《Sien: Nobleman's Adventure [Book 2 complete]》


 Throne Game pt. 1

    Book 1


    Conviction


    In the middle of the great city, there was a castle with six great towers. On each one of them, there was a flag of a different color. Green, Purple, Red, Yellow, and Blue. Each one of the colors represents the royal house of the kingdom. Five towers were built out of the middle tower which was different from the others. There wasn¡¯t a flag on it. At least not yet.


    Not far from the castle, a tournament was held. Thousands of people gathered to watch it as it was one of the most important events in the kingdom. The lower stands in the colosseum were for common folk, while it was the biggest part of the arena all the seats were taken and many people had to stand on the stairs or empty paths, making it the most crowded part of the colosseum. Right above them with a better view were stands for nobles which were less crowded and had better seats made of wood compared to raw stone for the common folk. Between noblemen, there were stands for royal houses. The number of seats for the royal families differed from each other.


    By the blue flag sat four people. A beautiful woman with pitch-black hair tied into braids around her head. Her dark hair accentuated her dark green eyes, making them the most striking feature of her beauty. She wore a dress that almost looked as if she was wearing a blue one on top of the white dress. Leather coat covered her from the cold and her neck with white fur.


    Beside her sat a man with dark-blond hair and between them a few gray lines began showing themselves. His eyes were as blue as his wife¡¯s dress and under his left eye, he had a mark of two dark triangles. He wore a long dark blue robe with a white deer on its chest, the end of his sleeves were decorated by grey fur.


    To the woman¡¯s side sat two children. A boy with long black hair almost covering both of his eyes. Under his right eye, he had a similar mark like his father except he had three triangles. He wore a white shirt and blue coat with fur around his neck and a deer symbol on his back. He had grey pants and leather boots stretching a few inches above his ankle.


    The boy''s younger sister had blond hair tied in a similar way like her mother except for the back where her hair were set loose. She wore the same blue coat as the boy with fur, underneath it she had a light blue dress with a ruffle end.


    The man stood up and smiled as he said ¡°Our boy is coming out!¡± His eyes shined with excitement yet at the same time, he had a tight grip on the chair¡¯s arms.


    The children stood up on their chairs to have a better look at the person coming to the arena. It was a young man with silver armor that had many spots where his thick shirt was visible. The armor gave him some protection but a lot of mobility. Breaking the silver pallet was a majestic blue cape that had a grey symbol of a deer¡¯s head with long antlers. The man looked almost the same as the young boy in the stands with dark hair falling to his sides barely reaching his ears. He also had a mark by his eye. One dark triangle.


    ¡°Good luck Klain¡­¡± Whispered the mother in blue stands, her hands covering her mouth as it was a nerve-wracking experience for the mother to watch her son fight.


    ¡°Who¡¯s gonna be his opponent? House Lophia? Or is it House Sengest?¡± Asked the father as he looked around the entrances, impatient to see who is his son¡¯s opponent in this round.


    ¡°Dear¡­ You don¡¯t know who won the previous duel?¡± The woman playfully asked to calm down and placed her hand on her husband¡¯s hand to spread this calmness to him.


    ¡°I was so excited with Klain¡¯s win that I ignored the next duel. One more win and Klain will fight against the current ruling house. It¡¯s time for House Peresia to step away from the throne.¡± The man explained as he finally sat down and got comfortable, his eyes went to the purple stands where the previous ruler of the kingdom sat.


    ¡°House Sengest is the one who won.¡± The woman answered as she took her hand away and tried to sit comfortably.


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    The children jumped in place as they saw their brother in armor and with a sword in hand. They both cheered for their brother loudly enough for the brother to look at the stand and wave a hand toward them.


    Klain¡¯s rival came out in dark silver armor that covered most of his body. Most of it was light armor except for the chest plate which was thicker than the rest of the armor. A red cape with a dark dragon¡¯s head on it hung from his back as he walked forward. Once they were both in the middle of the arena they turned around toward the crowd. With swords placed on the ground in front of them, they kneeled.


    ¡°I, Klain Von Alk, shall fight rightfully against my opponent in this royal duel. May the gods be my witnesses.¡± Said the man in silver armor and blue cape.


    ¡°I, Richt Von Sengest, shall fight rightfully against my opponent in this royal duel. May the gods be my witnesses.¡± Said the man in dark silver armor and red cape.


    Both men stood up at the same time and took twenty steps forward. Once they did they turned around and put on their helmets. They both unsheathed their swords and got them ready for the duel. They slowly approached each other and the tension rose in the arena with each step they made. The tension broke once they crossed swords. Everyone began cheering for their favorite. After all, the winning house will rule over the country for four years.


    The man with a red cape, Richt Von Sengest, pushed his opponent''s sword away and tried to overwhelm his opponent with a number of attacks. Klain effortlessly parried each one of them. Richt was getting impatient and annoyed, making his movement a bit sloppy.


    The man with a blue cape stepped to the side while the opponent tried to charge into him. To mock him, he spanked his butt with the sword¡¯s side, making the man jump forward. Some of the crowd laughed at that hilarious view, Richt only let out an annoyed grunt and clenched his teeth under the helmet.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a fool son! Finish him! Don¡¯t risk it!¡± Shouted the man from the blue stands.


    ¡°As you wish Father¡­¡± Whispered Klain as he struck his sword against the ground, making ice cover the surface in the place he hit.


    ¡°Dad! Can brother do that? Isn¡¯t it against the rules?¡± Asked the young boy, looking up to his father.


    ¡°Using magic is against the rules as it is a sword duel but enhancing the sword and himself with magic isn¡¯t against the rules as it is basic for each Nobleman.¡± Explained the father.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know fire wins against ice? And here I was trying to make that duel fair¡­¡± Said Richt as his sword enveloped itself in flames.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fool yourself¡­ Even if I didn¡¯t use any enhancement I still would win against you. But it looks like I can¡¯t play around anymore.¡± Klain took his gaze away from the opponent to look at his father.


    That angered his opponent who was ready to offend him ¡°You¡­¡±


    Richt wanted to mock his opponent but he was cut off with a surprise. Klain suddenly was right in his face. There was no way for any of them to strike with the sword but Klain had that in mind and punched Richt¡¯s ribs with his fist, knocking air out of his lungs. Richt instinctively bent forward allowing Klain another move that hit him in the chin with a sword¡¯s handle.


    ¡°What is this?! This isn¡¯t a duel with swords! How dare you!¡± Shouted the man from the red stands.


    Some of the crowd followed the royal man¡¯s complaints and shamed Klain for that. ¡°It¡¯s a sword fight! Not street brawl!¡± ; ¡°More of a brute than a nobleman!¡± ; ¡°Maybe drop that armor too!¡±


    Klain heard each one of them but he ignored the crowd, it wasn¡¯t his main focus to entertain the arena. He was here to win a duel for his family since the playtime was over once father ordered.


    Richt had ice on the side of his armor and his chin. Because of the layer of ice on his chin, he was forced to look up. ¡°I need to get rid of it. FAST!¡± Thought Richt as he was unable to spot his opponent.


    Bits of fire appeard on his armor and once he melted the ice he saw a sword coming his way. He used both of his hands to hold off the attack while Klain used only one.


    ¡°How strong is he? It¡¯s all thanks to magic enhancement!¡± Richt struggled to hold the block.


    This time Klain was the one attacking but he didn¡¯t aim for his opponent¡¯s body but his sword. With each strike, the flames from the sword faded away and once they did he took a wider swing that broke the sword in half. He pointed the sword at Richt¡¯s face and took off the helmet with the tip of his blade, revealing a face of regret and anger. His mouth was shaking and his brows frowning.


    Klain took the sword away and his helmet off. With a smile on his face, he lifted his sword and the crowd exploded with cheers toward him. Enjoying the sound of applause he left the arena.


    The father jumped out of the chair and jumped with joy. ¡°YES! He did it! My son!¡± Once he stopped he looked toward the purple stands. ¡°There is one more left¡­ Peresia. We are coming for the throne¡­¡±

 Throne Game pt. 2

    The children with the mother left the capital while their father stayed for the feast in the castle. Many nobles and all the royals attended the feast. Most of the invited people were already inside the ceremony hall. Once he entered a guard standing by the doors, announced his entrance.


    ¡°Lord Zimowit Von Alk has joined us!¡± The guard officially announced as he closed the doors behind the lord.


    Once they heard his name, Zimowit was surrounded by the nobles. All of them congratulated for passing on the final round of the tournament. It was hard for Zimowit to understand them since they spoke at the same time.


    ¡°Thank. Thank you all for your support.¡± Said Lord Zimowit as he waved his hands up and down so the people wouldn¡¯t try to shout over each other.


    Some of them were his real supporters and some faked friendliness as they saw that House Alk has the biggest chance of becoming the next ruler. The people from Royal Houses only looked toward him, for the time of the tournament they each were enemies so there was a lot of hostility in those eyes.


    Nobles were separated into three groups. House Alk and supporters, House Peresia and supporters, and lastly the rest of the Royal Houses who were knocked out in the tournament trying to cooperate and talk about their next steps. Except for the head of the Lophia family. He was the only one who came to congratulate House Alk. He wasn¡¯t faking the friendliness like some nobles.


    A man wearing green robes with golden edges and a golden boar on his chest ran toward the lord shouting gladly ¡°Lord Zimowit!¡±


    While Lord Zimowit had a well-built figure after years of training in the military, the head of House Lophia had the massive belly of a man living in luxury for years. His brown hair was long, slightly covering his ears and most of his forehead.


    ¡°Ah. Lord Gran!¡± Zimowit smiled and opened his arms for the man.


    They both hugged each other and patted on the back as they chuckled.


    Zimowit took a step back and grabbed Gran by the shoulders, taking a closer look at his friend. ¡°How¡¯ve you been? I haven¡¯t seen you in four months!¡±


    ¡°I was out of the capital in my county. Had to make sure everything was okay and make some changes. You should also visit your county. Even if everything is fine it makes people happy to see their lord.¡±


    ¡°You mean you were preparing your fields and wine kegs for the upcoming season!¡± As Zimowit said that, they both laughed and some of the crowd did too. ¡°I was planning to do it. No worries my friend. I care for my land.¡± Zimowit nodded his head to Gran.


    ¡°And how is your family?¡± Gran grabbed Zimwit¡¯s shoulder and led him further into the room, closer to the table with food.


    ¡°My wife left with the children, going back home. They are leaving for the county earlier than me. If not for the changes in the schedule they would stay for the final duel¡­ Speaking of the final duel. Is my son here?¡± Zimowit asked as he looked around for his son.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him¡­ If he were here there would be a massive crowd around him.¡± Gran laughed as he said that.


    Zimowit stopped looking for a man in question. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ Where might he wander to?¡±


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    Peresia¡¯s group began to move toward Alk¡¯s group. That caught everyone¡¯s attention. Standoff between two houses that are fighting in finals. Zimowit watched unfazed the family head with his frail body and his son. The son who was supposed to fight was limping along the way. A slight smile appeared on Zimowit''s face once he knew that the strongest fighter in their family was wounded, the rest of the sons were too young to fight and the family head wasn¡¯t in shape.


    ¡°Well¡­ Well. Well. If it isn¡¯t Lord Donkiel and his son, Gerad.¡± Said Lord Zimowit as he leaned a bit to make a welcoming gesture but not too low as he didn¡¯t have a lot of respect for the head of the family.


    Gerad answered by leaning too but his father taped him with the shoulder to stop him from doing that. His face didn¡¯t show anything but his eyes were full of hostility.


    ¡°Congratulations on making it to finals but I think this is as far as you go-¡± Said Lord Donkiel but he was stopped by Lord Zimowit.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can stop us right now¡­ Seeing your best fighter in bad shape¡­¡± Zimowit looked down at the boy¡¯s limping leg.


    ¡°This is nothing for us to worry about. Our win is secured.¡± Said Donkiel, his eyes piercing right through Zimowit.


    ¡°Hmp. Can¡¯t wait to see the look on your face in two days¡­¡± Said Lord Zimowit as he walked away, being disgusted by Peresia¡¯s attitude.


    ¡°Yeah. Right¡­¡± Whispered Donkiel, letting out a silent grunt that only his son heard. He looked at his father, a bit horrified by what his intentions were.


    The House Peresia group left the feast after exchanging words with the rest of the families. It was more of a business meeting for them than an actual feast or celebration. Lord Zimowit and Lord Gran were the ones who stayed the longest. Zimowit wanted to leave at first but after Gran¡¯s suggestion for a drink, his mind changed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to leave my friend alone with a glass of wine. What would everyone think of you if that would¡¯ve happened?¡± Said Zimowit, making an excuse even for his peace of mind to stay and drink.


    ¡°Right? What would they think? That I have drinking problems? That I¡¯m lonely. That I can¡¯t make bonds?¡± Gran started counting the possible things people could think about him.


    ¡°That side of you never changes. Sober or drunk. You overthink everything.¡± As he was explaining, a servant poured him more wine.


    ¡°Boy. If you could bring us a couple of bottles of wine. We can pour them ourselves. No need for you to stay around drunkards. We¡¯ll spare you that experience.¡± Gran stopped the servant after he poured him some wine.


    ¡°If you insist, Lord Gran.¡± Said the boy as he bowed and left the room.


    ¡°Like I said. Overthinker through and through.¡± Zimowit said as he watched the servant leave the room.


    ¡°This overthinking saved me a few times! Like in the war with the Fadim Empire twelve years ago! There was this suspicious village that wanted to help us. With my ¡®overthinking¡¯ mind I was wary of them and found out that they tried to poison us!¡± Gran said and he quickly stood up, making Zimowit flinch and almost spill some wine.


    ¡°If only that overthinking stopped you from drinking this much beer.¡± Said Zimowit as he pointed out Gran¡¯s beer belly.


    ¡°Know I¡¯m not drinking beer¡­ but wine!¡± Gran picked up the bottle of wine to prove his point.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s the only alcohol they have in here¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough about drinking preferences. How is your second son?¡± Gran shook his hand to leave that topic aside and sat back down.


    ¡°Lance? He is at the front in the war against our good old enemies. Fadim.¡± Answered Zimowit, looking at the cup of wine he held.


    ¡°Kicking Fadim for his father. You must be proud.¡± Gran laughed.


    ¡°Of course I am. But I am worried at the same time.¡± Zimowit dragged his words as he looked at his image in the wine.


    ¡°As every parent would, Zimowit.¡± Gran said, making Zimowit take his eyes away from the wine.


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know if every parent. My father was a bit different.¡± Zimowit looked away from the wine and closed his eyes, he resembled his own father too much.


    ¡°Yes¡­ He might be the only exception¡­¡± Gran¡¯s smile disappeared for a moment as he was reminded of that person¡¯s existence.

