《Rise of a Tainted Monarch》


 CHAPTER 1

along the forest floor


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 CHAPTER 2

    After sharing a brief look of surprise, Randall and Loch leaped to their feet, somehow managing not to trip over their chained feet, and shuffled towards the larger boy blocking the doorway with the ease of people used to their restraints. Loch was the first to arrive before the now-opened entrance and looked at their bailer. He was a lean boy in his mid-teens and somehow still retained a light tan on his skin, even after the long winter, which was a clear indicator of the fact he spent most of his time outdoors; from Loch¡¯s memories, he knew the boy standing in his way managed to acquire a part-time job working with the lumberjacks.


    ¡°Well, what are you still standing there for, Chester? Help us out of these bloody cuffs, will you?¡± Loch said, pointing towards the key ring the older boy was casually swirling around his finger.


    With a smug, punch-inducing smirk, Chester looked down his nose at Loch and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t remember Mother Superior telling me I had to unlock your chains; she just said I had to unlock the door.¡±


    Randall soon stood next to his friend and gave Chester his signature tight-lipped grin before saying, ¡°Don¡¯t be a wank, Chesty. Just chuck us the keys, and we¡¯ll return them to Mother Leanne¡¯s office when we¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, no. I can¡¯t trust Mother Superior¡¯s keys to you two little monsters. I¡¯m surprised you guys weren¡¯t just thrown to the wolves after what you did. Apparently, Mr. Patterson even brought the constables over; if Mother Superior hadn¡¯t chucked you into the box, I doubt you would have been able to talk your way out of it. All that trouble just over a dying mutant.¡± Chester said with scorn as he wagged his finger in Loch¡¯s face.


    With a quick movement, Loch¡¯s hand shot out like a snake, gripped Chester¡¯s wagging finger, and bent backward, making the large boy squeal in pain. In a rush to help free his trapped finger, Chester dropped the keys, which Randall quickly scooped up. As Randall bent over to unlock his restraints, Chester was trying his full force to free his finger, which was turning purple under the pressure; however, even with his free hand added in, he couldn¡¯t force Loch¡¯s fist apart. Loch gave the other boy a dead stare, knowing that the other boy had no hope of trying to pry his hand apart; due to having to rely only on his right hand for many years, Loch¡¯s good working arm was significantly strengthened.


    ¡°Soil you Loch! Let go! Or I¡¯ll tell Mother Superior.¡± Chester yelled out after several more unsuccessful attempts.


    ¡°Next time, don¡¯t be so long-winded,¡± Loch replied as he released the older boy¡¯s finger while shoving the boy backward slightly as he followed up with, ¡°Now bugger off, you twat.¡±


    After taking a couple of stumbling steps back, Chester shot a venomous glare at Loch while he rubbed his finger before spitting out, ¡°You little scourge, just you wait, you little freaks will all be purged one day.¡±


    ¡°Is that a threat? Do you want to end up like Billy?¡± Loch uttered in response as his gaunt-like face in Chester¡¯s eyes took on a more monstrous-looking appearance in the shadow of the tin shed¡¯s doorway.


    Without uttering another word, Chester merely sneered in mock bravado and took quick steps away, heading across the snow-swept field towards the sizeable barn-like building. Seeing the older boy retreat, Loch turned back to his friend with a cheeky grin, as the dead-eyed look was completely wiped off his face. ¡°Haha, using Billy¡¯s disappearance was such a good idea when dealing with those bullies.¡± Loch laughed.


    Randall shook his head at his friend¡¯s foxlike grin as he bent down to unlock Loch¡¯s restraints now that he had taken his own off. While he was doing that, he replied, ¡°It¡¯s working for now, but you better hope Billy doesn¡¯t just suddenly turn up, or you are so screwed. That psycho will rip you apart. Ha.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, I¡¯m not worried. If that bully turns up again, I might really make him disappear.¡± Loch said the last part with a little too much venom than a boy his age should express.


    After the clinking sound of chains hitting the floor after being freed, Randall stood up and gave his friend another headshake. He didn¡¯t chastise Loch for his slightly evil thoughts as he knew better than anyone how much Billy used to torment his friend. With a simple pat to bring his friend¡¯s attention to him, as it looked like Loch¡¯s mind was wandering. ¡°Come on, mate. We better hurry. Now we are free; we can get those berries off Jack and cure Lacey.¡±


    ¡°True. She can¡¯t be doing too well with just those two nit-wit brothers looking after her. Can you take the keys back to Mother Leanne¡¯s office yourself? I¡¯ll get the squirrel off Jack and head to Grandma¡¯s place to brew the tincture.¡± Loch asked after Randall reminded him of what was most important.


    ¡°No problemo. I¡¯ll cover for you if I¡¯m unlucky enough to bump into her and see if I can scrounge us up some scraps for breakfast.¡± Randall replied.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about breakfast. I¡¯ll get Granny to make the squirrel into a broth for us. It¡¯ll be much better.¡± Loch said as he couldn¡¯t help his stomach grumble in protest at the talk of food.


    ¡°Oh, that would be awesome. Well, hurry off then and get us some grub. Just ensure that old Witch doesn¡¯t put you into the broth.¡± Randall joked with a cheeky grin as he began to make his way toward the larger building across from their previous accommodation, which started to produce the clitter-clatter of multiple people moving about.


    Seeing the large building¡¯s inhabitants starting to awaken fully, Loch quickly rushed over to the left side of the building closest to the crumbling wall, where a few bare foliage trees stood. As he arrived at the foot of a tree, Loch looked left and right before letting out a gentle whistle into the brisk air of the morning. Looking further up the trunk, he could make out a smooth hollow the size of a head about eight feet up, as if in answer to his whistle, a black feathered head with a grey mohawk stuck its head out and looked around. Jack the Raven noticed Loch immediately, and after letting out a soft caw in excitement, he leaped from his hollow with the treasured squirrel in tow. After dropping the squirrel in Loch¡¯s waiting hand, Jack took his customary spot on Loch¡¯s shoulder and rubbed his beak on his cheek.


    After double-checking that the berries were still in the squirrel¡¯s pouch, Loch wrapped the animal in his tattered blanket as if it were made of gold. Then, he gave Jack a gentle scratch on his head while whispering, ¡°Good job, buddy. Now, let¡¯s head to Granny¡¯s. She might even have one of those glow worms for you.¡± With a caw in excitement at the possible treat, Jack took to the skies and circled above Loch¡¯s head.


    Loch then headed over to the crumbing wall and quickly passed over a part that was half missing the majority of the stones, entering a street about two carts wide. Walking along the mismatched cobblestone sidewalk to avoid the muddied center of the road, Loch entered a connecting street from the orphanage that was known to the area as Sweet Street. It was not the official name but was more of a sarcastic comment made by the residents due to the disgusting smell that filled the area most of the time. The majority of the buildings along this street were shop fronts, along with a couple of rough-looking lodging houses. This was one of the better-kept areas of the district known as The Shambles, which took up only about an eighth of the city known as Hornburg, even though it made up half of the population of the immense walled city.


    As Loch began to head down the familiar streets he had trounced upon many a time, he watched as the sleepy town started to come awake fully. With shop owners unlocking doors, while neatly but drabbed dressed shop assistants hung products or wrote the current day specials on chalkboards and placed them upon the cobblestone sidewalks. Loch sped up his walk every time he made his way past a bakery, with the mouthwatering smells of fresh bread wafting out of their open doors or the scent of cooked assortments coming from popup stalls that begun to line up the more heavily trafficked spots on the streets, that many a worker or shopper would pass. Loch was just about to leave the so-called commercial district of the Shambles and head towards the more run residential area when he spotted someone who truly did not fit in. A middle-aged man was walking along the pathway on a direct course for Loch. There were several things about the man that made him stand out in a place like the Shambles, like his clothes; he was dressed in a stylish three-piece suit with a dark red vest, a matching top hat, and a cane with what looked like a lion head sculpted on top. His clothes weren¡¯t exactly out of place; some of the more successful residents of the Shambles also wore suits, but they did not compare to the one this man was wearing. It did not have the look of multiple wears or the sewn-in spots from tears. It was immaculate. His face also had a picture-perfect clean to it, with a carefully manicured thin mustache that had a slight curl to the sides.


    However, one thing that truly set the man apart from the general residents of the Shambles was his bearing. With his perfectly erect, confident posture, he didn¡¯t have the slight hunch to the shoulders like the many people who passed him, giving the man the curious but fearful eye; his back was as straight as a plank of wood and exuded strength and dignity. It was mainly reflected in the way he looked to glide along the path, as if every foot he placed was with the complete assuredness of himself and where he sat in the world. Because Loch¡¯s full attention was focused entirely on the oddly placed man, he also noticed the dirty, wrinkled hand that deftly swept in and out of the cane-wielding man¡¯s jacket pocket from behind. The figure of an older, shifty-looking man, with his filth-covered grey hair and scraggly beard, took off from behind the man with something clutched in his grime-covered fingers.


    Loch was suddenly frozen in indecision as to whether he should yell out to the dapper-dressed man that he was just pickpocketed or smirk in glee at the clearly well-off man¡¯s misfortune. As his morally better side got the best of him, he began to open his mouth to call out a warning; it, however, was soon left open in stunned silence instead. The middle-aged man only paused for a brief moment once the thief began to run after his successful pickpocket, along with a briefly muttered ¡°Fool¡± from the well-dressed man; he stretched out his hand to the fleeing thief as if he was expecting his stolen item would just fly back to him; instead, something almost more amazing happened. In a blink of an eye, the suit-wearing man¡¯s hand morphed into a three-finger claw, closely resembling a large eagle¡¯s talon, that was even tipped with razor-sharp-looking curved nails. The transformation didn¡¯t stop there, however, as if his sleeve was a clown car, the well-dressed man¡¯s arm suddenly elongated almost twenty meters within but a moment, the flesh that was revealed from his sleeve did not resemble a normal human skin at all; it seemed to have developed what appeared to be blackened scales, and more resembled a whip as if his arm suddenly had no bones.


    Also similar to a whip was the sound of a loud ¡®crack¡¯ from the elongated monstrous arm snapping out towards the fleeing thief¡¯s retreating form. The now talon-looking hand grabbed the fleeing thief by the back of his skull, his sharpened claws puncturing the old man¡¯s flesh with ease and bringing the thief to a dead stop, and before the thief could scream in pain or fright, he was pulled back to the gentleman within the time it took to blink however he was not taking in a straight line but was instead brought back in a curve. Shooting straight up into the air as if he were a human kite before being slammed back down to earth and face first into the dirt-covered cobblestones with an earthquake tumbling ¡®bang¡¯ right in front of the well-dressed gentlemen¡¯s feet. The force of the old thief¡¯s skull hitting the path caused spiderweb cracks to spread out from the impact spot, leaving a slight depression in the dirt. The thief¡¯s head scattered out in bits as the old man¡¯s face and brains spread in all directions as if someone had smashed a water bomb filled with blood onto the ground.


    Loch knew he should probably start fleeing, like almost all the other people who were on the same street. Still, he was stuck staring at the well-dressed man, not because of the casual murder; he had seen people killed in worse ways walking the dark streets of the Shambles at night and not the freaky way the man¡¯s arm morphed but as the man bent down to pick up, with a now normal looking human hand, what looked like a billfold from the now dead thief¡¯s hand, Loch saw that the man¡¯s vest breast pocket, that was previously hidden by his overcoat, held a silver badge pinned to it that looked to be about a finger long. The silver badge was in the shape of a shield with an engraving of a saber coming up against what looked like the palm of a dragon¡¯s claw as if blocking it from descending. Loch couldn¡¯t help but say out loud in his excitement and surprise at the sight, ¡°Hunter!¡±

 CHAPTER 3.

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 CHAPTER 4.

    Loch looked into the old woman¡¯s eyes with surprise at her sudden, serious tone. The last part of her sentence sounded like a joke, even though after spending time with the old lady over the last couple of years, he had learned to know when she was serious. Loch sensed a hidden depth to the seemingly frail old woman, whose gaze seemed to warp reality itself. He always felt the compunction to tell the truth, with his heart feeling tight at just the thought of lying to her face, especially when her turbid eyes held him in place.


    Loch replied with a shaky voice, ¡°I swear, Granny, I didn¡¯t go outside the wall. How could I? Mother Leanne had me trapped in the shed last week. Take a closer look at the berries; they have clearly been picked today.¡± Loch finished as he brought the berries closer to the old woman¡¯s eyes, who looked back down to the fruits after hearing what he said, letting the young boy¡¯s tightened heart calm down.


    ¡°Hmmm. Yes. They were just picked but by an amateurish hand, as most of them have the stems missing. I taught you better than that.¡± The old lady mumbled to herself as she took the proffered fruits of Loch¡¯s hand and investigated them with a keen eye. The old lady looked up at Loch, and the darkened room seemed to bathe in morning light again as she gave him her signature gap-toothed smile. ¡°So, explain how you received these treasures, boy?¡±


    Retaking his seat, Loch took the Raven from his left shoulder and placed him on the table, pointing to the now-preening bird. Loch began to explain how Jack had delivered a meal to him and Randall, a task Jack performed whenever the boys were imprisoned for more than a couple of days¡ªwhich was often¡ªand that they¡¯d found the berries in the dead squirrel¡¯s pouch on the table. Even though the old woman seemed to believe Loch¡¯s quite luck-filled story, parts of her previous occupation still showed through as she needed verification; grabbing the dead squirrel, she inspected the pouch, saw the purple stains within, and gave herself a slight nod.


    After she inspected the animal, the old woman looked at the Raven standing on the table with a puffed-up chest and beckoned him towards her. The Raven scurried across the table without hesitation and jumped onto the old woman¡¯s outstretched hand. ¡°Aren¡¯t you always full of surprises?¡± The old woman muttered as she smiled at Jack, while one of her hands went to a pouch, that sat next to several other small pouches attached to a corded rope around the old woman¡¯s waist. As if performing a magic trick, the old woman made a ¡°ta-da¡± sound, revealing a piece of dried meat that she had pulled out of her pouch and offering it to the Raven with an open palm. Jack the Raven gave an eager squawk and flap of his midnight-colored wings in excitement at the proffered treat before snapping the jerky up in its beak in a flash and devouring it with apparent glee. The smell of the dried meat even made Loch salivate a little as he muttered to himself, ¡°Could have at least shared some with your big brother.¡±


    Jack outstretched his two wings around the partially eaten jerky to shield it from potential assailants as if in retaliation to Loch¡¯s comment. Loch looked at the action of the Raven and couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes. The old woman just cackled at the two boys before putting Jack back on the table along with his treat and standing up from her seat with a heavy sigh. Picking up the withered berries she had placed in her now empty breakfast bowl, the old woman gestured to Loch with her eyes while she said, ¡°Seeing how the soil has seemed to bless you, the great little troublemaker, for once, I¡¯ll guess you¡¯ll be wanting to make a tincture for your little friend as soon as you can.¡± Hearing the old woman¡¯s words, Loch sprung to his feet while nodding with a bright smile as he left the still-defensive Raven and followed the old lady toward her cot.


    Trying not to rush the old woman but unable to slow his pace, Loch beat her toward the side of her bed and waited. The old woman, clearly seeing Loch¡¯s anxious excitement written all over his gaunt face, suddenly slowed down her already slow pace, and the hand-holding her cane even trembled as if she was struggling to hold her weight and would topple at the slightest breeze. Loch saw the old woman taking a snail¡¯s pace towards him and couldn¡¯t help but sigh and whine, ¡°Come on granny, stop pretending. I¡¯ve seen you throw your table across the room with one hand before.¡± The old woman¡¯s trembling, slow, motioned walk went back to her usual hunched back pace while she retorted to Loch with a sniff in displeasure, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about, it must have been that some little hooligan had left the door open and a gust of wind came in and knocked the table over.¡±  Loch gave the old woman a speechless expression at her shamelessness, which she directly ignored as she arrived a few feet from her single bed.


    Loch, standing a few feet to her right, came around to stand right next to the old woman as both stared in the direction of her bed; they both stood there for several seconds before the boy looked at the woman with pointed eyes as if waiting for her to do something. The old woman just stood on the spot, as if an old oak tree, and gazed out of her window with a peaceful smile, as if standing in this spot was all she planned on doing. Loch sighed dramatically and hung his head in defeat at the old woman while saying, ¡°You¡¯re right. I left the door open, and the wind knocked the table over.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I thought so, too.¡± The old woman agreed with a sage-like expression in her eyes that didn¡¯t match her shit-eating grin; she punctuated her sentence with a hard stamp of her cane. Unnoticeable unless one was paying attention, the old woman¡¯s gnarled club/cane¡¯s bottom end landed inside a similar shaped hole in the wooden floorboards between her feet. The sound of the cane entering the hole didn¡¯t make a typical wood-on-wood sound; instead, it sounded more like a click from a key opening a lock. After pulling her cane back out of the hole, both she and the boy next to her shrank, as if the ground was swallowing them up. Before Loch¡¯s head disappeared into the floor, he turned to Jack, who had just finished his treat, and called out, ¡°Jack, you know what to do? Just give a squawk if someone¡¯s at the door.¡± Jack flapped his wings in what could be considered an agreement as Loch and the Old woman completely disappeared from view, leaving a square-shaped hole in the floorboards that was soon covered by a perfectly cut piece of wood that slid out from underneath and slotted itself into the gap. Leaving a complete set of floorboards behind and a Raven that had flown over towards the cot and got comfortable upon the old woman¡¯s pillow.


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    On Loch and the Old woman¡¯s side, they were still standing on the floorboards above that had miraculously turned into a lift that lowered them into a chamber built over fifteen feet below the Hut above. The chamber they entered looked like a natural cavern with rocky walls surrounding them and was at least twice the size of the home above. The room was brightly lit by hanging lanterns from the ceiling. Inside the lanterns were not typical lit wicks but instead appeared to have moving balls of light. Each lantern contained a fist-sized firefly. If one looked closer, one would see that in each lantern was not just a regular firefly but something that looked like a tiny transparent butterfly the size of a fist that was flapping around inside the glass cage.


    Looking at the lanterns surrounding them and lighting the entire cavern, Loch said with shining eyes, ¡°Wow, the bright butterfly lives up to their name. Granny, I thought you said they wouldn¡¯t be born for another couple of weeks?¡± Just as the floorboards turned lift touched the rocky but smooth ground, the old woman replied with a tut, ¡°Who the soil knows? The little things are so fickle and a pain in the behind to feed. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s even worth it to raise them, just for their light.¡± With a steady step off the lift, the old woman made a beeline toward the cavern right in front of her, her cane taps echoing through the area. Hearing her complaint, Loch didn¡¯t comment and just followed behind her.


    The two were heading towards what could only be called a mad scientist¡¯s laboratory. Complete with odd, dog-sized test tubes with weird-looking creatures floating in some yellow sludge-like liquid to the left-hand side. In front was a large table with all manner of glass beakers and metal instruments. A small, bubbling freshwater pond occupied the right side; its center suggested a subterranean source. A small dug-out trench allowed the water to not overfill; instead, the overflow followed the trench and went towards the right side and further back into the cavern, where one could see a dug-out flower bed filled with mud-like mulch and twisted dark-looking plants of different varieties sprouting in uniform lines.


    Loch and the old woman he called Granny arrived at the table filled with instruments that looked like a mix of an apothecary, a butcher, and a doctor¡¯s standard tools. Several books lay open across the bench, including one with freshly dried ink, suggesting recent use. As the two arrived in front of the table, the old woman placed the bowl of withered berries on the table and moved two books to the side to leave a cleared space. Grabbing the book that looked like a handwritten journal, the old woman moved to the left side of the bench, pulled out a wooden stool from under the table, and sat down. Loch looked over to the old woman with pleading eyes, which she responded to with a waggle of her cane in his direction while she said, ¡°What? Do you think I¡¯m going to make the tincture myself? You do it.¡±


    Loch gave the woman a piteous look that appeared super ineffective before he responded in a slight whine, ¡°Please help me, Granny. It¡¯s too important; I don¡¯t want to stuff it up.¡± The Old woman appeared to not give a damn about the boy¡¯s plight and instead opened her journal on the table while retrieving a pen from one of her pouches, with a wave of her other hand at the now sweaty-looking boy as she said, ¡°Remember the rule boy. Equivalent exchange. Plus, you don¡¯t need my help for something so simple. Just get on with it already.¡±


    Seeing the Old woman now focused on her previous written notes and hearing what she said about her rule, Loch took a silent gulp and tried to psych himself up, ¡®Granny¡¯s right. I¡¯ve been reading about the tincture for Marshes Flu for almost a month now, I could recite it in my sleep. Still, I best be a hundred percent.¡¯ With that thought, Loch ran over to the back of the cavern, where a large bookcase was placed. Filled with books, without having to check over the books, Loch grabbed a purple-covered book and ran back over to the table. Placing the book down, he went through a couple of pages before coming to the page with the title, ¡®Marshes Tincture.¡¯ It had a step-by-step instruction on how to brew what looked like a pure herb-based potion. The right-hand page showed a large picture of a pair of dried-up-looking berries, matching the ones in the bowl, along with a description of their environments and the correct harvesting method. A handwritten line under the description had the words ¡®unreplaceable, must use,¡¯ written in bold and double underlined. Having reread what could only be described as a recipe, Loch took a deep breath and wiped his sweaty palm on his ratty pants.


    Looking over the other ingredients, Loch grabbed an empty plate off the table and went to the middle of the table near where the old woman was sitting. With neither of them communicating, Loch crouched down before tugging on a rope attached to a long wooden chest underneath the workbench. After he dragged the chest into the open, he lifted the lid, and inside was something that looked like it belonged to a post office, with small square walled pockets running up and down the chest. Each square compartment held a little tied-up pouch with a handwritten label denoting what was inside. Placing the plate on the ground, Loch then checked and double-checked the labels before grabbing a spoon with a deep indentation that was placed in one of the compartments and took out scoops of different colored dried-out herbs and place them onto the wooden plate. After grabbing five to six different herbs, Loch retied the pouches and closed the chest lid before pushing it back into its original position.


    Loch returned the plate of herbs to the table and placed them next to the bowl of berries while double-checking the ingredients against the recipe one more time. Loch then grabbed a thick iron pot and filled it with water from the pond to his right. With all the components ready, he ignited an oil-filled burner with a piece of flint next to it and then placed the pot over the small but strong flame. After taking a couple of deep breaths and unclenching his clenched hand, he felt more confident, with a firmer look in his eyes than he had and a now steady palm. Loch reached over to a mortar and pestle, saying aloud, ¡®You¡¯ve got this. It¡¯s an easy one, Granny said so.¡¯

 CHAPTER 5

    With his entire focus now on scooping different amounts of the dried herbs he had collected and grinding them with the mortar and pestle, Loch was unaware that the seemingly inattentive old woman had looked up from her book, with her gaze now focused on his small form, a slight curve to her lips spoke to the fact that at least at that moment his actions appeared to be the correct ones. Even with the fact that most of the procedure appeared more awkward and slower with Loch¡¯s handicap in play, he still took a great care with every one of his actions and never hesitated performing the next step. The old woman consistently emphasized that the tincture-making process must continue without interruption unless absolutely required. Loch remembered a phrase that was handwritten on every front page, in all the novice alchemist books the Old woman had given him over the last year. When dealing with the art of potion making, one could never know whether the catalyst for an ingredient to change its properties was simply time. ¡°Time in a certain state can change many things,¡± the old woman always warned Loch.


    Loch mixed the dried herbs from the chest and grabbed the berries from the bowl before bringing over a metal contraption resembling a sandwich maker with a crank that closed the top plate over the bottom. Placing three of the fullest-looking berries between the two plates, Loch turned the crank with a steady hand, which led to the berries being squished. The limited juices within the dried-up-looking fruit leaked out and followed along a slight furrow in the bottom plate to a lip. Which then dripped the liquid into the mortar Loch had placed there beforehand, with the already smashed herbs.


    With full concentration on the slow dripping liquid, Loch counted out the drips of juice, and once he got to seven, he moved the mortar away and placed a clean vial under the furrow to catch a couple of the drops that were left. Leaving the contraption alone, Loch looked over to the now boiling water and poured the contents in. Even though several small hand-wound clocks were on the bench, he instead opted to count out the time as he watched the herbs and berry juice mix into the clear colored water, turning its color a murky purple that became a brighter purple the more it boiled. Once he reached two minutes on the dot, Loch used a clean cloth to lift the pot off the fire and placed it on the metal table. He picked up a small but sharp-looking knife placed next to several other small tools and put it next to the cooling pot. Then, using his good hand, he lifted his wrapped-up left arm, placed it on the table, and removed the cloth, revealing his beastly looking hand. Retrieving the small knife again, and with no hesitation, he drove the sharp point into the index finger¡¯s tip. Piercing deep enough into the dried skin, that a thick drop of dark red, almost black blood began to leak out.


    This substance coming from Loch¡¯s finger should have been blood just like any other human, except his appeared far too thick, almost resembling sludge. Even though Loch had cut into his think skin with ease, it still required him to put pressure on his finger, as if he was trying to squeeze out a splinter, before the liquid came out in decent sized globs. The color also didn¡¯t resemble blood in any way; it was almost entirely black, and it appeared as if his left arm had an oil leak. After a moment, a thick stench filled the area; it wasn¡¯t unpleasant, smelling like the scent of rain hitting the cobblestones after baking in the sun all day. Loch didn¡¯t seem phased at the sight of the odd-looking liquid coming out of his own appendage and swiftly picked up a clean metal spoon after putting the knife down on a cloth. With a deft hand, he gathered a spoonful of the thick black substance and placed it into the now lukewarm and light purple liquid in the pot and began to stir the liquid in a slow rotation. Once he saw that the black liquid had disappeared and mixed into the light purple, turning it far darker, he lifted the pot and placed it back on the burner.


    Loch wrapped his left hand back in the old cloth bandage without taking his eyes off the heating pot. As he internally counted the seconds that passed, the old woman also took her eyes off Loch and scribbled into her book. She lifted her head to gaze at the young boy¡¯s now-covered hand every few seconds. Along with Loch stirring it every couple of minutes, the once smooth liquid began thickening, appearing more like a soup. After another ten minutes of this routine, with a now shaky hand, Loch lifted the pot from the flame again and placed it on the table. Staring into the thick, dark purple liquid, all the nervousness Loch had been holding at bay came flooding back as he finally changed his sight from the brew and towards the old woman who was still scribbling into her book.


    As if feeling the young man¡¯s nervous gaze, the old woman sighed and looked over. ¡°Please, Granny.¡± Loch breathed out as his eyes went from her to the cooling pot and back again. With another dramatic sigh but a deceptively quick movement, the old woman retrieved her cane propped up against the table and approached Loch and his pot. Saying nothing to the sweating young boy, she gazed at the thick liquid in the pot, and, not appearing to care about the temperature, she placed one wrinkly but clean finger into the liquid before placing it into her mouth and closed her eyes as if taste testing a real soup. With several exaggerated, confused, and pondering facial expressions emerging on her face and an almost hyperventilating Loch, the old woman opened her eyes at the young man and said, ¡°Mediocre, but acceptable.¡± Then, without another word, the old woman turned on her heel and marched towards her previous position before plopping herself down with all the gracefulness of a drunk swan and began writing in her book again.


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    A wide smile, even adding a little color to his pale cheeks, quickly replaced Loch¡¯s stunned silence. Looking back into the dark purple liquid, Loch didn¡¯t see a weird-colored and smelly pot of soup but something so much more beautiful and something he didn¡¯t think in these long few months he would be able to brew; it was a pot of hope.


    The old woman appeared to finish writing and looked at the stupidly grinning and inactive boy. A small but genuine smile graced her perpetually scowling face for a moment before it was wiped away and replaced by her signature smirk. After fixing her face, the Old woman called out, ¡°Stop staring, you little hooligan, and distill it before it turns into a poison.¡± The words snapped Loch from his staring state and had him almost leaping in place before he rushed over to retrieve a funnel and empty glass vial from further down the table. The glass vial was thin at the top but rounded significantly near the bottom, looking to hold two to three cups¡¯ worth of water. Placing them both down, he poured the thick contents into the funnel, doing his best not to waste a single drop.


    The old woman gave a slight nod as she watched over Loch¡¯s careful actions and serious face. She wrote one last line in her book that read, ¡®Taint catalyst Marsh Tincture, success.¡¯ With the ¡®success¡¯ part underlined twice, she closed the book and placed the pen back into one of her many pouches. Standing up again, the old woman went over to a locked cabinet that was placed in a crevice behind the table. Retrieving a cord from around her neck with a key attached to it, she unlocked the cabinet, revealing several skinny test tubes with corks closing their tops. The number of empty test tubes outnumbered the filled ones, with only a few holding a black liquid, and even they appeared only half filled with what appeared to be oil. Retrieving one of the empty vials and what looked like a metal syringe, the old woman returned to Loch, who was now squeezing a cork into the vial¡¯s top. The Old woman placed the empty vial and syringe on the table before Loch and said, ¡°Pay up.¡±


    Looking up at the old woman and then seeing the items on the table in front of him, Loch didn¡¯t look surprised and answered, ¡°Of course¡±. He then placed down the filled vial with a careful hand, which had a flat bottom so it didn¡¯t go rolling around, and unwrapped his left arm again. While he did that, the old woman took out another book, this one a little smaller, from beneath her robes and retrieved her pen again. Loch had just finished unwrapping all his bandages, revealing his grey-colored bony arm, with its grey root system veins, and retrieved the metal syringe from the table. With a practiced hand, Loch aimed the thin, pointed end of the syringe at the thickest-looking grey vein on the inside of his forearm and swiftly pierced the needle through his skin, as if it were tissue paper. Loch¡¯s face twitched in pain for only a moment but otherwise he had kept a neutral expression as he pulled the handle at the back of the syringe, filling the empty tube within the syringe with thick black liquid. The old woman said nothing until Loch had retrieved the needle from his forearm and handed it over to her with a smile as he said, ¡°One vial of tainted blood for you, milady.¡±


    With a laugh, she replied, ¡°Why thank you.¡± The Old woman put down her book and pen and, with deft hands, emptied the contents of the syringe into the skinny test tube before corking it and placing the tube back on the table. Retrieving her book and pen, the old woman looked back to Loch and asked, ¡°So, any updates? How has your arm been since the last time? Any more lost feeling?¡±


    Loch answered as he began to re-wrap his arm, ¡°No real changes. I still have the slight sensations now and then, but besides pain, the rest of the time, it feels like I have slept on it all night, and it just needs to wake up. More often then not i get these small surges through my arm, like it¡¯s suddenly filled with fire that has no release.¡±


    The old woman appeared to write down Loch¡¯s words in her little book word for word while she replied, ¡°Don¡¯t discount pain as an entirely bad feeling; at least it tells us that you still have working nerves in there, which can only be a good thing. There is still so much we do not know about the Taint, and after all my long years of research, I have noticed that there is such a wide variety of symptoms. Some of them weren¡¯t entirely bad for the one inflicted, either. As I am sure you have heard before, a lot of famous Hunters and Knights were born with tainted blood for one reason or another.¡±


    ¡°I know; I try to look at it that way, too, and hope that the advantages just haven¡¯t shown themselves to me yet. But besides those few miracle cases I have heard you talk about, everyone I know, including myself, who is born with the Taint experiences nothing but suffering. It¡¯s just hard sometimes, that¡¯s all,¡± Loch retorted, and as if he could hear the way his voice sounded closer to the child-like whine that matched his age, he finished his statement abruptly and changed the topic, ¡°I still find it odd that so many of the remedies you have shown me the last couple of months require the Taint for it to be effective.¡± Either not bothered with the change of topic or just showing the young Loch a little pity, the old woman replied as she placed her small book back within her robes, ¡°Just like anti-venom requires a little of the original venom. Taint-based illness requires a little of the Taint itself. And like I said, Tainted blood doesn¡¯t just help with those remedies; along with a Fiend core, a specific Tainted blood is the main component in a certain potion, I know you know of very well.¡±


    After hearing the leading statement from the Old Woman, Loch couldn¡¯t help but say out loud, ¡°A Hunter¡¯s Nightmare Potion.¡± With his eyes shining, his imagination ran.

 CHAPTER 6

    ¡°Exactly,¡± the old woman said, refocusing Loch on her. Picking up the vial and inspecting it, she then continued in a lecturing tone. ¡°All Bloodline Formulas require Tainted blood, no matter what grade they are. As the Book of Earth says, the Taint is not a curse but another part of the Soil we haven¡¯t understood yet.¡±


    The old woman, quoting the Book of Earth, saw Loch¡¯s eye roll despite her back being turned. She retorted, ¡°Control your eyes, you little heathen, or they¡¯ll become part of my next experiment!¡± With a witchlike smirk, the old woman returned the vial to her locked cabinet, gazing at the shuddering Loch out of the corner of her eye. Right before she could continue teasing the boy, a bird¡¯s squawk from above caught her attention. With a frown directed at the ceiling, the old woman whispered, ¡°I wonder who¡¯s visiting me? I have seen no one besides the little hooligan for months.¡±


    Loch, also hearing Jack calling from above, glanced at the woman with confusion. ¡°Whose that Granny? Wait, you actually have a boyfriend?¡± Loch questioned with a cheeky smile.


    The old woman looked at the boy and waved her cane at him as she replied, ¡°One of the hundreds. I usually have to beat them away with this cane of mine, as I¡¯m just too busy with my research.¡± Loch gave the woman another eye roll. ¡°Now you just wait here and make sure you clean up properly, and if I find any of my precious instruments dirty when I return, it won¡¯t just be your eyeballs that will be in my next experiment.¡± The Old woman commanded as she hobbled over to the floorboard lift and pulled on a rope hanging from the ceiling, sending the platform she was standing on towards the cavern roof.


    Loch spun away from the old woman after hearing her threat. His cheerful expression vanished, and he took his tools, cleaning them with equipment near the pond. After fifteen minutes of quiet, only the soft sounds of Loch cleaning the instruments broke the silence of the cavern, until a loud boom from above shattered the peace. It was as if a giant stomped on the Hut above, resulting in a light rain of sediment and stones from the ceiling. Loch, who had just started on the syringe used to extract his tainted blood, couldn¡¯t help but drop it on the table as he jumped in fright from the earth-rumbling boom above. Walking towards where the lift comes down, Loch clutched his brewed tincture and stared at the ceiling in worried silence. After waiting several minutes and hearing no follow-up noise, Loch was just about to call out when the sound of the floorboards moving and the rope pulley operated lift came down.


    Taking several steps back, Loch sighed in relief at the sight of the unruffled Old woman coming down from above with Jack perched on her shoulder. Even though Jack and Loch couldn¡¯t talk, their unique bond allowed something close. From what Loch could see, even though his bird brother appeared to be perched on the old woman¡¯s shoulder like normal, he seemed far from calm, with a few of his feathers being ruffled as if he had stood in front of a large gust of wind. His intelligent, beady, black eyes betrayed his fear of the old woman. Without him even calling, once Jack made eye contact with Loch, the bird flew over to land on his left shoulder and placed his beak against the boy¡¯s gaunt cheekbone. Giving the Raven a worrying look, Loch soon switched his attention to the old woman walking over towards him with a grave face.


    Loch approached the old woman with tense shoulders and asked, ¡°What happened, Granny? Are you okay? You¡¯re not hurt, are you?¡± The boy¡¯s compassionate tone softened the old woman¡¯s frown, prompting her to respond with an unusually gentle voice that resembled that of a younger, more motherly figure than the typical old witch she portrayed. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Loch. Thank you for worrying. It was just the shanty of a house next to mine that had finally fallen down. You know what shape they were in; the heavy snow from last night must have just been a little too much for them.¡±


    Considering the condition of the houses near the old woman¡¯s hut, Loch deemed the explanation acceptable, despite suspecting less snow than claimed, as his confinement prevented accurate observation. ¡®Plus, why the hell would anyone deliberately knock down the place? The wood was so rotted that they wouldn¡¯t even make good for burning.¡¯ Loch thought to himself before he could say anything else though; the old woman patted Loch gently on his right shoulder as she urged, ¡°You best get going, Loch; I¡¯m guessing your friend with the Marshes is waiting for her little hero to arrive swiftly.¡±


    The thought of his close friend, whom he cherished like family, Lacey¡¯s current pain-filled condition lasting for even a second longer, made his heartache. Loch didn¡¯t leave straight away though and looked back over at the table. He said, ¡°I still haven¡¯t finished washing up, though, and I think some dust from the ceiling has dirtied some others, too...¡± Before Loch could finish, the old woman tightened her grip on his shoulder and gently but forcefully pushed him towards the floorboard lift as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. It wasn¡¯t your fault, anyway; I¡¯ll handle the cleaning from here. You go and heal your friend.¡±


    Though he was reluctant to leave the old woman, his desire to help Lacey outweighed his reservations. Taking swift steps, Loch stood on the lift with Jack upon his shoulders and pulled the handle; while the lift was slowly raised, he called out, ¡°I¡¯ll come by tomorrow Granny; if anything is too hard to clean for today, just leave it for me to do.¡±


    As one would look at a real grandson, the old woman gazed at the slowly rising boy and called out with a soft shake of her head. ¡°Don¡¯t come tomorrow, I¡¯ll be busy...¡± As if thinking over something before Loch finally disappeared through the opening in the ceiling, she called out, ¡°Come by the day after Earth Day.¡± Even though Loch was confused about what she would be busy with, considering she rarely ever left her house, he still called out in agreement before he left.


