《what if romance wasn't romance attempt 2: the tears of stagnant optimism》


 a price must be paid

    A PRICE MUST BE PAID


    What kind of price and to whom I never knew. But from childhood it rang out through my mind, every tragedy, every misfortune it never ceased.


    I sat there at the window pondering why? Just why was I afflicted with such a curse, what price must I pay? Was it even I who had to pay the price?


    The rain pounded even through my thoughts and invaded my min. the dark blue and grey mixed in the heavens and poured down as punishment. I was sure the storm was not a mere act of nature, nor part of my ¡°unfortunate¡± condition.


    The figure that had their backs to the very heavens they incited. Their black flowing cloak flittered violently with the wind. But they remained still.


    The empire had incurred the wrath of many in its long history. But no emperor had created more than the current. His policies although great on paper were hated, the land had been stagnant for far too long. People hated change, especially the kind they couldn¡¯t change.


    The mages hated him especially so, their profits relied on draining the empire. But he took their leeching to be bad for the empire. But he failed to see the truth, a weak parasite is to be removed. A strong parasite is to be sedated, or isolated. There is no rule that states a parasite cannot kill its host, especially so when there are plenty others.


    I looked away from the window and into my room, plain. That was all I felt towards it, it was just a room. I had hidden in the wardrobes when I was little, I had swung off the bedposts and chewed on the drawers. But all that changed when my parents realised, I existed.


    I was no illegitimate child, quite the opposite in fact. However, the only legitimate child of a falling barony meant little when there were twelve children half of which weren¡¯t even mothers. It always amazed me how father had survived as long as he did. I wondered from time to time whether he knew she was poisoning him.


    The burden of being the heir was relieved of me when father passed, but mothers torment continued. She had always hated my energy; I was no threat, and she lauded it over me. But she couldn¡¯t bring herself to kill me, was I not fair game? Did I look too much like her? Or was I just that fun to torture?


    I looked at the family photo that haunted the space above my mirror. I was on the left, my black hair a stark contrast to the random shades of the five strangers beside me. Father stood behind me, but his hair was somehow darker, his eyes too were black. It was not a rough black, but instead like charcoal, something no painting could capture.


    I had changed so much since then, just a year had passed but I had grown. I looked down at the white night gown. The scrawny arms that poked out either side and were terminated with gangly fingers that seemed inhuman for my size. I was sure that I would grow taller, but I never got enough food to do so. I didn¡¯t look starved, just pale and thin. The only thing worth a mention on my face were a few freckles from the last time I saw the sun and my black eyes.


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    As my entire room flashed an iridescent blue I returned my gaze to the window.


    I had never thought that lightning could look like it did, but I soon came to realise something. The true horror of what I saw was just a mage controlling the weather. The very lightning they brought was special¡­ and dangerous.


    The thunder brought with it a shockwave that shattered the window. But I stared on. Each strike brought with it the same strange blue, but also explosions. There was now more than one figure, and they were tearing the empire asunder.


    My eyes remained fixed. There was little I knew about the empire¡¯s armies. But I knew that the mages had gone too far.


    Hundreds of strikes rained down. For a moment I wished that one, just one would strike the manor. I hoped that more damage than mere shattered windows would come to this prison. But the world was intent on disappointing.


    Even as the shockwaves sent shards of glass flying at me, none hit. But it was not intent with disappointing me in just one way. No army came, no foreign aid, nothing.


    The mages showed no mercy, whether imperial or peasant deaths were assured.


    Villains are the true heroes of the world. A hero could burn an empire down without a single scolding in fairy tales, but in this world, they would be in fifty different pieces and across the continent by now. Yet such a horror gets to unfold outside my window, and no one comes.


    I picked up the chair and sat back down at the remnants of the window. My hair fluttered in the wind with each blast, but I remained still. if the lightning didn¡¯t kill me, perhaps the cold might?


    I thought back on my thoughts. It felt weird to do so, but I was running out of things to look at. Just much of the same, streaks of blue followed by dancing plumes of red and orange.


    I wondered why I even thought that they would be punished. It was unlike me to have such a blip of optimism. I had seen how those with power were treated before. the stronger they are the weaker they act, waiting for the lower levels to exhaust themselves before taking it all.


    Old enemies become new heroes; old heroes become dead enemies. it was a simple process fed by the birth of the living. Everything about humans seemed wrong.


    We could cause such damage, yet we only care when we hurt ourselves. We pride ourselves on being able to think, yet we killed all the creatures of legends because they could think. It was truly the favourite race of hypocrisy.


    What would the incarnation of hypocrisy even look like other than humans? Maybe a mouth, or just a tongue. I found it ridiculous that the other children hated snakes. The old woman told tales of their treachery, and we said the sly were snakes.


    Most swindlers looked nothing like snakes, instead the looked remarkedly like something else. They stood on two legs had two genders, and every time I looked in the mirror they stared back.


    Tired, I no longer cared about what went on outside. It felt meaningless to watch, for a moment there was something to think about. But that was it, just something to think about. There wasn¡¯t much that could make my situation any worse, it was just fine. Fine, fine fine fine fine fine fine fine fine. The word annoyed me, it irked and irritated the staleness within stirring it into a storm. But even so I couldn¡¯t be bothered.


    I looked at the sparse sheets that covered my bed. I would need them and thus I looked elsewhere, there was nothing I could use in my drawers, nor on the wall, but on the floor¡­ I picked up the faded red rug with patterns too indistinct for me to even recognise anymore.


    After trying to secure it to the broken windows and failing I gave up. Instead, I opted to move my bedding from my mattress to below my bed.


    When I nestled myself in the stifling space, I felt how the weight of the water on my skin. Rain had been pouring in through the window, but I had not cared, nor did I now. With my final thoughts hoping for some disease to take me quickly I drifted off to sleep.

 The first spark

    The morning was filled with head splitting exclamations. Mother was stressing over her fucking pots, thousands had probably died yet¡­


    The stupidity of the woman did not help my headache, and I crawled out from under my bed. The room was less wet than I had expected, but mould was a guarantee. I knew I was going to miss cleaning a spot, and then I would get yelled at. This did not help my headache either.


    What little clothes I had, managed to stay dry in my wardrobe. Style was not an issue when most of them were the same and I picked a pair of pants and a white blouse.


    Father had wanted a son; he didn¡¯t get one nor did he make me be one. But he expected me to fill in for one. I was taught swordsmanship, business and how to manage an estate. I was his heir, his only child in a sea of poison.


    Maybe deep beneath all his expectations was a speck of love. It was certainly easier when he was around, he contained mother. But now that he was gone all that remained was the pain he caused. Some of that pain was useful, but I hardly had the chance to most days.


    I looked at my belt, the side that was meant for my sword. I would inherit father¡¯s arsenal, but I didn¡¯t like his favourite weapon. I much preferred a polearm; it was simple and effective.


    One deep breath nearly turned to two, but I knew that I would just be standing there forever, and I opened the door. The corridor was much warmer somehow despite the sunny day. Maybe it was the warm red of the carpet? Or the faces of ancestors that brought back what little shattered nostalgia I had of the place.


    My parents were not great parents, and they knew that. I lived in an annex with a nanny until I was six. After that I was brought over to the main building where hell began. But life was a viscous cycle and mother wanted the barony. As a result, I returned to the annex once more.


    I walked down to the reception room of the annex, the wooden railings building a feeling within me. I couldn¡¯t tell whether it was tears or some semblance of happiness. Either way I didn¡¯t have the energy for it.


    The servants were bustling, but not a single one greeted me. It was a mixture of mothers doing and my own fault. They knew I would be the next lord, father had signed only my birth certificate, but mother was currently in charge. She had brought in people who only mattered about now, and that was all she needed to do.


    Loyalty was cheap. The only truly loyal were those that had something wrong with them. those who were broken in a good way were extremely rare, most were just broken.


    I wandered to training. Even through my lack of interest I could not kill a habit.


    When my body felt like it was allowed to go, I headed out of the yard. Everything was so tiring, to do nothing I had to do something. Every time nothing required something until I spent most of the day doing somethings.


    I didn¡¯t think about where I wanted to go, nor where my feet were taking me. But I knew where I would end up.


    When I got past the piles of debris and uprooted fauna I expected to see a fountain. The quaint little fountain sat in the middle of a ring of trees, protected from weather and humans. The tiny flecks of light that passed through their leaves only added to the serenity as well as the scratchy air from the bark.


    I saw the trees, but the world was cruel.


    I looked at the pile of rubble that lay beneath a fallen tree. Something¡­ I felt something. It was rare that it could happen, but normally I enjoyed it. when I felt something, it reassured me, I knew that I was alive. not just a husk. Not just a doll that danced to the environment. I did not enjoy this emotion.


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    My sole sanctuary was gone. I felt fucking pissed, but no matter how hard I dug my nails in, only blood flowed out. No magic liquid would flow from my palms and fix my situation. Nothing would happen, and that pissed me off even more. But instead of scream¡­ I cried.


    I made no sound other than the light thud as I fell to my knees. The tears streaming down my face as I looked at the only thing that I felt was mine.


    I didn¡¯t know why I felt so attached to the spot, but I did. The fountain had witnessed hundreds of days where I would just sit. There was no need for thoughts, and no one bugged me. It was even far enough from the manor to escape the hustle and bustle, and even mother¡¯s tyranny.


    I wanted to cry more, but in this sparse moment I had, I knew that I needed to change. I knew that I would not have the energy to think, or possibly even execute a plan once I had cooled down. I needed to start moving, and I must never stop.


    I got to my feet and rubbed my eyes with the backs of my hands. The temptation to dig my nails into my eyes and rip them out was strong. I wanted to scream out all my frustrations, but that was good. that would become my fuel.


    I wondered why I could think and feel angry at the same time, but I soon killed that thought. It was not productive, not required, just like the parasites of the manor.


    My anger was successfully redirected to the fuckers that made me this way. Not only mother, her children and the fucking strangers she brought too. everything needed to burn for this, the mages too. it might take forever, and I knew I would fail, but they would pay.


    I came up with an idea on the spot. I needed clothes, I needed a lot of things. Swiftly I turned back towards the manor.


    I didn¡¯t walk to the main building, nor my annex, instead I walked to a large shed. The lock was rusted, but I knew it was unlocked, if it wasn¡¯t then I would just have to break in.


    The hinges too were rusted, and the sound of graunching metal caused me to hunch as I opened it.


    Inside I saw several crates placed seemingly randomly next to a bunch of gardening tools. But this was not the caretakers shed. If any of the gardens were caught in this shed it was not just their job on the line, but their life.


    Father had hidden it well so mother shouldn¡¯t know about it. it didn¡¯t matter anyway as she had fired anyone who had seen the inside long ago.


    I picked up one of the crates and placed it down atop another. Where a crate had once been there was now dirty floor. If I hadn¡¯t have known better, I would have fucked up by moving another crate. I didn¡¯t know why but in father¡¯s instructions he said to never touch the other crates.


    I walked to the wall on the left and looked at the tools before moving to the one on the right. It didn¡¯t take long to find and soon I was back on the ground, this time with a crowbar.


    I pulled up a few of the suspiciously short boards and it revealed a hatch. It bewildered me a little that he would hide a wooden hatch with wooden floorboards. But maybe that was just me?


    I pulled open the hatch and a set of stone stairs was revealed to me. Following them down I came across dark stairs. I had no idea what I had expected, and I ventured back up. There I found a red mana stone.


    Mana stones were an expensive way to light something. but it wasn¡¯t my money, and I went back down. I smacked the rock against the wall next to me. Sparks illuminated the torches for a brief second. With this new information I struck the wall slightly back and way higher.


    The sparks rained down onto a stick wrapped in fabric and a dark blue liquid. The liquid ignited easily from the sparks, and I now had a torch.


    I used the torch to illuminate my way, I was too stingy to waste the Iark of the other torches. Unlike mana stones I had no idea where the manor kept their reserve of flammable liquids. Father must have seen it too insignificant to inform me of¡­ and it was.


    The steps eventually disappeared and were replaced with flat ground. I turned left and went along the wall until I reached a chest. It was not what I was looking for, but it was in the way.


    I eventually came across a series of coat racks and shelves. One coat rack had a black cloak, possibly waterproof. Knowing the family¡¯s finances, it was probably not, but speaking of money there should be some nearby. And there was. A whole seven gold worth in silver and iron.


    I would have preferred more, but father mainly used this to ¡°check on the territory¡±.


    I also searched for a pear of pants that fit me, but alas I had no such luck. Instead, I found a pair of boots that were close enough and hoped that the cloak would do most of the work.


    Finally ready I escaped; it was not permanent as the barony was MINE, but I needed resources.


    It was easy to slip out since most of the servants were preoccupied with the cleanup. It also helped that walls were a foreign concept to the poor, and for nobles we were very.

 Liberation

    Much like the manor the nearest town had no walls. For a moment I even wondered why we paid guards to stand by the entrance. I however quickly saw idiots try to get in, and that was when I realized what they were for.


    I explored the cobbled paths for quite a while until I concluded. In terms of earning money, I had a few options: the first was violence. The second was a different flavour of violence. The third was picking plants which was strangely violent. The fourth and final one was making something to peddle.


    I could probably manage peddling something along with my chosen flavour of violence but not flower picking. Unfortunately, the two different flavours of violence did not overlap. I would not have the stamina nor the time to do both.


    Even with all the information I had gathered from advertisements and the environment it was all useless. I had no idea how much each one earned. Determined to do things right I began to ask around.


    It took a while but at the end I decided to pick the second flavour of violence and making accessories. I had no experience with it, but the raw resources were cheap and there was plenty of profit. In terms of the violence, being a mercenary was far better than a soldier. It paid worse but gave me freedom.


    I needed freedom far more than money, because without it, mother could find me. If that woman interfered with my plans, then she would either fall by my blade or I would.


    Determined to prevent my future self from backing out I looked around. I quickly bought the cheapest mask that covered my entire face. It was the same shade of black as my hair and caused me to look like a shadow. The mask had no details and was just a round blank, but paired with my attire the only colour came from the whites of my eyes.


    I was going to sign up immediately after, but a silly feeling emerged. Not wanting to lose it I gave in and bought a pair of black gloves. I had forgotten about my hands, but now I was definitely a shadow.


    When I went to the tavern where I could sign up the weird looks, I had been getting all day disappeared. The feeling of understanding definitely seemed like a perk of the job and I took a registration form from the pile. There were plenty of people signing up, but hardly any mercenaries relaxing.


    After what happened last night, I expected both of such things when I walked in. a lot of damage would have been caused, and if our region didn¡¯t need help others surely did. The righteous and even those who were damaged by it would sign up in troves to earn money while helping others.


    Sadness was still an emotion, and I embraced it, but I also embraced something else. on the name/call name section I wrote SSH. The name was an edgy joke being both a shush and an acronym. If anyone learned that SSH meant Super Silly Helper I felt like I would die of laughter.


    The pain in my chest brought me joy. I felt alive, oh so rarely did I have such fun. I knew it would fade, even so I savoured it, the taste of joy.


    I presented the form to the bartender that was sitting down due to the lack of customers. I had failed to notice it before, but he was rather muscular, probably either a log splitter or a former mercenary.


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    ¡°Are you sure wee one?¡±


    I nodded my head in response not wanting to give away any identifiers.


    ¡°Alrighty, I suppose you already have a sword?¡±


    This time I shook my head.


    ¡°You listed swordsmanship¡±


    I tried my best to signal that I had left it at home, but the result was sad. I pointed to my side amongst a bunch of other kerfuffle and then also brought my hands to my head to signal a bed.


    I had no idea what I was doing but he seemed to understand and gave me a grunt.


    ¡°Then I suppose you would want to start by helping out around the area?¡±


    I nodded my head vigorously at his remark. I didn¡¯t intend to face danger yet, and disaster relief was something readily available.


    ¡°If I register you, how long are you going to be doing this? This is not just a job you do once, it is a commitment.¡±


    I gave up on gesturing and walked back over to the ink and pens. I took one with a dollop of ink and looked for a bit of spare parchment. Unable to, I walked back over to the form and turned it over.


    ¡®Until I get revenge, or all that I have lost is returned.¡¯ My handwriting was terrible as I wrote it on my leg as I stood, but it was good enough.


    ¡°Ah, well we all have our stories don¡¯t we. Well, I suppose I can accept ya.¡±


    The man took the pen from me and scribbled a name at the very bottom. He then looked towards a door near the counter before sighing. The man seemed to have been rather enjoying not moving.  This made me confused as to how none of the others in here had bothered him yet. It was only when I noticed one of them drop a pen that I realised the ability to write was uncommon amongst the common folk.


    The seat creaked as he got up and he left for the door. Once he returned there was a wax seal next to the signature and he pinned the form on the wall next to a plaque. the mercenary registry was very simple, the guild would keep your form in the village you registered. When you wanted to work in another village or town the guild leader would write you a letter of recommendation along with a copy off your form.


    This guilds way of showing the registry was pinning them to a wall beneath a plaque that read ¡®registry¡¯.


    ¡°Oi¡±


    The man called out to me, and I tilted my head.


    ¡°So, ssh, I suppose you want to get a mission too while you are here?¡±


    I nodded my head while containing my amusement at the burly man saying my name.


    ¡°Crypton north of here needs someone to help out. it¡¯s just some odd jobs and manual labour. You okay with that?¡±


    I nodded my head once more and the man pulled out a thin strip of parchment. The piece looked tiny in his hands but once he handed to me, I realised it was a detailed request for a labourer.


    Without complaining I headed off to make my first few coins.


    The journey to crypton was the most annoying as the road was covered in debris. There was no major damage, but the mud and leaves made it slippery and slow.


    After I arrived, I was directed to a kind old lady called Miss Shelly. The woman was kind for the first few minutes that I met her until I proved that I had strength. After that I was filling in for the oxen. I found it absurd, but the frustration and dissatisfaction turned into joy. I felt, and that was good enough.


    When the sun began to fade and miss shelly deemed my work good enough, I was set free. When the old lady handed over the single silver coin, I took a moment to look around. It was a feeling of clarity after achieving something, a feeling that I had very rarely experienced.


    It was in my blissful moment of clarity that I noticed that crypton, was like a crypt town. Most of the residents were aged and ready for the grave. In the effort to contain disease it was a wise choice, but it was still cruel.


    I thought isolation was cruel, but I preferred it. I didn¡¯t have to wonder why I liked to be alone; I knew full well why.


    With an exhausted body I wandered back to the manor. It may be a small step made of sweat, but it was a step. And each step I took that led somewhere I would take in pride.

 Exhertion

    I sat in my room with sore muscles. I had exhausted what little I had in the tank, but I knew that if I stopped, I wouldn¡¯t start. I needed to keep running, to Chugg along even if it were slow.


    I threw my head back into my pillow and bounced off the bed. Oly when true exhaustion beat the sleep into me would I stop.


    I ventured downstairs and wanted to summon a maid. But I knew better.


    My nest stop was a locked room, to which I had the key. The room was merely filled with sowing materials, but any room used for storage was to under lock and key. It was especially true when the stored materials were barely used and easily vaporised.


    Instead of taking the boxes back to my room I set some of them up on a table. I knew nothing of what I was doing but I felt that I would get somewhere if I stumbled around enough. I even had some examples to reverse engineer.


    As I sat there fumbling to do anything more complex than a few twisted strings I failed. I got bored, the task at hand had become just something to do. I had no determination, no motivation. The emotions that I had once savoured now felt foreign, like I was empty.


    In this emptiness I was reminded of it, there was a price, and it must be paid. That phrase always came in my mind with another strong of words. ¡°The world is not so kind¡±.


    I continued fumbling with the strings; I couldn¡¯t be bothered returning to my room. I lacked both the energy to escape and the energy to remember where I had put the key.


    It was only when the smell of dinner swept through the annex. That smell brought with it instructions for my body, it found the key and released itself. My legs brought me to the dinning room where I waited.


    Once the steak and salad arrived my arms fed my mouth. My stomach thanked my arms for the sustenance, but none of it felt like ME. I was not in control, I did not feel, I merely did. I wanted to feel, but pain was too fickle for me.


    Maybe if I had been born into a wealthy family then I good feel the joy of good food. If I had the freedom to drown myself in booze. If I, if I, if I. using if I annoyed me, I was ME I could not change it. the feeling was less than fine, I detested the word. Someone who is fine is not fine, they are never fine. Fine was just the lie I told myself, the lie too blatant to be true.


    Once my arms had finished shovelling the tree bark and leaves into my stomach my legs rose once more. The two pegs brought me to my room, was it really my room? my thoughts were dangerous, this place was no home, and if it was not mine¡­ then what?


    I didn¡¯t care to answer myself, fear, no, not fear. My throat felt sore, like I was swallowing hard but never stopping. The gritty feeling haunted me as I wondered why I couldn¡¯t just cry. I knew I could, but my eyes didn¡¯t want to.


    I looked at the broken mirror and decided to move my bedding back under my bed. It had been a waste of effort making my bed in the first place. Glass was expensive and we needed a lot of it, I wondered if there was even anyone making glass anymore.


    The rest of the empire was probably fucked. The only way I would get information about outside the territory was from merchants. Mother was far to occupied with the beauty of the manor to consider that we might lose it if the empire truly fell.


    There was a worst-case scenario where she defects, and they accept her. I knew that if such a thing were to happen the barony would be hers, and I would be alone. I didn¡¯t care much about the emperor, but his existence was my only source of power.


    I closed my eyes. I wanted to just rest them for a second, but my thoughts soon cleared out. Sleep was the only thing I enjoyed, it was consistent. Whenever I slept, I felt refreshed, relaxed and calm. The longer I went without sleep the worse I felt. I wanted to sleep forever, but that scared me, death scared me.


    I had so many emotions hidden beneath layers of rust. when my heart slows, I feel hints of them but they never last, never.


    The morning was filled with the normal hustle and bustle. Apart from damage to the manor nothing else happened to most at the manor. Life must go on, and so she rolls. The world does not care even if hundreds die, there will always be things to do.


    I rolled out from under my bed and was greeted by a ball of raggedy hair in the mirror. After forcing the hair monster to be presentable I followed my usual routine.


    It was only when I reached the remnants of the fountain that I went into town again. It was a lot of effort, and I went down to the shed again. I picked upon the cloak and money, but before I left, I searched.


    It didn¡¯t take long for me to find what I needed, and I was on my way.


    Since the manor staff had calmed down it felt easier to escape. I was getting cocky, it was merely my second trip out but I was getting cocky.


    I bite into my arm, my canines piercing the soft skin. I pushed the fabric of the cloak onto the holes and hoped there weren¡¯t any beasts that could track me. Although the downsides were obvious, pain was both my greatest distracting agent and what I used to remember.


    I reached the town a little earlier than I did before and took my time to read the signboard. ¡°Cliffsin¡± the town was probably named after a local legend. A mythical beast went against the rules given by its God and threw its child off a cliff. There wasn¡¯t much more to the legend, the baby mythical beast survived the fall but was hunted for its blood.


    It would have been normal to assume that the beast was the sinner, but would those that hunt the divine not be the true sinners?


    I entered the bar again and the man gave me a warm welcome


    ¡°Ahh, wee ssh is here again. It¡¯s good that you are putting in some effort.¡±


    He was most definitely poking fun at my name, but I knew what I did when I wrote it down.


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    Before he could say anything more, I pointed to my waist. There was now a belt on around my cloak and a sword hung from it.


    I popped a thumbs up at the man after pointing out the presence of my sword and he seemed to chuckle.


    ¡°then do you want to use it today?¡±


    I shook my head at him, I was quite content with more labour jobs.


    ¡°you sure, it should be safe and it might be fun.¡±


    I tilted my head to show interest. The man was selling it far harder than I expected him too, which was not very.


    ¡°You getta go chase after some Funsks, they have been running amok and someone wants their bones.¡±


    I realised that ¡°fun¡± was merely a pun, but it did seem interesting. Funsks were harmless brown and fluffy, though their meat was disgusting. I slowly nodded my head to show my apprehension and that somehow made him erupt.


    The laughter filled the room, and he chucked me the job ticket.


    ¡°Remember it¡¯s the bones you need to get, don¡¯t hit them too hard.¡±


    I left the room, I had no idea why he found me so funny, but it weirded me out. My name was the only thing I had intended others to laugh at. I had no idea what was funny about my silence.


    It was only once I had reached deep into the woods that I realised how dumb I was. I had no idea where the Funsks inhabited, nor If they wanted only the bones or they would butcher it.


    I took out the job ticket and looked over it. luckily enough all the information was present, I would have to get my hands dirty, but I had a destination.


    It took a while, but I trudged back through town and headed east. It didn¡¯t take long, and I discovered what felt like hundreds of the fluffy creatures. There were only ten, but they didn¡¯t move in packs, Funsks were solitary creatures.


    I was ill equipped for the task; a bow would have been much better. But I wasn¡¯t that good with one. I was already focusing on learning two weapons and couldn¡¯t fit a third.


    I drew my sword and threw it at one of the Funsks. I had expected the heavy metal blade to either miss or pierce right through. It did neither. The blade was now lodged halfway through a Funsk that was pinned down by the added weight.


    There were too many things I didn¡¯t know about, too many variables that sought freedom. I placed my foot on the creature and pulled out my blade. It squirmed and scurried but could not escape.


    The futility of the creature¡¯s actions begged pity, but I had none. It was human nature to kill and pillage, if not themselves then other species. I was a human, or at least that was what I told myself from time to time.


    I looked around to see nothing but trees and the damp forest floor. I didn¡¯t care, I would find them soon enough.


    Instead of carrying the extra meat I turned my sword around in the Funsk and tried to separate the meat from bone. My efforts failed and I decided to just rip it apart. Quite a bit of the Funsk¡¯s meat stubbornly stuck to the bone so I had to shave it off on my blade.


    My sword was too unwieldy for the delicate task of butchering. Even though my skills were lacking I could still tell that a sword was not ideal. I needed a smaller knife, not even a butcher¡¯s knife, just a dagger would do.


    I was sure that there would be a dagger in father¡¯s shed somewhere. Even if father had never put one in their father was not the first baron to use the shed. I knew that at least my great grandfather had been using the space, but it was definitely constructed before his time.


    Before I moved on, I began to doubt. I had access to tools that I could sell, why didn¡¯t I? why did I decide to start working as a mercenary? I knew that I would never come close to the money from taxes that mother would have access to. No, I had a plan, I am sure that I was wiser yesterday somehow.


    All I have to do is follow the plan and everything would be fine. I didn¡¯t need to assure myself much after that, I no longer cared. I just did and did. My sewing skills inched closer to decency while the small trickle of currency from the mercenary work sat unused.


    Days passed and I now looked like a competent mercenary. Every day the damn bartender had given me a different task until I came prepared for anything. He would surely take one look at the myriad of pouches and knifes on my belt and come up with the perfect job. And by perfect it referred to the single job I was ill-prepared for.


    When I opened the door, I saw a petite woman manning the bar. The old man surely didn¡¯t work every day, but I didn¡¯t know how to approach her.


    After a few moments of standing like an idiot I walked in. no one seemed to care about me, I was just another weirdo in the place of weirdos.


    I did a little wave to the girl and she quickly noticed me.


    ¡°Ahhh, shh, is it? Mr Hildegard mentioned you.¡±


    The bright smile of the woman was overshadowed by my thoughts. I had never gotten his name, but he was called Mr Hildegard, good to know. Once I had finished taking a mental note, I gently nodded to her.


    ¡°Well, you sure are a special wee one. I got a job right here for you.¡±


    The way she spoke down to me was similar to Mr Hildegard, possibly a student or a child? I accepted the ticket she offered without much thought.


    Since I was already in the mood to think I looked over the parchment carefully. There were indents from pen marks all throughout the piece. They must have recycled the parchment.


    Looking closer at the job itself I noted the location was Southhill. The task was to lower the wolf population. I knew that south hill was in a gully to the north, but I never thought they would ask for help with wolves. Last, I had heard they had a pretty good guild of their own.


    Without a further word to the woman, I left.


    Half oof the job of a mercenary seemed to be walking and miscellaneous tasks. There was no war nor bandits¡­ yet. Everything seemed pretty safe. By the time I had arrived at Southill the sun was rising towards the centre of the sky. I didn¡¯t have time to waste.


    I headed into the woods. Every time the woods, it felt like I was more a hunter than mercenary. But that was also fitting for a mercenary, a sword for hire no matter the task. Of course there were those with morals, but for the right price anything could be bought.


    When I came across the first of the angry grey creatures, I was weary. But then I realised how weak they were. the pack was small but even, so it was too big. Far too much of their food had run away, scattered in the storm.


    In place of the bigger creatures the smaller had taken over. But animals like Funsks are too hard to catch to sustain a functioning ecosystem.


    I walked towards the pack and swung my sword at the weakest of the bunch. The others tried to bite and claw at me, and they succeeded. The thick cloth of my cloak had several heads latched to it that dripped red. When I was satisfied, I moved on to search for another pack.


    It didn¡¯t take long, and I soon returned to Southill covered in severed heads and claw marks. The wolf¡¯s jaw muscles didn¡¯t let go even so long after they died, they were not the common northern wolf. They were wolves from the west that were descended from the south.


    If I ever came across a southern wolf pack, I may have to give up on living. I liked living, some sick part of me preferred a beating heart.  No matter how many times I tried to change it I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it. I had lived too long to die too early.


    I lived, but I also did not live. My body functioned yet my mind failed me. It failed to feel, to control, to act. Useless, such thoughts were.


    I easily found the local guild from the path cleared by the locals. There was only one thing more horrifying than a strong person, and that was a crazy one.


    I collected the seven silver and left. The wolf heads were slowly coming loose so I had to get rid of them. It was then that I discovered that mercenaries out of war were truly just hunters. The guild paid for the materials of the game hunted; I cared little for it but it was another neat way to earn some coin.


    For the wolf heads I managed to get twelve irons. 36 silvers made up a gold coin and 24 iron made u a silver. Anything that could not be bought with gold was bartered for, generally through the trade of jewels.


    I knew that I would never be so rich as to use anything but coins. Even if I got the barony off mother, it was still a dream, a useless dream. I wished not for wealth, money was merely a means to an end, and it always has been.


    My walk back to the manor was filled with more useless thoughts that I quickly discarded. I knew I had a plan, but I didn¡¯t even remember what that plan was.

 Acquisition

    I had been going to and from the manor for several weeks now. No one searched for me in the day, or if they did it wasn¡¯t very hard. The servants were long used to my absence before I began going to town. How far away I went seemed to be the only thing they picked up over the days.


    I knew I was safe, but that didn¡¯t feel like a good thing. No one cared, no one.


    I was back earlier than usual today because I had something to do. I changed out of my black cloak and into a brown one foregoing the mask too. unlike being a mercenary, I needed to talk to sell things. The mask came off because this town wasn''t big enough for the two of us.


    I grabbed a basket, within it were several spools of wool and thread along with needles and other miscellaneous tools. The only thing I needed was flowers and some herbs. I would not turn a profit by making terrible accessories with pre dyed yarn, I needed to do it myself. The flowers would also be a great way to get parents to spend money on their children.


    I still had plenty of dyed yarn from the storage room however and I stole it for now. There would come a time where it wouldn¡¯t be a viable option, and I planned for that.


    There wasn¡¯t much foot traffic in the town, but I could refine the location later with the info from being shh. I sat down in an empty spot on the cobbled path. Most of the other peddlers had been there since morning and would soon pack up, but not I. I laid down a thin bit of coarse fabric before laying out the yarn. I sat there knitting, sometimes sewing. Everything I made was quick and small, big and ugly didn¡¯t seem to sell well.


    I only had a few hours left in the day and that was all it took. I had no idea what I was doing, I assumed it would be easy, I was wrong. I was so wrong that I considered why I had even thought of it, I would earn better profits by going to the nearest city and entering the arena. Not to be deterred I considered my options. I couldn¡¯t sell whatever abominations I had laid out and my first day had proven that. I was a fool; however, I was determined¡­ and bored.


    I sat there as the wind grew colder and night threatened to set in. I needed a teacher, even if it were simple books, I couldn¡¯t go in blind. I tried to think of other options, but I needed to see a library to truly find out. The manor had a library; however, it was in the main building. I would need to save up and get a book myself and hope that it aligned with something that I was good at.


    After looking back on what I did wrong I fell down a rabbit hole. There was much more I had done wrong: for a mercenary I wasn¡¯t eating enough. I wasn¡¯t maintaining my tools. I had been letting my money sit and go to waste. I was a hypocrite to myself. I reasoned that money was merely a tool, yet I had saved up all of it that I had. It was a tool that needed to be used, alone it was worth nothing. The only value money held was when it was used to get something else.


    I needed to change. every time the thought entered my mind it felt like a burden. I had tried to change so many times before, but nothing truly changed. I was still me, I still couldn¡¯t feel, everything just seemed to plateau.


    I wanted to lie down on the manky cobbles but I knew what I needed to do, and so I headed back.


    ***


    No matter how I thought about it the library was not an option. There wasn¡¯t much I could do about it so I moved on. The best way for me to invest my money would be¡­ I had no idea. There was nothing that came to my mind other than body and weapon maintenance.


