《The Weaponsmaster: Legends of Althaedor》


 Prologue: Her Fallen World

    Ruena Alodan was the spoiled daughter of a duke. Her father was the famous hero known as the Weaponsmaster, and she adored him. Her mother was the first princess of Ariz, a smaller kingdom. Everything was perfect, at least until that day.


    The day started with a happy surprise. Before he left for work, her father had woken her up and shown her a special room. The room wasn¡¯t very large, and there wasn¡¯t much in it, but Ruena recognized it immediately.


    ¡°Is this my very own weapon room?¡± she asked with excitement. Her father had one, but she wasn¡¯t allowed to enter.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he confirmed, ¡°Your mother wouldn¡¯t let me give you anything sharp, so I decided your first weapon would be this.¡±


    He guided her over to the one weapon displayed on the wall. It was a staff of some kind. The center was polished wood, and the ends were formed from what looked like gold, with a large red jewel set in it. The very tips were a bit blunter than she would have hoped, but her father had that covered too.


    ¡°If you ever need to use this to defend yourself, tap the jewel on either end,¡± he instructed as he demonstrated. The previously blunt tip suddenly had a sharp point. He tapped it again, and the point retreated, leaving the blunt end from before.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing!¡± Ruena told him, throwing her arms around him in a hug, ¡°Thank you so much!¡±


    ¡°I will teach you how to use it starting tonight,¡± he promised.


    Ruena grinned, ¡°I will be waiting! No skipping out, okay?¡±


    ¡°I would never,¡± he told her, stealing one last hug before he left.


    She took the staff from where he had set it and tapped the gem on one side a few times in wonder. Was this what kind of weapons a weaponsmaster used? It was beautiful. She held the staff close happily, unwilling to let it go until her promised lesson.


    Her father ran late that night. This wasn¡¯t unusual as he was a very important person and many people needed him. However, he never ran late when he made a promise. Never. Ruena tried to convince herself that he was just held up by something unavoidable. He would show up late, and give her some advice instead of her first lesson and everything would be fine. Convinced by her own idea, Ruena refused to go to sleep that night.


    Ruena had fallen into a light slumber leaning against the door of her father¡¯s study. He always came to his study first before going to bed. She was startled awake by the sound of people talking in hushed voices. Her father had always told her there was nothing more suspicious than people trying to be quiet.


    She crept closer, staff still clutched tightly in her hand, until she was close enough to hear the words being said.


    ¡°He¡¯s dead?¡± she heard her mother whisper in shock.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Ruena¡¯s heart froze for a moment and she felt something pounding in her head as the panic rose. She forgot all pretenses of concealment and jumped out.


    ¡°Who is dead?!¡± Ruena demanded.


    Her mother turned to face her, tears still fresh in her eyes. ¡°Honey, go back to bed. I will tell you everything in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s dead?¡± Ruena repeated stubbornly. It was just some officer, right? That was why her father was held up. He always said there was endless paperwork when someone died.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, as the heiress, she has the right to know,¡± one of the guests told her.


    ¡°If you would like, I could tell her,¡± the other said.


    The first man seemed to be some kind of officer, but the second looked far too much like a noble. Ruena concentrated as she tried to recall her classes. That¡¯s right! He was Densooth, the Queen¡¯s advisor!


    ¡°I will tell her myself,¡± her mother snapped at Densooth, ¡°Please, just leave.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Densooth promised, taking one last look at Ruena, ¡°Call me if you need anything. His death was a great loss to Altea.¡±


    The sinking feeling only got worse as the conversation went on. No one was willing to tell her who had died, but she was the heir, and he was important to Altea. Ruena felt tears of her own swell in her eyes against her will as the two guests left.


    ¡°Mother, is father really-¡±


    Her question was cut off as her mother slammed the door behind them and put on every lock she could find. Ruena saw as her back slowly began to quiver. Was she crying? Right¡­ Ruena wasn¡¯t the only one who was sad. She stepped forward to hug her mother, only to draw back in fear when she heard it.


    She was laughing. Her mother was laughing. The laughter grew louder and more insane before her mother punched the door.


    ¡°He¡¯s dead! Exactly as planned!¡±


    As planned? Ruena took another jerky step backwards. Impossible. Her mother would never. That was when her mother turned to face her. Her eyes were still wet with tears, but they did not match the maniacal grin on her face.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Byron Alodan is dead,¡± she told her, ¡°Now go to bed, darling. You don¡¯t have to worry about him hurting you with those dangerous lessons of his anymore.¡±


    Ruena took another step back before bolting to her room. This was just a nightmare! It had to be! She would wake up to her father asking her why she hadn¡¯t waited for their promise. But she didn¡¯t.


    The next morning was filled with a tense, eerie silence. Her mother was at the dining table as always, but rather than the warm mother she had always loved, a cold noblewoman sat before her. Sitting in what should have been her father¡¯s chair was an older woman.


    ¡°This is Lady Trelys. She will be teaching you proper noble etiquette from now on,¡± her mother told her, coldly eyeing the staff Ruena had brought with her to the table. ¡°It is high time you gave up your dangerous toys and became a proper noble lady. You mustn''t forget that you are the only heir and future Duchess Alodan.¡±


    Was this how she had felt about things all along? Thinking back, she had always stopped her father from teaching her how to wield a weapon. Even that morning, her father had mentioned she wasn¡¯t allowed anything sharp. It hadn¡¯t been a nightmare after all.


    As soon as breakfast, in which her table manners had been criticized many times, was over, Ruena darted out of the house. She had to tell someone!


    She found a knight of the Queen patrolling the streets and stopped him. ¡°You have to arrest my mother,¡± she begged him, ¡°She killed him. She stole father from me forever!¡±


    The guard looked a bit frazzled, but pulled her off of him. ¡°Young lady, you should be more careful with your pranks. If your mother was arrested for murder you would never see her again, and you would lose your house while we investigated. I will keep this between us, alright?¡±


    He didn¡¯t believe her. The nearby knights also looked at her with a gaze that showed they agreed she was just a naughty noble¡¯s daughter making a fuss over nothing. What was she meant to do? She clutched the staff tighter, drawing the knight¡¯s eyes to it.