    As Loch had entered the Hut above, he was unable to witness a scene that would have shocked him to his core. The old hunched granny he had been visiting and, in his mind, caring for over the last two years, straightened and even seemed to elongate, rising to well above six feet in height. She now held herself with poise, looking less like someone who taunted children and brewed potions in a dimly lit cavern and more like a woman used to dancing across a ballroom floor. The transformation hadn¡¯t stopped there, though. Her old wrinkled features loosened and smoothed out, her white hair regaining a slight auburn color. The cowl she wore over her head shadowed most of the changes on her face, but even the gnarled branch of her cane seemed to have changed as dramatically as she had. It appeared to stretch out until it stood even above the now tall, graceful woman. Intricately carved silver lines now ran across the smooth haft, where once knotted and bumpy wood had been. The cane-turned staff¡¯s head now resembled a glowing, brushless tree, with a softly shining crystal rock nestled securely in its center.


    As the stately woman gripped the now smooth haft of her staff, her eyes took in the surrounding cavern. They went over to the dusty table, her fingers running over it, as her sharp eyes looked lost in memory for several moments before clearing up. With a flick of her hand, the woman received an envelope from what appeared to be thin air and placed it on the table. The top of the sealed envelope only had one word, ¡°Loch.¡± With a gentle sigh, the woman¡¯s now smooth, mature voice said out loud, ¡°What will be, will be. I don¡¯t know if this is doing him a favor or an injustice, but I will let him decide. This is all I can do for now, my sweet sister; I have to return to Evernight; it can not go any longer without their Monarch. Loch¡¯s fate is now his own.¡±


    The graceful woman took one more look across the silent cavern, and with a gentle swing of her unburdened hand, several items around the cavern flew towards her and entered her sleeve, regardless of the size. After lowering her hand, she glided over to the pond and stepped straight into the cold water that was only a couple of feet deep. With a determined gaze and back straight, the woman lifted her now shining staff, the branches on the top looking as if they were blowing against an invisible wind, and slammed the staff into the middle of the pond. The water below her began to rise, taking on a brightly covered hue as if covered in moonlight, covering her form like a set of water curtains, before splashing back down soundlessly after only a moment, with the woman standing there previously wholly disappeared.


    Any of the sights that were previously revealed in the silent cavern workshop would have blown Loch¡¯s mind, the last part especially as they resembled powers of people who were even rarer in his world than the revered Hunters he was obsessed with; they were the powers of a Sorcerer. Loch, safe in his naivety, was actually in a state of shock for an entirely different reason. He was standing in front of the neighboring house, where the old woman said had fallen down because of heavy snow. ¡°Heavy snow, my soiled ass.¡± The house hadn¡¯t just fallen down; it had been wiped from the face of the world. Only clumps of what could be sawdust and upturned earth were left where a dilapidated building stood only a few hours ago.


    Loch was standing to the side of a crowd that had gathered in front of the plot of nothing. Many of the residents of the street mumbled about the odd sight while coming up with one wild theory or another about the reason and explaining how they felt the earth shake from halfway down the street and even further. A couple of the more level-headed residents didn¡¯t get sucked into the theorizing, with one person even swearing they saw an arm the size of a house made of snow rising from the air and hurling a man covered in stone at the building. Instead, they asked a couple of kids around Loch¡¯s age to head to the closest guard post and report the situation.


    Hearing the word ¡°guard,¡± Loch soon lost interest in the odd sight and made a beeline towards the end of the street with quick steps. Before he had left the old woman¡¯s house, Loch had reclaimed his tattered blanket, its squirrel occupant nestled beside a more tightly bound potion. Almost as if he was floating, Loch felt as if he flew through the return trip back to the Orphanage. He passed through the now heavily congested commercial streets, dodging people shopping and running errands. The closer-to-lunchtime hour, compared to his earlier morning trip, made the area genuinely crowded.


    Even the mud-filled bumpy road now saw some traffic, with carts going up and down the center, pulled along by sickly looking donkeys and oxen with the wooden cartwheels splashing mud mixed with half-melted snow onto the already dirty cobblestone sidewalks. A troop of city guards also marched along the road, making many of the seedier elements still loitering around the area flee into the darkness of the alleyways. Despite their inferior equipment compared to city guards in other districts, the Shambles guards still projected an intimidating presence. They had a wheellock musket with bayonet resting on their thick, duster-covered shoulders, and a heavy, spiked club strapped to their belt. It was sufficient to guarantee both their safety and maintain order in the Shambles. Loch, like the other residents, cleared a path for the patrolling guards before he continued to dodge around the eclectic mix of people busy with their everyday tasks. In a bit of a puff, he soon arrived at the back wall of the Orphanage.


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    Crouching his four feet tall frame so he couldn¡¯t be seen from within the compound, Loch placed his back against the crumbling wall and looked over at Jack, who was perched on his left shoulder. Once he made eye contact with the bird, he asked, ¡°Can you check the area for me buddy and make sure that demoness isn¡¯t outback?¡± Jack cawed in agreement, and with a flap of his wings, he took off straight away. After only a brief wait while Jack circled above, the Raven returned to Loch and shook his beak left and right, denoting the sight was clear. Loch gave the bird a grateful scratch before he went to a part of the wall further down that was missing and squeezed himself through the gap, entering the backfield just to the left of the shed/prison he was living in earlier that morning. Loch saw a couple of children of different ages roaming outside, looking to be doing different chores or just lazing about. Without either party acknowledging the existence of the other besides a brief look at each other or a soft nod, Loch made his way past the kids and to the back entrance of the Orphanage shaped like a large double-story elongated barn.


    Poking his head through the back doorway, he looked left and right down the hallway, the right leading to a large but empty kitchen and prep area and the left leading to an open hallway filled with long benches and stools running on either side. There were a couple of older kids, looking as if in their mid-teens, seated on the stools. Both appeared concentrated, reading over several open books in front of them, while they scribbled furiously on blank pieces of paper. The one person Loch was trying his best to avoid was walking alongside the benches and looking over the teens¡¯ shoulders, inspecting what they were writing. Loch, trying to remain unseen, waited for the perfect moment to cross the hall. Suddenly, Jack, perched on his shoulder, spotted the middle-aged, stately woman in her plain brown Earth Nunnery dress and heavy wooden staff; he let out a frightened caw and flew away. Heading straight back through the door, they just entered and out into the open air.


    Standing shocked for a moment at his fleeing companion, Loch turned his neck as if he were a rusty robot towards where he had just heard a loud sniff come from. Now standing with one hand on her staff and the other on her hip, Mother Leanne, also known as Mother Superior. The head nun and current boss of the Orphanage, Mother Leanne, locked her deep brown eyes onto Loch¡¯s slightly trembling form. Mother Leanne could almost be called a beauty, with her tall, shapely form, deep brown eyes, sandy colored hair, and full lips. However, her no-nonsense frowning face ruined it somewhat, along with a set of odd scars that made her scowling face terrifying. She had a set of thin, long claw marks that went from her upper lip straight down, passing her lips. The places they touched paled, and to the tip of her fair-skinned chin.


    The children of the Orphanage often made up theories on how she got those scars, Loch¡¯s favorite story being that her sharp, scathing words got her in trouble with a Hunter who had the power of Cave fairy, a notoriously aggressive tainted creature found in the deep mines, renowned for their elongated and serrated claws, that were sharp and strong enough to slice the hardest rocks. The kids only whispered these stories in secret, though, as none of them had the courage to ask Mother Leanne themselves.


    Loch was sweating on the spot and wondering if he should just bolt for the back door and come back at night, just in case Mother Leanne noticed the wrapped blanket under his arm and wanted to look at its contents. Instead, much to the boy¡¯s relief, she reprimanded, ¡°I thought I told Chester to tell you to get washed up. We have important guests coming tomorrow, and I want this place and you little gremlins to look the best they can. Get up to your room and help clean it with the others; considering Lacey is still bedridden, I charge you with picking up her portion of chores or no dinner. Understood?¡±


    With a belly full of relief, Loch couldn¡¯t keep the smile from his face and tone, so he shouted, ¡°Yes, Mother Superior! I¡¯ll do it right now.¡± Before he took off running, leaving the pondering and quizzical head nun and her students behind. He ran across the hall, which was used for meal time and praying on Earth Day, and out the entrance, which led to another hallway, this one leading to the front entrance and an open foyer with a set of stairs leading to the second floor. Taking the stairs two at a time, Lock ran down the right side hallway and past several doors that had plaques saying D7 and D8 before arriving at the last door on the right side, all that read D9. Someone had also written the word Tainted in charcoal on the door above the plaque. One of the other Orphanage kids wrote it, but the occupants of D9 never removed it. Instead, they took it as a point of pride, as this room was theirs and theirs alone¡ªtheir own little sanctuary.


    Without knocking, Loch opened the door and revealed a decent-sized room that was quite bare, besides six identical beds, with a similar bedside table next to each one, that all had an assortment of different things on top. Besides Loch, their dorm was also occupied by four other kids, all close to the same age. Three of them were all standing around one of the beds, occupied by what looked like a sleeping girl around the age of ten. The other three standing were all boys, and they turned to the doorway at the sound of it opening. All the boys had an eager look on their faces when they saw Loch and his smiling face.


    Without letting the other boys get a word in, Loch shouted in excitement, ¡°I¡¯ve got it!¡± His words caused the crowd of kids to cheer. With the smallest of the group, a boy who appeared so thin, he looked like he was nothing but pale skin stretched over a set of bones, he still somehow exuded untamed energy, with his bright green eyes and a mop of short, curly blonde hair bouncing around his head as he ran over to Loch on his matchstick legs. As the curly blonde-haired boy arrived in front of Loch, he excitedly made hand gestures before pointing to both sides of his cheeks, where someone with a little more meat on their bones would have dimples. Even though the boy appeared unable to say anything, the hand actions appeared like words to Loch, who nodded in agreement and replied, ¡°I¡¯m happy to Squirt.¡± After Loch replied, the skinny boy, Squirt, made more frantic hand gestures that were starting to be hard to follow, as he was changing them so fast.


    A somewhat scratchy voice sounded out from behind Squirt¡¯s figure, causing the skinny boy to pause, which was followed by the sound of something wooden tapping along the floorboards towards them. ¡°I know you¡¯re excited, Squirt, but let Loch in and close the door. We don¡¯t want any of the other kids to hear we have something that makes us happy. They¡¯ll get the wrong idea and try to take it.¡± Loch, realizing he was still standing in the doorway, took a couple of steps further into the room, while Squirt ran behind him and quickly closed the door.


    Without Squirt taking his attention, Loch could see the figure who had just warned them about approaching him. This boy appeared to be the oldest and most mature out of the group of children; it was not just in his general look, like his six-foot-tall frame and robust arms, but mainly his overall calm temperament. His eyes showed that he had already experienced many difficulties and weathered through them. The sound of tapping that followed the boy came from a wooden crutch the older boy wielded with ease. If one looked at the approaching boy¡¯s legs, one would find one of his legs working perfectly fine, appearing healthy and strong, while the other dragged behind him. Much like Loch¡¯s arm, it appeared like a forgotten dead weight.


    ¡°Sorry about that, Jonesy; I was a little eager myself. I almost got caught by Mother Leanne below because of rushing and a very unhelpful and traitorous bird.¡± Loch replied with a sheepish frown. The approaching crutch-wielding boy, Jonesy, answered with a calming smile, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Loch. Don¡¯t worry. I was going to get Randall to keep a lookout at the back for you to help sneak you in, but Mother Superior appears far too focused on tomorrow¡¯s guests and getting the place looking as clean as possible. So we decided to just wait for you up here.¡±


    Loch smiled in return before his face took on a picture of confusion as he asked, ¡°I find it a bit odd, to be honest. We always get a few people coming around on Earth Day for adoptions; it¡¯s nothing new. I wonder what¡¯s different about the guests tomorrow. Chesty also told us there were going to be a lot more people than usual, too.¡± Squirt, now standing to Loch¡¯s right, also looked confused and made a wavy hand gesture while pointing toward the floorboards with a shrug. Loch smirked at the gesture while Jonesy frowned and scolded with no real heat, ¡°Mother Superior is not losing her mind, Squirt. She is far sharper than any of us kids give her credit for. What have I said about showing her resp...¡±


    ¡°Give it a rest, Jonesy. Squirt meant nothing by it, and can we please talk about this nonsense later? Lacey is in pain for Soil¡¯s sake, Jonesy! or have you stopped caring about her now that you¡¯ll be moving up in the world!?¡± Randall¡¯s accusatory voice cut Jonesy off and caused the other three boys to look over at his tight-lipped, hairless face as he stood by the sleeping girl¡¯s bed. Loch¡¯s face flushed red momentarily as he retorted, ¡°Don¡¯t be a stupid git, Randall. Why would you say that about Jonesy!? He¡¯s done more for Lacey than you ever have!¡± Randall¡¯s face took on a hurt look, after Loch¡¯s rebuke, that morphed into anger as he also raised his voice in response to the scolding, ¡°What does it matter what he has done in the past!? Look at his bed, Loch!¡± Following Randall¡¯s trembling finger, Loch looked over to Jonesy¡¯s bed and only now realized that it was missing its pillow and cover, along with a rough-looking brown duffel bag sitting atop it.


    Loch¡¯s face paled as a feeling of loss built in the pit of his stomach at the sight of the packed bag; ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Before Jonesy could respond to Loch¡¯s question, Randall¡¯s softer but still heated voice rang out, ¡°Can¡¯t you see!? Jonesy¡¯s abandoning us! If we hadn¡¯t been released earlier than Chester had planned, I bet he would have slunk off without even telling us. Some big brother he is, leaving us like the trash we are, just like they did...¡± Randall¡¯s tirade lost a lot of the heat by its end and took on a more saddened and hurt tone.


    Jonesy¡¯s usual composure momentarily wavered, but rather than lashing out, he approached Randall with unexpected gentleness. The older boy limped over to Randall, who was now staring at the floor, as a soft trail of tears began to leak down his cheeks. Without replying, Jonesy lent his crutch against Lacey¡¯s bed and pulled the younger boy into a firm hug. Randall looked as if he would resist for a moment, but soon, his hands wrapped around the taller boy¡¯s back and squeezed as if he wasn¡¯t ever planning to let go. Loch felt his eyes get misty at the sight as he walked over to the two boys, catching only a few words Jonesy was whispering into Randall¡¯s ear, ¡°I¡¯ll never abandon my little brother, not even if a whole Orcan nest overran this place.¡±


    Loch didn¡¯t join the hug and just stood a few feet from them, giving the two a moment. Even though the news of Jonesy leaving appeared sudden, Loch had guessed this moment was coming for the last year. Jonesy, even with his handicap, managed to get a job as an apprentice in a Tinker shop, where he worked on repairing all sorts of machines for the residents of the Shamble. He was lucky enough to once or twice assist his master on the rare Clockwork contraptions that came in from the more wealthy business owners on Sweet Street.


    One night, Jonesy, who was usually unflappable when hearing any type of news, couldn¡¯t sleep as if something was on his mind. Loch, who on most nights had trouble sleeping, asked the older boy who also couldn¡¯t sleep what was bothering him. Although he appeared reluctant to spill, Jonesy eventually had confided in Loch that his Boss at the Tinker workshop was so impressed with his work and skill he was going to recommend him to a friend of his who taught at the Academy of Gears in the Inner city ring. It was a dream for any inspiring Tinkerer.


    While looking at Jonesy and Randall, who were now in a three-way hug, as Squirt had wedged himself between the two with his signature full-lipped smile and shiny eyes, Loch thought, ¡®Well, at least one of our dreams came true.¡¯ Unbidden, Loch¡¯s mind conjured the image of the Silver-badged Hunter he had seen that morning and his elongating arm stretching towards him, not as if he was attacking but more like he was beckoning Loch. Loch¡¯s eyes glazed over, as his surroundings began to twist and blur before fading away.


    The new image before his eyes was dominated by the Hunter who looked to be standing only a few feet away from Loch. Surrounding the Hunter was nothing but a twisting darkness that began to coalesce, as if someone was painting the background to the image before Loch¡¯s eyes. Soon, a building¡¯s shape emerged from the darkness, and details quickly appeared, revealing a sight familiar to Loch. Now the Hunter appeared to be standing right in front of the Butcher¡¯s shop on Sweet Street. This time, however, the insides appeared to be lit up, with the door wide open, even though the closed sign was still hanging from the window.


    Loch began to feel a little light-headed, as if summoning this picture before him took much of his own energy. Just as Loch thought the twisted shadows had produced everything they needed, they came together once more. A shadowy silhouette materialized behind the beckoning Hunter within seconds. However, shadows still obscured most details of the newly conjured figures, and before they could become clear, the image vanished like smoke, revealing the dorm room¡¯s normal surroundings. Loch held his head for a moment, as a fierce headache came upon him. ¡®What in all the Soil was that?¡¯ He began to think over the image he conjured, while his forehead creased in thought. The sound of Jonesy explaining what he had already known had happened to him broke Loch from his introspection and brought his attention back to his odd family.


    ¡°As long as I can attain a spot in the top ten of my classes, I won¡¯t have to pay a thing, and I¡¯ll be a fully qualified Clocksmith within four years. Then we will never have to worry about food or anything ever again. I¡¯ll buy a house for all of us in the Stem quarter. My Boss even told me that if I got enlisted in the Clockers Battalion, I¡¯d have a chance to go to Bastion. I¡¯ll get us all some Blessed Mud, too.¡±


    Hearing the most stable member of their little handicapped family start spouting all the dreams and aspirations he usually kept locked away, Loch couldn¡¯t stop a sad grin from forming. Putting the wrapped bundle still in his arms at the end of the sleeping Lacey¡¯s bed, Loch joined the hugging trio by patting the larger boy¡¯s back and saying, ¡°I¡¯m happy for you, Big Brother.¡±

 CHAPTER 7

    Once the boys had calmed down, Randall apologized for his outburst. He had been holding it in ever since he had seen Jonesy packing his bag when he came back to their room. Despite his happiness at his big brother¡¯s success, the sight of the packed bag fueled his sour feeling into loss-filled anger. Upon seeing Loch¡¯s sad but happy grin and Squirt¡¯s perpetually smiling face, Randall couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty over his overreaction.


    After Jonesy sat in a rickety old chair next to the sleeping girl¡¯s bed, Randall and Squirt stood beside him while Loch stood on the other side with the wrapped bundle in his arms. ¡°Alright, enough about my situation right now. I¡¯ll not be leaving until tomorrow morning anyway, so we can discuss it later. We have something far more important to do right now. Loch?¡± Jonesy stated, his deep brown eyes sparkling with excitement. He stared at the boy holding the tattered blanket bundle and looked down at the sleeping girl¡¯s face with a sad smile across from him.


    Loch only nodded in response to Jonesy¡¯s voice as he stared into the pale girl¡¯s face before him. The girl looked around the age of twelve, carrying the childish chubby cheeks of youth, but with a feminine edge of a girl sprouting into a woman, with her straight orange-colored eyebrows and dark orange locks cascading down the sides of her face. She appeared to be the only current occupant of room D9 who had ever eaten a full meal. She looked healthier than the other four, except for strange black markings scattered across her face and neck. The strange marks upon her tan-colored skin appeared as if someone with a large paintbrush covered in ink splattered it toward her body. This resulted in spots appearing everywhere, in various sizes. They appeared raised at any moment, as if they would begin leaking black ink from her skin.


    Loch set down the blanket, and with a gentle touch unraveled it, revealing its contents. The sight of the squirrel, who was starting to emit an odor, and the vial of dark purple liquid appeared. Upon noticing the deceased squirrel, Loch reprimanded himself audibly, ¡°Ah, Soil it. I forgot to ask Granny if she could cook the squirrel for me.¡± Jonesy, seeing the squirrel, shook his head and turned to look at the sparkly-eyed and curious-looking boy beside Loch. ¡°Squirt, grab the squirrel and take it down to Mother Leanne; if she asks where you got it, just say I brought it from one of the Trappers in the market,¡± Jonesy said. Squirt nodded with a smile in reply and ran around the bed to retrieve the squirrel.


    Randall grimaced after hearing what Jonesy planned to do and couldn¡¯t help but whine, ¡°Why are you giving our squirrel to her? We can just use the smoker tonight when everyone¡¯s in bed and keep the jerky to ourselves.¡± Loch said nothing, but he was also looking at the older boy with a slight frown as well. With a steady hand, Jonesy pointed to the sleeping girl¡¯s form as he explained, ¡°We have more important things to do brothers, I¡¯m not as knowledgeable about the healing arts as our little miracle worker Loch here, but I know we have to apply the Marsh tincture to every one of Lacey¡¯s spots. It will take a while, and that squirrel smells as if it is starting to go off; it won¡¯t last until tonight.¡± Seeing the two boys beginning to nod in agreement, Squirt grabbed the squirrel and headed towards the door while Jonesy continued, ¡°Plus, it¡¯s not a bad idea to smooth over some of Mother Superior¡¯s anger towards you two. Your early release doesn¡¯t change the fact that she hasn¡¯t forgotten the trouble you caused the orphanage the other day.


    Loch opened his mouth to protest their innocence while Randall mumbled under his breath about how the Baker¡¯s boys had it coming before Jonesy cut them both off, ¡°I have told you too before, stop only looking at things from your perspective. There is so much more going on beyond these broken walls than either of you know.¡± Hearing their ¡®big brother¡¯s¡¯ lecturing tone come on, both boys decided not to retort, while Loch quickly tried to change the subject, ¡°I¡¯ll need you two to help me with a couple of tasks while I apply the tincture. We have to make sure we get every spot, or else it the infection will return. Randall, once Squirt gets back, can you wedge the door closed? I don¡¯t want anyone disturbing us. Can you also grab my kit? It¡¯s under my bed.¡± Hearing Loch¡¯s words, Randall hurried off while he gave the young boy a mischievous wink. Loch then continued his instructions as he took the blanket off of Lacey¡¯s sleeping form. The orange-haired girl fidgeted for a short time, then lay still once more.


    After removing the blanket, Loch sat down on the side of the bed and put his little head atop the sleeping Lacey¡¯s chest. Her shallow breaths caused Loch to frown, while the sound of the door opening and Squirt¡¯s running steps announced the silent young boys returned. Randall put a wedge of wood between the floorboards and the door and then brought over a small rusted but decently conditioned toolbox over to Loch, who placed it on top of the small bedside table. A look inside revealed an assortment of general medical supplies. There are rolled-up bandages, several small jars of different colored pastes, and some small wooden tools, like a measuring spoon. With a clean rag and a small container of transparent liquid fitted with a dropper, Loch applied the liquid to the rag on the bed, noticing a potent alcohol scent, then returned the container to its box. Passing the now damp rag to a confused-looking Randall. Loch explained with a small smirk, ¡°I need you to wipe down the Swamp spots before I apply the paste to disinfect it. I¡¯m sure out of the four of us here, Lacey would be most understanding if you were the one doing something so... Upon Loch¡¯s response and the smirks of his three friends, Randall blushed, avoiding their twinkling eyes and instead just placed his attention back on the sleeping girl.


    Loch then grabbed several, what looked like a wooden popsicle stick, from another jar and put that on top of the bedside table. As he observed the sleeping girl, Loch asked the other boys if they could remove the girl¡¯s nightgown down to her waist. The girl¡¯s small chest showed similar ink splotches to her face, but covering a wider expanse. Uncorking the purple liquid-filled vial, Loch grabbed the flat wooden stick and retrieved a dollop of the thick gruel-like substance from the vial. With his gaze on the girl, Loch inhaled deeply to calm himself, then regarded his three friends whose eyes held encouragement and trust. Loch then announced, ¡°I¡¯m starting.¡±


    With directions from Loch, Randall wiped down the ink splotches before he applied a thin layer of paste on the same spot. After fifteen minutes of carefully applying the paste on Lacey¡¯s face, neck and chest, Loch looked over at the curious-looking Squirt and asked him to retrieve a clean cup for him. He then retrieved a small pencil case-sized wooded container from his toolbox. Undoing a small clasp on the front and pushing back the lid, revealed a handful of thin silver acupuncture needles. Strips of cloth filled the rest of the container to act as a cushion. After Squirt brought over an empty wooden cup, which Loch double checked was clean, he poured half of the small bottle of the disinfectant into the cup before placing the needles point down into the cup.


    ¡°Alright guys, I need you to hold Lacey¡¯s arms and legs in case she moves when I put in the draining needles,¡± Loch said to all three boys. Even though they all agreed to his request and took an arm each, with Jonesy holding both of the sleeping girl¡¯s feet, Randall¡¯s face twisted in a grimace as he questioned while looking at the cup of needles, ¡°I thought you said this cure was painless, Loch?¡± As Loch was checking the condition of the drying paste, he replied to Randall¡¯s worries in as calm and as confident a tone he could manage, ¡°The needles shouldn¡¯t hurt, unless¡­ I accidentally hit a nerve. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have the funds or even the ability to buy anything to numb the area, and Granny doesn¡¯t bother with that stuff. She says none of her research projects deserve to have their pain lessened. But! Lacey shouldn¡¯t feel anything during the draining and I¡¯m confident I can avoid her nerves¡­ The only thing is, besides trying this technique on myself and seeing Granny perform it, I have only ever tried it on one actual patient.¡± Randall¡¯s frowning face looked to scrunch up horribly before loosening up by the time Loch finished. With a hopeful tone, Randall asked, ¡°But the one patient was a success, right? Nothing went wrong?¡± Loch couldn¡¯t help but give a shaky smile as he replied, ¡°Yes... technically it was a resounding success, however that patient... he was a little different than Lacey.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by different? Like he had a different disease?¡± Jonesy interjected with a question of his own. Loch intently studied the drying paste, then replied in a whisper, ¡°It was a different disease, similar treatment, but the patient was a... different species.¡± Randall¡¯s face truly twisted now, looking as if he had sucked on a lemon, before he looked back down at Lacey with shaky eyes. He then lifted his head again when Loch mumbled, ¡°It was Jack.¡± After Jonesy let out an ¡°Ah¡± in realization, silence soon stretched out, making Loch feel nervous and uncomfortable about bringing up his inexperience. ¡®Randall¡¯s right to be worried. What If I damage one of Lacey¡¯s nerves and cripple her? I still have her back to do, which will be a lot harder. Maybe I should just take Lacey to Granny¡¯s house and beg her to do it. I was too confident to think I could do this myself. What good would a one-armed, stupid cripple...¡¯ A small hand¡¯s gentle tap on his right-side broke Loch from his rapidly spinning self-criticisms, following the hand, Loch saw the large smiling face of Squirt and his pure shinning eyes looking right at him, the small boy didn¡¯t make any of his usual large hand gestures and instead just gave Loch a simple thumbs up.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Loch¡¯s deep scowl evened out, as he patted Squirt on the shoulder in thanks. ¡°You¡¯ve got this Loch.¡± Randall¡¯s voice, laced with confidence, brought Loch¡¯s attention to the hairless boy across from him, as Jonesy chimed in with a ¡°You¡¯ve got this¡± too. With a smile and a hard nod in reply to the three boys he called brothers, as Loch couldn¡¯t trust his voice at that moment. After taking a moment to resettle himself, Loch checked over the paste and saw it had now dried out, looking like dried up mud. With a deep breath, he grabbed one of the thin needles at the rounded tip and lined it up above one of the dried mud patches, as he reminded himself, ¡®It only needs to just breach the first layer of the skin. The paste will bring the infection to the surface.¡¯ With the steadiest hand he could manage, Loch pierced the needle through the thin layer of paste before feeling a slight resistance once the sharp point contacted Lacey¡¯s skin, with only a little more pressure the thin needle pierced through and then stopped after going only about a centimeter deep. Loch stood back up from his leaning posture and took a deep breath as he wiped the sweat that had gathered on his forehead with his tattered sleeve. Even though his full focus was on the needle, he still monitored Lacey¡¯s pale sleeping face, which didn¡¯t show any reaction, besides the small shallow breaths she had been letting out the whole time.


    None of the other boys talked, as they all stared at the thin needle that was standing straight from a spot on the upper half of Lacey¡¯s uncovered chest. Even though nothing appeared to be happening, none of the boys looked away from the needle, until a soft sigh of relief escaped Loch¡¯s mouth. The boys all perceived a faint odor filling their small room. It smelt like stale water, like one would find in a swamp. A dirty black and brown liquid bubbled up from the point where the needle penetrated the purple paste, as if something was forcing it to the surface. With the dirty, foul-smelling liquid being drawn out, the paste began to shrink as it mixed with the now running liquid. Loch, seeing this, couldn¡¯t help but break out into a smile that the other boys in the room all shared. He then retrieved another clean cloth from his toolbox and handed it to Randall, instructing, ¡°Once I take out the needle, use this to wipe up the rest of the paste and impurities.¡± He understood that even though the needle hadn¡¯t caused her any pain, causing her to move, however, if she shifted in her current state, the thin needle could snap and might hurt her nerves permanently.


    After a couple of minutes, the dirty liquid ceased. Loch directed Randall to wipe the area after he eased the needle away, removing all the impurities and the remainder of the paste, leaving an unblemished pale skin in its wake. The only sign that the area had something wrong was a red raised area, resembling a small rash more than anything serious. ¡°Amazing.¡± Jonesy couldn¡¯t help but breathe out. When he saw the sight before his eyes, what was before a hand-sized blotch of infected skin was now no more. ¡°Besides the magical healing from the priests, I don¡¯t think even the revered doctors from the Crown district could do any better.¡± Jonesy said, as he looked over at Loch¡¯s proud and bashful face. ¡°It¡¯s honestly nothing compared to what I¡¯ve seen Granny do. She is amazing, even if she is a little odd and crabby at times.¡± Loch said as he retrieved another needle from the cup and placed the used one back in. Jonesy nodded in agreement from the younger boy¡¯s words, all the kids in room D9 had met the Old woman one time or another, but besides asking about the symptoms they received because of their Tainted blood, she never took much interest in them, only Loch she appeared partial to. The kids independently chose not to bother the Old Woman, despite Loch¡¯s invitations to visit her with him. They all recognized it as Loch¡¯s special opportunity to engage with a mysterious and wise individual and didn¡¯t want to spoil it for him. Similar to the treatment Jonesy received from his current boss.


    Over the next twenty minutes, Loch placed a needle into all the spots covering Lacey¡¯s chest, taking special care of the ones on her neck and face. Everything proceeded flawlessly. After finishing, Loch checked Lacey¡¯s breathing again and noticed it sounded less scratchy and shallow than before. Her face appeared to have a little more color than before. While he sat on the bed to take a quick rest, Loch instructed Squirt to clean the two rags Randall was using, while he purified all the needles with the cup of disinfectant before refilling it with a new solution and placing the needles back in it.


    After Randall retrieved the now clean rags, Loch stood back up and looked at the boys with a solemn face as he instructed. ¡°Okay, now for the hard part. We need to flip Lacey onto her front so I can get to the infected spots on her back. This is the most crucial part and regardless of how gentle I am, it is still going to hurt her. Ensure she remains motionless.¡± Why this was different compared to working on Lacey¡¯s front was soon revealed. Along with Randall and Jonesy¡¯s help, they rotated Lacey onto her side, her face towards her pillow and her back exposed. What was revealed in their eyes was a back one could only call grotesque, even though none of the boys showed any shock at the sight. Lacey¡¯s back appeared to hold several small hills underneath her skin, as if someone had shoved rocks of several sizes in her back. The young girl didn¡¯t just have one hunch in her back, but several, with a large one placed right in the top half of the middle of her spine, the size of two clenched fists.


    All the children of room D9 suffered from some form of deformity, because of the rare chance of being born with Tainted blood, some more obvious than others. Loch had his withered arm, that was like Jonesy¡¯s leg. Randall was born with pronounced gums instead of teeth and the inability to grow hair, while Squirt¡¯s deformity was less obvious, his was more internal, he had an oversized tongue and by oversized, it means the tongue almost took up his entire mouth, leading to the boy only being able to eat liquids for food, as opening his mouth up and down caused his teeth to chomp down on his tongue no matter what he did. It also stopped the boy from being able to speak. His constant grin served to free up his mouth, thus preventing his tongue from impeding his breathing. Besides that, though, he just looked like a typical child, if not a gaunt one. Lacey, however, suffered the worst out of all the boys. Her tainted blood seemed to be the only one that continued to grow, considering when she arrived at the Orphanage, she only had one or two minor bumps on her back. Lacey now had close to ten of them. Every time a new one grew, it caused the girl unimaginable pain that left her bedridden for days.


    Loch, looking over the valley of growths painted with dark ink splotches like those previously on her front, frowned. He knew from previous experience that these growths were quite sensitive. Lacey had once told him that even a small tap on them felt as if someone was pulling her hair out at the roots. Several infected splotches dotted her back, some clear of the growths, but a worrisome few overlapped. A particularly bad one was directly located in the middle of the growth on Lacey¡¯s spine.


    Knowing he had little time, as he needed to complete this treatment in one sitting, Loch swept away his worrying thoughts and looked at the three boys around the bed. ¡°Hold her tight, guys. I¡¯ll try to be as quick as I can, but it will be painful no matter what I do. Randall.¡± The toothless boy looked into his best friend¡¯s eyes after hearing him call his name, with a compassionate look. Loch instructed, ¡°Even though she is unconscious, the sound of your voice might calm Lacey when the pain hits, do your best to reassure her when I start.¡± Randall nodded his head with a determined expression. Bringing his face close to the red-headed girl, who was facing him with closed eyes.


    With a fresh popsicle stick, Loch collected a dollop of purple paste on it before smearing it onto the ink shaped splotches. Even though he tried to use the lightest touch he could, every time Loch brushed along the growths, Lacey¡¯s sleeping face scrunched for a moment, causing Randall to swiftly start whispering in her ear. Talking about things they would do once she woke up and things they did in the past, even though the girl didn¡¯t wake up, a small smile played upon her lips at the sound of Randall¡¯s voice. Once Loch finished applying the paste and waited for it to harden, he retrieved a needle and first pierced the spots that weren¡¯t touching the growths before moving onto the smallest growth that had an infected splotch.


    As the thin needle hung over the growth mere centimeters from piercing the dried paste, Loch looked over at the three boys and said, ¡°Get ready, hold her tight.¡± Then, with a confident and smooth hand, Loch stabbed the needle through the paste and flesh in one smooth motion. Even though he did it as quickly and as gently as he could, Lacey¡¯s previous still body broke out into a pain-filled spasm straight away, with only the three boys holding her and her own light frame stopping her from twisting up into a shrimp. Loch didn¡¯t hesitate as he retrieved another needle and attacked the other two splotches that were on top of the growths. All the while, the boys held down the squirming and panting girl.


    With Randall muttering right into her ear, saying, ¡°It¡¯ll all be over soon. Relax, just relax.¡± Once Loch placed the last needle into the middle of the largest growth, he even had to pause for a moment himself and hold the needle tightly with his fingertips as Lacey abruptly burst out with a full body twist, even opening her mouth and releasing the first sound she had in days, it was a hoarse, whimpering growl as if she was an injured animal. The sight and sound brought tears to Randall¡¯s eyes as he raised his voice over the painful groans leaking out of Lacey¡¯s mouth, ¡°Endure Lacey, remember what you said about the pain? It¡¯s only a small part of you and it will never control you. You will not let it beat you. Please, you have to relax. It will be over by the time you wake. I promise.¡±


    Even though the little girl was unconscious, the words appeared to have some effect, as her tensed muscles relaxed. Loch, taking the opportunity Randall had given him, continued to push the needle into the enormous growth. He had to use a heavier touch than all the others, as the growth appeared to have made the skin harder than the other parts. Lacey¡¯s face still contorted in pain, but her body didn¡¯t spasm like before. Loch took a step back and gasped, as if he had just gotten back from a long run. His little lungs sounding like bellows in the muted room, while sweat ran down his forehead like a waterfall. Once all the needle-pierced spots stopped leaking the impurity filled liquid, with the large growth one on the spine taking the longest, Loch deftly pulled out all the needles and passed over the now clean rag to Randall before taking a seat on the bed opposite him. His exhausted face broke into a small smile at the sight of the unblemished, red skin that was soon revealed once Randall had wiped away all the gunk left on Lacey¡¯s back.