 Throne Game pt. 3

    Zimowit and Gran continued drinking till the night sky was covered by shining stars. That was the time when almost the whole table was covered with empty bottles and the time when Gran¡¯s wife came to get him as it was getting late. Zimowit left the hall with them but went to a separate wing.


    ¡°I might have drunk way too much¡­ It always ends up like that with Gran¡­ This man is something else¡­¡± Thought Zimowit as he slowly walked up the stairs, his hand pressed against the wall to keep balance.


    Once Zimowit entered his chamber he went straight to bed. Before he could even fall asleep there was a knocking on his door. He thought that it was his drunk brain playing tricks on him but there was another louder knocking making him stand up and approach the doors.


    Once he opened the door there were two knights and Lord Donkiel with his few hay color hair on head, his hand on his short goat beard, standing between the knights. Without a word, the knights entered the room and searched for something in the chests and shelves of the room.


    ¡°What¡­ are you doing?!¡± Shouted Zimowit trying to stay on his feet as he turned toward the knights.


    ¡°As you suspected, Lord Donkiel.¡± One of the knights said and both of them stopped going through Zimowit¡¯s stuff. ¡°We¡¯ve found the thief.¡± The knight showed a metal box with engraved lines and three crystals where one of them was in the color of light blue while the other two were black.


    ¡°Zimowit. For stealing an artifact and trying to use it against our nation you¡¯re being arrested and your house is revoked from the royal throne.¡± Said Lord Donkiel as the knight put handcuffs on the drunk man.


    ¡°What? This is a misunderstanding. Stop it! Free me right now! This is an order!¡± Zimowit tried to resist but he was too drunk to fight back so the knights took him away without much problem.


    Donkiel watched the knights take away the suspect and once they left the sly smile slid into his face. The knights left the artifact in his hands, at the snap of his fingers, the third knight appeard in the room wearing a purple banner on his chest plate.


    The knight kneeled and opened a chest in which was the exact same box as in Donkiel¡¯s hands. He took it out and placed the real artifact in the box. The knight closed it before anyone could spot it.


    ¡°Take the original back to my county. No one will suspect a thing¡­¡± He whispered as he took a close look at the artifact¡¯s counterpart.


    ***


    Right after the duel against Richt, Klain went to take off his armor and join his father at the feast. As he took off his chestplate a knight entered his room without knocking. Klain wanted to joke about knocking before anyone enters but he stopped once he saw the man bleeding from his right hand.


    ¡°Lord Klain¡­ I have a message for you¡­¡± The man said between heavy breaths, lying against the wall.


    ¡°What happened? Why are you bleeding?¡± Klain stood up from the chair, concerned by the knight¡¯s wound.


    ¡°Your family¡­ Mother, brother, and sister were taken hostage¡­¡± The knight continued delivering the message, scared to face the nobleman he had his eyes on the ground.


    ¡°They were¡­ WHAT?! Did you inform my father?!¡± Klain stopped taking his armor off and even considered equipping it once again.


    ¡°They instructed to only inform you¡­ If anyone else will show up¡­ They¡­ They will¡­¡± The knight tried to say that one specific word but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say that in this situation.


    ¡°Is there anything else they told you?¡± Klain lightly grabbed the man by the shoulder and used his magic to cool him down.


    ¡°They want you to meet them alone without a horse and weapon by the forest in the south.¡± The man explained.


    ¡°No ransome?¡± Asked Kalin, figuring out the intentions of the kidnappers.


    ¡°No. They want only you¡­¡± The knight answered, looking Klain in the face for the first time, his face scared and concerned.


    ¡°Political kidnaping¡­ I guess they want me to disappear for the time of the tournament¡­ Okay. I¡¯m going.¡± Klain took off the rest of his armor and only took his sword.


    Walking through the green forest away from the main road, Klain found his family carriage and ten people standing in front of it. They had some cheap leather armor with a few metal plates on them. Six with swords, two with spears, and two with bows. The archers had their bows drawn the very moment Klain walked out of the bushes.


    ¡°I¡¯m here¡­ Now. What do you want?¡± Klain calmly asked, keeping his hand on the sword¡¯s hilt just in case they attacked him out of the blue, his eyes moving from bandit to bandit. ¡°None of them seem dangerous¡­¡± He thought.


    ¡°You know exactly what we want.¡± Said the eleventh man who was hiding behind the carriage. His armor was better than his companions but it was definitely used in battles as it had scratches and dents all around. Massive chest plate and parts of armor to cover his arms and legs. The scar on his mouth was proof that he was experienced in battle. He had more scars hidden under the bandana wrapped on his head.


    ¡°You want to keep me out of the duel so Alk won''t rule.¡± Klain said proudly to show that he figured out their plan.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re a smart boy. So why don¡¯t you surrender? And spare the bloodshed.¡± The leader said, looking around at his underlings.


    ¡°Spare the bloodshed? You know that¡¯s impossible. Even though I confirmed my suspicions you won¡¯t let me go.¡± Klain tightened his grip on the sword, making the swordsman reach for their swords.


    ¡°What did you confirm by coming here?¡± Asked the bandits'' leader, turning his head toward Klain, narrowing his eyes as he didn¡¯t know what Klain meant.


    ¡°My family isn¡¯t in that carriage.¡± Klain took out his sword and pointed it at the carriage with a proud smirk on his face.


    ¡°Did you check inside?¡± The bandit knocked on the carriage¡¯s door with his fist.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t have to. This indeed is our royal carriage but we use it only to travel in the city. We have different ones to travel to our land. You wouldn¡¯t recognize it because it¡¯s not a fancy-looking one. My father is a humble person just so you know¡­¡± Klain aimed his sword at the leader, mocking him as he knew he was the strongest out of all the people in front of him.


    ¡°Have it your way. Get him!¡± The leader commanded with his finger pointing at Klain and the archers fired the arrows at him.


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    The prince jumped to the side to avoid the two arrows. Barely making a step forward the two spearmen were close to him with the tips of their blades inches from Klain.


    ¡°Faster than I anticipated. But not enough.¡± He cut one tip of the spear off and pushed the stick away, he then grabbed the other spear with his armpit. He slightly turned to the side and smashed one spearman against another. Both of them fell to the ground.


    Before the swordsmen followed the attack, archers drew their bows for another shot. Klain picked up the spear with a broken tip and threw it at one of the archers. The man didn¡¯t have time to react and was hit in the shoulder with the broken stick. He fell on his bow and broke it.


    While the other archer was hesitating he kicked one of the spearmen in the head and the other was hit with a sword in the back of the head. Both of them were knocked unconscious.


    He watched his ally fall to the ground, once he landed he drew an arrow but pulled it back as he saw Klain picking up the other spear that had the sharp tip. He ran behind the swordsmen to use them as a shield.


    The swordsmen, not knowing how to position, grouped into two groups of three. They tried to attack Klain from both sides. Before they could even overwhelm him with numbers he turned to the group to his left and dashed toward them. With one strike he hit all three of them. They had large wounds but no blood was coming out of them. Klain imbued his sword with magic and froze their blood before it even came out


    The second group was already on his black and one of the swordsmen yelled as he swung his sword from the top. In a flash Klain turned around to block the strike with one hand and punch the man straight into stomach, bending the armor that was covering it and leaving a cold layer of ice.


    He moved to the side so the man could land unconscious on the ground. The two remaining swordsmen stood in place as they didn¡¯t see what had happened to their allay. Once they saw Klain they both swung their sword. One from the top and one from the side.


    He grabbed the wrist of the swordsman who swung from the top and blocked the attack of the man who swung from the side, stopping both attacks at the same time. Both men realized that they weren¡¯t fighting an average man but a monster.


    Klain pulled the swordsman to himself and struck him in the chin with his elbow, his eyes rolling back as he fell flat to the ground. He then repealed the sword of the other man and cut his wrist, the blade fell to the ground as he was unable to hold it. Klain then followed with two shallow cuts along his arms.


    ¡°I yield!¡± Shouted the swordsman, lying on the ground, his face away from Klain as he trembled in fear.


    Ten men were single-handedly defeated by Klain. A few of them were unconscious on the ground, the others frozen by fear. Even the remaining archer didn¡¯t budge as he was too scared that the same thing would happen to him. Many had wounds on their bodies but no blood was shed.


    ¡°And here I thought ten men would be enough. I tried to save some money but I see that was a mistake¡­ You¡¯re stronger than I imagined Prince Klain.¡± The leader approached the remaining archer. Giving a threatening look at him to which he decided to run away. ¡°Looks like I have to step in.¡± The man took out a cleaver as long as a sword.


    ¡°Interesting choice of weapon. Mind telling me your name?¡± Klain asked as he closely inspected his opponent. As tall as him but a massive body with outstanding muscles.


    ¡°I¡¯m Tarmyr. Some call me The Scard Mercenary.¡± The man answered and tapped the scar on his mouth to show the point of his nickname.


    ¡°Man with a renown. I¡¯m actually honored that you¡¯re the one who¡¯s after me. I¡¯ve heard some things about you. Loyal for the right amount of money. Not a good leader but a great warrior.¡± Klain dragged his words to mock the man.


    ¡°Oh my. I should be the honored one since a prince of a royal family heard things about me.¡± Tarmyr returned the mockery and bowed while chuckling under the nose.


    ¡°Enough talking. I¡¯d like to test your abilities¡­¡± Klain prepared his posture for a duel against the leader, his left leg in front and right in the back to support his stand, sword in front prepared for attack and defense if necessary.


    ¡°Just the way I like it.¡± The man answered, dragging his cleaver along the ground as he approached Klain.


    Tarmyr raised his cleaver and struck Klain with it. The prince raised his sword to block the attack but once the blades collided he felt the overwhelming power of the attack.


    ¡°Shit¡­ Packs more punch than I imagined¡­ I can¡¯t block attacks like that.¡± Klain quickly stepped to the side and let the cleaver slide along his sword.


    After that he was left wide open for a different attack that he didn¡¯t expect, the mercenary used that chance and kicked him in the stomach. Klein flew a few feet away and hit the ground.


    ¡°Now I understand how Richt felt¡­¡± He said as he coughed.


    ¡°That¡¯s your royal swordsmanship. Finesse, technique, and a bit of magic.¡± Explained Tarmyr as he shattered the ice on his foot. ¡°What you lack is strength like mine. But I¡¯m not going to lie. I¡¯m jealous of that magic of yours.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re flattering me after landing a solid hit on me¡­¡± Klain grabbed his stomach as it was still hurting. ¡°Good thing I protected myself with a layer of ice¡­ Otherwise, it would¡¯ve hurt much worse. His strength can only be compared to a beast.¡± Klain thought as he replayed the first encounter in his mind. ¡°Strength and unusual way of fighting. I feel like I¡¯m fighting the version of me that didn¡¯t get magic powers.¡±


    Tarmyr walked toward Klain with his cleaver dragged along the ground. Klain didn¡¯t want to get hit by him so this time he tried to attack first and overwhelm the opponent with his speed. Since the mercereny¡¯s weapon was heavy he went for a stab that would be hard to block. To Klain¡¯s surprise, Tarmyr was prepared and blocked his attacks with cleaver¡¯s side, using it like a shield. What Tarmyr forgot was his opponent''s type of magic. After three quick stabs, Klain stopped.


    Tarmyr wanted to lift his cleaver but it was covered with ice that stuck to the ground, pinning him down in one place. At that moment Klain had a chance to heavily wound Tarmyr.


    He was aiming for his shoulder so Tarmyr would have a hard time swinging his weapon. The mercenary broke the ice but couldn¡¯t defend himself in time. The sudden breaking of ice made Klain flinch and his sword went in a different direction. Tarmyr was hit in the eye with a freezing blade.


    Tarmyr let out a loud scream out of pain and instantly punched Klain, he raised his guard to block the punch but the force behind it made him fly away into the tree. He was confused at first because he didn¡¯t feel much pain but he couldn¡¯t see anything with his left eye. He looked at the prince who was trying to recover from the punch.


    ¡°You¡­ YOU¡¯LL PAY!¡± Shouted Tarmyr as he ran toward Klain, he made a wide swing aimed at the prince¡¯s neck.


    Klain barely moved in time, he rolled to the side and lowered his head so it wouldn¡¯t get hit. As he looked at his opponent he saw the cleaver cut through the tree.


    ¡°You would make a great lumberman¡­¡± Joked Klain as he stood up and shook his head, his vision was a bit blurry but he was able to see his opponent and his weapon.


    Tarmyr quickly turned toward Klain and screamed as he ran to him with the cleaver mid-swing. Klain stepped back to avoid the attack and then made his attempt but Tarmyr¡¯s unusual strength let him swing a heavy cleaver like it was a light stick.


    ¡°I won¡¯t leave unscathed if I don¡¯t use magic. You¡¯re worthy of witnessing more of my power.¡± Klain tapped the ground with his sword and ice appeared in the place where he hit, as he stepped back the ice grew and covered mercenery¡¯s right foot.


    Klain then dashed forward in a flash he stood behind Tarmyr with two swords in his hands. One he previously held and the other he just created out of ice. Behind the path he traveled all that was left was cold mist.


    Tarmyr fell to his knees with cuts around his legs and arms, his armor and body covered by a thin layer of ice left just by Klain¡¯s presence. ¡°Looks like I¡¯m no match for you. The instructions were to not kill you¡­ But to capture you.¡± Tarmyr took out a metal box with engraved lines and three dark crystals.


    He tapped one of the crystals and threw it toward Klain. As he looked down he saw a small box land in front of him. The engraved lines began to shine with a blue light. A bright light came out of the box, blinding everyone who was looking. Klain was only able to cover his eyes from the light but once the light disappeared only Tarmyr and the wounded bandits remained on the battlefield. Where Klain stood there was only a box with two dark crystals and one in the light blue color.


    ¡°Job done. What a sad fate to be forgotten that way. Whoever you were...¡± Tarmyr picked up the box and left all the injured men in the forest.


    The remaining bandits were confused. They were scared of something. They were injured in a fight with someone. This someone felt like a ghost that they can¡¯t seem to remember.

 Alahia Province pt. 1

    The carriage with the Mother and two children of the Alk family almost reached their final destination. They were in their home province, Alahia, located in the northern part of Saradia Kingdom.


    The climate there was rather cold and harsh for half of the year. The land is vast and flat with small coniferous forests now and then. Since it was spring there were only a few signs of snow left from the cold winter.


    ¡°Mama! Look!¡± The girl jumped on her seat out of excitement as she pointed at the window, waiting for the mother¡¯s response.


    ¡°What is it, Kloe?¡± Asked the curious mother before even looking through the window, she first looked at her daughter and then realized where she was pointing.


    ¡°The flowers! The flowers are blooming!¡± She continued tapping the window and jumping in place, a wide joyful smile on her face.


    Outside the carriage, there was a vast field of small blue flowers spread through the whole field. They grew even in places where snow was still frozen.


