I seemingly had no issue with the cold anymore, my dwarven friend looked at me in disbelief. ¡°H-how the hells are ya all right this m-mess?¡±


    I grinned back at him. ¡°New skill,¡± I said, aware that I was still feeling the physical effects of the cold. The sensation was just muted in my case.


    Either way, Azarus just grumbled to himself, conjuring up his own fiery ball of light. Both to help light the way, and warm his gauntleted hands.


    We pressed on.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Grey led us to an opening in the rock wall of the entrance cavern. It wasn¡¯t huge, only large enough for one person to squeeze through at a time. Venix in particular had to shuffle his massive form through the gap in the stone sideways. But once we were through, the cavern widened. It led to a passage bigger than its entrance, frosted with ice.


    But the passage contained a grimmer sight.


    Corpses. Dozens of them.


    Only¡­


    All of them were webbed to the walls, as if by spiders.


    As one, our group stopped to stare at the unfortunate victims that we had found. Grey approached one of the unfortunates, gesturing for his light to hover near them.


    The body of the man webbed to the wall was desiccated to an extreme degree. His skin was paper thin, and stretched over a lidless skull, staring into space with an expression that was somehow still horrified.


    Grey examined the corpse somberly for a moment, before turning back to our group. ¡°This¡­¡± He said gravely. ¡°Is not the work of a Neptaurian. Bella, you told us that you were attacked by a Neptaurian Prime. You were able to confirm that the Prime leading this herd was Neptaurian?¡±


    Bella stared at the desiccated corpse on the wall in disbelief for a moment, before dragging her eyes to Grey. ¡°Hells yes, I¡¯m sure. I got a damn good Observe type skill, and could see the Prime right on its bleedin¡¯ Status.¡±


    Grey frowned. ¡°Then¡­what did this? Neptaurians are not known to ally with other monsters in the wild. Monsters, in general, are not known to ally with each other. We¡¯ve already confirmed the presence of the Neptaurians beneath the island. Suddenly, there¡¯s a second nest of monsters down here as well?¡±


    ¡°Could that mean,¡± Sylvia interjected, speaking slowly. ¡°That there could be a second Prime?¡±


    The group grew quiet and still at the possibility. I felt dread try to roll over me, but suppressed it with my new skill.


    Meanwhile, Grey was staring at his daughter in disbelief. ¡°Impossible. In centuries of study, I¡¯ve never heard of Prime¡¯s allying with each other. Every case I¡¯ve ever heard that involved a Prime meeting a Prime led to a battle over territory. There¡¯s only so many resources in a given area for competing monster groups to fight over.¡±


    ¡°But this isn¡¯t a normal case,¡± I said quietly. ¡°We already think that the Loyalists are controlling not only the Neptaurian herd but their Prime.¡±


    My words caused Grey to narrow his eyes. He let out a frosty breath of frustration. ¡°Damn.¡± He said.


    Our group stood around in silence for a moment, before it was broken by the sound Venix unsheathing one of his blades with a whisper of air. Our group turned to face him, only to see that he was looking around with an intense look on his insectoid features. ¡°Where,¡± He said lowly. ¡°Is the Healer?¡±


    I felt adrenaline race up my spine and spun in a quick circle. He was right.


    Aurum was missing.


    Without even needing to be asked, Azarus spun around and sprinted back to the gap leading to the entrance cavern, his flame bobbing in his hand. The dwarf slipped through the gap, and we heard his voice calling Aurum¡¯s name. Moments later, he emerged back into the passage we were in, with a grim look on his broad features. ¡°Nothin¡¯,¡± He said ominously. ¡°He ain¡¯t in there.¡±


    Grey held up his light and flared it brighter. I held up a hand to block out the light, while my eyes adjusted. When they did, I looked around with everyone else, trying to see any kind of clue as to his whereabouts.


    I found one.


    Walking swiftly to the side, I picked it up from where it lay discarded on the stone floor of the passage. ¡°Fuck,¡± I said finally, drawing the attention of the group. Turning back around, I showed it to them.


    It was Aurum¡¯s staff.


    ¡°Something,¡± I told my companions. ¡°Snuck up on us while we were examining the corpse, and nabbed him. All without making a single sound.¡±

 Chapter 106 - Come Into My Parlor

    ¡°We need to find him,¡± Grey said firmly, to a round of nods.


    Well, obviously.


    ¡°So, we¡¯re going with the theory that this is the work of another Prime, then?¡± I asked my mentor.


    Grey nodded. ¡°Yes, and possibly some kind of spider, judging by the webbing.¡± He said, gesturing to the countless dehydrated victims webbed to the walls. ¡°These caves are more extensive than you know. If there is a cluster of spider monsters being directed by a second Prime, then they could be anywhere in here. We¡¯ll need to search them top to bottom to find young Aurum.¡±


    ¡°Then what are we bleedin¡¯ waitin¡¯ on?¡± Bella said impatiently, tapping her fingers on her sheathed cutlass. ¡°An invitation? Every moment we waste down here is another me crew doesn¡¯t have backup.¡±


    ¡°As you say,¡± Grey said, inkling his head to the pirate Captain. ¡°I suggest we proceed through the caves in a circular formation, our backs to each other. Whatever monster kidnapped Aurum is well versed in stealth tactics, if it was able to do so silently and with little trace. If we watch for it in our search for young Aurum, then we¡¯re less likely to be ambushed.¡±


    We all did as he said, drawing our respective weapons and arranging ourselves into a circle. I ended up near the front next to Grey, with Sylvia to my left. Venix took the rearguard, which made sense to me. I¡¯d suspected that he was the strongest person in our party other than Grey for some time now.


    As Grey took the vanguard position and started to lead us through the still-freezing cold caverns, I was strangely relieved. Of all people, I¡¯m glad that it was Aurum that this mystery spider had taken. I mean, the guy was solid metal for God¡¯s sake. It¡¯s not like he had any juices for a spider monster to suck from him.


    But that raised a question. Why had it singled him out in the first place?


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Grey led us through the caverns at a good pace, appearing to know his way fairly well. The rest of us kept an eye out. Several times, I swear that I saw movement from behind us. I made sure to mention that to the group, but whenever someone else tried to see it as well, it was gone.


    That wasn¡¯t creepy at all, I assure you.


    If it wasn¡¯t for my new talent helping to suppress my fear, I was sure that I would be freaking out harder from the near horror movie scenario we¡¯d found ourselves in. As it was, I was keeping myself artificially calm and focused on the task at hand.


    As we made our way through the cavern passages, we never stopped encountering bodies webbed to the walls. There would be a new one every few feet. Sometimes they would be half uncovered and visibly desiccated, while sometimes they were fully covered but appearing no less drained. The fully covered ones were somewhat puzzling, actually. From what I understood of spider-feeding practices, shouldn¡¯t they have discarded the drained ones at this point?


    While my middle mind was considering that peculiarity, my outer mind was startled when Sylvia suddenly exploded into a soundless lunge. Leading with her blue sword, Sylvia plunged her blade into a spot on the wall. To my eyes, it didn¡¯t look like there was anything there.


    At least, initially.


    Green blood exploded from something invisible on the wall. With a chittering squeal, a creature materialized on the wall at the end of Sylvia¡¯s blade.


    It was a spider of some kind. But not a usual one. No, this seemed like some kind of monstrous sea spider.


    In total size, I would put it to be about as big as a cat. But that was mostly from its long, spindly legs, almost skeletal in appearance. Its actual body was incredibly thin, almost appearing as thin around as one of its legs. Extending from what must be its head were two different pairs of fangs, each nearly as long as my middle finger. The creature itself was a soft pink with the eight legs you would expect from a spider of any kind. Disturbingly, I couldn¡¯t see any visible eyes on the monster.


    Thankfully, this one was in its death throws. Before it could actually die and puff out of existence in a cloud of Miasma, I quickly threw out an Observe.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.69564%">Name: </td>


    <td style="width: 91.2976%">Juvenile Frostbrine Stalker</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.69564%">Level: </td>


    <td style="width: 91.2976%">34</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.69564%">Age: </td>


    <td style="width: 91.2976%">2 weeks</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.69564%">Species: </td>


    <td style="width: 91.2976%">Monster</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.69564%">Abilities: </td>


    <td style="width: 91.2976%">Stalk, Cocoon</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The rest of the group had quickly spun around to watch the commotion that had arisen from Sylvia¡¯s attack. We watched as a group as the Stalker gave one final twitch of its skeletal limbs, before lying still. Moments afterward, it exploded into a haze of Miasma, leaving behind a marble-sized Core. I scooped it up in the silence.


    ¡°Well, damn,¡± Bella said, breaking it. ¡°So it is spiders.¡±


    ¡°But not a species that should be this far south,¡± Grey said gravely, causing the group''s eyes to drift his way. ¡°I recognize the type. Frostbrine spider monsters are from the waters to the far, far north. Beyond the northern mountains, even. They hunt along the shores in that region, harrying the tribes that are found there. I didn¡¯t even know they could survive in this clime.¡± He sighed. ¡°They, or rather their Prime, must be the true reason these caverns are so cold. Their natural Aetherial balance must be affecting these environs to such an extent as to mimic that frozen wasteland.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cool and all,¡± I said, ignoring the pun I¡¯d made inadvertently. ¡°But we can¡¯t just stick around. We have work to do and people to save.¡±


    Grey nodded sharply at my words. ¡°Very true. Let us continue, at the very least knowing what we face. Well done, Sylvia.¡± Sylvia inclined her head at her Father¡¯s words. ¡°Everyone else, keep an eye out.¡±


    We pressed on.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    That wasn¡¯t the last time we encountered a Frostbrine spider on our search of the cavern passages. But it was the smallest. Several times, one of the others either stabbed, sliced, or crushed one of them that got too close to our position, hidden under a cloaking Skill of some type.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    One time, Grey even sent a bolt of silvery mana launching ahead of us to track something he¡¯d noticed. It impacted the largest of the Frostbrine spiders we¡¯d seen so far. You could say that this one was also the size of a cat, if you were referring to a goddamn tiger. Thankfully, Grey¡¯s spell killed it in one shot, leaving a smoking and twitching chitinous carcass on the cavern floor. However, it was odd. Considering Primes were supposed to be the leaders of massive packs of monsters, we hadn¡¯t seen a ton of spiders yet. Just¡­stragglers.


    Still, in all our searching, we never found Aurum.


    Grey stopped us in front of an opening in the rock. Beyond the portal, I couldn¡¯t see a thing. It was pitch black on the other side. He turned to address the group. ¡°This is the final cavern,¡± He told us in a low tone. ¡°Inside is the largest cavern down here, as well as the entry point into Caer Drarrow. At this point, I believe that both quarries that we seek must be inside. Young Aurum¡­¡±


    ¡°And the Prime,¡± I finished for him quietly. Grey nodded in response to my words.


    ¡°Or Primes. Ready yourself, my friends.¡±


    I took a deep breath, mainly for show. I was finding that it was much, much easier to control things like battle anxiety when you could nearly control your own emotions. Meanwhile, I could see the rest of my companions steel themselves as well. When Grey saw that we were ready, he turned back around to face the stone portal and stepped through. I followed right behind him.


    As I stepped through, I was able to see the final cavern that Grey had mentioned. It was massive, far bigger than the entrance had been with towering stalagmites and stalactites visible throughout it on the floor and ceiling. However, that wasn¡¯t what caught my attention the most.


    It was the absolutely massive shaded figure hiding just beyond the range of Grey¡¯s light, along the far wall. From it, the light glinted off of dozens of silvery lines that stretched from its form to¡­


    Somewhere above us.


    The figure yanked on the lines in a violent motion. Hearing an earthshattering crack from above us, I looked up.


    Just in time to see dozens of massive stalactites closing in on my position. I didn¡¯t even get a chance for my eyes to widen before I was tackled out of the way of death by falling rocks. Behind my now prone form, the cavern shook as a veritable landslide struck the floor when I¡¯d just been standing.


    And blocking off the entrance to this cavern.


    I glanced to my side, to see that it was Grey who had saved my life. He gave me a brief nod in acknowledgement, before scrambling to his feet. I did the same, looking around.


    Grey and I were the only ones who had made it inside the cavern before it had been blocked off. Behind the mass of rock that was blocking the entrance, I heard the sound of dozens of muffled, chittering hisses erupt. I also heard the sounds of the rest of our party engaging in combat.


    I see¡­


    This was a two-part trap that we¡¯d walked right into. One, to separate whoever walked through the entrance first. And two¡­


    Along the far wall, I heard another chittering hiss. But this was louder, and deeper.


    And for some reason, it reminded me of laughter.


    Standing side by side with Grey, I watched as the large shadowed form from earlier stepped into the light, revealing its form.


    As expected, it was a spider. An absolutely massive one, at that. It was clearly a Frostbrine of some kind, and this was definitely one of the Primes. It was as large as a city bus from back home, and rather than being pink in color, it was a deep, blood-red. Its form was different as well, having four sets of bladelike fangs protruding from its mouth, instead of two like the other¡¯s we¡¯d seen.


    But that wasn¡¯t the biggest change on this one. Where the other Frostbrine spiders I¡¯d seen had no visible eyes, that wasn¡¯t the case here.


    This spider had a single, massive eye set into its head, a clear shining blue in color. It was currently half-lidded in our direction, as if it was amused at our inspection. The beast clicked each of its eight fangs in our direction together slowly, almost mockingly.


    Two other spiders stepped out from behind the likely Prime. These were Frostbrines as well, and not quite as intimidating as it was. They were coral pink in color, and roughly the size of bears.


    Clamping down hard on my fear response, I threw out three quick Observes.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 11.2136%">Name: </td>


    <td style="width: 88.7796%">Frostbrine Abyssmother (Prime)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 11.2136%">Level: </td>


    <td style="width: 88.7796%">???</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 11.2136%">Age: </td>


    <td style="width: 88.7796%">??</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 11.2136%">Species: </td>


    <td style="width: 88.7796%">??</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 11.2136%">Abilities: </td>


    <td style="width: 88.7796%">??</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 11.2136%">Name: </td>


    <td style="width: 88.7796%">Frostbrine Queensguard</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 11.2136%">Level: </td>


    <td style="width: 88.7796%"> 61</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 11.2136%">Age: </td>


    <td style="width: 88.7796%">3 months</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 11.2136%">Species: </td>


    <td style="width: 88.7796%">Monster</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 11.2136%">Abilities: </td>


    <td style="width: 88.7796%">Leap, Stalk, Cocoon, Frozen Fang</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 11.2136%">Name: </td>


    <td style="width: 88.7796%"> Frostbrine Queensguard</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 11.2136%">Level: </td>


    <td style="width: 88.7796%"> ??</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 11.2136%">Age: </td>


    <td style="width: 88.7796%">4 months</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 11.2136%">Species: </td>


    <td style="width: 88.7796%">Monster</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 11.2136%">Abilities: </td>


    <td style="width: 88.7796%">??</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Grey cursed to himself quietly, reaching for the sheathed sword on his belt. ¡°Five hundreds,¡± He said grimly. ¡°Normally, not a problem for me, but I¡¯m still not at full strength.¡±


    My heart stuttered in my chest. Five hundreds? As in, its level? Jesus Christ, this thing was more than ten times my level! There was no way I¡¯d be able to help Grey with that.


    The entire time that Grey and I were staring at the Prime and its escorts, they didn¡¯t move. It was like they were content to let us take in the sight of them.


    Grey caught my eye. ¡°Nathan, I¡¯ll need to focus exclusively on the Prime. You¡¯ll need to deal with the guards.¡± Having said that, Grey drew the sword at his waist from his waist, allowing me to see it unsheathed for the first time. I¡¯d been able to tell from its shape that it was a longsword, but not much more than that.


    Unsheathed, it was much more than that.


    The sword was blue. Just like Sylvia¡¯s, it was made from some kind of blue metal or stone of some kind, but that was where the similarities ended. This sword also had some kind of inclusion of white, luminous stone running through the center of it. Both materials glowed slightly, even in the near pitch-blackness of the cavern. The entire blade was inscribed with hundreds, perhaps thousands of runes that I couldn¡¯t decipher.


    The sheer ambient power radiating off of it was nearly enough to give me a headache.


    Meanwhile, Grey held the blade straight upright in front of him. He leaned his head down slightly to rest on the blue and white stone. ¡°Once more, Stellarum,¡± He whispered.


    As if in response, the runes on the blade began to light up with an eerie black light. The entire sword was engulfed in a haze of that ecliptic power. Satisfied, Grey snapped his sword up into a horizontal guard position, aimed at the heart of the Prime.


    Meanwhile, I drew and extended my spear. At the same time, I ignited it with The Scintillant Blade.


    All right.


    Let¡¯s do this.


    The spiders descended on our position.


    Grey and I rose to meet them.

 Chapter 107 - Abyssal Queen

    As Grey closed in on the Abyssmother, parrying a jab from one of the oversized spider¡¯s forelegs as he did so, I wasn¡¯t able to keep track of their fight anymore.


    I was too busy with my own.


    I lashed out first at the weaker Shadeguard as it leapt at me. Midflight, its four fangs began to glow an icy blue and emit frost. I ducked, trying to jab my spear up at the monster¡¯s abdomen as it flew over me. Somehow though, it managed to yank itself vertically up into the air mid-flight, narrowly avoiding my blade. As it did so, I saw the strand of silk extending from its abdomen that it had hidden, trailing on the ceiling. It scuttled out of sight above me using that same strand, swiftly disappearing among the stalactites.


    At the same time, I was able to catch sight of the older and stronger Queensguard as it repeated the same tactic, leaping at me with speed.


    All right, if you want to play that game.


    In the moments before the giant spider impacted me, I dove out of the way, aiming a free hand at the arachnid.


    Poisonthorn Shot.


    Eat thorn, asshole.


    The large blood-red thorn shot from my hand and lodged itself into the right side of the Frostbrine spiders abdomen. It let out a chittering screech at the pain of my skill, swiftly climbing a similar dragline of silk it had hidden like its brother. Moments later, my thorn dropped down from the ceiling somewhere above me, coated in green blood. The beast must have ripped it from its exoskeleton once out of sight.


    I exhaled hard, heart thundering in my ears like a drum. In my instant of downtime, I flicked my eyes Grey¡¯s way. I was just in time to watch as the roiling black haze around his sword exploded in size, forming into a monstrous extended blade. With a shout, my mentor swung his oversized magic sword at the monster horizontally. The Abyssmother reacted in time to avoid it, first blocking the swing by somehow conjuring a massive wall of ice to intercept the blow. It seemed to know that wouldn¡¯t be enough to completely block it though, as it also shot out several drag lines of silk a the far wall. With a heave, the monster forcibly moved its massive bulk out of the way, just in time to avoid the abyssal blade that would have bisected it.


    Fixing its massive blue eye on Grey, a flash of blue light emanated from the bulbous orb. In the act of a follow-up slash at the monster, Grey suddenly froze in place. With a victorious screech, the Abyssmother speared two of its legs at my mentor, clearly intending to impale him on its spiked forelimbs.


    However, before I could yell or do anything to help him, Grey unfroze. Milliseconds before the legs reached him, he threw up a sudden oval shield of blinding silver light. He managed to stop one of the legs entirely, but the other one deflected off of the surface of the shield and scored a bloody line across his ribs. Grey grimaced in pain, but with a shout of effort, the shield exploded in front of him, sending the Abyssmother reeling backward.


    I blinked, cursing to myself. I didn¡¯t have time to be watching Grey. I had my own fight to pay attention to here.


    I needed to be careful, here. These monsters were stronger than me, but not by much. The weaker Shadeguard was only barely in level range for my Observe to have worked, which was encouraging. Meanwhile, the stronger one was only about a month older than that one. It couldn¡¯t have been much more powerful than its younger sibling.


    I could do this.


    I jerked my head up just in time to watch as both of the Shadeguards fell down at me from directly overhead, side by side. My eyes bulged at the sight, and I brought my spear up in a guard position. There was no way I¡¯d be able to get out of the way in time.


    Both spiders impacted the haft of my spear, scrabbling at it with glowing blue fangs. I was surprised to find that they barely weighed anything at all. I was easily able to hold up both of the spiders at once. Hell, I didn¡¯t even need Sylvan Vigor. I think I could have picked up both of these things with one hand.


    However, I missed their actual plan while I was holding them at bay.


    Both spiders pointed the ends of their abdomens at me and swiftly surrounded my body in silk. My eyes widened in alarm as my arms were trapped above me and my head was covered in a sticky spider silk. My mind raced as I thought of how to get out of this, while at the same time, I felt both spiders leap off of my spear. Meanwhile, I was frozen in place with my hands sticking straight up.


    Bending all three thought rings to the task, I devised a plan in milliseconds before these damn spiders could sink their fangs into me. Swiftly, I activated Sylvan Vigor, while at the same time depressing the activation rune on my spear. Thankfully, my fingers weren¡¯t bound in the silk. My spear retracted, returning to the form of a dagger with The Scintillant Blade active. I angled the blade downwards in my right hand and pressed the rune again, causing it to extend.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The entire maneuver happened in an instant.


    The glowing blade of my spear tore through most of the silk binding me, allowing my arms to break free from the rest through strength alone. I skipped backward as I did so, feeling something shoot through the space I had just been standing in.


    Reaching up to my face, I ripped the silk covering my head off it. Just in time to see the other spider leaping for my position. Rather than be afraid, I felt a smirk grow on my face. Yeah, I¡¯d figured out your game, you crunchy fuck. You didn¡¯t actually have that many moves.


    I had you now.


    I reached for my other active skill and cast it at the rapidly approaching spider.


    Grasping Roots.


    Red, thorny tree roots broke through the stone of the cavern floor and reached up to grasp the spider. They grabbed the visibly confused arthropod right out of the air, and slammed it into the floor where they tightened their hold on it. The spider only had seconds to scrabble uselessly at my skill before I descended on it.


    Let''s see you jump away from this, asshole.


    I slammed into the Frostbrine Shadeguard spear first from my running charge. My brilliantly burning blade slid through the monster''s carapace easily, pinning it to cavern floor in a spray of green blood. The spider was only able to let out a single pathetic screech, before falling forever silent and slumping onto the stone beneath.


    One down.


    I was only able to enjoy my victory for a moment.


    The other Shadeguard slammed into me in a lunging tackle, knocking me away from the dead form of its sibling. As I flew, I was able to catch a brief glimpse of Grey igniting a familiar swirling ball of darkness, before hurling it into the air of the cavern. I managed to see a few bolts of starlight emerge from it and converge on the Abyssmother before I impacted one of the stalagmites.


    My head bounced off of the rock, and my world went dark.


    I can''t quite tell how long I was out of it, but through a murky haze, I heard something in the distance. I couldn¡¯t quite make it out, though. Slowly, the sound began to grow louder and louder until I could almost make the noise out.


    It sounded like¡­barking?


    Suddenly, as if a puppy was standing right on my shoulder, I could hear a crystal clear bark echo in my ear.


    Fade?


    My eyes snapped open in time to watch as the last Shadeguard leapt at my prone position, laying against the stalagmite that I had impacted. I only had moments before its icy fangs pierced me. But, I had left my spear in the corpse of the other Shadeguard.


    Time slowed down.


    In a haze, I reached behind me and drew my extra spear from its holster on the small of my back. As I maneuvered the blade in front of me, my core ring noted that I only had enough time to do one of two things. I could either extend the spear and hope the weight of the creature was enough that it could impale itself on my steel blade. Or I could activate The Scintillant Blade, and hope the burning dagger of my unextended spear would be enough to kill the monster, before it killed me with its fangs. I didn¡¯t have enough time to do both.


    I chose.


    Time sped up as my spear extended, right as the Shadeguard reached my position. With a screech of denied prey, the monstrous sea spider impaled itself on my spear, sliding halfway down the half. It twitched several times, showering me with green blood from its death throes, before laying still.


    Before I could even acknowledge my victory over the spiders, I was distracted by the sound of exploding stone behind me. Throwing the corpse of the Shadeguard off of my spear and standing up, I was just in time to see a shape erupt from the dust of the destroyed stalactites that had been blocking the entrance to this cavern only moments ago.


    It was Venix, all four of his swords drawn and crossed in two separate Xs across his broad frame. His curved blades were each glowing with an ominous red light. However, I was only barely able to make out his form, as he was blurring across the cavern floor so fast that all I was really able to see was a chitinous smear.


    As he bounded to the Abyssmother that was being hounded by Grey¡¯s bolts of starlight, he threw his body into the air above the massive spider. At the apex of his jump, he impossibly hung in the air for a moment, visibly concentrating. The bloody light around his swords strengthened and extended beyond the length of the blades themselves, nearly appearing to be a set of four crackling wings.


    With a shout of effort, Venix snapped his swords out in front of him. The crimson energy that had been building on his blades erupted in the form of two connected Xs, almost appearing to be a latticework. The attack rocketed downwards towards the Abyssmother. Harried as it was by Grey¡¯s starbolts, it wasn¡¯t able to avoid Venix¡¯s attack.


    It impacted the monstrous spider, cleaving three of its eight legs on its left side into multiple pieces and gouging the abdomen of the beast. As the Abyssmother slumped onto its left side, it let out a deafening shriek that rattled the cavern and hit me like a wall of force. I yelled in pain and clamped my hands over my ears.


    As for Venix, the scream must have been forceful enough to knock him out of the sky. The Antium didn¡¯t seem to mind, however.


    Grey didn¡¯t miss his chance. Igniting his sword once again and extending the blade with crackling black energy, he lunged at the Abyssmother. With an overhand chop, he swung his oversized spell blade down at the head of the monster and decapitated it in one move. At the same time, his blow removed the two front limbs of the now deceased Prime.


    I drew in a shuddering breath.


    It was over.


    We¡¯d killed the Prime that had been lurking in the heart of Caer Drarrow''s cave system. However, as the rest of my companions rushed into the cavern with weapons drawn, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder.


    Where was the Prime we had actually come here for?


    Where was the leader of the Neptaurian herd?

 Chapter 108 - Bound Door

    For a moment, I allowed myself to sag against my upright spear in relief. I can¡¯t exactly say that I was expecting to be fighting giant spiders today. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d acquitted myself too badly, though. Hell, this was the first time I¡¯d ever fought more than one monster at a time as well.


    I was knocked out of my introspection by an enormous burst of wind blowing through the cavern. I raised my head just in time to see a veritable wall of Miasma rolling my way. Damnit, the Prime must have just gone off. I didn¡¯t manage to cover my mouth or nose in time to avoid inhaling a burst of the noxious fumes.


    My stomach roiled and I clutched my mouth, doubling over. Oh God. It was so much worse than usual. I just barely managed to avoid hurling all over the stone of the cavern beneath me. I was knocked out of my momentary misery by the feeling of someone patting me on the shoulder. Looking up, I found that it was Grey, gazing down at me with an amused look on his face.


    My mentor was looking a bit roughed up, but not terribly injured. Which was a bit odd, as I remembered seeing the Abyssmother land a shot on him. Hell, I could even see a rent in the abdomen of his clothing. He only had unblemished skin showing through it, so maybe it had just been a graze?


    Oh, whatever.


    I accepted Grey¡¯s hand up.


    ¡°Unfortunately, you¡¯ll find that the intensity of the Miasma will increase the higher level a monster is,¡± Grey told me, not unsympathetically. ¡°Still, that isn¡¯t the only thing that increases in power. The reward is often worth the effort.¡± Grey held up his other hand to show me, clenched around something. He allowed his hand to open, allowing a brilliant white light to shine through. I squinted in the darkness of the cavern, trying to get a better look.


    Nestled in Grey¡¯s palm was a Monster Core, but not like any I¡¯d ever seen before. This one wasn¡¯t the spherical crystal with swirling rainbow mist inside it that I¡¯d come to expect. No, this one, while still a sphere, had a pure white light swirling in its depths. It was larger as well. While most Cores I¡¯d seen had ranged in size from that of a bead to maybe golf ball size, this one sat heavy in Grey¡¯s palm. It was about the size of a baseball, I¡¯d say.


    I fingered my necklace thoughtfully. That was much bigger than the Core of the first monster I¡¯d ever killed that was set inside. My tiny little Blade-Rack Hart stone looked like a dull chip of quartz in comparison.


    ¡°Still,¡± Grey said, closing his fist back over the Core and storing it in a pouch on his waist. ¡°We¡¯ve only accomplished one of our objectives in these caverns. We still need to find young Aurum.¡±


    I startled. In the chaos of the battle, I¡¯d completely forgotten about him for a moment. Honestly felt kind of bad about it. Just goes to show, that even with having multiple thought trains now, I wasn¡¯t inhuman. I was still able to space out. ¡°Right, right,¡± I said, a little chagrined. I turned around and started scanning the cavern visually. I saw that while Grey and I had been speaking, the rest of our party had already started an inspection of the walls.


    I started to move and join them, before pausing. Now that I wasn¡¯t quite as focused on the damn giant spiders that wanted to kill and suck us dry, I could pay more attention to the cavern itself. As I¡¯d noticed before, it was filled with stalactites on the ceiling and stalagmites on the floor. Idly, I let my middle ring wonder how old this cavern could possibly be, to have so many of them. However, from the various lights that had been cast throughout the cavern, I could see that there were webbed bodies on the stone fixtures.


    I guess that made sense. When the spiders were done with their victims, I suppose they had just webbed their now dry juice boxes onto one of them. I furrowed my brow, turning my head to look at Grey. ¡°You don¡¯t think,¡± I said slowly. ¡°That he¡¯s up there, do you?¡± I pointed above us to the roof of the cavern, where the lights from everyone¡¯s skills didn¡¯t quite manage to pierce.


    Grey¡¯s brow furrowed contemplatively at my question. Calling his silver light back to his hand from where it had been hovering near his shoulder, he raised it above his head. The light began to shine brighter, directed in a cone at the ceiling.


    I grimaced at what the light revealed.


    I guess the stone spires were only overflow for the victims of the now-deceased monsters. Because the ceiling of the cavern was covered in the corpses of desiccated victims.


    The Abyssmother may not have been the Prime we¡¯d come here for, but I was pretty glad we¡¯d killed her anyway. If for no other reason she and her children couldn¡¯t do this to anyone else.


    Still, the light did its job. Among the webbing above us, I managed to make out a glint of gold. Almost directly above Grey and I was the webbed figure of Aurum with only his head visible. Grey¡¯s silver light was reflecting off of the gold of his pleading eyes.


    I blinked up at him, meeting them.


    Grey¡¯s light show must have drawn the attention of everyone else because they migrated over to our position. Venix was unphased by the sight of our healer attached to the ceiling, and just took out a cloth to begin cleaning his blades of spider guts. Meanwhile, Sylvia was unphased, but Azarus seemed a bit amused.


    The dwarf cupped his hands around his mouth. ¡°Ya alright up there, goldie!¡± He shouted up to the bound Sculpted. Aurum didn¡¯t manage to make any sound with the web around his mouth, but he did wiggle in place. Azarus snorted in amusement at the sight. At my unimpressed stare, he held up his hands defensively. ¡°What? It¡¯s funny.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Oh, sure it is,¡± I said, rolling my eyes. ¡°You want to join him, then?¡±


    Azarus squinted at me. ¡°Nah. Think I¡¯ll pass.¡±


    Grey gave us a dry look and then turned to consider Aurum¡¯s bound figure for a moment. Eventually, he gestured in my direction for a moment with his left hand, causing my spear to jump in my hands. I let go of it with a yelp, as it floated away from me up to the ceiling at Grey¡¯s apparent telekinetic instruction.


    With the precision of a surgeon, Grey directed my spear to cut the bindings that held the wrapped Sculpted to the ceiling. When the last strand of spider silk was cut, Aurum''s eyes visibly bulged in their metallic sockets as he plummeted to the cavern floor. Inches before he could impact the floor, Venix snapped one of his four arms out in a blur and caught him by the back of the cocoon he was wrapped in without even looking. Glancing up, the Antium man began to cut Aurum out of the wrapping with one of his free blades.


    Meanwhile, Grey dismissed the telekinetic hold he had on my weapon, causing it to tumble through the air groundward. I yelped, scrambling to catch it before it could hit the hard stone. When I did, I retracted the shaft and cradled the now-shortened spear to my chest. I sent Grey a wounded look. There were some delicate mechanisms in this thing, you know.


    Grey ignored me and approached Aurum, accepting the golden Sculpted¡¯s staff from Sylvia as he did so. He handed the stave to Aurum, who took it with shaking hands now that he was free from the webbing. ¡°Are you well, young Aurum?¡±


    Aurum gave Grey a shaky smile. ¡°I¡¯m-¡± He tried to say, before spitting out a piece of webbing. He coughed, and then tried again. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Headmaster. They¡­weren¡¯t able to do much to me. They tried to inject me with something, but, well, obviously it didn¡¯t work.¡± He said, leaning his neck to the side. Visible on it were two puncture marks akin to something a vampire would leave, punched straight through his solid gold skin. Aurum sighed. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a nightmare getting that fixed up. Plus, I think I have dried venom on the inside now.¡±


    I stood up, and gave him a contemplative look, tilting my head. You know, now that I thought about it¡­


    I decided to give him the choice. ¡°Hey,¡± I said, drawing Aurum¡¯s attention. He looked at me curiously. ¡°I can give it a shot. I might be able to fix that right here.¡±


    Aurum was visibly startled at my offer. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever mentioned Aetherial Melding to him, or used it in his presence. But it wasn¡¯t exactly any of his business. Still wasn¡¯t, but I was willing to see if I could do a quick mend for him. It would probably be easier than actual surgery on another human with my Profession. ¡°Um,¡± Aurum stuttered. ¡°Sure?¡±


    I approached Aurum under the interested gazes of my companions and laid a hand over the bite marks on his neck. I closed my eyes and concentrated. These days, I could pretty much slip into the trance needed for Melding instantly. Once I was in it, I examined the puncture holes with my Aetherial senses.


    Yeah, I could do this. The metal of a Sculpted was infused with Aether in a way that was similar to how a person''s flesh was. But because it wasn¡¯t flesh, it seemed like it would be much easier to shape and mend. I¡¯d need a bit of material, though.


    Not a problem.


    I slipped a hand into my pouch and pulled out a gold coin. Which, interestingly enough, wasn¡¯t registering as pure gold. Maybe about only ninety percent gold. Good. My senses were telling me that not even Aurum was actually pure gold. Guy seemed like¡­maybe seventy-five percent gold, with a mixture of other metals that I couldn¡¯t quite put a name to. You know, I¡¯d been wondering about that with him. Gold was pretty soft, so it hadn¡¯t made sense for him to be one hundred percent pure gold.


    He, uh, did have some dried liquid on the inside of his outer metallic shell too. I guess that was the venom the dumbass spiders tried to inject him with. I melded it away.


    Anyway, I astrallized the coin and used its material to patch the holes on his neck. When I was done, I opened my eyes to see that Aurum was looking at me in amazement. I coughed, embarrassed. ¡°That part on your neck might be a bit weaker, so watch it. When we have more time, I can reinforce it with a better mix.¡±


    Aurum jumped, as if woken from his own trance. ¡°Oh, all right! Thank you!¡±


    Grey cleared his throat, smiling at me. ¡°Now that that¡¯s over with, we can continue with our plan,¡± He turned to examine the far wall of the cavern before stopping. He pointed to the far corner that the Abyssmother had been crouching in, when it had collapsed the entrance of the cavern in a trap. ¡°Over there should be the hidden entrance to the prison proper.¡± He started walking in that direction, with the rest of us following along behind.


    Once we¡¯d reached that corner, the light from everyone¡¯s skills illuminated a giant mass of webbing.


    And eggs.


    Lots and lots of spider eggs, each about the size of a volleyball. I cringed at the sight of them, making a disgusted noise. Meanwhile, Grey clucked his tongue. ¡°Well, that just won¡¯t do.¡± He held up a free hand and pointed it at the web and eggs. His hand glowed, and from it poured a continuous stream of blazing orange fire. The webbing exploded into flame like they¡¯d been doused in gasoline. So did the eggs.


    At the touch of the fire, some of the eggs began to prematurely hatch. From them, juvenile sea spiders tried to crawl out, only to immediately perish in the flame.


    ¡°You know¡­¡± I said out loud, taking in the grisly scene. ¡°I thought monsters didn¡¯t reproduce like regular animals.¡±


    I got an answer from an unexpected source. ¡°Primes are an exception,¡± Venix said shortly, in a monotone voice. I turned in surprise, to see him watching the extermination and tapping the hilt of one of his sheathed blades. ¡°They are more akin to regular beasts than the typical monster. It is one of the reasons they¡¯re hunted. They can quickly grow colonies that can overwhelm the frontier.¡±


    Huh. I guess that made sense.


    Venix spoke again, repeating a ritual that I¡¯d come to expect from him.


    ¡°In icy depths, slain,


    Flame sears the Frostbrine night,


    Darkness yields to light.¡±


    I had to stifle a laugh at the absolutely baffled look that Aurum shot Venix at that. I guess he had missed the haiku that Venix had done, back on the road with the patrol.


    Grey finished with his fire work, revealing a large stone door carved into the wall of the cavern. It was pretty roughly hewn, and I could only really tell that it was a door because it was rectangular. Otherwise, it had no other features on it. I sure as hell couldn¡¯t tell how it was supposed to open.


    Nevertheless, Grey seemed satisfied. He approached the apparent door, uncaring about the still flickering flames near it. He laid a palm against the edifice, and spoke a word. ¡°Aglon.¡± He intoned.


    Nothing happened.


    I could see Grey furrow his brow. ¡°Aglon!¡± He tried again, speaking louder.


    Azarus and I exchanged a glance when nothing happened again.


    Grey stepped back from the door, and turned to face us. He scratched his chin. ¡°Well,¡± He said thoughtfully. ¡°Damn. I think the Loyalists blocked this entrance.¡±

 Chapter 109 - Vanishing Stone

    ¡°That¡­¡± I said slowly. ¡°Sounds like a problem.¡±


    Grey crossed his arms. ¡°A mild one, I admit.¡±


    ¡°Are ye sayin¡¯,¡± Bella said in a dangerous tone, clenching a hand on the pommel of her cutlass. ¡°That I risked me crew comin¡¯ to this damn island, and we can¡¯t even get inside?¡±


    Grey gave her an unconcerned gaze. ¡°Oh, do calm down. As I said, it¡¯s only a mild setback. From what I can tell, they¡¯ve simply stripped the opening enchantment on the door. However, it¡¯s still a mere slab of stone. Many among us are more than capable of simply smashing our way through.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Bella said, relaxing. ¡°Now that ye mention it, yer right. Hell, I could probably get through a rock like that if you gave me a bit o¡¯ time.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Grey said wryly. ¡°However, the bigger problem is what would happen if we simply broke down the door. The noise from such a thing would no doubt draw quite a bit of attention from the prison at large. At that point, we would be involved in a running battle throughout the complex as we attempted to locate everyone that we need to free from their unjust imprisonment.¡±


    Azarus grunted, somehow thoughtfully. ¡°What about if we just moved the door out the way? Don¡¯t got to smash it then.¡±


    ¡°Again, no,¡± Grey said, shaking his head. ¡°I constructed the door in such a way as to recess into the floor when it is activated. Part of that enchantment was a silencing effect, to mute the sound of stone grinding against stone, as this entrance was designed for a stealthy infiltration.¡±


    Our group stood around in silence for a moment, before Sylvia broke. ¡°Then we have no choice,¡± She said simply. ¡°We must prepare for a far more combative entrance than was planned.¡± Her words caused a series of grim nods from members of our little circle.


    Meanwhile, I was considering the problem from another angle. I tilted my head in thought, crossing my arms. I mean, it could work? Worth a shot, at least. ¡°Maybe not,¡± I said out loud, drawing attention.


    ¡°Nathan?¡± Grey said curiously, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°It¡¯s just stone, right? At this point, the door is just a slab of rock with no enchantments or special properties?¡± I asked Grey.


    Grey titled his head at me, puzzled. ¡°Indeed? What are you-¡± He cut himself off, eyes widening. My mentor snapped his fingers in realization. ¡°Of course! I often overlook that capability of yours.¡±


    ¡°To be fair,¡± I told him wryly. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever thought of doing something like this either.¡± At the curious looks from everyone else, I explained. ¡°So, when I¡¯m using my Profession, I can ¡®astralize¡¯ materials into component Aether, and then recombine that Aether into forms that I want. However, I don¡¯t have to recombine it. I can just choose to let the Aether disperse into the environment.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh,¡± Azarus said, realizing. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you can just poof away the stone and we can get through that way?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think it¡¯s worth a try,¡± I confirmed to him.


    Bella gave me a doubtful look. ¡°Are ye talkin¡¯ about that weird stuff I saw ye doin¡¯ to me deck? I¡­suppose I didn¡¯t hear nothin¡¯ while ye were doin¡¯ it.¡±


    ¡°Right, yeah,¡± I nodded at her. ¡°My melds are completely silent.¡±


    ¡°Well then, please,¡± Grey said to me, stepping out of the way and gesturing to the ¡®door¡¯. ¡°As you say, it¡¯s worth a shot.¡±


    I stepped past him to the door and laid my right hand on the stone of the door under the curious gazes of my comrades. Concentrating, I fell into my trance and let myself start examining the stone. I hadn¡¯t done a whole bunch with pure stone, to be honest. Most of my work had been with either metal, wood, or plants. I just didn¡¯t typically have a bunch of use for a bunch of rocks. However, I had done a brief experiment with it, back in Addersfield.


    Stone to my senses was stubborn. It didn¡¯t like to move and be manipulated. It wasn¡¯t like wood, which was all too eager to obey. It wasn¡¯t like an herb, which might as well have been water from how easy it was to manipulate. It wasn¡¯t like fire, which I sometimes had to fight for control of. It wasn¡¯t even like metal, to be honest. With metal, the eagerness of the fire it was being introduced to coaxed it into shape.


    No, stone was a stubborn bastard. It had existed for longer than human civilization, and it didn¡¯t like bending to the will of some uppity whippersnapper.


    I wasn¡¯t anthropomorphizing inanimate materials at all. Shut up, middle ring.


    However, bend it did.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Under my hand, a fist-sized portion of stone transitioned into a haze of glowing blue-green mist. It swirled for a moment in the new pocket in the door, before dispersing into the environmental Aether around us. I opened my eyes and looked at what I had done thoughtfully. Okay, the test seemed to be successful, but¡­


    I turned back to the others. ¡°I can do it, all right,¡± I said to them. ¡°But there¡¯s an issue.¡±


    Grey stopped the congratulations that I could tell were on the tip of his tongue. He furrowed his brow. ¡°And that is?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be exhausted when I¡¯m done with this,¡± I told him bluntly. ¡°Like the days when I was first getting used to Melding. Just from that little bit of stone, I could feel a drain. Doing the whole door, I don¡¯t think,¡± I said, stressing the word. ¡°That I¡¯m going to pass out afterward. But I can¡¯t be sure. But what I do know is that I¡¯m going to be useless in a fight, if one breaks out.¡±


    Grey hummed thoughtfully, but it was Bella who answered me. ¡°Do it anyway,¡± She told me, just as blunt as I had been. ¡°Don¡¯t mean no disrespect, mind, but yer the weakest one here. We get into a scrap, the rest of this lot can handle themselves.¡±


    At her words, I cast a raised eyebrow over at Grey. He nodded at me in response. I shrugged and nodded. ¡°All right then,¡± I said. ¡°One demolition, coming up.¡± At that, I turned back around and laid my hand back on the stone door, closing my eyes and re-entering my trance.


    All right, what was the best way to do this? I could slowly ¡®poof¡¯ away the stone like Azarus said, one fist-sized portion at a time. But that would likely take me an hour at the earliest. The door wasn¡¯t incredibly thick, but it wasn¡¯t as thin as a regular door either. No, we were in a hurry to get started. That wasn¡¯t the best way to go about this.


    Instead, I think I was going to try and astralize the entire door at once. That would be far, far quicker. I¡¯d need to get a mental grasp of the entire thing at once to do that, though. Once I did, I think I would be able to just destroy the entire thing in one go. It would be a bit tedious, though. I¡¯d never stretched my Aetherial sense over such a large structure at once. I allowed myself to sigh, mentally, and then got to work.


    Sure enough, it took me about ten minutes of mentally stretching a figurative hand around the entire door. I was lucky that the incredibly slight seam outlining the edges of it allowed my sense to penetrate through to the other side. Once I was done, I took a deep breath and braced myself. I was sure this was going to suck.


    I was right.


    When I pulled the mental trigger to astralize the entire slab of stone, I blacked out from the strain. I didn¡¯t even get the chance to open my eyes to see if it had worked. Instead, I could feel myself falling backward.


    Luckily, I think I regained consciousness moments later. I regretted it, though. God, I hadn¡¯t missed this sensation of having fully drained my stamina. It had been months since I¡¯d pushed a Meld this hard. I sure hadn¡¯t missed this kind of brain-melting headache. Luckily, I had a handy new skill to deal with it. I used my middle ring to dull the sensation of the headache and slightly disconnect myself from it. Odd sensation, that. I could tell that the headache was still there, but I couldn¡¯t feel it anymore.


    I think someone had caught me as I was falling, as I could feel myself lying in someone¡¯s arms. Cracking opening an eye, I could see the concerned face of Sylvia looking down at me. I felt my face redden.


    Of all people, why did it have to be her? I think my head was even resting in her lap, for God¡¯s sake.


    ¡°Are you well, Nathan?¡± Sylvia asked me in a concerned tone, unaware of my embarrassment. She helped me to stand up, holding me steady when I wobbled.


    ¡°I think so,¡± I said in a rough voice. ¡°Just¡­a little tired. Did it work?¡± I was pretty sure it had worked.


    Sylvia smiled slightly, before nodding behind me. ¡°See for yourself.¡±


    I turned around to see a yawning portal where the previous stone slab had stood. I don¡¯t know if either Grey or I had done it when he had initially made the entrance, but the edges of the entryway were far smoother than I would have expected. It looked like a perfect arch, with the other side of it being too dark to see anything on the other side.


    However, there was nobody else around. Sylvia and I were alone on this side of the door.


    My Sculpted friend answered me before I could even ask the question. ¡°The others went on ahead while I tended to you. Father said we could catch up once you awakened.¡±


    I furrowed my brow. ¡°How long was I out?¡±


    ¡°Not long,¡± Sylvia told me, unconcerned. ¡°Perhaps a quarter of an hour?¡±


    So much for thinking I''d only been out for a few seconds.


    I felt my adrenaline spike. Not long? Who knew what could have happened in just fifteen minutes? Sylvia, I understand having faith in Grey, but this was a bit much. He wasn¡¯t omnipotent.


    I straightened up, making sure that my dagger was secure in its sheathe. ¡°We¡¯d better catch up then.¡± With Sylvia in tow, I approached the entrance into the prison. Stepping through it, I once again lamented my lack of a light Skill. It was pitch black wherever this secret entranceway exited into.


    Luckily, Sylvia seemed to have something. A flickering yellow light sprang into being to my right, causing me to shield my eyes momentarily. When they had adjusted, I saw that Sylvia had lit the flammable end of a small handheld torch.


    Ah¡­


    That made sense. You know, having an actual physical light source instead of relying on other people¡¯s skills¡­


    Man, Vereden had really warped my perspective on things, and I hadn¡¯t even been here a year yet.


    I shook off my chagrin and examined where we had exited into. Looked like a storage room of some kind, to me. We were surrounded by barrels, crates, and sacks in a large underground room hewn from the same stone I had noticed comprised the prison earlier. On the far side of the room was a large set of wooden stairs that led upward. I guess we were inside the prison proper, now.


    There was nobody down here, though. I suppose the others had already moved on.


    That presented a problem.


    I leaned in closer to Sylvia. ¡°Do you¡­know anything about the floor plan of Caer Drarrow?¡±


    Sylvia paused in her inspection of the room. ¡°Ah,¡± She said slowly. ¡°No.¡±


    Shit.


    How were we supposed to catch up to everyone else, if we had no idea where they had went?

 Chapter 110 - Infiltration

    They couldn¡¯t have gone far.


    The plan was for the group to be traveling as stealthily as they possibly could through the prison. Along the way, they would be gradually gathering what inmates they needed to free. In fact, there had been discussion on the way here that we should be freeing as many of the inmates as we possibly could, in order to assist during the escape.


    Grey had been reluctant on this possibility. He had argued that the prison had initially been constructed for a very good reason and that many of the actual inmates deserved their sentences in these walls. He was a staunch believer that we should be careful in freeing those who had been captured by the Loyalist cause. Among those were the children of noble houses that had been backing the Uprising, and the leader of the Sculpted, Woodrick. Also, someone important to Grey and Sylvia named Lady Honoka.


    I¡¯d had a rebuttal, to Grey¡¯s surprise.


    I had argued that we had no idea how many other people that the Loyalists had unjustly imprisoned in Caer Drarrow. That, while there were likely plenty of people who deserved their fate in the prison, we couldn¡¯t know just how many of them had been actually sentenced to this place and not just thrown in here because they were being inconvenient. Grey had reluctantly acknowledged my point, but had said he reserved final judgment while inside the prison as to who we freed.


    The plan had never been for those we freed to come back the way we came. Once we had stealthily freed everyone we needed to, we would marshal our strength and then make a break for the Thorny Reef, which was supposed to be waiting for us outside. Of course, the plan had been changed slightly to include a bit of naval sabotage. At that point, it would become a bit of a running battle as we broke through the garrisoned forces on the island. I hoped it went that smoothly, at least.


    All that to say, if they had already started freeing prisoners, then they couldn¡¯t be moving too quickly.


    Sylvia and I needed to move fast. Luckily, both of us had stealth classes.


    I told her this, to her acknowledging nod. I activated Thorn Cloak, hopefully blending in better in the darkness of the prison. Meanwhile, Sylvia activated some kind of illusionary skill, almost completely fading from view. However, I was high enough level now that I was able to see the very faintest outline of her form next to me before she snuffed her small handheld torch and allowed us to be covered in darkness once again.


    I wasn¡¯t jealous of her superior stealth skill at all.


    The two of us crept up the wooden staircase that led out of this cellar, being careful with our footsteps along the way. The stairs led to an exit with an accompanying door. Sylvia and I took careful positions on either side of the doorway. Slowly, carefully, I peeked an eye around the edge to see if the coast was clear.


    Nothing. The other side of the exit led to a short, darkened hallway with no other doors. The only light that penetrated the small hall was a tiny slit in the anterior wall of it, that allowed sunlight to pierce the gloom. At the end of the hallway, I could see a thick wooden door blocking it off.


    I gave the indistinct form of Sylvia across from me a nod. I think she nodded back. Either way, the two of us stepped out into the hallway and crept down it, still being mindful of our footsteps. Once we reached the door, this time it was Sylvia that elected to peek through. I saw a near-invisible feminine hand reach out and lightly depress the bar of the door handle. She pivoted and swept her gaze back and forth through the gap in the door, even briefly sticking her head through it for a quick glance around. When she was done, she pulled her head back into the hallway to nod at me and slipped through the door. However, before she did, she made a puzzling gesture.


    She pointed up.


    I followed after her, figuring that I would understand what she meant by that in a second. Once I was through the door, I saw that we had exited out into what must be a main walkway for the prison. It was a much larger and wider hall than the one that we had just come from, with burning torches set in sconces every few feet.


    This was also where I was able to see some of Caer Drarrow¡¯s cells for the first time. In a word, I¡¯d call them dreary. In between the various torches were large wooden doors with two slots on them, a square one at head height, and a rectangular one near the floor. Inside the cells, there wasn¡¯t much more than a pair of rusty chains attached to the far wall, a wooden bucket, and a small ratty cot in the corner. At the very least, though, there was a small barred window on the far wall, above the chains.


    I felt a chill run down my spine at the sight of these cells. They almost seemed familiar to me.


    They reminded me deeply of the cell I had broken Bleddyn out of back in Addersfield. I did my best to shake it off.


    However, how was I able to see into the cells, if they were blocked by large wooden doors?If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Because all of the cells near us were opened, and empty.


    I guess our party had already made a decision on the inmates in this area of the prison. Speaking of, I looked up like Sylvia told me to.


    Above me were a myriad of wooden rafters, seemingly built as a way to strengthen the upper walls. I was just barely able to see the cloaked form of Sylvia peering down at me, crouching on one of those beams. I felt a smile creep across my face. I got it.


    I cast Thorn Grapple at one of the rafters, directing it to wrap around it. Then I retracted the vine-like whip and shot into the air to land on the beam next to Sylvia. Exchanging nods, we started carefully maneuvering our way across the rafters above the prison cells.


    As we moved further up the hallway, following the trail of empty cells, we started to see bodies lying on the floor. These bodies seemed to be of guards of some kind, dressed similarly to the Loyalist soldiers that I had encountered in the past. I noticed that all of them were missing any possible form of weaponry.


    To my eye, it looked like they had been ambushed. Most of them looked shocked in some way, or as if they had been killed where they had been standing in an instant. I grimaced at the pool of blood that one was leaving on the black stone floor of the prison. This was likely the handiwork of our party. It seemed like they weren¡¯t making an attempt at being subtle. I guess I understood, but I was a little uncomfortable at the slaughter.


    I accepted the fact that the faction I¡¯d aligned myself with was at war with these people, and that these were enemy soldiers protecting a facility holding children hostage.


    But¡­


    I shook it off. Some of these kills looked fresher, implying to me that we were getting closer to Grey and the rest. Sylvia must have come to the same conclusion, as we picked up the pace.


    A glint of light off of gold ahead caught my eye. I squinted, trying to get a better look. After a moment, I let out an inaudible sigh of relief. Yeah, that was definitely Aurum up ahead. Now that I had moved closer, I could see a large group of people that he was hanging back from, clutching his staff. Grey must have decided to go whole hog on freeing prisoners, as that had to be a group of at least twenty people incongruously trying to creep down the hallway. The group was large enough that I couldn¡¯t even see anyone else I knew in it. Oddly, it was working. For some reason, the entire group was moving in perfect silence.


    I stopped suddenly, seeing something else. The group had decided to go down a hallway that led farther into the prison complex, instead of continuing on along the outer edges of it like they had been. However, I spotted something along the path that they had moved off of.


    Another one of those guards, skulking along in the shadows. At first, I just thought he was trailing them. That would be bad enough, but no.


    He was creeping up on Aurum in particular, as the Sculpted was trailing the group.


    The guard had a dagger drawn.


    Damnit Aurum, how do you keep getting into these situations?


    My blood pressure spiked, and I started sprinting across the rafters as fast and as quietly as I dared. I was vaguely aware of Sylvia trailing me, but I was too focused on the guard to pay her much mind. I was going to have to take this guard out, but how to do it quietly? I didn¡¯t know whatever method the main group was using to stay silent would work this far back. If I just dropped down on the guard and knifed him, he might still be able to let out a cry for help in time before he died. Not only that, but I was still feeling a little weak from my exertions astralizing the door earlier. I wasn¡¯t sure if I could take this guard in a straight fight if I botched the kill. As I arrived directly above the guard in the rafters, I grimaced. I¡¯d had an idea, but it was distasteful, to say the least. But I didn¡¯t have time to agonize over it.


    Silently, I recast Thorn Grapple. But this time, I didn¡¯t send it out anywhere. See, when I¡¯d experimented with the skill in the past, I¡¯d discovered that I had more control over this skill than I¡¯d thought. But it made sense. How else could I direct it to wrap around specific branches, then if I could control its movements completely with my mind?


    The head of the grapple materialized in my open hand, clicking together once like the jaws of a hungry beast. Slowly, the grapple extended downwards silently, sinuously snaking its way on a thorny vine above the guard.


    At my direction, the grapple exploded forward to wrap around the throat of the guard. Once it did so, the head bit down on the length of vine behind itself. At the same time, I stepped backward off of the rafter I was standing on.


    The guard was suddenly jerked into the air from my impromptu noose. Meanwhile, I let out enough slack from the vine that I landed soundlessly on the floor beneath me. I grabbed hold of the vine created from my skill and held onto it, as the guard spasmed and grasped at the thorny vine curled around his throat. But it was useless.


    I held the guard there, suspended in the air as if he was a criminal sentenced to hang at the gallows, as he slowly choked to death.


    The guard dropped the dagger he had been stalking Aurum with, causing a slight clattered sound in the hallway. I grimaced, but continued my grisly work. However, that must have been enough to alert Aurum. He warily glanced over his shoulder. When he did so, his eyes veritably bulged in their sockets at the scene that I was presenting, causing him to let out a choking noise of horror. That alerted some stragglers from the main group, as several people that I didn¡¯t know looked behind themselves. They stopped in shock as well, eventually alerting the entire group to my impromptu execution.


    The struggles of the hanging guard slowly weakened, under the astonished gaze of the inmates that my companions had freed. I was somewhat aware of Sylvia dropping down next to me, but I wasn¡¯t paying attention to her.


    No, I was locking eyes with Grey.


    My mentor had emerged from the crowd of people to see what was going on, only to stop in his tracks at the sight of me hanging a man. He tilted his head slightly, giving me a look as if he had never noticed me before. It wasn¡¯t a bad, or even condemning look though.


    More¡­contemplative.


    At Grey¡¯s side was a massive, hirsute man with long, dirty brown hair and hazel eyes. When that man saw what I was doing, he started laughing. ¡°Now,¡± He said in a rough, amused voice. ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±


    The guard captured by my skill stopped twitching.

 Chapter 111 - Storming the Gates

    When I saw that the guard I¡¯d hung had¡­passed, I lowered him to the floor by letting out a little bit more vine. Once he was resting soundlessly on the floor, I dismissed the vine in my hands, letting the entire skill diffuse into formless, invisible Aether.


    I let out a shuddering breath once my grisly work was done. When I did so, a wave of exhaustion rolled over me. I nearly buckled standing upright, but caught myself at the last moment. I¡¯d pushed too hard and fast after the strain of dispersing the door. Using multiple skills in a row had been a bad idea, but¡­


    I tried to give Aurum a weak smile. My heart sank though when he just gave me a nervous look in return. The golden Sculpted retreated into the crowd of freed inmates as if he was trying to hide from me.


    I¡­see. The guy had seen me do some pretty¡­questionable things by this point. I shouldn¡¯t be surprised if he was wary of me now. I tried not to let it bother me, but I wasn¡¯t sure I was succeeding.


    Soundlessly, Sylvia faded into view on my right. She had put up her hood so I couldn¡¯t see her face but said hood was pointed in my direction. I didn¡¯t look at her. Instead, I was looking forward at Grey and the unknown man, who were approaching me.


    When they reached me, the straggly inmate clapped me on the shoulder. ¡°You with this lot, eh?¡± He said, jerking a finger at Grey. ¡°Didn¡¯t know they had anyone so hard with ¡®em. Names McGill.¡± The man thrust a hand in my direction. Warily, I reached out to grip his forearm, as I¡¯d grown accustomed to in Vereden. They didn¡¯t shake hands here. When I did so, he man gripped mine in return powerfully. I didn¡¯t flinch, just meeting his eyes. McGill gave me a toothy smile. ¡°Clan Shadesey.¡±


    Clan? From what I understood, that implied he was from the Hill Tribes. Like Bleddyn.


    I gave him a slow nod. ¡°Nate,¡± I said shortly.


    ¡°Nice to meet ya, Hangman,¡± McGill told me, smirking. I let go of his forearm, trying not to let on how much that word bothered me. My Acting skill had to be good for something, I suppose, as the man looked briefly disappointed that he didn¡¯t get a rise out of me.


    I put his new nickname out of my mind, compartmentalizing it further down the rings. Instead, I flicked my eyes in Grey¡¯s direction. He met them, and nodded slightly at me. My mentor then deliberately turned to stare at McGill himself. The man got the hint, and wandered off to join the rest of the inmates, where they started asking him whispered questions and sending me slightly fearful looks. I didn¡¯t blame them. I still had Thorn Cloak active, and the skill did lend me an intimidating air.


    I leaned in closer to Grey. ¡°That¡¯s who you decided to free?¡±


    Grey let out a short, frustrated huff of air. ¡°Isabella insisted. Apparently, she recognized the man as a fellow pirate of Marrowmist. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t expect her to care about such things, but according to her, she owed him a favor. Freeing him and his crew from imprisonment counts, in her words. Said crew are the rest of the rabble. She argued that they could either help operate the Reef or commandeer one of the other ships.¡±


    ¡°¡­the ones that are being sabotaged right now?¡± I asked him in an incredulous, whispered tone.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t pretend to understand the mind of women,¡± Grey whispered back. ¡°Either way, I didn¡¯t care to argue much. We must move quickly now. Are you well enough to fight?¡±


    I immediately shook my head. ¡°No, even that little bit nearly made me black out again. I have no idea what would happen if I tried to call up something like The Scintillant Blade.¡±


    Grey nodded shortly at that. ¡°Then return to your reconnaissance above. One of the other inmates informed us that all the politically important prisoners are being kept in the central tower, under heavy guard. Keep watch with Sylvia. Speaking of,¡± He waved his daughter closer, from where she was pretending not to be eavesdropping.


    She did so, apparently already guessing what he was going to ask. Before I could say a word in protest, Sylvia picked me up in a bridal carry, reminiscent of how she used to back in Addersfield. I ruthlessly suppressed my embarrassment when several of the inmates chuckled derisively. My Sculpted friend didn¡¯t care and simply jumped straight upwards to land on the wooden beams above us. Once there, she let me down, where I could find my bearings once again.


    Below us, Grey visibly concentrated before making a gesture. At it, a bubble of silence descended on the entire group, cutting off the low conversation I heard coming from the inmates. My mentor then turned around and pushed his way through the group to lead them once again. At his silent gesture, the group got underway again.


    I let out a breath and followed them from above with Sylvia.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    I wasn¡¯t able to help the group much from above, as they made their way further into the prison complex. The guards that I had seen, and the one that I had killed, were far from the only ones that they would encounter.


    Overall, I think they would¡­dispose of a dozen different guardsmen as we made our way to the central tower. Sylvia had chosen to leave me behind to scout ahead of the group and alert them to threats in front. Meanwhile, I was left behind in order to guard and watch the rear of the group. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t need to do much, as there weren¡¯t any other guards who had the bright idea to try and ambush a trailing member of the group. Not that there were any, now. Aurum was safely ensconced within the group of inmates, being eyed by them speculatively. The closest person I knew that was in the back was Azarus, who was bringing up the rear guard on the ground.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Speaking of, my dwarven friend ¡®surreptitiously¡¯ turned around and looked up at the rafters. I don¡¯t think he knew exactly where I was, but he still winked up in my general direction. I winced slightly. Azarus, you¡¯re not meant to be pointing out the position of a scout like that¡­


    Not that I thought there was anyone actually watching, but it was the principle of the thing.


    Seriously man, you need to pick up some basic stealth skills.


    Before the group could progress any further and turn a corner ahead, I saw Sylvia drop down in front of the group. They stopped, and father and daughter started a conversation, completely muffled by whatever silence spell Grey was using. After a moment, Sylvia jumped back up into the rafters, while Grey turned to address the group. Meanwhile, I could see the slight outline of Sylvia moving rapidly in my direction.


    When Sylvia reached me, I shuffled in closer. ¡°There is a large guard checkpoint ahead,¡± She whispered. ¡°From what I can tell, this is the only entrance into the tower and there are perhaps fifteen guards stationed there around the large grate that leads inside. We have no choice but to assault the station. There¡¯s no chance we¡¯d be able to sneak past them.¡±


    I nodded at Sylvia seriously. ¡°All right. What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°The plan,¡± Sylvia said pointedly. ¡°Is for Father to extend his silence spell to cover the guard station, and the rest of us will charge them. Meanwhile, you are to continue to watch the rear. Unless you¡¯ve recovered enough?¡±


    Briefly calling up my Status and checking my Stamina, I grimaced and shook my head. ¡°No, I¡¯m still tapped out,¡± I told her. ¡°I¡¯ll keep watch up here.¡±


    With an acknowledging nod, Sylvia slipped away to join the group that was going to assault the checkpoint. I stayed where I was and watched as Grey, my companions, and the freed inmates prepared for the fight. The inmates seemed almost eager, readying the weapons that they¡¯d stolen from the corpses of various guards.


    With a look of intense concentration on his aged features that I could see from where I was crouching, Grey stepped out around the corner in front of him. Immediately, he threw a hand forward, supposedly casting another silencing spell. He then drew Stellarum from its sheathed position on his waist and charged forward beyond my sight.


    The group of inmates took that as their cue, seemed to let out a silent cheer of bloodlust, and charged around the corner themselves. My companions followed as well, just not as savagely.


    Meanwhile, I crept up in order to better keep an eye on things. As I did so, I caught sight of the battle that was happening on this apparent guard outpost.


    It was an almost eerie massacre. The entire battle was being conducted in complete silence, with none of the usual sounds of violence evident in the air. Grey¡¯s spell had succeeded in quieting the entire corridor in which the fight was taking place. I couldn¡¯t get over just how odd it was to watch a fight take place without the sound of steel on steel, or cries from combatants.


    Sylvia had been right about the number of guards that had been manning the station. From the amount that was still fighting combined with those already slain, I counted exactly fifteen guards. However, they were outnumbered by inmates alone, much less my companions. I grimaced at the wild swipes that the guards were being bombarded by, with swords stolen from their compatriots. They didn¡¯t have a chance against the inmates who were hungry for revenge against their jailers, much less my friends who were stronger in general.


    However, I wasn¡¯t watching the battle very closely.


    Instead, I was the rear guard. And good thing too, because I could see a pair of guards on patrol that were approaching the corridor. They hadn¡¯t quite reached the hallway where the battle was happening, but they looked like they were returning to it in my eyes.


    I scowled. I still hadn¡¯t recovered enough to do something about them. I¡¯d likely get slaughtered in a straight fight, and I couldn¡¯t replicate what I had done earlier. I just didn¡¯t have it in me to cast another skill right now and be combat-effective. I was going to need to get some of the fighters behind me to deal with them. However, with the silencing effect in place, I couldn¡¯t warn them verbally. Looking around for a moment for an idea, I eventually just took out my collapsible spear and carved off a few pieces of wood from the beam I was crouching on.


    Turning around, I looked for someone that I could bean with these wood chunks to catch their attention. I grimaced when I saw that the closest person that I could see was that pirate from earlier, McGill. He was busy slitting the throat of some poor guard with a pilfered dagger.


    Fuck it. Beggars can¡¯t be choosers.


    I took aim and tossed the chunk of wood at his head. Thankfully, I hit the mark. The pirate spun in place, scanning wildly for what had hit him. I dropped Thorn Cloak and waved at him. McGill caught sight of me with a confused look on his rough features. I pointed behind me urgently with one hand and held up two fingers with the other.


    He got the point.


    With a vicious smirk, the pirate caught the attention of two other inmates who were standing around, presumably part of his crew. He made a gesture to follow him and then raced to the end of the corridor. As he passed me, I made a gesture to the right so he would know which direction they were coming from. He adjusted, and then he and his two fellow inmates flattened themselves against the right wall.


    They didn¡¯t have to wait long.


    The two patrolling guards rounded the corner and didn¡¯t have time to do more than widen their eyes before the inmates jumped them. I looked away, rather than watch as they were knifed to death by a trio of escaped pirates.


    Instead, I turned around to see if the battle was over yet.


    Seemed like it was.


    Grey and the rest of the group were just¡­cleaning up any stragglers that had survived. Seeing that the coast was clear, I jumped down from the rafters into a pool of blood. I couldn¡¯t just stay up there when we went into the tower, as they stopped at the large gate. I nearly slipped in the blood before catching myself. I still jumped, though, when I felt a hand slap me on the back.


    ¡°Nice work, eh, Hangman?¡± I heard McGill say, as he and his cronies stepped past me.


    I sighed. Yeah¡­sure.


    I copied the man and started to approach the group that was gathering at the now-empty guard station.


    It looked like it was finally time to rescue the people we had actually come for.

 Chapter 112 - The Tower

    I elbowed my way through the crowd of inmates that had gathered in front of the gate to the central tower. I reached the front just in time to watch as Sylvia knelt in front of the heavy padlock on it and take out her lockpicking kit.


    Odd.


    Venix was the first to notice my approach and acknowledged me with a nod. I returned it, as I sidled up to Grey who was watching his daughter work with crossed arms. He nodded at me as well.


    ¡°Is that really necessary?¡± I asked him, gesturing to Sylvia. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t one of the guards have a key on them?¡±


    Grey tsked. ¡°You would think so, wouldn¡¯t you? However, we searched the bodies and were unable to find one. I believe that these guards were not meant to enter the tower at all. Rather, they were meant to prevent groups such as ours. Perhaps they were even supposed to prevent potential escapes, as well. There must be an officer somewhere else in the prison that has the actual key. Perhaps the Warden?¡±


    I gave Grey a side-eye. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you know? I thought you built this place.¡±


    ¡°Hah,¡± Grey fake laughed. ¡°I designed Caer Drarrow, and was involved in some of its construction, as evidenced by my backdoor. However, I¡¯ve never been involved in the actual running of the place, which fell to the Kingdom to manage. I have no idea about their actual operating procedures, nor have I ever. After all, it¡¯s been centuries since it was constructed. There¡¯s no way of knowing how the staff have developed over the years.¡±


    I nodded quietly to show I understood. ¡°Then¡­do you know who the Warden is?¡±


    Grey grew quiet for a moment. Eventually, he spoke again. ¡°I do not, nor does anyone. The position is a secretive one on purpose. Nobody knows who the Warden of Caer Drarrow is at any one time in order to protect whatever family they have on the mainland. However, to those in the know, there is a very short list of individuals that it could be. The position is only granted to those that are sufficiently powerful, and loyal, enough to control both the inmates and guard forces.¡±


    ¡°You have a suspicion,¡± I said, narrowing my eyes slightly at Grey.


    Grey winced but nodded. ¡°Yes, I do. Said suspicion only manifested when our theory that the Loyalists are controlling monsters arose. There is¡­an individual that I dearly hope is not the current Warden who has some capabilities in that direction.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    Grey shook his head in immediate denial and leaned in closer. ¡°I do not wish to cast aspersions, nor do I want to give rise to a sense of despair among the others,¡± He whispered to me. ¡°Suffice to say, if my suspicions are correct, then we need to be quick. We must make all possible haste and precaution to avoid their notice.¡±


    I felt dread begin to pool in my stomach before I cut it off with my middle ring. I needed to stay sharp. ¡°You¡­could take them though, right?¡±


    ¡°Possibly,¡± Grey said in a low, unsure tone. ¡°However, I have no wish to do so, especially in my still weakened state. Regardless,¡± He said, raising his voice and straightening up. ¡°Sylvia appears to be finished with the gate. We should proceed.¡±


    I turned to look, to see that Grey was right. Sylvia had finished picking the lock on the door to the tower and had removed it from the door. However, she refrained from opening it just yet, instead turning to glance at her Father.


    Grey nodded sharply at her regard and turned himself to address the bloodthirsty crowd of inmates. ¡°You will be staying here, in order to guard the entrance.¡± He commanded, to their visible disappointment. ¡°The corridors of the tower are much narrower than those in the rest of the prison. There simply isn¡¯t enough room inside for so many. Instead, I will be venturing inside with my team. However,¡± He narrowed his eyes at the crowd. ¡°Mr. McGill, step forward.¡±


    McGill did as Grey commanded, striding out of the crowd as if he didn¡¯t have a care in the world. He opened his arms wide when he did so. ¡°What can I do for ye, Headmaster?¡± He asked, only slightly mockingly.


    Grey was unphased. ¡°You will be accompanying us inside,¡± He said simply, in an unyielding tone. He wasn¡¯t asking.


    Grey was demanding.


    McGill snorted, unintimidated. ¡°Oh, aye? Are ye afeared I¡¯ll scamper off the second your back is turned?¡±


    To be honest¡­


    Bella snorted herself, stepping up to stand next to Grey. ¡°I know ye would, ye scoundrel. Ye¡¯d run with yer tail between yer legs at the first sign of trouble.¡±


    McGill smiled disarmingly at Bella, placing his right hand over his heart dramatically. ¡°Bella, ye wound me. Ye really do.¡±


    ¡°Now, if you please,¡± Grey said impatiently, interrupting the byplay. ¡°We must hurry.¡±


    McGill held up his hands in defeat, stepping up to stand next to the rest of us. He stopped next to me, giving me a crooked grin. I didn¡¯t react, instead drawing my dagger and holding it loosely. I wanted to be prepared.


    At Grey¡¯s gesture, Sylvia opened the door to the tower. Inside I could see¡­


    Nothing.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    It was dark in there as if the bottom floor of the tower had no light sources. Grey stepped forward, calling forth a familiar silver orb of light. Said light revealed that the bottom floor of the tower was deserted. There wasn¡¯t anything in there but a large stone staircase leading upwards on the far wall. No crates, no supplies, nothing.


    There certainly weren¡¯t any guards in here. Weird. Maybe they just didn¡¯t need them, with how isolated the tower was?


    Grey crept into the tower, wary, with the rest of our party following closely behind him. Well, us plus the untrustworthy McGill.


    The gate to the tower slammed shut behind us.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Grey led us over to the stairs and upward. As we ascended them, there continued to be no visible light sources. After a few moments of climbing, we came to a landing. It looked to me that we had reached the first floor of the tower where they were keeping prisoners.


    The hall that we exited into was much smaller and shorter than the large corridors in the rest of the prison. If I had to guess, this part of the prison was meant to have a much denser population of prisoners.


    Because there sure a hell were a ton more in here.


    Unlike the first floor, this floor was actually lighted. Instead of having torches or something, there were these lamps that seemed to have faintly glowing stones of some sort inside. In the dim yellow light that they cast, I could see the cells. Rather than the wooden doors that I had seen earlier, these cells were blocked off by almost stereotypical iron bars with minimal gaps in between them. The cells themselves were smaller even than the tiny rooms from the rest of the prison.


    These cells were packed with children.


    There seemed to be two of them per cell, and they were filthy. Covered in dirt, sweat, and a blood-pressure spiking amount of refuse, they were silent and fearful. I could see the wariness in their eyes, reflected from the low light. To me, the children appeared to range in age from around seven all the way up to around Walter¡¯s age. They were also distressingly thin, and dressed in tattered rags.


    On this floor alone, I could see eight cells. Four on either side.


    Sixteen possible mistreated children on this floor alone¡­


    Whatever sympathy I might have had for the prison guards we¡¯d killed so far evaporated into thin air. Not even the slave masters back in Addersfield had treated the younger slaves this badly. For God¡¯s sake, they at least let them bathe. I don¡¯t know how long these kids had been locked up in these cages, but I¡¯m not sure that had ever stepped foot outside of them since their capture.


    For the first time since I¡¯d acquired Ringed Mind, all three levels of my consciousness were drowned in rage.


    After a moment, I forcibly tamped down on my emotions with my middle ring. I stepped off of the landing and into the hallway of the first floor slowly, halting when my movement caused the children near me to flinch. When I didn¡¯t see anyone else step forward with me, I turned around.


    It looked like everyone else was, in a word, dissatisfied. Even the pirates looked uncomfortable with the evil on display.


    With a deep breath to settle the blatant fury I could see on his aged features, Grey stepped up next to me. Before we could go any further, we were interrupted by a surprisingly mature voice echoing out of the cell directly to our right.


    ¡°Headmaster Greycton?¡± I heard in a raspy tone. Stepping out of the darkness of the cell corner where I couldn¡¯t see, a much older man appeared. With a hushed gesture to the fearful child he was sharing a cell with, he approached the light. This man seemed to be in his sixties or seventies perhaps, with long steel grey hair hanging freely over his brown eyes. He had a hopeful expression on his wrinkled features. ¡°Could that possibly be you?¡±


    Grey turned to stare at the old man for a moment. I saw his brow wrinkle for a moment before realization stole across it. ¡°Lord Everfield?¡± He breathed.


    ¡®Lord Everfield¡¯ gave Grey a weak smile. ¡°Richard, please. I find it hard,¡± He stopped, succumbing to a coughing fit before speaking again. ¡°Hard to think of myself as a noble in these conditions.¡±


    ¡°I¡­wasn¡¯t aware that you had been captured as well, Richard,¡± Grey said in a confused tone, stepping towards the cell. ¡°I thought it had just been the¡­children.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Richard sighed tiredly. ¡°You were mistaken. Some of us managed to catch the scoundrels in the act when they came for the children and protested most vigorously. We were taken as well, as punishment I suppose. I believe there is at least one adult on each floor. Still,¡± He took the time to smile wearily down at the frightened child clinging to his raggedy pants. ¡°At the very least, I can provide some measure of comfort to these poor little ones.¡± He looked back up at Grey. ¡°Headmaster, have you come to¡­¡± He trailed off, choking before he could even say the word.


    ¡°I have. We have,¡± Grey reached through the cell to lay a comforting hand on Richard¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I and my compatriots have come to rescue all here.¡±


    Richard shuddered, and I could see tears begin to stream down the crevices on his face. ¡°Thank you, Headmaster. Thank you¡­.I¡­¡± He sobbed, unable to keep speaking.


    Grey let out a heavy breath before continuing. ¡°Richard, I¡¯m sorry, but I have to know. Do you know if two specific prisoners are being kept in this tower?¡± When Richard managed to calm down enough to look Grey in the eye again, Grey smiled at him. ¡°A Sculpted named Woodrick, and Deputy Headmistress Honoka?¡±


    Richard¡¯s mouth opened slightly in shock. ¡°Lady Honoka was captured as well? I-I¡¯m sorry, Headmaster, I don¡¯t know. We haven¡¯t been allowed out of these cells since our capture.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Grey said heavily.


    ¡°B-But!¡± Richard continued hurriedly. ¡°I have heard the guards say that there are only two prisoners on the top floor. I¡¯ve even heard one of them refer to a prisoner up there as the, well,¡± He covered the child¡¯s ears. ¡°The ¡®Bitch¡¯.¡±


    Grey¡¯s eyes lit up, and he huffed out a short laugh. ¡°Yes, that sounds like her,¡± His smile faded, and he spoke more seriously. ¡°Are there any guards in this tower, Richard?¡±


    I almost hoped there were. And I don¡¯t think I was the only one, judging by the eager tensing I could see happening among my companions.


    Sadly, Richard shook his head. ¡°No, they don¡¯t bother with posting anyone in here. The guards only visit us in order to deliver food and water once a day.¡±


    ¡°Good, good,¡± Grey murmured. ¡°In that case, we can split up.¡± With one last comforting smile to Richard and the child in the cell, Grey turned back to us with an intense look. ¡°Azarus and McGill!¡± He barked, causing the dwarf and the pirated to straighten up almost involuntarily. ¡°You two stay on this floor, and work to free the children here. The rest of us will ascend the tower and continue to free the others. Azarus, keep an eye on him.¡±


    Azarus snorted, casting an unimpressed look at the pirate standing to his left. ¡°Ain¡¯t got to tell me twice.¡±


    McGill held his hands up with a wounded look on his roguish features. It faltered though, when he looked out across the imprisoned children.


    I guess even a murderous pirate had qualms about treating children like this.


    As for the rest of us, we followed Grey as he began walking to the staircase that lay on the far side of the hall.


    Behind us, I heard Azarus start to bust locks with his warhammer.


    We ascended.

 Chapter 113 - Darkness and Deception

    The next few floors were very similar to the second one. Each of them was constructed in a similar manner, with eight cells in total. On the third floor, we found that there were actually two adults mixed in with the children instead of just one like the second. However, one of them was in a bad shape.


    Coaxing the child to the bars, we got a stuttered explanation out of them that the shivering form of an older man was one Mr. Craight. Apparently, he had got some kind of illness some time ago, and the Guards were unsympathetic to it. Grey immediately melted the lock on that particular cell and ushered Aurum inside. It was time for the healer that we had brought along to do his job.


    Before we left, I made sure to carefully hand the Sculpted several of the potions that Grey and I had brewed for this possibility. Aurum took them from me warily, unable to meet my eyes anymore. Unphased by our byplay, Grey ordered Aurum to check in with each of the prisoners once he had stabilized Craight, and then do the same with the other floors. We left Venix on that floor in order to guard Aurum and start breaking people out. I¡¯m pretty sure the massive Antium was more than up to the task.


    On the third floor, we discovered that this level was draftier than the others. There were actually a few sets of thin, slit-like windows set into the walls of a few of the cells.


    This wasn¡¯t a good thing. Those windows were letting in too much cold sea air and letting it collect in the small confines of this floor. I don¡¯t know what was keeping the cold from reaching the lower floors, but this one was uniquely chilly.


    Everyone on it was sick to some degree.


    Grey, Sylvia, Bella and I immediately got to work breaking cell locks so we could start administering potions. Some of them were so ill, however, that there wasn¡¯t much that could be done with just potions. These kids needed actual medical attention, and the four of us just weren¡¯t up to it. We gathered up who we could and started moving them off of this level to the one below us. At the very least were able to get them out of the cold. We told Aurum to prioritize them, for now.


    Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t all. We found our first dead prisoner on that level, when we were moving the children.


    In one of the cells was a small, curled-up body lying still underneath a threadbare blanket. I¡­


    I had a hard time looking at them.


    Just the thought of what these bastards had allowed to be done to a child filled my heart with an impotent rage. I wanted to scream and thrash and break something. How could these people do this? How can you even call yourself human, if you inflicted such suffering on a child? And for what? Because some fucking slaver noble told you that they were the children of rebels?


    Nothing could ever justify this.


    I wasn¡¯t the only one to be affected, either. While I couldn¡¯t see Sylvia¡¯s face through her still-raised hood, I could see Bella¡¯s.


    The pirate Captain had the darkest look I¡¯d ever seen on her sharp features. Whenever one of the children couldn¡¯t see her, a profoundly murderous look would emerge, pointed through the thin windows at the ships we could see faintly.


    Grey though, was just tired. All his fire from earlier seemed to drain from his slight form at the sight of the dead child. With an almost careless gesture, he melted away the lock on that particular cell and stepped inside with heavy steps.


    Gingerly, Grey knelt down to pick up the tragic figure and held it in his arms. Nudging the blanket out of the way slightly so he could see their face, he sighed heavily at what he found. ¡°I recognize this one,¡± He said to me mournfully. I was the only one up here with him right now, as both Sylvia and Bella were downstairs with Aurum assisting with the rest of the sick children.


    I was silent for a moment, taking in the tragic scene. Eventually, I stirred. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Lady Turnold¡¯s niece,¡± Grey said tiredly. Carefully, he covered the poor girl''s face once again with the blanket. ¡°Samantha, I believe her name is. Was.¡±


    Lady Turnold¡­


    I recognized that name. She had been at the war council, all those weeks ago. The stern woman who had questioned Grey about Azarus and me. She¡­didn¡¯t deserve this.


    Nobody did.


    Silently, the two of us exited the cell and walked down the steps to the third floor, where Aurum, Sylvia, and Bella were working. When we stepped onto the landing, Bella was the first to notice us. At the sight of the still form cradled in Grey¡¯s arms, she visibly snarled before forcing it down. I don¡¯t think she wanted to scare the children more than they already were.


    Grey approached her. ¡°Please, take her down to the first floor Isabella,¡± Grey asked her wearily. ¡°We still have two more prisoners to free.¡±


    Gingerly, Bella accepted the tiny form from Grey. Looking down at it, I could see the woman choke something down, and then nod tightly at Grey. She hunched over the form in order to better hide it from view, and then wordlessly started walking away toward the lower stairs.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Meanwhile, Grey turned to nod at me and gestured back to the upper stairs. He didn¡¯t wait for a response before climbing back up them. He didn¡¯t need to, anyway.


    I was right behind him.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    As Richard Everfield had told us, there were only two cells on the fifth and last floor of the tower. The floor itself was much smaller than the others had been, with only a small walkway in between the two cell doors. These cells were much more like the ones that had been in the rest of the building, with large wooden doors on them.


    They were much more elaborate, however.


    These doors were covered in runic inscriptions, and I could feel the Mana wafting off of them. Whatever kind of warding scheme had been built into these cells was pretty damn powerful. I would have thought that Grey would know about them, but¡­


    Grey was staring at the obviously enchanted doors with an irritated look on his face.


    I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m guessing these aren¡¯t part of your design?¡±


    Grey snorted, not turning to face me. ¡°A brilliant deduction. No, I¡¯m not familiar with this particular enchantment but I recognize elements of it. I believe these are suppression wards. Essentially a broader form of enchantment similar to a slave brand, they suppress a person¡¯s Status within a certain area. These are likely the only reason the occupants have yet to break themselves free.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re pretty strong, then,¡± I said tiredly, drained from the entire situation. Normally I enjoyed these little micro-lessons with Grey, but not now. Not after the quiet horrors that I¡¯d seen in this tower.


    Grey seemed like he wasn¡¯t in the mood either. ¡°Strong enough,¡± He said shortly, before placing a hand on his sword. ¡°However, they won¡¯t be an issue. I¡¯m capable enough myself.¡± Drawing his blue and white longsword, Grey marched up to the cell on the left. Gripping the hilt of his blade with both hands, Grey violent stabbed his sword into the wood of the door. Despite being made of wood, and with Grey¡¯s considerable strength, it only penetrated an inch with the sound of a tortured shriek of metal for some reason. It was as if the door was solid steel instead. However, I don¡¯t think Grey cared. ¡°Drink, Stellarum,¡± He said coldly.


    The almost stone-like material of Grey¡¯s sword began to glow with a harsh black light. The tendrils of black light crawled down the length of the azure blade and infiltrated the surface of the door. Just underneath the wood surface of it, I could see those tendrils spread out, occasionally peaking through it as if they were curious worms. Slowly, the entirety of the wooden door started to glow the blue color of concentrated Mana, before dimming. Somehow, I could see the black light that ¡®Stellarum¡¯ was emitting ¡®eat¡¯ the Mana somehow. When the last dregs of blue light had dissipated, the tendrils of hungry black power retreated back into the blade, before Grey withdrew it from the door.


    The entire process took only seconds.


    When it was done, the door seemed more fragile somehow. Where before it had resonated with a strength born from its enchantments, now it seemed like it was even less than a normal slab of wood. I tentatively reached out and laid a finger on it, only for the entire door to collapse into ash the moment I did so. I jerked my finger back in surprise.


    I was caught off guard by a voice echoing out of the cell.


    ¡°So,¡± I heard an oddly hollow voice ring out of the oddly large cell, before the rhythmic thumping of wood on stone approached the light outside of it. ¡°They finally sent someone to the rescue, I see.¡± Stepping into view was perhaps the oddest Sculpted I had ever seen.


    This must be Woodrick.


    As I¡¯d come to expect he¡¯d be, his body was shaped from solid wood. Oak, if I had to take a guess. His form was that of a muscular human man, with intricate muscles sculpted from smooth bark visible across his exposed torso. The only thing he was wearing was a set of prison rags tied around his waist. He was tall too, even more so than I was. I might clock him at around six and a half feet tall, so not quite Venix height if I had to guess. But it was his face that drew my eye.


    Incongruously, it looked like he had a beard.


    The beard itself was entirely formed from rich green lichen and moss that molded itself to the shape of his handsome features. It was long, too, reaching down to the base of his neck. On a human man, I¡¯d call his features chiseled. But since he was wooden, I guess I could say it was whittled instead. Like Sylvia, he had the same kind of articulating plates that formed and simulated the human face, only made of wood. Like her, there were dozens of them, each fitted together seamlessly. From his head fell long locks of lichen and moss, twisted together into what looked like dreadlocks. His eyes were the only things about his body that weren¡¯t made of organic materials.


    They were stone.


    Carved to look like human eyes, they looked oddly fluid set into his sockets. They were also intricately constructed, out of what seemed to be three different kinds of stone. The sclera looked to be made from white and black flecked granite, while the pupil seemed to be made from solid chunks of obsidian. However, the actual iris of his eyes seemed to be carved from a rich red ruby. They glowed out of the darkness of the cell, fixed on me. I watched as somehow, the pupils in his stone eyes contracted just like a human¡¯s would, from the light outside the cell.


    ¡°However,¡± The Sculpted man said idly. ¡°I don¡¯t recognize you.¡±


    I blinked at him. ¡°Ah. I¡¯m with him,¡± I said, jerking my thumb over my shoulder.


    Who I could only assume was Woodrick looked over my shoulder. He made a noise of realization, seeing who else was here. ¡°Is that you, Grey?¡± He called out, relaxing slightly. I turned to look, and saw that Grey was already marching up to the second cell door. He lifted his left hand not holding Stellarum and waved over his shoulder, saying nothing.


    I was startled when Woodrick appeared at my shoulder. ¡°I suppose he¡¯s focused on freeing whoever¡¯s in the other cell,¡± He said casually.


    My eyebrows shot up. ¡°You don¡¯t know who¡¯s in there?¡±


    Woodrick turned to look at me. ¡°Mmm, no. I was captured after that cell was locked up. Whoever¡¯s in there has been here longer than I was. They sure do make a ruckus sometimes, though.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I said quietly, watching as Grey stabbed his blade into the second cell door. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve never met her, but I¡¯m told it¡¯s supposed to be someone named ¡®Lady Honoka¡¯.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Woodrick said, startled. ¡°That can¡¯t be right. Honoka was free when I was ambushed. Whoever¡¯s in that cell has been there at least before I was captured.¡±


    I turned to look at Woodrick sharply at that. ¡°Wait. If it¡¯s not Honoka in that cell, who is?¡±


    Woodrick and I stared at each other for a moment, before realization stole across our faces simultaneously.


    I spun around, outstretching a hand towards my mentor fruitlessly. ¡°GREY, STOP!¡± I shouted desperately. ¡°IT¡¯S A TR-¡±


    I was too late. I could tell that Stellarum had already eaten the enchantment on the door when Grey turned to look at us in confusion.


    Something massive exploded through the doorway, in a thunderous hail of stone and ash.

 Chapter 114 - Revenge or Right

    Before I could even react, Woodrick tackled me out of the way of whatever had been waiting in the room. As the two of us sailed through the air, I twisted just enough to see what was happening.


    I just barely managed to catch a glimpse of what was happening.


    I think it was a Neptaurian¡ªa big one.


    This must be the missing Prime.


    In the split second before Grey and the monster escaped my field of view, I was able to see my mentor snap his blade up in a guard position and brace himself. He was just barely able to catch the hideous monstrosity''s foot-long claws on Stellarum before they could skewer his heart. However, he wasn¡¯t able to hold his ground.


    Grey was pushed off his feet and carried through the doorway to Woodrick¡¯s former cell. I squeezed my eyes shut briefly from the resulting shower of stone as the doorway was obliterated with a deafening boom. Milliseconds afterward, I heard a second crack of stone as another wall was broken down.


    The entire exchange had taken place before Woodrick and I had even hit the ground. We impacted the stone of the fifth floor, driving the air from my lungs. Still, I managed to say something. ¡°Grey!¡± I wheezed out, scrambling out of Woodrick''s arms and to my feet. I stumbled forward as quickly as I could, hooking a hand around the crumbling stone of the now destroyed doorway to the Sculpted¡¯s former cell. My eyes widened at what I found.


    It was destroyed. Gone.


    As was Grey and the Prime.


    Not only was the far wall of the tower cell destroyed, but so was most of the floor inside. It was a crumbling ruin that I didn¡¯t dare step foot in, else it collapse underneath me. However, that wasn¡¯t what caught my attention the most.


    It was what was happening on the roof of Caer Drarrow outside.


    Just barely in sight and below me, Grey was fighting a vicious battle against the Neptaurian Prime. I watched as my mentor desperately parried a blow from the lightning-fast claws of the sea monster, before being forced back a step to avoid another. With a frustrated shout, Grey released an explosion of black and silver Mana in a sphere all around him. Eerily silent, the Neptaurian skipped back a step to avoid the spell, before instantly spearing forward with its talons in a bid to skewer Grey as the energy dissipated. However, he wasn¡¯t there.


    Grey¡¯s sword descended on the shoulder of the monster, from where he had jumped into the air in the moment he was concealed by his blast, leaving a deep wound. The Neptaurian finally made a sound loud enough to reach me from this distance, a horrifyingly warbly whinny. The beast skipped back several steps to retreat, letting Grey land back on the flat prison rooftop.


    The two combatants stared at each other for a moment, before starting to circle.


    I¡­I didn¡¯t know what to do. Should I go down there and help him? Would I even be any help, in a battle of that caliber? If the Neptaurian Prime was anywhere as strong as the Frostbrine Prime had been, it might be ten times my level.


    Before I could make a decision, I was startled as a familiar form blurred past me from my gawking position.


    Venix.


    He sailed through the air, descending on the battle between Grey and the Prime and drawing his blades as he did so. The Antium must have blasted up the staircase to this floor so fast he didn¡¯t even make any noise. I hadn¡¯t heard him coming at all.


    I was startled when I was spun around by someone else. It was Woodrick, with a grim look on his wooden features.


    ¡°We need to go,¡± The Sculpted leader told me soberly. ¡°Greycton and Venix can handle¡­whatever the hells that is. We need to get everyone else out of this tower. It could collapse after something like this. That¡¯s what you guys were doing, right? Rescuing everyone?¡±


    I blinked at Woodrick for a moment before snapping out of it. I relaxed the hand that had automatically gone to my dagger-spear and clutched it in a death grip, before nodding at him. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I said shortly. The two of us left the sight of the ambush and raced down the stairs.


    Sylvia and Bella were there to greet us, both with blades drawn. The two of them were tense in expectation but relaxed when they saw who was descending the stairs. Sylvia nodded at me and then paused at the sight of the other Sculpted. ¡°Woodrick.¡± She acknowledged in a tense tone, lowering her blade.


    Woodrick nodded at her. ¡°Sylvia. Good to see you.¡±


    Aurum popped his head out from behind a nearby cell wall at the exchange. The healer smiled widely when he saw who was with me, emerging fully. ¡°Rick! Are you-¡±


    I cut him off. I¡¯m sorry man, but we don¡¯t have time for reunions. ¡°Grey and Venix are fighting the missing Prime,¡± I said shortly, cutting off all other questions and conversation. Sylvia tensed back up at my words, looking like she was about to bolt past me. I laid a hand on her shoulder to stop her. ¡°Some crazy bastard set a trap with it inside the other cell up there. They can handle it. But we need to get out of this tower now. The Prime damaged it too much. We don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll hold up.¡±


    As if to punctuate my words, we heard the rumbling sound of collapsing stone on the floor above. Thankfully, the ceiling didn¡¯t collapse in on us just yet, though our group was showered with dust briefly.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    I laid another hand on Sylvia¡¯s other shoulder to look her in the eye. ¡°Did you get everyone out of the tower yet?¡± I asked her urgently.


    Sylvia reluctantly dragged her eyes off of the staircase to meet mine. ¡°We evacuated everyone to the first floor at the noise,¡± She said with an extraneous exhale.


    Bella made towards the stairs while Sylvia and I were speaking, but was blocked by Woodrick. ¡°Lady, are you mental?¡± He said incredulously. ¡°That floor is actively collapsing. We need to get out of here.¡±


    The pirate Captain glowered at the Sculpted. ¡°Out of me way, bark boy. I¡¯m ¡®ere for revenge against that beasty out there, and I¡¯m goin¡¯ ta get it.¡±


    I let go of Sylvia to turn and frown at Bella. ¡°Look, I get it,¡± I told her, frustrated. ¡°But we have more important things to worry about right now.¡±


    Bella rounded me with furious eyes. ¡°What do ye get, weaklin¡¯?! That monster out there ruined me life! It stole everythin¡¯ from me! Me fleet! Me crew! And me PRIDE! I ain¡¯t gonna let you busybodies stop me from settlin¡¯ the score!¡±


    We didn¡¯t have time for this.


    I bounded over to get in her face. ¡°Right now,¡± I hissed to her. ¡°There are dozens of traumatized, starved, sick children below us. They¡¯re waiting on us to get them out of here, terrified out of their minds. You need to choose right now. Do you care more about your revenge, or do you care about doing the right thing?¡±


    Bella met my intense stare with one of her own in a tense silence. I held her gaze, unintimidated by the woman by this point.


    Our standoff was broken by the sound of more rumbling from above. A stone came loose from the ceiling, and crashed to the floor not far from us.


    With a muffled curse, Bella spat off to the side. Without a word, she marched past me towards the back stairs and descended them, uncaring about the dust falling from the ceiling. I let out a breath, and turned to nod at Sylvia. She returned it silently, and then turned and ushered a bewildered Aurum down the stairs with her.


    When I turned to gesture Woodrick with us, I found him looking at me contemplatively. ¡°Intense bunch, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Not usually. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go.¡±


    At that, the two of us departed for the stairs ourselves. Woodrick had to stoop over to fit through cramped stair hallways. As we descended through the now-empty cells, I couldn¡¯t help but be glad that this horrible tower was going down. A place like this where such evil was allowed to fester didn¡¯t deserve to exist.


    The two of us reached the packed first floor to find the rest of my companions waiting for us. Outside the door to the tower, I could hear the pitched sound of battle, which alarmed me to say the least. It seemed to have scared the children too, who they had gathered in a large group. Sylvia and Aurum were trying to keep them calm, too busy to acknowledge me. But here was an additional problem. Several seemed to be out of it, lying insensate on the floor. I grimaced at the sight of them.


    Azarus must have noticed, because he returned my grim expression. ¡°Aye, some of them are too sick to move. We¡¯ll have to carry ¡®em out. Which is a problem, cause them pirates are fightin¡¯ off a horde of guards that came runnin¡¯ at the sound from above.¡±


    That made me notice that both McGill and Bella weren¡¯t in here with us. I guess they had joined the fighting outside.


    Damnit, how were we going to fight off the guards and get these kids out of here at the same time?


    A rumble from above reminded me that I didn¡¯t have a ton of time to think of a solution.


    Luckily, someone else saved the day.


    Woodrick stepped past me. ¡°Leave it to me,¡± He said confidently, reaching up to his chest and plucking something out from under his bark. They looked to be seeds of some kind, to my eyes. He tossed them at one of the empty sections of the floor and visibly concentrated, making a gesture.


    Under my astonished gaze, the seeds somehow grew into makeshift stretchers. The beds of the stretchers were made of leaves, while the frames seemed to be made of branches. Instead of wheels, they had what almost looked to be animated, oversized chicken feet made of wood. I watched the stretchers independently stand up and shuffle in place. The Sculpted leader had made three of them in total


    ¡°Those will hold them, and follow us as well,¡± Woodrick said, nodding in satisfaction. ¡°They¡¯re more than strong enough to hold the children.¡±


    Azarus took the overt display of magic in stride. ¡°That¡¯ll do. C¡¯mon, help me load the kids up.¡±


    I shook myself out of it and helped the two others load the sick kids up on the mobile stretchers. There were six of them in total, so about half of the kids from the fourth floor were too sick to move on their own.


    I took a deep breath when we were done. ¡°Okay then,¡± I said, nodding to the adults in the room. That included Richard Everfield and the other freed adult prisoners of the tower. ¡°Let¡¯s do this. Azarus, Sylvia, Woodrick. You guys go first. I¡¯ll bring up the rear with Aurum, the kids, and the others.¡± I paused for a moment, before reaching for my spare collapsed spear behind me. ¡°Woodrick, do you need a weapon?¡±


    Woodrick confidently shook his head. ¡°No. I bring my own.¡± He said, plucking another seed from his chest. This time, instead of growing a stretcher, a giant double-bladed great axe hewn from oak grew in his right hand. In seconds it reached full maturity. Once it had, the Sculpted slung it on his shoulder.


    I blinked and then sheathed my comparatively puny dagger.


    Okay then.


    I nodded at Azarus, who walked over to the door and readied his hammer and shield. ¡°Let¡¯s do this,¡± He said grimly, before opening the door.


    On the other side was chaos.


    Bella, McGill, and the rest of the pirates were embroiled in battle with a mass of Loyalist Guards. Blood and screams filled the air, both from the guards and the pirates. The freed prisoners might have been more vicious than the guards, but the guards were just better equipped. The pirates mostly had scavenged weapons and no armor to speak of.


    Bella and McGill were by far the deadliest of the pirates. Bella was scything through the guards with a cutlass sheathed in razor-sharp winds, darting across the battlefield. Meanwhile, McGill had picked up a second scavenged longsword and was hacking wildly at the opposing forces to great effect.


    Still, even with those two powerhouses, the combined pirate forces were still being pushed back by the seemingly never-ending stream of guards.


    Woodrick clucked his wooden tongue with a hollow noise and shook his head. ¡°Can¡¯t have that, can we?¡± With a running jump, the Sculpted leader crashed into the thick of the melee. ¡°Timber Rend!¡± I heard him shout, followed by a green flash of light and the screams of the guards.


    Who actually said skill names out loud like that? I shook my head, glancing at Aurum while Sylvia and Azarus advanced on the fighting as well. ¡°You stay in front so you can heal,¡± I said shortly, uncaring at this point of his wary gaze. We could sort it out later. ¡°I¡¯ll bring up the rear.¡± At Aurum''s nod, we got into position.


    Ahead of us, the introduction of my companions had shifted the tide of battle significantly. They were pushing back the guards now, leaving room for us to advance with our precious cargo. Carefully, I urged the children forward, Woodrick''s stretchers following along in our wake dutifully.


    Time to get out of this hellhole.


    I could only hope that the crew of the Thorny Reef had succeeded in their mission.

 Chapter 115 - Plea

    Our combined forces succeeded in pushing forward, enough that we were out of the hallway that led to the crumbling tower. That didn¡¯t mean that the guards stopped coming, even as we fought a grinding battle through the halls of the prison. I didn¡¯t forget Grey¡¯s estimate that there could be upwards of three hundred guards or troops currently quartered at Caer Drarrow.


    I don¡¯t know if we could fight off that many. Especially without Grey or Venix here to pick up our slack.


    But I guess we were going to try.


    Speaking of them, every once in a while I could hear the sound of battle echo through the thick stone of the prison roof. It wasn¡¯t often, but occasionally I would hear impacts. If they were still fighting up there, then the battle with the Neptaurian Prime was taking longer than the one against the Abyssmother had. And that was with Grey and Venix working together from the start. The two of them had finished off that giant spider pretty quickly, once the Antium samurai had entered the fray.


    Just how much stronger was that Centaur?


    Still, we were making progress. I don¡¯t know who was specifically leading the way through the battle, but I hoped they knew the way to the docks. With all this commotion, I was sure that the Reef sabotage crew had to know by now that we were coming in hot. I hope they had the ship ready for a fast exfiltration.


    Or else things were going to get even dicier.


    Every once in a while, the battle in front of me would grow more intense as Guard reinforcements arrived. During this period of amped-up fighting, the movement of the group would stall in place. When that happened, I noticed that the inmates from the cells next to us would start to try and plead with me or Aurum to free them. The Sculpted Healer was doing his best to ignore them, as he had an actual job to be doing. His ranged heals were pretty important to the staying power of those in the fight, as we hadn¡¯t lost any combatants under his eye.


    I couldn¡¯t say the same for the Guards. Seemed Healers were rare.


    Lucky us.


    I, however, was actually considering freeing some of these guys. I didn¡¯t have any attachment to the laws of Herztalian society. I wasn¡¯t sure how much I cared about what they¡¯d done to deserve being put in here. However, most of the people who pleaded with me to free them seemed sketchy as hell. There was just something about them that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Some of these guys were just off. I couldn¡¯t help but remember Grey¡¯s reluctance to free prisoners to help us in a general revolt. How he had said the prison was built for a good reason.


    I eyed one guy that was trying to entice me, with visibly hand-sharpened teeth.


    Maybe Grey had a point.


    However, there was one person that gave me pause.


    During one of the times reinforcements arrived, I was knocked out of my vigil over the terrified children by someone catching my attention from a nearby cell.


    ¡°Hey hey hey hey,¡± I heard someone speak urgently. Turning, I saw a furry arm sticking out of a cell door food slot, while an equally furry snout was pressed up against the peeking door at head height.


    I blinked.


    A Gnoll? I hadn¡¯t seen one of those since I¡¯d said my goodbyes to Illuvia in Hollow Hill.


    The occupant of the cell, seeing that they had caught my attention, pulled back enough from the window so I could see them better.


    Yup, that was a Gnoll all right.


    I think he was a male. Mostly black furred, he had a large white oval on his face from which peeked out bestial orange eyes. As best I could tell, the Gnoll was around my height, thin from probable starvation, and wearing little more than tattered prison wraps. He was also very visibly ansty.


    He pulled his vulpine lips back in an anxious grin.


    ¡°Hey, hi, I see that you¡¯re in the middle of a prison break,¡± He said with a sickly grin over the sounds of battle in front of me, shuffling in place nervously. ¡°Any chance you could getmeouttoo?¡±


    I parsed his quick words, tilting my head. Briefly flicking my eyes at the battle and seeing that it was still stalled in place, I decided to hear him out. ¡°Make your case,¡± I said shortly. ¡°But make it fast.¡±


    The Gnoll¡¯s eyes lit up and moved closer to the door. ¡°I¡¯m a Healer,¡± He said hurriedly. ¡°I can help you, I swear! I don¡¯t need anything to cast!¡±


    I furrowed my brow. ¡°What the hell is a Healer doing in prison?¡± I asked him skeptically. Like I¡¯d said, Healers seemed rare. Why let one waste away in Caer Drarrow?


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be in here!¡± The Gnoll told me, frustrated. ¡°I just pissed off the wrong noble, that¡¯s all! I didn¡¯t do anything to deserve this! I swear, I¡¯m just a student at the Academy!¡±


    Hmm. I had a good feeling about this guy, actually. He didn¡¯t seem to be a crazed cannibal, like some of these guys.


    One more test.


    ¡°If you¡¯re lying, you should know we have Headmaster Greycton with us,¡± I told the Gnoll seriously. ¡°I¡¯ll stick you right back in a cell if you¡¯re fucking with me.¡±


    The Gnoll¡¯s eyes actually lit up. ¡°Nononono, that¡¯s good! That¡¯s great! The Headmaster can vouch for me! I know him! I¡¯ve worked with him!¡±


    Well. All right then.


    I felt recovered enough at this point to use at least one Skill, so I pointed a palm at the padlock on the Gnoll¡¯s cell door.


    Poisonthorn Shot.


    The poisonous skill-borne thorn materialized in front of my hand and shot forward, lodging itself in the lock. In seconds, the metal of it had corroded away to fall in pieces to the floor of the prison. Stepping forward to the cell, I undid the latch and swiftly stepped back. As the door opened and the Gnoll stepped out, I laid one cautious hand on my dagger and made sure I was blocking the way to the children.


    Just in case. This guy could have been pretending the entire time.


    The Gnoll stepped out of the cell skittishly and flinched at the sight of the battle occurring ahead of us. He also boggled at the large group of children that we were escorting, who were mostly being kept calm and under control by Richard Everfield and the handful of other adults we¡¯d rescued.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I called out to him, keeping an eye on the battle myself. It looked like they were about to move up. Seemed like the others had dealt with the latest group of reinforcements. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Uh, Renauld,¡± The Gnoll said, dragging his eyes away from the fighting to give me a weak grin. ¡°Nice to meet you?¡±


    ¡°Sure, right. Well, if you¡¯re going to be healing, get up there with the gold guy,¡± I told him, jerking my head in the direction of Aurum. Said Sculpted must have somehow heard me say his name, because he briefly turned around to look in our direction. At the sight of another freed prisoner, much less a Gnoll, he gave me a strange look. I just shrugged at him. Aurum shook his head and returned to watching the battle.


    Whatever, man. I made a judgment call. I¡¯ll watch him.


    I wasn''t willing to extend complete trust to someone who had been in a jail cell, no matter what he said.


    ¡°Right. Right! Yeah, I¡¯ll do that!¡± Renauld told me, scurrying his way across the stone on padded feet to stand next to Aurum.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    The battle advanced in front of us.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Our grinding battle through the halls of Caer Drarrow continued for the next fifteen minutes. In that time, our new acquisition in the form of Renauld proved his worth. I think he might have both been higher level than Aurum and more knowledgeable about healing. As we advanced, I saw him demonstrate a greater variety of Healing spells of varying strength. Thanks to his inclusion, we didn¡¯t end up losing any of our weaker combatants in the form of the freed pirates. However, he also didn¡¯t seem to have much stamina in his spell-casting. He wasn¡¯t able to throw spells out as quickly as Aurum could.


    If I had to take a guess, it was probably weakness from being imprisoned. Still, between the two of them, our pace picked up. By this point, we had long since passed our entry point that led out to the caves. I was almost tempted to ask a few people to break off and try and get out that way, but we needed all the fighters we could muster.


    I don¡¯t know how they were managing to fight non-stop like this. From my experience, combat was such an exhausting thing that even short bursts of it was enough to exhaust me. Maybe it was just physical conditioning? Maybe I was just dumb for going for a Mage build, when I couldn¡¯t even practice Magic until I was level one hundred? From what I had learned, it was common for regular people to invest most points into strength, dexterity, and vitality if they had no ambitions to become an actual Mage or Cultivator.


    Man, thank God for Ringed Mind. It was so much easier to multi-task now that I had more than one train of thought. I was able to consider useless crap like that while at the same time keeping an eye on the kids and Renauld at the same time. Not that they needed much minding from me. The adults that we¡¯d freed in the tower were doing the brunt of that work. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d have been able to keep them calm like they were doing, in the midst of this chaos. Renauld had been keeping his word as well and causing no trouble.


    Screw it, time to put the new skill to good use. I could keep watch on the kids with the outer ring, an eye on Renauld with the middle one, and check my Status with my core.


    I called it up with Hidden Amidst the Spheres.


    Man, what an odd sensation, feeling out my Status with one-third of my new partitioned mind...


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 90.0099%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center">You have gained 6 levels!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center">You are now level 57!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center">Spear Proficiency has reached level 7 (Max)!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center">Observe has reached level 6!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center">You have sixty unspent Virtue points.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Oh, I''d heard about this. Grey and Azarus had told me that General Skills like Spear Proficiency had max levels of seven. I''d finally maxed out one of them. I was unsurprised that it was my oldest one in Spear Proficiency.


    As for the rest?


    I mentally pondered my sixty free points. I''d just been thinking about how it would help if I was just a bit physically stronger. I wondered if having a higher base Strength would increase the effect of Sylvan Vigor? Well, I guess I could find out.


    I spread out my points, and then checked out my base Status when I was done.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Name</td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">Nathaniel Eugene Hart</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Titles </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">Unbound Liberator</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Level</td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">57</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Age</td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">24 Sol</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Race</td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">Human (Precursor)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Affinity</td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">Terrestrial</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Classes </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">Thornblade Acolyte (Uncommon)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Professions</td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">Aetherial Melding</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Health </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">660/660</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Stamina </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">59/100</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Vitality </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">66</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Strength </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">30</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Spirit </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Dexterity</td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">122</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Perception</td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">66</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Intelligence</td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">168</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Wisdom </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">168</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Free Points </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">0</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.1653%">Options</td>


    <td style="width: 93.8306%">[Talent Page], [Skill Page], [Profession Page]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I nearly stumbled in place at the sudden dramatic physical difference that I felt. Damn, but was I really feeling those extra points into Strength. I could get used to this.


    Almost made me wish I had chosen to go Cultivator, all those months ago.


    Yeah, this worked. I mentally nodded to myself, before turning my attention back to the battle.


    Looked like it had died down again. Actually, it had died so much that our fighters¡­weren¡¯t. There was nobody for them to fight right now. A new group of reinforcements hadn¡¯t come running into their blades for a while now. Which was suspicious in and of itself...


    I cast a wary eye over my shoulder, in case they were thinking of hitting us from behind.


    Thankfully nothing.


    Turning back around, I frowned, tapping the hilt of my dagger. What was going on? Had the guards given up, and decided to just let us leave? That didn¡¯t seem right to me. No, something else was up.


    They must be setting a trap for us of some kind.


    I don¡¯t think I was the only person suspicious about this lull in the fighting as well. Even from my position, I could see the tense and wary posture of our nominal leader. Woodrick had naturally fallen into a command position and had been leading the fighters in battle. Right now, even though I couldn¡¯t see his face, he didn¡¯t look like he thought the fighting was over. He still had his bloodied great axe up in a ready position.


    Before long, our group reached an end to the long hallways of the prison. In front of us was a large, closed wooden door that reached up to the ceiling. What was odd was there didn¡¯t seem to be any locking mechanism on it, nor were there any guards waiting for us there. The door was held shut by its own sheer weight.


    Woodrick held up a hand to stop the group, frowning at the door. Glancing back again and seeing that it was safe behind us, I decided to go up front and see what was holding us up. Passing both the children and the Healers, I reached Woodrick just as he was addressing the rest of my companions.


    ¡°¡­trap, on the other side of this door,¡± Woodrick was saying. He gave me a nod of acknowledgment at my approach but continued his speech. ¡°It¡¯s just too obvious. Problem is, we don¡¯t have a choice. Our only shot off of this rock is your ship, and we need to continue if we¡¯re going to reach the docks. Those of you who were imprisoned know this door leads to the entry hall. I have no doubt the Guards have entrenched themselves inside, since they couldn¡¯t stop us in the halls.¡±


    ¡°Then what the hells are we waitin¡¯ on?¡± Bella grunted. Flicking my eyes her way, I saw the blood-soaked pirate still looked grumpy. She was probably still unhappy about being denied her revenge.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Woodrick answered with a smirk. ¡°I just wanted to let everyone catch their breath and get on the same page.¡±


    ¡°Enough gabbin¡¯ then,¡± Azarus said, tightening his grip on his bloodstained warhammer. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±


    Woodrick caught my eye and jerked his head back towards the children. I decided to take his wordless advice. As the apparently elected leader of the Sculpted, this guy probably had more leadership experience than I did. I gave him a nod and started walking back to my position.


    As I passed Renauld, he leaned in to whisper to me. ¡°What¡¯s going on? I mean, if I can ask,¡± He amened hurriedly.


    ¡°Probably an ambush on the other side of the doors,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Look alive.¡± I clapped him on his furry shoulder in passing.


    I reached my rearguard position in time to watch as Woodrick laid his wooden hands on the wooden doors. At his touch, they smoothly began to open themselves as if they had been animated somehow. Woodrick walked inside the large hall that I could see on the other side as if he owned it, axe nonetheless at the ready. The rest of us followed him.


    Initially, I thought that he had been wrong and that there was no ambush waiting for us. However, that was before I was fully inside the hall.


    The hall was around the length of a football field, and halfway down it, the Guards had entrenched themselves like we¡¯d thought they would. They¡¯d set up a giant barricade made from what seemed to be furniture. Tables and chairs blocked the width of the hall from wall to wall. Curiously, there seemed to be an actual entranceway to the barricade. Through it, I could see that there were plenty of Guards lined up in military formation, just ready to hack us to pieces. On top of the barricade were plenty of Guards as well, bearing ranged weapons. Most had bows, but I saw several slings and even some crossbows.


    I didn¡¯t even know Vereden had crossbows.


    As our group cautiously approached the barricade, I was unnerved by the fact that the guards hadn¡¯t tried to attack us at all. All of the guards on top of the barricade had their weapons lowered for some reason.


    When we were maybe twenty feet away from the barricade, Woodrick slowed us down. Staring up at the makeshift edifice, I saw him cross his arms. ¡°Well?¡± He called out to the Guards we could see on the other side of the barricade. ¡°What are you waiting on? We¡¯re right here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware,¡± A smooth, even voice called out in answer. Ominously, I saw Woodrick and many of the pirates tense up at the sound of it. From where I stood, I heard McGill curse loudly. Just ahead, I saw Renauld tremble in place briefly.


    A man appeared at the entranceway of the barricade. Unafraid, he walked out to stand in front of it. ¡°I¡¯ve simply decided that the rank and file are incapable of quelling this by themselves. I¡¯ll have to handle it instead.¡±


    Woodrick drew in a deep, steady breath and let it out. He met the eyes of the man standing in front of him fearlessly. ¡°Hello, Warden.¡±

 Chapter 116 - Dispassionate Contempt

    So.


    This was the Warden that Grey had been so wary of.


    He was a tall man, dressed in form-fitting white and black robes with a pitch-black cloak draped over his shoulders. In his right hand he held an intricately carved staff made of a smoky crystal of some kind, with three splines poking from the head of it. The man himself was clean-shaven with sharp, severe features. From his scalp fell long, thin, unbound blonde hair held out his eyes by an iron circlet with a large, heptagonal sapphire set into it.


    He watched us with a pair of strangely familiar, dispassionate blue eyes almost neon in shade.


    Frankly, it didn¡¯t look like this guy gave a rat''s ass about us.


    At Woodrick¡¯s greeting, the Warden inclined his ever so slightly in the Sculpted¡¯s direction. ¡°Woodrick. I¡¯m aware that you aren¡¯t the true instigator of this farce. I would ask you to simply return to your cell so we can avoid further unpleasantness, but sadly it no longer exists.¡±


    Woodrick snorted at the man¡¯s words. ¡°No thanks to your little trap. Apparently, they thought you had Lady Honoka in there.¡±


    My brow furrowed at his words. Why was he just giving away info to this guy?


    The Warden¡¯s lips lifted in a thin smile. ¡°Oh, but I do have Honoka. Just¡­not there.¡±


    Unexpectedly, Sylvia stepped forward, baring her short sword. ¡°Where is she?! Where have you hidden Lady Honoka?!¡± She demanded, more passionate than I had seen her in a while.


    The Warden¡¯s eyes lingered on Sylvia¡¯s blue blade, so similar in appearance to Grey¡¯s Stellarum. He lifted his eyes to inspect Sylvia thoughtfully. ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ve heard of you. Greycton¡¯s get, yes?¡±


    Something in his demeanor caused me to tense up, although nobody else seemed to see what I did. Slowly, I started moving my way through the crowd of children and blended into the crowd of tense pirates watching the confrontation. I didn¡¯t want to draw any attention, in case I was right. Thankfully, I felt that I had recovered enough to be using my skills again as well. I activated Sylvan Vigor at half-strength just in case, but I kept a mental finger on the trigger. I was ready to jack it up to full at a moment''s notice.


    ¡°I am his daughter,¡± Sylvia answered coldly. ¡°Now I ask again. Where. Have you hidden. The Lady?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± The Warden said in an amused tone, smiling. ¡°You¡¯ll be seeing her soon enough. You¡¯re quite useful, after all.¡± In a quick move, he raised his hand in Sylvia¡¯s direction. Opening his hand, he snapped his fingers in her direction. The sound echoed oddly in the hall.


    Suddenly, four monsters that had been under some form of veil appeared on top of a wooden barricade. The Guards must not have known about them, as they were visibly startled.


    It was four Frostbrine Spiders.


    Large ones.


    Aiming their abdomens at Sylvia, four streams of web erupted from their behinds aimed straight at my friend.


    Luckily, they missed.


    I tackled her out of the way, you see.


    I hadn¡¯t waited to see whatever it was that the Warden was doing. As soon as he had said those words and pointed at Sylvia, I had ratcheted Sylvan Vigor to its max strength and dived out of the crowd in her direction. At the time, I didn¡¯t know what he was intending, only that it probably wasn¡¯t good.


    Thankfully, I was just in time. The two of us impacted the floor just in time to watch as the web streams from the monsters we thought we¡¯d wiped out splat on the floor. Quickly, the two of us scrambled back to our feet. Quickly, Sylvia flashed me a thankful look, before focusing back on the Warden. The rest of our group reacted as well, growing tenser and baring their blades threateningly.


    Meanwhile, the Warden only looked briefly disappointed, clucking his tongue. ¡°Ah, well,¡± He said, shaking his head. ¡°It was worth a try. I¡¯ll just have to sort the hostages out later, after I kill you all.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Woodrick said, smiling grimly. He crouched slightly, getting into a running stance with his axe held before him. I drew my dagger, extending it to its full length now that I was certain we¡¯d have to fight. I mentally triggered The Scintillant Blade as well, causing the spearhead to erupt in familiar rainbow flames. The rest of our party readied themselves as well.


    Meanwhile, the Guards on top of the barricade raised their weapons to point at us, while a different stream of them flowed through the opening. They formed up in more disciplined ranks than I¡¯d seen from them directly behind the Warden.


    Said Warden raised his crystalline stave into the air, and then drove it into the stone of the floor with a cracking sound.


    But that sound couldn¡¯t compare with the crack that came from the ceiling.


    Before the battle could begin, the stone roof above us caved in with a sound akin to an avalanche. All heads within the entrance hall snapped up simultaneously.


    Falling through a new massive hole in the ceiling was the ragdoll body of the Neptaurian Prime. Through the debris of the destroyed roof, I could see Venix on top of the monster, riding it down to the floor.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Impact.


    The entrance hall shook from the shock of the Antium and Centaur hitting the ground. Slowly, through the ensuing cloud of dust, I could see Venix stand up on top of the still carcass of the monster. He was staring down at the Warden.


    The Warden wasn¡¯t intimidated at all. He just looked annoyed.


    Meanwhile, Venix looked¡­rough. His usually immaculate robe was ripped and torn, exposing his muscular, chitinous upper body to the world. He was visibly injured as well, with strangely red blood flowing from several rents in his natural armor. Did ants have red blood? Probably not, but Antium seemed to. The samurai paid no attention to his wounds. He only had eyes for the Warden.


    While I was relieved to see Venix, he wasn¡¯t who caught my attention the most.


    It was the form of Grey, slowly floating down from the hole in the roof with Stellarum held loosely in his right hand. He looked a little roughed up as well, if less so than Venix. My mentor¡¯s clothes had some rents in them as well, while he had a cut on his forehead that slowly dripped down his face.


    Silently, he landed on the rubble-strewn floor of the entrance hall, no more than five feet away from the Warden.


    The two of them eyed each other, while the rest of the hall watched in tense silence.


    Grey broke it first.


    ¡°So,¡± He said in an oddly conversational tone. ¡°It really was you, Leonard. How long have you been the Warden of Caer Drarrow?¡±


    ¡°Oh, for some time now,¡± The Warden, apparently named Leonard, answered in a casual voice. ¡°I returned to the continent years ago, and the King asked me to take up the position when I did. Politics, you understand.¡±


    Grey made a mildly interested noise. ¡°Would that happen to be the King that your current benefactors murdered?¡± He asked politely.


    Warden Leonard visibly rolled his eyes. ¡°Do be serious, Greycton. You and I both know that old Otto was on his way out well before his death. Any ¡®murdering¡¯ that was done was just a¡­facilitation of the Eisenherz line. And besides,¡± He said in a faux wounded tone, laying his free hand over his heart. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk about murder. That¡¯s the second of my Primes you¡¯ve killed now. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to enthrall such creatures?¡±


    So, I guess that was absolute confirmation that the monsters belonged to this guy. How was he doing that? Was it a class ability or something?


    ¡°One can hardly ¡®murder¡¯ a monster, Leonard,¡± Grey scoffed, waving his own free hand in dismissal. ¡°And besides, you set them to guard hostages that I was set on freeing. Child hostages mind, in unacceptable conditions. Have your morals degenerated to such a degree in your time away that you¡¯re willing to inflict such neglect on the young? What would Leopold think if he saw you now? You remember him, yes? Your brother?¡±


    I started. I only knew one Leopold, and that was the intimidating Marshal I had met back in Hollow Hill.


    The second in command of the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn.


    Now that I looked closer at the Warden, I could see the resemblance. They had the same eyes.


    Leopold and Leonard¡­


    ¡°I was given specific instructions on how to house the hostages, and I followed them to the letter,¡± Warden Leonard responded, unphased by Grey¡¯s accusations. ¡°As distasteful as I found them, I still did my duty as loyalty and the law demanded. And that¡¯s always been the problem with Leopold and your lot, hasn¡¯t it? Ever have you and he placed morals above where loyalty should lie. Leopold especially has always believed himself above the law of the land. When he should have joined military all those years ago as loyalty demanded, he instead fled to join your little Order. It was quite the black eye on our family at the time, as you well know.¡±


    Grey shook his head sadly. ¡°On the contrary. Such moral fortitude is Leopold¡¯s greatest strength, and why I rely on him so heavily. But enough of this pointless bickering,¡± He said sharply, taking a step forward. ¡°Where have you hidden Honoka, Leonard?¡±


    Warden Leonard smiled slyly. ¡°Did you not enjoy my little trap? I thought it was quite amusing, even if I lost a tool from it. I knew you would come eventually. After all, you couldn¡¯t resist the potential plight of your longtime friend and accomplice.¡±


    ¡°Where is she, Leonard Ashran?¡± Grey asked threateningly, suffusing the air with his power. Slowly, the lights in the room began to grow dimmer in a familiar manner. The air grew heavy with the weight of Grey¡¯s power.


    Warden Leonard scoffed. With a wave of his hand and pulse of his own strangely alien feeling strength, Grey¡¯s display was dispelled. ¡°Oh, do give it a rest,¡± the Warden said scornfully. ¡°I¡¯m not like one of these plebians, to be cowed by a simple expression of your Mantle. Besides, it¡¯s not even needed. I¡¯m more than willing to show you Honoka.¡± Raising his left hand, Leonard gestured to the Guards behind him without looking.


    Emerging out of the entryway, escorted by two large guards was a woman.


    She¡­looked to be in pretty rough shape.


    Who I could only assume was the Lady Honoka that both Grey and Sylvia were so desperate to rescue was doubly shackled. Both at her ankles and her wrists, which were bound behind her back. I couldn¡¯t see her face as her head was hanging low and obscured by her long white hair. The woman was dressed in the same rags that I had seen on many of the other prisoners, and looked to have been similarly mistreated.


    I think she was unconscious. The Guards were essentially holding her up.


    However, Grey and Sylvia must have recognized her. I stopped Sylvia from lunging forward by laying a hand her shoulder. When she turned to look at me in surprise, I shook my head minutely.


    Not yet.


    Meanwhile, Grey was furious. ¡°What did you do to her.¡± He snarled in a demanding tone.


    ¡°Why, nothing that wasn¡¯t done to you,¡± Warden Leonard said pointedly, smirking.


    My eyes narrowed, unseen by the arguing duo. ¡®Nothing that wasn¡¯t done to you¡¯, huh. Did that mean¡­


    They¡¯d afflicted her with a slave brand?


    Hmm¡­


    Grey must have realized as well, as his eyes narrowed at the Warden.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you did it, Greycton,¡± Warden Leonard said seriously, his demeanor sobering. ¡°But I¡¯m sure if you recovered your Deputy, you¡¯d manage to free her as well. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t allow that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, can you now,¡± Grey said scornfully. ¡°Boy, I was slaughtering upstarts like you before you were even a sparkle in your Grandfather¡¯s eye. Do you truly wish to challenge me?¡±


    ¡°Hah,¡± Warden Leonard laughed. ¡°I certainly do, since we both know you¡¯ve been weakened.¡±


    Grey stiffened.


    I stiffened.


    Most of the people in our party stiffened, to the confusion of those not in the know.


    ¡°Did you think it was a coincidence?¡± Warden Leonard said derisively. ¡°You must be losing your edge, old man. I designed the brand you were afflicted with, after all.¡±


    Grey¡¯s face slackened in surprise. ¡°You¡­?¡± He breathed.


    ¡°I was called on to do it, after all. Someone of sufficient skill was needed to get you out of the way. At the peak of your power, nobody in the Kingdom could challenge you,¡± The Warden acknowledged. ¡°That''s why you weren¡¯t simply¡­dealt with. Frankly, we did what we could to get you out of the way, while we dealt with the rebels as we saw fit, as well as weaken you in the long run. And I must say, it worked wonderfully.¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Grey burst out, frustrated. ¡°Enough. It¡¯s clear that this won¡¯t be settled by words.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I agree,¡± Warden Leonard said, waving away the Guards presenting Lady Honoka. They melted back through the gap in the barricade, carrying their prisoner between them. I kept my eyes on them, however.


    I wanted to keep track of where they were holding her.


    ¡°As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted us, Greycton,¡± The Warden continued. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to kill you all, and sort out the hostages later.¡±


    ¡°Today, the legend of Greycton of the Shadowed Sun dies.¡±

 Chapter 117 - Duel

    ¡°Deal with the rabble,¡± Warden Leonard said, eyes fixed on Grey. He lifted his free hand and gestured forward with it to his forces arrayed behind and on the barricade. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the Headmaster.¡±


    ¡°Oh, will you now,¡± Grey said dangerously, lifting Stellarum. He began to advance on the Warden. ¡°We¡¯ll just see about that, won¡¯t we.¡±


    Venix followed after Grey, from where he had been watching the confrontation silently. It seemed as if he had been cleaning his blades while the two bantered. Unexpectedly, Woodrick stepped up as well. I didn¡¯t know how strong he was in comparison to the two of them, but he certainly seemed to think that he could compete.


    The Warden didn¡¯t seem concerned. I watched as his eyes flickered over the extra two combatants before sneering slightly. He raised his crystalline staff, and his three opponents seemed to take that as a cue to begin.


    Venix and Woodrick dashed at the Warden, but skidded to a halt before they could reach him. A bright, icy blue flash of light had erupted from the ground in front of them. A misty haze appeared over the large Monster Core on the ground, and from it, something emerged that caused the trio facing it to either curse or tense up.


    The Neptaurian Prime, restored. The sea-borne Centaur reared in front of Venix and Woodrick, letting out a warbling whinny of victory.


    However, it seemed smaller than it had been before. Lessened, somehow. That didn''t make it any less intimidating.


    The trio didn¡¯t bother with any more words. What they needed to do appeared obvious.


    Venix and Woodrick split off from their collision course with the Warden and attacked the reborn Prime. It met them eagerly, clashing its talons against their blades.


    Leaving the Warden to Grey.


    I wasn¡¯t able to watch any more of the confrontation between the two of them, however.


    I had my own problems.


    At the same time that our three strongest members began their attack, the forces of Caer Drarrow began their own. Guards began to stream out of the opening of the barricade, skirting the battle between titans to rush in our direction. In the immediate, however, I was more concerned with the archers on the walls of the makeshift rampart. They had raised their bows, crossbows, and slings and began to bombard our forces. Hell, even the Frostbrine spiders up there began to shoot streams of web at us.


    I had never let go of Sylvan Vigor, only dialed it down, so I was able to dodge out of the way of the quarrel that nearly skewered me. Narrowing my eyes as I did so, I assessed our situation.


    Bluntly, I thought we were screwed.


    Between the Warden, the somehow reborn Prime, and the Guards of Caer Drarrow, I don¡¯t know if we had the numbers or strength to overcome these odds. However, we didn¡¯t have a choice but to try. Not only did I not want to fucking die, but we had to get our freed hostages out of here if the Uprising had any hope of victory in greater Herztal.


    Speaking of them, after a quick look, I saw that the group had retreated to the far wall of the entry hall. It seemed as if one of the adults had either a skill or a defensive spell ready for a situation like this, as they had warped the stone of the floor into a dome to cover their position.


    I didn¡¯t need to worry about them, at the very least.


    Instead, I let myself meet the charge of the Guard rushing my position. Dodging out of the way of his thrust, I retaliated with one of my own, using my still brilliantly burning spear. The Guard wasn¡¯t able to react in time. My blade pierced through the mail throat guard around his neck, and emerged out of the other side in a spray of blood and gore. Yanking my spear out quickly, I blocked the strike of another guard with the haft of it with a grunt of effort. The Guard bore down on our clashed weapons, nearly causing my legs to buckle underneath me.


    Thankfully, we finally caught a break.


    Beyond the other side of the barricade, the massive main doors of Caer Drarrow exploded in a haze of equally massive splinters. They rocketed across the hall in a thunderous riot of wood on stone, hopefully injuring some of the Guard forces behind the barricade. In fact, the explosion from the door was so powerful that a massive chunk of it ripped right through a portion of the makeshift wall, squishing one of the Frostbrines.


    The splinters even traveled far enough to help me out.


    I blinked, as a spray of blood erupted from the chest of the Guard bearing down on me. A massive, jagged length of timber had erupted from his chest, skewering him through the torso. The Guard only had time to stare downwards disbelievingly at the oversized splinter in his chest before he went slack. He tumbled to the ground, dead.


    I straightened up, to look in the direction of the door. What the hell had caused that?


    The answer was the crew of the Thorny Reef.


    They charged through the ruins of the main door with a riotous cry, smoke and debris trailing their wake. In a dead sprint, I saw them clash into the disoriented back lines of the Guard forces arrayed on the other side of the broken barricade.


    The Guards were now trapped between the jaws of two different pirate forces. Our side saw the chance given to us, and counter-attacked fiercely.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The battlefield before us descended into even further chaos.


    Meanwhile, I saw my window of opportunity.


    I sprinted over to where Sylvia was locked in battle with a guard of her own and ambushed him. Before he could react my spear slid straight into his back, piercing his heart. The Guard jerked in agonized surprise, before falling limp on the end of my blade. I shook him off, locking eyes with Sylvia as I did so.


    My Sculpted friend opened her mouth to thank me, but I didn¡¯t give her a chance. I rushed in close to her, cutting off her words. ¡°Stealth, quickly,¡± I whispered furiously. ¡°We¡¯re getting Honoka.¡±


    Sylvia¡¯s crystalline blue eyes widened in response before she nodded. With a nod, she glanced around, making sure that nobody was specifically paying attention to us in the chaos of battle. She made a gesture with her free hand nod holding her short sword, and visibly concentrated. With a shimmer of light, she disappeared from view.


    At the same time, I cast my own Thorn Cloak causing me to blend into the background. I may not have been nearly invisible like Sylvia was, but I was still an indistinct blur. I was counting on most people being too busy fighting for their lives to pay attention.


    Trusting that Sylvia was following, I swiftly but carefully maneuvered my way across the battlefield.


    Towards the breech in the barricade from the explosion of the main gate.


    I didn¡¯t have any other choice if I wanted to find where Honoka was being kept. Unfortunately, this hall didn¡¯t have the convenient rafters that I had been using to get around the rest of the prison. Still, I managed to make my way across the battlefield, spying Azarus defending Aurum and Renauld as I did so. My dwarven friend was keeping the Guards away from the two healers, which was a good idea on his part. Honestly, I thought that pair were the only things keeping our rag-tag bunch on this side in the fight. I watched as he conjured into being a solid wall of chains in a rare use of an obvious skill, blocking a targeted barrage of arrows and quarrels.


    I was very careful to skirt the battle between Venix, Woodrick, and the Prime, as well as between Grey and the Warden. Both of those were too dangerous to get anywhere near. Venix was relentlessly hounding the Neptaurian with precise strikes with his four blades, while Woodrick seemed to be playing ranged support. I saw the Sculpted leader fire multiple blasts of either green light at the Prime, and what looked to be¡­massive thorns.


    Hey man, that¡¯s my gimmick. Get your own.


    Even if, you know. You probably had them before I did.


    Anyways.


    The fight between Grey and Warden looked more like a formalized duel than it did a wild battle. The two of them had somehow erected what looked like a massive, glowing blue bubble shield over their position. I don¡¯t think it was out of any concern for the people around them, though. Instead, it was probably to keep the entire hall from collapsing on top of them.


    The amount of power the two of them were throwing around at each other was frankly terrifying. As I watched through the veil of their shield, the Warden conjured two massive bulls made of solid crystal. With a wave of his staff, they charged at Grey with their gargantuan horns lowered. Concentrating, Grey lashed out with his sword, tearing open a swirling black rip in reality before him in response.


    I nearly stumbled in shock, as I was climbing over the rubble of the shattered barricade.


    Grey had just created a miniature black hole.


    The crystalline bulls were unable to stop their charge in time and rushed headfirst into the singularity. They were instantly torn apart, shredded and stretched into nothingness in the blink of an eye. With a glint in eye that I could see from where I was, Grey gestured with his sword, sending the black hole spiraling in the Warden¡¯s direction like a discus.


    The Warden didn¡¯t flinch. Baring his teeth, he instantly conjured up a bizarre edifice of four large crystalline hoops, set in a row before him in the path of the dark star barreling his way. When the black hole reached the hoops and began to go through them, it slowed down each time it passed through one, destabilizing more and more as it did so. By the time it had reached Warden Leonard, it was little more than a wisp of black smoke. He waved it away nonchalantly, causing Grey to visibly click his tongue.


    I shook my head, turning away from the fight. I didn¡¯t have time for lollygagging. Instead, I crouched on top of the barricade and focused on the fight between the crew of the Thorny Reef and the rest of the Guard forces. Honestly, it looked like they were tearing them apart. I think Bella¡¯s crew was just stronger than McGill¡¯s. At the very least, they were fully outfitted and not weakened from a stint in a horrific prison.


    Still, not even they were my main focus. I needed to find out where Honoka was. From the slight movement of the indistinct form crouched next to mine, I could tell that Sylvia was scanning the battlefield as well.


    I think Sylvia and I saw it at the same moment, from the nudge that I felt on my shoulder.


    A door, set into the wall of the far left corner of the hall. It was just to the left of the shattered main gate and was oddly being secured by a group of Guards. However, they were pretty occupied by fending off a familiar trio of pirates from Bella¡¯s crew. Curloch, Morlow, and Laryn.


    Well, that was better than nothing. We¡¯d start there.


    Nodding in the direction of Sylvia¡¯s blur, the both of us cautiously started creeping onto the other side of the hall. Near the barricade, the fighting was thin on the ground. It was only once you got closer to the destroyed gate that it picked up. We had to be more careful over here. Still, by sticking close to the wall, Sylvia and I were able to cautiously creep in that direction.


    We were in sight of the fight occurring between the trio and the guards now. The three of them were doing a valiant job of taking care of the guards, but they weren¡¯t making any headway to getting through them.


    Well, I guess we need to change that.


    I reached out and cast Grasping Roots, targeting the Guard that Curloch was fighting. The legs of the Guard were instantly encased in thorny wood that dug straight through the chainmail of his leg armor. He cried out in surprised pain, dropping his guard.


    Curloch didn¡¯t question his good fortune. He instantly moved in, and lopped the Guard¡¯s head off with the oddly oversized hand scythe he was using as a weapon. He did briefly look around for who had helped him, but shrugged when he didn¡¯t spot me. Curloch moved on, ambushing the guard that Laryn was already knocking around with a quarterstaff.


    Seeing that the pirates were beating their compatriots, the last two Guards in front of the door abandoned their post to join the fight.


    That was our chance.


    I sprinted across the short distance to the unsecured door, Sylvia hot on my heels. When I reached it, I barely slowed down before throwing open the door wide.


    That was a mistake.


    Honoka was in the small room, all right. I could see her manacled form slumped over in a chair on the far side of it, seemingly still unconscious. However, that wasn¡¯t the only person inside.


    Standing in the center of the room was a massive man in full plate armor, with an equally massive greatsword bared in front of him. I could see the man¡¯s eyes narrow in a smirk through the slit in his helm.


    ¡°Fool,¡± He rumbled, voice echoing oddly. The man pointed his blade in my direction and cast some kind of Skill.


    A visible wave of force barreled my way.


    My eyes widened, too late to react.

 Chapter 118 - Armored Force

    I went flying, knocked off my feet from the force of the blast. Dazed, I felt myself impact the stone of the floor several feet away from the doorway. As if from a great distance, I could hear the cacophony of battle all around me.


    I blinked one eye slowly, and then the other. Something dripped over my eye as I did so. Slowly, I reached up to wipe it away. When I did so and looked at my hand through blurred eyes, I saw red.


    Oh.


    Fumblingly, I reached for the small pouch I kept on my waist that held my potions. I had given away most of them to Aurum earlier, but I still had a handful. With a shaky hand, I pulled one out and popped the cork without even checking which kind it was. Still lying on the floor, I threw it back.


    I think I passed out then, as the world went dark and silent.


    Seconds later, I snapped back awake with a flood of adrenaline. Panicked, I sat up, groping around for my spear and looking around wildly. What the hell had happened? Where was Sylvia?


    Where was the guy that had attacked us?


    I found both of them.


    Sylvia was fighting a desperate battle not far from my position. I must not have been out of it for long, as the rest of the hall was still locked in combat. However, it wasn¡¯t going very well for her.


    Sylvia was losing.


    Her build wasn¡¯t suited for straight-up fights. Sylvia was geared towards hit-and-run tactics with plenty of illusionary trickery thrown in. She wasn¡¯t made for desperate combat against a large, well-armored opponent. As I watched, she desperately tried to parry a sweeping blow from the armored figure¡¯s greatsword with her much smaller short sword. She was nearly thrown off her feet as well from the force of the blow, stumbling in place. Desperately, I could see her try and cast some form of illusion to try and retreat, only to need to dodge out of the way of a follow-up strike when he shook it off.


    I was reminded that Syliva was probably not much more than twenty or thirty levels higher than I was. Not everybody had my odd advantage of getting levels from opponents that weren¡¯t monsters.


    I needed to help her.


    I don¡¯t know where my spear had gone. It must have gone flying off somewhere into the chaos of the battlefield. Luckily, I still had my spare. I drew it, while at the same time pointing at the armored man. Hopefully, this would work again.


    Grasping Roots.


    My thorny, blood-red roots erupted from the stone of the hall floor, twining around the man¡¯s armored legs. Unfortunately, they were unable to penetrate his plate. He was momentarily startled but simply stopped in place for a moment to kick the roots off of him.


    That was enough for Sylvia.


    She dived away from the man¡¯s position, and immediately cast her invisibility veil, vanishing from sight. The man clucked his tongue in disappointment, shaking his head briefly.


    He then turned in my direction.


    Slowly, I stood up from the crouched position I had assumed. As I did so, I assumed the dagger-based combat stance Azarus had taught me all those months ago. I didn¡¯t want to extend my spare weapon just yet. Unfortunately, I was aware that this guy wasn¡¯t a good match-up for me as well. I was more suited for ambush tactics than straight combat. The Scintillant Blade might be meant for piercing defenses, but that didn¡¯t extend to armor. It was only effective at piercing System-borne defenses. It wouldn¡¯t be of much help against full plate. However, I had some advantages that she didn¡¯t.


    Sylvan Vigor must have faded from its low usage state when I was unconscious, so I ratcheted it up to half. At the same time, I reactivated Thorn Cloak for the extra protection.


    Let¡¯s do this.


    I had the idea of a plan.


    I think.


    A chuckle echoed out of the armored man¡¯s helmet. ¡°Come on then, boy,¡± He said mockingly, raising his greatsword into a stance and setting his feet wide. ¡°If you think you¡¯re hard enough.¡±


    I sneered, unseen in the shadows of my thorny hood.


    I¡¯ll make you regret that, bastard.


    I sprang at the man, faster than I think he was expecting from me. In the split second before I reached him, I saw his eyes widen slightly. However, that didn¡¯t keep him from instantly reacting with a powerful horizontal swing aimed at bisecting me at the waist.


    I fell backwards into a slide, feeling the rush of wind just over my head before the blade could touch me. I slid through the opening of the man¡¯s open legs, emerging out behind him. Instantly, I flung myself up into the air, facing the man¡¯s back and pointing one hand at him. I cast my best hope of piercing this man¡¯s armor.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Poisonthorn Shot.


    My poisonous thorn erupted from my hand and impacted the rounded surface of the man¡¯s steel breastplate. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t stick. The thorn itself bounced off of the hardened surface of the armor. However¡­


    Some of the corrosive poison did stick, beginning to slowly bubble on the surface.


    I allowed myself a brief smirk, before springing back instantly once I touched down. I was just in time to avoid the diagonal slash that the man sent my way as he spun in place.


    As we faced each other, I could tell that the man was taking me more seriously from the way his visible eyes were narrowed in my direction.


    That was¡­kind of mixed bag, honestly. With my poison weakening his armor, I think I had a shot at piercing it from his back. But the armored man was wary now. It was going to be hard for me to reach his back.


    Luckily, I wasn¡¯t actually fighting alone.


    Suddenly, the man jerked in surprise and swung his blade into a blocking position, facing his left. However, nothing was coming at him from that direction. Instead, Sylvia materialized on his right.


    She had sheathed her short sword, and in her hands, she held a battered warhammer no doubt scavenged from the battlefield.


    So that¡¯s where she had gone.


    She gripped it in both hands and swung it as hard as she could at the back of the man¡¯s armored knee. He let out a muffled grunt of surprise, sinking to the knee Sylvia had bashed in. It didn¡¯t seem like she had managed to wound him, just dent his armor in. The man didn¡¯t go down without a fight, however.


    Reaching out swiftly, he grabbed the haft of Sylvia¡¯s hammer and yanked her closer, rocketing his head forward at the same time. The armored man delivered a brutal headbutt to the Sculpted woman, causing her to stagger backward, dazed.


    The man struggled onto both feet and raised his greatsword in a chopping motion aimed at my friend. Sylvia was going to be too punch drunk to react in time to avoid the blow.


    I instantly ratcheted Sylvan Vigor up to max, and shot towards the man¡¯s turned back. Both to save Sylvia and to strike the man¡¯s turned back and end this.


    However, for the second time today, I fell for his trap.


    When I got in striking range of the man, he instantly spun around in one smooth motion. As he did so, he angled the flat of his blade in my direction and swung the greatsword, bashing me away with it. Once again, I flew away from the man. Luckily though, I didn¡¯t hit my head on the stone floor again.


    That didn¡¯t help me much.


    Before I could scramble back to my feet, I felt a heavy armored one crush down onto my chest. The man had swiftly advanced on my position and pinned me down under one of his armored boots. Looking up, I found the man had raised his greatsword into a chopping position once again, this time aimed at my neck.


    My eyes widened.


    ¡°Bad luck, boy,¡± The man said smugly, tightening his grip on the hilt of his greatsword. ¡°Try again in another life.¡± The blade of his weapon erupted into a swirling haze of crimson power that roiled up and down its length. With a shout, he swung it down at me.


    I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to watch the instrument of my demise.


    However, something odd happened then.


    I heard a high-pitched bark.


    And then¡­.a crash of sizzling energy


    I opened my eyes tentatively, to find that the man¡¯s burning red blade had been stopped from removing my head by something unexpected.


    A shimmering, swirling shield of pure, blue-green Aether.


    I blinked, looking up to meet the stunned gaze of the man who had nearly killed me. His eyes shifted to somewhere behind my head. I followed them, amazed that I was still alive.


    It was Fade. He was, somehow, standing behind me.


    My pet Spirit wolf was crouched behind my head, snarling in what looked to be concentration. The thin stretch of skin that had been covering his nascent horns had torn away, revealing small, fresh ones no longer than my pinky finger.


    They were glowing the same color as the shield that had saved my life.


    Before either of us could react to the insane sight of a spell-casting wolf, Fade took a visibly deep breath. Once he had filled his lungs to capacity, he barked again.


    This one was different.


    It was like a deafening wall of Aether-laden sound exploded from the tiny wolf in visible waves. They washed over my form harmlessly, aside from the volume, but visibly drove the man standing over me away. He staggered back, raising his hands to clutch fruitlessly at his ears hidden by his helmet. He was screaming I think, but I couldn¡¯t really hear anything after the deafening noise of Fade¡¯s bark. The man was still clutching his sword, and under my astonished gaze, the red haze on it winked out.


    In fact, all mystical abilities died out.


    As the waves of sound echoed out from our position, all evidence of either Skills or Magic fizzled out across the entire hall. Some combatants instantly died when they found their defensive skills useless, but the raucous fighting mostly slowed to a halt in confusion. Those closest to our position, either ally or enemy, clutched at their ears in pain from a noise that hadn¡¯t really hurt me.


    They sure seemed to be in pain, though. Even Sylvia seemed like she was being affected by whatever Fade was doing, driven down to one knee from the force of it.


    In the distance, I could see the bubble shield that Grey and the Warden were fighting in die out momentarily, and then wink back into being.


    I lay there stunned for a moment, watching as the armored man staggered above me in pain before reality stepped in.


    He wasn¡¯t going to be stunned forever.


    The shield protecting me winked out at the same time that the glow on Fade¡¯s horns did. Exhausted, the pup staggered in place before flopping onto the stone below.


    I felt a surge of adrenaline flow through me. This was my chance.


    I activated Sylvan Vigor at full strength again, grateful that at the very least my own Skills were working. At the same time, I slammed the hilt of the dagger still clutched in my right hand into the stone beneath me and pressed the activation switch. I kept an iron grip on my spear as I was rocketed into the air, clutching it like it was a pole vault. At the height of my impromptu jump, I pivoted in midair, floating ever so briefly above and behind the armored man hunched over in pain and clutching his helmet.


    I activated The Scintillant Blade.


    And dove.


    My burning blade, combined with my full weight, punched straight through the weakened steel of the man¡¯s back breastplate with a screeching noise. I felt it as my spear blade punched through his chest and exited the other side to lodge into the stone below.


    I had pinned the man who had nearly killed both Syliva and me to the floor like an insect.


    As I crouched on the man¡¯s back, suspended on my own spear, I felt him go limp below me.


    Something entirely unexpected happened then.


    I felt my racial talents, lodged deep into my soul, begin to resonate in a way that was familiar to me. In a way that I hadn¡¯t felt since I had killed Magnus, all those months ago.


    I felt it, as the long-dormant hidden portion of Hidden Amidst the Spheres came alive once more. The well built up, and then surged.


    Something came loose from the dead man below me, and entered my Status.


    I knew what that meant, by now.


    I had stolen another Skill.

 Chapter 119 - Firebird

    I didn¡¯t have time to see what I had stolen from the dead man. I could do that later, when I wasn¡¯t in the middle of a giant battle.


    I let out the breath I was holding, thumbing the activation switch on my spear. The body of the man I had killed slumped to the floor with my weapon¡¯s retraction. Exhausted, I stood up off of the corpse to look around.


    I found most of the battlefield looking back at me, having recovered from Fade¡¯s strange attack. Both allied and enemy forces.


    I froze under the weight of their stares.


    Shit.


    Cautiously, I backed up until I was standing next to the exhausted and slumped-over form of my Spirit Wolf. I bent down slowly, gathering him up to hold in my free arm.


    That seemed to be the signal to break the battlefield out of their stupor.


    With a resounding cry that echoed across the battlefield, one of the pirates gutted a Guard that had chosen to stop and watch me.


    Things devolved from there.


    Fighting broke out again, attention falling away from me for the most part. But not all of it. A large group of Guards broke out of the crowd and began sprinting my way causing my eyes to widen in alarm. I swiftly started backing up to the room that held Honoka, hoping I might be able to barricade myself in there.


    I needn¡¯t have worried.


    With a bellow, Curloch barreled into the group of advancing Guards, knocking one off of their feet and gutting another with his hand scythe. Morlow and Laryn followed after their friend, battering the Guards with their mace and quarterstaff as well. After knocking one of the Guards back with a blow from his mace, Morlow turned to me. ¡°Git goin¡¯!¡± He shouted at me, blocking a blow from another Guard. ¡°We got this bunch!¡±


    I nodded at him hurriedly and turned around to make for Honoka¡¯s room.


    Thanks guys.


    I found that Sylvia was way ahead of me, waving my form inside hurriedly. When I dashed through the opening, Sylvia slammed the door shut and then dragged a nearby chair under the handle to block it. With a sigh, she turned around to face me.


    Sylvia was looking a little rough. My Sculpted friend actually had multiple dents in her metallic skin, and even had a rent in it visible on her left arm. That armored guy had been a little too strong for the two of us to handle, and a bad match up for our abilities as well. If it hadn¡¯t been for Fade showing up out of nowhere and demonstrating odd new abilities¡­


    I tried to put it out of my mind. We still had something to do. Carefully, I laid the exhausted form of my wolf on a nearby table. I kneeled down and smoothed back the fur on his small head. ¡°The hell are you doing here, little guy,¡± I murmured to him, before shaking my head. ¡°Well, whatever. Thanks for the save.¡±


    Fade just tiredly licked my hand in response, before his head slumped down on his paws.


    I stood up, looking around or Sylvia. I found her kneeling next to the bound form of Honoka, slumped over and manacled to a chair. I approached the duo.


    ¡°How is she?¡± I asked Sylvia, reaching around to rummage around in the small bag at the small of my back.


    Sylvia flicked her eyes my way and stood up with a frown. ¡°Merely unconscious, I believe. She¡­appears to have been mistreated. I¡¯m unsure of her general condition.¡±


    Before I could say anything in response, a dry, aged voice spoke up first. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve been better. But I¡¯m not dead yet.¡±


    Both Sylvia and I turned to face the voice, to find that Honoka was awake now and watching the two of us with exhausted eyes. This was my first time seeing her in full.


    She looked like someone¡¯s granny. Well, I suppose in the same way that you could say that Grey looked like someone¡¯s grandpa.


    Honoka looked like a well-aged elderly woman. If I had to put an age to her physical appearance, I would say she looked like she was in her sixties. I knew that was only an illusion, though. If she was a contemporary of Grey¡¯s and looked that old, she had to be almost as old as he was. Maybe like eight or nine hundred or something. Despite her age, she was still beautiful in her own way. I could tell that this woman had probably been downright gorgeous in her prime. Her snow-white hair was long and unbound right now, reaching near to the floor. Funnily enough, even though she was sitting down, I would guess she might be a little bit taller than Grey. From her haggard features peered two intensely orange eyes, surprisingly sharp for her apparent exhaustion.


    Said eyes were examining the two of us closely. She looked me over before visibly dismissing my form and turning to face Sylvia. Her gaze softened when she saw my Sculpted friend.


    ¡°Sylvia, my girl,¡± Honoka said with a small, tired smile. ¡°Come to rescue me, have you?¡±


    Sylvia immediately kneeled back down next to Honoka. She lay a hand over one of hers, visibly troubled by the fact that it was manacled to the arm of the chair. Despite that, I was still able to see the two of them clasp hands together. ¡°I have, Lady Honoka,¡± Sylvia said softly.


    I shuffled in place, uncomfortable. I felt like I was eavesdropping on a private moment. I winced though, when a cry from outside the door reminded me we were on a time limit. There was still a battle going on out there.


    I cleared my throat, causing Sylvia to look at me and Honoka¡¯s eyes to snap my way. ¡°Excuse me,¡± I said, somewhat uncomfortable from the intensity of Honoka¡¯s gaze. ¡°But we really need to get going. Uh, Lady Honoka, do you¡­know where the keys to your chains are? Maybe where the control slate is for your¡­?¡± I gestured to the collar around her neck.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Honoka snorted. ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± She asked Sylvia bluntly, dismissing me.


    My eyebrow twitched.


    ¡°This is Father¡¯s new apprentice, Lady Honoka,¡± Sylvia answered with a smile. She nodded at me. ¡°We¡¯re here to free you.¡±


    This time Honoka gave me a more assessing look. ¡°So, the old goat took another student, eh?¡± She scoffed. ¡°Not much to look at. How is this little boy going to free me? That upstart Leonard robbed me of everything I¡¯ve ever worked for with this brand, so I can''t help you.¡±


    She didn¡¯t sound the tiniest bit bitter over that. Not at all.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was trying to ask you,¡± I said between gritted teeth. Little boy, am I? ¡°Where¡¯s the control slate for your collar?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a slave collar, fool,¡± Honoka said scornfully. ¡°It¡¯s just a regular one, built for yanking me around. Leonard stamped me with some form of custom slave brand that doesn¡¯t need a real slave collar. According to that braggart, he ¡®pioneered¡¯ a new type of brand that combines both an exploding collar and a brand into one.¡±


    I blinked at that, tilting my head in thought.


    Huh.


    ¡°That,¡± I said out loud. ¡°Actually sounds like it makes my job easier.¡±


    Honoka looked startled at that, blinking at me in confusion.


    ¡°Father was branded as well, Lady Honoka,¡± Sylvia said to the old bat. ¡°Nathan met him while they were both slaves, and he developed a way to break the slave bond. He freed both of them.¡±


    While Sylvia was explaining things to Honoka, I was taking my latest Bond Breaker out of my pouch. This one was a bit smaller than my usual. I¡¯d found that I didn¡¯t need to make them quite as large as the first few were. Those had been enlarged because the design had been based on a Ward Breaker, and needed the extra runic space and Aetheric capacity. This one was smaller and looked even more like just a regular dinner fork now.


    Still, Honoka clearly recognized part of the design. She rocked back in her chair as much as she was able to. ¡°That¡¯s a damn Ward Breaker,¡± She said, shocked. ¡°The hell are you doing with that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a Ward Breaker,¡± I said to her, impatiently tapping the device against my palm. I was keenly aware of the time we were wasting as I tried to reassure this old woman. ¡°It¡¯s based on the design, but it¡¯s not one. I call them Bond Breakers. Sylvia, can you expose the brand for me?¡±


    Sylvia nodded at me, then turned the chair that Honoka was sitting in around and started to bare her left shoulder of the rags covering it. Before I lost sight of Honoka¡¯s face, I saw it scrunched up in deep thought. I shook my head and approached the woman. When I reached her, I examined her slave brand.


    Yeah, it was different alright. To someone who hadn¡¯t seen as many slave brands as I had, it would look pretty much the same. But to me, I could tell that the runic sequence burned into her skin was, in a word, more advanced. It was tighter, denser. Hell, it looked more efficient to my eyes. And right about...there, I think I could make out a runic sequence for a lethal explosion.


    I didn¡¯t like that. I didn¡¯t like that at all.


    I hoped the Warden hadn¡¯t managed to distribute this design.


    I was knocked out of my inspection by Honoka speaking again. ¡°I understand the idea,¡± She said, suddenly much more reasonable. ¡°And I can see how it would work. But on mine, it¡¯ll probably set off the explosion.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, troubled. This wasn¡¯t the time for seething over a few minor insults. ¡°I can see that, now that I¡¯ve got a look at the design. I can get Grey¡¯s help later, and try to make a new Breaker to work on this design. But for n-¡±


    Honoka sharply shook her head without turning to face me. ¡°No time, boy. On a normal person, the explosion would probably instantly kill them. But if your ¡®Bond Breaker¡¯ works as it should, then I can take it. If my Status instantly returns to me, then Leonard''s piddly little explosion will pass over me like a fart in the wind.¡± This time, she turned her head to fix me with a sharp, eager glint in her eye. ¡°Do it. But move back right after you do.¡±


    Okay¡­


    I exchanged a look with Sylvia. ¡°Will you be able to stay awake when your Status returns? Grey passed out right after his did.¡±


    Honoka scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m not some pansy little Magi, boy. I¡¯m a Cultivator. Physical strain is what we¡¯re built for.¡±


    Hey.


    I¡­actually, sort of, kind of resemble that remark.


    ¡°All right then,¡± I said, raising my Breaker and positioning it over Honoka¡¯s brand. ¡°I guess we¡¯re doing this. Sylvia, move back,¡± When Sylvia was out of the blast radius, I preemptively raised Sylvan Vigor to half, ready to spring back. At the last moment, I remembered to sheathe my Breaker in The Scintillant Blade as well. This woman might have skin as tough as Grey¡¯s had been. ¡°On three then. One¡­two¡­three!¡±


    I jabbed my handheld bident into her back over the brand, grunting as I leaned my full weight on it to pierce Honoka¡¯s rock-hard skin. Once it was in, I depressed the activation rune and immediately sprang backward as hard as I could.


    Good thing I did.


    Honoka had been right.


    An explosion went off in the small, cramped room. Most of the sound and force was directed inward at Honoka, but enough escaped the blast radius to rattle the walls and momentarily deafen me. It startled Fade from his impromptu nap as well, I see.


    But I was mostly paying attention to the smoke that was obscuring Honoka¡¯s position.


    ¡°Lady Honoka¡­?¡± Sylvia called out, worried. ¡°Are you¡­all right?¡±


    Suddenly, a bright crimson flame appeared in the smoke, bright enough to pierce through it. A gust of wind erupted from within the smoke cloud moments later, revealing Honoka.


    She looked¡­more than all right.


    The blast had destroyed the chair that she had been manacled to. The older woman was standing upright under her own power with one hand raised. In that hand, a bound flame the color of freshly spilled blood danced. Without turning to face us, Honoka clenched that hand tightly.


    That flame didn¡¯t die. It just started to cover her entire body in a monstrously powerful, firey aurora of a similar shade. As I watched, the chains, collar, and manacles that were attached to her body melted away, running in silver rivulets down her body. Strangely, her prison rags didn¡¯t burst into flame from either the molten metal or her aura.


    Honoka finally turned to face us, with an eager, dangerous grin on her suddenly revitalized features. The woman looked at least ten years younger. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just fine and dandy, my dear,¡± She said with a smirk. Her long, still-white hair was flowing in a non-existent wind behind her. ¡°I just need to go have a¡­chat with young Leonard. If you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± She stalked forward, causing the two of us to move out of her way instinctively. She paused for a moment when she noticed Fade, directing her attention to me after a moment with an assessing gaze. She tilted her head thoughtfully and then nodded at me. ¡°I owe you one after this, boyo.¡±


    I didn¡¯t get a chance to answer her. She just continued towards the door, walking straight through when she reached it. The door completely disintegrated, leaving not even ash behind. Outside the door frame, I saw her form erupt into a bonfire inferno of blood-red flames, large enough to presumably brush the ceiling. Two massive bird-like wings formed from that flame, seemingly growing from her back.


    Honoka began to float out of my line of sight, but I still heard her voice.


    ¡°LEONARD!¡± She bellowed out into the suddenly deathly silent hall. ¡°I HAVE A BONE TO PICK WITH YOU!¡±


    I saw her streak across the length of the hall in an instant to impact the shield dome where Grey and the Warden¡¯s duel was occurring. It shattered into a million, fragmentary pieces at her touch.


    Meanwhile, I was looking at Sylvia with a shocked look on my face. ¡°Kind of¡­intense, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Sylvia sighed and nodded. ¡°She usually is.¡±

 Interlude 8 - Number Seventy-Six

    Hmm


    Number Seventy-Six didn¡¯t think he had been pushed this long and this far in quite some time. He grunted, desperately using the katana¡¯s held in his left arms to parry a blow from Prime before. The beast eagerly pressed its attack, hungry for revenge against the Hivekin that had slain it twice now.


    Seventy-Six had faced a number of Primes in his years, but never one that was simply regenerated from its core whenever it was slain. The first time the human Warden had revived the beast, Seventy-Six had been more shocked than he had been in years, even if the soft-skins hadn¡¯t realized it. They didn¡¯t have the proper pheromone receptors to parse his emotional cues.


    He hadn¡¯t even realized a monster could be revived from its core, in the way Leonard had done.


    Truly, he experienced odd things under the service of his Sworn.


    While said Sworn was locked in a duel with the Warden, Seventy-Six had managed to slay the Prime again with the help of the wooden one. It had been a hard-fought battle, but he had managed to push through his exhaustion to land what had hopefully been the actual final blow. He had kept in mind what the Warden had done earlier, and hadn¡¯t paused to celebrate after the beast had died again. He had simply dived through the resulting Miasma cloud for the waiting Core with blades barred, intent on shattering the jewel before the process could be repeated.


    Alas, he had been too slow. He should have known that someone so far along the path like the Warden would be able to react faster than someone like Seventy-Six. He had only broken through the fourth breakpoint, after all.


    Without even taking his attention away from the Grey-Sworn, the Warden had simply gestured in his direction with a release of Mana. Seventy-Six had needed to desperately turn his strike against the Core into a block, as the renewed Prime had erupted out of it, talons poised to rip his insectoid head from his upper shoulders.


    Which brought Seventy-Six to now. Frantically, he pulsed his physical enhancement skill, Dread Hands and Feet, to its maximum strength for what was likely the last time he would be able to in this battle. The Skill was feeling mentally worn out and ragged from overuse. He ducked back briefly in order to avoid a swipe from the Neptaurian Prime before readying himself. Seventy-Six fiercely concentrated, activating another skill for a counter-attack.


    Diamond Glints in Snow.


    His four katanas gleamed in the low light of the prison hall, glowing a soft white and beginning to emit a cold aura. Seventy-Six surged forward with a four-pronged slash of his blades, scoring a direct on the beast before him. The slashes that he delivered on its scales instantly began to creep over with frost, covering the chest of the Prime and slowing its movements. The beast screeched a pained whinny before it tried to desperately lash out at the Antium that had hurt it. Seventy-Six ducked the talons but was caught off guard as the Neptaurian spun in place and smashed him away with its massive fish-like tail.


    Seventy-Six cursed as he went flying. Such a lazy attack would normally never come close to him. Midair, he managed to reorient in order to land on his feet, skidding backwards from the force of the blow. He tried to rise to his feet once the force of the Prime¡¯s blow had been bled away, only to stumble and fall to one knee. Seventy-Six amended his earlier thought. He actually had never been pushed this far before. First had been the ambush from the other Prime earlier, and then the brief exchange with it before his Sworn had ended the arachnid. Then, the three separate battles against this particular Neptaurian Prime. The first time had been bad enough when it had been at full strength. There, he had mostly taken attention away from the Grey-Sworn so he could end the beast. The second time, the Prime had been more on Seventy-Six¡¯s level of strength and had been a worthy opponent in which to hone himself against. On this third battle, he could tell that the monster was weaker than he was. On any normal day, he was confident in his chances of slaying a creature like this on his own.


    The problem was, Seventy-Six was exhausted. The Prime was bridging the gap in strength through sheer staying power. Every time it was revived, the monster might be weaker in strength, but it was renewed in its stamina. Seventy-Six chided himself as he knelt on the stone, ashamed of his own weakness. He had thought he had overcome his people''s carefully hidden flaw.


    The Antium as a whole lacked endurance. These soft skins didn¡¯t know how easy they had it, with their conveniently perspiring skin.


    His master wouldn¡¯t have been pushed this hard.


    Trembling, Seventy-Six pushed himself to his feet using one of the blades clutched in his lower arms. He was just in time to watch as the Sculpted, Woodrick, was knocked away from the Prime in an explosion of shattered bark. The wooden one rapidly flew away to impact the far stone wall of the entry hall, where he slumped against it.


    He looked to be out cold.


    Seventy-Six took a deep breath.


    Very well, then.


    He couldn¡¯t allow the beast to join its master against his Sworn.


    Was this it then? Had his time come?


    Seventy-Six felt resolve roll over his soul.


    Perhaps, perhaps not. All that was left was to let fate decide.


    He nodded to himself, reaching for a skill he had never used. He might be able to survive using it if he kept its use to a minimum.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    He activated it.


    Rage Against the Night.


    Seventy-Six nearly cried out in agony as he felt the very core of his being erupt into brilliantly burning soul fire. However, he felt renewed strength flow through his limbs as he began to burn his own spirit as fuel.


    No¡­


    This was more than renewed strength. This was power on a level he couldn¡¯t match, even at his peak.


    It would have to do.


    Grimly, Seventy-Six straightened up into the first stance his master had ever taught him. Ethereal smoke began to pour from the joints of his chitinous exoskeleton. The Neptaurian caught sight of him and began to charge in his direction with a triumphant whinny.


    Seventy-Six, known as Venix to the soft-skins, took a deep breath and concentrated. He closed his eyes ever so briefly and then opened them, standing perfectly still.


    The world felt as if it had slowed to a crawl. Seventy-Six waited until the Prime had reached striking distance, and then flooded his blades with every ounce of Ki that his burning soul could muster. They erupted into flickering crimson light, sheathed in radiance that grew beyond the bounds of their physical form. Seventy-Six was aware of his blades cracking ever so slightly from the amount of power that was being channeled through them, but that didn¡¯t matter for this. He needed to end the beast in one blow, not only physically, but enough to erase its Core as well.


    He knew what to use for that. It had worked on the other Prime, after all.


    The Blade¡¯s Lament.


    Seventy-Six struck out with his katana¡¯s, all four of them crossed together in X positions. The light that had coated his blades erupted in a double cross instantly, crashing into the charging form of the Neptaurian Prime. The beast didn¡¯t even have time to realize what had happened to it before it was instantly vaporized. However¡­


    Venix felt despair fill his heart when he saw the monster¡¯s Core, suspended midair in a frozen moment. He had only managed to crack the Prime¡¯s Core. He hadn¡¯t managed to destroy it.


    His sacrifice would be in vain.


    Salvation came from an unexpected source.


    As if she had been trailing in his shadow, the pirate woman, Isabella, instantly sprang from the veritable Aether. Her cutlass was drawn and sheathed in a crackling, roiling storm of wind and lightning, lunging straight at the Core with a mad snarl etched on her sharp features.


    Out of the corner of his eye, Seventy-Six saw the Warden dueling his Sworn realize what was about to happen. His teeth drew back from his lips in a snarl uncharacteristic of him, and fought to free one hand to rescue his thrall from utter destruction. However, Leonard was locked in a power struggle with the Grey-Sworn, fighting to keep the Headmaster¡¯s blade away from his neck. At the speed and strength the two of them were fighting at, Seventy-Six thought he might just manage to save the Core before the weaker woman could strike it.


    That couldn¡¯t happen.


    With the dregs of his soul pouring through his chitin, Seventy-Six drew back his right uppermost katana and threw it as hard as he could at the human. The air cracked from the force of his throw, but most importantly, so did the barrier separating the duel from the rest of the hall. The Warden was forced to block the blisteringly fast spinning form of his sword instead of saving his pet.


    Isabella¡¯s cutlass pierced the stone of the Prime¡¯s Core while he was distracted.


    It exploded, sending shards of hardened Aether ricocheting across the hall.


    As he felt his soul begin to boil away, Seventy-Six saw one more thing before he impacted the stone of the floor below.


    The pirate woman letting out a primal scream of triumph into the chaos of the battlefield.


    The world went black.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Seventy-Six found himself in a familiar scene. One that played out in his memories, night after night. As if through a fog, he saw the younger form of himself lying slumped against the wall of a shady alleyway in Hinaga.


    Ah¡­


    This was right after his exile.


    His younger self looked truly pathetic. This was before he even understood the idea of soft-skin clothing, and so was mostly nude, only wearing a modesty-preserving leather loincloth. He had been on Vereden for mere weeks at this point, and was considering simply letting the pouring rain wash him away after his fruitless journey to the island City-State. Surely, he had thought, to die as detritus drowned in an alien river was an appropriate fate for one such as him.


    His younger self was knocked out of his self-pity by a shadow falling over his form. Looking up, the smaller form of Seventy-Six saw the man who would save him.


    His master.


    His face was obscured by an umbrella, blue with white flower petals decorating its surface. The man was tall though, dwarfing even the fully grown current Seventy-Six, much less the much younger one. The human¡¯s massive frame was draped in a familiar kimono, white with pink cranes dotting its surface.


    A katana lay on each side of the man¡¯s hips.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± A considering noise escaped the man, in a deep rumble that almost physically shook the alleyway. Despite the man¡¯s face being obscured by his umbrella, the pitiful youth against the wall was still able to see the man¡¯s head tilt in thought. Slowly, the human nodded to himself before speaking again.


    ¡°Rain whispers sorrow,


    Youth¡¯s burdened shoulders, a weight,


    A chance in silence.¡±


    The younger form of Seventy-Six simply blinked his compound eyes at the man, completely befuddled. The massive figure let an amused sound escape him before he strode down the alleyway toward the young Antium and crouched before him. His face was still shadowed in the dim light, but Seventy-Six could see something despite it.


    The human¡¯s emerald green eyes, piercing through him.


    The man spoke.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what your story is, boy,¡± The man said calmly. ¡°And I don¡¯t care. But I like the look of you, and I find myself in need of a student. Do you want to die in this alley, or make something of yourself?¡± The man stood up and then extended a hand down at the Antium teen.


    Young Seventy-Six stared at hand blankly for a moment. Even now, the future Seventy-Six wasn¡¯t sure what had been running through his mind at the time. He didn¡¯t know what had caused him to slowly raise one of his hands and lay it in the much larger one.


    Still, he was glad he did. At least he had done something right in the past.


    The massive man effortlessly raised the young Antium stumbling to his feet and then nodded to him. ¡°Good choice. After all,¡± He said, patting the boy¡¯s back. Something happened then that Seventy-Six didn¡¯t remember.


    His master¡¯s head turned slightly. It was as if he was looking at both the spectral form of the elder Seventy-Six and the younger, and speaking to them at the same time.


    ¡°It¡¯s never over while will remains,¡± The past form of his master said, with an amused lilt to his voice.


    As if from far away, Seventy-Six heard the sound of a young canine bark echo through his dreamscape. A wave of cooling, blue-green Aether washed over the scene and his ghostly form both.


    The fire burning away his soul winked out.


    Seventy-Six sank into blissful darkness.

 Chapter 120 - Cornered

    The sight of Honoka streaking across the length of the hall broke the spirits of the Guards. Around the time she was impacting the shield blocking off Grey and the Warden¡¯s duel, they nearly universally abandoned the fight. As Sylvia and I raced across the battlefield towards the barricade, we passed many Guards who were fleeing past us toward the blown-open doors.


    I don¡¯t know where they thought they were going. This was an island, after all. It¡¯s not like you could hide here forever. If they were going for the ships, then they were probably going to be disappointed. Bella¡¯s crew had, presumably, taken care of those.


    Speaking of, the pirates of the Thorny Reef didn¡¯t seem to care that the Guards had given up. They were still chasing them down for the slaughter, hooting and laughing as they did so. I passed Curloch as he was hooking the legs out from underneath one of the escaping Guards. He gave me a grin and a thumbs-up.


    Yeah, okay, man. Have fun I guess.


    I also came across Pete lingering near the door, as one of the few pirates who weren''t chasing the fleeing guards. The porous sailor looked a bit winded to my eyes, and seemed to be keeping an eye out on what was happening both inside and outside the hall.


    I decided to give him a better job.


    Before he could even blink, I shoved the still-exhausted form of Fade into his arms. He looked down at the unconscious wolf with a baffled stare for a moment, before turning that same look at me. I preempted him.


    "Take Fade back the Reef for me," I said shortly, casting a gaze out at the other side of the barricade. "I don''t think this is over, and he shouldn''t be here in the first place."


    The pumice Sculpted actually brightened up at my request. "Yeah, no problem. Thinkin'' we''re about done here, anyways. Catch ya, later." He said, with a mock salute before hurrying off down to the docks that were just in sight.


    I let my gaze linger on the retreating form of the pirate and my furry little friend.


    Rest well, buddy.


    I turned back to the hall and rejoined the waiting Sylvia.


    By the time we had reached and slipped through the makeshift wall, nearly the entire Guard force had forsaken their Warden. The side of the battlefield Sylvia and I had started on was filled only with my companions, McGill¡¯s pirates, and the moans of the dying.


    Those were being dealt with by the freed prisoners.


    They didn¡¯t catch my attention, though.


    Two other things did.


    First, the Neptaurian Prime was gone. Presumably dead, I thankfully didn¡¯t see its Monster Core anywhere that the Warden could bring the creature back. I think Venix was injured somehow though, as I saw his massive frame being tended to by Renauld. The Gnoll that I had taken a chance on was too busy to pay me any mind. He was concentrating fiercely on the downed form of the Antium, hands glowing with a golden light as they hovered over him. Aurum and Woodrick were also nearby them. Aurum was wringing his hands helplessly, while Woodrick was standing guard. Both Sculpted looked a little roughed up, honestly.


    I grimaced at the sight. If Aurum couldn¡¯t do anything for Venix and Renauld could...


    He might be in bad shape. For now, from the slight rise and fall of his chest, I could tell that Venix still lived.


    But what caught the attention of most of the hall was the confrontation occurring between Grey, the Warden, and Honoka. With the bubble shield gone, I could see it clearly.


    The three of them were locked in a standstill. Warden Leonard was barely holding the two of them off, surrounded by a nearly physical crystalline blue aura with how dense it was. Grey was to the right of the Warden, pressing inward with both Stellarum and a pitch-black aura dotted with stars, teeth gritted in exertion. At the same time, Honoka was pressing in on the Warden¡¯s left, still suspended in midair from her dive. The old woman was trying to drive a dagger of what looked like white-hot plasma into the skin of the Warden¡¯s left hand, which was barely holding her back.


    It didn¡¯t look like the Warden was winning this struggle. He must have realized that as well, as with a shout of exertion, the crystalline aura surrounding him exploded into all too real physical shards. Both elders attacking him were blown away, leaving the Warden to stand alone, visibly exhausted and panting. Grey skidded to a halt near where I was standing, while Honoka corrected herself in midair. She spotted our group, and drifted down to stand next to Grey. Her fiery wings folded against her back but didn¡¯t dissipate, surprisingly not giving off any heat. Behind the four of us, the rest of our forces were watching the confrontation with bated breath.


    Grey took a deep breath and then nodded to Sylvia and me before he fixed his eyes on Honoka. ¡°Well,¡± He said in a condescending tone, entirely ignoring the Warden. ¡°I see that the children solved your little problem. Tsk tsk. What has the world come to, when Elders must rely on the efforts of the young?¡±


    Honoka glowered at him, also giving no mind to the Warden. ¡°No thanks to you, you lazy reprobate. I would never have been branded if you hadn¡¯t been swinging your moon-bothering, over-inflated sense of self-importance around. What took you so long, anyway? Did you need an up-jumped infant to do all the work and save you from the big bad stunties?¡± She said mockingly, conveniently ignoring that¡¯s what she had needed.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I faintly heard an offended ¡®Hey¡¯ from the form of Azarus, standing not far from us.


    Honoka paid no attention to my dwarf friend, keeping her attention on Grey.


    I blinked slowly at the unexpected back and forth. I don¡¯t know what I was expecting from these two¡¯s reunion, but it wasn¡¯t for them to immediately descend into insults. Still, even I could tell that there was no heat behind the words. Instead, there was a near palpable sense of relief and muted affection in the gazes of the two as they bantered.


    I could tell that they had known each other for a long, long time.


    Now that I thought about it, probably longer than my home country had been around.


    Warden Leonard interrupted the reunion by spitting on the ground, seeming to have caught his breath. ¡°Honoka,¡± He said flatly, clenching his hand around his staff. ¡°How¡­surprising to see you. And with your Status active as well.¡±


    The man sounded as if he was barely holding back an ocean of rage.


    Honoka and Grey turned from each other to face the Warden. Honoka smiled darkly at him. ¡°Bet you weren¡¯t expecting that, eh, boy? Can¡¯t say I was either, but I won¡¯t question it. After all, it¡¯s going to let me get my revenge on you.¡± It was almost disturbing, the amount of bloodlust the woman injected into that word.


    ¡°As much as it pains me to say this, I¡¯m willing to let you surrender, Leonard. As a favor to your brother.¡± Grey said, ignoring the protesting noise and betrayed look that Honoka shot him at his words. ¡°You might well have triumphed in time over merely myself, but you stand no chance against the both of us. You have my word that I¡¯ll treat you better as a prisoner than you did Honoka. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re delivered into the custody of Leopold myself.¡±


    ¡°Oh, will you now?¡± Warden Leonard sneered, eyes nearly popping out of his head in affront. ¡°How dare you. How dare you! You must think you¡¯ve won, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Grey made a show of looking around the hall. The only people left in it by now were people with no reason to look kindly on the Warden. In fact, there were some decidedly un-friendly looks being leveled his way. ¡°I rather think I have. Don¡¯t be stubborn, now. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll only face imprisonment in your family home for, oh, perhaps a century? Not the worst thing that could happen today.¡± He said, pointedly raising Stellarum once again.


    The Warden lowered his head, his shoulders starting to shake as he did so. At first, it appeared almost as if he was sobbing, but everyone in the hall was soon rid of that notion. Chuckles started to escape the man, ramping up in volume until the man threw back his head to cackle loudly into the silence of the battle-worn entry hall.


    Grey¡¯s face hardened, while Honoka merely watched the Warden with eyes hungry for vengeance.


    Slowly, Leonard¡¯s laughing came to a halt. He started to shake his head. ¡°Oh, but I¡¯m not quite beaten yet,¡± He said with a vindictive smile. ¡°After all, you made a mistake before you ever set foot in this hall, Headmaster. Care to take a guess? I¡¯ll even give you a hint, if you¡¯d like it.¡±


    Grey was silent for a moment at Leonard''s provocation, merely watching the Warden of Caer Drarrow with narrowed eyes. His grip on Stellarum tightened. ¡°And what would that be, Leonard?¡±


    Warden Leonard of House Ashran leaned forward on his crystalline staff, a mad glint in his eye. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have brought the Abyssmother¡¯s Core with you.¡± He hissed. Leonard raised his staff, head pointing past Grey.


    At me.


    Grey''s whole body tensed before he whipped around to face me with dread and panic etched across his aged features. ¡°Nathan--!¡± He tried to shout.


    I was ahead of him.


    I think the only reason any of us survived what happened next was because of Ringed Mind. It was because of the swift actions of my middle ring that I didn¡¯t die. While my outer ring was watching the confrontation, my middle ring had been observing Leonard closely. The second my middle ring had processed the word ¡®Core¡¯ from Leonard''s lips, it had seized control of my body and dived a hand into my back pouch. Inside was where I was keeping the Monster Core that Grey had gifted me, left behind after he and Venix had killed the Frostbrine Abyssmother in the caverns below. I¡¯d grabbed hold of it, already feeling the sphere beginning to heat up and bulge oddly in my fist. I don¡¯t know what Leonard was doing to it, or how he even knew that I had the Core, but I didn¡¯t have time to consider the matter. I yanked the Core out of my pouch in a mad panic and tried to toss it as far away from me as I could.


    It only managed to fly half of the way to the Warden before the reason for Leonards confidence became apparent.


    This time, the Core of one of Leonard¡¯s Primes didn¡¯t erupt back into the form of a revitalized monster.


    No, this time the Core exploded.


    Violently.


    Two things happened then.


    The first, was that I saw Leonard cluck his tongue in disappointment at my swift actions. Before the Core was finished exploding, I saw him take a small crystal sphere out of one of his robe pockets and throw it onto the floor. In a brief flash of light, the Warden of Caer Drarrow disappeared, teleported away from this location somehow.


    The second, was that Grey stepped in front of Sylvia and I protectively. With a grim cast to his face, he raised Stellarum and concentrated, flat of the blade presented in front of us. A large circular shield of shining silver light appeared before the group, stretching far on either side of our position. Honoka raised a hand with narrowed eyes, lending her apparent strength as well. A similar shield appeared in front of Grey¡¯s, fiery crimson in color.


    They weren¡¯t enough.


    The force of the blast from the exploding Core was far more powerful than I could have imagined. It blew the entire front of the entry hall away, both ceiling and walls on either side of it violently disintegrating under the force of the expanding white-hot fireball. Somehow, the back half of the hall retained just enough structural integrity to not instantly collapse on top of us.


    Grey and Honoka¡¯s shields weren¡¯t so lucky.


    Honoka¡¯s broke nearly instantly from the force of the blast, causing her to reel back with a cry of pain. Grey¡¯s shield instantly splintered from the strength of the Aetheric bomb as well. I could tell that Grey was trying to reinforce his shield from the snarl of effort on his face and the pulsing of the splinters, but¡­


    It just wasn¡¯t enough.


    In the split second before the wave of force and fire could roll over Sylvia and I, I cast Thorn Cloak and grabbed her. I hoped that it would help protect the two of us, even if only slightly. I turned my back to the oncoming fire and looked down at Sylvia held in my arms. Our frightened eyes met, crystalline blue on emerald green. Sylvia buried her head in my chest, as the wave of force rolled over us.


    We went flying, and the world went dark.

 Chapter 121 - Horizon of War [Vol. 3 End]

    Gradually, my partitioned mind began to come to awareness. Radiating out from my core, my middle ring and my outer ring came alive first. Not yet opening my eyes, I tried to remember what had led to this moment.


    Ah¡­


    That¡¯s right¡­


    The explosion.


    Slowly, painfully, I tried to open my eyes. Creaking them open, I was greeted by darkness. Wherever I was it, was pitch black. I couldn¡¯t see a thing. Just beyond the range of my hearing, I thought I could hear shouting.


    I blinked, slowly. My mind might have been rebooted, but I was still groggy. I was having trouble thinking straight. I tried to shift in place, only to wince with a hiss of escaping air. I was pinned under something, and in pain as well. My back underneath me felt like it was covered in burns, but that wasn¡¯t all. Something didn¡¯t feel right with my left arm. I tried to put that out of my mind for a moment, however. My movement seemed to cause a reaction, however. Something that was pinning me in place shifted on top of me.


    A pair of crystalline blue eyes cracked open ever so slightly, from their position on my chest. They cast the smallest amount of light possible to see, allowing me to perceive a glint of silver in the gloom.


    Sylvia.


    That¡¯s right¡­I had tried to shield her with my body.


    ¡°N-Nathan?¡± She asked quietly, seemingly just as groggy as I was.


    I drew in as deep of a breath as I could, lying under both her heavy metallic form¡­


    And the stone that I could now see was boxing us in. We were trapped in a small enclosed space of rubble that surrounded our bodies. We didn¡¯t even have enough room to wiggle in place. I don¡¯t even think I could turn my head if I tried, much less my body.


    ¡°Y-Yeah,¡± I let out a shuddering breath. I closed my eyes in relief for a moment. ¡°Yeah. We¡­made it.¡±


    Sylvia let her head fall back on my chest with a thump. ¡°I see,¡± She said quietly. Even more quietly, I heard a whisper. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I smiled shallowly, aware she likely couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°Anytime.¡±


    We lay there for a moment, I think both of us basking in the fact we had survived a near-death experience. Above and outside our cocoon of stone, I heard the sound of shouting grow closer. I raised my head as much as I was able. ¡°H-¡± I coughed, when I tried to raise my voice. I tried again, painfully aware of how weak my voice was. ¡°Hey! In here! We need help!¡±


    My unsteady shouting caused some dust from the rubble above to fall on us. But more importantly, I seemed to have succeeded in catching attention. The shouting near our position outside paused for a moment, before I heard heavy footfalls pound in our direction. ¡°Nate!¡± I heard a familiar voice shout urgently. ¡°Are ya in there?!¡±


    I close my eyes in relief for a moment. Azarus had found us. I opened them and replied. ¡°Yeah!¡± I called out to my dwarven friend. ¡°It¡¯s me and Sylvia in here!¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Azarus called down to me. ¡°Give us a mo¡¯ and we¡¯ll get ya out!¡± I heard Azarus pull away from our stone prison. ¡°Grey! Over here!¡± He called.


    Grey was fine then? I wasn¡¯t sure he would be, considering how he must have taken the full force of that explosion. But I suppose all those levels must be good for something.


    Before long, I heard the sound of feet come running to our position. ¡°Sylvia?!¡± I heard Grey call out frantically. ¡°Are you in there?!¡±


    Hey. I was in here too.


    I didn¡¯t hold it against him, though. Sylvia was his daughter, after all.


    Said daughter raised her head from its position on my chest. ¡°Yes!¡± She called out. ¡°Nathan and I are in here!¡±


    Even through the stone, I was able to hear Grey let out a shuddering, relieved sigh. Suddenly, bright silver light began to outline the large slab of stone just above us. I squinted my eyes at the sudden illumination. Once it was completely surrounded, the chunk began to drift upwards, letting what seemed to be sunlight drift inwards. When it was safely removed from above us, I was able to see the ripped clothes and bloodstained forms of Azarus and Grey peering down anxiously at us. I tried to smile weakly at them but grimaced instead.


    Sylvia raised her head from my chest to blink up at her father. Slowly, she pushed herself up off of me and stumbled to her feet, only to immediately be caught in a desperate hug from Grey. She returned it.


    Meanwhile, Azarus was trying to help me out of the stone crater that I was lying in.


    There was a small problem, however.


    My left arm was crushed under another piece of stone rubble, even larger than what had been blocking Sylvia and I inside. I stared blankly at it, watching as a trail of blood seeped out from beneath the rock. The stone was completely covering my arm from view just below my elbow.


    I couldn¡¯t feel anything from that arm.


    Why couldn¡¯t I feel anything?


    Oh.


    Because my middle ring had dampened my pain receptors for the battle, and never dialed them back up. I tried doing so now, only to be nearly knocked out from the wave of excruciating pain that resulted from my fucking stupid decision. Hurriedly, I used my middle ring to dampen my pain again, nearly hyperventilating.


    Azarus must have realized what was wrong as well, as he grimaced, staring at the stone pinning me down. He stood up. ¡°Grey,¡± he said grimly, turning to face the embracing father and daughter. ¡°I think we need the Gnoll.¡±


    Grey pulled away from Sylvia at Azarus¡¯s severe tone and furrowed his brow. Hurrying over to my position, he cursed when he saw my predicament. He shook his head. ¡°No, not him. Get Honoka instead. She owes Nathan a debt, and will insist on this.¡±


    Azarus nodded at Grey without arguing and jogged away, presumably to find Honoka.


    Meanwhile, I was trying not to erupt into a panic attack, staring blankly at the stone crushing my arm. I was physically wrenched out of my panic by Grey gripping my head and turning it to face him. He met my eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t look at that,¡± Grey commanded me. ¡°Look at me, instead.¡±


    I took a shuddering breath, meeting Grey¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡­¡± I tried to say, but the words got stuck in my throat. I tried again. ¡°I¡¯m¡­going to lose the arm, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Grey said evenly, holding my gaze. Out of the corner of my eye, I was able to see Sylvia move around to my right side and reach down to grip my free right hand. She squeezed it, and I squeezed back. ¡°Either way, I have to thank you, Nathan. You put your life on the line to protect my Sylvia with your very body, and I won¡¯t forget that.¡± My mentor smiled at me, gratitude in his eyes. ¡°It seems I owe you another debt.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t...worry about it,¡± I choked out. Even using my core to tamp down on my emotional responses, some of it was still leaking through. I realized Grey was trying to distract me, but it wasn¡¯t working.


    Thankfully, we didn¡¯t have to wait for long. Short minutes later, Azarus returned with Honoka in tow. The older woman was both visibly exhausted, and visibly ruffled herself. The prison rags that she was still wearing were even more ragged now, with rents and tears visible on them. Still, the woman approached us swiftly and began to inspect my form. She frowned heavily. ¡°You,¡± She said curtly, speaking to Azarus. ¡°Grab hold of the stone, and be ready to lift it away when I say so.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Azarus nodded sharply at her command, before approaching my prone form and digging his fingers into the stone holding me down. He waited there, while Honoka climbed into the pit I was lying in and crouched down next to me.


    ¡°Honoka,¡± I said, causing the old woman to look over her shoulder at me. ¡°Am I¡­going to lose the arm?¡±


    She studied me seriously for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± She finally said bluntly. ¡°But be prepared for it if you are. Grey, don¡¯t let him watch.¡±


    Grey nodded silently, before gently maneuvering my head to my right. I was now being forced to watch Sylvia, who met my eyes while keeping a hold on my good hand. She squeezed it again.


    ¡°Now,¡± I heard Honoka say to Azarus. Suddenly, I heard the sound of the stone being lifted away by Azarus with a grunt. But¡­I still didn¡¯t feel anything. ¡°Shit,¡± I heard Honoka say.


    ¡°Honoka?¡± I heard Grey ask.


    ¡°No good,¡± She immediately answered. ¡°It¡¯s got to go.¡±


    Despite myself, I began to hyperventilate, my eyes widening and filling with tears against my will.


    I¡­


    I didn¡¯t want to lose my arm¡­


    I didn¡¯t have a choice.


    Keeping one hand on my head to keep it still, Grey switched his other to my chest in order to hold me down. I think he felt my panic.


    I just kept my eyes locked on Sylvia¡¯s, as I felt Honoka chant something and a numbing sensation affected my entire left arm. I kept my eyes on Sylvia¡¯s, as I heard Honoka take Stellarum from its sheathed position on Grey¡¯s hip.


    I didn¡¯t look away from her when I heard the sound of the sword slicing down on the remains of my arm.


    I didn¡¯t feel any of it.


    I saw the shadow of a healing spell flicker on the rocks near me, before I heard the sound of cloth being wrapped around my new¡­stump. When Honoka was done I felt an intense heat flare up to my side, before I briefly smelled cooking meat. It didn¡¯t last long, though.


    I think¡­she was burning away what had been left of my¡­


    I shuddered.


    Finally, Honoka was finished. She stood back up with a grunt, before addressing Grey. ¡°You can let him up now.¡± She said tiredly.


    Grey let go of me slowly, but I didn¡¯t move to get up. I just kept staring at Sylvia. She let go of my hand slowly, to reach up and cup my cheek with her own. With a shudder, I reached up and lay my own hand over hers and squeezed. With a deep breath, I sat up and looked over at my left side.


    As expected, my left arm was gone. It had been amputated by Grey¡¯s sword just below the elbow. In its place was a stump, wrapped in surprisingly clean bandages. I stared at it blankly for a moment.


    I¡­I swear I could still feel it. Even now, it felt like I was opening and closing my left fist.


    I was knocked out of my shock by a broad hand appearing in front of me. Looking up, I saw that it was Azarus. ¡°C¡¯mon,¡± He said gruffly, but not unsympathetically. ¡°It¡¯s time to get off of this damned island.¡±


    Ah. I¡­see.


    I took the hand, and let it drag me upright. I stumbled once I was on my feet, however, struck by a sudden wave of weakness. Azarus caught me before I could hit the dirt, slinging my remaining arm over his shoulders. He was actually the perfect height to lean on, despite being a dwarf.


    Grey finished wiping his blade clean of my¡­blood and nodded at the two of us. Sylvia came to stand next to her father and Honoka, and the five of us began to walk away from where we¡¯d been found.


    I needed something to keep my mind off of losing my arm. ¡°How¡­how is everyone? Did the prisoners survive the blast?¡±


    I could see Azarus grimace, but it was Grey that answered. ¡°The people we came to free are all unharmed,¡± Grey said in a somber tone. ¡°Lord Everfield¡¯s stone protections were enough for them. However, Captain McGill¡¯s crew was devastated by Leonard''s bomb. Roughly half of those left after the fighting ended lost their lives anyway. Unfortunately¡­that wasn¡¯t everyone we lost.¡±


    By now, we had exited the ruined remains of the collapsed entry hall and were half way down to the docks of Caer Drarrow. There, we found a large group waiting for us.


    Large, but not large enough.


    ¡°Most of Isabella¡¯s crew was spared from the blast, as they were pursuing the fleeing Guards,¡± Grey continued. ¡°But they did lose some members.¡±


    I could see that. As we stepped foot onto the docks, I was able to see the still form of Curloch. It¡­looked like he had been partially crushed by a fallen rock. His corpse was being overseen by the grim figures of Morlow and Laryn.


    Not too long ago, that guy had saved Sylvia and I¡¯s butt. If it hadn¡¯t been for him and his friends, I don¡¯t know if we would have been able to free Honoka. I bowed my head as much as I was able to in his direction.


    Rest in peace, Curly.


    The unsurprisingly somber figures of Bell and McGill were standing not far from them as well. Both looked relatively uninjured, if not a bit roughed up. I exchanged a nod with Bella when she looked up, her eyes lingering on my missing arm.


    Grey spoke again. ¡°Venix is in a coma, and neither Honoka or Mr. Renauld can say why at this point. We¡¯ll need to seek more specialized healing services for him back in the Kingdom. I¡¯m¡­afraid that isn¡¯t all, however.¡± We reached a section of the dock that had been set aside for¡­the dead. Woodrick was there, somberly kneeling next to a cloth-covered set of remains. I was still able to see the glint of gold through the cloth, however.


    My heart lodged in my chest. ¡°Aurum¡­?¡± I breathed.


    Grey bowed his head. ¡°I¡¯m¡­afraid so. Young Aurum was¡­simply not strong enough to survive the blast. We believe that he was standing beyond the bounds of our shields when the bomb went off.¡± He grimaced. ¡°The poor boy was veritably sheered in half. Dead, instantly.¡±


    I drew in a shuddering breath and lowered my head. I¡¯d¡­wanted to talk to Aurum after the fighting was over. I liked the guy, even if he had to grow seemed to be wary of me after seeing how I fought. I¡¯d wanted to clear the air.


    Now I guess I¡¯d never get the chance.


    We were interrupted by Bella and McGill approaching us. I raised my head, expecting Bella to tell us to get our asses on the Reef.


    It was McGill who spoke instead.


    ¡°Me and the rest of my crew are staying,¡± He said bluntly. Grey frowned, but the pirate Captain spoke again anyway. ¡°Not just because Bella¡¯s boys messed up the other damn ships and we need to fix ''em, but because I see an opportunity here. The Guards are all dead, and this place is a damn fortress. Well, mostly,¡± He said, eyes flickering in the direction of the destroyed entry hall. He shook his head and continued. ¡°I¡¯m gonna turn this place into another pirate cove. One that ain¡¯t as soft as Marrowmist has gotten. I¡¯ll free prisoners that are¡­amendable to fill out me crew, and fix the ships that were sabotaged. I¡¯ll have a fleet in no time. I think I¡¯ll call this place¡­Freefief.¡± McGill seemed pretty proud of his off-the-cuff plan, and his equally nonsense name.


    Wasn¡¯t the idea of a ¡®free fief¡¯ an oxymoron?


    However, Grey didn¡¯t seem so happy about his plan. He stepped forward. ¡°And what exactly makes you think I¡¯ll allow you do so, Mr. McGill,¡± He said dangerously. ¡°If you recall, if anyone has a claim to this island, it¡¯s me. I helped to build it, after all.¡±


    McGill didn¡¯t seem so worried. He just grinned at Grey. ¡°Cause I¡¯m gonna offer ye what I know Marrowmist wouldn¡¯t. Once I get up and runnin¡¯, me and my new fleet will support yer rebellion. We¡¯ll be good little boys and gals during yer little war, and raid all up and down Loyalist holdings. Gods know I ain¡¯t got any reason to like the buggers.¡±


    That brought Grey up short. I could see the indecision warring on his face before he sighed. My mentor dragged a hand down his face. ¡°Oh, very well,¡± He said in defeat, waving McGill away. ¡°If you become a problem after the war, I¡¯ll just deal with you then. Do be on your way, Mr. McGill. Before I change my mind.¡±


    McGill did as he was bid, but not before winking at me. ¡°I¡¯ll see ya around, Hangman,¡± He said, as he scurried away, chortling.


    Uh-huh. Whatever.


    Bella spoke up when he was gone. ¡°Let¡¯s get off this shithole,¡± She said tiredly, already walking to the boarding plank of her ship. ¡°I ain¡¯t ever want to see it again.¡±


    You and me both¡­


    She paused before exiting our line of sight. ¡°The boys¡¯ll load up the dead,¡± Bella said, not unsympathetically. ¡°You just get the passengers on board.¡±


    Grey bowed his aged head briefly in acknowledgment. ¡°I¡¯ll do so,¡± He answered, before turning to face the rest of us. ¡°Azarus, Nathan, Sylvia. You can go rest on the Reef. Let Honoka and I-¡±


    Grey was cut off by Honoka folding in place, seemingly unconscious. He managed to catch her in time before her head could bounce off of the docks. He sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll get everyone else on board. I suppose it was too much to hope that her constitution could withstand the shock of being freed from her brand indefinitely. Sylvia, if you could take her to our room?¡±


    Sylvia nodded at her father, and picked up Honoka carefully. Nodding at Azarus and I as well, she departed for the deck of the Thorny Reef.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be along shortly,¡± Grey told Azarus and I. ¡°Just¡­try and get some rest. Nathan, I wouldn¡¯t worry too much about your arm. I¡¯ll gladly finance paying for its regeneration after you lost it shielding my daughter.¡± With a final nod to the two of us, Grey left to go and wrangle everyone who was leaving with the ship.


    Azarus and I left for said ship after exchanging a glance, my dwarven friend supporting my weight. As we stepped foot onto the deck of the Thorny Reef, I could see the vast horizon of the sea spread out before us.


    Where before I had found the sight comforting, now it just filled me with dread. It reminded me that the war¡­wasn¡¯t over.


    It hadn¡¯t even really begun yet.


    With the prisoners freed, the Uprising could start fighting again in earnest.


    Soon, it would be time to put the Loyalists down.


    Once, and for all.

 Chapter 122 - Green Pursuit [Vol 4. Start]

    I blinked, staring down at the small crossbow that Captain Isabella had shoved into my chest. I clutched it with my one remaining arm. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be joking.¡±


    The frazzled-looking pirate Captain turned away from her far eye long enough to growl at me. ¡°Ye can still shoot. Ain¡¯t like you¡¯ve got no arms.¡± I could barely hear her over the shouting and bustling on the deck of the Thorny Reef, her ship that I and my companions were being ferried on.


    ¡°How am I supposed to reload it?!¡± I shouted over the din of the ship¡¯s crew getting ready for battle. I flapped the pinned sleeve that covered the stump of my lost left arm uselessly in demonstration.


    ¡°Ye¡¯ve got at least one shot,¡± Bella said flatly. ¡°Better make it count. Now get in line, they¡¯re gonna be in range soon.¡± She nodded over the railing, in the direction she had been previously looking at. I followed her gaze.


    On the horizon, I could see two ships relentlessly pursuing us.


    They were definitely larger than the Reef.


    It had been two days now since we had departed Caer Drarrow with our rescued hostages on board. The mood on the ship had been pretty somber despite the nominal success of our mission. There had been a number of casualties both from Bella¡¯s crew, and¡­among my own companions.


    I pushed that thought away. I didn¡¯t want it lingering even in one of my other thought streams wrought from my skill, Ringed Mind. I couldn''t afford to be maudlin right now.


    Instead, I did as I was told and hurried down the steps of the helm deck and onto the middeck. There, most of the crew was gathering for the battle that was likely to happen when the ships pursuing us caught up. Many of them had pulled out bows and crossbows like my own, in order to rain death on the enemy once they were in range. Not far from our line, the ship¡¯s ballista was being prepped by a few crewmen that I knew, Morlow and Laryn. They were looking decidedly bloodthirsty as they loaded the oversized crossbow. I guess they hadn¡¯t gotten their fill of death for the loss of their friend, Curloch. Woodrick was standing off to the side, rapidly creating short wooden javelins that I suppose he was intending to throw. I exchanged a nod with him. The wooden Sculpted had been a little quiet over the last few days. I think he was feeling responsible for Aurum¡¯s death. After all, the now-deceased healer had only come on our mission to help free him in the first place.


    However, among my group were both some other familiar faces, and one that I was rapidly getting to know.


    Sylvia was holding a longbow for the first time since I had met her, my Sculpted friend standing eerily still with luminescent blue eyes fixed on the pursuing warships. She nodded shallowly in my direction at my approach, before resuming her vigil. Azarus was there too, holding a much bulkier crossbow in his broad dwarven arms idly. He smirked at me, eyeing my comparatively tiny weapon. I just rolled my eyes at him. Fade was sitting on his haunches and watching the scrambling with a curious tilted head, an ocean of calm among the chaos. The little wolf had completely recovered from his odd showing back at Caer Drarrow by now, after a few days of lethargy. He perked up a little at my approach, tail wagging.


    The final person standing with us was Renauld, the Gnoll that I had rescued in Caer Drarrow. He was surprisingly nonchalant at the aspect of more battle, idly twisting the mage''s staff he had procured back and forth. He grinned at me, looking much more presentable after having at the chance to clean and replace his prison rags with a set of robes. ¡°Hey friend, how ya doing?¡± He asked me cheerfully.


    I snorted at his question. ¡°Could be better,¡± I said wryly. I nodded at the fast-approaching ships. ¡°I could not be about to get into another fight, for one.¡±


    Renauld literally waved my concerns off. ¡°Oh, them?¡± He said dismissively. ¡°They¡¯re nothing to worry about. I¡¯m sure old man Greycton will scare them off, no problem.¡±


    I wish I shared his confidence. ¡°It¡¯s not us I¡¯m worried about,¡± I nonetheless conceded. ¡°It¡¯s the ship. They have to know that Grey is with us. If they were smart, they¡¯d just start punching holes in us until we sank and the sea claimed everyone on board.¡±


    Some of the other archers turned to give me dirty looks at my doomsaying. I winced, and decided to keep my mouth shut.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Renauld said, pausing the twisting of his staff. He cast a wary gaze out at our pursuers, who were close enough now that we could see soldiers frantically getting into position with bows of their own. ¡°I¡­didn¡¯t think of that.¡±


    Speaking of Grey, my mentor was back up on the helm deck with Bella. Something about him was odd, though. The older man looked completely relaxed. He didn¡¯t look like he was preparing for battle at all.


    In fact, if anything, he looked a bit amused.


    I tilted my head up at him, confused. He must have caught the movement, as he looked back at me and did something unexpected.


    He winked.


    I blinked.


    What?


    I was startled out of the odd exchange by the sound of a door violently slamming open nearby. Jumping, I and everyone else on deck turned to look.


    The door leading to the private rooms under the helm had been thrown open so violently that it was splintering. Stalking out of the now-open entryway was Honoka, dressed in a nightgown.


    I¡­didn¡¯t even know she had woken up yet after passing out on Caer Drarrow. I hadn¡¯t seen her since. But she sure as hell was, and she looked pissed.


    She proved she was.


    ¡°WHAT THE HELL IS ALL THIS RACKET?!¡± Honoka bellowed loud enough that I was sure the enemy ships could hear her, a haze of heat surrounding her form. ¡°I¡¯M TRYING TO SLEEP!¡± The varnish on the wood of the ship was starting to peel around her, from the searing aura she was emitting.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    A little afraid to speak, I simply pointed over the railing of the ship at our fast-approaching pursuers. I could see that I wasn¡¯t the only one. A number of other people, Azarus and Renauld included, were copying me. Sylvia though was just watching Honoka with a faint smile on her Mithril features.


    Fade just panted, unconcerned.


    The older woman followed our pointing. Honoka sneered at the sight of the warships and spat off to the side, spittle flash dissolving from the heat of her aura. She turned to give the gathered forces of the Reef an evil eye. ¡°Bunch of pansies. If you¡¯re just going to quake in your booties, I¡¯ll deal with this.¡±


    With a flick of a hand, she conjured the massive flaming wings she had displayed back at Caer Drarrow. Sweeping them downwards, she shot high into the sky with a burst of flame that billowed out from her position. Several of the crewmen scrambled to stomp out the resulting fires.


    Bella leaned back and shook her fists furiously at the elder Cultivator, floating far above us. ¡°WATCH IT WITH ME SHIP, YE OLD BAG!¡±


    I don¡¯t think Honoka even heard her.


    With an amused grin, Grey leaned on the banister of the Reef to watch the show. I set down my now apparently useless crossbow and copied him.


    I didn¡¯t have to wait long.


    I watched as Honoka flew over the ocean to hover directly over the pair of pursuing warships. Fruitlessly, they tried to shoot her with their own bowmen, only for their shots to fall short. They even fired their own ballista up at her, only for Honoka to literally catch both bolts out of the air and chuck them back down at the ships below. They splintered their way through the decks of the warships, causing them to begin taking on water.


    Honoka wasn¡¯t done, though. She flared up bright enough to become a second sun in the sky, before cupping her hands to her side and visibly concentrating. In the hollow of her hands, a bright white energy began to coalesce. By this time, the crew of the pursuing vessels looked to be already abandoning ship. While some were frantically lowering the lifeboats, others were just outright jumping overboard into the waiting waters of the sea below.


    Good thing they did.


    With a shout that I could hear from even this distance, Honoka thrust her hands forward. From them an intensely bright beam of concentrated crimson Ki lanced out, lancing through the hull of the ship on the right in an explosion of fire. She didn¡¯t stop there, though. She first dragged the veritable laser beam through that ship, neatly bisecting it, before moving onto the other. In seconds, both ships had been cut in half, leaving four hunks of wreckage floating in the ocean.


    Only when she had confirmed that both ships were destroyed did Honoka cut off her attack.


    I took a deep breath at the display of power. That certainly was¡­something. It was almost chilling, how one person could completely nullify such a large force. I think I was the only one to be taken aback though, as the gathered crew burst into cheers and laughter at Honoka¡¯s display. Mostly in relief, I think. Nobody on the Reef was going to need risk their life today.


    Honoka floated her way back over to our ship and touched down on the deck. She dismissed her wings and then turned to glare at us. ¡°Keep it down, you sissies,¡± She hissed at us, before turning around with a snort and walking through the door to the private cabins. She tried to slam the door behind her, but it fell into splinters instead. It had already endured too much abuse. I don¡¯t think she cared though.


    Honoka¡¯s threat worked, as the crew quieted down. That didn¡¯t stop them from celebrating much more quietly, though. I saw several different pirates dragging kegs out from below deck and cracking them open.


    Bella moaned in despair from above me at the helm. ¡°My poor baby,¡± She mourned.


    Meanwhile, Sylvia shook her head with a fond smile, before turning to face Azarus and me. ¡°I¡¯ll go reassure the passengers that the danger has passed,¡± She told us, before leaving to below decks.


    Azarus and I exchanged a glance before almost simultaneously shrugging. My dwarven friend wandered away to go join the impromptu party, not one to turn down free alcohol. I noticed that Renauld was way ahead of him, already chugging down a mug of mysterious pirate booze. I guess the guy was a real party animal.


    Heh.


    I shook it off, and climbed back up to the helm deck to join Grey, Fade following at my heels. Honoka¡¯s assault may have ended, but my mentor hadn¡¯t actually moved from his position leaning against the railing. He nodded at me in acknowledgement, when I copied his posture as best as I could with one arm.


    We stood there in silence for a moment, merely gazing out at the sea while the crew partied on the deck below. It looked like some of the crew of the ships Honoka had blasted away had survived. Miraculously, it looked like a number of lifeboats had bobbed their way to the surface, and soldiers were scrambling their way into them. It didn¡¯t look like they were eager to retry their assault on the Reef, however. The full lifeboats were very deliberately rowing away from us toward land, giving our ship a wide berth.


    Yeah, I¡¯d probably do the same. I¡¯d say better luck next time, but honestly, screw you in general.


    I dragged my gaze away from them to give Grey a side-eyed glance. ¡°You knew Honoka was going to do that, didn¡¯t you.¡± I wasn¡¯t really asking a question.


    Grey smiled slightly, not turning to face me. He took a brief moment to bend down and scratch Fade''s furry head, to the wolf''s enjoyment. Standing up, Grey nodded slightly. ¡°I did,¡± He acknowledged simply.


    ¡°How?¡± I asked curiously.


    Grey took a deep breath and then let it out. ¡°Oh, long, long, long years of familiarity. I felt her stirring below and quite accurately predicted what her response to the situation would be.¡± He finally turned to face me, and leaned in with a conspiratorial smile. ¡°The woman is a dreadfully light sleeper, you know. Quite cranky when woken up as well.¡±


    I blinked slowly at the implication. Grey just winked at me.


    Weren''t...you married to the moon or something?


    Not my business.


    ¡°Whitegull!¡± I heard Bella bark from behind. The two of us turned to look at the pirate Captain. Bella was glowering at Grey with her hands affixed to her hips. ¡°Get over here and tell me where we¡¯re going again.¡±


    Grey inclined his head at her and did as she bade. I followed since I had nothing better to do, Fade staying behind to watch the fish following alongside the Reef. I don¡¯t think Bella cared either way about me coming. She just unfurled a small handheld map and held it up against the helm. On it, I could see a representation of the eastern coast of the main continent.


    ¡°I believe we¡¯re roughly¡­here,¡± Grey said, laying a finger on the map. It was lying on a section of ocean that honestly wasn¡¯t very far from the coast. Maybe only a few days away, from my limited experience. ¡°Our destination, as I¡¯ve told you, is a small, hidden little fishing hamlet known as Sancthaven,¡± He said, moving his finger to a point on the coast ahead of the ship.


    ¡°Never heard of a ¡®Sancthaven¡¯,¡± Bella said doubtfully. ¡°An¡¯ I¡¯ve been all up and down this coast.¡±


    Grey held up his index and thumb, pinched together with a small space in between. ¡°The emphasis is on ¡®hidden¡¯ and ''little''. I¡¯m not surprised you¡¯ve never been. Anyway, I was assured before leaving for this expedition that the Uprising will have stationed an agent in Sancthaven with the needed coaches to ferry both ourselves and our passengers back to safety. We should reach the village within the next few days.¡±


    Huh.


    I guess my time at sea was going to be ending soon.


    Oddly, I think I was going to miss it.

 Chapter 123 - Haven

    Grey¡¯s prediction turned out to be correct. It only took the Thorny Reef two more days of travel before the eastern coast of the main continent came into view. As much as I had enjoyed my time at sea, I was looking forward to a long stretch of time on land, away from any Neptaurians or giant sea spiders.


    I shuddered.


    Still, I didn¡¯t see a port waiting for us. Hell, I even used my grapple skill to join a bemused Sylvia in the crow''s nest to get a better look. Nothing. All I saw was a surprisingly forested coast. In fact, I think we had entered a mangrove. It was certainly hot enough in this region, from the sweat that even now pouring down my face. It was downright tropical, enough that I and most of the other fleshies on the ship had stripped down to undershirts in order to not drown in our own sweat.


    Apparently, Bella didn¡¯t see anything either, from the unimpressed stare she was fixing Grey with.


    ¡°Just wait,¡± Grey assured the both of us. ¡°As I said, it¡¯s a bit hidden. The people of Sancthaven enjoy their privacy.¡±


    Bella snorted, but continued to sail along the path that Grey was directing her along. Over the next few hours, the Reef continued along towards the coast that was coming ever closer. Before long, I could make out the individual roots on the dense mangrove thicket that was hugging the coast. Before long, Bella had to call for the sails to be furled in order to stop the ship. We slowly drifted to a halt.


    ¡°Well?¡± Bella asked Grey, irritated. ¡°We¡¯re in spittin¡¯ distance of the coast now. Where¡¯s this damn village?¡±


    Honoka, who had come up to join us at the helm dressed in a pair of white and red robes, snorted. ¡°Calm down, girly. I¡¯ve been here too. We just need to send the right signal. They don¡¯t open the doors for just everyone, now. Get on with it, you old fossil.¡± She said to Grey.


    Grey snorted, raising a hand into the air. ¡°That¡¯s rich, coming from you,¡± He muttered. Still, he cast a spell of some kind, launching a ball of bright white light into the high into the sky. Once it had reached a high enough height, it exploded into a sigil. To my eyes, it looked like someone had chopped a mangrove tree in half right down the center and then crossed those halves over each other.


    You know, if I tilted my head slightly, it¡­kind of looked like a pair of axes.


    Either way, that must have been the correct signal, because something unexpected happened.


    A section of the coast before us shimmered and faded away. In its place was revealed a long, straight corridor of a river that led farther into land bordered on either side with more mangroves. There was no way that river was anything but man-made. I cast a considering gaze along the shoreline as well. There must be a scout or something out there that had been waiting for the right signal to lower these defenses.


    ¡°Wha-¡± Bella sputtered, completely surprised. She wasn¡¯t the only one. Impressed and amazed gasps erupted from many of the curious crew members wandering onto the deck. The sight was certainly shocking enough for me, as well. But, honestly?


    I just thought it was cool.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Sylvia said, joining us on the helm deck. ¡°An illusion I see.¡±


    Grey smiled at his daughter. ¡°Indeed, indeed. As I said, they rather enjoy their privacy out here. I only know of them from long dealings in the past.¡±


    Bella cast a skeptical glance at the older man. ¡°Thought you said these guys were just a fishing village? No godsdamn fishing village I¡¯ve ever seen has an illusionary entrance.¡±


    Grey and Honoka both laughed at her words, but it was Grey who answered. ¡°They like to consider themselves a fishing village,¡± He said, still chortling at a joke only he and Honoka knew. ¡°And the illusion is more for your safety in the end. After all, these coasts are swarming with pirates. They don¡¯t want to have to slaughter every last group of them that come poking around.¡±


    Bella narrowed her eyes at that and snorted. ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± She grumbled. Nevertheless, she still called for the sails to be unfurled at half-mast. She turned the ship around and pointed it at the newly opened gap in the shoreline.


    The Thorny Reef sailed in.


    It didn¡¯t take us long to find the village that Grey was speaking about. We were only sailing along the surprisingly wide river for about ten minutes before we encountered it.


    It¡­really wasn¡¯t what I was expecting, from the words ¡®fishing village¡¯.


    This was a full-on town and an odd one at that. The architecture was like nothing I had ever seen on Vereden.


    It looked almost¡­grown.


    Everything from the docks to the various ¡®buildings¡¯ in the town looked to have been grown from single tree seeds. It was hard even to call them buildings though. They were really just massive trees that had been hollowed out. Despite being visibly emptied for occupation, however, these trees were still alive and holding up well under their own weight, from the healthy branches I could see swaying in the wind. In fact, they seemed to be thriving. Even though people seemed to be living in this¡­forest town, they had a myriad of different fruits growing on their branches. Woven netting seemed to connect many of the tree tops, as a kind of above-ground, literal highway. There were also plenty of branches that seemed to have been woven together to create either platforms or pathways above ground.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    However, there was nobody visible in the town. Rather, all of the doorways that I could see were shut tightly. It was downright eerie how empty this place was.


    It was only as the Thorny Reef pulled up to the bizarrely twisted dock along some equally bizarre boats that anyone appeared. Two people stepped out of a hut that lay next to the docks. One was a sweaty-looking human man dressed in light leathers, wiping his brow. He looked relieved to see the Reef, honestly.


    The other person was¡­odd, to say the least.


    They were tall, for one. As tall as the still comatose Venix, but much thinner. I couldn¡¯t see a thing about their form, however. They were wrapped in what looked to be a thick, concealing robe that seemed to be woven from leaves. Their head was completely obscured by a similar hood, and over their face was a wooden mask, hiding their face from view. The mask was stylized after the head of a stag, painted in greens and golds. What looked to be real antlers grew from the forehead of the mask, pure white in color. The masked figure was holding a gnarled wooden staff in their right hand and leaning on it as they watched the Thorny Reef dock at what I assumed was their port.


    At the sight of the robed figure and its mask, something tickled in my brain. Something about that mask looked familiar to me, but I wasn¡¯t sure what. I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on it.


    Grey departed the helm, with most of what I was considering the leadership of our little band following in his wake. In other words, Honoka, Bella, and Woodrick, who had emerged from below decks some time ago. I trailed along behind them, spotting Sylvia breaking away from our group as I did so. In an inverse of Woodrick, I think she was heading below deck in order to inform the passengers we had arrived at our destination.


    Grey waited patiently as the crew set down the ramp leading down from the ship, and then stepped off with the rest of the leadership following. I stayed on the ship, just watching from the railing. Grey approached the two figures that were waiting, and then did something that surprised me.


    He bowed at the waist slightly at the robed figure. In fact, it wasn¡¯t only him that did so. Honoka followed his lead and bowed as well, in a surprisingly respectful gesture from the normally firey old woman. ¡°Elder,¡± Grey said respectfully, still bowed. Honoka remained silent.


    I blinked.


    This guy was older than Grey? Hah, was he over a thousand years old or something? Wait.


    That actually sounded possible.


    The other people in our party milled about in confusion at seeing our nominal leader bow to another. Looking uncertain, I even saw Woodrick bow slightly himself.


    The robed figure sighed in an aged, creaky voice. ¡°That isn¡¯t necessary,¡± They said in a tired tone, accented in a way that I had never heard on Vereden. Now that we were closer, I could see that the figure¡¯s eyes were visible through their mask. They were a surprisingly bright emerald in color, purer in shade than even mine were.


    Grey and Honoka finally straightened up. ¡°It is,¡± Grey said firmly. ¡°Allowing our agent to stay in your home is very generous of you. The kindness of Eal¨¢indeall will not be forgotten.¡±


    Eal¨¢indeall? I thought this was Sancthaven? Maybe it was just a quirk in Language Adaptation. I noticed that kind of happened sometimes, with names.


    ¡°I would rather it was,¡± The robed figure said pointedly. ¡°We have no wish to be involved in the outside world, Favored of Elys.¡±


    Grey dipped his head. ¡°I have not forgotten. Rest assured, we won¡¯t impose on your generosity for long, Elder. All I ask is that you allow us a night of rest, and then we will depart in the morning.¡±


    The Elder¡¯s hooded head dipped slightly in a nod. ¡°Very well. You and your charges may stay in the guest hall for the night. But, I insist that all you bring ashore stay in the hall. My people are already anxious enough about outsiders among our boughs. I don¡¯t wish to worsen that panic with wanderers. However, the pirates cannot stay.¡± He said in a firmer tone of voice.


    Bella snorted, stepping forward. ¡°You got a problem with pirates, old man?¡± She said challengingly.


    The Elder¡¯s pure green eyes fell on Bella then. Whatever welcome had been present in them for Grey was gone in the gaze he gave her. ¡°Yes,¡± He said flatly. The dock that they were standing on creaked then, as if to punctuate his words. Out of the corner of my eye, I swear I saw something twisting and slithering. But when I looked, all I saw was one of the gnarled roots of the landing.


    I took a deep breath. Bella, maybe don¡¯t antagonize the guy that Grey and Honoka had both bowed to?


    She must have realized that as well because she snorted. ¡°Whatever. Whitegull, finish up here and then we can.¡± Bella turned on her heel then and marched back up the ramp onto her ship. Despite her bravado, I could tell that she had taken the implied threat seriously as she passed me. Bella looked as wary as I had ever seen her. Her eyes flickered my way, before she began barking commands at her crew.


    I focused back on the discussion below. The Elder seemed to have finished saying his piece and had begun walking away. Meanwhile, Grey and the remaining leadership had finally turned to face the patiently waiting human.


    He actually saluted them, laying on closed fist over his heart and bowing his head briefly. ¡°I¡¯m pleased to see that your mission was a success, Grand Marshal. Agent Weston, at your service. Presumably, the rest of the hostages are on the ship?¡±


    Grey nodded. ¡°They are. I assume you brought the necessary transport for them?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Weston dipped his head again. ¡°Two passenger carriages and the required horses. Both are waiting outside near the guest hall that you¡¯re meant to use. As well, they¡¯re outfitted with enough supplies for the needed journey. These carriages were chosen for their nondescript appearance in order to minimize possible waylaying, however. So they might be a bit, ah, bumpy.¡±


    In other words, they weren¡¯t going to be anywhere near as comfortable as either Gren¡¯s carriage had been, or even what we''d used to get to Marrowmist.


    Joy.


    The Agent spoke up again hurriedly before Grey could get another word in. ¡°But that¡¯s not all. I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s been some developments while you¡¯ve been gone, Grand Marshall.¡±


    Grey¡¯s attention sharpened. ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°Command made the decision to further strengthen their hold on the northern provinces in your absence, and forcibly evict whatever Loyalist presence that could be found. While successful,¡± The Agent reported dutifully. ¡°This led to an unintended side effect. Reports of troop movements were received to be sighted at Helstein in response. Command was alarmed at the possibility of the gate to the south being further reinforced. The decision has been made to mobilize the Uprising in a second attempt to take it. With or without news of your successful mission. I was instructed to request your presence with the main host upon your return.¡±


    I straightened up in surprise. The Uprising was going to try and take this Helstein place again? Last I heard, they¡¯d been turned away and lost a major battle there last time. But I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised they were attempting to take it again. From attending Grey at Uprising meetings in Hollow Hill, I had learned that the Uprising was in danger of being unable to field a combat force soon if they couldn¡¯t regain the majority of their noble support. They must be desperate if they were going to try now.


    Grey must have made the connection I had as well. He sighed.


    ¡°Damn.¡±

 Chapter 124 - Shadowed Boughs

    After delivering his news about how the combined forces of the Uprising were currently on the move, the Agent left us. He was apparently going to be both leaving immediately himself in order to link up with the main host, as well as send messages to various outposts about the success of our mission. He had told Grey that he hoped to inform the various noble houses who had children and members held hostage that they were free now.


    From what he had told Grey, the main host wasn¡¯t anywhere near Helstein yet. Apparently, the Duchy of Helstein was located closer to the exact center of the Herztalian lands, in a notoriously mountainous region. The Uprising had yet to reach it, and had issued polite requests for Grey to bring the former hostages with him when he rejoined them. Our destination was someplace in the region named Silvercrest, apparently a sympathetic town in a Duchy that was otherwise hostile to the cause.


    Uh-huh. I think everyone saw what they were doing. By taking the former hostages in, the Uprising was hoping to bring the noble families that had been affected to the table in order to regain their support. A bit underhanded, but they seemed to be desperate.


    Wait. Was I getting used to all this political back and forth?


    I don¡¯t know if that was a good thing.


    Moving on.


    Around the time the Agent was leaving, Sylvia was emerging from below decks with the people we had freed from Caer Drarrow. Among them was Renauld, who had unsurprisingly chosen to come with us.


    ¡°I don¡¯t quite think I¡¯m suited to the sea life, friend,¡± He told me with a wink. The two of us were watching as the prisoners were ushered off of the Thorny Reef and into Sancthaven, and guided into what must be the guest hall. It looked more like a short fat tree with a door attached to it to my eyes, but what did I know? ¡°All this salt air is bad for the fur, you get me?¡±


    ¡°Mmm,¡± I said noncommittedly. I kind of liked it, actually. I watched as Fade wandered off of the ship as well, and started to sniff around curiously at the strangely twisted dock we found ourselves on. My pup had long since recovered from his strange display back on Caer Drarrow, and was back to acting like a mostly normal canine. ¡°Well, we¡¯re not going to turn down another healer, so welcome aboard. I doubt Grey will have a problem with it. But, you do know we¡¯re apparently heading straight into battle with the Uprising, right?¡±


    Renauld shrugged his furry shoulders nonchalantly. ¡°Well, I¡¯m already a convicted and escaped prisoner in the eyes of the Loyalists, right? Might as well go all the way and just join up with the good guys.¡± He drooped then. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t even know where the Throng is right now, even if I wanted to leave.¡±


    I turned to look at Renauld curiously. ¡°Throng?¡±


    He gave me a curious look of his own. ¡°What, never heard of us? What rock have you been living under, friend?¡±


    Ah. I guess this was one of those things that someone from Vereden should know then.


    I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly. ¡°Might¡¯ve just never heard that term.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well,¡± Renauld said, leaning on the staff that I never saw leave his side these days. ¡°The Winding Throng is what my people call our caravan. We wander around the continent, setting down every so often in certain places. We don¡¯t believe in owning land as a people, and so we try and stay out of the way and to ourselves. I miss it sometimes, but I would¡¯ve missed the chance to attend the Academy more.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I said quietly. I don¡¯t know if I could do that. I had been rootless for months now after being stranded on Vereden, and I was already starting to feel a touch depressed about it. I can¡¯t imagine how that must feel for an entire race of people who had been here stranded for apparently millennia.


    Our conversation was interrupted by Azarus wandering up to us with narrowed eyes, carrying a large crate. ¡°The hells are ya two doin¡¯? Tryin¡¯ to skive off, eh? Not if I can¡¯t! Grab yer junk off of the Reef and go settle down in the hall with the others.¡±


    I rolled my eyes at him but did as he said. ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± I said before whistling in a specific way that I had started to train Fade to recognize. He perked up from his investigations, before trotting over to gaze up at me expectantly. I smiled down at him. ¡°Let¡¯s go get our stuff and say bye to Bella, okay boy? Renauld, I¡¯ll see you later.¡±


    Renauld nodded at me and then followed Azarus over to the guest hall, not needing to grab anything off of the Reef. It¡¯s not like had much to his name right now.


    I did as I said I was going to, grabbing my various supplies from my bunk in the hold of the Thorny Reef. I stopped a moment to gaze at my hammock in thought.


    It was going to be a bit odd getting used to sleeping on land again, after weeks of rocking back and forth. I shook my head to rid it of such thoughts and then ventured out onto the deck in search of Bella. On the way, I ran into Pete, who had long since been freed from his underwater recon duty. The two of us weren''t exactly close, but we still said our goodbyes, with him thanking me again for the rescue back in Marrowmist. After that, I spotted Bella speaking seriously with Grey up at the helm I passed Morlow and Laryn as I was making my way up there, and made sure to say my goodbyes to them as well. Morlow just rolled his eyes at me and grunted a ¡®See ya later¡¯, while Laryn clapped me on the back and winked his one eye at me.


    Grey seemed to be finishing up with Bella when I exited out onto the deck, leaving the pirate Captain standing alone. Grey and I exchanged nods as we passed each other before he left the Thorny Reef for good. Presumably to handle the refugees and Lords that were supposed to be settling. Bella had a strange look on her face that she shuttered when she saw me approaching. Surprisingly, she stuck out her hand at me. I grasped her forearm and squeezed it like I had gotten used to. Bella met my eyes with a slight smile. ¡°I¡¯ll see ya around¡­Nate. Ye weren¡¯t too bad. I¡¯ve had landlubbers on me ship before that were way more insufferable.¡±


    I laughed slightly and nodded. ¡°Well, for a pirate, I guess you¡¯re not too bad yourself,¡± I teased right back before my smile faded slightly. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan now? I should¡¯ve guessed you wouldn¡¯t be following us onto land. You¡¯ve got the Reef and her crew to look after. I can¡¯t imagine you¡¯re going right back to Marrowmist.¡±


    After all, it¡¯s not like one of the leaders hadn¡¯t outright told her she was exiled.


    Bella snorted. ¡°Nah, ain¡¯t goin¡¯ back there just yet. Whitegull was giving me directions on how to link up with the rest of the Uprising naval forces. Accordin¡¯ ta him, they¡¯ll take me in and ¡®put me to good use¡¯.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°What, on the other side of the blockade?¡± I asked, startled.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t gonna be the first time I¡¯ve given the Navy the slip,¡± Bella said with a smirk. ¡°And I¡¯m sure it ain¡¯t gonna be the last. Ye ain¡¯t seen the last of me yet, boyo.¡±


    Well, all right then.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you around then, Bella.¡±


    ¡°Count on it,¡± Bella reassured me. With one last squeeze of our still clasped arms, we separated. She wandered away to prepare the ship to set sail again, while I left the Thorny Reef behind for the foreseeable future.


    Instead, it was time to go bed down till we left for tomorrow.


    I thought the guest hall was surprisingly cozy, actually. Despite essentially being a hollowed out tree, it wasn¡¯t unpleasant or rough inside. Instead, I would call it more¡­rustic, but in a good way. It wasn¡¯t separated out by rooms, but was rather just one big one. In the center of it was a large stone-lined pit with a strangely burning fire in it. I say strangely, because it didn¡¯t give off any smoke that might have filled the enclosed space of the hall. There were bunks grown out of the circular walls of the tree as well, actual stuffed cots, and woven blankets for use. I¡¯d tried one out and nearly moaned in pleasure, before stopping myself. As much as I¡¯d grown used to the rocking of a hammock on the Reef, nothing beat an actual bed.


    Speaking of, Bella and her crew had departed a few hours ago by this point, back the way we¡¯d come in. A few of us, including Grey, Sylvia, Azarus, and I, had seen them off with some reciprocal waves. Strangely, even though the sun was setting, the village was still empty. This place was supposed to be inhabited, but I hadn¡¯t seen hide or hair of any locals, even the Elder from earlier. I guess they weren¡¯t too fond of outsiders.


    Spooky.


    Still, I wasn¡¯t going to go poking my nose where it didn¡¯t seem to be wanted. After seeing the Reef off, I¡¯d retreated back to the guest hall and settled down by the smokeless, but still warm fire. Fade was dozing next to me as well, horned head resting on his paws.


    Now that we had a moment¡¯s rest, it was time to do something I¡¯d been putting off. I could consolidate the gains from all the fighting on Caer Drarrow now that I wasn¡¯t worried about pursuit by the Loyalists.


    I called up my Status with Hidden Amidst the Spheres.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have gained six levels!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You are now level 63. </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have 60 unspent Virtue points. </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Stealth has reached level 6!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Knife Proficiency has reached level 6!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have learned the Class Skill, Grinding Crimson Slash.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Level 60 Class ability inherited</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Would you like to review your Status?</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Y/N</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Hah, like I¡¯d thought. I¡¯d gotten quite a bit out of all the fighting that had gone down back at the prison. Not¡­quite as much as I would have thought, but still at least six levels. I¡¯d been noticing for a while now that my leveling seemed to be slowing down a bit. I guess that made sense, though. Even with all of my advantages, I couldn¡¯t expect to just continue shooting up in levels all the damn time. I still found it a bit morbid that I was gaining Status Aether from killing other people, but Vereden was harsh enough that I had to take advantage of whatever I could to get ahead.


    Not that I intended to start going on some kind of murder spree!


    Oh, whatever.


    I¡¯m guessing that ¡®Grinding Crimson Slash¡¯ was the skill that I had stolen from the knight I had dueled before rescuing Honoka. The name was kind of¡­telling, as to its purpose. But what I¡¯d gotten suited me just fine, actually! I needed a direct melee striking Skill in my repertoire.


    I selected yes and braced myself. The last time I had gotten a regular class ability, it had been Ringed Mind. As much as I had grown used to the Skill, it had been damn jarring when I''d first acquired it.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Level 60 Class ability (Thornblade Acolyte)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Shadow Thorn (Skill): Manifest and strike from the darkness.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Ugh, vague descriptions strike again. Still, that sounded promising enough to me. It was another activated Skill, and seemed like it could fit in with my repertoire¡­depending on what it actually did. I had two thoughts about what that description could mean. Either it meant I could teleport and attack from shadows, which would be amazing. Or it meant that I could manifest some kind of attack from a shadow to attack people. That would be good too. Honestly, I didn¡¯t know which one I¡¯d prefer. I could see uses for both.


    Wait.


    Why was I just sitting around and speculating, when I could just try it out? I wasn¡¯t going to do it inside the guest hall, though. This place was packed full of not only other people, but children as well. They seemed to be setting in alright, despite their recent traumatic experiences. Several of them seemed to be in a much better mood than they had been on the ship. Hell, I could even see a few groups of them playing in the flickering light of the hall.


    I stood up from the fire, catching the attention of Grey sitting not too far from me. He raised an eyebrow my way, over the book he had brought from the Reef.


    I shrugged at him. ¡°I¡¯m just going to step outside and try out a new Skill real quick.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Grey said, understanding. ¡°Well, try not to wander. We agreed to stay within the grounds of the guest hall.¡±


    I nodded to show my understanding and wandered my way over to the exit door. Stepping out in the night air, I was struck by a wave of hot, humid air. Over the tops of the trees, I could see the silvery form of Vereden¡¯s moon, Elys, sitting full and bright in the sky. Around me, insects chirped and the distant calls of animals and perhaps monsters echoed into the distance.


    Yet, I still didn¡¯t see anyone else out and about.


    Despite the heat and oddly empty nature of the village, I found myself smiling. Yeah, this wasn¡¯t too bad. After a moment, I shook it off. I had something I wanted to do.


    Looking around, I sighted a particularly deep shadow, cast from one of the¡­treehouses. Stretching a hand in that direction, I called for my new skill.


    Shadow Thorn.


    I didn¡¯t instantly teleport to the shadow like I was half hoping. Instead, I felt a sense of awareness arise from it. I could almost feel something writhing inside. I called on it, directing it to climb out into the night air.


    The shadow thickened, almost appearing to be a splotch of crude oil. Slowly, a familiar-looking crimson thorn crawled out of the inky splotch, attached to a very familiar thorny vine. It reared up like a snake, undulating in place.


    I tilted my head in thought and then nodded. Yeah, I could see a use for this.


    I was startled out of my experimentation by an aged voice speaking up to my left. I jumped, losing concentration on my new skill. The thorn and vine slid back into the shadow and disappeared.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask that you not use any combat Skills within our walls, young man,¡± I heard. Turning to face the voice, I saw that it was someone I hadn¡¯t been expecting.


    The Elder from earlier.


    He was smoking a wooden pipe through a small hole in his mask, and looking at me contemplatively. After a moment, he tapped his pipe on the wall of the guest hall and snuffed it. ¡°Still, this gives me a chance to speak to you. I was quite surprised at your appearance earlier.¡±


    ¡°After all, it¡¯s not every day you meet a Precursor.¡±

 Chapter 125 - Elder

    I froze in surprise, caught off guard. It wasn¡¯t exactly a dire secret that I was a Precursor, but I didn¡¯t go around shouting it from the rooftops. How did this guy know? I hadn¡¯t felt him use Observe on me, and even if he did I always had my Status veiled with Hidden Amidst the Spheres. If anyone actually tried to Observe me, it would just say that I was a bog-standard Veredenese human.


    A moment later, I cursed myself mentally. If he had been fishing for confirmation, my reaction would have provided it.


    The Elder didn¡¯t act smug though. He just stowed his pipe in his leaf-woven robe and stepped off the guest hall¡¯s porch. ¡°Come with me,¡± He said, with a glance over his shoulder. ¡°I promise you¡¯re in no danger here, young man.¡±


    He started walking away, while I just watched his back in confusion. I was startled, however, when I felt something brush against my leg. I looked down just in time to watch as a Fade trotted away after the Elder, beneath the boughs of this alien town.


    Guess I had no choice now.


    I followed him, after one last look at the hall behind me.


    I¡¯d¡­probably be fine.


    The Elder led Fade and I through the winding paths of Sancthaven for the next few minutes. During that time, we walked in silence. I didn¡¯t know what to say to this guy, and he seemed inclined to keep his mouth shut either way. Eventually, we seemed to have passed beyond the limits of the town. Before us, there was only open forest. And not the kind that looked to be a building.


    Before I could even ask why we were out here, the Elder gestured to a nearby pile of leaves on the forest floor. I sensed the barest pulse of Mana flow from his hand.


    They shivered, and sprouted legs and claws. I jumped, but the Elder didn¡¯t seem to be worried at all. Looking closer, I could tell that those weren¡¯t leaves at all. They looked to be some kind of insect to my eyes. They were small and looked like a mix of a praying mantis and a grasshopper, with a back shell that resembled foliage. There must be hundreds or thousands of them alone in that bed, all of which were even now scurrying away.


    I threw out an Observe at one of them out of curiosity.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.6671%">Name:


    </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4074%">N/A</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.6671%">Age:


    </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4074%">7 years</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.6671%">Species:


    </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4074%">Foliathoptera</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Wait, I had only seen an Observe result like that once, without a listing of either level or abilities. Did that mean these insects were Mystic Beasts like Fade?


    I nearly couldn¡¯t believe my eyes when the bug I had used Observe on stopped in place and turned to face me. It¡­almost looked like it was giving me a dirty look, with its compound eyes. The insect made an almost dismissive gesture with its serrated claws, and then turned back around to scurry after its hive.


    I guess¡­it had felt the Observe? Sorry.


    ¡°Try not to antagonize the Folia,¡± I heard the Elder say. When I turned to face him, I got the impression he was amused, despite not being able to see his face. ¡°This is as much their forest as it is mine. Either way, we¡¯ve reached our destination.¡± He gestured with a free hand at the ground the Folia hive had been resting on.


    There was a wooden door set into the forest floor. It almost looked like a cellar, to me.


    The Elder approached it and dug out an iron ring attached to the surface. Nonchalantly, he heaved upward with one arm, sending the doors creaking open and disturbing the soil resting on top. A yawning portal with wooden steps leading downwards greeted my eyes.


    The Elder conjured a small ball of white light in one of his hands and stepped into the darkness of the revealed tunnel.


    I followed, with Fade close at my heels.


    The trip down the tunnel wasn¡¯t as long as the one to reach it, but we still traveled in darkness for several minutes. Eventually, we reached the bottom of the stairs, opening up into a small, strange room.


    It was maybe about thirty square feet in size, with the walls seeming to be made of twisting roots. Attached to those walls with wax were hundreds of strips of paper, inked with odd runes in a syntax I wasn¡¯t familiar with. The entire room, ceiling to floor, was covered in them leaving only a small cobblestone walkway that led to the centerpiece of the room.


    It was an intricately forged metal statue of a male figure, staring out in the distance with an eager smile on his handsome features. Slung over the man¡¯s unarmored figure was a bow and quiver, while he held a spear in his right hand, the butt of it resting on the plinth of the statue. In the dim light of the Elder¡¯s skill, I could see it gleam in a familiar way.


    The entire thing was made from Mithril just like Sylvia was. Except this wasn¡¯t a Sculpted, or even a statue of one. No, as the light glinted off the statue, I could tell what species the man was based on one, tiny detail.


    His long, pointed ears.


    This was a statue of an Elf.


    It hit me then, just where I had seen a similar mask to the one the Elder was wearing. The Elves that had captured me shortly after my arrival on Vereden had been wearing similarly carved masks, even if theirs had depicted wolves.


    Suddenly wary, I took a step back towards the stairs. Without even turning to face me, the Elder snorted. ¡°I told you that you weren¡¯t in any danger, boy,¡± He said, not turning away from staring at the statue to face me. ¡°I¡¯m not in the habit of lying.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    I eyed his turned back. ¡°I¡¯m guessing there are a pair of pointy ears under that hood,¡± I said to him, still wary. I flicked my eyes down at Fade, to see that he was perfectly calm and gazing at the statue as well.


    The Elder snorted, finally turning to face me. He flicked his hand, causing the light held in it to fly out and rest in a previously hidden sconce on the ceiling. ¡°Don¡¯t bother stating the obvious,¡± He said, reaching up to lower said hood. As it went down, my suspicions were confirmed.


    First, his long, thin, unbound white hair was revealed. Then, jutting out from the side of the Elder¡¯s head were a pair of long, sharp ears. Dagger thin and reaching several inches into the open air, the bladed half pointed downward in a familiar way.


    He left his mask on, however.


    I took a deep breath, which the Elder noticed. He sighed behind his mask. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ve had an encounter with our more bestial cousins,¡± He said wearily.


    I let out a heavy breath. ¡°Encounter. Yeah, you could say that.¡±


    They had only sold me into slavery, after all. No big deal.


    ¡°Does Grey know?¡± I asked him, still not willing to let down my guard.


    ¡°He does,¡± The Elder nodded. ¡°As does the Firebird. I met them many years ago, when they were not much older than you. At the time, they were introduced in much the same way as you were.¡±


    As in, not much at all?


    ¡°Okay. Alright,¡± I said, willing to extend the slightest amount of trust. ¡°Then¡­what did you want? Why am I here?¡±


    ¡°To explain a few things to you, Precursor,¡± He said, gesturing to the statue. ¡°Do you know who this is?¡±


    ¡°If you know I¡¯m a Precursor, then you know I don¡¯t,¡± I said, frustrated. ¡°How do you even know I¡¯m a Precursor, anyway?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a hint,¡± The Elder said, ignoring my question. ¡°Depending on what young Greycton has taught you, what would you call the downfall of the Elven civilization?¡±


    Well, Grey hadn¡¯t actually taught me much about Elves. What I knew about them came from Azarus. Either way, the only thing I could guess was¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s the Mad God?¡± I asked confused. The guy that the statue was depicting didn¡¯t seem like an insane, rabid animal to me.


    ¡°No, in fact. This is Fynneas, Elven God of ¡®Freedom¡¯,¡± The Elder said calmly. ¡°His likeness captured at the peak of his power in solid Mithril, far before the War in Heaven. At the time this was made, he was far from being any kind of ¡®Mad God¡¯, as you call him.¡±


    Oh. Yeah, Azarus had told me that. He apparently came back from the War messed up.


    ¡°I mean, this is interesting,¡± I said. ¡°But what does it have to do with me?¡±


    The Elder hummed. ¡°I¡¯ll get to that. But first, how old do you expect I am, young man?¡±


    ¡°As dirt,¡± I said bluntly, getting frustrated. I got enough of this kind of mysterious old man act from Grey. I didn¡¯t need it from this guy as well.


    The Elder outright laughed. ¡°Well, not quite that old. But, old enough to have known Fynneas in his prime. I suspect I¡¯m one of the last few people, if not the last mortal on Vereden, to have been born before the War. In that time, I created this haven as a shield from his influence. Over those ages, I managed to free enough of my people from Fynneas¡¯s influence to create a community. Free from his lust for blood and death and suffering.¡±


    He was born before the War? Before the Initialization, and the coming of the System?


    But that would make this guy nearly three millennia old, nearly three times Grey¡¯s age¡­


    No wonder Grey called him Elder.


    ¡°I¡­didn¡¯t see anyone else out there, though,¡± I said, confused. ¡°I haven¡¯t the entire time I¡¯ve been here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s on purpose,¡± The Elder said, unfazed. ¡°We¡¯re well aware of how hated and feared Elves are in the world outside. We have no wish to inform the rulers of this continent as to our presence. Thus, my people hide in their homes while you and yours walk within our walls. One curious person using Observe on them would out the secret, and we cannot know how that person would react.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s not a concern with you?¡±


    ¡°It is not,¡± The Elder said with finality.


    I dropped it.


    ¡°Your kind are not a new occurrence,¡± He told me, moving on. ¡°They used to be something of a menace, to be truthful. It was common for a new Precursor to manifest several times a century, according to the old histories as well as my own observations. Always, they would possess strange and powerful abilities. Some were benevolent, and would be looked upon favorably by history. Some would not be. Drunk on their own unique strengths, they would become conquerors and ravage across the face of Vereden. It was a problem that none of the other worlds, long lost to us, had to contend with. In the time before the System, Precursors were greatly feared by the common people. We could never know if the next would present an open palm, or a fist.¡±


    I was quiet. Some of this I hadn¡¯t heard before.


    ¡°However, since the advent of the System, your kind have become both rarer, and different,¡± The Elder continued. ¡°Precursor abilities have become milder over time, and attached to a Status where before they were intrinsic to your kind. As well, we used to expect multiple Precursors a century, and that pace gradually slowed. First, it was only one a century. Then, it was one every few. Now, with you, I believe you are the first of your kind to step foot on Vereden in nearly five hundred years.¡±


    I furrowed my brow in thought. That reminded me of the list I had found in the servers beneath Hollow Hill that had included my name. I racked my brain, trying to recall the name above mine. ¡°Zheng Wei?¡± I asked, finally remembering.


    The Elder¡¯s scalp moved as if his brow had raised in surprise. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you know that name. Yes, the last Precursor of note was a man by the name of Zheng Wei. He would become known as Wei the Righteous, and go on to reform the Church of the Gyre into the institution it is today. In fact, he was responsible for the invention of a treatment I suspect you¡¯re looking forward to.¡± He nodded at the empty sleeve of my left arm.


    Oh.


    ¡°Do you¡­know how to do that?¡± I asked tentatively. ¡°I asked Honoka if she could regrow my arm, and she said no.¡±


    The Elder shook his head, to my disappointment. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the method used requires the specific Classes painstakingly pioneered by the Church. It¡¯s not a matter of refusal, or even a lack of the required reagents. The regeneration of limbs is simply something that is exclusive to the Church due to their unique relationship with the System.¡±


    Damn. It was worth a try.


    ¡°All that is interesting, I guess,¡± I said, deflated. ¡°I appreciate the history lesson, but-¡±


    ¡°But again, what does it have to do with you?¡± The Elder said pointedly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s because I wished to share with you a common suspicion that was held in the old days. It has to do with the purpose of the Precursors, after all.¡±


    I felt a bolt of lightning run down my spine. Purpose?


    ¡°You see, it was noted in ancient documents that many Precursors spoke of having a purpose when interrogated,¡± The Elder said. ¡°It is said that at all times, they would have a small, blue indicator in the corner of their eye. If they focused on it, they could expand that mark into what they called a ¡®Quest¡¯. Quite a curious similarity to see, in an age before the System¡­¡±


    My lips parted. I didn¡¯t have anything like that. ¡°What did the quest tell them to do?¡± I breathed.


    ¡°Nearly without fail, these ancient Precursors would gather strength and influence in the manner they saw fit, and then strike against the target their quest told them to.¡±


    ¡°The Gods.¡±

 Chapter 126 - The Tragedy of Lasgach

    I felt a bolt of adrenaline run down my spine.


    Precursors were meant to kill the Gods?


    But¡­


    ¡°But most of them are dead,¡± I said tentatively. ¡°My understanding is that nearly all of them died in the fighting of the War in Heaven.¡±


    ¡°Most is not all,¡± The Elder said decisively. ¡°The Gods of Order were all but wiped out, yes, but the Gods of Chaos lost only a single member.¡±


    I tamped down on a surge of irrational panic building up inside me with my core ring. ¡°Is it just the Chaos Gods I¡¯m supposed to, uh, deal with then?¡±


    ¡°Again, I suspect no. The wording of the ancient Precursor¡¯s ¡®Quest¡¯ was...somewhat clear,¡± The Elder denied. ¡°What few records I have that survived the fall of the Elven empire described it. The text read, ¡®Slay the usurpers, and be returned¡¯. After that was a counter reading zero out of fourteen. The total number of Gods, between both Order and Chaos. While such wording is vague, ancient Precusor''s insisted that the ''usurpers'' the quest referred to were the gods. They said there was simply an impression from the quest that they were the targets.¡±


    Slay the usurpers, and be returned.


    Then¡­there actually was a way to get back home. To Earth.


    And Dad.


    I let out a shuddering breath.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, though,¡± I said quietly. ¡°From what I¡¯ve been told, there are only two Gods still available to Vereden. The Mad God here, and the leader of the Orcs on Indiqua. The rest of them are scattered out among the other planets that you guys lost contact with after the War.¡±


    I don¡¯t know if I was feeling defeated or relieved right now. Maybe a mix of both? I had long ago resolved to build myself a new life here on Vereden, and here this guy was telling that there might be a way to get back home. Only, it had been locked away for literal millennia.


    ¡°Well,¡± The Elder said wryly. ¡°Only part of that is true.¡±


    Uh. What?


    ¡°While Fynneas and Lyneia, the Orcish Goddess of Prosperity as the last of the Gods of Order, are still on Vereden and Indiqua,¡± The Elder leaned forward conspiratorially. ¡°I¡¯ll let you in on a little secret. There is one last God that stayed in familiar waters, following the War. The Chaos God of Death, Xavien. He settled with the Goblins on Indiqua.¡±


    I blinked. The Goblins? Grey had told me what little he or anyone knew about them, several months ago. According to him, they were incredibly insular. While they didn¡¯t outright turn away visitors, they were pretty damn xenophobic. They had no interest in interacting with the combined peoples of Vereden and Indiqua. The Elder was telling me that was because they were harboring one of the Chaos Gods?


    How the hell did he know all of this?


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± I said, bewildered. ¡°Who are you? Why are you actually telling me all of this? I don¡¯t buy that you just wanted to tell me old rumors about Precursors.¡±


    The Elder deflated then. Where before he had seemed like a mysterious old sage, imparting lost wisdom to the young, now he just looked like a silly old man in cosplay. With a tired wave of his hand, a series of roots crept out of dirt floor of the cellar we were in, forming into a makeshift seat for him that he veritably flopped into. ¡°That¡¯s a valid question,¡± He said, in a worn-down tone of voice.


    The Elder reached up then, and grasped his mask. Lowering it, I could see his face for the first time. While Grey and Honoka looked like well-preserved people in their fifties or sixties, the Elder most definitely looked elder. His face was drooping in places, with numerous deep wrinkles. Oddly, they nearly seemed to radiate out from the center of his face, giving the impression of rings, as if the Elder was a great aged Oak long past its prime.


    The old Elf before me looked exhausted in both body and spirit.


    ¡°I, am Prince Alveron of House Coillmh¨°r, of the now defunct Elven Union of Lasgach,¡± Elder Alveron said, in a defeated tone of voice. ¡°The man you know as the Mad God was, once upon a time, my great-grandfather.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t noticed, but ¡®Alveron¡¯ had apparently created a second root chair for me as well. I was startled when my foot brushed against it. Finding the chair waiting behind me, I decided to take the invitation and sat down. ¡°How does that work? Gods having families?¡±


    Did that make this guy the Elven equivalent of Jesus or something?


    ¡°It isn¡¯t complicated,¡± Alveron answered with a fatigued smile. ¡°The ¡®Gods¡¯ are physical existences, after all. In the old days, if you were foolish enough to approach them, you could theoretically clasp hands with one. Possessed of a body as they were, that came with certain¡­urges. They were capable of siring children, who came to be known as the Godblood. Fynneas of Coillmh¨°r only begat one line, who would receive his blessing to lead the Union in his stead. I am the last of that line.¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯m guessing that after the end of the War and the Initiation, you¡­came here then?¡±


    ¡°I did not, no,¡± Alveron shook his head. ¡°When Fynneas returned to us after the War, we could tell that something was wrong with him. He was agitated, and moody. He would lash out in irrational anger against those who cared for him the most. We tried to comfort him when we could, thinking it was only the horrors of losing his Pantheon causing his fugues. However, you cannot imagine how chaotic those days were in the aftermath of the Initialization. None knew the particularities of the System as we do in this day and age. Blood ran thick in the streets across the breadth of Vereden, even the vaunted Gem City¡¯s. We simply thought to give him time to process his grief, as we fought for stability. This¡­would be our downfall.¡±


    He fell silent then, nearly drooping in place from his own grief. I¡­almost wanted to comfort him, but honestly, I just didn¡¯t know the guy well enough to do so. I remained silent myself. Eventually, the old Elf stirred and continued his story.


    ¡°Fynneas grew worse over time. He retreated to his keep, and was not seen in person for many years as the Initialization Wars raged. After a time, the majority of the violence in the Union was quelled after drastic, distasteful actions were taken. Looking back, I can see how we were being influenced by Fynneas¡¯s worsening state even then, from the Union¡¯s increasingly bloodthirsty responses to the emergency. By the time we had regained a measure of control over the situation, the God of Freedom was dead. In his place was the Mad God, ravening, bloodthirsty, and all too eager to share his mania with others. He started with his own family.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Alveron clasped his hands before him and stared off into space with a blank look on his etched features.


    ¡°I will never forget that day. He came with the rising of the sun, as my family was breaking our fast. My grandfather was the first to greet him. Standing from the dining table with joy at the first sight of his father in years, he moved to embrace him. Instead, the Mad God reached into my grandfather''s chest and tore out his heart. Amidst the screams and whispered questions of ¡®why¡¯, he consumed it before us. The slaughter continued from there. My father moved to engage the creature in our progenitor''s skin, shouting for me to run with my injured younger sister. I know he did not survive that confrontation. As I raced through the halls of the palace surrounded by fleeing servants and guardsmen, I was only saved by the foresight of the court Archmage. He gathered my teenage self along with everyone in his sight, and forcibly teleported us here. To this forest. My last sight of Lasgach was as the people began to succumb to the same madness as my great-grandfather, and turn on each other.¡± He fell quiet for a moment. ¡°I did not know it during my flight, but my sister was long dead by that time. She had bled out in my arms long before the Archmage found us. She lies in this forest, now.¡±


    Well. That was¡­


    ¡°How did you keep from going mad too? I mean, if everyone was already losing their mind from the influence?¡± I asked the fragile old Elf.


    After a moment, Alveron stirred from his ancient grief and met my eyes, green on green. He gave me a wan smile. ¡°Distance, I believe. At least initially. The Archmage was wise, and immediately suspected the connection that Fynneas had with our people for the reason my people lost their minds. He frantically searched for a way to halt the madness from taking us, as we mourned the death of our old life. He found it. This forest was a research site of the royal families, for one important reason. Here on this coast dwells a Spirit of immense power. Not as strong as one of the Gods, but strong enough. Bargaining with it, the Archmage made the ultimate sacrifice for his people, in a permanent deal with the Spirit. In exchange for his life, any elf that bound their blood to it would be protected from the madness of Fynneas. I¡¯ve spent my entire life searching out stray members of my people and driving the madness from their soul, here at Eal¨¢indeall. Our Haven.¡±


    I furrowed my brow. ¡°Why tell me all this? Again, I¡¯m sorry you had to go through all that, but what does it have to do with me? I can¡¯t imagine you¡¯ve told many people this story. Does Grey even know all of this?¡±


    ¡°He does not, no,¡± Alveron¡¯s eyes flickered behind me, before he shook his head. ¡°These are very¡­private and difficult things to speak of. I tell you this, so you have the required knowledge to decide on what I¡¯m about to ask you.¡±


    I sighed.


    I¡­could guess what it was, after Alveron¡¯s tale.


    ¡°You want me to actually try and fulfill the Precursor¡¯s quest, don¡¯t you,¡± I said, tired for my own reasons. ¡°You want me to kill the Mad God.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Alveron said quietly, ashamedly.


    ¡°Why does it have to be me?¡± I asked, frustrated. ¡°If you¡¯re so old, you have to be strong yourself. Why don¡¯t you do it?¡±


    Alveron gave me a bitter smile. ¡°It may surprise you to hear this, but I have.¡±


    I blinked rapidly in shock.


    ¡°Oh yes,¡± Alveron said. ¡°Once I was strong enough, I sought out my great-grandfather in the charnel house that he had turned Lasgach into, and slew him. It wasn¡¯t easy, and I very nearly died myself in the attempt. But I most certainly did slay him. For a time, I was nearly delirious with joy. I had finally done it. After more than a thousand years, I had avenged not only my family, but my very people as well. I watched as the hold that the Mad God had on the Elves slowly grew fainter, and they began to resemble what we had once been over the course of a year. Alas, it was not to be. Once that year was over, Fynneas reappeared in a rampage of insanity, right in the heart of Lasgach. With his return came the resurgence of his hold on my people. It was as if he had never left. I tried again. I was stronger, and more familiar with his abilities. I killed him a second time, and then he returned again, another year later. I would repeat this cycle for a very long time, young man. Several decades, in fact. It never worked. In between his rebirths, I searched for a reason as to why he was returning. I found nothing, no matter how many stones I turned. The only thing I did find¡­were ancient histories speaking about Precursors.¡±


    Oh.


    ¡°You think that the only thing that can kill a God for good is a Precursor,¡± I said. I wasn¡¯t even asking a question. It just seemed¡­obvious.


    ¡°I do,¡± Alveron inclined his head in my direction. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m certain of it by now. You aren¡¯t the first Precursor I¡¯ve approached about this task, since the Fall of Lasgach. I tried before, with another about oh, a millennium ago. I was never able to contact Wei the Righteous, you see. The Precursor before him was a man by the name of Nasir Jabbar, who grew to be a mighty warrior. By this time, my strength was starting to¡­wane from my advancing age. As much as I wished to help him in his battle, my contributions were not enough to win the day. Nasir fell in battle, and I shamefully fled. However, Nasir had a very curious racial skill. With it, he could strike through whatever defenses his target possessed. More than once, I watched as the mountain of a man simply punch straight through an opponent as if they were paper. Despite our failure, I was able to see that the Mad God was desperately avoiding Nasir¡¯s burning fists, as if the odd flames were his bane. I suspect you might have a similar skill. Am I wrong?¡±


    Odd flames¡­


    I reached for my waist, where my collapsible spear rested. Drawing it, I cast The Scintillant Blade.


    My dagger erupted in rainbow fire, casting odd shadows in the small cellar around me.


    Alveron nodded, satisfied. ¡°A sight I haven¡¯t seen in a millennium. I believe it¡¯s possible that this fire is the only weapon capable of killing a God for certain. A not unreasonable hypothesis, wouldn¡¯t you agree¡­Greycton?¡±


    What? Grey?


    I was startled by the sound of a mild voice behind me. ¡°Oh, it sounds possible.¡±


    I turned around just in time to watch as Grey melted out of the shadows of the cellar, cloaked in void and stars. With a twitch of his finger, Grey¡¯s concealment spell or skill dissipated. My mentor approached my and Alveron''s sitting positions. He laid a hand on my shoulder and then fixed Alveron with a steady gaze. ¡°It was certainly a very interesting history lesson, if nothing else.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I said, bewildered. ¡°When did¡­¡±


    Grey smiled down at me. ¡°Oh, about the time the Elder was leading you away from town. I didn¡¯t get as far as I did in life by blindly trusting everyone, not even people that I believe are my allies,¡± He said pointedly. I winced, but nodded. Message received. ¡°Besides, he knew I was following behind the whole time, didn¡¯t you, ¡®Alveron¡¯?¡±


    Alveron laughed slightly. ¡°Of course I did. With my waning strength and failure with Nasir, our young friend here would need assistance against Fynneas that I cannot provide. This explanation was as much for you, as it was for him.¡±


    Grey studied the older man for a moment with a critical gaze, before making a noise of understanding. ¡°Ah, I see. You¡¯re finally undergoing Core Collapse, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Alveron inclined his head serenely. ¡°I have perhaps twenty years before I pass. I apologize for overstepping, but I wished to pass on what might be my people''s last hope before the end came.¡±


    I watched the oddly calm confrontation between the two old men with ping-ponging eyes. I had no idea what Core Collapse was, but it didn¡¯t sound great.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s an interesting possibility, to be sure,¡± Grey said casually, as if the fate of an entire race wasn¡¯t on the line. ¡°However, it will have to wait. I¡¯m afraid that Nathan and I have prior arrangements for the foreseeable future. What with the War and all.¡±


    Alveron snorted, standing up from his makeshift chair. It melted away into the soil below. The Elder placed his mask back on his face and raised his hood again. ¡°Oh, that little spat? You¡¯ll have that settled in the next few months,¡± He said dismissively. ¡°All I ask is that you keep my request in mind for afterward.¡±


    Grey flickered his eyes my way, before smiling disarmingly at the Elder. ¡°We¡¯ll consider it. For now, I think it¡¯s time my apprentice and I get back to the guest hall. After all, we have a big day tomorrow.¡±


    The Elder inclined his head in our direction before pausing. He turned his masked face in my direction once more. ¡°I don¡¯t recommend pursuing the ancient Precursor¡¯s quest any farther than the Mad God, if you do decide to accept my request,¡± He said bluntly. ¡°Fynneas is reduced by his madness, but Lyneia and Xavien are not. Both were canny combatants, in the War. In either case, I wish you luck, young Precursor.¡±


    Taking the dismissal for what it was, I stood up from my own root chair, letting it retreat back into the soil. Exchanging a glance with Grey, we mutually decided it was time to get out of here. When we reached the door to the cellar though, I paused and turned for one last glance.


    My last view was of Alveron standing in front of the statue of his great-grandfather and gazing at it pensively, hands behind his back.

 Chapter 127 - Burn Out

    After exiting the cellar where I had gotten a history lesson from an old Elf, Grey and I walked in silence for a while. Fade had raced on ahead in the direction of the town, leaving us behind. I guess he wanted to get back to the fire and whatever scraps everyone had left and could beg for.


    I didn¡¯t blame him. I was kinda hungry myself.


    Eventually, I turned to face my mentor, never stopping my stride.


    ¡°So¡­¡± I trailed off.


    Grey turned to face me with a raised eyebrow. ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s your take on all that?¡± I asked him. I wasn¡¯t going to lie, I had been relieved when Grey had popped up, there at the end. This way, I didn¡¯t have to explain everything that Alveron had said to me later.


    The whole thing was kind of a clusterfuck.


    ¡°Well¡­,¡± Grey scratched his chin. ¡°It was an interesting insight into some historical matters that I was unaware of. Of particular interest is the fact that ancient, pre-Initialization Precursors had some form of proto-Status that presented them with a ¡®Quest¡¯. It implies that the System existed in some form before the coming of the Initialization. I would dearly love to see the treatises that the Elder found that information in.¡±


    I snorted, smiling despite myself. ¡°Oh yeah? No thoughts on the fact that your ¡®Elder¡¯ is some kind of ancient Elven Prince? Or hell, that he wants us to ride out and slay a damn God?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I knew that ¡®Alveron¡¯, not that he ever presented his name, was quite, quite old,¡± Grey said, unphased. ¡°My understanding is that the man, or rather Elf, is one of the few remaining Paragons on the face of Vereden. I was introduced to him many, many years ago. By my own mentor, in point of fact.¡±


    I nodded to show my understanding. That would have been after Grey had stopped his life of piracy, and before his mentor had died against a Calamity. ¡°What¡¯s a Paragon? Is it just a word for a really, really old guy? Does that make you a Paragon then?¡± I said teasingly.


    Grey rolled his eyes at me and shook his head. ¡°No, Paragon is the term for someone that has achieved the level cap of one thousand. However, from his own mouth, the Elder is experiencing the slow death of Core Collapse and is thus diminished in strength. Even if his absolute level is higher than mine by now, he is likely weaker than I am at my peak. Which I¡¯m happy to say the battle at Caer Drarrow helped push me towards. I¡¯m nearly fully recovered from my branding by this point.¡±


    ¡°Is Core Collapse a disease or something?¡± I asked him, feeling a little relieved. It was nice to hear that Grey was nearly back to full power. I paused. ¡°Is it¡­something I have to worry about catching?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Grey immediately shook his head. ¡°Core Collapse is merely the inevitability of age when it comes to those of us further along the Path. Your very soul begins to weaken, and collapse under the weight and strain of maintaining your power. You gradually weaken, and then pass one day in a somewhat¡­spectacular way, unique to the individual. For one such as the Elder, I suspect he could birth an entirely new forest of similar size to this one when his day comes.¡±


    I glanced around at the massive forest surrounding us on all sides and stretching out into the distance. I blinked.


    Huh.


    ¡°I, thankfully, have no need to worry about the possibility for some time. I might begin exhibiting symptoms sometime in the next few centuries, but nothing until then,¡± Grey continued casually, as if he wasn¡¯t talking about his inevitable death by apparent explosion.


    ¡°All right,¡± I said slowly. ¡°And¡­about us killing the Mad God?¡±


    Grey stopped in place then, causing me to do the same. Turning around to face him, I saw that Grey had an unusually serious look on his face. ¡°It would be a noble thing to do, certainly,¡± He said somberly. ¡°But¡­I¡¯m unsure if it¡¯s the best idea.¡±


    Somewhere, deep inside me, a cowardly part of my heart sighed in relief. ¡°Why, though?¡± I said, still curious. ¡°I mean, Alveron apparently did it plenty of times before he became too weak. You¡¯re still in your prime, and I can get stronger. I mean, if nothing else, think of how much level Aether a damned God would be worth.¡±


    Look at me, thinking of killing a God in terms of how many levels it would get me. I was practically going native.


    ¡°Possibly,¡± Grey acknowledged. ¡°However, I am likely nowhere near as strong as the Elder was at the peak of his power. I-¡± He cut himself off, looking embarrassed before he cleared his throat. ¡°Nathan, I have a¡­confession to make. I know that you consider myself, and even Honoka to a degree, as being extremely powerful. In comparison to the rest of Vereden, this might even be the case. However¡­in truth, I¡¯m considered something of a burn-out.¡±


    I blinked rapidly before gaping at my mentor.