    While Randall cleaned up the unconscious girl, Jonesy and Squirt both approached Loch and sat on either side of him. With Jonesy putting his arm around Loch¡¯s bony shoulders before whispering into the young boy¡¯s ear, ¡°Good job Loch. I knew you could do it.¡± Even though Loch was now grinning from ear to ear, a steady stream of tears began to run down his face. Jonesy and Squirt patted the tired boy on the back, leaving the boy in companionable silence. After releasing two weeks of silent stress and worry, Loch felt his head getting heavy and his eyes closing. Before he completely passed out, Loch heard the calm voice of his big brother, ¡°You rest now, little Loch. I got it from here.¡± Then everything went black and Loch began to dream.

 CHAPTER 8

    As night settled over the orphanage, the odd little family of D9 was fast asleep. Since his collapse and transfer to bed, Loch had been remarkably quiet. A set of haunting dreams played through his mind. Loch¡¯s dream was a hazy collection of unique moments of the past month, with blurry scenes of standing by Lacey¡¯s bed, with this time the young woman being awake but hunched over coughing blackened spit onto her bedsheets. The scene changed again, like walking through a heavy fog, revealing a fresh sight of a worried Loch and Randall crowding around her, with Mother Leanne checking the girls¡¯ condition up close.


    Then it moved to a new scene again, this one with Loch, himself looking up different diseases and their symptoms in a pile of books with an almost feverish face in the Old woman¡¯s underground workshop, ending with him finding a description of a disease before asking the Old woman about remedies for it. The image of him holding a book and talking to the woman he called Granny vanished like smoke, replaced by an image of the silver-badged hunter he¡¯d seen that morning. The Hunter was in the same position Loch had daydreamed before starting the treatment on Lacey.


    Illuminated by the Butcher shop, the Hunter stood before its open door, the surrounding area shrouded in a swirling, darkened fog. The Hunter beckoned again, this time in a stark contrast to his usual well-dressed appearance in a black and red three-piece suit and top hat. Instead, he resembled one of the ragged beggars that roamed the Shambles. The man¡¯s current suit looked as if he had gotten into a fight with a lawnmower, with slashes throughout the material, revealing tanned skin with similar gashes, leaking dark red blood. His neatly slicked back hair was in complete disarray, and the top hat was nowhere in sight. The man¡¯s piercing eyes, however, still radiated a confident calm, as if saying that even though in such a terrible state, he still had everything under control. Another thing that differed from the previous daydream was that this time, instead of just his arm beckoning him, Loch felt as if he could hear the deep, rich voice of the Hunter calling out to him. However, the sound was broken and distorted, like a radio cutting in and out. Loch could only make out a couple of words, ¡°Grade three... back up... cleansing.¡±


    Just as the words were becoming clearer to Loch¡¯s ears, the sight of a tall figure stepping out of the butcher shop¡¯s opened door behind the beckoning Hunter, made his heart beat violently. As an almost animalistic fear began to take over Loch¡¯s body, at the sight of the shadowed figure making its way over, before looming behind the Hunter. The figure was still cast in shadow, but what Loch could make out appeared not to be human. It towered over the hunter, ten feet tall and four feet wide. The shadowy figure looked as if it was about to encompass the still beckoning Hunter.


    As if sensing Loch¡¯s gaze behind him, the Hunter turned, but before he could, a trunk-sized appendage from the darkness-filled behemoth erupted and slashed down, cutting the Hunter in half, causing him to burst into smoke. The sight made Loch cry out in shock, which caused the behemoth¡¯s bulbous head to snap in his direction. Taking an involuntary step backwards from the gaze, Loch saw the behemoth take an almost identical step towards him. The sight made Loch shudder, while he took another step, but before the behemoth could take a step towards him in return, the smoky world shuddered around him. Loch felt the fog surrounding his peripheral vision gather before his eyes, obscuring his sight in silent darkness for a moment. With a blink, the surrounding darkness appeared to take form and Loch sat straight up with a frantic look, as he clutched his racing heart with his hand.


    It took a moment, but Loch started to calm down, as his eyes got used to the darkness surrounding him and he noticed the familiar sights. He was in his room. With the curled-up shapes of his roommates on their own individual beds. From the room¡¯s lone window, Loch observed the night. ¡®Must have been more tired than I thought.¡¯ A gentle caw sound came from his left as he looked over to his bedside table, where Jack¡¯s beady black eyes appeared to sparkle in the soft moonlight coming through the window. On a small, foot-tall wooden stand on Loch¡¯s bedside table sat a raven, with a grey racing stripe down its back. Jack was staring at Loch while turning its head side to side, confused as to why the young boy was awake. Loch, seeing the sight, said to the Raven, ¡°I¡¯m fine buddy. It¡¯s just a bad dream...¡±


    The thought of his dream made his heart, that had only just started slowing down, race again. Even though conjuring the image of that large darkened figure caused Loch to tremble, what really made his heartbeat rapidly was the sight of the Hunter in his torn-up suit beckoning him as if he was asking Loch for help. ¡®That¡¯s just stupid. What could I possibly help a Hunter with, anyway?¡¯ Even though Loch said that to himself and tried to lie back down to sleep. He couldn¡¯t stop the images from his dream revolving around his head, while a sense of unease filled him, like he had left a fire unattended and couldn¡¯t help but worry about the problems that could crop up if he ignored it. After almost half an hour of tossing and turning, Loch sat up in his bed again with a groan.


    Closing his eyes, as if to swallow down his rising frustration, a memory of something the old woman told him when he used to tell her about some of the vivid nightmares that used to plague him most nights. ¡°Dreams show us how to find meaning in our lives, how to fulfill our own destiny, how to realize the greater potential of life within us. Even the bad ones can give us answers to questions we are too afraid to ask.¡± The old woman¡¯s dried voice rang in Loch¡¯s head, calming his tense shoulders as he reopened his eyes with a resolute look on them.


    Removing his covers, Loch saw he was still in his clothes from the day and didn¡¯t feel the need to retrieve new ones. As quietly as he could, Loch got out of bed and put on the shoes beside his bed. Kneeling down, Loch retrieved his toolbox that was back under his bed and gently dragged it towards him, being as quiet as he could. He then unlocked it, retrieved a closed cloth pouch and a small thin knife and tied them to his rope belt around his pants. Jack, atop his perch, was looking at the boy below him while turning his head back and forth at the young man¡¯s actions. Loch put the toolbox back and looked over to his feathered companion. Remembering that besides Randall, the one who was almost always with him when he did something stupid, was this feathery fiend eyeing him, Loch gave the quizzical looking bird a giant mischievous smile. ¡°Come on buddy, let¡¯s go get some meat,¡± Loch whispered.


    The raven didn¡¯t appear to hesitate as it leapt up onto Loch¡¯s shoulder and flapped its wings in excitement. As prepared as he thought he could be, Loch made his way towards the window at the other end of the bedroom, attempting to be as silent as he could. Just as he passed the last bed on his left, Loch heard movement and froze. Looking to his left, the curled-up image of Lacey rolling around in her bed with a small frown on her face made him worry for a moment. Standing as still as a statue, Loch waited with bated breath. After seeing Lacey settle back down, he relaxed again. Checking both sides of the room, he then continued to tip-toe towards the window. After arriving at the window, Loch removed the latch and swung it open, revealing the silent night sky.


    Just outside the window was a tree with bare branches swaying in the wind. Having climbed up and perched on the window sill, Loch braced himself with one hand as Jack flew from his shoulder to a branch across from him. Looking at his desired target, Loch felt his palm get sweaty, as he kept running through his next action in his head, trying his best to gauge the movements. ¡®No hesitating, or I¡¯ll crawl back under the covers. I¡¯ve got this.¡¯ Loch reminded himself, once, twice, and even a third time before he finished by taking a deep breath, that echoed loudly in the sleepy room, and leapt towards the tree in front of him.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    The distance was only small, but Loch¡¯s stomach still did a flip when he was midair for that brief moment. He had not taken this approach when sneaking out before, but he had seen Randall and Squirt do it multiple times in the past. Loch usually used a tied-up bed sheet that one of the boys would anchor to themselves, to crawl down. Just as Loch made contact with the crown of the tree, he used his one good arm to wrap around the main trunk while also hooking his feet around. He wasn¡¯t able to stabilize himself through and his feet slipped, leading him to slide down the trunk like a fireman¡¯s pole, as he screamed internally, ¡®Stupid armmmmmmmm!¡¯ Slamming butt first into the ground, Loch rolled backwards and grit his teeth so he didn¡¯t shout out in pain before coming to a stop on his back, head facing the clear night sky.


    ¡°Well soil it. That hurt.¡± Loch muttered as he recovered the breath that had been knocked out of him. Jack flew above his head in circles and let out several soft sharp caws, that Loch interpreted as laughs, raising his hand into a fist to shake at the bird. He then noticed his cut-up palm. ¡°Damn it!¡± Sitting back up, Lock tore off one of the many strips of cloth that was around his left arm and wrapped up his bleeding palm from sliding down the tree. With sore bones, Loch stood up and whistled for Jack, who returned to his shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go smartass,¡± Loch said, as he began to make his way past the tree.


    Hearing a sound come from the second-floor window behind him, Loch turned to see a figure of someone with long curly hair standing by the window. As the moonlight came leaking down in the clear night and poured on the sleepy-looking girl, Loch could make out the red curls and freckle-filled face of the young woman, he called sister. Lacey¡¯s half-lidded eyes peered in his direction as she called out his name in more of a question than a statement, uncertain if it was his figure she saw in her half-awake state. Loch gave the girl a toothy grin that she couldn¡¯t see, and knowing he didn¡¯t want her to ask what he was up to, and somehow feeling like he was running out of time, Loch took off running towards the back yard wall without a word.


    Squeezing through the gap in the wall, Loch ran down his street and into the connecting one, reaching the windy street filled with stores. His soft cloth shoes made little noise on the damp broken cobblestone pathway but still felt loud to him in the desolate street. He finally arrived at the shopfront of his dreams, which stood distinct from its neighbours. This one was a little larger in size, but also didn¡¯t run up against another shop on either side as well. Like the other shops were giving this particular building a wide berth. Loch arrived before the shop and stood there, frozen by what he saw. His already pale face turned slightly paler, and his breath came in shallow gasps. The shop¡¯s exterior presented nothing unusual. Besides the hanging billboard above the door that read Butcher seemed askew, the only thing that stood out in the darkness of the silent street was the fact that this shop was lit. As if the one inside was still working, even though there were no noises coming out from the wide-open door.


    ¡°Oh, great Tree, please bless this one with the shade from your crown.¡± Loch couldn¡¯t help release a prayer that the priests from the Church always say on Earth Day as a sign of protection at the familiar sight before his eyes. ¡®It¡¯s just like my dream. I don¡¯t understand. I thought Mr. Kapers was bedridden at home from being ill? Why would he be working in the dead of the night? Maybe, his trying to catch up on work.¡¯ Loch¡¯s mind raced, with all kinds of reasons and excuses for the current state of the butcher shop, but a chill crawling down his spine made him know that the situation before he¡¯s eyes was unordinary. While gazing around the area, and debating internally if he should enter through the open doorway, Loch noticed another unusual thing about the current street. ¡®Where is everybody?¡¯ The trembling boy was not wondering where the actual owners of the buildings or the normal customers were, he was wondering where the beggars and the small-time thieves were. The ones who usually hid out in the dark alleyways between the buildings at night to get away from the elements. They usually filled the Shambles at night, conducting the business that belonged in the dark.


    There was not a soul in sight. Loch looked everywhere and strained his hearing as best he could, but besides the ominous sound of the butcher¡¯s billboard swinging in the light breeze, there was nothing else. The small amount of courage and determination he had built up earlier appeared to be leaking out like a popped balloon. As the side of his mind telling him to go home appeared to be winning over, a slight, deep grunt of either pain or exertion appeared to leak out from the open door. Loch felt that beckoning feeling come over again. It was like destiny was a real person and was not just knocking on Loch¡¯s door but trying to kick it down. Not being able to help himself, Loch gazed at his left arm dangling by his side in its wrapped state, his flagging spirit lifted as he gritted his teeth, almost snarling at his arm and then the open door. ¡°Soil it all. I¡¯ve got this.¡± Loch whispered out loud, as Jack let out a soft caw from his shoulder and flagged his wings wide, as if to say, ¡°I¡¯ve got your back¡±.


    Loch approached the open butcher¡¯s shop and noticed the door wasn¡¯t just open, it couldn¡¯t be closed again, as it appeared to have been ripped from its hinges and someone had just placed it next to the doorway so as not to destroy it completely. The sight made Loch¡¯s palm slightly sweaty, as he walked through the doorway and inside the Butcher¡¯s, feeling as if he was walking into the mouth of a monster. Entering the front of the shop, Loch tried to look everywhere at once. Besides looking open for business, the insides appeared to have been untouched for a while, with no stock placed in the cubby holes behind the counter or the cases in front. All that was sitting on the counter was some wrapping paper and a set of scales. The two gas lamps on both sides of the wall were on, however, and an even brighter light appeared to be coming through the doorway behind the counter.


    Loch approached the counter and leaned over it to see if he could see anything through the doorway, but all he saw was a short hall that opened up into another larger room. Loch couldn¡¯t make out much from his spot but could see several dark red stains upon the floor and flecks of the same color on the plastered walls, along with the edge of what appeared to be a large metal table. And hanging over the edge of that table limply, Loch could make out a man¡¯s hand that held a couple of fancy golden rings upon the fingers.


    ¡®Is that... his hand...¡¯ Loch thought at the sight of the hand, he obviously wasn¡¯t finding the hand familiar just from the brief meeting he had with the Hunter that morning but because it looked similar to the hand that was beckoning him in his dreams. Since waking up, that image had seared itself into his brain, as if playing on repeat. Even the rings looked the same. A soft groan and some mumbled words, as if someone were sleep talking, drifted down the hall, Loch could only just make out a few familiar words that tickled his skull, along with some new ones, ¡°Back up¡± and ¡°The Twisted¡± before a severe hacking cough interrupted the words. To the trembling boy, the deafening noise made the hallway tremble with every cough.


    Crouching down behind the counter, Loch took several deep breaths to calm himself down, while the coughing noise from beyond the short hallway drifted back into mumbling similar words again. Lock¡¯s mop of sandy hair rose above the counter, soon followed by a sweaty forehead and then a pair of narrowed green eyes. As Loch scanned the short hall for movement, trying to hear the man¡¯s mumbling, something horrifying interrupted him. Jack, who was on his shoulder and originally staying perfectly still, took off without warning and flew down the hall.


    Not given much time to think and just running on instinct, Loch cried out in a whisper, ¡°No! You stupid bird.¡± Before climbing over the counter and following the Raven, who had already flown into the room at the end of the hall and disappeared from sight. The moment Loch made it past the hall and entered the next room, he paused from hearing a tired and shaky man¡¯s voice ask aloud, ¡°Is that a bird?¡±


    Loch¡¯s heavy, shallow breaths grabbed the attention of the man strapped to the large metal table. Craning his blood-specked neck to the right, the man locked eyes with the boy, his already confused face becoming that of someone who had been repeatedly hit in the back of the head. Jack, who was circling the room above the man, let out a caw and then landed on Loch¡¯s shoulder. The Hunter from this morning, was now strapped to the table with thick chains wrapped from shoulders to ankles, as if some animal that was about to be dissected, looked at the two odd life forms in front of him and asked aloud, ¡°Looks like not one but two lost birds?¡±

 CHAPTER 9

    Loch¡¯s mind appeared to freeze over at the sight before him. The middle-aged Hunter¡¯s state looked almost exactly like his dream, with the same ripped up suit and everything. The Hunter was staring at the two surprising beings next to the table and appeared as if his mind had frozen even worse than Loch¡¯s. An awkward silence eventually began to stretch between them, that was broken by the one who was more nervous than confused. ¡°Did you call for me?¡± Loch asked the first thing that came to his mind.


    The Hunter¡¯s eyes narrowed after hearing the question, before a roughish grin began to crawl up his blood caked face. A severe laceration sliced the man¡¯s right cheek to his ear. The smile reopened the previously dried blood, sending fresh, dark red blood down his face and across his lips. Giving the man an even more eerie look, compacted with his current surroundings, Loch felt as if he was staring at a Fiend, creatures the Priests of Earth always warned the misbehaving children about, from their lips, the Fiends would crawl up from the bowels of the underworld and devour any children who snuck out at night to cause trouble.


    The little naive courage Loch possessed was quickly disappearing. His green eyes shook at the sight of the grinning Hunter and his calm grey eyes drilling a hole into his head. As if feeling Loch¡¯s rising fear and the culprit for it, Jack flexed his wings wide upon his perch on the young boy¡¯s shoulder and let out a caw in the direction of the tied up Hunter. Hearing the call from his companion and the metaphorical beating of his chest in warning to the Hunter, Loch calmed himself the best he could before looking back at the Hunter and asking again, ¡°Well? Did you call for me or not?¡±


    The Hunter¡¯s grin softened but didn¡¯t disappear as he took stock of Loch entire form. His eyes were no longer piercing and more searching. ¡°Ain¡¯t you an odd little punk? I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re brave or utterly moronic coming here tonight. Probably a bit of both, but more of the latter I would say.¡± Seeing the hurt look on Loch¡¯s childish face from his reply, the man let out a wet cough like laugh before he continued, ¡°I didn¡¯t call for you. I¡¯m not that heartless.¡±


    With a face of confusion and loss, Loch thought to himself, ¡®Was it merely coincidence? I thought this was the start to my story... Witnessing the loss, look upon the boy¡¯s face, the Hunter didn¡¯t laugh this time, but with an almost apologetic look upon his face, he interrupted Loch¡¯s trailing thoughts, ¡°I was using my aura to call for backup. Usually only someone with an awakened aura could tune in to a Hunter¡¯s aura call.¡± ¡®Aura call? What in the soil is that? Is that one of the powers of a Hunter?¡¯ Loch¡¯s confused mind was only sent further into chaos. This time, however, he was far more intrigued than scared. ¡°Why can I hear your call, then? I don¡¯t have this Aura thing?¡±


    The chained Hunter gave the boy an odd look now, as if what the Loch asked was such common knowledge, ¡°What do you mean, what is Aura? It¡¯s the most basic power of controlling Aether outside one¡¯s body. Whether working with tainted or purified Aether, all awakened can use Aura.¡± After hearing the explanation, although it was said in a tone as if the Hunter was looking at someone who just came out from a cave, Loch¡¯s eyes still sparkled in excitement as he asked, ¡°What¡¯s Aether?¡± The Hunter looked even more speechless and staring hard at the boy, his eyes narrowed as a dangerous air began to gather in the room, while the man¡¯s rich but calm voice took on an irritated close to angry tone, ¡°Are you messing with me?¡±


    Not being able to help himself, Loch took a step back, as he felt the air around him become heavy. He began to leak large droplets of sweat, and his breathing became rough. After several seconds and accompanied by a now squawking Jack, Loch managed to only stutter out one word, ¡°What? The man¡¯s face tightened into a heavy frown. Thick veins swelled in his neck and hands as he exerted tremendous effort, shaking even the chains that bound him to the table. ¡°Who are you working for? Did those blood sucking bastards send you to try to bring my mental walls down? I¡¯ll not fall for such a simple ploy, go back to your master, little Thrall.¡±


    Though burdened and breathless, Loch managed to force out a few words, expending every ounce of his strength. ¡°What on the soil are you bloody talking about?¡± As suddenly as it came, the heavy atmosphere surrounding it appeared to disappear. Loch almost immediately fell to his knees as he took several giant lungfuls of air. To the Hunter¡¯s experienced eyes, he could tell this boy was not lying to him. He also knew that it was highly unlikely this skinny boy would be working for the people who had ambushed him. ¡®But then why doesn¡¯t he have such basic knowledge, and how the hell did he hear my Aether call then? This stuff should have already been taught to him.¡¯ The Hunter thought to himself, as he used his Aura to scan the kneeling boy again, unseen to Loch, a set of smoky tendrils were caressing the air around his body as if they were tasting something and were only a few centimeters from touching him. They appeared like thin grey colored tentacles, similar to a jellyfish, appearing in uniform sizes from around the Hunter¡¯s head.


    ¡°I¡¯m... not... working... for... anyone.¡± Loch said through gasps from his position on his knees, while Jack, who didn¡¯t appear to be ruffled from the previous experience, still had his wings outstretched and was cawing at the Hunter, as if reprimanding him. Whether because of finding something or the lack of something, the Hunter redrew his smoking tendrils and said in a gentler tone, ¡°I know. Come on, get up, it was only a basic Aura suppression. If I released the full thing, it would have crushed your brittle bones.¡± With shaky legs, Loch got back to his feet and looked back over to the Hunter. His previous excitement was truly doused now. ¡°By the blessed soil, quiet that bird down, will you?¡±


    Loch, nodding, gently patted the fired-up Raven with his right hand. The Raven quieted and lowered its wings, but still appeared to give the tied-up Hunter a death stare. The Hunter matched gazes with the bird for a moment and couldn¡¯t help but blurt out loud, ¡°Brave pet you got there, boy.¡± A slight sense of pride washed over Loch as he made eye contact with Jack who softly beat his wings and automatically replied, ¡°Jack¡¯s not my pet, he¡¯s my brother.¡±


    The Hunter looked at the grey streak that ran down the Raven¡¯s midnight-colored feathers and then to Loch''s wrapped arm, it appeared as if the wrapping couldn¡¯t hide the contents beneath to the Hunter, as he muttered in an almost whisper, ¡°Blighted should always stick together.¡± Loch, who didn¡¯t manage to catch the words, looked back at the man and hesitatingly asked, ¡°What was that... ummm... Sir?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, boy. Well, considering you¡¯re not with those bloodsuckers, and you¡¯re here already, and I¡¯ve been calling for almost half a day now with no response, you may as well help me.¡± The Hunter replied, as his sharp eyes locked back onto the boy.


    Even though Loch was still holding a belly full of fear of the man before him, all the years growing up hearing about the heroic deeds committed by Hunters made him still feel as if the man before him held no true ill will against him. ¡°Okay, what do you need me to do?¡± After taking a nervous gulp, Loch tried his best to put on a confident front and asked.


    ¡°You specifically? You can¡¯t do shit for me here. However, you can help by retrieving someone who can truly help me.¡± The Hunter replied. Even though his tone didn¡¯t sound like he was deliberately insulting the boy and just stating facts, Loch still felt slightly dispirited at the hard truth. ¡®I should have known. What can a one-armed orphan truly help with?¡¯ Loch berated himself as he listened to the Hunter, who began to explain how he could help. According to the Hunter, an outpost of Earth Knights was stationed at a house just one street from the Old woman¡¯s Hut. Loch even knew the house the Hunter was telling him about; it was a fairly famous house in the Shambles due to the fact that it was apparently haunted with many stories of people going in and never coming out. Loch just found out the truth, as there was apparently a secret group of Earth Knights called Sentinels stationed there. ¡®Why would the blessed warriors of the church be hiding out there for? All the gangs and criminals live on the East side of the Shambles.¡¯ Even though Loch was going over the many reasons the famous guardians of the Church and the Nobility would be set up there, he still listened intently to the Hunter¡¯s instructions.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to take my Hunter¡¯s badge with you. It may be hard because of the chains, but with your bony arm, you should be able to reach through them. It¡¯s under my left side jacket. Once you get there, tell them that Tobias Grimstone sent you and... Oh... soil it!¡± The Hunter¡¯s calm voice slightly turned harsh as he stopped his explanation and closed his eyes. Loch could see the man¡¯s eyeballs moving around behind his lids, like he was searching for something. The man¡¯s tight frown turned into a snarl as his eyes snapped back open. Looking into Loch¡¯s shaky eyes, the man rushed out, ¡°There is no time. Go, go now!¡±


    Hearing the man¡¯s roar, Loch shuddered; his heart pounded, threatening to burst. Without thinking about why the Hunter suddenly told him to leave, but seeing the slight fear in the older man¡¯s eyes, Loch leaned over the table that was standing at his chest and tried his best to reach into the man¡¯s jacket, searching for the badge. Seeing the boy¡¯s action, the Hunter just shook his head and commanded, ¡°Forget the badge! Just run. Find the Sentinels and tell them Tobias Grimstone has ended his Hunt.¡± Hearing the resignation that now held no trace of fear in the man¡¯s tone brought Loch up short quicker than his roaring for him to leave. Taking a couple of steps back from the table and looking towards the doorway that led back towards the front of the shop, Loch hesitated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, boy. All Hunters know that one day the Hunt must end. It¡¯ll be okay. It¡¯s not cowardly to run when you¡¯re up against something far stronger than you. Go.¡± The Hunter¡¯s deep voice took on a gentle tone, as his grey eyes appeared to gleam with a purity of a man who was truly ready. Seeing the look in the man¡¯s eyes and the calm smile he was giving even while covered in blood made a similar scene flash through his mind unbidden. So much about the current situation was similar to the one playing through his eyes. Instead of the Hunter¡¯s tanned middle-aged face, with his neat mustache and slicked back black hair, a woman¡¯s face was superimposed over his.


    A woman who appeared in her mid-twenties took the position of the tied up Hunter. She was also covered in blood and appeared to be missing both eyes. With the sockets dripping blood as if they were just recently plucked out. Even without eyes, the woman appeared to be looking right into Loch¡¯s own, while a gentle motherly smile filled her face, as she calmly spoke, ¡°It¡¯s okay Loch. It¡¯s all going to be okay. I just need you to hide in our special place in the forest. Can you do that for Mummy?¡± The woman¡¯s face turned around as if something was heading towards them. Before she turned back to Loch with the same gentle smile, she urged, ¡°I need you to go right now, honey. I¡¯ll be right behind you. Go and don¡¯t look back.¡± As if Loch was currently running away, the women kept raising her voice as if he was getting further and further away, ¡°Don¡¯t look back, honey. I¡¯m right behind you. ¡°...Don¡¯t look back...¡± Something abruptly silenced the woman, replacing her voice with a quickly stifled scream.


    The familiar sound of the suppressed scream¡ªone that had awakened Loch countless nights¡ªrang in his mind, instantly sharpening his focus on the back room of the butcher shop. The blood-flecked walls, the smell of iron in the air, and the Hunter who was now yelling angrily at the frozen boy. Everything became crystal clear again. The large metal table and the thick iron chains became his entire world for a moment. Thoughts and ideas flew through his head like someone had kicked a nest of bees. ¡®Those chains look familiar. I wonder if they are also wea¡­¡¯ ¡°I got it!¡± Interrupting his own thoughts, Loch couldn¡¯t help but cry out. His sudden shout even caused the Hunter to flinch for a moment before he roared at the boy, ¡°What are you talking about, you moron!? Did you not hear me!? The bloodsuckers pet is coming back. I can feel his horrid aura from here, which means he is minutes away. Get your skinny ass out of here!¡±


    Not listening to the yelling and flailing Hunter, Loch simply gave the man his brightest smile and shouted out while he ran to the other side of the room, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m an expert at escaping chains!¡±


    Stopping his moving about and shouting, as it just exhausted him further, the Hunter just looked at the skinny boy who was stacking several crates on top of each other near the end of the table with an absurd look, as if he was watching a mental patient. Ignoring the Hunter, Loch felt like an erupting volcano, brimming with energy. He wasn¡¯t sure what exactly had lit this sudden fire within him, whether it was seeing the sight that had haunted him ever since he arrived at the Orphanage or Loch was just sick of being utterly hopeless to his fate, he just knew that if he didn¡¯t try, he would never be able to sleep again.


    After stacking several boxes on top of each other in a one, two, and three pattern, Loch used them like a set of steps. Now standing on the three stacked high boxes, he was able to reach up towards the roof. His objective was not the roof; instead, it was just below it, where a sturdy steel pipe ran from one wall to another. Hanging on these pipes were several thick hooks that ended in razor sharp points. The hooks were designed to hold slabs of meat, but they were currently empty. Retrieving one of the hooks from the pole, Loch climbed down his impromptu stairs, almost slipping on the blood-covered floor. Jack almost lost his perch on his shoulder than well and let out a caw in surprise, looking up at his companion, Loch shouted out a command as he hurried back over to the middle of the table while pushing one of the crates over with his foot. ¡°Jack, head outside and watch the back area. Let me know if you see anyone coming towards here.¡± With a caw, Jack left Loch¡¯s shoulder and headed towards the front door.


    Loch stood on top of the crate and could now look down on the tied-up Hunter and get a better look at the chains. The chains repeatedly encircled the man and the table in a simple loop, running from just below his shoulders to his ankles. They were so tight they were digging into the man¡¯s flesh. Seeing the serious look on the boy¡¯s face as he investigated the chains, the Hunter decided to avoid interrupting Loch and to simply wait. Even though he was not holding much hope for whatever plan the boy had cooked up on the fly, the Hunter couldn¡¯t help but notice a slight trace of anticipation rising within him.


    A frown began to gather on Loch¡¯s tiny face as his sweaty palm gripped the metal hook tightly, while his eyes ran up and down the chains with a meticulous eye. ¡®Come on. Come on, there is always a weak link. Always.¡¯ Loch muttered to himself, and as the fire raging in his belly began to settle down, he looked over the chain. ¡®Our luck can¡¯t be that bad. It doesn¡¯t look new... Wait, there!¡¯ Loch couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in his own mind, as he jumped off the crate and looked at a part of the chain that was wrapped around the Hunter¡¯s waist. The specific part of the chain Loch was looking at was on the side of the table, almost underneath it. The link he was looking for appeared slightly damaged, as if due to the Hunter¡¯s repeated thrashing and moving, made the link catch itself on the side of the table, scraping into the metal link and bending it slightly out of shape. Loch looked back at the Hunter, who hadn¡¯t taken his eyes off the boy, raised his hook, and wagged it in the air with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll have you out of those chains before you can say... Soil it!¡±


    The Hunter gave the boy a raised eyebrow in response to the sudden curse, before he realized why he said that, then he mimicked Loch with a snarl, ¡°Soil it!¡± Jack had just flown back into the room and started cawing wildly while flying near the back door, which was past the end of the table. Understanding that Jack was trying to tell him that someone was coming through the back door he hadn¡¯t been through, Loch knew he was running out of time, in a loud whisper Loch cried out, ¡°Hide Jack!¡± while he jammed the sharp point of his hanging hook into the link at the side of the table before gripping the opposite end of the hook tightly and laying down under the table. While placing both his feet on the back of the table for more strength and gritting his teeth, Loch began to pull on the hook with all his might.


    The link in the chain distorted slightly more but didn¡¯t break. Loch paused for a moment, as the sound of a door opening further into the building followed by what sounded like very heavy footsteps following, made his already beating heart run rampant. Taking a deep breath, Loch gripped the hook and began to pull again. He was exerting so much, veins were bulging in the side of his head, while a crazed look began to gather in his eyes. Just as the footsteps approached the backdoor and the sound of the door opening viciously with a bang, that clapped like thunder in Loch¡¯s ears, another sound which sounded like the very heavens were singing rang out straight after, with a soft Tink, followed by the momentum of Loch pulling suddenly coming free the hook came flying back at him, almost hitting him in the face. Not wasting another moment, Loch grabbed the now broken chain by one end and began pulling, unravelling one end, with the end of the chain wrapping around his arm. The sound of two large feet slamming down just to the right of Loch brought his desperate pulling to a swift stop, as he looked to the side and saw what could be a massively overweight set of feet. ¡°Soil it.¡±

 CHAPTER 10

    With the ease of someone moving a rag, the metal table above Loch, that also had the added weight of a grown man attached to it, was pushed across the room. Its metal legs, digging into the softer wood below, created a scraping sound that vibrated through the floor. After moving the table, all that remained was Loch, lying on his back. One hand lay limply to his left side; his right hand was wrapped in chains, which he subconsciously continued to pull towards himself. The sight above him had completely overwhelmed him.


    A figure, bearing a striking resemblance to an ordinary man¡ªone that even Loch found vaguely familiar¡ªstood over Loch¡¯s prone form. Aside from having two arms and legs, the figure bore little resemblance to a human. The being gazing menacingly at Loch with an almost ravenous look was a creature with truly distorted features. Besides, it being giant in almost every sense of the word. Towering eight feet tall, arms thick as tree trunks emerged from a blood-covered apron and skin as rough as bark. However, instead of the normal tree lines in wood, red lines covered the creature¡¯s arms, racing up and down as if someone had peeled the creature¡¯s skin and put it back together. Rows of metal staples following the lines appeared to hold the skin in place, but they looked to be under heavy pressure and pulled taut, leaking a dark yellow liquid in places.


    Besides the creature¡¯s oversized legs and arms bulging with muscles and crisscrossed with odd surgery scars, what was most horrifying about the creature¡¯s body was its head. Sitting at the size of a boar, on a thick neck, the grotesque head was a true mismatch of a face. Two enormous eyes, pupil-less, sat below a large bald forehead, stark white with only small veins of blood snaking through them. Even without pupils, Loch knew the creature was staring straight at him. Below the white eyes, where a normal nose should be, was a cleanly cut triangular hole. A black liquid was currently leaking down the creature¡¯s face, a sight that terrified both Loch and the squirming Hunter on the table. Its lipless mouth stretched so far in either direction that the face appeared split in two. A row of triangular jagged looking teeth filled the open mouth. Bits of unchewed meat were seen between the teeth, amidst dark blood stains. A steady flow of foul-smelling saliva leaked from its mouth, dripping onto the floor near Loch, completing the nightmarish image.


    The room was as silent as a graveyard, with even the restless Jack perched over the doorsill, sitting as still as a statue. Loch, almost without thought, began pulling on the chain connected to the table again, leading to soft metal to metal tinkling sounds to leak out. The sound caused the lipless beast that Loch could now see, the missing Butcher Mr. Kapers, to let out a wet sounding growl. The beast gasped for breath, each respiration a struggle. Loch had the distinct feeling that the creature was staring at him like a piece of juicy meat. He knew true hunger, and this creature radiated starvation.


    Before Loch could regather his bearings and think straight, a large bulbous hand reached down and covered his face. The creature¡¯s thick fingertips dug into Loch¡¯s face and skull, lifting the skinny boy as if he were as a broom. As the creature lifted him, Loch instinctively grabbed the hanging hook beside him. With feet dangling in the air, and seeing through the gaps in the beast¡¯s fingers, Loch came eye to eye with the creature and, to his further horror, watched a long serpentine tongue slither out from the creature¡¯s mouth. The bottom of the tongue scraped along the sharpened teeth and left bleeding gouges in the already deformed flesh. The tongue¡¯s tip reached through the beast¡¯s fingers and licked Loch¡¯s cheek, the stench of its saliva almost making the boy hurl, as the creature let out a satisfied growl. Clearly happy about the taste of what it saw was its next meal.


    With Loch lifted higher and its head tilted back, the lipless creature appeared poised to swallow the boy feet first, like a snake consuming its prey. Feeling himself being raised and seeing his future as a midnight snack coming to fruition, Loch¡¯s life and death instincts kicked in and, without further chance of thought, he swung the hanging hook in his grasp upwards.


    Loch intended to hook the creature in the eye, but because of his poor angle and upward movement, the hook ended up lodged in the creature¡¯s nasal cavity, securing the catch as it pulled upwards. The creature shrieked in pain, reacting instinctively by tossing aside the source of its torment; much like someone dropping something incredibly hot. Loch felt his body fly through the air, and because of his not exactly strong grip, the hook was left inside the creature¡¯s nose hole, while his body went careening into the small hallway. The creature¡¯s casual throw was incredibly powerful, sending Loch¡¯s small body tumbling end over end across the wooden floor until his head hit the counter, stopping his momentum. With a loud cry of pain, Loch¡¯s vision blurred, and he felt like everything went black for a moment. The sound of repeated high-pitched squawks brought his mind back to wakefulness after a few seconds. Perched on the counter above Loch, Jack called and beat its wings frantically, looking down. Sending several of its precious midnight feathers falling.