    ¡°Miss, you can¡¯t carry around weapons like that in public,¡± he scolded and reached to take it from her.


    ¡°No!¡± Ruena screamed and jumped back, quickly turning the way her father had taught her and taking off in a spring in the other direction. No matter what, she couldn¡¯t let this be taken from her! It was all she had left.


    As she ran, she stumbled into a man who had just been leaving his carriage. After a moment, she recognized him again. It was Densooth.


    ¡°Please help me!¡± she begged, grabbing onto his sleeve.


    He took a moment to observe the situation, then helped her into the carriage. ¡°Stay here. I will take care of things,¡± he promised.


    This was how her life under the care of the Black Wolf had begun, as well as her revenge against the woman who had murdered her father.

 1: Letter of the Wolf

    Since the fateful day she had met him, Densooth had guided her to become stronger with the help of prophecies. Ruena had later learned that he was the notorious Black Wolf, well known as an evil being who controlled everything from the shadows. If that was the case, then she would let him control her too, so long as he promised her revenge. Just when everything was going perfectly, he abandoned her.


    Ruena used what connections she had made and forged forward on her own. Now she stood proudly as the leader of the Alodan Warriors. The Alodan Warriors, the elite mercenary squad once led by her father. That is how things should have been. Unfortunately the life of a mercenary was not at all what Ruena had imagined. Nine years passed since she gained the permit, and she had just barely gained access to real missions and stability.


    Why was it now that a letter with the ominous symbol of the Black Wolf sat on her desk? Should she ignore it? No, she knew better than anyone that Densooth was unforgiving to his enemies. She may no longer be one of his people, but becoming his enemy would be a grave mistake. Regardless of what she chose, Soral was sure to find out about the letter and he would be furious.


    ¡°Make sure Soral doesn¡¯t find out about this,¡± she ordered Rosalie, the only other warrior in the room and her second in command.


    ¡°Commander, you know how impossible that will be. Your boyfriend can hear thoughts,¡± Rosalie refuted. When met with Ruena¡¯s cold glare she quickly backtracked, though on the wrong point. ¡°Sorry, sorry. Not your boyfriend. Your fated partner.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care how you refer to him,¡± Ruena told her, ¡°Just make sure no one else knows this is here so no one else can think about it existing. You and I both learned how to control our main line of thoughts so he isn¡¯t privy to our private information.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you read it first,¡± Rosalie suggested, ¡°You won¡¯t know if you want to hide it from him until you know what you are really dealing with.¡±


    Unfortunately, Rosalie was right. There were some things Ruena simply couldn¡¯t do on her own. She was well aware that she had used the prophecy¡¯s mention of fated partners to use Soral for her own goals, and she would always feel guilty for it. Even now, Ruena constantly relied on him for his powerful magic and other useful skills. This was without taking into account that his businesses singlehandedly funded the entirety of the Alodan Warriors.


    Unable to think of any more reasons to stall, Ruena carefully broke the seal on Densooth¡¯s letter. The letter was thick due to both high quality paper and the sheer amount of words they held. She braced herself for threats and nonsense alike.


    ¡°Ruena Alodan, you have done well since we last met,¡± it read, ¡°I appreciate that unlike your partner you have yet to make any unsolicited visits, however your goal remains unachieved. You have held your end of the bargain and it is time for me to uphold mine.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    She hadn¡¯t even made it past the first paragraph and Ruena already felt disgusted. She could feel the veiled threats and dissatisfaction. Had he expected her to come running back? To stop Soral from bothering him with childish pranks? Ruena secretly enjoyed hearing Soral¡¯s tales of torment against him. She found it hard to believe that Densooth couldn¡¯t stop him if he really wanted to.


    ¡°You and I both know that what you want most is vengeance against Velcorna Alodan for her crimes. It just so happens that the very woman you so hate is aiming for a seat of power far beyond her means. As the true heir of Alodan you have the best chance to not only stop her, but take your own revenge in the process.¡±


    Ruena scoffed. Now that he had a stake in things he suddenly remembered her. She thought it was suspicious that he had suddenly offered his help after all this time. Everything was conditional with Densooth. Everything involved a deal and a price, and he made sure he was always on the winning side of the bargain. Why would he even care if that woman took this supposed seat of power? Though, Ruena did have to admit that she couldn¡¯t afford for her to gain any more power either.


    ¡°The throne of Altea is at risk, and the heir I have chosen is young and unready to face the vultures that surround it. You must reclaim your rightful place as heir of Alodan, and next in line to the throne of Altea and protect it until the new Queen is ready to rise.¡±


    Hold on a moment, the seat he had been talking about was the throne of Altea? But Queen Shirisha was still alive, even if she was living in seclusion. Not only that, but Altea was the human capital of Althaedor, representing the eternal alliance of humans and dragons that had created the land in the first place. If Velcorna became Queen of Altea, not only would she gain incredible power, she could plunge the entire continent into war!


    ¡°I have prepared materials to help you in your goal. I am sure you will find them most interesting,¡± it continued, as if the Black Wolf had not just bombarded her with information that was both terrible and grave, ¡°The easiest way for you to properly reclaim your seat as heir is to come bearing a significant achievement they will have no choice but to acknowledge. I have included a list of qualifying achievements you can choose from.¡±


    More high-handed orders. Densooth had set up an entire plan, thinking she would just obediently follow through like she had all those years ago. Still, his words were too serious to ignore, and he wasn¡¯t one to lie. Ruena took a glance over the achievements he had set out for her. Rather than achievements, it was information on high spec criminals and criminal organizations that could not be apprehended.


