《The Many Burdens Of A Hero》


 Chapter 0: Destroyer

    Calamity, that¡¯s how it would be recorded on the annals of history. A threat of total annihilation loomed over the world, it wasn¡¯t the first time, but it was seen as the last.


    Dawn broke upon a vast valley blanketed by snow. Enormous trees at least thirty stories high leading to a mountain of twin peaks that pierced beyond the heavens in the far distance.


    Nala mountain range, a boreal tundra rising from the alps to challenge the domain of the divine.


    An incomparable hollow stretch of rock and ice, serving as a dividing line between incomprehensibly large nations. Millions resided within its underground metropolis belonging to an alliance of the same mountain range¡¯s name.


    Now all had become unwilling subjects to an entity once beloved by all.


    The ¡®Mad King¡¯ of Dragons. Said to have acted as fonts of wisdom, only a single race of intelligent monsters rule above all else with humility and respect, simply known as ¡®Elder Dragons¡¯ for the role they fulfilled.


    Their lineage was nearly identical to regular Dragons of all types. Similar to Humans and Monkeys, if such a creature hadn¡¯t been culled by monsters long ago.


    This world was under constant threat, so those that did not evolve with magic, perished.


    ***


    Upon a jagged ridgeline devoid of ice far from Nala, yet still within its looming gaze, a craggy ridgeline stood away from the peaks that climbed ever upwards, creating a frozen cradle between them.


    Sitting alone, awaiting the arrival of her friends, a half-Dragon woman stoked a campfire that melted away the ever creeping winter.


    She was known as a ¡®High-Drake¡¯, as the name suggests, a humanoid evolution of a lesser Dragon, the small, by regular draconic standards, skulking Drake.


    With pearlescent black and crimson scales on her large forearms, raptor-like legs and a long, thick tail, her body alone was a confusing mess between a very tall human female and a monster.


    Dark gray horns protected the side of her mouth and above her head, sprouting from above her pointy ears.


    And yet for all this natural protection, winter¡¯s wind could do more harm than any blade, so she covered herself up in fluffy clothes and a beanie over her scruffy brown hair.


    Knowing this to be the ideal spot, she started a fire on the mountain top, heating up and waiting for those that would arrive soon enough, battered and beaten from a failed evacuation.


    Nearby, down a small dirt path, an intricate stone doorway made of three large rocks, bigger than any race and covered in runes, began to burn bright with a rainbow glow for the very last time.


    Travel through portals had only been possible thanks to an interconnected system of magical energy forming a natural west and east pole of mana.


    Yggdrasil and Irminsul, pillars that held the world in place. Their gargantuan branches filled with leaves of five sides with nebulas reflected within its pigment, and their roots laid the foundation for travel through portals.


    "What do we do? Won¡¯t the world tear itself apart now?¡±


    The first person to speak up was a woman of the cloth.


    Her amber eyes were covered by slightly messy golden blonde bangs, pressed down by a small hat bearing the symbol of a circle with an ¡®x¡¯ inside. It matched the top of her silver and gold staff, complementing her elaborate gilded white robes.


    "Even if both world trees are destroyed, I doubt it would lead to that. You lost souls never cease to impress, faith magic without chanting is no easy feat"


    His sharp voice was in stark contrast to the gentle tone of his healers. Having rolled up the sleeve on his navy blue robes arm to show the severity of a wound he wished to be healed.


    "I have faith in my own abilities, but aren¡¯t we from the same place?"


    "A few hundred years on the road and you might think differently"


    A wizard clad in simple cloth by normal gaze, however, the man¡¯s apparent youth threw all into question. Brown hair and eyes, skin that seemed to have only seen thirty or fourty winters.


    By no means could this man¡¯s age be judged by appearance alone. It was his dusty wooden staff and rusty grimoire chained to his belt that alluded to his real age, but such was the path of a hero once acknowledged by the world.


    ¡°We need- some healing¡±


    Limping through the portal helping another man was a crimson red haired Witch standing over six foot tall. Half of her body had been severely burned, exposing bone and muscle, yet that did not halt her aid.


    This woman experienced a past unlike no other. Ordered to serve her kingdom, she was taken alongside other tall individuals to create an army of giant warriors.


    Refusing and murdering her mate, her punishment was to be used by the King''s personal Mage for experimentation. After many years wishing for death, obsession led to create a concoction of perfect immortality.


    Combining the blood of a Phoenix in a Holy Grail, Enda would undergo one final experiment. Unbeknownst to the man, his test would create a monster.


    However, Enda did not wish for such lofty goals as immortality, as her only desire was death after years of experimentation.


    In rejection of power, she was accepted as worthy. Her desire was not of sin, but of need, and thus she stood in the fires of a burning kingdom, set ablaze by unstoppable wrath of an impossible union.


    The Church of Athena would claim these fires to be holy retribution, and the only thing that remained in time was the girl at the center of it all. As nations crumbled and different religions faded, she lived day to day, pursuing magic so that she may hide herself from the world.


    That was until she stumbled across a peculiar man.


    ¡°Any luck?¡±


    ¡°Yeah- argh- but he¡¯s too big now. My magic bounced off his scales¡±


    With each step, blood and ash fell from the left side of her body, turning to dust before it could stain the ground.


    Slowly, her body regenerated, and she sat her companion down on a nearby rock before wrapping her body in a dark blue cloak so as to not appear indecent with so much skin showing, not that the man she aided would mind.


    Normally she wore a mixture of knee-high leather boots with metal shin guards, brown hotpants and a white thin blouse, all made by herself, as it was extremely abnormal for any human female to be nearly two meters in height.


    However, having a third of her outfit be burned off by dragon fire, was a bit much in the presence of the man she cared for.


    ¡°I think I can cut him if I get close enough¡±


    A man in his early thirties with Gray hair tied back to resemble early settlers of a distant world spoke up as the cuts on his thigh from debris were healed with a golden light.


    "You should really learn some gravity magic, Enda"


    "I don''t want to hear that from you, Myrddin"


    "Then what about me? You know it could be useful"


    In all her life, she never sought out companionship, she only wished to be left alone, however, this man dragged her back into the light.


    Enda had never thought it was possible for another to accept how she was, and through him, she learned the world was filled with regular people that didn''t see others as a resource to be used, but to be cherished.


    The man was kind, not just to her, but random strangers and he often let his impulsive behavior take him places for the sake of saving others.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Enda often wondered if he was just stupid, or cared for everyone more than his own safety, he piqued her interest. She had never seen someone go to such lengths for others without pursuing his own goals.


    Everything he did was always in the service of others, he was a truly selfless individual in a selfish world.


    To him, this world was entirely foreign. Its culture, creatures and magic didn''t exist where he came from.


    He often found himself fascinated by historical weaponry, but died young in a war preparing to defend his homeland. One of millions, he despised the modern machines of death and believed atomic destruction would lead to the end of mankind.


    To his surprise, he was reincarnated into a world filled with magic, where research into powder weapons always resulted in disaster. And so, his interest in vintage weaponry bloomed once again until he happened to come across something incredible.


    A Relic.


    Weapons of unbelievable power that chose their wielders and grew alongside them.


    No single Relic was the same and seemed to have grown their own will after the death of Ares, one of the many invading Gods. He named this Relic; Heiki.


    At a glance, it was a simple dark green wire grip waiting to be fitted onto a longsword, but to him, it was any weapon he wanted at the drop of a hat.


    The man had acquired strength he never thought possible in this strange land and new body.


    Sporting strong armor built by a nearby High-Drake, it resembled a combination of historical and ancient designs from Greece to Japan, tying his interests and home together.


    He was initially surprised he wasn''t the first from his land to visit this strange world, but slowly over time and exploring, he theorized these two versions of Earth, both Father and Mother, shared far more than he could ever understand.


    "We need to figure out who hijacked my portal. It was meant to take us to Yggdrasil so we could defend it, not Nala¡±


    "No, the ley lines would have already been cut off at that range. Without Irminsul, navigation¡¯s going to be nearly impossible. If anything, we should thank whoever swapped destinations¡±


    Both mages ignored the silver haired man in order to argue and assert authority, a sight he had become increasingly accustomed to.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather be dead than lose our chance at stopping that bastard¡±


    ¡°Yes, well not everyone can rise from the ashes like you¡±


    ¡°If he succeeds, everyone could end up dead, not just me!¡±


    ¡°And if he absorbs that tree just as fast we won¡¯t stand a chance!¡±


    ¡°Um, uh, I think the portal person started a fire over here¡±


    Desperate to pry the two mages'' attention away from bickering after she asked a question, the Priest highlighted their surroundings.


    ¡°Quit yer bitchin¡¯ and get over er¡¯, I gotta plan¡±


    Her accent was undeniably southern in nature and somewhat fitting for a High-Drake, hospitality and all, in spite of the fact there was no such place known as ¡®America¡¯ in this world.


    Rather, its land mass was a contoured version of mother earth, where water had taken the place of land and vice versa. Fractured and distorted over thousands of years of conflict waged by incomprehensible power.


    All four individuals set aside their arguments to hear out the High-Drake, rounding the bend and sitting along several logs that had thawed out thanks to the fire.


    "Rider? Why did you-¡±


    ¡°Cause he knows what he¡¯s talkin¡¯ about. Ya¡¯ll don¡¯t stand a chance faghtin¡¯ him at Ygg, gotta stop him er¡¯¡±


    ¡°And you so happen to know he¡¯ll pass overhead? That¡¯s a stretch, even for you¡±


    "Talked te¡¯ two sages, each of em¡¯ said the same thing. How''s bout it twinkle tits? Dream the same?¡±


    ¡°P-please don¡¯t call me that, but yes, this place looks familiar¡±


    ¡°There we go, three fer three. Could jus¡¯ wait a few and look over yonder¡±


    Pointing over her shoulder and towards the distant rising sun on the horizon, their doubts had been nullified.


    "So you have a plan?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t she warn us not to go to Irminsul to begin with?¡±


    "Yeah, course¡¯ I did, already lost three of my party to him, and another is lookin¡¯ to what¡¯s up with this world tree crap¡±


    ¡°Three? Don¡¯t go counting me out just yet¡±


    Rounding the bend, a battered and exhausted rugged man in his early forties with brown hair, wearing a nearly destroyed suit of black plate armor and holding onto a broken sword joined the group of five.


    ¡°Res?¡±


    ¡°He stayed behind with Muerte and saved who they could¡­ But-¡±


    As he raised his sword to inspect the damage, bits and pieces fell off like a crumbling rock until nothing was left.


    ¡°The Spirit''s power wavers, and I couldn¡¯t do anything¡±


    "Shit. Did ya figure out anythin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°His scales have become corrupted with dense magic. Unless they¡¯re purified first, they¡¯ll be pretty hard to cut one, let alone fifty if you want to behead him¡±


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re outta time, yer up heroes¡±


    She pointed towards the rising sun, and the shadow emerging from the horizon, slowly blocking out the light as it approached.


    A dragon so big it could carry a nation upon its back was closing in at high speed, causing avalanches on the snow covered mountains in the far distance.


    "Rider, can you get us up there?¡±


    "Ya''ll got a plan? Cause I brought something that can only take two of ya"


    "I do. Myrddin, can you slow him down?¡±


    "Only for a while¡±


    The reincarnated man and robed wizard headed towards a makeshift craft of enchanted bone leaning against two dead trees that formed a makeshift launch pad.


    "Wait, please, just come back"


    "It''ll be fine, it always is"


    "Please... Takuya"


    "I will, I promise. Come on, I¡¯ve only died once you know¡±


    Enda addressed that man she loved with his original name out of desperation, a final plea to stay with her and spend some time together.


    Just a little bit more.


    As they boarded the strange contraption built out of monster bone, placing their feet into the footholds and holding tight.


    The Phoenix Witches stomach twisted in fear. A feeling she believed to have forgotten long ago. Only now when her spouse faced danger did her heart long to fight fate.


    "Okay heroes, any final words before I send ya up?"


    "I¡¯ll be back in a few Enda"


    "How about wishing us luck?"


    "Bring peace"


    "Tssh, ain¡¯t neither of you need any more luck, ya''ll have plenty"


    "Come back safe Takuya"


    The High-Drake grabbed her ornate ranged weapon she left leaning against a nearby rock.


    A massive war bow made of a single monster''s horn, with glowing red, blue and green runes lining up and down the shaft. Then, within a sealed metal case, she pulled out an arrow covered in a thick mist of deep purple miasma.


    "Least this fuckers still got one good shot left¡±


    Swearing under her breath, the High-Drake knocked the arrow and aimed up above the rising sun.


    As the arrow flew, her bow broke into splints and a line connected between the craft and projectile.


    After a small delay, the craft followed as if it weighed nothing.


    All four that remained behind watched in silence as their friends flew out to face a calamity.


    With every second that passed the colossal Dragon grew closer and each flap of its giant wings shattered mountains and snapped trees underneath.


    The holy woman created an enormous barrier of light to shield them and their surroundings as it sored overhead.


    For a mere moment, it stopped mid air, perfectly still, as if time had stopped.


    A second later, in less than the blink of an eye, a blade cut through their barrier and the ground in-between the group.