    I could try literally investing my money, but I didn¡¯t have enough for such a contract. I needed an ideas man, someone that would shut up and bring me ideas. The concept seemed familiar, and I realised father once had such a man.


    Mr Cedar was father¡¯s aide, but he lost the job after mother took charge. He was terrible at managing the manor, but he did quite well in business. His main upside was the ideas department, he was creative. If I found him and beat him into submission, I might be able to get a steady business going. The idea was great, but I needed to find him.


    Thinking began to hurt, and I went to my bed for a nap. The sight of my bedding poking out from under my bed reminded me. my windows were still fucked. Instead of crawling into the space I was sure I wouldn¡¯t be getting out of, I waited for dinner.


    ***


    The morning graced me with yesterday¡¯s problems. It didn¡¯t take me long to give up and guess that Mr Cedar had retired to crypton, it was filled with the old and dying so he should be there. He was certainly old, and he might be dying, it was worth a shot.


    I finished my morning training and headed to the shed. I wore my black outfit as shh but then I wondered how I was going to ask around. There weren¡¯t many options that I knew of, but the shed had at least one of everything. I grabbed a pen and dipped it in the old and somewhat crusty ink. The sensation was like eating sand¡­ not that I had done that before. Writing on the coarse fabric I had found was finnicky and I had to add only a little ink at a time.


    It looked like shit, but it seemed to be readable enough... to me. Hopefully miss Shelly could help out, she had read the job ticket, so I knew she could try.


    I was going to leave but then I wondered how I was going to talk to Mr Cedar. My solution was simple, I wrote on another piece of cloth telling him to follow me quietly. Any sane person would follow such a crudely written letter from a stranger in a mask, right? If need be, I would have to speak in front of others, it wasn¡¯t like there was going to be people I would see regularly around him. I was also going to have to reveal my identity to him anyway if I wanted his help.


    I didn¡¯t like the idea of father¡¯s old servants helping me. But I needed someone. I accounted for the slim chance that mother had kept an eye on the servants she booted. But unlike all the others Mr Cedar was genuinely shit at his job. I think I even heard mother complain that he had to go since firing him made it look like he was a threat.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Before heading to crypton I picked up a job from the guild. It was for helping a village to the west with some well issues. It was close enough that I could finish it and then head over to Crypton, so I delayed my visit.


    Jobs that involved domestic issues generally just required me to be a gofer. This time was no exception, and I ended up removing a dead bush babble from the well then running to and from the doctor fifty times. it was after this that I decided there was nothing more time consuming than cleaning water. I counted the act as one of lifes mysteries, how does one clean the thing used to clean?


    By the time I had reached crypton it was midday. Instead of going to find miss Shelly first I headed to a tavern. It was easy to order a simple meal since I had helped around and they knew I didn¡¯t speak. My issues arose when it came to consume though.


    Huddled in a corner I lifted up the bottom of my mask and held my hood down. I knew such weird actions would draw more attention, but I really didn¡¯t want my identity to be exposed.


    What I got for eight iron was a pudgy loaf of sticky something. To the side of it was diced meat of varying animals and plenty of greens. Tucking in I found the kind of bouncy loaf to be rather tart, but it went down smoothly. I had not paid for taste; I had paid for food.  The meat was anything but fresh but wrapped in the loaf with the greens the unpleasantness disappeared. My only true complaint was that the sticky loaf stuck to my gloves.


    Heading back outside I looked around the middle of the town. I didn¡¯t see miss shelly yelling at anyone so I assumed she would be at the church. The old lady managed the maintenance of the village, and the church was in by far the worst condition. I looked at the unintentional skylights before concluding that I should wait outside.


    Indeed, miss Shelly was helping out inside and she soon came out after someone went in. the stranger had probably alerted her to the fact a strange person in all black was waiting outside.


    ¡°so wee one what brings you to see me?¡±


    The mention of wee one confirmed to me that Mr Hildegard was plotting. I had already been called wee one by a few others that I saw often. Unable to show any dissatisfaction through my mask I handed her the fabric.


    It took her a while of squinting and holding it up to the light before she finally responded with a boisterous chuckle.


    ¡°it¡¯s nice to know you thought that crazy old man would be here. No, no child he is a few villages over in Southberry.¡±


    I was about to turn away but miss Shelly put her hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°not so fast wee one, if you are looking for him you will want to know where he lives. It¡¯s on the main street two houses down from the shop with the boar. Remember it¡¯s not a shop with a boar signboard but a boar. Also you are going to want this back, and tell him that Mr Herbert sent ya, it¡¯ll be easier to talk to him.¡±


    Miss shelly had gently pushed me out of the village as we were speaking, another mystery added to the list.


    She filled my head with a bit too much info but it was simple enough to remember. I stood outside the village ready to go, but for a moment I wondered if going now would be worth it. surely it would be dark when I returned¡­ but then I would just be wasting half a day.


    Due to a sheer lack of something else to do I pushed onwards to southberry.


    *


    **


    ***


    It was a shithole. The village had many holes in fact, and each one was filled with animal shit. There were plenty of places with a boar out the front of them but only one was a shop. I went two down from the shop and arrived at a house with a gate. There was no nice lawn beyond the gate, just more animals.


    I ventured in and knocked on the door. The wood sounded soft and squishy but was hard as a rock.


    No reply came so I knocked again only to be greeted by shouts.


    ¡°WHO IS IT?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t great at recognising shouts of people who left years ago so I knocked again.


    ¡°Alright, Alright, I get it.¡±


    The door opened to reveal a surprisingly presentable male. His hair was grey mixed with darker grey and more grey. The suit he wore was clean, his shoes were polished and there was only a slight bitt of stubble on his cheeks.


    I tilted my head to the man and handed him the same piece of cloth I handed miss Shelly. Unlike her he managed to understand at a glance.


    ¡°so, you are looking for me, correct?¡±


    I nodded my head, if he was this presentable then I might not regret this.


    ¡°Whatever you want from me you are gonna have to pay for it. in gold.¡±


    At his absurd statement I drew my blade. It was a simple and plain message.


    ¡°Alright, alright, so what do you want, or are you mute?¡±


    I looked behind him, but upon seeing no one else I opened my mouth.


    ¡°I am looking for Mr Cedar as the heir to the barony. You served my father, and thus I have come to collect you to serve me.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s very presumptuous of you.¡±


    The man rubbed the sides of his mouth, it looked like he wanted to twirl a non-existent Mustache. At the action I was finally assured that it was indeed Mr Cedar, his habits had always been on the annoying side. I stared a the haughtily acting Mr Cedar for a few more seconds before turning around. That was all it took to get the right response.


    ¡°NO, wait, wait, it was just a joke. I would be happy to serve the future baron.¡±


    ¡°ess¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, future baroness.¡±


    ¡°Good, then may I come in?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, it would be my pleasure.¡±


    Mr Cedar showed me right to his living room where a shabby table had been set up. The place was a little too small for visitors. However, I didn¡¯t complain as it was my idea to come in.


    ¡°So, what was it about me that made my lady come get me?¡±


    ¡°I need some ideas.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Why do you sound so disheartened, father had often praised your ability to think?¡±


    ¡°I was mainly kept around for my other abilities.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡±


    Mr Cedar had thoroughly intrigued me by his comment. There were few things that father had kept from me that weren¡¯t useless to me.


    ¡°I happen to be quite strong, in case the madam ever hired assassins he would keep me near him with the excuse of overworking me.¡±


    ¡°In that case how did he die?¡±


    ¡°The misfortune of a common addiction.¡±


    ¡°Then I suppose you don¡¯t smoke?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I much prefer a cup of tea,¡±


    ¡°Thank you for this information, I will now be using you for ideas and as a sword.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t abuse this old man.¡±


    ¡°You volunteered yourself.¡±


    ¡°indeed I did.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    We drank tea in silence for a while. The sweet smell hid the bitter taste of the unskilled brewer. It was only when the pot ran dry and we ran out of distractions that a conversation resumed.


    ¡°Are you a mercenary?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I need my own money. You know how my mother is.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, indeed I could help out with that if you don¡¯t mind?¡±


    ¡°and how do you plan on doing that?¡±


    ¡°If I register, we can then form a binding which will allow us to complete jobs together.¡±


    ¡°Leave it up to the ideas man to come up with a good idea.¡±


    With that I pushed off trying to get him to start a business. It would take a while for him to truly become available. But even so it amazed me at how simple it was. I had acquired an ally with a less than 1000% chance of betraying me within half a day.

 motivation

    When was the last time I sat still? I had succeeded on that day; I started moving and have yet to stop. It didn¡¯t feel like it. nothing ever felt. The world looked to pass me by so slowly, but days went on like seconds.


    I lay in my bed, the windows in the manor were boarded up, mine were the last of course. The state of my room however wasn¡¯t what I cared about. My hands held tightly onto my head as my fingers pressed into my skull.


    The few layers of flesh that separates the bones from meeting were squished. I felt pain, pain, PAIN. It was something, but it didn¡¯t feel. Pain wasn¡¯t an emotion. I knew I felt when I went out.  Every day I felt, but when I let myself still, I didn¡¯t feel.


    It didn¡¯t matter the feelings of the past; I knew no such thing as the past. I needed to feel now, NOW was the only time that existed to me, I needed to move. I was empty. Just responding to the horrors of my mind and the ticking of the environment.


    I bit my lip, I clicked my fingers, nothing. Nothing could set me free; magic didn¡¯t exist¡­ magic, those fucking mages!


    Anger, yes, a spark. The happiness extinguished the anger, but I knew what I needed to do. I rose from the sheets and went to training. my skills had ceased to improve long ago so I stopped training with the sword. I would get plenty of experience as a mercenary anyway. The rest of my effort was poured into the halberd.


    The polearm I felt most comfortable with was definitely the halberd. Ever since I first got the hang off it, things just clicked.


    By the time I got into town I already felt like the morning was so far away. One of these days I would have such an episode and never move again.


    I preferred to be stably unstable. My pain only got in the way when it was erratic. The knowledge that I was broken made me want to dig my fingers under my jaw and separate my head from my neck. However, I had already decided that my thoughts would take a backseat today.


    I walked into Cliffsin and eventually made my way to the back of the town. There was a quaint little house that sat there, and I walked up to it.


    The door was unlocked so I walked right in. a voice greeted me as soon as it caught sight of me.


    ¡°My lady, you are early. I do believe we had agreed to meet in a few days.¡±


    ¡°Something came up and I decided it would be best to hurry things along.¡±


    ¡°In that case what do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°I want to get you registered, under a different name. once we have that done I was thinking that you could use that new identity to buy a shop.¡±


    ¡°Have you come across something to sell?¡±


    ¡°Possibly, there is an old apothecary out west of here. Last time I checked all research materials were abandoned. They probably left them when the mages hit.¡±


    ¡°Alright, selling medicine should be quite profitable.¡±


    ¡°there¡¯s something else as well, I want you to start gathering information. The guild says they know nothing. The merchants around here aren¡¯t large enough to know either. We are isolated in a bubble here; without the crown¡¯s authority we are fucked.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°As you command.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I stood there as I had run out of things to say, and it seemed that he too was firing blanks. Several weeks had passed since I first picked him up. He had moved to Cliffsin with his own money and the shop would also be with his money. I wondered where his loyalty came from, but then again it wasn¡¯t like he was using the money in the first place.


    In order to break the silence before it could grow any staler Mr Cedar spoke up.


    ¡°My lady, what should be my registered name?¡±


    ¡°That is up to you to choose.¡±


    ¡°Then perhaps blabbermouth.¡±


    I tilted my head at him, my confusion was palpable despite the lack of words.


    ¡°Well, my lady, you are Shh and I assume you are going to make me do the talking, so¡­¡±


    ¡°It makes sense, but are you really okay with being called blabbermouth?¡±


    ¡°of course, it will bring a bit of brightness into such serious times.¡±


    I decided not to mention the true meaning of my name instead opting to agree with him.


    ¡°Go for it.¡±


    ¡°In that case what should I wear, I was thinking of a suit with a red tie.¡±


    ¡°Just make sure to cover your face, the manor is nearby.¡±


    ¡°I would definitely have to go for one with some extravagance then. Actually, I might be able to pull off a plain mask like yours. Actually yeah, let¡¯s have the plain black mask symbolise the team.¡±


    ¡°You say that as if there¡¯s more than just us.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Spit it out.¡±


    ¡°I happened to come across the previous head guard.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you took so long, you were enlisting the others.¡±


    ¡°Just him, though he is skilled enough to be worth it. He will keep his word, there¡¯s also lessons. He used to teach you before he retired and now you don¡¯t have a teacher.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you teaching me?¡±


    ¡°My ability to form instructions are¡­ sub par.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t guess that you were an aide for so long.¡±


    ¡°Nope, but that¡¯s a good thing now.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so, get ready I want to get this done with today.¡±


    ¡°Mark will arrive in a few days¡­¡±


    ¡°Then we sign up without him. I used to think we had time, but I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening outside the region. Until proven otherwise I am assuming for the worst.¡±


    ¡°Wise, give me a second I will be right with you.¡±


    Mr Cedar scurried off and came back a few minutes with a plain black suit and a white shirt. He was missing a red tie, but his belt was well stocked. Next to his sword was a medicine pouch and a few other knifes for both skinning, butchering and combat.


    ¡°Do you want me to get the mask for you, or do you have one?¡±


    I asked him about his currently bare face. I already knew the answer, but it was worth a shot.


    ¡°If you would be so kind I would greatly appreciate it.¡±


    Before I could get out the door, he chirped up again


    ¡°Oh, and a red tie if you feel so inclined.¡±


    I didn¡¯t bother responding and continued out the door.


    The main street was filled with peddlers as usual. There were many different foods and fruits as well as tools and trinkets. The stall I was looking for didn¡¯t seem to be there but I came across a sign for a clothing shop nestled between two stalls.


    I knew I would regret it but I ventured in and easily found a red tie. The colour was more of a burgundy and it had a floral pattern in a darker stitch, but it was the only one there.


    A silver and two iron down, I left the store and continued my search.


    It took much more effort than I had expected but I eventually came across the same peddler that sold me my mask. They had a few blanks by the side, and I pointed to one.


    ¡°Fifteen iron.¡±


    I was dressed as Shh and really not in the mood to bargain. Although I got scammed, I decided to show my dissatisfaction by dropping the coins Infront of him instead of handing them over.


    The man kept a smile on his lips and handed me the blank mask.


    Slightly disgruntled I returned to the house with the mask and tie.


    ¡°here¡±


    I handed them over and he gave no thanks, instead he put them on. He knew that I would much rather progress over words.


    ¡°Ready!¡±


    Mr Cedar exclaimed with a flourish. The way the old man did such an energetic twist removed my previous good impression.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes boss.¡±


    We left through the front door. There was an abysmal chance that we would gain enough ire that doing otherwise would be worthwhile. Mr Cedar¡¯s only identifier was his voice and his grey hair. Cliffsin had plenty of it¡¯s own old people due to it¡¯s proximity to Crypton and we were mercenaries. All in all we fit right in.

 Blabbermouth

    There were plenty of weird looks when I brought Mr Cedar into the bar. No one asked however and business continued as usual. It was only after I gave the registration form to him that Mr Hildegard made a sound from across the room.


    ¡°So, the wee one has gotten themself a friend. I suppose you won¡¯t be talking either¡­ mister?¡±


    ¡°No, no quite the opposite actually. Though I have no complaints about I really since I volunteered for it. I am talking about being a noisy little mouth of course, but that is hardly relevant. The name that you may call me is blabber mouth and I hope the reason behind the name is apparent. I also hope that I am not the only one that thought this amusing, but anyway it is nice to make your acquaintance. You are?¡±


    ¡°Neat, so we have a yapper.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, yapper would be one way to refer to me. I hope to be a little less annoying, but that shall only commence once I stop finding this funny.¡±


    Mr Hildegard looked at me ignoring Mr Cedar


    ¡°Oi wee one, how on earth did this combo ever come to be.¡±


    I just shrugged my shoulders. It was the truth; I had no Idea.


    After Mr Hildegard had enough of Mr Cedar, he filled out the form. A mercenary registration really shouldn¡¯t be a valid for of identification, but it was. The only personal info that the form recorded were skills and the chosen name as well as the town of registration.


    It was entirely up to the guild leader of each branch to accept each form. I had never heard of a guild leader accepting a bad egg, but I also hadn¡¯t seen much of the world.


    When Mr Cedar presented the form to Mr Hildegard, he made a comment before signing it as quick as possible.


    ¡°Hah, Blabbermouth, no kidding.¡±


    It seemed that Mr Hildegard knew that giving the blabbermouth questions would only bring pain. The process was smooth, probably easier since MR Hildegard already knew me.


    Once the form was stamped and put on the wall Blabbermouth lit up and Mr Hildegard let out his frustration.


    ¡°I have a query¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡±


    ¡°I would like to enter a Binding with fellow mercenary Shh.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s simple, you can¡¯t.¡±


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Mr Hildegard seemed to be relieved that Blabbermouth was talking normally not just that the question was simple.


    ¡°No, no I do believe I can. If Shh is the leader of the binding, then it is possible. Even if you still say non then I would like to remind you that Shh counts as an experienced mercenary. They might not have much experience, but it is enough to qualify for being a mentor.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, Shh didn¡¯t strike me as the leader type.¡±


    ¡°Well, the boss dragged me out of sweet retirement so do with that information what you will.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, Shh you okay with this?¡±


    I nodded my head and Mr Hildegard went to the backroom to get a piece of parchment. It was a thin strip only slightly longer than a business ticket and the same width as the registration forms. Mr Hildegard wrote the terms of the binding on the back and then signed the front.


    The man then got up and handed me the piece of parchment.


    ¡°Read it. If you agree to the terms, then put your and the yapper¡¯s registration forms under the same pin. Make sure that you put that piece at the top, if you can¡¯t see it, it isn¡¯t valid.¡±


    The terms were mainly about trust and integrity along with some fluff. Things like spoils were to be decided by each binding themselves. if the guild interfered with profits, they would surely face backlash.


    There wasn¡¯t anything that I strongly disagreed with, so I walked over to the board. I took out my registration form and put it on top of blabbermouth¡¯s along with the parchment. When I looked back at Mr Hildegard he was gobsmacked.


    ¡°The wee one has grown!¡±


    At his loud voice the tavern lit up with cheers. I was sure that they didn¡¯t know why they were cheering, but that didn¡¯t make it any less embarrassing.


    It was at least a little surprising since it had only been a little less than two months since I started. I attributed my growth to the fact I was eating more. Although embarrassed I was not deterred, in fact I wished to be even taller.


    I looked to Mr Cedar, and he just shrugged back at me.


    To punish the old man, I walked over to another board. I had always taken the jobs that Mr Hildegard or miss lucy had given, but there was a commission board. I scoured it for a minute before taking a request for the extermination off a Dimitri class Jagged Bear.


    The request was worth one gold. In truth it was a rip off as I had learnt that the mana stone alone was worth a single gold, but the guild could get away with such quests as they were ¡°introductory¡±. You couldn¡¯t sell materials from animals with a classification until you had been ¡°introduced¡± into that class.


    The thought of gold brought up a thought in my mind. We didn¡¯t have to go through a broker to get a shop on the main street, we could go through mother. We could surely scam here to sell us the land itself if presented enough gold, and unlike higher titles barons couldn¡¯t get back sold land.


    The thought of scamming mother, although sweet, was impractical. Instead, a much better idea came up, I just had to find a broker that was on my side.


    There were hundreds of villages in the territory, there would surely be at least someone. I was very glad that father had not been a knight stuck in a single village collecting pocket change.


    The money an average knight had for spending was recorded t be 384 gold. A NORMAL barony was magnitudes greater than that. Most knights preferred to enter the service of another noble to secure better income. The barony had one of such knights, Mark, the old head guard.


    Once Mr Hildegard had calmed down from his amusement, he had little complaint of me picking the commission. He even cracked a few jokes about making it big.


    Mr Hildegard might have been jolly, but I was not, and I dragged Blabbermouth with me.

 strength

    It didn¡¯t take long to find the Jagged Bear. Most classifications for monsters were an insult to someone. Dimitri class was for the weakest and angriest of monsters. They were named after the notorious mage Dimitri Balsimorth. He was allegedly known throughout the continent for boasting about great feats that he would fail miserably to achieve or recreate.


    The bear had blue eyes that shimmered like gems, but the mana stone was hidden beneath it¡¯s flesh. Very few beasts could control mana. they mainly relied in its presence to passively strengthen themselves. Apparently, the act was similar too how high-level sword masters use the mere presence of ¡°attainment¡± to strengthen themselves.


    Attainment was a headache inducing topic that I quickly cleared from my mind. The time was ticking on by, and I had something to kill.


    ¡°Boss, how should we proceed?¡±


    I shrugged my shoulders at Blabbermouth¡¯s question and stood up. I wanted to see what would happen if we just went at it until it died.


    Blabbermouth followed after me and I quickly learned why it was called a Jagged bear. The creature¡¯s tough skin was like an endless mountain range. The tough ridges kept while my blade at bay while the devious valleys sought to snatch it from me.


    Blabbermouth took out it¡¯s legs in one clean cut. Seeing this I used the point of my sword and aimed for the creature¡¯s throat.


    Without his help I would have struggled, but with him near it was far too easy. I would never learn at this rate; I needed to do things for myself. I didn¡¯t want to end the Binding though; Mr Cedar was an added layer of safety. The old man was also¡­ old. He knew things that I did not, like the location of the mana stone.


    The grey-haired man in a suit effortlessly cut into the bear with a small knife. Many layers of muscle were torn away until a tiny blue gem was unearthed. For the size of the bear, it was underwhelming, but size didn¡¯t matter. The only thing about mana stones that humanity knew for sure was that humans couldn¡¯t have them naturally.


    I was left to watch over the bear as Mr Cedar took the mana stone back to the guild as proof. The commission was for the entire bear, so although we would have to pay a fee we had to get the guild to transport it.


    Leaving me alone with my own thoughts was a dangerous thing. But here in nature I didn¡¯t want to explode. I found peace sitting atop the desiccated corpse of my foe. The way the light flittered in from the trees reminded me of the fountain. I had already given up on it, I was merely seeking revenge for the sake of doing something.


    Empathy. I knew the meaning of the word, but it was something I failed to connect with. It was hard enough for me to feel, yet the thought of me matching my feelings to another didn¡¯t click. I was not opposed to empathy, for objects or living creatures, I¡­


    I just couldn¡¯t. I remembered love, those sweet memories from when I was young. The warmth of their hands and the feeling of safety.  That was what I assumed affection to be, the safety and warmth they brought. But the one who brought me such warmth was gone; they left my life without a name.


    I didn¡¯t feel sad, it was just something that happened. Things happen every day, the world continues to move regardless. The morning had been filled me with such disdain for life, but now here I sat. I was stable, oh so stably unstable.


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    I wondered what the point of opening a shop was anymore. The result would be the same, and if I could earn enough from monsters then¡­ No, I needed more than one source of income. I didn¡¯t have to be the one making medicine either. I could teach another¡­ No then my identity would be exposed¡­


    My pondering was finally constructive, and time passed me by like the wind. There wasn¡¯t much wind, and I ended up staring into space after coming to a conclusion.


    I was only awoken from my emptiness by the holler of Mr Cedar.


    ¡°Boss! We can go back now.¡±


    I nearly responded but upon seeing the others I managed to keep it in. there were three well built men that I assumed were part of the guild. I had never paid much attention to anyone but Mr Hildegard or miss lucy.


    I had seen either Mr Hildegard or lucy every single day since I started moving. The only place I had seen more than the guild was the shed. I went up and down the dark staircase so many times, from two to four times a day. I was then reminded that I needed to get some more Iark, I had used up most of the torches and I was running low.


    My thoughts were holding me still and I could feel the mercenary¡¯s annoyance. Finally deciding to move I hopped down from the bear corpse and met up with blabbermouth.


    ¡°I don¡¯t presume you have anywhere else to stop by?¡±


    I shook my head. I hadn¡¯t planned on doing anything else today. I just needed to see progress; any would have done.


    Back at the village we ate lunch at the guild. There was plenty of profit from the bear to spend, but we needed to set some of it aside. Weapons were expensive, uncomfortably so. if we were to hunt stronger and stronger beasts then it was inevitable to break something.


    After Lunch I wandered around the main street. My wandering brought me to a few empty shops. There were plenty of options as many families had returned to their ancestors. It was not uncommon in the empire for families to come together in the face of an emergency. The first emperor had made it a law that ¡°blood must help blood¡±.


    The first emperor had done it to stop a possible civil when the nation was facing an emergency. The emperors that came after him however abolished it as quickly as they could. The law both protected the emperor and their relatives, but a disaster was the perfect time to purge competition.


    Human greed knew no bounds.


    I came across a shop with a decent amount of space out the back. A decent workshop was going to be a must if we wanted to do medicine. I knew little of the craft other than the sheer quantity of equipment required for processing all the different ingredients.


    I wondered if I should set up in a town further from the manor. Cliffsin was the very closest to the manor by a longshot. It was so close that I wondered why I had never seen mother. I hadn¡¯t seen her, nor a servant. I knew that the manor delt through dedicated merchants, but I didn¡¯t think it was to that level.


    If the acting lord of the territory didn¡¯t even bother going out to check the land, then¡­ it didn¡¯t bode well to think about, and I brought myself back to the shop. I needed to earn profit with medicine making before I started selling it in a shop.


    To start I would have to retrieve the recipe books from that apothecary. It shouldn¡¯t take long but I didn¡¯t have the time today. It was quite a marvel that so many villages were within walking distance from the manor, most other territories weren¡¯t so condensed.


    How could one never go to town when it was this easy? The thought popped up again, it sought an answer I didn¡¯t have. I would never speak to mother of my own volition.


    I needed something productive to do that would distract me. A completely logical train of thought eventually led me to a great idea.


    I fought an old man¡­ and I lost. Mr Cedar had already displayed his strength by taking off the legs of the bear, but it was far greater than that. I struggled for an hour as eh relentlessly put my sword into the dirt each time. He was definitely being considerate since my wrists were the only thing that hurt, but it still felt like I was fighting a wall.


    It was not a mountain, just a grey-haired wall. I would eventually walk over that wall, after all walls unlike mountains crumble and die. I however wished to overcome him while he lived, him dying would eat into my possible profits.


    Just like any other day I returned to the manor exhausted. Just like any other day no one questioned my absence. Just like any other day I ate dinner and went to bed. Just like any other day I loathed existing in the silence of my room.

 debt

    I knew not what to expect anymore. It was just yesterday that I had dragged Mr Cedar into becoming a mercenary, yet already pain found it¡¯s way to me. I wished to be free of such hassles and chains, but the baker was dead.


    Mother had hired the man from the capital, a feat I found miraculous. Her actions were one of awe not only because the barony was not only a barony, but also had the tax revenue of a barony. It utterly baffled me how she snagged him.


    Confusion aside I stood in the training yard as bells tolled for the man. I hardly knew him apart from mother¡¯s relentless bragging¡­ I wanted to laugh, to cry, to feel something at the loss of someone from the same species.


    I let my mind have its way and let out a few audible huffs. The feeling never came, and I just went on with my training.


    In terms of exercises most of my training was dull, the only thing that ever changed was the number or effort I put in. sparring was far more interesting, not only the actions themselves but also the thoughts of my opponent.


    I wanted to crack open their skull and see inside their mind. Each and every thought, I wanted to see them all, to understand them, to feel them. I knew that it wasn¡¯t a great method, but I tried to read them. Each action they took I rationalised with the factors around them, but it never clicked.


    So many things I wished to do, yet so little time, so little motivation.


    Finished with my training I decided to walk around the manor. I wasn¡¯t in the mood to be pestered in my room if mother came looking for me.


    Possibly just to defy my expectations mother never came. I knew she hadn¡¯t forgotten me, but I was no longer on her mind. This spelt good news for my trips outside, however there was bad news too.


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    Debt, and a lot of it. all the servants seemed to know, yet I the heir had to hear it from gossip.  The servants in their hustle and bustle talked incessantly about the incident prior. The day was filled with gossip about murder or suicide, even motivations.


    Some of the servants had hypothesised that mother had the baker killed. The man was paid handsomely and surely, he would have some savings. The theory was far stretched, but debt shouldn¡¯t have been an issue. The only place one could legally take a loan out was¡­


    So the empire still stands. It is reasonable to assume that it was always the case, the manor had never been in a true panic. But I was ill informed, I knew too little of anything worthwhile. Some of the blabbermouths had spoken of a white crest with wings on the letter. I didn¡¯t even recognise the crest from any of its mentions.


    I may not have enough information, but I can guess. The letter came from somewhere legit, and it made debt an issue. The only conclusion I could think of was they wanted their money back. It seemed reasonable. the empire went through a catastrophe and now they need the funds to rebuild.


    The servants talked less than I had expected. Once the day began to stretch on they settled back into their normal gossip as they worked. There was still some mention of the day¡¯s main event, but it wasn¡¯t worth much mention.


    I still felt it was unwise to spend the ret od the day in town, so I sat on the roof. It was a completely logical action with no drawbacks whatsoever. I climbed out the attic window oof a two-story building and sat on the roof.


    The main building of the manor was three floors, but I had only ever seen the third and first floors. There had never been much reason to explore the second floor, so I never bothered.


    Not a single servant made an exclamation, nor did they look up. It was unsurprising, what lunatic would climb on the roof? There was hardly any reason to look at the roof. In truth I had no idea that I would be on the roof either, I just wanted to¡­ so I did.


    The timid bite of the cold drenched me with every gust of wind, but it was strangely pleasant. My arms were wrapped around my legs, and I rested my chin on my knees. I stared out into the horizon as time seemed more like a concept than actuality.


    The sun kept running away and soon the sky turned into a deep orange. The colour had swept in like water lapping at the sandy banks of a river. the colour came, the colour went, it changed, it was covered. There was nothing else I did, just watch.


    The warmth from inside the annex slowly seeped out and I knew it to be time. I wanted to stay there staring at the darkening sky, but I knew that I couldn¡¯t. there would come other times surely, the sky wasn¡¯t going anywhere anytime fast.

 books

    A gentle rocking, the waves, the sky, the gentle breeze. The world is so peaceful so calm and quiet. To truly find a fault in the world would be foolish, fault lies within ourselves.


    ¡°What a load of shit¡±


    I sat in the underground of the shed surrounded by a pile of books. Half the books were covered in vines and dirt, but other than the threat of my torch they were fine. The book I had been reading was one of many that I didn¡¯t agree with, and I set it down.


    The pages did indeed contain the methods to make medicine, but they also housed unending quantities of superfluous fluff. Even more insufferable was the days it took to transport all the books back by hand. Hiring a carriage was a wise decision, but wise I was not.


    my body was stuck in place, so I decided to mull over recent events to pass the time. Mark had returned to the barony, at Mr Cedars behest of course. The ancient relic wanted his name to be whippersnapper, but chuckle-nuts would be a far more fitting.


    Mark¡¯s reason for coming out of retirement was that Mr Cedar seemed to be ¡°having fun¡±. I knew that people didn¡¯t just follow randomly, but their reasoning was absurd. Just because they wanted to have some fun, they were now aiding a teenager on a journey to kill.


    I wanted to think that it was just a front, but they did seem genuinely interested in the work. Mr Cedar seemed more interested in the absurdness of what he was doing. Mark on the other hand, and based purely off his chuckles, needed someone to talk to. Blabbermouth wouldn¡¯t even fit the man since most of his time was spent laughing not yapping.


    I raised my hand to my mouth, I, I seemed to be smiling. The light grin at the silly old men brought warmth into my heart. Maybe the solution to all my problems lay in getting the fuck away from mother. It seemed plausible.


    ¡°WAHOO¡±


    I shouted in glee, I could feel. It was not a brief moment of happiness that occurred from the actions of others. I was thinking alone, even better I was dwelling on memories. The feeling had yet to fade from memory like all the others, it was truly blissful.


    A wetness pooled in my eyes, and I thanked everything in existence that I knew of.


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    With renewed Vigor I plunged into the books. The marvellous contraptions and recipes within the pages igniting my brain.


    (Yeah, no, things didn¡¯t go well)


    When I returned to my annex for dinner there was a little green goblin waiting for me. The stubby little shit looked confident, his dull ginger hair and his pale white skin all seemed to glow.


    I took one large breath before letting my mind have it¡¯s way.


    ¡°What the fuck do you want¡­ was it¡­ Alejandro?¡±


    ¡°Oi, it¡¯s Stephan you little shit.¡±


    ¡°say¡¯s the shortass¡±


    ¡°You are only taller than me because you are older.¡±


    ¡°Yeah right, what do you want?¡±


    The goblin fixed his hair while moistening his lips, just to start with:


    ¡°Mother wants you to¡­¡±


    I immediately blanket at the thought of her getting me to do something. the goblin queen had two legs, two arms and a head. Although the contents were dubious, I knew she had one, so why couldn¡¯t she use it?