    What?


    ¡°How?¡± I said weakly. ¡°You said your level was in the seven-hundreds! You¡¯re the leader of a paramilitary force, and the Headmaster of the only school for Mages and Cultivators on the face of the planet! I mean, goddamn! You created an entire sentient species! How are you considered a burn-out?!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Nathan, for that condensation of nine centuries of effort,¡± Grey said wryly, smiling at me. I flushed slightly, aware that I had raised my voice. Still, Grey sighed. ¡°But, as someone non-native to Vereden, this reaches back to cultural ideas about achievement and expectation that you are yet to understand. Come, I¡¯ll explain along the way.¡± He started walking again towards the town.


    I followed.


    ¡°I became the Headmaster of the Academy some four centuries ago,¡± Grey started, strolling leisurely by my side with a far-off look on his face. ¡°At the time, it was a mess. Academic standards were embarrassingly lax, and course quality was even worse in my opinion. It took me decades of effort and scouting to assemble the staff that I possess, including Honoka. When I assumed the post, I was in the five hundred level range. This caught the attention of the populace, as it is a rare achievement to breach that level with the Aether density of Vereden. There hadn¡¯t been a Paragon among humanity for some time at that point, and hopes began to rise that I would become the next. And I did try to reach that level, I assure you. However, over time I began to realize that I didn¡¯t prize the endless grind for strength as much as I did some things that were¡­intangible. Rather than lusting after raw strength, I began to hunger for knowledge. I desired to experiment and push the boundaries of Mysticalilty and spread the results far and wide. As a result, my gain in levels stagnated, before falling off completely. I didn¡¯t care, but I can¡¯t say the same for the rest of Herztalian society.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Grey gazed off into the distance, a far-off look in his eye.


    ¡°I made this decision shortly after the end of a pointless conflict with the Principality. It was far from my first war, but by that point I was very tired of it. If needless bloodshed was to be my reward after striving for ever greater heights, I wished no more part of it,¡± Grey flickered his eyes my way, and gave me a wry smile. ¡°I¡¯m aware of the irony of that statement when we¡¯re currently in the middle of a civil war. However, I did try to resolve matters involving the Sculpted in as peaceful a manner as possible. Alas, simple human greed won the day, and thus I find myself embroiled in another war, so easily avoided.¡±


    Grey sighed, falling silent. For a moment, my mentor very much appeared to be a tired old man.


    Hmm. It struck me then, what it must be like to live for centuries like Grey had. I¡¯d heard the saying before that history didn¡¯t so much repeat itself, as it rhymed. With the coming of new generations, humanity, and I guess sapient beings in general, had a tendency to echo past mistakes. Wealth, land, status, honor and law and glory.


    I wonder just how much weight Grey put on them.


    Considering he used to be a pirate, I¡¯m guessing not much.


    Tentatively, I reached out to lay a hand on Grey¡¯s shoulder. My movement startled him slightly, causing him to blink rapidly at my hand. He smiled, however, and patted my hand in thanks. He cleared his throat somewhat embarrassedly, and I removed my hand.


    ¡°In any case, that explanation was to say that I¡¯m unlikely to be as capable as the Elder was at his own peak,¡± Grey said. ¡°While he was able to slay the Mad God multiple times, I have doubts as to my capabilities in that direction. I would need to resume my quest for strength in earnest before we could attempt such an undertaking. When I made the decision to stop seeking Levels, I ceased my expeditions into the zones of higher Aether Density on Vereden and Indiqua. There aren¡¯t many of them on both planets, but they exist. If I wanted to resume those, I¡¯d need to convince Honoka and perhaps some other fellows from the Academy to accompany me. In any case, you would need to have at least passed the fifth breakpoint before I even considered the possibility of allowing you to attempt deicide. That will likely be decades if not centuries from now. I will¡­give the matter some thought.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± I said, relieved. I had no problem putting off a possible fight with a god.


    That was future Nathan¡¯s problem.


    Grey and I had reached the guest hall with no problems. Nobody inside had given us much of a second glance from our little trip with the Elder. Well, nobody but Honoka. The old woman had given the two of us a suspicious glance and then snorted in our direction.


    Grey had just smirked at his old friend, causing her to start ignoring him in favor of Sylvia again.


    After that, we¡¯d had a late meal and then promptly went to sleep for the night. We had a big day tomorrow, after all.


    Still, I slept pretty good. I almost wanted to steal one of these cots. They were better than even the ones we¡¯d had on the drive to Marrowmist.


    I was woken up pretty early by a smug Azarus, who promptly started shoving me out the door before I could even fully wake up. Outside, Tarus had yet to even rise over the horizon. My dwarven friend had woken me before even the green period.


    I glowered at him.


    ¡°Gotta get the carts ready for the civvies,¡± Azarus said with a smirk, unphased. ¡°Ya know what to do with ¡®em, and I¡¯m not gonna bother askin¡¯ a bunch of nobs and kids to help. Only this time, we need to prep three of them.¡±


    Azarus had led me around the back of the guest hall by now, where the Agent from the other day had told us he¡¯d stashed the horses and carriages. Sure enough, they were there. The horses were sleeping in a¡­surprisingly normal looking stable. Well, if you ignored the fact that it looked to have been grown from green tree roots, and not built out of honest lumber. I audibly groaned when I saw that there were a total of twelve horses, causing Azarus to chortle at me. It had already been a pain to ready just four from my experience. That wasn¡¯t even counting the fact that these carts were as shoddy as Weston had told us they¡¯d be. They were big enough for everyone we¡¯d be hauling, but even to my neophyte eyes, it looked like it would be a bumpy ride.


    I sighed and got to work.


    The green period came and went by the time that Azarus and I were done waking up, feeding, brushing, and harnessing all twelve equines. I was starting to hear the rustling of people through the bark walls of the guest hall as we were attaching them to the carriages. The two of us led the three wagons along to the front of the hall, where Grey was already waiting on us with a mug of something hot in hand. He sipped it, eyeing the carriages dubiously. Behind him through the open door, I could see Woodrick gathering the former prisoners together and organizing them. Azarus slipped past me into the hall, and then returned carrying the massive, still comatose form of Venix. The Antium still hadn¡¯t awoken, and was wrapped tightly in linen cloth. I was starting to get a bit worried for him, actually.


    Honoka, who was just stepping out of the hall herself, must have seen the worried gaze I was sending him. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine,¡± She said, unexpectedly gentle. At my startled look, she nodded at me. ¡°I think I¡¯ve figured out what that chitinous fool did to himself. His soul is strained and weakened, possibly from some form of desperation move. He¡¯ll keep until we can get him to a Gyreite Preceptor, and they¡¯ll get him on the path to recovery. Until then, the sword slinger will just be taking a nap.¡± She clapped me on the back, causing me to stumble from the unexpected force of the blow. She had already moved over to help with the carriages by the time I had gotten my feet under me.


    Well, all right then.


    I followed after her. It didn¡¯t take us long to get everyone settled into the carts. Grey and Honoka were driving the front wagon, while I was in the middle with Azarus next to me. Surprisingly, Renauld had volunteered to drive the last wagon, with Richard Everfield next to him. Apparently, both of them had experience in driving a cart.


    With a crack of his reigns, Grey got us underway. I followed after him.


    As we drove our train through the understandably still empty path out of Alveron¡¯s Haven, I spotted the old Elf watching us from a high platform. For the first time, I was able to see another resident of Eal¨¢indeall, standing right next to him and watching as well. Presumably, this was another Elf that had been freed from the clutches of the Mad God.


    Dressed much the same as the Elder in a cloak and mask, they surprisingly had their hood down. Their long, unbound, honey-blond hair was blowing in the morning breeze. But more importantly, their tapered ears were visible in the morning light. Whoever this was, it wasn¡¯t hard to tell that they were a woman. Partly, it was because their mask didn''t have the antlers that Alveron''s did. Her mask was of a doe.


    Both Elves were watching us, silently. I think the only reason that I saw them at all was because the Elder was letting me. The rest of the wagon train didn¡¯t seem to notice the two at all.


    Well, except for one person.


    Azarus followed my gaze and did a double take. He gaped at the long, exposed ears of the female Elf before turning to face me. I just raised an eyebrow at him, smirking.


    Azarus blinked, before shaking his head. ¡°Nope,¡± He said, crossing his arms. ¡°Ain¡¯t touchin¡¯ that one.¡±

 Chapter 128 - Golden Gift

    It had been three days now since our wagon train had left Sancthaven, and according to Grey, we were making good time. Our destination was a good-sized mining town in the mountainous equatorial region of the continent named Silvercrest. From what the Agent had told us, there were elements of the Uprising waiting there to receive the former hostages that we were escorting.


    Speaking of, they were doing all right so far. Sure, there were complaints about the bumpy nature of the ride, but nothing serious. I didn¡¯t blame the kids for complaining too much, as, well, you know. Children. But it was a little funny that some of the adults were a bit huffy about their accommodations. C¡¯mon, guys. You were just locked up in a prison cell not too long ago, this can''t be worse than that. I got the impression that some of them had never experienced much hardship in life.


    They¡¯d survive a bit of a rocky terrain.


    Hell, it was worse on the driver''s bench. After the first day, my ass went completely numb. I still didn¡¯t feel it.


    Either way, there weren¡¯t many of the adults in the first place. There were a total of thirty-six former hostages that we were escorting, and only about seven of those had been full-grown adults. The rest ranged from ages as low as seven, all the way up to around sixteen. The teens had actually impressed me. They had really stepped up to help manage and take care of the younger ones.


    Today we had officially entered into the barest reaches of the Duchy of Helstein, which the town of Silvercrest resided in. Our surroundings had been gradually changing on the drive, with the vegetation thinning out. By now we were definitely in a mountainous desert region. Pretty high elevation too, I think. I¡¯d noticed the air becoming a bit thinner. These weren¡¯t old, friendly-looking mountains either. The sharp, bladelike spires of distant mountains dominated the horizon. They looked mean, treacherous, and more likely to shank you than welcome you. From the barest amount of geology I¡¯d learned in school, I guessed that this range was very young.


    Still, they made for a good view.


    For now, the day¡¯s drive had ended. We¡¯d set up camp in the shadow of a nearby hill and built a bonfire to stave off the encroaching fall chill. I wasn¡¯t entirely certain when the seasons changed on Vereden, but it sure felt like it was about to be winter on this planet. I shivered and scooted a bit closer to the fire.


    We¡¯d already had our dinner from the rations that came with the wagons. They weren¡¯t anything special, just like the wagons themselves, but it was at least something to fill the belly with. I was starting to get a bit tired now though. I don¡¯t think I was the only one. Most of the people I knew, including a majority of my companions, had already bedded down for the night. However, I¡¯d been chosen for the first watch tonight. Venix used to take on all caravan guard duties, but¡­


    The Antium man was still comatose, resting in Grey¡¯s wagon.


    I¡¯d just have to take Honoka¡¯s word that he was going to be fine.


    I was startled out of my introspection by the sound of someone sitting next to me. Looking over, I found that it was Woodrick, holding a wrapped package of some kind under his right arm. The normally confident Sculpted gave me a wan smile.


    I¡­hadn¡¯t actually spoken much to Woodrick. He might be part of our collective leadership with Grey and Honoka, but the guy had been pretty solemn since Caer Drarrow. My guess was the death of Aurum was weighing heavier on him than it did the rest of us. Presumably, he had known the golden Sculpted much longer than I had.


    ¡°A good night,¡± Woodrick said quietly, breaking the silence near us. He nodded to the horizon, where Elys was displaying a waning crescent moon. ¡°Did you know, the Sculpted have a particular relationship with the moon?¡±


    I turned to face him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Yeah? What do you mean?¡±


    Woodrick leaned back on his palms, still gazing out at Elys. ¡°Beyond the fact that everyone knows Grey has some kind of relationship with Elys, it was the first thing that most Sculpted saw. The Second Initialization happened at night, you know? Instead of being essentially born under the warm glow of the sun, the Sculpted came to be under the silver light of a full moon.¡±


    ¡°But not you right? You were already aware by that time. Aurum,¡± I said, pausing for a moment before continuing. ¡°Aurum told me that you were already fighting for Sculpted independence by the time of the Second Initialization.¡±


    Woodrick¡¯s eyes flickered my way at the mention of the deceased. Nonetheless, he nodded. ¡°Yeah. While Sylvia might have been the first of us to come to in old Greycton¡¯s tower, I was the second. I¡¯m roughly a year younger than her, though. I was¡­owned by a kindly old farming couple up north around Hollow Hill. They were pretty shocked when I suddenly started speaking back to them, you know.¡± He laughed at something, not explaining.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Still, I could imagine. I chuckled as well.


    ¡°Still,¡± Woodrick sighed. ¡°I¡­didn¡¯t come over here to talk about old times. I came about Aurum.¡±


    I sat up straighter. ¡°What about him?¡±


    Woodrick gazed down at the package resting on his lap. ¡°Funny enough, Aurum in particular loved the moon. Despite being so gold and bright, he loved the hue of cool moonlight. In fact,¡± He said, looking up and leaning in with a sudden mischievous grin. ¡°He used to have a little crush on Sylvia, you know? We think he might have been one of the first Sculpted to develop even fleeting romantic feelings.¡± He laughed lowly, before his grin faded. His gaze fell on the package again. He handed it to me with a melancholy look on his wooden features. ¡°I want you to have this.¡±


    I took it, confused. I was surprised at how heavy the wrapped package was. Meeting Woodrick¡¯s eyes briefly, I looked down and undid the twine holding it closed. Brushing the cloth away, I felt my breath hitch in my chest at what was revealed to my eyes.


    Lying in the package were two bars of solid gold, shining under the light of the bonfire.


    It couldn¡¯t be¡­


    I carefully set the package down before looking back up at Woodrick. ¡°Is this¡­?¡± I didn¡¯t even want to finish the sentence, in case it was offensive.


    Nevertheless, Woodrick nodded. ¡°It is. I learned that your friend Azarus was an accomplished smith back with the pirates, and asked for his assistance. I¡­don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re familiar with Sculpted funerary traditions?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even know you guys had any,¡± I said with wide eyes, glancing back down at the bars of gold.


    ¡°Well, we do. Obviously, they¡¯re young, but it¡¯s arisen in the last years among the endless conflict. Let¡¯s be honest here,¡± Woodrick laughed mirthlessly. ¡°Sculpted aren¡¯t flesh. Most of us aren¡¯t made of things that are going to rot easily. We¡¯re made from materials that are useful in other circumstances. Unlike you fleshies, we don¡¯t believe in being buried or cremated or even sent out to sea. We want to be useful in some manner, even after our passing.¡±


    I blinked rapidly in shock.


    ¡°Upon the death of a Sculpted, we generally request that our bodies are¡­processed for the raw materials. Then, those materials are distributed to the comrades of the departed. I¡¯m not sure if you know this, but the materials that Sculpted are made from become highly mystically charged. Perfect for crafting. We ask that they use those materials with their Professions to create something useful. This way, the recipient is both generating Impact for their own advancement, and so they can have something to help protect them. It¡¯s our way of looking out for those we leave behind,¡± Woodrick finished solemnly.


    Oh.


    I see.


    I looked back down at the solid bars of gold that Woodrick had gifted me, wrought from the corpse of Aurum. God¡­


    This was so morbid.


    ¡°Look,¡± I said to Woodrick, uncomfortable. ¡°I¡­appreciate it, but I¡¯m not sure Aurum would have wanted me to have this. You see-¡± I explained to the curious wooden man how Aurum had grown almost frightened of me during the fighting in Caer Drarrow.


    Still, Woodrick only shook his head with a sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± He said, clapping me on the shoulder. ¡°Seriously. Aurum was¡­a very innocent soul, despite the conflict he found himself embroiled in. It was a consistent issue with him. He was uncomfortable with the realities and brutalities of war, but didn¡¯t generally hold grudges against people. I¡¯m sure if he had survived, you would have been able to patch things up with him.¡±


    If he had survived.


    I took a deep breath and nodded at Woodrick. ¡°All right. Okay. If you¡¯re sure. But, uh,¡± I trailed off for a moment, distracted by the shine of the gold for a moment. ¡°I¡­have no idea what to use this for.¡± Not that I was up to making anything right now. My crafting had kind of fallen to the wayside with the loss of my arm. I¡¯d found that I could still do it, of course. Aetherial Melding didn¡¯t really need the use of both arms. I just¡­hadn¡¯t been in a very creative mood.


    Even though I really needed to replace my spare retractable spear. I hadn¡¯t been able to find it in the ruins of Caer Drarrow.


    Woodrick chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t expect you to jump up and begin crafting anytime soon. I know you have more pressing concerns,¡± He said, nodding at the stump of my left arm. ¡°Just keep it in mind. All I ask is that you don¡¯t simply sell it off.¡±


    No problem there. I¡¯d feel like a monster if I did that.


    Woodrick didn¡¯t leave after that. He kept me company during my watch for the rest of the night.


    It was¡­nice.


    <hr>


    The next day, we finally reached the town of Silvercrest.


    It was built at the base of a particularly tall mountain that stretched up high into the sky. If I squinted my eyes, I could even see its snow-capped peak.


    Hah, okay. I got it.


    The town itself was pretty large. Bigger than anything I¡¯d seen in Herztal, it still wasn¡¯t as sprawling as Rhoscara. It hugged the base of the mountain, even crawling a good amount up the face of it. It was a rugged town, without any particularly tall buildings. Instead, the tallest structures in the town were from smokestacks, billowing coal-black smoke into the air. Everything else in Silvercrest looked to be squat and functional, to my eyes.


    If I¡¯m being honest, the town itself was a bit¡­shall we say, utilitarian. Even Marrowmist had been more charming to my eyes than this place. I¡¯d been expecting a better-looking town than this, from an elegant-sounding name like ¡®Silvercrest¡¯.


    At least the mountains were nice to look at.


    At the sight of the town, Grey had called a halt to our wagon train. Those of us who were driving the train had jumped down from our benches at Grey¡¯s gesturing and approached him. When I reached him, Grey was observing the town with a far eye.


    ¡°Ah-hah!¡± He exclaimed in satisfaction. He motioned for me to take it from him, pointing to the gates of Silvercrest. I took the device from him and looked through it.


    Outside the gates, I could see a small encampment of soldiers. Flying above the camp was the blue and white flag of the Uprising.


    I lowered the far eye and glanced over at Woodrick who had joined us. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re linking up with your guys soon.¡±


    Woodrick¡¯s wooden brow raised in surprise, accepting the far eye from me. He looked through it himself. ¡°Look like it,¡± He said in satisfaction.


    ¡°It appears that Agent Weston was correct, then,¡± Grey said. ¡°Silvercrest should be safe to approach. Come. The Uprising awaits us, in the shadow of Mt. Helgar.¡±

 Chapter 129 - Renewal Rejected

    Our wagon train pulled up to the small encampment outside the gates of Silvercrest. There were two Sculpted members on guard duty, one made of stone and the other made of iron, both male in shape. They had been watching us for a while as we crossed the desert plain towards them but straightened up when we finally stopped. Beyond the two guards, I saw many other Sculpted soldiers milling about and watching us in curiosity as well.


    All of them reacted in shock though, when Woodrick hopped out of the back of Grey¡¯s lead wagon. The eyes of the stone guard nearly bulged out of their sockets at the sight of their leader, while the iron one immediately sprinted off further into the camp, abandoning his post. Meanwhile, cheers began to echo out of the onlooking crowd of Sculpted soldiers as a number of them began to stream out of the camp to surround Woodrick. The wooden man staggered under the weight of the back slaps he was receiving, but he was laughing all the same.


    I was standing off to the side, watching the scene with Grey. Azarus and Sylvia were behind us and helping the former prisoners exit the wagons.


    ¡°He seems well-liked,¡± I said to my mentor.


    ¡°Oh, he is,¡± Grey answered wryly. ¡°Very much so. There¡¯s a reason he was elected the leader of the Sculpted over my Sylvia. She may have seniority, but Woodrick has the sheer force of personality needed to run a rebellion.¡±


    From the camp, I saw the iron soldier return at a sprint, this time leading another Sculpted. This one was female and shaped from what looked to be obsidian. She appeared to be wearing the kind of fancier tabard over her chainmail that I had seen on officers in the past, over a suit of leather armor. With a laugh, she pushed her way through the celebrating crowd to embrace Woodrick. He returned it fiercely.


    Grey nodded in the direction of the Sculpted officer. ¡°That¡¯s Nyx, second in command of the combined Sculpted forces. She was out on deployment during our time in Hollow Hill, taking battlefield command during Woodrick''s absence. The Uprising is lucky that she took an interest in military tactics shortly after gaining her sapience. Likely a result of her having been an attendant of a Herztalian officer before her awakening. Excuse me, Nathan.¡± Grey walked off to join Woodrick and Nyx, catching their attention with a raised hand. He and Woodrick exchanged nods, while Nyx saluted Grey. The three of them wandered off into camp, no doubt to discuss the next steps. The crowd of celebrating Sculpted followed after them.


    A harsh punch to my shoulder knocked me out of my lollygagging. I hissed in pain and clutched it in surprise, turning to face the person who had done it. It was Honoka of course, smirking at me.


    ¡°Oh, man up,¡± She said in amusement. ¡°You can take it.¡±


    ¡°Hi, Honoka,¡± I said between grit teeth. ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks for asking. How are you?¡±


    Honoka snorted at me and then jerked her head in the direction of Silvercrest. ¡°C¡¯mon, boy. It¡¯s time to pay my debt with you.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at her, rolling my shoulder as I did so. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    She rolled her sunset-colored eyes at me and nodded at my stump. ¡°I¡¯m talking about getting your arm back. Silvercrest is more than big enough to have a Preceptor who can do the ritual for you.¡±


    I felt a bolt of excitement race down my spine. A smile crept its way onto my face, before I paused. ¡°Isn¡¯t it supposed to be expe-¡±


    Honoka cut me off, raising a pouch held in her left hand. She jangled it at me. ¡°I already bothered the reprobate for a loan. Let¡¯s go. I know where the Church is here.¡±


    Ah. Grey had said that he would finance a replacement arm for me.


    ¡°Lead the way, then,¡± I said to her, my smile coming back in force.


    Honoka started swiftly walking away in the direction of the Silvercrest gates, while I jogged to catch up eagerly.


    Soon, I would have both of my arms back.


    The gates of Silvercrest surprisingly weren¡¯t guarded. I guess they didn¡¯t feel the need, with a military encampment just outside their walls, no matter how small it was. Once inside, Silvercrest was pretty much how I had expected it to be. The air was thick with coal smoke from the foundries smelting iron and steel all around us.


    Honoka explained a little bit about the town to me as we walked through Silvercrest. Silvercrest was one of, if not the biggest supplier of raw and smelted metal in the Kingdom of Herztal. The surrounding mountains, especially the peak of Helgar above the town, were packed full of ore. The burgeoning city was so prosperous that they had even been able to construct the needed facilities to process the ore after generations of toil and saving. This had been a somewhat new development in the history of the Duchy of Helstein though. It had apparently caused some friction with the Duke of the area, as he had previously owned the largest foundries in the area from his seat in the city of Helstein. From what Honoka told me, it was the hostility that the Duke had shown to the town over the last few decades that driven them away from the cause of the Loyalists, and into the arms of the Uprising.


    Good for the Uprising, bad for the Loyalists. They¡¯d lost one of the foremost suppliers of iron and steel on the continent, due to the jealousy of one shitty noble. That seemed to be pretty consistent with my views on nobility.


    Eventually, Honoka led me to the local church. This was my first time visiting a Church belonging to the Gyreites, and even through my excitement, I was curious about it. I had never gotten a good explanation about what they believed in. To be fair, I had never really asked though. The only thing I really knew about them was that they had a ¡®special relationship¡¯ with the System and had some unique classes because of it.


    The Church itself was¡­different than I was expecting. When I thought of Churches, what came to my mind were familiar buildings from back home, long halls with tall steeples reaching high into the sky. This very much so wasn¡¯t like that.


    The Gyreite Church was a large, squat, cylindrical-shaped building with a dome overhead. Stained glass murals were set into the Church''s walls every few feet, depicting scenes that I assumed were important to the church''s history. I sure didn¡¯t understand them. The one to the right of the door seemed to be depicting a large group of people stepping out of a dark cave and into the light of the sun. The left one looked to be a night sky with fourteen stars on it.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    The building materials for the Church were different, as well. Silvercrest as a whole seemed to be constructed of large, plain grey stone blocks, likely quarried from the surrounding mountains. The Church, however, appeared to be built from a rough golden tan stone of some kind that sparkled in the light of Tarus overhead. As we drew close enough to touch the walls of the Church, I ran my hand over them. They were almost gritty, as if made of sand.


    ¡°Rorician sandstone,¡± I heard Honoka say. Turning to her, I found the older women was watching me with a smirk on her face. Unbothered, I removed my hand from the wall and shrugged at her.


    ¡°Roricia, huh. Where¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Rorica is the southernmost province of Herztal,¡± Honoka corrected me. ¡°The area is known for two things. Dense, impenetrable jungle not seen anywhere else on Vereden, and its beautiful beaches capping the southern tip of the continent. The Gyreites insist that a Church can¡¯t be properly consecrated unless it¡¯s built out of sandstone from the area. Damn waste of gold and manpower in my opinion, but what do I know? I¡¯m not particularly religious.¡±


    Our conversation was interrupted when the doors of the Church near us opened, and a stream of people began to flow out. These must be the Church¡¯s faithful, as they definitely weren¡¯t Preceptors. Looked to be tradesmen, miners, and families to my eyes.


    I guess we had arrived at the tail end of a service.


    Several of them eyed Honoka and me strangely, but I didn¡¯t pay it any mind. Instead, the two of us waited until the Church had been cleared out, and slipped in through the now empty doors. Inside, the church looked more familiar to me. It was pretty much an auditorium with a raised pulpit on one end, with benches arranged out before it on either side of an aisle. There were doors along the walls of the hall that presumably led to other rooms, but it was the roof that caught my attention.


    There was another stained-glass panel up there. This time, it was of the more familiar symbol I¡¯d come to expect of the Church. A large, golden, seven-armed spiral, curling inward. The light of Tarus shone through it from overhead, casting the hall in a golden hue.


    There was a man up on the pulpit, likely the Preceptor we had come for. He was speaking to a man and a woman as we stepped into the hall, but his conversation stalled when he caught sight of us. He said a quick word to the two of them, and then all three made the sign of the Gyre with their hands, two fingers laid over their upheld right palm. The couple left the pulpit and walked past Honoka and I, dutifully not paying us any mind, while the Preceptor approached the two of us.


    I got a better look at him as he drew closer. Like the only other Preceptor I had ever met, he was dark of skin, with a completely shaven head and face. The man didn''t even have any eyebrows. He was shorter than Eduard had been, though he had a similar set of green and white robes draped over his muscular form. He seemed completely unconcerned, merely watching the two of us with calm blue eyes.


    ¡°Blessings of the Gyre upon you, wayfarers,¡± He said in a low, deep voice. ¡°I am Preceptor Josha. Do you require assistance?¡± From the way his gaze lingered on my stump, I could tell that ¡®Josha¡¯ most likely already knew what kind of assistance I wanted.


    I could be polite though. I smiled at the Preceptor. ¡°Ah, yeah. You see-¡±


    Honoka cut me off, underhand tossing the bag of gold she held at the Preceptor. Josha didn¡¯t even blink as he caught the jingling sack, merely raising an eyebrow at Honoka. ¡°This young fool needs his arm grown back after playing the hero,¡± She said, jerking a thumb my way.


    I felt an eyebrow twitch. This irritating old biddy¡­


    Preceptor Josha hummed and nodded. ¡°I see,¡± He said calmly. ¡°I have time to perform the ritual. I assume you wish to draw from the Church''s stores of reagents for it, and this is your payment?¡±


    ¡°Yes, obviously,¡± Honoka said, rolling her eyes impatiently. ¡°Let¡¯s get on with it. I¡¯m not getting any younger standing around like this.¡±


    I smiled weakly at the Preceptor. ¡°Sorry about her. I¡¯m Nate. I¡¯m not sure granny Honoka here-¡±


    I didn¡¯t get another word out before Honoka slammed another punch into my arm, in the exact same spot she had earlier. I yelped at the sudden violence, clutching my now throbbing shoulder. I glowered at Honoka. ¡°What does Sylvia see in you, woman?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not your granny, you young punk,¡± Honoka snorted at me. ¡°And she sees my sparkling personality, of course.¡±


    I rubbed my shoulder. ¡°More like sulfurous,¡± I muttered under my breath. I cringed back when Honoka raised her fist again at me threateningly, apparently not quiet enough.


    Our back and forth was interrupted by the sound of low laughter from the Preceptor still in front of us. I flushed, having forgotten about him briefly. Josha had a small smile on his face as he spoke. ¡°Come. The ritual room is this way. We must prepare the young man for the rigors of the Rite.¡±


    Josha walked away in the direction of a door in the back. With one last glower at each other, Honoka and I followed him.


    Around half an hour later, I was kneeling in the center of a small, candle-lit room. I was shirtless, having been stripped to my waist so the Preceptor could paint my entire upper torso in runes. He had used a golden paint of some kind that was so mystically potent that even now my skin was tingling.


    On the stone below me was a large, golden engraving of the Gyreite spiral. Resting on each of its seven arms were what must be the mysterious ¡®reagents¡¯ I¡¯d heard referred to. I didn¡¯t really recognize all of them. There were a handful of different kinds of metal and stone, a bone of some kind, and some glass jars filled with what looked like blood and a kind of potion. I think there was also what looked to be some sort of¡­dehydrated scaly tail the size of my forearm.


    I¡­kind of didn¡¯t want to know.


    Honoka was standing with her arms crossed along the back wall, while Josha was in front of me. He nodded in satisfaction. ¡°As I said, please be aware that this will hurt. Do your best to bear with the pain during the ritual.¡±


    ¡°If you scream, I¡¯m telling Sylvia,¡± Honoka said in a mocking voice from behind me.


    Die in a fire, you old bat.


    I ignored Honoka and nodded at the Preceptor. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    He nodded back at me and clasped his hands before him. Slowly, he closed his eyes and began to chant in a language that I didn¡¯t understand. It wasn¡¯t being picked up by Language Adaptation, which meant he had either turned it off, or whatever he was speaking in was really old.


    A breeze began to pick up in the isolated room, as if from nowhere. The candles in the small room flickered, and a weight of power began to grow all around us. The air was so thick with Aether that it was almost hard to breathe. I still kept my breath steady though, through the use of my middle ring. I was tense, waiting for the blow that I was sure was about to fall.


    At some unseen signal, Joshas eyes snapped open, glowing a bright gold. He unclasped his hands and thrust them, open palm, in my direction. I felt the heavy Aether in the room surge inwards at me. I closed my eyes and braced for the pain.


    But¡­


    Nothing happened.


    The Aether merely washed over my form. My skin tingled from the charged energy, but that was it.


    After a moment where nothing further happened, I cracked open an eye. In front of me, Josha was blinking rapidly in shock. Honoka had left her spot on the back wall to stand before me alongside the Preceptor, with a frown etched on her face. I looked between the two of them, confused. ¡°Is that¡­it?¡±


    ¡°No, boy,¡± Honoka said seriously. ¡°That was most definitely not ¡®it¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Josha said, clearly baffled. ¡°I performed the ritual correctly, I know I did. I¡¯ve done this hundreds of times. Why didn¡¯t it work?¡± He shook his head, suddenly determined. ¡°Let me try again. The reagents are still fine. Please step back, madam.¡±


    Preceptor Josha proceeded to try the regrowth ritual three more times. It failed, again and again. While the Preceptor was growing visibly more frustrated each time, I grew more and more despondent.


    Eventually, he gave up.


    The ritual to regrow my arm¡­


    Was a failure.

 Chapter 130 - Preception

    Honoka lifted a hand into the sky. In her open palm, a small bird made of fire manifested, looking around curiously. Honoka leaned in to whisper at it for a moment, before launching the Avian construct into the sky. The flaming bird chirped at her once, before zooming away.


    Towards the Uprising camp.


    Meanwhile, I was sitting on the ground not far from her, leaning against the wall of the Gyreite Church. I don¡¯t mind saying that I felt like absolute shit right about now.


    A week.


    I¡¯d been reassured for over a week now that I had nothing to worry about when it came to my arm. I didn¡¯t regret my choice to protect Sylvia, which led to me losing it. But I¡¯d been told repeatedly that it wasn¡¯t any issue getting it regrown. It had been those reassurances that had kept me from depression spiraling about losing a part of my body.


    Now that the hope of regrowth had been stolen from me, I felt like I had just lost my arm all over again. In a way I had.


    My left arm was gone for good. There was no magical solution that was going to bring it back now.


    I stared down at my one good hand now, flexing it over and over. At the very least, it was my dominant one.


    I had no idea how long I spent, simply staring down at my palm and allowing myself to finally grieve. I was only broken out of my contemplation when I felt a hand touch my shoulder lightly. Blinking, I raised my head to meet a pair of black and silver eyes.


    Grey¡¯s.


    My mentor was kneeling in front of me, hand still on my shoulder, and a compassionate look on his wizened features. When he saw that he had caught my attention, he nodded at me and stood up, hand falling away. Instead, he extended it in front of him for me to grasp.


    I took a deep breath and held it for four seconds. I breathed out, slowly, and then nodded to myself.


    I took Grey¡¯s hand and stood.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Grey said, meeting my eyes again. ¡°This isn¡¯t over just yet. I believe it¡¯s time we have a little chat with the Preceptor.¡±


    I nodded silently at Grey. Over his shoulder, I noticed that Honoka was still here, watching Grey and I with a deep frown etched on her face. She nodded at me silently as well, for once not sniping in my direction.


    Good. I don¡¯t know if I had it in me right now to keep that up.


    Grey strode over to the doors of the Church that had failed me, and with a flick of his fingers, they opened before him.


    Preceptor Josha was waiting for us, standing behind his podium. The man had a death grip on it but displayed no discomfort on his face. He nodded in welcome at us but waited for Grey to speak first.


    Grey obliged him. ¡°Good day, Preceptor¡­?¡± He said, casually approaching the pulpit.


    ¡°Josha, Headmaster,¡± The Preceptor said, inclining his head at Grey. He stepped from behind his podium and gestured with his hand towards a different door than the one that led to the ritual room. ¡°If we could continue this conversation in my office?¡±


    Grey inclined his head right back at him. ¡°By all means, lead the way.¡±


    Josha approached the door to his apparent office and held it open for the three of us. We obliged, finding it to be a simple room. It wasn¡¯t very large and was very modestly furnished. Inside there was really only a simple desk, a few chairs, and a handful of filled-to-the-brim bookcases. Once all three of us were inside, Josha followed and crossed the room to sit in the chair behind his desk. He gestured silently to the two chairs that were in front of him.


    Honoka stayed near the door with her arms crossed, while Grey and I sat down in the indicated seats. Josha folded his hands in front of him. I think it was to hide his own nervousness, as I saw the man¡¯s fingers trembling ever so slightly.


    Grey spoke first again. ¡°I must say, to my knowledge, this is an unprecedented situation,¡± He said, drumming his fingers on the armrest of his chair. He paused his drumming when he noticed the Preceptor''s nervousness as well. ¡°Do calm down, Preceptor. I promise that you¡¯re in no danger. Historically, I¡¯ve had little to no conflicts with the Church of the Gyre.¡±


    Josha stilled for a moment and then shook his head. ¡°Ah. Apologies, Headmaster. I¡¯m not frightened of you. I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯m unsettled by another manner. You see, I had time to¡­consult with the Church hierarchy while we awaited your presence.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Grey exclaimed, leaning forward. ¡°The vaunted Gyre Glass. I see. You know, I once attempted to replicate its long-range communication properties. I¡¯m afraid I met with some rather spectacular failures.¡±


    Gyre Glass¡­


    So, the Church had the ability to speak to each other long distance? Like a¡­phone or something? Why did things like messengers still exist then?


    Josha smiled slightly. ¡°Yes, we know. However, regarding your new apprentice?¡± He asked leadingly. Grey raised a hand in apology, sitting back. ¡°My report on the situation was strange enough that it was elevated to the highest office. Not long ago, I spoke to the Primector about the failure to regenerate Mr. Hart¡¯s left arm. If I seem on edge at all, it¡¯s simply because this is the first time I¡¯ve ever caught his direct attention.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Grey hummed. ¡°How interesting. It¡¯s been years and years since Aurelius and I spoke. What insight into this matter did he have?¡±


    Josha took a deep breath, his deep blue eyes flickering my way for a moment. ¡°I would like to remind you about the neutrality of the Church, Headmaster. Not as a warning,¡± He amended hastily, when Grey raised an eyebrow. ¡°But as a reassurance. We are not inclined to share any sensitive information that was, perhaps inadvertently, discovered today.¡±


    Oh.


    I see¡­


    Grey must have as well, judging by the way his eyes narrowed slightly.


    Josha cleared his throat uncomfortably. ¡°Having said that, the Church of the Gyre is aware of certain¡­fringe cases where the Rite of Regeneration has failed in the past. Certain confidential research was conducted on this matter many years ago, and I have been allowed to share its findings with you. It has to do with the nature of how the Rite functions, you see. Due to our¡­relationship with the Gyre, blessings be upon it, we are capable of performing the Rite of Regeneration in the first place. A Status, as it is bestowed upon the individual, possesses more inherent functions than is typically displayed to most Awoken.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t new to me,¡± Grey said, furrowing his brow. ¡°In academic circles, it¡¯s well known that a Status has layers to it that are hidden. Or else how would things like System Judgements even happen?¡±


    I nodded along, considering the matter. That made sense to me. I¡¯d always known there was more to a Status than what was shown to me. Not because of something like a Judgment, even if I¡¯d experienced one. No, it was because of the hidden functions of my own Precursor Status that I¡¯d kept quiet about from everyone. Even Grey.


    Meanwhile, Josha nodded. ¡°Just so. However, one of those hidden functions is the entire basis of the Rite. Headmaster, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware of what the actual class that most Preceptors pursue is, correct?¡± At Grey¡¯s curious nod, Josha looked over at me briefly. ¡°For the sake of your young friend, however, I will elaborate. The actual class that was pioneered by Primector Zheng Wei many centuries ago, Preceptor, does not possess any direct combat abilities.¡±


    My eyebrows rose at that.


    ¡°Oh yes,¡± Josha nodded at me. ¡°Preceptor might be one of the only examples of a class that exists under the System that has limited combat capabilities. We¡¯re not defenseless, of course. But rather, those of us who devote ourselves to the Gyre pursue a utility class. Preceptor is a class that is focused on the Status. It allows us to, shall we say, peel back the curtain on the inner workings of it. Our main ability is something called Delve. With it, we can enter into a state of deep meditation, allowing us to ponder the deep and divine mysteries inherent in a Status. The Skill can only be used on oneself, of course. It would be a violation of the highest order if it was able to be used on others.¡±


    Honoka snorted from behind us, momentarily drawing the attention of everyone in the room. While Grey gave her a sharp warning glance, causing her to hold up her hands in surrender, I gave her a curious one.


    What was that about?


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a secret, either,¡± Grey told me, dragging his eyes away from Honoka. ¡°It¡¯s something of a draw for those individuals who are both curious and full of faith. I understand that the Skill is something not dissimilar to an extremely powerful Observe that can be used only on oneself.¡±


    ¡°Correct, Headmaster,¡± Josha smiled at the two of us. ¡°The point is, Primector Zheng Wei discovered a hidden repository of knowledge inside his Status many years ago. Inside was what one could call a¡­template of sorts. This template was a detailed design of what a person¡¯s body should be at full health. We believe that it is this template that facilitates the natural healing inherent in the Awoken. In other words, the body is encouraged to return to the state present in one¡¯s template.¡±


    Grey¡¯s eyes widened in shock, sitting bolt upright in his chair. ¡°And that¡¯s the mystery of how Preceptors are able to regrow missing body parts!¡± He exclaimed, delighted. ¡°You tap into that template, and encourage the body to return to that state! My gods, that¡¯s brilliant. It bypasses the inherent inability of the body to regrow limbs through the use of a backdoor.¡±


    I tilted my head in thought. But¡­


    ¡°All right, I¡¯m just going to lay this out on the table,¡± I said, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°No need to dance around it anymore, yeah? I¡¯m a Precursor, and I know Zheng Wei was a Precursor. You¡¯ve been implying that the Rite doesn¡¯t work on me because I¡¯m a Precursor. How was Wei able to make this ritual work if he was one as well?¡±


    Josha winced at my bluntness but still nodded. ¡°History tells us it was a great tragedy that Wei the Righteous was able to develop this method of regeneration, but was unable to use it himself. You see, he had lost both of his legs in battle many years ago, which is how he came to study with the Church of yesteryear. In his search for a mystical solution, he would develop both the class and the Ritual needed, but could not utilize them. You are correct, Mr. Hart. You cannot undergo the Rite of Regeneration because of your status as a Precursor. What Primector Wei discovered is that his own template was¡­corrupted in a way that he was unable to put into words. Access to it was restricted, even with the help of the System and the Rite he developed. Still, it was a monumental boon to the people of Vereden, as our individual Statuses are not quite as¡­locked down as that of a Precursor¡¯s. I¡¯m afraid that your options are limited if you wish to regain your arm. Perhaps your only true option is to hope that one of your classes will provide an intensely powerful regeneration Skill.¡±


    I lowered my head, gaze falling to my lap at the Preceptor''s words.


    I see¡­


    Grey stood up from his chair when Josha was finished speaking. ¡°Thank you for your explanation, Preceptor Josha,¡± He said diplomatically. At Josha¡¯s answering nod, Grey continued. ¡°I believe we¡¯ll be on our way then. Since the Church cannot help, we will pursue other methods of regeneration. Let¡¯s go,¡± He said to Honoka and I.


    ¡°Good day, Headmaster. I¡¯m sorry we couldn¡¯t help you, Mr. Hart,¡± Preceptor Josha said to me consolingly. I just smiled weakly at him and stood up as well.


    Honoka opened the door to Josha¡¯s office and stalked out, while Grey and I followed her. Once we were out of the Church, Grey set his hand on my shoulder once again. He sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll find a way, Nathan. I promise you. For now, let¡¯s go back to camp, shall we? I believe accommodations have already been prepared for us.¡±


    I nodded, and with one last glance at the Church, followed Grey through the streets of Silvercrest.


    <hr>


    Hours later, I was sitting on my bed in my personal tent inside the Uprising camp. When we had gotten back here, I had dodged curious and concerned questions from Sylvia and Azarus and retreated here, once shown the way by Grey.


    I just wanted to be alone.


    I had been restless for hours now, but I didn¡¯t want to leave these cloth walls and talk about how I felt. I¡¯m sure Grey and Honoka had informed the others that I couldn¡¯t get my arm back, and I frankly didn¡¯t want to deal with them just yet.


    Instead, I¡¯d been pondering the problem in my own way.


    How do I fix this?


    I think I¡¯d hit upon an idea.


    What did I have that other people didn¡¯t? An extremely powerful, multidisciplinary crafting Profession, that¡¯s what. If I couldn¡¯t regrow my arm, I was just going to have to replace it with something else.


    And I think I knew how.


    My gaze fell on the mystically potent bars of gold that Woodrick had gifted me the other night.

 Chapter 131 - Arming Rites

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Grey blinked rapidly, setting down his breakfast spoon. ¡°Would you¡­care to repeat that, Nathan?¡±


    It was morning the day after the failed ritual to regrow my arm, and my closest companions had gathered to break their fasts. I was pretty happy about that for two reasons. The first was because I had skipped dinner last night, as I tried to think how I was going to fix my problem. The other was because everyone I needed to talk to was in the tent we had met up in.


    Well, and Fade. He was sitting on the floor underneath the small dining table Grey, Azarus, Honoka and Sylvia were sitting at with me. My young wolf was chowing down on a bowl of organs and bones provided for him by the Sculpted camp chef.


    Grey wasn¡¯t the only one that had been surprised by my question. Sylvia had stopped one of her rare meals to give me an odd look, while I seemed to have surprised Honoka for once, judging by her raised eyebrows.


    Azarus didn¡¯t care though. He just rolled his eyes at me and got back to eating his breakfast.


    I was unphased by the scrutiny. ¡°Sure. I¡¯d like it if you could show me the enchantments and runic sequences used to create a Sculpted later. If you have time, of course.¡± I amended hastily. I was well aware that Grey was one of the primary figures of the Uprising. No doubt he was going to have a ton of demands on his time, now that we''d linked back up with them.


    Grey furrowed his brow, puzzled. ¡°Whatever for? You¡­can¡¯t possibly be thinking of creating one, could you? Because I assure you, Nathan. If you do, it will immediately assume full sapience once completed. You will have essentially created a child for yourself. That¡¯s been the case since the Second Initialization.¡±


    ¡°Looking to become a deadbeat father like the reprobate, boy? Like master like student, I suppose,¡± Honoka teased with a smirk. Grey made a wordless rude gesture in her direction, never taking his eyes away from me.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± I blinked. ¡°No. I¡­guess I should start at the beginning?¡± I smiled embarrassingly at the unimpressed looks I was the recipient of. ¡°Okay, so. Everyone knows by now that I can¡¯t get my arm grown back, yeah? So, I¡¯m just going to have to replace it with something else. I want to create a prosthetic.¡± I paused. ¡°You guys¡­do know what a prosthetic is, right?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure they would even need them if most people could just get missing limbs regrown.


    Honoka rolled her eyes at me. ¡°Of course we know what a prosthetic is, boy. You¡¯re not the first person in history to be unable to get an arm grown back. Hell, the Rite of Regeneration wasn¡¯t even around for the entire history of Vereden, remember? Your master and I are old enough to remember a time when you couldn¡¯t just walk into a Church and come back out with a fresh new limb.¡±


    ¡°Honoka is correct,¡± Grey nodded, almost reluctantly. ¡°Yours is an unusual case to be sure, however. In rare cases, some people received cursed wounds that were also unable to be regenerated easily. Thus, they receive simple prosthetic limbs.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m guessin¡¯ that¡¯s not what yer after,¡± Azarus grunted out, not looking up from his plate. ¡°If yer asking about Sculpted runes.¡±


    I nodded at my dwarven friend. ¡°Right. Here¡¯s my idea. I want to replace my arm with a mystical prosthetic. Something that I can control as if it were my own flesh and blood. Something that my soul will recognize as my own. If I do it right, then theoretically, even the System shouldn¡¯t be able to tell the difference. That way, it could be bolstered by my Status.¡± I was getting more excited by the idea the more I spoke, until I was leaning forward in my chair and gripping the table.


    Grey¡¯s lips parted in surprise. ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯re asking for the Sculpted enchantments. Because-¡±


    ¡°Because there¡¯s something about them that caused the System to react!¡± I interrupted him eagerly. ¡°Something about those runes and those enchantments must have an interaction with the soul! That¡¯s beyond even the animation enchantments that have to be part of a Sculpted¡¯s make-up that would be useful. If I could isolate the specific part of the Sculpted enchantment matrix that facilitates souls, like I did with the Ward Breaker, I could adapt it to my use!¡±


    ¡°So,¡± Sylvia spoke slowly. ¡°You¡¯re essentially proposing that you custom create a Sculpted arm and¡­graft it to both your body and soul?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± I exclaimed, pointing to her with my one good hand. ¡°If I can¡¯t get my arm back, I¡¯ll just replace it with something better! It¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°Foolish,¡± Honoka broke in bluntly. I blinked rapidly at her, momentarily stunned. Honoka shook her head at me, almost pityingly. ¡°Boy, such an operation would be incredibly risky. Beyond the fact that you¡¯d need to surgically graft your flesh and bone to the prosthetic, I can¡¯t understate how dangerous it would be to mess with your soul like that. I want you to consider something first. You know your Antium friend? Venix?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes?¡± I said weakly.


    ¡°That fool pulled on his soul for more strength in a pinch and wound up in a coma. He didn¡¯t try and attach something to it in some kind of surgical hack job, which is much more dangerous. If you screw that up, you could more than kill yourself. You could kill your soul.¡± Honoka finished seriously.


    I felt my spirits dim.


    Grey though, was tapping his cheek in thought. ¡°Well¡­¡± He drew out consideringly. ¡°Perhaps not that dangerous, in this specific case.¡±


    I perked right back up, while Honoka rounded on Grey with a very real scowl.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you pull this shit again, Greycton,¡± Honoka said warningly. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you play fast and loose with experiments too much in the past to trust you have the right idea about this. As the head of the Healing department, I¡¯m telling you. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Grey raised his hands soothingly. ¡°Peace, old friend. I¡¯m just saying there are some things you might not be aware of. Nathan, if you could perhaps demonstrate your Profession for Honoka¡¯s peace of mind?¡±


    Honoka looked over at me questioningly, while I realized what Grey was talking about. Looking around for something suitable for my use, I shrugged and looked down at my plate. On it, the only thing left was a slice of ham. I held out my good hand over the plate, and with a moment¡¯s thought, fell into my Aetherial Melding trance.


    I¡¯d gotten so used to this state by this point that I didn¡¯t even need to close my eyes anymore. Around me, the pulse of Vereden¡¯s Aether swirled even in our indoor environment, casting the tent in unseen clouds of blue and green. I concentrated on the slice of ham for a moment, and did something ridiculous.


    I melded the slice of cooked ham into the shape of a small ball, about half the size of my fist.


    Honoka blinked in shock at the strange sight.


    I picked up the small ham ball and let it rest in my palm, my trance fading away as it did. I presented the ball to Honoka as if it were a present and spoke in a grandiose voice. ¡°Behold! Orb.¡±


    Gingerly, Honoka accepted the small piece of spherical meat and examined it. Wonderingly, she turned it over in her hands. ¡°No seams¡­hollow¡­¡± Honoka looked up at me. ¡°How did you do this? I don¡¯t even know if a Necromancer could fuse flesh like this, much less a Healer.¡±


    ¡°Meld,¡± I corrected for her, smiling. ¡°I melded that flesh, with my Profession.¡± I proceeded to tell Honoka all about Aetherial Melding, describing how it was a Profession that combined all aspects of the seven. How I learned how to use it, and create my Bond Breakers from the altered design of the Ward Breakers.


    And¡­


    ¡°I think that it can work with Souls in some way,¡± I said to an interested Honoka. The rest of the table had finished their breakfast while I was talking and were watching the conversation in interest. ¡°I haven¡¯t experimented with that aspect of Melding just yet. But, I¡¯ve found that I can Meditate with the skill, and kind of synch my own Aether with the surroundings. It¡¯s an odd experience, but it¡¯s why I think I could essentially perform spiritual surgery on myself. Honoka, we don¡¯t know each other very well yet, but I¡¯m sure I can do this.¡± I paused for a moment, before acquiescing. ¡°With some help. The operation would probably be pretty complicated.¡±


    Honoka kept quiet for a moment, looking at me consideringly and drumming her fingers on the breakfast table. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll help.¡± She acquiesced reluctantly. Before I could celebrate, she raised a finger. ¡°If! If you can put together a good enough prototype for the arm. I¡¯ll make a decision then, as your Healer.¡±


    Since when did she become my Healer?


    I flickered my eyes over in Grey¡¯s direction. He shrugged, and made a helpless gesture with his hands.


    Okay then.


    I nodded at Honoka and stretched my hand out towards her. She took it and squeezed, meeting my eyes. We shook.


    As our hands broke apart, I tried to discreetly shake mine to get feeling back into it. That woman had a strong grip. Judging by Azarus¡¯s amused stare, I wasn¡¯t as discreet as I was hoping.


    ¡°Well!¡± Grey said, clapping his hands together once. ¡°If that¡¯s all, then we have a project to work on while we wait for the main host of the Uprising to reach our position. I spoke to Nyx yesterday, and they¡¯re apparently three to four days away. I¡¯m given to understand the families that had members hostage have already rejoined our cause, promising a copious amount of resources as thanks. Both martial and material. They¡¯ll be traveling with the host.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Sylvia spoke up quietly. ¡°I¡­have something to say as well.¡±


    Grey¡¯s eyebrows rose, turning to face his daughter. ¡°Oh? Do speak up then, my dear.¡±


    Sylvia took a deep breath before her sapphire blue eyes flickered my way, almost apologetically. ¡°After all the fighting and traveling we¡¯ve done, I hit level one hundred. I¡¯m ready to pass the first breakpoint.¡±


    Honoka, who had been taking a drink of water, started coughing violently. She drummed her chest for a moment, before rounding on Sylvia with a wide smile and standing up from her chair. Swiftly, she moved over to Sylvia¡¯s side and dragged her up into a hug. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?! Congratulations!¡±


    Grey copied Honoka, promptly joining the hug. ¡°Oh well done my dear. Well done and congratulations indeed. I¡¯m sure that we can procure the needed reagents for the ritual from Silvercrest.¡±


    Azarus started clapping politely for Sylvia, while Fade poked his head out from under the table, curious about the commotion. I tilted my head in thought.


    Huh.


    I leaned in closer to Azarus. ¡°So,¡± I whispered to him. ¡°I¡¯m guessing this is a big deal?¡±


    Azarus nodded to me, careful not to drag attention away from the celebrating¡­family? ¡°Aye, it is,¡± He whispered back. ¡°Getting¡¯ to one hundred and breaking through the first barrier shows yer being serious about becoming a classer. Things change from that point, let me tell ye.¡±


    Grey and Honoka broke away from the embrace, with Honoka turning to face me. ¡°Sorry, but this has precedence for now,¡± She told me bluntly. I winced, but nodded. Like I¡¯d said, Honoka and I didn¡¯t know each other well yet, while she seemed to almost think of Sylvia as a granddaughter. ¡°You¡¯ve survived this far without an arm, you can wait a few more days. Your master and I will be busy.¡±


    Grey looked at me apologetically, but it was Sylvia who unexpectedly came to my rescue. ¡°Ah, actually, I¡¯m¡­not looking to become a Mage. I want to be a Cultivator, instead.¡±


    Grey¡¯s eyes flew open in surprise, while both he and Honoka turned back to Sylvia in shock. ¡°But¡­I thought you had been investing in Magi Virtues?¡± Grey said, stunned.


    Sylvia shook her head apologetically. ¡°Not for some time now. I made this decision¡­years before you were even captured, Father. I just¡­¡± She bashfully lowered her head. ¡°I was afraid of what you would say. I know you were expecting me to follow in your footsteps and become a Mage.¡±


    Honoka shot Grey a blistering look of warning, but she needn¡¯t have bothered. Grey¡¯s shock melted away into sympathy. ¡°Oh, my Sylvia,¡± He said fondly, reaching out to cup her Mithril cheeks. He raised her gaze level with his own. ¡°You needn¡¯t have worried. I¡¯m not upset that you wish to follow in Honoka¡¯s footsteps instead.¡± He chuckled. ¡°In retrospect, I should have expected this with all the time you two have spent together. In that case, then you¡¯ll be needing Honoka¡¯s help instead of my own to draft your ritual.¡±


    Honoka reached out to grasp Sylvia¡¯s hands in her own, clutching them with a fierce smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯ll be more than happy to help.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Sylvia whispered, smiling faintly. She nodded over in my direction, where Azarus and I had been watching the family moment, mildly uncomfortable. ¡°In that case, you can help Nathan with his project, Father. I think¡­we¡¯ll be able to get both done by the time the main host gets here.¡±


    Grey turned away from his daughter and friend to look at me. I saw him wipe something away from his eyes quickly before he smiled in my direction. ¡°Well, possibly. If we hope to have your arm done before the next battle at Helstein, then we¡¯d best get started. No time to waste,¡± He said, marching for the entrance to the tent, before pausing and looking back at me. ¡°Nathan, if you would? We can get started on the design in my tent. Azarus, you should come too. I suspect we could use your metallurgical expertise for the project.¡±


    Both Azarus and I stood up hastily from our chairs, while Fade emerged from under the table to follow at my heels.


    As I turned to follow after Grey as he left the tent, I looked back over my shoulder and met Sylvia¡¯s eyes.


    I smiled at her and mouthed a word.


    ¡®Congratulations.¡¯


    She smiled back and returned two.


    ¡®Good luck.¡¯

 Chapter 132 - Drafting

    Grey was true to his word, leading Azarus and I to his tent so we could get to work. On the way, I happened to see Renauld hanging out with a group of Sculpted soldiers, regaling them with a story of some kind around a morning campfire. It must have been a good one, as the soldiers were laughing. Renauld saw our group as we passed them, and shot me a wink. I smiled back and shook my head.


    Once we had reached Grey¡¯s much larger than mine tent, he dragged out a bundle of writing material and opened it. He spread the contents across the large desk.


    ¡°To start, we will not actually be constructing a Sculpted,¡± He told Azarus and I. ¡°Instead, I¡¯ll walk you through the process of enchanting one of them. These,¡± He said, pointing to twelve separate sheets of parchment he had set into two separate man shapes. ¡°Will represent the front and back of the six segments that I divide the enchantments into. Head, torso, each arm, and each leg. We will not be combining these papers together at the end, or else we risk actually creating a sapient being. I¡¯ve never heard of or personally created a Sculpted made from parchment, but it¡¯s theoretically not impossible. Do be careful.¡±


    Azarus and I exchanged a glance at that. My dwarven friend cleared his throat. ¡°That¡¯s interestin¡¯ and all,¡± He said slowly. ¡°But, uh, do I got to be here for this? I¡¯m not real keen on learnin¡¯ how to make a Sculpted.¡±


    ¡°As I said,¡± Grey said patiently. ¡°I¡¯d like your knowledge of metallurgical design in drafting Nathan¡¯s new limb. If you¡¯re uninterested in this part of the process, you are free to begin work on that aspect.¡±


    Azarus let out a small sigh of relief and started moving towards another desk in Grey¡¯s room. I stopped him by clearing my throat, however. Azarus turned to look at me curiously.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind,¡± I said carefully. ¡°Could you go grab the¡­gold that you helped Woodrick smelt? From my tent?¡±


    Azarus¡¯s brow furrowed for a moment, before realization stole across his broad features. ¡°Ya want to use that?¡± He blurted out.


    Grey was blinking at me in surprise as well, obviously having deduced what I was talking about.


    ¡°I do,¡± I nodded my head. ¡°From what I understand, that gold is likely to be pretty potent mystically. And I get it,¡± I added hastily. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a bit morbid, but¡­it just feels like a good idea.¡±


    Azarus stared at me for a moment, baffled. Eventually, he shook his head and took a deep breath before nodding. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll, uh, have to change the design a bit, if we¡¯re goin¡¯ with a majority gold. It¡¯s a softer metal, and even if it¡¯s goin¡¯ to be more durable because of the Aether in it, it ain¡¯t gonna be the same as it was for Aurum. It¡¯ll need shorin¡¯ up,¡± As he walked past me to exit the tent, I heard him muttering to himself. ¡°¡­maybe some steel¡­¡±


    When I turned back to Grey, I saw him looking at me consideringly. Before I could ask him what was on his mind, he spoke. ¡°We¡¯ll incorporate the mystical properties of gold into the enchantment,¡± He said evenly. ¡°It¡¯s not quite Mithril, but there¡¯s a reason the metal is so highly valued beyond its luster. Gold makes for an excellent conductor of Aether. For a mystical prosthetic intended to be connected to your soul, and thus your Status¡­¡± He cupped his chin in his hand in thought, before nodding slowly. ¡°Perhaps too conductive.¡±


    I moved to stand over the table carpeted with blank sheets of parchment. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Think of it as this,¡± Grey said patiently. ¡°The gold will work wonders to channel Aether, and eventually Mana. However, connected to your soul as intended, the arm might function as if it were a spigot. All of the mystical energy inherent to your soul could come pouring out like ale from a barrel. Assuming the surgery was a success, you would begin to gradually weaken from the loss of energy, and then promptly die. Obviously, we¡¯d like to avoid this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I think I¡¯d like to avoid that, Grey,¡± I said, deadpan. ¡°So, is the gold a no-go then?¡±


    Maybe it had been a mistake to go ask Azarus to get it.


    However, Grey shook his head. ¡°No, it just needs a counterpart material. Something that can act as, if not a resistor to the gold of the limb, then as a control. Rather than allow your soul-born Aether to flow freely, perhaps something to allow the Aether to be re-absorbed¡­¡±


    I crossed my arms and frowned. ¡°Steel, maybe? I heard Azarus mention that on the way out.¡±


    ¡°Gods no,¡± Grey said, shaking his head again. ¡°Steel is far too mystically dead. Azarus may know how to shape the metal, but I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s aware of the interaction that would cause. Steel is such a poor conductor of mystical energy that it would cause the arm to become completely non-functional from even a fragment.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said, furrowing my brow. ¡°But my spears are made from steel. I have no problem enchanting them when I¡¯m done with the forging.¡±


    Grey snorted. ¡°To be perfectly honest Nathan, the enchantments you¡¯ve placed on your spears are incredibly simple. I believe you¡¯ve only included basic hardening and sharpening arrays?¡±


    Hey. I was pretty proud of those spears.


    But he wasn¡¯t wrong. When I¡¯d been initially drafting the idea of my collapsible spears, I¡¯d focused more on the mechanism. It had been a real pain getting the quick extend and contract features down. Maybe it was time to expand on the enchantment side of the design?


    First, though, I wanted my new arm. I couldn¡¯t even imagine how much of a pain in the ass it would be to get all the little gears and mechanisms right with just one.


    ¡°Besides, that¡¯s an entirely separate matter from much more complex enchantment work like your theoretical arm,¡± Grey continued. ¡°No, we¡¯ll need a much more mystically reactive material than steel to act as a counterbalance to the gold. One moment.¡± Grey walked past me to the door of his tent. Sticking his head out, I saw him extend his arm and wave it off to his left, before backing up. Shortly thereafter, a Sculpted soldier hewn from brown stone stepped into the tent and snapped off a salute at Grey.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Grand Marshall!¡± He nearly shouted, in a gravelly voice. ¡°How may I serve!¡±


    Grey¡¯s eyes flickered over the rank pips on the front breast of the soldier¡¯s tabard. ¡°Corporal¡­?¡±


    ¡°Rockheed, Grand Marshal! Corporal Rockheed, at your service!¡± The Sculpted said in a loud tone.


    Rockheed¡­?


    Don¡¯t laugh, Nate.


    Do. Not. Laugh.


    Grey¡¯s smile flickered, as if he was suppressing something. ¡°Corporal Rockheed, I need you to ferry a message to the logistics officer,¡± He said, turning around and striding over to the table with all of the paper on it. Picking up the fountain pen for sketching runes, he wrote out a quick message and blew on it, presumably so the ink dried quicker. He then folded up the missive, and turned to give it to Rockheed. ¡°Do inform them that I will finance the procurement of these materials out of my own personal accounts.¡±


    The soldier accepted the folded piece of parchment and then saluted again with his free hand. ¡°At once, Grand Marshal!¡± Rockheed then pivoted in place and marched out of the tent. Once he was out of sight, however, I heard the clang of his armor as he raced away.


    Once he was out of sight, I exchanged a mutually amused glance with Grey.


    You know, I was starting to notice a pattern with Sculpted naming conventions. Well, whatever. If they liked it, more power to them.


    I shook my head to clear it of useless thoughts. ¡°So, what did you ask them to find for you?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Grey said thoughtfully, leaning against the drafting table. ¡°It¡¯s almost fortuitous timing that we¡¯re attempting this project now, just outside of Silvercrest. As a mining town, it¡¯s likely one of the best places on the continent to procure mystically reactive metal. We won¡¯t find the best that money can buy here, of course, but we¡¯ll likely find the best that can pair with your gold.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Why, Mithril of course,¡± Grey¡¯s lips stretched into a mischievous smile. ¡°As you can imagine, I¡¯m quite used to working with the metal, after forging my own daughter from its gleam. It will complement the Gold quite well in the construction of your new limb.¡±


    Huh. Nice.


    I think I liked the idea of a gold and silver-looking arm. It¡­probably wouldn¡¯t be great for stealth work, but I could just cover it in a leather glove or something.


    I think I''d seen a movie like that once.


    Our conversation was interrupted by Azarus returning with a wrapped bundle held in his arms. That was probably my portion of the gold hewn from our fallen comrade.


    ¡°Ah! Azarus,¡± Grey said, pushing off of the table. Said dwarf stopped in place, blinking in surprise. ¡°Hold onto that for now. I¡¯ve sent away for an amount of Mithril to be included in the design. You can get started on the physical design, while Nathan and I work on the mystical part.¡±


    Azarus sighed, reaching up to massage his brow. ¡°Mithril,¡± He muttered. ¡°All right, yeah. I can see how that¡¯d work. I don¡¯t got much experience working Mithril, though, so ye¡¯ll need to walk me through it when it comes time for the hammerin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course,¡± Grey nodded enthusiastically. ¡°This can be a learning experience for you as well, since you¡¯re uninterested in the enchantment. Now! Let¡¯s get started, Nathan. Come over here.¡± He said, waving me closer.


    I did as Grey asked, walking over to stand next to Grey at the drafting table.


    My mentor picked up his pen once more and began sketching runes onto the topmost piece of parchment. ¡°We start with the head. Now, I call this an accumulation array¡­¡±


    The rest of the day, we only finished going through the base enchantment design for a Sculpted. We didn¡¯t even get anywhere on the actual enchantment design for the arm itself. I don¡¯t think Azarus got very far on the physical design as well, judging by the mutters and cursing that would float our way from his bench. Well, that and the growing mountain of crumpled-up parchment next to him.


    Near dusk, Coporal Rockheed returned, this time carrying a large sack in his arms. With a thank you and a dismissal, Grey took it to see what the logistical officer of this camp had been able to find for us.


    Inside were over a dozen hunks of raw ore, dark grey in color. Tilted in the light, I could see a silvery reflection in the stone. Grey let out a satisfied noise at the sight, while Azarus cursed again.


    I was a bit confused by the different reactions.


    An amused Grey filled me in, though. ¡°Smelted Mithril is notoriously hard to extract from the raw ore. From this entire hefty sack,¡± Grey held it up, letting me see that it was larger than my torso. ¡°We¡¯ll likely only recover, oh, perhaps two bars worth of usable metal. This part, at least, Azarus won¡¯t need my assistance with.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yer right,¡± Azarus grumbled. ¡°Me old master had me doin¡¯ this all the time. I¡¯ll go get started on this, and come back to the draftin¡¯ later.¡± At that, Azarus took the hefty sack and left to find a forge suitable for his purposes. I doubt the little portable one he had bought back in Hollow Hill was good enough for this.


    ¡°Well!¡± Grey said, clapping his hands once Azarus was gone. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough for now. I trust you have enough to work with now, Nathan? You were primarily interested in the Sculpted enchantment arrays as the basis for your new limb.¡±


    I nodded slowly. Yeah, I had some ideas. I already had my middle and core thought rings working on it.


    But¡­


    Well, whatever. No reason to bring it up yet.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it tonight,¡± I said to Grey.


    ¡°Marvelous,¡± He said, striding towards the exit of his tent. ¡°In that case, I¡¯m quite eager to see how Sylvia and Honoka are coming along. It¡¯s entirely possible that they¡¯ve finished the design for my dear daughter¡¯s Ascension Ritual.¡±


    I hurried to catch up with him. ¡°Ascension Ritual, huh?¡± I said, looking at Grey from the corner of my eye.


    Grey nodded at a passing group of soldiers, causing them to salute him. He then turned back to me. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what we call the Rite needed to break through the breakpoints. Things will change quite dramatically for her once she¡¯s completed the first one. As I¡¯ve told you, that¡¯s the point at which you can begin to generate your own Mana or Ki from the raw Aether of your soul,¡± Grey gave me a considering look. ¡°I¡¯m curious, Nathan. How close are you to the one hundred mark?¡±


    I felt a sliver of unease down my spine, but didn¡¯t let it show on my face. ¡°What, don¡¯t want to Observe me?¡± I teased, causing Grey to roll his eyes. Still, I decided to be at least a little honest. ¡°I¡¯m currently level sixty-three.¡±


    Grey stopped in place, blinking rapidly. ¡°Sixty-three?¡± He said, disbelief thick in his voice. ¡°We haven¡¯t encountered nearly enough monsters on our journey, nor did I think you were crafting enough. How have you reached such a point¡­?¡±


    I took a deep breath, trying to tamp down on old anxieties. Still, I¡­didn¡¯t answer him. I couldn¡¯t get the words out, about how I could just kill people and get levels.


    Grey must have seen something on my face, because he gave me a considering look. ¡°Later,¡± He promised, dropping the subject for now. He smiled at me. ¡°Let¡¯s go check in with the girls, eh?¡±


    Yeah¡­


    That sounded¡­fine.


    I followed Grey to the private dining tent from earlier, where we were most likely to find Sylvia and Honoka.


    I¡¯d rather see them than talk about my murderous growth.

 Chapter 133 - Connection

    Sylvia and Honoka were already in the dining tent when Grey and I arrived. Rather than eating though, they were bent over pouring over some pages of parchment of their own. They looked up at our entrance, with Honoka rolling the parchment up and setting it to the side. I wasn¡¯t able to see much on it before it was put away, but what I did see didn¡¯t make much sense to me. The runic designs had been odd, almost flowing in circular waves compared to the angular rays I was used to. The barest hint I¡¯d been able to make out from the syntax almost looked¡­accented, in a way.


    Weird, but I was starting to get the impression that Cultivators just went in a different direction than how I was learning things.


    The girls, or rather girl and old hag, didn¡¯t have much to share with us about their ritual. From the way everyone was talking about it, I was starting to get the impression that an Ascension Ritual was very personal. With how they were tailor-made to the needs and desires of each person, I don¡¯t think the details of one were meant to be shared with more than the person helping them.


    That was fine with me. I¡¯m sure I¡¯d figure things out when it came to my turn.


    I was pretty quiet for the rest of the night, especially after our dinner arrived from the camp kitchen. I only spoke when spoken to, and even when I did, only in short sentences. I just¡­had other things on my mind.


    I think the others noticed, and left me be. When we were finished, we all broke up and separated to our personal tents. I never did see Azarus again that night. I guess he decided to skip dinner in favor of working on smelting that Mithril.


    I¡¯d thank him tomorrow. I¡¯m sure he¡¯d pop up then.


    Brushing aside the flap of my tent, I stopped in surprise. Fade stopped what he was doing and looked up at me, just as startled by my abrupt entrance.


    My wolf was gnawing on the bones of what looked to be a rabbit, with blood smeared all across his muzzle. Luckily, it seemed like he had contained his messy eating to a small section of the tent.


    ¡°I was wondering where you went off to,¡± I said to Fade, amused despite myself. ¡°Guess you were off to grab a bite to eat.¡± He chuffed back at me, almost smugly. I approached the small washbasin in my tent, and pressed the rune to fill it with water. When it was full, I grabbed a rag, got it wet, and approached Fade. He didn¡¯t protest when I got to work wiping the blood off of his face.


    When I was done, I threw the bloody rag in the sack I used for dirty clothes. I¡¯d get it cleaned later. I put my hand on my hip and raised an eyebrow at Fade. ¡°Is this going to be a thing with you from now on?¡±


    I¡¯d noticed lately that Fade was growing more independent. It seemed to have started around the time that his horns had fully come in, and he¡¯d demonstrated his powers for the first time. After that battle in Caer Drarrow, he¡¯d never used that strange anti-magic pulse again. At least, not in front of me. Hell, he could be using it to hunt for all I knew.


    Still, this was a good thing as far as I was concerned. It was encouraging that he wasn¡¯t completely dependent on me. I cared for him, and enjoyed having him around, but¡­


    I didn¡¯t think of myself as the most stable of caretakers.


    However.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to be bringing kills back, at least clean up after yourself,¡± I said exasperatedly, waving a hand at the remains of his dinner.


    Fade sneezed, but did as I asked. He rapidly crunched through the remaining bones, and then kicked his paws to mix the blood into the sand. When he was done, he looked up at me almost smugly. I just rolled my eyes at him and flopped down on my cot. Cushioning my head with my one hand, I couldn¡¯t help but start brooding about my problems.


    Both about said hand, and my contentious growth. Well, contentious in my mind. I didn¡¯t know if the others would even care about how I was growing so quickly. I was basing my worries about it from one comment that was said in passing months ago. I was probably psyching myself up over nothing, but¡­that was what anxiety was. Worrying over nothing.


    I sighed.


    I was knocked out of my pity party when the sound of metallic knuckles knocked on one of the wooden poles of my doorway. Startled, I sat up and looked over just in time to see Sylvia sweep aside the flap into my tent. She smiled at me, brushing a lock of golden hair behind her Mithril ear. ¡°May I come in?¡±


    Hastily, I stood up. ¡°Uh, yeah. No problem. What¡­can I help you with?¡±


    Sylvia stepped into my tent, pausing when she reached Fade¡¯s position. He perked up at the sight of her, panting. She kneeled down to run her hand over his head. ¡°Hello, Fade,¡± Sylvia murmured. He licked her metallic hand in greeting, and then promptly lay back down. Standing back up, Sylvia met my eyes.


    I felt a shiver run down my spine.


    Sylvia walked over to me and sat on my bed, folding her legs. ¡°I noticed that you seemed distracted at dinner. Is¡­everything going well with your arm?¡±


    Oh.


    I sighed and sat down next to her. ¡°I¡­guess? I had no problem understanding the arrays that Grey showed me but¡­¡± I dragged a hand down my face. Suddenly, I felt exhausted. ¡°But I don¡¯t think it was as helpful as I¡¯d hoped.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Sylvia asked quietly.


    ¡°It¡­has to do with how I enchant,¡± I answered tiredly. ¡°Everything that Grey has taught me about enchanting is useful, I won¡¯t lie. But with Aetherial Melding, I do most of it by¡­feel, you know?¡± I made a frustrated gesture with my hand. ¡°That¡¯s how I made the Bond Breaker back in Addersfield. I made the Ward Breaker first, and then modified the enchantment to suit a purpose. And that¡¯s the problem.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Sylvia said sympathetically. ¡°I believe I understand now.¡±


    I nodded at her. ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t exactly make a Sculpted just so I can feel out their enchantment. That would be so¡­profoundly screwed up.¡±


    Sylvia laughed slightly and shook her head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like a problem at all, Nathan. The solution here is staring you right in the face.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± I said, turning to face her. I found that Sylvia was already looking at me with small, amused smile on her face. I blinked, my face growing red. ¡°Oh. You¡¯re talking about¡­?¡±


    ¡°Me, of course,¡± Sylvia said, inclining her head. ¡°If you need a Sculpted to¡­feel the enchantment of, you may try on me.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Sylvia¡­that¡¯s¡­¡± I tried to say, at a loss for words. I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good idea. I don¡¯t think I could hurt you doing this, but I¡¯m not sure If I want to risk it. I don¡¯t even know if a fully sapient Sculpted is what I need. For all I know, your enchantment was completely absorbed by your soul.¡±


    I¡¯m pretty sure she had a soul. I think.


    Sylvia reached out to lay one cool hand over my own. She met my eyes again. ¡°You won¡¯t know,¡± She said softly. ¡°If you don¡¯t try. Please, don¡¯t worry about me Nathan. I¡¯m positive you wouldn¡¯t hurt me. I haven¡¯t forgotten how you lost your arm in the first place. By protecting me.¡±


    I let my eyes drift down from hers, to rest on her hand. I turned mine over to where I was holding her Mithril fingers. I blinked slowly, allowing mine to trace her own for a moment. I took a slow breath and then nodded, raising my gaze once again. ¡°Okay,¡± I said quietly. ¡°If you¡¯re sure.¡±


    I scooted further onto the bed to where I could sit cross-legged, never letting go of her hand. Sylvia copied me, sitting in front of me. ¡°What do I need to do?¡± She asked me.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± I said, smiling slightly. ¡°Just¡­this might feel a little odd.¡± Staring into Sylvia¡¯s cool sapphire eyes, I fell into my Melding trance.


    The world exploded into blues and greens once more, swirling in Aether streams all around us. Every so often, they would pulse to the beating of an intangible heart far off in the literal Aether. I breathed in, watching as a small amount of energy followed the air that had entered my lungs. I imagined that I could almost feel the tingle as the ambient Aether flowed through me.


    However, out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw something. Turning my head slightly and furrowing my brow, I blinked rapidly at what I found.


    It was Fade.


    He was like¡­a nexus in the ambient Aether. All around his small form, the Aether streams crawled over him in winding strands. They almost seemed to be drawn to him like moths were to a flame. As they reached his lupine form, they penetrated his body to a single point over his heart. The effect was almost as if there was a star of a pure Aether at the core of his being, pulsing in tune with Vereden.


    I had never done any significant crafting in his presence before, so I had never seen this. I had no idea what it meant.


    He was watching me now, though.


    Somehow I could tell he was¡­amused. It was like the Aether surrounding him was tinted with his mirth. With a flick of his tail, the tone of the Aether changed, gaining an almost taste of scolding.


    ¡°Nathan?¡± I heard from Sylvia, startling me slightly. I had almost forgotten about her, in the unexpected nature of Fade¡¯s Aether. I turned back to face Sylvia, and felt my breath hitch in my chest.


    All those months ago, when I had first met Sylvia, she had revealed her face to me under the light of the full moon. At the time, I had thought she was the most beautiful person I¡¯d ever met.


    Right now, she almost rivaled that moment.


    Lit by both candlelight and the glow of blue-green Aether, her Mithril skin was painted in exquisite swirls. It flowed around and through her, almost teasingly flitting through her golden hair.


    Right now though, she was looking at me in confusion. ¡°Have you begun, Nathan?¡±


    I drew in a shuddering breath. ¡°Ah,¡± I stuttered. ¡°No, not yet. It¡¯s just¡­the world through Aether sight is¡­quite a sight.¡±


    Sylvia smiled at me. ¡°I imagine it must be. I¡¯m almost jealous.¡±


    I smiled back at her, a little embarrassed.


    Right. Now wasn¡¯t the time to gawk at her.


    You have a job to do, Hart.


    This wasn¡¯t enough though. When I had comprehended the Ward Breaker enough to edit it, I had been in a much deeper trance. At the time, I had been flat-out meditating. I needed to go deeper.


    Much deeper.


    I closed my eyes and concentrated on the Aether flowing around and through us. I tried to synch up my breathing to the slow pulse of Vereden. With each delayed breath, I fell further and further into my trance. Soon, the only things I could feel were Sylvia¡¯s hand in mine and the embrace of a planet.


    After a time, I felt something else.


    I think¡­it was Sylvia.


    Through the Aether that connected us, that connected all of us in one way or another¡­


    I felt her.


    I think she felt me too, judging by the faint impression of surprise through the Aether.


    In my hand, I felt Sylvia¡¯s hand tremble slightly. She didn¡¯t pull away, though.


    Slowly, through our connection, I felt my consciousness travel up her arm and inside.


    I opened my physical eyes, but I didn¡¯t see with them. Rather, I was seeing something else, something nearly unexplainable. Somehow, I was looking at Sylvia¡¯s very soul. I felt a smile cross my lips.


    It was as beautiful as I had thought it would be.


    To my ethereal sight, Sylvia¡¯s was a star of pure silver light. Across its shining surface, rainbow light occasionally flared into being in rolling waves that ebbed and flowed. However, what caught my eye the most was a tether. An almost rope of blue-green Aether grew from the top of the silver soul, to where it stretched off into the distance.


    I followed it, and as I did, it almost felt as if I was leaving an entire world behind. But I found what I needed.


    The tether connected to an enchantment, a vast and complicated array of dense runic script, flowing with the light of pure Aether. It almost seemed to stretch across the horizon, here in this soul space.


    This was what I needed. The very firmament of the Sculpted soul.


    I felt a large grin grow on my face.


    Now we were talking.


    I settled in to study it voraciously.


    I don¡¯t think I needed long to get what I needed. I was studying Sylvia¡¯s soul space for what felt like thirty minutes before I decided to cut the connection.


    Gradually, I began to draw my consciousness out of Sylvia, passing by her soul as I did so. I gave it one last metaphysical glance before I left.


    I wanted to remember the sight.


    When I was out, I started drawing myself out of the deeper, meditative Melding trance I had been in. Slowly, I blinked my eyes open.


    The first thing I saw were Sylvia¡¯s own blue gems, gazing back at me in wonderment.


    I blushed and cleared my throat. ¡°How¡­long was I out of it?¡±


    Sylvia blinked, looking to almost be knocked out of a trance herself. ¡°Ah? Oh. It¡¯s been perhaps two hours now.¡±


    My eyes opened wider in surprise. Two hours? It sure hadn¡¯t felt like that.


    ¡°Sorry that took so long,¡± I paused. ¡°I¡­didn¡¯t hurt you, did I?¡±


    Sylvia immediately shook her head. ¡°Not at all. The only thing I felt was almost sense of¡­awareness, from you. It was as if I could feel your gaze on me, even if I could tell it was far away.¡± She paused herself before continuing hesitatingly. ¡°However¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°While you were¡­doing whatever it was you were¡­.¡± Sylvia looked away, almost bashfully. ¡°It was almost as if I could see something inside of you. Through your eyes.¡±


    Through my eyes? Wait.


    Could it have been¡­


    My soul? Oh man¡­


    I cleared my throat uncomfortably, feeling my face grow hotter. I finally let go of Sylvia¡¯s hand. ¡°Ah. Well¡­thank you for letting me do that, Sylvia. I think I got what I was looking for.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Sylvia said, startled. She scooted off of the bed to stand up. I followed after her, feeling my joints creak from sitting in one position for so long. ¡°It was¡­no problem at all Nathan. I¡¯m happy to help you.¡± She turned around to walk towards the exit of my tent. She paused though, before she opened the drape. Swiftly, she turned around and advanced on me.


    I was startled when Sylvia caught me in a hug. Only for a moment, though.


    I returned the embrace, wrapping my one good arm around my Sculpted friend. I breathed in, my head in her golden hair. You know, I had never noticed this before, but Sylvia didn¡¯t smell like harsh metal.


    It was more of a minty scent.


    Sylvia broke away first, looking up at me. Before I could react, she leaned up and brushed her cool lips against my cheek, in a brief kiss. Backing away, and without another word, she fled into the night air.


    I was left standing in the middle of my tent, holding a stunned hand up to cup my cheek. I let out a shuddering breath. ¡°Oh man,¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m in trouble.¡±


    I paused for a moment before realization hit me like a brick. ¡°Shit!¡± I said, scrambling for the small writing desk that I had in my tent. I needed to put down the thoughts I¡¯d had about the Sculpted enchantment before I forgot them.


    As I started to scribble runes frantically on parchment, I heard Fade begin to cough repeatedly, lying on the floor to my right.


    It almost sounded like he was laughing at me.

 Chapter 134 - Mithril Ascension

    From what Grey told me, we only had days before the main host of the Uprising would reach Silvercrest. We needed to get our individual projects finished by the time they reached us, or they would just get harder. For Grey, Azarus, and me, we might be able to draft and forge my new arm using Azarus¡¯s mobile forge while traveling in a carriage. But we sure as hell wouldn¡¯t be able to perform the surgery to graft it to my body and soul.


    With Honoka and Sylvia, I was told they would need to get the Ascension Ritual done now, or else they would just have to wait until they were in a major city again. Apparently, a major component of an Ascension Rite was the usage of what they called an Isolation Chamber. From what I was told, these were specially prepared rooms that required exacting construction. Supposedly, they were rooms created to block out all forms of external mystical energy and make Rituals more likely to succeed. You could perform an Ascension without one, but it had a high chance of going wrong without it.


    To my surprise, I learned that the room in the Church where I¡¯d had my failed Rite of Regeneration was an Isolation Chamber. In retrospect, that made sense. Grey told me over breakfast the next day that the Church was open to letting others use the Chamber. For a modest fee, of course.


    During breakfast, I tried not to let the sight of Sylvia embarrass me. I think it was only thanks to my long neglected Acting talent letting me keep a straight face. Sylvia herself was acting like nothing had happened at all though, so I followed her lead and tried to treat her like normal. I mean, it¡¯s not like anything important had happened.


    I¡¯d only literally seen the shape of her soul, after all.


    Still, Grey and Honoka must have some kind of supernatural sense about this kind of thing. Grey kept shooting the two of us mildly puzzled looks, while Honoka was nearly glaring at me over her plate of eggs and ham. I did my best not to pay her any mind.


    I didn¡¯t see Azarus again until we had broken up into our own individual groups. Grey and I found him waiting for us in his tent, already working on the design for my arm. Sitting next to him on the desk he was hunching over were two bars of bright silver metal, shining in a familiar way. He barely acknowledged us with a grunt when we stepped into the tent.


    Grey and I decided to leave him to it, and got to work on the enchantment side of things.


    When I showed my mentor the brainstorming about the Sculpted enchantment structure I¡¯d done the other night, he was impressed.


    ¡°These are some interesting insights, Nathan,¡± Grey said, pouring over the notes I had brought with me. He looked up at me with a mildly puzzled look on his face when he was finished. ¡°I must admit, I did not believe yesterday was productive towards your goal. You seemed frustrated when we separated. Did you simply need time to collect your thoughts?¡±


    I coughed into my fist. ¡°Yeah, something like that,¡± I said, with as straight of a face as I could manage. ¡°Do you get where I¡¯m going with this now? You think this is enough?¡±


    Grey¡¯s gaze lingered on me for a moment, before he looked back down at my notes. He nodded slowly. ¡°Yes, I do believe we have what we need. There are some observations about the Sculpted enchantment structure here that not even I had considered before. With this¡­I can see a path forward. Let us begin, shall we?¡±


    We got to work.


    Sylvia and Honoka finished their work on the design of the Ascension Ritual that day. Grey and I had only just started to put together the framework of my new arm¡¯s enchantment by that point. An excited Honoka barged into the tent midday, with a more composed Sylvia following along behind her.


    Grey and I looked up at their entrance, startled. We had been pretty deep into rune sketching, and had barely noticed the passage of time. Azarus didn¡¯t even look up at all. He just kept his head down and kept working.


    Honoka didn¡¯t care about the interruption. ¡°We¡¯re done! We have the design, and we have the materials. Get up. We¡¯re getting this done now.¡±


    ¡°Ah? Oh!¡± Grey said, standing up from his stool at the drafting table rapidly. He looked over at me. ¡°Apologies, Nathan. We¡¯ll have to continue this another time.¡±


    I blinked at him and shook my head, standing up myself. ¡°No, no. I understand,¡± I paused for a moment, flicking my eyes over towards Sylvia. She tilted her head curiously, causing me to hurriedly look back over at Grey and Honoka. ¡°Is it all right¡­if I come along too?¡±


    Honoka narrowed her eyes at me.


    ¡°Of course it is,¡± Grey said, curiously. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, glancing at Honoka. ¡°No reason. Let¡¯s go then, yeah?¡±


    Before we could leave, Azarus finally spoke up, nevertheless not looking up from his drafting. ¡°Congrats.¡± I heard him float Sylvia¡¯s way.


    Sylvia smiled slightly at the dwarf¡¯s back. ¡°Thank you, Azarus. We¡¯ll leave you to your work.¡±


    Azarus grunted in reply.


    Our group of four left the tent, Grey and Honoka leading the way into town. Meanwhile, Sylvia and I trailed behind the two of them in somewhat uncomfortable silence. I cleared my throat, desperate to break it. ¡°So,¡± I said, glancing at her. ¡°Are you excited?¡±


    Sylvia hummed and nodded. ¡°To a degree, yes. I¡¯m¡­curious as to what it will feel like, to have my own Ki. Some other changes will supposedly occur once the Ritual is complete, but Honoka has told me they¡¯re hard to put into words. She says that I¡¯ll understand when the time comes.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Huh. Cool,¡± I said lamely. Silence fell on us again, before Sylvia broke it this time.


    ¡°Did¡­¡± She started, glancing over at me. ¡°Last night help any?¡±


    I flushed slightly, but nodded. ¡°Yeah. It¡­did. I think Grey and I have it now. We just need time to finalize the runework.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Sylvia said softly, eyes drifting away. ¡°I¡¯m glad I was able to help.¡±


    For the rest of the walk into Silvercrest, the silence between the two of us was more comfortable. I relaxed, only to be startled when Fade popped up out of nowhere before we reached the gate. He was gnawing on a bone but fell into step with our group with no problem. He gave me a smug look when he noticed my glance.


    Whatever, you little glutton.


    We reached the Church before too long, and I stood back as Grey and Honoka approached Preceptor Josha. He looked startled and wary to see us again so soon, but brightened up at what the two elders were saying. He nodded and then accepted a pouch of payment from Grey. Honoka turned around and waved Sylvia forward. My Sculpted friend excused herself and followed Honoka into the back room into the Isolation Chamber where my Rite had failed. Grey walked back over to me, to my surprise. Oddly enough, Honoka accepted a large bucket of what looked to be soap, water, and a sponge from Preceptor Josha.


    Wonder what that was about.


    ¡°Not going in with them?¡± I asked Grey when he reached me as the two of us took a seat in one of the empty pews. Fade hopped up to sit with me, and began to lick his paws.


    Grey shook his head. ¡°No, I have no place in a Cultivator¡¯s Ascension Ritual. My presence alone would interfere with the needed energy balance in the room. We¡¯ll have to wait here to greet Sylvia when it¡¯s done. It should only be about an hour.¡±


    I nodded to show my understanding, and then sat back to wait.


    Grey wasn¡¯t wrong. A little over an hour later, Honoka opened the door to the Isolation Chamber and stepped out with a proud grin on her face. Two things seeped out of the room with her, neither of them Sylvia. The first was an almost visible wave of a deep green energy that flowed around her form in whorls and spirals. It dissipated into the air of the Church, just barely reaching my waiting form.


    That must be Ki. I had no experience with it, not like I did with Mana. I may not have any of my own, but I was used to working with the energy by now during my time as Grey¡¯s apprentice. To my senses, Mana was cool, pliable and eager. It wanted to be shaped to the user¡¯s every desire. Ki felt like the opposite to me. It was hot with purpose, and yet stubborn. I almost got the sense that the very energy itself wanted to challenge the world around it.


    The second thing that creeped out from around Honoka was an ungodly smell. I had no idea what it was, but it was almost like rotten metal, if such a thing was possible. It was like I was smelling an intense combination of rust, spoiled oil, and choking coal. I doubled over in my seat, pinching my nose closed with my one good hand. To my side, I saw Fade whine and cover his as well with his paws. Oddly enough, Grey seemed to be unaffected by the noxious scent. He just seemed proud, for some reason.


    Grey looked at my hunched-over form and just laughed. ¡°If you think this is bad, you should smell the Vitriol from Cultivators that aren¡¯t Sculpted.¡± He shook his head, still laughing, and stood up just in time to see Sylvia walk out of the Isolation Chamber.


    Vitriol?


    I stood up to greet her, still pinching my nose, only to stop in surprise.


    Sylvia looked¡­different.


    Small imperfections I had noticed on her over the months looked like they had been¡­smoothed away. Her Mithril skin was smoother, small tool marks that had been nearly imperceptible before were simply gone. It shone even brighter in the diffuse light of the church, cast from the stained glass windows. Her golden hair somehow looked to have somehow grown more than a few inches, for the first time since I¡¯d met her.


    I didn¡¯t think that was possible for Sculpted ¡®hair¡¯ to grow. How does that happen?


    But the biggest change had to be with her construction itself. The nearly invisible small gaps in her face that allowed the plates to articulate against each other and form expressions were gone. They had fused together to form a solid Mithril surface. However, it wasn¡¯t immobile now. It just looked like a normal woman''s face, only composed of Mithril. I watched as Sylvia stared down at her own hands in wonder, flexing them and marveling at something. More and more, she looked like she was just a human woman with silver skin and golden hair.


    To my dismay, I thought she was even more beautiful now.


    The smell in the Church was starting to dissipate, helped in part by Preceptor Josha waving around a censor of strongly smelling incense. He stopped when Sylvia stepped into the Church proper and made the sign of the Gyre. ¡°Blessings be upon you, Cultivator.¡± He said, smiling.


    Sylvia inclined her head at him. ¡°Thank you, Preceptor.¡±


    God, even her voice was a little different. It was clearer, and it was as if a note of metallic dissonance had disappeared. It was still silvery and chiming, but smoother somehow.


    Grey rapidly approached his daughter and wrapped her in a hug, which she returned. After a moment, they separated, Grey stepping back to hold her at arm''s length. ¡°Will you look at that,¡± He said in wonderment. He shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s always fascinating to me, seeing the results of a Cultivator Ascension Rite on a Sculpted. So few seem to go that route. Well done, my dear. Well done indeed.¡±


    ¡°Hers went really well,¡± Honoka cut in before Sylvia could respond, approaching the Father and Daughter. She had a beaming grin on her face as she clapped Sylvia on the back. ¡°I haven¡¯t done this for many Sculpted, but I¡¯m more than happy with the results.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Both for your help, Honoka,¡± Sylvia said, nodding at Honoka, before turning back to Grey. ¡°And your support, Father. It was¡­an experience, I can say that much.¡±


    I tentatively approached the small family unit. ¡°So, how¡¯s it feel to have your own Ki? Everything you expected?¡± I asked, half teasingly, half serious.


    Sylvia took my question more seriously than I expected. She turned her gaze up to look at the stained glass window on the far wall contemplatively. ¡°It is¡­¡± She started slowly, before stopping. She took a deep breath, even though I knew she didn¡¯t need to.


    At least, I thought she didn¡¯t.


    I swear that I felt a slight disturbance in the Aether around me, as if it was being drawn toward her.


    ¡°They are correct,¡± Sylvia finally said. ¡°I cannot describe it in words.¡± She shook her head, smiling at me helplessly. ¡°It will be different, but perhaps you will understand when your own time comes, Nathan.¡±


    I nodded slowly in response. ¡°I guess I will.¡±


    After that, our group left the Church. It was late enough that we weren¡¯t getting any more work done on my own project, so after a brief celebratory dinner back in camp, we all went to sleep.


    Well, presumably Azarus went to sleep.


    Hopefully not at the drafting desk in Grey¡¯s tent.


    Because the next day, we finished my new arm.

 Chapter 135 - Gold and Silver

    ¡°So, they¡¯re two days out?¡± I asked Grey quietly, loud enough so only he could hear. My eyes weren¡¯t on him, though.


    They were on Azarus.


    Grey, Azarus, and I were in the small forge that this military camp had. Azarus had negotiated for its use from the forge master, a Sculpted wrought from bronze by the name of Smelt. Right now, Azarus was doing the actual forge work required for my arm, with the assistance of said forge master. He¡¯d been working on it now since before the sun had come up and seemed to have finished most of it, judging by the bits and bobs he had scattered around on a nearby workbench.


    I would have volunteered to help with the forging process, but Azarus had turned me down. He¡¯d told me that he wanted to do this for me, as a repayment of his debt to me.


    ¡°What debt?¡± I¡¯d asked him, completely confused.


    Azarus had looked me straight in the eye and said one word. ¡°Addersfield.¡±


    Oh.


    I¡­guess he still felt that he owed me a debt for helping get him out of the Principality. I didn¡¯t really agree with that. We¡¯d all worked together to get out of Addersfield, and away from dwarven lands. If anything, I owed him a debt. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have ever been able to free myself from bondage without his help. I didn¡¯t feel like there was any sort of debt between us. Apparently, he didn¡¯t agree with that. He was being characteristically stubborn about this, so I let it drop.


    Thus, Azarus was doing the forge work. I trusted him, though. Last night, Grey, Honoka, Azarus, and I had spoken about the way that we wanted the arm to actually attach to my body and had come up with a pretty interesting idea. Azarus had told me he could do it, so I¡¯d given the go-ahead on the entirely different method than we¡¯d initially planned on. Honoka had even said this sounded less risky, as far as the operation went. Azarus had taken a few measurements of my stump, and that was that.


    Grey had only just joined me, actually. Like he¡¯d promised Azarus, he had been working with my dwarven friend for a large part of the forging process. I hadn¡¯t been inside to hear, but I¡¯d seen Grey patiently explain how to forge and work Mithril as a refresher lesson for an interested Azarus and an enthralled Smelt. It didn¡¯t seem like Azarus had needed much help, though. After a few tries, he¡¯d seemingly gotten the process down just fine, leading to Grey exiting the forge to stand with me.


    I guess Azarus hadn¡¯t had enough faith in his own abilities.


    Grey and I were standing just outside of the forge while Azarus and Smelt worked. We had finished the design work for the arm¡¯s enchantment, and now we just needed the physical components. Then, once they were done, we would just need to inscribe and enchant them. At that point, after fully assembling the arm, all that would be needed was the actual surgery to graft it to my body and soul.


    You know. Only the most dangerous part.


    No biggie.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Grey said, nodding to my question. ¡°The scouts have encountered the main host. For now, they¡¯re just barely out of far-eye range. If we wish to finish your arm, then we¡¯ll need to be done by at least tomorrow. From what I¡¯ve been informed, the main host isn¡¯t intending to stay at Silvercrest for long. Only a few hours, so they can purchase additional supplies from the town. The camp is intending to immediately start breaking up when they reach us.¡±


    ¡°All right, that¡­still sounds doable,¡± I said slowly, eyes tracking the rise and fall of Azarus¡¯s smithing hammer. I didn¡¯t even flinch at the ringing of metal on metal that echoed out of the forge. I may not use a hammer for my own forging, but I was used to the noise by now. I cast a gaze over at Grey. ¡°We¡¯ll have to bug Honoka about being ready for the operation.¡±


    I was startled by the feeling of a sharp finger jabbing me in the ribs. I yelped, spinning around to see who had assaulted me.


    Even though I already had a suspicion¡­


    Sure enough, Honoka was standing behind Grey and I, smirking at me. Sylvia was with her, smiling at me almost apologetically.


    ¡°No need to pester me, boy,¡± Honoka said, amused by my reaction. ¡°I¡¯ve already set up an appropriate surgery station in the Healer¡¯s tent. I even went and recruited an assistant in that fox boy you rescued. Whatshisname, Reyault.¡±


    ¡°Renauld,¡± I corrected automatically. So, Renauld was going to help then? I¡¯d have to go and thank him later.


    Honoka waved me off irritably. ¡°Eh, whatever. Point is, you better be grateful, boy,¡± She said, jabbing me in the chest with the same finger that had goosed my ribs. ¡°I¡¯m meant to be teaching Sylvia here the basics of Cultivation Arts, but no. Instead, I¡¯m running around preparing for your damn fool operation.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Grey said dryly. ¡°Far be it from me to prevent education, but I¡¯m sure Sylvia doesn¡¯t mind it being postponed for a medical procedure.¡±


    Sylvia shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I can wait a few days for my instruction to begin. This is more important.¡± She smiled slightly in my direction. I returned it, glad for the support. I¡¯d been a little awkward around Sylvia the day after our little¡­session, but I¡¯d gotten over it. There was no use stressing out over things like that, especially right now. If she had meant that kiss in a certain way, then I trusted Sylvia to say so.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Our little group conversation was cut short by Azarus, appearing in the doorway of the forge. We turned to face him, to see that the soot-stained and exhausted dwarf had a triumphant look on his broad features. ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± He said heavily, with a breath. ¡°C¡¯mon, I¡¯ll show ye how it works.¡± He walked back into the forge, with the rest of us following.


    Azarus led us to the bench where a mass of finished parts lay. On it, I could see what looked to be bones wrought from solid Mithril, and a plethora of golden shell pieces. I tilted my head when I saw them, instantly understanding the idea behind what Azarus had been after.


    ¡°So,¡± Azarus said, folding his arms and nodding at the table. ¡°Essentially, the thing is going to work like a real arm would. It¡¯s not going to work like some kind of solid hunk of metal. Nah, that would be too unwieldy. Instead, you¡¯ve got all the individual bones,¡± He pointed to three separate piles of Mithril ¡®bones¡¯, each seeming to be for the forearm, wrist, and hand. I counted exactly twenty-nine of them in total. ¡°Which make the skeleton of the arm. Now, like we talked about, all that is goin¡¯ to attach to these.¡±


    Azarus reached into the pile of golden components and pulled out what looked to be two gold and silver caps. They were around the width of what was left of my forearm, with one Mithril side of it flat on each, and with a few notches on the surface of it. The other was gold and cupped in the shape of my stump. Inside were a few spikes extending from their surface.


    Honoka took it from him, giving the component a critical eye. She nodded at her inspection. ¡°Yes, we can work with this. As agreed, one of these is what will actually be grafted to the boy¡¯s body. Against my wishes, he''ll be awake during the procedure, to meld the gold to his flesh and bone. Once that¡¯s done, he¡¯ll do something to connect it to his soul as well. The whole time, I¡¯ll be keeping him alive with the help of the fox.¡± Honoka stopped to give me a doubtful look. ¡°Are you sure you can actually do this, boy? It¡¯ll be beyond excruciating.¡±


    Still, I nodded at Honoka. ¡°Yeah, I can do it. I have a Skill that will help with this.¡± In fact, I don¡¯t even think I would have been capable of this at all without Ringed Mind. I¡¯d be turning off my pain receptors during the operation with the help of my core ring, and wouldn¡¯t feel a bit of it. I¡¯d probably need to dull my sense of horror at performing surgery on myself with my middle ring, as well.


    ¡°All right then,¡± Azarus nodded, and then held up the second cap. ¡°The actual arm will fit onto this. Once it¡¯s all enchanted, I¡¯ll assemble it, bones first, and then the gold casing around that. It¡¯ll be mostly hollow, but that ain¡¯t going to be a problem because you guys included a hardening enchantment.¡± He paused. ¡°Right?¡±


    Grey nodded, stepping up to examine the bits and pieces of my new arm. ¡°Yes, we did. As well, if Nathan is successful in attaching the apparatus to his soul, then the prosthetic will benefit from the inherent toughness that is granted from a Status. Additionally, through the use of Nathan¡¯s prototype ¡®Soul Linking¡¯ enchantment, he should be able to switch out arms in the future with ease. Much like how some Sculpted can swap body parts with similar ease, even if they were not born with them. Their soul inherently recognizes the new material as appropriate, and is thus accepted onto the body.¡± Grey scratched his chin. ¡°You know, even if I designed the Sculpted enchantments myself, I was never able to narrow it down to which specific array was causing that interaction. However did you manage to figure it out, Nathan?¡±


    I coughed into my fist, eyes flickering over to Sylvia for a moment. She carefully didn¡¯t react, merely continuing to study the pieces of arm forged by Azarus. ¡°Careful experimentation.¡±


    Grey didn¡¯t notice the byplay, but Honoka did. She narrowed her sunset eyes at me suspiciously. I carefully didn¡¯t meet them. ¡°Well!¡± Grey said, clapping his hands and maybe saving my life. ¡°Good job, either way. Azarus, if you could bundle it up, Nathan and I will take it from here. I expect we¡¯ll have finished the enchantments by the end of the day. Ms. Smelt,¡± He said, addressing the Sculpted forge master, who I had completely forgotten was still in here with us. She jumped at being addressed. ¡°Thank you for the usage of your forge. I assure you, you¡¯ll be appropriately compensated.¡±


    The bronze Sculpted woman shook her head furiously, waving her hands. ¡°No, no!¡± She said in a flanging voice. ¡°It¡¯s fine! Just getting to work with you and Mr. Azarus was more than enough! I learned so much from this!¡±


    Grey smiled politely. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure the payment is delivered promptly,¡± He said, ignoring her protestations. Smelt deflated and smiled at the Headmaster sheepishly, nodding in acceptance. Azarus had finished essentially sweeping all of his careful work into a sack by then and had come to stand next to Grey and I. Grey then turned to me. ¡°Nathan, let¡¯s go. We have a busy day ahead of us.¡±


    I nodded at him, and then said my goodbyes to Sylvia and Honoka. Grey, Azarus, and I then left the forge for Grey¡¯s tent, where we had turned our former drafting table into an enchanting workstation.


    After dropping off his work, Azarus stuck around to inform us about the function of every piece of the arm, which was helpful. Each piece was going to need its own individual part of the enchantment.


    Looking out over the pile of mystically charged prosthetic pieces, I got ready for a long day. I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d ever enchanted this much at once, even if I was going to have Grey¡¯s help. I took a deep breath, and nodded to myself.


    We got to work.


    Sure enough, Grey was right. It took us the rest of that day in order to get everything done. By the end of it, every last piece of my disassembled new arm was nearly humming with the freshly charged permanent enchantments set into it.


    I was exhausted. I hadn¡¯t quite pushed myself to a blackout as I had in Caer Drarrow, but it was close. I could barely keep my eyes open. Conversely, Grey still looked fresh.


    I guess that was just the difference in our strengths right now.


    Azarus had left a while ago, leaving us alone to our work.


    Grey looked at me in concern and lay a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Nathan, perhaps you should rest for now. You still have the operation to do tomorrow. You need to conserve at least some strength.¡±


    I took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m¡­going to go hit the hay. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow?¡±


    Grey nodded at me. ¡°Yes, before the operation. After that, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t see you until it¡¯s completed. I have some administrative work I must do in preparation for the arrival of the main host. Mainly having to deal with the handing off of the former prisoners.¡±


    I nodded to show I understood and then exchanged goodbyes with him. I stumbled out of his tent and almost drunkenly made my way to my own. Once there, I barely had enough energy to say hello to Fade, before flopping onto my bunk.


    I was out nearly instantly, a smile on my face.


    Tomorrow, I was finally going to have two arms again.

 Chapter 136 - Prismatic Soul

    The next morning, I gave Grey and Sylvia my goodbyes and watched them walk away together. I had woken up fairly early around the green period, and made my way to the Healer¡¯s tent for my operation, Fade at my heels. The retreating father and daughter had been waiting for me just outside the canvas walls of the tent, ready to wish me well on my surgery. After clasping arms with Grey and exchanging a hug with Sylvia, to Grey¡¯s raised eyebrow, they had told me that they had work to do with the camp commanders.


    I was going to ask them to keep an eye on Fade, but I didn¡¯t get the chance. He had already scampered off to do his own thing like usual. No doubt off to terrorize the local wildlife around Silvercrest.


    Now that they were gone, it was time for me to get on with this. I took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and then let it out slowly. When I was done, I turned back to face the Healers tent and brushed aside the flap.


    Inside, it was¡­pretty mellow right now. Since it was so early in the day, I guess there was no need to patch up¡­.


    Wait.


    I was going to say scrapes and bruises, but this was a Sculpted camp. Why did they even have a Healers tent? I¡¯d gotten the impression that most Healing magic didn¡¯t typically work on Sculpted. They needed individualized work in order to patch up damage to their bodies. My understanding was that Aurum had been a bit of an outlier by becoming an actual Healer.


    Giving the tent a closer look, I could see that it was a bit¡­odd. Sure, there were still plenty of things that I would expect from a Healers tent like cots and curtains, but that was where the similarities ended. Scattered around the tent were a bunch of workmen¡¯s tools and materials. I¡¯d usually expect things like¡­forceps, scalpels, and bottles of potions. Instead, I saw metal files, carving knives, tongs, and a large variety of materials ranging from wood to stone to metals arranged on a large shelf. Hell, even the needle and thread that I¡¯d think were used for stitching wounds were ominously large.


    That looked more like a textile needle¡­


    I shook myself out of my odd tangent. I was just distracting myself from my nerves about the procedure.


    Still, something else caught my eye.


    Venix.


    He was lying on one of the cots in the tent, looking like he was sleeping peacefully. I¡­hadn¡¯t seen him in a while. I was ashamed to say this, but I had forgotten about his state while I had been obsessed with replacing my arm. Walking up to his reclining form, I gazed down at him.


    He looked¡­fine? To me? I didn¡¯t see anything wrong with him, even though he was still comatose from the battle at Caer Drarrow. It had been weeks now and he was still out.


    I hoped he would be okay.


    I was startled out of my inspection of the Antium man by the sound of Honoka¡¯s voice.


    ¡°He¡¯s fine.¡± Turning around, I saw that the older woman had brushed aside a curtain that led to a sectioned-off part of the tent. She walked to me and nodded down at Venix. ¡°Had the Preceptor come down here the other day and take a look at the big oaf, since I can¡¯t do anything with souls. He confirmed my suspicions about a diminished soul.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s going to be fine?¡± I asked her, concerned.


    Honoka nodded, to my relief. ¡°Yeah, he will. But he¡¯s going to be out of it for some time. It could be weeks or months until he¡¯s strong enough to wake up again. But the Preceptor confirmed that he¡¯s recovering well enough on his own.¡±


    I sighed in relief. Meanwhile, Honoka jerked a finger over her shoulder the way she came. Following it, I could see an entire operating theatre set up in the sectioned-off space, complete with a raised bed.


    I looked around though, because there was something, or rather someone missing. ¡°Where¡¯s Renauld? I thought he would be assisting. For that matter, what about the actual Healer this tent belongs to?¡±


    Honoka glowered off into space. ¡°The fox is late. We¡¯re just waiting on him to show up now, and then we can get started. As for the Healer,¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s just say, this isn¡¯t her field of expertise. I asked her to clear out for the duration of the operation.¡±


    Casting a gaze at a nearby hammer covered in stone dust, I nodded in understanding. Yeah, I could see how they might not be able to help.


    Our attention was stolen by the entrance to the tent flapping open, and Renauld sauntering in like he owned the place. He brightened when he saw me, raising a hand in greeting and opening his mouth.


    He didn¡¯t get a chance to say anything, though.


    Swifter than he could react, Honoka reached him and grabbed one of his furry ears. He yelped as she twisted it and brought him down to her position. ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± Honoka hissed into it. I cringed in sympathy.


    ¡°What do you mean I¡¯m late?¡± Renauld literally whined. ¡°You just said to be here after sunrise!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s at least twenty minutes after sunrise, fool!¡± Honoka barked, letting go of the Gnoll¡¯s ear. She raised a threatening finger in Renauld¡¯s direction to point at him. He cringed away from it. ¡°This is why you didn¡¯t get the internship with Professor Sereni last year! Always late!¡±


    I smiled slightly at the byplay. It was a little funny seeing someone on the other side of Honoka¡¯s haranguing for once. It calmed my nerves a bit. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you two knew each other.¡± I¡¯d never seen them interact back on the Thorny Reef or on the drive to Silvercrest.


    Renauld eyed Honoka like she was a dangerous beast. ¡°I¡¯m a Healing student at the Academy, so I have to know her. She¡¯s in charge of the department, after all. Even if I¡¯m not a Cultivator, she¡¯s still in charge.¡±


    Honoka snorted at the Gnoll and lowered her finger. ¡°Damn right, I¡¯m in charge. Go prep yourself at the station I made and get ready.¡± She jerked her head in the direction of the surgery room she had apparently claimed in the Healers tent.


    You know, I was starting to wonder if the Sculpted Healer had been glad to get away from Honoka.


    Renauld did as she said, circling around Honoka warily to reach the surgery station like she was a rabid beast that could attack him at any moment. Once inside, I saw him skitter over to a sink and turn it on with one last wary glance over his furry shoulder.


    Honoka looked away from him dismissively and pinned me with a look. ¡°Now you. You¡¯ll have to lose the shirt, and the pants too. Unless you want them to be ruined with your own blood, after all.¡±


    Nah, I¡¯d made these myself. I stepped past Honoka into the operating theatre and pulled my shirt off, uncaring about my partial nudity. I might have arrived on Vereden soft and doughy from a relatively cushy life back home, but I¡¯d since put on some muscle. Not to be arrogant, but I don¡¯t think I had anything to worry about looks-wise after months of hard travel, combat practice, and actual battle. Plus, I had the sneaking suspicion that a Status just made you more attractive in general.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    It was odd to think about it, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever met anyone on Vereden that was outright unattractive. Even old Porous Pete from the Reef hadn¡¯t been outright hideous, despite his unfortunate pockmarks.


    I took off my pants as well, leaving me only in my leather underclothes, and then climbed up on the operating bed. I took a deep breath once I was in place, while Honoka and Renauld appeared above me, on my left and right respectively. They''d layered white linen robes over themselves, belted at the waist and were wearing long gloves. I guess this was the Vereden equivalent of surgeon''s garb.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Honoka said seriously. ¡°As we talked about, this is how it¡¯s going to go. You¡¯ll use your Skill to numb yourself, and then I¡¯ll open up the stump so it can be operated on. Once that¡¯s done, Renauld will start keeping you stable with a steady stream of healing so you don¡¯t bleed out. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll apply the cap,¡± She raised the twinned piece of gold and Mithril that Azarus had forged. ¡°And apply the brute force mystical power that you¡¯ll need to ''Meld'' it to your body and soul. Are you sure that you can convert Ki to your needs?¡±


    I nodded up at Honoka from my reclining position. ¡°I am. I may not be very familiar with it, but I won¡¯t have problems. Aetherial Melding seems to have no problem with things like that.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Don¡¯t worry if this takes a long time,¡± Honoka reassured me. ¡°I have the staying power to keep whatever you need flowing for more than long enough. And despite his deficiencies in other areas, the fox is a decent enough healer that he won¡¯t have problems either.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Thank you for the thrilling endorsement, Lady Honoka,¡± Renauld muttered under his breath. Apparently not quiet enough, as he cringed away from the evil eye she shot him.


    Shaking her head, Honoka switched her gaze back to me. ¡°Are you ready to begin?¡±


    I took another deep breath to squash the nerves I could feel in my stomach. At the same time, I activated the abilities of both my middle and my core rings. I instantly calmed down from the stranglehold that I placed on my emotions, feeling an unnaturally deep and steady calm roll over me. At the same time, I felt most of my sense of touch fade from my body, with a rolling numb rolling over me. I wasn¡¯t going to be feeling much of anything while I had this active, much less pain.


    I looked up and met Honoka¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m ready,¡± I said calmly.


    Honoka studied my pacified state for a moment before nodding. ¡°Then let¡¯s get this over with,¡± She said grimly, picking up a nearby surgical scalpel.


    .....................................


    In my artificially relaxed state, I didn¡¯t find it difficult to endure the physical portion of the operation. Once Honoka had opened up my stump and pressed the cap onto my bleeding flesh, she visibly concentrated. From her form roiling waves of vibrant, flaming Ki began to flow in waves. With a gesture from her free hand, the Ki began to cascade down towards me, encircling the gold and silver cap. It began to glow, and I could see the gold half of the cap soften slightly. Strangely, it perfectly retained both its shape and its enchantment, to my senses.


    Still, it was time for my part of the job. I smoothly entered my Melding trance and concentrated on the cap, ignoring the veritable bonfire of Ki that Honoka registered as to my senses. Focusing my will to a razor-sharp edge, I urged the flesh of my arm and gold of the cap to become one. While I¡¯d never tried this before, I was strangely confident that it was possible. At first, both my bleeding flesh and the shining gold were resistant to my demands. But gradually, I could feel it as they began to melt into each other.


    Good.


    On the inside of the cap, I did the same thing. I urged the two protrusions that Azarus had smithed on the inside of the cap to meld with what was left of my radius and ulna. The Mithril of the bones reached out, and much more easily than the flesh, twinned around and infiltrated the bone. I felt it as the bone was reinforced with the metal that Sylvia was made from.


    I had no way of knowing how long that had taken, but I was essentially finished with the physical portion of the operation. My stump now ended in a gold and silver flattened cap, with several slots set in its surface. The metal actually didn¡¯t end at just the stump, either. I¡¯d found a need to snake several tendrils of gold up around my elbow to support it, leading to a sort of spiraling pattern to form. Due to the melding process, it didn''t harden and restrict the crucial joint. Instead, it became one with the flesh, moving as one with the skin it had fused to.


    All that was needed for the physical portion of the operation now was some more healing from Renauld and Honoka. I had lost a not insignificant amount of blood from the whole process, even if Renauld had been supporting me.


    However, now the easy part was done.


    It was time for the hard part.


    I fell deeper into my melding trance, closing my eyes. Deeper and deeper and deeper. Until I was resonating with the pulse of Vereden itself.


    In and out.


    In.


    And.


    Out.


    After a time, I opened my eyes.


    Just like with Sylvia, I found myself in the middle of a dark void. Floating in the middle of that void was what could only be my own soul.


    It wasn¡¯t quite as beautiful as hers had been.


    While Sylvia¡¯s had manifested as a brilliant orb of silver light, mine appeared to be a tree, hanging in space with its roots exposed. A decidedly odd-looking tree, at that. Towering in the center of the void, it looked to be wrought from the same diffusion of rainbow fire as The Scintillant Blade. But the tree itself wasn¡¯t burning. Rather, it was somehow a crystallized flame, forming countless branches sporting bladed leaves that tinkled oddly in the void from an unseen wind. Snaking all up and down its prismatic bark and curling around its branches were familiar thorny red vines, so similar in appearance to those used by my Skills.


    Despite the glow from the frozen flames, it was an almost ominous sight.


    Still, I¡¯d sighted what I knew I needed. One of the branches of the tree had been cut off, leaving a sheered and splintered end. Here in this space where I could view my own soul, I somehow knew that this was a representation of my own arm.


    Well, time to fix that.


    I reached out, and connected a strand of the Aether that was so thick around me to that splintered branch. Deep inside myself, I felt something almost tingle. Slowly, I snaked that strand of Aether out into the void, searching for the golden resonance I knew I would find.


    Connection.


    Golden light flared into existence into what I was going to call my Soulspace. I shielded my spectral eyes briefly with my one arm before lowering it. I smiled at what I found.


    A gold and silver cap, resting on the end of the tree branch that had previously been broken before.


    It had worked.


    My job here was done.


    Slowly, I started drawing myself out of my deep Melding trance. I was used to this part at least, so it wasn¡¯t very difficult for me by this point. Before long, I was blinking open my eyes. Looking around, I could tell that I had been under for some time, based on the light streaming into the tent. It looked to be midday by now, and I didn¡¯t initially see either Honoka or Renauld. They must have left due to the amount of time it must have taken me to do the soul grafting. I stood up from the operating bench, finding that a thin blanket had been covering me. It looked like I had been cleaned up, as well. I didn¡¯t see any traces of all the blood I had lost on my body.


    Just beyond the closed curtain of the bed I was resting on, I heard the low murmur of two people talking. One voice was familiar to me, but the other was new. My slight movements seemed to be enough to interrupt them, though, as I heard a recognizable gait tromp my way. The privacy sheet was drawn to the side, allowing me to see one of my oldest friends on Vereden.


    Azarus.


    I¡­guess he had decided to wait around for me to wake up.


    I think I was supposed to feel something about that, but my Skill-induced numbness was still in place.


    I felt barely anything at all.


    Over his shoulder, I could see the other person he had been speaking to, a female Sculpted hewn from what looked to be white limestone. She was dressed in similar-looking robes to what Honoka and Renauld had been wearing earlier, leaving me to think she might have been this Healing tents owner. She was blinking at me in surprise, with a curious look in her eyes.


    The red-haired dwarf looked me over for a moment. ¡°How ya feelin¡¯, Nate?¡± He asked me, in a mildly concerned tone.


    ¡°I feel fine,¡± I said to him calmly, fully sitting up and swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I met his eyes. ¡°Do you have it?¡±


    Azarus blinked at my direct question. ¡°Uh¡­yeah? Ivory, can ya grab the package I left at the table?¡± He said to the Sculpted woman, for some reason keeping a queer eye on me.


    ¡°W-what?¡± The Healer, apparently named Ivory, stuttered. ¡°Oh! Um. Y-yes, one moment.¡± She scurried away for a moment, only to return with what I was so eagerly awaiting.


    Well. As eager as I was for anything, in this still numb state.


    Azarus took it from her with a nod of thanks and then unwrapped the long canvas package.


    My world narrowed onto what he was holding. I¡­think Azarus was saying something, but it didn¡¯t penetrate my focus.


    Cradled in the Dwarf¡¯s hands was what he had promised me. Expertly forged and intricately detailed, what lay in his hands was my new arm. Primarily gold with occasional visible Mithril insert, it looked perfect. The fading light from Tarus streaming through the gaps in the tent caused the arm to glitter and glimmer, playing across its gold and Mithril surface.


    I took it from him and held its Mithril end to the corresponding cap on my arm. I slotted it in and twisted.


    My arm clicked into the proper position.


    A bolt of electricity shot down my spine.


    Despite my numbness, I felt it as a smile grow on my face.


    Slowly, I held the gold and silver arm up, palm facing me and¡­


    Wiggled my new fingers.


    Complete success.

 Interlude 9 - Burning Contemplation

    In.


    And out.


    In.


    And out.


    Honoka of Kawamara breathed in the Aether of Vereden, cycled it through the meridians she had so painstakingly forged over her long life¡­


    And breathed out Ki.


    It was early in the morning, and like she¡¯d done for nearly five centuries now, she was meditating. It had been a long habit of hers to greet the rising of the sun with a session. And not one meant to strengthen her. At least, not anymore.


    No, these morning meditation sessions were only meant to center her.


    She had long since passed the point where she could grow from such trifles.


    Honoka hadn¡¯t needed much sleep for a very, very long time now. The strength of her own Ki was more than enough to sustain her through sleepless nights. On a lower tier person, the way she forsook sleep most of the time would damage them over time.


    Not her.


    Instead, she tended to work through the nights. Sometimes it felt like the only reason she did so was so she could have one of these morning sessions. It had become one of her little vices with how much she enjoyed it. Especially with how different the Aether of her home ¡®tasted¡¯ during the green period alone.


    Speaking of¡­


    It was the morning after she had assisted Greycton¡¯s newest young apprentice with his surgery, and the green period was at its height. Honoka took a deeper breath in order to savor the almost electrifying feel of morning Aether. When she let out the resulting breath of Ki, she took a moment to contemplate the procedure.


    That had been damn odd. Possibly one of the oddest surgeries she had ever performed, and that was truly saying something.


    Not quite as odd as the time she had operated on a giant talking spider perhaps, but certainly up there. It hadn¡¯t been the procedure itself that had been a tiny bit unsettling, however. No, it had been the boy himself.


    In all her years, Honoka had never seen the like of what the boy had pulled off. She had initially been incredibly skeptical that he could maintain focus through the agonies of performing such a procedure on himself.


    That is, until she watched the boy grow cold as ice from one moment to another. Before they¡¯d begun, the emotion had drained out of the boy like a hole in a bowl. Through her aura sight, she had seen his spirit grow distressingly numb. And not just to emotion, either. In that state, she could have broken the boy¡¯s jaw and she doubted he would have felt it.


    He must have one hell of a mental control skill to manage that. Honoka had seen skills like that before.


    They rarely ended well for the user.


    She hoped he wasn¡¯t abusing it. Maybe she needed to have a talk with Greycton about his apprentice. She wasn¡¯t his master however, and thus had no right to interfere with his training. Grey and her had had squabbles like that in the past, and she had no wish to return to those years.


    For many reasons.


    Speaking of apprentices¡­


    She could feel the silvery presence of dear Sylvia watching her from a distance, under one of her little illusionary cloaks. She hid a smile. It was cute that the girl thought she could hide from her at all. So freshly past her first Trial, she just didn¡¯t understand what it meant to be a Cultivator yet.


    But she¡¯d learn. And she¡¯d learn under her.


    She hadn¡¯t actually petitioned Greycton yet for the right to take his daughter as her apprentice, but she was sure he knew it was coming. Eventually. She¡¯d caught the old goat watching the two of them with a familiar patient amusement lately that told her all she needed to know.


    She wanted to say that he was just needling her in his own way, but¡­


    She didn¡¯t know how Greycton was finding the time to teach a new apprentice who wasn¡¯t even past his first Ascension yet.


    It wasn¡¯t the right time. Things were too unstable right now.


    But she was oh so tempted to try anyway.


    The Kingdom was too unstable for her to take a formal apprentice yet, however. As soon as the main host of Greycton¡¯s little Uprising reached Silvercrest and linked up with them, she was sure she would be taking over the Healing division. She wouldn¡¯t suffer the normal lax standards of military Healers if she was going to be involved in this.


    And she was going to be involved. She owed those damn ''Loyalists'' more than a little recompense for how they had dared to treat her.


    And Leonard.


    A small flame escaped the confines of her soul to ignite the grass nearby, at her sudden spike of fury. Ruthlessly, she squashed the flame, but allowed the rage to fester at her core.


    All of those long days of being chained to that impudent brat¡¯s wall. The despair of being branded as a slave, and cut off from her Cultivation. The blindness of no longer being able to feel the world, as she did now. The rage at his mocking amusement, from how low he had brought her from his betrayal.


    That bastard may have escaped justice at Caer Drarrow, but she had neither forgotten nor forgiven.


    She felt the green period begin to wane, to her slight disappointment. Still, she knew it would be back tomorrow.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The sun always rose again.


    Honoka opened her eyes and rose to her feet in one smooth motion. Not bothering to hide her amusement, she directed her gaze to the observing Sylvia and waved her closer. Her dear girl didn¡¯t bother to pretend either, and dropped her cloak to meet with Honoka. She was completely unashamed of her ¡®spying¡¯.


    As she should be.


    Sylvia dipped her head when Honoka reached her position. ¡°Good morning,¡± She said softly, smiling at her.


    Honoka smiled back at her, starting the walk back into camp. The two of them were on one of the nearby hills, with a perfect view of the horizon. Honoka let a disinterested gaze sweep across both the welcoming party that she could see gathered outside the camp, and the mass that she could see a few dozen miles out.


    They weren¡¯t important right now.


    Honoka smiled at Sylvia teasingly. ¡°Did you learn anything watching me?¡±


    ¡°Possibly,¡± was the surprising answer from the Sculpted girl. Honoka felt her eyebrows raise at that. She hadn¡¯t actually expected Sylvia to pick anything up from that.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Honoka said curiously.


    Sylvia gazed at the approaching main host of the Uprising contemplatively. ¡°I had been wondering for days now,¡± She started slowly. ¡°Why I had yet to begin producing my own Ki. But¡­that¡¯s a misnomer, isn¡¯t it? A cultivator doesn¡¯t create Ki from nothing. We don¡¯t produce, we process. Don¡¯t we?¡±


    Honoka felt a proud smile stretch across her face. ¡°Close,¡± She nonetheless corrected. ¡°Very close. Ki isn¡¯t something natural to people, in the way Aether is. As the goal of Cultivation is personal truth, so too must you be true to yourself. Therefore, we take the Aether from the environment and burn it in the forge of our souls. From this, Ki is born. The first Trial, the first Ascension, is about turning your soul into that forge. Every breakpoint after that is about better directing that Ki, by purifying the body and creating your meridians. Once you possess them, you''ll be able to better store and incorporate that Ki into the fabric of your existence. As I¡¯ve told you, you are now considered an Iron cultivator.¡±


    Sylvia laughed slightly, raising a hand into the air. The weak light of the morning reflected off of her Mithril skin, sparkling. ¡°Is that right? Iron¡­¡±


    Honoka dipped her head. ¡°The irony isn¡¯t lost on me. As an Iron, you¡¯ll have difficulty in directing your Ki to flow through your body, much less hang onto it. You have no meridians to aid the process. Which means that for now, we¡¯ll need to focus more on external Arts.¡±


    During their conversation, the two of them entered the camp proper. All around them, Sculpted soldiers were tearing down the tents and packing things into crates in order to move quicker when the main host reached them. Teams of Sculpted were packing supplies into the wagons to be ready. Luckily, Honoka didn¡¯t think that anyone in the little party she was currently traveling with had a great amount of belongings to load up.


    It made for a frenetic air.


    Honoka didn¡¯t care though. She just kept chatting with Sylvia as the two of them approached the front of camp, where everyone else was waiting. Honoka saw the familiar form of Greycton near the front of the welcoming party, along with Nyx and Woodrick. She heaved a sigh when she realized that she was likely going to need to go stand with them.


    Meanwhile, Honoka watched as Sylvia brightened ever so slightly at the sight of her own companions standing some ways off to the side. The boy Nathan and the dwarf Azarus were standing around with the fox, while that odd Spirit Wolf lingered around its master''s feet. It looked to her like the boy was demonstrating the range of movement that his new arm had, and drawing a not inconsiderable amount of attention from the soldiers around him.


    The sight of the new prosthetic had apparently caused a bit of a stir in camp. The idea of a ¡®fleshie¡¯ with a decidedly not flesh appendage was interesting to the Sculpted soldiery. Even now, she could see baffled looks being thrown the boy¡¯s way. Not that he seemed to be paying them any mind.


    Honoka snorted at the small smile she saw growing on Sylvia¡¯s face. She elbowed her potential apprentice in her metallic ribs slightly. ¡°Him? Really? I don¡¯t know what you see in him.¡±


    Sylvia started and shifted awkwardly at Honoka¡¯s words. She was sure the girl would be blushing up a storm if she had the blood for it. She didn¡¯t respond to Honoka¡¯s implication, though.


    Honoka rolled her eyes and made a shooing motion. ¡°Go on then. Run along with the others. I need to speak to the reprobate.¡±


    Sylvia dipped her head at Honoka¡¯s dismissal and hurried off to join the other younglings. The boy noticed her first, visibly brightening as he waved her closer. The dwarf and the fox both greeted her girl as well, welcoming her into their circle.


    Despite herself, Honoka smiled slightly. It was almost bittersweet, the sight of a young group of Magi and Cultivators gathering together. They were even clustering around a young human man, in a nostalgic call back to ancient times.


    Honoka sighed. She had lied to Sylvia. She supposed she did see what Sylvia did. Greycton¡¯s newest apprentice reminded her of how the old man had been when he was much, much younger.


    They were both shifty little blighters. Shifty, but noble in their own way.


    Gods, to this day, she still couldn¡¯t believe that she had lost to the moon of all things. She still didn¡¯t know how that worked.


    Nobody did.


    Honoka shook her head to clear it of useless thoughts, coming to stand alongside said shifty old blighter. Her oldest still surviving friend spared her a brief smile and a nod. With a glance, she could see that he was all dressed up in his combat robes, with Stellarum sheathed at his waist. She was surprised to see, however, that he was also carrying his staff around. Honoka eyed the monstrously powerful stave warily, as if it was a deadly viper liable to reach out and bite her.


    Even after all these years, she still wasn¡¯t used to the terrible thing.


    She knew what Elarux represented, after all.


    ¡°Recovered enough for that, have you?¡± Honoka said lowly, eyes drifting to the approaching host.


    Greycton nodded slightly. ¡°If only just barely,¡± He whispered back. He cut her a quick glance in return. ¡°And yourself?¡±


    Honoka grimaced. ¡°Not as much. I¡¯d say I¡¯m at about sixty percent.¡± She may have boasted to the boy back at the island about how a Cultivator could take the spiritual trauma of being magically enslaved, but¡­.


    That had mostly been a lie for Sylvia¡¯s sake. She had pushed herself far too hard just after being freed and hadn¡¯t helped matters by taking out that ship either. It was going to be a while yet until she was back to full strength.


    Hopefully, it would be in time to handle Leonard.


    Speaking of¡­


    The main host had finally reached their position, and were pulling up to stop in front of the camp welcoming party. Riding out in front of the host was Leopold, dressed in his full plate like usual and astride an absolutely massive warhorse. He stopped the horse in front of them, and jumped down in order to greet them.


    Greycton clasped Leopold¡¯s forearm in greeting with a nod. ¡°Well met, my friend.¡±


    ¡°And you as well, Grand Marshal,¡± Leopold rumbled. He cut his eyes over to the rest of the welcoming party and smiled ever so slightly. ¡°I see your mission was a success. Good day to you, Lady Honoka. Woodrick.¡±


    While Woodrick returned the greeting, Honoka crossed her arms, stony-faced. Sensing something was wrong, Leopold met her eyes silently in question.


    Honoka obliged him.


    ¡°It was Leonard,¡± She said bluntly. Leopold¡¯s eyes slowly drifted at her words, face etched with old pain. He didn''t look surprised, though. ¡°He attacked me under false pretenses and then branded me. He was working with the Loyalists as the Warden of Caer Drarrow.¡±


    A slow breath escaped the massive form of the Marshal. He opened his eyes. ¡°I see,¡± He said heavily. He met Honoka¡¯s eyes again, sunset orange on neon blue. ¡°And so you demand recompense for his actions.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t asking a question.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Honoka said, unflinchingly.


    Leopold was quiet for a moment, before nodding. ¡°We shall see, when the time comes. I must bear witness to his folly with my own eyes before I pass judgment.¡±


    Honoka narrowed her eyes at Leopold. ¡°It¡¯ll have to do, I suppose.¡±


    For now.

 Chapter 137 - Coffee Talk

    ¡°Oh thank God,¡± I said, heaving a sigh of relief. I laid my new gold and silver arm almost lovingly on the driver''s bench of the new wagon that our group had been issued.


    Grey smiled at my dramatics, amused. ¡°You weren¡¯t the only one suffering with the old wagon, Nathan. It¡¯s been relegated to goods transfer for now while we use this one. Thanks to Honoka.¡± He nodded at the older woman, who was petting one of the horses that came with our new mode of transportation.


    Honoka snorted without turning to face us. ¡°If I¡¯m going to be traveling across the damn continent, I¡¯m not going to be uncomfortable while doing so.¡±


    Grey and I exchanged an amused glance at that, but Honoka spoke up again. ¡°I saw that,¡± She said, turning and giving both of us the evil eye.


    It was just the three of us examining the new wagon that the Uprising had bequeathed to us. The main host had arrived a few hours ago now, and they were busy buying up all the supplies they could haggle out of the town of Silvercrest. In the short amount of time we had before we set off with the army of the Uprising, the rest of us had been getting ready to go.


    We were situated in the section of the host that was devoted to the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn. All around us, soldiers and classers dressed in black and silver armor were taking a brief break to rest, while supplies were procured. They might have been coated in road dust from how long they¡¯d been marching, but they didn¡¯t look exhausted to me. I guess that was the benefit of seriously focusing on your advancement, compared to a regular soldier.


    Our column was one of the smallest sections in the host, but it was of a visibly higher quality than the rest of it.


    Azarus and Renauld had just left to go and fetch our still comatose Antium friend from the healing tent. Meanwhile, Sylvia had wandered off, citing some business in the city before we left. Not even Fade was with us right now. He¡¯d sauntered off not long ago, no doubt to go terrorize the local wildlife one last time. I¡¯m sure he would show up before we left. The wolf seemed to have an almost uncanny sense of where I was at any one time.


    For now, it was just us. My attention was caught though, when I saw a familiar face approaching our position.


    Richard Everfield, the nominal leader of the political prisoners we had rescued on Caer Drarrow. With him was his grandson whom we¡¯d saved as well, accompanied by a pair of unfamiliar faces. Judging by their clothing though, I¡¯d guess they were nobles.


    Grey must have noticed my attention drifting, because he turned to look as well. He seemed surprised to see them, from the way his eyebrows shot up.


    When the group reached us, Grey spoke first. ¡°Well met, Lord Everfield. I¡¯m surprised to see you again so soon. I would have thought you¡¯d be too busy reuniting with your¡­?¡±


    ¡°Son and daughter-in-law, Headmaster,¡± Richard said, inclining his head in Grey¡¯s direction with a smile. ¡°And I am no longer Lord of House Everfield. My trials at Caer Drarrow have illustrated my need to step down from the position. I have, effective immediately, elevated my son Bryce to the position of Lord. With it, he assumes my responsibilities in the House of Lords. I believe he had something he wished to say¡­?¡± He ended, turning to face his son with a raised brow.


    Bryce Everfield immediately stepped forward and dipped into a deep bow, his apparent wife copying him as well. ¡°Words can never express Eleanor''s and my gratitude to you for saving not only my Father, but our Son as well, Headmaster. Know that for the service you have performed for my family, House Everfield will be in your debt to its dying day.¡± He straightened up with a large smile on his face.


    Eleanor Everfield lay a hand on her son''s tiny shoulder, from his position standing next to her. ¡°We will be sure that Callen shall understand the debt that we owe you when he is grown, Headmaster.¡±


    Grey hummed thoughtfully. ¡°I see,¡± He said after a moment, meeting the eyes of Richard. The other man nodded ever so slightly at Grey. He smiled. ¡°I will be sure to remember that. Perhaps in time something can be arranged.¡±


    I titled my head at the odd interaction. What Grey did next surprised me, though. He turned in my direction and gestured to me.


    ¡°Lord and Lady Everfield, may I introduce my apprentice?¡± He said, causing me to straighten up. The eyes of both parents immediately locked on to me with intense expressions. ¡°This is Nathan Hart, who assisted in the assault on Caer Drarrow. I¡¯m quite proud of his progress and inventiveness. Why, I even believe he¡¯s talented enough to become my Terminal Apprentice.¡±


    I flushed slightly under both their assessing gaze, and the overblown praise that Grey was heaping on me. I mean, I didn¡¯t think I was that impressive.


    Bryce stepped forward and extended his hand in my direction. I met him, clasping forearms with the man. ¡°A true pleasure to meet the Headmaster¡¯s latest disciple,¡± He said, meeting my eyes. ¡°Allow me to express my gratitude for helping to save my family.¡±


    ¡°It was my pleasure,¡± I said smoothly, leaning on my Acting skill. ¡°I have a particular hatred for false imprisonment and slavery. Freeing your family from such dire confines was my pleasure.¡±


    Bryce Everfield looked faintly surprised and impressed at my delivery, but that could just be his own Acting. I think he¡¯d expected me to act like a bumpkin or something. I didn¡¯t blame him. I looked and dressed like one, in my handmade leathers.


    ¡°As all men of character should, Mr. Hart,¡± Eleanor smoothly cut in. She graced me with a smile. ¡°Please, don¡¯t hesitate to call us in the future if you find yourself in need.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    I inclined my head in her direction with a smile of my own. ¡°I will keep your most gracious offer in mind, Lady Everfield.¡±


    After that, Richard stepped in and ushered his family away. I smiled, watching as little Callen Everfield turned around and waved us with a large smile on his face as they left. I waved back at him, happy to see that the kid seemed to be recovering now that he had his parents again. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d ever seen him smile before now.


    When I was done, I turned back around to see that Grey was looking at me contemplatively while Honoka nearly looked ready to burst into laughter. ¡°What? What is it?¡± I asked, startled.


    Honoka actually did start laughing at me then. ¡°You¡¯ve done it now, boy!¡± She crowed, nearly doubled over from her amusement. ¡°This old goat can¡¯t stand dealing with nobles! You¡¯ve just shown him you can handle them no problem! He¡¯s going to make you deal with all the nobles that want his attention now!¡±


    I jerked back in surprise and dismay, turning an almost betrayed gaze towards Grey. He just shrugged helplessly at me with a smile, before starting to chuckle himself.


    Oh.


    Well damn.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Not long after that, the logistics officers for the army of the Uprising returned from their procurement mission. Azarus and Renauld had already come back carrying the massive form of Venix as well. We bedded him down in the back of our fancy new wagon, where he could continue recovering in peace. Sylvia reappeared just as everyone¡¯s preparations were being completed for departure.


    I¡¯d already claimed the driver¡¯s seat up on the bench for when we left. I had actually grown a little used to being the driver on our journeys and it didn''t take much convincing from Grey to take up the task. I was just waiting for the rest of the Army to give the call to head out, now.


    I was trying to keep an eye out for Fade when I was startled by the sound of someone sitting next to me on the driver¡¯s bench. Turning to face them, I was a bit surprised. They had never joined me up here, before.


    It was Sylvia, smiling slyly at me. In her hands, she was holding a small, wrapped package.


    ¡°Oh-¡± Before I could even continue, Fade appeared out of nowhere, jumping up on the driver¡¯s bench to sit in between Sylvia and I. The both of us just stared at him for a moment, before I huffed a laugh and scratched his head. Shaking my own, I picked up where I left off, smiling at Sylvia. ¡°What¡¯s up? You finish what you were doing in town?¡±


    Sylvia nodded at me, hands folded over the package on her lap. ¡°Yes, it wasn¡¯t anything complicated. I was just picking up something from the markets,¡± She paused for a moment, before continuing almost shyly. ¡°It¡¯s¡­for you, actually. Here.¡± Sylvia held out the small package wrapped in twine that she was holding for me to take.


    My eyebrows rose at that. Setting down the reins I¡¯d been holding in preparation, I accepted the apparent gift. Undoing the twine, I saw that there was a small burlap sack inside that rattled slightly when I picked it up. Curious, I opened it up, only to be stunned by a familiar sight and smell.


    Inside the sack were what were unmistakably coffee beans, already roasted to a deep chocolatey brown. My lips parted before I looked up at Sylvia with a disbelieving smile. ¡°Coffee? I didn¡¯t even know you guys had this!¡±


    Sylvia smiled back at me, visibly relieved at my delight. ¡°We do, although it¡¯s uncommon. It¡¯s grown on the southern end of the continent, and is not quite as popular as tea. I¡¯ve never had it myself. I¡­heard you some time ago, talking about how you preferred it to tea. I thought to find some for you to celebrate your new arm. I visited Preceptor Josha one last time to ask if he knew any merchants in the city that sold it, and he was happy to help me.¡±


    Didn¡¯t Honoka tell me that he was from a place called Rorica? If so, that was officially my new favorite place.


    I laughed out loud, gazing down at the precious bag of beans I now had. While Fade was sniffing curiously at it, I reached over and gently grabbed Sylvia¡¯s Mithril hand with my new golden one. I was thankful that the enchantments and soul linking that it had undergone allowed a sense of touch, if only a muted one.


    It let me feel her metal fingers in my own.


    I met her eyes. ¡°Thank you, Sylvia. I really appreciate it. This¡­is like a little taste of home, to me.¡±


    Sylvia¡¯s eyes softened. ¡°It was my pleasure, Nathan.¡± She said softly.


    We sat there for a moment, just holding hands, before we were startled by the sound of a bugle echoing out from the front of the army host. All around us, the myriad cohorts of soldiers and wagons of supplies started to move. Hurriedly, I dropped Sylvia¡¯s hand and picked up the reigns once more in order to snap them and get the horses moving. When I did, our own wagon carrying our party and supplies started rolling as well.


    Letting out a breath, I smiled over at Sylvia. ¡°Well, we have plenty of time now. I think Grey told me that it¡¯ll take the host about three days of travel to reach Helstein,¡± I paused for a moment in thought. ¡°You know, I''ve told you some of my favorite foods, like coffee. But I don¡¯t know yours. I know Sculpted still need to eat every once in a while, but I¡¯ve never heard what you prefer.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Sylvia said, a little flustered at my question. ¡°Oh, well. I quite enjoy spicy foods. I picked up a taste for them from Honoka. There¡¯s a particular bistro just outside the Academy that she would take me to quite often. They make a certain soup that I¡¯m quite fond of.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Well, maybe one day when the war is over, you can introduce it to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like that, Nathan. I very much would.¡± Sylvia and I exchanged a smile, as we settled in for another drive across the breadth of Vereden.


    It didn¡¯t occur to me until later that day that I had essentially asked her out on a date.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Grey¡¯s prediction turned out to be right, as he usually was. We reached the central area of Helstein on the morning of the third day of travel. On the way there, the Army didn¡¯t encounter any form of resistance from the Loyalists, even though I was sure they knew we had to be coming.


    I mean, the Army was huge. It was much larger than what I had seen back in Hollow Hill by at least several thousand. There were plenty of banners that I hadn¡¯t seen back then mixed in with the familiar ones around us. It looked to me like our gambit in freeing the prisoners had worked to bring back support from the Uprising¡¯s noble backers.


    But we didn¡¯t see a single soldier wearing a Herztalian Loyalist tabard on the march, much less a banner. Eerily, we didn¡¯t even see many monsters on the way there. I would have thought there would be a large amount of them in area, since a large battle had apparently went down here some months ago.


    Nothing attacked us that the fringes of the host couldn¡¯t handle though.


    Just over the horizon now, I could see a massive citadel, surrounded by what seemed to be a city. It was more than large enough to rival Rhoscara from what I could see, which had been by far the largest city I¡¯d seen in Vereden.


    Camped out front of the city was the missing Loyalist army.


    It wasn¡¯t small.

 Chapter 138 - The Gates of Hel(stein)

    The main host of the Uprising slowed slightly, but didn¡¯t stop in its advance. As we grew closer to the city of Helstein and the army gathered to defend it, I was able to make out more details for both.


    Helstein was¡­


    Well.


    As a city, it was hideous.


    I had thought that Silvercrest was an unimpressive specimen of a town, but Helstein was even worse. The style that it was constructed in reminded me of soviet brutalism more than anything else. It was all dour blocky buildings with little to no embellishments as far as the eye could see within the city walls.


    And those walls were no joke. Taller and thicker than what I¡¯d seen at Rhoscara, they looked downright oppressive. They almost looked like they were meant to keep people in as much as they were meant to keep things out.


    Calling the massive structure in the middle of the city a ¡®citadel¡¯ was being generous. It¡­well¡­


    It was just a giant fucking cube of a building. Sure, it looked sturdy and hard to assault and everything, but goddamn. Its sharp corners and straight lines were almost comical, with how the massive structure loomed over the rest of the city from its center.


    Wait a moment.


    Hadn''t I seen this architectural style before? After a moment, it hit me.


    This place reminded me quite a bit of Caer Drarrow. I almost burst out into disbelieving laughter at the observation, drawing a curious look from Grey.


    What kind of tasteless moron would model a city after a notoriously dour island prison, of all things?


    Helstein itself was situated smack dab in the center of a large gap in a nearly horizontal wall of mountains on either side. It appeared to have been constructed in the valley between them in order to block off the only passage past them. I¡¯d heard that the city was meant to be the gateway to the south. If it was, it was the most uninviting gateway I had ever seen.


    Gathered outside of Helstein¡¯s walls was the largest gathering of Loyalist soldiers I¡¯d ever seen. There were thousands and thousands of them. In fact, there were so many soldiers gathered to defend the city that I was a bit surprised. I hadn¡¯t even realized that Herztal had this many people in it, much less soldiers with what had been gathered by both factions.


    Something about the Loyalist army caught my eye, though. There was a large section of the gathered forces that were sectioned off from the others, and these guys looked different. They weren¡¯t wearing Loyalist colors, for one. These guys were armed and armored in gear that looked to be of a visibly higher quality than the surrounding forces. Rather than the red and green of Herztal, they were flying grey and yellow. Their banner looked to be of a flaming spear, piercing through a shield.


    You know, something about their disposition reminded me of something...


    Grey had joined me instead of Sylvia up on the bench today. The both of us were dressed for war. Him in his battle robes, and me in something I hadn¡¯t worn in some time. I¡¯d been surprised to find that the black and silver uniform that Illuvia had given me all the way back in Hollow Hill was perfectly functional enchanted armor, making it perfect for pitched battle. Still, to be safe, I had raided an Order supply cart for a fitting set of real armor. With Azarus¡¯s help, I¡¯d fit a black steel breastplate over my doublet, and slipped on a pair of similarly colored greaves. I was wearing a single gauntlet over my right hand as well, while I had decided to leave my golden arm unarmored.


    It was more than durable enough already.


    I hadn¡¯t had time to Meld up another spear for myself, so I was down to only one extendable dagger. Hopefully, it would be enough. Currently, it was sheathed at my waist.


    Next to me, I heard my mentor tsk, appearing to catch sight of the same group I had. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be surprised,¡± He said testily. ¡°Of course they would throw their lot in with the Loyalists.¡±


    I dragged my eyes away from the gathered Loyalist forces we were still advancing on and looked over at him. ¡°Yeah? Who are these guys?¡±


    Grey scowled. ¡°Another Martial Order. The Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame, they call themselves. Our last intelligence told us that most of the other Martial Orders were sitting out the war, with the surprising approval of the House of Lords. However, this particular Order has long had a one-sided rivalry with my own,¡± He said, for once not denying that the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn belonged to him. ¡°They¡¯ve hounded us in petty ways for years. Of course that absolute buffoon Shacklock would array himself against me. He¡¯s likely giddy with glee at the idea of testing himself against me. Bah! Perhaps I¡¯ll finally have the chance to rid myself of an irritant.¡±


    Oookay. That was a bit more heated than I had expected.


    For some reason, I thought I heard Honoka laughing from inside the cabin behind us.


    Gradually, the main host of the Uprising began to slow down. Eventually, it came to a stop some miles away from the lines that had been erected by the Loyalists.


    Silence fell on the plains around us. The shuffling of mailed feet and rattling swords echoed off the walls of the mountainous valley we found ourselves in. I held my breath, waiting to see what would happen next. I didn¡¯t think that the fighting would start immediately, but what did I know about Herztalian battle tradition?Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Still, something happened next that surprised me.


    From behind the Loyalist lines, a bright orange bolt of magic flew up into the air. It traveled high into the sky before exploding in a manner that reminded me of a firework.


    Next to me, Grey heaved a slight sigh of relief. ¡°Well, at the very least they¡¯re not complete savages.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± I said, jerking my head in the direction of the fading sparks.


    ¡°It¡¯s an old tradition, from much more turbulent times than even these are. It signifies their intent to negotiate before battle is joined,¡± Grey answered, banging on the hatch that led to the cabin behind him.


    It opened to reveal the face of Honoka, already frowning at him.


    ¡°Are you coming?¡± Grey asked bluntly.


    Honoka sighed but nodded. Without a word, she slid the hatch closed. Moments later, I heard the back doors of the wagon swing open before closing again. Honoka appeared at Grey¡¯s side a few seconds later, with Sylvia and Azarus following as well. Both of my friends were dressed in the same combat uniforms that I was used to seeing on them at this point, but Honoka was different.


    She was dressed in a set of thick, intricate white and red robes that hugged her form and fell in three parts at her waist. Her long white hair was styled in a manner that I¡¯d never seen on her as well, bound up in a high ponytail with a number of short braids falling around her face adorned with red beads. Under the robes, I could see a strangely baggy pair of similarly colored pants, with sandals of all things adorning her feet. At her waist was a thin straight sword that I had never seen before, with similar beads to those in her hair adorning its white leather hilt. I couldn¡¯t see the blade itself, as it was sheathed in a black and gold scabbard adorned with the form of a fiery bird in flight.


    But I could feel it.


    The sword might well have been on the same level as Stellarum, from the intensity of power rolling off of it. It was a different power, though. Stellarum radiated Mana that was cold, distant, and uncaring about the blood it could potentially spill. This sword raged with shaped Ki that wanted nothing more than to explode and unleash its fury upon the world.


    Grey quirked a smile at the sight of Honoka. ¡°Ah, good. I wasn¡¯t sure if Kasai had been lost when you were captured.¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± Honoka barked. ¡°You should know better than that. This blade and I are one. It would take more than what that upstart Leonard has to separate me from this.¡± She said, thumbing the beads that hung from the hilt of the sword. The sound of them swaying in the breeze hung oddly in the air, not at all sounding like simple ceramic beads.


    ¡°As you say,¡± Grey said, inclining his head in her direction. He flicked his eyes in the direction of Azarus and Sylvia. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to ask you two to stay behind for this meeting. Taking Nathan along with Honoka and I alone will be a bit of a provocation. Besides, I¡¯d prefer Venix to have a guard.¡±


    I started. I was going with him? That was news to me.


    Still, I trusted Grey. I¡¯d follow his lead. If he wanted me at the negotiations, then I was fine with that.


    ¡°Very well, Father,¡± Sylvia said before Azarus could speak. He didn¡¯t seem to mind, though. Sylvia flickered her eyes over both Grey and I, before nodding at us. ¡°Good luck.¡±


    Grey returned the nod, before turning to Honoka and I. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m sure the others are waiting for us.¡±


    The three of us left the wagon behind with our friends and family. The forces of the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn parted ways for us, leaving a wide open space for us to march through. Before long, our trio had reached the front of the Uprising host.


    There, we found three people waiting for us. Leopold, Woodrick, and his second that I still hadn¡¯t met. A Sculpted woman by the name of Nyx. Leopold was much as he always was, stoic-faced and clad in a full suit of scarlet plate. He had a shield slung across his shoulders, with a longsword belted at his waist. Nyx, however, was dressed in a set of leather armor, with an Uprising tabard over top that displayed her rank. The shaft of a bow and quiver peaked over her right shoulder


    Woodrick was wearing a set of plate as well. Only, his seemed to be oddly fashioned out of what appeared to be petrified wood polished to a sheen. I¡¯d never seen anything like it before, but I have to admit he cut a striking figure. He looked almost noble, standing with a massive two-handed axe slung over his back.


    Woodrick nodded at us. ¡°Good. We¡¯re all here then,¡± He said, his eyes nevertheless lingering on me in a puzzled manner. He didn¡¯t say anything about my presence, however. ¡°If we¡¯re all ready?¡±


    ¡°Hold,¡± Leopold rumbled, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°We may be stepping into a tenser meeting than we were already anticipating.¡±


    Grey frowned, crossing his arms. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Prince Oskar¡¯s personal banner has been sighted among the Loyalist forces,¡± Leopold said grimly. ¡°We were unaware of his presence at Helstein.¡±


    Honoka cursed, while Woodrick and Nyx frowned. I tilted my head in thought. I think I recognized that name, from the briefing all the way back in Hollow Hill. I think that was the younger Prince of Herztal that was slightly sympathetic to the Uprising? Why was it a problem that he was here?


    Grey sighed. ¡°Damn,¡± He said, pinching the bridge of his nose. ¡°That does complicate matters. However, we have no choice but to proceed. Our plans remain unchanged.¡±


    The gathered leaders of the Uprising nodded at Grey¡¯s words, understanding something that I didn¡¯t. I kept quiet, though. I don¡¯t think it was my place to interfere or ask questions right now.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Grey said, nodding to the center of the field that separated the armies of the Uprising and the Loyalists. At an equal distance between the two forces, there was a flurry of activity from the Loyalists. I could see a large tent being rapidly erected around an equally large, rectangular table that had a number of chairs set around it. He set off in that direction, with the rest of us following behind him.


    I could almost physically feel the eyes and attention from both armies following us. Either in support, or antipathy.


    By the time we had reached the center of the field, the tent where we were apparently going to be meeting had been finished being erected. Grey paused for a moment before we entered it, turning to give everyone following him a nod. We all returned it, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Grey turned back to face the tent flap, and moved it aside.


    We all entered the tent, to find¡­


    That it was empty. The only thing inside was the table and the chairs we had seen earlier. There wasn¡¯t even anything on the table. Luckily, the tent walls were thin enough that light could seep through, allowing us to see in here.


    Grey snorted in disgust at the sight of the empty tent. ¡°Of course. Nobles playing games, as usual. Please, be seated my friends. Nathan, stand behind me.¡±


    Yeah. There weren¡¯t enough chairs that I could sit in one as well. As Grey took the center chair on our side of the table, Honoka sat on his right, with Leopold next to her. Woodrick took the seat on Grey¡¯s left, with Nyx on his left. I did as Grey asked and stood behind him, as he steepled his hands in front of himself.


    We settled in to wait in silence for the Loyalists to arrive.


    We didn¡¯t have to wait long.


    The tent flap across from us swung open, letting a bright ray of light pierce the dimness.


    I took a deep breath, readying myself for what was likely to be a tense confrontation.


    Let¡¯s do this.

 Chapter 139 - Negotiations

    Appearing at the doorway of the tent was a very¡­large man, to be generous. And all the weight on his frame didn¡¯t appear to be muscle, either. From the massive sneer on his piggish features, I¡¯d hazard a guess that he was a pretty unpleasant person altogether. Dressed in extravagant blacks and reds, the man was wearing a furry crimson robe over his breeches and tunic. On his bald head was a circlet with a single large ruby set into it.


    Surely this wasn¡¯t Prince Oskar. If he was, I weep for the future of this country.


    Following behind him were what I could only call flunkies, clearly attached to the big guy from the way they dogged his heels. I could tell right away that they were unimportant, from the puffed-up looks on their faces. I disregarded them though as soon as the next person entered the tent.


    Now this was obviously the Prince. And not just because everyone on our side of the table stood up at his entrance, which was a bit of a surprise.


    Who could only be Prince Oskar was a young-looking man to my eyes. He couldn¡¯t have been much older than Walter was, pegging him at around perhaps sixteen. He had long, light blonde hair bound into a low ponytail with a tasteful circlet resting on his brow, inlaid with seven small emeralds. Dressed in greens and reds, which I understood were the colors of not only the Kingdom but of also his house, he didn¡¯t seem quite as¡­try-hard as the other guy. I noticed that he had a fairly powerful feeling longsword belted at his waist, as well.


    Following after him was what looked to be some kind of scribe, as well as a fairly intimidating-looking knight clad head to toe in plate mail. He was sticking pretty close to the Prince, making me think he might be his bodyguard.


    The Prince took the time to observe us in silence for a moment, while most of the tent waited with baited breath. After a moment, he nodded slightly and sat in the center chair, directly across from Grey. That seemed to be the cue for everyone else to sit. The fat noble sat directly to the Prince¡¯s right, while one of his flunkies sat next to him. The scribe sat next to the Prince, while flunky number two visibly flailed about for a second, being unable to sit on the side of the table with his obvious benefactor. Under the unimpressed eyes of the rest of the tent, he sheepishly took the last chair next to the scribe.


    The knight simply took a mirroring position to my own, standing behind the Prince. Somehow, our eyes locked across the table. I saw his narrow at me.


    Yeah, whatever guy. I¡¯d dealt with big armored dudes like you before. And that was before I got a new skill that could deal with plate better.


    Our side of the table sat down shortly after the Prince¡¯s party did. The silence returned for a moment as everyone was visibly sizing each other up. Grey broke it first.


    ¡°Greetings, Prince Oskar,¡± He said, inclining his head slightly to the Prince. ¡°It¡¯s been some time since we last met. I trust you¡¯ve been well?¡±


    The Prince finally spoke, locking eyes with Grey. ¡°Well enough, Headmaster. Or should I call you Grand Marshal, considering the circumstances?¡±


    Grey smiled slightly. ¡°Either, Your Highness. I consider both equal in my eyes.¡±


    The fat noble snorted out loud at his words. Grey didn¡¯t even blink, much less look at the man. He just continued speaking to the Prince.


    ¡°I must say, we were quite surprised to discover you were currently in residence at the Citadel of Helstein, Your Highness. The King must have quite the confidence in you, to be stationed so close to the front.¡± Grey said, folding his hands over each other on the table.


    I didn¡¯t blink, even though I had to parse the hidden meaning in his words.


    Ah¡­


    I see.


    Grey was trying to fish for confirmation if the King was actually dead. Until now, we had only assumed he was. Depending on what they said, that could tell us a bit about the internal politics of the Loyalists.


    Prince Oskar¡¯s face hardened slightly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that my father the King has¡­stepped down from his position, Headmaster. He has named my brother, Prince Alaric, as regent due to his failing health. Only until the current crisis is settled, of course. At that point, my brother will inherit the crown.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t be the only one that heard the bitterness in his voice, right?


    Judging by the awkward shuffling from some members across the table, I wasn¡¯t.


    Interesting, interesting.


    ¡°My condolences, Your Highness,¡± Grey inclined his head. ¡°Your Father ruled¡­better than some had, in your line. I truly hope that the next will rule with a fair, even, and egalitarian hand.¡±


    The fat noble scoffed, speaking for the first time. ¡°Enough with the pleasantries. Let¡¯s get this farce over with. We all know how this is going to end.¡±


    The noble wasn¡¯t able to see the Prince¡¯s face twist slightly in disgust, but our side of the table sure did. Meanwhile, I saw it as Grey¡¯s entire demeanor changed.


    ¡°Duke¡­Graden,¡± He said, as frostily as I had ever heard from him. It was barely detectable, but the tent darkened ever so slightly. ¡°I cannot tell you how eager I am to see you. You see, I have quite an important question to ask you.¡± Grey leaned forward in his chair, his black and silver eyes visibly glowing with restrained fury. ¡°Were you involved in the plot to abduct me? Did you sell your soul to the Serpent of Savoy?¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    I saw a bead of sweat break out on the forehead of this ¡®Duke Graden¡¯. I remember that name. He had been named as one of the main benefactors behind the Loyalists, way back in Hollow Hill.


    Graden sneered at Grey. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about, you fossil. I haven¡¯t had any dealings with House Savoy in years.¡±


    Grey kept his intense, narrowed gaze on Graden for nearly a minute, causing the noble to visibly sweat. When that minute was up, he glanced over at Honoka briefly. The woman shook her head briefly at her old friend. Grey let out a long sigh, sitting back in his chair and visibly relaxing. ¡°I see. I should have expected you didn¡¯t have the guile for such a plot. Now then,¡± He said, visibly dismissing the noble. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you have been granted command of the Herztalian forces arrayed here at Helstein, Your Highness?¡±


    As Graden sputtered at Grey brushing him off, Prince Oskar inclined his head. ¡°Only my own forces, Headmaster. I have not been granted command of Helstein¡¯s,¡± He said, glancing over at Graden for a moment. Oskar focused back on Grey. ¡°But my main goal for calling this meeting wasn¡¯t to discuss battle. Rather, it was to speak to you. To all of you.¡± He said, letting his gaze fall on the assembled leadership of the Uprising. Everyone but Grey and Honoka straightened up under his gaze. They just met his with either an inquisitive or bored gaze. ¡°I do not believe that a formal dialogue has ever been attempted with the leadership of this rebellion. The only thing that has been received are declarations of intent. To that end, I ask you. What are the official goals of your¡­Uprising?¡±


    I could see Grey¡¯s eyebrows visibly rise at the question, while each side of the table reacted in either shock.


    Or hope.


    ¡°Obviously they want to depose the government, Your Highness!¡± Graden burst out blusteringly. ¡°They wish to tear down the very throne in their rebellion!¡±


    ¡°Be silent, Lord Graden,¡± Prince Oskar said evenly, not looking away from Grey. ¡°I was not speaking to you.¡±


    The fat Duke of Helstein reacted like he¡¯d been slapped, but nevertheless still quieted down.


    ¡°Well,¡± Grey said slowly. ¡°I do not believe it is my place to answer that question, Your Highness. I am not officially the leader of the Uprising. Overall military command falls to my second in the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn,¡± He nodded at Leopold, causing the massive leonine man to bow his head briefly. Grey then shifted his gaze to Woodrick. ¡°While young Woodrick here is the elected leader of Sculpted, and the overall leader of the Uprising. It would be best to let them answer that question.¡±


    Prince Oskar shifted his gaze to Woodrick and Leopold. The two of them exchanged a glance, before Leopold inclined his head. Woodrick nodded and looked back at the Prince. ¡°Well met, Prince Oskar. As the Grand Marshall said, I am Woodrick, and I speak for the Uprising and Sculpted both. Our demands, when boiled down, are simple. We wish for freedom.¡±


    Prince Oskar folded his hands together and tilted his head inquisitively. ¡°I have gathered that much, at the very least. However, what does that mean in practice? Where do the Sculpted see themselves in Herztalian society?¡±


    ¡°As equals, of course,¡± Woodrick said with a charismatic smile. As he spoke, I could see the wooden man begin to get more animated in his movements. ¡°To that end, it has always been our intention to force the House of Lords to the table and recognize all Sculpted people as Herztalian citizens.¡±


    ¡°And was violence truly necessary to achieve these goals, Commander Woodrick?¡± The Prince asked with a raised brow. ¡°This rebellion has torn the Kingdom apart.¡±


    ¡°If you recall, Your Highness,¡± Woodrick said pointedly. ¡°Our first recourse was not to rebel against the crown. The Sculpted people protested and petitioned for months and months, following the Second Initialization. We were rebuffed time and again by both the House and the King. Our plight was recognized as righteous by many in the Kingdom, and thus we received a great deal of support.¡± He nodded at Leopold.


    ¡°If peaceful resolution is impossible,¡± Nyx piped in that point. This was the first time I had ever heard the woman speak, and I was surprised at how smooth and intelligent she sounded. I had gotten the impression that she was more of a battlefield commander. Clearly, I was wrong. ¡°Then violent revolution becomes duty. Your Highness, the demanded servitude of the Sculpted had become a de-facto institution of slavery. Not only is that immoral, but it is, in fact, illegal. The 2187 Proclamation of Oceane outlawed the practice within the Kingdom of Herztal. Under the law, all those who have been found to enslave another within its borders are to be sentenced to imprisonment for no less than five years, and an accompanying fine of five hundred golden crowns.¡±


    One of Graden¡¯s toadies cleared his throat. ¡°In point of fact,¡± He said in a nasal voice, drawing the tent¡¯s attention. ¡°That law has very specific wording about those who cannot be enslaved. It specifically mentions the sapient races that interacted with the Kingdom to any degree at the time. Those being humans, dwarves, gnolls, elves, antium, orcs, and goblins. The ¡®Sculpted¡¯ are not mentioned in the Proclamation, and are not recognized under the law as protected from slavery.¡±


    ¡°That,¡± Grey said purposely. ¡°Is a technicality. As one of two people in this tent who was there when that law was written, I can tell you that it has been amended in the past. Initially, the Proclamation did not mention elves as being protected from slavery, given their general antipathy to everyone. It was only after several decades of very violent elves being forcibly enslaved that the law was updated to include them in that protection. Granted, it was only after many had escaped and went on violent rampages, but the point stands. Besides,¡± He spread his hands wide. ¡°Are the Sculpted not the collective children of Humanity? By creating them, we have a responsibility to their being. In that sense, could they not be considered merely an extension of humanity? As a mother births a child, so too could Man be considered to have birthed the Sculpted.¡±


    ¡°Weak sophistry,¡± Graden snorted derisively. ¡°I don¡¯t consider any of these¡­pieces of farm equipment to be my children.¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Prince Oskar burst out, sounding frustrated for the first time. He started drumming his fingers on the table, frowning. ¡°Enough. I have heard your arguments, and I cannot deny there is some merit to them.¡±


    ¡°But Your Highness!¡± Graden exclaimed, sounding shocked.


    Prince Oskar rounded on him, looking furious. ¡°Not another word, Lord Graden! I have seen how you treat those Sculpted that are still residing in your city, and I have already protested it during my time here! It does not matter what the Sculpted were anymore! Yes, they may have started their existence as ¡®farm equipment¡¯, as you so eloquently put it. But they are not any longer! I cannot have a conversation with a garden hoe. I cannot share a meal with the rake or the plow. No,¡± He said, standing up from his chair. His scribe, who had been dutifully documenting every word said since the meeting started, scrambled to his feet as well. I noticed that he didn¡¯t stop writing on his clipboard, though. The knight that had been quiet up to this point straightened up. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that this is the time that I declare my intentions.¡±


    Under the shocked eyes of everyone in the tent, Prince Oskar and his retinue walked around the table to stand on our side of it. When he stopped, he stood on my left directly behind Grey. The knight and scribe settled behind us.


    Prince Oskar lay a hand on Grey¡¯s shoulder, to the disbelief of Duke Graden. ¡°As of this moment, I, Prince Oskar of Herztal, offer my full support to the Uprising.¡±


    Hoo boy.


    That¡¯s going to piss some people off.

 Chapter 140 - Sides Chosen

    I was right.


    Graden exploded to his feet in rage, pointing a trembling sausage finger at Prince Oskar. ¡°You disobedient little rat!¡± He seethed. ¡°After everything your brother and I have done for you, you repay us with this?!¡±


    ¡°It is partly because of everything you, my brother, and your cabal have done that I have decided on this course of action,¡± Prince Oskar said defiantly as Grey stood up from his chair. ¡°Let us dispense with the falsehoods. My Father is dead. Before he sent me away, Alaric showed me his decaying corpse, still lying in his chambers. Likely as a warning as to what would happen if I defied him.¡±


    ¡°I see that it did not work, Your Highness,¡± Grey said wryly, as the rest of the table got to their feet. Looks like negotiations were starting to fall through.


    To our benefit.


    ¡°It did not, no,¡± Oskar said stoically, disregarding Graden for a moment. He met Grey¡¯s eyes. ¡°All his little display did is convince me that he had fallen far from the man I thought he was.¡± He shook his head sadly. ¡°Once upon a time, Alaric was a perfect knight and a man I was proud to not only call my brother, but my future King as well. Sadly, he changed when he fell into the company of Lord Graden and his cabal.¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth, you little shit!¡± Graden barked, slamming a fist on the table between us. Despite his appearance, the solid wooden table cracked in half at his blow. The broken pieces of the table fell to the dirt below. I guess just because he was a fat bastard, it didn¡¯t mean he was weak. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Oskar inclined his head ever so slightly. ¡°Perhaps not. But what I do know is that I have no intention of allowing Herztal to fall under the control of Alaric¡¯s depravity. Much less your own. Let me be clear. Not once in my life have I ever seriously considered making a play for the throne. But here and now, I am. I will not allow Alaric to become King. The throne shall fall to me, as the last sane son of the Eisenherz line. Headmaster Greycton,¡± He turned back to Grey, making sure to keep Leopold and Woodrick in his view. ¡°Marshall Leopold, and Commander Woodrick. Will you support my bid for the throne, in exchange for my support of the Uprising?¡±


    The three leaders of the Uprising exchanged glances, but it didn¡¯t seem like they needed much convincing. Grey cleared his throat. ¡°To be perfectly honest, it was always our intention to support you, Your Highness. In truth, we were reluctant to forcibly end the Eisenherz dynasty and thus throw the Kingdom into further chaos. We were quite alarmed about your presence at Helstein, in case those plans were ruined. Yes, Your Highness. You can count on our support.¡±


    Prince Oskar nodded regally at Grey¡¯s words, while Leopold bowed slightly and Woodrick smiled winningly. Any further celebration was ruined by Graden audibly growling, like he was a rabid beast. The man was completely red in the face, with a prominent vein bulging in his forehead as he grit his teeth.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll LET YOU, BOY?!¡± He shouted. He jabbed one fat finger behind him, in the direction of the Loyalist forces beyond the tent. ¡°Your forces are RIGHT THERE in the midst of mine! You can¡¯t possibly think I¡¯ll just let you happily march them over the field to the traitors?! This isn¡¯t a storybook, you little fool! At a word from me, I¡¯ll have them slaughtered to the last man!¡±


    Prince Oskar gazed at him disdainfully. ¡°Of course this isn¡¯t a storybook. Do you think I made this decision lightly? My commanders were informed of my intentions weeks ago. This entire confrontation was meticulously planned in advance. At a signal from me, they were instructed to advance to a position away from the main host with our supplies.¡± I hadn¡¯t noticed, but the Prince had kept a hand in his pocket for some time now. He withdrew it, revealing a small medallion. There was a simple glass jewel set into its face.


    It was glowing blue.


    In fact, I¡¯d say it was glowing the blue of the Uprising.


    Prince Oskar crossed his arms over his chest, visibly satisfied at the apparent success of his plan. ¡°I would say you might hear them just about¡­now.¡±


    The tent went quiet for a moment. Sure enough, I thought that I could just barely hear the marching of armor-clad feet out of sight. I guess when the Prince said his forces were going to march away from the main host, he meant towards us.


    Two things happened then.


    First, Leopold cursed and dashed back towards the tent entrance we had come through. He ripped it backward and started frantically signaling a no with his arms. He gave it up after a moment and ran out of the tent altogether, to my confusion.


    The second thing was that Lord Graden finally had enough. With a veritable roar, he leapt at the Prince across the shattered remains of the table he had broken with his hands outstretched, as if to grab him by the neck.


    Most of us reached for our weapons, seeing that the ¡®negotiations¡¯ were breaking down into violence. In particular, I saw that the armored knight quickly stepped in front of Prince Oskar with his sword and shield drawn.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    We needn¡¯t have bothered.


    With a negligent wave of one glowing silver and black hand, Grey grabbed the fat noble straight out of the air with a telekinetic spell or skill of some kind. Graden struggled uselessly in midair, still trying to grasp at Prince Oskar impotently.


    ¡°Why, Rickard Graden,¡± Grey said with a vicious smile. ¡°Did you just attempt regicide against the future High King of Herztal?¡±


    Prince Oskar stepped up from beyond his bodyguard, as the sound of marching feet grew closer to our position. He stopped next to Grey with a small smile on his youthful features. ¡°I believe he did, Headmaster. I¡¯m afraid that in this case, I¡¯m going to have to see that the Duchy of Helstein is stripped from House Graden.¡±


    Grey started chuckling to himself, as the rest of the tent realized what had just happened. I saw Graden¡¯s two flunkies try and make a break for the outside of the tent before they could be captured and held hostage. They were stopped before they even reached the flap by Woodrick, who plunged a hand into the dirt. The two nobles were almost immediately bound in roots.


    I felt a little foolish.


    I could have done that.


    Meanwhile, Grey floated the furious former Duke closer to his position so they were nearly eye to eye. ¡°You might not have been involved in the conspiracy that saw me branded by the Savoy, Rickard,¡± Grey said menacingly. ¡°But I¡¯ll have you squealing everything you know about the others that were before long.¡±


    As the entrance to the tent across from us opened letting a Herztalian soldier wearing officer¡¯s livery inside, I breathed a sigh of relief. A second later, I laughed slightly, shaking my head at the absurdity of it all.


    Had we just won the Battle of Helstein without even trying?


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°Yer shittin me,¡± Azarus said to me in disbelief, after the meeting had broken up. It was hours later at this point, and I was back with Azarus, Sylvia, and Renauld. Well, and the still comatose Venix, resting in the wagon not far from our position. The four of us were sitting around the makeshift campfire that we had built after the news had broke to the army that there wasn¡¯t going to be a battle. Fade was sitting with us as well, looking like he was actively paying attention to what I had to say.


    It was just us, for now. Grey and Honoka were still with the rest of the Uprising leadership, which now included Prince Oskar. Despite having essentially won a major battle bloodlessly, there was still plenty of work to be done to settle things.


    ¡°I swear I¡¯m not,¡± I said with wide eyes, accepting a stick of grilled meat from Renauld. I nodded my thanks to the Gnoll and took a bite before I continued. ¡°After that, Grey and the Prince went to break it to the Loyalist forces that they had a few choices open. They could either lay down their arms, surrender, and be taken prisoner. They could swear fealty to Prince Oskar, and join the combined forces of the Uprising. Or¡­they could insist on battle against a much larger force, and against one of the Princes. And probably get demolished.¡±


    ¡°And how did they take it?¡± Sylvia asked from her place on the log next to me, intrigued.


    I smiled at her and laughed. ¡°Most of them just immediately joined the Prince! Hell, we had the most defections from the Helstein forces. I¡¯m thinking Duke Graden wasn¡¯t exactly a popular leader.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he isn¡¯t. Or, well, wasn¡¯t,¡± Renauld broke in, flopping down onto a chair not far from me. ¡°He was notorious for being a greedy, wasteful, tasteless bastard. You know the city of Helstein wasn¡¯t always¡­that?¡± He waved dismissively at said blocky city, which we were camped outside the walls of. ¡°When Rickard Graden came to power, he spent enormous amounts of gold rebuilding the city to fit his worthless sense of taste. He was probably the least popular major Lord in the Kingdom, despite being one of the wealthiest.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the city going to go to now? The Prince say anything?¡± Azarus asked me, leaning forward.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who¡¯s going to keep it. But I do know that the Uprising is going to hang onto it for now. They¡¯re essentially moving their Headquarters from Hollow Hill to Helstein.¡± I said to my dwarven friend. ¡°Which makes sense.¡±


    Sylvia nodded slowly. ¡°It does. It¡¯s a much more defensible location. In fact, it¡¯s one of the most difficult to siege cities in the Kingdom. There was a great deal of apprehension among the soldiers about trying to take the city again, after the last assault failed.¡±


    ¡°None of that now,¡± I said with a smile, gazing out at the numerous other fires I could see just like ours. When the news had broken to the rank and file of the Uprising, the cheers had echoed up and down the mountain valley. I had no doubt that the people in the city had been able to hear it, they¡¯d been so loud.


    There were impromptu parties springing up all over the place among the army. People were so relieved that they didn¡¯t need to risk their lives in open battle that command had given them leave to let their hair down. I didn¡¯t blame them for it. The main host of the Uprising had been marching for weeks longer than we had, all the way from Hollow Hill.


    They deserved this win, even if I thought it wouldn¡¯t last.


    That dampened my smile slightly, which didn¡¯t escape the notice of my friends.


    ¡°Nathan?¡± Sylvia asked me, concerned. She lay a hand on my right forearm. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well,¡± I said, embarrassed that she had noticed. ¡°I was just thinking about something the Prince said before I left. He said¡­that Alaric wasn¡¯t going to take his defection lying down. Helstein is important, after all.¡±


    Renauld sighed, but nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. People were calling it the gateway to the south, but it can go both ways. It can also be the gateway to the north. You can bet your ass that Alaric is going to try and hit us. Which¡­reminds me of something. What happened to those guys from the other Order?¡±


    ¡°Oh, the Solstice¡¯s Flame guys?¡± I snorted, reaching for the mug of ale I¡¯d gotten from a nearby party. After taking a swig and setting it down, I sighed. ¡°Well, they were long gone by the time the Loyalists had surrendered. Apparently, they noticed the way the wind was shifting and immediately abandoned the field. They hauled ass out of here further south, and nobody was able to keep up with their pace. This was around the time the Prince¡¯s forces were marching on the negotiation tent. Good news is they weren¡¯t able to take their supplies with them, so we have a bunch of Classer-level materials and equipment to play around and outfit some troops with.¡±


    ¡°Eh, good enough I suppose,¡± Azarus said a little doubtfully. ¡°But ya can be sure that those pricks are runnin¡¯ straight into Alaric¡¯s arms. We ain¡¯t seen the last o¡¯ them.¡±


    I nodded, but tried not to let it bother me. After all, we had scored a major win today. Not only had we won the battle without a fight, but the Uprising now had royal support behind it. That was going to sway more than a few fence sitters to our side.


    I just hoped it would be worth it, in the end.

 Chapter 141 - Spectacle

    I woke up the next day with a hangover.


    This was a problem, because I could feel something or someone trying to get me up.


    I did not want to get up. In fact, right about now, I was wishing the battle had actually happened and I¡¯d died during it.


    I groaned out loud, swiping blindly at the thing I could feel poking me in my side. I think I tried to tell them to go away, but all that escaped my mouth was. ¡°Gaoiea aweoyu¡­¡±


    I heard someone snort at my pathetic state above me. ¡°None of that now,¡± A familiar old man said above, followed by another nudge to my ribs. Groaning again, I gave up. Cracking open one sensitive eye, I winced at the blinding light that greeted me. Once it had adjusted, I saw an amused Grey staring down at me, still dressed in his Grand Marshal combat robes. He¡¯d been poking me with the butt of his staff, which I had since learned was named Elarux.


    In his other hand, he was holding a bottle with a familiar-looking potion inside. When he noticed my hungry gaze fall on the hangover potion, he waved it at me almost teasingly. Moaning almost like a zombie, I swiped at the bottle uselessly, falling short when Grey moved it out of the way.


    ¡°Whyyyy,¡± I whined pathetically.


    Grey tutted at me. ¡°Time to get up, Nathan. Busy day today. Come on then, up you go. There¡¯s a good lad,¡± He said, as I reluctantly opened my other eye and stumbled to my feet. When I was finally up and feeling like death, he handed me the potion. I took it and desperately popped off the cap, raising it to my lips. I chugged it down, not stopping until the bottle was empty.


    I almost instantly felt better. Shaking my head like a dog as the Mana of the potion went to work, I heaved a sigh of relief and looked around.


    It¡­looked like I¡¯d gone to sleep under the stars. And not even in a bed roll or something.


    Oh yeah. Last night was coming back to me now.


    Azarus, Renauld, and I had decided to join in on the impromptu victory parties that had popped all through the camps of the Army of the Uprising. We¡¯d essentially gone pub crawling through a number of them, drinking more booze than I¡¯d thought a standing army would have on hand. We¡¯d invited Sylvia to come along with us, but she had declined in favor of seeking out Honoka. Eventually, the three of us had gotten totally shitfaced and passed out dead drunk¡­somewhere. I recognized the heraldry of the soldiers around us as belonging to the Uprising, but I didn¡¯t actually know who it represented. Looked like a stalk of wheat and a sword crossed over a checkered background of green and yellow.


    Azarus and Renauld were similarly passed out not far from my position, still dead to the world and snoring away. I went to wake them up as well, but Grey stopped me with a hand on my arm.


    ¡°No, no. Let them sleep,¡± Grey shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ll leave them some potions as well. I woke you for a reason, Nathan.¡±


    I blinked at my mentor. ¡°Yeah? What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Both the leadership and backers behind the Uprising are gathering in the city shortly for a meeting,¡± Grey explained patiently. ¡°It¡¯s time to decide on our next course of action. We may have won a surprisingly decisive victory yesterday, but we can¡¯t rest on our laurels. I¡¯d like you to accompany Honoka, Sylvia and I during the meeting.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh. Sure. That¡¯s fine with me,¡± I said, still looking around. I didn¡¯t see Fade anywhere, which was a bit odd. He may be more independent these days, but he was still usually there when I woke up.


    Oh.


    There he was.


    Azarus had the young wolf cuddled in his arms. It looked like the dwarf was drooling into his fur. I stifled a laugh, looking back at and smiling at Grey. ¡°When is it? When do we leave?¡±


    Grey chuckled at the sight of Azarus and Fade as well, but still shook his head at me. ¡°Not for another hour or so. Which gives you time to become presentable at an inn in the city. Frankly, you reek of liquor, Nathan. And your uniform is, shall we say, unsightly.¡±


    I looked down at myself. Yeah, I was covered in a mix of dust and spilled booze. Taking a sniff test, I wrinkled my nose.


    ¡°Come along. I¡¯ll take you to where I stayed last night,¡± Grey said, setting off and waving me along. ¡°They have an excellent service. We¡¯ll meet the girls there as well.¡±


    I set off with Grey towards the City of Helstein, which I still hadn¡¯t set foot in.


    After weaving through the various camps set up outside the walls, we eventually reached the gates of the city. They were wide open now, and looked to be admitting almost every soldier that was interested in spending a bit of coin. I don¡¯t doubt that there were plenty of them looking to spend a bit of back pay after weeks of hard marching. Grey and I were waved in by the harried-looking guard immediately.


    The locals looked to be surprisingly happy about losing a battle to a rebellion. I didn¡¯t actually see many people turning away soldiers or sending them dirty looks. Instead, I¡¯d say there was an overall air of relief in the air of the city, now that Rickard Graden had been deposed by the Prince. We passed by more than a few rebellious youths painting full murals of celebration on the walls of formerly drab buildings. In full view of the guards, as well.


    Actually, it looked like a few paint-splattered guards were assisting one of the groups of teens over there. They were laughing together, and painting what looked to be a hideously oversized man getting smacked on his bottom by a black iron Sculpted.


    I blinked at the odd spectacle.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    My confusion must have been noticed by Grey, as he chuckled at me. ¡°A not unsurprising sight. Once upon a time, Helstein was a uniquely artistic city, with a thriving creative populace that House Graden fostered. Alas, Rickard never possessed any particular talent for the arts, and thus grew to resent them. When he took power after the death of his Father, he promptly set out to eradicate the ¡®frippery¡¯ that he so despised. Both among the people, and in their surroundings. With him gone, and unlikely to resume his post under the future High King Oskar, I expect the city to try and return to their old traditions. Such as street art.¡± He exchanged a nod of greeting with one of the guards watching another group paint a mural as we passed them.


    Interesting. I guess graffiti was a universal concept, even in magical fantasy land.


    <div>


    <div>


    After my own interrogation of the man, however. That will have to wait for now though."


    <div>


    fancy inside.


    Opening the door, I exchanged some brief pleasantries with the others and then we got on our way. Exiting the inn, Grey led us up to what I¡¯d heard referred to as the ¡®Citadel¡¯. It was a massive cubic structure with little to no embellishments on it that loomed over the rest of the city. It may have been hideous, but the building was still intimidating. Which I¡¯m guessing had been the point.


    The guards let us in with no issue, and led us to the room where the meeting was going to take place. I think it was supposed to have been Graden¡¯s throne room judging by the massive stone chair at the end of it. But an extremely large circular table had been dragged into it in order to accommodate the large amount of people that were now sitting around it. The room was bathed in morning light from plain, unadorned windows on the far wall.


    I recognized maybe half of them. There were the expected people such as Prince Oskar, Woodrick, Leopold, and Nyx. But there were also a number of people that I hadn¡¯t seen in months. Nearly all of the nobles that had been present back in Hollow Hill for that meeting were also gathered for this one. Not only that, but I recognized some faces from the prisoners we had rescued at Caer Drarrow. Including Richard Everfield, who was accompanied by his son Bryce and daughter-in-law Eleanor.


    I exchanged nods with them when they noticed my presence.


    But that wasn¡¯t all. There were a ton of nobles and soldiers in this room that I didn¡¯t recognize. Not all of them were sitting around the main table, instead either standing or sitting off to the side. Some of them, I think, must be from the families that the Loyalists had blackmailed into not supporting the Uprising. I have to say, many of them looked eager. However, some of the new faces in the room did not look like they wanted to be here. Judging by the red and black heraldry on their clothes, I¡¯m guessing these might be some of the nobles of Helstein.


    The supporters of the former Duke.


    Hah, well. Eat shit and fall in line, I suppose.


    It was looking like our small group of four were some of the last people to arrive for the meeting, as the room quieted at our entrance. I think they had just been waiting on Grey and Honoka in order to begin.


    Grey wasn¡¯t phased by the attention. He just smiled at the room in greeting. ¡°My apologies, everyone. We were delayed by the crowds.¡± He said, lying for my sake shamelessly.


    Prince Oskar stood up from his ostentatious chair to greet him. ¡°Not at all, Headmaster,¡± He said with a smooth smile. ¡°We weren¡¯t waiting long.¡±


    Grey strode across the room to sit in the prepared chair for him, situated to the Prince¡¯s right. Honoka rolled her eyes and took the chair next to him, while Sylvia and I stood behind Grey. She was on his right, while I was on his left. Coincidently, that left me standing next to the same knightly bodyguard that the Prince had yesterday. I could see him giving me the evil eye through the slit in his helmet. I narrowed my own eyes at him.


    The hell did I ever do to you, man?


    ¡°Now!¡± Prince Oskar said loudly with a clap of his hands, ending the sparse conversation echoing in the room. ¡°This meeting can begin properly. I don¡¯t believe it will last very long. This is merely to establish the next steps of the Uprising. Details on the continued campaign can be settled over the coming days. Despite my command, I acknowledge that I do not quite have the military experience of some of you, and so I yield the floor to the appointed General of the Uprising forces. Marshal Leopold, of the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn.¡±


    As the Prince sat down, polite applause filled the room from the gathered nobles, while Leopold stood up from his own chair around the table. He accepted the applause with a stoic face, before laying a large rolled-up sheet of parchment on the table. With a shove, he unrolled it, revealing a map of Herztal as a whole.


    As Leopold began to speak and point out locations on the map, I settled in for the wait. I was starting to get an idea of why Grey wanted me to be present for all these meetings when he didn¡¯t ask Azarus and Renauld along as well.


    He wanted me to be a familiar face among the nobility. Someone seen as respectable and strong. The only thing was, I didn¡¯t know why he wanted that in particular. It was like he was angling for something.


    I guess I would find out before long.

 Chapter 142 - Oni

    The next week or so was almost nostalgic for me.


    Almost, being the keyword. I was spending almost all of my time attending Grey in an official capacity as his apprentice.


    The various leaders and backers of the Uprising would schedule multiple meetings and planning sessions, that Sylvia and I were obliged to attend. You know, since our mentors were two of the most important members.


    Which was a new thing for Sylvia. She told me that Grey had rarely, if ever, asked her to attend important meetings with him in the past.


    I guess lots of things changed in war.


    In between the endless meetings, Honoka apparently approached Grey about taking Sylvia on as an official apprentice, in the same way that I was Grey¡¯s. From what I heard later, the older woman had been waffling and waiting to ask for this over the last few weeks. According to Sylvia, she had been unsure if she wanted to wait for the war to be over before making the request.


    Apparently, she had just gotten impatient and gone ahead with it.


    Grey had no issues with it. While I hadn¡¯t been there at the time, an amused Sylvia had told me that her father had almost offhandedly agreed to the request, to the consternation of Honoka.


    So, it was official now. Sylvia wasn¡¯t just the daughter of a figurehead of the Uprising. She was the apprentice of another, as well.


    Good for her.


    Even though Grey and Honoka had been dragging the two of us around to all of the meetings they were required to attend, I¡¯d been busy with something else in between all of them. I hadn¡¯t actually seen much of Azarus or Renauld since the parties after ¡®winning¡¯ the battle of Helstein. Azarus had apparently taken up some work with the smiths of the army and was busy churning out blades by the dozen. Meanwhile Renauld had been ¡®volunteered¡¯ by Honoka to officially join the Healing Corp of the Uprising. Renauld had assured me that he would personally be keeping an eye on Venix.


    Still, they were both doing something they loved, and didn¡¯t have much to complain about. Even if they were constantly busy.


    However, I had been crafting again.


    Now that we were expected to be in one place for some time while the Uprising planned their next moves, it was high time I got to work on some backlogged projects.


    Firstly, I needed to replace my collapsible spear. The one that I had been forced to use for some time now was the original prototype I had constructed after we¡¯d escaped Addersfield. My improved one had been lost in the battle of Caer Drarrow. The hunk of junk that I was using now was getting a bit worn down and ineffectual, no matter the repairs I did on it. There were only so many times you could use a mechanism like the one I¡¯d designed before it started to crap out on you, and I didn¡¯t want to just replace parts anymore.


    No, it was time to create a good replacement. Two of them, in fact.


    I think I was finally getting comfortable with dual-wielding daggers, after the infrequent practice that I had gotten in with Azarus. There had been a breakthrough for me during one of our meetups for practice. I¡¯d been asking him to help me for a while now to learn how to do it, and I¡¯d finally practiced enough to learn the Talent for Dual Wielding. As soon as I¡¯d learned it, it was like something had clicked in my brain, and using a dagger in each hand became more natural for me.


    Hell, an odd extension from that was that I was finding myself to be almost ambidextrous these days, whereas before I was strictly right-handed. That had only grown, when I¡¯d gotten the Talent to level two.


    Anyway, all that to say I¡¯d been working on making a new pair of extendable daggers. Drafting was progressing pretty well on them. I¡¯d sourced some good materials from the smiths of the city of Helstein, and I think I knew what kind of enchantments I¡¯d be aiming for. But for now, I was focusing on refining the fiddly bits for the spears. Meaning all the little gears and mechanisms that I would have to pack inside the shell, in order for them to function. I¡¯d even optimized it to a degree.


    I think I would be able to finish construction on them in a few days, and then get to work on the enchantments I¡¯d been planning.


    All this time crafting, though, had reminded me of something else. Something that I wanted to get Grey¡¯s opinion on. He might be pretty busy right now, but he could still spare a bit of time now and then to assist his apprentice. A project of mine that had outright failed on me, all the way back when we were sailing to Caer Drarrow.


    My prototype gun.


    I¡¯d been surprised that I hadn¡¯t lost it, on the drive all the way from Sancthaven, to Silvercrest, and finally to here.


    The two of us were in one of the alchemy and testing labs that existed in the bowels of the Citadel of Helstein. The normal occupants had been more than happy to lend its usage to the two of us. Or more accurately, to Grey.


    I doubt they¡¯d given me any mind.


    Grey furrowed his brow, visibly puzzled. Repeating an experiment he¡¯d already tried, he picked up a little firestarter from the bench, and first applied it to a small amount of black powder we had synthesized. It started sizzling almost immediately, eventually sparking into a small puff of smoke.


    Then, he applied that same firestarter to the borehole of my prototype gun. It had been packed with the same exact powder, along with one of my small round bullets.


    Nothing happened.


    The powder didn¡¯t ignite.


    Grey scratched his chin, baffled. ¡°This is quite odd. Quite odd, indeed.¡±


    ¡°See?! I told you so!¡± I said, throwing up my hands in vindication. ¡°I knew something else had to be happening! The basic concepts here aren¡¯t even that complicated! Put explosive in tube, put ball on explosive, explode ball and BAM!¡± I clapped my hands together. With my new metal arm, it didn¡¯t quite have the impact of flesh on flesh did. ¡°New hole in target.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Grey rolled his eyes, breaking out of his confusion. ¡°You were correct, Nathan. There must be something else going on here. The mechanics of your black powder are a simple chemical reaction and not magical in nature. I can think of no plausible reason as to why it¡¯s not igniting within the ¡®gun¡¯.¡±


    I deflated. ¡°Oh. So you have no idea?¡±


    Grey shook his head. ¡°Not many, no. And while this lab is quite well provisioned,¡± He nodded to the large lab we¡¯d requisitioned, filled with magical equipment that I frankly had no clue about. ¡°It doesn¡¯t quite have the personalized tools I possess at the Academy to analyze the issue. However!¡± He held up a hand. ¡°Even then, I¡¯m not sure that this is worth pursuing any longer. It may well simply be the case that some facet of the ever-present Aether of Vereden is preventing this¡­specific reaction?¡± Even Grey sounded a little doubtful of his words.


    I sighed, but nodded anyway. ¡°Yeah, I guess. I¡¯ll just¡­shelve this one for now. Anyway, that wasn¡¯t all that I wanted you to take a look at.¡±


    Grey raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°Oh? Do tell.¡±


    Picking up a small sack that I had brought with me, I withdrew a small scroll that I had been scribbling in. I rolled it out on the table in front of Grey. He leaned in to examine the lines of runes that I had inked out painstakingly over the last few days. ¡°Ah, I see,¡± He said, after a moment, before straightening up and nodding thoughtfully. ¡°The enchantments for a new generation of your spear, yes?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, wanted to get your thoughts on this. See if it would all work, you know?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Grey started delicately, scratching his chin. ¡°Good thing you came to me first, because this entire array would fail. Spectacularly.¡±


    I winced. Ouch. It was just failure after failure today. ¡°I see. What exactly is the problem, then?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to fit too many conflicting enchantments into this device,¡± Grey said bluntly. He pointed down to a particular runic sequence. ¡°In particular, I have to say I¡¯m a bit baffled by your inclusion of what seems to be a modified illumination enchant. Whatever made you include that?¡±


    ¡°Um,¡± I said awkwardly. I couldn¡¯t exactly say that I had been inspired by stories of a glowing blue short sword from back home, now could I? ¡°I don¡¯t exactly have a lighting Skill, and I still can¡¯t cast Magic yet. And¡­I wanted an easily available source of light? I figured I could just turn my spear into a multitool.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see. That old trap,¡± Grey said knowingly. He shook his head. ¡°Nathan, I can¡¯t count how many times over the years I¡¯ve seen enchanting students try and make a ¡®multi-tool¡¯, as you call it. The desire for a one-size-fits-all artifact of some kind is common, but misplaced. Even if it looks like it might work on paper, some enchantments will simply react negatively in practice. In particular, this light enchantment would conflict with this¡­fire starting enchantment? And¡­¡± He paused for a moment, before shooting me an incredulous look. ¡°Some form of lightning array?¡±


    I winced again.


    Grey shook his head with a smile. ¡°No, I think you¡¯ll have to start over. Perhaps you misunderstood me, when I said that the enchantments on your dagger were basic. I didn¡¯t mean for you to add a larger variety. I wanted you to enhance the quality of the arrays on your work. That will serve you much better in combat. More esoteric arrays like those on my weapons will come at a much later date. These other enchantments would be better served being applied to specialized tools, instead. And besides,¡± Grey said, exasperated. ¡°If you desired a light Skill, all you needed to do was ask, Nathan. I¡¯d be more than happy to walk you through the process of procuring one. Some other time, though. I¡¯m afraid that our available time for experimentation is at an end. We have a meeting with Leopold about troop deployments soon.¡±


    I nodded resignedly in acceptance. Packing everything away, including the failed gun prototype, I scooped it all up and followed Grey out the door.


    I felt a little embarrassed, now. I guess the K.I.S.S principle applied to enchantment, as well.


    Remember to keep it simple, stupid.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Days after Grey had torn down my enchanting plans for my new weapons, I was finished. I held the finished product up to the light.


    This new dagger was looking pretty good, to my eyes. It was a bit less bulky, for one, due to the miniaturization of the mechanism I¡¯d achieved. The blade was a bit longer, as well. Where before they¡¯d been about hand length, now I would say it was nearly the length of my forearm. I had kept the shape of the blade the same, however. I¡¯d become fond of my leaf-shaped spear blades.


    It wasn¡¯t quite as long as a short sword, however. Just a long dagger.


    You would think that with the enhanced miniaturization, I might be able to fit in a few more links of shell in order to extend the haft and ultimately the spear itself. I¡¯d considered that, but ultimately decided to shorten the spear form instead. If I was going to be dual-wielding these things, then it was much more feasible to be potentially using two short spears at once, instead of long ones. It wasn¡¯t physically weaker, either, and not just due to the higher-quality hardening enchantment on the metal.


    No, it was due to the new material I¡¯d chosen.


    This new metal was mildly magical in nature, and not just plain old steel like my old weapons. It was called Oninite. A dark, nearly black grey, it had a slight blue sheen to it that was most evident in the light. In fact, that was the effect that this metal had in the light. Instead of reflecting light as most polished and sharpened metal did, Oninite absorbed it, and displayed the slight blue sheen that was nearly undetectable in the dark.


    Perfect for the assassin build I was evolving into.


    Shaking off the slight pang that thought caused me, I flipped the blade in midair once before catching it. I nodded at the weight in my hand. This new version was a little heavier due to the Oninite, but it was just better overall. The reflective properties of the metal weren¡¯t the only reason I¡¯d chosen it, after all.


    No, due to its magical nature, it had a higher enchanting load than plain steel did. I¡¯d gone back to the drawing board and settled on four separate enchanting arrays for it, all of which were higher quality than anything I¡¯d made before. A sharpening array so strong that it split flesh without effort, a hardening array for durability, and two new ones. The first was a penetration array, born from my frustration at being unable to pierce full plate. Even though I had Grinding Crimson Slash now, I didn¡¯t want to rely on that for armored opponents. The tip of the spear should have an enhanced ability to pierce straight through tough armor now.


    And the last?


    Well.


    What Grey didn¡¯t know, he couldn¡¯t criticize.


    I activated the last array, causing a brief burst of fire to jet out from the tip of the spear.


    C¡¯mon, an easy firestarter was just too good to pass up.


    This was actually the second of the daggers that I¡¯d finished. The other I¡¯d gotten done yesterday, while I¡¯d just finished this today. I¡¯d come out here to one of the small training rooms that the Citadel had in order to put it through its paces, with some weapons practice. I was intending to run through some forms that Azarus had taught me. Maybe shank a few training dummies at the same time.


    I drew my second dagger from its place resting on my right hip, before getting into a stance facing a practice dummy. As far as dual-blade work went, I¡¯d become fond of having the blade in my right hand upright, while the one in my left was in an underhand grip. I wanted to test how well that worked with two extendable daggers.


    Before I could even begin though, I heard the door of the training room open. I didn¡¯t give it any mind, though. This room was open to the public.


    However, I didn¡¯t expect the voice I heard next.


    ¡°Oh, my apologies,¡± I heard a youthful, dignified voice say. Eyebrows raising, I re-sheathed my blades.


    I knew that voice.


    Turning around, I saw that I was correct.


    Sure enough, standing just inside the room with me was Prince Oskar, escorted by his asshole knight bodyguard.


    The Prince smiled at me. ¡°You¡­you¡¯re Headmaster Greycton¡¯s apprentice, yes? While I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt your practice, I had been hoping to speak to you. Are you perhaps free now?¡±


    I felt my eyebrows raise.


    What could a Prince possibly want with me?

 Chapter 143 - Hidden Motive

    I had never spoken to the Prince ever since he¡¯d signed on with the Uprising. I mean, why would I? As far as anyone was supposed to know, I was just Grey¡¯s odd apprentice that he had picked up during his captivity.


    Certainly not a near-mythical Precursor.


    Heavens no.


    It was odd to see him down here in the bowels of the Citadel. My understanding was that the kid was really busy these days, making reassurances to the nobles involved in the Uprising and trying to reach out to others in the Kingdom. Whenever I had seen him, he¡¯d always been surrounded by dignitaries or nobs trying to suck up to His Highness.


    However, now it was just him and his guard.


    Odd.


    Or¡­perhaps that was the point¡­


    Hmm.


    I fixed a smile on my face, bowing slightly at the waist to the Prince. ¡°Of course, your Highness. How can I help you?¡±


    Bizarrely, the Prince¡¯s own smile faded slightly, before fixing itself. ¡°I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve been introduced, Mr¡­?¡±


    My eyes and middle ring tracked the fully armor-clad knight, as he took a position next to the door. Meanwhile, my mouth and outer ring were responding to the Prince. ¡°Hart, your Highness. Nathaniel Eugene,¡± I mentally winced. ¡°Hart. Most simply call me Nathan.¡±


    ¡°Nathan, then,¡± The Prince nodded at me easily, wandering further into the room over to the rack containing training weapons. He let his hand drift over the hilts of the swords there, as he spoke to me. ¡°I¡¯m given to understand that you and the Headmaster met while enslaved by the Savoy?¡±


    Something about the Prince¡¯s demeanor was striking me as odd, but I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on what. Still, I answered his question. ¡°That¡¯s correct, your Highness. I was captured by a Savoy-aligned Elven hunting party and sold to Magnus of House Savoy. Luckily, I was remanded to the custody of Azarus, formerly of House Savoy, where I made the acquaintance of my mentor.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± The Prince said idly, picking out a training rapier from the rack. He swung it around a few times before clucking his tongue and putting it back. He resumed his exploration of the rack. ¡°However did these Elves capture you? I¡¯m given to understand that they¡¯ve been driven deeper into the Barren Forest.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware.¡± I smiled slightly to myself. ¡°How very¡­unfortunate for them.¡± I made sure that my tone of voice was as obviously insincere as possible.


    I may have no problems with Elves in general since meeting the refugees at Sancthaven, but fuck those guys in particular. I hadn¡¯t forgotten about the group that had captured me, all those months ago.


    They were still on my list. Such as it was.


    I was just busy right now.


    To my surprise, the Prince snorted at my words but nodded nonetheless. ¡°Indeed.¡± Abruptly, the Prince drew a training longsword from the rack of weapons and turned to face me. ¡°Initially, Mr. Hart, I was coming down here for some weapons practice of my own. Would you perhaps be up to a bout with me? Purely for training purposes, of course.¡±


    My smile faded slightly. I flicked my gaze over at the knight glowering at me from the door. He intensified his evil gaze when he saw me looking. Glancing back at the Prince, I cleared my throat. ¡°I came down here myself to test a pair of new weapons, your Highness. However, if you desire a practice match, I will of course oblige you. I¡¯ll¡­just need to pick out some suitable weapons of my own.¡±


    The Prince stopped me from approaching the weapon rack with a raised hand. ¡°No need,¡± He said calmly. ¡°You may use your new weapons, Mr. Hart.¡±


    I lost my smile altogether. ¡°Your Highness, they¡¯re quite heavily enchanted and constructed from higher-grade materials than that.¡± I nodded at the longsword held loosely at this side. ¡°I somewhat doubt your blade would withstand many blows from my new daggers.¡±


    The Prince met my eyes. ¡°You will use your new weapons.¡±


    That very obviously wasn¡¯t a request.


    It was a command.


    Something was going on here.


    Although I kept my suspicion off of my face using my middle ring, my core ring was screaming at me that this was a trap of some kind. I couldn¡¯t exactly refuse a direct command from who should be my direct sovereign however, no matter that I had never sworn any oaths to him.


    I nodded curtly at the Prince. ¡°By your command,¡± I said, wandering over to the center of the room and away from my practice dummy. I assessed the space we¡¯d be fighting in with a quick glance. Tight-fitted, rough wooden floorboards. Good grip, to my eyes. I raised them to meet the Prince¡¯s when I was done. ¡°What are the rules?¡±


    ¡°A short match, I believe,¡± The Prince said evenly, walking to stand maybe five arm lengths away from me. ¡°No Skills, no Spells or Arts. First blood for yourself, and decisive victory for me. I think that¡¯ll do just fine. Wouldn¡¯t you agree, Augustine?¡±


    The knight, apparently going by the name ¡®Augustine¡¯, grunted from his position near the wall. ¡°As you say, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Now,¡± The Prince said, slowly bringing his training sword into a ready position. ¡°Ready yourself, Mr. Hart. We begin on three. Augustine, if you would?¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    I took a deep breath before nodding. I unsheathed my new Oninite blades, and held them in the stance I¡¯d been intending to practice in.


    One up, one down.


    I met the Prince¡¯s eyes across the small distance between us, as Augustine closed in on our position. The knight crossed his arms. ¡°One,¡± He said heavily. ¡°Two.¡±


    I saw the Prince smile slightly at me.


    ¡°Three.¡±


    The Prince exploded in a lunge directed at me, his sword parallel with the ground in a stab.


    My eyes widened slightly.


    Fast.


    Far faster than I¡¯d been expecting.


    But not faster than my instincts.


    My mind sharpened, adrenaline being pumped through my body by my core ring, while my middle ring calmed my nerves. Of late, I¡¯d been thinking of this as my battle trance. I could barely put into words just how easier I¡¯d been finding combat using this state.


    And it was effective, too.


    In the split second before his training sword could impact my chest, I calmly angled my right dagger and deflected the blow up and to my right. At the same time, I swiped at his open belly with speed born from my heightened Dexterity, stepping forward as I did so.


    I was mildly surprised when the Prince used the momentum from his parried blade to pirouette, dodging my blow. At the tail end of his spin, he skipped to the side and tried to slash at my left side. No doubt he thought it was my weaker one.


    He would have been right, about a week ago.


    I ducked, sweeping out at his legs with my right one as I did so. The Prince seemed to have expected that, however. He hopped over my incoming leg, and angled his blade down in an overhead chop with his full weight behind it.


    Hmm. I probably couldn¡¯t block that.


    I kicked off the ground with my free leg, flipping backward and landing briefly on one hand before pushing off again. This time, spinning into the air again.


    But not backwards.


    Forwards.


    At the apex of my jump, I angled my two daggers downward like the fangs of a serpent and plunged them straight down at the Prince.


    I saw his eyes narrow up at me, as he turned his body sideways.


    With his left hand on his sword, he swept it at my right dagger, knocking it off course. For my left, he reached out and grabbed my forearm with his right hand halting it in place. We stood there for a moment, staring into each other¡¯s eyes, as I felt the kiss of his training sword touch my throat.


    The Prince had used the brief moment I¡¯d been unguarded from his parry to snake his blade up.


    Ah.


    It appears I lost the bout.


    The Prince didn¡¯t blink as he held my gaze. ¡°It appears that I¡¯ve won, Mr. Hart.¡±


    I inclined my head ever so slightly in acknowledgment. ¡°You have. But in a real battle, you would be dead, your Highness.¡±


    His eyes narrowed. ¡°How so? I have you dead to rights, Mr. Hart. If this were a live blade, I could slit your throat at a moment''s notice.¡±


    I let a small smile drift onto my face. ¡°Because you asked me to use my new weapons, Prince Oskar. Observe.¡± Flipping the dagger that was still pointed down at his head away from him, I depressed the activation rune.


    Instantly, the dagger extended into its spear form, almost totally horizontal above our heads. The blackened metal of my extendable spear briefly glimmered blue in the torchlight of the practice room.


    Prince Oskar¡¯s eyes widened slightly in shock, his mouth parting. ¡°How¡­?¡±


    ¡°As well, you should look down,¡± I continued, allowing my battle trance to start thawing. The Prince''s eyes drifted downwards at my comment.


    To see that the blade he had parried was pointed upwards at his belly.


    ¡°And¡­that possesses the same capability?¡± The Prince said slowly.


    ¡°It does,¡± I confirmed.


    You know, it was actually starting to get a bit awkward the way we were just standing here, still locked in this stance. Why hadn¡¯t he let go of me yet?


    ¡°I see,¡± The Prince said, breaking eye contact with me finally. I saw him look over my shoulder and give a brief nod.


    I instantly tensed, activating Sylvan Vigor at full strength. I¡¯d been suspicious of the Prince¡¯s motives for a bit now, and that move had been suspicious enough that I was willing to suffer the faux pas if I was overreacting. I tried to spring away from the Prince in order to escape.


    But, my skill didn¡¯t save me.


    I felt powerful metal-clad hands clamp down on my arms and wrench them behind my back. I tried to keep my hand on my daggers, but I grit my teeth as strong fingers twisted them away from me, to clatter onto the floor of the practice hall. Whoever had a grip on me, they were stronger than my Skill enhanced strength. Forcibly, I was shoved onto my knees in front of the Prince, hands held behind me.


    Fuck.


    I¡¯d forgotten the knight during the fight.


    ¡°Thank you, Augustine,¡± I heard the Prince say. Moments later, I felt his practice sword under my chin again, this time raising my head to meet the Prince''s eyes once again.


    He wasn¡¯t even pretending to be friendly anymore. His eyes had gone cold.


    ¡°Now, ¡®Nathaniel Eugene Hart¡¯,¡± The Prince said menacingly. ¡°I have some questions for you.¡±


    I may have released my battle trance already, but I slammed it back into place. I had the feeling I was going to need the calm. ¡°About what, your Highness? I must say this is highly irregular. If you had questions for me, you didn¡¯t have to through this entire¡­apparent farce of a practice match.¡±


    I felt my arms twist slightly behind me, sending a flare of pain radiating up them. I was able to bare it just fine in this state, however. I didn¡¯t even blink at the agony, much less cry out. ¡°Speak when spoken to, cur,¡± I heard Augustine behind me growl.


    The Prince didn¡¯t respond to my question. ¡°Several months ago, Herztalian agents in the Rhoscaran court reported a dramatic confrontation, where a Human man spoke of a scenario similar to the one that you described. In this report, it is said that the man described himself as a disgraced Knight of the Kingdom, having fled the fighting only to be captured and nearly enslaved by elves. However, one Azarus of House Savoy was said to have saved this man, causing him to swear his life to his savior. I find it curious to note that the man gave his name as ¡®Nathan Hart¡¯.¡±


    I blinked slowly at the Prince''s diatribe, while I felt my middle ring start howling in laughter.


    That was what this was about? My little performance in Elysael¡¯s court?


    I let a small, amused smile cross my lips, relaxing slightly. ¡°If you¡¯re asking if I am that man, I can confirm it. Azarus and I were indeed in Rhoscara at that time, petitioning Prince Elysael. Before your man twists my arms once more, may I ask what the problem is?¡±


    I felt Augustine behind me growl, and his grip on my arms grow tighter. However, he was stopped from trying to hurt me again by the Prince¡¯s raised palm. ¡°Then you do not deny impersonating a Herztalian Knight? If you were unaware, that is a crime, Mr. Hart. However, that is the least of my concerns. You see, from where I stand, you appear to be a suspicious individual. I find it somewhat convenient that a Savoy-aligned individual, with aid from an unfavored son of House Savoy, saw to the death of their Heir. Months later, said person appears in the midst of the Herztalian Civil War with said Savoy scion, conveniently poised to influence key members of it. The coincidences are too strong. While you are undoubtedly guilty of impersonating a Knight, I place a far graver crime at your feet.¡±


    ¡°You see, ¡®Mr. Hart¡¯, I am accusing you of being a spy.¡±

 Chapter 144 - Mistaken Identity

    ¡°It is my belief you have been placed here, at this specific point and time by the Lord of House Savoy.¡± The Prince said heavily. ¡°It is well known how callous the dwarf is, and few would disbelieve him of this capability. It would not be out of character for him to have an uncooperative heir assassinated with help from another family member, in order to enact an extravagant plot. Said plot would involve the insertion of his nephew and a human operative into my new court, at the moment of my alignment with the Uprising. For what purpose I do not know, but that can be determined later. In short, ¡®Mr. Hart¡¯, I believe you to be Anguis¡¯s creature.¡±


    I blinked slowly at the odd pseudo-rant that the Prince had unloaded on me. Even with the stranglehold on my emotions I had using my middle ring, I couldn¡¯t stop the reaction his words caused in me.


    I started laughing.


    Hard.


    In fact, I started laughing so hard at the thought of me of all people being a willing slave for the Savoy that I started crying a little. I would have doubled over in my hilarity, but Augustine still had an iron grip on my arms.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t b-believe,¡± I managed to get out, before howling again.


    This didn¡¯t stop for a few minutes. The thought just kept making me laugh more.


    Eventually, though, I did settle down. When I raised my head again, I could see that the Prince had an almost dumbfounded look on his young face. That nearly sent me into hysterics again, but I managed to keep a hold of myself. I shook my head. ¡°No, your Highness. I can assure you that I am decidedly not a Savoy spy. Piss on the Savoy. As far as I¡¯m concerned, everyone in that family but Azarus can die in a fucking fire.¡±


    The Prince frowned down at me. ¡°All we have is your word that you are not a spy. And I¡¯m afraid that is not sufficient, Mr. Hart.¡±


    I shook my head up at him. ¡°No, actually. There are at least two pieces of evidence that speak to me not being one. First,¡± I said before the Prince could speak over me. ¡°Is the fact that¡­do you really think it would be that easy to get one over Grey like that? Do you really, really think that someone like Grey, who - let¡¯s be honest here - used to be a pirate, would not be able to sniff out a mole? Much less someone he took as his personal apprentice?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s still just a man. The Headmaster is not infallible.¡± The Prince pointed out. Still, I could see a mote of doubt on his face.


    ¡°Two,¡± I continued. ¡°In the pouch at the small of my back, you can find an example of the device that I created to break the Slave Bond. Ask yourself, why would Anguis allow such an item to be devised? Its very existence threatens the foundations of his empire.¡±


    The Prince frowned but looked away from me to nod to Augustine over my head. The knight grumbled but released me from his grip. I wanted to rub my flesh arm as blood started flowing again, but I refrained. Instead, I slowly reached behind me, aware of the knight still looming over my head, and withdrew the Bond Breaker I had on me.


    Never went anywhere without one, these days.


    Bringing it forward, I handed the oversized fork to the Prince. He took it from me warily, looking down at it. Slowly turning the breaker over and over in his hands, I saw the Prince adopt a considering look on his face.


    ¡°Of late,¡± He started slowly. ¡°There have been strange rumors coming from the Principality. My agents tell me that a Human man and his cohorts assaulted a plantation on the edge of Savoy lands, slaughtering the slave masters. It is said that their goal was to not only liberate the slaves held there, but to free them from their Bonds. This man apparently broke those Slave Bonds, using a Mystical Bident of some kind.¡± The Prince raised his head to look me in the eye again. ¡°I had not put much stock in those rumors until this moment. Was that perhaps your doing?¡±


    My eyes lit up at the Prince''s story.


    That had to be Bleddyn!


    God, it was good to get any news about my old friend. Even just hearing that he was apparently sticking to his words and freeing slaves was a relief.


    I took an excited step toward the Prince, unable to help myself. I was stopped from getting too close to him by an armored hand falling on my shoulder, though. I didn¡¯t care. ¡°Do you know anything else?! Anything at all?!¡±


    The Prince looked taken aback at my enthusiasm. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m afraid not. I¡¯m guessing you know the perpetrator of this attack?¡±


    ¡°Hell yes I do,¡± I said, not even bothering to be formal anymore. ¡°It has to be Bleddyn. He was another slave held at Addersfield. He helped free everyone at Addersfield, and when we were leaving, he and a large group of other slaves elected to stay behind. Bleddyn was planning a full-on slave revolt in the Principality, when I last saw him. I left him with my original Bond Breaker and the means to make more, because I wanted him to succeed.¡±


    The Prince blinked rapidly. ¡°A full-on slave revolt? If that is what this¡­Bleddyn intends, it has yet to begin. As of now, his presence is being dismissed as a slave folk tale by Principality authorities.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Bleddyn¡­that name is¡­familiar somehow¡­¡± His eyes widened, grip on the Breaker almost slipping in surprise. ¡°Tell me, is this Bleddyn from the Hill Tribes?¡±


    My own eyebrows rose. ¡°Uh, yeah. He told me he was from Clan Thunderheart.¡±


    ¡°Clan Thunderheart¡¯s Heir was captured as a slave, even if only briefly?¡± The Prince questioned in shock. I jerked back in my own surprise.


    Bleddyn was some kind of Clan Heir? He never told me anything about that.


    Man, why did it seem like everyone I met was some kind of big important somebody? Heirs, and children of Headmasters, and disgraced nobles. Sometimes it felt like I was living in a drama.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    What¡¯s next, Renauld was going to turn out to be the son of the Throng leader? Maybe Fade was secretly the King of the Spirit Wolves?


    The tension in the air was rapidly deflating at the evidence that was mounting against the Prince¡¯s slave story. The kid was starting to look a little awkward as the silence in the room grew longer.


    I cleared my throat. ¡°Well¡­is that enough you for, your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh,¡± The Prince said in an embarrassed tone of voice. ¡°I¡­believe so. You have my deepest apologies for the misunderstanding, Mr. Hart. But if I may ask¡­whatever could you have been doing in Rhoscara at that time? Considering the timing, you must have still been enslaved and under the ownership of House Savoy.¡±


    Hey. Look.


    While I wasn¡¯t incredibly pissed about this whole thing, I still wasn¡¯t happy. I wasn¡¯t sure if I could trust this guy anymore, after he¡¯d apparently waited for a moment where I was alone to ambush and interrogate me.


    I wasn¡¯t going to tell him all of my secrets.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the specifics of my petition have to do with the uniqueness of my Path and training,¡± I said firmly. ¡°If you really want to know more, you¡¯ll have to ask Grey-, ah, the Headmaster.¡±


    Now it was really awkward in here.


    The Prince sighed, but nodded nonetheless. ¡°I understand,¡± He said tiredly, as Augustine walked around from behind me. For once, the massive knight wasn¡¯t looking at me like I was scum from the bottom of one of his greaves. It just looked like he¡¯d completely disregarded my entire existence instead.


    Was this what all that had been about?


    ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse us, we¡¯ll be on our-¡±


    The Prince was cut off.


    Not by me, or even Augustine.


    But by the sound of faint screaming echoing from the hall, just outside of the practice room. The Prince and I jerked in surprise, while Augustine rounded on the door, one hand on the broadsword sheathed at his waist.


    A convenient excuse to get out of this awkward situation, if I ever heard one.


    I hurriedly bent down to pick up my dropped Oninite blades, and sheathed them in the holsters at either side of my waist. With a slightly insincere apologetic smile aimed at the Prince, I raced for the door and threw it open.


    On the other side, I could see other people opening doors around us and poking their heads out in confusion. In the hall, there were some people standing around, facing the direction of the screaming with shocked looks on their faces. I followed their gaze.


    Damn. That didn¡¯t look good.


    Just down the hall, there was what looked like an incredibly distressed maid. She was pale from what might be shock and pointing a finger behind her, towards a staircase that led further down into the depths of the Citadel.


    She was covered in blood. She didn¡¯t look like she was injured, so¡­


    It had to be from somebody else.


    I felt my lips flatten, as the Prince and Sir Augustine appeared at my elbow. As they were reacting in surprise at the sight of the bloodied maid, I raced down the hall. Several other men were trying to attend to the maid when I got there, only to step back when they saw my black and silver-clad form. I¡¯d made a habit of wearing my Order uniform around the Citadel for situations just like this, where I didn¡¯t want to be questioned.


    I nodded at them as I approached the maid. ¡°Miss,¡± I said quietly, taking her jittery free hand in my own. I did my best to catch her shaky gaze with my own. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°M-m-m,¡± She tried to get out, before finally succeeding. ¡°Murder! I-in the dungeons!¡± She wailed, collapsing to her knees.


    I cursed, as the stiffening of the men next to me signified the arrival of the Prince and his bodyguard. He had obviously heard the woman as well, from the pissed-off look on his face.


    I think we¡¯d both realized what that probably meant.


    Our eyes met as the Prince spoke. ¡°The dungeons are where we were keeping Duke Graden. If you don¡¯t mind accompanying me, Mr. Hart, I¡¯d like a representative from the Order present as we confirm my suspicions.¡±


    I nodded at the Prince and fell in step with him. I may be a bit irritated with the little shit, but now wasn¡¯t the time. I could piss and moan about the ambush to Grey later. Before I did anything else, though, I made sure to speak quietly to one of the soldiers standing around and ask them to keep an eye on the maid.


    We couldn''t be sure she wasn''t party to whatever had happened down there.


    The Prince, Augustine, and I fast walked away from the scene with the maid, trusting the soldiers and onlookers with her well-being. Taking the steps several at a time as we descended into the dungeons, I was puzzled at what I heard echoing up at me.


    It sounded like¡­cheering?


    And was that singing?


    As we hit the ground floor of the dungeons, I was a little¡­weirded out.


    Yup, all the prisoners held in the cells around us were cheering, hooting, and hollering in glee. They weren¡¯t exactly being subtle about for what, either.


    ¡°Death to Graden!¡±


    ¡°Fucker¡¯s finally carked it!¡±


    ¡°Yeahhhhhhhh! Fuck him!¡±


    Down the hall, I could see an individual wooden cell door lying open. On the ground in front of the open door was a smear and trail of blood, that led up the stairs that our group had just rushed down. Possibly from the maid.


    I took a deep breath. Well.


    I guess the cheering was for Graden, then. Still, we had to confirm things with our own eyes.


    The visibly furious Prince and his bodyguard stalked down the hallway, while I trailed behind him. More than one prisoner was waving and cheering at the sight of us, as we passed their cell. One even winked at me and gave me a thumbs-up.


    I¡¯m guessing Grey had been understating things when he said the people of Helstein didn¡¯t like Duke Graden.


    Just a tad.


    As we approached the open cell, the singing that I had heard coming down the stairs grew clearer, until I could make out the words. It was coming from the cell next to the open one, as well as the sound of a basic beat being played on the stone walls inside.


    ¡°Oh Duke Graden, your reign¡¯s now gone,


    Helstein¡¯s joy will sing at dawn.


    In dungeon¡¯s deep, your end we see,


    Freedom¡¯s chorus, loud and glee.¡±


    A bit morbid, my man.


    At last, the Prince, Augustine and I came to stand in front of the open cell. And inside¡­


    Yup, that was Duke Graden.


    Dead.


    Very, very dead.


    His corpse was lying splayed out on the dungeon floor, with his throat slit so deeply that his head was hanging on by only the barest sinew. It didn¡¯t look like the death had been recent, though. He was pale to the extent that he was a little blue, and I¡¯m not sure there was a drop of blood left in his body. And the blood that was pooling on the stone of his cell was dark and coagulated.


    Oddly, the dead Duke had a surprised look on his face.


    I sighed. Yeah, Grey wasn¡¯t going to be happy about this.


    There went his information source about the other lords who had plotted his capture.


    As the Prince glowered at the scene, the bard in the cell next door continued his song.


    ¡°Good riddance to a tyrant¡¯s name,


    Helstein¡¯s folk, no longer tame.


    Raise your voices, let them ring,


    For Duke Graden, the end we sing.¡±

 Chapter 145 - Confessions

    Grey sighed, rubbing his brow. ¡°Complication after complication.¡±


    After finding the murdered Duke with Prince Oskar, I had stuck around for a bit to try and figure out how it had happened. That had involved some gentle questioning of the housekeeping staff and the guards that saw to the prison block.


    According to them, he had been alive and crotchety as early as this morning when they did their rounds. The last time he had been checked up on was when he¡¯d gotten his breakfast. It had been around midday, roughly two in the afternoon when the screaming maid had discovered his corpse. So, somewhere in an eight-hour period of time an assassin had slipped right into the heart of the Citadel and silenced its former master in cold blood, without anyone to the wiser. The surrounding prisoners hadn¡¯t even known that Graden had carked it until the screeching of the maid had alerted them.


    The timing and the condition of the corpse was a bit odd, in my opinion. While I didn''t consider myself an expert on human remains, it was my understanding that it took longer than such a short period of time for someone to become as exsanguinated as Graden had been.


    What the assassin had done, it had taken no small amount of skill. Frankly, I didn¡¯t see how they had done it. I don''t think I could have. None of the prisoners even reported seeing anybody walk past their cell in that time frame, which possibly ruled out a disguised infiltrator.


    For now, it was going to have to remain a mystery how the assassin had so skillfully infiltrated our defenses.


    We needed to deal with the fallout, now.


    After gathering what information I could, I had exchanged some strained goodbyes with the Prince and his attack dog, and left to find Grey. He had commandeered a modest office for his own use in the upper reaches of the Citadel, and it was just the two of us in here right now.


    He hadn¡¯t been very happy to hear about either the assassination or my impromptu royal interrogation.


    ¡°No doubt Prince Alaric and his lackeys have been alerted to the capture of Helstein by now,¡± Grey said irritably, drumming his fingers on his desk. ¡°This was likely a plot by his knives to deprive us of any intelligence that could have been extracted from the former Duke.¡±


    ¡°But I thought you had already been working on Graden? You know, before he carked it?¡± I pointed out, relaxing in the surprisingly comfy chair seated in front of Grey¡¯s desk. I was helping myself to a glass of liquor that Grey had broken out when I had informed him of the day''s events, and feeling marginally better. The stress that both matters had placed on my shoulders was melting away from the taste of expensive booze, pilfered from the cabinets of a now-deceased Duke.


    Grey sighed again, setting down his own glass and standing up. He walked over to settle in front of the large window in his office with his hands behind his back. ¡°I was, yes,¡± He said, not turning to face me. ¡°However, I was hesitant to employ more¡­brutal questioning methods. Not only have I found them to be mostly useless, but distasteful as well. As a result, my now concluded ongoing interrogation of the Duke was slow going. The man was only willing to give up small, mostly useless parcels of information until he was afforded some, shall we say, significant concessions.¡±


    I snorted, swirling the booze in my glass. ¡°Let me guess,¡± I said sarcastically. ¡°He wanted the Citadel back.¡±


    Grey nodded, staring out over the city of Helstein. ¡°At the very least. He was unwilling to budge on that matter, even if he could not retain his title. Alas, it was all for naught now. If I wish to discover who exactly was the perpetrator of the plot to brand me, then we¡¯ll simply have to continue our campaign.¡± He shook his head in disappointment, turning around and walking back over to flop into his impressively high-backed chair. He picked up his own glass of liquor and slammed it back before pouring himself another.


    He was really pretty set on this whole revenge thing, huh. I didn¡¯t blame him, I suppose. I didn¡¯t have a leg to stand on when it came to decrying vengeance.


    I¡¯d gotten mine months ago now. I really don¡¯t know how I would have reacted if Magnus had managed to escape me.


    Probably poorly.


    ¡°And Oskar?¡± I said, restarting the conversation after a moment''s silence between us. ¡°I have to say, I wasn¡¯t expecting an interrogation today. Especially not from some snot-nosed Prince.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have a negative view of the Prince now at all. Not me, no sirree.


    Grey groaned aloud, reaching up to massage his brow as if to stave off a headache. ¡°I¡¯ll have a talk with him later. I''ll have to gently remind him that the secrets of my retinue are not his to rifle through. However in retrospect, I can see how some of the actions we¡¯ve taken over the last half a year have been suspect, and how one could jump to entirely the wrong conclusion. Still, I¡¯m sorry to say that it¡¯s not a high priority right now. By your own word, Prince Oskar has already apologized for his ambush. There really isn¡¯t much that can be done, Nathan.¡± He smiled at me apologetically.


    I waved him off, uncaring about any possible consequence. Instead, I was caught up in something else Grey had said.


    Half a year.


    It had been half a year now since I¡¯d been stranded on Vereden. God¡­it really didn¡¯t feel that long. We¡¯d been so busy, for so long, and under such stressful conditions that time had slipped by me. It had been late spring when I¡¯d materialized in that forest clearing, and I¡¯d spent most of summer in a slave collar. The majority of fall had been spent trekking across the breadth of the continent and its seas to save political prisoners. Now, with winter almost on us, the Herztalian Civil War had kicked back off in earnest.


    The timing was almost poetic. An orgy of blood and violence was soon to begin in these days, under the pall of the season of the dead.


    It promised to be a hard campaign. In the meetings that I had sat through with Grey, more than one officer had suggested waiting until spring came again to resume the war effort and strike out from their new headquarters here at Helstein.


    Grey and Leopold had shot down those ideas. They¡¯d pointed out how this was promising to not only be a relatively mild winter, but how the climate of the south changed matters. To the north of Helstein and past this desert, they were likely already experiencing snowfall. Hollow Hill was probably buried in sheets of frozen white by now. But the south had a much milder climate. The central mountains around Helstein blocked that cold air from moving south, and thus they had weaker winters. The most the army could expect would be some cold weather and sleet, and none of the debilitating snow that would have made a more northerly campaign downright impossible.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    No, the Uprising¡¯s supply lines and support had been solidified by both our capture of Helstein and the freeing of the political prisoners.


    Both a date and a location for the resumption of the war effort had been decided upon.


    It just hadn¡¯t been announced yet.


    ¡°Leave will be canceled tomorrow,¡± Grey told me, much more relaxed after a few glasses of high-quality booze. ¡°And in a few days, we¡¯ll be setting off. We won¡¯t be abandoning Helstein, of course. A sizable force, commanded by Woodrick, will be staying behind in order to defend the city and the north. As agreed, our next target will be the twin cities of Elderwyck and Tlatec. This will be¡­a tough nut to crack, and I truly don¡¯t expect to take Elderwyck without a fight. Not like Helstein.¡±


    ¡°And¡­we¡¯re not going to be doing anything to ¡®Tlatec¡¯?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°Because that would piss off the Orcs?¡± I''d heard something about how this Tlatec belonged to them, which was a bit odd.


    ¡°Gods no,¡± Grey shook his head vigorously. ¡°We cannot afford to antagonize the Orcish Dominion. The nexus of Elderwyck and Tlatec is where the only remaining functional Portal Stone resides. Many, many years ago an agreement was negotiated with Orcish officials for the sale of the land that Tlatec resides on. It wholly belongs to the Dominion now. Assaulting the only Orcish enclave on the face of Vereden would be tantamount to declaring war on the Dominion itself. And make no mistake, Nathan. They would crush us.¡±


    ¡°So, why are we risking attacking Elderwyck then?¡±


    Grey smiled helplessly at me. ¡°Unfortunately, Elderwyck is by far the largest trading hub of Herztal. The Loyalists sought to attack the Uprising where it was most vulnerable by abducting the prisoners we freed at Caer Drarrow. We must now do the same, and make an attempt to starve the Loyalists of a large portion of their funding. Coincidentally, it is also the home of another one of the main backers of the Loyalist faction. Duke Olsen.¡± Grey¡¯s smile took a vicious edge then, as the man visibly contemplated his revenge once more.


    Hmm.


    Rip roaring revenge was still on the menu, I see.


    Grey calmed down, setting down his glass. In fact, he was looking downright serious as he met my eyes. ¡°Which¡­brings me to another point that I wish to discuss with you. Some time ago, you alluded to something Nathan. Your, shall we say, explosive growth. To my understanding, you¡¯re over level sixty. Which is¡­unusual to see, in someone who has only possessed a Status for a mere six months.¡±


    Oh boy.


    I took a slow, deep breath, and then let it out just as slowly. Maybe it was just the booze in me, but I wasn¡¯t quite as anxious about this particular point as I used to be.


    I guess it was finally time to let the cat out of the bag. I may have dodged it for a while, but¡­


    After all that Grey had done for me, I wasn¡¯t going to outright lie to him about this.


    Still, I should be sober for this.


    I sat up in my chair, using my middle ring to speed up my metabolism. I¡¯d seen Azarus do something similar to this plenty of times by burning the booze out of his system and had decided to do my best to recreate it. With Ringed Mind, urging my body to process the alcohol quicker was the best I could do. I¡¯d be feeling it later, though.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said finally, already feeling more clear-headed. ¡°There¡¯s a reason for that.¡±


    For the next few minutes, while Grey listened patiently, I laid out how I¡¯d been growing so fast.


    That is, how I was able to absorb a full portion of level Aether from people that I killed. And¡­my inconsistent absorption of Skills from people.


    ¡°The thing is,¡± I said somberly, staring down into a glass I wasn¡¯t drinking out of anymore. ¡°I don¡¯t actually know how to trigger it. It¡¯s happened twice, now. Once with Magnus, and once with a knight I fought back at Caer Drarrow. It doesn¡¯t seem to be something I can active at will.¡±


    ¡°Nathan¡­please, look at me,¡± I heard Grey say. Dragging my eyes away from my drink, I met his own. Despite the irrational fears that I¡¯d had about Grey rejecting me upon discovering I could gain levels from murder, there wasn¡¯t disdain on his face.


    It was a relieving mix of compassion, bewilderment, and honestly a bit of exasperation.


    ¡°I can, somewhat, understand why you¡¯ve neglected to mention this before now,¡± Grey said. ¡°But¡­it truly isn¡¯t the social disaster you¡¯ve built up in your mind. In reality, if this ability to gain levels and Skills from others was more widely known, you would be the envy of the Classer community.¡±


    I furrowed my brow. ¡°But¡­I remember you and Azarus agreeing that if people could get levels from killing each other, that it would be a ¡®shit-show¡¯.¡¯ I said, making air quotes with my fingers.


    Grey barked a short laugh. ¡°Oh, it would be, of that I have no doubt. If everyone else could simply gain levels from waging war against and slaughtering each other, I frankly doubt Vereden would have ever emerged from the chaos of the Initialization Wars. I shudder to imagine the dystopian mire we would have been entrenched into.¡± He shuddered dramatically in his seat, before sighing. ¡°No¡­this is a boon for you, and you shouldn¡¯t be scared of sharing it with trusted companions. Thank you for telling me, Nathan.¡±


    I nodded quietly, feeling a little embarrassed. I cleared my throat. ¡°And the Skill stealing?¡±


    Grey shrugged. ¡°I have absolutely no idea,¡± He said cheerfully. ¡°Two data points are far too few to come to any conclusions. Inform me if it happens again, and perhaps we can work towards understanding this mystery.¡±


    Ah¡­all right. I guess it was too much to hope that Grey would have all the answers. Despite coming to the wrong conclusion about me, that little shit Oscar was right about one thing.


    Grey was only human, in the end. He wasn¡¯t omniscient.


    ¡°However,¡± Grey continued. ¡°This only reinforces a decision I¡¯ve come to. I¡¯ve noticed a trend emerging in your chosen specialization, Nathan. I don¡¯t think that I have to spell it out for you, do I?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No,¡± I said quietly. ¡°You don¡¯t. I¡¯m¡­becoming an assassin.¡±


    ¡°You are,¡± Grey nodded slowly. ¡°Your chosen first Class appears to have the archetype of the mystic assassin. Thornblade Acolyte, yes?¡± At my nod, Grey continued. ¡°Well then. In that case, it¡¯s my job as your mentor to facilitate your growth. To that end, I¡¯ve decided to remove you from the main host of the Uprising.¡±


    I sat up straighter in my chair, mouth falling open in either surprise or protest. I wasn¡¯t quite sure which.


    ¡°While an assassin can hold their own in open battle,¡± Grey kept speaking over any possible protest I could have. ¡°That is not where they¡¯re best utilized. To that end, I¡¯d like to assign you to the Nocturne Division within the Order.¡±


    I settled down, furrowing my brow. ¡°Which would mean...what, in practice?¡±


    Grey smiled at me calmly. ¡°The Nocturne Division is both the intelligence arm of the Order, and where our more¡­clandestine operatives reside and are trained.¡±


    I took a deep breath. ¡°In other words, assassins.¡±


    Grey inclined his head at me slightly. ¡°Among other things. I believe that you would benefit from the more specialized training you would undergo under their command. I won¡¯t compel you, of course. If you truly wish to remain as part of the main combat force, you are free to do so. I simply think this is the better path for your continued growth. However¡­if you agree, I will see to it that the master of the Nocturne Division personally sees to your training and oversight. Someone who I trust implicitly, and who ultimately reports to me in all things.¡±


    I was silent for a moment. This¡­


    I¡­


    I see.


    I¡¯d been conflicted for a while now, at the thought of how I was becoming an assassin. It was hard to shake my modern upbringing that screamed about how I was a monster for killing so many people, even if it was in battle.


    And here I was, being offered the opportunity to become an actual, official assassin.


    But¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s probably a good idea,¡± I said quietly, meeting Grey¡¯s eyes. ¡°Like I said, I get more than most out of killing other people. I¡­¡± I grew quiet again for a moment, as through the window I could see dusk give way to darkness. As the curtain of night settled over the city of Helstein, casting Grey¡¯s office in shadow, I nodded slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll become an assassin.¡±

 Chapter 146 - Hook

    I didn¡¯t sleep that night. I just stayed up, watching the world through the window of my room in the Citadel. Even nearly a week after Duke Graden had been deposed, there had still been celebrations running all night long. I know that large parts of the Uprising army had been really enjoying them. Still, they¡¯d been finally dying down.


    With the news of Graden¡¯s assassination leaking, those parties looked to have been kicked back into high gear. All night long, I was able to see indistinct forms frolicking in the streets and gathering around bonfires. Looked to be a fun time. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Azarus and Renauld were down there.


    Meanwhile, I was holed up in my room, idly petting Fade.


    And brooding.


    I¡¯ll admit it, that¡¯s what I was doing. I was full-on brooding.


    Because my training as an assassin started tomorrow.


    Grey had wanted me introduced to the Nocturne Division in the scant few days before the army set out for Elderwyck. Before we¡¯d broken up for the night, he told me he would arrange things with the mentor he had in mind. The apparent leader of the Nocturne Agents.


    When I asked who that was, all Grey told me was that they were a dwarf who would seek me out and arrange a meeting. He¡¯d told me to expect my contact message sometime overnight.


    And so I was still awake, waiting for the moment some spooky mysterious assassin would arrange a meeting with me.


    Somehow.


    And while I was waiting, I was brooding. Mainly about what my parents would think of me now.


    Probably disappointed.


    Heh.


    The level of violence that I was capable of now, and was intending to learn more of would be alien to them. Dad had been a simple social worker before his life had fallen apart in that accident. He¡¯d dedicated himself to helping people navigate the banalities of the governmental system, and had honestly seemed happy for it. He was ultimately a simple man. Not stupid, and not slow. Just¡­simple. He¡¯d had it all figured out, and many people would have thought he¡¯d won at life. A wife and son, little debt, and a home of his own. From what I remember of the before times, he was¡­content.


    Mom was¡­


    Mom was the heart and soul of our little family. A simple artist of little renown, she had taught classes at the local community college. It didn¡¯t bring in much money, but I think it had been the experience of teaching art that had really been the draw for her. But it was at home that she had really shined. Mom¡¯s outgoing, frankly quirky nature had been what was needed to draw out the two men in her life. Dad and I were¡­a bit reserved and had needed her energy to draw us out of our shells.


    And then the accident happened.


    We¡¯d been returning from a holiday trip visiting family when a truck had veered into our lane, knocking our shitty little car into a ditch. Mom hadn¡¯t been wearing her seatbelt at the time and had been thrown from the car.


    When she hit the ground, the coroner told us that she died nearly instantly. As for Dad, he was either lucky or unlucky, depending on how you looked at it. He survived, but at a cost. The airbag in our ancient little beater of a vehicle failed as the car rolled, and the axle of the steering wheel violently thrust through it and into his abdomen.


    It paralyzed him from the waist down. That wasn¡¯t the extent of his injuries of course, but it was the largest one. There had been plenty of other complications from that accident that made his life a living hell and which he never fully recovered from.


    Probably the greatest being losing the light of his life.


    He was never the same.


    And from then on¡­


    I sighed, running my hands over Fade¡¯s horns. They had fully come in not long ago and looked suitably fearsome, for a wolf pup. Actually, I took a closer look at Fade. He¡¯d grown a bit bigger. He was far from being an adult, but I¡¯d put him at¡­maybe the wolf equivalent of a pre-teen, now. The formerly scrawny young wolf had put on a bit of mass and wasn¡¯t quite as dangerously cute as he had been.


    Now he was starting to look dangerous in general.


    Fade looked up from his position lying on my lap. He whined at me, curious as to why I¡¯d stopped with the pets. I smiled down at him and got back to work.


    I was thankful for him being here. He didn¡¯t always return to my room to rest anymore, but he had tonight. Maybe he¡¯d just sensed that I was feeling a bit maudlin and come running. Who knew?


    I sure as hell didn¡¯t put it past the mysterious powers of a Spirit Wolf.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Said Spirit Wolf raised his head again suddenly, nearly skewering my arm with his surprisingly pointy horns. He wasn¡¯t looking at me this time, though.


    No, he was looking at the door of our room.


    I followed his gaze just in time to watch a small piece of parchment slide under my door. I felt my blood pressure spike.


    That must be the contact from the Nocturne Division.


    Carefully standing up from my position seated on my bed, I cautiously approached the door. I don¡¯t know what I was expecting from a simple note, nor why I was acting like this. It¡¯s not like the parchment was going to be laced with poison or something.


    Still, I was hesitant as I picked up the note and opened it.


    Inside was a small map of the city of Helstein, with a circled location on it and one word.


    Daybreak.


    I see.


    Pretty clear what they wanted. I was a bit surprised that they wanted to meet me in the light of day. I would have expected a group of assassins to meet in the dead of night in some den of iniquity, and not in¡­


    I took a closer look at the map.


    Was that a park?


    I shook my head. Well, whatever. I had my instructions now.


    Daybreak was still a few hours away, and I knew how I was going to spend them.


    Doing my best to relax with my furry not-so-little anymore companion.


    I turned around and made for the bed once more.


    I¡¯d get ready in a bit. Just¡­a bit more time with Fade was all I needed.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    I left the Citadel just before the sun was about to crest the horizon. I made sure that I was kitted out for combat, just in case. I was carrying along most of my normal battle kit these days, and was dressed in my old leathers instead of my flashy Order uniform. My new daggers were strapped to either side of my waist, while I had my pouch containing various potions and my ever-present Breaker on the small of my back.


    I¡¯d ended up studying the map enough that I was fairly sure about where I was supposed to go, and it didn¡¯t take me long to get there. I arrived at the small plot belonging to a city garden just as the green period of the morning was starting, casting the lush trees and bushes in further verdancy.


    Looking around, I could see that I was alone in this small stretch of greenery. There was nobody out here, certainly not a mysterious dwarven assassin.


    Well, except for Fade. He had decided to follow me this morning and was currently looking around curiously himself.


    I scratched my head, puzzled. Did this guy expect me to find him or something? Was this a test of some kind, perhaps about my tracking skills? I didn¡¯t think I was too bad at tracking, especially when I had Fade here to help me along. I opened my mouth to speak to him, only to be cut off.


    Violently.


    Out of nowhere, I felt my foot catch on something in an oddly familiar way. Before I could even process what was happening, I was violently yanked off of my feet and flung into the air in an eye blink. In seconds I found myself upside down in the middle of the garden clearing.


    Directly below me, Fade had tilted his head up to look at me in a quizzical manner, as if to question what I was doing. I blinked at him, and he blinked back.


    Feeling blood start to rush to my head, I looked up from the position I was hanging, already starting to dread what I was going to find. Sure enough, there was a complex arrangement of rope snaking its way down from the branch of a tree above me. It was attached to a noose that had been clinched tightly around my right foot that I was dangling from.


    I groaned aloud, extra blood rushing to my cheeks in embarrassment.


    I had fallen for one of these things again?


    Sylvia could never know about this.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be honest,¡± I heard a deep, gravelly voice say from the tree line, tinted faintly with amusement. ¡°I didn¡¯t actually expect that to get you. That¡¯s kind of¡­bad, kid.¡±


    Twisting my head to follow it, I was just in time to watch as a figure stepped out of the shadows. Fade followed my gaze and jumped slightly at the sight of them, seemingly surprised. I¡¯m guessing he hadn¡¯t noticed the presence of this person at all.


    Like Grey had mentioned, the apparent assassin I was here to meet was a dwarf. Not quite as tall as Azarus, but certainly taller than some of the other dwarves I¡¯d met. I couldn¡¯t see much of him, though. His entire body was shrouded in a thick, dark grey cloak with a hood. Underneath the hood, I could see a strange mask covering his face, hiding it from view, but allowing a long steel-grey beard to trail out of. It almost reminded me of the animal masks I had seen most Elves wear to conceal their nature. Where the savage elves that had enslaved me wore wolven masks, and the elves of Sancthaven wore deer masks, this guys was different.


    It almost looked avian in nature.


    The dwarf looked me up and down from my hanging position for a moment before sighing behind his mask. ¡°Well, at the very least, you¡¯re not running around in full armor. You¡¯ve got that going for you.¡±


    As I twisted back and forth, dangling by one foot, I felt an eyebrow twitch. ¡°I¡¯m not a complete moron, you know.¡±


    ¡°Just oblivious then? Don¡¯t answer that,¡± He said before I could finish opening my mouth. The dwarf shook his head, and then drew a small throwing knife from underneath his cloak. ¡°Here, let me get you down.¡±


    I only had moments to brace myself before the dwarf threw the knife at the rope holding me in midair. It sliced straight through the fibers, sending me crashing down to the grass below, only inches away from Fade.


    I groaned, although it was muffled by the fact I was face-first in the dirt.


    Fade leaned in and licked my face, almost consolingly.


    When I pushed myself up, I had to spit out a blade of grass. Looking up, I found the dwarf had moved to stand above me, a hand held out in my direction. I took it gratefully, allowing the person who had set the trap in the first place to leverage me to my feet.


    Once free of the foliage, I saw that the dwarf had titled their masked face to look at up me in an assessing way.


    I spoke first. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re the assassin Grey mentioned,¡± I said tiredly, as Fade sat down at my feet.


    The dwarf nodded. ¡°Yes, yes. I am the ¡®assassin¡¯,¡± He sounded oddly amused at the label, for some reason. ¡°That Greycton arranged to take you on. But I haven¡¯t actually made up my mind about that, just yet. You haven¡¯t exactly made the greatest first impression, kid.¡±


    Yeah, that was¡­fair. That was the second time now that I¡¯d walked straight into one of those rope traps.


    ¡°But, I¡¯ll give you a chance to change my mind,¡± The dwarf continued, turning back around to face the small forest in this city garden. ¡°C¡¯mon, I¡¯ve set up a testing ground for you farther in.¡±


    I scrambled to catch up as he strode back into the treeline. ¡°Wait,¡± I said, once I had. ¡°What do I call you? I¡¯m guessing you already know my name.¡±


    The dwarf snorted, but didn¡¯t turn to face me or stop walking. ¡°Of course I know you, Nathan Hart. I don¡¯t make a habit of spreading around my identity, though. For now, you can just use my codename.¡±


    ¡°Call me Hook.¡±

 Chapter 147 - Whisper

    I was sent flying from a blow by Hook. Twisting midair, I did my best to recover so I could land on my feet. I managed it, but I immediately collapsed to my hands and knees in exhaustion, panting. Sweat fell from my brow in rivulets as I tried to catch my breath.


    When Hook had said he was going to test me, he meant it. The sun was starting to go down, and we had been at it the entire day. While it hadn¡¯t all been sparring as we¡¯d just been in the middle of, that didn¡¯t mean everything else he¡¯d had me doing had been easy.


    The dwarf had been doing his absolute best to assess every ounce of knowledge and skill that I had for combat and stealth. From tracking, to sneaking, to lockpicking and more. If it was relevant to his line of work, he wanted to know what I knew. Hell, we¡¯d even done a few things that I hadn¡¯t expected. I hadn¡¯t expected the balance test, or even the freerunning obstacle course.


    I had no idea how he''d set that one up so quickly.


    Not even Fade had been spared from the testing, to my surprise. Hook hadn¡¯t even blinked at the idea of a wolf acting as a companion to an assassin, and had promptly included my companion. He¡¯d¡­been the most help during the tracking portion. As far as stealth, combat, and other things went¡­


    Well.


    He needed more experience. It was hard to remember that Fade was barely five months old right now.


    Perhaps my most pathetic showing though, had been during the archery test. I¡¯d never really thought about seriously pursuing either the skill or the Talent for it. I mean, why would I? Right now I was primarily a melee fighter because The Scintillant Blade didn¡¯t work with projectiles, and that ability was my biggest strength.


    I had barely been able to hit the target with the given short bow two out of ten times.


    Hook sighed, standing not far from my position. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough,¡± He said flatly. ¡°I think we¡¯re done for the day.¡±


    I stopped trying to hold myself up on my exhausted arms and simply flopped face-first into the grass. Hearing a similar flop next to my head, I turned it to see a panting Fade lying splayed out next to me. He noticed my stare and gave me a weak lick on my cheek before letting his head fall.


    ¡°The pup is understandable,¡± I heard Hook say from above me. I rolled on my back to see the dwarf better. He had his arms crossed over his chest and was staring down at me with an unimpressed posture. ¡°He¡¯s only a few months old and doesn¡¯t have much training, if any. Why haven¡¯t you been working with him?¡±


    I winced. ¡°We¡¯ve been really busy, and I only found him a few months ago,¡± I said tiredly. ¡°I was under the impression that it would be better for him if I waited until he wasn¡¯t a baby anymore to start training. His horns only grew in a few weeks ago, for God¡¯s sake.¡±


    Hook crouched down, his forearms resting on his knees. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. It¡¯s understandable, but you¡¯re still wrong. Now is the best time to instill some discipline in the pup. Still, that¡¯s easily fixable. He¡¯s still young, and he¡¯ll take the instruction better now. You, on the other hand,¡± He clucked his tongue, shaking his head. ¡°You have one of the shakiest foundations I¡¯ve ever seen in a potential recruit. Your skills and knowledge are all over the place.¡±


    Hey man, I only had like six months of training and experience in this kind of thing. Cut me a little slack.


    Is what I wanted to say, of course, but I didn¡¯t. I had no idea what Grey had told him about me, and I didn¡¯t want to volunteer knowledge when I didn¡¯t have to.


    ¡°Sit up,¡± Hook said firmly, standing up himself. ¡°And pay attention. You need to hear this.¡±


    I took a deep breath but did as he asked. I leveraged myself up with a groan and sat cross-legged in front of the grey-bearded dwarf.


    ¡°Positives,¡± Hook said decisively. ¡°You have decent athleticism. Not great, but workable. You have some strong Skills and Talents suited to the work, but you¡¯ve absolutely neglected picking up General Skills. Baffling.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Now for the negatives. You¡¯re...not a great fighter.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°That bad, huh?¡± I hadn¡¯t thought I¡¯d been doing so badly in my practice sessions with Azarus.


    ¡°Mostly, yes. One, you rely too much on those dagger spears of yours,¡± Hook said, holding up one finger. ¡°It¡¯s an interesting gimmick, but that¡¯s all it is. A gimmick. It shouldn¡¯t be the cornerstone of your fighting style. You take the surprise of that away, and what are you left with? An admittedly decent blade that you don¡¯t know how to handle. Your spear work is sloppy at best, and don¡¯t get me started on your knifework. Two, it''s baffling you''ve never touched a bow.¡±


    In my defense, even beyond the thing with The Scintillant Blade, I¡¯d expected to have a rudimentary gun by now. You know, if that experiment had actually worked out.


    ¡°Bow work is one of the cornerstones of this lifestyle, and if you ever want to get anywhere in it, you¡¯ll practice till your fingers bleed and your arms want to fall off. And then you¡¯ll pop a healing potion and keep going. Three, you might be athletic, but you¡¯re simultaneously not acrobatic enough and too acrobatic at the same time. You don¡¯t know how to move your body in the right way to accomplish your goals. You¡¯re not efficient. And for god''s sake, stop jumping around so much. It¡¯s not a good thing to break your root so easily. And that¡¯s just the start of your problems. Frankly, Hart, if it were up to me, I¡¯d send you off for a few more tours with the regular Order forces before considering you for the Nocturne Division.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Damn. It¡­didn¡¯t feel good to have everything you¡¯d worked on for months called into question like that.


    ¡°But it¡¯s not up to you, is it?¡± I asked resignedly. I wasn¡¯t trying to be petty with that question, either. I just knew that Grey had leaned on Hook to get him to take me on.


    Turns out, I was right.


    Hook sighed, and nodded. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re getting the special treatment. Greycton insisted that I take you on and fix the issues that he should have. It¡¯s not as if the man doesn¡¯t have experience in this field. I suppose he¡¯s too busy helping run the war to really take the time and correct your deficiencies. But, look,¡± Surprisingly, he held a hand out in my direction. I took it gratefully and accepted the help up. ¡°It¡¯s not like you were unknown to us. The Nocturne Division keeps an eye out for anyone among the Order that has the possibility of joining us. We¡¯ve noticed the direction your build is moving in. We were just intending to let your abilities mature more before approaching you. You do have the potential.¡±


    Huh. That was¡­concerning and appreciated at the same time.


    ¡°I never even noticed you guys,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°When did you¡­?¡±


    Somehow, I got the impression that Hook was smirking at me behind his mask. ¡°That¡¯s the point, kid. I¡¯ll say this. The problems with your fighting style and knowledge base can be corrected. We can fix that. I can fix that. So, since I don¡¯t have much of a choice, I¡¯ll begrudgingly welcome you to the Nocturne Division.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thanks I suppose,¡± I said, smiling wryly. ¡°What next then, ¡®boss¡¯?¡±


    Hook snorted, turning in place abruptly, allowing me to see the tight-fitted leather armor adorning his stocky frame. ¡°C¡¯mon. I¡¯ll take you to our current base of operation and fill you in on what we actually do on the way.¡±


    As Hook set off in the direction of the gates of Helstein, I hurriedly picked up my exhausted wolf and jogged wearily to catch up with him. Fade limply licked my hand, but settled into my arms for a rest afterward.


    Oh boy, I guess I had more work to look forward to.


    Lucky me.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    The two of us, plus Fade, received some strange looks from the populace of Helstein as we strolled through the streets. And I do mean strolled. Hook was downright casual in his gait, sticking out incredibly in his dark cloak and intimidating mask.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit counterproductive for someone from a shadowy group like yours to just walk about like this?¡± I said to him, a bit embarrassed by the attention.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Hook replied immediately. ¡°As far as the Division goes, I¡¯m the public face as well as the head. And you¡¯re misunderstanding what we are, anyway. I¡¯m sure Greycton filled your head with ideas about how we¡¯re the underside of the Order or something. If you have a notion that we¡¯re just a group of blades in the dark, taking out the Order¡¯s enemies, then you¡¯re dead wrong.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­you¡¯re not a group of assassins?¡± I asked, surprised. Hook had certainly given me the impression that he was, from the way he had effortlessly kicked my ass for hours.


    ¡°Some of us are,¡± He acknowledged. ¡°But we¡¯re primarily the intelligence arm of the Order. Spies, scouts, infiltrators, cryptographers, hell, even the messaging service is done through us. We¡¯re more than just assassins, even if there are a number of them among us.¡± He turned his head slightly to look at me. ¡°We¡¯re not some kind of bloodthirsty pack of murderers, kid. It¡¯s not generally a good idea to outright kill your problems at the first sign of opportunity. It¡¯s just¡­an option.¡±


    I was genuinely relieved to hear that. I¡¯d been worried ever since my talk with Grey that I¡¯d shortly be drowning in a sea of blood.


    ¡°That being said, we are in a state of war right now,¡± Hook amended. My spirits fell once more. ¡°Even people that don¡¯t quite have the skill set are being recruited for wet work missions. Frankly, we have a bit of a personnel problem right now. It¡¯s part of the reason I didn¡¯t bitch too hard to Greycton about taking you on. We need more warm bodies, even if it means we have to train you up before I even think of sending you on a real mission.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± I said quietly, as we passed through the gates and into the open plains outside the city. I followed him through the maze of camps and wagons that the army had set up, eventually entering the portion set aside for the Order. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­not good enough yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you could probably do some of the milk runs,¡± Hook said dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m just not going to send you on anything more involved than some scouting or messaging until I¡¯m satisfied you can take the heat. For now, though, me and some of the others will be running you into the ground.¡±


    Finally, we came to a small, unassuming tent in a sea of similar-looking ones. Hook immediately moved the flap out of the way and stepped inside, with me following. Although, I nearly ran into him when he stopped just passed the doorway.


    Inside¡­wasn¡¯t quite what I was expecting.


    For one, it was almost empty in here. Empty, and nearly deserted. The only thing that was in the tent was a small desk with a person sitting behind it in a nondescript chair. They looked female to me, but that was one of the only things I could make out about them. Under their cloak they were covered head to toe in leather armor, leaving absolutely no skin showing. They were also wearing a grey cloak like Hook¡¯s, and appeared human seeming to me instead of being another dwarf. They were sitting primly at the desk with their hands folded in front of them, straight-backed and attentive. Hiding their face was an expressionless wooden mask painted white, with a teardrop in blue running from their left eye. Said eyes were a strangely familiar shade of crystalline blue, peaking through the holes in the mask.


    Actually, now that I thought about it, those leathers that I could see under their cloak were pretty recognizable too¡­


    In my arms, Fade perked up a little, sniffing the air. He locked eyes on the female figure, and yipped at them, almost in greeting.


    Hook audibly groaned at the sight of the other person, presumably another member of the Nocturne Division. ¡°Now, I know I didn¡¯t assign you to the desk today, Whisper. So why are you sitting behind it?¡±


    ¡°That would be because I traded with Spike to be here,¡± A familiar voice answered cooly. I felt a smile stretch its way onto my face at the sound of it, my suspicions about the Agent becoming certainties.


    Hook sighed, and then waved a hand irritably. ¡°Get it over with if you must, Whisper. But don¡¯t be too long. I still need to get the rookie settled in.¡±


    ¡®Whisper¡¯ nodded slightly at his words and then stood up from her desk to approach me. I kept a straight face as the Agent leaned in closer to my ear. ¡°Welcome to the Nocturne Division, Nathan,¡± Sylvia whispered to me, with a smile audible in her voice.


    ¡°Happy to be here,¡± I said, smiling broadly. I was feeling better about this already.


    Whisper leaned back, meeting my eyes. She winked, allowing me to see the brief shutter of a Mithril eyelid.

 Chapter 148 - The Hangman

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Hook said irritably. ¡°Enough of this nonsense. Whisper, I don¡¯t care if you traded with Spike. Get back to your post and send his lazy ass back here.¡±


    ¡®Whisper¡¯ nodded shallowly at her apparent boss, and then made to leave the tent. As she was passing me, she met my eyes once again. ¡°Later,¡± She murmured, causing me to nod slightly in acknowledgment. In moments, she was gone.


    Apparently back to her post, which I¡¯m guessing had to do with our little group back in the Citadel.


    Hook heaved a put-upon sigh. ¡°That girl¡­¡± He said, shaking his head. ¡°Never mind, that doesn¡¯t matter right now. C¡¯mon, rookie. I¡¯ll show you in.¡± Hook approached the desk that Whisper had been sitting behind, reaching under its surface with one hand. He fiddled around with something, and what happened next was at least mildly surprising.


    A trap door that I hadn¡¯t noticed near the back of the tent opened with a creak of metal hinges.


    I blinked. ¡°How the hell? Do you guys have a bunker down there or something?¡± I asked incredulously. ¡°We¡¯ve only been here a week!¡±


    Hook barked a laugh at me. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. We didn¡¯t build an underground structure in a week.¡± He paused for a moment, before continuing smugly. ¡°It was already here. The Division has bolt holes like this set up all over the continent. It was only a matter of making sure we claimed the spot when the Army got here, to set up our infrastructure.¡±


    I nodded to show I understood. Meanwhile, I was actually wondering if that was what Sylvia had been doing, all those times she had disappeared for hours at a time during our travels. Had she been checking in with local Nocturne stations? Guess I could just ask her later.


    I was a little startled when another Division member popped their head out of the trap door that Hook had opened. They were wearing the grey hooded cloak that I was beginning to suspect was a uniform for the branch. The hood was down allowing me to see the apparent human male¡¯s shaggy blonde hair, and better see his plain wooden mask. The only embellishment on his was a carving of two avian wings on the surface. He looked around curiously for a moment, before sighting Hook. ¡°Boss?¡± He asked, sounding baffled. ¡°What are you doing? I thought you hated just leaving the door open.¡±


    Hook rounded on the Division member with speed. ¡°Do as I say, not as I do!¡± He barked, causing the cloaked figure to cringe away. ¡°Get back to work Finch! Shoo! Shoo!¡±


    ¡®Finch¡¯ retreated back down the trap door so quickly he hit his head on the lip of it. I heard muffled cursing echoing out of the hole that slowly faded with increased distance.


    I blinked slowly at the odd exchange. You know, I was getting the impression that these guys weren¡¯t quite the strict, moody cloak-and-dagger organization I had thought they¡¯d be.


    Hook grumbled. ¡°Wasted enough time. C¡¯mon, rookie. Down the hatch. Close it behind you.¡± Without another word, Hook strode over to the hole in the ground and hopped down it. I walked over to it as well, looking over the opening and downwards.


    There was a wooden ladder built into the dirt walls of the tunnel, which Hook seemed to have disregarded in favor of jumping straight down. Far below me, I thought I could see the dim glow of light. I looked at Fade¡¯s furry form in my arms, and then looked at the ladder again. ¡°How am I supposed to carry a wolf, climb a ladder, and close a door at the same time?¡± I grumbled to myself.


    Fade looked up at me from his position in my arms. He rolled his eyes in a surprisingly human gesture, before bodily jumping out of my carry.


    Straight down the hole. In seconds he was out of sight.


    Ah¡­


    I guess that worked. He was¡­probably fine.


    I shook my head and then swung myself over the edge and into the hole. Once I was inside, I reached up and grabbed the handhold built into the trap door, and pulled it down.


    The world went dark, but I had long since stopped being afraid of darkness. Instead of carefully taking the ladder down, I reinforced my strength with Sylvan Vigor at around fifty percent and let go of the ladder. I swiftly dropped down the shaft of this apparent bolt hole, feeling the wind whip around me.


    I hoped Fade¡¯d had the foresight to get out of the way. I didn¡¯t want to stomp on him like some kind of turtle murdering, video game plumber.


    Instead of hitting either fur or even dirt, I came to an abrupt stop by hitting stone. Quarried stone, in fact. Dare I say it, these were even stone tiles.


    How bougie.


    Blinking at the odd tangent from my core ring, I stood up to examine my surroundings. I was mildly surprised at what I found, but I shouldn¡¯t have been. These guys had the backing of an entire military organization, after all.


    There was an actual, for real office down here.


    Well a medieval equivalent to one, at least.


    Spread out over a modestly sized stone hall were over a dozen different desks, with an apparent Division member sitting at each one. Not everyone was wearing the grey cloaks and decorated masks, though. There were plenty of normal-looking people either shuffling through scrolls and sheaves of parchment, or scribbling things down on them. There were boards with pages and pages pinned to them along the walls, while on the far wall there was a massive, familiar map of Vereden prominently displayed. It was festooned with small pins that held differently colored strings of yarn, stretched over distances. It wasn¡¯t just one big space, either. I could see a number of different doors leading to other rooms, from which people were coming and going.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    The entire room had a slow murmur of noise and activity that wasn¡¯t interrupted at all by my entrance. I tilted my head in puzzlement, as I watched a cloaked and masked Division member carrying a tray with a teapot and cups on it to a desk with two other people, both looking like regular bureaucrats.


    Hook was standing off to the side with his arms crossed as I took in the apparent current headquarters for the Nocturne Division. Fade was sitting on his haunches nearby and wagging his tail as well, watching the byplay. I think they were waiting for me.


    I tamped down on my embarrassment, clearing my throat. ¡°So, what next?¡±


    Hook jerked his head in a motion to follow him. ¡°C¡¯mon, I¡¯ll get you registered in my office. That, and a few other things.¡± He walked off towards the office floor, Fade trailing in his wake. I hurried to catch up with them.


    As our little group weaved through the desks of busy operatives? Agents? Hook was occasionally stopped by people. I tried not to eavesdrop, but it seemed like they were asking for either his input or permission. He barely needed a second to observe the documents that they presented him with, before responding in a clipped manner. Something I noticed was that there was an awful lot of mentions about Elderwyck.


    And Tlatec.


    Fade and I got the occasional odd look from the staff and Agents in the hall, but nobody directly tried to talk to us.


    Eventually, we reached one of the doors on the far wall situated next to the massive map of the continent. Hook barged through the door, leaving Fade and me to travel in his wake. Once inside, I shut the door behind me and turned around. The room that Hook had us to was¡­a pretty understated, barren office. There was a simple wooden desk and some chairs, along with many bookcases packed to the gills with scrolls and sheaves of parchment. But not much else, honestly. This place didn¡¯t look very lived in. It was a purely utilitarian work space.


    Hook settled into the chair behind his desk, while I sat in one of the chairs across from him. Fade hopped up onto the chair next to me, sitting back on his haunches and trying to look like he was paying attention.


    For a moment, I was reminded of another occasion where I¡¯d had a meeting with an important dwarf in a much more richly decorated office, all those months ago in Rhoscara. It made me wonder how Ely was doing. I mentally shook it off, though, and directed my attention to Hook.


    He folded his hands in front of him on the desk. ¡°Alright, this is how it¡¯s going to work,¡± He said evenly. ¡°First, we get you registered for our records. It¡¯s not much. Just a simple sheet with some equally simple information we need for accurate assignment.¡± He took out an honest-to-God, pre-formatted office form from a drawer in his desk and slid it my way along with a fountain pen and inkwell. I smiled down at the incongruously similar-to-earth document, and got to writing. It wasn¡¯t asking for much. I hesitated, though, when I came to the species portion.


    Hook noticed, and made an accurate guess. ¡°Just put human,¡± He said calmly, causing my eyes to flick up and meet his in surprise. He nodded at me slightly. ¡°I¡¯m aware of that. As I said, we¡¯ve been watching you for some time now.¡±


    Okay then. That wasn¡¯t ominous at all. Guess I didn''t have to hold back one some of the info for this sheet.