    It came from within the Dragon¡¯s neck, and soon they heard the sound of a thousand small pops as blood spewed in a circular motion.


    Takuya had beheaded it from within.


    Time resumed and the colossal monster''s head fell to the ground incredibly fast, leaving a crater in the valley between them and Nala, the main body slowly gilded before crushing one of its two mountain peaks in the distance.


    Both Nala mountain range and the frozen valley below had been stained in thick crimson blood.


    After half a minute, they saw a single robed man slowly descend from the skies above with a confused look on his face, clutching his elaborate grimoire, creating enough windforce to land safely with magic.


    Enda looked around and saw the same confused look upon everyone''s faces.


    Not a word was spoken and Myrddin handed her his grimoire.


    When a mage handed their book of handwritten spells to another, it was a symbolic action meaning far more than mere words could convey.


    Failure, resignation, defeat, and a promise to grow.


    As he handed it over, he turned to the last page.


    A note was written by another addressed to Enda.


    ''Myrddin managed to seal us in a pocket of time. For several days we tried to behead it, but we¡¯re out of food and water. What I do next will save the world, but take everything from me. My past, present and future''


    ¡°Wha-what¡­¡±


    She began to weep as she read, her tears sizzling to vapor before they could hit the ground.


    ''This isn¡¯t a choice I make likely, so allow me to be the selfish one today. I love you Enda, never forget that, and please. Never forget who you are, not a discarded tool, but the woman I fell in love with. With any luck, at least you might remember who I am''


    The Witch fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.


    ¡°Please- leave me alone¡±


    ¡°Enda¡­¡±


    "______ you liar¡±


    ¡°Enda-¡±


    She screamed, pushing the comfort of the Priest away.


    ¡°LIAR!¡±


    She tore into herself and tried to rip out her own heart.


    Once again, she found herself unable to perish.


    As day turned to night, she kept trying to tear herself apart in a desire for death, screaming at the pain of each scratch into her flesh, each rip on her body, and each time it healed to a perfect state.


    One by one, they all departed, failing to support the woman with nothing left.


    Enda got her wish, to be alone once more.


    She hated it.

 Prologue Part 1: Forced Farewell

    For the last time, I sat down on this crumbling wooden porch.


    As usual, it groaned at what little weight I had. This time it would act as a final farewell and good luck for finding a new home. This splintering wooden construction was attached to an even older Orphanage.


    Dark, dirty and just as welcome; this building made almost entirely of abandoned ship parts fit right into the town of Tyrants Rest.


    Piss and unkept fish filled the air with the welcoming scent of another night spent drinking away the never-ending problems of an overtaxed settlement on the brink of falling apart. The only source of income that kept this crossroads town afloat was the traffic of curious travelers passing through.


    "Do you ever feel like the world is working against you?"


    All I could do was talk to myself and pray someone would answer my never ending questions.


    For as long as I could remember, I was told I was a ''Blessed Child''. If only being blessed meant I was lucky, then maybe it would live up to the name.


    What a joke.


    To be blessed is to have a power bestowed upon you by the spirits, beings who saw through the very hearts of others in service to the world. Rumor had it most noble children were granted such powers thanks to their parents'' deeds.


    For some being ''Blessed'' meant a way to see through the very hearts of others, influence souls or even identify others with a single spoken word. To me, I could feel the intent of anyone I looked at.


    On the surface that sounded great.


    The ability to tell when someone wants to pull something shady, lie and cheat to my face, it can be a life saver. However, those ''feelings'' didn''t reveal the deception itself. I often found myself in more trouble for speaking out about what I knew than if I''d not said a thing.


    An unnamed orphan telling off some Merchants Guild tycoon? My word was nothing more than the shit attached to their carriage wheels.


    First names meant a legacy to which your deeds would be recorded down in history, and last names meant you were part of something greater. Most importantly, it meant I wasn''t nothing, that my life wasn''t worthless trash to be discarded with everyday waste.


    I tried to find a family, be granted a name, only to face reality, but I was left alone and abandoned for a reason. Once upon a time I had the chance of apprenticeship and adoption. That opportunity was thrown out the window due to my own negligence.


    Now that it was almost Winter, and I was sixteen, it was time leave this orphanage and pathetic town behind. In our overcrowded home we have an unspoken rule to make sure everyone remains fed, or at least as much as possible.


    Leaving before the end of Harvest would still leave plenty of opportunity to earn food for the rest of the kids and Sisters.


    Sometimes it was hard to keep track of our own age, we didn''t have the luxury of celebrating something so basic, so instead I tallied every Harvest, and my markings would be left under the very plank squeaking its farewell.


    Winter is fast approaching and food would have to be rationed. Stale bread and vegetable scraps had been the extent of my pallet for the sixteen years. Just enough to get by, not enough to grow more than muscle, skin and bone.


    Mother Zoe, the head of our Orphanage, refused to turn down anyone in need. Thus, every year, those that could be considered ''adults'' had to leave.


    Meat was prioritized to Beast-kin children as some races happened to be completely allergic to eating certain food. The Sisters played it safe, as they knew little of any race that wasn''t ''Human''.


    Every night the floor was littered with sleeping bags and hammocks hung from the roofs. Any space we could use, was used. Continuously cramped rooms and a higher number of kids that needed a home led to the food shortages and our unspoken rule.


    Stay and add to that burden or run away, no other choice. Better off I left without saying a word. Just one more teenager taking a stroll at night never to return, only this time dawn was about to break.


    "Food, shelter, work. That''s all I need. One step at a time"


    Not exactly a perfect plan, but it had all the important stuff. First, I''d check a few of the stores on this side of the river, mainly a baker, fishmonger and second hand equipment shop.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Come on, get up


    Every year Mother Zoe told us not to run away, that she was working on something that should help. That something never came, at least not yet. I still held onto the delusion that she would find that aid someday, unfortunately it was too late for me.


    Maybe that was the point? To give us a little bit of hope, it would be just like her.


    As a woman of the black and gold cloth, she had traveled all over the world when she was young in a pilgrimage. She made friends and connections wherever she went. At night she would often tell us about these stories, even if those stories often repeated night after night. Zoe cared for us, even as her memory started fading, the stories of the people she met never changed. Remembering every adventure as if it were yesterday.


    "I''m going to miss this place... thanks for everything"


    It was all I could muster under my breath. Saying nothing would leave me with the feeling of a knife in my gut. The unrelenting love from the Sisters despite knowing that someday they''ll never see us again, was something I admired.


    "We''ll all miss you Kid, promise you''ll visit sometime"


    Sister Naji, a pale blue Daemon, fitted in personally adjusted gray robes, poked her head out of the side of the dirty Orphanage as I got up. An ex-adventurer who lost her party, joined our home about four years ago.


    It was an oddity for such a race to be a woman of the cloth. She wore a grey robe indicating zero affiliation with any pantheon, same with the rest of our house nowadays. The robe was a pledge to serve others, instead of a god, although she did modify it to be vastly more revealing.


    ''Once a monk, always a monk'', she''d say, often complaining that the traditional dress restricted her legs too much.


    Some say her thighs are ''the pride of Tyrants Rest'' right before having their lights knocked out and learning some things are best not said within earshot of who it was about.


    She pulled out a cigarette, no doubt wrapped by herself, and hovered it over my face as she leaned on the pathetic excuse of a railing from the outside.


    Out of respect, I reached out with three fingers like I was mimicking a bird beak and cast Sparks from my fingertips. A beginner level spell that created tiny streaks of flame for the purpose of starting a fire.


    "I''ll try"


    "You''re an odd kid, that''s why I won''t stop you. Weird kids like you without a home tend to find people and places they can call that anyway. You know... I''m pretty sure you''re the only one here that never complained about my smoking, why is that?"


    "I don''t know, I guess it doesn''t really bother me. I''ll catch you later Naji"


    "One last thing, a little fox told me a pair of famous travelers might be passing through. If I were you I''d try get some work out of that blessing"


    With nothing but the ragged clothes on my back, shorts held up by string and falling apart leather shoes to my non-existent name and set off.


    Not that I was very appealing in the first place. Brown hair, navy blue eyes and a mole under my left eye. Bland and boring, nothing more, nothing less.


    Naji''s advice was always worth listening to. Despite her long and messy deep purple hair and ever-present dark rings under her pale yellow eyes, she''d always help me whenever she could, even in ways I could never have expected.


    It felt kind of funny how things turned out; I''d worked more jobs than most would in a lifetime. I knew how to succeed in each and every profession within our river crossroads town, and it still wasn''t enough to get adopted.


    I didn''t exactly excel in any of the jobs I worked, but I wasn''t bad either, just perfectly in the middle. Problem was that in the middle did stand out, and only those that shone brightly got adopted into families.


    When I was younger I dreamed of being an Adventurer. Freedom, exploration, never being tied down to the world, fighting monsters and having your name cheered by common folk. All a mirage in the desert of reality.


    Maybe it was Mother Zoe''s stories?


    On days when I couldn''t find work, or train with the guards, I talked to the travelers hanging out in the Guild Hall.


    I can''t remember the first time I was rejected by the Adventurers guild, I was too young. And yet, that motivated me to learn everything I could about the profession.


    Sometimes I practiced magic or learnt from the guards when they trained.


    Outside of the basics of magic, there wasn''t much anybody could teach me. The ability to instantly cast basic spells wasn''t uncommon, although everyone started by chanting the spell to learn it and the more complicated the spell the longer it took to cast.


    With enough practice, any beginner to advanced spell could be cast instantly, and what people referred to as ''mastering a spell''.


    Crazy thing was that it wasn''t really true mastery, not even close if you ask me. That came with being able to manipulate the spell. Size, speed, strength, range and the like, it could all be changed, and I had gotten rather good with basic spell alteration.


    "Maybe I''ll just go to the bridge then..."


    Naji''s words are best not ignored, she''s odd like that. I could always check in with the stores later.


    A large river flowed through the middle of town, while a paved stone road ran perpendicular. Each side of the wide river was connected by a single large cobblestone and cement bridge.


    High enough to let large boats through underneath with a lowered mast for travel between the free port of Concordia and magic city of Dragons Mort, although past a certain point it was much faster by carriage.


    Our Orphanage was on a muddy road a single turn off from the stone highway. Made through an ancient recipe combining strange crushed green stone and yellow clay, it was dubbed ''Roman Cement'', the Eternal Empire''s old name. And that cobblestone road ran from the Holy Boree Kingdom to the heart of the Eternal Empire itself.


    Thanks to an explosion that shaped the area itself, our town was built with the combination of rubble and terrain shaping magic. Obviously, Tyrants Rest was named as an insult to the one that caused so much destruction, the Tyrant of Powder.


    The perfect dividing line between kingdoms, stone walls were erected and it became a strategic checkpoint. However over the course of many years, all but a few sections had completely collapsed. Fearing retaliation from the Nala Alliance if they attempted to control our town, everyone though it best to leave the battlements destroyed to further disincentivize capture or control.


    As I walked along the paved road towards the bridge, I passed an old destroyed smithy. A workshop that lay in ruins. Whenever I walk in front of it, memories of the past came flooding through my mind. All thoughts of the woman that had once made me a promise, and her unique circumstances.

 Prologue Part 2: Past & Present

    Distant chatter could be heard from further down the road. Many people had started to set up their tents and mats, ready to peddle goods as the sorrowful sun touched the tip of Lord Holgata''s mansion far behind me.


    It sat on the cliffs nestled within the nearby forest on this side of the riverbank like a dragon overlooking its hoard. No doubt the Lord saw this town as such with the way he taxed us.


    He was the one responsible for driving away my mentor, whose burned down workshop I stood in front of now for the seven hundredth time. The single chance I truly had at adoption, I lost in the worst way possible.


    Why else would she have left?


    For nearly three years I trained as a blacksmith, and for two of those years I studied a scroll tied to a promise of apprenticeship and adoption. I had a breakthrough after years of practice and grew my mana pool large enough that I was finally able to cast Calegriss.


    The day she left was the day I woke up to the smell of smoke and shouting of Guardsmen. What I stood in front of was the end result.


    Two stories of shattered glass, ashen beams and cracked clay tiles, all connected to the workshop where a High-Drake taught me more than I had ever hoped for.


    Half Drake, half Human, she would always sit right here on her tail, waiting for me to walk up at the crack of dawn and get to work. Repairs, metalwork, forging new equipment and tools, she did it all and taught me while practicing her craft.


    All for barely any pay, half of which went to the Lord and his private group of ruthless mercenaries. Maybe that''s why they stood in front of her place two years ago watching it crumble with a smile on his face?


    It was no wonder our real Guards hate them.


    One day, I''ll find you again Rider


    She often stood out like a sore thumb. Just over seven feet tall on a ''good day'' thanks to the combination of limbs and characteristics of a lesser dragon. Her physique was rather unique.


    Tail, horns, eyes, hands, feet and ears, all that of a monster.


    Not that anybody even cared about her appearance in this town. Half of the population wasn''t human, not for a good ten years. Nevertheless, we were all in the same boat and quickly learned to trust each other.


    We are all just trying to survive.