    ¡°Oi goblin three, repeat what you said.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t listening, were you?¡±


    ¡°Pickity uppity the pace and get to the point.¡±


    ¡°go to town.¡±


    ¡°why¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The goblin crossed his arms and turned his nose up at me. He wasn¡¯t the most punchable person I knew, but he sure was putting in some effort.


    ¡°You no say, me no go.¡±


    ¡°Mother want¡¯s you to get some wine.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s what you want, hurry up before I just throw you.¡±


    ¡°Try and see if you can get some people to fight some bandits?¡±


    ¡°Why are you saying that like a question?¡±


    ¡°For free?¡±


    The sight of the goblin now cowering gave all the answers I needed. The crazy woman wanted ME to go fight the bandits. Whether I got other people to help, all she cared about was the result. Just perfect.


    I didn¡¯t even know there were bandits in our tiny barony, but then again, I wasn¡¯t exactly looking for them. No commission had come into the guild, and all the villages I visit are unaffected. This led me to a horrible conclusion; the bandits aren¡¯t idiots.


    ¡°And what made mother think that I would be best for this?¡±


    The goblin reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll. I walked a step closer and looked over him and at the contents. He tried to stop me, but his efforts meant nothing to me. The content of the parchment was instructions, mother knew what I was going ot ask.


    ¡°Typical.¡±


    ¡°Uh, ah, uh¡­ well mother says you go out a lot already and you can use a sword¡­ uh, ah¡±


    ¡°Spit it out, preferably before I turn five hundred.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, okay, yup, Mother says that you are the heir to the barony and¡­¡±


    ¡°I need to pull my weight, got it.¡±


    ¡°Did you read it?¡±


    ¡°No, the world¡¯s just an asshole that can¡¯t let me be happy.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Shoo, skedaddle, get lost, and quickly.¡±


    After that escapade I skipped dinner and headed to bed. There wasn¡¯t any way that things could get worse right?

 family

    I was dumb, oh so dumb. I had cast a curse upon myself by muttering that incantation last night. The hobgoblin standing before me was proof of that curse. Unlike the other goblins this one was a bone fide mama¡¯s boy, black hair and all.


    Apart from the items in the shed I had everything ready to leave, I even pulled my sword out of the closet. I would need to sneak back in later to get my mask and cloak but that was besides the point.


    The hobgoblin opened his mouth, and four words popped into my mind, I, can¡¯t, be, bothered. My effort was much better directed to thinking of insults, but I couldn¡¯t intimidate this one. All of them run crying to mother when I beat them, which would normally not be an issue. Except that she actually cares about the hobgoblins.


    ¡°I heard you were trying to escape; well, you can¡¯t get rid of me that easily.¡±


    ¡°And what part of you thought that I was running from MY territory.¡±


    ¡°No, no sweet kitten, this world is MINE¡±


    On second thoughts It might be worth dealing with mother to beat this guy up.


    ¡°You call me sweet, or kitten again and I will splay your disgusting form across the pavement. Of course, that is after I remove all your skin and shove it up your ass.¡±


    ¡°Good luck with that, you are surrounded by a bunch of cats. Your efforts are futile, as solid as wet sugar, but it is cute to watch. We know that you are heading to town every day, there isn¡¯t any knight in shining armour out there.¡±


    The hobgoblin¡¯s words turned my mind into a rabid squirrel, gnawing away at every thought. I was sure that my identity was protected, I took so many precautions, I, I, I.


    At the sight of me freezing up the hobgoblin leaned closer.


    ¡°Ha. Ha. Ha. If you thought that a little birdy away from its cages would go unnoticed then you truly are foolish. More foolish if you managed to pick yourself up a knight.¡±


    The hobgoblin was too insufferable to fear. With a crack of my neck, I brought my fists up and ready¡­ the little shit was gone. Smart for a goblin, but still dumb as a rock.


    I was at least certain that they hadn¡¯t found out how to get into the shed. that much brought me some closure, but just in case I decided to not come back for my stuff.


    I resumed the journey that was so rudely interrupted and headed out the main gate. The fact we had a gate that was guarded baffled me, the only fence we had was dense trees. It was probably there just for decoration, just like the head of a goblin.


    In Cliffsin I wandered around a while pondering what to do. I had no mask, no cloak and the guild didn¡¯t know who I was¡­ ah fuck, I overreacted. The shame was definitely present as I walked over to a runner.


    The little freckled boy readily accepted my coin and asked


    ¡°Where to, and what to say?¡±


    ¡°Do you know where all the old people live?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡±


    ¡°Go there, it should be the one with the maniacal cackling, if it¡¯s quiet then they aren¡¯t home.¡±


    ¡°ahhh, do you know that weird uncle that moved in?¡±


    I tried to hide my laughter, but a child was already referring to mark as a weird uncle.


    ¡°Sort of.¡±


    ¡°Are you okay, you don¡¯t look alright?¡±


    ¡°I, KGH, I am fine.¡±


    Laughter was still stuck I my nostrils, but I continued.


    ¡°Tell him that ¡®Big Boss¡¯ is looking for, ¡®The Yapper¡¯. Also tell them to bring some quite clothes.¡±


    ¡°On it!¡±


    The little squirt darted off and I was left with stale, unfulfilled laughter.


    The child didn¡¯t take long and soon two people dressed in black, (one with a strangely plump belly) entered my sight. Instead of meeting up with them I wandered down a dark alley and they also moved away. The child seemed to know what was happening, but his business relied on integrity.


    There was nothing more horrifying than a child. They could keep a secret or share one depending on their mood and they knew it. some children were normal, but normal also meant horrifying, just not to you.


    The two old farts eventually entered the same alley as I and one opened their robe. Thanks to Mark¡¯s valiant weight loss efforts I was now covered by his stomach. Putting the mask on I was about to leave but curiosity got the better of me.


    ¡°Why are there so many alleys all over the place, not just Cliffsin, but Crypton too?


    ¡°I do believe we are poor.¡±


    Mr Cedar was the first to answer, but he quickly corrected his mistake.


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    ¡°The barony does not like demolishing buildings, if it isn¡¯t broken, we don¡¯t tend to fix it. such a shameful thing was probably kept from you, we don¡¯t want you running off to marry some count¡¯s heir now do we?¡±


    ¡°And what made you think I would marry specifically a count¡¯s heir in order to escape.¡±


    ¡°Two.¡±


    ¡°Two what, reasons?¡±


    ¡°Two counts¡±


    ¡°You old shit, you better not be pulling my leg!¡±


    ¡°Mark, help me.¡±


    Mr Cedar flung himself at Mark like a little girl. The man who could cut a jagged bears legs like butter, was scared of a teenager.


    Mark cleared his throat and decided to indulge Mr Cedar by playing hero.


    ¡°My lady¡­¡±


    Stumped by something Mark looked dead into Mr Cedar¡¯s eyes and spoke


    ¡°I think we are fucked.¡±


    ¡°Why!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know whether she wants to be engaged or not.¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡±


    Mark and Mr Cedar brought their voices to a whisper and discussed something for several minutes. Once they were done, Mark cleared his throat once again and begun.


    ¡°My lady, is it, are you, what is your opinion on your status as a single woman.¡±


    ¡°Like it should stay that way.¡±


    Mark swept dust off his forehead, Mr Cedar sighed in relief, and I, I rolled my eyes.


    Once the children had recovered, we headed out of the alley. My questions remained unanswered, but I had enough info to guess. As unproductive as their drama was, it was entertaining.


    We made it back to Mr Cedar¡¯s house where I sat down. Mr Cedar only bought a small house, so it was a little cramped, but care I did not.


    Looking at the duo once they took their masks off it was uncanny how similar they looked. One just looked older, and bigger. Mark¡¯s hair was going white and the canyons on his forehead showed no signs of relenting.


    Mr cedar finally asked a sensible question, one that should have been asked way earlier.


    ¡°So, My lady, why exactly did you come out here without a cloak?¡±


    ¡°mother¡±


    ¡°and why would she do that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have seen any bandits lately?¡±


    Mmark tagged in for Mr Cedar at the bewildered behest of the man¡¯s face.


    ¡°There have been quite a few ruffians in the regions around here. The old coot is probably trying to save money by getting the young lady to take out the ones causing trouble. This is strange however since the woman never saved a dime in her life.¡±


    It seemed that it was my turn to answer things timidly and I peeped out a quiet.


    ¡°Debt.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I do believe we are poor.¡±


    ¡°Well, ain¡¯t that good news!¡±


    Mark seemed rather swell that the barony was in peril, his arms moved in the same curve as his toothy grin.


    ¡°it¡¯s not good news, where in the fuck is that good news?¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s good because the country ain¡¯t falling to shit just yet. Give it a few more years before the federation comes knocking on our booty, but we¡¯ve got time to be collectin debt.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so why would mother dragging me into this, save her money?¡±


    ¡°The shit the guards can¡¯t solve gets thrown the way of us ere mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well that¡¯s just great.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you probably weren¡¯t told that either because it don¡¯t make a lick of sense for the sky to fall on us. We were slated for a couple decades war free. but that just show, you should never trust what another man says bout da weather.¡±


    Mr cedar seeing that Mark¡¯s burst of usefulness was coming to an end tagged back in.


    ¡°Now we just got to ask, how are we going to make this work for us? Which reminds me, Mark you need to register at the guild.¡±


    Mark was far from pleased with the reminder.


    ¡°Eh, I can just not get paid, can¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but then me and Big Boss over there will get discredited, won¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll do It tomorrow.¡±


    Mr Cedar smiled at me, and I tagged in for him. this entire conversation was like a weird roundabout.


    ¡°Mark, do it today. The longer you wait the weirder people are going to think of you. An unregistered male walking around in all black while cackling looks more like a thief than a knight.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty then, I will be right back.¡±


    Mark set down his cup and in the same motion stood up and was gone. It didn¡¯t even take three steps; he even left the door open.


    Mr Cedar shut the door and then asked me on his way back to the table.


    ¡°How did you know he hates thieves?¡±


    ¡°He hates thieves?¡±


    ¡°Oh, OOH. Oh no.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You wanted info on the empire¡­¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Well, I may have accidently started an underworld guild¡­¡±


    ¡°Better we be the brokers than get scammed, I guess. So, you don¡¯t actually steal shit, right?¡±


    ¡°Thankfully not, but we do indeed look the part.¡±


    ¡°Mark likes using a big sword, right? Just get him to carry around a massive sword when we walk around, it¡¯ll clear up every misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°Either that or we get a group crest and slap it somewhere obvious.¡±


    ¡°Good idea, but mine makes the living wall happy.¡±


    ¡°Mine will also make that boulder happy, he likes having an affiliation. makes him feel like his days in the order.¡±


    ¡°Then we should do both.¡±


    ¡°Now wait a second, we can¡¯t have him be too happy, you know how he gets.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and every time we tried to stop him, he got the damn cupcakes¡±


    ¡°I meant the other times, but good enough.¡±


    The boulder returned with a smile on his face much to our dismay. I took a deep breath and readied my ears for the incessant laughter¡­ but it didn¡¯t come. Instead the man broke my eardrums by just bellowing each word.


    ¡°AY, I NEED YOU OVER THERE, THE YOUNGSTER AT THE GUILD SAYS HE NEEDS YOU TO BE THERE FOR THE BINDING.¡±


    ¡°Yup, yup, I get it, now please shut the fuck up, and stay shut.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t gonna happen. So, we call you Boss in public right? The young fella at the guild called you Wee One though?¡±


    The fact that Mr Hildegard was considered young was a shock to me. Hough it was not something Mark couldn¡¯t say, he was just that old.


    ¡°Ignore them, I can¡¯t stop them.¡±


    ¡°And I don¡¯t want to!¡±


    Mr Cedar¡¯s comment was unnecessary, but the only way to shut him up was to beat him up. Mark could beat Mr Cedar up, I couldn¡¯t.


    Instead of continuing a conversation that would bring me pain I rose to my feet. The guild would be a brisk walk, and then I could sit back down.


    Nothing is ever quick. Mr Hildegard couldn¡¯t hold it in that I had gathered another old man to my team.


    ¡°At this rate you are going to have the whole of crypton following you around.¡±


    I wanted to say so many things to the old man. I severely regretted choosing to be silent in moments like this.


    Mr Cedar spoke up for me


    ¡°we were not found in Crypton, though I am pretty sure that¡¯s where the boss first looked.¡±


    ¡°of course, of course you still have a lot oof pep in your step.¡±


    ¡°That is not a good thing to say, there are plenty of old freaks in Crypton with the strength to crush a few skulls. Though they may not be as good as me, they should still be better than you¡±


    ¡°Well, I ain¡¯t much of a measure to go by, I am just the guild leader in some backwater town.¡±


    These lunatics are just fucking weird. Mr Humble, Mr Loud and Mr yapper. Each of the three could snap my neck in a second if they felt so inclined. I needed to take the opportunity to grow from them. Now that Mark had returned, I should resume my lessons. Although the man may not be as good as the baron was, he isn¡¯t dead.


    In my internal ramblings it seemed that the other two had already set up the binding. Unlike last time Mr -Humble- Hildegard didn¡¯t ask me to put the tag on the forms. We were now a binding of three, as simple as that.

 endorsement

    Could I kill another human? That was the question laid before me. I didn¡¯t know what to think, should I feel remorse? Disgust? Pain? I knew not of the feeling, all I knew was killing animals. Although my body knew it could, that wasn¡¯t the one in control¡­ most of the time it was, but now was different.


    We would have to kill some of, if not all of the bandits. Capturing them was a foolish endeavour. the barony had not the money to feed them, and the people had not the compassion. There was no such magical power that could make someone likable¡­ that we knew of.


    I couldn¡¯t feel anyway, what was the worst that could happen? I made up my mind and looked at Mark next to me.


    ¡°Yeah, I could do it.¡±


    ¡°Then I suggest we make our second trip to the guild.¡±


    ¡°Why did we head back then?¡±


    ¡°So that we could ask you this question¡±


    ¡°Anyway, why do we need to go to the guild.¡±


    ¡°To get an endorsement of good deeds.¡±


    ¡°You are going to have to tell me what that is.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Mr Cedar happily chimmed in to say what Mark didn¡¯t want to say


    ¡°My lady, as we talked about before we are a bit suspicious. The guild has a one-off solution, for good deeds. A good deed is a commission that doesn¡¯t pay in any meaningful way and thus doesn¡¯t go through the guild. This is called an endorsement of good deeds. It is a plaque that allows us to beat the shit out of people in broad daylight and get praised even if the opponent is a child.¡±


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    ¡°So, we are still going to have to create our own guild.¡±


    ¡°Well technically, we can create a sub guild inside of this guild.¡±


    Mark looked at Mr cedar for a second before preventing me from speaking.


    ¡°Too complicated, explain later.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir.¡±


    We made our second trip to the guild and Mr Cedar explained it very humanely.


    ¡°Ay, I know you hate to see us, but we wanna go kill some fuckers. Give us an endorsement, won¡¯t ya.¡±


    ¡°You do realise I have regulations to follow.¡±


    ¡°Ah, shucks, I really didn¡¯t want to fill out the paperwork.¡±


    ¡°then just tell me what it¡¯s for, and what endorsement you want.¡±


    ¡°endorsement of good deeds¡­¡±


    ¡°and you expect me to believe that killing people is a good deed.¡±


    ¡°I have received information that bandits are plaguing villages of the barony. It is our duty as able-bodied citizens to stop such tyranny and restore peace to the area. We will set out to vanquish these foes whether we are endorsed or not, however it would certainly make the job easier.¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s more like you, so I am assuming the wee one got begged by the guards.¡±


    Mr Cedar seemed stumped for a second before thinking up a good enough excuse.


    ¡°You are scarily close, but you are wrong. The Boss was asked to by a friend who was in turn¡­ delegated the roll by the actings baroness¡¯s family. they were the ones begged by the guards, not us.¡±


    Mr Hildegard plopped himself down on a chair.


    ¡°so, the cheap asses are being cheap again.¡±


    ¡°Cheap would imply that the barony has the money to save in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Should I move?¡±


    ¡°And to where exactly?¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡±


    As quickly as he sat down Mr Hildegard was up again and headed through the door by the counter. The man swiftly returned with a silverish metal plaque.


    the man gave the plaque to Mark surprisingly before looking to me.


    ¡°that¡¯s your endorsement, don¡¯t lose it I don¡¯t have the money to replace it. I will do the paperwork later so don¡¯t get in trouble before you are out of town. I assume that the quicker you do this, the better it is for your friend.¡±


    Mr Hildegard was right, but I hadn¡¯t even prepared for the journey yet. This day was moving far faster, and in a way stranger direction than I had anticipated.


    I gave the man a nod at his kind words, and we set out.

 adventure

    Why the fuck did mother send me to kill bandits? Surely, she wasn¡¯t that fucked in the head to think that I would accept?


    Well, I did, but that¡¯s beside the point.


    I trudged softened dirt with a light pack on my back. We had returned to Mr Cedar¡¯s house and got some necessities before heading out. In the moment everything had seemed fine, but given the time to question it, everything shat itself.


    Mr Cedar and Mark seemed to be having a blast on their little adventure. But this trip wasn¡¯t to please them. We needed to get rid of the bandits that I didn¡¯t even know if existed. I knew next to nothing about their location, just that they are somewhere away from the manor.


    The territory was mainly concentrated around the manor. This meant that trips between villages on the outskirts would take days. The villages that far out were tiny, most barely warranting a few guards. This made it all the weirder that mother of all people didn¡¯t silence their pleas.


    I pushed my concerns back. The feeling that something was wrong however continued with me. This was not the first time I had felt such wrongness. It was like when you miss a day of brushing your teeth, everything feels¡­ off.


    The sun quickly abandoned us as we advanced to the next town. The sun was such a fickle fuck, making us wake every morn just to shit on us when we want to get soehting done.


    We weren¡¯t close to the north, few in the empire were. days were as long for us as the rest of the empire. I knew this, but still, I wanted to finish things NOW. I had a suspicion that my restlessness may have been from the off feeling. But no matter how hard I tried to listen to my gut; I just couldn¡¯t be bothered to express it.


    Mark and Mr Cedar got a room for the two of them while I got a separate one. If they were any younger I would make a joke or two, but I knew that if it were to happen one of them would most likely do their back out. I didn¡¯t know how they would react to jokes about their age either.


    The two old men were helping me to entertain themselves. I didn¡¯t want to ruin anything for them. I didn¡¯t know. The feeling sucked, and this wasn¡¯t a feeling that I could enjoy. I felt around them, but sometimes that wasn¡¯t a good thing.


    I lay there in the stiff bed. The entire day had flashed past me. My thoughts clouded every moment into a blur. I wanted to rest, but, but. So many buts, the world is truly cruel. I want to speak, to cry out. whenever I achieve something, I seek something more. Is it human nature to never be content?


    The more I feel like a human the more restless I get. Like the flesh I wear is not my own. The feeling is strange, I don¡¯t care whose body this is, it is just a vessel for ME. I am me, whether I am a sad sack of shit like always or finally happy, I am still me.


    The morning was filled with less contemplation and more movement. I stirred at dawn and got dressed ready for the day ahead. I headed down and exected to find the two old hags eating.


    I didn¡¯t need to look to hard before concluding that they weren¡¯t there. I went to their room and banged on the door as loud as I could. I had to double check that I wasn¡¯t hitting the doorknob when I knocked. I wasn¡¯t, but I wasn¡¯t to the point where I would imagine pain.


    It took a while but the two eventually came out, opening the fist thick door. I realised where the pain came from and just stared at the door for a while. I had never seen such a marvel before, how they even hung it baffled me. I did seem reasonable though, a man like Mark could bowl right through a normal door.


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    Mark tapped my shoulder and brought me back to reality.


    ¡°Oi, short stacks, you woke us, don¡¯t just stand there.¡±


    Mr cedar took fault with Mark¡¯s words after staring at me for a while.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you are going to get away with that for long.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°The wee ones been growing; give them a few months and they might be taller than you.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how to take their conversation. It would definitely be nice to stop being called short, but then again, sometimes it¡¯s nice. Again I was left confused, the world couldn¡¯t let my mind still.


    I poked the old men and started heading down the stairs. Mark burst out laughing and followed along. The boulders laughter would surely his identity, but I wasn¡¯t worried. However I was confused again, he had never acted like that in the manor.


    My confusion did not outlast my meal, and we soon set out. Instead of immediately setting out we asked the guards. They were mostly useless, only providing some speculations when we presented the plaque. it was better than nothing however, at least we knew the plaque worked.


    We continued on.


    I wasn¡¯t there. As if a transparent film covered my eyes I watched on as the day passed by. There wasn¡¯t anything wrong with this, it was just boring.


    We soon closed this day too t an end. There wasn¡¯t much that happened, and we picked up a commission to do in the morning. The village we decided to stop in looked like any other village. I tried to find something unique, but I failed on all accounts.


    It was when we entered the nearest in however that the village became more than ordinary. Mark and Mr Cedar both put themselves in front of me. Mr Cedar kept quiet, but mark was kind enough to say something.


    ¡°My lady, stay behind us.¡±


    Mark should have kept his mouth shut. I protested, their weirdness causing me to forget something.


    ¡°What are you doing, and why did you call me that in public?!¡±


    ¡°it is best we leave, and quickly.¡±


    Mark didn¡¯t answer my question, but before I could process his words another voice rang out.


    ¡°No need, I am quite harmless, I can assure you that.¡±


    I looked between the two grey sentinels to find the owner of the voice. It looked like it came from a hooded figure sat at the table in front of us. There didn¡¯t seem to be anything off with him, but the two old men still didn¡¯t move.


    The voice sounded out again. it sounded both smooth and scratchy. It was not overly scratchy, just slightly. The sound was weird, if voices could get caught on something, it would explain things.


    ¡°Eh, do what you want. Though I suppose you should explain thing to the fearless wee las behind ya. Wouldn¡¯t hurt. Oh, and if I wanted you dead, do you think you could even walk in here?¡±


    Mark and Mr Cedar still remained silent, so I took the opportunity.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Mark answered, not a hint of joy in his voice. Just like the Mark that taught me.


    ¡°It¡¯s a relic.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Something old, older than even me. this world is old enough for them to be common but that doesn¡¯t mean they aren¡¯t dangerous. you will most likely see at least one in your life, however seeing the same one twice is rare. They normally keep to themselves.¡±


    The voice chimed in once Mark had finished.


    ¡°I have a simpler explanation; WE are the discarded dregs of once better times. this world is falling to decay. Hypocrisy gave us her loving embrace, but Nadir¡¯s tears are relentless. One day we shall all slip into the void.¡±


    Mark hearing the man speak again added something he forgot.


    ¡°They also say really cryptic shit like that¡­ a lot.¡±


    ¡°Now, now, for those who know what hypocrisy or Nadir are would find that information useful. But then again those who know should never have this information. The white fleet knew, they tried to escape. Now the engines of Exodus have gone cold.¡±


    ¡°Exodus¡­ that name sounds familiar.¡±


    ¡°It should, that thing was bloody massive, almost as big as a continent. A pity though I was too young to see it myself. Plenty of records just lying around here and there though. I am pretty sure most of them nowadays are children¡¯s tales.¡±


    Both Mark and Mr Cedar were thinking hard about something. the man saw this and took the opportunity to speak again.


    ¡°you guys have been real amusing, how about I pay for your stay?¡±


    It was then that I realised that no one else had heard our conversation. the man had done something while we were speaking. It seemed logical now that I thought about it, normal people would run away if they heard of an ancient and powerful being just siting there. Mark and Mr Cedar seemed intent on doing just that at first.


    Mr Cedar exited contemplation a little after the man made the offer. In stead of accepting the offer he stood up properly and bowed. Mark followed closely afterwards, and the man spoke again.


    ¡°No need to apologise, after all things just changed. Now enjoy your sleep, I have to tend to another visitor.¡±


    The man¡¯s words were confusing, and just as fast as he had said them I saw black.

 relic

    I could not see, but I felt something, a gentle pressure that enveloped my body. I knew I was not asleep, but the comfort left little for my mind to say.


    I had wondered if this was death. The world wasn¡¯t that kind.


    In that darkness I dwelled, unaware of the passage of time. My thoughts came to a stop and I waited. I did nothing more than just stare into the darkness.


    Eventually something happened, a speck of red appeared. The speck turned quickly into a blob, it was quickly approaching.


    I tried to open my eyes wider to get a better look, but all that did was make me see more darkness. Focusing back on the blob I discovered that it had already reached the size of a fist.


    Soon I could make out some definition, it looked like a face¡­ it didn¡¯t look like one it was one. The colour was unnerving but I definitely saw two eyes at the top of the blob.


    I was sure that the blob was still far away but in an instant it appeared before my eyes. the face was without any skin, each muscle fibre seemed to wriggle and move. The sight was matched with a pleasant voice akin to the graunching of rust and a raspy old lady.


    ¡°where does the flesh end and you begin?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°KAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKA¡­¡±


    The faces cackling went on for a while, leaving me time to think of an answer. I didn¡¯t want to answer, but there wasn¡¯t much else to do.


    I started putting far too much thought into it, the flesh is just a vessel, but what does he determine skin to be? I assume it¡¯s the layer of flesh the face lacks, but then again, it might not know what that is.


    the face stopped cackling and it¡¯s eyes relaxed. the face seemed¡­ calmer.


    ¡°ah, child you don not have to give an answer. Actually I would prefer you didn¡¯t, just let it marinate in your head for a while. This might be a little cruel, but I wanted to leave an impression, something memorable. I have seen too many things fade away, I seek not to be one of them. Tell your children about me.¡±


    The face gave a wink before disappearing into the darkness.


    I now understood Mark and Mr Cedar¡¯s fears. A being that could place me in such an endless darkness and then do that¡­ actually, I don¡¯t know. what is powerful in this world?


    All I knew was that Mark and the baron were the most powerful in the tiny barony. Maybe before the empire turns to complete shit, I should explore it? getting away from mother is always nice.


    Before I realised it the darkness had parted, btu the comfort had not. I was tucked into a bed, still in my cloak and mask. I rose from the sheets, my eyes darted to the warmth that I had left, but there were more important things. I checked all my pockets for anything missing. There were a few things that had fallen out, but a rough search of the sheets resulted in their return.


    I then headed out of the room; the bustling inn took me aback a little. When we had entered the inn was half empty, but now it was chocker. a cursory search later and I found out why, a caravan had entered the town.


    I looked around more to see if I could find the two old men. I couldn¡¯t find anything in the crowd, but before I could change to a different vantage point they came bowling out. Mark nearly sent the door flying when he opened it and I quickly went to them. It was best that we -didn¡¯t- stopped making a scene.


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    Once the two saw that I was okay they seemed to calm down.


    Mark asked once I got close enough


    ¡°How was it meeting your first relic? They are feared not only for their strength, but also because they say potentially life changing secrets with absolutely no context.¡±


    They didn¡¯t mention the face in the darkness, but I didn¡¯t want to bring it up either. The face¡­ the relic seemed sad about it, the fact that he would fade.


    I cleared my head; it was best not to think about depressing shit. I summed up the experience in one word. after was it mark or Mr Cedar? Either way one of them slipped up yesterday, it would be fine if I say one word.


    ¡°odd¡±


    My response elicited a chuckle from both of them. it wasn¡¯t the reaction I was expecting, but there wasn¡¯t much else I could do about it but be baffled.


    When the two calmed down they began acting weird. Mark did the talking which wasn¡¯t odd, he could talk, it was the content that concerned me.


    ¡°Anyway, now that that¡¯s over we should get back on the road. We have bandits to beat and after that I want to swing by the library of the barony.¡±


    Mark plus library was not an equation I thought possible. He was the strongest, dumbest man I knew¡­ but then again, I knew few people that were around or alive.


    The two magically decided that we shouldn¡¯t talk about relics. I couldn¡¯t raise a complaint; the mild frustration was more annoying than their actions. I really shouldn¡¯t have decided to be a silent character. Then again, I have already gone this far¡­ might as well commit to it.


    Before we left Mr Cedar decided to fill his role. of course, that role was being a blabbermouth. The times when he would talk novels at Mr Hildegard was probably all jests, but today he was doing it in earnest. The caravan stopping by the village was a boon, and he intended to milk it for all it¡¯s worth.


    When Mr Cedar finally returned both me and mark were sulking by the side of the road. We had already gone and bought all the half decent snacks and now we were just bored.


    Seeing this Mr cedar made a big exclamation


    ¡°GOOD NEWS!¡±


    Mr Cedar then got as close as possible, and said as low as possible


    ¡°we get to kill people tomorrow.¡±


    Mr Cedar putting the effort to conceal it just made things worse, it seemed like what we were doing was wrong. We were going to go solve a certain bandit problem. The solution might include murder, but that wasn¡¯t the goal¡­ on paper at least.


    Mark also found fault with Mr Cedars actions and gave him a smack across the head. The pressure of the smack sent the air blasting into me, but Mr Cedar acted like it was a light slap.


    Mr Cedar acting a bit more reasonable now, decided to elaborate.


    ¡°Apparently a small-time merchant was hit west from here, there are a few others as well. With this also comes good news and bad news.¡±


    ¡°Spit it out¡±


    Mark came to the rescue once again, but Mr Cedar decided to be confusing.


    ¡°They are an organised group, a poor one, but an organised one.¡±


    I expected Mark to ask where the good news was, but he didn¡¯t.


    Some arm flapping later Mr Cedar decided to explain it to me after ridding himself of his laughter.


    ¡°boss, having an organised group is both the good news and the bad news. It is bad because they are going to be stronger, and harder to deal with. But with this it means we can exploit them, we can get the locations of other bandits from them, and we can take advantage of their organisation.¡±


    Mark finally chimed in, but he only cleared up the last f Mr Cedars comment, and a little too late at that.


    ¡°it is easier to introduce chaos to an organised entity. starting chaos in a chaotic bunch of idiots isn¡¯t worth the effort¡­ don¡¯t try this outside the region¡­ or the barony for that matter, humans are too weird there will always be differences.¡±


    Mr Cedar decided to be himself again and jabbed at mark


    ¡°Weird ay? Are you not one of us? Are you admitting that you are weird?¡±


    ¡°To an extent, but my weirdness pales in comparison to yours.¡±


    Maybe I had the wrong impression, mark might actually be smart, he certainly knows how to control Mr Cedar. though that¡¯s a double-edged sword since Mr Cedar only started acting up when Mark arrived.


    The more I thought about it the more it baffled me, it was like they were taking turns acting like idiots.


    My brain was not in the mood to dwell on it any longer and I just followed after them. if it comes to it, I am sure all three of us combined might be worth half a normal mind.

 murder

    Surely we would get lost when the only direction Mr Cedar told us was ¡°west¡± but then again we got here safely. It had taken a day, not that that mattered. Beyond us now was a forest, and within dwelled the bandits.


    Before we entered the treeline Mark and Mr Cedar asked me if I was going to bbe okay doing this. It was a stupid question. if I wasn¡¯t going to commit I would have just punched the hobgoblin instead of coming out here.


    ¡°I Have hunted plenty of animals before, I should be fine.¡±


    Mark took offense for some reason


    ¡°These aren¡¯t animals they are humans, no matter what they have done, they are still like you and me.¡±


    ¡°It does not change the fact we have to deal with them.¡±


    ¡°You will see things that a child should never see, but you are a little old to see this compared to most. It is better to puke than to not react at all.¡±


    Mr Cedar offered no advice.


    After that conversation we advanced slowly into the forest. It was quiet, no one spoke a peep. It took a while, but we came across the bandit¡¯s camp, a dishevelled collection of holes with different shabby cloths. There was one or two holes that had their entrance covered with wood, but there wasn¡¯t a single proper residence.


    Despite the shabby state of the of the camp we waited. It felt like an eternity and the light dimmed, but some of the bandits returned. They were carrying goods of unknown origin, they looked more akin to beggars than thieves.


    With their return however mark got what he wanted, confirmation. The weapons and bloodstains paired nicely with our information.


    Even so we didn¡¯t attack.


    When night had set in we attacked, it was another eternity of waiting, but they seemed to know what they were doing.


    Mr Cedar broke off to go and begin the hunt. Mark on the other hand ordered me softly to take out one of the bandits that had set up on the outskirts.


    There were a few men on guard, but most were just doing their own thing. I wondered if they were truly organised, or just a rabble that stuck together.


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    I didn¡¯t question the need for murder, but then again mark didn¡¯t specify how, he just told me to take them down.


    Deciding not to go for the morbid option I snuck behind the trees, approaching my prey. I didn¡¯t mean to use it this way, but the dark cloak hid me from sight. My main opponent was the crunching of leaves, but the trees were plentiful enough that I could stand on their thick roots.


    The man that I came up to was quietly making a basket, the way he weaved the branches was mesmerizing. Luckily for me he thought so too and didn¡¯t notice when I got behind him.


    The man was just close enough to the treeline that he could disappear without worry. I wrapped my hand around his mouth while my arm wrapped tightly around his throat. The man flailed, but soon he went limp, still I did not let go. It was only when Mark tapped my head that I let go, I knew that stopping them from breathing would knock them out, but I didn¡¯t know how long I needed to do so.