    When I was done, I looked at the completed form. I¡¯d had to leave one thing blank, which I was guessing was coming up soon.


    Name: Nathaniel Eugene Hart


    Codename:


    Level: 67


    Age: 24


    Race: Human


    Affinity: Terrestrial


    Classes: Thornblade Acolyte


    Professions: Aetherial Melding


    It hadn''t asked me for a detailed description of my Virtues, I''d noticed. Or my Skills and Talents.


    I slid the document over the desk to Hook, who took it with a brief glance. He hummed, and nodded. ¡°Alright, time to decide on a codename for you. Generally, we don¡¯t impose strict guidelines for this. You¡¯re mostly free to choose what you¡¯d like. Just,¡± A pained note entered his voice. ¡°Don¡¯t go too overboard, will you? A proper codename isn¡¯t meant to be intimidating. It¡¯s meant to provide a level of anonymity.¡±


    I¡¯d been thinking about this for a bit, actually, in the back of my rings. I couldn¡¯t deny that there was a childish part of me that was delighted about choosing what was essentially a spy name for myself. ¡°How about Thorn?¡±


    ¡°Denied,¡± Hook said immediately. ¡°That¡¯s taken. She¡¯s out on assignment right now. Besides,¡± I got the impression the dwarf was fixing me with an unimpressed stare. ¡°Your class displays an affinity with thorns. That doesn¡¯t sound like anonymity to me.¡±


    I flushed slightly, but nodded. Alright then.


    I grimaced slightly, remembering something else I¡¯d been called by someone I hadn¡¯t much cared for. I couldn¡¯t deny that it sounded like an appropriate name, however. ¡°How about Hangman?¡± I reluctantly said.


    Hook tilted his head. ¡°A bit morbid, don¡¯t you think?¡± He said mildly.


    I shrugged. ¡°You said it yourself,¡± I pointed out. ¡°The purpose of my joining the Division and getting more training is to turn me into a better assassin. That¡¯s already plenty morbid.¡±


    Hook inclined his head in acknowledgment. ¡°True. We¡¯ll put that down as a maybe. Don¡¯t commit to something just yet. We generally don¡¯t care for it when Agents change their codename for no good reason, such as disliking the word. We prefer to only do that when they¡¯ve been ¡®burned¡¯, or identified by hostile parties.¡±


    For the next few minutes, Hook and I brainstormed a few different ideas for my codename. Things like ¡®Viper¡¯ and ¡®Wisp¡¯ were thrown around. Most of my suggestions were taken, and the few that weren¡¯t didn¡¯t sit right with me. Eventually, we just came back to my original suggestion.


    ¡°Hangman it is,¡± Hook agreed, filling out my new codename on the form. When he was finished, he turned around and opened a cabinet on the wall behind him. From it, he withdrew one of the grey cloaks that I¡¯d seen so much of and threw it at me. ¡°Put it on,¡± He said, rifling through the desk for something else.


    I had just gotten done fastening the cloak closed when I had to fumblingly catch something else from him. Looking down, I saw that it was a mask. A plain wooden, full-face mask without any embellishments, carvings, or paint on it. The blank eyeholes of the mask stared up at me. I turned it over. ¡°How does it¡­?¡± I trailed off, seeing nothing obvious to hold it in place.


    ¡°Specifically tuned sticking enchantment,¡± Hook said patiently. He withdrew a small stiletto knife from his belt, and held it out to me handle first. ¡°Squeeze a drop of blood onto the face to bind the mask. Once you¡¯re done, it¡¯ll only work for you.¡±


    I took the knife and pricked my thumb with it, unflinching. Handing the blade back to Hook, I squeeze a drop of blood onto the plain mask. As I sucked my thumb for a moment, I watched as the blood was absorbed into the wood with an odd ripple. Lifting the mask to face level, I didn¡¯t hesitate before putting it on.


    Hook was right about it sticking to my face. It was like an oddly comfortable kind of suction. Turning my head slightly, I was relieved to see that my field of view wasn¡¯t harmed by the mask. I turned back to Hook when he clapped his hands together in satisfaction.


    He nodded at me. ¡°Alright, Hangman.¡± He said, causing me to tilt my head slightly. That name was going to take some getting used to. ¡°Follow me. We''ll see if any of the trainers who are going to work with you are here now. You come to, wolf.¡± He said to Fade. ¡°We have someone with a Beastmaster class who can help you as well.¡±


    We exchanged nods, and then Fade and I followed Hook out of the office.


    Once back in the muted chaos of the hall, I was surprised at how much more comfortable I felt here. In this mask and cloak, I didn¡¯t stick out much anymore.


    Fade still got some attention, though. He just soaked up the pets and compliments from the people we passed by, following Hook to another door.


    I shook my head at the way my lupine companion was nearly strutting.


    You loved this, didn¡¯t you?

 Chapter 149 - Odd, Odder, and Oddest

    Over the next few days, I was put through a much more thorough examination of my abilities than the one that Hook had done initially. I primarily had three separate instructors in the Nocturne Division.


    Hook remained my primary teacher, focusing mainly on combat and weapon skills. One of the first things that he did was start my training with a bow. For now, he was having me use a short bow, as apparently I just wasn¡¯t strong enough to use an actual quality longbow. He outright scoffed at the idea of using a crossbow, calling them near useless for my purposes.


    I took his word for it.


    Other than that, he was kicking my ass up and down the small training hall that was found in the underground base. He refused to let me use my Oninite blades, instead demanding that I focus on relearning how to use a dagger independently, and then the same thing with a spear. He had been satisfied to learn that I¡¯d maxed out the basic Spear Proficiency Talent, but had clucked his tongue when I¡¯d said Knife Proficiency was only at level four. In fact, he told me that he had a certain plan in mind for both my combat abilities and actual Talents.


    ¡°What we¡¯re going to do,¡± Hook said conversationally, parrying a slash from one of my dual training daggers. ¡°Is get you to General Weapon Proficiency, like your friend Azarus.¡± He leaned out of the way of a stab, before continuing. ¡°Once you max out seven weapon Talents, you can combine them into the General Proficiency version.¡±


    ¡°What¡­use¡­is¡­THAT!¡± I panted out, in between trying to score a hit on the master assassin.


    ¡°You ever wonder what the actual benefit from these weapon talents is?¡± Hook answered mildly, dancing away from my strikes. I managed a nod before having to dodge out of the way of his return blow, just barely making it. I was admittedly pretty curious about their actual function. It¡¯s not like I had ever had some kind of epiphany about knife or spear combat and suddenly gotten better. ¡°What they provide is a kind of instinct. You still need to learn how to actually fight with a weapon, but the Talent gives you a guiderail. I can tell you from actual experience that, even as shit as you are, you¡¯re still better than someone with as little experience and training time as you should be. It heightens what you do have, so to speak.¡±


    I leaned over clutching my thighs, panting and dripping sweat. After a moment, I rose from my little mini-break to look at Hook. ¡°That just sounds like it raises the skill ceiling from normal-¡±


    ¡°To otherworldly, yes.¡± Hook nodded. ¡°Let me tell you, some of the real weapon masters that I¡¯ve met in my day? Crazy, crazy bastards with their instrument of choice. You see, you don¡¯t have to choose a General path. You can specialize in something like, say, Longswords. You just choose seven different kinds of sword to max the Talent in, and then feed those different sword Talents into the kind you want to master. That upgrades the Talent into an Advanced Longsword Talent. Take for example your companion Venix.¡±


    I blinked at the out of nowhere mention of the still comatose Antium man. Last I¡¯d heard, he had been placed under the care of Honoka¡¯s medical division.


    ¡°I¡¯d eat my mask if he doesn¡¯t have a Katana Mastery Talent. That¡¯s the level after Advanced, by the way,¡± Hook told me. ¡°So seven maxed sword Talents, fed into Katana Proficiency to make it Advanced Katana Proficiency. Then seven individually maxed other Advanced sword Proficiencies, fed into the Katana one to end up with Katana Mastery.¡±


    I tilted my head in thought. ¡°Is there a level after that?¡±


    Hook nodded. ¡°Yup, Grandmaster. But there are only a few people on the damn planet that have a Grandmaster level talent. A major factor to that is because of how long it takes just to reach Mastery, much less Grandmastery. It takes decades of day in and day out grinding and practice to get a Master level weapon Talent, much less seven of the damn things. I sure as hell don¡¯t have one. Hell, I know Greycton doesn¡¯t have one. He was satisfied with Longsword Mastery and stopped there. The man has never been all that serious about his weapon Talents, and he doesn¡¯t need to be. He has his magic to fall back on instead.¡±


    I furrowed my brow. ¡°I wonder why Grey, or hell, even Azarus, never told me about this? I mean, I know Azarus has General Weapon Proficiency, but he never told me how to get it.¡±


    Hook shrugged. ¡°My guess is that it¡¯s just never been the right time. You only have a single maxed weapon Proficiency. But back to the matter at hand, what we¡¯re going to do for you is go the generalist route. It¡¯s better for an assassin to be flexible, I¡¯ve found. Your seven are going to be Spear, Knife, Short Bow, Long Bow, and then I¡¯m thinking Longsword, Throwing, and¡­maybe Club or Mace. Or perhaps Stave. Hmm.¡± He said, tapping his mask over his lips in thought.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot,¡± I deadpanned. ¡°How long is that going to take?¡±


    ¡°Oh, months and months,¡± Hook answered offhandedly. ¡°You¡¯ll be doing missions long before you reach General Weapon Proficiency. I¡¯m just getting you started. You¡¯ll have to do a ton of individual training to reach it on your own. However, the benefit of General Proficiency over specialization is that you¡¯ll gain an instinctive ability for weapons you¡¯ve never even touched, while retaining ability in what was fed into it. Damn useful in a pinch, let me tell you.¡± Hook chuckled. ¡°You haven¡¯t really lived until you¡¯ve watched a General Weapons Master fight off an infuriated Advanced level specialist with a fork.¡±


    Well, that was certainly a mental image.


    ¡°But enough talk,¡± Hook said ominously, adjusting his stance slightly in a way I was learning meant a lunging stab. ¡°Back to the grind.¡±


    I desperately crossed my daggers in front of myself to block the incredibly fast lunge from Hook.


    Oh, how I wished I was able to use Sylvan Vigor in training.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Hook was only the first of my three instructors. The second one that I met was an Agent named Sparrow. Like Hook, he had an avian themed mask that was unpainted, only slightly different. The beak that was etched onto the surface of the mask was smaller than the long and thin one on Hook¡¯s. This guy kept his hood up at all times, but I could still tell that he was a human male.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Sparrow was the trainer who was supposed to work with both Fade and me. I¡¯d actually enjoyed the visible shock that had rolled over him when he¡¯d first met Fade and seen his horns. I guess it¡¯s not every day you meet a near-mythical Spirit Wolf, after all.


    ¡°My job,¡± He said to me, from the small break room that we were meeting in. ¡°Is reconnaissance. I¡¯m not on the combat track like you and Hook. I¡¯m the only Beastmaster in the Division, actually.¡±


    I nodded to show I understood. ¡°Yeah, I think Hook mentioned you. You can help me and Fade work better together, then?¡±


    Said wolf was in the room with us, lying on the ground and watching us. Despite his relaxed posture, I could tell that Fade was interested from the perkiness of his upright ears.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Sparrow inclined his head. ¡°I mainly work with birds, but I needed to gain a general understanding of most animals in order to qualify for the Beastmaster class. In fact,¡± He said with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m a licensed Veterinarian with the Professions to back it up. That¡¯s my day job, so to speak. I can give your young Fade a check-up after this, if you¡¯d like.¡±


    Day job, huh. More like cover.


    Still.


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds nice, actually,¡± I said with a smile that he couldn¡¯t see. We were both in our masks, after all. ¡°So, what are you going to be doing with us?¡±


    Sparrow leaned forward, clasping his hands. ¡°Well, that depends on you two. What are your goals as partners?¡±


    I tilted my head. ¡°You mean¡­how do we want to fight together?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t necessarily have to fight together, you know,¡± Sparrow pointed out, to my surprise. Wasn¡¯t that the whole point of this? ¡°I don¡¯t typically expect most people who aren¡¯t Beastmasters with animal companions to fight side by side. You don¡¯t have the support skills to make it worth it. You don¡¯t even have the actual familiar bond yet, being below the first breakpoint.¡±


    ¡°Wellll,¡± I said, drawing out the word. ¡°I¡¯m betting most animal companions aren¡¯t Mystic Beasts like Fade, either. I¡¯ve seen him do some odd stuff with his powers. To be honest, I don¡¯t think even he knows everything he can do yet.¡±


    Fade chuffed from his position on the floor.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit rude,¡± Sparrow said unexpectedly. At first, I thought he was talking to me before I noticed that his mask was directed at Fade. I was taken aback by the implication.


    Fade was too, suddenly sitting up and paying much more visible attention to Sparrow.


    ¡°You¡­can understand him?¡± I asked slowly.


    Sparrow laughed. ¡°Well, I¡¯d have to understand animals if I was performing reconnaissance with their help, wasn¡¯t I? Yes, I can understand your young friend. It¡¯s a Class Talent that I received from Beastmaster.¡±


    I deflated a little. ¡°Oh. I was hoping I¡¯d be able to learn something like that for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Welll,¡± Sparrow said mischievously, drawing the word out like I¡¯d done earlier. ¡°I didn¡¯t say it wasn¡¯t possible. When you bond an animal as a familiar, you get something similar to a Beastmaster¡¯s Beastspeech Talent. You won¡¯t be able to understand all animals like I can, but you will be able to understand your bonded companion,¡± He laughed at the visible interest in both Fade and I. ¡°Just another reason to strive for the first breakpoint, eh?¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah, that sounds awesome,¡± I said enthusiastically, before pausing. ¡°Wait, what did he say?¡±


    ¡°Ah, something along the lines of ¡®That¡¯s rich, coming from you¡¯.¡±


    I held up a finger in protest, before deflating. I nodded at Fade. ¡°Touche.¡±


    Fade nodded in satisfaction at my surrender.


    ¡°You know, since we¡¯re here and all¡­¡± I said musingly, still looking at Fade. ¡°Is there anything you¡¯ve wanted to tell me but haven¡¯t been able to get across?¡±


    Fade tilted his head slightly before his tail started to wag. He barked a few things at Sparrow.


    I didn¡¯t expect the senior Agent to burst into laughter.


    You know, suddenly I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to know. I still asked, though. ¡°What did he say?¡± I sighed.


    ¡°H-he said,¡± Sparrow managed to get out in between laughs. ¡°¡®You should make a move on the silver one already before she loses interest¡¯,¡± He shook his head at me amusedly. ¡°Problems in your love life, Hangman?¡±


    God, I was glad this mask hid my face. At least this way I could hide the redness I could feel creeping across it. I cleared my throat, desperate to move on from this latest humiliation. ¡°So, about that training schedule?¡± I said in a higher-pitched voice than usual.


    Sparrow let out one last chuckle, but gratefully moved on. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t know what you and Fade want to do together, we¡¯ll just do general stuff for now. We¡¯ll work on tracking, general fighting with an animal companion, and reconnaissance methods.¡±


    Sounded good to me.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    I didn¡¯t have to go looking for the last of my three instructors. Instead, she came to me. I was trying to relax after a training session with Hook in one of the break rooms when I was shocked half to death by her arrival.


    From one moment to next, the empty chair across the table from me was occupied.


    I nearly screamed at the sudden unexpected arrival, clutching my rapidly beating heart. ¡°Jesus, warn a guy next time,¡± I breathed, eyeing the sudden arrival. They looked to be one of the rare non-human members of the Order, much less the Nocturne Division. They were very obviously a Gnoll and a female one at that. I¡¯d gotten more used to telling them apart, after weeks spent in Renauld¡¯s presence. This particular Gnoll looked to have white fur from what little of it I could see, through their mask, heavy cloak and form-fitting leather armor. The Nocturne masks that I had seen for Gnoll members were really only upper-face masks, as it was kind of hard to fit a whole one over a muzzle. The bottom half for Gnolls like her was more of a stretchy material pulled up to hook onto the mask itself. Hers was painted white like Whisper¡¯s had been, and had a circle with three wavy lines overlaid on it, charred into the left cheek.


    The Gnoll Agent tilted her head to inspect me better. After a moment, I was surprised to feel the telltale tingle on the back of my neck that indicated someone using Observe on me. Surprised, and a bit offended.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I said sharply. ¡°What¡¯s your deal? What do you want?¡±


    The Agent ignored my question. Instead, she just nodded, as if to herself. ¡°I am Dusk,¡± She said, in a raspy voice. ¡°I will be your instructor in stealth and infiltration. When I am not busy, I will find you. I must go.¡± She stood up from her chair abruptly, making as if she was going to walk out the door.


    I scrambled to stand up. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s it?!¡± I asked incredulously, causing ¡®Dusk¡¯ to stop in her tracks. I could see her ears swivel my way under her hood.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dusk said flatly, before disappearing through the doorway. I just gaped after her.


    I nearly had another heart attack when Hook popped his head around the corner abruptly, holding a steaming mug of tea. I couldn''t help wondering what he was doing with it, wandering around in his mask as he always did. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her,¡± He said mildly, audibly amused at my shock. ¡°Dusk isn¡¯t the best at socializing, but she¡¯s one of our best when it comes to pure stealth ability. She¡¯ll have plenty to teach you, when I¡¯m not unfortunately running her ragged.¡± Hook shrugged at my baffled form. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the campaign for Elderwyck moves out tomorrow. For now, you¡¯re expected to rejoin your companions.¡±


    ¡°Are we still going with the cover you decided on? Did you contact her?¡± I asked curiously, shaking off the odd interaction.


    ¡°It¡¯s all been arranged, don¡¯t worry about it. Just get going, and you¡¯ll be contacted for Division duties and training once we¡¯re underway.¡± With that, Hook wandered away with a waved hand over his shoulder.


    I just shook my head.


    There were certainly some characters in the Nocturne Division.

 Chapter 150 - Heart to Hart

    ¡°Where the hells have you been?¡± Azarus snarked at me over the top of the crate he was carrying. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen ya in days.¡±


    I shrugged at the dwarf who was currently helping to load up our wagon. I had just wandered up to join my usual travel group to find that they were in the process of packing up. All of the usual suspects were in attendance. Azarus and Renauld were helping to load the last few remaining crates of gear and supplies we needed to get underway, while Grey was tending to the horses. Honoka and Sylvia were sitting up on the driver¡¯s bench, seemingly studying a scroll.


    It was early morning, and all around us, the Army of the Uprising was getting ready to roll out. It was time to begin the campaign to take Elderwyck. I¡¯d been busy with the Nocturne division, so I¡¯d missed most of the build-up over the last few days. There were only last-minute checks and loading to be done at this point, and it looked like most of the Army was just waiting on the word to move out. Once again, our personal wagon was smack dab in the middle of the Order forces.


    As I was making my way here, I had expected the Army to be smaller than it had been on the drive to Helstein. My understanding was that there was going to be a force left behind by the Uprising in order to hold it against possible attacks. However, I was surprised to see that the gathered forces were larger.


    Much larger.


    It looked to me like we had absorbed nearly the majority opposing force that had greeted us. I guess the integration of them into our own forces had been why we¡¯d stalled in Helstein for two weeks. If so, I hadn¡¯t been there for those discussions.


    I caught Sylvia¡¯s eye when she looked up, causing us to exchange a knowing glance. She and Grey, at least, knew what I had been up to. I cleared my throat. ¡°Well, Grey assigned me some work within the Order finally,¡± I said, setting up the cover that Hook had arranged for me. ¡°With Honoka, actually.¡±


    Grey and Honoka both looked away from their tasks at that. Grey had a small smile on his face, while Honoka just rolled her eyes at me.


    You know, now that I thought of it, the only people here who weren¡¯t in on the secret were Azarus and Renauld. Were they really so untrustworthy that I couldn¡¯t tell them? Still, I had my orders. Grey had apparently even approved my new cover.


    It was time to start building it.


    Sorry, guys.


    Azarus sat his crate on the lip of the wagon and then wiped his brow of sweat, all the while shooting me an incredulous look. ¡°The hells could ya be doing with her?¡±


    ¡°Watch your tone, you bearded oaf,¡± Honoka said warningly. ¡°If you must know, I have the boy running errands for the Healing Corp.¡±


    Renauld poked his head out of the covered wagon at that, his ears upright in attention. ¡°What? I haven¡¯t seen you around, Nate.¡±


    I shrugged, but Honoka answered for me. She rounded in her seat to fix the Gnoll with an evil eye, causing him to cringe back. ¡°Oh, been slacking enough that you can keep an eye on every errand boy I have running about, eh?¡± She asked menacingly. ¡°Sounds like someone needs to spend more time cleaning the tents and wagons.¡±


    Renauld wilted, but nodded his head defeatedly. Poor guy. There was just no arguing with Honoka sometimes. I felt a little bad for the Healing Corp, with a harpy like that running them.


    Wait.


    I was going to be joining the Healing Corp soon. Well, at the very least ''working'' for them. Soon, I¡¯d probably be the victim of Honoka¡¯s incredibly short fuse. I may not have actually been running around on Honoka¡¯s orders, but the cover that had been decided on for me was intended to be real. Honoka had agreed through messages with Hook to take me on as a provisional Healer¡¯s assistant, both to give me some practical medical knowledge and to test out the full capabilities of Aetherial Melding when it came to first aid.


    Hook had been very, very interested when I had described the impromptu, half-panicked surgery that I had done to save Walter¡¯s life, back in Addersfield.


    You know, that had probably led to this cover.


    I actually didn¡¯t mind it. Way back when I was still scrambling to acquire the other Professions, I had chosen Surgery as my Fleshcrafting option for a reason that still held true today. I had always fantasized about magically willing away all of the injuries and disabilities that car crash had left my dad with. Aetherial Surgery may not be full on Healing, but it was at least something.


    While my core ring was woolgathering, I just shrugged at Azarus and summed it all up in a few sentences. ¡°You remember how I wanted Surgery back in the day. This is just the chance to do a little of that.¡±


    Realization stole across Azarus¡¯s broad features, causing him to nod at me. ¡°Guess we¡¯re both goin¡¯ to be pretty busy from now on.¡±


    He was right. I¡¯d be busy with both the Healer¡¯s Corp, and the Nocturne Division. While he had been taking on plenty of work with the smiths of the Army.


    Honoka snorted, standing up from the driver¡¯s bench after exchanging a quick hug with Sylvia. ¡°Speaking of being busy, I need to go back to the Healer¡¯s section. C¡¯mon, you lazy sod.¡± She said to Renauld, who just sighed but nodded resignedly.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    My eyebrows rose at that. ¡°Wait, you two aren¡¯t going to be traveling with us anymore?¡±


    Honoka hopped down from the driver''s seat. ¡°No, now that I¡¯ve taken up the reigns of the Healing Corp officially, I need to stick with them to make sure it doesn¡¯t all fall apart. Gods know those idiots couldn¡¯t tell their ass from a hole in the ground sometimes.¡± She grumbled, before fixing me with a look. ¡°Come find me when the host stops for the night. We need to talk about a few things.¡±


    As Honoka stalked away, Renauld gave me a quick, apologetic smile. ¡°She¡¯s right. We¡¯re surprisingly busy for not having fought yet. I¡¯ll still bed down with you guys, but for now, I need to stick with the other Healers. I¡¯ll see you later, okay?¡±


    As Renauld scurried to catch up with Honoka, I felt a surprising wave of sadness roll through me. It felt like most of us were being pulled in different directions by the demands of the war. Venix was still comatose, Azarus was busy helping arm the Uprising, Honoka and Renauld needed to keep the Army alive, and Grey was busy helping lead it. I didn¡¯t even know if I was going to be seeing much of Sylvia soon. We may have both been apparent Nocturne Agents, but from what Hook had said, she had some kind of long-term assignment.


    We were drifting apart.


    That was life, I suppose. Even here in magical fantasy land.


    I wasn¡¯t the center of the universe, after all.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    It wasn¡¯t long before the horn sounded to signal for the host to move out. All around us the Army of the Uprising got underway with shouts, snaps of reigns, and the marching of boots. Unexpectedly, it was just Sylvia, Azarus, and I here at our usual wagon. Grey had needed to leave as well, citing a desire from the leadership to be at the front of the host with the Prince as they departed Helstein.


    Azarus was in the back, audibly snoring away, while Sylvia and I sat on the driver''s bench in a mirror from our departure from Silvercrest. Once again, Fade was resting in between us, this time napping as well. The young wolf had been run harder than I think he¡¯d ever been in his life, over the last few days. I didn¡¯t blame him for being exhausted.


    However, with it only being Sylvia and I at the wagon, that gave us a convenient excuse for that conversation she¡¯d promised. I felt a sudden sense of embarrassment roll over me, remembering Fade¡¯s translated words from the other day, but I stomped down hard on it before my cheeks grew red.


    Instead, I cleared my throat to catch her attention. ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Sylvia said, lifting her head from the scroll that Honoka had left me. The Sculpted woman raised a single silvery eyebrow my way.


    ¡°How long have you been, you know,¡± I made a gesture covering my entire face with an open palm. ¡°With them?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Sylvia said, rolling her scroll up and setting it aside. ¡°I¡¯ve been a member for some time now. I had been working with them since before Father was captured. In fact,¡± She said, smiling at me. ¡°Do you know, my mission to find him was assigned to me by Hook?¡±


    I hummed. ¡°Is that so? Then what you¡¯re saying is,¡± I returned her smile, taking a risk as I did so. I lay my free hand over her own and squeezed. Sylvia¡¯s smile softened as I did so, her hand returning the hold. ¡°That we owe him our¡­unique meeting.¡±


    ¡°You could say so,¡± Sylvia said softly.


    We were silent for a moment. I let my hand drift down to our clutched hands and decided to take a bigger risk. If a damned wolf was exasperated by our dancing around each other, then I can¡¯t imagine how our other companions felt. ¡°You know,¡± I started slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t have much experience with¡­this.¡± I squeezed her hand again.


    Sylvia¡¯s own gaze drifted down to rest on our linked hands. Her silvery Mithril fingers ghosted over my own golden ones. ¡°Neither do I,¡± She said quietly. Her gaze rose to meet mine. ¡°Nathan¡­I¡­,¡± Sylvia visibly looked like she was struggling for words, growing more frustrated by the second.


    Time to be blunt.


    ¡°Sylvia, I care about you,¡± I said directly, my emerald green eyes on her own sapphire blue. ¡°I would say that I care about you a great deal. I don¡¯t know if I can say that it¡¯s love,¡± Sylvia was visibly shocked at the word, while my heart started beating faster at my own forwardness. I could have slowed it manually, but I didn¡¯t want to. ¡°But what I do know is that I care about you more than a mere friend should.¡±


    ¡°I¡­,¡± Sylvia trailed off once again, looking lost and overwhelmed. We had been dancing around each other on this subject for weeks now. I think that whatever was growing between had reached a tipping point after I had saved her at Caer Drarrow. Since that time, we¡¯d been growing bolder in baby steps, trying to communicate how we felt in small gestures.


    But the time for that was past.


    Sylvia must have felt the same, because I could visibly see her will firm on her face. She let go of my hand, causing my heart to momentarily drop. However, it soared once again when said hand drifted up to cup my cheek delicately. Sylvia smiled at me fondly. ¡°I, too, feel the same way. I simply¡­I don¡¯t know how to properly communicate that. By now we¡¯ve been through enough that I believe I understand you, Nathan. And from that understanding has come affection.¡± She giggled, in a manner I had never heard from her before. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what to do now, Nathan.¡± In her nervousness, she looked at me in almost desperation.


    I reached up to clasp her hand in mine once more. I smiled broadly at her, feeling bolder than ever. ¡°I think I do,¡± I said, more confident than I¡¯d been in some time. I used our clasped hands to pull her closer to me, making my intentions clear from my stare. Sylvia¡¯s eyes widened momentarily in panic, before resolve filled them. Her eyes fluttered closed as the distance between us lessened.


    I let mine drift shut.


    Our lips met.


    Hers were pleasantly cool against my own. In the back of my mind, I was incredibly relieved at how lifelike they felt. I couldn¡¯t deny that I¡¯d thought of kissing Sylvia before, and had feared that I would hate it. But no, they weren¡¯t the stiff and unmoving metallic fabrications that I had dreaded they¡¯d be. Instead, they were nearly indistinguishable from the human lips I¡¯d felt in the past. Hers had just the right amount of softness, give, and flexibility to make kissing Sylvia a pleasant prospect. The only way I could distinguish them from a normal human woman was the coolness and lack of moisture.


    God bless magic.


    We separated, both of our eyes drifting open. The two of us alternatively chuckled or giggled at the high that it seemed we were both feeling. Sylvia sighed, and scooted closer to me, sandwiching Fade even closer between our two bodies. She lay her head on my shoulder and relaxed. I snaked a hand around her shoulders, enjoying the contact.


    ¡°We¡¯re busy people,¡± I said, breaking the silence. ¡°And we¡¯re in the middle of something pretty important. I don¡¯t know how much time we¡¯re going to have to ourselves, until the war is over. But¡­¡± I smiled down at Sylvia fondly. ¡°I think we¡¯ll have enough time to explore this at our own pace.¡±


    ¡°I would like that, Nathan,¡± Sylvia said softly, meeting my eyes once more. She returned my smile. ¡°I would like that very much.¡±


    From in between our thighs, I heard a surprisingly awake Fade let out a particularly self-satisfied sounding chuff.


    Alright, I can let you have this one.


    Good boy.

 Chapter 151 - Suspicions

    The host of the Uprising was moving slower than I thought it would be.


    During the march from Silvercrest to Helstein, we¡¯d been moving much quicker than we were now. And while I know it could possibly be attributed to how our forces had swelled following the Prince joining, it didn¡¯t feel like that. Being up on a wagon unlike most of the ground-pounders, I was high up enough that I could pick out the officers among the different regiments and divisions of the Uprising forces.


    They seemed to be far more alert than I¡¯d ever seen them. I watched as one human officer astride a horse scanned the horizon with an almost suspicious eye.


    Something was going on.


    Sylvia and I had ended up essentially cuddling on the bench of our wagon for a few hours during the march, simply talking quietly to ourselves. However, we¡¯d mutually decided to break apart when we¡¯d seen Grey coming back from his meeting with the leadership. While we weren¡¯t ashamed of our new¡­status, we¡¯d talked about how we would prefer to keep it private.


    Very private. As in, we simply didn¡¯t want other people knowing about us. Not even our friends, mentors, or family in her case. We wouldn¡¯t deny anything if they asked, but we would ask for our privacy. Sylvia had disappeared off into the host after a quick kiss on my cheek, mentioning ¡®duties¡¯.


    I knew what that meant, now. I¡¯d probably have ¡®duties¡¯ of my own, soon enough.


    Real, or cover.


    When Grey asked about Sylvia, having settled up on the bench with me, I made a gesture to my face to indicate a mask. He seemed to understand.


    Grey nodded, puffing on his pipe once more. I¡¯d noticed that he had started smoking more often than he used to. ¡°Yes, the officers are on high alert. Frankly, everyone is. We¡¯re in dangerous country now, Nathan. For more reasons than one.¡±


    I cast at look out at the almost picturesque scene we were traveling through. Vast, rolling hillscapes rolled along the horizon in every direction, dotted with the occasional patch of forest in the peaks and valleys. This late in the year the leaves of the trees had long since died and fallen to rest on the soil below, carpeting the forest floor in sheets of brown and grey. There was a wind in the hills today, whistling quietly and blowing the leaves our way. I reached up to snatch one out of the air, frowning.


    I couldn¡¯t deny that the scene had an odd note of menace.


    I turned back to Grey with narrowed eyes. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°A few things, as I said,¡± Grey said placidly. Still, I noticed his eyes were fixed on the horizon as much as the officers were. ¡°This is a notoriously dangerous stretch of the continent, for one. The Aether density in the hills just south of Helstein is notably higher than anything north of the Helstein range and south of the Barren Forest. This has resulted in notably higher monster presence in the region, with the resulting creatures being stronger than average as well.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°But¡­I haven¡¯t seen anything.¡± Which¡­now that I thought about it, was strange. We were only about half a day¡¯s ride from Helstein, but I would have expected to have seen something at least. The occasional monster attack on the fringes of the host were something I had come to expect, in my travels with the army. It was just an inevitability, I¡¯d found. So many people gathered in one group drew monsters in like moths to a flame. At least, the younger and dumber ones.


    But I hadn¡¯t seen the fringe scouts engage anything.


    ¡°Yes, and that¡¯s the problem,¡± Grey said ominously.


    ¡°Does the leadership suspect enemy action?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­hard to say,¡± Grey said frustratedly. ¡°As you well know, there are individuals among the Loyalist cause that have the ability to influence monsters.¡±


    Yeah, I hadn¡¯t forgotten that prick Leonard.


    ¡°But this could just well just be a natural phenomenon. It¡¯s¡­theoretically possible that there have just been lower spawns this year.¡± He continued. ¡°We¡¯ve had scouts ranging ahead of the army for days now, ever since we set a date for deployment. However, they¡¯ve found nothing. Little to no monster presence, and absolutely nothing from the Loyalists. Not even a patrol.¡±


    ¡°Then they¡¯re planning something,¡± I said bluntly. ¡°We¡¯re probably marching into a trap.¡±


    Grey sighed. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about that,¡± He said wearily. ¡°We can¡¯t turn back, and we can¡¯t move any more cautiously than we already are. And there isn¡¯t a port for leagues that could accommodate a force of this size. Not if we hope for our supplies to last, and more importantly, to protect our supply chain. All we can do is place our trust in our scouts.¡± He gave me an exaggerated eye wink at that, obviously trying to lighten the mood.


    I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.


    Still, I guess I knew the ¡®duties¡¯ that I was going to be assigned soon.


    All I had to do was wait.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Turned out, I only had to wait for nightfall. I received my orders, but not from a person I expected.


    ¡°Here,¡± Honoka said to me roughly, shoving a wrapped parcel my way. I took it, looking down in surprise.


    It was dark now, and the host had stopped a few hours ago. Once I¡¯d gotten done setting up our little camp site, surrounded on all sides by Order forces, I¡¯d remembered Honoka telling me to find her. It hadn¡¯t taken me long to locate the hastily erected Healer¡¯s tent. While they seemed to have a steady supply of patients even after a single day¡¯s trek, Honoka hadn¡¯t been busy. The older woman had looked to be acting as a supervisor. She¡¯d been watching the comings and goings of her own little division with a stern look and crossed arms. If anything, at the sight of me, her stern expression had transformed into a glower. Still, she¡¯d jerked her head in a motion to follow her around the back of the tent.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Which led us to now.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I asked her curiously.


    ¡°Your orders,¡± Honoka said bluntly. ¡°And some gear that was prepared for you.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°From¡­you? Or¡­?¡±


    ¡°No, not from me, you idiot,¡± Honoka said, irritated. ¡°Of course it¡¯s from the Nocturnes.¡±


    Ah, of course. I didn¡¯t let Honoka¡¯s temperament get to me. I was getting used to the crotchety old woman by this point. Instead, I just opened the small parcel. Inside was¡­


    A waist pouch, not dissimilar to my own. It was slightly bigger, though. Opening it, I saw a small selection of potions in vials no longer than my thumb, two small coins, a lockpicking set, and a familiar wad of flesh-colored material. A tightly wadded cloak and my still plain mask were inside as well. Everything was incredibly tightly packed together but done so in a way that it wouldn¡¯t clang or clank together and make noise. Wedged in the center was a small, tightly folded piece of parchment.


    Before I could even ask Honoka about the contents of the pouch, she continued speaking. ¡°Took some time to put that together, as they¡¯re short on supplies right now,¡± She said shortly. ¡°So, they just handed it off to me.¡±


    I nodded to show my understanding, and took out the parchment. I unfolded it, finding the page blank. I looked at it quizzically, but didn¡¯t get the chance to speak. Honoka preempted me again.


    She sighed. ¡°Just press your thumb in the center. They already have your Aetheric signature.¡± She said irritably, before muttering under her breath. ¡°Lazy bastards don¡¯t even bother to train before sending them out these days¡­¡±


    I did as she said, pressing my thumb into the center of the parchment. Words written in a dark blue ink bled onto the page, slowly filling it from top to bottom.


    Hangman,


    Inside you¡¯ll find:


    2 X Uncommon grade Healing Potions


    1 X Vial of Forgetfulness


    1 X Vial of Concentrated Arsenic


    1 X Vial of Muffled Steps


    1 X Vial of Water Breathing


    1 X Vial of Truth


    1 X Standard Far Eye


    1 X Communication Coin (Gold)


    1 X Location Coin (Silver)


    1 X Code Book


    1 X Lockpicking Set


    1 X FAT


    Your Orders are as follows:


    You are to begin scouting the host fringes. You are to search and destroy every individual monster discovered. If a hive is discovered, use Communication Coin and request reinforcements. If a Prime is discovered, retreat and then do the same.


    You are to do this until you have reached level 70, as it is noted in your file that you are near that point.


    If enemy presence is detected, your orders are to subdue individuals and call for reinforcements. Additionally, call for reinforcements if a group is discovered.


    Your contact is Lady Honoka.


    This message will wipe shortly. Dispose of parchment.


    That was it. The note wasn¡¯t even signed, which made sense I suppose. But what did it mean by wipe?


    I got my answer.


    The ink on the page evaporated before my eyes, leaving it blank once more. I blinked at the sight, before laughing. Of course a clandestine operation like the Nocturnes would have a way of making sure messages didn¡¯t get intercepted. I¡¯m guessing I was the only one capable of reading these communications.


    ¡°Alright,¡± I said, holding the parchment over a nearby torch with my golden hand. It burst into flames, and I held it unflinchingly as it burned to ash. I barely felt the heat with my muted sense of touch in the false appendage. I shook the ash from my hand and took out the cloak, snapping it open. Throwing it over my shoulders, I focused back on Honoka. ¡°So, you¡¯re my contact? I was surprised when Hook told me you were going to act as my cover. I didn¡¯t think you liked me that much.¡± I said teasingly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get a big head, boy,¡± Honoka said warningly. Still, her tone wasn¡¯t as sharp as I sometimes heard from her. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for Sylvia.¡± She sighed. ¡°But here¡¯s how it¡¯s going to work. You actually are going to be doing work for the Healing Corp. Sometimes. When you are, you¡¯ll be reporting to me. But for now, they need you out there keeping a watch.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, Grey was telling me about the leadership¡¯s suspicions. You think they¡¯re valid?¡±


    Honoka shrugged. ¡°Could be. If they are, I¡¯m hoping I¡¯ll get another shot at Leonard.¡± She nearly snarled the name, with a suddenly hungry look in her eye.


    Ooookay then. I took out my mask and affixed it to my face, calling on Thorn Cloak as I did so. My previously plain grey cloak sprouted vicious red hooks and thorns, in an interaction I¡¯d only discovered recently. If I was already wearing a cloak of some kind, the Skill just activated on top of what I was wearing instead of creating something from nowhere


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later, then,¡± I said to Honoka, my voice muffled by my mask. As I turned away to melt into the tree, she stopped me with a word.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Honka said, surprisingly somber. Looking back over my shoulder, I was startled to see a rare serious expression on her aged features. She took a deep breath, before meeting my eyes through my mask. ¡°Don¡¯t think Greycton and I haven¡¯t seen what¡¯s going on between you and Sylvia.¡±


    I felt myself flush under my mask at the unexpected words.


    How?! That literally only happened a few hours ago!


    I was grateful that she couldn¡¯t see how embarrassed I grew, as she continued to speak.


    ¡°We¡¯re fine with letting you two work it out,¡± She said quietly, before grimacing. ¡°Just¡­please be kind to her. Arrangements like yours are rare, and they can be¡­volatile, in circumstances like these.¡± She sighed, before smiling bitterly. ¡°Speaking from experience.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. I just nodded to show my understanding, which seemed to be all Honoka wanted from me. She waved me off, and stalked back around the tent back to her post.


    I sighed, and stepped out into the tree line to start my range. Thankfully I had my full Order uniform on, with my Oninite blades affixed to my hips and my usual pouch on my back left hip. I affixed my new pouch to my back right.


    Honestly, I had expected her to threaten me or something. Honoka struck me as the type of person to be fiercely protective of people she cared about. But she''d seemed almost pleading to me. Well, as much as Honoka could, I suppose.


    I shook it off and took off into the darkness. Once out of sight of the encampment, I dialed Sylvan Vigor up to thirty percent, and vanished into the forest.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...


    I was unsurprised when Fade found me about an hour into my scouting. He seemed to have an outright supernatural sense of my location at all times. In the time I¡¯d searched by myself, I had found no traces of anything yet.


    Grey hadn¡¯t been kidding when he said the scouts had turned up very little.


    Still, that didn¡¯t mean there was nothing out here. With the young grey wolf¡¯s help, we encountered signs of a monster relatively quickly. Following them, I smiled grimly at the almost nostalgic sight of a Warg. This one was even more screwed up looking than the strange bear wolves I¡¯d run into around Addersfield. It was strangely droopy looking, with almost mossy fur. Observe told me it was a level fifty-six Marsh Warg.


    I exchanged a glance with Fade, hiding down in a bush below me from my tree perch above the creature.


    I dropped down onto the beast from below, and got to work.

 Chapter 152 - Of Finches and Wolves

    The pattern repeated itself for the next half a week.


    Fade and I would keep pace with the host of the Uprising, scouting beyond the edges in search of monsters. In that time, we would need to range farther and farther from the army in order to find more. However, I was still returning to the wagon at night. I wasn¡¯t meant to be going out too far after all. I could range far enough under my own power in the space of a day that it was no problem in venturing out and making it back. I¡¯d long discovered that my talent Leafwhisper Step seemed to have a component to it that helped in forest navigation, beyond just masking the noise I made.


    However, I¡¯d also found that there was something odd about the density of monsters we were encountering. I¡¯d been on this planet for just over half a year now, and in my time I had done my fair share of monster hunting. It was one of the most common duties that Grey had assigned to me on all of my travels.


    I had never seen such a dearth of monsters in all that time.


    Still, what we did find was a relatively high level. What we tracked down seemed to range from around level fifty at the lowest, all the way up to the question mark range. I was lucky that Fade was with me and seemed to sense whenever a monster was too strong for us was in the vicinity. Every time that something fifty levels or so stronger than I was wandered by, he would direct us away from it or find a hiding spot for us. Still, it was only one question mark that Observe would display for me. To my understanding, that meant that the upper end of this zone was capping out at around level one twenty.


    I might, might be able to take something like that. The Scintillant Blade was absurdly powerful, after all. But it was better to be safe than sorry.


    Besides, other scouts out here were able to take something like that.


    In fact, I had met a few of them. Either by choice, or by coincidence.


    After all, I had been given a method of contacting the main scout force. Even though I had no idea where they were.


    The golden communication coin that had been given to me as part of my field kit was something that Hook had introduced me to, in the scant few days of introductory training I¡¯d been given. They worked as a sort of rudimentary magical signaling device.


    The way they worked was like this.


    Each individual coin that was issued to agents was bound to another coin back at headquarters. When either face was tapped, the coin it was linked to would flip to show the indicated surface. Hook had briefly shown me the receiving room in that underground bunker, filled with coins suspended in glass jars and watched over by Nocturne Division clerks. There were certain code sequences of heads or tails to inform headquarters of what was going on.


    I didn''t know much about computers from back home, but even I had heard of binary code. This reminded me of that, in a way.


    For example, heads head tails heads heads meant I¡¯d encountered a monster beyond what I was capable of taking. Following that up with heads tails tails after a pause of five seconds meant I was requesting backup at my location.


    There was no way that I was going to be able to remember all of the codes any time soon, of course. There were hundreds of different combinations to memorize.


    I¡¯d been given a cheat sheet in my field kit to help with that.


    Unfortunately, the coins were only one way. I could only signal back to them, and they couldn¡¯t signal back to me. Hook had told me they had enchanters who were trying to break that barrier on contact.


    However, what might be just as important was the other coin that I had been given. The silver location coin. These coins were bound to the large map back at headquarters that I had initially only glanced at. The location of every issued coin was tracked on that map by a pin that moved with it, which I had noticed after Hook had pointed it out to me. Each pin could be linked to another, which would link the silver coins. When linked, the coins could lead one to another with small nudges in different directions. Unfortunately, again, I couldn¡¯t link my coin to another preemptively. Only headquarters could do so.


    For all its faults, it was a surprisingly effective system. At the very least, it was better than nothing.


    Curious to see it in action, I¡¯d used my messaging coin for the first time upon encountering a strange mass of writhing, meaty tentacles that returned a list of question marks with Observe. A little over a minute after sending the message, I¡¯d felt that faint tugging sensation from the silver coin held in my other hand.


    I waited at that position in the trees over the monster for maybe fifteen minutes, before I was startled by a barrage of arrows leaping out at the abomination. They sprang from the opposite treeline from where I was positioned. Despite being stronger than I was, the monster died in seconds from the rain of pointed death, exploding into a cloud of Miasma.


    Moments later, another Nocturne Division member appeared above the resulting Monster Core left behind. After picking it up, I was able to get a better look at them.


    You know, I actually recognized this guy. It wasn¡¯t any of my trainers, and it wasn¡¯t someone important like Hook.


    It was the guy who had briefly poked his head out of the hatch when I was introduced to headquarters. Finch, I believe his codename was. I¡¯d seen the guy around a few times, but I had never had a conversation with him. He¡¯d always been super busy, rushing to and fro.


    Right now, though, he was looking directly at my hiding spot and waving enthusiastically. Guess it was no use trying to hide from someone who was so much higher level than I was.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    I dropped from my hiding spot, Fade emerging from his own a few moments later. I raised my own hand in greeting as I approached the man.


    Surprisingly, he crossed the distance first, clapping me on the back with one hand and enthusiastically clasping my forearm with the other. I just barely managed to keep myself from jerking in surprise at the unexpectedly friendly greeting.


    ¡°Hey, nice to meet you!¡± Finch said eagerly. Behind his avian-themed mask, I got the impression that the man was smiling widely. ¡°I¡¯m Finch! I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve talked yet? Your codename was¡­Executioner, I think?¡±


    I repressed a wince. ¡°Ah, no,¡± I said awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s Hangman, actually.¡±


    Not that there was much of a difference.


    ¡°Nice!¡± Finch said encouragingly. ¡°Very intimidating. I like it!¡±


    Strangely, I was getting Aurum vibes from this guy. You know, back before I soured that relationship and was never able to mend it before he died.


    Wow. Nice depressing thought there, core ring.


    ¡°Thanks for coming so quickly,¡± I said. ¡°I¡­hope I didn¡¯t take you away from anything more important.¡± I laughed a little sheepishly. ¡°I kinda called this one in just to see what it was like.¡±


    Finch literally waved me off, stepping back. ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry about it. You did me a favor, anyway. I¡¯m out here doing the same thing you are, hunting monsters. That Tubular Ripper was just about in my range, so it was perfect for me. Hook sent me out here because I¡¯m getting close to my one-fifty.¡±


    I guess it was a common practice. I''d grown to level sixty-nine from all the hunting I''d done so far. I understood the desire to be just on the precipice of another skill.


    I nodded, a little relieved. So, Finch was more than double my level. I wasn¡¯t surprised, considering how quickly he had taken out the monster that was apparently some kind of Ripper variant. I paused, though, figuring I might as well him something that was on my mind.


    ¡°So¡­¡± I trailed off, eyes lingering on the spot where the Ripper had died. ¡°What have you seen out here?¡± At Finch¡¯s curious tilt of his head, I elaborated. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from some of the higher-ups that they¡¯re suspicious about the monster density. Have you seen anything?¡±


    Finch crossed his arms, humming. ¡°Well¡­¡± He drawled. ¡°Maybe. I¡¯ll admit, this isn¡¯t my first time ranging in hill country. The number of beasties that I¡¯ve encountered lately has been low. But, maybe the tribes have just been hunting more?¡±


    Tribes?


    Wait. I remembered now. Months and months ago, Grey had referred to Bleddyn¡¯s people as the ¡®Hill Tribes¡¯. Did that mean my old friend¡¯s family was somewhere in this area? Suddenly, I was struck by a nearly overwhelming desire to find Clan Thunderheart and reassure them he wasn¡¯t dead or enslaved any longer. I suppressed the feeling though, figuring I could just ask Hook or Grey about it later.


    ¡°But that¡¯s not all,¡± Finch continued, an audible frown in his voice. ¡°I¡­look. Do you mind coming with me?¡±


    I raised an unseen eyebrow at my senior in the Nocturne Division. ¡°Sure? I don¡¯t mind. I doubt Fade does, either.¡± I said, glancing down at my companion. He just chuffed at me, uncaring. ¡°But what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°When you signaled for backup,¡± Finch said slowly. ¡°I had just found some tracks. Suspicious ones. And¡­not monster tracks. I think they were human.¡±


    I suddenly felt much more alert. ¡°Loyalist, do you think?¡±


    Finch shrugged. ¡°I have no idea. I didn¡¯t get a chance to look at them closer before I came running. I remember where they are, though. And, look. It could just be nothing. This stretch of the continent isn¡¯t exactly uninhabited, ya know? Even with the monsters.¡±


    ¡°Lead the way, then.¡± Exchanging one last set of nods, Finch, Fade, and I broke out into a sprint through the sparse forest.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Finch was faster than I was, which I was entirely unsurprised by. Even running Sylvan Vigor at three-fourths strength, I was barely able to keep up with him as we dashed through the underbrush. After about ten minutes of sustained sprinting at high speed though, Finch suddenly came to a stop.


    When he did, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from doubling over in exhaustion. Fade was a bit tired himself, audibly panting next to me. Looking up after a brief rest, I found Finch kneeling in the dirt of the small clearing he had led us to, closely inspecting something. Wandering over to join him and crouching down, I tried to see what he had been talking about. I nearly didn¡¯t, until Fade joined me and started sniffing a certain patch of grass. Looking closer, I was just barely able to see the slightest impression of a footprint in the compressed leafage below.


    God, even with the tracking experience that I¡¯d gained, I could barely make it out. I was instantly both suspicious of the track, and amazed at Finch¡¯s own tracking ability. I would never have noticed this out here on my own.


    Only someone that was trying to mask their trail would leave something like this.


    Finch and I stood up and exchanged a glance through our masks. ¡°That¡¯s the only one, though,¡± Finch said, his concern clear. ¡°I can¡¯t find anything else. I¡¯m thinking this was a momentary mistake they didn¡¯t notice.¡±


    I frowned, glancing around. ¡°Did you check the whole clearing?¡±


    Finch nodded. ¡°Yeah, I did. I had even started checking the surrounding area when I was called away.¡± He spread his hands, shaking his head at the same time. ¡°I was hoping your wolf could pick up a scent trail since it doesn¡¯t look like they left a physical one.¡±


    Both of us looked down at Fade then, who was still snuffling around in the dirt. After a moment though, he looked up and shook his head from side to side.


    I could see Finch blink in surprise at the surprisingly human gesture before he cursed. ¡°Well,¡± He sighed. ¡°Damn. Sorry, but we can¡¯t just let this one go. We¡¯re going to need to scour this entire area for miles, now. It might take days, but I don¡¯t think we can afford to let even a single leaf go unturned. I¡¯m going to call this in.¡± He reached behind him for his own pouch of field supplies, presumably for his communication coin.


    I sighed but nodded. It was going to be grueling work, but it was what we were out here for.


    Finch stopped mid-movement, though, jerking in surprise at something behind me. I almost got the impression his jaw had dropped. Curious, I turned around myself, only to feel a smile grow on my face.


    Fade¡¯s horns were glowing with the green and blue of concentrated Aether once again, in a way that I had only seen a few times in the past. The young wolf was visibly concentrating on something, with the glow on his horns growing brighter every moment. Finally, with a loud bark that echoed oddly through the barren trees around us, the Aether¡­


    Fizzled out?


    However, something did happen.


    Before Finch and I¡¯s astonished gaze, footprints outlined in dimly glowing Aether appeared in the grass and dirt, leading away from the now faintly glowing original one.


    ¡°Ah¡­,¡± Finch trailed off. ¡°Or we could follow that. That works too.¡±


    I kneeled down to scratch Fade¡¯s head, as he panted in renewed exhaustion. ¡°Thanks, boy,¡± I murmured. He licked my hand in return.


    I stood back up and exchanged a glance with Finch. In unspoken agreement, we took back off into the forest, following the faintly glowing footprints, with Fade following behind us.


    Deeper into the forest.

 Chapter 153 - The Breaking

    Thankfully, the footprints that Fade had created weren¡¯t a continuous line. If they had actually been something like that, I¡¯m sure whoever we were tracking would have freaked out about how their trail was now visible and glowing. No, instead they were appearing in front of us as we navigated our way through the underbrush.


    However, I think Finch and I were both surprised when the trail led out of the forest. At least, the main part of it. We¡¯d been traveling for at least thirty minutes now, following the glowing trail. A few seconds ago, it had broken through into a plain that lay on the other side of the treeline.


    Finch, Fade, and I were standing just inside of it, looking warily out at the wide-open space. There was no way we¡¯d been able to hide out there. There wasn¡¯t an ounce of cover to be seen as it was nothing but grass and hills for miles around. If we had to crest one of those hills, we¡¯d be seen for certain.


    I, though, was concerned with something else as well. I frowned, looking back the way we came. ¡°We¡¯ve gone pretty far,¡± I murmured, catching Finch¡¯s attention. At his head tilt, I elaborated. ¡°This is the farthest I¡¯ve ranged out since I was posted out here.¡± By now we might be at least ten miles out from the army of the Uprising.


    Finch shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice,¡± He said. ¡°We have to look into this. But, we can¡¯t do it as we are.¡± Finch did something then that surprised me.


    He reached up and removed his mask.


    My eyebrows shooting up in shock, I took in his now-revealed features.


    Surprisingly, Finch looked younger than I was.


    I¡¯d peg the man at around twenty-one or so, with youthful features sporting not even the slightest amount of facial hair. Not like the near-constant five o¡¯clock shadow that I was spouting these days, though. I¡¯d already seen them through his mask, but Finch had chocolatey brown eyes that paired well with his shaggy blonde hair. He shook it out of the way, as he took a bandana out of his pouch and tied it around his forehead to keep the strands out of his eyes. When he was done, the almost pretty boy gave me a roguish grin and stuck his hand out. ¡°Johann Morris, pleased ta meet ¡¯cha.¡±


    I blinked at the introduction, but shrugged. I¡¯d never been told we couldn¡¯t unmask to another Agent, so why the hell not? I reached up and removed my own mask, taking his hand after stowing it in my pouch. ¡°Nate Hart, ditto.¡± I said, clasping arms with him.


    ¡°Nice, nice,¡± Johann said, nodding easily. ¡°We should take off the cloaks too. They''ll stick out too much out there.¡± He unclasped and removed the grey cloth when he finished speaking, revealing a mostly unremarkable set of leather armor.


    I snorted. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I should take the cloak off if I wanted to remain undetected,¡± I said, spreading said cloak as I did. ¡°I¡¯ve got my Order armor on under this, and I don¡¯t have a change of clothes on me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not wearing mine, so¡­¡± Johann shrugged, as he folded and stowed his cloak. ¡°Not a problem. You don¡¯t look too much bigger than me, and I have some clothes you can take with you. Just remember to bring some next time, yeah?¡±


    Ah¡­yeah, that sounded like it would have been good. I¡¯d kinda just¡­set off as soon as I¡¯d gotten my Orders. As Johann slung off a small pack from his back, I was able to see the bow that he¡¯d killed the Ripper with, as well as a capped quiver. The weapon looked surprisingly mundane for the amount of mana I could feel hiding within it.


    I accepted a similar set of leathers from the man, walking out of sight to get changed. When I was done, I tugged at the clothes uncomfortably. I was used to wearing leathers like this, but this particular set fit oddly. I was practically bulging out of them. I couldn¡¯t even fasten the top button on the vest it was so skin-tight. I shook it off and wandered back over to Finch. He thankfully stowed my cloak and uniform in his pack, and then we rejoined an impatiently waiting Fade next to the footprints.


    We followed him out onto the plains, traveling slower and making sure to keep our heads on a swivel.


    We didn¡¯t have to go far to find something.


    As we began to crest a nearby hill, we began to hear an odd sound. There was a bizarre humming note to the air that only intensified as we grew closer to it. Not only that, but I started to hear something else that made my heartbeat pick up.


    Roars and growls and screams and chirping. None of it sounded human. Exchanging a glance with Johann, we both got down on our bellies and began to crawl to the top of the hill. When we reached it and looked over the top, I felt my mouth drop open in shock as Johann cursed.


    We¡¯d found the missing monsters.


    And then some.


    On the other side of the hill was a small valley surrounded by more hills, forming a kind of bowl shape. The entire thing was filled to the brim with monsters scrabbling and clawing to get to something in the center. The noise we had been hearing was them fighting desperately to get through a dome shield of some kind, glowing faintly with the blue of Mana. Their claws and fangs simply slid off of the surface for some reason. All of the monsters below us looked mad with fury trying to pierce the shield.


    There must have been thousands of them in that valley, roiling over themselves in a nearly indistinguishable mass.


    The humming sound overlaying the roars of the monsters was coming from inside the dome.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°What?¡± I breathed in shock. ¡°What is¡­?¡±


    ¡°A monster lure of some kind,¡± Johann murmured, his eyes narrowing. ¡°But why is it out here? It has to have been set by the Loyalists. If they were planning to direct all of that to attack the Army, why¡­?¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said sharply, shading my eyes. Just barely visible through the dome, I thought I saw something. ¡°Take a closer look at the center.¡± I heard Johann agree before the both of us tried to take a closer look at the center of the dome. It was lucky we were so far above the roiling mass below, or else I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to see.


    But I could.


    Someone was in the dome.


    A nervous and fidgety Loyalist soldier had set up a camp inside the dome shield that was protecting him. I could see his tent and the remains of a campfire, which he was sitting next to and watching the monsters from on top of a log. But what caught my attention the most was the other thing that was inside the dome as well.


    I hadn¡¯t seen one in months, not since I¡¯d escaped Addersfield. But I don¡¯t think I would ever forget it.


    It was a luminous blue Ward Stone, floating over a stone plinth. Through my squint, and thanks to my levels in Perception, I watched as the crystal slowly spun in place.


    ¡°What is going on here?¡± Johann said, baffled. ¡°Did he get caught out here, and set up a whole damned ward scheme to protect himself? Why are the monsters going so damn feral over one soldier? I¡¯ve never seen so many monsters care so much about just one person.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what¡¯s happening here,¡± I said slowly, drawing Johann¡¯s attention. I focused harder on the Ward Stone, trying to decipher the runes carved on the plinth. Thankfully, my Perception was high enough that I could just barely make out some of them. I frowned at what I was seeing. I looked asway and at Johann with a grave look on my face. ¡°I¡¯ve seen what a monster-repelling ward looks like before,¡± I said grimly. ¡°And what¡¯s on that looks like the inverse of one. That¡¯s a monster-attracting ward, like you said.¡±


    I didn¡¯t say it, but that wasn¡¯t the only thing I saw on the bizarre Ward-Stone. There were some extremely odd runic arrays that I had never seen before etched on the surface of the plinth. Something about absorption and expelling? I didn¡¯t understand it, but I had a bad feeling.


    ¡°That makes no sense,¡± Johann pointed out. ¡°If this is some kind of Loyalist scheme, then they¡¯re just helping us by drawing the monsters from our path.¡±


    I frowned, a suspicion starting to grow in the depths of my rings. Looking up again and focusing back on the dome, I froze.


    The soldier had noticed us, despite our prone positions on top of the hill. He must have been scanning the ridgeline instead of watching the monsters as I¡¯d thought. Bizarrely, I watched as the man¡¯s face fell as he stood up. Not only that, but it looked like he was starting to¡­sob to himself?


    What the fuck?


    My blood ran cold at what happened next, absolute dread blossoming inside me.


    The soldier reached down and picked up something that had been hidden behind the log he had been sitting on. The familiar form of an oversized fork.


    A Ward Breaker.


    I scrambled to my feet, uncaring about Johann¡¯s yelp as I seemingly gave away our position. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking do it,¡± I breathed. ¡°DON¡¯T¡¯ YOU DARE!¡± Tearing my eyes away from the soldier and casting a wild gaze down Johann, I gave up all pretenses. I reached down and yanked him to his feet, uncaring about how rough I was.


    ¡°Can you break that shield?¡± I said desperately, almost shaking the man.


    Johann must have seen the panic on my face. ¡°No¡­not something that can take so many hits from so many monsters,¡± He said slowly. ¡°Hart, what¡¯s going on? What the hell is that thing that has you-¡±


    I let go of him abruptly, looking down at Fade. ¡°That thing you did at Caer Drarrow!¡± I said, my panic only growing. ¡°Can you dispel that shield?!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Johann said, startled. ¡°He can do that? But those monsters would tear that guy apart!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea,¡± I said, not looking at him.


    Fade looked as baffled as I¡¯d ever seen him, but I saw the young wolf look down the hill at the shield. Slowly, his gaze drifted across the distance back to mine. I got the impression he was judging the distance from our position to the shield.


    He shook his head.


    I sagged. ¡°Fuck,¡± I said quietly. Suspecting what I would find, I looked at the soldier once again.


    Below me, it looked like he had been gathering his nerve while I¡¯d interrogated my companions. But now it looked like he was ready. Sure enough, the soldier was approaching the Ward Stone with the Breaker held tightly between his hands, tears still falling from his eyes.


    He was going to do it.


    Panicked, I turned to Johann. ¡°We need to get out of here now,¡± I said quickly. ¡°Or we¡¯re both fucking dead.¡±


    I didn¡¯t wait for his reply before sprinting down the hill, Fade quick on my heels. I ratcheted Sylvan Vigor up as far as I dared to keep my pace as quickly as possible. I heard Johann curse as he caught up to me once we were down the hill and halfway to the tree line.


    ¡°What the hells-¡± Johann didn¡¯t get the chance to interrogate me any longer.


    Behind us, a bright blue light began to outshine the sun, casting shadows ahead of our position. Suddenly shocked, I turned around to watch with Johann, my blood curdling in my veins at what I saw.


    Rising out of the small valley was what looked like a bright blue sun, casting the world in its ethereal light. It was nearly as big as Grey''s tower had been, back in Hollow Hil.


    It was concentrated Mana. No¡­


    This was a spell. An enormously powerful one.


    Although it looked like nothing more than a mass of pure power, I could feel the intent roiling inside of the mass. The effect of so much pure energy gathered in one place was causing a localized storm in the immediate area, with fierce winds beginning to howl and swirl about it. Luminescent blue lightning crackled off of the miniature star, scorching the grass on the surrounding hills with rainbow fire from the strikes.


    Through the cacophony, I couldn¡¯t hear anything else but the sizzle of Mana and the rushing of wind.


    The monsters had abruptly gone silent.


    With jaws hanging open wide, Johann and I watched as the spell floated into the sky. It must have gone nearly ten miles up, boiling furiously all the while.


    Until it burst.


    In a massive explosion that I was sure the Army must be able to see, the spell exploded in a cascading river of mana. Johann and I were knocked off our feet from the shockwave. Luckily, I was able to catch Fade in time before he was blown away.


    The energy roiled about us, nearly burning me from the sheer intensity. I was stunned, but not stunned enough that I wasn¡¯t able to see what happened next.


    Hundreds, thousands. No¡­


    Dozens and dozens of thousands of Monster Cores started to form in midair all around us, slowly condensing. They blanketed the hills and forest as far as the eye could see, shining with malevolent rainbow light.


    My heart stuttered in my chest as I turned around and sprinted through the forest in the direction of the Uprising host. ¡°Too fast, too fast, too fast,¡± I chanted to myself madly, as I ran.


    As pseudo-flesh started to form around the Monster Cores all around us, Johann caught up to me, looking as panicked as I¡¯m sure I did. ¡°What the fuck is this?¡± He said wildly, panting in fear.


    ¡°A Ward Break,¡± I managed to get out in between breaths of exertion, pushing myself as hard as I could.


    ¡°The Loyalists have set off some kind of super Ward Break.¡±

 Chapter 154 - Last-Ditch

    I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever been so panicked in my life.


    As Johann, Fade, and I dashed frantically through the woods in the direction of the host, we tried to thin the growing monster horde as much as we could. Practically, this meant we were wildly swinging at every forming Monster Core we could, trying to shatter them before they could complete. We didn¡¯t even bother to make sure we¡¯d managed to truly take out the cores on our path. We just struck at anything in our path.


    The three of us may have left dozens of ruined cores in our path, but it didn¡¯t matter.


    Every minute hundreds took their place, stretching as far as the eye could see through the boughs of this forest.


    We had been running for over ten minutes by now, but eventually, our luck had to run out.


    Behind us, the first of the monsters finished forming. As howls and screeches filled the air, all I could do was grit my teeth and pump my legs harder.


    I heard the hordes of monsters begin to charge after us. I couldn¡¯t even bother to try and take out the still forming cores ahead of me, anymore. I needed all the energy I could spare just to keep running.


    Unfortunately¡­


    It was too much for Johann.


    He broke.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the other agent look over his shoulder briefly. Whatever he saw made the blood drain from his face. Even though we were both sprinting and panting, the other man still had the breath to start sobbing. He turned to me with a hysterically apologetic look on his youthful features and spoke only two words.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Before I could answer, Johann¡¯s body suddenly took on a bright yellow glow.


    His running speed more than tripled.


    Johann took off, rapidly accelerating away from Fade and I.


    I¡­nearly couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing. Johann¡­


    Was leaving us behind.


    You bastard¡­


    ¡°You¡­BASTARD¡­¡± I nearly screamed between puffs of breath. I felt a sense of hopelessness try to roll over me, before I squashed it brutally with my middle ring.


    I couldn¡¯t afford that right now.


    Risking a glance over my shoulder to see what had reduced Johann to a coward, my already thundering heart stuttered in my chest at what I found.


    There was an endless sea of monsters charging through the trees behind me, just barely in sight. There were so, so many of them, all slavering and snarling as they chased after us. They filled the entire horizon of the forest, from as far as I could see in either direction. Behind them were even more bloodthirsty beasts, with more forming every second. I don¡¯t even know if they were specifically chasing me with how absolutely stark raving mad they looked.


    I grit my teeth, turning back around. One thing I had noticed was that they were gaining on Fade and me.


    I couldn¡¯t outrun them forever. And I don¡¯t think I could make it back to the host before they reached me.


    I couldn¡¯t die here. I wouldn¡¯t allow myself to. I had too much to live for now. Sylvia and I had only just reached an understanding! I had a LIFE now! I had THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO!


    I. WOULD. NOT. DIE. HERE.


    Reaching down and scooping up a shocked Fade, I ratcheted Sylvan Vigor to max power and activated Thorn Cloak at the same time. Feeling my Skill settle over my shoulders, I leaped as high as I could into the air, one hand outstretched before me.


    And triggered Thorn Grapple.


    A grasping head of thorns and burrs shot from my palm at blistering speed, disappearing into the tree tops. I felt it impact something moments later, and my arm was nearly yanked out of its socket as I was rapidly pulled in that direction. The trees ran together in a blur as I rocketed upwards, only for our ascent to abruptly halt.


    My hastily thrown-out skill had brought us to the very top of a tall tree, and just in front of me was a small nook in between the tree branches. I scrambled into it, clutching Fade to my chest almost desperately. As soon as we were inside the small cramped space, I hunched over and did my best to cover us both completely in my concealing skill-borne cloak.


    If we couldn¡¯t outrun the horde, I hoped to fucking God that we could hide from it.


    I looked down at Fade in the dark depression I had found for us. His bright green eyes pierced through the darkness created by my cloak, glowing slightly. I saw the young wolf take a deep breath before he snuggled tighter into my chest. I nearly sobbed at the gesture, clutching him as tightly as I dared, uncaring about his horns.


    Moments later, I heard the dread-inducing sound of the horde start passing far beneath us. They thundered past the tree I was hiding up in a thunderously monstrous cacophony. But that wasn¡¯t all.


    Above the tree we were in, I heard wing beats and the screeches of even more monsters. If possible, my eyes widened even more before I cursed in the depths of my mind. Of course there would be airborne monsters created by the Break as well, you fucking idiot.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    I could only pray that they both didn¡¯t look down, and couldn¡¯t pierce the shroud of Thorn Cloak.


    The advance of the horde continued for minutes. God, it might have even been half an hour before I heard the sound of thundering feet, paws, and wings start to taper off. In that time, I never once allowed myself to untense. At any moment I was sure that some ravenously hungry monsters would climb the tree Fade and I were hiding in and fall upon us in an orgy of blood and fangs. Or a sharp-eyed flyer would swoop down from the infested skies and drag us away to have our guts ripped out.


    But¡­


    Nothing happened.


    My last-minute gamble to escape the horde appeared to pay off. An almost sobbing sigh of relief escaped my lips before I could stop it. I felt a long flat tongue lick my cheek, almost in reassurance.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± I breathed, smiling slightly down at Fade. The wolf had an almost worried look on his lupine features. ¡°We¡¯re okay.¡±


    At least, for now. Time to actually figure out if that was true.


    Cautiously, I lifted my skill-borne cloak enough for my head to peek out.


    Nothing. I didn¡¯t immediately see any flying monsters just waiting above the treetops to swoop down on us. Fully exiting the concealment of my cloak, I set Fade down on the hollow that we were hiding inside and crept to the edge. I looked down.


    Well, it doesn¡¯t look like all the monsters were gone.


    Far below us, there were still a few lingering monsters milling about, almost in confusion. It was like they knew there was something they should be doing, but couldn¡¯t quite manage it.


    Actually, wait a moment. These were some pretty tall trees, so I couldn''t make them out very well. I took out my far-eye once more, extending it and looking below me.


    Gods, they were hideous. The particular monsters below us looked to have been malformed. They almost looked mutated in some way, with additional vestigial limbs or even extra eyes, mouths, and ears. Or they were possibly even missing some of those.


    I watched as one particular mutant Warg, with what looked to have no eyes, a single leg, and an extra tail growing out of its mouth instead of a tongue wiggle around uselessly on the forest floor. It, and all the other mutants that had been left behind, were beyond grotesque.


    But they looked mostly harmless. I had no way to prove it, but I¡¯m guessing that they were the product of being so rapidly created. That didn¡¯t matter right now, though.


    Instead, I had to think of my next move. I couldn¡¯t stay in this tree forever. Luckily, I had a method of communication.


    I retreated from the edge of the tree and rummaged around in my pack of supplies. Withdrawing both my gold communication coin and my cheat sheet, I looked it over with a frown. What kind of message could actually convey how absolutely fucked this situation was?


    I guess I¡¯d go with this one.


    Flipping my coin in the specified manner, I spelled it out.


    ¡®Imminent disaster. Request extraction.¡¯


    There was no way that I was going to try and make it back to the host like this. If I did, I was going to run straight into the back lines of the horde. There was no way I¡¯d be able to survive that. That had been the entire point of hiding up here. And I couldn''t rely on the tree tops concealing me if I tried to make it back that way. I''d probably get plucked right out of the air by a flier.


    By my estimate, I might be as far out from the Army as an hour at a dead sprint. That put me at a significant distance from the relative safety of the host.


    I had no way of knowing just how many monsters were infesting these woods now. Even though all I could see below me were useless mutants, I had to assume that it was a death sentence to try and travel on foot. Luckily, I had at least a little bit of experience in traveling by tree top, if I was going to be moving away from the horde. I had never forgotten my experience in the forests of Addersfield, just after gaining my class.


    Damn, it was taking a long time for Nocturne headquarters to link my coin. When I had initially called for that coward Finch, it had only taken them a few minutes to act. Maybe they already knew about the break, and were swamped right now?


    Restless, I decided to climb to the very top of the tree that I was hiding in, in order to get a little reconnaissance done. Under the curious and worried gaze of Fade, I scaled a nearby branch and gazed off into the horizon.


    I was intending to use my far-eye, but I didn¡¯t even need it.


    What was happening was viewable from where I was. In a very, very, very bad way.


    On the horizon I could see a familiar bright blue star, ascending into the sky rapidly.


    My eyes widened, my mouth dropping open in shock. There was more than one of those installations?


    God¡­


    This particular Break was far off into the distance, only barely visible from my position. A rough estimate put the rising spell at maybe twenty, perhaps thirty miles away. But it was still unmistakable. I watched in shock as the star reached its zenith and burst open, filling the sky with bright blue Mana. The shockwave couldn¡¯t reach me from this distance, but I still felt a small, slight sizzle of power roll over me.


    I let out a slight, shuddering breath. What were the Loyalists thinking? This was beyond overkill. Just one of those enhanced Ward Breaks had created as many monsters as soldiers that existed in the Army of the Uprising. Presumably, all of these monsters were intended to deal with said army. But there was a problem.


    These monsters weren¡¯t going to just disappear if they succeeded. They were permanent creations, at least until they were slain. Say that the Uprising was completely wiped out by these hordes. That would leave tens of thousands of monsters infesting these lands, ravenous for their next meal of Aether. They would range out and become an absolute catastrophe for the rest of the fucking continent, much less the Kingdom of Herztal.


    This almost seemed¡­apocalyptic. Stupidly so.


    Who the fuck would sign off on this?


    I jerked in surprise when my form was silhouetted against the tree top in a slight shadow. I turned around in dread, already suspecting what I would find.


    Sure enough, farther out than even the one I had just seen, was another Ward Break spell. This one might be nearly fifty to sixty miles from my location, but there was no mistaking the sight.


    To me, it looked like they were being staggered. If they had already set off two more of these things, it made me wonder just how many I¡¯d already missed. After all, I had been incredibly panicked on the run from the first one. Had there been more of these launched during my mad dash, just out of sight?


    I let out a shuddering breath.


    And what if there were even more being set off, on the other side of the host¡­.


    Could the war even proceed anymore, with a disaster of this scale? Was that the goal of the Loyalists? Inflict so many monsters on everyone that they had no choice but to surrender?


    It might even work, out of sheer necessity.


    I had no idea.


    I felt completely lost.


    Suddenly, I was knocked out of my spiral of dread by the feeling of my silver location coin jerking. I had placed the coin in a small sown pouch on the inside of my right glove, pressed up against my skin. Right now, it was jerking wildly in place, almost as if it was trying to fly away from me.


    To my understanding, that meant I was supposed to follow the direction it was jerking. Apparently, Headquarters wanted me to move, instead of having someone come to my location.


    The problem was, the coin was jerking away from the direction I knew led to the host. In fact, I would say that it was leading me farther into the forest.


    There was an agent somewhere in there that I was to meet up with.


    Well¡­I guess I had little choice. I sure didn¡¯t want to wander head-first into the horde.


    Casting one last glance at the blue star on the horizon as it burst, I shimmied down the branch I was still up to collect Fade. Digging out my mask from the pack I had stored it in, I dressed myself back up in my Nocturne cloak as well.


    Once Fade was held tightly to my chest, I launched Thorn Grapple at a nearby tree and started my trek across the forest canopy.


    I had a meeting to get to.

 Chapter 155 - Regrouping

    Surprisingly, I didn¡¯t have to venture far to find someone else. Maybe five minutes into my tree-top travel, I ran into another operative. This one I had never met before.


    The two of us almost literally ran into each other.


    I was grappling to another tree when another agent appeared in midair in front of me. My eyes widened in surprise at the same time that theirs did, visible through their mask. Just before we collided, I canceled my grapple and shot it back out at another branch in front of me. I jerked out of the way of the other agent just in time and stumbled another the new branch, as they landed at my original destination. I clutched my chest, panting from the adrenaline that was still running through my veins.


    ¡°You okay down there?¡± I heard a feminine voice call from above me. Shakily, I raised one fist to give a thumbs up, trying to calm down. Moments later the other agent landed in front of me. Casting an eye over them, I could tell that they were female from their silhouette, but I could tell little else. They had their hood up, while their mask was painted black with small curls of what looked to be white smoke over the cheeks.


    Eyeing them for a moment, I extended my hand. ¡°Hangman.¡±


    ¡°Wisp,¡± She answered, gripping my forearm with an answering nod. ¡°I¡¯ll be blunt. Do you know what the fuck is going on?¡±


    I sighed, and answered her question with another. ¡°Do you know what a Ward Break is?¡± At her answering shake of her head, I was unsurprised. Grey had told me long ago that it was a rare phenomenon, actively persecuted by the nations of Vereden.


    Too bad the fucking Loyalists had no damn morals.


    I briefly explained the phenomenon and my suspicions about how the Loyalists had manufactured multiple enhancement versions of it.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Wisp said slowly. ¡°Damn. So, we¡¯re screwed?¡±


    I shrugged as Fade stuck his head out from the depths of my cloak. Wisp reached out to scratch his head as I answered. ¡°I have no idea. Are you the one that I was supposed to meet up with?¡±


    She didn¡¯t even have to answer. My location coin jerked away from Wisp, in the direction that I had been going. Judging by the glance that Wisp shot me, I¡¯m guessing they felt it too.


    ¡°Guess not,¡± I said flatly. Turning in that direction, I looked over my shoulder. ¡°You coming?¡±


    ¡°Lead the way,¡± Wisp inclined their head, gesturing forward.


    Without another word, I got to work grappling across the tree-tops, Wisp following along behind me.


    I noticed that they didn¡¯t need to use a skill to navigate the canopy. They looked to be strong enough to just jump from tree to tree.


    Yay for them.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Before long Wisp and I arrived at the designated meeting point that Headquarters had arranged for us. Landing on the forest floor, I was a bit surprised at how many people were here. There must have been dozens of people milling about in the small clearing, either speaking quietly to themselves or mending wounds. Actually, it didn¡¯t even appear to be all Nocturne Division members. There were some regular Order forces mixed in with the sea of cloaks and masks, as well other what looked to be a few Healers.


    Wait.


    With a flood of emotion, I recognized a few people in the crowd. Letting Fade fall to the forest floor with a yelp and abandoning Wisp, I made a beeline for a female agent wearing a white painted mask with a blue teardrop running from one eye. They were standing next to a black-furred Gnoll wearing Healer¡¯s robes.


    The agent saw me coming. I saw their crystalline blue eyes widen first in shock, before softening in relief.


    Whisper met me halfway, with the two of us clutching each other fiercely in near desperation. ¡°Sylvia,¡± I breathed into her ear, relief thick in my voice.


    ¡°Nathan¡­¡± She returned just as quietly, nearly shaking in my arms.


    The entire time I had been out there after the first Break, hiding in the back of my rings had been a sense of dread. I had known that Sylvia was assigned to the same task I had been, even if we had never run into each other. The idea that she could have been swallowed up by one of the hordes hadn¡¯t been able to leave my mind.


    I couldn¡¯t describe the sense of comfort it gave me, to find her here.


    The two of us remained in each other¡¯s embrace for a moment, before we were interrupted by a cleared throat. Reluctantly parting, I found that it was coming from Renauld, whom Sylvia had been standing with.


    The Gnoll looked a bit worse for wear, with his robes coated in both blood and dirt. His normally well-groomed fur looked like it was matted from the sweat of battle, fear, and exhaustion. Frankly, I hadn¡¯t seen him this bad looking since he¡¯d been rescued from Caer Drarrow.


    Renauld smiled weakly at my inspection. ¡°That you, Nate?¡± He asked in a quiet, hoarse voice. I wasn''t surprised he had guessed who I was. It was pretty obvious who Sylvia would be so happy to see.


    I nodded slightly, uncaring about giving away my identity like this. ¡°What are you doing here? Whisper I can understand,¡± I said, looking between him and Sylvia. ¡°But you? You should be with the host.¡±


    Renauld shrugged tiredly. ¡°I don¡¯t understand everything, and it¡¯s a bit hard to explain. But I think your boss is about to anyway.¡± He nodded towards the front of the clearing, where people were starting to gather.


    My boss? The only two people I would consider my ¡®boss¡¯ were Grey and Hook. And I think I would have noticed if Grey were here.


    Sure enough, when Sylvia, Renauld, Fade, and I joined the gathering group, I couldn¡¯t help but be surprised.


    Hook actually was here.


    I had thought he was back at headquarters, personally helping to coordinate the Nocturne Division as their leader. But no, he had apparently been hiding among the host and had just never shown himself.


    The dwarf actually looked worse off than even Renauld. There were huge rents in his clothes and armor with crusted blood dried along the edges. Pale, tender, freshly healed flesh could be seen through them. The beak on his avian themed mask looked to have been cracked off, leaving a splintered appearance to it, while even more dried blood crusted in his steel grey beard.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    There was a grim cast to the dwarf¡¯s stance, as he waited for everyone in the clearing to gather silently.


    Time to find out if we were screwed.


    ¡°We¡¯re screwed,¡± Hook said bluntly, crossing his arms tightly.


    Ah.


    Well then.


    ¡°For those of you that weren¡¯t there, let me catch you up to speed,¡± He continued direly. ¡°A few hours ago, Nocturne command was made aware of a strange installation discovered beyond the periphery of the Army¡¯s advance. Agents were dispatched to investigate it, and determine both its purpose and origin. It was identified as Loyalist in nature, due to the presence of a single Herztalian soldier acting as a guard.¡±


    ¡°What were these installations like in appearance?¡± A male agent I didn¡¯t know asked cooly. It looked to me as if he had some kind of dog mask.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Hook said, shaking his hand. ¡°The agent was unable to describe it properly through the communication coin. And yes,¡± He raised a hand. ¡°Before you ask, I have a prototype two-way coin on me so Headquarters can keep me updated. It¡¯s the only reason I¡¯m out here with you ground pounders and not kicking my feet up. But it¡¯s shoddy as all hell, so don¡¯t expect your own just yet.¡±


    They didn¡¯t know what exactly had happened?


    Well, I guess I could be useful. I took a step forward, drawing the attention of Hook and the other agents.


    ¡°I encountered one of these installations accompanied by another agent, shortly before it was activated,¡± I said simply. I felt Hook¡¯s scrutiny sharpen. ¡°I can describe what I found, if you¡¯d like.¡±


    Hook gestured for me to continue. ¡°Go ahead, Hangman.¡±


    ¡°It was a modified Ward Stone, complete with plinth,¡± I said, crossing my arms as well. ¡°Rather than repelling monsters, it was actively luring them in. The stone was projecting a barrier to protect the Loyalist soldier that was¡­waiting, I think. I have a measure of experience with Ward Stone runic arrays, so I took the time to inspect it. And after what happened when it fulfilled its purpose, I think I can make some conjecture.¡±


    That was the beauty of Ringed Mind. I could devote an entire thought string to puzzling out a problem, even while I was running for my life or nearly gibbering in fear.


    I started pacing in front of the gathered agents, gathering my thoughts.


    ¡°I think the lured monsters were meant to be used as fuel,¡± I said finally. ¡°A normal Ward Stone fulfills its function while remaining whole, but not these. Think of these modified versions as essentially being bombs. These stones were created solely to enhance a by-product of their own destruction. That being the Breakage Effect.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Another agent I didn¡¯t know said. They seemed to be female and had a black and white pinstripe mask. ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard of that. It¡¯s when a bunch of monsters are created out of nowhere¡­¡± She trailed off. Many people in the crowd shifted in realization before the agent continued. ¡°Isn¡¯t that super illegal?¡±


    ¡°Incredibly so. And recognized by everyone on both planets,¡± Hook said, a frown audible in his voice. He motioned to me. ¡°Continue, Hangman. I want to hear this.¡±


    I nodded, still pacing. ¡°The Breakage Effect works by generating an artificial spawning period, created by the void left behind by wards when they¡¯re broken. It¡¯s sort of like¡­the way water will rush in to fill a punctured ship hull. When that Aether fills that void, monsters are born. A goddamned ton of them. What I think happened here is that these modified stones were first creating an enhanced void, as I noticed Aetherial absorption arrays on it. I think an area like that would work to increase the effect, if I understand my Aetherology correctly. Second, when the stone was broken, the spell that was programmed into the stone to go off at destruction rushed out and absorbed the lured monsters, instantly turning them into fuel. The spell then deployed, rising into the sky as I¡¯m sure several of you noticed, and¡­somehow multiplied both the speed and generation of monsters. That, I don¡¯t know how.¡± I finished, shaking my head.


    I heard a murmured conversation between two agents when I was done. ¡°When did we get a ward specialist?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we needed one,¡± The other agent muttered back.


    Was I a ward specialist? Possibly, now that I thought of it. Grey hadn¡¯t exactly been lenient in his Abjuration lectures, back when I was first creating the Ward Breaker that would become my first Bond Breaker. I had needed to really understand Ward Stones and their arrays, to know how to destroy them. And it¡¯s not like my education or lectures with the man had stopped, ever since we escaped Addersfield. We still had lessons on the subject on occasion. It just hadn¡¯t come up.


    Hook nodded sharply. ¡°Thank you, Hangman. I¡¯ll relay your observations to Headquarters. What became of the soldier that triggered the Break you observed?¡±


    I blinked, startled. I had completely forgotten about him. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°I grabbed the other agent and booked it as soon as it looked like a Break was going to happen. Presumably, he was either torn to bits by the monsters or absorbed by the spell with them.¡±


    ¡°And who was the other agent with you?¡±


    ¡°Finch,¡± I said, heat entering my voice. I lifted my mask slightly and spit off to the side, to the surprise of the onlookers. ¡°That bastard left me behind when the horde came. Ran off and left me to die. I only survived by hiding in the treetops.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± This time, I recognized the agent who spoke. It was the woman I had met on the way here, Wisp. ¡°I¡­can confirm that Finch didn¡¯t make it. When I found his¡­remains, it looked like he was KIA when the horde caught up to him. I don''t think he was able to outrun them forever.¡±


    Well¡­


    I wasn¡¯t going to celebrate his death, but I wasn¡¯t going to mourn him.


    Hook sighed. ¡°Which brings us to what happened next. The break that Hangman observed wasn¡¯t the only one. We can confirm that at least six others were set off along the path of the Army. Estimates put every break at generating over fifty thousand monsters, from aerial observations. These are just estimates, mind. I still have Sparrow out there trying to observe the movements of the combined horde.¡±


    Over three hundred and fifty thousand monsters¡­.


    That was an order of magnitude larger than the entire combined forces that the Uprising could field.


    A murmur of dismay swept through the people gathered in the clearing.


    ¡°When the horde finally hit the Army,¡± Hook said, ignoring the despair. ¡°It came in almost literal waves. The rear guard was almost immediately cut off from the rest, which, unfortunately, comprised the forces of the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn as well as a sizable portion of the northern forces. Which is why there are a number of regular soldiers with us,¡± He nodded at Renauld. ¡°I made the call to withdraw Nocturne Division assets from the host, when it looked like the battle had become a slog. However, let me reassure you of one thing. The Army of the Uprising has not been wiped out. It was hurt, but we''re still in this fight.¡±


    I let out a sigh of relief, as Sylvia next to me slumped in released tension. We both had people that we cared about in the host. The crowd was feeling similarly, with a note of ever-present stress fading from the air.


    ¡°However,¡± Hook said ominously. ¡°Command has made the decision to cancel the planned siege of Elderwyck and Tlatec. As of this moment, the Army is in the middle of a fighting retreat back to the safety of Helstein. At the same time, they are deliberately keeping as much of the horde occupied as they can, and engaged with them there. They intend to withstand their own siege, and attempt to prevent this horde from overrunning the north and south.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­why are we out here, instead of with them?¡± Sylvia, or rather Whisper, asked slowly.


    Hook let out a long drawn-out sigh then, and did something I didn¡¯t expect.


    He unmasked.


    Reaching up, the older dwarf took off his fractured avian mask. Beneath, I was able to see the craggy features of a tired example of his people. The grooves and creases on his face resembled the crevices and canyons of a dusty valley, as much as they did wrinkles. His unremarkable black eyes underlined with heavy bags stared out at the gathered agents from their sunken sockets, as he smiled wryly at us.


    ¡°Because they might be occupied, but we aren¡¯t,¡± Hook said grimly. ¡°With approval from command, a decision has been made. A campaign against Elderwyck is still underway, even if it isn¡¯t going to be a military one. As of now, these are the orders for the Nocturne Division. For the foreseeable future, we are going to be conducting a campaign of sabotage, infiltration, assassination, and guerrilla warfare against the Loyalist forces of Elderwyck.¡±


    ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, prepare yourself. Because we¡¯re going to win that city from the inside.¡±

 Chapter 156 - Side-Quest

    The gathered forces moved out almost directly after Hook¡¯s dramatic announcement. Which made sense, when you thought about it. We were still in the lands where the Loyalists had set off what Hook had abruptly started calling the ¡®Break Stones¡¯.


    We needed to put distance between ourselves and the horde.


    With orders to make their way to the dual cities of Elderwyck and Tlatec by whatever method they saw fit, the gathered forces departed on their own. There were thirty-one gathered Nocturne agents, and they pretty much all left independently. There were a total of twenty-seven regular Uprising soldiers as well, with a majority being from the Order. At Hook¡¯s suggestion, they decided to assist the clandestine campaign against Elderwyck by forming an impromptu band of ¡®mercenaries¡¯. It was as good of a cover as any a bunch of stealth novice ground-pounders and Classers could hope for.


    Renauld went with them, to act as their healer. The two of us said our goodbyes with promises to meet back up in the city. Because I was one hundred percent going to be part of the campaign.


    Eventually, it was just Hook, Sylvia, and I in the clearing where we¡¯d all met up. The nominal head of the Nocturne Division had kept us back from departing together. My thoughts were he was going to be keeping an eye on us, as a favor to Grey.


    Turns out, I was only half right.


    ¡°You two are coming with me,¡± Hook said pointedly. ¡°We¡¯re going to be making a detour before we make our way to Elderwyck.¡±


    I exchanged glances with Sylvia, letting her speak first. ¡°What are we doing?¡±


    ¡°We need to go warn the Hill Tribes about the horde,¡± Hook said grimly. ¡°If we don¡¯t, they¡¯re going to be caught off guard when a literal army of bloodthirsty beasts rolls through their lands. I don¡¯t know about you, but I don¡¯t want to live with the deaths of thousands of innocents on my hands.¡±


    ¡°Fuck no,¡± I said, almost instinctually. ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    ¡°Hold your horses there, Hangman,¡± Hook said, sounding mildly amused despite the seriousness of our situation. ¡°A few instructions first. We¡¯ll be approaching a powerful local power by the name of Clan Thunderheart, which I know at least one of you is familiar with.¡±


    I almost asked him how he knew that, before I realized that Sylvia had likely made a report about it. For a moment, I wondered what else she had reported about me and my actions before I¡¯d joined the Division, but kept quiet.


    Surprisingly, I didn¡¯t care much about the possible breach of privacy. There were more important things at stake than my secrecy.


    ¡°Whisper is coming because she¡¯ll have weight with them, being the daughter of local figure of legend like Grey,¡± He nodded at my¡­partner, I suppose I could call her. ¡°Hangman because he has connections to a lost member of theirs. An important one, at that. You two are not to approach them as Whisper and Hangman. Rather, you will be acting as Sylvia and Nathan Hart, the recently married daughter and apprentice of Greycton of the Shadowed Sun.¡±


    I abruptly flushed under my mask, as Sylvia almost squirmed in embarrassment next to me. ¡°Is there anything you people don¡¯t know?! And we¡¯re not married!¡±


    God, it had only been a few days since we¡¯d come to an agreement and it already felt like every interfering old fogey we knew had figured it out. I glowered at the dwarven commander.


    ¡°Suck it up,¡± Hook said, unphased. ¡°It¡¯s only a small fiction, and it¡¯ll help in our negotiations.¡±


    Negotiations?


    ¡°I thought we were only going to be warning the tribes about the horde?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°What do we have to negotiate about?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Hook drawled. ¡°Since everything went out the window, it doesn¡¯t hurt to talk about this. The Uprising was already intending to approach the Hill Tribes. They¡¯ve staunchly refused to take a side in the war, even though we know they have sympathies with the Sculpted. Historically, it¡¯s gone badly for them when they¡¯ve joined in on ¡®lowlander¡¯ conflicts. However, now they don¡¯t have a choice, because the Loyalists made it for them with this shit. They¡¯ve just unleashed the largest horde of monsters Vereden has ever seen on their ancestral lands. I don¡¯t think even the Chaos Gods ever fielded a force this large against us.¡± Hook shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve been out of contact so I can¡¯t ask, but I would be unsurprised if the thought of approaching the Principality for assistance wasn¡¯t rolling around in at least one of the leadership¡¯s heads.¡±


    I¡¯m sure Grey would be ecstatic about that. Having to possibly ask Anguis of House Savoy for military assistance would probably grate on him like nails on a chalkboard.


    ¡°What the hell are the Loyalists thinking?¡± I wondered out loud. ¡°This is going to turn the entire planet on them. Hell, it might turn another planet on them. This is just¡­¡± I trailed off, at a loss for words.


    Surprisingly, Hook looked troubled as well. He took a deep breath. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± He admitted. ¡°This is beyond anything we ever planned for. It¡¯s completely out of character even the most strident war hawk with the Loyalist command.¡±


    ¡°Could it have been something that came from Leonard Ashran?¡± Sylvia piped in unexpectedly. ¡°The man has shown an affinity for monsters in the past.¡±


    My eyebrows shot up at the suggestion, understanding where Sylvia was coming from. That¡­made a bit of sense.


    Hook¡¯s face fell even further. ¡°Gods, I hope not,¡± He said tiredly. ¡°If he is, I¡¯m going to have to be the one to tell Leopold that his brother is one of the worst war criminals in the history of Vereden.¡± He shook his head. ¡°But enough talk. We have work to do.¡± He reached into a pouch on his armor and withdrew a familiar ball of flesh-colored putty. Applying it with experienced hands, Hook altered his face with the FAT to such a degree that he was unrecognizable. ¡°I¡¯ll lead the way to the Thunderheart settlement. Once there, I¡¯ll step back and act as a guard. You two will be the face of these negotiations. It should only take us a day of travel to reach them. Let¡¯s go.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    As the three of us plus Fade took off, I briefly wondered about our lack of supplies. But then again, I¡¯d noticed that people with an active Status just needed less food and water than someone from Earth did in a survival situation.


    I¡¯d just been foraging and hunting for the last week, after all.


    I could just do more before we reached Clan Thunderheart.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Hook set a fairly brutal pace as he led us through the hills and valleys of the countryside. All four of us were in a visibly heightened state of caution, despite our speed. Even though Hook told us that most of the monsters that had been created from all the breaks were moving almost as a mass, there were still tons of monsters out here.


    Far, far more than I think I¡¯d ever encountered before.


    Roaming the countryside were massive groups of the things, with numbers well into the hundreds. We had to employ our steath abilities and evade them to the best of our ability if we didn''t want to get swarmed. Hook told us that we had nothing to worry about, and that if we really got into trouble, he could handle it, but...


    Even he was wary of these offshoots of the horde. All it took was one mistake, and a group of giant prairie dogs would tear out your throat.


    However, a sizable amount of the monsters were the mutants that I had noticed just after the first break I saw. By and large, they were mostly crippled in such a way as to be helpless. But they were still aggressive, and we still had to watch out.


    Just because a Dirtgnawer had no limbs, didn¡¯t mean it couldn¡¯t do its best to tear out your throat.


    As we found out.


    Man, that thing had been pretty determined. I¡¯d been surprised at how far a limbless mole rat could leap.


    But I digress.


    The first thing that Hook had us do on our trek was visit the site of the Break Stone installation I had found. I led them back there as best I was able, to find that there was surprisingly more still standing than I would have thought.


    The unknown Loyalist soldier¡¯s camp was beyond ruined, and the actual modified Ward Stone had been reduced to fragments and splinters. But the plinth it had been rotating on was still partially intact.


    Hook instructed me to copy down as much of the runic array on the plinth as I could manage so that the Nocturne enchanters could hopefully decipher the exact mechanisms behind it. I didn¡¯t get everything, and I made sure that Hook understood that a majority of the enchantment had been lost with the stone. But I did as he asked anyway, while the other two tracked down as many shards of the stone as they could find.


    Of the Loyalist soldier that set it off, we found nothing.


    Frankly, I didn¡¯t care what happened to him. It didn¡¯t matter the reasons behind his actions, not even if he had been blackmailed into doing it.


    He had still helped unleash thousands and thousands of monsters on an unsuspecting countryside.


    When we¡¯d done all we could to catalog the site, Hook marked it down on a small map, and we got back underway.


    As we dashed through the Herztalian countryside on our way to Clan Thunderheart, I couldn¡¯t help but marvel at its beauty. This was some truly wild land. Any traces you would expect of civilization were few and far between, with no roads or waymarkers to be found. Hell, I hadn''t even seen any abandoned campsites. I think it was only thanks to the fact that we were all wearing literal armor that the rough brush and burrs didn¡¯t shred the flesh, of those of us that were flesh inclined.


    Amusingly enough, Sylvia complained to me during the single night we camped out on our travels that the brush was actually leaving streaks on parts of her exposed Mithril skin. She would have to spend some time buffing herself with a rag later, to get the stains out. When I offered to help, unthinking about any possible connotations, she became bashful.


    ¡°Perhaps another time,¡± She told me, in a slightly embarrassed tone.


    It was only later that I considered the implications of one person essentially rubbing down the other, when they were involved as we were.


    Yeah¡­maybe when we were closer.


    Eventually, Hook stopped us just at the foot of another hill, turning to face the rest of our small group. ¡°Alright, the Thunderheart settlement is just on the other side. Cloaks off. They¡¯re probably already aware of us, but I¡¯ll fall back for now and let you two do the talking. Remember, when you reach their gates, identify yourself and ask to speak to the Council of Elders. From there, proceed as I coached you.¡±


    Sylvia and I nodded at our nominal superior, and removed our grey Nocturne cloaks to reveal the Order armor underneath. Hook fell back as he said, positioning himself behind us. Side by side, Sylvia and I marched up to the ridgeline and looked out.


    On the other side of the hill was a long, low valley in which Clan Thunderheart had decided to lay their hearths. Mostly flat and bordered by a small mountain range on the opposite side from us, there was a beautiful winding river that seemed to originate from a particularly tall peak. It looked like the settlement had been constructed along the banks of the meandering river.


    And, well.


    Clan Thunderheart¡¯s stronghold itself was certainly no Helstein.


    I meant that in the best possible way.


    Where Helstein was large and imposing, this village was small. Where Helstein was mostly unadorned stone, this place was constructed mostly of either wood, thatch, or earthwork. Don¡¯t get me wrong, though. Even from this distance, I could tell that there was a certain sense of pride that the Thunderhearts took in their craftsmanship. I could see intricately carved motifs of various animals all along their walls, both inside and out, as well as delicate knotwork and thundercloud patterns. It was far more populated than I would have expected, as well. I could see hundreds of people scurrying about the village, with a particularly large amount of them working on the banks of the river. They looked to be hauling in either fish from the, or goods from the longships arranged along the small docks the village seemed to have. From my high point, I could see a ring of standing stones arranged in a circle just outside of the eastern wall. The walls themselves were tall, wooden, and sharpened to a point with a number of watchtowers built along its circumference.


    And, unexpectedly, they¡¯d noticed us immediately, even from the distance we were at.


    I squinted from the light that was being reflected into our eyes, directed from mirrors set up in the watchtowers. Although my vision was being deliberately blinded, I was still able to see as a group of armored warriors saddled up on massive warhorses and immediately began riding out to our position.


    I¡¯m guessing they didn¡¯t want us to move.


    It had nothing to do with the longbowmen that I could see readying themselves on their walls. Certainly not.


    I really, really didn¡¯t want to mess with anyone who thought they could hit a target with a bow of all things over a distance of several miles.


    Exchanging a glance with Sylvia, we mutually and entirely non-verbally agreed to stay put.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hook said, incredibly quietly. I could only just barely hear the dwarf. ¡°They¡¯re on edge.¡±


    That boded well.


    Guess we¡¯ll see why soon.

 Chapter 157 - T?r Gronn

    Sylvia and I remained where we were as the armored knights on horseback thundered up the hill in our direction. Fade just sat on his haunches to watch as well, keen eyes fixed on the approaching group. I wasn¡¯t actually all that afraid of these guys, personally. I¡¯d dealt with knights in the past, and that was before I¡¯d acquired a Skill that was all but purpose-built to grind through their armor. Well, that was if things went south in a hurry. That would be¡­pretty bad for our actual mission, though.


    Meanwhile, Hook had done as he¡¯d said and faded into the background behind us. Metaphorically.


    Eventually, the knights reached our position, slowing to a trot before us. I was able to get a good look at them, now.


    Their full-plate armor itself was fairly unremarkable from the examples I¡¯d seen in the past, being mostly unadorned. It stopped at their waist, however, leaving them wearing hardened leather greaves instead. Belted at their waists were black and yellow tabards bearing the image of a snarling wolf, perhaps the sigil of Clan Thunderheart. I¡¯d never thought to ask Bleddyn much about his home and people.


    We¡¯d been a bit preoccupied at the time.


    Both our groups of three stood staring at each other for a moment before the lead knight broke the silence. I noticed that they never took their hands off of the pommels of their sheathed swords, however.


    ¡°Hail, travelers,¡± He said, in a guarded tone of voice. ¡°What brings you to this land, in these troubled times?¡±


    I kept silent as Sylvia stepped forward to address them, as we¡¯d planned. We¡¯d decided to let her be the main spokesman for us, considering she was the one who had the closest connection to Grey.


    Sylvia inclined her Mithril head at the knights. ¡°Hail and well met, Knights of T?r Gronn. I am Sylvia Hart, daughter of Grand Marshal Grecyton of the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn,¡± As she continued, I could see the back two knights jerk in surprise at her words. Meanwhile, the lead knight kept still. Sylvia gestured at the two of us. ¡°I and my husband have been commanded to give warning and message to you and yours, by the Council of the Uprising. There is much Clan Thunderheart should be made aware of. We humbly ask to be brought before the Council of Elders, so we may deliver our messages.¡±


    One of the knights tried to whisper something to the other, but the lead knight swiftly put a stop to that with a look. When he turned back around, I could see through the slit in his helmet that his stare was more considering than wary now. Slowly, he nodded at us. ¡°Very well. At the very least, you can find succor within our walls as I bring your petition to the elders. I am Captain Cadoc of the Thunderheart Carregwyr. May I ask for the names of your companions, my lady?¡± He asked, as his gaze trailed over me and Hook. I noticed that it paused for a moment landing on Fade, almost incredulously.


    That seemed to be a common reaction when people were faced with a horned wolf.


    Said wolf just panted, watching the knights with curious eyes.


    I stepped forward and dipped my head, drawing the Captain¡¯s attention. ¡°Greetings. I am Nathaniel Hart, Sylvia¡¯s husband and Headmaster Greycton¡¯s apprentice. With us is Grimgar Stonecloak, a soldier of the Order assigned as a guard by our superiors. And my¡­companion, Fade.¡± I nodded down at the Spirit Wolf at my feet.


    ¡®Grimgar¡¯ grunted a short greeting to the Thunderheart knights, in a manner that was extremely reminiscent of Azarus.


    Cadoc nodded to me, his eyes lingering on the disguised Hook. ¡°Very well. Sylvia, Nathaniel, and¡­ Grimgar. Follow me, and I shall lead you to the safety of T?r Gronn¡¯s walls. Mind your step, though. These hills are more treacherous than they appear.¡±


    The knights reared their mounts around at that, and began to trot down the incline of the hill we were standing on, clearly expecting us to follow.


    Sylvia and I exchanged a glance and did so in comfortable silence. Fade just stood up and padded after us silently.


    ¡®Grimgar¡¯ followed after us, just as quietly.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    The trio of Carregwyrian knights led us down the hill and up to the gates of the Thunderheart settlement, apparently named T?r Gronn. There Captain Cadoc exchanged a few words with the two guards standing outside the main gate, both of whom were wearing much more common chain and leather armor. One of the guards saluted by raising one arm in a vertical bar, before sprinting through the open gate. It looked like he was heading straight for the large building near the center of the small town.


    One thing that I noticed, though, was that the villagers had an odd reaction to Fade. Whenever they noticed the Spirit Wolf, to a one they stopped to stare at him in amazed, open-mouthed shock. To my own surprise, some of the Clan Thunderheart members outright bowed in his direction, waiting for him to pass. I could tell that Fade was puzzled by this reaction himself, from the odd look he¡¯d give these people.


    Maybe they just had an affinity for wolves? I think I remember Bleddyn swearing by one once, all those months ago. Couldn¡¯t be sure, though.


    Once he was done leading the way, the Captain stopped and turned to us, removing his helmet.


    I could see a slight resemblance to Bleddyn, surprisingly. Not strong enough that I suspected he was related, but enough that I could definitely say that my old friend had come from the same group of people.


    The slave turned revolutionary had some pretty distinctive features, after all.


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    Cadoc was a handsome man with dark, dark brown hair and a short beard gracing his chiseled jaw. Sharp, forest-green eyes pierced from a heavy brow as the Captain nodded at our group. ¡°I¡¯ve sent word ahead. For now, please follow me,¡± He said, sliding off of his horse. He handed the reigns to a stable boy that hurried up to him, and then turned to jerk his head to the other two knights. They saluted in the same manner as the other guard had, and then trotted off, leaving us along with the Captain.


    Cadoc nodded at us and gestured to follow him through the gate. When we did so, I frowned to myself at the air in the village.


    There was an almost palpable sense of tension in the air of the homey little village. A surprising number of guards were visible throughout the town, with the walls being nearly adorned with them. The people were scurrying through the streets and squares with furtive eyes and nervous feet, sending each other anxious smiles as they tried to accomplish their chores.


    Hmm.


    Did they already know about the horde?


    I met Sylvia¡¯s eyes to find them tinted with her own suspicion and concern. However, she just shook her head.


    Cadoc led us through the village and up to the large hall-like building at the back of the settlement. Once there, he turned back to us. ¡°Wait here, please. I shall see if they are ready to receive you.¡± When he turned and opened the door to the hall, I jerked back in surprise at the full-on shouting that I could hear suddenly echo out. Fade¡¯s lupine ears flattened themselves against his head at the cacophony. It was loud enough that I had to assume the hall was enchanted to block sound from exiting it in some way. I swear, it sounded like there were at least a dozen people near on screaming at each other inside. I couldn¡¯t actually make out any of the words with how the people in the building were yelling over each other.


    The Captain walked through and shut the door behind him, abruptly cutting off the shouting match.


    Huh.


    I was startled by the sound of ¡®Grimgar¡¯ speaking up behind us, although I was careful to hide my reaction. Sylvia likewise made sure not to turn and face the spymaster of the Nocturne Division. ¡°Confirmed,¡± He said in a low voice. ¡°They know about the horde. I managed to pick that out. I don¡¯t think they know the extent of it, though. Proceed as planned.¡±


    I wanted to turn and give the dwarf an incredulous look but refrained. How the hell did he manage to get that much out of that brief little window of noise?


    Guess there was a reason he was the boss.


    It didn¡¯t take long for Cadoc to return, slipping out the door as quickly as he could. I noticed that the shouting had lessened a bit, only just. The Captain gave our little group a slightly strained smile. ¡°The Council has agreed to see you. However,¡± His tone hardened slightly. ¡°I must insist that you leave your weapons at the door. One of my men will watch them for you, just on the other side.¡±


    ¡°We have no objections, Captain Cadoc,¡± Sylvia said calmly before I could. She unbelted her short sword from her waist, holding the sheathed blade at her side. ¡°We will relinquish them.¡± I nodded along to show my support, reaching down and removing my own Oninite blades from my belt.


    Captain Cadoc nodded sharply. ¡°Then let us proceed. The Council awaits.¡± Having said that, he opened the door once more, standing off to one side so we could enter. Just on the other side of it was a long wooden hall with a closed pair of double doors at the end.


    Now that we were inside, the shouting seemed to have stopped. Well, mostly. I could still hear some muffled arguments just past the large doors at the end of the hall.


    I counted at least six more knights standing guard in that hall, each of them standing at attention. Just to the right of the entrance was a large table, nearly sagging under the weight of¡­a great many weapons. Seriously, I could count over a dozen different swords, maces, and axes of all shapes and sizes. One of the knights was keeping watch on them I think, from the way he was standing next to the table. Sylvia and I set our blades on it with no more needed instruction and then followed Cadoc down the hall. The Captain didn¡¯t break his stride, as he nearly barged through the doors. The arguing inside abruptly stopped, as Sylvia and I followed Cadoc into the main chamber.


    It was surprisingly large in here. To my eyes, it almost looked like an auditorium. It was circular in shape and built entirely out of wood. There was a long, solidly built high table of some kind along the far wall of it, built in a half circle. Arranged behind it were well over a dozen men dressed in varying degrees of finery. Some were in clean-looking furs and leathers, some were dressed entirely in armor albeit with their heads exposed, and some were dressed in silks that I would ascribe to some of the Herztalian nobility that I¡¯d met. Nearly all of them were older in some manner, with their hair and beards shot through with grey and white.


    All of them looked like they¡¯d been shouting at each other for hours, from the dirty looks some were even now shooting at each other.


    But three people in particular stood out to me.


    The first was an elderly man who was sitting in a higher chair than the others. This man looked to be the oldest person in the room, outshining even Grey in old man energy. His long hair and beard were entirely white, hanging over his black and yellow robes. His amber-colored eyes were keen, however. They stared at us dispassionately over a long, hooked nose.


    Two men were standing in the center of the room, both looking to be related to each other in my eyes. However, more importantly to me, I could tell they were related to someone else.


    That person being Bleddyn.


    I swear to God, one of them looked like an older version of my old friend. He was one of the people dressed in furs and leathers, and looked to be pulled straight from a barbarian novel cover. He was huge and powerfully muscled, with long grey-shot black hair and intense stormy blue eyes, with a full beard growing from his granite like features. The other guy was one of the people in noble silks. I would guess that he was the first man¡¯s brother, from the family resemblance. He was smaller and¡­a bit more weaselly looking, with shorter hair and similar coloring.


    Everyone in the hall, even the two guys in the center, was looking at us in suspicion.


    Tough crowd.


    I put it out of my mind and followed Sylvia into the center of the room, not far from the two men.


    The elderly man in the high chair spoke first, breaking the silence. ¡°We welcome you to the halls of the Calonawr clan, of the Mynydd peoples, son and daughter of Ghrian Dorcha.¡± He said, in a surprisingly deep voice. ¡°I am Elder Einion, head of this Council. What brings you to our lands this day?¡±


    Before we could even speak, the silk-dressed man in front of us did first. ¡°Hold,¡± He said in a suspicious tone of voice. ¡°How do we even know these people are who they say they are? They have presented no form of identification, and those uniforms could have been stolen from the dead.¡±


    Uh.


    That was a good point, actually. We¡­didn¡¯t have any kind of identification.


    Before I could dwell on that very long, the other guy in front of us snorted. ¡°Use your head, brother,¡± He said scornfully. ¡°It is well known that Ghrian Dorcha crafted for himself a daughter made of purest Mithril. You cannot disguise that sheen, nor the presence of such purity,¡± He gestured to Sylvia, drawing the eyes of the rest of the Council. There were acknowledging murmurs from them, as the other man flushed slightly in humiliation. As he fumed, the man who had defended us nodded our way in a surprisingly respectful manner. ¡°As the Elder said, be welcome in these halls. I am Gruffyd, Chief of this Clan.¡±


    Well.


    Glad we got that settled.

 Chapter 158 - Greybeards

    As agreed, I let Sylvia take the lead once more. She stepped forward and bowed slightly at the waist to the gathered council. ¡°Greetings, venerable Elders of Clan Thunderheart. I bring word from the Council of the Uprising as well as my honored father, Grand Marshal Greycton of Hollow Hill. Known to you as Ghrian Dorcha.¡±


    That name caused a brief stir among the gathered greybeards. It stopped, though, when Elder Einion raised a hand without speaking.


    ¡°We welcome any word sent from He Who Horned the Sun,¡± The Elder said calmly.


    I nearly choked on my fucking tongue at his words. In fact, I had to pound on my chest briefly to keep a hysterical laugh from escaping.


    If my understanding of that term was correct, then was this greybeard implying that Grey had, ah¡­stolen a paramour from a goddamn star?


    Was that what was going on between him and Elys?


    My reaction didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the gathered council. In fact, Chief Gruffyd briefly smirked at me before focusing back on Sylvia.


    As I was reeling from that revelation, my supposed ¡®wife¡¯ continued speaking. ¡°We bring word of a disaster that is, even now, sweeping across your lands.¡±


    One of the Council members spoke up then. ¡°If you¡¯re talking about the monster horde, girl, then we already know,¡± He said impatiently. ¡°You wasted your time coming here.¡±


    Sylvia inclined her head briefly. ¡°That is good, but the Uprising was not certain if you were aware of the extent of the horde, nor its origin.¡±


    That seemed to get their attention. Elder Einion leader forward in his chair, suddenly much more interested looking. ¡°We were not. Continue, daughter of Greycton.¡±


    Surprisingly, Sylvia shook her head and stepped back. ¡°I yield the floor to my husband, as he has a greater understanding of this.¡± I didn¡¯t let how startled I was show on my face at the prompting, instead stepping forward and bowing as she had.


    ¡°Greetings. I am Nathaniel Hart,¡± I said respectfully. ¡°I shall be blunt. At current estimates, the horde is estimated to be at nearly four hundred thousand strong.¡±


    Blood drained from the faces of most in room, from the oldest greybeard to even Captain Cadoc. Jaws went slack at the news as they tried to grapple with it. Even Elder Einion looked taken aback by the news. The two men in front of us, Chief Gruffyd and his brother, looked particularly dismayed.


    ¡°How is this possible?¡± The brother whispered hoarsely. ¡°Such a force shouldn¡¯t be able to condense in such numbers.¡±


    ¡°Not by itself, it can¡¯t,¡± I said, inclining my head. ¡°This is the result of enemy action, on behalf of the Loyalist forces of Herztal. You see¡­¡±


    I went on to explain to the Council not only the nature of Ward Breaks, but the specifically engineering Break Stones that they had created and set at traps.


    ¡°¡­it is believed that seven or more of these ¡®Break Stones¡¯, as we¡¯re calling them, were set off along the path of the Army of the Uprising.¡± I continued, to an increasingly furious-looking audience. ¡°At this point in time, the Army is retreating to the safety of Helstein, while keeping as much of the horde occupied as they can. Howevever, there are large numbers of the horde that have spread out all across this stretch of the continent. Once at Helstein, the Army hopes to deal with as much of the horde as they possibly can. However, that doesn¡¯t mean large numbers of said horde won¡¯t escape and run rampant through your lands. We were dispatched by my Master in order to inform you of these facts.¡±


    The hall plunged into a seething silence at the conclusion of my explanation.


    It was broken by Chief Gruffyd spitting off to the side in disgust, before turning to face his brother. ¡°Well, Daffyd?¡± He said, almost mockingly. ¡°Still think we should ally with these damned Loyalists?¡±


    Daffyd veritably exploded at the man, rounding to face him. ¡°Obviously not, you buffoon!¡± He barked, looking like he was seconds away from taking a swing. ¡°And I was never arguing for allying with them! All I said was we should nego-¡±


    He was cut off by Elder Einion abruptly standing from his chair and slamming an open palm down on the table in front of him. The sound it made was oddly louder than I expected it to be, ringing through the hall like a thunderclap. ¡°Silence, the both of you!¡± He snarled. ¡°You bring shame to this Clan with your constant bickering, and I shall tolerate it no more! Either keep a still tongue in this hall, or begone from my sight!¡± He shook his head in disappointment. ¡°What would Caradog think, if he could see how his sons fight in front of guests?¡±


    Both brothers quieted down at the rebuke, looking away from each other.


    Elder Einion let out a frustrated breath, before turning back to face us. I straightened under his intense gaze. I swear that I saw a bolt of bright yellow lightning dance across his aged features before he spoke again. ¡°Clan Calonawr thanks you for your warning, Sylvia and Nathaniel Hart,¡± He said heavily. ¡°It is my assumption, then, that another purpose of your visit is to beseech us to join hands with the Uprising, and strike back at these Loyalists,¡± The way he snarled that word was particularly impressive. ¡°Who have unleashed such a plague on our lands?¡±


    Sylvia took over once again. She stepped forward and nodded at the Elder. ¡°It is, Elder Einion.¡± She said respectfully. ¡°I have been empowered to negotiate on behalf of my father, while he is locked in combat with the horde. Additionally, we respectfully ask that Clan Thunderheart beseech the Clans that live in these lands, and ask for their aid against these monstrosities.¡±


    Surprisingly, Elder Einion snorted. ¡°Little negotiations will be needed. I find it hard to believe that any son or daughter of Mynydor would refuse such a call. Certainly not us. What say ye, Clan Calonawr?!¡± He suddenly roared out into the hall, banging another open palm down on the table with a crash. ¡°Shall we bring war upon these despoilers and their pet beasts?! Or shall you cower within these walls, and allow the rivers and soil of your forebears to be overrun?!¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    The entire hall exploded to their feet with resounding roars. Almost as one, they began to stomp their feet in a rhythm that was unknown to me. It felt like the entire building started to shake and shudder under their combined force.


    Even the previously bickering brothers got in on it. Gruffyd raised his beefy arms above his head and actually howled. As in, like a wolf. Fade, whose ears had flattened against his head at the cacophony, gave the Thunderheart Chief an almost offended look. Meanwhile, Daffyd had joined in on the stomping and seemed perfectly content with the idea of declaring war on the people he had presumably been arguing for negotiating with.


    Eventually, the rally of the Thunderhearts died down as Elder Einion raised his hands, with the gathered greybeards and warriors getting back in their seats. When they were all settled, the Elder directed his gaze back Sylvia and I. ¡°We thank you for this warning, children of Ghrian Dorcha. You may inform your superiors that Clan Thunderheart shall not be found wanting when the call for war comes. We will rally the other clans of the Mynydd hills, and crush these beasts between the might of your Order and our fists.¡±


    Behind me, Hook let out a nearly inaudible hum of satisfaction.


    ¡°If that is all, then I invite you to break bread with our clan,¡± Elder Einion continued, in a warmer tone. ¡°Let us show you the hospitality of Thunder.¡±


    I exchanged a glance with Sylvia and then cleared my throat. ¡°Actually, that isn¡¯t everything. I have a personal matter that I believe I should inform you of, as I¡¯m unsure if you¡¯re aware of it.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The Elder said, raising one incredibly bushy eyebrow. ¡°Continue, young warrior. We shall gladly hear you out.¡± A low murmur of interest and agreement ran through the gathered council.


    ¡°It has to do with a member of your clan that I consider a close friend,¡± I began, folding my hands behind my back. ¡°Some months ago, I was captured and held hostage by a certain faction within the Dwarven Principality. There, I met a man that introduced himself as Bleddyn, of the Thunderheart Clan.¡±


    All noise in the hall immediately died out. It became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Meanwhile, Elder Einion¡¯s mouth parted in silent shock, while Daffyd reeled back as if he had been struck.


    Gruffyd, however, rushed me. The enormous man grabbed me by my shoulders tightly and met my eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve seen my boy?¡± He uttered hoarsely, a wild hope in his eyes.


    I blinked at the intense reaction of the hall but smiled anyway. ¡°Ah, yes,¡± I told him. ¡°We were, both of us, taken as slaves by the then heir of House Savoy. He had been assigned to work as the butcher for the town we were in, as the Heir, Magnus, didn¡¯t trust him to function as a Barber. He, ah, actually taught me Fleshcrafting.¡±


    ¡°A slave?¡± Gruffyd muttered, despair growing in his eyes. ¡°Then, he is¡­¡±


    I laid a hand on one of Gruffyd¡¯s own massive paws, an idea coming to me. It¡¯s not like I hadn¡¯t done this before, and it¡¯s not like it would be a huge loss to give another away.


    I had gotten so good at making Bond Breakers that I could just make a replacement in under an hour.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to give you and Clan Thunderheart a gift, Chief Gruffyd,¡± I said to the man, knocking him out of his sorrow. He gave me a listless gaze of half-hearted attention. I reached behind me and dug out the current Bond Breaker that I had on me, laying at the bottom of a pouch on my waist. Taking Gruffyd¡¯s hand off of my shoulder, I laid the inscribed bulky bident in his hand.


    The Chief looked down at the item I had given him in pure bewilderment. ¡°A fork? Why have you given me an eating tool, apprentice of Greycton? Do you mock me, so soon after informing me of my son¡¯s fate?¡± There was a certain level of fury starting to grow in the man.


    I didn¡¯t let it bother me.


    Unafraid, I just smiled at the man and shook my head. ¡°Not at all. That is something I call a Bond Breaker. I developed it with help from my mentor, while under the yoke of the Savoy. With it, you can completely dissolve a slave bond and free their Status. Your son is unfettered, Chief Gruffyd.¡±


    Murmurs of shock ran up and down the halls, as Gruffyd gaped down at the seemingly innocuous fork in his hand. He wrapped a hand around it carefully as the man actually began to weep where he stood, in complete defiance of his fearsome demeanor. As he clutched it to his chest, Elder Einion actually descended from his high chair and approached us. He laid a comforting hand on Gruffyd¡¯s shoulder, causing the man to whirl about and grab the Elder in a hug. He began to laugh in joy, as he spun the Elder in place. ¡°My son! Lives!¡± Gruffyd bellowed in glee.


    ¡°Put me down, you great oaf!¡± Einion barked, slamming a fist into Gruffyd¡¯s broad chest. The celebrating Chieftain stumbled in place at the apparent strength of the blow, before sheepishly setting the Elder down. Said Elder straightened his robes and shook his head, before turning back to me.


    ¡°This is welcome news indeed, young man,¡± He said, with a small smile, before raising an eyebrow. ¡°However, if my apprentice is indeed free, where is he? He has certainly not returned home, nor has he sent word.¡±


    I took note of the fact that Bleddyn was Einion¡¯s apprentice. Guess we had more than one thing in common, eh, old friend? Still, I answered the Elder. ¡°Because he chose to stay behind, after our escape,¡± I said, causing both men to look at me in confusion. ¡°He asked for the first of the Bond Breakers that I created and rallied the other freed slaves around him when I agreed. He told me that he intended to roam the Principality and free as many Human slaves as he possibly could, and incite a slave rebellion in the country. I¡¯ve heard from a¡­semi-reliable source that¡¯s exactly what he¡¯s been doing. Bleddyn has apparently been raising hell all up and down Velancia.¡±


    Approving and admiring mutters broke out all up and down the council table, while Gruffyd gaped at me in open mouth shock. I didn¡¯t blame him. It¡¯s not every day that you were told that your son had decided to become a revolutionary in another country.


    Meanwhile, Elder Einion had gotten over his shock and started stroking his beard in satisfaction. ¡°Well done, well done indeed my boy,¡± He muttered to himself, with a smirk on his aged features. He shook his head, before turning to face the rest of the hall. ¡°Bleddyn has elected to follow in the path of Mynydd before him! As our long-ago ancestor did for us, he too seeks to free others from bondage! As Elder of this council, he has my full support! However!¡± He raised a hand to stop the council when it looked like they were going to start cheering again. ¡°We have our own war to prepare for! For now, I declare this¡­unusually eventful meeting to be concluded. Go, spread the news and prepare for war, my warriors.¡±


    As people began to stand from their chairs, chattering excitedly about everything that had happened, Elder Einion turned back to face our little group. ¡°Come,¡± He said, gesturing to a door on the side of the hall. ¡°I would like to hear the full story of what happened with young Bleddyn. Gruffyd? Daffyd? Are you coming?¡±


    As Gruffyd nodded enthusiastically, Daffyd finally broke out of the shock that he¡¯d been in since my announcement. ¡°Ah¡­no, Elder,¡± He said awkwardly. ¡°I am¡­happy to hear of my nephew¡¯s survival, but I feel as if I should go inform Rhiannon of her cousin¡¯s fate. Good day to you.¡± He said to everyone gathered, before hurrying out of the hall.


    I tilted my head at the reaction consideringly.


    Odd.


    Surprisingly, Sylvia bowed out as well. ¡°I was not present for these events, so I will depart for now,¡± She said to the Elder apologetically. ¡°Instead, Grimgar and I will go and purchase some supplies for the next leg of our journey. We leave on the morrow, as I¡¯m afraid we still have further business.¡±


    Business, yeah.


    I guess you could call a campaign of infiltration and sabotage business.


    As the Elder nodded in acknowledgment, Sylvia turned to me and gave me a surprise hug and kiss on the cheek. I returned the embrace happily, though. ¡°I will see you later,¡± She murmured in my ear, before departing with the disguised Hook in tow.


    Elder Einion laid a strong hand on my shoulder and began to guide an excited Gruffyd and I to the door he had indicated. Fade followed along with us. ¡°I have to say, I¡¯m very interested in what you have to say, young Nathaniel.¡±


    ¡°You can just call me Nathan,¡± I said to him. ¡°Really, I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    I really, really didn¡¯t mind.

 Chapter 159 - Unexpected Boon

    Elder Einion and Gruffyd didn¡¯t question me for very long, in the small side room they had led me to. After all, there really wasn¡¯t all that much that I could expand on. Not without getting into secrets that I¡¯m not sure Grey would want me to let slip. I told them about our lessons and conspiring with Azarus, as well as his capture and subsequent loss of an eye only to grow it back.


    Both men had kept suspiciously blank faces at the regeneration, looking completely unconcerned.


    There had been a little bit of interest from them about how Bleddyn had taught me Fleshcrafting, as like Bleddyn had told me, it did give me a tie to their clan. Not a formal one or anything, though. Just an acknowledgment.


    They did seem pretty satisfied about the reported death of Magnus, though.


    Which. Yeah.


    You and me both.


    By the time they were done with essentially interrogating me, evening light was starting to creep through the slats of the window.


    Gruffyd let out a long sigh, as what looked to be months and months of tension eased out of his massive frame. ¡°Elder¡­¡± He said slowly, his gaze lingering on the form of Fade, lying on the floorboards near my feet. I swear I could see a note of reverence in his eyes before they cut away to look at Einion. The Elder had pulled out a pipe some time ago and was puffing away near the window.


    I swear, was it a requirement for powerful old me to be smokers or something?


    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you for permission to bring Nathaniel here to Carreg Blaidd,¡± Gruffyd said in a respectful tone, bowing his head slightly.


    ¡°Nathan,¡± I said, nearly automatically. The two men ignored me, though. I stifled a sigh, while I considered Gruffyd¡¯s words.


    So, he wanted to bring me somewhere? What was that about?


    The Elder tapped his long pipe on the windowsill to clear the bowl and then snuffed it. Turning to face Gruffyd, I could see that one of his long bushy eyebrows was raised in question. ¡°I¡¯m assuming this is because of his young companion?¡± For the second time in as many minutes, another gaze fell on Fade. The young Spirit wolf raised his head, able to tell that the conversation had shifted in his direction. He cocked his furry head curiously.


    ¡°It is,¡± Gruffyd nodded. ¡°I feel like¡­it¡¯s a suitable reward for them, considering the boons they¡¯ve bestowed upon our people.¡±


    The Elder crossed his arms, as he visibly pondered the question his Chief had presented him. ¡°It is¡­not out of the question,¡± He said slowly. ¡°His link to Bleddyn, the aid he has given us, and his own bond to one of the Llais y Gwyllt¡­¡± He nodded to Gruffyd. ¡°You have my permission. Nathaniel Hart may stand before the Carreg Blaidd. However, it will be up to the Ancient One if they decide to answer or not.¡±


    Ancient One?


    Gruffyd smiled broadly, standing up from his chair at our small table. ¡°Good. Then, Nathaniel,¡± He said to me. ¡°Late this night, I will come for you. I will lead you to a sacred place to my people, and there certain things will be revealed to you. The only person that may accompany you is the pup. I¡¯m afraid neither your wife nor dwarven friend can come along.¡±


    I shifted my eyes from one older man to the other. ¡°Is this dangerous, or¡­?¡±


    Elder Einion answered, shaking his head. ¡°No, not unless you¡¯re deliberately disrespectful. Rather, this is a rare honor for you, such that few outsiders have ever been granted. In fact, I believe your Master is one of the only others who has been similarly blessed. Truly, history has a way of repeating itself.¡± He said, ponderingly.


    ¡°Alright,¡± I said slowly, getting to my feet as well. ¡°Then¡­I guess I¡¯ll see you later.¡±


    ¡°You will,¡± Gruffyd said firmly. ¡°But for now, I need to go see to some preparations. Until then, Nathaniel Hart.¡± With that, the Chief of the Thunderhearts left the room.


    Leaving me alone with the Elder.


    Said Elder was looking at me in a considering manner, reminding me of Grey. He hummed to himself, before nodding. ¡°I believe we¡¯re done here, Nathaniel Hart,¡± Einion said finally. He nodded at me, before striding for the door of the room as well, his robes swishing behind him. Before he left, however, he looked over his shoulder at me. ¡°I¡¯m certain this isn¡¯t the last time we¡¯ll meet. Until then, young warrior.¡±


    With that, the Elder opened the door and walked out of the room.


    Meanwhile, I was looking down at Fade. ¡°You think I¡¯m ever going to get as dramatic as all these powerful old men we¡¯re meeting?¡± I asked him, with no small amount of exasperation.


    Fade just chuffed at me in amusement.


    I shook my head and left the small room as well.


    I needed to find my ¡®wife¡¯.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    A few kind villagers directed me to a long building they called a guesthouse. It wasn¡¯t quite as big as the council meeting hall, but it was still a bit bigger than most of the other homes in T?r Gronn.


    Once there, I was directed to a room that had been set aside for our usage. Knocking on the door, I was startled when one burly hand reached out and dragged me into the room. I was tossed unceremoniously inside and nearly fell flat on my ass, before I was steadied by a pair of cool hands. Looking up, I found that Sylvia had caught me before I could faceplant into the wooden floorboards. She winked at me as I flushed slightly, standing up and straightening my Order uniform. Looking over my shoulder, I saw that the person who had hauled me inside was Hook, who was slapping a large enchantment disc on the door. When he activated it, the dull roar of the other patrons in the guesthouse immediately cut out. It was now eerily silent in the room.


    Hook turned to face me with an annoyed frown on his altered features. ¡°Report.¡± He said shortly.


    I decided not to try his patience. I spent the next few minutes describing the entire conversation I¡¯d had with the Elder and Gruffyd, easily recalling the whole thing thanks to Ringed Mind. When I was done, Hook heaved a put-upon sigh. ¡°Ugh. Best not to annoy them too much by turning down this mysterious ¡®offer¡¯,¡± He said, using his fingers to make air quotes. ¡°When the Chief comes for you, you can go with him.¡±


    I nodded to my nominal boss. ¡°Alright. So¡­,¡± I said slowly. ¡°Other than that, what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    Hook shrugged at me. ¡°We don¡¯t really have any other business here. We¡¯ll leave at first light and try to catch up with everyone else in Elderwyck. You two,¡± He said, pointing at Sylvia and I. ¡°Try not to cause another stir. I¡¯m going to stay up here and coordinate some movements with Headquarters. Go on, shoo.¡± The disguised dwarf literally waved us away, causing me to stifle a chuckle. Still, I hurried out the door with Sylvia and Fade, while Hook shut the door behind us.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    I exchanged a glance with Sylvia. ¡°So, dinner? Might as well see what they have, before my ¡®appointment¡¯.¡±


    Sylvia smiled softly at me. ¡°I¡¯d be delighted.¡±


    Tromping down the stairs with Sylvia, we found the guesthouse rapidly filling up. As I¡¯d seen on the way in, this place seemed to function as kind of a tavern and cafeteria as well as an inn. It might just function as a sort of communal meeting place, with as filled to the brim with Thunderheart clan members excitedly speaking to each other as it was. From what I could hear, it sounded like word of their impending involvement in the war had leaked to the rest of the clan.


    They didn¡¯t seem too upset by that fact. Rather, it appeared to be the opposite. They almost seemed eager. Both to engage almost endless waves of monsters and to put the Loyalists to the sword.


    Well, good for us I guess. Sylvia and I settled at an out-of-the-way table in a back corner, so as not to be disturbed. Still, in moments, one of the barmaids appeared at our table to take our orders. We ended up settling on some mead, rabbit stew, and fresh bread.


    As we waited for our meals, Sylvia and I made some small talk. As my outer ring was occupied with that, my middle ring decided to get to some business that had slipped my mind. I was curious to see if I had gained any levels from all the chaos of the breaks, and I had just put it off on the trek here. We were in a safe place, though, so I could spare the attention.


    I called up my Status with Hidden Amidst the Spheres.


    I didn¡¯t expect what I found.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have gained 12 levels!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You are now level 81.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have learned the Talent, Short Bow Proficiency!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have learned the Talent, Longsword Proficiency!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Knife Proficiency has reached lvl. 6!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Dual Wielding has reached. Lvl. 3!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Tracking has reached lvl. 4!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Stealth Proficiency has reached lvl. 7 (Max)!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have 120 unspent virtue points. </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Level 70 Class ability inherited. </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%">


    Level 80 Class ability inherited.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Would you like to review your Status?</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Y/N</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I started coughing on my mouthful of rabbit stew, as I goggled at the absolute flood of System messages that I was bombarded by. That was by far the largest amount of notifications I had ever gotten since my Status was awoken.


    What the absolute hell was this? Last I¡¯d checked, literally just a few days ago, I had just reached level sixty-nine. But now I was eighty-one of all things? There was no possible way I¡¯d gotten enough level Aether in the last forty-eight goddamn hours to gain twelve levels. They¡¯d started coming slower for me as I got closer to the first breakpoint, and I generally needed to kill over a dozen monsters now just to get one level. That was on top of my frequent crafting sessions with Aetherial Melding, which granted a not inconsiderable amount of Aether just by itself.


    I hadn¡¯t killed over one hundred and twenty monsters since I¡¯d last checked my Status. Not by far.


    Alright, calm down. Let¡¯s try to reason our way through this. What had we been doing over the last few days?


    Well, there had been a not inconsiderable amount of monsters on the way here to T?r Gronn. But it wasn¡¯t like I was the only person to kill them. It had been pretty frequent for either Sylvia or Hook to take care of them as well. I don¡¯t think I had personally taken out more than a single level¡¯s worth of deformed beasts.


    I suppose there were the cores I had taken out on the mad dash away from the first Break Stone? But, those had barely had any Aetherial presence at all. To my senses they¡¯d registered as little more than motes of potential. Even if I¡¯d taken out dozens of them with the now-deceased Finch, I doubted they had contributed at all.


    That left only¡­


    ¡°The Break itself¡­¡± I muttered to myself, frozen in place.


    ¡°Nathan?¡± I heard Sylvia ask me in a concerned tone of voice. ¡°Is something the matter?¡±


    That broke me out of my shock, causing me to realize that I had let our conversation slip in the midst of my confusion. My outer ring that had been speaking to her had stuttered to a halt with the revelation of my new levels. I looked up at my partner, an idea crystalizing in my mind.


    ¡°Would you¡­mind checking something for me?¡± I asked her slowly. ¡°You haven¡¯t checked your Status since the Breaks, have you?¡±


    Sylvia blinked her sapphire eyes at me in confusion. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. I generally only check my Status once a week now, since I passed the first breakpoint. There¡¯s usually no point anymore.¡± She paused for a moment, taking in the intensity of my stare. ¡°Are you asking me to?¡±


    I nodded at her, intensely, intensely curious now. ¡°Please. I¡¯d like to see if the same thing happened to you.¡±


    If she had gained a bunch of levels as well, then¡­


    Sylvia nodded slowly at my request and dug around in her own small waist pouch for the mirror that I knew she had on her. Taking out the small compact device, she flipped it open and touched the surface.


    I saw the exact moment she received her System notifications, written across her Mithril features.


    Sylvia¡¯s eyes widened in deeper surprise than I had ever seen from the Sculpted woman, as she outright boggled at the tiny mirror.


    Just like I had.


    ¡°Seven levels?¡± She breathed in exhilarated shock. ¡°That¡¯s insane! I¡¯ve never gotten so many at one time¡­¡± Sylvia looked up at me in happy surprise. ¡°Nathan, did this happen to you too?¡±


    I nodded at her, my own glee starting to break through my shock. ¡°Hell yeah it did, and I have a theory. I think it was the Breaks that did this somehow. For some reason, I think just being around those enhanced Breaks gave us a ton of levels for doing nothing. I don¡¯t know why, and I wish Grey was here to bounce ideas off of.¡± I moaned in exaggerated despair, before grinning at her. ¡°But this is great.¡±


    Sylvia nodded at me with a grin of her own. ¡°And not just for us. For the Army as well! Think of all those soldiers that have suddenly gained so many levels! The Loyalist''s plan backfired! They¡¯ve directedly strengthened the Uprising by not only feeding us thousands of monsters, they kickstarted growth with free levels!¡± She started laughing in a way I had never heard from her then, all but bent over at the irony of it all. If she could, I think the Sculpted woman would have been crying. ¡°Gods, what if they gave Father a level with this! I don¡¯t think he¡¯s gotten one in years! Decades maybe!¡±


    I joined her in laughter, as I clicked yes with my middle ring in order to see what fancy new class abilities I¡¯d gotten.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Level 70 Class ability (Thornblade Acolyte)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Lifeblood Sense (Talent): Sense the rushing blood of your foes. </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Ooh, that was a weird one. If I concentrated, I could almost physically feel the pumping blood in the bodies of the other patrons in the guesthouse. The sensation was like an orchestra of thumping drums against my mind. This was useful, if a bit odd.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Level 80 Class ability (Thornblade Acolyte)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Thorned Sunder (Skill): Strike with the force of the dendropathic malicious. </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    That¡­was less useful.


    By itself, I could somewhat tell that it was a melee striking skill. And not a very useful one, at that. It seemed to be able to infuse weapons with an enhanced thorny edge, giving it more piercing ability.


    Not very useful for both a spear user, and someone who had both The Scintillant Blade to take care of mystic-born defenses, and Grinding Crimson Slash for armor.


    On its own, that is.


    I started laughing again, as I felt Grinding Crimson Slash resonate with Thorned Sunder in a very specific way.


    I was absolutely certain that I could combine the two skills with Synergy.


    I almost felt like thanking the Loyalists for all this growth.


    Almost.

 Chapter 160 - Sundering

    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">Name: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%">Nathaniel Eugene Hart</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">Titles: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%">Unbound Liberator</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">Level:</td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%"> 81</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">Age: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%">24 Sol</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">Race: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%">Human (Precursor)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">Affinity: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%">Terrestrial</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">Classes: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%">Thornblade Acolyte (Uncommon)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">Professions:</td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%">Aetherial Melding</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">Health:</td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%">900/900</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">Stamina:</td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%">100/100</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">Vitality: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%">90</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">Strength: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%">50</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">Spirit: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%">10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">


    Dexterity:


    </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%">170</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">Perception: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%">90</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">Intelligence: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%">230</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">Wisdom: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%">230</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">Free Points: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%">0</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.15707%">Options: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.8396%">[Talent Page], [Skill Page], [Profession Page]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Satisfied, I closed my Status.


    I have to say, it had been damn satisfying to allocate one hundred and twenty Virtue points at once. I think I even felt the difference physically as my body adapted to its newfound strength. Normally it was hard to notice the incremental improvements in physical and mental ability that Virtue increases gave, but you really noticed it when you doling out ten at a time. Not only that, but I had decided to do something I hadn¡¯t since Caer Drarrow.


    I¡¯d allocated twenty points into Strength. Even though I was going for a Mage build, I had noticed that the increased raw physical might that the points I¡¯d put in back then had really helped me. I think that Sylvan Vigor didn¡¯t work by giving me a flat increase in physical ability, but instead by multiplying what I already had. So, in that case, it was useful to actually level up my Strength Virtue to a degree to make it more effective. Don¡¯t get me wrong, though. I had also noticed that the Skill was being affected by my increasing Intelligence, as most of my class abilities were. I believe that Skill was just an apparently rare case of dual scaling.


    Lucky me.


    Sylvia and I spent the rest of our meal almost giddy from the unexpected windfall that we¡¯d gotten. Not only us, but presumably the rest of the Uprising as well.


    God, I can¡¯t believe how that had worked out. I¡¯ll admit, there were times I¡¯d wondered over the last few days if the Uprising could survive the Breaks. Over four hundred thousand monsters was just such an incomprehensibly large number. But the possibility of every soldier and every Classer that the Uprising could field gaining as much as ten more levels at once was just¡­incredible.


    I had to wonder what the knock-on effects of that would be. Hell, as Sylvia had said, the Army would be gaining levels hand over fist by participating in the culling of the horde as well.


    I was, admittedly, a little jealous. I would have probably gotten to level one hundred damned easily if I had been part of the defense. All of this theoretical knowledge that Grey had instilled in me over the months would finally get the chance to become practical knowledge, if I had access to my own processed Mana.


    I think, though, that the spread of free levels must not have reached as far as T?r Gronn. We probably would have heard from the locals if they¡¯d inexplicably grown in strength. In that case, I doubt Helstein had been in range of the unintended gifts.


    The forces that Woodrick had kept behind to see to the gateway city¡¯s defense had missed out.


    Eventually, Sylvia and I finished our meal together, and she departed. She wanted to talk to Hook about our discovery, and if word of the free levels had reached him or Headquarters yet. I had no doubt that the main host of the Uprising must have noticed, but it was hard for news to reach Agents in the field.


    I stayed behind, though. I remembered that Gruffyd was apparently going to be coming for me for some mysterious boon, and it was already starting to become late. Tarus had long since set over the horizon, and the guest house was starting to empty of patrons. The barkeep had approached me not long ago and asked if I needed something. He¡¯d left with rolled eyes and an understanding look when I told him that I was waiting for the Chief.


    While I waited for said Chief, I decided to get something done that I was a bit excited for. I may not understand fully how the whole process worked, but¡­


    I was always happy for a chance to use Synergy.


    Sitting at my cleared and empty table, I concentrated on the skill. I was startled, though, when in my mind''s eye, my skills exploded into view within a dark void. The hell was this? The skill had never functioned this way before. Usually, I could only kind of¡­feel my skills out whenever I used Synergy. But now I was¡­actually kind of seeing them?


    Actually, wait a second.


    Now that I got a better look at this, I recognized it for what it was.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    This was my soul. The last time I had seen it was when I had been during the operation to meld the cap my golden arm attached to. It wasn¡¯t quite as clear as that meld sight had been, but I could still faintly make out the same crystalized rainbow fire tree. My skills floated around it in abstract representations that, if I reached out to touch them, I could feel them like I once had.


    This was pretty odd, I have to say. Had the Skill evolved in some way?


    Hmm.


    I hadn¡¯t used Synergy since before I¡¯d gotten more familiar with the soul manipulation aspects of Aetherial Melding. I had always been told that there was, if not a mind, then an awareness behind the System itself. Had the System perhaps detected that I had stumbled on that feature of my Profession, and either altered or unlocked a previously hidden feature of the Skill?


    That was a little disconcerting. Sometimes it was frustrating just how opaque and obtuse the System could be.


    Whatever, I could worry about that later. I had something I wanted to do.


    I reached out mentally and grabbed the roiling crimson chains of Grinding Crimson Slash with one hand and the thorny blade of Thorned Sunder with the other. As I brought the two skills closer to each other in this mental space, they slammed together as if they had been magnetized. The resulting representation of my new Skill looked to be a sword covered in writhing red thorns that snaked all up and down the length of the blade.


    The sight of my soul faded away once I had gotten a good look at the new Skill. Unfortunately, just getting a look at some abstract representation in a soul space didn¡¯t tell me what the Skill was called in order to use it.


    I used Hidden Amidst the Spheres once again to summon my Status. Clicking through the small notification, I beheld the name and suitably vague description of my new Skill.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">You have learned the Class Skill, Grinding Crimson Sunder!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Grinding Crimson Sunder: Grind through the hide of your enemies with dendropathic malice.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    There it went again with the ¡®dendropathic malice¡¯. System, I don¡¯t know what you thought of me, but I didn¡¯t think of myself as being particularly malefic. I¡¯m hurt, I truly am.


    Still, I could take a guess what this Skill did. I don¡¯t think I really needed to go out and practice it right now in the cold night air in order to figure it out, like I sometimes did. This was probably just an enhanced version of the Skill I had stolen from that knight in Caer Drarrow, Grinding Crimson Strike. I¡¯d tried it out a few times in the past, and it had been a bit¡­underwhelming. I didn¡¯t typically need to fight heavily armored opponents. At least, not yet.


    We¡¯ll have to see what the war brings.


    My attention was drawn when Fade raised his head from his position sitting at my feet. The young wolf had been drowsing after his own meal of a whole rabbit that the barkeep had graciously given him, but now he was alert. He was gazing behind me towards the front of the guest house. Turning, I stood up from the bench and long table that I was sitting on.


    Gruffyd had just entered the guest house. The Chief was looking a little different, though. He was barechested and barefoot, for one, wearing only a pair of rough leather pants to cover himself. The man was built like a brick shithouse, though, with muscles on top of muscles so it didn¡¯t look too odd. He was also covered in strange, flowing, iridescent blue body paint that covered him from head to toe in flowing lines and whorls, almost looking like representations of the wind.


    The few other remaining patrons in the guest house, whom I had pegged as lonely drunks, were visibly startled at his appearance. Meanwhile, the bartender outright boggled at the sight of the painted Chieftain. He hurried out from behind his bar and engaged with a fierce whispered conversation, before Gruffyd pointed at me. The bartender followed his finger and gave me one of the most shocked looks I¡¯d ever seen.


    Gruffyd clapped the bartender on the shoulder and strode over to me. Once he had reached my position, he visibly looked me up and down. He shook his head, grunting in negation. ¡°That won¡¯t do,¡± He said abruptly. ¡°Do you have anything to wear that you¡¯ve hunted yourself?¡±


    I blinked at the odd question, momentarily looking down at my Order uniform. What the hell was wrong with it? Still, I answered him. ¡°Ah¡­I have a pair of leather breaches on under these, I guess?¡± Which I did. I was lucky enough to have slipped on the leather pants that I had made myself under my Order pants. I typically did that so I would have more protection for my legs, in the rough branches and brambles of the forest.


    Gruffyd grinned broadly at me and clapped my shoulder. ¡°Good! Then, I¡¯m going to need you to strip down to them. You can leave the rest of your kit with Gundr, the barkeep,¡± He nodded to said barkeep, who was standing not far from us and looking at me disbelievingly.


    I gaped at the odd request. ¡°Why?¡± I asked weakly. It¡¯s not every day that a massively muscled man asked you to nearly strip naked.


    Gruffy was unfazed by the question. ¡°Because the Ancient One doesn¡¯t care for people who wear what they didn¡¯t harvest or kill themselves,¡± He said patiently. ¡°You might cause offense, if I take you before him in that.¡±


    I held up a hand to stop him, feeling a migraine nearly come on before I suppressed it with my middle ring. ¡°Look. What is going on here, Chief Gruffyd? I am grateful for your hospitality and the aid you will give my mentor, but you never explained what we¡¯re doing.¡± This whole thing was starting to seem a little suspicious. By this point, I think I had learned to be properly suspicious of strange offers, even ones that were coming from allies.


    ¡°I guarantee you, nothing harmful will happen,¡± Gruffyd said, laying one massive hand on my shoulder. ¡°As I asked the Elder earlier, I will be taking you before the Ancient One. He is a powerful guardian spirit for the Thunderheart Clan. I was recognized by him many years ago as the rightful Chief of my people, and he will not harm you. Be at peace, Nathaniel Hart. Besides,¡± His gaze drifted down to Fade, who had gotten to his feet to watch the two of us. ¡°I imagine the meeting will be very useful for both of you.¡±


    I exchanged a glance with Fade. He didn¡¯t look too concerned, so¡­I guess I was okay with this. I heaved a long sigh and nodded. ¡°Okay. I guess I¡¯ll just, uh¡­¡± I glanced around the room for a concealed place to change, before giving up. The first floor of the guest house was pretty much all open floor.


    As swiftly as I dared, I stripped down to only the leather breeches under my pants. Even if I had nothing to be ashamed about these days, I was still self-conscious. It was just so damn embarrassing to be nearly naked like this in a public place. When the bartender scurried up to me, I handed him my Order uniform, the accompanying armor, my pouches, and my weapons. ¡°Take them up to my room, please,¡± I said, with strained politeness. ¡°Hand them over to the Sculpted woman I was with.¡±


    The bartender murmured his acceptance, before tromping up the stairs and out of sight. Meanwhile, I directed my gaze back to Gruffyd, trying not to shiver in the air of the guest house. ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± I said shortly.


    ¡°Very well,¡± The Chief nodded, before turning and gesturing for me to follow him. He strode out the door of the guest house at that, clearly expecting me to follow. I did so, actually starting to shiver in the cold night air.


    There weren¡¯t that many people out in the village at night, but the few we did see almost universally gaped at the Chief and I in the same way the bartender had. I¡¯m guessing something about the body paint specified what we were doing.


    Likely something to do with this ¡®Ancient One¡¯.


    Actually, now that I thought about it¡­


    Wasn¡¯t this the second ¡®Ancient One¡¯ I was going to be meeting in as many months? There had been the Elder in Sancthaven, too.


    Odd how I seemed to be stumbling across all these relics from the past.

 Chapter 161 - Ritual of the Wolf

    Gruffyd led Fade and I all the way through the village, to a gate that was set into the back wall of T?r Gronn. While it was guarded, it seemed more like a back exit than a proper entrance into the village. The Chief exchanged a few words with the armed and armored guards there, before opening the gate with one hand and striding through. I followed after him, aware of the curious gazes of the guard as I stepped through.


    They shut the gate behind us.


    Out in the grasslands that surrounded T?r Gronn, I was able to take in the night better away from all the light in the village.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile to myself slightly.


    Elys hung full and heavy in the sky, while the stars around her twinkled brighter than anything I¡¯d ever seen on Earth. Wisping through the sky were what I had determined to be a view of the galaxy that this planet resided in. It meandered in a soft violet haze through the abyss, broken up only by the glisten of starlight, almost curling around the bright form of the moon that Grey so loved. I rarely had cause to stay up and take in Vereden¡¯s night sky that I didn¡¯t often see this view. In fact, I¡¯d say I¡¯d never seen the night sky so bright as it was now.


    For a moment, I longed to go and fetch Sylvia, so we could admire this together.


    Later, perhaps. After I was done with the Chief.


    Speaking of, Gruffyd had stopped about ten feet from my position and was waiting for me with a knowing look on his painted features. I had halted in the middle of his tour in order to admire the night sky. I smiled apologetically at him, sure he could see it from the bright silver light of Elys. He merely gestured me forward.


    I did so.


    The Chief of the Thunderheart Clan led me in the direction of the ring of standing stones that I had noticed on my approach to the village. From a distance, I could see that a series of small bonfires had been lit around it, casting deep shadows in the night. To my eyes, those fires were lit in such a manner as to cast said shadows into the center of the ring.


    Directly onto a large, flat sacrificial stone that had been laid in the center.


    How did I know it was a sacrificial stone?


    Because there was a large stag carcass bleeding onto its rocky surface.


    Actually¡­I think that was a hart. I could see the red of its coat flickering in the firelight.


    I felt a chill run down my spine at the coincidence. I was sure that it must be one, because I don¡¯t think ¡®hart¡¯ translated perfectly into Veredenese Common.


    I stopped at the edge of the ring as Gruffyd walked further in. He approached the dead stag and laid an almost reverential hand on its body. ¡°I hunted this myself, you know,¡± He said suddenly, turning to face me. The man was smiling almost peacefully. ¡°That was the bulk of my preparations for tonight. In truth, Nathaniel Hart¡­your addition to this ceremony is last minute. A certain segment of the Thunderheart Clan was always intending to beseech the Ancient One tonight.¡± He chuckled. ¡°As grateful as we are to you, we don¡¯t typically put on traditional and important ceremonies simply for guests.¡±


    Stepping tentatively into the ring with Fade following at my feet, I took a look around. The insides of the stones were painted beautifully, depicting a creature that I was pretty familiar with by now. My eyebrows went up in surprise, while Fade perked up in sudden intense interest.


    It was a Spirit Wolf.


    It was painted all along each of the stones, seeming to tell a story. On one stone a regular wolf painted in black was curled in a ball, seeming to be almost sobbing. On the next, he was howling to what seemed to be the moon.


    After that?


    A female figure painted in blue descended from the sky, cupping the wolf¡¯s head in her palms. With her hands, I could see her touch his forehead, from which she drew out a pair of large, majestic stag¡¯s antlers. On the next and final stone, the wolf was now painted in blue, complete with the antlers that I had grown used to seeing on Fade. He was standing proudly in the middle of a forest, as what appeared to be a human man in yellow beseeched the new Spirit Wolf.


    I furrowed my brow, taking in the entire story from first stone to last. Was this¡­some kind of fable about how Spirit Wolves were created? I was startled from my inspection by a large hand falling on my shoulder. Looking up, I could see Gruffyd looking at the stones proudly. ¡°The first of the Llais y Gwyllt.¡± He said in admiration, before looking down at me. ¡°What we call the ¡®Voices of the Wild¡¯, and you know as Spirit Wolves.¡±


    My lips parted. ¡°The first Spirit Wolf?¡±


    Below, Fade had grown incredibly still, eyes fixed on the last stone. It almost looked like he and the painting were locked in a staring match.


    ¡°Yes, the very first, who we know as Taran,¡± Gruffyd confirmed. ¡°I have to say, young Hart, we were all very surprised to see your young Fade traveling with you. It lent a certain weight to your words, and made us take you more seriously. It is¡­beyond rare for a Spirit Wolf to choose a companion, as he has for you. According to the annals of the Calonawr, it¡¯s only happened three times in all of history. And,¡± He leaned in, winking. ¡°Those annals extend from before the time of the War in Heaven.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± I said slowly. ¡°Over two millenia?¡±


    ¡°More like four,¡± He said to my shock. He smirked at my reaction. ¡°We¡¯ve been here for a very long time, far longer than any mortal Kingdom, and arguably before the long-dead gods.¡±


    Four millenia¡­


    You know, now that I thought about it, I had never heard Grey speak about the time before the War in Heaven. I knew it must have existed of, course. There must have been a long stretch of time from before the mostly dead gods ruled. But here was someone saying that their Clan had been around even before those gods had ruled Vereden and the six other planets that had comprised their now broken empire.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    I was, admittedly, a little curious.


    Before I could ask Gruffyd to say more about that, the Chief looked beyond me and nodded. Turning around, I was able to see a number of other Thunderheart members approaching the standing stone ring. All of them, both the men and the women, were mostly bare-chested and painted in the same way that Bleddyn¡¯s father was, stripped to the waist and wearing simple leather breeches. Thankfully, the women were at least wearing a modesty-concealing sling, even if it left little to the imagination. I fought down a blush of embarrassment at the sight of the mostly naked women, but even I could tell this wasn¡¯t a sexual thing.


    I took a deep breath and decided to ignore it as best I could. Besides, I wasn¡¯t getting any more than a few curious looks from the dozen or so people who had joined us.


    ¡°Nathaniel Hart, if you and young Fade could step back?¡± I heard Gruffyd say to me. Turning, I found that the Chief was nodding in the direction of just outside the ring. ¡°I and my pack must commence the ritual. If the Ancient One deigns to meet you, then you will know when to come forward.¡± He paused for a moment, before affixing me with a serious look. ¡°No matter what happens, do not be alarmed. I promise you, you are in no danger from us.¡±


    Danger? Pack? Man, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re taking this wolf thing a bit far? Still, I did as I was asked, stepping back. I had to actually nudge Fade with my foot to break him out of a slight trance, though. The Spirit Wolf snapped back to reality and glanced around, almost as if he had forgotten where he was. He followed me out to the edge of the ring just fine, though.


    Meanwhile, everyone else here had gathered in a wide circle around the altar, including Gruffyd. He lay a hand in the pool of blood that had gathered on the stone, and then lay that bloodied hand on his face. When he took it away, I could see a crimson handprint left behind. Everyone else copied him, also marking themselves with the blood of the sacrifice. The blue of their paint contrasted sharply with the crimson of the lifeblood, in the flickering of the nearby torches.


    Gruffyd raised his hands into the sky, almost as if he was trying to cup the full moon in his hands.


    He started speaking.


    Problem is, I couldn¡¯t understand a word of it. I tilted my head in confusion before I remembered an offhand remark Grey had made months and months ago, about how Language Adaptation worked. According to him, the talent that everyone had only worked if it was activated. You could turn it off if you wanted to, and from that point on, other people would only hear you speaking your native language without a translation. It had been a pretty neat explanation about how distinct regional and racial languages still existed, in a world where everyone could understand each other as soon as they had a Status. Luckily, children who were still Unawoken were still able to understand a person who didn¡¯t speak their birth language, even if they didn¡¯t have the talent yet.


    It seemed to me like Gruffyd and his ¡®pack¡¯ had disabled Language Adaptation. I don¡¯t know why, maybe they didn¡¯t want me to understand the call and response chants that they had started, or maybe it was just part of the ritual. I could only recognize a few of the words that were being thrown out. Calonawr, Llais y Gwyllt, and Blaidd.


    Taran.


    The gathered group of clan members slowly started to dance around the sacrificial stone, gradually picking up speed and drumming their chest but never stopping their chanting. Meanwhile, Gruffyd had picked up a nearby ritual dagger lying on the altar and plunged it into the chest of the hart, cracking bone as he did so. In seconds he had removed the heart of the stag and raised it above his head, dripping blood down onto him.


    He finished by screaming the name of who I was beginning to suspect we were out here to summon.


    ¡°TARAN!¡± Gruffyd bellowed out into the sky, causing the other clan members to stop and do the same.


    The torches went out around us, all at once. The ring of standing stones sank into darkness, lit only by the light of Elyse above, as the gathered ritualists became eerily still.


    It almost felt like the world held its breath for a moment, as the chirping of insects and night creatures died out completely in the background. The wind stopped, and I swear I felt a brief huff of hot air on the back of my neck. But when I turned to look, there was nothing behind me.


    All of a sudden the torches flared back to life. But this time, the fire was different.


    It was an eerie, flickering blue. The light of Elys above us grew brighter, as I saw a monstrously huge shadow rise from nowhere, just out of sight in the pitch blackness beyond the stones.


    I tensed up.


    When I say monstrously huge, I mean it. The shadow that had started to circle the ring of standing stones was easily larger than a city bus from back home. Whatever creature it belonged to was by far the largest living thing I had seen on Vereden, dwarfing the Frostbrine Abyssmother as the previous largest. The top of it cleared the tallest of the stones around us, allowing me to make out at least one feature in the shadows that stretched out of sight.


    Two large, clear, crystal blue eyes that shined through the dark.


    I had to stop myself from shivering as I felt the shadow circle behind me, from my position in between the stones of the circle. I thought I felt it pause just behind Fade and me momentarily, before moving on.. Eventually, the creature stopped its circling directly across from Gruffyd just outside of the ring. Everyone, including me, was still motionless.


    The heart in the Chief¡¯s hands somehow began to glow in the same blue light of the torches, as it incongruously started to float into the air above us. It grew so bright that it was almost acting as an artificial sun, piercing the gloom around us.


    The massive shadowy creature leaned forward into the light, allowing me to see it clearly for the first time.


    As I had suspected, it was a wolf. A Spirit Wolf, to be exact, gigantic in size. Its fur seemed to be pitch black in color while its astonishingly huge rack of antlers was ivory white. Two wise blue eyes took in the entire circle at once, including Fade and I. It might just be my imagination, but I think they lingered on us for just a moment.


    With a slight exhalation of air through its enormous nose, the wolf bent down and swallowed the sacrificed hart in a single, delicate bite. I don¡¯t even think it had to chew.


    When it was done, the Spirit Wolf threw back its head and howled, loudly enough that the sound echoed off the distant mountains. I¡¯m absolutely sure that everyone and everything in a dozen miles heard that.


    The gathered Calonawr¡¯s joined the Spirit Wolf in his howling. First, as humans.


    But that changed.


    My breath caught in my throat as the gathering began to shift and morph before my eyes. They grew taller and sprouted fur over their entire bodies, while their arms and legs lengthened. Claws grew from their bare feet and hands, and their ankles elongated until they stood on sharp claws. But yet they still stood on two legs like men and women. The very shape of their skulls changed, as their faces elongated into snouts and their ears migrated to the top of their head. Long, furry tails sprouted from their behinds, stretching out behind them and swaying in the night air. However...


    None of their increasingly lupine howls sounded pained.


    Rather, they were filled with a wild form of joy and exultation in the bestial that was alien to me. One final change came over the gathered clansmen and women.


    From each of their foreheads sprouted a set of sharp, clean, fresh antlers. Not so different than the kind that grew from Fade¡¯s own head.


    Before long the transformation of the gathered clansmen and women had been completed. Howling in front of me stood over a dozen wolves that stood as men.


    Werewolves.

 Chapter 162 - Shadowed Thunder

    As the howling of both the monstrously huge Spirit Wolf and the gathered werewolves started to die down, I found myself tensing. I¡­hadn¡¯t expected the Chief and his clansmen to suddenly transform into humanoid wolves. Not only that, but they seemed to be a kind that were connected somehow to Spirit Wolves like my own companion. Most Thunderheart clan members that I¡¯d see had already been large examples of mankind, but these changed ones were even larger. The smallest among them dwarfed my five-eleven frame, looking to be over eight or nine feet tall from the tips of their ears to the pads of their feet.


    I had to wonder, were these all of the werewolves among the Thunderhearts? Was Bleddyn a werewolf? I was suddenly reminded of how he had killed that servant Pignolo, all those months ago. The asshole dwarf had almost looked to have been savaged by a wild beast.


    What about in the village? Were there even more right now, howling to Elys in its walls? I couldn¡¯t hear anything from that direction, but I couldn¡¯t know.


    Were Hook and Sylvia in danger?


    Moreover, was I in danger right now? Why had Gruffyd decided to bring me to see their transformation? I thought this was just going to be a meeting with their ¡®Ancient One¡¯, who I believe Gruffyd had referred to as ¡®Taran¡¯. I¡¯m guessing that was the massive Spirit Wolf starting to look back down at the gathered man-wolf hybrids.


    Damnit, I should have kept my weapons on me.


    The largest of the werewolves who I thought was Gruffyd raised his clawed hands in supplication to Taran and spoke, seemingly unhindered by the new shape of his mouth. ¡°Honored Taran!¡± He bellowed, in a rough, growling version of his normal voice. ¡°Blessings to you, on this night! We, the children of your claw, renew our pact as our ancestors did before us! May we stalk together in the light of the moon, for eons to come!¡±


    To my astonishment, Taran¡¯s muzzle opened and actually spoke back. ¡°As before, so now,¡± He rumbled, in a voice that shook dust from the standing stone near us. ¡°Be vigilant, my claws and fangs. Dark tidings sweep across this land, and old powers stir in the deep. Remember my teachings and beware, for all is not as it seems.¡±


    Dark tidings, all is not as it seems¡­


    Was¡­Taran aware of the horde? Was something else going on?


    Gruffyd and the rest of the gathered werewolves bowed their heads in supplication. ¡°We shall remember your words, Lord of Blood and Thunder.¡± He raised his head again, as most of the nearly formal atmosphere dissipated. ¡°There is¡­another thing, my lord. You have likely noticed, but I have brought two outsiders to the gathering this night.¡±


    The massive Spirit Wolf snorted in amusement, his eyes shifting to look at Fade and me. I stiffened under his assessing gaze. ¡°I have, young Chief,¡± He said evenly, never looking away from us. ¡°And what interesting guests they are.¡±


    ¡°This man and his companion traveled a great distance to warn us of an impending disaster, o¡¯ Son of Elys,¡± Gruffyd said respectfully. ¡°It was my decision to bring them before you, as I judged they would be of interest. If I am wrong, I humbly beg your forgiveness.¡± I had to bite back a bark of hysterical laughter as the enormous werewolf¡¯s ears actually flattened against his skull in contrition.


    Taran¡¯s enormous blue eyes finally looked away from me to gaze at Gruffyd once more. ¡°Do not worry, Gruffyd. Your intuition was correct. However,¡± He paused, letting his gaze run over the rest of the gathered werewolves. Their tails actually started to wag under his scrutiny. ¡°I must ask that you depart on a hunt, for now. I have¡­business with these two whelps that is not meant for ears other than theirs. Go now, and return with a kill so we may feast together.¡±


    The pack of transformed Thunderhearts started panting in bestial excitement, the wagging of their tails only picking up. ¡°At once, my lord!¡± Gruffyd said eagerly, before turning to face the other werewolves. ¡°Go!¡± He said, pointing one clawed finger off beyond the rim of the standing stones. With a round of howls, the wolfmen and wolfwomen dropped to all fours and sprinted off into the darkness in search of prey. Before he set off as well, Gruffyd turned to me and flashed a fang-filled grin.


    I smiled back uneasily at the sight of so many sharp and pointy teeth.


    With a howl of his own, Gruffyd bounded off into the darkness with the rest of his pack.


    Leaving me and Fade alone with Taran, the ¡®Ancient One¡¯ I was supposed to meet. The ring of standing stones fell into silence for a moment, before it was broken by Taran.


    ¡°Come,¡± He said suddenly. ¡°Join me beyond the stones. It wouldn¡¯t do to speak of these matters in such a sacred space.¡± At that, the massive Spirit Wolf moved away from the ring of stone, while above us the burning blue heart blew away as ashes. The blue torches around me snuffed out as well, casting my surroundings in darkness. As my eyes adjusted to it, I looked down to search for Fade, only to find that he was already padding after Taran.


    I grumbled to myself as I followed him into the grasslands. Little traitor, you could at least pretend to be concerned.


    The two Spirit Wolves had moved to a small hill that wasn¡¯t far from my position. Both of their lupine frames were silhouetted by the bright and full form of Elys high in the sky. The contrast between Fade¡¯s comparatively puny frame and Taran¡¯s gargantuan one was striking. As I joined them, my eyes had adjusted enough to the darkness that I could see the considering look in Taran¡¯s eyes. He nodded his huge head at the two of us, before leaning down. I kept as still as I could as the Spirit Wolf took several deep sniffs of us both, ruffling my hair from the force of the wind.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± He said slowly, sitting back on his haunches. ¡°This is a first. A Precursor has never bonded to one of my kind before.¡±


    I¡­wasn¡¯t even surprised that he could tell what I was. I stayed silent, though. I didn¡¯t really know what to say to this presumably ancient being.


    It didn¡¯t seem like he minded.


    His eyes settled on Fade. ¡°You¡¯re a young one,¡± He mused. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put you at more than a few months old in fact. That makes you the youngest of us.¡±


    Fade barked something back at the older, stronger, and larger wolf.


    ¡°Fade, then? And only five months old at that. Greetings, littlest brother,¡± Taran chuckled. ¡°Truly, I have to wonder what the Whisper plied Mother with, to bestow her blessing on a young pup such as you.¡±


    Whisper...


    The only Whisper I knew was Sylvia''s code name.


    I furrowed my brow at the odd turn of phase. ¡°Ah¡­¡± I finally spoke up, drawing Taran¡¯s attention. ¡°Could you perhaps explain that, Lord Taran? Or¡­why you even wanted to speak to us in the first place?¡±


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    Taran barked a laugh then. ¡°Such audacity! Rare is it that I find someone willing to speak to me in such a manner. Even my own blessed have a tendency to kowtow. I can see why this one likes you so.¡±


    I turned and raised an eyebrow at Fade, causing him to look away almost bashfully. I smiled and nudged the young wolf with the side of my leg, causing him to huff and nudge me back. ¡°I like you too, boy,¡± I murmured.


    When I looked back up, I saw that Taran was watching us with a nostalgic and somewhat sad look in his eyes. ¡°I have no problem explaining a few things to you, young ones,¡± He said, surprisingly softly. He slowly lowered himself down to the grass, letting out an unexpected groan of relief as he did so. Now that my eyesight had fully adjusted to the darkness, I could tell that Taran¡¯s black fur was shot through with streaks of white. I think¡­his age affected him more than I thought it would, for what I had thought might be an immortal being. ¡°Come, sit with me. I can speak with you until sunrise if that is what you wish. I imagine there are some things that escape you about the nature of Vereden, young Precursor.¡±


    I did as he asked, flopping down into a cross-legged position while Fade sat on his haunches. ¡°I think I¡¯m adjusting pretty well, to be honest. And¡­¡± I decided to take a gamble. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly flying completely blind here, about what it means to be a Precursor. I met a chatty old Elf a few months back that had some things to say about our supposed ¡®Quest¡¯.¡±


    Taran was unfazed. ¡°Yes, I can smell Alveron on you, faint though the trace may be. I¡¯m unsurprised he found you, desperate as he is. But I¡¯m afraid I wasn¡¯t speaking about the nature of Precursors, young Hart.¡±


    Wait, had I told him my name? I don¡¯t think I had.


    ¡°Instead, I¡¯ll tell you the truth about what your young companion and I even are,¡± He continued. ¡°What your kind call Spirit Wolves and what the Mynydd Clans call the Llais y Gwyllt are¡­nothing more than Awakened wolves.¡±


    I blinked rapidly at that. ¡°Wait, what?¡± I said in confusion. ¡°But¡­Fade doesn¡¯t have a Status like I do. And I heard that Mystic Beasts don¡¯t have them in general.¡±


    ¡°Mystic Beasts, bah,¡± Taran grumbled, blowing my hair back with a snort. ¡°Such a plain name for such a cornucopia of peoples. But yes, I am serious. We may not have a complicated, half-broken form of Awakening such as what the mortal races do in your odd numerical Statuses, but what we have is an Awakening all the same. Only, we are not blessed by your ¡®System¡¯. Nor are we blessed by any gods. Instead, we are blessed by the Spirits. It is the way that they reproduce.¡±


    ¡°I¡­what? Reproduce?¡± And¡­blessed?


    Was that what a Status was? A blessing?


    From what?


    Taran nodded. ¡°Yes. Spirits, especially Great ones such as Mother Elys, cannot reproduce in the manner that you mortals can. Instead, they bestow upon the recipient a fraction of their power, endowing their soul with the ability to grow in Mysticality. The ultimate goal of this blessing is so the recipient can transcend their mortal flesh and eventually become a Spirit themselves. However, the Spirits are incapable of blessing a fully sentient and sapient mortal with their essence, and are thus limited in choice to animals.¡±


    I cast a gaze down at Fade. ¡°So, Fade¡­¡±


    ¡°Was a normal wolf pup not unlike any other, until Mother cast her eye upon him and bestowed a portion of her essence,¡± Taran confirmed. ¡°She does not do so often, and I have never known her to purposefully create a child and place them in the path of another deliberately, as I believe she did for you. It is almost¡­vulgar, and so unlike her. Unfortunately, I cannot ask what her intentions were with young Fade. She would dodge them expertly. Mother is fickle, at the very best of times.¡± He grumbled to himself.


    ¡°Blessing and Awakenings¡­¡± I said slowly, leaning back onto my hands. My gaze drifted away from Taran to rest on the very moon he was talking about. ¡°So, if Awakenings like mine are just blessings, then¡­who blessed us mortals? What did the gods do to cause the Initialization?¡± I paused, a thought coming to me. ¡°Is our Awakening from the gods?¡±


    Taran sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, I cannot answer you. The answer to that question remains unknown to all to this very day. Not even Mother truly knows the source of your bizarre Awakenings. And I truly mean bizarre. It is¡­a mish-mash of various workings and energies, and yet has such potential wrought within its depths. I shudder to imagine what your people could become if it was not incomplete as it is. I can tell you this. Mother believes that the gods found something or someone, and began to fight over it. She believes this to be the genesis of the War in Heaven. Some time in the fighting this¡­source of power was either manipulated or malfunctioned in some way, which led to the propagation of your Statuses. Beyond that, no Spirit can say otherwise.¡±


    I took that in for a moment, slowly frowning. How did that fit in with what Elder Alveron had told me?


    What had the gods done? How did Precursors fit into that? Was¡­the Precursors Quest an elaborate form of revenge, created by the System for whatever they had done to it?


    Taran had no answers for me. He simply shook his head when I asked him.


    We sat in contemplative silence for a moment, before Taran spoke once more. ¡°However, that isn¡¯t what I wished to speak to you about,¡± He said, perking up. A lupine grin stretched across his features. ¡°Instead, I¡¯d like to present an opportunity to you and young Fade.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± I said hesitantly, a little taken about how puppy like Taran was acting. ¡°If it¡¯s an offer to become a werewolf like the others, then no thanks. I¡¯m good.¡±


    I had no interest in suddenly sprouting fur and a tail, thank you very much.


    ¡°What?¡± Taran said, startled. ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t bestow my blessing on you like them if I tried. That¡¯s only possible because of an old blood pact I have with the founder of their Clans and my own once-upon-a-time partner, Mynydor. That predates the coming of the Initialization, and was thus incorporated as a special Racial Talent for the Mynydd Clans. Not all choose to pursue my blessing, and thus not every member of the Clans can claim to be a Wolfblood. No, this opportunity is for young Fade. I¡­would like to extend an offer of what you would call ¡®apprenticeship¡¯ to him.¡±


    Fade jerked suddenly, as startled as I was. The both of us exchanged a baffled look before my companion barked a question at the other Spirit Wolf.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting to that,¡± Taran scolded Fade lightly. ¡°Let me ask you, young one. You have found yourself struggling with your abilities of late, haven¡¯t you? You¡¯ve been wondering why your own growth has been so sluggish, coming in fits and bursts? Especially compared to the rapid advancement of your chosen companion. I would bet that new abilities suddenly manifest for you out of nowhere when you most need them.¡±


    Uh, well. That honestly sounded pretty accurate.


    Fade looked away almost mulishly.


    Taran just nodded. ¡°Yes, as I thought. You¡¯ve no doubt wished you understood how they worked. Well, I can fix that. I am offering to take you under my proverbial wing, and teach you all that you need to know. The mortals have their own paths of advancement, in their Magic and Cultivation. So too do we have our own Eldrydd Path. I can teach you a great deal, young one. You will never be helpless again when I¡¯m done with you.¡±


    Fade went completely still at that, fixing Taran with an almost ravenous look.


    Meanwhile, I couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°What¡­would that entail?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Taran paused for a moment, before smiling at me almost sadly. ¡°Unfortunately, young Fade would have to stay here with me. I¡¯m afraid I cannot accompany you on your journeys, Nathaniel Hart. It would be months, possibly years before you see each other once again. The teaching that I would be bestowing upon your companion could not be interrupted.¡±


    Months or years before I would see Fade again? I was tempted to immediately reject his offer, but¡­


    It wasn¡¯t my decision.


    I kept quiet, as much as I didn¡¯t want to.


    Fade almost seemed to frown, looking off into the distance where Elys sat full and heavy on the horizon. Taran and I waited in silence as the young Spirit Wolf sank into visible contemplation. After a few moments, he stirred and looked up at Taran once more before chuffing something softly at his elder.


    ¡°Yes, you may have the night to consider the matter,¡± Taran nodded his enormous head, before getting to his feet. Padding down to the bottom of the hill, the ancient wolf looked over his shoulder at the two of us. ¡°But I shall require an answer before your companion leaves in the morning. I¡­do not blame you, if you choose not to take my offer. I well know how hard it is, to be parted from the person you have chosen.¡± With that almost melancholy statement, Taran walked away, seeming to disappear almost instantly into the darkness.


    Meanwhile, Fade and I were left on the small hill lit only by the light of a full moon. I looked over at Fade, from his position sitting next to me. He was staring off at Elys once more, looking contemplative. I lay a hand on his back, but he didn¡¯t react to it.


    ¡°We¡¯ll¡­just stay here for now,¡± I said quietly, to a small accompanying nod from Fade.


    He had a big decision to make, after all.

 Chapter 163 - Farewells

    Fade and I ended up sitting on that hill all night, simply staring off into the distance at Elys. By the time she began to sink below the horizon, I was pretty sure I knew what his answer was going to be. I couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh.


    A long, drawn-out one at that.


    It wasn¡¯t often, but sometimes Fade and I could almost almost¡­sync up. I had long suspected that the two of us had some kind of strange bond that couldn¡¯t be quantified by Statuses, Skill, or Talents. At times, I could almost understand if not his emotions, then his meaning and intent. I think he could do the same for me, from when he had shown up at just the right time back in Caer Drarrow.


    I could feel that right now. For the last few hours, it was as if I could sense a faint impression of resolve growing within him, tainted with apprehension and a bit of regret.


    At my sigh, Fade looked up at me. From the look in his eye, he could tell that I knew what was running through his furry little head.


    But it still had to be said.


    I smiled down at him slightly. ¡°You¡¯re going to take the offer, aren¡¯t you.¡± I wasn¡¯t even really asking a question.


    I was just saying what we both knew to be true.


    Slowly, Fade nodded up at me, almost ashamed.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­fine,¡± I said, doing my best to maintain my smile. ¡°I get it, I really do. I don¡¯t have the room to complain about you taking this chance when I have something similar with Grey. This is going to set you up for success for the rest of your life, for the rest of both of our lives. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going away forever. Just¡­a long time.¡±


    Fade reared up at my words, resting his front paws on my chest. He tucked his head into the crook of my neck and then whimpered ever so slightly. But I could tell that his resolve hadn¡¯t wavered, through our formless bond.


    He was just feeling a bit homesick already.


    I took a deep breath, and wrapped my arms around him in a hug. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± I soothed him. ¡°Really, it will. And hell, I think I can wrangle a trip out here every once in a while. The war will¡­probably be over before your training is. Once it is, I¡¯ll hopefully be free enough from my duties to Grey and the Nocturnes that I can stop by.¡± I leaned back, laughing a little at a thought I just had. Fade looked at my quizzically, inches away from my face. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­we only barely started training together with Sparrow, only for you to immediately start training with someone else. Guess we¡¯ll just have to learn how to fight together another day, huh?¡±


    Fade huffed a small, lupine laugh of his own at my words before falling back down to all fours. I took that for the cue it was, and got to my own feet. I looked down at Fade. ¡°So¡­do you want to say goodbye to Sylvia?¡±


    I doubted he cared all that much about Hook. It was too bad Azarus and Grey weren¡¯t here, as he got along pretty well with the two of them. But they were likely embroiled in a running battle with the horde right about now.


    The young wolf at my feet tilted his head slightly at my words, before shaking it. He looked down the small hill that we had spent the night on, towards the ring of standing stones. The pack of werewolves had returned several hours previously, laden down with freshly hunted game. When they had, Taran had melted out of the darkness in order to greet them.


    They¡¯d all been feasting and reveling in a bestial manner for hours.


    I smiled wryly, at the hungry look in Fade¡¯s eyes. ¡°Want to join them, huh?¡±


    Fade snapped out of his bloodthirsty trance long enough to look back up at me and nod.


    ¡°Alright,¡± I said quietly. My eyes met Fade¡¯s, green on green, so similar in hue. ¡°Then¡­until we meet again, Fade.¡±


    Fade nodded to me, before taking one hesitant step away. That seemed to be all he needed to bolster his confidence, as with one final parting glance over his furry shoulder, he darted down the hill towards the ritualists.


    When I raised my gaze from his retreating form, I found that Taran had raised his bloodstained muzzle to look at me. With how large his enormous blue eyes were, it wasn¡¯t hard for me to see the compassion in his gaze. I think he understand how bittersweet this parting was for both Fade and I.


    I mouthed something to the ancient wolf.


    ¡®Take care of him.¡¯


    Taran nodded his gigantic shaggy head at me, before bending down in order to greet Fade.


    I turned away, doing my best to put it out of my mind.


    I strode down the hill, back towards town.


    I had things to do.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°I see,¡± Sylvia said quietly, sitting on the bed in front of mine. Once back within the walls of T?r Gronn, I¡¯d made for the guest house.


    It¡¯s not like I had anything else I could be doing in this village.


    I¡¯d found Sylvia and Hook waiting for me, both looking like neither had slept overnight. I wasn¡¯t too worried about it, though. It¡¯s not like sleep was essential for anyone in this room. A Status helped to keep the exhaustion away. This was my second day without sleep, and while it sucked, I wasn¡¯t debilitated by it. I was going to have some sleep debt soon, though.


    When I¡¯d gotten here, Sylvia had asked about Fade, which had led to me telling the two of them that he was staying with the Thunderhearts for a time. I hadn¡¯t provided much more explanation than that.


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    I got the feeling the existence of both the Wolfbloods and Taran himself wasn¡¯t mine to share without good reason.


    Neither of them pried too deeply.


    Instead, Hook cleared his throat. ¡°Then it¡¯s about time we get out of here,¡± He said roughly. The dwarven spymaster stood up from the chair he had been sitting in during my brief explanation. ¡°We have somewhere to be.¡±


    I didn¡¯t get up quite yet, instead doing my best to meet Hook¡¯s eyes. ¡°Did HQ have anything for you? Any news on if the rest of the Division has started operations in Elderwyck or¡­about how the Army is doing?¡±


    I noticed that Sylvia¡¯s attention sharpened on our boss at my question.


    Hook did too. He sighed and ran a hand through his long steel-grey hair. ¡°The campaign in Elderwyck hasn¡¯t begun yet,¡± He said shortly. ¡°Those Agents that have reached it have only just begun inserting themselves into the city. They¡¯re finding it to be¡­harder than anticipated. According to reports, the city is better fortified that it was expected to have been, even in the middle of a civil war. And not just because it was known that the Uprising was intending to assault it.¡±


    ¡°How do you mean?¡± Sylvia asked with narrowed eyes.


    ¡°Because the kind of defenses that were set up are meant to keep out monsters instead of soldiers,¡± Hook said, grimly amused. ¡°There¡¯s a difference if you know what to look for, and reports indicate that it¡¯s there. To me, this indicates that most of the Loyalists knew the Breaks were coming, if maybe not the full extent. They were preparing their strongholds for the possibility of the horde knocking on their front door.¡±


    I snorted in disgust. ¡°I¡¯m betting Elderwyck officials were mighty confused on that.¡±


    ¡°No doubt,¡± Hook nodded his head, as disgusted as I was. ¡°But it¡¯s made things a bit difficult for insertion. Not impossible, though. Not by a long shot. Still, don¡¯t worry about us. I have my own thoughts about how to get into the city. I¡¯ll let you in on it once we meet up with someone else on the outskirts. As for the Army¡­¡±


    Hook paused for a moment, taking in Sylvia and I¡¯s increased focus. He rolled his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m told things are going¡­if not well, then at least not disastrously. There was a bit of a morale boost following the discovery of those free levels, which I''m not surprised by.¡± He smirked to himself, looking particularly satisfied. ¡°I don¡¯t get levels often myself, so getting two of the damn things was a nice surprise. Word is, Greycton and Honoka both got a level as well.¡±


    Sylvia shot me a thrilled smile at that, her suspicions from earlier vindicated. I just grinned back at her, while in the back of my rings, I wondered if that was true. It would be quite the morale coup to discover that two of your strongest fighting assets had only grown more powerful from a once-in-history disaster. Knowing Grey the way I did, I wouldn¡¯t put it past the man to have lied about the level, if only to keep spirits up.


    After all, who would be able to tell?


    ¡°Enough talk though,¡± Hook said, folding his arms. ¡°Like I said, we need to get going. Get up. You two will have to say our goodbyes to our hosts. ¡®Grimgar Stonecloak¡¯ doesn¡¯t speak much, and isn¡¯t the important muckety-muck that you are.¡±


    Sylvia and I nodded, standing up finally. I was back in my Order uniform and armor after my impromptu stripping from earlier, while Sylvia had never bothered to change out of hers. Hook had procured three small packs filled with supplies for our journey to Elderwyck, which we slung over our backs and fastened the straps. With a final exchange of glances, we exited out into the hall of the guest house. It was only starting to fill up for the early morning meal, and conversation was low and sleepy. Barely anyone looked up at us as we tromped down the stairs.


    We did accept a wrapped package from the barkeep though, filled with a traveler''s breakfast. He told us it was on the house, as he gazed at me in a surprisingly respectful manner.


    Ah, whatever. I wasn¡¯t going to turn down free food.


    Exiting the guest house, we stepped out into the village air. It had long since stirred to life out here, with plenty of people out and about. Those who recognized us kept our party at a respectful distance.


    As we approached the gates of T?r Gronn, we were stopped as we had expected. Elder Einion was standing in front of the gates with Captain Cadoc. We had been predicting a farewell party, but not quite this. Because they had a surprise for us.


    In between the two men were three horses, saddled and waiting with full saddlebags. I smiled at the sight of them, expecting what they meant.


    Sure enough, the Elder greeted the three of us with a smile. ¡°Good Morrow, warriors of the Order. I trust you had a good night''s rest? Or perhaps¡­¡± His gaze shifted my way. ¡°An informative one. I notice that your smallest companion is not with you.¡±


    I nodded at the Elder slightly. ¡°He¡­was given an offer from an unexpected source. You¡¯re likely to see him in the surrounding areas, Elder.¡±


    Einion nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I see¡­well. I will inform my people to treat him with respect, if he is sighted. In the meantime, I came to say farewell and to bestow upon you a gift, at the same time. Captain, if you will?¡±


    Captain Cadoc stepped forward then, holding the reigns of all three horses. ¡°Clan Calonawr presents these three horses to you, free of expectation of return. We do not know your destination, and it is not our place to pry. We only hope that they will be of aid to you in your travels.¡± He paused for a moment, eyeing our two non-human members. ¡°Special consideration has been made for a steed that can handle your¡­additional weight, Lady Sylvia. As well as your height, Sir Grimgar.¡±


    ¡®Grimgar¡¯ snorted, but accepted the reigns of his new horse. Well, to be honest?


    It was more of a pony. Said dapple coated pony eyed the dwarf with an almost evil glint in its eyes.


    The disguised spymaster just glowered back at it.


    In contrast, Sylvia¡¯s was by far the largest of the offered horses. It almost looked like more a draught horse than anything. Still, it had a gentle demeanor, nuzzling hand as if looking for treats. The black of its coat was a pleasant contrast to the Mithril silver of her skin.


    My own gifted horse had an almost frighteningly intelligent glint in its eye. It looked at me for a long moment, before snorting and allowing me to brush its long coat. I guess I had passed its test.


    I smiled. I tended to get along with horses just fine, so I had no problem with this. I looked up at the Captain from my inspection. ¡°Their names?¡±


    ¡°Poppy, Charlie, and Marquis,¡± He said, pointing first to the pony, then Sylvia¡¯s horse, and then mine. ¡°He¡¯s, ah, an import from the Principality. I hope that does not offend, Sir Hart.¡±


    I brushed a hand through Marquis¡¯s mane. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± I murmured, unfazed. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Marquis.¡±


    Marquis just snorted at me.


    The Elder stepped forward then. ¡°I bid you good travels, my friends. Know that the Thunderhearts ride to battle soon, but that the gates of T?r Gronn will always be open to you.¡±


    At that, the Elder and the Captain stepped back, allowing the three of us to settle into the saddles of our new horses. I didn¡¯t have a ton of actual riding experience, but I had enough that I thought I could do this. I shifted in the saddle, trying my make myself more comfortable. I think I was doing better than Hook, who was cursing slightly as he tried to situate himself.


    Sylvia, of course, had managed it just fine. She sat placidly in her saddle as the Elder gestured for the gate to be opened for us. Once it was, nudged our fresh mounts forwards and out the gate.


    Hook was grumbling as he did so. ¡°Had to be a horse,¡± He griped. ¡°Damn things have never liked me.¡±


    Before long we had reached the small trail that led out of Calonawr territory. I don¡¯t know what made me look back over my shoulder, but¡­


    I was greeted to the sight of a tiny, far-off form watching in the distance from a tall hill. The small, furry figure was outlined by the rising sun, and its antlers cast a shadow down on the slopes. Almost as if it had been waiting for me to look, the shadow threw back its head.


    And howled. Long, and loud enough to echo over the hills all around us.


    I smiled at the sound.


    Yeah.


    I was going to miss you too, buddy.

 Chapter 164 - Lost Rendezvous

    Now that we had horses, Hook wanted to push them harder in order to reach Elderwyck quicker. The normally even-tempered dwarf seemed to have a strange dislike for the equines, even if it was a genuine boon for us to have them.


    I put a stop to that. There was no reason to push perfectly good horses to the brink of death, when most of the Nocturne Division apparently hadn¡¯t even reached the twin cities. Hook grumbled about it, but didn¡¯t put up too much of a fight. I think he knew how unreasonable he was being.


    Still, we didn¡¯t exactly move at a slow pace on the way, to my chagrin. It turns out that I wasn¡¯t quite as good at riding a horse as I was driving a wagon. I''d only dabbled in it during all of my travels. I may not have been falling off all the time, but the saddle was rubbing me raw. I wasn¡¯t quite bleeding, but it wasn¡¯t pleasant.


    I knuckled down and bore it.


    At the pace that we were riding at, it took us another three days to reach the territory that belonged to Elderwyck. Along the way, Hook filled me in on the unique legal status that the city resided in, since we didn¡¯t have much more to do than take out the occasional monster or dodge larger packs along the way.


    The thought occurred to me that not everyone was as fortunate as I was, to be able to do that. But I squashed it every time it came up.


    As I¡¯d been told, the twin cities of Elderwyck and Tlatec belonged to the Kingdom of Herztal and the Orcish Empire of Xilochtlan respectively. The Empire only owned the land that the comparatively smaller city of Tlatec sat on, while the much larger Elderwyck belonged to the Duchy of Elderwyck. This Duchy was ruled over by one of the major figures of the Loyalist cause, and possibly one of the people who had arranged Grey¡¯s kidnapping.


    Duke Quentin Olsen, of House Olsen.


    Apparently, this guy wasn¡¯t quite the clown show that Duke Graden had been. And while he wasn¡¯t as hated as Graden, he wasn¡¯t liked either. According to Hook, the man was one of the most shrewd businessmen in the Kingdom. While he was no great Cultivator or mighty Mage, he was still a force to be reckoned with because of his grip on Elderwyck.


    The city was the undisputed financial powerhouse of the entire Kingdom, outclassing even the capital. It was the largest trading hub in Herztal, and arguably one of the largest on Vereden. To my sour surprise, I learned that Vittolia was one of the only contenders. No doubt propped up on the backs of thousands of slaves.


    Damned Savoy.


    Anyway, the Duke had thrown his support in with the Loyalists pretty early on, as he had been one of the major manufacturers of the Sculpted. In the days before they had started to come to life, Quentin had seen a major opportunity to diversify his city¡¯s holdings by investing ungodly amounts of gold into production facilities. At its height before the Second Initialization, Elderwyck had been producing as much as half of all Sculpted that were in existence.


    Which meant that the city was absolutely stuffed to the gills with them, even to this day.


    This was a bit of a shock to me.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t they leave?¡± I asked Hook one night, baffled. ¡°They have to know that the Uprising would take them in.¡±


    It was Sylvia who answered me, frowning into the small campfire we had lit. ¡°They were not allowed to,¡± She said sourly. ¡°Before the Uprising had even declared their intentions to revolt, Elderwyck clamped down hard on their Sculpted population. More than any other city in the Kingdom, my people are treated as little better than tools there. They are not acknowledged as free-thinking individuals, and are given no rights. A Sculpted within the walls of Elderwyck has no more ability to speak for themselves than a broom does.¡±


    I frowned, growing a little concerned. ¡°Then¡­¡± I said slowly. ¡°Is it safe for you to even go there? Wouldn¡¯t all of your movements be constrained by what you are?¡±


    Luckily, Sylvia didn¡¯t take offense at my words. Instead, she smiled slyly at me. ¡°Oh, not to worry. I am an illusion specialist, after all. It shouldn¡¯t be hard for me to craft a human-seeming veil that I can maintain for long periods of time. The knowledge of Cultivation that Honoka gifted me was enough that I can manage this much at least.¡±


    Suddenly, I wasn¡¯t concerned. Instead, I was very curious about what a human Sylvia would look like.


    Intensely so.


    Sylvia must have seen something on my face, as her smile took on a mischievous tint. She winked at me.


    Across the fire from us, Hook rolled his eyes and grumbled into his dinner of cooked oats. ¡°Ugh. Kids.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Hook told us that we were only about a day¡¯s ride away from the city of Elderwyck by now. However, he also told us that we were not going to be heading straight there. Instead, there was a meeting point being maintained a few miles out in an abandoned barn.


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    Half a day¡¯s ride later, we reached our meeting place.


    I initially didn¡¯t pay much mind to it myself. My focus was more on leading my horse along the small side path that Hook was leading the three of us down. Once we had reached the farm that the barn was abandoned on, he had veered away from it and up into a small forested hill that overlooked it. Below us in the fields, I could see a number of Sculpted ¡®workers¡¯ tending to the crops.


    Fuck it, why mince words?


    Slaves. Those were slaves down there. Just because they weren¡¯t human doesn¡¯t mean the word didn¡¯t apply. The familiar sight of people held against their will and working on a plantation threatened to send me into a rage that I hadn¡¯t felt since I was in Marrowmist. As I felt the rings of my mind start to go cold and my lips curl, it felt like my focus on the world was narrowing.


    I was knocked out of my growing fury by the feeling of a hand shaking me by the shoulder.


    I blinked, and the world beyond the slaves below me came into focus once more. Following the hand to its source, I found Sylvia staring back at me with sharp eyes, with her mount Charlie docilely standing behind her.


    ¡°Not here, Nathan,¡± She hissed to me, briefly cutting her eyes down to her fellow Sculpted. Dragging them back up to me, she gave me a short, sharp shake of her head. ¡°You cannot do anything for them now. We cannot afford it.¡±


    Over her shoulder, I saw that Hook had stopped to watch us as well. Though his face was blank, his eyes were calculating.


    I wasn¡¯t sure I liked the look in them.


    I squashed the almost unnatural rage that was even still roiling around in my rings. She was right.


    Later, though. When we were done with Elderwyck¡­


    I nodded to show I understood, keeping my eyes forward. With one last lingering glance, she turned back around and gestured for Hook to keep moving. The master of the Nocturne Division turned his back and resumed leading us through this brush without a word.


    I¡­was really missing Fade, right about now. That wolf had a way of keeping me calm.


    I shook it off, and kept to the rear of our procession.


    Before long, Hook had led us to a small, overgrown clearing within the thicket. Standing in the center of it was what appeared to be a large, dilapidated barn. Its large front doors hung open and stuck eternally, while the windows creaked ominously to and fro in the wind. At one point in time, this relic might have been painted in a beautiful sky blue paint.


    Now, it was only faded and forgotten.


    I didn¡¯t see anyone in this clearing, even though Hook had told us we were supposed to meet other Division assets here. Still, he stopped before we reached the treeline, unwilling to step into it just yet. From where we were, we could only barely see through the trees. The aged dwarf visibly scanned the clearing with a discerning eye, frowning as he did so.


    ¡°Masks on,¡± He said abruptly, already reaching for his own stored in a pouch at his waist. I was startled, but did as he said, while Sylvia did the same next to me. I was abruptly glad we had tied the horses up to a tree some distance behind us, while we scoped out our destination. Was something wrong?


    I asked him, in as low a voice as I could manage.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± He murmured back. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­a feeling. Something is off. According to reports, this rendezvous site was secure up to a few days ago. Whisper, you circle left. Hangman, right. See what you can find. I¡¯m going in.¡± At that, Hook completely faded from view. I couldn¡¯t see, smell, or hear even the faintest trace of him.


    As Sylvia, or rather Whisper, faded into an illusionary cloak and slunk off to the left, I cast Thorn Cloak. Doing my best to remain stealthy, I crept through the trees on the right, circling around the clearing as best I could. Eventually, I clambered up a tree swiftly and silently to get a better look. As I reached the back of the clearing, I frowned at what I saw.


    The other side of the barn looked to have been through a battle. There were large gashes in the wooden walls, while the doors looked to have been shattered completely. The dirt leading up it and even what was in front of the barn was visibly disturbed, looking to have been shuffled around vigorously. I was dearly tempted to approach in order to get a better look, but I figured Hook would have been pissed.


    I managed not to jump when the tree branch I was crouched on bent slightly and Sylvia¡¯s voice whispered in my right ear. ¡°Anything else on your side?¡±


    I shook my head minutely. ¡°No, just¡­this.¡±


    The cloaked form of Sylvia was quiet for a moment. ¡°This looks¡­¡±


    ¡°Like it was assaulted,¡± I finished for her, in a low tone. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how safe it is to stay here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Hook¡¯s voice said grimly, from a nearby branch. ¡°There were bodies inside. This site is burned.¡±


    Bodies?


    ¡°Were they with us?¡±


    ¡°Luckily, no. It looks to have been a Loyalist assault squad,¡± Hook replied, slight relief audible in his tone. ¡°Dusk was supposed to meet us here, and it looks like they didn¡¯t manage to get the drop on her. She appears to have taken them out and then erased some Division traces here. I think she was in a rush, though. I estimate this might have happened just yesterday, from the traces left. But we need to go, now. I¡­might have lit a fire in the barn to cover it up better.¡±


    Wait, what?


    Sure enough, I could see slight wisps of smoke starting to curl through the windows of the ruined barn. It would only take minutes before the entire thing was engulfed in flame. As swiftly as we dared, we circled back around the clearing and back towards our waiting horses. Once we reached where we had tied them to on the main trail, we abandoned our efforts at stealth in favor of climbing on their backs and urging them on.


    We galloped through the woods as quickly as we could, to put distance between us and the burned site.


    Literally and figuratively.


    I couldn¡¯t help but curse to myself as I clung to Marquis¡¯s back and the world blurred around me. We hadn¡¯t even started trying to infiltrate Elderwyck, and we were already facing roadblocks.


    What next? Was the damn horde going to roll over Elderwyck before we could even get inside the walls?


    Well¡­


    Better not tempt fate.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Hook led us through and out of the woods, setting a brutal pace on¡­ponyback, in his case. Poppy was surprisingly fast and strong for such a comparatively smaller creature, next to Sylvia and I¡¯s mount. We must have ridden for at least half an hour, until we were back on a much larger road than the small forest trail we had been on.


    The road itself was¡­way more surprising than I expected it to be.

 Chapter 165 - Walls and Gates

    The direction that Hook had led us to the Duchy of Elderwyck hadn¡¯t been on one of the main roads in Herztal. We had primarily been taking game trails, and when that didn¡¯t work, going over land. He had deliberately kept us away from the more traveled paths, in order to minimize our profile.


    That was looking to have been a good decision, as the road we had exited onto was packed.


    There must have been hundreds and hundreds of people occupying the road. Dozens of wagons loaded down with furniture and belongings stretched out as far as the eye could see, while cages filled with livestock trundled along behind them. Curious, and yet despondent young eyes peeked out of wagons at everyone they could, but did not speak out. Individual travelers trudged along the road with heavy packs on their backs, looking to be carrying their entire lives. An air of misery and desperation hung heavy over the entire ghastly procession.


    This didn¡¯t look like the flow of travelers I would have expected for a major trading hub in the Kingdom.


    No, this looked like a trail of refugees.


    Luckily, we blended right in with them after we had stowed our masks. Safely ensconced within the masses, Hook gestured down. Sylvia and I got his message, sliding off of our horses in order to huddle closer to him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the barn was being watched,¡± He said to us, only barely loud enough to be heard over the murmur and rattle of the procession. ¡°Which is sloppy, but good for us. But now we need to find Dusk, which would have been impossible for you two. Thankfully, I¡¯m here.¡±


    I rolled my eyes at him slightly, but I understood his reasoning. ¡°Because you can ask HQ to link her locater coin to yours, yeah I get it.¡±


    Hook gave me the evil eye. ¡°Don¡¯t spoil my fun, you brat. But yes, I already messaged Headquarters on the ride here. I can already feel the direction it¡¯s leading me in. Unfortunately, it leads in the direction we¡¯re going.¡±


    ¡°And this road leads into Elderwyck,¡± Sylvia picked up with a frown. Said frown turned into a grimace. ¡°I dearly hope she¡¯s not already within the city walls. That would¡­complicate matters.¡±


    Hook shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think she is. I know that girl, and she knows me. She wouldn¡¯t have expedited her infiltration unless she was in extreme danger. She knew we were coming. She wouldn¡¯t abandon us.¡±


    I frowned, another thought crossing my rings. ¡°What about the rest of the Division? Are they fine? I thought that barn was supposed to be our meeting point?¡±


    ¡°No, that was just my personal meeting point with Dusk,¡± Hook said. ¡°Everyone else is either assessing their own way in, already within the walls, or not here yet. However, I think I know where Dusk is. Just follow me.¡±


    We elected not to climb back up onto our mounts for a variety of reasons, instead blending into the crowd on foot. The first was that, frankly, our horses were a bit exhausted after the breakneck pace we had put them through in order to get away from the burning barn.


    I¡­could actually see a small wisp of smoke over the horizon, in the direction of the fire. It was the talk of the road, with multiple travelers pointing to it and murmuring to themselves. I didn¡¯t like how fearful they sounded.


    Listening to the travelers was one of the other reasons we didn¡¯t try and move faster. This seemed like a good opportunity to catch up on the regional news, which was something hard to get over the coin communication network.


    As I had thought, a majority of the people on the road were refugees fleeing the horde. Despite the Order¡¯s best efforts, they hadn¡¯t managed to keep the attention of the entirety of it. From the fearful conversations that were occurring all around us, I discovered that there were now packs of monsters beyond the ones we had seen roving the countryside, drawn to each little village and town they could find like moths to a flame. Almost every settlement in Vereden had some form of monster repellent going on, whether it was a shabby wardstone, a fighting force, or some kind of alchemical solution.


    But none of them were good enough to keep out the numbers these people had been seeing. Almost universally, the towns and villages that occupied central Herztal were emptying out, and fleeing for the larger cities. There, they hoped to find safety within the much larger, much stronger, and far better-warded walls of places like Elderwyck.


    Unfortunately¡­


    ¡°It won¡¯t work,¡± Hook sighed to himself, regretfully. ¡°Elderwyck can¡¯t support this many refugees. It would buckle under the strain. I guarantee that they¡¯re being turned away at the gate.¡±


    ¡°Is it going to be a problem for us getting inside?¡± I asked him, frowning.


    Hook shook his head. ¡°No, Dusk and I have another entryway. You¡¯re going to hate it, though.¡± With those ominous words, Hook clammed up and refused to elaborate.


    Goddamn cagey old dwarf.


    I guess I¡¯d just have to find out later.


    Hook¡¯s prediction turned out to be prescient. As we got closer and closer to the massive walls I could see growing on the horizon, the crowd around us grew thicker. In fact, it got so bad that our progress completely halted miles away from the actual city.


    Hook cursed. ¡°Damnit all,¡± He said irritably, before turning to me. ¡°Hangman, get up that tree, take a look around, and report back. I want to know what¡¯s going on.¡± The dwarf pointed to a large tree on the side of the road, which already seemed to be occupied by a number of curious children. They were hanging from and sitting on the branches of the tree, watching the milling crowds below them.


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    I nodded sharply at his direct orders and started squirming my way through the mass of bodies between me and the tree. Once I reached it, I didn¡¯t even bother with Thorn Grapple. I just clambered up the tree in a few well-practiced moves. I had done quite a bit of tree climbing by this point, in my scouting.


    When I reached the middle branches, one of the kids sitting on a much higher branch and kicking his legs called down to me. ¡°Whatcha doin¡¯, mister?¡±


    I cast an eye up at him and flashed a quick smile. ¡°I¡¯m trying to get a better look at what¡¯s going on up ahead!¡± I answered up at him.


    One of the other kids that was hanging upside down on another branch snickered at me. This time, it was a particularly feisty looking little girl. ¡°Ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ goin¡¯ on, stoopid,¡± She mocked me, her pigtails swinging back and forth with her. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re up here.¡±


    I just rolled my eyes at the little brat and stood up on the branch I had reached. When I did, the view that greeted my eyes surprised me.


    For multiple reasons.


    In the distance, perhaps only a few miles away, I got my first look at the twin cities of Elderwyck and Tlatec.


    It wasn¡¯t quite what I was expecting.


    From the position that I was at, it looked like the two cities were up farther on the hill, so the view of it them was being blocked by the absolutely massive wall that dominated the scenery. It must have been as big as Helstein¡¯s, rising at least fifty feet into the sky. This was a surprise to me. Helstein had been a city meant to block off an entire half of a continent, and here was what looked to be a coastal trading hub which had an equivalent.


    And the wall itself wasn¡¯t even one uniform mass at that. I could see the clear dividing line that marked the difference between Elderwyck and Tlatec. On the left side from my position, the wall was built in the Herztalian style that I had seen several times by now, just thankfully not quite as bleak as Helstein¡¯s had been. It seemed to be grey stone with crenelations dotting the battlements, from which I could see the tiny forms of Loyalist soldiers manning it. It seemed particularly well defended, with a surprising amount of siege weaponry all along it, from catapults to ballista to even worryingly large pots on a swivel. The road led to an equally massive set of wooden doors, which had a large metal portcullis dropped in front of it.


    The fact that the gate was doubly closed didn¡¯t speak well of our chances of getting in that way.


    But far off to the left of the Elderwyck portion of the walls, I could see them curve off just out of sight and immediately change style.


    It was decidedly not Herztalian, or even human to my eyes.


    That must be Tlatec.


    I don¡¯t think their portion of the wall was hewn from the same stone as the Elderwyck side. For one, it was an entirely different color. Instead of a uniform grey, it was a reddish tan of some kind. And where the wall for Elderwyck was mostly unadorned except for its crenelations and armaments, the Orcish side was decidedly¡­not.


    It was far spikier, for one. Polished iron spikes ran not only all along the edge of the wall, but almost up and down the front as well, with some pointed downwards, as if to deter people from climbing it. Tall towers in an almost meso-American style rose from the top of it, every hundred feet or so. Distant figures filled the towers, far enough away that I couldn''t make them out. Curiously, I didn¡¯t see any of the siege weaponry or armaments along its length that I did for the Herztalians. Probably had something to do with the massive fiery crystal orbs that I could see at the top of the towers along the wall. Even from a distance, I could almost feel the amount of Mana within them.


    It made my teeth itch.


    I couldn¡¯t see a similar gate for the Tlactec portion of the twin cities, as the combined wall curved far out of sight. But what I did see in front of the Elderwyck portion caused my heart to drop even more.


    There was a massive, sprawling shanty town just outside the gates of the city. It looked incredibly ramshackle, to my eyes, as if it had been thrown up in a small amount of time with little care about lasting. It stretched out a pretty good distance and even had its own fragile driftwood walls. I don¡¯t think they¡¯d even be able to stop a punch, though, much less a monster.


    Certainly not the horde.


    Inside the shanty town, I could see hundreds of people milling about, with a large gathering of them right up against the closed gate to the city.


    I let a breath at the sight.


    God, I sure hope Hook wasn¡¯t blowing smoke up our asses about being able to get in. I was certain the Loyalist guards would be on high alert with this many people crowding the gates.


    One of the children above me laughed at my dumbstruck exhalation. ¡°Yer gonna die out here, mister!¡± He said cheerfully. ¡°We all are!¡±


    I blinked incredulously up at the morbid child, who seemed incredibly uncaring about his own potential death. I turned away from him to gaze back out at the chaos, my eyes narrowing. ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± I said lowly. I shook my head, a thought crossing my minds. I looked back up at the children higher up the tree than I was. ¡°Hey! Have any of you seen a Gnoll? A girl one, with white fur?¡±


    A few of the children looked at each for a moment, before shrugging and looking up a boy child. This one was higher up in the branches than the other. I¡­guess he was their boss?


    Said child boss crossed his arms and shrugged noncommittedly at me. ¡°Dunno,¡± He said slyly, with a smirk. ¡°Maybe, maybe not. Can¡¯t rightly say, wit¡¯ the way me stomach is growlin¡¯.¡±


    Yeah, yeah. I get it.


    I rolled my eyes at the¡­enterprising little urchin, and reached into the pouch at the small of my back. Grabbing something, I took it out and jingled it at the child. ¡°Two silvers, and that¡¯s me being generous, mind,¡± I said warningly.


    The eyes of the pack of what I was suspecting were street rats (tree rats?) lit up. The pigtailed little girl scrambled down the tree like a monkey to stand in front of me with an arm outstretched. I dutifully took out the two silver coins and lay them in her palm, to which she snatched them away as if I was going to take them back. She scurried away up to her apparent leader and handed the move over to him. The little shit had the audacity to bite the coins before making a satisfied little hum. He looked down at me, seeming much friendlier.


    ¡°Yup, we saw yer girl,¡± He said, nodding along with his companions. ¡°She came out o¡¯ the trees yesterday just like you and yers did a bit ago, lookin¡¯ a mite roughed up. Only saw her for a mo¡¯, though. Faded away real quick inta the crowd.¡±


    So, Dusk had survived the assault on the barn. It was a relief to get confirmation, even though Hook had seemed sure she had.


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t see where she went?¡± I called up.


    The urchin shook his head. ¡°Nah, but she probably disappeared inta the Stacks,¡± He said, jerking his head in the direction of the shantytown.


    I nodded. ¡°All right. Thanks kid. See ya around, I guess.¡±


    The tree rat shrugged, and went back to watching the crowd below us as I clambered down the tree.


    Hook was unsurprised about the news I relayed to him, but I still saw a little tension disappear from his shoulders. ¡°Very well. Then she¡¯s definitely in these ¡®Stacks¡¯. We just have to find her.¡±


    Wonderful.


    I¡¯m sure it wouldn¡¯t be a pain in the ass to navigate those ramshackle ¡®streets¡¯ at all.

 Chapter 166 - Dusky Doubts

    As Hook, Sylvia, and I slowly slipped our way through the gathered crowds of refugees, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the atmosphere out here.


    It was, in a word, bad.


    Which, no shit.


    There was an air of combined desperation, resignation, and most importantly fear filling the air of the procession. All around me, I heard muffled sobs from inside covered wagons and the throats of desperate, tired-looking travelers. People trudged along on leaden feet with heads held low, while simultaneously doing their best not to alarm the many, many children that I saw being dragged along in their parent''s wake. Children were more intelligent than most gave them credit for, so they were unusually solemn as well. I didn¡¯t see any joy or excitement on the smallest faces that I passed by.


    I grimaced.


    And¡­I wasn¡¯t exactly here to make their lives any easier. The entire purpose for our infiltration into Elderwyck was to destabilize it. Once we somehow managed to get inside those walls, our mission was to bring down the government of the city through any means necessary. Hook had told me that he had no intention to direct the Nocturne Division against civilian targets within the twin cities, but¡­


    He¡¯d also said that a degree of collateral damage was expected, and unfortunately permissible.


    The dwarf was cold like that, sometimes.


    All of these people had been forced from their homes out of fear, from a gambit enacted by the very people they were fleeing into the arms of¡­


    They wouldn¡¯t find the safety and stability inside the walls of Elderwyck that they longed for.


    It¡­was our job to make sure they couldn¡¯t.


    All of these thoughts were winding their way through my rings as I entered the ¡®Stacks¡¯ that the tree urchin from earlier had told me about. I couldn¡¯t help but be a little bit impressed at how quickly the refugees had put this up. It had only been a little over a week by now since the Breaks had occurred, and they already had this little shantytown set up. I mean, if most of these people had only left a day or so after the breaks had occurred, then they must have set this up in a matter of days.


    But¡­that made no sense.


    While I wouldn¡¯t call this area anything like a proper town or village, it was still visibly built up. The majority of it was simple carts and wagons that had been parked in a certain area and then built up on, but not everything. I saw plenty of lean-tos and even small ramshackle buildings spaced in between the veritable mobile homes.


    I frowned and leaned over and down slightly to whisper in Hook¡¯s ear. ¡°This isn¡¯t right,¡± I murmured. ¡°This is too much to have been set up in the last few days. How long have these people been here?¡±


    Hook didn¡¯t turn to face me from his observation of the crowd, nor did he stop moving. He still answered, though. ¡°Months,¡± He whispered back. ¡°Olsen has been up to something, but even though we have suspicions, we don¡¯t know exactly what. We haven¡¯t managed to insert an Agent into his staff or household. Around the time that the main host of the Uprising started marching from Hollow Hill down to Silvercrest and then Helstein, the Duke started to spread rumors. Garbage about how the Uprising hated everyone in the South and was coming to put their homes to the torch. Not everyone in this stretch of the country believed that, but enough did. They started flocking in droves to Elderwyck seeking his protection, but not everyone was let into the city. Thus, these ¡®Stacks¡¯ were born.¡±


    Sylvia sidled closer to us, presumably to join the conversation. She had her hood up so I couldn¡¯t see her face, but I nearly did a double-take when I noticed the flesh tones that her visible skin had taken on. Gone were the Mithril hues that I had grown to be so fond of. In its place was what looked to be the pale skin that was common among the Herztalian people. Sometime in the last few minutes, she must have cast the illusion that she¡¯d spoken about earlier.


    Her crystalline blue eyes still shined through the darkness of her hood, though. She must have noticed my reaction, as one of those orbs winked at me.


    Still, that didn¡¯t stop her from questioning Hook. ¡°Why did he do this? Surely this many people must be a burden on the city.¡±


    ¡°Current analysis suggests that he did the entire thing to stall the Uprising,¡± Hook answered grimly. ¡°Think about it. If you knew that an opposing army was marching on your doorstep, how would you give them pause? That is, if you were an amoral nobleman that was more than willing to use civilians as shields. How are you supposed to conquer a city when not only is it neighbored by a vastly more powerful foreign national enclave, but it has thousands of innocent refugees outside its gates? The leadership had been dreading the complications of sieging this city that the Stacks would bring.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± I trailed off, feeling like a stone was growing in my guts. ¡°Incredibly cold.¡±


    ¡°And incredibly, maliciously pragmatic,¡± Hook picked up, almost sounding like he admired the move. ¡°Things have only grown worse with the Breaks. More and more people are flooding here every day now. I¡¯m absolutely positive that Olsen has spread rumors about how the Uprising orchestrated them. Right now, a clandestine operation to take this city is the only way to do so. An outright siege is impossible at this point.¡±


    I sighed and reluctantly nodded at his words. I¡­guess. That didn¡¯t make me feel any better about how were planning to make things even worse for these people. I wasn¡¯t experienced enough in warfare to gainsay him. What did I know about the complexities and planning of a military campaign? Surely the leadership of the Uprising knew better than I did.


    Surely.


    Because I was keeping an eye out, I noticed Hook¡¯s body language shift every so slightly. His stride didn¡¯t change at all, but a hint of tension in his shoulders eased. ¡°She¡¯s moving,¡± He murmured.


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    For a moment, I didn¡¯t understand what he was talking about before I remembered the silver coins. He¡¯d had his linked to Dusk¡¯s, which meant both the coin he held and the one she did were homing in on each other.


    If Dusk¡¯s coin was moving, that meant¡­


    ¡°Towards us?¡± I asked quietly.


    Hook¡¯s head nodded slightly but didn¡¯t stop walking. ¡°She¡¯ll find us, but for now we need to check on the situation at the gate. That¡¯ll inform our next move.¡±


    We didn¡¯t have to wait long before the gate came into view, as we¡¯d been walking through the Stacks for some time now. The walls of Elderwyck loomed higher and higher as we grew close to them, with the crowds growing thicker as well. We were shoulder to shoulder with refugees now and had to elbow our way through them. Eventually, we broke through and beheld the gates of Elderwyck.


    Which were closed.


    There was a small garrison of Loyalist troops out front, and a portcullis had closed over the front of the massive wooden gates. From where I stood, I could see dozens of refugees trying to argue with some of the soldiers, only for the ground pounders to turn them away. In some cases, violently. I winced as I watched one man in tattered brown robes get knocked to the ground and then stomped on by one overzealous soldier.


    In other cases, there was a long procession that was leading off to another side road. This one seemed to stretch off in the distance heading southwest. From what I could tell, after they were turned away, a number of the refugees were deciding to keep on the move. I don¡¯t know where they expected to go, though. From what I remembered of the maps of Herztal I¡¯d seen, there wasn¡¯t another major city for at least a hundred miles.


    That¡­was a long distance to go, when all you had was a cart. Especially through land that was crawling with monsters and it was dubious if you could protect yourself.


    I can¡¯t imagine how desperate you would have to be to make that decision.


    ¡°Welp,¡± Hook sighed, only slightly audible over the murmur of the crowd. ¡°We¡¯re not getting in the easy way, which I suspected was the case.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± A slightly familiar female voice answered back evenly.


    I almost tensed in surprise, but forced myself not to. I suspected that I knew who that was. Turning to face the owner, I¡­nearly didn¡¯t recognize them.


    A female Gnoll had sidled up to our small little group. It must be Dusk, but I only thought so because I was expecting her. I hadn¡¯t seen her face under her mask back in Headquarters to recognize it, but I had noticed that her fur was white. This Gnoll¡¯s fur was thin and tawny instead, with plain brown eyes set into hollow cheeks. Her tail looked to be docked, and her left ear had a chunk taken out of it. All together, this woman didn¡¯t look like who Hook had called the Divisions foremost infiltration specialist. She just looked like a down on her luck peasant.


    Which was¡­probably the point.


    As Hook turned to face his Agent and gave her a quick look over, Dusk did the same to Sylvia and I. She gave me the slightest nod I¡¯d ever seen after her inspection and then turned to focus on Hook. They met each other¡¯s eyes calmly for a moment before Dusk spoke again.


    ¡°It¡¯s very bright out,¡± She said flatly, standing perfectly still.


    ¡°The winter sun is always brighter than expected,¡± Hook replied evenly.


    Dusk nodded slowly. ¡°I hate the color.¡± Abruptly, the Gnoll turned on her heel and started walking out into the crowd after the¡­odd conversation. I could guess what had just happened, though. I wasn¡¯t familiar with those code words, but I could recognize a series of identifiers when I heard them.


    Hook followed after her, with Sylvia following. With one last glance at the crowd in front of the gates, I did the same.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Dusk led us to what looked like a small ramshackle bar, quickly cobbled together from whatever junk wood had been scavenged. Unlike most bars I¡¯d been in, it was unusually quiet in here. Nobody looked like they wanted to be celebrating. Instead, they were either doing their best to drown out the outside world with cheap booze, or quietly sobbing into their mugs. The walls looked like they were barely better than driftwood, but they still had a quiet corner for us to settle down into.


    Hook drew a small wooden figurine of a raven from a pouch on his belt. Rubbing a finger over it, the sound outside of our little corner cut out. As soon as a bubble of quiet had descended on us, he turned to face Dusk with a frown. ¡°Report,¡± He said curtly. ¡°What happened at the barn?¡±


    ¡°Impersonators,¡± Dusk immediately answered. ¡°I had been waiting for you at the agreed upon location when, approximately twelve hours ago, it was approached by a group of five impersonators. They were wearing full Nocturne regalia and had appropriate masks.¡±


    Hook frowned, drumming his fingers on the table. ¡°Which masks?¡± He asked after a moment of thought.


    ¡°Slate, Blaze, Thorn, Ash, and Frost,¡± Dusk answered. She paused for a moment, before continuing. ¡°I believe those Agents have been KIA, in order for their masks to have been taken.¡±


    Thorn? The only reason I hadn¡¯t taken that name was because it was already in use.


    Guess it wasn¡¯t anymore.


    ¡°The only reason I suspected them was because I spoke to Ash days ago, before their infiltration.¡± Dusk continued curtly. ¡°That was not Ash. When I attempted identity confirmation, the group used outdated code words. This is likely the only reason I¡¯m still alive. I immediately attacked. Fortunately, I survived with only minor wounds.¡± She shifted her tattered tunic to the side slightly, letting me see bandages underneath. There was a slight amount of blood staining them.


    I frowned to myself. ¡°I can take a look at that later, if you¡¯d like,¡± I said to her. I may not be a fully trained medic, but Aetherial Melding was better than nothing. I had never forgotten the way I had saved Walter¡¯s life via emergency Melding surgery back in Addersfield.


    ¡°Unnecessary,¡± Dusk immediately turned me down. ¡°My Status has nearly finished healing it.¡±


    ¡°Dusk,¡± Hook said, drawing her attention. ¡°Was it SED?¡± I was startled at the amount of intensity that was in the normally calm dwarf¡¯s voice.


    SED? The hell was that?


    Dusk hesitated for the first time, before nodding reluctantly. ¡°I believe it was, yes. There was a degree of sophistication to their attempt that the Loyalist Regulars would not employ.¡±


    Hook cursed then, clenching a hand tight enough for veins to pop up on the back of his fist. Meanwhile, Sylvia drew in a slow even breath, before turning to me and speaking. I guess my girlfriend knew me well enough by now to anticipate my questions.


    ¡°The Sovereign Enforcement Directorate,¡± She said lowly. ¡°The shadowy hand of the Army, and our direct equivalent among the Loyalists. That they are attempting to intercept us¡­it does not bode well.¡±


    Oh.


    Rival spies and assassins.


    Great.


    ¡°If they¡¯re here, that means the city is locked down tighter than ever,¡± Hook said with a rough sigh. ¡°I¡¯m guessing we can¡¯t get in via our usual way?¡±


    ¡°I checked in the last few hours,¡± Dusk answered with a shake of her head. ¡°The canal is being watched. I¡¯m afraid it isn¡¯t an option.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­we have no choice. There¡¯s only one real way into the city now,¡± Hook said, before turning to face me with a gallows smirk. ¡°Hope you don¡¯t mind undead, kids, because we¡¯re going in through the old mausoleum.¡±


    Excuse me? Undead?


    Fucking what?

 Chapter 167 - Down, Down, Down...

    ¡°Wait wait wait,¡± I said uneasily as I hurried after the forms of Dusk and Hook. After our meeting in the tavern, we left immediately without resting in order to get into the city as quickly as possible. Dusk was leading us through the Stacks like it was the back of her, even though she hadn''t been here for very long. ¡°You were joking, right? Funny ha ha, let¡¯s play a joke on Nate? Undead aren¡¯t a real thing¡­right?¡±


    Hook just looked over his shoulder as we passed an impromptu food stand and smirked at me before turning back around. Dusk didn¡¯t react at all, she just kept walking.


    Sylvia meanwhile cut her eyes my way at the agitation in my voice. ¡°Are you¡­alright?¡±


    I felt my eyebrow twitch as I tried to smile at her. ¡°He¡¯s just messing with me, right? Undead aren¡¯t a thing. That¡¯s just ridiculous.¡±


    Sylvia studied my face for a moment, before signaling for Hook and Dusk to stop for a moment. When they did, my partner grabbed my hand and dragged me into a nearby pseudo-alleyway in between two large wagons. She turned her still hooded head a few times to check if the coast was clear, before lowering said hood. I was finally able to see her illusioned face.


    I don¡¯t know what I was expecting, but I didn¡¯t expect her to look like Honoka of all people.


    Her skin was pale in the same manner as her mentors was, and her features were ever so slightly different than normal. Her eyes were a tad more almond-shaped than they normally were while her lips looked to have been tinted darker with a cosmetic of some kind. Her normally golden hair had been darkened to a chocolate brown as well, but the style was mostly the same in a familiar high ponytail.


    Her eyes were still the same crystalline blue color, though.


    The difference was stark enough to knock me out of my anxiety. As it died down, I was finally able to get a handle on it with my middle ring. I took a deep breath as Sylvia studied me critically.


    ¡°Nathan, what¡¯s going on?¡± She asked me with a frown. ¡°You¡¯ve been¡­off, ever since Hook described our next steps.¡±


    I cringed slightly, before trying to smile at her. By the look on her illusioned features, it must have come out as more of a grimace. ¡°Ah¡­sorry. It¡¯s just an old childhood fear that I didn¡¯t expect to get poked like that.¡±


    Sylvia blinked at me in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re afraid of the undead?¡±


    I ran a hand through my hair sheepishly. ¡°Kind of? I saw a¡­kind of recorded play when I was younger that featured the undead. It,¡± I tilted my head trying to put into words what the zombie movies that my mom had loved had done to me as a kid. ¡°Kind of messed me up. I¡­didn¡¯t know that Vereden had anything like that.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Sylvia said slowly. ¡°It does, but I don¡¯t believe they¡¯re common? I don¡¯t personally know much about them. They were never a focus of my education and training.¡±


    ¡°The girl is right,¡± Hook''s voice said from the mouth of the ¡®alley¡¯. Turning to look, I saw him standing there with his arms crossed and a frown on his lips. Dusk was watching placidly as well, seeming not to care about my mini-freakout. ¡°They¡¯re uncommon, but the kind we¡¯re going to run into are¡­well. We can handle them. Now c¡¯mon. We don¡¯t have time for this.¡±


    I took the rebuke as it was meant, and used my mental skill to suppress my emotions as much as I possibly could. When I was done, I nodded at Hook in acknowledgment to show I was ready.


    Hook studied me for a moment before nodding back. Without a word, he and Dusk turned around and walked away.


    Sylvia and I followed along behind them.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Surprisingly, Hook led us back outside of the Stacks and into the countryside that surrounded them. However, before we left, we left our horses with an impromptu stable that had sprung up on the outskirts of the shantytown. It seemed a little sketchy to me, as the proprietor looked like an almost stereotypical criminal with rat-like dirty teeth and beedy black eyes. However, Hook spent a few minutes speaking with the man before we turned over the horses that the Thunderheart clan had gifted us.


    I don¡¯t know what Hook said to the man, but he was actually bowing and scraping to the dwarf afterward. He promised on his mother''s life to look after our mounts.


    I was skeptical, as this guy looked like the kind that would sell said mother for a single gold coin. But Hook was the boss, and we were in a hurry.


    I said my goodbyes to Marquis and followed Hook out into the countryside.


    Once we were out of the ill-defined limits of the Stacks, Hook elaborated more on our plan.


    And why there were undead inside.


    ¡°The old mausoleum we¡¯re heading to has a direct path inside the walls,¡± Hook said, marching up a hill with the rest of us following. ¡°Problem is, it leads to Tlatec, and not into Elderwyck. They used to have ideas about expanding beyond their enclave long ago, well before my time. But they put an end to that when their Goddess decided Vereden wasn¡¯t worth the effort, with the way its Aether density was so much lower. And thank fuck for that, or we might all be speaking Orcish right now. They used to have a small town out in this direction, and that town had a massive mausoleum that connected underground back into Tlatec itself. Records tell us that it was named Xolotlan.¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°And¡­why does it have undead in it?¡± I asked tentatively, struggling to keep up with the surprisingly quick pace the dwarf was setting. For such a small guy, his legs sure moved quickly.


    Hook looked over his shoulder at me and snorted. ¡°Because the Orcs have some incredibly messed up magics, that¡¯s why,¡± He said bluntly. ¡°The bastards are crazy about sacrifice, with entirely separate methodologies of Magic and Cultivation. They worship blood and battle as much as their remnant Goddess, and with that comes a ton of dead people. Some side effect of their kind of Mysticality is that their dead have a tendency to get up and start trying to take a bite out of other people. And they haven¡¯t outlawed Necromancy like everyone else on Vereden has. It¡¯s led to some nasty, nasty situations in the past.¡±


    Yeah, I bet. That sounds like a nightmare.


    ¡°But we can¡¯t do anything about it, because they could wipe out the combined forces of the Kingdom and the Principality without breaking a sweat,¡± Hook continued sourly. ¡°They could probably deal with the monster horde too. In fact, I bet those assholes are pissed off that their treaty with us means they can¡¯t ride out and drown in the waves of monsters.¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯ll keep to that?¡± I asked curiously, as we topped the hill. I think I could see something down below us now. It might be the ruins of this town Hook was leading us to.


    ¡°Thankfully, yes,¡± Hook said, nodding. ¡°But enough about that. We¡¯re pretty much here. The entrance to the mausoleum is just down there. Hope you¡¯re ready for a slog, people. Because it¡¯s going to be a pain to get through those tunnels.¡±


    Joy.


    Before descending the hill, Hook instructed us to change out of the traveling clothes we had over our armor. We were long since out of sight of the Stacks by now, so it wasn¡¯t an issue. We all walked into a small thicket that was on top of the hill, and emerged ready for battle. Dusk had the most striking transformation out of all of us, I thought. Gone was tawny-furred peasant woman in rags. In her place was the Agent I remembered back at headquarters, with impeccably groomed white fur. She even had her mask on, while Sylvia and I had elected to leave ours off. Once we were ready, an also re-masked Hook led the way down the hill.


    Our group of four trudged down to walk into the barest hints of a long-abandoned settlement. Just barely visible through the tall grass were fragments and chunks of the same reddish brown stone that I had seen on the Orcish side of the wall. What I could see was weathered, time-worn, and not much larger than a man. There wasn¡¯t a single surviving structure out here, which made me wonder just how long ago Xolotlan had been abandoned. Looking down, though, I thought I could just barely made out the impression of urban planning. The streets may have been long since destroyed by the growth of the grasslands, but the lines of them were still visible. If only slightly.


    Hook led us down one of said long decayed streets, seeming like he knew exactly where he was going.


    ¡°Have you ever taken this path inside the walls before?¡± Sylvia asked the dwarf.


    ¡°I have, yes,¡± Hook said, nodding his head without looking back at us. ¡°A long time ago, to be fair, but I really doubt the Orcs have closed it off. It would be really unlike them to dishonor their dead that way.¡±


    ¡°What, and letting them wander around as undead isn¡¯t dishonoring them?¡± I asked him incredulously.


    Hook stopped in the middle of what might have been a plot, centuries ago. Looking around, he answered me absentmindedly. ¡°Not in the eyes of the Empire, no,¡± He paused for a moment before smiling slightly. ¡°Aha! There it is.¡± He strode across the grass to¡­another patch of it, leaning over to clear it off. In moments he had uncovered a pair of large, worn-looking stone doors set into an equally large slab. It seemed like they were built with large metal rings to open them, but the left door was missing its handle. Only the right door still had its ring.


    Hook grasped the ring and tried to lift the door up. It creaked and groaned, but eventually acquiesced to being opened. Halfway up, the ring snapped off of the surface with a ting of fractured metal. Luckily, Hook managed to catch the bottom of it before it could slam back down. With an effortless heave, Hook shoved the entrance fully open, sending the stone door that must have weighed several hundred pounds crashing to the ground on the other side of the entrance. He didn¡¯t bother opening the other side, as the one he had opened was large enough for any of us.


    Our group of four stood around for a moment, gazing down into the pitch-blackness of the entryway Hook had uncovered. The wind of the grasslands played across the portal of the hole, causing a low, almost moaning sound to echo outwards.


    At least, I hoped it was just the wind.


    After a moment of staring, Hook reached behind him and unsheathed his pair of hooked dual daggers, before looking over his shoulder at us. ¡°Weapons free, people. Because we¡¯re going to need them down there.¡±


    I copied the dwarf, drawing both of my extendable spears, right blade forward, left blade back. I don¡¯t think I was going to be able to actually extend them in this crypt, though. What little I could see of the hall below looked to be very cramped quarters.


    Meanwhile, Sylvia drew her short sword, so similar in hue to Grey¡¯s own Stellarum. But curiously, Dusk didn¡¯t draw anything. She just stood there placidly, not reacting to my curious stare. Hook noticed, however. He chortled. ¡°Dusk doesn¡¯t need a weapon. She prefers her own claws, don¡¯t you Dusk?¡±


    The Gnoll woman inclined her head slightly, but didn¡¯t speak otherwise. That was something I was noticing about her. Dusk didn¡¯t speak much, and when she did, it was typically terse.


    With all four of us ready, Hook ignited a light skill or spell of some kind. It floated down the steps independent of him, with the spymaster trailing closely behind. Dusk moved in behind him, while Sylvia and I moved to follow them. We were stopped by Hook¡¯s voice floating out of the darkness of the hall below. ¡°Oh, and replace the door, will you? We shouldn¡¯t leave it open. Both so we leave no trace, and so nothing can wander out.¡±


    Looking over at the massive stone slab, I sighed. Thankfully, it had another ring on the inside surface of it. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± I said to Sylvia. ¡°You get going.¡±


    Sylvia nodded at me and descended the steps, while I engaged Sylvan Vigor at half-strength. I grunted as I returned the stone door to its original position, closing it above me.


    The world descended into darkness for a moment, before it was broken by a light blazing into being. Sylvia had stayed behind for me and was using the same light skill I had seen her use back on Caer Drarrow. She winked at me in the dim light it provided, before motioning forward. I followed her.


    Down into darkness.

 Chapter 168 - Haunted Ruins

    The light from Sylvia¡¯s Skill was dim, but it still allowed me to see the hallway around us as we descended. Thankfully, Hook and Dusk hadn¡¯t gone very far. I would have been pretty pissed off if they had gone on ahead and left the two of us behind. As we linked back up with them, none of us spoke a word.


    Even though we hadn¡¯t gone too deep just yet, something about the atmosphere in here was oppressive enough that words escaped me. Empty sconces were illuminated on the walls, while cobwebs and dust caked every surface they could find purchase on.


    The silence was all-encompassing.


    Exchanging glances between the four of us, we continued down the steps. As the group walked ever downwards, I couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of the last time I had ventured into a tomb accompanied by a dwarf. Back in Hollow Hill, Azarus and I hadn¡¯t known what we were getting into with the bunker. But we had been enthusiastic about it, even with as somber as the environs had turned out to be.


    I didn¡¯t feel any of that enthusiasm right now.


    We had been descending for so long now that I was shocked when the stone stairs abruptly ended. We looked to have been deposited onto a landing of some kind, as not far from our position was what appeared to be a cracked and crumbling stone monument, shaped as a simple standing slab. Carved onto its surface were geometric patterns that combined in an¡­almost runic pattern, to my eyes. And yet these were not the linguistic runes that I was so used to by this point. It was a little disorienting, to see something in which I detected a hint of familiarity, but yet was so alien.


    Beyond the monument stretched a long, dark hallway in which the light of our skills couldn¡¯t pierce the gloom.


    Still.


    We couldn¡¯t stop now.


    Without a word from Hook, his floating light skill wobbled down the hallway past the monument.


    We followed.


    As we walked, I kept a paranoid eye on my surroundings. This left me with plenty of time to examine the mausoleum proper. To me, it didn¡¯t look like the Orcs who had built this place used coffins in the same way that humans did. Instead, it almost looked like they¡­mummified their dead. Almost immediately after passing the monument, withered, cloth-wrapped corpses became visible set into alcoves in the walls became visible. These alcoves were at least four high on each side of the hallway, with carvings in that same geometric runic script set into plaques next to each one.


    What the hell was that language? It wasn¡¯t being translated by Language Adaptation, so it must be runes of some sort. That was the only written language that wasn¡¯t covered by the universal Skill. But long ago Grey had told me that the runic script that the people of Vereden had been handed down by the gods millennia ago, long before the War in Heaven. The Orcs were ruled by one of those remnant gods. How and why were they using a different script than one gifted by their very own goddess?


    I¡­couldn¡¯t help but notice a few other things, as well. The mummified corpses of the interred were visibly larger than any human I¡¯d ever seen. The smallest one I saw, even as withered as it was, had to be over seven feet tall. Living Orcs must be massive. These corpses alone were bigger than even Venix was.


    The second thing I noticed was that some of the alcoves were absent of their occupants. Even if the slab had the runic name of an occupant carved into the stone plaque next to it.


    I took a deep breath, and tried to put it out of my mind.


    It only took a few feet for the hallway to begin to branch off, even as the main trunk began to wind in front of us. It felt like we began to encounter a new splinter off of the main hall every minute at this point. Some of them were blocked off, however. The ceiling had caved in on a few of these branching paths, leaving the opening obstructed with dusty red-brown stone and the dislodged corpses of the interred.


    Hook, though, wasn¡¯t deterred by any of this. He didn¡¯t seem surprised by any of the signs of deterioration. He just kept walking on a beeline, leading us down the main hallway.


    At least, initially.


    Abruptly, the hall we were walking down ended in a collapse. It almost seemed to spring from nowhere. One moment, the hall was free and clear before our cautiously creeping forms. The next, blocked off by a wall of debris. It looked like the right wall had completely caved it, the victim of an extremely deeply reaching tree branch. It snaked in through the wall, strangely withered for how deeply it had grown.


    Hook cursed at the sight of it. ¡°Damnit,¡± He whispered into the gloom. Even with as quiet as he was keeping his voice, it still echoed up and down the dead halls. The noise of his profanity returned to us, bounced off of distance stone walls almost mockingly.


    Damnit damnit damnit, the mausoleum itself seemed to call back.


    ¡°This was our path forward,¡± Hook continued, ignoring the echoes.


    I took a deep breath. ¡°When, exactly, was the last time you were down here?¡± I muttered in a tone filled with strained patience.


    ¡°Ah¡­,¡± A note of almost-sheepishness filled Hooks''s voice then. ¡°About seventy years ago.¡±


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Seventy fucking years?!¡± I whispered furiously. ¡°Of course it¡¯s in worse shape now!¡±


    ¡°In fairness,¡± Dusk said, in a voice only slightly quieter than her already muted tone. ¡°This tomb is over a millennium old. It is reasonable to assume drastic changes such as this would not occur in a fraction of that time.¡±


    ¡°Quiet,¡± Sylvia said sharply, holding her light higher. She peered into the darkness of a hallway that veered off to my left. ¡°Listen.¡±


    The three of us who were bickering fell silent. For a moment, the only thing that I could hear was my own breathing, as Syliva didn¡¯t need to and Hook and Dusk had stopped. I joined them.


    Absolute silence filled the halls of the mausoleum. My ears rang with the pumping of my own blood.


    In the distance, far beyond the darkness of the path Sylvia was staring down, I heard it.


    A stone rattled, as if kicked by a foot.


    Hook took a deep, slow breath. He stared down the path with narrowed eyes. ¡°We can¡¯t stop,¡± He said in a low tone.


    ¡°And we must keep moving forward,¡± Dusk picked up in a whisper.


    I slowed my pulse using my core ring, in a rare moment of control over my own physiological responses. ¡°How familiar are you with these tunnels, Hook?¡±


    Hook shook his head in response. ¡°Not very. I only really know the straightforward path, and that¡¯s bad enough. I deemed it too dangerous to explore this grave more than I did, all those years ago. But unfortunately, now we¡¯re going to have to find another way forward.¡±


    A humorless smile touched my lips, hidden from the others in the darkness. ¡°Well. No time like the present, I suppose. Might as well start with this one.¡±


    I saw the shadowed form of Hook¡¯s head nod slightly in acknowledgment before he slowly stalked forward. Sylvia and I followed him, with Dusk deciding to bring up the rear.


    We marched in formation silently, following the broad, squat back of the Nocturne Division lead. Gradually, our surroundings began to change. In the dim light provided by Hook and Sylvia¡¯s Skills, I wasn¡¯t able to realize what it was initially.


    But my middle ring provided the answers.


    The alcoves were starting to look more and more bare of occupants.


    Judging by the tense posture of Hook before and Sylvia to my left, I wasn¡¯t the only one to notice.


    A scent filled the air abruptly, something I had never smelled before. I¡­didn¡¯t know what to make of it.


    It was dry, so impossibly dry. The slightest hint of rot and decay underlined it, just barely more than an impression of almost seemed like boiled bone. It was the scent of long-gone bad marrow that clued me on in it, you see.


    I¡¯d boiled more than a few bones for Fade, in the past.


    Suddenly, ahead of us, Hook went still. I couldn¡¯t even see the rise and fall of his chest anymore. ¡°Stop,¡± He said, in the barest suggestion of a whisper.


    I froze, as did Sylvia to my side and Dusk behind me.


    Over the top of Hooks head, his free-floating light Skill had ventured far enough ahead that its illumination seemed to be brushing just slightly against something. For a moment, I couldn¡¯t understand what it was. To my eyes, it almost looked like a large crowd of grey pillars, standing tall and proud impossibly in the middle of our path.


    Until one of those pillars shifted slightly.


    Skitter skitter, went the rock that the withered foot of one of those ¡®pillars¡¯ had nudged.


    Hook strengthened his light, without moving, breathing, or making any indication that he¡¯d done so at all.


    Suddenly, I could see what was before us much more clearly.


    It was a crowd of what I could only describe as withered corpses, impossibly standing under their own power. But they were so, so, horrifically inhuman. The smallest of them was seven feet tall, with the largest being eight feet, their desiccated heads nearly brushing the ceiling. They were wrapped from head to toe in dusty linen bandages that hung loose on their paper-thin grey skin. It was stretched so tightly over their bones that all musculature looked to have been shriveled away, possibly centuries ago. No features were visible over those bones. No nose, no eyes, nothing to mark them as having been male or female when last they drew breath.


    All that remained were monstrous undead, standing impossibly still and silent but for the occasional, slight shuffle.


    My breath caught in my throat in horror. I lost my grip on my pulse as dread thundered across all levels of my ringed consciousness.


    Unfortunately, I lost my grip on something else as well.


    For the first time in my tenure as a warrior, from before I had been recruited as an Agent. From before Caer Drarrow, and all the battles I had been in. The lessons that Azarus had drilled into me time and time again in our training failed me.


    The Oninite dagger in my right hand slipped from my hand, to clatter onto the stone of the floor below me.


    The sound of the metal echoed up and down the halls, loud and clamorous. Sylvia and Hooks''s heads snapped around to face me in startled panic and dismay, as I did the same at my hand that had betrayed me.


    Rattle rattle rattle, the halls of the tomb seemed to mockingly echo back at me.


    I scrambled to pick my blade back up, clenching a mortified hand tightly around the hilt.


    When I straightened, I found that the skulls of the undead before us had turned to face our direction. In the depths of their empty eye-sockets, an eerie blue spark of fire began to burn. The front of the pack shuffled one foot forward, and its arm lifted in our direction. Its fingers curled into claws, as if to grasp at us.


    Hook was the first to break out of our impromptu spell. ¡°Back,¡± He said quietly. He began to shuffle backward without turning to face us. Sylvia and I were forced to move with him, or be forced to. ¡°They¡¯re not agitated yet, we can still disengage. They won¡¯t pursue us if we don¡¯t get any closer.¡±


    Over top of his head, I could see more and more of the crowd of undead started to shuffle towards us slowly.


    ¡°Exactly how sure are you of that?¡± I asked him in a strained tone.


    Hook didn¡¯t answer me.


    Dusk did.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± She said suddenly, in a tense voice. ¡°We can¡¯t retreat.¡±


    I turned to ask what she was talking about, but as soon as I did, my question was answered without a word from her.


    There was a second mass of undead slowly shuffling their way down the hallway behind us. At first, I was confused and terrified as to where they had come from. But then I watched as a corpse on the walls we had only just passed by suddenly animated and stood from its resting place.


    It joined the group that was closing in on us, never making a sound.


    My lips parted in shock at the sight.


    ¡°This,¡± Hook said in a heavy voice behind me. ¡°Is a trap. These aren¡¯t naturally occurring undead.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a Necromancer down here.¡±

 Chapter 169 - Battle in the Dark

    ¡°Whisper, with me,¡± Hook said lowly, maneuvering himself into the combat stance I¡¯d seen from him so many times in training. ¡°Hangman, Dusk. You take the rear. And remember¡­aim for the head.¡±


    As Sylvia split off and joined the leader of the Nocturne Division, I turned around. Eyeing the confined tunnel we were in, I grimaced. We had so little room to maneuver in here. Luckily, I¡¯d been so paranoid during our search that I¡¯d had a realization about the possibility of combat in here. While I¡¯d been practicing heavily on using the dagger forms of my weapons, I didn¡¯t consider that my primary form of combat.


    I thought of myself as a spearman. And while the corridor was so cramped that Dusk and I were practically shoulder to shoulder, so were the advancing undead.


    Long, straight lines of attack were perfect for spears.


    I extended my right Oninite blade and lowered it towards the advancing horde. At the same time, I flipped my left dagger around and extended it as well. While I couldn¡¯t exactly fight with two spears, I wasn¡¯t alone.


    Without a word, I handed the spare over to Dusk. She took it with a small nod, immediately understanding my plan.


    The flesh of these creatures looked too thin and weak to bother with needing The Scintillant Blade. Luckily, I had a new weapon enhancement skill.


    For the first time, I activated Grinding Crimson Sunder in battle.


    The blue-black blade of my Oninite spear erupted into a furious, roiling, glowing mass of ethereally vicious thorns. They clung to the edge of the blade, grinding against each other endlessly in a manner not dissimilar to that of a chainsaw.


    A low whine filled the air.


    To my side, I noticed that the blade of the spear that I had given to Dusk had been surrounded by its own aura. Oily black smoke engulfed it, dripping onto the stone below from how thick it was.


    At that, there was no more time for words. No more time for planning or wondering where these monsters had come from.


    There was only battle.


    I jabbed forward with my spear as soon as the first undead was in range, the crimson light of my skill briefly illuminating the monster. While the arms of this long-dead orc were longer than my own, thankfully the added length of my spear bypassed their grasping length. However, my aim was slightly off.


    The shearing length of my spear pierced through the neck of the zombie. In a moment, my Skill had worked to almost completely remove its head.


    Almost.


    The partially decapitated head listed to hang upside down to its left side, only barely still attached by the slightest stretch of paper-thin skin. But still, those eerie blue lights shone in its empty eye sockets. The once-orc shuffled forward one more step, paying no mind to the blade that had nearly removed its head.


    I snarled in adrenaline-filled fury, broke out of my shock, and finished the job. The head fell to the floor, followed closely by the body, slumping to its desiccated knees. The undead behind it didn¡¯t care about how I¡¯d just finished off its fellow corpse. It just stepped forward over the beheaded mass of former orc.


    Not once did any of them make a single noise. Not a moan, or a groan, or even the slightest exhalation of air from long stilled lungs. They simply shuffled forward, grasping endlessly for the living with outstretched arms, long withered from the touch of death.


    I stepped forward to meet them, buoyed by how easily my new Skill had carved through the first one.


    Dusk had already killed three of them in the time it took me to kill one.


    Well, I couldn¡¯t have that.


    I lunged forward up under grasping limbs and repeated the job.


    This process itself repeated for¡­I don¡¯t know how long. It was hard to tell time like that in the middle of battle.


    Lunge, jab, decapitate.


    Lunge, jab, decapitate.


    Lunge, jab, decapitate.


    Despite the narrow confines of our environment, it almost seemed like the horde of undead was endless. Where were all of them coming from? Dusk and I had gone through dozens of them by now, which wasn¡¯t counting what Hook and Sylvia were putting down. In a brief moment of rest, I had looked over my shoulder to find that it looked like they¡¯d destroyed more of them than Dusk and I had. This was far, far more corpses than were contained in this one small corridor. Just how many of the resting orcs that we¡¯d passed on the way in had been dominated by the Necromancer Hook had suspicions about?


    Did they have control of the entire mausoleum?


    No¡­


    This wasn¡¯t a mausoleum.


    This was a Necropolis.


    A monument to the dead, and a house of worship to the twisted and insane.


    Eventually, I slipped up. I had grown too complacent, even if the thoughts racing through my head were confined to the depths of my rings. The rhythm I had fallen into was broken.


    An unnaturally strong limb clamped down onto my golden left limb, concealed beneath a black leather elbow-length glove. I instantly activated Sylvan Vigor for the first time in the fight, blasting it all the way up to max power. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t enough to break the death grip that the undead had on my false limb.


    I expected the monster to try and take a bite out of me then, but something else happened. Something nearly worse.


    The jaw of the zombie that had hold of me creaked open, exposing an eerie blue light at the back of its pallid and withered throat. For the first time, one of these creatures used its lungs.


    It inhaled, and instead of air entering its lungs, Aether flowed into it.


    Mine.


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    To my alarm, I felt the very foundations of my soul begin to be drained of its vitality. Instead of trying to consume my flesh, this undead was trying to devour my very spirit. If I didn¡¯t do anything, this monster was going to drain my soul of every last drop of Aether and I¡¯d soon be dead.


    Fuck that.


    Dropping my spear momentarily, I weakly reached over and did something I hadn''t done yet.


    I thumbed the release rune at the base of my artificial limb.


    With a clicking noise, the mechanism that held the gold and Mythril arm attached to its socket came undone. I immediately staggered back, free from the hold of the undead. The monster reeled back as well, breaking the feeding connection it had on me. As soon as I was free, I raised my remaining arm, fingers pointing toward the head of the undead that had nearly killed me.


    Poisonthorn Shot.


    The familiar form of my skill materialized before my fingers and immediately shot straight at my target. Its head snapped back, impaled by the nearly forearm-sized blood-red thorn. In moments, the corrosive poison of the Skill had completely dissolved its withered face. Apparently, that was enough to end it, as it slumped to its knees still clutching my prosthetic.


    Shit. I couldn¡¯t lose that. I didn¡¯t have a replacement.


    Before another undead could advance, I stumblingly grabbed my still-extended spear and nearly dived for the limb. I managed to grab it out of the hands of the inert zombie, but another was already lurching my way, arms extended. I grimaced and tried to raise my hand to fire off another thorn, but I wasn¡¯t sure I had the strength for it right now, so soon after my draining and the other use of the skill.


    Thankfully, I wasn¡¯t fighting alone.


    My other spear sailed over my head, coated in an inky smoke that sizzled in the dim light that we fought by. It neatly pierced through the neck of the undead grasping for me, severing its head instantly. I didn¡¯t waste the chance and scrambled backward.


    Dusk advanced before I could even thank her, wielding my own spear with a finesse that I wasn¡¯t capable of yet. I wasn¡¯t even able to thank her before the Gnoll woman had waded into the thick of the horde, gracefully dodging their grasping hands. At the same time she was using my spear with her left hand, I watched as she lashed out at nearby undead with the claws of her hand. Those digits were also trailing the same corrosive black smoke as the spear, and rapidly rotting through the dozens of undead throats. It almost seemed like she was more than able to deal with the lot of them with no help from me.


    My eyes narrowed. The hell she was.


    I refused to be dead weight.


    Jamming my prosthetic back onto its base, I bore through the flash of pain that resulted from my nerves being magically reconnected to the false touch of my golden fingers. Flexing them, I gripped my spear and charged back into the fray.


    The cycle continued.


    Lunge, jab, decapitate.


    Lunge, jab, decapitate.


    Lunge, jab, decapitate.


    A problem arose. We had killed so many undead by this point that their corpses were crowding the floor of the narrow hallway. It was impossible to advance anymore, and so we held our positions and did our best to handle the monsters as they advanced on us. Our footing was treacherous now, and it only grew more so.


    The problem worsened. We were lashing out over a mound of undead corpses that were waist-high by now. But the stream of them never stopped coming. The newer ones were simply crawling over top of their fellows, endlessly grasping for the vitality inherent in our souls. I didn¡¯t even know how long we¡¯d been fighting at this point. For all I knew, it might have been hours. But¡­it couldn¡¯t have been, right? I¡¯m not sure I had that much stamina for such a protracted battle.


    At last, the problem hit its peak.


    The wall of corpses that had grown in front of us reached near the ceiling by now. Withered grey hands wiggled through the small gap near the ceiling, trying to force their way through. But they couldn¡¯t. The undead couldn¡¯t force their way through.


    This wasn¡¯t a good thing¡­because it came with a problem.


    Staggering back and desperately gulping down breaths of air, I looked over my shoulder. The same thing had repeated on Hook and Sylvia¡¯s side. There was another wall of undead that they¡¯d created from the hundreds that had been slain by now.


    We were trapped.


    Now that the fighting was over, a visibly weary Hook and Sylvia warily shuffled over to join Dusk and I.


    ¡°What¡­now¡­¡± I managed to croak out in between panting breaths.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve seen this coming,¡± Hook said tiredly, slumping to sit on a nearby funerary slab bereft of its. ¡°This is Necromancer tactics one-oh-one. If you can¡¯t kill your target with your undead, exhaust them. Once they¡¯re exhausted, drown them in even more rotting bodies.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t get out,¡± Dusk said quietly, leaning on the shaft of my borrowed spear tiredly. ¡°We¡­might be able to force our way through the horde with sufficiently powerful Arts or Spells, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Even more undead will just move in to fill the gap left in the breach,¡± Sylvia picked up, shuffling over to my position. "But beyond that, it might damage the hallway too much." Uncaring about Hook or Dusk¡¯s opinion, she slumped against me. I gladly threaded my golden arm around her back in an embrace. I needed the reassurance as much as she did, after the grind of that battle.


    ¡°But we can¡¯t stay here,¡± I said lowly. ¡°Eventually, the press of more and more bodies on the other side will cause the ''walls'' to collapse and then¡­¡±


    As if to punctuate my statement, a desiccated hand succeeded in shoving a loose corpse free from the wall of its fellows blocking its path. It slowly crawled halfway through it, before Dusk speared its questing head. It slumped in place, more mortar for the grisly barricade.


    ¡°We really will drown under the weight of everything we killed,¡± Hook said grimly, shaking his head. ¡°They¡¯ll collapse over us, and we¡¯ll suffocate to death. Well, most of us.¡± He said, with a bleak nod of his head towards Sylvia.


    Sylvia smiled humorlessly. ¡°I would join you soon,¡± She said quietly. ¡°My soul would be dined upon not long afterward, and all that would be left is the Mythril of my body.¡±


    I tightened my grip on her at the thought.


    Hook stood up abruptly then, casting a gaze over us. ¡°Alright then,¡± He said briskly. ¡°Options? There must be a way out of this.¡±


    Sylvia raised her head. ¡°Could one of us force our way through, perhaps? If someone sought out the Necromancer in time, would killing them cause the undead to retreat?¡±


    Dusk shook her furry head. ¡°No, Necromancy doesn¡¯t work that way. They¡¯ve been given their commands, and they¡¯ll follow them even past the death of their master.¡± She paused. ¡°But¡­perhaps one of us could still force our way through? We could¡­inform the Orcs of the Necromancer and ask them to rescue everyone else?¡± She sounded doubtful of her own plan.


    As expected, Hook just shook his head. ¡°No, the Orcs wouldn¡¯t care about us. They would come down and exterminate an unlicensed Necromancer, but they¡¯d leave everyone else to die down here.¡±


    While they debated plans, I was stuck on something else Dusk had said earlier. ¡°Sufficiently powerful Arts or Spells¡­¡± I muttered to myself. My gaze drifted downwards, to rest on the stone of the corridor below.


    ¡°Something to add, Hangman?¡± I heard Hook ask me. Raising my head to meet his gaze, I nodded slowly.


    ¡°Instead of going through them, how about we¡­go around them?¡± I asked the group. ¡°Hook, Dusk. Do you have anything that could punch through the walls or the floor?¡±


    Hook and Dusk exchanged a glance at that, before both of them looked down. Dusk hummed in thought, before nodding slowly. ¡°Yes, I believe I do. I¡¯m¡­not sure what is behind either, however.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Hook said thoughtfully. ¡°This entire complex is shaped like a spiral with branching paths, in case you didn¡¯t notice. Below us should just be another floor of the mausoleum. That would bring us closer to the pathway into Tlatec, which is at the very bottom. We can''t do the walls, though. These are solid rock with nothing beyond them. We¡¯ll just have to watch out for more of these bastards below, but it¡¯s better than staying here. Yes. This¡¯ll work. Good thinking, Hangman.¡±


    An air of tension that had fallen over the group at our confinement that I hadn¡¯t even noticed eased, now that we had a plan.


    ¡°Stand back,¡± Hook said warningly to Sylvia, Dusk, and I. ¡°I¡¯m going to try and make as small of a hole as I can in the floor, so the whole damn thing doesn¡¯t collapse under us.¡±


    The three of us shuffled as far away as we could from Hook without getting in range of any questing hands poking through the undead wall. When we were clear, Hook kneeled down with one of his daggers extended. To my surprise, it lengthened into what looked like a blade of razor-sharp compressed air. The very wind of the corridor whistled and split over its surface from the intensity of its edge. Without another word, Hook slammed it into the stone below and began to try and saw a hole in the floor.


    However¡­


    I don¡¯t know if it was just another layer to the Necromancer¡¯s trap, or if it was just sheer bad luck on our part


    Because when the stone beneath us was pierced?


    The entire thing collapsed.


    I only had time to meet Sylvia¡¯s widening eyes once, before we all fell away into darkness.

 Interlude 10 - Burning Hels

    The plains before the southern outer wall of Helstein teemed with an endless, roiling horde of monsters. They stretched out as far as the eye could see, even with a high Perception Virtue. Under the light of both Elys above and the massive bonfires that the Uprising forces had built on the wall, strange shadows played out into the killing fields.


    Impossible to individually count, the monsters must have numbered well into the hundreds of thousands.


    Greycton of Hollow Hill leaned upon the staff his beloved had gifted him all those years ago, and frowned.


    Gods, what a mess.


    The retreating Army of the Uprising had reached the city only yesterday and had promptly collapsed into its walls. The battle to enter the city itself had been the fiercest fighting of the entire grinding, horrendous week-long retreat back to the safety of the walls. Greycton would even place the chaos of trying to usher every last surviving Uprising soldier through the gates of Helstein as one of the¡­top three most difficult battles of his long life?


    Well.


    Perhaps top five.


    Luckily, they had succeeded in slamming the enormous, sturdy doors of Helstein behind them without flooding the terrified city with the damned monsters the Loyalists had spun into being. Afterward, he, Leopold, and the boy prince had agreed to grant the exhausted soldiery at least a day''s rest. After how hard they had been pushed when quite a distressing number of his warriors had simply laid down and died?


    They deserved that much.


    The division left to guard Helstein in their absence had picked up the slack. While nobody dared to actually enter into those fields, there were thousands of soldiers who were even now manning the walls around him. Whoever was capable was firing down ranged skills in the mass was doing so, not even bothering to aim as they¡¯d surely hit something. There were just as many all over the walls using ridiculously long spears to thrust down at the monsters that were trying to scrabble up it. So many monsters were down below that a distressing amount were trying to clamber over each other. They had formed several large wedges at the base of the wall that threatened to form ramps to the very top.


    Obviously, that couldn¡¯t be allowed.


    Anti-siege weaponry meant to repel human invaders was instead being turned on masses of monsters. Vats of boiling oil were poured onto screeching beasts, while alchemical explosives were thrown into the wedges to disrupt them. Catapults and ballistas were endlessly repeating, throwing out boulders and bolts at as fast of a rate as they could manage.


    Hell, some people weren¡¯t even bothering with the catapults. They were just dropping boulders into the mass.


    It would probably crush something.


    But¡­


    They were handling it. For as endless as the horde of monsters appeared to be, they were thankfully unintelligent. While they had been birthed into a relatively high Aether zone for Vereden, they were just too young to have developed any semblance of guile. The best they could do was charge and scramble at the walls uselessly.


    The Uprising could handle this.


    Eventually.


    However, Greycton couldn¡¯t enjoy their inevitable victory.


    Because both his daughter and his apprentice had been separated from him, far beyond his reach by now. From his understanding, they could even be inside the walls of Elderwyck at this very moment, risking their lives to bring it down from the inside.


    Greycton tightened his grip on Elarux as he glowered out at the horde standing between him and those two children. He would have said it had been a long time since he¡¯d felt this powerless, but well.


    He had just been branded as a slave of all things, only a few months ago.


    Truly, this was shaping up to be a horrible year. It was only thanks to the cool light of Elys shining down upon him from the heavens that he wasn¡¯t doing something¡­rash, right about now. For a moment, as the silver glow of his beloved illuminated his brooding form, the radiance thickened. Briefly, Greycton felt an ethereal hand caress his cheek in a wordless gesture of comfort.


    He raised his free hand to cup its gleam in thanks, raising his eyes from the field to gaze upon Elys instead. The rocky surface of his dear one seemed to pulse at his regard, though Greycton knew that he would be the only one to see such a thing. He let out a long, slow sigh, letting the tension ease somewhat from his increasingly creaky form. He smiled slightly. ¡°Thank you, my love,¡± He whispered into the night air.


    Elys twinkled one last time, almost playfully, before Greycton felt her attention shift away from him. He didn¡¯t blame her for it. She was busy, after all.


    They both were.


    Always, endlessly busy.


    Greycton heard a pair of sandaled feet tromp up the stairs behind him, in a rhythm he had long since grown accustomed to. He didn¡¯t need to turn to see to know who it was. He would recognize the gait of the person approaching him better than any other in the world.


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    Wordlessly, Honoka appeared at his side to gaze out at the plains filled to the brim with monsters. She spat rather indelicately off to the side after a moment of shared silence. ¡°What a shitshow,¡± She finally said.


    A brief smile touched Greycton¡¯s lips at the familiar crudeness of his oldest surviving friend. ¡°Indeed,¡± He said dryly, before finally turning to face her. He paused at her appearance, a tad taken aback.


    Honoka hadn¡¯t even bothered to change out of her surgeon''s whites. The typically pristine white of the Healing robes was caked with the blood and gore of the no doubt countless patients she¡¯d been treating. Greycton felt a pang of shame. While he had been up here, uselessly brooding about Sylvia and Nathan, no doubt Honoka had been busy saving lives.


    It was a familiar regret. He had long since hated how inept he was at the Healing arts, no matter how hard he studied and practiced. Alas, that field of Mysticality was barred from him.


    Honoka didn¡¯t turn to face him, but he did see her eyes shift his way. ¡°You going to do something about it?¡± She asked bluntly.


    ¡°Do something, hmm?¡± Greycton murmured, with the slightest of laughs. Nevertheless, he nodded. ¡°I was¡­considering it. There are other factors in play.¡±


    Honoka scoffed. ¡°Other factors my ass. You know as well I do that we both could wipe out most of this trash in a matter of days. It¡¯s nothing but a bunch of garbage monsters meant to hassle the weak. The only reason we didn¡¯t already do it was because it would have taken out the Army as well.¡±


    Greycton finally turned to face her with a raised eyebrow. ¡°The only reason, eh?¡±


    A scowl was his answer, his oldest friend already understanding the reasons why he hadn¡¯t stepped in and dealt with this rabble.


    Still, the both of them knew that he liked to hear himself talk. Otherwise, or he wouldn¡¯t have become a teacher.


    ¡°As much as I wish otherwise, this is an unprecedented opportunity for the forces of the Uprising,¡± Greycton lectured patiently, causing Honoka to roll her eyes. ¡°Neither of us have ever seen such a ludicrous amount of ¡®trash¡¯ monsters, as you so eloquently put it. They¡¯re so conveniently bunched up in one place, waiting to be fed to my-our forces,¡± He corrected himself. ¡°It would be such a monumental waste for us to steal this from them.¡±


    Still, the way Honoka hadn¡¯t already started sweeping the fields with waves of fire told him all he needed to know. She agreed with him, albeit begrudgingly. With a sigh, the Kawamaran woman leaned her forearms against the top of the wall and looked out over the fields. ¡°I¡¯m¡­a bit jealous of them, actually,¡± She admitted quietly. ¡°We sure as hell never had an opportunity like this. The closest thing we got was the damned Sea Beast and its spawn.¡±


    Setting Elarux up against the wall, Greycton turned and leaned up against it as well and looked out over the city of Helstein. The Citadel in the distance loomed large and imposing. Well, at least to some.


    Greycton just thought it was impossibly ugly. He felt a pang of homesickness for his much more aesthetically pleasing Academy. He pushed it away.


    ¡°Still,¡± Honoka frowned at him. ¡°We should at least thin the herd a little. Don¡¯t think I can¡¯t tell that you¡¯re antsy to get out from behind these walls again. We both know that the children are going to need help eventually.¡±


    Greycton nodded slightly, sighing. ¡°Perhaps¡­just a little,¡± He paused for a moment, an idea occurring. He smirked at Honoka, suddenly feeling surprisingly playful. ¡°You know¡­there¡¯s a certain combination SpellArt that we haven¡¯t done in some time. It¡¯s not too powerful. It would work to soften this horde up enough that we should be out of here shortly.¡±


    Honoka tilted her head in thought for a moment, before a smile stole across her face. To some, it would just look vicious.


    To him, though, it was almost nostalgic.


    ¡°I know exactly what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Honoka replied, surprisingly impishly. She straightened up from her slouching position and looked around for a moment. Eventually, her gaze fell on a nearby flat-topped tower not far from their position, where a group of burly soldiers were hurling boulders down at the horde. ¡°There. Nothing up there that¡¯ll be missed. Let¡¯s go.¡± With an empowered leap, the woman bounded away immediately, always willing to enact a little destruction.


    Greycton shook his head with a fond smile and followed after her. He wasn¡¯t the type to go bounding around like that, though. He had his own method of getting around short distances, that he had quite missed in his disempowered state.


    Picking up Elarux, with a brief flicker of concentration, Greycton stepped¡­


    Out.


    From one moment to the next, he found himself in a pitch-black void, filled with the distance specks of light that denoted far-away stars.


    He felt a ghostly figure embrace him from behind, so similar to the hand he had felt earlier.


    Always happy to see you, lover, an ethereally beautiful voice whispered in his ears.


    Greycton twisted his head slightly to meet the shining silver eyes he loved so dearly, already starting to feel the strain of merely existing in this realm.


    He winked at the ghostly form of Elys.


    She winked back.


    With another step, Greycton found himself standing next to Honoka on top of the tower.


    Not even a second had passed since his translocation.


    The soldiers occupying the tower were startled to see them but were more than happy to take a break from their work when asked to. By the time the last of the mixed humans and Sculpted had cleared off down the ladder, he and Honoka were standing on the edge looking out.


    ¡°You ready for this, you geezer?¡± Honoka asked him, almost breathless in anticipation. He didn¡¯t blame her. It wasn¡¯t often that they could really cut loose like this. And with how they had been so recently depowered, Greycton thought they both needed the reassurance that a flex of their might would bring.