    ¡°Do you remember what they are called?¡± The mother asked playfully as she looked at her daughter.


    ¡°Blue¡­ Blue something¡­¡± She stuttered, trying to find the right name.


    ¡°It¡¯s Blue Snowdrop, my dear. They are the sign that spring is coming near and they are the same color as our House flag. The same as most of your clothes.¡± Mother showed the symbol of the house on the son¡¯s coat and pointed at the daughter''s blue dress.


    ¡°And why do we have a deer as the symbol of our house?¡± Asked the son as he stopped looking through the window, interested in the conversation they were having.


    ¡°It¡¯s because it''s the biggest animal in our land!¡± Kloe answered with pride behind her answer but that pride was shattered with Mother¡¯s giggle.


    ¡°There are bigger animals in our land. Sien. What kind of food do we often eat while we are at home?¡±


    ¡°Meat, potatoes, carrots, and onions¡­¡± The boy had trouble counting more food after potatoes.


    ¡°And do you know what kind of meat that was?¡± She asked playfully, hoping that the boy would find the right answer.


    ¡°Ukhm¡­ Fresh?¡± Said Sien, not sure about his answer.


    ¡°It was fresh but it was a deer meat. We honored the animal that fed us through the whole year by making it our symbol. Since it is the beginning of spring¡­ You know what that means?¡± The mother asked, waiting for the children''s answer, taping her fingers against each other.


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    ¡°It¡¯s our birthday!¡± Both children gladly shouted with a smile and laughter.


    ¡°Kloe you¡¯ll turn ten and Sien, thirteen.¡± The mother said as she tapped the children on the nose when she was mentioning them. ¡°Kloe¡­ you will get your own horse.¡±


    ¡°My own horse?! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!¡± Kloe hugged her mother to thank her for the gift she hadn¡¯t received yet, the mother then began to tickle Kloe while she was lying on her knees.


    ¡°And for you, Sien. There is a present waiting from your father. He told me it would be a surprise for you.¡± Said the mother as she stopped tickling Kloe for a second and then continued.


    ¡°Surprise for me? How long till we get home?! I can¡¯t wait!¡± Sien looked out the window to see any familiar landmarks to know where they were.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost home. But I must warn you that we are stopping at the village for a moment. It is important for a ruler of the land to check on their people.¡± She said as she grabbed Sien¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°Will we stop by the bakery?¡± Asked the daughter.


    ¡°I guess you want a bun with plums? How about it, Sien?¡± The mother patted the daughter on the head and looked at her son to see his reaction.


    ¡°If I eat a bun with plums I might be a little bit more patient¡­¡± Said Sien with a pouty face, while looking outside.


    The moment the carriage entered the settlement the villagers surrounded it. They greeted the royal family with a smile and joy in their hearts. Lady waved her hand toward her subordinates with a smile. Sien joined his mother while Kloe hid under the window.


    She is a good child but very shy toward the people she doesn¡¯t personally know. Even when visiting far family she tends to hide behind her mother. Once they left the carriage, Kloe didn¡¯t leave mother¡¯s side for a second. Firmly grasping her hand all the time.


    They visited a few farms to check how the cultivation was going. All of them offered a seat by the table. They often got small gifts like cheese, fruits, and eggs. Lady Panma tried to reject the gifts saying that the farmers needed them more than she did. But she was unable to reject their offerings twice.


    The last, a small farm, was by an old man and his teenage son. The man sat on the fence, taking a break after hard work. Once he saw Lady he jumped off the fence to greet her. She saw the man struggling to take a knee. She stopped him, concerned for his health.


    ¡°Lady Panma, it¡¯s a pleasure to see you on this fine day.¡± The man said as he slightly bowed.


    ¡°How¡¯s the cultivation going?¡± Asked Lady Panma, turning toward the field.


    ¡°I¡¯m ashamed to say it¡­ Not well. Our donkey unexpectedly died and that made more work for us. We can only handle half of the land we have without a donkey.¡± The old man explained with his head low, ashamed of his situation.


    ¡°Do you have money to get a new one?¡± The lady asked.


    ¡°Not exactly¡­¡± The old man said with his head down, ashamed to say the truth.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you one of my horses so your work will go smoothly until you get yourself a donkey.¡± What she said almost brought the old man to tears.


    ¡°No. I can¡¯t accept-¡± He insisted but the lady stopped him.


    ¡°Your farm is feeding us. So of course we are going to help however we can. We¡¯ll bring one tomorrow.¡± Lady Panma said with a serious tone so the man wouldn¡¯t reject her offer.


    ¡°Thank you, my lady.¡± The man didn¡¯t take a knee as he was unable to but he bowed as low as his back allowed him to show gratitude.

 Alahia Province pt. 2

    After checking on each farm in the village, they went to a local church to take part in the ceremony. The church was small and simple, the base was only a bit higher than one-story buildings with one bell tower above the entrance. There were three stained glass windows on each side of the church showing miracles from the legends.


    Inside there were benches that could fit around a hundred people. In the corners near the entrance, there were two confessionals. The ceremonial part of the building was only decorated by a metal statue of the sun and rays coming out of it.


    They prayed there for a short time alongside the villagefolk. Sien understood what kind of place the church was while Kloe did not so much. Constantly looking around for something more fun. She began paying attention once the choir started singing the prayers accompanied by a harp. The mother caught her daughter¡¯s interest in the harp.


    The mother asked her daughter after the ceremony had ended. ¡°Would you like to take a closer look?¡±


    Kloe answered with a joyful smile, ¡°Yes!¡±


    While the priest left, the musician was still playing on the harp. Silently, practicing the next melody. It was a young woman with long blond hair and clean white clothes. She wasn¡¯t a nun but a peasant. The local priest noticed her talent and got her a harp for the ceremonies. She works on the farm except for the times of the ceremony.


    ¡°Beautiful melody.¡± Said Lady Panma to get the musician¡¯s attention.


    The woman stopped playing to take a look at the person that talking to her, she flinched once she noticed who that was. ¡°Lady Panma¡­ Thank you for the praise.¡± Said the woman as she took a knee to welcome the royalty.


    ¡°For how long have you played on harp?¡± Asked Lady Panma, looking at the harp to not stress the young woman with her gaze.


    ¡°On this harp. Only two months. I played on a small lyre before the Priest brought this one to the church. I suspect that I¡¯m the reason he bought it.¡± The woman said with a short chuckle at the end.


    ¡°So you¡¯re a talented musician.¡± Said Lady Panma, amused by Priest¡¯s recognition of the talent hidden in the young woman.


    ¡°You¡¯re flattering me, my lady. I was only able to learn how to play faster than most people but my level can be reached with hard work and time.¡± Explained the woman as she looked at Kloe who was clearly interested in the harp. ¡°Would you like to try?¡± The woman asked as she kneeled to Kloe¡¯s level, smiling warmly. The girl hid behind her mother but still peeked her eyes out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be shy. You wanted to try. Didn¡¯t you?¡± Said the mother trying to push Kloe closer to the harp.


    Usually, Kloe would stay behind her mother no matter what but the harp attracted her more than her shyness could push her away. The girl approached the harp with both of her hands tightly gripping the ruffle of her dress.


    The woman gently pushed her onto the chair and slowly grabbed her hands to guide them toward the strings of the harp. They played a simple melody together by grabbing single strings. The music was slow but majestic as if the elves themselves were playing it for their feast. After a moment of repeating the same melody, the woman took her hands away.


    Kloe continued the melody quite well but then she pulled one wrong string and the rest of the melody collapsed with her trying to figure out how it was supposed to go. The girl was clearly frustrated by what happened, she ran to hide behind her mother, embarrassed wanting to leave the church. The woman tried to convince her to try one more time but children are impatient when it comes to complicated things like instruments.


    Even though she left frustrated, trying to hold back the tears, she later asked her mother ¡°Can we come back one day?¡±


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    ¡°Did you like the harp?¡± Gently asked the mother to which the girl only nodded. ¡°We can go to church every week if you¡¯re interested.¡±


    She hugged her mother tightly and stopped hiding behind her, only holding her hand and following her.


    To brighten up the mood they visited the bakery as their last stop in the village. If not for the sign above the door, no one would know that it is a bakery. Built in a small two-story cottage. The bakery was on the ground floor and the owner¡¯s house was on the floor above.


    The bakery had only three shelves with displayed goods. The biggest one had many pieces of bread and buns to choose from while the two smaller ones were for sweet stuff like buns with plums or cake.


    ¡°Lady Panma. What a pleasure to see you in my small bakery.¡± Said the middle-aged man with an apron, the owner of the bakery, as he laid his hands against the counter.


    ¡°Pleasure is all mine. Can¡¯t miss any baked goods from your shop when I am around the village.¡± Said the lady, her gaze at the baked goods she was about to buy.


    ¡°What will it be for today? I can even do a special order if Lady would like something more specific.¡± The baker asked, his smile not leaving his face for even a moment, it wasn¡¯t a fake smile.


    ¡°There is no need for that. At last for now.¡± The woman said with a smile on her face. ¡°Dark bread and five buns with plums, please.¡± She said as she pointed at the bread she wanted.


    ¡°Right away.¡± The man took a willow basket and placed a piece of bread in it, then a piece of cloth, and on it the buns. ¡°Here.¡± The man said as he placed the basket on the counter.


    Lady Panma paid and placed one bottle of milk as a tip for the service. The flattered baker thanked Lady Panma for the generous gift. As they left he said that he would repay her with a good cake.


    The journey from the village to their home took only ten minutes with a carriage. First, they were welcomed by a long road with deciduous trees that slowly turned green. Right before the walls of their mansion was a small bridge over a small river. It wasn¡¯t deep, children could swim there without parents worrying that their kids could drown in there.


    Even though there were stone walls surrounding the mansion, the gates were wide open most of the time as the family had nothing to fear in their province. There were two guards with light plate armor and spears standing by the gate. There was a small table and two chairs beside the entrance to the mansion¡¯s grounds. The guards were playing cards to kill time.


    Once they saw the carriage they stopped playing to greet the family. One of the guards, an older man with a thick mustache took an opportunity to cheat and he hid one of his cards in the deck.


    The younger guard was barely twenty-five years old. He looked skinny but under the armor, he hid well-refined muscles. If not for his not often shaved beard he would look very handsome. Unlike his beard he well kept his golden hair that was cut short, slicked back.


    ¡°Good day, my Lady.¡± Said both guards as they took a knee.


    ¡°Good day to you too, Sifrid, Tomal.¡±


    ¡°How was it in the capital?¡± Asked Sifrid, the younger guard.


    ¡°Pleasant for me and the kids. I don¡¯t know about my husband. After all, he wasn¡¯t there to enjoy the city. At least nothing bad happened while we were there.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear. When will the Lord be coming from Waris?¡± Asked Tomal, the older guard with a mustache, the one who cheated with the cards.


    ¡°If nothing stopped him in the capital then he should be in a day or two.¡± Answered Lady Panma.


    Once the carriage entered the front garden the guards continued their game of cards. Sifrid didn¡¯t suspect that Tomal was cheating but this whole time he had a feeling that something was off about the game.


    The manor and surrounding grounds were not as large as the royal family might have you believe. There were a few trees in front of the mansion and a small fountain with a statue of a snowflake. The back of the manor was covered by a garden with flowers and a little pond. Under the single tree, there was a table and a bench to enjoy the warm days.


    The mansion itself was a three-story building in the shape of a letter ¡°L¡±. It was mainly built out of stone except for the roof and parts of the second floor. The walls were gray and the roof was made of dark wood.


    Besides the mansion, there were two buildings. Stable for the horses made of dark and light wood. And a workshop for the tools for gardening and maintenance of the buildings made with the same materials as the stable, like it was built from the leftovers.

 Alahia Province pt. 3

    Once the carriage stopped, Kloe ran out of it, straight toward the stable to see the horses. She was hoping to find a new one that would be her personal horse. She counted ¡°Papa¡¯s horse, Mama¡¯s horse, Brother¡¯s horse¡­ and¡­¡± She stopped counting once she saw a new horse with blond hair that was almost matching her own hair color. The horse was smaller than the rest because it was younger than the others, just the size for a young girl like her.


    ¡°Mama! Is that my horse? Can I name it? Can I name it?¡± Kloe asked, jumping in place out of excitement.


    ¡°Sure. It is yours after all.¡± The mother kin her head and the daughter calmed down and began thinking of the name.


    ¡°I want to name my horse¡­ Lemon. Because she is as yellow as a lemon haha!¡± The girl giggled.


    ¡°Interesting choice. Now try to give this to her.¡± The mother handed a carrot to Kloe. ¡°Before you can even ride her, you need to show the horse that you¡¯ll be the one taking care of it.¡±


    The daughter grabbed the carrot and moved it closer to the horse¡¯s box. The horse got interested in the carrot and smelled it. After sniffing the carrot she gently grabbed it into her mouth and chewed it.


    ¡°Mom! Give me another one!¡± The girl said with enthusiasm as she reached an open hand toward Lady Panma, waiting for more carrots.


    ¡°Okay. Okay. Here.¡± The mother chuckled as she gave one more carrot to her daughter.


    While the mother and daughter stayed in the stable, Sien went inside the mansion. By the entrance door, he was greeted by their servant, Lily. A young woman with dark hair that in light looked almost purple. She always wore her hair in a ponytail so they wouldn¡¯t get in the way of her work. She wore simple dark clothes and an apron. Lily cleans most of the house and helps Lady Panma with cooking. Lord Zimowit hired her so Panma could rest more but she insisted on cooking for her family so they often worked together in the kitchen.


    ¡°Good day, young master. Where is Lady Panma and Lady Kloe?¡± Asked Lily with a welcoming smile.


    ¡°Currently in the stable.¡± Sien quickly answered as he turned toward the staircase.


    ¡°Kloe is meeting her new horse, how lovely. Before you go Master Sien. The dinner will be ready in an hour.¡± Lily said before the boy could run upstairs.


    Sien went to his room which was on the first floor. His room was simple without many decorations. Beside the bed, in the room, there was a chest, a bookcase, and a shelf. He barely spends time in there, even in the winter. By his bed, he had a window with a view into the gates of the manor. He hoped to find his present in his room but there was nothing in there. He even checked the chest if it was hidden inside it or under his bed.


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s where he left it. Father probably didn¡¯t find time to sneak a present into my room.¡± He looked outside the window and saw the building made of the leftovers from their house and stable.


    Running outside, he asked his mother where the present was since he hadn¡¯t found it in the bedroom. ¡°Mom! I can¡¯t find my present!¡±


    The mother thought for a moment, then she pointed at the building right beside the stable. ¡°Maybe you should check the workshop. You know that he likes to play with wood.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay. Thank you, Mom!¡± Said the boy as he ran to the shed.