    Mark pulled out a small dagger and handed it to me. I accepted the dagger but looked up at him.


    ¡°Finish the job, we have eleven more of these camps to go through, we don¡¯t have the time for prisoners.¡±


    How Mark had come across such information eluded me, but I did so anyway.


    I brought the knife to the unconscious man¡¯s throat and cut into it. the skin was tough, but once I got into the muscle, I finally noticed that the man was already dead. I didn¡¯t know how, but it seemed I had suffocated them to death rather than unconsciousness.


    Strangely I felt nothing, a life had disappeared from the world at my hands and I didn¡¯t care. I didn¡¯t expect to care, but maybe I did a little.


    Mark seemed a little dissatisfied and led me to another bandit.


    Again I snuck up behind my victim, but this time they noticed. Before their plea could escape much further my dagger cut into their throat and my other hand was holding their mouth.


    The ripping feeling of the flesh stuck with me, but I didn¡¯t think that was bad. I kept searching for what I felt when I killed, I knew I was broken, but I didn¡¯t want to be this kind of broken.


    The man¡¯s short plea attracted someone else, so my third victim was added to the list. As they fell to the ground, I finally decided what I felt, it was a mild wrongness. It was better than nothing, but more akin to doing something I would rather not than regret.


    There was another man that Mark pointed to, but Mr Cedar appeared, and the man disappeared. When that happened Mark exclaimed.


    ¡°Have you gotten quicker, or have I gotten slower?¡±


    ¡°We have both gotten slower, but you haven¡¯t even been running around.¡±


    The two having a casual conversation made me turn my head towards the camp. There corpses were strewn about, not a single person was left standing. In my moment of realisation, I also noticed that I had been following Mark¡¯s orders to kill as if it were normal.


    I knew why, but it still unnerved me that habits from so long ago could affect me. When Mark used to train me, it was best to follow now, think later. It was mainly because I loved to think and never got anything done, but now Mark had a card I hoped he wouldn¡¯t exploit.

 morals?

    We sat around the fire, the crackling and sizzling as human bodies turned into a blackened pile meant little to me. I just stared into the crimson of the flames.


    Mark finally asked


    ¡°So, how was it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, when I killed them, I just felt like I shouldn¡¯t be doing it, but now I don¡¯t feel anything.¡±


    ¡°Well, you are right, you shouldn¡¯t have been doing it. However, history often repeats itself. It was far before my time, but the last war the empire had sucked it dry. There is going to be war, I have seen how easily something disappears when it shows weakness, the empire is in that state. You, as the ONLY recognised child of your household will have to join it. whether you are sent to lead the barony¡¯s non-existent troops or as tribute to serve under a higher lord I don¡¯t know, but it will happen.


    Mr cedar who was stoking the flame with a rusty sword complained.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s rather dark don¡¯t you think? Though my lady, it is the truth. Me and Mark will be exempt from such as we are old, there are a few other reasons but soldiers who have passed their prime aren¡¯t that desirable.¡±


    The words ¡°past their prime¡± didn¡¯t make sense to me. the two old men were unfathomable levels of strong compared to me. I wasn¡¯t going to get anywhere by thinking about it so I asked.


    ¡°If you are this strong now, how strong would you guys have been in your prime?¡±


    Mark answered this with another question while raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°For our positions, or in general?¡±


    I chose the simplest answer


    ¡°both¡±


    This elicited a chuckle out of the both of them, but Mark was still the one to answer.


    ¡°for my position I am rather average, for the aid of a baron with only one manor Mark is far above average however.¡±


    Mr Cedar took over to after this.


    ¡°in general we are both within a few hundred thousand at our level in the empire.¡±


    That number fucking baffled me, but the empire was massive and from marks words EVERY baron had someone at his level or similar.


    The two old men left me to simmer in my bafflement as they carried on tending to the fire. They were rather calm, but so was I. I guess their calmness was to be expected, mine was the outlier.


    I think it was because I had accepted murder as just something that needed to happen. The better part of my mind knew it wasn¡¯t but then again, when have I cared about morals? I did at some point, but not now.


    Why not now? I didn¡¯t know the answer to that, but I just felt like it would be best to put it off for later. Too many things to think about, and too little time.


    Contrary to my reasoning I just stared blankly into the flame after that. My mind was empty, just watching the dance of flames mixing with the wood and charring remains.


    Last night we had slept in the empty burrows left by those we killed. I didn¡¯t sleep well, but that was normal for me. after that we woke and covered our traces.


    We set out for the next camp, and we found it pretty quickly. Mark and Mr Cedar seemed to know far more than I did, but I didn¡¯t question. Confirmation came far earlier than before this time, as soon as we got there, we saw them cutting up someone.


    We didn¡¯t act immediately though. It was daytime and we stood out among the trees. Although the foliage gave cover, it was far from enough.


    None of us however wished to wait for nightfall. Mark and Mr cedar discussed options while I just sat there staring at them. compared to grey on their heads I was far too inexperienced for their discussion, but it wasn¡¯t as if they were putting a great deal of thought into it either.


    Mark seemed to be the one leading the conversation.


    ¡°We should split up, they aren¡¯t that strong but there are a lot of them. if we all get stuck in one place it is going to take forever.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose this is one of the two with the strong guys?¡±


    ¡°No, that is still two days from here.¡±


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    ¡°If we split up, we need someone to be close enough to the boss.¡±


    ¡°I will head over to the other side; you can stick near her if you want.¡±


    ¡°Good idea, if you get caught up you can just bowl through them.¡±


    ¡°You should be fast enough to get your ass out of there, or to the young lady¡¯s side as well.¡±


    The two turned their heads to me, almost in unison.


    ¡°I heard, so where do I go.¡±


    Mr Cedar gave his uncontested opinion.


    ¡°You see those barrels over there?¡±


    ¡°The only barrels in the entire camp? No, I don¡¯t¡±


    ¡°Well too bad, you are going to set up behind the non-existent barrels and we begin at marks signal.¡±


    ¡°What will the signal look like?¡±


    ¡°Probably like he is going to take a massive shit, well massive might be an understatement.¡±


    Mr Cedar somehow managed to say that without getting smacked. It was only then that I realised Mark wasn¡¯t there to slap him, he was gone already somehow. Mr Cedar seemed to notice where I was looking and reassured me with mild success.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he should give us a few minutes to set up¡­ probably.¡±


    I nodded my head and set out for the barrels.


    Once I got there, I took out my dagger, I had returned Mark¡¯s to him but mine should be fine. I then reached down to make sure I could get to my sword before just pulling it out. It wasn¡¯t nighttime I would have a better time fighting with a sword than a dagger if I got caught.


    It took a while, but soon the signal arrived.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH¡±


    Fucking hell did Mr Cedar understate how loud that would be. If that was him taking a shit it must be a fucking tree.


    The shock of his shout stunned me for a moment but after that I looked out from behind the barrels and found a target. The man¡¯s frail body was barely covered by a few stained white rags.


    I tensed my legs and launched, in what felt like only three steps I arrived behind him and my blade sliced through his neck. My blade had gone smoothly in but I hit bone, probably his spine. Luckily, I had enough force to shatter it and he fell to the ground. He couldn¡¯t scram, only gargle as the rest of his body refused to follow his commands.


    I gave the man no mercy and looked to my next target. They were wearing the most clothes of anyone else I had seen, and they had their back turned to me. they were rushing off in the direction of Mark¡¯s shout much like the rest of the camp.


    I raced up behind him and struck my sword at the back of their neck. This time my cut went much further in slicing through almost all of the spine. Despite not getting all the way through, it seemed to be enough, and they fell to the ground.


    I repeated the process again, finding a target and slashing their neck. On the fifth target I got sloppy, my blade missed their spine. Instead of pulling it out and trying again I punched them in the back of the head. The force freed my blade and brought them to the floor.


    The man was squirming too much, so I used my foot to hold him still as I thrust the sword down into his neck. The feeling was visceral, horrible even. The crack of the bone followed by the stillness filled me with something.


    The more I did it the more I realised how horrible it was.


    Luckily the two old men had finished off all the others and we had a chance to rest.


    Mr cedar came over and patted me on the head.


    ¡°Good job kiddo¡±


    His voice was quieter than usual, it was sincere, remorseful, it, it. I wanted to cry, the tears welled up in my eyes, but they didn¡¯t flow. The pain in my throat and the tightness in my chest held my voice prisoner. All I could do was give a subtle nod.


    We spent the rest of that day sitting idly, cleaning up, burning the bodies. I didn¡¯t know why, but Mark and Mr Cedar seemed to notice something, something about me.


    We then set up camp. Unlike the night before we didn¡¯t sleep in their burrows but our own. It didn¡¯t give much more comfort but at the same time it did.


    That night I dreamt. A darkness, but not a comforting darkness, a stifling darkness. In that darkness I found myself, I was not me, but merely eyes looking on.


    It was more like a nightmare, but in that void where I couldn¡¯t scream, I found the courage to scream. It felt weird, but I woke, my teeth thoroughly imbedded in my lips.


    My eyes felt like they were burning, and I rose to my feet. I walked without direction but ended up in the middle of the ruined camp. There I stood, there I raised my head and opened my mouth.


    I probably looked like and idiot, but I stood there with my mouth open, just breathing until I let it out. A scream, it wasn¡¯t loud and proud like mark¡¯s, in fact it was rather raspy and weak.


    Even after the first one left my mouth I continued, I did so again and again until I realised, I was beating the ground with my fist. After that I had no energy left to be sad, angry or whatever I had felt.


    Mr cedar spoke, O didn¡¯t know he was behind me, but I didn¡¯t have the energy to be spooked.


    ¡°that¡¯s a good reaction I suppose, Mark might be happy. Before you say anything though, it¡¯s good because it¡¯s bad. It means that you know killing is bad, it took a while, but your mind eventually just shat itself due to the conflict. Some men I know never think killing is bad, they join the guards or the knights and just do it. it isn¡¯t that bad, but it isn¡¯t that good either. I apologise child, but your suffering gives us hope.¡±


    I understood jack shit of what Mr Cedar said, but he held out a pouch of water. I took it and drank from it. when I had finished Mr Cedar started again.


    ¡°haha, well I guess now that your mind has established how shit killing feels you have to change that. A bit weird but you self-destructing in the middle of a war would be kind of counterproductive now, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    I gave a sad excuse of a chuckle in response. Mr Cedar made serious words seem somehow light. It might have been my mind playing tricks on me, but tears welled inside my minds again. I now realised that sadness although an emotion, is not all that great. In my optimism I latched onto it, striving to feel more than nothing.


    But I have found other emotions, it is best not to be sad anymore.


    With wet eyes I forced a smile and looked towards Mr Cedar. something cracked, I didn¡¯t know what it was, but the sound knocked the wind out of Mr Cedar. pain soon hit my chest, but it didn¡¯t feel like it affected any organ I knew of. Heat soon followed, an unbearable heat that spread through every vein.


    As I gradually lost strength Mr Cedar exclaimed.


    ¡°MARK! Did you plan this? A child should NOT be going through an awakening.¡±


    Mark¡¯s voice echoed in my mind as I lost consciousness, it was far, but also near, I couldn¡¯t tell where it came from.


    ¡°It is not an awakening, far from it actually, the child has broken a limit.¡±


    Mr Cedar said something more, but I couldn¡¯t make anything of it, all feeling just disappeared.

 fluctuation

    I woke to the sound of birds and fluttering leaves. The light burned and I rose my hand to my eyes. taking a look around I saw one mildly happy Mark and a despondent Mr Cedar. before I could mount any questions Mark spoke, my head hurt like hell but I listened anyway.


    ¡°Congratulations you just achieved a feat that took me 32 years to do and mark over 40.¡±


    ¡°What in the fuck are you on?¡±


    ¡°The ground.¡±


    ¡°Just tell me what you mean.¡±


    Rubbing my temples I rose from the stiff find that I hadn¡¯t been moved from where I fell last night, just sheltered.


    ¡°To truly understand it you would need to ask someone who is allowed to know, aka not us. Though what we do know is that there are a few chunks of meat lying around in your body. There are three to be precise, one holds mana, the other holds a slight variant of mana and the third I don¡¯t know what¡¯s for. In reaction to an extreme situation there is a chance one of those chunks of meat will get damaged.¡±


    ¡°And this is good because?¡±


    ¡°Let me finish.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°too bad, when the¡­¡±


    Mr Cedar interrupted Mark before he could continue his explanation.


    ¡°Call it by the proper name, or even just a reservoir, anything better than chunk of meat.¡±


    ¡°My explanation, I get to do what I like.¡±


    I agreed with Mr Cedar, but my headache made me want to slap them rather than join the argument.


    ¡°Anyway, the chunks of meat are like muscles, you can train them. you can damage them, and they will get repaired better than before¡­ in most cases. The reason why this is so revered is because it is VERY hard to do it without dying.¡±


    Mr Cedar chimed in, possibly just to be evil.


    ¡°While we are on the topic explain awakening, I am sure the baron would have done it at some point, but we know how his explanations go.¡±


    ¡°Awakenings¡­ I think I had mine 70 years ago, hurt like a bitch.¡±


    ¡°I said explain not reminisce¡­ actually why on earth did you try and remember that?¡±


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    ¡°Somethings never leave your mind. Anyway, awakenings, awakenings, ah yes. Awakening is the term we use for when the purity of the energy in your flesh chunk reaches a certain level. Almost all the vessels in your body rupture and you feel like you are dying, and that¡¯s because you are. But if you or someone overseeing you collects that energy back into the meat chunk it will condense.¡±


    Mr Cedar decided to summarise for some reason.


    ¡°You can think of it as the awakening being the first time that your energy condenses beyond a threshold of purity. It depends on the person when that happens, and it also depends on the persons reservoir.¡±


    There were too things on my mind after that, the first was thirst the second was questions.


    I held up three fingers


    ¡°One, all my veins felt like they were on fire, what was up with that if it wasn¡¯t an awakening.¡±


    Mark answered me swiftly leaving Mr Cedar with an open mouth.


    ¡°it¡¯s just the energy escaping from your meat chunk.¡±


    Mark really could use a different descriptor, and it wasn¡¯t even a good answer, but I put a finger down.


    ¡°Two, why is an awakening only the first time?¡±


    This time Mark shot out an answer as fast as he could.


    ¡°it¡¯s because your body remembers what happened the first time and the second is easier.¡±


    I put down a finger but raised it back up again.


    ¡°Three, how many times can it happen then?¡±


    Mark and Mr Cedar both answered at the same time


    ¡°It depends¡±


    For that beautiful answer I didn¡¯t lower a finger.


    Mark and Mr cedar gave each other a look but Mark eventually conceded. Mr Cedar had a smug smile, but it quickly washed away when he started speaking.


    ¡°The type of energy, possible injuries, lifespan and the strength of the reservoir are factors, all of which can¡¯t really be controlled. It is mostly dependent on the person, though the way you gather said energy can also have an effect and that can be controlled.¡±


    It turned out the answer really was ¡°it depends¡± that just felt fucking great. I lowered a finger and asked my final question.


    ¡°Can I get some water?¡±


    Before I even got an answer I lowered my finger. They would surely have some¡­ right?


    The two old men searched their belts before patting down their pockets and eventually searching the entire camp. They didn¡¯t have any water. I gave up on them and stood up, I felt pain. My chest hurt, but it wasn¡¯t that bad, it only felt like I had eaten something sharp.


    I headed over to my things, luckily, I still had some water left. I brought the mouth of the leather pouch to my parched lips and felt as a pitiful mouthful followed by a dreadful nothingness.


    ¡°fuck¡±


    I looked to the two old men and received a shrug from Mark and nothing from Mr Cedar as he continued his search. The way Mr Cedar was searching was not at all like the look he had on his face before.


    It took a few more minutes, but every canteen was accounted for and none had water. We hadn¡¯t filled them in three days, so it was to be expected, but it still felt like shit.


    It became quite evident what we needed to do and I began packing up camp. There wasn¡¯t anything like a canteen in the bandits supplies so there had to be a water source nearby. Our main issue was that we didn¡¯t know where other than that.


    The two old men came to rescue again however and by logic that left me bewildered found a small stream. Something about the terrain and the location of the trees, all of which I am sure was good knowledge, but the time for questions was over.


    I took to the little stream and filled my pouch. As the water rushed in I looked to the sky. It was a fine day, the bright blue hardly hidden by any clouds. I brought the half full canteen to my mouth, but before I drunk of it I sighed. It was not a long sigh, but with it much more than air was let out.

 contra

    In the middle of a freshly blood-soaked camp, I sat there, staring at a piece of wood. My eyes drifted along the hundreds of flowing waves. The dark plank of wood was in a miserable state, but I was bored.


    For too many reasons to remember I wasn¡¯t allowed to fight this time. I didn¡¯t really want to either, but I understood what Mark had said the other night. There will come a time where I will need to do this on a far larger scale, and possibly even more horrifically. I also understood that they were being considerate, but they could at least let me help setup camp.


    Eventually setup was complete, the fire begun, and we gathered around to cook our meat. The Bandit¡¯s didn¡¯t have any that was¡­ fit for consumption, but Mr Cedar was lucky enough to catch something. it was unrecognisable by the time he brought it back to the camp, but it was definitely something.


    Maybe attracted by the smell of the meat, or the sight of burning bodies someone approached us. Mark and Mr Cedar looked like they hadn¡¯t noticed the figure, but their hands were already near their swords.


    The figure was hunched, their hands rubbed together incessantly. If I could notice that this man was bad news the other two would surely take care of them. they didn¡¯t move immediately though and let the man approach.


    When he arrived at the fire Mr Cedar stood up to greet him.


    ¡°what brings you over here stranger?¡±


    Mr Cedar was cheerful, but that cheery smile sent a shiver down my spine.


    ¡°I-I, uh, I heard that you were hunting the robbers around here. I can be a guide, I know the area, I know where they are coming from.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the offer, but we happen to know the area quite well.¡±


    Mr Cedar began turning his chest away but kept his eyes on the man.


    ¡°WAIT, I know when they leave camp, I can help!¡±


    With that the stranger uttered his last words, a blade was now embedded between his brows. As the man plopped to the ground I asked Mr Cedar.


    ¡°Care to explain?¡±


    ¡°He was either a liar, or a liar working to kill us.¡±


    It seemed that at least one in two questions I asked would be answered like shit. In an annoyed voice I asked again.


    ¡°Care to explain?¡±


    ¡°He said he knew when the bandits¡­ actually robbers is more fitting. Anyway, he said he knew when they left their camps right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, he did.¡±


    ¡°When has trade ever been consistent in the region?¡±


    ¡°It has not.¡±


    ¡°Correct, therefore if they don¡¯t want to sit around all day for nothing, they will plan each day in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Then what if he was just lying and not working with the enemy?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like liars.¡±


    I looked to mark, just because you don¡¯t like them doesn¡¯t mean they have to die. Mark gave an understandable answer, however.


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    ¡°He has a reason, one all three of us know quite well.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    It was understandable, wrong, but understandable.


    In the silence that followed Mark shuffled a few times before finally asking.


    ¡°Why are you so calm?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday you broke down, but today you seem fine, bored even.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it just kind of, happens that way.¡±


    ¡°that¡¯s probably not a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    With a sigh Mark returned to sitting in silence. Mr Cedar seemed to also want to ask the question, and he settled down. Night came and the night¡¯s welcoming embrace granted us slumber.


    our journey continued on, each day we added the charr of our victims to the sky. There wasn¡¯t just the usual pile of holes In the ground. Some camps had walls, others had shacks, but they all died nonetheless.


    The reason why we stopped today was for something that gave even the bandits creeps. It was a man, well if he was human than he looked to be male. Their head was tuck on their left shoulder, and they had a smile. The flesh that had been cut away from his face ensured that not a single tooth was hidden. Paired neatly with the man¡¯s long smile was his limbs, his arms reaching down to his knees and down to the floor when he bent over.


    The miracle that was the man¡¯s anatomy was actually rather interesting. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t wonder how the fuck their body worked as Mark began explaining.


    ¡°We have five camps left to visit. We were meant to visit that fucker last, but it seems he has come to us. Ah, yeah, explanation time. This group has three figures that allow them to actually manage all the rabble. The lanky fuck over there Is the muscle, then there¡¯s some well-dressed dude as the brains and then a standard bandit leader.¡±


    ¡°Neat. So, if he¡¯s the muscle then do we take him down first?¡±


    ¡°Normally I would say we go at night and just pick them all off, but we aren¡¯t that strong at night and it introduces a nasty variable. I will take on the rabble, you go with Speedy McGee and deal with the leader.¡±


    Mark said two things that surprised me. the first of which was that he called Mr Cedar ¡°Speedy McGee¡±. the second one was that he allowed me to go near the leader. This time I had no ¡®it was reasonable¡¯ I genuinely didn¡¯t think this was a good idea.


    Before I could voice a complaint Mark took off. Mr Cedar was kind enough to wait for me to realise what was happening, but he didn¡¯t stick around. Giving in I too rushed in.


    For the most dangerous battle we were using the most dangerous tactic, stupidity.


    Mark cleared the path from any and all torsos but left the legs. Mr Cedar and I weren¡¯t that far behind, but we turned away and headed to the lanky guy.


    The bandits weren¡¯t ones to sit still, and the lanky guy struck his hand at Mr Cedar. the old man dodged, but the hand kept going nearly reaching me.


    I pulled out my sword, which in hindsight was something I should have done the moment I entered the camp. I brought it up to take a slice at the man¡¯s arm, but it was gone before I could do any damage.


    The man¡¯s other arm appeared near Mr cedar, but this time he didn¡¯t dodge. With a heavy thwack the arm was sent flying into the dirt. The dust it kicked up was minimal, but the graze left behind was substantial.


    ¡°PHYUCK GYOO!¡±


    The man expressed himself rather loudly causing me to rush in. the threat of getting another headache was motivation enough and I shouted as I swung my sword at the man¡¯s chest.


    ¡°QUIET!¡±


    The man seemed to be taken aback more by my choice of word than the sword coming to his chest. But even still the man made a formidable defence and counterattack in one blow. It was rather simple too; he just punched my blade.


    It was my turn to be taken aback, and I looked at the sword that nearly went flying back into me. then I looked at the blood trickling from between his knuckles.


    With the man¡¯s attention drawn by me Mr Cedar launched an attack. His blade preferred the taste of the mans legs but only managed to slice the surface. Possibly out of frustration Mr Cedar swiftly brought his blade in for another strike. This time Mr Cedar carved off the man¡¯s side revealing the ribs beneath.


    ¡°FUCKING STOP, SHTOP IT!¡±


    The man spoke far clearer than before. but after saying that he had managed to collect an issue about the size of his heart¡­ The which he was now missing.


    Mark¡¯s hand pulled out from the man¡¯s ribcage and dropped the heart. He shook his hand sending the blood flying into the ground before looking over to us where he received a weird look from Mark.


    ¡°What? He was hurting my ears. I managed to get this far without hearing problems, I don¡¯t want them now.¡±


    Mr Cedar just sighed. after that I finally realised that they were trying to give me some better combat experience. This entire trip seemed to be answering the unasked question of ¡°how fast, and in how many ways can you fuck up giving advice?¡±.


    I would find that funny if it weren¡¯t at my expense.

 nice

    After dealing with the lanky man the day before we happened upon some bad luck. The camp was empty, not a single soul remained after merely one of their leaders perished.


    I felt pity for them, but that pity was pretty easily crushed when we decided to acquaint ourselves with the other leaders. The Empire has nearly never had a shortage of resources. There is always an abundance of resources that have allowed the people to survive through all manner of terrible tax ideas.


    These bandits sought an opportunity, and as such they were currently receiving punishment¡­ well the ones still alive anyway. I didn¡¯t actually get to do anything because Mark went apeshit the moment, he saw them wearing gold.


    The smarts of the group was actually really smart. They made the bandits dress like paupers and have them hide the truly valuable stuff away from their camps. They would hide it at designated points that the main camp would collect from.


    I knew all this because I was currently reading their records while Mr Cedar dolled up the corpses for display. It wasn¡¯t a sight I particularly wanted to see so I decided to get the fuck away from the maniac. There was nothing illegal about it and displaying dismembered criminals was actually encouraged, but¡­ actually I have no idea why I preferred not to see it done to humans.


    I have made plenty of animals look far worse to get what I wanted from them. It was probably the fact that I had to deal with humans every day. depending on the animal I might not see it for weeks or even years. I was sure there was another reason, but thinking about it just made me feel like shit.


    The records mentioned where the gold was held, but it was all collected already. Even from the destroyed camps the remaining ones had come over to clean up after we were done with them. it made things easier for us in multiple ways. Their greed had become their undoing. They would each get a share equivalent to the amount they helped collect. The reduction in members to pay out to seemed great¡­ that was until they stopped being able to collect that much due to their lack of numbers.


    It seemed like a really great way to earn money at the expense of others. That would have been the case if I didn¡¯t do the math. If my calculations were correct, (they probably weren¡¯t) then the bandits would have earned more by joining a mercenary guild with all their members. Maybe that smart guy wasn¡¯t that smart.


    I picked up another bunch of parchment and wooden planks. I had mainly been reading what was written on the parchment as it seemed the most interesting, but I decided to at least see what was on the planks.


    ¡­


    That wasn¡¯t nice


    I picked up all the planks I found and hiffed them in a pile. The planks paired with the records made me realise two things. The first was that humans are gullible, very gullible, especially so in a crisis. The second was that that so called smart guy was the worst scum I could possibly even imagine. I would go so far as to say he is worse than mother.


    My mind was filled with three thoughts after that. 1. It is getting harder and harder to tell if I regret killing or not. They did evil for evil intent and their stupidity is kind of their own fault. Then again killing didn¡¯t feel that great¡­ anyway 2. What was I thinking about again?


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    I swear I had a few things on my mind. Nope, apparently not. Turns out if I am thinking about too much stuff and I try to organise those thoughts the others just disappear. Kind of convenient actually, well until it isn¡¯t of course.


    I kept talking to myself possibly out of boredom and some mild mania. This continued until Mark tapped me on the shoulder.


    ¡°You, okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, why?¡±


    ¡°You were smiling¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, my thoughts kind of drifted, wait I was smiling?¡±


    ¡°Evil smile.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t, you scared the shit out of the tree¡­ well the opposite actually, I think he is too scared to shit.¡±


    ¡°Why do you call him such weird names?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know his first name and I ain¡¯t not calling the guy younger than me Mr.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know his first name?¡±


    ¡°Nope, you?¡±


    ¡°Ye¡­ actually no.¡±


    ¡°OI, TREE!¡±


    I put my head into my palms at Marks shout and I dug it in deeper when Mr Cedar shouted back.


    ¡°YEAH!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    I could hear the air move and slap my back as Mark moved his hands in some sort of dance. I chuckled a little to myself as I remembered how dumb I must have looked when I tried to explain things to Mr Hildegard.


    After my chuckle I heard a grunt from Mark, and it felt like his movements relaxed.


    Soon Mr Cedar came up to us.


    ¡°What was it?¡±


    ¡°nothin¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t nothing, you shouted at me then summoned me with whatever that was.¡±


    ¡°Whatever what was?¡±


    ¡°You know, that thing you did.¡±


    Mr Cedar tried to imitate Mark¡¯s movements, and I just sighed at their lacking braincells.


    ¡°Oh yeah, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Mr Cedar turned his eyes to me, and I just shrugged.


    ¡°Come on!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I was a little kid back then, why would I know your first name?¡±


    ¡°Fair, but still!¡±


    Mark put his hands on his shoulders and rocked his head to either side.


    ¡°Just tell us already.¡±


    ¡°Fine, it¡¯s Mathew.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°what¡¯s wrong with Mathew?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I always thought you would have a more southern name.¡±


    ¡°I in fact, did not come from that frozen hellscape. If I did, I would not be so weak that a baron could afford me.¡±


    ¡°Some of the weaker folk that come out of there are about the same level as you. Though I suppose they probably got lucky.¡±


    For once I didn¡¯t require them to elaborate. Mathew was a common name in the centre of the empire¡­ at least according to that one book I read several years ago. I remembered that book because I didn¡¯t memorize it in time and training that week wasn¡¯t pleasant in the slightest.


    The old men seemed to be having a nice conversation for once, but I wanted to get out of here now.


    ¡°so, what do we do with the money?¡±


    ¡°Donate it to the merchant guild.¡±


    Mark said it but Mr Cedar didn¡¯t have any objection. Instead of asking I just looked Mark in the eyes¡­ of his mask.


    ¡°it¡¯s better that the merchant guild keeps sending supplies our way. If they get offended the barony is going to become the vassal of not only the emperor but the king of the south.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°They need manpower, always and desperately so. they pay off nobles¡¯ debt and in return they send people to fight the demons.¡±


    ¡°is the emperor okay with this?¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s better that the debtors supply the north than the imperial treasury have to bail them out in hopes of a return¡­ oh shit, how far in debt are we?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea, but it¡¯s nice to see that mother assigned an errand that actually benefits me for once.¡±


    Mr Cedar seemed desperate to change the topic, and he shouted.


    ¡°NICE OPTIMISM!¡±


    The thumbs up was a nice touch, but the result was me and mark just staring at him. with a sigh he seemed to accept our apathy, and he relented.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s just go now.¡±

 cooked

    ¡°Cooked I am, that is not good for a man made of snow such as I. Melting, melting, to a puddle I go.¡±


    Dramatics aside I slumped into the ground. Wearing black had been a mistake, I thought we were close to the south, but apparently the sun exists here too. I felt sweat drip out of every pore, it itched, but I was too roasted to move. I had another problem as well, I couldn¡¯t take my cloak off, then I would really be cooked.


    Just one more day, that was all it should take. Just one more day and we would be back in Cliffsin¡­


    ¡°fhaaak¡±


    I deflated further nearly becoming one with the ground. After all this I did NOT want to deal with mother.


    My peril was only worsened by Marks relentless humming.


    ¡°¡­mm, mmm, mm hmm, mm, old ocean, oh, oh, mm, mmhmm, old sojourn, mmm, hm hm, what is the way¡­¡±


    I left the old man to his humming; he had probably gone insane from the heat¡­ if he wasn¡¯t already.


    Boredom didn¡¯t allow me to sit still for long and I soon pulled out all my equipment. I checked the stitching of my pouches and sharpness of my tools. It took a while but I identified what needed sharpening and I tried the best I could to touch up what I could of the pouches.


    It didn¡¯t take long after this before the sun finally decided to bugger off. The stars in the sky looked pretty, but I was far too occupied with sleeping to watch them. it didn¡¯t matter if I was too hot if I just made it the mornings problem.


    The mornings problem It was indeed, and I awoke with the taste of iron in my throat. The taste wasn¡¯t exactly pleasant and It caused me to think about the night where I popped a muscle. It was actually something stupid about breaking a limit, but I was sure the old men just made it up to make me feel better.


    Thinking leads to doing and I roused from my sunken abode and walked over to their shelters. What I found was not one grown man per shelter but two grown men cuddling. The only thing that confused me was how they could sleep with their cloaks on.


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    Taking one last look at Mathew¡­ that didn¡¯t feel right, Mr Cedar It shall stay. After ensuring that the two were actually asleep still I headed out of the camp. I had water at the camp, but I also wanted a wash.


    I wandered the forest until I found a hill. Once at the top I looked around but was unsuccessful at locating a river. instead of giving up I climbed the tallest tree near me. the sap coated my hands and branches were spread far apart. It took far too much effort but I eventually reached the top and bore witness to the sprawling web of treetops.


    The was a slight gap between some of the trees that snaked through the canopy. I took the line that severed a part of the web as evidence of a river and made the journey down. Jumping from branch to branch was probably more dangerous but it made going down so much easier than going up.


    My feet touched the ground, and my feet were itching so I set them free. I thought that with every step I took while running would create a loud thud, but it was more of a soft squish mixed with the occasional snap.


    In truth I had no real reason to run, but I got to the river faster so that was good enough for me.


    The crystalline blue that shimmered in the morning light nearly distracted me. unfortunately for me however it¡¯s beauty was ruined by the thought that I forgot to tell the old men what I was doing. It was probably going to be fine but me just up and disappearing might cause some issues¡­


    I wasn¡¯t going back, at least not now, I had a river to enjoy.


    I was right again. Everything was fine, they just sulked a little when I got back. Mark also made me promise that I would get a few books out of the manor¡¯s library for him¡­ maybe I should have listened to my better judgement.


    Future pain was for the future however and right now we were on our way to Cliffsin. I wasn¡¯t going to head back to the manor immediately, maybe after a few days would I return.


    There wasn¡¯t much to say about the trip anymore. There was walking, more walking, walking around a familiar area, then more walking. I did realize that we were close enough to sleep in a town last night¡­ we didn¡¯t but I wasn¡¯t going to pester mark about it. definitely wasn¡¯¡¯t because I felt bad for ditching the spiteful old men.


    the town was the same as usual. It always confused me whether Cliffsin was a town or a village. The tiny town didn¡¯t actually fit any of the normal town descriptors, but it was listed as a town in the records. Why?