    When I closed my eyes I could still picture it. The roar of the furnace, the clanging of nori bars being shaped into various pieces. If I got lucky, we might have been able to craft using mana infused steel, known as leet.


    With her oversized draconic hand, she would wield her trusty hammer that housed a deep dark red gem that matched her scales and force the hardened earth into its dutiful form.


    Her eyes would glow like the orange sparks that flew with every hit, her black slits catching every detail.


    And yet, as hardworking as she seemed, it was the days spent with rudimentary maintenance that I really got to know her. In truth, she was charismatic and a joy to be around as long as the conversation wasn''t serious.


    If it was, then she''d turn into a different beast altogether. One of focus and willpower. She would get whatever job done, whatever issue sorted in the best way possible. Including the times that meant standing up to a shitty customer.


    Her hairstyle matched how wild she could get. A perfect Mohawk combined with a side sweep and short horizontal braids on her left side reflected her personality perfectly. She even had the same hair color as me, although hers got progressively darker at its roots.


    I wish you at least told me your real name


    "Wow, what a dump!"Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Out of nowhere, a snow white Wulf-girl raised her voice in disappointment. Her intentionally exaggerated manner of speech and somewhat high tone startled me.


    An Adventurer to be sure, or at least, she would have played the perfect eccentric role if she had a weapon by her side instead of nothing. She couldn''t have been much older than me. I''d guess either eighteen or nineteen.


    Oddly enough, for a Beast-kin of her race, she was beautiful. Fair smooth skin, glistening white hair and eyes that could have been mistaken for fields of snow. Not an imperfection in sight, as pure as the word itself.


    She wore a white robe serving as an outer layer for expensive-looking black armor slightly hidden underneath that left her fingers exposed. Everything else


    Although only slightly taller than me, I felt an air of confidence and power emanate from her.


    Maybe she has a dagger hidden in her sleeves...


    Strangely enough, she was missing her tail. Instead, it was replaced by some sort of black circular clip. Normally you would see an attachment like that on a horn that had been cut off and capped.


    "Ya gonna say something or what?"


    "Uh¡­"


    It was unusual. I could see nothing, yet my gut was telling me there was something there, waiting to be touched.


    "Is there something on my butt?"


    She spun around while twisting her waist to catch a glimpse of what had piqued my interest only to find nothing herself.


    "Sorry¡­"


    "Kinda rude to stare at a woman''s ass you know. Well, I guess you are at that age¡­ Anyway, you know who lives here?"


    "Huh? No, uh, nobody does, but I was looking at your¡­ you know¡­ It''s not there¡­"


    Last thing I wanted to do was leave a bad impression on someone who seemed wealthy. If I want to survive, money would be a priority.


    The white Wulf looked disappointed. Not in the lack of someone living in a destroyed home, instead, it was my answer that made her pout.


    "Oh, there ah, used to be someone though! If you got any spare money or food I can tell you!"


    "Not great at first impressions are you?"


    "..."


    Dammit¡­


    "Allow me to apologize on her behalf. My companion forgets how to use her brain the longer she is awake"


    "Ah!?"


    Another woman had snuck up behind me, this time to my left, or perhaps she had been waiting patiently to speak up. Regardless, she also surprised me, however she was far more intimidating than the Wulf.


    Her name was Enda, the Phoenix Witch.


    Everybody around here knew her. As part of the party of heroes that slew a cataclysmic Dragon, her name and appearance were engraved into everyone''s mind. All the more so thanks to her own appearance.


    Standing at six foot five inches thanks to the small heels on her boots, she was a giant amongst humans. Combined with erie bright red hair with streaks of white and a carmine red left eye, there was nobody else you could mistake this woman as.


    Unlike the Wulf who had tied back her long white hair into a single tail that complemented her sidelocks, Enda simply didn''t bother styling her hair. Instead, it was a complete mess and covered the right side of her face.


    The Witch carried her weapons proudly.


    A strange broken tree branch as tall as her, with white and rainbow bark that gave off the feeling of a powerful magical artifact, the way light seemed to bend around it like heat off a hot sword ready to be tempered.


    Attached to the belt around her pants on her left side was a sheathed bastard sword. Surprisingly, it had a completely metal grip, shinier than any fancy silverware with a matching hilt and very little detail.


    It had to be a Relic, an alluring one at that.


    Powerful weapons that refused to be wielded by anyone unsuited to draw out their full capabilities. Plenty of stories existed about Enda, most of them nonsense, so it was hard to tell what that weapon could do.


    One story called it the ''Sword of Light'', irresistible to anyone that saw it, yet nobody around us seemed all that interested in snatching it. Not that there was any sort of public market of Relics anyway.


    Although, Enda herself put in a sizable finders fee for any Relic turned into the Adventurers Guild. It was enough to get out of this town and start a new life.


    The Witches oversized hat drew my attention away from her weapons. At least she was consistent in her choice of clothing.


    That was, of course, in the way it had zero sense of fashion or cohesion. Why would a legend like her need to care about that anyway?


    From her feet, she wore thigh high brown leather boots with laces between her legs and well worn plate greaves covering her feet, shins and knees, all topped off with what I could only describe as crossbow quivers attached to either side of her thighs.


    Clipped from her boots, the containtes connected to the belt that looped through her short black hotpants that would show off her backside more if she didn''t wear a cloak.


    Black and blue, it had a two tone design that appeared to hold faint stars against the darkness on the inside.


    The absurdity didn''t end there, she also wore a thin white loose shirt with puffy open cuffs and an under-bust corset to tie it all together. Enda wasn''t nearly as young as the girl in white, yet she still looked both beautiful and mature, slender yet strong.


    If any part of her clothing served a purpose beyond raising eyebrows, I had no idea.


    "Says you! The kid is more confused at what you''re wearing over my tail!"


    "And yet you choose to tease him despite knowing what caught his eye?"


    Enda appeared far more deadpan than her expressive companion who was practically bouncing around as she talked.


    "Well yeah. I''d rather be casual with him, you know, chill and all that"


    "Insinuating he is lustful because he''s going through puberty is unbecoming of someone who wishes- Where are you going?"


    Yeah I''m done, these people aren''t worth it

 Prologue Part 3: Pretty Weird For A White Wulf

    From beyond the rolling green hills and distant mountains of the Eternal Empire, the sun hesitantly crept into view.


    It created a line of pastel light, bringing much needed visibility to our sorrowful town. Having dealt with the darkness for so long, my eyes felt plenty accustomed to the lack of brightness.


    "Hey! Wait up!"


    The white Wulf effortlessly caught up as I walked over the bellowing stone bridge''s slightly angular incline.


    Desperate to shake her off and look for the people Sister Naji alluded to, I tried to brush off the chip with oddly tall ears.


    For all her doll-like features, it was more out of place than her beauty and outfit that seemed purpose built to destroy her femininity.


    Everyone has their quirks I guess


    "Please leave me alone, I need to work"


    "No you don''t"


    "Uhh?"


    "Rice!"


    Stars in her eyes, the Wulf ran over to a nearby merchant at a frightening speed. He had almost finished setting up his table on the edge of the bridge, only to be enthusiastically harassed.


    She tried to enquire about grain length and other terms the middle aged sporting a bushy mustache could not respond to.


    Although, for some reason, he found her excited attitude endearing.


    "What the hell¡­"


    "Don''t worry about them, child"


    "Shffsh! Don''t do that!"


    For someone so tall, Enda sure had a way of sneaking up on people. Rumor has it she''s rather talented with illusion magic, so part of me wondered if she masked her footsteps while concealing her Aura.


    "If I teach you how to sense those born of shadow and ash, would you still jump at my presence?"


    "I-no. No! It''s because you''re tall, and way too quiet!"


    She tilted her head in response to nearly forcing my soul to leave my body.


    "Why are you following me? Unless you have work, could you leave me alone?"


    "Careful child. The Dragon''s claw may clutch the Serpent''s pearls and seal your fate far too early"


    "What does that even mean?"


    With wobbling legs, the Wulf-girl struggled to balance a curious amount of different crops back to us, almost collapsing at the weight. Somehow within the span of twenty seconds she managed to buy a cumbersome amount of freshly cut crops.


    "Enda''s juuuargh- a smarty pants mixing sayings some kid wouldn''t get. Blah! Also that fate thing was nonsense, not while I''m here"


    She managed to hear that?


    "Wouldn''t want to upset the gods now, would you Arisu?"


    Probably a foreigner with that name, so maybe a different breed of Wulf?


    The Witch chose to strike back with a reality check as her friend fell to the ground in front of us, somehow keeping her hoard of herbs, spices and other culinary consumables stacked high.


    How on father earth she managed to buy so much in so little time is beyond my comprehension.


    "Didn''t you say that like, ninety percent or something were ''dealt with''?"


    "Some still remain, meddling with whatever they wish, knowing our past, present and future¡­"


    Enda took off her oversized hat and gazed into the clouds above. Her single visible eye twitched rapidly, looking for any sort of movement at a speed only possible.


    "Hey kid, got a place to cook?"


    "I''m sixteen"


    "Yeah-yeah-yeah. What about community kitchens or something? I''ll give you something to eat as payment"


    Sack by worn out sack, the tall sorceress knelt down, grabbing each woven bag and pressed it into her cloak. To my bemusement, they passed through like some sort of invisible portal.


    "The Guild Hall maybe? It''s just across the bridge and to the left"


    "And so it curls"


    Enda abruptly entered the conversation with a deadpan warning I would find only partially accurate later.


    "I may be tired but I can still cook!"


    "''Don''t worry, this Tufu will be the tastiest thing you ever ate''"


    "That wasn''t my fault! This stupid wo- Urgh¡­"


    "Twenty-seven and we''re barely halfway through Harvest"


    They followed me while bickering as I led them over the bridge and down a muddy street to the left. Only a single road in this town wasn''t covered in mud, and of course, it wasn''t built for us anyway.


    Having your decrepit house on the highway was a sign of prestige, not that it mattered much, it''d still smell like excrement of fish as long as it was built within these crumbling walls.


    Or that''s what I would say if over half of the town''s defensive walls hadn''t already fallen apart. That''s what you get when subsidizing real materials with magic, even with a catalyst in a staff or wand, it''d still only last a tenth of the real deal.


    "Wow, lotta fur- ah, Beast-kin around here"


    "Twenty-eight"


    "C''mon, give me a pass with that one"


    "Young man, if you can tell Arisu how this town came to be I''ll let you keep those marks"


    Twenty-eight marks might not seem like much to anyone outside of this town, but here it would be enough to rent a room for a week while getting a portion for dinner, and most days all I ate was lunch.


    "Uh, sure¡­ Tyrant''s Rest was built where the Tyrant of Powder blew himself up. Apparently he was a ''lost soul'' that wanted to create ''black powder'' and ''guns''. He gathered a whole bunch of craftsmen together, and somebody cast Pulse, that blew them all up on the boat transporting everything"


    A ''lost soul'' was somebody that was not born in this world, but reincarnated in it. Most of them turned out to be unhinged individuals hellbent on fulfilling their own desires that often led to their destruction.


    More than a few committed atrocities so horrible their name had been wiped from the world and replaced by something more fitting. A stark reminder that the world had a will of its own.


    "Huh, What''s a ''Pulse''?"


    "It''s an adept scouting spell used in gathering information. Depending on the-"


    "Thanks muuum. I was asking the kid"


    "How do you know what ''guns'' are but not Pulse?"


    "He''s right. Twent-ni-"


    "Shut it! Merrah''s Relic turns playing cards into things like guns. She''s my friend, so of course I know what they are"


    Relics that can transform into other things often lacked power but made up with versatility and their wielders. Only a few exemptions existed, but each of them were still incredibly powerful.


    "Merrah?"Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "Cowboy-girl bounty hunter dark el-"


    "-At least wait until we arrive before you give up. Merrah is the highest rated Hunters Guild member, her nickname is ''Thundercrack''. To call her your ''friend'' after you burned those outfits into my eyes is a bold move Ari"


    "Look, there are two ways to fasttrack technology, so give it a few mon- SEASONS, seasons, and it''ll be fine. Besides, you got a few patents or whatever right?"


    "...Never studied the law, did you?"


    "Tis'' on my winter to-do list thank you very much"


    It was hard to imagine anyone acting so openly in front of strangers unless they had taken a bad potion or smoked strange leaves.


    "Uhhhh, we''re here¡­"


    Unlike the rest of the town, this building was relatively new, give or take fifty years, so it wasn''t made of repurposed boats. Instead, it was a far more traditional building, made almost entirely of wood.


    Exposed black wooden beams on a whitewashed wall created an interesting contrast for the two story building. Its pointy thatch roof also made it the tallest building in town.


    "Knowledge is a different kind of wealth that many have benefited greatly for chasing"


    "Yeah? I''m sure you''ve got a version for ''Curiosity killed the''-"


    "Cockatirce"


    "This entire world can bit my ass"


    "W-what?"


    Enda kneeled down beside as Arisu struggled to open the large Guild Hall door and walked inside. She pulled a flat grey stone out from the inside of her cloak to activate a series of complex runes scattered across its surface.


    Once each symbol glowled bright blue, she responded to my question while ushering me inside.