    She ignored Mr. Mischief, the king of Qilin as that was Soral¡¯s cousin and time warped alterego. She tried not to think of the specifics of how that worked, but she knew that catching him would be both impossible and counterproductive. Ruena also had no interest in taking on anything to do with the endless war of the Warlord Territories. It was a wasteland beyond saving, and she wasn¡¯t going to play hero or pretend otherwise.


    However, there was one among the targets that did catch her eye. The slave trader, Gero, was back. Nine years ago they had infiltrated his trade and rescued their top technical expert, Janon. During the process they had caused enough damage to the trade itself that it had quickly fallen under. Unfortunately, since it was a rescue mission Gero had escaped.


    The majority of the warriors had plenty of reason to take him down. He was the perfect target, but she couldn''t make such a high profile decision on her own.


    ¡°You were right,¡± she admitted with a sigh, ¡°I need to let Soral know about this after all, along with the rest of the leaders among the warriors.¡±

 2: Target Acquired

    The meeting was promptly arranged, as everyone was long used to impromptu meetings courtesy of Soral. Soral himself was the last to appear with a pop of magic as he was always out somewhere doing something. Ruena had long given up trying to keep track of exactly what. Now that every core member of the Alodan Warriors was present, Ruena stepped to the front to present the issue and the opportunity.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we have had a real emergency situation,¡± Ruena said with a smile, ¡°At least beyond the wild goose chases and petty investigations we have wasted our time with so far. The Alodan Warriors have finally been given the chance to rise again, but it will be dangerous and it comes from an enemy¡¯s hand.¡±


    ¡°An enemy?¡± Ember asked, narrowing her red eyes with scorn, ¡°Then why are we even considering it?¡±


    Ember was in charge of communication of the very first team of the Alodan Warriors. It was the very team that Rosalie led, while her twin brother Flame was in charge of overall communication at headquarters. As twins they had a special telepathic link that had not been broken by the strongest of magical interference. Both of them had been indispensable the last nine years.


    ¡°Because it was sent by a being we cannot ignore,¡± Ruena answered, presenting the letter.


    She had always thought it interesting that the twin without the flaming wings inherited a far more fiery personality. Flame winced when he recognized the sigil on the envelope. His gently flickering wings of fire did suit his more calm and focused personality. However, his reaction was far overshadowed by Soral who immediately snatched the letter from his hands.


    ¡°Ol¡¯ Denny Boy is getting bold,¡± he muttered, ¡°Should I go make him back down? I am sure I could find something to convince him.


    Ruena held her hand up to stop her partner from doing anything rash. He was a head shorter than her, and she was stronger physically. Only physically. She wouldn¡¯t stand a chance if he used any magic against her.


    ¡°This is one of those rare occasions that he and I want the same thing. Instead of fighting him, we should take advantage of him while we still can,¡± Ruena told him, ¡°We both know his interest and assistance are fickle so there is no time to waste.¡±


    Storm, their resident silver haired retired assassin, lightly raised his hand as he lounged in his seat. ¡°Is this something I will need to be involved with?¡± he asked.


    Over the last nine years, Storm had rarely participated in any missions. Ruena could hardly blame him. A seasoned assassin was not made for wasting time on ceremonial guard duty or finding the odd lost item. This time, however, he might be a bit more interested.


    ¡°That is for you to decide,¡± Ruena told him, ¡°You will need to start pulling your weight around here.¡± She held her hand out for the letter, and Soral begrudgingly returned it to her. His grudge against Densooth was deeper than hers ever could be. That may be because it was far overshadowed by her hatred for the woman who had stolen everything from her.


    ¡°Is it going to be more dangerous than the mercenary test?¡± Liza asked. Even after nine years she had not forgotten that chaos. They had taken the test right after she and her brother Dillon had joined so that was their first introduction to what being a mercenary was like. They were the combat specialists of Rosalie¡¯s team.


    Dillon shook his head. ¡°If it is something the Black Wolf wants, the mercenary test should be nothing in comparison.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that,¡± Ruena confirmed, ¡°Densooth wants me to take back my rightful place as heir of Alodan. In order to do that, we need to achieve a feat great enough for the name of the Alodan warriors to rise to fame. He included a list of suggested feats, and there is one I am sure we will all be interested in. Especially you, Janon.¡±


    Janon looked up from the gadget he had been fiddling with. In a magical land like Althaedor, it was the strange and foolish hope of the magicless to meddle with technology. However, Janon was a master of his art and Ruena found such lines of thought to be vain and short sighted. It was technology that had made the endless battles of the Warlord Territories possible, not magic. Ruena handed him the page describing Gero¡¯s return to the despicable business.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°So father is back at it,¡± Janon muttered with a scowl, ¡°Do you think he found another victim to make the collars for him?¡±


    ¡°I fear he might have found something new and more dangerous,¡± Ruena replied, ¡°The collars have already proven to be weak to Soral.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean the new method won¡¯t be,¡± Soral pointed out, ¡°I could act as bait. I know he has been itching to catch me after what I did to him last time.¡±


    ¡°Why bother making things complicated?¡± Storm asked, ¡°I could always just take him out. If he really is a wanted man, no one should mind if something fatal ends up happening to him.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your eagerness, but we need to investigate before we make any moves. This needs to be a perfect strike. In order to destroy the rebirth of the slave trade, we will need to capture Gero and rescue any captives. No mistakes will be allowed,¡± Ruena warned, and turned to the rather large and chubby looking fluffy white cat pretending to nap on the windowsill he didn¡¯t really fit on, ¡°Jazz, can you lead your team and see what you can find out about it? If you bring everyone back unharmed I will ensure Soral gives you a delicious reward.


    The cat slowly slid off of the windowsill and sauntered out of the room. To most it may seem as if he had ignored her, but Ruena knew there was nothing that would motivate the magical cat more than a delicious meal. She still had the hardest time telling how much was fluff and how much was flab on him, but he seemed like a healthy fully grown cat otherwise.