    The lipless creature, still standing within the backroom, clumsily grabbed onto the hook stuck in its face and pulled it out with a fierce tug, making the curved hook rip out a chunk of flesh on the way out, leading to the nose hole now being even wider on one side. One huge hand covered the damage part, as black blood gushed out between its sausage-sized fingers. With its white eyes even more bloodshot, the creature roared in Loch¡¯s direction. The sound was so loud it caused the boy¡¯s already ringing head to pound even more, as he lifted his right hand to cover one of his ears and groaned out in pain. The roar from the creature was so loud that several dogs in the neighborhood began to let out barks in retaliation and waking a lot of the residents from several streets over. Just after the angry cry of the creature, the sound of a bunch of heavy chains hitting the floor followed by an angry man¡¯s bellow echoed out in the room, ¡°Time for round two, you abomination!¡±


    In Loch¡¯s blurry and wobbly vision, he could just make out the figure of the creature standing near the door way, turning to the left side of the room after hearing the Hunter¡¯s rage filled shout before two blackened scaled fists smashed into its chest with the power of a sledgehammer, causing the lipless abomination to smash into the wall, leaving a large dent and sending bits of wood chips flying everywhere. Loch felt as if the butcher shop tilted to the right slightly after the impact. Due to only seeing half of the room through the open doorway, Loch couldn¡¯t see what happened after the lipless abomination righted itself and charged towards where the fists came from with another roar. Several sounds of heavy collisions rang out before Loch saw the table still with some of the chains wrapped around it get thrown against the wall, with such force that its metal legs were stuck in the wall.


    Feeling truly terrified, along with a body screaming in pain, Loch¡¯s eyes began to fill with tears as bile rose in his throat. Not being able to witness the current progress of the fight was causing his already fried nerves to go in overdrive. He limply sat with his back against the counter, without the energy or capacity to do anything but simply try to breathe. The Hunter¡¯s cursing and loud bellows along with sounds of impact were the only thing letting Loch know the fight was still in progress. ¡°Soil it! If I had my cane, you would be ripped to shreds already, you ugly freak!¡± After another cursed-filled shout, the Hunter¡¯s battered form was seen getting thrown across the room and near the open doorway, as he rolled over and over. Eliciting out pain filled but quiet grunts. The Hunter looked up from his position, face first on the ground, and saw Loch, with them both making eye contact. Loch suddenly felt his vision become a little clearer, and he tried his best to give the Hunter an encouraging smile, which was wholly ruined by the blood leaking down the side of his head.


    Seeing the torn up and terrified form of the skinny boy, the Hunter couldn¡¯t help but grit his teeth so hard that blood leaked out of his gums before a crazed look came over the man¡¯s face as he roared out almost as loud as the lipless creature, ¡°Run boy!! Get the bloody hell out of here!!¡± The Hunter¡¯s current arms were both completely transformed into their beastly form, with scales reaching all the way to the man¡¯s shoulder and hands ending in clawed talons, the previously smoky grey tendrils that surrounded the Hunter earlier appeared again. After his bellow, they seemed to darken, as if someone had dropped a bucket of ink into water. Their jellyfish-like movements grew erratic and looked to be elongating and enlarging at a rapid rate, filling the room and leaking down the hall.


    Unknowable to Loch or even the Hunter, the tendrils made their way to Loch¡¯s dazed form and, as if falling under a weird suction, they were dragged towards Loch¡¯s wrapped up left arm at a rapid rate. Disappearing, as if the withered arm was swallowing the inky substance. Choking down some blood that welled up, the Hunter clawed deep furrows in the floorboards to steady himself. Heart pounding, he used his last bit of energy to get up, adopting a low, catlike stance before launching himself out of sight with a snarl.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    As Loch heard those oh so familiar words shouted at him, scenes of a smiling woman telling him to run filled his vision once again. With tears now pooling his vision, the image still appeared crystal clear. Loch¡¯s previous shaking form became still and his chin came to rest on his chest as if he had fallen asleep, while his heavy breathing became even rougher, like he was suddenly fighting a heavy fever. Jack sat above, began to fly around in circles, cawing frantically at the sight. It¡¯s beady eyes appeared to be filling with a liquid of their own. The bird came to an abrupt halt, however, as something deep within its bird bones stirred.


    Now floating just above Loch¡¯s still form, Jack¡¯s feathers plumed on their own as it silently gazed down. The subtle connection the bird had with Loch, the one that always made it feel as if they were more than just companions but a family, resonated from deep within its bloodline. On instinct, Jack let out a caw towards Loch, but to it¡¯s surprise it received a clear bird¡¯s call in return. This one felt as if it shook the room, piercing and painful but filled with an unquestionable majesty. If Jack had the capability, his eyes would have bugged out at the sound of the noise and the following scene. The inky smoke that had gathered around Loch¡¯s wrapped arm swiftly traveled past his shoulder and towards his stomach. Where it gathered in a swirling mass, looking similar to a set of dark storm-filled clouds. The only witness to the bizarre event, Jack, saw something else deep within the gathering storm. Partially covered by the smoky mass, a silhouette of a mighty beast appeared, with wings stretched wide covered in bolts of flickering blue lightning. The cloud covered figure raised it¡¯s mighty beak into the air and let out another cry as if waking from a slumber. Pronouncing to all lowly creatures its dominion over the world. Sparks of lightning began to emit from all over Loch¡¯s unconscious form, travelling up and down his body, lighting up his skin from within before congregating into one large lightning bolt that struck at the gathered storm clouds in the center of Loch¡¯s stomach. With a scream that was awfully similar to a bird¡¯s caw, Loch¡¯s still form shook like a rusty engine starting up after a long time of inactivity.


    Suddenly, as if in a daze, similar to a sleep walker, Loch, with heavy-lidded eyes, stood up on shaky scratched and bruised legs. The storm cloud, now hidden within his stomach, was firing tiny bolts of lightning through his nerves, subsequently filling his whole body with wild energy but also radiating severe pain throughout his organs. Loch took one shaky step and then another, as he walked down the hall toward the back room and the fight that was quietening down. Halfway there, he stopped abruptly and bent down, his hand reaching out to pick up a handful of iron chits that had fallen out of his pocket when he was tossed across the room. Clenching them in his right hand. The simple act of bending nearly caused Loch, in his weakened state, to collapse face-first, his vision blurring once more. Another bolt of lightning shot out from within himself, traveling up his spine and firming his body. Loch instinctively grabbed the wall with his injured left hand for support¡ªan action that would have been unbelievable to him when sober, since his left arm responded normally, without delay. The most abnormal part, besides the sudden functioning of his left arm, was that his left hand¡¯s nails dug into the wall with utter ease. Leaving deep scratches in the plaster as he made his way down the wall on stumbling legs.


    Just as Loch arrived at the doorway, he turned to the left side of the room stiffly, as if a robot. On the left side of the room was the Hunter lying on his back. He was currently pinned by a giant boot placed on his chest that was pressing down, causing the man¡¯s eyes to bug out. His two arms had reverted to normal human arms again, as he was currently clenching both sides of the torso-sized boot and attempting to lift it with all his strength. The sight of the swaying and half-closed eyed Loch, caused the Hunter¡¯s exhausted face to turn pale, as he franticly roared, ¡°What are you doing you git!? Get out... Argh!¡± before he could finish, the creature used his distracted state to put even more pressure on his chest, with even sounds of cracking bones to leak out and accompany the man¡¯s pained screams.


    The lipless abomination was also not doing very well at that moment, one of its muscle-bound arms was missing, looking to be ripped off from the elbow, with bits of flesh hanging limply, while black and yellow liquid was liberally falling out of the wound and making a small puddle on the already filthy floor. Loch didn¡¯t hear the Hunter, as in his head, he was currently seeing and hearing an entirely different scene. With a roar of his own that sounded more like a snarl from an injured animal, he cried out, ¡°I can¡¯t run again! Not again!¡± Loch launched towards the abomination who had his back towards him. In Loch¡¯s eyes, though, he wasn¡¯t running towards the abomination only seconds from killing the Hunter, but was sprinting across a grass field toward a woman with large dimples and the shadowed form of a figure behind her with a raised clawed hand. With all the strength he could muster, Loch leapt through the shadowed form and found himself on the abomination¡¯s back, digging his left hand¡¯s sharpened fingernails straight through the creature¡¯s huge shirt and into the soft flesh underneath.


    Either due to surprise or the pain of Loch¡¯s claw-like left hand digging into his back for purchase, the abomination let out a spittle-filled roar and stepped back, lifting its foot from the gasping Hunter and attempting to use its only arm to grab Loch. A cry of a bird heralded the arrival of Jack, as the bird swooped down and clawed at the abomination¡¯s milky white eyes, giving Loch, who was now scrabbling up the large abomination¡¯s back, a chance to reach the monster¡¯s head unmolested. Once Loch was positioned higher on the monster¡¯s back, he held tightly to its shoulder as the creature swung wildly left and right. Even while getting thrown wildly around the room, Loch dug his left hand¡¯s nails as deep as he could. In the pause between the abomination attempting to use its remaining hand to reach for Loch, he managed to get his right arm around the creature''s large head, tossing the fist full of iron chits into the open lipless mouth. The action appeared odd, as the small coins couldn¡¯t cause the monster¡¯s gigantic mouth any issues, considering its sharpened teeth as well, which it was currently using to chew on the bits of iron with ease, cracking them into tiny pieces.


    Even though the weird action of the little boy didn¡¯t cause the abomination any true pain, it clearly enraged it further, as it swung around even more wildly, even spinning in circles, while still attempting to use its one arm to grab Loch from its back. Although the creature thrashed violently, Loch¡¯s foggy thoughts began to sharpen. He held on with his left hand while his right desperately fumbled for his pouch. After getting a firm grip on the pouch and not being able to open it to reach its contents, Loch ripped it off instead and shoved it into the roaring beast¡¯s mouth to join what was left of the iron coins. Like an animal instinct it couldn¡¯t control, the abomination bit down at anything that entered its mouth. The sound of glass breaking suddenly came out of the enormous mouth, swallowed swiftly by the sound of something melting, while a noxious gas rose out of it¡¯s mouth. The abomination that was flailing wildly came to an abrupt halt, as if frozen, while sounds of sizzling and bubbling came from its mouth even louder as the seconds passed.


    Even though Loch couldn¡¯t see what was happening, the noises and smell filling the smashed-up room, told him everything he needed to know, as a large grin grew on his face before he felt himself losing consciousness along with losing the feeling in his left hand. The Hunter, who was staring up at the abomination, had his mouth gaping in clear shock as he could see everything currently happening to the creature¡¯s mouth as it was currently facing him. Even though he wasn¡¯t an Alchemist or a Man of Gears, the Hunter felt he was quite knowledgeable and could guess what Loch had thrown into the creature¡¯s mouth, but was still shocked nonetheless, as he thought, ¡®Clever little sprout. That¡¯s a seriously strong acid.¡¯ The tiny bits of iron in the abomination''s mouth were currently melting, turning into a thick liquid, before it ran down the creature¡¯s throat, burning its flesh and searing the soft tissue throughout its mouth.


    The abomination emitted a roar like a pig¡¯s scream, spewing blood and flesh from its mouth as it thrashed around the room, viciously tearing at its mouth with its remaining hand. Tearing up its tongue and teeth with no regard to the damage it was doing to itself. Due to Loch¡¯s arm losing its feeling, he lost his grip and was soon flung to the side of the room, landing against the wall with a heavy thud, as he finally slipped into complete unconsciousness, even though a small smile was still present on the boy¡¯s lips.


    The sight of the boy hitting the wall and collapsing limply jolted the Hunter from his stupor; his eyes narrowed, revealing a predatory glint as he drew on his last reserves of strength. With one hand shifted into its beast form and his legs trembling, the Hunter sprang up, sprinted towards the engrossed abomination, and forcefully jammed his claws into its substantial chest, piercing it like a drill. The Hunter, clutching the enormous heart in his talons, sneered down at the motionless monstrosity, ¡°I said I¡¯d rip your heart out, you hideous beast! Grunting, the hunter retracted his clawed hand, the huge, ichor-soaked heart impaled on his talons, leaving a gaping hole in the monstrosity¡¯s chest. Along with a fountain of all manner of different liquids and slimy substances pouring out, the creature made a strangled gurgling sound before it fell backwards, slamming into the floor with a heavy bang. Seeing the still form of the monster, Jack dove towards Loch¡¯s also still form and arrived next to the boy¡¯s head, letting out caws of worry.


    While the Hunter, panting in exhaustion, stood there with his hand still wrapped around the grotesque heart for a couple of seconds, heavy metal-clad footsteps approached from the front door. With loud but quick steps, two heavily armored knights, wielding their weapons high, came storming into the back room before freezing at the sight before them. The one in front, who was currently wielding a giant battle axe and had it positioned above his head like he was about to chop something in half, let out a choked cry, ¡°What by the Great Trunk is that thing?¡±


    The hoarse and tired voice of the Hunter caused both knights to turn their close faced helmets in his direction as he complained, ¡°You two tin can twats are late.¡± After he finished, the Hunter squeezed the Heart in his grip fiercely smashing it into a pulp with a very loud squish noise, that caused the two knights to take a subconscious step back, while the knight in the back whispered, ¡°Fiend Warped. Mother Earth bless me.¡±

 CHAPTER 11

    CHAPTER 11


    The Hunter gave the knight, who just spoke, a smirk that accompanied his lacerated and blood-covered face, making the knight take another step back with his back clanking against the already deformed wall. The knight wielding the double-sided axe that first entered the room, took a step forwards, treading on the bits of flesh and blood that covered the room, without giving it a second glance. After giving the Hunter a one-armed salute, with his fist over his heart, he lifted the faceplate of his helmet. Revealing an older man¡¯s heavy brow and thick black and pepper moustache. ¡°May your blade always strike true, sir. I¡¯m Sentinel Donald and this is Sentinel James. Would you be Mr. Grimstone?¡± A gruff voice rang out of the open plate in question.


    The Hunter didn¡¯t reply straight away and instead made his way over to Loch¡¯s unconscious body. Just as he was about to kneel, to check the boy¡¯s condition, the Hunter almost toppled forwards, but caught himself in time and instead sat down next to the boy. His whole body shook as he gritted his teeth for several seconds. Black veins crawled up the Hunter¡¯s neck, as if ink was being bumped through his system. The veins crawled up his jaw and close to his mouth before stopping. The knights watching the Hunter clutched their weapons, and with the moustache totting, Donald even took several steps to the side, so he was closer to the Hunter¡¯s back.


    A muffled groan soon leaked out of the Hunter¡¯s gritted teeth, making the knights flinch before they both relaxed their grips at the following sight. The black veins receded down the hunter¡¯s neck and disappeared down his shirt after several more seconds, bringing a sigh out of the Hunter¡¯s mouth. Before Sentinel Donald could reposition himself, the Hunter¡¯s hawklike eyes snapped to him as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Sentinel Donald, I¡¯m not twisting yet. It was just a backfire from over using my Inner-Fiend, nothing I haven¡¯t dealt with before.¡±


    Sentinel Donald gave a small nod in reply before moving again, so he was facing the Hunter in his seated position. The Hunter retrieved a packet of closed paper from within his jacket. After tearing the top off the packet, he then poured the contents into his mouth and chewed for a couple of seconds. Within seconds, several deep gashes on his body visibly healed, and color returned to his pale face.


    ¡°Ah, much better.¡± The Hunter muttered. With his now human hands, he looked over Loch¡¯s head, parting the boy¡¯s blood-matted hair to inspect his wound. ¡°And. To answer your question before, I am Tobias Grimstone. Just call me Tobias, though, and catch.¡± The Hunter, Tobias, said before he retrieved a badge from within his torn-up waistcoat and tossed it to the axe-wielding knight. The knight caught the badge and looked as if he was about to protest the Hunter¡¯s action, when Tobias cut the man off, ¡°Don¡¯t say anything. You should be examining my credentials in this situation, anyway. Especially considering we¡¯re dealing with a Knight-level Twisted, who¡­ I am quite confident¡­ has ties to the Vlad family.¡±


    After hearing the Hunter¡¯s words, the knight gave a small start, while his eyes appeared to shake for a moment. He looked at the badge before hardening again, as he said internally, ¡®Deathstalker. I should have known.¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re correct, sir. James, check the badge.¡± Sentinel Donald said as he handed the badge to the knight behind him. If Loch was awake to witness the scene above him, he would have been deeply confused. The badge Tobias had passed over to the knights wasn¡¯t the silver one he had seen earlier in the day. This badge was black except for a smattering of blood staining it. Engraved on the front was a silver colored human skull.


    Sentinel James sheathed his broadsword and took the badge from his superior. He froze, staring at the black badge in his hand, as a sliver of sweat trickled down his forehead. For a moment, it looked as if the room was stained with blood before going back to normal. Sentinel James passed the badge back towards Sentinel Donald while stuttering, ¡°It¡¯s¡­ confirmed¡­ sir.¡± The older knight gave him a stern glare, which made the younger sounding knight tremble even more. With a grunt, Sentinel Donald turned back to Tobias and returned the badge, who was wrapping a white bandage around the crown of Loch¡¯s head. After retrieving his badge and tying off the bandage so it held in place, Tobias couldn¡¯t help but let out a groan as he stood back up.


    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve clarified that. Can you two tell me where in the blessed Earth you¡¯ve been? I was told the Cabin had pre-warned you about my bounty and you were ready in case you needed it. I can safely say that I was in full damned need! If it wasn¡¯t for this little runt here, I would have been that beast¡¯s latest meal.¡± Tobias asked. His voice didn¡¯t rise from a normal level, but both knights felt as if a volcano was threatening to erupt in front of them.


    ¡°I apologise, sir. However, I can confidently report it wasn¡¯t because of negligence. Our original mission, the reason why we were stationed in the Shambles in the first place, had an unexpected development. It was something we had to report to the church immediately.¡± Sentinel Donald replied with calm eyes.


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


    ¡°Development? I was told your little group has been stationed here for many years with next to no action. How could there be a sudden development on the same night a silver badged Hunter was ambushed by a Knight-Level Twisted? What kind of tainted luck is that?¡± Tobias replied. Besides his eye twitching, his tone remained unchanged.


    ¡°I swear on the Earth that what I said is nothing but the truth. Maybe something connects them, but I doubt it. I can¡¯t give you exact details in regard to our mission, but it has to do with a certain person who has been living in the Shambles for an unknown reason. I¡¯m sure a man of your status and¡­ pedigree should have heard the rumors before.¡± Sentinel Donald replied, he felt he might have revealed a little too much of his mission than he should but he felt it was necessary. Even though the Hunter before him appeared calm, the many years serving on cleansing teams and on the walls had given the Sentinel a certain sense for potential life-threatening danger. And the man before him was giving him a feeling as if he was seconds away from getting a knife in the neck.


    Tobias¡¯ straight back posture slumped as he replied, ¡°Ah, I see. I¡¯ve heard the rumors, but like most people from the Crown and Stem district, I thought it was nonsense. I guess that illustrious lady was actually slumming it in the Shambles. Interesting indeed.¡± Tobias looked back over at the still leaking lipless creature on the floor with an odd twist to his mouth for a couple of seconds. He then walked around the smashed-up room and started to sift through the several broken crates and drums that lined the walls while he talked to the two knights. ¡°If you didn¡¯t hear my Aura call, then how did you know to come here?¡±


    While Tobias¡¯s back was turned, Sentinel Donald glanced down at the unconscious form of Loch with a peculiar look, scanning the boy from head to toe. Hearing the sound of a nailed down lid being torn off a barrel, Donald turned back to the Hunter and replied, ¡°That was actually quite easy, sir. On our return to the Shambles, we saw some scared looking residents talking to the gate guards. After that, we simply followed the roars. I currently have the guard outside keeping the residents at bay and telling them it was a beast who got loose. Whether they buy that or not.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha! My sweetie!¡± Tobias¡¯s voice almost shook the room, as he retrieved something from one of the half-broken crates and gripped it firmly. When Tobias turned around and walked back over to Loch¡¯s unconscious body, the object he retrieved was revealed to the knights. A dark grey metal cane, with a head shaped like the crown of a tree. The cane also had grid-like patterns running down its length, as if it was made of several individual squares that appeared to pulse in a deep black back and forth. Sentinel Donald¡¯s bushy eyebrows rose at the sight of the cane, but he showed no other reaction, whilst the knight behind him couldn¡¯t help remark in a whisper, ¡°A Dyad.¡±


    The knight in the back appeared as if he was about to ask a question when the soft sound of a gurgled cough rang out from Loch¡¯s unconscious form. The Hunter who appeared to be walking around in a calm state even after being on the precipice of death at least twice that night, suddenly paled at the sight of Loch¡¯s coughing form and the black watery substance leaking from the boy¡¯s mouth. With the sound of cracking floorboards, Tobias appeared at the boy¡¯s side along with a gust of wind that made the heavily armored Sentinel lean back in resistance to the sudden pressure. Tobias crouched down next to Loch and placed his hand on the boy¡¯s navel, while he closed his eyes. The frown on his face appeared to get deeper after a few seconds.


    The feeling of danger came back to Sentinel Donald the moment Tobias¡¯s eyes opened, and they matched stares. Despite his battle experience, the sudden pressure change caused him to sweat and grip his axe tighter. Tobias, either not noticing the reaction or not caring, returned his sight back down to the boy. Attaching his cane to a special clip behind his jacket, the Hunter then tucked his arms under Loch¡¯s body. Lifting the boy effortlessly, with one arm under his legs and the other under his bandaged head. Turning to the knights, Tobias plainly asked, ¡°I heard there was a Maiden of life working at the local orphanage. Do you know if she¡¯s still there?¡±


    This time it was the knight at the back who answered, with his voice even cracking at the start, ¡°Yes. Her name is Mother Leanne. She¡¯s the one in charge of the Orphanage. It¡¯s just at the end of this street.¡±


    Sentinel Donald frowned at the other knight speaking out of turn, but he stopped his explanation, as the feeling of an axe hanging over his head had lessened significantly when the younger knight affirmed the Hunter¡¯s question. ¡°Actually, she isn¡¯t Maiden of lif...¡± Just as Sentinel Donald was about to add some information, he thought the Hunter should know. The sound of wood cracking ran out again in the room, halting him. Before either knight could respond, the Hunter had disappeared entirely, plunging the area into abrupt silence.


    After a frustrated grunt, Sentinel Donald lowered his head in thought for a minute, before the sound of the knight behind him, deliberately coughing, made him turn around to face him. ¡°What is it, James?¡± The younger Sentinel pointed to the floor on the other knight¡¯s left and asked, ¡°Um, sir, where has the body gone?¡± Sentinel Douglas snapped his head to the left and saw that the oversized monster, which was just before lying there, leaking its lifeblood silently, had now disappeared. ¡°Soil it. Bloody greedy Hunters.¡± After another loud sigh, Sentinel Douglas just waved his hand in the air before he continued, ¡°Forget about the body for now. We will search the premises for any more information and report back to the Church. It¡¯s especially important if the Vlad family is related to that monster. Don¡¯t touch anything though, The Cabin will soon send their own investigation team, considering Mr. Grimstone clearly has more important things to attend to right now and won¡¯t be here.¡±


    Whilst Sentinel James gave a knight¡¯s salute and began to search the room, Sentinel Douglas looked over to where the Hunter and boy were previously standing and couldn¡¯t help but think over the recent events. ¡®That boy was odd. I don¡¯t know many children his age who¡¯ve already awakened their Inner-Fiend, and how was his morph still activated while he was unconscious? Another odd thing was the infamous cold-hearted Tobias Grimstone¡¯s actions towards the boy. What¡¯s their relationship? Apprentice? Kin? Should I tell the Bishop? Ah, I should just forget it. Hunters are all weirdos.¡¯

 CHAPTER 12

    Tobias didn¡¯t hesitate after leaving the butcher''s shop. Despite weaving through the crowd held back by guards, he maintained top speed. The people he passed only saw a blur cross their vision in a flash, while a slight gust of wind sent their clothes into a flutter. It took Tobias under a minute to arrive at the Orphanage front gates. He finally halted his movements and released his smoky aura into the surroundings, directing them towards the double story building in front of him. Just as the tendrils entered the front doors, passing through them like a ghost, another set of tendrils suddenly rebuffed them. The new set of tendrils appeared like thousands of thick ropes gilded in gold. A whip-like crack echoed as the golden tendrils struck Tobias, causing his Aura to dissipate.


    ¡°Ouch! For soil¡¯s sake, woman. I¡¯m not an enemy.¡± Tobias replied into the empty air, as he couldn¡¯t help wince slightly in pain. Having one¡¯s aura tendrils forcefully broken always felt like being kicked in the side of the head. Especially with a significant power imbalance between the parties. After blinking his eyes a couple of times to clear his blurry vision, Tobias strode towards the double doors. The boy was still hanging limply in his arms. The two doors before him silently swung wide to either side. Revealing a middle-aged woman with a scarred face and wearing a chest-to-floor brown cloth dress. The boss of the orphanage, Mother Leanne, appeared in all her scolding glory.


    Arms crossed and a frosty demeanor greeted the Hunter as he approached, halting just before the front step. Mother Leanne cast a glare across his form that flashed golden for a moment, before her eyes widened upon seeing the unconscious boy¡¯s form and returned to a placid brown. Without saying a word, the woman appeared to teleport right in front of the Hunter, causing Tobias to tense and his aura to leak into the surroundings again. Mother Leanne, not paying any attention to the man before her, put her scarred hand onto the boy¡¯s forehead and closed her eyes. Her hand appeared to light up in a white glow before disappearing. The ball of light turned the boy¡¯s already pale skin translucent, as if scanning him. It travelled from the top of his head towards his neck, then chest before stopping just above his bellybutton.


    Mother Leanne followed the light with a critical eye. Her stern face appeared to crack a little, with a glaze enveloping her eyes, as the situation of the boy revealed itself to her. The Hunter, noticing the woman¡¯s intense focus on the boy, retrieved his aura and watched the light, frowning tightly. With a slender but firm finger, Mother Leanne tore open Loch¡¯s threadbare shirt and watched as the glow stopped at his stomach. All the while it travelled, it showed the inner condition of Loch¡¯s body. It was like his skin wasn¡¯t there, revealing burnt and singed vessels and organs as if the boy had a storm contained within him, that went on a rampage before calming back down and settling in his navel. Loch¡¯s stomach, a bizarre sight, contained a fist-sized, sparking cloud of dark smoke, crackling with blue electricity. Imprisoned thunder resonated within it.


    As if sensing intrusion, the cloud reacted to the approaching white glow with a lightning bolt that extinguished the light and sent sparks throughout the body. With the glow gone, Loch¡¯s translucent body turned back to normal, hiding his inner state once again. Loch¡¯s face also twisted in pain at that moment, while a trickle of blood leaked out of his thin lips. Tobias couldn¡¯t help but gasp once he saw what was inside the boy. Lifting his head to match gazes with the woman, he was shocked to find her lifting her hand from Loch¡¯s forehead in a hurry, before clenching her hand into a fist. In that brief moment, though, Tobias was able to see a small scorch mark in the middle of Mother Leanne¡¯s palm. His eyes bugged for a second, but he snapped his face back to normal and spoke out, ¡°It appears I have come here in vain.¡±


    Mother Leanne had not looked up at the Hunter yet or replied to his words. Her full focus was on the boy in his arms. She dabbed the small line of blood from Loch¡¯s mouth with the end of her sleeve. The usual expressionless but stern face appeared the same, but for Tobias, who was used to reading the micro-expressions of the powerful, could see the tightening around her eyes and the subtle scrunch to her nose that revealed her inner feelings. With one more glance at the boy, especially towards the boy¡¯s stomach, Mother Leanne finally matched eyes with the Hunter. Suddenly, a terrible force locked onto Tobias, cutting him off from the world. Like a boot poised over an insignificant ant. Pondering not if it should squash the ant, but whether it was even worth it. Sweat covered the Hunter¡¯s forehead, while his shoulders involuntarily hunched. His recently injured body let out creaking noises, sounding as if his very bones were bending under the sudden pressure surrounding him.


    ¡°Maiden... I... can... explain.¡± Through gritted teeth, Tobias got out only a few words. Nothing but silence filled the air for several seconds until a soft groan leaked out of the Loch¡¯s mouth. To Tobias¡¯s relief, followed by a very unladylike grunt, the pressure weighing down the Hunter disappeared, almost making him stumble forwards and release his grip on Loch. ¡°If you drop that boy, I will pulverize your very soul.¡± The Hunter couldn¡¯t help swallow after hearing those frosty words from Mother Leanne, who had now turned around and begun heading towards the Orphanage¡¯s front doors. Calling out behind her, she said, ¡°However, you are mistaken. You coming here was not in vain. It was the smartest choice you could have made. Come with me. You¡®ve also got some explaining to do.¡±


    Before Mother Leanne crossed the threshold, she paused, making Tobias, who had started to follow her, pause as well. Her head snapped right around, as if she had no neck muscles, causing the Hunter to flinch and step back a step. Mother Leanne¡¯s eyes were now radiating gold, with no speck of white showing, while one of her hands was enveloped in similarly golden colored flames. Tobias began to draw the little power he recovered, readying at least a token effort of defense. Deep inside, he knew it was a futile resistance against one of her calibres. However, he stopped himself after only a moment. He had noticed Mother Leanne was not looking in his direction. She was instead gazing into the air past his shoulder. Following her line, Tobias turned around, but all he could see was the empty street and the dark night sky. Transferring the little power he had been sending to his arms, up to his eyes, they took on a bestial look. The rounded pupil turning into a slit, while the whites were dyed a dark yellow, just like one would find in a snake.


    Tobias¡¯s view of his surroundings took on a kaleidoscope of muted colors, with only a few blotches of dark orange appearing around the area, within some of the houses that lined the other side of the street. However, a large splotch of vibrant red lit up his vision. It crowned the roof of the house facing him. ¡°Vile Fiend.¡± A voice filled with barely controlled rage came from behind Tobias. Despite the soft tone, the words possessed a physical force that moved past Tobias. Causing his tattered jacket to swish before heading to that splotch of red. In Tobias¡¯s vision, the red splotched rose into the air but was soon heated with something and caused his color to lighten. After releasing the power within his eyes, they soon transformed back to normal. Above the house, a visible distortion in the air appeared before his eyes. Like a mirage, it rippled in and out of view.


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    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to show yourself. I¡¯m just going to have to make you.¡± Mother Leanne¡¯s voice spoke out once again. This time, it was accompanied by a gale that swept past Tobias and sent the little snow left from the winter fluttering through the air. Mother Leanne, who was a few steps behind Tobias only a moment ago, now appeared above the roof of the house opposite them in the time it took to blink. Appearing like a fiery angel, her body was covered in foot-high golden flames, that had no effect on her and radiated a sense of holiness. One of her hands shot out into the rippling distortion, and like a broken mirror, shattered the hidden image. Revealing a slender, human-like figure that resembled an aristocratic gentleman, down to the neatly pressed suit and tailcoat, but that¡¯s where the similarities ended. A mouth that was currently attempting to gasp for air revealed rows of sharp needle thin teeth. Alongside large pointed ears and a pair of giant flesh wings, similar to a bat, with tufts of fur running along the edges, it clearly showed this being was far from a typical human.


    The creature¡¯s pale face was slowly turning purple, while bits of its flesh even seemed to be melting under the heat coming from Mother Leanne¡¯s flames and the relentless grip she had around the creature¡¯s throat. The creature strained with all its might against the iron grip around its neck, using both its clawed hands to try to pry its throat free. It struggled to catch a breath, appearing on the verge of speaking. However, Mother Leanne appeared to not care for either attempt and merely sneered into the terror filled gaze of the creature, ¡°Vlad¡¯s tainted spawn, may your blood be cleansed upon your return to the Earth.¡± Mother Leanne¡¯s golden flames erupted, consuming the winged man and reducing him to ashes in seconds. Releasing her grip with a flick, the ashes were soon blown away by the wind.


    In a golden flash, Mother Leanne returned to the frozen Tobias. And as if she hadn¡¯t just roasted what looked to be a powerful creature of the night within a second, she walked past him with stable steps and once again commanded, ¡°Come now, Stalker. I have limited patience.¡± The Hunter shook himself and looked back at the woman who was disappearing into the Orphanage. Looking down at the unconscious boy in his arms, Tobias couldn¡¯t help but say to the night air, ¡°A Soil blessed Grand knight. What the hell have you got me involved in, boy?¡± Realizing the woman¡¯s footsteps were becoming faint, the middle-aged man almost jumped in place and scurried after, his previous graceful steps entirely gone.


    The Hunter soon caught up to Mother Leanne as she ascended the stairs to the second floor and down the hall on the opposite side of Loch¡¯s room. Entering through a door that was set apart from all others at the end of the hall. The room Tobias entered behind Mother Leanne appeared like an office, with just a small shabby cot off to the right side and a curtain around it, denoting it served as a bedroom as well. A large wooden desk dominated the center of the room, with one high-back chair facing the doorway and several small chairs on the other side. The desk was meticulously organized, everything had its place, nothing was cluttered, with even several pens sitting straight in a row. A modest bookshelf sat behind the desk, but otherwise, the room contained little else. Mother Leanne walked straight to her desk and placed the small number of items within the drawers, eventually leaving it barren. Looking over to the Hunter, who had closed the door with his foot and a small frown, she pointed to the now empty desk.


    Not having to be told, Tobias gently laid Loch¡¯s form on the desk, which was big enough to keep his entire form suspended. He made sure that Loch¡¯s head didn¡¯t slam into the hardwood desk when he put him down before he took a step back and looked over at the woman on the other side. Mother Leanne, seeing the Hunter¡¯s care when placing the boy down, retrieved her frown and adopted her normal emotionless face.


    A tapping sound of something hitting glass rang throughout the room, capturing both of their attention. Looking to the left, Tobias saw a familiar bird striking its beak upon the window outside. Mother Leanne was the first to react and with a disgruntled sigh, she walked over to the window and removed the latch, swinging it wide. The bird backed up and then dived through the window, landing on the desk next to Loch¡¯s unconscious form. Jack the raven, with his grey mohawk, let out several caws near the boy¡¯s head, as if he was calling out to him. With talons curved, Jack touched Loch¡¯s gaunt cheek, pushing against it gently but seeing no reaction, the bird appeared to deflate. His wings fluttered as he trotted back and forth on the table, in a bird¡¯s rendition of nervous pacing.


    Tobias found the actions of the Raven truly odd, but endearing. Jack turned its beady eyes to Mother Leanne, who returned to the other side of the desk and cawed at her. As if understanding the bird, Mother Leanne frowned at the noisy Raven and said, ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t henpeck the boy so much, he¡¯ll grow up to be just like those soft, noble children.¡± Jack appeared to take offence at the woman¡¯s words and flared his wings to either side, cawing out again, for some reason, Tobias appeared to look slightly offended by the woman¡¯s words as well, but he didn¡¯t have the stones to retort to the woman like the bird did. Mother Leanne merely scoffed and wagged a finger at the bird while she said, ¡°Stop your nonsense or I¡¯ll send you back out. If you dislike seeing the boy in pain so much, then be silent and stop distracting me.¡±


    Paying no more attention to the bird, Mother Leanne turned to face the bookshelf behind her. She took out several books in quick succession, but only half moving them out of their spots on the shelves. Tobias, seeing the woman¡¯s action, turned around and faced the door swiftly without a word. Even though Mother Leanne wasn¡¯t facing the Hunter, she somehow saw his action and her tight scarred lips rose on one side for a brief moment. After moving the books out of position and then placing them back into place several more times, Mother Leanne stopped and watched as a metallic click was soon released from the bookshelf.


    The bookshelf split in two and, as if on tracks, slid to either side, revealing a hole big enough for a person to walk through. Hearing the noise, the hunter couldn¡¯t help but turn around. The split bookshelf revealed a flat panel made of golden flames, the shape of a door. Mother Leanne lifted her hand, which was now covered in similar colored flames again, and pushed her hand towards the flame wall. Once the two made contact, both flames seemed to join for a moment, as if tasting each other. Appearing to like the taste on Mother Leanne¡¯s hand, the flame wall flashed for a second before moving to either side like a set of curtains, revealing a small stone room behind it. Lining the walls of the room were strange glyphs, colored in purple, shiny ink. Tobias could almost feel the repulsing power that radiated from those glyphs. Inside the room were several closed chests, a couple of shelves with an assortment of odd items, and in the center of the room, looked to be an armor stand with a sheet covering the contents.