    "I''m sure you''ve guessed by now, Arisu is not from our world"


    "But she''s like, older than me right? So how does she not know stuff?"


    She spoke with absolute sincerity. This matter was important to her, but to what extent, I did not know.


    "Reincarnation can happen by accident, or sometimes an Anomaly might open, normally we only get junk like books or contraptions that don''t work"


    "So she fell through one of those? Couldn''t someone summon her too?"


    The inside of the Guild Hall smelled like stuffy old socks, with about as much light as a broom closet peeking through the small square windows that were dotted around the building with just as much cohesion as Enda''s outfit.


    To our immediate left, a commission board of various requests was hung on the wall. Old dusty paper held up by rusty nails for but one job, that of a simple mercenary band recruitment form.


    Stairs led up to a second level containing a few separate rooms next to the board, with a reception at ground level to the right.


    From there, an open kitchen separated by an island attached to supportive beams connected to the second floor that, retrospect, was more of an open attic connected to a mess hall, filled with long benches and tables.


    "This is not information I hand out lightly. Come, sit"


    "Shouldn''t we at least say ''hi'' to the receptionist?"


    "My presence here may have already put their lives in danger. If I was to say anything¡­ it would be an apology."


    Strangely enough, neither Lucetta or Andreo popped their heads over the counter, even though Andreo was a chef, he often helped with the paperwork.


    I had no idea what Guillaume and Lionel got up to, but they always spent their time held up in their office upstairs, occasionally coming down for a hot drink and food.


    If anyone was in danger here, I''d prefer if they got a warning. Enda didn''t seem absolutely sure, so maybe it was just because she owned a Relic or two¡­


    At least if someone was to attack from the Empire or Boree, it''d probably be considered an act of war. Forces both up and down the river would step in if that happened.


    The free port of Concordia likes to keep their trade route free, so they''d show up too. It would only take a few days to gather a ragtag group of talented individuals and a week to sail upriver, completely destroying any land grab by either side.


    They had money, and from that, the incentive to assign power.


    As I sat down on one of the many benches of the open all, I wondered who would, or could, even begin to challenge Enda. Her title of the ''Phoenix Witch'' was not for show. Rumos say she was around before the ''Age of the Gods''.


    "If she was summoned or came through an Anomaly, she''d still be human. No, there is one other way to bring someone over from mother earth, it''s something only a god can achieve, however, even they consider it taboo"


    "Don''t some gods hate us anyway? Why would it be taboo?"


    "Because in a way, they''re giving birth to their own kind. From what I''ve seen, Arisu isn''t one of them. Her soul is human, yet her body is Kitsune, which has been¡­ problematic"


    Kitsune?!


    As I peaked over my shoulder and the cupboards separating the kitchen, my first thought was to check my eyes, for Arisu was not alone. Enda stood beside her, taking ingredients out and back into her cloak.


    And yet, in front of me, on the other side of the bench, Enda was there.


    I reached out my hand and waved it through the air, expecting it to pass through an illusion, only to hit flesh, barely warm, but all too alive.


    "I am the Magus of Illusion, I would not allow for my deception to be seen through so easily"


    "But-ah, how? If you''re real, then she must be the fake"


    "Oh no, she is real. The product of a scared, broken girl, mythical monster blood and a golden chalice. I merely share her memories up to my creation. Our equipment is real, just not fireproof, or as powerful"


    The fake, or I guess, copy of Enda gave me a warm smile.


    Her intent may have been weak, but I could still feel it when looking at her. There was no hint of any deception when she spoke, the opposite of the true Enda.


    She looks the same, talks the same, but doesn''t try to deceive? Why?


    "Why are you telling me so much?"


    "...When calamity fell ninety years ago, an avoidable sacrifice had to be made so we could stop the Destroyer from reaching Yggdrasil and reducing the world to ash. I won''t let that happen again"


    "..."


    The copy stared at the glowing runestone as she spoke. She felt distant, full of regret, a look I had seen before. Sometimes, when a kid was adopted, the Sisters shared the news with the same dead eyes.


    "If we paid attention to the signs, stopped waging war, we-. All I can do now is make sure when the time comes, there are those that can stop it. Did you run away from home?"


    "I- there''s just¡­ too many of us. I had to leave¡­"


    "We all tell ourselves lies so we may face the dawn with our heads held high. Enda cannot promise you a good life, but we can promise one which you have the strength to face the future, come calamity or catastrophe"


    "But, why me? I- I''m not strong, not fast, not-"


    "It doesn''t matter. When Arisu entered this world you could have called her the weakest woman alive, barely surviving the trip itself, yet despite that, she worked hard every day to get to where she is"


    "Yo, scoot over"


    Speak of a devil and they shall appear, if those fairytales are to be believed anyway. Arisu bumped me over gently using her butt. If I saw a lineup of girls she would be the last one I''d pick to be a tomboy by appearance alone.


    "Here, your winnings before I fall asleep"


    She spoke with such enthusiasm that I felt out of place, going as far as rolling her tongue when talking and giving me a few marks.


    One small metallic brown square with a silver long rectangle, each with a small lesser dragon scale inside.


    Some genius thought it was a great idea to melt and press metal together without tempering it so coins served a value greater than the value it was perceived as.


    Nevertheless, it stuck, and the coins just so happened to be ''marked'' with Dragon scales.


    "And this is a dish from where I was born, I think¡­ never really looked into it but hey! It''s called ''Omurice''"


    "She only overcooked it slightly, so it should be edible"


    Surprisingly, Enda carried all four dishes, two on each arm, and handed them out accordingly while Arisu passed out four wooden cups simply stacked on top of each other before struggling to pour water out of a clay pitcher.


    It was surprisingly heavy, or maybe both of us were weak, either way I helped the Kitsune splash water into each of the sorry excuses for a tankard.


    "Shouldn''t you be stronger?"


    "Shouldn''t you be taller?"


    "Acting like siblings already it seems"


    For such a small event, it brought joy to the old Witch, despite her deadpan tone that conveyed only annoyance. If Arisu had a stake in this race, I could probably guess her reason.


    "At least I have an excuse! Kitsune are pathetic miserable little cunning things that get sold to the highest bidder. We''re known for having brains over brawn, but you? I meeeean"


    "Isn''t that illegal?"


    "Having laws against something does not stop it, only punishes those that get caught doing it. Slavery was abolished ninety years ago in both Nala and Boree, but the Empire still practices it, meaning the trade is still alive despite our efforts. Near the top of the wanted list is any Kitsune"


    "Get used to that by the way, having lessons drilled into you. I''m weak because this stupid body hasn''t even changed in a year and two tails later. At least the fox form is helpful"


    "I don''t know much about Kitsune, but isn''t it supposed to take a long time to get extra tails?"


    "That would be the human in her. I''ve yet to figure out if its a head start with her past or something else"


    "Having two tails sucks, I have to wear this stupid thing to hide them, but they''re only hidden, so someone could hit it anyway"


    On the wooden plate in front of me was an ironically fish-shaped yellow pocket made of egg, holding delicious rice with seasoning baked into the meal itself. The aroma alone left my mouth watering, all topped off with a sprinkle of green herbs on top.


    "Alright, time to eat!"


    Out of her sleeve, Arisu pulled out a pair of chopsticks and put her hands together, thanking something for the meal. Probably a custom from her world.


    "Here, you know how to use these, yes?"


    How much stuff does she have in that cape?


    Basic silverware, a fork and knife, although I only ever really used the former to eat whatever we could get a hold of.


    Astonishingly, Arisu managed to gobbled down her food and drink within a second. Her movements looked almost like a complete blur. The moment she finished, she burped quietly and fell asleep crossing her arms, proud of the meal she had made.


    "Um¡­ how did she-"


    "What she lacks in strength, she makes up for it in speed. Did you manage to catch what she did with her cup?"


    "It was fuzzy, but I think she spun her hand around it?"


    "Interesting. Eat, it has herbs that will increase your mana generation"


    For the next five minutes we made small talk while filling our stomachs. Enda asked me a few questions about my education and what I knew about combat.


    It wasn''t much but far better than nothing. Having used almost every spare weapon in the Guardsmen''s armory, and practiced weapon drills with them when I was bored, she believed that I could skip beginner and adept training.


    She was far more impressed by my control of beginner spells, and how I learned to alter each aspect, such as size, through practice.


    When I mentioned Calegriss as the only spell I knew that wasn''t the lowest tier, the Phoenix Witch told me I should never use it in combat, that its purpose was for smelting ore and nothing else.


    It was a message fabricated with concern, her intent told me as much.


    "Why lie about that?"


    "Listen to me. Never fight with that spell, especially if you''ve mastered it"


    "I haven''t mastered it, I still have to use rune-writing to control it too¡­"


    She let out a heavy sigh of relief upon hearing my progress of the one piece of magic Rider taught me, or at least her scroll did. That was another piece of my past I left under the loose floorboard that kept track of each Harvest I had seen.


    At that second a strange exasperated man burst through the front door and rushed to the main desk. He was dressed in a black and red tailcoat, adorned with dark armor metal gauntlets, pauldrons and shin guards.


    Roughly around forty years old, the gruff human with slick short black hair and brown eyes wiped the sweat off his brow. On his back, a flamberge claymore in a leather sheath gave off a feeling of dread similar to Enda''s bastard sword.


    After quickly scanning the hall and glancing in our direction while scratching his chin that had yet to be shaved after several days. He asked a question out loud that drew Enda''s full attention.


    "Are you offering a bounty on a phoenix?"

 Chapter 1: Fools To An Unfair Fight

    The stranger was just a few inches short of Enda, who was already practically a giant amongst human women and surprisingly, she knew exactly what this stranger meant.


    "Red?"


    She spoke up while lowering the illusion around us by turning off the stone that sat in the middle of our table. This startled the receptionist, as she must have thought we left.


    ''Illusion Magus'' was right, I didn''t even notice she had hidden everything, from the smell of food, to our conversation and visual presence.


    "We need to leave, now"


    "A few minutes earlier would have been nice"


    His eyes narrowed on Arisu and her peculiar sleeping position.


    "No, this one seems personal"


    Swearing under her breath, she quickly prepared to run, folding her hat into her cape and picking up Arisu. I got the feeling she was so exhausted she wouldn''t wake up without some sort of stamina potion.


    "Fine. Grab him, is Ru nearby?"


    "Upriver. Sorry kid, but you''re probably caught up in this too"


    "Irmin, grant us cover"


    The Witch dispelled the illusion of her staff while the copy ate the remaining scraps before taking a deep breath, lowering her hood, and hiding by casting a moving camouflage across her cloak.


    If all copies inherited Enda''s memories, then they''d know how to blend in and hide with ease.


    "They''re pulling up in a Chariot down-river. Best use thunder and fog once we get out"


    "Irmin can prevent them from taking off, but nothing more. Do you have numbers"


    "Damn twig. Seven, two Trinities and a general by the looks of it"


    Red picked me up on his back and we dashed out of the Guild Hall. A loud thump cracked their low hanging door thanks to the Phoenix Witches two-inch heels. She gritted her teeth in pain, but didn''t flinch, prioritizing getting out as soon as possible.


    Her thoughts lingered on protecting the small Kitsune at all costs, worried by the fact something so small and fragile was in her arms.


    "If they follow us, we''ll have to fight"


    "Figures, hold on Kiddo"


    "I''m trying!"


    With no time to think or get comfortable, I clung to the strangers back fearing the worst, although his weapon made it hard. It alone was hot enough to fry an egg, barely being suppressed by its sheath.


    Relics had a nasty habit of punishing people who tried to wield them that did not share their will. You''d be lucky to walk away only burning your hand after grabbing one.


    Rider taught me many things from my time in her workshop, including how to distinguish between normal weapons, strange artifacts and powerful relics. And in terms of power, this thing was fowl, like it was cursed.


    As we exited through a gate heading upriver, much to the stationed guards surprise, I could see Enda''s legs start to glow with mana and she picked up speed.


    The magical energy within her veins had been lit ablaze, forcing her into overdrive with a blue glow. Red somehow matched the Witch moving over ten meters a second.


    Clouds rumbled overhead as we ran, followed quickly by a sudden wave of near deafening heavy rain.


    "Who are you people!"


    "You got a name?"


    "No?"


    "Then call me Red, and I''ll stick to Kiddo"


    Just like my mentor, he wouldn''t give me his true name unless I gave him mine, something I simply didn''t have.


    I couldn''t tell if he was a maniac, or just happy to run in the rain, whatever the case, it was unsettling. Up and over the small hill, the bellowing water faded into an increasing thick wall of fog.


    The ''Stupid Twig'' known as Irmin had listened to the man, or shared his expertise. ''Ru'' was probably hiding further up in an area out of sight, by the old fishing wharf if I had to guess.


    "Hey! How come you didn''t have scouts out?!"


    "I did! They had to hunt a wild Wartorah nearby!"


    "Shit! That could mean they planned it!"


    "Tamed?"


    "Probably! I think we''re still being followed!"


    "By wha-"


    Enda was hit through her heart by a semi-transparent glowing yellow javelin, barely missing the sleeping Kitsune she carried in her arms.