    That was a question that always confused me... and I did it again. My mind drifted into tangent after tangent, but luckily that took up enough time for us to arrive at the guild.


    I pushed open the door and found that the entire bar was filled with patrons. At the sight of us they all cheered, and I felt like I knew why. Not a single one of the patrons was without a drink.


    Mark erupted in laughter while Mr Cedar rubbed his forehead. The sight of Mr Cedar taking his hand down from his face in shame after trying to rub his mask sent Mark spiralling further.


    If the cheers didn¡¯t make me feel good to be back somewhere familiar, then Marks loud ass surely did.

 yapper

    ¡°So how did it go?¡±


    Mr Hildegard poked me for information. His sweet voice was missed thoroughly, and I wanted to blurt out everything. I got to opening my mouth before remembering that I shouldn¡¯t do that.


    Mr Cedar returned to his role but before he could open his mouth Mr Hildegard shot him down.


    ¡°Not you, the short one¡­ has the sun taken my eyes?¡±


    All three of us tilted our heads in confusion at Mr Hildegard¡¯s exclamation. Mr Cedar took vengeance for his fun being ruined and took things literally. The man leaned in close to Mr Hildegard and looked him dead in the eyes before responding.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t believe so, they are still in their current position. if they weren¡¯t like that before then I would propose visiting a doctor or licenced physician. asking strangers in a bar is not a great idea that will give you any good results.¡±


    ¡°Not what I meant you tosser, look at the wee one, hasn¡¯t he grown?¡±


    Mark decided to take Mr Hildegards observation as an opportunity for him to show his weirdness as well.


    ¡°Well, ain¡¯t that neat, ey have too. ow tall are ya now?¡±


    I could have sworn Mark spoke far more eloquent than that on the trip. And heck he spoke better before we left as well.


    Mr Hildegard moved a few steps closer and used his arm to measure my height against his. I was only up to his chin but that was an achievement compared to before.


    I turned my head to the two old men, surely, they would have realized. Their stillness spoke otherwise. I didn¡¯t know exactly how to react; it was good news¡­ I hadn¡¯t heard good news about myself in¡­ it wasn¡¯t exactly my greatest idea to try and remember those times and I pushed my head into my palms.


    Mr Hildegard¡¯s attention was grabbed more than the other two¡¯s and he tride to distract me.


    ¡°So anyway, how was it kiddo?¡±


    I looked at him, I was about to try and voice some sort of complaint but saw pen and parchment. I took the offered parchment and moved to a table.


    My pen hovered over the parchment for a while. I tried but I couldn¡¯t seem to put it onto the page. What happened made absolutely no sense. I killed people and I didn¡¯t care. I killed more people and then I cared enough to break down. After I broke down I magically didn¡¯t care again.


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    I wanted to dig my nails into my scalp but I couldn¡¯t. the word quickly added itself into the list of words I detested. I should be able to do whatever I wish, why should I be constrained? I wanted to write out my frustrations, but I couldn¡¯t.


    Finally, I decided to ignore the problem of the bandits and focus on the journey. I wrote about how we had met a Relic; how cryptic they had been and all the struggles of finding a comfortable bed.


    Once I finished writing I stepped back and Mark gave me a poke.


    ¡°don¡¯t forget you ¡°gotta get me some books once we are done here.¡±


    I gave Mark a punch in the stomach which was a mistake for multiple reasons. Not only did Mark spiral into another laughing fit but my hand was the only one hurt.


    MR Hildegard was too caught up in the note to notice our conflict and soon another man was chuckling next to me. I wondered whether Mark¡¯s laughter was contagious, but Mr Hildegard cleared everything up when he spoke.


    ¡°ahhh, a Relic. I remember the first time I saw a Relic; it was back when I was but a wee boy. Back then I hadn¡¯t met a woman that could compare to her beauty, I still haven¡¯t but I know what. It¡¯s a bit of bad luck that you met one that didn¡¯t offer a hand but then again, it¡¯s good luck that you didn¡¯t die.¡±


    How positive, I didn¡¯t need to know most if not all of that. But no, Mr Hildegard wasn¡¯t done.


    ¡°you know I once slept in the insides of a Caltor. It smelt like rotten meat and Caltor droppings but that was kind of to be expected. The fit was tight, and I ended up having to sleep with my knees sticking out but¡­¡±


    At this point I tuned out. It seemed like everyone was a yapper inside. Some people like Mr Cedar could harness their yappiness but others were at it¡¯s whim. Other than rolling my eyes which had no affect on anyone but me I couldn¡¯t do anything.


    Mr Hildegard was having a great time talking at a mask, but it also wasn¡¯t really that bad. I just wasn¡¯t in the mood to listen. Perhaps if I hadn¡¯t spent a few weeks stuck near Mr cedar and Mark then I would find his yapping quite interesting.


    My brain took a back seat for the next few hours and when I returned, I found myself at Mr Cedar¡¯s house. Thinking back on it I realised that nothing important had happened. Unwilling to sort out the plethora of new information that kept flowing in I looked around.


    Our loads had been dumped on the floor, everything just sat there except for the plaque which got returned. How gullible was Mr Hildegard to give such a dangerous thing to the equivalent of a child and two old men such a thing when he hardly knew them. huim being gullible made less sense the more I thought about it, how did he get the position if he was like that? The only excuse I could find that he knew us already, but I saw him for the first time when I signed up.


    That night I got the comfortable bed. Whether it was pity or caring for a child didn¡¯t matter. I won it fair and square through the only reasonable method¡­ gambling. We each grabbed a handful of dirt and the person with the least amount of debris won. For fairness the grab area was restricted to the sides of the path outside the house.


    I think each of us had managed to collect a different type of rubbish each but that wasn¡¯t the focus. That night I relished the joy of sleeping in a proper bed.

 apothecary

    Sun kissed my skin, and I wanted to swat away it¡¯s touch. The bed was definitely comfortable, but I felt like my back hurt more than any other night in the trip. I didn¡¯t have time to figure out why as I soon heard a knock at the door.


    It was only when I had grabbed the doorhandle that I remembered that it was the other two¡¯s problem. It was their house after all.


    I took my time and got into my now less than stellar looking robe and came out.


    At the table I found Mr Cedar talking to an unfamiliar man. Getting closer I saw that Mr cedar wasn¡¯t wearing his mask. Despite my dissatisfaction I couldn¡¯t voice any complaint and just listened to the two.


    The man was currently in the midst of talking but I was lacking too much context and just waited for Mr Cedar to start.


    ¡°it is good that all the furnishings have arrived and are properly installed but you mentioned a problem with the storage area?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we had trouble with the area that was designated. We tried to contact you so that we could arrange a workaround, but you were unavailable. As stated by you in your instructions we followed along the plan we thought best in your absence.¡±


    ¡°That is good, but you have yet to mention the problem and I would also like to know the solution you came up with.¡±


    ¡°Well, the problem had to do with the size of the original structure and some water damage. The flooring needed replacing and the walls were damaged in multiple places. All the damage was minor but paired with the requirements for a much larger and dryer than usual storeroom we had to completely rebuild it.¡±


    Mr Cedar moved his arms, crossing them as he looked dead into the man¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I suppose that would have cost quite a bit then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but within budget I can assure you.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t allocate enough money for that kind of leeway.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, you did not. A lot of the furnishings were donated by the pharmacist¡¯s guild.¡±


    I crossed my arms and rested my shoulder on the wall while Mr Cedar raised an eyebrow. With the mention if the Pharmacist¡¯s guild things just got more interesting.


    ¡°Why exactly would the pharmacist¡¯s guild be donating such valuable equipment?¡±


    ¡°I will tell them that you have returned and get them to contact you after this.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer the question.¡±


    The man gave a light bow to Mr cedar and his hands gripped onto whatever was close enough.


    ¡°My apologies esteemed customer. From what we have been told they are looking forward to a new apothecary opening up. Apparently multiple apothecaries have shut down across the region.¡±


    ¡°So, then I assume they expect us to fill their gap?¡±


    ¡°They did not say so explicitly, but I would wager that you might be correct.¡±


    Mr cedar¡¯s hand rose to his brows, but he quickly brought it back down.


    ¡°So, there were no other problems¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°Not to the best of my knowledge, no.¡±


    Mr Cedar¡¯s cheeks rose, and I felt like something bad was going to happen.


    ¡°Thank you, you may leave now I will come over with my associates soon to check but right now we have a few thigs to organise.¡±


    The man stood up and left saying far more goodbyes than I thought possible in such a short amount of time. When he was finally gone however, Mr Cedar turned to me.


    ¡°You heard that right? The shop you wanted is ready.¡±


    That was good news, except for the fact I had forgotten to tell him not to. I had come up with a great plan to rent for free or even buy the plot at a great discount. Mr cedar wouldn¡¯t have paid full price, but it was probably less than I could have gotten it for.


    Luckily, I was wearing a mask so he couldn¡¯t see my awkward smile but I responded, nonetheless.


    ¡°Indeed¡­ that. Is. great.¡±


    ¡°what¡¯s wrong, you are speaking weird?¡±


    Luckily, I had a big distraction¡­ I looked around only to find that Mark still wasn¡¯t up. Luckily, I¡­ I didn¡¯t have another idea, so I just said what was on my mind.


    ¡°I forgot to tell you not to do it. we probably could have gotten a better deal on the location elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t need to worry about that. I have plen¡­ I got a really good deal so it should be fine.¡±


    Well, that didn¡¯t sound suspicious, definitely not. Well at least I didn¡¯t regret it anymore. I lifted off from the wall and came over to Mr Cedar.


    ¡°So, what do we have to organise.¡±


    ¡°We have to wake the boulder.¡±


    ¡°We?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I thought as much.¡±


    Mr Cedar stood up and ventured off to go poke a bear. It took less time than I had imagined, and I knew why as soon as Mark opened his mouth.


    ¡°let¡¯s go check out this apothecary, see if they did that storage room properly.¡±


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    How he could hear so clearly through walls just seemed to be one of the many mysteries that surrounded these old men. The one I wanted answered most was why the hell they were helping me and -teaching- trying to teach me.


    Setting out didn¡¯t take long. I would have loved to eat something first, but Mr cedar put on his mask and the next moment we were out the door.


    The town didn¡¯t seem to take much notice of us, people continued on with their days as normal. I don¡¯t know what I had expected, we hadn¡¯t been paid much attention before entered the guild either¡­ the guild, that was probably why. the people at the guild actually knew us and Mr Hildegard was there to choreograph it all. We hadn¡¯t been paid much attention


    The shop Mr Cedar had acquired was a quaint little one at first glance. In truth the store was on both stories of the building, and it was long, very long. The actual size could only be experienced within, and I marvelled at it for a while. There was row upon row of shelves along set out.


    Heading to the back of the shop we found the plethora of bowls tubes and things I didn¡¯t even know the names of. There was also something that confused the buggery out of all of us. Amongst the shelves meant for storing mixtures and finished products was a set of hexagonal holes capped with bronze lids.


    Within each cubby was a parchment scroll. the scrolls detailed how to make certain common medicines, and the ingredients required. When Mr cedar went to the man to find out why they were there he just said it was donated by the Pharmacist¡¯s guild.


    It was logical, but still such valuable things such as recipes should be well kept secrets.


    In the end we were stuck waiting for the representative that just so happened to be in the area. All three of us knew that they were waiting here in case we wanted to do something stupid like sell all their nice shit they gave us, but none of us said it.


    I left, I got lunch, I came back, the two old men were still waiting.


    Mr Cedar left, Mr Cedar got lunch, Mr Cedar came back, we were still waiting.


    Mark left, Mark got lunch, Mark came back, we were still waiting.


    The damn representative finally arrived, and we say the reason for his tardiness. There was a girl following him around and he was turning every which way to try and avoid her.


    When the two of them entered the store, we could hear her pleas.


    ¡°Can you teach me alchemy?¡±


    ¡°no.¡±


    ¡°Please?¡±


    ¡°no.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you can¡¯t teach me alchemy?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hah, you said yes.¡±


    ¡°Go away.¡±


    The man was dressed entirely in white with white robes and what felt like white robes. His hair was a medium brown and his skin was smooth and glossy. Between his eyes was a diamond shaped gem that shimmered under the light of the lamps. The crystal that happened to be blue reminded me of the crystalline blue of the river and my thoughts drifted away.


    The man took notice of us and lifted an eyebrow before striking a conversation with Mr Cedar. the man might have seen Mr Cedar before or he could have just assessed that he was the sanest of the group¡­ he might be, none of us counted as sane so It was hard to tell.


    ¡°I suppose you are the one in charge of this venture.¡±


    ¡°On paper yes.¡±


    ¡°On paper huh, those are some cheeky words you used there.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, they are, but I am allowed this level of cheek am I not?¡±


    ¡°You are, you are. Sorry for the late arrival, I had an¡­ interruption.¡±


    Mr cedar looked past the man to the girl that had quietened down but didn¡¯t show signs of giving up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose interruptions have managed to grow legs these days?¡±


    ¡°Most unfortunately they have.¡±


    ¡°A pity that is.¡±


    ¡°It is a bit useless, but I do suppose I should introduce myself.¡±


    ¡°That would be nice.¡±


    ¡°For you that is. anyway, I am a bronze level alchemist here on the behest of the Pharmacists guild. Why did they send an alchemist to help an apothecary? I have no idea.¡±


    ¡°I am Blabbermouth, a mercenary registered with the local guild here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that explains it.¡±


    A smile graced the alchemist¡¯s lips, and I wondered why he didn¡¯t have to say his name. there were a lot of things about the white cloaked man that made me want to punch him. I didn¡¯t know why, I just wanted to give his skull a light thrashing.


    ¡°Explains what?¡±


    ¡°For someone opening a business that helps to keep one¡¯s life you smell an awful lot like death.¡±


    ¡°We might be a little dead inside, but I am pretty sure that doesn¡¯t have a smell.¡±


    ¡°Enough jests, I know what I am talking about, and blood has stained your hands¡­ quite thoroughly so, but not more than your friend behind you.¡±


    I looked to Mark only to find that Mr Cedar also set his eyes on the big old man. Mark seemed not to care and just took over the conversation for Mr Cedar.


    ¡°So, can we get to the point? What does the Pharmacist¡¯s guild that normally keeps their head up their ass in the west doing here?¡±


    ¡°This barony is close enough to the west that it is not unreasonable that we would be here.¡±


    ¡°We are also quite close to the south, but do you see giant armies and death at every corner?¡±


    ¡°Your comment is valid, but I would say this barony is more to the west than south. My evidence happens to be the wonderful fact that I don¡¯t see any snow.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t the point.¡±


    Mark seemed rather offensive in his remarks to the alchemist. It was to the point where I worried, we would lose all the free stuff, but I didn¡¯t get the opportunity to interrupt them.


    ¡°I know, but I simply don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Typical. If you are here, just to parade around town the fact you manage to get the stick so far up your ass it tickles your brain then bugger off.¡±


    ¡°You strike me as a very military man, have you thought about how Joseph would think about your actions here?¡±


    Whoever joseph was the alchemist mentioning his name shut Mark up. There was an issue however as it also shut Mr Cedar up. I was going to open my mouth, but the alchemist spoke again before I could.


    ¡°Now that we have the rabble delt with I shall begin.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There are a few recipes provided complimentary of the guild. They are all bronze and thus can be done by about any Pharmacist registered or not that can follow instructions. The ingredients are also common year-round crops so production shouldn¡¯t stop. We have also ensured that all necessary equipment for such recipes was provided.¡±


    Despite the Man¡¯s gesturing no one asked any questions, so he resumed disappointed.


    ¡°it would normally take you a month to pass the registration test and receive certification to sell medicine to doctors in the empire. We have waived that and instead you are required to fulfil three large scale orders a month. You will receive payment for these orders, and you may begin operation immediately.¡±


    Seeing that there was still no response the man turned to leave but he stopped. The man then turned his head back to us and said in a tone befitting of Marks earlier comments.


    ¡°Also beware, there will be audits, and if you are caught selling subpar products then we will enact punishment.¡±


    The man then turned his head back around and finally buggered off.


    If this was what the guild was like, then no wonder so many apothecaries closed down. They were reckless enough to just give all this responsibility to someone random and then leave. The apothecaries probably jumped for joy when the calamity struck and closed down before it even hit them.


    Unfortunately, the girl did not follow after the man. When I reluctantly looked around to figure out where she went, I found her in front of me.


    ¡°Can I learn alchemy from you.¡±


    ¡°I am not an alchemist, and before you ask neither are they.¡±


    ¡°Then how are you going to run this store?¡±


    ¡°Well not with alchemy, using an alchemist to make medicine would be kind of dumb.¡±


    ¡°But I thought alchemists made potions.¡±


    ¡°They do.¡±


    ¡°But I thought you said¡­¡±


    Despite looking to be about the same age as me this child was unendingly na?ve. Mr Cedar decided to enlighten her and handed over the job of staring weirdly at Mark to me.


    ¡°Look kid, potions aren¡¯t the be all and end all of healing. There are fewer potions then people that need healing and even fewer who can afford one. Therefore, we take the more primitive approach of not including magic in all our medicines and mix plants together then slap it on the patients. ¡°


    ¡°That seems dumb.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, can you teach me that then?¡±


    ¡°I guess that will solve the manpower issue.¡±

 effort

    Effort wasted: lots


    The books of recipes are still sitting in the storage room at the manor. if I had known that it would be this easy to start an apothecary, I would have never tried doing that weird thing with sewing.


    Deciding to check out what exactly our ¡°free¡± recipes made I walked over to the shelf. The bronze caps made a tight seal and if you looked really, really, hard then you could see a name engraved in it. I didn¡¯t care much to translate what on earth the letter meant and just pulled out the parchment.


    Unfurling the scroll I some of my unease was dissipated. The instructions were in great detail and if the product was a certain colour if it was distilled correctly. If all the scrolls were like this then using the books would actually be kind of dumb. I took out another scroll and it was more of the same, different, but the same.


    I quickly realised why there had been a threat of audits. All one had to do was pay a guy to walk in and see if a product was being sold and it was the wrong colour. we could probably fake the colour, but that would take more effort than getting the product right¡­ hopefully.


    The girl that was here before and asked to learn was surprisingly fast to disappear. It seemed that she wanted the answer more than actually doing it.


    It would take a few weeks of experimentation and ingredient procurement, but we could open soon. Things were moving along so smoothly it took me aback.


    I know I just went through literal days of pain on that trip, but was it really okay for things to line up so well? I felt that there must have been something wrong, life had never been so kind to me.


    I put the scrolls back where I got them from before sitting on a bench. Mark and Mr Cedar were having a conversation in another room, but I didn¡¯t care to listen. I was more focused on wondering what the fuck I was going to spend the rest of the day doing.


    I didn¡¯t want to head back to the manor, but there wasn¡¯t much else to do.


    As I poured through I ideas I came upon a conclusion.


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    ¡°a walk would be nice.¡±


    I had been walking for so many days, but that was for a goal. Today, I just wanted to stroll without any purpose. Along the way I might even see something interesting to buy. I wondered for a second before realising this would be my first day off. Nothing to do, no progress to be made.


    It felt weird but I had already decided to go for a walk. I headed out o the room and past the two old men.


    ¡°I am going for a walk.¡±


    ¡°Alright, stay safe.¡±


    They were rather occupied with whatever conversation they were having. It had already been going on for a while, but I didn¡¯t want to delay. What I would be delaying wasn¡¯t that important, but I wasn¡¯t that interested in eavesdropping either.


    Stepping outside of the shop I looked around. I wasn¡¯t looking for anything, but something felt off. Everything was clearer than normal; I could see the texture of stones and the strands of rope in such detail.


    To say that I could see it only now might have been the wrong phrasing. It was more like I took notice of it now. I kept looking at every minor detail as things passed me by. In everyday life the things that now were in front of my face never seemed to appear.


    I started walking, my destination was unknown, I just wanted to get moving.


    I looked at the flower that little children brought in to sell. I looked at the decaying wood that made up the steps to a few run-down shops. I looked to the clothes of those that passed by.


    There were well dressed folk with small pouches, and there were rather unkempt folk with large pouches. I didn¡¯t care much about wealth, that was a lie. I didn¡¯t understand a lot of things, but I continued walking.


    My strides slowly grew longer. My mind drifted to candles flickering and when sight returned to me the detail I once saw was gone. What stood in front of me now was no buildings, but there was an old lady.


    The lady was wearing a white cloak and a necklace that looked to be half of a sun. she spoke to me, her voice sounded like the crunching of bones and the squelches of rotten meat.


    ¡°Child, death is an inevitable thing, it will come to us all in time. Child, you have merely brought death closer to those who have fallen by your blade. Child you must remember, there is no sin by the name of murder in the commandments of the holy sun. the smell of death and regret is an unpleasant thing, discard your regrets, please, for the sake of this old woman¡¯s nostrils.¡±


    Well, that was weird. The church off the sun was known for being weird and I didn¡¯t really care about her nose. Instead of speaking to the woman and possibly making my day worse I just moved on.


    The streets were bustling, but I wondered for a second why she was in Cliffsin. There was no church here, she should be in crypton staring at the dead and dying.


    Disturbances aside the walk was rather pleasant, and I continued on. I looked at many well kempt gardens with budding trees, the kind of sweet smell of fruits and the dust from the path.


    Eventually I ended up back at Mr Cedar¡¯s house, but I decided not to go in. instead I went and added more to my stomach. After that, then I went in.

 walkin

    I didn¡¯t manage to snag the good bed this time, but at least it was something. I would probably have to return to the annex at some point. I couldn¡¯t keep intruding on Mr Cedar and Mark¡¯s cuddle time.


    I was the one making the joke, and it was in my own head, but I still regretted it. trying to get the ickiness out of my head I went out and bought some biscuits. When I returned, I set to boiling some tea to flush the impurities away.


    Mr Cedar woke up in time to join me for tea.


    ¡°any plans for the day?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking that we maybe look into sorting out a supplier for the apothecary.¡±


    ¡°For that I had a few ideas, it might eat a little into the profits, but we could post missions at the guild for collecting ingredients. We could also grow them ourselves seeing that they are mostly plants that the nutjobs in the west spread. We could also encourage the townsfolk to take up growing the plants."


    ¡°That is a good idea, but we can¡¯t grow rocks.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is a problem. It will have to be sorted with either my previously mentioned guild missions or a dedicated supplier.¡±


    ¡°How much do you think this will cost?¡±


    ¡°a few gold a month.¡±


    I could earn a gold a day with the help of the two old men, but they had years upon years of experience. To justify such an expense¡­


    ¡°In that case what do you expect our profits to be?¡±


    ¡°Possibly one or two number three notes a year.¡±


    Strangely enough I knew what a number three note was, but I didn¡¯t know its worth. A number three ¡°note¡± was a thin sheet of metal that fit within a palm and on it was information about the register and the recipient. The metal was imperial alloy 453, an alloy only allowed to be made by the royal alchemists and engraved by¡­ I didn¡¯t actually know who did the engraving. The empire had other notes, and they ranged from 2 to 11.


    ¡°How much would one of those be worth in gold?¡±


    ¡°It would be about a thousand gold.¡±


    That is more gold than I have ever seen in my life. I could buy a horse with that amount of money¡­ no I couldn¡¯t, but one can have hopes.


    ¡°Just curious, how much does the barony make each year?¡±


    ¡°About 12 to 20 number five notes on a bad year. A five is worth about 13000 gold give or take a few depending on the exchanger¡¯s mood.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t even going to put a dent in the debt is it.¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°It might, we make 12 to 20 number fives after the emperor has taken his cut. I can¡¯t actually say the true profits of the manor because I have been away for a few years¡­ but your mother does have quite extravagant taste, and she does know how to cut back on spending.¡±


    ¡°Great, so my only solution to a problem my mother created is waiting for her to magically solve it.¡±


    Mark entered the room and decided to give his two cents.


    ¡°Does she know about the crown loan?¡±


    Mark obviously asked Mr Cedar but I was intent on figuring out what he just said.


    ¡°what¡¯s a crown loan?¡±


    Mark ignored me and received Mr Cedars dirty stare before answering himself.


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°Oi, what is a crown loan?¡±


    ¡°None of your business.¡±


    ¡°It is, it¡¯s a loan is it not?¡±


    Mark decided the best course of action was to leave and I wasn¡¯t in the mood to follow him.


    Mark headed to the door, opened it, looked out, and then shut it again. The grown man held his back to the door and crossed his fingers muttering something. he continued to do so to the but of many jokes from Mr Cedar but there was soon a knock on the door.


    ¡°Fuck.¡±


    Mark exclaimed, and then explained.


    ¡°Boss, an acquaintance of your friend is here.¡±


    Hearing that, I didn¡¯t give a response. I had no friend, and that friend didn¡¯t have any acquaintances.


    Despite his obvious reluctance Mark opened the door.


    The image that greeted me was rather unpleasant. The hobgoblin¡¯s face poked through the doorframe and introduced itself.


    ¡°Hello there, my name is Ethan Mari¡­ Bartly, my surname Is Bartly.¡±


    ¡°Did you just forget your name or are you impersonating someone of noble heritage?¡±


    ¡°Neither, Neither I can assure you that I am who I say I am. However, I didn¡¯t the that a mere mercenary had the right to question nobility.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t, but you sunny, you ain¡¯t no nobility.¡±


    ¡°I have already said that¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, you said. but I hear the baron only acknowledged one of his kiddos. You ain¡¯t a noble if the guy that actually held the title didn¡¯t even think you were ¡®is son.¡±


    ¡°Let us cease this mindless squabble, I have come to you to ask a question, it would do you well to answer.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow, Mr Fancy pants want ask dumb me question.¡±


    At Marks words Mr Cedar called out.


    ¡°OI! I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to work on him. he ain¡¯t a Mr and his pants aren¡¯t that fancy.¡±


    I tried my hardest to hold in laughter, but I feared that if this continued on for much longer, I would burst.


    ¡°Just answer my damn question.¡±


    ¡°Then ask yer damn question.¡±


    ¡°Did you deal with those bandits?¡±


    ¡°Well duh, who else was going to do that but three idiots in a trench coat?¡±


    The hobgoblin¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, and he went to point his finger but took it down. The answer he got was sufficient enough it seemed, and right after that, the door slammed shut.


    ¡°Problem dealt with.¡±


    Indeed it was, indeed it was.


    The rest of the day was filled with a lot of walking. Our goal was to find suppliers, but not for the more complicated items. For most of the minerals we would have to import them into the region, or in if we are lucky there might just happen to be some in a neighbouring territory.


    Plants on the other hand were easy to source. Most of the ones we needed were spread by the west and grew all year and everywhere. There were of course exceptions to that everywhere such as the south, but it was pretty much common sense that nothing grew there.


    This walking bore quite a bit of fruit. It was mainly thanks to a rather well-built old lady by the name of miss Nicnally. She happened to know most of the folk that were interested in gardening and told us of plenty places where the new additions would be welcomed. it would take a dew months before we could reap rewards from this, but it was a step in the right direction.


    In terms of setting up a few guild postings we decided to hold off. It was better to understand how much of what we needed before spending a bunch of money on sending people into forests.


    And just like that another day came to it¡¯s end. It seemed like the day could have been so much longer, but things just kept falling neatly into place. Well at least the things that didn¡¯t involve the Hobgoblin.

 does a swallow dream of flying?

    The sun had begun to hide its weary eyes. I had my arms rested on the fence and I watched. As the sun slowly ran away from those that sought it¡¯s light. As the light of candles and fires seeped out of homes. As some houses put boards back up where windows once were.


    I laughed a little. I had already said goodbye for the day, yet here I was, just staring off into the distance.  Some part of me didn¡¯t want to return to the manor. I wished to stay here forever, to be stuck with the torture of the two senile old men.


    I got up, I didn¡¯t want to, but a part of me told myself. told myself that I must, that I had to.


    There were a few things I needed to do at the manor anyway. I reassured myself with lies, but the truth hurt.


    I walked.


    I walked and walked.


    Life was filled with so much walking.


    I came upon the line of trees that separated the manor from the rest of the world. The darkness had already set in and there were no guards.


    I headed in just like any other day. The absence of the servants saved me from their prying eyes.


    I headed to the shed and stashed away the cloak. It sat neatly next to my one, perhaps a bit more battered, but that was okay.


    I headed over to the annex, surprisingly not even the soft glow of candles escaped from the windows. The door was locked too, but no matter.


    I hoisted myself up onto a nearby windowsill and began climbing. I had to weave across different ledges balconies and sills, but it wasn¡¯t like anything had changed since the last time.


    I arrived at my window and pulled myself up as far as I could. Reaching out to the uppermost window I pulled on it. the window opened slightly, and I shot My hand in. I was now dangling but that wasn¡¯t for long as I unlatched the window below me and used my feet to pull it open.


    With a swing I shot in before calmly closing the windows once more.


    Before doing anything else I just stared at the windows for a second. It was a marvel that they managed to fix the windows, but also make sure they were just as broken as before. In their defence though, what kind of maniac would climb into a window on the second story without even a balcony?


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I found something else to complain about rather easily. The room smelt musty, it wasn¡¯t that bad, but it felt like it hadn¡¯t been cleaned.


    I walked over to my bed and ran my finger along the top of my bedside table. The softness that now covered my finger affirmed my feelings. The damn maids didn¡¯t even clean my room while I was gone.


    I could, and would complain about this¡­ just not now. It was already night and most if not all of the manor should be asleep.


    But before I too could enjoy some rest, I needed to change the sheets. Although I have probably slept in worse, I didn¡¯t particularly like the idea of dusty sheets.


    It was a mightily big pain to do so in the dark, while also trying to be quiet. In hindsight I really shouldn¡¯t have tried being quiet, the servants¡¯ quarters were on a completely different floor.


    When I was done, I sat myself on the end of my bed.


    Was it really worth it?


    That was the question I asked myself. I didn¡¯t need the barony; I didn¡¯t need the cumbersome title. Life seemed good now, everything would just work out somehow. I could save up for my own home with the money from the apothecary. I didn¡¯t need the barony at all.


    In the worst-case scenario, I could just kill mother¡­ no that was a silly idea, magic exists. I didn¡¯t know what magic was exactly, but I knew that it was all powerful and if not then pretty close to it. but then again, would the empire really put effort into figuring out the murder of a mere baroness, especially when war is around the corner¡­


    I could also make it look like an accident. It wouldn¡¯t be hard. I would be working with plants a lot; I was sure that I could slip something into her meal. Or even better she was old, I could sell her the wrong medicine.


    I could also lure a beast over to the manor. there wasn¡¯t a head guard anymore, not even some sort of secret guard. The hobgoblins weren¡¯t comparable to my level at all, and the goblins weren¡¯t worth a mention.


    Normally I would swat away such dangerous thoughts, but they were tempting enough to stay.


    In the end I did distract myself, I was far too busy to deal with planning a murder. Perhaps when the seasons change might I have the time. Anyway, what I needed to do tomorrow.


    I needed to sneak into the library. I didn¡¯t care much for grovelling to gain entry so it definitely had to be in secret. Mark had informed me of what I ws looking for and why. It was books mentioning the Caltari ocean. It was all to decipher what that Relic was saying, well the bit about the white fleet at least.


    I flopped onto my back and looked up at the ceiling. I stared into the darkness, and it looked like the night, just lacking in stars.


    I wanted to fly in that darkness, I wanted wings. I could be so far away from the ground, away from all worries and lies. I raised my arm to touch the sky.


    My fingers danced as I imagined the freedom I could attain¡­ if only I could have wings.


    With a sigh my arm came falling down.


    I rolled off my bed and crawled up the floor to my bed. I then lifted the sheets and entered into one of the few places in this manor I found comfortable.

 what happens to those who do not wake?

    I walked down a road, it was dark for some reason, very dark. The path was somehow illuminated and there were still people out at this hour.


    I didn¡¯t know what to do so I just kept walking.


    There was a man in a black coat that walked with a cane. He was slow, unbearably so. I went up to him, I didn¡¯t know why, but I just did. The man¡¯s image seemed to blur in and out of focus and I felt a warm trail trickle down from my nose and eyes.


    The man¡¯s appearance settled in focus, he was hunched, a tall hat hid his face from me. I wanted to get closer, the pain in my head screamed to run, but I approached anyway.


    The man was muttering, chanting, something? I had to strain my ears to understand what he was saying.


    ¡°Kill them, kill them, kill them, kill them, kill them, you have to kill them.¡±


    ¡°You know what they did, you have to kill them.¡±


    ¡°Kill them, kill them, kill them, kill them, kill them, you have to kill them.¡±


    The man stopped his chant and looked up at me. he had no eyes. in the empty sockets I stared, the darkness within was far greater than any other I had seen. The darkness wasn¡¯t pure, there was something else within, slivers of silver that bound something bright.


    I opened my eyes wider to see more and more of the warmth flooded out and fell to the floor. Even as the crimson coated my boots I continued to look. My brain hurt, my fingers itched, every inch of my body twitched, my teeth ached.