    The Hunter, seeing the sight, wheeled around to face the office doorway as Mother Leanne¡¯s footsteps echoed on the stone floor of the little chamber. ¡®Mum always warned about peeking at a maiden¡¯s lair.¡¯ Tobias smirked to himself. He stood with his back to Mother Leanne for several minutes, hearing the sound of her rummaging through things before the sound of the Bookshelf sliding back into place made him turn back around. Mother Leanne now stood next to Loch¡¯s head, with a vial of liquid that was pitch black but looked to have several shining motes of light drifting within it. ¡°Give me a hand here, Stalker. I¡¯ll need you to hold the boy¡¯s head up while I make him drink this,¡± Mother Leanne said as she swung the vial in her hand back and forth.


    Tobias didn¡¯t agree straight away, as he looked between the potion and the boy several times. With an arched brow and his trimmed moustache curved in a frown, he said, ¡°Maiden, you saw the state of the boy¡¯s core. His seed has been forcefully activated, no healing tinctures can help with that.¡± Mother Leanne gave the man an icy glare before she responded, ¡°Do I need a little Hunter like you who hasn¡¯t even reached Meta to educate me on what the boy needs?¡± The middle-aged man felt a chill run down his spine from the other women¡¯s tone as he said, ¡°Of course not, Maiden. I just...¡± With a chop of her hand in the air, Tobias stopped mid-sentence. ¡°This is not some healing tincture brewed by those smelly alchemists. This is a Fiend level Hunter¡¯s Nightmare.¡±


    Tobias felt like many things he had witnessed and dealt with this night surprised him, but the women¡¯s last words jolted him to his core.

 CHAPTER 13

    Mother Leanne smirked at the sight of the speechless Hunter. However, for once she managed to show a moment of patience, as she waited for the dazed-looking man to come back to his senses. Tobias¡¯s gaze fixated on the glittering midnight potion Mother Leanne casually displayed. An almost violent compulsion overtook him for a moment, as he felt an itch in his fingers. Greed, in all its dirty glory, formed in his heart at the sight before him. With his body trembling, he felt a power begin to build within his core. A snake-like voice slithered into his brain and attempted to wrestle control, roaring, ¡°Take it!! With just one drink, we could finally have the power we need! The power to take that man down! I¡¯ll kill that banished maiden! Releasssse me and your dream is just one step away!¡± With a grimace marring his features, Tobias mentally slammed his mind closed. His eyes, that were at that moment, twisting into a deep yellow and slitted, returned to normal but appeared dazed. As if he had just woken up, with a shake Tobias found everything returning to sharp focus. Tobias broke his violent stare at the bottle and looked down at the unconscious Loch instead. Who was even now beginning to leak blood from his mouth again.


    The sight of the boy and the memories of the boy¡¯s previous brave but stupid actions earlier in the night made him almost become nauseous at his previous thoughts. A sense of utter revulsion overtook him. ¡®Has the boy not done enough for you already? Were they right? Are you just like that, man?¡¯ A series of thoughts swam through Tobias¡¯s head that made him grit his teeth and clench his fist. The sound of metal on metal made him look down and, to his rising horror, he saw his hands had unconsciously morphed, now resembling scaled claws.


    After several long seconds of staring at his hands, Tobias finally snapped out of his dazed state and looked up to see Mother Leanne¡¯s smirking face. With haste, he retracted his claws, turning his hands back to normal. With one smooth motion, he lifted his hand and gave his own face a vigorous smack. That even led to a trickle of blood to run down his lip. The action seemed to even catch Mother Leanne by surprise, as her smirk was gone and she stood before him with a quizzical look. After seeing the man¡¯s now placid and composed gaze stare back at her. Mother Leanne nodded and said, ¡°I guess the rumors are true. I¡¯ll admit I was waiting for that side of your father to come to bare at the sight of this potion. He was never one to care for the consequences in his pursuits for power.¡±


    ¡°I am nothing like that man and will never be. Kindly don¡¯t compare us,¡± Tobias said, his face a mask of calm. Mother Leanne didn¡¯t respond to his statement and just gave him a raised eyebrow before pointing at the boy on the desk. ¡°Are you going to help me then or not?¡± Tobias walked over to the desk and used one hand to prop Loch¡¯s head up and the other to open his mouth. His hands were steady, but he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Are you sure this is the right thing for the boy? I know the only thing that will help him now is a Hunter¡¯s Nightmare potion or an Awakening stone, but without the mental training and a very strong willpower, that Fiend-Level potion of yours would not only be a waste but also could very well kill the boy. I¡¯m more than happy to retrieve a Demon Level Hunter¡¯s Nightmare for him. Just give me thirty minutes to cash in some contribution points at The Cabin and I¡¯ll get him one. I owe him at least that much for what he had done for me tonight.¡±


    ¡°Once again, I don¡¯t need you telling me what the boy needs, even more than that, I don''t need you telling me what he is capable of.¡± Mother Leanne snapped back at the Hunter, but continued nonetheless, ¡°Considering your worry is coming from a sincere place, regardless of the debt you owe the boy. I can tell you that this potion is, in fact, not mine to waste. It is and always has been, Loch¡¯s. Even though it¡¯s earlier than we planned and under very different circumstances, but this boy¡¯s life had always been filled with bumps, so it didn¡¯t actually come as much of a surprise. This is just another one. Fate determined it is now and now it will be. So, less talk from you and hold his head steady.¡±


    The more the woman spoke, the more confused Tobias seemed to be, especially making him wonder how a poor orphan boy could be in possession of a Fiend-Level Hunter¡¯s Nightmare. It¡¯s worth in gold would be enough to buy half of the Shambles. Seeing the woman about to pour the midnight black potion into the boy¡¯s mouth, Tobias refocused and held Loch¡¯s head steady. The dark liquid, with its trapped starlight and texture like goo, ran down Loch¡¯s throat. The unconscious boy coughed a little, but Mother Leanne kept pouring until the vial was empty. She then nodded to Tobias, who gently placed Loch¡¯s head back down.


    Jack looked between the two and was flapping his wings back and forth, causing Mother Leanne to look over to him, after which he began to caw several times. ¡°It¡¯s what¡¯s needed. Unless you want us to wait for the damn storm inside him to grow in strength and explode. Is that what you want, you darn bird?¡± Mother Leanne said as she waved her finger at the bird again, who in return was cawing sharply in reply while swinging one of his wings left and right. A low but long groan from Loch interrupted the bird and the woman¡¯s odd little bickering.


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    The veins travelling down Loch¡¯s throat took on the color of ink and began to enlarge, jutting out of his pale skin, while the liquid began rocketing throughout his body. The veins all over his body looked similar to the veins in his left arm when he had a flare up. Within minutes the ink had travelled throughout Loch¡¯s body, leading to a vast and messy looking network of black lines crisscrossing everywhere. All leading to his navel in a large visible ink swirl through his paper-thin skin.


    Noticing Loch¡¯s condition, Jack ceased his squawking, gently touched the boy¡¯s cheek with his wing, and then flew to the bookcase to keep watch. Mother Leanne watched the raven¡¯s action for a moment before turning back to Tobias, saying, ¡°The nightmare has begun. It¡¯s up to the boy now. Come, I still need an explanation from you. I especially want to know why Loch¡¯s core had partially awakened, when he hadn¡¯t even trained in Aether control.¡±


    Tobias nodded and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk, as did Mother Leanne. ¡°Honestly Maiden. I wanted to ask you that myself. The reason the boy came to my rescue tonight was partly my fault. I don¡¯t deny this, but it was also partly his. Somehow, he had tapped into my Aura call.¡± Tobias said, as he matched his stares with Mother Leanne, trying to catch any expressions from the stiff-faced woman.


    ¡°Odd indeed, but I can say it¡¯s not terribly surprising, either. The boy is special, and that¡¯s all I¡¯ll say about that. Now, back to why one of my charges has returned all bloodied and battered, with a Deathstalker looking equally as battered. I would know if a Fiend has entered the Shambles and it is not time for a demon tide. According to my reports, the first one of the season is more than a week away. And I¡¯m sure I would notice a horde of Demons entering my area. So, speak, what made one of the oh so dangerous Deathstalkers in such dire straits that he would need an eleven-year-old boy to come to the rescue?¡± Mother Leanne asked.


    Tobias couldn¡¯t help flush at the woman¡¯s scathing words, feeling as if he was ten years old again, being scolded by his own mother, with a couple of fake coughs to regather his composure. Tobias explained the events of the night from his point of view, starting from his mission to investigate Mr. Kapers the butcher and his subsequent ambush. Once he got to explaining about the Twisted form of the Butcher, Mother Leanne interrupted him with a hand raised, ¡°Even though it sounds like one of Vlad¡¯s abominations, was there any evidence to confirm that? It could have also just been a rogue twisted Hunter who failed one of his advancements or one of the Nomads from outside who had fallen to the Tainted Aether.¡±


    ¡°Well, if we don¡¯t consider the fact that one of Vlad¡¯s minions was following us tonight as direct evidence. Then I can only say it is a gut feeling. I¡¯ve also seen some of his disposable minions before. It was during the last time he personally led one of his scourges down the mountains against Rubicon. They always came in many shapes and sizes, but all of Vlad¡¯s twisted creations have that sign of being in a constant state of ravenous hunger. Gluttons incarnate.¡± Tobias thought over the night and replied.


    Mother Leanne nodded in thought for several seconds and said, ¡°In regards to that little vamp from earlier, I¡¯ve seen him roam about the Shambles many a time over the last year but never felt it was worth it to purify him, as he avoided my street, like a good little bloodsucker.¡± Pausing, Mother Leanne tapped her finger on her chin several times before continuing, ¡°I¡¯m sure The Cabin will be able to have a more in-depth look at the Butcher¡¯s corpse. Those morbid twits love roving around in corpses and harvesting all the juicy bits. Now, continue your story.¡±


    Tobias didn¡¯t continue the topic about the origins of the Twisted, as he also thought the people back at the Cabin would be able to figure it out when he returned with the corpse later. He then continued his retelling to Mother Leanne. When he got to the part where he felt as if his converted Aether was forcefully absorbed by Loch, he finally saw a truly shocked expression pass over the iron lady before him. He smirked, briefly enjoying a small victory over the woman, but his face quickly returned to its usual calm indifference when he saw Mother Leanne¡¯s eyes narrow menacingly.


    Once Tobias arrived at their current time in his story, he left Mother Leanne to ponder in silence, while he took the chance to lean back in his chair and relax for a moment. He was overcome by exhaustion, he didn¡¯t mention it as part of his story. But he had been hunting the Twisted Butcher for three solid days now, with no rest in between. Besides some people reporting missing loved ones inside the Shambles, there were also traces of someone climbing the walls several times, found by an outside patrol, making The Cabin issue the task as an emergency mission to the Deathstalker branch and ultimately Tobias. ¡°Now that is a story.¡± Mother Leanne said after several minutes of silent contemplation. When her gaze landed on the fatigued Tobias slouching in his chair, she said, ¡°I would tell you to return now that your task is complete. But I¡¯m guessing you would like to see the outcome of the boy¡¯s nightmare trial.¡±


    Tobias straightened up and said, ¡°Correct. I owe this boy my literal life. Considering the time of arrival of those tin can Sentinels after the battle, no one but this young lad was answering my call tonight and I would have most likely ended inside that thing''s stomach.¡± When he finished, he looked over to the boy with gentle eyes and a fondness he hadn¡¯t felt for anyone since he started his Hunter¡¯s journey.


    Mother Leanne also noticed the way Tobias looked over the boy and a calculating gleam crossed her eyes while she said, ¡°I won¡¯t force you to leave, then. I¡¯ll go arrange some food and drink. The boy will need it once he wakes and you clearly need some now. Plus, I think I know of a way you could repay the boy, if you truly want to, that is.¡± Tobias looked over to the woman and replied with a furrowed brow, ¡°Of course I¡¯m serious. What do you have in mind?¡± Mother Leanne didn¡¯t reply and instead just smiled at Tobias, which would have made it the first time that night. To Tobias, the smile looked particularly ghastly in what he now thought was a dimly lit room.


    She stood up and began to make her way past Tobias and towards the door. With the same full teeth smile, she patted the middle-aged man on the shoulder and said, ¡°Good.¡± Before heading out of the room. Leaving Tobias staring at her back with a worried look on his face. Even Jack on his perch was looking at the befuddled Tobias with a shake of his beak, while covering its beady eyes with one wing.

 CHAPTER 14

    During the time, Mother Leanne and Tobias chatted about the nightmarish events from earlier in the night, Loch was dealing with a new nightmare all of his own. Since being unconscious, Loch dreamt like any other would, but everything changed after Mother Leanne fed him what she had called a Hunter¡¯s Nightmare potion. The moment the potion entered his body, the very air around Loch began to vibrate and condense, appearing more substantial, like a vague mist. Atmospheric elements converged on Loch¡¯s body at two key points. One stream was leading to his forehead and another toward just above his belly button, both in equal volumes. In Loch¡¯s inner mind, it felt to him as if he had just awoken from a long dream, but his body on the outside was still fast asleep.


    Loch found himself standing on a barren wasteland, all around him was nothing but dried earth as far as the eye could see. He felt no breeze; the world felt stagnant, as if something vital were missing. The very earth seemed to scream, feed us! Looking down, he could see he was in a simple brown cotton shirt and trousers and a pair of boots. The only other object that stood out, besides Loch¡¯s skinny threadbare form in this world of nothingness, was a majestic mountain. It''s peak rose far into the sky and obscured by a set of dark, thunderous clouds. The rumbling and cracking of the air above dominated the surrounding landscape. Loch stared up at the mountain, his mind fuzzy and thoughts unclear. He couldn¡¯t figure out how he got where he was. His grasp on his memories before standing on this barren land, were evasive, and kept disappearing every time he grasped at just the corner of a foreign memory, it was like trying to grab a slippery eel. Even though Loch knew intuitively that it was a problem, he also felt it was somehow right.


    With both hands, Loch cradled his head as the more he tried to gather his thoughts, the more it hurt. Giving rise to a thumping headache. His attempts at recollection were interrupted at the sight of his left arm. He waved it back and forth in front of his eyes for several moments. Clenching and unclenching his left fist multiple times, as if he was unused to the feeling. His face was a mask of confusion; his arm movements felt foreign to him, but he couldn¡¯t figure out why. Seeing it move around effortlessly in front of him brought an enormous grin to Loch¡¯s face. It appeared he would have enjoyed just standing there, moving his left arm around all day. However, a loud peel of thunder broke out from above him. The earth rumbled from the sound and swiftly brought Loch¡¯s attention from his arm and back towards the mountain just in front of him.


    The more Loch gazed at the mountain before him, the more his mind cleared and a weird sensation began to rise within him. Some instinct within flooded his mind, like an extreme hunger. It pushed all other thoughts away and left him with only one thing in mind. He wanted to, no; he needed to climb that mountain. His body cried out for something, something it was desperately missing, and he knew it was somewhere on that mountain. The feeling grew stronger after every pressing moment, just as Loch was about to step towards the mountain when a loud cry, similar to a bird¡¯s caw, came from within those clouds above. Loch recognized the cry instantly; his blood raged as a midnight black bird flashed across his mind¡¯s eye. Despite the immense mountain, a carved path seemed to encircle it, leading to the summit. The path looked wide enough for two men to walk abreast.


    As a clap of thunder echoed like a starting pistol, Loch started his ascent of the mountain. Although the road appeared man-made, its rough construction, with numerous large stones scattered across it, required climbing to reach the path beyond. Loch didn¡¯t find these parts too difficult, with only a few scraped knees and bruises to denote his passing. His first major stop was when he came to a stretch of the mountain path. That was about a quarter of the way. The path looked as if it had been far too weather worn and had collapsed into a rock slide, creating a good fifty feet chasm between Loch and the continued path. ¡°What do I do now?¡± Loch said, as he gazed at the mountain. Looking to the steep cliff wall to his left, he could make out a couple of possible hand holds on the jagged rock face but had no confidence in using just his own strength to scale it.


    Stepping close to the edge of the chasm, Loch kicked a couple of pebbles over the edge and watched them plummet to the ground. His face grew pale at the sight. ¡°Well, at least I know it would be a swift death if I fell.¡± Loch chuckled drily. With a crack ringing out from above, Loch looked up just in time to see a lightning bolt come careening down and slam only twenty feet further down the path he just traversed. It slammed into a decent size boulder that Loch had to climb over previously and pulverized it in a flash of light and dirt. Scattering bits of rock everywhere, with some even hitting Loch, who had covered his face with his hands. Leaving slices in his paper-thin skin. ¡°Soil it, that stings.¡± Loch said with gritted teeth as he took out a small jagged rock that was embedded in his forearm.


    Another crack of thunder cried out from above, followed swiftly by a lightning bolt. This one struck the rocky path only fifteen feet from Loch. Giving rise to goosebumps all over Loch and making the hairs on his arm rise. ¡°It¡¯s not coming closer is it?¡± Loch asked the sky above him, and as if in answer, another bolt had struck the earth only ten feet from his position.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Loch cried as he turned back to the chasm before him and the mountain, searching for a way across, he noticed a small lip that was clearly the last of the trail left, running along the wall¡¯s face. It was only about half a foot wide and looked to have some parts where the lip was missing for a foot or two. But it appeared to be Loch¡¯s best chance and, as if he felt a phantom whip crack his backside, another peel of thunder rocked the mountain and sent Loch sprinting. A lightning bolt, even thicker than the one before, struck the earth not five feet from Loch, making the pathway rumble and sent the boy stumbling. Reaching the mountain face in a huff, Loch quickly began edging across the chasm, while constantly muttering, ¡°I¡¯ve got this.¡±


    With only enough room for half his foot on the edge, Loch hugged the mountain¡¯s wall, while his heels dangled in the air. He began to slide across the edge with slow, careful movements, but the sound of a lightning bolt slamming down right at the edge of the chasm where he was previously standing made him increase his pace dramatically. With half his face sliding along the jagged mountain wall, as he pressed his body against the earth as much as possible, his cheek began to look like someone attacked it with a cheese grater. Leaving a trail of blood behind him. The lightning bolts appeared to have stopped after the last one, but it didn¡¯t deter Loch or cause him to slow. The image of his own body turning into a pile of dust, much like the boulder before, made him continue in fierce determination.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    After several risky sidesteps over missing parts of the lip, Loch was only a few feet from the other side of the chasm, where the path up the mountain continued. The thunderous boom of multiple peels of thunder above made Loch freeze, his face turning back as he waited anxiously to see where the lightning would strike next, but no lightning came after several seconds. Instead, what fell from the sky was at first a light rain. Loch, even in his current precarious position, took the chance to look at the sky and curse, ¡°You absolute prick!¡± Once again, as if in answer to Loch, the rain turned from a slight smattering to an outright downpour. The drops hitting him felt as if they were thousands of heavy pebbles slamming into his slight frame.


    With his current thin shirt and pants, the rain soaked him to his core within mere moments. The jagged rock face he had his body against was now not just painful and uncomfortable, but also slippery. Realizing his worsening situation, Loch rushed to slide the last few feet to the other side of the chasm but lost his footing in his haste. On instinct, instead of trying to reattach himself to the wall, he used the remaining foot that still had purchase and his arms to give him the extra force and leap towards the chasm edge in front of him. Due to having to twist his body mid jump, Loch only got his left hand to grip the now wet rock edge, with the rest of his body swinging dangerously over the chasm and certain death.


    ¡°Arghh!¡± Loch cried out in pain. With only one arm supporting his dead weight, it felt as if his shoulder was coming out of its socket. Gritting his teeth against the pain and digging his left-hand nails into the slippery surface above. Loch reached his right arm out for the edge, while scrabbling his feet on the rock wall searching for purchase. Snatching one foot on a protruding rock, Loch hastily pushed against it, raising his body that few extra inches to just get his right hand finger tips above the edge. Digging both hands in tightly and using his feet, Loch dragged his thin body over the edge. Rolling onto the now muddy mountain path, he shuffled away from the edge before taking the chance to gather his breath.


    Large droplets hitting his uncovered face and running beneath him were the only thing keeping Loch¡¯s already tired body and mind from just lying there. After several deep breaths, Loch stood up with a grunt and looked over to the chasm he just passed. Along with a shiver crawling up his back, Loch spat some water that had gathered in his mouth towards the deadly drop. With a flick of his wet sleeve, Loch turned and began making his way up the mountain path once again. That gnawing feeling in his gut still pressing him forward.


    All the while, Loch travelled further up the mountain, and the rain continued, causing large streams of water to run down the mountain¡¯s face and along its path. The rushing water swept up dislodged rocks and dirt. Several times over the next fifteen minutes of hiking, Loch had to dodge boulders the size of himself and cover his head when smaller rocks came pelting down in a deluge, while he hugged the rock wall for purchase. Leaving the thin boy not just freezing cold, but also battered and bruised. He felt his energy flailing, looking up the mountain and seeing how much more he needed to travel. A sense of worry about whether he could make it to the top began to fill his skull. Several times when he felt he should just take a moment to sit and rest in one of the drier parts of the mountain path, some unknown feeling in his gut twisted, giving rise to a sudden feeling of dread. It was like a part of him knew that if he stopped or even slowed down, it would not just be a huge regretful mistake, but also lead to something far more perilous.


    Right after Loch gauged, he was halfway up the mountain, the path suddenly came to an unexpected dead end of sorts. Instead of it ringing the mountain, it instead led him towards a large opening in the mountain wall. The opening appeared more naturally formed than man made, like a crack in the mountain that was wide enough to drive a wagon through. The entrance was pitch black and no light from outside seemed to be able to penetrate within. Loch stood in front of the crack, with a heavy frown, attempting his best to peer within. Although half of him was excited to escape the rain, the dark, silent entrance made him weary. A part of his heart whispered that there was something inside he was reluctant to confront, not fear but a deep sadness, like he was about to part with a piece of himself forever once he stepped in.


    As Loch glanced back at the mountain wall near the entrance, debating the risk of scaling it, thunder roared and a lightning bolt struck mere feet from Loch. This time Loch didn¡¯t even flinch and instead sneered towards the sky, swinging one fist towards the clouds while saying, ¡°Damn you! Give me a moment, would ya! You stupid rain cloud!¡± This time there was no answer. Everything went silent, even the rain stopped for a moment as if someone had turned the tap off. This made his previously anger-filled face turn pale, as he put on a shaky smile, while another type of liquid, instead of rain, began to run down his forehead.


    ¡°Ah sorry mister rain cloud. I¡¯m going. I¡¯m going.¡± Loch said as he turned his fist into an awkward wave and hurried towards the dark of the cave before him. The darkness of the cave felt as if it had swallowed him. Besides the feeling of the rock covered floor beneath his feet, Loch has lost all senses. Complete silence accompanied him, as he tread forwards, arms extended to catch anything he couldn¡¯t see. After what could have been almost half an hour but was closer to ten minutes of trudging, Loch eventually made contact with something in front of him. The sudden feeling of touching something after walking in the silent darkness made Loch jump back with a very girly scream echoing in his ears. Even though no one could see it, Loch felt his cheeks redden as he regathered himself and once again extended his hand out in front.


    Using just his fingertips, Loch felt the solid object before him and was surprised not to feel the hard rock of the mountain but what he thought was smooth wood. With more confidence Loch used both hands to travel along the surface and eventually felt what he guessed was an outline of a door, even managing to put one hand on an apparent door knob. Avoiding overthinking, Loch turned the knob. A flash of light blinded him, sending his mind reeling and making him cry out as he fell forward.


    The feeling of soft grass running through his fingers made Loch open his tightly shut and burning eyes with a start. On all fours, Loch sat there stupefied as he found himself in a grass field. Whipping his head back so fast he almost gave himself whiplash, Loch saw nothing but more grass and a clear blue sky. The door in the mountain cave had disappeared along with the mountain itself. ¡°What is going on?¡± Loch muttered, as he rose to his feet. ¡°Loch! Come inside, my dear! It¡¯s time for dinner!¡± A woman¡¯s voice crying out behind Loch made him spin around. Across the grass lawn before him sat a large house, ringed by a well-kept flower-filled garden. Standing just before a set of open double doors, alongside two armour-plated guards wielding dangerous-looking halberds, was a middle-aged woman dressed in a plain but well-made blue dress. Her smile was as bright as the night sky and her eyes sparkled with affection as she called out his name again. The sight of the woman brought tears to Loch¡¯s eyes, as he choked out, ¡°Mother?¡±


    Just as he took an involuntary step towards that most familiar but foreign figure, a childish voice sprang up from one of the flowerbeds before the mansion. ¡°Awww. But mum, I¡¯m playing Knights and Fiends!¡± A curly mop of sandy blonde hair popped up behind a set of knee-high flowers. A childish face that was even more familiar to Loch than the woman calling out his name presented itself before him. ¡°What in the holy hell is going on?¡± Loch couldn¡¯t help but cry out.

 CHAPTER 15

    ¡°That¡¯s me? But I can¡¯t remember any of this.¡± Loch muttered to himself as he stared at the familiar people but also at the unfamiliar surroundings. The younger version of Loch stood up from his position among the flower beds, catching his older self¡¯s attention. Along with a frown on his chubby cheeks, he patted the dirt off his knees and, to his older self¡¯s shock, looked right at him. ¡°This doesn¡¯t count as your win, Uncle Wayne. The knight didn¡¯t slay the fiend.¡± Younger Loch said with a cheeky smile. Loch, himself, didn¡¯t reply. He couldn¡¯t hold back a shiver that ran down his back from the little boy¡¯s stare. Checking behind him and to the sides, Loch looked back at the boy and, still seeing the boy¡¯s clear eyes staring right into his, he pointed at himself. ¡°Are you talking to me?¡± Loch said. His younger self crossed his arms in a huff and replied, ¡°Stop playing, Uncle Wayne; I¡¯m not a Fiend anymore.¡±


    Loch didn¡¯t reply again, not just because his younger self was talking to him, which shocked him. But his previous voice, thin and reedy, had transformed; now, resonating from his chest, it boomed with power. Looking down at his clothes gave him another shock. Loch was only now aware that his clothes were completely different from what he was wearing when he entered the cave. He wore a clean white shirt, a dark red waistcoat, and smooth dark trousers. The waistcoat held a golden stitched crest on the top left. From Loch¡¯s angle, he could only make out what appeared to be some kind of bird in a diving position. There was also something within its claws, but he couldn¡¯t make out what it was.


    Continuing his inspection of what he now truly noticed was an unfamiliar body of his, he found that even his hands were different. They were massive to his eyes, and the palms looked filled with callouses. As he rubbed his fingertips together, it felt like sandpaper. ¡°Uncle Wayne! What¡¯s wrong? Are you mad at me?¡± Loch¡¯s younger voice, calling out from ahead of him, brought his attention back to the boy in the flower bed. Seeing the boy¡¯s worried face and the woman further up also gave him a confused look. Loch decided to play along for the moment. He needed time by himself to clear his head and to figure out what was going on. ¡°Nothing is wrong... Loch. You should get going though, your... mother¡­ has called you for dinner.¡± Loch said he tried his best to keep a calm tone of voice but couldn¡¯t help stumbling over a couple of the words.


    ¡°Alrighty! I hope Chef Jackie has made sweet plum for dessert again. I¡¯ll ask her to save you some, too.¡± Loch¡¯s younger self cried out; his trembling lip switched back to an enormous grin in a flash. Almost as if he thought his dinner was going to disappear, his younger self took off like a bullet and ran past his mother and into the house. When the boy ran past his mother, her face couldn¡¯t help but break out into a gentle smile as she playfully batted his rump with a tinkling laugh. The beautiful woman turned back to Loch, who was still standing at the end of the garden, and beckoned with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about helping little Loch change before dinner. I¡¯ll give him a bath afterward myself. I also told Jackie to make a plate for you, too. Knowing your love for Greyhog meat. I¡¯ll get her to heat it up for you after Loch goes to sleep.¡± The woman¡¯s smooth voice addressing him made his heart sting. It felt to Loch as if someone had driven a needle into an open wound and made his chest stuffy. Not trusting his voice at that moment, Loch just gave the woman a heavy nod and began to make his way towards the house. Following the woman, who entered through the doors after her soon, alongside the two heavily armored guards, after she finished speaking to him.


    Loch stopped at the threshold, the interior obscured by a curtain of distortion. Blocking his view of the inside. For a reason, he couldn¡¯t understand but felt deep within his bones, a feeling of utmost terror took hold of him. With Loch¡¯s hands trembling, he took a step back and took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. ¡°Come on, Loch. Man up.¡± Just as he was about to take a step towards the shimmering curtain again, a small voice in his head that sounded just like the younger version of himself cried out, ¡®Don¡¯t come in! Don¡¯t come in! It¡¯s not real! It didn¡¯t happen! Don¡¯t come in!¡¯


    The voice hit his head like a hammer and made him feel dizzy. Even taking a couple of steps back from the open door didn¡¯t turn it off, though. Clutching his head, Loch turned away from the house and scrunched his face in pain. Its insistent childish screams keep reverberating within his skull. ¡®Don¡¯t go in! It¡¯s not real! It¡¯s not reallll!!!¡¯ ¡°Ahhhhhhh, shuttttt uppppp!!!¡± After several minutes, Loch couldn¡¯t help but roar towards the sky. His previous rich voice transformed between his immature own and back again throughout his scream. It was as if two people were screaming from within him. The voice of his younger self ceased at that moment, and his clouded head began to clear. Opening his closed eyes, Loch looked past the beautifully arranged flower bed, blowing in the breeze, and took a moment to calm himself. Attempting to wash away all his thoughts and just focus on the flowers. It worked for the most part, but the sound of a large bird¡¯s cry, which sounded like a cross between a reptile and an eagle, coming from further ahead, made him look up in shock.


    Right above the green field Loch had awoken in, a massive storm cloud had gathered. The sun¡¯s light had no chance of cutting through this dense cloud formation. Bright blue lightning ran erratically throughout while deep peals of thunder boomed, shaking the earth as if some primordial giant were stomping his way toward him. A dark silhouette ignited as a particularly large thunderbolt shot across the sky, revealing the form of a midnight black bird the size of a battleship hovering within. After that flash, the beast was obscured by the heavy cloud cover again. But in that brief moment, Loch glimpsed something that took his breath away and filled his heart with pure wonder at its majesty. Another colossal cry sounded out from deep within the clouds. This one was felt as if the whole world shook from the force of it. Something ripped the flowers from the flower bed before Loch and sent them torpedoing toward him in a violent, sideways cyclone. The sight made Loch jump back in rising horror, almost causing him to fall through the open door, while the storm clouds above that had originally just sat in the sky began to move towards him as well. Just like when he was climbing the mountain, Loch knew he couldn¡¯t let the clouds reach him, and with no more hesitation, he took one last step backward through the door and its shimmering curtain.


    ¡°FACE YOUR NIGHTMARE!¡± A loud voice boomed in his ears the moment he crossed the doorway.


    He was once again blinded by a flash, and after only a couple of blinks, he took stock of his new surroundings and saw he was sitting on a chair within a decent-sized chamber. Shaking his head to clear the ringing from the voice that roared in his ears, ¡®Nightmare, what nightmare?¡¯ Loch questioned to himself. Realizing he wasn¡¯t going to get any answers ,just pondering. He instead began to take a closer look around to see if the bedroom gave him any clues. Going by the objects scattered around the room, like the toy sword and gun, Loch took an educated guess and realized he was in a boy¡¯s room. A set of finely carved figurines sitting on top of a dresser gave him pause. The figurines were of a wide variety. Some posed long-coated men with clawed hands and wielding pistols. Others were heavily plated knights with swords and shields. One of them even looked to be a hooded figure wielding a staff with one hand and gesturing forward with the other.


    A buried memory arose at the sight of the figures. A large, muscular man with a heavy beard loomed; his features blurred. Except for his large, toothy smile. A young boy of one or two snuggled against his chest as he sat on the steps of a house in the summer heat. Looking like a tiny little puppy compared to the large size of the man. A pair of scarred hands was carving at a piece of wood with smooth, controlled strokes. The child¡¯s glittering eyes gazed at the man¡¯s work, and an overall feeling of excitement radiated from the child. ¡°You can borrow one if you want, Uncle Wayne. But you have to give it back in the morning.¡± A familiar child¡¯s voice dragged him from memory and back into the room he found himself in after entering through the door.


    Loch was currently sitting on a stool next to a large pillow-filled bed. A little mop of sandy hair could be seen peaking above a thick blanket on the bed just to his right. The child was also looking at the figurines on the dresser. His eyes carried a trace of sorrow not matched with one so young. Loch took a deep look at the boy within the blankets and the surrounding room. He couldn¡¯t stop the rising feeling of fear growing within him the more he looked around. Blurry memories began to flutter through his mind, increasing his ever-rising tension. ¡°Uncle Wayne, do I have to go to Poppy¡¯s grandfather¡¯s birthday tomorrow? Can¡¯t we just play in the garden instead?¡± Loch¡¯s younger self¡¯s words made him lurch to his feet, knocking over the stool and sending it clattering across the floor. A memory of a particularly stormy night came unbidden to his mind at that point. This one, however, Loch cut off straight away, as he cried out, ¡°No! It didn¡¯t happen! She¡¯s still out there!¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Uncle Wayne... what¡¯s wrong?¡± Loch¡¯s younger self stuttered; the actions of his perceived Uncle Wayne caused tears to begin to well in his eyes. Hearing the frightened tone from the little boy brought Loch¡¯s outburst to come to an abrupt halt. He didn¡¯t dare to meet the child¡¯s eyes and turned, only to come face to face with a stand-up mirror that was in the corner of the room. Seeing the figure looking back at him. Loch couldn¡¯t stop a choked sob from escaping his mouth that was accompanied by the loud crash of thunder. The person in the mirror was a hard-faced, middle-aged man. He had a shiny bald head, with big bushy eyebrows hanging over violet-colored eyes. A clean-shaven chiseled jaw with a lean but muscular build completed the picture of a dapple-dressed gentleman staring back at Loch. ¡°Ah¡­ Uncle Wayne...¡± Loch couldn¡¯t help but say it in a foreign but now familiar voice.


    Even though silent tears leaked out, the warm, deep voice coming from his own mouth couldn¡¯t help but bring a small smile to the middle-aged man¡¯s face in the mirror. ¡°Uncle Wayne I¡¯m sca...¡± Loch¡¯s younger self¡¯s sniffled-filled voice, which was accompanied by more booming peels of thunder and rain, was cut off by the sound of a heavy crash coming from below their room. The bedroom they were in shook with the force of whatever had crashed below them. Loch guessed that it was something coming through a window as the sound of breaking glass was prominent. A set of women¡¯s desperate screams and the bellows of valiant men soon covered the noise of shattering glass and the splintering of wood. Sounds of battle and bloodshed rocked the house inside and out.


    ¡°We¡¯re under attack! Get the madam and young master to saf¡­¡± A composed voice boomed out from below but was cut off by the sound of several bestial roars and then the clashing of steel. The thudding sound of hoofbeats, which sounded like a herd of buffalo stampeding, rang out from outside the manor. They were soon met with the sound of armored, heavy-plated steps and a group of men shouting as one, ¡°For the gathering storm!!! We are the tempest!!! Charge!!!¡± Sounds of feral beasts roaring and the screams of men dying rang throughout the air. The thundering storm above boomed across the sky, its ever-fastening peels of thunder, a war drum in play for the battle below.


    All the noises ringing in Loch¡¯s ears struck his beating heart like a rattle. His mind worked in overdrive, with images of a similar stormy night playing out in his head; he shook it vigorously in an attempt to clear his thoughts. Turning back to the bed, he found the younger Loch hiding under a blanket, his sobs muffled. ¡°Maybe. Maybe this time it can be different.¡± Loch, with the background of crashes and yells coming from without the entire house, muttered. His face was a picture of fear and uncertainty, with a heavy sweat building upon his brow, but a twinkle of something else started to rise within his eyes. A wild idea sparked in his mind, causing his hunched posture to straighten and a look of madness to cross his face. ¡°Yes, this time, it¡¯ll be different. I won¡¯t have to watch.¡±


    With large strides, Loch approached the bed and removed the cover. His younger self¡¯s body was revealed. He had his little head tucked, with his knees brought to his chest. Looking like a curled shrimp. ¡°Mummy.¡± The child sniffed out, as his tightly shut eyes cracked open a sliver. The sight of the middle-aged Uncle Wayne Loch was impersonating, brought a little calm to the boy¡¯s terrified eyes. But the sound of a high-pitched scream followed by a loud splatting noise, like someone had thrown an entire pot of soup on the outside wall, made the boy cry out in fear. Loch, knowing in the back of his mind that he was running out of the little time he had, forcefully grabbed the boy from his bed and wrapped his small frame in a hug. The child instinctively wrapped his arms around Loch¡¯s neck and his little legs around his waist.