    The workshop was small but it was able to fit all the tools that they possessed. On his right, there were shelves with tools on them. In front, there was a blackboard that covered most of the wall. The guards'' duties to be performed during the week were written on it in white chalk. Guarding the gate, raking, cutting tree branches, etc..


    To the left, there was a bookcase and a large table with small tools like hammers and knives on it. Right beside the knife, there was a chunk of wood that was slowly sculpted into something but it didn¡¯t have a defining shape. Above it, there was a map of a whole country and parts of neighboring nations.


    Sien checked the table and shelves for his possible gift. No luck in finding it. The worst thing that came to his mind was waiting for his father to give him the present. That idea didn¡¯t stop him from searching.


    Under the table, there were sticks, pieces of wood, and cloth. He searched them all and once he grabbed the cloth he felt something hard under it. Something was wrapped in it.


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    ¡°Please don¡¯t be a stick wrapped in cloth¡­ Please don¡¯t be a stick wrapped in cloth¡­¡± Sien chanted repeatedly as he grabbed the thing wrapped in cloth. When he lifted it he knew that it wasn¡¯t just a stick. It was much heavier. He slowly unwrapped the thing and saw a shining guard of a saber that would protect his fingers and hand. The blade was hidden in a sheathe that had a belt attached to it. Something fell off the cloth. It was a note ¡°Happy Birthday son¡±.


    He slowly unsheathed the saber and admired the blade that was reflecting the light and his eyes in it. The blade was slightly curved and much lighter than any sword he ever held.


    Sien tried using the saber. In his mind, he performed like the master swordsman but in reality, the sword was a little too heavy for him to lift properly. He admired a sword a little bit longer imagining how amazing he would look with it.


    ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to train if I want to use this sword properly. But how do I train my muscles?¡± Thought Sien as he tightened his grip and watched his forearm muscles move.


    Sien carried his saber in both hands like he was about to give it to someone. He went to the guards by the gates to ask them for advice as they were experienced with swords and weapons alike.


    ¡°Master Sien. What brings you here?¡± Asked Sifrid as he was the first to notice the running boy.


    ¡°I got this sword as a gift for my birthday. But it¡¯s heavy. How do I train to be able to wield it?¡± He asked as he tried to hold the blade but it fell to the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s called a saber. It¡¯s much lighter than a sword. If you want to wield the sword you need to train both your arms and legs. For example, you can just swing the sword like that many times.¡± Tomal joined the conversation and showed Sien how to train his body. He took a wide stand and swung the sword vertically up and down. A motion similar to chopping wood.


    Sien tried repeating those moves but Sifrid stopped him and turned him around away from them. ¡°Remember. While you train you don¡¯t point the sword toward anyone. You don¡¯t want to hurt us by mistake. Do you?¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± The boy quickly answered, embarrassed by his action.


    Sien swung his saber a few times but it was hard for him to balance. The guards saw his unhappy face with the results of his swings. Before he could burst out his anger Sifrid said something.


    ¡°Training doesn¡¯t bring results instantly. It takes time, but once you can wield it properly you will look back at this training with pride.¡± Explained Sifrid, puffing out his chest and striking it with his fist two times.


    ¡°Thank you very much for the advice!¡± Sien leaned his head to show gratitude toward the helping guards.


    Sien continued training for a few minutes while the guards watched him and from time to time gave him bits of advice on how he should stand. His training was stopped by a voice inside his head. ¡°The dinner will be ready in an hour.¡±


    ¡°The dinner! I have to go. Bye!¡± Sien ran to his home with a saber above his head like he was about to attack someone with it.


    ¡°Try not to hurt anyone!¡± Shouted Tomal with a slight chuckle and both of the guards waved as the boy ran.


    The table for the dinner was already prepared. Kloe was sitting by the table waiting for the food to arrive. There were only cups of warm tea ready when Sien came into the dining room.


    The room was small with a table that could fit only eight people. There was only one painting on the wall, showing the whole family with Lily and the guards.


    ¡°Look what I got, sis!¡± Said Sien with excitement to show his present to the rest of the family.


    ¡°Wow! You got a sword?!¡± Kloe stood up from the chair to take a closer look at Sien¡¯s present.


    ¡°It¡¯s a saber!¡± Sien corrected his sister with pride as he knew what the weapon was called.


    ¡°Wow! Can I try it?¡± She extended her hands toward the weapon to get hold of it.


    ¡°Sure. But it¡¯s really heavy.¡± Sien was about to hand the saber to Kloe but the mother took it before Kloe could even touch it.


    ¡°Beautiful saber you got there. But it¡¯s not a toy so don¡¯t play with it at home. And Kloe this is not befitting a lady of your status¡­ But you can try it tomorrow with Sien under guard''s supervision.¡± Lectured the mother as she took the saber away.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Both children responded to their mother''s warning with their heads low as it wasn¡¯t happening often that their mother needed to lecture them a bit more harshly.


    For dinner, the family had scrambled eggs with bread and vegetables to choose like tomatoes, lettuce, or cucumber. The kids drank compote while Lady Panma and Lily enjoyed warm tea.


    Usually, the servants eat after serving their masters and in a different room. Like in the kitchen where they cook. Lily was treated differently by the Alk family. She ate with the family by the table. She had her spot in front of Lady Panma.


    When Lily first came to work in the mansion she was hesitant to eat with the family. Saying it was not befitting for her to eat with the royal family. Lady Panma was persistent and pursued Lily to finally eat with them.


    After dinner, the children went to sleep while Lady Panma helped Lily with the dishes. Lady Panma saw Lily not as a servant but as a helper with her house responsibilities.


    The next day calmly passed. Kloe took care of her horse and spent most of the time in the stable with Lemon. Sien practiced, supervised by guards. Kloe joined them for a moment but left quickly as she was unable to lift the saber.


    The night came and Panma looked through the window. Hoping to finally see the light of a carriage with her husband coming home. She finally fell asleep with the hope of seeing him in the morning.

 First Adventure pt. 1

    The family waited for Zimowit to come back home. In the morning sounds of horses woke up Lady Panma. ¡°It must be my husband!¡± She thought, quickly putting on daily clothes and going down the stairs to greet Lord Zimowit but instead of him, someone else came unexpectedly. Two knights from the capital. Lady Panma was the first, beside the guards, to welcome the knights.


    ¡°We have an important message.¡± Said one of the knights, calming his horse as it didn¡¯t want to stand in place.


    ¡°My husband is not here yet. But I can relay the message to him if that¡¯s possible.¡± Panma assured the knights.


    ¡°The message isn¡¯t to Zimowit but to all members of his family.¡± The knight stated as he took out a letter from his bag. He unwrapped the scroll and began reading it ¡°This is a message directed to the family of Alks. As of this day, the House Of Alks is no longer a part of the Royal Houses of Saradia Kingdom and will no longer rule over the Alahia Province.¡±


    Lady Panma couldn¡¯t believe the knight¡¯s words, she went pale but she fought there must¡¯ve been a misunderstanding. She wanted to say something but the knight didn¡¯t let her as he read the rest of the letter. ¡°For stealing the artifact-taking it without any permission- and using it against our nation, Zimowit Alk is sentenced to imprisonment for the rest of his life. The family will remain with the high status of noble house but as stated in the first part of the letter, will no longer be part of the Royal Houses and lose administrative power over the province of Alahia.¡±


    Lady Panma collapsed to the ground as she listened to the letter. The guards quickly ran to her aid. Tomal went down on his knees and grabbed Lady Panma, lifting her head slightly.


    ¡°My Lady! Are you feeling okay?¡± Asked worried Tomal, trembling a bit as he held Lady Panma.


    ¡°What did you do!¡± Shouted Sifrid as he turned to face the knights, angered by the knights, his hand near a sword to answer with force.


    ¡°We only relayed the message. Here.¡± The knight handed the letter to Sifrid and rode away on their horses before any more words could be said to them.


    ¡°Tomal. Do you know how to read? I only know that there is something about our lord.¡± Asked Sifrid as he tried to read the letter.


    ¡°Something bad must have happened to him if Lady Panma fainted. Hand it over.¡± Tomal read the letter and his face paled. ¡°This can¡¯t be true¡­¡±


    Sien came out from the corner of the mansion as he heard noises in the middle of his training. Once he saw his mother on the ground he dropped his sword to the ground and ran up to her. ¡°Mom! Mom¡± He shouted as he ran.


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    ¡°What happened? Did she get hurt?¡± Asked panickly Sien, out of breath after running and being worried.


    The guards looked at each other and silently agreed. ¡°She simply fainted unexpectedly. Maybe she didn¡¯t get enough rest at night.¡± Said Tomal, his eyes away from Sien because he didn¡¯t want to lie in his face.


    The guards then carried her to the mansion to put her in bed. Sien followed them, walking close beside his mother. Before they entered the building, Kloe also ran up to them as she saw them from the stable.


    ¡°What happened?!¡± She asked, her eyes quickly moving from one person to another as she was waiting for an answer, her eyes slowly watering as she feared the worst.


    ¡°Mom¡­ Just needs some rest.¡± Resured Sien as he hugged his sister.


    The guards explained everything to Lily but hid it from the children. They went back to their guarding post, leaving everything to Lily. The kids stayed by the mother¡¯s bed the whole time. Waiting for her to wake up.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late. Please go to sleep. I¡¯ll stay by your mother¡¯s side for the night. She will probably wake up in the morning.¡± Lily reassured the worried kids so they would go to sleep.


    They kindly obeyed and went to their rooms. Sien had a hard time going to sleep since he was worried about his mother, Tomal¡¯s answer didn¡¯t sit right with him. He walked out of bed when he overheard a conversation out of his window. The guards slowly walked around the mansion talking about the earlier incident.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible that Lord Zimowit did something like that. It is not in his character.¡± Said Tomal.


    ¡°Someone must have framed him. The worst part is that only a person of high status can do something about it. Like the eldest son, Lance. But he is out in the south. In a war against the Fadim Empire. I¡¯d like to go and deliver the message for him but we need to protect the mansion and the Alks.¡± Said Sifrid clenching his spear so tightly that his glove was making a creaking noise.


    Sien realized that the reason his mother fainted was because of that news. It crushed her in an instant. Sien looked at the saber lying by the side of his bed with only one action on his mind.


    ¡°If mom feels sick because father is in prison then I need to save him. I need to get Lance back here to help us.¡± He thought as he approached the weapon.


    Sien grabbed his saber and packed some clothes into a bag. He sneaked into the kitchen to get food for the journey. It wasn¡¯t a problem to take the food unnoticed since Lily was staying by Lady Panma¡¯s side. Before taking the horse, he went to the workshop. From there he took a map of the country that he studied briefly.


    ¡°Times are hard¡­¡± A voice came out behind the door. The guards were coming. Sien quickly hid behind the barrel in the corner of the room. The guards didn¡¯t enter but he stayed hidden in case they were about to look through the window. Once he left the shed he saw guards going toward the garden which was on the other side of the mansion.


    He had a chance to take the horse and leave unnoticed. He was pulling the horse to the gate to not make much noise. Once he was outside the walls he rode away on the horse. Beginning his journey to the south of the Saradia Kingdom, to bring his brother back and help the family in a dire situation.

 First Adventure pt. 2

    Once Sien was miles away from home he recollected one thing. He didn¡¯t pack anything to sleep on. But he put that problem for later since the sun was just coming out and he had a whole day ahead of him.


    He made a stop after two hours of riding. He wasn¡¯t used to long rides on a horse and he was itching to practice a bit with his saber. He wanted to look like a hero once he met with his brother Lance.


    Sien stopped by the road in a forest, he took out his saber and swung it up and down. He did like the guards taught him but he felt like he could do more. He approached the bush in front of him and tried to cut it with his saber. Even though his slashes weren¡¯t fluent the saber itself was sharp enough to be able to cut the bush.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough of training for a moment. I need to get moving.¡± Thought Sien as he seethed his saber and got on the horse.


    He rode for two hours and rested, repeating that till sundown. The first night would be a challenge he didn¡¯t see coming. He was around three hours away from the closest town on the map. There might be a village but who knows if he finds a place to sleep in there.


    Sien thought he was just going to sleep on the grass and continue his journey in the morning but the darker it got the more scared he got of the forest. He thought that if he just went to sleep he would be greeted by the morning sun. Then he felt the cold coming, making him shiver.


    Those signs were enough to force him to do something about them. He gathered wood and sticks for the campfire but the problem was that he didn''t bring anything to start a fire.


    In the dark, he had to look around for rocks that he could use to make sparks that could make fire. The moment he stepped deeper into the forest he got scared by the unknown sounds. The boy ran back to his horse thinking that they would ride to the next town and rest there but the horse was already sleeping and not even budging when he tried to wake it up.


    He tried to sleep without the fire but the cold bothered him enough to give him some courage to go into the forest once again. He went deeper but this time with an unsheathed saber, ready for any surprises that might come his way. Even the silentest sounds made him raise his sword toward them. Just to see a hare run away from him.


    Sien used his saber to leave a mark on the trees so he could find his way back to his horse. He walked for twenty minutes until he found rocks that he could use to start the fire. On his way back he heard howls of the wolves not so far from him.


    ¡°There are wolves?!¡± Sien panicked and began running away from the sound, trying to find his way back. He tripped once against a tree root and before he could even check the markings on the trees he got scared by a louder howl ¡°They are after me!¡± That forced him to run in an unknown direction.


    Not seeing which way he was running he ended up falling into the river. The current was strong, he tried fighting with it but it was too strong for him to overcome. Unable to get close to the shore he focused on holding his saber as it nearly got taken by a current.


    ¡°My adventure can¡¯t end here¡­¡± He thought before fainting.


    ***


    Sien slightly opened his eyes as he coughed out water out of his throat, he felt weak and barely heard. Someone moved his head but the person in front of him was just a blur and whatever the person said he didn¡¯t hear it. He was too weak to keep his eyes open so he closed them.


    The sound of crowing roosters and sunrays woke him up. Once he opened his eyes he saw a roof made out of straw. He was lying in the bed under a grey blanket. He only had underwear on him. The boy panickly looked around trying to grasp the situation he was in. He calmed down a bit once he saw his saber and the bag by the bed.


    The room was made out of wood with wooden furniture. They are simple, with no decoratives. It was clearly the house of someone from a lower class. He checked the bag to see if his possessions were in it. Everything was in there but not everything was in a good state. Like food or the map that was destroyed by the water. The only things left were his clothes and some coins.


    Sien quietly took his things and searched for a way out. The building was small. Beside the bedroom, there was only one more room which was a kitchen with a wooden table that had only three chairs, a small furnace for cooking with wood placed inside ready to be burnt. Outside the window, he saw his clothes hanging on a wooden contraption. The doors were opened and through them, he saw that the house was placed on a small hill away from the village which was visible a mile away from there.