    Blood spewed from her chest and out her mouth as she tripped and fell, turning to ash before it came into contact with anything. Prior to hitting the ground, she passed Arisu upward.


    Red knew exactly what and launched himself to catch Best-kin before she hit the ground. He came to a stop by sliding sideways across the wet grass.


    "Looks like we''re fighting Kiddo. Here, feed her this"


    Red let me off his back and gently sat Arisu down before handing over a small white pepper. A berserker fruit, normally used as a core part of any healing potion, just a quarter was often enough to achieve its desired effect.


    However, normally that would be grinded in a mortar and pestle with other ingredients, not ingested raw.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Clouds gave way and opened for three heavily armored knights. Beams of sunlight engulfed both them and their Pegasi in a holy Aura from gaps in the storm.


    All three had drawn their longswords that seemed slightly smaller than normal thanks to their bulking armor. As their winged animals hit the ground, a chill ran down my spine to the sound of distant bells, yet there was nothing to be seen.


    "The whole thing?!"


    "Yep, can''t protect both of you"


    His caution was born from experience, and he knew his greatest strength was fighting on the offense. It was an intent I was familiar with, far more potent Captain Morrow of the Tyrants Rest Guardsmen.


    As the three armored warriors stepped off their mounts, Red did the last thing I expected.


    He started stretching his arms and legs, groaning as loud and annoying as he could, clearly taunting the enemy.


    "So, you pyrite protectors enjoy waging war often?"


    "Name yourself warrior, so I may carve it to my boot"


    The blonde young man with short hair and blue eyes stepped towards the man in black and red. By his demeanor, laurel and markings on his shoulder, this was their leader, a somewhat seasoned Paladin.


    His companions however, didn''t share his thirst for battle, letting themselves lag behind his lead.


    A much younger black haired girl with equally dark eyes, around my age, and another young man with swept back brown hair.


    "And what would you write down of the Orphan you almost killed and his new foster mother? Will you kill him before he is granted a name?"


    "Silence! Die with dignity while you still have it"


    Faith gave them power, and if it wavered, so did the one thing needed to sustain their armor and strength.


    Red gripped his great sword with zeal, waiting for his opponents to get a little closer.


    "Don''t!"


    All three turned to the Phoenix Witch that lived up to her name once again.


    Unlike other heroes that boast in their own glory, she let her actions speak for themselves. However, their response would show themselves to be a rather sheltered bunch.


    "She isn''t human¡­"


    "So you don''t know who I am? Oh, you stupid little Paladins"


    Enda stood up, shattering the spear with her arms and took a deep breath.


    She faced her attackers, then unclipped her sword and threw it behind, a sign of utter disrespect.


    As Red approached them, they changed formation. Two against him, one against Enda.


    None of them wore helmets, instead, glowing metal halos of differing design. The young blonde man facing Enda had an elaborate wreath brimming with holy energy, whilst the other two, a fairly young female and male, wore simple chain circles.


    Snapping back to the fruit in my hand as its pungent smell violated my nostrils, I quickly shoved it in Arisu''s mouth and watched. Despite being out cold, as if her body knew exactly what to do.


    "Fledglings that fly to far from the nest may see themselves swooped up by puissant prey"


    Their leader twitched at her choice of words, regretting pursuing the woman that had been impaled by holy power. It was more than a deliberate ploy to send several signals in a single sentence that Red seemingly understood.


    Receiving the young blonde man''s annoyed reaction meant he was well educated and unaware of who they attacked. If I wanted to understand her, I would need to bring a Dictionary.


    "Well, looks like you three get the good ending"


    Arisu''s ears twitched to the sound of Red''s voice, the next thing I saw was a glowing red line followed by a loud crack that made my ears ring as she reappeared in front of the pair of Paladins with an odd single edged curved blade in her hands.


    Too long for close quarters combat, too short to be a soldier''s primary weapon, a Relic all the same.


    "What!?"


    "Why do you have that blade!"


    Enda''s veins began to glow blue with mana across her body and she changed her stance, waving her fists and bouncing on her feet, ready to punch her opponent out.


    "They say Paladins wear golden armor to hide when they wet themselves, is that true, or are you matching the carpet to the drape on your head?"


    Infuriated, he stepped forward to strike, yet his intent was to flee at the first chance he got..


    Unfortunately for him, his fake out would be met by another.


    A piercing whistle came from high above Tyrants Rest, parting the rain as it approached at incredible speed towards Enda, too fast and thin to identify until it arrived.


    "Fool!"


    Enda twisted her body, catching Irmin and spun in a full circle, using the momentum to hit the senior Paladin in his chest with a booming gong. He was sent tumbling down the hill and into the nearby river.


    Simultaneously, Arisu appeared behind the black haired girl and whispered something into her ear. The moment she turned to strike, her armor fell into small chunks, leaving her uncomfortably close to Kitsune''s face, who now sat crouched on top of her longsword.


    She freaked out as Arisu somersaulted backwards, landed, then met the Paladins next strike with a single parry that broke the sound barrier. Disarmed with a likey broken wrist, she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.


    The black haired girl stumbled back, tipping over the pieces of her armor that lay in the wet grass and watched as Arisu let her Relic reflect the world back into her eyes.


    Next thing I knew, the Kitsune had pinned the Paladin against the ground, blade against the holy warrior''s neck, smiling and baring her fangs up close.


    Meanwhile, Red chose a plan of attack just as brutal as Enda, while as efficient as Arisu, if not more so.


    "Your leaders dead, she''s about to die. Are you going to just stand there and watch it happen like a coward?"


    "AAARGH!"


    The last man shouted at the top of his lounges and performed an overhead strike against Red, who didn''t even move. No, this man wasn''t stupid, and weapons were not the only tools of war.


    Making a cross with his arms, the strange man caught the rookie Paladins glowing longsword in between the forearms of his black plate gauntlets.


    "Sorry, but you''re strong enough yet, and that shout? Well- that''ll stay between us"


    "Wha-"


    Not to be outdone by Arisu, he knocked the blade back with a loud *ding* and chopped the golden warriors'' exposed neck with the tip of his fingers, then headbutted him.


    If collapsing his windpipe didn''t knock him out, the brain damage would.


    "F-F?"


    "Yeah yeah. Make sure Ru keeps me dry"


    "Of course"


    Rapidly running out of energy, the Kitsune got off her target that had fainted, walked over and sliced through the last ''Pyrite Protector'' as he finally fell backwards.


    Her blade moved faster than a swooping dragon, through torso and limb, yet only his two inch thick armor was cut, leaving the young black haired man in padded undergarments.


    Arisu simply yawned, curled up in a ball and fell asleep in the pouring rain.


    I turned to look at Enda, but all I saw was a blue cloak, thigh high boots, long socks, ''thigh-quivers'' and a single stone with intricate runes glowing extremely brightly.


    Enda had run off down to the waterway to fish up a man stuck to the riverbed thanks to his absurdly dense protection.


    "Here Kiddo, throw this on her"


    From the inner breast pocket of his tailcoat, Red passed me a small black rectangle with two holes in it. It was made of heavy metal with a slight blue tinge and some sort of pattern carved into the edge.


    "Uh, thumb cuffs?"


    "The more energy, the tighter it gets. Ever tried holding a sword without thumbs?"


    "Not really"


    "Pray you don''t have to. Not many healers can grow back a thumb, let alone an organ if your unlucky"


    As I rolled the unconscious lady over and restrained her arms behind her back, a Waterborne woman walked up the hill from the river.


    Ru?


    She wore a strange dark green skin tight suit with various metal fins over her calf and forearm, on top of her natural water stabilizers.


    The little exposed skin she showed on her back and hip flowed from a light tan to brown with many darker dots all over in a pattern, similar to a land-serpent''s underbelly to hardened scale back.


    Quickly assessing the scene, the elegantly curved Beast-kin. Slim, modest and clearly taken.


    She kissed Red on the cheek while hugging him from the back before kneeling down to ease the unconscious brown haired man''s breathing by using elemental water magic.


    I knew Waterborne were naturally talented with such magic, but not that it could be used to heal.


    Guess I barely scratched the surface¡­


    "We shouldn''t linger, unless you want to risk spear in your back as well"


    "Think I''ll pass on that one. You heard the boss, time to Kiddo"


    Enda walked back up to grab her waterlogged boots, soaked socks and everything else while urging us to leave. After throwing another pair of thumb-cuffs on the other rookie Paladin, Red hoisted both over his shoulder to carry down hill.


    Adjusting her thick dark brown to the side, Ru used magic writing to introduce herself with floating words before picking up Arisu.


    ''Hi, I''m Dr. Ru Blitz, feel free to call me whatever makes you comfortable''


    "Ahh, is just ''Ru'' okay?"


    ''Yes, now follow me, we have a lot of water to cover''

 Chapter 2: Enter Aggravated Oni

    ***


    An hour had passed since the battle outside of Tyrants Rest, the town I grew up in.


    We moved at high speed through thick fog. For some reason, I couldn¡¯t feel the wind on my face, only the gravity pushing me down into the wooden dinghy¡¯s seat.


    Irmin was placed at the front of the small boat like some sort of strange figurehead, standing eerily upright without support. No doubt responsible for parting the wind with magic as we rode upriver.


    Not to mention that strange staff had masked our escape with mist. It was as natural as the morning dew, without a trace of any blue hue, a trait possessed by all mana-based spells.


    We swiftly passed by the occasional blurry shadow on either side of our boat.


    It seemed that no vessel dared embark on a voyage with such little visibility. Ru didn¡¯t mind, as she navigated from underwater.


    The speed of our craft exceeded what would ever be considered normal for any boat, let alone a one carrying seven people, three for which were prisoners. If I had to guess, we traveled at double the speed of a regular ship. All in a small wooden dinghy.


    Many thoughts crossed my mind and those questions still lingered like an itchy scab, barely out of reach, yet it demanded attention; Paladin¡¯s, Boree¡¯s fiercest warriors, had been decimated.


    Every time I tried to speak over the past hour, I was hushed into silence.


    "Whoever¡¯s following us won¡¯t let up¡±


    ¡°Fine. If they won¡¯t leave. take out their mount. No point delaying this further¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the boss¡±


    Red stood up at Enda''s acceptance, bracing his arm as he pointed as he positioned his palm to the sky.


    Grinning, he then adjusted his cast to a more casual look, raising his right arm to the sky alone and twirling his index and middle finger in a counterclockwise motion before swishing downriver.


    Whatever he was trying to do, there was no magic circle to be seen.


    A few seconds later, a trail of bright red flame scorched the sky leaving a trail visible through the mist, followed by a horrifying sound of bloodcurdling Pegasi screeching.


    What the fuck¡­


    That was not normal magic, and not even close to anything I¡¯d heard about. Summoning a precise comet to fall from the heavens had to be the highest tier of spell; Divine, and all without a trace of a blue tinge like the mist.


    The black haired Paladin woke up to the sound of searing flesh, light splashing and then a single clump crashing in the waters behind us. She screamed, as if recalling some vivid memory before settling down, sweat dripping down her forehead.


    ¡°Where am I!?¡±


    ¡°Figured you¡¯d be the first one to wake up. My companion has a bad habit of being too soft. Now, why did you attack us?¡±


    ¡°I- I can¡¯t say¡±


    She stared down at the wooden floorboards and started fidgeting, refusing to answer.


    There was something strange going on. Her intent was filled with a need to escape, fearing for her very life, and yet it wasn¡¯t emotion that boiled over thanks to sharing a boat with powerful people.


    ¡°Listen miss, we¡¯re not exactly in a great mood right now. You see, whoever threw that spear almost killed someone very close to us. The type of person that wouldn¡¯t even step on an insect to save herself. So do us a favor and talk¡±


    ¡°There are two others, if she can¡¯t offer any information then she¡¯s just dead weight. I say we let Boree fish up a bloated corpse¡±


    Red knelt down behind the girl and grabbed her shoulders, which sent her into panic. More beads of sweat trickled down her face as her eyes darted everywhere except to the woman who was willing to end her life.


    Enda had made a makeshift pillow by folding her cape into a ball and let Arisu rest so she could stand up, adjusting herself to the boat''s tilt with ease.


    "To throw away forces and not even bother with a rescue attempt- I wonder, what have they done to ensure that blind allegiance?"


    ¡°No! That¡¯s not it¡­¡±


    "And yet you still say nothing useful¡±


    Enda touched the grip of her pearl bastard sword with her left hand and it glowed brightly for half a second before another identical, less shiny sword appeared before her.


    Grabbing the blade with her right hand, she made certain the Paladin knew of its authenticity by cutting the captives cheek.


    "Nngh!"


    "Is that man with blonde hair your instructor?!¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Did either of you throw that spear!?¡±


    Her head shaked rapidly, denying the accusation, still not speaking up.


    ¡°Who threw-¡±


    Enda let out a large grunt in pain as small drops of blood spilled out her ears, eyes, nose and mouth before burning up and disappearing. Red appeared completely unphased by the outburst of blood.