    Plus, this world needed a reminder of just what Greycton of the Shadowed Sun and Scarlet Empress Honoka could do.


    Greycton took a deep breath and allowed a vicious smile to cross his face as he employed a familiar mental Skill. His mind spun up first into two and then three and more and more and more trains of thought, all bent to bending reality to his will. The shadowy silver core at the heart of his soul flared brighter and brighter, as he felt the manifestation of his Mantle flare into being around him.


    The world darkened, the night growing deeper in a murk that could not be pierced by most mortal eyes.


    He was already feeling centuries younger.


    ¡°More than, you walking fossil,¡± He bantered back.


    Honoka threw back her head and laughed as she loosened the reins on her own Mantle. She flared into brilliance next to him, three sets of two fiery scarlet wings erupting from her back. The woman shone like a star, blazing through the gloom of his soul. She drew Kasai from its ever-present place on her back, the blade blazing into being with a white-hot radiance held before her.


    He had always thought it appropriate how their own unique brands of Mysticality complimented each other like this.


    In a moment of concentration of countless thought cycles, the spell matrix that he had crafted so long ago to work with Honoka sprang to being. Elarux began to glow in a cold dark light.


    He raised it and crossed his staff with Honoka¡¯s sword.


    At the point that they met, a spark.


    Far out into the battlefield, a star bloomed into being, nearly as large as the Citadel itself. Pulses of searing hot silver flames pulsed out from it, turning uncountable monsters into so much ash.


    Night turned into day from the combination of their might.


    Honoka started laughing in exhilaration, and Greycton joined her.

 Chapter 170 - Fading Trail

    I only had seconds to react, but thank God for Ringed Mind.


    Split-second decisions were what it was good for.


    I lunged for Sylvia as the ground began to fall beneath us, grabbing her in my left arm seconds before we fell into darkness. She was startled, but almost instinctually grabbed onto me as well. At the same time, I aimed my right arm up above up, palm open, and cast the Skill that I was hoping would save us.


    Thorn Grapple.


    Please, please let the ceiling be strong enough to hold our combined weight.


    The thorny head of my grapple skill exploded from in front of my palm, racing above me. It pierced straight into the stone and thankfully lodged firmly inside. I jerked to a halt with Sylvia held in my arms. I grimaced from the added weight, flaring Sylvan Vigor once again to withstand her Mythril form. Or, well.


    Her weight.


    I was startled when I felt a second weight latch onto my back, but although I was momentarily afraid that it was a zombie, I was too busy watching what else was happening.


    The entire hallway floor was crumbling before my eyes.


    Not only was the section that we had been standing on falling away into an unexpected pit beneath us, but the rest of it as well. The mounds of undead that we had slain were falling into the darkness with the stone, all the while continuing to make no noise whatsoever. They disappeared into the blackness, tumbling in the hundreds. I was even able to see that more of them than I was expecting were revealed to have been beyond our unintentional makeshift barricades. They, too, fell out of sight.


    Unfortunately¡­


    Hook fell with him.


    I was only able to meet his startled eyes once before he disappeared from sight. As my dwarven commander started to sink into the gloom of the unforeseen shaft revealed beneath us, I thought I saw his black eyes shift into a form of resignation.


    The last thing I saw from him was an almost wry nod of acknowledgment before he sank out of sight.


    My breaths hung heavy in my chest from the strain of everything that was being supported by my right arm. Jerkily turning my head to see what was on my back, I found that Dusk had reacted in time to jump onto my back before she joined Hook in the plunge. The normally taciturn Gnoll woman¡¯s eyes had changed, and shock filled them instead.


    Even though we had been freed from the threat of being eaten by undead, we had another problem now. Before the girls could even speak, I grit it out behind clenched teeth. ¡°I¡­can¡¯t¡­hold¡­us¡­forever¡­¡±


    Sylvia¡¯s crystalline blue eyes widened in alarm, before she looked around wildly for a solution, in an uncharacteristic display of panic from her. There wasn¡¯t much to be found up here, however. The walkway of the corridor we had been ambushed in was gone for dozens of feet in either direction, and on the slim patch¡¯s of stone that we could see in the distance? There were just more damn undead waiting on the edge.


    I don¡¯t know if we had just saved or doomed ourselves.


    Dusk had one an idea, though


    ¡°Can your Skill go down?¡± She asked tersely.


    I nodded jerkily, but it was Sylvia who spoke. ¡°We don¡¯t know how deep that pit goes,¡± She whispered furiously. ¡°It could go for miles.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice,¡± Dusk bit back, surprisingly just as heated. ¡°It¡¯s the only way, and we have to find Hook.¡±


    If he was still alive from that fall.


    I interrupted their inopportune argument. ¡°I can¡­do it¡­¡± I grit out, letting out more length from the vine that was supporting us. We jerked downwards for a moment, causing me to almost lose my grip on Sylvia. Thankfully, she was clutching me so strongly I was worried for the integrity of my ribs. I concentrated harder, bending all three rings of my mind to lowering us in a smoother manner.


    As we descended into the blackness below us, the light skills that Sylvia and Dusk had maintained illuminated the pit better. I was starting to suspect this at least wasn¡¯t part of a theoretical Necromancer¡¯s trap.


    It looked more like the deeper sections of the mausoleum had just collapsed in on themselves. We probably would have run into this problem anyway, if we had been able to go any deeper down the halls.


    I could vaguely make out the structure of a spiraling path that had failed, leaving only a few curved sections embedded in the walls. There were still some alcoves that held preserved orcish bodies, but for the most part they were broken and empty as well. The distant walls of the destroyed complex were visible in the light from my female companion''s Skills.


    A distant, howling wind echoed all around us, coming up from somewhere far below us. I was nearly blown off course several times from the pressure, but managed to maintain my grip on the Skill. This was by far the longest section of vine I had ever released from the skill, and frankly I was surprised that it was even capable of this.


    We had been descending for some time now after all. Almost a mile, as Sylvia had predicted. We were deep beneath the surface by now.


    God, I had no idea how we were going to get out of here. Hook hadn¡¯t told us exactly where the entrance into Tlatec was.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    I hoped it wasn¡¯t somewhere above us.


    While I was focused on guiding us downwards, eventually I heard Sylvia let out a sigh of relief. ¡°We¡¯re nearly to the ground,¡± She murmured into my left ear.


    Thank fuck. My arm was killing me, and I was pretty sure it had popped out of its socket from the strain it was under. I didn¡¯t think anything in there had ripped, but thankfully I had a few Healing Potions on me in case it did.


    Eventually, our descent came to a stop.


    I wasn¡¯t able to watch it happen, but I felt it when my feet touched down on the rocky stone of what must be the ground. As Sylvia and Dusk stopped clinging to me and hopped off of my exhausted form, I released the iron grip I had on my Skill. The long, long, long vine that stretched out into the darkness above us vanished into a haze of Ather.


    I, meanwhile, slumped to my knees, my right arm boneless and very obviously dislocated. I sat there limply while Sylvia and Dusk inspected it.


    Dusk hummed, gingerly reaching out to grab it. Thankfully, it was numb enough from the exertion it had been placed under that I only felt a brief spike of pain.


    I still felt it when she unceremoniously shoved it back into its socket, though. I yelped like a struck dog, suddenly very much feeling the entire strain the limb had been placed under. I tried to glare up at the Gnoll who had just manhandled me, but she had already turned away and started to inspect our surroundings.


    Sylvia just sighed and helped me to my feet. ¡°Are you alright, Nathan?¡± She murmured.


    I clumsily dug around in my supply pouch, digging out one of my Healing Potions. I smiled weakly at her. ¡°I will be,¡± I said as I popped the cork on the glass bottle. I slugged the cherry red potion back, and almost immediately started to feel better.


    Putting Dusk¡¯s behavior out of my mind, I did my best to look around the cavern I had lowered us into.


    It was¡­pretty big.


    It was far larger in here than I was expecting, and that was before I counted just how far down we¡¯d gone. The surrounding area was littered with both the still forms of hundreds of deceased undead, but also rock and stone. It lay on every surface, and I don¡¯t think it was just from the floor Hook had broken.


    Said dwarf was nowhere to be seen.


    Dusk cursed softly from her position kneeling in the darkness, lit only by the light of her skill. She looked up and somehow met my eyes in the gloom. ¡°He is not here,¡± She said with a frown.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t¡­that good?¡± I asked hesitantly. ¡°It could mean that he survived the fall and¡­wandered off¡­¡± I trailed away. That sounded unlikely to my ears.


    Still, Dusk shook her head. ¡°No, he would not do that,¡± She answered with certainty in her voice. ¡°If he was able, he would have waited for us.¡±


    ¡°Then what happened to him?¡± Sylvia asked, brow furrowed.


    Dusk was silent for a moment. ¡°Look around,¡± She said abruptly. ¡°Try and find his trail.¡±


    Exchanging a glance with Sylvia, we wordlessly got to work. I had to keep near Sylvia as we searched, as I still didn¡¯t have a light Skill of my own, despite several people vowing to help me achieve one. I guess it had just fallen to the wayside, with everything that was going on.


    I swear to God, I was going to make it a priority for me to get a light Skill if I ever got out of here. More than winning the war, or toppling Elderwyck, or even going on a real date with Sylvia.


    I was getting that damn light Skill.


    As we searched, something was niggling at my brain. For a moment, I thought it was just an idea rattling around in one of my rings, but no. I eventually placed it as one of my newer passive Skills, and something that I hadn¡¯t really had much use for yet.


    Lifeblood Sense.


    When I realized what it was, I stopped Sylvia and did my best to follow the direction it was leading me in. Wandering out into the darkness followed by my partner¡¯s light, I eventually stopped near a pile of freshly fallen debris. Kneeling down, I found what my Skill had led me towards.


    On a shattered flagstone was a small pool of blood that gleamed crimson in the light of Sylvia¡¯s Skill.


    I blinked in surprise at the thought. Lifeblood Sense had literally led me to a patch of¡­lifeblood, I guess. Touching it, I could feel that the blood was still slightly warm. In my mind, I could recognize now that the sense I had of the liquid was slightly dissipating as time went on. I guess that meant the Skill could sense blood both when it was in the bodies of others, and outside, if it meant the blood was still warm a little.


    But more importantly, I could sense a slight trail that led away from the stone it rested on. It was fading, though.


    Fast.


    I cursed, standing up rapidly. ¡°Dusk, over here!¡± I called urgently. Without even waiting for her to show up, I scrambled over the rock and tried to track the fading blood. ¡°Follow us!¡±


    Following the trail, I found that it led to a small tunnel set into the wall of the cave-in. This did not look like something that had been a part of the mausoleum. It looked newer, and far rougher hewn.


    But the trail of blood led into it, so¡­


    I followed as quickly as I could, Sylvia hot behind me. I hadn¡¯t even told her what I¡¯d discovered, but she had followed without even blinking. I felt a burst of affection for her at the faith, but squashed it for now.


    I could tell her how thankful I was later.


    Dusk caught up to us as we hurried through the tunnel, and after a brief description of what I¡¯d found, didn¡¯t bother asking more questions. We really had to hurry. The trail was growing literally colder every moment we didn¡¯t find Hook, and this wasn¡¯t a simple tunnel. There were a number of different side branches that we encountered as we braved its depths. It twisted and turned all around us, and the only reason I was able to navigate it was because of the bloody trail I could faintly sense.


    Abruptly, the trail ended. But¡­that was fine.


    We had reached the exit, after minutes of frantic sprinting through the tunnels. We hadn¡¯t bothered being stealthy as we did so, despite our occupations. Whatever was down here¡­whatever had taken Hook?


    They had to know we were coming.


    The tunnel opened up into a large chamber, looking like it was both part of the mausoleum, and had been altered by other hands. It was surprisingly tidy at the entrance, with none of the debris that I would have expected in here. But what we did find, was all the more spine-chilling.


    Acting as a near honor guard was a long, unbroken line of undead on either side of the tunnel exit. They stretched out into the chamber forming a kind of walkway that we were clearly supposed to follow. But¡­these undead weren¡¯t hostile like the ones above had been. They looked...mostly the same, they just weren¡¯t reacting at all to our presence. The undead orcs just stared out into space, utterly still.


    Their eyes still glowed with the same blue fire as the others had, though.


    Sylvia took a long, extraneous breath at the sight of them. ¡°I suppose the Necromancer knows we¡¯re here, then,¡± She said, with a slight tremor in her voice.


    I had been struck dumb by the sight, but Dusk was made of sterner stuff than I¡¯d been expecting. With narrowed eyes, she stepped onto the trail marked by the undead. She marched down it with heavy steps, leaving Sylvia and I to scramble to keep up with her. I¡¯m not sure she even noticed though.


    ¡°Oh, this is a bad idea,¡± I murmured to myself, as we followed the path so carefully laid out for us.


    I wasn¡¯t expecting a response.


    ¡°Oh, do calm down,¡± I heard a refined, male voice echo out from somewhere in front of us. Before I could even process that, the path of the undead ended.


    And we saw our Necromancer. Only¡­


    That wasn¡¯t all they were.


    Dusk¡¯s steps finally stuttered, as we all beheld what Hook had suspected as down here.


    ¡°Lich¡­¡± She breathed fearfully.


    Oh.


    Damn.

 Chapter 171 - Gambling

    ¡°I assure you, you¡¯re in no danger here,¡± The owner of the voice said nonchalantly before pausing. ¡°Well, as long as you do nothing foolish, of course.¡± They amended.


    That was pretty damn hard to believe, considering the source.


    The path of undead had opened up into what looked like a¡­lab of some kind. In the odd green light of the underground cavern we¡¯d been led to, there must have been dozens of workbenches both lined up against the walls and in neat rows in the floor space. Even more undead Orcs than had been forming the path were wandering the rows and...appeared to be checking various pieces of equipment? I watched as one former Orc stirred an unfamiliar potion, mindlessly turning a rod to swirl a pewter pot over an open flame. Another was assisting by seemingly minding the flame. Plenty of other scenes just like that occurred all over the bizarrely inappropriate lab space.


    But none of that caught either my attention, or those of my companions, more than the master of this mausoleum.


    What Dusk had called a Lich.


    They, it, was some kind of floating¡­skeleton person, and yet their ¡®body¡¯ was altered. They had four skeletal arms, for one, while their skull seemed to have been replaced with something non-human. Non-Orchish, even. I think, from my time as a hunter, that it might be a bear skull. Seemingly grafted onto its smooth surface was a pair of what looked to be an impressively large set of moose antlers. The skull was directed our way, somehow watching us with eye sockets that possessed the same firey blue glow that the undead did. Their body was concealed by an impeccably maintained black silk robe fluttering in a non-existent breeze, with a short crimson cape thrown over the top set of their bony shoulders. They floated over a central slab in the middle of the cavern, seemingly under their own power, while an open leather-bound book did the same in the air next to them.


    We seemed to have interrupted them in the middle of something, considering the surgical implements held in their four hands. My gaze drifted downwards to rest on the slab, and when I did, my heart stuttered in my chest.


    Sylvia saw it too. Her hand, which had somehow ended up clutched in my mine, tightened. ¡°Hook¡­¡± She whispered frightfully.


    Our dwarven leader was lying on the slab that the Lich was floating over. The best I could say about him was that he was still breathing, from the stuttery rise and fall of his chest. But he was absolutely covered in blood.


    Because it looked like the Lich had opened up his rib cage.


    Even from where I stood, I could see straight into his chest. I watched in horror as the dwarf¡¯s heart pulsed rhythmically, somehow still pumping blood through his body despite being exposed to the air.


    He was awake, too. Hook¡¯s head was turned to look our way, watching us¡­calmly?


    Wait, what?


    Brutally suppressing the emotional response the sight had instilled in me, I took another look.


    Hook didn¡¯t look alarmed at all. There was an almost bored look in his completely aware gaze. While his left arm looked to be strapped down, I watched as his right hand made an almost soothing gesture in our direction. Despite everything, I thought the dwarf was bizarrely saying that everything was¡­fine?


    How the fuck was everything okay?


    While I was inspecting Hook, everyone else was still for a moment. I think the Lich was watching us to see what we would do next.


    I don¡¯t think Dusk saw Hook¡¯s gestures in her horror, because she made a move.


    The wrong one.


    Violently drawing the extendable spear I had lent her earlier, she triggered the mechanism. When it had reached its full length, she uncharacteristically snarled in an animalistic manner and made to leap at the Lich.


    I saw the Lich tsk to himself, his bony jaw shifting slightly. One of his four hands rose, holding a blood-stained scalpel. Murky green Mana that practically screamed its strength into the world swirled into being, cupped in his thin fingers.


    Fortunately, I had activated Sylvan Vigor active at full strength only a few moments ago.


    I grabbed Dusk in a full nelson hold, my arms coming up from under her own to lace behind her neck. The Gnoll woman tensed in surprise, trying to instinctively bash my nose in with her skull. Thankfully, I took it on my chin. I still winced from the force of it, feeling a gash open up.


    The Lich thankfully paused, eyeing me contemplatively.


    ¡°Nathan?!¡± I heard Sylvia exclaim, startled. ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°Gambling,¡± I grunted out, fighting to keep a hold of Dusk.


    ¡°Let go of me!¡± Dusk snarled again, almost rabidly. She struggled in my restraining hold, nearly overpowering me even in her disadvantaged state. Still, even if she was stronger than I was, she didn¡¯t have the leverage to do anything about it.


    ¡°Hah,¡± The Lich chuckled dryly. ¡°If you¡¯re gambling, boy, then I¡¯d say you played your hand well.¡±


    ¡°Dusk. Dusk!¡± I shouted at the Gnoll, as she writhed in my arms. ¡°Look! Look at him! Does Hook look like he¡¯s in pain?!¡±


    Dusk¡¯s struggles slowed, as she raised her furry head and took a closer look at Hook. Said spymaster had tried to raise up a little off the slab at Dusk¡¯s fury, only for the Lich to casually push him back down with one skeletal arm. Even then, with his organs nearly falling out, Hook still didn¡¯t look like he was in the agony he should be.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    He just looked alarmed at Dusk¡¯s reaction.


    Sylvia came to stand beside me, having noticed what I did. ¡°Sir?¡± She asked the splayed open form of Hook tentatively. ¡°Are you¡­all right?¡±


    I didn¡¯t blame her for the doubt in her voice.


    Hook tried to answer her, but only managed to wheeze. Probably because I could see that one of his lungs was deflated, in the open cavity of his chest.


    I shuddered, but still didn¡¯t let go of Dusk.


    Since he couldn¡¯t speak, Hook instead shrugged his one available shoulder.


    The Lich spoke for him.


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t say he¡¯s ¡®all right¡¯,¡± The talking skeleton said, idly dancing a scalpel across one of his four sets of bony knuckles. ¡°When one of my assistants found him after his apparent fall, the dwarf was near death. I was just in the middle of some, shall we say, ¡®advanced first aid¡¯.¡± He chuckled, the laugh ringing hollow from his animalistic skull. ¡°His left arm is well and truly shattered, as well as a truly staggering fifteen of his ribs. One lung is deflated, while the other is currently struggling from bone shards embedded in it. There¡¯s some additional organ damage in this fellow, but nothing that a good night¡¯s sleep couldn¡¯t fix from his Status.¡±


    Dusk finally slowed, the Lich¡¯s explanation finally piercing her fury. Instead, I could see the Gnoll woman start to outright boggle at the necromancer¡¯s words.


    I didn¡¯t blame her. I was feeling it myself.


    Gradually, I let go of Dusk. She slipped out of my arms bonelessly, the fight having apparently left her.


    Meanwhile, Sylvia continued speaking for us. ¡°Are you saying¡­that you¡¯re trying to save his life?¡± She asked incredulously.


    The Lich¡¯s skull tilted to the side. ¡°Indeed? Isn¡¯t that what I just said?¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re a necromancer!¡± I nearly shouted, stopping myself at the last minute. ¡°Isn¡¯t death your whole thing?¡±


    The floating pile of bones snorted. ¡°My whole thing indeed. Young man, just because I¡¯m quite skilled at necromancy doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not a skilled Surgeon as well. Even Liches used to need Professions, you know.¡±


    ¡°And¡­what will you do when you¡¯re finished with your ¡®surgery¡¯?¡± Dusk asked slowly.


    The Lich shrugged. ¡°I shall pat the fellow on the back and direct him towards the surface, along with the rest of you. Really now, you¡¯re all being quite rude,¡± He said, pointing a hand holding a bloody pair of forceps at us. ¡°I¡¯m performing quite the service for you, you know. I was paid good coin for similar procedures in life and here I am doing it for free.¡±


    Hook raised his free hand and made a soothing gesture towards the Lich, while simultaneously shooting the three of us a nearly murderous look. He mouthed a sentence at us slowly.


    ¡®Don¡¯t antagonize him.¡¯


    Dusk, Sylvia, and I glanced at each other. I deliberately tried to calm myself as I smiled uneasily at the necromancer. ¡°Ah¡­we apologize. Thank you for attending to our companion, Mr¡­?¡±


    The Lich paused for a moment, tapping his skull over where his lips would be with one free hand. ¡°Ah. I haven¡¯t thought of names in quite some time. Hmm¡­¡± He said slowly, before making an amused noise. ¡°I have an idea. You may call me Tlazocuauhtli, in honor of the city we reside under. Tlazo for short, as I doubt any of you are very familiar with Orcish.¡± He outright laughed then, the hollow noise echoing oddly off the stone walls of the cavern. ¡®Tlazo¡¯ paused at our perplexed expressions before shrugging. ¡°The joke doesn¡¯t translate well into Common.¡±


    ¡°I¡­see,¡± I said slowly, to the obviously insane necromancer. ¡°So¡­Hook, our friend will be healed when you¡¯re finished?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Tlazo said idly, bending back down to dig around in Hooks abdomen. I winced at the squishing and crackling noises that followed. ¡°Well, not outright healed. I have no talent in that school of Magic. Rather, I will mend what I can while keeping him alive. When the procedure is complete, I will then graciously provide a potion to help him along and let his Status do the rest of the work. The dwarf shall be quite weakened for some time afterward, but he will recover. Eventually.¡±


    I tried to keep it in. I really, really did.


    But I had to know.


    ¡°Sir?¡± I asked tentatively, causing one of his glowing blue orbs to look up at me. ¡°What are you doing down here? It¡¯s just¡­we were ambushed by quite a number of undead before this and¡­¡±


    ¡°And you want to know if they were mine,¡± Tlazo answered, audibly bored. He fully raised his head, while two of his arms worked on autopilot with a set of needle and thread, stitching up something inside Hook without even looking. ¡°Well, not entirely. Those are little better than semi-wild automatons, risen from being within the zone of my influence. I think of them as being wild hounds that keep the riff-raff away.¡±


    ¡°Those ''wild-hounds'' nearly killed us,¡± Sylvia said quietly.


    The Lich made a dismissive noise. ¡°And? I¡¯m not the one barging into someone else¡¯s home. Don¡¯t complain when the local wildlife tries to take a bite out of you. Really, it¡¯s not much more different down here than a particularly musty jungle. Kill or be killed, as they say. Brace yourself, this will feel quite odd,¡± He said to the very attentive Hook. The dwarf tensed up as Tlazo ran a hand up and down the length of Hook¡¯s apparently shattered left arm, a green glow affecting it. There was an odd crunching sound, like dozens of bones setting themselves back into place.


    Hook shuddered. In fact, I shuddered as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m not above sending grave diggers on their way if they manage to make it all the way down to my lab, however,¡± Tlazo said idly, spooling out another length of thread and resuming his stitching. ¡°Well done and all that, etcetera, etcetera.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not grave diggers,¡± I said, a little incredulous. ¡°We¡¯re just¡­¡± I winced and quieted under the harsh stare that Dusk sent me.


    Tlazo paused for a moment, looking up at me. If he still had them, I¡¯m sure the Lich would have been raising an eyebrow. ¡°Just?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. Luckily, I didn¡¯t have to say anything.


    Hook unexpectedly coughed, his lungs apparently re-inflating. Leaning over the side of the slab he was on, he spat out a disgusting hunk of dark red blood and meat. Taking a deeper, clearer breath, he answered the Lich. ¡°Taking the back path into Tlatec,¡± He said hoarsely.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Tlazo asked curiously. ¡°The Orcs have shut their gates? Why?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­there¡¯s a war on?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Ugh,¡± Tlazo literally waved my words off with one of his free hands, suddenly disinterested. ¡°How pedestrian. I was hoping something more interesting was happening.¡±


    I¡­guess a Lich located in an underground tomb wouldn¡¯t know all that much about what was going on with the surface world.


    However, he was interested in something else.


    Or rather, someone.


    ¡°My dear, I have to say you intrigue me,¡± Tlazo said suddenly, casting a gaze over Sylvia. She tensed at his regard. ¡°I can¡¯t quite feel your bones. And¡­that¡¯s quite a well-done illusion you have over yourself, for your level. Whatever could you be hiding?¡± Before she could even answer, the Lich waved his hand.


    And the human-seeming illusion that Sylvia had been wearing since we¡¯d arrived outside Elderwyck shimmered away. Her true Mithril self was reavealed, shining silver in the odd green light of the necromancer''s torches.


    The firey blue orbs set into Tlazo¡¯s skull shut on and off a few times, as if he was blinking. ¡°What? Did you perhaps transmute your entire body, young lady? That would be quite a feat, I must say.¡±


    Did¡­this guy know nothing about the Sculpted?


    How long had he been down here?


    As Sylvia began to haltingly describe what the Sculpted were to a suddenly enraptured Tlazo, I wondered if it was a good idea to be telling him.


    What good could come from an apparently powerful Lich becoming interested in the living again?

 Chapter 172 - Bonafide Relics

    ¡°Oh¡­,¡± Tlazo said, visibly enraptured. ¡°I had absolutely no idea that such interesting events had been occurring on the surface.¡±


    It hadn¡¯t taken the apparently supremely skilled surgeon long to do all he could for Hook. Once he¡¯d finished plucking out bone shards from the dwarf¡¯s abdomen, setting his arm with a splint, and sewing him back closed, he presented the dwarf with a healing potion. After eyeing it suspiciously for a moment, Hook had thrown it back with a grimace. According to Tlazo, it was a regeneration potion of his own concoction that would cause his wounds to mostly heal within the next few hours.


    I¡¯d actually been brave enough to ask the Lich for the recipe for the potion. Most healing potions weren¡¯t strong enough to completely heal complex internal injuries like that. You had to rely on Healers like Honoka and Renauld instead.


    Tlazo had chuckled, scribbled it down on a piece of parchment, and given it to me with his blessing. Afterward, the five of us moved over to sit at a small table in the corner of his lab. There, one of his Orcish undead ¡®assisstants¡¯ had brought out tea of all things for us to share.


    I¡­actually liked it. The leaf juice may have been prepared by a zombie, but it honestly wasn¡¯t bad.


    I was the only one who ended up touching the provided tea.


    I didn¡¯t blame the others for not trying it. Nor did Tlazo, apparently. He just kept questioning Sylvia about the Sculpted, totally unfazed by the way Hook and Sylvia had politely turned it down. Meanwhile, Dusk wasn¡¯t even sitting at the table with us. The Gnoll woman was leaning against the wall and watching the odd conversation in silence, still suspicious of the Lich.


    Said Lich laughed out loud delightedly. He actually slapped one of his bony knees, from his spot in the chair he had stopped floating over to fully sit in. ¡°I had no idea old Greycton had it in him!¡± He crowed. ¡°Creating an entirely new race, fully integrated into the System! Marvellous! Simply marvellous!¡±


    I set down my cup of tea to give Tlazo an incredulous look. ¡°How did you not know? There was a System notification and everything! They even call it the Second Initialization!¡±


    If possible, I think Tlazo¡¯s delight intensified. ¡°A System notification!¡± He banged one bony palm down on the table, causing his cup of untouched tea to roll off the table and shatter on the stone below. He paused, and then shrugged. ¡°Ah, how truly regretful that I missed it. Unfortunately, as a dead man, I no longer possess my Status and thus never saw this notification. Such a gift is intended only for the living, you see.¡±


    Oh. So this guy didn¡¯t even have a Status anymore.


    I don¡¯t think that made him any less dangerous, though. There was a feeling inherent to the Lich that I¡¯d only ever felt from Grey, Honoka, and to a lesser extent, Leonard Ashran.


    I blinked at the Lich¡¯s obvious glee and regret. I wasn¡¯t the only one, as Sylvia spoke again after finishing her explanation. ¡°Ah¡­do you perhaps¡­know my father, Sir Tlazo?¡±


    I didn¡¯t blame her for the doubt in her voice, but¡­


    Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t put it past Grey at this point.


    I was proven right momentarily.


    ¡°Ah? Yes, we¡¯re acquainted,¡± Tlazo answered idly, calming down. The jaws of his odd bear skull clacked and shifted against each other, almost as if he was trying to smile. ¡°You could even say we were colleagues, once upon a time. Your ¡®Father¡¯ and I were both apprenticed to the same master, you see. A very long, long time ago.¡±


    I felt a bolt of recognition shoot down my spine. The same master? The person that had died all those years ago against the Calamity Grey had referred to as the ¡®Sea Beast¡¯?


    Sylvia¡¯s lips parted, obviously recognizing the same thing. A tentative smile crossed her lips. ¡°I didn¡¯t know Father had any fellow apprentices all those years ago. He¡¯s never spoken of you. I¡­thought the only person from that time still around was Honoka.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m unsurprised that old bat is still kicking,¡± Tlazo said, unfazed by Sylvia¡¯s questioning. ¡°But yes, your Father and I knew each other quite well for a time. I was even one of the first people he tapped to be Professors after he took the post of Headmaster. My my, I haven¡¯t thought of those years in ages.¡±


    Hook visibly startled, and if he¡¯d tried the tea, I think he would have choked on it. Instead, a hacking cough exited his mouth as he shot the lich an incredulous look. ¡°I¡­think I know who you are! I thought you were,¡± Here he paused before continuing sheepishly. ¡°¡­dead.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m quite, quite dead Mr. Hook,¡± Tlazo said, voice as dry as his bones. ¡°It just didn¡¯t stick, as you can see. However,¡± He fixed Hook with a suddenly intense stare. ¡°I will ask that you not spread news of my¡­¡®survival¡¯, so to speak. That man is long dead, and I am what remains.¡±


    Hook didn¡¯t let the ensuing tense silence bother him. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t intend to,¡± He said shaking his head, suddenly much more respectful. ¡°I was just about to say, if you¡¯re who I think you are, then you¡¯re not an unlicensed Necromancer. Those licenses don¡¯t exactly expire. Just¡­lapse. I can get yours updated for you if you want. Sir.¡±


    I shuddered at the completely out-of-character admiration in Hook¡¯s voice. I swear to God, it was as if the dwarf was suddenly deep into hero worship for the bag of bones sitting at the table with us.


    I think Tlazo was taken aback by it as well. ¡°Ah¡­¡± He said slowly. ¡°That won¡¯t be needed. I have no intention of returning to my former practice within Herztal. You see, as we¡¯re currently inside a tomb owned by the Empire of Xilochtlan, I do not require my license. Furthermore, I am actually here with Orcish approval.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, interested. ¡°So, they know you¡¯re down here?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Tlazo said, nodding. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m currently under contract with the city of Tlatec. Oh yes,¡± He laughed at our shocked expressions. ¡°I¡¯m a bonafide civil servant!¡±


    I winced at the pun.


    So.


    He was like that.


    ¡°You see, this mausoleum collapsed in on itself some fifty years ago, to the dismay of the Tlatec officials,¡± Tlazo said, adopting a lecturing tone. Now that he was getting in on it, I could easily see how this guy had been a Professor. ¡°The cause was determined to be simple age and neglect. The amount of bodies stored inside was too great for the lower levels to withstand. It crumbled under the weight into these tunnels below. At the time, I was searching for a new nexus of deathly Aether to continue my research, as my previous abode had been exhausted. I heard from the, ah, let us say ¡®grapevine¡¯, that the Empire was searching for a specialist to employ in handling the resulting restless dead. The bureaucracy on Indiqua was unwilling to send out one of their own necromancers to such a backwater, you see. Thus, I put forth my bid, and was thus gratefully contracted by the city of Tlatec to reconstruct the mausoleum. In due time, of course. My payment comes in the form of siphoning deathly Aether from my new assistants.¡± He finished by nodding at an approaching undead Orc carrying a broom. ¡°And I intend to extract every. Last. Drop. That I can, from the interred here.¡±


    We watched in stunned silence as the zombie swept up the shattered remnants of Tlazo¡¯s teacup into a dustbin. When it was done, it shuffled away, having completed its task in total silence.


    I cut my eyes over to Hook when it was gone, desperate for something to get us out of this odd situation. I didn¡¯t know how much longer I could take ludicrous sights like that before I started laughing like a madman.


    Thankfully, he bailed me out.


    Hook stood up from his chair with a wince. ¡°Well, thank you for your hospitality, Sir Tlazo,¡± He said hoarsely, doing his best to smile. It came out more like a grimace. ¡°But we need to get moving. I¡¯m afraid we have business in the cities above. If you could direct us to the passageway into Tlatec¡­? I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t recognize the path, after the collapse.¡±


    Tlazo refocused on us, recognizing the hint when it was dropped. He floated to his feet gracefully, nodding. ¡°Of course, of course,¡± He said graciously. ¡°I shall have one of my assistants lead you to the stairway. I must return to my research in any case. Do give my regards to your Father when next you see him, young lady.¡± He finished, talking to Sylvia.


    ¡°Ah¡­of course, Sir Tlazo,¡± Sylvia said hesitatingly. ¡°I will¡­pass along your words. Who shall I say they are from?¡±


    Tlazo paused for a moment, obviously remembering that he had given us a false name. ¡°Oh yes,¡± He said, tapping a bony digit on the surface of his chin. ¡°Tell him it¡¯s from the Pigsnatcher!¡± He finally cackled. ¡°He¡¯ll get the reference then!¡± Still chuckling, Tlazo made a gesture with one of his left arms. Moments later, one of his Orcish assistants shuffled its way over to us. The undead servant didn¡¯t even look our way before passing our group and walking off into the darkness beyond Tlazo¡¯s strange green lamps.


    Exchanging a glance with the rest of the group, we followed after the undead that was supposed to be leading us out of here. After a short walk in total silence, the undead led us to a large circular door set into the far wall of the cavern. This, at least, was more familiar than the Lich¡¯s odd laboratory. The door was obviously carved in a similar style to the stonework I¡¯d seen both on the walls of Tlatec and the upper reaches of the mausoleum above.


    The undead laid one limp palm on the door, causing runes that had previously been hidden in the darkness to light up with oddly red-colored Mana. Seconds later, the door rolled to the side, exposing a long, drafty corridor.


    Hook nodded in relief at the sight of it. I guess he recognized this as the back entrance into Tlatec. We stepped forward, but were stopped on the other side of the door.


    ¡°Oh, and as a courtesy to the daughter of an old friend, I¡¯ll say this,¡± Tlazo¡¯s voice said, echoing out of the darkness as if he was standing just outside of the door. But he wasn¡¯t there.


    Only darkness filled the space the voice came from.


    ¡°I may not have known about your war, but I did know something was going on,¡± The Lich continued. ¡°I was, quite surprisingly, approached by something truly extraordinary during my years of labor and research. They wished to enlist my aid in a little scheme of theirs. However, they were a bit too¡­¡± Tlazo paused for a fraction of a second before continuing. ¡°Bloodthirsty, for my tastes. I politely turned them down. I will not name this person, as I quite emphatically do not need any more enemies. But I will say this much. Do be careful, children. I believe there to be something¡­deeper to your little spat than meets the eye. Take care now. Toodles.¡± With the necromancer¡¯s bizarrely cheerful warning echoing in our ears, the door to the Lich¡¯s cavern slid closed once more before we could even question him.


    Leaving us to stand in momentary darkness, before it was pierced by the light of illuminating Skills reigniting.


    Now I could see the stunned expressions on everyone else''s faces from the out-of-the-blue portent. I¡¯m sure I looked the same to them.


    I broke the silence in the tunnel. ¡°What the fuck?¡±


    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know,¡± Hook said, looking lost. ¡°I have no idea what he¡¯s talking about. It¡¯s like he¡¯s implying there¡¯s another factor to the war we don¡¯t know about.¡±


    ¡°What could he possibly mean by deeper?¡± Sylvia asked quietly. To that, nobody had an answer.


    Hook shook his head vigorously, wincing after he did so. ¡°We¡¯ll look into it later. Right now, I want to get out of this damn hellhole.¡±


    With that, we set off down the tunnel. I don¡¯t know about everyone else, but I was definitely still thinking about the odd encounter with the Lich there at the end. Tlazo hadn¡¯t struck me as the kind of person to speak without reason to, so I was disinclined to disregard his words.


    I couldn¡¯t do anything about it right now, though, so I pushed it aside.


    Right now, we had to get out of here.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    It only took us about another fifteen minutes of walking in silence to reach a spiral staircase at the end of the path. I couldn¡¯t help a sense of relief from rolling over me at the sight, and I don¡¯t think I was the only one. I heard more than one slight sigh of relief now that our way out was before us.


    That probably led to us not being as cautious as we should¡¯ve been, as we climbed the stairs. They were quite long, costing us another ten minutes of effort to reach the door at the end. That didn¡¯t surprise me, though. The level that Tlazo¡¯s laboratory had been on was quite far beneath the surface of Vereden. Around the edges of the strangely mundane door that we eventually reached, I could see glorious, beautiful sunlight. It looked to be fading, however. We had originally entered the crypt very early in the morning, so we must have spent upwards of ten hours in that tomb.


    Hook had the lock on the door open in seconds. Keeping one hand on the door, he turned to look at us and nodded. Dusk, Sylvia, and I returned it. The dwarf turned back to the door and slowly, slowly cracked it open to look outside.


    He needn¡¯t have bothered being so stealthy.


    Heavily armored, sausage-thick fingers slipped into the crack that Hook had opened in the door. In moments, it had been wrenched open to reveal an absolutely massive grey-skinned figure wielding a greatsword hewn from what looked to be obsidian.


    Hook stilled when the razor-sharp blade of the sword touched his throat.


    ¡°You¡¯re under arrest,¡± The Orc growled at us.

 Chapter 173 - Tithed [Vol. 4 End]

    Well, this was a fantastic start to our infiltration.


    After the Tlatecian Orc guard had, somehow, immediately known that a group of people were entering the city from the back entrance, we¡¯d all been arrested. Hook had been pretty exhausted from his injuries at the time, and had discreetly ordered us to comply with the guard¡¯s orders.


    Before promptly passing out.


    I¡¯d ended up being the one to carry the unconscious dwarf on my back as the hulking Orc had paraded us through the streets of Tlatec at sword point. He hadn¡¯t even needed to slap us in cuffs or something. The threat of his extremely sharp-looking greatsword had been more than enough.


    That had been fine by me. Hook hadn¡¯t seemed too alarmed by the abrupt arrest before conking out. Dusk didn¡¯t either.


    I figured this was expected. Which¡­I would have appreciated a heads-up.


    But whatever.


    It gave me more time to observe both the city around me and the actual residents. This was my first time seeing actual living Orcs.


    They weren¡¯t quite what I was expecting.


    So many people had built them up in my mind over the months that I had been expecting a race of, I dunno, supermen or something. A people that were so much more massively powerful than the Humans, Dwarves, and Sculpted that I was so used to.


    But¡­at least as we¡¯d been force-marched down the neatly planned streets of Tlatec?


    They just looked like people.


    Well.


    Grey-skinned people.


    I had been surprised to discover that the grey tinge to the skin I¡¯d noticed on Tlazo¡¯s undead hadn¡¯t just been a symptom of bloodlessness. Orcs in general had a slight heatherish coloring to them, very lightly tinged with nearly purple. Mostly grey, the darkness of their skin ranged from light to dark in the same way it did on humans.


    I don¡¯t know what I had been expecting. Media from my old world had me thinking the Orcs were going to be a deep green with somewhat piggish features. But no. While their facial features did seem to trend broader than Humans, Dwarves, or even Elven ones, I wouldn¡¯t call them piggish. Just strong.


    They did have tusks and long pointed ears, though.


    The tusks themselves seemed to be a kind of elongated canine tooth that poked out of their bottom lips. Males tended to have larger ones, while female Orcs were smaller. Their ears weren¡¯t quite like the elven ones, either. Elven ears looked almost rapier thin, to my eyes. Orcs had thicker and kind of curved ears, noticeably longer than my own. I also noticed that they seemed to have a racial tendency to have black or dark brown hair, in the same way that some ethnicities of humanity did back home.


    None of that had been present on the undead I¡¯d seen, far beneath this city. I suppose most of those distinguishing features had either rotted or fallen off, in the passage of time.


    All in all, the Orcs weren¡¯t quite as alien as I¡¯d expected them to be.


    They definitely had different ideas about clothing, armor, and aesthetics though. Our guard, for example, was barely wearing more than a leather harness with attached steel pauldrons, a sort of long crimson loincloth, and sandals. Well, other than his admittedly impressive large purple feathered headdress.


    And the sword. Can¡¯t forget the massive obsidian greatsword.


    But he didn¡¯t seem out of place among the populace. The Orcs appeared to trend towards leather straps, barely concealing tunics and loincloths, and the occasional robe for cultural clothing. I saw quite a bit of exposed grey flesh on the streets of the city.


    Something else I noticed was the lack of anything else but Orcs. I was definitely the only Human out here, much less Gnolls, Sculpted, or Dwarves like the rest of my party.


    I didn¡¯t get a chance to continue my observations before the Orcish guard stopped me in front of a large, nearly pyramidal-like building.


    ¡°Inside,¡± The Guard growled at us, lifting his sword threateningly.


    All right, all right. Don¡¯t get your loincloth in a bunch. The four of us shuffled inside the building, brushing aside the cloth entranceway. Inside we found what looked to be a receiving area, populated by a number of different Orcs. There were even some well-crafted, comfortable-looking padded chairs dotting the room that various Tlatecians Orcs were sitting in. But the Guard motioned us past those towards the desk at the back of the hewn stone room.


    A particularly bored-looking Orc in bright green robes wearing spectacles of all things was sitting behind it. At our approach, he looked up at us disinterestingly. The apparent clerk didn¡¯t even blink at the sight of our eclectic group. ¡°Offense?¡± He asked the Guard dully.


    The Guard¡¯s thick lips curled. ¡°Intrusion from beyond the walls,¡± He said curtly. His words caused the Orcish clerk to raise an eyebrow in surprise. The nearby people waiting heard as well, sending a murmur through them.


    The clerk fixed us with a curious look before flipping through the large book in front of him. After a moment, he nodded to himself. ¡°A pint of tithe, revocation of any possible merchant¡¯s license, and a two-month prohibition from entering the city is the punishment. Escort the prisoners to the tithing area, Warrior Izel.¡±


    Tithing area? Ominous.


    But Dusk still didn¡¯t look alarmed by anything that was happening. If anything, she looked annoyed. ¡°A pint is more than it was last time,¡± She said to the clerk with a frown.


    The clerk''s brow furrowed. ¡°Make a habit of trespassing, do you?¡± He shook his head. ¡°All tithings have increased. Yours is not unique.¡± At that, the clerk looked back down at his book and deliberately started ignoring us.


    I was shoved forward by the flat of the Guard¡¯s blade. ¡°Through that door,¡± He growled at us, nodding towards a large cloth-covered entryway to our right. I stumbled but managed to not drop Hook. I shot ¡®Izel¡¯ a dirty look, but complied anyway.


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    He didn¡¯t care.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Turns out, ¡®tithing¡¯ was getting your blood drained. Apparently in Orcish society, most punishments were handled by paying a tithe in literal blood. They had a small jail that we passed on the way to the tithing room, but the cells were all empty.


    Our group ended up being forcibly drained of a pint of blood each by a disturbingly enthusiastic Orcish ¡®Healer¡¯. He hadn¡¯t cared about how Hook was recovering from being seriously injured, or that he was still unconscious. The dwarf had still gotten drained, without ever waking up. The guy didn¡¯t even need any equipment in order to get it done. He had a Skill for that, instead.


    Amusingly enough, the blood-drainer had shuddered at the sight of Sylvia. She had yet to reapply the human-seeming illusion that Tlazo had dispelled, so her Mithril skin had been on full display. As a Sculpted, she didn¡¯t actually have any blood for him to draw from her. Problem was, a punishment was still needed for her crime of unlawfully entering the city limits. She was given a choice of either spending a week in the jail or having someone pay the tithe in her place.


    I volunteered.


    So, in the end, the Healer ended up draining me of a whole two pints of blood. The actual draining process was drawn out enough that I didn¡¯t immediately pass out from the loss of blood, but by the time he was finished, I was close. As a criminal, I wasn¡¯t offered a blood-replenishing potion, so I had to weakly paw around in my pouch for my own. Thankfully, I still had one of those. After all of our travels and without a chance to stock up on more potions, though, I was down to my last one.


    Hook and Dusk hadn¡¯t needed one, so after we¡¯d all been suitably drained, the same Guard that had arrested us practically shoved us out the door of the guard station.


    It was fully dark by that time, and Elys was high in the sky. Strangely magical red crystalline lights had been lit on each of the street corners outside the station, acting almost like street lamps from back home. It seemed to me that the number of Orcs out on the streets had only increased while we were inside.


    The three of us, plus Hook once more on my back, stood around for a moment before retreating into a nearby alleyway between buildings, doing our best to evade the notice of the locals. After everything, we finally had a moment to talk and plan our next move.


    First, though, Sylvia leaned in and brushed her lips over my stubble roughened cheek. Pulling back, she smiled at me. ¡°Thank you, Nathan,¡± She said softly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t looking forward to spending time in an Orcish jail.¡±


    Repositioning Hook¡¯s insensate form on my back, I returned her smile. ¡°No problem. Besides, we have stuff to do.¡±


    Dusk pointedly cleared her throat, bringing our attention to her. ¡°Our next course of action is to pass the checkpoint into Elderwyck,¡± She said sharply, causing Sylvia and I to straighten up at her unexpectedly commanding tone. I guess with Hook out of commission for now, she was taking command.


    Fine by me.


    I did have one thing to say, though.


    ¡°Did you and Hook know we were going to be caught immediately once we were inside?¡± I asked her with a frown.


    Dusk eyed me for a moment before nodding. ¡°It was nearly unavoidable,¡± She admitted. ¡°Which is why it was a plan of last resort. Tlactec is well aware of the path that leads from the mausoleum, and their detection wards both extend well below the surface and operate on principles different than our own. We were never going to pass beneath their notice. It was¡­a point of confusion for some time now, why the path was said to be unguarded. But that mystery has been solved, considering Tlatec¡¯s newest¡­asset.¡±


    Yeah, I guess you could call an apparently century¡¯s old Lich an ¡®asset¡¯.


    ¡°Yeah, well,¡± I sighed and grumbled. ¡°A little heads up would have been nice.¡±


    Dusk just shrugged apathetically.


    Sylvia lay her hand on my shoulder and cleared her throat, drawing Dusk''s attention.¡°Will passing into Elderwyck be difficult?¡± Sylvia asked professionally.


    ¡°No,¡± Dusk¡¯s eyes left me to rest on Sylvia. She shook her head. ¡°On this side of the checkpoint, the Orcs will be downright eager for us to leave. In case you didn¡¯t notice, people actually from Vereden are scarce within Tlatec. The Orcs¡­prefer their own kind, to be blunt.¡±


    Massive racists, got it.


    ¡°And the other half of the checkpoint?¡± I asked Dusk. ¡°Are the Elderwyckians likely to raise a fuss about our appearance?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Dusk said simply. ¡°There are arrangments in that matter. Reapply your illusion,¡± She said to Sylvia, who promptly did so in a shower of sparks. The senior agent nodded sharply at Sylvia¡¯s now human-seeming appearance. ¡°Good. Let us not waste any time. Hook must be seen to by one of our own Healers in a safe house. Now, follow.¡± At that, the Gnoll woman slipped between Sylvia and I, exiting the alleyway into the street. She didn¡¯t even look back at us as she momentarily wandered out of sight.


    Exchanging a glance with Sylvia, we hurried after her.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Tlatec was separated from Elderwyck by a large, deep canal that bisected the two cities. Nearly in the center of that canal was a frankly odd building, that Dusk told me housed the actual portal to Indiqua. It was a strange combination of both Herztalian and Xilochtlan construction styles. They¡­didn¡¯t really complement each other. The large, nearly keep-like building, was a bit of an eyesore. But it sure didn¡¯t look undefended, from the sheer amount of soldiers from both polities that guarded its ramparts even at this time of night.


    We didn¡¯t actually approach that, though. Instead, Dusk led us to a bridge that crossed the canal, guarded on both sides by soldiers. When we showed up, the Orcs were all too happy to shove us across the border into Elderwyck. It was only on the other side that we ran into any hiccups.


    ¡°Here, now,¡± The human Loyalist soldier frowned at us, holding a slate board and hunk of chalk. ¡°Yer not on the list. Where did ye come from?¡± He paused for a moment, looking over my shoulder to peer at Hook quizzically. ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with the stuntie, eh? He drunk, then?¡±


    I did my best to smile sheepishly at the guard. ¡°Ah, he pissed off one o¡¯ the guards,¡± I said, affecting what I liked to mentally refer to as my ¡®peasant accent¡¯. ¡°Had to go get drained, he did. Ye know how the greyskins are.¡±


    Out of nowhere, the guard abruptly backhanded me full in the face. I¡¯d been hit way harder than that before, so it didn¡¯t really hurt much. I still made a show of staggering away from the unexpected attack though, my blood pressure spiking. Had I just given us away somehow?


    That wasn¡¯t it, though. The guard glowered at me. ¡°The hells are ye doin¡¯, lettin¡¯ a stuntie cause trouble? Ye know things are tense enough with ¡®em as is. We don¡¯t need no more trouble comin¡¯ from the greyapes!¡± He yelled, raising his hand as if to slap me again.


    Even though I didn¡¯t find this guy intimidating in the slightest, I still tried to take a cowering stance at his posturing.


    Dusk had my back, though.


    She fell to her knees before the guard, clutching at his breeches. ¡°P-please, sir,¡± She stuttered, with wide pleading eyes. ¡°It were a simple mistake, honest! Ye know how the tuskers are! If ye even so much as look ¡®em funny, they''s gonna drain ya!¡±


    The guard paused, looking down at the once again tawny-furred and ragged-looking Gnoll. ¡°Well, yer right about that,¡± He said slowly, before narrowing his eyes at her. ¡°That don¡¯t explain who ye lot are, though? Why aren¡¯t ya on the list?¡±


    ¡°That was my bad, Owen,¡± An unexpected voice said, coming to our rescue. Following it to the source, I saw another Loyalist Guard had just exited the gatehouse that led into the city. He was a youngish human man, looking to be about my age with light blonde hair. He smiled sheepishly at the other Guard, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°I know this lot, and forgot to mark ¡®em down earlier.¡±


    The Guard interrogating us, apparently named ¡®Owen¡¯, abruptly sighed and lowered his hand. ¡°Tom, ye can¡¯t be doin¡¯ that.¡± He groaned, before waggling a finger disapprovingly at ¡®Tom¡¯. ¡°I should report ye for this, but I won¡¯t on account of the lunch ye brought earlier. Just don¡¯t let it happen again, ye hear? Go on then, git. Don¡¯t want ta look at ya anymore.¡± He finished, speaking to us.


    I didn¡¯t question our good luck, instead hurrying across the border with the others. As we passed the Guard who had come to our rescue, I briefly met his eyes.


    He winked at me, and then signed something with a free hand.


    I may have only just started learning the series of hand gestures that Nocturne agents used, but I still recognized that one.


    ¡®Acknowledgement.¡¯


    Ah. I get it.


    I signed it back, before wandering out into the darkened streets of Elderwyck with the rest of my apparent cell.


    Finally, we had reached the city.


    Now for the real work to begin.

 Chapter 174 - Magical Brews [Vol. 5 Start]

    I took a slow breath in, holding my concentration. I¡¯d been challenging myself recently to do this with only my newer golden hand instead of my flesh one. The process was a bit clumsier with the muted sense of both physical touch and Aetherial sense, but I could do it. It was just a bit harder, but the practice was good for me.


    Focusing, I felt the last piece of the puzzle slot into place, and I committed.


    The swirling cloud of astralized potion ingredients recombined into the directed vial, forming a butter-yellow mild stamina potion.


    I picked up the finished product and brought it to eye level. Swirling it around a few times, I eyed it critically before nodding.


    Yup, this one was fine. Not great, considering the quality of the ingredients.


    But good enough.


    Now I only had to do about¡­fifteen more.


    I sighed, looking around the small workroom that I was in. I was standing in front of a tiny desk, surrounded on all sides by shelves containing sub-par potion materials and crates holding my finished products. The space was basically a glorified broom closet with a small vent to the outside, something that I¡¯m sure normal potioneers were grateful for with their brewing. Since I did all my potion-making with Aetherial Melding, I didn¡¯t have to worry about potentially toxic fumes melting my lungs.


    This¡­wasn¡¯t exactly what I had been expecting, for a super-important infiltration and sabotage mission.


    I hadn¡¯t predicted being told to get a damned job.


    But that¡¯s what Hook had outright ordered me to do, after he had finally woken up in the Nocturne safehouse that Dusk led us to inside Elderwyck proper. Tlazo had turned out to be good on his word, and the regeneration potion that he¡¯d fed Hook had been damned powerful. The allied Healer Dusk had contacted to look him over had been outright baffled at his quick recovery, considering Hook''s injuries.


    As soon as the dwarf was up and walking again, Sylvia and I had received our standing orders. Both of us were to blend into the populace, keep our heads down, and work to acquire information that could lead to furthering the efforts of the dozens of Nocturne Agents inside the city walls. Furthermore, we were to regularly check in with him at the safehouse to receive missions. In order to do that, however, we needed a stable cover.


    Which meant gainful employment.


    And thus, here I was, churning out middling potions from nearly garbage-quality ingredients. The inherent filtering and refining capabilities of Aetherial Melding meant that I was able to get a better product out of poorer materials than anything but a master potioneer could manage. I wasn¡¯t used to working with such trash, however. It almost felt like my pride as a craftsman was being insulted having to make do with what I¡¯d been given. But that was silly.


    And it was probably the only reason I¡¯d managed to get the job I¡¯d found, anyway.


    I¡¯d had some ideas about what to look for when it came to employment, and had thus started hitting up the local alchemy shops and asking if they were looking for brewers. Most actually wanted to hire me when I¡¯d asked, but had needed to turn me away. With the closing of the city gates and the increasing volatility of the war, their margins were getting thinner and thinner. They couldn''t afford to take me on, even when I presented examples of my work. I¡¯d nearly given up on the potions idea before I stumbled on this little hole in the wall.


    Jason¡¯s Magical Brews.


    The shop had looked to have fallen on¡­hard times, lately. The paint had been peeling, the sign was crooked, and one of the windows had been boarded up. But it had been open, I¡¯d seen movement through one of the remaining windows, and most importantly?


    There had been a ¡®Help Wanted¡¯ sign out front.


    I¡¯d decided what the hell, and given it a shot.


    That had been a week ago, now. I¡¯d been churning out potions as quickly as my new employer could procure the basic herbs and grasses required ever since.


    Speaking of¡­


    I was interrupted by the noise of almost neurotically timid knocks on the door of my brewing closet. I held my breath for a moment, counting backwards from five in an effort to keep my temper. I knew that my new boss was only checking up on me so he could restock the shelves, but¡­


    Did he have to do this every five damned minutes?


    I let the breath out and turned to open the door. When I did so, I beheld the sight of my new employer.


    Jason Aldridge, the ¡®Jason¡¯ of ¡®Jason¡¯s Magical Brews¡¯.


    A man that couldn¡¯t brew a potion to save his damned life.


    He was a slight man, at least four inches shorter than my five-eleven frame. Jason was the type of man that was unfortunate enough to have started balding in his early twenties, and also the type to be too stubborn to just shave it all off. It left him trying to cover up the nearly friar-esque bald spot on top of his head with a few transparent wisps of dirty blonde hair. The man was wearing round spectacles over his pale blue eyes, which only enlarged his already large eyes to look nearly bulbous. Said eyes were staring at me in a pleading manner as the young shop owner wrung his hands and smiled at me in a sickly way.


    ¡°A-ah, Hans,¡± He stuttered, using the fake name that I had given him. ¡°Are y-you done with the stamina potions?¡±


    I did my best to return his smile. Considering how high my Acting Talent had been getting, I had no problem faking it in front of his civilian. ¡°I have some crates for you,¡± I confirmed, to his obvious relief. Turning back around, I picked up the stack crate full of potions that I¡¯d been working on all morning and handed it off to Jason. He staggered under their weight, turning around to lay it on the counter of the shop. On the other side of it was one of our main customers for the stamina potions I¡¯d introduced to Jason¡¯s product line.


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    The crew manager at one of the dockside warehouses in Elderwyck.


    I briefly met his eyes, causing him to flash me a smile in greeting.


    Time to get some actual work done.


    Shuffling past Jason, I leaned against the counter and returned his smile. ¡°Simon, how¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know how it is, Hans,¡± He answered back, his own smile taking on a weary edge. ¡°Things are rough right now, with the way the bean pushers are driving us. I don¡¯t know how my boys could make it through these extra shifts, if we didn¡¯t have your new potions,¡± Simon said, picking up one of the mild stamina potions from its crate that I had finished not moments ago. He shook his head in wonder. ¡°Ain¡¯t ever seen something like this before. It¡¯s a right wonder it is, especially with how cheap they are.¡±


    When I¡¯d first started working in this shop, I had gone over the catalog that Jason had launched with. I think I was spoiled as far as my mystical education was going, considering I¡¯d thought what he offered was very limited. Apparently, things like stamina potions were only seen in much more expensive potion shops, and were typically unavailable to the common man. Jason had been shocked when I¡¯d offered to include them in the line-up


    See, Jason used to have a business partner that did all the brewing, only he had been poached with a better offer by a rival shop only a few months after opening. That had left Jason high and dry, and needing to rely on the weak swill that he could brew himself. His shop was conveniently located not far from the docks, so he used to get brisk business from the dockworkers. That changed when he had to do all the brewing himself. His shop had been failing before I came along.


    Not anymore.


    The dockworkers had returned with a vengeance, especially when it became known we were offering new stamina potions to help them get through shifts.


    And dockworkers talked.


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± I asked with plenty of real interest. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me more?¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, Jason,¡± I said to the neurotic shopkeep, shrugging on a thin coat I¡¯d bought for myself. I¡¯d finished the brewing needed for the day, and I was taking off at my usual time around midday. Since I was so much quicker at the process than other alchemists, it was only about an hour after lunchtime.


    ¡°A-ah¡­¡± Jason stuttered, looking up from his ledger with a timid smile. ¡°Have a good day, H-Hans.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t dare order me around more than he needed to. He knew very well how lucky he was to have found such an apparently skilled potion maker, when he¡¯d been on the verge of selling his failing business.


    I knew I was taking advantage of his desperation just a little, but it¡¯s not like the man wasn¡¯t benefiting from the arrangement. Still, I felt a little bad when I wondered what he was going to do when I was gone.


    Not like that was going to happen anytime soon, though.


    This was promising to be a long campaign.


    I was stopped at the door by Jason speaking again, though. ¡°Keep an e-eye out, though,¡± He said, causing me to look over my shoulder. The weaselly-looking man had a worried expression on his face. ¡°You n-never know when one of those a-attacks will hit.¡±


    I smiled thinly at him, amused on the inside. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be fine, Jason,¡± I told him. ¡°See you later.¡± With that, I turned around and walked out of the shop.


    I didn¡¯t have to worry about the ¡®attacks¡¯.


    After all, I was one of the people doing them.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    The outside air of Elderwyck was downright chilly this late in the year. Winter was in full swing. The sea of the harbor was starting to frost over some, which had certainly been one of the things that old Simon had complained to me about. The smell of frozen brine had settled over the entire city by now, and I didn¡¯t mind it at all.


    It reminded me of my days on the Thorny Reef.


    However, that wasn¡¯t the only thing in the air.


    Elderwyck was under an almost constant state of alert these days. Fear, uncertainty, and outrage were common on the lips of the people, and not all of that was the fault of the Nocturne Division. But¡­we were helping to stoke that fire.


    The Duke and his provincial government had been coming down hard on the populace of Elderwyck. Guards and Soldiers were far more common in the streets, and prone to harass anyone that even looked at them funny. Heavier taxes were being levied against businesses and workers, while food and supplies were becoming more scarce with the overland trade routes so hazardous. They weren¡¯t quite blocked off, but it was much harder to get an entry permit into Elderwyck these days than it had been.


    This city was a slow-burning powder keg of resentment and anxiety, with most of it being directed at the Duke. Apparently, it had been like this even before the Nocturne division had committed to bringing it down from the inside.


    Seems like Duke Olsen had been getting a tad paranoid, even before we¡¯d come along.


    We¡¯d only intensified that.


    Eventually, something was going to have to give in this city. And we were going to make sure it wasn¡¯t us.


    But that was for later.


    Right now, I was on my way to meet up with another essential part of my cover. A certain silvery fellow Agent that I was quite fond of.


    After a brief walk through the murmuring streets of Elderwyck, I arrived at her own cover. When I opened the door, a small bell rang above me from the motion, although the woman at the desk didn¡¯t look up from her book. I think her name was Glynda or something.


    We hadn¡¯t really talked.


    I took a look around briefly. This was another little shop, although it wasn¡¯t doing quite as badly as Jason¡¯s had been. Instead of potion-making, though, this was a stationary, bookbinding, and ink shop. The walls were lined with sheaves of parchment, glues, inks, and even a few finished books.


    Honestly, I thought my partner had lucked out with a better job than I had.


    ¡°Welcome to Elderwyck Stationary. How can I help-,¡± The woman started to say, finally looking up. She paused, though, when she saw that it was just me. I did my best to smile at her, although it didn¡¯t appear to do much. She just looked annoyed to see me. ¡°Ugh. Cynthia!¡± She shouted into the back of the shop. ¡°Your boy toy is here!¡±


    After that, the woman deliberately looked back down at her book and started to ignore me. A few moments later, I heard the sound of sandaled feet navigating the back rows of the shop, before ¡®Cynthia¡¯ appeared.


    Or rather, the disguised form of Sylvia under her human-seeming illusion.


    Since she¡¯d started working here, the hidden Sculpted woman had started to wear simple woolen dresses to blend in. Todays was grey with a green shawl thrown over her shoulders, while a plain white bandana kept her illusioned black hair out of her face. Smudges of ink dotted her face and hands from the hours of scribe work that I knew she must have been doing in the back.


    Still, she smiled at the sight of me.


    Glynda and ¡®Cynthia¡¯ ignored each other as she passed the front desk and linked arms with me. She didn¡¯t look back as we walked out the front door.


    ¡°She seems like a handful,¡± I said mildly, as we walked down the streets of Elderwyck, vaguely in the direction of the docks.


    Sylvia hummed, eventually shrugging. ¡°It¡¯s not an issue,¡± She said dismissively, before cutting her eyes my way and smiling, almost impishly. ¡°So, where are you taking me today, Mr. Alchemist?¡±


    I smiled back down at her. This was, in my mind, one of the most integral parts of my cover. After all, a bachelor could be looked at suspiciously, but a man with a girl he was courting?


    Well.


    People were inclined to think he had too much to risk by getting into any kind of sabotage. It didn¡¯t tend to cross their minds that the girl could be doing it as well. Not respectable craftspeople like us, anyway.


    That it let Sylvia and I get in some actual dates was only a side benefit.


    Totally.


    However, I was startled when Sylvia¡¯s grip on my arm suddenly tightened, as we drew closer to the docks.


    ¡°N-Hans,¡± She hissed at me, her eyes fixed on the water. ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡±


    Furrowing my brow at her tone, I followed her gaze and felt a bolt of lightning rush down my spine. I don¡¯t think I would ever forget the sight of that particular ship. It looked a little different, maybe cleaned up a bit. There looked to be a fresh coat of paint on its hull, as well.


    But I had only just been thinking of it earlier today.


    Floating in the harbor of Elderwyck was the Thorny Reef.


    Bella was here.

 Chapter 175 - Unexpected Reunions

    What the hell was she doing here?


    The last I had heard from Bella, she was sailing away from the docks at Sancthaven all those months ago. She had told me she was making for the blockade on the other side of the continent in order to link up with the Uprising fleet. There, she would be joining as what was essentially a privateer under the employ of Grey specifically.


    I had never heard anything else about her in that time, not even from Grey. I didn¡¯t have any experience in particular with the Naval portion of the Uprising, and my impression was that they mostly functioned autonomously due to the blockade.


    How had she ended up in Elderwyck? Was she here under orders or something?


    Hmm.


    Well, only one way to find out.


    ¡°C¡¯mon,¡± I murmured to Sylvia. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can find anyone we know.¡±


    Sylvia nodded faintly at my words, eyes still narrowed in the direction of the unexpected ship. Her arm clutched in mine, we casually strolled our way down towards the docks.


    Nothing suspicious to see here, just a young couple out on a date.


    We made our way onto an empty dock not far from the ship, doing our best to scope it out while pretending as if we were simply gazing at the ocean. Now that we had a closer look at the ship, I was sure it was the Reef. It had been disguised to a degree to more closely resemble a merchant¡¯s vessel, but I would recognize those sails anywhere.


    And¡­


    The crew that was unloading crates from its hold. I didn¡¯t see Bella yet, but I did see some familiar faces.


    Wait, shit.


    Yeah, that was Laryn alright. The jolly pirate looked a little different, wearing cleaner clothes and with longer hair. But for some reason, he was still missing an eye. Last he¡¯d told me, he was intending to get it grown back. He still had the same eyepatch on.


    My gaze met Sylvia¡¯s in mutual recognition.


    Now, what to do with this?


    ¡°Contact?¡± I whispered to Sylvia as quietly as I could, my lips barely moving.


    The disguised Sculpted woman considered the question for a moment, before nodding ever so slightly. ¡°Risk minimal,¡± She breathed in answer.


    Alright then. It was up to me, as I wasn¡¯t pretending to be an entirely different species like Sylvia was. Laryn might be able to recognize me.


    The next time he tromped down the ramp carrying a crate larger than himself, I sauntered up to him, leaving Sylvia behind on the pier. I approached him just as he was setting down the box.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be!¡± I said in a fake surprised tone. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in ages! What brings you to these waters?¡±


    Laryn straightened up in surprise at being directly addressed, turning to look at me. He stared at me blankly for a moment before his one good eye visibly widened in shocked recognition. ¡°Na-!¡± He started to exclaim, before catching himself at the last moment. ¡°Nice ta see ya, uh, man!¡± He corrected himself awkwardly. Nevertheless, he reached out and grabbed my hand, shaking it with very real enthusiasm. I gripped it in return, my smile taking on a genuine edge.


    Despite everything, it was nice to see him.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t heard anything about you or your Captain sailing in these waters,¡± I said, carefully trying to convey a message. ¡°Is she here with you?¡±


    Laryn nodded at my question, one eye darting about suspiciously. I nearly winced at how overt he was being. ¡°Aye, she is,¡± He said carefully. ¡°Ah, she¡¯s in the harbormaster¡¯s office right now, settlin¡¯ up wit¡¯ him. She should be along soon. We¡­can wait fer her, if ye¡¯d like?¡± He asked, before his gaze drifted over to the form of the disguised Sylvia waiting faux demurely at the other pier. ¡°Uh¡­she with you?¡±


    I met his eyes, smiling evenly. ¡°Oh, she is. I¡¯m not surprised you don¡¯t recognize her, considering how young she was last you met,¡± I said, making shit up on the spot. ¡°That¡¯s Cynthia, the daughter of our former employer.¡±


    Laryn¡¯s face lit up in recognition before he started nodding vigorously. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s little Cynthia!¡± He fake laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t even recognize the gel! C¡¯mere, you!¡± He said, waving Sylvia closer.


    When she had joined us, he pulled both Sylvia and I into a group hug that brought his mouth close to my ear. ¡°Name?¡± He muttered urgently.


    ¡°Hans,¡± I murmured back quickly.


    ¡°Gruber,¡± He returned. I resisted the urge to make a face at the fake name. That was the best he could come up with?


    ¡°Captain?¡± Sylvia whispered on his other side.


    ¡°Nicollette,¡± ¡®Gruber¡¯ said, before separating from us with a fake smile on his sea-weathered features.


    The entire exchange had taken only moments, so I don¡¯t think it had looked suspicious.


    Laryn spotted something over my shoulder, causing his eye to light up again. ¡°And there she is!¡± He said in a relieved tone. ¡°Captain must be done wit¡¯ the negotiations. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be happy ta see ya.¡±


    I turned around, expecting to see the same blue-coated rough and tumble pirate Captain I was so familiar with. But I paused when I did see her.


    Bella looked¡­different.


    Clearly in disguise herself, Captain ¡®Nicollette¡¯ looked far more¡­respectable than I remember her being. Instead of her coat and pirate leathers, she wore what looked like a sharp white and red naval outfit with a long coat waving in the sea breeze. She even had a clean tricorne hat on her head, complete with a bright white feather poking from the brim. The brass buttons on her outfit gleamed in the sunlight, while the cutlass at her side looked more presentable than I ever remembered it being.


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    She was striding in the direction of her ship, deep in apparent conversation with a portly-looking official. However, when her deep blue eyes looked up briefly, they settled first on Sylvia, and then stopped on me.


    She stopped in her tracks, blinking in open shock.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the sight, no matter where we were.


    Hello, Bella.


    Oh, excuse me.


    ¡®Nicollette.¡¯


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Thirty minutes of careful and nonchalant maneuvering later, Bella, Sylvia, and I managed to make our way to a familiar meeting room at the heart of the ship. Meanwhile, a woeful Laryn had been shooed away back to work by the disguised pirate Captain, while the three of us settled in on the Thorny Reef.


    Or rather, the ¡®Coral Squall¡¯.


    ¡°I think I like the old name better,¡± I said to Bella, accepting a glass of amber liquor from her. Taking a sip of it, I found it to be of remarkably better quality than the ¡®grog¡¯ they¡¯d tried to ply me with the last time I¡¯d been aboard.


    This actually tasted like something a living mortal should be drinking, for one.


    The four of us were sitting around a small side table in the room, catching up as best as we could in the limited time we had. Sylvia and I had somewhere to be, after all.


    ¡°Old name me skinny arse,¡± Bella said lightly, not taking any offense. ¡°It¡¯s just the name I¡¯m running the old girl under. Something the Bluebacks came up with. I¡¯m putting up with it fer now, but I ain¡¯t forgotten this ship''s roots.¡±


    ¡°Bluebacks¡­¡± I muttered, trying to remember if I¡¯d ever heard the name before. I think so? If I had, it had only been in passing.


    Sylvia made an amused noise after thanking Bella for her own cup of booze. ¡°A Naval Intelligence office that broke away from the Kingdom at the beginning of the war. They¡¯re¡­entirely separate from the Order, but allied with the Uprising.¡±


    Oh, I see. So, they weren¡¯t with us lowly Nocturnes then.


    ¡°An¡¯ there ain¡¯t many of them left,¡± Bella piped in. ¡°They¡¯ve pretty much hung up the ol¡¯ cloak and dagger in favor of the Admiral''s stripes, after sufferin¡¯ too many losses. They¡¯re runnin¡¯ the show down south when it comes ta Naval affairs these days, as most of the Royal Navy leadership stuck¡¯ wit¡¯ the Loyalists.¡± She laughed, throwing back her own glass of liquor and pouring another. ¡°I gotta say, it¡¯s damn strange ta be linkin¡¯ up with them. Time was, the Bluebacks were the ones huntin¡¯ pirates all up and down the coasts. Now, they¡¯ve been puttin¡¯ out a call of amnesty fer anyone that comes in and raises the flag of the Uprising, with promises of real positions after the war. And it¡¯s workin¡¯. I¡¯ve seen more than one familiar crew decide that they want ta go straight. Even some ships from Marrowmist.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said thoughtfully before something else occurred to me. ¡°Ah¡­what about McGill? Is he keeping to his promise and hitting the Loyalists too?¡±


    At that, Bella¡¯s mirth faded and her face affected a sour note. ¡°Aye,¡± She still affirmed. ¡°That dog kept ta his word. He even set up his own pirate port and stuck ta his damn fool name of ¡®Freefief¡¯. But he and his boys are raidin¡¯, I¡¯ll say that. I¡¯d almost say they¡¯re pissin¡¯ off the Loyalists more than the rest of us are, wit¡¯ the way he pretty much stole a major island from ¡®em. Bluebacks are happy about it, though. He¡¯s takin¡¯ plenty of pressure off of them, wit¡¯ his antics.¡±


    Sylvia set down her glass, drawing the attention of Bella. ¡°This is interesting news, Isabella,¡± Sylvia said, causing Bella to roll her eyes and mutter something about Grey. ¡°But¡­what are you doing here? I had no idea the ¡®Bluebacks¡¯ were operating in this area.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say the same, girlie,¡± Bella surprisingly said, face painted with a smirk. My eyebrows rose at that, causing Bella to amend her statement. ¡°Well, not you specifically. I mean the Order. The Bluebacks heard from someone up north that yer doin¡¯ somethin¡¯ here in Orc country, and wanted to show their support. What with how pleased they are that Whitegull set up a convenient pawn ta take attention away from them.¡±


    Is that how the Uprising Navy saw our actions at Caer Drarrow? As some kind of calculated plan to create a puppet force of pirates to assault the Loyalists?


    That was only, like, half true at best.


    ¡°So, they forged some false merchant''s papers, prettied up our ships, and sent a number of us out west ta see if we can support ya,¡± Bella said with a smile. ¡°I was meant ta see if I could scout this port out, and make contact wit¡¯ the Order forces on the ground. And¡­well, looky here,¡± She toasted the two of us. ¡°I seem ta have found two genu-wine members o¡¯ the Order.¡±


    Sylvia and I exchanged a look at that, before simultaneous smiles stole across our faces. ¡°You or me?¡± I asked my partner in more ways than one.


    ¡°You do it,¡± Sylvia said cheekily, relaxing into her chair. ¡°Let Isabella and I catch up, hm?¡± As Bella eyed the two of us curiously, I stood up from my chair and walked over to a nearby changing screen in the other corner of the room.


    I needed to try and maintain some of the Nocturne Division¡¯s secrets.


    Once out of sight I took out my communication coin and started flipping in sequences. With Headquarters finding out about the unexpected boon we¡¯d gotten from a far-flung branch of the Uprsing, they would let Hook know right away.


    And then he could scheme up a way for this to benefit our operations in the city.


    Speaking of¡­


    I stepped out from around the changing screen to find Bella and Sylvia almost huddled together on one side of the table. As I drew closer, for some reason Bella took one look at me and burst out laughing. Meanwhile, Sylvia had an almost embarrassed look on her still illusioned features.


    I blinked slowly at the odd interaction.


    I¡¯m¡­not sure I wanted to know.


    I cleared my throat. ¡°Ah¡­we should get going,¡± I said apologetically, to the both of them. ¡°The relevant parties have been informed of your offer, and you¡¯ll be contacted soon. In the meanwhile, the two of us have a prior engagement.¡±


    Sylvia nodded, standing up from her chair and composing herself. ¡°Isabella, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be seeing more of you soon,¡± She told the Captain with a smile.


    Bella just raised her glass at us in a salute. ¡°Count on it. I ain¡¯t gonna miss any o¡¯ this fer the world.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    A few hours later, Sylvia and I were somewhere entirely different.


    That being on a rooftop of a warehouse some distance into the harbor district of Elderwyck. We had changed out of our civilian cover clothes and, quite conspicuously and deliberately, into Nocturne Division Order armor. Our respective masks were donning our faces, while concealing hoods had been drawn up over our heads. Sylvia¡¯s familiar black and white one was concealing her once again Mithril features, while my previously blank mask had finally been painted for this operation.


    I had settled on a dulled porcelain white surface with a crimson impression of a noose on the front. The long end of it started at my forehead, with the open portion of the stylized rope falling vertically through the eye holes of the mask. The bottom portion of it curled around in front of where my mouth should be, almost giving the impression of a bloody grin.


    Without a word, a similarly garbed Dusk melted out of the shadows to our left, coming to stand with us.


    We stood there silently for a moment, letting the now night air blow across our cloaked forms as we gazed out at dockyards. Below us, we could see the graveyard shift of the dockworkers hustling and bustling about their business, illuminated by lamplight.


    Dusk broke the silence. ¡°Ready?¡± She said shortly, to our accompanying nods. The Gnoll Agent stepped past us, dropping out of sight to the darkened alleyway below in an instant. Sylvia followed her, but I paused for a moment.


    A shift in the wind had caught my attention.


    Holding out an open hand, I stared at my palm as a single white snowflake settled into the leather of my gloves. Looking up, I beheld countless others drifting downwards to settle onto any flat surface they could find.


    Ah.


    I see.


    Winter really had come to Vereden.


    I shook off the odd feeling and stepped forward off the rooftop, falling to join the others.


    Time to get to work.

 Chapter 176 - Searching the Horizon

    We each split up not long after, engaging our individual stealth Skills as we did so. This wasn¡¯t a group mission, per se, despite our meeting up before starting.


    We were all just acting in the same area for backup purposes. We each had our own objectives tonight.


    Mine?


    Well, I had something to retrieve.


    Thorn Cloak may not have been intended for use within urban environments, but I¡¯d notice that it did well enough. According to my companions, the effect was as if I was blending in slightly to the background, and they had to specifically focus on me in order to notice on my form.


    Besides, I had more than just an active Skill to rely on these days. I had my Talent¡¯s, and my own well-practiced abilities in stealth and infiltration.


    More than enough to fool city guards and Loyalist foot soldiers.


    I watched from the shadows as one of the designated Elderwyckian city guards patrolled past my hiding spot, not ten feet away from me. I was crouched behind a tall stack of wooden crates a distance inside of the administration portion of the harbor district. This was the area where most of the ledgers and accounts were taken care of. It was a surprisingly large and gaudy complex that I had heard more than one dockworker complain about. A common gripe was, why did a bunch of middle managers need bespoke mahogany desks and gold fittings review delivery manifests?


    In particular, one Simon Smidt of Horizon Shipping from earlier in the day had a tendency to moan about them. That man had surprisingly loose lips, and was more than willing to bitch to anyone that would listen.


    I¡¯d gotten quite a bit of interesting info from the guy, over the last week.


    The guard not far from me was well inside the distance I could strike from, but I stayed my hand. This wasn¡¯t because I had any particular qualms anymore about eliminating enemy combatants, no. It was because the standing orders for Nocturne Agents operating inside Elderwyck were to stay your hand with the guards.


    There had been a big meeting about it and everything.


    Hook had told us the goal wasn¡¯t to completely destabilize the city itself. Our mission was to cripple and bring down the Loyalist infrastructure from the inside, through acts of sabotage and even assassination. There was to be a clear delineation for our purposes between acceptable targets for discrete disposal. The city guards of Elderwyck were, by and large, recruited from the citizenry of the actual city. While they may have been placed under the command of the local Loyalist commander, we were deliberately not targeting them.


    We didn¡¯t want to turn the city itself against us by killing their sons and daughters.


    But the Loyalist soldiers themselves¡­


    Well.


    Hook had outright told us to take any chance we could, as long as it didn¡¯t compromise or place us in danger.


    And by and large, my fellow Agents were following that order.


    This hadn¡¯t gone unnoticed, by either faction.


    It was quite clear to see the different reactions between them. While most of the city guards I had seen over the last few days were wary, they weren¡¯t particularly concerned about being dragged into a dark alley and murdered. They simply went about their business with wary, watchful eyes.


    It¡¯s funny, I had heard from another Agent that this had an unintended, if welcome side effect. In the rare cases that a lone guard came upon an Agent on a mission, they were deliberately turning away and acting as if they hadn¡¯t seen us. The guard force had noticed how we weren¡¯t targeting them and were responding accordingly. I got the feeling there wasn¡¯t any love lost between the two factions from the almost tacit acceptance of our tactics.


    However, the Loyalist soldiers were a different story.


    Every single one of them ordered to supplement the guard force was downright paranoid. Their eyes darted about trying to plumb the depths of every shadow in the night, while sweat was visible on their foreheads, even in the freezing temperatures. They kept a tight grip on their weapons at all times, their bodies held in coiled positions ready to strike at any moment.


    In fact, here came one right now. A lone Loyalist soldier was trailing not far behind the city guard that had passed my position, eyes darting about furtively and jumping at every shadow. Stupidly, he had strayed from the path and had started rooting around in an alleyway across from my position, as if he would find a saboteur among the garbage.


    I eyed him coldly for a moment, contemplating.


    In a split-second decision, I decided to go for it.


    I raised one hand, pointed at him, and cast a skill that had seen a decent bit of use in the last week.


    Shadow Thorn.


    Unseen, unheard, the shadows in the alleyway across from me thickened behind the guard. From their inky black depths, a deadly spiked thorn rose upon a crimson red vine, swaying in a serpentine manner. Before the guard could even react, the thorn speared forward.


    And tore through his throat from behind, severing his spine as it did so. His poorly made armor wasn¡¯t able to stop the Skill from delivering the strike at all.


    The only noise the Loyalist soldier was able to make a brief gurgle before he fell forever silent.


    I canceled the skill, thorn rapidly retreating from the throat of the soldier and back into the pool of shadow before dissipating. The Loyalist corpse fell backward with a clang upon the cobblestones of the dockyard, the noise rattling up and out of the alleyway.


    Ah.


    I hadn¡¯t intended for that noise.


    It appeared to have alerted the city guard who had passed me not long ago. He turned around at the sound with curious eyes. I think he was expecting the guard he had to have known following him to greet his gaze. Maybe he thought the incautious soldier had fallen over or something.


    Instead, the only thing that met his eyes was an empty street, wind whistling between its walls.


    The guard visibly tensed for a moment, before I saw him deliberately turn around and keep walking. I noticed that his shoulders were held stiffer than they had been, however.


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    Oh, he knew what had just happened.


    I¡¯d bet on it.


    I shook it off and aimed another hand at a nearby rooftop, casting Thorn Grapple as I did so. As I flew through the air to land on the shingles of the roof, I spared a thought for possibly disposing of the corpse of the soldier I¡¯d taken out.


    I decided against it.


    They¡¯d find him in the morning, I¡¯m sure. The snow would preserve his corpse.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    This was the place, I was sure of it.


    Below me were the offices of Horizon shipping, the merchant company I had been ordered to go and rob. According to Hook, Duke Olsen had a major controlling stake in this particular outfit. While they were far, far from being his only source of income from which he was helping bankroll the Loyalist cause, they were a major contributor. Horizon was one of the original three companies that Olsen had founded to claw his way up from the very bottom.


    Which had been a bit of a shock to me.


    Duke Quentin Olsen hadn¡¯t been born a noble. Olsen was even his original name. No, instead, he had amassed such a ridiculous fortune that he had bought himself a noble title. Then, he had wooed the daughter of the previous Duke Olsen, married her, taken her name, and began ruling Elderwyck. You would think his lowly origins engendered a bit of sympathy for the plight of the common man in him.


    You¡¯d be dead wrong.


    But I didn¡¯t have time for such thoughts.


    I needed to get inside this gaudy office. It was decently well guarded, from what I could see. I¡¯d counted six guards so far, all of them from among the city forces. That meant I had to go in quiet, instead of taking them out one by one.


    Normally I¡¯d say this was a bit tricky, but, well¡­


    The guards were slacking. The unexpected snowfall had seen most of them retreating to a small guardhouse to huddle around a fireplace. They had left only a pair of shivering, miserable guards to watch the front and back entrances of the office.


    That just wasn¡¯t enough.


    However, I had no plans to go through either of those poor shivering saps. You see, I¡¯d noticed something during my work as a Nocturne Agent.


    People didn¡¯t tend to think vertically. This led to them periodically forgetting to properly secure any potential entrances not on the ground floor. Not that this building had a proper door up here on the roof or something.


    But it did have plenty of windows. And whaddya know, the lock was weak on one of them. I barely had to jimmy it a few times before the fragile piece of metal bent under my urging. Once it was open, I gripped the lip of the roof and swung myself inside silently, landing on plush carpet. Slowly easing the window closed, I allowed myself a brief smirk.


    Well, that had been easy.


    Infiltration complete.


    Looking around, I saw that I was in some kind of medieval looking cubicle farm. There were partitioned scribe desks all around me, all of them thankfully bereft of their owners. Good. I¡¯d hoped I wouldn¡¯t run into any late-night workers. I didn¡¯t have to worry about running into anyone else in here. None of the guards were even inside. I think they were forbidden from entering the premises after hours.


    But I wasn¡¯t where I needed to be. I might be on the right floor, but I wasn¡¯t going to find any important documents in the desk of a scribe. No, it would be in the offices of more important Horizon employees. This floor did have its own closed-door rooms used by the higher-ups. Some were meeting rooms, as I found out peering through windows.


    But the majority seemed to be personalized.


    However, I wasn¡¯t looking for the office of some overpaid, likely corrupt middle manager.


    I needed to find the personal office of Karl Eisenhorn, the owner of Horizon Shipping. By far the most corrupt of them all.


    Eisenhorn was a boyhood friend of the Duke, from before he had bought his noble title. To reward Karl¡¯s loyalty as a leg breaker all those years, Quentin Olsen had elevated the man to the owner of one of his original shipping companies. However, there was a problem.


    The man was a complete buffoon. He spread and flaunted his newfound wealth all over the place, caring little for either personal Statusial advancement or anything beyond his newfound hedonism. It made him careless.


    Careless to the degree that he should be keeping incriminating documents in his own office, according to our intelligence.


    Surprisingly, I didn¡¯t find his office on this floor, even though I''d thought it was the top one. What I did find was a spiral staircase that seemed to lead upward to a detached floor above.


    I frowned, annoyed with myself. Looks like I hadn¡¯t scouted the place well enough that I couldn¡¯t tell there was another level. I¡¯d wasted precious time inside on a fruitless search when I didn¡¯t have to.


    I promised myself I¡¯d do better, next time.


    I climbed the stairs, to find an even more lavish waiting area in front of a gaudy set of double doors. Rich, plush red carpet filled the entire small floor from wall to wall. A small desk that looked like it could belong to a receptionist thankfully sat empty. I didn¡¯t bother checking it, instead advancing on the double doors. Trying the handle, I found them locked. This one I couldn¡¯t easily brute force, like I had the window.


    Oh well, time to call the whole thing off.


    Not.


    I took out my lockpicking toolkit and kneeled down in front of the doors, getting to work.


    You know, for such a wealthy man, it looked like Eisenhorn had skimped on his locks. I had it open in moments.


    Getting to my feet, I carefully opened the doors. On the other side I found an office that was so flashy, so garish, and so uselessly ostentatious that I was momentarily reminded of Magnus¡¯s mansion back in Addersfield. I shook it off, though, stalking inside and looking around.


    Best place to start was probably the desk, I decided.


    Approaching the unnecessarily large, nearly room-spanning desk, I started rifling through its draws. Unsurprisingly considering Eisenhorn¡¯s reputation, I only found¡­


    Bottles of booze, and what looked like packets of illicit drugs.


    I helped myself to one of the bottles of high-quality booze, slipping it into my pouch.


    Better me than you, fuckface.


    Still, that left me with having to search the rest of the office. I didn¡¯t want to return to the temporary Nocturne base inside the walls of Elderwyck with nothing to show for my mission. I just know Hook would give me one of those looks of his.


    Wisp would probably make fun of me too. I''d spoken to the other Agent a few times over the past week, when our paths crossed.


    We''d almost struck up an impromptu friendship.


    Standing in the middle of the office, I slowly turned in place, examining it as I did so. I paused when my eyes set on a large portrait of what must be Karl Eisenhorn, a heavy set, square jawed brute of a man. Once upon a time, he would have probably passed as formidable-looking. Now he just looked like an old boxer long gone to seed, to me, all dressed up in frippery that didn¡¯t suit him at all.


    At the very least, the painting was well done.


    But¡­


    It couldn¡¯t be that simple, could it? Maybe it was. I had to remind myself that what seemed clich¨¦ to me was probably thought of as clever by the people of Vereden. They didn¡¯t have the easy access to media and stories like I had, growing up back on Earth.


    Oh, what the hell.


    I approached the large portrait hung on the wall and lifted a corner, looking behind it.


    I resisted the urge to cackle at what I found.


    Sure enough, there was what looked to be a safe set into the wall behind the portrait. I bet this was where old Eisenhorn was keeping his dirt on his long-time friend, the gigantic dumbass.


    I removed the portrait from the wall and set it on the ground, fully exposing the safe.


    I eyed it for a moment in thought.


    Safes were a different matter from simple locks. I wasn¡¯t actually confident in my ability to crack something like this. My lessons as an Agent had yet to reach that point.


    Good thing Hook had told me it was fine if I was a little overt.


    I raised my hand and pointed at the safe, triggering Poisonthorn Shot. The sizzlingly poisonous crimson thorn shot from my palm and lodged itself in the surface of the safe, corroding the locking mechanism shortly. When I tried to open it after letting it work, the entire door fell off altogether.


    I managed to catch it at the last moment before it hit the floor. I breathed a sigh of relief at the close call. I don¡¯t know if that noise would have brought the guards, but better safe than sorry.


    Setting it down gently, I took a look in the safe and smirked at what I found. Inside were stacks and stacks of parchment, scrolls, and even what looked to be gems and gold.


    Jackpot.


    In more ways than one.


    The Division could always use some extra funding in hostile territory, after all.


    Taking out a sack I had brought along for just this purpose, I scooped everything inside.


    Time to get out of here.


    Turning to leave, I paused when my eyes fell on the portrait still leaning against the wall.


    I wonder how much Eisenhorn would panic when he found that his stash had been looted.


    Sucks to be you, asshole.


    I turned and left his office, quickly retracing my steps to the window I had entered from. Climbing back on the roof, I found that the guards had hardly moved from their positions while I was inside. Not even the couple shivering in the snow at the entrances had heard anything.


    With one final glance to check that the coast was clear, I left the office behind and started making my way back to the Nocturne safehouse.


    I¡¯m sure Hook and the analysts back at HQ would find all this stuff very interesting.


    Mission accomplished.

 Chapter 177 - Surprise Visit

    I stood at attention in front of Hook¡¯s desk in the main Nocturne Division safehouse here in Elderwyck as much as decorum demanded I did.


    Which was, considering the average Agent, not very much.


    We were essentially in a small sub-basement underneath a local business that had been converted for our needs. Hook may have told me awhile ago that the Division had safe houses set up all over the country for their use, but I¡¯d discovered that not all of them were quite as impressive as the current HQ set up just outside of Helstein. In this particular case, we were using one that had been set up underneath a butcher¡¯s shop. Naturally, none of our currently active Agents were using it as a cover of their own in the same way I was using Jason¡¯s Magical Brews.


    Turns out, the saying ¡®don¡¯t shit where you eat¡¯ was just as valid in Vereden.


    Hook had mostly ignored the gold and jewels I¡¯d brought in from Eisenhorn¡¯s personal safe, only giving them a passing glance of disinterest before setting them aside. But he had been very interested in the documents I had procured.


    Very interested indeed.


    I¡¯d been standing in front of his desk now for nearly ten minutes as the dwarven commander poured over the scrolls and parchment intently. The handful of other Agents that were down here in this little basement with us were trying not to seem like they were interested as well, but not very hard. I caught more than one of them ¡®surreptitiously¡¯ wandering behind our boss in order to get a brief look of their own.


    Oh look, there Wisp went.


    Again.


    I couldn¡¯t help but fix the middle-aged, brown-haired woman with a deadpan stare as she passed by. She just smirked her unmasked lips and shrugged slightly at me, before wandering over to join the huddle of other Agents.


    None of which were either Dusk or Sylvia, I¡¯d noticed. Dusk had already completed her mission before I¡¯d come in, which had been expected. She hadn¡¯t stuck around for any socializing, which was something I was starting to suspect was common with her. Sylvia had also finished before me, but my partner had decided to wait upstairs.


    Well, if Hook was going to keep me waiting, I might as well get something out of this.


    I called up my Status to check if I¡¯d gotten anything out of my nights work. I¡¯d taken out that soldier early in the night, after all.


    I clucked my tongue at what I found, drawing curious looks from the other Agents. Not Hook, though. He didn¡¯t care and just kept looking at the documents I¡¯d brought him.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Name: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">Nathaniel Eugene Hart</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Titles: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">Unbound Liberator</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Level: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">84</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Age: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">24 Sol</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Race: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">Human (Precursor)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Affinity: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">Terrestrial</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Classes: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">Thornblade Acolyte (Uncommon)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Professions: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">Aetherial Melding</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Health: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">930/930</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Stamina: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">91/100</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Vitality: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">93</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Strength: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">50</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Spirit: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Dexterity: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">176</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Perception: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">93</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Intelligence: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">239</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Wisdom: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">239</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Free Points: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">0</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.54819%">Options: </td>


    <td style="width: 92.4477%">[Talent Page], [Skill Page], [Profession Page]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nothing.


    Currently, I was level eighty-four. Since I¡¯d started operating within the walls of Elderwyck I¡¯d gained three levels both from all the crafting I was doing, and the few targets of opportunity among the Loyalists I¡¯d targeted. Mostly the crafting, I had to admit. I wasn¡¯t going super murder crazy on taking out Loyalist soldiers, like some of the other Agents.


    That was way, way less than I¡¯d thought I had thought I would get, after our adventures in the catacombs that de facto belonged to Tlazo. I must have personally killed well over four dozen of those wild undead, but¡­


    I had been highly irritated to discover that apparently, Undead didn¡¯t grant any level Aether.


    At all.


    Zip, zilch, nada.


    This was apparently one of the primary reasons people hated dealing with the walking corpses. They were both incredibly deadly in large numbers, and there was zero benefit to actually fighting and clearing them out. Even wild-spawned Undead didn¡¯t provide any level progress, much less the purpose animated kinds created by Necromancers. According to what Tlazo had mentioned, they possessed something called ¡®Death Aether¡¯, but it didn¡¯t seem like that was something that normal, living mortals could harness. Not like a Lich could ostensibly use.


    Whatever the hell ''Death Aether'' actually was, anyway.


    I was broken out of my wandering thoughts by Hook looking up from his inspection and off to the side. ¡°Stem,¡± He said, waving one of the other Agents forward. ¡°Go and transmit this to HQ while I debrief Hangman,¡± He ordered, handing off the documents to the leaf-masked human. He nodded lazily, before sauntering over to the corner of the basement where we had set up a coin transmission station. Hook had donated his prototype two-way communication coin to make the apparatus work. Looking at it, I was reminded a little of an old timey telegram station from back on Earth.


    ¡°Anything interesting?¡± I asked Hook, once he was gone.


    He tilted his head back and forth for a moment. ¡°Plenty, I¡¯d say. Some of it was expected, considering the profile of the target. Some of it¡­decidedly not so.¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I crossed my arms. ¡°So, he did have dirt on Olsen?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Hook said, waving a hand disinterestedly. ¡°Quite a bit of what you¡¯d expect from these noble types. Illicit affairs, shady dealings, gold and expensive objects that mysteriously ¡®vanish¡¯ into the coffers of the already wealthy. Nothing I haven¡¯t seen a million times before. Useful, but mundane for this type of work.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost disappointed,¡± Wisp said, wandering back up and blatantly butting in. She didn¡¯t care about the irritated look Hook fixed her with, just smiling cheekily at our boss. ¡°Olsen was supposed to be this mercantile mastermind, only it turns out he¡¯s the same as the rest of them? How positively droll,¡± She said, in a mockingly posh voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate him,¡± Hook said, surprisingly sharply. Wisp and I were both visibly taken aback by the strength of his tone. ¡°I said that only most of it was expected. There were hints of¡­something else in those papers that I need to consider further. Not only that, but I just can¡¯t parse parts of this. Considering Olsen, I can¡¯t be sure if they were false trails or not. He could just be using Eisenhorn to throw us off the scent. I¡­¡± He abruptly shook his head. ¡°Out, all of you. The operations desk is closed for the night.¡± When everyone in the basement just stood around for a moment, shocked at the sudden dismissal, he actually growled at us. ¡°Did you not hear me, Agents? I said get going!¡±


    We all took the hint and started filing out of the basement, one by one. I shot a somewhat concerned look over my shoulder before the door closed behind me.


    My last glimpse of Hook was of the dwarf bent over his desk and frantically scribbling something.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Sylvia was visibly startled at the sight of everyone in the basement but Hook filing out one by one. We weren¡¯t leaving the butcher¡¯s shop the same way, of course. We weren¡¯t complete amateurs at this business. A decent contingent of the Agents were lingering in the backrooms while they waited for their turn to depart for their covers.


    Sylvia and I left first, as we had an easy excuse to be doing so. ¡°Night, Fred,¡± I murmured to the owner of the shop, still manning the counter after hours. The quiet, bald-headed man just nodded in acknowledgment to me before returning to sharpening his knives.


    The streets of Elderwyck were mostly barren at this time of night. It was so late at this point that it was almost morning. The only real activity I spotted was the occasional shopkeep prepping for the start of business. I expected Tarus to start peeking over the horizon any minute at this point, signaling the start of the day with the green period. Normally, pulling an all-nighter like this wouldn¡¯t be an issue for me, since I¡¯d started getting up in levels. But I¡¯d done a few of these in a row by now and was feeling a bit burnt out. I was likely going to need to throw back one of my own stamina potions when I clocked in at Jason¡¯s.


    Sylvia seemed to notice that something was bothering me, but didn¡¯t say anything out in the open. After the night¡¯s escapades, it appeared that the guards and the Loyalist soldiers supporting them were on edge. The two of us were stopped multiple times on the way back to the small flat we were cohabitating in as part of our cover. Surprisingly, it had been easy to get it, with the resources and pull that the Division seemed to have in this city. A bit impressive, considering how packed full the city was right now, with the war and all.


    Once we had stepped into the mostly barren, one-room domicile and closed the door, Sylvia turned to me with an inquisitive look.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She asked me quietly, as the waning light of Elys streamed in through the window.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I said with a furrowed brow before pausing. I fixed the disguised Sculpted woman at my side with a worried gaze. ¡°Has Hook seemed¡­off to you?¡± At her curious look, I elaborated. ¡°I mean, since we got into the city.¡±


    Sylvia was quiet for a moment. ¡°Perhaps a little,¡± She reluctantly admitted. ¡°But I cannot pretend to know him very well. These weeks of traveling have been the longest amount of time I¡¯ve spent in his company.¡±


    I nodded slowly. ¡°Something¡¯s bothering him,¡± I said lowly. ¡°And I think I can guess what. Do you remember what Tlazo said, just before we left?¡±


    ¡°Something about¡­there being more to the War than we thought?¡± Sylvia asked slowly.


    ¡°Right, that,¡± I nodded. ¡°I think Hook took that very seriously and is trying to figure out what the old bag of bones meant by it.¡±


    ¡°But, what can he possibly do about it now?¡± Sylvia said, baffled. ¡°The warning was so cryptic that I cannot possibly guess by what it was referencing.¡±


    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know,¡± I said helplessly, reaching up to massage my forehead. I was already starting to feel the beginnings of an exhaustion headache coming on. I approached one of the few cabinets we had in the flat and pulled out one of my stamina potions. I slammed it back, and then turned to face my Sculpted partner.


    I¡¯d had a thought.


    ¡°Should we ask Dusk if she has an idea?¡±


    Sylvia looked taken aback momentarily. I didn¡¯t blame her for the reaction. The two of us didn¡¯t actually see Dusk very often, since we¡¯d started operating inside the walls. The Gnoll woman apparently had her own, super secret, super important mission that required her near full attention. Last night had been an exception when she had met up with us, and the first time I¡¯d seen her in days.


    ¡°Possibly?¡± Sylvia said unsurely. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten the impression that Hook and Dusk know each other on a deeper level than commander and Agent. Not in an¡­¡± She paused for a moment, before continuing. ¡°Inappropriate way, of course.¡±


    ¡°Right, yeah. More like¡­you and Grey,¡± I nodded.


    Sylvia smiled slightly at the mention of her father before it faded. ¡°Yes, but Nathan? I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s any of our business,¡± She said bluntly. At my taken-aback expression, she approached and grabbed my leather-gloved golden hand, rubbing its knuckles. I¡¯d noticed that she had a tendency to reach for that one, whenever she wanted to comfort me. ¡°We¡¯re¡­not that important, Nathan. Right now, we¡¯re just two out of over a dozen different Agents in the city. Beyond anything about what and who we are, right now we have an obligation to focus solely on our orders. It¡¯s not our job to try and solve every possible problem plaguing Hook. Yes, he¡¯s probably troubled by Tlazo¡¯s warning. But he¡¯s the commander of the Nocturne Division for a reason. The Order trusts him to decipher the truths of such vagaries.¡±


    She¡­was right. Sometimes, I got so caught up in the whole Precursor thing and made it out to be more than it was, in my head. I¡­occasionally had to fight thoughts about how I was a hero or some such nonsense, and it was my job to right all the wrongs around me.


    But I wasn¡¯t.


    I was just some guy, embroiled in a war that I wasn¡¯t really strong enough to meaningfully influence.


    I took a deep breath and did my best to compartmentalize my worries. With Ringed Mind, I was probably better at that than most people. I nodded to show my understanding. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I said, doing my best to smile at her. The window caught my eye, as the light streaming through it had changed. It was green now, signaling the start of the day. ¡°We need to get going,¡± I said to Sylvia. ¡°Time for another day of gainful employment.¡±


    Sylvia searched my expression for a moment, before nodding. She stood up on her toes for a moment before brushing her lips on my stubbly cheeks in a brief kiss. I returned it, my lips ghosting over her disguised skin. Her illusion was thorough enough that it actually felt like flesh.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Sylvia said quietly, smiling and brushing a lock of false black hair behind her ear. ¡°Perhaps we can have lunch together, later? I noticed a bistro that drew my attention.¡±


    As we stepped back out of the small flat, I smiled at her. ¡°Yeah, that sounds good. Later, then.¡± I told Sylvia before we separated off to go to our covers.


    Still, as she walked away, I realized that my feelings of unease hadn¡¯t gone away. They were still floating around, in the back of my rings.


    I tried to put it out of my mind as I neared Jason¡¯s shop.


    I was distracted enough that I didn¡¯t notice there was someone in there with the owner before I stepped inside, even though the shop hadn¡¯t opened yet.


    A woman was sitting on the stool across from the squirrely little man. A very well-dressed, very out-of-place one. Jason looked from his conversation with her and perked up. ¡°Ah! Hans!¡± He waved at me enthusiastically as I stopped in place. At the sight of the woman, a sense of unease crawled down my spine.


    What was going on here? Jason was single. A serial bachelor, you could even say.


    ¡°Your f-friend here was just telling me some old s-stories, while we waited!¡± Jason said, with a surprisingly deep laugh from such a small man. ¡°I don¡¯t know where you two m-met, but Miss Rhiannon is a riot!¡±


    Rhiannon?


    Who the hell was Rhiannon?


    The woman finally turned around to face me. She smiled, her deep burgundy eyes crinkling slightly. ¡°Hello¡­Hans,¡± She nearly purred.


    ¡°How nice to see you again.¡±

 Chapter 178 - Rhiannon

    I didn¡¯t know anyone named Rhiannon. And I had definitely never met this woman in my life, no matter what she said.


    I would have remembered her.


    If this woman wasn¡¯t associated with the nobility in some way, I would eat my mask. She was gorgeous, in a dangerous kind of way. Impeccably dressed in silks and furs suited to the frozen, snow-covered streets, she was wearing a deep black and red gown that stood out quite a bit in the shabby confines of Jason¡¯s shop. Long, pitch-black hair fell around her sharp, pale features in curls and ringlets. They framed her burgundy eyes, watching me with a patient amusement in the moments after she spoke.


    She knew that she¡¯d caught me off guard.


    Was this woman with SED? Had I been made by a Loyalist spy?


    Nobody in the Nocturne division had had any run-ins, combative or otherwise, with anyone in our counterparts among the Loyalists. This was despite the fact that we¡¯d been running all up and down these streets on our missions. You would think we¡¯d get some kind of pushback from the group that was meant to rival us, but no. The assault on the safe house outside of the city was supposed to have been from them, according to Dusk. But nobody in the Division had seen hide or hair of anyone in SED.


    There had been some uneasy rumblings among the ground forces at this silence.


    Was this the start of their counterattack? Was I their first target?


    But¡­why approach me in this manner, if she was here for my head? The woman, this¡­¡®Rhiannon¡¯, hadn¡¯t made an antagonistic move once since I¡¯d entered the shop.


    What the hell was this?


    Time sped up, my overactive brain having slowed my perception from the adrenaline pumping through my veins.


    Only moments had passed since she had spoken.


    I laughed as convincingly as I could, fully stepping into the shop. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time,¡± I said, doing my best to smile at the woman. My eyes flickered up to meet Jason¡¯s, who hadn¡¯t noticed a thing wrong. I couldn''t involve him in this. ¡°Jason, do you mind if¡­Rhiannon and I catch up in the back room? I¡¯ll get started on the potions when we¡¯re done. I¡¯m¡­¡± I paused for only a heartbeat. ¡°Sure it won¡¯t take long.¡±


    One way, or the other.


    Jason smiled at me obliviously. ¡°S-sure, Hans! I don¡¯t mind. And don¡¯t worry about the b-brewing. We¡¯ve still got q-quite the backlog to run through.¡± Having said that, he slid the key to the backroom of the shop across the counter to me.


    Palming it, I turned back to face the woman, my friendly fa?ade falling away. Eyeing the woman flatly for a moment, I jerked my head in a motion towards the door in the back, but didn¡¯t move yet.


    I didn¡¯t want this woman behind me.


    She took the hint, sliding off of her chair languidly to her full height. I know it shouldn¡¯t bother me, but I was slightly disturbed to see that she was taller than I was. You didn¡¯t often see human women that were over six feet tall like her.


    ¡°Thank you, Jason,¡± She said to the shopkeep kindly, who blushed at her regard. ¡°Like Hans said¡­we won¡¯t be long.¡± At that, she sauntered off to wait patiently for me in front of the door, while Jason tried to stutter out an answer. He didn¡¯t manage it before she left his sight, causing him to slump slightly in place.


    I patted him on the shoulder as I passed, keeping my eyes locked with ¡®Rhiannon¡¯ as I approached her. Making sure my posture was slightly facing hers to try and minimize the risk, I cautiously unlocked the door. The strange woman slipped inside once the door had been opened, throwing me a smirk over her shoulder as she did. I stoically stepped in after her, making sure to close the door.


    I locked it behind me.


    Inside, ¡®Rhiannon¡¯ was bent over, inspecting the crates of ingredients that Jason had stocked here in the backrooms. She tsked. ¡°Such poor materials to work with, ¡®Hans¡¯,¡± She said, almost teasingly. She stood up, shaking her head. ¡°However do you make do¡­?¡± She trailed off, growing unnaturally still.


    Because I had a dagger at her throat.


    While she had been examining the boxes, I had slipped up behind her, drawing one of the concealed weapons I had on my person. The blue-black of my Oninite dagger glinted dangerously in the dim morning light streaming in through the back window.


    I leaned up towards her ear. ¡°Who are you?¡± I hissed. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    The life returned to Rhianon¡¯s body, her muscles untensing now that she knew I wasn¡¯t going to immediately slit her throat. Still, she didn¡¯t test me by trying to get away.


    I¡¯m not sure what I would have done.


    Instead, she surprised me.


    She trailed one long, manicured finger along the length of the blade at her throat. She made an interested noise when she was finished. ¡°Oninite,¡± She said in wonder. ¡°My my, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ve ever seen a blade forged entirely from it. The metal is so notoriously difficult to work with. Wherever did you get it? Is it, perhaps, something of your own creation¡­Mr. Hart?¡±


    I shook off the bafflement I¡¯d felt at her fingering the dagger nearly pricking her carotid artery, and tensed up when she used my name.


    She definitely knew my name.


    I brought the dagger close enough to touch her skin. ¡°Answer the question!¡± I barked, being careful not to let Jason hear us.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for this, Mr. Hart,¡± She said calmly. ¡°I promise you, I¡¯m not here to report you to the authorities. Instead, I¡¯m here to thank you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I said in a baffled tone, momentarily letting my guard down in confusion.


    That was all she needed.


    Faster than I could react, in a way that I hadn¡¯t experienced in months and months, ¡®Rhiannon¡¯ turned the tables on me. She slipped out of my arms, stealing my own dagger from my hands and sliding behind me. Before I knew what was even happening, I felt the very weapon I had forged with Aetherial Melding resting on my own throat.


    I froze, not daring to turn my head. The woman leaned in to my ear, close enough that I could feel her breath on it.


    I shuddered, my heart thundering in my chest.


    ¡°There¡­¡± She whispered in my ear. ¡°Not so pleasant, now is it?¡± Abruptly, the blade withdrew, and I was shoved forward lightly. I stumbled forward from the unexpected blow, finding my feet moments later. I spun to face her, only to find the woman not even looking at me anymore.


    Instead, she was contemplating my blade.


    ¡°Do you know,¡± She said suddenly, twisting the blade back and forth. ¡°Where the name for this metal comes from? It¡¯s from Kawamara. There¡¯s a particular breed of Monster that spawns in that archipelago known as the Oni. They¡¯re a tricky sort, the Oni, a true study in contrasts. When they¡¯re young and weak, the Oni stalk the rice fields as little more than bothersome Goblinoid creatures. They ambush particularly unwary laborers and drag them into the shadows so they can feast on their blood and Aether, leaving behind little but dried-out husks. A nuisance to be sure, but only really a threat to the young and elderly. Now, when they¡¯re older, and have their own semblance of intelligence? Then, they truly become a force to be reckoned with.¡±


    I stayed silent as the odd woman lectured me about the metal of my dagger, of all things.


    She flipped the blade until the point was balanced upon the tip of her finger. ¡°At that point, they gain a staggeringly powerful control of lightning and thunder. Fulminokinesis, if you will,¡± She chuckled, slyly meeting my eyes. There was an intense look in her own. ¡°It¡¯s a near national emergency when that happens. There are dedicated Oni hunting squads that make sure this never come to pass. Once mature, though, they rage across the islands, striking everything within their sight and veritably gorging themselves on the Aether of the innocent. Oni, you see, are one of the rare few types of monster that automatically evolve into a Prime once powerful enough. They¡¯re not bred for it. They¡¯re born destined to power. How¡­curious, that you should have a weapon of this metal. I wonder, Mr. Hart. Are you an Oni, destined for greatness?¡±


    I shook off the spell that this woman¡¯s speech had put me under. I took a step forward and repeated my earlier question. ¡°Lady, who are you? What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡®Rhiannon¡¯ smiled slyly at me, flipping the blade of my dagger once more. This time, the hilt was pointed in my direction. ¡°Why, I¡¯m the thunder to your shadow, Mr. Hart. Or rather, the Thunderheart.¡±


    Wait, what?


    She tittered at the gobsmacked expression on my face, before grabbing the hem of her dress and curtseying in a sweeping manner. ¡°I, am Rhiannon of Clan Calonawr, daughter of Archmage Daffyd.¡±


    Daffyd? Wasn¡¯t that the name of Gruffyd¡¯s brother, back in T?r Gronn?


    That would make her¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re Bleddyn¡¯s cousin?!¡± I blurted out in astonishment, accepting my dagger back with a limp hand. As I slipped it back into its hidden sheath, the woman straightened up and covered her mouth with one gloved hand. She tittered at me once more, nodding.


    ¡°I am indeed,¡± Rhiannon said playfully, a sly expression on her face. ¡°I came here to thank you, for your service in freeing my foolish cousin.¡±


    I looked around for a moment, as if I would find answers to the obvious questions plaguing me. ¡°How do you even know about me? About that, even?¡± I paused, something else occurring to me. ¡°How the hell did you find me?!¡±


    Rhiannon lowered her hand, allowing me to see the amused smile on her crimson-painted lips. She inclined her head meaningfully at the nearby rickety table in this room, before gracefully sitting in an open chair. I¡­took the hint and sat down with her.


    But I didn¡¯t fully let down my guard. If this woman really was from the Thunderheart Clan, then she was supposedly an ally.


    I didn¡¯t have any way to verify her identity, though.


    Rhiannon must have noticed my wariness, but didn¡¯t let it stop her speaking. ¡°To answer your questions in order, my father keeps a line of communication open with me, here in the big city,¡± She said easily. ¡°As the Clan Archmage, he has access to his own methods of contact. Last week, he used those to inform me that dear Bleddyn was still alive, somewhere in the Principality. And leading a slave revolt, of all things! Shockingly different, for the man. I was beginning to think my cousin had no more ambition in him than inheriting the Clan. How glad I am, to see I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡± I said slowly, starting to see where this was going. ¡°Daffyd must have told you about me, at the time.¡±


    Rhiannon inclined her head. ¡°Just so. He also informed me of how you were on some sort of mission for the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn. Not long after that, a very obvious campaign of destabilization began here in Elderwyck, a notable center of Loyalist power. It truly wasn¡¯t difficult to put the pieces together from that, Mr. Hart. After that, all I needed to do was look around for a man matching the description my father sent me. I wished to convey my gratitude, you see.¡±


    Something about her explanation didn¡¯t sit right with me, but I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on what. It all sounded very plausible, I had to acknowledge.


    Still¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of effort to go through, just to thank me,¡± I frowned at her.


    ¡°It is my way, Mr. Hart,¡± She said, smiling enigmatically at me.


    I frowned harder.


    Rhiannon rolled her eyes and heaved a dramatic, put-upon sigh at my expression. ¡°Oh, must you ruin my fun?¡± She groused. Shaking her head, she leaned forward. ¡°The truth, then. I¡¯m here because I want to assist you, you see.¡±


    ¡°Assist me,¡± I said flatly. ¡°Is that so.¡±


    A surprisingly excited smile stole across the woman¡¯s impeccably primped face. ¡°Just so, Mr. Hart. Just so. You see, I happen to be a lady of some influence in Duke Olsen¡¯s court. I imagine it would be quite a coup for your forces if you gained an informant of my caliber, so close to the Duke¡¯s center of influence. Why, I could even get you into the palace itself, if so needed!¡±


    Uh-huh.


    I see.


    I think I was beginning to see what was going on here. This wasn¡¯t the plot of some tricky SED agent here to take me out.


    This was some noble lady that I had tenuous ties to trying to inject a bit of color into her dour life. I stood up from the table, my nerves more than settled by now. I smiled neutrally at the woman. ¡°Thank you for your offer, Ms. Rhiannon,¡± I said, probably more politely than she deserved. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to convey it to my superiors with all the respect it deserves.¡±


    That is, little.


    ¡°In the meantime, I ask that you maintain secrecy about any possible operation you may or may not believe is underway. If you¡¯ll excuse me, I have work to be getting to. I¡¯ll see you out,¡± I said, gesturing towards the door.


    Rhiannon slowly got to her feet, studying my face thoughtfully. ¡°You don¡¯t believe I can be of any help, do you,¡± She said, tapping one perfect finger against her lips. She stopped after a moment, pointing that finger at me. ¡°I understand. I¡¯d be wary too, in hindsight.¡± She said, walking towards the door and opening it. Before she left, however, she turned and winked one burgundy eye at me. ¡°I¡¯ll prove my worth to you, Mr. Spy. I know just the thing to change your mind. I¡¯ll be seeing you again before long. I promise you that.¡± With those parting words, the woman slipped out the door, closing it behind her. Seconds later, I heard her say something in parting to Jason, and then the front door open and close.


    I sighed, dragging an exhausted hand down my face.


    Bleddyn, you never told me about how tiring your cousin could be.


    Maybe that¡¯s why, come to think of it.

 Chapter 179 - The Gift

    I tried to put the odd encounter with Bleddyn¡¯s cousin out of my mind during my shift at Jason¡¯s. Thanks to the nature of Ringed Mind, it was pathetically easy for me to nearly auto-pilot the process of making low-grade potions for the shop while my middle and core rings dwelled on it.


    Rhiannon had called herself a ¡®lady of the court¡¯. In context with Herztalian high society I had¡­absolutely no idea what that meant. I hadn¡¯t had much of any kind of social contact with the upper echelons of the Kingdoms, outside of strictly military affairs. The most interaction I¡¯d had with them had been serving some tea during meetings I attended with Grey.


    Outside of my little disagreement/confrontation with the Prince.


    The point being, I didn¡¯t have much experience in navigating noble waters, so to speak. What was a woman who was the next best thing to being Mynydd Clans nobility even doing here? My understanding was that the Clans mostly kept to themselves, disdaining larger contact with the Kingdom as a whole. They may nominally bow their heads to the crown, but both polities seemed to exist in a ¡®live and let live¡¯ state of being.


    I¡¯d have to ask around, I suppose.


    But for now, I was done. I¡¯d churned out the potions Jason needed to stock the shelves with, so it was time to clock out. I hung my apron up on the hook of my little brewing space next to the door, and stepped out. On the other side, Jason was just finishing up with another customer, lit by the afternoon light streaming in through the front windows.


    As I shuffled around him, Jason looked up at me. ¡°Ah. Hans, w-wait a moment!¡± He stuttered.


    I stopped in the middle of shrugging on my jacket, previously hung on a coat rack near the counter. ¡°What¡¯s up, Jason?¡±


    The shopkeep bent down and dug around underneath his counter for a moment, eventually producing a fairly long scroll of parchment. ¡°Your friend from e-earlier had a courier drop something o-off for you, Hans,¡± He told me, holding the scroll out to me with a mildly envious look on his face. ¡°I had no i-idea you had friends in the nobility, Hans. I¡¯m j-jealous.¡±


    I stared at the outstretched scroll for a moment as if it was about to reach out and bite me. Gingerly, I reached out and accepted the roll from him. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that either,¡± I muttered to myself, before forcing a smile on my face at Jason¡¯s curious look. ¡°Ah, thanks for holding onto it, Jason. I forgot she was going to drop that off for me.¡± I paused, for a moment, a healthy sense of paranoia rolling over me. ¡°Do you mind if I use the backroom to look it over?¡±


    Jason waved me off as another customer entered the shop, absentmindedly sliding me the key. With muttered thanks, I used it to walk over to the backroom and let myself in, setting the scroll on the same table I¡¯d spoken to Rhiannon over earlier.


    I eyed the scroll as if it were an active bomb when I did so.


    Because for all I knew, it could be.


    Something I¡¯d learned during my lessons as an Agent, was that it was very risky to just trust random messages like this. Runecraft was such a broad field that you could inscribe damn near anything you could think of onto parchment, and set it to activate at all kinds of triggers. Inside this scroll could be anything from a tracking script, to a sequence set to explode at opening, or even stored poison gas. If I had just brought this into our Elderwyckian safehouse like my first instinct had been to do, Hook would have probably chewed me out in front of everyone and put me on message duty like he had poor Jangle.


    I mean, how was the guy supposed to know that the ¡®super important documents¡¯ he stole were really just a collection of bad love poetry?


    Anyway, the point was, I needed to check this out before it left the shop. I didn¡¯t dare bring it to either the flat Sylvia and I were sharing, or to the safehouse first.


    I took a deep breath, nodded to no one in particular, and approached the table. I drew my concealed dagger and used it to cut the ribbon holding the scroll closed, cringing away and closing my eyes as I did so.


    Nothing happened.


    Cracking open my eyes, I let out a sigh of relief. Leaning over, I took a look at what the strange woman from earlier had left me.


    At first, I didn¡¯t understand what was on the parchment. But¡­once I did?


    I nearly choked on my own spit.


    There sure as hell weren¡¯t any traps on this.


    Pounding my chest and coughing, I rapidly rolled it back up and scooped it into my arms. Dashing out the door and tossing the key back on the desk as I passed a puzzled Jason, my thoughts raced along with me as I made my way to the safehouse.


    Hook needed to see this.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    ¡°Who, exactly, did you say gave you this?¡± Hook said, a note of astonishment coloring his voice. He and I, along with all of the other Agents down here in the safehouse, were gathered around the central planning table down here. All of us were staring down at the unrolled parchment I¡¯d spread out on it in astonishment.


    Because, on the scroll, meticulously detailed and intricately sketched¡­.


    Were the full blueprints to Duke Olsen¡¯s palatial estate.


    Not only did the large scroll detail the entirety of the palace itself, but the apparent sublevels of it as well. Hell, it also had a complete sketch of every inch of the enormous grounds that the complex rested on.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    My God, there was even a full runic breakdown of the ward scheme, complete with the local Ward Stone¡¯s location!


    This was¡­


    ¡°How the hell does anyone have access to this?¡± Wisp asked in amazement, craning her head over the table to stare at one of the rooms. ¡°Aren¡¯t there rumors about these plans?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Hook said absentmindedly, not tearing his eyes off of the scroll. ¡°That they¡¯re not supposed to exist anymore. The current palace is new, as the old one was donated to the city guard to use as a headquarters on his Ducal ascension. Olsen wanted to almost completely eliminate any trace of the old ruling house when he duped Marjory Olsen into marrying him. Thus, he hired some of the best architects and Ward crafters in the realm to design and build his new palace. And then, once they had finished?¡±


    ¡°He had them, and their entire crews, all executed.¡±


    That was shocking enough to drag my eyes away from the plans, to stare at Hook in horror. The dwarf nodded grimly. ¡°Oh, he concocted some story about them trying to rob him afterward, but everyone knew what was really going on. He was trying to make sure nobody who had anything to do with the construction could ever speak about what they did. Either that, or he didn¡¯t want to pay for the work. And he got away with it, too. Sure there was unrest about the baseless executions, and he even received royal censure because of it. But he weathered the storm, and came out with a firmer position afterward.¡±


    The room was silent for a moment. I don¡¯t know about everyone else, but I was thinking about just how many people Olsen must have needed to kill, in order to silence the entire palatial work crew. It had to be hundreds and hundreds, considering the sheer size of the estate.


    One of the other Agents, a woman who went by the codename Crook, broke the silence. ¡°I had family on that crew,¡± She said quietly, staring down at the plans. ¡°We didn¡¯t receive any compensation for the work my cousin Taylor did. The officials said that his wages were being withheld as damages claimed by the Duke, to pay for the ¡®crime¡¯ that he committed,¡± She was silent for a moment before her black, star-dotted mask tilted up to stare at Hook. ¡°This is it, isn¡¯t it Hook? You promised me when I joined up that we¡¯d take out Olsen one day. This is how we¡¯re going to do it¡­right?¡±


    Hook met her eyes through both of their masks. ¡°Yes¡­but not now,¡± He said grimly. ¡°Olsen is the last head that will roll before we¡¯re through. We¡¯ve barely even begun, and so he gets to live a bit longer. But¡­it¡¯s going to happen before we¡¯re done with this city. One way, or the other.¡±


    Crook was silent for a moment, standing perfectly still. But eventually, the woman nodded ever so slightly, and then left the basement without another word on silent, padded feet.


    We stood around for a moment before I cleared my throat awkwardly. Everyone around the table looked at me. ¡°Do we know anything about this Rhiannon woman? Perhaps how she could have possibly gotten her hands on plans that don¡¯t even exist anymore?¡±


    Hook tilted his head in thought for a moment before crossing his arms. ¡°Not off the top of my head,¡± He finally admitted, before abruptly spinning on his heel. ¡°But maybe we have a profile on her back at HQ. The rest of you, clear out. This is a facet of the operation that¡¯s going to be overseen by Hangman and I,¡± Before he sat down in front of the messaging station he had set up with his prototype two-way communication coin, our commander looked over his shoulder and glared at the gathered Agents. ¡°Get going. I know you all have better things to be doing than standing around and snooping.¡±


    They got the hint. Soon, it was only Hook and I down in the basement.


    I could only stand around awkwardly as the leader of the Nocturne Division started rapidly tapping his coin on alternating faces. When he was done, the coin held suspended in midair by wire began to spin back and forth, being directed from hundreds of miles away by a messenger back at our Helstein base of operations. Hook observed it intensely, translating the rough language by scribbling frantically on a piece of parchment set up in front of the station. When the coin was finished spinning, he sat back with a sigh and reached up under his mask to rub his eyes tiredly.


    I had to wonder, if I was worn out from the all-nighters I¡¯d been pulling¡­.


    How tired was Hook?


    He stood up from the desk and turned to face me, before pausing. ¡°What the hells are you doing just standing around?¡± He said, baffled. He waved an irritated hand at his cluttered desk, and the lone chair sitting in front of it. ¡°Sit down, you moron.¡±


    I flushed slightly at the mild rebuke, but did as he asked while the dwarf himself plopped into his own chair. ¡°Now, this is what we have on one ¡®Rhiannon of Clan Calonawr,¡± He started, picking up the parchment and reading from it. ¡°Born in the year twenty-three forty-two, she should be around twenty-nine by now. Birth parents are Archmage Daffyd of Clan Calonawr, and a minor Elderwyckian noble daughter by the name of Vivian of House Steinham. The House objected to the union between Vivian and Daffyd on the basis that the Mynydd Clans are all godless savages, and thus cut her off. Unfortunately, in a fairly rare occurrence, the mother would die in childbirth, leaving Daffyd to raise the child with only support from the rest of his family. Hmm,¡± He made an interested noise at what he read next.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked him curiously.


    ¡°According to our profile, she was the original heir of Clan Thunderheart, before the birth of your friend Bleddyn,¡± Hook said. ¡°However, when the boy was born about five years after her, the title was stripped from the then toddler. We don¡¯t know why. Moving on, once the girl came of age and was Awakened, House Steinham was suddenly interested again. They approached Archmage Daffyd, and told him they could give the girl a better life here in Elderwyck. For some reason, Daffyd agreed and surrendered custody of the girl to her maternal grandparents. Now, if you say Daffyd and the girl still have contact, that¡¯s news to us. Because the only other thing we have on her after that is that she¡¯s supposed to have died.¡±


    I blinked at that. ¡°Hook, I can promise you,¡± I said flatly. ¡°She¡¯s very much alive.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know,¡± Hook said, irritated. ¡°Let me finish. It says she died only briefly, in an accident up at the palace when she was in her early twenties. What it was, we don¡¯t know. All we do know is that it caused a bit of a minor scandal when it happened. But she was successfully revived by the palace Healer, and ever since then, she¡¯s enjoyed a position of minor influence as an advisor in Olsen¡¯s court. No spouse, no children, and the rest of House Steinham is dead by now. She seems to be entirely isolated, with only her position to occupy her time. Hangman¡­¡± Hook trailed off, raising his head to look at me. ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you that this is all damn suspicious. But¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too good of a source of potential information to just let slide,¡± I finished for him, crossing my arms. ¡°And it seems like she¡¯s latched on to me for¡­some reason. I don¡¯t buy that she¡¯s interested in me only because I rescued the cousin who stole the Clan from her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s likely a cover,¡± Hook agreed. ¡°The woman might even be SED, for all we know. But for now, we, and more importantly you, need to play along. Hangman, if she contacts you again, do your best to cultivate this woman as an informant. Maybe we can get more out of her. In the meantime, I¡¯ll suspend most of your usual missions while we look into this. Feel free to pick your training back up during this downtime. For now, you¡¯re dismissed. But¡­be sure to watch your back.¡±


    I nodded at my boss and stood up from my chair. It was about time for me to go and pick up Sylvia, anyway.


    I¡¯m sure she would be interested in all of this.

 Chapter 180 - Weaponry and Returns

    Things were changing in Elderwyck.


    For both the city, and us.


    The General in charge of the Loyalist forces in the city had wised up to the fact that his soldiers were being targeted. At this point in time, our intelligence told us that he wasn¡¯t quite sure who was committing the attacks on his men, but honestly? It wouldn¡¯t be long.


    It¡¯s not like there were any other large factions that the Kingdom of Herztal was currently at war with.


    In response to the sabotage and attacks, General Atticus Longstripe of the Loyalist forces had changed tactics. The guard forces of Elderwyck were still being reinforced by Herztalian soldiers, but they weren¡¯t essentially working on a buddy system anymore. No, they were moving in squads now. It wasn¡¯t uncommon to see groups of five or more paranoid Loyalist soldiers stalking down the streets of Elderwyck at all hours of the day, led by exasperated guards. They weren¡¯t even bothering with being unobtrusive anymore.


    It really felt like the entire garrison was being emptied to increase patrols. It seemed every single street in the city had soldiers stalking down it, watching everyone they could. But that wasn¡¯t the only thing they were doing. No, these roving groups of soldiers had started doing door to door searches. Duke Olsen had given General Longstripe carte blanche to bust down as many doors as he wanted, in the search for whoever was operating against him within the walls of Elderwyck.


    As you can imagine, this wasn¡¯t exactly sitting well with the citizenry. In their search for us, the soldiers had started harassing people we had nothing to do with. More than one door had been outright broken down by overzealous squads, disrupting the business of innocent shop owners.


    I¡¯d actually seen one of these firsthand.


    Earlier today, one of these search squads had barged into a distressed Jason¡¯s shop and started asking the shopkeeper pointed questions. They¡¯d dragged me out of my little brewing closet and forcibly sat me down next to Jason in the same back room I¡¯d spoken to Rhiannon in. I hadn¡¯t resisted, of course. My cover here was just too valuable and airtight to risk a pointless confrontation with the guards and their Loyalist minders.


    The squad had rifled through the crates, storage, and shelves of the shop, obviously finding nothing. I don''t even know what they were looking for. I was careful not to store anything here that could implicate me in the campaign against the Loyalists in Elderwyck. The only thing that had been on me had been one of my daggers, which was easy enough to explain.


    After all, it was just a hand me down from my old grandad to protect myself. He¡¯d been an adventurer, you see, and had owned pretty sweet weapons in his time. You could never be too careful out on the streets these days, you know, and say? Would you boys like a free sample from our new line of stamina potions? I¡¯m sure it¡¯s tiring work searching for those nasty saboteurs. You could use a pick me up!


    Hah.


    Turned out, soldiers and guards were pretty easy to bribe. I guess the stereotype existed for a reason.


    After that, we hadn¡¯t gotten any trouble from the guards or the Loyalists. On the contrary, we¡¯d gotten some new customers.


    The problem for the Loyalists, though, was that we knew they were doing these searches. And while they might catch us if we were off guard, it¡¯s not like we weren¡¯t watching for them or had ways to know they were coming. Turns out, there were a good amount of malcontents in the guard force who weren¡¯t too happy about the state of things. When approached in a circumspect manner, they¡¯d agreed to being paid for the trouble of dropping off information at certain locations regularly. This had come in handy pretty quickly. We¡¯d had to abandon the butcher¡¯s shop in a hurry after one of our informants had told us that it was due to be searched. By the time that Loyalist squad had showed up at Fred¡¯s door, we¡¯d already cleared out and left no trace behind.


    Currently, our Elderwyckian base of operations was holed up in the basement of an old fishing warehouse. My understanding was that it was currently abandoned, ever since the previous owner had been killed in a monster attack out at sea. But this wasn¡¯t even our only active safehouse in the city. It was just our most used one, right now.


    God was the smell in here horrendous. The scent of years of rotting fish guts didn¡¯t just wash away, no matter how much you scrubbed. Believe me, I¡¯d tried. Hell, not even scouring the walls with Aetherial Melding had worked to dispel the fishy scent down here. I had no idea what that was about.


    I¡¯d had plenty of time recently to burn the scent of years old fish into my nostrils. After Rhiannon¡¯s little stunt, I¡¯d been pulled from the duty roster to wait for more contact from the mysterious woman. It¡¯d been three days now, and I hadn¡¯t heard a word from her. It was a bit odd, considering how she apparently had access to a courier service. But so far, nothing.


    In the meantime, I¡¯d taken Hook¡¯s advice to resume my training. The spymaster himself was too busy to help me with it, so I¡¯d taken to badgering whatever Agent checked in to get some weapon practice done. I hadn¡¯t forgotten Hook¡¯s advice those weeks ago to aim for the General Weapons Proficiency Talent. I just hadn¡¯t had the time to devote to pursuing it.


    After some consideration, I¡¯d settled on the seven weapons that I was going to shoot for that would contribute to the Talent fusion. Those being Spear, Knife, Longsword, Short Bow, Long Bow, Throwing, and Stave. My original two had been Spear and Knife Proficiency, which I had maxed out just through regular usage. In the short amount of time that I¡¯d gotten structured training after joining the Division, and before shit had hit the fan, I¡¯d picked up Longsword and Short Bow Proficiency. Both of which were still only at level one. I just wasn¡¯t really comfortable enough with those weapons yet, to be out using them in the field.


    But now that I had a bit of downtime to dedicate to training, I¡¯d decided to at least pick up the last three I¡¯d decided on. That being Longbow, Throwing, and Stave. Since two of those were ranged weapons and could be reasonably practiced on my own with only a little bit of instruction, I was currently bugging other Agents to spar with me using a spare stave we¡¯d had lying about.


    It was going about as well as expected.


    I¡¯d discovered that Crook, the outspoken Agent from the other day, was actually fairly experienced in using the weapon and asked for a few pointers from her.


    I was questioning that decision now.


    I grunted, blocking an overhead blow from the nimble woman. I had to rapidly shift my length of wood to block a sweep from the bottom half of Crook¡¯s own stave moments later, as she tried to take my legs out from under me. The Agent was so skilled and so quick in using this type of weapon, though, that even that was feint from her next move.


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    I wasn''t prepared for her to use the actual crook that she had at the top of her personal weapon to yank mine out of my hands. Moments later, I was knocked off my feet from a hard hit to the center of my chest.


    Blinking, I stared up at the ceiling of the warehouse. This might just have been the tenth time Crook had disarmed and laid me out.


    I groaned, covering my eyes with my hand.


    The light from the evening sun shining through the high windows of the warehouse was shadowed over me. Removing my hand, I found Crook standing over me leaning on her combat stave.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be a spear user?¡± She asked doubtfully. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be more used to handling a long weapon by now?¡±


    I took a deep breath and leveraged myself back upright. ¡°Ah¡­sort of,¡± I said tiredly. We¡¯d been going at this for some time now, and I was starting to get worn out. ¡°What I use is really more of a combination weapon.¡±


    ¡°Combination weapon,¡± Crook said flatly. She shook her head. ¡°Whatever. I think that¡¯s enough for now. Since it¡¯s not that hard to pick up a Proficiency, you should have gotten it by now.¡±


    Probably. I hadn¡¯t checked my Status since we¡¯d started sparring.


    I did so now, focusing on Hidden Amidst the Spheres.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">You have gained the General Talent, Stave Proficiency!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Stave Proficiency has reached level 1!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Acting has reached level 6!</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Yup, there it was. Number six out of the seven weapon Proficiencies that I needed to max, in order to fuse General Weapon Proficiency. A bit odd that I¡¯d picked up another level in Acting, though. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d been doing anything during this practice that would contribute to that Talent. But, this was the first time I¡¯d checked my Status today, and that raid on Jason¡¯s store had been this morning before I¡¯d finished my shift. I¡¯m betting the level had come from that. I was curious, though. I hadn¡¯t checked my whole Talents in some time.


    Shuffling past my main Status screen, I pulled up the Talent pane.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center"><u>General Talents</u></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Acting Lvl. 6</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Dual Wielding Lvl. 3</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Knife Proficiency Lvl. 7 (Max)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Longsword Proficiency Lvl. 1</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Short Bow Proficiency Lvl. 1</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Spear Proficiency Lv. 7 (Max)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Stealth Lvl. 7 (Max)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Stave Proficiency Lvl. 1</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Throwing Proficiency Lvl. 1</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Tracking Lvl. 4</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center"><u>Class Talents</u></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Leafwhisper Step (Uncommon)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Lifeblood Sense (Superior)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Ringed Mind (Rare)</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Coming along just fine, if I say so myself.


    I refocused back on Crook and inclined my masked head to her. We weren¡¯t always required to be masked inside our safehouses, but most people had been opting for it ever since the raids had started. You never knew when you were going to need to clear out in a hurry. ¡°Yeah, that did it. I got the Talent. Thanks, Crook.¡±


    The other Agent made an acknowledging sound, her weapon disappearing¡­somewhere. Probably a storage or concealment Skill of some kind. ¡°It¡¯s fine. But, if you want to be using a stave in combat, you¡¯re going to need quite a bit more practice.¡±


    I snorted. ¡°You¡¯re telling me. I¡¯ll see you later.¡± I said to the woman, my eyes drifting to the sky beyond the high windows.


    ¡°Have somewhere to be?¡± Crook asked idly.


    I smiled slightly behind my mask. ¡°Yeah, actually. I heard a friend is getting back into town today. I¡¯m going to go find him with someone else.¡±


    I¡¯d be interested to see how he¡¯d been doing, since setting up shop in Elderwyck. After all, Healers were in high demand these days.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    After picking up Sylvia from her shift at the stationary store, the two of us navigated our way toward the main gate of the city. There, we found it to be mostly abandoned. After all, there wasn¡¯t much overland commerce making its way into the city these days, and it¡¯s not like the guards were keen to let in a bunch of refugees from the Stacks.


    That made it extremely easy to see the few people that were in the plaza just past the gates.


    Such as a returning merc band being debriefed by the guards there. Including one familiar Gnoll, dressed in dirt and blood stained Healers robes.


    Renauld.


    One of the first things I¡¯d done when I had originally gotten inside the walls of Elderwyck had been to ask around about the Gnoll. It wasn¡¯t even suspicious, as plenty of other recent entrants into the city were known to inquire after friends and loved ones who might have gotten inside to the safety of the walls. What I¡¯d learned was that the Gnoll and the band of Order soldiers had made it to Elderwyck in one piece about a week before we had, and then cajoled their way inside. This had been before the situation out in the Stacks had gotten so bad that the Guard was ordered to bar all further entrance. Once here, the group had registered as an adventuring mercenary group with the city and started to take commissions. We¡¯d only missed the group by a few days, as shortly before we¡¯d gotten in through the catacombs, they¡¯d departed beyond the walls on a job.


    But now they were back.


    He looked exhausted, I noticed. Renauld¡¯s normally pristine black and white fur was matted with sweat, while the Gnoll himself was nearly drooping in place. I hadn¡¯t managed to find out what the job he¡¯d taken had been, but it must have been a rough one.


    For a moment I debated leaving him be to recover. I could always find him tomorrow. But that choice was taken when Renauld noticed me and the disguised Sylvia standing off to the side and watching him.


    He immediately perked up, recognizing me. I wasn''t really very disguised, after all. He nudged one of the other undercover Order members and pointed my way. The man looked at me and raised an eyebrow in surprise. They had a brief exchange of words before Renauld started walking over to me. I met the other man¡¯s eyes over top of the approaching Gnoll¡¯s head.


    He nodded at me in acknowledgment. I returned it, before focusing back on Renauld.


    He grinned at me as he got closer. ¡°You made it!¡± He said in a tired, yet cheerful tone. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if you would.¡±


    I returned the smile. ¡°Oh, it took us longer than you,¡± I said, aware that our reunion had drawn the attention of the guards, now watching us curiously. ¡°But the two of us made it in one piece.¡± I gestured to Sylvia and I, causing Renauld to look at her curiously. After a moment, understanding hit him and he grinned at her as well.


    Sylvia winked one human eye at the Gnoll.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what to call him. But, if it had worked once, it would work again.


    I drew the surprised Gnoll into a hug, which he returned awkwardly. ¡°Hans and Cynthia,¡± I said quietly, into his furry ear.


    He got the idea. ¡°Louis,¡± He whispered into my own.


    I drew back. ¡°Why don¡¯t we all go catch up over dinner, Louis? I¡¯m sure we both have some stories to tell the other.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± He replied easily. ¡°I already told my Captain I¡¯d be busy for the rest of the night.¡± He met my eyes. ¡°And sure. I have some ¡®stories¡¯ to tell.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find them interesting.¡±

 Chapter 181 - Unexpected Break

    Before heading off to dinner with Renauld, we let him stop by a local bathhouse in order to freshen up. Hard days of battle and marching had left the Gnoll looking and smelling a bit¡­rank, to be honest. He was thankful for the chance, and after a quick wash, Sylvia and I led him to a local bistro that the two of us had taken a liking to. The owner of the bistro, one of the rare examples of a dwarf in Elderwyck by the name of Gaston, led us to the private booth we had been using lately.


    Renauld nearly fell upon the ordered food with all the grace of a wild animal.


    Nearly.


    He retained just enough composure to not make a fool of himself. When we were all done, he sat back with a sigh, nodding at me. ¡°Thanks for the meal, ¡®Hans¡¯,¡± Renauld said, satisfied and patting his furry belly. ¡°I¡¯ve had nothing but travel rations for days now.¡±


    As Sylvia sedately spooned her soup to her lips with attentive eyes, I sat down my own knife and fork. I shook my head at Renauld. ¡°No problem. And you don¡¯t have to bother with fake names in here. Sylvia and I come here often enough that I set up a minor silencing ward. See?¡± I lifted the edge of the tablecloth just enough that Renauld could crane his snout under it. Set in the center of the table was a dense runic array, scribed tiny enough that it was hard to even make out among the whorls and rings of the wood.


    Renauld raised his head and blinked at me. ¡°Huh. Never seen anything like that before.¡±


    I shrugged at him. ¡°My own invention, inspired by an artifact I saw my boss use once. It¡¯s only active for as long as the Aether I pumped into it lasts. But enough about that. How¡¯ve you been? Last I saw, you were fleeing the Horde with the other Order soldiers.¡±


    Renauld took a slow, deep breath. ¡°It was¡­hard,¡± He admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you guys, but the direction we went meant we had to brave the outskirts of the Horde. Those days before we reached the city might have been some of the tensest I¡¯ve ever had. Slowly creeping forward so you don¡¯t alert any monster groups ahead of us, all the while knowing way more were advancing just behind you¡­¡± He went blank for a moment, staring off into space. He eventually broke out of it, blinking slowly and shaking his head. The Gnoll Healer gave us a pained smile. ¡°We didn¡¯t always dodge them.¡±


    Sylvia stopped eating at his words, reaching out to lay one disguised hand on top of Renaulds in comfort. He grit his sharp teeth for a moment, squeezing her hand back. It¡­almost looked like he was blinking back tears. Sylvia didn¡¯t flinch at how hard it looked like he was clutching at her.


    I¡­had noticed that the group of soldiers he had been traveling with looked smaller. They must have lost a few people to the Horde.


    I didn¡¯t ask. It wasn¡¯t my place.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright,¡± I said quietly, reaching out to grab his other free hand and squeeze. The Gnoll shuddered for a moment, before nodding jerkily and withdrawing his hands to rest on his lap. I took the hint, and changed the subject. ¡°So, what were you out doing with the others?¡±


    Renauld grabbed the verbal lifeline almost desperately. ¡°Oh, nothing too bad,¡± He said with forced cheerfulness. ¡°I looked worse than it actually was. We were contracted by some noble on a scouting mission for the Duke. They have all kinds of teams out there right now, keeping an eye on the fringes of the Horde to see if it¡¯s moving in this direction. It¡¯s not, by the way,¡± He told us, which was honestly relieving to a degree. ¡°Most of the monsters our group ended up fighting seemed like normal spawns for the area. From what we could tell, nearly everything created from the Breaks is moving north. It¡¯s almost like they¡¯re being drawn somewhere like a moth to a flame.¡±


    Sylvia and I exchanged a look at that but stayed quiet. As much as I liked Renauld, he wasn¡¯t actually a formal member of the Order, only being an attache to the Uprising Healing Corp. The Order had only accepted his presence on this mission because you never turned down willing Healers. He wasn''t exactly trained in espionage.


    Actually, now that I think about it, he was kind of a mercenary. The group that he had formed from the Order members might not be as much of a cover for him as I had thought it was.


    The point was, I¡¯m not sure if Hook would be fine with us telling him that the Order was deliberately drawing the attention of the Horde and culling them up at Helstein. Since Hook had set up the portable messaging station for us to use in our safehouses, we¡¯d been getting nearly daily updates on the situation from Headquarters. According to them, Grey, Honoka, The Order, and the overall Army of the Uprising were making good time on thinning out the Horde as they trickled in. They had told us that they¡¯d done enough now that there were even discussions among the leadership about resuming the campaign against Elderwyck, sometime in the next few weeks.


    Our look didn¡¯t escape Renaulds''s notice, but thankfully he didn¡¯t take any offense. ¡°Oooh, I get it,¡± He said with a knowing wink and a grin. He mimed zipping his lips. ¡°Order stuff, huh. Well¡­other than that, we didn¡¯t encounter much out there. I can say that it wasn¡¯t fun getting stuck out in the first snow of the year, though. Brrrr.¡± He shivered dramatically, his earlier distress seemingly having vanished.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    That was something I had noticed about Renauld. He was the kind of guy that seemed to bounce back quickly.


    That, or he was hiding his pain.


    I made an understanding noise. ¡°Is that all, then?¡± I asked him idly, picking my fork back up and cutting into my venison steak. ¡°I think we might have been in the city longer than you at this point. You haven¡¯t heard about anything else going on in the city, or about the Loyalists?¡±


    Renauld shrugged, idly toying with his fork. ¡°No, not really. Although I have noticed that the guards and soldiers are more on edge since last time we were here. You guys wouldn¡¯t happen to know anything about that¡­would you?¡± He asked semi-teasingly, as if he hadn¡¯t been there when Hook had announced our plans back in that forest clearing.


    I just rolled my eyes at him, while Sylvia smiled as if butter wouldn¡¯t melt in her mouth.


    Wait.


    Would it? Nevermind.


    I focused on Renauld while my middle ring was uselessly contemplating my girlfriend''s lack of significant body temperature.


    ¡°But you¡¯re right, none of us in the Band of the Eagle have heard much,¡± Renauld continued. ¡°We¡¯ve pretty much just been dealing with the guards, and accepting contracts from them on behalf of a bunch of noble houses. We haven¡¯t turned this one in, yet. Our leader said we¡¯ll meet back up tomorrow to collect the pay for this job. I think our latest one came from some guys called¡­House Steinham or something?¡±


    I dropped my work onto my plate with a tinkling sound in shock, while Sylvia blinked rapidly at the increasingly confused-looking Gnoll.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Renauld asked hesitantly, looking between Sylvia and I.


    Sylvia briefly ignored him, instead looking at me. ¡°Nathan, isn¡¯t that¡­?¡± She trailed off. My partner was more than caught up on the entire Rhiannon thing at this point. I¡¯d told her everything about the odd encounter with the equally bizarre Calonawr noble.


    Including the noble House that she was supposed to be part of.


    I nodded wordlessly at her question, focusing on Renauld and leaning forward. ¡°When you were given this job, was a noblewoman there?¡± I asked him sharply.


    The Healer was visibly taken aback by my tone, but did his best to answer. ¡°Uh¡­no. It was just the same guard Captain that my group has been dealing with,¡± He said, audibly confused. ¡°Why? Is she one of the bad guys? Because I can get my group to stop dealing with them if they are.¡±


    I frowned, not at Renauld, but at the world in general. ¡°No¡­maybe,¡± I amended. ¡°We don¡¯t know. What we do know is that the sole remaining member of House Steinham has information we want, and she¡¯s being catty about it after approaching me. None of us have found a viable way to contact the woman, and I¡¯ve been stuck waiting for her to contact me again. Hell, we don¡¯t even know where she lives. She apparently sold the Steinham estate some years ago. Our best guess is that she just lives in the palace at the pleasure of the Duke.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure?¡± Renauld blinked. ¡°Is¡­she one of his mistresses? Cause I¡¯ve heard that guy nearly has a harem.¡±


    I scowled, frustrated, but it was Sylvia who answered for me. ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± She said, raising her hands helplessly. ¡°The answer to that is a maybe. Lady Marjory Oslen was known to be harshly critical of her husband''s philandering ways, but she hasn¡¯t been seen in some time now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s entirely possible that the woman is dead, and Olsen has been living it up in his palace, surrounded by a pack of gold diggers,¡± I said, drumming my fingers on the table. ¡°Excuse me. The proper term is apparently ¡®Ladies of the Court¡¯, which this woman introduced herself as.¡±


    ¡°Spicy,¡± Renauld said appreciatively. He held up his hands in surrender, though, when Sylvia sent him a sharp look. ¡°But seriously. What do you want from me about it, Nate? I don¡¯t know how much I can help. We¡¯re just one small group of contractors. We never really deal with any of the nobs.¡±


    I paused my drumming when an idea occurred to me. I leaned in close to Sylvia to whisper my off-the-cuff plan into her ear. When I was done, she cupped her chin for a moment before nodding slowly. ¡°Yes¡­it could work,¡± She said thoughtfully, before smiling at me. ¡°Go for it, I say. I doubt Hook will have a problem.¡±


    Turning back to Renauld, I leaned back in and gestured him forward. As he joined me in the middle of the table, I grinned at him mischievously. ¡°How do you feel about doing me a favor?¡±


    Renauld¡¯s confusion melted away, causing him to meet my grin with one of his own. ¡°Hells, I¡¯m down. What do you need?¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    It was around noon the next day, and I was just finishing up another batch of potions for Jason. After detailing my plan to Renauld, Sylvia and I had left to go inform Hook of the unexpected boon in our efforts to understand ¡®Rhiannon of House Steinham¡¯, as she was known to Elderwyck.


    Sylvia had been right, and he¡¯d greenlit the spontaneous plan almost absentmindedly. I¡¯m barely sure the dwarf had even noticed me dropping by after dinner last night. More and more, he was starting to get obsessed with his own operations. While he seemed to be juggling both leading the Division efforts in Elderwyck and whatever he was doing well, it was clearly taking a mental toll on him.


    I could only trust that he hadn¡¯t bitten off more than he could chew.


    Not like I could do anything about it.


    I pushed those thoughts aside since it was time for me to hang up my apron for the day. I exited my little brewing station, waving goodbye to a morose-looking Jason on my way out. The shopkeep had been a bit down ever since the raid yesterday and had been jumping at shadows as if a saboteur was going to pop out of them.


    I could assure you, Jason. We weren¡¯t.


    Eh, he¡¯d get over it.


    Outside, I found a pleasant, but semi-expected surprise waiting for me. I¡¯d told Renauld where he could find me during the daytime, and here he was, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. The Gnoll was looking better after a good night''s rest, and was dressed in a much cleaner set of Healer¡¯s robes. The staff that he had picked up all the way back in Sacnthaven was resting on the wall next to him.


    At the sight of me, Renauld brightened and shoved off the wall. He spoke before I could get a word in. ¡°It worked,¡± He said abruptly, smiling at me. ¡°I passed your message along through the Captain. The man was really surprised we knew about this ¡®Rhiannon¡¯ lady, but after a brief wait, we got a message back from her. Here.¡± He handed me a small folded piece of parchment.


    I sighed in relief that the gambit had worked. I hadn¡¯t been sure this guard Captain had a line of communication with Rhiannon, but it was a better bet than just waiting around on her. Unfolding the parchment, I beheld a time and location.


    She wanted to meet.

 Chapter 182 - Void

    I wasn¡¯t a total moron, of course. I didn¡¯t trust this woman as far as I could throw her. Even if¡­that was probably farther than I would expect, if I engaged Sylvan Vigor at full strength.


    Moving on.


    The point being, I wasn¡¯t going to walk into a meeting with a Herztalian/Calonawr noblewoman with unknown intentions entirely alone. I¡¯d gotten Hook¡¯s approval to recruit some backup for my little impromptu operation involving Rhiannon. I wasn¡¯t going to involve Renauld any further in this situation, as I genuinely didn¡¯t want to put him under any further scrutiny. Thankfully, I belonged to an organization purpose built for this kind of thing.


    Obviously, I tapped Sylvia as part of my backup, as one of the people I trusted the most in my life. I didn¡¯t think that was enough, though, so I went looking for anyone free in our dockside temporary base of operations. My first choice would have been Dusk, but she wasn¡¯t around. Still out on her own infiltration mission, whatever the hell that was. Instead, I found Crook and Wisp doing their best to relax together in the small, fishy break room we¡¯d fashioned out of a tool shed.


    They had tea and everything.


    Wisp was more than willing to assist when I explained the situation to the two of them, thanks to the passing friendship I¡¯d struck up with the older woman. Crook was¡­a little harder to convince, but after a bit of cajoling from Wisp, agreed to tag along.


    Which brought us to now.


    It was very late at night by this point, as the meeting time that had been specified was three hours past midnight. Not only that, but it was an unusually dark night, as the normally bright silver illumination provided by Elys was absent. It was a new moon tonight, and Elys had turned her darkened face unto us, bathing the world below in a deeper, darker night.


    The hustle and bustle that was normally ever-present on the streets of Elderwyck had long since died down by now, and there were only a few stragglers on the road. Mostly rebellious teenagers, drunks, and packs of guards and soldiers. But they were few and far between, as most normal people actually liked to sleep.


    The four of us were crouched together on top of a roof, concealed by the shadows of an overhang above us. As we were actually attempting true stealth tonight, and didn¡¯t wish to be identified or associated with the Order, none of us were wearing our normal mission armor. Instead, we were all wearing relatively non-descript clothing under dark, concealing cloaks. However, my backup were still wearing their masks. I, unfortunately, didn¡¯t have that protection.


    Within eyeshot of us was the meeting spot that Rhiannon had apparently set in the message conveyed through Renauld. That of a small, local garden tended to by the people of Elderwyck. It reminded me somewhat of a park from back on Earth, but the comparison wasn¡¯t completely accurate. During the day, it was a popular local gathering place for the city, complete with a small plaza. Usually, it was packed with people and vendors hawking street food from dawn till dusk. As it was after dusk, it was barren and still.


    We¡¯d been here for some time now, watching the meeting place. None of us could be certain that this wasn¡¯t a trap of some kind, and so we had wanted to observe it just in case. But we¡¯d seen nothing, despite the general feeling of unease I could feel in my gut. At first, I hadn¡¯t realized what it was that unsettled me about Rhiannon. From the way she had interacted with me and simply from how she had spoken, something about her set my teeth on edge. It was as if she was a predator that didn¡¯t take anyone seriously, and expected all of us to go along with whatever game she was playing at the moment. But eventually, I¡¯d realized what had put me so off-kilter about her, what had made me so intensely distrustful of Bleddyn¡¯s kin.


    She reminded me of Magnus.


    I don¡¯t even think it was just that she was a noble. Something in her eyes¡­there was an utter disregard for people that lurked in those burgundy depths that reminded me of him.


    Even with Ringed Mind, enough of my portioned brain was distracted by thoughts of my former ¡®owner¡¯ that I lost track of my observation. I was knocked out of my near seething by an elbow to the ribs. Following it, I found a black mask speckled with white dots staring at me almost disapprovingly.


    I suppressed my instinctual embarrassment. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked Crook in a whisper.


    Instead of answering, she just jerked her head slightly in the direction of the park. Squinting in that direction, I tried to see what had caught her attention. With how dark it was out here, I nearly couldn''t make it out. But when I did, my heart rate picked up slightly.


    Sitting on a wooden bench in the darkened garden plaza far across from our position was a shadowed figure. Due to the lack of light, it was difficult to make out many features about them. Only a few things really stood out to me about the silhouette.


    It was as if they had just appeared out of nowhere, from one moment to the next.


    They were tall, and they were maybe wearing a dress. It could just as easily be a hooded cloak, though, or even both. I think? I think I could see some strands of long hair escaping a hood.


    That was it. That was the limit of what my Perception score could interpret.


    I cursed, wishing that I had a far-eye on me. Sadly, they weren¡¯t quite as ubiquitous as I had hoped they were. They were really only commonly used by Naval forces, and were hard to come by for everyone else. Even clandestine Agents like us didn¡¯t normally get assigned one. The only people that I knew who always had one on their person were Grey, Dusk, and Bella.


    I knew I should have stolen Bella¡¯s when I had the chance.


    I turned my head back to look at my companions to see that they were all inspecting the distant figure as best as they could as well. ¡°Does anyone have a high enough Perception to make out any detail?¡± I whispered hopefully. I was greeted by a round of head shaking at my question. I sighed. ¡°Damn. I¡¯m going to have to go down there, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Wisp patted me on the back softly. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± She said soothingly before thumbing the string of the bow slung over her back. ¡°I¡¯ll keep overwatch on you from up here.¡±


    Crook nodded slightly as well, before turning to face Sylvia. ¡°Whisper, when Hangman goes down there, we¡¯ll circle around the meeting point. You go left, I¡¯ll go right.¡± My partner nodded slightly at the command, her mask trailing away from the plaza to settle on me


    I took a deep breath and then crept away from the edge of the building we were hiding on. Once I was out of sight, I stood up in order to jump down to street level to approach the shrouded figure. I was stopped, though, by the feeling of a hand grabbing my own. Turning around, I was surprised to see that Sylvia had followed me and tilted her mask up high enough to reveal her undisguised, Mithril face.


    Before I could ask her what was wrong, her lips closed in on mine in a kiss. Her arms closed around my back.


    A measure of tension escaped my body, as I wrapped my arms around her and returned the embrace. After a moment, we separated. Sylvia leaned her forehead against mine. ¡°Be careful,¡± She murmured, only inches away.


    I nodded slightly. ¡°I will,¡± I promised her in a whisper. Over her shoulder I could see Wisp fake swooning as she started to set up a firing station, while Crook was standing not far from us and looking on in near disapproval.


    I know it was inappropriate to be acting like this before a mission. But, well.


    I didn¡¯t care.


    I separated from Sylvia, and then turned and jumped down into the alleyway below. Moments later, I heard Whisper and Crook follow behind me. But they didn¡¯t follow, as I stepped in the darkness of the streets.


    I raised the hood of my cloak and started walking towards the garden plaza.


    As I wandered into the shadowed greenery, it felt like there were a thousand eyes on me, spying from behind every branch and leaf. It could just be my paranoia acting up. It could just be my instincts as an Agent. I couldn¡¯t know. All I could do was tamp down my fear with my middle ring and keep walking.


    From one moment to the next, I stepped out of the concealment of the garden and into the plaza where the figure, presumably Rhiannon, was waiting for me.


    Across the stone of the court, they sat motionlessly on a wooden bench, their back turned my way. I watched them for a moment, unnerved. I didn¡¯t realize why until I noticed they weren¡¯t moving.


    At all. I didn¡¯t even see the rise and fall of steady breathing, coming from the figure.


    The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.


    Something¡­something was wrong here. I could feel it in my gut.


    For a moment, I was extremely tempted to turn around and just walk away. But¡­this could potentially be an unprecedented opportunity for the Division. If we gained an informant highly positioned in the Duke''s court, who knew how much easier our operations in Elderwyck could be? It could save lives. Besides, it''s not like I was alone. There was a certain level of risk associated with this profession, and sometimes you had to take the proverbial shot. I couldn''t back down every time there was the slightest indication of danger.


    I tamped down on my fears and my instincts and took a step forward into the plaza. I deliberately scuffed the stone with the bottom of my boot, making an audible noise.


    That got a reaction. The hooded head of the figure turned slightly, but not fully around. They didn¡¯t stand, either.


    I kept walking until I was standing only a few feet away from the sitting figure. Still, nothing. My eyes narrowed, and then I started circling around the bench until I was standing before the seated figure. They¡­were definitely a woman, I could see that much. It was too dark to make out the color, but they had a dress on underneath their cloak, concealing a feminine figure.


    But their head was lowered, casting their face in shadow. I couldn¡¯t make it out.


    After a moment where I stood in deepening silence, I broke it. ¡°Rhiannon?¡± I asked warily, my voice echoing out across the stone of the plaza.


    The figure stirred once more, and their cloaked head began to rise.


    I could finally see their face.


    Horror crawled down my back at the sight of it. If¡­you could even call it a face.


    Because they didn¡¯t have one.


    In place of normal human facial features, this¡­person had a vast expanse of crawling, shifting, swirling darkness. It was as if a pool of undulating oil had grown to cover every inch of skin that this thing had for a face. Within the depths of that crude, I swear I could see the agonized faces of people moaning and crying, begging to be set free.


    I¡­I¡­


    What was this?


    It couldn¡¯t be a human.


    And it certainly wasn¡¯t Rhiannon.


    As struck with horror as my surface, outer ring was at the sight, luckily my inner rings were less so. My hand sprang the handle of my concealed daggers at the small of my back. At the same time, I pulsed Sylvan Vigor to max strength and attempted to spring away from whatever the hell this thing was.


    But it was too late.


    As if from nowhere, a pool of undulating shadows appeared underneath me. From inside of it, dozens of inky black tentacles erupted and wrapped themselves around my body, restraining me. I strained against them with all of my might, but they didn''t budge an inch, no matter how hard I tried.


    I grit my teeth in frustration.


    I was trapped, but not enough that I couldn¡¯t turn my head. The figure still seated on the bench before me hadn¡¯t moved an inch in order to cast whatever Skill or Spell was holding me in place. I twisted my head to look behind me.


    I cursed under my breath at what I found.


    Standing behind me, having appeared silently as if from nowhere, were four cloaked figures similar to the one on the bench. Their bodies were fully concealed, while they each had the same disquieting effect obscuring their faces. One of them had their arm outstretched in my direction, their fingers outstretched in a claw position. A thick strand of nearly liquid darkness was connected between their palm and the pool at my feet.


    The figure in front of me on the bench finally spoke. ¡°Hans Schefel,¡± They said in a disturbing voice, sounding almost as if it had been synthesized. I could just barely make out a feminine note hidden within. ¡°We have questions for you.¡±


    They didn¡¯t know my name, then. Only my cover.


    I remained silent. This didn¡¯t escape the notice of the figure. They finally stood up from the bench they¡¯d been sitting at all this time, speaking again. ¡°I advise you to coop-¡±


    They didn¡¯t get the chance to finish their sentence.


    Because a glowing silver crescent of Ki erupted from the treeline of the plaza, and severed the strand of darkness holding me still. I had never let go of Sylvan Vigor, and so I immediately took the chance to spring towards the source of it. Sylvia stepped out of the tree line to my left as I touched down, her drawn short sword still glowing slightly from the attack she had freed me with. At the same time, Crook dropped down from the trees above us, to land in a three-point crouch to my left. She had already drawn her combat stave shaped like a shepherd''s crook, and was holding it prepared behind her. I finally got the chance to draw my own weapons, getting into a defensive stance with both Oninite daggers.


    Across the plaza from us, the group of shadowy figures had gathered together and were staring at us. The lead figure, the one who had been waiting on the bench, spoke first. ¡°Nocturnes,¡± They said flatly. The cloaks of the figures shifted, almost as if they were reaching for weapons.


    Crook straightened up from her crouch. ¡°SED,¡± She nearly snarled in response, griping tightening on her stave. I tensed at the word.


    Despite what I had thought after first sight of them, these people weren¡¯t monsters.


    They were our counterparts among the Loyalists, instead.


    The lead figure raised one arm to point a leather-clad finger at us. ¡°Take them.¡±


    The SED Agents sprang at us, fully drawing their weapons as they did.


    We met them in their charge.

 Chapter 183 - Chaining

    Mid-leap, one of the SED Agents was knocked out of the air by something traveling so fast I could barely make it out. It was only thanks to the playback of the scene by my core ring that I was able to just barely perceive a single arrow coated in flowing purple Mana, before it promptly pierced the side of the unlucky Agent.


    Wisp on overwatch had gotten one of them.


    The force of the arrow was great enough that the SED operative was blown off of their feet, flying to slam against a nearby tree in the plaza. Somehow, her shot was accurate enough to lodge itself straight in the throat of the ambusher. The arrow pinned the black-cloaked figure like it was a captured insect. They writhed for only a moment, clutching uselessly at the shaft in their trachea before they fell still.


    By the time Crook, Sylvia, and I had met the surviving SED members blade to blade, it was now four versus three instead of the five they¡¯d arrived with. Curtly, the leader that had been speaking to me earlier gestured with their free hand not occupied holding back Crook¡¯s stave at another one of their cohorts. They broke away from trying to circle around behind me to dash off in the direction of Wisp on her rooftop, dodging arrows coated in violet Mana all the while. The sound of the projectiles cracking into the stone of the plaza echoed like gunshots in the night.


    Three versus three, now. Evenly matched.


    Thanks, Wisp.


    Sylvia and her chosen opponent both shimmered out of sight in duel of illusionary Skills for their own battle, out of sight from the rest of us. Odd, hidden clashes started erupting out of mid-air all over the plaza, the two apparent stealth specialists clashing only briefly just out of phase. Meanwhile, Crook and the leader had begun trading blows in a much more straightforward duel than I was expecting, her stave clashing against the fucking broadsword that the leader had drawn from nowhere. The two brutish weapons were creating shockwaves that rolled over the rest of us from the apparent strength behind both weapons.


    I had no idea Crook was this strong. Thank fuck I¡¯d brought her along.


    But I only vaguely noticed any of this, and only thanks to the observational abilities of Ringed Mind. I was too busy trying to fight off someone who was very, very obviously stronger than I was.


    And failing.


    I cursed mentally, desperately dodging out of the way of a strike from the SED member¡¯s bizarre weapon. I¡¯d never seen or fought against anything like it before in my time on Vereden. To my eyes, it looked like someone had attached a mini scythe to a length of fine chain, and then weighted the other end with the head of a small, spiked mace. My opponent was wielding the strange weapon with such preternatural skill that I was certain they had gone the route of specialization in it. They had to have an advanced proficiency talent in using this thing, whatever it was.


    In a way, their fighting style almost reminded me of the way Azarus tended to throw around his hammer and shield. Right now, I was feeling like a complete moron for never asking to spar with him when he was using his chains. It had just never come up, with as focused as he¡¯d been on teaching me conventional weapon forms.


    How the hell was I supposed to know I would encounter another chain wielder? How popular could the damn things be?


    I promised myself I would bug him for the practice.


    If I ever saw him again.


    Even with Sylvan Vigor jacked up as high as I could manage, I was only barely managing to keep the bladed edge of the flying scythe from taking my head off. I had no doubt it could do that, either. As I parried one wide, scything throw from the operative, the tumbling edge of the blade briefly touched the wood of the bench from earlier.


    The solid wooden structure was cut neatly in half when my opponent reeled the blade back in. I only scarcely caught the sight of that, though, as I was too busy being knocked off of my feet from the mace head of the chain impacting my stomach, thrown underhanded by the SED operative. If I hadn¡¯t been wearing a sleeveless vest of leather armor under my civilian clothes, I would have been disemboweled right then and there. As it was, I could see feel the spikes of the mace penetrate deep enough through the hard leather to prick the skin of my stomach before it was withdrawn.


    I tumbled through the air from the force of the blow, only able to stop myself from flying into the garden by stabbing one of my daggers down into the stone of the plaza below. The flagstones crumbled under the enchanted force of my Oninite blade, but still slowed me enough that I was able to land on my hands and knees. Instantly, I raised both my head and my right hand, still clutching the dagger not buried in the stone beneath, and pointed two fingers in the direction of the chain-wielding assassin.


    Snarling, I fired off a barrage of three Poisonthorn Shots at them.


    The SED operative stopped spinning the chain of their weapon for another throw and caught the hand of the scythe. Holding the blade flat before them, a pane of inky black shadows, so similar to the Skill that had held me earlier, span up in front of them. Almost contemptuously, my opponent blocked all three of my poisonous thorns, neither the point nor the corrosive acid coating them managing to pierce the solid darkness.


    But in the brief moment that their sight had been blocked by their shield, I had pushed off against the flagstones as hard as I possibly could, straight at the chain-wielding maniac. The stone under my feet cracked in a noise not dissimilar to the shots that Wisp had been landing earlier, as I flew through the air, daggers poised to strike at the operative like the fangs of a serpent.


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    I saw my opponent tense in surprise in the split second before I closed in on them as they snapped the chain of their weapon in a guarding position. The length of chain gleamed oddly, looking to grow sturdier.


    My Oninite blades crashed into the strangely sturdy links in an explosion of sparks. In an instant, the length of chain somehow flowed around the blades of my daggers, trapping them in place. Above me, I could see the scythe blade at the end of their long weapon angle down at me in a killing blow. For some reason, I got the impression that the opposing agent was smirking at me.


    I grinned viciously in response, and activated the entire reason I had gotten so close to them.


    Grinding Crimson Sunder.


    The blades of my daggers erupted into a swirling mire of blood-red screeching thorns. The chain around both of my daggers burst into an explosion of sundered links from the grinding force of my synergized Skill, falling in fragments all around me. At the same time, I depressed the activation switch on the dagger I was aiming.


    Right. At. Their. Head.


    The collapsible spear exploded into its full length in an instant, as I tried to lance through their skull with just the power of the springs in my weapon.


    Somehow, the SED operative was able to react in time to dodge the incoming point of my spear. They jerked their head backward just in time to avoid taking the full blade to the face. Instead, the crimson-coated edge just barely scraped along the swirling illusionary surface of their concealing spell mask. It was disrupted along the line of the blade, briefly revealing their face to the world.


    In response, the operative rocketed their head back forward in a headbutt that I didn¡¯t see coming, closing the short distance that was between our two bodies. In the split second before their skull impacted my own, I was able to see I had carved a bloody line over one furious brown eye, set into a pale feminine face.


    That was all I saw, though, because in the next instant, I was seeing stars. I stumbled back, activating Thorn Cloak almost instinctually as I did so. It was a good thing I did, as I felt the spiked end of my opponents severed chain mace swing around behind me and strike my back. The spikes pierced the mass of thorns, but not the surface of my armor this time. I skipped back in order to get some distance between us, as my sight started to clear.


    When I could see again, I noticed that the surface of the operative¡¯s illusionary mask had regenerated from my strike. But now their posture was much warier that they¡¯d found out I could actually hurt them. They were holding the handle of their severed scythe in their left hand, while they swung the shorter length of chain attached to the mace head in the other, gearing up for another throw.


    Shit.


    That had been an almost last-gasp gambit from me. I didn¡¯t know what else to do, now that this apparent woman was wise to some of my best tricks. I wasn¡¯t going to be able to get them with the extension of my daggers anymore, and they were going to be wary of my blades now that they knew I had weapon enhancement Skills. I could hurt them with Grinding Crimson Sunder, and hell, I could probably get them with The Scintillant Blade too. But the problem now was they still had range on me with that chain mace, and my spear wasn¡¯t longer than that chain. I couldn¡¯t rely on backup either, as both Crook and Sylvia were still preoccupied with their own opponents.


    Damnit, this was probably the worst combat matchup I¡¯d ever had on Vereden. Conceptually, I was too similar in ability to this woman, and I couldn¡¯t beat her with pure Skill. In pure instinct and skill, she seemed superior to me as well.


    Fuck it.


    I was just going to have to grit my teeth and do my best.


    I sheathed my left dagger and extended my right, gripping it in a spear stance instead of bothering with daggers anymore. The chain may be longer than my shorter spear, but it was still better for this situation. Maybe I could get them with Shadow Thorn too, if I set it up right? Guess I''d have to find out.


    I took a deep breath, and prepared to charge.


    I needn¡¯t have bothered.


    Appearing as if out of nowhere, a familiar Gnoll woman shimmered into view in a flying kick to the side of the SED operative I¡¯d been failing against.


    Dusk, somehow miraculously coming to my rescue.


    Impossibly, I saw the woman try to react to the sneak attack, but not fast enough for once. The kick impacted their side, and they went flying to slam against the nearby trunk of a tree in the plaza. In particular, I saw their head bounce hard off the bark. They tried to struggle back to their feet from the hard impact, only to slump back against it, looking to have lost consciousness.


    I let out a slow breath before flicking my eyes over at taciturn Gnoll that had saved me. I nearly had to do a double-take at the sight of her.


    Bizarrely, while she was still wearing her face-concealing mask, she was not wearing the normal Order armor. Instead, she had an almost incongruously stereotypical maid uniform on. The long black skirt and blouse were overlaid by a frilly white apron, upon which I could see dust and dirt stains.


    I stared at her dumbly for a moment, forgetting the entire confrontation still ongoing. I nearly wanted to cry laughing at how out of place the Gnoll woman looked. After a single split-second, though, I snapped out of it.


    Something else had grabbed my attention. Multiple things, in fact.


    The first was that the SED leader had disengaged from Crook, and had backed off while the other operative fighting Sylvia shimmered into view next to them, regrouping. Because someone else had joined them, too.


    The agent that had been sent off in the direction of Wisp.


    They had returned, and their body was dripping with freshly stained blood.


    My own ran cold at the sight of it, the implication slowly sinking in while Crook and Sylvia joined Dusk and I. Crook noticed the same thing I did, and snarled like a wild animal, taking a tense step forward. She was blocked by the extended arm of Dusk, however. I¡¯m not sure she even noticed. ¡°What did you do?!¡± She shouted in the silence of the plaza, at the blood-drenched SED operative.


    They didn¡¯t answer. Instead, the leader did for them. ¡°No more than you, Nocturne,¡± They said, their disdain somehow translating through the voice modulating effect of their illusionary mask. ¡°An eye¡­for an eye.¡±


    Crook tensed further, her grip on her stave tightening enough for the wood to creak. Before she could do anything, though, Dusk finally spoke since her sudden entrance. ¡°Enough,¡± She said lowly, causing Crook to turn her head slightly. I broke out of my shock caused by the apparent death of Wisp to look at her. ¡°We need to go. Now.¡±


    ¡°Why?!¡± Crook questioned furiously. ¡°We can¡¯t just let them get away with this!¡±


    But it wasn¡¯t Dusk who answered, or even the SED leader.


    Instead, it was a familiar voice, coming from the entrance to the plaza.


    ¡°Oh, possibly because of me,¡± A cool, refined female voice rang out, accompanied by the sound of marching armor-clad boots.


    I¡­knew that voice. The owner was the entire reason this confrontation even happened.


    Turning my head, I saw her.


    Rhiannon.


    Accompanied by what looked like an entire platoon of classers from a group I hadn¡¯t seen since we¡¯d taken Helstein.


    The Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame.

 Chapter 184 - Creatures of the Vale

    Each and every one of the accompanying classers from the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame looked like they could take me. These didn¡¯t seem to be the run-of-the-mill warriors that had to fill the ranks of the opposing Martial Order. No, if I had to take a guess, this was an entire platoon of elites, hand-picked and sculpted by their leadership in order to kick ass and take names. From their highly personalized, intimidatingly powerful feeling weapons and armor, to the simple way they held each other, I doubted my chances against any of these guys. I didn''t even need to Observe them to know that.


    Sometimes you could just tell.


    And there were at least thirty of the damn people, all of them at the beck and call of Rhiannon.


    What¡­


    What the hell was going on here? How did the woman have the pull to command such a force?


    Rhiannon herself looked almost exactly the same as she had back at the shop, in a slightly off-putting way. Still wearing the same pitch-black gown and furs, her burgundy eyes sought out mine from across the dead-silent plaza. Nobody that had been previously fighting had moved an inch since Rhiannon had shown herself.


    She smiled thinly at me.


    ¡°My my,¡± Rhiannon said casually, sauntering farther into the courtyard. As she did, the classers moved forward and started to spread out. Gradually, the platoon began to encircle both us and the SED agents, sticking to the very edges of the circular plaza.


    I tensed at the motion, nearly springing away from the trap. I was stopped, though, when Dusk clamped down hard onto my shoulder, nearly enough to grind my bones together. She wasn¡¯t even looking when she stopped me, just watching Rhiannon instead.


    As if she was the real threat, and not the deadly-looking classers from a rival Order.


    Almost mockingly, Rhiannon trailed her eyes over Dusk for a moment, before letting them meet mine once again. She continued speaking. ¡°I certainly didn¡¯t expect to see you here, Nathan,¡± She nearly purred. I mentally winced at how she had just blown whatever cover I still had, but it wasn¡¯t a huge loss. The SED agents, and particularly their leader whose head had just turned slightly to look at me had already seen my face. I was going to have to burn the identity of Hans Schefel no matter what.


    Sorry, Jason.


    ¡°After all, this little trap wasn¡¯t even for you,¡± Rhiannon said casually, trailing a hand over the bench the SED leader had been sitting on earlier. For some reason, a screeching sounded out from the point of contact between her nails and the iron fittings, echoing around the plaza. ¡°I was just trying to bait out some little rats that have been troubling me lately. The Guard Captain didn¡¯t mention you were the ones acting as¡­enticement. Tsk tsk. I¡¯ll have to punish him later.¡±


    ¡­What?


    ¡°As expected of you, creature,¡± The SED leader unexpectedly said, contempt dripping from their synthesized voice. ¡°You care so little for collateral damage that you won¡¯t care that even your latest little interests step in the way.¡±


    Rhiannon rolled her eyes at them as the Solstice¡¯s Flame classers finished encircling the plaza. Not a one of them had spoken once since they¡¯d stepped foot in the clearing. They seemed content to let Rhiannon do so while they watched Crook, Dusk, Sylvia, and I hungrily.


    ¡°Oh, do drop the self-pity, Number Thirty-Two,¡± Rhiannon said derisively. ¡°It ill suits you. Besides, you should speak when spoken to. Be quiet now, and let the adults do the talking,¡± She flicked a dismissive finger at ¡®Number Thirty-Two¡¯.


    From it, a thin line of a dark, indistinguishable liquid sliced from its tip to crash into the SED leader¡¯s shoulder. It split both the cloth of their cloak and the chain of the armor I could now see underneath, exposing their pale flesh in an instant.


    A massive, nearly bone-deep gash opened up on their shoulder, bleeding heavily. Thirty-Two barely flinched at the attack, even though it had to be absolutely agonizing. They must have an incredibly capable mental control Skill like my own in order to endure that.


    Even though their leader had barely reacted to the attack, the other two SED members tensed up and moved as if to attack. They were stopped by the raised hand of Thirty-Two. They shook their head, causing the two operatives to step back.


    Rhiannon visibly dismissed the group of SED agents, instead shifting her eyes to look over our group. In particular, they lingered on both Dusk and Sylvia, even though she had previously been speaking to me. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She trailed off, tapping one darkly painted fingernail against her lips. ¡°But perhaps this will work out better.¡±


    I decided to finally speak up. ¡°Rhiannon, what is this about?¡± I asked her in a low, tense voice.


    The woman broke out of her spell, blinking rapidly at me. It was as if she had forgotten I was even here. She dismissed me after a moment, though. ¡°Oh, just considering which of your two little girls there I¡¯m going to take with me,¡± She said casually, eyes still lingering on Dusk and Sylvia. She was speaking as if she had just debated which caf¨¦ she was going to choose, and not which person she was going to kidnap. Either my friend and comrade.


    Or my girlfriend.


    I tensed up at the same time Sylvia did. Dusk didn¡¯t react, though. She just kept watching Rhiannon with steady eyes.


    Said noblewoman kept speaking. ¡°On one hand, we have the daughter of the mighty Greycton, Archmage of the Violet Circle, Headmaster of the Academy, and Grand Marshall of the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn,¡± She said casually, outing Sylvia without a second thought. The eyes of every Solstice¡¯s Flame member in the plaza immediately shifted to home in on her eagerly, palpable bloodlust in their gazes. Meanwhile, Rhiannon had locked her eyes on Dusk, as if she could see straight through her mask. For all I knew, she could, with the way she seemed to be able to see through Sylvia¡¯s illusioned fa?ade. ¡°On the other, we have little Liora Valen, so far from home.¡±


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    Dusk visibly twitched at the name Rhiannon had just thrown out.


    I¡¯m¡­guessing that was Dusk¡¯s real name. She had never shared it with me, so it was my first time hearing it.


    ¡°Orphaned at a young age and taken in by that sad old failure Baldric-excuse me, I hear he goes by Hook these days,¡± Rhiannon said mockingly, lightly covering her mouth with one hand. That name only caused Dusk to tense further. ¡°He taught you all the worthless, tired old skills that he could. And when you came of age, you insisted that you join up with his little band of spies and cutthroats. Tsk tsk, whatever would your poor old parents think of you now?¡±


    How¡­


    How did Rhiannon know all of this? How could she possibly know Hook¡¯s real identity, when I don¡¯t think anyone in the Nocturne Division did? In all of my time both around Hook, and in the Division in general, I had never heard even the hint of a whisper as to his real name. The dwarf''s history was a blank slate, and seemingly purposefully so. And here was this random noblewoman dropping secret, well-hidden knowledge like it didn¡¯t even matter.


    It gave me an ominous feeling.


    That was only enhanced when the look Rhiannon was giving her turned calculating. ¡°Yes¡­thinking about it. Why choose?¡± She said with a smirk. ¡°I only need one, but both wouldn¡¯t hurt. Boys, take them.¡± At Rhiannon¡¯s dismissive gesture towards us, the surrounding Solstice¡¯s Flame members all finally drew their weapons. Slowly, they started to advance on our combined group of SED and Nocturne Agents. As the circle closed in on us, I bizarrely found myself back to back with the SED Agent Sylvia had been locked in life and death battle with only moments ago. We exchanged brief looks of mutual antipathy, but didn¡¯t say anything about it.


    After all, it looked like these guys were more than willing to take all of us at once.


    Strangely, both Dusk and Thirty-Two didn¡¯t move from their original positions. They exchanged a long, slow glance before the SED Agent inclined their head at her. Dusk nodded, and then turned to face the smugly onlooking Rhiannon. The Gnoll woman struck out sharply with one hand. ¡°Stop. Or I promise you, you¡¯ll regret it.¡±


    Idly, Rhiannon raised one hand, causing the advancing Solstice¡¯s Flame members to halt in place. ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± She said with an amused smile. ¡°What could you possibly do now that could make me regret anything?¡±


    Slowly, Dusk reached up to grab her mask. Undoing the clasp, she lowered it, allowing me to see her white-furred face unobscured and undisguised for the first time since I¡¯d known her. I wasn¡¯t exactly the best judge of Gnollish beauty, but I would certainly say that she was a striking example of her kind. Her face was particularly memorable considering the nearly crescent moon-shaped markings of black fur she had underneath her strangely violet eyes.


    Right now, her snout was arranged in something I never would have expected on the usually taciturn gnoll woman¡¯s face.


    A small, sharp smile.


    ¡°Because I know what you are, ¡®Rhiannon¡¯,¡± Dusk, or rather Liora Valen, said semi-mockingly.


    Rhiannon finally lost the ever-present smile that had been on her face this whole time. Now she was just looking at the Gnoll with a frighteningly blank look.


    Meanwhile, most everyone else in the clearing was looking confused. I was considering the wording of what Liora had said.


    ¡®What¡¯ you are, and not ¡®who¡¯ you are.


    I say most everyone was looking confused, but not Thirty-Two. They hadn¡¯t reacted to Liora¡¯s words at all, while even their SED underlings had perplexed posture.


    ¡°You, are bluffing,¡± Rhiannon said bluntly. ¡°This is nothing more than a pathetic attempt to throw me off guard.¡±


    ¡°You were careful, I will admit that,¡± Liora said grimly, outright ignoring the other woman. ¡°But there are certain traces that your kind leave that cannot be concealed. Your kind thrive off of being unknown and unseen, operating in the shadows to twist matters to your liking. But if even the barest hint of suspicion is cast, then those traces can be found. And the? You. Are. Doomed.¡±


    Rhiannon was looking at the Gnoll now with wary, narrowed eyes. She didn¡¯t speak, as it seemed like she was starting to believe that Liora actually knew what she was speaking about.


    And my comrade noticed that. She smiled at who I was suspecting might not actually be Bleddyn¡¯s cousin. ¡°I found it on the Portal St-¡±


    Rhiannon moved.


    In the blink of an eye, faster than I had seen anything and anyone move ever since I¡¯d come to Vereden, Rhiannon appeared in front of the unmasked Nocturne Agent. Liora had been cut off because the woman had her by the throat, and was dangling her in midair.


    Right next to me.


    I startled and skipped back, along with the rest of the other Agents around me, Nocturne or otherwise.


    Fast.


    Faster than even Honoka was, I thought. I had seen the old woman move quickly in the past, but never to the degree that I had just seen Rhiannon do.


    Liora wasn¡¯t struggling in Rhiannon¡¯s grip, even though the other woman was holding her above the ground. Instead, she just met the ¡®noble¡¯s¡¯ eyes and smiled slightly.


    Said ''noble'' was standing utterly, impossible still when she finally spoke. ¡°What do you want.¡± She said in a flat, unemotional tone of voice. I didn¡¯t get the impression that was so much a question, as it was a demand.


    Liora didn¡¯t waste any time. ¡°Let my comrades go, and I¡¯ll come with you willingly. If not, then my deadman¡¯s switch will deliver the truth of your identity to Grand Marshall Greycton.¡±


    Deadman¡¯s switch? That was a thing here? I¡­guess it had to be an enchantment of some kind.


    ¡°Not good enough,¡± Rhiannon rebutted, her painted lips curling. ¡°I can¡¯t be certain just you will be enough for my needs.¡±


    Before things could degenerate any further, Thirty-Two stepped forward. ¡°Then I shall assist,¡± They said flatly. ¡°I offer myself as well, in order to buy my own comrades freedom.¡±


    ¡°Commander!¡± I heard one of the other SED operatives say, taking a protesting step forward.


    ¡°Silence, Seventeen,¡± Thirty-Two said calmly, without even looking at their subordinate. ¡®Seventeen¡¯ reeled back as if they¡¯d been struck, but quieted down. ¡°I, too, know what you are. Creature. The Nocturnes are not the only ones capable of deduction. Why else do you think our faction was hounding you so, these past few months?¡±


    Rhiannon cut her eyes over at Thirty-Two, narrowing them. ¡°I see I¡¯ve been a bit careless, if a couple of striplings like yourself can discover this,¡± She mused almost casually. Still, she nodded sharply. ¡°The deal is struck, then. Your lives now belong to me. Go,¡± Rhiannon said to the rest of us, almost dismissively. ¡°My toys shall not bother you anymore, this night.¡±


    None of us moved, unwilling to leave any of comrades behind.


    Rhiannon¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Do not scorn my generosity, curs.¡±


    Dusk, or rather Liora, turned around to meet my eyes.


    And nodded, almost peacefully.


    ¡®Go¡¯, she mouthed.


    I lay my hands on Sylvia and Crook¡¯s arms, drawing their attention. When they looked at me, I jerked my head in the direction out of the plaza. Crook studied me for a moment before abruptly nodding, while Sylvia said nothing. She did reach out to squeeze my hand, though. Slowly, the three of us started to back away in the direction of the building we¡¯d been observing from. The SED agents were slower to comply with their leader''s orders, but eventually did so. They grabbed the still unconscious form of the agent I had been fighting as well as the corpse of the one Wisp had killed. Afterward, they joined us as we stepped through the wall of Solstice¡¯s Flame members, and out of the plaza.


    My last glimpse of the captive Liora was the strangely peaceful look on her white-furred face.


    As if she had accepted her fate.


    My lips thinned.


    I promise, Dusk. We¡¯d be back for you.


    Count on it.

 Chapter 185 - Razor-Sharp Rage

    Only minutes later, I found myself staring at a horrifying and gruesome scene.


    The still, bloodied form of Wisp.


    After Crook, Sylvia, and I had left the plaza accompanied by the SED Agents, the three of us who were Nocturnes had made a beeline for the rooftop we had originally departed from. Our former, and perhaps still, enemies had followed along silently, appearing to guess where we were coming from.


    After all, they had been given the chance to collect their own dead before we¡¯d left. The SED operative who I was suspecting had been the one to fight Wisp had the tact to not follow us up here, instead hanging back down on street level with their own dead comrade and the unconscious one Dusk had taken out.


    Even though I had been expecting the sight of Wisp¡¯s body, it still knocked the breath out of me. The rooftop was ruined, and the overhang that we had been doing our reconnaissance under had been torn down completely, laying in heaps of splinters and scattered every which way. I don¡¯t know how the battle with the SED agent had gone, but it looked to have been a quick one. I¡¯m not sure Wisp even had the opportunity to fight back before she¡¯d been jumped. It looked to me that after having been¡­stabbed several times, she¡¯d crawled her way over to rest against the door to the lower floors, and then simply¡­bled out. Her head was hanging over her chest, and her mask was starting to fall off her face.


    I¡­I¡¯m not sure how willing to work with the SED agents I was, after seeing something like this. There had been an implicit agreement among Crook, Sylvia, and I in the moments after leaving the plaza that there was more going on underneath the surface of Elderwyck than we knew, and it involved SED in some way. There had been talk of ¡®factions¡¯ and how SED had been hounding Rhiannon in particular for months now, and we needed to know what was going on. Dusk, or rather Liora, had essentially sacrificed herself on the possibility that we could solve this mystery.


    I didn¡¯t want to waste that opportunity, but right now all I wanted to do was turn around and tear out the throat of the two silently watching SED Agents.


    That is, until something completely unexpected happened.


    Under our disbelieving eyes, the ¡®corpse¡¯ of Wisp abruptly took a deep gasping breath before coughing up a mouthful of blood. I saw one unmasked eye crack open and look around deliriously before settling on both us, and the SED agents at our back. ¡°Am I hallucinatin¡¯,¡± A hoarse, confused voice escaped the apparently not dead woman. ¡°Or are there SED behind you?¡±


    I ignored her babbling, veritably teleporting to Wisp''s side as I began to focus extremely hard on the task ahead. Once I had skidded to my knees in front of her, I began to rapidly withdraw supplies from my pouch. I vaguely noticed that Crook and Sylvia had joined me, but I almost completely disregarded them. I may not know Crook very well, but I did know that Sylvia had limited ability when it came to performing first aid. I, on the other hand, had an omnidisciplinary Profession capable of battlefield surgery.


    I had more important things to do than pay attention to anyone else but Wisp.


    I ripped off the mask of the delirious woman and began pouring a variety of different potions I had on me down her throat. Once that was done, I spoke to my companions without looking at them. ¡°Hold her down,¡± I said curtly. Without further prompting, Crook and Sylvia complied, grabbing the delirious Wisp by the shoulders firmly.


    Taking off my gloves, I reached out and laid my bare hands against the bloodied figure of Wisp as she struggled weakly. Focusing, I fell into my Aetherial Melding trance.


    And got to work.


    Ten minutes of tense melding later, I relaxed out of my trance and sighed, sitting back on my hands.


    God, it had been a while since I¡¯d had to do something like this. As far back as Addersfield, I¡¯d say. My Aetherial first aid was sloppy, and very draining on me. But it worked.


    Wisp would survive, at the very least until we could get her to a real Healer. She¡¯d passed back out halfway through my treatment, but she was stable now, and no longer losing blood at a risky pace. Crook and Sylvia hadn¡¯t needed to hold her down after the other Agent had lost consciousness, and had taken to guarding the two of us. When I looked up again, I saw Crook in the middle of a staring match with the SED Agents, while Sylvia had lifted her mask to smile down at me in pride.


    ¡°Well done,¡± She said quietly, laying a hand on my shoulder and squeezing. I could see relief thick in her gaze that we hadn¡¯t lost anyone in what had turned out to be a pointless conflict. I lay my own hand on top of hers, and returned the squeeze with a tired smile. After a moment, I used her hand to leverage myself to my feet with a groan. After both the fighting and the impromptu surgery, I was feeling pretty worn out.


    ¡°Crook,¡± I said quietly, causing said Agent to turn her head slightly in my direction. I noticed that she didn¡¯t completely take her eyes off of the SED group, though. ¡°I need you to carry her.¡±


    After a moment, Crook nodded slightly and then stepped back to gather the comatose form of Wisp in her arms. As she did so, I stepped forward, drawing the attention of the SED operatives. I was feeling much, much more charitable towards them now that I knew Wisp hadn¡¯t been killed by the guy down on the street.


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    We just had to see if they were feeling the same way, as I knew that the person Wisp had shot was very, very dead. Last I¡¯d seen, their head was only hanging on by a thread of sinew.


    ¡°Now what?¡± I said bluntly, doing my best to focus through my exhaustion. I was the best option we had between the three of us to negotiate with members of the rival spy organization. For the moment, at least. Sylvia was just too¡­awkward with strangers, while Crook struck me as someone with a grudge. The buck stopped with me, for now. I couldn¡¯t wait to pass this whole situation on at the first opportunity.


    The SED member that had protested their leader surrendering themselves stepped forward. ¡°I am Number Seventeen, and this is Number Forty-Five,¡± They said, their voice obscured by the enchantment of their illusionary mask. ¡°At this point, we¡­request the opportunity to speak with your leader, in order to discuss the next step.¡±


    I crossed my arms, the exposure of my face to people I¡¯d just been fighting making me itch. I made sure to keep my expression flat. ¡°And what do you see those next steps as?¡±


    Seventeen and Forty-Five exchanged glances before Seventeen spoke again. ¡°Am I correct in assuming that neither of us is content with allowing our respective comrades to remain with that¡­woman?¡±


    ¡°Obviously,¡± Crook growled at the SED Agents. Forty-Five turned their head to look at her, but didn¡¯t speak. They did, however, give the impression of mutual animosity.


    Sometimes, you could just feel these things.


    Meanwhile, I frowned, but nodded. Glancing to the side, I approached the edge of the building we were talking on. Looking out over it at the garden and plaza we had just escaped from, I could see no trace of Rhiannon or her apparent Solstice¡¯s Flame hirelings. They must have vacated the area as quickly as we had.


    Or at least, they wanted us to think that. By setting up this entire apparent trap for the SED forces, Rhiannon had displayed a level of planning, subtly, and forethought that I didn¡¯t normally associate with the nobility. While the woman may have reminded me of Magnus, she was clearly not quite as maniacally dim as my former ¡®master¡¯ had been.


    She was an actual threat, it seemed.


    I let out a slow breath. ¡°It¡¯s not my call to make,¡± I eventually said, before turning around and looking at my companions. ¡°Crook, you should go get Wisp looked at. You know where to take her,¡± I said, alluding to the Healer¡¯s clinic the Division had ties to. The same one that Hook had been treated at following his injuries in the mausoleum. ¡°Whisper and I can handle this.¡±


    Crook almost looked like she was going to protest the ad hoc order I¡¯d all but given out. And I didn¡¯t blame her for that. Sylvia and I were much more junior Agents than she was, after all. But Crook seemed pragmatic enough to realize we had no choice in the matter. I may have stabilized Wisp, but she still needed real Healing. She nodded curtly, and then turned and made a running leap to land on another nearby rooftop. In moments, the dark of the night had swallowed her and her precious cargo.


    I turned my eyes to Sylvia then. ¡°You¡­should call this in,¡± I said, referencing the communication coins obliquely. No way in hell was I going to be directly mentioning a Division secret in front of SED Agents.


    Sylvia studied me for a moment, before nodding and turning to face the doorway to the lower floors of this building. No longer caring about subtlety, she drew her sword and sliced the chain and lock holding it closed before opening it and stepping inside.


    I sighed, now that I was alone with the SED Agents. I know I should be concerned about that, considering they were our nominal enemies.


    But after the shit show that tonight had turned into, I couldn¡¯t give less of a fuck.


    Either they¡¯d stab in the back, or they wouldn¡¯t.


    Whatever.


    I kept my eyes on them at the very least, as we stood around in awkward silence while Sylvia went through the laborious process of messaging Headquarters. It typically took a few minutes of flipping to translate a complex situation like this.


    About five minutes of all three of us standing around silently, the door opened and Sylvia stepped out. She nodded at me. ¡°They¡¯ve been informed.¡±


    Moments later, I could feel my own independent confirmation of that fact. My location coin strapped to the inside of my right arm started jerking in place rapidly. Looked like it had been linked up with a number of different other coins.


    Backup seemed to be on the way.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ll get a meeting,¡± I said shortly, cutting my eyes back over to Seventeen. They just nodded silently, before leaning over and whispering something to Forty-Five, too quietly for us to hear. After a moment, he nodded and then abruptly stepped over the other side of the building to the street below. Before I could even really ask what was going on, he had returned with the other SED member who had been waiting down there.


    Accompanying them was the newly reawakened person I had been fighting, as well the corpse of the person slain by Wisp. I got the impression of a dirty glance from the Agent I¡¯d frankly been losing against, but they didn¡¯t speak themselves.


    Seventeen inclined their head at the two new arrivals, first to my opponent, and then the one who had nearly killed Wisp. ¡°Twenty-Two, and Thirty-Nine,¡± They said, half in acknowledgment, half in introduction.


    Welp.


    Now it was twice as awkward up here. Not only that, but now Sylvia and I were outnumbered two to one.


    How wonderful.


    Thankfully, we didn¡¯t have to wait around long to be saved from the situation.


    Abruptly, five people landed on the rooftop, coming to our rescue in record time. All five of them were Nocturne Agents, some of whom I recognized, and some of whom I didn¡¯t. However, there was a very surprising face among them.


    Hook.


    Ever since we¡¯d started operating in Elderwyck, I had never seen our commander out in the field taking on a mission. I knew he had to have been doing things on his own beyond just coordinating the Division, considering the personal investigation he was undertaking. But I had never seen or heard of him accompanying any other members.


    However, here he was.


    And he looked pissed.


    The air grew heavy with the power of his projected Mana as the dwarf took one heavy step forward. The stone of the rooftop fractured from the force of his advance, as he directed a furious gaze on everyone gathered here, particularly the SED Agents. And then he did something I had only seen the most powerful do.


    He projected his own ¡®Mantle¡¯, that mysterious demonstration of might I¡¯d seen from Grey and Honoka on occasion. Only, instead of the world darkening more than it already was, it grew sharper.


    It was¡­hard to explain. It was like every puff of air, even the breeze on the wind, sprouted razor blades. They weren¡¯t cutting at me, no. Instead, it was almost like the very air around me was ever so slightly¡­shaving against my very spirit. It wasn¡¯t taking anything away with every pass of the invisible blade. Just¡­making me aware of the implication of a threat.


    It was profoundly, incredibly uncomfortable.


    I shivered, and I noticed I wasn¡¯t the only one.


    ¡°What,¡± Hook growled. ¡°Is this I hear about Dusk being captured?¡±

 Chapter 186 - The Duelist

    Sylvia and I were shooed away as Hook and the senior Agents took to seriously interrogating the SED operatives right there on that rooftop. We were instructed not to go too far, though.


    We still had to get debriefed ourselves.


    It was seriously late by this time, and I was honestly expecting Tarus to start peaking over the horizon anytime in the next couple hours. It was hard to tell time on Vereden sometimes, as public clocks weren¡¯t really a thing. Don¡¯t get me started on watches, either. With how new Clockwork Engineering was, now Mechanical Engineering, only the very rich had access to pocket watches.


    You know what? Fuck it. I¡¯ll make my own. I¡¯m sure I could Meld up something decent if I put my mind to it.


    And¡­


    All those were just thoughts meant to distract me, from the very long night I¡¯d had so far.


    I sighed, slumping back on the bench Sylvia and I were waiting on. We weren¡¯t too far from the public garden and plaza the whole confrontation with Rhiannon had gone down in. This area was rapidly becoming a hive of Nocturne activity. News of what had happened with Dusk and SED seemed to have spread across the ranks, and more and more Agents were popping up on what I mentally referred to as my ¡®blood radar¡¯.


    In other words, Lifeblood Sense. The passive sense of the Class Talent was, generally, kind of useless. Usually, I only had the barest hint of an idea when a new person was entering my radius of detection with the ability. I had to actively focus on the Talent in order to get a better feel for the pounding blood in other people¡¯s bodies. But I didn¡¯t have much better to be doing right now, so I was keeping myself busy by keeping an ¡®eye¡¯ out for people popping up in around a fifty meter radius, which seemed to be my range limit.


    It was either that, or brood about what was happening to Dusk right about now, and I didn¡¯t¡­I really didn¡¯t want to do that. I couldn¡¯t drift off into my own mind when I had a debrief to look forward to.


    I¡¯d noticed that a number of the senior Agents Hook had arrived with had departed in the direction of the plaza, though. My understanding of Nocturne SOP told me they were inspecting the area, hoping for some kind of clue that Rhiannon or the Solstice guys might have left behind.


    Something told me they wouldn¡¯t find anything. As mysterious as she seemed, and apparently hostile too, Rhiannon was¡­oddly powerful. The woman wasn¡¯t much older than I was, but she almost struck me as being on the level of Honoka or Grey. My understanding was that I wasn¡¯t too far off from the right level of strength someone my age should be now, after six months on Vereden, so¡­


    Something was seriously wrong with that woman.


    If she even was a woman. It hadn¡¯t escaped my notice that Dusk and Thirty-Two had been implying she wasn¡¯t.


    I was knocked out of my introspection by the feeling of one cool, disguised Mithril hand laying itself on my upper arm. Stirring, I focused back on the world and looked over at Sylvia to my right. The Sculpted woman had long since removed her mask and was looking a bit worn down herself, but she still nodded up to the rooftop above us. Following her gaze, I saw Hook standing up there, gazing down at us. I don¡¯t know how, but he¡¯d somehow dodged my blood sense, as I hadn¡¯t noticed him at all. Something about his posture struck me as impossibly tired, in the moments before the dwarf hopped down to join us on street level.


    Without a word, he approached our sitting forms and then hopped up onto the bench. Surprisingly, he reached up and removed his own mask as well, letting us see the deep crags on his exhausted features. He let out a slow sigh, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his knees. Prudently, he removed a familiar artifact from a pouch on his waist, a small hand-held statuette of a raven in flight. Setting it down between his legs and activating it, a wave of Mana rolled over our group and I knew we were obscured from prying eyes and ears.


    We sat in silence for a moment, before our commander broke it.


    ¡°So,¡± Hook began, before pausing.


    ¡°So,¡± I acknowledged tiredly.


    Tentatively, Sylvia reached out and lay a comforting hand on the dwarf¡¯s broad back. He barely reacted to it at all, but didn¡¯t shrug it off. ¡°I¡­,¡± She started uncertainly. ¡°Had no idea Dusk was so important to you. Excuse me. Liora.¡±


    Hook cut a glance at Sylvia, an almost perpetual frown on his face. Still, he nodded. ¡°What did that¡­woman say to you?¡±


    Sylvia and I exchanged a glance over his back. ¡°She¡­seemed to know a lot of things,¡± I began slowly. ¡°For once, she appeared to know both yours and Dusk''s identities, and had no problem flaunting them.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Hook said irritably, before shaking his head. ¡°Go on, spit it out. Who am I, then?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­she just said a first name,¡± I answered, a bit taken aback. ¡°Baldric.¡±


    Hook snorted. ¡°Baldric. She does know, then. Which is damn odd, considering there¡¯s no way some little slip of a Calonawr girl should know who I am.¡±


    ¡°And who are you,¡­Baldric?¡± Sylvia asked lowly.


    Hook leaned back then, crossing his arms and gazing up at the night sky silently for a moment. ¡°Baldric, as she said,¡± He said with a frown, before cutting his eyes my way. ¡°Of House Florens.¡±


    I blinked slowly for a moment, before the implications of his words set in. I sat up straighter. ¡°Wait, the Rhoscaran ruling House? Does that mean you¡¯re related to the Prince? And¡­Azarus?¡±


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    A brief smirk crossed the lips of Hook.


    No¡­Baldric.


    It died though, and he nodded at me. ¡°It¡¯s not a terribly close relation, and I¡­only met the two of them a couple of times when they were young,¡± Baldric acknowledged. ¡°I¡¯m technically their great-uncle, but I left when they were very young.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked curiously.


    Baldric sighed. ¡°Well¡­,¡± He drew out, before almost reluctantly continuing. ¡°I¡¯m only going to tell you this because you actually have ties to everyone involved, understand? Otherwise, I would have said it¡¯s none of your business. But it¡¯s like this. Morok, my nephew and the previous Prince of Rhoscara, asked me to leave.¡±


    I blinked at that. ¡°Asked you?¡±


    ¡°Politely, of course,¡± Baldric said dryly. ¡°See, technically, I should have been the Prince over him. I had two elder brothers, and both of them were never very martially inclined. I was interested in growing stronger, as I had no other way to advance my position in those days. This was some, oh, two centuries ago I¡¯d say. I¡¯m not quite Greycton¡¯s age, but I¡¯m not barely out of diapers like you two.¡±


    Hey.


    Sylvia never even wore diapers, grandpa.


    I kept my mouth shut, though. I didn¡¯t want to get ¡®hooked¡¯, so to speak.


    ¡°So I did my time in the Army as a Scout, and then came back and started to make a reputation for myself as a duelist,¡± At my raised eyebrow, Baldric actually cringed a little. ¡°I was an arrogant little shit at the time, and I¡¯ll leave it at that. But it made me popular with certain people, due to my strength. To make a long story short, I calmed down after I met my wife. My eldest brother had died at that point, leaving behind a daughter who would become Azarus¡¯s mother. This forced my second brother to take up the mantle of Prince, who would go on to father Morok.¡±


    I took a deep breath at that point, and gave voice to a suspicion that had been gathering in the back of my rings. ¡°Then Olag is¡­?¡±


    Baldric deflated then. ¡°My grandson,¡± He confirmed quietly. He sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve heard he¡¯s been challenging Ely for the throne recently. I¡­even heard about your little stunt in the court, that he prompted from you. I¡­well. I never had much to do with the boy. He¡¯s probably making a nuisance of himself because of the old factions that thought I should have been Prince over Morok, when my last brother carked it. By the time Olag was learning to speak, Morok was asking me to make myself scarce. I¡¯d long since publically announced my support for him as Prince, but there were still whispers that I should rule instead. So, I faked my death on a false expedition into the Deadlands, and essentially¡­vanished into thin air.¡± He was quiet for a moment, before continuing. "This was...after my wife and children had...passed."


    I...didn''t want to touch that one. An old, old grief had entered the dwarf''s tone at that, and he really didn''t look like he wanted elaborate.


    So I didn''t press him.


    If he didn''t want to say anything more about it, it wasn''t my place to make him.


    But I did note that he must have left Olag to fend for himself, if he had just left.


    I took note of that.


    ¡°Then¡­how did you come to join the Order?¡± Sylvia prompted him. ¡°Surely you were not a member before this point.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, I wasn¡¯t,¡± Baldric confirmed, nodding at Sylvia. ¡°Heading the Nocturne Division¡­it¡¯s a relatively new thing, for me. I¡¯ve only been doing it for a little over twenty years, now. I wasn¡¯t the one to found it, either. See, it used to be run by an old friend of Greycton¡¯s. A powerful old bugger from back in the day that used to run with him as one of his adventuring buddies. He went into core collapse, though, and went out with a bang.¡± He chuckled morbidly, at some joke neither Sylvia and I were privy to. ¡°This was all around the time I was leaving Rhoscara, so Greycton needed someone to take over the Division for him. My understanding is he approached that old monster in Marrowmist first, Cassandra the Red. She laughed in his face, though, so he sought me out. I never got an answer from him about how he knew I was still alive. I had nothing better to be doing at the time, so I accepted. It was¡­good for me, I think. I¡¯m suited to work, and it¡¯s not that different from my old Scout days.¡±


    ¡°And then Liora came into the picture,¡± I picked up then, nodding along.


    Baldric raised an eyebrow at me, before glowering into the distance. ¡°She even knew about that? Who the hell is this woman?¡± He shook his head, before heaving an explosive sigh. ¡°I suppose you can say that. Dusk¡­Liora, is the last surviving family member of the previous Nocturne Divisions head. She was literally born into this life. She lives and breathes it, probably more than I do. I just kind of¡­happened to start looking after her, when she wouldn¡¯t go away. I wouldn¡¯t say I raised her but¡­¡± For the first time, I saw Baldric become lost for words.


    ¡°But she¡¯s important to you,¡± Sylvia cut in, understanding how he felt better than I did. She smiled at Baldric. ¡°She¡¯s nearly a granddaughter to you.¡±


    Baldric was silent for a moment, before nodding slightly. ¡°I suppose so,¡± He said quietly.


    ¡°And now she¡¯s been taken by Rhiannon,¡± I said with a frown.


    Baldric¡¯s face abruptly hardened. ¡°So she has,¡± He said, lifting his mask back up to his face. When he raised his head again, he was Hook once more. ¡°And I¡¯m not going to let her stay with that woman.¡± He stood up then, deactivating the concealing device and slipping it back into his pouch. ¡°Back to base, the both of you. I have a meeting with the rest of the SED remnants shortly. Get ready once you¡¯re back, because we¡¯re going to move fast on this.¡±


    I scrambled to my feet, Sylvia following behind me. ¡°Wait a minute,¡± I said rapidly, before he could leave. ¡°What about Rhiannon? What is she, and why have SED been hounding her? What the hell is going on with them?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the full picture yet,¡± Hook shook his head briskly. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m going to find out. I should hopefully be back soon.¡± Just before he left, though, he turned to look at us with a grave air. ¡°But¡­I have a suspicion about what this ¡®Rhiannon¡¯ is. And if I¡¯m right¡­we¡¯re all in deep shit.¡± Before I could protest any further, he vanished in a blur of speed.


    Leaving Sylvia and I to stand around gormlessly in the middle of the deserted side street.


    I sighed, before I felt Sylvia¡¯s hand settle on my elbow and draw my gaze. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± She said gently. ¡°Like he said, we need to get ready. Plus, there should be news on Wisp¡¯s condition.¡±


    I took a deep breath and nodded. With that, Sylvia and I finally got the chance to leave, while other Agents were still scouring the site of our battle with SED.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Wisp wasn¡¯t at our warehouse base, but we did have news on her from the Healer. Crook was staying with her and she¡¯d relayed it. Wisp was going to pull through, but her injuries meant she was going to be out of commission for some time. Maybe as much as a week.


    Which meant she was going to miss whatever major operation was surely being planned to rescue Dusk. Surprisingly, the general chatter at our temporary headquarters was very much in favor of that. It looked like everyone that wasn¡¯t out investigating Rhiannon had been recalled from their missions, and there were more Nocturne Agents in one place here than I¡¯d seen since Helstein. They all seemed completely on board with storming the palace to search for Dusk, making the assumption that she had to be inside.


    I had no idea she was so well-liked. Maybe it had something to do with being the granddaughter of the Division¡¯s founder, as I¡¯d discovered.


    But¡­


    It turned out, having all of our Agents ready and on hand was a double-edged sword.


    Because before Hook could return, the dockside warehouse was attacked.

 Chapter 187 - Surrounded

    It wasn¡¯t looking good.


    I crouched on one of the upper rafters of the dockside warehouse base, accompanied by another Nocturne Agent who went by Jangle. I was peering through one of the concealed watchpoints we had cut into the side of the building.


    And what I was seeing didn¡¯t bode well.


    It looked like nearly the entire Loyalist garrison of Elderwyck was assembling in the streets outside. Accompanying them were more than a few members of the Guard. There must have been hundreds of them out there. It was like an entire military operation was underway at the docks.


    Right now, they were going door to door to all of the warehouses in the area and thoroughly searching each one before moving on. They hadn¡¯t reached our hiding place yet, but they clearly knew that we were out here.


    It was only a matter of time before they found us.


    And then we were fucked.


    ¡°How many are there?¡± Jangle asked me, in a low voice.


    I shook my head minutely. ¡°I stopped counting after three hundred,¡± I admitted quietly.


    Jangle sighed, and then let his head thunk against a nearby wooden beam. ¡°How did this happen? Why didn¡¯t our contacts in the Guard tell us the Loyalists were coming?¡± He asked in frustration. "How did they even know we were here?"


    I turned away from my surveillance post long enough to give Jangle a bleak look. Even though I had my mask back on, he could probably tell from my body language alone. ¡°Maybe the Guard couldn¡¯t tell us. Maybe they¡¯re already dead,¡± I answered darkly. ¡°If that¡¯s not nearly the whole garrison out there, I¡¯ll eat my dagger.¡± I abruptly shook my head. ¡°Go tell Serpent what¡¯s going on,¡± I said, referencing the most senior Agent currently in the warehouse with Hook gone. ¡°We need to decide what we¡¯re doing now. We don¡¯t have long before they¡¯re here.¡±


    Jangle nodded abruptly, before sliding off the beam we were crouching on. In moments, he had dropped out of sight. Meanwhile, I turned back around to continue my reconnaissance. Before Jangle had interrupted me, I thought I¡¯d seen something. I refocused, looking for it. It only took me a moment.


    After all, they were carrying a big, fuck-off flag with them.


    The Loyalist military forces were carrying a huge banner, proudly flying the mountain and valley of Herztal. Beneath it, I could see what looked to be a mobile command force, compromised of more than a few officers on horses. Messengers from the search force were constantly running to and from them, carrying out orders about whatever they were finding out there. In the middle of those officers was who I was suspecting was behind this all.


    He was a large man, not at all soft or foolish-looking like most of the Herztalian nobility or officer corps seemed to be. I could just barely make out the impressively large mustache on his square-jawed face, crowned with an open-faced helmet. A long, crimson feather poked from the crest of that helmet, lengthy enough that its drooping tip brushed the handle of the two-handed mace on his back.


    This, I believe, was General Atticus Longstripe of the Herztalian 4<sup>th</sup> regiment. The commander of all the Loyalist forces in Elderwyck.


    He was supposed to be a pretty strong guy, with a reported level somewhere in the four-hundreds. I¡¯m not even sure why he was bothering with all his soldiers on this search. He might be strong enough alone to take us all out on his own. As far as I knew, there were only a few people in the entire Division who were strong enough to take him on. Serpent maybe, as well as Sparrow, sadly still out in the countryside somewhere. Hook could, no doubt.


    But he wasn¡¯t here.


    I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and used my middle ring to calm my nerves. When I opened them again, I nearly had a heart attack at what I found.


    Longstripe was looking in my direction.


    I nearly panic-slammed the board down on my surveillance post before I realized he wasn¡¯t looking directly at me. Instead, he was just looking in my general direction. In other words, at the warehouse.


    I saw him lift one hand and point a finger in our direction, before one of his messengers ran off to the search force.


    Shit.


    I eased the board down and then slipped off the beam like Jangle had done. I fell rapidly, impacting the floor in moments in a crouch. Thanks to how much I¡¯d grown recently, I barely felt the impact at all, immediately standing up and sprinting further into the warehouse.


    In our command center built into the basement, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Everyone was aware enough to realize what the force outside meant, and our chances against it. I ignored them, making a beeline for the command table. There, Serpent was being attended by a masked Sylvia and number of other senior Agents. Everyone huddled around the local map of the area on the table looked up at my approach.


    I didn¡¯t waste any time. ¡°They¡¯re coming,¡± I said bluntly, causing another Agent to curse. ¡°There¡¯s more. I believe General Longstripe is with them.¡±


    Conversation both around the table and in the surroundings went quiet. I swear I saw Serpent¡¯s eyes briefly shutter close behind the slit eye holes of his mask. The tall, thin man sighed. ¡°Composition?¡± He asked shortly.


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    ¡°Maybe eighty percent Loyalist, twenty percent Guard,¡± I replied.


    A small measure of tension escaped the senior Agent. ¡°Nothing from Tlatec?¡±


    My brow furrowed behind my mask. Tlatec? What the hell did they have to do with this? Still, I answered the question. ¡°No, nothing. Just humans out there. Serpent, if we¡¯re going, we need to go now. I saw the search party moving our way before I left.¡±


    Serpent shook his head. ¡°We can¡¯t leave,¡± He said, to accompanying grim nods from everyone else. ¡°You might not have seen them, but other observers reported snipers on the roofs. If we try and flee that direction, we¡¯ll be pin-cushioned. Captain Isabella isn¡¯t in port right now, either. And there are too many soldiers on the streets.¡±


    ¡°In other words, we can¡¯t escape by the roof, we can¡¯t escape by the back alleys, and we can¡¯t escape by sea,¡± Another Agent picked up.


    Sylvia let out a slow breath. ¡°And so we have to fight.¡±


    The table descended into silence once more, as everyone absorbed that fact.


    ¡°Any word from Hook?¡± I asked quietly, breaking the silence.


    Serpent shook his head. ¡°No, not yet. We alerted Headquarters about the assault, and he took his two-way messaging coin with him to the meeting with SED,¡± He nodded to the empty messaging station in the corner of the room. ¡°So they should have him informed of the situation. But¡­nothing so far.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s on his way,¡± Jangle interjected hopefully


    Another senior Agent snorted. ¡°Or maybe the bastards turned on him, and this was their idea,¡± He muttered darkly, accompanied by agreeing mutters from other Agents in the room.


    No love lost between SED and the Nocturne Division, I see.


    ¡°Or maybe¡­¡± I said slowly, drawing attention. ¡°They¡¯re getting hit as well. After all, SED seems to have split from the Loyalist cause.¡±


    Serpent abruptly sighed and slashed his hand, cutting the conversation short. ¡°Enough,¡± He said tiredly. ¡°Enough. This is useless speculation. The fact of the matter is, Hook isn¡¯t here to help right now. It¡¯s up to us to either fight them off, or find another way to escape. But¡­it¡¯s looking like we¡¯ll have to fight.¡±


    Sylvia raised her head slightly. ¡°Could we perhaps hide, if I layered enough illusions on the basement? Or perhaps¡­turn this into a siege?¡±


    ¡°No, and no,¡± Serpent said, shaking his head. ¡°No offense, Whisper, but you¡¯re too low-level. Anything you put up isn¡¯t going to be strong enough to fool the search party, much less the General. And if we try and turn this into a siege¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll just blow through it anyway,¡± I said grimly.


    Serpent nodded at me. ¡°And so, we fight.¡±


    ¡°There are barely forty of us,¡± One Agent interjected, a note of nervousness in their voice. ¡°We¡¯re outnumbered nearly seven to one. What can we do against such an overwhelming force?¡±


    ¡°Our best, I suppose,¡± I said lowly.


    Those words hung heavy in the air for a moment, before another Agent abruptly sighed loudly. ¡°Well, it was nice knowing you guys,¡± He said bleakly.


    Gallows chuckles sounded through the room, before something abruptly cut them off.


    The sound of banging on the front door of the warehouse, as the search party found it locked and barred.


    In the resulting silence, Serpent cast his gaze around the sea of watching masks gathered in the room, myself among them. ¡°Ready yourselves,¡± He said firmly. ¡°Take your positions outside, and give them hell. I¡¯ll do my best against the General when the time comes.¡±


    As the gathered Agents of the Nocturne Division slowly trickled out of the command center and into the warehouse proper, Sylvia lingered. Her hand brushed mine, as our eyes met. "Don''t die," She whispered, before ghosting out of the basement to join the others. She disappeared from my sight at the top of the stairs in a shower of silver sparks, falling into an illusion.


    I shook my head with a wry smile. ''Don''t die'', huh


    Well, as you command.


    Before I left the basement myself, I took a brief look around for something specific. I didn''t want to lose the item that might be considered the instigator to this entire chain of events.


    The map of the palace, that Rhiannon had ''gifted'' me.


    I found it on the command desk I''d just been standing around, buried under a pile of other documents. I rapidly folded it up, and shoved it behind the breastplate of my full Order armor. Once I was done, I exited the basement myself.


    When I reached the main floor of the warehouse, I found it mostly deserted. Which made sense, after all. The Agents of the Nocturne Division mostly fought from the shadows. I had no doubt that everyone was going to do their best to strike and kill from stealth.


    It¡¯s what we did best.


    The banging on the door of the warehouse had only grown in intensity, and the doors were starting to crack from the force of the blows. Outside of them, I could hear it as more and more armored boots arrived to assist in break them down.


    It was time to get in position.


    I aimed a hand above me and threw out a Thorn Grapple. It caught on one of the wooden support beams above, reeling me in to land in a crouch. As I did so, I activated Thorn Cloak as well. Feeling the almost comforting weight of my Skill settle on my shoulders, I drew something I¡¯d picked up earlier, after the fight with the SED operatives.


    Wisps bow.


    Crook had left it behind in her rush to get the injured woman to a Healer, and so I¡¯d grabbed it, hoping to return it later. But Wisp wasn¡¯t here right now, and I could use a ranged weapon. It was a short bow, which suited my needs just fine. Made of a dark, nearly black wood with brass fittings, it was a recurve and nearly thrummed with crafted Mana. This was a weapon that was nearly too strong for me to use.


    Nearly.


    I had no idea Wisp was so strong, to handle this monster.


    Testing the string and nodding in satisfaction, I drew one of the arrows from the quiver I¡¯d grabbed earlier.


    Just in time, too.


    The doors of our dockside operating base finally buckled and broke under the force of the blows on them, sending splinters shooting into the warehouse in a storm of shrapnel. Good thing nobody was down there, or else they would have been torn to shreds. A cloud of smoke and dust hung in front of the entrance from the near explosion.


    I breathed out slowly, feeling my emotions leave me with my breath. It almost felt like I grew colder, as I entered into my battle trance.


    Moments later, cautious mailed feet edged their way into the warehouse, as the search team emerged from the cloud. They were accompanied by a number of different soldiers this time, in a departure from what I had seen earlier.


    I suppose they¡¯d figured out this was the right warehouse.


    I eyed them calmly from my position above, as more and more soldiers began to stream inside.


    Not yet. There weren¡¯t enough targets in our sights, just yet. It wasn¡¯t time to close the jaws of our trap. It seemed like my comrades agreed with me, as none of the Loyalists had died.


    So far.


    However, by the time enough of the soldiers had entered the warehouse to notice the entrance to the basement command center, I knew our opportunity had come. We only had so long before they started to thoroughly search every nook and cranny for us, after all.


    You know.


    Funny thing about using a bow. Although I¡¯d found out pretty early on that The Scintillant Blade didn¡¯t work well with projectile weapons, I¡¯d discovered something pretty surprising about another Skill.


    The same wasn¡¯t true about Grinding Crimson Sunder.


    The head of my drawn arrow ignited in a swirling mass of blood-red thorns. I sighted one of the soldiers below me, his head craning about cautiously. I breathed out one final breath, and on the exhale, I loosed.


    My arrow streaked through the air, finding its target. The soldier¡¯s questing head went flying as he was immediately decapitated in a spray of blood.


    All hell broke loose.

 Chapter 188 - Last Stand

    Some of the soldiers reacted with visceral shock at the sudden attack against one of their own, while some had the foresight to try and find cover. Still some others immediately tried to trace the path of my attack back up to me, with different levels of results.


    It didn¡¯t really matter.


    I wasn¡¯t alone in here, after all.


    At nearly the same time I took out the first soldier, a hail of other attacks rained down upon the insufficiently cautious soldiery. Arrows, thrown blades, and energy and elemental attacks from the wide variety of powerful Agents that the Nocturne Division could field. While there were only a few truly elite classers among us that could stand toe to toe with someone like General Longstripe, in general we were a cut above the rest.


    It showed.


    In moments, nearly a third of the Loyalist soldiers that had invaded our base had been slaughtered. Seeing such rampant death, a number of them immediately broke and tried to flee back through the doors that they had broken. We did our best to prevent them from making out, even if it was obvious that the garrison forces had to know they¡¯d found the right warehouse.


    The screams of the dying had to clue them in.


    I had never stopped drawing arrows, infusing them with Grinding Crimson Sunder, and then loosing them upon the Loyalists. Arrow after arrow leapt from my borrowed bow, some finding their mark, some not. I wasn¡¯t quite a master archer at this point, and this was the first time I was using a bow in active combat. Some of my shots hit their target, and some didn¡¯t. Even then, not every arrow I landed was a killing blow.


    But they always at least managed to wound or maim.


    I coldly watched as my latest arrow neatly took off the leg of one soldier trying to flee out the door. I didn¡¯t see what happened to him after that, as he tumbled through the shrapnel of the shattered door, screaming and bleeding.


    Things couldn¡¯t remain this way forever, though. While the general soldiery weren¡¯t quite as powerful as we were, they did have one thing going for them that was a staple of their profession.


    Discipline.


    The surviving troops below us rallied together, forming a dome of shields both physical and Skill or spell-based. They huddled together under their combined defensive front, surrounded by the dead or dying, and began to try and strike back. Attacks of their own began to lash out from their position, aimed widely at all areas of the warehouse they suspected we were attacking from. Some of them were aimed correctly, forcing some of my comrades to abandon their stealthed positions and dive out of the way, but from what I could see, none of us were truly hit.


    I myself had to dive out of the way of one conjured and thrown rock the size of my head as it impacted the beam I was crouched upon. Throwing out my golden hand, I conjured a Thorn Grapple that shot out and attached to the roof. I used it to swing away from the collapsing timber and land on another one. As I landed, I felt an impact on my back that caused me to stumble and nearly fall from my new vantage point. Reaching behind me, I yanked out an arrow that my still active Thorn Cloak had managed to stop in place.


    I grimaced at the sight of it, but something else drew my attention before I could go back to my sniping.


    Movement from the door.


    Advancing into the warehouse was a large cohort of Loyalist soldiers, protected by a domed bubble shield being projected by a pair of dedicated casters. I, along with a number of other Agents immediately tried to bombard the second dome with attacks.


    It didn¡¯t work. The shield was too strong.


    We couldn¡¯t do anything to stop them before they linked up with the surviving force. Supported by the reinforcements, their shield was even stronger now.


    I let out a breath at the sight of it. There was no way any of us were going to get through that now. I guess the easy part of this was over.


    Now we had to get up close and personal with the Loyalists. That struck me as just fine.


    I was more of a melee specialist, anyway.


    Two more Agents appeared next to me on my vantage point, as I slung my bow over my shoulder. As I drew my daggers instead, I saw one of my comrades draw a long, curved blade, and the other a whip of all things. We nodded at each other.


    We knew what we had to do. The people maintaining those shields had to go.


    That shield¡­it may stop Skills, Spells and Arts. But¡­


    It wouldn¡¯t stop people.


    This beam was almost directly overhead of the shield Loyalists, so the three of us simply stepped off the timber.


    And dove, weapons first.


    In the split second before we passed the membrane, I saw that we weren¡¯t the only Agents to come to the same conclusion on the next phase of the fight. A number of the others dove out of the shadows in lunging blows to crash into the defending Loyalists. I actually saw Jangle and Sylvia working in tandem to drag or lure soldiers from the safety of the dome, using either his chain daggers or her illusions.


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    But I had my own targets to worry about.


    One of the casters maintaining the shield somehow thought to look up in the split second before I crashed into him, daggers poised like the jaws of a serpent. I saw his eyes widen briefly in panic, but it was too late.


    My right Oninite dagger found his throat, while my left his heart. The weight of my impact drove the two of us to the floor as I used his dying body as a cushion to slide my way to a stop, right in the middle of the Loyalist forces. Instantly, I activated Sylvan Vigor at full strength, and sprang upwards using my hands, ripping my daggers from the corpse of the caster as I did so in a spray of blood. Good thing I did, because I saw several Loyalist blades sink into the body of the caster I¡¯d just assassinated below me, right where I¡¯d just been.


    If he hadn¡¯t been dead before, he sure as hell was now.


    I saw that one of the other Agents that had dove with me had been successful in taking out the other dedicated shield specialist, but not the other. She¡¯d sawed his head straight off with her serrated whip, but the other Agent hadn¡¯t been so lucky. Unfortunately, in the same freeze frame I saw the whip Agent, I saw the other Agent skewered on the end of several Loyalist blades.


    He might have been our first casualty in this fight. Not¡­unexpected, from how risky this maneuver had been. But a loss, nonetheless


    I grimaced, but threw out a hand and cast another Thorn Grapple blindly overhead to get me out of this mess.


    I¡¯d done my job.


    I just barely missed getting skewered by a questing Loyalist spear, but didn¡¯t manage to escape the blade completely. I felt it carve a bloody line along my left calf as I rapidly ascended away from the Loyalist position. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t feel the pain too badly in the depths of my battle trance.


    With the shield weakened and flickering from losing the main casters maintaining it, the barrage from those Agents still in firing positions resumed. It rapidly began to weaken from our attacks, flickering in the dim light of the warehouse.


    We didn¡¯t get to enjoy our gambit for long.


    The right most wall of the warehouse exploded inwards, sending debris flying across the length and breadth of our besieged base. I nearly fell off my vantage point with how the entire building shook from the blow. Below me, I saw huge chunks of masonry and timber shoot across the space underneath, skipping along both the floor and the flickering dome of the Loyalist soldiers. My breath caught in my throat when I saw one of the Agents who had descended into the melee get skewered by a jagged length of support beam, soaring across the hall to get pinned to the far wall.


    The fighting paused for a moment, as everyone directed their eyes to the newest breech in the warehouse.


    Striding through the smoke and debris cloud was the person we were all fearing to see.


    General Atticus Longstripe.


    The man had his massive flanged mace hoisted over one of his shoulders, as he surveilled the battlefield in an instant with a scowl under his massive mustache. After a moment of silence as the battlefield held its collective breath from the weight of his presence, the huge man abruptly thrust his weapon into the air. ¡°NO QUARTER!¡± He bellowed, his voice echoing to all corners of the warehouse. ¡°DEATH TO ALL COWARDS!¡±


    The Loyalist forces cheered, emboldened by the sight of their leader. But more importantly, they were immediately reinforced by a massive force that streamed in from the hole he had created, flooding the battlefield. These new forces began to take wild shots at every space of the warehouse they could see, filling it with holes in the walls and ceilings. More than a few support beams and struts were taken out by these both the attacks of the new arrivals, and the inspired forces we¡¯d already been fighting.


    The warehouse began to creak ominously.


    It wasn¡¯t safe to stay up here anymore. It wasn¡¯t safe to hide anywhere in here.


    Unfortunately, that meant the time for stealth was over. It was time to join in with my comrades on the floor, locked in a pitched melee.


    I dove over the side of the beam, extending both of my daggers at once into their short spear forms. As I did so, I activated The Scintillant Blade on both of them.


    I pinned one soldier to the ground with my left spear, while simultaneously lashing out at another with my right. The blade of my enhanced weapon cut through his gorget like a knife through butter, as I stood up and yanked my other armament from the corpse of the soldier who had broken my fall. As I did so, I got into the odd combat stance I¡¯d patched together for just this occasion, spears held under each arm and splayed out, pointed downwards.


    Time to see if this combat style was actually effective. Azarus had helped me workshop it, all the way back in Helstein, but I¡¯d never had the opportunity to try it before now. He¡¯d thought it was an incredibly odd thing, but said it was theoretically possible with Dexterity as high as mine.


    I shook off the pang that the thought of my dwarven friend elicited deep in my rings, focusing on the battle instead.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I was able to see through the masses of soldiers towards where the General had been. I wasn¡¯t surprised to find that Serpent had made his move on the other man, and was now locked in combat with Longstripe, barraging him with relentless blows from his twin longswords. Unfortunately, the General was more than capable of keeping up with Serpent¡¯s blinding speed, lashing out at every opportunity and blasting holes in the surrounding area with his destructive might. Serpent was able to dodge these, if only barely, but even I could tell that he was outmatched. I could only hope the senior Agent was able to pull off a miracle. I took a deep breath and readied myself.


    Time to see if Azarus was right about my own dual-wielding style.


    I got to work.


    This style was a great deal more agile than my usual one. It involved more sweeps and twirls using both of the extended spears than a usual spear style. There were still plenty of stabs and jabs involved, but for the most part, I was creating a zone that I controlled, using the length my weapons provided.


    It was turning out to be pretty effective.


    Sure, more than one enemy soldier thought to try and get in close to me. After all, a weakness of using long weapons was that it was harder to deal with enemies when they got in close. And that would have worked, too, on anyone else.


    Not me.


    When someone tried to duck and get in up and close and personal, I just retracted the spears and used their own tactic against them. Suddenly finding two blindingly fast daggers closing in on your jugular, when only moments before they were spears, had to be a nasty shock.


    Too bad.


    I just re-extended my spears once I¡¯d dealt with people who thought they were being clever.


    In flashes between opponents and fending off groups of soldiers trying to dogpile me, I occasionally caught glimpses of Serpent''s own fight with General Longstripe. It was during one of these flashes that I saw something that caused my stomach to drop.


    With a bellowing roar of victory, Longstripe brought his massive mace down upon the head of Serpent in an unbelievably powerful blow. The head of the senior Agent exploded into a cloud of gore as his body slumped to the floor of the warehouse, dead in an instant.


    I couldn¡¯t help closing my eyes briefly in despair, as the Loyalist soldiers cheered on their leader for winning his duel. Longstripe himself brought his mace overhead once more in both hands and screamed into the air of the warehouse. ¡°DEATH!¡± He howled.


    We were truly doomed, then. All we could do now was stave off the inevitable before Longstripe did the same thing to all of us.


    I steeled myself for a battle to the death, and readied my weapons once more.


    We all had to die someday, I suppose.

 Chapter 189 - Unmasked

    I didn¡¯t see an easy way out of this.


    Hell, I¡¯m not sure there was a way out of this.


    While the majority of my attention was focused on grimly fighting to my last breath, my core ring was sparring a thought to what we could possibly do to get out of this. A smaller, more cowardly part of me was wondering if I could just¡­run.


    Abandon everyone I¡¯d gotten to know in the Nocturne Division, grab Sylvia, and turn my tail over her protests.


    And. Just. Run.


    It¡­might be possible.


    In the chaos of the battle, would the gathered Loyalist forces really notice two people making a break for it? Especially if we discarded our masks and our Order armor? At that point, we could do our best to either hide out in the city, or maybe even flee over into Tlatec. Maybe we could find refuge in Tlazo¡¯s laboratory while we waited for the Uprising to come and lay siege to the city. Surely he''d extend refuge to the daughter of an old friend.


    I think Grey would forgive me for making the practical decision to save his daughter¡¯s life. Even if it meant abandoning my comrades to die in this fish-stinking, blood-soaked warehouse, my mentor struck me as a utilitarian man. Considering his history, surely he would accept the grim calculus of weighing his daughter''s life as more than that of the Nocturne Division.


    But I¡­


    I¡­


    I¡­didn¡¯t want to be that man.


    I didn¡¯t want to be the person who cut and run at the first sign of true adversity in war. I didn¡¯t want to be the man who was remembered as the coward who fled the last stand of the Nocturne Division, of the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn.


    As I used a wide swing of my left spear to make room for myself in the melee, I considered it.


    Death.


    I think, for the first real time since I¡¯d dipped my toes in this war, I considered what it meant for me to really, truly die. While this was far from my first combat engagement, or even my first large-scale one, I¡¯d never really considered my own mortality. That was a laughable thing to realize, taking into account the number of deadly encounters I¡¯d been involved in. But it was true.


    I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever confronted the possibility seriously. I¡¯d¡­always had someone, or something to fall back on that tipped the scales. Whether that was the presence of those much more powerful than I, or if it was the ludicrousness of my own Precursor abilities, I had never seriously thought I was about to really, truly die in battle.


    I was¡­strangely okay with it. Maybe it was just the adrenaline coursing through my veins, being enhanced by the abilities of my core ring. But I don¡¯t think I was terribly frightened by the possibility.


    I was finding that there were more important things than my own life.


    It was a bit odd.


    And now it was looking more and more possible, as members of the Nocturne Division began to fall all around me. We were being overwhelmed from the sheer number of Loyalist soldiers fielded against us. While one-to-one I would bet on a Nocturne Agent any day of the week, I wasn¡¯t sure about near ten-to-one odds. I¡­even knew some of them.


    Jangle, the Agent that had been supporting Sylvia, had been caught by surprise from a questing arrow. The normally jovial man was speared by its barbed tip straight in the jugular, and there was nothing anyone could do to save him. Not before he bled out.


    Spike, another member I knew and had even played a few card games with, had been nearly bisected by the greatsword of a Loyalist heavy soldier. Somehow, I¡¯d caught his eye as he bled to death from across the battlefield. I¡¯d seen the last spark of life leave him through the eye holes in his mask.


    I¡¯d even caught a glimpse of the whip-wielding female Agent I didn¡¯t know being dogpiled by a group of nearly a dozen soldiers. I¡¯d heard her screams as they held her down and skewered her with a barrage of spear thrusts.


    I¡¯d heard those same screams come to an abrupt end, as well.


    However, none of those Loyalist soldiers could compare to the might of General Longstripe. The man had seemed to realize there was nobody else among us that could possibly challenge him, but that didn¡¯t stop his advance through our ranks. It just meant that he was taking the time to really enjoy himself now.


    Longstripe was almost leisurely strolling through the chaos of the battlefield, and directly challenging the Nocturne Agents he came across. He was followed around by a group of sycophants who were hemming in those unfortunate enough to catch his gaze. His posse would encircle my erstwhile comrade, and force them to confront the General in a one-sided duel to their death.


    With such a massive gulf in power between them, none of the challenged Agents lasted very long. He¡¯d already gone through three separate Nocturnes, in this way.


    This was nothing more than sport for him now. It was only a matter of time before he singled me out. There just weren''t that many of us left.


    I felt my face harden, behind my mask.


    Well, there was no need to draw this out then, was there?


    After the death of Jangle, Sylvia had sought me out so she could have a partner to fight with. We¡¯d been back-to-back for a while now. With the idea of a plan growing in me, I swept out wide with both of my rainbow-glowing spears in an almost complete circle. In a split second, I noticed that nearly all of the Loyalist forces that had been collected for the assault on the warehouse district seemed to have gathered inside this one. Even the archers Serpent had told me about seemed to have migrated to vantage points so they could fire inside the warehouse. I couldn¡¯t see much, if any remaining Loyalist squads outside of either the doors or the holes in the walls. Good.


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    That suited my idea perfectly.


    With enough space cleared and only seconds to spare, I spun in a circle to face Sylvia. She was covered in blood from the endless melee, likely from both Loyalist and our own comrades. Alarmed, she looked at me in tired confusion, which only grew when I ripped off my mask and tilted hers up. Before she could say anything, I leaned in for a quick kiss.


    When I pulled back, I smiled at her, at peace with my next move. ¡°When you get the chance, run, okay?¡± I said quickly, lancing out at a Loyalist who was running at Sylvia¡¯s exposed back. He skipped back to avoid my weapon, but it had done its job. In the confusion, I quickly slipped the map I had grabbed earlier out from inside my breastplate and slid it into Sylvia¡¯s, to her exhausted bewilderment.


    ¡°Nathan, what¡­?¡± She tried to say, forgetting my codename. I shook my head, though, not answering. She might try to stop me if I explained myself


    I may not want to run from this fight, but I didn¡¯t begrudge anyone else.


    In fact, I was counting on that. Hell, for all I knew, there were other Agents that had already made a run for it.


    My face exposed to the air, I turned to face the circle where Longstripe had just finished up executing another Nocturne. He seemed to be fond of exploding heads, as he was cleaning brain off of his maul from his latest victim.


    I narrowed my eyes in his direction before I broke out into a run.


    Straight at him.


    Sprinting through the chaos and the hordes of Loyalist soldiers, I collapsed my left spear and momentarily sheathed it, dodging blades all the while. When I reached the dueling circle, I slammed the butt of my remaining spear into the stone of the warehouse floor and used it to pole-vault straight into the air. Midflight, I stretched out a hand and caste a Poisonthorn Shot directly at the General already tracking me with his eyes. Almost contemptuously, he reached up and swatted the corrosive thorn out of midair with the back of one hand. It tumbled through the air, while the poison sizzled on the back of his bare hands uselessly.


    I don¡¯t think it was even burning the hairs on the back of that fist.


    That was fine, though. It had done its job.


    I just wanted his attention.


    Once I touched down inside the circle of jeering, confused soldiers, I stood up to my full height and slammed the butt of my spear into the stone below once more. It cracked under the force of my strength, still reinforced with Sylvan Vigor. I took a deep breath, expanding my chest to its fullest.


    And bellowed.


    ¡°ATTICUS LONGSTRIPE!¡± I screamed into the chaos of the battlefield, my voice echoing off of the crumbling walls of our once hidden warehouse headquarters. ¡°I, NATHANIEL HART, APPRENTICE OF GRAND MARSHALL GREYCTON OF HOLLOW HILL, CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!¡±


    As the soldiers around me quieted, taking in my words, I heard the fighting outside of the Loyalist circle slow, if only slightly.


    It was the reaction from the General across the blood-stained stone from me, though, that I was most interested in.


    Thankfully, he took the bait.


    His pitiless black eyes lit up in sudden interest as he took in my proudly standing form. They raked over me, from my blood-soaked Order armor to the spear clutched tightly in my fist, and finally resting on my unmasked face. I felt the tell-tale sign on the back of my neck as many people suddenly used Observe on me. However, with my Status hidden through my racials, they would only see what I wanted them to.


    And that included my name. But not much else.


    Longstripe stroked his chin, leaving streaks of blood on it from the gore that had dripped from his weapon to coat it. ¡°Oh?¡± He mused mockingly. ¡°One of the Uprising cutthroats dares to bare his face before me? And he¡¯s one of Greycton¡¯s personal lapdogs at that. Well, well, well.¡±


    I smiled sharply at the mountain of a man across from me as the circle of Loyalists watched the confrontation with baited breath. To my satisfaction, I saw that more and more of the Loyalist forces in the warehouse were gathering to gawk. I wasn¡¯t just any faceless blade in the dark, after all.


    I was directly connected to the most famous face in the Uprising, and one of the most legendary figures in Herztal alive today.


    ¡°Cutthroat is right,¡± I said, mockingly. ¡°Do you have any idea how many of your men I¡¯ve personally killed, over the last week? I¡¯m not sure even I can count the number of soldiers I¡¯ve ambushed and butchered.¡±


    It was about three in fact, and butchered was a wild exaggeration. I liked to consider myself more methodical than that.


    But my taunt had the desired effect.


    The amused twist to Longstripe¡¯s lips died, as a snarl started to grow on his ursine features. He wasn¡¯t the only one to be displeased by my boast, either. Jeers and shouts of hatred erupted from the onlookers, as some of them jabbed out at me from the circle. One of them even connected, and I felt a spear graze my left arm. It found a weak point in my already over-stressed armor, and carved a bloody line down it before it retreated.


    I didn¡¯t flinch or even acknowledge the blow, though. Not with my pain sensors as suppressed as they were. Instead, I just kept my eyes fixed on Longstripe.


    See, I think I had a read on this man, both from my own observations, and from the small file we had back down in the basement.


    Longstripe was one of the rare few Herztalian high officers who actually cared about his soldiers. He famously tried to attend the funeral of every soldier who ever served under him. He drank and ate with them in lieu of sequestering himself in his own personal quarters. He fought on the frontlines, instead of hiding behind them.


    And he was fiercely, fiercely loyal to the Crown of Herztal.


    This was a man that was likely infuriated by the random assassinations of his soldiers, that had been happening on the streets of Elderwyck.


    Longstripe¡¯s grip on his maul tightened, the steel of the haft creaking from the force. ¡°Is that so,¡± He said dangerously. The air started to become heavy from the force of the Ki he was emitting.


    I didn¡¯t let up.


    ¡°Oh yes,¡± I said maliciously, playing it up. Not too much, though. I didn¡¯t want to come off as an unbelievable, cackling villain, or else attention would be stolen away from my show and back on the Agents I could see taking the chance to flee.


    I was happy they could see my sacrifice for what it was.


    ¡°In fact, I¡¯d say I¡¯m the main person that¡¯s been doing it,¡± I said with a smirk. ¡°There hasn¡¯t been a moment I haven¡¯t been out on the streets, hunting your men. Not since I stepped foot in Elderwyck. It¡¯s all been me, Longstripe. After all, this bloodshed was what my master wanted, sending me here.¡±


    Longstripe¡¯s expression passed from rage, into a much more ominous flatness. His bloodlust was still palpable, though, as the shouts and insults from the crowd only grew louder. I was painting myself as the boogeyman that had been haunting them, after all. I was the monster they¡¯d glanced over their shoulders in fear of.


    Letting out a breath so heavy I swear I saw steam mixed in, Longstripe surprisingly handed his maul off to another nearby soldier. They staggered under the weight of the massive hunk of metal, requiring help from another watcher. Meanwhile, the General cracked his head side to side, and then slowly started to do the same to his knuckles, one by one.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill you, boy,¡± He said, almost conversationally. ¡°Instead, I¡¯m going to beat you only mostly to death by breaking every bone in your body. Then, I¡¯m going to tear off your limbs, and when we finally crush Greycton¡¯s little Uprising, I¡¯ll throw your beaten, broken, moaning body at his feet and laugh. And I¡¯ll do that all with my bare hands.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon then,¡± I said mockingly, getting to a stance with only one spear, as the General brought his fists up.


    ¡°If you think you¡¯re hard enough.¡±

 Chapter 190 - Ursa

    Without another word, Longstripe charged me.


    I nearly died in the first moments of the first exchange. Longstripe wasn¡¯t bothering to hold back much at all. I think the only reason I was able to dodge his massive fist as it lanced out at my head was because my core ring had thrown my body into a dodge at the first hint of movement from the man. As it was, I only managed to duck under the fist by a literal hair''s breadth. My hair was blown back from the sheer wind pressure of his might alone.


    I didn¡¯t manage to dodge the follow-up knee strike from him, though.


    The force of the General''s massive knee impacting my chest was strong enough that I felt myself get launched up and back, somehow tumbling through the air from the sheer power alone. I only barely retained enough presence of mind to try and lash out at him with my still-ignited spear tip, in the moments before I was blown backward. I don¡¯t know if I hit him or not, because I was too busy slamming into the stone of the warehouse floor, my head bouncing off of the quarried rock painfully.


    I think I would have died right then if not for the fact I had multiple streams of thought. While my outermost ring¡¯s vision had whited out from the impact, my middle ring seized control this time and rolled me sideways. In the split second before I had hit the floor, it had seen how close my landing position was to the ring of observing, bloodthirsty soldiers.


    To my side, I heard the sound of a sword clanging off the stone where I had just been laying, moments ago.


    I staggered to my feet using my spear as a crutch and skipped drunkenly away from the circle¡¯s edge as my vision started to come back into focus. As I did so, a spike of pain was intense enough to pierce through my dampening. I clutched my chest and grimaced, finding it suddenly more difficult to breathe.


    I think Longstripe had fractured a few of my ribs with that one, single blow. Not enough that I was suddenly in danger of dying, but enough to hinder me. Not only that, but I¡¯m pretty sure my head had been split open, at least a little. I could feel a slow trickle of blood oozing its way down the back of my neck, originating from my scalp.


    I had to be more careful. In just one exchange, Longstripe had almost crippled me.


    Almost absentmindedly, my core ring wondered why Longstripe hadn¡¯t followed up on his blow while I was prone. He was certainly strong enough, ruthless enough, and pissed enough to have done so.


    When my vision cleared enough to see again, I beheld the sight of Longstripe gazing down at the back of his left forearm. Carved into the back of it was a long, even gash, deep enough I could see bone showing through it. Even though it was a deep wound, considering his advanced level, it was barely oozing blood at all. Despite the severity of the wound, Longstripe didn¡¯t seem alarmed by it. No, instead, he was looking down at it almost wonderingly.


    ¡°Would you look at that?¡± The General said interestedly, twisting his arm back and forth to get a better look at the gash. It was so deep, and so bloodless, that I could see individual muscle fibers contract with the movement. Longstripe clucked his tongue and shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s some Skill you have, murderer, that you can hurt me with it. I wonder how you got it?¡±


    I didn¡¯t bother with replying, despite how the sight of the cut caused my heart to leap in my chest. That just proved I could hurt the man, if only with The Scintillant Blade.


    Instead, I just pointed my left hand at the man and cast another Skill.


    Grasping Roots.


    Thick crimson tree roots covered in barbs and thorns erupted from the floor of the warehouse to wrap around the General''s legs, trying to dig into his flesh. They didn¡¯t manage it, though, instead only grinding against the surface of his leg armor with a shriek that reminded me of nails on a chalkboard. Still, they¡¯d done their job by at least wrapping around his legs.


    I charged at him, never once having let go of Sylvan Vigor at full strength. Even with as used to the Skill as I¡¯d gotten, and the stamina for its usage I¡¯d built up, it was difficult to hold it at max power for so long. I hadn''t let up on the enhancement ability once during the entire battle, and could feel fatigue trying to settle over me. Hopefully I could finish this soon, and it would be enough.


    It wasn¡¯t.


    I¡¯m not sure Longstripe even noticed the roots. He shrugged, finally tearing his gaze away from his arm to look at me. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just tear the answer from your screaming, limb-less torso, cutthroat,¡± He said cruelly. He took a single step forward, tearing through the roots I¡¯d conjured like they were so much wet tissue paper.


    By that time, I had gotten into melee distance with the man. I aimed one palm underhand up at the man and launched another Poisonthorn Shot at his face. I know it couldn¡¯t hurt him by this point, but I was at least hoping the poison could obstruct his vision. At the same time, I tried to skewer him with the brilliantly burning leaf-shaped blade of my spear.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    That didn¡¯t work either.


    Longstripe didn¡¯t even flinch at the thorn shot at his face. Te just tilted his head to the side slightly and let it pass him by harmlessly. But the man was, seemingly, properly wary of the blade of my spear.


    I just¡­wasn¡¯t fast enough to actually hit him with it.


    Longstripe batted my spear away from his vital organs before it could pierce him with the back of one fist, nearly wrenching the weapon out of my hands. I had to rapidly maneuver the haft of my Oninite spear between my body and his fist, in the microsecond it took before it could impact me.


    The length of Kawamaran metal visibly flexed under the force of the blow.


    Still.


    That didn¡¯t save me.


    I didn¡¯t even see his other hand coming until it was too late.


    In a split second, Longstripe¡¯s massive ursine hand had closed around my throat. He squeezed down hard enough that my airways almost completely shuttered. I instinctively gasped and tried to struggle against his grip, but nothing I did mattered. I just wasn¡¯t strong enough to break his grasp.


    The onlooking Loyalist soldiers cheered at the sight of me hanging in midair, suspended in the grasp of their leader.


    Meanwhile, Longstripe had ripped my spear out of my hands in order to cast a critical eye over it. He whistled at the sight. ¡°Not bad, I have to say,¡± He said, almost admiringly. ¡°This is a quality weapon if it can take a punch from me and not break. I suppose the puppets of insurrectionists are granted powerful weapons, these days. But, I¡¯ll be sure to gift it to someone more worthy than you, murderer. You won¡¯t need it, after all, once I tear you limb from limb.¡±


    Somehow, I managed to draw enough breath in order to chuckle painfully at Longstripe. He blinked at me, a little taken aback. ¡°Oh? Is some amusing, cutthroat?¡±


    ¡°Two¡­things¡­¡± I rasped painfully, barely able to breathe. Assured of his victory, Longstripe seemed confident enough to loosen his grasp, if only slightly. I used the chance to fill my lungs with a gasp before chuckling again and smirking at the General. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter¡­if you won. I already accomplished¡­my goal. Look¡­around.¡±


    Longstripe flicked his eyes up to look beyond the circle of soldiers. As I¡¯d expected, the fighting outside of our little confrontation was completely finished. There were no more Nocturne Agents in the crumbling warehouse for him or his men to try and cull. My comrades had taken the opening I¡¯d given them for escape and lived to fight another day.


    Even Sylvia was gone. Whether that meant she¡¯d truly fled the battle, or was just hanging around under an illusionary cloak, I had no way to know. But despite everything, I truly wished she had gone.


    At the very least, one of us could survive this.


    Longstripe actually chuckled then, shaking his head ruefully. ¡°Ah¡­I see,¡± He said knowingly, looking down at me. ¡°Tell me, murderer, was any of what you said even truthful? Or was this all just a diversion, so your rats could flee this sinking ship?¡±


    I shrugged as much as I was able. ¡°Some,¡± I admitted. But I didn¡¯t elaborate any further.


    That seemed to be enough for Longstripe, though. ¡°Hmm, well. It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± He said decisively. ¡°We¡¯ll mop up the rest of them later. But you¡­whether you are who you say you are, and even if you didn¡¯t kill as many of my men as you said you did. You¡¯re still a traitor, and traitors all meet the same end. I have a threat to carry out, after all.¡± Having said that, Longstripe reached out and grasped my golden left arm, still concealed under its elbow-length leather glove. His grip tightened on it, only for his brow to furrow in confusion when it didn¡¯t give like flesh would. Curious, he changed his hold in order to rip off the glove I had on.


    In moments, my golden arm was revealed to the world.


    Confused mutters erupted from the onlookers, as General Longstripe was visibly astonished for the first time since I¡¯d first laid eyes on him.


    ¡°Is he¡­a Sculpted?¡± I heard one baffled soldier ask, to uncertain mutters from his companions.


    ¡°What the hells is this?¡± Longstripe said, bewildered. ¡°What did you do to yourself, cutthroat? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± He suddenly started chuckling, almost unprompted. ¡°D-did you¡­did you replace one of your hands with a Sculpted one?!¡± He started howling in laughter then, in earnest. ¡°It¡¯s almost poetic! The Sculpted sympathizing rebel, sympathizing so hard he becomes part automaton! The sheer audacity!¡±


    For the first time since he¡¯d grabbed hold of me, the General took his eyes off me and threw his head back.


    And laughed.


    Confusion chuckles emerged from the throats of the onlookers, as they imitated their leader. But¡­


    This was my chance.


    Now.


    Ealier, when I¡¯d sheathed my second dagger, I hadn¡¯t put it into its usual left sheathe. From the beginning, I¡¯d been planning on just this gambit. Well, not specifically one where I was held by the throat, but certainly one where I was close enough, and Longstripe was incautious enough, to take his eyes away from me.


    Because I¡¯d put that dagger in the right sheathe, and¡­


    He was holding my left arm.


    In as quick of a motion as I could manage, I unsheathed that dagger, ignited it in the roiling rainbow flames of The Scintillant Blade¡­


    And rammed it into his guts at an angle.


    Longstripe¡¯s laughing abruptly stopped, as the man slowly lowered his head to where he was looking back down at me. He stared into my eyes in incomprehension for a moment, before staring down at the blade in his belly. His grip on my throat lightened, but not enough to release me.


    Enough for me to lean and say something to the man, though. ¡°You were saying how good my weapons were?¡± I hissed to the General. ¡°Well, let me show you what they¡¯re good for.¡±


    Without another word, I depressed the activation rune on my dagger, still buried up to the hilt in his gullet.


    Immediately, it exploded to its full length, piercing straight through him and erupting out of his back in an explosion of gore. Behind Longstripe, I could see the fiery rainbow head of my spear glowing like a meteor over his shoulder. Longstripe choked, staring at me disbelievingly before he slumped to his knees with me still in his grasp. Feeling my chance, I tried to struggle away from him, but¡­


    For some reason, his grip remained strong.


    Longstripe looked over his shoulder for a moment at the spear jutting out of his back, before turning to face me. He chuckled painfully, reaching up to grab my skull with both of his hands. I struggled, but couldn¡¯t get away as he spoke. ¡°Almost,¡± He rasped in agony. ¡°Almost¡­but not quite, cutthroat.¡±


    The last thing I saw was Longstripe¡¯s skull rocketing towards mine in a headbutt.


    Before the world went dark.

 Chapter 191 - Sanguine Suspicion

    I woke up.


    This was a surprise to me. I had honestly thought it was all over.


    Wherever I was, it was cold, dark, and damp. I couldn¡¯t tell where it was, as I was trying not to react to waking up at all. I hadn¡¯t moved an inch in the moments since I¡¯d jerked away, and my eyes were still closed. This was hard, as I was profoundly uncomfortable.


    My arms were tied together above my head by what felt like a length of chain, and I felt like I was suspended from the ceiling from the way my feet weren¡¯t touching the floor. I could hear the creak of a chain from somewhere above me as I slowly tilted back and forth from wherever I was hanging. My pain suppression had faded while I was unconscious, and I¡¯d had to hurriedly throw it back up to full strength in order to not cry out in agony. I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯d been strung up for, but it must have been long enough that my arms might legitimately have popped out of their sockets.


    Even though I couldn¡¯t feel the pain anymore, I could still feel the disquieting sensation of the bones in my shoulders grinding against each other wrongly. In the depths of my rings, I mentally shuddered.


    Even though I¡¯d done my best to keep my breathing even and my reactions muted, something must have still given me away. I heard a voice call out across from me, echoing off of what sounded like stone.


    A familiar one.


    ¡°It¡¯s just us down here, Hangman,¡± They called out in a bored tone of voice. I tensed at the sound of it. ¡°You can stop pretending.¡±


    Dusk!


    I think?


    My eyes jerked open to see¡­a blank stone wall. I¡­think I¡¯d spun in a circle from my suspension point to where I couldn¡¯t see out of the front of whatever cell I¡¯d apparently been tossed in.


    I tried to look over my shoulder, or better yet twist my body enough to turn around, but my rotation was slow. I¡¯d eventually spin back around to face the direction that voice had come from, but, uh. It would take a bit. My suspended arms meant I couldn¡¯t see over them, either.


    ¡°Dusk?!¡± I nonetheless called out. ¡°Is that you?!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dusk answered flatly from somewhere behind me. ¡°No need to shout. I can hear you just fine.¡±


    Yup, that was Dusk alright. I¡¯m not sure someone pretending to be her could match that bluntness so perfectly.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± I asked her, as I slowly started to twist around. I still couldn¡¯t see her yet, though. Just the other wall of my cell.


    Progress!


    I heard Dusk snort lightly. ¡°I am fine. You, on the other hand, look to have been beaten within an inch of your life. What happened after I was captured? It was only a few hours ago, and yet the situation looks to have deteriorated in my brief absence.¡±


    I let out a slow breath at her question. As I did so, I let my gaze fall down so I could take in my own state as best I was able to. And yup.


    I looked like shit.


    Whoever had strung me up hadn¡¯t washed me off, even if they had removed my armor, weapons, and all of my gear. I was naked from the waist up, and on my lower half I only had on my completely unremarkable black Order breeches on. Hell, they¡¯d taken my damn boots away too. I was covered from the shoulders down in dirt, grime, and crusted blood. More a bit of that blood looked to be mine, from the numerous cuts and gashes, big and small, that littered my frame. Bruises of varying intensity were all up and down my body.


    If I didn¡¯t have my pain suppressed right now, I¡¯m not sure I could even function.


    I sighed.


    ¡°Yeah, I look like shit, don¡¯t I?¡± I said wryly, in an attempt at levity. I couldn¡¯t keep it up, though, remember what had happened. ¡°But¡­to answer your question? We were hit, not long after your capture. And¡­it happened while almost everyone was at the warehouse.¡±


    Because we¡¯d been planning how we were going to rescue you.


    I didn¡¯t say that, though. She¡­was smart enough to guess that herself.


    Dusk didn¡¯t say anything for awhile. ¡°I see,¡± She eventually answered, in the quietest voice I¡¯d ever heard from her. The silence stretched heavily between us before Dusk finally spoke up again. ¡°Losses?¡±


    I closed my eyes slowly, right before I finally twisted around to face her fully. ¡°Half to two-thirds, I¡¯d say,¡± I said heavily. ¡°Hook¡­wasn¡¯t there to help. He¡¯d gone to a meeting with SED, and even though we messaged him, he never came back. I¡­think they got hit at the same time we did. But we were hit by what seemed to be the entire Loyalist garrison in Elderwyck, led by Atticus fucking Longstripe himself.¡± I couldn¡¯t keep the bitterness out of my voice, speaking that name.


    Not after how I¡¯d failed to kill him in our duel.


    I had been so close. If only I had aimed the dagger just at just a little bit more of a steeper angle, I would have taken his head clean off.


    But¡­I¡¯d fucked it all up.


    And in doing so, I¡¯d failed to take vengeance for all of my slain comrades.


    That bitterness wasn¡¯t helpful right now, though, so I shoved it down to where I could seethe about it later. ¡°I¡¯m not sure any of the senior Agents survived the assault. I know Serpent didn¡¯t,¡± I said, causing an audible hitch of breath to sound from Dusk. ¡°But I saw¡­a bunch of them die.¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    I finally opened my eyes, to take in the sight of Dusk.


    I couldn¡¯t help the indignation that rose up in me at the sight of her. ¡°Why the hell aren¡¯t you strung up too?¡± I asked incredulously.


    Because she wasn¡¯t.


    Instead of hanging from a chain attached to the ceiling like I was, Dusk was just manacled and chained to the floor. The odd maid uniform the Gnoll woman had been wearing earlier had been stripped from her, and replaced by what looked like an oddly ceremonial shift. As expected, she was maskless and observing me with a blank expression on her white-furred face.


    Dusk shrugged at me. ¡°Because although we are both prisoners, we are prisoners belonging to different people,¡± She said apathetically, as if she didn¡¯t care. ¡°I am held captive by that woman, while you¡­I suspect belong to the Herztalian Army. You were dragged in here by them several hours ago, beaten bloody and unconscious. They were the ones who¡­restrained you in that manner.¡±


    I frowned, as I continued to slowly twist away from her. ¡°And where is here?¡± I asked her. ¡°Do you have any idea?¡±


    Dusk snorted. ¡°Oh, I know very well where we are,¡± She said dryly. ¡°They didn¡¯t bother to obscure that fact from me. We¡¯re in the palace dungeons. Duke Olsen¡¯s palace, to be precise.¡±


    I snorted myself. ¡°The same palace that I got those blueprints for, huh. What a surprise,¡± I said sarcastically, Dusk leaving my field of view.


    You know, I was starting to get tired of this spinning. It was going to make me dizzy, damnit.


    A thought struck me, and I tilted my head in thought. Well, as much as I was able to. ¡°Why am I here, then? If I¡¯m in the custody Loyalists, shouldn¡¯t they have brought me to the other palace? You know, the one the guards have?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t Dusk that answered me this time. It was another, unexpected voice that spoke up, from a cell somewhere off to my right.


    ¡°Because that creature has suborned the entire leadership of this city,¡± A high-pitched, surprisingly young voice called out. ¡°At the snap of her fingers, they¡¯ll obey her every whim and wish. No doubt she simply asked them to imprison you here, and everyone, including General Longstripe, jumped to obey her.¡±


    I blinked slowly at the unexpected answer. ¡°Dusk, who is that?¡± I called out to the Gnoll behind my back.


    I heard Dusk hum before answering. ¡°You¡¯ve already met, in a way,¡± She answered, a note of mild amusement in her usually taciturn voice. ¡°After all, I was taken at the same time as them.¡±


    Oh.


    ¡°Oooh,¡± I said in realization. ¡°That SED Agent, whaddya call-em? Thirty something? That you, Thirty?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Thirty-Two, you oaf,¡± The SED commander snapped back. ¡°The number Thirty isn¡¯t even in use right now.¡±


    I smirked to myself. I remembered their name, but something about them struck me as young as hell. They were easy to wind up, for being a commander in an enemy intelligence organization. ¡°Right, right. Thirty-Two,¡± I said languidly. ¡°How old even are you, Thirty-Two? You barely sound thirteen.¡±


    ¡°Old enough,¡± Thirty-Two answered back, as suddenly cold as they¡¯d been hot. ¡°And don¡¯t presume familiarity with me, Hart. Our records indicate you could have been Awoken as early as seven months ago, yourself.¡±


    I sobered up. For a moment, I¡¯d misplaced this young-sounding woman with another teenager I was fond of. It may have been months now since we¡¯d left Walter back in Hollow Hill, but I still remembered him fondly. But this girl wasn¡¯t Walter.


    She was, nominally, an enemy. No matter the fact she sounded as young as he was, I couldn¡¯t let my guard down. That was beyond the fact that she knew who I was, and apparently had a file on me that included things like the date of my Awakening of all things. I wasn¡¯t surprised she knew who I was, though. If my bare face during our confrontation hadn¡¯t done it, then Rhiannon referring to me by my first name would have.


    I took a deep breath. ¡°What do you mean, Rhiannon has control over the city leadership?¡± I asked, suddenly much more professional.


    I heard Thirty-Two draw in a deep breath, no doubt about to elaborate. But the conversation was interrupted once more by a sound echoing down the hallway.


    The clack of hard heels snapping against stone, followed closely behind by the march of mailed feet.


    I swear I heard Thirty-Two¡¯s teeth snap together as they clammed up. Instead of the child commander¡¯s voice, I heard another female voice ring out.


    One I was starting to hate.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t spoil the fun now, ¡®Thirty-Two¡¯,¡± I heard Rhiannon call out down the hall from our position. I tensed at the sound of it, causing the chains binding me to rattle somewhat. ¡°I would be rather cross with you if you ruined the big reveal.¡±


    I could practically hear the sneer in Thirty-Two¡¯s voice as they spoke again. ¡°What do I care for your sick twisted ga-¡± They started, only to be interrupted by an odd splatting noise. Thirty-Two fell abruptly silent, although I thought I heard muffled grunts from them.


    Moments later, I heard the clack of heels and marching of feet stop in between Dusk and I¡¯s two cells. ¡°Are you going to spoil my fun too, Liora?¡± I heard Rhiannon ask Dusk.


    ¡°You would just silence me if I tried,¡± I heard Dusk answer flatly. ¡°And I don¡¯t wish your disgusting blood to touch me, in the way it did Thirty-Two.¡±


    Rhiannon hummed in amusement, seemingly unbothered by Dusk¡¯s implied insult. ¡°Good doggy,¡± She said condescendingly before I heard her pivot on one foot. I think she was facing my cell, now. She didn¡¯t speak for a moment, though. ¡°Oh, will you two go in there and turn him around?¡± She finally said in exasperation, apparently to whoever she¡¯d brought with her. As the door to my cell opened and two sets of mailed feet stepped inside, the noblewoman groused to herself. ¡°Why even string him up? What¡¯s wrong with the regular old manacle and chain? Honestly, militaries these days¡­¡±


    Two pairs of gauntleted hands seized me by my dislocated shoulders and spun me around, but didn¡¯t let me go. When I could see again, I noticed that the soldiers Rhiannon had brought with her were Solstice guys and not Loyalists. I should have expected that, considering how I hadn¡¯t seen them at the assault on the warehouse despite the apparent hate boner they had for us Eclipse members. They weren¡¯t looking at me, instead standing off to my left and right staring forward stoically. Not that I could see their faces well, through their helmet. I followed their gaze.