    ¡°What should we prepare while we wait?¡± Soral asked, knowing well that Ruena wasn¡¯t one to stand still and do nothing.


    ¡°I want you to finish the lunchbox project you were working on,¡± Ruena ordered. While Janon was in charge of technological invention, Soral was constantly creating conveniences of a magical nature. He had invented the enchantments on their uniforms, as well as the living closet they had to chase down in order to acquire them.


    The time not spent on magic was spent on food. Over the past nine years, Soral had become an excellent chef. The lunchbox project was his personal effort to combine the two by creating a convenient container that would carry an endless supply of food. He claimed to have gotten the idea from a lunchbox he had seen while out and about. Where he had seen it was impossible to say since Soral¡¯s teleportation allowed him to be wherever he wished and back in an instant.


    ¡°Will do,¡± Soral replied with a quick salute, ¡°My first prototype is almost done. I will need some testing help later, but I am sure I will have plenty of volunteers.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t wrong. Over the last nine years the warriors had grown a bit, but the majority of their growth had been women. More specifically women with nowhere else to turn. They had all turned out to be excellent members, with undying loyalty, but that came at the price of them acting like meddling aunts in unofficial matters. Soral was especially popular with them, though they treated him like a child more than anything else.


    ¡°I will be sure I am one of those volunteers,¡± Storm spoke up. He also took any opportunity he could to eat Soral¡¯s food. Ruena believed it was the only reason he stuck around.


    ¡°What would you like the rest of us to prepare?¡± Rosalie asked.


    ¡°Rosalie, you will train your team for the dangers of a rescue scenario. You will be the ones in charge of saving the captives,¡± Ruena ordered, ¡°Janon, how is the secret weapon coming?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you want me to finish it?¡± Janon asked hesitantly, ¡°In the wrong hands it could destroy Althaedor.¡±


    ¡°Which is why we will ensure it stays in the right hands,¡± Ruena assured, ¡°Besides, I am not so vain to believe that we are the only ones capable of creating such a thing.¡±


    Janon did not seem very reassured. ¡°Promise me you will only use it if it will save lives,¡± he told her.


    ¡°I will,¡± Ruena promised, ¡°Would you like me to make a magic oath? Soral has become quite adept at oath magic recently.¡±


    It was probably best not to think about why Soral had taken a sudden interest in oath magic. As trustworthy as he was, Ruena knew that Soral¡¯s view of legal lines was rather blurred. Hopefully he would leave whatever law breaking he had in mind to Mr. Mischief.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to go that far,¡± Janon relented, ¡°I¡¯ll finish it.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I will help with Rosalie¡¯s training,¡± Storm volunteered.


    Now everyone had a task. Everyone but her. Sometimes the role of a leader forced her to stand still and wait for reports. While she waited, Ruena decided to check in on the second and third teams to evaluate their ability and willingness to participate in this mission.

 3: Feline Investigations

    Jazz was a proud cat despite the fact that he was not technically a cat. He had been raised by the great and powerful Soral and his partner Ruena. This had given him the chance to gather and lead a team of magical cats to sniff out the best information Althaedor had to offer. In reality, Jazz was a rare magical being called a kitica, and he never bothered to hide it. Even Jazz himself was not completely sure what a kitica was, but he knew he was special.


    He had special powers as well. One of them, teleportation, was especially useful for sneaking and information gathering. Since this was Gero he would need to track down, Jazz returned to the scene of the fallen trade from nine years ago to see if he had been foolish enough to return. Everything was exactly as Jazz had left it. It seemed they hadn¡¯t even bothered to pick up the remaining valuables before everyone fled.


    There went the only lead he had. Well, almost. It had been nine years, but Jazz was confident his second special skill would still work fine. Jazz could track magic traces. The traces were faint, but he could still find and follow them. He would never forget the magic of that vile man or his evil accomplice. The accomplice in particular had a darker feel to him and his traces stood out the most.


    A little tracking later and Jazz discovered that Gero was a sloppy fool after all. He hadn¡¯t returned to his old haunt, but he had settled in the base of his accomplice. That dealt with the issue of his living space, but where would the new trade be? If he failed here, Jazz knew that Soral would put himself up as bait after all.


    That was altogether unacceptable. If Soral was endangering himself here, who would make delicious treats for him? Even worse, what if Gero did something to him that hindered his ability to make delicious things? With this in mind, Jazz slunk through the halls for any information he could use. With swift steps and trickery he was able to follow someone through a portal without being noticed.


    Jazz had the distinct feeling he was somewhere different, but this place was exactly like the place before. No, there was one distinct difference. Jazz could feel the aura of a powerful dragon here, along with a slight haze of dangerous magic that seemed to fill the halls. As he was a spy and not technically a cat, Jazz had no problems giving in to curiosity to find the source.


    The further in he went the less people and places there were to hide and slink between. Jazz came upon a large cage where a rose red dragon was chained and bound to an evil looking artifact. Magic drained or not, why was such a powerful creature in its true form not fighting back? As if sensing his question the dragon turned its head, locking its pastel pink eyes on him.


    ¡°What brings you to this accursed place, little one?¡± she asked, sounding weary more than anything else.


    While there were many things that Jazz should not convey there was one thing he could answer truthfully. It was impossible to say whether or not the dragon had the ability to understand him, though.


    ¡°Curiosity.¡±


    ==========


    Ruena tried not to worry when Jazz did not return swiftly. The cat was proud, but he was also skilled. If needed he could and would prioritize his safety over the mission, and Ruena supported this prioritization. What this likely meant was that Jazz had found a promising trail and would have plenty to share upon his return. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Upon his return, before he would even consider giving any sort of a report, Jazz demanded dinner. Ruena regretted more every day how much she had allowed Soral to spoil the cat. Once the meal was finished, he begrudgingly allowed Ruena to attach his temporary collar.