    "Dammit! She grabbed the copy"


    "Then it was her in the Chariot. Good chance she was after Ari or you then"


    "I¡¯m not sure. Seven-Four-Seven saw Alameda take the Guild staff into custody before she set fire to the Hall. Irmin''s rain won''t be enough to stop it spreading from the inside"


    "We better ask Sinclair to help with the hostages then, that is if you want to pay the price for her services, plus she might also be able to find out who tossed that thing"


    "Maybe. Paladin, did that Goddess throw the spear?¡±


    Red urged the young woman to give an answer one last time. A nod or shake was enough, yet now she did neither.


    The attack in question did not cut through Enda¡¯s cloak, but once it passed through her body, gained physical form, leaving a small hole in the front of her white shirt and cutting the laces that held her corset together.


    ¡°Mind if I get blood on the boat?¡±


    ¡°See, this is why your banned from our bar¡±


    Enda lined up her blade to her neck as Red pushed her forward for a clean beheading. Through the gaps in her black padded under-armor, I saw a tiny strange pattern on her back, like some sort of tattoo with magic imbued upon it.


    "Uh, do you like- have to kill her?¡±


    ¡°This is war Kiddo. The moment they stepped on Nala¡¯s land, weapons drawn, it''s on them¡±


    ¡°It''s fine to disagree with this punishment as long as you consider what would have happened if the person that got impaled was not one with powers of a phoenix. You and Arisu certain would be taken, or killed¡±


    ¡°I- understand¡­¡±


    Drops of tears tapped on the wood below our feet, all from the black haired girl that appeared to be going into shock, mumbling to herself as cold steel rested on the back of her neck.


    "Any final requests?¡±


    ¡°I- I- I just wanna go back home¡±


    ¡°Join your family in death¡±


    There was no hesitance in Enda¡¯s damnation, only the rise in bloodlust as she raised her blade. The Witch did not see the prisoners as human, only monsters to be hunted and slaughtered to protect what she cared for.


    Finally accepting her death, the Paladin burst out crying.


    ¡°I wanna go home~¡±


    "Quick and painless."


    Red was silent, he knew what had to be done. It was them or us, even if they were inexperienced, may have never killed before, any other group could have died by their hands.


    Enda¡¯s blade was quick, shimmering in the sun, yet it stopped mere inches before the cut could be made as a hand reached out to the crying girl.


    It was soft and slender, its skin pale and nails clean, long and sharp. The hand patted the girl''s head, before bringing her forward in an embrace. Had the young adult not interfered, blood would have been spilled.


    "Even asleep, you continue to spit in the face of fate"


    Arisu was hugging the crying girl while completely unconscious. Not a hint of true intention, only the gargled static of dreams filled her mind, and something deeper, something with a mind of its own.


    Her body moved like a debilitated puppet, strings and all.


    Despite that lack of awareness, she cuddled and patted the girl as if she was a doting mother. After several long minutes, she regained her composure as Arisu wiped away her tears and snot with a handkerchief she kept in her sleeve.


    Afterwards, her hand slipped down the Paladins back and she whispered into her ear before slowly turning limp once again.


    "You teach her that?¡±


    Enda was unable to answer her fellow warriors'' question, as she too was confused.


    ¡°How could I? Never expected them to continue cursing their recruits¡±


    As we continued upriver, the fog slowly dispersed revealing farmlands on either side, and many boats waiting for the weather to pass.


    "So what should we do then? Think she¡¯ll wake up and remove the others?"


    Red peaked behind each of the Paladins under armour to discover the same curse, inked onto their backs.


    "No, they can handle that at Broken-Blade before they¡¯re interrogated¡±


    ¡°And the girl?¡±


    ¡°Arisu will take responsibility, more importantly, how¡¯d you know to find us?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a long story involving the Merchants Gui-¡±


    ¡°Stop! Ergh. I¡¯ve had enough dealings with them already. Summarize so I can avoid the headache¡±


    ¡°Selfish today aren¡¯t we?-¡±


    Enda sat back down as Red removed the black haired girl''s restraints, allowing her to be a bit more comfortable on our long ride.


    ¡°-Well, you know me, a fight was about to go down and I saw that little twig stir up some weather¡±


    ¡°And before that?¡±


    ¡°I was tracking down some leads on the underground slave trade. There¡¯s only one group on this continent that deals with Waterborne. Look at this¡±


    Reaching under his vest, Red pulled out a thick set of blueprints and handed it to the Witch.


    "Now how on Father-Earth did you get this¡±


    A small smile crept over Enda¡¯s face, somehow already knowing the answer.


    ¡°Take as much pleasure from their fall as you want. They spilled my family''s blood, now theirs fertilizes Concordia¡¯s vineyards¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry- I didn¡¯t know. If you don¡¯t mind me asking, who were they?¡±


    ¡°Her name was Revy. You met her a few times, even knitted her a stuffed animal. She wanted to be like Soarheart when she grew up; taming Greater-Dragons, as absurd as that sounds¡±


    How do you forget someone like that¡­


    ¡°Did you have the chance to bury her?¡±


    ¡°No, would you-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle it¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡±


    Enda took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She shared a physical connection to her ¡®copies¡¯, so the ability to communicate between them seemed possible.


    Soon after she took her conjured blade and cut her finger allowing a constant blood to light ablaze like a candle of crimson fire.


    Noticing my interest, the Witch let me in on a little secret.


    "Phoenix flames contain many properties, some of which I still don¡¯t understand.-"This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    She moved her finger under the blueprints in a zigzag motion, making sure not to burn the parment.


    "-Yet one thing I know for certain is its ability to recreate certain information"


    Warming up the paper revealed several hidden compartments on the Merchant Guilds river boats and a signature.


    The ballast, an area of the boat dedicated to allow water intake to stop the boat from tipping, was built to allow Waterborne captives to be held within.


    "I''ll be damned"


    Red quickly realized he missed a crucial detail.


    Enda reached into a side compartment strapped to her leg and pulled out a small box. Within it; a small square crystal, no bigger than my thumb, with a tiny magical circle engraved on one side.


    Laying the blueprints on top of her thighs, she then held the crystal face downwards with her thumb and index finger. Enda then tossed away her sword into the water and pulled out a wand she hid horizontally in her belt.


    ¡°Close your eyes¡±


    Seconds later, a bright white flash pulsated from the magical weapon. Enda started to blow furiously on the crystal as it burnt her hand, searing her flesh.


    "This is why you should wear gloves¡±


    "Why don''t you just use some water"


    "Not an option I¡¯m afraid, it¡¯ll shatter the crystal"


    As Enda blew on hand, she passed the blueprints back to Red.


    "Will that be enough?"


    "I can give you a lead if that¡¯s what you''re wondering, but that mess in Concordia will make it harder to track down your kids. You should ask the others for help¡±


    "No, we agreed to keep our personal lives out of party business¡±


    ¡°Very well. Ru, we need to reach Broken-Blade Fort within three hours¡±


    ¡°Hold tight kid, she¡¯s about to speed up¡±


    Enda secured her equipment while Red made sure everyone was secure. Soonafter, we sped up considerably as Ru pulled the boat with force I''d never expected to be possible.


    Thankfully, I didn¡¯t fall into the water thanks to the warrior''s intuition, and quickly grabbed onto the side of the boat, fearing for my life. Everything around me was nearly a blur of mushed colors.


    ***


    Broken-Blade Fort.


    Every single water riding contraption had to pass through its intake of eroding stone and rusting metal to pass upriver towards Dragons Mort and eventually Nala.


    To call what a military outpost would be an insult to its impressive, and rather intimidating design.


    We entered through an enormous reinforced mouth as soldiers watched from above on an iron grate, insects under their boots. It was a construction that ran for another hundred or so meters.


    Not that it was a tunnel, but rather a funnel to get an invading force to dismount their boats and fight on the poorly maintained stone docks.


    Various banners of different colors adorned the walls with different symbols. The Nala Alliance navy blue banner with a single white shortsword within the edges of an eclipse was the most common to be hung up around the fort.


    Without a doubt the other banners were indications of separate agreements and alliances with Nala.


    Five gigantic stone pillars lined with giant rainbow monster scales held whatever was above us up securely and natural light lit up the wide open area.


    Not a door in sight, nor any clear visible obstruction on our right, only large stairs leading up next to both fort river entrances. Our left however, was a different story. Nothing but solid stone ran the entire length of the underpass.


    Only a few small stone buildings broke up the rather empty-looking wide open space.


    Attached to the high ceiling were several reinforced wooden logs with various elemental stones inside, causing static lightning to spurt out and cool air to visibly dribble before turning to vapor.


    No doubt to be dropped during an attack, freezing the entire wide river.


    ¡°Welcome Kiddo. This place has stood tall for generations, taking out pirates, bandits and the occasional push from the Empire¡±


    ¡°What about Boree?¡±


    ¡°They fight while flying with Pegassi and light magic¡±


    ¡°Speaking of, how did you and Ari get to Tyrant''s Rest?¡±


    ¡°I flew, she ran. It¡¯s quicker that way¡±


    Enda spoke if it was the most normal thing in the world to achieve prolonged flight with magic, or to run that fast. In truth, even the very best mages in the entire world could only achieve small bursts of power for aerial maneuverability.


    Even so, her unique properties meant her manapool was seemling unlimited, making her quiet the threat.


    ¡°You promised me you¡¯d stop doing that¡±


    ¡°No, I said I wouldn¡¯t fly at night unless absolutely necessary. We left yesterday and camped nearby¡±


    ¡°For what, this Kiddo?¡±


    ¡°*Tsk* Shit¡±


    ¡°There it is. What did you forget?¡±


    Red chided back after Enda clicked her tongue as we pulled into a reinforced private jetty labeled ¡®Nala Military Vessels Only¡¯.


    ¡°Can you deliver a letter and some money to the Orphanage that he¡¯s from? I suggest not staying long unless you wish to risk her blessing¡±


    ¡°Was that a request or a demand?¡±


    ¡°A favor, from one friend to another. Unless you want to see her abduct more kids¡±


    ¡°Fair¡±


    Enda lifted both knocked out Paladins over each arm and stepped onto the docks while a copy revealed itself nearby to carry Arisu.


    "Am I going to be imprisoned?¡±


    She spoke for the first time after the battle with a voice barely passing as a loud breath.


    "You¡¯re Ari¡¯s responsibility now. If you wish to respect your saviour I suggest staying close and quiet to her"


    The girl with black hair stood up and followed the hooded copy holding the sleeping Kitsune.


    Strangely enough this version of Enda felt distinctively different from the Witch. With a slightly more muscular build and white bandages wrapped tightly around her arms.


    She smiled at me as a friendly greeting in opposition to her gloomy blacked out getup and eyepatch.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    A loosely armoured recruit wielding a battered polearm ran up to the end of our wharf.


    He wore a basic kit of hardened leather armor, strapped over a gambeson and chainmail jacket. Padded pants covered his legs and cloth vambraces protected his arms.


    All very much standard starter gear any Adventurer would want as a baseline before bags and consumables. Where his equipment differed into a soldier came with his weapons.


    Heavily used then passed down to new recruits for weapon drills and practice. This young man wore a shortsword, backup dagger on his boot and small buckler strapped to his belt, all backup if his primary weapon failed.


    "Ex- excuse me! Hah!- This landing is for military personnel only!- Ergh"


    Exasperated, the young man barely a year older than me had run down the stairs from the overhanging battlements demanding Ru move her boat, who waited in the water, oddly enjoying the situation.


    Following his warning, we heard laughter from upstairs. Fully fledged soldiers most likely put him up to it as a rite of passage.


    "I need to speak to General Orth Dare, fetch him"


    Enda leaned over the soldier in an intimidating manner, not out of hatred, but rather joy, although her face would not betray her sense of entitlement. The same could not be said for her intent, as I was overly familiar with the feeling of tests and approval thanks to my blessing.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that ma¡¯am!¡±


    His voice broke halfway through his sentence, leading to more uproar from above.


    "Oh? And do you think you alone could stop me, even with my hands being ever so occupied?~¡±


    ¡°Please do not threaten me Ma¡¯am!¡±


    He pointed his chipped polehammer at the Witch, who took it as a sign of a challenge.


    Captain Morrow of the Tyrants Rest Guardsmen taught me many things, including proper weapon etiquette. Never draw your weapon or point it at a foe unless you¡¯re ready to use it.


    Enda emanated no malice as she performed a perfect fully rotating kick, knocking away his weapon before hitting him lightly in the chest and landing to face him once again.


    ¡°Sound the alarm!¡±


    He screeched out an order as he staggered back and drew his shortsword.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    No bell would ring obviously, for he failed to notice the identity of the woman he faced. He must have been either an incredibly sheltered child or insanely busy not to know the Phoenix Witch.


    Her ability to hold two people up and fight should have been a clear warning she was far stronger than him. Nevertheless, he fought on, lunging at Enda.


    The Witch returned his advance by catching his blade with her metal shin guard and striking him in the face with her knee in a single leap, knocking him down and sending his sword sliding along the ground.


    I never expected her to be so flexible or knowledgable with martial arts.


    Using sleight of hand he drew the dagger from his boot as Enda held him down with a foot to his chest.