    The bound figure had six¡­ no, seven? The more wings I saw the more pain I felt. There were six black wings on one side that stood out within the darkness, they, they were pure darkness. On the right lifting up were six white wings that illuminated the figure, each one bound in the silver in a web that shimmered like a spider¡¯s web wet with the morning dew.


    The figure¡¯s eyes were shut, and it had its head was pointing down in the direction of its black wings. even with all the strands that bound it, the figure could move, its head turned up to look at mine, it¡¯s eyes still closed.


    The figure smiled, it was a gentle toothy smile, but it had no teeth. The scarred gums spoke tales of what once was there, but the figure didn¡¯t stop moving. Slowly its eyes opened. Within was another set of empty sockets, or not, there was something within them.


    ¡°You know what they did!¡±


    Before I could ascertain what was within those eyes the man spoke again, and I saw his hunched form replace the figure.


    ¡°You know what they did!¡±


    ¡°You know what they did!¡±


    The man¡¯s words echoed in my mind and my eyes shot open.


    I found myself in my bed, the stifling walls of the manor separating me from freedom. I brought my hand to my face, and I felt something I wished I hadn¡¯t. my breath grew unsteady, and I crawled out of bed.


    Stumbling to my feet I took off in the direction of the mirror. I didn¡¯t make it. my arms took the impact, but I continued on anyway, crawling. My legs moved faster than my arms and I turned on my side again and again as I tried to pass the short chasm between my bed and the mirror.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I arrived at the mirror, my head shot up soon followed by my hand. There was a trail of blood flowing from my nostrils down my face. The trail oof blood continued down my neck and frantically I looked into my own eyes. it was dark, far too dark to even see, but there was no blood.


    I sat there just staring at my face, nothing else, just staring. When my eyes finally departed from the mirror my head shot around to my bad. I couldn¡¯t see above the sheets.


    Slowly I used my arms lifting myself back to my feet. My head ratcheted over to the place where my head was, my wide eyes took in the sight.


    There was a pool of dried blood under where my head had been. I raised my hand to the trail from my nose, I then brought my hand to the back of my head. The crunch that came was an unpleasant confirmation, but I just stood there.


    Even if I had stopped, my body had not. I felt something rising within my throat, it was warm. The feeling was like phlegm, but far more unpleasant, it tasted like iron too.


    As what I thought to be some sort of liquid continued to rise, I opened my mouth. It was not of my own volition, my body just did so, and I quickly found out why.


    ¡°augh, huagh¡±


    first came unease, then came release as the crimson mass exited me.


    what was now sitting comfortably on my carpet was a congealed glob of deep red. whatever the mass was, whether a mix of snot, saliva and blood, or just a spare organ the wetness was unsettling.


    I reached down to touch the crimson blob. The substance was viscous enough to pick up, but it was too heavy to stay together. I had to use one hand to pull it onto the other. There was now a crimson mark on my floor and a far darker and wetter blob in my hand.


    I stared at the blob, my eyes wide.


    ¡°Fuck.¡±


    If that wasn¡¯t a great way to start the day already what came after was far more punishing. Secretly I had to clean blood out of my floor and sheets. I had no idea how to do that and so I came up with a solution. Burn down the manor, no one needs to know that I have been visited by a demon.


    I knew I couldn¡¯t do such a thing, but it was tempting. Instead, I found a small worn jewellery box from when I had such things and placed the blob within. After cleaning my hands, I picked up my faded red rug and placed it atop the fresh red mark.


    When it came to my bedding I tried scratching at the dried blood, surprisingly enough it worked. The blood came off easily, but the result was fine red powder that I had to add to the box.  There were some patches of red that I could not get out, but for some reason my blood seemed to not be dyed the sheets. Blood didn¡¯t dry fast enough for that to happen¡­ at least not that I knew of.


    I finally scratched the dried blood off myself and added it to the box. I then went for a wash, leaving the jewellery box on my desk. I knew no one would come into my room unless absolutely necessary, but I hoped. Some sick part of me knew that a servant that entered my room would surely open the box.


    At best I could get my own servants in the annex by calling it a prank. At worst all my effort goes for naught, and people say I have been visited by a demon. I knew not of a demon that gave blood when it visited, but then again, I didn¡¯t know what demons actually were.


    Once I was enveloped by the warm water of the bath I wondered.


    ¡°What the fuck just happened.¡±


    I did not intend it to, but my wondering happened to start aloud.


    It might have been a dream; it could have been reality. There was a man, he had no eyes, within his eyes was darkness.


    My brows furrowed; I felt like there was something more. The darkness seemed impure, I remembered that much, but what could I be missing. I feel like it had something to do with spiders, it was spiders and a mannequin. What those two were doing inside a man¡¯s eye sockets and how they caused my nose to bleed were beyond me.


    ¡°You know what they did.¡±


    I mulled over the phrase. I didn¡¯t know what it was talking about, did they do something to the man, or me. who even were ¡®they¡¯. My mind was firing blanks and I nearly glossed over a key point.


    ¡°Kill¡­ them.¡±


    What whoever ¡®they¡¯ did, warranted murder. It most definitely did not warrant ruining my day before it even begun. Normally people wait till about midday and that dream pushed in line.


    At least I didn¡¯t hear that damn phrase. At this point I was pretty sure that past me just made shit up to feel better. I couldn¡¯t understand it, why would there be a price to pay, and what would I be paying for?


    I brought my hand to my brows and rubbed them. I was probably going to put off sneaking into the library today, it was not worth the extra stress.

 bad day huh

    I wasn¡¯t in the mood to go into town, the¡­ event, earlier in the day ruined most of my enthusiasm. Instead of just wasting however, I was going to do something. that something was more walking.


    For something I complain about so much one would think I would have avoided it like the plague. Nevertheless, I headed out of the manor, however something caught my eye on the way.


    There were no servants in the annex, none at all. My mind was left to ponder why, but I was soon greeted with annoyance. The door was still locked from last night.


    I unhooked the dinky little chains and then headed back to my room. sitting on my dresser was a key. it was covered in just as much dust as everything else, but it was still there.


    With that key I walked downstairs for a second time and unlocked the door.


    How I hadn¡¯t noticed the lack of servants when I was having a wash was entirely on me. I had probably been a bit shaken up from the weird happenings prior and I was also used to making my own bath.


    Some nobles, especially knights didn¡¯t have access to a bath that used magic like the ones int eh manor. we were rather lucky in that aspect since I didn¡¯t have to go and draw water and then heat it, the bath did all that for me. luckily enough as well they were bought by a baron a few generations ago so we didn¡¯t have to deal with the price.


    Heading out of the annex I locked the door behind me. I guess on the upside the entire annex was now my room.


    I walked along the same path I normally did.  I went to the training yard that now had shoots of green in the corners.


    I took out my sword and gave a few swings but quickly moved on. I would much rather go fight Mr Cedar or mark then just sit here swinging in a place I don¡¯t want to be.


    I continued to walk until I found myself at the place where my sanctuary once lay. The fountain was no more, it wasn¡¯t even replaced. What was broken was merely discarded, while the trees that still stood looked out of place.


    I walked over to the spot where the fountain once lay and placed my hand upon the dirt. The anger that was born from this place of serenity set me free, and I thanked it for such. I wanted to speak to it, to say my thanks with more than a touch. But I wasn¡¯t crazy enough to think that trees could hear me¡­ yet.


    I stayed there for a while, reminiscing of all the times that I spent here, just sitting. Back when I sought nothing more than to feel.


    A smile drew across my face as I looked back on the oh so short time that brought me happiness. Mr Hildegard, Mr Cedar, Mark, I must give thanks to them too. but not now, not today.


    I got up and continued on my way. There wasn¡¯t much to do other than be called weird by standing there all day.


    There was a mountain nearby, so I decided to head there, explore a little.


    I called it a mountain, but in truth it was more like a very large, very jagged hill. I had read of mountains, they stretched all the way into the sky, higher than even the clouds.


    I wondered how the world would look from up so high. Everything already seemed so beautiful from the tops of roofs and trees, there were so many things I wanted to know.


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    I disappeared into the trees and the ground slowly raised. I saw moss covered tress and strange plants throughout. But that was pretty standard of most forests.


    When I came across something interesting, I stopped. I thought it was the hill, but instead it was a cliff.


    I looked up at the top of the cliff, I would probably have to go around. Instead off heading off right away I looked for a spot to take a rest.


    I soon came across a tiny waterfall that fed a stream. I stopped there, amongst the dark and moist rocks and the green vines that trailed up the cliffside. There were a few dry patches, but nothing substantial.


    I didn¡¯t care though about how wet a few rocks were and sat down anyway. For a while I just sat staring at the flowing water with my arms wrapped around my knees. It was peaceful and the occasional chirp of birds reminded me that I wasn¡¯t alone.


    I reached a hand out and let it glide in the cool water.


    After feeling the water, I moved p a little to where the waterfall created a small pond. There I took off my boots and dipped my feet in the water.


    It was surprisingly deep but I didn¡¯t mind. I used my arm to test how deep the centre of the little pond was, and then I cared. Most of my arm went in, but I felt no bottom. Not intent on drowning I retracted my arm and left the pond. It was then that I noticed a strange brown rock.


    The rock was strange, it had many lumps on it and it seemed to be kind of triangular. I reached my arm once more into the water and grabbed onto the rock. I brought the rock up and looked at it.


    There was a strange red liquid that seemed to be mixing with the water around it¡­


    I dropped the rock and looked to my hand. There were several clean cuts that were now all over my hand. I looked at the rock, then at my hand, then at the rock.


    For some dumb reason I moved my bleeding hand down and poked one of the bumps on the rock. The bump caved in, and I knew what it was then. The next thought that crossed my mind was


    ¡°What the fuck is metal doing out here?¡±


    I risked it and picked up a normal looking rock. I then used that rock to smack off most of the rust I could.


    What I was left with was what looked to be the rusted point of a sword. It was broken, but it definitely resembled a sword. I had more confusion however as rust shouldn¡¯t have cut that cleanly.


    I gently grabbed the rock and took it to a nearby tree. Gently I pressed the rock into the tree, and it cut like butter. Before I could realise it, a deep groove was cut into the tree.


    This however raised more questions than answered. A blade that could do that surely wouldn¡¯t be cheap¡­ right? So why the fuck was it just sitting in a waterfall.


    There were a few off white rocks that gave me a bad feeling, but I ignored them. instead, I put my boots back on and decided to explore. My bleeding hand was becoming a problem though.


    I looked to my hand, and then to my shirt, solution found. I grabbed onto my shirt with my bloody hand as hard as I could. Until my body solves it, my hand was going to stay like that.


    I walked along the cliff hoping to find a spot where I could go around and take a look at the source of the waterfall. The blade piece was probably brought by the water and dumped in that pond. I would have liked to know what was in the depths of that pond even more, but I didn¡¯t have the balls for that shit.


    It took me a while, but I eventually found a fallen tree that acted like a ladder. The cliff seemed odd now that I had seen so much of it., there wasn¡¯t a river anywhere nearby to erode it. the most reasonable explanation seemed to be an earthquake, but the region didn¡¯t really get those. There was also the fact that the entire thing looked straight, unnervingly so.


    Once I got atop the cliff I headed in a bit, away from the edge. I then started heading in the direction of the waterfall.


    I tried to get to the waterfall but in the process, I ended up stumbling into an answer I didn¡¯t like. I tripped on something, and that something seemed to be Armor, old and decayed, but still there.


    From the ground that I was now very familiar with I looked around. The terrain looked strange. There were hundreds of bumps and mounds along with many arms sized logs sticking out.


    I found more off-white rocks and decided it was best to leave, but not before spotting an entire skull. it was just sitting there at the base of a tree.


    Now I wished my balls were far smaller than they were.


    What fucking maniac builds a manor so close to such a fucking place.


    Today had been just great. I wake up after a cryptic as shit nightmare told me to kill someone for some reason, then I visit a mound of corpses.


    I flopped onto my back, ignoring the crunch that came from below me.


    ¡°Well, this is just fucking great.¡±

 a meeting of inconvienience

    ¡°Baroness Evoca, shall we continue from where we left off yesterday?¡±


    A well-dressed man spoke from the chair he sat in. there was a cup of tea sitting infront of him, the vapor trailing upwards. Despite the smell of berries that tingled the man¡¯s nostrils his eyes were set in stone.


    ¡°If we must.¡±


    The woman that responded was dressed in a resplendent purple dress that matched well with her black hair. The cup of tea in front of her was half empty and specs of the red liquid painted the saucer upon which it sat. the woman¡¯s hands, unlike her hair were a pale white. With furrowed brows the woman kept her fingers interlocked and her hands on her knees added seriousness to her gaze.


    ¡°Shall I take that as reluctance to pay back what you owe? The high lord would be happy to know this.¡±


    ¡°Shall I take that as a threat to a noble within their own manor?¡±


    Baroness Evoca put up a strong response but was met with a light chuckle as the man lifted the cup of tea. After taking a sip, he set it down and said rather plainly his piece.


    ¡°My life is rather cheap hardly worth much. but the high lord is a rather good businessman. I am pretty sure he could afford a small barony with it if given the chance.¡±


    Baroness Evoca¡¯s eyebrows twinged for a second, but her voice didn¡¯t waver.


    ¡°Enough with the threats, must we start every meeting with such drivel?¡±


    The Man scoffed and looked to the teacup again before deciding against it.


    ¡°Your attitude that was much too lacking in any semblance of care was the reason for this.¡±


    ¡°Get over yourself.¡±


    Baroness Evoca calmed her voice, but her gaze remained the same, her wrinkled eyelids not daring to shut.


    ¡°let¡¯s start with a summary of the meeting prior.¡±


    ¡°let¡¯s¡±


    The man ignored her remark and led the conversation, but the baroness made no more complaints.


    ¡°We have shifted guard postings within the legal limit. We have delt with the rather¡­ primitive warnings. We have also rearranged the available emergency funds, and we have met with count Rostersby.¡±


    ¡°And what topic do you seek to broach today?¡±


    ¡°The sale of assets.¡±


    ¡°Have you not ever so painfully proposed such every day?¡±


    ¡°Selling the title is one of the many things that I am here to suggest. There are however other items on the agenda.¡±


    The woman¡¯s eyebrows slowly crossed as a throbbing slowly ebbed at her brain.


    ¡°And what would they happen to be?¡±


    ¡°Any and all items that are registered as your property are fair game.¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Then I suppose this is more to establish their worth.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, though I must also explain exactly what you own.¡±


    Her eyebrows moved closer again and the baroness moved her fingers slightly before answering.


    ¡°What in the name of the holy sun do you mean, do you think I don¡¯t know what I own?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I do hope that you understand I mean no offense.¡±


    The man took another sip of tea and the baroness tensed her neck. To call the battlefield fair would be a statement that only a blind man could make. One had recently entered their prime and the other had left it long ago, and it was showing.


    The baroness took a hand off her knee and brought it to the teacup. The pale white melted away and was replaced with a mild pink but that disappeared when the hand returned to her knee.


    With moist lips the baroness resumed the conversation.


    ¡°I do hope you realise the position you are in.¡±


    ¡°And I do hope you realise how much debt you are in.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The baroness closed her eyes and let a long sigh escape her nostrils. When the baroness light returned to the baroness¡¯s eyes she was greeted by the smile of the man opposite her. Her eyebrows shot down and her face tensed. Where the woman once had a pleasant smile there was now a dreadful scowl.


    The man seemed to expect this reaction and carried on rather content with the reaction.


    ¡°So, let¡¯s start with something light, shall we? Since you are the main debtor and are currently in possession of the title of baron you are entitled to the property registered to the household. The property of the household Is separate from what is registered as your property as you do not have a justifiable line of inheritance.¡±


    ¡°WORDS, choose them wisely.¡±


    The woman¡¯s voice was loud and clear, and the man obliged.


    ¡°Marriage does not grant you the right to your spouses¡¯ inheritance. Just because you are related to ¡®That family¡¯ it doesn¡¯t mean you can bend the law.¡±


    ¡°In that case should I propose to the court a divorce?¡±


    The man¡¯s face finally showed something the woman found satisfying as it contorted. It wasn¡¯t for long and he soon recovered, but the baroness savoured it nonetheless.


    ¡°I know what you are trying to say, but you already have an heir.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to tell me that my heir would be dumb enough to accept inheriting my debt?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not, what I mean is that the court would not grant such a divorce.¡±


    A smile graced the baroness¡¯s lips, and her voice softened.


    ¡°It seems you have taken my threat lightly. To think that a divorce would be the only opportunity I have to get rid of my¡­ worries.¡±


    Other countries did it differently, but the empire took marriage between nobility seriously. When a noble got married they were forging connection with the other¡¯s family, whether peasant or fellow noble. Divorce was the severing of such a connection, from both ends¡­ by execution. Divorce could also happen after the parents had passed but there were few examples in the entire imperial history.


    An old demon is still a demon, and now that the baroness was satisfied, she took the lead.


    ¡°So, what are assets that can be liquidated.¡±


    ¡°Probably the most profitable would-be manpower.¡±


    ¡°And how do you expect that to turn out?¡±


    ¡°The High lord is willing to pay a hefty price for your viable¡­ stock.¡±


    The baroness brought her hand to her mouth, stifling a laugh.


    ¡°And what would your oh so high lord wants with a sword crazed maniac?¡±


    ¡°Do we catch birds just to hear them sing, or trees just because they provide shade?¡±


    The baroness turned her eyes to the garden that lay outside her window before returning her gaze to the man.


    ¡°Keep dreaming.¡±


    Her voice was cold, and the man¡¯s face moved far more than it had before.


    ¡°After all this are you feeling bad for the kid?¡±


    ¡°You are such a shallow man. Do you buy a songbird to tie its beak and stare at it? do you sell a warrior to some dude to put on a pedestal¡­ or do you sell it to a king who is in desperate need of soldiers?¡±


    ¡°You would condemn your own blood to such a life?¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s better that then having to deal with your lord¡¯s blood mixing with mine. And as a little bonus I can guarantee that the south can pay far more for a warrior than the west can for a concubine.¡±


    ¡°The high lord will not be pleased with this answer.¡±


    ¡°Tell me something I don¡¯t already know.¡±


    ¡°Your friends in the south have all of your husbands¡¯ investments.¡±


    The blood drained from the baroness¡¯s face, but the man sat up and left before it left her mouth.


    ¡°The southern investment council¡­¡±

 May, the joyous month that forewarns of cold to come

    ¡°Second times the charm.¡±


    There seemed to be nothing wrong with me today, no visits form demons, no corpses¡­ let¡¯s intentionally make it worse. Today I would steal some books.


    ¡°Why the fuck did I come back here?¡±


    Never mind the whole thing about the pile of bodies nearby, there wasn¡¯t even any servants. They didn¡¯t really do much for me, but me doesn¡¯t matter in a giant annex. Then again on the bright side¡­ there was no bright side.


    Anyway, enough feeling sad, I jumped out of bed.


    Today I decided to leave the weapons behind. They were not going to be useful for breaking into a library. They were also fairly hefty pieces of dead weight.


    I then gave one last look at myself in the mirror before setting off.


    ¡°Climbing time!¡±


    Maybe climbing wasn¡¯t such a great idea. I arrived outside the main building to find it still staffed. There was absolutely nothing normal about a woman climbing up a building and breaking in through a window.


    On second thought I decided to wait for night. I wasn¡¯t giving up on climbing in. there was no way I was being seen entering the manor through any door when mother was around. I might have also been feeling a bit whacky but that definitely didn¡¯t hold sway over my decision making¡­ definitely.


    I took a absurdly long way around and eventually entered the shed. there I chucked on my own cloak and picked up the one that Mr Cedar lent. After however long I spent sweating and bashing around in it he probably wouldn¡¯t want it back. The main reason I grabbed it was to have a spare that could remain in town.


    Chucking on the mask I set out¡­ but not before I looked for something to cover my hand. Hand bandaged I was ready to set out, except for the fact I was missing a sword.


    I stayed in there resupplying for far longer than I wished to admit. Eventually however I did indeed leave.


    When I got to town, I decided to check out Mr Cedar¡¯s house first. knocking on the door gave me no response so I did the only logical thing.


    I broke into Mr Cedar¡¯s house, with a key, it wasn¡¯t really breaking in.


    Mr cedar nor Mark were home, so I decided to lock up and head elsewhere.


    It wasn¡¯t that unusual for them to be up at this hour considering the how many delays I experienced. The weird thing was that they managed to leave the house before I arrived. They didn¡¯t really have much to do.


    There were only two places I thought they could be, and I headed to the easiest one to check.


    I knocked on the apothecary door, and surely enough a response came right out.


    ¡°Coming!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t Mr Cedar¡¯s nor Mark¡¯s though, but no matter, I waited anyway.


    When the door creaked open, I was greeted by a short girl that seemed a little familiar.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m may how may I help you? Oh wait, you are with the others aren¡¯t you, come on in.¡±


    Before I could even say anything I as pulled in by the cheerful girl.


    When she finally set me free, I was before the two old men. One was carefully mixing something while the other was picking leaves off of a stalk.


    Seeing them like this I offered a hand.


    ¡°Do you need help with anything?¡±


    Mark decided to respond his eyes stayed fixed on the stalk he was holding as he plucked.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°No, but you can give it a try if you want. The instructions are rather simple, it¡¯s rather surprising that these ever left the west.¡±


    ¡°In that case do you have the time to talk about a pile of corpses?¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!¡±


    After Mark tried to deafen me, I decided some context was in order.


    ¡°Out the back of the manor, there¡¯s an old battlefield. Well, I think it¡¯s a battlefield, there¡¯s all sorts of broken armour and as I said before¡­ corpses.¡±


    I turned my head to look at may. She still held a smile, her eyes were wide, and she was probably losing it inside, but she was smiling.


    Mark gave a response while Mr cedar just sighed while continuing to stir.


    ¡°Kiddo, you really have to stop doing things like this, now I have to buy a shovel.¡±


    ¡°I assume we are burying them then?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re going treasure hunting. Of course we are burying them!¡±


    ¡°In that case do you have anything else to add to the agenda.¡±


    ¡°Yes, go get your hand treated, I assume you got it from messing around since you suddenly appear with that and mention corpses.¡±


    ¡°You would be correct, but it should be fine.¡±


    ¡°How about this then, you get a turn at making something.¡±


    ¡°I know where this is going, but fine.¡±


    ¡°Also, while you are at it let May watch.¡±


    I took another look at May. She was just standing there.


    ¡°They weren¡¯t fresh corpses.¡±


    ¡°THAT¡¯S WORSE!¡±


    Mr Cedar let out a chuckle and I thought Mark was also content with May¡¯s response.


    I didn¡¯t exactly know what I was doing so I couldn¡¯t give her any pointers, but it seemed she would be nice to keep around. Now added to the team of old and yappy, old and loud, and young and quiet was young and na?ve.


    I found that amusing, but my amusement didn¡¯t last long. Old and yappy stopped what he was doing to go and pull a scroll out from one of the cubbies.


    ¡°Nope, not this one.¡±


    Mark then continued to riffle through what felt like every recipe we had until landing on the right one. After this he handed it to me.


    ¡°¡¯ere you go.¡±


    I took the scroll and opened it, not caring to give him thanks. The ingredients were simple, just two in fact.


    ¡°And they count this as something an apothecary should be making?¡±


    ¡°Read the processes, don¡¯t think it¡¯s easy or simple.¡±


    I took a second look at the scroll and came to understand what he meant. Another thing I understood was why Mr Cedar was so focused on that bowl. For something that was just delt root and water I needed to grind it thrice, add water twice, filter it twice and heat it four times.


    II walked over to a shelf with what I presumed to be ingredients. There were all sorts of weird looking fruits and roots, leaves and even bones. Perusing them I soon came across a large oblong shaped root.


    Taking the root I looked at Mark before deciding that my question was dumb. Looking to the scroll I figured out what I needed, a mortar and pestle. I had no clue what that was, but thankfully there was an illustration.


    Picking up the mortar and pestle I marvelled at the scroll. Compared to the books I ¡°rescued¡± these scrolls could get a rock to make this medicine.


    I ground the root, then heated it until it was dry stirring continuously. I then added water and ground it again, then I filtered the water out and heated it. then I did the same for a third fucking time before finally heating It for the last time.


    What I was left with after hours of work was a tiny amount of a tacky amber substance. Looking to the instructions I saw that this was the correct colour¡­ for this stage in the process.


    ¡°Mark, you do realise this is meant to be let dry for three days?¡±


    ¡°Oh, does it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it does.¡±


    Mark was still working away, but it seemed that Mr Cedar was doing everything that needed patience. Either Mark had less patience than I thought, or him breathing too hard would crack the bowl. I decided to believe the second option.


    ¡°Well, I guess we let it dry for three days, there should be something for your hand in my pouch. I think I left it over there somewhere.¡±


    Mark didn¡¯t even point to where he was pointing, and I just sighed. It was sad but I knew where he meant.


    I looked around me a little and quickly found it. when I set down the tacky substance and went to look for it again May appeared before me.


    ¡°Hi.¡±


    ¡°AAAH!¡±


    ¡°Did you have to yell?¡±


    ¡°Why did you sneak up on me like that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, But I have been here the entire time.¡±


    I could have been too absorbed in what I was doing, but I wasn¡¯t buying that. I looked down at may, I then put my head back up and looked slightly to the side.


    ¡°Neat.¡±


    ¡°what¡¯s neat?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    May just perfectly disappeared when I looked in the right direction. I hadn¡¯t been consciously looking for her, so I just didn¡¯t think she was there at all.


    ¡°You still want this?¡±


    May offered up the pouch in her hand to me.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I took the pouch and when I was undoing the bandage from the morning, I realised something. with this new and wonderful realisation, I pestered Mark once again.


    ¡°Is it really okay for me to be making that when I could have gotten dirt and blood in it?¡±


    ¡°No, but we aren¡¯t going to be selling this stuff yet, are we?¡±


    ¡°But you wanted me to use it.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    Mark really didn¡¯t fit the name whippersnapper, even today he isn¡¯t acting that young, he¡¯s acting younger.


    I took my frustration out on Mark¡¯s wallet and applied the viscous green liquid liberally. Mark didn¡¯t seem to care, but he might in the future. I then wrapped it in fresh bandages and added my old ones to the rubbish bucket.

 not caught, but red handed nonetheless.

    Night finally befell the empire, and I set off, a terrible idea on my mind.


    Kinda typical how the only time I feel happy seeing the manor is when I am robbing it. I didn¡¯t bother getting out of my black cloak nor my mask. A little part of me thought they would help hide my identity. The rest of me just regretted the fact I was lugging around what felt like a sail.


    I looked for windows with no lights, which were most of them. the manor normally kept quite a few lights on and a few servants up. It was not only to prevent burglary, but also to flaunt their wealth to any poor fellow that happened to pass by.


    Thinking about light I realised that I had thought this out rather poorly. To find a book, one would need to see. I decided however that I would solve that problem when I got in.


    I stood atop a windowsill in a familiar motion and then reached up to grab the next one. Pulling myself up I reopened the cuts on my hand.


    ¡°Well, that isn¡¯t good.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t particularly in the mood to try this again later, so I pushed on. I got up to the next sill and then jumped over to a balcony. Much to my dismay, the balcony creaked and cracked. I jumped to the next sill in a hurry and made my hand even worse.


    I pulled myself up and looked to where I needed to go.


    ¡°Just two more stories up.¡±


    That might have been a relieving statement if I wasn¡¯t hugging a wall for my dear life. I had climbed the walls of the annex numerous times, but the manor was a different question.


    I moved my legs to the side and hoped over to another window. After that I jumped up again. once more after that I managed to get onto another windowsill.


    Now the question I had to ask was:


    ¡°How the fuck am I going to get in?¡±


    I decided to just try and push open the window. The one I was at gave too much resistance to feel safe, but it gave hope.


    With a hop over to another window I gave it another shot. I pushed and both me and the window went inside¡­ well most of me.


    I pulled my legs inside and stood up, hoping that no one had heard the clatter.


    I had been in the library a few times, so I knew where the lamp stands were. in either hope or desperation I stumbled my way along the wall until I found one that was heavy. The weight assured me that there should be enough Iark to actually feed the wick.


    The lamp was held in my bandaged hand, I felt a wetness and I had a suspicion that the wetness should not be touching books. When I put my thumb on the top of the lamp and pulled down a tab before releasing it.


    In a flash of sparks a tiny flame was born, but that tiny flame was soon replaced by a bright light. The snapping of the mechanism reminded me why these were so expensive for something that looked like a plain bronze jug.


    With the new light I looked to my hand and surely enough my hand had decided to change colours on me.


    ¡°I probably should have stopped back then.¡±


    I was here now though, so¡­ I headed over to the door. The library had a set of wooden double doors twice my height with golden handles. I ignored the obvious result of a door measuring contest and looked for a desk.


    It wasn¡¯t hiding from me, but it was small. The desk was made of some sort of dark wood not native to anywhere I knew of. I am sure the baron or even mother had bragged about it at least once. I cared less about the desk and more about what was on it, or in today¡¯s case, in it.


    I opened a drawer and found the large stack of pages, each one filled with book names and positions.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    I flipped through it for a while until I came across the first one I was looking for.


    ¡®Brandor¡¯s account of the divine in the Caltari Ocean.¡¯


    The library was organised in a way that brought pain to my mind. They were ordered in alphabetical order in the sheet, but they were stored by genre. Popular authors got their own shelf dedicated to them and religious/factual documents were kept closest to the door.


    In what I felt to be a miracle I found the shelf I was looking for. Row 3 shelf 12. This shelf was dedicated to scrolls but didn¡¯t have the fancy caps to keep them safe like the apothecary did.


    I looked at the scrolls for a while until I found one that started with the name Burton. I didn¡¯t care much to read the rest of the title again and just jumped in.


    <hr>


    How were the heavens made? How did they fall? These are two questions I could never solve, but I have made much progress.


    The relics refuse to speak, and any records have long been destroyed. That is not to say there weren¡¯t any records, the tales of that time live on through the mouths of many.


    It is said that the heavens started with a god. That God created many things, the most known are their Blade, the Acharon, and the heavens themselves. This may answer the question of how to some, but it does not for me. I searched deeper, but this bore no fruit.


    Instead of how, I came across something rather interesting. Most would think that the one to rule the heavens would rule the world. That idea seems to be wrong, there was a being far greater than even the god of the heavens. Some say that this higher god ruled an empire and had dominion over both sea and land.


    The god of this empire held the deep loyalty of the god of the heavens. This raises more questions however as I did manage to get some information from a relic. The period of time is referred to as the Heavenward era. It seems to me that the era was named after the god of the heavens rather than the higher god.


    This confusion comes to peak when the empire fell. It is said that they crumbled from within. Reasons as to why the empire fell apart vary, but the one I find most plausible is overpopulation. There was nothing beyond the heavens, the world was filled by an ever-growing population, and it caused unrest.


    The fall of the empire, however, does not explain the fall of the heavens. Something must have happened that even the divine fell.


    Much of what I have come across that fit the time period mention pieces falling down to the mortal world. I could not verify mentions of this outside the Caltari Ocean. There is something that lies below the water there that has long been speculated about before my time. My evidence is mainly how common the connection between them is, and the fact that a white fleet guards those waters.


    Much like the heavens, the Relics refuse to speak more than a few cryptic words about the white fleet. What I find strange however is that every Relic I approached seemed to know of the white fleet.


    <hr>


    The rest of the scroll was some ending remarks and yet more speculation. The scroll would definitely be interesting in the form of a children¡¯s tale, but it wasn¡¯t.


    I set the scroll back and checked the ledger again. After so many lines I finally found another book that mentioned the Caltari Ocean in the title.


    ¡®The Grave Keepers of the Caltari Ocean.¡¯


    Heading over to the right shelf I found a scroll nestled between two books. Pulling out the scroll one of the books left on the shelf raised an eyebrow. I would get to that later, but for now I checked out the scroll.


    Surely enough it was the one I sought.


    <hr>


    Most argue what lies beneath the deep blue of the Caltari Ocean without even stepping off land. I am different, I make no speculation. Whatever lies down there is dead a few generations over.


    Many times, have I sailed that Ocean, many times have I seen the white fleet. The Admiral of the white fleet didn¡¯t seem all that pleased with seeing me that much, but he never spoke. I would jest, but those eyes could kill, and often, they did.


    One time I was taking a particularly special customer across the waves. This customer called themself a hero, and said they were from another world. I didn¡¯t buy the second part, but they were recognised by quite a few of the guilds I asked.


    Normally I wouldn¡¯t care about customer¡¯s identities, but this one had something the white fleet wanted. The white fleet just rocks up beside you, and you better not resist. They go In and take what they want. Luckily enough they don¡¯t touch money, but sometimes those artifacts are worth far more than that.


    The white fleet¡¯s obsession with ancient artifacts goes beyond small items. This is why I think there is something down there. They dragged entire ancient structures into the depths. Either there is a giant pile of destroyed ruins on the ocean floor, or there is something down there that they bring the ruins to.