    Approaching the door while rubbing the child¡¯s mop of hair in what Loch hoped was a reassuring way. He put his free right hand on the door, and after trying to lower his own rapid breaths, he said to the boy in his embrace, ¡°Everything is going to be fine, Loch; we''re going to get your mother and play Knight and Fiends in the forest. But you have to promise me you¡¯ll keep your eyes closed.¡± Hearing nothing but sniffles from the boy, Loch said again with a touch of heat in his voice, ¡°Promise me, Loch. This is very important. You must promise you won¡¯t open your eyes until I tell you to! No matter what.¡± After several more sobs into his chest, a voice finally squeezed out, ¡°I promise, Uncle Wayne.¡±


    ¡°Good boy.¡± Loch said. After receiving the shaky promise from his younger self, he turned the doorknob and swung it wide. Standing to the side of the door, Loch leaned his head out to inspect the hall. With the door open, Loch witnessed a hallway filled with a maelstrom of body parts and blood. His face paled at the sight while he tried hard to swallow the rising bile. A grotesque creature stood only a few feet from the door Loch just opened. With its back turned, the creature, a bizarre blend of human and bull, was engrossed in devouring what seemed to be a human limb. With a wide, muscular, fury back and two strong legs ending in hooves, the creature, even from behind, radiated brutal ferocity and strength. The sound of flesh and bone being torn and crunched sent Loch¡¯s fragile nerves into a frenzy. After a large swallow, Loch tried his best to step into the hallway and then began to sidestep to his right as quietly as a mouse. He even managed to make it several feet before he stepped on a pool of blood that caused him to lose his footing and stumble loudly in the dead of the hallway to keep himself standing.


    The hairy beast crouched over its meal, stopped its crunching, making Loch hold his breath, and even the boy in his grasp, somehow feeling the rising tension, quieted down. With a wet squish sound, the beast dropped its meal onto the floor, showing it to be what was once a woman¡¯s leg, with half of the thigh chewed through. In a slow but menacing way, it rose to its full height, seeming to fill the already large hallway. Revealing a giant set of curved horns that almost touched the ceiling, the beast turned to face Loch. The beast stood upright like a man, and although it didn¡¯t have a weapon in either of its head-sized fur-covered hands, it radiated danger and bloodlust. A massive bull¡¯s head, with its large bloodshot brown eyes, gazed at Loch, freezing him in place with its mere presence.


    Large globs of blood mixed with saliva dripped from the bull¡¯s half-opened mouth. As the bull breathed through its ringed nose, it sounded like a blacksmith¡¯s bellow, adding to its mighty countenance. Loch¡¯s trembling eyes mirrored the scene, yet his vision seemed doubled. One of a height near his knees and the one now. The images overlapped and caused him to feel numb to his bones. With a menace-filled grin, the bull took a single step toward Loch, its powerful thigh propelling it as Loch pressed himself against the wall, wishing it would swallow him whole. The sight made the bull¡¯s grin split even wider as a teeth-chattering rumble gathered in its gut and rose to its muscular chest. The sound made Loch cry out and crouch down while turning his body so his back was facing the monster.


    After several seconds of waiting for the attack and the continued chesty rumbling coming behind, the terror-frozen mind in Loch¡¯s head clicked. As if he was suddenly zapped, he stood and turned back to the beast with a savage snarl on his face. ¡®It wasn¡¯t preparing for an attack! It¡¯s... laughing!!!¡¯ An affronted and venom-filled younger voice cried in Loch¡¯s mind. ¡°Go to hell, you animal!!¡± Loch roared. A feeling of a storm gathering within himself made his gut churn, and the more he matched stares with the blood-covered creature, the more that feeling of rising energy filled his entire boy. In a clear response to Loch¡¯s cry, the beast stopped its bass-rumbling laughs, and with eyes wide in uncontrolled rage, it leaned forwards and bellowed right back.


    The bellow was so loud and vigorous that it even pushed Loch¡¯s current adult body back a fraction. With a stomp to stabilize himself, Loch felt the storm within rise to his chest, and as if it was a derailed train, it was coming full steam ahead, whether or not he liked it. Riding on pure instinct, Loch raised his left hand, palm faced towards the beast, while holding tight to the child with his right. The full steam ahead train, finally appearing to find a track, stopped its uncontrollable surging and swiftly turned from Loch¡¯s chest, following his left arm past his shoulder. When the train of power passed over his shoulder, Loch saw firsthand his clean, wide shirt burst into a shower of fabric strips as his arm bulged slightly. The toned muscle rippled with pronounced veins, even though Loch appeared to be the one controlling this unknown power. He knew that it was some other thing within his current body, driving it as if the meat suit he was wearing was relying on muscle memory more than Loch¡¯s own will. As he pondered over these odd disembodied feelings, thin bolts of red electricity arced out of his skin, running all down his arm and into his hand, which had now transformed into long, slender fingers tipped in grey-colored talons. With a static charge rising in the air, the child¡¯s hair in his grasp rose while even the bull-typed fur on the bellowing beast began to stand up.


    Not knowing why, Loch knew he needed to release the tempest that had been trapped within him as soon as possible, or something bad would happen. Although his accumulation of power and introspection felt like it took several minutes, only seconds had actually passed. Loch took another stomping foot forward, and now, with his taloned hand gripped in a fist, he punched out with a roar of his own. Even though he was still several feet away from the beast, Loch just knew his punch would land and land it did. A giant fist made from pure, crackling red electricity roared out from Loch¡¯s fist and slammed into the beast¡¯s muscular chest. With a burnt hair aroma and a boom as if a tree toppling over, the bull-faced beast¡¯s chest caved in, and the sound of bones splintering rang throughout the hallway. The bull-headed beast spat up a mouth full of yellow-colored blood. The immense force of the punch sent the massive creature airborne, smashing through the wooden wall.


    Loch attempted to whoop for joy at the sight, but as if all the energy was sucked out of him, a great wave of exhaustion hit him. Sending him kneeling in place and gasping for breath. ¡°Soil it. I feel like butter scraped over too much bread. Ha.¡± Loch said between gasps.


    ¡°Loch!!¡± A woman¡¯s concern-filled cry caused both Loch and the boy in his grasp to look over. Seeing the fatigue and blood splattered form of the woman running towards him, Loch''s eyes couldn¡¯t help shining. Just as he was about to shout out mother, a younger, tear-filled voice beat him to it, ¡°Mummy!!¡± Holding tight to the child, who had begun to raise his head, Loch yelled, ¡°Don¡¯t forget your promise! Don¡¯t open your eyes!¡±

 CHAPTER 16

    On shaky legs, Loch stood up and approached the woman, his mother, who was now dressed far differently than he had seen her earlier. The woman had her auburn curls wrapped up in a tight ponytail. Instead of a light covering of makeup on her rosy cheeks, she had bits of still-wet blood splattered across her face. The simple but well-made blue dress was still there but was now covered in a thin metal breastplate, complete with separate forearm guards. Dainty hands gripped a pair of short swords; their blades wreathed in a soft, white light resembling pale flames.


    Including the weapons and armour, Loch¡¯s mother was clearly dressed for battle, but her eyes and aura still radiated a gentle concern. That was a balm to a weary heart. In a flicker of motion, she went from over twenty feet from Loch¡¯s position to right in front of him. He attempted to look into her face, but found she had only eyes for the child clinging to his chest. A small piece of Loch soured at the sight before he pushed it down. ¡°Loch? Everything will be fine. Mummy¡¯s here.¡± The woman said to the boy, while she caressed the back of his head. After several seconds and not seeing the boy remove his face buried in the older Loch¡¯s chest, her eyes began to water, and she finally looked up to him. Her eyes conveyed a heart-breaking fear that he quickly tried to assuage. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s safe. It¡¯s just that Loch has promised me that until I tell him, he isn¡¯t to open his eyes.¡±


    The woman¡¯s countenance changed after hearing what he said, and although she still had a face scrunched in worry, she put on a bright smile that almost made it hurt to look at. ¡°Thank you so much, Uncle Wayne.¡± His own smile started to widen in conjunction with hers before it dropped off the moment he heard the way she addressed him. Even though the woman could see the frown on Loch¡¯s face, she attributed it to the general situation and not what she had said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how a full horde managed to get so deep inside Empyrium without arousing the Nest. But it doesn¡¯t really matter now, the guards below are sacrificing their everything to buy us time. We can¡¯t let their sacrifice be in vain. I also haven¡¯t seen any Arch-Fiends yet, but there has to be one leading them. The low-tier Fiends are acting with far too much purpose and haven¡¯t resorted to their base instincts. There must be someone giving them directions.¡± Loch¡¯s mother said while gazing around at the mess of the hall with calm. Her steely eyes held the wisdom and determination of a veteran.


    ¡°An Arch Fiend...¡± After several seconds of trying to digest the information just conveyed to him, Loch had only locked onto those two words with abject horror, with the rest of her words becoming background noise. With even a cloudy mind and unreachable past. The words Arch-Fiend caused sheer terror to rise within him. A loud screech, as if someone was dragging a nail across a chalkboard, rang out through the entire mansion, shattering windows and drowning out the sounds of blood and battle. The sudden pain overrode Loch¡¯s fear, and his head began ringing. A small trail of blood started to leak out of Loch¡¯s ears, and when he looked at his mother, he could see she had blood falling down the sides of her face as well. The worried but confident and determined look on his mother¡¯s face appeared to be washed off as she went as pale as a ghost and looked to be hyperventilating.


    After the piercing screech, there were a few seconds of silence before a cacophony of roar rang out through the mansion, accompanied by what felt to Loch as a stampede bursting through the front door. Loch couldn¡¯t help himself and walked a few feet to the banister overlooking the bottom floor and the stairs that led up to his current position. A mass of moving flesh became visible to him. In the attempt to fit through the small opening of the doorway, creatures of all different sizes found themselves half stuck, pushing, scratching, and biting each other for the privilege of being the first one to enter. All manner of creatures were below Loch, some he recognized like the Minotaur, the half man half bull he had previously faced, and the green-skinned tusked Orcans, but others he had never seen before, appearing more like cross-bred abominations. From the force of their tussle over the door, both sides of the walls began to crack and chip off before breaking entirely and hitting the atrium floor tiles with a bang.


    The stampede roared once more and flooded the house with several of the muscular Orcans, wielding their large two-handed swords, taking the stairs two at a time and heading right for him. Their jutting jaws, sky-high tusks, and enraged bellows forced Loch to retreat quickly. Now using two hands to cradle the child in his grasp closer, Loch wasn¡¯t sure if he was doing it to comfort the child or himself. In only a moment, a trio of black armored Orcans arrived at the second floor, and seeing Loch, they each issued out excited, saliva-flinging yells. Greatswords raised high, ready to chop him in two. The trio charged at him with nothing but bloodlust in their eyes.


    Loch attempted to summon the storm within him but found nothing but a light smattering of gathering clouds, taking continued step backs. He tried again and again but found nothing but a light spark in his limbs, nothing like the train-filled energy spike he had felt before. When the trio was only ten feet away from Loch and he was about to turn tail to run. A woman¡¯s courageous cry came out from behind him. With hair thrown into a flutter all of a sudden, Loch¡¯s mother, now entirely wreathed in a pale glow, looking like some saintess of war, charged towards the attacking beasts. Like she was performing a ballroom dance, and the beastly, boorish Orcans were also trying to stay in step with her, Loch¡¯s mother spun around in a dizzy. Her thin, short swords flicked out at high velocity, not in mighty chops but quick cuts and slices. Within only moments, the trio of beasts swinging their thick weapons in full force, wind-scattering attacks, hit nothing but air and appeared as if they had suffered death by a thousand cuts.


    After a flourish of her blades, Loch¡¯s mother flicked the dark green blood accumulated in the blood groves onto the already painted floor. With her heels clicking across the wooden floorboards, she made her way back to the stunned Loch, leaving three Orcans, all in different attacking positions in her wake. It appeared as if their bodies hadn¡¯t come to terms that they were dead and needed a moment to catch up, as one they all fell to the floor, spraying fountains of dark green blood. ¡°We must go, Wayne. I don¡¯t know how that bastard found us, but without Loch¡¯s father, we have no chance to fend him off. I¡¯ll not be giving him the chance to devour my precious chick.¡± Loch¡¯s mother said. She spared one moment to rub the child¡¯s back in his embrace before marching past him down the hallway. Loch¡¯s eyes were still stuck on the three corpses before him. Even with their thick armour, it appeared as if every inch of exposed skin had suffered a wound. ¡°Amazing.¡± Loch breathed out, before a commanding voice rang out behind him, ¡°Wayne! Hurry!¡± His feet instinctively followed the voice while it took a couple more seconds for his mind to catch up.


    The sound of several more feet climbing the stairs behind him caused Loch to break into a quick job. His mother had already arrived at the end of the hallway. Standing before a plain wall, she had turned to face Loch and looked him square in the eyes. The gaze brought him up short, as he said, ¡°What now?¡± In front of them was a dead end, without even a window to jump out of. Looking towards the woman, he couldn¡¯t help but give her a confused gaze. The woman, with her face in a blank state, calmly replied, ¡°Wayne, could you kindly remove the wall? This will be the quickest way to enter the forest and I¡¯m sure King Sepharim has been notified of that bastard¡¯s presence by now. He might not lower his lazy ass from his perch over a little horde, but that screech will surely have caught his vain covered eyes. He¡¯s always wanted to see whose wing was stronger. So we¡¯ll just need to hide ourselves in the forest for a little while, and then we should be safe.¡±


    Just as Loch¡¯s mother finished speaking, a series of stomps followed by cackles and roars came out from behind them. Loch¡¯s mother charged past his frozen form and yelled, ¡°Hurry, Wayne! I¡¯ll hold them off!¡± With the sounds of booms and screeching of metal on metal, Loch knew the battle behind him had started. But at the moment, he didn¡¯t have the spare brain cells to focus on it. His mind already struggled with his mother¡¯s nonchalant request to blow a hole in the wall, but more than anything, he was shocked by her disrespectful and casual way of talking about King Sepharim. ¡®Did my mum actually know the King?¡¯ The supreme existence of King Sepharim, ruler and overlord of the city of Empyrium was an almost God-like figure in Loch¡¯s tiny eyes. He didn¡¯t know anyone in his life who didn¡¯t hold the King of Empyrium in the highest regard. A lot of residents of the Shambles even felt calling him by his Monarch title of Sepharim would be a dishonor to his noble position and just referred to him as King. Even though his current memories appeared just out of his grasp every time he tried to dredge them up, he felt a sense of holiness hearing the man¡¯s name. Now, to hear his mother call that same person a ¡®lazy ass¡¯ caused his brain to malfunction.


    Another sharp screech tore through the building while Loch was having his kanipshin, this one sounded like it came from just outside the house, making the entire place rock and even sending Loch stumbling forward, where he found his forehead bouncing off the wall with a sharp crack. ¡°Soil it!¡± Loch cried out in pain, rubbing his forehead. ¡°What are you doing Wayne!! He¡¯s coming!!¡± Loch¡¯s mother cried out from behind him, swiftly followed by the sound of clashing weapons and a beast¡¯s pained roar. ¡®Right, focus for the Earth loving sake!¡¯ Loch chastised himself as he did his best to ignore all outside noise and searched within himself again. Attempting to conjure up that elusive power from within.


    With closed eyes, Loch calmed his frolicking heart, performing a set of breathing exercises from that had surfaced in his memory. For some reason, this memory came back to him effortlessly and was crystal clear. Along with the memory was also the whip cracking voice of an elderly woman saying, ¡°Focus you little heathen. How are you supposed to mix dangerous chemicals when you are so full of yourself, like a rampaging dragon? Sit down! And copy me if you don¡¯t remember it perfectly after I finish my demonstration. I¡¯ll turn your hair pink. Now, watch.¡±


    Repeating the exercises, Loch concentrated on his breath, imagining himself as a weightless leaf following his breath through his mouth and into his lungs and back again. As if he was a silent passenger on a journey throughout his body, before he knew it Loch found his vision shift. He was now outside of his body, as if he was a floating specter, looking down on himself. Gazing around him, Loch found the world had frozen, even his self was stuck in a breathing in pose. The perspective wasn¡¯t the only thing that changed. His new sight didn¡¯t reflect the normal spectrum of colors he was used to seeing. Instead, everything took on an almost smoky violet hue, a little like the dreams he had of the Hunter. Loch could still make out the general outlines of himself and the surrounding building, but it was as if the world around him was covered in an ever-moving fog of violet. It churned all around him, outlining his body as more of a black mass than a person, like an empty spot in space. Besides a thin, similar fist-sized cluster of purple-colored clouds found where he knew to be his stomach, it appeared so thin, though, as if a gentle breeze could send it scattering.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if it was from his own volition, or under some unseen hand, but almost like it was a natural thing to do, Loch used this new vision to zoom in on the small cloud in his stomach. Now that he was closer, Loch could see that cloud of purple smoke wasn¡¯t just sitting there motionless but looked to be revolving around an object hidden within. Focusing all his attention on this new object, Loch found himself coming eye to eye with a figure that felt so foreign but also horrifyingly familiar. The object wasn¡¯t an object. It was a person but also not a person.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Standing as still as a statue was a figure with vaguely human proportions. A pair of tattooed arms crossed in front of a lean but muscular chest. The skin looked in pristine condition, without a blemish or scar in sight. Flashing in and out of existence over the left arm was what appeared to be an archaic-looking armguard that encompassed all the figure¡¯s left arm and hand, right to its fingertips. When it did flash into existence, one could see the armour held complicated swirls of dim blue lines running throughout. Loch attempted his best to focus on the armour but couldn¡¯t make out many features in its blurry form. There was only one thing he was certain of. The blue lines weren¡¯t just random lines and patterns but appeared to be some form of language, one that he had never seen or heard about. Loch made a guess, though, that it appeared to be a sentence of some sort, written out multiple times around the armour.


    Even though Loch wouldn¡¯t describe himself as a very knowledgeable person, he knew, from his lessons at the orphanage and the brief history lessons from the priest of the church on Earth days, that the current spoken and written language all humans on Aegis used had been the same one for thousands of years. He had heard the priest mention that many Arch-Fiends shared a language as well, but oddly enough, it was fairly similar to their own. From the scant few books and some drawings he¡¯s seen, Loch could tell the script on the armour was not the widely used Fiend language either. Switching his focus from the blurry armour, as he knew he couldn¡¯t conjure an answer out of thin air, Loch inspected the rest of the totem.


    The only piece of clothing the totem was currently wearing was on its lower half, instead of a pair of pants or even nothing at all, as Loch was expecting. The Totem was instead wearing what appeared to be a long battle skirt. The skirt was made of a collection of long blood-red, and black feathers entwined with molted golden metal strips. Underneath the skirt was a pair of thick chicken drumstick thighs and muscular human calves. However, both legs didn¡¯t end in a classic human foot but instead ended in a bird-like taloned foot, with three long and slender black-skinned toes with curved metallic, gleaming talons in the front in a triangular formation, with the middle one being the longest. There was also an independent talon that was both thicker and shorter, replacing a standard heel and appearing to bring stability to the foot.


    Another thing Loch noticed, after investigating the totem overtime, was another detail that flickered in and out of existence. This flickering appeared even less regular than the arm guard, and if he hadn¡¯t spent a hundred and ten percent of his focus on this mysterious object at all times, he might have missed it. Every inch of bare skin, within a short split of a second, would be suddenly filled with thick black lines, which appeared more like tattoos than something grown naturally, looking similar to interlocking geometric patterns. The more he attempted to gauge these new tattoo patterns, the more his head began to throb. Loch did notice, however, that a couple of the patterns weren¡¯t actually locked together and seemed to have several small gaps in places, making the pattern or picture they were trying to outline incomplete.


    After an exceptionally severe pulse of pain that even made the world around him flicker back to normal before returning to the purple cloud infused world, made Loch gave up attempting to piece the puzzle of the tattoos anymore. ¡®Secrets upon secrets. Mysteries upon mysteries. Why do I always get the feeling that whenever I lift one veil, I don¡¯t receive an answer to the questions in my heart, but I¡¯m instead left with two more questions to add to the pile.¡¯ Loch couldn¡¯t help mutter, if he wasn¡¯t in his current weird floating observer form, without a tangible body. He had the urge to throw a bit of a fit and shake his fist to some unknown, all-knowing entity.


    Moving past the mysterious tattoos, Loch checked out the next thing that dominated the Totem¡¯s odd features. A seemingly massive pair of ebony-colored feathered wings that curled around from its back. They had a flexibility to them, shown with their curved structure, but also had a thickness to them that bespoke of uses other than flight. As Loch stared at the beautiful and glossy looking feathers, he could swear the tips of some of them, that were at the bottom or the tip of the wing, looked to be swaying in an unseen breeze. The noise of the apparent soft feathers rubbing together gently made a slight scraping sound, similar to what one would hear if they were running a blade along a whetstone.


    The wings were currently covering the side of the totem¡¯s face, making it hard for Loch to make out any details. ¡®Blasted wings. Get out of the way, would you?¡¯ To Loch¡¯s surprise, the unmoving totem appeared to obey the command he just issued in his mind and slowly moved to either side. Like a pair of curtains separating. The sudden, surprising action caught Loch¡¯s focus for only a brief moment, for when the face on the totem was revealed in full force, he had no spare brain capacity for anything else. The face was not of the middle-aged man, Wayne, whose body he was currently in possession of, as Loch was expecting. There was even a part of him that thought the face would be just another odd combination of some random humans and what was clearly something from the bird family. Like a normal human¡¯s eyes and nose, but instead of lips, it was a pointed bird beak. What he got instead was a face that bore a striking resemblance to his own. Granted, it was a more mature face than his own, and one could even say it held demonic charm to it, with a set of thin lips risen in a smirking expression. But Loch knew in his heart of hearts that he was looking at himself, or at least a version of himself.


    A pair of narrowed, vacant eyes, pale green with no white sclera and a jet-black pupil, stared back at him as he perused the ever-so-familiar facial features. As if it was one of those odd paintings, no matter where Loch looked, he felt as if those beastly eyes were staring at him. His already fuzzy mind was in a complete daze at the sight of the Totem¡¯s face, especially once he made eye contact with those familiar but foreign eyes.


    They were like a pair of vibrant emerald pools. They swirled and swayed in his vision, whispering to him, enchanting him, asking him to swim into their depths and open himself up. He just needed to let go and he would finally be able to relax, all the pain and sadness that he kept buried. All the hurt and decay that he hid would just float away, as long as he just opened himself up and took a swim. Loch felt his mind getting sluggish, and even his incorporeal self drifted toward the totem. With it becoming larger and larger, swallowing the surroundings and becoming the sole item in all of existence.


    A throaty but masculine voice began to intrude into Loch¡¯s mind, seeping into the deepest parts of his consciousness. It wormed and squirmed throughout his brain, breaking up any coherent thoughts he had just began to muster. To Loch, the voice sounded as if it was coming from right over his shoulder, whispering in his ear and also coming from the abyss that was the emerald eyes taking up his vision in front of him, ¡®It¡¯ll be fine, my little Scion of oblivion. Just open it up and release it. Haven¡¯t you always wanted to fly free? Free from these pesky memories. It¡¯s so easy. I¡¯ll take them all; I¡¯ll take the tears, the pain, the heartache. You don¡¯t need them. Just give them to me. These trials are unnecessary, one such as you doesn¡¯t need to prove to anyone that you¡¯re worthy. You were born worthy. Your very existence is worthy. It¡¯s so ssssimple. Can¡¯t you feel them, constantly tugging at you, holding you back? My little Scion of Oblivion. Reject them. Seize them. EMBRACE... ME!!¡¯


    The slithering, defiling voice sounded off charming, but flecks of something monstrous began to grow the longer it talked. With the last of its words, sounding more like two rocks grinding together. No seduction in them, only force. Even in his muddle-headed state, Loch could feel the menace radiating in the voice, but it also held a flicker of something far more familiar to him. It was less like a feeling and more of a state of mind. But to Loch, it somehow also brought a certain amount of solace to his wavering soul. Like having a warm blanket thrown over you when you¡¯ve fallen asleep on the couch. It was oh-so comforting. Memories of a dirty, tattered child hunkered in the hollow of a thick tree came unbidden to Loch¡¯s mind. The words whispering in his ear faded into the background as he focused on the picture before him. A storm raged around the curled child, sending the surrounding trees creaking and swaying, while the earth filled with water, washing away all the defilement on the ground.


    Unnoticed to the Earth sucking up the life-giving water, a trickle of salty water was added to the mix, streaming from the boy¡¯s wide-open eyes as he stared at a pair of blood-soaked, tiny hands. Even the torrential rain couldn¡¯t wash away all that red. A crack of lightning banished the darkness for a brief moment, illuminating several figures lying around the tree in various states. They appeared human on first balance and dressed in plain cotton clothes; the only thing they had in common with the boy was their current red stained state. The lightning also lit up the child in the hollow¡¯s face, giving Loch a clear picture of those familiar green eyes and the current twisted visage dominating them. Loch could only think of one word when looking at the child¡¯s current wild eyed state, madness. The sight brought an involuntary cry from Loch¡¯s mouth, almost as if a snarl from a rabid beast he roar, ¡°Nooooooo!!!¡± Along with his roar, the forest around the child looked to bend under a hidden pressure before being blasted into oblivion. Bringing Loch back to the vision of the swirling emerald waters and the whispering voice.


    Although he currently still felt like nothing more than a floating pair of eyes, Loch managed to flex an invisible fist, cock it back and with a bellow of defiance he launched it at the glistening green lake before him. The lake appeared like a piece of glass and was shattered into innumerable pieces when met with Loch¡¯s unrelenting fist, flying out into the abyss. Once the emerald lake cracked, a masculine, unhinged voice was also dragged by some unseen force from the depths of Loch¡¯s consciousness, letting out several multi-voiced screams of anger, as if there was more than one voice talking on top of each other but all appeared to share the same state of the boy in the hollow. Just before the raging voices were dragged back into the abyss from once, they came, the roared in conjunction, ¡°We will meet again, our little Scion of Oblivion, we¡¯ll see if you can get pass the next trial without the help of We! True power comes with Oblivion!¡±


    Only a tiny bit of willpower was holding Loch¡¯s currently crumbling mind, with even his consciousness flickering like a candle in the wind, but with the expulsion of whatever entity was invading his soul being banished, along with the thick taint of insanity that leaked out of it. Loch found his dim vision regaining clarity and his muddled mind getting a much-needed dose of energy. Gazing at the Totem again, Loch found the emerald eyes reverting back to the previous placid state, as a sense of haste began to brew in his mind. In a flash, he saw a woman standing against a dark, malevolent figure, a vision that sent his still heart racing. Sounded out in large, repetitive, deafening booms to his ears. Loch re-focused on who he was and what he was doing, returning his inspection of the totem and the cyclone that surrounded it, pushing emotion away and attempting to use an analytical mind that an old woman¡¯s sharp voice always told him to use when facing a problem larger than oneself.


    Somehow, Loch knew that this beastly totem of himself was the key to using the power he had expended earlier when he was battling the Minotaur. Even though he currently felt like a disembodied entity without any other workable appendage, Loch knew he could still control his body somewhat in this state. Gazing into those green eyes, Loch began to hear a set of mumbling words, but they sounded as if they were coming from underwater, garbled and indecipherable. With all the willpower he could muster, Loch tried his best to hear what was being said. Something in his blood was screaming at him to listen. The mumbling began to get louder, as if the one talking was running towards him. Throwing all other thoughts out of his mind, Loch stretched his perception towards the coming noise and finally managed to grasp something.


    The voice was odd. It sounded as if it was one voice but also thousands of voices speaking at the same time. They sounded so far, but now they came crashing into him like a tempest of noise, roaring a mantra into his very soul. The words came in crashing waves and besides hurting his mind; it felt as if they were burning themselves into his very bones, causing him to cry out within in pain. While Loch was going through this Nightmare of pain. Back in Mother Leanne¡¯s office. Tobias was currently looking over a set of documents with a critical eye, while the boss of the orphanage herself was gazing out the window. The raven Jack was even perched on her shoulder, but he was facing Loch¡¯s sleeping form on the desk.


    Almost as one, Tobias and Mother Leanne snapped their attention towards Loch. A smell of ozone began to fill the office, as if someone was burning rubber. Small sparks of electricity began to leap from Loch¡¯s pale skin. His threadbare clothes that were touched by the arcs disappeared into dust. The sound of thunder began to rumble out from with Loch¡¯s stomach. The noise came in waves of booms, getting louder and louder. The desk Loch was lying on started to shake and was soon followed by the floor and then the walls. Before the whole orphanage started to rumble, Mother Leanne¡¯s eyes flashed golden and her flame covered aura materialized around her and then encompassed Loch and the desk in a dome of flames. Cutting off all the noises but also hiding the contents within. Tobias, who was gazing at Loch¡¯s form with shining eyes and unintentionally leaning his body towards him, leaned back in his chair once the dome blocked his sight. Taking up the documents he was reading before, he flashed a side-eyed look at Mother Leanne and said, ¡°Quite a powerful awakening for a first Tier. Which also means it is going to be equally as dangerous.¡±


    Mother Leanne didn¡¯t respond to the Hunter''s statement and instead kept her golden gaze on the dome. In her head, however, she spoke out her hidden thoughts, ¡®You can do it, Loch. Accept the pain. Accept the loss, and the little chick can finally... spread his wings.¡¯

 CHAPTER 17

    A storm had raged in the depths of his very soul. Loch felt as if he suddenly had a rabid beast trapped within his stomach, and it was crying out to be released. Inside, the demonic totem resonated with the booming words in his mind, as if a thousand words were chanting towards it. The tattoos on the totem¡¯s body and the inscriptions on the armour began to pulse, following a certain rhythm. The purple fog billowing around the outside of his body entered through the skin above his arms in thin streams. They gathered into a torrent, drilling into the bones from his shoulder to his hands, causing a piercing agony to radiate throughout. His previously empty black silhouette began to be filled with a new colorful system, outlining his bones throughout his body.


    Loch was a silent witness to the whole affair. He felt a tearing pain radiate through every inch of him, making his mind go fuzzy. Even though he was some odd apparition, currently separated from his body, he still felt everything happening to him. The pain was unbearable, especially once the purple stream entered his spine. The world went unsteady, making him lose his sense of time and his thoughts. He seemed to drift in and out of consciousness, aware that each time he did, he risked losing a piece of himself while a primal instinct tried to take control. A battle of spirit began to rise within. His true sense of self was warring against this new, more feral power rampaging within. His intuition confirmed the new power coursing through him; he should embrace, not fight it. Another part of him, a smaller but stubborn part, was scared, terrified even, at what this new power would mean. What would it do to him? He felt himself slipping. Loch felt utterly full, too full, like at any moment he would explode. In his current floating form, he didn¡¯t know what to do to alleviate the feeling, with his mind crumbling. He knew he was missing one more crucial step.


    Panic set in, and a great weight of failure began to hang on his shoulders. ¡®Hopeless. I¡¯m left hopeless again, not strong enough, not smart enough, not brave enough. Weak, weak, weak.¡¯ A soft, scared voice rang out through Loch¡¯s mind. Every time it spoke, it seemed to drain the little energy he had left. Just as he was falling ever deeper into the pit of self-doubt and pity, his old familiar blanket, Loch heard a cry that appeared to light his darkening world in a flash. Like a drowning man desperately trying to cling onto anything to keep himself afloat. Loch homed in on the noise and followed it. Another familiar soft but powerful bird¡¯s caw rang in his ears again as if entreating him to wake up. He paused for a moment, and the cracking world paused with him. ¡°Riseeeeee!!¡± a voice screeched into his mind, and as if he was a car that needed a jump start, a surge of charged power travelled from the voice and throughout his being. Kicking everything back into gear and frying his feelings of self-doubt into ashes in its wake. Everything became clear for a split second.


    At this point, every bone in his body, including his skull, radiated a dark purple and was vibrating. A much thicker cloud had also gathered around his bestial totem, forming a spinning vortex that was only growing in intensity. With his newly acquired moment of clarity, Loch followed an instinct that was buried deep within his blood. In his specter form, Loch spread his pair of invisible hands wide, as if they were a pair of wings and looked to the sky, letting out a roar that had the high pitch of a bird¡¯s squawk mixed within. A murky silhouette rose behind Loch at that moment, matching his movements and posture, mixing its own call to the sky. It was a proclamation to the air and to the earth. Still following the call within his blood, Loch took on a diving posture, with his arms tucked to his sides and face forward, aiming straight for the totem within a cyclone of purple clouds, like a kingfisher diving towards the water for prey.


    As he was diving, it felt to Loch as if an invisible shackle that he had never noticed but had always been there was finally broken and his speed skyrocketed. He appeared to morph into a comet, followed by a tail engulfed in blue electric currents, while a colossal, winged creature soared above as a silent protector and onlooker. Loch split through the wildly spinning vortex, like a hot knife through butter, and rocketed straight into the still totem in an explosion of sparks.


    The totem¡¯s dead green eyes took on an electric blue quality and brimmed with vibrant life. The gauntleted crossed arms spread to either side, with five black metal, reinforced appendages sparkling with arcs at their dagger-sharp points. While the curled ebony feathered wings unfurled, they looked to absorb all light, appearing at once soft but gleaming with an appendage cutting sharpness, and after just one majestic flap, the totem lifted off the ground and into the air. Now directly in the middle of the cyclone, and before it could lose altitude, the wings flapped once more, allowing it to hover in place. The motions were stiff and robotic at first but soon smoothed out, looking less like some archaic totem and now more like a living being. With arms outstretched the totem, copied Loch¡¯s previous posture and let out a cry into the sky above. Accompanied by the sounds of cracking glass, it was as if an invisible force field had shattered, and the cyclone, brimming with volatile energy, had found an outlet. A tempest of crackling, pulsing power poured from it and into the Totem¡¯s open mouth like a bath full of water going down an open drain.


    The torrent of energy seemed to inject itself into the already glowing patterns and tattoos first before infusing the rest of the totem. The tattoos radiated power that spread throughout the inner space, in waves of heat, crackling with an unused power that only got stronger the more the totem absorbed the purple-colored cyclone. With the cyclone fully absorbed and weird calm before a storm settling within the space, the totem lowered both clawed hands, palms down. A large current of electricity gathered around both arms, traveling like mighty multi-colored legless eastern dragons, curling up and down and around. Once the dragons were almost as thick as the forearms, they were swimming around. They took on all different colors, some bright blue while others were vibrant red, the color of blood. A colossal midnight-black dragon, wreathed in electricity, materialized¡ªvisibly slick with an oily sheen. Under some silent command, they all began to entwine together into a collection, like a beautiful, shiny rainbow river of lightning.


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    With a whip crack, the rainbow river shot out of the totem¡¯s open palms and travels down ten feet, slamming into an invisible floor. Sending out a kaleidoscope of colorful currents running in a geometric pattern that resembled a bird in flight, wings outstretched and claws to either side. This multicolored pattern glowed and all around it grew a thick coating of soil, with a hint of budding grass in a circle. If it were in the outside world, it would be only about eight feet in diameter. It radiated electric power as if the purple cloud vortex had transformed into a condensed power and buried it under the soil for safekeeping. The totem began to lower itself from its position in the air, and within a few moments, its taloned feet landed in the middle of the soil, retaking the posture it held before Loch had inserted himself within it. Arms crossed and wings curled, except this time its eyes didn¡¯t return to their natural green but stayed an electrifying blue.


    A powerful resonance in Loch¡¯s blood called out a name. The very word, once spoken, vibrated within and elevated his cloudy soul. Something within him wanted Loch to know what this heritage of power was and to hold that name with pride. Da-Peng. The name came across Loch¡¯s mind like an electric shock, filled with wind and lightning. Each letter was like a spark that lit up the blood within him.