    Rhiannon was standing just outside the open gate of my cell, hands on her hips. She¡¯d changed out of her black silk dress into a much sleeker-looking one, this time in a dark, dark red. Her long dark hair had been let down as well, letting it fall down in inky locks around her head. In the darkness of the cell block, I was startled to see her burgundy eyes glowing nearly crimson.


    The woman breathed in slowly, closing her eyes. When she was done, they snapped back open. Rhiannon smiled at me. ¡°Oh, Nathan,¡± She said, almost lovingly. She lay her right hand against her cheek and cupped it. ¡°How odd it is, that our paths keep crossing this way. If I didn¡¯t know better, I would say it was divine intervention.¡± She chuckled. ¡°But¡­perhaps it is.¡±


    I kept quiet for a moment, simply taking in the sight of her. A suspicion of my own about what Rhiannon could be had started growing inside of me, ever since I¡¯d first heard the possibility that she wasn¡¯t human. I¡¯d noticed that fantastical monsters and creatures from the mythology of Earth had a tendency to pop up in Vereden, in one manner or another. But I¡¯d never thought to ask Grey, or anyone else for that matter, if one particular kind existed. However, I couldn¡¯t deny that it might be possible with the secret of what Clan Calonawr had within their ranks.


    If Werewolves were a thing, then why couldn¡¯t¡­


    I gave voice to my thoughts. ¡°Rhiannon¡­¡± I said slowly. ¡°Are you¡­a Vampire?¡± I felt immediately foolish for voicing the suspicion, but¡­


    The air in the cell block grew still. Almost unnaturally so. I swear I didn¡¯t even hear breathing from the Solstice classers holding me.


    Rhiannon blinked slowly at my question, before the smile on her face widened to show off her teeth.


    A pair of long, pointy, pearly white fangs stood out prominently, where only moments before I swore they had been normal.


    Rhiannon winked one glowing crimson eye at me, as I closed my own in resignation.


    Of fucking course Vampires were a thing.

 Chapter 192 - Under the Skin

    Over Rhiannon¡¯s shoulder, I saw Dusk do something I¡¯d never seen from the Gnoll woman.


    A long slow sigh of realized fear. Resignation painted her furred face, and her cheeks dropped as her apparent suspicions about the noblewoman were confirmed.


    I, meanwhile, was trying to wrap my head around the concept as well.


    What even was a Vampire, in the context of Vereden? I had no point of reference to make a guess. The idea that Rhiannon was a Vampire of all things was absurd, considering what I¡¯d seen from the woman. Stories from back on Earth had painted them, depending on the source material, as bloodthirsty monsters with weaknesses to daylight, stakes through the heart, fire and silver, religious iconography, and garlic of all things.


    But I¡¯m not sure any of that applied to Rhiannon.


    For one thing, I¡¯d seen the woman move about perfectly fine in the daylight. Hell, it had been the height of the day when I¡¯d first met her in Jason¡¯s shop. She hadn¡¯t seemed to care about the light at all. Silver was out as well, as the previous dress I¡¯d seen her wearing had silver clasps directly resting on her pale skin.


    I had no idea about fire, which¡­was kind of a universal weakness to most things, but I kinda doubted that garlic would bother her. And¡­did she even have a heart?


    I felt a chill run down my spine.


    Holy fuck.


    For the first time, I realized that I wasn¡¯t getting a reading off of Rhiannon from Lifeblood Sense. I felt nothing from the woman with either the passive sense that the Skill granted me, or the more active, focused version. I couldn¡¯t feel a drop of blood rushing through the woman-thing¡¯s veins.


    How¡­had I missed this? My only excuse was that I was used to the feeling at this point, and had just kind of¡­tuned it out, when I could directly see the person in front of me.


    God fucking damnit. If I had only paid more attention, then how much of the last day could I have prevented?


    I¡­


    I didn¡¯t have time for this. Even though all of these thoughts were racing through the depths of my rings, I kept them off of my face.


    I had to focus on the creature in front of me, who even the normally unflappable Dusk seemed to be almost frightened of.


    Actually¡­


    Why hadn¡¯t the Solstice guards reacted to her revelation? When I cast an I over to them, I saw they were still just standing right next to my suspended form, stoically staring off into the distance.


    Rhiannon had been so careful earlier about stopping her escorts from hearing about her true nature, but she didn¡¯t care at all now.


    The woman must have noticed my attention on them after her silent revelation because she waved a hand nonchalantly. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t look to them like they¡¯ll save you, Nathan,¡± Rhiannon said, amusement thick in her voice. She sauntered casually into the cell with us and approached one of the guards, patting his cheek like he was a dog. He didn¡¯t react at all. ¡°After Liora¡¯s little scare from earlier, I tightened my grip on these puppets in the meanwhile. It¡¯s a bit tiring, but so much would have been ruined if they had thought to message that buffoon Shacklock. These boys wouldn¡¯t flinch even if I spat on them now,¡± She winked at me. ¡°I don¡¯t recommend you try that, my dear. They¡¯d probably react poorly.¡±


    I did my best to keep my breath even as I met the woman¡¯s glowing crimson eyes. ¡°What are you even after, Rhiannon? Why all these¡­games?¡± I¡¯m not sure I was able to keep my frustration out of my voice, after the way this¡­thing had played all of us against each other. And so successfully, at that.


    This time, it was my cheek that the creature reached out to pat. My skin crawled at the contact, as I felt, for the first time, just how cold her flesh was. ¡°Oh, rest assured. It has all been for a purpose. The suffering of your countrymen¡­the banalities of this droll little civil war. Why, even the infighting in your royal house has all been for a single purpose.¡±


    I blinked slowly at the words, meeting Dusk¡¯s eyes over Rhiannon¡¯s shoulders again. I didn¡¯t care for the resignation I saw in her orange eyes.


    There was¡­a lot to unpack from that statement.


    I wet my suddenly dry tongue. ¡°Are you saying¡­,¡± I said slowly. ¡°That you¡¯re behind the civil war? Everything that¡¯s happened¡­has been because of you?¡±


    Rhiannon laughed delightfully at the shock that had slipped onto my face. ¡°Goodness no!¡± She said, outright clapping in her glee. ¡°I¡¯m good, darling, but I¡¯m not that good. No, I merely¡­facilitated things. I happened upon a few choice pawns, and from whispering in their ears, those ears led me to more. Those whispers merely stoked fires that already existed. I can¡¯t create anything that doesn¡¯t already exist. Passive suggestion is so much simpler than active control, like I¡¯ve been forced to do with these fools,¡± She flicked a dismissive hand at the stoic Solstice guards. ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid the sentiments within the Herztalian nobility against the Scupted already existed.¡±


    Oh.


    I¡­guess there was no easy explanation for hatred. Would have been nice, though.


    While I was processing that, Rhiannon tsked. ¡°I don¡¯t understand it myself, though,¡± She admitted freely. ¡°Why, in my day, if we¡¯d had access to your modern Sculpted? We would have been delighted to grant them whatever they wished. How such a marvelous creation came to be in such an uninspired era is a bit baffling.¡±


    ¡®My day¡¯?


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I asked with a frown. ¡°From what I understand you¡¯re not much older¡­than¡­me¡­¡± I trailed off, as Rhiannon started laughing in the middle of my sentence.


    ¡°Oh me oh my. I see that upstart Greycton has been a tad deficient in educating his newest apprentice,¡± She tittered, amusement thick in her voice. ¡°He never did his due diligence in educating you about the monsters that may lie under your bed?¡±


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    Dusk spoke up then. ¡°That creature isn¡¯t Rhiannon of Clan Calonawr,¡± She said bluntly. ¡°It¡¯s merely wearing her skin. The girl has been dead for a long time now. I¡¯m assuming ever since the unspecified accident that occurred in this very same palace?¡± She asked evenly.


    Rhiannon flicked a bored gaze over her shoulder at the Gnoll, but still nodded. ¡°Oh, accident is such a dirty word. I prefer¡­providence. But yes, I¡¯ve been in this particular change of clothes for around six years now,¡± She admitted freely. ¡°It¡¯s been a gaff, let me tell you. I don¡¯t often get the chance to be such a pretty young thing like poor little Rhiannon, so desperate for attention. It¡¯s a¡­refreshing change of taste.¡±


    I furrowed my brow, a bit perplexed at the way this conversation was going. Y¡¯know, beyond the fact that I was strung up in a dungeon and hanging from a ceiling. ¡°Why¡­are you telling us all of this?¡± I asked, baffled. ¡°Why expose all of this secrecy?¡±


    Rhiannon stilled for a moment, still facing Dusk. Slowly, her head turned to face me, and when it did, I felt a rush of dread roll down my spine.


    Her pupils had twisted and elongated, narrowing akin to the slit of a cat¡¯s eyes. She leaned in closer to me, only inches away from my face. ¡°That¡¯s the thing,¡± Rhiannon said breathlessly, a spark of madness evident in her inhuman gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Why am I so interested in you, Nathan Hart? There¡¯s something about you that sparks a hunger in me, beyond the necessities of my nature. I do not thirst for your blood as I do the rest of you pathetic mortals, and yet I am drawn to you nonetheless. It is as if there is an indescribable quality to the spark of your soul that entices me. I cannot describe it as anything more than¡­divine.¡±


    Insane.


    Beyond being a monster that fed on men and women, this thing was crazy. Whatever it was that was drawing her to me, it wasn¡¯t divinity. There was only one thing different about me that could affect her.


    My Precursor nature. Something about it was drawing her in, like catnip to a tiger. But there wasn¡¯t anything divine about that.


    At least¡­to the best of my knowledge.


    ¡°Are you a Godblood, perhaps?¡± Rhiannon hummed, slowly starting to circle me. I did my best to keep her in view by craning my head, but the guards kept me in place. ¡°Is that why Greycton is so invested in you? It¡¯s the only thing I can think of, really. The scent of your soul reminds me ever so slightly of that of my poor mistress. I miss her so, so much,¡± Briefly, her voice transformed behind my back, becoming eerily animalistic in quality. The growls in the undertone of it sent shivers down my back. But those vanished when she spoke again. ¡°I don¡¯t blame her for leaving me behind, you know, all those millennia ago. The War in Heaven was so chaotic, mortal. You cannot possibly understand the death and destruction that the warring of gods brings. It¡¯s understandable, that one of her blades was left in her wake when she was forced from the shores of this¡­pathetic backwater.¡±


    This thing was a remnant from the War in Heaven. But¡­that was nearly three thousand years ago¡­


    My eyes widened, meeting Dusk¡¯s once more across from me.


    Slowly, Dusk nodded across from me. ¡°Such is the nature of the Vampyr,¡± She said quietly, as Rhiannon slowly started to circle back around to my front. ¡°They¡¯re weapons crafted by divine hands, from an age long past. History tells us they were meant to sow terror and destruction on scales we¡­can¡¯t imagine anymore. It was thought that all of them had been found and dealt with. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But that which cannot truly die, only hides in the dark,¡± Rhiannon finished, coming to a stop in front of me. She smiled ever so slightly, the tips of her fangs peaking out. ¡°I was defeated in those last days, but I only slumbered on this oh-so-auspicious spot until one over-ambitious noble dug too deep.¡±


    ¡°Olsen,¡± I said quietly.


    Rhiannon inclined her head. ¡°That was the ¡®accident¡¯ that Liora speaks of. Little Rhiannon was accompanying one of his digs below the bedrock of Elderwyck, and they found my hiding spot. I was weak, but the girl was incautious enough to reach out and touch my former host. From there¡­¡±


    A tearing noise sounded out in the cell block, and then Thirty-Two finally spoke once more. ¡°You dominated Olsen, and then wormed your way into every level of Herztalian governance, as your kind are meant to,¡± She said, disgust thick in her voice. ¡°To think Olsen had so much influence¡­¡±


    Rhiannon rolled her eyes, her posture instantly transforming from the inhuman back to that of a young woman. She leaned in closer to me. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just Olsen,¡± She said quietly with a wink, before standing up straighter. She clapped her hands suddenly. ¡°Now! As fun as all of this was, the time for explanations is over. I wouldn¡¯t want to spoil all of the surprises now, would I? You two,¡± She said, snapping her fingers and pointing them at the two Solstice guards. They finally straightened up from their near-motionless state. ¡°Collect all three prisoners and chain them together. It¡¯s time to take them to the festivities.¡±


    ¡°At once, madam,¡± One of the guards said attentively, moving to unchain me from the ceiling. I would have loved to take that chance to try and escape, but I was still too¡­well, fucked up from the battle at the docks to do so. In particular, I was reminded of how both of my arms had been dislocated, as the guard uncaringly forced them behind my back.


    Thank God I had dulled my pain, or else I would have been crying at that. As it was, the throb of the suppressed agony just echoed in the back of my rings.


    The other bowed slightly to Rhiannon, which she didn¡¯t acknowledge, before approaching Dusk¡¯s cell and opening it. She didn¡¯t protest the rough treatment of the Solstice guard as he unchained her and force-marched the Gnoll woman out of the cell. I was shoved out of my own as well, meeting her calculating eyes as I stumbled to a halt.


    She shook her head minutely. I took a deep breath before nodding just as shallowly.


    Not yet, then.


    We were chained together, with Dusk in front of me, while one of the guards approached another cell. When they opened it and walked inside I heard Thirty-Two try and struggle briefly, only for a resounding impact from the cell to ring out. Moments later, the rival spy was dragged out with a hood over their head. The guard dragged the stumbling presumed teen and clipped her chained form to Dusk¡¯s.


    Now that we were all together, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that our chains and shackles were way overkill for three people who, as far as I could tell, weren¡¯t even that powerful. The three of us were either just under, just past, or late in the first Breakpoint at level one-hundred. The sheer density of Mana emanating off of these things made me think they might be able to restrain someone like Hook.


    Without even needing to ask for it, the Solstice guards handed Rhiannon the keys to all our shackles. She noticed my stare, and slipped it into a pocket on her dress with a wink.


    When they were done, Rhiannon inspected us for a moment. A slow smile grew on her painted lips. ¡°Now,¡± She said breathlessly. ¡°On with the show.¡±


    She turned around and walked back down the way she came, with the guards dragging us behind her.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    I was barely able to pay attention to the interior of Olsen¡¯s palace as we were force-marched behind the Vampire woman. From what little I could see, it was at least a bit more tasteful than Magnus¡¯s manor had been, all those months ago.


    But only slightly. There was still copious amounts of wealth visible all around me.


    Most of my attention was on the humming form of the Vampire leading us through the halls, as she almost skipped down them. Whatever she was so cheerful about could only be to our detriment, and I dreaded to find out what it was.


    But I¡¯m sure I was going to soon.


    I heard the clamor before I saw it, as we walked up what seemed to be a central staircase. Stretching out on either side of it were dozens and dozens of Loyalist soldiers, seemingly standing at attention. They barely spared us a glance.


    Outside, I heard what sounded like the murmur of an extremely large crowd, not dissimilar to that of a sports game from back on Earth. There was a note of relief and excitement that undercut the entire thing.


    When we reached the top of the staircase, I only spared a brief glance at the middle-aged man standing on the balcony we were led to.


    Instead, my attention was stolen by the absolutely massive palatial courtyard in front of it.


    It was packed with what must have been hundreds of people.


    Rhiannon took a deep breath at the sight, smiling slightly. ¡°And here¡­we¡­¡±


    ¡°Go.¡±

 Chapter 193 - Farce

    ¡°Quentin, be a dear and get started, will you?¡± Rhiannon said casually to the man standing on the balcony with us. She didn¡¯t turn to face him, though.


    The man, now positively identified as Duke Quentin Olsen, inclined his balding head to the disguised Vampire. ¡°As you will, my love,¡± He said, surprisingly accommodating for such a powerful noble.


    Well, surprisingly if he wasn¡¯t totally under Rhiannon¡¯s control.


    He wasn¡¯t quite what I had been suspecting for a man who had been described as an incredible schemer. I¡¯d built him up in my mind as some kind of rat-like figure constantly rubbing his hands together and eyeing the wealth of those around him with greedy eyes. But no, instead, he was almost handsome.


    Olsen had the look of a middle manager who had been handsome and charismatic once upon a time, but those looks had started to fade with age. He was tall, but not unreasonably so, with still-defined musculature that was only just starting to go to seed. Pale, and with equally pale blonde hair, his unremarkable brown eyes stared out at the world from sharp features that were starting to look a bit¡­drained. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that the man seemed a bit anemic, with deep bags under his eyes.


    If I had to guess, Rhiannon had been using him as a walking, talking blood-bag.


    I took a deep breath, only briefly drawing his attention before being dismissed, as the Duke walked up to the railing of the high balcony we were on. Rhiannon went with him, affecting a falsely demure posture behind and to his left. Meanwhile, the Solstice guards shoved us forward until we were up against the right side of the railing. They unclipped Dusk, Thirty-Two, and I from our lead, and chained us instead to a ring on the railing.


    The massive crowd of people below hadn¡¯t noticed him, so Olsen raised his right hand. Arranged on the edges of the courtyard on either side, courtiers I hadn¡¯t noticed raised bugles to their lips and sounded them out in a short tune. The crowd''s murmur began to die at the fanfare, and they gradually noticed the Duke looking down at them in a false welcoming manner.


    ¡°Welcome!¡± Duke Olsen suddenly boomed, his voice much louder than I would have expected it to be. It echoed out into the courtyard, silencing all remaining conversation. ¡°Welcome, all ye citizens of Herztal! I am Duke Quentin Olsen, rightful ruler of this fair city of Elderwyck, appointed duly by the Crown! You who have waited outside the gates of my city all these weeks need wait no more! I welcome you into the warmth and safety of my walls, each and every one of you!¡±


    The crowd below erupted into ragged cheers and cries of relief and gratitude, as I saw more and one person slump to their knees in relief and sob.


    Meanwhile, my eyes widened in realization as I took a closer look at the gathered people. I had initially thought that these were the regular people of Elderwyck, but I was wrong.


    Instead, these were the people of the Stacks. That collection of hastily thrown together shanty towns and ramshackle buildings that housed all the people who had been waiting outside the gates of Elderwyck. They looked ragged, now that I had a better look at them, worn down by the life of a refugee. But¡­I could almost see the tension fleeing their bodies as relief claimed them. In their minds, this must be a miracle. The Duke who had been so reluctant to let them inside was instead now saying they could shelter within the walls.


    But it was all a lie. I don¡¯t know what was happening, but they weren¡¯t being granted safety.


    Rather, this was all some sick game being played by Rhiannon.


    I felt sick to my stomach at the cruelty of it all.


    ¡°Just this last night!¡± Olsen continued grandly. ¡°My forces conducted a raid upon the hide-out of the ne¡¯er do wells who had been assaulting my fair city! Oh, how I have wept so to see my beautiful Elderwyck bedeviled by the horrific actions of the vile Uprising.¡± He shook his head in false sorrow. ¡°But no longer! Led by the brave General Longstripe, our forces have quelled those evildoers good and rightly!¡±


    More cheers rang our rang out from the gathered crowd, but this time I detected a bit of confusion in them. After all, the Stacks had been filling up since before the Nocturne Division had started its campaign in Elderwyck.


    The Duke was engaging in a bit of historical editing, like nobles tended to do.


    But I don¡¯t think the refugees cared, even if they could see through it. They were just glad they were safe.


    They weren¡¯t, though. I was starting to suspect that none of us were.


    As I was inspecting the crowd, I could see that Dusk was doing her own. I could see my Gnollish companion¡¯s violet eyes darting all over the crowd as best as she could. Not only that, but she was scanning the nearby rooftops of the palace. Eventually, I think she found something, as she stilled ever so slightly. The reaction was so minuscule, though, that I only noticed because I was shoulder-to-shoulder with her.


    Still, that must have been enough for Rhiannon. From my position near the railing, I saw a slight smile grace the disguised vampire¡¯s demurely lowered face.


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    Shit.


    Meanwhile, Olsen kept speaking. ¡°And so, with the horrid war safely beyond our walls once more, I have gathered you all here this day for a special occasion!¡± He said, before doing something that caused my blood to run cold.


    He turned, and pointed at us.


    ¡°An execution,¡± He said menacingly, smiling in an almost empty way. I saw the heads of the crowd turn to face us in confusion. ¡°These miscreants are some of those villains who were terrorizing my fair city. They were captured in the wake of the military actions this past night, and I have decided to make an example out of them. Herztal, nay! The world must be made to understand that Elderwyck stands strong and proud! That we will push back against the hordes, monster or otherwise, that seek to cow us!¡±


    I frowned slightly, barely acknowledging the puppet Duke. None of this was actually his idea. It had to be part of some scheme of Rhiannon¡¯s.


    But what? What was the point of this farce? I doubted she had gone through all the trouble of capturing Dusk, Thirty-Two, I, only to execute us in some kind of show.


    Movement in the crowd drew my attention.


    While there were almost too many people in that mass of starving and desperate refugees to count, they were, for the most part, behaving in similar ways. But the training that I had received during my time in the Nocturne Division, and from mentors and companions that were all the way back in Helstein, I could see some discrepancies.


    Slowly, ever so slowly, there were some people maneuvering their way through the crowd. They were being as casual as they possibly could about it, but they were making their way to the front of it, passing beneath the notice of not only the refugees, but the guards on the edges of the courtyard.


    They were moving towards us.


    I clamped down as hard I possibly could once I realized what was happening, desperately hoping that I hadn¡¯t given them away. Was this what Dusk had seen, before I did? Because I recognized those movement patterns.


    Those were spies and assassins trying to get into a better position.


    No, no, no, NO!


    Run! Get out of here, I wanted to shout at the top of my lungs.


    This¡­this was a trap.


    And¡­


    The three of us were the bait on the end of Rhiannon¡¯s hook, weren''t we?. But why?! What did she care about the Nocturne Division for?


    Why¡­why go through all this effort, just for us.


    Fuck it.


    Fuck it, FUCK IT, FUCK IT!


    Sylvia might be one of those Agents, walking into the jaws of Rhiannon''s trap. In fact, it was likely. I know I would have been right there with them if she had been captured.


    I would never be able to live with myself if I didn¡¯t take the chance to warn them when I could have.


    I took a deep breath, inflating my lungs as deeply as I could, and prepared to shout my warning at the top of my lungs.


    I didn¡¯t get the chance.


    Before I could speak, an impossibly fast glob of dark red liquid impacted not only my mouth, but that of Dusk¡¯s as well. I tried to open my jaw, but whatever this was, it was like glue.


    And it tasted awful, like the rotting corpse of an animal left too long out in the sun. I tried to look at it as best as I was able, but all I could see was a congealed mass of red liquid sticking my lips together.


    Following the source of the ooze, I found Rhiannon wagging one finger at me discreetly, like she was a school teacher scolding a naughty student.


    Oh.


    Was this¡­blood? Suddenly, I wanted to vomit into the cavern of my sealed lips. I repressed it, though.


    But not the sickness in my stomach.


    There was nothing Dusk or I could now, to warn our comrades. We couldn¡¯t yell or scream, and we couldn¡¯t even wave our arms about to warn the Agents walking into a trap. They were still chained to the railing.


    I felt tears of frustration well up in my eyes at the unfairness of it all.


    Frustration, and sorrow.


    With lead in my belly, I watched as the concealed Agents, either Nocturne or SED, finished getting into position just underneath the balcony. They stayed there, though, apparently waiting for something. I didn¡¯t know what, but¡­


    I didn¡¯t have to wait long to find out.


    The entire sequence of events that led to my silencing by Rhiannon only took a few moments, but the entire time, Olsen had been ranting and gesticulating to the increasingly confused-looking crowd.


    That was cut off though when I heard a sudden squelching noise. At the same time, I felt another spray of liquid on my face.


    This time, much, much hotter.


    Jerking, and turning to see what had happened, my jaw would have dropped at what I saw if it could.


    Because the liquid that had hit my face was blood as well. Only¡­it wasn¡¯t cold and dead like Rhiannon¡¯s had been.


    No¡­this was Olsen¡¯s lifeblood.


    The Duke had frozen in place because two hooked daggers had pierced him straight through the throat. Before he, or anyone else by the matter could react, they pulled outwards, fully decapitating Quentin Olsen.


    His head went flying, momentarily shadowed by the light of Tarus above and raining more arterial blood upon those below. Rhiannon was especially coated in it, considering how close she had been to her dominated puppet.


    The corpse of Duke Olsen slumped to its knees, allowing me to see who had just assassinated the leader of Elderwyck. Even though I already suspected who had done it, I was still both relieved to see him.


    And scared for him.


    Hook, or rather Baldric of House Florens, was standing at the front of the railing that I was still chained to. I say Baldric, because for some reason, my leader wasn¡¯t wearing his Nocturne mask. Instead, his craggy face and steel grey beard were bared to the world, as his equally aged long hair blew in the wind of the courtyard. He was nonchalantly wiping the blood of his target off of his hooked blades, on the surface of his grey Nocturne cloak. He spared the three of us captives a brief glance, his eyes lingering on Dusk for a moment, before fixing his gaze intently on the unbothered form of Rhiannon.


    Said Vampire was idly inspecting the blood that had coated her tall, lithe frame. She lifted a hand and watched idly as Duke Olsen¡¯s blood dripped from her fingertips. ¡°A bit early...but not a great loss,¡± She finally said, breaking the silence on the balcony.


    Baldric snorted, and finally finished cleaning his blades. ¡°Is that so? I happen to agree. Greycton wanted to interrogate him, but he¡¯s just going to have to pound sand,¡± His eyes hardened. ¡°There are bigger fish to fry.¡±


    Rhiannon finally lifted her gaze from the blood on her hands, almost reluctantly. She locked gazes with the dwarf standing above with no fear evident on her beautiful face. ¡°Oh?¡± She asked leadingly, teasingly. ¡°And what fish are those, duelist?¡±


    The leader of the Nocturne Division lifted his hooked dagger to point at his target.


    Her.


    ¡°Vampires, for one,¡± Baldric said grimly.


    Rhiannon smiled slightly.


    That seemed to be the signal that finally broke the spell that had fallen over the courtyard at the Duke¡¯s assassination.


    Screams erupted all around me, and the world fell into chaos.

 Chapter 194 - Blood of the Innocent

    The two Solstice classers guarding Dusk, Thirty-Two, and I abandoned us to charge Hook. Accompanying them were well over a dozen different Loyalist guards who had been waiting out in the hall, all trying to furiously cram their way through the double doors leading to the balcony.


    They weren¡¯t really succeeding.


    As tied up as I was, there wasn¡¯t much I could do to help Baldric, still locked in a standoff with Rhiannon.


    ¡®Wasn¡¯t much¡¯ though, wasn¡¯t anything.


    I stuck out my foot as far as I was able to as one of the guards passed me by. I wasn¡¯t expecting that to actually do anything, but¡­


    It did.


    The surprisingly clumsy Solstice guard stumbled over my foot. In fact, he stumbled so hard that he actually tripped, and wasn¡¯t able to stop himself from tumbling over the side of the railing in front of me.


    I blinked at the odd spectacle as they fell out of sight down to the courtyard below with a brief scream.


    They were drowned out, though, by the sound of the refugees from the Stacks own panicked yells. At the sight of the Duke¡¯s assassination, they were all trying to flee the courtyard in a mad rush to the gates. For some reason though, they weren¡¯t able to make it out. The view was blocked, so I couldn¡¯t see what was stopping them, but there was no movement near the back half of the courtyard. Instead, there was almost a crowd crush developing, which caused my stomach to drop even more.


    I couldn¡¯t imagine how many of those poor people were going to die in the midst of this.


    I could only spare a brief glance for their plight, though, as things up here on the balcony were progressing.


    Before any of the rushing guards could reach Baldric, even beyond the moron I¡¯d tripped, a number of different Agents suddenly appeared on the platform to push them back. I was only a little surprised to see that they weren¡¯t all Nocturne Agents. Instead, half of them were from SED, with their eerie black spell masks obscuring their faces.


    They rushed the guards and began to push them back, weapons flying and flashing through the air. In moments, they had forced the guards away from the balcony and down the hall on the other side.


    Meanwhile, another, more familiar Agent dropped down from the roof above the balcony to crouch in front of Dusk and I.


    Wisp, or rather.


    Sylvia.


    Without a word spared, she drew her short sword, and tried to hack at the powerful restraints holding us.


    Her sword, which I suspected was hewn from the same material as Grey¡¯s own Stellarum, bounced off of the chains. I heard Sylvia curse behind her mask.


    I shook my head rapidly, gesturing upwards to my mouth. Sylvia understood, and reached up to hurriedly rip the disgusting blood off of my mouth preventing me from saying anything. I winced at the feeling of several hairs being torn out, but still immediately spoke. ¡°She has the key,¡± I said quickly, jerking my head in Rhiannon¡¯s direction.


    Sylvia followed my gesticulation and cursed. ¡°Then we go around,¡± She said grimly. She raised her sword once more, and instead of aiming for the chains, she swung at the railing instead.


    That, at least, wasn¡¯t obviously magically reinforced.


    Her blade sliced right through the iron of the railing.


    I blinked.


    Yeah, that worked.


    The railing fell away in pieces and us prisoners backed away from it. The problem was, even though we were technically free now, the three of us were still bound together. Thiry-Two still had a hood on their head, and they were, admittedly, keeping their calm pretty well considering the chaos that was erupting all around us. I reached beyond Dusk and did them the favor of removing it, finally getting the chance to get a brief look at the young-sounding woman.


    I¡­wasn¡¯t expecting them to look slightly familiar.


    She was young, as I was expecting, seeming to be in her mid-teens, with short-cropped, light blonde hair and emerald green eyes. The pale-skinned girl was tense, with a serious expression on her nearly elfin features, and her eyes were darting every which way. They briefly settled on me, sending a strange bolt of recognition down my spine.


    Something about her¡­it reminded me of someone. Another teen I¡¯d met a few weeks back, with similar coloring.


    Prince Oskar.


    But¡­I didn¡¯t have time to parse that right now.


    None of us did.


    Because Rhiannon finally made a move, breaking the standoff between her and Baldric. The two of them had just been standing there in the few moments since Baldric''s accusation, but strangely, they hadn''t done anything. The only thing I''d noticed were a few odd fluctuations in the nearby Aether in their surroundings, but nothing physical had happened.


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    Smiling slightly, the Vampire raised her hand into the air with one finger outstretched. Without breaking her gaze with the dwarf, she twitched that one finger.


    At the first sign of movement from Rhiannon, Baldric exploded into an imperceptibly fast lunge, but still.


    He hadn''t been quite fast enough.


    Immediately, the far right wall of the pavilion exploded outwards, glass shards flying every which way. I had to duck out of the way in order to avoid being decapitated by a large piece of razor-sharp plate glass flying through the air. When I craned my head back up, it was just in time to watch as a man rocketed out of the dust cloud of the explosion.


    A man I had nearly killed last night.


    General Atticus Longstripe, of the Herztalian 4<sup>th</sup>.


    In the brief glimpse I got of the man before he tackled a Baldric out of midair, I almost didn¡¯t recognize him. He looked almost wild compared to how he¡¯d been last night, a visible snarl etched on his ursine features. He was bare-chested from the waist up, allowing me to see the large roll of blood-stained bandages that had been wrapped around his torso. Once again, he had foregone the great mace he had been using in order to fight bare handed. But¡­I¡¯m not sure it was his choice, this time.


    It looked to me that Rhiannon had direct control of him. There was a far-off, distorted look in his eyes that told me he might not be fully in control of himself.


    That was all I saw of the man before he speared Baldric around the abdomen and down into the courtyard. My mouth opened slightly in horror when I saw that the force of their impact had veritably pulped a small group of refugees that had been trying to flee in vain.


    At the level they were fighting at, I wasn¡¯t able to keep with their fight completely. But from what I could tell, Baldric kept trying to disengage from Longstripe to take the battle somewhere, anywhere else. Somewhere that wasn¡¯t in the middle of a pack of innocent civilians.


    But Longstripe wasn¡¯t letting him.


    Instead, he was swinging wildly, enraged by whatever control Rhiannon had on him. He wasn¡¯t bothering with Arts, or Skill, or even pure martial skill. No, this was a display of pure physical might.


    And the refugees were dying in droves from it.


    So much so that both the Agents who had engaged the Loyalists below, and the Loyalists themselves, had entirely stopped. Instead, they were now doing their absolute best to keep the refugees away from the battle of the near Titans that was occurring in the midst of the courtyard.


    They weren¡¯t always successful. In moments, the flagstones were coated in blood and gore from those unfortunate enough to be caught in the crossfire.


    But there were enough soldiers and Agents doing what they could to save innocents, that whatever blockage had been at the entrance of the courtyard had been cleared. People looked to be slowly managing to escape from the crush.


    Rhiannon didn¡¯t like that. She audibly tsked. ¡°No, no, we can¡¯t have that,¡± She said, raising her arm once again.


    Whatever she was about to do, Sylvia preempted her. Without a word, my partner rushed the Vampire with her blade outstretched and glowing silver. But the gulf between their strengths was just¡­too much.


    Rhiannon didn¡¯t even need to look at Sylvia before ropes of blood sprang up out of nowhere to bind the Sculpted woman from top to bottom. She yelped as she fell face forward onto the balcony, skipping across the surface to impact the railing on the other side. The impact was enough to visibly dent it, where Sylvia laid struggling like a captive worm.


    ¡°Not now, little girl,¡± Rhiannon said absentmindedly, her outstretched hand starting to glow a malicious crimson. ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡±


    I tensed at how quick Sylvia had been dealt with, trying to take a step forward myself. But my feet, not to mention my hands, were still bound in chains. I only managed a brief shuffle.


    ¡°Nobody leaves,¡± Rhiannon said with finality, snapping her glowing fingers. A shockwave of tainted, bloody Mana erupted in a sphere from the impact, traveling fast. In moments, it had passed us all by and beyond to surround the entire courtyard of the palace in a glowing dome.


    Rhiannon had just trapped everyone here in a shield of some kind. The fighting, except for the battle between Baldric and Longstripe, ground to a complete halt. The refugees, soldiers, guards, and Agents all looked around in distressed confusion at their now confined surroundings.


    The Vampire who seemed to have meticulously arranged everything that had happened so far crowed in victory. ¡°FINALLY!¡± She cried, spreading her arms wide and throwing her head back in exultation. ¡°Finally, all the pieces are in place! Let the ritual BEGIN!¡±


    With that, the flesh beneath her sheer dress undulated wildly, and the creature masquerading as a woman¡­


    Stopped pretending.


    Two massive sets of batlike wings erupted from her back, one of them nearly smacking me in the face. Curling, ram-like horns rapidly grew from her forehead in an instant, to encircle her suddenly knife-like ears. Her hands and feet grew scales, the points of them sharpening into talons sharp enough to pierce straight through her shoes.


    This was no longer a woman.


    It was a monster.


    At some unseen signal, the flagstones of the palace courtyard began to shatter, to reveal hundreds, no, thousands of runes etched into the bedrock below. I couldn¡¯t understand them at all, despite my above-average literacy in the runic language. Something about the sharp strokes and harsh angles of these particular runes made my skin crawl.


    The blood that had coated the flagstones from the victims of Baldric and Longstripe¡¯s brawl sunk into the carvings. Slowly, they started to pulse in the shade of what they had just absorbed, casting the entire palace in eerie shades of crimson.


    ¡°The blood...of the innocent¡­¡± The creature that Rhiannon had become breathed. Slowly, she reached down until she grasped the headless corpse of Olsen, still oozing from Baldric''s decapitating strike. ¡°The blood¡­of the noble¡­¡±


    She threw the cadaver down into the bloodbath that the courtyard had become, where it impacted one of the disquieting runes with a splat. Almost immediately, the glow intensified.


    Next, she reached over to slit her own arm with her blade-like talons. She had to squeeze her arm, but she eventually produced a cupped hand of dark, coagulated, foul-smelling blood. She raised that hand up into the sky in near supplication. ¡°The blood¡­of the loyal¡­.¡± Rhiannon uttered, almost lovingly. Without another word, she threw that disgusting liquid out into the air as well, where it fell to the runes.


    They glowed brighter. Bright enough that their light almost began to blot out Tarus above. The air began to grow heavier with the weight of the corrupted Aether I could feel swirling all around me.


    Rhiannon smiled almost peacefully, her fangs poking through her lips. ¡°Now¡­all we need is the blood of the mighty.¡± She chuckled breathily. ¡°And it. Will. Be. Done.¡±


    My face paled at the implication. The mighty. Then¡­the fight between Baldric and Longstripe¡­


    Somehow, I found my voice in the midst of this madness. ¡°Does it even matter who wins?¡± I asked quietly enough that I¡¯m not sure the monster would even be able to hear me.


    But she did.


    Rhiannon turned her head slightly to look at us prisoners, still hobbled by shackle and chain. She smiled slightly. ¡°No.¡± She said simply.


    Dusk slowly closed her eyes to my left. ¡°And what will happen when one does?¡±


    I was shocked to see genuine tears of emotion gather in the eyes of the inhuman creature holding us captive. ¡°Then? Then I shall set into motion that which will reunite me with my mistress. With the one true goddess that this ungrateful world cast out.¡±


    ¡°Ixiah¡­¡±

 Interlude 11 - Bloom of the Raven

    Baldric of House Florens, third son of a first son, was no fool.


    Although his body was locked in furious combat with an actual fool, senses captured by a relic of the past and raging about, at his core he kept cool. Like the countless, impossibly deep roots of a flower, his mind stretched into winding fibers beyond number.


    All of them told him that this entire situation had been carefully curated by the beast holding Liora and the other kids hostage. Oh, they may have only been hobbled with chain and shackle, but at the level he and the beast were operating at, he knew that was just show. With how close the children were to it, it would only take a few moments thought to tear out their throats.


    He knew it, the creature knew it, and even this damn fool of a Loyalist General would have probably known it.


    If he was anything more than a blustering beast right now, that was.


    Still, there was a reason the civilized people of Vereden people were cautious of beasts.


    Just because they were feral, didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t dangerous.


    Baldric had always assumed he would be the one that ended up dealing with Longstripe, when this campaign drew to a close. From last reports, the two of them were fairly close in level, with him only being around fifty or so higher than the Herztalian man. On a good day, he would have said that a match-up between them would come down to a test of pure martial skill, a veritable coin toss. That was one of the areas he specialized in, of course, but the fact remained. However¡­


    This wasn¡¯t a good day.


    For the General, that is.


    Longstripe wasn¡¯t demonstrating any of his normally reported skill. He was swinging and clawing like a wild animal, uncaring about collateral damage. At the very least, Baldric was proud that his Agents had the idea to keep the civilians out of the line of fire, after those first few moments when he was speared out of the air.


    Enough innocent blood had been spilled this day.


    Baldric hesitated to call Longstripe ¡®innocent¡¯ though, after the man had massacred so many of his people last night, but¡­


    At the very least, he deserved to die with his mind clear.


    After all, Baldric could have ended this anytime in the last few moments of battle. He had just been considering all angles, while the mind-controlled human raged at him.


    It hadn¡¯t escaped his notice that the entire damned palace courtyard had been turned into a ritual site at a gesture from the bloodsucking monster. It sure as hells hadn¡¯t when it seemed to grow stronger with every drop of blood that stained the bedrock.


    He momentarily considered trying to disrupt the ritual itself. Maybe if he could attack what this creature was after, it could be stopped in its infancy.


    But no. A half second of spared observation at the glowing runes told him they were protected. It would take considerable effort to break through the amorphous barriers of sinister feeling Aether they were covered in. Even then, just breaking one rune wouldn''t be enough, for a ritual of this size. As complex as it looked, there had to be redundancies built into it


    Baldric had dealt with more than his share of cultist nonsense in the past to recognize that.


    It didn¡¯t take a damned genius to see what that thing wanted, from his battle with Longstripe. If it had carefully orchestrated this entire scenario, Baldric would guess that the she-beast didn¡¯t even care which of them actually shed blood. Only that one of them did.


    You¡­picked up a thing or two about forbidden Magic, in his profession.


    Well, if the bitch wanted blood, then obviously she couldn¡¯t get it.


    Mind made up, Baldric rapidly crafted a simple battle plan while his body dodged Longstripe¡¯s wild swings on the outside. Normally, he wouldn¡¯t have expected a canny warrior like the General to fall for something as simple as this. But, well.


    He didn¡¯t have his wits about him.


    The next time Longstripe swung at him, Baldric activated the higher tier of his physical enhancement Skill.


    Corrente D¡¯Acciaio.


    And¡­


    Ducked.


    Well, it was really more like he slid through the open legs of the taller human man, and then used his right hooked dagger as a pivot point to pop up behind the General. But ducked worked just as well. Now behind Longstripe, and moving much quicker now, all Baldric had to do was lash out with nearly his entire power with the butt of his dagger. The pommel impacted the back of the human¡¯s head with enough strength behind it to utterly crush the skull of most people. Hell, it could probably do the same to even someone with an equivalent to his level.


    But no. Instead, the ursine man just staggered from the blow. While he was reeling, Baldric hit him a few more times, until the General had fallen face-first into the blood-soaked courtyard, beaten unconscious.


    Baldric stared down at the prone form of Longstripe for a moment, disappointed for a few reasons. The first was, that had been one of the most flaccid duels he¡¯d had in decades, especially considering their heightened levels. He¡¯d almost been anticipating a real fight with the human, when he was planning this campaign.


    The second?


    Well, he had really wanted to kill the man, after his little two-pronged ambush on both the SED meeting, and the warehouse.


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    There were a lot of good Agents that needed to be avenged, after all.


    It seemed he was going to have to wait another day, however.


    The courtyard had stilled at his easy victory over the puppet General. By this point, his Agents and the Loyalist soldiers had cottoned on to the fact that something else was going on. They were working together to corral and guard the remaining civilians on the far end of the courtyard. The fighting between their respective factions had completely died down, and all eyes were either on him or Longstripe¡¯s prone form.


    Possibly the creature at his back, up on the balcony as well.


    Speaking of¡­


    Balric raised his head to stare up at the thing, standing above him.


    At his gaze, ¡®Rhiannon¡¯ heaved a great, put-upon sigh and laid the back of one taloned hand on her forehead. ¡°Why oh why do the cattle never do what I want?¡± She moaned exaggeratedly. After a second, she lowered her hand and shrugged. ¡°Oh well. I¡¯ll just have to do the dirty work myself.¡± Barely sparing a glance at the still chained and bound forms of the four youths she had been guarding, the Vampire abandoned them to hop down into the courtyard with a flex of her four wings.


    She landed with a slight splash on the blood-soaked bedrock, not far from Baldric. The only thing between the two of them was the comatose, twitching form of the mind-controlled General.


    The Vampiress spared her defeated pawn a disgusted glance. ¡°You had one job, fool,¡± She said, sounding like a disappointed schoolmarm. She actually wagged a taloned finger at the man, even though he could neither hear her words or see her gesture. ¡°Naughty naughty. I¡¯ll have to punish you later.¡± In contrast to her tone, she nonchalantly kicked the spasmodic body of Longstripe out of her way.


    It hadn¡¯t looked like the blow had much power behind it, but the form of Longstripe sailed through the air nonetheless. It impacted the far wall of the courtyard, cracking the immaculately carved limestone. Several Loyalist soldiers hurried to attend to the man, but neither Baldric nor ¡®Rhiannon¡¯ paid them any mind.


    Instead, they started circling each other on the gore-splattered stone, as if they were hounds fighting over the last scrap of meat.


    Baldric broke the stalemate first. ¡°You know,¡± He said casually, twisting his blades into different angles and approaches as he spoke. He was trying to gauge the skill level of the creature apart from him, as how she reacted to his movements would tell him plenty. At the level they were operating at, fights could be decided in a single exchange, so it was often necessary.


    This wasn¡¯t a spell battle, after all. This would be decided by blade and claw.


    Unfortunately, she met and countered them each time, unfazed by his maneuvering. Any possible opening visible on her monstrous stance was countered and reciprocated in an instant. ¡°We haven¡¯t had to deal with one of your kind in a long, long time. I think the last Vampire hunt happened when I was still a boy. My father told me about it, since the bloodsucker was found in Principality lands. I think their name was¡­Valstrix?¡± He said promptingly.


    To his very slight surprise, the beast perked up slightly at that. ¡°That blowhard poked his head out of a hole and got it chopped off? Good!¡± She laughed delightedly, rubbing her talons together. They grated on each other with the sound of steel on steel. She leaned forward conspiratorially. ¡°I never liked him, you know. Always boasting, always so arrogant. I don¡¯t even think my mistress liked him very much, to tell you the truth,¡± She said with a wink.


    Baldric took it in stride, as he saw movement behind the creature up on the balcony. He had long since mastered all of his tells, so he gave absolutely nothing away as he saw Crook creeping along the roof above the balcony. He made sure to stop the circling, though, so the beast couldn¡¯t see her as well. ¡°And what¡¯s your name, creature?¡± He said promptingly. ¡°Or are you going to continue pretending it''s ¡®Rhiannon¡¯? I wonder¡­does the Calonawr Archmage even know you¡¯re puppeting around his dead daughter''s corpse, and flaunting her name as you do so?¡±


    Normally, he wouldn¡¯t expect this kind of dialogue to work on an actually rational opponent. But one of the well-documented, few weaknesses of the Vampyr was their tendency to¡­talk.


    And talk and talk and talk.


    Better for him. That just gave one of his few surviving senior Agents time to rescue the kids.


    ¡®Rhiannon¡¯ shrugged delicately. ¡°I don¡¯t actually know,¡± She said, audibly amused. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the man a few times now, and you would expect someone of his power to be able to sus me out. But¡­I think he doesn¡¯t even care,¡± She gasped, almost as if she was scandalized, before tittering. ¡°All that matters to him is that his dear, sweet daughter will hug and call him papa. I think he¡¯s really quite broken inside, if you ask me.¡± She winked. ¡°Something to do with his dead wife, I¡¯m guessing.¡±


    Baldric didn¡¯t let the disgust her words caused in him to show on his face, even as he felt an unexpected surge of pity for Daffyd of the Thunderhearts.


    He¡­knew what it was like, to lose the love of his life.


    ¡°But¡­as for my name,¡± ¡®Rhiannon¡¯ said, tapping one taloned finger against her lips, before shrugging. ¡°I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter at this point. You¡¯re all going to be dead soon, anyway.¡± She said casually. Taking a small step backward, the monster who had been masquerading as a woman swept out into a curtsey, grasping the hem of her ghastly dress. ¡°I¡­am Nerexxa, fourth daughter of the Goddess of Rot. I¡¯m pleased to make your acquaintance, Baldric of House Florens.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Baldric said bluntly. Behind ¡®Nerexxa¡¯, he saw Crook had bodily picked up all four of the reluctant-to-leave children and thrown them over her broad shoulders. He was grateful that he¡¯d gotten past his misgivings, those years ago, when he had accepted the Strength invested Magi into the Nocturne Division. It had paid off time and again.


    Most importantly now, when she was retreating with who he thought were four of the most important youths in Herztal.


    He could breathe easier, and finally get to the business of monster slaying.


    He angled himself into position for a lunge.


    Nerexxa noticed but didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°Oh?¡± She said mildly. ¡°Is it finally time to stop stalling, now that the children are safely out of my grasp?¡±


    Baldric snorted. ¡°Guess you can¡¯t put one over a demon,¡± He said, coating his daggers in razor-sharp winds. ¡°Did you ever even care about holding them?¡±


    The Vampire shrugged. ¡°No, not really,¡± She admitted freely, before smiling sharply at him. ¡°They were only ever bait, after all. And the baited came when the trap was set. Thank you for attending this grand occasion, oh disgraced lord of House Florens.¡±


    Baldric paused, startled a little despite himself. ¡°What?¡± He asked, baffled despite himself. ¡°Are you saying¡­all of this was just to bait out me?¡±


    What the hell could this thing have wanted with him?


    ¡°Well,¡± Nerexxa drawled. ¡°Not just you. After all, I would have taken Greycton, or even that woman Honoka. I only needed the blood of someone strong, spilled in pitched battle. It didn¡¯t matter who came, only that someone did.¡± She sighed, rolling her eyes. ¡°If only Longstripe hadn¡¯t failed, I wouldn¡¯t have had to sully my hands like this.¡±


    The master of the Nocturne Division took a deep breath at that. ¡°Liora for me, Nathan or Sylvia for Greycton and Honoka,¡± He said quietly in realization. ¡°But¡­why take Thirty-Two as well?¡±


    Nerexxa winked at him. ¡°Well, I needed an after-party snack, now didn¡¯t I?¡± She said mischievously. ¡°After all, it¡¯s not every day you get to dine on the blood of one of the old royal lines.¡±


    Ah¡­so she did know who the girl was.


    Shit.


    Baldric shook it off, though, and refocused on the fight to come. He didn¡¯t know if he could take this creature, but he sure as hell was going to try. It didn¡¯t matter if this entire trap had been about drawing him out so she could drain his blood for some ritual.


    The only thing that mattered¡­was that Liora had gotten away.


    Gods, he hoped that fool girl didn¡¯t come back for him.


    Baldric raised his blades again, possibly for the last time, and blurred into a lunge at the wide-open neck of the Vampire.


    She blocked his razor-sharp, wind-coated dagger with one taloned finger, entirely unfazed. Meeting his eyes, the creature smiled slightly, exposing her fangs.


    Baldric set his features in a grim cast.


    And tried again.

 Chapter 195 - Hidden, Hiding, Hid

    I couldn¡¯t stop myself from staring blankly at the way Crook was breaking us out of the overpowered chains that held Dusk, Thirty-Two, and I together.


    With her bare hands.


    The masked woman, who I had last seen retreating with the injured form of Wisp after the battle in the garden, was grasping each length of chain in her hands and snapping them in half. She didn¡¯t even look to be trying very hard, as shattered lengths of tinkling chain fell around us.


    I had no idea Crook was either that strong, or that high in level. Still, I was happy to see that at least one other Agent that I knew had escaped the chaos of the warehouse battle.


    By not being there in the first place.


    However, even though Crook was in the process of freeing those of us in bondage, with me being the last in line, there was still a problem.


    My arms were still dislocated.


    I grunted when the chains finally fell off, staggering to my feet. As I did so, my arms swung uselessly at my side. I could barely even feel them, from the combination of the injury and being bound for so long.


    Crook had brought the three of us, plus Sylvia, to what looked to be a small armory not far from the courtyard. It was the farthest we could go with the red dome shield that Rhiannon, or rather ¡®Nerexxa¡¯, had cast over this section of the palace. I had heard her boast about her true name, as we were being carted off of the balcony.


    We weren¡¯t the only ones in here, as well. Huddled and scared inside the relatively small room were dozens of both civilians.


    And Loyalist soldiers.


    The soldiers were huddled into one of the far corners of the room, nearly piled on top of each other. Both groups were keeping a distance from the four of us for the most part, but I had caught a few dirty glances from some soldiers who bore the heraldry of the Herztalian 4<sup>th.</sup>


    Longstripes division.


    Heh, I guess they might have been at the warehouse. There¡¯s a chance I could have killed some of their friends. Fairs fair, though. They had done the same to us.


    I was knocked out of my observations by Dusk approaching me from my left side. I only managed a glance at her before I felt the Gnoll woman grasp my hanging left arm, and with a twist and shove, pop my dislocated arm back into its socket. I still had my pain dampened, so the only thing that I felt was the disquieting sensation of bone grinding against bone. I shuddered at the feel of it.


    I turned to give Dusk a tired, irritated look. ¡°You could at least give me a warning,¡± I grumbled.


    She just ignored my whining and approached my right side, quickly doing the same to that arm. Once I had control over both of my arms once again, I turned to face the others and opened my mouth.


    Only to be interrupted.


    Sylvia, who had already been freed from the blood ropes Nerexxa had bound her with earlier, marched right up to me and slapped me across the face.


    Hard.


    I actually stumbled back both from the force of the both, and the tiny bit of pain that had leaked through my block. Her solid Mithril hand hadn¡¯t pulled any veritable punches from her expression of displeasure. Before I could even ask what that was for, she preempted me. Reaching forward and clamping down on both of my swollen shoulders, she pulled me in until the only thing I could see were her two sapphire blue eyes, staring furiously into mine.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever,¡± Sylvia hissed at me. ¡°Try and sacrifice yourself for me again. Do you hear me, Nathaniel Hart? Never. Again.¡±


    Ah.


    Last night, I¡¯d left Sylvia with barely more than a kiss and the map Nerixxa had ¡®gifted¡¯ me with. I hadn¡¯t told her what I was going to do, in the heat of battle, and I hadn¡¯t exactly asked her opinion about my off-the-cuff plan.


    I had just¡­acted.


    I can see how that would piss her off.


    I nodded wordlessly to show my understanding of her demand. Sylvia studied my face seriously for a moment before she returned my nod. Her arms slid down from my shoulders to grab me in a hug, clutching me tightly.


    I returned it, just as glad to see that she had survived the battle at the docks. I heaved a sigh, my face buried in her golden hair.


    Our little moment was interrupted by the sound of a throat being cleared pointedly. Looking up, I found the other three people we had arrived with watching in various degrees of patience to impatience. The impatient sound had come from Dusk, who was looking antsy to get moving.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯re done with your little moment,¡± She said testily. ¡°We can get down to business.¡± She abruptly dismissed us, as Sylvia and I separated from our reunion. ¡°Crook, status? How many are here?¡±


    Crook sighed, reaching up remove her mask. Underneath were the tired features of a perhaps thirty-year-old woman, streaked through with stress wrinkles. Rather than an assassin, Crook struck me more as a worker, with broad, square, strong features. Right now, they were sagging with exhaustion. ¡°Everyone that¡¯s left,¡± She said wearily. ¡°Which isn¡¯t much. In one fell sweep, the Loyalists, apparently controlled by that thing, managed to nearly wipe out both the Division and SED.¡± She spared a glance for Thirty-Two, who had been standing off to the side and watching our discussion with a frown on her youthful features. ¡°You guys got hit too. It was even worse for the SED ambush, from what Hook told me. Both of our organizations¡­we¡¯re pretty much defunct, after this.¡±


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    Thirty-Two closed her eyes, but didn¡¯t say anything while Crook continued.


    ¡°The Solstice classers were assigned to the meeting between Hook and the SED remnants, while obviously we were hit at the warehouse by the Loyalists. It was-¡±


    She was abruptly cut off by the sound of crashing and cracking stone from the courtyard outside. A murmur of terror swept through the civilians inside the armory, while those of us of a more martial persuasion listened tensely to the obvious signs of high-level battle.


    It sounded to me like the fight between Baldric and Nerexxa was heating up.


    The crashing stopped, but the boom and clashing of blades didn¡¯t. Crook continued, with one final wary glance at the door. ¡°It was a bloodbath. While I gather there were more soldiers hitting you at the warehouse, there were higher quality classers at Hook¡¯s meeting. The results were that although Hook won out in the end, I¡¯m not sure more than three to five SED Agents made it out alive.¡±


    Thirty-Two couldn¡¯t help a small, choked breath escaping her pursed lips. She slapped a hand over her mouth and turned her back on us, but not before I saw the beginnings of tears in her clear green eyes.


    A slightly awkward pall hung over us for a moment, before a loud crash interrupted it and reminded us we were still in danger. ¡°After that, Hook gathered up everyone left from both groups, learned about what happened to you kids, and then through together a quick plan.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°To be honest, quick is an understatement. We¡­knew we didn¡¯t have much time, if we wanted to save you from that¡­thing.¡±


    ¡°And now Hook is trying to take her out,¡± I said with a frown. ¡°Can he?¡±


    Crook looked unsure, which to be fair, I shared the sentiment. Exactly how strong was a Vampire? Dusk had told me that they were weapons from the time of the gods, but what did that even mean?


    My attention was drawn when I saw that Thirty-Two had composed themselves and turned back around to face us. I could still see the redness in her eyes, however. ¡°Unlikely,¡± She said bluntly. ¡°Your leader is well renowned for his dueling prowess, but that creature out there is more than his match. Unassisted, I do not believe he is capable of slaying her.¡±


    Unassisted, huh. That...was the key word.


    I took a deep breath, as I saw resolve start to grow in Dusk¡¯s eyes to my left. Without a word, she turned away from the group and ventured out into the stacks of weaponry here in the armory. She didn¡¯t pay any attention to the civilians in here who cringed away from her presence. I¡­could guess what she intended from her relationship with Baldric. And it didn¡¯t seem like she wanted to rely on her fists like she usually did, when confronted with someone like Nerexxa.


    ¡°Then we need to make sure he¡¯s not unassisted,¡± I said grimly.


    Answering nods came from Sylvia and Thirty-Two, while Crook still looked hesitant. ¡°Hook asked me to get you kids out of here safely,¡± She said quietly.


    Thirty-Two scoffed. ¡°Safety?¡± She said scornfully. ¡°There is no safety to be found. We¡¯re all trapped here in this shield, and even then! Even then I¡¯m sure not anyone is safe for hundreds of miles, maybe even the whole of Vereden. That psychotic thing is trying to summon one of the old gods back to our home. If she steps foot on Vereden again, it¡¯s over. There are no gods left to protect us from her influence. Nothing else matters now. Not the war, not you rebels, and not the hordes of monsters roaming the countryside.¡±


    ¡°We have to fight,¡± Sylvia said with resolve, having calmed down from her earlier fury.


    Something happened then that caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up straight. Another voice piped in, one I was extremely unhappy to hear.


    One that belonged to a man that had nearly killed me last night.


    ¡°We all have to fight,¡± I heard a rough, ursine voice say in a pained growl. I froze for a second, before turning to face the direction it was coming from. The far corner that held the Loyalist forces hiding in the corner, nearly stacked on top of each other, seemed to have been hiding someone from our sight.


    Atticus Longstripe.


    The Loyalist soldiers shuffled away, revealing the injured form of the Loyalist General sitting in a chair that looked ready to collapse from his weight. Longstripe looked¡­rough. The bandages over the wound I had given him last night were stained red with fresh blood, and the high-level soldier was covered from head to toe in fresher wounds. Bruises and cuts dotted his massive frame, while a much more glaring injury stood out on his left side.


    It looked like his left arm was broken. Badly.


    It was twisted and bent at an odd angle, with the bone almost looking ready to tear through his tough skin. The entire area looked to be filling with blood, from the deep, nearly black bruise that colored the entire limb. Some soldier had snapped the haft of a spear in half in order to wrap it around the limb as a makeshift splint.


    I¡¯m guessing it had happened when Nerexxa had kicked him away, before engaging with Baldric. I certainly hadn¡¯t seen the spymaster do that to him, in the lightning-fast engagement between them. He seemed coherent, though, and not the raging beast that had tackled Baldric out of midair at Nerexxa¡¯s instructions. I¡¯m guessing Hook¡¯s knockout blow had freed him from her influence.


    Longstripe spit out a mouthful of blood to one side, eyeing us with only one eye. The other was crusted over with blood that dripped from a head wound. He took a deep breath and stood up with a pained wince, before starting to limp over to tower over our group. The group of soldiers that had been trying to tend to him followed in his wake.


    I met Longstripe¡¯s one good eye fearlessly, already starting to feel my hackles rise from being in the presence of the man who had all but wiped out the Nocturne Division.


    He met my hostile look with one of his own. ¡°The girl is right,¡± He growled. ¡°None of you matter right now. Rats and cutthroats can be dealt with after that bitch has been killed.¡±


    I sneered at him. ¡°Oh, and you¡¯re going to help us fight her, is that it?¡± I said scornfully. ¡°Big talk from a man who was already under her spell.¡±


    As Longstripe returned the mutual animosity with a sneer of his own, I was startled to feel a cool, metallic hand lay itself on my shoulder. I followed it to see that although Sylvia was giving him a hostile look as well, it was more restrained than my own. ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± She said reluctantly, before meeting my eyes seriously. ¡°He can be dealt with for his sins after Nerexxa.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll like to see you try, little girl,¡± Longstripe said menacingly. Syliva ignored him.


    I did my best to ignore his provocations and let out a heavy breath, looking around at everyone else. Crook looked like she was nearly ready to jump him, and I was surprised at the animosity in Thirty-Two¡¯s eyes considering she used to be a Loyalist. But neither looked ready to argue with Sylvia¡¯s point.


    Reluctantly, I met Longstripe¡¯s one good eye and nodded. ¡°Later,¡± I still promised, meaning to keep it. ¡°We can settle this later. But for now we need to deal with the damned Vampire.¡± I paused for a moment, a thought occurring to me. ¡°Where did you put my weapons?¡± I said, taking a look around the armory. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you already handed them out to your flunkies.¡±


    Longstripe scoffed, as we heard the sound of masonry crumbling outside in the courtyard. ¡°They¡¯re in Fort Duality,¡± He said, referring to the castle that was co-owed with the Orcs. The one in between both Elderywyck and Tlatec that housed the Portal Stone. ¡°You¡¯re just going to have to make do with honest Herztalian steel, cutthroat.¡±


    Dusk rejoined us then, eyeing Longstripe with suspicion. She looked to have requisitioned a suit of Loyalist armor and the accompanying weaponry. He just returned the look, eyeing her with contempt. ¡°If we¡¯re doing this, then stop standing around talking about it and get ready,¡± She said curtly, eyeing us impatiently.


    With one last exchange of hostile gazes with Longstripe, those of us still unarmed ventured out into the stacks of armor and weaponry to kit up.


    I did my best to squash any of my doubts as I did so.


    Whatever else was going on, we needed to take out Nerexxa.


    I¡¯m not sure Vereden had a future if we didn¡¯t.

 Chapter 196 - Almost

    I found an ill-fitting suit of light armor on the racks and threw that on quickly, while I snatched up a nearby spear and pair of fighting daggers. It was all trash compared to my Order armor, and especially my hand-crafted Oninite blades.


    But it would have to do.


    When I was ready, I met up with the others at the door, similarly kitted out in Loyalist junk. Longstripe and his squad eyed us evilly for wearing their colors, but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Dusk barely waited a moment after we finished to kick open the door to the courtyard without another word. She charged out the door, with Longstripe and his loyal soldiers right after her. Sylvia, Crook, and Thirty-Two followed right after, but I paused for a moment before I left.


    I looked over my shoulder at the gathered, frightened masses of innocent refugees that had been pulled into Nerexxa¡¯s scheme. I¡­wish there was more I could do for them right now, but there wasn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t reassure them that everything was going to be alright, because I didn¡¯t know. I couldn¡¯t get them out of here, so they were out of the line of fire. And I couldn¡¯t even protect them, when Nerexxa was so much more powerful than I was.


    The only thing I could do, was my best to deal with the Vampire holding us all captive.


    I took a deep breath, turned around, and charged right out the door. I was hoping to see the battle going well. Either Baldric had been matching Nerexxa, or the addition of everyone who had joined the fight had turned the tide against the Vampire.


    Unfortunately¡­


    That wasn¡¯t the case.


    Illuminated by the menacing crimson glow of Nerexxa¡¯s disturbing runes, I found the situation rapidly deteriorating.


    I watched as one of the Loyalist soldiers following Longstripe was torn in half almost nonchalantly by Nerexxa, little more than fodder for her razor-sharp talons. At the same time, she grabbed the head of the mace that Longstripe had grabbed from the armory, as the man did his best to crush her head with a roar. She didn¡¯t even flinch at the force of the blow, and I was sure that it was more than strong enough to kill me from a graze alone. Nor did she care about the other soldiers trying to hack at her with their standard-issue blades.


    Longstripe was being supported by Crook, but it didn¡¯t look like she was having much success either. Crook tried to attack Nerexxa with her combat stave, only to have to frantically block a sweeping blow from one of the Vampire¡¯s four wings. The woman-thing was using her newly grown appendages to great effect, either blocking or striking out with them as true extensions of her own body. The hardened edge of the wing snapped Crook¡¯s stave in two, causing the woman to stumble back and stare at the shattered wood in her hands in disbelief and despair. After a moment, though, she rallied herself and jumped back into the fray, swinging the splintered ends of her weapon in both hands.


    Meanwhile, Sylvia and Thirty-Two were trying to pepper the Vampire with arrows from the Loyalist bows they had grabbed. They had found vantage points around the courtyard to do so, but¡­it didn¡¯t seem to be very effective. Nerexxa was barely paying attention to the arrows that were arriving in a steady stream from the two archers. Most of the time she didn¡¯t even flinch as they either ricocheted off of the scaled surface of her skin and wings, or were disturbingly absorbed by the nearly fluid surface of her blood-red ¡®dress¡¯.


    I didn¡¯t see Dusk, or importantly, Baldric for a moment. I only found them when I looked up at the remains of the balcony that I had been captive on, now resting in pieces on the bedrock of the courtyard.


    I hurried over to them, barely skirting the furious melee in the center of the courtyard. I was able to see what was keeping Baldric out of the fight when I got closer to them, and I grimaced at the sight.


    Dusk was frantically trying to treat a massive gash in the dwarf¡¯s abdomen which threatened to spill his entrails all over the shattered stone below him. He barely seemed to notice it, however, and was struggling to push himself up into a sitting position.


    I guess that answered the question of if Baldric could take Nerexxa by himself.


    I hurried over to the two of them, dropping my spear as I did so and into a skid that stopped at his side. Over his protestations, I ripped off a section of his cloak, dissolved it into individuals with Aetherial Melding, and got to work stitching him up.


    I did my best to ignore the sounds of battle behind me as I treated my leader.


    With the practice I¡¯d been getting recently, it only took me moments to do a slapdash job of stitching Baldric closed. As soon as I was done, he abruptly sprang to his feet and snatched up his hooked blades lying on the stone nearby.


    I hissed at the movement. ¡°Be careful, damnit. That isn¡¯t exactly medical-grade thread keeping your insides from the outside.¡±


    Baldric spared me a brief nod of acknowledgment, before his eyes lingered on Dusk for a moment with frustration visible in his gaze. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have come back for me, girl,¡± Was all he said, before he rushed to join the fight with Nerexxa, uncaring for his wounds.


    He missed Dusk¡¯s answer. Or¡­maybe he didn¡¯t, considering how high his perception must be.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t leave you behind¡­¡± She whispered, before shaking her head. Dusk didn¡¯t even look at me before she followed after him.


    I sighed and stood up, snatching up my shitty spear as I did so. When I turned to face the battle again, I saw that in the brief moments I had spent patching up Baldric, all of the Loyalist soldiers but Longstripe had been slaughtered.


    Now it was only Longstripe, Crook, Baldric, and Dusk in melee range of the monster in the shape of a woman. Longstripe and Baldric were working in a surprisingly well-coordinated attack pattern to try and keep her occupied, while Dusk and Crook were dancing around at the edges. They seemed to be trying to hit her from multiple angles, to at least take her attention away from our heavy hitters. The long-range attacks from Sylvia and Thirty-Two continued in the meanwhile.


    Well, I knew where I needed to join in.


    I ignited the head of this spear with The Scintillant Blade, and dove into the edges of the melee with Crook and Dusk.


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    This close to the transformed state of Nerexxa, I swear I could physically feel the sensation of blood sliding against my skin. The world was tinged ever so slightly crimson, and the air was thickened somehow, even though I could still breathe. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was just the copious amounts of blood that had already been spilled in this courtyard, but the scent of iron hung heavy all around me.


    This¡­this had to be her Mantle. In the same way Grey darkened the world around him, and Honoka ratcheted up the heat, Nerexxa drowned the world in blood.


    Baldric, and surprisingly Longstripe as well, had Mantles deployed as well. I was familiar enough with Baldric¡¯s razor-sharp air scraping against my skin to recognize it for what it was, even if it was still unpleasant. The other sensation, that of a large, angry animal breathing heavily against the back of my neck, was new though. This must be what Longstripe¡¯s own Mantle manifested as. It made me wonder in the back of my rings why he hadn¡¯t deployed it during our duel, but I dismissed the thought.


    Instead, I focused on trying to focus in the first place. The combined effect of all three Mantles weighing against me was beyond oppressive. Not just mentally, but physically as well. The sheer weight of their power pressing down on me was so great that I had to deploy Sylvan Vigor at half-strength just to move through it.


    But I endured, and once I was in position, I struck out at the joint of one of Nerexxa¡¯s wings guarding her back. She obviously somehow felt or saw the strike coming, but seemed to believe that her wing would be able to protect her from my burning blade.


    I felt a surge of triumph at how she wasn¡¯t taking it seriously.


    Because it worked on her.


    The head of my low-quality spear, enhanced by my racial Skill, cut right through the scaled membrane of her taloned wing. It reached the ball joint of her monstrous appendage at speed, and with a slice, completely severed the limb.


    As it fell to the bloodstained bedrock below, the battle slowed for a moment as my comrades took in the sight of the first real wound anyone had dealt to the Vampire.


    Nerexxa didn¡¯t cry out in pain at the blow that had deprived her of one of her main methods of battle. Instead, she looked over her shoulder in bewilderment at the sight of her severed wing. ¡°Well,¡± She blinked. ¡°That¡¯s new.¡± Her eyes shifted up to trace the path of the spear that had cut the wing from her back, meeting mine. ¡°Nathan dear, I¡¯m¡­afraid you¡¯ve grown too dangerous to keep around.¡±


    Nerexxa¡¯s entire demeanor shifted at that. Where before she was as playful as she¡¯d been since I¡¯d met her, now she looked serious, as if we were no longer mere flies buzzing about her head. My Skill had shown Nerexxa that at least one of us had the ability to actually hurt her, which caused the Vampire to stop playing.


    I nearly died in the next few seconds.


    I didn¡¯t even see the attack coming from the Vampire that nearly took off my head as I suddenly lost my novelty to her. I was only able to tell what had happened after the fact. In a move faster than I¡¯d ever seen, from anyone on Vereden, she had wheeled around to lash out at me with long taloned fingers, sharper than any blade.


    Baldric saved my life.


    He appeared right in front of me, his daggers swirling with razor-sharp winds, to block the claws that nearly beheaded me. He struggled against the strength of the Vampire, but didn¡¯t seem distressed by this. Instead, I was at just the right angle to see him grin at her with bloody teeth. ¡°Got you.¡± He breathed.


    The cadence of the battle changed, then. Seeing that I was able to hurt her, the efforts of everyone else fighting Nerexxa changed from trying to kill her with their own abilities, to protecting me.


    Because Nerexxa had realized that I was the real threat to her. Not Longstripe. Not Baldric.


    Me.


    She was serious now, in her assault. Baldric had shifted almost entirely to protecting me, his blades flashing in movements too quick for me to follow as he deflected her talons and wings. Longstripe, meanwhile, had changed his approach. Instead of merely trying to crush her under his might, he was now attempting to box her in. I was so much slower than Nerexxa, after all. I couldn¡¯t be relied upon to land regular attacks on the Vampire. Instead, she had to be funneled into the path of my spear blade, so she had nowhere to dodge.


    Dusk and Crook shifted to emulate Longstripe, even though they weren¡¯t as strong as him. They started to do their best to harry her in whatever way they possibly could. Skills and Spells and Arts I didn¡¯t know started to pepper the monster before us, trying to at least distract Nerexxa.


    Sylvia and Thirty-Two abandoned their long-range assault to join in. The three of us may be the three weakest combatants on the field right now, but they still had something to contribute. Illusionary Skills and Arts from Sylvia may barely affect Nerexxa at all, but even a fraction of a fraction of a second of distraction from the Sculpted woman was invaluable. Meanwhile, Thirty-Two began to display previously unseen abilities with fire, of all things. She lashed out with large, diffuse fireballs aimed at Nerexxa¡¯s face, trying to blind her with either the flame itself, or at the very least the smoke of it.


    With this combination from everyone, it was slowly, slowly working.


    We began to push Nerexxa back and corner her. She was surrounded at all times by others trying to practically force her onto the length of my spear, and it was working. I was managing to land more and more strikes against the vampire, my brilliantly burning spear carving chunks of already rotted corpse from her inhuman frame. The shreds of the facsimile of humanity that she clung to began to fall away, bit by bit, until all that I could see before me was beast.


    A monster.


    Unfortunately¡­


    This made Nerexxa desperate.


    And the desperate do desperate things.


    Nerexxa exploded, a vomit-inducing haze of Aether charged blood forcing us back from her. In the midst of it, she suddenly lashed out with all of her remaining limbs, moving even faster than she had before. I¡­don¡¯t think anyone was prepared for this sudden display of reserved might.


    Not even Baldric.


    I saw a wing sever Crook''s right arm at the shoulder, sending the woman staggering back in a cry of agony.


    I saw a talon scrape across the face of Dusk, removing her left eye in a haze of gore.


    I saw¡­another talon pierce the Mithril abdomen of Sylvia and wrench outward with a tortured shriek, opening the metallic surface of my partner for the world to see.


    And¡­


    I saw Baldric¡¯s throat release a spray of blood, as Nerexxa opened it with the swipe of a taloned wing.


    I was so shocked by the sudden incapacitation of half of our fighting force that I froze for a single, solitary moment.


    And that nearly cost me my life.


    It was only thanks to my solid gold, enhanced prosthetic that I didn¡¯t die. The blow from Nerexxa came from my left side, and impacted the fake limb in a shower of sparks. I instantly lost feeling in the mystical limb, and went flying to impact the far wall of the courtyard, near where Baldric had been laying earlier.


    I hit the stone and nearly blacked out.


    Nearly.


    Groggily, I looked up from my resting place, a distant sense of panic growing in the back of my rings.


    Across from me, in the center of the courtyard, I saw that Nerexxa had grasped Longstripe with both of her taloned lands. They had pierced straight through him from both sides of his abdomen, almost as if he had been run through with the bars of a sharpened cage. He was still alive, if only barely, and staring up at the creature holding him with dull eyes.


    ¡°I wanted the final sacrifice to be the dwarf,¡± Nerexxa hissed, in a strangely resonant tone that carried across the courtyard. ¡°But¡­you¡¯ll have to do.¡±


    She wrenched outwards with both of her monstrous hands, and Longstripe came apart in an explosion of gore.


    The instant his life¡¯s blood touched the runes below, their glow¡­


    Vanished.


    Instead, a rumbling began to emanate from deep within the earth, originating from somewhere below the palace. The world began to shake around us, as more and more of the palace started falling apart into rubble.


    Nerexxa threw back her head and laughed. ¡°FINALLY!¡± She screamed into the heavens. ¡°IT COMES! AWAKEN, OH HARROWER, AND BRING OUR MOTHER HOME!¡±


    The ground below us began to fall away, as the stone of the courtyard revealed itself not to be built on bedrock after all.


    Just¡­the roof of a cavern.


    I was too stunned and weak to do anything, as the world fell away from me.


    Into near infinite darkness.


    And as I fell, a shadow rose. It rose and rose and rose, until the crimson tainted light of Tarus above¡­.


    Winked out altogether.

 Chapter 197 - Somewhere, Somewhen

    The darkness that surrounded me was thick enough that I nearly wasn¡¯t able to breath. The very air was tainted with it, and the Aether that around me felt¡­wrong. It felt like it was suffused with an ancient malaise.


    That was lifting, though. Something had woken from a slumber that had lasted for generation upon generation, and an alien mind was rousing. With it, that sense of being was rising from it''s resting place, to find triumph on the surface above.


    I...I don''t...


    Even in my near catatonia, I retained enough of my mind to wonder how I could even know such a thing.


    The answer didn''t come to me.


    The murk was so all-encompassing that I wasn¡¯t able to tell when I switched from the waking world, to that of the dreaming.


    I floated there in the resulting black, for a time. It felt like my eyes were open, but they saw nothing before me. For once, there were no enemies in my sight for me to throw myself against in vain. There were no innocents to free from bondage. And¡­there were no companions to fight side by side with.


    A selfish part of me wanted to stay here forever, in this vast nothingness. Here I had no responsibilities, no struggles. There were no scant victories or crushing defeats to be found in this murk. Every time my wandering mind tried to focus on the depth of my failure against the beast that was Nerexxa, and what it meant for the whole of Vereden, I shied away from it.


    I didn¡¯t want to remember.


    There was only the numbness of the void.


    I can¡¯t say how long I floated there, in that gloom. It could have been seconds or centuries for all I knew.


    But eventually, all things must end.


    Something stirred in the blackness.


    I wasn¡¯t aware of it until I caught the faintest trace of movement somewhere just out of sight. Sluggishly, I tried to focus on it, but I couldn¡¯t.


    All I could see was the slightest of waves, as if a long body had disturbed a stagnant pool of water.


    A voice pierced the blackness. Though it was quiet, in the depths of this dark, it rang out as if it was projected from a loudspeaker.


    ¡°What¡¯s this, what¡¯s this?¡± A sibilant whisper sounded, carried upon echoes. ¡°A mortal, in this place?¡± It paused for a moment. I almost physically felt the attention that was being directed at me. ¡°No¡­not quite. A Precursor, yes yes. I recognize that glint upon your soul. That¡¯s what you are¡­¡±


    Listlessly, I raised my head to try and see who or what was speaking, but it was¡­so hard. ¡°Who¡­¡± That was all I was able to get out, before even that brief surge of energy left me.


    ¡°Who, who, he asks,¡± The voice breathed in an amused tone. ¡°As if he was an owl, and not the spawn of old Terra.¡±


    Old¡­Terra¡­


    Did this person¡­or thing¡­mean Earth?


    Suddenly, I was much more alert. Somehow, Ringed Mind had faded from me in the depths of this murk, but no longer. I felt my mind fragment into rings once more. My outer was still mired in what felt like induced lethargy, but not my middle and core.


    I could focus again.


    I forced myself on my feet, somehow finding my footing in an endless void.


    ¡°Oh? Did that catch your attention, failure?¡± The voice called. Now that I was able to focus better, I could actually see whatever was speaking to me circling just out of sight. It was as if I was surrounded by the form of a gargantuan snake, its coils winding about me on the edge of my vision.


    But¡­it was wrong. It was as if this thing was many serpents all at once, all layered on top of each other. The winding lengths of scales that formed a solid wall around me were nearly glitching in my vision, overlaying on top of each other. It formed an illusion to where it appeared as if there were thousands, or even millions, of coils that stretched off into infinity.


    The inky horizon was dominated by an ocean of scales.


    Strangely¡­I felt no fear.


    In this place, it was as if I could sense the intentions of the being that had found me. This thing¡­


    I was nothing more than a gnat to it. It cared little for my existence, and felt no need to swat me.


    I found my voice. ¡°What do you mean¡­failure?¡±


    I saw a brief flash of intense yellow eyes in the sea of scales. ¡°I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. You¡­are a failure, like all of your kind,¡± The voice said, almost kindly. ¡°It is in your nature, I¡¯m sorry to say. But you in particular?¡± A brief chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s been some time since a remnant has failed so spectacularly.¡±


    I closed my eyes, no longer able to hide from what had sent me to this place. ¡°Nerexxa.¡±


    ¡°The little tick is irrelevant,¡± The voice said dismissively, shocking me out of my self-pity. ¡°It is what she has awoken that is the source of your failure, Precursor.¡±


    That¡¯s right¡­


    Just before the ground had caved in on us, I¡¯d heard Nerexxa screaming about a ¡®harrower¡¯. Whatever her ritual was, it hadn¡¯t been about directly calling her goddess back to Vereden. She had said something about it being the actual catalyst to bringing this ¡®Ixiah¡¯ back.


    Suddenly, I was feeling much more hopeful about the future.


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    The voice must have noticed, because it chuckled at me. ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, little Precursor,¡± They said, dashing those same hopes. ¡°What the tick has awoken is as far above her as she is above you. If you failed against the bloodsucker, then I doubt your chances against it.¡±


    It¡­


    ¡°What¡­is it?¡± I asked hesitantly. In the brief moments that I had been awake as I fell into the caverns below the now deceased Olsen¡¯s palace, all I had seen was a shadow.


    A massive one. Something big enough to dwarf the palace itself, and blot out the light of Tarus.


    But what I had felt...


    The voice hummed. ¡°A gatekeeper,¡± It said pensively. ¡°Or perhaps a keymaster? One of the two. Certainly a weapon, though. A foolish one, and something only the ¡®divine¡¯,¡± I could physically feel the contempt that the creature surrounding me infused in that word, echoing through the murk. ¡°Could harness. Where the little tick is a knife in the dark, meant to turn knots of resistance against one another, this was a proper greatsword. A bludgeon, to utterly crush armies in its path.¡±


    ¡°A Calamity.¡±


    Oh.


    I see...


    ¡°Not a full one, admittedly,¡± The voice continued. ¡°Not even the ¡®gods¡¯ could manage to leash a true Calamity. Instead, they cultivated them, and at the exact moment before a chosen Prime ascended, they were stopped. And instead of developing their own spark, they were given a piece of a god¡¯s own stolen divinity. From that moment on, they were loyal little doggies. They called them Godbound, as if they could even pretend to that title. This one is old and weak, but still strong enough to squash you like a bug, and fulfill its purpose at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Purpose?¡± I called out into the blackness.


    ¡°Oh yes,¡± The voice said, liquid amusement thick in its tone. ¡°That gnat Ixiah left it behind as insurance, caring little for her little ticks in the process. Her hound, on the other hand, could one day be her ticket back onto this verdant land. All it needs to do¡­is properly attune the Portal Stone to her location, and that upstart can return. Hmm,¡± They hummed. ¡°I believe she was banished to Azul. The upstart must be feeling quite waterlogged, after all those millennia spent in that storm. No doubt she longs for these shores.¡±


    As the voice chuckled to itself, I frowned. ¡°What do you want from me?¡± I asked bluntly. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    I could almost hear the shrug in the voice as it spoke next. ¡°Oh, I expect nothing from you, Precursor,¡± It said dismissively. ¡°I felt the stirrings of the beast, and decided to poke my head over this way. I was curious to see who was foolish enough to wake the sleeping giant.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you,¡± I challenged. ¡°Who are you? What do I call you?¡±


    ¡°Call me?¡± The voice said, surprised. ¡°You don¡¯t. I call upon you. But¡­if you¡¯d like a moniker? Then¡­.you may refer to me as Nehushtan.¡±


    Something unexpected happened then. A light began to shine through the darkness of¡­wherever I was, coming from overhead. It was cool, comforting, and most of all, familiar.


    Looking up, my breath caught in my throat as I beheld a perfect full moon.


    And I do mean perfect.


    It was like no moon I had ever seen. It hung in midair with an immaculate surface, with none of the craters that were visible on either the surface of Earth¡¯s moon, or Vereden¡¯s. It was perfectly spherical, perfectly smooth, and perfectly radiant.


    And its light was shining directly down on the entire area. The form of the serpent was illuminated briefly, allowing me to see its massive triangular head, crowned by what looked like tree roots. But I lost sight of it almost immediately, as the entire thing retreated in a plume of murk with a hiss.


    An irritated female voice rang out in the darkness, originating from the moon. ¡°Get going, you old menace. This one is beyond you.¡±


    The snake seemed like it hadn¡¯t really vanished just yet, because I heard its voice echo out from beyond the near platform of light I was now standing on. ¡°Children these days, no respect for their elders,¡± The being calling itself ¡®Nehushtan¡¯ grumbled, before I felt its attention fall on me once again. It dropped its pretense of curiosity then. ¡°If it¡¯s answers you seek, then find me, Precursor. I am not bound in the way of these upstarts and wisps. I can tell you all that you want to know, and all that you don¡¯t know you do.¡± The voice began to fade away, as if its owner was retreating from the harsh glare of the moon. ¡°Seek me out, in the northern mountains¡­¡±


    The darkness beyond the radiance lifted somewhat then, and I could tell that whatever that thing had been, it was truly gone now.


    ¡°What¡­was that?¡± I asked out loud breathlessly.


    ¡°An old ghost, squirming in the dark,¡± The female voice said, irritation thick in her tone. ¡°From an age so long ago that not even the bones of Vereden can compete. Pay its words no mind, as you have other concerns. You have to wake up, Nathaniel.¡±


    I reeled, a stab of pain piercing through me at her words. I bent over, clutching my chest in agony, feeling like something was lodged right in the center of my being.


    The female voice sighed. ¡°What a disaster this is,¡± She said, sympathy thick in her voice. ¡°But it¡¯s going to have to be you that handles this, I''m afraid. I¡¯ve informed my beloved about what¡¯s happened, but neither he nor his forces can reach you in time to deal with the Godbound. It¡¯s already begun the process of attunement.¡±


    I looked up incredulously at who I suspected was the spirit that Grey loved. ¡°How?!¡± I said weakly, nearly crippled by my pain. No matter how I tried, I couldn¡¯t shut it off with Ringed Mind, and I wasn¡¯t appreciating this reminder of what real pain was like. ¡°How am I supposed to kill this thing, when I could barely scratch Nerexxa?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± The woman said soothingly. ¡°You have all the tools you need to slay this beast. The Vampire will be dealt with by another, closer than you think.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°If he complains, just tell him I¡¯m calling in his debt. Your task, however, will mark you¡­but I know you can do it. My love wouldn¡¯t place his faith in those that don¡¯t deserve it.¡±


    As a more natural darkness began to grow around my vision, and the vision of who I suspected was Elys above me began to fade, she had one more thing to say before I left this place.


    ¡°Oh, and Fade sends his love¡­.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    I awoke to agony.


    Thankfully, this was an agony that I could immediately shut down, allowing me to descend from my suffering-filled panic. Once I had done so, I opened my eyes¡­


    To find that I was once more surrounded by darkness.


    This wasn¡¯t the supernatural darkness that I had somehow just been dreaming inside, where I had spoken to what I thought were a pair of Spirits. No, this was the familiar darkness of a deep, dark cave.


    And it was easy to see what was causing my pain.


    There was a long splinter of stone piercing straight through my front. Looking down and muting my panic response, I could see that it luckily looked to have missed my heart, which was probably why I wasn¡¯t already dead. I think I had fallen straight onto it, and it had gone right through my¡­right kidney.


    Ah.


    This was¡­quite the predicament. How was I supposed to deal with this? It was hard enough performing impromptu surgery on other people with Aetherial Melding, but on myself was a whole other matter. Especially when I had no help, no supplies, and¡­


    I looked down at my left arm, already suspecting what I would see.


    Yup, my prosthetic left arm was crushed.


    I only had one functional arm.


    The golden prosthesis had taken the blow that had nearly killed me straight on from Nerexxa, and suffered for it. The outer golden shell of the limb was completely crushed, and I think the Mithril bones had been bent as well. I was lucky I didn¡¯t have real pain receptors in the enchantment for the arm, or I was sure it would be screaming at me. The best I could do was twitch a few of the fingers slightly, but it wasn¡¯t usable anymore. I was going to have to melt it down completely, reforge it, and then re-enchant the whole thing in order to get my arm back. Luckily, it didn¡¯t look like the damage extended to the cap on my stump, so the port that connected the false limb to my soul was still intact. All I¡¯d need to do¡­was make a whole other limb.


    But that didn¡¯t help me now, when I was in mortal danger.


    And looking around?


    I wasn¡¯t the only one.


    All around me, I could see the still forms of those who I had fought Nerexxa alongside. Crook, Thirty-Two, Dusk, even Baldric.


    I also found Sylvia.


    Even through my enforced calm, my breath caught in my throat at the sight of her, lying splayed out against a nearby boulder in this cave.


    She wasn¡¯t moving.

 Chapter 198 - Sacrifice

    I¡­I wasn¡¯t sure if Sylvia was still alive.


    In the few freeze frames I¡¯d been able to perceive before Nerexxa had taken me out, I thought I¡¯d seen the Vampire tear a massive rent into the Mithril chassis of Sylvia¡¯s abdomen. The gravity of that hadn¡¯t dawned on me until now, when I was fully coherent and not being talked down to by a pair of Spirits.


    But¡­in the dim light of this pit, I could see her now.


    She didn¡¯t look good.


    The Sculpted woman was lying haphazardly strewn across the surface of a nearby boulder, looking to have fallen straight onto her back in the fall. Her sapphire eyes were open but appeared to be unseeing to my own, and I don¡¯t think she was conscious. Like I¡¯d thought, there was a massive gash inflicted on her, around where a stomach would be on a fleshy like me. If she¡¯d had them, her guts would be spilling out. As it was, the torn and tortured surface of her metallic skin revealed the dark hollow inside of her, where joints and latticework were meant to protect structural integrity.


    When designing and constructing my false arm, I¡¯d learned about how both the Sculpted functioned and their enchantment matrix. So much was determined by their skin being whole. A cut or two wouldn¡¯t kill them, but massive rents like the one Sylvia had could. Their matrix-bound soul couldn¡¯t maintain cohesion without surface skin integrity.


    The Sculpted enchantment matrix included a sleep function that mimicked that of organics, and I¡¯d seen my partner sleep plenty of nights before. But this didn¡¯t look like that gentle slumber I¡¯d witnessed before.


    No, she almost looked¡­.


    I took a deep breath, grit my teeth, and clamped down hard on the panic trying to overwhelm me.


    Dead.


    But it was hard to tell that sometimes with Sculpted, I told myself. I¡¯d seen a few heavily injured Sculpted in the past, either in Honoka¡¯s tent or with random Healers. When a Sculpted was too damaged to function normally, they almost¡­shut-down in an attempt to preserve their soul, before it could escape their marred frame.


    They didn¡¯t have the convenient tell of a heartbeat or breath to convey life. You had to examine them individually in order to determine if they were savable.


    Unfortunately, I had my own wound-based problems to deal with. I¡¯d isolated the pain to keep focusing, but that didn¡¯t change the fact I had to get myself treated or I was in trouble. I was pinned here for now.


    But I had another option, to tell if my friend and lover was still with me.


    I shut my eyes and did my best to shut out the world around me. I ignored the oppressive nature of this cave, still tainted by the Aether of that ¡®Godbound¡¯ that Nerexxa had awoken. I ignored the faint tremors from the surface that rippled all the way down to us in this pit. I even ignored my own senses, slowly shutting them off with my core ring.


    Until the only thing I could perceive was my Aetherial sense.


    I breathed deep, focusing intensely on Sylvia¡¯s direction.


    In, and out.


    In, and out.


    A spark.


    There!


    I almost started weeping at the sensation of Aether coming from Sylvia¡¯s direction. There wasn¡¯t much, and what I could feel was struggling to maintain cohesion, but it was there. Sylvia was still alive, for now.


    But that could change any minute.


    It didn¡¯t matter if I would hurt myself more doing this. I had to act now.


    My eyes snapped open, and I snarled. I reached over my left shoulder, grasped the thick stalagmite piercing straight through my shoulder, and activated Sylvan Vigor at full power. The Skill struggled, as my Stamina was no doubt near exhausted from my battles, and I probably only had moments of usage out of it.


    But I didn¡¯t care.


    I heaved, ignoring the fresh blood that the movement drew from my wounds.


    The stone shattered, freeing me from the floor. But I didn¡¯t remove it from my shoulder. Instead, I rolled myself to my front, and started dragging myself in Sylvia¡¯s direction, as I didn¡¯t have the strength to stand. Sylvan Vigor had faded almost immediately.


    When I had reached her, weeping fresh blood from new cuts on my front caused by the jagged stone of the pit, I did my best to assess the damage. As far as I could tell, Sylvia had lost almost the entire surface area of her stomach. The jagged edges of the Mithril looked razor sharp. I¡­I needed something to patch this with. It would need to be mystically reactive, as well, or else it wouldn¡¯t work to maintain the enchantment matrix that cradled her struggling soul.


    And I only had one source of mystically reactive metal on me.


    Whatever. It was ruined anyway.


    I reached over and thumbed the release switch at the base of my prosthetic. It popped, but the crushed nature of the limb meant I had to wrench it off of the socket with as much force as I was able to muster. Once my damaged prosthetic was free, I placed it on Sylvia¡¯s surface, doing my best to bridge the gap between the edges of the tear.


    And fell into my Aetherial Melding trance once more.


    You see, I had a theory, and that theory was the only reason I thought this could work. Normally, for metals like Mithril and mystically enhanced gold, you would need a forge in order to melt it down and shape it. But¡­this wasn¡¯t any normal metal. This was metal that had been in close proximity to my soul for an extended length of time.


    It had been directly linked to me.


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    My understanding of Aetherial theory told me that I should be able to manipulate it. Not to the extent that I could make repairs and make it functional.


    But enough that I could melt it down.


    I focused, trying to direct as much Aether as I possibly could to the limb. The gold and Mithril of the limb didn¡¯t react immediately to the flow of Aether I was directing into from the surroundings, causing a mote of doubt and panic to fill my rings.


    But¡­gradually¡­


    I felt the metal under my hand start to soften. There was only one problem now.


    It was going too slow. This close to Sylvia, I could feel her start to slip away, the matrix of her soul starting to fray at the edges from the effort of clinging to my lover.


    I wasn¡¯t going to let that happen.


    If the process was going too slow, I was just going to have to speed it up. There was only one way I knew how to do that.


    I reached for the Aether inherent to my own soul and fumblingly shoved it down into the stream I was using to shape the broken limb. The process sped up immensely, a visible rainbow glow so similar in shade to that of The Scintillant Blade beginning to suffuse the metal of my false arm.


    There was another problem, however. I only had so much strength left in me after all I¡¯d been through over the last twenty-four hours.


    All that I had left was the vital energy of my own being, flowing down into my lover.


    I was burning the candle of my own life, in order to save Sylvia¡¯s.


    I had to hurry, or we would both die. I rapidly began to meld the combined liquid gold and Mithril around the rent in Sylvia¡¯s abdomen, feeling my strength leave me every second I continued. I didn¡¯t bother making it look pretty, so the patch was very rough in appearance. But it was working.


    God, it was working.


    It was as I was smoothing over the last of the gold and Mithril patch that something blindsided me. It wasn¡¯t a problem with Sylvia, as I was already starting to feel her soul stabilize.


    It was a problem with me.


    I¡­had never considered the inherent drain of Aether and Stamina that it must take to maintain Ringed Mind. It was so miniscule that it didn¡¯t matter, as my soul naturally replenished the energy required just by existing. However¡­now that I was draining it of Aether to save the life of another, and at the same time demanding the focus my mental Skill imparted for the task?


    It was too much.


    I felt something pop in my own head, and my middle ring vanish at the same time. It was gone, and I could no longer control my emotional state. As panic and fear and anger and desperation rolled over me like an ocean, I slowly blinked one eye and then the other.


    My vision began to darken, and I toppled over to land on top of Sylvia.


    As my consciousness began to fade once more, I felt a curious mix of satisfaction and regret.


    Satisfaction, because I had managed to save Sylvia.


    Regret¡­because I hadn¡¯t been able to save another.


    Just on the edge of my Aetherial sense, I felt it as the wounded, unconscious, bleeding form of Crook¡­


    Lost its battle.


    As my eyes closed, and the world fell away, I thought I heard something.


    Odddly stumbling and shuffling steps approaching as if from a distance.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    I didn¡¯t wake up. Instead, I found myself in another place.


    This time, it wasn¡¯t the strangely murky place that I had spoken to the serpent and the moon in. No, I recognized where I was.


    It was my soul.


    Only¡­diminished.


    The crystalline tree that I¡¯d seen before was cracked and splintered, with a number of different branches only hanging on by strangely sinuous fragments. The previous rainbow glow of healthy Aether was almost entirely gone, and now it only possessed a dim gleam that originated from the core. Those branches that weren¡¯t nearly shattered instead were drooping, bereft of their previously razor sharp leaves. They lay in piles at the foot of the tree, while all through the structure, it was streaked through with rivers of what looked to be blood.


    Ah¡­


    That¡­didn¡¯t seem good¡­


    I was shocked out of my inspection by the sound of an oddly familiar voice. ¡°In normal times, I¡¯m sure this is quite the striking reflection,¡± It mused. ¡°But now, not so much.¡±


    The voice was missing an undertone in it from when I¡¯d last heard the sound. But¡­I think I recognized the owner.


    Turning to face the speaker slowly, I blinked at who I found. That¡­wasn¡¯t who I was expecting.


    The speaker was a dark-skinned man of considerable height, nearly matching Leopold in sheer verticality. He was older, looking to nearly be on par with Grey¡¯s apparent age of nearly sixty, with a completely shaven, shiny head. On his square jaw, he had a short beard whitened from age. And from his wizened features peered a pair of knowing amethyst eyes, ringed with laugh lines and watching me patiently.


    But it was what he was wearing that really tipped me off as to who this was.


    Draped over his broad form was an impeccably maintained black silk robe, with a crimson cape thrown over his shoulders.


    I tilted my head at him. ¡°Tlazo¡­?¡± I asked hesitantly.


    The tall man bowed at the waist theatrically to me, one hand over his heart. ¡°In the flesh,¡± He said mischievously, before winking. ¡°Well, when I had flesh, at any rate.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said lamely. It was¡­hard to focus. I was having trouble understanding what was going on. I couldn¡¯t fully parse why a Lich was standing with me in my soul, suddenly alive again. ¡°How¡­are you here?¡±


    Tlazo must have realized how addled I was, as his expression softened. ¡°Because some of my assistants found you and your companions, and brought you to my lab,¡± He said kindly. ¡°I¡¯ve spent some time repairing your¡­somewhat mangled forms as best as I was able. Some I was too late for, such as that large woman-¡±


    I felt a flash of pain at the sudden reminder of Crook¡¯s death.


    Another I had failed.


    ¡°-others, I could, such as that Dusk woman, the dwarf yet again, and the young girl,¡± Tlazo continued, before peering at me curiously. ¡°And you appeared to have somehow saved Greycton¡¯s daughter before losing consciousness, so well done you. But¡­I don''t quite understand what''s going on and why so many of you are down here, and you¡¯re who I chose to ask. I¡¯m speaking to you from outside of your soul, using a Spell to peer inward. So. What, exactly, is happening on the surface?¡±


    Ah¡­


    As if I was in a dream, I haltingly started explaining to the Lich everything that had happened.


    From the last stand of the Nocturne Division, to the machinations of Nerexxa and her ritual¡­


    To what Elys and Nehustan had told me about the Godbound she had awoken.


    At the first mention of the Vampire, Tlazo¡¯s expression had grown irritated, but when I spoke of the woken Calamity?


    He started swearing loudly. ¡°Son of a bitch. That¡¯s what she was after?!¡± He threw up his hands in disgust. ¡°If I had known she was going to wake a damned Calamity, I would have stopped her!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked him, my bafflement lending me more coherence. ¡°You¡­knew about Nerexxa?¡±


    Tlazo spared me a glance in his frustration. ¡°Yes, yes, I knew about the Vampire. I warned you before you left, didn¡¯t I? There was more going on behind the scenes than you knew. She approached me some time ago, and tried to get me to work with her. But, she didn¡¯t raise much of a stink when I turned her down. I¡¯m suddenly regretting not turning her to ash.¡±


    I wanted to shout at the apathetic old Lich, but it¡­didn¡¯t matter anymore. I can¡¯t even imagine how many lives could have been saved if he had just killed Nerexxa when he had the chance. Even the War might not have happened, if he had just done his damned job.


    I knew what to do, though.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to deal with her for us,¡± I told him directly, taking an almost aggressive step toward Tlazo. ¡°To atone for your carelessness.¡±


    The Lich gave me a sharp glance at that. ¡°Watch yourself, boy,¡± He said warningly. ¡°The only reason I¡¯ve helped you so far is because of your connection to an old colleague. You, however, are not that man. What makes you think I¡¯ll acquiesce to your demands, and not flee the coming storm?¡±


    I smiled sharply at him. ¡°Because Elys is calling in her debt,¡± I said vindictively, enjoying the shock that erupted on Tlazo''s falsely fleshed face. ¡°You¡¯re going to kill Nerexxa to atone for your sin of inaction.¡±


    Oddly, I saw a strangely silver mist blow through the void in the center of my soul at my words. The branches of my damaged tree creaked ominously in the wind, while it caressed my body almost soothingly. Tlazo, however, shivered as the mist brushed his form.


    He scowled and threw up his hands in defeat. ¡°Fine. Fine!¡± He almost shouted. ¡°I should have known you would have connections to that interfering old biddy, with how Greycton has taken you under his wing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll slay your damned Vampire, boy.¡±

 Chapter 199 - The Eve of Calamity

    From one moment to the next, I was awake.


    This wasn¡¯t the gentle awakening of regular rest or even the abrupt rousing I sometimes experienced from my nightmares.


    No, it felt like I had been shocked out of a coma.


    My back arced off of the stone slab I felt like I was resting on, my eyes flying open abruptly. I sucked in a strangled gasp at the same time, not parsing my surroundings for multiple reasons.


    The biggest being that I couldn¡¯t see out of my right eye. For a moment, I wondered if something was covering it. But no, when I weakly reached up to touch my face, I found it bare. I was too addled to understand what was going on, and thus let my gaze limply take in my surroundings.


    My conversation with Tlazo in the depths of my soul was coming back to me now, and I wasn¡¯t surprised to find myself in the semi-recognizable setting of the Lich¡¯s lab.


    Only¡­it was much busier.


    I hadn¡¯t been able to tell how many ¡®assistants¡¯ the undead had on my last visit, but I didn¡¯t think there were this many. Rows and rows of undead orcs were assembled in the cavern in which the lab resided, arranged in a nearly military format. There were hundreds of the things, and it looked to me that more were arriving every moment. I watched as a group of dusty undead Orcs shuffled their way into the large cavern from the entrance we had used what felt like only a few days ago. They entered with a mindless gait and glowing blue eyes, only for that to change after passing some threshold.


    They fell under the control of Tlazo, affecting a military stride and gaining a green glow to their empty sockets.


    Tlazo was emptying the catacombs to assemble an army.


    I guess he was going to keep his word. It only took being strongarmed by a Greater Spirit to do it.


    I was knocked out of my observations by a furry feeling hand falling on my shoulder. Looking up, I found a bandaged Dusk looking down at me. My compatriot looked as rough as I felt, with exhaustion and despair evident in her posture. And yet, she didn¡¯t seem broken. There was an almost desperate determination I could see in her¡­


    Ah.


    Her single remaining eye.


    That¡¯s right. Nerexxa had torn out her left one. There was a bloody bandage wound around her furred head, hiding what must be the empty socket.


    Dusk noticed my inspection but didn¡¯t comment on it. Instead, she just extended her hand down to me without a word. I gratefully took it, allowing the Gnoll woman to lever me into a sitting position. I slumped over when I was upright, resting my forearms on my knees, and looked back up at Dusk.


    No.


    She was Liora, now. The Nocturne Division was finished.


    I had to let go of that.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked her, my gaze drifting behind her back. Over her shoulder, I saw a bloodied and battered Baldric speaking to a visibly glowing Tlazo, a grim look on his face. The Lich was emitting an eerie green glow and seemed to be directing his gathering forces with waves of his hands, multitasking in the midst of his talk with the dwarf. Floating in mid-air at his side was a long staff of pitch-black wood, gnarled and holding what looked to be a rough amber crystal at its peak.


    I paused, for a moment, when I saw Thirty-Two standing off to the side not far from us, arms wrapped around herself in a near hug. The young woman looked¡­lost, frightened, and as if she had just barely escaped death herself. And she might have, judging from the bandages I could see on her adolescent form.


    I studiously tried not to look at the cloth-covered slab not far from me, where a large frame seemed to be resting.


    I knew who that had to be.


    But¡­


    ¡°Where¡¯s Sylvia?¡± I said slowly, my breath hitching in my throat.


    Liora studied me for a moment, before jerking her head at another corner of the lab that I had missed. I followed her gaze to find a still, silvery form lying motionless on a slab. For a moment, vertigo nearly overtook me at the possibility that after all of what I had done, I¡¯d still failed one of the most important people in my life.


    But no. I remembered how Tlazo had told me that I¡¯d saved her life, in the depths of my soul.


    So¡­what was wrong with her?


    I tried to stumble to my feet to find out and nearly fell face-first onto the rough stone of the slab from a surge of weakness. Liora caught me just in time, though, and helped me to sit back down on my own slab.


    ¡°She¡¯s alive if that¡¯s what you¡¯re after,¡± Liora answered tiredly. ¡°But¡­she seems to be in a coma, or something equivalent for a Sculpted. The Lich doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with her, just that her soul isn¡¯t in danger of collapsing.¡± She sighed, letting her single eye wander over the gathering undead forces. ¡°Our best guess is that Greycton is going to have to examine her, to find out what¡¯s wrong. But she¡¯ll hold down here, for now. We¡­have bigger problems, Hangman.¡±


    I looked up and met her eye. ¡°Nathan. Just¡­Nathan. It¡¯s over, Liora.¡±


    Said singular eye closed for a moment, and then she nodded. I thought I saw a tear escape her, but I didn¡¯t comment on it.


    I wasn¡¯t a complete monster, after all.


    Silence descended on us for a moment before I broke it. I had my own questions, after all.


    My hand drifted up to rest on my still-unseeing right eye. I had thought it was just temporary blindness from waking up, but¡­I was rethinking that, now.


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    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± I asked aloud, not exactly expecting an answer from Liora.


    And I didn¡¯t get one from her.


    ¡°You suffered a massive brain hemorrhage, that¡¯s what,¡± A dusty voice answered me. Tlazo and Baldric¡¯s conversation seemed to have stopped, and the two of them were approaching Liora and I. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for a full exploratory cranial surgery to find out exactly what you did, saving Grecyton¡¯s daughter. But my initial assessment is that there you appear to have suffered some brain damage.¡±


    Hemorrhage? Brain damage?


    That¡­that really wasn¡¯t good¡­


    My head was finally clearing from my abrupt awakening, and I was just now starting to notice that I couldn¡¯t feel something important. Something that had cut out, just at the end of my treatment of Sylvia.


    The middle thought ring that Ringed Mind granted me.


    There was a noticeable absence in my thought patterns where it should be. It wasn¡¯t like I only had two rings anymore. It was like¡­I could feel the void in the Talent where the middle ring should be running.


    It was beyond disconcerting. My thoughts felt slow and sluggish after so long spent with the ability constantly running.


    Not only that, but¡­I had apparently lost sight in one of my eyes¡­


    Without even having to ask, Baldric wordlessly withdrew a tiny bronze mirror from inside his armor and handed it to me. I raised it up to look at my face and felt a chill running down my spine.


    My normally emerald green right eye had gone cloudy and unfocused. The pupil still seemed to be reacting to light, but¡­it wasn¡¯t picking up anything.


    I was half blind, now.


    And that was on top of being back to having only one arm.


    I felt a hysterical laugh bubbling up inside of myself, and almost instinctually tried to clamp down on it with my middle ring.


    But that was gone, and so it came out.


    My¡­unhinged laughter rang in the cavern, drawing concerned looks from those who cared. Tlazo didn¡¯t seem to, though. He just kept speaking.


    ¡°The dwarf and I have conferred,¡± He said dryly. ¡°And I have informed him of my obligation to destroy the bloodsucker. As such-¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going back out there,¡± Baldric cut in, exhausted determination in his voice. I noticed that it was different, though. Raspier, somehow. And I bet it had something to do with the massive new scar that was evident on his throat, from where Nerexxa had nearly torn it out. ¡°Tlazo will focus on rooting out the Vampire, while we¡­we¡¯ll have to try and rally a defense against this ¡®Godbound¡¯.¡±


    I see Tlazo hadn¡¯t wasted any time on informing the others about what we were facing. For the first time since I¡¯d met Baldric, I saw a note of very real trepidation on his bearded face. It almost looked like¡­terror to me.


    I didn¡¯t blame him. I wasn¡¯t even a Veredenese native, so I didn¡¯t have the cultural fear of Calamities they did, and I was still petrified about this thing.


    Whatever the hell it was.


    Thirty-Two wandered up then, finally deciding to join the conversation. ¡°We have no hope against a Calamity,¡± She said bluntly, her voice quavering slightly. I guess her bravado had finally worn off. ¡°We should wait for Headmaster Greycton to arrive. He¡¯s one of the only people on the planet who has a chance, and he¡­should be coming.¡±


    I took a deep breath, and finally stood up from the slab. ¡°He is,¡± I said, already emotionally exhausted. ¡°I¡­heard from someone with a line to him that he¡¯s coming. But it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± I said, cutting off any questions I could see brewing on some faces. ¡°He won¡¯t get here quickly enough. The Godbound is going to finish attuning the Portal Stone to¡­Azul, and then Ixiah will be on Vereden if we don¡¯t act now. Then¡­then it¡¯s really over.¡±


    Thirty-Two deflated then, drawing Baldric¡¯s attention. He eyed her for a moment, before sighing.


    ¡°Isolde,¡± He said firmly, causing Thirty-Two to jerk slightly in shock, drawing her attention. ¡°It might be a good idea for you to sit this one out. I¡­don¡¯t know how this is going to go, and even if we win, you¡¯re not strong enough to make much of a difference. You could die very easily out there. And I don¡¯t want to be the one to explain to King-Elect Oskar that his only sister died pointlessly.¡±


    I didn¡¯t even feel shock as my own suspicions about ¡®Thirty-Two¡¯ were confirmed. I didn¡¯t know her circumstances, but I had already thought she was part of the Royal Family, just from her appearance alone. She looked too much like Oscar to be anything else. Still, I hadn¡¯t expected such a close relationship as being his sister.


    But none of that mattered right now.


    We had things to do.


    As Isolde looked away in shame, I accepted a length of bandage from Liora and wound it around my dead eye, in a reversed mirror to what she had over her own. ¡°Isolde,¡± I said, drawing her attention. I did my best to be kind to the teenager who had been a rival spy only a day ago. ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay down here and watch over Sylvia? I¡¯m sure Headmaster Greycton will be grateful to you for looking after his daughter.¡±


    Isolde looked back down and gave a tiny nod, before wandering away.


    I guess she was pragmatic enough to accept an excuse to sit this one out when it was given.


    Well. That¡­was easier than I was expecting. At least that was one problem sorted.


    ¡°If you¡¯re all finished,¡± Tlazo said impatiently. ¡°Then I¡¯m done gathering my strike force. You should finish preparing yourself because I have no idea what¡¯s going on up there. The Aetherial density has grown to the extent my attempts at scrying have failed. I have a small armory over¡­that a way,¡± He waved a hand absentmindedly at a corner of the lab, where I could see some pretty empty-looking racks. I think his undead forces had already cleaned them out, for the most part. ¡°Help yourself to what¡¯s left and¡­prepare yourself for your likely death, I suppose.¡± With that apathetic statement, the Lich floated away to inspect his gathered undead.


    Baldric, Liora, and I stood around silently for a moment before Baldric cleared his throat. ¡°Hart, do you mind¡­giving Liora and I a moment?¡± He said semi-awkwardly. Liora looked away, but didn¡¯t protest.


    Ah.


    I understood. Time for that adoptive grandfather and granddaughter talk, on the eve of battle.


    I nodded and walked away. I had my own goodbyes to say.


    First, though, I approached the rack of weapons and grabbed one of the only things left.


    A single dagger, hewn from bone. I would have liked to take the spear on the rack, but I didn¡¯t trust myself to wield it well with only one arm. It was a bit too long, compared to the extended forms of my Oninite blades.


    I wondered if I would ever find those again.


    I shoved it into my dirt-encrusted belt and walked over to where Sylvia was resting quietly. I gave the nearby Isolde a small nod, but didn¡¯t acknowledge her otherwise. Still, the girl had enough tact to give us some space, while I said my goodbyes.


    Sylvia looked¡­peaceful, I suppose.


    I was tempted to lift the sheet covering her resting form from the neck down in order to check on my patch. But the idea of it felt vulgar, somehow. Like I would be peeping on her.


    I sighed. ¡°At least you have a chance to make it out of this,¡± I said quietly, gazing down at her. I sat down on the lip of the slab she was on, and absentmindedly lay my one hand on hers, peeking out of the sheet. ¡°We might not see each other again, you know. This¡­well.¡± I laughed mirthlessly. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to go up there and deal with the Calamity. At least according to Elys, that is.¡± I looked down at Sylvia, rubbing my thumb over the back of her limp, cool hand. ¡°We¡¯ll see if I can do it. I¡­I almost don¡¯t even care, if I survive. So much has happened¡­¡±


    I trailed off, staring off into space for a moment.


    ¡°So much¡­¡± I whispered, before looking down at her again. ¡°If I don¡¯t make it¡­well. I just want you to know¡­,¡± I slumped, closing my eyes. "Oh, what''s the point? You...you can''t hear me. But...even still..."


    I sighed, but still managed to gather enough will to lean in close to my comatose lover''s ear. With my mouth only inches away from it, I whispered three words, meant only for her.


    Despite everything, and despite the fact she probably couldn¡¯t hear me¡­


    I still felt better.


    I sat there, holding Sylvia¡¯s hand until Baldric and Liora were done with their own little moment and motioned me over.


    With one last glance at the resting Sculpted woman, I stood up and approached them.


    It was do-or-die time, I suppose.


    Emphasis on the die.

 Chapter 200 - Beware the Murk

    Before I left Sylvia behind and marched to my likely death, I took a moment to examine my Status. I¡¯d been involved in quite a bit of combat in the last twenty-four hours, and killed¡­more than a few people. Normal people wouldn¡¯t have gained anything from that, but¡­


    I wasn¡¯t exactly normal, now was I?


    I pulled up my Status using Hidden Amidst the Spheres.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">You have gained 7 levels!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">You are now Lvl. 91. </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Acting has reached Lvl. 7 (Max)!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Dual Wielding has reached Lvl. 5!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Short Bow Proficiency has reached Lvl. 3!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">You have 70 unspent Virtue points. </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Level 90 Class ability inherited. </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Would you like to review your Status?</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Y/N</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I let out a silent sigh as I shunted the task of managing my level up to my remaining core ring. My outer ring took the task of standing up off of the slab that Sylvia was resting on, and approaching my gathered comrades.


    I wasn¡¯t surprised to see so many levels at once. I¡­ had no idea how many people I had actually killed, during the assault on the warehouse. It had to be well over a dozen, and from my experience, people were¡­just worth more Aether than monsters, when it came to leveling up.


    God, what a revolting thought.


    Considering my advantages, I never wanted to become the kind of person who boiled down my opponents to what they were worth to me. Sapient beings were more than just grist for the mill that was my advancement.


    My core ring tiredly selected yes, and then allocated my Virtues. No deviating from my established allocations today, like I had by getting some points in Strength. I didn¡¯t feel like I could take the risk, and preferred the tried and true method of more Intelligence, Wisdom, and Dexterity.


    My remaining ring reviewed my changes briefly, before confirming the allotment.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Name


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">Nathaniel Eugene Hart</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Titles


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">Unbound Liberator</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Level


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">91</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Age


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">24 Sol</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Race


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">Human (Precursor)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Affinity


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">Terrestrial</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Classes


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">Thornblade Acolyte (Uncommon)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Professions


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">Aetherial Melding</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Health


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">843/1000</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Stamina


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">46/100</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Vitality


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">100</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Strength


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">50</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Spirit


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Dexterity


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">190</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Perception


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">100</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Intelligence


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">260</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Wisdom


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">260</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Free Points</td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">0</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Options</td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">[Talent Page], [Skill Page], [Profession Page]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I was unsurprised to see my Status reflecting how worn down I felt. I sure as hell didn''t feel one hundred percent.


    As I reached Liora and Baldric, leaving Sylvia and Isolde behind, my core got around to seeing what the last ability I would get before reaching level one hundred would be.


    I nearly laughed aloud at what I got.


    This¡­would have been pretty useful, only hours previous.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Level 90 Class ability (Thornblade Acolyte)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.4084%; text-align: center">Bloodroot Resilience (Talent): Body and Soul are bolstered by the strength of the unseen earth.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Talents were typically easier for me to understand what they did than Skills, since their effects were immediate.


    And I sure felt this.


    All at once I felt¡­firmer, more solid somehow. My body and soul were, like the description said, almost being shored up by something. It seemed to me like my Vitality was being reinforced, if I had to place this new feeling.


    Actually, that¡­might be exactly what was happening.


    This sensation, in a weird way, felt almost like how the multiplicative effect of Sylvan Vigor did, just bolstering a different Virtue. But it wasn¡¯t a Skill, and thus wasn¡¯t something I could turn off or tune up and down. No, now that I thought about it more and examined the feeling, I was pretty sure I knew what was going on with Bloodroot Resilience.


    This was a passive increase to my Vitality, it had to be. Either I was drawing strength from the earth around me, like the description said, or I was getting an addition or multiplication to the Virtue.


    But¡­it was odd.


    Moments after the Talent started working, I swear I heard an inaudible whisper, from somewhere just out of earshot. But when I looked around to try and find the source, I saw nothing.


    Baldric saw my rubbernecking and raised a tired eyebrow at me. ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± I paused, before shaking my head. ¡°No¡­nothing. I think it was just¡­an odd Talent interaction or something. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    The dwarf inspected me for a moment before nodding. ¡°If you say so. Anyway, listen up. We¡¯re all ready to move out now, including Tlazo,¡± He nodded to the Lich that was standing off in front of us, directing his ¡®assistants¡¯. He had finally started getting them underway and was directing them towards and out of the door that I knew led out to the surface. The odd sound of a combination of marching and shuffling from the undead filled the cavernous lab. ¡°We¡¯ll follow behind them, and try to assess the situation when we reach the surface. We¡­all know the stakes here, so¡­don¡¯t fuck this up, I suppose.¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Liora turned her head to look at me from the corner of her remaining eye. ¡°The Lich indicated to us that you were meant to slay the Godbound?¡± She asked shortly. Still, I detected a mote of doubt in her voice.


    I didn¡¯t blame her for it.


    I nodded at the two of them. Even though I had gotten Ringed Mind only a few months ago, I was unused to managing my emotions without it. I¡¯m sure they could both see the apprehension on my face at the prospect of killing a Calamity. ¡°Yes¡­Elys told me I had everything I need, to kill it. I¡­don¡¯t know how, but I guess I¡¯ll cross that bridge when I get to it.¡±


    Baldric closed his eyes. ¡°Then the goal is to get you close to the bastard,¡± He said shortly, before nodding ahead of us, to where most of the undead had cleared out. Tlazo was already floating after his minions even as more continued to stream into the cavernous lab, without even a glance behind him to see if we were following. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The three of us set out after the departing undead army.


    Behind us, just on the edge of my hearing, I heard a young, whispered voice.


    ¡°Good luck,¡± Isolde said quietly, voice trailing after us.


    We probably needed it.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    In a mirror to how we had first entered into Elderwyck and Tlatec not so long ago, we marched through the tunnel that connected Tlazo¡¯s lab to Tlatec above, trailing behind said Lich¡¯s army. Before long, we had reached the stairs that led upwards, and by that time, the tremors I had been feeling earlier were starting to become more intense.


    And when we actually started our journey upwards, sound began to filter down towards those of us that were still alive and coherent enough to understand it.


    The sounds of battle.


    Or slaughter.


    It only grew more and more obvious that something was going on up there beyond what we had thought. It sounded to me like Tlazo¡¯s forces were already engaging something, which was odd. The exit point of his lab led out into Tlatec, not Elderwyck. But¡­with Calamity out there¡­


    Maybe the fight had spilled into the Orcish twin city.


    Fighting what, though?


    My small group eventually reached the exit point to Tlatec.


    Dread pooled in my stomach, and my mouth fell open at how the world seemed to have deteriorated, in the scant few hours we must have spent underground.


    We had exited out into a veritable hell.


    The sky above was shrouded in an artificial darkness that resembled the smoke of a forest fire more than it did night. In the distance, the normally warm light of Tarus above had been almost¡­corrupted. It glared down at the world with a blood-red hue that cast menacing shadows upon the city around me.


    And that city was under siege.


    Screams and the clash of blades on scale filled the air, as the Orcish Imperials desperately tried to fight back the waves of monsters that seemed to have filled their streets. I had never seen anything like the beasts, and there must have been thousands of them in Tlatec alone by my guess, much less Elderwyck.


    To my eyes, they looked to be a strange cross between a lizard and a bat. The creatures were scaled, and had the basic body plan of something like a long-extinct bipedal dinosaur from back home, almost raptor-like. But instead of a lizard¡¯s snout, they had the head of some kind of monstrous scaled, flat-faced bat, gnashing and gnawing at the world. A long, sinuous tail ran behind them, while near-foot-long claws stood out on each of their powerful-looking limbs, much longer on their legs than their smaller arms. If that wasn¡¯t bad enough, each of them had what seemed to be long, vestigial wings on their back. The actual wing part of it appeared to have been reduced to the barest of useless membranes, and in lieu of flight, they were intended for fighting. Instead of having claws at the end of the limbs, they had what seemed to be out-and-out razor-sharp blades.


    They were engaged with both the Orcish guards of Tlatec, and with Tlazo¡¯s undead. It was a good thing too, because it didn¡¯t seem the living had been doing so well against these things. The lizards were so dangerous to get close to that it took at least a full squad of the Orcs in order to deal with just one. The problem was, there were a metric fuck ton of the things infesting Tlatec¡¯s streets. But with the introduction of the undead, those numbers were being evened out. It seemed like the battle lines in the streets had been pushed back by the lizards, but not anymore.


    Instead, Tlazo¡¯s ¡®assistants¡¯ were stemming the tide with their own numbers.


    Benefits of fighting alongside a Necromancer, I guess.


    Though¡­these things didn¡¯t seem to be jokes. Where the hell were they coming from? I had never seen anything like them before.


    I got my answer.


    I watched as one Orcish guardsman was speared through the chest by one of the lizard''s back blades, his high-quality armor unable to stop the monstrous limbs. He was flung off to the side carelessly by the beast, and by the time he hit the floor, his corpse was already changing. It bulged oddly, rapidly growing new flesh, scales, and limbs, until in moments, a new lizard creature had taken the place of the deceased Orc. It loosed a disturbing, warbly screech into the air before bounding into the fight.


    I¡­almost instinctually threw out an Observe at the new birthed monster, before it exited my sight. I wasn¡¯t expecting much, considering how strong these things seemed to be.


    I was surprised when I got something back.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.42359%">Name


    </td>


    <td style="width: 92.6509%">Rhazalian Revenant</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.42359%">Level


    </td>


    <td style="width: 92.6509%">156</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.42359%">Age


    </td>


    <td style="width: 92.6509%">2 minutes</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.42359%">Species


    </td>


    <td style="width: 92.6509%">Revenant</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.42359%">Abilities


    </td>


    <td style="width: 92.6509%">Unknown</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I wish I had time to take in all the oddities of that Status, such as the fact I was even seeing it if the monster was over fifty levels above me. Also that the System itself couldn¡¯t even tell me what Abilities they had, but I didn¡¯t have that luxury.


    I had to dodge out of the way, as one of these ¡®Revenants¡¯ fell out of the fucking sky, jaws opened wide in an attempt to remove my head. It looked to have somehow materialized in mid-fucking-air, formed from a wisp of the dread-inducing smoke blocking out the sky.


    It looked like these things had more than one way to spawn.


    Wonderful.


    Luckily, Tlazo was right in front of us. Faster than I could track, the skeletal right hand of the Lich lashed out and grabbed the Revenant right out of the air, while he held his gnarled staff in his left. He examined it, floating in place, as the thing trashed and snapped at the powerful undead uselessly. His glowing green, empty sockets regarded the thing almost contemptuously.


    ¡°It¡¯s already spawning Revenants, I see. Never a welcome sight to see the spawn of Calamities,¡± Tlazo said consideringly, before letting his gaze drift down to us. ¡°You need to hurry. I¡¯ll find your leech and deal with her, but I¡¯ll not stick around to be overrun by a tide of these things if you fail. Not even I can withstand a horde like that. In the meanwhile, my assistants will work to clear these streets as best they can.¡± Without another word, the Lich floated into the smoky sky, before seeming to accelerate in the direction of Elderwyck, glowing a menacing green in the process.


    In the meantime, I was on guard now that I knew these Revenants could fall out of the damn sky at any moment. In fact, I was tracking another group of them, as they fell towards the melee of undead and Orcs.


    These, too, never reached their target. But instead of being grabbed out of the sky by a Lich, they were shot out of it instead.


    By what looked like a bright red, burning laser thicker around than my torso.


    The Revenants were instantly incinerated with a sizzle before they could even screech.


    I blinked, and looked to where the blast had come from. I was almost hoping in vain that Honoka had showed up out of the blue, but no.


    Instead, the lasers were originating from the odd guard towers set up along the wall that surrounded Tlatec. I had seen them and the massive ruby crystals at their apex before when we had originally entered the city, but I¡¯d had no idea as to their purpose. It looked like they were turrets.


    Laser turrets.


    I watched as the guard towers fired their burning payloads in short bursts inwards at the air above the city, targeting falling Revenants. They lit up the smoky sky in brief flashes of crimson light, but weren¡¯t able to pierce it entirely. And they weren¡¯t able to hit all of the monsters that were falling out of the sky, either. Some were successfully dodging the near-flak shot of the towers.


    The entire sequence of events that had occurred since we¡¯d exited out into Tlatec may have only taken moments, but I had still frozen slightly. I was knocked out of it by Baldric pointing to a nearby rooftop. ¡°The Orcs have this covered,¡± He said grimly, to an accompanying nod from Liora. ¡°We need to get some air to see where the Calamity is. It shouldn¡¯t be hard. Fucking things are meant to be massive.¡± Without another word, both he and Liora took running leaps onto the roof of what seemed to be an Orcish butcher¡¯s shop.


    I didn¡¯t have their strength, so I cast out a Thorn Grapple and trailed behind them in the air. Once I had settled down on the rooftop and cast my eyes over in the direction of Elderwyck, my breath left me once more.


    There was a monster sitting in the ruins of Fort Duality, using it almost like a makeshift throne.


    It was¡­beyond enormous.

 Chapter 201 - The Nature of Sacrifice

    It was difficult to even describe the thing that rested in the ruins of Fort Duality as a monster. For the very first time since I had learned about the existence of Calamity¡¯s back on the Thorny Reef, I understood the cultural fear that the Veredenese had about them.


    This was more than a monster.


    It was more akin to an ancient god.


    Even though it was reclining in the ruins of the near castle that was Fort Duality, from its freakish feet to the tip of its head, it had to be over four hundred feet tall at the very least. The creature was, in a way, almost reminiscent of the smaller Revenants that it was apparently spawning. It was a full upright bipedal instead of only partially like its children and retained some of the same features of both lizards and bats that they did.


    But that was where the similarities ended.


    The Godbound had the basic shape of most humanoid creatures, with two digitigrade legs and two almost human-like arms, clad in mostly dark green scales and tipped in talons larger than city buses from Earth. However, there was an odd pattern of crimson scales that were visible all over its body, forming what appeared to be runes in the same eldritch script that Nerexxa had been using.


    Only these were writ much, much larger. They hurt to look at, making my eyes burn to focus upon them.


    It was heavily muscled, as well, thick of body and limb, giving it a powerful seeming physique. While the smaller Revenants had only two malformed blade-like wings extending from its back, this thing had more. In a way almost reminiscent of Nerexxa, it had three pairs of bat-like wings curled on its back and clasped on its chest, almost like an extended cloak. But these weren¡¯t flightless fighting appendages like the Revenants I had seen had. These were fully webbed, which horrified me.


    This thing could potentially fly?


    Two wide, sharp ears extended above its batlike head that twitched ever so slightly in place. However, its eyes and mouth were oddly closed, giving it a near-resting-like appearance.


    But it very obviously was doing something.


    There was a stolid expression on its gargantuan, bat-like face, visible even at this distance. From in between its thighs, a massive swirling column of smoke had enveloped something that had once resided within the ruined Fort Duality. It spiraled into the sky, and seemed to be the origin of the cloudy murk that had artificially turned day into night.


    That¡­that had to be the Portal Stone.


    Tlazo had been right.


    The Godbound had already started to attune it to the location of its mistress.


    Baldric must have realized this as well because he cursed. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± He said urgently to Liora and I. ¡°We have to make it to that thing before it¡¯s too late.¡±


    I tore my horrified gaze away from the titanic monster at the center of the twin cities, and started to nod along with Liora. But something else caught my attention.


    A Revenant was swooping down at us from the sky. This one wasn¡¯t just falling fully formed from the corrupted Aether that was suffusing the area, though. No, instead, it had functional wings instead.


    The Revenants were starting to evolve.


    To fly


    And one was nearly upon us.


    ¡°Look o-!¡± I started to shout, pointing to the beast with its talons extended in our direction hungrily.


    I needn¡¯t have bothered.


    With a furious snarl, Baldric whirled around and slashed out at the descending monster with one wind-coated hooked dagger. A visible blade of razor-sharp wind exploded from the edge and raced up to meet the Revenant, easily slicing the thing into two pieces that fell to the street below.


    But there were more of them. Winging their way through the sky were more and more winged Rhazalian Revenants, where only moments ago they had been falling to the ground like stones.


    It wasn¡¯t safe up high anymore.


    Liora didn¡¯t waste any time. ¡°We have to get off the roofs,¡± She said quickly. ¡°We¡¯re easy prey up here.¡± Almost before she was finished speaking, she leaped off of the edge of the roof we were on, and into the alleyway below.


    Baldric cursed but obviously agreed, as he followed after her.


    I did the same, after one last dread-filled glance at the Godbound on the horizon.


    Once on the pavement of Tlatec, I saw that Liora and Baldric were peeking out around the corner of the alleyway at the street outside. I hurried to join them, and when I did, I saw that the fighting was¡­going better than expected. The introduction of Tlazo¡¯s undead forces was turning the tide for the battle on the ground, but I didn¡¯t know how long that would last with the introduction of fliers. Already I could see flying versions of the Revenants swooping down and scooping up either Orcs or their undead versions. This didn¡¯t always turn out the best for them, as sometimes their captives would simply slay the monsters and fall back to the pavement. But not always, and attrition would already be eating away at the guards of Tlatec if it wasn¡¯t for an almost endless stream of undead that had started to pour out of the entrance to Tlazo¡¯s underground lab.


    The end result was that the Revenant hordes were being pushed back, but slowly.


    Too slow for our purposes. It would take too long to fight through the creatures if we wanted to get to the ruins of Fort Duality any time soon.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to take the back streets,¡± Baldric said grimly, only barely loud enough to be heard over the fighting. ¡°I know the way to the bridge connected to the Fort. Follow me.¡± At that, the dwarf turned around and walked away from the entrance out into the street. Liora and I followed him.


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    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    An unexpected benefit that I didn¡¯t think of, following Baldric through these back streets, was that they were too narrow for the Revenants to squeeze into. The regular citizens of Tlactec, though, seemed to have realized that before I did. This appeared to be the place where the guards who weren¡¯t involved in the fighting were evacuating their charges. We passed more than one group of Orcish civilians huddling in scared groups in the back alleys, overseen by grim and paranoid Tlatecian guards. They eyed our group with suspicion when we hurried past but didn¡¯t try and stop us.


    Probably because, although it was a bit strange to find non-Orcs in the city, we weren¡¯t literal bloodthirsty monsters.


    But¡­


    I wasn¡¯t sure how long they could keep hiding in here.


    I saw more than one Revenant notice the civilians from overheard, and try to scrabble their way in between the gaps in stone. The guards were easily able to handle this, but the stonework kept getting more and more damaged on the buildings we were passing. Not only that, but I swear I heard Revenants breaking into buildings and trying to dig their way through the back walls to the scared people on the other side. We stopped to help whenever we could, but we had bigger problems, as callous as that sounded.


    We had to hurry.


    Eventually, we reached the line of buildings that lay near the border of the canal that separated Tlactec and Elderwyck. Through the gap in the alleyway that we were hiding within, I could see the bridge which led to the ruins of Fort Duality that rested in between the twin cities. The titanic form of the Godbound dominated the horizon with its dread power, with its resting legs alone being taller than the buildings we hid between. There was a problem, however.


    The entrance onto the bridge was absolutely swarming with Revenants. There must be hundreds to thousands of the things milling about near the demolished guard checkpoints that used to block the path over the bridge. Not only that, but the entire street extending as far as we could see on both sides was filled with an uncountable horde of the Godbounds creations. There didn¡¯t look to be a way forward, to my eyes. But they weren¡¯t acting like I had seen them elsewhere in the city. They were almost calm, with a form of enhanced intelligence and watchful eyes that were exhibited in both the waiting fliers and the ground-bound.


    And I think I knew why.


    There looked to be an evolved form of the Revenants leading them. Much more so than the fliers even.


    It was twice as tall as a human man, and that was because it stood upright like its progenitor, although in a hunched-over position. The bat-like lizard thing watched the world with forward-facing eyes on its digitigrade legs with its own set of wings draped over its shoulders. I didn¡¯t dare to use Observe on it in case the thing felt the Skill, but it was very obviously more powerful than its brethren. It radiated a strength that I could feel all the way from where I was hiding.


    I swear, I swear, I could feel a Mantle radiating off of the thing, even at this distance.


    The rest of the Revenants crowded around their apparent, acting like loyal and watchful hounds at its beck and call.


    There was no easy way around any of them.


    Unexpectedly, Baldric sighed from his position next to Liora and I. We were all cautiously peering out of the exit out into the street, trying to figure out a way that we were going to reach the island. ¡°We¡¯re not all getting through there,¡± He said, almost peacefully.


    I cut my eyes his way. ¡°What?¡± I asked, not understanding his meaning. ¡°What do you mean, all?¡±


    "If we try and get past that thing," Baldric said calmly. "It''s just going to follow. Alone, I could stealth under its attention, but not with the two of you. It''s guarding more than just the bridge, too. I can feel its attention watching the whole of the border with the canal. I''m going to have to do something...else, instead."


    Else? What else?


    But Liora seemed to understand. She unexpectedly crouched down and looked the dwarf in the eyes. ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± She said quietly, almost pleading with him. ¡°Please¡­I¡­I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    Fondly, the spymaster of the Nocturne Division reached out and cradled the Gnoll woman¡¯s hands. He rubbed his thumbs almost comfortingly over her furred knuckles before meeting her eyes. ¡°You know I have to,¡± He said calmly, causing Liora to look away briefly. Baldric reached up, though, to cup her furred cheek in his rough hand tenderly to look her in the eye. ¡°You do. You¡¯re a smart girl. You know almost more than I do what we signed up for, in the Division.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Liora whispered, laying her hand over his on her cheek. ¡°But¡­I don¡¯t know if I could survive losing anyone else.¡± For the first time since I¡¯d ever known her, the woman I had known as Dusk for so long sounded to be near tears. ¡°I¡¯m¡­not strong enough.¡±


    A smile stretched its way over Baldric''s craggy, bearded face. ¡°You are,¡± He said confidently. ¡°I know you are. I¡¯ve only ever held you back from your true potential, Liora Valen.¡±


    By now, I was starting to understand what the Florensian dwarf was intending. It¡­was hard not to.


    There was only one person here who could potentially take on that evolved Revenant and distract it long enough. But not even Baldric could fight both that evolved Revenant, and the hordes that surrounded it alone.


    He was going to sacrifice himself, so we could reach the Godbound.


    God, I felt like a piece of shit voyeur for intruding on this farewell.


    ¡°When I¡¯m gone,¡± Baldric said, causing a short, sharp sob to escape Liora. He used a thumb to wipe away one of the tears that was escaping Liora¡¯s lavender-colored eyes and smiled. ¡°I want more for you than this life. You could be so much more than just another blade in the dark, Liora. Join the Academy, and build something for yourself. Greycton owes us both for this. He won¡¯t raise a stink. Promise me, Liora. Promise me you¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Her head lowered, Liora gave a small nod. ¡°I promise,¡± She breathed, before lunging forward and wrapping Baldric in a hug. ¡°I promise.¡±


    A measure of tension escaped Baldric then, and the dwarf almost looked to be at peace. The two of them separated slowly, and then Baldric unexpectedly turned to face me. ¡°Afraid I¡¯m not going to be able to continue your training, Hart,¡± He said wryly. ¡°You stick to the plan we made, listen to Greycton, and you¡¯ll go far. Hell, you could even become one of the greats, if you put your mind to it.¡±


    I took a deep breath and did my best to smile at the dwarf. ¡°I¡¯ll do that. Thank you, Baldric. Thank you for¡­everything.¡±


    Baldric snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You might not have been in the Division long, but you were a decent Agent,¡± He said, before reaching up to his neck and withdrawing something from under this vest. As it was exposed to open air, I saw that it was a pendant of all things. Actually, I think it was a locket, with a stylized version of the House Florens crest on the front. He unclasped it and then handed it to me. ¡°Here. Give this to Azarus, will you? I¡­always intended to talk to the boy and hash things out, but. Well. Old habits die hard, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± He gave a gallows chuckle. ¡°Apologize to him for me. If I had just stuck around¡­maybe he wouldn¡¯t have to go and live with the Savoy.¡±


    I nodded at Baldric, and slipped the pendant around my own neck for safekeeping, tucking into my worn-down, blood-encrusted Loyalist armor. ¡°I will. I promise I will,¡± I swore.


    If I survived.


    At that, Baldric seemed to have finished his final goodbyes. With a lingering glance between him and Liora, he approached the exit of the alleyway. ¡°Once I get started,¡± He said without turning, with his back to us. ¡°You¡¯ll have to jump into the river when I have their attention. There¡¯s a back entrance into Fort Duality at the bottom of the canal, and that should still be intact. Once there, make your way up¡­and do what you have to.¡±


    He drew the two hooked daggers that he had retained hold of through everything that had happened to us.


    His namesake.


    ¡°Goodbye¡­papus¡­¡± Liora whispered next to me, before Baldric could leave forever.


    Baldric looked over his shoulder and smiled. ¡°Goodbye, suki.¡±


    At that, the spymaster of the Nocturne Division, Baldric of House Florens, turned around and¡­


    Stepped into the street.


    He immediately drew the attention of every Revenant that lay out there by exploding forward into a swirling morass of razor-sharp winds. Dozens and dozens of them died instantly, but neither Liora or I were inclined to waste this chance.


    We sprinted out into the street, onto the gore-covered cobblestones of Tlatec, and dove over the side of the railing that separated the twin cities.


    As I fell, I could see Baldric engage with the form of the evolved Rhazalian Revenant.


    Strangely, there was a smile on his face.

 Chapter 202 - The Grace of Shadows

    I hit the water of the canal with a clumsy splash, followed shortly thereafter by Liora. In contrast to her smooth dive into the artificial stream, I was much less elegant. We were lucky that none of the Revenants were paying attention then, as they were preoccupied with Baldric¡¯s¡­decision.


    Because I made a ton of noise.


    Still, that didn¡¯t end up being a problem.


    What did, was I discovered that trying to swim with only one arm and one eye was difficult.


    I started to sink, and when I did, a world of unexpected horror opened itself to me.


    The canal was filled with bodies.


    I¡­wasn¡¯t expecting that, but in a way, it almost made sense. I didn¡¯t see as many Orcs down here as I did Humans, and there were¡­a lot of them, to say the least. The water was stained red from the blood of those who seemed to have jumped in the canal in a desperate attempt to escape the hordes of Revenants plaguing the twin cities. In the darkness and crimson that the Godbound had cast the sky in, I hadn''t been able to see that before I dived over the railing. Elderwyck wasn¡¯t constructed in the same way as Tlatec, after all, so I guess it was hitting the cities differently. The alleyways and spaces between buildings weren¡¯t quite as narrow in Elderwyck, and I can only imagine how difficult it was to find a hiding spot in the madness.


    I didn¡¯t blame them for hoping that the water would see them a measure of safety. Only¡­


    It didn¡¯t look like it had. I tried not to look at the despairing faces of the freshly slain victims I could see all around me, and it was surprisingly easy for me.


    Because I had other problems.


    I flailed in the water for a moment, caught off guard by¡­everything before the sleek form of Liora caught me. I had started to sink, but she dragged me back to the surface, where we tread water for a moment. I tried to thank her before something from above caught my attention that she didn¡¯t seem to notice. With only moments to spare, I gulped down a deep breath and yanked the both of us back down beneath the waters.


    We only barely dodged the form of a diving Revenant that tried to snatch the two of us right out of the water. Strangely, it balked away from even dipping its talons into the canal, shying away and rising back into the air on monstrous wings.


    I had startled Liora with my move, but she recovered quickly. I think she caught the tail end of the Revenant¡¯s dive and exchanged a nod with me underwater.


    We had discovered what had killed the people in the canal, I suppose. If you were stuck in here and were unwilling to get back on land in fear of the Revenants, you were either going to die to exhaustion or the monsters themselves.


    Most weren¡¯t crazy enough to want to approach the central island where Fort Duality once stood, now the throne of the Godbound.


    Not like us.


    Having caught our bearings, Liora and I slowly started to swim through the bloody waters of the canal in the direction of the ruined Fort, supporting each other the entire time. Every once in a while we had to surface to catch our breath, before hurriedly diving beneath the surface to escape the attentions of the circling Revenants above us.


    It was¡­beyond exhausting. I don¡¯t know if I would have been able to do this if I didn¡¯t have someone to lean on, during the long swim. I don¡¯t even know if Liora would have been able to do this, not after everything.


    Not after all we had been through.


    Eventually, however, beneath the water and in the distance, the lower shores of the island came into view. It was reinforced with massive stone columns, so it wasn¡¯t difficult to see through the murk. We picked up our pace, forgoing another breech to the surface for breath in order to hurry. The entire lower dock on the island was covered by the upper platform that the Fort resided on, and might just be safer from the hungry Revenants above.


    We reached it and scrambled onto the carefully maintained docks at the lower portion of Fort Duality. They were empty, with none of the possible military vessels that might find birth here normally. My core ring spared a thought, wondering if they had tried to flee from the horror the twin cities had become, but that didn¡¯t matter.


    The only thing that did, was that we were safe from the flying Revenants.


    For now.


    But the Godbound, on the other hand¡­.


    As Liora and I lay gasping on the docks, flat on our backs, I gradually became aware of something.


    The air here¡­it felt wrong.


    It was thicker, somehow, and felt tainted with an awareness. It was like I stood at the foot of a mountain with the mind of a god. I was so far beneath the presence as to be unworthy of acknowledgment, as if my existence was worth less than that of a single ant. The Aether all around me was strangely still, seemingly held by what felt like an iron will that demanded subservience.


    This¡­it had to be the Godbound. Even though we were separated from it by hundreds of feet of solid stone, just being this close to it was crushing.


    I felt so impossibly small. But¡­it was, for now, bearable.


    With a grunt, I leveraged myself to my feet before looking down at Liora. There was a disquieting despair etched on her furred face. She hadn¡¯t gotten up from her water-logged position on the docks, and was instead staring dully in the direction we had swam from.


    In the direction of Baldric.


    I heaved a sigh and held my one hand down at her. Her eye moved slowly to look at it before one hand rose limply to grasp mine. I heaved the Gnoll woman to her feet before shifting my grip.


    Instead of her hand, I instead grasped her forearm tightly. At her visible confusion, I smiled tiredly and met her gaze.


    Singular eye, to singular eye.


    ¡°Together,¡± I said firmly.


    Her eye closed for a moment before she nodded and returned the tight grip I had on her. ¡°Together,¡± She whispered.


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    The both of us turned to face the distant entrance into the fort proper. As we did so, I noticed that this far down, it wasn¡¯t quite as ruined as the upper reaches were, where the Godbound reclined like a King in waiting. Still, that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t damaged, as a damned structure wasn¡¯t meant to function as a chair. There were fresh, visible cracks all up and down the fa?ade of the outpost, and some of the blocks comprising the columns of the keep itself had broken entirely. All in all, the structure looked a bit unstable.


    But we had no choice. We had to brave the depths of this place, to reach the surface where the Godbound rested. Where I was supposed to do¡­something, in order to kill the damn thing. There was no way that we could climb the outside of the structure to reach the upper platform, and even if we could, the flying Revenants would pick us off easily.


    And so, Liora and I carefully picked our way across the crumbling and eerily deserted docks to reach the lower entrance of Fort Duality. Once we had arrived, the two of us stared into the dark and silent depths of the portal. Somewhere deep inside of the ruined fort, a warbling, high-pitched howl echoed, reaching us like the wail of a banshee.


    Great.


    Not only had all the lights gone out inside, but it was infested with Revenants. I was reminded uncomfortably of the trek through the Tlactecian mausoleum, where we had encountered wild undead above Tlazo¡¯s lab.


    I would prefer the zombies, honestly. Hell, at this stage, they probably would be on our side.


    Liora held out one hand and summoned a familiar-looking light Skill, to brighten our path. I stared at it dully for a moment, as it occurred to me that I still didn¡¯t have one of my own. Somehow, someway, it had just kept falling to the wayside for literal months.


    ¡°If I survive this,¡± I said slowly. ¡°I¡¯m going to force someone to sit me down and teach me how to get one of those.¡±


    A breath exhale of extremely mild amusement exited Liora¡¯s snout, but she immediately sobered up. ¡°We can''t risk getting bogged down with combat,¡± She said. ¡°Attempt stealth as much as possible, but prioritize haste. We must hurry if we are to prevent the doom of this world.¡±


    I nodded shallowly, and when the Gnoll stepped forward into the darkness, I followed behind her.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    I had never been inside of Fort Duality, but Liora guided me through the halls like she was born here. Which was impressive, because entire sections of the keep had collapsed in on themselves. Multiple times, the senior Agent was given pause when we reached a rubble-strewn hallway. But she always knew where we had to double back from, to continue our upward trajectory.


    Despite the howl we heard before, and even after ascending several floors, we still hadn¡¯t encountered any of the Revenants that I suspected dwelled within these wide, crumbling halls.


    But we sure as hell found the evidence of their passing. It looked to me like packs of the damn things had rampaged through the inside of the Fort and slaughtered all of the Loyalist soldiers, Elderwyckian guards, and Tlatecian Orcs to be found. Blood and gore coated the stones of the building, and evidence of battle was found on nearly every surface.


    It looked like it had been a total rout. I¡¯m not sure anyone had survived in here.


    But still, none of the Revenants themselves were to be found. Maybe since they had already found their meals in these halls, they had abandoned them to crowd the streets outside? Maybe¡­the Revenants that Baldric had chosen to engage had been the doom of this fort?


    I didn¡¯t know.


    I needed something to take my mind off of the oppressive silence of this ruin. Luckily, I had a somewhat useless question I could ask Liora, that would hopefully take her mind off the impossibility of our task as well.


    ¡°How do you know this place so well?¡± I asked her in a whisper, the next time we came to a crossroads. We were before two separate halls, one that stretched out to our left, and the other forward. Liora was examining them, but shifted her eyes my way at the question.


    ¡°This is where I was posted,¡± She ghosted back to me, lupine lips barely shifting. ¡°I had infiltrated as part of the cleaning staff, and was learning what could. But¡­it¡¯s also where I found evidence of ¡®Rhiannon¡¯s¡¯ true nature. She left traces on the Portal Stone that I was taught to detect, from when I suspect she tried to attune it to Azul herself.¡± She shook her head abruptly. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t matter. The stairs upward are this way.¡±


    Liora silently walked down the left-hand path, and I followed her. Not far along, we encountered another collapsed pile of rubble that blocked off the path, but that didn¡¯t stop Liora. Instead, she carefully eyed the door to our right, set into the stone of the hallway. ¡°This¡­is Longstripe¡¯s room,¡± She said lowly. ¡°If I remember correctly, there should be another exit inside that will allow us to bypass this.¡±


    I started to nod, before abruptly pausing. Hadn¡¯t Longstripe said something about Fort Duality, before Nerexxa had torn him apart?


    Hope filling my breast, I eased open the door to the deceased General¡¯s room before Liora could and peeked inside. It looked deserted to me, and thankfully free of the corpses that filled the rest of the keep. I guess nobody had tried to shelter inside of it when the Revenants came.


    But I did find what I was hoping for.


    Resting right next to a bloodstained Loyalist uniform on the sheets of a large, four-poster bed were two things I had doubted I would ever see again.


    My hand-forged Oninite blades.


    A smile crossed my lips, and I quickly stepped inside the room with Liora on my heels, as the Gnoll woman carefully shut the door behind us. When I reached the bed, I let my remaining hand drift over my weapon''s cool surface and breathed a sigh of relief.


    At least something at least halfway good had happened today.


    I shook it off after a moment and picked them up.


    I think I surprised Liora, though, when I handed one of them to her. I smiled at her confused face and held up the stump of my left arm. ¡°Can¡¯t exactly use two right now, and I bet that¡¯s better than Tlazo¡¯s bone crap.¡± My smile faded after a moment, and I fixed her with a mock-serious look. ¡°But I¡¯m going to want that back later, you hear? Think you remember how to use it?¡±


    Liora took the Oninite blade and held it upright, before depressing the activation switch. She nodded in satisfaction when it extended to its mid-spear length with a swish of air. Depressing the switch again, she nodded at me. ¡°I believe so. I will¡­endeavor to return it to you.¡± She abruptly shook her head, discarded the rough bone sword she had taken from Tlazo¡¯s lab, and let it rattle to a stop in the corner of the deceased General''s room. Liora then nodded at a door on the far side of the room. ¡°There. That door should lead to a private stairwell which leads to the surface.¡±


    I sobered up and nodded. ¡°Where the Godbound waits,¡± I said quietly, to Liora¡¯s accompanying nod.


    Silently, the two of us approached the door and opened it, revealing a well-maintained spiral stairwell that seemed to have dodged most of the structural damage. We entered and started to climb the steps.


    After a few minutes of upward travel in silence, lit only by the light of Liora¡¯s Skill, we came to a door. We didn¡¯t step through though, because I think we had finally found the missing Revenants.


    On the other side, we could hear the snuffling and growling of what must be dozens and dozens of the things.


    Liora snuffed her light Skill, sending us into near-total darkness. The only reason I could see at all was because of a faint light creeping through the bottom of the door.


    ¡°Full stealth,¡± She whispered to me. ¡°We do our best to avoid them and get outside. Once there¡­you¡­¡± She trailed off, which I didn¡¯t blame her for.


    Not even I knew how I was supposed to slay the Godbound. Elys, in all her wisdom, hadn¡¯t shared that fact with me.


    Still, I nodded at the makeshift plan. But before we could act on it, there was a tremendous boom somewhere from outside of the keep, beyond whatever room was on the other side of this door. It shook the entire platform that Fort Duality rested upon, causing Liora and I to bump into each other.


    But more importantly, it riled up the Revenants. They snarled and howled, and moving almost like a single mass from the sound of things, rushed away. In moments, it sounded like there wasn¡¯t even a single Revenant waiting for us on the other side.


    Which was good, because it felt like that impact had caused our stairwell to start crumbling. We had to scramble to open the door and slide out of it to avoid being crushed, activating our respective stealth Skills in the meantime.


    Just in case.


    We needn¡¯t have bothered, as like I had suspected, there wasn¡¯t anyone or anything in here to hide from. The room we had entered looked like the main receiving hall of the keep, but none of that mattered to us.


    Something far, far more important was happening just outside the shattered gates of Fort Duality.


    In the courtyard, surrounded on all sides by snarling Revenants, and seemingly uncaring about either them or the Godbound itself, stood a familiar figure.


    Tlazo.


    And in his skeletal right hand, he held the battered and bloody form of Nerexxa, suspended in mid-air.


    He¡¯d caught her.

 Chapter 203 - Judgement of the Dead

    Liora and I hadn¡¯t dared to venture out into the courtyard before the ruins of Fort Duality. There were dozens and dozens of Revenants infesting the area, circling and snarling around the Lich and his captive. Tlazo and Nerexxa may have their attention for now, but neither one of us wanted to test that.


    We¡¯d be torn to shreds in an instant.


    But they seemed wary of the Lich and the Vampire, even as helpless as Nerexxa seemed right now. They were demonstrating a level of intelligence in keeping their distance that told me they might be evolving mentally, as well as physically.


    However, one of the most important reasons I didn¡¯t want to go out there, was that the titanic legs of the Godbound were visible on either side of the door. They were bent at the knee from its position far above, presiding over these events like the very pillars of Heaven itself.


    Perhaps Hell would be more appropriate.


    I had seen one of them shift ever so slightly at the cacophony occurring below it, while at the same time, I felt the ever-present awareness to the surrounding Aether focus upon the duo.


    The Godbound was aware of Nerexxa¡¯s plight. Only¡­it hadn¡¯t acted in any way to save her.


    Tlazo was unfazed by either the circling Revenants or the attention of the Calamity that had befallen the twin cities. Instead, I saw the glowing green coals of his eye sockets examine the Vampire clutched in his bony fist. ¡°What a pitiful existence,¡± I heard him say, disgust tinging this hollow voice. ¡°This is your true form? I expected¡­more from the creature that nearly caused the downfall of this Kingdom.¡±


    I don¡¯t know what Tlazo had done to her before bringing the Vampire crashing back to the firmament. But it had clearly been something, as Nerexxa was far more injured than any of us had managed to do to her, including what Scintillant Blade had done. One of her arms had flat out been torn out of its socket, while she had been reduced to only one wing from the three that had been left after I¡¯d removed one. Numerous other injuries dotted her monstrous form, but it was her face that drew my attention.


    It looked like her jaw had nearly been ripped right off of her face, but had been stopped at the last moment. Instead, the skin had been torn away instead, leaving the bone exposed to the air. Right now, that jaw was grinning madly up at the Lich holding her captive, inhuman canines displayed prominently. ¡°I would hardly say nearly,¡± Nerexxa said hoarsely.


    Tlazo¡¯s fiery eyes glanced around for a moment, his gaze lingering ever so slightly on the gargantuan scaled legs of the Godbound. But, I think he was taking in the sight of the chaos that had engulfed both Elderwyck and Tlatec. ¡°Point,¡± He acquiesced, before looking back down at her in almost¡­disappointment. ¡°However, that doesn¡¯t change my own. Like most good children of Vereden, I grew up on horror stories about the Vampiric Sanguifera. How the children of the long-banished Goddess of Rot were the doom of nations. Only¡­I see you for what you are.¡±


    Nerexxa snorted in disdain, even though she was apparently at the mercy of the Lich. ¡°And what am I, you impudent bag of bones?¡±


    ¡°An imitation,¡± Tlazo answered, unphased by her provocation. ¡°And a poor one, at that. I see the bindings upon your being for what they are, beast. You are an attempt by an unskilled hand to purpose create a Lich.¡±


    I tensed in surprise at his words, exchanging a surprised glance with Liora. The two of us were crouched just inside of the ruined gates of Fort Duality. I don¡¯t know what either of us were expecting, but it hadn¡¯t for Tlazo to essentially call Nerexxa a knockoff.


    Neither did the Vampire herself. The amusement and disdain that had colored her ruined features were wiped away in an instant, instead replaced by a growing fury.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see it at our last meeting, considering you were hiding the majority of your being from my sight. But¡­¡± Tlazo continued, gazing down at the increasingly livid bloodsucker he held captive. ¡°There is none of the purity or the sacrifice that is inherent to the transformation I willingly undertook. I look at you, and I see the shoddy work of a poorly done spiritual phylactery. I was mistaken. You¡¯re not a leech. You¡¯re little better than a parasite, aren¡¯t you? A spiritual existence, you ape the qualities of both a true Spirit and a Lich, in a crudely crafted attempt to combine them. You infest the parent soul of your host and consume it gradually, using it as fuel to sustain your existence, all the while puppeting the body of your victim. Only that soul doesn¡¯t last forever, does it? The Aether is consumed eventually, and you must flee the host body for another to survive. The suckling of blood is an attempt to prolong your existence in a flesh puppet, siphoning the vital Aether inherent to lifesblood. And this one is nearly spent. The girl you inhabit only has the barest amount of Aether left to her spirit, and if you hadn¡¯t seized your chance to summon your goddess, you would have had to seek a new host soon.¡± Tlazo laughed. ¡°What agony it must have been, to be forced to linger in a spent host for millenia as you did. I wager you wouldn¡¯t have been capable of awareness for a handful of times in all those years.¡±


    Nerexxa sneered up at Tlazo. ¡°And what of it, human? You call me pathetic, but you are more so. You knew the danger I must have posed to your far more pathetic collection of hovels you call a Kingdom, and yet you did nothing to stop me. What does it matter, that you are more ¡®pure¡¯ than I?¡±


    Tlazo shrugged, jostling the bloodsucker in an uncaring manner. ¡°The affairs of the living are for the living,¡± He said callously. ¡°I only treat with them when I am forced to. But to answer your question¡­I have to wonder. If your pathetic self is the evidence of your mistress''s power¡­she must be truly incompetent. Perhaps we need no longer fear the might of the ¡®gods¡¯.¡±


    That sent Nerexxa into a greater rage than I had ever seen from the Vampire. She started to struggle against the bony first that restrained her, scratching and biting uselessly at him. But she was seemingly too weak to actually do anything against the Necromancer, in the same way that she had dominated those of us who had tried to kill, to prevent¡­all of this.


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    It was vindicating to see her brought as low as we had been. I couldn¡¯t stop a vicious smile from creeping across my lips at the sight.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Nerexxa seethed, squirming and writhing like the parasite she apparently was. ¡°YOU¡­how dare you speak of Lady Ixiah in such a manner! You know NOTHING! My mistress is the supreme architect of all that is mystical, in ALL worlds! In all of EXISTENCE!¡±


    Tlazo just gazed down at the Vampire in disdain. ¡°I sincerely doubt that.¡±


    Nerexxa completely abandoned her facsimile of humanity then, as the stolen body of Rhiannon grew more and more batlike by the second. In only seconds, her features had transformed from that of a monstrous woman, into that of a full-on monster. She only resembled humanity in basic body plan by now, with no unscaled flesh or hair left on the whole of her self. Once she was finished with her transformation, she screeched wordlessly up at Tlazo.


    ¡°And so the fa?ade falls,¡± He said, almost sounding amused. ¡°The beast beneath is revealed. We all know what to do with rabid beasts, though, don¡¯t we?¡± Seemingly tired of the parasite he had almost effortlessly caught, the bones that held Nerexxa so tightly began to glow a deathly green in color.


    Thus, Nerexxa slowly started to wither in his fist, in a manner that seemed as if all the vitality left in her stolen host began to be siphoned away. That appeared to shock her out of her bestial fury, as she stopped struggling.


    Instead, she threw her head back to gaze into the sky.


    And spoke.


    ¡°Mighty¡­Rhazal!¡± She choked out through rapidly withering vocal cords. ¡°Save¡­me! It was I¡­who woke you¡­from your slumber! It is¡­I¡­who desired our Mother¡¯s return¡­to this¡­backwater! Save me¡­so we can bask¡­in her glory once more!¡±


    For a moment, nothing happened.


    But then¡­I heard something.


    The grinding of massive scales against stone, as if a gargantuan form shifted in place from far above us.


    And then¡­


    A voice. But not a physical one.


    No¡­


    This spoke straight to the soul.


    WORM.


    THE WEAK PERISH.


    THE STRONG SURVIVE.


    DUST¡­TO DUST.


    I nearly wasn¡¯t able to withstand it. Some inherent quality to the wordless voice was nearly able to shake my very soul loose from its foundations. I felt my spirit quake within the depths of my being, and I think new cracks formed in the bark of my crystalline tree.


    To my side, Liora wasn¡¯t able to take the force of the voice.


    For some reason, her consciousness fled her, while I was able to retain mine. Bleeding from her remaining eye and her furred ears, she slumped in place, gone to the world. I was able to catch her before she impacted the stone floor of Fort Duality, but she still seemed to be among the living, from the faint breaths exiting her snout. I was alarmed for a moment, thinking the thundering voice had outright killed the Gnoll. Thankfully, though, she was still breathing, if not in a labored manner. However, she couldn¡¯t help me anymore.


    I was alone now.


    That was okay. You¡¯d¡­done enough, Liora.


    Rest now. And hopefully, I would finish this before you awoke.


    Carefully, I laid her against the stone wall we had just been peaking against which I noticed had gained new cracks. When I was done, I looked around the corner. To my surprise, I was just in time to watch something I had wanted deeply.


    The final death of Nerexxa.


    ¡°Nooooooo!¡± The monstrous Vampire wailed into the darkened world around her, as her stolen flesh withered to the point of nothingness. From the feet upwards, she began to dissolve into the dust that the Godbound had seemingly foreseen. It only took moments for her entire lower half to blow away into the wind, unable to retain cohesion. Somehow, she turned her head to face the keep as Tlazo¡¯s disintegration began to creep up past her chest.


    Her eyes met mine.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Nerexxa whimpered, seemingly to me, almost pleading from in between monstrous, scaled, stolen lips. ¡°I only wanted¡­to see my mother again¡­¡±


    That¡­


    That didn¡¯t excuse a thing you did, monster.


    Die, and let us be free of you.


    Those were the last words that she was able to utter before the process was complete. Her head finished crumbling into ash that blew away to join the rest of the murk that had fallen over Elderwyck, from the Godbound¡¯s might.


    Rhiannon of Clan Calonawr had been avenged.


    Silence fell over the courtyard as Tlazo dusted off his black silk robe, almost disdainfully. ¡°And so my debt is fulfilled,¡± He said, sounding satisfied with himself. When he was done, he looked upwards in much the same way that Nerexxa had, and had the temerity to talk to the Godbound. ¡°Well? Are we done here, then, ¡®Rhazal¡¯?¡± He said, almost sounding relaxed. ¡°Will you attempt to take revenge for my slaying of one of your mistress''s creatures?¡±


    I goggled at the form of the Lich, floating almost casually in front of a living, breathing Calamity and trying to negotiate with it.


    I think the Godbound itself was a little surprised because it took a moment for that booming spiritual voice to echo out once more. This time, I knew it was coming, and so I was able to somehow¡­brace myself. I don¡¯t even think I could describe how I did it in words. It was like¡­I was somehow shielding my soul with my core ring, of all things.


    SUBMIT.


    ¡°Never,¡± Tlazo immediately replied, seemingly not even considering it for a moment. ¡°True freedom is the goal of Necromancy, and I have achieved that. I will not allow myself to be bound by the yoke of a distant, and incompetent, deity. Not when I have escaped the grasp of something as far beyond her as you are to me. Death itself.¡±


    THEN¡­PERISH.


    As a monstrous column of Aether dense murk spiraled down from the sky like a finger from God, Tlazo turned his head to face the keep. Locking his glowing green eyes to my own flesh ones, one of them blinked out for a moment, almost like he was winking at me. ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± I heard him say in a relaxed manner, just barely audible over the rushing winds. ¡°Eventually¡­¡±


    That was the last thing he was able to say before a nearly solid-looking tornado of pure, Aether-filled smoke impacted him.


    In seconds, Tlazo¡¯s entire physical form was scoured from existence. When the murk passed, nothing remained of the Lich that I had threatened into helping us. Not even the Revenants that had been lurking in the vicinity of the Lich were spared. They, too, were erased from this world, leaving not a trace behind.


    I could only gape at the instant annihilation of someone who was supposed to be on the level of Grey.


    What¡­what could I possibly do to something that could do that?


    I was frozen in fear for a moment, before something even more terrifying happened.


    The voice addressed me.


    APPROACH, CHILD OF TERRA.


    WE MUST SPEAK.


    I¡­I¡­couldn¡¯t move. How could I? I felt the full attention of the Godbound upon me then, and it was suffocating. I was nothing to this thing.


    I was the grain of dust before the mountain, the shadow beneath the blazing sun.


    An existence as far below it as one was possible to go.


    I threatened to come undone from the pressure alone, where before I had withstood its voice. My core ring felt like it was pounding and cracking from withstanding it.


    And yet¡­


    Yet¡­somehow¡­


    I stepped forward.

 Chapter 204 - Monstrous Parley

    My steps echoed oddly loud as I stepped into the ruined courtyard where Tlazo and Nerexxa had stood, only moments ago. It was silent in this section of the city, with the scouring of all of the Revenants by their very own source. I deliberately approached the smooth, nearly mirror-polished section of stone where Tlazo had floated, because I saw something.


    His staff.


    Somehow, Tlazo¡¯s wooden ebony staff, with its amber-colored crystal glowing faintly in the artificial night, had survived his destruction. Without turning to look behind me at the monstrous existence I could feel boring down on me, I bent at the waist to touch it. The moment my fingers brushed its surface, I felt a very real chill run down my spine.


    But¡­it wasn¡¯t an ominous one. Instead, the magical instrument emanated a peace and stillness that embodied the silence of the grave, over the uncertainty of the void. It was the acceptance of death and its consequences, and not the fear of the unknown.


    This wasn¡¯t a weapon that would hurt me.


    The opposite, really.


    My aching, wounded soul immediately felt bolstered by the might of the staff, and I was able to withstand the full attention of the Godbound much, much better. My fingers curled around the staff, and I picked it up. I straightened and finally turned to face the behemoth at my back.


    I nearly quailed at the attention it was directing down at me.


    When I had first seen the Godbound on the horizon, after exiting Tlazo¡¯s lab, the creature had looked to be nearly resting as it focused on attuning the Portal Stone. It was clearly still doing so, from the spiral of murk that reached into the sky, originating from in between its legs. Deep in the center of that tornado, I could faintly see the actual Portal Stone, so similar in appearance to the one I had met Fade behind. But now, the Godbound wasn¡¯t resting anymore.


    Instead, it had shifted its titanic arms forward to rest on its arms, and leaned over to look downward at the courtyard. Its head was poking through the stream of smoke that was enveloping the Portal Stone, now. The murk was rushing past its scaled head, curling around gargantuan chiropteran features and casting them in an even more demonic light.


    Its eyes were open.


    They were as equally massive as the rest of it, and were crimson red in color. The entire eye, in fact. There was no delineation between an iris, or a pupil, or a sclera. There was nothing to focus on, or to tell what it was focusing on.


    Just an endless expanse of blood that gazed out at the world it was corrupting with its very presence.


    And yet, somehow I knew I had its full attention.


    I took a deep, shuddering breath, and did something potentially foolish.


    I cast Observe on the creature.


    But¡­for the first time since I had acquired the Skill¡­it completely failed. Somehow, the ability wasn¡¯t able to quantify a single thing about the Godbound that loomed over me like a monument. It was like the Skill...just slid off of it.


    But the Godbound still noticed.


    THERE IS NO NEED.


    I¡­AM RHAZAL.


    THE HARROWER.


    FATHER OF MONSTROSITY.


    HE WHO DENIES.


    AND YOU¡­


    ARE A BLADE IN THE DARK.


    NAME THYSELF, BLADE.


    My grip tightening on the staff held in my remaining hand, I decided to answer the thing. After all, what else could I do? ¡°My name¡­is Nathaniel Eugene Hart,¡± I said slowly. ¡°You know what I am.¡± I wasn¡¯t even asking a question. It was just something I had noticed, about most of the old powers I¡¯d met, sans Nerexxa. Nearly all of them had some way of telling that I was a Precursor. Maybe it was something inherent to my soul that tipped them off, but I had no way of knowing.


    But there was no point denying it.


    And Rhazal didn¡¯t either.


    I DO.


    NATHANIEL¡­EUGENE¡­HART.


    PRECURSOR.


    Each utterance of each part of my name felt like a blow against my spirit. I nearly doubled over, leaning heavily on my borrowed staff. But I withstood it.


    Somehow.


    Abruptly, Rhazal leaned back in his makeshift throne, head retreating beyond the smog of its attunement. The sound of scales grinding against stone echoed out across the entirety of both cities, briefly sending up an answering cry from the Revenants assaulting them even now. Somehow that reverberating screech echoed out from the city and reached me, even here.


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    But I could still see those horrible eyes focusing on me, piercing through the gloom like red hot coals.


    I WOULD TREAT WITH YOU, PRECURSOR.


    DO NOT RESIST.


    Before I could even ask what it was talking about, Rhazal twitched one massive finger. A curl of smoke speared down from the sky, closing in on me. For a moment, I feared that I was about to be disintegrated in much the same way that Tlazo had been.


    But no, instead of attacking me, the smoke poured around my feet, forming into what looked like a platform. I stumbled slightly, when the makeshift platform began to rise into the sky, taking me with it.


    In the direction of Rhazal.


    My ferry went right through the column that spiraled from the Portal Stone, and I was briefly able to see it below me as I was carried closer to the Godbound. But that only lasted a moment, and afterward, I was brought resting, floating before the face of Rhazal.


    Somehow, it was more horrifying up close than it was from far away. Now I could see the utter indifference it held for the world, etched on its scaled features.


    Even I was only of minor interest to the titan.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Rhazal¡¯s gargantuan right arm rise from its resting place on a ruined keep tower. Ponderously, it extended a finger and brought it upwards to hover to the side of my smoky terrace.


    God, a single talon alone was bigger than I was.


    LAY YOUR HAND UPON MINE, PRECURSOR.


    AND WE SHALL PARLEY, IN A MORE¡­FITTING MANNER.


    For a wild moment, I wanted to deny ¡®He Who Denies¡¯. I wanted to draw my Oninite blade, ignite it with The Scintillant Blade, and drive into the monstrous finger that hovered so near to me. Why should I do anything this ancient horror wanted me to do? I had no idea what it wanted to do to me! For all I knew, Rhazal was about to eat my fucking soul or something! I was tempted to take my chances on my most powerful Skill, and hope it had some kind of titan-slaying mechanism that I had just never discovered.


    But¡­


    A glint on the horizon caught my eye.


    Far off into the distance and over the barest sliver of ocean that the murk had yet to reach, I saw it.


    Or rather...her.


    A flash of silvery moonlight, swallowed only moments later by the ever-expanding gloom.


    Something told me¡­my chance had yet to come.


    I breathed deep, switched and cradled the haft of my borrowed staff into the crook of what was left of my left arm, and reached out with my right.


    The moment the fingers of my hand touched the scales of Rhazals, the world fell away.


    Into darkness.


    But¡­this was an almost familiar darkness. I had seen it only a few hours ago, after my fall.


    This¡­this almost looked like the blackness of that realm I had spoken to Elys and the serpent in. But¡­more so, somehow.


    The gloom which surrounded me was more reminiscent of Rhazal¡¯s own smoke, over that of the nearly comforting darkness of earlier. It swirled all around me, charged with Aether baring the near scent of Rhazals own suffocating might.


    Was¡­I physically here? It felt like it, compared to my experience with the serpent and the moon. I was still wearing my battered and bloody Loyalist armor, and was still missing my arm. My eyesight was still cut in half, as well.


    Plus, Tlazo¡¯s staff had followed along. It was still cradled in the crook of my missing arm. I slowly transferred it back to my good hand, looking around as I did so.


    What was going on? I had expected Rhazal¡¯s booming voice to echo out from the gloom once again, but nothing had happened yet.


    I wasn¡¯t expecting what did.


    The amber stone at the apex of my temporary staff suddenly started to glow softly. Deep in the core of it, I saw a faint green light emanate outwards.


    A voice pierced the silence.


    A familiar one.


    ¡°Well, this is a fine mess you¡¯ve gotten yourself into,¡± A dry, sarcastic voice echoed out of the amber.


    I looked at the gleaming amber in shock. ¡°Tlazo¡­?¡± I murmured, suspicious despite myself.


    Was this a trick from Rhazal?


    ¡°Indeed,¡± The voice of the Lich returned. ¡°I see that you had the sense take up my staff. And yet, did not have the sense to reject an invitation from a Calamity into their own personal section of the Concord.¡±


    ¡°Concord?¡± I muttered, before shaking it off. ¡°How¡­are you talking to me? Aren¡¯t you, you know, dead?¡± I winced a moment later, already suspecting what his answer would be.


    Sure enough¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ve been dead since before you were born, child,¡± Tlazo answered dryly. ¡°But to answer your question, I have been banished back to my phylactery. However, said phylactery is constructed from the same soul-touched material as the keystone of my stave. Thus, through Aetherial synchronicity, I can touch upon the stave lightly enough for my voice to be heard, here in the Concord. Which you appear to be inside of. Physically.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Honestly, I thought only Greater Spirits could do that. I suppose you learn something new every day.¡±


    ¡°And¡­you¡¯re alright?¡± I asked hesitantly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± The Lich answered dismissively. ¡°It¡¯ll take me a few years to reconstitute myself, but that¡¯s only a minor inconvenience. You, however, should worry about yourself. I¡¯m not the one at the mercy of a Calamity.¡±


    ¡°But¡­what¡¯s the Concord?¡± I continued, still confused about what was going on.


    ¡°No time,¡± Tlazo said, abruptly serious. ¡°I can tell that he¡¯s almost done shaping. I¡¯ll do my best to guide you through this, but I can¡¯t speak too often. In this place, and in his own realm, the Godbound is even more deific than usual. If I act too often he¡¯ll know. We¡¯re both screwed then. Good luck, and remember I¡¯m still here, Nathaniel.¡±


    At that, the glow from inside of the amber went dark, and with it went Tlazo¡¯s voice. I would have tried to ask him more questions about what was happening, but I was distracted by something else.


    Slowly, colors started to creep in through the Aether-charged mists of the ¡®Concord¡¯, whatever that was. First reds, and then greens and blues. And then yellows, and oranges, and purples until the full spectrum of the wheel painted the ethereal world I stood in. Then, ever more and more, the murk around me began to twist and shape itself, solidifying as it did.


    It¡­was almost like a world was being born around me.


    At first, I didn¡¯t recognize it what it was. But when I did¡­


    I slumped to my knees in disbelief, tears welling up in my eyes and streaming down my dirt-encrusted face.


    This¡­this was Earth.


    I knelt on the asphalt of a familiar little two-lane road that cut through a familiar place, back home in Texas. Overhead, a summer sun shined down on the world from a clear blue sky, warming me to my very bones and casting heat hazes in the distance. Old, working-class family homes lined both sides of the street, painted and constructed in dozens of different styles, each of them well-loved by their owners. A mix of green and brown grass tainted the lawns of each and every one of those homes, as the oppressive heat of the summer sun drove the turf to the brink of death despite the best efforts of myriad sprinklers. Trucks and SUV¡¯s and sedans of varying sizes rested, lonely and abandoned, on the white concrete of oh-so-many driveways. A hot breeze blew through the quiet, bringing with it a familiar tang, carried upon fallen leaves. I breathed deep, and held in the scent of the old oaks planted in the lawns of my childhood neighborhood oh so long ago.


    I couldn¡¯t stop the tears that ran in rivulets down my face, cutting a path through the blood and grime.


    Home.


    This¡­was my home.

 Chapter 205 - Facsimile

    I¡­in my heart, I knew that this couldn¡¯t really be Earth. Only moments ago, I had been standing in a smoky void, speaking to a disembodied skeleton man. And before that, I had been in the middle of a city under siege by a colossal monster. There was no feasible way, after everything I had learned about Precursors, that I had suddenly be returned to Earth.


    But it didn¡¯t matter in that moment.


    I couldn¡¯t even begin to describe the emotions rolling over me as I numbly stared out at the landscape in front of my eyes.


    It was¡­so, so real. The sights and the smells and even the feeling of the sun and wind on my battle-dirtied skin.


    But, gradually, something pierced the shock that had settled over both my outer and core rings.


    The sound was off.


    Back home, this was a working-class neighborhood. That meant there was always something going on, in the summer that I could feel and smell all around me. Children running to and fro, getting into all kinds of mischief. Parents and regular joes talking in the yard or cooking up a storm over a grill. Teens loitering on the sidewalks, complaining about whatever had managed to blight them that day.


    That was the problem. There were no people.


    That, finally, managed to knock me out of my near awe. This neighborhood had never been this abandoned in my life.


    And right now, it was a near ghost town.


    I took a deep breath, and used my one good hand to unsteadily push myself to my feet. As I did so, a sneer worked its way onto my face.


    ¡°Almost, Rhazal,¡± I said, fury growing inside my breast. ¡°Almost, but not quite. You¡¯re not going to break me this way.¡±


    ¡°Is this Terra, then?¡± I heard a quiet voice speak to me then, in the back of my mind. I almost wanted to instinctually lash out at it in my anger, but I recognized it as Tlazo. I nearly spoke out loud to address his question, but I didn¡¯t dare. Rhazal could be watching me this very moment and I wouldn¡¯t know. That would put the Lich that had already done so much for me at even greater risk. ¡°Surprisingly mundane, for such a mysterious locale. I must say, though, what curious metal carriages you possess.¡±


    I didn¡¯t speak, but I did direct a consternated look at the stave I still held in my right hand. Since he could apparently perceive my surroundings, I was hoping he could see me as well.


    He got the point.


    ¡°Oh, you can just speak to me in your mind and I¡¯ll hear it,¡± Tlazo said dismissively. ¡°I think the old boy is a bit rusty, in his dotage. He shaped this space from impression inherent to your soul, and in doing so, he widened the, ah, ¡®throughput¡¯, so to speak. This gave me the chance to more directly connect to you, as long as you hold the stave. Such an interaction is only possible here in the depths of the Concord.¡±


    I briefly wondered how a Lich would understand a concept like ¡®throughput¡¯, but just chalked it down to Language Adaptation. Instead, I tried to mentally speak to him. ¡°Yes, this is where I grew up,¡± I projected at him, the anger I couldn¡¯t curb with my missing middle ring coloring the tone of the thought. ¡°But it¡¯s wrong because there are no people.¡±


    ¡°Unsurprising,¡± Tlazo replied. ¡°A creature like a Godbound was never born, and thus does not understand attachments. It was never swaddled in the arms of mother, or supported by a steady father. It cannot understand or quantify such things, when an engineered being such as Rhazal lives only for the desires of its creator. Thus is it incapable of populating such a location with even facsimiles of people. Just more evidence that Ixiah is an incompetent sculptor, when even Greycton was able to instill the spark of true life into his Sculpted.¡±


    ¡°Why even try then?¡± I said, a frown creeping its way onto my face, my eyes lingering on a nearby house. I had been friends with that family¡¯s child when I was young, and I was unsettled by how accurate the house was. It was so lifelike that I could even make out the mistakes in the paint job on its brick fa?ade, from when I¡¯d been paid to do it one summer.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s trying to unsettle you, of course,¡± Tlazo said, deadpan. ¡°To what end, I cannot say. I suppose you¡¯ll just have to explore and find out.¡±


    I snorted. ¡°No need. If it¡¯s trying to fuck with me, I know where to go.¡± Having said that, I took a step forward, the false asphalt under my feet crunching.


    As I walked slowly down the road to my destination, I kept my head on a swivel. It was just so eerie to see such a familiar place so still and lifeless. I felt a chill run down my spine when I realized that it reminded me of zombie movies. I half expected old Mrs. Livingston to come shuffling out of her little house, arms extended and moaning about brains.


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    I shuddered at the thought and kept moving.


    Before long, I had reached the end of the road and entered into the cul-de-sac that I knew was waiting for me. Once I did, I took another moment to stop and just¡­take it all in.


    Yep¡­there was my home. The house that I had grown up in, and¡­


    Where my father had likely been left to die after I had been spirited away to Vereden.


    It wasn¡¯t large, considering my parents'' income when they bought it. Only a single story, and constructed in a fairly generic American style, it had, once upon a time, been painted a cheery yellow. The paint had been an idea of my mother¡¯s way back in the day before I had even been born.


    But, by the time I had disappeared, it was old and faded. It looked more like a dirty white, than anything.


    Even before I¡¯d been spirited away, I had thought it was sad. I just¡­hadn¡¯t known what to do with it.


    I sighed and approached my house using the driveway. As I did, I let my hand ghost along the surface of my car still parked on the pavement, a wry smile crossing my lips as I did so. It wasn¡¯t anything special, just a generically painted silver econobox that I had slaved away at a few dead-end jobs for. But it was mine, and I had loved it for its reliability.


    Was. Was mine.


    It had probably been junked by now, with my disappearance. It¡¯s not like Dad could use it.


    I looked away and kept walking up to the door, with its peeling paint. Once there, I lay my hand on the doorknob and tried it.


    Locked.


    My eyebrow twitched at the pettiness of it. ¡°Really? Really?¡± I said out loud, looking up at the false sky. ¡°You¡¯re going to lock the door on me?¡± I shook my head.


    For a wild moment, I considered just breaking the door down. I was certainly strong enough to do it, these days. But the idea of defiling even an illusion of my childhood home in such a manner felt¡­wrong.


    Instead, I let my gaze fall on the doorbell.


    I shrugged.


    Couldn¡¯t hurt, I suppose.


    I pressed the button, and the novelty doorbell that my dad had installed before I was even born rang out inside the house. I think the sound had been from some eighties movie about close encounters with aliens.


    Would you look at that. Rhazal had even gotten that right.


    I was a little startled when I heard footsteps approaching the door from inside the house. I braced myself, though. That had to be Rhazal. If there was nobody else in the neighborhood, and he wanted to ¡®parley¡¯ with me, then this must be how he wanted to do it.


    I thought I was ready for his monstrous appearance writ small to be standing in the doorway.


    But that wasn¡¯t who was waiting for me.


    Instead, it was my father.


    Only¡­


    How he had been before the accident that had robbed him of the life he had built.


    My father hadn¡¯t been a tall man, and by the time I was eighteen, I had outgrown him by a full head. On his own head, he still had the full head of long, blonde, thinning hair that had fallen out after his accident, pulled back in a ponytail like he had all those years ago. Striking green eyes peered up at me from behind thick, coke-bottle glasses, and a smile graced his thin lips like I hadn¡¯t seen in years. I barely paid any attention to what he was wearing before I shut my eyes and grit my teeth.


    Before the replica of my father could even speak, I preempted him. ¡°Is this how you parley with others, Rhazal?¡± I spoke slowly, doing my best not to lose my temper. I was dearly missing my middle ring right now, because it was a struggle. ¡°You torment them with images of those they have lost? Before this proceeds any further, I demand you assume another form.¡±


    Silence, for a moment.


    Then a deep, inhuman voice, a quizzical translation of Rhazal¡¯s inflection from outside from a spiritual one into the physical, rang out. ¡°Does this satisfy then, Precursor?¡±


    I cracked open one eye to see what he¡¯d changed into, only to hurriedly squeeze it back shut. But¡­not before I caught a glimpse of long brown hair, and a caring, motherly smile.


    My grip on Tlazo¡¯s staff tightened. If this had been anything other than an ancient Lich¡¯s staff, I¡¯m sure it would have snapped in half at the force I was applying to it.


    ¡°No,¡± I hissed. ¡°Anything other than those two. Join me in the street when you¡¯re done playing games. I will not treat with you inside this building.¡±


    I refused to sully even an imitation of such a precious place with such a¡­vile presence, any longer.


    At that, I spun around and marched away from my family home into the center of the cul-de-sac. As I did so, I heard Tlazo¡¯s voice in my mind once again.


    ¡°As I said,¡± The Lich said quietly. ¡°He cannot understand his own blasphemy.¡±


    I shouldn¡¯t be surprised, that the dead were more empathetic than the monstrous.


    After all, Tlazo had been human.


    Once.


    After a time spent staring up at the sky and struggling to control my emotions, I heard footsteps approach me from behind. I braced myself before I turned around. If this thing looked like either of my parents, I was prepared to call this entire thing off, consequence be damned. If I caught sight of soft brown hair once again, I would immediately attack, even if it did nothing.


    There was only so much I could take.


    But, it wasn¡¯t either of my parents waiting for me behind my back.


    Instead, it was Grey. The illusionary form of the mentor I hadn¡¯t seen in weeks was standing there on the pavement in his full Order armor, Stellarum sheathed at his waist and Elarux held in his right hand. ¡®He¡¯ was leaning on the staff and smiling at me, in that knowing way Grey tended to do.


    Irritating, but tolerable.


    I suppose this thing thought I was more likely to listen to it if it affected the form of an authority figure in my life.


    Hah.


    ¡°So, oh son of Rot,¡± I said, leaning on my own borrowed stave. ¡°You wished to parley. Make your pitch.¡±


    The facsimile of Grey hadn¡¯t blinked once, since it had taken up position in front of me. That didn¡¯t change when an imitation of Grey¡¯s own voice exited its mouth, devoid of all human emotion. ¡°I shall be blunt, blade of the System. Why do you fight for them?¡±


    I blinked at the odd question. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Why do you fight for them?¡± Grey-Rhazal asked me again patiently. ¡°Why do you involve yourself in the wars of Vereden, when you are alien to them? Why do you champion the causes of a people who you have no stake with?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­¡± I said slowly. ¡°I am alien to them. I have no place here but what I make. And I have made a life here, that I am coming to care for.¡±


    A flash of Sylvia¡¯s Mithril face ran through my mind, but I pushed it away.


    An expression finally crossed the imitations lips. An almost empty smile. ¡°Exactly. A life, on this world so foreign to you. If it is a life you desire¡­¡±


    ¡°I, and my mistress, can give you a better one.¡ä

 Chapter 206 - Dealing with the Devil

    This was¡­


    Well, it was laughable. Was this really what this creature had brought me here for, into this replica of my childhood neighborhood? To try and recruit me?


    I¡­really?


    I could feel my facial expression twist slightly as I tried to hold in a hysterical laugh at the thought, but the copy of Grey that stood before me didn¡¯t react at all. I managed to keep it down, all the while my core ring indulged in the disbelieving laughter I didn¡¯t let escape me.


    What the hell was Rhazal thinking? What made it think that I was open to such a thing? I liked to consider myself a fairly loyal person, all together. I didn¡¯t take any kind of notion of treachery seriously at all. What did I even have to gain from switching sides and joining up with a goddamned Calamity?


    So I asked him.


    ¡°Why would I do that?¡± I asked Rhazal bluntly. ¡°I like the life I¡¯m building well enough here, so why would I jeopardize that to sign up with you?¡±


    Rhazal didn¡¯t blink at my question. In fact, I had noticed that he wasn¡¯t blinking at all, nor were there any elements of other autonomic bodily functions on his illusionary puppet. Like¡­breathing, for instance.


    ¡°Because you are doomed if you do not,¡± He answered, just as bluntly. ¡°Not one of you insects before me is capable of matching my might, and soon I will finish subverting the Portal Stone. When I am done, my mistress will stride the soil of this world once more, and with her will come her armies. None upon this soon to be blighted world can resist her. Kyron and Yorgun are long dead. The Humans and Dwarves are unshielded from her influence. All of Vereden shall be as lambs to the slaughter before her.¡±


    I frowned slightly, noting those names. I had never heard them before, but I didn¡¯t dwell on it. ¡°How can you be so sure we can¡¯t fight back?¡± I said defiantly. ¡°We aren¡¯t as weak as you think we are. There are strong people here. In the face of annihilation, we could band together and push you, and her, out.¡±


    A flash of almost amusement swam through the imitation¡¯s eyes before something unexpected happened.


    A mountainous pressure, comprised of pure energy, pure Aether, fell upon my shoulders out of nowhere. The force of it was so strong, and so unassailable, that I was immediately driven to my knees from the power alone. I slammed into the false pavement of this manufactured world, struggling to remain upright using Tlazo¡¯s staff as an anchor. I failed, and slumped over onto my hands as well. I groaned, feeling what felt like an entire ocean pressing down on me. I could feel my bones straining under the weight pressing down on me.


    I feel my soul strain, too. In this place, I was more conscious of the crystalline tree at the core of my being, and I felt it creak and groan from the might.


    As if from a great distance, I heard Rhazal speak again. ¡°No, you cannot,¡± He said with finality. ¡°Though I have slept in these years since the end, I still dreamed. And in those dreams, I have seen the state of this world. Vereden is weak and diminished in the wake of the Great War. You have no Paragons. You have no deities. Your Great Spirits are culled and weakened, from millennia of straining to hold the fabric of your world together. There is no defense that you can muster before the might of my mistress.¡±


    The pressure bearing down upon me abruptly ceased, and I slumped down onto my front in its absence. I lay there gasping for a moment before I found my strength and struggled to my feet, using my borrowed staff to help me to them. When I was standing once more, I found that Rhazal hadn¡¯t moved even once during his little show of strength. He just kept on watching me with a blank gaze.


    He spoke again before I could find my voice. ¡°It is possible, if unlikely, that one of your champions could manage to slay me in combat,¡± Rhazal admitted freely, seemingly uncaring about the possibility of his own death. ¡°I am diminished from my long slumber and my absence from the side of my mistress. But that is irrelevant. Such a thing will not occur in time to prevent me from opening the way for her. Already, I can feel the faintest trace of her grace as if from a great distance, groping against the barrier that separates us.¡±


    I felt a bolt of adrenaline roll down my spine at his words. I wanted to lash out at him immediately, to try and do my best to stop the doom that he described. But I still didn¡¯t know how I was supposed to kill him, to my frustration. I could only hope it would become evident to me if I drew this out. ¡°And what do you offer, Harrower?¡± I asked warily. ¡°What could you possibly give me, to make me turn my back on all that I know?¡±


    Rhazal leaned forward on his imitation of Elarux. ¡°A seat¡­at my mistress''s side,¡± He said, an empty smile on his stolen lips. ¡°You would not be the first Precursor to serve as the hand of god. Your kind have ever made excellent weapons, when suborned from the yoke of the System. Do not look so surprised,¡± He said, at my obvious shock. ¡°Your kind are mortals, after all. And mortals are subject to temptation. My mistress can offer you anything you desire. Nothing is beyond her reach. Power and riches beyond imagining could be bestowed upon you. Companions, esoteric knowledge and skills, mighty Artefacts. Nothing is beyond the reach of She Who Devours. You need only agree to serve, and it could all be yours.¡±


    I frowned, still troubled by the thought that other men and women from Earth could have agreed to be the plaything of divinity. Not only that, but how Rhazal had directly mentioned the System, when he was from an age before the Initialization. ¡°How can you make this offer?¡± I asked pointedly, pushing those thoughts away. ¡°You haven¡¯t spoken to your goddess in millennia.¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Rhazal slowly shook Grey¡¯s head. ¡°I am empowered to speak for my mistress in these matters. She would not let opportunity escape her grasp.¡±


    I was silent for a moment, letting his offer roll over me. A thought occurred. ¡°What if¡­¡± I said slowly, drawing out my words. ¡°I wanted to go home?¡±


    Rhazal didn¡¯t blink. ¡°Elaborate.¡±


    I gestured around me, to the recreated neighborhood from my younger years. ¡°You created this place for a reason. You felt my attachment to these streets, these homes on Earth. I had another life here, before I was taken to Vereden. If I asked it of her¡­could your mistress return me to that world?¡±


    Rhazal examined me for a moment. ¡°Of course she could,¡± He said eventually. ¡°You need only agree to a period of servitude, and my mistress possesses the power to return you to the world of your birth. Knowledge of how to reach long-lost Terra is not beyond her. All you need to do¡­is take my hand, and the pact will be sealed.¡± At that, the creature extended his false right hand in my direction, outstretched for me to take.


    Only¡­


    I had caught him in a lie.


    While I was never intending to sign up with the literal forces of evil, I had wanted to see what their pitch was.


    And it was all fake.


    There was no way back to Earth they could offer me. Not for me. Not for any Precursor.


    It didn''t matter how ''long-lost'' my old home was. The only way back was through the death of all the gods.


    Maybe.


    If Rhazal was offering a way back home for me¡­


    Then nothing he promised was true.


    I plastered a fake, eager smile on my lips and approached the long-abandoned Calamity. As I did so, I palmed something. Something I had long since had up my literal sleeve.


    Doing my best to give nothing away, I paused for a moment before I could set my hand against the false flesh of Rhazal¡¯s. ¡°One more question, before we finish this,¡± I said evenly.


    ¡°Speak,¡± The monster said evenly.


    I moved in a flash, activating everything that I possibly could in that moment.


    Thorn Cloak for the protection.


    Sylvan Vigor at max capacity, for strength and speed.


    Grasping Roots, to hold the imitation in place.


    And finally¡­


    The Scintillant Blade, on the small throwing dagger I had hidden up my sleeve.


    As crimson roots exploded from the asphalt to wrap around Rhazals legs, I reached out. Instead of his hand, I grasped the forearm of the disgusting replica of my mentor, and yanked it forward.


    Right onto my brilliantly burning dagger.


    It sank into the stomach of the shadow, meeting little resistance. At the same time, I gouged the blade upwards, opening a massive, gaping hole into the surface of Rhazal¡¯s puppet.


    I leaned forward until my eyes met the impersonations of my mentors. My emerald, against the black and silver of its.


    ¡°Do you feel pain?¡± I hissed to the monster responsible for the death of so, so many innocents.


    Rhazal simply met my eyes for a moment, before looking down at the dagger I had buried deep into its chest. The rent I had opened up on the fa?ade of its mouthpiece gaped open, revealing a mass of swirling, corrupted, black Aetherial smoke instead of innards. It stepped back from me, letting my blade free from its chest with a sound akin to a cork popping from a bottle.


    A measure of disappointment entered the eyes of the thing that had tried to tempt me. ¡°You have chosen¡­poorly, Precursor.¡± He finally said. Moments later, the entire facsimile of Grey that Rhazal had conjured before me¡­dispersed. It unraveled into a mass of black smoke that dissipated into the false summer air of the Texan replica I stood in.


    In moments, it was as if it had never existed at all.


    Silence fell on the neighborhood for a moment, before Tlazo broke it.


    ¡°Well,¡± The Lich said thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯ll say this. That was, at the very least, bold of you. Potentially monumentally foolish, of course. But bold nonetheless.¡±


    I discarded the tiny throwing dagger I had used to gore the clone of Grey off to the side, a frown crossing my lips as I looked around. I was ready for Rhazal''s counterattack at any moment. There was no way this was over. ¡°You know as well as I do that this was only ever going to go one way,¡± I said out loud, no longer caring about subterfuge. ¡°It¡¯s not like I was going to take his deal.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Tlazo said doubtfully. ¡°But I must ask¡­did you consider it? The deal with the proverbial demon.¡±


    I kept silent at his question. I don¡¯t think there was a force on any world that could ever get me to acknowledge that I¡­had. For one short moment, my core ring had considered the idea of it. Serving at the feet of a goddess would have¡­simplified matters for me. I would have become a direct servant to a woman who would have shortly ruled two planets, instead of being the measly apprentice of a schoolteacher in a war-torn, weakened country. I¡¯m sure Ixiah would have been able to grant me untold riches, and power, and whatever the hell I wanted.


    But it would have meant spitting on everything that everyone had done for me since I had arrived on Vereden.


    Azarus, for saving me from a life of slavery by accepting me into his home.


    Bleddyn, for fighting at my side for freedom.


    Grey, for everything he had patiently taught me.


    Honoka, for the advice and healing she had freely gifted me.


    Sylvia¡­


    I couldn¡¯t do that to them.


    Which wasn¡¯t even counting the millions of people on Vereden I would have been directly condemning, by signing up with a literal evil goddess.


    I had chosen my path. And it didn¡¯t lay with Ixiah.


    Now I just had to find out what lay on that path.


    Something caught my eye, as I was looking around. A curl of black smoke had emerged from the bright blue sky. Slowly, it snaked across the skyline until it had met the shining figure of the sun. In moments, in a reflection of the real world, it had covered the surface of Sol¡¯s imitation.


    The world plunged into darkness, before the light of the corrupted star shone down upon the world once more. This time, a crimson red.


    The familiar light of the sun from my home had been replaced by Rhazal¡¯s massive bloody eye, glaring down at me. In the moments the world had been darkened, it had changed.


    The sky was enshrouded in the black mist and smoke that I suspect was his calling card, and the reproduction of my childhood home he had made to unsettle me had been¡­corrupted.


    It had decayed. Or rather¡­rotted.


    The homes had all fallen into severe disrepair and were falling into themselves, looking to have been suddenly neglected for decades. Withered growth had cracked the streets and sidewalks, turning them into so much rubble. Dust and the scent of death was now upon the howling wind, instead of the comforting smell of oak.


    My own family home had been torn down, and in its place, there was nothing. Not a single timber remained of my childhood. Only a blank, lonely lot lingered.


    A familiar voice pierced the apocalyptic wasteland that I stood in. A familiar one, no longer pretending to speak in a physical manner.


    PRECURSOR.


    NOW YOU SHALL PAY THE PRICE FOR YOUR HUBRIS.

 Chapter 207 - Beacon in the Dark

    I stood alone in the darkened shadow of my home that Rhazal had conjured into being, with Tlazo¡¯s staff as my only companion. Creeping in from out of the corner of my eye, a dense fog of thick black smoke was rolling along the empty hills beyond the copy of my neighborhood that Rhazal had created. Within that murk, I saw countless familiar forms of Revenants forming from the corrupted Aether of their progenitor, stalking back and forth. Faint howls echoed out of the gloom that skulked along cracked asphalt.


    But I wasn¡¯t afraid.


    The Lich could talk as much as he wanted about how my actions were foolish, and I just might have doomed myself.


    But I didn¡¯t regret them one fucking bit. Anyone, or anything, that wanted me to commit betrayal on a planetary scale could go and die.


    And I intended to make that a promise.


    I grit my teeth and picked up Tlazo¡¯s staff from where I had dropped it during my attempted calamitous assassination, and gripped it firmly in my one remaining fist.


    Something odd happened then.


    Even though I had discarded my dagger after my attack on Rhazal, I hadn¡¯t dropped my mental hold on The Scintillant Blade. I wasn¡¯t expecting anything to happen when I touched the stave, as the Skill explicitly only worked on bladed weapons.


    But not now.


    The minute my hand touched the Liches ebony staff, the amber stone at its apex lit up in a familiar cascade of rainbow fire. Startled, I didn¡¯t even think to let go of the flaming staff as the blaze on the cap began to grow and grow and GROW.


    For the first time, The Scintillant Blade was working on something other than a blade.


    And it was only growing stronger.


    In moments, I held a staff upon which a massive tower of prismatic flame rose like a bonfire into the sky wisping back and forth. It lit up the darkened surroundings of the facsimile around me like a lighthouse piercing the storm. The Rhazalian smoke that had been writhing down the streets of this wasteland ceased moving, and the suddenly illuminated forms of the Revenants within unexpectedly shied away from the scintillating light that I cast.


    Through the flames, I saw the core of the amber glow a familiar green. ¡°What¡­is this?¡± Tlazo whispered into the silence of my mind. ¡°I feel¡­I FEEL¡­for the first time in decades. A warmth that pierces the comforting chill of death.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know,¡± I said over the roar of the flames, confused. ¡°I¡¯m just as lost as you. This Skill¡­it¡¯s not meant to work with staves.¡±


    I didn¡¯t get to marvel at my own oddly behaving Skill.


    Rhazal was not to be stymied.


    A rumble echoed through the murk of the dissolving Texan neighborhood, and the Godbound


    YOUR FLAMES WILL NOT AVAIL YOU, PRECURSOR.


    THEY ARE KNOWN TO ME.


    The great crimson eye in the sky that had replaced the summer sun suddenly shined. A crimson sheen wisped its way through the smoke of Rhazal¡¯s darkness. The screams and cries of the Revenants that stalked inside of it transformed, growing deeper and more human-like. Revenants that had padded on four scaled feet within suddenly stood upon two legs, evolving rapidly. Where before had been the familiar forms of the winged beast that had been assaulting Elderwyck and Tlatec, suddenly they were more than that.


    All of them to the last had transformed into the elevated forms of the Revenant that Baldric had sacrificed himself to kill. The form of the beast that had taken everything from a centuries old master assassin.


    Through the smoke suddenly illuminated by an ominous sanguine light, I could see hundreds of them. I don¡¯t think even Grey could handle a force like this, not even with the help of Honoka.


    But¡­


    I still wasn¡¯t afraid. I knew I couldn¡¯t hope to fight these off on my own. I would have to be suddenly stronger than my own mentor, gaining hundreds and hundreds of levels in an instant.


    Luckily¡­I wasn¡¯t alone.


    Another light suddenly shown through the darkness from behind me. The silverly light that cast my own form in shadow before me was a familiar one, after all.


    I turned, and beheld what I knew was going to be there.


    Piercing through the murk of the Godbound, on the opposite side of the sky from the crimson eye of Rhazal, was a shining silver moon. Not just any moon, though.


    Elys.


    Shining as brightly as I had ever seen her, she floated full and heavy on the horizon.


    A new voice sang through the gloom. This one was feminine, cool, and familiar to me in a way that was incredibly relieving. Similar to how Rhazal projected his voice into the world, this one spoke directly to the soul as well. And yet, it wasn¡¯t half as harsh as the Calamity¡¯s was. It didn¡¯t crush down on my spirit in the way that his did.


    Instead, it was almost soothing.


    You have erred, abomination. You should never have allowed the child into this realm.


    A sun suddenly blazed into the being to the right of Elys, mighty and powerful. It shone brighter than anything else in this realm, casting fiery rays of light into the now much brighter realm. The evolved Revenants that Rhazal had conjured into being shied away from this light even more than they had that of Elys, screeching in fear. Another voice echoed through what Tlazo had called the Concord, strong, masculine, and most of all¡­


    Stolen story; please report.


    Proud.


    For so many years, you dared to cast your disgusting shadow over that of my glorious form.


    I cannot even begin to describe how much I¡¯ll enjoy this.


    That¡­that must be Tarus. I suppose it wasn¡¯t surprising that he was a Greater Spirit just like Elys had turned out to be. The Sun and the Moon were intertwined, after all. He sure sounded¡­.


    Well, pissed off.


    Two more forms emerged from the mist that Rhazal had cast over this space. The first was that of a gigantic mountain, rising from the earth to tower between the illuminated forms of the Sun and the Moon. The jagged peak of the thing almost gleamed in the light cast upon it, and that gleam almost looked to be glowering out at the world.


    The second was that of a wave, furious and roiling as it rose to join the mountain. The darkened waters of the wave were painted with a froth that churned endlessly in the conflicting light of the Concord around me. In its depths, I swear that I saw the forms of innumerable titanic fish, gnashing with long, jagged teeth.


    From the mountain came the voice of an older man, tired, cranky, and yet firm as the pillars that bound creation. It grumbled out into the world, sending shockwaves through the ground I stood upon.


    THAT I SHOULD BE AWOKEN FOR SUCH A THING¡­


    A tempestuous voice cut in then, feminine and treacherous as the sea. Within it, I could hear a deep, deep rage, bound only by the whims of its owner. It gave the impression that at any moment, it could turn on the world and drown it for amusement¡¯s sake alone.


    COME NOW. IF THERE IS ANYTHING THAT WE ARE BOUND TO DEAL WITH, IT IS THIS USURPER AND HIS DOUBLE-CROSSING MISTRESS.


    ¡°Orus and Neris. The Land and The Sea,¡± Tlazo whispered to me, from the depths of the bonfire I was still casting. He sounded shocked. ¡°I thought they were dead. They haven¡¯t been heard from in over a millennium. Not since¡­¡± I almost got the sense that the Lich was shaking his head to cut himself off. ¡°If four of the Great Spirits are here, then¡­¡±


    As he spoke, something else cut through the gloom. This wasn¡¯t a grand shape that pierced through the darkness like the illumination of Elys or Tarus, nor was it the titanic forms of Orus or Neris.


    No, this was more subtle.


    Winding its way through the darkened mist was another kind. A soft green dew that crept through the murk, almost appearing to dance around it, carpeting the world in its gentle embrace. When it reached me, it curled around my feet almost fondly. At its touch, I felt rejuvenated, almost complete way in defiance of all my troubles over the last few days. It almost seemed like both my weary body and soul were being healed by the mist.


    A voice whispered, then, caring and motherly. It wasn¡¯t broadcasting out into the world, and it didn¡¯t seem like it was talking to either Rhazal or the other Great Spirits.


    This was meant for me.


    Don¡¯t worry, Nathan. You¡¯re not alone.


    We¡¯ll have this sorted out soon.


    ¡°Great Anima¡­the Font of Life,¡± Tlazo whispered reverently. It almost sounded like the Lich was as close to tears as he could come. ¡°That you should come now, at the brink of disaster. You do still care, Whisperer¡­¡±


    Whisperer¡­


    That tickled something in the back of my mind, but I had no time to chase the memory. ¡®Anima¡¯ spoke again, this time to the Lich. Somehow, this Spirit was able to directly talk to him, though only a fragmentary shade of his soul was present. Whoever they were, they sounded almost fondly exasperated with him.


    I will always come, Rafael. Even for those who have cast off their flesh.


    Tlazo sounded he took a deep breath then, even though he was just a disembodied spirit. ¡°Forget you heard that name,¡± He said to me almost warningly. ¡°It has long since been cast off.¡±


    Already forgotten, ¡®Rafael¡¯.


    Almost absently-mindedly, I finally let go of The Scintillant Blade, causing the towering spire of rainbow flame to wink out. Whatever had happened with the Skill¡­it seemed to have done it¡¯s job.


    Besides, it wasn¡¯t nearly the brightest thing in this space anymore.


    Rhazal finally responded to the appearance of the Great Spirits, here in his very own realm. A note of pure fury entered his voice, and the single enormous crimson eye in the sky pulsed brighter.


    INTERLOPERS!


    YOU DARE CHALLENGE ME IN MY OWN DOMAIN?!


    Tarus was the one to answer him.


    Of course we do. You still dare to exist, after all.


    And you forget yourself, abomination, Elys continued.


    Your mistress and her ilk thought to blend the calamitous and the spiritual when they crafted you.


    That rightfully places you under our purview.


    However, the gods were always so careful to keep your kind from our reach. But now¡­


    YOU¡¯VE PLACED YOURSELF RIGHT IN THE PALM OF OUR HANDS.


    AND SO WE SHALL PASS JUDGMENT.


    Neris and Orus sounded out, sounding delighted and grim, respectively.


    Rhazal actually growled, an almost lizard-like sound that emanated in waves across the realm, rattling my bones.


    HOW ARE YOU EVEN HERE?


    MY MISTRESS SAW TO IT THAT MY DOMAIN WAS LOCKED TO YOU!


    Anima finally pitched into the greater conversation, her voice mocking Rhazal in contrast to the comforting tone she had spoken to Tlazo and me.


    You still haven¡¯t guessed, abomination?


    It was the child.


    Their flames, amplified by the soul-stave of another, acted as a beacon. Without him, we would have never found our way in.


    But now¡­


    Tarus finished the exchange, sounding maliciously excited.


    It is the end for you, shadow.


    At that, all of the Great Spirits acted at once. They surged in power to an extent that I would have been crushed, if I wasn¡¯t being protected. Anima had covered me in her green mist, shielding me from the colossal powers flaring before me, even as she attacked as well. Surges of pure, destructive Aether emanated from each of the Spirits, manifesting as representations of their selves.


    Scouring silver moonlight from Elys and scorching hot rays of fire from Taru impacted the eye of Rhazal, sending him reeling back with a chiropteran screech of pain. Great spires of stone from Orus, taller than any tower, speared into the rapidly coalescing full form of the Godbound, while razor-sharp whips of sea brine flensed the scales from his spiritual bones. At the same time, the mist that Anima had coated the world in swallowed all of the Revenants that Rhazal had birthed, dissolving them instantly. That same mist, what seemed to be a direct counter to Rhazals own, began to creep up and devour him as well.


    But Rhazal wasn¡¯t done.


    A shockwave echoed from the fully manifested form that I¡¯d seen towering over Elderwyck, knocking away the strengths of the Great Spirits. In the brief moment of respite that he was granted, he bellowed out into the void.


    ENOUGH!


    YOU SAY I AM UNDER YOUR PURVIEW?!


    THEN I ACCEPT IT!


    I KNOW YOUR RULES, WISPS! I KNOW HOW YOU ARE BOUND!


    I DEMAND MY RITE!


    Instantly, the attacks against the Godbound from the Great Spirits ceased. But it didn¡¯t seem to be voluntary. I could almost feel the strain that they were under, as they tried to continue attacking Rhazal. After a moment, however, they ceased, albeit reluctantly.


    Elys was the first to speak, coldly.


    Very well then, abomination. You shall have your ritual.


    Who do you challenge, for your Rite of Combat?


    Rhazal¡¯s great crimson eyes fell on me then, full of furious malice from stories above me in the distance. I shivered at the regard he placed on me.


    HE WHO LED YOU TO THIS PLACE.


    THE PRECURSOR.

 Chapter 208 - Blade of the System

    I blinked at the Godbound¡¯s resounding words as the Great Spirits lay silent. After a moment, I felt the attention of the four of them that weren¡¯t shielding me fall upon my form. I shivered at the force of it, grateful that Anima was protecting me. Still, even her mist had stilled over my form, stopping the flow.


    Tarus was the first to react.


    Him?


    He is not a spirit, shadow.


    You cannot challenge a mortal to the Rite of Combat.


    But Rhazal wasn¡¯t to be stymied. His crushing voice carried a note of triumph when he spoke next.


    BUT YOU ARE WRONG, INTERLOPER.


    SEE HOW YOUR FELLOWS GROW SILENT.


    THEY KNOW THE TRUTH.


    THE PRECURSORS ARE AS MUCH SPIRIT AS THEY ARE MEN.


    AS MUCH DIVINITY, AS THEY ARE MORTAL.


    AS MY MISTRESS KNEW, SO TOO DO I.


    THE PRECURSORS ARE AN EXISTENCE SEPARATE FROM ALL OTHERS.


    AS SUCH, THEY FALL UNDER YOUR AUTHORITY.


    From the shifting of the flames within Tarus¡¯s sun, I got the impression that he was looking around at the other representations of the Great Spirits. They were silent, with varying degrees of confusion evident on them. From the swirling depths of Neris to the rumblings of Orus, this almost looked to be news to them.


    But not Elys. Her moonlight twinkled oddly.


    Tarus noticed. His voice affected a note of shock.


    Elys?


    The Moon finally spoke, a note of almost guilt evident in it.


    The abomination is¡­technically correct.


    By rights, the existence of the Precurors is odd enough that they fall under our purview.


    We have¡­simply never exercised that authority.


    The abomination is within his right to challenge the child to the Rite of Combat.


    Oh.


    That didn¡¯t sound good. I¡¯m guessing this ¡®Rite of Combat¡¯ was some kind of duel. And¡­I didn¡¯t exactly fancy my chances against Rhazal. The Godbound would squash me like a bug, and had nearly done so before the Great Spirits had barged into this realm.


    Thankfully, Elys still had my back.


    A sly note entered her voice then.


    However¡­


    The difference in strength is too great.


    There is precedence in this matter.


    Orus finally spoke up, a mote of understanding entering the grinding rumble of his voice.


    AH!


    I REMEMBER.


    THE RITE THAT OCCURRED BETWEEN SILVENCE AND MANTINE.


    I SEE.


    Neris cackled then, the waters of her wave undulating from her mirth.


    YOU HAVE DOOMED YOURSELF, USURPER.


    Tarus finally seemed to understand, but he didn¡¯t sound too happy about it.


    Oh, if we must.


    But it feels dirty to grant so much power to the apprentice of the man who stole Elys.


    I was beyond lost at this point, but I at least had someone close by that I could ask what was going on. I looked down, doing my best to show that I was directing my attention to the diffuse form of Anima that lay all around me.


    ¡°Can¡­you fill me on what¡¯s going on. Uh¡­Lady Anima?¡± I asked hesitantly.


    Thankfuly, she had no problems answering me.


    Just Anima is fine, Nathan.


    And yes, I can. I suspect it¡¯s my job, anyway.


    What¡¯s happened is that the Harrower has challenged you to a duel.


    However, he¡¯s too strong for such a duel to count as legitimate under our rules.


    Thus, we¡¯re going to equalize the power between the two of you.


    Equalize our power?


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± I asked her, baffled.


    Anima chuckled, her mist finally starting to flow once again.


    Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re not in any danger.


    I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re granted quite a boon, for such a service.


    I then felt Anima¡¯s attention stray from me, and up to the other Great Spirits.


    My brothers and sisters, I am ready when you are.


    A note of authority entered the voice of Elys then.


    Let the evening of the scales begin.


    Before I could wonder any further about what was going to happen to me, the mist of Anima¡¯s diffuse form suddenly hardened beneath me. I almost yelped as I began to be pulled up into the air in the direction of the Great Spirits, standing on a platform of hardened Aetherial mist. When I came to a rest before the representations, and beheld the fullness of their mighty forms up close, I nearly lost consciousness from the pressure of their existences. But just like how my core ring had protected me from the pressure of Rhazal¡¯s voice, it steadied me through this.


    Which was a good thing, because they were intensifying.


    Above me, I could see the Great Spirits pooling their collective power into what almost looked like a sphere. It was huge, and easily outshone even Tarus in it¡¯s brilliancy, swirling in different colors to form a near rainbow of their own, similar in hue to my own Skill born flames.


    Suddenly, a massive tendril of pure Aether lashed out from the sphere, easily crossing the distance of the Concord.


    To Rhazal.


    It wrapped around his gargantuan form, lifted him into the air, and began to drag him through his own murk.


    Closer to us.


    The Godbound struggled against the leash of pure power that bound him, but it was for naught. It didn¡¯t flex even once.


    WHAT?


    WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!


    Elys chuckled at the Godbound¡¯s near panic.


    Setting the stage, of course.


    Let us begin.


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    The Great Spirits shone brighter, their forms almost sharpening somehow


    Whatever it was that they were doing...they''d started.


    Rhazal arched his titanic back and screamed, his previously folded wings flaring wide and straight in his agony. He tried to scrabble against the massive tether that had bound itself to him, and it wasn¡¯t hard to see why.


    I think¡­it was draining his Aether.


    Swirls of black and red smoke were flowing up that binding and collecting within the orb of strength that the Great Spirits had collected. When it reached that mass of power, it looked almost like¡­it was being purified. The malice and corruption that tainted the Aether was being drained away, leaving only the purity of green and blue in its wake. The refuse from the process was being dissipated out into the darkness of the Concord, flowing away into nothingness.


    Rhazal objected to this, of course.


    NO!


    WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!


    But the Great Spirits didn¡¯t care. Instead, Anima just chuckled at him, for the first time sounding almost sinister.


    What are we doing?


    But¡­isn¡¯t this what you wanted?


    For a Rite of Combat to be legitimate¡­the participants must be close in strength.


    We¡¯re just taking what we need¡­from YOU.


    You should not have called for a Rite that you did not fully understand, fool.


    In a much gentler manner than it had with Rhazal, another line of Aether extended down from the orb above me, and snaked its way down to rest in front of me. I braced myself for whatever was about to happen, but I didn¡¯t need to worry. The swaying end of the line gently connected to my chest, and I nearly doubled over at the sensation.


    I swear, it felt like a livewire had just been connected to my very soul. The core of my being, where the crystalline tree dwelled, suddenly began to be flooded with Aether. The walls of my soul flexed like they were stretching, like a taught muscle was being extended. It wasn''t...painful so to speak, but it was a bit uncomfortable.


    I¡­God. It felt like I was suddenly growing stronger and stronger at a rate that was unbelievable. Newfound power flooded my body in a surge that tingled through every single cell of my being. My hair felt like it was standing on end, and¡­


    Holy crap, I was glowing. There was an actual, Aetherial glow rising up from the depths of my being, shining through my skin. Suddenly, I felt an itch inside of my brain, and something happened that nearly caused me to start weeping.


    I reached up, and tore off the bandage covering my left eye.


    I no longer needed.


    I could see through it once more. Where once only darkness greeted my blinded eye, now it beheld the entirety of the absurd events happening around me. But¡­my middle ring didn¡¯t return. Whatever had happened to me when I overtaxed myself saving Sylvia¡­this wasn¡¯t enough to fix that. Ringed Mind was still damaged in some way. That was fine, though.


    It was enough to see again.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I whispered into the air.


    I swear I could hear the smile in Anima¡¯s voice when she spoke next.


    Oh, we¡¯re not done.


    You¡¯re still missing a limb, after all.


    I felt a bolt of lightning run down my spine at that, before looking down at the stump of my left arm in disbelief.


    Were they about to¡­was that even¡­.


    A note of regret entered Anima¡¯s disembodied voice.


    Unfortunately¡­


    We can¡¯t regrow the arm.


    You were too successful in integrating your prosthesis into your soul.


    It¡¯s a part of you, now.


    Instead¡­


    We¡¯ll just replace what you gave up, to save your love.


    Don¡¯t worry.


    We¡¯ll use your own design.


    It¡¯s right there in your soul, after all.


    Before I could even process what she meant, another leash of pure Aether whipped down from the purification sphere above. It connected itself to the cap of Mithril and Gold that I had melded to my flesh those months ago.


    I heard Elys whisper something through her concentration.


    You¡¯ll have to shape it, Orus.


    You¡¯re the greatest crafter among us¡­


    I heard Orus rumble in agreement from his mountain before he directly spoke to me for the first time.


    IT¡¯S AN INTERESTING DESIGN, I¡¯LL GIVE YOU THAT.


    I CAN SEE THE INFLUENCE OF THE DWARVES UPON IT.


    STILL.


    IT CAN BE IMPROVED ON.


    Before my astonished gaze, the Aether that was connecting to the cap on my arm began to condense.


    No¡­it started to metalize. The pure Aether was becoming a metal that I had never seen before. It shined in a pure white manner, and across the surface of it, I could see flashes of a familiar hue. In the light cast in this dark place, I could see the cascade of my own rainbow fire.


    If it was even possible, the new arm that was forming was even flashier than the gold and silver of my previous one. T


    When the new arm was finished coalescing, I marveled at it. I could see notes of the design that Grey, Azarus, and I had created, but this almost seemed perfected. More than what even Aetherial Melding could do, the craftsmanship of the prosthesis was impeccable.


    Impossibly so.


    When it connected smoothly to the cap on my arm, I felt a jolt run up and down the connection. I flexed the fingers of my new arm almost disbelievingly before being interrupted by Tlazo speaking up. I had almost forgotten him, in the astonishment of gaining a new prosthesis. I was lucky I had never dropped the staff in the process.


    ¡°Primordium? I thought that was a myth!¡± The Lich asked disbelievingly, before scoffing in a disgusted manner. ¡°Ugh. You know what, I¡¯m done. I¡¯ve had enough shocks today. You can¡¯t surprise me anymore, any of you.¡±


    I wanted to chuckle at how downright grumpy Tlazo was acting, but something else caught my eye, even as more and more Aether was poured into me.


    Rhazal was shrinking.


    Where before the Godbound was taller than most castles I¡¯d seen, he was becoming smaller every minute that passed as more and more Aether was drained from him. Slowly, he regressed from castle sized, to house-sized¡­


    To human-sized.


    Now, he wasn¡¯t even as tall as the hulking evolved form of his own Revenants.


    The diminished Godbound clutched his taloned hands to his monstrous head and screamed. But not in the soul speak he had been in.


    No, this was the physical voice he had tried to bargain with me in.


    ¡°WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!¡± He bellowed into the suddenly much clearer air. The murk that followed him around seemed to have almost entirely cleared out from this space. It didn¡¯t even matter that it was supposed to have been his own.


    He didn¡¯t have the power to maintain it, anymore.


    Tarus chuckled maliciously, seemingly much happier with this course of action now that Rhazal had been humbled.


    We told you, shadow.


    Your strength has been taken and equalized between you and the Precursor.


    Now a duel between you will be much fairer.


    He trailed off into a series of chortles that caused flares to erupt from the surface of his sun. Elys picked up for him, now that he was too busy being satisfied.


    If you manage to win the duel¡­then the strength will be returned to you.


    But only if you win.


    Nathaniel.


    I nearly jumped at being so directly addressed, but restrained the impulse. Instead, I cleared my throat, curling my new hand into a fist and coughing into it. ¡°Ah¡­yes?¡±


    Do not worry about the taint of Rhazal afflicting you from¡­this.


    Although we are outside the purview of the System, here in the Concord, you are protected.


    His corruption will not touch you.


    Unfortunately, that means you won¡¯t be able to keep the power if YOU win the duel.


    It will disperse instead.


    Uh.


    Well, I hadn¡¯t been worried about being corrupted until you said it had been a possibility, but thanks for heading that off? I restrained the impulse to mouth off to a Greater Spirit and merely nodded at the giant moon.


    That seemed to be enough for her.


    Now.


    Let the duel begin.


    Both Rhazal and I began to be lowered to the ground beneath us, with the diminished Godbound thrashing and screaming all the while. I found my feet almost easily, but¡­


    Not so much for Rhazal.


    The servant of Ixiah stumbled around almost drunkenly on taloned feet, seeming almost unable to hold himself up under his own power. He¡­was suddenly much less intimidating, now that we had apparently been ¡®equalized¡¯.


    I don¡¯t even know what that meant. I didn¡¯t even feel that much stronger, physically, which was confusing. I cautiously took a step forward, fearing I would be as unsteady as Rhazal.


    But no. I could control my body just fine. I had been worried for a moment that I would suffer the opposite problem of him, and crater the ground beneath me in a display of unexpected might.


    However, the movement seemed to have caught the attention of Rhazal. He suddenly turned his crimson eyes in my direction and snarled. ¡°You¡­,¡± He hissed. ¡°This is all YOUR fault! I will feast on your soul for A THOUSAND YEARS FOR THIS INDIGNITY!¡±


    At that, Rhazal broke out into a stumbling clumsy run in my direction, nearly tripping over his own feet as he did so. When he reached me, I just¡­leaned out of the way of his claw swipe.


    And then the next.


    And the next.


    It was¡­pathetically easy to dodge the Godbound¡¯s ¡®blows¡¯. I had faced more adversity from regular monsters in the wilds of Vereden. Hell, I¡¯d had to pay more attention to the flailings of the deformed monsters created by the Break Stones. Rhazal didn''t have an ounce of real skill in his monstrous form. I suppose that, since he had been born with all of his power, he had never needed to develop it. Not only that, but we seemed to be, like the Spirits had mentioned, nearly equal in strength and speed. They had taken a damned Calamity, and drained him down to the level of someone that hadn''t even passed the first breakpoint.


    This was almost¡­sad.


    Almost.


    Few things probably deserved this humiliation more.


    Tlazo apparently agreed. ¡°How the mighty have fallen,¡± He said, deep, deep satisfaction in his disincorporated voice. ¡°Disperse ME, will you? HA! This is incredibly cathartic.¡±


    A voice boomed out from above, startling me enough that Rhazal nearly managed to hit me.


    Nearly.


    DO GET ON WITH IT, PRECURSOR.


    I UNDERSTAND PLAYING WITH YOUR FOOD, BUT WE DON¡¯T HAVE ALL DAY.


    Wow. I¡­don¡¯t think I was interested in crossing Neris. She sounded a bit¡­viscous.


    But she was still right. This entire ¡®duel¡¯ was a forgone conclusion.


    It was time to finish this. And I might as well do it with the Skill that had called the Great Spirits here in the first place.


    I looked down at the stave in my right hand, and shrugged.


    Well, it had worked earlier, even if it wasn¡¯t supposed to. Might as well see if it would work again.


    I pointed Tlazo¡¯s staff at the charging, frothing-at-the-mouth form of Rhazal, and mentally triggered The Scintillant Blade.


    When I did, I was finally able to see the power that had been gifted to me.


    A colossal blade of pure, condensed rainbow fire instantly sprang into being before me, longer than a house. The glare from the construct was so bright that it instantly outshone both the representations of Elys and Tarus, casting deep, dancing, prismatic shadows through the Concord. It was so massive that I didn¡¯t even need to do anything with it, much less swing at Rhazal.


    It had sliced him in half in an instant, after all. With his reduced strength, little skill, and blinding rage, the ''Calamity'' had run straight into the point of the construct. His legs and lower arms slid forward underneath the gigantic blade that had bisected him, while his upper half rested on top of it. The dying Godbound only had enough time to blink at me in disbelief before I almost instinctively canceled the skill, sending his torso flopping to the ground.


    ¡°How¡­¡± Rhazal was only able to whisper before he dissolved into black smoke. All that remained of the former Calamity wisped upwards into the air of the Concord¡­


    And dispersed, forever.


    Above me, I heard Tarus breathe in deeply, before letting out a satisfied sigh.


    Ah¡­


    Contentment.

 Chapter 209 - Moonlit Guide

    When the last wisp of Rhazal¡¯s vanishing soul dissipated into its component Aether, I doubled over in sudden weakness. I clutched desperately at Tlazo¡¯s staff to keep me standing.


    All of the strength and power that had been given to me by the Great Spirits was suddenly flowing out of me. It was like there was a spigot on my soul that had suddenly opened its valve at full strength, and was dumping the Aether right out of me.


    A faint mist was visible to my exhausted eyes, as it wisped off of my dirty, battle-stained body.


    When at last the draining of my borrowed strength had ceased, something in the core of me ached a tad. It was exactly painful, but it wasn¡¯t pleasant. If I had to equate the sensation to anything, it would be equivalent to the soreness of muscles after a particularly hard workout. Something intrinsic to me had been stretched its limit, from the meddling of Elys and her companions.


    Speaking of¡­


    Above me, the Great Spirits were holding one final exchange.


    Well!


    That¡¯s one annoyance taken care of.


    Elys sounded out, sounding particularly self-satisfied. Orus sighed in answer, a sound akin to the rumblings of an avalanche.


    IF THAT¡¯S ALL, I¡¯M GOING BACK TO SLEEP.


    I HAVE LITTLE INTEREST IN THE AFFAIRS OF MORTALS THESE DAYS.


    The gigantic representation of a mountain began to fade from the space we were in, only pausing momentarily when Neris spoke up again.


    DO HOLD ON, MY DEAR.


    I HAVE SOMETHING TO DISCUSS WITH YOU, WHILE YOU¡¯RE STILL AWAKE.


    FOLLOW ME TO MY REALM AND WE CAN SPEAK ABOUT IT THERE.


    Orus sighed once more, sounding very much like a cranky old man, but acquiesced.


    VERY WELL, BUT BE QUICK ABOUT IT.


    At that, both the wave of Neris and the peak of Orus faded away, leaving only the moon of Elys, the sun of Tarus, and the mist of Anima in the surroundings.


    Tarus broke the surprisingly awkward silence that had descended on us. For as proud and sometimes nearly malicious as he¡¯d sounded in the confrontation with Rhazal, now he just sounded¡­sad.


    Elys¡­


    Was this entire set of circumstances...by design?


    I blinked at the odd words coming the representation of the Vereden''s star. Design? What...did he mean by that?


    Was Tarus implying that...I was meant to be here? That Grey''s lover had wanted me to be the one to kill Rhazal? I...didn''t know to feel about that, and I''m not sure I had the mental strength to contemplate it.


    Elys, conspicuously, did not answer. A quick roll of shadow rolled across the face of her silvery surface for a moment, impossibly fast. I had no idea what that meant.


    Tarus seemed to, where I did not. A sigh escaped him, sending a flare jetting out from his surface. The fires of his sun almost roiled dejectedly, as he spoke next.


    Old habits truly die hard for us, don''t they, my love?


    You cannot stop yourself from meddling.


    Anything for the next generation, after all.


    That seemed to be enough to snap Elys out of silence. When next she spoke, there was a note of coldness present in her voice that I had only heard when she addressed Rhazal.


    I am no longer your love, Tarus.


    That age is past us.


    You forsook me first, with your dalliance with that¡­strumpet.


    But enough with this.


    These are private matters, and not for the ears of others.


    Nathaniel.


    I blinked slowly up at the moon, who had just shifted her rays of light to shine down on me. I had been leaning on my borrowed staff, just watching the odd spat between celestial bodies and trying to catch my breath. But now, I straightened up since I¡¯d been directly addressed by my mentor''s apparent lover. Moments later, I felt Tarus¡¯s attention fall on me as well, warming me in this void.


    Well done on slaying Rhazal.


    I knew you could do it.


    Even if we had to do all the heavy lifting ourselves.


    Tarus grumbled, but without any heat to it. Elys just ignored him.


    Unfortunately, this isn¡¯t completely over for you.


    I felt a bolt of adrenaline roll down my spine at her words. ¡°Wait, what do you mean? I thought Rhazal was dead!¡±


    Well¡­


    His soul is dead, to be certain.


    Anima said, finally speaking once more. She had remained conspicuously silent during the entire exchange between the two celestial bodies.


    Elys picked up after her.


    But not his body.


    Unlike you, he was not wholly transferred into the Concord.


    His corporeal form still awaits you out in the physical.


    And you¡¯ll have to deal with it.


    Fortunately, it¡¯s just a husk at this point, with no driving will behind it.


    It should be a fairly simple affair for you to dispatch.


    Tarus appeared to finally shake off his attitude and melancholy and addressed me in a much more reasonable tone then.


    With the death of the driving mind, Rhazal¡¯s Revenants have dissipated back into their component Aether.


    His shadow is slowly fading as well, and I begin to shine on Herztal once more.


    The attunement has been halted, but not before a milestone was reached.


    The danger is not yet passed.


    There was a grim tone to the proud voice of Tarus, while the implications of what he was saying sunk in.


    ¡°There¡¯s¡­still a chance Ixiah could come back?¡± I said, dread in my voice.


    Possibly.


    But only while Rhazal¡¯s body remains on this side as an anchor for her to latch onto.


    That which bars her from Vereden has weakened enough that she might be able to do so.


    Which means we need to get you out of here, and back into the real, so you can deal with it.


    I wanted to sag in place at Anima¡¯s explanation, just from the sheer exhaustion of it all.


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    Hadn¡¯t I done enough already? Hadn¡¯t I given enough, sacrificed enough, to prevent this catastrophe? I just wanted to lie down and sleep for the next week after everything that had happened. During the entire confrontation with Rhazal that I''d been numb to the world. Fear and uncertainty hadn''t touched me, much less thoughts of what could have happened if I had failed.


    But not anymore. They rolled over me in waves, and I barely held it together under the light of both Great Spirits.


    I didn¡¯t want to deal with any of this anymore. All I wanted was for someone to come and rescue me from the burden of having to be the savior.


    But¡­that was being denied to me.


    I closed my eyes, took a deep breath to try and stave off my exhaustion, and straightened as best as I could.


    ¡°Alright,¡± I said tiredly. ¡°What do I need to do?¡±


    Elys answered me, regret in her tone.


    Since you were brought here physically, it would normally be quite difficult to send you back.


    Fortunately, there¡¯s an anchor we can rely upon to guide you to Vereden.


    The youngest of my children, of whom you have a connection with.


    ¡°¡­Fade?¡± I asked her, confused. I looked around in the dark space I stood in, illuminated by the representations of the Sun and the Moon. I sure didn¡¯t see a horned wolf anywhere near me.


    Yes.


    I already briefed him and Taran on the situation, and my oldest son will help transport him here.


    One moment while I call him.


    Elys fell silent, and the glow of her moon went dim for a moment. I was going to speak again to ask some questions, but I didn¡¯t have the chance.


    She flared to her full brilliance again suddenly, and with it, cast a ray of moonlight down onto the surface of the concord to my right.


    To my astonishment, the moonlight thickened, slowly shifting into a quadrupedal form wrought from her radiance. Details began to emerge as the construct began to display lupine traits I had grown familiar with. Fur and fangs and finally¡­


    Horns.


    A silvery imitation of the companion I had left behind in T?r Gronn stood beside me. After a moment, it blinked its eyes open, revealing startling emerald green eyes. They look around for a moment in confusion, before settling on me. The young wolf¡¯s ears perked up, and then something happened that nearly caused me to fall over in shock.


    It spoke.


    ¡°Nate!¡± The construct of Fade said excitedly, rearing up on its hind legs and setting its forelegs on my chest. ¡®Fade¡¯ was big enough now that he was able to lean up and start licking my face enthusiastically, speaking in between each one. ¡°It feels like forever since I saw you!¡±


    I cautiously set my hands on the silvery clone of Fade. He felt real enough to me, even though he very clearly wasn¡¯t actually here in the Concord like I was. A disbelieving smile crossed my face, even as I felt tears well up in my eyes. I couldn¡¯t stop myself from collapsing to my knees and burying my face in his illuminated fur. I didn¡¯t care about displaying even the smallest weakness in front of the Great Spirits.


    I was¡­just so happy to see anyone that I really, truly cared about right now.


    ¡°Nathan?¡± Fade asked me, confusion in his incongruously present voice. ¡°Are you alright? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    I closed my eyes, hidden from the world in his coat. ¡°A lot has happened recently, that¡¯s all,¡± I said quietly.


    Fade made a confused noise in the back of his throat, but it was Anima who spoke next, in a gentle tone.


    You¡¯re almost done, Nathaniel.


    One last service, and you can rest.


    Come.


    With young Fade¡¯s help, I will lead you back to the physical world.


    Brother, Sister.


    She said, directing her words up at Elys and Tarus.


    I¡¯ll take it from here.


    Elys and Tarus took the obvious dismissal in surprisingly good grace.


    As you say, Sister.


    We¡¯ll speak later.


    And Nathaniel¡­


    Thank you for your sacrifices.


    Do not worry.


    My beloved will be with you, ere long.


    At that, Elys¡¯s moon faded from the shadows of the Concord, leaving me with only Anima and Tarus. Said sun¡¯s attention was on me, in an almost considering way.


    Well.


    I''ll say this.


    You¡¯re more tolerable than your pirate mentor.


    You can at least create a decent blaze.


    Maybe we can work something out at a later date.


    Till then, Precursor.


    Finally, I was left alone in the resulting silence with only Anima, and the construct of Fade.


    Up you go, Nathaniel.


    It¡¯s time to go home.


    I took a deep breath, lifted my face from the illusionary fur of Fade, picked up Tlazo¡¯s staff, and leveraged myself to my feet. But I kept one hand on the nearly waist-high head of Fade.


    Home, huh.


    I guess...Vereden really was home, these days.


    Follow the trail, and I shall lead you back to Elderwyck¡­


    At that, the diffuse green mist of Anima all around me transformed itself. Now, there was a nearly solid green trail etched into the surface of the Concord. I took it for the invitation that it was, and set foot on it, Fade at my side.


    As we walked, I cast an eye down at Fade. ¡°So,¡± I said quietly, my voice echoing in the silence around us. ¡°How have you been? Learn anything cool from Taran yet?¡±


    Fade¡¯s muzzle scrunched up before he shook his shaggy head. He nearly speared me with his growing rack of horns, but the young wolf was conscious enough of them not to. ¡°No, not really,¡± He said grumpily. ¡°That old fogey has mostly been lecturing me about a bunch of boring stuff. The most exciting thing we¡¯ve done is hunt, honestly.¡±


    I smiled at the almost teenagerly churlish answer from him, fighting a chuckle. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve only been with him a few weeks,¡± I said. ¡°Give it some time. I¡¯m sure Taran will get to the fun stuff soon.¡±


    Fade snorted, brushing his head against my lead. ¡°I guess,¡± He said sullenly, before perking up. ¡°But I wish I was with you. I guess things got a little crazy after I left. Is¡­everyone alright?¡± He said, looking up at me. ¡°Sylvia and that dwarf guy that was with you?¡±


    My smile faded and I looked away from him. I was almost tempted to lie, but¡­I didn¡¯t want to be that kind of person. ¡°No,¡± I said softly. ¡°Sylvia is¡­hurt, and needs help from Grey. And Hook¡­¡± I stopped for a moment, before continuing roughly. ¡°Hook didn¡¯t make it.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Fade said in a whisper, his ears drooping. He didn¡¯t say anything after that. He just curled his tail around my right leg, in an obvious attempt to comfort me.


    Which, honestly?


    I appreciated.


    We walked along the viridian path Anima had laid out for us in silence after that. It wasn¡¯t strained, though. It felt more like the two of us were drawing strength from each other.


    The journey didn¡¯t take much longer. After an indeterminable amount of time, the shape of a large door suddenly appeared at the end of the path. It was a plain door, wooden in make with a large emerald set into the surface of it. I just stared at it for a moment, at the incongruous appearance of the apparent portal to the real world, here in the land of shadows.


    I huffed a small, mirthless laugh.


    Meanwhile, Anima was finally speaking up again, after letting Fade and I have our walk together.


    This is where I leave you.


    Please hurry and dispatch the carcass of Rhazal.


    Young Fade can¡¯t follow you out there, so I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re on your own for this.


    And Nathaniel?


    I looked over at where I thought she was, away from the portal. "Yeah?"


    Fret not over the machinations of my sister.


    She thinks she has more power over these matters than she truly does.


    Your will has not been tampered with.


    You were simply in the right place, at the right time, for the right task.


    Well.


    That was...ominous and slightly comforting at the same time. Something tickled in the back of my mind then, and I suddenly remembered the words Nerexxa had spoken to me.


    Providence, huh?


    Not sure I believe in that.


    I''d freak out about it later.


    I nodded and knelt down to hug the illusionary form of my companion once again, with him returning it as well as he was able to.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to stop by once the war is over,¡± I whispered to him, in his lupine ear. ¡°Until then, take care.¡±


    ¡°You take care,¡± Fade whispered back. ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re getting into too much trouble without me.¡±


    I snorted and stood up. ¡°Maybe,¡± I murmured, before speaking louder. ¡°Goodbye, Fade.¡±


    Fade looked up at me sadly for a moment before replying. ¡°Goodbye, Nate.¡±


    I dragged my gaze away from Fade¡¯s and turned around. Approaching the door, I laid one hand on the bronze doorknob and twisted it. Before I could lose my nerve, I opened it, barely registering the bright pane of white light on the other side, and stepped through.


    From one moment to the next, I was back.


    I was in Elderwyck once more. It was dark, I noticed.


    But not the dark of Rhazal¡¯s murk. Instead, it just looked overcast, like it was about to rain or snow on the ravaged city. Faint rays of sunlight peaked through the cloud cover allowing me to see my surroundings better.


    I stood at the foot of Fort Duality, thankfully not appearing in midair from where I had been taken into the Concord.


    Above lay the near corpse of Rhazal, slumped over in the ruins of the castle. His monstrous head was bowed over his chest, and on said chest, his folded wings had drooped to brush against the stone of the courtyard. His eyes were open and staring at nothing, not a spark of awareness in that titanic gaze.


    From in between his legs, a small wisping circle of his murk still shrouded the Portal Stone.


    I just looked up at him dully. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with,¡± I said quietly. I looked at the staff in my hand, now grown silent. I was surprised Tlazo hadn¡¯t spoken up before I had left the Concord, but maybe that was for the best. I don¡¯t know what else we had to say to each other. Still, I couldn¡¯t count on being able to use this thing out in the real world. I had no idea of any of my Skills would even work with it, and the Lich probably couldn''t talk to me anymore.


    I approached the wall of the Fort, and gently rested the stave against the stone.


    I¡¯d come back for it.


    For Rhazal, I needed a different weapon.


    Backing away, I pointed my new ¡®Primordium¡¯ hand up at the scales of Rhazal¡¯s limp head, drew one of my Oninite daggers with my right, and cast Thorn Grapple. The Skill flew from my new hand with an ease even my old prosthetic hadn¡¯t managed, quickly latching onto one of the scales of his head. In moments, I had flown up to rest feet first on the disgusting crown of Rhazal.


    I knelt and rested the dagger point down on the head. Taking a deep breath, I activated The Scintillant Blade, for a moment wondering if it would spear out into a monstrous sword again as it had against my target¡¯s soul. But no, the Skill functioned like normal, coating my weapon in cascading rainbow fire.


    Letting a relieved breath out, I looked down and contemplated my target. For a moment, I thought about saying something pithy. Something to the effect of ¡®Die, monster!¡¯. But¡­


    I didn¡¯t bother.


    I just wanted this to be over.


    I depressed the switch on my dagger and it extended to its full length instantly, piercing through the scales easily to find the brain within. I was nearly knocked from my perch when the titanic body under my feet jerked in place, causing my heart to pick up in sudden fear that Rhazal wasn¡¯t truly dead.


    But no.


    It was just death throes.


    Beneath me, the gargantuan body of the Godbound began to dissolve into Miasma from the feet up, signaling his final, true death.


    It was done.


    I heaved a sigh of relief and went to retract my spear. But a familiar sensation stopped me.


    At the point of contact with Rhazal¡¯s flesh, deep inside of his brain, I felt a spark. Involuntarily, I began to draw in environmental Aether, in a process that had only happened to me a handful of times.


    My eyes widened in sudden panic. I didn¡¯t know what this could do to me, but I didn¡¯t want to find out. ¡°No, no, no, no, NO!¡± I almost screamed, trying to yank my spear out of the Calamity. ¡°Not now, not with him!¡±


    But I didn¡¯t have a choice.


    I was stealing a Skill, and I couldn¡¯t stop it.

 Chapter 210 - Ray of Survival

    ¡°YOU DIDN¡¯T EVEN HAVE A STATUS, YOU ASSHOLE!¡± I screamed into the air of Elderwyck, trying to yank my glowing spear out of Rhazal¡¯s skull before I stole a ¡®Skill¡¯ from him. If that was even what I was stealing.


    But I wasn¡¯t quick enough.


    I braced myself as best as I could for what was coming¡­but nothing could prepare me for it.


    Suddenly, a flood of disgusting, corrupted, almost smoky feeling Aether shot up the connection formed by my weapon with the Calamity¡¯s corpse.


    When it reached me, it was like a dirty bomb went off in my head. The world went dark around me, my sight suddenly cutting out in a panic-inducing mirror of my restored right eye. Without my prompting, it felt like my body was covered with a greasy misting of smoke, swirling all about my form.


    Oh.


    Wait.


    No, that was because I was falling.


    In the moments that I had been blinded both mentally and physically by whatever I was stealing from Rhazal, the dissolution of the Godbound¡¯s physical form had completed. I was now in free fall, plunging through the foul-smelling, grimy clouds of Miasma generated from his death. Panicked, I tried to throw out several Thorn Grapple¡¯s with both hands even though I still couldn¡¯t see. I was hoping, praying that one of them would connect with one of the crumbling towers of Fort Duality before I hit the ground.


    They didn¡¯t.


    Impact.


    I hit the crumbling, shattered stone, and my head bounced off it.


    I blacked out.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    I don¡¯t know how long I was out of it, after I had fallen. But slowly, slowly, consciousness started to return to me.


    Only, slightly, though. I was barely aware of my surroundings as my mind swam through what felt like a lake of tar to awareness.


    I gazed blankly up at the clouded skies above me as it started to rain. I didn¡¯t even flinch as the drizzle slowly began to soak my ravaged form.


    At least as I was able to see still. I had that going on at least.


    I don¡¯t know how long I lay there, barely able to form a thought in either my core or outer rings. But, eventually, a noise pierced the fog that had descended on my mind. It was odd. It almost sounded like there was someone pounding on a massive, impenetrable pane of glass somewhere to my left. Sluggishly, I turned my unfocused gaze that way from where I was lying to see what it was.


    Ah.


    I could see where I had fallen, now. I hadn¡¯t fallen all the way to the foot of the ruined Fort like I had thought. Instead, I had landed not far from the all-important Portal Stone which had been the true focus of everything that had happened.


    The noise was coming from it.


    I don¡¯t know if it was just my head wound, but it looked like something was trying to almost¡­break out of it. On the other side of the emerald pane of crystal on the front of the Stone, etched with a seven armed spiral, something lurked. Repeatedly, a scaled, taloned arm was crashing into the other side of it, looking like it inhabited a space that existed wholly on the other side of the glass.


    Bang¡­bang¡­bang¡­


    Even through the haze I had descended into, it was terrifying. The surface of the crystal was hazy, but I could still see through it like it was a clouded window. Behind the indistinct figure, a swirl of dark red Aether, so similar to that of Nerexxa¡¯s, spun slowly, illuminating the vaguely feminine figure. They never stopped their blows against the crystal, sending crashing noises echoing out through the rainy city. I¡­it was loud enough that I think the entire city had to be able to hear this.


    Bang¡­bang¡­bang¡­


    And then nothing.


    The crashing stopped, and something else appeared at the crystal that terrified me.


    A face.


    But¡­not, at the same time.


    It was as if the features of the thing on the other side of the crystal existed on a plane of existence higher than my own. I couldn¡¯t see or perceive a thing about it. I knew there was a face there¡­but that was it. Nothing about them was truly perceptible. Not on a level I could fathom.


    The not-eyes in the face that wasn¡¯t there roved around the world beyond the crystal, before settling on me. They narrowed my way suspiciously, but after a moment, non-existent eye ridges raised in surprise. Moments later, a glower emerged on features that didn''t exist.


    ¡°I should have known,¡± A disgusted, feminine voice echoed out from beyond the crystal. ¡°Of course it would be a Precursor that ruined things. It¡¯s all your kind are good for, in the end. Wrack and ruin trail in your wake like flies on shit.¡±


    The voice wasn¡¯t as heavy as Rhazal¡¯s soul speak had been, but it still wasn¡¯t pleasant to hear. What was worse, was that my core ring wasn¡¯t able to shield me from the effects of it, as it was reeling from what I was starting to suspect was a concussion.


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    Something at the core of me pulsed in response to the voice.


    Something dark.


    Somehow, the non-being noticed. ¡°Oh? Hah. Ha ha ha! At the very least, that failure Rhazal was able to inflict one last curse upon you, interloper! I may not be able to return, but at least the thought of his last gift to you will warm me in the storm.¡± The thing in the crystal sighed, before backing away enough that their face wasn¡¯t nearly smashed up against it. Now, I could see the whole of their form other than their face. That remained shrouded in dimensions beyond my understanding.


    They reminded me of Nerexxa in a way. Only¡­more.


    I didn¡¯t have the words to describe them more than that.


    They defied explanation.


    ¡°I only regret I won¡¯t be able to see the misery you will endure because of it. Still, a decent consolation prize, even though this surprise possibility didn¡¯t pan out,¡± The voice mused, before flicking a taloned hand almost dismissively. ¡°Oh well. Goodbye, Precursor. Suffer well for me.¡±


    The indistinct figure deliberately turned its back and slowly started to saunter away into the vortex of bloody Aether behind them. In moments they had passed through the eye of the spiral and disappeared from sight, swallowed whole.


    The Aether on the other side of the crystal winked out. In fact, a charge that had been present in the air I had barely noticed vanished as well. The last wisps of Rhazal¡¯s murk that had been swirling around the Portal Stone dissipated with the Miasma, and the world went quiet but for the pitter-patter of raindrops.


    I limply turned uncomprehending eyes back to the heavens, uncaring as to individual drops falling into them. I didn¡¯t flinch on each impact, nor did I even react as a small puddle began to form underneath my prone form.


    Instead, I felt my consciousness began to fade.


    But my core ring had recovered enough that it could muse things over, even as my outer ring lost awareness completely. The world started to go fully dark all around me, and I didn¡¯t care at all.


    Somewhere, deep inside me, I knew that it was over. The crisis that had threatened to consume all of Vereden in divine malice had been, somehow, averted through a series of last-minute saves.


    And I didn¡¯t care. Instead, I was just relieved that my personal struggles were, for the moment, over.


    Nerexxa had schemed for years and years to engineer the circumstances that would lead to Rhazal¡¯s awakening, and the possible return of her mistress. Only to be slain at the last minute by an apathetic Lich that had been blackmailed into dealing with her, after previously being turned down by him.


    More than she deserved, honestly.


    Rhazal had slept for eons, waiting for the day he would be called upon to do his duty once more. I¡¯m not sure if that thing even had real emotions or desires before I killed him, but I couldn¡¯t help but hope he did. It would be a fitting punishment for such an ancient monster, to feel the hopelessness and misery he had likely inflicted on countless others in both the present, and the ancient past.


    And Ixiah¡­


    Well, if that had been her at the Stone like I thought it might be¡­


    It seemed like she didn¡¯t care at all about either of their struggles.


    I couldn¡¯t help but find the entire thing incredibly ironic. I would have laughed if I had the strength for it.


    Instead, my core ring closed my eyes and prepared to drift off into unconsciousness. I couldn¡¯t stave it off any longer. Idly, as darkness closed in, I wondered.


    Would I even wake up again? Maybe my injuries from the fall were too much. Maybe the puddle I lay in would grow, and I would drown on dry land in the shallow rain. Here lies the mighty Precursor, bane of Calamities. Slain by precipitation.


    Hah¡­


    At the last moment, before the world fled, a faint light pierced my eyelids. I couldn¡¯t open them, but it was warm and comforting. It was as if a ray of sunlight had pierced the clouded skies to shine down upon me and me alone.


    It was¡­nice.


    At that, I embraced the darkness once more.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    I almost didn¡¯t want to wake up. I wanted to stay in the cool, comforting nothingness of sleep I had drifted into. No thoughts or worries weighed me down, in this void. No mysterious Spirits intruded upon the vastness of my sleep. No Vampires or Calamities were threatening entire planets, here in my unconsciousness. I didn¡¯t have to wonder if anyone I knew in Elderwyck had survived the chaos of the last few days.


    There was only emptiness.


    Sadly, I didn¡¯t have a choice.


    As if from a great distance, I became aware of a sensation.


    I was shaking. No¡­


    I was being shaken. The faintest impression of a hand rested lightly on my shoulder and was trying to draw me from my slumber.


    Ah¡­


    Go away¡­


    A voice pierced my comfortable void. ¡°Nate¡­you¡­get up¡­¡±


    That voice was¡­a bit familiar.


    ¡°Nate¡­fine¡­¡± The voice continued, sounding mildly exasperated.


    Wait, wasn¡¯t that¡­Renauld?


    That fact pierced straight through both my outer and core rings, sending a bolt of sleep-erasing adrenaline racing down my spine.


    Renauld!


    My eyes popped open, and I immediately sat up straight from wherever I was. This was a mistake for multiple reasons.


    The first was that the world spun around me from the sudden movement, turning the adrenaline that had filled me into stomach-churning nausea.


    The second was that my head had instantly collided with the skull of someone else. The only thing I saw in the seconds after opening my eyes was black and white fur.


    So¡­I guess I had headbutted Renauld right after waking up.


    My bad.


    My core ring thought this was hilarious, as my outer groaned aloud at the unintentional assault, flopping back down onto what felt like a bed. I heard Renauld stumble back from the blow, cursing, as I lay there in mortification. After a moment, I somehow mustered the will to live and opened my eyes once more.


    Looking around, I saw that I appeared to be in a¡­Healer¡¯s¡­¡®shop¡¯? Healer¡¯s office?


    It looked more like a repurposed butcher¡¯s shop, honestly. All around me were people in varying states of wellness lying unconscious on cots, lined up neatly against the walls. Some looked to be in¡­very rough states, to be honest, while others just looked to be unconscious. Some were awake, some were moaning, and moving between them were what seemed to be either harried nurses or overwhelmed volunteers.


    Still, they seemed to be handling things well enough.


    Speaking of nurses¡­.


    It had been Renauld that I had headbutted, alright. The Gnoll was standing next to my own cot and rubbing his head from where I had smacked right into it.


    I took in the sight him for just a moment, a bit of relief rolling over me. I¡­in all of the chaos over the last few days, I had forgotten that Renauld had still been in the city. With the assault on the warehouse, my capture, and then fucking everything with Nerexxa and Rhazal, he just¡­hadn¡¯t been a priority.


    Which I felt honestly terrible about. But thankfully, he seemed to have pulled through the nightmare that had fallen on Elderwyck.


    Renauld was wearing his Healer¡¯s robes once more, and they were coated in bloodstains. The Gnoll himself was frankly exhausted looking, which made sense to me. I¡¯m¡­not sure how long I had been unconscious for, or how I had even been rescued from my deadly puddle, but surely disaster relief had started by now. It made sense that a Healer would find themselves in constant demand after the Revenants had ravaged the twin cities.


    I took a deep breath, and with some effort, stood up and approached the Gnoll. He stopped rubbing his head at my approach, looking up just in time to be surprised at what I did next.


    I wrapped the fox-like man in a rough hug, letting out a long, relieved breath. ¡°You made it¡­¡± I whispered over his head.


    Tentatively, Renauld returned the grasp, slumping in his fatigue. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± He breathed an entire solemn story in that one word.


    ¡°Somehow, we both did¡­¡±

 Chapter 211 - What Remains

    I accepted the glass of water from Renauld from my place sitting back on the cot. Said Gnoll sat next to me on it, flopping onto the thin sheets with a sigh. We sat in silence for a moment, and after I had finished guzzling the liquid, I broke it. ¡°So, how did you make it?¡±


    Renauld cut his eyes my way, deep bags visible underneath them even through his fur. ¡°Mainly due to the band,¡± He said, referencing his merc company that was seeming less and less like a cover. ¡°When that crazy thing demolished Fort Duality and the Revenants started popping up, we commandeered a local Guardhouse. We¡­tried to shelter as many civilians as we could through the slaughter, but¡­¡± He shuddered. ¡°It was a bloodbath out there, Nate. I don¡¯t know if you were in Elderwyck at the time, but I think at least a quarter of the population here got eaten. Probably more.¡±


    I nodded quietly at his statement. I¡­remember thinking that it must be pretty damn bad in Elderwyck, while we were skulking through Tlatec. I wasn¡¯t very happy to have been proven right.


    ¡°So, we¡¯re in Elderwyck then,¡± I said, trying to take his mind off of whatever had happened to him. ¡°How did I get here? Last thing I remember I was¡­blacking out after a fall at the Fort.¡± I paused for a moment, examining myself. ¡°How long was I even out for? I wasn¡¯t in great shape when I was knocked out, and I¡¯m fine now.¡±


    Maybe he had healed me? There was no way I had been out for long enough for my Status to take care of my injuries.


    ¡°Oh, so you don¡¯t remember then,¡± Renauld said, nodding to himself. ¡°It was actually Honoka that rescued you.¡±


    I jerked in place at that, my eyes widening. Honoka was here? I almost instinctually looked around for her, but there was no point to that. I have no doubt the older woman would have made herself known by now if she had been. ¡°Where is she?¡± I said in shock. ¡°How did she even get here so quickly? Is¡­Grey here too?¡± I said, hope in my voice. I stood up quickly, the thought of both of them reminding me of someone just as important to me that needed help.


    Renauld stood up as well. ¡°Uh, well,¡± He stuttered a little, taken aback by my sudden energy. ¡°The Army and the Headmaster aren¡¯t here, no. It¡¯s just Honoka. According to her, the Headmaster knew they wouldn¡¯t get here quick enough to help with the Calamity, so he sent her on ahead. She apparently flew the entire way here.¡±


    I cursed, my hopes dashed. Still, if I knew Honoka at all, she was probably frantically looking for someone we both cared about. I was a little startled she hadn¡¯t been there at my bedside to demand if I knew where she was. ¡°Where is she?¡± I asked him urgently, before another thought occurred to me. ¡°Have you seen another Gnoll too?! A female, with white fur!¡± For a dread-inducing moment, I was terrified at the possibility that Liora had been killed in the brief period between when I had left her, and when Rhazal had been slain. What if a new Revenant had been spawned, and it had found her helpless, unconscious body?


    Thankfully, those fears were put to rest.


    ¡°Calm down,¡± A quiet female voice said from behind me. ¡°I¡¯m right here, Hart.¡±


    A feeling of relief so intense that I nearly passed out again swept over me, because I recognized that voice. I steadied myself and turned around, to see a very welcome sight, standing in the doorway of the makeshift clinic.


    Liora.


    She looked to have cleaned up a little, as the last time I had seen her, she had been in torn and battle-dirtied Loyalist armor like I had. In fact, she wasn¡¯t wearing armor at all. The Gnoll woman was in civvies, stained with what looked like dust and blood and looking more than a bit tired.


    I couldn¡¯t help myself. I rapidly approached her, and swept her up in a hug like I had Renauld. She stiffened awkwardly but didn¡¯t get the chance to return the embrace before I pulled back and looked her in the eye, my hands clutching her shoulders desperately. ¡°Liora, we need to go get-¡± I tried to get out urgently, before Liora interrupted me.


    ¡°Whi-Sylvia,¡± She corrected herself. ¡°Has already been retrieved from the Lich¡¯s tomb, along with the girl. Lady Honoka is seeing to her at another location, while Isolde has been placed in protective custody.¡±


    I slumped in relief, letting out a long sigh. Suddenly aware of the grip I had on the Gnoll, I gingerly let go of her with a rough apology and stepped back. ¡°That¡¯s¡­good,¡± I breathed. ¡°Maybe Honoka can get her up again.¡±


    Unfortunately, Liora immediately dashed my hopes by shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± She said, slight regret in her voice. ¡°According to the Lady, the Lich was correct in his assessment. Whatever is keeping Sylvia asleep, it will require Grecyton¡¯s expertise to solve. She does not have the ability to diagnose her.¡±


    I nodded slowly, disappointed but unsurprised. ¡°As long as she¡¯s fine until then, I¡­suppose I¡¯ll just wait,¡± I said lowly. We stood around in silence for a moment, before Liora broke it.


    ¡°You were able to do it, then.¡± She said, in more of a statement, than a question. ¡°There are still questions among the citizenry about how the Calamity was slain, and by who.¡±


    ¡°After a fashion¡­yes,¡± I answered her, aware that it was way more complicated than me just out and out killing Rhazal. ¡°I did deal the final blow.¡±


    We were all startled, then, when the sound of a crash and then a slamming door echoed from the front door of the clinic. I hadn¡¯t been paying attention to anything over Liora¡¯s shoulder, so I hadn¡¯t caught it in time.


    But it looked like there had been an eavesdropper hanging around the front of the building, spying on my reunion with Liora. I only caught a brief glimpse of some random teenager scrambling as he took off down the street. For a moment, I was tempted to sprint out of the clinic and try and catch the little shit and ask what he was up to, but I¡­frankly I didn¡¯t have the strength to do so. I still felt too rung out from everything that had happened, with a queasiness in my stomach that hadn¡¯t disappeared since I¡¯d woken.


    Liora, Renauld, and a handful of the other nurses in here had seen the commotion as well. I cut my eyes over to my fellow ex-Agent. ¡°How much do you think he heard?¡±


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    Liora sighed. ¡°Enough, most likely,¡± She said tiredly. ¡°You can expect rumors of the man who slew the Calamity to start circulating on the streets before days end. You do have a distinctive apppeanance, after all,¡± She nodded at my exposed, Primordium prosthetic. As if in response to her attention, a brief cascade of reds and blues flowed over its surface. Shaking her head, she slapped a long black leather glove onto my chest. ¡°Here, cover that up. Perhaps it will help.¡±


    I murmured my thanks and slipped the glove over my prosthetic, thankful she had thought of something like that. I chalked it up to her greater experience in her¡­ now-defunct position. While I was doing that, she had sidled up to Renauld in order to have a brief whispered conversation with the other Gnoll. When she was done, she turned around and nodded at me. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ve filled Lady Honoka in all that I could, but she still wished to speak with you. Understandably¡­I¡¯m not aware of everything that happened.¡±


    I nodded to show my own understanding, and after exchanging my goodbyes with Renauld, we left the clinic behind.


    I braced myself as I stepped out into Elderwyck. Which was¡­a good idea.


    I had never seen a more war-torn place in my life. And I¡¯d seen my fair share of battlefields, by this point.


    The streets of Elderwyck were beyond ghastly. Bodies and gore were everywhere, and more than a few buildings had simply collapsed under the assault of the Revenants, spilling rubble into the streets of the city. Everywhere I looked, I only saw two kinds of living people. The first were completely shell-shocked and traumatized from the experience of running and hiding from Rhazal¡¯s creations. These people were either wandering in a daze, barely responding to the words of those around them, having to be led by the hands of kind workers. Or they were sitting wherever they could, sometimes in the middle of the shattered streets, and weeping to themselves.


    Either quietly, or very, very loudly.


    The second group was what gave me more hope, though. These people were doing what they could to help others. Everywhere I looked, people were stepping up to either tend to the stricken or clean the streets. Grim-faced survivors searched through rubble, pulling bodies from broken buildings to be loaded onto carts. Kind caregivers urged the near comatose out of the roads to quiet places where they could recover. Impromptu food lines had sprung up from the storefronts of restaurants and bistros, doling out soup and bread to the hungry. In a way, the people of Elderwyck were pulling together in the wake of tragedy.


    I only hoped Herztal could do the same.


    Liora noticed the way my gaze lingered on the aid workers, as she led me through the streets to wherever Honoka and Sylvia were set up. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing the same, since Rhazal was slain,¡± She said quietly. ¡°It¡¯s been perhaps five hours since then, and the degree to which the people have rallied is¡­commendable.¡±


    I glanced at her since her words had reminded me of something. I was almost afraid to broach the subject, but maybe¡­


    ¡°Have you went and looked for any hint of¡­¡± I trailed off, but Liora understood me. There was only one person that she would have gone looking for. Someone that¡­maybe could have survived their last charge. He had been strong enough, after all.


    Liora glanced at me for a moment and gave me a slight nod. Without speaking, she reached behind her to withdraw a familiar pair of daggers from a pouch.


    Hooked ones.


    I took a deep breath and looked away.


    Guess that answered that question.


    ¡°I¡­moved what remained to Lady Honoka¡¯s current residence,¡± Liora said quietly, a resigned sadness in her voice. I think it had been a faint hope that our leader would have survived his sacrifice, but it had been a hope nonetheless. I couldn¡¯t imagine how she was feeling.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say to a loss like that, despite my own familiarity with it. So I said nothing.


    I think Liora appreciated that, at the very least.


    We walked the rest of the way through the ruined streets of Elderwyck in silence.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Liora led me to a large, nearly palatial estate farther into the city. I had never been here, but I knew what it was, just from briefings.


    The old Ducal mansion, that had been donated to the Elderwyckian guard.


    I barely gave it more than a disinterested glance, as Liora led me up to the large, ostentatious wooden doors. The few guards that were watching their headquarters had barely given us more than a passing glance before waving us inside, apparently familiar with the sight of Liora.


    I was a bit surprised by this. Liora had an explanation, though.


    ¡°The war is a distant concern now,¡± She said, as we plodded along the path up to the manse. All around us in the garden were relief stations set up by both guards and volunteers. They looked to be more than busy with their work, so we didn¡¯t bother them. ¡°After the massacre up at the palace, none of them are interested in holding firm to an oath to a dead traitor. Come, the Lady is just inside.¡± She said, reaching for the handle of the double doors.


    However, both of us had to hastily step aside when they were blown open by a surprising group.


    Orcs.


    A group of five very rich and important-looking Orcs stalked out of the manse, either snarling in outrage or simply scowling. None of them gave us a second glance as they stalked back down the path we had just walked down. They practically shoved the wrought iron gate off of it¡¯s hinges at they left the guard headquarters behind.


    I blinked after them. ¡°Wonder what that¡¯s about?¡±


    ¡°Nothing good,¡± Liora said, unexpectedly grim. I looked at her in surprise, to see her shaking her head. ¡°From what I understand, Tlatec is furious about the losses they suffered from the Revenants. Their regional Governor is said to have lost his life in the fighting, and to make matters worse, they can¡¯t establish contact with the greater Empire. The Portal Stone is apparently malfunctioning, and they can¡¯t get through to Indiqua for instructions. And¡­they¡¯re blaming us.¡±


    I tilted my head in thought. ¡°Honestly?¡± I said aloud, before nodding. ¡°That¡¯s¡­fair. Nerexxa was impersonating a human noble, and¡­she¡¯s pretty much at fault for everything.¡±


    Liora just sighed but didn¡¯t contest my words. Instead, she led me inside of the manse and up from the large double stairs at the far end of the entry hall. Eventually, the Gnoll woman stopped at a door near the top of the building.


    It was pretty obvious that Honoka was inside.


    Because I could feel a furious, powerful presence radiating from the other side of it. It was like I was standing with my back to a bonfire, and I was being cooked slowly from it. I wasn¡¯t, but the sensation was extremely uncomfortable.


    God, this wasn¡¯t helping my roiling stomach.


    ¡°This is where I leave you,¡± Liora said, doing her best to ignore the presence. I shot her a betrayed look, causing her to just shrug. ¡°I can still give more in the relief efforts. I cannot give more, by being shouted at. I¡¯ll¡­see you later, Hart.¡± At that, the Gnoll woman gave me a nod and turned back the way we came.


    ¡°Bye¡­¡± I trailed off lamely, to Liora¡¯s retreating back. I shook my head at my own silliness. I mean, it¡¯s not like Honoka was going to hurt me or something. I had no reason to be afraid of her. I firmed my will and reached out for the doorknob.


    I yelped and yanked it back when the flesh of my exposed hand sizzled slightly from the head of the metal.


    Okay, maybe she would. What the hell had her riled up so much? It¡¯s not like Sylvia was dead, after all. Just¡­comatose.


    Whatever, I¡¯d just ask her.


    I reached out with my gloved hand, and gingerly opened the door.


    On the other side of it the room was a heat haze that filled the air. I only had a moment to be relieved by the sight of a seemingly sleeping Sylvia resting on a bed along the far wall, before my attention was stolen by Honoka.


    The older woman was sitting on a chair facing the door I had just open, hunched over and cradling something. At my entrance, her head snapped up with startling speed.


    I was shocked by the sight of tears in her vermillion eyes.


    With a snarl, she stood up, knocking her chair backward and holding out something that caused my stomach to drop. ¡°Where did you get this?!¡± Honoka hissed at me.


    She was holding the staff that I had borrowed from Tlazo.


    The staff of the Lich that was supposed to have been, once upon a time, a companion of Grey.


    And hers.


    Oh.


    Shit.

 Chapter 212 - A Bitter Pill

    I instinctually froze, pinned from the almost physical force of Honoka¡¯s fury. I felt like a small animal trapped beneath the gaze of an angry tiger, keeping still to try and escape their attention. I turned my head slightly to look at the door I had just come through and considered just bolting for it.


    Honoka didn¡¯t like that.


    The older woman snarled and lifted one finger to point at said door. A bolt of white-hot flame lashed out and impacted the bronze handle, instantly melting into an unmovable mass of molten metal.