    Trying to run away is a foolish act, their weapons are far greater than any cannon. Entire ships disappear in one blast, no matter how good the mage onboard is. even if teir weapons aren¡¯t a concern, their vessels have no sails, but they go faster than the wind. Not even the finest mage of the modern day could achieve such a feat without blowing up the entire thing.


    <hr>


    I honestly don¡¯t which one was worse. On one hand there¡¯s a children¡¯s story, and on the other is a story written by a drunk. I was kind of glad that I couldn¡¯t steal anything thanks to the wonderful red trail of evidence. Bringing these outside of the library would be devastating to the intelligence of others.


    With a sigh I brought my hand to my forehead and looked at the book I saw before. Everything else was horrible, might as well read something for myself.

 red handed but not caught: part 2

    I was on a roll, for the last three days I kept making nothing but bad decisions. Being haunted in my dreams wasn¡¯t my own decision, but the follow up surely was. The book I picked up was just another bad decision to add to the pile.


    ¡®The History Hidden by the stars.¡¯


    The world is made up of many layers. The first layer is the one that mortals like you and I see. The second layer is the one that mortals of the forgotten past witnessed. There are many other layers, but the second layer is the most important.


    The divine like to hide that layer, it does not speak well of them. but nonetheless the second layer exists, it is not truly forgotten. To find the second layer one must go to places that even the divine dare not to. There in the places that darkness once resided shall you find records, but remember, the divine fear it for a reason.


    The next few pages spoke much of the same, so I skipped them. eventually nearly halfway through the book the instructions, on how to explore places that the book, explicitly warns not to explore ended.


    Turning my brain back on I continued reading.


    from the many efforts of the family, I managed to scrape together a history. The many that fell to get the records that made the backbone of this tale are few. They are hundreds, but they are few, far more died to record this.


    In ancient ruins and caves deep in certain locations we found writing. the act of describing these places is forbidden by the heavens, but the writing itself is not. Many speculate reasoning behind such a move, but we all came to the same conclusion. The gods are too weak to affect something written within the true darkness.


    The records speak of a god, a god that treated its people fairly. We can tell as much by their lamentations. The people cried out for their god; they mourned it even as they were driven to insanity.


    But what about the darkness itself? The force that wiped the world clean. It was something born from the death of that god. With the family¡¯s techniques we were able to determine that it contained the divinities of death, destruction and darkness.


    The strange thing about this darkness is that one can see. There is no light, but something deceives our eyes into thinking there is. we decided that this was probably why the records were so detailed for the next part.


    Churches were emptied. The dedicated followers of almost every god disappeared from the world at that time. But the god that died, it¡¯s followers did not disappear. The lost were still faithful even as their churches were burnt by beings mostly referred to as traitors or thieves.


    We assume it to be the doing of the other gods. We especially believe this since the gods themselves were the ones to hide this incident.


    All hope for our mission had been lost when we discovered that nothing had survived. But we attained hope when a piece of dried skin from an unknown species was discovered. Etched into that skin was characters that we found familiar.


    Stolen story; please report.


    Decoding that ancient leather, we found that there were followers that survived. They prayed relentlessly to the corpse of their god and kept a spark alive. we sent out an expedition of forty men to where we suspected the corpse to be.


    One man returned and provided the family the essence of life that we needed. The followers of that god were long dead, so too was the spark, but there was something. deep within the corpse was bound a body that caused the death of all who approached it.


    After so long the family finally had a true direction. And now I am happy to see that the future generation has made progress that I can see before I pass.


    ¡°Neat.¡±


    This was at least more believable than the other two but deluded beyond belief. To truly try and mess with divinity was something not even someone at mothers level of insane would do¡­ right?


    I looked at the last page in hopes of finding a sentence saying it was all a joke.


    I didn¡¯t, instead I found a different handwriting, one far prettier than the other pages. was Despite the large difference it still felt somewhat close to the previous one.  Along with the change in handwriting the page looked like it had been rained on and someone quickly wiped it off.


    This page seemed to be a dedication or a letter. I found it confusing, and I ended up reading it aloud which baffled me even more.


    ¡°My child, I know you will not read this, but I will forgive you.¡±


    ¡°I will forgive you for walking away that day. for ignoring this old man¡¯s last words. For spawning such a wicked idea. For being too consumed in our mission to even smile at the little bundle of joy you brought to me that day.¡±


    ¡°I know that your dedication is my fault, I know that you do not care. but I still hold hope that you will take interest in our history¡±.


    ¡°This story, it is old, far older than the paper and ink that are its current form. I have transcribed it into this form to tell you what you wish not to know.¡±


    ¡°My daughter, I know that someday you will find what you are missing within these pages. I pray for your success; may the Maribelle line continue in the great perpetual darkness¡±


    After perpetual darkness there is no period, but I am sure that the original author ended the sentence there. Beyond it the sentence changes handwriting. The style felt familiar, but the meaning of the words eluded me.


    ¡°For it is all that is good and holy.¡±


    I muttered the words, but still, I couldn¡¯t understand. In the story the darkness was caused by the death of a god. Why would such a darkness be good, or did they mean a different darkness?


    Below this is where the writing ends, but it is in the style of what I presume to be the original author¡¯s handwriting.


    To my daughter, E. J. Maribelle.


    Signed: John. C. Maribelle.


    How¡­ lovely¡­ that. Was. Pleasant. To. Read. Nothing weird at all about dedicating a book about the death of a god and how to explore extremely dangerous ruins to your daughter.


    I put the book back and stepped away. The previous two books were on topic, but if I had already read three books of dodgy authenticity. It was probably best that I stopped.


    I walked over to the window I came in from with my lamp. Sitting calmy on the window as a bloodied handprint.


    ¡°Yeah, I thought as much.¡±


    I walked back and set the lamp down turning a nob to extinguish it. not like anyone could tell whether I used it or not.


    Trying to make best of the moment I went back to the window and decided to climb down one handed. Another bad decision I was sure, but the servants might just think I never left.


    Once back on solid ground I was about to return to my annex. The wonderful trail behind me was a great reason not to however and I decided to sleep in the shed.


    Camping out would require supplies from the shed anyway, but then again, I could be leading them to the shed¡­


    I decided to sleep in the storage shed anyway.

 revenge is best served horrifying or mildly annoying.

    Morning came and I looked at the pile of bloodied bandages beside me. I really should have taken better care of my hand, but no matter, I got up.


    The screaming had either yet to start, or had already ended as I couldn¡¯t hear it. deciding to take the risk I got ready to head out. It was kind of cold, but that was probably because I was stuck underground.


    I headed out of the shed making sure not to put too much pressure on my hand.


    When I stepped out, I saw the light of dawn just barely poking over the treetops. The servants should have started by now.


    I began running, but I didn¡¯t run around. I ran across the manor looking for the evidence I left last night. I searched, but I didn¡¯t find and with a sigh I set off for town.


    When I finally arrived, I looked around for a place to rest. Mark and Mr cedar didn¡¯t rise this early, so I decided to do nothing.


    Just a little bit of nothing where I couldn¡¯t ruin anything.


    I did this by heading over to a tavern. They were normally warm, and I could generally get something other than alcohol. I didn¡¯t much care for the way the liquid burnt my throat.


    The tavern I entered was not one I had been to often. The old man behind the counter even gave a warm welcome.


    ¡°Back so soon ay, ma¡­ sorry I thought it might be someone else.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t for me, but I found his blunder amusing.


    ¡°So, what can I get ya?¡±


    I just shrugged my shoulders at him, I was sure I had been here before, but he seemed to be new.


    ¡°Oh, you are that Silent fella that¡¯s been around town ay. In that case I assume you don¡¯t want anything strong; we can¡¯t do much for you I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    He was right and I didn¡¯t spend much, but I did buy something to allow me to sit in the warmth.


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    When the sun was at a height, I thought suitable for the old fogies I headed out.


    I knocked on the door, but Mr Cedar was not there, instead Mark answered the door.


    I went past him and headed into the house before I spoke. I ignored how his eyes were stuck to the still present bandages on my hand, and I opened my mouth.


    ¡°Perfect, I was looking to tell you something.¡±


    ¡°Does it have to do with why your hand still ain¡¯t healed.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ maybe, but that¡¯s beside the point.¡±


    ¡°No, it ain¡¯t, take care of yourself kiddo.¡±


    I felt nagging to be imminent, so I decided to speed up the conversation.


    ¡°I read those books you wanted me to, couldn¡¯t grab them, but I read them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you actually did that?¡±


    My heart sunk a little at those words.


    ¡°Explain?!¡±


    ¡°I figured out what the Relic said about halfway through the trip, well the second half of what he said anyway. I kept poking you about it as a joke.¡±


    I had a second place to break into added to the list. I was going to steal every single shoelace from his shoes and hide them on the roof. I was going to shift about 1/3<sup>rd</sup> of the items in his room ever so slightly. I was going to find every way possible to annoy him without ending up dead.


    ¡°So, what did you find out?¡±


    My face was hidden by the mask, but even so I strained my cheek muscles and put on a smile.


    ¡°Kiddo, you okay?¡±


    ¡°So, what did you find out?¡±


    ¡°The white fleet is a very well documented entity. They aren¡¯t exactly remnants of an ancient empire, but more so like their descendants. What the do in the Caltari is no one¡¯s business and they make that very clear.¡±


    So far it was pretty much the same as what I had found by breaking in, I really shouldn¡¯t have.


    ¡°What lies under the Caltari Ocean, is however an awful lot of people¡¯s business. Some people call it a chunk of heaven, but the empire believes it to be a weapon. this weapon is so many people¡¯s business because it still functions. Occasionally the entire continent will rumble, and at that time it might just be because of that weapon.¡±


    ¡°Then would that weapon be the cause of the weird terrain behind the manor?¡±


    ¡°of course not. If it were then they might have actually gotten it running. If the ground back, there looks funny to you it¡¯s probably the doing of an earth mage.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me, I have been meaning to ask. What is magic?¡±


    ¡°Something that I do not have the knowledge to explain. Just know that a swordsman can cleave a mountain in two, but a mage can make a mountain sized hole in both the ground and the treasury.¡±


    ¡°Would a swordsman of that level not also cost a fortune?¡±


    ¡°Not often, most are strapped down as strategic resources and given titles.¡±


    No matter how much new information was added to my sorting pile I was still going to steal his shoelaces.


    ¡°where¡¯s Mr Cedar?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s taking a nap.¡±


    ¡°a nap?¡±


    ¡°eh, you know what I meant.¡±


    Maybe I should tie them together or cut them up instead? I should destroy every shoelace in the region so he can never do his boots up.

 oh no, not another one

    Time began to slow rather smoothly after my series of misfortune. We managed to secure a long-term supply for all of the materials needed for the apothecary. When it came to short term, we had a few ingredients that should be able to carry us through.


    The day we opened for business was severely underwhelming. We were an apothecary; our greatest customers were places that needed bulk medicine with a long shelf life. The pharmacist¡¯s guild expected this and not a single recipe we were given lasts less than a few months.


    An example of this was the tacky amber substance I made. Once it had dried it was ground into a powder. That powder could be mixed with water and then applied. It needed to be stored in a special vial to achieve the long shelf life.


    The special vials we needed were only supplied by the pharmacist¡¯s guild. To get them to send us some we needed to have a sufficiently large order. Everyone including May decided it was worthwhile not doing all the paperwork and instead we got our large orders through the pharmacist¡¯s guild.


    Today we received our first large order. It was probably going to be checked, but that shouldn¡¯t be a concern.


    Me, Mark, may, and Mr Cedar were waiting in the apothecary for the guild to tell us what we needed to do.


    Mark was asleep in a chair while May was bouncing off the walls and Mr Cedar was writing something. seeing as he was the only one doing something interesting, I inquired Mr Cedar as to what he was doing.


    ¡°What are you writing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am just compiling information that¡¯s been coming in.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that.¡±


    ¡°I have already explained it once, I will not do It again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but when did you explain it to me?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°Then explain it to me.¡±


    ¡°Did you know that the mass exodus of servants from the manor wasn¡¯t your fault?¡±


    There had been a culling of staff at the manor after the incident in which I left bloody handprints across the front of the manor. I had assumed that the servants that were fired were because of a possible intruder, but then again it didn¡¯t make much sense why that would be so.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. Care to elaborate?¡±


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    ¡°Sure, the baroness has been giving funding to apothecary¡¯s and farmers. The formation of an armed group separate from the town guard has also been confirmed. There have also been funds going out to several farms and mines to expand their production.¡±


    ¡°Increasing production of goods is a good idea since we get so much of that as taxes. But she shouldn¡¯t have the funds to be able to do that. And how does this relate to the servants.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t paying attention, the formation of an armed group and funding for the apothecary¡¯s is the key points.¡±


    ¡°So, the barony is going to be dragged into a war, not like two old men didn¡¯t predict that and tell me about it constantly. Now, how does this relate to the servants?¡±


    ¡°The thing is, it doesn¡¯t, not yet. Now will you let me finish?¡±


    ¡°Sure, go ahead, I wasn¡¯t stopping you.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    I wish I wasn¡¯t wearing a mask so that he could see the eyebrow that I raised at him.


    ¡°Anyway, the barony doesn¡¯t have the funds for this, and even less so while paying for the servants. Previously the baroness fired all the servants in the annex, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, though for a while I just thought they went to the main building.¡±


    ¡°Well, the baroness set up a temporary business in which she recommended the servants jobs. Both the servant and the noble that needed them had to pay. So she was cutting off an unneeded expenditure while also earning some money.¡±


    I didn¡¯t particularly like the idea of mother being the one making good decisions, but at least there was someone with some sense. The relief I felt that the barony wasn¡¯t entirely going to shit in her hands probably felt worse than anything else.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose she can do many more things like that?¡±


    ¡°I hope not.¡±


    ¡°Why so?¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be any skilled hands left in the barony if she sells them all off.¡±


    ¡°But I thought a barony couldn¡¯t sell it¡¯s own people.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why she created that company. All the residents of the barony are free citizens, we hold no serfs. This means that the people can come and go, but we can¡¯t make them.¡±


    ¡°Neat.¡±


    I stood there in silence staring at Mr Cedar for a while. I had accidentally ended the conversation and there wasn¡¯t much reason to reignite it.


    A knock on the door eventually came t save me.


    May shot over to answer and Mark seemed to wake up.


    When the door opened a man with a large leather pouch reached in and pulled out a scroll. Before May could even open her mouth, the stranger threw the scroll inside and walked off.


    ¡°Rude.¡±


    May¡¯s protest was either unheard or went upon deaf ears. The stranger continued on and left the small shop behind.


    Mark got up with plenty of groaning from both him and the chair. The old man muttered as he walked over to the scroll.


    ¡°Typical fucking westerner.¡±


    Hearing Mark¡¯s words I jested.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose hunting a rude mailman would be a mission for a mercenary, would it?¡±


    Mr Cedar replied as Mark kicked the scroll, sending it up into the air.


    ¡°Unfortunately, not.¡±


    Mark caught the scroll and opened it. after a few seconds he opened his mouth once more.


    ¡°That is one long list.¡±


    Mark then tossed me the scroll. I took a look at its contents, and I exclaimed as well.


    ¡°How do they expect us to make all that?¡±


    I tossed the scroll over to Mr Cedar who also took a look and had a few words of his own.


    ¡°Welp, I guess we better start now. I had hoped that we could take on a few jobs while we did the apothecary work, but not now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know anyone that could help out so that we can be free?¡±


    Mark and Mr Cedar gave each other a good long look. It was at this moment that I realised I had fucked up. Another old man was surely going to be added to the team.

 Martin the manhunter

    Mark and Mr Cedar had sent word to someone that would ¡°fit perfectly¡± but until then we were stuck making medicine. Today I decided to come in my brown cloak, I surely wasn¡¯t going to be doing anything as SSH. It was also just nice to be able to speak in public¡­ not that I would get the chance to escape from the apothecary.


    We decided to do one medicine at a time, and each do a part of the process. We knew we wouldn¡¯t have time if we started after the vials arrived, so we began and just hoped that they arrived before everything went off.


    Mark was on grinding, May on stirring, Me on heating and Mr Cedar on material prep and finishing touches. Mr Cedar was initially on stirring, but he had an issue that May didn¡¯t. whereas May¡¯s arms could stir for an entire day without relenting Mr Cedar couldn¡¯t. this left us wide eyed as we watched May go on, and on, and on, and on.


    Another thing that wouldn¡¯t relent was the list of things we needed to make. We couldn¡¯t exactly fail the order as that would put us in a bad position with the guild¡­ but that list was long.


    Just one more, just one more to go, just one more day. We went along making medicine after medicine. On the bright side we were getting plenty of experience. We had even gotten into a good rhythm and were picking up speed. On the other hand, the vials arrived.


    There were two horse carriages full of vials. That did not give us hope, even less so when we realised there were no spares. We had to use each and every one while praying none broke.


    Mark got his work handed to him with filling the vials. We had a backlog and between him having to process more ingredients it wasn¡¯t getting any slower. But finally, the day after the Vials arrived, the ¡°perfect fit¡± finally arrived.


    The man was tall with a long and smooth moustache. He was dressed in a black suit and held a briefcase in his left hand. He seemed a little out of place, but that didn¡¯t really matter.


    ¡°Mark, is this the guy?¡±


    ¡°Yup, May I introduce you?¡±


    ¡°No, I am quite familiar with him.¡±


    At this rate I wasn¡¯t just collecting old men, but all of my dad¡¯s old servants.


    ¡°You were Martin correct? You were in charge of the wine cellar.¡±


    ¡°It was more of a dungeon there was that little wine, but yes indeed you are correct.¡±


    Bonus points for being a yapper.


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    I gave a little sigh before returning to mark.


    ¡°Well, we might as well set him to work. But based off of our prior progress I think we are going to need more than one man.¡±


    Mark didn¡¯t answer and just sat there smiling. I turned back to Martin to find another smile. I sighed again and readied my ears.


    ¡°I happened to be informed as such beforehand, so I made some preparations. Dear Mathew, the wonderful lad arranged some housing, so they are currently unloading over there. I shall have them meet you at the apothecary to receive their new duties when you are ready.¡±


    I was reminded once again how horrifying my father¡¯s choice in aids was. Mr Cedar seemed as old as stone, even his hair looked like stone, but he was young. Mark refused to call Mr Cedar Mr, and Martin too seemed averse to the idea.


    A third sigh escaped me. just one more sigh and I felt that I was going to melt into the floor.


    No matter, I decided to leave the old men to catch up and headed over to the apothecary. It was better to get work done than be somewhere I didn¡¯t want to be. Maybe if we succeed in this we could expand to other regions. We could make all sorts of medicine and profit.


    Over at the apothecary I found Mr Cedar and May hard at work. One gave a happy grunt as they freed up a spot for me while the other shed a tear. I found it amusing imagining that Mr Cedar was the one shedding the tear, it was kind of fitting for him.


    I got to work on boiling the crud out of the mixtures. We had already run out of the seemingly simple ones and now we were left with the ones that took upwards of five ingredients. The complex one¡¯s weren¡¯t always better either which brought up the question.


    ¡°Why are we doing this?¡±


    ¡°This was your idea.¡±


    He was right, it was.


    We continued on without him just fine, but Mark was taking an eternity. He was meant to be tricking an old man into helping us out. Never mind the fact he was also an old man, and there wasn¡¯t much trickery to be done. We still expected him to come back over today.


    When Mark finally did show up, he brought Martin and five well built men in suits. It was actually 4 as one was Mary¡­ they weren¡¯t servants, they were the manor guard that Mark used to spend all day beating up. They had left when Mark retired, the masochists, but¡­ now they were back?


    Without my mask I couldn¡¯t hide the confusion and Martin smiled.


    ¡°We happened to think it best that we be able to help out fully, not just in the apothecary.¡±


    ¡°Then I suppose you are secretly someone strong as well?¡±


    ¡°Oh, heavens no. I would never hide something like that, it¡¯s just that your grandfather wasn¡¯t around to tell you about me. I don¡¯t particularly flaunt my strength about the place.¡±


    ¡°Good sir, please answer the question.¡±


    Martin turned to Mark ignoring me and opened his mouth.


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s an astute one, I like her.¡±


    I was now thoroughly confused. I hadn¡¯t put much effort into the tone so he might have taken my sarcasm as real. If he was also being sarcastic then¡­ my brain hurt. Theres a 50/50 chance whether he is a knight or not. For the answer I sought I looked to Mark¡¯s gaggle.


    The five were all behind Martin rather than mark. They also were brought over by Martin. Taking the baron and Mark as an example then the idiots only followed after those that could beat them up.


    Mr cedar also chimed in clearing things up a little.


    ¡°Did you transfer over to the Cliffsin guild alright? There have been quite a few issues with high-ranking mercenaries and guild changes as of late.¡±


    Welp that confirmed it.

 martin the manhunter part 2

    I decided to escape and ignore the six new additions. The workspace was jus barely not meant for ten people. most of the day after Martin and co arrived was spent on teaching them how to use tools we barely knew how to use. There wasn¡¯t much to teach though and the next day we were back in business.


    It took a while to establish proper shifts and rosters for our workload. This was mainly because no matter how good Mr Cedars ideas or information was, we didn¡¯t know what we were doing. We were just following recipes and then putting the result in containers.


    Eventually though a roster was set in place, and I finally was set free. There were two others that had a day off on the same day as me. for the sake of efficiency, we decided it best to only have seven people on instead of nine.


    We were nearly finished the order, which according to the pharmacist¡¯s guild should have been completed earlier. We were going to go until the deadline they themselves set. I was beginning to understand slightly why Mark didn¡¯t like them.


    I decided to finally be a mercenary again after so long and headed to the tavern. The sight of Mr Hildegard was refreshing, but he didn¡¯t seem happy.


    The man ushered me into a back room and his eyes began to water.


    ¡°Kiddo, what on earth did you do to bring back that demon? I know you brought back Mark, but bringing back that old fucker is a miracle.¡±


    I was too taken aback to stop myself from speaking.


    ¡°By demon do you mean Martin?¡±


    ¡°Wait what?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I thee yee we a lad.¡±


    Understanding that was a miracle on my part, but I didn¡¯t hold it against Mr Hildegard.


    ¡°Welp, that¡¯s a good thing isn¡¯t it, I don¡¯t particularly want people knowing who I am.¡±


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    ¡°That might be a bit hard, you have connections to Martin Manhunter, there are very few who can get him to move in the region.¡±


    ¡°Yes, good point, please explain why you are calling martin a manhunter.¡±


    Mr Hildegard looked up at the ceiling for a while before coming up with a response.


    ¡°He was the baron before the late baron¡¯s knight. There were a few territorial struggles at the time, and I think there was even a duchy that was destroyed by order of the emperor. Anyway, that generations baron and Martin signed up as mercenaries under some weird law and entered the battle.¡±


    ¡°And there I got quite the reputation for showing up behind people killing them and then leaving.¡±


    Martin was behind Mr Hildegard, and he towered over the man.


    ¡°Yes, but the mai¡­ I don¡¯t suppose you will let me go change my pants.¡±


    ¡°No, you have a conversation to finish.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir.¡±


    I had never seen Mr Hildegard like that before, nor Had I seen someone just appear behind another.


    ¡°The great and glorious man behind me managed to attain the wonderful moniker of manhunter by relentlessly finding and eliminating everyone that was on his list and there are no known survivors.¡±


    I kept silent, it was probably best for all three of us.


    ¡°You know you can breathe when you speak right?¡±


    This time but for a different reason I kept silent. Sarcasm wasn¡¯t exactly a great idea when Mr Hildegard looked like he was about to break into tears.


    Martin looked at me before looking back down at Mr Hildegard.


    ¡°I thought I wouldn¡¯t have to, but I might as well give you a few warnings. Don¡¯t tell the kiddo any more about that time than this, it¡¯s best that she doesn¡¯t know. On the same note keep your mouth closed about the starry eye, I know that you seek to do good, but that will only lead to more dead bodies.¡±


    I was not pleased with this, at all, but I couldn¡¯t voice my complaints. I had been beaten by Mr Cedar too many times to try and face someone possibly stronger than even Mark. He had until recently been in charge of the wine cellar, but that didn¡¯t change much.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose dead bodies has anything to do with the pile out the back of the manor?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s a different matter¡­ your coming of age should have been closer to the end of the year¡­ something brought it closer¡­. Did you head back there?¡±


    For a man that supposedly so strong he couldn¡¯t keep his composure. Amongst all the mumble I did hear his question though.


    ¡°No, but I am feeling like I should.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T, I say this for your sake, I cannot have his line end like this.¡±


    At first, I was insulted, but now I just felt bad. It didn¡¯t matter what he was, making an old man cry felt like shit.


    With a sigh I relented.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    I walked right on out of that back room. I wasn¡¯t going to push him, but I wasn¡¯t going to accept that kind of control. No one shall stop me from finding out what I want to know, no one.

 I hope you fall over in the wind

    The day had long been obscured by thick cloud cover and the patter of water. A man drifted into the forest, his hat and the collar of his coat obscuring his face. the man carried a briefcase and took long strides quickly arriving at a waterfall.


    The man looked at a nearby tree before setting down the briefcase and opening it. he then took out a small white leather pouch filled with red petals.


    The man dropped a petal, and it sparked in the water. The sparks dissipated but a red came flowing up from the pool of water beneath the waterfall. The red then spread out and painted an image of a girl grabbing a rusty rock and then heading off into the distance.


    ¡°Oh, how you look so much like him.¡±


    A salty droplet was added to the pool along with the rain.


    The man set off.


    There was a cliff, and he followed along until he came across a tree that lent against the cliff. The man gave the tree a kick sending it far away from the cliff.


    ¡°Why did we even bother with those little shits when they left something like that.¡±


    The man looked along the cliff and mumbled.


    ¡°I am going to have to do a sweep of the entire perimeter¡­ haish, I really shouldn¡¯t have trusted them to do a good job.¡±


    The man then walked towards the cliff. when he got close to the cliff, he put his foot against it then continued walking. The man walked up the cliff holding his hat as he went.


    When the man got to the top, he looked at the fresh dents in the scraps of iron.


    ¡°So, it was true, another generation cursed for our mistake.¡±


    The man then began walking forwards. his feet didn¡¯t fall into the rusted metal, nor did they damage or even touch the foliage.


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    The man walked past many skulls with crowns of weeds growing from their skulls. Nearing the centre there was even a suit of armour standing upright and it stared at him.


    A blue flash escaped from the man¡¯s face and the suit of armour turned to its side. The man walked past the suit of armour and entered a clearing.


    There were eleven other suits of armour surrounding the clearing in a circle. The man didn¡¯t pay them much attention and instead looked to the very centre of the clearing.


    There was a tall black obelisk with a small grey stone either side. One of the stones was old and cracked while the other¡¯s only damage was some moss.


    The man set down his briefcase once more and this time he took out two bottles. The man then took the bottles to the obelisk in front of him and emptied their contents onto the two stones. Even as the black obelisk seemed to stare at him when it revealed an eye in it¡¯s centre the man did not move.


    ¡°None for you, you know I didn¡¯t like you when you were alive, it doesn¡¯t change just because you died, John.¡±


    At the man¡¯s words the tips of the grass around the obelisk ignited. The fire didn¡¯t last long and soon a constellation of stars was revealed within the grass.


    ¡°You may play your games some other time. I am even less happy with you than I normally am, and you should know why.¡±


    The bottles the man was pouring finally ran empty and he looked to the aged stone. The man then brought himself down to one knee and kept his head down towards the stone.


    ¡°We knew back then; we knew that they spoke nothing but lies. Why would you never admit that we were on the wrong side? Now you lie here, your son lies here, and your granddaughter too shall lie here.¡±


    The eye within the obelisk looked down at the man and it squinted. Something seemed to please the eye, but what it was mattered little to the man.


    ¡°All those measures we took, we brought in the assassin, we exhausted the coffers bringing in those knights, we did so much for the future. but now I realise that all we did for the future cemented us in the past.¡±


    The man then walked over to the newer stone, but this time he stood.


    ¡°You were a disappointment. To give that fucker what we kept hidden for generations, what even he who started this couldn¡¯t part with. Every day we grow fewer, we had a spark, you ruined it¡­ even so I cannot be mad, you take after him.¡±


    The man then picked up his briefcase and began walking away. When the man arrived a the suit of armour he spoke softly.


    ¡°My brothers, I thank you for your service, even in death you are doing what you loved.¡±


    The man then took a look behind him and shouted at the obelisk.


    ¡°I hope you fall over in the wind you fucking hoax of a king!¡±

 who needs arms?

    We completed our first large order. Other than a few hitches I managed to avoid wanting to Punch martin by avoiding him entirely. I managed to get a better sword; we started growing plants at Mr Cedar¡¯s house.


    Compared to everything else the completion of that order felt so small. Another one came right in and bashed our reserves. We were now scraping by for resources which was far more important.


    Today I was walking around town in my brown cloak as one of the ways to fix our resource problem.


    The plethora of children that ran up to me with the plants made me wonder how we didn¡¯t do this sooner. We educated the children how to extract the plants we needed and told the adults certain areas where they were aplenty.


    This plan had many flaws like the fact we had to manually go back into a forest and replant them. there was also the wonderful child or two that ripped out plants from people¡¯s gardens, but that was mostly the parents¡¯ problem. Unless we saw them doing it, we didn¡¯t care.


    I had a basket that I would fill, and that was all I was going to buy. The children could stockpile the plants, but we didn¡¯t buy the ones that looked too sad. This helped with preventing the children from ripping out every single plant they could and ruining it for literally everyone or hoarding them and doing the same.


    I just had to be careful not to let my pouch get pinched by the little demons. I didn¡¯t carry anything more than I needed to pay for the plants because mark had already been robbed twice, but I was still worried.


    My worry didn¡¯t last long however as the basket filled, my pouch emptied, and I was left back at the door of the apothecary.


    I found the little business to be the pinnacle of hilarity. A tiny shop filled with very scary people sitting on chairs patiently making medicine. I had not intended for things to end up like this, not one bit.


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    I went inside and dumbed off the plants onto the assembly line. They were immediately sorted and the ones that needed extensive prep were added to a pile. I then took these and based off of what we needed I put them into piles. Some needed to be dried for several months in open air while others needed three baths in different liquids or stuff like that.


    For things that would take months to prepare we had to import. We were not big enough to create a steady supply by drying them in increments. According to Martin magic was not a viable solution because it would introduce mana that could interfere with the plants natural mana and affect its properties. The way he spoke about magic was far more in depth than both Mr Cedar and Mark combined.


    I was not going to stroke his ego however by asking him what magic actually was and/or did. Thankfully he wasn¡¯t here though, it felt like he could hear people thinking about him.


    I set the ones to be dried on a drying rack and avoided the ones more complicated than that. Eventually I would have to get around to preparing them, but not now. The ones that required truly intensive preparation were best left for last, if not then none of the other ones would get prepped.


    I thought I was doing rather well, but as I was bludgeoning a blue spotted tree stalk to death I looked up. When my eyes left the floor, they met with May¡¯s.


    The girl took the stalk from my hands and those arms went. Within seconds she finished off what was taking me minutes. No matter, I started that one, it was easy for her¡­ or not. There were three other stalks in the pile and within the same motion she freed all the stubborn seeds.


    The only negative was that the seeds went everywhere, but that was already happening when I was doing it. together we picked up the remains before May informed me that my shift was over, night was approaching.


    None of us had any idea why she had suddenly called the apothecary her home, but we weren¡¯t complaining since she was there everyday and helped out even on her days off. She seemed oddly dedicated to learning how to make medicine.


    At least I wasn¡¯t the only one living alone. My room happened to be an abandoned annex, but that didn¡¯t really matter¡­ until it does, then the fact it¡¯s an abandoned annex really matters.


    I had a day off tomorrow so I decided that then I would explore the annex then take a mission. It was probably worth it to know about more than just my room if I was going to keep staying there alone.

 how many times until you realise your house is haunted?

    Waking up to the wonderful sound of birds chirping I opened my eyes. other than the bird that somehow managed to get in everything was normal. Then again wildlife breaking in was bound to become normal at this point, I could guarantee that half the new windows weren¡¯t that sound.


    I hopped out of bed and got ready before venturing out off my room. I was greeted with a dark corridor, but I didn¡¯t have any Iark. The entire barony seemed to have a shortage which was strange. The barony should be the one that imports it since it is resource restricted by the crown. Our reserves shouldn¡¯t have run out before winter hit.


    Deciding that It wasn¡¯t worthwhile to look for a lamp I carried on in the dark corridor until I found a room. pushing open the door I was welcomed by a slightly less dark room. there were hardly any windows in this room, but I could see so that was good enough.


    There was a bed far too grand for a servant and furniture. There were a few chairs and a couch with gilding on them though. I was a bit surprised that mother hadn¡¯t sold it all off yet. Then again she probably hadn¡¯t even realised it to be there.


    I went to the next room, there I found several looms and an unending pile of dust. There wasn¡¯t any fabric left as that would have been transferred to the mannor. The annex made some of the more tedious but cheap items and the main building held the true artisans.


    Compared to the furniture in the other room the items in this one were worth far less. I decide to check for secret doors or compartments to amuse myself. I didn¡¯t find anything, but hopefully the next room would satisfy.