    The part of Loch that had injected himself into the totem had witnessed the whole thing. He wasn¡¯t in true control of the events and was more like a silent spectator running on autopilot. There was an almost instinctual feeling of how to channel this new power out of the soil and send it throughout his body. It could strengthen an appendage at will, but he had a feeling, like an itch he couldn¡¯t scratch, that there were more efficient ways to channel this power. He just couldn¡¯t decipher how as of yet. He also had an odd sick feeling after he swallowed the purple vortex, as if a part of it was rotten and didn¡¯t digest properly. Regardless, he now knew he had the power for the task his mother set for him, and with a flex of his will, he sent his floating consciousness back toward his body. Returning the purple-colored world of the hallway back to its half-destroyed blood speckled original version.


    All sights and sounds returned to motion, the world coming back into play around Loch. Loch, himself, didn¡¯t focus on anything else and instead summoned a current of power from within the soil. Sending its vibrant color a slim shade dimmer in the process. Channeling the power, which shot through his body like a bolt of electricity, up through his chest, across his right shoulder, and down into his fist. Morphing his human hand into a grey-colored clawed hand brimming with sparks. Once he felt like he had stuffed his hand full and it couldn¡¯t take anymore or else something bad would happen, Loch punched straight at the wall in front of himself with a roar. Along with a bang, the building wall exploded outwards, as if a cannonball had slammed into it.


    An opening at least two people high and the same across appeared in front of him. Showing a manicured lawn ringed in a low wall with a thick set of woods behind it, almost beckoning to him.


    Scattered all over the area were signs of a fierce but ultimately short battle. Armored knights littered the area in the dozens, but they were clearly outnumbered, just going by the amount of monster corpses surrounding each knight. It looked as if each guard had to defend against over a dozen attacks from all manner of beasts by themselves. Even though the knights appeared done in by overwhelming physical harm, the beasts carried a wide range of wounds. The knights¡¯ weapons inflicted obvious slices and stabs, while some beasts appeared burned or frozen. One particularly large creature that looked as if it was similar to the Minotaur Loch had previously faced appeared to have half its body melted into a pile of goo. A knight with green etched patterns upon his armour had his entire arm embedded in the half-melted minotaur.


    One specific spot right in the middle of the lawn was very eye-catching. A mountain of corpses almost six feet high stood solemnly among the scattered dead, as if a monument erected for the massacre. An odd ring of impaled beasts surrounded the macabre mountain. The creatures, that looked like a wolf that stood on two legs with long lithe arms, were impaled with what seemed to be spikes made of rock and dirt. A lone knight in shattered and broken armor lay atop the pile of corpses, a silver etched and gore-splattered heavy Warhammer gripped in one hand while his other hand was wrapped around a winged beast¡¯s neck. The monster¡¯s female looking face was a deep purple, while its neck looked as if it had been crushed and almost ripped, going by the tearing in the skin. The creature had a human female shaped torso but no arms, instead its shoulders extended into a pair of dirt-colored feathered wings. A pair of human-shaped legs ending in oversized reptilian-like clawed feet completed the picture of a truly grotesque monster.


    The sight of the burly looking deceased knight gave Loch a tightness in his chest, especially the large silver warhammer. It conjured memories of a vociferous man, with a thick moustache and wide frame. Striding up and down a line of soldiers in training gear, bellowing out orders and scolding what he perceived to be slackers. One specific scene of him slamming his warhammer into the ground, causing a large pillar of spiked dirt to rise a few feet away, sent a feeling of wonder and awe through Loch¡¯s mind.


    Unknown to Loch, the fighting behind him had come to an abrupt stop and silence reigned supreme. Shaking off the odd feelings at the sight of the devastation of life scattered across the lawn. Flushed by his new power and excitement, when Loch turned around, he couldn¡¯t help the large grin the grew on his face, just like any child wanting to show off to his mother, he yelled, ¡°I did it! Let¡¯s go!!¡± His bellow rang on deaf ears however, his mother was frozen, standing in the middle of a pile of assorted creatures and monster corpses. In front of her was a figure that just the sight of made his newly brimming power extinguish and bury it deep under the soil within himself. As if even it, wanted to hide from the being standing across from his mother. In an almost choked sob, Loch said, ¡°No. Not you. Not again.¡±

 Chapter 18

    ¡°Young Madam Stormshadow, it positively tickles my heart to see you still so... spirited... after so many years. I can still see that a special spark of yours hasn¡¯t been quite snuffed out yet. The brave commander of the Valkyries truly lives up to her reputation. Oh! Where are my manners? I do apologize for barging in unannounced like I have. Do forgive me.¡± The dark figure across from Loch¡¯s mother said, his body dipping in a slight bow. His voice was refined but scratchy, as if one use to talking in another language, with several words having a certain tilt to them like he was over-pronouncing the o.


    The figure didn¡¯t appear imposing in form, appearing to have a slight build and standing at roughly six feet tall. He, however, oozed menace. Just staring at the man made Loch¡¯s eyes water, feeling like several needles were prickling his entire body. Even with the figure¡¯s entire body cloaked in an impenetrable darkness, the man¡¯s eyes were brightly lit, like two spotlights. They were overly large and had a more oval shape to them. It made the man appear as if he was looking at everything and nothing at the same time.


    Loch paused his perusal of the figure as the man continued talking into the silent hall, ¡°Once I heard that my dear friends had started a little family of their own, I just positively had to make a stop and see. Just like your husband had done for me in the past, one must always repay a favor. Isn¡¯t that right, milady?¡±


    Loch¡¯s mother, who had appeared frozen before, appeared to shudder at the man¡¯s words, even though they were all said plainly with barley a rise in tone or pitch throughout. The man¡¯s final words stoked the floundering aura surrounding her, transforming it from a small ember into a majestic flame several feet wide. Ominously, the floorboards underneath her creaked, as if bearing more weight. The air around the straight back woman took on a hazy shine. At the center of her spine, a set of pale-yellow tentacles, as thick as a forearm, began to crawl out of her spine, bypassing the armour, and extending out to her left and right. Once they reached the walls of the hall, the tentacles took the form of a set of squirming wings, with the tentacles connect by her aura spreading throughout the hall. They still moved and flailed independently, but appeared as one solid appendage.


    ¡°Oh! Oh! Hehe. A Valkyrie indeed. Seeing you like this does make me wonder, though.¡± The man appeared to not care for the sudden flare of power from the woman in front of him and just tapped his chin casually as he continued, ¡°A little birdy had told me that your core was damaged. I¡¯m now interested to see if they were mistaken or you¡¯re doing something very, very stupid.¡± The figure said, with his O¡¯s once again coming across like a hoot. The nonchalance of his voice whilst standing before the imposing sight of his mother made Loch shake. ¡®It¡¯s exactly the same. It¡¯s the same. Nothing¡¯s truly changed. I can¡¯t...¡¯ Loch¡¯s mind begun to shut down as a familiar scene he had witnessed many a long night. He was once again nothing but a spectator to the devastation that was to come. A sense of crisis welled up within him, and even with the newfound power rumbling in the pit of his stomach, he felt hopeless. Loch could even hear the totem screeching and cawing out in anger inside his mind, as if it felt affronted at the deep fear welling up. Nothing could stop the deep dread that filled his core, while a feeling of weakness locked his body in place.


    ¡°Fools. So many fools. I always told Luther it was a mistake allowing you to escape, no matter what the Conclave of fools said. Balance? Pfft! Only the cowed need balance. You wanted to see a Valkyrie, right? Let your loyal vermin witness the escort of another carrion feeder to the underworld then.¡± Loch¡¯s mother said. Her fatigued voice appeared to gather strength the longer she talked until the very world began to resonate with her. The hall¡¯s wall flexed and bent outwards, as if just containing her aura was almost more than they could bare. She didn¡¯t grow in height or width, but her presence felt to Loch as if she was now as large as a mountain.


    The shadowed figure didn¡¯t reply to Loch¡¯s mother¡¯s words or her show of power, but instead his oval-shaped eyes began to fill with a murderous red. As if they were pooled with blood, covering the pupil entirely. The shadows behind the slim figure also condensed all around him with jagged streaks of red shooting out from behind him, joining the shadows together in their own macabre version of black and red wings. Unlike Loch¡¯s mother, when the black and red wings made contact with the walls on either side of him, they simply kept extending. The force wasn¡¯t impactful however, the mere contact with the wings turned the hardened wood into dust.


    The shadowed wings were thin at first but like a hand fan opening they sprung out wide, melting through the floor and roof above. The overall structure of the house had taken a battering in the last thirty minutes, especially the second-floor hall. Along with two tangible flexing¡¯s of power, the entire building began to break down. Starting with the floor Loch was standing on and the roof above. Hearing the cracking of the floorboards, Loch couldn¡¯t help but look down and take several steps back, as several pieces of wood splintered and fell to the floor below. With the new gaps in the floor, Loch could see multiple bodies littered everywhere, some of smartly dressed maids and armour plated guards. The one thing they all had in common, though, was not one of them had a complete body. All missing an appendage or several. Most of the maids also sported large bite marks on their exposed skin. The sight horrified Loch and caused him to take another step back.


    Feeling his heel hitting empty air, Loch spun his head around and saw that he was now standing at the precipice of the hole he made in the wall. ¡°Uncle Wayne!¡± Loch¡¯s mother¡¯s voice roared out accompanied with the bang sound of two thick stones slamming into each other. Loch snapped his head back to his mother and couldn¡¯t stop the water pooling in his eyes. The pale-yellow tentacle supported wings of his mother had slammed into the red and black fan wings of the shadowed figure. Each one grinding against the other, with one gaining ground and pushing the other back, before the roles were reversed. The floorboards below both of them had disintegrated into nothing. The missing floor did not comprise either of their positions, however. As they both stood in midair as if standing upon solid ground, at closer inspection Loch could see that two of his mother¡¯s tentacle appendages had lodged itself into a supporting pillar either side of her. While the shadowed man was simply floating there, held up by some unseen force.


    Loch focused all his attention on his mother¡¯s face, who even now, while clearly struggling with all her might in a contest of will, had turned her head back and was staring at the child in his grasp. The affection radiating from her appeared brighter to Loch than the yellow wings behind her that were lighting up this darkened night. She took one last look, then lifted her head and made eye contact with Loch. Alongside a sad smile adorning her face she said, ¡°Take him away from here and don¡¯t look back.¡± Loch felt his heart clench at the words and a feeling of hot fiery rage began to burn from within him, he gritted his teeth and his eyes shined with resolve as he looked at the figure behind his mother. Even outlined in shadow, he could tell the man had his arms crossed and a relaxed bearing as his red and black wings fought a tug of war against the woman across from him. ¡®Maybe this time. With this power I can... I can change it.¡¯


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    He only managed to take one heavy step forwards away from the breach behind him before Loch¡¯s mother¡¯s voice brought his rage filled gaze from the shadowed figure and back to her. ¡°Don¡¯t. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s all going to be okay. Somethings you can¡¯t change, no matter how much you want to. Loch, my darling. My boy.¡± This time, when she said his name, she wasn¡¯t looking at the boy in his grasp but right into his own eyes. ¡®She¡¯s looking at me. At the¡­ real me.¡¯ Loch¡¯s mind broke into chaos at the sight. What was real and fake had become so topsy-turvy over the last couple of hours that he was worried that what he was seeing was all just in his head. As soft as a whisper, as if he was afraid the word spoken aloud would hurt more than it never being said. ¡°Mum?¡±


    A thunder crack rang throughout the sky at that one word. Like a key finding its destined lock, the foggy feeling Loch had felt ever since finding himself upon the wasteland before the storm covered mountain began to clear. As bits and pieces of his mind gathered back together, the presence of the boy clutched in his chest disappeared, as if merging with him. Loch¡¯s vision also changed. Not like when he had entered the purple infused world before, but instead, his depth perception changed. Originally standing a little taller than his mother, he could look straight into her eyes without moving his head, but suddenly, he now found himself looking up at her instead. Loch swiftly realised that he had taken the form of the sandy-haired child previously in his grasp.


    The angelic woman smiled down at him, her pale and blood speckled face unable to hide the radiant beauty that she was. The face that had previously been only a blurry figure in his memories, except for a few more detailed nightmares he tried hard not to recall, now became his entire world again. With even the dread inducing existence behind his mother, becoming another simple piece of background to the shine coming from the woman before him. ¡°It¡¯s going to get better, my beautiful baby boy. You don¡¯t have to forget your pain, but you can¡¯t let it become a shackle. To fly free, you must rise, you must transform. Your past need not define your future.¡± The black and red wings began to slowly override the pale-yellow tentacles before them. Appearing much like leeches, they were sucking the color out of them and filling in the space with more cracks of shadowed red. Loch¡¯s mother paused her words to cough up a glob of blood, but even then she continued to smile, even as thick veins began to crawl up her neck and the sides of her head.


    A loud cry of an eagle rang out from far away, alongside of something large whistling through the wind. The nonchalant shadowed figure¡¯s body shook at the noise, as his large oval eyes looked into the storm covered sky above. With the now crumbling roof, the man had a fairly unobstructive view of the surroundings. The figure could also clearly see a black dot far away, hurtling in their direction, getting larger with every second that passed. ¡°Soil it. What a nosey prick.¡± The Shadowed man muttered to the sky, as his red and black wings paused their consuming of Loch¡¯s mother¡¯s wing wall. ¡°Well Madam. I do apologize, but it appears a pesky bird is swooping down to interrupt us. And here I thought we would have more time together. I¡¯ve always been told to stop playing with my food, in case I get caught, but Oh, Oh. What a shame.¡± After the man¡¯s words, the semi stalemate appeared to be flipped on its head. The slim figure began to elongate, the shadows twisting and turning around it, while the surrounding building disintegrated at a faster rate. It appeared like the large eyed man was absorbing the very essence of the world around him and using its life to grow in size and strength.


    Loch¡¯s mother appeared to take no notice of the figure¡¯s words and instead kept her back to him, retrieving her tentacles and walking right up to Loch. Once there, she crouched down and wrapped his small form into a tight embrace, as tears began to run down his face. ¡°My sweet little Loch. I¡¯m sorry mummy won¡¯t be there to accompany you for all those big moments in your life. I¡¯m glad I took your father¡¯s advice and managed to be here for your first awakening. There is so much I want to tell you, but there is not enough time. Just remember what I¡¯m about to tell you and keep it deep inside. You have the blood of the Stormshadow within you, just like your mother. Our blood lets us journey through the clouds, but the only way to fly freely in the air is to be as light as a feather. Free from the heavy burdens of the Earth below. Stormshadows don¡¯t wallow in past pains, do not let them shackle you, my son. You must instead embrace it. Embrace it all, the pain, the sadness and the grief. Use them as fuel to ignite the tempest within you. Let it nourish your core, but don¡¯t allow it to consume you.¡± Loch¡¯s mother¡¯s serious expression once again morphed into a happy smile as she embraced her son in one final fierce hug. ¡°Now go and don¡¯t ever look back. Your path is forward now, to dance among the clouds.¡± Loch¡¯s mother whispered into his ear.


    After releasing him from her embrace, she stood back up and, with a face of deep concentration, her tentacled wings took on a more solid form and lost their independent squirming. Now appearing as a sheet of pale-yellow light blocking out everything behind her. Even the shadowed man¡¯s figure, who had taken on a more beastly oversized form and was now hurtling in their direction. Appeared to meet a brick wall and slammed into the yellow sheet. The force of the impact sent Loch¡¯s mother stumbling forwards a step, as another large mouthful of blood leaked out of her mouth. Several enormous bangs echoed from behind the conjured wall, each one sending out ripples that made the wall fade in color slightly, becoming more transparent.


    Loch looked up into his mother¡¯s clear eyes and felt something inside of him break, but this time it was not his heart. It felt more as if a heavy chain of guilt that had wrapped around his soul had shattered. Giving him an overall feeling of lightness. Loch took a step backwards under the watchful eyes of his mother. Her pale face and blood-stained body brought him a great sense of grief, but instead of it, feeling stifling and wanting to bury the image behind a mental wall like he always did. He instead absorbed it all for what it truly was, an act of motherly love freely given with no regrets. Loch would stop soiling her sacrifice and instead embrace it, let it fuel him, so he can make her soul in the heavens raise her head in pride. Bequeathing to all denizens of the afterlife that he was her son. Taking one more step back, Loch¡¯s heels now hanged over the edge of the hole in the wall and, giving his mother as large a smile as he could on his face, he fell backwards. The power surrounding his Totem that had sputtered at the sight of the shadowed figure began to rise viciously.


    Even with the air whistling in his ears and the ground rushing up to meet his small frame, Loch¡¯s heart felt light. The whole time he fell, he didn¡¯t take his eyes off his mother¡¯s face for even one moment. He was attempting to sear her image in his mind. Loch never wanted to forget her face again. Even though he was only falling from the second floor, he felt like he was in slow motion and his descent continued far past the point he should have made contact with the ground. A deafening crack of thunder rang out from above, followed by the thickest lightning bolt Loch had seen until this point. The bolt appeared as if it would fall a few feet away from Loch but a resonating crack of thunder rang out from within his stomach, almost as if in calling. The larger bolt deviated from its course and lanced towards Loch, slamming into his belly. A blinding flash of white encompassed Loch¡¯s vision as he felt himself losing consciousness, with the last image he saw being effectively burned into his brain. His mother, with her gentle eyes crinkled in joy while a grotesque figure loomed behind her, its details still wreathed in shadow, except for its giant oval shaped eyes.

 CHAPTER 19

    Back in Mother Leanne¡¯s office, Tobias and she were now standing in front of her desk, the remnants of a simple meal all but forgotten behind them. Mother Leanne had lifted the golden flame barrier surrounding the desk and revealed Loch''s current state to them both. His threadbare clothes had completely disintegrated, while there were several scorch marks on the hardwood outlining his figure. Loch¡¯s overall form looked the same as when he was first deposited onto the desk by Tobias. The only visible change to Loch at that moment appeared to be a little bit of color returning to his pale face and a layer of what looked to be grime surrounding his body. The stench emitted from the sludge like substance made Tobias step back with a hand covering his nose. ¡°Ah, soil it. I forgot how awful the stench of the first Purification is. Nasty stuff.¡±


    Mother Leanne didn¡¯t reply, but the subtle wrinkle to her nose and the pursing of her lips led one to believe that she was also not enjoying the smell. Curling her open palm in front of Loch, she unleashed a stream of liquid fire that enveloped his entire body like a blanket. The dried sludge that was on his skin burnt to a crisp under the flames. Mother Leanne then cupped one hand in the air. The fire blanket curled in on itself, taking the remaining ashes off of Loch¡¯s body, while the blanket transformed itself into a hovering ball of slick golden flames.


    Tobias, behind Mother Leanne, watched the process and couldn¡¯t help but praise inside about the control the woman had over her element. Not a single part of Loch¡¯s sleeping form was injured by her flames and he was left clean and pristine. Mother Leanne strode towards the window and opened it. With a tossing gesture, she launched the hovering ball of fire outside, where it dissipated, scattering the ashes of the grime into the wind.


    After closing the door, Mother Leanne stepped back towards the desk and Loch. She reached out to place her hand upon the sleeping boy¡¯s forehead when she was interrupted by a black missile descending from above. Jack, the raven, had dive-bombed from his perch and landed right next to Loch¡¯s head. His beady black eyes gazed at the boy, his head roving Loch¡¯s body. After several seconds, and apparently seeing something he liked, Jack let out several happy caws and fluttered his wings.


    Tobias smirked at the bird and said, ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s a good indication that the boy¡¯s health has improved.¡± Mother Leanne ignored Tobias and shooed the bird further down the desk, giving her access back to Loch¡¯s head unobstructed. Similar to when she was checking his condition before Mother Leanne unleashed a glowing light ball that ran through Loch¡¯s body, giving them access to his inner state. Loch¡¯s organs, which were previously singed and battered, now looked clean and healthy. To Mother Leanne¡¯s more critical eye, she could also tell that Loch¡¯s insides looked far healthier than even before the damage made to them that night. Just like it had previously happened, when the ball of light reached the point just above Loch¡¯s belly button, it was forcefully shattered. This time, however, it wasn¡¯t a lightning bolt that had attacked the light but, instead, what appeared to be a winged humanoid figure wreathed in blue lightning. It had struck out a clawed hand towards the approaching light and shattered it effortlessly.


    Mother Leanne and Tobias both wore shocked impressions after what they had just witnessed, before Mother Leanne¡¯s face went back to her plank of wood expression, while Tobias¡¯s face split into a large grin. The man was now staring at Loch¡¯s sleeping form not just in idly curiosity and some measure of concern but now with glittering excitement, like one would when seeing a treasure just within grasp.


    Mother Leanne, even with her back turned, appeared to be able to see the excitement radiating off the gentleman behind her and let one side of her face curl into a smile before wiping it off and turning to face the man. ¡°Well, as you can see, Loch has successfully passed his first Nightmare Awakening. Although I always wished he would leave a mundane life filled with simple joys. It¡¯s apparent he¡¯s always been destined for the perilous path of cultivation. How far he will go on this journey, I do not know. But I will be watching. I¡¯ll always be watching.¡± Mother Leanne¡¯s eyes took on a predatory gleam, but Tobias either didn¡¯t notice or decided he didn¡¯t care and simply replied with a rich laugh, ¡°Ha! From what I¡¯ve seen, the boy will go far. I know he will.¡± A clock chime rang out in the corner of the room, denoting the late hour, causing Tobias to look over at it with a small frown.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t realised how late it truly was. This night has slipped by. I best get going, Mother. I¡¯ve plenty of things to prepare for tomorrow now and I still need to settle my mission with The Cabin, as I imagine they are desperate for an update. Thank you for your hospitality. I bid you goodnight.¡± Tobias looked into Mother Leanne¡¯s eyes and gave her a bow before he strode towards the door, not waiting for a reply. Mother Leanne appeared not to find the action rude and simply turned back towards the sleeping boy. Once she heard the door close behind her, she reached out and ran a gentle hand along the side of Loch¡¯s face before drawing it back quickly when the boy squirmed for a moment. Loch mumbled some sentences before he turned on his side and let out an involuntary shiver, his body reacting to his now naked state. Mother Leanne couldn¡¯t make sense of many of the sleep-talking boy¡¯s words, but a couple words like, ¡°Mother¡± and ¡°Proud¡± rang in her mind like a bell. A little tear ran down the deadpanned face of Mother Leanne while she gazed down at the boy for several long seconds.


    In a swift, almost violent swipe of her hand, Mother Leanne struck the tear from her face. Giving her body a shake, she soon picked up Loch¡¯s sleeping form with ease, like he was as light as a feather. Turning back to the Raven, who was now making a ruckus on the desk, she gave Jack a glare before motioning towards the closed door with her head, ¡°Are you going to give me a hand or what? You wouldn¡¯t want me to drop the boy now, would you?¡± Jack, instead of fluttering his wings or cawing, gave the woman a very human-like roll of his beady black eyes.


    Jack, with grace, flew through the air and, swinging one wing toward the door, produced a gust of wind. The wind lacked force, yet manifested a substantial presence. As it acted like a phantom appendage, grabbing the doorknob in its invisible grip and turning. The door to the office opened without a sound and Mother Leanne strode through imperiously, Jack flying through behind her. Mother Leanne walked down the hallway on silent feet and reached Loch¡¯s dorm room at the end of the hall in a moment¡¯s time. Another invisible appendage appeared to turn the handle again and Mother Leanne entered the room, walking right up to Loch¡¯s messy bed and depositing the sleeping boy under the cover.


    A slight sound of fabric moving caused Mother Leanne to spin on the spot, her eyes flaring dangerously in the darkroom. Gazing at the end of the room, on the opposite side of Loch¡¯s bed, Mother Leanne came face to face with Lacey¡¯s wide-eyed form. She was currently sitting up in bed and staring back and forth from Loch¡¯s sleeping form and Mother Leanne¡¯s straight back no-nonsense face. Lacey appeared a mix of terrified and worried when a soothing but strict voice echoed in her ears, ¡°Loch is fine, don¡¯t worry. I see you have also been healed. I¡¯m glad to see that. Now, go back to sleep. Tomorrow is a big day. For all of you.¡± Even though Mother Leanne was at least ten feet from the partially awake girl, it felt to her as if the words were whispered right next to her ears. Feeling confused but still tired from her recent sickness and then healing, Lacey wisely decided not to cause an issue and went back under her covers, her mind turning over with many thoughts.


    Mother Leanne, seeing the girl¡¯s actions, simply gave a small nod, as if the girl¡¯s straight compliance was not a surprise and turned back around, heading out of the dorm and back down the hall. Jack had taken the time while Mother Leanne was communicating with Lacey to use its beak and grip Loch¡¯s blankets, pulling them tighter over his sleeping form. It then took its perch back on Loch¡¯s bedside table stand and closed its own eyes.


    A hot beam of sunlight snaked through the closed window at the end of the dorm room. Lighting up the left side of the dorm and illuminating the top of Loch¡¯s sleeping face. With a groan, Loch rolled over and grabbed his pillow, covering his face from the sunlight and issuing out a mumbling curse towards the hated sun. Loch¡¯s squirming and muttering paused after only a moment, though, as his entire body appeared to shake. With an ¡°Ah!¡± Loch¡¯s top half sprung up, sending his pillow careening into the wall on the other side. Loch had a wild-eyed look on his face, as he began taking short, gasping breaths. His forehead broke out into a light sweat as he gazed around the familiar but unfamiliar room before him. His cry woke up a couple of the surrounding figures in their single beds, with Squirt rolling off his bed and hitting the floor in fright. Squirt appeared to still be half asleep, running on some unconscious instinct. He squirmed underneath his bed and opened his sleepy eyes. Scanning his surroundings for threats.


    Randall lifted his bald head from his bed and, with odd precision, retrieved his pillow and threw it at the hyperventilating Loch. The pillow smacked the boy in the face, softly but firmly enough it brought Loch¡¯s rushing mind back into focus. ¡°It¡¯s just a dream Loch. Everything¡¯s fine.¡± Jonesy¡¯s calm voice reverberated through his struggling mine. Finally, bringing the last of Loch¡¯s flying nerve down to normal. Loch closed his eyes and took deep, slow breaths. Visions of last night flashed through Loch¡¯s mind. Like a system being rebooted, he began to feel clearer after every passing second.


    His mind felt as if it was being hammered when he first woke and he couldn¡¯t make heads or tails if he was still dreaming or not. Luckily, due to have experience in similar states of distress and with the help of his friends. Loch got his mind under control, his restless thoughts evening out, until he began to get a clearer picture of the events of last night. Loch turned to his sleepy roommates and gave them all a shaky smile, ¡°Thanks guys. I¡¯m all good now.¡± Looking below the bed right next to him, Loch made eye contact with the silent Squirt and gave him a wink, ¡°Get up, Squirt. We¡¯re not under attack.¡± The silent boy gave Loch a bright smile in return, but his eyes looked everywhere around the room for several seconds longer before he crawled out from underneath.


    Loch looked beneath his covers and only now noticing his naked form, he spun his head to the other end of the room but seeing the girl still asleep made him breath out a sigh of relief. Taking the blankets off, Loch quickly took out a set of light brown clothes from his bedside draw and put them on. Taking a seat back on the side of his bed, he tried to recollect the events of last night. Piecing it together as best he could. He felt he was missing crucial parts, though, and had absolutely no recollection of how he had ended up back in bed. Loch remembered his initial meeting with the Hunter at the Butcher shop clearly, especially the feeling of despair he felt when the giant lipless monster had appeared. He could also remember the body wracking pain he felt when he was catapulted out of the room and into the hard counter. Raising his right hand, Loch tentatively rubbed the back of his head but felt no pain or bruise. Now that he was thinking about his injuries. Loch thought he should have been feeling painful all over as he could recall that every inch of his body had cried out in pain after his tumble across the hard butcher shop¡¯s floor, but at the moment he felt nothing.


    Checking every inch of himself, even standing up and looking around. Loch couldn¡¯t see any injuries or feel any sore spots. The more he thought about it, the more surprised he was in the fact that he not only felt no soreness but he actually felt better than usual. As if there were an extra spring in his step. He couldn¡¯t remember a time when he felt so full of energy. Loch had to fight the sudden urge to go for a run outside, as he sat back on the bed and kept up his recollection of events. After the memory of his impromptu flight, the rest of the night felt hazy. He could vaguely recall crawling on the abomination¡¯s back and throwing something into its mouth, but not much else. Which also surprised him. ¡®Where did I get the mettle to do something like that?¡¯ Loch tried to remember how he got back to the orphanage but he kept coming up blank. While he was lot in his thoughts, an unbidden scene flashed through his mind, dominating. It was an image of his mother¡¯s smiling face and a large eyed creature looming behind her, after a few moments the image disappeared in a flash of blue light and heat that cleared more of the fuzziness from Loch¡¯s mind. ¡®Mom¡¯ The sight brought a bout of sadness to his heart but it didn¡¯t hurt as much as the previous times he conjured memories of the gentle woman in the late of the night. The sight of her visage now only gave him a small feeling of grief and reluctance of parting.


    The sight of the flash of blue light and what he thought was the sound of a brewing storm coming from far away invoked far more fierce emotions at that moment than the surprisingly clear image of his mother. ¡®Storm, lightning, and rain... A mountain?¡¯ New images began to gather in Loch¡¯s mind, recalling a scene of him climbing a mountain. He couldn¡¯t figure out how that was even possible or why he would even do such a thing. Before he could focus anymore on the odd subject, a series of sharp knocks rang out on their bedroom door, causing his attention to deviate. Getting back onto his feet, Loch approached the door and cracked it open. Almost leaping back in fright at what was revealed. With the door opening wide at Loch¡¯s retreat, Mother Leanne¡¯s tall, stern visage came into view. Running a critical eye over the room and the slowly rousing inhabitants within, Mother Leanne¡¯s razor-sharp gaze landed on Loch. Her eyes made his body stiffen involuntarily, as if locked in place.


    ¡°I see you¡¯re looking quite spry and awake this morning. I would say I¡¯m quite surprised, especially after your little jaunt with a certain someone last night.¡± Mother Leanne said with one eyebrow raised. Loch¡¯s body shivered at the words spoken, but he wasn¡¯t given a chance to ask or say anything in return as Mother Leanne barreled on. ¡°Terry! Bring in the box.¡± A teen boy entered the room from behind Mother Leanne, giving Loch an odd look on the way past. He then set down a small crate in front of Mother Leanne and then swiftly took his leave. Loch looked down at the crate and back at the woman before him several times. After a gesture from Mother Leanne, he crouched down and removed the lid from the crate. While he was doing that, the other occupants of his room, except for Lacey and Randall, were already dressed and making their way over.


    Jonesy arrived, along with the signature rap tap of his crutch alongside the silent Squirt. With a small bow of his head and a smile, Jonesy greeted Mother Leanne and then peered over Loch¡¯s shoulder at what was in the contents of the crate. Squirt appeared to ignore the imperious woman altogether and crouched down right next to Loch. Randall was by Lacey¡¯s bed and looked to be talking to her softly while rearranging the pillows behind her to prop her into a sitting position. ¡°Clothes?¡± Jonesy asked when he saw Loch retrieve several clean pressed shirts from within the crate.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    The clothes were a mixture of light blue and dark green. They appeared in a similar plain style to the cotton beige shirt and pants they were all wearing. The only difference appeared to be that they came in different colors and were clearly new. Mother Leanne wasn¡¯t exactly a cheapskate when it came to the clothing of the children under her care. It was just that the clothes the children usually wore were quite worn and plain. She had opted to repair the clothes in house when damaged or in the case the child grew out of the set, she would retrieve a second-hand one from an older child who had outgrown their own. Some of the older kids, who had jobs, did buy their own clothes but the majority of the kids in the orphanage just wore what was provided by Mother Leanne. In the Shambles, simple clothes were not overly expensive, so Mother Leanne always had several sets ready just in case.


    However, the clothes Loch retrieved from the crate were clearly of a slightly better make and quality. Being neatly folded and in pristine condition also helped to highlight their pluses. Loch grabbed a set. It consisted of a dark green shirt with matching pants that looked similar to his size. After looking them over, he moved aside to allow the eager Squirt, who was trying to not so subtly nudge him away, a chance to rummage through the box. Seeing Squirt''s heavy-handed actions, as he was basically throwing the pieces that he either didn¡¯t like or were clearly unable to fit into, in the air. This left Jonesy in a flurry, as he had to deftly snatch the discarded apparel before they could hit the ground. Mother Leanne gave the ever smiling Squirt a heavy frown and said, ¡°Show some care, young man. There is a set for each of you, so don¡¯t be impatient. They¡¯re perfectly matched to your measurements. Yours is at the bottom.¡± Squirt, hearing the woman, simply smiled at her and then began to attack the crate of clothes with more vigor, making Jonesy push his dexterity to the limit in retrieving the raining clothes, leaving him with an arm full in moments.


    Loch, ignoring the others, held the shirt in his hands and pressed it against his body, seeing that they did appear to be matched to their current sizes. He looked back up at Mother Leanne with a face full of questions. ¡°Why would you give us new clothes? What do you want us to do?¡± Mother Leanne matched his stare and lamely replied, ¡°Do you have a problem with them? Do you not want new clothes? I do recall you complaining over several meals that your usual apparel always makes you itch. If that¡¯s not the case, give them back to me and I¡¯ll return them to the tailor.¡± She stuck her hand out towards Loch, gesturing towards the shirt and pants in his hand. Gripping the clothes tightly Loch took several steps backwards and grinned at the woman, ¡°No, no, I didn¡¯t say that. I¡¯m just kidding. I really need new clothes; I seemed to have misplaced my spare set and these are perfect. Thank you so much. We¡¯re so lucky to be in the care of such a generous person. I¡¯ll cherish them forever.¡± Loch attempted his best sincere puppy dog face, the one he used on the old woman he called Granny when she appeared to be about to scold him for something he had said or done.


    For what Loch thought was the first time in his short life, he witnessed Mother Leanne¡¯s impassive face break into a small smile. The pale scars running along her lips broke what would have been a beautiful smile, but it didn¡¯t stop it from changing the woman¡¯s entire strict aura into something more friendly and encompassing. Loch was further shocked when the woman, still with a curve to her lips, said in a joking sounding tone, ¡°Don¡¯t try to use those new baby blues on me, young man. Men three times your age, with four times the charm, have attempted to woo me and they have all failed.¡± Loch¡¯s confusion rose at her reference to his eye color and her obvious humorous tone, ¡®What in the holy soil is she talking about? My eyes are green? And what men would dare to woo her, unless they had a fondness for being scolded all the time?¡¯ Loch thought to himself as he turned to Jonesy, hoping the older and more mature boy would explain why the always serious Mother Leanne was acting so odd this morning.


    What he received from Jonesy was not a shared look of confusion like he thought he would, but was instead dealt with a bug-eyed look of surprise. The boy¡¯s usual calm facade was nowhere to be seen, instead he stared at Loch with his mouth wide open and he even let his grip on the bundle of clothes in his arm loose. Dropping the clothes to the ground at his feet. Mother Leanne¡¯s small smile disappeared, and a frown marred her features as she pointedly looked at the pile of clothes and let out a humph filled with displeasure. Jonesy took no notice of the miffed woman and instead pointed a shaky finger right at Loch¡¯s face, while he stuttered, ¡°What... What happened to your... to your... eyes?¡±


    Loch felt his pulse rise at the question and lifted one hand, touching the area around his eyes but seeing that there was no apparent injury or pain from the action, he was left confused and worried. After checking his face with his hands, Loch knew that there must be something actually wrong with his eyeballs going off where Jonesy was pointing. Going off of Mother Leanne¡¯s words, as well as a flashing image of an oddly demonic set of electric blue eyes staring right at him, Loch had an idea on what they were talking about, which sent him rushing straight to a small table near the other end of the room. The table was cluttered with an assortment of small metal contraptions and handmade tools. The dorm mates had all given Jonesy the rights to use the only independent table in their room for his work and practice as a Tinkerer. Loch swiftly retrieved a toothbrush-like object from the desk. Instead of a brush at one end, however, the tool held a small round mirror, for looking inside parts of machines that were situated at an awkward angle or hidden by other parts.


    Raising the mirror, Loch put it right in front of his left eye and then his right eye and then back again. The sight revealed by the small mirror made him gasp; he was surprised at the state of the eyes looking back at him, but he wasn¡¯t freaking out entirely. For some reason that he couldn¡¯t put his finger on at that moment, Loch felt that the eyes looking back at him fit his face far more than his previous ones. The eyes reflected in the mirror were still human for all intents and purposes, but instead of the pale green he was used to; they were now a bright light blue and with the sunlight coming through the window, Loch could swear they were actually sparkling. Snapping his head around, Loch matched stares with Mother Leanne from across the room, the confusion written plainly over his face. The woman, however, was a plank of wood and was giving him nothing in return but silence.