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    He stepped out of the house to check if they were dry. ¡°Awake and well, I see.¡± The man was sitting on a bench right beside the doors to the house. He was in his forties with short red hair and a beard. The man wore linen clothes like most of the peasants were.


    Sien jumped in place as he was surprised by the man. ¡°Umm¡­ Yes. Are you the one who saved me?¡± Asked Sien covering himself with a bag and a sword as he was only in his underwear.


    ¡°Found you down there by the river at night while grabbing a bucket of water.¡± The man pointed his finger at the river under the hill. ¡°How did you end up there, kid?¡± The man stood up and got closer to the boy.


    ¡°Umm. I was looking for a way back in the forest¡­ I heard the wolves and got scared. I didn¡¯t notice the river on my path and fell into it.¡± Said Sien with an embarrassment in his voice.


    ¡°From which part?¡± Asked the man getting even closer to Sien to intimidate him a bit.


    ¡°Can I first put on some clothes?¡± The boy said as he stood uncomfortably with only underwear on him.


    Once he put the clothes on, they sat on the bench and observed the lively village. At first, it was silent but the man was first to say something.


    ¡°So. Where are you from.¡± He asked his elbows placed on his legs.


    ¡°I¡¯m from the far North. Currently going to the south.¡± Answered Sien while playing with his fingers.


    ¡°How far south?¡± The man asked, trying to get more information out of the young boy.


    ¡°Well¡­ To the border with the Fadim Empire.¡± Sien stopped playing with his fingers and clenched his hands together.


    ¡°Were you separated from your parents?¡± Asked the man as he straightened his back and laid against the wall.


    ¡°No. I am on a lone journey.¡± The boy said proudly, viewing himself as an independent and strong man.


    ¡°Child like you? On a long journey alone? Why would you even dare to do that? The world is vast and dangerous.¡± Those words made Sien feel embarrassed of his earlier thoughts.


    ¡°My family is in a dire situation. I need to inform my brother but he is at war with our neighbor. So I¡¯m going there to get him and sort things out cuz no one else can¡­ except for him.¡±


    ¡°Are you a nobleman?¡± The man asked as he looked at Sien¡¯s clothes.


    ¡°Well¡­ yes. But my parents told me that my status only comes with responsibilities for those below me and we should treat them like we would anyone else.¡± The boy explained trying to avoid different treatment from the peasant man.


    ¡°You have¡­ interesting parents.¡± Said the man with a slight smile on his face.


    ¡°Thank you¡­ Can you tell me where I am? My map was destroyed by water and I don¡¯t recognize most of the land¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re in Dalir village. The closest town is Mirma. Around five hours on foot.¡± The man said as he pointed toward the west.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Said Sien with disappointment. ¡°I am further away than I was a day ago¡­ And I lost my horse in the forest¡­¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re not going back home?¡± The man asked as he watched Sien trying to hold back his tears.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go back empty-handed. Not now. Can you point me in the direction of the closest town to the south? I¡¯ll buy a map there and the rest of the things I need.¡± Sien said with his lips trembling as he tried to hold his tears, feeling disappointed in himself.


    ¡°Sure. If you wait a day longer I can accompany you to that town.¡± The man said this while scratching his beard.


    ¡°Do you really mean it?¡± Sien¡¯s eyes widened as he imagined a journey with a comrade. Even though he didn¡¯t know that man he didn¡¯t feel in danger around him. There was some kind of aura around him that made Sien feel safe.


    ¡°Yeah. At least that gives me a reason to visit someone from there.¡± The man said with a nostalgic smile.


    ¡°Okay! Then I¡¯ll wait a day¡­ Ummm¡­ Could I sleep in your house?¡± Asked Sien, scratching the back of his head as he felt a bit bad for asking for such a favor.


    ¡°Will you pay me?¡± The man asked curiously as he raised one brow and looked at Sien from the side.


    ¡°Umm¡­ Will that be enough?¡± Sien asked as he took a handful of coins.


    The man reached for the coins but he ended up taking only one of them. ¡°That should be enough for the night at my house and escorting you to the town.¡± He said as he put the coin in his pocket.


    ¡°My name is Sien. And what should I call you?¡± Sien gave a hand to the man.


    ¡°Samuel. But you can call me Sam.¡± The man shook hands with Sien.

 First Adventure pt. 3

    Sam told Sien to stay near his house while he went to the village to get something for the journey ahead. In the meantime Sien trained with a saber, slowly getting a grasp of how he should swing the saber. His cuts becoming faster and more precise.


    ¡°Trying to become a knight?¡± Asked Samuel with a bag full of food for the journey, surprising Sien with his sudden appearance.


    ¡°Not really. Just to be strong!¡± Sien explained as he continued swinging the saber around.


    ¡°Just to be strong? With that set of mind, you won¡¯t get far. It¡¯s not enough. You need some kind of goal that will push you past your limits. Something that will make you want to train just by thinking about it. Why do you need that strength?¡± Sam asked as he placed a finger close to Sien¡¯s heart.


    ¡°You mean a goal will help me with training.¡± Sien, confused, put his saber down.


    The man kneeled in front of him with an open hand, trying to make Sien give the saber. Once he did the man took a stand and swung the saber with a fluent movement that was backed up by years of experience. One cut after another he moved forward.


    ¡°At first I didn¡¯t have a goal and I was weak because of that. One man showed me why I need a goal and after finding one I grew stronger day by day. Because I had a reason to get stronger.¡± Sam slowly finished swinging the saber and gave it back to Sien.


    ¡°What was your goal?¡± The boy asked as he grasped the saber, looking up at the mysterious man.


    ¡°My goal was simple. Get strong to defend the village.¡± Sam looked toward the village, his only home.


    ¡°Defend from who?¡± Asked Sien, slightly tilting his head to the side as he didn¡¯t know any dangers this far north.


    ¡°Bandits, wild beasts, and monsters. Like I said. Our world is vast and dangerous.¡± Said Sam emphasizing the last part of his sentence.


    ¡°You fight bandits? Wild beasts? And monsters?! Please tell me! Tell me more!¡± Sien began jumping around Sam, craving for the stories.


    The night passed by with Samuel talking about the things he fought against to defend the village. From a small group of bandits to silver wolves. He didn¡¯t fight any real monsters yet but if they dared to attack the village he would stand strong against them.


    Sien listened to all his stories with interest and admiration. Before going to sleep he was thinking what his goal could be. What will be the force to push him past his limits?


    Sam was first to wake up and wait for Sien to wake up. The boy slept long since he had a peaceful place to sleep compared to the previous eventful night. In the morning Sien was surprised by Sam¡¯s sudden change of clothing. Over his linen clothes, he wore a green coat with brown contours and a belt with a sword. The sword was cracked in a few places, showing that it was used many times.


    ¡°Is that your sword?¡± Sien curiously asked as he observed the sword with a slightly open mouth.


    ¡°Yes. The one I used for fifteen years.¡± Sam checked his sword with a smile as the memories from the past flooded his mind.


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± Said Sien, his eyes glittering at the sight of the veteran¡¯s sword.


    ¡°It is but it can break at any time. If I had more money I would get myself a new one.¡± Stated Sam as he took a look at the chipped places.


    ¡°What a shame¡­¡± Sien let out a sigh, knowing that the sword could break at any time.


    ¡°It is but all that matters are the memories in here.¡± Sam taped his finger on his forehead. ¡°Time to go. And since you slept longer than I expected you¡¯ll eat on the way. It will take us around three days to reach the town of Malberg.¡±


    ***


    The second attempt to the journey down south began and this time Sien had a companion who had experience in that area. The man gladly told Sien all his stories since he didn¡¯t think much of them but with the boy¡¯s excitement, he began telling them more expressively, enjoying them as well as the boy did.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect my stories to be this interesting.¡± Stated Sam, a bit surprised by the boy¡¯s excitement.


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    ¡°But they are!¡± The boy ensured Sam with determination.


    ¡°What is amazing are the stories of my master.¡± He answered with a nostalgic scent in his voice.


    ¡°Your master?¡± In the earlier stories, Sam didn¡¯t mention anyone like that even once so when he said that he had a master, Sien had to ask more about him.


    ¡°He was a proper knight. Someone of a high ranking. But I don¡¯t know the positions in the army. He was someone almost at the top, that I¡¯m sure of. He once came to aid our village. He saw me struggling against the bandits that played with me but I didn¡¯t stop. Because of my bravery, he decided to teach me how to use a sword and he even gave this one to me.¡± Sam said as he patted his sword.


    ¡°Having a master must be really good.¡± Said Sien giving an eye to Sam.


    ¡°It is¡­¡± Sam answered, closing his eyes, remembering the good old times.


    ¡°Can you teach me something? Please. Please. Please!¡± Sien pleaded as he walked in front of Sam, his hands clenched together, begging the man in front of him.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be your master. But I can show you a thing or two.¡± Answered Sam with a warm smile that grew larger as he saw the boy¡¯s excitement.


    After hours of walking, they made their first stop by the river. They ate some bread from their rations and began their training. Sam was resting while Sien swung his saber. Sam was giving him hints of how he should stand and swing his body. Just the basics that Sien really needed.


    After resting they continued walking toward the town of Malberg. Sam greeted everyone they passed and wished them a pleasant journey and they answered with the same words. At first, Sien didn¡¯t understand why Sam was doing it but he did it like his companion. Greeted everyone on their way.


    Sam made another stop to help an old man. The apples fell off his cart and he was picking all of them by himself. The old man had problems with his back and Sam insisted that he should wait and he¡¯ll get all the apples for him.


    ¡°Mind lending me a hand?¡± Sam asked as he picked up the apples but there was no reply. Once he turned around he saw Sien looking at the sky. ¡°Sien. Hey Sien.¡±


    ¡°Eh. What?¡± Sien snapped back to reality and saw Sam suggesting with his head to help him with picking up the fruits.


    Sien joined him and they were able to finish the task within a few minutes. Sam had a smile every time he saw Sien picking up the fruits. No one would say that he is a nobleman while looking at him now. At least not like most of them. Selfish and arrogant. The boy was raised well and the journey with Sam made him even more understanding of others.


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The old man thanked them by giving them a few apples.


    They both ate them as they continued walking. Sweet and fresh fruits from the apple orchard. Sam was looking around more often which Sien noticed after a while.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± A concerned boy asked.


    ¡°Get closer to me.¡± Commanded Samuel as he drew out his sword.


    One man stood on their path. He wore a cloak to cover his face and he held a knife in his hand. His intentions were clear. He was a bandit trying to rob them.


    ¡°Leave all the coins you have and I¡¯ll let you pass.¡± Said the bandit.


    ¡°And if we won¡¯t?¡± Asked Sam.


    With a snap of a finger, three more men came out of the bushes. All of them held knives and hoods covering their faces. They surrounded Sien and Sam, slowly approaching them.


    ¡°Get ready to run.¡± Whispered Sam.


    He slowly sheathed his sword. The bandits lowered their guards for a moment. That¡¯s when Sam threw an apple at the bandit in front of them. At the same time, he grabbed Sien¡¯s hand and ran past the bandit with him.


    The bandit whipped the apple off his face and shouted ¡°After them!¡±


    Sam turned around for a moment and saw that only one of them was a fast runner, the rest of them were far behind. He pushed Sien behind the tree and drew his sword once again.


    ¡°I can take them out one by one.¡± He reassured the boy as he saw fear and anxiety on his face.


    The bandit swung a knife at Sam, which was easily avoided by a simple step back. Before he could try striking again, Sam slashed the bandit''s arm giving him a deep wound and making him drop the knife. The bandit fell to his knees and grabbed his injured arm.


    The other two ran up to them and both attacked Sam at the same time. He was able to avoid their blades by stepping from side to side as if he were dancing with them. He was forced to block one attack and that gave the second bandit an opportunity. The knife was about to go into Sam¡¯s ribs but suddenly an apple hit the man¡¯s head and made him miss. Sam kicked the bandit away and swung his sword at the one who missed the attack, leaving a long wound on his back. Two of them were lying on the ground, growling in pain. Sam pointed his sword at the man he kicked and saw the last one standing hesitate.


    ¡°Mercy.¡± The one on the ground begged.


    ¡°Give me your knives and I¡¯ll leave you be.¡± Sam said with a cold voice, saying that it¡¯s the only option those bandits can choose.


    They left the knives behind and went back into the forest. Sam picked up all the knives and put them in his bag. He gave a sign to Sien that he could come out from hiding by waving his hand back and forth.


    ¡°Nice assist.¡± Said Sam, recalling the apple that hit the bandit in the head and saved him from a fatal injury.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I could help.¡± Sien answered with a smile as the man approved his action.

 Family Defamation pt. 1

    The journey to the town of Malberg was almost at the end as they were reaching their destination. Sien didn¡¯t learn any moves or techniques from Sam but he learned the basics of survival in the wilderness. How to start a fire or find food in the forest.


    He also listened to Sam''s tons of stories. Just from those stories, he understood how to be kind and that being helpful can bring a smile to his own face, even if there is nothing to gain from it. He got used to the accent that common folk use. Because of his clothing and the saber people would think that he is from the middle class rather than a noble or royalty.


    Once they left the forest they saw a small town hidden behind the walls. Sien jumped with excitement as they were about to reach their destination. Sam began to worry once he saw a long line of carriages standing in front of the gates. He didn¡¯t say anything to Sien to not bring his mood down.


    Luckily it wasn¡¯t a problem for them since the only people that were being stopped were merchants. All of them were wearing furs, suggesting that they were from the north.


    ¡°Excuse me. What¡¯s all the commotion about?¡± Sam asked the guard by the gates.


    ¡°All the merchants are moving from the north and they are cramping up in our town. We¡¯re limiting the entry for them since there isn¡¯t much space.¡± The guard explained as he watched one of the merchants being searched.


    ¡°Do you know the reason?¡± Asked Sam as he stood beside him and watched the same merchant making a commotion over his supplies.


    ¡°Few of them said that soon they won¡¯t profit from a fallen province. Must be connected to that incident with the royal family.¡± Whispered the guard as he leaned his head closer to Sam¡¯s ear.


    ¡°What kind of incident? The news hasn¡¯t reached my village yet.¡± Asked, a bit surprised Sam as he turned to the man with one brow raised.


    ¡°You know how there are five royal houses? Well. Now it is only four because-¡± Before the guard could explain Sien grabbed Sam and dragged him away.


    ¡°Hey! What are you doing?! Sien!¡± Sam, confused, slowly raised his voice.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time.¡± Quickly said Sien to not show any of his emotions.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Asked Sam getting even more confused by the boy¡¯s answer.


    ¡°We just don¡¯t have time¡­¡± Sien said but his voice cut off because he didn¡¯t have any explanation for the rush. Sam saw his sad face and didn¡¯t bother to question him for the moment.