    Before I could even speak, Honoka crossed the distance between us in an eye blink. She grabbed the collar of my shirt and yanked me down to eye level with her own comparatively shorter height, Tlazo¡¯s staff clutched tightly in her left hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it,¡± She whispered in my face furiously. ¡°First you fail to protect Sylvia, and now you think you can get away from me? Think again. Now answer my question. Where. Did. You. Get. That. Staff?¡±


    I tensed then, anger growing in me myself. I roughly shoved myself away from the woman, my core a bit surprised that I was allowed to by the much stronger woman. ¡°I didn¡¯t fail anything,¡± I spat at Honoka, stalking around the woman to get some distance between us. ¡°There was more, much more going on here than anyone knew about. If you¡¯re so fucking angry about Sylvia, then where were you, Honoka?¡±


    Honoka sneered at me. ¡°Watch your tone, you little shit,¡± She warned me. ¡°I was busy dealing with the largest monster surge this planet has ever seen. We trusted you to look after Sylvia, and now look at her!¡± She flung one hand in the direction that Sylvia was lying comatose on a bed, almost looking like she was sleeping peacefully. ¡°She¡¯s never been this hurt in her life! I don¡¯t even know what to do to fix this! She¡¯s not like you and me, and someone,¡± She said with a sharp glare. ¡°Incorporated foreign material into her form! You¡¯d better hope Grey can fix this, Hart. Or you¡¯ll regret it.¡±


    I grit my teeth, my rage surging out of control with the loss of my middle ring. I slammed one hand down on the surface of a nearby table, barely caring when it splintered in half from the blow. Honoka didn¡¯t even flinch from the crashing of the table onto the floor. ¡°I did that to save her life, you old bitch!¡± I shouted at her, shaking in rage. I held up my pointer finger and thumb at Honoka, nearly pinched closed. ¡°She was inches from death! I had to make a call on how to keep Sylvia alive because nobody else could! Grey wasn¡¯t there! You weren¡¯t there! I was! You¡¯d think a goddamned Healer would understand how triage works, but apparently not!¡± I clenched my hands into fists tightly enough that I felt my flesh knuckles pop from the strain. ¡°I had to give my arm to do it, Honoka. My arm. You know, the one that was already made from a dead Sculped in the first place?!¡±


    That finally seemed to pierce Honoka¡¯s rage, as I saw the older woman close her eyes and take a deep breath. She opened them and gave me a short, jerky nod. ¡°Fine. Fine. We¡¯ll¡­talk about what we can do for Sylvia later,¡± She said reluctantly, before glaring at me again. Her eyes lingered on my newer arm, almost looking puzzled for a moment, but she didn''t comment on it. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t answer my original question. Where did that staff come from? I know the Mana coming from it as well as I do Grey¡¯s. But that man is dead.¡±


    I spent a few moments trying to calm down from the unexpected accusations that Honoka had levied my way. I almost wanted to weep in frustration at how much I missed my middle ring right about now. You truly never knew what you had, until it was taken away. ¡°It was from a dead man,¡± I said wearily, already sick both mentally and physically from the day. I swear, it felt like I might have caught something from the exertions over the last few days. ¡°He called himself Tlazo-¡± I mentally fumbled for a minute, trying to remember the full fake name that the Lich had given us those weeks ago. I eventually gave up and just went with the name that Anima had referred to him as. ¡°But I think his real name was Rafael. At least, that¡¯s what I heard a Spirit refer to him as. He was a Lich that had taken up residence underneath Tlatec.¡±


    Honoka deflated then, in a way that I had never seen from the powerful woman. She staggered her way back over to the chair I had seen her sitting in when I entered the room and flopped into it. She gently set the staff down on her legs and gazed down at it mournfully for a moment. ¡°A Lich, then,¡± She whispered almost brokenly. Slowly, she brought her hands up to face and buried it into them, hiding it from sight. Her shoulders started to shake, but I heard nothing from her.


    I sighed, my own anger and rage evaporating away from Honoka¡¯s obvious distress. Tiredly, I grabbed a nearby chair and dragged it to rest next to the sitting woman, right in front of Sylvia¡¯s bed. I slumped into it, making sure not to look at the softly weeping form of a woman magnitudes more powerful than I was. I stirred after a moment, wincing from the roiling of my stomach. ¡°He said he was an old ¡®colleague¡¯ of yours and Grey¡¯s,¡± I said quietly. ¡°But I¡¯m guessing there¡¯s more going on here.¡±


    That seemed to snap Honoka out of her misery, as I heard the woman snort into her palms and then raise her snot-covered face. Wordlessly, I grabbed a nearby rag from a bedside table filled with various medical supplies and handed it to her. She took it without a word of thanks and scrubbed furiously at her face, and when she was done, just tossed it into the nearby fireplace. ¡°Colleagues my bony ass,¡± She finally said, bitterness heavy in her voice. ¡°That man was our comrade for centuries. Myself, Greycton, Rafael, and a Gnoll by the name of Arlock. Arlock died some years ago from Core Collapse, and Rafael¡­¡± She was quiet for a moment, before getting up from her chair and starting to pace. The staff that had instigated this whole thing was sent clattering to the floor, as Honoka grit her teeth. ¡°I was there when he died, gods dammnit. How is he back?¡±


    I eyed Honoka as she tried to wear a hole in the singed floorboards of the room. ¡°How did he die?¡±


    Honoka cut her reddened eyes my way but didn¡¯t stop her pacing. ¡°It was an expedition that went wrong into the high Aether zones of Indiqua,¡± She said shortly. ¡°This was back in the days that our little band was still chasing Paragon. But we got in over our heads, and Rafael paid the price for it. We¡­tried to retreat, but he succumbed to his wounds despite my best efforts. It just gets so hard to Heal someone in our level range. We¡¯re barely flesh and blood anymore.¡± She started to breathe heavily. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­understand how he can be a Lich right now. Unless¡­¡± Honoka went still then, coming to a stop. In fact, she was completely motionless, not even looking to be breathing.


    I waited a moment and then spoke up when it looked like she wasn¡¯t. ¡°Unless¡­?¡±


    Honoka stirred then but didn¡¯t look at me. ¡°Unless he had already decided to become a Lich back then,¡± She said quietly. ¡°He just¡­wasn¡¯t the same, after the death of our daughter.¡±


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    I lurched forward at that, incredibly startled. I nearly fell out of my chair. ¡°Wait, what?¡± I said in shock. ¡°Your daughter?!¡±


    Honoka finally turned to face me then. She had a mirthless smile across her thin lips. The older woman gave me a short, sharp nod. ¡°Oh yes,¡± She said, old, old grief evident in her voice. ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to know, but¡­Rafael was my husband. For a long, long time.¡±


    I gaped at Honoka for a moment, forgetting myself in my shock. ¡°But¡­but, you and Grey¡­¡± I said in confusion, before abruptly shutting up when Honoka actually started laughing at me.


    She shook her head then, her chuckles dying off. ¡°You and everyone else thinks that these days, but it never happened. Well, not seriously,¡± She amended. ¡°There was a short, girl-hood fling that happened before you were a sparkle in your great-grandfather¡¯s eye. It never went anywhere, once he became enamored with the moon. Instead¡­it became about me and Rafael. I won¡¯t bore you with the details, plus it¡¯s none of your damned business,¡± She said with a sharp look. I held up my hands in surrender before Honoka continued. ¡°But yes, I was married for¡­a long time. We had our problems, but more importantly, we had our daughter to hold us together.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard anything about this,¡± I said quietly. ¡°Honoka¡­I¡¯m sorry, I had no idea.¡±


    Honoka rolled her eyes at me, softening. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t. You¡¯re not even from this planet, Hart. Let me tell you something. If you¡¯re interested in starting a family one day, you¡¯d better do it when you¡¯re young and weak. It becomes a flat-out impossibility once you get up there in levels. The organs you need to do it¡­.well. Let¡¯s just say they stop working, the more powerful you get. Because of that, Rafael and I¡­we only had the one. Our little miracle child. And then we lost her.¡± She finished bitterly, walking back over and slumping into her chair next to me. ¡°She was¡­wonderful. She was becoming a real mover and shaker, a true classer. She wasn¡¯t exactly young when we lost her, you know. She was well into her third century at the time and then¡­gone. She got cocky and wandered into the wrong nest and that was it. The fate of a true classer. Lost to dumb mistakes.¡±


    The bitterness in her voice was deep enough to curdle milk.


    Well, if there had been any in the room with us.


    I was tempted to lay a hand on her shoulder in comfort, but then I remembered how she had accused me of failing Sylvia. I¡­understood now, intellectually, that there had been more about that than she was letting on. But I was still a bit bitter about it.


    I stayed my hand.


    I wasn¡¯t perfect.


    I don¡¯t think she noticed as she continued talking, staring off into space. ¡°She died some hundred and fifteen years ago,¡± She said, almost absentmindedly. I¡¯m not sure she was even talking to me anymore, more than herself. ¡°It¡­broke Raffy. It broke us, really. We weren¡¯t the same after that, and the both of us threw ourselves into our work in response. It was Grey and Arlock that tried to keep us together more than we did, which is where the expedition came in,¡± She finally remembered I existed, looking at me from the corner of one orange eye. ¡°If you¡¯re right, and your ¡®Tlazo¡¯ is what remains of my husband¡­then maybe he was planning to die on that expedition. He¡¯d talked about the mechanics of it, you know. Years before losing our daughter, he told me that he knew how to transform himself into a Lich. He just wasn¡¯t interested¡­at the time.¡± She sighed then, picked up the staff she had sent clattering to the ground. She rolled the wood of the staff around in her hands, gazing into the amber crystal. When she spoke again, her voice was cracking from long-suppressed grief. ¡°That bastard¡­how dare he leave me alone like that¡­¡±


    The room fell into silence once again. I didn¡¯t want to break it, but I did feel an obligation to continue my story. I cleared my throat uncomfortably. ¡°Well¡­he was dispersed by Rhazal-The Calamity,¡± I corrected myself, doubting she knew that asshole¡¯s name. ¡°I¡­briefly spoke to him in the Concord through that staff, and he said he¡¯d be back in a few years. So¡­he¡¯s not really gone. Just¡­sort-of.¡±


    Honoka looked up at me, startled out of her grief. She had an incredibly confused look on her face. ¡°The Concord? What the hell were you doing in there? How were you in there?¡± She asked me, baffled. She abruptly shook her head. ¡°Oh, whatever. You¡¯d better start from the beginning, Hart. Fill me in.¡±


    And that¡¯s what I did.


    For the next half an hour, I talked endlessly.


    About how the campaign in Elderwyck had been doing.


    About the assault on the warehouse HQ by Longstripe.


    About Nerexxa, and Rhazal.


    And how they¡¯d been killed.


    I tried to include every detail about Tla-Rafael that I could, but there wasn¡¯t much I could say. The Lich hadn¡¯t exactly been talkative about himself.


    ¡°¡­I kind of think his phylactery isn¡¯t here in Elderwyck,¡± I finished, voicing a suspicion that had been lurking in the back of my mind. ¡°He never said anything about coming back here, while I was in the Concord. It makes sense that he would have stored it somewhere safe away from where he could have been in danger. Even if he had a contract with the Empire, better to be safe than sorry for an immortal bone man.¡±


    Honoka sighed but nodded. ¡°Yes¡­that sounds like him,¡± She said tiredly. ¡°I have¡­suspicions about where he could have stored the damn thing. But, they¡¯ll have to wait until he manifests once again. And I¡¯m going to have questions for that bastard,¡± She said, glowering down at the amber head of the staff. It might just be my imagination, but I swear I saw a brief green glow in the core of it. Honoka snorted in disgust, before abruptly shoving the staff into my chest. I instinctually took it before looking up at her in startlement. She smiled slightly at my confusion and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want the damn thing. If Raffy entrusted it to you, then you can keep it.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Uh¡­he didn¡¯t exactly say I could keep the staff, you know,¡± I pointed out.


    Honoka scowled off into space. ¡°Well, I¡¯m the man¡¯s wife, and I say you can. If that asshole has anything to say about it, then he can damn well speak up about it.¡±


    The both of us looked at the staff for a moment, almost expecting the Liche¡¯s dry voice to come echoing out of the crystal.


    Nothing.


    Well, alright then.


    New weapon acquired, I suppose.


    Honoka sighed then, and then looked at me closely for a moment. I resisted the urge to fidget under her assessing gaze. ¡°Well, one good thing happened from this shitshow, at the very least,¡± She finally said. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, you¡¯re more than ready to break past the first barrier. You¡¯re definitely at least level one hundred.¡±


    I sat bolt upright in my chair at that, having completely forgotten about even checking my gains with¡­everything.


    Honoka cracked a small smile. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re surprised,¡± She said, almost teasingly. ¡°You killed a damned Calamity after all. That¡¯s worth more than a few levels. Go on. Go ahead and check.¡±


    I smiled back at her. ¡°Ah¡­yeah, sure. Just give me a second.¡± I said, leaning my new staff against the bed Sylvia was resting on.


    I then focused on Hidden Amidst the Spheres, pulling up my Status. Something felt¡­off for a moment, but the mental blue box popped up all the same.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have gained 31 levels! </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You are now level 100 (122)-</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    That was as far as I was able to read before something welled up inside of me.


    I abruptly stood up from my chair, my eyes widening as I hunched over, clutching my stomach in pain. My breaths started to come in short, sharp gasps as I tried to process what I was feeling.


    It was like the entirety of my being was suddenly on fire. A greasy, smoky feeling was threading its way through something intrinsic to me. The sickness and queasiness which had been lingering since I had woken up in Renauld¡¯s clinic had reached a flaring peak, and now I couldn¡¯t focus on anything else. Dimly I was aware that Honoka was trying to say something to me, but I couldn¡¯t even parse the words.


    I slumped to my knees, letting out a short, weak scream of agony as I did so.


    It was too much.


    And then everything...


    Broke.

 Chapter 213 - Vis Maledicta Exactoris

    As corrosive murk started to thread its way through the entirety of my being, I began to feel something else. Something much more immediate, and much more distressing in the moment.


    My body began to change rapidly.


    Inside of me, I felt it as my bones began to shift, cracking and extending and fusing and growing. Even though I was hunched over, I knew that I was growing taller and wider. Through hazy, distressed eyes, I watched as my very flesh began to bubble and shift. To my panic, scales began to form from the hardening mass of my formerly smooth skin, shifting in color to a deep, dark black as they did so. Startlingly, my Primorium arm was shifting in the same manner as my flesh was, changing in shape with the rest of me. But instead of black scales, they were the same pure-white and rainbow of the Spirit-shaped metal. The tips of both my hands and feet sprouted talons, long enough that they ripped straight through my already constrained boots. Scales began to grow up from my neck to cover my cheeks, and then the rest of my face. I frantically tried to scratch them off with my new talons, but all I accomplished was carving bloody furrows that closed almost as soon as I inflicted them on myself. I felt it as my ears began to grow much larger and longer, morphing even further as they were covered in those same scales. My eyesight very briefly went out, only heightening my panic before it returned. When it did, I only half-noticed that it was much sharper than it used to be, allowing me to see the individual grains of wood in the wall easily.


    But whatever was happening to me wasn¡¯t over.


    I arced my back and screamed through changing vocal cords as I felt two protrusions erupt from behind me in a shower of gore. I¡­could control them as if they were extensions of my being no different from my arms and legs. Disbelievingly, unwilling to comprehend what my core ring was telling me, I maneuvered them in front of me.


    Wings.


    I had grown two large, bat-like wings.


    I gazed at them in horror, because I recognized these wings. I¡­recognized all of the features that I had just spontaneously manifested. Unwilling to believe it, I looked around wildly before catching sight of a nearby vanity mirror on the wall, only barely aware of how wary Honoka had grown at my transformation. I rushed at it faster than I had ever moved before, creating a small gust of wind from my near teleportation. Gazing into the mirror, a profound sense of despair welled up inside of me as I clutched the edges of the vanity, cracking it.


    Looking back at me from a shattered surface was a face akin to Rhazal''s. I could only barely make out traces of my own features, under the scales and monstrous protrusions I''d grown.


    The Godbound¡¯s last curse on me¡­was to become him.


    I staggered back from the mirror, clutching at my head and digging my new talons into my own skull as tears of anguish welled up in my eyes.


    I slumped to my knees and screamed.


    What emerged from my throat wasn¡¯t the voice of a man.


    It was that of a monster, warbling and screeching into the confines of the room. No doubt the entire manor could hear my howls.


    The change to something as fundamental to me as my voice only added to my despair. I hunched over, burying my beastly visage into my scaled hands, and began to sob.


    I don¡¯t know how long I knelt there, inconsolable in my own sorrow. But gradually, I felt small, nearly imperceptible footsteps begin to approach me. Panicked, I whipped my head up, expecting to see the drawn blade of Honoka, ready to end the life of the newborn demon before her.


    Instead, I found her outstretched hand hovering just over my shoulder, inches from touching my scales. Through watery eyes, I didn¡¯t find hatred or judgment on the older woman¡¯s face.


    Rather, there was only concern and compassion to be found on her aged features.


    Her hand finished its journey, coming to a rest on my scaled shoulder. Even through my new natural-born armor, I still felt the warmth of it.


    ¡°Hart¡­¡± I heard her say, through hearing that was far more keen than it used to be. ¡°Is that still¡­you?¡±


    I reached up and clutched at her offered hand, grasping desperately for any lifeline that I could. ¡°I¡­I¡­I t-think so?¡± I stuttered out, in a voice only slightly reminiscent of my previous one. There were undertones to it, now, both physical and spiritual. The physical was what I expected from monstrous vocal cords, simultaneously the screech of the bat and the growl of the reptile. But there was something more to it now, something familiar.


    Although it wasn¡¯t as strong, there was an element of soul speech to my voice now. I could feel it as something about my words reached across the Aetherial distance between Honoka and I, and conveyed my exact meaning to her.


    No doubt filled with all of my panic, fear, and desperation.


    Honoka winced above me. Though, I don¡¯t know if it was from my new voice or the feeling of my scales under her hand. Still, that didn¡¯t stop her. ¡°Hart,¡± She said firmly, reaching up to grab my chin with her other hand. She deliberately turned my head upwards to look her in the eye. ¡°I need you to focus, now. This has to be a Skill of some kind. The System doesn¡¯t permit racial changes, and I doubt it would start now. Not for a Precursor, and sure as hell not at the whims of a Calamity. You need to examine your Status closely, and we can go from there. This might be reversible.¡±


    I latched onto the lifeline Honoka had thrown me, an indescribable feeling of relief welling up inside of me. I nodded vigorously as I frantically called up Hidden Amidst the Spheres once more, hope held close to my heart.


    God, please¡­please. Please don¡¯t let me be stuck as a monster.


    I don¡¯t know if I could take it.


    My Status appeared once more in my minds eye, suspended in place from where I had abruptly abandoned it in my despair.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have gained 31 levels!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You are now level 100 (122)!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have gained the title, Calamity Slayer. </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Calamity Slayer grants +50 in all Virtues. </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have 90 (310) unspent Virtue points. </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Level 100 Class Ability inherited. </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">You have gained the Skill, Vis Maledicta Exactoris. </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Would you like to review your Status?</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0463%; text-align: center">Y/N</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I frantically scanned the dialogue box in my mind''s eye, before settling on the last line before the review prompt.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Vis Maledicta Exactoris.


    That had to be it. That had to be the Skill that had transformed me in this way.


    Desperate, I shut my eyes and tried to search within myself for it. Sometimes it was easy to mentally reach for Skills, and sometimes it wasn¡¯t. I almost had to familiarize myself with the mental triggers of newer ones before they became easy to use. I prayed that I could find the one for this new transformative ability.


    There!


    That was it. I was absolutely certain of it.


    Floating in the recesses of my soul was a new Skill. It felt nearly¡­malicious, to my senses. In my mind''s eye, the representation of it looked distressingly similar to one of the Revenants that Rhazal had loosed upon the city. It was leashed to the greater part of my soul-tree by a thick chain of familiar-looking murk, so similar to that which the now deceased Godbound had layered over the sky. But it wasn¡¯t snarling or fighting the chain.


    Instead, the monster was almost eerily looking directly at me. Even though I wasn¡¯t actually there in this corner of my being, its attention was fixed in a direction like it was facing my attention. The beast¡¯s wide, crimson eyes were unblinking as it stared at me, sitting eerily still.


    Cautiously, I extended a mental hand to the bestial hound. It didn¡¯t snap or fight me. It just closed its eyes and leaned into the touch.


    Connection.


    I had the Skill in my grasp now. With hope in my heart, I turned it off.


    In the real world, my body was immediately shrouded in corrosive murk, causing Honoka to leap backward from me. But I wasn¡¯t paying attention to her.


    I was focusing on my changes.


    Thankfully, they weren¡¯t as painful as the initial change had been. None of my bones were rearranging themselves inside of me, and none of my features painfully adjusted position at the cessation of the Skill. I instead immediately shrank in my over-stretched clothes, returning to my previous height. The added musculature that my transformation had granted me disappeared as well, while more drastic changes to my form happened in an instant. My wings vanished, while my scales had thankfully faded away to reveal my pale skin once again.


    But¡­it didn¡¯t feel like everything was gone. My ears on the side of my head felt¡­heavier than before, while something much more obvious had stuck around on my hands. While I didn¡¯t quite have talons anymore, my nails on my hands and feet were still hardened from their previously normal state. They weren''t quite talons, but they weren''t human nails any long. I left scratches on the hardwood floor as I clumsily pushed myself back to my feet.


    Honoka hissed from between her teeth from across the room from me, drawing my attention. ¡°You¡¯d¡­better take another look at yourself, Hart,¡± She said ominously.


    My breath catching in my throat, I approached the vanity mirror I had halfway shattered earlier. Looking into it, I could see what had caught Honoka¡¯s attention, and it caused my heart to drop in my chest.


    I looked different.


    I was still recognizably Nathan Hart, but with a bit¡­more. As I¡¯d noticed, my ears hadn¡¯t gone completely back to their normal rounded shape. Instead, they were long and tapered now. They stood out from the side of my head at an angle, with an extended flat edge on top that tapered out to a point. Thankfully, they weren¡¯t quite as wide as an Orc¡¯s ear, which would have looked comical on a human.


    Instead, they just looked similar to an elven ear. Only¡­the long flat edge had a tapering of monstrous black scales along the top edge of it. The black of them glimmered in the low firelight.


    And that wasn¡¯t the only change from my previous appearance.


    My eyes had not only changed shape, but they were glowing. The pupil was slit now, almost as if I possessed the eyes of a Gnoll. My emerald green irises glimmered in the light cast from the fireplace, visibly glowing. As I watched, the slit pupil of my new eyes flexed back and forth to accommodate the lighting conditions.


    I shuddered at the sight of it before another glimmer caught my eye. I raised a hand to my cheek to trace what had caught my attention disbelievingly.


    I¡­think my scars were being overlain with those same black scales as well. The jagged scar that had long stood out on my face from my first fight with a monster all those months ago had grown them as well. The mark that the Blade-Rack Hart had left on me was now overlaid with tiny obsidian scales. Hurriedly, I opened my ratty shirt to look down at my chest, uncaring about Honoka¡¯s presence. Sure enough, I had more of those scale marks visible on my body from every other scar I had ever accumulated. From the smallest accident mark to the largest battle scar, they crisscrossed my body in scaly, obsidian marks.


    I just stood there for a moment, feeling bereft.


    Was¡­I even human anymore? Had Rhazal stolen even that from me, with this last curse of his?


    I let out a shuddering breath.


    ¡°Could be worse,¡± I heard from behind me. I turned my head to look at Honoka in complete disbelief. I found the older woman looking at me with a considering look on her face, cupping her chin in one hand.


    ¡°What?¡± I said, growing almost irrationally angry. ¡°What the fuck do you mean, it could be worse?! I barely look human anymore!¡±


    ¡°Yes, and that¡¯s a bit of a problem,¡± Honoka replied, unflinching in the face of my fury. ¡°You¡¯ll probably be mistaken for an elf, now. But as far as permanent Skill-based physical changes go, I¡¯m telling you. I¡¯ve seen worse.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­this is something that can happen to other people?¡±


    Honoka shrugged and wavered a hand in front of her. ¡°It¡¯s pretty damn uncommon,¡± She said, dashing my hopes of not being a freak. ¡°But it¡¯s not like it¡¯s never happened. It¡¯s just¡­most people who¡¯ve been changed so extensively by their Status are much, much higher level than you. You¡¯re only at the cusp of the first breakpoint, after all. But¡­I think we can spin this.¡±


    I sighed and walked over to the chair that had been discarded at the start of my transformation. ¡°How so?¡±


    Honoka joined me, sitting in the chair to my right. ¡°Not many people have ever killed a Calamity, Hart,¡± She said, doing her best to be comforting. Honestly, it just sounded awkward coming from the normally fiery old woman. ¡°People don¡¯t know what you get from the System for doing it. I¡¯m not sure even Grey knows.¡±


    ¡°You get a title called Calamity Slayer that gives you fifty in each Virtue,¡± I cut in tiredly.


    Honoka raised an eyebrow, but continued anyway. ¡°Sure, and that¡¯s pretty good. But we can say it was something else. Like, say¡­a curse of some kind, from the dying monster. Bam!¡± She slammed a fist into her open palm. ¡°And that explains your new looks.¡±


    A curse...


    I looked at her almost disbelievingly. ¡°And the activated version of the Skill?¡± I asked her. ¡°Because I can tell that I can turn back into that¡­thing. The Skill is still there, waiting for me. Will people believe that came from the System?¡±


    ¡°If we tell them it did, yes,¡± Honoka nodded, surprising me. She just smirked. ¡°You underestimate the pull that Grey and I have. If we say something like that, people will believe us. And Grey will go along with that. I¡¯ll just have to get to him first, and head this off before it becomes a problem. He and the rest of the Army are only about four days away. I can fly there, fill him in on all that¡¯s happened, and then be back by sundown. Then, he can do something to help Sylvia.¡± She finished, nodding hopefully at the still comatose form of the Sculpted woman.


    I looked at Sylvia as well, a different emotion than hope in my heart. I felt dread, instead.


    Would Sylvia even care for me anymore, after I had been cursed like this?


    We were interrupted by the sound of banging on the door of the room. Startled, I looked over with Honoka towards it as a muffled voice came from the other side.


    ¡°Lady Honoka?!¡± I heard a man yell through the wood. ¡°Are you okay?! We heard what sounded like a monster from in here!¡±


    Thankfully, even though they were rattling the door handle, they couldn¡¯t get in. Honoka had melted it in her fury, after all.


    Said woman looked at me and leaned close. ¡°You¡¯ve got to go,¡± She said hurriedly. ¡°I don¡¯t have a cloak in here to hide your new features, and I don¡¯t know how these guards and soldiers will react, so soon after the massacre. Skill concealment might just provoke these flatfoots, from how jumpy they are. Lay as low as you can before Grey and I can come and find you. We¡¯ll get this sorted out with an announcement when we can.¡± She finished, shooing me in the direction of the window.


    I stood up slowly as the pounding on the door increased. It sounded like the guards were trying to break the door down. Honoka approached it. ¡°Calm down!¡± She yelled through it, projecting irritation that was believable for her. ¡°I just had a disagreement with someone, that¡¯s all. I¡¯ll fix the damn door,¡± She said, still motioning for me to leave.


    I took the hint and activated Thorn Cloak, slipping the hood of the manifested Skill over my head. Turning away from both Honoka and Sylvia, I only remembered at the last moment to grab my new staff from its resting place near the bed. When I had a firm grip on the staff that had once belonged to Honoka¡¯s deceased husband, I opened the window and slipped out unseen.


    Like a proper monster.

 Chapter 214 - Lost and Alone

    It wasn¡¯t hard for me to sneak away from the guard headquarters. Not with my experience in the now¡­former Nocturne Division. All the guards and soldiers were too busy dealing with refugees even to try to search for me.


    Once I was a good enough distance away, I lingered in a rubble-strewn alley between two buildings that had collapsed in on themselves. I don¡¯t know how long I stood limply in that alleyway, with no relevant thoughts in my mind at all, slowly getting soaked by the rain clouds that had moved back in on Elderwyck. But eventually, something caught my attention. A light, back in the direction of the manse.


    I lifted my head just in time to watch as a figure in a white robe took off into the sky, born aloft by two burning, firey wings. Dully, I watched as what could only be Honoka flapped away from the city, no doubt to seek out Grey and tell him about¡­everything.


    When she had disappeared from my sight, I finally stirred from my near stupor. Watching her leave, a thought entered my mind.


    Where was I going to go? I suppose I could just hide out in the flat that Sylvia and I had been using as our cover, but that felt wrong to me. I don¡¯t even know if it had survived all the chaos, and frankly, I wasn¡¯t inclined to go and find out.


    It would feel empty without her.


    Besides, I couldn¡¯t just sit around and do nothing for the city, while it had been violated so thoroughly by Rhazal and his Revenants. I wasn¡¯t that callous.


    I¡­had the glimmer of an idea about what I could do though, and it would even involve doing something I had long wanted to as well. But I¡¯d be taking advantage of the chaos to do so. I weighed the idea for a few minutes in my head, before ultimately deciding to go for it.


    First, though, I¡¯d need supplies. I¡­had something to do, at the prime place to get them anyway. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.


    Decision made, I strapped my new staff to my back with a raggedy length of torn-off cloth from my clothes.


    And set out for the docks.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    I didn¡¯t enjoy discovering that the docks seemed to have been hit harder than even the bulk of the city had been. Most of the buildings and warehouses had been ravaged by the hordes of Revenants, and it was rare to find any of them that hadn¡¯t been damaged in some way. In retrospect, it even made a twisted kind of sense.


    Of course Rhazal had instructed his bestial children to flood this area. After all, it was one of the places people had likely fled to, seeking a way out of Elderwyck. The sea was dangerous, but not more than a Revenant that was going to tear your throat out.


    Sadly, I don¡¯t think many had got out that way, judging by the bodies I saw all around me.


    I sighed and continued my trek through the ruins of the docks.


    Eventually, I came upon my destination, only to be conflicted by what I found. It seemed like I wasn¡¯t the only person who had the idea I did.


    The former dockside headquarters of the Nocturne Division here in Elderwyck was swarming with familiar figures. I was surprised by both groups, to be honest. I hadn¡¯t expected either of them, if for different reasons.


    The first thing that caught my attention was a familiar ship, docked at the ruins of our warehouse.


    The Thorny Reef.


    Bella was back.


    I was¡­almost glad to see them. In retrospect, I¡¯m not sure if any of the pirate crew would have survived the assault on the warehouse. At the time, I had wished they had been there with us, if only for the reinforcements. But now, they had dodged everything that had gone down in Elderwyck and arrived just in time for a bleak task.


    They were picking through the half-collapsed warehouse, and digging out the bodies.


    My now-deceased comrades were being carried by grim sailors back to the Reef itself, presumably to be laid down in the cargo area. Loyalist bodies, on the other hand, were being dumped into a pile by the front of the building. I struggled to feel any sympathy for those who had killed my compatriots.


    However, the second group filled me with relief.


    Not everyone from the Division had been killed, up at the palace.


    They weren¡¯t all wearing their masks, but they were wearing their Order armor. There weren¡¯t many of them, to be truthful. I only spotted about four armor-clad forms assisting the pirates in extricating our deceased comrades from the ruins, but even that was more than I had been expecting. I was just glad anyone but Dusk, Sylvia and I had survived Nerexxa¡¯s trap.


    They presented a problem, however. I had been hoping to scavenge some supplies from headquarters for the task I¡¯d decided upon. But how could I present myself to them? I¡¯d¡­changed, since anyone had last seen me. I didn¡¯t have my mask, either. It must have been lost somewhere in all the fighting. I was lucky that I still had my weapons on me, both my daggers and my new staff. I had lost my tool pouch with my mask, so I didn¡¯t even have a Bond Breaker on me, much less any of my potions. I only had on the gifted clothes Renauld had given me upon awakening.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    I felt incredibly naked right now.


    And a naked man like me, couldn¡¯t verify his identity.


    I sighed and prepared to leave. I¡¯d just have to find and scavenge the materials I needed for my task somewhere else.


    Something stopped me, however.


    Mainly, the dagger that had found my throat.


    I stilled as I became aware of someone at my back. My pulse picked up as I cursed myself for my inattention, wallowing in my own misery as I had been. I sensed someone lean in closer to my still head, still hooded from my conjured Thorn Cloak.


    ¡°Well, well, well,¡± I heard a familiar female voice whisper playfully in my ear. ¡°I only know one man who has thorns as red as these. And here I thought he was dead.¡±


    I let a sigh of combined relief and frustration exit my mouth as I relaxed. I hadn¡¯t been sure if she had survived the chaos, with the wound she had taken. But it was nice to hear her voice. A small smile crossed my lips, despite everything.


    ¡°Not quite,¡± I said out loud, as the blade was removed from my throat. ¡°It was¡­pretty close, though.¡±


    My ambusher stepped from behind me and into the dim light filtering in through the mouth of the alley we were in.


    Wisp, as I¡¯d suspected.


    The senior Agent had been injured before the fighting at the warehouse had even begun, in an ambush by the now defunct SED forces. Crook, rest her soul, had carried her away to be looked after by a friendly Healer here in the city. She still looked a bit rough, with visible bandages poking through around the edges of the Order armor she had strapped on. Even now I could see that it sat roughly on her frame, from the pinched expression on her unmasked face.


    But she was alive, and doing her best to smile at me.


    I returned it as well I could with my hood still up. Thankfully, the bottom half of my face was exposed enough for the gesture to transmit. When Wisp extended her arm, I gratefully took it and grasped her forearm in a warrior''s greeting.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you pulled through, Wisp,¡± I said quietly.


    Wisp nodded at me. ¡°Same to you, Hangman. I¡­couldn¡¯t make it to the fight at the palace, but¡­¡± She trailed off. There was a reluctance to her voice that told me enough.


    I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you couldn''t, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Wisp sighed in slight relief. ¡°Thanks. Some of the others, well. They don¡¯t think the same. Speaking of¡­¡± She made a show of looking around in slight hope. ¡°Do you know where Crook¡­?¡±


    My face fell, and even with my hood up, Wisp was able to catch my meaning.


    ¡°Oh.¡± She said quietly.


    ¡°Her body¡­I¡¯m not sure where it is,¡± I admitted. ¡°It might be at the guard headquarters, since Dusk took¡­someone else there recently. But you¡¯ll have to ask her, if you can find her.¡±


    Wisp nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do that. But what about you?¡± She said with forced cheerfulness. ¡°What are you doing skulking about in an alley with a Skill up? The war might as well be over now, at least in this damn city, and we have things to do.¡±


    I looked away from her. ¡°I need supplies for my own task,¡± I said shortly. ¡°I¡­was going to get them from the ruins, but I didn¡¯t want to interrupt you guys.¡± I was quiet for a moment. ¡°And¡­I¡­I wasn¡¯t sure how to¡­approach everyone. I picked up a¡­curse from the Calamity, Wisp. I don¡¯t look like¡­me.¡± Saying that was far more difficult than I expected. To the extent I practically had to force the words out.


    Wisps brow furrowed at my words, and she ducked down to try and look up my hood. I shied away from the movement, retreating further into the darkness of the alleyway.


    Slowly, Wisp straightened up to look at me thoughtfully. ¡°Alright,¡± She said after a moment. ¡°I can get some stuff for you if you¡¯d like. I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    I was startled at the offer. ¡°I¡­thank you, Wisp,¡± I said, touched. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that, if it¡¯s a problem.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t care even if it is,¡± She said bluntly. ¡°I¡¯m retiring after all this shit anyway. We may not have known each other long, but you were a decent sort to me. I can fetch some supplies for you.¡±


    I nodded and then told the woman what I had been after. She nodded back and then departed, leaving me alone in the alleyway.


    After about fifteen minutes of waiting, Wisp returned carrying a small sack for me. Over her shoulder, I could see curious crew and Nocturne members craning their necks to see what she was up to.


    I made sure to stay in the darkness.


    Wisp handed me the sack, and I looked inside of it for a moment before nodding. ¡°Thank you, Wisp. I appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Maria,¡± I heard the other woman say unexpectedly. Looking up, I say a wry smile on her lips. ¡°My name is Maria. Maria Rellani.¡±


    I nodded slowly, before extending my arm once more in farewell. ¡°And I¡¯m Nathan Hart,¡± I said, doing my best to smile at the exchange. ¡°Nice to meet you. And¡­I¡¯ll see you around.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Maria said, nodding. ¡°Maybe you will. See you around¡­Hart.¡±


    At that, the other woman spun on one heel and prepared to leave the alleyway. I stopped her at the last moment, though.


    ¡°If you see Bella,¡± I said quietly. ¡°Tell her¡­tell her Nate sends his regards.¡±


    I saw Maria¡¯s head nod slightly after a moment before the woman left the alleyway for good to rejoin the recovery efforts. When I was finally alone, I sighed again and slunk back off down the alley, slinging my pack of supplies over my shoulder to join my staff.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    After leaving the docks district, I found an abandoned house to get my work done. It wasn¡¯t hard, considering just how many of them there were. Once there, I got to work forging the item that I needed for my task, from the junk weapons I¡¯d asked Wi-Maria to grab for me.


    A new Bond Breaker.


    It wouldn¡¯t be as good as my old ones, considering it was made from the daggers and spearheads of Loyalist ground-pounder weapons. But it would do, and it didn¡¯t take me long to forge one with Aetherial Melding. I¡¯d progressed far enough in my usage of the Profession now that I could simulate the spark I needed to shape metal without the use of a forge. I felt a pang of nostalgia for the ¡®grill¡¯ Azarus had made for me months ago for that purpose, but shook it off. That had just been a crutch.


    I was so familiar with this design by now that I could make a Bond Breaker in my sleep.


    When I was done, I inspected the near forearm-sized bident with a critical eye. I clucked my tongue at it, considering the quality of the materials, but it was functional after I inserted the tiny monster core I¡¯d requested. I slipped it into the sack from Maria, and removed the fresh armor, clothes, cloak, and blank mask she had put inside.


    It was¡­nice to be back in full Nocturne regalia.


    Even if the Division was dead.


    Fully kitted out, I took a deep breath and nodded.


    You see, I had never forgotten about the Sculpted near ¡®slaves¡¯ that operated the farms in the vicinity of Elderwyck. I had just put them out of my mind for the duration of the operation against the city. I¡¯d had assurances from Hook that when it was all over, I could go ham on my slave freeing.


    Well.


    The operation was over, and I had at least four days before the Army reached the city. Nobody was going to stop me now. Honoka had said to lay low, but¡­


    I liked this idea better.


    It was time to get to work.

 Chapter 215 - Brooding

    ¡°YOU CAN¡¯T DO THIS TO ME!¡± The plantation owner screamed at me from his bound position in the dirt. He was an older man, strangely overweight in comparison to most of the Veredenese I had met. His formerly well-kept grey hair was wild and hanging over his reddened face as he struggled against the ropes I¡¯d bound him with.


    And I was currently in the process of freeing all of the Sculpted he had bound with slave bonds.


    How the Herztalian upper class had convinced themselves it was okay to enslave the Sculpted, when the institution itself was outlawed, I would never know.


    That was nobility for you, I guess.


    I only spared the slaver a single disinterested glance before I got back to work. Gently, I lowered my Bond Breaker down onto the exposed back of the female stone Sculpted that was anxiously waiting for her turn. Luckily, this one wasn''t one of the near zombies that sometimes occurred with Sculpted slaves, like I had seen with Pete back in Marrowmist. All around me were over a dozen different Sculpted of all different compositions, watching with still disbelieving eyes as I broke the unbreakable.


    They were, all of them, free now. This was the last Sculpted I had to free at this particular location.


    I exerted the tiniest amount of pressure at the point of contact, and the sharpened prongs of the Breaker pierced the Sculpted¡¯s rocky exterior. She shuddered from the sensation, and those shudders only increased when I depressed the activation rune on my creation.


    Below me on her back, her slave brand shone briefly with Aetherial light, and then vanished forever. When it was gone, I stepped back from the Sculpted woman as she rose up from her kneeling position in the dirt of the farm unsteadily. Her fellow former slaves rushed to support her.


    I glanced over them briefly, gave the distracted and celebratory Sculpted a nod of acknowledgment, and turned to leave.


    I had other plantations to get to, after all.


    However, I was stopped by the sound of a voice. I normally wouldn¡¯t care about what they had to say, but the particular words halted me in my tracks.


    ¡°Y-you¡­.damned ELF!¡± The slaver sobbed to himself, catching the attention of the now freed Sculpted. ¡°YOU¡¯VE RUINED ME! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FEED MY FAMILY NOW!?¡±


    I spared said family a brief glance, as I felt irritation well up inside of me. They were watching the proceedings with frightened eyes from the doorway of the farmhouse that rested on this plantation. An older teenage boy was standing protectively in front of his mother and two twin younger sisters, all of them well-dressed, and all of them obviously¡­well-fed, let¡¯s say.


    I don¡¯t even know why. It¡¯s not like I had threatened them.


    Oh, fuck it. I couldn¡¯t pretend I didn¡¯t know.


    It was because of my growing reputation, here on the outskirts of Elderwyck. I had been doing this for four days now, and that was more than enough time for word to spread about the ¡®Elf¡¯ that was freeing slaves in the area. And naturally, because I was supposedly an ¡®Elf¡¯, I was doing it by slaughtering all of the masters and doing unspeakable things to their corpses.


    I resented the implication. I hadn¡¯t killed a single person in my personal campaign against the slave owners of the Duchy of Elderwyck. Maybe a bit of¡­roughing up, but no life¡¯s blood had been spilled.


    Honoka had been irritatingly prescient about how my new features would be received by the populace. It was doubly irksome because nobody had actually seen said ears during my campaign. I had never let down my hood or removed my mask at any of the near dozen locations I¡¯d hit over the last few days. You could only really see the impression of longer ears under said hood, and apparently, that was enough for the Herztalians.


    I was finding that cultural fear of the Elvish was pretty common among the populace.


    To my dismay, that had even extended to the Sculpted.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw many of the former slaves I had just freed suddenly become wary at the words of their ¡®master¡¯.


    I¡¯d only been like this for a few days, and I was already sick of it.


    I turned away from the sobbing slaver in the dirt without a word and prepared to leave. He didn¡¯t deserve my acknowledgment. Hell, the Sculpted could do with him what they wished. Far as I was concerned, it wasn''t any of my business. As I walked away into the nearby forest, however, more words reached me from the last Sculpted I had free.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I heard the stone woman say in a near whisper.


    I smiled slightly, not pausing in my stride. I normally wouldn¡¯t have heard that, but my new ears were good for something at least. They seemed to have boosted my Perception to a degree.


    They let me know that at least one of them was still grateful.


    I disappeared into the forest to plan my next move.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    A few hours later, night had fallen upon the Duchy of Elderwyck. And I¡­


    Was holed up in front of a small tent, looted from a plantation I had raided.


    I honestly didn¡¯t feel bad about it at all. Rhazal¡¯s assault on the city of Elderwyck itself hadn¡¯t lasted long enough to spread across the countryside to a huge degree, and thus it had been¡­mostly spared the depredations of the Revenants.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    With my activities, it hadn¡¯t been hard at all to keep myself supplied and ''housed'', so to speak.


    I poked at the campfire I had set up in the familiar clearing I had chosen, sending a shower of sparks up into the sky to join the rising smoke. As they did so, I glanced around where I had chosen to hole up while I waited for the Army of the Uprising to reach the region.


    I¡¯d ended up where it had all began, here in Elderwyck. The meeting point that Baldric and Liora had arranged for themselves before infiltration. The barn that the Gnoll woman had fought off an assault from SED forces.


    Well, former barn.


    Baldric had burned it down, after all.


    There wasn¡¯t much left of the structure, at this point. His deliberate arson had reduced the battle site to little more than a few charred standing timbers, poking out of a section of scorched grass and earth. It had been a few weeks by now, so there were already starting to be indications of new growth in the patch. Of the previous battle Liora had fought here, no more traces existed.


    Which had been the entire point, I supposed.


    And¡­I was brooding again.


    Damnit.


    It¡¯s not like I was alone here, either. I had more than enough responsibilities at my new camp to keep me occupied.


    Speaking of¡­


    I heaved myself to my feet with a tired grunt, and approached the group of horses hitched to a nearby tree, carrying an ¡®acquired¡¯ sack of oats and a brush. Their ears flicked in my direction, but they knew me.


    ¡°And how are you today, Marquis?¡± I murmured to the black-coated equine, holding out a handful of oats for him.


    The horse that the Thunderheart tribe had gifted to me just snorted at my words. Still, he accepted the offering with no complaint, munching on the oats placidly. While he did so, I did some basic care on the animal, brushing his coat out and inspecting him for any issues. When I was done with him, I moved on to the other two horses. Charlie, the large draught horse meant for Sylvia, gave me no problems at all. Meanwhile, the pony that had previously belonged to Baldric, Poppy¡­


    Well, she was a biter. I swear the little shit tried to take a few fingers along with the oats I gave her. Still, I cared for her just as well as I did the others. I wouldn¡¯t hold her ornery nature against her.


    When I was done, I stepped back and considered the three beasts of burden. I was¡­glad, that I had thought to retrieve them upon escaping the city. They had been left with a stablemaster back in the Stacks before we had slipped our way into Elderwyck, and it had been hard to slip back out to check on them during our campaign. I¡¯d worried about them, but there had been little I could do.


    I had been right to be worried, it turned out. I had no idea how the stablemaster had treated the horses in life, but he was¡­very likely dead by now.


    Along with most of the Stacks.


    When I moved through that area, it had been mostly a ghost town. There had only been a few frightened faces that peaked through ramshackle shanty-town, when before they had been downright bursting with refugees. Most of the occupants had been lured into Nerexxa¡¯s trap to be used as sacrifices for her ritual to awaken Rhazal, and those that had been left? Well, it seemed like the Revenants had mowed through a good number of them.


    Most of the Stacks were little better than splinters at this point.


    A sad, tragic end to a cornucopia of already tragic stories.


    Thankfully, the stable itself had still been standing, even if it had been abandoned. The horses inside, including my three rescues, had been weak and starving at that point, locked up in their stalls as they had been. I¡¯d put off my plans to free the Sculpted in the countryside by nearly half a day just feeding and watering those horses, before ultimately setting them loose.


    Maybe they¡¯d have a better life, out in the grasslands. I sure as hell couldn¡¯t care for all of them.


    But I had taken these three with me. Even if Sylvia was too comatose to care for Charlie, and Baldric was¡­well.


    Gone.


    It was still the right thing to do.


    I kept my breath even as I stood there watching the grazing horses. I didn¡¯t even turn my head before I called out into the air of the clearing. ¡°You can come out now,¡± I said aloud, my tone calm and unbothered. ¡°I know it¡¯s you, Liora.¡±


    Silence, for a moment, before I heard a pair of padded feet impact the grass behind me. I didn¡¯t flinch, even with as close as she had been to me.


    I¡¯d known my comrade had been watching me for a while now.


    After all the times I had been surprised lately and paid the price for it, I was keeping a closer watch on Lifeblood Sense. The slow pounding of her heart had alerted me to her presence, even when I had no other indication as to it.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten better at that,¡± The Gnoll woman said quietly from behind me. I hummed in acknowledgment as she moved up to stand next to me, but didn¡¯t say anything. I glanced at her from the corner of my eye, only mildly surprised to see that although Liora had been sneaking around, she wasn¡¯t in Nocturne gear. I hadn¡¯t forgotten Baldric¡¯s final request to her, after all.


    I don¡¯t think she had, either.


    We stood there in silence for a moment, simply watching the horses mill about in the light cast by my campfire. I didn¡¯t have much to say, but I eventually became aware of Liora¡¯s attention lingering on me.


    She was¡­just looking at me in silence.


    I didn¡¯t blame her. It¡¯s not like I was wearing my hood and mask at my own campsite after all.


    What would be the point?


    ¡°A final gift¡­¡± I said roughly, glowering out at the horizon about the tree line. Elys was obscured by clouds tonight, and I was only slightly able to see her waning crescent form through the haze. ¡°From Rhazal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard,¡± Liora answered, to my surprise. Her lips quirked mirthlessly at my attention. ¡°I made contact with the remaining Division members. Wisp informed me of your¡­affliction,¡± She sighed and changed the subject. ¡°Do you require assistance in your task?¡±


    Wisp, huh. I...guess she had seen more under my hood than I''d thought.


    I¡¯m glad we weren¡¯t pretending she didn¡¯t know exactly what I was doing out here. Still, I shook my head. ¡°No¡­I can handle this,¡± I said, and then chuckled lowly. ¡°It¡¯s not like a bunch of weak slave drivers can match me. What guards I¡¯ve encountered¡­well. Let¡¯s just say they haven¡¯t been a problem.¡±


    Liora nodded shallowly. ¡°There are rumors in the city now, about the Elf that¡¯s going around and freeing the Sculpted,¡± She said, to my frustration.


    ¡°An Elf...¡± I sighed. I changed the subject. ¡°Has the Army been sighted?¡±


    Liora took the change in topics with good faith. She was smart enough to see I didn¡¯t want to talk about it. ¡°Yes, it has,¡± She nodded. ¡°They should arrive by tomorrow. I thought to come and fetch you from your¡­task.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m not done. I¡­there are only a few more plantations left in the area. Once they¡¯ve all been liberated I¡¯ll¡­¡± I fell silent, before speaking hesitantly. ¡°Has there been any change with Sylvia?¡±


    Liora silently shook her head.


    ¡°Alright,¡± I breathed. ¡°Grey can handle it then. He has his task and I¡­I have mine. I¡¯ll¡­check in when I¡¯m done. I doubt the Army is going anywhere soon.¡±


    ¡°You would be surprised,¡± Liora muttered lowly, to my own surprise. When I turned to her with a raised eyebrow, she shook her head. ¡°Simply some unsubstantiated rumors I¡¯ve heard. Don¡¯t take too long, Hart. The war isn¡¯t over, just because of a risen and defeated Calamity. It might accelerate faster than you think.¡±


    With that, Liora abruptly took her exit, as I had long noticed was a habit with her. The Gnoll woman simply walked into the woods and vanished from sight. Moments later, I felt her heartbeat fade into the distance.


    I ground my teeth in frustration for a moment at Liora¡¯s suspicions, before turning away from the horses. I strode up to my campsite and started to kit myself out once more.


    If I didn¡¯t have much time to finish my self-imposed assignment, then I needed to get back to work.


    A night assault would probably work just as well, on my last few targets.

 Chapter 216 - A Grey Reunion

    I clambered up the old, ancient tree I had picked out for my purpose with ease. Once I had reached the apex, shrouded in my Thorn Cloak, I took out the far-eye I had received from Maria in her ''care-package''. Extending it, I looked out in the direction of Elderwyck proper.


    While I had been busy overnight, the Army of the Uprising had arrived.


    The massed troops of the rebellion were picking through the ruins of the Stacks and dismantling it, to my surprise. From what I could see, there wasn¡¯t much resistance from the few remaining residents of the shanty-town. In those remains, the Army was rapidly setting up an encampment. Among those soldiers, I was easily able to make out the black and silver of the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn.


    They stood out pretty well.


    The Army was also flooding into the city itself, in staggering numbers. That was a bit of a relief, to be honest. The beleaguered people of Elderwyck needed the help, and I was happy that the remaining Loyalist forces weren¡¯t trying to raise a stink over the Uprising presence.


    I also saw a contingent from the warriors of Clan Thunderheart, marching separately from the Order and the rest of the soldiers of the Uprising. The clansmen and women were easy to pick out from the blues, and the black and silvers, even if they carried no banners of their own. It was a small group, admittedly, which made me think that all of the secret werewolves had not yet mobilized. But I think I saw the imposing form of Chief Gruffyd leading them from the front.


    I sighed at the sight of all of them, a bit conflicted. I knew what I should be doing now, but I was reluctant to do so. If I wanted to keep my word to Liora, it was time for me to rendezvous with the rest of the Order forces.


    I was just¡­reluctant to do so.


    It was pretty obvious why.


    But goddamnit, I wanted to be there when Sylvia woke up. I didn¡¯t know how long it would take Grey to fix or heal her or whatever, but I needed to head in now if that was going to happen.


    Fuck it. Man up, Hart.


    I slapped my cheeks, shook my head, and then hopped down from the top of the tree. I had grown strong enough that I barely felt the impact as I landed in a crouch on the forest floor. I barely wasted a minute before sprinting back to my campsite to collect the horses.


    I wasn¡¯t going to leave them behind, after all.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    I was fully armored, masked, and hooded as I rode Marquis up to the checkpoint the Order had set up at the main gate into Elderwyck. Behind me on leads trotted the contrastingly small and large forms of Charlie and Poppy.


    I was a bit confused at the reaction I was getting from the Uprising forces as I rode through them.


    They were acting in near awe at my presence, gawking and pointing my way.


    I had no idea why. The only identifying mark I had on me was my mask. It wasn¡¯t even painted, as Maria had given me a blank that I hadn¡¯t bothered to decorate. The persona of Hangman was dead, as far as I was concerned.


    But the Uprising forces didn¡¯t seem to care about that. They parted before me unquestioningly, clearing a path to trot down. The oddity didn¡¯t even change once I reached the gate and encountered Order members. They just saluted immediately and waved me through the checkpoint without even asking me to confirm my identity.


    Seemed a bit sloppy to me. I mean, what if I had taken this gear from the body of a dead man?


    I shook my head slightly at the thought. Momentarily, I stopped at the stable the Order had commandeered near the gate. There, I dropped off my horses and prepared to leave, fully intending to keep a better eye on them now that they were inside the city walls. When I turned around, though, I stopped in place.


    Across the street was the form of someone I hadn¡¯t seen in quite a while. I¡­should have expected they would seek me out, but the thought hadn¡¯t even crossed my mind.


    Sparrow.


    The cloaked Nocturne Division Agent was standing across the thoroughfare crowded with soldiers. He had a large red-feathered hawk sitting on his right shoulder, and they were both staring straight at me, eerily still.


    Ah.


    Time to report in.


    I crossed the street, weaving in between soldiers as I did so, to come to a rest before the senior Agent.


    We were silent for a moment, simply taking in the sight of each other.


    Sparrow eventually jerked his head in a motion for me to follow him. I did so quietly.


    He never spoke a word to me.


    The avian-themed Agent guided me for longer than I was expecting, in total silence. We wound our way through a myriad of back alleys for minutes, before eventually coming to a stop at a familiar location. It was¡­probably the last existing safe house the Division had in Elderwyck.


    A healer¡¯s clinic in the poorer area of the city. This¡­was where we had taken Baldric, after his injury in the mausoleum.


    Sparrow led me inside, and there I encountered a surprise.


    There were some very unexpected people inside the small clinic, beyond the older, chain-smoking older woman of a Healer that owned the place. Said Healer was off to the side, puffing on her pipe and watching the people who had commandeered her workplace with a glower on her aged features.


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    Because the leadership was here.


    Prince Oskar was sitting uncomfortably at a small table in the center of the clinic, while the massively crimson-armored form of Leopold sat stone-faced next to him with his arms folded. Surprisingly, Woodrick was here as well, the charismatic wooden Sculpted looking completely at ease around the round table. Honoka was present at the table in addition, dressed in her own Healer¡¯s robes and looking a bit exhausted.


    Leaning against the far wall I spotted Liora, but it was the last two people that caught my attention.


    Grey¡­


    And Sylvia.


    My mentor was crouched next to a bed where his daughter was resting upon, holding out a glowing hand above her. Stellarum and Elarux lay discarded upon the floor next to him, as he visibly concentrated on the Sculpted woman.


    He didn¡¯t turn to look at me when I entered the room.


    But everyone else sure as hell did. Once upon a time, I would have fidgeted under the attention of all these powerful people.


    Now, I just met their gazes unflinchingly.


    After Rhazal and Nerexxa, it would take more than social pressure to cause me to flinch again.


    I stepped into the room, removing my mask as did so. At the same time, I lowered my hood, causing Oskar to hiss at the sight of my ears. I let my glowing eyes rest on him for a minute, before visibly dismissing the Prince. Instead, I met the gazes of the two men at the table that I was likely here to brief on¡­everything.


    Leopold, and Woodrick.


    ¡°Marshal. Commander,¡± I said, nodding to them. I know my actual position within the Order was nebulous since I had been assigned to the Nocturne Division. But I still stood at attention nonetheless, under their assessing eyes.


    Leopold nodded at me in acknowledgment, while Woodrick was the one to actually speak. ¡°Nathan,¡± He said, a small smile crossing his wooden lips. ¡°Take a seat. There¡¯s no need for formalities at this time. Honoka,¡± He said, nodding to the white-haired woman. ¡°Has filled us in on the broad strokes of what happened here in Elderwyck. But we need to hear it from someone who was on the ground, and was apparently instrumental to ending the threat of the¡­well. The Calamity.¡±


    I didn¡¯t blame him for the note of disbelief in his voice. Hell, if I had been told someone of my strength had killed a super-monster, I wouldn¡¯t have believed them either.


    I nodded shallowly and approached the table, pulling out a chair and sitting in it. I very carefully set both of my hands on the table face down, and kept still. I had no idea how I was perceived after my changes. This would be a good chance to prove I hadn''t been changed mentally, even if I had been physically.


    Grey still hadn¡¯t looked up from his intense inspection of Sylvia. I¡¯m not sure the man was even aware that I was here.


    I tore my gaze away from him to look back at the two leaders of the Uprising. ¡°And Hook isn¡¯t around anymore to ask for his account,¡± I said, unflinchingly. Leopold closed his eyes briefly at my words, while Woodrick¡¯s face affected a pained nature. ¡°As you will. This is an account of the Elderwyckian campaign as best as I can recollect it, from the start of our infiltration to the eventual siege of the city by ''divine'' forces.¡±


    And so I spoke to the table about everything I had seen and done. I went into much more detail than I had with Honoka, doing my best to retain my composure through the more difficult moments. Each of the people in the room, including the focused Grey, and Sparrow who had followed me into the room and leaned against the wall, all had their own particular reactions to my words.


    Leopold, for example, audibly growled whenever I spoke about the actions of General Longstripe. He sounded very strongly like a furious lion when he did so.


    Woodrick almost seemed weary whenever the massacres that had been caused by Nerexxa were elaborated upon. For all of his charisma, I had always found that the Sculpted man had a surprising well of empathy within his constructed frame.


    Prince Oskar, well.


    He had a particular explosive reaction, to my surprise.


    When I spoke about SED and their involvement in the campaign, he very suddenly started paying rapt attention, to my surprise. Surely someone had told him about their involvement?


    Did he¡­not know about Isolde?


    When I actually named ¡®Number 33¡¯ in our confrontation with SED in that garden, he jumped to his feet and slammed his hands onto the table with wild eyes. ¡°Did you kill her, Hart?!¡± He said furiously. ¡°Did you kill my sister?¡±!


    The room fell silent at the accusation, as I felt a scowl grow on my face. More spurious accusations from this¡­child.


    Was this really the person we were propping up to take the crown?


    I met Honoka¡¯s eyes before I answered him, my eyebrow raised. I had told her about Isolde before I left, I know I had. To the best of my knowledge, the presumed ¡®Princess¡¯ was very politely locked up in a secure ambassadors room at the Elderwyckian guard headquarters.


    A guilty expression crossed Honoka¡¯s face, as she winced.


    Ah.


    That told me all I needed to know.


    I looked away from her to meet the eyes of the Prince. ¡°I did not kill the Princess Isolde, no,¡± I said evenly, causing the boy to take a deep breath. ¡°With the death of the SED forces from Nerexxa¡¯s puppet Order, she even assisted us against the vampire. To the best of my knowledge, she¡¯s being guarded in a secure position at the headquarters of the Elderwyckian guard-¡±


    Prince Oskar didn¡¯t wait for me to finish speaking, nor did he apologize for his accusation. Instead, he immediately abandoned the meeting, racing out of the room and barging past Sparrow as he did so.


    I rolled my eyes at the emotional reaction from the Prince, as a brief awkward silence descended upon the room after his outburst.


    Leopold broke it, uncaring. ¡°I¡¯m particularly troubled by the presence of forces from the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame,¡± He rumbled with a frown, starting to drum his crimson armored fingers on the table. The loud rhythmic thump echoed through the room. ¡°For all of our differences, it¡¯s unlike Grand Marshall Shacklock to support such a vile cause as this Nerexxa¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, Marshall,¡± I said, inclining my head to the enormous man. ¡°Nerexxa outright admitted to having ensorcelled the Solstice classers. It¡¯s¡­possible that their Order was entirely unaware of ¡®Rhiannon¡¯s¡¯ true nature. He could have simply been providing forces to a functionary that was supposedly under the direct employ of Duke Olsen.¡±


    ¡°Gods, I hope so,¡± Woodrick breathed. ¡°Maybe now that a near mastermind has been unveiled behind the war, we can bring this entire travesty to an end.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on it,¡± A weary voice broke in, its owner speaking for the first time.


    Grey.


    He stood up from his position crouched over Sylvia, cracking his back with a groan as he did so. When he turned around to face us, I was shocked at the weariness I could see on his face. Despite my fears, he met my eyes from across the room with no hesitation.


    A small smile crossed his wrinkled lips, as I almost instinctually rose from my chair at his regard.


    ¡°Grey¡­I¡­¡±


    Words failed me. How did I possibly explain my failure to protect the girl we both cared about? I hadn¡¯t forgotten Honoka¡¯s accusations. Over the last few days, I had been dreading the possibility that my mentor would echo her recriminations. I¡­don¡¯t know what I would do, if Grey tossed me aside for my failure. I had trouble keeping my own on his black and silver eyes.


    I needn¡¯t have worried.


    Before I could say anything else, Grey crossed the room swiftly in broad strides. I was shocked when the older man dragged me to my feet and wrapped me in a massive, full hug, right there in the middle of the room and before the eyes of everyone else.


    He didn¡¯t care a bit.


    Grey let out a shuddering sigh in my ear, for the first time since I¡¯d met him sounding near tears. ¡°Thank you, Nathan. Thank you for saving her life¡­¡±


    Very real tears of my own welled up in my eyes as I returned the hug, leaning nearly my full weight against Grey¡¯s comparatively smaller form.


    Grey didn¡¯t blame me.


    God¡­


    Thank you.

 Chapter 217 - Revivification

    After our emotional reunion in the middle of the Healer¡¯s clinic, the meeting had adjourned. Woodrick and Leopold had left, leaving Grey, Honoka, and I alone with the comatose form of Sylvia, citing a need to oversee the occupation of Elderwyck. The actual Healer had rolled her eyes at us and left us alone without a word, while Sparrow...


    Sparrow had pulled me aside as the meeting was breaking up.


    ¡°Come to the docks later tonight,¡± He said in a low tone, resignation thick in his voice. ¡°We¡¯re meeting to decide the fate of the Division there. We¡­have permission from the Marshal to make the decision ourselves.¡±


    Ah.


    Well, as far as I was concerned, it was a foregone conclusion. But nevertheless, I nodded at the person who was very likely the most senior surviving member of the Nocturne Division. He returned the nod wearily before departing.


    When we were alone, Honoka turned to Grey with trepidation on her aged face. ¡°Well? How is she?¡±


    I held my breath as I waited for an answer from Grey.


    I didn¡¯t quite get what I wanted.


    Grey reached up to massage his forehead, letting out an explosive sigh as he did so. ¡°It¡¯s¡­hard to tell,¡± He said wearily, causing both Honoka and I to tense up. ¡°Not in the sense that she¡¯s in any further danger, no. I can say that Sylvia is not at any risk of dying. We have Nathan to thank for that.¡± He said with a grateful smile at me.


    I let out a relieved sigh at that, grateful for at least one thing. ¡°Then¡­I didn¡¯t mess her up by patching up her wound with the gold?¡±


    Grey immediately shook his head. ¡°Oh no, not at all. If anything, the material was a deciding factor in shoring up her soul, so to speak. The Aetherically charged gold and Mithril of your¡­previous arm¡­¡± He said, trailing off for a moment and staring at my gloved new arm. He shook his head before continuing. ¡°Had already been aligned, so to speak, to work well with Mithril. The combination acted as something of a supporting structure for her spirit, stabilizing both it and the Sculpted enchantment base that sustains her. She is in no¡­physical danger.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem?¡± Honoka said with a frown. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with her during my examination.¡±


    ¡°The problem is¡­I¡¯m not sure about her personality matrix,¡± Grey said uncertainly.


    My brow furrowed for a moment, as I cast my mind back to our lessons about Sculpted construction and enchantment. I had learned quite a bit about how Sculpted worked when I was initially designing my replacement arm. Not as much as Grey, but enough that the words were familiar.


    When I remembered what that was, my eyes shot open in dread. ¡°You mean¡­¡± I breathed. ¡°Her memories?¡±


    Grey gave me a weak smile before nodding. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m afraid so,¡± He said sadly. ¡°Even as quick as you were to save her life, Nathan, some injury was unavoidable. In this case, I detected some damage to that portion of her enchantment. It is my belief that Sylvia will have¡­lost some of herself to this wound.¡±


    My face fell at the news, shocked into silence. Meanwhile, Honoka looked between the two of us wildly. ¡°How much?!¡± She asked, helpless fury in her voice. ¡°Is she even still going to be her?!¡±


    I didn¡¯t have an answer; I simply looked at Grey, desperate for his.


    Grey didn¡¯t have them. ¡°I cannot say,¡± He said quietly. ¡°You know as well as I do the complexities of the soul, Honoka. I cannot comprehend the enormity of it. Not even the gods could do that.¡±


    Honoka deflated then, slumping back into her chair. ¡°Then what do we do?¡±


    ¡°All we can do,¡± Grey answered, reaching across the table to lay a hand on hers. He squeezed her hand in his best attempt to reassure her. ¡°Is wake her up and see what the damage is.¡±


    I blinked at that. ¡°Wake her up?¡± I said disbelievingly. ¡°It can¡¯t be that simple. She¡¯s been out of it since the fight with Nerexxa.¡±


    Grey turned a small smile my way. ¡°That¡¯s simply because you don¡¯t know how to do so,¡± He said. ¡°Sylvia is¡­not quite the same as all other Sculpted that exist. There are certain complexities, certain fail-safes to her enchantment that lie within her and were streamlined from those that came after. Remember, she was the first of her kind, and was initially naught but a ¡®test-bed¡¯, so to speak.¡± He paused for a second, before continuing. ¡°Well, before she came to full sapience, that is.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said quietly, a little taken aback by how Grey was speaking of her. I¡­didn¡¯t like being reminded that once upon a time, Sylvia had been little more than a lifeless doll.


    It really was some kind of System born miracle that she was a person now.


    ¡°After she gained her soul,¡± Grey continued, oblivious to my unease. ¡°I was extremely hesitant to try and alter the firmament that it relied upon. As such, when she has sustained damage to this extent, she requires my personal input to be roused to consciousness.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you waiting for?¡± Honoka said eagerly, leaning over the table. ¡°Get on with it!¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Grey replied with a sigh, standing up from the table. Honoka and I did the same, joining Grey as he walked back over to the medical cot that Sylvia was resting upon. The older woman and I stood back anxiously as Grey knelt back down and let one of his hands over only inches above Sylvia¡¯s brow.


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    Grey took a deep breath, and then visibly concentrated on something. I felt a shift in the environmental Aether as the gravity of his own Mana interfered with it.


    In the space between his hand and her forehead, I saw a small blue spark flash briefly into being.


    Sylvia¡¯s sapphire blue eyes immediately flashed open and her back rose off of the bed, arcing beneath her. She gasped an involuntary, rasping breath in a futile attempt to fill lungs that didn¡¯t exist within her Mithril frame. After a moment, she flopped back onto the bed while her eyes remained open, staring almost unseeingly up at the roof of the clinic above.


    I was frightened when I didn¡¯t see any further movements from her at all, nor did I see a spark of true life in her gaze. Her eyes were shockingly dull, in an almost mockery of their normal brilliance. For a moment, I was terrifyingly reminded of how Porous Pete had looked all those months ago, under the effects of a slave brand.


    Mindless, and empty.


    ¡°Hold,¡± Grey said sharply, knocking me out of my terror. I was confused for a moment, but he wasn¡¯t speaking to me. Honoka had frozen in place at his command, looking like she had nearly lunged at Sylvia in her own panic. ¡°Everything is as I suspected. The light of her consciousness is repairing the base of her enchantment, as it is meant to. In much the same way that we can recover from injuries, so too can a Sculpted recover from damage such as this."


    Honoka slowly settled back down, as the two of us waited with bated breath for any sign that Sylvia was recovering. Meanwhile, Grey was watching her with a focus so intense that I could almost feel it.


    Slowly, ever so slowly, I started to see life begin to creep back into Sylvia. It started with her body, which had grown almost rigid. She relaxed, untensing in a manner as if she had muscles under her Mithril skin. Her fingers began to twitch almost involuntarily, in an effort to clutch at something only she could see. And then¡­


    Light bled back into her eyes, transforming the dullness of her gaze into a sharp brilliance.


    Abruptly, Sylvia coughed, lunging upwards into a sitting position on her bed, hunched over her palms. ¡°Wha¡­¡± She said roughly, in an extremely confused tone. Slowly, she looked up and around, blinking rapidly.


    Oddly, her eyes flew open wide in deep shock when she saw Grey. A massive smile grew on her face, and she lunged for him. ¡°Father!¡± She said joyfully nearly hanging off of his skinny frame. Confused but happy, I saw my mentor return the embrace readily, wrapping his arms around her. I relaxed next to Honoka in absolute relief, nearly slumping into her. She didn¡¯t seem to care though, as the older woman had softened as well now that Sylvia was awake again.


    Sylvia¡¯s next words erased all of that.


    ¡°You¡¯re free!¡± The Mithril Sculpted said in delight, leaning back to look Grey in his suddenly frozen stiff face. ¡°Where were you?! The Order and I looked all over!¡±


    Slowly, the smile that had been on my face fell away, to be replaced with something else.


    Horror.


    My lips parted in my shock, as I struggled to come to grips with what Sylvia¡¯s words were telling me.


    You¡¯re free¡­


    That¡­that implied¡­


    Grey took a deep breath and grabbed one of Sylvia¡¯s hands with both of his, cupping it between them. Sylvia looked confused for a moment, finally looking away from Grey for a moment to take in everyone else. She brightened at the sight of Honoka, but¡­


    I felt a dagger of ice lodge itself in my heart at the confusion she looked at me with. I looked over at Honoka to my side with a helpless look, desperate for any kind of reassurance.


    I found none. Honoka just looked alarmed herself.


    Sylvia looked back at Grey when he spoke again. ¡°Sylvia,¡± He said slowly. ¡°I must ask¡­what is the last thing you remember?¡±


    My¡­partner looked at him in deepening confusion. ¡°What do I remember?¡± She asked him, blinking. ¡°Ah¡­well. It¡¯s¡­odd. Where am I?¡± She said, looking around. ¡°Moments ago, I was speaking to Commander Hook about a personal mission to locate you. We were in our regional command center in Blutstein. I¡­don¡¯t recognize this place, though.¡± Now Sylvia was starting to become concerned herself, now doubt influenced by the shock and horror on the faces she saw around her. ¡°Father, what¡¯s¡­happened?¡±


    Grey slowly closed his eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath. He opened them once more and then did his best to project a comforting smile to his daughter. ¡°You¡­were injured, my dear,¡± He said, audibly pained. Sylvia blinked rapidly at his words, looking down at herself. She was visibly taken aback by the sight of the gold on her torso, her mouth falling open in shock. Meanwhile, Grey continued speaking. ¡°I¡¯ve been free from my captors for¡­some time now. I believe you might have lost¡­time yourself.¡±


    Sylvia raised her head to look at Grey. ¡°Oh,¡± She whispered. ¡°How¡­how long?¡±


    Grey let out a heavy breath. ¡°Four months,¡± He said heavily. ¡°I was freed from my bondage over four months ago now. You...might have possibly lost more than that, considering when that...assignment was issued.¡±


    I was frozen, now, unwilling to acknowledge the truth that was unfolding before my eyes. I wouldn¡¯t believe it until I heard the words from her own lips.


    But I was afraid to catch her attention.


    Honoka moved forward now, finally willing to take her own chance. ¡°Sylvia¡­¡± She said in a fragile tone. ¡°You do still remember me¡­right?¡±


    Sylvia sat bolt upright then, knocked out of her own shock. ¡°Of course I do!¡± She said desperately, clutching at Honoka¡¯s hands. ¡°I could never forget you, Lady Honoka!¡±


    I saw Honoka slump in relief before leaning forward to wrap Sylvia in a hug. I didn¡¯t miss the almost guilty look that Honoka snuck my way before burying her face in Sylvia¡¯s neck. Over Honoka¡¯s shoulder, I saw Sylvia look over the other woman¡¯s.


    Right at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± She said apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m¡­not sure who you are?¡±


    I felt a shudder run through my soul at her words, as she kept talking.


    ¡°Are you perhaps¡­a comrade?¡± Sylvia continued, her eyes lingering on my Order armor. I saw her blink rapidly at the sight of my elongated ears, but she didn¡¯t comment on them. ¡°In the Order maybe? I¡­apologize if I¡¯ve forgotten you.¡±


    Honoka didn¡¯t look at me, but Grey did. There was an impossible sadness for me evident in his gaze, but he didn¡¯t speak up. I think¡­he didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Glacially, I reached down for the mask that I had stowed in my pouch earlier. I brought it up to adhere to my face and raised my hood. At the sight of the completed Nocturne Division regalia, Sylvia visibly brightened up in her own conclusion. ¡°Yes,¡± I said slowly, fighting with myself harder than I ever had to keep my voice steady. ¡°I was here¡­on behalf of the Division. I was¡­ordered¡­¡± I choked on the words, before forcing them out. ¡°To witness your revival by the¡­Headmaster. I¡¯ll¡­show myself out¡­now.¡±


    At that, I turned in place and began to shuffle towards the door, moving in a haze that threatened to consume me. My steps stuttered, though, when I heard Sylvia speak up behind me.


    ¡°Please give my regards to Commander Hook,¡± She said almost absentmindedly, bringing me to a momentary halt. I nodded without speaking or turning to face her and slipped out the door.


    Numb, I stood just outside in the alleyway as white noise began to drown the world around me.


    A drop of water hit my hood, piercing through my devastation. I slowly raised my face in time to watch as the heavens began to weep down onto me.


    Eventually, I wasn¡¯t able to tell if the droplets that coated my face came from the sky.


    Or me.

 Chapter 218 - Cessation

    Eventually, I outright fled from the clinic, unwilling to be anywhere near where the apparently amnesiac Sylvia was. I didn¡¯t know where I was going frankly. All I wanted was to be gone.


    I found a place.


    An abandoned bar.


    Honestly, it was a wreck. Most of the furniture had been reduced to splinters, and there were more than a few splotches of dried blood littering the floorboards. I¡¯m guessing the owners of this place were either dead or had more important things to worry about right now than how their business was nearly scrapped.


    At least there weren¡¯t any bodies in here. Guess the rescue crews had already passed through this area.


    But the bar counter itself, and more importantly its stock of booze, seemed to have survived the chaos mostly intact. I¡¯d gathered up whatever bottles I could find behind it, dragged a wobbly stool up to the claw-marked surface, and got to work.


    Guzzling those bottles, I hadn¡¯t moved from my shitty stool in hours. In that time, I had¡­plenty of thoughts, even though I was trying to drown them in an ocean of alcohol.


    Dangerous ones.


    Thoughts that made me wonder¡­


    I was barely aware of the door to my hiding spot slamming open. I was drunk enough now that I didn¡¯t give a shit if anyone found me here, pilfering booze from a disaster zone. I didn¡¯t even bother to turn around to see who had discovered me. What were they going to do to me that was worse than had already been done?


    Hard to top my recent hardships.


    I heard heavy plated feet plod into the bar and then slam the door closed behind them, before approaching my hunched-over form. Only when the new arrival pulled up a nearby stool and sat to my left at the bar did I turn my head slightly, to see who they were.


    Ah.


    Normally, I would have been pretty happy to see them. It had been months since we¡¯d last seen each other. The person sitting next to me was likely my oldest friend on Vereden, after all.


    Azarus.


    My dwarven friend was fully kitted out in his personal plate armor, forged with his own hands and splattered with mud. To me, it looked like he had just come in from the road and hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to clean up. For a moment, I wondered if Grey or someone else had sent the dwarf after me, after the disaster from earlier.


    But I doubted it. I think he must have gone looking for me entirely on my own.


    Azarus looked pissed.


    The dwarf was grinding his teeth and glaring out into space, looking more furious than I had seen from him since Addersfield. He had thrown down his carefully forged shield and hammer carelessly onto the splintered floorboards of the tavern, and looked ready to fight someone with his bare hands. Moments after sitting, he grabbed one of the bottles of liquor I had stolen, outright snapped off the glass head of it, and guzzled the entire thing down in seconds.


    Even as pissed as I was, I still retained enough cognizance to be impressed by the feat. That much booze all at once would have probably killed me, back on Earth. I also¡­had enough thought left in my core ring to realize what this was probably about.


    I turned away from Azarus to pick up my own bottle and take a swig. After setting it down, I finally spoke up. ¡°Told you about Hook then?¡± I asked shortly.


    Azarus sat in fuming silence for a moment before finally speaking up. ¡°Yeah,¡± He said roughly.


    It didn¡¯t seem like he wanted to speak about it. That¡­was fine with me.


    I could respect that.


    Silence descended once more before my core ring nudged me about a promise I had made. I told it to shut the fuck up, but still begrudgingly did its bidding. Releasing my grip on my bottle, I reached under my armor at my neck and fished out the chain I found there. Slipping it over my neck, I handed the pendant I had been safekeeping over to Azarus.


    For a moment, he didn¡¯t even see my offering as absorbed in his drink as he was. But when he did, my red-haired friend grit his teeth once more. He numbly took the locket in one beefy hand and just stared down at it for a moment in apparent recognition. ¡°Ye fucking bastard,¡± He breathed. ¡°How dare ye¡­¡±


    I don''t think he was speaking to me, to be honest.


    Almost reluctantly, Azarus cracked open the locket to stare down at the contents for a moment. I was only able to catch a brief glimpse of the tiny portrait inside before Azarus roughly slammed the locket down on the bar.


    The miniature painting had looked to be of an extended dwarven family, with almost all of them being red of hair.


    There were more than a few children in it. I even thought I recognized some of them, young as they were.


    I looked away and sighed, returning to my own brooding.


    Silence, as Azarus breathed heavily next to me. Eventually, he reached for another bottle.


    Some time passed, with the two of us simply drinking to drown our own troubles. Azarus and I¡­we weren¡¯t really the talking type.


    But sometimes, some things needed to be said.


    Surprisingly, Azarus was the one to break the silence. As we¡¯d been systemically mowing through the bar¡¯s stocks of liquor, he had calmed down some. ¡°Sorry about Sylvia,¡± He said roughly, not turning to look at me.


    I grunted. I was unsurprised that Grey had told the dwarf about what had happened to my¡­former girlfriend.


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    ¡°What are ye goin¡¯ to do about it?¡± Azarus continued awkwardly, making an attempt. I was, surprisingly, grateful. I knew he wasn¡¯t the best at this kind of emotional stuff. Hell, I wasn¡¯t either. I knew how hard it was for people like us.


    Still, I took a deep breath before I answered him. ¡°That¡¯s the thing, isn¡¯t it?¡± I said quietly, my gaze sharpening even through my inebriation. After the shock and horror of what had happened with Sylvia passed, something else had been left in its wake.


    Indignation, and more than a bit of anger.


    ¡°Why¡­should I bother anymore?¡± I said aloud, voicing the thoughts that had been running through my mind.


    Azarus finally turned to look at me in alarm at my words. ¡°Nate¡­ye can¡¯t mean-¡±


    I slashed out with one hand, knocking one empty bottle off the countertop to shatter on the floor below. ¡°No,¡± I said sharply. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to¡­end things. I¡¯m talking about all of this!¡± I nearly shouted, finally standing up from my stool and making a sweeping gesture at our surroundings. Azarus looked around in confusion at the decimated bar, but I wasn¡¯t talking about that.


    More¡­my whole fucking life.


    ¡°Why am I here Azarus?¡± I asked him, almost desperately. I continued before he could even try and answer the almost rhetorical question. ¡°Why am I so deep in this fucking war?! WHY¡­¡± I screamed, tearing at my Order armor furiously and ripping off my breastplate. I threw it down onto the floorboards beneath me hard enough to crack them. ¡°Was I a fucking assassin?! Why was I killing people?! Look at everything I¡¯ve lost!¡± I said, holding up my arm desperately. ¡°I¡¯ve lost my arm! I almost lost an eye! I have brain damage! And¡­!¡± I reached up and tugged painfully at one of my elongated, sensitive ears. ¡°I lost my fucking humanity! What more do I have to give?! Why am I even doing this anymore?!¡±


    Silence descended on the bar, when I finished my ranting. Azarus stared at me for a moment before sliding off of his own stool. ¡°Then stop,¡± He said bluntly. I blinked at his words, knocked out of my near hysteria. ¡°If doin¡¯ the work ye were in is makin¡¯ ye miserable, then just drop it.¡±


    My lips parted for a moment in shock as I considered them.


    Just¡­stop.


    I considered that for a moment.


    Oh¡­oh that sounded¡­


    Nice.


    ¡°What was I even doing?¡± I asked in a whisper. ¡°Was¡­Rhazal rig-¡± I shook my head sharply, before starting to pace. Now I was just speaking my thoughts out loud, uncaring if Azarus heard them. There were few people I trusted more, after all. ¡°No, he wasn¡¯t. I do want to build a life on Vereden, I know I do. Just not this one. I refuse to be a blade in the dark anymore. I don¡¯t want to treat life as casually as an assassin does.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go,¡± Azarus spoke up behind me. I blinked rapidly and turned to face him. He shrugged at my regard. ¡°Honestly Nate, I¡¯m sick of this shit too. I ain¡¯t got nothing against the Sculpted. They don¡¯t deserve ta be slaves. But I¡¯m sick of fightin¡¯, and it''s not like the Uprising is goin'' ta lose after all this shit. They got the Loyalists held at the end of a blade. We can just¡­go. What¡¯s stoppin¡¯ us?¡±


    I stared at him numbly for a moment. ¡°But¡­Grey¡­¡± I said slowly. ¡°We were going to join the Academy¡­?¡±


    ¡°No reason we still can¡¯t,¡± Azarus said dismissively. ¡°Ain¡¯t like classes are goin¡¯ ta start back up anytime soon. War¡¯s still on, and when this shit is all over, it¡¯ll take ¡®em some time to start things back up. We can just bugger off till then.¡± At that, Azarus walked up to me and deliberately set his hands on my shoulders to stare into my eyes. It wasn¡¯t that hard for the abnormally tall dwarf to do. ¡°We don¡¯t got ta fight this war. I sure as shit ain¡¯t a Herztalian, and ye aren¡¯t either. This mess ain¡¯t our gods damned responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Where would we go¡­?¡± I trailed off, the thought of Azarus¡¯s proposal meandering through my mind.


    Azarus shrugged, stepping back. ¡°I dunno. Wherever the hell we want to, I guess.¡±


    I stood stock still for a moment. ¡°Wherever we want to¡­¡± I breathed.


    Somewhere I didn¡¯t have to be an assassin. Somewhere I wasn¡¯t getting ordered into war. Somewhere my friends and comrades weren¡¯t getting murdered left and right.


    Somewhere I didn¡¯t have to see the stranger that now lived in my former love¡¯s Mithril skin.


    My eyes watered, but no tears ran down my cheeks as I let out a shuddering breath. ¡°I like that idea, Azarus,¡± I said quietly. ¡°I like it a lot¡­¡±


    The two of us simply stood together as the very basic idea of a plan coalesced in our minds. The bar was silent, while out in the street, we heard the shouting and shuffling of feet as rescue efforts continued.


    I nodded slowly. ¡°Alright,¡± I said, just barely loud enough to be heard. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s do this. I¡¯m¡­done. Let someone else finish this war.¡± With those words, I felt an indescribable weight lift off of my shoulders as the decision was made.


    Azarus let out a sigh of relief of his own. ¡°Thank fuck,¡± He said, slumping slightly. ¡°I gotta tell ya Nate, I was thinkin¡¯ of just leavin¡¯ on me own after talkin¡¯ to ya. But,¡± He smiled slightly and slugged me on the shoulder. A few months ago, I probably would have staggered from the blow. Now, though, it just felt like a friendly punch. ¡°I got me a travel buddy. It¡¯ll be just like old times.¡±


    I leaned back up against the bar for a moment in thought. ¡°Maybe¡­¡± I said out loud. ¡°More than just us. I¡­have an idea, but we¡¯ll have to talk to some other people first,¡± I abruptly shook my head. ¡°Grey comes first, though. We have to tell him we¡¯re bowing out. He deserves¡­that much, at least.¡±


    Azarus nodded seriously, before looking around the bar. ¡°Let¡¯s get goin¡¯ then. I¡¯ve only been in this city fer a day, and I¡¯m already sick of it.¡±


    I snorted, nodding. ¡°You think you¡¯re sick of it,¡± I muttered, as we picked up both of our discarded equipment. Azarus his shield and hammer, while I strapped my breastplate back on and picked up my staff. I only remember to slip my hood up over my head at the last minute, before we left. ¡°You try operating here for weeks. I¡¯m never coming back again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame ya,¡± Azarus said, as we walked up to the door that was barely hanging onto its hinges. He opened it and stepped through. ¡°If I ever have ta-¡±


    The dwarf was cut off by someone abruptly running into his chest. He stopped in place while I stepped out of the bar. I walked around him to see who had interrupted him, only to stop in place in shock.


    I¡­recognized them.


    It was Jason, the owner of the potion shop I had been working at as part of my cover here in Elderwyck. I was strangely happy to see the slight man. It was¡­nice to see that he had survived the fighting and the chaos.


    Only¡­he didn¡¯t look so good.


    The slim bespectacled man was swaying on his feet, looking far drunker than either Azarus or I were. He wore dirty, ripped clothes and peered out at the world resentfully through glasses that only had a single cracked lens in them. He drunkenly stumbled away from Azarus, nearly falling over before I managed to catch him. He stared at the gloved hand that had grabbed him in incomprehension for a moment, before following it up to my face. He blinked one eye and then the other, before shitfaced recognition crossed his face. ¡°Hans¡­?¡± He slurred. ¡°Izzat you?¡±


    I helped the other man to his feet and did my best to smile at him. ¡°Yeah, Jason. It¡¯s me. You¡­don¡¯t look so good, man,¡± I looked up at Azarus before smiling regretfully at him. ¡°Ah, I know this guy. Let me get him back home and then we¡¯ll go do what we were talking about, okay?¡±


    Azarus shrugged. ¡°No problem. I can tag along fer now.¡±


    When I looked back down at Jason, I was¡­somehow unsurprised to see that the man had started sobbing into his hands. ¡°I don¡¯t have a home anymore!¡± He cried drunkenly. ¡°Those fuckin¡¯ things wrecked the shop! I¡¯m ruined!¡±


    I sighed regretfully, before reaching down a hand to help him. Jason stared at it in incomprehension, before he followed it up to my¡­body for some reason? He stared at me, or more specifically my Order armor, before something unexpected happened.


    A rictus of hate stole over his ragged features. The shopkeep snarled and knocked my hand away before staggering to his feet. ¡°YOU!¡± He shouted, pointing an accusing finger at me. ¡°YOU¡¯RE ONE OF THOSE ORDER PEOPLE, AREN¡¯T YOU!¡±


    All around us, I could see his shouting was drawing attention. Rescue workers, guards, and soldiers stopped to watch the confrontation.


    Not all of the looks on their faces were friendly, when they caught sight of me.

 Chapter 219 - Outed

    A frown crossed my lips, as I began to feel a sense of impending dread.


    Meanwhile, Jason started ranting drunkenly at me. ¡°I trusted you!¡± He screamed, swaying from his own inebriation and keeping an accusing finger pointed at me. ¡°And all along you were one of THEM! Youuuu¡­you were one of those evil BASTARDS FUCKING EVERYTHING UP!¡±


    Most of the aid workers in the surrounding area had stopped what they were doing to watch the confrontation at this point, and the shouting was drawing in even more people. A crowd was forming to watch. While not every look thrown my way was as accusing as Jason was being, there were some decidedly unfriendly ones in that mix.


    ¡°I let you into my HOME!¡± Jason bellowed, spit flying from his mouth. ¡°And now it¡¯s GONE! IT¡¯S ALL YOUR FAULT!¡± At that, the proprietor of Jason¡¯s Magical Brews staggered up to me with outstretched hands, as if to try and strangle me.


    A frown crossed my lips as I caught and held them effortlessly. Jason had once told me he¡¯d never been serious about his Status, and it showed. The man was pathetically weak in comparison to me. I didn¡¯t even budge as I held the struggling man in my grip.


    Still, I sighed. In a way¡­he was right. Nerexxa had only kicked off her plan after the arrival of the Division here in Elderwyck. Everything was still her fault, of course. But we had factored into that plan, and even if it was nonsensical, I felt a measure of guilt over it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jason,¡± I said quietly enough that I wasn¡¯t sure he heard me. But he did, and stopped his struggling long enough to glare at me with hate painted across his face. ¡°I can talk to some people about finding you a place to stay, if you need one. And I have¡­a little money that you can take to build a new life.¡±


    It was the best I could do for him, at this point.


    But Jason didn¡¯t want to hear it. The drunken man sneered at me. ¡°I don¡¯t want your PITY!¡± He shouted, before rearing back his head. He drove it forward in an attempt to headbutt me in the face, but it was easy enough for me to lean backward and dodge it.


    That was a mistake.


    It was only after I heard gasps from the surrounding crowd that I realized what had happened, in my evasion of the drunken headbutt.


    My hood had fallen backward with the movement. My altered features, including my ears, had been exposed to the astonished eyes of the crowd.


    I tensed up while Jason finally tired out in my arms. He stopped struggling and went limp in my grip, now sobbing loudly. I numbly let go of him, and he slumped to his knees and buried his face in his hands. Meanwhile, I started to hear whispers from the mob.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t there rumors about an elf?¡± My new ears heard one man mutter to another. ¡°Somethin¡¯ about one freein¡¯ all the Sculpted about the city?¡±


    ¡°An elf in the Order?¡± I heard another say.


    Abruptly, one Uprising soldier shoved forward out of the mass and gaped at me for a moment, ¡°Don''t I know you? I swear I saw you in Helstein a few months back. You look a little different, but aren''t you Sir Nathaniel Hart? I heard you were the one that killed the Calamity!"


    My heart dropped into my stomach as the crowd went abruptly silent. Suddenly, everyone in the mob was looking at me with confused awe in their gazes. Slowly, I reached back and drew my hood up, but the damage had already been done.


    Heartbreakingly, a dirty little girl stepped out of the crowd, escaping the grasp of his exhausted mother. ¡°Is it true, mister Elf?¡± She asked innocently. ¡°Did you kill the monster?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± I said aloud, paralyzed by the guileless curiosity in her young eyes. The rest of the crowd hung off my every word. ¡°I¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t get a word out. Panic was welling up inside of me now, in a way I thought I¡¯d gotten past. White noise filled my head as I groped for something, anything to say.


    But then more fuel was thrown on the fire, from an unlikely source.


    ¡°I heard it was true,¡± A voice said unexpectedly, drawing mine and everyone else¡¯s attention. An Order member stepped out of the crowd, and to my dismay, he was looking at me with near worship. ¡°The higher-ups have been saying that it was a member of our Order that killed the Calamity. Supposedly, it was Headmaster Greycton¡¯s apprentice who did it.¡±


    What?


    What the fuck? Who was saying that?! Had Woodrick or Leopold let that fact slip ¡®accidentally¡¯? Was I being used as a¡­PR campaign, or something?


    Suddenly I was feeling much more sure of my decision to leave with Azarus.


    ¡°Are you him?¡± The Uprising soldier said breathlessly. ¡°Sir¡­Hart?¡±


    The eyes of the crowd swung my way once again, and I was disturbed by the level of awe now radiating from them. I took a step back almost instinctively from the attention before I bumped into something and felt a hand fall on my shoulder. I whipped around in panic, only to see that it was Azarus behind me. Said dwarf leaned in closely. ¡°We should probably get out of here,¡± He whispered next to my long ear. ¡°We don¡¯t want this to turn into a riot. Pretty sure Grey is at the Guard Headquarters. Go on, get. I¡¯ll meet ya there. I gotta find some things if we¡¯re headin¡¯ out.¡±


    That knocked me out of my panic long enough to nod at him and start backing away from the crowd. Near worshipping gazes were being directed my way that were so disturbing that I felt my skin crawl from them. I had to get out of here.


    And so I did.


    Throwing out an arm, I cast Thorn Grapple at a nearby rooftop and reeled myself in. Once up there, I started sprinting and hopping my way towards the guard HQ.


    Away from the reverent masses.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    The Uprising and the Order seemed to have taken over the guard headquarters, when I finally reached it. They were very clearly in charge of things now that they¡¯d occupied the city. Honestly, it didn¡¯t look like the Loyalists or the guards themselves were too bothered by it. Instead, they looked a bit relieved to be ordered around like they seemed to be.


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    However, one thing did bother me.


    I was recognized.


    Again.


    Disturbingly, even though I was being careful to keep myself concealed, the Order and Army forces had zeroed in on me once I¡¯d touched down in front of the HQ. They were quiet as they parted before my form, leaving a clear path through the former chaos of the refugee efforts. Some of those refugees were visibly confused at the deference that was being paid to me, only for some of the soldiers to lean down and whisper to them. When those people looked up at me again, awe was visible on their tired, dirt-streaked faces.


    I grit my teeth at the attention, doing my best to hide how it bothered me. With my Acting level, it wasn¡¯t that hard.


    The soldiers guarding the door to the manse actually saluted me when I reached them. ¡°Sir Hart,¡± one of them said respectfully. ¡°How can we help you?¡±


    I just looked at him for a moment, causing the soldier to fidget slightly from my attention.


    ¡®Sir¡¯ Hart.


    I hadn¡¯t been called something like that since Rhoscara. But I had been bullshitting about that then, and now¡­now I wasn¡¯t too sure.


    ¡°I need to see the Grand Marshal,¡± I said finally.


    The soldier saluted again. ¡°Of course, Sir Hart. Private Maloney can take you to him. Maloney!¡± He barked at a nearby pimply-faced teenager of a soldier who had been not so subtly eavesdropping on the conversation.


    ¡®Maloney¡¯ straightened up and saluted sloppily. ¡°R-right away, sir!¡± He said eagerly, before turning to face me with worshipful eyes. ¡°This w-way, Sir Hart!¡± At that, the private jogged through the doors the guards had opened up for us, without even waiting for me.


    I stifled a sigh and followed the kid through the opening, finding him waiting almost impatiently for me. He brightened up and then motioned for me to follow him.


    It was damn busy in here, and as we walked through the halls of the manse to wherever Grey was hiding, people stopped to watch us.


    Or rather, me.


    Conversations stopped, and heads turned, leaving pockets of quiet that followed in my wake. Always, furious conversation erupted wherever I passed.


    Just being here, I was disrupting operations through my presence alone. Even if people were just curious about who they had been told was the person to slay a Calamity, I felt like a liability.


    I did my best to hurry the Private along.


    Eventually, he led me to a small office near the top of the building, before departing.


    Inside, I could hear low conversation, indicating that Grey wasn¡¯t alone in there. I was¡­simultaneously relieved and disappointed that I couldn¡¯t hear Sylvia in there.


    Instead, there seemed to be three people in there that I could recognize easily enough, even though Lifeblood Sense told me there were four. Two were somewhat expected, while the other two weren¡¯t. But I had wanted to see one of those other two before I left.


    If only to tell the little shit what I thought of him.


    I knocked on the door, causing the conversation to cease for a moment. ¡°Enter,¡± I heard Grey say from within. I opened the door and stepped through, finding exactly who I had expected on the other side.


    Grey was here, obviously. My mentor was sitting behind a desk absolutely stacked with various scrolls and reports, looking grateful for any kind of distraction. He looked relieved to see me. Honoka, too, because she was standing right behind Grey, with her arms crossed over her chest and looking as annoyed as ever.


    She didn¡¯t look relieved to see me.


    Instead, she looked away in almost shame. I¡­didn¡¯t want to unpack that right now, in front of the other people in the room.


    Prince Oskar, and his asshole guard Augustine.


    I hadn¡¯t seen the knight at the meeting earlier, and that had made me wonder if the man had even survived the Breaks. But no, he was here now. Maybe the Prince, or rather, King-Elect, had just ditched his bodyguard earlier.


    I wouldn¡¯t put it past the kid.


    I exchanged a nod with Grey as I stepped inside the room. ¡°Nathan,¡± He said in a relieved tone, standing up from his chair. ¡°I see Azarus found you. Are you¡­?¡± He trailed off.


    I¡¯m guessing he was about to ask if I was fine.


    Not really.


    Oh, whatever.


    ¡°Not really,¡± I said out loud, uncaring about the presence of the Prince. Grey winced, while the Prince just looked confused. Honoka still wouldn¡¯t look at me. ¡°But yeah, Azarus found me. We talked, and came to a decision. He sent me on ahead while he got some stuff together,¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°I need to talk to you about something. But first¡­¡± I turned to the Prince and met his eyes. ¡°I have something to say to you, your Highness.¡±


    Prince Oskar winced. ¡°Ah, if It¡¯s about my earlier accusation, Sir Hart, I do apologize. I was merely concern-¡± He stopped in surprise when I held up a hand to cut him off. He was so shocked that it made me wonder if the kid had ever been interrupted like that in his life.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± I said bluntly, causing Augustine to tense. I paid the attack dog no mind and just kept my eyes trained on Oskar. ¡°I¡¯m going to be the bad guy here and say something that you need to hear, Prince Oskar. You need to get your shit together.¡±


    The Prince¡¯s lips parted as he blinked repeatedly. ¡°I¡¯m¡­sorry?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not, and I don¡¯t blame you for it,¡± I said unflinchingly. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if a royal like you has ever been told off in your life, so I¡¯ll do it since everyone else has failed you. If you¡¯re going to be the King of this fucked up country, you can¡¯t be a kid anymore. I don¡¯t know what kind of problem you have with me,¡± I said, causing Oskar to wince. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you jump to conclusions in my case. I can take it. But the people of Herztal don¡¯t deserve that kind of carelessness. Not after being put through a civil war. If you¡¯re going to be a King that can hold this country together when everything is said and done, you need to be more careful with what you say and do.¡±


    Silence descended on the office for a moment, as all four occupants stared at me in shock at the way I¡¯d just backtalked the boy who was going to be King. I stifled a smirk at how that little rant had made Honoka finally look at me if only to gawk at my audacity.


    Well, whatever. I didn¡¯t have the instinctive deference that most Veredenese seemed to have for royalty.


    My people had cast off the trappings of crowns and thrones centuries ago.


    Augustine audibly growled at that, stepping forward with a tight hand gripping his sword. ¡°You dare?¡±


    I just met his helmeted eyes with a bored gaze, completely unfazed by the knight¡¯s rage. It took more than the anger of a toady like him to intimidate me.


    Still, he backed down when Oskar cleared his throat awkwardly. ¡°Ah¡­I will¡­take your words under advisement?¡± He said almost meekly, not meeting my eyes. ¡°I¡­thank you both for your candor, and for the mercy you showed to Isolde. Rest assured, she will¡­not be a problem in the future, as we have¡­reconciled our differences.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± I nodded sharply, before turning away from him to look at Grey. ¡°Then, if you don¡¯t mind? Grey and I have business.¡±


    Prince Oskar took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°Yes, of course. I have just one more thing to say, before I leave. It is in regard to my¡­previous accusation, back in Helstein. There, I informed you that impersonating a knight was illegal. However, that is¡­no longer an issue. Although a formal ceremony has not be held, I have decided that for your service here in her Elderwyck, you are to be knighted.¡±


    I looked back at the Prince abruptly at that. ¡°Is that why everyone has been calling me ¡®Sir¡¯ Hart? Were you the one to leak that I was the person who killed the Calamity?¡± I said, narrowing my eyes at Oskar.


    Said Prince held up his hands almost defensively. ¡°Ah, no. I believe the decision to inform the soldiery of that fact came from Commander Woodrick. I merely tacked something on to the announcement. I simply wanted to tell you that a ceremony for your knighting can come after the conclusion of the war. I will¡­leave to your business then, Sir Hart.¡± At that, Oskar shuffled backward out of the room, never taking his eyes off of me before he disappeared out of the door. Augustine followed after him after one last attempt at an intimidating stare, which I completely disregarded.


    Leaving me alone with Grey and Honoka.


    I took a deep breath before walking over and sitting in the chair before Grey¡¯s desk and meeting his eyes. ¡°We need to talk.¡±


    Grey sighed, set his hands down flat on the desk, and nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I believe we do.¡±

 Chapter 220 - A Long Overdue Talk

    I spoke first.


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving,¡± I said bluntly, as Grey closed his eyes at my words. There was an almost defeated cast to his aged features. Meanwhile, Honoka let out a small, almost inaudible sigh. ¡°Too much has happened too quickly, and neither Azarus or I can really take it anymore. This mess¡­this entire war¡­.we gave it a shot. But it¡¯s not our responsibility to clean it up. I''m sorry Grey, but we''re done.¡±


    Grey nodded slowly, still not speaking up from his silence.


    Honoka was the one to break it. ¡°You know where you¡¯re going?¡± She asked shortly.


    I shrugged at her. ¡°Not yet,¡± I admitted. ¡°We only just decided that we were done with it all. I have some ideas about what we could do, but nothing concrete. I need to talk to some people first.¡±


    Grey finally opened his eyes to meet mine seriously. ¡°Nathan, if this is about what happened to Sylvia, please understand. There is a chance that she could recover her memories of the last four months. A slim one, I¡¯ll admit,¡± He amended quickly, at my raised eyebrows. ¡°But it exists. The damage to her enchantment, and thus her soul, could mend with time. The impressions of those experiences could return to her. I¡¯m¡­not sure it will happen in her case, but it¡¯s possible.¡±


    I absorbed that for a moment. Nevertheless, I shook my head, to Grey¡¯s obvious disappointment. ¡°That¡¯s¡­great, honestly. I¡¯m happy for her. You too, really,¡± I said, doing my best to smile at Grey. ¡°But I think I still would have taken off either way. Too much has changed, Grey. I¡¯m¡­not the same person I was, before I joined the Nocturne Division. A lot happened since we saw each other, and I need to come to terms with it. Away from the war.¡±


    Grey absorbed that and then nodded slightly. ¡°I understand, Nathan. Truly, I do. I¡­cannot say if it is possible to revert the physical changes wrought from your newest stolen Skill. But I believe you should try. With mastery over it, you might be capable of far more than you would believe.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­consider it,¡± I said reluctantly. I hadn¡¯t tried to use Vis Maledicta Exactoris once since that first initial transformation. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t sure I even wanted to. If I had my way, the Skill would rot in the depths of my Status for the rest of my life for what it had done to me. But the more practical side of myself said it might be worth experimenting with the Skill. Albeit, incredibly grudgingly.


    Not anytime soon, though.


    ¡°However, there are¡­other matters to discuss, before you depart,¡± Grey did his best to smile. ¡°There are some congratulations in order. From what Honoka has told me, you¡¯ve passed the level one-hundred mark, and thus are capable of your own Ascension Ritual. With that, you will finally be considered a true Mage.¡±


    I blinked at that. I¡­guess that was true. I had been looking forward to that for so long, and yet my own Ascension Ritual had completely slipped my mind. To be fair, though, I¡¯d been juggling a lot lately. ¡°More than level one hundred,¡± I mused, leaning back in my chair. ¡°I should actually have over twenty levels banked, from when I checked last. I¡­think they¡¯re being held back by being locked at one hundred right now. It reminds me of how I was locked at level ten before I could get my class, back in the day.¡±


    ¡°You are correct, yes,¡± Grey said with a nod. ¡°The System will not allow you to move past level one hundred before choosing your Path in finality. Twenty levels is¡­a bit much, but not totally unexpected, considering the amount of level Aether that slaying a Calamity must bring. Nathan,¡± He said, leaning forward in his chair. ¡°Before you leave, allow me to assist you in your Ritual. Even if you wish to depart for a time, I still consider you my apprentice. It is my responsibility to facilitate such an important life step as an Ascension Ritual. And with yours completed, when you return, we can continue your education as a proper Magi,¡± Grey paused for a moment, before continuing almost uncertainly. ¡°That is¡­if you intend to return¡­?¡±


    I held up my hands and smiled at Grey. ¡°Yeah. This isn¡¯t forever. I just¡­I want¡­I need to step away from all of this for a time. Azarus and I are going to come back, Grey. We¡¯ll try and keep in contact, so drop us a letter when the war is over and the Academy is open for business again. But in the meantime? Yeah¡­yeah, I¡¯ll stick around for a few more days so we can do my Ritual. I¡¯d like that.¡±


    Grey sighed in relief at that. ¡°Good. Then, we should get to work on designing it. It¡­might take more than a few days though,¡± He said, casting a despairing gaze at the piles of parchment littering his desk. ¡°As you can imagine, the leadership is quite busy with the occupation and planning our next move. I¡¯ll try and set aside time to research with you, but it will be¡­difficult. I assure you though, that we''ll have enough time before the Uprising leaves Elderwyck. We can get started right now, I believe.¡± At that, Grey reached for a blank scroll and unrolled it before him, clearing a space for it as he did so. He looked back up at me with a smile. ¡°Come, join me.¡±


    I returned his smile and stood up from my chair. As I did so, Honoka walked past me towards the door with an acknowledging nod. She stopped, though, when I spoke up before she could exit the room. ¡°Keep an eye on her for me,¡± I said simply.


    Honoka nodded without turning to look at me. She didn¡¯t even ask who I was talking about. We both knew which ¡®she¡¯ I meant. ¡°Always. You didn¡¯t even have to ask. I¡¯ll¡­see you around, Hart.¡± With that, Honoka slipped out the door and closed it behind her.


    Meanwhile, I turned around and dragged my chair to the other side of Grey¡¯s desk and settled in for an almost nostalgic lesson from Grey. It had been a long time since we¡¯d had a chance to do something like this.


    ¡°Now,¡± Grey started in a lecturing tone. ¡°When designing a Mana based Ascension Ritual, one must begin with circles¡­¡±


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Grey only had a few hours to work with me on my Ascension Ritual. In that time, I found the process¡­actually kind of fascinating. He taught me about the basics of what an Ascension Ritual actually was, and how it functioned to convert my Stamina into usable Mana.


    Apparently, it was about purification and attunement.


    Of¡­a sort.


    My only experience with Ascension Rituals up to this point had been observing the effects of Sylvia¡¯s. She had gone through a Cultivator Ritual though, and not the Magi Ritual that we were designing for my use.


    Actually, I couldn¡¯t imagine how confused poor Sylvia must be right now. She had gone through that ritual in the period of time she had lost, and now had no memories of something so important to her Path. It had to be incredibly jarring, and it made me wish I could help her. But I¡¯m not sure she even knew I existed anymore. I didn¡¯t have that right.


    I didn¡¯t ask Grey where she was right now. I¡¯m not sure I could have resisted the urge to go and check up on her, essentially invading the privacy of someone who was now a stranger.


    I forcibly pushed thoughts of Sylvia away to concentrate on Grey¡¯s lecture.


    Anyway, Sylvia¡¯s Ritual had been a Cultivator one, thus had been about physical purification. But Magi Rituals were different.


    Ours was about mental purification. Which confused me.


    How do you purify a mind?


    When I asked Grey that, he just smiled patiently at me.


    ¡°A common question,¡± He answered happily. ¡°And I don¡¯t mind explaining it.¡±


    I mentally winced at the joke, but tried not to react otherwise. I didn¡¯t begrudge Grey his little jests.


    Grey continued.


    ¡°Consider this, Nathan,¡± He said in a lecturing tone. ¡°What is a mind? We cannot touch it, and yet we all have one. We cannot see it, and yet it is always spinning in circles. It is the lens through which we view and perceive the world, and thus it must exist somehow. There must be something that indicates its existence somewhere. These were the questions that the very earliest philosopher Magi posed to each other.¡±


    I frowned, drumming my fingers on the desk. ¡°Well, the obvious answer is that it has to be something inherent to the soul,¡± I pointed out. ¡°Maybe the mind is inside of it.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Grey crowed. ¡°But also wrong!¡±


    I blinked at the enthusiasm but didn¡¯t interrupt Grey. He seemed like he was both on a roll and enjoying himself immensely.


    ¡°The mind is separate from the soul!¡± Grey continued with an excited smile. ¡°For all of its deep and complex mysteries, the earliest Magi were able to conclusively prove that the mind does not dwell within the soul. It is an existence separate from both the physical self, and the spiritual self. The mind does not reside in any part of the body, not in any organ. Certainly not the brain, despite what some believed in ages past. It cannot be found within the soul either, and thus the question was raised. Where is the mind? Care to take a guess?¡± He asked me teasingly.


    I smirked back at him. ¡°Is it the Concord?¡± I asked him.


    One of Grey¡¯s eyebrows went up, but he shook his head. ¡°No, in fact, although that is a good guess. I have to say, your experiences within the Concord are certainly atypical. Alas that we do not have the time to expound on them,¡± He lamented. ¡°But I digress. It is not the Concord. The mind lies¡­nowhere.¡±


    I tilted my head. ¡°Nowhere? As in¡­it doesn¡¯t exist?¡±


    Grey lifted a finger. ¡°The mind simultaneously does and does not exist, it was discovered. It does not have a distinct energy form of its own that can be detected. It is an almost¡­diffuse cloud of consciousness that surrounds and nearly buffets the soul. That was the mistake that the early Magi philosophers made, you see,¡± He admitted, sounding almost envious. ¡°They were so focused on looking inside of the soul that they didn¡¯t think to look just outside of it. However, that¡¯s not the important thing. What is important, is that the mind picks up ¡®impurities¡¯ from its proximity to the soul.¡±


    ¡°What kind of impurities?¡±


    ¡°The mind is not meant to naturally contain energies of its own, but it nevertheless accumulates them from existence,¡± Grey continued patiently. ¡°Environmental Aether, rarely so pure as what you use through Aetherial Melding, is often contaminated from its surroundings. Almost¡­flavors, so to speak. Not only that, but simply existing in our society means you often come into contact with Mana and Ki not of your own. The process of attuning your mind to the processing of raw Aether into personal Mana means you must purge it of the energies already there. Thus, the largest and most dangerous part of a Magi Ascension Ritual is the purging of extraneous energies. It¡¯s quite a show, as you¡¯ll find out. You know, the writings from around the time of all these discoveries are quite extraordinary. You really must read them when you come attend the Academy, Nathan.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sounds good to me,¡± I said, interested. ¡°I had no idea that being a Mage involved so much, well. Philosophy.¡± I laughed before a thought occurred to me. ¡°Did your master teach you this when you were an apprentice with Raph-¡± I cut myself off when Grey¡¯s expression abruptly darkened when I tried to speak that second name.


    Grey glowered off into the distance, before switching his gaze to the staff I always carried with me now. Currently, it was leaning in a corner of the room next to the office door. If anything, his scowl only intensified at the sight of it.


    I cleared my throat almost uncomfortably. ¡°Ah¡­I¡¯m guessing¡­he is a bit of a sore subject?¡±


    Grey was silent for a moment. ¡°You could say that,¡± He finally muttered darkly. ¡°That absolute bastard¡­when he reforms I¡¯m going to disperse him again. And when he comes back from that, I¡¯ll do it again and again and again. Maybe after a dozen times I¡¯ll finally be satisfied, for what he put us through by faking his final death.¡±


    Well.


    That sounded like a lot of ancient history. I was curious about it, but Grey was already looking touchy at just the mention of the Lich.


    Actually¡­


    Now that I thought about it, I was curious enough to risk his ire on one thing about Tlazo.


    I cleared my throat, drawing Grey¡¯s attention. ¡°What¡¯s the deal with the whole ¡®Pigsnatcher¡¯ thing?¡± I said bluntly. That was how Tlazo had said to positively identify himself to Grey the next time I saw him.


    To my surprise, Grey actually gaped at me for a moment before pounding a fist down on the desk in sheer affront. ¡°That asshole!¡± He said in astonishment, outright swearing for the first time since I¡¯d known him. ¡°He had the gall to mention that, out of everything? Gods, the nerve of that man!¡± My mentor heaved a few breaths in and out for a moment, before finally speaking up again. ¡°It, well. It¡¯s a reference to how our master taught us the Telekinesis spell. We were thrown into the proverbial deep end by¡­being instructed to catch very well-greased shaved pigs. It¡¯s¡­quite difficult, I must say.¡±


    I simply blinked at Grey in incomprehension for a moment, before his words penetrated. When they did, I choked on my own spit before bursting out laughing.


    Hard.


    Harder, in fact, than I think I had since I¡¯d set foot on Vereden.


    I¡­I just¡­


    The mental image alone¡­


    Meanwhile, Grey just grumbled, scowling off into the distance again. ¡°He was better at it than I was, and he just kept on stealing my own pigs. Thus, ¡®Pigsnatcher¡¯. He always was a prick.¡±


    I howled all the harder.


    Gods, I¡¯d needed this.

 Chapter 221 - Last Meeting

    Grey and I broke up for the day not long after that, since my mentor was still busy with everything involving the Elderwyck occupation. I got the impression that he really didn¡¯t even have the time for the lesson he had given me.


    He¡¯d instead made time.


    I appreciated that, I did. But that didn¡¯t change my opinion about leaving. I just¡­I needed to go. It was like an itch in my skin that I wasn¡¯t able to scratch. Every moment that I remained a part of this war, of this conflict¡­it grated on me.


    But, probably not as quickly as Azarus and I had intended to. We had jumped the gun back in that wrecked tavern. We probably weren¡¯t leaving anytime within the next week considering everything I had to do before we left. That wasn¡¯t even taking in the prep Azarus might need to do on his own. I had people to see and rituals to undergo, after all. Speaking of, it was about time I sought out some of those people, who I knew would be at the meeting I¡¯d been told about hours and hours ago.


    Possibly the last gathering of the Nocturne Division.


    I masked and hooded up, and then slipped out of a side window of the manse instead of the front door. I didn¡¯t need the awe and worshipping looks I¡¯d find in that direction.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    It didn¡¯t take me long to reach the docks. I was used to this city by now, as much as I was beginning to loathe it. When I reached the damaged warehouse that had been our meeting point, I found the dilapidated structure looking almost neat, compared to how it had looked before my little crusade against the surrounding plantations. It wasn¡¯t repaired or anything, but the rubble had been cleared away and a few supporting beams had been erected to keep it from collapsing any further. At first I wondered why they had even bothered before I noticed that the Thorny Reef was still docked next to it. I suppose Bella needed a place to berth and this was as good a place as any.


    When I touched down and started to approach the warehouse, one of the surviving members of the Division melted out of the shadows. I didn¡¯t know who they were, considering they weren¡¯t even bothering to wear a mask. The man inspected me for a moment before nodding. ¡°Hangman. They¡¯re inspecting you inside. You¡­don¡¯t have to wear the mask if you don¡¯t want to. We¡¯ve all heard about your curse.¡±


    Relief rolled over me at that. After a moment, I nodded at the unknown man and removed my mask and hood, revealing my mutated features to the world. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± I trailed off for a moment.


    He got the hint. ¡°Cody, formerly Pincer,¡± He said with a wry smile.


    Pincer. Not¡­sure I¡¯d ever spoken with the man, but I think I¡¯d seen him around.


    I did my best to return his smile, but I felt it wither on the vine. Those came...harder for me, these days. ¡°Nate. I¡­hope everyone hasn¡¯t been waiting on me,¡± I said, a bit embarrassed at my tardiness. ¡°I was busy for a while with¡­stuff¡­¡± I trailed off lamely. Said stuff involved getting momentarily shitfaced drunk and wallowing in my own despair, but I didn¡¯t mention that.


    Cody shook his head. ¡°No, the meeting isn¡¯t meant to start for a little bit more. Sparrow told us we¡¯d make a decision when the sun set,¡± He said, nodding to the horizon. After my delightfully full day of misery, Tarus was only just starting to begin his descent. The light was barely starting to dim through the ever-present storm clouds. ¡°Head on down to the basement. It¡¯s where everyone left is gathering. I¡¯ll be down in a bit.¡±


    I nodded, and with a goodbye, walked past him and into the warehouse proper. Well, what remained of it.


    My attention was continuously stolen by the numerous blood stains that littered the stone floor of the old fishery. I paused for a moment when I came upon the site where I knew I had fought General Longstripe at. There was a large, conspicuous blood stain on the stone that must have come from my attempted coup de grace. For a moment, I allowed myself to wonder what would have happened if I hadn¡¯t failed in killing him then. If Baldric hadn¡¯t been occupied with the mind-controlled General, would he have managed to kill Nerexxa before she could summon Rhazal?


    I would never know, I suppose.


    I shook off the useless thought and approached the basement, walking down the steps and into the command room.


    There were distressingly few people down here, and all of them looked up at my entrance to stare at me. I returned the looks, taking a moment to count the number of people who had apparently survived the last week. Nearly everyone was sitting in a ring of chairs set out in the center of the room. I only barely registered the slouching form of Bella in the corner away from everyone else, puffing on a rolled cigarette and looking bored. She straightened up at my entrance, staring at me with a raised eyebrow, but I had other things on my mind.


    Thirteen. Out of over fifty different Nocturne Division Agents that had been active in Elderwyck, only thirteen of us had survived. I didn¡¯t count the still form of Sparrow behind the command desk in that number. He¡­hadn¡¯t been here.


    I let out a breath and fully descended the steps, meeting the gaze of those I knew personally as I did so. Liora was here, as expected, looking much more put together than the last time I saw her. The Gnoll woman wasn¡¯t masked either, and seemed to be dressed nearly as an adventurer would be in hardened leathers. Strangely, I didn¡¯t see Maria anywhere down here. Maybe she was the person we were waiting on to start the meeting? Guess I really wasn¡¯t the last person to get here.


    I finally got an answer as to where Sylvia was, as well. Turns out she had been here, all along. My former partner was wearing what looked to be a replica of her old combat leathers. I almost stopped for a moment at the sight of them, as I hadn¡¯t seen that getup since Addersfield and our first lessons. The Sculpted woman was covered from head to toe in nondescript black leathers, with her face being covered with a non-Division leather mask like it had back then. I only knew it was Sylvia because I recognized the outfit.


    I felt a pang of heartbreak at how she was looking at me. There was a note of wariness in her crystalline blue gaze that hadn¡¯t been present earlier. It made me wonder what she had been told.


    I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to know.


    Sparrow, the only person in the room still in a Nocturne mask, looked from the book he had been reading in silence. He gave me a nod and spoke up in the quiet room. ¡°Nathan,¡± He said calmly, shutting his book. ¡°Good to see you. If you¡¯ll take a seat, we¡¯ll get started soo-¡±


    Another set of footsteps behind me cut the man off, causing me and everyone else to look behind us. I turned just in time to watch as an oddly dressed Maria descended into the basement, completely uncaring about the odd looks she was getting. The woman looked to be dressed almost as a roving merchant would be, wearing hardy-looking travel clothes in muted colors. Slung over her back was a large pack that seemed to be stuffed to the gills, with a familiar bow strapped to the side of it. Atop her head was a wide-brimmed leather hat tilted at an almost jaunty angle.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Trailing behind her was a bemused-looking Cody.


    Maria didn¡¯t care about the looks she was getting. Instead, she just marched down in the room, and straight up to my still standing form. ¡°Heard about some curious things happening out in the countryside,¡± She said with a smirk, shrugging her massive pack off her shoulders and tossing it against the wall. I winced at the clanging noise that erupted from the impact. ¡°Didja get what you needed to done?¡±


    I looked away from her pack to give my now former comrade a slight nod. Despite everything that had happened to me recently, I didn¡¯t regret freeing the enslaved Sculpted in the area a single bit. ¡°I did,¡± I said quietly, a slight twist to my lips. Maria¡¯s smirk widened in response.


    We were interrupted by the sound of a throat clearing behind us. When I turned, I saw a mildly impatient Sparrow waving to the gathered chairs. ¡°Nathan, Maria, Cody,¡± He said dryly. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, we all have places to be. Let¡¯s get this done.¡±


    Straightening up, the three of us who had been indicated nodded and sat down in the circle. When we were all seated, Sparrow stood up from the desk and joined us in the last remaining chair.


    The circle was silent for a moment, before Sparrow reached up and removed his mask. An almost femininely mousy-looking face greeted the world, complete with a long brunette ponytail draping down a slender neck. I blinked at the sight of him.


    Those were very¡­ delicate-looking features, for such a deep-voiced man.


    God I was glad I still had the physical control that my core ring gave me.


    ¡°We all know why we¡¯re here,¡± Sparrow said in a grim tone. ¡°The operational forces of the Nocturne Division have been all but wiped out from this campaign. A number of¡­highly unseen circumstances placed us-you,¡± He corrected himself, sounding almost bitter. ¡°In the path of¡­horrors. I¡¯m here to tell you that the leadership of the Order is¡­sympathetic.¡±


    One of the other surviving Agents snorted. ¡°Sure. And what the hells does that mean?¡±


    Sparrow sighed. ¡°It means that we¡¯re done, honestly,¡± He said, reaching up to massage his forehead. ¡°The Nocturne Division, in its current state, cannot function. While the logistical side of our organization survived, considering they were all back in Helstein during this, there are too few of the actual Agents left. As such, the Grand Marshall and Marshall are offering a number of choices to all surviving Division assets.¡±


    I leaned forward at that, resting my forearms on my knees. Grey hadn¡¯t mentioned any of this to me, despite the extended amount of time I¡¯d spent with him.


    ¡°One,¡± Sparrow said. ¡°You can choose to outright retire from both the Nocturne Division and the Order altogether. I know W-Maria in particular has chosen to go this route.¡± He said, nodding to her.


    This caused a bit of a stir among gathered Agents, with some of them turning to stare at Maria. She just shrugged, uncaring about some of their accusing stares.


    ¡°Two,¡± Sparrow said loudly, drawing attention back to him. ¡°Is that you can either choose to join the logistical arm of what remains of the Division, and retire from fieldwork. I know a number of you have the skills to be useful there. It¡¯s going to be seeing some changes, though,¡± He shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s barely going to be the Division anymore, so the skullduggery is going to be essentially over. It¡¯s being folded into the administration of the Order, and will be based out of the chapter house in Blutstein at the end of the war. It¡¯s not a¡­bad life, per se. Safe, with a possible retirement.¡±


    That¡­wasn¡¯t for me. But I did see a few people nodding along with that.


    ¡°Third. You¡­can choose to join the regular forces of the Order,¡± Sparrow said doubtfully. ¡°You would join as a Lieutenant, and would become a small squad commander. The option, at the very least, exists. It¡¯s how you¡¯re going to continue outright fighting for the Order, if that¡¯s what you wish.¡±


    I didn¡¯t see much interest in that, with the notable exception of one person. Most of the members of the Nocturne Division had been part of the elite of the Order. Essentially on the track to being the true classsers, if not of a specific type.


    Not many people wanted to voluntarily take a demotion.


    ¡°Fourth, if you can¡¯t give up this life,¡± Sparrow continued. ¡°You can choose to join up with the Bluebacks,¡± He nodded over at Bella, to my surprise. ¡°I¡¯ll let Captain Isabella talk more about it.¡±


    Bella stood up from her chair then and stalked into the center of the chairs, unbothered by the stares of everyone else. ¡°Ain¡¯t much to it,¡± She said bluntly. ¡°The Admirals always need more blades, and some of you lot are good at wet work. If ye ain¡¯t interested in pushin¡¯ paper, and want to shiv some more Loyalist dogs, then ye¡¯ve got a place on the sea.¡± She turned on her heel then and stalked back to her chair, but not before stopping to give me an odd look. She mouthed the word ¡®later¡¯, causing me to nod in return.


    I was already going to talk to you about something Bella. Don¡¯t worry.


    ¡°I''m...personally going to be taking that option,¡± Sparrow said ruefully, shaking his head. ¡°I failed you all, by not being here,¡± He held up his hand when some of the other Agents protested verbally. ¡°I¡¯ve already signed up. It¡¯s done.¡±


    Exchanging a glance with Liora from across the room, I spoke up. ¡°I don¡¯t know about anyone else, Sparrow,¡± I said out loud, drawing attention. ¡°But¡­I don¡¯t begrudge you. I wouldn¡¯t wish the shit that went on in Elderwyck on my worst enemy.¡±


    That was a lie.


    I would have wished worse on Magnus, but that wasn¡¯t the point.


    Sparrow smiled wearily at me, as several other Agent¡¯s nodded along. ¡°That¡¯s kind of you to say, Nathan. But my sense of duty will not allow me to do otherwise. And¡­call me Alex. Sparrow¡­that mask is being hung up. So!¡± He said, forcibly cheerful. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s time to make a decision, people. We¡¯ll go around the circle, and I want you to say what your plans are. I¡¯ll write them down, and deliver the decisions to the leadership. Maria, can you go first? Just for the record.¡±


    Maria shrugged, not standing up from her chair. ¡°I¡¯m retiring, as you all know,¡± She said indifferently. ¡°I¡¯m heading south to try and find my family in Blutstein. I know!¡± She held up a hand, when some people protested at that. ¡°I know that it¡¯s going to be hard, and that it¡¯s where the Loyalists are thickest. But I have to try, and I¡¯m not letting anyone stop me.¡± She finished defiantly.


    Ah.


    Well, there went one of the people I was going to talk to. I originally had the idea of trying to convince the woman to join up with Azarus and I, but I had no plans to go south of all places.


    I wanted to get away from the war, not further in.


    ¡°Good luck, Maria,¡± Liora spoke up for the first time. Her voice pierced through the protests, silencing them. When she saw that she had the attention of the room, Liora stood up. ¡°I¡­am retiring as well.¡±


    That seemed to shock most of the room, Alex included. I¡­wasn¡¯t as surprised, considering Baldric¡¯s last request.


    ¡°But¡­¡± Cody said in a confused tone. ¡°The Division and the Order are practically in your blood?¡±


    Liora snorted bitterly. ¡°Yes, and where has that gotten us?¡± She said with a frown. ¡°An early grave. No, let my line be done with it, and let the Division vanish into the wind.¡±


    Alex coughed into his fist. ¡°Ah¡­I see,¡± He said weakly, before shaking his head. ¡°Then¡­Sylvia? I¡­know you don¡¯t remember much about your role here, but I do need to know what you intend.¡±


    The Sculpted woman stood up then. ¡°I will be joining the regular Order forces,¡± She said simply. That¡­didn¡¯t surprise me, thinking about it. It¡¯s not like she was going to be leaving the organization that her father helped run.


    Alex nodded then as Sylvia sat back down, as unsurprised as I was. ¡°Very well. Next¡­Nathan,¡± He said, turning to look at me.


    Along with everyone else. There were some very curious looks being thrown my way.


    I stood up from my chair, indifferent to the attention. ¡°I¡¯ll be retiring as well,¡± I said with finality.


    That shocked some people as well.


    ¡°But you were the one that killed the Calamity!¡± One Agent said in surprise. ¡°The Order needs you!¡±


    ¡°And aren¡¯t you the Grand Marshall¡¯s apprentice?¡± Another asked in confusion. I saw Sylvia¡¯s attention sharpen at that, as she took another look at me.


    I felt a frown cross my lips.


    Thanks, Woodrick. Thanks a lot.


    ¡°Yes, and that isn¡¯t changing,¡± I said curtly. ¡°But I¡¯m done with the war. Too much has happened, and I need to process it.¡±


    I was getting a bit tired of answering that, honestly. I''d be glad when this was all behind me.


    I sat down then, deliberately cutting off any questions that could have been thrown my way. Conversation slowly started back up then, and I didn¡¯t speak again while the rest of the Division was deciding their own fates.


    It was only after the meeting was over that I stirred in my chair, standing up. I was intending to seek out Liora, but I was unsurprised to find the Gnoll woman already waiting on me near the stairs out. She jerked her head in the direction of Bella and joined the pirate as she stalked out of the basement with the others.


    I followed them, aware of several eyes tracking me.


    Including Sylvias.


    I tried not to let it bother me.

 Chapter 222 - Offers

    I nearly choked on my glass of water. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    Bella didn¡¯t raise her head from the lowered position she had it in. ¡°I said I¡¯m sorry, okay? I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t here.¡±


    Bella had led Liora and I to the command room of the Thorny Reef, completely unsurprised to see the two of us following her. There she had offered the two of us drinks. I had declined, since I¡¯d already had enough booze for the day, but Liora had accepted. After that, Bella had transitioned into doing¡­this.


    I¡­had never seen Bella like this. I didn¡¯t know how to respond.


    Luckily, and somewhat surprisingly, Liora did.


    She sighed almost tiredly and set her drink down on the small table we were gathered around. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Captain Isabella,¡± Liora said quietly. ¡°If anything, it¡¯s mine. I was the one to advise your trips to and from the Bluebacks to Commander Hook. At the time, I thought the additional intelligence would prove useful to our efforts in our campaign. I believed¡­that an outside agency would have insights into the situation we would not,¡± She sighed bitterly and then drained her drink in one motion. When she was done, she stared down at her empty glass somberly. ¡°Clearly, I was incorrect. None could predict the rise of Vampyr and an Ancient Calamity.¡±


    Bella raised her head to stare at Liora for a moment. To my surprise, she reached across the table to grasp one of Liora¡¯s hands and cradled it. I was just as surprised as Liora was at the gesture. I¡­didn¡¯t know Bella was capable of such tenderness. ¡°Ain¡¯t none of this was your fault, girl,¡± She said in a low tone, her eyes briefly flickering my way before settling back on the Gnoll. ¡°That¡­that¡¯s somethin¡¯ I¡¯ve learned in this life. Ye can¡¯t go around cursin¡¯ the gods when the black-hearted do what comes natural to ¡®em. Ye¡¯ll just go round and round in circles spewin¡¯ bile and curses over yer fate. It ain¡¯t good fer ye. It ain¡¯t good fer yer soul. Ye gotta take it in¡­¡± Bella took a deep breath then, and both Liora and I almost unconsciously mirrored her. She then let out a long, slow, heavy breath. ¡°And let it out. Let the bad flow over ye like a wave. This hurt¡­it¡¯ll pass. In time.¡±


    Liora slowly raised her other hand not in Bella¡¯s grip and lay it over the pirate¡¯s hand. She closed her eyes for a moment before speaking. ¡°Thank you, Captain,¡± She said quietly.


    The room itself descended into silence for a moment, in the wake of Bella¡¯s surprisingly comforting speech. I know it was intended for Liora, but I¡¯d caught the glance Bella had shot me midway through.


    Part of that had been intended for me.


    I let out a slow breath.


    I hoped it would pass, Bella. I truly did.


    Bella eventually broke the comforting quiet by releasing Liora¡¯s hands and sat back in her chair. The dark-haired woman looked a bit embarrassed. ¡°Anyways, I just wanted ta apologize fer not being here, that¡¯s all,¡± She said, clearing her throat almost uncomfortably. ¡°It ain¡¯t right that I wasn¡¯t able ta fight at yer side, when I promised ta help ye here in the bay. If¡­there¡¯s anythin¡¯ I can do ta make it up to ye, I¡¯ll do it. I swear.¡±


    Liora frowned then, almost looking ready to protest, but I spoke up first.


    I didn¡¯t want to take advantage of her generosity, but I¡¯d been waiting for an opportunity like this. I cleared my throat, drawing both women¡¯s attention. ¡°There¡­actually is something you can do, Bella,¡± I said, before meeting Liora¡¯s slightly confused gaze. ¡°For the both of us. I actually wanted to talk to both of you. You see¡­Azarus and I are bowing out of the war. We¡¯re¡­done.¡±


    Bella blinked rapidly, while Liora¡¯s yellow eyes inspected me for a moment. ¡°I was¡­surprised to hear that you were retiring as well,¡± She said slowly. ¡°I did not think that the Grand Marshall would allow his apprentice to sit out the war, if only for the¡­optics. But in retrospect, he was surprisingly willing to accept my own retirement.¡±


    I smiled at her. ¡°Grey is more reasonable than people think he is. Like I said, I¡¯m not stopping my apprenticeship with him. Just¡­pausing it. To that effect¡­¡± I turned back to meet the interested, and almost eager gaze of my pirate friend. ¡°Bella, do you mind taking on a couple of passengers? Azarus and I are looking to get out of here, and I¡¯d appreciate the ride.¡±


    Bella smiled widely then and slapped her knee. ¡°Hell, I don¡¯t mind at all! It¡¯ll be like old times, Hart. Don¡¯t think ye¡¯ll get out of ship duties, though,¡± She said, wagging a finger at me almost playfully. ¡°I don¡¯t put up with slackers on me old girl. Hope ye haven¡¯t forgotten how ta swab a deck.¡±


    I laughed slightly, before nodding. ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem,¡± I said before turning my head to look at Liora. The Gnoll woman had a slight smile on her lips, but I noticed it had a lonely tinge to it. I think she was feeling a bit left out.


    Well, time to put a stop to that.


    I reached over next to me and took her furry hand in mine, meeting her eyes as I did so. ¡°Liora, come with us,¡± I said, trying to project my earnestness to the Gnoll woman. She blinked at me, while at the same time her ears flicked in surprise. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you had any plans after retiring¡­¡±


    Judging by her momentary shifty look, I¡¯m guessing she might not have.


    Good. I was fine with helping her with that.


    ¡°We¡¯ll sit out the war, doing our own thing,¡± I said, trying to smile through my own melancholy. ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll train, or try and learn some Magic on our own. Maybe kill a few hundred monsters. Maybe we¡¯ll do a bit of exploring. Just¡­old-fashioned adventurer work. No moral ambiguity. No blades in the dark. No fucking Loyalists. Let the big-wigs handle Alaric and his corrupt nobles. It¡¯s not our job anymore. We¡¯ve done our part.¡±


    The cabin descended into silence, as Liora studied me for a moment. For once, I don¡¯t think someone was staring at my newly altered features. Instead, it felt like she was judging my sincerity. After a long moment, the Gnoll nodded slowly. ¡°Yes¡­¡± She said quietly. ¡°I think¡­I would like that. I will accompany you, H¡­Nathan. As long as Sir Azarus is fine with it.¡±


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Yeah, I am,¡± A deep, relaxed voice said from behind me. Neither Liora or I jumped at the sound of it, but I heard Bella curse and drop her glass. Letting go of Liora¡¯s hand, I twisted in my chair to look behind me. I found the person I had felt through my blood sense enter the room a few minutes ago standing in the doorway.


    Azarus, looking cleaned up from the last time I had seen him. He had changed out of his armor and into fairly standard-looking work clothes, and had his arms crossed comfortably over his broad chest. He nodded at me but was directly his amused gaze at the irritated captain standing from her seat to glower at him.


    ¡°Say somethin¡¯ when you come inta a room, stuntie,¡± She growled at him, wiping down her booze-soaked clothes with a rag.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t ya pay more attention, bilge-rat,¡± Azarus shot back at her, smirking.


    I snorted and stood up from my own chair to greet my friend. ¡°Now now, children,¡± I said, semi-mockingly. ¡°Play nice. Bella¡¯s agreed to take us on as passengers after all, out of the goodness of her own heart.¡±


    Azarus nodded. ¡°Yeah, I figured,¡± He shrugged. ¡°Fine by me. It¡¯s what I thought ya were doin¡¯, when I found out ya were somewhere down at the docks. Ol¡¯ Larry didn¡¯t blink his eye when I asked around fer ya. Just told me ya were in here with the Captain.¡±


    Liora spoke up then, with a surprising note of timidity in her voice. ¡°Then¡­you are fine with my accompanying you and Nathan on your journey, Sir Azarus?¡±


    ¡®Sir¡¯ Azarus winced at her words. ¡°Just¡­Azarus, please fer the love of the gods,¡± He said, pained. ¡°I ain¡¯t a noble anymore. But yeah, I¡¯m okay with it. I don¡¯t know ya, miss, but I trust Nate. If he trusts ya, then so do I.¡±


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Bella said with a grin, seeming to immediately forget her antipathy towards the dwarf. ¡°If that¡¯s settled, what are we waitin¡¯ on? I can get us out o¡¯ here tomorrow if I hafta.¡±


    I winced then, my grin replaced by a sheepish look. ¡°Ah¡­about that. It¡¯s probably going to be about a week before we can get going. I have stuff to do here in town that kinda cropped up at the last minute.¡±


    Azarus turned to me then with one raised, bushy red eyebrow. ¡°First I¡¯m hearin¡¯ about this. I already talked ta Grey and explained me own reasonin¡¯ fer leavin¡¯. What¡¯s keepin¡¯ us in this shitehole?¡±


    ¡°Well, the fact that I need to undergo my Ascension Ritual, for one,¡± I said, causing a broad smile to break out on Azarus¡¯s face. I grinned back at him. ¡°Yeah, I reached one hundred. Grey offered to help me with it, and we¡¯re going to put it together over the next few days and then go forward. Once we¡¯re done, we can go. But¡­that¡¯s not all. I still have someone else I want to talk to.¡± I walked over to the corner of the room where I had hung up my cloak, shrugging it on and picking up my staff as I did so. ¡°In fact, since you¡¯re caught up, I think I¡¯ll go find him right now. He¡¯s the last person I want to kind of recruit, and then we can talk about where we¡¯re going.¡±


    Bella cupped her chin then. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right,¡± She mused. ¡°Ye haven¡¯t even told me where ya want ta go in the first place.¡±


    Liora studied me for a moment, before sitting back down in her own chair. There was a slight amused tint to her features as she picked up the bottle of liquor on the table and poured herself another glass. She spoke around the rim of said glass as she raised it to her vulpine lips. ¡°I believe that¡¯s because they don¡¯t know where they want to go.¡±


    I exchanged a glance with Azarus as I flipped my hood up over my head. Nearly simultaneously, we shrugged at each other.


    Bella just laughed at us, as she joined Liora at the table.


    Honestly, to me it didn¡¯t matter where we went.


    The freedom meant more.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m in,¡± Renauld said immediately, only moments after I had started speaking. I paused for a moment to blink at the Gnoll in surprise.


    ¡°I¡­didn¡¯t even offer anything yet,¡± I said, deadpan.


    It hadn¡¯t taken me long to find the other Gnoll, after I had departed the Thorny Reef. All I¡¯d had to do was retrace my steps to the makeshift clinic that I had woken up in a few days ago.


    God, had it really only been a couple of days since I¡¯d woken up from my battle with Rhazal? So much had happened just today, and it was well past sunset by now. Even with the ravaged streets of Elderwyck being shrouded in darkness, they were still busy. Rescue and relief efforts couldn¡¯t stop yet, even though it had been nearly a week since the Calamity had been slain. I sadly didn¡¯t have much hope for the people who were still trapped beneath the rubble of that chaos, considering the length of time, but that didn¡¯t matter.


    They still deserved the dignity of a proper burial, freed from their stony tomb.


    Renauld just grinned at me, unaware of the unexpectedly dark turn that my thoughts had drifted into. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to. I already heard through the ¡®grapevine¡¯,¡± He coughed into his fist, saying the name ¡®Honoka¡¯ under his breath before continuing smugly. ¡°That you were getting out of here. I want in.¡±


    I laughed softly at the other man, shaking my head softly. The two of us had retreated to the backroom of the clinic in order to not disturb the patients in the other room. Not many other Healers were still here in this small space, and those who were, were dead to the world, snoring away their exhaustion. Renauld and I were huddled closely together near a small flickering candle in a corner, whispering in order to not disturb them. I glanced around before jerking my head towards a door that led outside.


    These people deserved their rest.


    Once outside, I breathed in the crisp winter air that still carried a tinge of the storm that was now passing. Honestly, I was surprised that the rains over the last few days hadn¡¯t turned to snow, or slush, or even frozen over considering the winter weather from the last few weeks. I think we had hit an unexpected warm snap.


    I shook thoughts of the weather off and turned to the Gnoll who had followed me outside. ¡°Well, you¡¯re right,¡± I nodded at him with a small smile. ¡°I wanted to ask if you were interested in coming with the group I was putting together. A¡­number of us are done with the war, and just want to escape it. But as you said, you¡¯re ¡®in¡¯.¡±


    Renauld sighed in relief. ¡°I sure am,¡± He said tiredly, running a hand through the shaggy fur on his head. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I like helping people. It''s why I became a Healer. But it¡¯s just¡­too much, man,¡± He said, giving me an almost pleading look, all but begging me to understand. ¡°Too much has happened this year. I need a break, Nate. Between my time in the clink and my work with the Band. Then having to deal with all of this.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s get the hells out of here, man.¡±


    I lay my hand on Renauld¡¯s shoulder and met his eyes. ¡°I understand. It¡¯ll be about a week, but then we¡¯re leaving. You have a spot on the Reef with us when we leave.¡±


    Renauld pulled a face then. ¡°Ugh, we¡¯re leaving by sea? I thought I told you that the sea air doesn¡¯t agree with fur.¡±


    I laughed at his playfully downcast expression, and not surprisingly, Renauld followed after a moment.


    Our brief moment of levity was interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps from down the alley we were talking in. I stopped laughing with a frown and turned to face the source, only to stop in surprise.


    Slowly walking through the darkened mist was an absolutely massive form. Whoever they were, they had to be over seven feet tall. I furrowed my brow in confusion and hesitation, tightening my grip on my staff.


    Who was this?


    I soon got my answer, as a voice I hadn¡¯t heard in months echoed out of the darkness of the alley.


    ¡°The dead watch us still,


    Rain cannot wash them away-


    I feel their weight too.¡±


    I gaped as a massive, insectoid form walked out of the mists, dressed in a familiar white robe emblazoned with pink cranes in flight. A large conical hat shrouded their face, but I recognized this person, if only because of the four curved blades that rested on either side of their hips. The Antium man used one of his four arms to raise the brim of his hat, exposing his compound eyes to the world.


    Venix.

 Chapter 223 - Destination

    ¡°Venix?¡± I breathed in pure shock. ¡°What are you¡­how are you¡­?¡±


    Venix.


    I¡­hadn¡¯t seen him up and about in months. The last I had seen of the Antium, he had still been in a coma after the last ditch attack he had resorted to during the battle at Caer Drarrow.


    When did he wake up?


    ¡°Oh, hey,¡± Renauld said behind me, sounding completely relaxed. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I whipped around to stare at the Gnoll in near accusation. He raised his hands defensively at my stare.


    ¡°You knew?¡± I said in exasperation. ¡°When were you going to tell me that Venix was awake?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I only found out while you were in the countryside,¡± Renauld said, shrugging. ¡°It just hadn¡¯t come up yet.¡±


    ¡°Do not blame the healer, Hart,¡± Venix said from behind me, drawing my attention. When I looked back at the Antium samurai, I saw that he had removed his hood, allowing his antennae to bob in the night air. ¡°I have¡­intentionally kept myself out of sight.¡±


    I blinked at that. Intentionally kept himself out of sight? Had he been trying to hide in Elderwyck?


    What was that about?


    I took a closer look at him, now that my shock was fading. Even in the dim light of the alleyway, I could see that the mighty warrior looked¡­different than I remembered him.


    Diminished. Weaker.


    He might still be as tall as ever, but he wasn¡¯t quite as broad as he had been. I didn¡¯t know how Antium physiology worked, but I suppose they had muscles just like the rest of us monkey-men.


    Excuse me.


    Monkey and fox men.


    His muscles must have atrophied from disuse in his coma. Not only was he less physically imposing, but there was a dullness to his exposed chitin that hadn¡¯t been there before the assault on Caer Drarrow. That dullness seemed to have transferred to himself as well, since Venix looked¡­


    Tired, was the best word.


    There was an exhaustion evident in both his posture and face that I had never seen before.


    My brow creased in concern, meeting Venix¡¯s eyes. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Venix¡­sighed, a new sound from the warrior. ¡°I will be,¡± He said, a low, deep thrum obvious in his voice. ¡°Eventually. But it shall take time before I recover from my¡­actions, and their results.¡±


    I nodded slowly then. ¡°Well, I¡­wish you a speedy recovery then,¡± I said, somewhat lamely. ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    Venix, as was typical of the Antium, was unfazed by my awkwardness. ¡°You,¡± He said bluntly. ¡°The Grey-Sworn has told me of your decision to exit this conflict. I wish to join you on your travels. On one condition.¡±


    I tilted my head in bafflement before my eyes narrowed in suspicion. ¡°Did Grey put you up to this?¡± I said in annoyance. ¡°Everyone coming can take care of ourselves, you know. We don¡¯t need a chaperone.¡±


    To my surprise, Venix shook his head sharply. ¡°No. My Sworn did not ask this of me. Rather, I asked his leave to accompany you,¡± He fell silent for a moment, before continuing almost reluctantly. ¡°I am¡­diminished. My level has not fallen, but my overall strength has. Dramatically. I am not¡­worthy of serving as Yojimbo to Greycton of the Shadowed Sun. I shall travel the land, honing the edge of my blade until I am fit to return to his side,¡± One side of his chitinous lips rose in an almost self-deprecating smirk. ¡°How fitting, then, that my Sworn¡¯s own apprentice leaves on his own journey. I¡­request that I be allowed to travel with you.¡±


    I breathed out then, my indignation falling away to be replaced with sympathetic understanding. I exchanged a glance with Renauld. The Gnoll man shrugged at me, all but saying he had no problem.


    I¡­didn¡¯t either, actually.


    But first¡­


    ¡°I mean, I have no problem with that,¡± I said carefully, my eyes turning back to Venix. ¡°But what was your ¡®condition¡¯?¡±


    Venix nodded once more, a slight pleased cast to his features. ¡°It is simple. I am given to understand that your cohort does not have a destination in mind. I ask that I am allowed to make my case as to a possible one.¡±


    My eyebrows rose, before I motioned for him to keep going with one hand. ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind. Where were you wanting to go?¡±


    A more genuine smile stole of over his lips then, as the Antium man relaxed slightly. ¡°Kawamara,¡± He said in satisfaction. ¡°The Land of Rivers. The birthplace of Lady Honoka, and the land that forged me into the warrior that I¡­was.¡±


    I winced at the bitterness in his voice, but still¡­


    That¡­that was a good idea.


    I think?


    I cupped my chin in one hand. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know much about Kawamara,¡± I mused to myself.


    Unexpectedly, it was Renauld who answered me. ¡°It¡¯s a chain of islands that lie some distance off the west coast of the continent,¡± He said, causing me to turn to him in surprise. The Gnoll was tapping his chin in thought. ¡°Kind of in a north-western direction from Elderwyck itself. They¡¯re human, but not aligned with the Kingdom of Herztal, which has historically pissed the Kingdom off. And¡­I mean, I say islands, but it¡¯s really more a chain of small continents. They¡¯re not even a fraction the size of the main one, but it¡¯s still not very small. They can¡¯t match either the Kingdom or the Principality in strength, but they¡¯re not weak. My understanding is that they¡¯ve got their own thing going on, for the most part.¡±


    ¡°And most importantly,¡± Venix interrupted. ¡°They are entirely disconnected from the Herztalian Civil War. There are still¡­regional conflicts and disputes, but nothing to the extent of this one. If you wish to escape from the unrest on the main continent¡­there is nowhere better to go.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I nodded slowly. ¡°Well¡­other than beyond the northern mountains,¡± I pointed out tentatively. That¡­had been a thought kicking around in the back of my mind. I hadn¡¯t forgotten the offer of that weird¡­snake spirit thing, about seeking him out for answers. I¡¯d been reluctant about that, though, as it had seemed to be a bit of a gamble.


    Venix didn¡¯t even blink before answering me it came so swiftly. ¡°I would not follow into that frozen hell,¡± He said bluntly. ¡°My kind cannot function in that environment.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Renauld drawled. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I would go either. I can ¡®function¡¯,¡± He said with air quotes. ¡°In snow that deep. But honestly, I don¡¯t wanna. I like the idea of Kawamara better.¡±


    This time, it was my turn to hold up my hands. ¡°It was just an idea,¡± I said defensively. ¡°And I wasn¡¯t being serious about it.¡±


    Much.


    ¡°I¡­think I¡¯m fine with Kawamara,¡± I said, thinking out loud. ¡°Yeah¡­yeah. As long as the others are okay with it, then¡­I guess we¡¯re going to go to Kawamara.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    After that, we broke up for the night. Renauld was going to stay at the clinic and keep working as a Healer before we left, and Venix had wandered away without so much as a goodbye. I guess he was going to keep doing¡­whatever he was here in Elderwyck for.


    It was nice to see that the Antium samurai hadn¡¯t changed much in temperament from his extended coma.


    Still just as enigmatic as ever.


    As for myself, I headed back to the Reef. I didn¡¯t really have anywhere else to go, to be frank. I probably could have bedded down in the guard headquarters, if I had asked Grey. He might have been happy to have me there.


    But I didn''t want to deal with the attention, so back to my favorite pirate ship it was.


    To my relief, the three people I had left behind were still lounging in the Captain¡¯s quarters, if not a bit¡­drunker. When I broached the subject of possibly going to Kawamara for what was essentially becoming our ¡®escape¡¯ from Elderwyck, they didn¡¯t have a problem with the destination. It was just another port to Bella, while Liora had just shrugged in languid apathy. I was getting the impression she had accepted my impression to accompany us more for the company itself than anything we intended to do.


    However, even through his growing inebriation, Azarus had looked strangely excited at the idea of going to Kawamara. He was happy to explain why when I asked.


    ¡°Heard lots of stories about the place,¡± He mused over a glass of grog. By that point, he and Bella had mowed through all of her good booze and had needed to move on to the swill they brewed on board.


    You know, the stuff we had tended to also use as deck cleaner, back on my old tenure on the Reef.


    ¡°I, uh, had an uncle once who told me some stories ¡®bout the place,¡± Azarus said, eyes briefly flickering towards Liora. The Gnoll carefully didn¡¯t react to the attention physically, but I still felt her own zero in on the dwarf. I was a bit surprised that Azarus knew about Liora¡¯s relationship to Baldric, but I figured that Grey must have said something to him. ¡°When I was a lad, at least. He told me all about some crazy duels that went on in that place when he was younger. It always sounded¡­magical.¡± There was a distant wistfulness in my friend''s voice that I had never heard before.


    I suppose even dwarves were nostalgic for their younger years sometimes.


    So I ended up bunking down in the hold of the Reef, in a mirror of where I had stayed those months ago. I even managed to claim the same berth I had been using them then. One thing was different, though. Fade wasn¡¯t here with me.


    But I knew he was in good hands. Or, well.


    Paws.


    Good thing I was here too because I didn¡¯t want to deal with the attention that being among the soldiers and guards would bring, much less the refugees. At least among the pirates of the Reef I felt comfortable. None of them had so much as given me a side-eye for either my new looks or my exploits against Rhazal and Nerexxa, even though they had to know by now. I didn¡¯t get any questions either.


    God, it was nice.


    The solitude out in the countryside freeing Sculpted had been fulfilling, but I was still human damnit. We were social animals, and needed social contact in order to¡­well.


    Heal, I guess.


    Over the next few days, I would split my time either helping to prepare the Reef for departure with the rest of the crew, or preparing for my ritual with Grey. My mentor was looking increasingly frazzled from the pressures of the occupation, but he always made time for me. We were progressing pretty well, and I think the both of us were enjoying the time spent getting back to what might be the bedrock of our relationship.


    Teacher and student.


    It was¡­relaxing.


    Still, all good things had to come to an end. Three days after we¡¯d started our preparations for the Ascension Ritual, we finished drawing up the plans for my own personalized version of it.


    Now it was time to assemble it.


    One problem, though.


    ¡°We are, in fact, in the middle of a half-destroyed city,¡± Grey pointed out wryly, leaning back in his chair. ¡°It might be a¡­touch difficult, to procure the materials we¡¯ve lined out here.¡±


    I flicked my eyes up from the sheaves of parchment rolled out on his desk, that we had spent days meticulously detailing out runic scripts on. I paused as his words penetrated. ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Ah.¡±


    The both of us sat in embarrassed silence for a moment, as the depths of just how much we¡¯d jumped the gun settled us. I suppose it was¡­possible that we¡¯d been so excited about the work of the Ritual that we¡¯d¡­overlooked the practicals of it.


    Grey gave me an almost pleading look after a moment. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell Honoka about this,¡± He nearly groaned. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I might never live it down.¡±


    ¡°Too late,¡± A smug, familiar voice sounded from behind my back as I heard the door open behind me. Grey slumped in place across from me. I twisted in my chair, an amused, embarrassed smile on my face as I prepared to greet the woman who was nominally my personal Healer. The smile froze on my face at the sight of her, because she wasn¡¯t alone.


    The still masked and leather-clad form of Sylvia was trailing behind her.


    I kept my breath even as the two women who meant so much to Grey and I walked into the room.


    ¡°While you two were in here drafting, I saw to the materials you¡¯d need,¡± Honoka continued smugly, not pausing in her stride as she carried a sack up to the desk. With a clang, she dropped the apparently hefty canvas bag on the desk. I winced at the noise it made. ¡°You would be lost without me, old man.¡±


    Grey gave the bag a blank look for a moment. ¡°But¡­¡± He said slowly. ¡°What do you know about Magi rituals¡­?¡±


    Honoka rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool. I just snuck in and looked at your notes to learn what you needed,¡± She admitted shamelessly, nodding at the design for my ritual. ¡°Everything should be in there.¡±


    I remained silent while Honoka and Grey bantered, doing my best not to direct any attention at Sylvia. I noticed that she was doing the same thing, but I knew her tells in a way she no longer knew mine. I mentally shook off the pang that thought caused me.


    Meanwhile, Grey had opened the bag and was rifling through it, muttering to himself. After a few minutes of looking, he looked up and gave Honoka a smile. ¡°Thank you, old friend,¡± He said with a smile. ¡°This is, indeed, all we need. I can get started on the circle at any time. I¡¯ve already set up an Isolation Chamber in an unused room of the manse. Come along Nathan. I believe we can do this as soon as today.¡± With that, Grey picked up the sack and walked around the desk, giving his daughter a brief hug which she returned as he passed her.


    I stood up as well with a thankful smile to Honoka. She returned it, a slightly melancholy tint to it. ¡°Thanks, Honoka,¡± I said softly.


    ¡°Anytime, boy,¡± She returned, just as softly.


    As I walked past her towards the door, following Grey, I was stopped by the sound of a voice that had yet to speak up yet.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I heard a soft, silvery voice say. Both Grey and I froze in place, dread growing in my breast.


    That had been directed at me.


    ¡°Sir Hart, if you don¡¯t mind,¡± Sylvia continued in a quiet tone. ¡°I would like to speak to you for a moment. Alone.¡±


    I met Grey¡¯s eyes from his position in front of me, where he had turned around. Without a word, my mentor nodded over my shoulder at his daughter and stepped through the door. Moments later, Honoka followed after him.


    I was still frozen in place, terrified of even turning around.


    ¡°Please turn around, Sir Hart,¡± Sylvia said softly. I took a deep breath, gathered my courage, and did as she asked.


    She¡¯d taken off her mask. This¡­was the first time I¡¯d seen her face¡­since I¡¯d confessed to her unconscious form, before I left to face Rhazal.


    God, I missed her.


    She studied me for a minute. ¡°There are some things I¡¯d like to ask you. If you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    I nodded slowly at her, deeply missing my middle ring right about now. I licked my lips and finally spoke up.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

 Chapter 224 - When I Get Back

    I simply stared into Sylvia¡¯s gemborn sapphire blue eyes for a moment, doing my best to hide my unease. I may have a maxed-out Acting Talent, but I couldn¡¯t be sure I was able to fool her.


    Sylvia had always been more perceptive than most gave her credit for.


    ¡°What did you want to know?¡± I finally asked quietly.


    To my surprise, Sylvia began to fidget in place slightly, toying with the pommel of her sword. Her eyes cut away from me. ¡°I¡­am given to understand that you are my father¡¯s apprentice,¡± She said slowly. ¡°And that you were instrumental in freeing him, and have been since that time. Not only that, but we were¡­partners for a time-¡±


    I felt my heart stutter in my chest for a moment at those words.


    Was she remembering?


    ¡°-in our work with the Nocturne Division,¡± Sylvia continued awkwardly. My hopes died a swift death. Thankfully, I don¡¯t think she had noticed, with the way she wasn¡¯t looking at me. ¡°I¡­likely already thanked you for your liberation of father, but I wanted to do so again. It¡¯s weighed on me that I cannot remember that.¡±


    I sighed slightly. ¡°You did thank me,¡± I said, my mind flashing back to the hug she had given me all those months ago. Even then, I think I might have had a small crush on the Sculpted woman. Sylvia had been a small source of comfort for me, in the latter half of my time in Addersfield. I had been so emotionally raw in those days that even the smallest source of distraction in the form of her lessons had a gigantic impact on me. I had so desperately needed any source of hope for the future, and her instruction in the path I had eventually come to hate had given it to me.


    Even now, I was disturbed at the realization that I was feeling nearly as vulnerable now, as I was in those nightmare-filled days long past.


    There were some things strength simply couldn¡¯t fix.


    Sylvia finally turned to face me, and I think some of my unease must have finally occurred to her. ¡°We were¡­close, weren¡¯t we?¡± She nearly whispered.


    I closed my eyes, unwilling to meet hers. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to speak, so I just nodded.


    Silence descended on us for a moment, before she spoke again. ¡°How¡­close, exactly?¡±


    I opened my eyes, but didn¡¯t look at her. ¡°Very,¡± I said roughly.


    Sylvia was smart. I had no doubt that she understood what that meant. ¡°Oh,¡± She said, in a weak voice. ¡°I¡­see.¡±


    I finally turned to look at Sylvia at those words. It pained me to see how small the Sculpted woman looked then, with her arms wrapped tightly around herself. I so desperately wanted to be the one who could comfort her again and take her Mithril form in my arms, but¡­


    I was nearly a stranger, now.


    I took a deep breath. This had been coming since she had woken up, and it was time to stop running from it.


    No matter how much it hurt.


    Slowly, so as not to startle her, I approached Sylvia and gently pried one of her hands off her forearms. Meeting her eyes, I did my best to smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sylvia,¡± I said quietly. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve this, and I¡¯m sorry that I failed you so deeply. If I had just been stronger, if I had just known how to treat you better¡­maybe you wouldn¡¯t be suffering this way now.¡±


    Sylvia¡¯s eyes widened from the contact, a small amount of panic entering her eyes as she glanced down at my hand on hers. ¡°I¡­¡± She tried to speak, but couldn¡¯t force the words out.


    ¡°Maybe one day¡­we can be friends again,¡± I said softly. ¡°But¡­I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be more than that. You, as much I care about you, aren¡¯t the woman I fell in love with. As short as a year is¡­that history was important.¡± I said, taking a step back and feeling a weight lift off of my shoulders. Both the acknowledgment of that fact, and the small amount of relief that I could see in Sylvia¡¯s eyes¡­


    It hurt, of course. But maybe not as much as it had been.


    Like the lancing of a boil, the pain first needed to be confronted, before it could heal.


    Sylvia shuddered from my words and nodded jerkily. ¡°I-I see,¡± She said, looking simultaneously dazed and comforted. If I knew Sylvia¡­


    And I did.


    After somehow finding out about how close we had been, she¡¯d felt a pressure at the expectation of the relationship. She hadn¡¯t known me, and even if she knew intellectually that she had no obligation to a stranger, I was still her father¡¯s apprentice.


    I had no desire to weigh on her mind as she worked to find herself once again.


    ¡°When I get back,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°We should talk. Maybe spar. And see if we can get to know each other again, if only for Grey¡¯s sake.¡±


    Something about my words must have finally reassured Sylvia, because she gave me a tiny smile. ¡°I would like that, Sir Hart.¡±


    I made a show of wincing exaggeratedly. ¡°Just Nathan, please.¡±


    Her smile widened. ¡°Nathan, then. It¡¯s nice to meet you¡­Nathan,¡± She said, extending her left hand.


    Something about that gesture¡­it puzzled me for a moment, before I realized what it was.


    Sylvia was naturally right-handed. Why would she extend her left?


    My heart picked up slightly at a possibility.


    Sylvia, my Sylvia, had been strangely fond of my false left arm, whose foundations had been built on the study of her soul. Always when we had held hands, or merely when she sought comfort from me, it had been my left she had sought out. I think something about the similarity of the limb to her own had reassured her.


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    Maybe it was just hope¡­but if she wanted my left arm now¡­.


    Maybe something of her old self still resided inside of her.


    My own smile widened as well, and I reached out and clasped her hand with my new Primordium one. I met her eyes.


    Emerald on Sapphire.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you too, Sylvia.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    After our ¡®introduction¡¯, Sylvia hurried out of Grey¡¯s temporary office, looking deeply embarrassed. If she had lost all of the emotional growth of the last near year, I wasn¡¯t surprised. Sylvia had been a bit¡­awkward, back then.


    Well.


    More than she had been, at least.


    As for myself, I was feeling more at peace. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I was still itching to get away from this city and the war in general. And it wasn¡¯t like one small exchange had eased my burdens.


    But I felt like at least one small thing was going to turn out alright.


    Sylvia would be fine, eventually. She just needed to adapt to the world that had moved around her, in her lost memories.


    And¡­I think I would be fine one day as well.


    In time.


    I left Grey¡¯s office feeling buoyed for the first time in over a week to seek my mentor out. It was time to get this ritual underway, after all.


    The sooner the better, I say.


    Luckily, Grey showed me the isolation chamber he had set up for our use yesterday. The manse, once upon a time, had contained a small Gyreite church inside of it. The former ruling house of Elderwyck had apparently been a bit religious, but unsurprisingly, Olsen hadn¡¯t been. Neither he nor the guard he had gifted the manse to had maintained the tiny room, with its single pane of dusty stained glass set above in the far wall.


    Grey hadn¡¯t even bothered to clean up the room when he set up the Isolation Chamber. The physical cleanliness didn¡¯t matter for our purposes, only the spiritual. It made for an odd dichotomy as I entered the cluttered, dusty stone confines of the long-abandoned Church that nonetheless felt entirely Aetherically sterile.


    Grey was here, as he had said he would be. My mentor was kneeling on the only patch of stone that had been swept clean of the dust, and only for the purposes of creating the needed circles.


    I examined them as I stepped into the room. The physical shape of the new engraving on the floor was very different than what I had seen back in Silvercret. There, it had been of a large, golden, seven-armed spiral, the primary iconography of the Gyreites.


    Here, it was of eight interlinked circles, cast in silver. They were arranged in a near circle themselves with seven of them surrounding the eighth in the center. I had found that a bit odd, actually. Eight was an uncommon number in Magic, I¡¯d found. Nearly everything seemed to come in sets of seven, instead. But Grey had said this was how it needed to be, and it¡¯s not like I knew any better.


    My understanding was that I was meant to kneel in the center circle, while the other six would contain the necessary reagents for the ritual. Grey had carved into the stone of floor using some instrument, and then filled those grooves with molten, Mana-charged silver.


    Apparently, he had melted down and charged the metal himself out of some silverware he had found in a dusty cabinet in the backroom of the church.


    Every silver line of those circles was framed by tiny lines of inscribed runes. What I¡¯d found a bit surprising about the runic structure of Magi Ascension rituals was that the syntax almost read like complete nonsense. Rather than the near conversational tone of traditional runic script, this was almost purely functional. Nonsense phrases like that were common, roughly translating into things like ¡®Aether line down surround envelop totality reverse nothingness¡¯, and that was only one example out of hundreds in the entire array. However, empowered by the array, I could feel that they were working, even though my understanding of the script told me they shouldn¡¯t. Each argent curve hummed with active Mana.


    Guess I still had a bunch to learn about Magic.


    Honestly, it was a bit exciting.


    Grey looked up from his kneeling inspection of the circle as I entered the room. At the sight of me, the wrinkles on his brow deepened into a concerned look.


    I smiled and shook my head at him, to his visible relief. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine, Grey,¡± I told him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    My mentor sighed his relief, standing up from his crouch and dusting off his robes as he did so. ¡°Very well. I trust you, Nathan,¡± He said with a small smile on his lips. Abruptly, he shook his head. ¡°If that¡¯s out of the way, then let us begin. You¡¯ll have to strip down so we can begin the preparations for the ritual.¡± His smile shifted, taking on a mischievous tint. ¡°I trust you¡¯re prepared for the most harrowing of all trials?¡±


    I rolled my eyes at him but still ran a self-conscious hand through my shaggy brown hair. You see, during our preparations, Grey had told me about one little requirement to a Magi Ascension ritual.


    You had to shave your head.


    Although the mind wasn¡¯t apparently bound to the head or brain like some thought, there was still a symbological linking to it. That apparently mattered for something like this. Part of the ritual involved shaving your head so it could be painted in similar runic scripts that would decorate the rest of my body. From what Grey had told me, the Cultivators didn¡¯t have to do anything like this. I certainly hadn''t seen Sylvia do something similar.


    Lucky them. I was going to have to be bald for a few months.


    Just like Grey.


    Said older Magi ran an almost smug hand over his shiny, smooth, nearly gleaming skull. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Nathan,¡± He said almost condescendingly. ¡°There¡¯s only a tiny chance your hair won¡¯t grow back. Alas, I was one of the unfortunate few. I¡¯ve been cursed with this smooth, perfectly spherical crown for centuries now. I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t happen to you too.¡±


    I rolled my eyes at Grey, shrugging off my shirt. ¡°Oh, give it a rest, old man,¡± I said, exasperated. ¡°I¡¯ve watched you shave that chrome-dome. Your hair still grows back just fine. You just like it that way.¡±


    ¡°Pure window dressing,¡± He lied shamelessly, not even blinking at the blatant falsehood. ¡°A habit I developed to cope with my unfortunate reality.¡±


    Neither of us could keep a straight face at that idea, and broke out into chuckles. After a moment we calmed down, and Grey smiled at me with a slightly relieved shade to the expression. ¡°Come, Nathan,¡± He said eventually. ¡°Sit in that chair, and I¡¯ll get started on your hair.¡±


    I nodded and did as he said once I was down to my small clothes, walking over to a small stool and sitting on it. After that, I heard Grey pick up the pair of shears he had brought with him and snip the air to test. Seconds later, my hair began to fall from all around me as Grey trimmed my hair far down enough that he could shave my head. I shivered once he did, feeling the sharp blade of his personal straight razor depriving me of my shaggy hair. I shivered again once he was done, at the feeling of air on my bare scalp. That was a new one for me. I''d never shaved my head in my life.


    A yelp escaped my lips when I felt Grey slap my head playfully, causing me to turn around and glare at him. He just smirked at me and nodded at the ritual circle. ¡°Kneel in the center and I¡¯ll get started on the runes.¡±


    Snorting, I did as he asked, resting on my knees in the center. Not long after, Grey approached and picked up the brush resting in a nearby pot of prepared ink, and got to work. I fought down a laugh at the feeling of the bristles on my skin, especially on my newly bared scalp. I had always been a bit ticklish.


    It took Grey nearly half an hour of careful painting to finish, and when he had, I looked down at myself. I nearly whistled at the density of runes now painting my flesh. They flowed across my skin in waves and circles, forming smooth patterns that almost blended into each other. I didn¡¯t know Grey was capable of such artistry.


    I was broken out of my inspection by the sound of Grey¡¯s voice. ¡°Now¡­¡± He said, unexpectedly solemn. ¡°You¡¯re ready. As I told you, Nathan, you¡¯ll have to focus through the entire process. It might be a bit painful, but you need to endure it. The active part of the ritual will not take long, but it will be violent. Thankfully, the included shield mechanism in your circle will contain most of the unstable energies. Are you ready?¡±


    I looked up and met my mentor''s eyes. After taking a moment to squash any doubts, I nodded at him.


    Grey studied me seriously and then returned the gesture when he saw I was serious.


    ¡°Now¡­let us begin.¡±

 Chapter 225 - The Resolution of Heaven and Earth (+ANNOUNCEMENT)

    <div>


    ¡°From the top, then,¡± Grey said solemnly, picking up the sack Honoka had given him earlier. Carefully, he withdrew seven items from within it, and set them on a small table next to the ritual area. One remained in his hand. ¡°All things must align with your Terrestrial Affinity. For Northern Fire, we have a splinter of Emberwood. A hardy tree from the icy far north, unexpectedly tinged with fires of the volcanoes it grows upon.¡± Kneeling, Grey set the splinter of oddly bright orange wood down in the topmost circle.


    Next, he picked up a chunk of a familiar black and blue metal. ¡°For Southern Earth, we have a portion of unsmithed Oninite. You seem to have a liking for the metal, and it works well enough,¡± He said, laying the ore in the bottommost circle. Then, Grey picked up what looked to be a pearl, as well as a black and white feather. ¡°A freshwater pearl from the heart of Lake Lubel for Eastern Water, and the feather of a bearded vulture for Western Air. That last one was a bit hard to decide on, as you recall,¡± He told me, as he laid the pearl in the rightmost circle and the feather in the leftmost.


    Yeah, I remember. The only reason we had settled on that particular feather was because the bird itself had a tendency to roll around in red clay. Because of that, the Aetherial balance of the feather suited our needs for a slight ''Terrestrial'' alignment.


    Grey stepped back for a moment to inspect the circle, before nodding sharply. ¡°Good, there¡¯s the Prime Elements done. Now for the Secondary. For North-Eastern Light, we have Lumenstone. From experience, I can tell you the Hold Dwarves use it as a source of illumination,¡± He picked up a lump of jagged, yet almost completely translucent crystal. At his touch, it shone a brief, bright white, before dimming. He set that down in the circle between the splinter and the pearl, and then picked up a jagged length of what looked like jet-black glass. ¡°Indiquan Warrior Obsidian, for South-Western Darkness. We¡¯re lucky to be doing this in Elderwyck, as it would be difficult to find it anywhere else on Vereden. Luckily, it¡¯s not hard to find in these markets, considering the nearness of Tlatec,¡± This he sat in between the feather and the Oninite, before picking up the final reagent.


    A hunk of blue metal, very similar in shade to his own Stellarum. It gleamed in the low light of the abandoned church.


    Grey inspected it thoughtfully, turning it back and forth in his palm. ¡°Lunar Basalt. It¡¯s a bit low quality,¡± He said, inspecting it closely. ¡°But it will do. Even the weakest Lunar Basalt is matched by only the purest of Mithril. And you need it, as the counterweight to your own Terrestrial Affinity. This shall do, for the North-Western Celestial element. Now, notice how there is no circle for a South-Eastern Terrestrial reagent,¡± He said, nodding in that direction of the circles. I looked and saw that he was right, with the circles containing the pearl and the Oninite resting next to each other with no gap in between. ¡°You are essentially acting at the Terrestrial anchor in this ritual. This is because of your own Affinity with the Element.¡±


    I looked back up at him in thought. ¡°You know,¡± I mused. ¡°You¡¯ve never talked about the Elements before. I don¡¯t know anything about ¡®Terrestrial¡¯ Element, much less the rest of them. Why is that?¡±


    Grey shrugged at me. ¡°Because it¡¯s not terribly important until you¡¯re either a Magi or a Cultivator, that¡¯s why,¡± He said patiently. ¡°The most your Affinity does before then is decide the ¡®flavor¡¯ of Class that you receive at level ten. Yours is Terrestrial, as it says on your Status, and thus was expressed through your own particular thorns. Mine is Celestial, and thus I¡¯ve always possessed Classes that allude to the heavens.¡±


    I nodded slowly. ¡°Then¡­would Sylvia¡¯s be Light? And Azarus maybe Fire?¡±


    Grey quirked an eyebrow. ¡°Yes, my Sylvia¡¯s Affinity is towards Light, and so she received a Light based illusionist Class. You¡¯re mistaken about Azarus, however. He has an Earth Affinity. It is Honoka who has a Fire Affinity. You¡¯ll learn much more about Affinities once attending the Academy. For now, all you need to know is their positions around the Grand Compass, and their relationships to their Subversions. In your case¡­Celestial,¡± He chuckled to himself. ¡°I find it oddly appropriate that your Affinity is Terrestrial, in that way. But enough about the Elements. It¡¯s time to begin, Nathan. Please begin meditating, and I¡¯ll empower the array.¡±


    I nodded at Grey and fully sat down in the circle, crossing my legs as I did so. Then¡­


    I closed my eyes and focused inwards, falling into a very familiar meditative state. This was the same state that I always had to concentrate on, in order to use Aetherial Melding. But because of the Isolation Chamber, I wasn¡¯t able to feel the pulse of Vereden¡¯s Aether bouncing and flowing all around me. It was almost disturbing, but I dismissed such thoughts.


    Soon, my mind was as calm as I could make it. I floated in a sea of nothingness for a moment, before I felt a tingle from all around me pass through the circle.


    Grey had begun. The distinctive, silvery cool ¡®flavor¡¯ of his own Mana had activated the circles.


    One by one, I felt them come alive, each of them shaded with the Element that they represented. To my senses, the Celestial Circle was the last of them to come alive, and when it did, something odd happened. I knew to expect it, but I still shivered at the sensation.


    Each of them felt as if they had almost magnetized, latching on to something deep inside of myself. The feeling was a bit¡­unpleasant. It was as if multiple hooks had dug themselves deep into something inherent to myself, individually targeting specific things from different angles.


    That had to be the anchors at work.


    From what Grey had told me, each of the anchor points of the ritual would target Elementally charged Aether that had latched on to my Soul and infected my Mind. Then, they would drag it out of me in what was supposed to be a violent display, leaving only the Element that I was aligned with behind. That Terrestrially aligned Aether would then be ¡®condensed¡¯ inside of my mind and, in Grey¡¯s words, ¡®sparked¡¯ into becoming Mana. From there, the Mana would propagate through the whole of my Mind and spirit, and from that point on, it would generate itself naturally.


    It sounded like a bit of a¡­violent process, to be honest.


    I grit my teeth as I felt the first portion of waste energy being wrenched from my being. It¡­well, it didn¡¯t hurt quite as much as Grey had said it would. The sensation was more like a bee sting than a broken bone, like he had told me it might be.


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    The elementally charged Aether being extracted had to be of Earth, as I saw the silver of the circle in front of me shine briefly. With wary eyes, I watched as the chunk of Oninite¡­


    Let out a brief puff of bright yellow dust, and then settled back down.


    I blinked.


    That hadn¡¯t been as violent as I had thought it would be. Maybe this wouldn¡¯t be that bad.


    But Grey didn¡¯t seem to be as relieved by that I was. He frowned at the hunk of Oninite for a moment, rubbing his chin. ¡°Odd,¡± He said aloud. ¡°I would have expected the reaction to be much more intense, for an initial draw like that.¡±


    I flicked my eyes up to meet his, as the circle to my left lit up briefly and the pearl inside puffed out a weak mist. ¡°Maybe I just didn¡¯t have much Earth aligned Aether in my Soul? And¡­apparently Water Aether too?¡±


    Grey¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°I have never seen such a weak reaction in an Ascension ritual. The amount of Aether that accumulates as waste product in the Mind and Soul from simply living is miniscule, but it builds up over time. Quite a bit, I would say. This little amount¡­.¡± He abruptly stopped talking, his lips parting in shock. ¡°I¡­no¡­¡±


    ¡°Grey?¡± I asked, growing alarmed as I felt a burst of heat behind me from the Emberwood. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m such a fool¡­¡± He breathed, tensing. ¡°Aether builds up over time in the spirit. And you¡¯ve only been here on Vereden for roughly a year. You¡¯ve said your home world doesn¡¯t possess Aether, and so your spirit hasn¡¯t had the time to absorb enough waste Aether. Damn! We rushed into this without considering that.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a¡­good thing?¡± I said in trepidation. ¡°The goal is spiritual purity, right? If I don¡¯t have a ton of waste energy, then isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡±


    Grey ignored me, getting down on his knees next to the ritual circle and, for some reason, taking out a knife. ¡°No,¡± He said grimly. ¡°Because you likely don¡¯t have enough Terrestrial Aether either, to catalyze the first spark of Mana. It¡¯s possible the ritual will try and draw on your Soul itself to create that spark. Such a thing is likely to cripple you, in much the same way that it has done to Venix. But you don¡¯t have the foundation he has to recover from that. It would ruin your prospects of advancement for life.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said weakly, tensing in the middle of the circle. I tried to move, only to freeze when Grey barked a command at me.


    ¡°Do not!¡± He said tensely, head whipping in my direction to fix me with an intense stare. ¡°Move! You¡¯ll start the reaction early!¡±


    I froze in place, as I saw a brief flare of white light out of the corner of my eye from the Lumenstone.


    Grey breathed deeply for a moment. ¡°This is my fault,¡± He said lowly. ¡°I grew complacent with the sheer number of times I¡¯ve done this in the past. I did not consider how such a common ritual would change with your circumstances. And so I will fix it.¡± With that, he used the apparently powerful dagger clenched tightly in his right hand to slash at his left arm. A large, deep gash opened up on his pale flesh immediately. Strangely, the cut didn¡¯t immediately start gushing blood, even though I thought I could see bone inside of it.


    ¡°Grey?!¡± I asked in shock, as he tossed the dagger behind him clenched down on the wound. Sluggishly, dark, dark blood welled up from it, which he dipped his fingers in. ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°Saving your life,¡± Grey said grimly, bending over to start sketching runes into a new circle that he drew in his own blood. This new circle was right outside the meeting point of the Earth and Water circles. ¡°I will inject a portion of my own inherent Aether into the ritual, as a new counterweight. The rate will be low, considering it will need to go through a converter. I¡­some measure of Celestial Affinity bleed through will be inevitable, I¡¯m afraid.¡± He looked up to give me a deeply apologetic look. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nathan. The intensity of my own energies is likely to taint yours. I¡­don¡¯t know what will happen, but we have no choice. The alternative is unacceptable, and we simply can¡¯t stop the ritual once it has begun.¡±


    I took a deep breath to calm myself, once again missing my middle ring. After a moment, I looked up and nodded at Grey. ¡°Do it.¡±


    Grey returned my nod and finished scribing out his blood-based addendum to the Ascension ritual. He let his hand hover over the still-wet blood, and in the open space, a spark of black and silver Mana bloomed.


    The bloody circle of runes glowed to life, and I swear I smelled a brief floral scent infiltrate the circle I sat in.


    Next to the chunk of Oninite, the obsidian gleamed a weak, oddly black light before dimming. The Dark Aligned Aether in my soul must have been purified. The ritual was almost done.


    Only the Air circle was left.


    Grey grit his teeth from outside the circle. ¡°Faster,¡± He whispered furiously, concentrating. The bloody circle glowed brighter, and I shivered as I actually felt the Aether he was injecting into my soul.


    It felt¡­different from my own. Colder, somehow.


    But as soon as that happened, the feather to my right floated up briefly on a weak breeze. When it touched back down onto the stone floor, I felt it.


    A spark, originating somewhere deep inside of myself.


    My eyes widened as I finally felt the pain that Grey had warned me about. It was like a fire had erupted into being, somewhere deep inside of myself. With the awareness I had of my own soul space, it felt like the crystalline tree of my soul had begun to burn in a raging, two-toned flame.


    Some of that fire felt familiar, reminiscent of the bloody thorns that had defined my build. It spoke of the bones of the earth and of the life that dwelled upon it, raging with a ferocity born of instinct. It sang of the bloody struggle that all experienced, as they fought with primal instinct to survive. It whispered of the need to thrive.


    But the other half was different. This fire was cold and dark. It felt nothing, and in its depths, eons stretched. It spoke of the vastness that stretched out into the depths of the void, of lightless depths that rang together in eternal concordance. It sang of the mysteries that lurked within the far corners of the cosmos, and of the fundamental, ordered dance that all must adhere to. It whispered of the need to understand.


    Within me, that spark bloomed. From it, two separate waves of Mana raged and flowed, immediately filling the empty space of my soul.


    One wave was a sinuous crimson and pulsed with the primality of life, thrumming through the space of my soul. Threaded through I could see countless thorny vines, layered over themselves in a twisting, writhing mass. This, I somehow knew, was my original Affinity. That which was Terrestrial to my being.


    The other was blue. It flowed and wisped and twirled around the ferocity of the Terrestrial, flickering at the edges like a flame. Within its depths burned deeper pools of what seemed to be concentrated fire, and in those glowing pools I could see the cold, distant light of the stars.


    This was new.


    It had to be the Celestial that Grey had inadvertently introduced into me.


    The flames that had engulfed my crystalline tree were doused in an instant, and the cracks that had formed its glasslike surface mended. New, blade-like leaves that had been scoured from its surface from my struggles instantly bloomed all along the branches.


    Cradled in the crown of my tree¡¯s upper branches, a star bloomed.


    The core of it was reminiscent of the crimson of my thorns, flowing and grinding eternally against each other. And yet, they glowed almost plasmically with their own malevolent light. Surrounding it was the new Celestial flame of Grey''s introduced affinity, which had somehow gained an identity of it''s own. Floating over it''s surface were those deeper pools of flame, displaying the distant lights of non-existent stars.


    This...


    This had to be the core of my Mana, cradled within my Mind. The font from which I would now and forever more craft my own Spells.


    The pressure and pain that had engulfed my being lifted, and what was left in its wake¡­


    Tears filled my eyes in wonder at the sensation, as I lifted eyes that saw beyond the mere physical. I was barely aware of Grey sitting back in relief at the success of his gambit, because I had discovered that Sylvia had been right, all those months ago.


    You truly couldn¡¯t describe what this was like, to someone who didn¡¯t have it.


    It was like coming home.

 Interlude 12 - You Will Know Good and Evil [Vol. 5 End]

    The rats were arguing again.


    They bickered back and forth uselessly from around the table set up in the throne room, mindless in their panic. Raised voices and screamed insults abound in the air as the gathered noblemen and women of the high houses of Herztal gave voice to their panic. All the while, the most worthless of all sat on high in his gilded throne, clutching at the arms of his stolen seat in his own desperation. The fool¡¯s dull green eyes bounced back and forth among his arguing subjects as he searched for a way out of his doom.


    Leonard Ashran sat back in his own chair and idly sipped on a glass of substandard wine, watching the puppets dance.


    And pondered.


    This conflict was coming to an end, he felt. The news about what had happened up in Elderwyck had finally washed over the court. Sources in the city were saying that the apprentice of Grand Marshal Greycton of the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn had slain a Calamity. Many had been highly skeptical of this claim, considering their intelligence on the young man placed him at under level one hundred. The idea of someone who wasn¡¯t even a proper Magi or Cultivator killing a Calamity of all things had been rightfully laughed at by the gathered fools.


    That was until it was reported again.


    And again.


    And again.


    The council had stopped laughing then.


    Leonard cast his mind back to the confrontation in his long-lost prison. Had this apparent Calamity slayer been present back then? Yes, he eventually decided, he thought he had been. The boy had been wielding a dinky little spear and protecting Greycton¡¯s get, feeling like he had been barely level sixty to his senses. Hah, well. It was likely the boy was beyond level one-hundred now, if he had actually killed something like that.


    The former Warden of Caer-Drarrow raised his glass up in salute to the distant Calamity Slayer, ignoring the confused glances he received from nobles about him. They didn¡¯t matter anyway.


    Even as opposed as he was to the schoolteacher''s little rebellion, he could still admire a near mythical feat like that.


    Good show, Nathaniel Hart.


    It¡­did put him in a little bit of a predicament, however.


    He had been counting on the Calamity keeping Greycton and his Uprising busy for longer time, after all. Not for it to be slain almost immediately.


    Leonard pursed his lips in irritation.


    That worthless little bloodsucker had promised him that ¡®the Mighty Rhazal¡¯ was more than a match for the Shadowed Sun and his cohort. Apparently, the Chaospawn had overexaggerated the monstrosity¡¯s abilities a tad.


    What kind of Calamity was slain by someone that weak?


    If she hadn¡¯t already been killed by an unaligned Lich of all things, he would have hunted her down and ended his former ¡®collaborator¡¯ for the inconvenience.


    Alas, he was going to have to adjust his plans, now that the Vampyr¡¯s gambit had failed. He supposed he had expected a bit much from an old relic like that. Storybook reputations had a tendency to be overblown.


    But she had seemed so competent when she had approached him, those years ago. He had just returned from his voyages abroad and had grown increasingly disgusted with the state of Herztalian society. The introduction of those disgusting little abominations that called themselves ¡®Sculpted¡¯ had introduced unacceptable sloth into his homeland. The people no longer had a need to struggle in a world where the toils of life were done by automatons. The farmer did not grow in strength from his tilling of the land. The craftsman did not hone his hedge at the practice of his craft. The soldier did not thrive in the clash with the monstrous.


    Leonard had seen the Sculpted for what they were, long before the things had started talking back.


    A curse upon the future of the human race.


    At the time, he had been so disgusted he had pondered simply getting back on his ship and sailing back off into the sunset, never to return. Vereden might have been small, but a life at sea wouldn¡¯t have been so bad. His voyages had introduced him to heretofore unknown tiny islands out on the ocean, absolutely filled to the brim with very strong monsters. More than strong enough to propel him all the way to Paragon.


    It would have been a good, simple life.


    But¡­


    The bloodsucker had approached him as he was silently bemoaning the state of his homeland in a dockside Elderwyckian bar. When the creature had revealed itself to him, he had nearly assaulted it immediately. Such a vicious relic from the past had no place in modern society, even with its degraded state. However, she had spoken of some¡­interesting ideas.


    Very enticing ones.


    For the foolish, of course. That creature had truly lost her edge if she thought she could get one over a scion of House Ashran. But her presence did present another opportunity. One where he could shape the future of Herztal, and Vereden itself.


    All he would have to do was outmaneuver the relic when the right time came. He wasn¡¯t frightened by either her or her remnant goddess.


    After all, how strong could a divinity possibly be, if they had been driven so completely from these shores? It¡¯s not like anyone actually feared the Mad God these days, and he was still on Vereden in the first place.


    And so he¡¯d agreed, always intending to double-cross the beast at the right moment.


    No doubt a duplicitous creature like this ¡®Nerexxa¡¯ had been intending the same thing.


    The bitch.


    Only she had bungled her part of the plan. She had completely failed to capitalize on the horde of generated monsters his modified Ward Stones had created. All they had done was create fodder to feed the footsoldiers of the Uprising.


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    Well, he supposed they had also displaced and possibly slaughtered hundreds of Herztalian citizens, but he considered that a benefit. The weak would either become the mighty, or they would be culled.


    Leonard sighed, finished off his glass of wine, and stood up from his chair. At the movement, most of the arguing immediately stopped. Once, the attention would have brought a brief surge of pride. After all, the strong should be admired, and he was by far the strongest surviving asset that belonged to the Kingdom of Herztal.


    But now all he felt was contempt. He brushed the peons off and started walking towards the exit of the throne room, letting his gaze idly brush over the emissary from the Principality as he moved. They had arrived the other day, but Leonard hadn¡¯t given the stuntie much of a second thought. They were some knight under the umbrella of the Savoy of middling renown. Strong, but nothing compared to him.


    Stonebreaker, he thought the knight¡¯s name was.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Leonard heard from behind his back, ending all conversation in the hall. As much as he wished to leave, he still stopped at that voice, albeit reluctantly. With an annoyed sigh, Leonard turned in place to gaze at the owner in boredom.


    His supposed ¡®King¡¯


    Alaric of House Eisenherz.


    The young man was looking a bit rough, these days. He wasn¡¯t managing the stress of the civil war very well, especially now that his own faction was on the decline. His formally thick blond hair had thinned considerably from the pressure, and unsightly, premature wrinkles had sprouted on his forehead and around his thin lips. The ¡®King¡¯ had lost weight as well, looking almost sickly in comparison to his former knightly physique. Once upon a time, this man had been a somewhat respectable knight in service to old Otto, the former King.


    Before Nerexxa had set her claws in him.


    Now the puppet¡¯s strings were cut, and he didn¡¯t even know it. The influence had been impressively subtle, Leonard could admit that much. The creature had gotten very close to the usurper.


    It was only a matter of time before some people made the connection to the Vampyr that had surfaced in Elderwyck¡­


    And the young woman who occasionally appeared out of nowhere to cozy up to the former knight.


    Leonard wondered if Alaric was starting to make the same connections.


    Judging by the sweat on his brow, probably.


    ¡°Where are you going, Lord Ashran?¡± The ¡®King¡¯ asked in a high-pitched, stressed voice. ¡°I did not give you leave to vacate the council.¡±


    Leonard kept his face still, even as he wanted to sneer in disgust. Give him leave? He was hundreds of times this upstarts strength. In a just world, this upjumped peacock would have been begging for a chance to serve at his feet.


    Alas, this was a slovenly world indeed.


    ¡°I suddenly recalled an urgent matter, my King,¡± Leonard replied in an even tone. When Alaric looked like he would protest again, the monster tamer made something up on the spot. ¡°Research related to the defeat of Headmaster Greycton. I¡¯m afraid it can¡¯t wait.¡±


    That was a blatant lie. Leonard liked to consider himself a pragmatist. He had already matched himself against that old monster and been found wanting, as much as he loathed the idea. There was no point in trying to duel the Shadowed Sun once more. It would likely be centuries before he could prove his superiority to the schoolteacher.


    Alaric brightened up at the offered bait. He nodded grandly, as if Leonard''s exit had been his intent all along. ¡°Go, Lord Ashran. I would not keep you from your training.¡±


    It was so, so difficult not to roll his eyes, but Leonard did so anyway. He nodded shortly at the fool and pivoted on his heel, striding out of the room. As he walked through the halls of the palace, Leonard felt a brief burst of regret at what he was going to be giving up shortly. He would miss the comforts of nobility.


    But adversity bred strength, and the isles awaited him. Leopold could keep the Ashran Lordship, the great oaf.


    It was time to vacate the shores of his homeland.


    At least until he had become a Paragon.


    Leonard picked up his pace at the pleasing thought.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Once he had reached the Ashran family manor, he dismissed all of the servants for the day. They were confused, but by this point, used to his peculiarities and didn¡¯t question his motives. Once they had vacated the premises, he got to work packing the things he would need on his journey out to sea. Alas, he could not take the entire Ashran family library with him, but there were certain tomes he absolutely could not live without.


    Before he knew it, Leonard had filled several large crates with the equipment, supplies, and a certain amount of frivolities he would need on his long, self-imposed exile. Once done, he nodded to himself and ventured down into the basement for a gruesome, but necessary task.


    After all, he couldn¡¯t exactly bring along his experiments in monster breeding on his ship, could he?


    They would all have to be culled. He couldn¡¯t leave even the slightest hint as to the direction of his research. He would never know another moment¡¯s peace if it was discovered he was trying to recreate the Lost¡¯s experiments on Calamity creation.


    The entire kingdom would likely be bent towards his capture and execution.


    The regretful task of destroying his experiments only took him the barest few minutes, and when he had finished, Leonard helped himself to another parting bottle of wine in his large, expansive kitchen. He saluted the air with a glass full of a truly delectable Ros¨¦. ¡°Fair you well, my erstwhile children,¡± He said dramatically, before turning in the direction of the castle and sneering in its direction through the walls. ¡°And good riddance to you, you sniveling little shit. You are unworthy of your throne, and thus my loyalty.¡±


    Throwing aside all propriety, Leonard picked up the bottle and guzzled it down, throwing it into a corner once finished. As the bottle shattered into pieces and he opened his eyes once more, Leonard startled in place at what he found.


    There was a dwarf sitting on the counter in front of him.


    Leonard stared at the incongruous sight for a moment. ¡°What¡­?¡± He breathed.


    He may be a tad bit inebriated, but his magical senses were still unhindered.


    Leonard hadn¡¯t felt the dwarf arrive at all. It was as if he had simply appeared, from one moment to the next. After a moment of silent staring, he actually recognized the dwarf.


    It was that knight from earlier, Stonebreaker.


    Said knight leaned forward over his knees, bizarrely cupping his helmeted chin in one gauntleted chin to stare at him. ¡°My my,¡± The dwarf said mildly. ¡°What is this I see, but the Crown''s last hope abandoning it? Are you perhaps preparing to flee, Lord Ashran?¡±


    Leonard immediately leveled one open hand at the dwarf and loosed the strongest Spell he could at short notice. A mass of jagged blue crystal, taller than the dwarf, appeared in front of his palm and streaked through the air to spear at the intruder. The air howled from the sheer velocity of the missile.


    The dwarf, almost boredly, raised one hand and caught it out of the air. He examined the crystal almost idly for a moment, as Leonard gaped in open-mouthed shock. ¡°Who¡­¡± He breathed. ¡°Who are you? You can¡¯t simply be a minor knight. Not with that strength.¡±


    Through the dwarf¡¯s helmet, Leonard saw his jet-black eyes flick up at him. Almost nonchalantly, he crushed the crystal spire in his mailed fist, sending a glittering cloud of dust floating to the floor of the kitchen. After a moment of contemplation, the dwarf reached up and removed his helmet, baring his face to the world.


    Leonard felt the blood run out of his face at the sight. It had been a long time since he had seen this person, but he still recognized them. Years and years ago, he and Leopold had been in attendance, during a meeting between King Otto and the Dwarven Princes. This dwarf had been in attendance, nearly suffocating the court from his sheer presence alone.


    ¡°Anguis of Savoy¡­¡±


    Prince Anguis, Lord of House Savoy. Chainmaker of the Principality.


    The Serpent.


    A small, thin smile touched the lips of the dwarf as he caught Leonard¡¯s eyes. ¡°I have a proposition for you, Lord Ashran,¡± The dwarf nearly purred. ¡°Before you leave. Stay awhile and listen.¡±


    Leonard steadied his breath, holding the gaze of the dwarf he knew was stronger than he was. Carefully, he copied the dwarf and hopped up onto the counter opposite of him, uncaring about the indignity of the maneuver.


    None of that mattered now, in a negotiation of true power.


    He nodded at the Prince, gesturing with an open hand. ¡°Make your case, Serpent.¡±


    The smile on Anguis¡¯s lips¡­


    Widened.

 Chapter 226 - Green Reflection [Vol. 6 Start]

    It was only by the flickering light of the lamp in my room that I could see at all.


    But¡­that was fine, these days. Ever since my transformation at the tail end of the Elderwyck campaign, my eyes had been altered by the curse of the Rhazal the Harrower. They were more sensitive now, and it was far easier to see in low illumination. But as a consequence, they glowed ever so slightly through the dark of my study, though thankfully not enough to cast their own light.


    I had actually grown to enjoy dimmer light, in those months since I and my compatriots had fled the Herztalian Civil War.


    Thankfully, none of that prevented me from enjoying my newest hobby. With as stressed and fraught as I had been, just after we had landed on the shores of Kawamara, I¡¯d needed something to distract myself. I hadn¡¯t wanted to practice any of my martial skills or Skills, since they reminded me of the conflict I had gone so far to escape. At the time, I hadn¡¯t wanted to learn any true Magic either, despite the fact I had just gone through my Ascension Ritual. As wondrous as I had found possessing my own decidedly odd Mana had proven itself to be, I knew¡­


    Well.


    I had just needed a break, that¡¯s all.


    That feeling towards Magic had faded with time, but I''d still picked up something new


    And so I had learned calligraphy of all things.


    I studied the small length of practice parchment in front of me thoughtfully for a moment, and the characters I had painstakingly inked onto its surface. After a moment, I clucked my tongue, shook my head, and set down the brush in my right hand. Picking up the piece of parchment and crumpling it up, I threw it over my shoulder carelessly to join the rest of my failures. I¡¯d messed up a crucial brush stroke halfway through, and so I¡¯d need to start over.


    But that didn¡¯t bother me.


    Caligraphy was¡­calming.


    While it was an art that was covered by the actual Profession of Artistry, I didn¡¯t have that anymore. I had my Aetherial Melding, and I wasn¡¯t using that in the slightest. I¡¯m not sure I ever would have even thought twice about the art itself, if I had tried to use my Profession for it. To me, it would have¡­tainted the motions. At that point, I would have just been using the hobby for the Impact it would generate towards picking my next class.


    I didn¡¯t want that.


    I wanted something I could just sit down and¡­do.


    No expectations of advancement.


    No progression towards a higher tier of power.


    Just¡­relaxation.


    And it had both worked, and continued to work for me.


    I idly studied the collection of brushes, inks, and pens I had accrued in the four months since I had arrived in the Land of Rivers and made an entirely consequence-free decision.


    I do believe I would try the green ink I had picked up earlier today. I opened a lower drawer on my work desk and withdrew another sheet of parchment, picked up a pen this time, and broke the seal on the small jar of shining green ink. Dipping the pen inside, I made a test stroke.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± I muttered to myself softly in the quiet room, at the feeling of the ink. ¡°A bit dry.¡±


    I shrugged after a moment.


    Eh, whatever. I¡¯d try another pen on the next attempt.


    I had plenty of time for experimentation.


    At least¡­that¡¯s what I thought.


    A knock on the doorframe of my rented room caused me to make a small mistake in my penstroke, ending my current attempt early. I felt my eyebrow twitch slightly at the interruption, looking up from my desk to stare at my door.


    I wasn¡¯t expecting anyone tonight. I¡¯d already had my dinner, and I wasn¡¯t expecting any of my friends and compatriots at this late hour. I rarely saw Venix these days, considering how in demand he was from the local military forces. Even with as reduced in strength as he was from his extended coma, the Antium was still a high-level Cultivator. He had been taking quite a number of contracts directly from the military forces of Kawamara to cull Primes all across the isles. When he wasn¡¯t busy with that, he was out challenging local swordmasters to duels to ¡®hone his blade¡¯, in his own words.


    He even won some of those.


    Sometimes.


    Azarus, Liora, and Renauld should still be off with the Oni Hunters tracking down a new spawn of the little bastards. They¡¯d offered a spot on the team to me, but I¡¯d declined considering the¡­business I had these days. I didn¡¯t want to abandon it in the cradle. Not with how proud I was of it.


    And Bella?


    Well¡­


    My core ring sighed to itself at the thought of the pirate woman, even as my outer leveraged my body up to go and see who was at my door.


    Bella came and went on her own time, considering her work with the Bluebacks. I hadn¡¯t seen her in over a month now, ever since a particular¡­incident between us.


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    I smoothed down my plain evening robe and ran a self-conscious hand over the barely-there hair. Annoyingly, I¡¯d found that after my transformation due to Vis Maledicta Exactoris, my hair grew in much, much slower than it used to. I¡¯d expected to have a full head of hair by now after it had been shaved for my Ascension Ritual.


    But no. Irritatingly enough, I still looked like a brunette tennis ball.


    I shook those thoughts off and reached out, sliding back the rice paper door that separated me from the rest of the high-class inn where I rented a semi-permanent room. On the other side of the door was a fairly¡­irritating sight. A man dressed in servant robes belonging to a particular noble house, here in the capital city of Hinaga. The greens and yellows clashed horribly with the understated, earthen hues of the inn, but that wasn¡¯t what was so irksome about them.


    It was that I had already shooed this particular servant away, earlier in the day. They must have known how unwelcome I would have found the sight of them because they were already bowing at the waist in apology.


    I sighed, reaching up to massage my brow. ¡°As I¡¯ve already said,¡± I groaned. ¡°The sword is not ready yet. Please inform Lord Ashiwara that, no matter how many times he pesters me, the forging process will not accelerate.¡±


    The servant bowed deeper. ¡°A thousand apologies, Kurosh¨­,¡± He murmured apologetically. ¡°But my Lord is insistent. His firstborn son and heir leaves for his first hunt in a fortnight. The young master deserves nothing but the best, and you can provide it.¡±


    I took a deep breath to try and tamp down on my frustration, because this guy didn¡¯t deserve it. The busybody Lord I had taken a commission from did.


    You see, there had been a problem with my decision to flee from the war. For the first time, I had been separated from the seemingly endless coin purse of my mentor, Headmaster Greycton of the Shadowed Sun. I could no longer depend on his financial assistance in¡­pretty much all things essentially. All the coin I had to my name was the backpay I¡¯d gotten for my work as part of the clandestine Nocturne Division. And while that had been significant at the time, it¡¯s not like it was infinite. I¡¯d realized on the trip over the waves to Kawamara that the gold would run out eventually.


    So, I¡¯d hatched a plan to start slinging my talents as an artisan here in the capital city. The intention had pretty much to only do it as a side gig while I stuck to the original one of adventuring in the rolling hills and forests of the Land of Rivers with my friends. Once here, I¡¯d discovered a pretty surprising thing.


    The metal that comprised my own personal weapons, Oninite¡­wasn¡¯t really used much here. It was pretty common here in Kawamara, but it was notoriously difficult to work with. Piles and piles of the ore sat around in warehouses galore here in the city, entirely unused and unwanted by the locals. Pretty much only the best of the best smiths in the country were capable of working it into cutlery, much less weaponry. But they tended to charge an arm, a leg, and a few other assorted body parts to do that.


    I didn¡¯t.


    It was much easier for me to work the metal with my cheaty cheating cheater Profession than a good old-fashioned smith. I¡¯d capitalized on that and started out by ¡®flooding¡¯ the market with a number of Oninite weapons to get my name out.


    That had very rapidly caught the attention of Hinaga, and eventually the high houses of the nobility. From that, I¡¯d been given the smith name of ¡®Kurosh¨­¡¯ by the locals. When I tuned Language Adaptation down a bit for a direct translation, it seemed to mean something along the lines of ¡®Black Artisan¡¯.


    Possibly a play on both my now signature metal, and the black trails of scales that lined my battle scars. A truly wonderful gift from the now-deceased Rhazal.


    Bah.


    I may not be as skilled as the master smiths of this country, but that didn¡¯t matter when I was working with higher-quality material. Just the fact that I was offering cheap Oninite weaponry at all was enough to grant me both clout and a number of very lucrative contracts.


    Like the one from Lord Ashiwara.


    More than enough to both fund my lifestyle here in this inn, as well as my new hobby.


    Well, hobbies.


    ¡°My answer remains the same,¡± I said tiredly. ¡°The sword will be finished in a weeks time. If my knowledge of how time functions is still correct, then the sword will be ready for the young master¡¯s hunt with time to spare. Good day, sir.¡±


    The servant raised his head just enough from his bow to look at my face. I noticed that his eyes lingered on my ears, but not for an excessively rude amount of time. ¡°But-!¡±


    ¡°I said good day, sir,¡± I said firmly, sliding the paper door closed deliberately. Any further protest from the servant was cut off, and thankfully, he took the hint. I heard the servant sigh wearily from outside the door and then shuffle away on sock-clad feet.


    I let out a breath now that the interruption was done, rolling my shoulders as I did. They were a bit tense from hours of hunching over the small work desk I¡¯d bought for myself with my smithing work. I eyed said desk for a moment before deciding to call it a night. The interruption had broken my flow, and I didn¡¯t think I had it in me to get back into it.


    Time for bed, I think.


    As I shuffled my way over to the Kawamaran bedroll in my room, I let my eyes drift over to the opposite corner from my sleeping quarters.


    The one filled with weaponry. Spears, and swords, and maces of all shapes and sizes lay carelessly piled on top of each other.


    All of them made from the blue and black of Oninite.


    It, uh. It didn¡¯t take me long to actually forge a weapon from the metal, and so during my work sessions, I tended to make¡­a number of them. In point of fact, Lord Ashiwara¡¯s commission was actually finished and resting in that pile, no matter what I¡¯d told the servant.


    Somewhere.


    I just hadn¡¯t told the servant because his master was being kind of a rude asshole.


    They could wait for a few days.


    Frankly, I only tended to take a long time on weapons that I personally forged for my own use these days.


    And I had certainly made more than a few.


    With that comforting thought, I slid into the bedroll and almost immediately felt myself start to drift off to sleep.


    It was coming much easier for me, these days.


    A little rest worked wonders.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    The next morning, I ventured down to breakfast before the break of dawn. Since my Ascension, I¡¯d found that I needed even less time to get the equivalent of a full night¡¯s rest. I¡¯d been up late into the night working on my calligraphy before the interruption from Ashiwara¡¯s servant. All told, I¡¯d probably slept for only about three hours.


    And yet I felt completely fine. Rested, even.


    I returned the slight bow that the proprietress of the inn gave me as I reached the ground floor. At her wordless gesture, I sat down at one of the small, low tables in the dining area. I was the first one down here, considering the time, but that didn¡¯t seem to stop the service here. I swear, they seemed to operate at all hours. Minutes later, one of the waitresses kneeled next to my table with a tray carrying my breakfast and a cup of steaming tea. She placed it in front of me and then backed away with a quiet bow.


    I picked up my tea and leaned back on one hand, sipping at it as I looked out of the large, open sliding doors displaying the skyline of Hinaga. Just outside of them, I could see a slight hint of light on the horizon as Tarus began to peak over the horizon, casting a wave of emerald light over the spires and temples of the city.


    I took a deep breath and smiled.


    Yeah¡­


    This had been a good decision.

 Chapter 227 - Reunion in Blossom

    I couldn¡¯t dawdle in the dining room forever, however. As much as I might have wished to, I had plans for the rest of the day. And while they didn¡¯t involve any of my new hobbies, commercial or otherwise, I was still looking forward to it.


    My friends were coming back from their hunt today, after all.


    Well, they were supposed to, at least. The specific team of Oni Hunters they¡¯d signed on to accompany had said they¡¯d be back roughly a week after departing, and that week had passed. From my previous experience from my own expedition with this team, they were a bit of a stickler for things like timetables.


    Tarus had fully cleared the horizon by the time I decided to leverage myself up from the table. The rest of the regular inn residents were only starting to appear in the dining room when I idled my way back up to my room to get ready. Once there, I dressed myself in a manner that wouldn¡¯t mark me as a disrespectful foreign tourist. I was actually finding that I didn¡¯t mind the local style of robes all that much. It reminded me of Venix and his own sense of style, which made sense considering how much time he¡¯d spent in this country. But while his were white with pink cranes, I preferred black robes embroidered with golden branches.


    Cinching my belt tighter, I eyed my personal weapon rack up on the wall of my room with pride. Once upon a time, all that I¡¯d had to my name were the two daggers that I¡¯d forged from Oninite back in Helstein. I still had them, of course, and I still enjoyed using them. In fact, I took them down from the rack and slid them into my wide cloth belt at the small of my back.


    But that wasn¡¯t all that I had these days.


    Up there were two new additions to my repertoire.


    My personal sword, and my bow.


    While the local style seemed to prefer curved swords such as Venix¡¯s, I personally didn¡¯t. I¡¯d found that I still had a preference towards longswords, and had continued practicing with them. Thus, when I¡¯d had the chance, I¡¯d bought up a good amount of Oninite to forge one for my personal use, as I had the Proficiency Talent at the time. And honestly, it just seemed like the style here in Kawamara to have a sword on you at all times. I noticed that people were just taken more seriously if they were visibly carrying one of their katanas on them.


    Thus, my personal blade had been born.


    It was a longsword, of course, but perhaps a bit shorter than the length of Grey¡¯s own Stellarum. Double-edged and with an antlered motif at the crossguard, the hilt had been wrapped in a supple crimson leather. At the time of forging, I was a little lost as to what metal I should use to counterbalance the Oninite. I had eventually decided on going back to something I was familiar with using. I¡¯d scoured the Hinagan marketplace for some of it and eventually found it.


    Aetherically potent gold.


    The hilt had been forged from the metal, and the blade itself had ended up with some small inclusions of it running down the length. The final product ended up looking quite striking. I¡­had wanted to name it, in the same way that Grey had named his own blade. After some deliberating, I had settled on something.


    Thus, Terractus had been born.


    I took the sheathed blade down from the wall, and slid it in my belt on my left hip. It rested comfortably there, quite literally made for me. I had no need for the bow I had made in much the same manner and from the same materials as Terractus, so I left it on the wall. But as I was leaving my room and slipping on the bamboo conical hat that seemed to be the style here in Hinaga, I did take the staff that had used to belong to Tlazo. I honestly thought of it as more mine these days, though.


    I probably didn¡¯t need it, but if nothing else, it worked as a fine walking stick.


    Prepared, I left the inn, exchanging a nod with the sharp-eyed proprietress as I did so. The older woman returned the nod slightly, the expression on her elaborately painted face never moving an inch.


    Stepping onto the busy streets of Hinaga, I was grateful for my hat as the spring sun was certainly shining brightly today. A delicate floral scent filled the air, as the many cherry blossom trees that lined the impeccably clean streets of Hinaga were in full bloom. Petals danced through the air as people went about their business, only casting the occasional glance my way, but not being overly rude about it. Another reason to be grateful for my hat, I suppose.


    It helped to hide my ears.


    Eventually, I successfully meandered my way to one of the side gates of the city, stopping only briefly along the way for a small local snack that I liked to call ¡®chicken on a stick¡¯. I¡¯d developed a bit of a taste for the saucy strips of grilled bird in my time here.


    Idly nibbling on my snack, I stayed out of the way as I came to a stop at the well-guarded entrance to the city. This wasn¡¯t the main gate where merchants and traders came and went at all hours of the day, trundling along in their carts and wagons. This was the gate meant for adventurers, warriors, and hunters to come and go about their business. Here the guards and functionaries of the Hinagan bureaucracy inspected the kills and treasures that their martially inclined returned with.


    And collected their due, of course.


    It seemed like I had impeccable timing, as the large party of Oni Hunters that my friends had accompanied were just arriving at the same time I did. The massive armored cart they were using, almost reminiscent of the ironclads of the Uprising, was being inspected by the officials of Hinaga. Over a dozen massive warriors clad in black and blue layered armor stood stoically by as equally massive Hinaga soldiers clad in red and gold rifled through their trophies. I don¡¯t think the Hunters even cared, as the vicious visage of their snarling masks simply stared straight ahead as the taxmen collected their due.


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    They were probably used it by now.


    Not so for my friends, it seems.


    Well, at least one of them.


    I had to stifle a laugh as I watched Renauld uselessly try and argue with one of the toll collectors as they took his bag away and started rifling through it right in front of him. The Gnoll was so agitated that he reached up and ripped his small little box hat right off his furry head and threw it into the dirt in frustration. The bureaucrat just ignored him as Renauld clutched at the hems of his locally styled Healers robe with an evil stare.


    In contrast, neither Azarus or Liora seemed to care all that much, if probably for different reasons. My oldest friend here in Vereden just his shrugged his owned layered and lacquered armored shoulders and handed over his bag for inspection, likely uncaring about the tax. He¡¯d always had a different frame of mind about wealth, ever since I¡¯d known him. Probably because of his upbringing as a noble, even if he couldn¡¯t claim that title anymore. However, he did look a bit tired standing there in his newest personally forged armor, styled in the same manner as the Hinagan¡¯s, colored a solid steel grey. It must been a long, tough march, after an equally long, tough hunt.


    I''d found that the Oni in these parts certainly lived up to their reputation.


    I¡¯m not sure what Liora thought the entire scene. It was always hard to tell considering her high mastery of her emotional state. She could have hated the inspection, but I found that unlikely. Not much seemed to bother the former infiltration specialist. She stood still as her own bag was taken from her, barely budging in her form-fitting fighting leathers. I¡¯d offered to forge her whatever weapon she desired, but the Gnoll woman had declined. These days, she seemed to disdain using anything bladed, even the hooked dagger that she always kept on her. I believe she had truly abandoned her former life as an assassin, as Baldric had wished.


    Good. That made two of us.


    She was looking better these days, and not just because of the change in vocation. There hadn¡¯t been the resources for it back in Elderwyck, so pretty much as soon as we had touched down here in Hinaga, she had sought out a Gyreite church to have the eye Nerexxa had stolen from her regenerated. No more eyepatch for her.


    Now I didn¡¯t feel bad about having my own eyesight returned to me.


    As my friends were being fleeced, I tossed my now clean stick and wandered up to the squad of Hunters, making sure to clack my staff onto the cobblestone to announce my presence. I probably didn¡¯t need to, considering the high perception that seemed inherent to these warriors, but it was polite. The mask of the Hunter that I knew to be this troop¡¯s leader turned in my direction as I approached. ¡°Kurosh¨­,¡± He acknowledged me with a slight dip of his head, the massive man¡¯s deep voice echoing out of his mask.


    I returned the nod respectfully. I had personally seen this man swing a battle-mace larger than I was to effortlessly pulverize the skull of an Oni with complete indifference. Frankly, I wondered if he might have been stronger than General Lonstripe had been. But of course I didn¡¯t dare to Observe him.


    That was an actual crime, here in Hinaga.


    They took their politeness very seriously.


    ¡°Captain Takao,¡± I said with a small smile. ¡°Did you have a productive hunt?¡±


    The large man grunted in assent. ¡°Two newborns, one elder,¡± He said in satisfaction, causing his fellows around him to nod along. ¡°They shall not trouble the people any longer.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± I said decisively. When I¡¯d gone on my own hunt with Captain Takao¡¯s squad, I¡¯d seen firsthand just how vital their service was. A fully grown, Prime Oni was not something to disregard. An entire village had been blown down into smoldering cinders by the time we had tracked the creature down.


    At that point, all we could do was provide vengeance to those poor people.


    I¡¯d found that being an Oni Hunter was clean work, all around. Little to no moral ambiguity to be found there.


    As we¡¯d been talking, I caught Azarus¡¯s eyes from across the checkpoint. He quirked an eyebrow at me, visible underneath his helmet, causing me to shrug at him. He smirked and then nudged Liora, which I doubted he¡¯d needed to do. The former Agent had likely noticed me that instant I approached the gate. Still, she turned her head just enough to nod at me in acknowledgement.


    Renauld was still too busy arguing uselessly to a functionary who had completely disregarded him to notice me.


    I chuckled silently and leaned on my staff, settling in to wait on them.


    It was nice to see my friends again.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Half an hour later, the four of us had retreated to a local tea house not far from the warrior''s gate. This place was a popular location for those returning from the field, and thus, was a bit more rowdy than some of the other establishments I¡¯d tried out here in Hinaga. As a result, it was mostly self-serve.


    For obvious reasons.


    I neatly side-stepped one warrior with a truly impressive beard as he stumbled around drunkenly, eventually falling flat on his face to the cheers of his compatriots. I kept the tray of refreshments I was carrying far away from the man as I threaded my way back to the table where my friends were.


    It had been a bit of a surprise to find out that alcoholic tea of all things was popular with the Kawamarans. Honestly, it wasn¡¯t as disgusting as it sounded.


    I suspected a bit of Alchemical shenanigans were at play.


    This was actually our third round of the day. It might have only been a week since the last time we¡¯d seen each other, but it was still nice to chat and catch up over drinks and snacks. We¡¯d already filled up, though, so it was just the tea for now.


    I set the tray down on our table to a round of thanks from my compatriots, each of them pouring themselves a cup from the pot. I did the same as I sat down, not bothering to hide my amusement at the way Renauld was glowering down into his own cup.


    ¡°It couldn¡¯t have been that bad,¡± I said to him teasingly. ¡°The toll collectors would probably get shanked if they took too much.¡±


    Renauld looked up from his cup to give me the evil eye. ¡°It¡¯s the damned principle of the thing,¡± He grumbled. ¡°Whoever heard of a toll being paid in cores of all things? Just take your damn gold like a proper flatfoot!¡±


    ¡°How very Herztalian of you,¡± Liora said mildly, taking a small sip of her tea. I saw her withhold a small smirk as Renauld winced at the words, and sent the other Gnoll a wounded look in return.


    Azarus rolled his eyes and gingerly took a sip from his own cup. He winced at the taste as I stifled a laugh. The dwarf wasn¡¯t a huge fan of the local variety of tea, complaining that it was too weak for his tastes. He¡¯d been whining about it ever since we¡¯d landed on these shores. He deliberately set down his cup and then pulled out a flask, pouring a measure of something dark into it.


    Guess I should have gotten him some of that boozy leaf juice, instead of the normal stuff.


    When he was done, he looked over at me and cut through bickering from our Gnoll comrades. ¡°So, what¡¯s the news?¡± He said bluntly. ¡°Anything from down south?¡±


    My smile faded at the reminder as it grew quiet at the table. Guess it was finally time to break the jovial atmosphere. Too bad.


    I''d enjoyed it while it lasted.


    Renauld and Liora were listening with rapt attention now, because all of us had been involved in one way or another.


    I took a deep breath and set my cup down, meeting their eyes. ¡°Well,¡± I started with a humorless smirk.


    ¡°The war is over, now.¡±

 Chapter 228 - Tea Talk

    ¡°What, Alaric actually surrendered?¡± Renauld said, startled. After a moment, he smirked with a mouth full of sharp teeth. ¡°Didn¡¯t think the bastard would actually cave, with the way the siege has apparently been going.¡±


    Liora, meanwhile, looked down at her own cup and stared into the green tea within thoughtfully. ¡°The siege of Blutstein had been going on for over a month by that point,¡± She mused. ¡°It¡¯s well possible that the usurper simply grew tired of the Uprising at his door.¡±


    I shook my head, cutting through their words. ¡°Oh, Alaric didn¡¯t surrender. He apparently ¡®killed himself out of shame¡¯,¡± I said, holding my fingers and making air quotation marks. At the disbelieving of the table, I shook my head and shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s the news, at least. It came in on the ships only a few days after you left, and it¡¯s been the talk of the town since then. ''King'' Alaric committed suicide instead of surrendering, and then the Loyalists did it for him. The Uprising¡­won.¡±


    ¡°No godsdamned way he did it,¡± Azarus said bluntly. ¡°That shite was stubborn even as a boy. No way do I buy he carked himself.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at the dwarf. ¡°You actually met Alaric once? When? How?¡±


    Azarus shrugged at me indifferently. ¡°Eh, there was a big meeting between the Principality and the Kingdom when I was a lad. Before me Da¡¯ passed, and even before¡­Baldric hit the road,¡± He said carefully, eyes cutting Liora¡¯s way. Months ago, the Gnoll woman would have stilled at the mention of the dwarf who had been her foster Father, motionless in her grief. But time had dulled her pain, and now she merely met his eyes unflinchingly. Azarus quirked his lips and looked away, meeting my eyes once again. ¡°Man was a surly teenager back then, always sulking about and lookin¡¯ down his nose at us. But he was stubborn as a mule. Ain¡¯t no way he killed himself.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± I drawled, leaning forward onto the table. ¡°I¡¯m inclined to agree. From what I understand, it was very abrupt. As you know, the Loyalists were facing a ton of pressure from both the other Houses and the people. There were some very pointed,¡± I said, miming a stabbing motion with one hand. ¡°Questions about how a Calamity appeared in the middle of Elderwyck. And about the rumors it showed up due to a Vampire.¡±


    Renauld smirked at me. ¡°And about how in the hells the Headmaster''s new apprentice was able to kill both of them before level one hundred.¡±


    I glowered back at him, only causing the Gnoll¡¯s smirk to grow. He was right, of course. The incident with the crowd back in Elderwyck had turned out to be indicative of the entire Kingdom''s apparent view towards me.


    That of apparent hero worship.


    I was being credited with both the slaying of Rhazal and Nerexxa. I don¡¯t know how that had happened. My vote was on the leadership, possibly Woodrick, trying to juice my legend even more as part of a propaganda campaign. Initially, there had been questions about where I was, back on the mainland, if I had been the one to slay two major threats like that.


    But Grey had put a stop to that. He had spread word that I had suffered a lasting curse from Rhazal and needed time to recover from it in an undisclosed location. Which was¡­mostly true, and I didn¡¯t blame him for doing that. It¡¯s not like I was likely to ever recover from my new appearance.


    I was¡­slowly getting used to it.


    Reluctantly.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± I said loudly. ¡°So the Loyalists have surrendered and the war is officially over. The nobles were apparently quick to confirm Oskar as King-Elect. Last I heard they haven¡¯t held a ceremony for him, but it¡¯s apparently a done deal.¡±


    Azarus leaned forward as well. ¡°And Grey is okay with this?¡± He said doubtfully. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s great and all, but I was getting¡¯ the impression he was so eager ta be doin¡¯ all of this fer revenge. There were two more guys that were meant ta be behind the Loyalist, weren¡¯t there?¡±


    Renauld snapped his fingers, a decidedly odd sound from a furred hominid. ¡°Oh yeah! Uh, weren¡¯t they named something like¡­Ros-something and Vale?¡± At our stares, he shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve never kept up with the nobs.¡±


    ¡°Rosberry and Valeard,¡± Liora interjected, exasperated, paying no mind to the triumphant finger Renauld shot her. ¡°With the deaths of Graden and Olsen, they were the primary remaining backers of the Loyalists. Has word been said of their fate?¡±


    ¡°Yes for one, nothing for the other,¡± I said, nodding at Liora. ¡°Valeard was apparently some big high general or something, right?¡± At Liora¡¯s nod, I continued. ¡°Well, he actually switched sides, apparently. After word of what reached Elderwyck reached him, he and his division surrendered to the Uprising rather than fight for the side that summoned tens of thousands of monsters. Last I heard, he still had his head, so¡­I¡¯m guessing he didn¡¯t have anything to do with Grey¡¯s capture.¡±


    ¡°And Rosberry?¡± Liora asked with a raised eyebrow.


    I shrugged at her. ¡°Gone with the wind. Nobody can find hide or hair of the man. It¡¯s like he vanished in the middle of the night. Nothing was reported missing from his estate in Blutstein. No signs of struggle. Hell, all of his wealth was still in his vaults as well. Just¡­poof!¡± I made a puffing motion with my hands. ¡°Vanished.¡±


    Azarus snorted in disgust, taking a big swig of his newly boozed-up tea. ¡°Pulled a Leonard then, did he?¡±


    I pulled a face at his words, just as dissatisfied as he was.


    Word had filtered out of Herztal and reached us not long after we had reached the shores of Kawamara.


    Leonard Ashan, the former Warden of Caer Drarrow and the man who had imprisoned Renauld, had abandoned the Loyalist cause. The bastard had just outright vanished one day after news of the events of Elderwyck had filtered out into the broader Kingdom. It had apparently been quite the blow to Loyalist morale at the time, and a contributing factor to their decision to retreat back to the high walls of Blutstein. There, I think, they had hoped to withstand a siege from the combined Armies of the Uprising. I had been told that those walls had never been breached in the thousands of years of Veredenese history. Not even back in the War in Heaven, nor the Initialization wars.


    They hadn¡¯t counted on their chosen King choosing to off himself, I guess.


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    The point being, Leonard was gone, and he had been the Loyalist''s last great hope to counter Grey. Even if he had bested the former Lord Ashran before, when his long gone slave brand still weakened him.


    But¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s all over now,¡± I said, half in wonderment, half in exhaustion. ¡°The war¡­is over.¡±


    I¡¯d had a week to process that, and it still hadn¡¯t sunk in fully. It was looking like it hadn¡¯t for the others as well , since each of my companions had their own reaction to the news that the civil war had been settled.


    Azarus had the most muted reaction, with a small frown on his crimson-bearded face. He didn¡¯t look displeased, so to speak. More¡­dissatisfied. I understood that, I think. The war seemed like it had ended not with a bang, but a whimper.


    Real life wasn¡¯t a storybook. Large scale conflicts so rarely ended with huge, epic confrontations between the ''Forces Of Good And Evil''. There hadn¡¯t been some grand resolution where Grey and Oskar had stood over the defeated form of the Dread King Alaric and declared the Sculpted to be free. Instead, it had more likely been Grey consoling a young man about how his brother had chosen to end his life instead of face justice for his misdeeds.


    Including the murder of their Father.


    Even as personally irritating as I found the King-Elect, I still felt bad for him. Alaric had still been blood to the former Prince, no matter what he had done. It¡­almost made me wonder how Isolde was handling things.


    Liora was the only one of us that looked relieved in any way, shape, or form. A tenseness to her shoulders had eased, and the young Gnoll woman¡­relaxed in place. I had never realized before now, but I think Liora might be a bit of patriot, as odd as it was to consider that. Her entire family going back generations had been involved in the defense of Herztal, to the extent that they were the ones operating one of the largest clandestine organizations within its borders. She might have given up that life at the request of Baldric, but you needed strong feelings for a sense of generational duty like that. Almost peacefully, she reached down, picked her cup of tea back up, and sipped on it with a small smile on her face.


    Renauld, though¡­


    Renauld¡¯s mood unexpectedly took a downturn. With a frown, he reached over and snatched the flask of liquor that Azarus had yet to put away, dumping what was left of it in his own cup. He ignored Azarus¡¯s faint, mildly offended protestation and then slammed back his cup. The Gnoll shuddered as the booze slithered down his throat.


    Exchanging a glance with Azarus, I cleared my throat. ¡°Are you okay, Renauld? I¡­expected a better reaction than that.¡±


    Renauld startled, almost as if he had forgotten that the rest of us were even here. ¡°What? Oh. Uh¡­no, it¡¯s great that the war is over. It¡¯s just¡­it reminded me of something I need to do, now that it¡¯s all settled. I was¡­I only¡­I enjoyed our time out here in Hinaga,¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°A lot. I really did. And now¡­it¡¯s probably all coming to an end..¡±


    ¡°The hells do you mean by that?¡± Azarus asked him, confused.


    Renauld sighed, before limply gesturing my way with on hand. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it obvious? With the war over, the Headmaster is going to want Nate back on the mainland. They probably want to shower him in medals or something.¡±


    I blinked rapidly at the spotlight shifting my way. He¡­well.


    He wasn¡¯t wrong, per se.


    Still, I shook my head. ¡°I doubt that,¡± I said, causing Renauld to raise his eyebrow in question. ¡°I told Grey that I only wanted to come back when the Academy was going to open again. He knows not to call for me before that. And, honestly? I don¡¯t expect that to happen for a while yet. I mean, they just got out of a war. Surely¡­surely it takes more time to convene a school year for the Academy than a few weeks.¡±


    I didn¡¯t enjoy the note of doubt that snuck into my voice at that thought. Nor did I enjoy the doubtful looks that my companions exchanged.


    I¡­didn¡¯t want this to end either, I realized. The last few months spent here in Hinaga had been the most peaceful I had ever experienced on Vereden. I had grown very fond of everything to do with Kawamaran culture. I enjoyed the polite nature of the people and the way they didn¡¯t tend to stare at my cursed features for very long. I enjoyed the food, and the culture that seemed to grow around it. I enjoyed my business, in the way I was getting one over on old masters by undercutting the market on Oninite weaponry.


    I enjoyed¡­the peace.


    Before I¡¯d gotten here, my entire year of life on Vereden had been nothing but battle after battle, in one way or another. I¡¯d been running around with the shadow of something hovering over my head that entire time. Whether that had been the yoke of slavery quite literally around my throat, or the looming threat of the Loyalists¡­I had never known peace.


    But I¡¯d found it in Hinaga, and I was finding that I was reluctant to let it go.


    Besides.


    I had yet to accomplish the one, concrete goal that I¡¯d set for myself, here in the Kawamaran Isles.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, Nate,¡± Azarus said dubiously. ¡°Grey and that old harpy run a famously tight ship. I reckon they could get the school runnin¡¯ for a semester right quick, without the war holdin¡¯ ¡®em down. From what I understand, they were the only faculty that were participatin¡¯, as well. The rest of the Professors were holed up in that fortress, darin¡¯ Alaric and his goons to come in and drag ¡®em out. There¡¯s a good reason the Loyalists never tried.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s not just because they probably put up the shields, either,¡± Renauld said with a faint smirk. It died quickly, though.


    Liora set her cup down on her plate with a definitive clink, drawing attention. ¡°I sympathize, Nathan,¡± She said calmly. ¡°But I would advise you to set your affairs in order. I, too, believe that the Grand Marshall shall soon call on us.¡±


    I heaved a sigh and nodded after that, standing up from our table. ¡°Yeah¡­alright,¡± I said tiredly, picking up my hat and putting it back on. ¡°I¡¯m going to settle up at the front desk. You guys¡­you can stay, if you¡¯d like.¡± I barely heard their assent before turning around and walking up to what was really a bar.


    It only took me a moment to pay for our drinks, and then I was out the door and into the evening air of Hinaga. The enchanted paper lanterns that hung on lines all up and down the street were only starting to come alive, as Tarus began his descent over the horizon. I was a bit startled, personally. I had no idea that the four of us had spent so long inside that tea house, considering it had been nearly lunchtime when we¡¯d sat down.


    I guess time flies when you¡¯re having fun.


    For some reason, that thought caused my mood to fall further, and I decided to just call it a night. Maybe some more calligraphy practice would distract me of our likely return to Herztal soon.


    However, I didn¡¯t make it more than five minutes down the road before I was interrupted by a familiar, irritating sight.


    A servant dressed in green and yellow, once again bowing before me.


    I felt my temper flare. ¡°You had better not be here to bug me about Lord Ashiwara¡¯s commission again,¡± I warned hotly. ¡°I am not in the mood.¡±


    The servant bowed deeper. ¡°A thousand apologies, Kurosh¨­, but I am,¡± He said, straightening up. To my surprise, he raised a hand to interrupt the tirade I was about to unleash upon him. This was so out of character for every single servant I¡¯d interacted with here in Hinaga that I actually stopped, if only in surprise. ¡°Please, I implore you to listen. My master has instructed me to tell you that he will offer an additional payment for quicker delivery of the blade.¡±


    I sighed, dragging a hand down my face. ¡°I don¡¯t need more gold,¡± I groaned. And I didn¡¯t.


    I¡¯d made plenty from my other commissions.


    Plenty.


    The servant bowed again. ¡°My master is aware,¡± He said. ¡°And thus, he offers knowledge. It is his understanding that you are searching for word of odd metallic doors somewhere in the countryside? Perhaps located under hills and mountains?¡±


    I stilled, as the ultimate decision I¡¯d agreed to come to Kawamara was aired.


    Bunkers.


    I had never forgotten the map I had seen, in that strange, alien bunker underneath Hollow Hill all those months ago. And I had not forgotten that it had shown a still active bunker to be located somewhere in this chain of islands.


    I had been asking around for months about it, here in Kawamara. And I¡¯d never gotten a hint of acknowledgment about it.


    Until now.


    I slowly lowered my hand from my face and fixed the suddenly nervous servant with an intense stare.


    ¡°Tell me more.¡±

 Chapter 229 - Lord of Reeds

    According to the servant, Lord Ashiwara was only willing to give me the information that I wanted face-to-face. And only if I could present the sword that he had commissioned at the same time.


    You know.


    The one that I had already finished.


    After the servant had bowed and scraped away from me upon delivery of his message, I immediately made a bee-line back towards my inn. Once there, I barely paid any attention to the young woman manning the welcoming desk as she bowed over it slightly in my direction. Instead, I marched my way up the stairs to my room and rifled through the pile of excess weaponry lying haphazardly in the corner until I found the required sword. I held it up to light to inspect it, in case it needed any last touches before I delivered it.


    Ashiwara had commissioned a katana, like most of my customers. Seemed to be a bit of a theme here in Hinaga. But only the blade itself, without the accompanying hilt, or even any Enchanting done to it. That part, at least, I could understand. As miraculous as it was that I could work Oninite into weapons, I wasn¡¯t versed in the Kawamaran people¡¯s particular varieties of Enchanting. The only time I had tried to replicate some of it for a commission, that customer had gotten so offended that I think he wanted to challenge me to a duel.


    I think he would have if Venix hadn¡¯t been there at the time. The man had been suitably intimidated by my massive Antium companion, though, and had backed off after a truly impressive huffing and puffing session.


    And then he''d tarred me with a reputation as a barbarously uncivilized Enchanter.


    I didn¡¯t try after that.


    So Ashiwara¡¯s commissioned blade was a merely thirty-ish inch long length of black and blue Oninite, emblazoned with my maker mark near the flat hilt section. Here in Kawamara, that was apparently a very important distinction that I had to include, as Venix had lectured me. It was meant to be styled in the form of a pictogram, representing a Spirit or animal that was particularly important to me.


    Naturally, I had picked Fade.


    My mark was that of a horned wolf viewed from the side, curled into a circle surrounding a single rune. In the language of the gods, that rune had a single meaning. Something that was¡­really more of a pun, than anything else.


    Heart. The rune for the heart.


    It was the little things in life that kept you going.


    Done with my inspection, I wrapped the blade in a length of oilcloth I had on a workbench and left for Ashiwara¡¯s mansion.


    I didn¡¯t even think of waiting up for my friends, since this was the same inn we were all staying at.


    I could handle this myself.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    I didn¡¯t want to handle this myself. I could have really used backup right about now.


    I wasn¡¯t in any danger or anything.


    (Theoretically).


    But gods, this was awkward.


    I made good time to what was essentially the noble section of Hinaga. I was used to navigating these streets by now, considering how familiar I¡¯d gotten with the area from my work. Hell, I even knew precisely where Lord Ashiwara¡¯s manor was. Once I¡¯d reached it, a different servant from usual had hurried me into a receiving room, leaving me with tea and the message that Lord Ashiwara would be with me soon.


    They hadn¡¯t been kidding, as only a few minutes later, ¡®Lord¡¯ Ashiwara had burst into the room enthusiastically, completely at odds with my previous interactions with the Hinagan royalty. He didn¡¯t even bother to close the sliding door behind him.


    Lord Ashiwara was¡­a bit of a shock.


    You see, I had never actually met the man when I accepted this commission. He was apparently a very well respected, very in-demand Arist in Hinaga high society. His focus was apparently on a local form of theater in the country that I had yet to experience, popular among the nobility. Lord Ashiwara didn¡¯t have the time to set commissions like his in person. Thus, the request had come in through an intermediary sent by the man.


    Which was considered a bit¡­highly rude here. And even though I wasn¡¯t actually Hinagan, I¡¯d still been steeped in their crafting culture for long enough to pick up a few of their peculiarities.


    Hey, I wasn¡¯t perfect. I had my pride, and I had to maintain some level of face among the other crafters of this city.


    The old bastards.


    So I¡¯d snubbed him for a few weeks, even though I¡¯d finished the Oninite blank in like. A day.


    I was¡­kinda wishing I¡¯d actually taken the time to meet him first.


    Lord Masayuki Ashiwara was a tall, lithe man.


    Who wasn¡¯t wearing a shirt.


    Instead, he only had on what I understood were called hakama pants, colored in a bright yellow, as well as his wooden sandals. He was covered from head to toe in sweat, carrying what looked to be a battered wooden practice sword in one hand. Unlike most Kawamarans I¡¯d met, his long, unbound hair wasn¡¯t a shade of black or brown, instead looking to have been dyed a bright¡­yellow.


    Not blonde.


    Yellow.


    Not only that, but the man was wearing full face paint. Red and black lines decorated his face, radiating out from his lips and eyes in whorls upon a flat white base. It looked to be pretty masterfully done, too. It was actually fairly striking, and reminded me quite a bit of the war paint that I¡¯d see on Olgar back in Rhoscara. Softer, though, and not quite as angry.


    It was helped along by the fact that Lord Ashiwara was beaming at me in unrestrained joy, his rich brown eyes alight in excitement.


    ¡°You must be Kurosh¨­!¡± Ashiwara veritably crowed at me, striding quickly into the room. Around his slender form, I could see a couple of exasperated servants waiting, kneeling just outside of the door frame. ¡°I¡¯ve so wanted to meet you!¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    I froze in bafflement as the man pulled me to my feet then, astonished at his forwardness. The man set his practice sword down to place his hands on my shoulders and just looked at me for a moment. He had to noticeably look down in order to meet my gaze, as the man was quite a bit taller than I was. Frankly, I would put him somewhere in the upper six-foot range. Months ago, I probably would have squirmed under his playfully assessing gaze, but now?


    I blinked at him in confusion.


    Ashiwara beamed.


    ¡°Father, please,¡± I heard a new, exasperated voice say from the doorway. Ashiwara¡¯s painted face affected a sheepish expression, and he let go of me to move away. When he did so, I was able to see the young man who had spoken.


    I¡¯m guessing this was the young man I had made the sword for.


    It was very easy to see the familial resemblance between the older and younger Lords Ashiwara. But while the elder seemed quite¡­eccentric, the new arrival was much more stolid. He was shorter, for one, without any of the colorful paint on his much plainer face. His hair was shorter, much like my own barely there fuzz, and his frame was quite stocky. But it was easy to see that he took his fitness quite seriously from the exposed flesh of the practice uniform he was wearing. The young man was also carrying a battered-looking practice sword with him and covered in sweat, much like his father. From what I understood, he had to be around sixteen or seventeen to be going on his first hunt soon.


    I could see it.


    My eyes flitted from one noble to the other for a moment. ¡°If I¡¯ve interrupted your practice, my lords,¡± I said slowly. ¡°I can return in the morning.¡±


    Please say yes. Ashiwara the Elder was creeping me out, from the intensity of the gaze he still had fixated on me.


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Ashiwara the Elder said dismissively, dashing my hopes. ¡°We were just about finished, weren¡¯t we, Masahiro? Just a spot of late-night practice.¡±


    The young man stepped inside the waiting room to stand next to Father, gracing me with an apologetic smile. ¡°As you say, Father,¡± He dipped his head to the both of us briefly. ¡°But¡­perhaps we didn¡¯t need to rush here? We¡¯re hardly presentable at the moment.¡±


    Blinking, Ashiwara the Elder looked down at himself in puzzlement. A chagrined expression crossed his expression face. ¡°Ah¡­you¡¯re right. Please excuse us for a few more minutes, Kurosh¨­. We need to go and freshen up.¡± Before I could even speak, the Lord of the manor hurried out of the room as quickly as he had came, forgetting to take his practice blade with him. ¡®Masahiro¡¯ gave me another apologetic smile and bowed slightly before following after his Father, closing the sliding door behind him.


    Leaving me alone once more.


    I stood still for a moment after they had left. Eventually, I sighed and sat back down at the table, pouring myself a cup of tea from the set in the center.


    Too bad this wasn¡¯t the boozy kind.


    I kinda wanted a drink after that encounter.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°I, am Lord Masayuki Ashiwara, Master of Ceremonies for His Radiance Emperor Seimei of the Kawatsuyo Dynasty,¡± The much more dressed Lord Ashiwara said to me, after perhaps fifteen minutes of waiting. Both the Lord of the manor and his son looked to have taken a quick rinse before returning, dressed in yellow and green robes. They were sitting across from me now on the other side of the table. In between us sat a tray carrying a new pot of tea and the required cups.


    As well as the still-wrapped sword blade I had come here to deliver.


    I noticed that the younger Ashiwara couldn¡¯t help but stare at it in curiosity, even as his Father introduced himself. But he snapped out of his interest long enough to smile at me in embarrassment. ¡°Ah. And I am Masahiro Ashiwara, Heir of Clan Ashiwara. A pleasure to meet you, Sir Kurosh¨­.¡± He bowed slightly at the waist from his sitting position.


    I returned it, making sure to dip my head slightly. ¡°A pleasure to you both, my Lords,¡± I said smoothly, finally back on familiar grounds. ¡°Thank you for inviting me into your lovely home. I am Nathaniel Hart, known as Kurosh¨­ in these lands.¡±


    Masayuki waved me off airily. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not a problem, not a problem at all. Certainly not for such an interesting craftsman like yourself, Kurosh¨­,¡± He said with a wide smile on his curiously still-painted face. ¡°I must say, you¡¯ve been the talk of the town since your downright scandalous introduction to the higher markets.¡±


    Scandalous? What was so scandalous about it? I¡¯m¡­pretty sure I had never outright insulted anyone, nor had I set out to cause trouble.


    You know.


    Other than that one guy.


    ¡°It was thought that Oninite was a near-worthless metal,¡± Masahiro said, staring back down at the wrapped blade in renewed curiosity. ¡°It¡¯s not quite as powerful as materials such as Mithril or Lunar Basalt, and yet it¡¯s so much harder to work with. I¡¯ve heard some Swordsmiths describe it as overly stubborn and wrathful, much like its monstrous namesake. Most Grandmaster Smiths only ever work it to produce ceremonial pieces. Not the practical work that you produce, Kurosh¨­.¡±


    Stubborn and wrathful, huh. I could see that. Oninite had a tendency to try and kick back with some of its stored natural Aether in the forging process. For a normal Smith, I could see how that would be a problem. But not me. I could just dissipate that Ather in the Melding process. Hell, I could use it as well. It acted as a near secondary fuel source.


    ¡°Nobody is quite sure how such a young Smith is managing it,¡± Masayuki interjected, the look in his eyes gaining a new, calculating glint. ¡°Especially not when the crustiest of old fogies can¡¯t manage quite what you can, Kurosh¨­. What possible forging method could you have learned on the mainland, hmm?¡±


    I just met the man''s eyes and smiled at him. ¡°I was blessed with good teachers is all, my Lord,¡± I said calmly.


    Silence between us, for a moment, as we very obviously took each other¡¯s measure. The slight increase in tension in the room drew the attention of Masahiro, causing him to look up in confusion.


    This man¡­he wasn¡¯t quite as dim as his eccentric attitude and speech might indicate. I could tell.


    Masayuki Ashiwara was as sharp as any blade. He would never have risen as high as he had if he wasn¡¯t.


    A small smile crossed his painted face, and he dipped his head in my direction with a slight smile. I gladly returned it, recognizing the acknowledgment as what it was.


    Warrior to warrior.


    Masayuki broke the near standoff by suddenly clapping his hands, causing his son to jump slightly. ¡°Now!¡± He said loudly. ¡°Enough with the formalities! I believe you had a reason for coming here, yes? Perhaps something to do with the offer I sent via my servant? And maybe to do with this blade that I¡¯ve been waiting so patiently on? Quite curious how quickly you produced it on short notice, hmm?¡± He said in a knowing, teasing voice.


    I smirked ever so slightly, unashamed. I think we both knew what was going on, and I was glad to see that this Lord had an unexpected level of restraint and humility to recognize it as well.


    I think I could grow to like Lord Masayuki Ashiwara.


    ¡°Hands move swifter with the right encouragement, my Lord,¡± I said smoothly. ¡°As I¡¯m sure you well know. If I may¡­?¡± I gestured towards the wrapped blade. At Lord Ashiwara¡¯s nod, I picked up the wrapped blade and undid the twine on the oilcloth, revealing it to the room. I couldn¡¯t help a proud smile from crossing my lips at Masahiro¡¯s hitched breath, as the light from the lanterns caused a blue shimmer to race down the black blade¡¯s length.


    Holding the blade in both hands, I presented it to the Elder Ashiwara almost ceremoniously, bowing my head slightly as I did so. He took it without a word, inspecting the blade curiously. ¡°No tool marks at all,¡± Masayuki said almost wonderingly, twisting the length of Oninite back and forth. ¡°It¡¯s as if it was spun out of the Aether itself instead of being forged by the hands of man. I¡¯ve only seen the like once before, and that was a gift to the Imperial line by the gods themselves. Astonishing.¡±


    ¡°Father, if I may?¡± Masahiro asked breathlessly. With a doting smile and a nod, Masayuki passed the blade to his son.


    I have to say, I quite liked the look of wonder on the young man¡¯s face as he looked down at the raw form of his new blade.


    Masayuki seemed to as well, judging by the much warmer look that he was now fixing me with. ¡°You¡¯ve more than delivered on my commission, Kurosh¨­. And now it¡¯s time for me to deliver on my payment. The requisite gold shall be delivered to your current domicile, but I don¡¯t believe that¡¯s what you¡¯re most interested in, hmm?¡±


    I dipped my head again with a small smile at the man¡¯s teasing tone. ¡°Lord Ashiwara is as wise as he is generous.¡±


    Ashiwara nodded, as the smile on his face faded slightly. ¡°I¡¯m given to understand that you are searching for mysterious metallic doors, yes?¡± At my nod, the man unexpectedly sighed. ¡°Then I can indeed help you. In my time in the Emperor''s court, I have learned of one such place. What you seek lies in the shadow of one of the most dangerous areas in all of Kawamara.¡±


    ¡°Mt. Gorenzan.¡±

 Chapter 230 - Tale of the Dragon

    ¡°This,¡± Masayuki said, drawing a circle around one area on a map he had pulled out from underneath the table. The tea tray had been set aside to make room for the large strip of parchment. ¡°Is an area that is known as Goryuen.¡±


    I leaned forward in order to inspect better what the Lord had indicated. His finger was pointing towards the third island to the southwest in the archipelago, away from the largest sub-continent that Hinaga lay on.


    His finger was resting on a stylized mountain that lay in the exact center of that island. It looked to be shrouded in ominous-looking black and red clouds, from which peered glowing malevolent eyes.


    I ratcheted down Language Adaptation for a moment. Goryuen seemed to translate roughly to ¡®Garden of the Imperial Dragon¡¯.


    Ominous.


    ¡°This is, perhaps, one of the highest Aether concentration zones on Vereden,¡± Lord Ashiwara continued. ¡°The entire island is essentially forbidden from settlement, considering just how dangerous it is. Monsters spawn there that are much, much more powerful than anything upon this Kawashima.¡±


    That being the name of the sub-continent that we were on right now. My understanding was that Kawashima was the heart of the Kawamaran ¡®Empire¡¯. I don¡¯t even know why it was an Empire. To my knowledge, the Kawamaran¡¯s had no colonies anywhere else on Vereden, little significant diplomatic presence in either the Principality or the Kingdom, and were in fact somewhat subservient to Herztal.


    ¡°By Imperial Edict, none may venture onto Goryuen without permission,¡± Masayuki said, deflating my hopes. He must have noticed because the eccentric man gave me a playful smile, despite the serious air he had created. ¡°Worry not. With my permission, I can easily secure a pass for you. If that is your wish.¡±


    Hopes officially reinstated.


    I smiled wryly at the other man. ¡°I am indeed interested, Lord Ashiwara. Please, continue. You said what I seek lays at this mountain? This¡­Gorenzan?¡±


    Masayuki nodded at me. ¡°Yes, the heart of the island, and by far the most dangerous place upon it. Gorenzen is essentially the gathering place of the Oni Primes. As you likely know, Oni Primes are not intelligent per se, but they do possess a bestial instinct that resembles it. They gather there, under the watchful eye of the mountain¡¯s lord, in order to establish dominance over each other. It¡¯s¡­essentially nothing more than a monstrous pissing contest, to be frank. But it leaves the entire area highly dangerous to go anywhere near.¡±


    Yeah, that sounded¡­bad. But something else he had said caught my attention.


    ¡°The ¡®mountain¡¯s lord¡¯?¡± I asked, half curious, half dreading the answer.


    Please don¡¯t be another fucking Calamity. I only killed the last one because of a fluke, and a bunch of help from some very powerful beings.


    Masahiro finally spoke up from where he had been sitting quietly, frowning at the map. ¡°A persistent threat to the Empire that we¡¯ve named Tatsugan,¡± He said dourly. ¡°The beast appears to be immortal.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at that, looking over at Masayuki. He nodded at me sadly. ¡°Quite regrettable. Tatsugan is what the System refers to as an ¡®Oblivion Wyrm¡¯. Not quite a true dragon, but close enough in appearance that the point is moot. Tatsugan has the potential to grow into a Calamity-¡±


    Son of a bitch.


    ¡°-but we make sure that he does not,¡± Masayuki continued. ¡°It takes the beast over a century in order to gather the strength to evolve in that manner. So, we cull him before can. You see, the Oni compete in his shadow because their competition fuels his growth. It¡¯s a form of twisted reflection to how we Awoken grow in power. Before he can ascend into a true Calamity, the greatest warriors of Kawamara gather under the blessing of the Emperor to slay the monster.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± I said, a frown growing on my face. ¡°That sounds out of my league, as much as I hate to say it.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps not, Sir Kurosh¨­,¡± Masahiro unexpectedly said, drawing my attention. ¡°The last Ry¨±metsu Matsuri was only twenty years ago, when Tatsugan was last slain.¡±


    Masayuki nodded at his son, before turning back to me. ¡°Yes, I remember it well. I wasn¡¯t in attendance, being only about Masayuki¡¯s age at the time. But we lost some storied warriors to the festival. The Empire simultaneously mourned and celebrated for weeks. Our intelligence of the island tells us that Tatsugan has returned to the mountain in his weakened form, but that the competition of the Oni has resumed in order to strengthen him. It¡¯s why the Oni Hunters are so needed these days. Those defeated in the competition flee from Goryuen to plague the other islands.¡±


    I tilted my head in thought after a moment, my brow furrowing. ¡°Why¡­do you allow it?¡± I asked out loud, Masayuki¡¯s own brow raising in question. ¡°Why allow Tatsugan to continually accumulate power in this way? Why not establish a force on the island that just kills the wyrm whenever he returns, and deals with the Oni at the same time?¡±


    Unexpectedly, Ashiwara¡¯s face twisted sourly at my question. ¡°A few reasons,¡± He sighed tiredly. ¡°The first is that it¡¯s been tried. Hundreds of years ago, our records tell us that the Emperor at the time, one Jinsoku the Prudent, raised a force to try and conquer the island. He succeeded for a time, and for decades his warriors fought. Every time Tatsugan returned, he was slain. And all Oni that gathered at the mountain were cut down with him. But it was all for naught, because it caused a disaster. Thirty years after Goryuen was conquered, a great wave exploded from the shores of the island, racing away it to wash over the others. This tsunami would come to be known as the Vengeance of the Dragon. Records tell us that the devastation was¡­catastrophic.¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Dragon¡¯s rage untamed,


    By the sea, the islands weep-


    Folly drowns the land.¡±


    I jerked in place, almost instinctually looking around for Venix at the unprompted haiku. But no, it was just Masahiro, who looked to have been reciting something from memory. At my baffled look, the young man just gave me a forlorn smile. ¡°From the collected works of Kaito the Sagacious, a popular poet from that era.¡±


    ¡°Investigations into the tragedy told us that we need Tatsugan to keep coming back,¡± Masayuki said, drawing my attention. ¡°The creature is drawing Aether from something deep beneath the island, and it was from that source that the wave originated. He siphons just enough power from whatever is down there that it cannot devastate all of Kawamara in an endless procession of waves. Thus, the decision was made to just¡­leave him be. And then, when he has drawn just enough power to avert disaster, and before he can ascend into Calamity, we strike. We have repeated this cycle for¡­ millennia.¡±


    ¡°That sounds¡­¡± I trailed off. I couldn¡¯t even imagine living with something like that, constantly hanging over the fate of an entire nation.


    ¡°We do our duty,¡± Masahiro said firmly, straight-backed and proud. Masayuki laid one large hand over his sons and squeezed with a forlorn smile.


    I looked away politely from their moment. It wasn¡¯t my place to intrude, even if I was a guest.


    Eventually, I heard Masayuki clear his throat, drawing my attention once more. The two nobles had returned to their previous positions as if nothing had happened at all. ¡°Imperial records tell us that a strange pair of doors were long discovered at the base of Gorenzan, that no man could open,¡± Ashiwara the Elder continued, in an incongruously upbeat tone. ¡°No Skill, nor Spell, nor blade of man could pierce their metallic surface. It came to be known as the ¡®Yami-no-Koshi¡¯ due to its impervious surface, apparently...ominous aura, and have thus never been opened. But not for lack of trying.¡±


    Yeah, that sounded¡­familiar. The gates at the base of Hollow Hill had been impervious to harm as well, from what Grey had told me. He¡¯d spent years trying everything he could to open them, to no avail. Only for me to waltz up, lay on hand on them, and poof!


    Mysterious doors open.


    It made me wonder how they, and that bunker, were going to be handled now that the war was over.


    The point was, though, that I¡­might be able to do the same thing with this ¡®Yami-no-Koshi¡¯. Though, Language Adaptation helpfully told me that translated to roughly ¡®The Gate of the Underworld¡¯.


    Joy.


    Still¡­


    One thing was bothering me.


    I carefully laid my hands, palm flat down, on the table and met the knowing, calculating gaze of Lord Ashiwara. I made sure to very carefully cut my eyes over to Masahiro, in the least threatening manner I could.


    Lord Ashiwara got the hint.


    ¡°Masahiro, if you could leave us for a moment?¡± He said, surprisingly firmly. The younger man jerked in place at the strength in his Father¡¯s voice but dutifully did as asked. He picked up his new sword blade and backed up to the door, bowing respectfully as he did so. In moments, he was out of the room.


    Silence descended on the two of us left. It felt like Masayuki was going to wait, patiently, for me to break it first.


    Fine by me.


    ¡°Did you even need the sword?¡± I asked bluntly, my eyes locked on Masayuki¡¯s own.


    There was no reason to have given me so much information. Some of that sounded like it could have been public information.


    Some of it decidedly not so.


    The disclosure was suspicious.


    The eccentric man smiled ever so slightly. ¡°I could have presented my heir with any number of blades greater than what you created, Kurosh¨­. But the child has ever been enamored with Oninite, and it presented a convenient opportunity for the court to take your measure. So, no. No, I did not need the sword, Apprentice of the Shadowed Sun.¡±


    Hmm.


    Well, there was a confirmation for that suspicion.


    I may not be part of the Nocturne Division anymore, but I still had my instincts. Almost immediately after I had stepped off of the Thorny Reef, I¡¯d had the suspicion that I was under at least some level of surveillance. It hadn¡¯t felt malicious, and I¡¯d never noticed any kind of action being taken against me. But I had almost physically felt the eyes on me, those first few weeks here in Hinaga.


    I¡¯d even raised my suspicions with Liora, someone with far more experience in this field than me. She had calmly confirmed that there were Kawamaran operatives of some kind keeping an eye on us, but told me not to worry about it. The Empire had the right to keep an eye on foreign visitors, especially when they were as heavily armed and as powerful as our group was. So I hadn¡¯t raised a stink about the surveillance and had tried to put it out of my mind. Eventually, the pressure of my watcher''s eyes had eased, and I only occasionally felt it return. Presumably, I had been deemed a non-threat to the citizens of Hinaga, which was true.


    Honestly, I hadn''t cared about it very much. I know I sure as hell would have kept an eye on someone as weird as I was.


    I hadn¡¯t been arrogant enough to think they were gone for good, though. Nor did I think they hadn¡¯t figured out who I was. It¡¯s not like I was running around using a false identity. Kurosh¨­ was just a local title given to me.


    I inclined my head to Lord Ashiwara. ¡°Well, I¡¯m here now,¡± I said impassively. ¡°For what purpose did the court wish to take my measure?¡±


    I don¡¯t even know why I asked. I was pretty sure I had an idea already, after Masayuki¡¯s entire explanation. Still, pretenses had to be maintained. It was the way of nobility, after all.


    I was getting used to it.


    A slight smile crossed Masayuki¡¯s painted face before disappearing. ¡°I have in my possession a pre-signed writ of permission to travel to Goryuen, for you and your companions. I also have a map to the center of the island which leads to Mt. Gorenzan. The ronin Venix, Azarus, formerly of House Savoy, Miss Liora Valen, Renauld of the People, and Captain Isabella Blue of the Thorny Reef are permitted to travel with you. But none others, including the Oni Hunter squad you and yours are acquainted with, may accompany you. If you wish, I can bestow both of these items to you, Sir Hart.¡±


    I nodded slowly to show my understanding. ¡°And what does the Empire wish of me in return?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Masayuki answered. At my unimpressed look, the man chuckled lightly. ¡°Nothing officially. The Imperial seat would never dare to imposition the household of Elys¡¯s consort. However¡­we request that if you possess the means to open Yami-no-Koshi, you investigate the depths that must lay on the other side. And in your investigations, if you find the source empowering Tatsugan?¡±


    The smile on Masayuki¡¯s face vanished in an instant. In its place grew a scowl so fierce, it contradicted my view of the man.


    ¡°Destroy it.¡±

 Chapter 231 - Preparations and Waiting

    I took the offered materials, of course.


    What other choice did I have? It¡¯s not like I was going to turn down the path to what I had actually been fine with visiting Kawamara for.


    Of course, I wasn''t stupid enough to promise anything to Masayuki, of course. All I told the surprisingly understanding official was that, if we had the means and the time, we would tentatively investigate on behalf of the court.


    I was¡­a little worried that my companions wouldn¡¯t be interested in following me to Goryuen, but not that much. I had already spoken to everyone, including Venix and Bella before she had left, about how I was looking for more of the bunkers. Everyone had agreed to help me search for one, in one way or another.


    That agreement hadn¡¯t¡­quite involved following me into the heart of the most dangerous island in Kawamara. But it¡¯s not like they were obliged to follow me. Lord Ashiwara had only told me that my companions were permitted to follow me there, not required. If I needed to, I would be fine with venturing onto the island by myself.


    But, uh.


    I really hoped they would come.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    I needn¡¯t have worried.


    When I got back to the inn, I crashed in my room right away, without even looking over my new writ or the map. The next morning, I found my companions down in the dining room, sitting around the table that we normally did when everyone was in town. After greeting everyone, we all sat down to enjoy our breakfast together. It was only after Tarus had cleared the horizon and we were done that I brought up the potential expedition.


    ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± Azarus said immediately, not even looking up from his plate. It had taken the dwarf a while to get used to the lighter fare that the Kawamarans tended to eat for breakfast, as well as their utensils. He hadn¡¯t been used to the largely pescatarian meals, accompanied by rice and soups. But eventually, even the fat-fingered dwarf had begun to enjoy it for what it was. ¡°I¡¯m up fer it.¡±


    Liora nodded placidly my way, her mug of steaming green tea held closely to her lips. The Gnoll woman was, I¡¯d found, even quieter in the mornings than she normally was.


    Renauld seemed the most enthusiastic about the plan, surprisingly. His furry ears perked up, and he grinned at me with cheeks stuffed with rice. Hurriedly, he washed it down with his own tea and then nodded rapidly. ¡°Hells yes, I¡¯ll come. I already told you that I don¡¯t want to leave just yet. This is just an excuse to keep kicking around Kawamara, as far as I¡¯m concerned.¡±


    I blinked slowly at the immediate agreement I¡¯d received from my companions. A small smile grew on my face, even as I felt lighter from their friendship. ¡°It¡¯s not likely to be easy,¡± I said teasingly. ¡°This place is supposed to be the most dangerous isle in the country.¡±


    Azarus looked up then and shrugged. ¡°What else is new?¡± He asked, almost sounding bored. ¡°Ain¡¯t like any of us are strangers to danger.¡±


    Renauld looked like he wanted to cheer at the dwarf¡¯s response, but wilted at the sharp look the proprietress sent him from across the dining room. Still, he rallied to hold out one furry palm for Azarus to slap.


    Said dwarf didn¡¯t even look like he noticed, causing the Gnoll man to droop again.


    ¡°If the region is such a danger,¡± Liora piped in unexpectedly, voice still roughened from sleep. ¡°Then we should wait for our other companions to return. We shall need the might of Venix at the very least, if we are to brave this wilderness.¡±


    I furrowed my brow, but it was Renauld who spoke first. He tapped his chin thoughtfully for a moment. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s reasonable. But¡­where is Bella?¡± He asked aloud. ¡°She¡¯s not normally gone this long. Shouldn¡¯t she have been back last week?¡±


    I squirmed in my seat a little, hoping none of them noticed. But alas, nothing much escaped Liora. Her lips quirked slightly. ¡°Perhaps you should ask Nathan that question,¡± She asked teasingly.


    Renauld¡¯s eyes locked on me, while Azarus looked up curiously from his meal. I shot Liora a dirty look which she ignored in favor of her tea. ¡°Just a¡­small disagreement,¡± I said awkwardly. ¡°Nothing to worry about. She¡¯ll show up when she wants to. Anyway!¡± I said, desperately changing the subject. ¡°I think Venix at the very least is getting back soon. We can make some plans to depart before then, but Liora¡¯s right. We¡¯ll need him.¡±


    Azarus finally finished his oversized (dwarf-sized?) breakfast, and abruptly stood up from the floor table. At our curious looks, he shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go buy some more supplies,¡± He grunted. ¡°Don¡¯t need much, though. Ain¡¯t like I¡¯ve even unpacked from the hunt.¡±


    A flash of guilt suddenly hit me, and I stood up to join him. ¡°We can put this off for a while if you guys want,¡± I said just loud enough for my friends to hear. I didn¡¯t want to bother any of the other patrons. ¡°Azarus is right¡­you guys just got back. You deserve a bit of rest.¡±


    I was a bit¡­surprised at he blank, non-understanding looks I was fixed with by all of them. Even the normally taciturn Liora looked puzzled.


    Renauld tilted his head in his confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± He said bluntly, before looking over at Liora. She shrugged at his regard.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Meanwhile, realization flashed over Azarus¡¯s bearded face. He rolled his eyes at me. ¡°Well, this ain¡¯t happened in a while,¡± He said, a bit exasperated. He shook his head before locking eyes with me. ¡°Nate, don¡¯t worry about it. This is one of those things ya don¡¯t understand ¡®cause you¡¯re not from around here.¡±


    I almost wanted to wince at the heavy emphasis he put on those words. As always, Azarus was probably the worst person I knew at subterfuge of any kind. But¡­I¡­


    I think I understood what he meant.


    Judging by the looks that graced Renauld¡¯s and Liora¡¯s faces, I think they did too.


    Renauld chuckled and smirked at me. ¡°Nate, if you have the chance to go out and get some levels? You always take it.¡±


    ¡°He is correct,¡± Liora said, nodding slightly. ¡°While this ¡®Goryuen¡¯ might be dangerous, it presents an alluring opportunity. To deny such an opportunity¡­it is almost unthinkable in our society.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter that we just got back,¡± Azarus said with finality. ¡°If we can go, we go. It¡¯s especially what yer supposed ta do when yer young. Which we are.¡±


    He was right about that. I don¡¯t think anyone at this table was over the age of like, twenty-eight at the latest.


    Practically infants in the context of the extended life of Magi and Cultivators.


    I relaxed and held up my hands in surrender. ¡°Okay, okay,¡± I chuckled. ¡°I get the point. You¡¯re all raring and ready to go. I surrender.¡±


    Azarus nodded at me as the other two started to gather themselves as well. ¡°Alright then. Venix shouldn¡¯t be gone fer much longer, and when he gets back, we¡¯ll hit the road. As fer Bella?¡± The dwarf rolled his eyes. ¡°Who knows when that woman will get back. No reason ta wait up fer her.¡±


    I nodded at that, a little relieved despite myself.


    Sounded like a plan to me.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    We split up after that, each of us with our own particular preparations that needed to be done for another expedition. While Azarus was correct in saying that Venix should be back ¡®soon¡¯, in reality that meant ¡®anytime in the next week¡¯. The contracts that the Antium man had been taking had him ranging far and wide across the breadth of the Kawamaran isles, and we had no way to track or contact him. I''d...had thoughts about recreating the coin messaging system of the Nocturne Division, and possibly even improving on it. But that wasn''t going to happen anytime soon.


    For myself, there were a couple of things I had to do. I was low on both potions and the herbs needed to brew them, so I needed to pick up some more. I¡¯d used up the last of what I had on my trip with the Oni Hunters. I¡¯d get started on those potions later tonight, when I intended to make enough for both myself and all of my companions.


    I¡¯d actually found Kawamaran Alchemy and herb lore to be refreshingly different. The disciplines that I¡¯d learned under Grey had been distinctly Herztalian, and I was discovering that was only one facet of the art. Ingredients were different here, the methodology was different here, and even the attitude towards the process was different. Hell, even the end product was different.


    Here, liquid potions weren¡¯t quite as common as pills were. Bottled potions like what I was used to were considered an unfinished product. In the Kawamaran discipline, once you had brewed the actual potion itself, they used what they called a ¡®pill furnace¡¯ to condense and concentrate it down to a solid form. It was quite practical, really.


    However, in my own practice, I¡¯d found it wasn¡¯t without its drawbacks.


    What you gained in convenience and portability, you lost in effect. No matter how strong the base potion had been, the pill form would never be as potent as the liquid potion. The condensation process tended to essentially ''boil'' off some of the component Aether of the desired effect. It was a trade-off, essentially.


    While I didn¡¯t need many of the actual techniques, I¡¯d long since found I could translate them into usage with Aetherial Melding. Certain ingredients in certain quantities and at specific times still needed to be added to the astralized product in order to form the needed mix though. With a little experimentation, I¡¯d discovered that I could replicate the condensing effect of a pill furnace in order to produce my own pills.


    Thank God I''d done those experiments outside of the inn, in a rented Alchemy lab. Some of my failures had been...a bit explosive.


    These days, I liked to bring a mix of both pills and liquids with me. I¡¯d brew up plenty of both later that night.


    It didn¡¯t take me long to pick up everything I needed, which gave me plenty of time for my second errand of the day.


    This one, I was looking forward to much more than the brewing.


    Before long, I found myself standing at the open gates of a comparatively small temple, deep into the heart of Hinaga. They were set at the entrance into a meticulously tended garden valley, and painted in rich greens and natural golds. Far down in the path, I could see the nearly rustic temple itself, its meager three stories and simple shingled roofs a far cry from the other temples that dominated the skyline of Hinaga.


    This was actually the smallest one here in the actual temple district of the city. Surrounding the humble gates of my destination were many temples that were much, much larger, and much, much grander than my destination. Their roofs and arches rose up to fill the skylines, each of them grander than the last, and each a representation of the Imperial court''s favor. I¡¯d been shocked to find that even the Gyreites had a temple here in Hinaga, constructed in a local style, but still in the same golden Rorician sandstone.


    But that wasn¡¯t where I¡¯d come.


    You see, I¡¯d discovered something interesting about the religious beliefs of the Kawamarans. While they acknowledged the necessity of the Gyreites, they didn¡¯t pray to the Gyre in much the way mainlanders did.


    No, instead they revered the Great Spirits.


    The same ones that had aided me against Rhazal.


    And they were important.


    You see, the Kawamarans didn¡¯t have Grey¡¯s big fancy school to teach their Classers how to become Magi and Cultivators. What they had were the temples. It was the monks of the Spirit temples that taught Magic and Cultivation to those who were interested. It wasn¡¯t a perfect system, of course. There were only so many monks who were willing to teach prospective students, since it was still a religious calling. Formal education in those disciplines was thus rare in the populace, and those who were interested instead joined the priesthood. What this led to was a disproportionate amount of Classers who leaned into their Status, only occasionally picking up Arts or Spells past the first breakpoint. They weren¡¯t any less deadly for it, of course.


    But it had led to an almost Primalist revival in the country, after those Soul warriors Ely had told me about from before the Initialization. The refinement of the Status, and the rejection of Mind and Body in favor of the Soul, was viewed as more ¡®pure¡¯.