    One of the first projects Ruena had worked on with Janon was a device that would allow someone other than Soral to understand the cats they used as spies. No matter how sneaky or effective the cat network was, it meant nothing if no one could understand their reports.


    Perhaps it was because of his plentiful experience with the circular objects, but what Janon ended up creating was a temporary collar and bracelet pair that harnessed Soral¡¯s telepathic abilities to allow two minds to link regardless of language. The main drawback was that no matter how well they could understand the cats, the cats had to be willing to communicate with the one wearing the paired bracelet. That was, if you could get the collar on in the first place.


    This had begun the cat partner system where the warriors would adopt, care for, and bond with one of the many cats that had gathered in the Forest of Traniva. Then there was Jazz. Jazz would only speak directly to her or Soral unless he was begging for food. Whenever anyone else dared to present the collar to him he would mysteriously disappear. Since the system worked, Ruena had yet to design a more convenient form for the device to take without sacrificing some of the current functionality.


    Ruena snapped her pair bracelet into place and locked eyes with the fluffy white feline. ¡°So, what did you find?¡± she asked him.


    ¡®A dragon,¡¯ Jazz answered with a yawn, ¡®A mother with a tragic tale.¡¯


    ¡°A dragon?¡± Ruena repeated with a sinking feeling.


    Dragons, especially full blooded dragons, rarely appeared in Altea, the human half of Althaedor. When they did, they were usually disguised in human form. So why had Jazz, who she had sent to get information on Gero, returned with news of one? None of the scenarios in her head would end well. Even more so if that dragon was also the tragic mother. Unfortunately, the cat¡¯s explanation only confirmed her fears.


    ¡®Gero has united with his partner from before to revive the trade,¡¯ the fluffy feline explained, ¡®She is the key to their plan. They have taken her family hostage to use her poison to craft slave seals instead of collars.¡¯


    Ruena had to stop him there for some clarification. ¡°Who is his partner? Are you referring to the man who offered to fix my lack of magic nine years ago?¡±


    Jazz nodded in confirmation, lightly closing his eyes as he did a slow and deliberate stretch. To any onlookers rather than a report or any kind of conversation she would appear to just be watching a lazy cat. If she hadn¡¯t been talking as well, that is.


    ¡°What did you mean by her poison?¡± Ruena questioned, ¡°Does she craft it, or is she who I fear?¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t know who you fear, but she is a powerful poison dragon.¡¯


    There was only one poison dragon in Altea. Her name was Venerosa and she resided in the kingdom of Valen. The Valen were a mysterious and seclusive race of silver haired sorcerers. If they were involved, things would be far more difficult.


    ¡°Where is she being held?¡± Ruena asked instead.


    ¡®Some kind of noble dwelling¡¯s hidden bunker at the border of Valen,¡¯ Jazz described, ¡®The one facing the Warlord Territories.¡¯


    Scratch difficult. This was going to be near impossible. Ruena had a feeling she knew how Gero intended to revive the slave business. He was going to smuggle slaves to the Warlord territories. No one who entered that place had ever returned, but if anyone could, it would be a weasel like Gero.


    Jazz finished his report by helping her mark the exact locations of everything he had found on a map, and giving her a base layout of the bunker¡¯s structure. One advantage to using telepathy to communicate was that descriptions could go far beyond words.


    With this new information, Ruena was more convinced than ever that her secret weapon was necessary. After all, no matter how powerful the enemy¡¯s magic, it would do them no good if they couldn¡¯t use it.

 4: The Six Armed Man

    The determination to focus on the secret weapon¡¯s creation was immediately met with endless roadblocks. Magic nullification, dampening, or even immunity were taboo subjects of research. While not illegal, it was a fast track to becoming a reject of society. Ruena was not afraid of such things, but this did mean it was near impossible to find information or trustworthy experts on the subject.


    It was during this dilemma that Ruena happened upon a new request that had been offered to the Alodan Warriors. A nearby village wanted their services to chase out a vagrant who dealt in taboo sciences. This was normally the kind of request that she would cast aside without a second thought, but that certain phrase caught her attention. If nothing else, it had a decent reward and it would serve as practice for a more hostile situation.


    ¡°Are we really going to drive this person out?¡± Ember asked with discomfort.


    ¡°That depends. If this vagrant is truly a threat then I shall see to it that he is captured and dealt with appropriately. If it is merely superstition and discrimination, then I will help relocate him instead,¡± Ruena explained, ¡°However, I accepted this mission hoping that this person might be the one I have been looking for.¡±


    Ember seemed relieved at those words. Rosalie sent her cat partner ahead to gather more information while they prepared to depart. There was no point in dallying when someone could be in danger. Whether it was this supposed vagrant or the villagers was yet to be determined. For this particular mission, Ruena had decided to personally accompany Rosalie¡¯s team. She wanted a chance for more field experience as it had been a while, and she wanted to personally meet this vagrant.


    Just before they entered the village, Rosalie¡¯s cat partner came back with some information, and relayed it after leveraging a new catnip scratching post. The solid gray shorthair had discovered some useful bits of intel. First, the vagrant was renting a cottage on the outskirts. Second, he was feared for a monstrously hideous appearance. Third, his subject of taboo research was something related to anti magic called magic rejection.


    Of course the cat did not bother to explain what any of this meant as he did not know himself. His job was to gather information, not understand it. Job done, the gray feline sauntered back to the Forest of Traniva. Magic rejection sounded dangerous, and very taboo. However, she was concerned about what it meant for someone to be considered monstrously hideous commonly enough for a cat to take note of it. Cats never bothered with the appearances of humans, but they did pay attention to common rumors.


    Upon entering, Ruena found the village to be incredibly ordinary. It was not terribly small, but still not large enough to be considered a town. It was, however, close enough to the main road to Altea City that strangers were a common occurrence. Perhaps this was why they were even more concerned about the suspicious traveler doing taboo research there.