    Sam decided to just follow Sien ¡°So where are we going first?¡±


    Sien stopped and let go of Sam¡¯s arm. ¡°Do you have some time before meeting with your friend?¡± He asked awkwardly.


    ¡°I have some time to spare.¡± Sam answered after looking at the position of the sun in the sky which was almost touching the walls of the town.


    First, they went to buy a bedroll for Sien so he wouldn¡¯t sleep on the ground on his journey. The whole time Sien rushed to buy the items so they didn¡¯t stay for long in the shop. Even though Sam was interested in buying a new pot. Sien heard whispers about his father and his family in every corner of the town. Even while buying the map, before leaving the shopkeeper noticed the symbol on his back and whispered ¡°House Alk¡± which Sam overheard.


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    ¡°Do you have any more places to check?¡± Asked Sam as he looked around for an interesting shop.


    ¡°That''s all for today. I don¡¯t think I can afford a horse for the journey so I¡¯ll have to stick to my two legs.¡± Sien tapped his legs to show that he could handle the long path ahead.


    ¡°You know you can try to catch a ride with merchants or even farmers.¡± Said Sam as they passed a few carriages.


    ¡°That didn¡¯t cross my mind!¡± Shouted Sien as he acknowledged the brilliant idea that Sam suggested.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got much to learn. But the journey ahead will teach you everything you need.¡± Said Sam with an almost melancholic ring to it.


    ¡°So where does your friend live? I can walk you there and go my separate way after.¡± Said Sien, a bit of a sad tone in his voice as he knew the time to go their separate ways was slowly coming.


    ¡°I think you might wanna come.¡± Said Sam as he led the way.


    ¡°Why?¡± The boy asked.


    ¡°Just a hunch but I think you¡¯ll find a common ground with him.¡± Answered Sam without looking at Sien as he walked forward.


    The tenement house was located by the wall near the watchtower. It wasn¡¯t a main road and there were no shops around. The only people walking around were the people who lived there. They knocked on the first doors on the ground floor. After a while, the doors opened.


    ¡°Samuel?¡± The old man without one leg, leaning on a cane said with wide eyes as he saw Sam right in front of him, surprised to see him.


    ¡°It¡¯s me. Master.¡± Sam raised one hand and smiled at the old man.


    The old man welcomed them and sat them by the table while he prepared the tea. Sam wanted to do that for him but the man refused by saying ¡°I¡¯m capable of doing this on my own. Missing leg won¡¯t stop me.¡±


    The apartment was quite spacious and well-kept. No one would suspect that a crippled man was living here. The walls were covered by many medals and two paintings. One with the knights on the horses, enjoying their ride, and the second painting was a portrait of the old man when he was younger in his armor and blue cape.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never expected you to come here to visit me. You don¡¯t care about the village anymore?¡± Asked the old man as he placed a cup of tea in front of Sam.


    ¡°I still care. No one dared to do anything to the village and there were no signs of beasts so I left with peace of mind. I met a boy who¡¯s on a journey down south so I thought I¡¯d tag along to the town.¡± Sam explained as he sniffed the expensive tea that the man gave him, imagining the fancy taste of the liquid in the cup.


    ¡°I presume you must be that boy?¡± Asked the master as he placed another cup on the table, by Sien.


    ¡°Yes. That would be me. Pleasure meeting you sir.¡± Said Sien, nodding his head toward the old man.


    ¡°Your face looks¡­ familiar.¡± Said the man as he leaned closer to Sien, a bit too close but his sight was not the best.


    ¡°It does?¡± Asked confused Sien as he moved his head away.


    ¡°What is your name, boy?¡± The old man asked as he sat down by the table.


    ¡°My name is Sien¡­¡± The boy answered awkwardly.


    ¡°What¡¯s your full name?¡± The man¡¯s eyes inspected Sien closely.


    ¡°Well¡­ Umm¡­¡± Sien tried to think of a way to avoid the question but was unable to find any.


    ¡°Judging by your clothes you must be a nobleman. The saber¡­ You¡¯re of the royal house¡­ those colors¡­ And the mark on your face.¡± The old man pointed out obvious things connecting Sien to his family.


    ¡°No point in hiding it¡­ My full name is Sien Alk¡­¡± Sien answered with his head down, expecting questions or insults toward his family.

 Family Defamation pt. 2

    As Sien said, the old man suddenly stood up like someone barged into the room and he was about to grab his sword but then he fell to his knees and held his head low. Samuel only calmly smiled at the sight, while Sien was still scared after the sudden movement of an old man.


    ¡°My apologies that I didn¡¯t greet the member of the royal family with proper respect.¡± The old man said with his face close to the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯m no longer a member of the royal family¡­ Haven¡¯t you heard-¡± Sien grabbed his shoulder and uncomfortably answered.


    ¡°For me, house Alk is and will be the royal family as long as I live.¡± The man interrupted Sien and proudly announced.


    ¡°But¡­ Why? My father is a thief¡­¡± Asked confused boy, not understanding the man¡¯s reasons.


    ¡°Do you truly believe that? Because I don¡¯t.¡± The man finally looked at Sien to see his expression while his eyes were full of certainty.


    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t. But why don¡¯t you believe the official announcement?¡± Sien asked, uncertain.


    ¡°Boy. You looked all around my apartment and haven¡¯t noticed one thing above the door?¡± The old man slowly said, waiting for Sien to see the thing he mentioned.


    ¡°That is¡­ Our emblem¡­¡± Sien whispered as he saw a blue emblem with a deer on it above the door.


    ¡°I once served your father in the war. I know what kind of man he is. The war shows the true face and I saw a kind man thinking first about his own man. That certainly wasn¡¯t the face of a thief.¡± The old man explained as Sam helped him stand up.


    ¡°Wait. Sam, did you know about my identity?¡± Asked surprisingly Sien, his eyes a bit watery after seeing devotion of that man to his father.


    ¡°Only when we left the shop. The shopkeeper whispered your house name. I¡¯m from a village and I don¡¯t know much about ruling families and politics.¡± Answered Sam with a light chuckle.


    ¡°What are you doing here, Sien? So far from the north?¡± The old man asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going south for my brother. Only he can help my father.¡± Sien explained with a serious face.


    ¡°For your brother? Young Lance?¡± The old man asked, curious about Sien¡¯s goals.


    ¡°Yes! Do you know him too?¡± Energetically asked Sien, happy to see a man that knows his family.


    ¡°I saw him once when he was four years old. And recently heard a few things about him before I lost my leg.¡± The old man tapped the place where his leg once was. ¡°So you¡¯re going down south to the border¡­¡±


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    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the only way.¡± Answered Sien with lowered tone, sad and calm but certain.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to accompany you, my Lord. But this crippled old man won¡¯t be of much use.¡± The man said as he looked at Sam with dead eyes awaiting his response.


    ¡°Agh¡­ I had a hunch it¡¯ll come to that¡­¡± Sam growled as he scratched his head.


    ¡°Samuel. Would you escort the boy to the south?¡± The old man asked but it almost sounded like a command.


    ¡°Looks like the only way to repay you¡­ But I want you to ask knights to cross by the Dalir from time to time.¡± Sam requested kindly as he was worried about his home.


    ¡°I can do that. You won¡¯t have to worry about the village while you¡¯re away. Thank you for accepting my request.¡± The old man slightly tilted his head to show gratitude to Sam.


    ¡°No problem. You heard that kid. I¡¯m escorting you to the south. Looks like you¡¯ll have your own master for the journey.¡± Proudly announced Samuel with a smirk on his face and thumb pointed at himself.


    ¡°You would really help me? Thank you very much!¡± The boy said with his head down to show appreciation for the kindness they showed him.


    They ended up staying for the night to continue the trip in the morning. Sien listened to stories of an old man and his connection to his father. He explained that the painting with the knights depicted him and Lord Zimowit. They were the ones talking and reading close to each other.


    ¡°While I¡¯m not proud of that suggestion I recommend that you should wear this to cover the family symbol and something to cover your marks. Not many people trust your family after the announcement. This should help you stay out of sight.¡± The old man gave Sien a coat to cover his coat¡¯s back where the emblem of the family is.


    ¡°Thank you very much. I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯m asking too late but could you tell me your name? I didn¡¯t catch it while we were talking.¡± Asked Sien as he held open doors.


    ¡°My name is Oswald Saned. Once you rescue your father, try to visit me with him.¡± The old man waved with a smile as he said that.


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that Sir Saned.¡± Those words suprised Oswald but brought even larger smile to the old man¡¯s face.


    ¡°See you in a few months, master.¡± Said Sam before they left closing the doors as they left.


    Before leaving the town Sien bought makeup to cover his mark. The lady selling them was surprised that a young boy was interested in buying them and explained step by step how he should put the makeup on.


    ¡°Sam. I know my main goal is to reach my brother but I¡¯d like to accomplish something along the way. I want to make the name Alk a good name throughout the whole country.¡± Explained Sien, looking at his saber and remembering the kindness his family showed to the people around them.


    ¡°Master.¡± Stated Sam.


    ¡°What?¡± Asked Sien, confused by what Sam meant.


    ¡°As of today, call me Master. It does have a good ring to it. Master Samuel.¡± Said Sam with a smirk on his face thinking of the times when people would admire him after hearing him being called a master.


    ¡°Master. Will you help me with making Alk a good name that everyone would trust?¡± Asked Sien, smiling as he said the title to Sam.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll help you. After all, I am your master.¡± Sam assured the boy that he would remain by his side.

 Hero鈥檚 Artifact pt. 1

    Sien and his master ended up in an unusual situation. Both were being chased by huge boars that wouldn¡¯t let them be. They were most likely angered by the spicy scent of the food they were preparing. Sien was slowly losing strength after running nonstop. Sam noticed that Sien was struggling and the boars weren¡¯t stopping their chase.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you use magic?!¡± Sam desperately asked not knowing what to do, turning around every second to check how close the boars were.


    ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± Loudly answered Sien.


    ¡°I thought you royals can do magic-¡± Sam shouted but his voice became distant as he fell into a hole in the ground. Sien didn¡¯t notice his master falling and ran into the same gap.


    The boars stopped and only took one glance down, seeing how far it was to the bottom they backed away and stopped their chase.


    The fall was short but hard. Sam hit the cold stone with his back and wiggled with pain to the sides as if his back was on fire. He heard a scream coming his way but he didn¡¯t look up. More pain was brought to him as Sien softened his landing by falling on Sam.


    ¡°We escaped them.¡± Sien said as he looked up, but he didn¡¯t see the boars through the hole.


    ¡°Great¡­ Can you get off me?¡± Sam grunted as the pain was surging through his whole body.


    They looked up to see the hole they fell through. There was a single gap in the ceiling of the cave with no way of reaching it as the cave was in the shape of a sphere and the hole was so high that they weren¡¯t able to reach it.


    ¡°Well¡­ Let¡¯s hope there is another way out¡­¡± Said Sam trying to find some source of light or another path that could lead them out of the cave.


    Sien felt a soft wind brushing his face. ¡°There is a crack in the wall we can fit through.¡± Sien found a crack that he would easily go through. ¡°There is light on the other side!¡± Added Sien as he took a look into the crack in the wall.


    ¡°How convenient it would be to be small as a kid right now¡­¡± The crack was twice as small as Sam. He had to squeeze through the gap by crouching, he cursed under his nose as they walked through it.


    On the other side, they didn¡¯t find a light coming out of the cave but there were flowers that gave a dim blue light and showed the path ahead. Not having any other options they followed the path.


    The cave was cold and humid, a condition that only moss could grow in, except for the mysterious blue flower that both of them had never seen. Sien tried taking one but once he snapped the stalk the light disappeared. Only the sweet smell remains.


    The path was blocked by a square double door made of stone and illustrations engraved on the walls. Sien wanted to open the doors but Sam stopped him.


    ¡°Hey! You know what you¡¯re doing?¡± Sam asked with his hand forward to stop Sien, he was visibly stressed.


    ¡°Opening the doors?¡± Answered uncertainly Sien, not understanding why Sam was worried about the doors.


    ¡°Boy. Do you know where those doors lead to?¡± Asked Sam as he kneeled down to be at Sien¡¯s eye level, taking Sien¡¯s hand away from the door.


    ¡°To the exit?¡± Said Sien, not sure about his answer as Sam''s face changed after he said that, he was serious.


    ¡°No¡­ Those are the doors to a dungeon.¡± Answered Sam, both of them looked at the doors thinking of what might be behind them. Sam imagined the worst possibilities why Sien saw adventure behind them.


    ¡°What¡¯s a dungeon?¡± Asked Sien, curiously watching the doors.


    ¡°Umm... You don¡¯t know what a dungeon is? I thought they would tell the stories about them to kids¡­ A dungeon is a dangerous place. This one doesn¡¯t have a mark on it from the army or the adventurers. So it wasn¡¯t explored yet or¡­ No one left this place alive! So we are not going in there.¡± Sam explained as he was about to leave this place through the crack and find another way out but Sien ignored his warning and opened the doors.


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    ¡°Adventure!¡± The boy shouted as he ran through the doors.


    ¡°No¡­ You did not¡­¡± Sam couldn¡¯t believe that Sien opened them after he warned him. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that I have a good heart¡­¡± Whispered Sam as he slowly walked to Sien, disappointed in his action.


    ¡°If it¡¯s a dangerous place, what can we expect here?¡± Asked Sien as they walked forward through the tunnel, looking around the walls that were still looking like a rough stone of the cavern.


    ¡°Everything. From traps to monsters that lay down in here. The only good thing is that dungeons hold treasures in them. It¡¯s the only thing keeping me going through it right now¡­¡± Answered Sam, breathing heavily but steadily.


    ¡°A treasure?! We could use some coins for the travel!¡± Said Sien as he showed how much space he had in his pouch.


    ¡°We could use our lives to the fullest¡­¡± Sam could only imagine him dying in a place like this.


    ¡°It is living to the fullest!¡± Sien ran forward to the next room.


    The room was small and almost empty. It had three chests. One of them was open and held coins and the other two were closed. Sien approached the chest and took the coins from it.


    ¡°Hey! What are you doing?! It might be a trap!¡± Sam shouted as he looked around in fear, looking for some kind of trap that Sien might have activated. Then he saw a text on the wall ¡°Humans are greedy but heroes think of others.¡±


    Once Sien took all the coins from one chest. He counted them and left a hand of them back in the chest as they didn¡¯t fit in his small pouch. He ran up to Sam to show the coins.


    ¡°We have enough money for the journey!¡± Gladly announced Sien as he lifted the pouch and showed it to Sam.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to open the other chests?¡± Asked Sam as he pointed his finger at the remaining chests.


    ¡°Why? There are three and we have enough coins. We can leave something for others who might come here. Like the adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ but if there is no trap why don¡¯t we-¡± Sam wanted to take more but the hidden passage opened as they passed the test. ¡°Looks like we passed the test.¡±


    ¡°What test?¡± Asked Sien, not understanding how the dungeons work, he was able to pass the first test.