    ¡°Hahaha! Well fought my boy! You¡¯ve earned your Nori bracers!¡±


    Before he could stab through her leg, an old man''s sharp voice bellowed from the nearby blocky stone stairs, congratulating his promotion to mana-infused iron; also known as Nori.


    He wore similar armour to Red with a far less aggressive color scheme of white and blue. Almost as if it was a cape, a dress uniform rested on his shoulders, with the simple, yet unmistakable one handed sword symbol on his metal shoulder pads with a green wreath instead of an eclipse.


    The man was both casual and confident when approaching Enda, it was clear at a quick glance both him and Red had seen conflict many times.


    Next to him, another military man in a grey armored duster coat with a mace and grimoire strapped to his belt, mostly hidden by his attire.


    Humorously, his attire matched the color of the older man''s hair.


    ¡°Stand down my boy, this woman here is our boss hahaha!¡±


    ¡°What should we do with the rest of Gold Squad?¡±


    ¡°Have them run ten laps around the fort for leaving their balls at home¡±


    ¡°Yes sir¡±


    His slicked back brown hair gave off an air of elegance, with a gentlemanly accent to match. Two silver horizontal stripes on his shoulder and collar indicated his rank as a Captain.


    He turned around and started barking orders at the recruits hiding away at the top of the stairs, instantly shattering my opinion once the insults started to fly.


    "General Dare, Captain Stathon, it''s good to see you doing well"


    ¡°You¡¯re their boss?¡±


    ¡°Hush now Paladin. At a time like this it''s best you blend into the background¡±


    Red spoke to the young woman not as a threat, but out of concern for the girl, she nodded in response and kept her head down.


    "Hmmm, what did these kids do?¡±


    ¡°The Orphan and black haired one is with us, these two are a different story. See what information you can get out of them. They¡¯ve got curse tattooed onto their backs that will need to be broken first¡±


    ¡°That means they¡¯re the sacrifices this time¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯ve done it before?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately they prefer to weed out the weak then foster the next generation of talent and heart¡±


    The old soldier personally bent over and assisted the confused new recruit, helping him to his feet.


    General Orth Dare had to be pushing seventy or more at this stage in his life, but sometimes age could be skewed depending on magical talent and internal mana pool.


    Nevertheless, his wrinkled face was already proof he was getting on in life.


    ¡°Bravery is an essential tool for a warrior. To face a foe far greater than yourself is commendable. Take this, gather your weapons and rest. Resume your post after lunch¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes Sir!¡±


    Once handed a few small sheets of paper with icons of food and drink, the recruit gathered his gear and ran off outside to the small village.


    A few buildings were visible from our location, from a barracks to storage rooms and a large open dueling ring.


    ¡°I see this latest batch is going well¡±


    ¡°Ha! I wish! Damn Oni brat has been bringing moral down¡±


    ¡°You have an Oni in your ranks?¡±


    ¡°Not officially no. Stathon is taking care of the kid, but she¡¯s the sole survivor to the Red Night Riots¡±


    ¡°Otoha? She¡¯s supposed to be in the care of Mistress Rose¡±


    ¡°Trouble in paradise I¡¯m afraid, in more ways than one hahaha!¡±


    Thirty seconds after an ear piercing whistle from the General, a strange girl landed next to us in a state of undress, as if it was the most normal thing in the world to show up in such a state.


    She had opened up a grate in the roof and jumped down nearly ten meters to land, barely breaking a sweat.


    This new girl wasn''t human, she was a red Oni. I''d seen a few blue and red Oni before in Tyrants Rest as they passed by. The Yokai shared a reputation for drinking and fighting, so naturally there were a few who became adventurers or soldiers.


    Standing tall at roughly five foot three inches, her horn above her purple right eye added an extra foot to her height, unfortunately the same could not be said for her other horn, as it was broken and capped, with bandages underneath.


    Such a sight would be a little more disheartening if she cared enough to present herself as anything but a lazy slob like Rider, struggling to quickly button up her white shirt and pull up her black shorts.


    She scratched her messy jet black hair with natural red streaks when causally addressing the General.


    "What is it?¡±


    "I see. Is her lack of shame causing problems?¡±


    "No, to them she¡¯s nothing more than a mannequin, something to do with a strange sort of strong curse apparently. The real issue is this brat bullying the new recruits!"


    "I''m not a jar-head and you''re just as shameless!"


    Immediately before being given permission to speak she pointed a finger at the General then the visible hole in Enda''s shirt and corset.


    She claimed not to be military but her body was littered with scars and other wounds like many veterans, despite being roughly the same age as me, if not a few seasons older.


    "I¡¯ve heard many tales about your rebellious childhood including running through the canopy district in your birthday suit Otoha-¡±


    ¡°Shut up! You would understand!¡±


    ¡°Then tell me. You owe us an explanation¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t owe you anything! My family died because of you!¡±


    Enda did not attempt to refute her claims, and all the adults seemed to know more about whatever was going on to the point where they felt guilty.


    And as such, they let the Oni yell at the Witch.


    From the bits and pieces I could put together, she was cursed, but they couldn¡¯t undo it, the effects of which made her appear like a clothing dummy.


    I didn¡¯t understand why looking like basically nothing was a problem.


    Yet every adult seemed to understand more of what was going on, the nuance behind her situation. Once more, there was something to this girl and preemptive judgment would probably make me look like an asshole.


    Oddly enough, I thought she looked rather attractive with her slim yet athletic body. Although that may have been a side-effect of my blessing, as from what I understood, such power often canceled the other out.


    ¡°I apologize on her behalf. She-¡±


    ¡°It''s fine Captain Stathon. Can you take these two? General Orth, how well do you think the boy would face off against her?¡±


    Enda referred to each high ranking individual by their rank first as a sign of respect. Sadly, the Cleric¡¯s attempt to defuse the situation before it escalated failed, and now I was being dragged into it.


    Disappointed in the outcome, Stathon let out a deep exhale as he took each captive Paladin over his shoulder. Showcasing his own strength, he carried them upstairs, probably to their holding cells.


    ¡°Hmmm. I¡¯d say the boy could give Otoha a run for her money-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Ota¡±


    ¡°Respect is earned, not granted hand over fist. Otamaru knew this well¡±


    "Yes well this is all great and everything, but I¡¯m on a tight schedule. Enda-"


    ¡°Tonight. Don¡¯t be late¡±


    Red interjected, expressing his urgency to leave so he could talk to whatever ¡®lead¡¯ the Witch had set up after he returned.


    "Warren, before you leave, have you reconsidered my offer?¡±


    ¡°Sorry Orth, family comes first, that stuff second, always second. I¡¯ll consider it once I get my kids back¡±


    After tossing Irmin off the boat, they left with a two fingered salute and caused a large wave of water to wash over the white stone beneath our feet.


    The staff bounced unnaturally once then landed next to Enda, perfectly upright like some sort of eager companion.


    "Well my boy, you¡¯re blessed, correct?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Uh- Yeah I-I am, yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha! No need to be embarrassed about it! With that and your large mana-pool, you¡¯d certainly give that Oni a run for her money¡±


    The moment Orth mentioned my blessing, bloodlust filled the room, emanating from Otoha.


    "I- I don¡¯t want to fight her. Wait, how¡¯d you know? About any of that?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, can¡¯t fool an old soldier''s eye my boy. Besides, I wouldn¡¯t be much of a General if I couldn¡¯t tell how strong others are hahaha!¡±


    Enda opened up her large left side compartment attached to her subsequent leg and pulled out a large black Dragon scale.


    "This is a scale from an Elder Dragon. Uncorrupted from the magic absorption, it¡¯s value a an omni elemental catalyst that it can be split multiple times for magical equipment places its value as greater that entire towns such as Tyrants Rest"


    "So what?¡±


    "Fight this young man, and to the victor, the spoils¡±


    Without a second thought she jumped forward to attack, yet despite my slow reaction, her fist did not land.


    Faster then either the Oni or I could track, General Dare moved to catch her melee with an open hand.


    ¡°Duels are to be conducted in the ring Otoha¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡±


    ¡°Wait! I didn¡¯t agree to fight!¡±


    ¡°Money means nothing to you scum does it?¡±


    What is her problem!


    Strong winds bounced through the stone structure housing a castle above, answering my thoughts with mockery of swinging chains and distant military drills.


    It was going to happen, no matter what. I would have to fight the Oni.

 Chapter 3: A Lamb Fighting A Lion

    Murmurs and groans spread across the soldiers, old and new. From those returning from morning training, to the non-combat staff slowly setting up for early lunch.


    Both military and mercenary groups tend to avoid allowing all their recruits to dine together, instead they would eat in waves. And by the concerned looks we received while walking, this fight could easily sway morale.


    ***


    Together, we walked in unison, our footsteps echoing against the hard floor.


    After exiting the stone underpass, we saw an entire staging village, complete with sharpened wooden log walls, covered in wet monster and animal hide.


    Thatch roofs and whitewashed walls created a common theme amongst the architecture, but these buildings did not exist only to be burned down in training exercises.


    They had been designated as storage, accommodation and other use cases by distinct signage. This included the widely adopted red blood drop on pure white bandage flag for medical purposes, to which seemed rather busy as of late.


    Near several fort entrances along the high wood walls were stables for those brave enough to attempt to tame monsters, alongside holding basic carriages and carts.


    Our destination was off center, yet near the middle of the military outpost. Wooden logs arranged in a large circle next to tables with stumps for extra chairs gave off the impression that this was a place to observe, rather than settle grudges.


    ¡°Albedo Squad! Bring us the bronze duel barrel!¡±


    ¡°Ah- Yes General Sir!¡±


    Orth barked orders at a nearby group of six recruits that had just finished setting up their open field tent for the nearby catering staff.


    Gold? Albedo? They¡¯re named after alchemical reagents¡­


    "Captain Stathon will handle this duel once he returns shortly. Any questions?¡±


    ¡°Do I have to fight?¡±


    ¡°Have some confidence in yourself my boy! I¡¯d wager you know a bit more about combat and magic than these young-bloods. Otoha-¡±


    ¡°Ota!¡±


    ¡°-This Oni brat has barely touched her magic studies, the prideful little shit¡±


    ¡°Jealous old fart¡±


    Otoha muttered her insult under her breath as a gust of wind swept through, carrying her message straight to the General''s ears. As punishment, he gave me more hints on how to achieve victory.


    ¡°Oni are stronger than humans, with greater constitution, however my boy, they¡¯re rather hard-headed. Your brain must overcome her brawn¡±


    If she¡¯s so stupid, then why be so cryptic?


    ¡°Do not worry about the boy, Orth. Lambs have conquered Lions before¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! I feel honored that you believe me old enough to know what animals those are¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯re right. In this day and age, it would be a Satyr besting a Griffon¡±


    ¡°Those fiendish creatures? Hmmm. I¡¯d hope the boy hasn¡¯t aligned himself with Devils¡±


    ¡°My my, is the ¡®Great General Dare¡¯ afraid of fairy tales?¡±


    ¡°You and I both know those tricksters are anything but the machinations of old women spewing gossip¡±


    The General lowered his voice, yet there was vitriol behind his words, as if he had a dark history dealing with the myth.


    ¡°Enough of that. You two, I trust the head biting will wait until the duel starts. Wait in the center, Enda and I have matters to discuss. The good Captain will be back shortly¡±


    With that, both Orth and Enda walked away, discussing plans. All I could gather was their concern how the Eternal Empire would retaliate with Boree breaking the non-aggression agreement.


    By the time that we arrived in the middle of the dueling circle, Stathon had returned carrying supplies over his back that he handed off to the squads setting up the field stoves.


    Instantly distracted with a goal in mind, Otoha wandered over to a pair of new Wulf recruits brushing their hair. All she had to do was present an open fist and they forfeited their grooming apparatus.


    At least the Oni gave it back once her messy bob cut had been somewhat straightened, but the fear in their eyes was apparent. ¡®Ota¡¯ didn¡¯t belong here.


    Stathon had to enter the ring and drag her back by the ear.


    "Ow! Let go of me!¡±


    "You know what kind of person demands others to hand over their valuables? A bandit Otoha, a bandit¡±


    Captain Stathon kept his voice low, hissing at the Oni to get his message across while making sure he held a firm grasp on her ear.


    "I-I¡¯m sorry okay? I just wanted to fix my hair¡­¡±


    ¡°Good grief. This nonsense over the past couple of seasons has shown the whole garrison that you¡¯re a brute unworthy of respect. Do you truly believe Otamaru would act in such a manner?¡±


    ¡°Well it''s not like-¡±


    ¡°When I met your grandfather, he gave me advice and encouraged me to be a man worthy of the light I wield to save others. People greeted him with a smile, not fear! No man, woman or child cares if your hair is straight if you had to steal a brush in front of them to make it so!¡±


    Why he felt the need to ensure his dispilary lecture was kept private seemed counterintuitive. I¡¯d have thought he¡¯d want to make an example out of her, instead, only I, and the copy holding Arisu heard it.


    ¡°Understood?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡±


    "Good. Eyebore, you may wish to sit down on the ring as they¡¯ll be using the entire circle to fight¡±


    As the Priest explained how our fight would function, the named copy carefully lowered Arisu onto one of the logs that made up the large training circle, rolling up some of the hide covers as a makeshift pillow and adjusting her head to the side.