    Not me, though. I was all about learning some Magic.


    Which had led me to this specific temple, in this small corner of the district.


    This¡­was the temple to Anima, the least favored of the Great Spirits in Kawamaran society.


    And where I had chosen to learn the basics of Magic.


    Sorry, Grey.


    I had just been too excited.

 Chapter 232 - Valley of Life

    As I descended into the valley that held the temple, I was enveloped in a sense of peace. The entire area, from the carefully tended forest to the multiple ponds, exuded an atmosphere of harmony that permeated every inch of it. It was so tranquil in this small valley that it was actually home to a number of protected Kawamaran species, rare or otherwise.


    Not far off of the cobblestone path that I was walking down, a small herd of odd, alien looking deer grazed on a patch of grass. I say odd, because they were very obviously a kind of Mystic Beast. All of them, from the attentive stag that was even now tracking me with it¡¯s eyes, to the small foal in the herd, seemed to be made from living glass. They were translucent all the way through, with visible crystalline organs pumping unseen blood, outlined in a faint azure glow. That same glow filled the eyes of the wary stag watching me, as he shook his impressive rack of antlers with a tinkling sound.


    In my visits here, both the monk and Observe had told me that these were Looking-Glass Cervid. They¡¯d been nearly hunted to extinction decades ago for their apparently edible ¡®meat¡¯, and had only survived due to the intervention of the Animan Temple. There were few of the odd deer still surviving out in the wilds, beyond this valley.


    And those weren¡¯t even the only Mystic Beasts here.


    Overhead, I caught a brief glimpse of a lightning trail as it zipped from one flowering tree to the other. I think it was only thanks to my relatively high Perception score in combination with my altered eyes that I was able to see the creature that left it, from the speed it traveled. At first glance, it looked like a relatively innocuous hummingbird, covered from beak to tiny talons in yellow and black feathers. Only, it seemed to have the ability to manifest an electrical aura over its slight form, boosting its speed over tenfold. I¡¯d never managed to catch one of these immobile long enough to Observe it, but the monk had told me they were named Zipper Birds. Also Mystically inclined, and also endangered.


    And very much protected, within this valley. The Animan sect of the Spiritualist faith may be the smallest of the five, but it was still protected by the Imperial court. Every time I came here, I felt the familiar feeling of their agent''s watching eyes from somewhere in the distance.


    But, speaking of the monk¡­


    I finally reached the end of the path, where he was waiting for me, like every time I¡¯d visited. I bowed at the waist to the older man sitting at a small tea table, laid out just before the steps that led into the small temple. ¡°Elder Jinshin.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have to feign my respect for this man. He¡­he knew things, somehow. Things I had never told anyone. Things that I¡¯m not sure even Anima could have told him.


    And yet, he never used those against me.


    He was very kind, like that.


    Elder Jinshin inclined his head to me, his unbound, waist-length, pure-white hair shifting slightly with the movement. He lifted one hand obscured by the long sleeves of his emerald green robe, and gestured towards the cushion he had laid out across from him, set before the table. As I sat down on it gratefully and picked up the steaming cup of tea he had already set out for me, the Elder stroked his long, wispy beard with one hand and stared at me contemplatively.


    Well, presumably, at least.


    In all the time I had known the man, he had never once opened his eyes. I had, perhaps rudely, asked him once if he was blind. He had merely smiled and shook his head.


    I hadn¡¯t pried.


    Elder Jinshin broke the silence first, never scared to do so. ¡°Good evening, Nathaniel,¡± He said with a small smile on his aged features. ¡°How fare you this day?¡±


    ¡°Well enough, Elder,¡± I said, dipping my head. I¡¯m sure he could tell somehow, even with his eyes closed. He always could. Which was why I didn¡¯t feel foolish, looking around the area we sat in. ¡°Is it just us today? Is Sogen well?¡±


    The Elder chuckled lightly before nodding. ¡°It is indeed. My apprentice is otherwise occupied with duties in the court. You have me all to yourself. And¡­I suspect you need the assistance.¡± He said pointedly.


    And there we had the reason the Animan faith had so little influence over Kawamara. The monks of the temple operated on a master and apprentice system. There was only ever one Elder and one disciple. Understandably, this meant there was a hard limit to the number of people they could educate in either Magic or Cultivation. Not only that, but it was part of their tradition for one of them to always be a Mage and the other a Cultivator. I was lucky in that Elder Jinshin was a Magi and could instruct me because his apprentice Sogen was a Cultivator. Said apprentice was younger than me, and always had a faintly puzzled look on his face whenever I had my lessons with the Elder. Possibly because of the subject material, or possibly because the Elder had taken me on at all. When I had wandered up to the temple months ago, not even searching for a teacher at the time, Elder Jinshin had outright volunteered himself on our first meeting. Puzzled, I had accepted, and then everything since they had seemed to proceed at his own pace.


    I didn''t mind. He was a good teacher.


    I smiled a little sheepishly, picking up my tea and taking a sip. Perfect as always. Honestly, the Elder was a better brewer than most dedicated tea houses I¡¯d been to across Hinaga. ¡°Ah¡­perhaps,¡± I admitted, setting my cup down. ¡°I¡¯m preparing for an expedition into a very dangerous place.¡±


    ¡°Goryuen, yes,¡± The Elder said mildly, to my complete unsurprise. Either he¡¯d picked up the news from the Court, or possibly from his own abilities. Whatever those may be. Either way, it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°I suspect you¡¯ll find the trip most electrifying, my young friend. Most electrifying indeed.¡±


    I rolled my eyes at the impenetrable joke as the Elder chuckled, not even bothering to ask for elaboration. This was just how the Elder was. He wouldn¡¯t have answered anyway, just started rambling on about the shapes he¡¯d seen in his morning eggs or something.


    It made me wonder if he and Grey had attended the same class on being an inscrutable old man.


    I changed the subject instead of trying. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying the meditation method you told me about Elder,¡± I said, grimacing. ¡°But, uh. I¡­don¡¯t think it¡¯s for me.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    The Elder stroked his beard. ¡°Ah, I see. Is it the incense, then? I told you that you might have difficulties with it.¡±


    I dipped my head ruefully. ¡°Yes, Elder. The incense¡­it just distracted me. It didn¡¯t feel right. I couldn¡¯t focus on my Mana with the smell in the air. I think I¡¯m going to need something else.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, well. I did tell you that this form of mediation was unlikely to work with you, Nathaniel,¡± Elder Jinshin pointed out. He must have been able to tell I winced at the light rebuke because he chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about. As I''ve told you, the effectiveness of particular forms of mediation depends on the culture the Magi was born into. An incense method is very Kawamaran in form. It was a long shot if it would work with you. We¡¯ll simply have to keep experimenting to find what works with your¡­particular cultural mentality.¡±


    In other words, my Earth brain.


    I sighed. This was the third type of mediation we¡¯d worked on, trying to find something that fit me. Normally, finding a type of Mana meditation that fit a Magi was a simple process for initiates. As the Elder said, there were particular forms of it that seemed to fit a person depending on the culture they were from.


    The problem was, I wasn¡¯t from any of the Veredenese cultures that practiced Magic. We¡¯d tried each of the common methods of Mana control, from each of those peoples. The Herztalians practiced a form of breath control they called ¡®Air Circulation¡¯ that involved rapidly breathing in and out eight times, holding for a minute, and then repeating. That was probably what Grey would have started me on.


    That hadn¡¯t worked.


    The Velancians instead had a short, eight-word chant that they repeated over and over. The droning of it, on and on, apparently helped them to get in contact with their Mana.


    That hadn¡¯t worked for me either.


    And now we¡¯d exhausted the other common method on Vereden, incense meditation. That had just irritated both my nose and my neighbors at the inn. I''d had to apologize to several of them from the couple of sessions I''d tried.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to keep trying, Nathaniel,¡± The Elder said consolingly. ¡°I¡¯ll visit the Imperial archives later to see if we can find other methods. Perhaps there are records of how the other planets from the Age of the Gods practiced their own meditations.¡±


    I grimaced. ¡°Are there perhaps records pertaining to¡­other cultures?¡± I asked carefully, aware that our conversation was likely being watched by the guardians of this valley. ¡°Maybe for individuals who are very far from home?¡±


    The Imperial Court very likely knew I was a Precursor, but that didn¡¯t mean I had to spell it out for them. If I didn¡¯t display at least some form of guile and subtlety, I would develop a reputation as a barbarian. That would probably hurt my position.


    The Elder knew anyway. It wasn¡¯t that big of a secret anymore.


    A small smile crossed Elder Jinshin¡¯s lips, but he shook his head anyway. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. No¡­alternative records such as that are anywhere within the Imperial archives. At least, nothing within what I or my student have access to. If it exists, it would have to be within the royal family¡¯s personal library.¡±


    Hmm¡­


    That gave me an idea.


    Later, though.


    ¡°As it is, we shall simply have to continue as we have been,¡± The Elder continued. ¡°Your Mana is¡­odd, yes, but not unworkable. Speaking of, let us begin. We shall start with a brief review of last week¡¯s success. As I recall you were¡­oddly enthusiastic about such a mundane Spell. Please, demonstrate it for me.¡±


    I nodded at the Elder and closed my eyes, falling into a familiar form of meditation for me.


    Familiar, but also only mildly helpful for my purposes.


    After the extensive practice I¡¯d been doing these past few months, it was easy for me to enter my soul space through the bypass that seemed to be built into Aetherial Melding. Once in there, I took a moment to gaze at the shining core of my Mana, suspended in the branches of my crystalline tree. It was both a mesmerizing and a frustrating sight, to watch the duality of crimson thorns and azure flames grinding and flow together endlessly.


    Mesmerizing, because here in the core of my being the sensation of that core was so oddly comforting to me. It was like something had been missing my entire life had been awoken. This energy¡­this star¡­it completed me, in a way that only the greatest of poets could truly describe.


    I sure as hell wasn¡¯t one.


    But it was also frustrating, because the oddity of having what I¡¯d discovered was both two cores and one at the same time meant it was twice as difficult to use. The reason it was so important for a Magi to have a dedicated meditation method was because it helped access the Mana, directly from the core. A proper Magi, through meditation, was supposed to become so familiar with their core that it was indistinguishable from a physical limb. That way they could dip into their Mana whenever they wanted to, for whatever Spell they needed.


    But because I had the dual-core, I couldn¡¯t do that. Not easily, and not without some serious alternative meditation. As it was, I was having to half-ass things through this method. Without a proper way to meditate that resonated with me, I wasn¡¯t able to separate the two different kinds of Mana. And using Aetherial Melding, I was only able to observe my soul space and the Mana that filled it. So what I was doing was essentially getting familiar with the mixed feeling of my Mana in the only way I knew how, and sort of¡­dragging it out using Aetherial Melding as a crutch.


    According to the Elder, that shouldn¡¯t be possible. But because it was for me, I was side-stepping the problem until a real solution could be found.


    In the end, though, it meant it took me thirty minutes of careful concentration to drag out the smallest bit of mixed Mana and craft it into a Spell.


    Worth it, though.


    Once I had the Mana, I carefully shaped it into the thought form I¡¯d been instructed in last week. When the mixed Celestial and Terrestrial power had filled in that form, I triggered the spell.


    Through my closed eyelids, I could see light bloom.


    I grinned and opened my eyes, to see a ball of mixed blue and red light swirling in the center of my palm. It was nearly a copy of the star that bloomed in the space of my soul, only less detailed.


    In the end, I had never ended up learning a light Skill.


    Instead, I¡¯d gone straight for a spell.


    Honestly, I¡¯d take it.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Elder Jinshin and I practiced for another few hour or so, before the lesson ended. In that time, we tried some historical variations on the typical meditation methods, before giving up on that. Instead, the Elder took the time to lecture me on some Spell theory, as well as lay out the next Spell he intended to teach me.


    Honestly, a small burst of wind didn¡¯t sound that exciting, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯d find a use for it.


    Maybe.


    But it would have to be after I got back from the expedition. The Elder and I didn''t get to meet up together often, and I''m certain the Elder wouldn''t be able to make time for me before we left.


    After saying goodbye to him, I decided to head back to the inn for dinner. It was getting pretty late after all my errands today, and I still had some potions to make before I called it a night.


    Once there, I walked through the doors, only to be met with a pleasant surprise.


    It looked like Venix had gotten back much earlier than any of us were expecting.


    The Antium man looked like he had only gotten back in town hours ago, as he still had road dust visible on his white robe. He was sitting at our usual table with the rest of my companions, and it looked like he was deep in conversation with them.


    Well.


    They were with him, in actuality. Venix had his moments, but he wasn''t typically very talkative.


    Oddly, he had a frown growing on his insectoid features that only looked to be growing at every word exiting Renauld¡¯s mouth.


    When I approached the table, Venix¡¯s chitinous eyes locked onto me and he stood up from the table. I thought he was going to greet me, so I gave him a slight smile to do the same. Only to be stopped by him raising one of his four arms, causing me to fix him with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°It is my understanding that you intend to travel to Goryuen?¡± Venix asked bluntly.


    I blinked, looking around him at Azarus. The dwarf shrugged in puzzlement, though, so I looked back at the Antium man. ¡°Yes¡­?¡± I said slowly.


    The frown on Venix¡¯s face grew deeper, and he folded both sets of arms over his broad chest.


    ¡°I forbid it.¡±

 Chapter 233 - Rejection (+Amazon Launch!)

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked in disbelief.


    And in growing annoyance.


    ¡°I forbid you or any of the others,¡± Venix continued, to the confusion of said others. ¡°From traveling to Goryuen.¡±


    A frown grew on my lips to match his own, and I stepped closer to the Antium man. I looked up and met his eyes, uncaring about the height difference. ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°The isle is beyond you,¡± He said shortly. ¡°To venture there is to court death. There is a reason I have yet to visit those shores since my return to the riverlands. I am uncertain if it is not beyond me.¡±


    I took a deep breath to try and tamp down on my temper before I blew up on him. ¡°That and the fact you need a writ of permission to visit the isle,¡± I said, some of my heat leaking into my voice despite my best efforts. ¡°Which I have.¡±


    ¡°Inconsequential,¡± Venix said unflinchingly, unblinkingly. ¡°I could obtain such a writ if I wished. That is not the point.¡±


    Even through my own frustration, I was surprised to hear his own audible in his voice. It was rare for Venix to express his emotions in his speech like that.


    That didn¡¯t stop my frown from transforming into a scowl. I raised one hand and pointed at him. ¡°Then what is your point? You were there when I discovered that bunker,¡± I said in frustration. ¡°You know how important they are. How much they could tell me. I¡¯m not going to let this opportunity pass me by. I¡¯m not afraid of a little danger.¡±


    Venix narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off.


    ¡°If the gentlemen do not mind,¡± I heard a firm, feminine voice say. ¡°They are disturbing the other guests.¡±


    Knocked out of my annoyance, I blinked and turned to face the owner.


    It was the proprietress of the inn, her arms crossed over her chest and an iron frown on her painted face. I almost cringed at the annoyance obvious in her eyes. Looking around, I found she was correct. Most of the other guests had paused in their own dinner to watch the confrontation between Venix and I. Some of their gazes were interested in the inadvertent show, while others just looked irritated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother me none, Lady Saeko!¡± One rowdy patron called out drunkenly. ¡°Ain¡¯t every day you get to see two barbarians fight it out!¡±


    ¡°Silence, Yorinobu,¡± Saeko Umihara said unflinchingly, not even bothering to look at the heckler. ¡°Else I call in your tab immediately.¡±


    The man hastily sat down, properly chastised.


    Meanwhile, Lady Saeko met first my eyes, and then Venix¡¯s. ¡°Sir Hart. Sir Venix. I ask that you take your disagreement either to a private room or to the yard.¡±


    I bowed my head to her in apology. ¡°Of course, Lady Saeko. My apologies. Venix and I can take this to a back room if one is available?¡± She nodded at me, but this time she was the one who was interrupted before she could speak.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Her eyebrows shot up, and the entire room, me included, turned to look at Venix.


    Said Antium¡¯s arms were still crossed, and a stony look had overtaken his face. ¡°There is nothing more to be said,¡± He said with finality. ¡°You are not ready for Goryuen. I shall prove it to you. If you wish to venture to that accursed place, there is only one way I will let you.¡±


    ¡°You must best me in a duel.¡±


    The dining room fell silent at that. Even Lady Saeko looked taken aback by that declaration, much less the gobsmacked looks on my companion''s faces.


    This was extremely out of character for the normally stoic swordsman.


    ¡°Venix, what¡­?¡± I asked in confusion. ¡°You¡¯re more than three times my level! That¡¯s impossible!¡±


    In the months since we¡¯d reached Kawamara, I¡¯d finally asked Venix what his level was. He¡¯d barely blinked before answering me, uncaring about taboos involved in sharing one¡¯s level.


    At the time, I¡¯d been one hundred and twenty-four.


    He¡¯d been four hundred and fifty-seven.


    That was at least two months ago. He had to have grown some since then, considering the amount of hunting he¡¯d done. I had little to no chance against someone that strong. Not unless I really wanted to kill them.


    ¡°My decision is final,¡± Venix said firmly. ¡°Either defeat me, or I will do all in my power to prevent you from reaching the isle. If you wish to face me, I will await you in the yard at sunrise.¡± At that, the Antium man ignored any further words from anyone else, turned on his heel, and marched out of the dining room.


    Azarus stood up to join me, as everyone else in the inn watched him walk up the stairs. ¡°The hells has gotten into him?¡± He asked, baffled. ¡°Ain¡¯t ever seen the guy act like that.¡±


    ¡°Me neither,¡± I whispered, brow furrowing.


    Renauld and Liora joined as well. ¡°Are you going to do it, Nate?¡± The male Gnoll asked me, worry obvious in his tone. ¡°I don¡¯t think the big guy will mess you up too bad, but, uh. I¡¯ll patch you up if he does.¡±


    I snorted, uncrossing my arms. ¡°Gee, thanks man,¡± I said sarcastically, pausing momentarily. I eventually nodded. ¡°But yes. I¡­think I¡¯m going to try. This just means too much to me. I¡¯ll¡­try and make Venix see sense in what is apparently the only way he understands. A duel.¡±


    The same heckler from earlier called out across the dining room. ¡°Nice! Guess we still get ta see the barbarians tear each other apart!¡± He cackled. ¡°Good luck, little man!¡±


    I felt my eyebrow twitch at the taunting, and then again when Liora fixed me with a deadpan look. ¡°What he said,¡± She said dryly. ¡°You¡¯ll certainly need it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t I know it,¡± I said under my breath. I shook my head and turned to face Lady Saeko. ¡°I apologize once more for the interruption, my lady. I¡¯m afraid that we¡¯ll require the usage of your practice yard on the morrow.¡±


    To my surprise, the impeccably dressed woman rolled her eyes at me. ¡°Apparently so. You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m so used to the banalities of men, Sir Hart. I only thought Sir Venix was above such things. Apparently, even insectoid men must peacock in such a manner. Off with you,¡± She said, waving a hand. ¡°I must go and discipline another customer.¡± At that, she turned around to glare at the heckler with narrowed eyes.


    He gulped.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    I didn¡¯t bother sleeping that night. It¡¯s not like I needed it anymore.


    And neither did I spend the entire nighttime fretting in anxiety about the duel that I had next to no chance in winning. Instead, I spent that time in meditation.


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    While I didn¡¯t have a proper Magi meditation method for me to use, I still had my old reliable in the form of Aetherial Melding. I drifted in a sea of unseen Aether, sitting still as the veritable heartbeat of Vereden pulsed all around me. This might not be useful for me, but it was still calming. Comforting, even.


    This had only grown more curious, once I had Ascended into a full-on Magi.


    Now, I pulsed back.


    Not with Aether, though. With my Mana.


    Intertwined waves of my own radiated from my being, visible only to me in this odd state of being. Twinned crimson and azure crashed into the pulses of emerald that suffused Vereden, unseen, only to be washed away. It was both beautiful and humbling.


    It reminded me that, although I had finally become a proper Mage, I was still nothing but an ant in the face of an entire planet.


    A thought had occurred to me, during one of these sessions. Ever since I had met Anima in the Concord, that strange Spirit realm that seemed to exist out of phase with that of the material, I had wondered. Was it her that was the origin point of these pulses? Did she have a physical existence here in the real world, somewhere deep beneath my feet? Did Anima live within the core of Vereden in some way? Because that¡¯s always the direction I had assumed these pulses to come from. They radiated up from the ground, always originating beneath my feet.


    I couldn¡¯t know, and Elder Jinshin hadn¡¯t either when I asked him. Even as familiar as he was with Anima, he knew nothing about it. Maybe Grey would, but I couldn¡¯t ask him that now.


    I suppose it was just as likely that Vereden itself was the origin.


    While my outer ring was occupied with my somewhat useless drifting meditational thoughts, my surviving core ring was involved with something a bit more practical.


    Key word was a bit.


    It was examining my Status.


    See, it had shifted in the months since my Ascension. Grey and everyone else hadn¡¯t been kidding when they said the first Breakpoint was when everything changed.


    For one, it no longer tracked my Stamina at all. This was somewhat expected, as from what I understood, Stamina had just been a byproduct of my soul that was now being used in the production of Mana. Instead, it tracked my Mana now. Just¡­not in the way I had expected.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Name


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">Nathaniel Eugene Hart</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Titles


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">Unbound Liberator, Calamity Slayer</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Level


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">131</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Age


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">25 Sol</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Race


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">Human (Precursor)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Affinity


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">Terrestrial (Celestial)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Classes


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">Thornblade Acolyte (Uncommon)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Professions


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">Aetherial Melding</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Health


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">1330/1330</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Mana


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">98%</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Vitality


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">173</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Strength


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">100</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Spirit


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">60</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Dexterity


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">282</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Perception


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">173</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Intelligence


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">396</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Wisdom


    </td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">396</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Free Points</td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">0</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.11249%">Options</td>


    <td style="width: 91.8842%">[Talent Page], [Skill Page], [Profession Page]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Damn thing tracked it as a percentage. The System was able to track my ¡®Health¡¯ as precisely as singular digits, but it couldn¡¯t track my Mana that way? It was a bit frustrating, I had to admit. But it was a good reminder that the System kind of flailed about when it came to supporting actual Magic. That¡¯s the explanation I¡¯d received in the first lecture I¡¯d ever gotten from Grey, last year.


    The System was broken, in a way. And it had never gotten the chance to be whole.


    However, that¡¯s not all that had changed, of course. Even beyond the addition of parenthesized Celestial to my affinity. I¡¯d obviously grown in strength since I¡¯d left Elderwyck. Before my Ascension Ritual, I¡¯d been locked at level one hundred. And oddly enough, I had yet to gain my level one hundred class ability at the time. That had certainly changed, when I¡¯d checked my Status after the entire affair had been over and done with. I¡¯d immediately shot up to level one hundred and twenty-two, as those levels had been locked to me until I successfully became a Magi.


    Rhazal had been worth quite a bit of level Aether.


    I¡¯d been bombarded with so many level-ups and Status indicators I hadn¡¯t even been able to see at first.


    A good problem to have.


    Probably the most exciting one, though, had been my gift from the System for properly reaching level one hundred.


    A Skill evolution.


    Before I¡¯d left, I¡¯d asked Grey about it. According to him, every Awakened was guaranteed one of these by crashing through the Breakpoints that existed at the hundred intervals. With them, you could individually ¡®ascend¡¯ a particular Skill or Talent, evolving them into a more powerful form.


    I had almost immediately wanted to use it on Ringed Mind. My hope had been that with an evolution, maybe whatever had been broken in the Talent would be fixed.


    Grey had shot that idea down.


    ¡°I emphatically advise against that, Nathan,¡± My mentor had told me, back on the dock that we were preparing to depart Elderwyck from. ¡°At your current level, your Status is likely struggling to support your mental Talent already. In fact, it¡¯s my belief that is the reason it fractured in the way it did when you saved my Sylvia. Your Intelligence is simply too low to support more than an additional branch of thought, and your middle ¡®ring¡¯ broke under the strain. If you evolved it further, the resulting evolved Talent might well break once more, without the Virtue backing to support it. Please, wait until you¡¯ve at least broken through the second Breakpoint to consider evolving your mental Talent.¡±


    I had, reluctantly, taken his advice.


    Instead of evolving Ringed Mind, I had opted for my second most used ability. A Skill, this time.


    Sylvan Vigor.


    The entire process, which I had initiated on the ride to Kawamara, had been a bit underwhelming. I had simply selected the Skill from the drop-down menu that had been presented to me on my Status for the evolution, clicked Yes on the pop-up, and bam!


    One new evolved Skill.


    Sylvan Vigor had become Might of the Wyrdwood. It had even gone up in rarity from Superior to Rare.


    But while the process of upgrading it had been underwhelming, the actual Skill was not.


    I¡¯d been pretty glad I had gone with that, in the end.


    As for my other gains by gaining so many levels, they¡¯d been pretty underwhelming. To my disappointment, I discovered that, after level one hundred, you no longer gained an alternating Skill and Talent every ten levels.


    Instead, you got something every twenty. And since I was a Mage, the System had flagged me as such, and now I was going to be getting less Skills. At least that was what Elder Jinshin had kindly told me, during one of my lessons with the monk.


    As such, I¡¯d only gotten a single other ability after Ascending. That being a frustratingly out-of-reach Talent by the name of Arboreal Channeling. Channeling Talents were supposedly very common, and were meant to help you, well, channel your Mana. The System gave them out like candy, apparently, to newly Ascended classers. Both Cultivaors and Magi received similar abilities.


    But I couldn¡¯t take advantage of mine yet, because I didn¡¯t have a proper meditation method for channeling my Mana.


    Deeply frustrating.


    Even though I had grown a whole nine levels during my time in Kawamara, to level one-hundred and thirty-one, I hadn¡¯t gotten anything else in that time.


    What I had¡­was going to have to be good enough for my duel.


    I¡­


    Well.


    I suppose there was something else I could use. But I was reluctant to use it except in life-or-death situations.


    But I guess I¡¯d see how things went.


    A subtle change in the Aether that suffused the air told me that it was nearly dawn. Nighttime had passed in the blink of an eye, as deep in my meditation as I¡¯d been. I opened my eyes and got ready for the duel. I thought about putting on the armor I¡¯d made for myself, but a headstrong part of me rebelled against the idea. I knew Venix wasn¡¯t going to be wearing any, and I didn¡¯t want to be shown up by the Antium man.


    Any more than I was probably already going to be.


    Damnit, I had my pride.


    Instead, I just secured Terractus at my belt and my daggers at the small of my back and exited my room, a determined cast to my face.


    I would not be denied my chance for more answers.


    Time to do this.

 Chapter 234 - Challenge at Dawn

    I found Venix waiting for me exactly where he said he would. The inn had a small practice yard behind it. I¡¯d even used it a few times for some basic practice, with or without my companions.


    He was standing patiently in the middle of it, his four arms crossed and his eyes closed. It didn¡¯t look like the Antium man had moved an inch in hours, with how still he was. I couldn¡¯t even really see his chest rise and fall from breathing.


    It was still dark out, as Tarus had yet to cross the horizon. But I could tell, just by the slightest fluctuations in environmental Aether, that his physical form was coming soon. Out here, it was packed with people who had come to watch the show. They lined both the deck that overlooked the small yard, as well as the balcony above, sitting cross-legged patiently while they were tended to by the staff. It looked to me like most of the residents and guests were taking this duel as morning entertainment.


    That included my other companions.


    The three of them were waiting just inside the building by the door leading outside. None of them spoke, seemingly unwilling to break the patient silence that filled the atmosphere. Azarus inspected my minimally equipped form and sounded a grunt that sounded vaguely approving before he clapped my shoulder. Renauld, meanwhile, gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up.


    Liora just rolled her eyes but still gave me a nod in acknowledgment.


    None of them attempted to stop me.


    This, I think, was just part of Veredenese culture. In a society in which personal strength mattered so much, duels were a very accepted method of resolving conflict between people.


    All of them moved to join the crowd, as I stepped off of the veranda and onto the dirt of the practice yard. As soon as my feet thumped onto the earth, Venix opened his eyes and fixed them on me. Slowly, his arms lowered from their crossed positions. One of his upper arms reached up and removed his hat, slinging it beyond me into the waiting crowd. I didn¡¯t blink as the spinning bamboo hate whizzed past me, but I did hear it impact a palm.


    ¡°Alrigh¡¯ then,¡± I heard Azarus say, nonplussed, but I didn''t look at my friend. I just kept my eyes locked on Venix¡¯s as I slowly approached him. Eventually, I stopped about ten feet away from the Antium man.


    The world was silent around us for a moment, the only sound that of bamboo chimes gently rattling in the wind, hanging from the deck.


    Venix broke the silence first, in his usual manner.


    ¡°Mountains tremble still,


    Beneath scales, old winds linger-


    Turn back from the storm.¡±


    A frown grew on my face, and I shook my head sharply. ¡°No,¡± I said simply. ¡°I will not. You, more than most, know what this chance means to me.¡±


    Venix nodded then and rested two of his hands on two of his four blades. I noticed that he wasn¡¯t actually wearing all four of them at the moment, only the two that his chitinous hands rested on. A spike of irritation swept over me at the observation. Was I not good enough to face him, when the swordsman was using all of his blades? I squashed that thought, though. It was useless.


    Instead, I copied him, resting one hand on the hilt of Terractus. It wasn¡¯t my preferred weapon, but I wanted to meet the Antium man in his own field of specialization.


    Sword to sword.


    ¡°If you will not listen to pleas,¡± Venix said unexpectedly. ¡°Then perhaps you will listen to reason. Gorenzan has taken the lives of warriors who are greater than the both of us. This includes my own former master.¡±


    My brow furrowed at the unexpected segway, as I heard an almost excited murmur arise in the background.


    ¡°In much the same way that you were taken as apprentice by the Shadowed Sun,¡± He continued, causing another brief stir from the watching crowd. ¡°I, too, was taken in by a much greater warrior, upon my coming to these isles. By a man of firm conviction and even greater might, known to this land as Gozen of the Twin Fangs.¡±


    That caused a greater reaction from our onlookers. Outright whispers broke out all around us, as shock painted the faces of those I could see. Some of them outright bowed from their sitting positions, at the sound of that name.


    I blinked, knocked out of my serious mien by that.


    Venix didn¡¯t stop speaking, unbothered by the reaction to his announcement. ¡°I was freshly exiled to this planet, those decades ago, an asset unneeded by the Hive. Upon my arrival to Vereden within the walls of Elderwyck, I blindly stumbled onto the first boat that would take me. I ended up here, in Hinaga. On the rain-slicked day of my arrival, my master saved me from an ignoble death in the gutters. I was ready to simply drown in them, before his outstretched hand found mine. I devoted myself to him, completely, from that moment on. I served him faithfully for many, many years, eventually finding worth in the blade he taught me.¡±


    ¡°And then I failed him when he needed me most.¡±


    The yard went silent, then.


    Venix finally broke eye contact with me, looking up at the sky. The horizon was only just starting to shift colors, but the green period had yet to come.


    ¡°I served Gozen for over a decade, ever faithful. First as his student, and then as a full samurai, part of his cohort. And then the Imperial court called for a Ry¨±metsu Matsuri. Tatsugan was on the brink of reaching his apex and thus needed to be culled. My master immediately volunteered to be part of the force that would slay the wyrm, and I followed with him. I will not,¡± He said firmly, looking back down to pierce me with an unexpectedly fierce look. ¡°Describe the battles that followed. I will not speak for my brothers that fell that day. To do so would dishonor them. I will say this. When the time came to slay Tatsugan, my master led the charge. I was injured by that time, and could not fight at his side. Shamefully, I could only watch as my master gave his life selflessly to slay the wyrm. I survived, my honor forever tainted by my inability to follow him into death¡¯s embrace. Upon our return to Hinaga, I petitioned the Emperor for the right to follow him, so I may atone for my failure. I was denied.¡±


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    My mouth opened slightly in shock at his words. If¡­I understood him right, then Venix was saying he had wanted to¡­


    I took a deep breath, suddenly finding it difficult to meet the stoic gaze of the Antium man.


    Venix sighed heavily then. ¡°I wandered for years after that, a ronin without a master to call my own. My blade had no will behind it, no cause to call its own. Until eventually, one day, I found myself back in Hinaga. I intended to petition the court once more, but there was a curious contingent being hosted as guests. The Academy of Mystic Arts had come calling, and Greycton of the Shadowed Sun was in attendance. He listened to my shameful plea to the Emperor and interjected. He would take my life for his own if I had no further use for it. If I could not muster the will to use my blade for the good of Kawamara, he told me, then it would serve all of Vereden instead. Lost, I saw my master within the Shadowed Sun and took his hand in much the same manner. I have served him ever since.¡±


    The practice yard grew silent, then, as Venix finished his speech. To my surprise, I thought I heard weeping from some of the onlookers in attendance. Risking a glance over my shoulder, I was surprised to see it was coming from the heckler from last night, the man Lady Saeko had called Yorinobu. Even the proprietress herself was dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.


    I took a deep breath then and turned back around to meet the firm gaze of Venix. ¡°I¡­see,¡± I said slowly.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Venix said, inclining his head. ¡°Perhaps not. But do you see this? Why I do not wish for you to venture into that den of evil? My master was a near legendary figure in Kawamara, even before his feat in slaying the latest incarnation of Tatsugan. He neared Greycton¡¯s own might and was considered a possible candidate for Paragon. And yet, he fell before the wyrm all the same. The danger for us¡­it is simply too great. Turn back from this path, Nathaniel Hart.¡±


    I was silent for a moment¡­.


    Before I firmly shook my head.


    ¡°My will has not changed,¡± I said with finality. ¡°Nor have my intentions, despite the tragedies you speak of. I cannot be dissuaded. The wyrm is not at full strength, even if he has returned. The dangers are not too great for us to brave together. Come with us, Venix,¡± I said, extending one open hand to the samurai. ¡°If you fear for our lives, then fight at our side. Together, we can overcome this.¡±


    Venix gazed at my hand thoughtfully for a moment, and I momentarily thought I might have swayed him. Eventually, though, he slowly shook his chitinous head.


    My heart sank, even though I was unsurprised.


    ¡°No,¡± He said with finality, as Tarus finally crested the horizon behind him. As the world was cast in emerald light, he shifted the hands resting on the pommels of his two swords to their hilts.


    And tightened his grip, meeting my eyes.


    ¡°Ready yourself, Hart. We shall go to decisive victory.¡±


    I took a deep breath and nodded sharply. I lowered my stance, gripping Terractus as the crowd seemingly held their breath, now that the duel was truly going to happen.


    The world went quiet once more, as the green period of the Veredenese morning stretched on. Neither Venix or I moved an inch, nor did we draw our blades.


    Slowly, the tint to the morning light began to fade, and as it did, I saw Venix¡¯s hands tighten on the hilts of his weapon.


    My eyes narrowed.


    The light shifted, and warmth rolled over the land.


    I immediately activated Might of the Wyrdwood, drew Terractus, gripped it in both hands, and sprang at Venix in one smooth motion. I cleared the distance in an instant thanks to the enhancement power of my evolved Skill.


    The world felt like it had slowed around me, and through that enhanced perception, I thought I heard the audience gasp at the abrupt movement. It could have been that, or¡­


    It could have been how I had started to glow a faint crimson, the light of innumerable phantasmal thorny vines crawling over my entire body. They curled and twined all over my body and robe in undulating waves, occasionally lashing out at the world.


    This was the new, secondary effect of my upgraded Skill, Might of the Wyrdwood. A form of active defense, beyond the increased efficiency of the strength the Skill gave me. I¡¯d used it several times now, especially on the Oni Hunt I¡¯d been on. Whenever a hit was directed against me, the vines would bunch up before the impact site to mitigate the hit. And it worked very well. I had gotten up close and personal with an Oni Prime on my hunt, and taken a direct haymaker from the furious monster.


    The vines had stopped the hit cold, exploding deliberately on the impact. The creature had been so stunned by that I¡¯d been able to lop his head right off.


    A far cry from the minimal damage reduction that Thorn Cloak gave me.


    Hopefully, it would work well to stop Venix.


    I¡¯d find out soon.


    Venix met my eyes placidly, in the split second before I reached him. I saw a slight twitch in his right shoulder.


    Impact.


    In an instant, Venix had drawn the katana on his left hip and interposed it between the two of us to block my blow. The collision of our blades produced a small shockwave that rolled out across the practice yard, kicking up dust and rattling the teacups of the onlookers. Our swords ground against each other for a moment as I tried to push against his, leaning into the blow suspended in mid-air. Over the point of impact, I could see sparks begin to fly from the crush of our blades, but I paid it no mind.


    Venix held me off with one arm along, our eyes locked the entire time.


    The moment my feet touched down on the dirt below, I pivoted, lashing out with a scything kick from my right leg, trying to break his root.


    He simply raised his lower left arm and blocked it, the impact of the limbs creating another shockwave.


    It was a testament to either my growth or the evolved strength of Might of the Wyrdwood that saw his retaliation.


    Saw, but wasn¡¯t able to react to.


    Venix¡¯s upper right arm lanced out in a straight punch aimed at my chest. The ethereal vines of my enhancement Skill swarmed in front of my to block it, but it didn¡¯t matter. They exploded at the blow, but the blowback didn¡¯t stop it completely.


    His chitinous fist impacted my sternum, and I felt the bone flex.


    I think it didn¡¯t shatter only because the blow was mitigated.


    Instead, I was blown backward myself. Luckily, I managed to find my bearing in midair, flipping to skid backward in the dirt. I panted in surging adrenaline from how close that was, my eyes wide.


    I¡¯d had a glimmer of hope that I might be able to get through this. After all, I had dueled Longstripe back in Elderwyck, and he had supposedly been around the same strength as Venix was. I had nearly eked out a win against the General when I was much weaker.


    But that single exchange had robbed me of that notion.


    I don¡¯t know why the difference between the two of them was so stark, but I had no chance against Venix.


    And yet¡­


    Venix hadn¡¯t moved from his position, even after striking me. It was out of character for him not to follow up like that, in my experience. Instead, he was looking at me thoughtfully. ¡°You truly have grown, Hart,¡± He acknowledged, sounding almost proud. ¡°You would have died from a blow like that only months ago. Your dedication is admirable. However,¡± He said, slowly drawing the second blade on his right hip. ¡°It will not be enough. Concede, and this can be over. There is no shame in submitting to a superior opponent.¡±


    I ground my teeth at his words.


    No.


    I would feel shame.


    I was not going to let this chance slip me by.


    If the jaws of defeat were closing in on me, I was just going to have to find a way to pry them open.


    I struggled to my feet, getting back into my sword stance, Terractus gripped in both hands. I didn¡¯t say anything to the Antium man, simply meeting his gaze with a glare.


    Venix gave a slight sigh and nodded. ¡°I see. We are truly alike, Hart. We both need to learn the lesson¡­the hard way.¡± For the first time in the duel, Venix got into a stance himself.


    And advanced on me.

 Chapter 235 - Clarity of Chitin

    This wasn¡¯t going well. The duel had only been underway for two minutes, so far, and I was already on the back foot.


    After his little declaration, Venix had stopped playing with me. I got the impression he wasn¡¯t bothering to hold back the strength in his blows as he sought to cow me. He wasn¡¯t going full force, I think, but he was no longer holding back.


    The results were predictable.


    I was getting my ass handed to me.


    I grit my teeth and dodged out of the way of his right blade, only to need to interpose Terractus in an immediate block on my left. The force of the blow from Venix¡¯s left blade was enough to break my stance, sending me staggering in the dirt and dust of the inn¡¯s practice yard. I didn¡¯t even get the chance to recover my root before the Antium man was upon me again.


    His chitinous, sandal-clad foot rocketed out into a front kick that hit me right in the face, blowing right through my defensive vines. The force was great enough that I felt my nose break and blood start to flow from it, even as I was sent flying backward in a flip. I grit my teeth in mid-air, and in a split second move, threw out a hand and cast out a Thorn Grapple.


    The length of crimson thorn sailed straight at my assailant, as I touched down upon the earth below, not far from the ring of surrounding watchers. I hoped the unexpected move would be enough to surprise Venix, at the very least. At best, I wanted to rapidly re-engage with him.


    It didn¡¯t work.


    Venix didn¡¯t even blink before I saw him activate something of his own, holding up two fingers from his lower right arm in front of him. I didn¡¯t know what it was, but a brief glint of steel erupted in front of him. My length of vine entered into it and was immediately shredded.


    Ah.


    I¡­think that was a Cultivator Art, judging by the faint impression of Ki I could feel in the air. I didn¡¯t see those often.


    I took a deep breath and upped the ante myself. I had initially only activated Might of the Wyrdwood at only about fifteen percent strength. Not¡­because I didn¡¯t want to be strong enough to stand toe to toe with Venix. Not at all.


    But because the Skill was too strong for me to use comfortably.


    In my testing, I¡¯d discovered that the strength multiplication effect of the evolved Skill was far, far greater than Sylvan Vigor¡¯s had been. To the point that I had felt severe soul strain bearing down on me when I had tried to use it at the same level. I had nearly passed out when I pushed the Skill to even forty percent. I¡¯d felt the crystalline branches of my soul tree creak and groan from the strain, and had to hastily deactivate the Skill before I hurt it.


    I think this was another case of my Virtues just not being high enough to support my Skills, in much the same way that I¡¯d lost my middle ring.


    But¡­I think I could push myself just a bit harder.


    I carefully cranked up the Skill to twenty percent, as Venix dismissed his Art and advanced on me once more. Shuddering at the resulting rush of power that ran through me, I put the sensation aside and sprang forward, Terractus poised to my side in a chopping blow.


    In the split second before impact, I saw Venix¡¯s chitinous eyebrow raise in mild surprise.


    Before he blocked the blow one-handed with his left katana.


    The next few moments were a dizzyingly fast whirlwind of exchanges between the two of us. Every time I tried to strike out against the Antium, he would block and then try and counterattack, usually with his other blade. With my enhancement Skill cranked up higher, I just barely had the ability to react to these blows in time.


    The impact of those blocks was still enough to send shockwaves through my entire body. Nevertheless, I grit my teeth and bore through it.


    Something I noticed, though, was that he was no longer using either of his two lower arms. They were crossed together across his chest, unmoving in all of our exchanges.


    The sight of them only made my frustration grow larger.


    Was I not good enough, for Venix to even use all of his arms? It was the equivalent of fighting a Human with one arm tied behind his back, and yet still holding me off easily.


    It made me want to be reckless.


    I cranked Might of the Wyrdwood up another five percent and felt my bones creak even more within my body.


    If not for another reason.


    My speed and strength increased even more, and my blows fell upon Venix with even more power.


    He noticed.


    Not enough to change the tide. But he noticed.


    ¡°A worthy effort,¡± Venix said evenly, blocking another strike from me with the ringing sound of clashing steel. He never relented, even as he spoke to me in the middle of battle. ¡°You fight far above what your level would indicate, Hart. Your training has been paying off.¡±


    I panted heavily, dodging and weaving and blocking desperately. ¡°Thanks¡­.I¡­think¡­¡± I managed to get out between heavy breaths.


    Oddly, he stopped in his assault then, withdrawing his blades. I staggered backwards, feeling the strain of holding Wyrdwood at only one-fourth of its potential and gasping for breath. I don¡¯t know why he had stopped, but I appreciated the breather, even through my frustration with him.


    ¡°Your form has not suffered, either, for your increased strength,¡± He continued, not responding to my words. ¡°In fact, it has truly improved, since our coming to these isles. Tell me, have you achieved General Weapons Proficiency yet?¡±


    I eyed Venix oddly, still panting, but eventually nodded. ¡°I¡­have¡­¡±.


    And I wasn¡¯t lying.


    I hadn¡¯t neglected my weapons training and had stuck to the plan Baldric had laid out for me, all those months ago.


    Spear, Longsword, Knife, Stave, Longbow, Shortbow, and Throwing.


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    I¡¯d put in the time with both Azarus and the local tutors within Hinaga, to level all of those Proficiencys to the max of seven. It had been a pain in the ass, but it had been worth it. It had taken me three months of daily practice, to one degree or another, to finally achieve that. Once the final one had been done, that being Throwing Proficiency, I¡¯d gotten a pop-up on my Status about combining them. In an echo of how simple it had been to evolve Sylvan Vigor, all I¡¯d had to do was select those seven Talent''s and hit confirm.


    And so I¡¯d finally achieved what Baldric had set out for me.


    The resulting weapon sense that General Weapon Proficiency was¡­odd, to say the least. I now had an instinctive ability to handle weapon types I¡¯d never even trained with. Not to a great degree, to be frank, but enough to fight. The first time I had picked up a fork, of all things, and sensed how to handle it in battle I had nearly choked on my dinner. However, even with all of that, I had noticed that I was still far better with the seven I had actually trained with. I suppose that might be why it mattered what seven Talent''s you fed into the General Weapons Skill.


    But I no longer had to level seven different Talent¡¯s to get better with them. Just the one.


    ¡°An even worthier accomplishment,¡± Venix unexpectedly praised me, dipping his head briefly. I blinked in surprise, as he continued. ¡°I have known warriors who have taken double or even triple the length of time to achieve such a thing. Talented ones, at that. To gain General Weapons Proficiency in only five months of dedicated practice towards that goal is impressive indeed.¡±


    A brief murmur of agreement ran through the crowd, and I felt a flush of embarrassment run through me. I¡­wasn¡¯t used to public praise, in this manner. It made me a bit¡­ self-conscious.


    Might have been a contributing factor to why I was so eager to get out of Herztal, now that I thought of it.


    Venix¡¯s posture unexpectedly hardened and he raised his right blade to point straight at me. ¡°But you are still holding back,¡± He said, eyes narrowed. ¡°Fight me at your full potential. Put that blade away. It is a side-arm for you, at best, and you have yet to unleash your true power. You know of what I speak.¡±


    Another flare of anger ran through me at his words. Not¡­about Terractus. He was right about that. I might have trained enough with the longsword to be comfortable with it, but the blade wasn¡¯t where I was more comfortable.


    I sheathed it and reached behind me for one of my daggers. Drawing it, I thumbed the activation switch causing the hilt to expand, leaving me with the full length of one of my spears. Only the one, though.


    At heart, I think I would always be a spearman.


    But I didn¡¯t mentally reach for the other thing he was talking about.


    Venix scoffed across from me. ¡°Cease your dithering!¡± He barked, suddenly furious in a way I had never seen from the samurai. The Antium exploded forward, faster than he had moved in the entire duel.


    My eyes didn¡¯t even have time to fully widen at the level he had just escalated to. I desperately managed to bring my spear up into a blocking position before both of his blades crashed down on it.


    Despite the increased strength from Might of the Wyrdwood, I couldn¡¯t withstand the force of it. Even my spear flexed from the collision, creaking ominously in a way I had never heard from my Oninite weaponry.


    I lost my footing, crashing down to one knee. The sheer weight pressing down on me was enough that I think my kneecap outright flattened, nearly shattering.


    The air in my lungs was driven out of me all at once as I desperately held on.


    Leaning down towards me over our crossed weapons, Venix spoke. ¡°Despite all your advancements,¡± He said in a low tone. ¡°You cannot continue in this manner. You run from the curse that was inflicted on you, never allowing yourself to face it head-on. Even now, when it is the only thing that presents a path toward victory, you are hesitant. Do not be. You must seize this affliction by the throat and make it your own, or else you might as well give up now.¡±


    I ground my teeth together both under the weight of Venix¡¯s swords¡­


    And his recriminations.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple,¡± I hissed through a clenched jaw.


    Venix pushed down harder, nearly sending me down flat on my back. ¡°It is,¡± He insisted. ¡°You may not have asked for or sought your curse, but it is yours now. It will be your willpower that earns you mastery of your fate, and your willpower alone. I pass these words down to you now, as they were to me.¡±


    I swear I saw a faint white glow appear then, shining from behind the Antium man¡¯s compound eyes.


    ¡°It is never over, while will remains,¡± Venix said, in the fiercest tone I¡¯d ever heard from him. Conviction dripped from every word he spoke, and I somehow knew that these words rested at the core of who he was.


    Something¡­something about what he said reached me then. I¡­


    I¡­


    Alright.


    I briefly closed my eyes, before flaring them open wildly. I met Venix¡¯s own slightly glowing eyes. ¡°Fine then,¡± I snarled. ¡°You want all of me?! Then here I come!¡±


    Vis Maledicta Exactoris.


    In an instant, a flash of pitch-black, corrosive mist swept over the entirety of my body. Venix had to leap back from it in order to keep from being scalded. While underneath it¡­


    I changed.


    I didn¡¯t wait a moment to adapt to my newly monstrous form, after I had switched to the monstrous Skill form I¡¯d been cursed by Rhazal with.


    Instead, I leapt out of the mist with a roar that echoed out of my changed, reptilian throat. I was propelled forward by my pair of batlike wings now growing out of my back, covered in jet-black scales up and down my body. The increase in height and muscle mass that I gained through the transformation had been a grudging concession to my new fashion sense these days, as I now filled the formerly baggy robes out completely. I spun my spear in my clawed hands rapidly enough that it sounded like the blades of a helicopter cutting through the air, before the weapon crashed into Venix¡¯s crossed katana¡¯s.


    This time, it was he who was knocked back from the force of the blow.


    I was¡­a bit surprised by that, through the rage now coursing through my veins. I hadn¡¯t thought my enhanced strength in this form was enough to stagger someone as strong as Venix was. But I retained just enough awareness to see that Might of the Wyrdwood was still active, the crimson vines crawling all over my reptilian scales. The Skills seemed to be working together.


    But the drain on me was enormous. This strength¡­it might be enough to win me the duel, but I don¡¯t think I could keep both Skills running for more than another thirty seconds at most.


    I had to act fast.


    Luckily, I had an idea.


    Crouching, I flapped my wings downward as hard as I could, sending me skyrocketing into the air. I had never actually practiced flying in this form, considering my reluctance to use the Skill, so I was incredibly unsteady. But I wasn¡¯t exactly trying to take a leisurely pleasure flight.


    Instead, I wanted to dive.


    At the apex of my leap, perhaps several hundred feet into the air, I angled myself downward to see the distant practice yard of the inn, flaring my wings as widely as I could. Below me, I could see the watching patrons had leaped to their feet to point up at me in either amazement or fear. Among them, I could see my companions easily, thanks to my enhanced eyesight in this form.


    Azarus and Liora were still sitting, drinking their tea, and looking unconcerned. Meanwhile, Renauld had joined the other patrons and was on his feet. Unlike them, he seemed to be whooping in excitement.


    But it was Venix that caught my eye the most. The Antium samurai had regained his footing and was looking up at me. I thought I saw the barest trace of a smile cross his chitinous features before they firmed. He set his feet, and then oddly enough, sheathed his two katanas. Instead of facing me with blade in hands, he instead opened wide all four arms, and across the distance between us, met my eyes.


    The taunt that I could see in his set my blood alight.


    I snarled, an entirely monstrous sound that echoed across the rooftops around us.


    And folded my wings, falling into a dive directly at Venix, the point of my spear aimed straight at him. It only took moments to reach Venix, and in the split second before my spear tore through him, he clapped all four of his hands together.


    Directly onto the blade of my spear.


    In an instant, I halted in midair, suspended by the point of my blade that Venix had impossibly caught. Despite the severity of the situation, I couldn¡¯t help but gape a mouthful of sharpened teeth at the maneuver.


    Venix smirked at me.


    And then twisted, still holding the blade of my spear, throwing me off to the side. The motion was abrupt enough that I entirely lost my grip on my weapon, leaving it behind between the Antium samurais hands.


    As I impacted the dirt of the yard, my grip on both Vis Maledicta Exactoris and Might of the Wyrdwood slipped as well. I reverted to my normal human(ish) self, lying motionless in the dirt at my own failure.


    I closed my eyes in resignation, frustrated for¡­many reasons.


    Before they flew back open wide in shock at the words that penetrated the dust cloud I lay in.


    ¡°I concede.¡±

 Chapter 236 - Unburdened

    Coughing, I sat up from the dirt as quickly as I could, if only to fix Venix with a gobsmacked look. ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked in complete disbelief.


    The Antium man finished shrugging his robe back into place, from where it had fallen off his shoulders during our duel. He then crossed his arms and fixed me with an even stare, as the crowd in the background only started to react to Venix¡¯s words.


    Mostly in the shock that I echoed.


    ¡°I concede,¡± Venix repeated evenly, meeting my gaze. ¡°You may now travel to Goryuen, and thus Mt. Gorenzan with my blessing. I shall even accompany you.¡±


    I struggled back my feet, still gaping at the Antium man. ¡°But¡­but¡­I lost?¡±


    ¡°No you didn¡¯t,¡± Venix immediately replied.


    I looked around desperately for a moment, meeting the gazes of some of the onlookers. They just shrugged at me. ¡°Yes I did?¡±


    Venix actually rolled his eyes then, something I had never seen before. ¡°No, you did not,¡± He said patiently. ¡°I conceded, and thus you have won the duel.¡±


    His words were finally starting to penetrate the post-battle adrenaline I¡¯d been swimming in, and when they did, my core ring pointed something out to me.


    I picked up my fallen spear and retracted it, sheathing the dagger at the small of my back. As I did, I narrowed my eyes at the Antium samurai. ¡°Was¡­this entire duel¡­just a way to get me to use Vis Exactoris Maledicta?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t keep either the suspicion, the indignation, or the irritation I felt out of my voice at that idea.


    Venix just shrugged and didn¡¯t answer me. Still, I caught the faintest trace of a smirk on his insectoid features.


    I scowled at him in response.


    So that had been his game. I¡¯d thought it was odd that the normally agreeable Antium man had objected to the trip to the isle, despite the tragic story he told. It just wasn¡¯t like him to stand in the way of advancement.


    Venix sobered up, then, as the crowd began to whisper amongst themselves in excitement. I think the drama of it all enticed them more than the actual fight had. He met my eyes. ¡°You were the only weak link, for an expedition to that hell,¡± He said seriously, causing me to straighten up in response. ¡°The Dwarf and the female Gnoll can take care of themselves. They¡¯re strong enough to brave Goryuen in a team, if only barely. The strength of the Healer is inconsequential. He can ply his skillset safely to the rear of us and remain protected while he does. But it was you,¡± He said, unfolding one hand to point at me. ¡°That did not have the strength to keep up upon the Isle of the Wyrm. Either in arm or in will. That is, if you refused to use the power of your transformation Skill. But with it?¡± Venix shook his head. ¡°You will not be a burden, even if it can only be maintained for short periods.¡±


    My scowl faded and I looked away from him, as my companions came to stand with us. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have just told me that?¡± I grumbled, with only a small measure of heat.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Azarus said, smirking at me. ¡°Ye¡¯ve got a hard head, Nate. None ¡®o us have been able ta get through ta ya, so Venix took it on himself.¡±


    Liora laid a hand on my shoulder, drawing my gaze. There was a compassionate look in the amethyst eyes of the normally taciturn Gnoll. ¡°It is a hard lesson to learn,¡± She said seriously. ¡°That strength is merely strength. It does not matter the source that it comes from. Merely in how it is used. Remember that, Nathan.¡±


    Renauld just shrugged at me when my gaze wandered over to him. ¡°I just think it¡¯s too cool to never use,¡± He admitted freely. ¡°I mean, c¡¯mon, man. You turn into some kind of¡­werebatlizard thing. That¡¯s awesome.¡±


    I gave him the stink eye, while Azarus actually nodded along seriously. Liora just rolled her eyes.


    I don¡¯t know what I was expecting. That was a very¡­Renauld thing to say.


    Still, I sighed and nodded. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± I said tiredly, even though it was barely after sunrise. ¡°I get the point. I¡¯ll¡­use it, even if I don¡¯t want to. It¡¯s useful, at the very least.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Venix cut in then, drawing our attention. There was a self-satisfied slant to his face. ¡°Then if that is all, we can leave for the isle at the soonest opportunity.¡±


    Liora interrupted, coughing lightly into her fist. ¡°Ah¡­Sir Venix, we were also waiting for Captain Isabella to return,¡± She said politely, causing him to blink in surprise. ¡°You were not the only one we wished to accompany us.¡±


    ¡°I¡­see,¡± Venix said slowly. ¡°Well. I have no objections to the pirate woman coming along. She is strong and ruthless enough to survive the dangers of Goryuen.¡±


    We all stood around in silence for a moment, I think mutually lost on how to proceed before Lady Saeko approached us.


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    She actually flicked a hand our way. ¡°Shoo, shoo,¡± She said dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m not ungrateful for the bit of morning entertainment, but now my girls have to fix the yard. And we can¡¯t do that if you five are just standing around awkwardly. I¡¯m sure you all have better things to do.¡±


    I looked over her shoulder then, to see a small army of the inn¡¯s wait and cleaning staff standing around politely for us to leave. The all tended to be much more polite than the very forthwith Lady Saeko. The other guests had all filtered away by that point, and it was just us out here.


    I flushed a little, straightened up, and then bowed to the proprietress. I noticed that all of my companions, including Renauld and Venix, copied me. ¡°Apologies, Lady Saeko,¡± I murmured. ¡°We¡¯ll leave you be now.¡±


    At that, the five of us left the yard to the staff, who swarmed over the gouges in the earth my duel with Venix had created.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Eventually, our group decided to give Bella a week to come back before we left on our expedition. If she didn¡¯t come back before then, we would just set out and catch up with her after we came back.


    I can¡¯t deny being a bit relieved about it, after the¡­awkward way we had parted. Besides, it gave me some time to catch up on preparations for the trip, including the brewing I still needed to do. I essentially spent the next three days deep in a rented lab not far from the inn, cooking up enough potions and pills for everyone.


    I finished up just in time.


    Because on the fourth day, the Thorny Reef sailed into port.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    I didn¡¯t know immediately, obviously. I¡¯d just had another session with Elder Jinshin, and was walking back to the inn to rest up for the day. But the path that led back passed by the port of Hinaga, and I happened to cast my gaze over the sprawling complex from the upper tier of the city. I stopped in place when the familiar sight of the pirate ship greeted my eyes, far off down below me. I could see a number of people scurrying about in the distance, loading and unloading the ship. Bella had a tendency to accept cargo, legitimate or otherwise, on her voyages. The crew were probably hawking whatever they had in the hold in this port.


    The sight of the Thorny Reef filled me with¡­mixed feelings. I almost, almost wanted to hop down a few levels and go greet the crew. I knew plenty of people who sailed with Bella by now, and was overall a welcomed sight among them.


    But on the other, I could run into Bella. And that was¡­awkward.


    Oh, screw it. She was probably already back at the inn, by now. The woman and most of her crew tended to hole up in the same inn we frequented, here in Hinaga.


    I couldn¡¯t put this off forever.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    I was right, of course. In an almost mirror of the initial confrontation with Venix from the other day, Bella was catching up with Liora down in the dining room of the inn. It was about midday by now, and the two women were enjoying a cup of tea together. The two of them had hit up a surprisingly fast friendship, in the days after the tragedy at Elderwyck. I hadn¡¯t initially realized quite how much they had in common at the time, but they sure had.


    Honestly, I think Bella might be Liora¡¯s closest friend, at this point.


    I was happy for her.


    Truly.


    Said pirate Captain looked¡­good, honestly. She didn¡¯t have to pretend to be ¡®Captain Nicollette of the Coral Squall¡¯, her Blueback cover persona, here in Hinaga. Kawamara was generally permissive of Herztalian pirates hawking their ill-gotten goods in their ports, as long as they weren¡¯t ¡®operating¡¯ in their waters, so to speak. It was a point of contention between the two countries, as I understood it.


    For being the only two large Human nations, there wasn¡¯t much love lost between them.


    As such, she was back in her old blue coat and black leathers, cutlass at her side. Her hat was resting on the table next to her cup, while her long, curly, salt-kissed raven hair hung around her sharp features.


    Liora noticed me immediately, of course, and it only took Bella a moment to turn and follow her gaze.


    The smile that had been on the pirate¡¯s face immediately smoothed away at the sight of me, leaving only a blank expression behind. Somehow, that was more intimidating than a scowl would have been.


    I internally cringed but didn¡¯t allow it to show on my face or affect my stride. Instead, I just kept walking towards their table as nonchalantly as I could. ¡°Liora, Bella,¡± I said, with a smile fixed on my face. ¡°Good to see you¡¯re back in tow-¡±


    Bella interrupted me abruptly by shooting to her feet, almost rocketing up from the pillow she¡¯d been sitting on. Around her thing form, I could see Liora trying and failing to suppress an amused smile on her vulpine features from around a teacup.


    Eye to eye now with Bella, I saw her own blue eyes narrow at me. This time, I allowed a cringe to slip through my acting.


    Abruptly, she raised her right arm, and I braced myself. I almost expected the woman to slap, or hell, even punch me. It wouldn¡¯t be out of character, considering how we¡¯d parted.


    Instead, she seized me by the collar of my robe, and started bodily dragging me across the dining room, and up the stairs to the rooms above. I yelped like a struck dog, but didn¡¯t try to stop her. If anything, I was relieved.


    At least we weren¡¯t going to have this conversation in public.


    Behind me, I heard Liora speak, her words floating up to us as Bella dragged me up to the second floor. ¡°Good luck,¡± She said, amusement thick in her tone.


    Yeah, I¡¯d probably need it.


    Wait, she was talking to me¡­right?


    Bella dragged me all the way to the room that was reserved for her use, yanking open the sliding door when we reached it. She all but tossed me inside once it was open, causing me to stagger through the opening. I caught my footing just in time to watch as the door slid closed with a click, and Bella thumbed an activation rune to an array I¡¯d layered over the room at her request.


    A silencing one.


    I gulped when the woman narrowed her stormy blue eyes at me once again. Still silent, I held up my hands to ward her off, as the pirate stalked towards me. ¡°Look, Bella,¡± I began, trying to speak calmly. ¡°About last time-¡±


    She interrupted me by placing one hand on my chest and shoving me. I let out an oof as I staggered backward, my back impacting the wall of the room. I didn¡¯t get another chance to speak before Bella got up close and personal with me. I was struck silent, then, as only inches remained in between the two of us.


    We were close enough that I could feel her breath on my lips.


    After staring into my eyes for a silent moment, Bella let out a slight sigh. ¡°Fuck it,¡± I thought I heard her murmur under her breath.


    Before I could react, her hand shot up, grasped the back of my head, and pulled me forward.


    Directly onto her lips.


    Oh¡­


    I see.


    So she wasn¡¯t mad, then.


    I relaxed into the kiss with Bella, threading my arms around her waist as she did the same with her free hand.


    Things¡­evolved from there.

 Chapter 237 - Storms Embrace

    Hours later, the two of us relaxed together under the sheets of her futon, exhausted after our¡­exertions. Turns out, the same enhanced stamina that aided an Awakened in battle had benefits in other ¡®areas¡¯ as well.


    That had been a fun and interesting discovery to make those weeks ago.


    I accepted the pipe that Bella passed my way and took a long draw from it, letting the pipeweed fill my lungs. It exited as a drawn-out, slow exhale, with me already feeling the mildly relaxing effects of the herb. In quiet moments spent relaxing with her in the past, I was surprised to discover that she was an occasional smoker. Not like Grey, who had a tendency to smoke like a chimney when he was stressed.


    She had a preference for the finer stuff.


    Speaking of¡­


    I handed her back the pipe, and accepted the glass of what she called ¡®rog¡¯. Essentially, a higher-quality grog than what the rest of the crew drank. Funny enough, that actually stood for something, according to her. A sort of in-joke among her crew.


    Ransacked Ocean Gold.


    I¡¯d had a bit of a laugh about that with her in the past.


    Once I¡¯d taken a sip, I leaned back against the wall of the room and cradled the glass in my hand, letting my gaze drift over to Bella. Like me, she was naked from the waist up and resting against the wall, and I allowed myself to enjoy the sight of her for a moment as she took a draw from the pipe as well.


    It had been¡­


    Well, a long, long time since I¡¯d had anything like this. Sylvia and I¡­we hadn¡¯t progressed to this point. Partly, I think, because neither of us had been sure if it was even possible, for Humans and Sculpted. I had¡­always been curious, if Sculpted were¡­fully functional, in that way. But I had never asked, partly because Sylvia had been very self-conscious about the possibility.


    And now that possibility had passed, and I was likely never going to find out.


    I pushed those dark thoughts away and instead focused back on Bella. Said Captain noticed my stare and rolled her eyes tolerantly at me, but didn¡¯t bother to cover herself back up. ¡°What?¡± She asked slight amusement in her voice. ¡°Ain¡¯t like this is the first time ye¡¯ve seen me like this.¡±


    I shrugged, unapologetic. ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s nice,¡± I said with a smirk, causing Bella to snort. After a moment, I sobered up though and decided to broach the subject that had been on my mind for weeks now. ¡°I¡¯m¡­surprised you wanted to do this again, Bella. Last time you were honestly pretty pissed off.¡±


    The smirk on Bella¡¯s face faded, and she looked away from me. ¡°Yeah, well,¡± She said roughly. ¡°I was¡­more pissed at meself, honestly. Don¡¯t pretend all o¡¯ that was planned, now.¡±


    I nodded thoughtfully. She was right about that.


    The last time Bella was in port, the two of us had been invited to come along on an Oni Hunt. The others had been busy at the time, so we had accepted and traveled along with the same troop the rest of my companions had accompanied. It had ended up being both a good advancement opportunity and the right thing to do. It went surprisingly well, and when we had gotten back to Hinaga, the two of us had decided to celebrate privately.


    With plenty of booze.


    Lots and lots of booze.


    Things had devolved from there.


    The next morning, Bella woke me up with how much she was surprisingly freaking out about it. Thankfully, there hadn¡¯t been any accusations about anyone taking advantage of anyone else, but she had been distressed all the same. I¡¯d been so hung over at the time that I had barely been able to get a word out before Bell had beat feet for the port, and in record time, was disappearing over the horizon aboard her ship.


    At the time, I¡¯d been wondering if I had destroyed one of my few, real friendships on Vereden with a drunken mistake. I hadn¡¯t known what had caused Bella so much distress and hadn¡¯t been able to ask her. I¡¯d been left with only questions after her rapid retreat. I couldn¡¯t even tell the others why Bella was gone, leading to most of them just assuming we¡¯d had a disagreement during the Hunt. I was pretty sure Liora had figured it out, though, if Bella hadn¡¯t flat-out told her before she left.


    I¡¯d caught the Gnoll woman giving me knowing looks a few times, over the last few weeks.


    Silence descended between the two of us for a moment, before I broke it. ¡°So.¡±


    Bella¡¯s eyes flickered my way, and she nodded slightly. ¡°So.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the problem?¡± I asked patiently. ¡°Why did you disappear?¡±


    Bella sighed and set her pipe bowl face down on a small plate next to the futon, extinguishing it. ¡°Couple reasons, I guess,¡± She said tiredly. ¡°One, I ain¡¯t lookin¡¯ fer a relationship, Nate. I¡¯ve got enough on me plate as it is. I don¡¯t need a man weighin¡¯ me down like an anchor on top o¡¯ all that. No offense.¡±


    I shrugged one shoulder idly. ¡°None taken. I¡¯m not either. You know how my last relationship ended.¡±


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    I really, really wasn¡¯t.


    Bella smiled at me then, looking a bit relieved. ¡°Good. But that ain¡¯t all. I, uh. I felt like I took advantage of ye. Just a bit. Ye don¡¯t exactly have an air of a,¡± She visibly groped for the right words momentarily. ¡°Man with a girl in every port. And ye just had all that go down with Sylvia. Ye strike me as a bit¡­vulnerable, Nate.¡±


    I rolled my eyes then, sitting up straighter. I took a moment to empty my glass of its rog and handed it back to Bella. I spoke up as she refilled the glass and took a sip herself. ¡°I¡¯m not that fragile, Bella,¡± I said with a small smile. ¡°Everything that happened with the war¡­I won¡¯t pretend it didn¡¯t take a toll. But these months have been good to me. Good for all of us, I think.¡±


    Bella heaved a breath, nodding. ¡°Yeah. With the fightin¡¯ dyin¡¯ down, I haven¡¯t actually been doin¡¯ too much raidin¡¯ and pillagin¡¯, ye know? The Bluebacks have pretty much taken over runnin¡¯ the Royal Navy like they did before the war. Contracts fer those of us on the wrong side of the law are runnin¡¯ out. Way they see it, if¡¯n ye didn¡¯t choose a side by now, ye don¡¯t get a share of the profits. What that means fer me, though, is that I¡¯ve been steppin¡¯ into that legit shippin¡¯ contract Whitegull promised me. After I¡­left¡­¡±


    More like ran away, I didn¡¯t say out loud.


    I¡¯d like my tongue to remain attached to my mouth, thanks.


    ¡°I took a trip down thattaways and checked in with ¡®em,¡± She continued, before smirking. ¡°I ain¡¯t been let go, but I¡¯m free ta act how I please fer now. Which brought me back up here. I¡­didn¡¯t want nothin¡¯ ta fester.¡±


    I reached across the sheets covering our legs and grabbed her hand before meeting her eyes. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong here, Bella,¡± I said, trying to project confidence. ¡°I was mostly just confused while you were gone. I have nothing wrong with us continuing the way we have been.¡±


    Partly a lie.


    I¡¯d been pretty anxious our friendship was over too. But I didn¡¯t need to say that.


    ¡°Alrigh¡¯ then,¡± Bella breathed. ¡°Glad we got tha¡¯ settled. Nate¡­this is just a bit o¡¯ fun between friends, yeah?¡± At my understanding nod, she continued. ¡°Ain¡¯t no reason ta bring emotions into it. And it ain¡¯t anyone else''s business but ours. So¡­let¡¯s say we keep it goin¡¯ that way, eh?¡± With those words, Bella set her drink down on the low table next to our futon, and turned to me with a raised eyebrow. I had to stifle a laugh when she shook her shoulders almost hauntingly at me, but sat up from my reclining position anyway.


    I could take a hint when it was almost literally shoved in my face.


    I may not have actual Stamina anymore, but real stamina sure came back quickly for me these days.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Bella and I didn¡¯t come back down from her room until nightfall. By that time, the rest of our companions had returned from their own business for the day and joined us for dinner. Those of my friends who hadn¡¯t seen Bella yet were surprised to see her. Surprised, but happy.


    Well, but for the curious glances that bounced between her and I. But we were sitting next to each other at the table with no obvious discomfort, so I think the assumption was we had made up.


    And we certainly had.


    There were two standout examples from the others, though. Liora just gave the two of us a knowing look but didn¡¯t say anything. Renauld, meanwhile, waggled his eyebrows at us and then tapped his nose, when I shot him a curious look of my own.


    Ah.


    That¡¯s right.


    Gnolls in general¡­they tended to have a stronger sense of smell than us Humies. And with Perception thrown into the mix...


    Bella shot him a blistering look, though, and he settled down.


    We hadn¡¯t talked about it during or after our¡­activities, but it turned out Liora had already informed Bella about the expedition to Goryuen.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m happy ta come along,¡± She said, accepting a platter of my local favorite.


    Good old-fashioned chicken on a stick.


    ¡°Problem bein¡¯,¡± Bella continued, loading her plate. ¡°Is I can¡¯t take ye lot there. Not cause I don¡¯t want ta. But because only Imperial ships are allowed in those waters, even if ya got a permit.¡±


    I finished chewing my own mouthful, swallowed, and spoke up. ¡°So, we¡¯ll have to charter a different ship then? Sad, I was looking forward to the trip there on the Reef.¡±


    Bella rolled her eyes at my teasing tone, but nodded. ¡°Yeah, shouldn¡¯t be a problem. ¡®Sides, it¡¯ll be good fer the boys. They can hang out here and enjoy some shore leave while I¡¯m out trompin¡¯ through the jungle.¡±


    Azarus looked up from his own meal long enough to shoot Bella an almost despairing look. ¡°This place is a jungle?¡± He groaned aloud. ¡°Gods damnit, I hate jungles.¡±


    Venix took a sip from the cup of tea he held in between the palms of his uppermost arms, while his lower finished pouring a cup for Liora. ¡°It is not that bad,¡± He said mildly, nodding back to Liora as she dipped her head in thanks for the cup. After a moment though, he tilted his head in thought. "Aside from the monsters, perhaps," He amended.


    Renauld laughed, leaning back on his palms. ¡°Yeah, but aren¡¯t you from Indiqua?¡± He said with a smirk. ¡°You know, the planet absolutely covered in deadly jungle that makes anything on Vereden look like a joke? You might have a bit of a skewed perception there, man.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a man,¡± Venix replied immediately without blinking.


    I noticed he didn¡¯t deny the words, though.


    Guess I was going to be ¡®trompin¡¯ through the jungle¡¯ soon, like Bella said.


    Suits me.


    My skills would blend in nice there, I feel.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Now that Bell had returned, we didn¡¯t really need to stick around much longer. She had all the supplies she would need for her own back on the Thorny Reef. Meanwhile, the rest of us were more than ready to set out for Goryuen, and ultimately the metallic door that rested in the shadow of Mt. Gorenzan.


    And Tatsugan.


    In fact, I¡¯d say that some of us were getting a bit antsy to go. I¡¯d been practicing more with Azarus and Venix in the morning, as I tended to do when they were in town. The both of them had an eagerness to their strikes and blows that showed through to those in tune with their own.


    You just¡­kind of picked up on this, with practice.


    There was no point wasting time and putting it off. With Bella¡¯s help, the two of us went down to the office of the Hinagan port authority and tried to negotiate for an authorized ship that would take our party to the isle. They had been initially quite skeptical about our request but settled down when I showed the permit allowing passage. I¡¯d been a bit surprised at the near reverence that the bureaucrat had shown that permit, in fact.


    That was until he told me that the stamp on the bill came directly from the office of the Emperor himself.


    I¡­hadn¡¯t realized that the interest in this matter ran quite that high. Masahiro really did have friends in the highest places.


    Within the day, the six people of our party had assembled on the ship that had been chartered for our use, paid for out of my own pocket. Apparently, the Captain of this ship, a merchant vessel named the Kaminari Maru, had outright jumped at the chance to embark on a mission authorized by the Emperor himself. He¡¯d been downright welcoming to us as we boarded his ship. According to him, the journey to the isle would take us about four days, depending on how favorable the winds were.


    Only an hour after stepping foot on the Kawamaran-styled merchant galleon, the sails emblazoned with stylized storm clouds unfurled and we got underway.


    Goryuen awaited.

 Chapter 238 - Ritualism

    I found the entire voyage aboard the Kaminari Maru to be¡­honestly kind of annoying. Most of the sailing that I had done in the past had been under the sails of the Thorny Reef. Some of my fondest, freest memories here on Vereden had been on that ship, simply standing at the railings and staring off into the blue distance. Some men found the endless horizon of the ocean to be daunting, that emptiness presenting a threat to their very souls.


    Not me. I loved it.


    Sailing upon the waves, especially aboard a pirate vessel, was something I enjoyed immensely. The sheer freedom of it all¡­the uncharted, unbound possibilities¡­.


    It called to something, deep within my soul.


    But that was the thing, wasn¡¯t it? I loved sailing with pirates.


    Not, as it turned out, on merchant vessels. And not with a Kawamaran merchant, at that.


    It was so stifling.


    Normally, I could appreciate the very formal, rigid rules of Kawamaran society. Once you learned them, it helped to smooth almost every single interaction over. It was nearly ritualistic, honestly. If you acted properly, you could predict nearly every encounter you would have with a Kawamaran man or woman.


    But that same ritualism ruined sailing for me.


    The Captain of this vessel wouldn¡¯t let me help out around the ship at all. I couldn¡¯t help the deckhands swab, I couldn¡¯t maintain the rigging, I couldn¡¯t man the crow¡¯s nest, hell! I couldn¡¯t even volunteer in the galley.


    For as enthusiastic as the man had been to accept us aboard his vessel, it was like he didn¡¯t even want our group to step foot outside of our cabins. Captain Satoru had, in a very strained, very polite, and very Kawamaran manner, requested that we not interfere with the workings of his ship.


    Those words were pretty much meant for Bella and I.


    We were the only ones who were trying his patience. Azarus could take or leave the entire sailing experience, in the end. He had no problem pretty much snoozing the trip away in his bunk. Renauld, as I had learned months previously, wasn¡¯t the only Gnoll who didn¡¯t care much for the process either. Liora very pointedly had a tendency to stay out of sight during voyages like this one.


    All the salt in the air didn¡¯t agree with fur.


    And Venix had parked himself in a cross-legged position near the stern of the ship, closed his eyes, and started meditating on that first day. I hadn¡¯t even seen the Cultivating Antium so much as twitch an eyelid in the entire time we¡¯d been sailing. He sure as hell hadn¡¯t reacted when the Captain had tried to ask him to move.


    Eventually, the man had just given up and instructed his crew to swab around the samurai.


    Which left Bella and I.


    We were restless.


    Bella, I think, because sailing was her life. She¡¯d spent decades upon the waves of Vereden, and had no intention of ever stopping. She lived and breathed the salt, and would die upon it one day, completely content and never once feeling that she had wasted her time among the living. As much as she respected the sovereignty of a Captain aboard their own vessel, she also wanted to keep busy and contribute in some way. I did too, honestly. I think the inaction the Captain was forcing into us made both of our skins itch.


    And so, the two of us were leaning against the railing not far from the meditating form of Venix.


    Sulking.


    I sighed, gazing out at the horizon behind the Kaminari Maru, as we sailed towards Goryuen. It had been three days by now aboard this vessel, and hopefully, the trip would be over soon. We¡¯d encountered enough fair winds that it was possible we would reach the isle quicker than expected, according to an antsy Bella. Said Pirate Captain was to my left with her back to the ocean, while I was looking out at it.


    I broke the silence between us. ¡°Is¡­this¡­¡± I said, gesturing to pretty much the entirety of the ship around us with my gloved prosthetic hand. ¡°Common, with merchants?¡±


    We knew each other well enough by now that Bella could guess what I meant.


    She twitched one shoulder in response. ¡°Sorta,¡± Bella muttered dourly. ¡°It¡¯s why I didn¡¯t stick around, after I signed up with one of ¡®em.¡±


    I cut my gaze over to her in surprise, one eyebrow raised. ¡°I thought you were pretty much raised by Cassandra? When did you ever have a chance to become a merchant?¡±


    Bella crossed her arms and frowned. Not at me, or even the ship itself. I think it was just the past she was frowning at. ¡°Well¡­,¡± She drawled. ¡°Cass is real big on personal freedoms, as ye can imagine.¡±


    I sure could.


    ¡°And so, when I came of age, she gave me a choice,¡± Bella continued. ¡°I could sign up with Marrowmist, and try my best ta attract a crew. Or I could hitch a ride out with one of our suppliers, and try my hand on a ship that was on the right side of the law. This was after I¡¯d done me years as a ship rat aboard Cass¡¯s flagship.¡± She sighed, cutting her eyes over to me with a wry look. ¡°I actually tried, ye know?¡±


    I raised my other eyebrow to join its twin, and turned around to join Bella with her back to the sea. ¡°No shit?¡±


    Bella smirked and nodded. ¡°Yup, and I lasted all o¡¯ a month. Hated it. Too¡­stuffy, too hidebound fer my tastes. Not quite as bad as all o¡¯ this,¡± She said, gesturing with one finger towards the Maru in much the same way I had. ¡°But more than enough ta send me flyin¡¯ back ta the Mists. ¡®Honest¡¯ work just weren¡¯t fer me. At least¡­not if I weren¡¯t at the helm. So I gathered me own crew, and struck out on me own.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    I snorted before nudging her with one elbow. ¡°And now you and your crew are one of those crews on the right side of the law,¡± I said teasingly. ¡°You¡¯re under contract with Grey, now.¡±


    To my surprise, Bella sighed at that and nodded. ¡°Aye, fer at least another five years,¡± She said morosely. ¡°That¡¯s how long the damned exile is gonna last. But, Nate?¡± She turned to me with a serious look in her eyes then. ¡°Once that¡¯s up, I¡¯m heading back to Marrowmist. It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s me home. And I don¡¯t think I could live the rest of me life in the shippin¡¯ business. It¡­ain¡¯t just the sailin¡¯ I love.¡±


    Ah.


    I see. I¡­couldn¡¯t relate with that. I was a bit¡­uncomfortable, with the implications of piracy. I¡¯d had no problems with the whole thing, while the entire southern half of the continent was embroiled in civil war. During that time most pirate crews had sided with the Uprising and turned their raiding upon the Loyalists, either under the banner of the Bluebacks or Freefief. But that was over, now.


    While a ton of pirate crews had taken the chance to ¡®go legit¡¯, Marrowmist as the biggest hive of them had just barely eked out a stance of true neutrality. And with the war over, their normal activities would likely resume.


    Marrowmist might have been the most civil of the pirate collectives, but¡­


    They were still pirates.


    And in piracy, innocents were sometimes caught in the crossfire.


    In much the same way a young Bella had been.


    I carefully kept the frown threatening to creep across my face at bay. In my mind, the end of Bella¡¯s exile¡­it probably meant the end of whatever was growing between us. I had¡­problems with the practice of piracy. To me, it scourged people in much the same way that slavery did.


    And I¡­doubted I would be able to sway Bella from the life she loved.


    This relationship, such as it was, had a time limit.


    I changed the subject before things could become awkward. ¡°Speaking of the ¡®life¡¯,¡± I said, lowering my voice. ¡°Are there any homegrown Kawamaran operations?¡±


    Bella tilted her head up in thought. ¡°Yeah,¡± She said quietly, after a moment. ¡°But they ain¡¯t got an enclave like us Herztals. And it¡¯s generally harder fer them ta do it, out here. Not because of the Imps. It¡¯s the monsters out here, keep piratin¡¯ down.¡±


    I furrowed my brow. ¡°I thought sea monsters were relatively rare, out on the open waters?¡±


    That was something I had learned during my time out on the ocean. Apparently, it wasn¡¯t common for monsters to form in the lightless depths. Not impossible.


    Just rare.


    Something about the Aetheric properties of the ocean kept monsters from forming to the same degree that they did upon land. Most water-borne monsters tended to form along the shorelines and thus haunted them. Even the Frostbrine sea-spiders we¡¯d encountered back in the caves under Caer Drarrow stalked the shores of the frozen north, instead of venturing far out to sea.


    ¡°Why¡­?¡±


    My wordless question was answered by an unexpected source.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Oni,¡± I heard a deep voice say from behind me and to my right. My eyebrows shot up, and I turned to face the speaker.


    It was Venix. He had opened his eyes after days and days of deep meditation to fix me with a serious stare. ¡°They do not need to breathe,¡± He said shortly. ¡°And they are always venturing toward Goryuen, from all corners of the Empire. What that means is that the Oni simply walk along the ocean floor to the isle.¡±


    I blinked at that, before a chill ran down my spine. The Oni walked to Goryuen? Like, along the sea floor?


    I warily looked down at my feet to the deck of the ship below, as if I could look through them to the ocean bedrock below.


    If Venix was right¡­there could be any number of Oni waiting below us right now.


    When I look back up, I saw that Venix had a small, nearly infinitesimal smile on his chitinous face. He shook his head at me. ¡°Do not worry,¡± He said. ¡°The Oni travel routes to the Isle of the Dragon are well known to the Kawamaran merchant fleet.¡±


    Bella pushed off of the railing to nod at him. ¡°Which is why the Imps don¡¯t let other ships navigate these waters,¡± She said wryly. ¡°It¡¯s a spider-web of Oni roads in all directions. If ye don¡¯t know the right route ta take, ye¡¯ll run right over one of them. Yer liable to have a great big brute zip outta the water then and club ya good. Lights out then, fer most merchant tubs out here.¡±


    I furrowed my brow. ¡°What about passage between the islands?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°Or, hell. Even on approach to the islands. Are there Oni roads there? I don¡¯t remember us taking any special routes.¡±


    Venix shook his head, but it was Bella who answered. ¡°Nah, the knowledge of the Oni roads between the isles is public knowledge,¡± She said. ¡°Everyone knows how ta avoid ¡®em. The Imps only keep knowledge about Goryuen secret, so no damn fool tries ta set foot on it.¡±


    We were interrupted, then, by the sound of shouting from above. Looking up, I could see that the lookout in the crows next of the Kaminari Maru was yelling and waving his hands frantically. For a moment, his words didn¡¯t reach me, over the roar of the waves around us. But I heard him, eventually.


    ¡°Captain! Captain!¡± The young man was shouting desperately. Across the deck from us, near the helm, Captain Satoru looked up in confusion.


    ¡°What is it?¡± He called up.


    The young man took a deep breath. ¡°Land!¡± He bellowed. ¡°Land on the horizon!¡±


    I felt a relieved smile start to edge its way onto my face at his words, if not his tone. It looks like this frustrating voyage would soon be over. That had to be Goryuen he was speaking about.


    His next words wiped the smile from my countenance.


    ¡°Ships on the shore!¡± He continued, just as loudly. By this point, most of the deck had stopped their duties to watch the announcement. His words caused a wave of silence to roll through the sailors. ¡°Flying unknown colors!¡±


    I took a deep breath then before looking over at Bella. My friend and occasional lover had a confused frown on her face. ¡°So much for secret routes.¡±


    Bella shot me a dirty look but ignored my words otherwise. Instead, she hurried after Captain Satoru as he nearly tripped down the stairs to the bow of the ship. Venix rose from his cross-legged position to follow after, and I copied him. As we stepped onto the main deck, I saw Azarus poke his head out of the door that led to the cabins below. ¡°What¡¯s goin¡¯ on?¡± He asked over all the raised voices.


    I just shook my head at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s probably trouble. Get the others.¡±


    Azarus furrowed his brow but nodded at me and retreated inside.


    Meanwhile, I hurried to join the group at the bow. There, the Captain, his first mate, Bella, and Venix were peering over the horizon in one way or another. Both ship Captains had far-eyes out and were peering through them, while I saw a strange glint in Venix¡¯s compound eyes as he squinted into the distance. After a moment, I heard Bella curse loudly, causing the first mate to eye her with disdain. She just ignored him and kept looking.


    ¡°I don¡¯t recognize that banner,¡± I heard Captain Satoru say with a frown audible in his voice.


    Bella lowered her far-eye to scowl over the horizon. ¡°I do,¡± She said grumpily, as Venix seemed to spot the same thing they did. The Antium man let out a long, drawn out sigh as he folded his four arms into his sleeves. He almost seemed irritated.


    As Azarus, Liora, and Renauld wandered up to join us, Bella shoved the far-eye into my chest. ¡°Ye will too,¡± She said with a frown, nodding over the horizon.


    I took the hint and raised the far-eye to take a look.


    She was right.


    I did recognize them.


    ¡°Shit,¡± I said with a growing frown, lowering the small telescope.


    ¡°That¡¯s the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame.¡±

 Chapter 239 - Flaming Parley

    ¡°The hell are they doin¡¯ here?¡± Azarus asked aloud.


    I shared a look with the rest of my companions before shaking my head and raising the far-eye again. After a moment of study, I frowned in confusion. ¡°It¡­looks like they built a base?¡±


    And they had.


    The ¡®island¡¯ itself wasn¡¯t as small as I had been expecting it to be. In my mind, on the way here, I had thought that it was just some small spit of land with an equally small mountain and some sparse jungle surrounding it, absolutely packed with Oni.


    That wasn¡¯t the case.


    Goryuen might as well be another continent, from what I could see.


    The horizon was dominated by dense, tall trees from which I could only see darkness within. The island itself was bearded by an endless stretch of the purest, whitest sandy beach that I had ever seen, on either Earth or Vereden. Just barely visible over the gargantuan treetops of the jungle that covered the island might have been the peaks of distant mountains. However, they were so far away, even through the far eye, that I could only make out a sliver of their pointed tips over the foliage. But in addition to all of that, was the feeling of Goryuen. The alien, sinister aura of the island itself¡­


    Felt like it was watching us, almost. I shivered at the near awareness I could sense in the Aether of Goryuen, even as far from the island as we were. It was like there were invisible eyes watching from somewhere just out of phase with reality, and they were not friendly. There was an indescribable feeling of disdain and hatred in that unseen gaze.


    Whatever it was, it didn¡¯t want us here.


    That wasn¡¯t even considering what the Solstice¡¯s Flame guys were doing. Through the far eye that Bella had given me, I could see hundreds and hundreds of them scurrying about on the white sands of the beach. Dozens and dozens of orange and grey tents bearing their flaming spear and shield logo crouched upon the ivory banks like the shells of enormous crabs. Floating just offshore from the island were well over a dozen ships of all shapes and sizes, proudly flying the banner of their Order.


    Some of those ships were much, much bigger than the Kaminari Maru. Hell, some of them were the largest ships I had ever seen period. These weren¡¯t merchant vessels like what we were on.


    These were warships.


    I lowered the far-eye to shift my gaze over to Captain Satoru. I found the man looking as alarmed as I felt.


    That is, nearly panicking.


    I took a breath to calm myself and then spoke. ¡°Can we run?¡± I asked him.


    Bella answered for him. ¡°Ain¡¯t no use,¡± She said bluntly, shaking her head. ¡°If we¡¯ve seen them, they¡¯ve seen us. Probably hours before we did anyway. And we wouldn¡¯t be able ta run far in the first place. Those are some nasty lookin¡¯ girls out there,¡± She said, in a half-admiring tone. ¡°If I know my Herztalian naval doctrine right¡­¡±


    The pirate captain didn¡¯t get the chance to elaborate. The lookout up in the crow''s nest suddenly began to shout again, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. The man was frantic, nearly screaming as he pointed off to the side. Everyone followed his gesticulation, and when we did, moans of despair went up among the crew. I myself felt the bottom of my stomach drop out.


    Not far from our position had been some jutting spires of rock off the shore of Goryuen. Initially, I had paid them no mind. You saw things like that all the time out on the seas of Vereden.


    I wish I had paid them more attention because two ships had appeared out from behind a collection of them. They had obviously been hiding behind those spits, predators lying in wait for their prey.


    And these ships were on a direct intercept course with the Kaminari Maru, flying the colors of the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame.


    ¡°And there they are,¡± Bella said, waving a hand out at the approaching ships. ¡°Two interceptor frigates, about the same size as me own ship.¡± She shook her head. ¡°No way this tub is gonna outrun one o¡¯ them.¡±


    Captain Satoru shot Bella a dirty look, but still nodded. ¡°The woman is unfortunately right,¡± Suddenly, the merchant Captain turned away from us to address his crew. ¡°Men! Gather on deck and prepare to-!¡±


    Venix reached out and clasped one enormous hand on the Captain''s shoulder, cutting his words short. ¡°No,¡± He said with finality, his eyes tracking the approaching ships. I was surprised at the calculating look I saw in those chitinous orbs.


    ¡°Venix?¡± I asked cautiously.


    He looked away from the ships and down at the Captain, ignoring me. ¡°You will all die if you try and fight,¡± He said, meeting Satoru¡¯s eyes. ¡°These people are known to us. They are a powerful renegade Sect. You must let us handle this matter.¡±


    Sect? I¡¯d never heard that term before.


    Those words must have meant something to the Captain, because he slumped in Venix¡¯s grasp. ¡°I see,¡± He said quietly. Seeing that his words had been received, Venix withdrew his hand. I don¡¯t think the Captain even noticed, as he turned to address his men again. ¡°Men, gather upon the deck to¡­greet our oncoming guests. Perhaps¡­perhaps it will help to have tribute prepared?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Furl the sails. They¡¯ll do us no good.¡±


    I blinked at the near defeated tone in Satoru¡¯s voice, as well as the morose air that came over the crew of the Kaminari Maru. Most of the seamen, Captain included, got to work bringing the ship to a halt.


    Leaving me and my companions alone at the bow. I turned my gaze to Venix, tilting my head in thought. ¡°What¡¯s the play?¡± I said, after a moment.


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    Venix subtly shook his massive head, looking back at the Solstice ships. They weren¡¯t far from us by now. More than in range for the bowmen I could see on their decks to pick us off one by one. Their weapons were drawn, but not raised. For now. ¡°I ask that you extend your trust,¡± The Antium man said simply.


    I gazed at him pensively for a moment, before cutting my eyes over to look at Azarus standing to my right. It was a bit embarrassing to admit, but I tended to trust my dwarven friend¡¯s intuition about these matters more than I did my own. He¡­didn¡¯t seem to be alarmed by Venix¡¯s request. The former noble just had his arms crossed over his broad chest and was watching the oncoming ships with a steady gaze.


    I looked back at Venix and nodded. ¡°Alright,¡± I said finally. ¡°We¡¯ll do this your way.¡±


    Something in Venix¡¯s eyes glinted and he nodded at me. He stepped past us and over to the railing, where one of the Solstice ships was angling their broadside up to the Maru. The rest of our party followed in his wake, while the crew of the ship gathered upon the deck. I noticed that some of them were carrying either jingling sacks or even various trinkets. Captain Satoru was even among them and oddly seemed content to stand back and let others dictate the fate of his ship. Strange behavior from a Captain, in my experience.


    I crossed my arms as grappling hooks sailed over the space between the Maru and the lead Solstice ship. Across the gap, I could see a number of what looked to be Solstice officers, clad in the same orange and grey armor that I had seen on the classers Nerexxa had ensorcelled. Even from a considerable distance away, I could tell these were guys you didn¡¯t want to mess with. Once upon a time, I think I would have even been intimidated by their tall, well-armed figures.


    Not anymore, though. I¡¯d grown to the extent that I honestly thought I could take them, even without the backup of my friends.


    Well.


    If they weren¡¯t outranging me on a ship, that is.


    When the lead ship was close enough, two of the Solstice crewmen leveraged a long plank across the gap and dropped it. The sound of the wood clattering down onto the deck of the Kaminari Maru echoed out across the waters around us like a ringing gong.


    Silence filled the air for a moment before the lead figure among the Solstice members pierced it.


    ¡°Ho there!¡± He called, his voice echoing out of the helmet he wore. I noticed that this man was wearing some officer''s pips on the leather strap of his breastplate. He had to be an officer, but from the looks of it, not a very high one. ¡°What brings you to these waters, friends?¡±


    Oddly friendly greeting there, for a man who had just waylaid us.


    I heard Captain Satoru splutter in indignation from behind us, but he didn¡¯t speak up. I didn¡¯t blame him.


    Venix was unphased. ¡°I must ask you the same question, Lieutenant,¡± He called back. ¡°We have come to these waters by right of the River Throne. We bring with us a permit to step foot upon this isle. Can you and yours say the same?¡±


    His words caused a stir among the Solstice members and a visible change in their demeanor. Resignation filled some of the bare faces I could see, but not the hopeless kind. There was a firmness to the set of their shoulders that spoke of their resilience. The lead officer, a Lieutenant apparently, was unmoved.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know, my good man!¡± He returned cheerfully. ¡°That sounds like something most definitely above my pay grade! Do I have your permission to come aboard, so we can discuss this matter like the gentlemen we so clearly are?¡±


    ¡°You do not,¡± Venix replied immediately.


    The subtle tension that had filled the air since the dropping of the plank ratcheted up a notch. I saw smirks and smiles vanish from the faces of number of opposing crewmen.


    If I didn¡¯t have a hold of my expression, I probably would have echoed that.


    What were you playing at, Venix?


    The Lieutenant was silent for a moment. ¡°May I ask why?¡±


    Venix stepped forward and onto the plank himself, causing Solstice hands to fly to weapons. He didn¡¯t react at all, though. He merely stood upon the plank and did not proceed further. Somehow, I got the impression that he had met the Lieutenant¡¯s eyes across the shortened distance. ¡°Because you are exiles,¡± He said patiently. ¡°The Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame was stripped of their charter, in the aftermath of the Construct War. What guarantee do we have that a disgraced Martial Order shall adhere to the rules of parley?¡±


    Huh.


    That was news to me. I actually hadn¡¯t heard anything about the fate of the Order of Solstices¡¯s Flame. To be fair, it hadn¡¯t been news I¡¯d ever gone looking for. There was a ton of little details that had been coming out of Herztal about the aftermath of the war, and I didn¡¯t really¡­care about all of them. What had happened to an opposing Order that I¡¯d had a handful of encounters with hadn¡¯t exactly topped my list.


    Outright scowls crept onto lips across from us now, and I saw one Solstice member spit off to his side.


    The Lieutenant put his hands on his hips then. ¡°Well, then we appear to be at an impasse, my friend,¡± He said in an exasperated tone. ¡°We can¡¯t keep shouting across the drink at each other all day, now can we?¡±


    ¡°This is true,¡± Venix said, nodding. ¡°In which case, I have a proposal.¡±


    The Solstice Lieutenant looked around in a showy manner, before looking back at Venix. ¡°Well? I¡¯m all ears.¡±


    ¡°If you are here,¡± Venix said, ignoring the theatrics of the officer. ¡°Then Grandmaster Shacklock must be on that beach. Escort us to the island so that we may treat with the man.¡±


    Across the gap, the Lieutenant crossed his arms in thought, visibly eyeing Venix. ¡°That sure is an idea,¡± He said doubtfully. ¡°But there¡¯s a problem with that, my friend. See, my orders are to politely discourage any ships from making berth at the island, other than our own. And you don¡¯t look to be flying a flaming spear.¡±


    Venix tilted his head at the officer. ¡°This is true,¡± He said mildly. ¡°But there are two things you are not considering. The first is that this is an officially chartered vessel of the Empire of Kawamara, carrying an imperially recognized scouting team. We are bound for that isle, and have full authority to step foot on it. I somehow doubt you have the same. It would be¡­unwise, to make further enemies of those whose land you squat upon.¡±


    The Lieutenant was silent for a moment. ¡°Not a bad argument,¡± He said eventually. ¡°I¡¯ll grant you that. But you said you had two reasons. What¡¯s the second, my good man?¡±


    Venix crossed all four of his arms, copying the officer. ¡°Because the Grandmaster and I are acquainted,¡± He said. ¡°He will want to see me.¡±


    Abruptly, the Lieutenant sighed heavily. ¡°Oh, this is too much of a headache,¡± He groaned, before waving a hand irritably. ¡°The old man can handle this. You can have your audience, my friend. Just¡­just get off my plank, would you? We¡¯ll escort you to shore.¡±


    Venix inclined his head and stepped backward onto the deck of the Maru. Moments later, the plank was retracted.


    I eyed Venix, as he turned to look at the gathered occupants of the ship. ¡°Not¡­how I would have done things,¡± I said diplomatically. ¡°A bit antagonistic.¡±


    Azarus rubbed his chin next to me. ¡°Ain¡¯t ever met this Grandmaster,¡± He mused. ¡°He a reasonable man?¡±


    Strangely, Venix barked out a short laugh. ¡°No,¡± He said, his amusement obvious in his voice. ¡°He is not. But he will listen to me. You shall see. Captain Satoru, I suggest you remain on the ship while we negotiate with the Grandmaster.¡±


    The Captain eyed Venix with irritation but nodded nonetheless. ¡°As you say,¡± He said, before turning to his crew. In moments, he had them scurrying about to get the ship underway. As they were leaving, I caught sight of the Captain whispering with his first mate. He noticed my spying and shot me a narrowed glance, and hurried away himself.


    I crossed my arms, standing with my companions as the sails unfurled once more only moments later, and the Kaminari Maru glided through the water once more, following the Solstice ships.


    I guess I was about to meet Grandmaster Shacklock. Didn¡¯t Grey hate him or something?


    Seems I was going to find out why, soon.

 Chapter 240 - Madman Interjection

    In minutes, we had reached the shore of Goryuen, traveling in the wake of the two Solstice ships. There wasn¡¯t a real dock constructed on the beach just yet, despite all the construction underway. Captain Satoru parked the Kaminari Maru not far from shore and then prepped one of the lifeboats to ferry us onto it.


    Azarus, Liora, Bella, Renauld, Venix, and I all piled into the boat after taking the time to gear up below. It had been a few weeks since I had seen all of us decked out in full combat uniform. Last time had been during our Oni hunt.


    Myself included.


    I had thrown on the armor I had forged and hewn with Azarus¡¯s help, once I¡¯d started getting into fights again here in Kawamara. I didn¡¯t have my Order of the Eclipsed Dawn armor anymore since I¡­well. I wasn¡¯t really a member anymore. With the dissolution of the Nocturne Division, I had deliberately resigned my commission and intended to stick to that decision.


    I may have been Grey¡¯s official apprentice, but that didn¡¯t obligate me to be a member of his paramilitary organization.


    It¡¯d taken me a while to realize that.


    I¡¯d turned it into the Order quartermaster before I had left Elderwyck. Which had left me high and dry without real protection.


    With Azarus¡¯s help, we¡¯d designed something to my current tastes. While I wasn¡¯t particularly interested in being an assassin anymore, I also wasn¡¯t interested in becoming a full-on heavily armored knight. I still wanted the ability to be stealthy if I needed to be.


    We had settled on a form of light interlocking armor plates over silk. I¡¯d never worked with silk before stepping foot on Kawamara, and I¡¯d found that the mystically treated version of it they had here was far superior to most leathers. And since I was so associated with Oninite in these isles, and had such easy access to it thanks to my supplier, I¡¯d forged those plates from my rapidly becoming signature metal. The black and blue of the metal contrasted nicely with the red and black dyed silk of the under armor, if I said so myself. The armor was capped off with some sturdy knee-high plated boots, and some equally long, plated gloves. Partly to hide the length of my Primordium arm, honestly. A thick, dark blue hooded cloak completed the ensemble.


    I was thankful for the cooling and heating enchantments that had been layered over that cloak. In the jungle heat that I was already feeling from Goryuen, I think I would have drowned in my own sweat without the cooling. I...didn''t yet have the Enchanting ability to craft those arrays myself, so I had commissioned them from a local Hinagan man.


    My supply pouch, complete with new Bond Breaker lay at the small of my back, while my extendable daggers lay in sheathes on either side of my waist. Terractus was just beneath the dagger on my left hip, the gold of its horns prominently visible. In my right hand, I carried the blackened staff I had inherited from Tlazo, with its gleaming amber crystal at the top, cradled in a basket of ebony wood. I''d left my bow behind on the ship, since I wasn''t sure I''d need it just yet.


    I felt ready, no matter what we would encounter down on that beach.


    Which¡­made me feel all the more foolish, when I was placed on rowing duty with Azarus. The two of us exchanged a look as we took an oar and got to work, our respective armors clanking with the repetitive motions. The rocking of the boat made his shield and hammer, strapped to his back, clang loudly from the motions.


    Venix, the prick, stood upon the bow of the tiny boat with his arms crossed while Liora and Renauld sat comfortably behind him. The Antium man looked like George Washington proudly braving the Delaware River with his white robe flapping in the island wind. Bella, meanwhile, turned around in her seat to smirk at me teasingly, very much aware of how tedious it was to power oars. She wasn¡¯t the type of woman to take circumstances like this very seriously. I just glowered at the smug pirate for a moment before shaking it off.


    Now wasn¡¯t the time. Not with the ¡®welcoming committee¡¯ I could see forming on the beach in front of us.


    That was¡­a lot of Solstice classers.


    Not all of them looked very friendly


    The Lieutenant from earlier had reached the beach before we had and looked to be arguing with a group of other officers who had pushed their way through the watching crowd. If I had to guess from their dress, all of these guys were much higher up on the proverbial totem pole than the affable helmet head we had spoken to. Thankfully, none of them were as outright wary as some of the onlookers were. However, more than one considering frown was being sent our way across the beach, as our lifeboat slid up it to rest on the white sands.


    By the time I had climbed out of the rowboat to step foot on Goryuen for the first time, the gathered officers were already approaching us. Venix stood at the front of our procession waiting for them patiently, his arms still folded over his chest. The Gnolls and Bella had already joined him and were waiting for Azarus and I. I worked the tension out of my shoulders and then exchanged a nod with said Dwarf, and jogged up just in time for the Solstice officers to come to a halt before us.


    They spoke first.


    ¡°Captain Wernstrom, Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame,¡± The lead officer, a bald, middle-aged man with a truly impressive steel grey beard said in a clipped tone. ¡°You are the delegation from the River Throne?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at the man. ¡°Not¡­exactly,¡± I said when Venix didn¡¯t immediately speak up.


    The Captain switched his gaze over to me and frowned harder. ¡°Be clear, man. Are you or aren¡¯t you representatives of Kawamara?¡±


    ¡°We are scouts,¡± Venix finally said, drawing the attention of the officers. ¡°Granted leave by the Emperor to search the Imperial Garden for a specific purpose. We do not represent the throne.¡±


    Wernstrom¡¯s brow furrowed, but it was another officer who spoke first. ¡°Who are you then? Why did you inform Lieutenant Salzen that you wished to speak to the Grandmaster?¡±


    Venix took a deep breath then. ¡°I,¡± He said almost proudly. ¡°Am Venix, sworn sword of the Shadowed Sun.¡±


    Oh man. That wasn¡¯t going to go over well.


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    Sure enough, the mood around us immediately changed. Where before our group was merely being regarded with suspicion, that had changed. Now there was a great deal of hostility in the air. No blades had been drawn yet, but there were certainly a number of hands resting on hilts now.


    Captain Wernstrom narrowed his eyes at us, the numerous creases around them forming an imposing spiderweb of distrust. ¡°What are a bunch of Eclipsed Dawn mutts doing all the way out here?¡±


    Okay.


    I know Venix had asked me to trust him and let him handle this. But I think he needed a bit of¡­help, with the delicacies of negotiation.


    I handed my staff off to Azarus and stepped forward, holding my hand''s palm flat before me. ¡°Peace, Captain Wernstrom,¡± I said, in as disarming a tone as I could muster. ¡°None of us here are direct members of the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn. Not any longer. We are here on private matters and were quite surprised to see you and your compatriots on this¡­quite restricted island. As such, we merely thought to investigate the matter on behalf of our benefactors,¡± I stressed the word. ¡°Among the Imperial court.¡±


    To my surprise, someone unexpected pushed their way through the crowd. It wasn¡¯t anyone I personally knew, but I hadn¡¯t expected to see someone like them among the Solstice members.


    It was a Kawamaran man around my own age, dressed in a similar manner to Venix. The man wore a green robe decorated with crimson spider lilies, while underneath it I could see hardy leather armor. At his side, he carried a katana in much the same manner I had seen other samurai in Hinaga.


    The man narrowed his black eyes at me specifically and pointed an accusing finger. ¡°Prove it,¡± He said suspiciously. ¡°If you are truly here by the grace of the court, you should have a permit.¡±


    I nodded slowly at the man. ¡°I do in fact have one. I even have it on me,¡± I said, reaching behind my back. The move caused the tension in the air to ratchet up sharply, making me freeze in place. I eyed the gathered classers warily. ¡°Gentlemen, I need to retrieve the writ if I am to present it for inspection.¡±


    The Captain and the samurai exchanged glances before Wernstrom nodded at me sharply. ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    I did as he asked, withdrawing the writ of permission that Masayuki had presented to me. Unfurling it, I held it out for the samurai. He strode up to me and veritably snatched the piece of parchment out of my hand and then back away.


    The watching crowd held its breath while the samurai inspected the writ.


    ¡°Well, Kazuma?¡± Captain Wernstrom asked promptingly. ¡°Is it a real document?¡±


    After a moment, ¡®Kazuma¡¯ looked up from the document and gave the older man a reluctant nod. ¡°Yes, Captain. This is a real writ of travel, issued by the Imperial court. You cannot truly forge the Emperor¡¯s seal.¡±


    ¡°Well, well, well,¡± A strangely high-pitched, creaky voice called out causing the surrounding soldiers to still. In contrast, the officers jumped to attention, spinning in place to face the direction the voice had come from. ¡°What do we have here, eh?¡±


    In an oddly guilty manner, the crowd shifted out of the way to reveal the speaker, while Captain Wernstrom and the officers bowed their heads in respect. ¡°Grandmaster Shacklock, sir.¡±


    So.


    This was Shacklock.


    He¡­wasn¡¯t what I had been expecting.


    I hadn¡¯t heard all that much about the man over the months, since we had first encountered the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame back at Helstein. The only thing I had ever learned about the man was that he and Grey had some form of mutual antipathy going on. In a moment of outright callousness, my mentor had told me once that he would probably celebrate if the man dropped dead. What¡­I had taken away from that was that the two of them had been bothering each other for a long, long time. Another of Herztal¡¯s old monsters, in essence.


    And he looked like a complete buffoon.


    The Grandmaster of the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame looked like someone¡¯s shlubby grandad. The man was short and slightly stooped over, holding himself up with a stout wooden cane hewn from what looked to be cherry wood. Visible blue veins stood out underneath his paper-thin skin as his boney hand clutched at the knob on his walking stick tightly. Despite his bent back, the man¡¯s figure was actually whipcord thin and shockingly muscled despite his apparent advanced age.


    Over which he was wearing what might be the loudest, most ridiculous coat I had ever seen. It was bright, bright orange, for one, with loud red, green, and even blue and yellow accents. The colors blended together in a near tye-dye manner, as if it was mimicking a social movement from decades in Earth¡¯s past. It hung almost limply over the man¡¯s bony shoulders, trailing in the white sand of the beach below. While that¡­thing he was wearing was downright hideous, the Herztalian officer¡¯s uniform he was wearing underneath it was shockingly mundane. The contrast between the two was so jarring that it took me a moment to notice the hat.


    The cowboy hat.


    The bright green, dyed leather cowboy hat, in a style that made me think the man was an old West cattle wrangler.


    I¡­


    They had those here? I had never seen them before! Not once!


    I almost wanted to laugh hysterically at the man, before I caught sight of what was beneath that hat. I only barely registered the shock of bright white wispy hair that stuck out on either side of the hideous hat. Instead, it was Shacklock¡¯s eyes that drew my own.


    This man was insane.


    Batshit, bugfuck, crazy.


    The glint in his beady black eyes told that Grandmaster Shacklock had no regard for me, or anyone else for that matter. We were all just window dressing upon reality to this old monster, tools and toys to be played with and discarded at a whim. I¡¯m not sure that even Nerexxa could have topped Shacklock in pure insanity.


    Did he even see the same things the rest of the planet did? I¡­I couldn¡¯t be sure.


    And by the crooked grin on his thin lips, he knew that I knew that he knew that I knew¡­.


    I shuddered and broke the gaze with the enemy Grandmaster.


    I think I had just seen something I wasn¡¯t supposed to.


    A barked laugh from in front of me made me look back at him. But this time, I was careful not to look the man in the eyes.


    Shacklock was shaking his head. ¡°Oh ho ho ho,¡± He said mockingly. ¡°I know who this lot is. I¡¯ve even crossed blades with one of ¡®em!¡± He slapped his knee and laughed out loud, free and clear. ¡°Venix, you old sack of bug guts, how are ya! Why, how long has it been?¡±


    Venix wasn¡¯t intimidated by the old man, even though I could tell the rest of my companions were at least a little fazed by him. ¡°Not long enough, madman,¡± He said, unblinking. ¡°I believe it was the battle of Ryesfeld.¡±


    Shacklock nodded faux wisely, stroking the white stubble on his pointy chin. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. Ryesfeld. I remember now. I stuck ya like a hog and then kicked your carcass off my spear like it was said hogs shit. I left ya bleeding in that field, sure you were done for,¡± He laughed again, sweeping off his hat to waggle it at Venix mockingly, with the hand not on his cane. I was somehow unsurprised to see that the man¡¯s only hair was the two tufts that stuck out from the sides of his head. The rest of the geriatrics liver spot dotted chrome dome was so smooth it gleamed in the sun. ¡°Boy was I surprised when I saw ya again in the capital.¡±


    The Antium man was unmoved by the old man¡¯s mocking. Instead, he just inclined his head. ¡°Would that be the capital that you are now barred from, old monster?¡±


    The smile on Shacklock¡¯s face dimmed slightly. He snorted, putting his vomit-inducingly ugly hat back on his head. ¡°Ain¡¯t gotta piss on my parade like that,¡± He muttered grumpily, before sighing loudly. ¡°Oh, what do you want? Why are you on my damn island?¡±


    ¡°Your island?¡± I muttered to myself.


    Turns out, I wasn¡¯t quiet enough. Shacklock¡¯s beady little eyes zeroed in on me in a second. ¡°You¡¯re damn right my island!¡± He snapped, before taking a closer look at me. He tilted his head in thought, tapping his lips. ¡°Say, you look familiar boy. Do I know you from somewhere? I kill your pa, perhaps?¡±


    I tensed up a little at Shacklock¡¯s regard. ¡°No. I-¡±


    I didn¡¯t get the chance to speak any further. Shacklock¡¯s eyes lit up, and he snapped his fingers. ¡°I remember now! I saw a sketch of ya last year from a Loyalist profile!¡± He crowed, pointing a crooked finger at me. ¡°You¡¯re old Greycton¡¯s newest little apprentice! The hell are ya doing here, boy?¡±


    Something happened then that caused my blood to run cold. The maniac¡¯s face abruptly went cold, as all emotion seemingly vanished from him. He eyed me in much the same way the lion does the gazelle.


    ¡°You lookin¡¯ to die or somethin¡¯?¡±

 Chapter 241 - Time Limit

    The air on the beach grew quiet and still in the wake of Shacklock¡¯s threat. A feeling began to sweep through the gathered classers and officers of the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame. Where before they were mistrustful of our group, now there was a sense of active hostility. The strange Kawamaran samurai even seemed to have been caught up in the confrontation, his grip on his katana strengthening in the wake of Shacklock¡¯s threat. Dozens of narrowed eyes peered at our group as hands began to creep towards and tighten on weapons.


    And not just among the Solstice members.


    Well used to working in our group by now, Renauld had slowly moved to the rear of our formation. If a fight broke out, it was standard procedure for Healers like him to keep behind the front liners to better tend to our wounds from a distance. Meanwhile, Azarus had squared up to my right while Bella did the same on my left. Conspicuously, neither of them had drawn their respective weapons, and yet there was a tenseness in their frames that spoke for the capacity of violence. Just behind me, I could sense that Liora had angled her way into my shadow. She wasn¡¯t outright invisible, but she had lowered her profile for potential combat in a way I knew they had taught in the Nocturne Division.


    In contrast, only three people on this beach hadn¡¯t reacted to the Grandmaster¡¯s agitations.


    Venix, for one, hadn¡¯t shifted an inch. The Antium samurai was unmoved and unphased, still standing with all four of his arms folded. His chitinous eyes remained fixed on the man who had just threatened to kill me.


    I¡­was one of those people as well.


    After all I had been through, and the soul-shuddering potency of might I had been in the presence of back in Elderwyck?


    I could tell that Shacklock¡¯s words rang hollow. There was a lack of intent behind his provocation that seemed obvious to me. It was almost like the old monster was needling for a reaction.


    In my experience¡­when these outrageously powerful old relics were spoiling for a fight, they didn¡¯t bother with words.


    That was when the Mantles came out.


    His intentions only appeared more apparent when he hadn¡¯t moved or said anything else since his threat.


    I crossed my arms and met his eyes. ¡°No, not really,¡± I said mildly, in complete contrast to the atmosphere. ¡°I¡¯m looking for something else. We¡¯re heading further inland, towards Mt. Gorenzan. We have business there.¡±


    I caught a slight flash of mingled disappointment and amusement in Shacklock¡¯s beady black eyes before he huffed. ¡°Well alright then,¡± He said easily.


    The tension in the air popped like a bubble. There was a sense of confusion, exasperation, and realization among the gathered Solstice members. I saw more than one of them roll their eyes, and then the gathering began to break up and wander away. The officers stuck around, including Captain Wernstrom and the opposing samurai, but I guess the others had seen all they needed to know.


    The show was over.


    Venix slowly shook his head, his antennae swaying with the movement. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed, I see.¡±


    ¡°And I never will,¡± Shacklock said, his eyes lingering on me in curiosity. They switched over to Venix after a moment, and he smirked. ¡°You babysittin¡¯ this lot for that bastard then? Maybe hopin¡¯ to get a few levels for the next generation?¡±


    Venix shrugged one shoulder. ¡°That is only a side concern. It is as I said earlier. We seek something at the mountain. You are a side concern as well, old monster. What are you doing on this land? If the throne knew of your presence, a punitive campaign would be called to root you out.¡±


    ¡°Is that a threat, bugman?¡± The samurai they had called Kazuma said, wandering up. I noticed that out of the rest of the gathered crowd, he had yet to release his grip on his weapon. Nor had the suspicion vanished from his gaze.


    For the first time, I think Venix fully noticed the other samurai, taking in his appearance. His brow furrowed and a frown crossed his lips. I noticed that his gaze lingered on the robe that ¡®Kazuma¡¯ wore. ¡°That crest¡­it can¡¯t be¡­¡±


    That made me curious, so I took a closer look at the Kawamaran man. Pinned on his right breast was an emblem that my eyes had initially glazed over, which Venix had to be speaking of. It detailed a stylized human skeleton hunching protectively around an impeccably detailed spider lily, not so different than what was displayed prominently around it. The bones of the guardian were cast from silver, while the flower itself was golden.


    Kazuma frowned deeper at Venix. ¡°And what if it is?¡± He said defensively.


    For a moment Venix almost looked¡­lost, as he gazed at the other man. ¡°I¡­I thought you were all lost,¡± He breathed.


    I looked over at Venix curiously at his words. I was shocked at the near desperation I saw in his eyes.


    The samurai shook his head slowly. ¡°No,¡± He said shortly. ¡°The Higanashi live on.¡±


    The strange conversation between the two of them was broken up then by Shacklock clapping his hands together, reminding the two of them that he was still there. ¡°And this fine young lad is gonna help me and my boys claim this spit of dirt,¡± He said loudly, before wagging a finger at Venix almost scoldingly. ¡°I don¡¯t care a whit if the wet chair has a problem with us bein¡¯ here. Why, I bet they¡¯ll even thank me after we deal with their little worm problem.¡±


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    That caught my attention. Hell, it caught everyone else¡¯s attention as well.


    Including Venix.


    His gaze snapped away from Kazuma to rest on Shacklock, his arms falling from their crossed position in shock.


    At our regard, the old man smirked at us with a crazed glint in his wild black eyes. ¡°For good.¡±


    Silence descended on the beach once more, as we all took in Shacklock¡¯s pronouncement. I noticed that Kazuma had directed an almost irritated look at the old man, which he didn¡¯t acknowledge at all.


    ¡°You¡¯re hunting Tatsugan?¡± I asked flatly. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re doing here?¡±


    Bella raised an eyebrow to my left. ¡°And ye think ye can deal with him ¡®fer good¡¯, eh?¡±


    ¡°I know I can, baby,¡± Shacklock confirmed with a grin and a wink at her. Bella made a face at the old man, which didn¡¯t seem to daunt him.


    I shook my head at this¡­crazed geezer¡¯s antics and spoke up. ¡°Sure, that¡¯s¡­nice. But are you and yours going to try and stop us on the island?¡±


    Shacklock looked back over at me and quirked an eyebrow at my bluntness. He shrugged. ¡°Nah, you do what you gotta,¡± He said easily, waving a hand over to the jungle beyond the beach. ¡°Try not to get ripped apart by the Oni. Wouldn¡¯t want ol¡¯ Greycton to cry about it, eh? Or¡­maybe we would! Abloo bloo bloo!¡± He cackled mockingly, before suddenly appearing to lose interest. Without another word, the old man hobbled away towards one of the bigger tents on the beach.


    Talking about sudden mood whiplashes. Did that old relic even have the barest glimmer of sanity left in that skull of his?


    His departure left us alone with the officers and Kazuma of, apparently, Clan Higanashi. Whatever that was.


    Captain Wernstrom frowned at us suspiciously for a moment. ¡°As the Grandmaster says, you have permission to wander the island,¡± He said reluctantly, ignoring the fact that we were the only people who actually had permission to be here. ¡°Just stay out of our way. We have our own interests in Mt. Gorenzan.¡± He gestured, and he and the other officers followed after Shacklock, Lieutenant Salzman with him. Kazuma lingered for a moment, eyes still tracking Venix with a degree of hostility before he did the same.


    When they were gone, I jerked my head behind us, and our group converged on the lifeboat into a huddle. ¡°What was that all about?¡± I asked in a whisper, before looking over at Venix. ¡°They shouldn¡¯t be here, right?¡±


    The Antium samurai nodded slightly. ¡°They cannot. The River Throne would never allow such a sizable host as this to inhabit the Garden without representatives of their own in attendance. The only reason we do not have one is the small size of our contingent.¡±


    Liora eyed him for a moment. ¡°And that man, the other samurai,¡± She said quietly. ¡°He cannot be an Imperial representative?¡±


    Venix was quiet for a moment. ¡°No,¡± He said finally. ¡°Even the fact that the Higanashi still exist¡­it is shocking to me. The Emperor would never allow that Clan to guard this isle. Not after¡­¡± He abruptly cut himself off, shaking his head. ¡°I do not know what Shacklock is after on Goryuen, but we must assume they will interfere in our plans to a degree.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t this a good thing?¡± Azarus asked abruptly, drawing attention. ¡°If the Solstice guys are pickin¡¯ a fight with the dragon, then don¡¯t that mean it¡¯ll be easier fer us to search fer the door?¡±


    That¡­was a good point.


    ¡°Tatsugan is not a dragon,¡± Venix said automatically, before frowning. ¡°But I do not know. It is¡­possible, in theory. However, it''s just as likely to send the wyrm into an uncontrollable rage. We shall have to see. Stopping Shacklock...it is beyond us, even if we so wished to.¡±


    ¡°Well, no point in talking about it all day,¡± I said standing up and breaking the huddle. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the ship and let Captain Satoru know there¡¯s no issue. We can get our supplies then, and then come back and set up a base camp of our own. Away from the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame.¡±


    Everyone agreed, and then piled back in the boat. Venix shoved the lifeboat back out to sea, and then in moments, we were rowing back to the Kaminari Maru.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Upon our return, Captain Satoru and his crew were visibly relieved to hear that they weren¡¯t in danger of being sunk by the opposing Order. Still, he remained uneasy about something and couldn¡¯t be reassured fully. Strangely, I didn¡¯t see his first mate anywhere among the gathered crew. Usually, the man stuck to his Captain¡¯s side like glue.


    I didn¡¯t have time to question any of that, because my companions and I were gathering our supplies for the expedition across the island. The crew of the Kaminari Maru were still wary of going ashore within eyesight of the Order, so Captain Satoru directed the ship some distance downwind of the encampment. There, he dropped all of us off, along with the large packs and crates of supplies we had brought with us.


    When the last of his crewmen were back on the ship, it seemed as if it was only moments before the ship that had taken us to the island had oriented itself away and was sailing off into the horizon. I watched them go with a frown, puzzled at the odd behavior of the Captain. Bella stood with me watching him go.


    ¡°Mighty quick ta get goin¡¯, that man,¡± She said with a frown of her own.


    I nodded along with her, as Azarus got to work setting up the large communal tent we¡¯d bought this expedition. We¡¯d deemed it better for everyone to sleep in the same walls for safety''s sake, so we¡¯d just gone with the one. ¡°He¡¯s supposed to be back in a month for us. But I would have expected the man to try and replenish his fish stocks around here before leaving. I mean, just look at those waters,¡± I said, waving a hand at the crystal clear, blue-green waters that surrounded Goryuen. Even just offshore, I could see that they were downright teeming with sea life. "Free rations, right there for the taking."


    Liora joined us. The Gnoll woman was frowning as she watched the retreating ship. ¡°He goes to inform the Kawamaran authorities of the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame¡¯s presence on the isle,¡± She said simply, drawing our attention.


    I let out a slow sigh and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re probably right,¡± I said in acknowledgment. ¡°Which means we better be done with finding that door by then. Because when the Kaminari Maru comes back for us¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯ll be a host of warships in her wake,¡± Bella finished for me. ¡°And this place is gonna become a warzone when they find them Order people.¡± She grinned and then punched me in the arm. I just looked at her flatly, resisting the urge to rub the afflicted spot. ¡°Ain¡¯t ever simple with ye, is it Nate?¡±


    I rolled my eyes and resisted the weary impulse to agree.


    It really wasn¡¯t.


    Instead, I changed the subject. ¡°I¡¯m going to scout the surroundings, maybe hunt up something fresh and bloody for dinner,¡± I said, turning away and raising the hood of my new cloak. ¡°I won¡¯t be gone soon. Get ready, though, because tomorrow we make for the mountain.¡±


    The girls nodded and I wandered away towards the jungle on the far side of the beach. As I passed our burgeoning campsite, Renauld looked up from the campfire he was putting together. ¡°Try not to get eaten by an Oni,¡± He said smugly.


    In response, I drew one of my daggers and triggered a seldom-used enchantment I had built into the weapon at the forging.


    A small sizzle of flame lashed out of the tip and set the campfire alight, sending the Gnoll scurrying back with a flurry of curses. Mostly at me.


    I smirked under my hood, and as I reached the tree line, triggered Thorn Cloak. My enchanted cloak ripped and grew crimson thorns.


    And I disappeared into the jungle.

 Chapter 242 - Attention of the Unseen

    I stayed out a little longer than I needed to in my scouting. I¡¯d tracked down what seemed to be an island hog of some kind, munching happily on the abundant tropical fruit that had fallen to the jungle floor. The black and white pig hadn¡¯t heard me coming before I sniped it with my bow.


    As I prepped my kill for transport, the thoughts of my core ring wandered while my outer was busy.


    Hunting like this¡­it honestly made me a bit nostalgic. I had done so much with Fade when he was much younger, just after we had met. The wolf-puppy was still learning how to hunt in those days, and I had to teach him to stalk his prey at the time. Those were some¡­very fond memories, frankly. Not every second of every day during the war had been filled with misery.


    There had been plenty of good.


    I shook the odd pang of longing off, and right then and there, made a snap decision.


    When all of this was done, it was time for me to go and visit Fade like I¡¯d promised I would. Even if Grey had yet to call for us to come to the Academy, I¡¯m sure I could convince Bella to ferry me closer to the Thunderheart¡¯s territory.


    I was curious to see how he had grown under Taran¡¯s tutelage, in the months since I¡¯d left him there. Our reunion in the Concord had been far too brief.


    Business done and decisions made, I collapsed my bow and slid it back into its canister. Hauling the dead pig over one shoulder, I didn¡¯t bother to take to the treetops like I would have in the past. This area seemed very safe to me, as I hadn''t seen any indications of recent monster presence. There were some clear paths through the jungle that I thought must have been made by the Oni, but they didn¡¯t look like they had been trodden recently.


    I had no reason to be wary right now.


    Well, except for the ever-present sense that I was unwelcome here. That hadn¡¯t gone away, and the sensation was like a thorn scratching incessantly between my shoulder blades.


    Doing my best to ignore it, I made for camp.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Hours later, I settled down with my portion of roast pig with the rest of my companions. The sun had fully set by now, and my kill had finished roasting over the fire I¡¯d lit in Renaulds face. Said Gnoll looked to have long since forgotten the slight, and was happily ripping apart his own pork.


    I had long since grown immune to the sight of his sloppy eating habits, so I instead turned to the rest of my friends to ask a question. Something that I¡­honestly should have asked earlier, but we had been a tad occupied.


    I finished chewing, swallowed, and voiced it. ¡°What¡¯s with the Aether on this island?¡± I asked aloud. ¡°Why does it feel like it wants us gone?¡±


    I was startled at the blank looks the others gave me at that. Liora and Bella ceased their own low conversation to gaze at me in confusion, while Venix just stared at me.


    However, Azarus had the most experience with my¡­peculiarities at this point. He set his plate down and frowned. ¡°What are ya talkin¡¯ about, Nate? I don¡¯t know about the others,¡± He said, looking around. ¡°But I don¡¯t feel nothin¡¯.¡±


    My brow furrowing, I copied him, setting my plate down on the log I was sitting on. ¡°What are you talking about? There¡¯s this¡­itch to the air. I have this¡­sense that something on the island doesn¡¯t want us-¡± I cut myself off before continuing more slowly. ¡°Or¡­me, I supposed, to be here.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel anything like that, Nathan,¡± Liora said quietly, studying me.


    Frown deepening, I looked over at Venix. He was the highest-level person here, and as such had the sharpest senses. If anyone could feel what I felt, it would be him.


    The Antium man shook his head. ¡°This is not my first time upon Goryuen, and I have never sensed what you speak of, Hart.¡±


    Renauld ceased his scarfing long enough to look up at me. ¡°That¡¯s not ominous at all.¡±


    ¡°Do ye have a bearin¡¯ on this¡­feelin¡¯, Nate?¡± Bella asked me, ignoring the Gnolls snark.


    I did the same. I tilted my head in thought and ultimately pointed¡­


    Upwards.


    My companions followed my finger to the night sky, lit by a crescent Elys. ¡°It¡­feels like it¡¯s coming from above the island, for some reason,¡± I said slowly. ¡°But not like, up in the atmosphere or beyond? I¡¯d know if it was Elys or another Great spirit-¡±


    I think.


    ¡°-so it¡¯s not them,¡± I continued. ¡°But there is definitely something watching us. And it doesn¡¯t feel at all friendly. Could it be¡­Tatsugan?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Venix said simply and decisively. ¡°The capabilities of the wyrm are mighty, but well known. They do not include prescience.¡±


    Silence descended on our campfire, then, as I think we all wondered in unison¡­


    Just what was watching us.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Ultimately, there was nothing we could do about it now, and so the conversation died. We finished our meal in almost paranoid silence, before setting up for bed. Venix flat out said he would take all watch periods going forward, shutting down any volunteers. With that settled, we all retreated into the tent to leave him next to the fire.


    As I lay down in my bedroll not far from Bella, the scent of her sea-salted hair drifting my way, I found it difficult to sleep. Not because of any anxiety, or even trepidation about our expedition in the morning.


    More because that sensation of being watched never left me.


    I sighed silently and tried to bear with it.


    To little success.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Thankfully, I barely needed sleep these days, even if it was nice. Honestly, the same was true for the rest of my companions as well. This one night of rest had mostly been so we would be at one hundred percent going into the jungle and could last for the next few days with no extended rest. So, I wasn¡¯t too wiped out in the morning when the green period rolled along and dispelled our sleep.


    Nobody was much in the mood for small talk, so we had a brief breakfast of travel rations after breaking down our camp. Venix insisted on taking point on our formation for trekking through the jungle that loomed ahead. Renauld was placed square in the center as our most vulnerable member, with Azarus and his shield to his right and Bella to his left. Liora volunteered to act as a scout and range in front of us, occasionally checking back in to report her findings.


    That just left me. As what seemed to be usual, I brought up the rear. This happened so much to me that I wasn¡¯t even fazed about it anymore. I personally took it as a vote of confidence that my friends trusted me to watch their backs.


    After making sure we had all of our supplies secured in our packs, we got underway. Venix was wary of traveling the already existing paths through the Goryuen jungles in case we ran into traveling Oni. I was confident we could take them, certainly, but why risk trouble when you could avoid it? The monsters and their Level Aether would come in due time. The Antium man instead drew one of the jungle clearing blades he had recommended we all purchase before leaving Hinaga and set to work clearing a new path through the brush for our use.


    He was sparse in his cuts as our group ventured into the dense undercarriage of Goryuen. Venix wasn¡¯t interested in forging a long-lasting path. Instead, he¡¯d told us that night that he intended only to cut the bare minimum, to minimize our profile through the jungle. There was more out here than just Oni, after all, and the more noise we made, the more likely we were to attract them.


    Conversation was kept to a minimum as we carefully threaded our way along the route Venix was forging for us. The sounds of the Goryuen wildlife echoed through the hot, muggy air instead. Birdsong was plentiful, drifting down to us from the treetops far, far above us. Vines hung in uncountable numbers from overhead, curling and threading their way around and through the branches. Insects were thick both all around us in the air, and upon the surfaces of the ground and jungle vegetation all around us.


    There was plenty of wildlife both visible and hidden, as well. The first time I saw one of the small, infant-sized monkeys that seemed to call Goryuen home, I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the sight. They watched us pass from the branches above, always traveling in packs of their own. Their fur was strangely emerald in color, but they didn¡¯t seem to be very Mystical beyond that. Observe told me that these were Pygmy Primeralds, and seemed to be actual animals. Not monsters, and not even Mystic Beasts. Just plain old oddly colored monkeys.


    I liked them like that just fine.


    Venix¡¯s cutting also scared away plenty of ground animals as well. More than a few island hogs, so similar to the one I had hunted the night before, were startled out of the brush by his blade. None of them actually attacked us, streaking away further into the jungle and squealing in disgruntlement.


    Every once in a while, I would see odd-looking, squat little birds zip across the jungle floor as well. I only occasionally caught sight of them, and never long enough to throw out an Observe. But I would swear on my Mother¡¯s soul that they looked like banana¡¯s of all things, complete with bright yellow plumage. I nearly laughed out loud the first time I saw what looked to be a downturned banana flash into the gnarled hollow of a nearby tree, threading its way around my feet.


    Occasionally, and I mean very occasionally, I would see something larger watching us from those same hollows. Large, slit, luminous yellow eyes peered out of the darkness at us, as large as the keystone at the head of staff slung over my back. The first time I had seen one of those, I wondered if they were a monster stalking us. I hadn¡¯t even felt the thing with the passive blood sense from Lifeblood Sense. I was so startled I had even raised my staff and pointed the keystone at it in preparation. But at the first sign of movement from me, the gaze had vanished, the tip of a long, furry crimson tail lashing briefly out of the hollow. I hadn¡¯t even had time to Observe the creature.


    I wasn''t the only one to see whatever that was. Venix had stopped to watch it warily as well, halting the group.


    When whatever that thing was had vanished, Renauld asked the question we were all thinking. ¡°What was that?¡± He voiced in a whisper, as if afraid his voice would bring it back.


    Venix kept his gaze trained in that direction, scanning carefully for a moment before answering. ¡°The underkings of the isle,¡± He said eventually said, in a low tone. ¡°Mystic Beasts that stalk and prowl this land, unafraid of anything, even the Oni. They disdain the presence of outsiders, but won¡¯t attack unless you deliberately provoke or offend them,¡± He glanced back at us briefly. ¡°However, they have a short temper, so don¡¯t try them. Observe tells us that they are called the Children of Shurenga. I¡­didn¡¯t expect to encounter one of them so quickly.¡±


    ¡°Who, or what, is Shurenga?¡± Azarus asked quietly.


    The Antium samurai slowly shook his head. ¡°Nobody knows. It seems...they know we''re here, now.¡±


    The broad leaves of the jungle up and around swayed in the wind in the silence that followed. Something about their rustling¡­it almost sounded¡­playful somehow.


    Knowing.


    Deep inside of myself, something pulsed slowly in response, startling me badly enough to tense. The movement drew Bella¡¯s attention, causing her to look at me with a furrowed brow. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She asked quietly.


    I slowly shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I said nearly automatically, while my core did the actual investigating. After a moment, it found the unexpected source.


    The pulse had come from Bloodroot Resilience, a passive Talent that enhanced my Vitality. Supposedly, it connected me in some way to the ¡®unseen earth¡¯, whatever that meant. It¡­didn¡¯t typically react to anything. Talents didn¡¯t ¡®pulse¡¯ like that, by and large.


    The last time I had felt something like that had been just after I''d gotten the Talent, back in Elderwyck.


    I did my best to put the odd behavior out of my mind and gave her a small smile. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    Bella studied me for a moment and then nodded, falling back into formation. I did the same, and as Venix warily resumed leading us, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder.


    Something about the rustling of those leaves¡­it had reminded me of something. A voice I had heard, months and months ago now in the strange and alien realm known as the Concord. A voice revered by the temple where I had begun learning true Magic.


    Anima.

 Chapter 243 - Scaled Devotion

    We were perhaps three hours into our journey when Liora brought us to a halt. The Gnoll woman dropped out of the treetops in front of Venix, landing in a crouch and locking eyes with the point man. ¡°Stop,¡± She said suddenly, sounding out of breath.


    He did, and the rest our procession followed. ¡°What is it?¡± Venix asked her seriously.


    Standing up from her crouch, Liora took a moment to take a swig of water from her canteen. ¡°Monsters ahead,¡± She breathed.


    The tension in the group ratcheted upwards, and I frowned, tightening my grip on the bow in my hands.


    ¡°Bout damn time,¡± I heard Bella mutter in front of me.


    Guess she¡¯d been itching for a fight. I suppose it was a change of pace from monkeys watching us from tall branches, squealing hogs, and silent, stalking cats.


    Not to mention the damn bugs trying to drain me of blood.


    Venix nodded sharply. ¡°Composition?¡±


    Liora straightened up at his tone, nearly coming to attention. I guess old habits died hard when you¡¯d spent most of your life as part of a paramilitary organization. ¡°About a dozen strange, snakelike creatures that I¡¯m unfamiliar with,¡± She summarized. ¡°I stumbled upon them on my path and had to retreat rapidly, so I was unable to Observe them. As soon as I laid eyes on the beasts, they reacted as they could sense me and began to search.¡±


    Venix sheathed his clearing blade and frowned in thought. ¡°Tell me, did they possess four legs and wispy white hair?¡±


    Snakes with legs? Next, you¡¯re going to tell me about fish with wings.


    Wait.


    Wasn¡¯t that a thing? Nevermind.


    Liora nodded. ¡°Yes, they did. I take it you¡¯re familiar with them?¡±


    Venix sighed and responded in a manner that was common with him.


    ¡°Wyrm¡¯s breath, twisted spawn,


    Crawling beasts in dragon¡¯s guise,


    Howl to false heavens.¡±


    Nobody even flinched at the sudden Haiku. We were all used to Venix¡¯s peculiarities by now.


    ¡°Yes, consider them the spawn of Tatsugan,¡± He said patiently. ¡°Proto-Revenants, if you will.¡±


    That caught my attention. I stepped forward, my demeanor intensifying. ¡°Like Rhazal¡¯s?¡± I asked sharply, drawing Venix¡¯s gaze.


    I don¡¯t think I would ever forget the strange monsters that had laid siege to Elderwyck upon Rhazal¡¯s coming. The strange bat-dinosaurs had spawned both from thin air, and the corpses of those they had slain. The result had been an unending tide of them rolling over both of the twin cities and nearly scourging them of all life. They would have, too, if it hadn¡¯t been for the last-minute save from a source I¡¯m sure the cities hadn¡¯t been expecting.


    The Lich living under their feet. If it hadn¡¯t been for Tlazo and his ¡®assistants¡¯, I¡¯m not sure there would have been cities to save when I killed Rhazal.


    And now apparently Tatsugan had some of his own.


    Venix was unfazed by my regard. ¡°Not exactly,¡± He said evenly. ¡°The Calamity you slayed must have been specialized towards army creation, during the War in Heaven.¡±


    I furrowed my brow. Yes, I supposed Rhazal had referred to himself as ¡®the father of monstrosity¡¯. It was¡­possible that he¡¯d had a specialty, for all of his otherwise impossible might.


    ¡°Tatsugan is different,¡± Venix continued. ¡°The specifics of the process elude me, but his creations are entirely independent of him. He does not control them. They are merely monsters whose birth is influenced by his Aether that encompasses the range he calls home. They mingle with the Oni, flowing down from Mt. Gorenzan and forming packs. They act as hounds at their beck and call. The Wyrmkin are, in essence, scavengers following at the heels of the Oni hordes.¡±


    ¡°What are they doing here, then?¡± Renauld asked with a frown, before gesturing out into the distance. ¡°We¡¯re a long ass ways away from the mountains.¡±


    He was right. Despite trekking through the jungle for hours, the distant peak of the mountains didn¡¯t even seem like it had grown any closer. I don¡¯t even know if one of those mountains was the one we sought. Mt. Gorenzan could be farther in than even those rocky crowns. It was going to take days and days of hiking for us to reach them.


    ¡°The Wyrmkin infest the whole of the island,¡± Venix said, shaking his head and causing his antennae to sway. ¡°This is unlikely to be the first time we encounter them. This shall be a good introduction to their peculiarities. Ready yourselves.¡±


    I stepped back, satisfied.


    I was totally fine with that. I¡¯m not sure I would ever have problems with putting down Calamity spawn.


    As Venix drew all four of his swords, the rest of my companions did as he¡¯d said. Azarus drew his hammer and shield, while Bella did the same with her cutlass. Meanwhile, Renauld just tightened his grip on the Healers staff he¡¯d already been using as a walking stick, and Liora¡­did nothing. The other Gnoll fought with her fists and claws, and was already limbered up from her sprint back to us.


    I merely drew an arrow and laid it along the string. I was still guarding Renauld as far as I was concerned, so I would just provide ranged support for the rest of my melee-focused companions.


    Seeing we were ready, Venix advanced through the brush.


    It didn¡¯t take us long to encounter the Wyrmkin. They were¡­pretty odd, I have to say.


    I threw out an Observe at the first one I saw.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23472%">Name</td>


    <td style="width: 92.7585%">Devout Wyrmkin</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23472%">Level


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    </td>


    <td style="width: 92.7585%">174</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23472%">Age</td>


    <td style="width: 92.7585%">3 months, 12 days</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23472%">Species</td>


    <td style="width: 92.7585%">Monster</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.23472%">Abilities


    </td>


    <td style="width: 92.7585%">Plea to the Father, ???</td>


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    </table>


    Strong. Just barely in the range I was capable of seeing with Observe. I wasn¡¯t really worried, though. Instead I was just¡­looking at the beasts, in the moments before they noticed us.


    Liora had been half-right to call them snake-like. The Wyrmkin possessed long, thin, sinuous bodies covered in electric blue scales from snout to tail. What made them even more snake-like was the rattle they possessed at the end of it, which occasionally flicked out and emitted a clicking noise. That was where the serpentine resemblance ended.


    As Venix had said, they each had four limbs, not too dissimilar to what you might find on something like a regular lizard. Each of these legs terminated in four-toed feet that possessed a single prominent claw, akin to the raptors I¡¯d seen in films from my youth. But it was their heads that diverged the farthest from that of a snake.


    Their skull was almost like that of a dog. They had long, wide muzzles that terminated in prominent nostrils that scented the air constantly. Enormous, nearly bulbous front-facing yellow eyes gazed out at the world hungrily from underneath a shaggy mane of dirty white hair. Jutting out of that wispy mass from their extended brow were two stubby-looking, dull horns.


    They still had at least one thing similar to snakes, though.


    Forked tongues constantly flicked out of their open, panting mouths, tasting the air. And if I knew anything about snakes¡­


    The moment we saw the Wyrmkin, they saw us. I don¡¯t know if it was the tongues, or the nose, or hell, it could have even been the rattle that zeroed them in on us. But when they saw us, the pack of eleven Wyrmkin threw back their heads and howled. At the same time, an entire pack''s worth of rattles began to clatter from the tip of their tails, almost eagerly. It was a strange call, not at all like the comforting howls of my absent lupine companion. They warbled and hissed and rattled, all at once, in a distinctly monstrous manner.


    Well, at least until I shut them up.


    I¡¯d taken the chance they presented to infuse my arrow with Grinding Crimson Sunder and loose it into the throat of a crying Wyrmkin. His call cut out, and he crumbled onto this wide snout, almost immediately dead.


    Ten left.


    When his howl died, his brethren ceased their caterwauling and charged our position as one, bounding hungrily over the fallen brush of the jungle floor.


    Venix and Bella stepped forward to meet them.


    Three of the Wyrmkin tried to converge on Venix, only for him to almost contemptuously halt their charge with his whirling blades. One serpentine hound was bisected neatly at the waist with the Antium¡¯s upper left blade, while another was skewered by both the left and the right lower. The third beast thought to capitalize on Venix¡¯s distraction by lunging for his chitinous throat, only to be slapped out of the air by the flat of his upper right blade. The monster loosed a hissing yelp as it flew through the air.


    Right at Bella.


    The Pirate Captain had already dispatched one of the Wyrmkin that had charged her by that point, but she didn¡¯t waste the chance Venix had given her. With a shout of effort, her cutlass sprouted a swirling haze of pure storm. Crackling clouds that emanated wind, rain, and lightning ran all up and down its length.


    Bella cleaved upwards with her chaotic blade, right in the oncoming path of the falling Wyrmkin. The razor-sharp edge of her sword left behind a brilliantly crackling echo of bright blue lightning in its wake as it ripped right through the shoulder of the monster. As the Wyrmkin fell into two pieces around Bella, her arm shot upwards through the clouds of dissolving Miasma, picking out the beast¡¯s Core. She grinned and pocketed the jewel, and then got back to her slaughter.


    Six left.


    Renauld and I were providing ranged support for the frontline, and hadn¡¯t stopped casting and loosing since the battle had started. My Gnoll friend and Healer was casting quick bolts of butter yellow Mana out from the head of his staff, and where they impacted, they sizzled and burned at the scales of the Wyrmkin. They didn¡¯t often kill any of the monsters, but they sure distracted them. Meanwhile, I hadn¡¯t stopped with my own barrage. Since I¡¯d gained General Weapons Proficiency upon maxing out my weapon Talents, I¡¯d found it easier to wield a bow in open combat. My arrows were more likely to hit their target these days, and enhanced as they were with my Skills, they were deadly.


    Together, Renauld and I killed another three of the Wyrmkin.


    Three left.


    Two of the remaining serpent hounds reached our position, only to promptly meet Azarus and Liora. My dwarven friend didn¡¯t bother with fancy Skills or Arts to slay his quarry. Instead, as the Wyrmkin lunged at his throat with a mouth full of razor-sharp fangs, his simply blocked the monster with his shield and repelled it. The Wyrmkin fell to the jungle floor below, stunned, and before it could react, Azarus brought down his hammer.


    And crushed its skull.


    Two left.


    Meanwhile, Liora was locked in a dance with another one of the creatures. This one was more canny than its fellows and was spamming what must have been the other Skill their kind possessed.


    Some kind of projectile of poison.


    Every couple of seconds, the Wyrmkin¡¯s cheeks would bulge and fill with a disgusting purple liquid. Once they were full, the monster spat that wad of corrosive junk at the former Nocturne Division member.


    She dodged every one of them.


    The foul wads of loosed poison missed her every time, to land upon the bark of the trees around us. It only took seconds for their wooden surface to begin to corrode, a testament to the strength of these thing¡¯s poison. Not that it mattered.


    It honestly looked like Liora was playing with the thing, it was so outmatched. But the look in her eye wasn¡¯t playful.


    It was calculating.


    She was taking its measure, and she found it wanting.


    Eventually, the Gnollish woman grew tired of the near dance and vanished forward in a haze of black wind. Instantly, she appeared in front of the Wyrmkin that was far too slow to react, and using claws coated with the same darkness of her Skill, simply ripped its head clean from its serpentine shoulders. Almost contemptuously, she tossed it over her shoulder to thump onto the jungle floor, where it dissipated into a cloud of Miasma moments later.


    One left.


    At least, there should be. I¡¯d counted eleven of the Wyrmkin when the battle started, and I¡¯d kept track of everything that had been killed in the moments since the exchange had begun. I didn¡¯t see the last one, though, nor its corpse. I must have lost track of it, though.


    Oh no, whatever will I do? Surely I¡¯ll never be able to react in time to the beast that must even now be stalking Renauld and I, as the backline of our little trouple. Our unprotected backs were surely wide-open!


    My core ring told me to stop being a stupid sarcastic asshole and deal with the movement we¡¯d both spotted out of the corner of our eye.


    Man, don¡¯t be such a downer. Let me have my fun.


    Oh, whatever.


    I activated Might of the Wyrdwood at fifteen percent, and with my newly enhanced strength and reflexes, dropped my bow and drew Terractus in one smooth motion. I promptly pivoted on one heel to my left and lunged forward.


    Directly meeting the pounce of the Wyrmkin that had thought to circle around the fight and attack our rear flank. In the seconds before my blade met the scales of the rabid beast, I let The Scintillant Blade flash into being over the length of my Oninite sword.


    Just in case.


    The brilliant burning blade sheered through the scales of the monster effortlessly, meeting no resistance at all. The entire serpentine mass was bisected horizontally down the trunk of its body. Briefly, before the monster burst into Miasma upon its death, I saw a perfect cross-section of the innards of a Devout Wyrmkin.


    Very¡­ribby, I have to say.


    I burst through the crowd of Miasma, landing in a crouch. Luckily, I had long since grown used to the pure stench of the mist, so I didn¡¯t immediately vomit.


    I did make a face, though. Still, that was the last of them. I stood up and sheathed Terractus, meeting the startled gaze of Renauld.


    The Gnoll blinked at me. ¡°Damn, I didn¡¯t even see it. Thanks, man.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Eh.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±

 Chapter 244 - Battleground

    We¡¯d been traveling through this jungle for three days now. Honestly, it seemed almost neverending. At first, I¡¯d found the idea of a trek through a jungle to be novel and exciting. The idea was something that I had only seen in media from back on Earth.


    I didn¡¯t think it was exciting anymore. Now I was just annoyed by the heat and the damned bugs.


    I swear, the first thing I was going to do once I got back to Hinaga was ask Elder Jinshin if there were any spells for repelling blood-sucking insects.


    Preferably violently.


    Over those three days, we¡¯d encountered several more packs of Wyrmkin. Some were larger than the first group of eleven that we stumbled on, some were smaller. As far as monsters went, they weren¡¯t terribly strong one on one. I had encountered more dangerous beasts out in the wilds of Vereden than these pseudo-Revenants. However, this was the first time I had ever encountered any type of monster that worked in coordinated packs.


    That was where the danger was with these things, I was finding. The first time that I saw the Devout Wyrmkin use their other Skill, not the poison-spitting one, I had been surprised by it. Plea To the Father, it turned out, was an enhancement ability, not unlike my own former Sylvan Vigor. With it, the bodies of the Wyrmkin were sheathed in a thin layer of crackling blue electricity, and their strength and speed more than doubled.


    However, from what Venix had told me, it was a collaborative ability. The scaly little assholes needed a certain amount of their fellows present before they were able to use the Skill. It acted almost like a network of some kind between the monsters. There hadn¡¯t been enough of them present on our first run-in with the Wyrmkin for it to activate.


    The first time we¡¯d encountered enough of the beasts for them to use it, I¡¯d felt actually threatened in battle for the first time since Elderwyck. Not even the Oni on the hunt I¡¯d tagged along on had pushed me as hard as those snakes had. It had been the first time I¡¯d needed to activate Vis Maledicta Exactoris here on Goryuen, just to keep up. We¡¯d pulled through, though, and those of us who were unfamiliar with the dangers of the isle were thoroughly educated.


    Venix was unrepentant about not warning us fully. He merely said that we had grown from our trials, and that he had never intended to hold our hands through all the trials of ¡®The Garden¡¯.


    In response, I¡¯d called the Antium man an asshole.


    However¡­those were the only monsters we actually ran into during our travels. I had yet to see any of the Oni that I had been expecting, and when I asked Venix about them after calming down, he told me why. According to him, most Oni didn¡¯t bother sticking around in the outer jungles that we were tromping through. Only rejects and failures haunted these woods and even considering that, we were approaching from a direction the Oni didn¡¯t favor. Far out back to sea, the only thing that stretched away from Goryuen was the open ocean. There were no Kawamaran islands or sub-continents for the Oni to march from, with the direction we were approaching the central mountain ranges. It was there that we would come face to face with the Oni.


    Despite that, I still thought I¡¯d heard some of the brutes in the distance. On the second day, crashing trees and thundering footsteps had sounded in the distance, halting our advance. We¡¯d waited tensely for nearly thirty minutes, waiting to see if the distant creature was in our path. But it seemed to be moving away from us, and we never actually saw the Oni that must have been making the noise. After getting back underway, we didn¡¯t even find the signs of its trail. The monster must have been one of the truly enormous ones, to have been making so much noise from so far away.


    Not uncommon with Oni, from my experience.


    Anyway, during our trip so far, I¡¯d grown two levels to level one hundred and thirty-three. I hadn¡¯t gotten anything exciting from those levels beyond more Virtue points, but the added potency was welcome nonetheless.


    Over all those days, we had yet to settle down for a night of rest, and had been pushing the whole time. Day and night we had been working our way through the brush of the jungle. Honestly, it hadn¡¯t been as dangerous as I had thought it would be. Unlike Awakened, the natural world and even the monsters that dwelled within it needed nightly rest. Sure, there were nocturnal hunters out there, but that didn¡¯t include the Wyrmkin or the Oni.


    What haunted the night wasn¡¯t the most dangerous thing out here.


    Funny enough, we did get more visitors curious about us overnight though.It felt like watchful eyes from the Children of Shurenga peered out of every nook and cranny of the dark brush. Some were large and wary, but others¡­others looked much smaller and much more curious to me. It had to be their young out on hunting trips with the elders.


    That first night, I¡¯d been intensely curious to see what a Shurengan cub looked like, so I¡¯d stopped and tried to bait one out with a piece of jerky.


    An extremely deep warning growl that seemed to sprout right out of thin air, right next to my ear warned me away from that course of action. I¡¯d slowly backed away from the hollow with the small pair of curious eyes, leaving the jerky behind as an apology.


    Lesson learned.


    When I caught up to the group after that and told them about my near encounter, Bell had slugged me hard in the arm for my foolishness, while I had gotten the evil eye from Venix.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    I¡¯d taken the rebuke in the spirit was taken, rubbing my now bruised arm the whole time. Days after and even with the mild healing factor of my Status, I still had that bruise.


    But now, it was the afternon of the third day of our journey, and we had just stumbled upon something¡­different.


    It wasn¡¯t often that we happened upon large clearings in the jungles of Goryuen, but this was an exception. The actual space was large, nearly the size of a sports field from back on Earth. If there had ever been trees growing here, they had long since been uprooted in some manner. In their absence was left nothing but fallen leaves wide as a man was tall, equally tall grasses, and the detritus of unending growth. But it had been disturbed.


    This looked like the aftermath of a battle. And not an old one.


    This looked fresh.


    Great rents in the soil of the isle had been scooped up from Vereden, leaving craters all about. Gaps in the underbrush and uprooted grass were flung every which way, and upon the remaining turf, dried blood was visible, baking in the light of Tarus above. Trees appeared to have been uprooted around the edges of the clearing, and now lay strewn about the pasture, oddly contorted and splintered. Occasionally, I saw glints of metal twinkling in the sunlight all across the field, the left-behind weapons of warriors who either forgot or were unable to retrieve their blades. But none of that gave me the vital clue as to tell me who had fought here.


    No, it was the tall banner of tattered grey cloth, emblazoned with a flaming spear and shield that stood in the middle of the clearing.


    The banner of the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame.


    They had fought a battle here, and if they had won it, that victory had been pyrrhic.


    There were no bodies on the field, of either the Order or their opponents.


    Our group had stopped at the edge of the field to look out at it warily, reluctant to step foot inside. I think all of us were a bit surprised to see evidence of the Order, after seeing nothing of them after the confrontation on the beach. They must be ahead of us in some manner, which honestly suited me fine. That meant they were, in a way, clearing a path for us. Perhaps they were taking a more direct route through the jungle, instead of the slow, cautious one that we were. If that was true, then they had run smack dab into the true danger of Goryuen.


    Because, to me, this type of damage looked like¡­


    ¡°Oni,¡± I whispered quietly, a frown growing on my face.


    To my right, Venix nodded with eyes narrowed in concentration. ¡°I have no doubt it is so,¡± He said. ¡°It appears one of Shacklock¡¯s expeditionary forces ran straight into a violence.¡±


    Azarus was to the Antium samurai¡¯s right, and I saw him cross his arms. ¡°A¡­¡®violence¡¯?¡±


    I spoke up before Venix could. I¡¯d heard the term back during my Oni hunt, but I suppose it had never come up during his own. ¡°What the Kawamaran¡¯s refer to as a group of Oni.¡±


    ¡°There had to be at least four of them,¡± Liora spoke up, her eyes sharper than most. They scanned the clearly clinically before pointing. ¡°Look, there in the center. I can see the evidence of at least four different gigantic footprints.¡±


    I¡¯d take her word for it. Even if I was no slouch at tracking, even I couldn¡¯t make out the individual imprints of Oni feet in that muddy morass. Not from this distance.


    Venix stepped forward into the clearing, breaking our spell. ¡°They must have triumphed to take their dead with them. There are no Oni here.¡±


    I joined him. ¡°We should take a look around. Maybe they left some supplies behind.¡±


    I was surprised at the frown Venix fixed me with. ¡°I do not make a habit of scavenging battlefields, Hart.¡±


    Bella came to my defense, stepping forward and crossing her arms. ¡°It¡¯s just bein¡¯ smart. Anythin¡¯ we find out here is somethin¡¯ we don¡¯t have to fight the damn cats over.¡±


    The other day, Bella had been tasked with hunting up a meal for the group. She returned unexpectedly late, grumbling about her kill being stolen right from under her nose by a crimson-red blur. She¡¯d carried a bit of a grudge against the Children of Shurengan ever since.


    Venix cast his eyes over the rest of my companions and didn¡¯t find any support. Liora was too pragmatic to refuse a bit of scrounging and Renauld was a bit¡­morally-flexible, I¡¯d found.


    Azarus, of course, always had my back.


    The Antium sighed and nodded. ¡°Very well,¡± He said reluctantly. ¡°But no more than ten minutes. We make good time towards the ranges. At present, I¡¯d estimate us to be only two days out from them. I do not wish to give Shacklock free reign of Tatsugan¡¯s lair, and so we cannot dally.¡±


    We agreed, and set out into the field.


    Cautiously.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    A few minutes of picking over the battlefield later, the most I¡¯d found was a discarded shield that bore the crest of the Solstice¡¯s Flame. There had been a few shattered glass bottles as well that, once upon a time, might have held potions. But now they were little better than shards sinking into the mud and blood. I figured I would keep the shield and get a bit of practice breaking items down with Aetherial Melding through it. I could always use an extra ingot of steel to play around with.


    However, I was knocked out of my destructive daydreams by the sound of a female voice rising in a shout from across the field. Looking up, I saw that Liora was waving one hand in the air from near the tree line. Seeing that she had nearly everyone¡¯s attention, she cupped her hands in front of her muzzle and shouted once more.


    ¡°Injured over here!¡± She yelled, sending a bolt of lightning down my spine. ¡°Healers to me!¡±


    ¡­.what?


    The Order had left someone behind? An injured person?


    I shook my shock off rapidly and sprinted her way, seeing that Renauld was doing the same. The Gnoll man had hiked his robes up to his furry knees and was scurrying as fast as he could towards his fellow fox.


    I got to her first and followed her pointing finger towards the man that was injured. I received another shock, then, because I recognized the man.


    It was the samurai that nearly squared up with Venix, back on the beach. The lone Kawamaran that had been in attendance among the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame.


    Kazuma, I think his name was.


    The man was lying in the roots of one of Goryuen¡¯s twisting trees, covered in mud and blood. A great deal of it seemed to be from him, as he looked nearly broken. Kazuma¡¯s right arm and left leg were both very obviously broken, with the splintered end of a femur poking through the skin of the afflicted limb. His chest rose and fell in hitched breaths, an indication to me that there must be internal damage. Counting scrapes, bruises, and cuts dotted his form, visible through the massive rents in his now tattered green and red robe.


    He looked like he was barely clinging to life.


    Unconscious.


    Renauld didn¡¯t waste a second on shock seeing the man and skidded to his knees by the samurai¡¯s side, hands already glowing warm emerald. ¡°Nathan!¡± He barked, as he laid his hands on the dying man. ¡°Attend!¡±


    I snapped out of it and joined Renauld in trying to save Kazuma¡¯s life, rapidly pulling various potions and medical supplies as I did so.


    I may not be a true Healer, but I was qualified enough at this point to count as an assistant.


    We got to work.

 Chapter 245 - Startlement

    It took Renauld and me a surprisingly long time to get Kazuma stabilized. The man was so brutalized that we had to actually resort to field surgery on his abdomen to remove the bone shards impeding my Gnoll friend¡¯s healing spells. Such a thing was dangerous at the best of times, but doubly so in the incredibly unclean environs of a jungle.


    While Renauld had Surgery as one of his Professions, he had to channel a specialized field surgery Spell that helped sterilize our impromptu surgery theater.


    Our tent.


    Seeing that we would be here for a while, Venix had made the call to set up our campsite for the day so we could better treat the opposing samurai. Once we¡¯d moved him inside, Renauld had to maintain his concentration on his spell, while I got to work on the actual surgery with Aetherial Melding.


    By that time, Tarus had set beyond the horizon, and Elys had risen to take his place. We only managed to ensure Kazuma¡¯s life when her gentle white light was filtering in through the slits of the tent.


    By that point, Renauld and I were so tired that we barely had enough energy to inform our companions about our success before passing out on cots next to our patient. I remember being told they would watch the man while we rested from our hours-long ordeal.


    That was all I heard before the world sank into darkness around me.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Thankfully, Kazuma survived the night. Not that I think either Renauld or I were worried about the possibility. I don¡¯t know about him, but I trusted the others to wake one of us if the man was in danger of fading.


    Upon awakening, I discovered that the rest of my party hadn¡¯t taken the chance to rest. They had instead decided to keep watch over not only Kazuma, but our surroundings as well.


    As Venix told me over our breakfast, while the Solstice¡¯s Flame guys were presumed to have triumphed over the Oni they fought, the fighting may have attracted more of them. Thankfully, no further giants wandered up during the night, but the possibility had existed. The only report they had was of curious feline eyes watching from the treeline.


    Once Renauld and I got some food into us, we decided it was time to wake Kazuma up and ask him what the hell had happened. The man was stable, but the last thing we had done before passing out was put him into an induced coma.


    Apparently, that was another Spell in the broad repertoire of the Healing School of Magic. Renauld was a good student, it seemed.


    Azarus stayed out of the tent to keep watch while the rest of us filtered inside to wake Kazuma from his ¡®sleep¡¯. Bella and Venix kept back while Renauld and I knelt at the Kawamaran man¡¯s side. I didn¡¯t know the Spell to wake him, even though I was technically capable of it now. My Gnollish friend spared a nod at the rest of us and then held out his hand over the resting figure of the man. After a moment of concentration on his part, it began to glow a soft pink in color.


    The reaction was immediate.


    Kazuma¡¯s eyes snapped open and darted around the tent. He tensed as they took in the occupants.


    Namely, us.


    I don¡¯t know how strong the samurai was, or if he had activated some kind of physical enhancement Skill. But he obviously felt threatened, because he tried to jump off the bed and escape. I don¡¯t know where to, and honestly, I don¡¯t think he did either.


    Because tried was the operative word here.


    Before any of us could even blink, Venix was there. His upper right arm slammed down on the chest of Kazuma, knocking him back down on his back. The Antium man held him there, effortlessly, as his captive scrabbled frantically at the chitinous limb holding him down. Kazuma only stilled when Bella¡¯s cutlass came to rest on his throat.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Renauld said irritably, breaking the tense silence. Unafraid, he used one finger to move the blade at Kazuma¡¯s throat away. ¡°Be careful, yeah? I spent like six hours yesterday patching this guy up. I don¡¯t need him bleeding all over the place again.¡±


    Bella rolled her eyes but complied and sheathed her blade. She backed up a bit, but still kept her eyes trained on the immobile man with arms crossed.


    Meanwhile, Renauld had turned to Venix and laid one hand on top of his massive shoulders. The Gnoll had to stretch up a bit in order to reach them, even with the Antium hunched over as he was. ¡°You guys really need to work on your bedside manner. You can let go of him, big guy. Our friend here isn¡¯t going to try and run again. Right?¡±


    Under Renaulds''s prompting stare, Kazuma¡¯s eyes flickered around the tent again. He nodded slowly. ¡°I will not,¡± He said, in a rough voice.


    Hearing it, I picked up the pitcher of water we had bought for this expedition. It had an Enchantment Disc of Water attached to the bottom of it, so we could have fresh water at all times. As Venix slowly lifted his massive hand from the other samurai¡¯s chest and said samurai slowly sat up, I poured a glass of water. Once Kazuma was upright, I walked back over to the cot and held it out for him wordlessly. I suppressed the surge of irritation I felt at the wary look he fixed the glass with.


    Look, man.


    If I was going to kill you, it wouldn¡¯t be with poison. And certainly not after spending hours putting you back together.


    Thankfully, the man had the good sense to take the glass. He gulped it down greedily, and then let out a relieved sigh once the cup had been emptied. He carefully set it down once he was done, and then eyed all of us standing around the cot he was sitting on. ¡°You¡­¡± He said slowly. ¡°You are those Eclipsed Dawn people, are you not?¡±


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Not,¡± I said shortly, causing his eyebrows to furrow at me. I sighed wearily. ¡°We explained this to you already. None of us are officially members of the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn anymore. Not after the war. We¡¯re just here on personal business. I¡¯m¡­guessing that your officers didn¡¯t believe us?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Kazuma said quietly, setting down his glass. He braced his hands on the floor and tried to stand up, but despite the healing he had been subjected to, he still seemed weak. The man needed Renauld¡¯s help to stand up, and he made sure to nod in thanks to the Gnoll for the assistance. ¡°They did not. And they¡¯re not my officers. I am not a member of the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame. It seems we are both unaligned.¡±


    ¡°Then why were you accompanying them, Kazuma Higanashi?¡± Venix finally spoke up. For some reason, the tone of his voice almost seemed¡­softer.


    The samurai must have noticed, because he looked at the Antium quizzically for a moment. ¡°I¡­suppose you people deserve an explanation, as thanks for saving my life,¡± He said slowly. Kazuma took a deep breath and nodded sharply. ¡°I am here to restore the honor of my clan. I was...approached by Grandmaster Shacklock and his forces to act as an attache here on Goryuen, because of my family¡¯s¡­history, with the island. They hoped that I would be able to assist them in their quest to truly vanquish the dread wyrm, once and for all. Then, and only then, could my family be forgiven in the eyes of the court.¡±


    ¡°Your family?¡± I asked, exchanging a glance with Renauld. ¡°It has a history with this place?¡±


    A small, humorless, bitter smile crossed the lips of the man then. ¡°Yes, you could say that. Our only hopes lie here now.¡±


    Venix slowly shook his head. ¡°The court is mistaken,¡± He said strongly. ¡°If the Higanashi clan yet lives, then it bears no legitimate fault for anything that transpired on this island.¡±


    That just confused Kazuma even further. ¡°Who¡­are you?¡±


    At that question, Venix was halted in his tracks. For a moment, he almost looked¡­lost, scared at the attention that Kazuma was directing towards him.


    I stepped in, literally, between the two men. ¡°Let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves,¡± I said, drawing their attention. ¡°Higanashi, what happened here? If you¡¯re supposed to be an attache to the Solstice¡¯s Flame, then why did they leave you behind after the battle that seemed to happen here?¡±


    A stormcloud of frustration, anger, and hurt rolled over the man¡¯s face then. ¡°Betrayal, that is what happened,¡± He said darkly, and then abruptly shook his head. ¡°May we continue this outside? Fresh air would do me good.¡±


    We acquiesced, and as a group, approached the exit of the tent. I heard the rapid shuffling of mailed feet moving away from the flaps as we approached them, and when we all stepped into the sweltering sunlight, I found Azarus standing a conspicuously short distance away from us. The dwarf was deliberately not looking our way, staring faux seriously into the jungle.


    I just shook my head at his antics and sat down on one of the logs around our campfire. Once seated, the Kawamaran samurai continued his explanation.


    ¡°With this treachery, I am honor bound to consider my contract with the Order null and void,¡± Kazuma said, a note of regret and grief in his voice. ¡°So I shall share with you their plans, and my part in them. Shacklock¡­is dying.¡±


    That made me sit up in surprise. Hell, I wasn¡¯t the only one. Liora in particularly nearly jumped in her seat at the news.


    It was Azarus who voiced our collective question, wandering up and no longer pretending he hadn¡¯t been listening in. ¡°The hell could kill an old monster like that?¡±


    Kazuma snorted. ¡°Just that. Age itself is what has undone the Madman.¡±


    Liora breathed in sharply. ¡°I see. It¡¯s Core Collapse. Shacklock is undergoing Core Collapse, and hopes to use it against Tatsugan.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Does he even intend to fight the beast, or merely to die against it?¡±


    Core Collapse.


    I¡¯d heard a few mentions of that in the past, mostly from Grey. From what I understood, it was some kind of mystical process where the march of time catches up with higher leveled, and thus higher Tiered people. The more levels you gain, the longer you lived. The thing is, though, that doesn¡¯t make you immortal. And because you¡¯re not immortal-


    (Like a god, for example.)


    -the weight of your own power crushes your still mortal soul, after an extended period of time. Centuries and centuries of it. The process itself was supposed to be¡­dramatic.


    Explosively so, in fact.


    We absorbed that for a moment before I looked over at Venix. ¡°Would that work? To kill Tatsugan permanently?¡±


    Venix furrowed his brow and shook his head, his antennae waving with the movement. ¡°No, it would not. Certainly, it would kill the wyrm in this cycle. I have no doubt there. However¡­this has been tried before. History tells us that thirteen hundred years ago, Saitou the Wolf sacrificed himself in this manner in an attempt to slay Tatsugan permanently. He was one of the few remaining Paragons that still lived from the days of the War in Heaven, and not even his Collapse could rid Kawamara of Tatsugan. And he was at the peak of Tier 4, while Shacklock is meant to be at the base of it. You¡­should know this, Kazuma Higanashi,¡± He said, staring at the other samurai. ¡°This is not secret knowledge.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Kazuma nodded sharply. ¡°But that is not the extent of the plan. There is an¡­artifact that was meant to be lost here on Goryuen-¡±


    That was as far as he got before Venix stood up sharply from his own seat, cutting off Kazuma. ¡°You cannot mean¡­¡± He breathed. ¡°That blade was meant to be destroyed when my mas-when the wielder was slain!¡±


    Everyone stared at him before Kazuma spoke once again. ¡°I¡­see that you are familiar with the tales of my family, warrior. But no. The weapon I speak of it was not destroyed, during the last Ryumetsu Matsuri. One of the few students of my great-grandfather who survived the battle returned, and spoke of how it was not destroyed, but instead lost on the island.¡±


    Venix took a step forward. ¡°Who?¡± He demanded, almost desperately. ¡°Who conveyed such knowledge to the Higanashi Clan?!¡±


    Kazuma stood up then, to stand in Venix¡¯s shadow. Despite how much the Antium towered over him, Kazuma displayed no fear as he met his eyes. ¡°Our records say it was Flickering Storm Jiro who stumbled into our family compound, wounded and alone. He only lived long enough to tell of the last stand of his lord and master, Gozen Higanashi of the Twin Fangs, and the fate of our family blade. He then died, and was buried with honor in the family plot.¡±


    Oh.


    I¡­see why Venix was so concerned with this man, now. The rest of my companions, save Bella, had realization flash across their faces as well. They had been there for Venix¡¯s dramatic speech during our duel, after all.


    At Kazuma¡¯s words, Venix looked¡­lost. ¡°Jiro lived?¡± I heard him whisper under his breath. ¡°Why did he not¡­?¡±


    Finally, Kazuma had enough. He stepped forward aggressively, and to my surprise, Venix backed away from him. ¡°Who are you, stranger? Truthfully. Why are you so concerned for my family? You¡¯ve looked at me as if you see a ghost ever since we met.¡±


    Venix stilled. I had never seen Grey¡¯s bodyguard so absolutely motionless before. Slowly, he craned his head down until he met Kazuma¡¯s eyes once again, before taking a deep breath. ¡°You¡­deserve to know, this is true. I¡­am Venix. Last surviving student of Gozen of the Twin Fangs, and the one who failed him deeper than any upon that fateful day during the Ryumetsu Matsuri. It was¡­my cowardice that saw him fall to the claws of Tatsugan.¡±


    Kazuma blinked, staring up at Venix.


    And then he did something I didn¡¯t expect.


    He lunged forward in a hooking punch and slammed his fist into the chitinous jaw of Venix.

 Chapter 246 - Opposing Directions

    The difference between them was too great for Kazuma¡¯s blow to move Venix even a single inch, of course. The Antium took the punch without blinking straight on the chin, still staring down at the heavily breathing Kawamaran man who had assaulted him.


    The rest of us weren¡¯t so taciturn about it.


    Bella, Azarus, and I stepped forward at the sudden violence. I don¡¯t know what the others were intending, but I was going to restrain the man. Judging from the grip Bella and Azarus had on their weapons, they¡­might have been going for a more permanent solution.


    Venix halted such notions. ¡°Stop!¡± He barked our way, freezing the three of us. Still, he never looked away from the seething form of the man who had struck him once and never followed up. ¡°His anger is understandable. Young blade, am I known to you?¡±


    Kazuma glared at the Antium, chest heaving from the effort of the strike he had delivered. ¡°Only the name,¡± He said heavily. ¡°Our records, they did not mention your race. If I had known¡­I would have struck you down there on the beach.¡±


    Venix inclined his head. ¡°You would have tried,¡± He acknowledged. ¡°And failed. But this does not matter. What does is that the blade of my master, the Sh¨­metsu no Kiba-¡±


    Language Adaptation helpfully informed that translated roughly to ¡®Fang of Annihilation¡¯.


    Fun.


    ¡°-still exists. And so I begin to understand the Madman¡¯s plan,¡± He continued, frowning at Kazuma. ¡°He will retrieve the sword, and force you to channel the might of his Core Collapse through it. He believes it will be enough to fully erase the existence of Tatsugan.¡±


    Kazuma didn¡¯t let up on his glower, but he nodded. ¡°Yes, you would understand, wouldn¡¯t you? Cur.¡±


    A cough broke the standoff between the two men. The both of them, and me for that matter, followed it to the source, finding Renauld standing there with his fist in front of his muzzle. ¡°That¡¯s all¡­very dramatic, sure. But, uh¡­what is this big bad sword, and why is it important?¡±


    ¡°And would it actually work?¡± I asked pointedly after he was done.


    Venix sighed and reached up to massage his brow, agitating his antennae in the process. ¡°Possibly,¡± He reluctantly admitted, to our gathered surprise. His lips quirked up in a humorless smile. ¡°The Sh¨­metsu no Kiba is a mighty blade indeed. With it, you can absorb any attack, any energy directed against it, and infuse it with the very concept of ¡®Erasure¡¯. Then, once that power has been attuned, it can be unleashed upon your target. Historically, the Artefact has no upper limit to what it can harness, and was used to great effect in the War in Heaven against the Godbound.¡±


    His eyes flickered over to me for a moment before continuing.


    ¡°It was left in the care of the Imperial family in the aftermath of the Initialization wars, and then bound to the Higanashi Clan for services rendered.¡± Venix crossed all four of his arms. ¡°It became their family blade, and then passed to my master upon his elevation to Lordship of that family. And then, when he fell, it was thought destroyed by the wyrm. And because of that¡­¡±


    ¡°My family was forced into hiding by the Imperial court,¡± Kazuma spat, still glaring at Venix. ¡°We lost everything! Our wealth, our influence in the court, even our home! We became little better than commoners, without a shred of honor to our name! The shame of it all drove us to the outer reaches of the Empire, where we huddled like rats in a nest of trash! So yes, when the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame came to me with a proposal on how to win my family¡¯s honor back, by truly slaying the great wyrm, I took it!¡±


    Venix was silent for a moment, simply staring at the fuming man. ¡°And you would die in the process,¡± He said, soft, pre-emptive grief in his voice.


    It grew silent around us, then.


    ¡°You are not nearly strong enough to wield the sword at that level,¡± Venix continued. ¡°The effort of channeling a Tier Four¡¯s Core Collapse¡­it would erase you, along with the beast.¡±


    Kazuma didn¡¯t deny it.


    ¡°That is MY sacrifice to make!¡± He shouted defiantly, thumping his chest with one fist. ¡°MY choice! Not yours! If it will save my family from the gutters, it is one I will gladly make! And you will not take that from me! I will kill you before I allow it!¡±


    At that¡­Venix¡­


    Looked away, and didn¡¯t speak in protest.


    I noticed that his shoulders fell slightly, though.


    Nobody spoke for a moment, as the hot, humid wind of the jungle misted about us. I looked up in the midst of the standoff, to see that it was nearly lunchtime by now. We¡¯d¡­been talking for quite a while now.


    As much as I didn¡¯t want to denigrate Kazuma¡¯s decision, it ultimately¡­wasn¡¯t our business. We still had a decision to make, and we didn¡¯t have the full story.


    I coughed into my fist, in a mirror of Renauld from earlier. As the gathered¡¯s eyes fell on me, I spoke. ¡°You still never answered why the Order left you behind, then, if Shacklock¡¯s whole plan relies on you,¡± I pointed out. ¡°You said something about betrayal?¡±


    Kazuma finally tore his gaze away from Venix to frown at me. ¡°Yes, because not everyone in the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame agrees with his decision,¡± He said reluctantly. ¡°Factions have arisen in their ranks. Some believe the Grandmaster¡¯s plan to be their best course of action, after their exile following the Construct War. By ridding my country of such a persistent threat, they hope to negotiate with the River Throne for the right to establish themselves as a recognized Sect. Others think it¡¯s foolish to try and permanently slay Tatsugan. They contend that they can build a new home on this island, and slay him occasionally,¡± He stressed. ¡°Keeping in mind the need for the wyrm to still live for periods of time. They intend to hold the threat of the nascent Calamity over Hinaga¡¯s head for the right to settle the island.¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    I blinked slowly at that¡­ridiculous plan.


    Azarus spoke what I¡¯m sure we were all thinking. ¡°That¡¯s dumb,¡± He bluntly. ¡°They¡¯re just goin¡¯ to antagonize the Kawamarans. Even if it works, they¡¯re always goin¡¯ to be lookin¡¯ to root ¡®em out.¡±


    Kazuma nodded. ¡°It is foolish, which is why the Grandmaster isn¡¯t in favor of it. For all his reputation as a madman, he¡¯s still shrewd. He might be able to hold off on the apex of his Core Collapse for another decade, at the very least, but he doesn¡¯t want to do that. He would rather spend it on this course of action and ensure a more stable future for the Order he founded.¡±


    ¡°But if you¡¯re out of the way,¡± Liora said slowly.


    ¡°Then Shacklock has no choice, and has to go with the other faction¡¯s plan,¡± I finished for her, frowning.


    ¡°Just so,¡± Kazuma nodded. ¡°Initially, I put no thought into how the company was split into multiple platoons on our journey towards the heart of Goryuen. There was the forward and rear patrols, as well as the central command. With the sheer danger involved when you consider the Oni hordes that inhabit this island, you need ample warning to counteract them. I was¡­encouraged to be in the rear guard by Captain Wernstrom. I should have been more suspicious.¡±


    He sighed, massaging his brow.


    ¡°I was too trusting. The man is the leading forcing among those who wish to see this land settled by the Order of Solstice¡¯s flame,¡± Kazuma continued, frustration thick in his voice. ¡°But he¡¯s been so courteous towards me that treachery never once crossed my mind. And now I must question just how much of the battle that occurred was real. Did the violence of Oni that we encountered chance upon us by happenstance? Did the Captain¡¯s scouts draw them to our position? Whatever the case, it doesn¡¯t matter. In the midst of battle, I was suddenly immobilized by a force not born of the Oni. It was a binding Spell of some sort, that I could discern from the Mana involved. The timing was very deliberate, because I was then struck by the full force of a tree the monster was using a club, and knocked into the jungle. There I lay, broken and alone, until you came upon me. And now I owe you a debt that I cannot truly repay.¡±


    Then, the samurai stood from his log, and turned to face Renauld and I in particular.


    And bowed sharply at the waist, at a full ninety degrees.


    ¡°I thank you, Healers, for the gift of life that you have extended to me,¡± Kazuma said solemnly. ¡°I will not forget this.¡±


    Renauld nodded easily at the thanks. I think, as a Healer, he was very used to statements like that. I wasn¡¯t too put off by it either. Kazuma¡¯s thanks, while overtly formal, were very in line with my experiences among the Kawamaran¡¯s. I¡¯d grown used to the ritualism inherent to their culture while operating my little business.


    Renauld wasn¡¯t likely to do it, so I stood up from my own log and returned the bow to the appropriate degree. Not too deep, not too shallow. You had to balance these things if you didn¡¯t want to cause offense. ¡°It was only our duty, Kazuma Higanashi,¡± I said politely. ¡°It¡­occurs to me that we haven¡¯t fully introduced ourselves. I am Nathan Hart, and this¡­¡± I trailed off expectantly, looking at my ¡®fellow¡¯ Healer.


    Renauld took the hint, and the rest of my companions followed.


    While they were introducing themselves to the samurai, I was sidling over to Venix. After the¡­midly dramatic confrontation between him and Kazuma, the Antium samurai had stepped back.


    I didn¡¯t mince words when I spoke to him, even if I did them quietly.


    ¡°Should we leave?¡± I whispered bluntly. At Venix¡¯s raised eyebrow, I elaborated. ¡°Goryuen, I mean. This situation just got way more complicated, and I didn¡¯t sign up to be the in middle of an internal power struggle of an Order that wanted me dead a few months ago.¡±


    Venix considered me for a moment. ¡°And what of your bunker?¡±


    I shook my head minutely, as Azarus presented Kazuma with his katana in the background. I think my Smith friend had found it not far from the samurai, and had taken it upon himself to clean and mend it while we did the same to the samurai¡¯s body. ¡°This might be important to me, but it¡¯s not that important. I can always come back later when this situation has been resolved.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure¡­¡± Venix whispered, staring out into the jungle.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Consider the bigger picture, Nathan,¡± An unexpected voice said near my elbow. I didn¡¯t jump, if only because the owner had a habit of doing this these days. Liora had some way to dodge my blood sense and had a tendency to jump out of shadows and startle me. Honestly, I think it was a kind of training she¡¯d picked up for the both of us. The Gnoll woman had joined us while Renauld and Azarus kept our guest busy. ¡°I¡¯m not sure we can afford to retreat now.¡±


    I furrowed my brow at her. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°We appear to have blundered our way into a potential diplomatic incident,¡± Liora answered, with a wry, humorless cast to her vulpine lips. ¡°Consider the optics. A Herztalian Martial Order is currently in the process of attempting to occupy a highly volatile land, owned by another sovereign nation. They might be exiles, but the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame has been around for a very long time, to the extent they were practically a Herztalian institution. I guarantee members of the River Court will be skeptical of how unattached they are, if not the Emperor himself. This campaign will be viewed as an attempt by a newly crowned High King to solidify his reign after a tumultuous civil war, and the exile merely a farcial cover. It¡¯s not in King-Elect Oskar¡¯s temperament to do so, but the possibility of conquering this land in the name of Herztal will be lingering in the back of those rebellious officer¡¯s minds. Kazuma Higanashi has, perhaps, not thought of this. This Captain Wernstrom could be considering using the island as a bargaining piece to return to the Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°¡­since when were you an expert on international and inter-court politics?¡± I asked her with a raised eyebrow.


    Liora just shrugged mysteriously at me. ¡°The point is, if the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame succeeds in laying claim to this island, it could be¡­bad, for the Kingdom.¡±


    And she was a bit of patriot, yeah, I got it.


    Our attention was drawn, however, when Venix shook his head. ¡°That is not the reason I am hesitant to retreat,¡± He said quietly, before looking down at us gravely. ¡°The boy¡¯s story, where he was ambushed by a full violence here in the outer jungle? Such a thing should be impossible. Normally, the density of Oni here in the outer jungle is too low for groups to form. As I¡¯ve said, only outcasts and failures lurk out here.¡±


    ¡°Normally?¡± I asked, a frown growing on my lips.


    Venix nodded. ¡°Normally. However¡­in times when Tatsugan is nearing his apex¡­that changes. The Oni horde swells and grows, and violences are seen elsewhere across the island.¡±


    ¡°You think the dragon has nearly completed his ascension into Calamity,¡± Liora said, studying Venix with a frown.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Venix said with a matching twist to his lips. For once, he didn¡¯t correct someone about Tatsugan about not being a dragon. ¡°But this cannot be left uninvestigated. I inquired as to Tatsugan¡¯s current stage before we left for the island. The last report was from a year ago, and he was said to be in his adolescent state. However, if the growth of the Immortal Wyrm has accelerated in some way, the Empire must be informed. I¡¯m sorry Hart, but we must press on.¡±


    Ah.


    Swell.

 Interlude 13 - Inscrutable

    Kazuma of Clan Higanashi, de facto Lord of his clan¡­.


    Found himself feeling terribly conflicted.


    So much was happening all at once that he was having trouble settling on a single emotion.


    There was the betrayal, of course. The campaign that the foreign exiled Sect had scouted him for had been months in the planning, with him involved every step of the way. Grandmaster Shacklock himself had sought him out, the infamous madman finding him slumped over a bar all those months ago in Nagizawa. He had been on the verge of weeping from the failure of his latest venture when the thump of a cane had cut through the noise of the bar.


    Insane, ambitious whispers in his ear had given him a hope that was now dashed.


    There was the expected anger, from multiple different sources. Not only that Captain Wernstrom, who had been nothing but courteous to him, had dared to stab him in the back. But also that a figure that his family had presumed to have died out on this accursed isle was still among the living.


    The ant man, Venix.


    The name had been among the roster of students his great-grandfather was said to have trailing in his wake. Not much was said about him in the records, and certainly not his race. The only thing of note in the scrolls was that he took after the Twin Fang himself, in choosing to bear multiple blades at once.


    He hadn¡¯t expected that to mean four of the damn things.


    By his own admission, the insect was at least partially responsible for the death of his great ancestor. There had been a palpable guilt in the shoulders of the bug when he had spoken of his master.


    Not much was actually known of how Gozen had died. Not even Jiro of the Flickering Storm had been able to tell them, much less the historical remnants of the latest Ryumetsu Matsuri. The way his grandfather had spoken, Spirits rest his soul, the man had been half delirious when he stumbled into the then clan compound. He¡¯d picked up some form of deadly jungle infection that haunted his grievous wounds, and no amount of Healing had been able to save him. The only words the man had been to utter before he passed was that the blade still existed, in a¡­cryptic way. The infection had taken his mind by that point.


    As his grandfather had told him, the exact words Jiro had said before dying were,


    ¡°It never fell¡­the fang never fell. Eyes in the dark¡­flame that stalks¡­it took it. Lost not lost but still there. She waits¡­where silence burns¡­¡±


    Suitably cryptic, to the apparent dismay of his Clan. But his father had spent decades of his life trying to decrypt the dying words of a delirious man, and had shared what he¡¯d found with Kazuma. It hadn¡¯t been much.


    But it was enough to convince both Kazuma and Grandmaster Shacklock.


    Kazuma wanted to demand answers from the Ant-man. Maybe he possessed a crucial clue that would help to fit all the pieces together, and from there he could save his family from the proverbial gutters.


    His pride sealed his lips, though, and thus he hadn¡¯t so much as looked in the cur¡¯s direction. But over the last few days, he had certainly felt Venix¡¯s eyes on him.


    Because the group of strange partisans who insisted they were not members of the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn had invited him to travel with them. Since he no longer had any comrades of his own in these savage wilds, he had of course accepted.


    And so he¡¯d been accompanying these odd people for two days now.


    They were the cause of the third emotion that was unsettling him.


    Confusion.


    What an¡­eclectic group they were.


    Firstly was the dwarf. Kazuma could count on one hand the number of times he had personally met one of his people. Nagizawa, the city his Clan had settled down in after their exile from the capital, was a port city. It mainly dealt in fish, though, and not expensive goods. That meant that Dwarven merchants were somewhat uncommon on the docks of the stinking city. The Velancians had their own fishing sources, and most seldom had need of what Kawamara could sell to them in that regard.


    However, this Azarus was unlike any Dwarf he had met. He spoke and acted differently, simultaneously both with wisdom and blunt disregard. Kazuma¡¯s studies from years past told him that the accent that colored the crimson-haired dwarf¡¯s words placed him from the distant mountain holds, and yet he was clearly educated. Strong in the arm, too, from how he had dispatched a group of Wyrmkin his new group had encountered.


    A contradiction.


    The Gnolls were a puzzle in and of themselves. They were so different from each other. These were actually the first of their kind Kazuma had ever met before. The Throng was currently barred from venturing onto the shores of Kawamara, due to some courtly faux pas from when he was a child. As a result, you didn¡¯t normally see Gnolls in the Land of Twinning Rivers. These two both were and were not what he had expected from their kind.


    The female was almost what the tales told of these strangers of Vereden. She was elusive, rarely interacting with the group in favor of serving as a scout. She spoke little, and what she did say was in a quiet, shifty tone to his ears. He had yet to have the chance to speak to her, and it almost seemed like she was deliberately avoiding him.


    Of course, the male was a Healer and had saved his life. Kazuma had pledged to guard him on this treacherous island, and taken up one of the guard positions in the center of the formation. This Renauld was¡­fairly easygoing, from his conversations with him. Kazuma understood that he was a student at the Academy of Mystic Arts, and had gotten caught up in the Herztalian¡¯s civil war before falling in with this group. The fox man was a tad mercurial in his moods, but friendly enough. From the tales, he hadn¡¯t expected that from one of his kind.


    Which left only the humans of this troupe.


    Both of which frustrated him, if only for different reasons.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    The woman, Bella, he had learned was a pirate. Upon discovering that, Kazuma had begun to deliberately shun her presence. He refused to entertain a murdering criminal, and it stung at him that he had fallen so far that he must call one of her kind a comrade. She didn¡¯t seem to care a whit about his disapproval, only smirking at him when she thought he wasn¡¯t looking. If not for the man stopping her, he thought she would have spent the entire journey across Goryuen mocking him.


    The man¡­


    Who actually was a human.


    That had surprised him. This Nathan Hart had long, pointed ears in the manner of the savage Elves from the mainland. Kawamara had none of those long-disgraced barbarians upon her shores, and the sight of such features had initially shocked him. Upon that beach when he had first seen the man, it had been his appearance that initially made Kazuma wary of the group. Not just him, but Wernstrom and the rest of Solstice¡¯s Flame leadership.


    Nobody that journeyed with an elf, much less one that had odd patches of what looked to be blackened scales dotting his body, could be trustworthy.


    But Kazuma had come to learn that the quiet man was just that. A man, and not an Elf. His strange appearance was apparently the result of some form of curse, inflicted upon him by the Calamity that had briefly risen in the city of Elderwyck, in the dying days of the Construct War. In a shocking and somewhat scandalous move, the man had even invited Kazuma to Observe him to prove the truth of his words.


    Kazuma had tentatively done so, only to see that Hart was nothing more than a mere Human. Nothing strange had been visible on his Status at all.


    That had relieved him, he had to admit.


    However, Hart was still a mystery to him. This group almost treated him like the true leader, and not the hulking, almost certainly more powerful Antium that led the formation. They consulted him on decisions, and more often than not, followed his advice. Kazuma had also learned that their entire expedition was apparently Hart¡¯s idea. The other man was tight-lipped about what they sought here on the island, only saying that they sought something at the base of Mt. Gorenzan. When Kazuma had pointed out that that was the most dangerous place on the isle, as the Oni hordes encircled the throne of Tatsugan himself, Hart had merely nodded. The man seemed entirely unfazed by the potential danger, when even Kazuma himself, who had quite literally chosen to give his life for his clan, was apprehensive of that treacherous range.


    Kazuma had been able to discover nothing of this strange, Elf-like Human¡¯s origins. He spoke little of himself in Kazuma¡¯s earshot, and his companions almost appeared unfalteringly loyal to him. Kazuma only knew a few things about the mysterious man. The first was that he was a Mage, in comparison to his own path of the Cultivator. The other was that his Professions were Smithing and Enchanting.


    He could, at the very least, admire the strange armor and weapons this Hart seemed to carry, apparently borne of his own two hands. Kazuma had never actually seen Oninite smithed in that manner, and certainly not in such abundance. It felt almost extravagant, truthfully. Kazuma doubted that the Emperor himself had such a complement of Oninite.


    He was at least competent, though. The man seemed to realize that he didn¡¯t need to continue guarding the Healer with Kazuma around. He also appeared to have scout training like the taciturn Gnoll woman. Hart had joined her in becoming a scout, choosing to range around their flanks to ward off dangers that may be approaching.


    But he didn¡¯t need to for long, because the jungle was coming to an end.


    On the morning of the third day since Kazuma had joined this small, odd troop, the scenery began to change around them. The trees started to thin out, the sounds of the jungle began to fade, and even the insects died down.


    This was a relief to everyone. Even the ant man seemed grateful the vicious, bloodthirsty things were no longer poking at his chitin.


    By the time lunch had rolled around, they reached the absolute edge of the jungles of Goryuen.


    The transitionary point from the outer island¡­


    To the inner.


    The group gathered to stand in a line on the delineating point, shoulder to shoulder. The two scouts had returned by now to join them.


    And stare out across the peaks of the horizon.


    Kazuma had heard tale of the mountains of Goryuen. How they were the youngest, most treacherous spires upon the face of Vereden. How they were unnatural to the extreme, haunted by ghosts of the endless struggle with the Immortal Wyrm. And how only the foolish would brave their depths, when not bound by duty.


    It turned out¡­those tales were true.


    They seemed endless.


    Stretching far off into the horizon was a sea of blade-like peaks and treacherous valleys. The stone of the range were blackened, and their summits almost seemed to gleam blue in the light of the shrouded sun overhead. Because the light of Tarus did not seem to fully touch the entirety of the span, no. Instead, angry, roiling grey clouds shrouded the sky as far as the eye could see, and the occasional spire of lighting reached down to touch the tips of those upthrust spears. Thunder rumbled among the clouds, a muted growl that reached the group from even this distance.


    And yet, no rain appeared to be falling upon the range. No floods rushed through barren corridors of stone that threaded throughout the mountains. It was bone dry, nearly desert-like within that hell.


    Unlike the jungles, nothing could live in there. No water, no animals, no greenery.


    Only monsters and beasts.


    It was a good thing, then, that Kazuma didn¡¯t intend to venture inside.


    Yet.


    He only had to convince his newfound allies of the plan. Such as it was.


    Kazuma¡¯s introspection, and the silence of the group, was broken when Hart spoke first.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± He uttered in a mild tone. ¡°That doesn¡¯t look fun.¡±


    The lord of Clan Higanashi couldn¡¯t help but turn a disbelieving eye upon the man.


    ¡°Fun?¡± Kazuma uttered under his breath disbelievingly.


    His companions had a different reaction.


    Renauld smirked, seemingly put at ease, where only moments before intimidation had painted his furred face. ¡°Downright spooky, even.¡±


    Meanwhile, the dwarf actually looked a bit impressed. ¡°Some damn fine mountains, though,¡± He said, strangely admiring. ¡°The old Holds ain¡¯t got nothin¡¯ on this. They¡¯re a downright cakewalk in comparison.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been,¡± Liora said, turning an interested eye towards Azarus. ¡°Is there truly such a difference?¡±


    ¡°Oh, aye,¡± Azarus nodded. ¡°Y¡¯see¡­¡± To Kazuma¡¯s disbelief, the two of them began a conversation on comparative geology.


    Meanwhile, Hart had turned to Bella, who had taken out her far-eye and was examining the range. ¡°See anything interesting? Can I borrow that?¡±


    Bella lowered the instrument and turned to him with a taunting smirk. ¡°Nothin¡¯ noteworthy, just a few beasties. Think I saw a movin¡¯ Oni horn, but it wasn¡¯t part of a violence. And¡­maybe ye can look. If ye ask nicely.¡±


    Hart returned her smirk with one of his own. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll ask nicely. Just¡­later.¡±


    The two of them chuckled to themselves, to Kazuma¡¯s confusion, before Bella handed Hart the far-eye. The odd man took it but didn¡¯t look through it yet. Instead, he turned to Venix. ¡°So, where should we enter? Straight ahead?¡±


    The ant opened his treacherous mouth to answer, but Kazuma had shaken off the oddity of his ally''s behavior. He co-opted the conversation by clearing his throat. When a majority of eyes turned his way, Kazuma made his play.


    ¡°There is somewhere else we should go first,¡± He began firmly. ¡°The central range-¡±


    He was cut off by Hart. ¡°Is our destination,¡± The pseudo-Elf said sharply. ¡°Do not forget, Kazuma Higanashi, you are our guest. I extended an invitation to you because you might have died, alone in the jungle. But we have our own plans on this island.¡±


    Kazuma grit his teeth and tried not to lose his temper, aware even the conversation on mountain geology had died down. ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± He said, suppressing his temper. ¡°But I believe I know where the Sh¨­metsu no Kiba can be found.¡±


    Venix took a step forward then, attention sharpening. ¡°Where?¡±


    The Kawamaran samurai took a deep breath. ¡°The dying words of Jiro of the Flickering Storm gave my Clan enough to work off of for our research. We believe it might be there,¡± He said, pointing off to the right side of the horizon.


    Towards a curl of smoke that wafted into the sky, originating from a short, squat mountain. This one had no blade-like tip like the rest of the range, and lay outside of it as well, crouching between it and the jungle on the vast stony plain they stood in.


    The party followed his finger, as Kazuma spoke again.


    ¡°The volcano of Mt. Umetsuji.¡±

 Chapter 247 - Stumbling Forward

    I exchanged a quick glance with Venix, and that was all I needed to know.


    He was determined to retrieve this sword. Even though the only reason to do that would be so Kazuma could essentially kill himself with it.


    I suppressed a sigh. I¡¯d suspected this was going to happen. It was only a matter of time before this guy was going to ask us to help him retrieve the sword. I¡¯d had a vain hope that he would wait until he linked back up with the Solstice¡¯s Flame guys to ask them to chase this thing down.


    But no.


    Us.


    Still, this wasn¡¯t unexpected. I¡¯d been communicating covertly with Liora on our rangings about the possibility, and she¡¯d been ferrying messages back to the others about our thoughts, beneath Kazuma''s attention. Most of the others didn¡¯t really care where we went here on the island. They were here for me, the levels, and the adventure. As long as we accomplished our goals in time to be picked back up by the Kaminari Maru, it didn¡¯t matter to them.


    Except for Venix. He¡­really wanted to retrieve this sword.


    I¡¯d thought about arguing with him about it before deciding there was no use. The Antium was going to do what he wanted to, and I suppose we owed it to him to assist. He¡¯d helped us enough in the past, either on the mainland, in Kawamara, or even on the island that he deserved it.


    We could spare the time. There were three more weeks left until the Kaminari Maru returned, likely with the Kawamaran navy in tow. From what I understood, Goryuen was only about three days away into the heart of the range.


    If Venix wanted to honor his old master in this way, we could make time for him.


    I nodded slightly at the Antium samurai and turned to face the other one. ¡°Alright,¡± I said easily, in sharp contrast to my previous tone to him. ¡°Let¡¯s get going then.¡±


    The others untensed now that the pseudo-confrontation was over. As I raised the far-eye to look out at this volcano, I heard Liora and Azarus start chattering again, Renauld start whistling to himself, and the sputters of Kazuma. ¡°That¡¯s it?!¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± I said idly, examining the distant mountain.


    Hmm.


    Interesting, interesting.


    I knew exactly nothing about volcanoes.


    I lowered the far-eye and turned to my only possible source, interrupting his conversation with Liora. ¡°Azarus, take a look and tell me about this place, will you?¡±


    He shrugged and nodded, accepting the far-eye. My dwarven friend inspected the distant volcano for a moment thoughtfully, while Kazuma continued his bafflement.


    ¡°I can tell you about-¡± He tried to say.


    Azarus cut him off. ¡°Looks like an old beast to me,¡± He said. ¡°Low, squat. Much older than the rest of this baby fresh range. Seems ta be spewin¡¯ more ash and smoke than anythin¡¯ else. Probably doesn¡¯t erupt often, if much at all, and what it does have is heavy, thick, and slow. I ain¡¯t felt any rumblin¡¯s, and I would have if it were more active,¡± He studied it for another second. ¡°Iron-rich I¡¯d say.¡±


    I blinked at the much more in-depth explanation than I was expecting. After a moment, I turned to Kazuma with a raised eyebrow. ¡°That right?¡±


    He looked away. ¡°Just about,¡± Kazuma grumbled before regaining his composure. ¡°Mt. Umetsuji is where we believe Jiro was speaking of, as he lay dying.¡±


    I nodded easily. ¡°Where ¡®silence burns¡¯ and all that jazz, yeah, I remember,¡± I said, recalling the words he had reluctantly told Venix the other day upon his request. I shrugged, adjusting the pack there at the same time. ¡°Well, enough talking about it. The volcano is¡­probably a day or so away¡­?¡± I trailed off, looking at Azarus.


    He nodded, collapsing the far-eye and handing it back to Bella. ¡°Just about. Maybe day and a half of hikin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going then.¡±


    At that, we stopped admiring the scenery and got underway.


    No reason to dawdle.


    It¡¯s not like we were on a time limit or anything.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    The span between the actual mountains of Goryuen and the jungle was barren as hell, with next to no cover on it. It was almost desert-like, really, only far more rocky than I expected it to be. The footing was treacherous and likely to slip away under you at any point. And there were plenty of points out on this plain. I swear, this place felt like nothing more than a sea of razor-sharp stone fragments most of the time.


    Thankfully, we were all wearing strong enough footwear for our lower halves not to be torn to shreds.


    Unfortunately, we were so exposed out there, it was only a matter of time until we ran into the masters of this land.


    The Oni.


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    With sight lines being so clear, we had thought there was no need to continue scouting ahead in search of monsters that could be hiding around every tree.


    That was a mistake. We hadn¡¯t counted on the ravines.


    Our group nearly bumbled right into them.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Venix said sharply, from the front of our formation. We all froze suddenly at his command, standing perfectly still. ¡°Chasm below us.¡±


    Some of us breathed out in relief at that, myself among them. We all untensed and wandered up to join Venix. I don¡¯t know about the others, but I was curious about what had stopped us. As I joined him at the front, I noticed that Venix was still oddly tense. I shook it off and looked down.


    The sight nearly gave me vertigo, which was a first. I hadn¡¯t experienced that since I¡¯d got my Status.


    From one inch to the next, the ground appeared to end right in front of us. It was as if an enormous dagger had been thrust into the stone of Vereden, opening up a blade-shaped ravine in the span. It yawned before us, and none of the weak, obscured light of Tarus above could penetrate into the darkness below our feet. Random spikes of stone dotted the walls of the ravine, jutting off into every which way. The stony spears almost seemed like teeth that dotted an impossibly large mouth, ready to grind through whatever was incautious enough not to watch their footing.


    Oddly, I could see that a number of them looked to have been snapped off, leaving only shattered stumps in the walls.


    As I was standing at the edge of the ravine and looking down, I heard Renauld shift in place to my right. At his movement, a large, flat slate of stone at his feet came loose and tumbled off the edge and into the abyss below. We all watched silently as the shale tumbled end over end and then struck one of the spires below, the both of them shattering at the impact. The tinkling of rock fragments filled our ears as they scattered their way down into the abyss.


    I shook off the odd mood the sight had instilled in me, and looked up and down the surface of the chasm, judging the length and width of it. I nodded and then glanced at my companions. ¡°We can probably ju-¡±


    I didn¡¯t get the chance to finish my words.


    Far, far below me, a deep, furious roar echoed out of the canyon we stood above. Crashing noises, growing ever closer, reached us in the wake of it. Somewhere deep in the shadow below our feet, I thought I could just barely see the glow of yellow eyes ascending the dark, larger than dinner plates.


    I sucked in a sharp breath, rapidly retreating from the edge. ¡°Back! Back! On-¡±


    I didn¡¯t get the chance to say another word. With a thunderous crash of splintering stone, a massive blue palm punched its way out of the spikes and fell upon the lip of the ravine. The sharp, obsidian-shaded claws dug into the rock of the plain, crushing it into a suitable handhold. A matching fist swung up and over the ledge, and the owner pulled itself up and out of the chasm we had nearly stumbled into.


    In the dim light of the day, I could see the beast as it stretched itself to its full height and roared into the sky above. I grit my teeth as the sound rolled over me, strong enough to pop my ears from the sheer pressure of it.


    That was an Oni, all right.


    Blue skin thicker than leather was stretched taut over a heavily, obscenely, thick muscled humanoid body. Angry, throbbing veins stood out prominently on its massive body, pulsing in time with its heartbeat. Thankfully sexless, it wore nothing on its imitation of the human form and carried no weapons.


    This thing had to be over thirty feet tall, at a minimum.


    The shadow it cast over our surprised group was long and deep, and its head was thrown back from its defiant roar. The boulder-sized body part shrouded the already weak light of Tarus above, but I could still see its long, wispy white hair drifting in the faint wind on this stony plain. It was only as the monster hunched back over that I could see the features of the Oni in full detail.


    The hate in its golden eyes was familiar to me as they fell on our group. As were the four curved pitch-black ox horns that stood out on the prominent brow of the beast, stretching towards the heavens. Two more grew downward from its cheeks, thrusting straight from the bone to curl around its mouth. Sharp fangs were visible in the snarling orifice, dripping with hungry drool and sliding down its chin, as black as the horns.


    It wanted to eat us so, so badly. Its hunger was palpable in the air.


    I threw out an Observe, even though I already suspected what it would say.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9932%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.3142%">Name:</td>


    <td style="width: 92.679%">Thunderous Oni War-Rager</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.3142%">Level:</td>


    <td style="width: 92.679%">???</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.3142%">Age:</td>


    <td style="width: 92.679%">41 years</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.3142%">Species:</td>


    <td style="width: 92.679%">Monster (Prime)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.3142%">Abilities:</td>


    <td style="width: 92.679%">???, ???, ???, ???</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    A full adult Prime. I¡¯d already known that it was one, just by the number of horns on its hideous head. Juveniles that had yet to reach Prime status only had the two cheekbone horns, while newly ascended ones had those and two more on the skull. A fully mature, adult Prime had the full complement like this fellow. My brief hunt with an Oni Hunter squad had taught me that.


    Just our luck to stumble on one, out in this plain. I suppose it was inevitable here on this island. I was only surprised we hadn¡¯t encountered an Oni before now.


    At the sight of the rabid, slavering creature, weapons flew from sheathes all around me as we rapidly prepared for the inevitable battle. I drew my daggers and did not extend them, but did surround their Oninite blades with the glowing aurora of The Scintillant Blade. Might of the Wyrdwood was deployed at the same time at fifteen percent, and in moments the ethereal vines of the Skill had covered my body. But I didn¡¯t deploy my transformation Skill.


    Not yet.


    Venix stepped forward as the Oni crouched there in front of us, all four of his blades drawn and clenched in his chitinous fists. It was utterly still in the face of the blatant challenge, studying us for a moment with eyes that were too intelligent for my liking. I swear, I swear, that I saw its lips curl slightly into a smile.


    Before it acted.


    The only hint I received that things were about to start was a slight crackle of electricity that ran up and around its thickly muscled limbs.


    I, and all of my companions, knew what that meant. We¡¯d all seen this before, at one time or another.


    Apparently, even Kazuma did.


    We all dived out of the way from where we stood, and just in the nick of time.


    From the Oni¡¯s still open mouth blasted a sharp spear of lightning, bright blue and hotter than the surface of the sun. It moved too quickly for me to even track as it impacted the stone where we had all stood only moments before, shattering the stone of the plain and sending molten rock flying through the air. I grimaced from where I had dodged as some of it landed to sizzle on the surface of my cloak. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to dodge that if I hadn¡¯t known it was coming. The speed was just too great.


    That was just the opening blow.


    The Oni stood up to its full height once again and pounded its chest with both fists, roaring into the sky as if it were the primeval ape. More lightning sparked up and down its body.


    But the time for posturing was over. We couldn¡¯t let this thing dictate the course of the coming battle, and all of us knew that.


    We set our weapons and charged.

 Chapter 248 - War-Rager

    Well, everyone charged but Renauld, Kazuma, and Bella that is. As the Healer, Renauld stayed behind to watch our backs. Bella, too, because she was part of the team meant to watch him. I knew she would be cranky from missing out on the fight, but she was surprisingly good at squad-based teamwork. Probably came from being a ship''s Captain. Out of the corner of my eye, I was grateful to see that Kazuma had the good sense to stay with our Healer and look after him. His katana was drawn and held in a ready stance, as he stood protectively in front of the Gnoll. Bella as well, cutlass held at the ready in case the Oni got past us.


    But that was the last thing I saw before battle was joined.


    Venix and Azarus led the charge as the veritable tip of our spear. All four of the Antium samurai¡¯s blades now glowed a cool blue, trailing frost in the air as he lashed out at the Oni towering above us. Azarus hadn¡¯t attached his hammer and shield to the four lengths of chains that sprouted from his armored back, as he was sometimes wont to do. Instead, they hooked onto four separate daggers sheathed at his mid-back, which rose up to glint in the dim light like the fangs of the proverbial serpent behind him. This was a new strategy for the Dwarf, and something that he had dreamt up over the last few months. All four of the chain spears whipped out at the Prime as Azarus banged hammer against shield mockingly.


    The Oni dodged backward fast enough to evade Azarus¡¯s daggers, but not Venix¡¯s hoary blades. This one was strong, yes.


    But not anywhere near the level of Venix.


    Still, the Oni only lost two fingers on its right hand from the blisteringly fast swipes. It staggered back briefly, howling in pain as thick black blood sprayed into the air, but still had the senses to strike back with a kick aimed at the Antium. Venix skipped out of the way, but the foot was so large that Azarus had to raise his shield to block the blow. It impacted the enchanted, hand-forged steel of the kite, ringing like a gong. The dwarven blacksmith was driven back several feet from the force of the strike, but he retained his footing thanks to his chain spears anchoring him in place, buried deep in the stone. Still, the Oni had accomplished his goal. Both of the frontline fighters had been driven back, if only momentarily. But it had also been driven back.


    Straight into Liora and I.


    While Azarus and Venix had captured the Oni¡¯s attention from the front, us former Nocturne Agents had circled behind it. And when that foot came reeling back after being rebuffed by Azarus¡¯s shield, we struck. Simultaneously, we burst forward and dug into the Achilles tendons at the back of the Prime¡¯s ankles. Liora at the left one, and I at the right. This was a tactic that the Oni Hunters had taught me to great effect during the hunt I¡¯d been on. I suppose they¡¯d shown it to her as well.


    Her claws, trailing black smoke, crunched through the thick hide of the Oni to find the tendon within. Using both hands, she outright ripped a portion of it out to dangle from her fist, oozing blood darker than pitch.


    I was comparatively much more methodical. My daggers simply cut through the hide of the beast, instantly severing the tendon. I still got sprayed with disgusting black blood, though, causing me to grimace.


    The reaction from the Oni was immediate.


    Its legs folded from underneath it and it dropped its knees, howling even louder in pain. But even that wasn¡¯t enough to rid the monster of all its senses. These things were cannier than most gave them credit for.


    The Oni¡¯s entire body glowed bright blue for a moment, and then a shockwave of electric blue static exploded from the surface of its skin. I had already skipped back after my attack was successful, so I managed to completely dodge the attack, whatever it was.


    But Liora was a hair too slow.


    She had tried to leap back at the first hint of glow from the Oni, but for the first time since I¡¯d known her, her speed wasn''t enough to save her. From what I could see, the rapidly expanding field of static just barely managed to graze her foot.


    The reaction was immediate.


    The Gnollish former assassin immediately went limp and wasn¡¯t able to react in time to prevent what happened next. The Oni swiped at her falling form before she could hit the ground, and grabbed her.


    Its enormous azure hand closed over her whole body, and it brought Liora¡¯s immobilized form up to face level. Azarus and Venix immediately stopped in their tracks, unwilling to strike out at the Oni while it was using one of our friends to protect itself. It almost seemed like the monster was using her as a shield. The two of them tried to circle around the kneeling monster, only for it shuffle in the stone of the plain to keep them in view. It swiped at Venix, only for the Antium to parry the obsidian claws in a shower of sparks.


    When Azarus¡¯s chain spears threatened to strike out at the Oni, darting back and forth while the Dwarf himself stood ready with shield and hammer raised, the monster raised Liora higher. In a clear threatening manner, it opened its mouth of black fangs to drool over the still immobilized hand-to-hand specialist.


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    While this was happening, I was getting into position. I¡¯d thrown Thorn Cloak up once the Oni¡¯s attention had fallen away from me, causing me to fade into the background, if only slightly. But that was enough in the heat of battle for me to maneuver around to the Oni¡¯s right side unseen. I¡¯d been waiting for the right moment to strike, but it looked like I had to just take the risk now.


    Perfect was the enemy of good enough, and perfect would get my friend¡¯s head bitten off.


    Vis Maledicta Exactoris.


    Under the effect of Thorn Cloak, my body ballooned into its monstrous state. The enhanced strength and speed of the transformation combined with the still active Might of the Wyrdwood, compounding on each other.


    I crouched, activated The Scintillant Blade on my daggers once more, and exploded upwards in a leap.


    Blades poised directly at the arm still holding Liora.


    My brilliantly burning daggers, combined with the strength and speed of my ascension, sheared right through the tough skin of the Oni. The arm was sliced in half right through the humerus, and the Oni reared back and howled in agony. The severed limb flopped down onto the stone below, the hand twitching open enough for Liora to groggily roll away from it. All this I saw from above as, at the apex of my leap, I snapped open my wings to slow my descent.


    Azarus and Venix hadn¡¯t wasted their chance.


    The dwarven smith¡¯s chain daggers speared forwards to immobilize the wounded Oni, two in opposing shoulders, two in opposing hips. As it was held in place, Venix crouched, and his chitinous body glowed a faint, ominous crimson. His robe waved in a wind I could not feel, causing the cranes upon it to almost appear as if they were in flight.


    I only saw his foot twitch once before he disappeared from sight in a blur of speed too great for my Perception. But I sure saw the results.


    The howling of the Oni immediately ceased as its head was separated from its shoulders. It tumbled through the air, high enough that it was briefly at eye level with my slowly descending form. I swear that our eyes briefly met as it died, emerald on gold.


    To my consternation, it chose that exact moment to explode into a cloud of Miasma. I coughed with monstrous lungs as I fell through an unexpected cloud of foulness, as the main body dissipated on the ground.


    By the time my feet touched the ground, I saw that Renauld and Bella had already hurried over to the still-dazed form of Liora and were inspecting her. Honestly, I think Bella was more fretting than inspecting, from how she was hovering over our friend. It looked like the claws of the Oni might have grazed her, cutting through her armor to leave small gashes on her arms. I wasn¡¯t worried about her, though. Renauld knew his craft.


    Instead, I was watching Kazuma. I hadn¡¯t dispelled my transformation yet, and I¡¯m guessing he hadn¡¯t been expecting it. The man had frozen at the sight of me, his black eyes bulging in their sockets as they beheld my scaled, chiropteran features. I noticed that he had yet to release his white-knuckled grip on his sword, still held at the ready.


    I snorted, released my grip on The Scintillant Blade, and sheathed my twin blades at the small of my back. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± I called out to him in my altered, warbling voice. ¡°Never seen a transformation Skill before?¡±


    Kazuma¡¯s blade lowered, and he looked at me in pure disbelief. ¡°Hart?¡±


    In lieu of answering, I dispelled the rest of my active Skills. In seconds, I had returned to my¡­relatively normal human state. Turning away from him, I looked over just in time to see Azarus bend down and pick up a real monster of a Core. I whistled at the sight of it. The pure white orb had to be the size of my fist, and I¡¯m not talking about my current one. It shone faintly in the Dwarf¡¯s open palm as he inspected. I wandered over to them as Azarus turned to Venix and offered it to the Antium. ¡°Yer kill, yer Core,¡± He said shortly.


    Venix shook his head. ¡°I have no use for it. It is too low level for my own crafts. You may have the Core.¡±


    ¡°If ya say so,¡± Azarus shrugged, reaching around him for his pack and dropping said Core inside. ¡°Ain¡¯t gonna turn down free materials.¡±


    As I joined them, I returned their greeting nods. ¡°I¡¯m guessing we¡¯re right in the middle of Oni territory by now.¡±


    ¡°Just so,¡± Venix answered, as Kazuma warily joined us, eyeing me suspiciously. I paid him no mind. ¡°Random dens such as that are common across the island, now that we¡¯re out of the jungle. That was not quite an elder, but it was certainly no juvenile. Possibly a challenger who was driven out of the deeper reaches to bide his time for a return.¡±


    Our conversation was interrupted by Kazuma speaking up. ¡°Who¡­are you people?¡± He said, half in astonishment, half in suspicion. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen an adult Oni dispatched so quickly. Even dedicated teams struggle to recover from such an ambush.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help a smirk from crawling over my face, as Renauld and the girls joined us as well. ¡°Guess we¡¯re a cut above the rest,¡± I said, before meeting Liora¡¯s eyes. ¡°You alright? Good to go?¡±


    Liora briefly bowed her furry head. ¡°Yes. Apologies for the misstep. I misjudged the beast¡¯s speed.¡±


    I shrugged, but it was Bella who spoke. ¡°It¡¯s alright. We all make mistakes,¡± She said with a smile at the Gnoll, before directing a glare towards the rest of us. ¡°Don¡¯t we?¡±


    I nodded along with the others under her glare. Sure, sure.


    The way you stick up for your friend is cute, Bella. I didn¡¯t say that out loud, though.


    I didn¡¯t need another bruise from her.


    Instead, I addressed the group. ¡°No reason to stick around. Let¡¯s go, people.¡± At the round of answering nods, we moved away from the impromptu battle site, hopping across the ravine the Oni had apparently lived in. Once we were on the other side, I noticed someone was missing. Looking back across to the other side, I saw that Kazuma was still watching us with a queer look on his face.


    ¡°You coming?¡± I called across to him.


    My words appeared to knock him out of his daze, and he nodded at us. ¡°Yes!¡± He returned, hurrying and joining us on the other side. Fully regrouped, we set back out for Mt. Umetsuji once more. The volcano had been growing on the horizon for some time now, and the plumes of ash that wisped from the caldera were ever more visible to us.


    Honestly, I welcomed it. It was colder out here on the plains than it had been in the jungle, and the closer we got to the volcano, the warmer it had been getting.


    I was almost looking forward to investigating the ¡®squat beast¡¯, as Azarus had termed it.

 Chapter 249 - Crimson Caldera

    I was no longer enjoying the heat. As we got closer and closer to the looming form of Mt. Umetsuji, I discovered a flaw in the enchantment I¡¯d weaved onto my cloak. During the Meld, I¡¯d misjudged one of the patterns to the extent that the temperature control was no longer working. The result was that it died completely, and I had to remove the cloak altogether or risk drowning in my own sweat.


    Thank God it hadn¡¯t died out in the jungle. As it was, I was now suffering with the rest of my companions through the rising dry heat of the stony plains we were tromping across.


    The ambient temperature grew more and more as we approached Kazuma and Venix¡¯s little diversion, and that wasn¡¯t the only thing.


    So had sightings of the Children of Shurenga.


    I¡¯d thought we left the cats behind when we exited the jungle, and for a time I¡¯d been right about that. The watching eyes had abruptly disappeared after we had initially ventured out into these Oni-infested wastes. But the closer we came to the volcano, they crept back into our lives, in far greater frequency than they¡¯d appeared in the jungle itself. I was starting to think it hadn¡¯t been the jungle that was their territory.


    Their appearance increased to the extent that we caught our first full glimpse of one of the enormous cats. It wasn¡¯t for lack of hiding spots that they showed themselves to us. There were plenty of them dotted all across this stretch of the island, between the ravines and enormous boulders strewn about.


    They just didn¡¯t care anymore.


    The first time our group saw one of their adults sunning themselves, casually stretched out on a large elevated boulder, we stopped to stare at it. The feline itself stared back with too-intelligent amber eyes, and flicked its tail at us in dismissive contempt.


    Both of them, in fact.


    The Shurengan was huge, easily the size of even the biggest draught horse I¡¯d seen on the mainland. At first glance, I wanted to equate the creature to the tigers that existed back on Earth, but that comparison wasn¡¯t quite right. Its coat was a bright, bloody, crimson red for one, even if it had the same black stripes that ran up and down its bulky form, from the tip of its snout to the end of both of its two tails. The overall shape of its head didn¡¯t resemble that of a tiger, either. It was too¡­primeval, I suppose, long, wide, and monstrously powerful. From the top of that feral jaw jutted two fangs, greater in length than my own arms from the elbow down. Casually, with a nearly smug air, the great cat opened its mouth in a yawn to display the full width of its jaw.


    I could feel that rumble that escaped the chest of the Shurengan even at this distance. Something primal in me from the days of humanity''s infancy quailed at the sound, but both my rings kept their composure.


    I had no doubt the beast could fit my entire head in that cavernous orifice, and pop it as easily as I could a grape.


    I stared up at it warily with the rest of my companions at my side. Even though the creature had yet to make a single hostile move toward us, I was still careful to keep an eye on it as I turned my head slightly in Venix¡¯s direction. He was the only one of us who had previous experience with Goryuen, after all.


    ¡°Is that¡­?¡± I asked him, wary about using Observe on the great beast.


    I mean, what if it felt the Skill and took offense? Stranger things had happened.


    Venix nodded a faint frown on his lips. ¡°It is. And yet, I have never seen one of the Children of Shurenga display itself so prominently.¡±


    ¡°Did ye¡­ever come this way, back durin¡¯ the old fight with the dragon?¡± Bella asked slowly, as the Shurengan closed its mouth and laid its gigantic head on equally large paws.


    Venix shook his head. ¡°We¡­did not,¡± He said. ¡°It occurs to me that our forces deliberately did not venture near this caldera.¡±


    ¡°Coulda been fer a good reason,¡± Azarus said, casting a wary eye out at the wastes around us. Despite the rising heat, I noticed goosebumps rise on his bare arms, visible even through the red hair that covered them. He shivered faintly and rubbed vigorously at them with leather-clad hands.


    I didn¡¯t blame him for the caution. My neck itched suddenly, and it felt like a thousand eyes were suddenly studying me.


    It occurred to me then, that if this Shurengan was deliberately showing itself to us¡­


    Just how many weren¡¯t?


    Paranoid glances were exchanged, as a new mood overtook the group.


    Thankfully, at least one of us kept our head.


    Liora had remained cool in the face of the enormous cat and didn¡¯t bother to join us as we cast furtive eyes at the plain. Instead, she just kept examining the sunning beast. ¡°Fret not,¡± She said, catching our attention. ¡°This is a message, yes. But not one of unwelcome. The Children of Shurenga¡­they are merely letting us know who this land belongs to.¡±


    One crimson-furred ear up on the rock twitched at those words, and a single eye opened to stare down at the Gnoll woman. I don¡¯t think I was alone in being able to read the faint amusement visible in that amber orb.


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    ¡°Yes,¡± Liora nodded decisively, before deliberately bowing at the waist to the cat. ¡°We have leave to approach the mount. As long as we are respectful.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but notice that Liora was careful not to bow either too deep or too shallow to the Shurengan. In much the same way you would among Kawamaran society.


    Liora had picked up on those same social cues I had, after all, during our stay in Hinaga.


    As if it had gotten exactly the reaction it was after, the crimson and black-furred beast rose up to all fours to cast a shadow down over our group. With one last calculating glance at us, it turned its back and hopped down from the boulder, disappearing from sight.


    Even when we resumed our trek and passed the stone, I caught no trace of the smug creature.


    It was like it had vanished into thin air.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    As Mt. Umetsuji loomed larger overhead, that was far from the last of the Children of Shurenga we encountered. Now that we had been sufficiently warned by one of their elders, it seems the cats no longer cared about hiding from us. More than once, we saw Shurengans prowling or playing in the plains about us. We caught some remarkably human startled looks from the cats at the sight of us, but none of them reacted with aggression.


    Well, mostly.


    I caught a dirty look from one huge matriarch in particular as it watched over a group of frolicking, incredibly adorable cubs. I think this must have been the watcher who had nearly eaten my face, back in the jungle. I shrugged apologetically at the mother.


    She just rolled her eyes at me in disgust and got back to her brooding.


    But, in the end, Azarus had been correct about how long it would take to reach the volcano. It took us a day and a half to reach the foot of his ¡®squat beast¡¯, and I think we were all a bit unsurprised at what we found.


    There, in the shadow cast by both the ash and the bulk of the mountain itself¡­


    Stood a massive, cavernous entrance that led further in. It was easily the second largest cave I had ever seen, tall and wide enough that I think Rhazal himself could have walked through it.


    Well, if the bastard had ducked, at least.


    Only the seaside cavern that Marrowmist had resided in was comparable.


    Flanking either side of the stony doorway were two adult Shurengans. Both of them were sitting on their haunches, straight-backed and proud atop what appeared to be a dais carved straight from the basalt of the volcano. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that reliefs of blazing suns were prominent on the plinths. One of the cats, I think, was the one who had exposed itself to us out on the plains. The other looked to be even older than he was, with a bit of aged white fur visible around its muzzle. This one had even broader shoulders than the other obvious guardian, and fixed us with wise golden eyes as we came to a halt before the volcano.


    I should have expected what happened next¡ªI really, really should have. It was in line with my experiences with old Mystic Beats.


    The elder of the two Shurengans opened its jaw, and from in between its razor-sharp fangs echoed out a feminine voice.


    ¡°Be welcome, travelers,¡± The Shurengan called out to us in a proud, stately tone. ¡°You are expected.¡±


    Out of our entire group, I think only Venix and I weren¡¯t visibly startled by the cat who had suddenly spoken to us. Myself, I had experience with massive animals suddenly talking like men and women. For Venix, though, I had no idea. Not much fazed him, really.


    At our reaction, the other saber-tooth laughed at us, a much younger male voice coming from him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Cat got your tongue?¡±


    I restrained the urge to groan, but his little pun did the job he was after. The tension deflated, and his fellow guardian shot the jokester a dirty look. Still, the both of them hopped down and padded their way over to us. Even on all fours, these massive creatures stood taller than I was. Hell, the tallest person among us was Venix, and he was just barely at eye level with the smaller male.


    As they came to a halt in front of us, I spoke first. ¡°We¡¯re expected, are we?¡±


    The female¡¯s eyes flicked my way, as she gave me an appraising look. Still, she nodded. ¡°You are,¡± She acknowledged. ¡°I am Sena, and this is Gin. We are the guardians of this sacred place, the meeting point between sun and earth.¡±


    I blinked at that, briefly cutting a look over at Kazuma. The samurai was no help, though. He still seemed stunned to be meeting a pair of talking tigers. ¡°I¡­had no idea Mt. Umetsuji was important,¡± I started before I stopped in my tracks. A thought had occurred. ¡°Wait. Sun and earth? Are you talking about¡­the Spirits of sun and earth?¡±


    The male, apparently named Gin, thumped onto his haunches. ¡°Sure are,¡± He said easily. ¡°All of the Great Spirits have naturally occurring meeting points, out in the real world. It¡¯s easier for them that way to get together for a good old-fashioned, private chat. Nobody is going to eavesdrop on them here in the physical like they would in the Concord. This just happens to be where Greatfather Tarus and Greatuncle Orus hung out, in ages past.¡±


    Renauld¡¯s brows furrowed as he watched the two Mystic Beasts warily. ¡°You¡¯re being mighty free with information there, friend. Actual, concrete lore about Great Spirits doesn¡¯t exactly grow on trees, and I should know. I¡¯ve been in the deep archives of the Academy of Mystic Arts. I¡¯ve never heard anything about ¡®meeting points¡¯.¡±


    That¡­was a good point. Most of what I knew about the Great Spirits came either from first-hand experience or had been filtered through the lens of religion in Hinaga. I would think that if these places existed, they would have been pilgrimage points for the people of Kawamara.


    But what caught my attention the most, was how Gin had referred to Tarus.


    Greatfather.


    I knew of another type of Mystic Beast that referred to one of the Great Spirits as if they were direct family members¡­


    I glanced quickly over at the sun carving on the abandoned dais¡¯s, before meeting Sena¡¯s eyes. There was a knowing, prompting look in those golden orbs.


    ¡°Who¡­,¡± I started slowly. ¡°is Shurenga?¡±


    ¡°You already know, Nathaniel Hart,¡± A new voice echoed out of the cave that we stood before. This one was also female, but very obviously different.


    Stronger, for one. Older, for another.


    But there was a sense of power in the tone that sent a shiver down my spine. A quality echoed within it that reminded me of the soul-speak that both the Great Spirits and Razhal had spoken with, back in the Concord. I knew, without even seeing the owner, that they were strong. Stronger than Grey. Stronger than Honoka or even Tlazo.


    This was a true titan of the old world.


    Massive, thumping paw steps echoed out of the cave after the voice, as its owner slowly padded out of the darkness. Sena and Gin half-bowed in the odd way of a quadruped and parted to allow the speaker into the light.


    Almost as one, I and my companions drew in a breath at the sight of them. Half in apprehension, and half, I believe, in fear.


    As they came to a halt, they gazed down at us in amusement with slitted golden eyes. ¡°After all, I¡¯m told you are no fool.¡±

 Chapter 250 - Sun-Bound

    The feline that had exited the cave to gaze down at us in patient amusement was¡­gigantic. Next to Rhazal, they had to be the single largest creature I¡¯d ever seen on Vereden, including Taran. The elderly Spirit Wolf had to be at least a single, massive head¡¯s worth shorter than them.


    Well.


    Maybe not with the horns. That might just barely put him on the same level as the enormous saber-toothed tiger that loomed over us.


    Because there was plenty of looming going on. The new arrival was much the same as the (relatively) smaller forms of Sena and Gin that had bowed at her arrival. She had the same basic body plan, the same proportions if only writ larger, but one major difference.


    From her scalp, and surrounding her massive ears, flowed a mane of pure flame. It was not like that of a lion, as it reminded me more of what a human woman would have. It did not lay flat, and instead waved and flowed through the breeze with an almost fluid grace. Tongues and flickers of languid fire rolled down her back in a sheet that covered her almost like a cloak. Though she was close, and the curiously questing flames of her hair wisped low enough to nearly brush us, I felt no heat. Somehow I knew that the inferno would not harm me unless their owner wished for them to. But there was something almost familiar about the pressure of that fire.


    After a moment, I sucked in a breath in realization.


    That was her Mantle. Somehow, this creature had a physical Mantle, something that I¡¯d thought was impossible. All of the Mantles I¡¯d experienced in the past had been more of a sensation or an environmental phenomenon. Not a real thing.


    ¡°I¡­am Shurenga,¡± The massive Mystic Beast said proudly. ¡°First and only daughter of Tarus, and the watcher of this nexus point. And you¡­are expected. All of you.¡± Her eyes drifted over each member of my party, the weight of her gaze affecting us all differently. However, I noticed that it settled longest on three of us in particular.


    Me, Venix¡­


    And Kazuma.


    Said samurai finally shook off his shock and pushed his way to the front of our formation. ¡°The flame that stalks¡­¡± He breathed, gazing up at Shurenga in astonishment. ¡°Found where the silence burns¡­¡±


    Shurenga blinked slowly, languidly at the words. ¡°Interesting wording, child of the Higanashi Clan. Not untrue, but interesting. Tell me, where do they come from?¡±


    Venix stepped forward then, catching her attention. ¡°The dying words of a long lost brother-in-arms,¡± He said gravely, unexpectedly frowning up at her. ¡°The boy told me of how, in his last moments, he spoke of my master¡¯s blade, under your apparent protection. How did he come to know such a truth, O¡¯Spirit?¡±


    The enormous feline didn¡¯t take offense to the Antium¡¯s tone, although I saw that Sena did. The other cat almost appeared to be frowning in disapproval at him. In the meanwhile, more and more of the Shurengans began to appear. From the crags of the volcano itself as well as the mouth of the cave, they emerged from their hiding spots. Saber-tooths of all ages came to watch the conversation between us, seemingly unafraid to be in the presence of strangers.


    To be fair, I¡¯m not sure I would be afraid either if such a massively powerful being was my protector. Much less the already conventionally intimidating forms of Sena and Gin.


    In fact, a troupe of curious cubs came bounding up to stare up at us in curiosity. To my surprise, only purrs and meows exited their furry little mouths, instead of the words that their elders used. But, that made sense. Not even Fade could talk like their elders could, and he was much older than these little tykes. I looked up from them briefly to see the same matriarch I had encountered multiple times before watching cautiously. Our eyes met, and after a considering look, she nodded grudgingly.


    Permission granted, I guess.


    I bent down and began to pet and play with the little cubs, to their obvious joy. Unsurprisingly, Liora and Bella joined me in playing with the kittens, since, well.


    They were kind of irresistible, with those wide golden eyes tiny little fangs.


    Besides.


    It¡¯s not like this was my show, anyway. I wasn¡¯t the one after the sword, and it didn¡¯t look like there was going to be a fight.


    The sideshow happening behind Venix¡¯s and Kazuma¡¯s backs didn¡¯t escape Shurenga¡¯s notice, to her amusement, but she still answered the Antium. ¡°You¡­I remember you,¡± She said musingly. ¡°You were younger then, but you accompanied the soldiers during the last Ryumetsu Matsuri.¡±


    Venix frowned up at her. ¡°I do not remember you.¡±


    Shurenga¡¯s enormous, furry lips curled into an almost smile, her whiskers twitching. ¡°That does not mean I was not there. After all, I had to be close if I wished to retrieve that which I suspect you are here for.¡±


    Kazuma sucked in a quick, eager breath, his entire body vibrating with excitement. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that the look he fixed the elder Mystic Beast with was almost hungry.


    ¡°You did not answer my question, daughter of the sun,¡± Venix said. ¡°How did Jiro of the Flickering Storm come to know of your existence?¡±


    Slowly, Shurenga eased down until she was laying her great furry belly. Delicately, she curled one paw up under her body and regarded Venix with a considering look. ¡°Because we found him, of course. Your Jiro was half dead in the aftermath of that battle, and wandered the outer jungles for a week before discovery. Sena,¡± She said with a nod to the other saber-tooth, who dipped her own head at the acknowledgment. ¡°Believes he woke sometime in the aftermath of the battle, only to find himself abandoned. Wounded and alone, she guided him back to the beaches, where thankfully a single ship still resided, picking over the leavings of war.¡±


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    ¡°There, I hoped he would receive the healing he so needed,¡± Sena said quietly. ¡°Sadly, our people are not adept in the medicinal arts. Tell me, did he survive?¡±


    Kazuma snapped out of his greed to answer her. ¡°Ah¡­no, my lady,¡± He said, a tad awkwardly. ¡°Sir Jiro unfortunately passed of an infection not long after he made it back to the capital.¡±


    ¡°That¡­is a shame,¡± Sena¡¯s ears lowered, flattening against her head as she bowed it.


    Venix¡­sighed then, and bowed his own head towards the smaller Shurengan. ¡°Thank you for attempting to save him, at least. Jiro was¡­a good friend, once upon a time,¡± With a slight shake of it, the Antium. ¡°To business, then. Lady Shurenga, you implied that the Sh¨­metsu no Kiba was in your possession?¡±


    The much larger feline curled its lips then. She dipped her head in his direction. ¡°I do possess the blade. It¡¯s right behind me, within the heart of Mt. Umetsuji.¡±


    Seemingly unable to stop himself, Kazuma took an eager step forward. He was stopped in place, freezing, when the enormous Mystic Beast raised her voice sharply.


    ¡°However! There is a slight¡­problem, if you wish to reclaim it.¡±


    I stood up from my playing with the cubs to a few mews of disappointment. Heroically, I hardened my heart to the adorable cries and sighed.


    Things could never be simple.


    ¡°And what exactly is the problem, my lady?¡± I asked.


    In a strangely human gesture, the apparent daughter of Tarus extended claws larger than I was from her right paw, and began to tap them against the stone of the caldera. The tinkling stone of stone cracking under the slightest pressure exerted by the Mystic Beast filled my ears, as she visibly pondered the question. ¡°When one considers artifacts as mighty as the Sh¨­metsu no Kiba,¡± She began slowly. ¡°The concept of ownership enters a conceptual level. Many years ago, the blade was bound to the bloodline of the Higanashi Clan by the then sitting Emperor.¡±


    She nodded to the form of Kazuma, nearly vibrating in place from impatience. I think if he dared, he would dash past the Shurengans to ransack their home looking for his ancestral blade.


    But luckily, he wasn¡¯t that stupid.


    ¡°The problem, however, is that when I chanced upon your master,¡± This time, she nodded at Venix. He twitched at the words but did not interrupt. ¡°The line of succession was broken. Gozen of the Twin Fangs, as I believe his name was, did not bind the blade to an heir. The gift that the River Throne had bequeathed to his Clan required this if the possession was to be maintained. Thus, with his death, the overall binding was broken. As it stands, the Sh¨­metsu no Kiba is ownerless¡­and quite wild.¡±


    Kazuma sucked in a quick breath, eyes nearly bulging out of his sockets. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know it worked like that,¡± He breathed out in despair. ¡°Then¡­I cannot use the blade?¡±


    Shurenga shook her massive head from side to side. ¡°As it stands, no. However¡­,¡± She continued before Kazuma¡¯s anguish could overwhelm him. ¡°I did anticipate the arrival of a representative of your Clan, even if it took¡­much longer than anticipated. It is within my power to¡­facilitate a new binding of the blade. There still exist wisps of the original binding which I could coax back into shape. Otherwise, you would be erased simply coming near the Sh¨­metsu no Kiba.¡±


    Hmm¡­


    That sounded to me like it didn¡¯t necessarily have to be Kazuma that the blade could be bound to. Anyone could seek Shurenga¡¯s approval and try to win her favor for it. And with that, they would gain a weapon that had apparently been capable of matching Calamity''s back during the War in Heaven.


    I could personally attest to how strong the blade would have to be, to manage that.


    I exchanged a quick glance with Bella and Liora, both of them standing near me. Liora shrugged one shoulder minutely at me, as always uncaring about temptations. She was a very solid person, in that manner. But Bella¡­well, I won¡¯t pretend she didn¡¯t have a calculating glint in her eye. As a pirate, my lover had a certain degree of¡­moral flexitude, when it came to the concept of ownership.


    And¡­


    I won¡¯t pretend the thought hadn¡¯t ran through my minds as well. I¡¯d crossed some lines in the past myself. Vereden had hardened me in some regards, and if it could help protect me and mine from the ravages of this world¡­


    Well, I could be a little flexible myself.


    Still, I gave Bella a slight shake of my head. She didn¡¯t seem that disappointed, thankfully. It had just been a fleeting idea, in the end. The captain of the Thorny Reef bent back down to play with the much more interesting cubs once again.


    I didn¡¯t really need some super-weapon like the Sh¨­metsu no Kiba. I was getting along just fine with my own developments, both Statusial and in regards to my Profession. There were certain¡­projects I had yet to give up on that were showing promise, if only in the theoretical sense.


    Besides, my core ring pointed out that it would essentially be spitting in the face of Venix, to try and claim the sword ourselves. He didn¡¯t deserve that from us.


    Meanwhile, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the knowing, amused glance that Shurenga flickered our way at the byplay. She knew that her unstated message had been heard, and summarily rejected. Venix saw as well, no doubt having noticed ou little back and forth. He turned to briefly glower our way, before ignoring us in favor of the unfolding drama.


    Honestly, I don¡¯t think Renauld, Azarus, or even Kazuma himself noticed. The Gnoll and the Dwarf because they were oblivious to intrigue at the best of times, and the samurai¡­


    Well, he had started vibrating in place at the offer from the ancient pseudo-Spirit.


    Kazuma bowed sharply in her direction. ¡°Please help me rebind the blade, Laday Shurenga!¡± He nearly shouted, voice echoing off the stone of the caldera.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Shurenga rose to her feet to pad over to Kazuma, lowering her head to sniff delicately at him. The samurai didn¡¯t budge from his bent posture, as the inhales from nostrils twice as large as his head roughed short black hair. After a moment, Shurenga raised her head. ¡°Well, I can be convinced. Come with me, young samurai, and we shall¡­negotiate the release of the blade. Sena, Gin,¡± She said, turning her face to the other two cats. They sat up in attention at the word''s direction their way. ¡°Do show the others to the ¡®guest room¡¯. I have¡­another offer to convey later, and this shall take some time.¡±


    At that, Shurenga turned her head ever so slightly to fix me with a single golden eye.


    I merely rose my own in response, to the twinkling amusement in that huge orb.


    As Shurenga turned about and began to stalk about into her den with Kazuma following close behind, Sena and Gin approached us on padded feet.


    ¡°Please,¡± Sena said, with a flick of her ear. ¡°Follow us. We do not often have guests, but we do have a space you can rest the night in, while our Lady binds the blade.¡±


    That was acceptable to us, and as a group, we followed the two cats into the cave. In the distance, Kazuma and Shurenga were disappearing into the dull glow at the heart of the volcano. I noticed, though, that Venix was still watching them. I couldn''t parse the expression on his chitinous face.


    I was startled out of my own observations when I felt a furry arm throw itself over my shoulder. I turned my head to see that the owner was Renauld, grinning at me playfully with a mouth full of sharp teeth. ¡°Man, Nate. You take us to the most interesting places, don¡¯tcha?¡±


    I rolled my eyes at him, but didn¡¯t respond.


    I knew he was right.

 Chapter 251 - Offering the Heart

    The ¡®guest rooms¡¯ turned out to be a small side cave inside of the volcano, with a small, placid pool of lava in the center. The walls were smooth, glassy obsidian, much like the rest of the main cave had been, and honestly?


    The air wasn¡¯t even that hot in here. Strange, really. The temperature on the approach to Mt. Umetsuji had been gradually rising, to the extent that I¡¯d sweated quite a lot on the hike, but now that we were here it was nearly balmy. Warm, but not as scorching as you would expect the heart of a volcano to be. Especially not one that was clearly still active, as we could see from the glowing lava in our little cave.


    As Azarus set up a little grill over the glowing pool, entirely unbothered by the skin-scorching heat of the lava that was still hot, I decided to ask Sena about it. The two talking saber-tooths had followed us into the room to act as apparent chaperones, while Kazuma conducted his business with Shurenga. We¡¯d all settled on woven grass mats that were strewn about the obsidian room, while curious felines of all shapes and sizes poked their heads around the doorway to watch us.


    I didn¡¯t mind. I¡¯m sure we were odd to them. Besides, I had both the conversation to occupy my attention, as well as a purring cub in my lap. The matriarch and her charges had followed us as well.


    Predictably, she could speak as well, and had introduced herself stiffly as Mitsuri.


    ¡°I expected it to be hotter in here, you know,¡± I said to Sena, resting on another mat not far from me. ¡°What with being a volcano.¡±


    Sena cracked an eye open to look at me, but Gin answered first. The other guardian was watching attentively as Azarus laid the meat from a recent hunt on the now scorching hot rack. As the smell of grilling meat filled the air, drawing even more curious onlookers, Gin somehow found the will to direct his attention my way. ¡°That¡¯s because mom doesn¡¯t want it that way, yeah?¡±


    I blinked slowly at the words.


    ¡®Mom¡¯, huh.


    Sena twitched one of her tails at her apparent sibling''s words. ¡°Gin is correct. The might of our Lady Mother prevents the temperature of Mt. Umetsuji from becoming unbearable in these halls. Although we are aligned with the sun, and thus fire, we are still creatures that naturally bear a coat. As you can imagine, it would be quite unpleasant to live in extremely elevated temperatures, when we are so covered in fur.¡±


    ¡°You can say that again,¡± Renauld called out, from where he was laying flat. Liora even gave a small nod in agreement from her own grass mat, where she was checking her armor for flaws.


    I accepted a small travel plate of grilled fowl from Azarus with a thankful nod, and dug into it. While I chewed, I considered our hosts thoughtfully. I think I had more insight into the workings of the Great Spirits and their Mystic Beasts than most did, and I was starting to make some connections about the Children of Shurenga.


    Most notably, that they were the Children of Shurenga, and not Tarus himself.


    I finished my meal and set the plate aside, where a nearby cub promptly pounced on it and crunched into the bones. I ignored it. ¡°You guys aren¡¯t normal Mystic Beasts, are you?¡± I announced.


    That drew some curious looks from my companions, but it was the reactions of the Shurengans that caught my eye. Not one of them denied the allegations.


    Instead, Sena nodded at me. ¡°You are correct, Sir Hart,¡± She acknowledged. ¡°It is our mother who is the half-Spirit, as the only daughter of Lord Tarus. We¡­are different, as her children. In truth, not all of us are actually her children. Gin and I are,¡± She said with an acknowledging nod to the male. ¡°But we have sired our own cubs, and they their own, to form a number of different familial lines. We are¡­wholly physical. An existence that, to our knowledge, stands alone.¡±


    ¡°Which is why there are so many of us,¡± Gin said lazily, not even bothering to raise his head. ¡°We know how regular Mystic Beasts come into being, and there sure as hells isn¡¯t a Great Spirit involved with our births. We¡¯re born as we are, just like you and yours.¡±


    Bella spoke up from where she had been dozing. The pirate captain had decided to catch a nap while we waited for Kazuma and Shurenga to be done, but the conversation had roused her. She cocked an eyebrow at the two guardians. ¡°Then do ye got a Status?¡±


    Sena shook her head. ¡°No, we do not. As I said, we¡­we¡¯re in a halfway state between the mortals and the Spirits, even more so than regular Mystic Beasts. I¡­sometimes wonder, why we haven¡¯t been acknowledged by the System in such a way. It is my understanding that a new Race was granted Statuses, some time ago. But not us, who have surely existed for much longer than they.¡±


    Ah. She was talking about the Second Initialization, where the Sculpted had been granted their Statuses and, for those of them still dormant, full sapience. It was curious to me that they¡¯d heard about that when they must have limited contact with the outside world. Maybe Tarus kept them appraised of what was going on outside the shores of Goryuen?


    Hell, it¡¯s probably why they had known we were coming, now that I thought about it.


    Here Sena hesitated before speaking again. ¡°In truth¡­¡± She said slowly. ¡°In truth, I have always been curious. It is said that Awakened have an ability called Observe. With it, they can quantify the existence of all things in this world. We¡­I¡­do not know what this ability would say we are.¡±


    I sat up at that. Hell, that caught the attention of most of my group. Venix even cracked an eye, from where he sat cross-legged meditating against a wall. I exchanged a glance with him before speaking. ¡°I¡­could try, if you¡¯d like?¡±


    Sena was quiet for a moment, before nodding wordlessly. In fact, I noticed that most of the chatter and play in the ¡®guest room¡¯ had come to a halt. I was fixed with more than a few pairs of quiet, curious feline eyes.


    I took the hint and cast Observe directly at Sena. As the crimson-furred saber-tooth shivered at the sensation, I took in the results.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.66068%">Name:</td>


    <td style="width: 91.3326%">Sena of the Silent Claw</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.66068%">Age: </td>


    <td style="width: 91.3326%">432 years</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 8.66068%">Species:</td>


    <td style="width: 91.3326%">Unaligned</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    What? I had never seen something like that. Even when I had observed other Mystic Beasts, such as Fade or even the Foliathoptera back in Sancthaven, they had still displayed a Species name. Not whatever ¡®Unaligned¡¯ meant.


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    Sena was right. There was something odd going on with the System when it came to them.


    I reported my findings to our curious patrons.


    ¡°Strange,¡± Sena whispered thoughtfully, echoing my own conclusions.


    Meanwhile, Gin sat up from where he¡¯d been reclining. For once, he had a serious cast to his feline features. ¡°I don¡¯t consider myself ¡®Unaligned¡¯,¡± He said bluntly. ¡°I know exactly where my loyalties lie.¡±


    There were a number of answering, agreeing nods from various other cats strewn about the room. The cubs were too young to understand the question, but even they could feel the shift in mood. Some of them, even the one in my lap, mewed in distress. I did my best to comfort them, while Mitsuri did the same.


    Strangely, Sena wasn¡¯t one of the Shurengans to agree with the others. Instead, she stared out into space thoughtfully, seemingly unaware of the room.


    I think all of us were surprised when a familiar voice echoed from out of the room, sending the curious window-peekers there scurrying away.


    ¡°Because, my children, you all very much not Unaligned,¡± the voice of Shurenga sounded. I turned in place, expecting to see her huge muzzle poking through the doorway and staring at us.


    Instead, I found a miniature version of the previously titanic feline waltzing into the room into the room as if she owned it. Instead of being several stories tall, the daughter of Tarus was instead smaller even than Sena and Gin, coming up to barely face height with my sitting form. She winked at my surprised expression.


    I¡­guess she could change her size, huh? Made me wonder if Taran could do the same thing.


    Following behind her the flame-maned tiger was a white-faced Kazuma. The normally stolid samurai was swaying on his feet, looking to be beyond exhausted and soaked in sweat. Actually, taking another look, I swear there wasn¡¯t enough blood in his cheeks. He frankly looked a bit anemic.


    But he also seemed fiercely triumphant, because he had something carried in his arms.


    A long, cloth-wrapped bundle, about the length, width, and shape of katana. Nothing was visible on the obscured form of the weapon, but its presence filled the room just as Shurenga did.


    Even several feet away, I could tell that this weapon outshone even Grey¡¯s own Stellarum or even Honoka¡¯s Kasai. Maybe only Grey¡¯s staff Elarux could compete in sheer Aetherial density, to the empty-tasting power that surrounded that ancient blade. My own Terractus, as well as the staff that Tlazo had lent me, paled in comparison to any of them.


    As much as I had grown, it was a sobering reminder of just how high the ceiling was.


    While I and most of my companions were distracted by the sight of the sword, Venix even rising to his feet, the Shurengans were fixing their attention on their matriarch. ¡°I expect our guests have never used their ¡®Observe¡¯ ability on a true Spirit in the past, am I correct?¡±


    I dragged my gaze away from Kazuma as he walked into the room and slumped onto a grass mat before the lava pit. ¡°Ah.¡± I tilted my head in thought. ¡°I¡­haven¡¯t, no.¡±


    Honestly, it just hadn¡¯t occurred to me to try, back in the Concord. I¡¯d had bigger problems at the time.


    Venix ignored the question altogether to crouch before Kazuma and begin whispering to him. For once, the other samurai didn¡¯t look at the like Antium detritus to be scraped from the bottom of his sandal and answered him. I couldn¡¯t hear them, though.


    ¡°I thought so,¡± Shurenga said, nodding wisely. ¡°If you had, you would know that it is the term any Spirit would be deemed as by the System.¡±


    That snapped Sena out of her contemplation. She tilted her head in confusion. ¡°But, Mother, we are not Spirits. Nor are we destined to become them.¡±


    ¡°You are not, but the System does not care,¡± Shurenga said. ¡°It is a peculiarity that Mystic Beasts can be quantified, but not Spirits. And not whatever you have become, my beloved children. A mystery, in truth.¡±


    Another dead end when it came to the System. They popped up all the time.


    Just another day on Vereden.


    ¡°But enough of this,¡± The progenitor of the Shurengans announced. ¡°As you can see, the blade has been rebound to Clan Higanashi, and their Lord has it once more.¡± She said, inclining her head towards the nearly delirious Kazuma. In fact, the samurai was so concerning to look at that Renauld had sat up and gone to tend him.


    Venix stood up from his crouch as the Gnoll¡¯s hands glowed the green of a diagnostic spell, hovering over Kazuma¡¯s head. Strangely, there was a small smile on his lips as he gazed down at the miniaturized Shurenga. ¡°Temporarily, it seems.¡±


    I cocked an eyebrow her way. Shurenga, however, shook her head. ¡°Not so, Sir Venix. It is merely¡­a weak bond. It could grow, to be certain. However, it will take time to settle upon the bloodline and Kazuma¡¯s soul both. Why, if a great deal of Aether were to be absorbed by the blade all at once, say¡­from a Core Collapse, perhaps. Both it and the blade itself may well shatter into a thousand thousand pieces.¡±


    There was a sly, sly smile on those furred lips.


    Oh, Tarus was definitely keeping an eye on us and talking to his daughter.


    The matching smile on Venix¡¯s lips grew, and he bowed deeply at the waist to Shurenga. There was respect and gratitude both visible in his posture. She merely inclined her head in queenly acknowledgment while I absorbed that.


    Well, it looked like Kazuma wasn¡¯t going to be killing himself anytime soon. Wonder if he knew anything about that.


    I doubted it, with the way he was nodding off into Renauld¡¯s claws.


    ¡°In any case¡­,¡± Shurenga trailed off, looking over at me. I straightened at her regard. ¡°Sir Hart, if you will accompany me? We have some business as well.¡±


    I blinked, but nodded and got to my feet. I¡¯d been expecting something like this, from the near wink the feline had shot me earlier. ¡°Please, lead the way, Lady Shurenga. I¡¯ll be back later, guys.¡±


    My companions bid me farewell as I followed the daughter of Tarus out of the guest room and into the main thoroughfare. I saw a number of different Shurengans scamper out of the path of their matriarch, said Mystic Beast nearly purring in amusement at their antics. Once upon the path, she led me back into the heart of the mountain. Back to where I suspect she had bound the blade to Kazuma.


    When we reached the end of the obsidian path, it opened up into a chamber. A truly massive one, that seemed to reside in the very center of the volcano itself. A long shaft stretched far up above me to where an opening to the sky revealed Tarus himself to be visible directly overhead of the mouth of Mt. Umetsuji, high into the blue yonder.


    I found the timing required for that to be¡­a tad suspect, but didn¡¯t comment on it.


    Meanwhile, we stood on a simple circular platform of stone that was suspended in the middle of the shaft. Four struts of obsidian held it aloft, and upon it were simple woven grass mats covering the surface of the platform. The surface of the terrace itself was nearly glasslike in appearance, from how smooth the blackened surface was. I swear, it didn''t look like this platform had been carved, so much as melted into place.


    I walked to the edge, and looked down.


    Below, the shaft stretched downwards into darkness. Something glowed below us in that abyss, visible from a great distance. I suspect I knew what that was, and had no desire to test the inferno by falling towards it. As I watched, the light at the bottom of the shaft pulsed ever so slowly, just the once.


    ¡°The heart of Mt. Umetsuji,¡± I heard Shurenga say, as she joined me in looking over the edge. ¡°We keep it placated, and the mountain allows us to reside within its bosom.¡±


    I looked at her askance at that.


    ¡®Placated''?


    ¡°Not¡­with sacrifice, right?¡±


    Shurenga smirked at me with furry lips. ¡°Not mortal, at least.¡±


    I blinked and decided I didn¡¯t want to know. Instead, I changed the subject. ¡°So, what did you want to talk to me about, Lady Shurenga?¡±


    Said feline shrugged one shoulder at me. ¡°Oh, I have nothing for you personally, Sir Hart. Rather¡­it is my Father that I speak on behalf of.¡±


    ¡°He wishes to make a deal with you, Precursor.¡±

 Chapter 252 - Envoy

    Ah.


    That was both¡­expected and unexpected, honestly. Just before he had left the scene of my duel with Rhazal in the Concord, Tarus had made a cryptic remark about ¡®seeing if we can work something out¡¯. I¡¯d wondered what he meant about that, over the last few months. I suppose I was about to find out.


    I fixed a polite smile on my face. ¡°And what does Lord Tarus want from me, Lady Shurenga?¡±


    The burning saber-tooth eyed me pensively for a moment, before dipping her head towards one of the grass mats on the platform. ¡°Come and sit with me, Nathaniel. And please, no need for formality here.¡±


    I followed the Shurengan progenitor over to the mat and sat cross-legged in front of her, as she did the same upon her haunches. I waited patiently as she gathered her thoughts. I couldn¡¯t help but notice the brief flicker of her amber eyes, as they glanced up almost dourly at the midday form of Tarus shining through the distance opening of Mt. Umetsuji.


    Shurenga sighed slightly and then spoke. ¡°My Father is¡­stubborn, at the best of times. Nosy, most of them. He and the Lady Elys pay constant attention to the people of Vereden during the times they bestride the sky. Little escapes their notice. From this snooping, Father has told me much of you and your companions, Nathaniel. And he has been keeping a very close eye on you indeed, of late.¡±


    There was one suspicion confirmed. I suppose it might be a bit difficult to escape the notice of the literal sun.


    Not¡­sure how I felt about that, honestly. It almost felt like an invasion of privacy. Like, no matter what I did, there was an all-knowing eye in the sky watching all that I did.


    Scratch that, there was no almost about it.


    I didn¡¯t like the idea of anyone intruding on my life like that.


    A small frown crossed my lips, and I didn¡¯t bother hiding it.


    Of course, Shurenga noticed. Her own feline lips curled humorlessly. ¡°Believe me, I understand. I do love my Father, of course, but his attention can be a bit stifling. He is not¡­malicious, in his vigilance. It is merely the duty, the Mantle,¡± She stressed, almost exaggeratedly. ¡°That he took upon himself, long ago. Father watches, endlessly, for those threats that would harm this world. He sees much, but does not speak unless necessary. In fact, Father has quite the reputation for trustworthiness, if you can believe it.¡±


    I hummed, folding my hands on my lap. ¡°Is that so? When I met him, Tarus seemed almost¡­bloodthirsty, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Because he is also prideful,¡± Shurenga said wryly. ¡°He takes his role so seriously that there is a saying, in Kawamara society. ¡®The sun may shine, but it does not sing¡¯. And so, to ¡®sing¡¯, is considered to be spouting falsehoods. Perhaps you will have noticed that song was not very common, during your days in Hinaga?¡±


    I blinked at that. My core ring rapidly reviewed our time in the capital and¡­


    I couldn¡¯t recall a single time I¡¯d ever come across an actual song. Either in the single play I¡¯d attended with my friends, or in any of the tea houses. Music, of course, wasn¡¯t uncommon. It was just nonverbal and mostly came from skillful fingers plucking at instruments. Even the play had mostly involved spoken poetry and grand speeches, with the occasional background melody.


    I¡­just hadn¡¯t picked up on that.


    ¡°Father¡¯s pride was slighted, a very long time ago, by the particular Calamity you slew Nathaniel. He was quite ecstatic about his death. And so we come to his offer.¡±


    Here we go.


    Shurenga leaned forward, a glint in her eye. ¡°Are you aware of Blessings?¡±


    I inclined my head to her. ¡°That¡¯s how Mystic Beasts are created, right? A Greater Spirit extends their Blessing towards a young animal, granting them a degree of Mysticality. With it, the animal gains full sapience and accumulates power, to where they eventually become a Spirit themselves upon their death.¡±


    ¡°Just so,¡± Shurenga said, with a fanged smile. ¡°Such a thing happened to me, many a century ago. But did you also know it¡¯s possible for Greater Spirits to extend a different form of blessing to mortals?¡±


    ¡­sort of.


    I don¡¯t think I would ever forget the sight of the Thunderheart Clan transforming into Werewolves under the full and heavy light of Elys, guided by Taran. It was the kind of thing that stuck with you.


    Wait a minute.


    I¡¯d never thought of it in those terms, but¡­wasn¡¯t I a kind of Were creature now? Vis Maledicta Exactoris wasn¡¯t all that dissimilar to that type of transformation?


    What did that make me? A¡­Werebat? Wereraptor?


    My core ring promptly called me a ¡®Werebraptor¡¯, and I promptly told it to kill itself.


    I think part of my all-too-familiar internal struggle showed on my face, considering the odd look that Shurenga cast my way. I plastered a smile on my face as my core laughed at me. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m familiar with that as well. But my understanding was that it wasn¡¯t possible any longer, with the advent of the System?¡±


    Shurenga quirked an eyebrow at me. ¡°Oh? So you¡¯ve encountered Taran¡¯s little pack, have you?¡± She mused, before shaking her head. ¡°That is only one kind of Blessing that can be bestowed, and not the kind I¡¯m speaking of. Taran is also not a Great Spirit, Nathaniel. No¡­I¡¯m speaking of a form of Blessing the Great Spirits can bestow upon favored mortals that the System allows.¡±


    ¡°Envoyship.¡±


    The light cast by Tarus, shining from above, intensified for a moment. Oddly, both my skin and the core of my soul, the crystalline tree that shined with the rainbow flame of my most powerful Skill, warmed from the sensation.


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    It was an¡­odd sensation.


    I forced my hackles down and met Shurenga¡¯s knowing eyes. ¡°And what is ¡®Envoyship¡¯?¡±


    ¡°A gift of power,¡± She continued. ¡°Of responsibility¡­and comradery. One that is held by someone I am told you¡¯re quite close to, Nathaniel. Care to take a guess?¡±


    I furrowed my brow at the teasing tone in her voice. It¡­wasn¡¯t hard to figure out who she was talking about.


    ¡°Grey,¡± I said quietly. ¡°Grey is an Envoy?¡±


    Shurenga inclined her head. ¡°Indeed. Greycton is the only currently active Envoy upon Vereden. Many years ago, the Ivory Lady bestowed her Blessing upon the mortal she had come to love. He who stole the love of my Father is also the tip of her spear. And in return, he was granted a sliver of her power to wield as he saw fit. The form it took was of his own choosing, and he has wielded it to great effect.¡±


    ¡°¡­what form would that be?¡±


    ¡°He carries it out in the open, for all to see. The slender form of that instrument carried him to stand as the current pinnacle of humanity.¡±


    Slender form¡­


    I sucked in a breath, my eyes widening. ¡°Elarux! The staff!¡±


    I¡¯d always wondered what the deal with that thing was.


    Shurenga¡¯s smile widened, and she nodded at me. ¡°Indeed. Greycton of the Shadowed ¡®Sun¡¯,¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Chose for his Envoyship to take the form of a weapon of terrible might. It¡¯s not uncommon for Envoys to do such a thing, and thus the Spire of Night descended upon Vereden once again.¡±


    Hmm¡­


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a problem there, my lady,¡± I said wryly. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly wanting for weapons. In fact, I perhaps have too many of them.¡±


    Between Tlazo¡¯s staff and my own creations, I was almost drowning in armaments. With my General Weapons Talent fueling my extendable spears, Terractus, my unnamed bow, and hell! Even the handful of throwing knives I literally had up my sleeves, I wasn¡¯t hurting for weapons. I slipped one slim Oninite blade out for her to see as a demonstration, considering that was all I had on me. I¡¯d left everything else back in the guest room with the others to watch over since we were nominally in friendly territory.


    Nominally.


    Shurenga was unmoved. ¡°As I said. Greycton¡¯s choice was merely one form of the Envoy''s Blessing,¡± She said patiently. ¡°If you accepted my Father¡¯s offer, then it need not necessarily be that of a weapon. Your gift could come in a number of distinct fashions. In the past, Tarusian Envoys have chosen powerful abilities that are marked on their Statuses as Unique Skills. Gifts of knowledge, or even wealth are not out of the question. Even a channel directly connected to Tarus himself, as a font of raw power is possible. Weapons of unquestioned power are simply one form the Blessing can take. Once¡­¡± She trailed off before rallying. ¡°Once, an Envoy asked for a direct intervention of Tarus himself, here in the physical. That conflict was soon ended.¡±


    I was quiet for a moment, considering that.


    There were¡­things I could ask for, that were far more tempting than merely a strong stick or a sharp blade. Knowledge¡­that stuck out to me in particular. I had¡­so many questions I wanted answers to, that an ancient being like Tarus could provide for me. Things that could benefit either me, my companions, or even Vereden as a whole. For instance¡­


    I could just ask for what I¡¯d come to Goryuen in the first place. The knowledge and secrets that were waiting for me in the bunker, on this very isle. Surely Tarus was old and knowledgeable enough to know what was waiting for me in there?


    Knowledge about Precursors in general. There was¡­so much up in the air, about what I was.


    Grey said we were mysteries.


    Alveron said we were weapons, poised at the hearts of the gods.


    Nehushtan had called us failures.


    Where did the truth lie? Maybe¡­Tarus could tell me.


    But I was wary of signing up with anyone else, at this point. I had just gotten out of one war, as a blade in the dark. I didn¡¯t want to immediately jump right back into another. I was finding that I quite enjoyed my freedom, since my exit at the tail end of the Construct War. Besides¡­


    ¡°What does Tarus ask in return?¡± I asked quietly. ¡°What price does an Envoy pay, for power?¡±


    ¡°It differs, from Great Spirit to Great Spirit,¡± Shurenga said, twitching an ear. ¡°In ages past, Greatuncle Orus required grand works of his Envoys. They would forge and craft miraculous monuments to his majesty before he grew tired of the world and retreated to slumber. Lady Neris called for blood, the sacrifice of those who would befoul the oceans. Lady Elys¡­before Greycton, her Envoys were paragons of justice. They ventured the land to rectify great injustices born in the dark, seen by her watchful eyes. But since she took her new lover¡­well. None know what she asks of the Shadowed Sun.¡±


    I waited a moment for her to continue, but she didn¡¯t continue. The great cat seemed lost in thought. ¡°And Anima?¡± I prompted. ¡°What does she ask?¡±


    That snapped Shurenga out of her contemplation. ¡°Ah,¡± She paused briefly. ¡°Apologies, but Lady Anima has never taken an Envoy. In all of the history of this world, not once has she gifted her power to another. The Font of Life is elusive at the best of times. However, it was Father you were asking about. Tarus asks for vigilance.¡±


    I furrowed my brow. ¡°Vigilance? From what?¡±


    Shurenga smiled softly at me. ¡°Why, threats of course. Calamities, rogue gods, mad beasts¡­anything that threatens the balance of peace on Vereden or within the Concord. If the danger grows too great for mortals to handle it, my Father asks that his Envoys step forth and¡­deal with the problem.¡±


    I¡­


    Well, that made up my mind almost immediately.


    I wasn¡¯t interested in being the guardian of an entire damned planet. I had enough problems on my plate as it was, without signing up for such a task. If I was going to help Vereden in a way like that, I was going to do it on my terms.


    My rules.


    And it wasn¡¯t like I had no clues to find the answers I sought. I was here, in this place, looking for them now.


    I could get by without Tarus.