    ¡°There are many different types of dungeons. We got lucky because it''s a testing dungeon. That means we are tested if we are worthy. There are also battle dungeons which are pure battles with monsters and the unknown.¡± Explained Sam as they walked along another path with glowing blue flowers.


    ¡°Cool! So what are they testing us for?¡± Asked Sien as he hid the pouch in his bag.


    ¡°Good question¡­ Maybe the answer was on the gates but we didn¡¯t have time to check them.¡± Said Sam as he gave a sarcastic look toward Sien.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t want to check them in the first place. You wanted to try another way out. I think that is the only way out.¡± Answered Sien as he moved forward without looking at Sam.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that because you want to explore the dungeon¡­¡± Sam let out a sigh and followed the boy.


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Sien said playfully as he ran to the next door. This time he read the sentence above it.


    ¡°Helping others can drag you to the death.¡± The doors opened as Sam finished reading the text. ¡°I don¡¯t like that. There is death in there. And I don¡¯t agree with this¡­¡± Sam looked back thinking of leaving this place but on the other hand the text mocked his values. ¡°Helping others doesn¡¯t bring death. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    This time Sam was the one leading. The room was spacious with metal cages that could fit a whole person. There were five of them in total and one of them had a skeleton inside.


    They first approached the cage with a skeleton inside. He had the clothing of a peasant and nothing with him. The others, on closer inspection, had only a single bone inside. Like a single rib or a finger.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± Said Sien as he scratched his head, confused with a puzzle left for them without much information to solve the puzzle.


    ¡°Check the skeleton once more, maybe we missed something¡­¡± Said Sam as he kneeled in front of the cage and looked at the bones, hoping for an idea to pop in his head.


    Before even checking the corpse Sien noticed a sign on the floor. Each cage had a small sign under the cage door. The one with a skeleton had written death on it. The other three had death too and the last one that was empty had life.


    While they tried to figure it out some kind of gas slowly spread around the room. They watched as the gas spread around the ground and slowly filled the room.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Asked Sien as he kicked the cloud of gas near his feat.


    In a panic, Sam entered the cage with a ¡°Life¡± sign and the cage doors closed as he fell an inch down. He noticed that there were pressure plates inside the cages. Once he raised his legs the cage opened. His eyes moved from Sien and the gas back and forth. He could already smell the unpleasant smell of a gas like rotten meat.


    ¡°Maybe they are right. Helping others will bring me to death.¡± Sam pushed Sien inside the cage ¡°Save your family, Sien.¡± and quickly entered the cage with a death sign. Once Sam entered the cage all the doors closed and a hole opened under Sien¡¯s cage. The cage fell with Sien inside it.


    Sien screamed Sam¡¯s name as he fell down and his screams echoed through the tunnel. The falling slowed down as he was reaching the bottom of the hole. His landing was gentle which surprised him. Once the cage hit the ground the door opened but he remained inside.

 Hero鈥檚 Artifact pt. 2

    ¡°Master¡­ Sam died¡­ because of me¡­ I killed him! If only I listened to him! We could just leave the cave a different way¡­ but my curiosity¡­ I killed my master¡­¡± Sien sobbed as he fell to his knees, all his strength leaving his body.


    The text on the wall in front of him shined in a red light. This time the text wasn¡¯t part of a puzzle but a note for the ones who fell down here, the text for the survivors, the ones who were supposed to live.


    ¡°Heroes don¡¯t die in vain. The saved carry their wishes and values so they would never be forgotten.¡±


    As Sien read that Sam¡¯s voice rang through his head. ¡°Save your family, Sien.¡±


    Sien gathered the strength to stand up and finish the dungeon. He walked slowly but his eyes were focused on the path ahead. This time he didn¡¯t whisper that he killed Sam, he whispered that his death wouldn¡¯t be in vain.


    The double doors were four times the size of Sien, who was as tall as any thirteen-year-old boy. One side of the door was made of white colored wood with an engraved mighty knight on it. The other side was made of dark wood with a dark mage engraved on it. They were showing the battle between the hero and the evil. Another text shined above the entrance lit with blue light.


    ¡°It''s time for a new hero to arise. Shall we see if he is up to the task?¡±


    Behind the doors was a long room with a throne at the end of it. There were countless skeletons scattered throughout the room. Some had armor on them while some had robes of mages. The skeleton on the throne was different. He didn¡¯t have any clothes, only a silver crown on his head.


    The moment Sien stepped into the room the door closed and all the torches suddenly lit on fire, lighting the whole room. The skeleton on the throne moved its hand, picked up the sword, and stood up. The skeleton with a crown smashed the first skeleton on the ground with its sword. Accompanied by the sound of crushing bones were silent screams as if the bodies were still alive and their souls somewhere distant but still able to feel the pain.


    ¡°Why¡­ Do I hear screams?¡± Sien asked himself confused by the task given by the dungeon.


    Another skeleton was getting smashed into bits as new screams echoed through the room. The smashed skeleton rebuilt itself and was still screaming. Silently but the screams were present. The third skeleton had clothes that Sien seemed to remember. This skeleton had the loudest screams and he knew that voice.


    ¡°Sam? The souls didn¡¯t leave the body¡­ and this one is tormenting them?!¡± Sien concluded.


    The boy raised his saber to fight the skeleton but a bone flew past his face, making a scratch on his cheek. The skeleton with a crown threw the bone as a warning to the boy. Sien lowered his saber at the sight, losing his strength because of the fear, a doubt appeared on his face.


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    ¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t stand a chance¡­ Against this monster¡­¡± His voice trembled with the body.


    The doors that were once closed, opened again, giving Sien a way to escape this mischievous place. Tempted by the way out of this test, Sien crawled toward the exit. But he hesitated once he heard more screams behind him. He gently touched his saber, thinking about the current situation.


    ¡°Am I strong enough to face this creature? Strong enough to defeat it? No¡­ Being strong doesn¡¯t mean anything right now. They need help and I¡¯m the only one who can help them right now!¡± He gripped the saber¡¯s handle tightly and turned around to face the skeleton.


    ¡°You wanted to test if I¡¯m fit to be a hero? I¡¯ll show you just who I AM!¡± Sien shouted as he ran at the skeleton with a sword that was smashing bones into bits accompanied by silent screams.


    With a sloppy swing, he reflected the skeleton¡¯s sword away from the screaming soul of the dead. The skeleton¡¯s arm froze in place and its head turned toward Sien with one swift turn. Sien, scared, took a step back. The skeleton then looked back at the dead under his feet to continue the torture.


    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m not letting you torment them any longer!¡± Sien shouted as he swung his saber at the skeleton.


    Skeleton understood Sien¡¯s intention of stopping his task. He regarded him as an intruder he had to get rid of. The skeleton began attacking Sien, widely swinging his sword to attack. Sien was able to block each attack in time but after each attack, his hands were blown away. If not for the hand guard his saber might have flown off his hand.


    He was slowly forced back, against the wall with no escape. This time he didn¡¯t parry the attack but ducked down and kicked the skeleton¡¯s foot in the hope that it would fall apart. His leg couldn¡¯t move, couldn¡¯t push the skeleton away. As if he hit a wall. The skeleton took notice of the boy¡¯s attempt and kicked him away.


    Sien got all the air knocked out of him with that one hit. Flying across the room he fell to the ground and slid toward the wall. He coughed, trying to grasp every bit of air back. His mind was clouded in confusion. He snapped back once he heard the skeleton''s crunchy footstep near him. Sien saw the door wide open, they lingered on it but his eye went back to the skeleton.


    ¡°No¡­ Matter¡­ How¡­ Strong you are¡­ I won¡¯t... I won¡¯t surrender!¡± Sien gathered the strength to stand up and continue the fight against the skeleton.


    The skeleton raised his sword to swing it at the boy from above. Sien ignored that fact and remained focused on his opponent¡¯s neck. He dived in, his saber moving toward the neck. The skeleton¡¯s sword inches from his back. Sien gritted his teeth awaiting the pain on his back from the skeleton¡¯s sword, he could already feel the cold steel against his back but it didn¡¯t come. He heard the sound of a bone hitting the ground. Once he cut off its head the skeleton stopped moving.


    ¡°I¡­ I did it?¡± Sien whispered as he took a step back and fell to the ground, looking at the still skeleton.


    The skeleton with the crown crumbled down into pieces. A sound of relief filled the room as the other skeletons turned into dust.


    ¡°They are free... Rest well.¡± Sien gently whispered, his head low, looking at the ground and a fist on his chest.


    A way out appeared behind the throne. He took a deep sigh and stood up to leave the room. On his way, he looked at each corner. Remembering where each skeleton lay down. He stopped for a moment to watch the place where his master¡¯s skeleton was.


    ¡°I¡¯ll finish my task. For your sake¡­ Sam¡­ Watch me from above.¡± He whispered while looking at the ceiling, with a sentiment in his voice that was about to burst into tears, but he held back.

 Hero鈥檚 Artifact pt. 3

    The tunnel behind the throne was a long one but this whole time Sien could see the light at the end of it. The steps he made echoed through the tunnel. Making it feel as if the tunnel was longer than it actually was. The sound of steps was later accompanied by the sound of flowing water.


    ¡°Do I hear a river?¡± Sien whispered.


    Once he reached the end of the tunnel he saw a big circular room with blue flowers on the ceiling yards away from him, giving light to the whole room. Almost the whole floor was covered in dark liquid that was streaming from the holes in the walls. There was a small altar in the middle of the room and a bridge connecting the tunnel with the altar.


    ¡°Took you long enough.¡± A familiar voice shouted from the altar.


    Hearing his voice, Sien ran to the altar. By the end of the bridge stood his master with his skin and bones intact. Well and alive. Sam wanted to show off something he found but before he could even reach for it, Sien hugged him tightly and sobbed under his coat.


    ¡°Woah. Are you alright kid?¡± The man asked, confused by the boy¡¯s action, with his hands up in the air, not knowing what to do.


    ¡°I thought¡­ I thought you died up there! And then there was a skeleton that had the same coat as you! And he screamed with your voice.¡± Sien loudly explained between the sobs he made.


    ¡°Wait. Screamed with my voice?¡± Asked Sam even more confused, a bit of terror in his eyes.


    Sien explained everything that happened once they were separated. Of course, like a kid, he colorized his actions and took out the parts of him crying. Sam was left with an open jaw when he heard the part about his skeleton that screamed with the same voice as his.


    ¡°You did well and passed the test. Mine was easier since I only had to pick the right item. So what kind of reward did you get? I got this sword.¡± Sam showed a silver sword with a smooth handguard that he hid behind his back to surprise Sien.


    ¡°There is a reward! I didn¡¯t get any! Maybe the crown was the reward!¡± Sien wanted to go back and check the room once again but he stopped once the room began shaking as if the earthquake suddenly occurred.


    The altar opened and a small pedestal arose from it. On it, there were two rings in the shape of claws with a chain on them connected to the bracelet. Sien was the first to check the mysterious item. This time Sam didn¡¯t stop him or question the situation.


    ¡°Is this my reward?¡± Sien asked, thinking of trying the jewelry on.


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    ¡°Might as well take it. I got a sword so you can take weird rings.¡± The man waved his hand showing that Sien was free to do whatever he wanted with them.


    Once Sien put them on, the ground began to shake once more. The streams of black liquid burst out of the holes. Filling the room with more liquid. Before it could reach their feet the stream stopped and all the dark liquid moved toward Sien¡¯s new jewelry. It looked like the claw rings absorbed all the liquid in the room. Revealing the stairs down and a new way out.


    ¡°How is that¡­ possible?¡± Sam questioned the scene that happened right in front of his eyes.


    ¡°Was that magic? Are those rings magical?¡± Sien inspected the claws up close and swung them. As he did that, in the air appeared black lines but after a moment they disappeared. Sien tried again this time making an ¡°S¡± in the air. The same thing happened. ¡°I can draw in air. Amazing!¡± Sien, excited with his new jewelry, drew more things in the air.


    ¡°Is that all it does?¡± Asked Sam, figuring out the purpose of those claws.


    ¡°I think so.¡± Sien tried doing different things with it like flicking the fingers or pushing them forward but nothing happened.


    ¡°There must be more to it. But I guess we¡¯ll find out later. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± Sam grabbed Sien by the shoulder and led him down the stairs.


    Sam fell to his knees as he was expecting the exit from this place but in front of him was one more door keeping them inside. It didn¡¯t have any handle or lever near it. Pushing it did nothing.


    ¡°Just let me out of this place! I want some fresh air! I¡¯m¡­ suffocating¡­¡± The man panicked.


    The doors suddenly opened and Sam bursted out of the dungeon to finally touch the grass. He looked forward and above to check if there were any more walls or ceilings in the dungeon. He was welcomed by the sight of a green forest and bright blue sky.


    ¡°Master. I think those claws were the keys out of here.¡± Said Sien, smiling as he watched the claws on his hand.


    ¡°There was a keyhole? I didn¡¯t see any.¡± Sam turned around to take another look at the gates.


    ¡°No. There was a symbol and once I drew it in the air the gates opened.¡± Explained Sien as he repeated the symbol.


    ¡°Sien. I think I know how those claws work. My master once told me. He said that with only muscles alone I can reach certain heights but with magic, I would reach greater ones. As a peasant, I don¡¯t possess any magic. He told me about this ancient technique that first mages used. They are called runes. Thanks to them, normal people could use spells. Maybe that thing can make magical runes!¡± Sam explained, imagining the possibility of using magic as a peasant.


    ¡°Do you know any runes?¡± Asked Sien, hoping to try using the runes.


    ¡°Unfortunately¡­ No. I¡¯m not a mage and have never seen one¡­¡±


    ¡°What if we find one and ask him?¡±


    ¡°That depends on a mage. My master told me about a few that he met. They didn¡¯t want to share their magic knowledge with normal people.¡± Explained Sam, sarcastically saying ¡°Normal people¡±.


    ¡°Then we just have to find a good mage! Onward to our next destination!¡± Sien took out a saber and faced in the direction he was walking.


    ¡°Wrong direction¡­¡±


    ¡°Onward!¡± Shouted Sien once again as he turned to the left.

 Elfen Researcher pt. 1

    After one day of walking Sien and his master reached a village named Sahman. It was much bigger than the one Sien visited before coming home and bigger than the one Sam lived in. It could almost be considered a small town by the size of it.


    ¡°Many mages tend to get into adventures since they can freely use their magic and make money out of it. There might be a chance we find one in this village.¡± Sam gave Sien a lecture as they entered the village, passing by an adventure group with one mage with staff in the group.


    ¡°But how do we find the right one in a village? There is no guild hall around here.¡± Asked Sien as he looked around for a distinguished building of an adventurer¡¯s guild.