    She seemed somewhat confused after laying the Kitsune''s head down and began to check her temperature. ¡®Eyebore¡¯ did little to hide her intent, despite wearing a large brown cloak, her personality seemed different from the woman who created her as a copy.


    The black haired trainee Paladin sat on the log beside them, keeping her head down.


    ¡°I take it both of you are at the stage where your Aura is irrelevant, however, in case either of you are hiding any tricks up your sleeves, then any enchantments of any kind will result in your disqualification¡±


    ¡°As if, nobody our age can pull that stuff¡±


    Aura was not a matter of if, but when. All that got strong eventually grew a second layer of invisible skin that seeped into any clothing or equipment to make it stronger.


    In some tales, it¡¯s claimed that intrinsic abilities can only be accessed if their weapon has that ¡®skin¡¯ stretched over their blade, hence why swordsmen run their fingers over their blades before battle.


    I¡¯d yet to see it myself. Although Arisu moved so fast she could have easily fit that into her routine before slicing through thick Paladin armor. That ability of hers was something else, even if it looked like she couldn¡¯t slice through skin while doing it.


    Then again, she did manage to cook food impossibly fast as well.


    ¡°Yes, well, my lived experience proves otherwise Otoha. As for the duel, you may not attack without a weapon in hand. Pinning your opponent down will count as a victory. Either of you may verbally yield to confirm your defeat¡±


    After being recently scolded, the Oni did not protest the use of her name. Instead, she chose to bring her attention to me.


    ¡°Can I punch him?¡±


    ¡°Not without a weapon¡±


    ¡°Can I cast magic without a wand or staff or something?¡±


    ¡°Athena, grant these kids some wisdom. Yes, you may cast magic, so long as you have a weapon. Although, no mage in their right mind would recommend casting without some sort of instrument¡±


    Stathon was already sick of our questions by the time two members of Albedo Squad interrupted, carrying a large barrel of mostly wooden tools of war.


    As if right on time to watch our fight, one of the large wooden fort doors slowly opened up to let in a batch of soldiers covered in sweat, who found themselves slowly wafting over towards the puffs of smoke and roasting meat.


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    "Otoha, young man, this duel may be a little different to what your expecting¡±


    ¡°¡®Young man?¡¯ You protecting him too?¡±


    What are you on about?


    Ignoring her, Captain Stathon started to pick weapons at random from the barrel lined with bronze hoops and tossed them around the arena.


    Many of the returning soldiers took up residence on the tables nearby, however, every single person took a seat as far away to Otoha as they could.


    Even the Beast-Kin distanced themselves once they had their hairbrush back, retreating to the tables being set up for dining.


    ¡°We will start by having both of you interlock arms and spin until I give the order to distance yourselves. At that point, it''s up to you to win. This is a test of agility, strength, and rather importantly, versatility. Understood?¡±


    ¡°I- I guess?¡±


    ¡°Just forfeit and I¡¯ll spare that privileged little face, human¡±


    ¡®Privileged¡¯?! Who the hell does she think I am?


    ¡°Now-now, save the trash talk for when the duel begins¡±


    "Shouldn¡¯t we be wearing armor?¡±


    "For someone so boisterous, you often surprise me with strange concerns. Alas, this fight will go on without such protection¡±


    ¡°Yeah but what if he has enchantments and stuff?¡±


    ¡°He possesses no such clothing. Now, back to back and hook your arms around each others¡±


    The Oni made certain to follow Stathon¡¯s instructions aggressively, like a handshake firm handshake taken too far. She decided to denigrate me while grabbing my arms, making sure I didn¡¯t try to escape.


    ¡°Let''s see those fancy moves you damn blessed¡±


    ¡°What is your problem?¡±


    ¡°Silver spoon asshats like you deserve to be put in the dirt¡±


    ¡°Enough! Spin clockwise, and when I say release, the duel starts!¡±


    Stathon interrupted the berating, then pushed us in the right direction. We shuffled on the spot, spinning round and round and round again. After a solid five rotations, he shouted and stepped back.


    ¡°Begin!¡±


    With an ear piercing shout, we let go and immediately ran forward. Both of us stumbled and fell onto the ground, dizzy from the spin.


    Pushing myself back off the ground was futile, and resulted in a tumble back down. Luckily, I landed on a plain leather sling.


    The moment I picked it up, I cast Sediment, a basic spell to create a small pebble, one grain at a time, while looking for another weapon.


    Basic spells had no visual magic circle and often had rather unimaginative names with straightforward effects. The downside was weak throughput and limited effects.


    Unfortunately, as the Sisters only used Faith magic, nobody could teach me beyond the lowest tier of magic. All except for Rider, who gave me a scroll for Calegriss, a spell for ¡®heating and cooling metals¡¯.


    That said, with so much time spent casting basic spells, I achieved what I call ¡®true mastery¡¯. Not just silent casting, as defined by the term ¡®mastery¡¯, but size, speed, direction, all manner of adjustments.


    Within a second, I created a stone worthy of a king''s sling as I stumbled to my next objective. Rock in spinning pouch, the moment I turned to aim, I saw nothing but fire in the Oni¡¯s deep purple eyes.


    In the time it took me to grab a single weapon, she had recovered and armed herself. With a wooden bulker and bludgeon in hand, Otoha was quickly closing the gap.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    I let the rock loose and panicked, landing on my behind, head still spinning slightly.


    Kicking up dirt, the small stone ricocheted off the ground and straight towards my opponent, who barely managed to block it from hitting her shin by whacking it with her small shield.


    ¡°Erghg¡±


    Thanks to the strange bounce, while the Oni thwarted the attack with a mighty whack of her shield, shei lost her footing and fell forward straight on her face.


    Otoha let out a gargled shock through clenched teeth. In an attempt to get back up quicker, she lunged forward and tried to roll, keeping a slight amount of momentum.


    As this occurred, I let the sling flick around my hand and scrambled back, grabbing a wooden Longsword with the very same hand. When it came to magic and weapons, I was ambidextrous with most things.


    Thus, slowly but surely, my left palm cast a spell of elemental output.


    Stream, a small bubbling mass of water, following like a bottle of rum into an ever increasing ball.


    ¡°You¡¯re a coward!¡±


    Otoha shouted, knowing full well the easily evaporated magic would not damage her, but that wasn¡¯t the point. Larger and larger it grew over my head to a size bigger than me.


    Strangely enough, blood began to run down her face from her broken horn. It was enough to get me to lower the amount of strength I put into a one-handed swing from the left out of pity.


    ¡°DON¡¯T LOOK DOWN ON ME!¡±


    I stood with my feet perfectly parallel for this exact outcome, and enraging her benefited me greatly, although it wasn¡¯t intended.


    The Oni used her small club to bash my weapon back and crash into my chest with her shield. At that exact time, when I felt my heart could burst from my chest, I let go of the spell and jumped back in a rather idiotic way, sliding along the dirt on my back.


    Zero hesitation, Otoha followed up with a vicious overhead leap that I barely managed to block while lying on the ground. Quickly, I created a small ball of air in my left hand.


    Vortex was its name. Sucking in dirt and dust for no other purpose than to be adjusted with my true mastery into a cone, spraying debris all over her we body.


    ¡°Fucker!¡±


    She screamed, striking rapidly while blocking the dirt with her buckler before they could completely disrupt her vision. I still managed to cover her in filth, which was my plan, all for a combo.


    With an opening now at my disposal, I took a chance and rolled to my right into her blind spot then bounce back up off the ground with a pirouette.


    ¡°You silver spoon asshole!¡±


    I made as much distance as I could between us as we both took deep breaths. I hadn¡¯t spoken a word, but inside, I was just as angry as her.


    She really thinks I¡¯m a nobel? Are you fucking KIDDING ME!?


    Having spent years fighting to survive, trading labor for food to feed my fellow orphans, working any chance I got, her remarks rightfully pissed me off.


    She may not have been present until after Enda had already introduced me as an Orphan from Tyrants Rest, but still. All because I was blessed?


    My eyes opened wide, and I focused on her next move. The intent within her heart, where she would strike next. It was nothing but rage, with my head as a target.


    Like a hot wind blowing on a cool day against my face, I felt her plan.


    Now, my path to victory was clear.


    I began to cast two spells for a final combo.


    She charged, head down, horn pointed at my skull.


    One last time, I cast Vortex in my left hand. Using my right hand¡¯s index and middle finger, I let freezing air flow into the ball with a spell called Chill, using only two fingers so my longsword remained at the ready.


    Her shield protect face, and her bludgeon was ready to strike if I ran, so instead, I met her challenge.


    Running forward, spell at the ready, I leapt as high as I could while slamming down my longsword horizontally to push her down, with my left hand forearm for extra force.


    Nobody in their right mind would try such a stunt against an Oni¡¯s horns, but that was the point.


    On contact, I released the spell and we tumbled to the ground.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I- How?!¡±


    My wooden blade pressed against the back of her neck. I¡¯d both pinned her and made sure my position could make a strike that could have killed any opponent.


    ¡°Stream is so weak it doesn¡¯t even freeze with Chill right? But throw some dirt, and it becomes solid as black ice¡±


    ¡°Who the hell would know such a thing?!¡±


    ¡°Someone who made arrows using the two spells so he could practice archery with a shoddy bow and a few feathers¡±


    ¡°Enough! The boy wins¡±


    Stathon wandered back over from the sidelines, where the Paladin recruit, copy and an unconscious kitsune with an oddly red face were sitting.


    ¡°Get up¡±


    I did what he asked, and the Captain pulled out his grimoire that was chained to his belt. Somewhat hidden thanks to his coat. Then he began a small chant to free Otoha from her predicament.


    ¡°By Athena we rise, to fight a surging tide, ensure our blood dries, Goddess be our guide¡±


    Golden light enveloped both of us, healing our small wounds and dispelling my snare. His holy magic sounded like it was missing a few words, typical of talented priests.


    ¡°Now, as custom, look each other in the eye and shake hands. Leave your grievances in the dueling ring. There are far more pressing matters to attend to¡±


    He didn¡¯t even bother to wait for Otoha to stand up before turning around and walking back to Arisu. Although, looking at the sweat rolling down her forehead and swelling in her neck, it appeared to be urgent.


    ¡°Happy? You won¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not smiling, nobody''s clapping. They so afraid of you-¡±


    It all happened within less than a second.


    Otoha had pulled a small knife from her boot as she got up, and thrust it straight at my heart. There was nowhere to move, no way to avoid it. I was going to die. She didn¡¯t even plan it, only acted out of rage.


    Aggravated, my heart cried out. Too weak to push forward, yet it sent a spark up into my brain, allowing me to witness my last moments on Father Earth.


    *BANG*!


    The next thing I saw was the partially cloudy sky. Ringing and numbness filled my senses. Soon after, the pain of falling brought me back.


    ¡°*Cough*-*cough* Urgh¡­¡±


    A sizzling noise rang out at my feet. The blade Otoha had wielded was cut just above its hilt by a Yokai leaning on a Tachi, throwing up over a log.


    Arisu reached into her robes to pull out a red rock. With a crack, it shattered against her neck, immediately quelling the swelling of an allergic reaction.


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s one less card up my sleeve¡±


    Whispering to herself with a raspy voice, she appeared unbothered by the feat she had just performed. Neither did Eyebore for that matter, who ran straight passed and started climbing the wooden battlements to gain height.


    Otoha suffered the brunt of the blast caused by Arisu.


    The Oni had been flung straight into a log, smashing it in half, yet somehow she was still alive. Each grasp for air as ragged as the next.


    ¡°Wha-what happened?¡±


    ¡°Congrats, both of ya. I¡¯ve only seen a few, even so, two at the same time is a first¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    Somehow, knowing full well what was quickly approaching, the Kitsune wiped her mouth and offered applause while looking towards the horizon at a small grey and blue dot. If I had to guess, it was a building in Dragon¡¯s Mort, far off in the distance.


    From that location, two streaks carved their way through clouds, side by side, roaring past the speed of sound. Within seconds something crashed besides Otoha and I, creating a crater in its wake.


    ¡°Aargh!¡±


    Eyebore screamed out in pain. She¡¯d tried to catch, no, stop what landed next to me. Her right arm had been blown clean off along with her cloak. Her physic was nearly the exact same as Enda, only slightly more muscular.


    The only major difference was in hairstyle, as she had spiky short crimson hair without any white streaks, tied back into a tail, and her right eye was made of glass.


    However, my attention was quickly drawn away from her wound and arm that appeared to be bleeding ash, and towards the dark green object next to me.


    A perfectly symmetrical wired grip brimming with power, whispering something so soft it was inaudible. Fit for what looked like a longsword, yet without a blade, hilt or pummel.


    The Oni had her eyes barely open to see a glowing red shard, shining like a ruby on fire. Entranced, we reached out to grab what had been granted.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    By the time my hand touched the Relic, I didn¡¯t notice Enda shouting out with an arm missing, reflecting the copies damage, pleading not to take hold of the mysterious power.


    But it was too late. I lost consciousness.