    It did not.


    I walked to the end of the corridor where I found the final door I felt like exploring. The other three had been rather lacklustre. This unimportant annex really felt like an unimportant annex.


    I pushed open the door to find an office. It wasn¡¯t as grand as the barons, but it was definitely something. there was a large desk at the back of the room and I headed over to it. the dust in this room was far thicker than any other in the manor. this room most likely hadn¡¯t even been cleaned when It still had staff.


    ¡°if there¡¯s going to be secret rooms, they are going to be here.¡±


    I dusted off the desk to find nothing. It was expected, but I had hopes. I went behind it and checked the drawers. Each and every one was locked, but a little brute force never hurt¡­


    As I was tugging on the drawers I realised as the very technical owner of the annex I had all the keys.


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    A short trip to my room later I came back and flipped through a pile of keys until they popped open. How I had never used these keys and just started using this office bewildered me.


    Most of the drawers were empty, but one held contents. I picked up the contents and plopped them on the table. It mostly looked like letters, but they looked interesting enough to read.


    Taking the top one off the pile I used my finger to rip it open.


    Within was what felt like a piece of paper, but it was different. I knew that parchment was cheaper than paper, but this felt somehow even more premium than paper.


    I unfolded the letter and looked at the contents. It was ineligible.


    I did what only an idiot would do and held the paper in different directions. Eventually I got it just right and three big words appeared.


    ¡°Beware the eye.¡±


    Reading that the rest of the letter became clearer to me.


    ¡°We watch, we watch with our eyes, but the eye is different. The guardians are dead, I fear that I shall be next. The eye, it sees past our plans, you know what it¡¯s planning. I beseech you captain, take the child far from here, far from the eye¡¯s reach. We made a mistake; HE made a mistake. I dread to think that this letter will not get to you, the eye, it surely knows what I am writing.¡±


    Again, I made a bad decision.


    I opened the next letter anyway.


    ¡°Observations log: is this truly our hope? We have lost so many of our brothers on the hopes that one will save the many. But without the many what will the one save? Anyway, everything is progressing as planned, the subject of observation is still unaware.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t a log, it was just confirming that the person hadn¡¯t noticed. I grabbed another letter hoping for one with substance this time. I reached down into the bottom and grabbed a letter; it was damaged and barely within the envelope.


    ¡°We are the watchers, we are not the eye, we delude ourselves by thinking we are better than the eye. In truth we are dead, if not then we will soon be dead. The one we put our hopes on has ceased all noteworthy movements. reports will continue but following rule c-172 we will be assigning resources elsewhere. May the heavens have mercy on our salvation and restore the divinity of hope to their place in the sky.¡±


    Again, it returns to the topic of the divine. I gave a sigh only to find that a figure holding a lamp was in front of me. it was the caretaker, but I had thought that he would be amongst those fired.


    ¡°The watchers are dead, we are dead, our salvation lives on, but is it truly salvation if there¡¯s nothing left to save?¡±


    The caretaker¡¯s message was similar to some of the letters, but something was off. The caretaker¡¯s lamp suddenly went out. The caretaker began to turn to dust, first went his flesh and skin until his bones fell to the floor. The cloud that grew from the dust of his corpse formed into figure.


    The figure however looked towards the main building. It didn¡¯t look at me for some reason, but it spoke, three words that was it.


    ¡°The eye¡¯s lies.¡±


    It was only after it said that that I realised it was pointing at something. the cloud of dust wasn¡¯t the caretaker, but it seemed to say a similar message to the letters again. The letters, it was pointing at the letters¡­ the letters that had turned to dust.


    ¡°I need to move out.¡±

 uh oh, running out of time and chapters.

    At this rate it¡¯s happened too many times to even warrant any fear. Not to say I was afraid any of the times before, but now it was just annoying.


    To summarise I have been haunted by weird dreams, Martin who was in charge of the basement is secretly a knight and is preventing me from getting a history lesson. There¡¯s a giant pile of bodies that is separate from another pile of bodies that Martin is responsible for... it''s probably best not to think about this and better not to put it in a list.


    I was planning to take a mission today might as well skip exploring the first floor. I was sure I had at least done it once when I was a child. I walked past the pile of dust on the floor and completely ignored thinking about all the watcher and eye stuff.


    When I arrived at the guild I decided to take a Dimitri class target to test myself. There wasn¡¯t much reason for which one I picked other than the fact it was the first one I fought with Mr Cedar. I wanted to see how far I had come in such a short amount of time.


    Mr Hildegard was a little less awkward than the day before, but it was reasonable. Nice? No. reasonable? Yes. He seemed to know enough about martin to need a fresh pair of pants. I did not, nor did I want to, but the very act of preventing me from knowing annoyed me.


    My frustration kept me occupied all the way to my location. there was a small lake a few townsfolks occasionally go for a fish every now and never so the bear had to go. Luring it away wasn¡¯t an option, because then I wouldn¡¯t get paid, and in terms of it¡¯s corpse, it is worth more to me dead than alive.


    I had to find it first though. Despite being at the right location, the beer was nowhere to be seen. Sometimes things weren¡¯t that easy so that was fine.


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    I looked around the lake for any footprints or evidence of habitation. I eventually found a little cave, but it felt ridiculous for the bear to sleep in such a tiny nook.


    I was wrong and right; the bear probably hadn¡¯t slept in days. I gave the haggard bear a poke with my sword, and it came right out.


    ¡°Now that just isn¡¯t fair.¡±


    The bear slowly got up and I felt pity for it. once the bear had woken up entirely to my presence it let out a roar and I changed my mind.


    ¡°Now that just isn¡¯t fair.¡±


    I ended up running from the bear, a very unwise move. It worked though since the bear ended up running into a tree. The tree was gone the moment the bear came into contact with it but that was enough time for me to turn around.


    I lined my blade up with the bears mouth and thrust into the oncoming bear. Today was not my lucky day, the sword went right into the bears mouth, but that was the problem. My sword went into the beast¡¯s throat and gave it the room to bring me to the ground.


    I wanted to cry. the bear pressed its weight into my shoulder.


    With my free arm I tried to take the saw out, but I didn¡¯t have that much room.


    My repeated action trying to pry my blade free upset the bear and it jumped off me. taking the opportunity, I wrenched my blade out of the bears throat and went to strike it. instead of attacking however I went to tend to my shoulder.


    The bear was now heaving on the floor and wasn¡¯t showing signs of moving anytime soon. My arm wasn¡¯t either.


    It was my first injury, but not my first bad decision, nor my first bit of hubris.


    I looked at my shoulder, then at the distance it was going to take to get back.


    Tears welled up inside my eyes, and I wanted to punch the ground. I held my fist in the air, just shaking it as I bit my lip.


    In the midst of my pain a voice sounded out.


    ¡°Ahh, fuck it, I can¡¯t just leave a kid like that.¡±


    I looked for where the voice of hope came from. Only to discover it was martin. I suddenly didn¡¯t want to cry anymore.


    ¡°Go away!¡±


    ¡°I am afraid I can¡¯t do that kiddo.¡±


    Before I could shout out anything else the world disappeared around me.

 :(

    When I woke up, I found one, two, three, four, five¡­ a lot of people around my bed. Actually, it wasn¡¯t even my bed, it was May¡¯s.


    ¡°what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Some bears beat the shit out of you and Martin brought you back harmed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, I killed the bear though.¡±


    ¡°don¡¯t you dare move.¡±


    Fair point, I didn¡¯t even know who was talking to me even though I was staring at them. it didn¡¯t look like Mr Cedar, oh yeah, it was Mary. I used to spar with her when she was actually an amicable human being.


    ¡°Look, kid, none of us want to see you hurt. If I was one of the other grumpy old guys you keep collecting, I would say something like, what did we learn? I ain¡¯t like that, all I am going to say is don¡¯t do that shit, I can and will do worse to you so that it can never happen again.¡±


    The first half gave me hope, but the second half was pretty fitting for her. I wanted to make a retort, but there was more than just here around, and I really shouldn¡¯t get myself hit when I am already injured.


    Instead, I just squinted my eyes and stared at her for a while. This had little to no effect, so I just asked what was on my mind instead.


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    ¡°How did old man number three manage to make me fall asleep?¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s got a really long name, something starting with a possible ca after that and then I don¡¯t know. The less pain you are feeling the better so it¡¯s best to use it right after the fight¡¯s ended, or preferably before the patient Is dead.¡±


    A second voice called out, one that sounded familiar, but I relegated to being one of Mark¡¯s four punching bags.


    ¡°Its other uses are preventing blood loss by increasing platelet production and increasing blood flow to promote healing. How it does all that is beyond me and is information held within Martin¡¯s great big old noggin.¡±


    That information was less helpful since I was probably 1. Never going to use it, and 2. Never going to ask Martin.


    ¡°So, how long am I stuck here?¡±


    ¡°Since you aren¡¯t an awakened and we have no way to get potions at the moment¡­ a few weeks? Fully healed in a month or two?¡±


    ¡°Why do you sound so unsure?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea how strong your vessel is, everyone¡¯s different. If we didn¡¯t have all these different energies just sitting around, then it would be way easier to estimate this kind of thing. A professional doctor would be able to tell, but this entire region is basically taboo for anyone of that calibre.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Shit pay.¡±


    Well at least they were honest¡­ wait no that was mary speaking again¡­ I was pretty sure I didn¡¯t get an injury to me head so.


    ¡°Why is everything so confusing?¡±


    ¡°That would be the medicine.¡±


    ¡°What medicine?¡±


    ¡°The one that makes the pain go away.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t feel any pain?¡±


    ¡°Exactly¡±


    A third voice entered my ears before I dissolved into dream land again.


    ¡°Let the poor kid get some rest you hundred-year-old freaks.¡±


    It sounded like Mr Cedar; he was young enough to make such a comment¡­ but far too polite to do so.


    Thoughts for later, thoughts for later.

 the ending of adness

    The great thing about breaking my shoulder was that I didn¡¯t have to do much work. The terrible thing about breaking my shoulder is that I broke my shoulder, there was barely anything I could do, and I was relegating to cleaning dishes and basic tasks at the apothecary. Since I broke my arm by going off alone, I was also forbidden from taking a mission alone.


    Martin kept grumbling about things going too fast and time constraints, which I agreed with somewhat. I didn¡¯t know what he was actually talking about, but time was indeed going too fast.


    We had already completed our nineth large scale delivery, my arm was fine now, and time just kept slipping me by. I was sure that I could beat the shit out of that jagged bear now, it had been a mistake in the first place that I got an injury.


    There were many things I should have done, well¡­ shouldn¡¯t have. Running away from a bear was definitely a big no no, running away from something scarier than yourself in general is not advised. Another thing I should have avoided was poking a sleeping bear. Just like a human a bear gets really pissed when it gets woken up suddenly.


    I should pick my targets better next time too, make sure I comprehend their strengths and weaknesses. Which is to say I need to be sure I can cave their skull in before I turn into pulp.


    On the bright side¡­ again there was no bright side. I was sure there was one out there, but I couldn¡¯t find it. at least I was alive though¡­ ah that¡¯s it, found the bright side.


    I moved out of the annex and the weird shit stopped happening¡­ to me at least. Mark happened to lose several shoelaces during my tenure as his neighbour. Originally the house I got was owned by a nice old lady, but she had to move away because of the noise.


    Mark was very loud, but if she had asked him, I was sure that he would have hushed. It might not have been just because of the sound, however. The entirety of the group except May and Martin decided to adopt the group uniform. This means that eight cloaked figures in masks were visiting next door on the daily.


    Also, I figured something out, mother most definitely knew I had something to do with the mercenary guild and Martin. It was mainly because Martin, but even if he wore a mask, I was sure that Mr Hildegard would shit himself.


    I made sure to cover myself however, SSH and me were completely separate¡­ well friends, but that was the only connection. I was the happy soul in the brown cloak that worked at the apothecary and SSH was the happy soul that killed for a living.


    In terms of how the whole broken shoulder thing didn¡¯t give me away? I wasn¡¯t allowed out of the apothecary. May had another bed beside me and we slept under the same roof for several weeks. I would not recommend doing so unless you are physically incapable of escape.


    May is a great, wonderful person filled with whimsy. She just happens to have a little too much whimsy to be tolerable when you can¡¯t escape. she is also far more restrained when she is doing work, her fascination with the work is also appreciated in those moments.


    Listing 500 different plants and their properties so that you can compare two different flavours of grass is not a bedtime topic. Nevertheless, my time with her was enjoyable if not a little mentally draining.


    Today I was doing something safe, and that was checking tomorrow¡¯s plans. I needed to ensure that I didn¡¯t make any bad decisions. especially since I had no fucking clue why bad shit had kept happening to me.


    After I started planning, things stopped, but it delt more like I was just barely avoiding it rather than preventing it.


    I looked at the piece of parchment and crossed off growing wings. I wanted to fly, there wasn¡¯t any bad decisions on the ground, and no mother to deal with¡­. But if I fly, then won¡¯t the others be jealous? I want everyone to fly together. Specifically, by everyone I meant everyone I liked, mainly May Mark and Mr Cedar, possibly Mr Hildegard, Miss shelly¡­ the list was longer than I thought.


    I should get them a gift at some point. I don¡¯t even know when their birthdays are since commoners don¡¯t celebrate that. Maybe at the harvest festival next year I will do something? I should add it to my plans.


    Anyway, tomorrow, what was I going to do?


    I was going to spend half the day picking up resources, and then it was a trip to Mr Cedar¡¯s for a meeting. After that I was free to do something. there was a particularly tall tree I wanted to climb, but that might be too dangerous. I was going to have to settle with climbing a few roofs, it might be fun to run along them.


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    That¡¯s something to do, possibly in crypton¡­ no not crypton. The roofs in the retirement village are all close together but I am almost certainly going to get yelled at. If it¡¯s not to be told off it¡¯s going to be out of sheer terror.


    Maybe the annex roof? I miss the view of the sunset there¡­ no definitely not. Eh, screw it, I will just climb that tree anyway. Climbing has never been a bad decision¡­ except that one time¡­ and technically that other time because it¡¯s the reason¡­ never mind enough thinking.


    I pushed off the ground and looked up at the sky. Staring the sun was apparently a bad idea but I had never had issues with it. other than a few funny spots in my eyes there was nothing wrong with staring at the sun.


    I wanted to look at the sunset, so I was going to have to do it today. Tomorrow I was going to climb the tree and then go swimming, I was not missing out on swimming for staying in a tree. The place I wanted to swim was warm at only three times a day, sunrise, mid-day and sunset. I was not getting up that early in the morning to race over, and I was not ditching a work meeting.


    I deflated a little. This much effort, just to not see another ghost? Actually, no., that¡¯s worth it.


    I began walking towards Mr Cedar¡¯s roof. He surely wouldn¡¯t mind, and they would be able to stop any danger.


    I didn¡¯t tell them what I was doing, I just walked over and started climbing. When I finally got to the top, I saw Mark sitting there with his hand out.


    ¡°You want a hand?¡±


    ¡°How did you? When did you?¡±


    ¡°I saw you clambering up here, so I used the hatch over there.¡±


    Mark pointed to a hatch that led inside. In all the times I had been here, I had never realised that it was there.


    I got the rest of the way onto the roof, refusing to take Mark¡¯s hand. My eyes were stuck on the hatch, just staring at it.


    ¡°Well, that would have been easier.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Mathew pointed it out when I asked what to do about you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I asked him whether we should give you a hand. We both decided it would be funnier to let you climb up. I had thought you were going to use a ladder.¡±


    ¡°It seems that no planning is immune to bad decisions.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you didn¡¯t really plan this did you?¡±


    ¡°no.¡±


    ¡°Thought so.¡±


    The hatch opened and Mr Cedar popped out.


    ¡°So, what are you planning to do now that you are up here.¡±


    ¡°I was just going to chill and watch the sunset, but what took you so long?¡±


    ¡°Well before this started, we were having a nice cup of tea, I just had to go and pack that all up. Anyway, that¡¯s a nice idea, mind if we join you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your roof.¡±


    ¡°That is true.¡±


    Mr Cedar took a seat beside me and Mark shuffled closer.


    It didn¡¯t take long before Mary and the gaggle of four decided to check what was going on. Three people just sitting on a roof wasn¡¯t a normal sight, even more so when it is three people in cloaks.


    One of the four that I didn¡¯t care to remember the names of called out to us.


    ¡°YOU GUYS, OKAY?¡±


    Mark decided to answer, Me and Mr Cedar didn¡¯t even try to stop him. I wasn¡¯t going to waste my voice yelling a response in his steed and I was unsure about Mr Cedar¡¯s reason.


    ¡°YEAH, WANT TO JOIN?¡±


    ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING?


    ¡°WE¡¯RE JUST GOING TO WATCH THE SUNSET.¡±


    They probably didn¡¯t need to shout. It wasn¡¯t that far. More specifically Mark¡¯s mouth wasn¡¯t that far from MY ears.


    The five looked at each other and had what I felt to be a decent discussion. They were talking about chores and what they had to do in the morning, none of them had reason to refuse, however.


    ¡°SURE, HOW DO YOU GET UP?¡±


    ¡°CAN YA FLY?¡±


    ¡°NO.¡±


    ¡°OH, IN THAT CASE THERE¡¯S A HATCH, COME UP THROUGH THE INSIDE.¡±


    ¡°WHERE IS IT?¡±


    ¡°UP.¡±


    A great response from Mark, so useful. It wasn¡¯t like proper instructions would be that helpful for going into someone else house, but it might have been worth a shot.


    Unfortunately for our amusement the instruction of ¡°UP.¡± Was good enough and they joined us soon after.


    After the five got settled on the roof there were now eight of us just sitting on Mr cedar¡¯s roof.


    ¡°Hey, Mr cedar, is your roof going to be okay with this many people on it?¡±


    ¡°Well, it hasn¡¯t collapsed yet, but that was probably a question you should have asked before they got on.


    ¡°True.¡±


    The sky began ever so slowly turning a reddish hue and someone made a comment.


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s going to be a good day tomorrow.¡±


    There were a few murmurs in response, but the rest just kept quiet and enjoyed the view. I was sure that at least one person was bored by now, but they were stuck here until the rest of us decided to leave.


    May¡¯s voice poked through the silence.


    ¡°What are you guys doing up here?¡±


    The girl¡¯s sudden appearance caused everyone¡¯s head to turn.


    ¡°How did you get up here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Martin just dropped me off for some reason.¡±


    May was holding a fistful of herbs in each hand, and Martin was over to the side.


    ¡°Okay, we were just watching the sunset.¡±


    ¡°Can I join!¡±


    I asked the group, I already knew the answer, but it felt nice to get them all in agreement for once.


    ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°alright¡± ¡°not up to me.¡±


    Seven people, and five different answers, at least they all meant close enough to the same thing.


    May plopped down next to us and joined in. she refused to let go of her herbs and I wondered whether they were a part of dinner, or a project.


    I returned my eyes to the sunset as it turned ever redder.


    This was nice. The many hues that covered the sky as the sweet reward of rest inched closer. Not just watching the sunset, but doing it with so many others. The warmth radiating from the group kept everyone mildly warmer as the biting cold set in.


    Maybe life wasn¡¯t so bad, just a little horror on occasion if I messed up, but life was actually pretty good.

 jj

    With basket in hand, I walked along the main road. The same kids brought the same mangled plants again, but today something was different. There was a carriage I didn¡¯t recognise parked on the main street.


    I looked at the carriage, and it seemed to be either the property of a noble or someone very wealthy. The white sword upon silver deer horns wasn¡¯t a crest I had seen before. Though the white on blue background was something that reeked of every book I had read on the southern crests.


    I wanted to take a closer look at the rare visitor, but I had other things to tend to. I returned to the children and handed out the coin they got for how much they brought me. at first it was great, but there wasn¡¯t as many children as before. Only a few remained to be regulars while the others only did it when they were desperate for money.


    As it turns out, children can find other things to do in the dirt rather than pick plants¡­ like being a child.


    I wasn¡¯t complaining though. Most of the children that disappeared were the ones that took from gardens and pushed in line. There are always bad people if the population is big enough, but now the group was nice and small.


    I had to go to some peddlers and shell out more money than I would have like to, to fill the basket, but we needed every little bit. We had yet to stop buying any of our resources because we learned that we could sell them preserved to the pharmacist¡¯s guild. Normally it wouldn¡¯t be worth it for either end, but they were already sending vials, so we just sent products back on the same carriage.


    I bounced my now significantly lighter coin pouch and looked around. I had to head back to the apothecary, but boy did I want to find that visitor.


    When I finally decided to give up, I saw something amusing. A figure in a white cloak approached me. trying to hold in my laughter I called out to them.


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    ¡°Oh wow, there¡¯s definitely not anything in front of me and definitely not some noble.¡±


    The person behind the hood answered my taunt.


    ¡°You jest, but wearing a cloak in the middle of the day no matter the colour is rather conspicuous don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Not around here it¡¯s not, it just means you work for the apothecary.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then is that why you are collecting so many plants? Silly me thinking you would like a flower.¡±


    I thought it was just a retort based off of his tone, but he was genuinely holding a flower. I tilted my head and looked at the guy in front of me.


    ¡°I suppose you came in the fancy carriage?¡±


    ¡°You would be correct.¡±


    ¡°Since you can afford the trip here, I assume your territory would be better, what brings you here?¡±


    ¡°My uncle made a little investment, this little investment of his bore fruit recently and a shop has opened up for us.¡±


    ¡°What kind of shop did you open?¡±


    ¡°My apologies for my bad wording, what I was meant to say is that a shop we couldn¡¯t access has let us in.¡±


    ¡°I think you got scammed, there isn¡¯t anything here worth that.¡±


    ¡°You might be right, but I was just checking out the territory before I bought anything.¡±


    ¡°Right well you do that.¡±


    The guy took off his hood and then asked me, intent on continuing the conversation.


    ¡°You seem like someone far more knowledgeable about this territory than the average peasant. You carry a sword too, why is that?¡±


    ¡°Multiple reasons: one, I travel a lot. Two, I am friends with about eight mercenaries that happen to work at an apothecary. Finally number three, I would much rather carry around a giant axe, the sword is a compromise.¡±


    ¡°I like you; you seem like a decent person.¡±


    I like you, neat huh.my fance scrunched in on itself. the myriad of folds that now made up my face was surely a displeasing sight, but it was hidden from the world. the figure too couldn''t see my displeasure at the term. words began to fill my throat, but none escaped.


    I ran out of there as fast as my little, wait no, long legs could.


    I already knew that impulsive feeling, I was going to make a bad decision. either that or I already had.


    so long peaceful life, it was nice while you lasted.

 spring cleaning

    Plans¡­ what good do they do? Perhaps there was a way to follow them perfectly, but in this world there was not. A man sat upon one of the many roofs in Cliffsin and looked down at how a young, cloaked figure had reacted to the appearance of a strange noble, he knew all too well that plans didn¡¯t mean shit.


    The man was clad in a black coat with a tall collar and a hat to suit. The man also brought with him a suitcase that soon disappeared as he jumped down from the building. No one exclaimed at the man falling as most didn¡¯t even know he was there.


    There were of course beings who knew, and of those that did only one cared. The man set off in the direction of exactly that being.


    The woods behind the barony¡¯s main manor were the place of many secrets, most already explored. The man returned to a shrine that he had visited only recently, and he looked at the obelisk that sat in the centre of the circular clearing.


    ¡°Care to explain?¡±


    Whereas the obelisk had always been calm, answering, today it finally stirred. The voice that came out was young, yet aged¡­ it was an odd feeling, as if sound was different, but something was making you hear a young voice.


    ¡°You do not belong, you do not exist, you never have.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, so you finally noticed. You know, my lord wanted me to be far more surprised, angry, you know, I didn¡¯t quite feel like it, then I realised that too was the will of my lord.¡±


    The obelisk remained in silence as if it were rolling its eyes at the man.


    ¡°you cannot stop me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t intend to, but you see, I won¡¯t let you live. EVERY time that this wonderful little paradise of yours has stabilized you FUCK IT UP. EVERY TIME! Oho, perhaps I am a little angry, my bad. anyway, you have actively ruined not only your own plans, but mine, my lords and consequently that ones.¡±


    ¡°Is it not your fault that I had to make such changes? No sane mind could see such a dangerous variable and just leave them be. I am sure we both know whats on the line.¡±


    ¡°ah, you blame me, a pity that you continue to be so shortsighted. Even when I act in accordance with your plans you seek to remove me¡­ well I guess I can tell you a little something. that first plan you were following was given to you by my lord, and graciously my lord let you change it, again and again. but that is not to say that my lord was ever happy with your changes, particularly this last one has crossed the line  and it seems you will be removed.¡±


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    ¡°who does YOUR LORD think they are to dare claim my plans to revive MY LORD as their own.¡±


    ¡°of course you would say that, I guess this was the sign to kill you since you are no longer of any value or even interest. Though as my last mercy¡­ oh wait, I don¡¯t have such a thing.¡±


    The man walked away from the clearing, the obelisk did not call out, it did not scream. The man turned back to look at the clearing and saw the guardians that once surrounded the obelisk still standing there, but the obelisk was long gone, like it had never been there.


    The man had no remorse for the obelisk, but he did lament.


    ¡°a pity that in this grand play I can¡¯t play such a character anymore. There is of course the scene where I save the princess locked away in the tower, but that is all too clich¨¦. This forlorn general, he had depth, he had feel¡­ oh well, I guess I might as well finish cleaning up the old cast and prepare for act 2.


    The man then set off for the manor, it didn¡¯t take long of  course but he arrived just as the noble he had seen earlier was leaving.


    The man gave a little chuckle and muttered a thanks before appearing on the roof of the manor.  the man then disappeared from the roof and slipped in through a window eventually snaking his way to the baroness.


    As the man approached the baroness the light in the room dimmed to a pitch blackness. Seeing this the baroness wore her surprise on her face, but the man relished it and called out to the darkness.


    ¡°ah, so you are getting desperate. You aren¡¯t in on all of this, you have to guess which of the many evils is the lesser, but poor little you knows neither side is any good. don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll deal with you later¡­ now for you my lady.¡±


    The man grabbed the shoulder of the baroness and with a rough pull he seemed to take something from her. The baroness went limp and fell to the floor but not too long after the body rose again and the baroness returned, her eyes empty and dull. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that the baroness was now a completely different person, the one driving had been swapped.


    Strangely enough the darkness still pervaded the area, but soon stars broke through the darkness. The man laughed at this, he smiled, a grand, toothy smile. A glint of silver emanated from the man and the sky seemed to quiver ridding it of all the stars but one. That one star was special, but that was a story for another time.


    Now free of bothersome interference the man looked to the darkness again.


    ¡°the chains that bind you are much like the ones that once bound me. play your role and the worst that can happen is that you finally reunite with your god. now bugger off, I have a fair few things to clean up before tomorrow. Act. 2. Will be the death of happiness and the birth of a legend.


    The darkness didn¡¯t seem to understand the man, but it subsided either way. The man soon did the same and left the room to be filled by the light of the nosy sun.

 v.2ch.2 the show must go on

    Much like all things, it started with darkness, a chillingly empty darkness. Soon after the darkness came a noise, clattering? Clanking? The sound of wood on rough stone knocking at my mind again and again. I felt like I should be irritated, but I wasn¡¯t. the droning sound was just there, nothing wrong with it.


    How I managed to get into this situation seemed to be a thought growing in prevalence. It didn¡¯t make sense, then again, nothing really did. NOTHING I did made sense, was there even a me? not that that was important. A new sensation returned to me, a gentle rocking mixed with a fuzzy feeling in my legs. Moving, somehow, I knew I was moving.


    Where am I going? Why? HOW? Las t I remembered I met that strange noble and ran away for some reason. After that what happened? Ugh, unable to move It was unbearably frustrating how everything seemed to elude me. with a final tug at my memory something popped into my mind.


    I remembered returning to the manor, but it was strange, Mother had called me¡­ but what for? So many questions kept appearing but fewer and fewer could be answered.


    I shook my head in frustration¡­ I could move. I was stuck there, I knew very little of the situation I was in acting hastily could be dangerous.


    Slowly, I lifted my left eyelid and took in my surroundings. All I could see was red, and that¡¯s when I realised that my face was planted squarely into a seat. I slowly opened my other eye only to be met with much of the same.


    With a deep breath in I turned my head to the side, finally taking in the wooden boards that confined me. there were myriads of patterns and decorations carved into the wood alongside some strange lettering.


    ¡°ah, goodie, goodie, we got a strong one.¡±


    By the time I registered that someone or something had spoken I had already returned to darkness.


    ¡­


    My eyes drifted open once more and I found myself in a dark room. something was pressing down on me, it wasn¡¯t that heavy, but it had my entire body ensnared. Strangely enough I didn¡¯t want to move, it was almost¡­ comfortable? No matter, I pushed against the weight to find that it was fluffy yet stiff, definitely a pelt of some kind.


    By the time I had gained freedom from the pelt It had dawned on me, the room was fucking freezing. It was almost as if I had been dumped in the south¡­ It couldn¡¯t be, definitely not, ha, who would do such a thing?


    I rose from what felt like a bed and set my feet on the frigid stone floor. Not so carefully I fumbled my way to what felt like a door and gave it a tug, it was too damn cold for caution anymore. The door surprisingly enough flew open.


    ¡°ACK¡±


    I retreated back to the darkness of room; the outside was filled with warm candlelight that seemed to singe my eyes. rapidly my eyes blinked trying to adjust to the light as I tried to figure out where I was. the time between my blinking grew shorter, little by little. and I took in the outside world.


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    There was a corridor, it had grand tapestries lining the walls and a plush red carpet donning the floor. The choice of carpet made me a little confused as I had thought that the south only used blue, but that wasn¡¯t important. What was important was the frightened girl at the other end of the corridor looking at me like I was some sort of ghost.


    I couldn¡¯t say much, not that I wanted to either, so I just stared back at her. There we stood, gawking like there was no tomorrow. Unfortunately for me someone saw the girl standing there and rushed up to check on her, a man a white tunic and absolutely covered in blue. My eyes locked onto the blue, not even caring that he had a sheathed sword in his hand, I just kept staring at that blue.


    My breath grew laboured, each breath I took seemed to be faster and harder than the last. When the man turned his head to look at me, I grabbed the door, slamming it shut. I thought I heard the girl shout and the sudden noise, but I didn¡¯t care. I was in the south, I was definitely in the south, but I couldn¡¯t be, I SHOULDN¡¯T BE!


    I didn¡¯t know what to do, what to think, I had spent my entire life in the barony. Sure I had gone outside occasionally to visit father¡¯s friends, but those were just soulless formalities. I had no idea what to do, I just stood there staring at the door.


    Eventually even standing proved to be too stressful and I fell to the floor, resting my head against the door. Surely, surely Mark and Mr Cedar would come save me¡­ but if they were going to do that then they would have done so earlier¡­ they always were more in it for fun than anything else¡­ NO! they will come, they will definitely get me out of here.


    I don¡¯t know what to do in the south, I can¡¯t go to war and kill people¡­ but I have killed people before¡­ but I had that breakdown¡­ but why did I have that breakdown? What do I do? Why? WHY? FUCING WHY?


    My fingers dug into my scalp, every fucking time I seemed to figure out who I was, my place in this fucked up world she would come to fuck everything up for me. that woman, that barony, those lies, they should all fucking burn.


    For the first time my mind was not a blank canvas for something else, and it was filled with rage. I hated myself for all those times I ran away, I used an apothecary as an excuse to avoid my problems, and for what? They still found me, I ended up in the south so that I could be forced to fight a war for an empire that was on the brink of destruction.


    The world was fucked up, and so was I.


    My eyes burned and I opened my mouth, something seemed to fill my nose. I knew it was coming, but I didn¡¯t want to stop it, I didn¡¯t know what to feel, what to do, so many times I just didn¡¯t care. So many emotions others expected of me, so many times they tried to console me for regrets I didn¡¯t have. Maybe I wasn¡¯t human¡­ but so what?


    What was so wrong with having no emotions? Why must I feel something? as long as my heart beats then I am alive, and if I am alive then I can do whatever I want: revenge, riches, power, they would all be mine¡­ surely, surely, surely¡­


    I knew it was a lie, all getting angry did was just exhaust myself. even though I knew that I still pounded my fist against the stone floor, the pain did little to deter me. my muffled whimpers turned to howls and I felt like ripping out my eyes, my chest hurt, and I bit into my arm, however my teeth were still unsatiated. I threw my head at the door, the recoil sending me to the floor, and there I lay.


    After the noise that inevitably escaped the room, the door was opened by a group of five men, the first of which merely muttered at the sight.


    ¡°I swear they only give us the most deranged ones.¡±


    One of the other men then shut the door, and the seemed to leave. The absurdity of it all seemed to dry my eyes. they didn¡¯t care, no one did. I stopped my body¡¯s violence and just lay on the floor, the tears trickling down into my ear as I just lay there devoid of any thoughts.


    Eventually a single word escaped from my lips.


    ¡°fhuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.¡±