    I fixed a polite smile on my face and stood up from the grass mat I sat upon. I bowed at the still-sitting form of Shurenga. ¡°I thank you and your Lord Father for the generous offer,¡± I said smoothly. ¡°But I¡¯ll have to decline.¡±


    The light shining from overhead dimmed. Flicking my eyes up, I saw enough time had passed for the bright form of Tarus to pass over the rim of the caldera. It might have been my imagination, but the circular impression of the sun as it intersected the rock almost looked like a¡­frown, as mad as that sounded.


    ¡°As you wish, Nathaniel,¡± I heard Shurenga say, entirely unbothered. Looking back at her, I saw that the matriarch was unruffled by my refusal. In fact, there was an almost amused tint to the flicking of her two tails. ¡°My Father is prideful, but he can take a refusal. However¡­,¡± One of those tails reached up and into the flaming mass of her ¡®hair¡¯. Inexplicably, it wasn¡¯t burned as it somehow withdrew what seemed to be a small, orange stone. The tail whipped it in my direction.


    I caught it without thinking, afraid for a moment that it would be burning hot to the touch. But no, it was as cool as any other stone. Looking down, I saw that it was¡­beautiful, to be honest. The little gem held in my gloved Primordium hand appeared almost as if it was fire itself, frozen and shaped into a teardrop. Whorls of reds, oranges, and yellows danced in the light of the caldera as I turned the stone back and forth.


    I looked back up as Shurenga spoke again. ¡°If ever you change your mind, shatter the stone and Father¡¯s attention shall fall on you at once. Then, you may bargain for the Aegis of the Envoy if you so wish.¡± At that, Shurenga stood up. ¡°Well! If that¡¯s over with, then let us adjourn. Father¡¯s offer has been heard and rejected, and so I say it is time for supper. I believe your dwarven friend was grilling for the amusement of my children? I should quite like to try his fare.¡±


    I slipped the stone into one of my pouches and followed Shurenga out of volcano¡¯s heart. I was quiet on the walk back to the guest room, pondering the opportunity that I¡¯d summarily refused.


    Had I made the right decision? Was I just being as prideful as Tarus himself, by turning him down?


    I guess time will tell.

 Chapter 253 - Dreams of Madness

    Sleep came hard that night, wrapped in my sleeping bag in the guest rooms of Mt. Umetsuji. All of us had agreed to spend the night here in the volcano, secure in the hospitality of Shurenga and her Children. After a surprisingly normal dinner hosted by the queenly daughter of Tarus herself, we¡¯d all bedded down, ringed around the lava pit in the center of this obsidian room.


    But sleep was elusive, leaving me to stare up at the ceiling. The Shurengans must have polished the obsidian because I could faintly see my own faintly glowing emerald eyes staring back at me from that black mirror. The flowing, flickering light cast by the lava only enhanced the effect.


    I gazed up into my own eyes for what seemed to be hours. Perhaps it was my mind playing tricks upon me, but I swore there was a mocking glint in the stare that relentlessly bore into me.


    Had I done the right thing? Was it the right decision, to turn down the position of ¡®Envoy¡¯ in the service of Tarus, Great Spirit of the Sun? Hundreds, perhaps thousands of Kawamarans would have jumped at the opportunity for the honor. With their religion, I¡¯m sure my refusal would have sent a number of them into a frothing rage.


    But¡­I was wary of entering into any kind of contract, with anyone these days. The freedom I¡¯d enjoyed over my months of recuperation in Hinaga had been so intoxicating. Ever since I¡¯d been tossed into the deep end of Vereden, I¡¯d been running from one crisis to the next, but now that was finished. If I signed up with Tarus, who was apparently devoted to protecting the Veredenese from extraordinary threats, then I knew in my bones that freedom would vanish into the literal Aether. I would start running once again, at the mercy of another existence that was far older, and far, far more powerful than I was.


    Tarus¡¯s offer¡­it was making me think quite a bit about the nature of my relationship with Grey. I...don''t even know why. Perhaps it was because of his own apparent relationship with the Great Spirits, maybe it was just because he was another person I was aligned with.


    But...


    My mentor had never done anything to make me question him. From the day I had met the eclipsean eyes of Grey, he had been forthwith towards me. He had never hidden a single intention about what he expected from the two of us. We had started together as fellow slaves, bound together under the crushing grip of a spoiled madman. He¡¯d been quite candid about how he wanted to see what I could do to free the both of us from bondage. Later, once we¡¯d gotten to know each other better, he had extended the offer of apprenticeship towards me. Naturally, I had accepted. I mean, what else was I going to do? Turn down a kindness from a person of considerable means, when I was a castaway upon a magical alien planet? You¡¯d have to be a madman to do something like that.


    Except¡­


    Had Grey been forthwith towards me? There was no need to make me his official apprentice. I¡­sometimes felt like I didn¡¯t know Grey, in a manner other than official. Oh, we took meals with each other, and he had always made time for lessons. But¡­anything more than that was rare.


    Intellectually, I knew that the man had been deeply involved in the running of the Order, in the midst of an actual civil war. The little time Grey could spare for me was more than generous of him, in consideration of that. But¡­


    But¡­I couldn¡¯t help wondering.


    Did Grey just want a weapon? Had he seen the opportunity to mold a Precursor into his own personal attack dog, when he offered me the chance to join the Nocturne Division? I had barely questioned it at the time. Thrown into the midst of a civil war, after having lost an arm not long ago, and after having been enslaved¡­


    I think¡­I had been desperate for a purpose. Had Grey¡­seen that, and decided to take advantage?


    Rhazal himself had told me that Precursors had been seduced into being divine weapons, in the ancient past¡­


    Perhaps I¡¯d been too quick to accept. Perhaps I¡¯d felt desperate to repay the debt I felt, at how Grey had so neatly found a spot for me in the Herztalian dynasty. He¡­hadn¡¯t seemed angry at how I¡¯d told him about my intentions to abandon the war, back in Elderwyck. More sad, really.


    I clenched my teeth hard. Hard enough that I feared the grinding would wake my companions, resting about me.


    God, I hated myself for doubting Grey right now. I hadn¡¯t realized how fragile, in some ways, I still felt after the events of Elderwyck. Maybe it was just the gloom of this cave at this late hour that was getting to me. Maybe it was the odd echo of Tarus''s offer ringing in my ears. But I couldn¡¯t quell my fears.


    Maybe¡­they had always existed.


    Eventually, I think it was the exhaustion of several days of hard marching across the stony plains of Goryuen that did me in.


    Sleep crept over me like an insidious fog, causing my eyelids to drift to a fitful close.


    I doubted my rest would be pleasant.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Crashing.


    Roaring.


    Screeches in the dark.


    Silence¡­deep, echoing, all-encompassing silence.


    The twang of endless bows.


    A finger lifting my chin.


    ¡°You want to know why?¡±


    A shadow¡­


    A shadow of MADNESS¡­


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    I jerked awake, violently shooting straight up into a sitting position, eyes wide in panic, breath coming in short, sharp gasps.


    Or rather, I tried to sit up.


    Turns out, someone had been trying to wake me up. Whoever they were was bending down towards me with an outstretched hand, moments away from shaking my shoulder. My core ring, immune to my panic, idly noted that they must have been trying to wake me.


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    But I was blind to its rationality. My eyes felt clouded almost artificially, to the extent I could barely see who or what was trying to take my hand.


    My jerking instead turned into a lunge, shoulder-checking the person and sending them flat onto the obsidian floor of Mt. Umetsuji. I stared into golden eyes, the shade of dwarven nobility, and for a moment¡­


    For a moment, I saw a dead man.


    Or rather¡­a dead dwarf.


    My ears rang, and through the ringing I swore I heard a hateful voice.


    ¡°Throwing a tantrum, cattle? Typical of your kind¡­¡±


    An old hatred rolled over me like a wave, and I tightened my grip on¡­something. I was holding something¡­wasn¡¯t I? My hands were curled around a haft as familiar to me as the pencils from my youth, and yet I was barely conscious of it.


    All I could focus on was the gold dominating my field of view, the depths of those pools growing ever more alarmed by the second.


    Good.


    You should fear me, Magnus.


    I¡¯d kill you a thousand thousand times and never feel satisfied.


    Distant shouting from my surroundings penetrated the haze of madness I found myself drifting in. Slowly, ever so slowly, I grew more and more cognizant, the murk of poor sleep and the disquiet of nightmares fading away.


    I¡­for the first time, I realized what I was doing. Consciously, that is.


    I was crouched over the still form of my best friend, one of my daggers held to his throat. The razor-sharp edge of the Oninite blade was close enough that I could see a handful of fire-truck red hairs had been shaved away, to drift onto his Adam''s apple.


    Azarus.


    I stilled. For a moment, I was petrified of making a single movement. Had I¡­had I almost killed Azarus?


    How¡­how could I¡­do that?


    Below me, Azarus must have seen a change in me, that my alarmed companions could not. ¡°You there, Nate?¡± He whispered up to me, careful not to enunciate too hard.


    Lest the blade do its purpose.


    My lips parting in horror, I slowly, slowly drew the dagger away from him. I shook my head as I did so. ¡°Azarus¡­I¡¯m¡­so-¡±


    Before I could finish speaking, two pairs of hard armored hands clamped onto my arms and shoulders and wrenched me away from the prone dwarf. The dagger fell away from my limp fingers to clatter onto the obsidian below, and four strong arms wrapped around me in restraint. Even if I wanted to, I couldn¡¯t struggle my way out of this grip, not with all of my Skills.


    But I didn¡¯t want to. All I could do was stare at the form of my oldest friend in Vereden, gingerly accepting a hand up from Renauld. I wanted to flinch as I saw him rub carefully at his neck under his beard, but I was too numb to do so.


    I didn¡¯t even react as a renewed Kazuma came to stand in front of me, a wrapped blade strapped to his back, and his usual bared defensively before him.


    Bella took offense, despite me thinking he had the right idea. In a flash, she drew her own cutlass and laid it across the Kawamaran samurai¡¯s throat, standing off to the side. ¡°Now what are ye goin¡¯ ta do with that, eh?¡± She murmured dangerously. Kazuma stilled and dared not move an inch.


    The tension in the room only increased, but I was barely aware as it was, still stuck in horror from my own actions.


    ¡°Stop, all of you!¡± A sharp female voice said, cutting through the chaos in the guest rooms. Unnaturally so, in fact.


    Everyone in these volcanic walls, including the watchful, wary forms of Sena and Gin along the far wall, froze in place. So much so that I could barely blink, much less think of struggling against the steel bars of the arms holding me.


    I was still able to watch as Shurenga padded into the room to interpose herself between the battle-ready Kazuma, and my restrained form. ¡°There is no need for that, Lord Higanashi,¡± She murmured towards him, before turning to look at me. If I had the will, I would have quailed under her gaze. There was a purity to her slit amber eyes, but I would have flinched away from them if I could.


    The gold reminded me of who I had mistaken Azarus for, and what I¡¯d nearly done to him.


    The daughter of Tarus seemed to stare into my very soul for a moment, before abruptly nodding. ¡°I see what has happened,¡± She announced to the room, still frozen in place. ¡°This was an attack. Nathaniel Hart was not in control of his own actions.¡±


    I wanted to blink.


    What?


    Everyone in the room unfroze all at once, as if released from a literal spell. Some stumbled in place, but not Venix, who I could tell had grabbed me off of Azarus. Slowly, Bella lowered her cutlass from Kazuma, who stepped away, eyeing the pirate warily. She just ignored him to focus on me, with a concerned look on her sharp features.


    I couldn¡¯t meet her eyes.


    Liora was the first to recover, and stepped forward to give voice to our collective confusion. ¡°Please elaborate, Lady Shurenga.¡±


    ¡°I shall. You may release him, Sir Venix,¡± Shurenga said, nodding to the Antium. ¡°The danger has passed.¡±


    Warily, the monstrously strong arms holding me¡­withdrew. Without them supporting me, I started to bonelessly slump to the ground. I¡­didn¡¯t have the strength or the will to hold myself up.


    Someone unexpected caught me before I could hit the stone.


    Azarus.


    Despite nearly killing him in a fit of madness only moments before, the dwarf had rushed forward to catch me in his hairy arms. I clung to them, and wanted to weep at what that meant. I drew in a shuddering breath and met his eyes again. This time, I didn¡¯t see the person who had enslaved me.


    Only the most loyal person I had ever met greeted my eyes. Wordlessly, he nodded at me.


    Shurenga watched us for a moment, sadness in her own eyes, and then turned to Liora. ¡°Sir Hart¡¯s¡­kind,¡± She said, dancing around actually saying the word Precursor.


    I¡­appreciated it. I¡¯m not sure I wanted Kazuma to know that about me.


    Not yet.


    ¡°Are unusually susceptible to spiritual influence. There was¡­a disturbance, in the Concord last night. I suspect that everyone with even a trace of trace of a connection to that realm was affected by it.¡±


    Sena padded forward, casting a considering gaze at me as she did so. Still, her attention was on her progenitor. ¡°I¡­did sleep poorly last night, Mother. I considered it odd, after such an enjoyable evening. Was that why? What happened?¡±


    Shurenga took a deep breath then and seemed to frown. ¡°The Mad God stirs.¡± She announced grimly.


    ¡­oh. That¡­didn¡¯t sound good.


    Alveron¡¯s grandsire¡­and the last god on Vereden was now active.


    ¡°Shit,¡± I heard from above me. Shockingly, the curse had come from Venix, who had crossed his arms in displeasure. I¡¯d never heard such a thing from the samurai.


    With Azarus¡¯s help, I struggled to my feet. ¡°What does that mean? Is he attacking somewhere?¡±


    Shurenga shook her head sharply. ¡°No, thankfully. I had time to consult Father before your¡­episode, Nathaniel, and he believes he knows what happened. Normally, the Mad God rests in the ruins of Smaragd, quiescent from the bloody sacrifices of his barbarous subjects. But last night, he stirred, and it was as if a titanic foot kicked out at the Concord, disturbing the...''surface'' of it, so to speak, to send waves across the whole of Vereden. They crashed over the Spiritually connected and sensitive, and the echo of his own madness infected the dreams of hundreds. Perhaps more. I believe you were¡­especially receptive to it due to your nature.¡±


    ¡°I nearly killed someone, Shurenga,¡± I said hoarsely. I felt a wide, rough palm come to a rest on my shoulder, but did not turn to face the owner. Bella came to stand at my side and discreetly slid her hand into my own. I don¡¯t think anyone even noticed, caught up in the ancient Mystic Beasts'' explanation.


    But I did, and I appreciated it fiercely.


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t,¡± She replied gently. ¡°The madness of Fynneas is not to be underestimated. You are still a mortal, Nathaniel. With your connection to one of Elys¡¯s children, you are doubly sensitive to matters of this nature. I highly recommend you take up the study of Mind Magic as your first true school, if only to build sufficient defenses.¡±


    I was starting to calm down now and shook my head slowly. ¡°That¡¯s going to be a problem,¡± I muttered, thinking about my troubles channeling Mana. At Shurenga¡¯s curious look, I changed the subject. ¡°What caused the Mad God to stir the way he did? Did Tarus know?¡±


    A troubled look crossed her furry face. ¡°He did not. And neither did Lady Elys, when he spoke to her. But this does not bode well, young ones. I suggest you hurry and finish your business here upon Goryuen. Events of import are happening upon the mainland.¡±


    Nobody could gainsay her, and so we rapidly began to pack our supplies once more.


    It was time to begin the final push into the heart of Goryuen.

 Chapter 254 - Rain-Slick Range

    My¡­ episode marred our departure from Mt. Umetsuji, and it was far more abrupt than I think any of us had been planning. Shurenga, Sena, and Gin came to see us off, as well as the horde of cubs that had been dogging (catting?) our heels. I was incredibly thankful that my actions hadn¡¯t frightened them off permanently, and I at least managed to get a few pets in for the road.


    I was really missing Fade right about now. Maybe his presence alone would have been able to protect me from the Mad God.


    ¡°Be swift, warriors,¡± Shurenga murmured to us, as the gathered stood at the mouth of the mountain once more. ¡°Father tells me that the whole of the central range has become shrouded in a great storm overnight. The madness might have touched upon the Immortal Wyrm and stirred him from his quietude. If you wish to reach Mt. Gorenzan safely, I recommend haste. Who knows how the Oni have been affected?¡±


    I grimaced at that and exchanged a few glances with my companions. Bella had been sticking to me like glue since the scene in the guest rooms and was the first to meet my eyes. Her stormy blue mirrored the wariness that I knew had to be in my own emerald.


    ¡°Veins of thunder speak,


    Mountain¡¯s breath thickens with dusk-


    Worn feet press onward.¡±


    Venix intoned, speaking first. He then sighed. ¡°We will go as quickly as we can, Lady Shurenga. The time for caution¡­has passed.¡±


    ¡°It has,¡± The queen of the saber-tooth cat said quietly, nodding. ¡°Good luck to you and yours, all of you. Dark clouds gather on the horizon.¡±


    Figuratively and literally.


    With the final farewells said, we oriented and set off towards the center of the island. On said horizon, I could see the storm that had gathered. It almost looked like a centralized hurricane, swirling endlessly above a single, distant point. It was too far, and too obscured to tell what it was, but I knew what it had to be.


    Gorenzan.


    No longer hiking, we sprinted in that direction.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Our haste meant that we were no longer being careful about disturbing the hiding residents of this stony plain. On our sprint towards the central range, we ranged into three more random encounters with Oni. Two of them were wandering out on the plain, heading in the same direction that we were. The first Oni, a small yellow adolescent, died before it could even react. None of us were holding back in the slightest, now.


    Surprisingly, Kazuma got the kill for that one. With the Sh¨­metsu no Kiba still wrapped on his back, the samurai used his regular blade to decapitate it. We barely stopped long enough to grab the monster¡¯s core from the resulting cloud of foul smoke.


    The second burst forth from another ravine, in much the same manner as the first Oni we had run into. It held a large, withered jungle tree in its grip, and tried to crush us with the wooden mass. But it was too slow.


    Using a somewhat familiar Skill, Venix launched a double-layered, crimson X of pure Ki at the leaping crimson adult. The result was that eight pieces of very deceased Oni rained down upon the group.


    Not even the last Oni we ran into was able to stop us for long. This was another wanderer making his way towards the central range, and this time it wasn¡¯t a juvenile. It was a much more attentive elder, like the first we had run into. This one was a red, which meant it was aligned more with fire than it was with the storm. At the same time we saw it on the horizon, it saw us. We weren¡¯t exactly trying to hide the cracking sounds of our footsteps across the plain, and so it spun around and bounded our way, bellowing.


    It was a bit of a tougher fight, with the way it was throwing around fireballs larger than I was. But in the end, the squad-based Oni Hunter tactics we had all learned made the fight manageable. After hamstringing this one, I was the person who tore out its throat, this time after getting close to it with Terractus in my transformed state.


    Once we¡¯d regrouped and resumed our sprinting, I took the time to check my Status with my core ring. All told, I¡¯d managed to gain another two levels from all the Oni we¡¯d slaughtered out here. That brought me up to level one hundred and thirty-five. Five more levels and I¡¯d get another Skill or Talent from the System, with the way those were coming these days.


    Hopefully, I hoped it would be good because I had no doubt that milestone was coming soon.


    The next day, when we reached the outer stretch of the Goryuen mountains, we found the chaos we¡¯d been expecting.


    It was a madhouse in here.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    I¡¯d put my cloak back on, and for good reason.


    I was getting soaked from the torrential rains that were falling on the entire group. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t coming down so hard that I couldn¡¯t see out into the storm from the watchpoint we¡¯d reached. Our company had only entered into the central range this morning after running through the night. Once here, we¡¯d discussed matters and decided that we needed to get a better look at what awaited us, now that we¡¯d reached our destination. The nearest peak wasn¡¯t much more than a mildly impressive hill, and after a hike that was only difficult in the slightest due to the rain, we¡¯d all crouched there to get a bead on the situation.


    It¡­really wasn¡¯t looking too good out here.


    The rain was coming down hard enough that the previously bone-dry valleys between the mountains had become raging, fast-moving rivers. The entirety of the range floor was now a labyrinthine net of flowing, debris-filled death. These were no gentle streams we could easily fjord. If we tried, we¡¯d likely get run through with any one of the branches tumbling through the grey waters, or crushed by boulders the size of cars. To make matters worse, the width of these channels wasn¡¯t anything to sneeze at, either. Any one of them was far, far too wide to risk trying to jump across, even with our status-enhanced strength. Some of us might be able to make it, true. Hell, even though I still didn¡¯t know how to use the wings that came with my transformation for actual flight, I had figured out how to use them for enhanced leaps. But not all of us would make it, and we didn¡¯t dare split the group.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Because the Oni had gone mad out here.


    I¡¯d been told before that the Oni ventured to Goryuen in order to fight each other to the death for supremacy, under the watchful and eager eyes of Tatsugan. Supposedly, that only happened when he was nearing his Apex, so he could gorge himself on their strength and fully ascend to a Calamity.


    That¡­might be happening now.


    In the scant few minutes we¡¯d been up here, we had watched as what could only be two rival violence¡¯s clash on a nearly flat-topped peak. Each group of Oni had been comprised of what seemed to be more than ten of the monsters, each led by absolutely massive elders. One seemed to be a group of yellow Oni, and the other blue. In other words, thunder aligned versus lightning aligned.


    The resulting war between the two groups was loud and bright enough to drown out the natural equivalents that raged in the heavens above. Through the rain, we watched as the yellow elder ripped the head off of the defeated blue elder, and crunched into the resulting Core as if it were a grape. The victor grew another foot in height and sprouted another pair of horns from his head.


    Disturbingly, despite being more than a mile away from the conflict, and doing our best to keep a low profile, the elder saw us. Before he and the remaining members of his violence departed their battleground, he turned to face our direction. Even across the distance, I could see the surprisingly calculating intelligence in those malicious, blood-red eyes. But thankfully, after a moment of too-human consideration, the elder snorted and turned away from us.


    I let out a tense sigh as the elder and his band vanished over a nearby ridge. Next to me, Renauld did the same, except his was far more shuddering than mine was. He nudged me weakly. ¡°Close one, eh?¡±


    ¡°We were not worth the risk and effort for him,¡± Venix said lowly, to my right. ¡°Make no mistake, he longed for our death. But the surer path to power lies in the hunting of his fellows, and the devourment of their Cores. It is the problem with the Oni elders, as they grow in strength. They become far too cunning.¡±


    Azarus grunted but seemed preoccupied with something. His eyes were locked on a far distant peak just barely visible through the rains to tower over the lesser mountains. I saw him nudge the wet clumps of his long crimson hair from out of his eyes irritably, and turn them to look at the raging rivers below us. He didn¡¯t speak, though, not before Liora did.


    ¡°We will not be able to fjord those valleys, and so we must take to the ridges,¡± She said, just barely loud enough to be heard over the rain.


    Renauld cast a glance askance at her. ¡°What, with those things fighting all up and down them? I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s another fight going on over thattaway.¡± He waved his hand in the direction of another mountain, far off into the distance to our left. I squinted, and I thought I could see some distant figures fighting in the raid, but I couldn¡¯t be sure.


    Wait, yup.


    That was a big old flash of fire all right. It didn¡¯t last long, consider the rain, but it had flared up. No doubt there was another full violence on violence battle taking place in that direction. A shame, too, considering there was a nice, clear, flat ridgeline skirting out in that direction.


    It would be folly to go that way, though.


    Venix shook his head. ¡°We skirt the edges of the struggles and do our best to stay out of sight, and we might just avoid attention. It is our best option.¡±


    ¡°Not sure we can take the risk of movin¡¯ slow,¡± Azarus spoke, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. His, though, was fixed on Venix. ¡°This whole range, how¡¯s it shaped?¡±


    Venix furrowed his chitinous brow. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Azarus made an irritated noise. ¡°I mean, what¡¯s the damn topography? Nate, let me see that map the nob gave you.¡±


    I¡¯d honestly forgotten about that thing, but it was probably the time to dig it out. It was supposed to show us where the bunker was here in the central mountains. I¡¯d never had to use it until now, because it only showed the central range and not the stony plains or the outer jungles.


    Thankfully, it was waterproofed with wa, so it wasn¡¯t ruined as I dug it out and handed it to my best friend. We all crowded around the dwarf as he rolled it on top of a flat rock. Helpfully, Liora held up a hand and ignited a light Skill to help us see better through the rain. I even used the long, tailing end of my cloak to shield our huddle.


    Azarus studied the map for a moment, occasionally looking up from it to study the horizon before looking back down. He sighed. ¡°Yup, we¡¯re gonna hafta get a move on, or we¡¯re boned. And it¡¯s not ¡®cause of the Oni, either.¡±


    I matched his sigh. ¡°What now?¡±


    Azarus pointed one thickly muscled finger out to the distant, barely visible peak on the horizon. ¡°I¡¯m guessin¡¯ that¡¯s Mt. Gorenzan, and the map confirmed it. If that¡¯s where we¡¯re goin¡¯, then if we lag too much, the entire area is gonna be underwater before long. That includes our bunker. See, this entire range,¡± He swept that finger out in a broad gesture at the surrounding mountains. ¡°Looks ta be a bit oddly shaped, ta my eyes. Kind of like¡­a bowl, with another, deeper bowl in the center, yeah? Gorenzan itself is at the bottom of those two bowls, and the lower one is separated by a high ridge line, accordin'' ta this. Now, all the rain from the outer bowl is flowin¡¯ towards the center, but can¡¯t reach it because of the ridge. It¡¯s been rainin¡¯ for a while, so there¡¯s already a bit of a lake in the inner bowl I¡¯m guessin¡¯. Thankfully, the map is tellin¡¯ me that the door isn¡¯t at the base Gorenzan like we thought. It¡¯s a bit up the mountain. But if we dally too long, the dam holding back the outer bowl back will break¡­¡±


    Bella frowned sharply. ¡°Then the whole damn area is gonna flood and become an inland sea, swallowin¡¯ up the door.¡±


    The bottom dropped out of my stomach at that announcement. There was no way we could search the bunker if that happened.


    Renauld didn¡¯t seem to understand the issue, judging from the confused look on his furry, drenched face. ¡°Why? I mean, it would suck to swim down to it, but it¡¯s not like it¡¯s impossible. It might even be better. And an inland sea could be calmer than the rivers, at least, so we might be able to dive in. That way we wouldn¡¯t have to climb up to the door, just swim over to the approximate spot and then downwards.¡±


    ¡°Calmer?¡± Bella muttered to herself. ¡°Maybe, but I dunno about that.¡±


    I slowly shook my head. ¡°That¡¯s not even the real problem,¡± I said, for the people who hadn¡¯t been inside the bunker yet. ¡°If we open the door to the bunker when it¡¯s submerged, who knows how much water is going to rush inside? It¡¯ll ruin everything inside. The doors are pretty big, and the last bunker I was in stretched deep down, in a kind of spiral. That water will flow to the deepest point, which is where I¡¯m guessing what I¡¯m looking for is. It¡¯ll destroy the console. No matter how quickly we close the door, enough water will get inside to screw things up.¡±


    ¡°Could be that this bunker is different than the last,¡± Azarus pointed out, a note of doubt in his voice. It didn''t sound like he believed his own words.


    I frowned at him and shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m not willing to take the risk.¡±


    Liora frowned at me in confusion and interrupted us. ¡°Console?¡±


    ¡°The information storage device¡­thing.¡±


    ¡°So should we wait until it stops raining?¡± Renauld asked, eyes darting between each speaker.


    Venix broke his silence. ¡°It will not stop raining until Tatsugan is slain. Damnation, I did not consider that. If the bunker is submerged, we will have no choice but to join the Solstice¡¯s Flame in their quest to slay the Wyrm.¡±


    I had forgotten Kazuma in my irritation, but the samurai had been watching the discussion quietly from the sidelines. ¡°So. You seek some form of¡­¡®bunker¡¯ at the Throne of the Wyrm.¡± He mused. I noticed his eyes had gained a calculating gleam.


    I cursed to myself but didn¡¯t let it show on my face. Thank God for Acting.


    ¡°I have an offer for your company,¡± He announced with a triumphant smile on his face. ¡°I possess a water affinity and have studied the Art of Sealing. With concentration, I can project a barrier over the entrance of your bunker and prevent the water from rushing in until whatever door you seek is closed.¡±


    My eyes narrowed at the man. ¡°And what do you ask in return, Kazuma Higanashi?¡±


    His smile widened, baring straight white teeth in victory.


    ¡°You must assist in slaying the Wyrm, of course.¡±

 Chapter 255 - Treacherous Trek

    I wanted to grit my teeth in frustration at Kazuma¡¯s ultimatum. Thankfully, I had better control over myself to let a tell like that through, if only thanks to Acting. Honestly though¡­


    I¡¯d been expecting something like this from the man for a while. I think we had all been expecting it. He had never hidden his intentions from us. In the end, I couldn¡¯t fault him for being patient and waiting for the right opportunity.


    Even if it was a pain in my ass.


    As rain fell from the shrouded heavens all around us, I met his eyes calmly. ¡°We¡¯ll see. After all, there¡¯s still a chance we¡¯ll get to the mountain in time.¡±


    Behind Kazuma¡¯s back, I saw Azarus make a doubtful face. He didn¡¯t get a chance to speak, though. Not before Venix abruptly stood up from our little huddle, pushing my cloak aside as he did.


    ¡°Enough,¡± He announced. ¡°We cannot linger here. Every moment we waste speaking is another that the Wyrm grows in strength. A decision on our course can wait until we reach the spire of Gorenzan.¡±


    We all stood to join him, and I dismissed Kazuma¡¯s ¡®proposal¡¯ for later consideration. Venix was right.


    We had to keep moving.


    Together, we scanned the ridgeline, and when we found a stable enough path that didn¡¯t seem to be infested with Oni, we set off on it.


    Well.


    It wasn¡¯t currently filled with the giants.


    I didn¡¯t expect it to remain that way for long.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    It was unexpectedly exhausting working, hiking through these mountains. Our impromptu paths along the ridgelines were narrow at the best of times, and hair-thin at the worst. Occasionally, we would encounter larger, flat-topped areas that seemed to be acting as arenas for the feuding Oni. These battlegrounds, whenever we came upon them, all seemed to have seen fighting recently. The scent of Miasma hung heavy in the air on those flat-tops, and cracks and craters pockmarked the surface from blows that had been thrown and flung. However, we had yet to run into any of those combatants on our march. From what Venix told me on our scant few breaks, the fighting in these feuds started on the outskirts and moved inwards, like the closing of a circle. It acted as an almost¡­tournament, for the Oni. Stronger and more worthy monsters clashed with each other constantly, seeking ever mightier opponents in their path toward the Wyrm.


    We were moving just behind the battle lines of the impromptu war.


    I didn¡¯t have time or attention to worry about that, though. The footing along the ridges was already treacherous enough, from the way any possible stone was likely to slip out from underneath you at any moment. But it was only made trickier by the rain that fell constantly, never once letting up over the next few hours of careful travel.


    Frankly, I think a climb like this would have been impossible for anyone who wasn¡¯t an Awakened. Even the lowest level person with a Status had a certain degree of enhanced physical acuity that was necessary. I think Renauld was the least physically able person in our party, and despite that, he was able to react in time to save himself from many potential falls. The rest of us did the same, carefully balancing our way along the precarious parapets of this rocky cascade. At times, the path along the ridges was so narrow that we had to hold out our arms to act as ballast, if only to maintain our equilibrium. It was almost equivalent to games I would play as a child, carefully skipping through squares etched on the sidewalk in chalk, laughing and playing with long-gone and distant friends.


    There was no laughter to be found here, though. Only focused determination, tense physical control, and a silence broken only by the occasional rest on battle-scarred mountain planes.


    It was there on one of those battlefields after several hours of careful traversal, that Azarus edged up to me. I looked at him from the corner of my eye as I replaced the cap on my travel canteen. I¡¯d been letting the rain refill it when he sidled my way.


    He¡­had some bad news for me.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s already too late,¡± My dwarven friend murmured to me, barely audible over the rain and thunder.


    I took a deep breath at that, my eyes flickering over the rest of my companions. From the way Liora¡¯s ears twitched, and Venix¡¯s head turned, I think their Perception might be high enough that they heard him, despite the distance. Bella, Renauld, and Kazuma seemed oblivious, however, from how they didn¡¯t react.


    I sighed that breath out. ¡°You sure?¡±


    Azarus nodded, his long crimson hair, drenched from the rain, swaying with the movement. ¡°Yeah, pretty sure. I¡¯ve been keepin¡¯ an eye on the rivers below,¡± He said, nodding to one of said mountain rivers raging off into the distance. To my layman¡¯s eye, it almost looked more furious than the ones we¡¯d seen hours and miles previous. ¡°I don¡¯t think the elevation markers on that map were accurate. I¡¯m thinkin¡¯ this range is steeper than it said. Whoever made that map was a dumb sack of shit that wouldn¡¯t know proper geographical notatin¡¯ if it reared up and bit ¡®em in the ass.¡±


    ¡°And what does that mean for us?¡± I asked him quietly, eyes on the horizon. I think I could see another Oni battle happening a few miles away from us, but the sight of them had ceased to surprise me.


    ¡°Means they shoulda hired a proper dwarven map-maker fer these mountains, that¡¯s what it means,¡± Azarus said grumpily. At my look, he held up his hands and sighed. ¡°Rivers are flowin¡¯ faster, which means more water toward the inner bowl, which means we¡¯re shit out of luck Nate. Only way we¡¯re gettin¡¯ in that bunker is with help, with the dragon dead, or by waitin¡¯ for all this shit to blow over and drain away.¡±


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    My eyes flickered over to Kazuma where he was watching over Renauld, and frowned slightly. ¡°How long do you think it will take, for the inland sea to drain?¡±


    The former Savoy tilted one broad hand back and forth. ¡°Hard ta say. But, I¡¯m guessin¡¯ about two months or so? Shit, Nate. I ain¡¯t exactly a trained prospector. I just picked up a thing or two livin¡¯ in the mountain holds.¡±


    I frowned, and after a moment, just shook my head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, I suppose. We¡¯ll take things one at a time.¡±


    At that, the conversation died. Our break was over, judging by the way Venix had nearly started pacing.


    We packed back up and got underway.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Our luck had to run out eventually. We were pushing hard despite the precariousness of the climb, and the consequence of that haste was incaution. With the pace we were setting, it was only a matter of time before we pushed straight into the advancing battle lines of the Oni conflict.


    I just¡­didn¡¯t expect for our luck to tank as hard as it did.


    With our sight obscured by both the fading light of the shrouded sun, and the increasing thickness of the storm, we didn¡¯t see them until it was too late.


    We edged our way straight into a full-on war.


    Here, on this mountain top much larger than any we had yet to set foot on, more than simply two different violences had found each other.


    It looked like there were four of them out here. The result was that there must have been hundreds of different Oni infesting this mountaintop that was almost akin to a plain. Easily the largest grouping of not only Oni I had ever seen, but the largest collection of monsters, in general, I had seen, since the Break Stones had been set off back on the mainland. The cacophony of their chaotic battle was loud enough to drown out the storm that raged on above us. Roars and cries crashed alongside the flash of thunder and lightning, both artificial and the product of Vereden itself. Mud and Miasma were thick on the ground from the stamping of feet and the sundering of the defeated, forming a treacherously unstable footing, obscured from sight by a thick black mist.


    From what I could see through the chaos of battle, there were reds, blues, yellows, and a type I had yet to encounter yet here on this field.


    Greens.


    This type of Oni specialized in wind element, if not in a different manner than I¡¯d seen it used before. I was only able to catch a single glimpse of a green conjuring gales that swept opponents off the mountain face, before that Oni was crushed by a furious, burning comet of a red elder that crashed down upon them with a roar. Similar scenes abound all across the field of war, in the brief moment of shock we were allowed.


    A blue, goring a yellow upon his horns, Miasma pouring forth from the wounds to coat the victor in a cloak of murk.


    A yellow, slamming his open palms upon the head of a red, a shockwave emanating from the point of impact that shattered the skull of the defeated.


    A monstrously huge green elder, sweeping his hands in wide, dramatic gestures. Each swipe generated winds stronger than the storm that raged overhead, sending opponents flying from the mountaintop to fall, screaming, in the flooded, raging gutters and valleys below.


    And then we were noticed.


    A pair of yellow juveniles, so similar in appearance to the one we had ambushed out on the stony plains, bounded out of the thick of battle in our direction. The gait of the juves almost reminded me of nature documentaries I had seen in my youth, of gorillas charging down challengers to their thrones.


    I was at the front of our party, and I¡¯m not sure my friends and companions had even noticed the danger that was bearing down on us. We had only just set foot on the battlefield, and now we were being charged. With the way the ridge sloped down behind us, each of them in a single file behind me, they might not be able to react in time to the approaching danger.


    That didn¡¯t matter, though.


    Knuckles down, churning the mud and Miasma, blood-shot eyes trained upon us with murder apparent in taut muscle of their thick frames¡­


    We were forcibly inducted into the Oni rite of supremacy.


    I grit my teeth and drew something that I believe would have confused my old self. I didn¡¯t draw my bow, to pick off the chargers. I didn¡¯t draw Terractus, the side-arm I had so painstakingly forged, half as a status symbol among the Kawamarans, half in desire to emulate my mentor. I didn¡¯t draw my unnamed extendable daggers, which had so loyally seen me through so many conflicts I couldn¡¯t put a number to.


    No.


    Instead, I drew the staff I had been left by a Lich I had known for such a short time. And through it, I channeled the Skill that had become the cornerstone of my fighting style.


    The Scintillant Blade.


    A spark, deep in the core of the topaz crystal, nestled within a basket of pitch black, ebony wood. That spark grew into an inferno that rushed forth from the stone in a billow of rainbow flame. In only an instant, however, it suddenly sharpened. The fire of my racial ability hardened, shaping itself into a facsimile of the form that I had used to slay the soul of a Calamity.


    A long, thin, razor-sharp blade, the definition of its form giving no doubt as to its purpose.


    Death.


    You see, I had made a discovery, in these months since that dramatic confrontation within the Concord. At the time, I had been incredibly shocked at how The Scintillant Blade had manifested in that realm of spirits. The Skill was only supposed to work upon the edge of a blade, from prior testing. But there, it had blazed first into a beacon not unlike that of a lighthouse, and then into the form of a gargantuan blade, so large I hadn¡¯t even needed to swing it to slay Rhazal. The first time, I had eventually chocked that up to shenanigans on behalf of the Great Spirits. Somehow, someway, I think I had been prepped to act as the key to a lock that denied them Rhazals space in that realm. I don¡¯t know when, or how, or even if I cared. In any way, they had saved both me and Vereden as a whole. Tarus had even hinted that before he left the Concord, accusing Elys of meddling. But it didn¡¯t matter.


    What did, was what else I¡¯d discovered.


    I could replicate the formation of that sword. Not to that extent. Not by far. I think the incredible power and size of that blade had been from the equalized strength I¡¯d been granted from the Rite of Combat. What I could create was instead a long, thin blade of the fire from The Scintillant Blade, half-crystalized into a form that it would accept. It sprouted from the Aetherically charged crystal of the staff, attached to it as if the stone was a crossguard that cradled the blade. The result was what I could only call a sword-staff of sorts.


    And it was powerful.


    I stepped forward, calling upon the strength of Vis Maledicta Exactoris as I did.


    I swung, just as both juveniles reached us, leaping forward with outstretched palms to rend us limb from limb.


    Both juveniles died, falling always into pieces, sundered at the trunk.


    As the startled juves fell into pieces around me, I gripped my blade-staff with two, scaled, chiropteran hands, and called to my party. ¡°To arms!¡± I shouted as they joined me on the mountaintop. As blades and Skills and Spells and Arts were readied at my back, I flared my wings wide.


    And charged into the fray, my companions a half-step behind me.

 Chapter 256 - Sudden Drop

    This wasn¡¯t as stupid as it might immediately appear.


    During one of our breaks on the climb, we discussed just this possibility as a group. We had always known it was a possibility that we could run face-first into a battle such as this. The idea of immediately turning back and fleeing from it had been raised, but not seriously entertained. After all, not only had most of my companions joined the expedition for the Statusial gains they might accumulate, but there was no point in running. As Venix told us, in violence-on-violence battles, an Oni wasn¡¯t going to target a regular mortal more than they would anyone else.


    Anyone and everything was free game out here. We didn¡¯t rank higher on any imagined chart than a fellow Oni, to these battle-mad beasts.


    That didn¡¯t mean we weren¡¯t on the menu, however. It just meant we could wade into the melee to achieve our objective without being dogpiled by every single hungry monster on the mountain.


    We would fight our way to an advantageous point, and if a chance to advance through the range presented itself, we would take it. To do this, our plan was to skirt our way along the edges of the battlefield, slaying any and all that would oppose us along the way. Once we found a viable exit point that saw us forward, we would defend that point for as long as we possibly could before retreating out along it. This way, we could both advance in strength and make sure we were keeping time towards Gorenzan.


    Even if it was likely already flooded.


    Things were even going well. All of us, even Kazuma to a degree, were a cut above the rest when it came to classers in our weight class. It was a good thing, too, considering the sheer amount of Oni out here. All of us had our hands full, and needed to engage individual monsters one-on-one with the exception of Renauld. Kazuma was keeping to his self-imposed duty of protecting the Healer, while said Healer did his best to support us from behind. There was no room, time, or will to be relying on the small unit tactics we¡¯d learned from the Oni Hunters back in Kawamara proper.


    There were just too many of them.


    Venix was in a class all to himself, hardly appearing as if he had lost any strength at all from his extended coma. In fact, now that I was much stronger than I had been the last time I¡¯d seen him really cut loose, I would say the Antium samurai was beyond fully recovered.


    He was stronger than he had been. Any Oni that dared venture close to the Antium man was swiftly dealt with.


    Azarus was full on fighting with each of his chain blades extended, using them to hassle any Oni that dared step up to him. I saw each of those spears, as well as his hammer, grow white hot as he channeled some form of Skill to enhance his blows. It certainly had a pronounced effect, considering how his knives were cutting through Oni flesh like a hot knife through bricks of butter.


    Liora, on the other hand, was demonstrating abilities I¡¯d never seen from the former assassin. I¡¯d always been aware that she had similar abilities to our now passed commander, Hook. They both tended to favor razor-sharp, cutting winds, him on his old daggers, and her on her claws. But I¡¯d never seen her coat her entire furry body with those blackened winds until it was hard to see her through the howling sheathe. In a glimpse, I saw her straight-up plow right through one particular Oni, pulping his torso and barreling right towards another.


    But it was Bella who surprised me the most. Where all of us were demonstrating all new abilities we¡¯d likely either been workshopping or had gained through Statusial growth, it was my lover who showed an entirely new fighting style. The pirate Captain had always tended to fight with a form of storm element that buoyed her strength, agility, and more importantly her cutlass. But she¡¯d abandoned that altogether.


    Now, she fought like a conductor.


    In some bizarre combination of what seemed both Skill and Spell, her cutlass was born aloft by a furious, blackened, electrified cloud. Instead of her holding the blade itself, it seemed to dart all across the battlefield directed by her will, to slash and cut at any Oni she so wished. More importantly, however, the blade of the cutlass itself seemed to have been surrounded with so much dense lightning that it appeared as if a bolt from heaven itself. The result was that the zooming blade left scorching rents in the flesh of all that it touched, charred black by the plasma-sheathed blade of the instrument. Still, for all of her newfound ability to direct her usual blade, she kept a new one ready. There was a dagger I¡¯d never seen her draw before, a long, curved, wicked one akin to a serpent''s tooth that she kept in a backhanded grip to ward off those that strayed too close. Waving one hand about to direct the blade, Bella winked at my momentarily startled expression, before getting back to work.


    All these new abilities¡­all these new strategies¡­


    They were a stark, albeit relieving reminder, that I wasn''t the only one continuously growing in strength. My friends trained, and they pondered, and they grew just as much as I did, never sitting still, never growing complacent. For every victory that we had, the System doled out more strength, more levels, more new abilities for them to unleash on our foes. I wasn¡¯t the only one to have trump cards hidden up my sleeves for emergencies.


    However¡­


    Not to brag, but I think mine was the most effective. As simple as it might seem, a single blade of scintillant fire was absolutely nothing to underestimate.


    I don¡¯t think even Venix¡¯s four blades parted Oni flesh as well as my sword-staff did. In the mere minutes of battle we¡¯d engaged in, as we circled the battlefield, I had lost count of the number of Oni I¡¯d cleaved in twain. One stroke of the burning blade was enough to end the life of even an elder Oni who thought to try their luck. It didn¡¯t matter what defenses the more canny Oni tried to raise. The blade sundered through them all, fulfilling the prophecy of the Skill¡¯s description.


    It struck the root of all things.


    But, there was a problem with using The Scintillant Blade in this way. It had an immediate downside that I¡¯d discovered just after finding out I could do this, those months ago in a private Hinaga practice room.


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    This was the first instance I had found of a Skill draining Mana to keep active. And the drain was not small. Every second I had the fiery blade active huge chunks of the Mana I¡¯d accumulated from every point I¡¯d invested into Wisdom were being burned to keep it alive. Perhaps the most frustrating thing, though, was that I could just tell that was a problem with how I was using that Mana. It all came back to my problems in channeling the refined Aether. If I was more efficient, if I had an actual channeling method, then I don¡¯t think it would be a problem. But I didn¡¯t.


    It was deadly, yes, as evidenced by the dozens of Oni I¡¯d cut down. However¡­


    I just couldn¡¯t keep it going forever. If only because I needed to keep some strength in reserve for after this.


    After all, I didn¡¯t know if I was going to be fighting a nascent Calamity later or not.


    That was the reason I didn¡¯t dare to try and channel both Vis Maledicta Exactoris and Might of the Wyrdwood as well. Using both of those Skills at the same time placed tremendous physical stress on me. Even if those abilities didn¡¯t tax my Mana to keep active, it would wipe me out for an extended period of time to try and utilize the multiplicative effect of the Skills together with this blade.


    Still, it was fine. The purpose of using the enhanced version of my most powerful Racial Talent in the first place was so we could establish ourselves on the field of battle. We had successfully navigated to the edge of the mountaintop and located a ridgeline that seemed to stretch further into the range. Now we were just holding our position here until, I believe, we were satisfied with the slaughter.


    Reluctantly I stepped back behind my allies briefly, and when I felt my internal reserves of Mana reach the half-way mark, I cut the Skill. Instantly, the coruscating fire wavered and vanished from the topaz core gem. Strangely, the stone steamed in the still-falling rain.


    I slung the staff back over my back, and instead drew both of my daggers in their unextended state, activating the less taxing form of The Scintillant Blade upon them as I did so. Stepping past Kazuma and exchanging a curt, acknowledging nod with him, I got back to work, engaging with a blue adolescent.


    As I fought, I felt like I was acting on auto-pilot and instinct. I no longer had the ability to fall into what I¡¯d termed as a ¡®battle trance¡¯ like I¡¯d discovered back in Elderwyck. I didn¡¯t have the emotional numbing effect that my lost middle ring could grant. But I could almost equate it, these days. It was almost like¡­I had grown used to battle and could direct my full attention towards it.


    Turns out, that wasn¡¯t a good thing.


    I don¡¯t know if it was my focused state, if I just ended up being surprised, or if I just plain got cocky.


    But when a green elder wandered into the path I¡¯d carved through the battlefield, I didn¡¯t think of the most evident ability I¡¯d seen from them. Stupidly, I caught its attention with a Poisonthorn Shot, since it seemed like it had caught sight of Kazuma and Renauld itself. I had thought I was doing them a favor by taking the focus away from our Healer, even if he had a guard. After all, I¡¯d killed more than one elder here in this battle, one-on-one, and I was confident in myself.


    Instead, I came the closest to death I¡¯d encountered since the close of the Elderwyck campaign.


    The green elder wheeled in my direction, dragging its broad hands through the air in a wide arc as it did so, almost as if it was slapping at me. From those palms issued a fierce, directed wind. A gale strong enough I thought it might have been able to knock down a tree.


    Much less a person.


    I went flying, soaring over the edge of the mountaintop I¡¯d been fighting on top of, only moments ago.


    My transformed eyes widened, and it felt like my heart stopped briefly in my chest. The world seemed to slow around me, as a great abyss yawned underneath my floating form.


    In the split second before I descended over the edge, I was able to see the fight on the mountain in a freeze frame. Venix had dashed over to take care of the green elder that had dealt with me so effortlessly, and had, just as effortlessly, rent him limb from limb. A few of my companions seemed to have noticed my plight, and with a desperate expression on his normally stoic face, Azarus had directed his hovering chain spears to dart toward me. Presumably, he meant to catch my falling form with them. Alas, he wasn¡¯t close enough to the edge, and didn¡¯t seem to have the ability to grow enough chain that they would reach me. They stopped just before I could grab hold of them.


    The only other person that seemed to have noticed my plight was¡­


    Bella.


    My lover stopped cold in the middle of the battlefield to track my soaring form. Her lips parted in horror as I somehow, across the distance, met her stormy blue eyes. I only had moments to look into them.


    Hopefully, she could read the message in my own.


    Before I fell over the edge.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    As I plunged down the mountainside, I was strangely calm. After all, if any one of us had to be thrown over the edge like this, I was glad it was me.


    I was the only one with wings, after all.


    Even as surprised as I was by the gust of wind, I had never lost my grip on Vis Maledicta Exactoris.


    Problem was, I had never actually learned how to fly with them. Sure, I¡¯d done some enhanced jumps by flapping my wings down hard, but that was different. There was more to flight, true proper flight, than just mindlessly beating my batlike appendages. Flying was super complicated, and humanoid forms weren¡¯t really meant for it.


    Still, I knew it was possible.


    I just wish I¡¯d had the chance to learn how to fly in a less perilous situation.


    As the world roared around me, I oriented myself in midair until I was facing downward, plunging headfirst towards the raging mountain river I could see far below me, illuminated by flashes of lightning. Maybe it was my imagination, but I thought my falling speed picked up.


    Still, I didn¡¯t open my wings. Not just yet. I probably only had one chance to get this right. If I messed this up, I was going to end up as a red smear on the side of the mountain, before finding a watery grave in a muddy stream bed.


    I held my breath as I felt the wind around me rush past, waiting for the right moment. I must have only been feet away from the stone when I felt it. A shift in the air, as the currents changed around me.


    Now!


    I snapped my wings open, and the speeding air caught underneath them.


    Instantly, I sailed up on them, zooming over the surface of the raging river below so closely I swore my feet skimmed it.


    But I wasn¡¯t paying any attention to that. Instead, I was marveling at my own actions. A massive, manic smile stole across my fanged mouth.


    I was truly flying now.


    Experimentally, I flapped my wings, sending me flying higher into the air. I was momentarily startled by how easy that was. But in retrospect, my Core mused, that made sense. Even if I had stolen this Skill from a mostly dead Calamity, it made sense that the System would imbue it with at least a few instincts about how to properly fly.


    Relieved, I flapped more and more and more, until I was soaring ever higher. In moments, I had winged my way past the edge of the mountain I had just fallen past, until I had flown to hover far above it. Below me, I could see the whole of the battlefield. The sight of the small war stole the smile from my face.


    Because it didn¡¯t seem to be going well, honestly. In the moments since I¡¯d fallen, the board had changed.


    It looked to me like another violence had been drawn by the fighting, and fallen upon the remnants with glee. This time, they looked to be browns. My understanding of the Oni species told me they were earth-aligned, which meant I had to get down there now.


    My companions were surrounded by earth. The browns might be even deadlier than the greens were, on that stony mountain top.


    But something caught my eye before I could swoop down and join the battle. Something in the sky.


    It looked¡­


    Well, it almost looked like there was someone hovering up here other than me.

 Chapter 257 - Bladeborne Insistence

    The sight was so startling that all I could do was stare out at the person.


    Well, I assumed it was a person. It was hard to see the figure through the fading light and the dark of the storm. But whoever they were, it didn¡¯t look like they were flying with wings as I was.


    Instead, I thought it was¡­


    Well, I think they were standing on a sword?


    A giant one, at that. It was difficult to even call the thing a sword. It was more like a massive slab of iron in the vague shape of one than a real blade. The ridiculous thing was so large that it was almost akin to the oar of a ship, and not a small ship at that. I had no doubt the beast of a blade could act as a replacement oar in a pinch from how ridiculously wide it was.


    It hung motionlessly in midair, a short humanoid form standing on top of it with its arms crossed. It was hard to make out exact features in the darkness, but I thought I could see a long coat flapping in the wind, hanging from thin shoulders. Incongruously, I think I could see a¡­hat, planted firmly on the person''s head, unbothered by the wind and the rain.


    A¡­cowboy hat.


    My lips parted in disbelief because I had only seen one person on this planet wearing a hat like that.


    And they were looking right at me. The figure had noticed me long before I had seen them and had been watching me the whole time. Across their distance, I thought I might be able to see wild amusement in their eyes. Even though I was transformed into my current monstrous shape, I knew the owner could recognize me for who I was. Somehow, someway, even without the telltale tingle of Observe, this person knew me for who I was.


    But the eyes themselves weren¡¯t what I was expecting. I knew this person to have small, black, evil little eyes that saw the world as nothing more than set dressing for their entertainment. That still existed, of course.


    I didn¡¯t expect the blood-red glow that now suffused them. They pulsed brightly through the darkness, illuminating a wrinkled old face enough that I saw thin lips¡­


    Curve into a mocking smile.


    Before the owner fell out of sight.


    Startled, I watched as Grand Marshall Shacklock of the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame stopped hovering to fall toward the battlefield before. As he did, he reached to his side and caught the enormous greatsword falling with him by the handle effortlessly. At the contact, the entire blade of the sword began to glow a strange, sickly orange in color, roiling up and down the length of it.


    With what happened next, I was extremely glad that my friends and companions were still skirting the outside of the battlefield. Because when Shacklock touched down, blade first, in the center of the mountain-top, a strange, static field of power exploded from the point of impact, rapidly expanding to wash over every single Oni still standing. From the twiggiest adolescent to the elders with the grandest horns on that field¡­


    They all went mad.


    Feral.


    Insane with rage.


    All Oni on that field immediately abandoned anything they were doing. They ceased fighting with themselves and they ceased fighting with my companions. Nothing else mattered to them from that point on but the man who had seemingly cast a spell over them.


    Shacklock.


    They swarmed in his direction, frothing at the mouth with rage-blind eyes and fell to him in droves. I nearly wasn¡¯t able to see the old monster, even from my high vantage point, with how surrounded he was by beast and Miasma both. The only thing I was initially able to see was Oni falling to pieces by the dozen, all around a central point. That massive blade sliced out, again and again, slaying Oni so quickly that it made my previous efforts with my sword-staff seem sluggish in comparison.


    In only moments, the man who was supposedly nearly on the level with Grey had cut down nearly every single Oni that had been on the field. Where before had been well over a hundred Oni, even after all the killing that had occurred before Shacklock¡¯s arrival¡­


    Now there was only one, driven to its knees, with a single hand grasping it by the horns and holding it in place as it thrashed about uselessly.


    Except that hand was different. It was far, far larger, and far, far more muscled than the palm that had belonged to a fragile, stooped old man only moments ago. Oni were massive in comparison to most people, but whoever this was nearly matched the monsters in sheer size.


    As the Miasma cleared from around the owner, I was able to see why. I¡­suppose Shacklock had a transformation Skill of his own.


    Because he was a changed man.


    The Grand Marshall of the Solstice¡¯s Flame had gained at least ten feet in height in the moments since I¡¯d last seen him. Compounded on that, his stick-thin frame had filled out as well. It was monstrously muscled, now, appearing as if the physique of a lifetime body-builder, stretched taut for competition. Muscles were packed upon muscles in an almost grotesque exaggeration of the human form, flexing minutely in the rain that fell ceaselessly. Shacklock¡¯s previously baggy clothes were now stretched to the brim trying to contain his herculean form, and where before I¡¯d thought them comical, now I wasn¡¯t laughing.


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    It didn¡¯t matter how garish they were.


    This was an existence I knew could pop my head like a grape with only two fingers. The sword that I¡¯d thought insanely oversized no longer appeared so in this giant of a man¡¯s grip. Instead, it was nearly normal size, held casually in one hand as the other idly held back a yellow Oni elder.


    Beneath a much more pronounced brow, the beady black, glowing red eyes of the Grand Marshall examined the monster dispassionately for a moment before he suddenly spoke. ¡°A bit of a disappointin¡¯ show, ya beastie,¡± He said idly, in a voice that suddenly echoed in a terrifyingly familiar way. ¡°I was countin¡¯ on you and yours to give this old man one more entertain¡¯ slaughter afore the end. Couldna manage even that, though, eh? Bah. Begone with ya.¡±


    Effortlessly, Shacklock shifted his grip until one massive paw lay to cover the Oni¡¯s face. I winced at the cracking sounds that echoed across the mountaintop as he curled his fingers inwards, crushing and crumpling its face as if it were naught but a sheet of paper. In moments, the last remaining Oni had perished, dissipating out into Miasma to join the rest still lurking on the mountaintop. In its wake was left only the Miasma that covered the battlefield, pierced only by the glimmering forms of hundreds of Cores.


    I took a deep breath, as the Grand Marshall slung his enormous greatsword over an equally massive shoulder.


    So.


    That was why Shacklock was so feared and yet well-regarded. Effortless, brutal, crushing might. He¡¯d scythed through more terrifyingly powerful monsters in moments than I think I¡¯d ever seen anyone do.


    I felt my skin crawl as his disquieting eyes trailed up to me for a moment before I was visibly dismissed. Instead, he focused his attention on my comrades standing across from him on the battlefield. All of them stood stock-still under his piercing gaze, well aware that this man could end us as easily as he breathed.


    Thankfully, we had something he wanted.


    ¡°Is that you, Kazuma my boy?!¡± Shacklock boomed across the battlefield, a wide smile on his enlarged features. ¡°I thought ya¡¯d carked it out in the jungles! C¡¯mere, you.¡± He paused for a moment, before continuing almost grudgingly. ¡°I suppose the rest of ya can come too. Including you, ya great big flyin¡¯ rat.¡±


    I¡­think he was talking to me, there.


    Warily, I ceased my flapping to hover back down to the mountaintop, releasing my grip on Vis Maledicta Exactoris as I did touched down. However, I didn¡¯t get the chance to stand alone long before my companions came running up to me. Judging by looks on their faces, I don¡¯t think they had noticed me soaring back up over the edge to hover over the battlefield.


    I don¡¯t blame them.


    They¡¯d been a bit preoccupied.


    In moments, my face was buried in rain-slicked raven-black hair as the owner wrapped me in a relieved hug. ¡°Thank fuck,¡± Bella breathed into my chest, before looking up. Her relief was evident in her eyes. ¡°I thought ye were gone fer a moment.¡±


    A smile crossed my lips and I tried to wrap my own arms around her, only for Bella to pull back with a suddenly furious look on her sharp features. Before I could react, the pirate Captain had reared one fist back and driven it into my stomach as hard as she seemingly could. I hurked and hunched over it as I heard Shacklock cackle in the background.


    ¡°Say somethin¡¯ next time, ye dumb bastard!¡± I heard my lover roar above me. ¡°Don¡¯t just let me think ye were dashed on the rocks!¡±


    Ah¡­I¡­guess I should have done that?


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I wheezed out, as I felt two pairs of hands grab my shoulders to steady me. I accepted their help and found Azarus and Renauld to be the owners, both of them with relief and amusement, visible on their faces. Liora and Venix were standing off to the side, watching the small drama with either patience or indifference. Still, I received nods of acknowledgment from my more stoic party members.


    However, I didn¡¯t see Kazuma anywhere. It was only when I turned around to face the direction I knew Shacklock to be in that I found the Kawamaran samurai. He had bee-lined straight for the disgraced Herztalian hero and appeared to be speaking rapidly to the older man. As I watched them, the madman¡¯s gargantuan form began to¡­steam, for some reason, and shrink where he stood.


    Over Azarus¡¯s head, I frowned pensively as I watched Shacklock¡¯s beady little eyes gleam, locking onto the still-wrapped sword on Kazuma¡¯s back.


    Even if the blade which had been the apparent cornerstone of his plan had been recovered, it still couldn¡¯t be used. Shurenga had deliberately crafted the new bond between sword and owner so that it needed time to settle into Kazuma¡¯s soul. If the samurai tried to absorb the force of Shacklock¡¯s Core Collapse, the blade would shatter and disperse, wasting his sacrifice and the artifact at the same time. Kazuma knew this. We had confirmed it with him. And judging by the tense set to his shoulders, he was conveying that fact to the Grand Marshall.


    So why didn¡¯t Shacklock look upset by that? Instead, he looked up briefly and caught my eye.


    Disturbingly, he winked at me.


    A chill shot down my spine.


    I took a deep breath, and together with my companions, we approached the samurai and the madman. I couldn''t help but notice there was a tenseness to the set of my friend''s shoulders, even if they tried to hide it. All of us were aware that we stood no chance again Shacklock if this went south.


    I was a bit surprised at what actually happened.


    A wide smile with only a touch of insanity found within it, crossed the lips of the Grand Marshal of the Order of Solstice''s Flame. "Thanks fer findin'' this one!" He growled, slapping one hand hard on the back of Kazuma. The Kawamaran man staggered so hard that he nearly ran right into me, and I had to steady him with my gloved hand. Shacklock pretended like he took no notice. "I heard from the men that ol'' Kazuma here got et by an Oni out in the Jungles. Oh me oh my, am I sure relieved to see him not bein'' a festerin'' pile of Oni shit!"


    All of us were dead silent as the old monster cackled out into the rain, seemingly deeply amused by his own ''joke''.


    He...kept laughing for an almost uncomfortable length of time. I cleared my throat in an attempt to be polite. When that didn''t work, I just spoke up. "Ah, it''s no iss-"


    Shacklock abruptly stopped laughing and snapped his head down to fix his mad gaze on me. I froze at the intensity I saw in that gaze. "So, as thanks, I''m thinkin'' you boys and girls should follow me back to our camp, out here in this godsforsaken pit. Now that you''ve proved yer worth by reaching the central range, I got somethin'' to talk to ya''s about."


    He leaned forward, and I noticed I wasn''t the only one to lean back almost involuntarily, at the blood-red glow that had returned to his small, soulless black eyes.


    "I insist."

 Chapter 258 - What Was

    Before we left to follow in the wake of the madman who was essentially kidnapping us, we took the time to gather up the Monster Cores littering the now quiet battlefield. The amount of wealth that was being revealed by the dissipating Miasma was just too much to let go to waste. Even beyond the crafting benefits of the Cores themselves, if we hawked this many Oni Cores on the market back in Hinaga, we would be making a literal fortune.


    Shacklock didn¡¯t care, so we scooped them all up into a sack held in our travel supplies. Instead, he oddly spent the time standing on the edge of the mountaintop, making what looked to be¡­silly faces out into the night. I swear to God, he was squishing his face together and sticking out his tongue like he was trying to amuse an infant or something.


    None of us asked what he was doing, or if he had a reason for it. I¡¯m¡­not sure there was one.


    Even stranger, once we had finished and the exiled Grand Marshal began to lead us further into the range, he looked over his shoulder briefly. He wasn¡¯t looking at any of us, however. Instead, he focused on a point far off into the distance behind us, pulled down one eyelid, and stuck out his tongue, wagging it from side to side.


    All of us turned to follow his gaze.


    There was nothing there.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    In the dark and the rain, the mountain ridges had become even more treacherous than before. It was to the extent that I¡¯m not sure how much longer any of us could take this. Initially, I had been tempted to take to the skies once more, now that I was at least a little familiar with flying. But that was stupid. I would probably only get fried by a bolt from the black, if I tried to take wing. Although we had been determined to push through the night to reach Mt. Gorenzan in time before an inland sea swallowed the bunker door, we had to give up on that. The rain was only intensifying as we headed inland.


    The prospect of safe haven, even if it would be found in the arms of the Order of Solstice Flame, was a tempting one.


    I was thankful that it didn¡¯t take long for us to reach Shacklock¡¯s destination.


    He led us to what seemed to be an outright plateau, here in the central Goryuen range, a flat-topped stony plain that stretched out for miles. Squatting on that rock were the familiar sights of Solstice tents that we had seen back on the beach. There were dozens and dozens of them, as well as a much larger command tent which the rest of them crowded around. Oddly, for all of the canvas domes that dotted the landscape, there were few soldiers visible. And it wasn¡¯t because of the rain, either.


    So many of those tents just looked dark and uninhabited.


    After we leaped down onto the plateau from a higher ridgeline, Shacklock casually sauntered up to the watch patrol on duty. All of us followed behind him warily, aware that we had little other choice in the matter. Through the noise of the torrential rain, we arrived just in time to hear the madman¡¯s conversation with his underlings.


    ¡°-strom back yet?¡±


    The lead soldier shook his head, his eyes trailing over my group standing behind his leader suspiciously. ¡°No sir. Captain Wernstrom¡¯s company has not reported back from his culling.¡±


    Shacklock shook his head, almost mockingly. ¡°That boy. He¡¯s losin¡¯ his touch, eh?¡± He said, nudging another guard in the ribs. Said soldier didn¡¯t even blink from the odd treatment.


    Guess he was used to it.


    ¡°¡­as you say, sir.¡±


    ¡°Well, whatever,¡± The madman shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m headin¡¯ inside. I got me some guests I gotta gab with. Make sure I ain¡¯t bothered.¡±


    The patrol saluted their leader and parted for him to stalk past. I resisted the urge to stiffen my shoulders as we did the same. I could feel the Solstice soldier¡¯s eyes boring into my back as I walked past them.


    Hell, as we followed Shacklock through the encampment, that feeling only grew. While it was sparsely populated out here, it didn¡¯t mean there was nobody. We occasionally stumbled across cook fires, strangely resilient to the deluge being tended to by a handful of classers. Their leader would receive acknowledging nods, but the rest of us only got glares and glowers.


    When we reached the larger command tent, Shacklock barged right through the flapping entrance like he owned the place-


    (Which I suppose he did).


    -and immediately started shouting.


    ¡°Clear out, all of ya!¡± He bellowed into the warm, well-lit confines of the tent. The heads of a dozen or so officers crowded around the incongruously large central table immediately snapped up at the shout. There was a large spread of steaming hot food around the table, the sight of which made my stomach grumble. More than one set of eyes blinked at their leader. He glowered back at them. ¡°You heard me! Git! Go! This is my tent, gods damnit, and I¡¯m tellin¡¯ ya to scram!¡±


    The officers scrambled to their feet and did as he bid, slipping around us to exit out into the rain and the dark. As they passed us, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that the Lieutenant who had greeted us on these shores was among them. I exchanged a friendly nod with Lieutenant Salzen as he passed me.


    And then we were alone with the madman, in his own territory.


    Said madman stalked his way over to a large wooden chair, carved almost to look like a throne. The back of it resembled the massive sword that had strangely disappeared after Shacklock had dispatched an entire horde of Oni. He hopped into it and leaned back, propping his feet up onto the table in front of him with a thud. ¡°Ah¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°Ain¡¯t no place like home. Well? What are you lot waitin¡¯ for? Sit your asses down!¡±


    At his barked command, we warily stepped away from the entrance and approached the table. There, we found seats around it and slumped into them. My back thanked me as I settled into the oddly decadent chair, with its plush seat.


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    Never one to pass up an opportunity, Azarus immediately reached for the untouched food on the table. When Shacklock didn¡¯t protest, the rest of us joined him. After all, it had been a while since any of us had an actual prepared meal. Camp fare just wasn¡¯t the same thing.


    As I tucked into a place of roasted fowl and brown bread, the space between my shoulders itched. Shacklock was just watching us, saying nothing.


    Suddenly, he spoke up as I was cleaning a bone. ¡°Do ya like my table?¡±


    The sound of eating slowed, as all of us blinked in confusion from the odd question. Liora was the one to break the silence. ¡°Ah¡­yes, the food is-¡±


    She was interrupted by the old man waving a hand dismissively. ¡°Ain¡¯t talkin¡¯ about the grub. I meant the table itself.¡±


    I looked down at the flat top of the thick wooden table then, aware of everyone else¡¯s heads doing the same around me. But not, strangely, Venix. The Antium had never taken his eyes off of Shacklock, in the entire time we¡¯d been in his presence. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that his lower two arms were below the table, as his upper two tended to his plate.


    ¡°Ah¡­it¡¯s okay, I guess?¡± Renauld said uncertainly. ¡°It¡¯s very¡­tabley.¡±


    Suddenly, Shacklock lunged forward in his chair to slam his open palms down on the table. The resulting sound was loud enough that I¡¯m sure the entire camp heard it. ¡°Okay?! Tabley?!¡± He spit furiously. ¡°This is a godsdamned masterwork of carpentry and spatial enchanting! I spent a carkin¡¯ decade makin¡¯ this thing! You have any idea how hard it was to make a folding table this large that shrinks down to the size of a flippin¡¯ matchbook?! It ain¡¯t easy!¡±


    I blinked slowly at the tirade, before inspecting the apparently enchanted table more closely. This time, with my Aetherial sense.


    Ah¡­yeah. I¡­suppose that was an enchantment. I wasn¡¯t too familiar with spatial enchanting, although I¡¯d seen it before. There were thick braids of potent Ki flowing through dense nets of impossibly tiny runes, all through the apparent ¡®masterwork table¡¯.


    But for all of the work that must have gone into the table, it was still very plain, aesthetically.


    It just looked like a damn table.


    What¡­was the point of all this?


    ¡­was there a point?


    At the very least, I¡­suppose that explained how they had this huge hunk of wood sitting in the middle of a mobile camp.


    Under everyone¡¯s combined baffled stare, Shacklock¡¯s aged features screwed up in disgust. ¡°Bah. My genius is wasted on you infants.¡±


    Alright, enough of this.


    I leaned forward, drawing Shacklock¡¯s attention. ¡°Why are we here? What was so important that you basically kidnapped us?¡±


    The madman¡¯s eyes slid my way, and he considered me for a moment. ¡°Greycton¡¯s newest little toy,¡± He mused, ignoring my question. ¡°Well, aside from his little tin men and women. I was wonderin¡¯ what you lot were here for, but I think I¡¯ve figured it out. I saw somethin¡¯ mighty interestin¡¯, watchin¡¯ your fight with the horners. Those flames I saw ya use¡­I read a book that talked about ¡®em, once, years and years and years ago.¡±


    My lips twitched downwards, and yet I was unsurprised. Sometimes it felt like I was never able to hold onto the ¡®secret¡¯ of my origins for long. It was to the point that it barely felt like one at all, and was instead just something I didn¡¯t go around advertising. ¡°Say what you mean, Shacklock,¡± I said bluntly.


    A brief red spark flared in the old monster¡¯s eyes for a moment, before fading. ¡°You¡¯re after the door, ain¡¯tcha, Precursor?¡±


    I saw Kazuma start out of the corner of my eye and turn to stare at me, but he was the only one who reacted to the words. I suppose it wasn¡¯t too surprising that an educated nobleman like Kazuma would know what that was.


    ¡°Y¡¯see, I heard a story from a little birdy,¡± Shacklock started casually. ¡°It were about an old curiosity of Greycton¡¯s back in his even older stompin¡¯ grounds. Out in Hollow Hill, there was this door That Fucker was obsessed with for years on years. Only, he weren¡¯t ever able to get it open. He huffed and he puffed and he slung spells at it that would topple castles. But it never budged. That was until his newest pet laid a hand on it some six months past. And then it opened right up. Me oh my, now that¡¯s interestin¡¯.¡±


    Venix shifted in his chair, and I saw the muscles in his lower biceps tense. I had a good idea about what he was gripping, under the table. Shacklock did too, but judging by the mocking tilt to his lips, he didn¡¯t seem to care a whit.


    ¡°I was busy at the time, but I still wondered. What had that feculent sack of shit dug up out in the Principality, which did what he could not? I know now, and I¡¯m thinkin¡¯ you¡¯re here for the same thing. The big shiny door that my scouts have told me stands right out on the mountainside.¡±


    I scowled now, and not just because an outright madman had figured out our goal. While I had grown some doubts about Grey during my time away from him, I still cared for the man. I didn¡¯t appreciate hearing my mentor talked about in that way. ¡°What business is it of yours?¡± I asked sharply.


    That was a mistake.


    The red glow returned to Shacklock¡¯s beady black eyes, and a terrifying sensation stole over me.


    Or rather, my Outer Ring.


    From one instant to the next, my sanity died. That¡­that was the only way I could really describe it. It was like all reason left the outermost ring of that what defined who I was. The world ceased to make sense, simple concepts like light, and direction, and temperature became meaningless. What passed for thoughts in the shell my outer ring had become did not proceed naturally, from one to the next in a familiar, linear, sane manner.


    And it drove that mind mad.


    It wanted to rage at the world that had suddenly become so terrifying, where nothing made sense to it. It wanted to take the plate it had suddenly been eating and simultaneously smash it against the face of Bella to my right, and also eat it, and also carve graven images into our flesh with those shards and on and on and on with everything around us.


    It was only thanks to the rock-solid, protected nature of my core ring I didn¡¯t descend fully into that madness. My companions and friends, I think, weren¡¯t quite so protected. They all started to stand or growl or worse¡­


    Until the sensation vanished.


    Shacklock had only pulsed that effect for an instant, and that instant had nearly been enough to destroy all of us.


    I was beyond shaken by the experience and judging by the looks on my companion''s faces, they were too. Because I recognized that for what it was. The expression of it was different from anything I had seen to this point, but I recognized the base sensation.


    That had been Shacklock¡¯s Mantle.


    Simply by unfurling it, he could drive anyone he wanted mad.


    Insane.


    Helpless to the world.


    I drew in a shaking breath.


    So.


    That was why they called him the Madman. Not because of his erratic behavior.


    Because of what he could do to others. That¡­that must have been how he had drawn all of the Oni to him earlier.


    Said madman leaned forward. ¡°Ye ask what business it is of mine, striplin¡¯?¡± He hissed. ¡°Everythin¡¯ Greycton does is my business. Outsider, you were not born in this land, and so ya don¡¯t know. But my life, every last second of every last hour of every last day of every last month of every last year of every last decade of every last CENTURY!¡± He bellowed, standing up from his chair and slamming his palms on the table once more. ¡°Has been about that man! I founded this gods forsaken Order to oppose him when he made his own! I sought strength and years so I could live long enough to piss on all he¡¯s wrought, when he did the same! I didn¡¯t give a rat¡¯s fucking arse about King and country, in that stupid damned war or any other! All I cared about was that he was on one side, so I had to be on the other! All for the chance, the CHANCE!¡± He said, holding two fingers together closely. ¡°That I might get to murder him! Oh¡­oh how I longed for that. Ya can¡¯t even begin to understand how much I do, you uppity little maggot.¡±


    That¡­that was¡­


    ¡°Insane,¡± I whispered, staring at Shacklock. ¡°That¡¯s insane. What could possibly drive anyone to that level of vendetta? For literal centuries?¡±


    Shacklock smiled mockingly at me. ¡°What, ya ask? Why, it¡¯s simple.¡±


    ¡°He were my brother.¡±

 Chapter 259 - Brothers

    I gaped at Shacklock, and I noticed I wasn¡¯t the only one. Similar expressions were on everyone else¡¯s faces as well, from Azarus to Liora, to hell.


    Even Venix looked surprised at those words. Shacklock was Grey¡¯s brother?


    The madman snorted at our perplexed expressions. ¡°Oh, not literally ye great sack of numpties. If I were the man¡¯s blood-brother, I woulda had a much easier time of killin¡¯ him.¡±


    The hell did that mean?


    A portion of the tension slipped out of the tent. Not all of it, of course. None of us looked to have forgotten the experience of Shacklock¡¯s Mantle and remained wary of the unstable geriatric.


    I don¡¯t think I would forget it for the rest of my life.


    Bella scowled at him, clenching one hand tight on the goblet of wine one of the officers had left behind. ¡°Then what do ye mean, blaggard?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you should understand better than the rest of these soft un¡¯s, little girl,¡± Shacklock gestured around the table, before wagging a finger at Bella. ¡°I¡¯m talkin¡¯ about the type of brother you find out on the sea. The man who ya come to rely on, when the fierce winds blow and the sea rises up to swallow ya. He who heaves on the ropes with ya and drinks from the same bottle. That is the brother I speak of.¡±


    Bella¡¯s brow shot up in realization, and she exchanged a look with me. ¡°What?¡± She said, baffled. ¡°You were a seaman?¡±


    ¡°A¡­pirate?¡± I asked slowly.


    Shacklock shrugged, leaning back in his throne. ¡°For a time,¡± He admitted casually, reaching down below him and groping for something. He withdrew a bottle, popped the cork, and took a swig. He made a face. ¡°Gone sour, this has. Bah. Anyways, it weren¡¯t for long, in the grand scheme o¡¯ centuries. But it shaped the rest of me life.¡±


    ¡°I have never heard this before,¡± Venix said, speaking up for the first time. A frown had crossed his chitinous lips.


    ¡°Nor have I,¡± Liora admitted quietly. ¡°There are no records of you having served as a pirate within the Kingdom, Sir Shacklock.¡±


    ¡°Like I said,¡± Shacklock said, surprisingly patient. ¡°It were only for, oh, say¡­a decade? Thereabouts. Settle in for a tale, boys and girls. Consider this both the last will and testament of the Madman, as well as his confession. Cause I ain¡¯t lettin¡¯ ya leave until I¡¯ve said my piece. I¡¯ll kill the lot of ya if ya try and leave.¡±


    My cheek twitched at the casual death threat. It was a good reminder that we were essentially his captives, right now.


    ¡°I was a crofter¡¯s boy,¡± Shacklock started, almost wistfully. ¡°Me mam died in childbirth, one o¡¯ the rare few. I know, I know,¡± He said, chuckling at the odd expressions on a few of my companion''s faces. ¡°It don¡¯t happen often, and it¡¯s only somethin¡¯ that does to those that deny a Status. She was apparently one o¡¯ those loonies. I never knew her, but I did know my pa. Some relatives of mine told me her death made the man cold, and that¡¯s a fact. My younger years were-the hells are ya doin¡¯, boy?¡±


    I had never seen such a baffled expression on the madman¡¯s face before, as he stared over at Renauld. I followed his gaze to see that the Gnoll had pulled out a small diary and an ink-enchanted quill from his pack. The entire time the old monster had been monologuing, my Healer friend had been scribbling quickly away, apparently writing down every word he said. At Shacklock¡¯s interjection, Renauld looked up and shrugged at the attention. ¡°What? I¡¯m going to head back to the Academy sometime. I figure, this is as good as anything to hand in as an extra credit assignment for Professor Altaburry.¡±


    I don¡¯t think I was the only one to stare at Renauld in disbelief. Shacklock, for his part, just scratched his chin for a moment and then shrugged. ¡°Well, I ain¡¯t ever had a problem with Liam, despite being part of That Fucker¡¯s staff. You can continue, boy.¡±


    To my disbelief, Liora scooted her chair closer to Renaulds so she could look over his shoulder as he scribbled at incredible speed. I suppose higher education was the same even in magical fantasy land.


    You learned to take notes quickly.


    ¡°Anywho,¡± Shacklock picked back up. ¡°Where was I? My younger years, right. They was rough, and me pa was fond of his drink. The combination meant that I was out the door as soon as I had me Status. Now, the old homestead was further up north, and to us, Hollow Hill was the big city. I didn¡¯t want to go to the big city. For all I knew, I would end up a scribes apprentice or some such nonsense.¡±


    I¡­couldn¡¯t help but see the irony in that statement. As I recall, Grey had told me that he had been bound to become a scribe¡¯s apprentice himself, before becoming a pirate. It just made the similarities to the two men more stark, even with their enmity. I didn¡¯t say that aloud, though.


    I valued my tongue staying inside my mouth.


    ¡°I wanted adventure, instead. So I hiked my way towards the coast, and from there, I signed with the first crew that would take me out onto the drink. Turns out, that was under the flag of a piratin¡¯ Captain that went by the sobriquet of Shiverarse.¡±


    ¡­what?


    I wasn¡¯t able to keep a small snicker down, and I wasn¡¯t the only one. Azarus looked to be having convulsions, while Renauld had a massive smile on his furry lips. Liora looked away briefly to hide her own small one, while even Venix¡¯s stern countenance had softened a little. Kazuma just had an expression of complete disbelief on his face, as if he couldn¡¯t understand a word that was being said.


    Meanwhile, Bella was shaking her head. ¡°Pull the other one, old timer,¡± She said, clucking her tongue. ¡°Ain¡¯t no way a self-respectin¡¯ Captain would call themselves such a thing. They¡¯d be laughed outta Marrowmist if¡¯n they tried.¡±


    Shacklock wagged a finger at Bella. ¡°Ah, but there¡¯s the thing, gel. Marrowmist, or hells, any of the modern piratin¡¯ ports weren¡¯t a thing yet. It was all much looser back in the day than it is now. But I swear on me life it were true. The lads thought it was supposed to be about how the man would make people shake in fear or some such. Reality was, though, that the crew came to be known as the arse shakers. But the important thing was, I met another boy that had run off to join a crew at the same age as me. That boy¡¯s name was Grey. He didn¡¯t like his full name, at the time.¡±


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    So.


    That was how they¡¯d met.


    Grand Marshall Shacklock almost looked wistful for a moment. ¡°We were fast friends, which shouldn''t surprise a soul. Two young lads, signin'' up at the same time? Felt like Fate was showin'' her hand back in those days. But Shiverarse didn¡¯t last long, as ya could rightfully expect. Just another haypenny captain without the sense the gods gave a rock. Ya know the type, gel.¡± He said, surprisingly handing the bottle of sour wine over to Bella.


    She took a draw from the bottle and made a face at the taste. ¡°Aye, I knew one particular bastard like that by the name of Longslip. Last I¡¯d heard, he ran afoul of the Bluebacks. Had himself a short drop on a long rope.¡±


    I stayed quiet, eyeing the two of them as they chatted almost as if they were old friends. I¡­didn¡¯t have the experiences to relate, involving the world of piratry.


    And I kind of didn¡¯t want them.


    ¡°Always gonna be dumb bastards in the world,¡± Shacklock nodded easily. ¡°Anyways, me and That Fucker signed up with another crew together, when he was gone. And then another, when he was gone. And on and on it went. Those were turbulent days, I¡¯ll tell ya. Herztal wasn¡¯t really a thing yet, and the Succession Wars were mighty fractious. Gods, it were ridiculous. Even the outlaws were tryin¡¯ to get in on things, tryin¡¯ to crown themselves a ¡®Pirate King¡¯. In the end, that¡­well, that ended up bein¡¯ the problem.¡± He leaned forward, his eyes slipping away from Bella to rest on me once more.


    A decidedly unkind smile crossed his lips.


    ¡°Your precious Greycton got in on the action,¡± Shacklock said, in a suddenly nasty tone. ¡°Had himself more ambition than sense, back in the day. He were barely scratchin¡¯ the hundred mark, and already thought he were fit to be King o¡¯ the Pirates. Whitegull, he were callin¡¯ himself, a name that survived even till these days. Man wasn¡¯t even a properly schooled Mage yet, and I wasn¡¯t a Cultivator. I¡¯d trailed behind in the levels, ¡®cause ya see¡­I¡¯d found me own ambition beyond piratin¡¯. A wife¡­and children.¡±


    I began to get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. The room was silent, as well, with some of us barely breathing. Venix looked to be still as stone, while even Renauld¡¯s scratching had stopped for a moment.


    Shacklock stood up from his throne to lean, palms first, on the massive table he¡¯d bragged about. The shadow he cast over us from the sconce behind him loomed large over all of us. ¡°Funny that we¡¯re here in Kawamara, even technically. It all went down in the riverlands, y¡¯see. I¡¯d hung up me hat and cutlass in favor of the plow, takin¡¯ after me crofter pa. Got tempted by a wondrous lady by the name of Noriko. That Fucker even let me, his first mate, go easily with his blessin¡¯s. I got her with child afore long, and we lived a blissful few years on a small patch up on the northern part of the mainland. One day, we had a little boy we named-¡± He suddenly stopped, and an almost lost expression crossed his face for a moment. It was as if the man no longer knew where we were, or even who he was. It passed, though, and his face hardened once more. ¡°Ha. Don¡¯t even remember anymore. Age robbed me of even that. But that ain¡¯t the point. Point is, is that they were both slaughtered. By pirates, flyin¡¯ the flag of the white gull.¡±


    I closed my eyes, unwilling to meet the growing fury in Shacklock¡¯s. Even though age had stolen some of the details from Shacklock, the hatred that infused every cell of his body had never faded.


    I heard Bella set her bottle down on the table and flicked my eyes over to her. ¡°How?¡± She wondered, calm in the face of the storm. ¡°She on the sea in some way?¡±


    ¡°Aye,¡± Shacklock growled. ¡°Her pa ran a fishin¡¯ boat. It were how I met her in the first place, back in the docks of Hinaga. She went out with him one day, showin¡¯ off our boy. Only¡­the Whitegull pirates were lookin¡¯ to expand westward and make a name for themselves in these waters. One of That Fucker¡¯s under Captains was lookin¡¯ to make a name for himself, and no target was too small. And so a tiny little fishin¡¯ boat, carryin¡¯ what I loved most, got put to the blade.¡± He leaned forward, baring old and yellowed teeth. ¡°And so I made sure that history would forget his name. Ain¡¯t nobody remember him now. And when I was done with him, I went on a tear through That Fucker¡¯s ranks. They was all guilty, as far as I was concerned. Especially That Fucker. It was because of me,¡± Shacklock thumped his chest, with one skinny fist. ¡°That Greycton¡¯s bid for a seastone crown died. He disappeared into the continent when I was done slaughterin¡¯ his captains, and I never found him. Not till after the Sea Beast was done with its rampage. I was a bounty hunter and a Cultivator by that time, livin¡¯ with nothin¡¯ but hate in me heart, endlessly huntin¡¯ him. Turns out, the man had gone legit, found himself a mentor, and had risen high in the crown¡¯s esteem. He was untouchable by that point. I hated that. So, I made a decision. If I couldn¡¯t take the man¡¯s head easily, I would dedicate my life to ruinin¡¯ all that he touched. I sought power and years so I could rise as high as he could, when he sought ¡®em himself. When he joined the Crown¡¯s initiative to found new ¡®Martial Orders¡¯, I did the same. Our two were founded in direct opposition to each other. And then, later, when he went on to join the Academy, I aligned my Solstice¡¯s Flame more with the Army, who weren¡¯t too happy the school was stealin¡¯ their recruits.¡±


    The tent was silent, in the wake of Shacklock¡¯s somewhat¡­unhinged rant. I think we were all just absorbing what he¡¯d said, honestly. All of us were, in one way or another, connected to Grey. In the same manner, we¡¯d all known, technically, that he had also been a pirate for a long time. Tragedy followed in the wake of that life, but I¡­I had never wanted to think of what had come from Grey¡¯s own stint.


    And now the results were almost literally looming over me.


    At least, until Shacklock slumped back down into his throne, looking more like a tired, sickly old man than he ever had before. He sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve been the hound nippin¡¯ at his heels all me life, and me only regret is that Core Collapse is stealin¡¯ that from me now. I¡¯d be happy to do this for millennia more.¡±


    Bella had been staring into the fire behind him silently for a while now. Eventually, she stirred. ¡°Where does Cass fit into all o¡¯ this? My understandin¡¯ was that she used to sail with Whitegull.¡±


    Shacklock waved her question away with one skinny hand. ¡°Cassandra the Red was one of his under captains, the only one of them that turned on him in the end. She sailed off into the horizon once his bid started to get more bloody than she cared for. It¡¯s why I never set meself after her head.¡± He snorted. "Way I understand it, That Fucker himself didn''t begrudge her after some time passed."


    He stopped talking after that, looking like he had descended into brooding on the past. Surprisingly, it was Kazuma who finally spoke up. The samurai had been silent for quite some time, considering how little relationship he had to all of the events spoken about. ¡°Where do I come into all of this, Grand Marshall?¡± He spoke, sounding nervous for the first time since I¡¯d met the man. ¡°How did you conceive of your plan to slay Tatsugan permanently, using the Sh¨­metsu no Kiba?¡±


    A small smile crossed Shacklock¡¯s lips then, and the look he shot the younger man was almost fond. ¡°Ya haven¡¯t guessed yet, boy?¡± He chuckled. ¡°Now, I mentioned that my wife and boy were killed by Whitegull¡¯s crew, didn¡¯t I? But I also said we¡¯d had children. As in, more than one.¡±


    A bolt of realization stole down my spine, and I don¡¯t think I was the only one in the room. Venix suddenly leaned forward, nearly gaping at the old monster. But Kazuma, for whatever reason, hadn¡¯t connected the dots yet.


    Or didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡°Y¡¯see, my son was my second born from Noriko. My firstborn,¡± Shacklock said, almost playfully. ¡°Was a little girl by the name of Higanami. When I left these shores, I left her with her uncle. A good man, who raised her into a fine warrior.¡±


    Kazuma choked on his own spit. ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s the name of my clan¡¯s founder¡­¡± He breathed.


    Slowly, Shacklock stood up from his throne-like chair. There was a sharpness that filled that air that almost hinted as to the possibility of his Mantle, as he nearly glided over to stand behind the chair of the shell-shocked Kazuma. Almost gently, he took the wrapped package off of the samurai¡¯s back and held it in one hand for a moment, looking at it. Eventually, he unwrapped the hilt, exposing it to be intricately crafted of what looked to be obsidian and gold.


    He rested one hand on the blade, which I had been told would violently reject those not bound to it.


    Nothing happened.


    Shacklock turned to face me of all people, and winked.


    ¡°Guess that bloodline bond works backwards as well, eh?¡±

 Chapter 260 - What Matters

    ¡°Thank ya kindly for retrievin¡¯ the blade, descendent,¡± Shacklock said fondly, patting the shoulder of the frozen stiff Kazuma. ¡°I woulda done it meself, but I might have ended up killin¡¯ all those cats if I¡¯d tried. This way, I haven¡¯t pissed off the damned sun by killin¡¯ his get.¡±


    At that, Kazuma turned around to gape up at the man who had, apparently, fathered the founder of his clan centuries ago. ¡°You knew where the sword was?! Why didn¡¯t you tell me?!¡±


    Shacklock shrugged. ¡°Eh, easier this way. Pay it no mind, boy. Ya played your part well in this dance, and can sit it out from now on. Yer great-great-great-great-great-great grandad will see this out.¡±


    Violently, Kazuma pushed his chair back from the table and spun to face his ancestor. ¡°THAT WILL DO ME NO GOOD!¡± He shouted. ¡°The entire reason I agreed to this expedition is to restore the honor of my house! If I don¡¯t have the blade, what¡¯s the point?! You¡¯ll break it by using it!¡±


    At this point, I was feeling a bit forgotten by the two of them, and I don¡¯t think I was alone in that. By and large, the heads of the rest of my party were ping-ponging, watching the family drama. However, I noticed that Venix was looking¡­troubled. The Antium samurai had released his grips on his swords and had stood up to watch the two arguing men with a lost expression on his face. With the revelation that Shacklock was the ancestor of his long-dead master¡­


    I could understand a bit of internal conflict.


    Meanwhile, Shacklock wagged a finger at Kazuma, almost mockingly. ¡°But ya see, boy, someone technically from the clan is going to slay the Wyrm. I¡¯ll see this out, make sure the beast is dead, and I have some documents affirmin¡¯ the relationship ya can present in court. AND,¡± He said loudly, overriding the protestations Kazuma looked to be gathering. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving ya with nothin¡¯. In exchange for the sword, and slayin¡¯ the beastie¡­you¡¯re getting the Order.¡±


    Kazuma froze, staring at Shacklock. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Wel, I¡¯m gonna need someone to lead my life¡¯s work when I¡¯m gone, eh?¡± Shacklock smirked. ¡°Bein¡¯ the last of blood, that means it should fall to you. Those documents also affirm that as well.¡±


    Venix finally spoke, albeit quietly. ¡°And your men will abide by this decision?¡±


    The Antium was afforded an almost bored look, but Shacklock still nodded. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m aware of Wernstrom¡¯s little plot. But it don¡¯t matter. The rest of my officers will fall in line, and he¡¯s being¡­dealt with, by those in my confidence.¡±


    Dealt with. I¡­see.


    Liora sucked in a sharp breath. ¡°That patrol¡­they mentioned the Captain wasn¡¯t here¡­¡±


    Shacklock let out a somewhat¡­ominous chuckle. ¡°Why did you kids think I was even out there, hunting useless beasties, eh? I sold my men a story about gatherin¡¯ up all the Oni and slaughterin¡¯ ¡®em before we took on the Wyrm, so we could weaken him. Don¡¯t work like that, o¡¯ course. But most of ¡®em don¡¯t know better. I went out for some fun, found you kids and killed what was botherin¡¯ ya, all the while the bulk of my men were out fightin¡¯ the rest of the Oni in these mountains. Between us, there shouldn¡¯t be many of the things left to bother with the final part of the operation.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± I trailed off, unable to properly verbalize what I thought of Shacklock¡¯s plan. A part of me was pissed off at how easily the old monster had played¡­well, everyone involved. But the bulk of me just admired, and was a admittedly a bit jealous, of the feet of social and military engineering.


    I don¡¯t think I was able to keep my appreciation from my voice, judging by the sharp look Venix shot me, as well as the wink I got from Shacklock. Kazuma, meanwhile, was still frozen in place as his own plans were entirely wrecked, entirely in his favor. He didn¡¯t have to sacrifice his life anymore, in exchange for elevating his family back to prominence within the Hinagan court. Now he was going to be returning as the leader of a powerful, if not exiled, Martial Order.


    Still, the trade involved the sacrifice of his ancestral blade. I could tell that the situation weighed on him, from the conflict on his face. Notably, he didn¡¯t protest though.


    Shacklock cast an eye around at the disturbed expressions of most of our faces, either from the revelations about Grey or about how we¡¯d been played, and just rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh, it ain¡¯t the end of the world, kiddies,¡± He said in exasperation. ¡°By the time ya get to be my age, you get better at this kind of thing,¡± To my surprise, he then faced me and locked his beady black orbs onto my emerald ones. In a rare moment of complete seriousness, the madness seemed to fall away from the man. ¡°Remember that, the next time you see him.¡±


    I looked away.


    I¡¯m¡­not sure I could argue with that.


    Shacklock interrupted the mood by clapping his hands. ¡°Now! Here¡¯s what¡¯s goin¡¯ to happen. You kiddies are going to keep my descendent safe by findin¡¯ yer door, and keepin¡¯ him with ya while this old man deals with the big bad dragon. Everythin¡¯ will go down while yer all down there, and the rain will have died with the Wyrm. Well, if I don¡¯t screw it all up, I suppose. We¡¯re all in uncharted territory here. You lot can stay until daybreak, and I¡¯ll be informin¡¯ my officers about what¡¯s goin¡¯ to happen while ya hit the hay. Won¡¯t take long, though. They already know ¡®im.¡±


    Kazuma looked up from his lap to stare at Shacklock for a moment. ¡°Is that why you had me shadowing you all this time?¡± He whispered.


    Shacklock just winked at his descendant.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    After that, all of us but Shacklock and Kazuma filtered out of the command tent and found only hostile stares from the scattered soldiers huddled around their hissing cookfires. Without even needing to discuss the matter, we collectively decided to venture to the edges of the plateau in order to pitch our own tent.


    Once we had finished, I was extremely glad we¡¯d opted for a tent capable of housing an indoor campfire of our own. The smoke from the flames drifted up above us to pass through a one-way, enchanted membrane that let it out, but didn¡¯t let the rain in. We hadn¡¯t needed to do this up until now, considering the heat out in the jungle, but now it was very welcome. All of us were soaked to the bone and exhausted after a hard day¡¯s march through the central range of Goryuen. Most of the time, people at our level didn¡¯t need the rest that sleep could bring, especially after we had all taken the time to get some within the warm embrace of Mt. Umetsuji just last night.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    But I think we were all going to sleep tonight.


    First, though, everyone had stripped down to their underclothes to dry them on a line strung up in our tent, while we warmed ourselves in front of the fire. I wasn¡¯t even phased by the near nakedness of my companions, by this point. There was little room for privacy on an extended expedition like this. It was nothing I hadn¡¯t seen before, and the closeness with which Bella and I sat together wasn¡¯t anything new to my friends. Eventually, we¡¯d stopped sneaking around when it was obvious that there was no need for it. Everyone here knew each other, by now.


    It must have been obvious, to them. So, while Bella and I weren¡¯t quite cuddling, we were sitting closer together than was strictly appropriate for friends.


    The only noise in the tent was the silent scribbling of Renauld and the bubbling noise of liquid originating from above the cookfire. None of us had spoken, ever since we had finished crowding around the campfire and set a pot of travel stew to boiling. Hanging next to it was a kettle with collected rainwater inside, which Liora had set for tea. From extended contact with the Gnoll woman¡­I had learned that she often sought it out when she was stressed.


    I understood that.


    I broke the silence, staring into the depths of the fire without blinking. ¡°So. We were played.¡±


    Nobody spoke up to refute me, although Azarus grunted in a familiar manner.


    ¡°I¡­¡± I continued thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I care.¡±


    That drew a reaction. Bella turned to me with a raised, doutful eyebrow, while I received similar looks from the others.


    I elaborated.


    ¡°Look. All of this?¡± I said, gesturing with a wide sweeping arm. ¡°This entire thing with the Solstice¡¯s Flame and Kazuma and Shacklock? None of this was in our plans. Sure, we might have gotten a little manipulated by a centuries-old madman-¡±


    I heard Renauld snort across the fire from me, and mutter something under his breath. All I heard was, ¡°¡­a little¡­¡±.


    I pretended I didn¡¯t hear him and kept speaking. ¡°-but we¡¯ve come out of it mostly fine. That¡¯s done, though. Shacklock got what he wanted out of us, which seemed to be keeping Kazuma out of harms way while he purged the dissidents in his Order. Now we can get back to doing what we came here for. We¡¯ll find the bunker, go down there with the help of our extra in Kazuma, find what I¡¯m looking for, and then leave. All the while,¡± I nodded over to Venix, who didn¡¯t look up from his brooding. ¡°Shacklock will be dealing with the proto-Calamity above us. Every problem we have will be wrapped up nice and neatly, and we¡¯ll probably have the gratitude of the new leader of a historically powerful Martial Order. Excuse me. They call them Sects here if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡±


    ¡°You are not,¡± Venix said quietly but didn¡¯t refute my points.


    Liora removed the kettle silently, and set to brewing a few cups of her personal favorite blend. When done, she handed one out first to Venix, and then to me. ¡°Cynical,¡± She said quietly. ¡°But pragmatic.¡±


    I accepted the cup and cupped it between my hands. ¡°Am I wrong?¡±


    Liora looked away in answer.


    I hadn¡¯t thought so. Liora and I¡­we were similar, in a variety of ways. I sipped at my cup, and as I felt the warmth travel through me, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh and cast a glance at the tense form of Venix. ¡°Did you have any idea that Shacklock was¡­?¡± I trailed off, but he understood anyway.


    Venix flicked his compound eyes up briefly, before looking down. ¡°The living ancestor of my master?¡± He asked mirthlessly. He shook his head. ¡°No. No, I did not.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of¡­¡± Renauld said, closing his journal with a soft thump. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering something if you don¡¯t mind answering.¡±


    The Antium samurai stirred but did not look up from his contemplation of the cup. ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°How¡­did Gozen of the Twin Fangs die?¡± Renauld wondered aloud. The question caused Venix to tense, but he didn¡¯t immediately burst into recriminations. That must have emboldened the Gnollish Healer. ¡°Because we have no idea, and honestly? It might be helpful. It¡¯s looking like we¡¯re not going to be directly fighting Tatsugan, but that might change. We all know our luck.¡±


    Hah.


    Well, he wasn¡¯t wrong.


    Venix was quiet. He didn¡¯t say anything for so long that I think all of us had thought he had dodged the question. Azarus was handing out bowls of stew by the time the Antium finally stirred from his contemplation and spoke. ¡°He fell.¡±


    Bella looked up from her bowl with a curious look. ¡°What? Who fell?¡±


    ¡°My master. Lord Gozen Higanashi of the Twin Fangs.¡±


    Renauld raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yeah, but how?¡±


    To my surprise, Venix actually huffed a small, humorless laugh. More a scoff than anything. ¡°I¡¯m being literal, Healer. My master died, falling from a great height. The impact upon the stones of these mountains killed him. His bones shattered, his organs ruptured, and every drop of blood in his body was washed away in the rains.¡±


    If he was capable of it, I think Renauld would have turned green at that. ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Oh. Perhaps the favorite method of slaughter to the Returning One is that he loves to snatch his prey up in his great claws and take flight. Once he has climbed to a distance to where even his great bulk is naught but a spec in the sky, he releases them. He races downward after, to keep pace with the falling form of his victim, in a cruel mockery of their plight.¡± Venix sighed heavily. ¡°This is the fate that befell my master. I watched it all, helpless, from the sidelines. Every last minute of the plunge.¡±


    I furrowed my brow, setting my bow down briefly. ¡°How is that your fault? You¡¯ve¡­implied that Gozen¡¯s death was caused by a failing of yours.¡±


    Venix lowered his head. ¡°Because I was meant to be the Wyrm¡¯s victim.¡±


    Ah.


    Everyone stopped their dinner to watch as Venix marshaled his courage to continue speaking. ¡°I¡­¡± He started haltingly. ¡°I was his squire, for the battle. It was not going¡­well. Many of my brothers and sisters had already died, at the height of the Ryumetsu Matsuri. If Shacklock has already culled the majority of the Oni before the battle, we can only be thankful. Because they came in great hordes on that day, and nearly everyone else was slain. It was one of the worst casualty counts that the Empire ever recorded for a Ryumetsu Matsuri. Near total decimation.¡±


    I sensed a heartbeat approach the tent, but not enter. Instead, they lingered outside. Normally, I think Venix would have been able to sense them, but he was too absorbed in the tale. Liora noticed, though, and I shook my head minutely at her.


    I recognized that heart.


    ¡°And so it came to be that my master and I were the last two of the cohort confronting the beast to survive, and the Wyrm was not yet slain,¡± Venix continued heavily. ¡°I was the last remaining warrior capable of keeping the Oni from pestering my master as he dueled Tatsugan, blade against claw. However¡­the beast is clever. In a moment of inattention on my part, it must have darted for my unprotected back, as I dueled my own red giant. It snatched me up, and nearly, nearly made off with me. My master¡­he was noble indeed. He did his best to save me, leaping forward, blade in hand.¡±


    ¡°This proved to be his downfall.¡±


    I internally winced at the choice of words as Venix continued his tale, staring off into space unseeingly. It looked like he was reliving that day once again when he had so obviously done so time and again.


    ¡°I was bait, you see. With his other claw, the Immortal One grabbed my master and darted into the clouds, discarding me like so much refuse with his true prize in hand. I feared that everything we had fought and sacrificed was for naught, all due to a moment¡¯s inattention by my fool self. However¡­¡± A wan smile crossed Venix¡¯s lips. ¡°The Wyrm had only brought my master closer to his heart. All I saw were distant flashes of black void in the stormy sky, the signature activation of the fang. Then Tatsugan¡¯s death scream, followed by a cloud of Miasma that I have never seen matched, racing across the sky to cover it in billows of umber smoke. And falling through that vile mist, I saw the form of my master, plunging towards Vereden¡¯s surface. I knew he would die from such a fall, and yearned to retrieve his body and blade. But the Oni were not to be denied. I was alone, and they were still mighty and numerous. Shamefully, I fled for the beach, where the survivors were readying the ships for a retreat. The rest¡­you know. The Lady Shurenga found and recovered my master¡¯s blade, and safe-guarded it for Lord Kazuma.¡±


    It was Lord Kazuma, now, eh?


    Venix fell silent after that and retreated into mediation in the corner. I think Renauld was regretting his question a bit, from the expression on his furry face, but he didn''t keep the Antium from his solitude. Instead, he just looked back down at his journal and started scribbling again.


    At the same time, the presence outside the tent lingered for only a moment more before retreating back into the rain.


    I wonder what you made of that story, oh Lord.

 Chapter 261 - Spritely Companions

    The next morning, I took the time to check my Status as we were breaking down our hastily erected camp on the edges of the plateau. While my Outer Ring was yanking out pegs and folding the canvas, my Core was contemplating my gains.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.3966%; text-align: center">You have gained seven levels!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.3966%; text-align: center">You are now level 142.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.3966%; text-align: center">You have gained the General Talent, Flight!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.3966%; text-align: center">Flight has reached level 1!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.3966%; text-align: center">General Weapons Proficiency has reached level 3!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.3966%; text-align: center">You have 70 unspent Virtue points. </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.3966%; text-align: center">Level 140 Class ability inherited. </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.3966%; text-align: center">Would you like to review your Status?</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.3966%; text-align: center">Y/N. </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    A flying Talent. I was¡­a bit surprised to see that, to be honest. To my understanding, flying was a pretty damn rare ability for most classers to have. Grey didn¡¯t have one, I believe, while Honoka did. That was the level of strength where incredibly profound abilities could manifest that would allow you to take to the sky. But apparently, there was an associated General Talent with the ability to fly. I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised, though. If there was a degree of physical skill and complexity to a task, then there was a Talent associated with it.


    For all of its flaws, the System was inclined to elevate such things.


    As I noted the increase in General Weapons Proficiency with a sense of satisfaction, I got the relatively mundane act of allocating my Virtue points out of the way.


    Then, I could see what my new Class ability was.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Name: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">Nathaniel Eugene Hart</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Titles: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">Unbound Liberator, Calamity Slayer</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Level: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">142</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Age:</td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">25 Sol</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Race: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">Human (Precursor)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Affinity: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">Terrestrial/Celestial</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Classes: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">Thornblade Acolyte (Uncommon)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Professions: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">Aetherial Melding</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Health: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">2010/2010</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Mana: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">64%</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Vitality: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">201</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Strength: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">100</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Spirit: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">60</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Dexterity: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">342</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Perception: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">201</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Intelligence: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">463</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Wisdom: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">463</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Free Points: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">0</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 6.50596%">Options: </td>


    <td style="width: 93.4899%">[Talent Page], [Skill Page], [Profession Page]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I grimaced to see that even after hours of rest, my Mana was still only at sixty-four percent. Even with all of my points in Wisdom, with all of its ability to increase the well of Mana available to me and regenerate it, the pool was still that low. It made me wonder just how much I had used last night maintaining my ethereal sword-staff, powered by The Scintillant Blade. I could only chalk that up to my poor ability to channel the refined Aether.


    However¡­


    Something curious I had noted ever since I¡¯d breached the level one-hundred mark was that every new Virtue point I gained just¡­didn¡¯t feel the same anymore. As the numbers on my Status sheet pumped up higher and higher, the impact just wasn¡¯t as stark as it had been. Sure, I still felt stronger, mentally quicker, and more powerful in general with each level up. But the difference wasn¡¯t as stark as it used to be. When I had just gained my Status, and hell, even months afterward. Whenever I gained just one level, the increase in overall strength had been a nearly euphoric sensation. Not anymore, though. Now it was starting to feel like more of a noticeable surge through my body and soul, not unlike caffeine which was being injected into the firmament of my existence.


    It made me wonder if Virtues had diminishing returns.


    A thought for later, though.


    Time to see what new present the System had gifted to me. Hopefully, it was a Skill this time. Some of my older ones saw limited use, these days, and I could use more options in combat. That was especially true because I was having my difficulties in channeling my Mana, even though I was now a true Mage.


    Thankfully, the System didn¡¯t disappoint.


    Just¡­not in the way I was expecting.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0248%; text-align: center">Level 140 Class Ability (Thornblade Acolyte)</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0248%; text-align: center">Manifestation of Agony (Skill): Grasp heaven and earth, and produce it before the wicked.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    What the fuck did that mean? That was such an incredibly odd description for a Skill of mine, beyond even the strangeness I¡¯d received in the past. I had no idea what this Skill was, or what it did. The vagueness of the description was the most extreme example I had seen from the System yet.


    ¡°Screw it,¡± I said aloud, as my companions and I finished packing up the rest of our camp with Liora being the last holdover. Once again, the former assassin had been brewing another kettle of travel tea for those of us inclined. I was waiting for my own cup to be finished, so I was standing closest to the Gnoll woman as she crouched next to the embers of our campfire in the open air of the plateau. At her curious look, I smiled wryly at her. ¡°I have to test a new Skill. You know how it is.¡±


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Understanding crossed Liora¡¯s furred face, and she gave me an expectant look as she poured a cup of tea for herself.


    Ha. I guess I was the morning entertainment.


    Fine by me.


    I called on my new Skill, pointing off in the direction of the plateau¡¯s edge, just to be safe.


    Manifestation of Agony.


    In the palm of my hand, a ball of ghostly blue fire erupted into being, roughly as large as a baseball. I was so startled by this that my hand instinctively flinched away and somehow¡­dropped the fire. But it didn¡¯t dissipate like I was expecting it to. Instead, it floated away to hover in front of me and began to shift and morph before my eyes. To my astonishment, the ball of fire contorted until it was vaguely human-shaped, if not a featureless kind. Four limbs, a torso, and a head shaped from strangely familiar blue flames floated in the air, and then it changed even more.


    Crimson red thorns erupted from its back, rapidly shaping into what looked like a pair of tiny bird wings. From the chest, or rather heart area, more of the familiar crimson barbs sprouted to crawl up and down the thing''s body. They spiraled up and down its minuscule limbs, giving more definition to whatever this was. When the thorns were finished, the resulting creature almost looked like a flaming blue fairy, imprisoned by bloody thorns.


    It floated in front of me, and to my astonishment¡­


    I could control it.


    There was an odd mental link emerging from the creation connecting itself to my mind, born by an invisible thread of Mana. Through it, I could feel the thing and give it rudimentary commands. At my urging, it flapped its wings, sending it to hover over everyone¡¯s head. They stopped their preparations for travel to look up at the ball of fire and thorns, watching as I did my best to do a figure eight with it. The thing trailed blue sparks through the air, in an oddly enchanting manner.


    Renauld wandered up to me, looking at my creation inquisitively. ¡°Hey, a Sprite Skill. Don¡¯t see those every day.¡±


    The apparent ¡®Sprite¡¯ stopped in midair, as I turned to my Healer friend with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You know what this thing is?¡±


    The Gnollish man nodded, accepting a cup of tea from Liora. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve seen a few of these before. They¡¯re almost always a Rare quality Skill, so, you know. They¡¯re a bit rare. Sprites are a Skill manifestation that can happen with Magi classes, used mostly as helpers. People who are really good at Animancy Magic can kinda sorta copy Sprites, but they¡¯re not as good. I don¡¯t have one myself. Healers don¡¯t usually get them, unfortunately. But I¡¯ve always wanted one.¡±


    I nodded to show my understanding, while Liora gazed up thoughtfully at my apparent Sprite. Her eyes flickered my way curiously. ¡°But why blue flames? This is not the fire of your Racial, nor is it the common theming of your bloody thorns.¡±


    I blinked at the question, looking at the Sprite again. I¡­


    I think I knew why.


    ¡°It¡­probably has to do with my Ascension Ritual,¡± I mused, studying the Sprite as it hovered in midair.


    I had never spoken about how Grey had needed to essentially save me, during the process of sparking my Mana. His own Celestial aspected Mana had been needed as a counterweight when we had made a mistake in designing my ritual. The result was that I had spontaneously acquired a secondary Celestial Affinity. Deep within my soul, the space was dominated as much by a ghostly blue fire as it was by the crimson red of my thorns.


    In fact, they were much like the flames that comprised the body of my Sprite.


    Huh.


    I guess the System was paying attention to changes like that.


    It was as I was explaining the odd circumstances of my ritual to my companions that something¡­odd happened.


    Completely out of my control, the mental connection I had with it shifted somehow. It was as if the anchor had attached to something else.


    The flaming figure jerked in midair and began to move around in a much more humanlike manner, raising its tiny bethorned fists to gaze at them in apparent astonishment. It fluttered through the air like a bird, drifting down to float in front of me. It waved as I realized what was happening. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    I had lost control of it. Or rather¡­


    My Outer Ring had.


    But not my Core Ring. Somehow, control over the Sprite had shifted towards my inner self. I couldn¡¯t feel it within my mind, leaving me feeling oddly empty inside. The Core though process granted to me by Ringed Mind had entirely migrated over to inhabit the fiery Sprite. To better prove that fact it visibly concentrated and definition appeared on its flaming fists, creating thorny fingers.


    The little shit raised both middle ones and zoomed around me, appearing almost to cackle as it reveled in its freedom.


    In response, I canceled the Skill, causing the Sprite to dissolve into a haze of blue and red mana. Moments later, I felt the now sulking Core Ring reappear within myself.


    Ha.


    Serves you right.


    Renauld blinked at the odd display, while Liora just handed me my own cup of tea. I sipped at it as the rest of my companions wandered up to join us, feeling very satisfied with myself.


    That seemed like a pretty good Skill, if I did say so myself. I could see plenty of uses for an extra body, such as it was, that my Core Ring could occupy. Possibly even in combat.


    I wonder what else the Sprite could do¡­


    Still, it had one drawback. Keeping the Sprite active put a drain on my Mana. Even in the brief amount of time that the Skill had been running, I had felt it. It was slight, and nowhere near what the enhanced form of The Scintillant Blade required of me. But it was there, and it meant I couldn¡¯t just leave the Skill running at all times if I wanted to be ready for anything.


    My Core Ring was terribly disappointed by that.


    My attention was stolen from my self-congratulation when Azarus nodded behind me. I turned just in time to watch as a figure exited from the ring of tents in the distance, on the other side of the plateau. From the familiar green and red battle robe the person was wearing, I could take a good guess as to who it was.


    We stood together quietly, as the rising form of Tarus on the horizon cast a green pall through the ever-present storm clouds.


    Kazuma came to a stop in front of us, looking¡­incredibly exhausted, honestly. It looked like the samurai had been up all night, and after all the battle yesterday, I probably would have been wiped out as well if I didn¡¯t get any rest. Even though Kazuma had been acting as a bodyguard for Renauld, that didn¡¯t mean the other man hadn¡¯t been fighting just as much as the rest of us.


    Conspicuously, I noticed that the wrapped form of the Sh¨­metsu no Kiba was no longer on his back.


    I suppose the Lord of the Higanashi Clan had made his decision on if he was going along with all of this.


    He took a deep breath, and to my surprise, bowed slightly at the waist to us. ¡°I¡­apologize for all the trouble,¡± He said tiredly. ¡°I assure you, I had no idea as to my apparent plans of my¡­¡®ancestor¡¯.¡±


    To my right, Bella snorted sarcastically. ¡°Yeah, I think we could all tell.¡±


    Kazuma ignored her. The two of them had never gotten along. Instead, he looked up, his eyes briefly lingering on Venix, before meeting my own. I held the gaze steadily. ¡°The officers of the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame have been appraised and affirmed their loyalty. The Order is preparing to do battle with Tatsugan, and there is no room for us in those plans. He has bid me to say that we should leave, and soon, if only to get a head start on the mountain.¡±


    I nodded at that and exchanged a glance with my companions. Seeing no objections, I turned back to face him. ¡°Will you be joining us?¡±


    Kazuma was quiet for a moment, but he eventually nodded. ¡°If you will have me.¡±


    ¡°I have no problem with that,¡± I said, bending down, picking up my pack, and swinging it onto my back to rest next to my staff. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go. Venix, if you don¡¯t mind, could you lead the way? Since we¡¯re closer to the mountain, I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re more familiar with the terrain.¡±


    Venix tore his eyes off Kazuma long enough to nod at me. ¡°Yes. Be aware, though, that although the Oni appear to have been culled, the danger has not yet passed. As we draw closer to the mountain, we shall begin to see more and more of the Wyrmkin. They are capable of evolving further than the Devouts we encountered in the jungles. That includes the spawning of Primes.¡±


    We all nodded at his warning and followed after the Antium man as he led the way across the plateau.


    Away from the Order encampment.

 Chapter 262 - Challenge the Mount

    If it was even possible, I think the rain was coming down harder today than it had yesterday.


    That struck me as a bad sign.


    From the moment Tarus had crested the horizon behind nearly black clouds, we¡¯d been marching along the ridgelines once more. Only this time, we could barely see in front of our faces from the curtains of water falling from the sky. The wind screamed and howled all around us as it buffeted our balancing forms, making our footing even more treacherous than it had been yesterday. The elevation was increasing as we navigated the winding ridgelines, moving ever closer to Mt. Goryuen, the shape of it barely visible in the distance through the thick clouds.


    At the same time, the path changed as well. The ridgelines were getting closer together, to the extent that I think I would have been able to jump from one to the other with a single, wing-assisted jump. The result was that the space between the mountains, and thus the valleys visible below us, were becoming steeper as well. As such, the rivers of rainwater flowing through rushed ever faster, racing towards the central inland sea.


    We stopped, briefly, to watch as one particularly fierce example raged below us. In those rushing grey depths, I could see dozens and dozens of boulders being tossed to and fro as if they were nothing more than cotton balls caught in the wind. They dashed against the walls of the valley, sending shockwaves up to meet us and threatening our precarious footing. Some shattered, some didn¡¯t, but I was sure plenty already had. Those waters had to be filled with countless shards of stone rushing at hundreds of thousands of stony daggers hidden just beneath the surface. These rivers had to be a veritable blender.


    I caught Azarus¡¯s eye, standing up there, and wordlessly jerked my head towards the central peak that dominated the skyline, even through the storm.


    Just as wordlessly, he decisively shook his head.


    I see.


    All of this¡­it made me wonder just how dangerous the inland sea would be.


    Would those same rocky knives shred us, if we had to dive for the bunker? We would just have to wait and see, I suppose.


    Because of all of this, our progress was slower, far more careful than it had been even yesterday. It had to be. We couldn¡¯t risk anything less, honestly.


    We¡¯d already had one close call about halfway through the day. Renauld¡¯s relatively lower Dexterity than the rest of the party finally caught up with him. We were navigating one precarious ridgeline when we came upon a break in the path, as if a great blow had reached out to shatter the mountain before us. We couldn¡¯t go back because this had been the only path forward, and Venix insisted this was the right way. As a result, we had to jump the gap.


    Renauld was stubborn. He claimed he could make the jump with no problem, and since he hadn¡¯t slipped so far on our trek, we had no reason to disbelieve him.


    That was a mistake.


    When he jumped, the Gnoll only barely reached the edge of the gap. But he landed on the very edge of it, and lost his balance. I was watching him at the time, and as our Healer windmilled his arms frantically, eyes widening in panic as he slowly tipped backward, I caught him.


    Barely.


    And only by the sleeve of his robe. If it hadn¡¯t been for Bella flashing to my side and helping haul Renauld up, I think my friend might have slipped right out of his clothes and tumbled down the mountainside. The rushing waters weren¡¯t even that far below us, now, with as inland as we¡¯d gotten. They¡¯d been rising higher for a while now, and he would have been dead if he¡¯d fallen in. Luckily, the two of us managed to haul him back up onto the ridge everyone else was waiting on. The Healer thanked us profusely, and after a short rest to catch our breath, we got back underway.


    But not before I shot Kazuma, Renauld¡¯s nominal protector, a pointed look. He looked away in shame, catching my meaning. The next time we came upon a break in the path, he offered to ferry Renauld across, and after his close call, the Gnoll didn¡¯t protest.


    It was about halfway through the day that the situation changed.


    The Wyrmkin found us.


    The serpentine, white-haired hounds appeared as if out of nowhere, expertly camouflaged by the storm. If was as if the proto-Revenants were embraced by it, lovingly hidden in its embrace as they stalked us across rain drenched plateaus and ridgelines. I think it was only thanks to the enhanced acuity I¡¯d inherited from my mutated, nearly elven ears that I heard the crunch of their claws, as they climbed the nearly sheer cliff-face behind us.


    They were trying to ambush our back lines, which I was a part of.


    I whirled to look behind, just in time to watch as a pack of Wyrmkin slunk over the ridge. Seeing me notice them, they abandoned their attempts at stealth and charged our position. I shouted as loud as I possibly could to be heard over the wind and the rain, and thankfully, my companions heard me.


    After how many times we¡¯d encountered the Wyrmkin out in the jungle, we were used to their tricks by now, and they were dispatched, albeit with a bit of trouble. It wasn¡¯t even because of the monsters themselves. It was our footing that was more precarious.


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    Once the last of the Devout Wyrmkin were defeated, I breathed a sigh of relief and turned back around, only to be surprised once again. I had barely noticed in the midst of battle, but Venix hadn¡¯t been with us. Briefly, I¡¯d thought it odd, but just assumed more of the Wyrmkin were attacking from the other side.


    Turns out, I was right. Only it wasn¡¯t a Devout he was fighting.


    It was something else.


    I only caught a glimpse of the thing before Venix¡¯s blades decapitated its horse-sized head, but what I saw was different. The Wyrmkin that my Antium friend was dueling was almost centipede-like. It was longer, with more legs than the usual four that these creatures had. It wound out nearly ten feet in length, and its jaw was longer if only to hold nearly forearm-length bladed fangs.


    Still, its azure scales were no match for Venix¡¯s blade, and he took its head clean off its disgusting shoulders.


    Bella was the first to break the silence, as the apparent Wyrmkin puffed into greasy black miasma, nearly immediately washed away by the rain. ¡°The hells was that?¡±


    I didn¡¯t blame the woman for the disgusted note in her voice. I¡¯d felt a shiver run down my own spine from revolting the thing was.


    Venix sheathed his four blades and turned to face us with a frown on his chitinous features. ¡°A Profane Wyrmkin. The evolved, Prime version of Tatsugan¡¯s spawn. The lesser Devout¡¯s to the rear were only a distraction for the greater to pounce to the front. Be wary. They stalk these ridges in droves, each of them leading packs of their own.¡±


    Shit. I hadn¡¯t heard that thing approaching us at all. And here I had been all proud of myself for catching the Devouts in their stalking. Turns out, I had been meant to.


    Now that we knew what was waiting for us out here, we were all warier in our trek. Good thing, too, because that was far from the last time we encountered groups of Profanes and Devouts on the way to the mountain. On three more separate occasions, the Wyrmkin tried to ambush us in one way or another. Either by repeating the tactic of creeping just under the ridgeline, by outright charging at us across them, or, in one particularly memorable battle, they jumped down at us from a mountaintop that was at a higher elevation than our own.


    Still, we dealt with them all the same.


    They were fine gristle for the mill that was our advancement, in the end.


    Until finally, finally we reached the destination we had been driving towards all this time.


    Mt. Gorenzan.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    We stood upon the edge of the great bowl and stared out at the sea that churned beneath us.


    It was¡­gigantic. Titanic in scale.


    I couldn¡¯t even see the far edge of what could only be the largest caldera I had ever seen, much less been to. It had to be nearly fifty miles in diameter at the very least, with a depth nearly as impressive. Mt. Umetsuji had absolutely nothing on the depression that Mt. Gorenzan rose from.


    And rose it did.


    Mt. Gorenzan was, I think, the single largest mountain on either Earth or Vereden. It had to be. The largest mountain from my birth home had nothing on Gorenzan. This was a true gigalith, a remnant from an age where Vereden had been nothing but furious molten rock and toxic gasses. Even with the depth of the caldera that it rose from, maybe only two-thirds of the mount itself was visible before it pierced the cloud cover. There were huge swaths of the upper reaches obscured from view by the angry black clouds of the eternal storm that raged at the direction of Tatsugan, and even then. Even then, the base of the mountain that was visible was titanic in the extreme. Quiet estimations from an awed Azarus were that the base of the mountain, obscured by the floodwaters as they were, had to be thiry miles wide at the least.


    That was a scale I don¡¯t think a human mind was truly capable of comprehending.


    I sure couldn¡¯t.


    Stretching out in a nearly unbroken line for miles around us was the rim of an absolutely massive caldera, filled with the floodwaters we¡¯d seen raging in countless valleys for days now. Maybe some twenty miles away from us, just barely visible, we could see where the rim of the ridgeline had broken.


    A great, jagged slash in the caldera wall was letting in countless tons of grey water that fell into the sea hundreds of feet below us. It looked almost as if an unbelievably massive sword had carved down into the face of it to scar the surface, and the blood that rushed forth was the storm. If I looked around the caldera walls, I believe I could see that this was the normal life cycle for the inland sea. There were similar-looking gashes in the walls that looked to have been completely closed off by the detritus of the range.


    Countless ones, in fact. Honestly, the ridges were more dam than they were wall, after I don¡¯t know how many centuries of fracture, then cementation, then fracture again.


    There was at least one bit of good news.


    The gash was, in a way, healing. All of the silt and stone and boulders I had observed in those rushing mountain valleys were good for something, at the very least. It was gradually clogging up the break in the wall that water flowed in through, slowing the rise of the sea. Currently, the sea had yet to reach the halfway point of the mountain, far below us in the yawning chasm of the caldera.


    Of the Immortal Returning Wyrm, I saw nothing. No roosts, no scales, nor strands of hair of the beast that had slain Venix¡¯s master were visible on the mount. It might just be that it didn¡¯t live this far down on Gorenzan, that we could see it. Its lair might be above the roiling black clouds of the storm it had conjured.


    Maybe.


    I couldn¡¯t help an ominous feeling all the same


    For all of Azarus¡¯s doomsaying, we might just have beaten the storm to the bunker door in truth.


    I felt a smile cross my lips as I exchanged happy glances with the rest of my companions. We¡¯d done it.


    At least¡­


    I thought so.


    Our smiles didn¡¯t last long.


    Maybe fifteen or so miles away from us on a distant plateau that overlooked the caldera, I saw it.


    A bright, red glare that pierced through the gloom of the storm, shooting up into the sky to challenge the darkness of the storm. Its malevolent glow was cast by what looked to be a mystical flare of some kind, illuminating a full half of the caldera in crimson light.


    Visible on that plateau was the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame in their assembled ranks. The entirety of their forces were gathered in neat lines and rows, almost military-like in their discipline. Across the gap I could see their armor gleam in the light of the flare they had lit, and at the front of their ranks, I could see a single, solitary figure. Because of the distance, I couldn¡¯t make out any features on them, but I didn¡¯t need to, to know who they were.


    The gigantic slab of metal he called a sword, thrust into the stone, told me the identity.


    ¡°The challenge¡­¡± I heard Venix breathe, standing not far from me. I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant, but I didn¡¯t get a chance.


    A roar answered me instead.

 Chapter 263 - Race Against Time

    A monstrous, titanic roar echoed out from above the clouds. The power of it was great enough that when it reached me, I had to clamp my hands down on my ears in pain and I wasn¡¯t the only one. The ears of my Gnollish companions flattened against their skulls, and for the first time, I heard them whimper in pain in a decidedly animalistic fashion. The rest of my friends were fine, considering they didn¡¯t have the enhanced senses of the three of us, but they still winced from the force of it.


    Because the strength of that cry was enough to send literal shockwaves through the clouds. The parted in the wake of them, allowing all to see the brief blue sky on the other side. I thought I could see something else up there in that single instant before the clouds rolled back in, something long, dark, and sinuous, but that moment passed.


    And yet the clouds that swallowed up that vision of the heavens were angrier than they had been before. A wrath had filled the storm, as if it was affronted by the insects that crawled on the earth below.


    As if it had been challenged.


    Venix cursed, in a first from the Antium samurai. ¡°Quickly, we must descend,¡± He said rapidly to everyone gathered on the rim. ¡°We must cross the sea before the storm intensifies!¡±


    I stared at him as if he had lost his mind, and I noticed I wasn¡¯t the only one. ¡°How? Look that that, man!¡± I said, pointing over the rim of the caldera at the disturbed waters before. They weren¡¯t exactly raging along with the storm, but the great inland sea of Goryuen was certainly being influenced by it. ¡°We¡¯d be dashed against the rocks if we tried!¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s right,¡± Kazuma said unexpectedly, staring off into the distance at the forces of the Order he was set to inherit. ¡°There are barges set into great stone piers below us. Carved and enchanted by the greatest Kawamaran crafters of the ages, they have withstood the fury of Tatsugan for centuries. The beast has even been slain from the deck of them before. Well¡­supposedly.¡±


    ¡°Supposedly?¡± Bella demanded incredulously.


    Kazuma grimaced. ¡°With the near failure of the last Ryumetsu Matsuri, it is said that some of them were shattered.¡±


    We all looked at Venix, who was halfway to an actual carved path that led downward I hadn¡¯t noticed. He looked over his shoulder at us impatiently in response. ¡°Hurry up! The time for talking has passed! If we do not reach the piers before they are overtaken by the sea, all is lost!¡±


    I nodded sharply at the rebuke and broke out into a run alongside my companions as we followed Venix down the slope. We must have been running and nearly sliding down the rough stone steps for nearly five minutes before something interrupted our descent.


    The roar came once again, this time louder. I knew what to expect from the last time, but I still grimaced. But that was just the precursor to what came next.


    A great eye began to form in the blackened storm far above us. The furious, lightning-heavy clouds started to swirl together slowly at first, congealing into a great gyre in the sky. Faster and faster they swirled until the mass of air looked almost solid.


    And then it burst, all at once, sending renewed shockwaves through the sky.


    With it came the lord of this mountain, and I caught my first glimpse of Tatsugan.


    Spearing down through the center of the storm was a titanic, serpentine form covered in sapphire scales so bright they shown through the dark of the storm. A long, sinuous body that must have been nearly a mile in length wound through the sky borne aloft by no wings at all as it gracefully slid through the air. Somehow, someway, this king of the open sky flew through no visible means, soaring gracefully under its own might. But it was so fast that I was barely able to see more than scant details about the Wyrm.


    It flew down far enough to float over the open chasm that resided in the shadow of the mountain, endlessly coiling around itself, and there I was able to make out more details about the ancient foe of Kawamara.


    Four limbs were visible on its winding body, all of them legs. Two nearer to the front of Tatsugan¡¯s frame, with two closer to the back. But the whole of the body was so long and wound through the air around itself so often that at times those grasping claws occasionally seemed oddly placed, in a disorienting optical illusion. Each of them possessed four great black claws that, from a distance, appeared larger and longer than a man.


    Even though Tatsugan coiled through the air constantly, I still caught sight of the Immortal one¡¯s tail. Similar to how the Wyrmkin possessed a rattle at the end of theirs, Tatsugan had one as well. Wrought larger, and covered in contrasting electric yellow scales, when it shook, it didn¡¯t echo a sound similar to the rattling of beads.


    No, instead, the sound of thunder echoed from that instrument. It sounded over the mountains, and for a moment, I experienced a sinking feeling. If Tatsugan could float through the skies, thunder trailing in his wake, then¡­


    How often had the thunder we¡¯d heard in this range just been the Wyrm patrolling his dominion? At any time, he could have swept down and devoured us, appearing through the blackness like the bolt of lightning he so resembled. There had to be a reason Venix had never warned us about it.


    Come to think of it¡­


    He had always cast a wary eye up to sky, whenever a particularly loud clap of thunder reached us¡­


    But it was the head of the beast that caught my attention the most. Long, canine, and with an almost square-ish muzzle, it was parted enough to see rows and rows of razor-sharp, ivory-white fangs. Atop its head was a crown of horns, stag-like in appearance, so similar to the kind I had seen on the heads of countless Oni. They swept backwards from the near Calamity¡¯s enormous forehead, the pointed tips sharper than any spear. Just behind that crest flowed a long, wispy shock of bright white hair that floated in the wind, trailing upwards like the flame of a candle.


    Initially, that gargantuan head was turned away from us, staring out into the direction above us where I knew that the Order of the Solstice¡¯s Flame was gathered to meet the Wyrm. I nearly had a heart attack when, for some reason, that horn-topped skull turned¡­


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    To face us.


    I was immediately frozen in place by the amber-colored eyes that regarded me and my group, so far down below the king of this isle. I don¡¯t know how deep we¡¯d gone, but it wasn¡¯t far enough to reach these supposed piers just yet, and its precious cargo of barges. But it wasn¡¯t enough. It had still known we were here, and I was disturbed by the level of intelligence I could see in those golden depths.


    This thing was as smart as any man, I would bet my life on it.


    And that intelligence was bent towards hate.


    Hate and frustration. We were intruding upon his grand ascension as so many had done in the past, and it hated us for that fact.


    Thankfully¡­


    It had bigger problems than dealing with the rats scurrying in the underbelly of its domain.


    From the direction I knew the Order was gathered, a tremendous shout arose, as if cast from hundreds of voices. Following that cry came a great wave of mingled Mana and Ki, ignited into a sizzling flame larger than a castle.


    A monstrously sized fireball, almost appearing like a miniature Star. From the feel of that mingled Mana and Ki, I don''t even think that came from Shacklock. That was all the Order, in some kind of mass working. It washed over the floating form of Tatsugan, and the Wyrm reared back with a pained roar that shook free loose stones above us on the path. Liora had to jump out of the way as a stalactite that had been hiding beneath an overhang above was shaken loose, to fall onto the spot she had been standing only moments ago.


    Murder in every line of its titanic body, Tatsugan thankfully turned away from us to glare in the direction of the Order forces. Its monstrous rattle began to shake constantly, sending out waves of booming thunder with every twitch, so loud that it threatened to drown out the world.


    Venix had to draw us close to be heard, and even then he was shouting at the top of his lungs. ¡°WE CANNOT LINGER!¡± He outright screamed. ¡°THE THUNDER IS A SIGNAL! IT CALLS TO EVERY LAST REMAINING ONI AND WYRMKIN ON THE ISLE! THEY SHALL OVERRUN US IF WE DO NOT REACH THE MOUNTAIN!¡±


    My eyes widened at his words, and I stopped caring about how loud it was. If I had to choose, I would rather grow deaf from this cacophony than be ripped to shreds by a monster horde akin to what I had experienced during the Break Stone incident.


    I could always get my ear drums fixed. But not a missing head.


    We hurried downwards, as above us, I caught a glimpse of Tatsugan lunging forwards to snap at the Solstice¡¯s Flame. It crashed into a shield of pure Ki that had suddenly manifested to stop it, sending a shower of sparks erupting from the point of impact that floated downward into the inland sea.


    Above the sound of Tatsugan¡¯s pained screech and the cracking of thunder, I thought I could just barely make out the ringing of mad, mad laughter.


    My companions and I sprinted onwards down the rain-slick path carved into the walls of the caldera, surrounded by drifting motes of firey orange Ki. The sounds of battle rang out above us as, at last, we reached the end of our ancient road. It opened up into what seemed like a harbor built right in the middle of an enormous hollow in the cliff-face. It was both incredibly primitive-looking¡­


    And oddly advanced, at the same time.


    It was constructed entirely of carved stone in the Kawamaran fashion, with three distinct segments. There was what looked almost like a harbor masters office, a small squat building at the back of the entire edifice that almost looked like an ancient bomb shelter. It had a single door chiseled into the side of it, and the front possessed what looked to be a view slit carved near where eye slit would be on a human man.


    But it was what we came here for that caught my attention the most.


    Hanging from the roof were two gigantic wooden barges, suspended by a complex arrangement of thick forged steel chains larger around in the width than a horse. They hung from massive steel rings driven deep into an overhand growing from the cliff face. Beneath the barges was nothing but open air, and they were swaying in the fierce winds that buffeted even this cavern. The chains that held them suspended from the cavern¡¯s roof led all the way to the back of the cavern, where I could see deep, deep recesses built into the floor. In those recesses I could hear the clink of an impossible amount of chain.


    I couldn¡¯t help but notice there was a third ring in the ceiling, from which an empty chain danced in the fierce gales.


    I guess one of the barges had been lost in the last Ryumetsu Matsuri.


    For a moment, I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing. These barges that were going to take us to the island were meant to be lowered all the way to the inland sea? That was¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy,¡± I whispered to myself, unheard by anyone in all the din.


    I was knocked out of my shock by the feeling of a strong hand shaking my shoulder. Looking up, I saw that it was Azarus, my dwarven friend shouting wordlessly into the thundering of Tatsugan¡¯s tail, pointing away from us as he did. I followed his finger to find that Venix was leading everyone else towards that small structure near the well of chains. At his urging, we hurried after them.


    Once we were inside, I helped Azarus swing the heavy stone door closed behind us, shutting out at least a good half of the thundering. It was still audible, but we could at least speak in here.


    Venix didn¡¯t waste any time. He strode over to what looked like a large, fist-sized glowing sapphire set into what looked like a tablet attached to a plinth of stone. There were two other columns as well, each with their own gems set into the tablets. One was a ruby, and the other an emerald. But the ruby had lost its light, while only the emerald and sapphire still possessed the glow of what my senses told me was an incredibly complex enchantment. Once the Antium had reached the sapphire tablet, he turned to face us with a grave look on his chitinous features. ¡°One of us will have to stay behind.¡±


    I blinked at the announcement, but it was Kazuma who pushed to the front. ¡°What? What do you mean, stay behind?!¡±


    Venix was unfazed in the face of his outrage. ¡°These gems control the lowering of the barges. One gem for each barge. Contact must be maintained the entire time with the gem for them to reach the sea. The barge will automatically detach once it touches down.¡±


    Kazuma paused. ¡°Ah. I¡­did not know it functioned that way.¡± The younger samurai looked decidedly lost for a moment.


    ¡°I volunteer,¡± Venix immediately offered. ¡°As the strongest, I am most likely to survive the coming waves of beasts. I should be the one to stay behind.¡±


    His words caused an awkward air to descend on the group at the implicit offer of sacrifice.


    I ignored it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid,¡± I said sharply, catching Venix¡¯s attention. I also ignored the warning look in his eyes. ¡°I can fly, damnit. Let me do it. I¡¯ll lower everyone else, and then when it¡¯s done, I¡¯ll just dive off the side and break the fall with my wings.¡±


    Venix blinked, looking to be nearly thrown off course and grasping for an excuse. ¡°But¡­the storm¡­¡±


    I waved him off. ¡°Better than the alternative. You¡¯re not going to throw your life away for no reason. I won¡¯t let you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll work,¡± Renauld said dryly. ¡°Let¡¯s go with that.¡±


    The Antium samurai quieted at that, almost appearing to be chastened, but he eventually nodded. ¡°We shall take the blue barge,¡± He said, acquiescing.


    At his direction, he and the rest of my companions opened the door once again and shuffled out, shutting the stone behind him.


    Once they were gone, I strode over to the viewing port and watched as all of my friends (and Kazuma) leapt or were carried up to land on the deck of the hanging barge. Once everyone was aboard, I watched as Bella hurried up to the command deck of it, apparently at Venix¡¯s direction, before said Ant-man turned to wave at me.


    I took that as my cue and nodded sharply to myself, turning around and walking back over to the sapphire. Once there, I took a deep breath to steady my nerves...


    And placed my left gloved left hand on top of the sapphire.


    Let¡¯s do this.

 Chapter 264 - Testing Limits

    The entire dock-like platform I was on shook the instant my hand touched the sapphire. Great rumbling sounds filled the air as long-dormant chains, bound up into massive coils, creaked and groaned as they came to life, buried beneath the stone of the dock. It was so loud that it momentarily drowned out the constant crashing of thunder born from Tatsugan¡¯s still flickering tail, somewhere far above us. I nearly stumbled from the shaking in the small control hub that I had stayed behind in to facilitate the lowering of the barge that my friends and companions were scurrying around on. I could just barely see them through the howling gales of wind and rain, visible through the viewing slit on the wall in front of me.


    They almost stumbled on the deck of their commandeered barge, too. The great mass of chains holding the vessel suspended over the cliff face lurched in place, one corner of them falling suddenly. The barge listed to one side on suddenly slackened chains, sending my companions scrambling to hold onto anything they could in order to not fall into the churning inland sea far below them.


    My heart lurched in my chest, but I needn¡¯t have worried. Gradually, the rest of the chains holding the barge suspended began to slacken, and the orientation of the ship corrected itself, seemingly on purpose. I suppose the mechanism of this enchantment included something like that, for which I was very glad.


    Through the viewport, I watched as the barge holding my friends began to descend slowly out of sight beyond the rim of the platform. The last thing I saw before it completely disappeared was Bella at the helm, turning around to look at me.


    Across the distance and despite the peril we were in, the pirate Captain still had the temerity to wink in my direction.


    And then she was gone.


    I huffed a slight laugh and shook my head. The barge might be lowering the way we had hoped it would, but we weren¡¯t out of danger just yet. The thundering of Tatsugan¡¯s rattle had more than one purpose, after all.


    It was meant to call every last damn monster that still resided on the island of Goryuen to his side.


    And they were coming.


    I could feel and hear it.


    Just barely audible over the thunder and the creaking of chains as the barge crept ever downward, I could hear another sound, slowly growing louder. Roars and screeches sounded out in the distance as the Oni and the Wyrmkin that called this spit of land home rushed inward from the jungles, plains, and mountains. I began to feel a rumble in the stone beneath my feet as innumerable giant feet and clawed paws raced to the aid of their master.


    I had deliberately kept the door to this miniature bunker open, after my companions had left. At the time, I had thought it would be better to have a clear eye on the mountain path stretching upwards so I could know if any monsters were coming.


    That was a mistake.


    From one moment to the next, a veritable horde appeared on the horizon through the door. Countless Oni and Wyrmkin of all shapes, sizes, colors, and maturities swept down the path I and my companions had only moments ago carefully fjorded. Not a one of them displayed the caution we had, and as a result, I could see a number of different monsters go tumbling over the side of the path as the horde charged down towards me. And I had no doubt they were coming for me.


    All of their beady little eyes were trained right in my direction.


    My own nearly bulged out of their sockets as I contorted my body, careful to keep my hand on the sapphire, and hooked one foot around the edge of the door. Full force, I slammed the heavy stone door closed in the doorway, cutting off my view of charging beasts. Seconds after, I was surprised to see bars that had been inset into the wall fall down to block the door from opening again.


    I blinked at the unexpected windfall, as moments later, the horde arrived.


    They slammed into the door, rattling both the frame and the bunker itself from the force of it. Even through the thick stone of the door and the walls, I could still hear the roars and the screams of the beasts as they slavered for the blood in my veins and Aether in my soul. Wyrmkin swarmed around the front of the bunker to claw at me through the small viewing port while Oni pounded their massive fists against the walls, cutting off my view of the caldera and the looming form of Mt. Gorenzan. I had to lean back from those reaching claws to avoid losing an eye.


    I¡¯d nearly experienced that once before, thank you. I had no desire for it to happen again.


    Thankfully, although I could see the bars holding the door closed flex from the force of the blows, they held.


    For now.


    God damnit, couldn¡¯t this mechanism go any faster?! I had no idea how long this was going to take! Just how far down did the barge have to go?!


    I tensed as I saw cracks start to form in the bars holding the door closed. Thankfully, the door itself was fine, but those stone rods weren¡¯t going to hold for much longer. And the moment they shattered, I was fucked.


    I had to do something. With my full strength, with both Vis Maledicta Exactoris and Might of the Wyrdwood active, I think I could probably hold the door closed myself. But I had to keep a hand on the control gem. My friends were counting on me.


    And I refused to fail them.


    Unexpectedly, my core ring stirred from where it had been quietly focusing alongside me. It put forth an idea, and I only took a moment to consider the possibility.


    I mean¡­it could work.


    Maybe.


    Worth a shot.


    I held out a hand and called for my newest Skill.


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    Manifestation of Agony.


    From my outstretched palm floated a ball of ghostly blue flame that sprouted wings and limbs of crimson red thorn. It flapped those tiny wings for a moment as my Core Ring smoothly transferred itself into the simulacrum born of celestial and terrestrial power. It looked at me, and somehow, I got the impression I was meeting the eyes of the Sprite.


    It nodded at me and floated downwards to land on top of the sapphire I had my hand upon, careful not to burn me as it did so. Just as carefully, it lay both of its hands down on the gem as well.


    Slowly, watching and listening for the chains of the platform through the viewport, I lifted my hand from the sapphire and held my breath.


    Nothing.


    The chains kept up their steady descent, and the barge was still lowering.


    My Sprite counted as a person able to keep the process going.


    I exchanged a victorious smile with my Spire (at least I think it was smiling), but it didn¡¯t last long.


    Behind me, I heard a sharp, distinct cracking noise over the sound of banging and screeching. I shot a quick glance over my shoulder to see my fears realized. One of the bars had snapped, and the other looked like it was buckling in real-time. I didn¡¯t waste another second thinking.


    Instead, I activated both of my physical enhancement Skills and lunged for the door. I managed to lay both of my enlarged, scaly palms crawling with ghostly red thorns upon the stone just in time.


    The second and last bar snapped, and suddenly, I was holding back the force of dozens, or perhaps even hundreds, of monsters as they crushed themselves against the door.


    The pressure was immense. Monstrous in the extreme.


    It was like the mountains themselves were looming the whole of their ancient weight against the stone as I fought to keep my footing. I¡¯d activated Might of the Wyrdwood at ten percent, and that just wasn¡¯t enough. Desperate for more footing, I deliberately ruined my boots by digging my taloned toes through the leather and digging them into the stone beneath me.


    It wasn¡¯t enough. I could feel myself boring trenches in the floor as I was pushed back.


    I jacked Might of the Wyrdwood up to fifteen percent.


    Still, I struggled.


    Twenty.


    I grit my teeth under the strain of holding the Skill at that level, much less at the same time I was transformed.


    I was pushed back an inch, enough for a crack to open between the door and the frame. Instantly, claws from the Wyrmkin on the other side of the door appeared, scrambling frantically for the existence they felt on the other side.


    Fine.


    Life or death, then.


    I ratcheted Might of the Wyrdwood up as far as I¡¯d ever dared to.


    Thirty percent.


    I was peripherally aware of the crimson vines crawling across my body, thickening to the point something curious started to happen. They almost began to shape itself into something else, condensing on certain areas of my body. It was hazy, though, and besides.


    I was far too busy screaming from the sheer exertion I was being placed under. My muscles had strengthened to such a degree that I felt my very bones begin to creak and groan inside my body. With just my surviving Outer Ring within my mind, all I could focus on was bearing with the pain as my evolved strength Skill nearly sundered the very bones in my body.


    But it was enough. I shoved forward, and the door moved easily to slide back into the frame. The scrabbling claws from the Wyrmkin were instantly snipped by the edge of the door, and I heard their owners screech bloody murder on the other side of it.


    I allowed myself a brief moment of satisfaction before I got back to focusing.


    I knew, I knew that if my concentration slipped for a moment, the Skill would waver and die. If it did, I was dead. The door would burst open, the Oni and the Wymrkin would tear me apart for my meat and Aether, and then my friends would be stranded on a half-descended barge.


    I had to focus. Focus through the pain, and noise, and the drain.


    I could do this.


    I could do this!


    ¡°I can do this,¡± I whispered to myself fiercely, setting my shoulders as firmly as possible. I leaned my head down as I felt my body scream in protest.


    And tried to meditate, through the agony.


    In.


    And out.


    In.


    And out.


    In.


    And.


    Out.


    I don¡¯t know how long I stood in that position, leaning against the door and holding back the proverbial tide. I was lost to the passage of time in my concentration, focusing intently on the heartbeat waves of Aether that resonated from the core of Vereden.


    But, eventually, I became aware of a heat floating somewhere to the right of my cheek. That broke me from my meditation, and I exhaustedly raised my head to find my Sprite hovering there.


    It was pointing frantically over its shoulder, unable to verbalize its frustrations. I looked behind me briefly to see what it was gesturing towards to find that the sapphire gemstone as large as a baseball had gone dark. I could feel no more Aether running through it. I didn¡¯t know what that meant, for a moment, and when I realized what it did, my eyes widened and I nearly lost my grip. Both on the door and on my Skill.


    The descent was over. The barge had to have reached the inland sea.


    But¡­


    Now what?


    It occurred to me that I had never formulated an escape plan once I¡¯d accomplished my goal. I was, perhaps, now doomed unless I could fight my way through the horde on the other side of this door. If I was at full Mana, I might have been able to do that. But my stunt the other night with The Scintillant Blade, combined with keeping my Sprite active for who knows how long, meant I was dangerously low.


    Shit.


    However, my Sprite came through for me once more. It gestured excitedly up at the ceiling, and I followed its fire and thorn fingers up to find...


    What looked like an escape hatch. There looked to be a small, square hole cut in the ceiling with an equally small door held closed with a simple bar lock.


    I blinked tiredly at the sight. I hadn¡¯t even noticed that thing until now.


    Huh.


    I¡­guess the ancient Kawamarans had realized they would need a quick egress.


    The Sprite zipped up to it to try and move the stone lever that kept it locked shut, but it wasn¡¯t strong enough. I moved my tired body as quickly as it was able and shifted to where I was keeping the door shut with my back, and when I did, I lifted one hand to point at the same lever the Sprite was struggling against.


    And cast Thorn Grapple.


    The length of thorny vine shot from my hand and wrapped around the handle at my will. Once it was secure, I yanked on the lever. A grinding sound echoed out above me and a lock must have come loose, because my Sprite was suddenly pushing the small rectangular door open with ease. In moments, I heard it thud open on top of the bunker¡¯s roof.


    But I never let go of my vine. It was still tied to the other side of the lever, trapped under the little escape hatch.


    I took a deep breath.


    Alright.


    Let¡¯s do this.


    In an instant, I did multiple things. Almost as if I was in slow motion, I leaped forward from the door with all of my strength, until I was standing underneath the open hatch. Behind me, I could hear the door slam open, and monsters began to pile through the now-open stone frame. Urgently, I leapt upward, while at the same time, I urged my grappling Skill to retract as quickly as it could. In a fraction of a second, I found myself sailing up and out of the hatch, but not before I felt a claw scrape through my pants and against the armored scales of my transformed self.


    I landed on the roof of the bunker, and with my Sprite¡¯s help, I frantically closed the hatch behind me and locked it again with the lever that was on the outside of it.


    After that, I barely took a moment to consider the horde of monsters that had overtaken the docks down here.


    Some of the surrounding Oni were nearly as tall as this building and were starting to look my way.


    I didn¡¯t stick around long enough for them to make a grab at me.


    Instead, using the strength from Might of the Wyrdwood, still at thirty percent, I leaped forward, snapping my wings open as I did so. In moments, I had soared along the roof of the cavern.


    Out into the storm.


    That turned out to be a mistake.

 Chapter 265 - Freefall

    I was instantly buffeted by the storm raging all about me. Even though my exertions in the control room had felt like hours, it had to have been only minutes. And yet, in that short amount of time I spent struggling with the door, Tatsugan¡¯s influence had turned the skies into a veritable hurricane. A great cyclone had formed in the heavens to encircle the entirety of the caldera, and the rain fell heavy enough that I felt like I was underwater. Winds howled so loudly that I feared my eardrums would burst from the pressure alone, much less the thundering of the proto-Calamity as it battled Shacklock and his forces.


    (Was that even still true? Had Tatsugan ascended, and slain his opponent? I had no way of knowing.)


    And so I was caught in the storm. Before the face of it, I was little better than an ant before the goliath.


    My wings were caught by the wind, and I went into a death spiral.


    I was falling, I knew that. I could feel myself tumbling erratically through the air as I fell towards the inland sea below me. The world made no sense to me whatsoever, and my senses were overwhelmed. The sensation, my core ring calmly noted, was not unlike If I had been dunked into a pool.


    But I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn¡¯t angle my wings to catch onto the wild, chaotic winds that raged all about me.


    Panic overtook me, for a moment, and I became convinced that I was going to die. Any moment now, I would plunge straight into the raging waters of the inland sea, and get torn to shreds by the innumerable stone shards swirling within it. That was if the impact with the water didn¡¯t instantly kill me, though. This caldera was huge, after all, and the ¡®dock¡¯ had been quite a distance above the waters.


    Shut the fuck up, Core.


    I¡¯d had an idea, piercing through my panic. If my wings were what was causing the problem¡­


    Then they had to go.


    I released my hold on Vis Maledicta Exactoris. Immediately, I was lighter, and my helpless spinning stopped. With the whirling of the world solved, I was able to see again, even if the speeding rain stung my wide-open eyes.


    What I saw was the looming, lurking form of the gargantuan mountain. Gorenzan dominated my sight lines, almost appearing to sneer down at me from the rocky crags and sharp spires of its face. I could easily imagine Tatsugan¡¯s roost speaking to me from the storm.


    How dare you think you could brave my domain, fool, it said.


    I narrowed my eyes, as much against the wind and rain as it was against the half-mad taunt I was anthropomorphizing.


    We¡¯ll see.


    Back in my normal, mostly human form, it was easy for me to fold my arms and legs together. As I did so, my orientation changed in midair, and my view shifted from the imposing form of the mountain to the yawning, churning pit of water far below me. Plunging head first in that direction, I thought that I could just barely see the mostly rectangular shape of the barge, bobbing up and down on the turbulent, crashing waves of the inland sea. It didn¡¯t seem to have gone far from the point it must have touched down upon.


    My friends were waiting for me.


    I guess I couldn¡¯t keep them waiting then.


    I closed my eyes momentarily in my fall if only to steady my nerves. Strangely¡­


    Strangely, it came easy to me. For once, I didn¡¯t miss the artificially calming effect that my lost middle ring could grant. I could do this myself.


    So to speak.


    But I was going to have to time this right if I didn¡¯t want to end up as a smear on the deck of the ancient barge. The timing would have to be precise, down to the last second. I couldn¡¯t risk reactivating my transformation early, or else the veritable sails of my wings might blow me off course. Then I would risk crashing into the waters to be blended.


    It had to be at the last possible moment to break my fall.


    ¡­actually, would the force of such a thing be too much for my body to handle? So much momentum being drained away in an instant might just snap my wings right off of my body.


    My Core Ring brought up a good point, I acknowledged, as I plunged towards my possible death.


    I should reinforce myself, in that case.


    I waited.


    A particularly powerful gust of wind threatened to blow me off course. I tensed my muscles to streamline my form even more, and let it blow over me.


    I waited.


    A strike of lightning pierced down through the heavens and into the inland sea close enough that I was able to see it skitter across the waters. My Core sighed in relief that it wasn¡¯t close enough to fry us instead.


    I waited¡­and then¡­


    The deck loomed in my vision, the barely visible forms of my companions staring upwards, searching for something.


    Or someone.


    Now!


    I activated Vis Maledicta Exactoris and Might of the Wyrdwood simultaneously.


    This time, at thirty-five percent. My struggles holding the door told me I could handle thirty if I put my mind to it. Why not try five more percent, if only to avoid becoming a smear on a plank of ancient wood?


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    Instantly, I exploded into my transformed state, and I flared my wings out as wide as I possibly could. They shuddered violently, feeling very much like they would be ripped right out of my back to be cast into the wind. But only for a moment.


    Because in the next, ghostly crimson vines began to crawl all over my body in a strangely purposeful manner. Only my core had the observational capacity to notice what they were doing, while my outer self was busy fighting to keep us together in the face of the immense physical strain we were under.


    The vines were forming into what looked to be armor. Still vague, still indistinct.


    But armor nonetheless.


    My fall slowed from the terminal plunge it had been into a mere fast drop, instead. Angling my legs downwards, the instant my feet touched upon the wood of the barge, the entire structure of the ship shook violently from the force of the impact. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Renauld stumbled and nearly fell over, only to be steadied by Kazuma.


    Both of them were gaping at me in surprise.


    As I rose to my full height, releasing my hold on both of my active Skills as I did so, I noticed they were the only ones. Liora was merely shaking her head at me with a small smile on her face, while Azarus was rolling his eyes. Venix gave me a brief, acknowledging nod from his point on the bow of the barge before casting his eyes back upwards to try and catch a glimpse of the distant struggle with Tatsugan.


    Meanwhile, Bella had leaned over the wheel over the ship above my position and was grinning at me. ¡°Bout time!¡± She called out, shouting to be heard over the storm. ¡°We was about ta leave ye behind! We got places ta be!¡±


    I huffed a laugh, rolling my shoulders exhaustedly. The entire struggle to lower the barge and then the plunge towards might have only taken perhaps¡­fifteen? Maybe twenty minutes?


    But it had felt like a lifetime. I was pretty damn exhausted after that.


    Time for a pick-me up.


    I fished around in my supply pack for what I was looking for with one hand, as I shrugged the opposite shoulder at her. ¡°Forgive me, Captain!¡± I called back, retrieving a small vial with a butter-yellow potion in it. ¡°I was delayed by a pack of ne¡¯er do wells.¡±


    Bella rolled her eyes at me as I popped the cork and downed the mild Energy potion. Instantly, I felt most of my exhaustion vanish. Which was good, but I was going to feel that later. I knew I would. The burst of energy these potions granted didn¡¯t come with zero cost.


    Oddly, Renauld shook off his shock at my abrupt entrance and marched over to me with a frown. He seized me by the arm, and started dragging me over to the small cabin beneath the helm. I let him, considering my nearly implicit trust in the Gnoll.


    Besides.


    It was nice to get back out of the rain, if only for a moment.


    Kazuma trailed in our wake silently.


    Once inside the darkened interior of the wheel house, Renauld irritably flicked out a hand and cast a light spell. The small orb of bright white light floated up near the bare ceiling and brightened. Helpfully, Kazuma imitated him, casting his own, Cultivator Art version of the same thing. His was instead a bar of light that he held in his hand like a torch, holding it above Renauld as the Healer kneeled down in front of me and¡­held his hands out over my leg?


    I looked down and understood.


    Ah.


    That scrape I¡¯d felt as I was fleeing the dockside bunker had been a bit more serious than I¡¯d thought. The talons of one of the Wyrmkin had torn right through both the armored, mystically enhanced silk of my pants and the scales of my transformation. In the near-perfect illumination of the room, I could in fact see the white of my own bone from a large gash that Renauld was inspecting on my right leg.


    I hadn¡¯t felt the wound at all with the adrenaline pumping through my veins from the fight and flight. Now that it was fading, though¡­


    I tensed, hissing through my teeth as I struggled to keep my hands off the leg. The pain was hitting me all at once, and it was not slight. I did not appreciate the twitching feeling in my leg as severed muscle strands tried to contract.


    There it was. That familiar longing for my middle ring.


    Hello, old friend.


    Renauld ignored my twitching, instead of visibly casting one of his Healing spells, a slight green glow starting to flow from his hands to my leg. This wasn¡¯t my first time being healed, and I was sure it wasn¡¯t going to be the last, but it was still cool to watch as my flesh knit itself back together before my eyes. It only took the Healer minutes for the grievous wound that would have taken months to years back on Earth to heal to close completely. In its place was a ropey, black-scaled scar spanning the length of my right shin diagonally. Even that was more of a symptom of Renauld¡¯s haste, though. I knew it was possible to have scars erased by a Healer of sufficient skill. I just hadn¡¯t ever sought that service.


    Maybe I should, though. It might help to make me appear less inhuman.


    I shelved that observation from my core for later consideration. For now, I gingerly stood up from the chair Renauld had shoved me into during the treatment and tested the leg. No pain greeted me, so I nodded at my Gnollish friend. ¡°Thanks, man. I didn¡¯t even notice.¡±


    Renauld just rolled his eyes at me. ¡°Yeah, well. I did. Try and be more careful next time, Nate. I¡¯ve only got so much fuel for the fire, and we don¡¯t know what¡¯s waiting for us at the mountain.¡±


    I ignored Kazuma as he nodded wisely at Renauld¡¯s mild rebuke but still took it in the spirit it was given. I knew that he just said it because he cared.


    Together, the three of us exited the cabin to find that everyone else had ventured up to join Bell at the helm. There, they were huddled around¡­the map that Masayoshi had given to me?


    I instinctively reached for my supply pouch where I had thought the map was, but I found it missing. Bella must have seen the movement as we walked up to join them, because her eyes flickered my way. She wiggled her eyebrows at me slyly.


    I grinned back, reluctantly amused at her quick fingers, but focused instead on the map with the others. There, I found Venix tracing a line with his finger from the representation of the caldera¡¯s edge, before tapping a position in the sea portion. ¡°Here,¡± He said roughly, barely audible over the thundering of Tatsugan¡¯s rattle. It had never really stopped. ¡°We are roughly here.¡±


    The position he had pointed out was at around the four o¡¯clock position on the caldera, very close to the wall. Meanwhile, the marking for the impenetrable wall that the Kawamaran¡¯s called the ¡®Gate of the Underworld¡¯ was near to the eight o¡¯clock location on the mountain.


    Somewhere on that imposing cliff face lay the bunker I had come so far for.


    Bella studied the map for a moment longer before looking up from it to study the sea around us. She made an L shape with her fingers and framed a portion of the mountain with it, and then nodded sharply. ¡°Get on the oars, boys,¡± She said shortly. ¡°Liora and I will raise the sails. Renauld, you go bang the drum. With all o¡¯ that¡­I can get us there in about thirty minutes, mebbe an hour I¡¯m thinkin¡¯.¡±


    I looked askance at her as Venix, Kazuma, and Azarus departed for the oars. A grinning Renauld walked up to the ancient hide drums and picked the stick bound to its side. ¡°An hour? Does Shacklock have that long? Come to think of it¡­why hasn¡¯t he already, you know. Core Collapsed?¡±


    Kazuma stopped long enough to grimace at me in passing. ¡°Pride,¡± He said dourly, just barely loud enough to be heard over the storm. ¡°Shacklock wishes to test his limits against the Oblivion Wyrm, in the twilight of his life. . For now, I believe, he is leading the creature on a veritable game of cat and mouse, drawing it away from the mountain. I was informed that he intended to fight the beast as long as possible before initiating his plan. Partly to give us time to actually enter the mountain, party for his own amusement. And then the sword, and my ancestor, will be lost.¡± At that, he walked away, shaking his head, to pick up an oar.


    I exchanged a look with Bella, who shrugged at me before joining Liora at the rigging. I shrugged as well before joining the others on deckside oars. Plunging mine into the churning waters, I did my best to ignore the soreness in my muscles as Venix set the pace and Renauld banged on the drum.


    At least this wouldn¡¯t take too long.


    Not sure how much more exertion I could take.

 Chapter 266 - The Gate of the Underworld

    Thankfully, my stamina held out as I helped row us to the mountain. Honestly, it''s probably entirely due to the energy potion. Nonetheless, thanks to the powerful winds kicked up by Tatsugan¡¯s storm as the Wyrm raged above us against Shacklock, we reached the mountain shore in about forty minutes. I actually think the trip was so short because the sea was visibly rising around us as we sailed towards the mount, ever so slightly reducing the distance to our destination.


    Halfway there, all of us were startled by an unusually large rumbling noise coming from the rim of the caldera. We¡¯d momentarily stopped at the noise and followed it to its source. What we found was that the rim of the caldera had failed once again and was fracturing in real time before our eyes. The group stared in silence as great chunks of rock and stone fractured into the sea in chunks larger than entire castles, sending waves cascading across the surface. We¡¯d needed to retreat to the wheelhouse to avoid being swept from the barge''s deck, fearing all the while that it would break as well from the force of a wall of water. However, in an almost supernatural manner, the barge barely budged from the force of the wave and was entirely undamaged when we emerged.


    What we found instead was that entire lakes worth of water was pouring in through the breach in the caldera walls. Because of that, the inland sea rose gradually all around us as we sailed towards the mountain.


    I could only hope the bunker had yet to be submerged.


    Once there, we all stared upward at the gigantic rock face that loomed above us. Not just because of the sheer size of Gorenzen.


    But because we were searching for our goal.


    It was hard to see through the storm, but the map indicated that the impenetrable door should be somewhere within our line of sight.


    Liora was the one who spotted it first. ¡°There!¡± She yelled over the storm, pointing up with one leather-clad finger. I, and the rest of my companions, followed the digit up to where it was pointing at a seemingly innocuous section of the cliff face, maybe a hundred yards above us and to the right. I couldn¡¯t see what she was pointing at initially, although I heard Renauld sigh next to me. I focused harder.


    And then I saw it.


    Briefly visible in a flash of lightning, was a single, reflective gleam in the darkness of the storm. It vanished a moment later, but I¡¯d seen it.


    That had to be the door.


    Azarus voiced what we were all thinking, a grimace on his bearded face. ¡°We¡¯ll have to climb.¡±


    ¡°Up that?¡± Renauld said, apprehension in his voice. ¡°In this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a short climb,¡± Venix said shortly, ignoring the side-eye he received from the Healer. ¡°There is plenty of purchase along the way, and at this point upon the mountain, it is not altogether steep.¡±


    I glanced back at the cliff face. I¡­suppose it wasn¡¯t quite vertical, but it was still a damned mountain.


    If only I could fly through the storm. I could just fly up and drop a rope down for the rest of-


    Wait a second.


    Venix must have been reading my mind because, upon seeing the apprehensive looks on more than one of our friends'' faces, he sighed. The Antium man bent down and picked up the small sack of climbing gear we had brought along with us, ostensibly for this exact purpose. ¡°I will go,¡± He said with finality. ¡°And cast down a rope for the rest of you. My greater strength and familiarity with Gorenzan make the climb less hazardous.¡±


    Well¡­if he was offering¡­


    I don¡¯t think I was the only person a little relieved at the sensible offer. But I still had to say something.


    ¡°I guess the other option is we just wait till Shacklock kills Tatsugan?¡± I said, glancing around at the others. ¡°My understanding is that the storm will stop with his death, and the climb won¡¯t be quite as dangerous.¡±


    Kazuma shook his head. ¡°No¡­that is not an option. With the Wyrm¡¯s death, the sea shall rapidly drain. Don''t ask me how," He said, raising one hand. "Nobody knows. But then we would have to climb from the very base of the mount, and it is meant to extend for quite some distance. I do not wish to spend days traversing miles worth of mountainside simply to reach this very spot once again.¡±


    Oh.


    Bella cut through the conversation by clapping her hands together. Coincidentally, at the same time, a rattle from Tatsugan sounded out another peel of thunder. She just ignored it. ¡°You boys have fun with that!¡± She shouted over the noise. ¡°Quit gabbin¡¯ and get on with it!¡±


    Wait, what?


    ¡°Bella, what do you mean?¡±


    The pirate Captain grinned at both my question and the looks from everyone else. ¡°I¡¯ve gotta stay back and watch the barge. If I don¡¯t keep an eye on her, then this tub is gonna get dashed on the rocks with the risin¡¯ waters. Then we¡¯re all really screwed.¡±


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    ¡°But-¡±


    She held up a hand. ¡°I made up me mind,¡± Bella said with finality. ¡°I¡¯m stayin¡¯, and that¡¯s that. Ye can just tell me all about what ye found in there later, Nate.¡±


    I¡­had been really looking forward to exploring the bunker with her¡­


    But I understood her point. I sighed and nodded my head.


    However, that wasn¡¯t all. To my surprise, Liora stepped forward to stand next to Bella. At the woman¡¯s surprised look, the Gnoll smiled slightly at her. ¡°I shall remain behind as well. It takes more than one pair of hands to man a ship, after all.¡±


    Bella grinned at her friend and then slugged her on the shoulder. The former assassin¡¯s smile took on a brief, pained cast, but it didn¡¯t last.


    I see.


    And then there were five.


    At least¡­that¡¯s what I thought.


    When I turned back around to face the others that were coming up with me, I found that Venix had already started his climb while we were speaking. Well, I say climb, but it was really more like bound. The Antium samurai was leaping up the slick face of the mountain with unsurprising acuity, rapidly leaping from foothold to foothold as he ascended towards the outcropping that the bunker entrance lay tucked into. There was a brief moment where even his enhanced Dexterity wasn¡¯t able to maintain footing on such treacherous ground. His foot came down, and it slipped right under him. For a moment, it looked like Venix was going to fall and plummet back down the mountainside. However, he recovered by burying his entire fist into the stone of the mountainside and gripping onto the handhold he had created.


    Alright, I was feeling a little vindicated about ¡®letting¡¯ Venix make the ascent alone. If someone so much more powerful than I was had slipped even once on that climb, the rest of us would have probably been sliding around like we¡¯d been on an ice rink.


    Eventually, Venix reached the outcropping with the door and disappeared over the side of it. Moments later, the long, snaking form of the rope bundle we had bought back in Hinaga fell over the side. We had actually bought such a lengthy ream of rope that it turned out to be overkill. As a result, it reached all the way down to the barge and thumped onto the deck.


    Azarus, Renauld, Kazuma, and I simply stared at the rope for a second, before our second samurai walked over and picked it up. Without a word, he secured his katana to his waist with a spare length of cloth so it wouldn¡¯t bounce about and then got to climbing. It wasn¡¯t really a good idea to stress a rope, especially a wet rope, with the weight of more than one person. So all of us stood by and watched as the presumptive heir to the Order of Solstice¡¯s Flame shimmied his way up to the outcropping. When he reached the top, Venix grabbed his forearm and hauled the other samurai over the edge. I could see Kazuma accept the help with a nod, and then toss the rope back over the edge.


    Renauld picked it up and followed him, and when the Gnoll was finished, Azarus raised an eyebrow at me. I just shook my head. My dwarven friend shrugged and hopped on the rope as well for his own climb.


    I spared one last glance at the women who were staying behind before I made my own ascent. I received a raised eyebrow from Liora and a ¡®get on with it¡¯ gesture from Bella for my trouble. I couldn¡¯t help but huff a small laugh that, and then grabbed the rope.


    And climbed.


    It didn¡¯t take me long. Thanks to the rope, I was up and over the edge of the outcropping in mere minutes, accepting a hand up from Azarus. At the very least, it was nice to be out of the rain again.


    I can¡¯t even describe how tired I was of rain by this point.


    All other thoughts were wiped out of my mind, though, when I finally laid eyes upon the door I had traveled so far to find.


    Days of sea travel to reach this damned island.


    Even longer trekking through steaming hot jungle, followed by arid, stony plains.


    Spending the night in a volcano, of all things.


    And then hiking across rain-slick mountain tops.


    All for this.


    Set into the far wall of the alcove was a metallic door, perhaps ten feet in height. Circular in shape, in the dim light provided by the number of different light skills illuminating the small cover, I could see that it had to have been machined. Fine seams were visible all along the surface of the door, too precise to have been smithed by even the greatest craftsman to ever live. The door itself was deeply inset into the stone of the mountain, and to my astonishment, it almost looked like the stone was trying to reclaim it. Small, irregular fingers of rock crept inward from the outer circle, looking as if the hands of Vereden itself were trying to break their way in.


    Or perhaps¡­


    Hide the door from prying eyes.


    The sight of the stone creeping across the metallic surface of the bunker door sent a chill down my spine, and I don¡¯t think I was the only one. The rest of my companions accompanying me stood stock still as we all stared at the object of our quest. There was an odd atmosphere to the air, outside of what I knew to be an ancient bunker of some kind. A¡­taste, almost, to the Aether of the environment.


    It felt twisted somehow.


    Tortured.


    As if an infinite amount of suffering had been inflicted in this place, staining the very fabric of the world forevermore.


    It was so wrong.


    Perhaps it was my imagination, but I swore that the gales of Tatsugan¡¯s storm sounded different, playing across the mouth of this alcove.


    As if from a great distance, I heard the sound of wailing.


    I¡­knew now why the Kawamarans called this the Yami-no-Koshi. The Gate of the Underworld. I had initially dismissed the epithet as nothing more than a colorful name given to an extraordinary location. But I was wrong.


    I could easily imagine this as the literal gate to Hell. The entranceway into the abyss of infinite, unending despair.


    The trance that all of us had fallen into was broken by another rattle of Tatsugan¡¯s tail, sending a fresh peal of thunder echoing across the sky. Venix was the first to break out of the near spell, taking an almost defiant step forward further into the alcove. However, I noticed that he was gripping all four of his blades tightly, with all four hands.


    That was the cue for the rest of us to all, and we did.


    Albeit warily.


    Before long, all five of us stood in front of the door, easily able to do so shoulder to shoulder. I stood in the center, feeling and knowing, deep in the depths of my soul, that something was wrong here.


    But I couldn¡¯t just turn back now. Not after all we had done to reach this point. Not with all we, I, stood to gain from this expedition. Who knew what knowledge lay in the depths of this bunker? What history?


    We had to find out.


    I had to know.


    With the way the atmosphere of this alcove had seemed to steal the voices from our throats, I didn¡¯t speak before I did what I needed to. I simply peeled off the glove on my right hand, reached out.


    And set it, palm first on the door in front of me.

 Chapter 267 - Trickery in Violet

    For one long moment, nothing happened, and I feared the worst. Was the door broken, after who knows how many centuries moldering in the shadow of the Wyrm? Had all of our efforts to reach this hidden door been for nothing? Had I dragged my friends and companions across the ocean and the treacherous surface of Goryuen for absolutely nothing?


    No, as it turned out.


    But something else just as alarming happened instead.


    Back in Hollow Hill, when I had first encountered one of these bunkers, the door that Grey had spent so much time obsessing over had opened easily at my touch. From the point of contact, a rolling wave of pure, rainbow-colored Aether had rolled across the surface, illuminating my handprint. After that, the door had separated out into countless small segments and smoothly rolled back into the surrounding walls.


    That didn¡¯t happen here. It almost did, I could tell.


    Instead, the door shuddered for a moment. Slowly, almost reluctantly, Aether came to outline my hand upon the surface of the ancient bunker. But this was the opposite of the comforting, cascading hue of natural Aether.


    This was a dark, nearly black magenta. It oozed up from the precisely machined cracks of the door, and under my palm, I could physically feel the sensation of the energy. That was¡­new. I had never touched raw energy before, and I didn¡¯t appreciate this being the first example I was introduced to. It was oily to the touch and slick with a malicious, wicked intent as it rolled under my hand.


    I almost instinctively tried to recoil and yank my palm from the sensation of that depraved power, but to my dismay, I found that I couldn¡¯t.


    My hand was stuck to the surface of the metal.


    I tensed as a low roar started to fill my ears.


    This was a trap of some kind. Set by who, I had no way of knowing.


    But I couldn¡¯t escape.


    From the point of contact, tendrils of the corrupted Aether started to spike outward, until they reached the outer circle of the door. To my rising panic, the stone hands on the edges shuddered when the blackened Aether touched them and recoiled, retreating into the rock. Rapidly, a symbol came to be illuminated upon the surface of this ancient doorway. A five-pointed star, oriented downward and quite literally dripping with malevolence. My right, flesh hand rested in the center of that pentagon, and for that, I cursed myself. If I had only touched the surface with my left, I could have disengaged the prosthetic and abandoned it to hang there. But I didn¡¯t, and for that, we were put into immediate crisis.


    All of us, it turned out.


    With my hand stuck to the surface, to my horror something was happening at the point of contact in the center of that star. I felt it when, from the pool of murky, corrupted Aether surrounding my hand, something reached out.


    What felt like a single, feminine finger reached out and drew itself, almost teasingly, down the center of my palm.


    Goosebumps of sudden fear and renewed horror exploded down my spine.


    This all happened in moments, and my companions were only starting to tense in alarm at the unexpected sight. But none of us, not a one, were ready for what happened next. Instead of folding away neatly, the surface of the door abruptly exploded inward in jagged junks of disparate metal. The portal into the bygone fortification was ringed with those barbed fragments in a manner as if to evoke the sight of an enormous befanged mouth.


    My hand was released from the grip of the door, and of the finger I had felt, no evidence presented itself.


    On the other side was only darkness instead.


    Darkness and distant, deep, all-encompassing silence.


    The last time I had broken the seal on one of these tombs, air had suddenly rushed inward as if it was fighting to fill a vacuum. Later, I had realized that the entire structure had been entirely devoid of air, as it was being deliberately preserved in the absence of oxygen.


    Something similar happened here.


    Only¡­


    Much, much greater.


    As if the mouth we all stood before was one in reality, a vast inward pressure suddenly began to pull at all of us like an inward breath of air. Wind, dust, and rain pulled from the mouth of the nook we stood in rushed forward, drawn from the force of it. It was nearly akin to the reversal of gravity, where the center of Vereden had suddenly reversed, finding itself within the heart of this bunker.


    We were being sucked inward.


    With our strength and reflexes, all of us of course tried to resist the pull. From Venix, to Azarus, to Renauld, to Kazuma and myself, we tried everything we could to stop ourselves. We drove weapons into the stone floor of the outcropping, we activated all manner of Skills and Spells and Arts to try and anchor ourselves¡­


    But all it was for naught.


    The mouth would not be denied.


    We were all dragged from our feet and inexplicably fell downwards into darkness, the distant rattle of Tatsugan¡¯s tail the only sound that reached us.


    Boom¡­boom¡­


    Boom.


    The darkness swallowed me, and I knew no more.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    I could not tell you how long I was buried in the blackness of unconsciousness. For the longest time, it was as if I had ceased to exist.


    No¡­


    It was as if the world had ceased to exist. I was everywhere and nowhere, all at once. Formed and formless in an unending void of a reality that no longer remained for purchase. And yet, in the depths of that deprivation, I could tell.


    Something was happening all around me.


    And I could only tell this because of my Core Ring.


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    My outer was being smothered by the darkness. No thoughts ran through that Outer Ring, but thankfully, it fulfilled its purpose. The core of me was protected, and it could feel the shifting of the world around me.


    It was, in a way, nearly familiar to me. The rearrangement of the outside world felt similar to that strange dimension I had battled Rhazal within.


    The Concord, realm of Spirits.


    But it wasn¡¯t that place. Something intrinsic to my soul could tell that I was still within the domain of physicality, and not that of the spiritual. The malleability of where I found myself within reminded me of that place, however.


    And then, all at once¡­


    Sight returned to me, as if the lights to creation had been relit once more. My outer ring startled to life at the same time, and it was just as struck in confusion by where I now found myself.


    I was in what must be the bunker, only¡­


    It wasn¡¯t like the other one I had explored at all.


    That tomb had looked to have been ransacked, in a way, as if a great invading force had stormed its depths and put all within to the sword. Great rents in the walls and fixtures of the bunker had dotted every surface, and even the ceiling had caved in at certain points. There had been a nearly imperceptible feeling of melancholy that filled that place.


    Here¡­


    Here, what could only be one of the bunkers looked to have been defiled. The recognizably, normally pristine and precisely machined metals looked to have been corroded. Rust and corrosion were heavily present on every single surface I could see about me. Pitting within the walls was all about my sitting form, through which I could easily look through into an ominous pitch-black void.


    I, however, was in a small room not much larger than a broom closet. There was barely enough space in here for me to lay flat, and if I tried, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stretch out my arms out fully. I couldn¡¯t even really raise them. The space was so narrow that all I could do was wedge one hand up to rest on the wall next to me. There was nothing else in here but the door, of which was the only surface still fully intact. Said door had a small square hole cut in it, filled with three bars at around eye height on an average man. The only light in the cell came from the opening, and that light was weak, and disturbingly, slightly reddish. Even the floor beneath me looked to have been weakened, with one corner sporting a visible hole into nothingness.


    The door was shut.


    And it didn¡¯t have a handle.


    Carefully, suspecting what I would find, I stood up. I wasn¡¯t able to stretch to my full height and had to remain stooped over. I had to stop, briefly, when the ground underneath me creaked and groaned ominously beneath my feet. I held my breath for several tense seconds to see if I was about to fall through it, but thankfully, nothing happened.


    I barely had to extend my arm at all to lay one hand on the solid, rusty surface of the door. Exerting the slightest amount of effort, afraid I would shatter the floor from the pushback, I shoved against the entrance.


    Nothing. The door was shut tightly.


    Trapped.


    I was trapped in this small, rusted closet. Panic started to well up in me then, and my eyes widened in their sockets. I started to breathe heavily, my shoulders tensing.


    Just the sight of this small, cramped little closet was dredging up old fears and even older memories. Things that I¡¯d forgotten. Things that I thought I¡¯d gotten past.


    When I was little, my parents had been friends with another couple who had a young son, someone who they wanted me to be friends with. That hadn¡¯t really worked, however. The two of us had barely tolerated each other¡¯s presence.


    Well, to be more accurate, he had despised me, and I was afraid of him most of the time. The kid had been a bit of a bully and was much bigger than I was.


    One day, when I was maybe six years old, the bastard and his much larger friend group had ganged up and locked me in a closet and shoved a dresser in front of it. Thoughtlessly, the cackling little shit and his asshole friends had left me there, in the dark, for an entire day as our parents were out at some concert or something. There in the darkness of that closet, my young mind had thought it was going to tear itself apart from fear. It was only after the adults had returned and found me missing that a search was undertaken. When my mother found me there in that dark, covered in snot, tears, and truthfully my own urine, it had caused such a fight that we never associated with those people again.


    In the aftermath, I needed years of sessions with a child psychiatrist to combat the intense claustrophobia that resulted from the experience. I¡¯d never developed a fear of darkness from the trial, thankfully.


    Just small, enclosed spaces.


    It was a fear that I thought I¡¯d long since gotten past.


    It was such a childish thing¡­


    But now it was rearing its ancient head once more. I would ask why now, normally. I had encountered plenty of dark, small spots since I¡¯d been dumped on Vereden. Plenty of them had been filled with actual monsters, too, and not just the demons of the mind.


    But I knew why my spine was starting to crawl now.


    It was because this was a closet.


    Or rather¡­a closet-like cell.


    It was my core ring that kept a grip itself, while my outer descended into fear and childlike dread. Where the hell was I? This had to be the bunker¡­right? I don¡¯t remember a thing that had happened after-


    Oh God.


    I¡¯d triggered some kind of trap left on the bunker, and all of us had gotten sucked inside of it. It¡­almost looked like I had been captured, somehow, and locked up in this¡­cell. But by who? And why the hell would captors like that leave me all my weaponry? Because I still had everything. I wasn¡¯t missing a single piece of equipment, from my daggers to Terractus to my bow. Even my supply pouch was still on me. Hell, I even had my staff.


    And let me tell you, the long length of wood wasn¡¯t helping me maneuver in these tight environs.


    Had there been inhabitants in the bunker? I couldn¡¯t see how, considering how old it must be. Nor did I hear anything from outside my cell.


    The only thing audible was the creaking of degraded metal.


    How¡­how had I gotten in here?


    The absurdity of the situation, combined with my core¡¯s calm assessment of it, finally broke through the panic of my outer self. My adult mind finally triumphed over the fears of the deep past. I took a deep, shuddering breath and started considering my options.


    I couldn¡¯t stay in here forever. I don¡¯t care if I had been deliberately imprisoned by some force, or outright teleported in here. I had to get out. But how? I don¡¯t think I was going to get through that door, not without breaking the weakened floor beneath me. I had to tamp down on a hysterical laugh, for a moment, because this was the second time today that I was being thwarted by a door of all things.


    God, my life was a tragedy sometimes.


    It didn¡¯t have any visible hinges on it either, which was¡­not great. If it had those at the very least, I could have broken them and slipped out that way. It was thick, as well, so I don¡¯t think the corrosive effect of Poisonthorn Shot-


    I stopped. There was an idea, a distant part of me whispered.


    If I couldn¡¯t get through the door¡­.


    I look over at the wall consideringly. That¡­could work. It might be the only way I could get through the wall, actually. I didn¡¯t have enough room in here to draw and using any of my weapons or tools. Not even my daggers, really.


    But if I wedged one hand up against the wall, and used the Skill then¡­


    Maybe I could burrow a hole into the room next to me and try and get out that way.


    No time like the present, I guess.


    I slid one hand up to rest on the wall to my right in this cramped space and called for the Skill.


    Poisonthorn Shot.


    I felt the thunk as the thorn embedded itself in the wall, but more importantly than that, I felt the wall start to give. The sizzling of rusted, corroded metal pierced the quiet of the cell, and chemical smoke drifted up to my nostrils. I grimaced at the smell but soldiered on.


    That couldn¡¯t be good for me.


    It only took seconds for my skill to pierce through the surprisingly thin walls, causing my hand to slip through into open air. I didn¡¯t feel anything on the other side, so I withdrew the arm and knelt down enough to look through the small hole. The floor creaked warningly at the movement, but I did my best to pay it no mind.


    On the other side of the wall was¡­


    Another cell, almost identical to the one I was in. I wasn¡¯t able to see the door from this position, but judging by the slight illumination in there, it was shut closed as well.


    I let out a resigned, tense sigh. For a moment, I was tempted to try again on the other wall, but I think¡­


    I think there was only open space on that side. There was a small pitting on that wall that let me look through, and on the other side, I saw a deep, foreboding darkness that represented only open air.


    Still.


    The hole I had made was progress, at the least. And the sight of it was lessening my old fears of tight spaces.


    Time to make it bigger.


    I got to work widening the hole with my corrosive hole, and when it was large enough, I carefully slipped through.


    Closed door, like I thought.


    I tried again on the far wall.


    And again.


    And again.


    And again¡­

 Chapter 268 - Breaking the Rules

    I had no way of knowing just how long I spent trying to bore my way through the walls of this prison. I couldn¡¯t even count the number of identical cells I slipped my way into, like a questing snake in search of freedom. I had to have been going for¡­hours, days even.


    Maybe weeks? I¡­


    I just¡­couldn¡¯t tell time anymore.


    I eventually became so good at using Poisonthorn Shot in such an unusual way that I could manifest the thorn without ¡®shooting¡¯ it. I held it now almost like it was a pen in my hand, used to burrow through rusted, corroded steel.


    Eventually, though, I¡­stopped.


    I just stopped everything I was doing to stare blankly forward at the next wall that I had been set to dig into. I was too tired to continue. I had nothing more left in my body to keep going.


    No will.


    No strength.


    No hope.


    And in that stillness where I had come to a halt, I finally heard it. It was like there was a voice, just outside of the range of my hearing, whispering almost inaudibly in my ear. There were no words, at least nothing that I could recognize. It urged me onward, whispering the concept of poisonous, false hope. If only I continued onward, I would surely escape from this endless Hell. The exit would come eventually, it whispered.


    But¡­


    That wasn¡¯t true, was it?


    This¡­was this even real?


    No¡­


    This was a maze.


    I was being influenced by something, wasn¡¯t I? I hadn¡¯t even realized, because it wasn¡¯t targeting the usual source. Whenever I¡¯d been subject to mental influence in the past, it had always been my Core Ring that saved me. Normally, it was protected by the shield of my Outer Ring. But not this time.


    Now, it was my Core that had been affected. Something had slipped right past my Outer to worm its way in, to cast a spell over my inner self.


    Clever, in a way. But whatever this was, it couldn¡¯t hope to affect both of my Rings.


    For once, it was the Outer that saved me.


    All of sudden, my attention sharpened. I looked behind me, and I saw¡­


    Nothing. It was just a solid blank wall, corroded and pitted, and yet there was no hole to indicate that I¡¯d been crawling through potentially hundreds of cell walls.


    I think¡­I hadn¡¯t even done anything. I¡¯d just been trapped in a mental loop, staring uselessly at a wall for¡­who knows how long.


    But I was free now, and I was aware of the influence. I think the entire idea of breaking down walls had been from the whisper. It wanted me focused on an entirely asinine plan of action. It wanted me to stay in an endless, inescapable maze fashioned off of a childhood fear.


    So, I wasn¡¯t going to do it, obviously. That left me with one question, though.


    What now?


    My eyes drifted downward to stare at the somewhat ominous hole in the corner of this cell. I couldn¡¯t fit through that without breaking the precarious floor, but I did have something that could.


    I shuffled around until I stood with one palm open, and called for my newest Skill.


    Manifestation of Agony.


    My Sprite darted into being, and without even needing to be told, my Core Ring slid into it. The little bunch of fiery blue and crimson thorns saluted me and then floated downwards


    In and through the hole.


    I didn¡¯t have real-time observation through my Sprite, which was honestly a bit annoying, so I had to wait for it to come back. It didn¡¯t take long, however. It couldn¡¯t have been gone for more than five minutes before that ghostly blue head poked back through the hole. Once it was in sight, the resident mind returned home and told me what it had found.


    Stone, and an endless abyss below us. It was incredibly dark outside of the cell, but my Core thought that wherever we were, it was floating over an immense pit into Vereden.


    This was one strange bunker.


    However¡­


    If it was just open air out there, then I didn¡¯t care about breaking through this flimsy floor.


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    I had wings, after all.


    I might just be able to find another entrance back into the bunker from outside. I wasn¡¯t going to find my companions or the information I sought from inside this cell. Both were somewhere in this complex.


    Plan made, I rolled my neck back and forth to crack it, and then only needed to cast one more Skill in order to get underway. After all, the weight alone seemed like it would be enough for my purposes.


    Vis Maledicta Exactoris.


    I exploded to my full transformed state and immediately banged my head against the roof of the cell. I didn¡¯t have long to even register that pain, though, because moments later¡­


    I plunged through the floor into the open air, flaring my wings as I did so.


    My Core had been right.


    It was incredibly dark out here, but there was still enough light drifting outwards from the bunker above that I could make it out. It was, frankly, enormous. It was a massive, sprawling complex of which I could only barely see a fraction of, but I could be sure of one thing.


    This wasn¡¯t the spiral-patterned fortification I had been expecting. Instead, it almost looked like an ordinary, if not somewhat militarily styled building of absolutely enormous size. It was seemingly floating in midair, as well, suspended from some kind of force or matter that I couldn''t see from where I was.


    However, a problem presented itself.


    I wasn¡¯t supposed to be out here.


    A vast, furious sense of unwelcome assaulted me the moment I started drifting through the open air of the chasm the bunker hung in. The voice that had been inaudibly whispering in my ear was not happy. Siren-loud whispers echoed out through the dark, all of them filled with an unending condemnation. I could still make out no words, but I knew what it was saying.


    I wasn¡¯t playing by the rules. If I didn¡¯t get back in the bunker now, I was going to be crushed as a rule breaker. Already, I could make out malevolent wisps of magenta Aether seeping through the walls of the bunker. They began to stretch my way on long, sinuous, barbed tentacles, and from the feel of them, I could tell I was naught but an ant.


    If those touched me, I would be erased from existence.


    I cast my eyes about desperately as I flapped in place, searching for another way into the bunker that wasn¡¯t just my escaped cell.


    There!


    Off to my right and above me, I could see another source of the crimson light of the bunker. There was a rent in the walls as if a great clawed creature had tested them against the steel, and the steel had been found wanting. I couldn¡¯t see what was on the other side of that hole, but it had to be better than the certain death of the cavern.


    I flapped my wings hard to gain altitude in the blackness, just barely dodging the first malignant tentacle as it swiped at me. I didn¡¯t stop pumping my wings as I raced towards my salvation, speeding towards the opening in the corroded steel walls, chased by feelers wrought from sizzling, corrupted Aether.


    Just a little further¡­


    I could see that the gap in the walls wasn¡¯t large enough for my transformed body to fit through, much less my wings, so instead, the moment I reached it, I canceled the Skill. My forward momentum was enough to carry me through the opening, and I broke my fall with a roll, skidding to a stop on the thankfully much more structurally sound floor inside of the bunker.


    I raised my head just in time to watch as the hunting tentacles stopped just outside of the gap in the wall, hovering in place for a moment just outside the jagged steel opening, eerily still. After a tense eternity where it felt like they were somehow watching me, they slowly, gradually retreated until they were out of view.


    I let out a sigh of relief and slumped back to rest on the wall behind me. I closed my eyes for a moment to center myself after the ordeal that was¡­more mentally taxing than physically, honestly. My head tilted back to thud onto the rusted wall behind me as I considered my current situation.


    Okay.


    So.


    Somehow, someway, this bunker had turned out to be a trap. I¡¯d led my friends and companions into some kind of ancient trap that had been, if I was going to hazard a guess, possibly set by the gods. Maybe Chaos, maybe Order, but most ancient fuckery that seemed to occur on Vereden could almost always be traced back to them.


    I could be wrong, of course. Maybe the mysterious builders of these bunkers had set this trap all by themselves. But I doubt it.


    The construction of the bunkers, the contents to be found in them¡­they didn¡¯t speak of a particularly malicious people. Vastly more technologically advanced, yes. Spiteful casters of traps that preyed upon people''s childhood fears, no.


    And now my friends were, in all likelihood, trapped in here with me. That left me with only one option, then.


    I had to find them.


    Then, I could search for what I¡¯d been looking for in here.


    If¡­it even still existed, that is.


    My mind made up, I opened my eyes and stood up with a grunt to take in my surroundings. I had seen little of where I had found myself after my mad flight.


    I was immediately struck dumb by what I found.


    This¡­this was a hall, of some sort. An enormous one, stretching far off into the distance to the extent that I couldn¡¯t even see the limits of it. It was lit by small button lights set into the walls and ceiling that flickered with what looked to be a red glow, strobing on and off on occasion. Not all of them seemed to be working correctly, however. There were vast sections of the hall that were drowned in darkness, and the weak lights didn¡¯t contribute much in all honesty.


    But they were enough to see the contents of where I had found myself.


    At first¡­


    At first, I thought they were drums. Tall, metal cylinders that stood upright, slightly tilted back, and supported by corroded metal struts. After the long, long years standing sentinel here in the dark and the rust, many of them had either fallen to pieces, slumped to the side, or in some cases, vanished altogether from their plinths. The front of the tubes was meant to be constructed of glass, I could see. Only a bare handful of the panes still remained unbroken after centuries of neglect, and of those that did, the surface was corroded and masked by rust and dust. Broken glass littered the decayed metal of the floor, making me wary of stepping incautiously. I¡¯d had to puncture my boots back up at the control center for the barges, after all. With a cautious look at my surroundings, I saw no movement and bent down to mend them with Aetherial Melding. I didn¡¯t want glass in my boots to shred my feet after all.


    When I was done, I looked back up, and when I did, something caught my eye. A glint of what looked to be white, or perhaps yellow? I couldn¡¯t tell in this dim, menacingly crimson light. It had come from one of the ¡®drums¡¯ nearest to me, reflected off of a pane of glass.


    For some reason, I shivered. But I shook it off. I needed to get to exploring if I was going to find my companions, and I needed to search this place to do it. I cautiously drew my daggers and held them tightly as I stepped forward to investigate.


    When I reached the tall, metallic tube with its shattered surface, I saw what had caught my attention.


    And I wish I hadn¡¯t.


    My lips parted in silent shock as I stared into the empty sockets of a yellowed, stripped bare human skull.

 Chapter 269 - Hall of the Dead

    ¡°Oh fuck,¡± I whispered, struck by the sight of the skull. Though I had spoken as quietly as I dared, my voice still echoed through the enormous hall I¡¯d found myself in. The expletive bounced off the walls and returned to me endlessly, making me wince from the choice.


    Fuck¡­


    Fuck¡­


    Fuck¡­


    I felt like I¡¯d just defiled a tomb. Not just from the words.


    But from my mere presence.


    I took a shuddering breath to calm my nerves and inspected the inside of the¡­coffin, I suppose.


    The interior of it was padded with what, to my eye, looked to be cushioned plastic of some kind. More than anything else in this¡­thing, it had held up the best over what must have been centuries of degradation. Still, it was fraying at the seams, and underneath it, I could see what appeared to be extremely advanced circuitry. Something far more advanced than anything that would have been found on Earth. The electronics appeared to snake their way all through and underneath the rusted metal shell of whatever this was.


    Looking closer at the entire thing, and doing my best not to focus on the occupant, I could see that there was a kind of control station set to the right of each tube. Set on it was what looked to be a¡­flat screen panel of some kind. When I reached out and cautiously tapped it with one ungloved finger, I couldn¡¯t tell if I was disappointed that it didn¡¯t light up under the digit or relieved.


    Finally, I screwed up the nerve to examine the¡­remains. I looked up and met the empty sockets of the skull once more. Considering my previous experiences with the undead, and my luck, I had almost expected to see an eerie blue glow in those hollow recesses. Thankfully, nothing had changed.


    That¡­well, that certainly was a skeleton, alright. The resting place of this poor soul was tilted back far enough that the bones lay nearly flat upon the frayed cushions, maintaining an eerily familiar humanoid figure. Human male, if I had to guess, if only by the shape of the hips.


    I knew at least a little bit of anatomy.


    The bones themselves looked to be eerily stripped clean in a manner that I didn¡¯t think occurred naturally. If this person had died and decayed in a normal manner, I would have expected at least a little bit of evidence of ligaments to have survived. Maybe even a few scraps of skin or highly leatherized muscle. But no, this skeleton was cleaned to an uncanny degree, nearly resembling a holiday prop. There were no markings on the bones to indicate that this might have been done by scavengers either. He had to have been naked at the time of his death, too, considering I saw no fragments of clothing anywhere near him.


    Attached to the skull there was one thing, however.


    What looked to be a silicone medical mask was still strapped to the skull, even if nothing else remained.


    I stood there for a few minutes, simply staring down at the ancient corpse lying in his fated coffin and pondering it all.


    It looked like I had found the first mystery of this particular bunker, beyond its eerie trap, degraded state, or torturous prison.


    What had happened here? Was it even possible to find out?


    I would just have to continue my explorations, I suppose. A thought struck me then, prompted by my core ring. I stepped away from that particular coffin and cast my gaze over at the one adjacent to it. Sure enough, there was another one inside, this time female, also stripped bare.


    And then the next contained another. And the next, and the next, and the next.


    Until I came upon a curious sight.


    In the next metallic coffin, I found a much shorter skeleton. For one dreadful moment, I thought it might be the remains of a child. But no. After a closer inspection, I was startled to realize that the structure of this skeleton was much too broad to be that of a human child. It was stout, broad, and the form of it was altogether familiar to me.


    This was the skeleton of a dwarf.


    There were more than human remains in this hall.


    ¡­what else was in here? I picked up my pace at that question, casting gazes at the¡­¡®pods¡¯ as I did so.


    Human, human, dwarf, human, dwarf, dwarf, human, human.


    And then I stopped, because there was something I had never seen before. This was a skeleton that was even smaller than that of the dwarves I¡¯d found. It was shorter, and yet more slender. Once again, I almost mistook it for that of a human child. But it couldn¡¯t be. The limbs were shorter, the torso was longer, and the head was enormous in comparison to the rest of the body.


    This wasn¡¯t what I had been expecting. I had thought there might have been elven corpses in here as well, if there were dwarves. There still might be, now that I thought about it. I didn¡¯t actually know anything about elven physiology. Some of the human skeletons I had found just might belong to the ¡®knife-ears¡¯, as Azarus called them.


    But this.


    What was this?


    A short conversation I¡¯d had with Grey last year sparked to the forefront of my memory. He had been telling me about the collective war that the peoples of Vereden had waged against the Calamity known today only as the ¡®Sea Beast¡¯. How in that time, there had been a fourth native species upon the surface of this world, who had birthed the creature into being through reckless experimentation upon Primes. How they had ultimately met an untimely fate at the claws of that beast, and been wiped from the face of Vereden.


    The people he could only refer to as ¡®The Lost¡¯.


    I gazed down at this oddly proportioned skeleton and felt a shiver run down my spine. Was this one of those people? I have to say, I had known they¡¯d been small, but I hadn¡¯t been expecting them to be even smaller than dwarves.


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    I had to take a step back and cast my gaze around all of the capsules around me in astonished horror. I was surrounded by them on all sides, neatly arranged in wide lanes. From where I was, there had to be nearly fifty of them on each side, stretching all the way to the wall. That then extended for maybe¡­I don¡¯t even know how long.


    Miles? There could be miles of these pods down the length of the hall. Maybe it was only the dark, nearly strobing crimson light in this room. But I couldn¡¯t see the end of it, no matter how hard I tried.


    There had to be thousands of these coffins in here. No, tens, maybe hundreds of thousands.


    And all of them, each and every one¡­


    Contained a corpse.


    A creeping sense of dread crawled down my spine. This was¡­monstrous. Evil on a scale that I don¡¯t think anyone could reasonably conceive of.


    Who would do something like this? What had these people even been here for? What was the purpose of these pods?


    I¡­didn¡¯t know.


    It was as I was examining the Lost skeleton that I heard it. For a moment, I didn¡¯t understand what I was hearing. When the realization hit me, a shiver went down my spine anew. That¡­that beeping sound¡­


    That was something nearly anyone who had grown up in a modern Earth culture would recognize. That almost sounded like the steady blip of an EKG machine.


    There was¡­there could be one of these pods still active, down here.


    I stood stock still for a moment, frozen in indecision. Should I¡­should I try and find it? Was one of these people still alive, after all this time?


    No¡­I had to find out. If there was still a living member of the bunker people down here, then maybe they could give me answers. Maybe they knew what was going on not only with this bunker but with Vereden.


    Maybe they knew about Precursors.


    I focused, concentrating on my hearing. The noise was faint, extremely so. I think it was only because of the absolute silence in this hall that I could hear it at all.


    But¡­I think I could follow it.


    Carefully, I stepped forward, following the source of the beeping further into the hall.


    Beep¡­beep¡­beep¡­


    Farther to the right. I adjusted my course, and wound my way through among the capsules of the dead, slowly closing in on the sound.


    Beep¡­beep¡­beep¡­


    Deeper and deeper I wandered in search of the origin. I must have gone nearly half a mile by now, but the sound of the beeping had grown noticeably louder. I was close, I was sure.


    BEEP¡­BEEP¡­BEEP¡­


    And then, all at once, I found the source.


    There was a door set into the wall of the hall. A sliding kind, constructed of the same precisely machined steel as the rest of the bunker. Only¡­


    The corrosion didn¡¯t seem to have reached it. Yes, it was half destroyed, I could see that. The door was nearly shut, leaving only a sliver of width open from which the sound could escape. Exposed wiring was visibly poking through the surface of both the door, and the panel next to it.


    But none of the rust and pitting visible through the rest of the structure was there.


    Something about that¡­it struck me as important.


    I had stopped at the sight of it, but I shook off my sudden sense of apprehension. Cautiously, I approached the nearly wrecked door and examined it.


    I sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll need to force it open,¡± I said to myself quietly. I don¡¯t even know why. It¡¯s not like there was anyone around to speak to.


    Except the dead, I suppose.


    Carefully, I activated Might of the Wyrdwood at ten percent and set my hands around the doorframe. With my enhanced strength, it wasn¡¯t hard for me to force the sliding door back into its recess. However, it caused an unholy cacophony as I did so. The tortured screech of metal on metal filled the air, echoing up and down the length of the tomb I had found myself in. I cringed at the noise, but didn¡¯t let it stop me.


    Before long, the door was open. Now yawning before me was darkness, pure and deep. No light, crimson or otherwise, pierced through that gloom.


    But the beeping did.


    BEEP¡­BEEP¡­BEEP¡­


    I needed light to see what was causing that, and I suppose I had a few options. My Sprite would produce a bit of light, but it would be relatively weak and a constant drain on my Mana at that.


    Maybe I should have insisted on learning an actual General Skill for light after all.


    More than a year later, and that was still popping up.


    Damnit.


    I was going to have to produce a light Spell of my own. The ignition of a single, tiny Spell like that would only require an insignificant amount of Mana, which is why I suppose they were so popular. But it would take me a few minutes of concentration to actualize the required Mana.


    I repressed a sigh and closed my eyes, falling into the core of my Soul in only moments. After my lessons with the Elder, I was well used to this by now. Even if it was time-consuming.


    A handful of minutes later, I opened my eyes and held out one palm facing the ceiling. Carefully structuring the required thought forms, I let the Mana I had so carefully gathered fill the grooves of that structure.


    And ignited it with my Mana.


    A star of pure white light blossomed to float above my palm. I spared myself a brief moment of triumph at the successful casting and stepped forward into the darkness of the room. Instantly, I was able to tell what this place was. It could be nothing else than what my light revealed.


    A laboratory.


    A massively advanced one, at that.


    It wasn¡¯t a large one, I could say that at least. Maybe about seven hundred square feet in total, it was roughly rectangular in shape. Both walls of the room were lined with old, decayed cabinets, their doors halfway hanging off of the recesses. Below them were table spaces upon which only dust remained, no instruments or objects to be found. I would say the room was modest, but that would betray the single most important thing I could see in here. Something just barely visible from my position near the door.


    A reflection. On the far end of the room was a single, intact pane of glass set into a tall, upright, cylindrical object.


    One of the pods.


    Undamaged.


    The beeping was coming from that direction.


    BEEP¡­BEEP¡­BEEP¡­


    I advanced cautiously into the room, kicking up clouds of dust as I did. I nearly tripped over something on my way towards the capsule, so focused on it as I was. Looking down, I saw what looked to be a¡­microscope, I think, if not a massively advanced one. The thing was nearly broken in half and held together by only a few strands of wires. Looking closer, I could see that the floor was littered with scientific equipment of all kinds, all of it clearly broken. I suppose this is where everything that had been on the shelves ended up.


    I shook my head and disregarded that, taking another step forward.


    Before long, I stood before the capsule at the end of the room. This close, the beeping was oddly loud. It rang in my ears as I gazed at the pod in a mix of curiosity and dread.


    Unlike all of the other pods, this one was visibly still intact.


    And still working, at that.


    This close to it, I could feel that it was unnaturally cold standing next to the capsule. The glass was frosted over, quite literally, and I couldn¡¯t see into it at all. I couldn¡¯t tell if there was an actual person inside of this apparent¡­cryo-pod of some sort?


    The notion that something of that manner was actually possible was a bit of a shock to me. I thought those only existed in the realm of fiction back on Earth.


    I shook that off and looked down at the intact screen to the right of the cryo-pod. It too was still intact, and to my excitement, it came alive when I touched it.


    The screen lit up, as bright white as my active Spell. The layout of the panel¡­something about it reminded me of the computer from back in Hollow Hill. The user experience design seemed to have been birthed from the same principles. However, it was much simpler.


    On the glowing surface of the screen, there were only two buttons. One blue, and one green. I¡­had no idea what either did. Snaking its way above the two buttons was the familiar sight of a single line, undulating in steady waves. The pulses lined up perfectly with the beeping noise that echoed, somewhere, somehow, from the sides of the panel.


    BEEP¡­BEEP¡­BEEP¡­


    Hopefully, one of these buttons wasn¡¯t a kill switch or something. I really didn''t want to murder whatever poor person was stuck in this tube. Out of options, I reached out and put a finger on the blue button.


    The reaction was immediate.


    If not what I was expecting.


    The frost on the surface of the glass immediately vanished, allowing me to see the contents of the cryo-pod. When it did, I felt my heart skip a beat in my chest.


    Someone was in this tube, all right. But not just anyone.


    There was a little girl inside.

 Chapter 270 - Frozen Hazel

    For some reason, the mere sight of the child sent a shiver down my spine. Not just because it was extremely unnerving to see her, no. The instant she was revealed to my eyes, I swear I felt the presence of someone standing just behind me. A cold breeze blew out of nowhere to tickle the back of my neck, almost as if a frozen breath had appeared from nowhere to fall upon me. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I wildly spun in place to look behind me.


    Nothing.


    There was nothing there. The only thing I could see was the room behind me, lit by the strobing red light of the greater hall through the door I had entered. I did my best to calm the heightened breathing from the near panic I¡¯d fallen into and scolded myself.


    Get a grip, Nate. There was nothing down here but dust, rust, and my missing companions.


    Presumably.


    Well¡­


    And the little girl in the pod.


    With one last wary eye at my surroundings, I turned back to inspect her and the pod. Turned out, I had been wrong about what these things were. I hadn¡¯t been able to see into the capsule with the glass darkened, but it appeared that these weren¡¯t specifically ¡®cryo¡¯ pods.


    Instead, they seemed to suspend their occupants in some kind of liquid instead. The entire thing was filled to the absolute brim with a strange, clear substance of some sort. It wasn¡¯t water, I could tell that if only from the viscosity of it. Too thick, for one, and too¡­


    Well, bright.


    There was a very slight glow to the fluid that indicated mysticality of some kind. My senses couldn¡¯t tell what form of energy it was through the glass, but I didn¡¯t really know of any sort of liquid with an inherent glow.


    Other than particularly potent potions, of course. But... if this was a potion, there sure was an awful lot of it.


    Thankfully, the kid inside wasn¡¯t as naked as I believed the rest of the ¡®victims¡¯ I suppose I could call them, had appeared to be at the time of death. Whoever this child was, she was wearing what appeared to be a medical gown of some kind, stark white against the deep blue plastic of the cushions behind her. It waved slowly in the circulation of the fluid in the pod, along with the child¡¯s very long, bright blonde hair. That might be the longest hair I had ever seen on a kid, actually. The thin golden strands very much appeared to have grown past her own height, to where I think it might well drag on the ground behind her. The effect appeared almost as if she bore a long, brilliant cape behind her thin body.


    Which was odd, considering her apparent age.


    I wouldn¡¯t put this child past ten years old, maybe eleven if I was being generous. I hadn¡¯t even known it was possible for kids that young to have hair that long.


    Through the pane of thick glass, the child almost appeared as if she was sleeping peacefully. Strapped to her face was one of the silicone medical masks I¡¯d seen on the remains in the greater hall, but I could still her face beneath it. This girl had thin, almost elfin features to my eyes, but thankfully she wasn¡¯t literally an Elf. The tips of her perfectly round, decidedly human ears occasionally showed through her golden hair.


    The entire sight of the girl, suspended for who knows how many years, was almost¡­angelic, in comparison to the dour environs I found her in.


    I had followed the continuous beeping in the hope that I would find a surviving member of the bunker people. Someone who could give me some much-needed answers.


    Instead¡­


    Instead, I had found someone who needed my help instead.


    I had to get this girl out of here. I realized that pretty much the instant I had laid eyes on her, I¡¯d made that decision. Whoever or whatever this girl actually was, I couldn¡¯t just leave her down here. This was a child. What kind of monster would just leave a little girl down here to potentially rest in suspended animation for eternity? I had to assume she was a survivor of whatever had befallen this bunker, somehow protected from the cataclysm that had wiped out the entire population.


    She might well be their last light of hope, carried into the future.


    That left me in a quandary, however.


    Did I get her out now, or come back for her later? Even beyond the trap that had drawn my companions and I into these depths, this place didn¡¯t exactly strike me as safe. Those violet tendrils of corrupted Aether from earlier had been monstrously strong. To the extent I¡¯m not sure Rhazal himself would have disregarded them.


    That wasn¡¯t all, though.


    Sometimes¡­


    Sometimes I felt like I was being watched, in here. There was the incident only a few moments ago, of course. But more than that, while I had been exploring the veritable hall of the dead outside this lab, I hadn¡¯t been able to shake the feeling that I wasn¡¯t exactly¡­alone.


    The space of the hall didn¡¯t feel as empty as it might appear. I didn¡¯t see anything, of course, and I had very much been keeping an eye out. But¡­


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    But.


    That feeling had passed, once I had entered this lab. In here, it was just me.


    And her.


    Something about this lab felt...safer than the greater hall, but still.


    Was it safe to take this girl out of her protective shell, and bring her with me? Would I only be dooming her to whatever it was that had infested this bunker in the long years since it had fallen? I¡­might be able to come back for her later, after I had found my friends and dealt with whatever resided at the core of this complex. After all, I hadn¡¯t forgotten the implicit request of Masayuki Ashiwara to deal with whatever was causing the continuous return of Tatsugan, presumably down here. I even wanted to do that.


    If I had the ability to effect lasting positive change in the history of an entire nation, I felt I had the duty to at least make the attempt.


    But¡­


    Still, something in me said I needed to get her out now. I and my companion''s entrance into this bunker had changed or perhaps awoken something down here. There was no telling that this girl would remain safe, or that I would even be able to return to this specific hall once I¡¯d fulfilled my objectives.


    All of these thoughts passed through my enhanced mind in an instant. And when they did, I made a snap judgment, made purely off of a gut feeling.


    Honestly, it rarely steered me wrong.


    I reached out and lay one finger on the green button.


    For a moment, nothing happened, not like the immediate change that had occurred with the blue button. I momentarily feared that too much time had passed, and the pod had degraded into a prison instead of a life-saving womb.


    The sound of long degraded pumps firing to life somewhere below the floor disabused me of that notion. Creaking, groaning, and the growl of a hidden engine filled the air. Before my eyes, the strange fluid that filled the pod slowly began to empty through a small drain at the bottom of it. The girl inside began to lower with the level of the liquid, until her small, dainty feet touched down onto the grating at the bottom. Once all of the fluid was gone from the pod, she hung in place, suspended by two small prongs that had popped out of the backside of the tube. Still, she didn¡¯t stir from her slumber, dripping the strange fluid. Strangely, it slid off of her form perfectly, including her clothes and hair. It didn¡¯t appear to leave any visible moisture behind when I had been expecting her to be veritably soaking.


    I was startled out of my examination by the sound of long-neglected gears grinding to life from the pod. The entire enclose began to lean forward from its slightly reclined posture in fits and starts, until it stood fully upright. Visible sparks flew from the sides of the pod as hidden hinges on the front door tried to open the whole thing vertically, releasing a curious smell into the dusty interior of this lab. I swear, the scent was almost minty. I stepped back to watch so I didn¡¯t get hit by the glass, but I needn¡¯t have bothered.


    The mechanism to open the pod failed halfway, leaving the girl trapped inside.


    I frowned and stepped forward, bending down to grab the lip of the door. With just a little force, it was surprisingly easy to lift the glass panel until it was all the way open, stretching nearly to the darkened ceiling.


    I wasn¡¯t prepared for what happened next.


    The pegs holding the child upright retreated for some reason, causing the still comatose foundling to bonelessly list forward. Thoughtlessly, I stepped forward to catch her before she could hit the ground, kneeling before the pod to gentle the embrace.


    She was so¡­light. Fragile, really. In the incredibly dim light of the Skill I had left floating in midair, it struck me then that this child¡¯s purity was at incredible odds with the bleak atmosphere of the bunker.


    Kneeling there with the child in my arms, I felt her stir in my arms. She was finally waking from the long, long sleep she had been placed under. Before my eyes, she shifted in my arms, and I saw movement under her eyelids. I held my breath as those same lids began to inch open, allowing me to see her eyes for the first time.


    I think it was only because I had held my breath that I didn¡¯t gasp.


    Because they were green.


    Emerald green.


    The same shade¡­as my own.


    Somehow, someway¡­


    A perfect match.


    Our eyes met, and the two of us inspected each other for a moment. She was¡­very definitely awake now, and yet the child had yet to make a sound as she stared up at me. I didn¡¯t either, to be fair. I was, in a way, terrified that the girl was terrified of me. I was a fairly¡­gruesome sight, these days, and I was very aware of that.


    Long, inhuman ears ridged with blackened scales jutted from the sides of my head, while similar scales traced the old scar I¡¯d received from my first monster. Weapons, armor, and equipment covered every spare inch of my body, and I was aware that they were somewhat ragged from days of hard marching and combat. I¡¯m sure I stank, too, despite the perpetual shower happening outside the bunker.


    Yet¡­


    The child slowly raised one hand to curiously trace the line of black scales on my left cheek, tilting her head at me as she did so.


    And spoke.


    In.


    English.


    ¡°Who¡­are you?¡± A tired, high-pitched, and yet strangely unafraid little girl¡¯s voice echoed from the child in my arms. She blinked slowly at me. ¡°Did mama send you?¡±


    I barely registered the words said by the fey-like creature in my arms. Instead, I was still struck dumb by what they¡¯d been said in. I hadn¡¯t heard spoken English from another person in¡­God, I had no idea how long. I don¡¯t think I even spoke it to myself, anymore. Language Adaptation had been steadily teaching me Veredenese Herztalian for some time now. I had to check with my shell-shocked core ring to be sure that the Skill hadn¡¯t just been translating for us.


    But no.


    That was English, all right.


    My mother tongue sounded outright alien to me.


    ¡°Mister?¡± A small voice called out, snapping me from my shock. I blinked and looked down at the child once more. She was still curiously calm, completely at odds with my experiences with children.


    But I didn¡¯t know what to say. I realized now that the girl had asked after her mother.


    How¡­how do you tell a little girl that her mother was likely dead, and might have been for possible centuries? Maybe even millennia?


    Thankfully, I was saved from having to try by the little girl wincing in my arms, one of her tiny hands reaching up towards her scalp. Momentarily, I thought she might have hit her head on the way out, but no. Instead, she was just inspecting the no doubt incredibly heavy weight of all of that hair. In fact, she looked confused at the sight of just how much she had.


    I¡¯m guessing she didn¡¯t have that when she went under.


    I finally found my voice. ¡°Is that new for you?¡± I said in as gentle a voice as I could muster.


    With my help, the girl sat up just before the pod she had fallen from. Outside of it, the sheer amount of hair she had looked decidedly unwieldy. The look she gave me from underneath all of it, there in the light case by her former sleeping place, made her look decidedly like a bedraggled kitten.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile slightly, despite the circumstances. I crouched back down to eye level with her. ¡°What¡¯s your name? Mine¡¯s Nathan Hart.¡±


    She gave me a curious look, her eyes lingering on something over my shoulder before she smiled at me.


    ¡°Aveline,¡± The girl said quietly, peering up at me with strangely unafraid eyes through thick locks of golden hair. ¡°My name is Aveline, mister. Can you¡­can you help me with my hair?¡±

 Chapter 271 - Montblanc

    Deftly, I finished slicing off the last lock of thick blonde hair from the head of the mysterious little girl name ¡®Aveline¡¯. Thankfully, the small travel razor that I used for my face was sharp enough for the purpose, and it hadn¡¯t been difficult for me to do this at her request.


    I¡­couldn¡¯t say the same about the styling. I knew jack and shit about actually cutting hair in an aesthetic manner.


    I hope she liked straight across because that was what I¡¯d done around mid-back for her. Thankfully, the strange little wisp of a child had yet to voice a word of complaint while I was sheering more hair off her head than I think she weighed, kneeling before the now-empty pod I had found her in. When at last I had finished, there was an actual pile of discarded blonde locks lying carelessly next to her former resting place.


    I¡¯m not sure I liked the look in her eyes, so similar to my own, as she stared at it.


    ¡°Mr. Hart?¡± She asked quietly, her young voice echoing in the laboratory. She was still looking at the hair instead of me.


    ¡°¡­yes?¡±


    Finally, her gaze shifted my way, to where I was kneeling near her. ¡°How long¡­was I in the pod for?¡±


    The question hung in the air.


    All I could do was slowly shake my head her way. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Aveline. I¡­actually don¡¯t know anything about this place. But I¡¯m guessing¡­it had to have been a very long time.¡±


    Aveline¡¯s thin blonde eyebrows furrowed. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± She asked in confusion. ¡°But you¡­you¡¯re¡­¡± She trailed off, now taking a closer look at me. For the first time, I think she actually registered how heavily armed and armored I was. That, I think, alarmed her more than even my mutations.


    Now there was the fear I had been expecting, even if it was slight.


    But this was a child, even if she was an odd one. I knew how to deal with her.


    I took a deep breath and undid the clasp on my cloak, removing it from my shoulders. At the same time, I removed my staff from its back holster and laid it down on the ground next to me, keeping the cloak in my arms. Next was Terratcus, and my bow, and even my daggers. In moments, I had entirely disarmed myself to lay everything in a pile not far from her cut hair.


    With one foot, I shoved the weaponry away until it impacted one of the cabinets in the lab with a thud and a shower of dust. Under Aveline¡¯s suddenly confused stare, I sat down cross-legged in front of her, holding the cloak in my lap. The slight dais and steps of the pod that Aveline sat on meant that she was slightly above me. No longer as wary and frightened as she had been, the little girl looked down on me curiously.


    I met her gaze calmly. ¡°What am I is someone who wants to help you, Aveline. I want to take you from¡­whatever this place truly is, so you can get checked out by a Healer friend of mine. Maybe even a few of them. I don¡¯t know if however long you were in that thing hurt you at all.¡±


    Plus, I was starting to think this place was incredibly dangerous all on its own. It was no place for a little girl.


    But I didn¡¯t say that, at least not yet. I didn¡¯t want to frighten the kid out of her mind.


    Aveline blinked at me. ¡°I¡­think I¡¯m fine,¡± She said uncertainly. ¡°Mama said I might be in here for a long, long, long time, but that one of us should come find me one day. Sta-sis is safe, she said.¡±


    Stasis, eh.


    But that wasn¡¯t as important as something else she said.


    ¡®One of us.¡¯


    I felt my heartbeat pick up. With my levels in Acting, it wasn¡¯t exactly hard to keep my sudden excitement from showing on my face. Not from an uncertain child.


    ¡°If I was able to open the pod¡­¡± I said slowly. ¡°Does that mean I¡¯m one of you?¡±


    To my disappointment, Aveline shook her head, sending her butchered hair flying. ¡°No¡­at least, I don¡¯t think so? But¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°But you have the eyes, Mr. Hart,¡± Aveline said, suddenly sounding certain. ¡°We¡¯re the only people that have the eyes, mama said so. You¡¯re one of us, you have to be!¡± She suddenly stood up and scurried over. I was careful not to react as the desperate child laid her cold hands on my cheeks and stared into my eyes. ¡°You¡¯re a Netherim¡­right?¡±


    Netherim.


    At long last, I had a name for the bunker people. That name¡­


    I felt absolutely no connection to it. It didn¡¯t stir a thing in me, no matter how certain Aveline was that I was one of her people.


    But¡­one thing caught my attention¡­


    Slowly, so as not to spook the kid, I reached up till I could hold her hands. I carefully removed them from my rough cheeks to cradle in my much larger ones. Startled, Aveline looked down at them and only looked back up when I spoke again.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had eyes like this since I was born-¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± Aveline suddenly butted in, sounding distressed. ¡°That¡¯s not possible! You only get the Em-er-ald Eyes when you¡¯re ad-justed! Without it, the air in the Garden will kill you from all the Ae-ter in it!¡±


    For some reason, a shiver went down my spine, and not because of the childish mispronunciation.


    ¡°¡­what?¡± I breathed, a feeling of dread overtaking me.


    My eyes¡­weren¡¯t my own?


    ¡°You know! You have to know!¡± She said desperately, looking to be near tears. ¡°Only the Netherim have the Eyes! The Genirim don¡¯t have them! Only the Children of Lost Terra do! Mama said so!¡±


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The bottom of my stomach fell out at those words.


    ¡®The Children of Lost Terra.¡¯


    Not Old Terra, as Rhazal and Tlazo had referred to it as.


    Lost.


    And this child, right here, was telling me that she was one of those Children.


    Just. Like. Me.


    At the stunned look that must have existed on my face, the distressed little girl suddenly lunged forward, latching onto me in a desperate hug. She started sobbing into my shoulder as my dazed arms almost automatically reached up and wrapped around her slight form. I stared forward unseeingly at the pod Aveline had rested in for¡­potentially millennia, both rings of my mind racing to the extent that none of my thoughts were actually coherent.


    Netherim, Genirim¡­


    I had hoped that finding someone down here would present me with some answers. But instead¡­


    I only had more questions.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    I let Aveline cry her distress out onto my shoulder, doing my best to comfort this strange child whose world had collapsed with the passing of ages. Eventually, she grew quiet, but I don¡¯t believe she had cried herself to sleep. Instead, after a few more minutes in my embrace, she drew back and looked up at me almost pleadingly.


    I think the time for questions had passed. I didn¡¯t need to put this little girl to the question anymore, and honestly, I was a little ashamed of what I¡¯d already done. I¡¯d let my eagerness for answers override my empathy, even with the little bit that I¡¯d asked her. Clarification on¡­well, everything could either come from another source down here in the ¡®Netherim¡¯ bunker, or later after I had gotten her out of this decaying hulk.


    First, though, there were things to be done.


    I set Aveline back down on the steps of the dias and looked around doubtfully for a moment. ¡°Aveline, you wouldn¡¯t happen to know if there are any¡­shoes in here for you, would you? It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s time to go.¡±


    She looked up at me with large, reddened emerald eyes and nodded. ¡°Uh-huh,¡± She said quietly, pointing over her shoulder around the side of the pod. ¡°There should be a locker with my stuff in it.¡±


    Ah. With the shadows in here, I had barely even noticed the back side of the pod. They were even deeper back there, to the extent it was hidden from my gaze. I gave Aveline one last smile and walked over there, my light Spell bobbing along with me.


    When the glow of it illuminated what was actually back here, I stopped in my tracks, my shoulders tensing. I hadn¡¯t moved far enough for Aveline to lose sight of me, so she tilted her head in curiosity my way, rising slightly from her step. ¡°Mr. Hart? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Nothing!¡± I said hastily, raising a hand to stop her and plastering smile on me face. ¡°I¡¯ve got it, Aveline! No need to get up. You just¡­stay right there.¡±


    She blinked at me doubtfully, but complied, sitting back down.


    I had to suppress a sigh of relief as I moved further back behind the pod. I didn¡¯t want the kid to see what was back here.


    Namely, a corpse.


    Not just a stripped bare skeleton, like the ones out in the greater hall. But a properly desiccated corpse, covered in paper-thin skin, most of its flesh and tissue having melted away with the passing of eons. Bare scraps of ligament and rotten clothing covered the remains, the cut of them making me believe this might have once been a woman. It was hard to tell, though, because I¡­think this unfortunate soul had once been wearing a lab coat, although little had survived of it to this day. She, presumably, was leaning against the back wall of the room, not far from where I could see the small locker Aveline had told me back, set into the base of the dais.


    I couldn¡¯t tell what had caused her death. There were no easily identifiable wounds, nor indications of sickness. As far as I could tell, it was like she had just laid down and died.


    My light glinted off of something pinned to the left breast of the coat scraps. Slowly, I approached the remains and knelt down, leaning forward to get a better look.


    It¡­seemed to be an ID card of some kind, held in place by an alligator clip. On it was a picture of a beautiful, blond-haired woman perhaps in her thirties with emerald green eyes, wearing a pristine white lab coat and smiling at the camera confidently. Next to that picture was a name, written clearly in English.


    I studied it for a moment somberly, before I called out over my shoulder. ¡°Aveline?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Hart?¡± Her voice drifted back to me.


    ¡°Out of¡­ curiosity, what¡¯s your mama¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°Um. It¡¯s Cecily. Cecily Montblanc.¡± She answered, curiosity in her voice. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t get up to investigate. ¡°Why?¡±


    I sighed, closing my eyes briefly in resignation. Still, I made sure my voice had no trace of the sorrow I felt for her in it. ¡°No reason. I found the locker, so give me a minute.¡±


    I didn¡¯t move, though. Instead, I stared forward into the empty eye-sockets of the long-dead remains of what could only be Aveline¡¯s mother. Spelled out clearly on the ID card were the words ¡®Dr. Cecily Clair Montblanc¡¯. Anything else identifiable had long since been erased by the passage of time.


    I couldn¡¯t let Aveline either see this or know about it. The girl struck me as particularly intelligent, so she had to have realized that her mother was gone, if only subconsciously. But knowing that and seeing the remains were two entirely separate things.


    I wasn¡¯t that cruel. Perhaps¡­later.


    Much later.


    Aveline¡­she really didn¡¯t have anything, did she?


    Resolve grew in my heart, sudden and steel firm.


    I bowed my head to the long-departed mother. I made sure to keep my voice as low as possible with my next words. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of her. I promise you that, Cecily.¡±


    I turned from the unfortunate soul and reached for the ring on the small locker to my right. I had to tug on it harder than expected to open it, causing the door to screech in protest at the movement.


    But something else happened that caused my heart to leap into my throat.


    Behind me, I heard a slight ruffling noise, followed by a small clatter.


    My head whipped around, only to find that I was once again staring into empty eye-sockets.


    The head of Cecily¡¯s corpse had turned slightly to the right to stare.


    Right. At. Me.


    I knelt there in sudden tension for¡­I don¡¯t know how long, eye to eye with the apparently moving dead woman. The remains didn¡¯t move or shift an inch further, though, nor did the empty sockets light up to signify the reanimation of undeath. I was only broken out of my stupor by the sound of Aveline¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Mr. Hart? Are you alright?¡±


    I blinked rapidly, my eyes flickering away from the remains in sudden panic. ¡°Just fine!¡± I said, my voice cracking slightly in a way it hadn¡¯t since I was a teenager. ¡°Give me a sec! It¡¯s a real mess back here! Not safe at all!¡±


    A familiar glint caught my eye when I looked back, this time oddly coming from the ground. I followed it to find that Cecily¡¯s ID card had been torn from the remains of the coat, to rest in the open, bony palm of her hand.


    I grit my teeth.


    Okay.


    Message received.


    I snatched it up before my nerves could fail me and stuffed it deep into my supply pouch. Then, I turned around and rapidly snatched up everything in the old locker. I barely registered the small, child-like shoes or the odd grey discus. There were strips of what might have once been clothes in there, but they had unfortunately degraded to the extent they were little better than scraps. Once I had hold of what remained, I stood up and hurried away from the¡­resting place of Aveline¡¯s mother, and stepped back into the light of the pod.


    Aveline lit up when she saw the strange disc in my arms and snatched it out of grip to clutch it to her chest. She barely reacted when I slipped the thankfully intact, strangely plastic shoes onto her tiny feet. She only looked up in curiosity when I slung my cloak over her shoulders, wrapping it around herself. ¡°Warm,¡± She whispered.


    I did my best to smile down at her. ¡°Time to go, Aveline. I¡¯ll get you out of here. I just¡­need to find my friends and take care of something, first. But I swear I¡¯ll look after you. I won¡¯t let anything hurt you.¡±


    Aveline gave me a tiny nod, before looking back down at her¡­toy, I guess. I hastily gathered up my weapons and gear, strapping them back onto my body. My new charge didn¡¯t protest as I bent down and picked her up, holding her close to my chest. She only buried her face into my left shoulder.


    As I turned my back on the pod I¡¯d found her in and strode for the door, my light Spell bobbing along with us, I couldn¡¯t help myself. Once I¡¯d reached the entrance into the lab, I cautiously looked over my shoulder, my eyes deliberately finding the space behind the pod.


    It was hard to tell, but¡­


    I think the skull of Dr. Cecily Montblanc had turned back around to face us, as we were leaving.


    One last sight of her daughter¡­before she left this place forever.


    I shuddered slightly and turned away.

 Chapter 272 - Gaze of the Dead

    Immediately upon stepping out into the hall of the dead with Aveline buried in my shoulder, I could tell that something had changed. The air was¡­heavier in here, for some reason, hotter and muggier. More of the strobing red lights had died out, casting the room in an even deeper shadow. And most importantly¡­


    The faint, diffuse awareness I¡¯d felt earlier had sharpened. It very much felt like there were countless eyes upon me now, staring from some oblique angle.


    I froze, momentarily, staring around at my immediate surroundings as if I were a deer, startled by the stalking of a hunter. No movement greeted my eyes, and yet¡­


    Yet, I was still wary.


    Aveline raised her head just enough to look at me. She must have felt my sudden tension. ¡°Mr. Hart¡­?¡±


    I did my best to relax, even in these circumstances. I smiled down at her. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Aveline. My own shadow just spooked me. You¡­should keep your head down. In fact¡­¡± I reached up with my free hand and tugged the hood of my cloak around her shoulders down over her slight head, hiding from view. ¡°Try and get some rest, yeah? It¡¯s just going to be a bunch of walking for now.¡±


    Through the darkness of the hood, I could see emerald green eyes blink at me doubtfully. ¡°Okay¡­but, Mr. Hart?¡±


    I slowly started out of the doorway and into the hall, eyes roving constantly. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You can call me Lina,¡± The little girl in my arms said, resting her head back on my shoulder. She almost seemed comforted, with her left ear against my chest. ¡°That¡¯s what my friends do.¡±


    Even though she couldn¡¯t see my face, I still smiled down at her momentarily. ¡°Then you can call me Nathan, okay? Mr. Hart was my father.¡±


    At her tired assent, I kept up the pace, grateful that¡­Lina had chosen to keep her head down.


    I didn¡¯t want someone so young to witness so much death, if I could prevent it. I couldn¡¯t imagine what that would do to such a young mind.


    I must have been walking and navigating through the pods for maybe ten minutes when something changed. It was stark to me because of how intensely I was focusing on my surroundings, hypersensitive to even the stagnant air around me.


    A sound echoed out from the hall behind me. It was slight, but in the absolute silence of the hall, it stood out starkly.


    A soft clattering, as if dozens of bones had rubbed against each other in an instant.


    I stopped immediately. Slowly, so as not to startle the drifting child in my arms, I pivoted on one foot to look behind me. I¡¯m not sure exactly what I was expecting. In a place such as this, I¡¯d had a fear lingering in the back of my mind about being overrun by hordes and hordes of the restless dead as I had been in the catacombs beneath Tlatec. Perhaps that fear was finally coming true.


    In a sense, I was nearly right.


    Maybe a hundred feet behind me on the path I¡¯d been navigating, I saw a stark yellow form sitting up from one of the ruined stasis pods. Tall and bare, it could be no doubt as to what it was. In the same manner, I¡¯d suspected Dr. Montblanc¡¯s remains had shifted, one of the dead humans in this hall had abruptly sat up from its grave.


    And turned to face Aveline and me.


    Even across the distance, I could tell that it was looking straight at us. Yet¡­it didn¡¯t move any more than that. It just sat there, staring at the two of us. There was no glow to its eyes to indicate the animation of the wild undead. At the bone-chilling sight, I had tensed, expecting it to come flying our way, leading me need defend Aveline.


    But no.


    Nothing.


    With the odd, dreamlike state of time that seemed to exist in the Netherim bunker, I couldn¡¯t say how long I stood there, locked in a gaze with the eyeless skeleton. Thankfully, Aveline didn¡¯t awake from the child-like nap she¡¯d fallen into on my shoulder.


    I had no idea how she was doing that after potentially millennia of sleep already, but I was grateful nonetheless. Eventually, though, I needed to get back underway. My friends wouldn¡¯t find themselves, after all. I narrowed my eyes at the watcher one last time and turned away from it. However, the moment I took one more step, I heard that same clatter again.


    This time, I spun in place as quickly and as gently as I dared.


    Two more distant watchers had joined the first. One dwarf, and another human.


    They just stared at me.


    A scowl crossed my face, and I dismissed them. They weren¡¯t doing anything, so I was resolved not to care, no matter how much the sensation of formless eyes on me made my skin crawl. I turned back around and kept walking.


    More rattling behind me.


    I didn¡¯t look, as much as my instincts screamed at me. I knew what I would find.


    I did pick up my pace, though.


    The sound of bone-on-bone became a constant companion to me as I steadfastly marched through the rows and rows of the awakening dead. It was starting to feel like none of the endless victims in this hall had properly moved on and now they were, hopefully, just curious.


    I was just thankful that Aveline was such a heavy sleeper that she never woke up, even though the sound wasn¡¯t exactly small.


    Finally, ahead of me, I watched as one of them stopped caring about moving beyond my line of sight. A bony yellowed hand reached up and clasped onto the edge of the pod it was lying in. With a clatter, the desiccated human occupant heaved their way to a sitting position and turned their empty sockets my way. I gradually slowed my pace to the point where I stopped right in front of the watcher''s pod. Their head tracked me until I once more stood standing eye to veritable eye with the dead. My scowl grew, and my grip on Aveline tightened.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    I was sick of this.


    And so I voiced my displeasure.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked simply.


    I felt no need to explain myself. The question was fairly obvious.


    I don¡¯t know what kind of answer, exactly, that I was expecting. It¡¯s not like any of these unfortunate dead had vocal cords anymore in which to answer me. Perhaps they could have used the odd form of soul speech that I¡¯d experienced a handful of times. I wouldn¡¯t put such a thing past the risen dead.


    That wasn¡¯t what happened.


    As if from a great distance, I heard the grinding of rusted gears as they screeched against each other. I winced, and almost instinctively raised my free hand to cover Aveline¡¯s ear, covered as it was by my cloak. Puzzlingly, I didn¡¯t need to. The little girl held in my arms didn¡¯t stir at all, despite the great cacophony that reached my own ears. When I lifted the hood slightly, I was momentarily confused to see that she seemed to be resting peacefully. That seemed deeply odd to me, considering just how thunderous the noise was.


    I¡­guess this was meant for me, and me alone.


    From that noise, I slowly started to decipher words, composed from creaks, groans, and the tortured shriek of steel instead of the passage of wind.


    The¡­girl¡­


    An almost sneering scowl immediately manifested on my lips, and I tightened my grip on Aveline in my arms, causing her to shift and murmur slightly. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t wake up. ¡°No,¡± I said bluntly. ¡°This girl does not belong here with you, among the lingering dead. She belongs outside in the world of the living.¡±


    To my surprise, not only did the skeleton before me incline its head in agreement, but many of the surrounding remains that had risen among us did the same.


    Yes¡­take her¡­run¡­


    My brow furrowed, thrown off. I had thought these restless dead were reluctant to surrender the single spark of life that still survived in these halls. But no.


    They wanted her to escape this damned place just as much as I did.


    ¡°From what?¡± I asked quietly. ¡°Can you¡­tell me what¡¯s going on down here? Who are the Netherim?¡±


    The dead ignored my second question but still answered me.


    Trapped¡­endless¡­punishment¡­hex¡­curse¡­malediction¡­


    A shiver went down my spine, for multiple reasons. On that last creaked word, the gathered dead had bowed their heads, and yet the sound of their ¡®voice¡¯ was far more tortured and sorrowful than it had been previously. It was deeply odd to interpret such anguish in the crashing and gnashing of phantom gears, but it was there.


    And also¡­strangely accepting.


    But the other reason my skin crawled was that I could feel something else just on the edge of my perception. There was awareness slowly creeping its way among the suddenly wary dead. More than one of them had started to crane their skulls around within their pods, almost as if they were watching for something.


    Unease crept over me, something beyond what I¡¯d already felt.


    ¡°For what? What could you have possibly done to deserve endless punishment?¡±


    Deserved¡­arrogance¡­run¡­


    A brief flicker of movement, so different from the jerkiness of the skeletons drew my attention. I jerked my head around to see, but I saw nothing. All I caught was a brief flash of bloody rust red before the source slipped away.


    Alright, enough of this. Time to take the Netherim¡¯s not so subtle warnings to heart and get the hell out of here. My answers weren¡¯t more important than Aveline¡¯s safety.


    Unfortunately¡­


    It was too late.


    I was startled by the sound of bones crunching behind me, followed by the grinding voices of the dead rising in a wave. Along with that, they suddenly surged out of their pods all around me with a great cacophony of rattling bone and sprinted my way. Even the skeleton I had been speaking to clambered over the side of its pod and lunged in my direction


    Not a one of them touched me. Instead, they were interested in something behind me.


    I spun in place and beheld a monster.


    Not a monster merely in the Veredenese sense, an odd amalgamation of condensed Aether that hungered for more of it. No¡­


    This was a true monster, in every sense of the word.


    Among the pods of the dead who were even now piling upon it was what I initially thought was one of the Wyrmkin, those pseudo-Revenants born of Tatsugans mere presence. It was larger and longer than even the Primes of that species I had fought out in the ranges of Goryuen, rising above the capsules and bone to veritably tower over us all. Every second, dozens and dozens of animated skeletons, their empty eye sockets suddenly glowing a fierce, determined blue, were piling up and climbing the creature to try and restrain it. But they were no match for the might of the beast, and every second more and more of the long-dead Netherim were being dashed to splintered bone every second. I had to duck to avoid a flying shard of razor sharp bone, and when I rose, I could finally see the whole of this¡­thing in the strobing crimson light.


    This¡­had once been a man.


    Pale pink flesh smeared in long dried ochre blood stains covered its entire body, from the crown of its skull to the tip of its tail, visible in the distance and tipped with a spear of jagged bone. It still had scales like the rest of the Wyrmkin, and yet these were not the brilliant blue I had seen on the others. They were, instead, made entirely of iron and steel, the same rusted and corroded kind that could be found composing every surface of the bunker. They looked to have been literally nailed into the tortured flesh of the creature, the ends of those nails sometimes poking up through the steel as if they were flat-topped spines. Not every inch of the creature was armored in this manner, however most notably its limbs were.


    It''s human limbs.


    Dozens and dozens, perhaps hundreds, of man-like arms protruded from the undercarriage of the beast instead of legs. Each of them possessed gnarled hands, and each grasped at the steel of the floor in much the way a centipede would, when they were not busy grappling with the restless dead assaulting it.


    But it was the head that horrified me the most. Once upon a time, it might have been the skull of a human man, but no longer. It had been elongated in a decidedly painful-looking manner, stretched to resemble the near dog-like features of the Wyrmkin. A long, greasy, wiry black beard covered that snout, and through it, I could see dozens upon dozens of yellowed, razor-sharp fangs, each nearly as large as my head. From the crown rose three sets of horns hewn from human bone, each of them growing from the forehead of the monster. They were gnarled, pitted, and yellowed from age and strife, and appeared quite dangerous, from how they scattered dozens of the undead with each toss of it''s head


    Underneath those horns lay a pair of oh-so-familiar emerald eyes, from which poured an endless stream of bloody tears. They dripped down its tortured cheeks to fall onto the reddened steel below it.


    So great was my horror at the sight of the monster that I almost instinctively threw out an Observe.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.06241%">Name:</td>


    <td style="width: 92.9309%">Akhoroth, Maw of the Wyrm</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.06241%">Age:</td>


    <td style="width: 92.9309%">5,209 years</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 7.06241%">Species:</td>


    <td style="width: 92.9309%">Human</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I don¡¯t know if it was the Observe that drew the thing¡¯s attention, or if I had just caught its attention in some other way. But my eyes met its, in the midst of the struggle with the undead trying to protect me from this horrifying creature.


    To my horror, it spoke.


    ¡°RUUUNNNN!¡± It bellowed, in a tortured, wailing voice that echoed up and down the halls of the dead.


    As I felt Aveline start awake in terror and try to raise her head, I stopped the movement by clamping one hand protectively down on her free ear, covered by my cloak.


    And took the advice.


    I turned on my heel and sprinted away from the clattering of bone and the wailing of the Maw.


    Deeper into the hall.

 Chapter 273 - Last Will

    I sprinted as hard as I could through the halls of the waking dead, dodging and weaving through their skeletal forms as they ignored me. Dozens and dozens of them seemed to be rising from their graves every second to lunge past me as I fled as quickly as I could, in my unempowered state. I didn¡¯t dare use Might of the Wyrdwood, considering the ghostly thorns of that Skill might just shred the Unawakened, frightened child held in my arms. Nor could I transform into my full-scaled form. That would probably just terrify Aveline more than she already was.


    I could see one emerald eye from said child staring up at me from under the hood of my cloak, filled with a childish alarm. Aveline herself seemed to be struck silent in her terror, stiff and shaking in my arms. I had one hand held tightly down on her head, to spare her from the grisly sights all around us, but that wasn''t enough


    It didn¡¯t spare her the worst of the sounds.


    Behind us, I could hear the sobbing screeches and cries of the Maw as it struggled through the hundreds of dead Netherim throwing themselves at it, trying desperately to slow the creature down.


    ¡°RUUUUUUUUUUUN!¡± It cried over and over, the screams never far behind us despite the efforts of the undead. For all of its apparent pleas for us to flee from it, that still didn¡¯t stop the monster from pursuing us. As if from a great distance, I felt my core wonder about that. But the greater part of me was too occupied with running the hell away to give it any serious thought.


    Aveline finally found her voice, despite her great terror. ¡°Mr. Hart¡­w-what¡­ what¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Shhh,¡± I panted out between breaths, sparing a quick strained smile down at her. ¡°Don¡¯t look Aveline. Don¡¯t¡­don¡¯t look. I¡¯ve¡­got¡­you¡­¡±


    In response, the child buried her face in my shoulder. I could feel her trembling pick up in my arms.


    Suddenly, I saw something ahead of us, something that gave me such a lurch of hope that I felt my heartbeat quicken. A door in the distance. A sliding double door, I believe, large enough to fit a semi-truck through. The surface was as corroded and pitted as the rest of the steel interior of the bunker, but just the sight of it was enough to embolden me.


    It represented freedom.


    I grit my teeth, lowered my head, and pushed myself harder. All the while, Akhoroth plowed through hundreds of dry, brittle skeletons in his apparent reluctant hunt for the living. The cracking and breaking of dry, brittle bones joined into the cacophony of horror that echoed all around us, filling the veritable ossuary.


    In what felt like moments, I skidded to a halt in front of our salavation. With wild eyes, I inspected it, searching desperately for a way to get it open. There were no handholds on it, no obvious handles to grasp and swing wide the gates of hope. The only way I could tell it was a door at all was because of the indentations and seams set into it.


    Nothing, though. I didn¡¯t know how to get through this.


    As my heart sank, for a single, wild, panicked moment, I considered trying to astralize the entire thing in the way I had to the secret door into Caer Drarrow last year. I couldn¡¯t, though. Not because I thought it was beyond me, but because that would definitely knock me out.


    And then Aveline would be torn apart by the Maw I could hear rushing ever closer, every second I dawdled here.


    I was nearly about to take the risk when I felt something unexpected. A presence had appeared at my back, its lifeless feeling betraying the undeath of its existence.


    To my surprise, a bony hand abruptly shoved itself into the supply pouch I kept at the small of my back. It quickly rifled through the contents and withdrew something, retreating to appear to my right. In the dim, strobing red light of the hall, I could see that this wasn¡¯t one of the dry, brittle skeletons that were awakening from their pods.


    They were instead desiccated and wearing the tattered remains of a lab coat.


    I recognize them.


    ¡°You¡­¡± I breathed, watching as the long-dead remains of Aveline¡¯s mother reached out with one thin hand to rip off one of the panels to the right of the wall with undead might. She just ignored my stammering. Inside the revealed hole, I could see what appeared to be a small, thin slot, with a blinking red LED set above it. The deceased Dr. Montblanc raised her other hand to reveal what she¡¯d stolen from my pouch.


    The very same ID card she had given to me, there in the lab I¡¯d found her daughter. She quickly inserted it into the apparent reader and stared at it intensely.


    I did the same, once I understood what was happening.


    To my relief, the reader apparently still worked.


    The red LED shifted to green, and within the walls to the sides of the door, I heard long-neglected machinery groan to life. The massive doors in front of us creaked and began to open, shuddering all the while. I tensed and untensed my muscles as I bounced in place, waiting impatiently for them to slide open, aware all the while that the Maw was closing in on us. There was only so long the weakened Netherim could delay the creature.


    The mechanisms opening the door shuddered and momentarily failed before it could open fully, but not before presenting a path forward.


    There was a slim gap in between them now, only barely large enough for me to slip through with Aveline in my arms. I spared a quick glance at the animated remains of Cecily Montblanc, only to see her staring back at me, one hand still holding the ID in the reader. Despite her desiccated state, I could read impatience in every skeletal line of her body. Especially in the glowing red orbs that had filled her empty eye sockets. She waved me on insistently toward the gap with her free hand.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I nodded sharply and started shimmying my way through the breach in the doors. To my surprise, I found that these doors were actually fairly thick. Despite the corrosion on the surface of them, it hadn¡¯t penetrated all the way through the nearly fifteen inches of solid steel interior. I slowly maneuvered through them, Aveline clutched tightly to my chest all the while.


    Abruptly, I stumbled into open air, finding myself in what looked to be a long, darkened corridor, the only light to be found coming from my still active light Skill as it raced through the gap after me. Groaning sounded out from behind and I turned to watch as the doors slowly started to inch close. In the space that still existed, a long, bony arm abruptly thrust through the gap. Above the desiccated arm, I could just barely make out a faint red glow from a single ethereal eye, set into a bony socket.


    Clenched in the fist was the same ID card used to open the door.


    I let out a shuddering sigh and once again took the card. Through the crack, the jaw of the long-dead woman shifted slightly.


    It¡­almost looked like it was trying to smile.


    ¡°Mama?¡± I heard a childish voice breathe from my shoulder. To my dismay, I realized I¡¯d loosened the grip I had on Aveline once I¡¯d entered the corridor. She had raised her head to follow my gaze, only to find the remains of Dr. Cecily Montblanc staring back at her.


    Somehow, someway, despite the condition of her Mother¡¯s animated corpse¡­


    Aveline recognized her instantly. She reached out from my grasp and lightly touched the tip of her index finger to the desiccated one still sticking through the door.


    Abruptly, I saw a massive, iron scaled form loom out of the darkness behind Cecily. In an instant, I saw the monstrous skull of the Maw as it crashed towards the door, bloody tears carving a river down its tortured cheeks.


    And then the doors slammed shut, severing the arm of Aveline¡¯s mother at the elbow. They shuddered moments later from a massive impact, but even through the thick steel I could still faintly hear the crunch of bone as something was smashed between the bulk of the exit and Akhoroth.


    With a last, resounding thud, the arm dropped away from Aveline¡¯s fingertip to fall onto the floor below.


    Aveline screamed.


    ¡°MAMA!¡±


    The piercing cry of an agonized little girl resounded up and down the corroded corridors of the bunker, echoing back at us as if to mock her pain.


    Mamamamamama¡­


    Aveline started struggling against the grip I had on her, reaching desperately for the door the undead form of her mother had been on the other side of only moments ago. ¡°Let me go!¡± She cried. ¡°Mama¡¯s in there! She needs my help!¡±


    I shuddered slightly but tightened my grip on her and turned away from the door if only to spare her the sight of her Mother¡¯s severed arm. Aveline only struggled against me for a moment more before she gave up and buried her face back into my shoulder, sobbing once again. I didn¡¯t blame her. I just returned the embrace as tightly as I dared, hoping my presence could ease the sharp pain of her grief. If only in the smallest of ways.


    I well knew what it was like to lose a Mother.


    No words could really ease that wound. Only time, and only so much.


    I don¡¯t know how long we stood there in that darkened, empty corridor. However, eventually, we were knocked out of our embrace by a sound that sent a chill racing down my spine anew.


    A voice. A familiar one, at that.


    The call of the Maw, somehow seeping its way through the thick steel of the door. It was faint, but I couldn¡¯t mistake it for anything else.


    ¡°Ruuuun,¡± It hissed, just feet away from us and separated only by a long corroded door. ¡°Thiiiis will not hoooold meeee¡­¡±


    As if to underscore that point, an abrupt smash impacted the other side of the door, followed by a screeching sound. The noise was akin to nails scraping their way across a chalkboard. Both Aveline and I jumped from it, warily watching the door. The surface¡­seemed intact, but I had no easy way to tell.


    I eyed it warily as if it would cave in at any moment. ¡°Then stop chasing us!¡± I called out.


    ¡°Cannoooot!¡± The Maw cried on the other side. ¡°Cannoooot! Don¡¯t waaaant tooooo! But muuuuust. It hungers. Ruuuuun¡­.noooow...,¡± Abrupt thrashing sounds echoed from the other side of the door as if the creature was flailing around in pain and smashing up against the exit. ¡°I¡¯m soooorry! I¡¯m soooory! NO MOOOOORE!¡±


    More scrabbling, and then the smashing against the door resumed. A small dent appeared on the surface of it, growing increasingly larger with every subsequent impact.


    I tensed and abruptly spun on my heels. My eyes darted left and right as I rapidly considered the passage we were in. It stretched out in both directions, left and right, but there were no discerning markings about which way led where. The darkness out here was nearly impenetrable it was so deep. The walls were totally blank as well, but I had to make a decision.


    Screw it. Right it is.


    I barely noticed as the terrified Aveline huddled closer to my chest as I broke out into another run that way, this time down a much more darkened corridor than the massive hall had been.


    I don¡¯t think the chase was over. Eventually, the Maw, whatever the hell it was, would break through that door. It was¡­probably faster than me, judging by how the hundreds and thousands of undead in its path had barely been able to slow it down. Stronger, too.


    But that was fine. I¡¯d built myself off of the corpses of those who were faster and stronger than me.


    You might even say it was becoming a specialty.


    I just had to find the right place to confront it. Someplace where Aveline wouldn¡¯t be in danger during the fight. I wished I had my companions around to help me deal with this thing, but I''d make do without them. I wouldn¡¯t be able to kill this thing if I had a little girl in my arms, though. I kept my eyes open on the sprint, but I saw nothing. This hall was oddly featureless, but I could tell at least one thing.


    I was going down.


    It wasn¡¯t the spiral I had encountered in the last bunker, but the slope of the hall meant I could feel it as I descended deeper. Maybe five minutes into my dash, I heard a loud screeching noise coming from behind us, and I knew the door had failed. The Maw was coming for us, now.


    As if to confirm that, I heard the distant wailing cry of a beast far in the distance.


    I tried not to pay any attention to it, as I felt Aveline start shaking again in fear. I just grit my teeth, lowered my head, and charged on.


    C¡¯mon, c¡¯mon. There had to be fucking something down here! If I had to, I would just fight the Maw in the middle of the corridor, but that was too dangerous! Who knew what would happen to Aveline during the fight, especially in such tight environs!


    Suddenly, in the distance, I saw something. A faint light was shining through the darkness of the passage in front of me. It wasn¡¯t the disturbing red of the hall from earlier, but rather a sterile, cool white. Visible in front of it was a humanoid form, leaning out from a depression in the wall and waving frantically at us. ¡°This way!¡± I heard a voice call, though the echo of the seemingly endless passage meant I couldn¡¯t tell who or what was speaking. I couldn¡¯t even tell if it was one of my missing companions.


    It didn¡¯t matter.


    I pushed myself harder until I had reached the figure and dove through the doorway that had appeared on my left with them. I spun to fall on my back, and watched just in time as a sliding door slammed shut behind us. It felt like it was only seconds later that I heard a massive form gallop past the door on dozens of feet, thankfully paying no attention to the very door I had thrown myself through to escape it.


    The Maw had been closer behind us than I''d realized.


    I shuddered and sat up to see where I was, and more importantly, who had just saved me and Aveline. But when I turned to look at them¡­


    I didn¡¯t know who this was.

 Chapter 274 - Veiled Care

    Shockingly, though, Aveline immediately recognized them. The reddened eyes of the surprisingly resilient little girl brightened at the sight of the man I was now eyeing warily. She squirmed her way out of my grip to land on the¡­non-corroded steel around us?


    This place¡­in a way, it almost reminded me of the lab I had found Aveline in. Only¡­


    It was in pristine condition. Insanely, impeccably so.


    This looked like another lab, only as if it had been preserved in time from whatever tragedy had befallen the Netherim within. The shiny steel floor was pristine and spotless, as were the counters holding futuristic equipment that I could only guess at the function of. There were even non-slip, black rubber mats lying on the floor, tracing paths through the entire room. But this wasn¡¯t a lab.


    I think this was an infirmary.


    An antiseptic smell filled the air as if this space had only been scoured by bleach in the last hour or so. Unnervingly familiar hospital beds lined the walls of the large rooms, some of them accompanied by an array of equipment, trays, and tools that looked decidedly medical in nature. Clean white linens covered all of the beds, with some of them closed off by curtains, obstructed from view.


    Movement briefly caught my eye, coming from one of the shrouded beds. At least, I thought it was movement. The shadow had been brief enough that I could have been imagining it.


    Was there¡­someone else in here?


    While I furrowed my brow in unease, Aveline had fallen onto her hands and knees, only to scramble to her feet moments later. I groped for her, but she had already sprinted across the distance to the person who had waved us down and saved us from the Maw.


    A human man who I didn¡¯t recognize, wearing a lab coat.


    Aveline threw her arms around his legs when she reached the man. ¡°Doctor Travers!¡± She cried. ¡°I-it¡¯s you! You kept your promise! Y-you¡¯re s-s-till here!¡± Aveline didn¡¯t manage any more than that before she fell into full-on sobbing. She buried her face into his knees, muffling them, but they still rang out through the infirmary.


    Doctor Travers. I¡­could see it, I suppose.


    I got a better look at the elderly man, as he tenderly lay one gnarled hand on Aveline¡¯s head. ¡®Travers¡¯ was a heavy set man who looked like he was in his late sixties at best, seventies at worst. His head still bore the wispy remnants of what might have once been thick, dark hair, but was now a steel gray. Although faded with age, kindly emerald eyes still gazed down at the child as she sobbed into his knees, his lips curving behind a thick beard and a thin, short mustache.


    ¡°I would never leave you alone, little Lina,¡± ¡®Doctor Travers¡¯ said in a kind, and yet incredibly weary voice. The weight of impossible ages seemed to press down on the man then, his shoulders hunching. Still, he stood as strong as he needed to, for Aveline to lean upon him.


    The Doctor must have felt my regard, then, because those faded emerald eyes flickered up to regard me as I climbed to my feet. There was decidedly less friendliness in that gaze than there was as he comforted Aveline.


    Something about his eyes¡­


    They were so flat and hollow. All emotion leaked out of him as he looked at me as if I were little better than an ant. It nearly felt like he was just putting on a show for Aveline, and this was his true state. I started to tense, but then he looked away, dismissing me in favor of the child. He knelt down himself to bodily pick her up without any resistance.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get you into a bed, yes?¡± Travers said soothingly. ¡°The post Stasis exhaustion must have been hitting hard, I¡¯m sure. A nice snack and nap will fix you right up.¡±


    ¡°I-¡± Aveline started to say, before interrupting herself with a yawn. ¡°I¡¯m not a little kid anymore, Doctor.¡± Still, she didn¡¯t protest as Travers reached one of the beds and drew back the curtain. Shockingly, a bizarrely recognizable juice box with a cartoon apple on the front of it and a packet of cookies of all things sat on the surface. As soon as Travers set her down on the bed, she fell upon them ravenously, devouring them both as the Doctor and I watched in silence.


    Aveline was drowsy by then, but she still maintained enough presence of mind to reach up and grab Travers hand as he prepared to close the curtain on her bed, drawing a thin sheet up over her body as he did so. ¡°Doctor¡­¡± She said, exhaustion and childish sadness thick in her voice. ¡°Is mama¡­I don¡¯t think she¡­¡±


    Sorrow returned to every inch of Traver¡¯s heavy-set body, then. ¡°Later, child,¡± He said softly. ¡°For now, rest.¡±


    Although the words were short, Aveline still dozed off halfway through. Travers finished drawing the curtain, hiding her from my sight.


    He turned to face me then, the kindness gone from his face once more. The older man eyed me with a hint of disgust in his gaze, cutting off the greeting that was on my lips. He jerked his head in a motion to follow him, away from Aveline¡¯s bed, and toward what seemed to be a partitioned desk and office space of all things in the corner of the room.


    I had to suppress a slightly hysterical laugh at the mental image of a general practitioner¡¯s office in the depths of an ancient, abandoned, cursed bunker full of undead. Still, I followed after him.


    What else was I going to do?


    It happened in an instant. I must have crossed some kind of mystical, invisible barrier as I followed the reticent doctor. But the moment we passed from the line of sight of the rest of the infirmary, the world changed.


    The polish and gleam of modernity fell away, and what replaced it was the corrosion and darkness of the rest of the bunker. The walls were no longer pristine, the furniture and fixtures no longer appeared brand new, and most importantly¡­


    The Doctor no longer appeared to be living.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    I froze, staring at the man who very much appeared to be undead now. Where before Doctor Travers had looked like an older man past his prime and settling into his twilight years, now he seemed to be well past sunset. He wasn¡¯t an outright skeleton like most of the Walking Dead had been in the hall. Instead, his decomposition was more akin to what Cecily had been like.


    He looked like a raisin that had been left to dry for too long, desiccated and abnormally thin. His formerly heavy set frame had collapsed in on itself, sometimes literally in the case of his abdomen, visible behind the bare threads of his decayed lab coat. His eyes, ears, and lips had long ago either fallen off or dissolved into dust with the visible passage of time, and his bare skull stared back at me with eyes full of an emerald fire.


    I¡­


    Wait.


    I had seen something like that, before. I had known only one undead in my time on Vereden whose eyes had glowed in that color.


    His staff was even now strapped to my back.


    This man¡­was a Lich.


    And I¡¯m not sure he was a friendly one. At least, not to me.


    Doctor Travers laced his decayed fingers together and stared at me over the bridge they made. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, pretender,¡± He said, his voice undercut by both a palpable disdain and the form of soul speech I was starting to think belonged to existences that were more spiritual than physical. ¡°I have matters to discuss with you.¡±


    I stared back at him for a moment, weighing my options. Eventually, I decided that at the very least, he had appeared to care for Aveline. He was unlikely to try and kill me outright. I stepped forward until I was in front of his desk, and lowered myself into the bare metal chair that sat there, its cushion long since decayed away. It creaked and groaned audibly under my weight, but thankfully held up.


    Meanwhile, I almost physically felt it as the Lich¡¯s fiery eyes roved my form for some reason, inspecting me. ¡°So. This is the solution the High Admin came to. Desperate times, indeed.¡±


    A bolt of realization stole down my spine then, piercing through my wariness of this ¡®man¡¯. My eyes widened and I leaned forward, staring at Travers with a deep hunger in my soul.


    ¡°You¡­¡± I breathed. ¡°You know what I am. What Precursors are¡­¡±


    This Lich had the answers I¡¯d been wondering about ever since I¡¯d been dropped onto Vereden. He knew what I was.


    Travers snorted, somehow working long decayed lungs to do so and sending a spray of dust to settle onto his desk. ¡°Precursor? Is that what the System ended up calling you? Imitation is more accurate, but I can see where the term came from.¡±


    Wait.


    System?


    I had noticed just how old Akhoroth had appeared when I¡¯d Observed him, but I¡¯d been too preoccupied with running for my life at the time. It had said the monster was over five thousand years old, far before the time of the Initialization and the System. That was nearly two millennia before the time of the War in Heaven if I had my dates correct. This Lich had to be from that same period of time as well.


    How the hell did he know anything about the System?


    I stared at Travers with unblinking eyes. ¡°You¡¯re different. You¡¯re not like the rest of the undead down here. You¡­you aren¡¯t a product of whatever curse is going on here, are you?¡±


    The Lich¡¯s lips twisted in a mocking manner, almost as if he was sneering at me. ¡°Oh, well done you. Gold star. Would you like a packet of cookies as well? They¡¯re still edible, I assure you, even after all these years. When they say military rations last forever, they truly aren¡¯t joking. Especially enchanted ones,¡± His firey emerald eyes appeared to roll in their decayed sockets. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not like the others, fool. I¡¯m the veritable fly in the ointment, the hair that spoils the broth Lucretia tried to brew down here. The arrogant little twit never considered that there were others who had studied the blacker arts and were prepared to linger. For spite, and¡­other reasons.¡± His eyes roved past my shoulders, in the direction I knew Aveline was napping.


    There was a lot to unpack there. Names, and implications, and literally millennia of context I was desperate for.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard that name,¡± I said quietly. ¡°Lucretia. Is she the one who cursed this bunker?¡±


    Travers looked back at me. ¡°It was the name she was born with, but not the one she took for herself in the betrayal. She and her little band of traitors all took assumed names, and began calling themselves ¡®Gods¡¯. Practically raved about it, really, during the assault. Patently ridiculous, of course. Even with what they stole, they could not rightfully call themselves true Divinity, although they can ape it.¡±


    Oh.


    Well, there was one mystery solved. The Veredenese ¡®gods¡¯¡­the War in Heaven¡­


    It was all a joke. Just¡­infighting, among a group of people who had apparently ¡®stolen¡¯ something.


    Honestly, it wasn¡¯t much of a shock to me. I had never forgotten the way Alveron had called the ¡®gods¡¯ physical existences, subject to mortal desires and wants. That had never struck me as particularly godly. Frankly, I don¡¯t think the Veredenese even thought of them in the way I would have thought of the divine. There was cultural context to the term ¡®god¡¯ that I don¡¯t think ever translated well through Language Adaptation.


    But I did notice that Travers still had a concept of what real Divinity should be. That was curious.


    While was absorbing that, it was Travers whose gaze suddenly filled with hunger as he stared at me. ¡°Tell me¡­is she dead? Are they dead? I felt the notification some two millennia past, that they had lost their grip on the System and propagated it outward to the Generim.¡±


    The First Initialization, had to be.


    ¡°Have you¡­been down here all this time?¡± I asked slowly. ¡°Just¡­¡±


    ¡°Waiting for the day this tomb of fools would be opened?¡± Travers finished for me derisively. ¡°Not the whole time. Awareness comes and goes. I sleep, and I wake, and I sleep, and I wake. But now that has come to an end with you, pretender. Now answer the question.¡±


    I suddenly seized under the loosening of what I could only call a Mantle, from this ancient creature. It manifested as a sense of creeping dread, I think literally clawing at my spirit from behind me. I hands and fingers spasmed while various muscles in my body tensed and untensed in rapid succession. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± I blurted out shakily. ¡°I-It depends on which side she was on, in t-their war against each other! One side called themselves Chaos, and the other Order! Chaos won with only a single loss, and Order l-lost all but two members! I don¡¯t know their names!¡±


    I was really wishing I had thought to ask the historical names of the ¡®gods¡¯ right about now. I only knew a handful of them, such as Ixiah, the Mad God, and I¡­think I¡¯d heard the name of the Orcish goddess somewhere, but I couldn¡¯t recall it right now.


    The Mantle suddenly loosened on me, and I regained control of my body. Suddenly, I could breathe again, although those breaths came shakily. That had been one of the worst experiences of my life, I think. It had been like my very soul was under attack, directly bypassing the flesh.


    I¡¯d never experienced a Mantle so powerful. Grey, or Honoka, or Tlazo¡­


    None of them could compare.


    The owner of it sat back with a dissatisfied, rattling hum. It echoed out of him from vocal cords long gone. ¡°It¡¯ll have to do, I suppose,¡± Travers said, visibly and audibly dissatisfied. ¡°To know that all they worked for together came to dust in the end. I can¡¯t expect a quickling like you to understand actual, unimagined history. The time for questions is over,¡± He said with finality, as I overcame the shock to my spirit and opened my mouth in protest. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten all you will out of me. I didn¡¯t linger for literal millennia to be some sort of¡­database for you to plunder, fool. Find your answers elsewhere.¡±


    I ground my teeth in frustration as most of my hopes went up in so much dust. ¡°Then why did you stick around all this time?¡± I asked harshly.


    The Lich bared his brown and rotten teeth at me, in a mockery of a smile.


    ¡°Why, for the girl, of course.¡±