    A village guard, one of a handful of official guards belonging to this village, approached them once they made it to the central market. ¡°Welcome to Ridfeld,¡± he greeted, looking over their clear uniforms, ¡°Have you come to take on our request?¡±


    ¡°That depends,¡± Ruena responded, ¡°I would like to hear the details and requirements that were left out of the request overview that was sent to us.¡±


    ¡°Ah, this must be about the removal services,¡± he realized. There must have been another request that they either did not notice or receive. ¡°It¡¯s simple. We don¡¯t care how you do it. We just want him gone. Trust me, he will be impossible to miss. There is an old cottage on the east side facing the Forest of Traniva. You must have passed right by it when you entered.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t care how we do it,¡± Ruena repeated, ¡°Very well. We will look into it and see what we can do.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± the guard said, ¡°Ridfeld thanks you for whatever assistance you can provide on this matter. There isn¡¯t much we can do about him since he keeps to himself and we have no proof of his research atrocities.¡±


    And yet, they assumed there were atrocities without such proof. Was this superstition against anti magic, or was it a reaction to the person himself? Ruena would need to meet him to find the answer to these questions. Ruena decided to lead the way back where they had come, looking for a noticeably old cottage on the outskirts facing the forest. At least the location was convenient.


    While the cottage was visibly aged, it was not dilapidated. The shutters were open but the curtains were drawn and the door was heavy and bolted deep into the stone frame. The cottage itself was formed from cobbled stone that had long been caked with moss in every shadow and crevice. It did not look like the kind of place someone would research taboo science.


    The curtains fluttered slightly as they approached the door, Rosalie insistent and standing at the front for Ruena¡¯s safety. He knew they were coming, and he was waiting. Everything came down to how he would react. Ruena gestured for Rosalie to knock. The hollow sound of her knocking was followed by the clicking of several locks being undone. A single chain lock remained as the door opened just a crack. Enough for them to tell someone was behind it, but not much else.


    ¡°What did you want?¡± the man asked warily.


    ¡°I am the first captain of the Alodan Warriors. We are here to speak with you regarding allegations of potential illegal research,¡± Rosalie replied honestly, ¡°We were hired to drive you out, but it is our belief that we should hear both sides of the story before we take action.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± the man scoffed, ¡°You want to hear my side? Are you sure about that? You seem to have already made your decision about the legality of my research. Now, what do you actually want?¡±


    Ruena motioned for Rosalie to step aside so the man could see her. ¡°It seems there is no point in pretense,¡± she told him, ¡°I know exactly what you are researching, and I came here to see if you are trustworthy enough to welcome into my organization. I believe there should be no such thing as uncomfortable topics when lives are at stake.¡±


    There was a sigh as the chain was undone. ¡°I will let you see why I am doing my research,¡± he replied, ¡°If you cannot handle what magic rejection has done to me, then there is no need to continue this conversation.¡±


    As he spoke he slowly opened the door. At first, all she saw was the slightly unkempt image of a normal man. Then she saw the deformed shoulders and the twisted arm he used to hold the door open. Then the second, more normal arm. A third, stubby arm. The man before them had six arms total, four of which were heavily deformed in one way or another.


    ¡°Magic rejection did that to you?¡± Ruena asked in shock, staring at the obvious deformities. She couldn¡¯t think of any magical being that looked anything like that, ¡°Is it like some sort of curse?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly a curse,¡± he explained, seeming somewhat relieved that she hadn¡¯t immediately been repulsed by his appearance, ¡°I would say it is more like a serious disease or affliction caused by the body completely rejecting the existence of magic.¡±


    This was not what Ruena had been expecting, but her gut told her that the man before her still held valuable talent and knowledge she could not lose. ¡°I will need to hear more about this,¡± Ruena decided, ¡°Would you be willing to follow us back to the Alodan Headquarters? At the very least we can offer you temporary housing. I doubt we are the only mercenaries the village hired.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that as well,¡± the man agreed, and paused to consider before reaching out with one of his most normal arms. ¡°My name is Ferris. I look forward to working with you, but I will reserve my right to refuse any requests that go against my morals.¡±


    ¡°I will respect that,¡± Ruena promised as she shook his outstretched hand. Even if he didn¡¯t have the skills to help create the secret weapon, he still held valuable information that could be lost because of foolish superstition. ¡°I am Ruena Alodan, commander of the Alodan Warriors.¡±

 5: Magic Rejection

    It did not take Ferris long to gather his things. There was barely anything for him to gather. Once that was settled, they escorted him straight into the forest, with Dillon hanging back to let the guards know that Ferris had departed. Even hidden beneath a cloak, Ferri¡¯s six armed figure was suspiciously bulky. Luckily their path would not take them down any well travelled roads. Most feared the hunger of the carnivorous traniva forest, but their many armed guest did not seem intimidated.


    ¡°For someone so cautious, you have followed us rather willingly into a forest known to be dangerous,¡± Ruena pointed out.


    ¡°In order to trap me here you would need to sacrifice your own companions,¡± Ferris replied, ¡°Besides, I can tell the trees are not hungry. There is barely any red at the tips of their leaves.¡±


    The red at the tips was an indicator of hunger? Ruena had not known since the trees had always told Soral directly when they wanted a snack. That was the benefit of having someone around who could hear and understand them. This was a testament that Ferris held the knowledge and expertise they needed. Now all she had to do was convince him the Alodan Warriors were a cause worth investing in.


    ¡°You certainly are well versed,¡± Ruena complimented, ¡°Does your knowledge of traniva extend to other magical plants?¡±


    ¡°Only those used in medicine,¡± Ferris told her, ¡°Before I experienced magic rejection, I was a doctor. I had just graduated from my apprenticeship at Angel¡¯s Bell Clinic in the City of Altea.¡±


    Another welcome surprise. ¡°If nothing else works out, I would be happy to accept you as a doctor of the Alodan Warriors,¡± Ruena offered.