    ¡°Was it all... real? That... dream... it was all so familiar but so so different. What has happened to me?¡± Loch finally managed to get the words out that he had been asking himself ever since he had awakened that morning. He didn¡¯t know exactly why, but he knew that the woman before him was the only person who could answer the hundreds of questions roving through his mind at that moment. She, however, stumped him with her next words as it answered one of his questions but left him with so many more. ¡°Yes, you could say it was all real. And the... Nightmare not dream... was also real... in a certain way. I, however, will not be the one to answer what exactly happened to you and what it means for you moving forward. That job is for another and... considering the time, he should be here shortly. You will have to wait until then.¡± Mother Leanne said with her plain voice, as if discussing that morning¡¯s breakfast choices, while she tapped the face of an old gilded watch on her wrist with one finger.


    The whole dorm was as silent as a pin drop, with Loch¡¯s roommates sharing confused and worried looks between themselves, while also looking back and forth between Loch and Mother Leanne. Even Squirt had stopped his rummaging in the crate and was looking at Loch with a tilted head. A pair of small light blue clothes was in his grasp. Randall¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t get any bigger as he gazed at his closest friend¡¯s unfamiliar eyes. If he had eyebrows, they would be raised so high that they would have joined his nonexistent hairline. Lacey, propped up in her bed, didn¡¯t appear as confused as the other boys and instead looked to the roof with a pondering expression, while she tapped her chin.


    ¡°Alright children!¡± Mother Leanne interrupted all their thoughts with a sharp clap of her hands and continued once all eyes were on her. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for all this dawdling. I allowed your room extra time this morning to give Loch the chance to catch up on some sleep. However, the rest of the house is gathering downstairs in the hall. You have ten minutes to get dressed in your new clothes and make yourselves presentable. If you¡¯re not in the hall, lined up with the others, in ten minutes, my wrath will be the last thing you will be worried about,¡± Mother Leanne ordered. After she was finished, she didn¡¯t say another word and swiftly turned around and left the room in her gliding fashion.


    Although the group of teens and children were all sharing confused looks, most directed at the silent Loch, their fear of Mother Leanne appeared far stronger than their current need for answers. In a flurry, the group retrieved their clothes and began to change. Randall, while also getting his own, retrieved a set that was clearly meant for Lacey. Instead of pants, she had a dusk-colored skirt and a thick white blouse. The young lady attempted to get out of bed but seemed to lack the strength. She shared a blushing smile with Randall. Who, although appeared just as bashful, gave the girl a firm nod and pulled a curtain around the bed that hung on a rail above the bed, giving the two some privacy. Jonesy had installed the curtain a year ago, when Mother Leanne felt Lacey was getting too old to be sharing a room with four boys but she refused to be moved to an all-girls room and she only acquiesced after Jonesy had installed the curtains and because she trusted the boys, she shared the room with.


    After a quick five minutes, the group was all dressed in their new clothes. Jonesy had even used a pitcher of water that Squirt retrieved for him and a comb to brush all their hair, except for Randall, into something resembling a neatly swept back look. Randall had helped Lacey get changed into her new clothes, even though she still stood with a slight hunch and part of her back protruding in places. Lacey was thrilled to notice that the new blouse had hid most of the bumps. Loch and Randall stood on either side of the young woman and assisted her in walking towards the doorway. She applied a slight pressure to the two boy¡¯s arms to stabilize herself and she took slow steps, but Lacey appeared to be gathering strength every second that she was up and moving. Her steps were firmer and needed less support over the small distance. By the time the group made it downstairs and into the mess hall, Lacey only needed one hand on Randall¡¯s arm to help steady herself.


    When they passed the mess hall entrance, the group saw Mother Leanne standing right next to it, staring down at her ticking watch. She looked over the group on their way inside, checking every inch of them, as if a general inspecting their soldiers. She simply gave the group a nod, after she finished looking them over and gestured towards a spot near the end of a line of children. Loch saw all the children currently at the orphanage, in matching new clothes, standing rigidly against the back wall of the hall. Loch heard Mother Leanne mutter, ¡°Ten seconds left.¡± when he passed and he fastened his footsteps, ushering his group to take their place at the gestured spot, which was located at the end of the line of children.


    As the group passed the kids, Loch saw Jonesy nod good naturedly to several similar age teens, while Randall threw menacing death glares at several younger kids who snickered or jeered in their direction. Squirt simply skipped by Loch¡¯s side, smiling brightly at everyone he passed. His eyes appeared to look right through the lined-up kids, however, as if he was daydreaming about something else. Some of the kids, especially the older teens, did their best not to match stares with Loch, looking away in apparent fear. Except for a few, when he matched gazes with them, they gave him a look of mock bravado only children possessed. However, Loch¡¯s eyes confused those few who looked at him. Loch smirked as those few children, attempting to meet his gaze with defiant eyes, were left slack-jawed.


    Mother Leanne, witnessing all of this, appeared not to care and strode into the middle of the lined-up children once she saw Loch and his friends had taken their spot. Inspecting one last time at the gathered crowd, Mother Leanne addressed everyone in her usual no nonsense tone. ¡°I know quite a few of you are confused about what is going on this morning. Including the reason for the new clothes and the cleaning spree we had the last few days. I will now clear up your confusion. This Earth Day is going to be far more special than all previous Earth days combined. I would say that for some of you it will be a life-changing day, that you will remember for the rest of your lives.¡± Several of the children couldn¡¯t help but mutter to each other for a moment, but were swiftly cut short when Mother Leanne raised one finger into the air. ¡°First. Jonesy, Matthew, Clara and Donnie, come here for a moment.¡±


    The four kids, including Jonesy, appeared to be the oldest children of the bunch, being past their early teens. They stepped out of the line and walked over to Mother Leanne, making a small line in front of her. They all appeared less confused than the children behind them, with even Jonesy having a look of understanding on his face when he saw the other children he was now standing next to. Mother Leanne looked over each child, a subtle gleam of tenderness running through her eyes, while, to the shock of the several kids lined up behind the four, she smiled at each one of them. She addressed the four in front of her, but her voice was loud enough that every child in the hall heard what she said next. ¡°My children. This day will change many things and I know there will be even less time for us to meet as you head out into the world, but I want you to know how proud I am of you. All four of you have already taken the first steps towards your destiny on your own merit and have made a path of your own. I¡¯ve already spoken to each one of you and know you¡¯re determined to pursue your current goals. But just know that, no matter what happens, this will always be your home and you can return at any time. Just because you have grown wings and flown the nest doesn¡¯t mean that I won¡¯t be there to catch you if you need it.¡±


    All four of the children appeared to share different emotions after hearing the woman¡¯s words. Two of the boys appeared bashful, attempting to put on their best ¡®I¡¯m going to be fine¡¯ look. While the girl, Clara, couldn¡¯t help let out a small sniffle, her head bowed. Jonesy''s eyes looked to have a coating of moisture as well and also appeared on the cusp of releasing tears. He, however, had a bright smile on his face, exuding confidence and maturity the other three clearly lacked at that moment. He was the only one who appeared to be able to talk plainly to the stern but smiling woman in front of them. Leaning his crutch against his side, Jonesy said, ¡°Thank you for everything. I can never repay everything you have done for me or even for everything you have done for us. But I promise. On the Blessed Earth, I promise, I will continue to strive forwards and make you and everyone else here proud. I may have arrived here without parents, but I will leave with a family and a... Mother.¡±


    Even Mother Leanne appeared surprised at Jonesy¡¯s words. Her eyes glistened and before she could say anything, she was further struck by another surprise when Jonesy wrapped the tall woman in a large hug. His muscular arms tightening around her for all he was worth. For several seconds, a war of expressions marred Mother Leanne¡¯s face before it finally settled into another small smile, this one appearing more indulging than anything else. She then returned the hug of the boy before her, patting his back awkwardly, like a robot needing oil. Her arms appeared stiff and unused to the action. Just as the two were breaking from their crowd stunning hug, Mother Leanne whispered into Jonesy¡¯s ear, something, to Loch¡¯s surprise he could also hear, ¡°I¡¯m already so proud of you my... son.¡±


    The words only heard by Jonesy, Mother Leanne and apparently Loch, brought an even larger smile to the older boy¡¯s face. As he looked down to retrieve his crutch, he stealthily rubbed one hand over his eyes. The other children lined up behind the four older kids were all stuck in poses of confused and shocked expressions at the display of affection before them. The reason for their current attire and the reason behind why this Earth Day was apparently so special, had been thrown to the back of their minds at that moment.


    Mother Leanne gazing over the top of the four before her and at the other lined up children found her face slipping and her expression ironing out, while her golden eyes appeared to blaze for a brief moment. ¡°Okay, you four stand behind me. This next part doesn¡¯t concern you now.¡± The four older kids nodded at her words and took position behind Mother Leanne, with Jonesy giving an embarrassed grin towards his group at the end of the line. Randall was staring at Jonesy as if the boy had grown two heads, his mouth so wide open that one could fit a tennis ball into it. He was also had one hand pointed to the side of his temple and moving it in circles, as if saying ¡®you¡¯re crazy¡¯. An elbow in the gut from Lacey brought his attention from Jonesy and back to Mother Leanne, who was now icily staring in his direction. The look made the hairless boy rub his head sheepishly with the hand that was making the twirling gesture.


    ¡°Now that is sorted. We can move onto the happenings of today. In only a short moment, a group of people from different forms of society are going to be entering through those doors. They will each take time inspecting you. They may even have one or two questions for some of you before each giving a small speech. After that, several of you will be given a choice. I will not explain what that choice is for now, as it will be different for almost all of you. I will tell you, however, who the people coming through those doors soon will be. Some of them and their organizations will be familiar to you, but some of them will be completely foreign. The first will be Mother Jessene from the Cleric Hall of the local branch of the Church of the Earth. After the blessed Mother will be Officer Ichabold of the City Guard. Sorceress Daniellea of the Glint Tower. Luke Cromen of the Merchants Union and finally Knight Captain of the Bullhorn Brotherhood.¡±


    Several of the children¡¯s faces shown with unbridled excitement after Mother Leanne¡¯s words, while a couple of others appeared so shocked that it looked like their souls had left their bodies and they were nothing but empty, surprised husks. Even if some of the names and organisations sounded unfamiliar, all the kids knew they sounded impressive.

 Chapter 20

    Loch shared surprised expressions with Randall and Lacey, but still managed to keep quiet. Several of the other children who were lined up couldn¡¯t help but break out into excited whispers, with their voices rising gradually until the mess hall was filled with the noise of chatter. Mother Leanne allowed the children a moment to get the excited jitters out of their system before she held up a hand. Most of the children who were talking quieted down after seeing the hand, but a couple of them were too engrossed in their conversations and continued to chatter. ¡°Quiet.¡± Mother Leanne snapped, shutting down all conversations in a heartbeat.


    ¡°I understand you¡¯re all excited, but we have limited time and there are a few things I must make clear to you all.¡± With those words from Mother Leanne, the couple of children left, who looked to be still in a daydreaming daze, landed their full attention back on the tall woman. ¡°I want everyone here to understand that regardless of what the people coming offer you. You¡®ve every right to reject them. I am your guardian and under the law of the council, no one can force you into any of their services. You should not worry though, the people coming are highly respected in their field and would not bear the shame of people knowing they forced orphaned children into their service.¡± Although Mother Leanne reassured them at the end, her first couple of sentences managed to make many of the children more worried than excited.


    ¡°Most of the people coming represent a certain group, and accepting their endorsement or joining their ranks comes with certain obligations. If any one of you are confused by something they say or if you don¡¯t feel comfortable questioning the representatives, come to me and I¡¯ll help you. Once again, though, I can assure you I have personally vetted the people coming and the groups they represent, so there will be no such thing as being forced into indentured service or the like. You¡¯re not criminals; you are my children. Your future is for you to decide and you alone,¡± Mother Leanne said, making eye contact with each child, spending a little longer on the children who looked more nervous than excited.


    What Loch, who was listening with rapt attention along with his group, felt was odd, was when Mother Leanne made eye contact with him. He could have sworn she gave him a little smirk. He looked to his friend Randall to see if the boy also saw the weird gesture from the woman but saw his friend was currently staring at the ceiling with a serious, thinking expression on his face. ¡®My imagination?¡¯ Loch thought, before returning his focus back on Mother Leanne, who began speaking again, ¡°Just try your best to treat today just like another adoption day. Now, I can still see that a few of you are skeptical about this sudden recruitment drive. Although, I wish I could give you all a lot more details, but just know that it was due to outside pressures that have caused this sudden development. Whether this turns out to be a hidden problem or not, I don¡¯t know. Today, however, is far too good of an opportunity for your children to pass up because of what-ifs. You all may think that being born in the Shambles is like a bird stuck in a cage, but it is also a shield as well. A lot of the troubles of the outside world don¡¯t touch this sanctuary of ignorance. But with the blessings of the Earth, I believe this is the preordained opportunity that many of you should grasp. Okay, that¡¯s about as much time as we have. It¡¯s time to smarten up. I can hear them coming. Put away your fears and just remember what I¡¯ve taught you about addressing people of higher station.¡± Mother Leanne said, then turned towards the entrance of the hall.


    One of the cooks, who also worked as a part-time tutor to the children of the orphanage, entered into the mess hall followed by six unfamiliar adults. Each one appeared different in so many aspects; Loch even felt their very presence spoke of something different. As he looked over them, he found his mind subconsciously producing a sight or smell in conjunction with the physical presence. It was almost as if each one radiated a signature. This was something that Loch had never experienced before, and it distracted his senses for a moment. Once the adults arrived in front of Mother Leanne each greeted her before doing anything else. They all treated her with equal amounts of politeness and respect. The sight of which made many of the children, who were a bundle of nerves at the appearance of the adults, relax a little. It also caused them to raise their little chests in pride at seeing the way the way the other adults treated their guardian. Mother Leanne said a few words to each of the adults in turn and then gestured to the children lined up against the wall.


    Each adult took a turn marching up and down the line of children, looking them over with a critical eye. A couple of the adults took a little longer on some children over others, but never more than a few seconds. Two of the adults showed friendly smiles when passing the children, like a blonde-haired woman dressed in a priest¡¯s robes and a jolly looking rotund middle-aged man. The others appeared serious, but not in a bad way. One of the adults, however, scared the children with just his piercing gaze. He literally marched up and down the line and looked to have a face that was set in a permanent scowl. The man looked as if he was a giant in front of the children, a true mountain of a man. He also stopped in front of many of the children and, with his large hands, he prodded and squeezed the children¡¯s arms and shoulders. When the muscle-clad man arrived in front of Loch, he paused and simply stared into Loch¡¯s eyes for several seconds. Loch didn¡¯t feel the same intimidation the other children showed at this man¡¯s presence and just stared back. The middle-aged man didn¡¯t say anything and after raising one bushy eyebrow in return to Loch¡¯s almost confrontational glance, he then began poking and prodding the rest of his group, except for Lacey and then returned to the other adults next to Mother Leanne.


    ¡°Alright, now that you¡¯ve all had a chance to look over the kids, I think it¡¯s best we get started. Mother Jessene, as we previously discussed, you can go first. I do want to remind all of you though, if you are both interested in a certain child, we will address it after and the final decision will be left with the child. There will be no bullying or forced measures of any kind inside these walls.¡± Mother Leanne said, with each adult silently nodding in agreement to her words. Only the rotund, jolly man spoke up as well, as he let loose a belly laugh and said, ¡°Have no fear, Mother Leanne, we¡¯re not like those crazed men of Crescent city. The children have nothing to worry about. This is simply an opportunity to reach greater heights, nothing more.¡± Mother Leanne gave the large man a critical look after he finished speaking, but it didn¡¯t deter the huge grin from his face. It was only when the frowning, straight-backed man standing behind the rotund man muttered quite loudly, ¡°Typical Merchant.¡± The rotund man¡¯s smile slipped but returned so fast that if one wasn¡¯t paying close attention, one wouldn¡¯t notice.


    Before any more words could be spoken on the matter, Mother Leanne gestured to the children while looking at the blonde woman, who maintained her gentle smile. The woman nodded and walked to the middle of the line of children. She was dressed in somewhat familiar garments to the children. They were the classic full-body brown priest¡¯s robe, with a hood pulled down behind them. The difference between these robes and the one the priest wears when coming to the orphanage on Earth Day was the silver trim running along the stitching and the small insignia of a three-branched tree over the heart. She held her hands together inside her large sleeves and stood in front of the children with a motherly air around her. Loch received an image of a blurry-faced woman embracing several sick people and small children when he looked at her for several seconds. He didn¡¯t quite understand what the image meant exactly, but he felt as if the woman¡¯s aura carried a very gentle and compassionate feeling to it.


    ¡°Hello children. May your steps be blessed upon the Earth. My name is Mother Jessene. I¡¯m in charge of all new acolytes joining our Cleric Hall here in Emyprium. Even though we are merely a branch of the Church of the Earth, our Arch-Bishop holds one of the seats on the Council and can also directly engage with his grace, Monarch Sepharim. I mention this just so you are aware that our standing in this city is not light. I¡¯ve come here today to see if there are a few among you who hold the faith in your hearts strong enough to withstand our trials and are also willing to follow me back to the Cleric Hall. Due to a recent need in bolstering our sacred ranks, the Arch Bishop has decided to expand our yearly trainee intake, which has allowed me to be able to grant you this significant opportunity.¡± Mother Jessene¡¯s voice was as smooth as velvet as she addressed the children. She never stopped smiling, but her eyes were always watching, searching, testing.


    There appeared to be only two children among the other orphans who looked to be completely encapsulated with the idea of serving the church of the Earth. Most of the others looked uninterested. The majority of the children raised in the orphanage, due to their circumstances, they were reticent to the idea of training to be a cleric. From their own experiences, they knew the church¡¯s priests to be people who were poor and worked for basically nothing. Living slightly lesser than they were now. The gathered children were expecting this recruitment drive to be their chance at a step up in life. From all they have seen, joining the church of the Earth was a step down. Mother Jessene, apparently seeing the disinterested faces of most of the children, continued her spiel, going into more details about the church and a ¡®real¡¯ cleric¡¯s duties.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to see there are already two lovely children who hold the Earth in great esteem already.¡± Mother Jessene said as she pointedly looked towards a boy and girl who were next to each other and staring at the robed priestess with shining eyes. ¡°And I also see that many of you are believers but don¡¯t hold much want to enter our hallowed halls. I understand that many of you have only come in contact with the church doctrine from the local Father and will have many misconceptions about the duties of the church. I will first say that the Cleric Hall is much more than just a training center for simple priests. Our blessed Church can be found in all nine cities of humanity, with our largest center being in Bastion. Where his eminence the Pope reigns and shields all his flock from the perils of the Death Cap Mountains. Bastion, being the first city of Humanity to be completely purged of the Taint infested Fiends and where the Divine ascended, makes it a beacon to all the people of our world. And it is in our blessed work that we are given the opportunity to share that light with all the ones living in the shadows.¡± Just as Mother Jessene looked to be about to exult all the children of the great power and wonder of her church, Mother Leanne coughed softly, bringing the smiling woman up short.


    ¡°Apologies. You¡¯re not gathered here for a history lesson. I let the topic get away from me when talking about our sacred duties.¡± The only other woman of the group, who held a short, lithe form, interrupted Mother Jessene with a not so quiet mutter, ¡°When don¡¯t you mudslingers get carried away?¡± A sharp look from Mother Leanne appeared to cow the woman, who Loch thought had quite an arrogant air to her. Loch, now focusing on her, began to gather an odd sense from her general form and bearing. After a few seconds, a picture of a beautiful rose covered in far too many thorns filled his mind, disappearing when he looked away from her.


    Mother Jessene appeared not to take the woman¡¯s words to heart and just gave her a smile, which appeared to annoy the thorny woman even more. Mother Jessene turned back to the children and started to explain of the cleric hall in more detail. ¡°Now, back to some of the duties of the Clerics Hall under the Church of the Earth. We have a need for many different types of people invested in faith, not just Earth Day sermoners. We have three main halls and a lot of sub halls as well. I won¡¯t go into all of them, though, as that will take all day, but I will tell you a little about the three main halls. Our largest and most popular hall is the Healer¡¯s Hall. I am sure all of you have heard about the wondrous things our trained healers are capable of. They don¡¯t just study general medical knowledge though, there are also a lot of Healers who dedicate themselves, not to direct patient care but to the study of alchemy.¡± This got a few more of the gathered children wielding interested expressions than before. Mother Jessene nodded to herself seeing this and continued, ¡°The second most popular of new trainees is the Hall of the Bulwark.¡±


    The children shared confused looks between each other after hearing the title of the second main hall. The only one who appeared to have heard of the name before was the boy from the two children who Mother Jessene had already pointed out as being one of the devoted. His already shining eyes and reverent expression morphed into what could only be called a look of fanaticism when she mentioned the Hall of the Bulwark. ¡°The Hall of the Bulwark is where the devoted are trained to be the great protectors of the Church and Humanity. Although the Hall itself is not that well known to the general populace, I do believe that many of you would have heard stories about one of the most popular vocations trained in the Hall of the Bulwark. Paladin.¡± Several of the children gasped in surprise at the famous name from many a fairytale book. The paladin, in the stories, was almost always described as a great battle-hardened hero who faced off against all manner of evil. Smiting them with their holy weapons, while clad in glorious armour of gold and silver and atop mighty steeds.


    The blonde woman didn¡¯t continue to explain about the Hall of the Bulwark, just like any good salesman she left them hungry for more. Mother Jessene then continued her pitch, ¡°The third main hall has the smallest amount of members, but that isn¡¯t for lack of willing trainees. It¡¯s because of the need for one to be truly blessed by the Earth to be able to enter the hall. This Hall is called the Hall of Growth and the trainees lucky enough to enter are called Sowers. They hold the most sacred duty of the Church upon their shoulders and are directly responsible for the reason we can live in a city with next to no Taint infestation. They also have another name to the layman that you may have heard of, Purifiers.¡± If before, many of the children showed a child¡¯s excitement at the name of the weapon-wielding heroes, the Paladins, they almost bowed down in worship at the name Purifiers. The only children who didn¡¯t appear to be impressed at this sacred-sounding title were Loch and his roommates. With even Randall curling his lip at the name.


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    The ever observant Mother Jessene, noticed the children at the end of the line on her right and their nonplussed expressions. After a brief golden flash flickered in the center of her eyes, a clear look of pity came across her face. The sight made Randall scowl even harder towards the blonde woman, while Loch, who held a neutral expression up to that point, was left confused, and a subtle feeling of anger welled up inside of him. He wasn¡¯t angry at the piteous look the woman gave him and his friends. He had received them multiple times over the years and had become numb to them. No, what he felt anger towards was the hidden wave of disgust and revulsion the blonde woman¡¯s aura had been enveloped with for a split second when she gazed at the group. Nobody else had appeared to notice anything, as her face showed the same gentle smile she had been holding the whole time, but Loch, who was constantly paying attention to the auras of everyone in the room, felt her intense feeling of disgust in that moment. It was as if she had just stepped in a pile of rotten feces and needed to wipe them off quickly.


    Loch felt anger at the sight, because he knew that wave of repulsion was in direct correlation at just the sight of him and his friends. He looked at the other adults and Mother Leanne, but saw no reactions from any of them. He didn¡¯t really expect one from Mother Leanne, even though the woman had shown more expressions that day than she had his entire time in the orphanage, he still thought that she may have also felt the slip in the blonde woman¡¯s aura, considering he hadn¡¯t met a person yet that could hide something from the tall woman¡¯s razorsharp eyes. Loch¡¯s gaze passed the straight back middle aged man with the etched in frown and for a second he could have sworn that the man¡¯s frown was slightly deeper, with it even directed to the back of Mother Jessene¡¯s head. The middle-aged man must have felt Loch¡¯s gaze on him because he snapped his gunmetal grey eyes at the boy and only turned back away when Loch swiftly diverged his attention elsewhere.


    ¡°Thank you, Mother Jessene. That is enough for now. The children still interested in your Cleric Hall, after hearing from the other representatives, will be sent to you to interview individually.¡± Mother Leanne said, with Mother Jessene smiling back and bowing her head slightly in response. The blonde woman took up a spot behind Mother Leanne, who was gesturing towards the rotund man with the jovial air. Patting his sizeable belly, the man¡¯s cheeks wobbled as he took large but smooth steps towards the middle of the line of children. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you all fine specimens of the younger generation. A true testament to the fantastic care and attention given by her most esteemed self, Mother Leanne. My name is Luke Cromen, but I would prefer that you all call me Uncle Luke. I belong to the great and industrious Merchant Union. Also found in all nine cities of our blessed land.¡± He said the last part with a cheeky wink towards Mother Jessene, getting a snort from a well-dressed gentleman standing between the two in return.


    ¡°Although I¡¯m part of the Merchants Union. Only a select few in the Union, and not myself, technically work for them. I am merely one of the many cogs that make up the Union¡¯s large industrial machine. I am the owner of what is called a Chamber of Commerce in our fine city of Empyrium. We¡¯re called the Silviana Chambers, due to our predominant business in Silvian Mining. Now, have any of you heard of a Chamber of Commerce before or even what they do?¡± Luke Cromen finished his opening with a question, gazing up and down the line of children. Loch felt that the jovial man also had a sharp gaze much like Mother Jessene, but he seemed less evasive and more weighing. The man¡¯s aura didn¡¯t carry a picture like Mother Jessene had to Loch but instead conjured the sound of tinkling coins and the elation Loch had felt when he had suddenly received a handful of the precious iron bits from Tobias.


    After waiting several moments and gazing at the line of silent children, Luke Cromen smiled and answered his own question, ¡°A Chamber of Commerce is much like a noble family, but without the title of nobility. They come in all shapes and sizes, like a collection of business owners coming together to put it all under one banner, to strengthen their position before breaking into a new market. Or like mine, which is owned by one family, and passed down through that family. We¡¯ve several distinguished individuals and Noble houses who invest in our Chamber, but we have the final say on what industries we invest and operate in.¡± Luke Cromen paused for a moment to make sure the children were following. Some of the younger kids appeared a little lost, but even the ones who had questions appeared too nervous to voice them and stayed silent.


    Luke, seeing this, decided to continue first before picking out the children he thought appeared receptive to his words. A few, he could tell, clearly had questions. ¡°A Chamber of Commerce, one could say, has more freedom than several of the other institutions who have come here today. We don¡¯t follow a very strict doctrine, and depending on your individual duties, we prioritize profit and efficiency. Some may see this as immoral, but we of the Merchants Union know that without profit and the natural human want for more, we would not have had risen so far on just the whims of altruism. There is nothing wrong with serving one¡¯s city state as a sense of duty but also expecting to be reimbursed in some way for the sacrificed blood, sweat, and tears you had put in.¡±


    The more Luke Cromen talked, the more Loch felt as if the man had a brighter sense of piety than the previous holy Mother had. There were no hidden meanings in his words. Luke had stated clearly that he chased profit above all else and it appeared he wanted the people who he recruited to share that same want. One of the preteens, near the middle of the line of children, slowly raised his hand. The child had a wiry frame and a pair of old round spectacles. He had a pale complexion and carried the air of one who preferred to stay inside and read. Luke Cromen, seeing the raised hand, pointed to the boy with a friendly grin. ¡°Yes, lad. You have a question?¡± The kid appeared surprised that he was addressed for a moment and gulped loudly when everyone in the room focused on him. ¡°Umm. Sir, I was just curious... in what way would we be able to help... your commerce... chamber?¡±


    The man didn¡¯t appear to mind the slow and mumbled way the boy talked and simply patted his belly with a laugh. ¡°That¡¯s a good question, young man. The main reason I¡¯m here, is that I¡¯m looking for bright and especially hungry young people to join our trainee merchant ranks. My Chamber has recently established a new headquarters in the lake city of Briar and because of that we¡¯ve found ourselves in great need of new talents here in Empyrium. We don¡¯t have strict requirements for our trainees, just a general knowledge of writing and arithmetic, but most of all, we require a person to have the drive to want more in their life. And, without trying to sound harsh, I believe that as children orphaned and alone, some of you would have the ambition to strive for a greater life. Also, I¡¯ve been told by Mother Leanne that all the children under her care are taught writing and general arithmetic, which some of you may already know is quite rare for many of the children in the Shambles.¡±


    The spectacled boy¡¯s eyes, who previously had his hand up, took on a calculating glint after hearing Luke Cromen¡¯s answer. Several of the other older kids appeared to be deep in thought after the man¡¯s words. Another child, this one a younger girl of nine or ten, who had the look of one unafraid of strangers, put her hand up. After Luke Cromen gestured to her, she asked, ¡°Mother Jessene has already mentioned there is the opportunity to learn warrior skills in the Hall of the Bulwark. Does your place have something like that?¡±


    ¡°Another good question. The answer is both a yes and a no. You see, being a merchant organization, who deals in all manner of trade but predominantly the making of arms and armaments, we do have close ties to the Knightly brotherhoods, The Cabin of Hunters and even the local guard forces and armed companies of the Noble peerage. Majority of the time, though, besides our own small contingent of guards for our high-end stores and warehouses, we enlist the help of the other organizations when we need a more... let¡¯s say physical approach. For example, when we send one of our many caravans out of the safety of the walls and to another city-state, we will hire an independent group to ensure the safety of our people and the goods. Although we are powerful in regard to our acquired wealth and connections, we are not in the business of training warriors. I¡¯ll be honest and say that if you are in pursuit of solely personal physical power, then a couple of the other representatives would be a better choice than my Chamber.¡± Luke Cromen said, while pointing towards the other men and women behind him.


    Silence followed the answer; some children slowly retracted their upraised hands. Mother Leanne, seeing it as a good time to move on, thanked Luke Cromen and asked for the man behind him to step forward. This man was dressed in a neat light blue uniform that Loch only just recognized when the man stood in front of the group. It was similar to the underclothes he had seen the local guard patrol wear under their breastplates, but this man¡¯s uniform appeared to be of a slightly higher cut and quality. It also looked freshly cleaned and pressed, with no wrinkle in sight. The man had ordinary features, neither too tall nor small, although he did appear fit. He had a clean-shaven face and short brown hair. He had a calm look about him and the image of a sturdy brick wall was conjured in Loch¡¯s mind when he focused on the man.


    ¡°Good morning, everyone. My name is Officer Ichabold of the City Guard of Empyrium. We are under direct administration of the Nest and beholden to no one but the council and his majesty the King. We are looking for recruits to join our ranks, to one day be part of our honorable forces, to keep this city safe from all threats, within and without. I will not go into much detail, as I am sure that you have all heard and seen about the duty of the city Guard in one way or another. In-conjunction with what Mister Cromen has said, the city guard also realized the need in all our people for a brighter future. On my honor, I can say that all recruits, once finished with basic training, are directly bestowed a place of residence in the Stem district, and depending on rank, years of service, and meritorious deeds in the line of duty, you can also be bestowed a place in the Crown district. That is all I¡¯ll say for now.¡± The man, like any good soldier, did an about-face after one nod at the gathered children and took position behind Mother Leanne. The woman, as if she expected the brief introduction from the Officer, indicated to the last woman left, who had laughed at Mother Jessene previously.


    The kids were still excitedly chattering to each other over the idea of living in the rumored glamorous clean streets of the inner city when the lithe woman stepped forward. Her air appeared like a mirage to Loch¡¯s eyes, like she was there but not there. Her very being gave Loch the sensation of a mystery he couldn¡¯t grasp. Even though Loch thought the woman looked snobbish, he couldn¡¯t argue with the fact she clearly held a certain grace. With her pointed chin held in the air. She had long, straight, black hair draped on either shoulder. Her brown eyes looked to spark and swirl while she gazed over every child. Some of the children had focused on her when she stepped forward, but a lot of the children were trapped in their own conversations and unintentionally ignored her presence. She held up her manicured hand, and with a snap of her fingers, a bang issued out. Although the action appeared soft, the sound wave penetrated through all other sounds, causing the children to hone in on the woman with renewed vigor.


    ¡°My name is Sorceress Daniella of the Glint Tower. Unlike the others, most of the details related to the group I represent are secrets only for the initiated. Our requirements are also a lot stricter, and there are only three children that I can see here who have the possibility of joining our illustrious tower.¡± When Daniella said that, her deep brown eyes locked in on two young boys, who looked like siblings, at the end of the line and then right at Loch¡¯s group. Specifically, she stared at Lacey¡¯s hunched figure, giving the girl a small fright as she leaned into Randall¡¯s side further. The bald boy grimaced at the woman and protectively stepped in front of Lacey. Even when her penetrating gaze caused a feeling of pressure to fall on his shoulders, he only winced slightly and returned the heated stare. Loch took a small step to the side and stood right in front of Lacey and Randall, blocking the woman¡¯s vision of the pair. She raised one of her carefully sculpted brows when she crossed gazes with Loch and gave him a small smile before turning back to Mother Leanne.


    ¡°I wish to speak to these three children alone. You can be present, of course, but what I have to offer and say to them is for their ears only.¡± Daniella said, and after getting a nod in reply from Mother Leanne, after she gazed over Loch¡¯s group for a brief second again, she took up position behind Mother Leanne. This left only one person who hadn¡¯t addressed the children. It was the muscular man, with his frowning face covered in a bushy black beard. He wore simple brown clothes that almost looked similar to the clothes Loch had been wearing before Mother Leanne gave him his new set. The man strode forward, his momentum powerful. His thick, mountainous figure appeared to get larger with every step until, when he was standing in front of the gathered children, he looked as if he towered above them all.


    ¡°My Name is Knight Captain Maxwell of the Bullhorn Brotherhood. I¡¯m currently looking for Squires to join our Brotherhood in the hope of raising them into qualified and upstanding Knights. I require nothing from you but the determination to always push forward. Physical readiness, weapon skills, and knowledge of knighthood are not required. All I¡¯m looking for are the ones who have the grit to be knocked down and get up again. We call ourselves Knights, but at the end of the day, we are warriors. Anywhere there is a battle, that is where you will find us. Anywhere a city state needs to break ground into a new area of Fiend-filled territory, you will find a brotherhood of Knights. At the completion of training and the successful qualification to address oneself as a first grade Knight, you will be given the Noble title of Baron. Although it¡¯s not a hereditary title, it still allows one to purchase property in the second ring of any one of the nine city-states of Aegis. A further rise in Chivalry rank will also mean an increase in the rank of Noble peerage.¡± The Knight Captain said plainly. His voice was not rising or falling, just sitting at an even cadence, deep and powerful.


    The children¡¯s little heads almost exploded in excitement at the words. A Noble title came with so many special privileges, and to them, it appeared something so far out of reach that it wasn¡¯t even something they thought was possible. In their minds, only one born of the so-called ¡®richer blood¡¯ would be able to count themselves among the glorious ranks of the Nobles. Knight Captain cared not for the children¡¯s sudden chatter and barreled on. ¡°In saying that, it does not mean becoming a Conclave-approved Knight is easy. I will tell you now that a lot of the longtime members of the Brotherhoods are Tier Two and Three Squires. Becoming a Knight requires not just luck and a small modicum of talent, but most of all hard, hard work. That is all. Thank you for your time.¡±


    The man turned and, like a moving mountain, entered the line behind Mother Leanne, the other adults subconsciously making way for the wall of muscle. Mother Leanne took a step forward and approached the children. ¡°I also wanted to let you all know something each one of the people behind me had forgotten to mention, but I find necessary to say. Each of the adults had not only grown up right here in the Shambles, they were also once occupants of this very orphanage, just like you.¡± The children appeared to take a collective breath at these words before staring at the gathered adults with an entirely different look in their eyes. There were many things happening that morning that sent their little worlds spinning, but Mother Leanne¡¯s words about the adults¡¯ past seemed to have finally broken their minds. Even Loch¡¯s group was looking at each other in surprise.


    ¡°Alright. Settle down and listen. I¡¯ve arranged for places upstairs for each of the Adults to be able to talk to you independently and to answer any questions you have privately. I will give you all fifteen minutes to discuss before I take you one by one upstairs to discuss if any of the offers interest you.¡± Mother Leanne said, indicating behind her for the adults to follow her towards the stairs. Once Mother Leanne and the adults had left, the room exploded in noise as the children gathered into multiple groups, discussing among each other about what was said and sharing their skepticism about some of the finer points. Loch and his group also began to discuss with each other.