    She ignored the sharp glance Rosalie shot her. They had gotten along well enough on haphazard first aid so far, but they would be taking on a truly dangerous mission soon. It would set her at ease to know they had someone who could care for the wounded.


    ¡°Would you not prefer a healer over a doctor?¡± Ferris asked, unable to disguise his scorn, ¡°Even Angel¡¯s Bell showed clear preference between the two.¡±


    ¡°Seeing as I have neither at the moment, a doctor would be most welcome,¡± Ruena explained, ¡°I have no interest in some casual hired hand. If you accept, you will become one of us. Of course, that means you will have to pass the test as well.¡±


    Ferris paused to consider her proposal. ¡°Are you suggesting you would support my research as well?¡±


    ¡°So long as it does not cause any harm to anyone, especially those under my command,¡± Ruena confirmed, ¡°I will not stop you from conducting necessary tests with the help and consent of my people, but the moment you force anyone to become part of some kind of experiment I will take action.¡±


    Rather than seeming offended by her obvious distrust of experimentation, Ferris nodded along as if it were only natural. However, as the Alodan Warrior¡¯s Headquarters came into view his suspicion returned.


    ¡°You seem rather well set up for a group that doesn¡¯t even have a healer,¡± he said, his tone relaying his tension.


    Ruena followed his gaze to the large base looming before them. ¡°Isn¡¯t it incredible? This was once the headquarters of the real Alodan Warriors led by my father. I have yet to unlock all of its secrets but it has served us well these past nine years.¡±


    ¡°So it was inherited,¡± Ferris muttered and relaxed a bit.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    They entered the fortress and Ruena led Ferris to a room where they could comfortably discuss things. At the very least it gave him the chance to shed his constricting cloak. Being able to spread his arms helped, but Ferris had yet to fully relax. His caution made sense when Ruena thought about what kind of life he must have been living. It was unfortunate, but his appearance would have forced him to go on the run.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we start with your story and magic rejection,¡± Ruena suggested, ¡°It sounds like this will be closely related to your future research, and it is always good to be aware of any potential danger.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Ferris agreed, ¡°There is not that much more to the story than I have already stated. Have you heard of magic overload?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of it, but I can imagine what it entails,¡± Ruena replied with a frown. For some reason she could not help but think of Soral. ¡°Does it have something to do with gathering too much magic and losing control?¡±


    ¡°Close. However what I am talking about is more fatal. When under extreme duress some patients subconsciously draw in magic from their surroundings as a sort of defense mechanism,¡± Ferris explained, ¡°Since they are already in a weakened state this can overload their tired bodies and cause a sort of magic explosion. In most cases this does not go beyond a magic fever, but I ran into one of the most extreme cases.¡±


    It was easy to guess where this story was going, but before she could say anything, it was the ever curious Liza who posed the question. ¡°What happens in the extreme cases?¡±


    ¡°When more magic is absorbed than the body can handle, it must be expelled,¡± Ferris answered, ¡°The more serious the case, the more violent the expulsion. This is why it is called a magic explosion. A patient with no signs of stress or injury had a panic attack during a normal checkup and suddenly entered a state of magic overload. At that time magic overload was nearly as taboo a subject of research as magic rejection, so none of us knew how to help or prevent what was about to happen.¡±


    ¡°Is the resulting explosion what caused your condition?¡± Ruena asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± Ferris confirmed, ¡°Had it not happened at a hospital I likely would have died. Just like you, the healers believed I was cursed at first and tried to purify me. However, any and all magic is harmful to someone going through magic rejection. It was my mentor who saved my life in the end, but it cost him his position in the hospital. I hear he was transferred to Belleas.¡±


    There were several moments of silence as they took in what Ferris had just told them. He told such a heavy story about his own near death experience and the start of his suffering with the casual tone of a teacher covering unrelated history.


    ¡°Can you tell us more about what magic rejection is and how it made you like that?¡± Rosalie asked, eyeing his deformed arms.


    Ferris nodded and glanced at them for a moment himself. ¡°As I am sure you have guessed, magic rejection occurs when your body and psyche completely reject the very idea of the existence of magic. From what few cases I have been able to gather it most commonly happens when someone believes that they are about to lose their life or something even more precious to it,¡± he explained. ¡°In the fact of death, if one thinks that they might have survived if magic did not exist, they might reject magic entirely. The first phase of magic rejection may save them from the initial event, but after that their body is reformed to survive in this world of magic without it. Mutations are an unfortunate side effect of this process.¡±


    ¡°With so many wars and magic used so often in combat, is magic rejection common?¡± Ruena asked.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Ferris denied, ¡°There is one more thing I noticed. Everyone who I have met that has experienced magic rejection was never able to use magic themselves. Myself included.¡±


    Ruena felt a chill at those words and glanced at the others in the room. They were all staring at her, likely thinking the same thing she was. As someone who had never been able to wield magic, was she at risk of this strange phenomenon?


    ¡°What is your plan to prevent magic rejection from happening?¡± she asked him.


    ¡°Magic rejection never occurs without a powerful push of magic,¡± Ferris told her, ¡°I intend to find a way for those without magic to protect themselves. Something like an anti magic shield.¡±


    ¡°That is a start,¡± Ruena told him, ¡°Why don¡¯t I tell you a little bit about what I have been working on? I believe if we work together we will be able to help fulfill each other¡¯s goals.¡±

 6: Doctors Debate

    Whatever she had been expecting, it was not for Ferris to immediately bristle at her proposal. ¡°You want to create anti magic weapons, don¡¯t you?¡± he accused.


    There was a tense silence as Ruena deliberated how best to respond. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she confirmed finally, ¡°I intend to create a secret weapon that prevents my enemies from using magic. I will not force you to assist me, but I will also not back down.¡±


    ¡°You wish to temporarily block the use of magic?¡± Ferris checked, calming himself, ¡°You listened to my story, so I can at least hear you out.¡±


    Ruena was relieved that he was not outright denying them. Telling the truth had been the right move. She explained her situation with the Black Wolf ordering her to take down Gero. She didn¡¯t dare trust him with all of the details yet, so she skimmed over the part about being Alodan¡¯s heir. Ruena did, however, go over the details of the situation with the poison dragon. This was one of the main reasons she needed the secret weapon before she could act.


    Ferris listened intently, his expression growing darker as the story went on. He seemed to have no love for the Black Wolf, but anyone would agree that Gero needed to be taken down before the trade fully revived. After her story concluded, he seemed to have made a decision.


    ¡°What you need something that can not only block magic, but neutralize it completely,¡± Ferris told her, ¡°I will help you if you agree to my conditions. If you really do intend to make such a dangerous device, I want to personally oversee that it causes no permanent harm.¡±


    ¡°As long as your conditions are not outrageous that shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± Ruena assured, ¡°What are they?¡±


    ¡°First, until I trust you, I want to have complete control of the secret weapon and how it is used,¡± Ferris began, ¡°This is the one condition I will not bend on.¡±


    ¡°That is preposterous!¡± Ember exclaimed, furious, ¡°If you can¡¯t trust us, how are we meant to trust you with our secret weapon?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Ruena broke in before an argument could begin, ¡°If Ferris succeeds, it will be just as much his weapon as it will ours. Besides, magic neutralization is not a threat to us.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ferris told her, visibly relieved now that Ember had calmed down, ¡°You claimed this weapon was secret. I would like to keep it that way as much as possible. Especially the process of its creation. Whoever will be assisting me should be the only one to know.¡±


    Ruena frowned. She understood where he was coming from but that condition would be difficult to meet. ¡°I am not sure that one is possible,¡± she admitted, ¡°My partner and second in command can hear the thoughts of those around him.¡±


    Ferris considered. ¡°That may not be a problem,¡± he said after a moment, ¡°May I meet him?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ruena replied, turning to face the door. ¡°Soral! Get in here! And use the door like a normal person!¡±


    ¡°Soral is especially in tune to our commander¡¯s thoughts,¡± Rosalie explained to the confused guest, ¡°He says it helps to shout in case he is too far away.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Before Ferris had a chance to respond or even react, there was a crashing sound from the hall, followed by some not so subtle clangs as whatever had fallen was hurriedly straightened. A moment later the door began to open before it paused halfway.


    ¡°How do normal people use doors again?¡± Soral whispered.


    Ruena sighed. Soral had taken to this afterthought approach to proper manners since he had been exposed to the unfiltered thoughts of others. Usually it meant someone nearby was thinking of it, but he only paid it mind when she was involved. It was one of the ways he gave her special treatment, but sometimes it made her feel like she was raising a son, not dating a magical powerhouse.


    ¡°Just come in through the door,¡± she told him, ¡°Our guest wants to meet you.¡±


    Soral slipped the rest of the way through the door and bounced over to Ferris with incredible speed. ¡°Hello guest! What¡¯s your name? Are you the one Ruena was looking for? Why can¡¯t I hear your thoughts?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t hear his thoughts?¡± Ruena asked in surprise.


    Ferris, on the other hand, didn¡¯t seem surprised. At least not by that. ¡°After experiencing magic rejection, I have become all but immune to magic,¡± he explained, ¡°My name is Ferris, and I am considering the position of the Alodan Warrior¡¯s official doctor.¡±


    ¡°Magic rejection?¡± Soral asked, a bit behind. He quickly caught up as their thoughts flooded to the subject. ¡°Oh! I can see why that would reflect any possible magic.¡±


    As he spoke it was impossible to miss his blatant staring at Ferris¡¯s mutated arms. Even though their guest was used to such treatment, most people at least tried to pretend they weren¡¯t looking.


    ¡°Did you need something?¡± he asked, hoping to break the awkward silence.


    ¡°I do have an important question about your extra arms,¡± Soral admitted, ¡°What order do I need to shake your hands in? Top to bottom? Longest to shortest? Or do you have a dominant hand on each side I should shake?¡±


    ¡°Which hand should you shake?¡± Ferris repeated as if he had never considered such a thing,¡±Whichever hand you like, I suppose. There is no need to shake more than one.¡±


    Soral took his hand from the longest right arm without wasting a moment and gave it a hearty shake. ¡°In that case, nice to meet you!¡±


    Handshake over, Ruena brought things back to the main topic. ¡°It is good that your thoughts are safe,¡± she told Ferris, ¡°However, Soral will still be able to hear Janon¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that makes sense,¡± Ferris agreed, snapping his attention away from Soral who had begun passing out treats to everyone present, ¡°I will add Soral to my condition, but if the secrecy can be respected, I would like it to be.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ruena promised, ¡®Do you have any other conditions?¡±


    ¡°I will be joining as your doctor, correct?¡± Ferris checked, eyeing Soral again, ¡°Please allow me to give regular checkups for signs of magic rejection. Your partner¡¯s magic is quite potent and I fear it may trigger more subtle symptoms.¡±


    Ruena nodded. ¡°I was going to ask that of you as well. Many of my people as well as myself have no magic of our own.¡±


    After that, negotiations with Ferris came to a swift conclusion and he opted to take the entrance exam immediately. While he had average speed, it turned out that Ferris was incredibly strong. His six arms were also useful for capturing the living wardrobe and hanging on when it tried to shake him. Ferris was more shocked that the wardrobe was able to provide a uniform that would fit him, six arms and all. It was good that part of Soral¡¯s magic still worked on him.


    Once that was settled, Ferris was introduced to Janon and the two began comparing research almost immediately. Ruena kept her promise and left so she would know as little as possible about the creation of the secret weapon. Things had begun to progress at a rapid pace, so Ruena decided she needed to step up her part of things as well.