    ¡°The guild found a way to reach their services in every village around the world. In the smallest villages, you can find a board with announcements to the villagers as well as tasks for the passing adventurers. And if there is an Inn. The guild makes a contract for that place to be the interest point for the adventurers. Just like this one.¡± They stopped in front of the two-story high building with a restaurant on the ground floor and the rooms to stay in on the upper floor.


    The building was made out of light wood and with a roof out of red stone tails. Near the entrance, there was a fence with horses tied to them, drinking water from a big bowl. The doors were wide open, letting the sound of chatter of the people inside be heard on the street.


    Even though it was a village, many people dined there. Many were villagers but some people stuck out, especially the ones with weapons on them or full traveling bags beside their tables. Travelers and adventurers alike. The adventurers sat on one side of the tavern, close to the quest board. Sien and Sam sat near them to watch out for the mages who could help them.


    ¡°So we are looking for an old man with a beard, pointy hat, and a big stick.¡± Sien looked around the inn for the specific person he described.


    ¡°Some mages might look like that. But not all of them. Women also can be a mage. They don¡¯t need to be old nor they don¡¯t need to have a big staff to use magic. Do you see that guy with a sword whose handle is made of a wooden branch? It might as well be his wand.¡± Sam whispered to Sien and secretly pointed at the man closest to the board, hiding his hand under his arm.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t we ask him if he is a mage?¡± Sien was about to approach the man with an unusual sword but Sam stopped him before he even left his chair.


    ¡°Better not do that.¡± Sam simply said.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Asked a confused boy, standing beside the table.


    ¡°If he is not a mage he might lie a bit to try and make money out of us. And if he is a mage he might come with his own prices for the ¡®helping hand¡¯. That''s just how most adventurers work¡­¡± Answered Sam, whispering to not agitate the surrounding adventurers.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Then I have an idea!¡± Sien took out a piece of paper, placed it on the table, and wrote something on it with his claw, hiding what he was writing with his shoulders and head that he had close to the paper. He ran to the board and placed the paper on the board, proudly looking at Sam with his chest pumped out and a smile on his face.


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    ¡°Looking for mage¡¯s advice¡­ for¡­ ten silver coins¡­ Sien. I think that is too much for simple advice. Maybe lower the price.¡± Sam read the text and scratched his chin as he suggested the change to Sien, thinking of how to price the request.


    ¡°We have enough coins. And that price might attract the more experienced mage.¡± Answered Sien, standing by his solution to their problem.


    ¡°Ekhm¡­ Excuse me. Before you hang anything on the board you need permission from the guild or the inn.¡± The waitress approached the board looking at Sien¡¯s paper.


    ¡°Apologies. I didn¡¯t know it worked like that.¡± Sien lowered his head to apologize for the inconvenience he had caused.


    ¡°Nothing to worry about. I just wanted to let you know, not to scold y-¡± The waitress picked up the paper when suddenly someone grabbed it out of her hand and began reading it while having an open book in the other hand.


    An elf slightly taller than Sien with white-blond hair long enough to reach her chin. She was wearing a long white dress with a curvy thin, almost transparent, collar. The blue robe that was as long as her dress broke the dominating white color of her clothes with a dark line separating the white dress from the blue. The sleeves of the robe were much wider than her thin arms, making her look like she was wearing her boyfriend''s clothes. By her hip, she had a belt with two pouches attached to it and a smooth wand made of silver wood.


    ¡°Excuse me. Who made this quest? There is no address or information about the quest giver. Oh. My apologies. Did you want to read it?¡± The elf, confused by the waitress¡¯s expression, gave back the piece of paper.


    ¡°We were the ones who made that quest.¡± Sam joined in the conversation.


    ¡°Oh. Is that right? What kind of advice did you want?¡± The mage asked, ignoring the waitress behind her as she explained that the quest wasn¡¯t yet verified. The woman tapped the mage¡¯s shoulder to get her attention. ¡°Yes?¡± She asked as she turned around to face the waitress and ignored Sam¡¯s explanation.


    ¡°Did she ignore me?¡± Asked Sam not understanding the elf¡¯s behavior, which was easily distracted.


    ¡°I think she can focus on only one thing. Tap her on the shoulder.¡± As Sien instructed, Sam tapped the elf¡¯s shoulder and she turned around to listen to what he was about to say while ignoring the waitress behind her.


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡± Said Sam in disbelief.


    Sam and Sien let the elf sort out things with the waitress. She proposed that the quest can be verified and ranked accordingly but the elf denied it and pointed out that it would be low rank so there is no need for that. The three of them then sat by the table in the corner of the restaurant.


    ¡°Before we pay you we¡¯ll ask if you have any knowledge of that. If you have. Will pay after you tell us.¡± Sam negotiated the way they would exchange the information for the payment.


    ¡°Sure. That¡¯s reasonable. So what kind of advice do you want?¡± The woman asked, her eyes locked on Sam.


    ¡°It¡¯s not as much as advice but-¡± Sam tried to think of a way to ask without giving unneeded information to a stranger.


    ¡°Do you know anything about runes?¡± Sien cut into Sam¡¯s speech, impatient for the knowledge he was looking for.


    ¡°Runes? Well, I do possess some information about them. But I didn¡¯t study them very much. Just the basics. Well. A bit of basics.¡± The elf explained figuring out how much she really knew about the runes, looking up toward the ceiling as she ignored all the noise around her and focused on her thoughts.


    ¡°Okay. How about we pay you a bit now for the information and the more you tell us the more we add?¡± Said Samuel as he placed a silver coin on the table, attracting the mage¡¯s attention.

 Elfen Researcher pt. 2

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with that.¡± The elf took that one coin and smiled at it. ¡°So the runes are basically written spells that can be activated by anyone, even normal people. But writing them isn¡¯t enough. They need mana to be activated. So the mage only can use them or once the mana is infused into them, those runes can be used by everyone. The downside is that each rune is a one-time use.¡± She explained with her eyes closed and waving her finger around as if she were reading a book hidden behind her eyelids.


    ¡°Can you give us an example of a rune?¡± Sam asked as he handed another coin.


    ¡°This is a rune that makes a small flame, to light a fire for example.¡± The elf showed a drawing she made on paper and placed a finger on it. Once she took it away the fire appeared.


    Sien took out his hand above the table and tried to copy the symbol. The elf watched with eyes wide open in disbelief as he made a rune in the air and a small flame appeared in his hand with a rune circle beneath it. Sam quickly extinguished the flame in a panic that anyone else would notice the artifact in the boy¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Sien. Not here. We might catch the attention of someone we don¡¯t want to. Like greedy thieves.¡± Said Sam as he observed the people in the room to check if someone saw the claws in action and caught their interest.


    ¡°How did you do that?¡± The elf asked with a concern in her voice, pointing her shaky finger.


    ¡°Well¡­ Um¡­¡± Sam tried to figure a way to talk her out of it.


    ¡°With these magic claws.¡± Sien said without a care in the world as he pointed at the rings on his left hand.


    The elfen mage suddenly took out a book from under her coat and went through all the pages. Then she suddenly stopped and brought it closer to her face as if she was trying to hide the information inside it.


    ¡°Did you find it in a dungeon a day away from here to the north?¡± The woman asked with a serious tone as if they committed some kind of serious crime.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Answered Sien, unsure and with a pang of guilt that made the air stuck in his throat, lying heavy as he waited for a response.


    ¡°Hey! Sien. Don¡¯t answer every question.¡± Said Sam as he brought a hand to Sien¡¯s mouth to stop him from spilling more information.


    ¡°The last dungeon of the north¡­ You were able to get the last artifact from the northern dungeons! You need to tell me about the tests in there. No one ever left that dungeon alive.¡± The elf was focused on Sien''s claws and she got closer to them every time she asked about the dungeon.


    Sien stood up to talk. ¡°We fell into the hole where we found-¡± Sien wanted to tell the story but Sam placed another hand on the boy''s mouth to stop him from talking.


    ¡°We¡¯ll tell you only if we lower the price to five coins.¡± Sam bargained with the mage.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with that. Let the boy continue.¡± The mage said, not leaving her sight away from the boy.


    Sien told the whole story while they ordered some food and drinks. Sien exaggerated the whole story like it was a tale that every adventurer wanted to experience one day in their life. The elf listened as she wrote something in the book every now and then, trying to keep her focus on the boy to get all the information.


    ¡°Wonderful. Now I have details about all the dungeons of the north. Thanks to you I¡¯ve finished my research on them. I might as well tell you the rest of my knowledge about runes for free. On one condition. You¡¯ll let me see the Ink Claws in action.¡± Said the mage as she tried to draw a rune in the air with her fingers like Sien with the Ink Claws.


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    ¡°Is that how they are called?¡± Sien asked as his curiosity was picked by the name the elf said.


    ¡°From this moment. Yes.¡± The mage answered after writing the name of the artifact in her book, right above the quick drawing she made.


    ¡°So you called them Ink Claws¡­¡± Sam said looking at a proud elf.


    ¡°Do you have a better name? And I think as a researcher I have the right to name them.¡± The elf scolded Sam like he was the kid in this group.


    ¡°I think this name fits them very well.¡± Said Sien as he looked at the Ink Claws with a glow in his eyes, as if it was the first time he had seen them.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± The elf said as she smiled at Sien.


    ¡°We¡¯re fine with that condition.¡± Sam answered.


    ¡°Good. We can meet tomorrow. I have a quest to finish.¡± Said the woman as she began packing her book into the bag.


    ¡°Then we have a problem. We¡¯re leaving early in the morning.¡± Said Sam, trying to not let the elf be the one calling all the shots as she wished.


    ¡°You said you¡¯re going south, right? Then I can accompany you for some time until we reach a town with a guild hall. It¡¯ll give me time to observe the Ink Claws and I won¡¯t slow you down on your journey.¡± Once she finished her sentence she closed her bag and the clip made a satisfying sound as if their agreement was sealed by an invisible stamp.


    Sam and Sien looked at each other if they had something against an elven mage joining them on the journey. They both agreed on the terms the elf suggested.


    ¡°Great. Let me introduce myself. My name is Celine Greywood. Silver rank mage with an interest in researching the dungeons and artifacts.¡± Said formally the elf as she gently placed her fingers on her chest.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, my name is Sien A-¡± Sam coughed to cover the boy¡¯s surname, covering for his mistake. ¡°And this is Samuel. My master.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± Said Celine with a light nod.


    ¡°So what kind of quest brought you here?¡± Sien asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s the quest I gave myself for research purposes. Just check a few places in the forest and come back.¡± The elf explained not expecting any sign of interest from the people by the table but she was wrong.


    ¡°Can we accompany you? It¡¯s not like we have anything planned and we can talk a bit along the way.¡± Sien turned to Sam to check if he approved of this.


    ¡°Alright. Alright. I don¡¯t see a problem with that.¡± Sam said as he looked the other way so Sien wouldn¡¯t see his displeased expression. Celine chuckled at that sight.


    She giggled with her mouth hidden behind her hand and once Sam turned to face her she stopped. ¡°Okay. Let me get some stuff from my room and we can go.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting here.¡± Said Sam as he pointed his thumb and the exit of the inn.


    Sam expected that Celine would only take around five minutes to get to the room, pick up her things, and go back. He was wrong. Sam was a patient person but if someone says ¡°I¡¯ll just grab my things and come back¡± he thinks that it''s just for a moment. When it¡¯s not, he becomes the most impatient person in the world.


    He walked around, making Sien nervous but then he suddenly stopped and whispered ¡°Rock, paper, scissors¡­¡±


    ¡°What did you say, master?¡± Asked Sien as he hadn¡¯t heard or rather wanted to make sure he heard correctly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s play rock, paper, scissors. To kill time.¡± Sam placed a fist on an open hand, waiting for Sien to join him in the game.


    They played for a few turns and Sien won all of them, only making two draws. Sam decided to change the game where one person had to slap the opponent''s hand and the other had to avoid the slap. Sam was unable to hit Sien¡¯s hand even once where his hand was slowly turning red.


    ¡°How¡­ How are you this good?¡± Asked Sam with a shame of defeat in his voice and a blushed face.


    ¡°I played those games a lot with my sister. I had to learn how to let her win because she got annoyed when I won too many times.¡± Sien answered with the most innocent smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re that good¡­ that you had to learn how to lose¡­ Let¡¯s play something different.¡± Sam didn¡¯t want to linger on his losses so he looked for a different game where he could win.

 Elfen Researcher pt. 3

    They played a game where they had to rhythmically clap each other¡¯s hands. Many passersby watched them as it was an unusual sight. Grown man playing child games with someone half his size. Even the elven mage froze in place by the entrance, unable to think of a way to give them a sign that she was ready.


    ¡°Finally. Took you long enough¡­ So which way are we going?¡± Sam asked as he stood up, not knowing that everyone was eyeing him this whole time.


    ¡°Ekhm¡­ Right. The forest to the north. An hour of walking and then wandering around the forest for signs.¡± Celine walked past them showing with her hand to follow her.


    ¡°Signs of what?¡± Asked Sien, running up to the elf to be by her side.


    ¡°Presence of mana. If there is a large amount of it the forest can change and become a dangerous place. Of course, there is a chance that it can make the forest better and not dangerous at all but it is only a chance that the guild doesn¡¯t like.¡± Celine lectured as she moved her index finger up and down as if she was lecturing someone.


    ¡°Why does mana change the forest? I know that mana is a source of magic but nothing else about it.¡± Asked the curious boy, trying to expand the limited knowledge he possessed.


    ¡°Over time, mana can force a change into plants of the forest making them much different than they are now. Mana also attracts certain creatures, the good and bad ones. A good creature would be a unicorn and a bad one for example a ghoul.¡± Celine continued to use her index finger like a pointing stick to show the things she imagined on the board of her mind.


    ¡°Wow. I would like to see a unicorn. And a ghoul too!¡± Sien¡¯s excitement rose as he imagined those creatures in his head, unicorns more majestic and ghouls less horrifying.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to see a ghoul. Nasty creature. There are far worse monsters than them but by pure numbers, the ghouls are very common. All around the world.¡± Celine spun around, looking in each direction, and in all of them, she would eventually find a ghoul.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been to other countries?¡± Asked Sien as it didn¡¯t cross his mind that there aren¡¯t many elves that live in his kingdom.


    ¡°Even to other continents. I¡¯m not from Saradia Kingdom. My country is on another continent to the west of Saradia. It''s called Parma. A nation where elves and humans live in harmony.¡± She said with a gasp as she imagined her homeland. ¡°It¡¯s a small but beautiful place.¡± Celine quickly added.


    ¡°How many other countries have you seen?¡± Asked Sien, getting all the information he could from the wise mage.


    ¡°Elven Republic of Kal¡¯Tal, Kingdom of Fazim, Feline nation Katul, desert nation Fasfar, and of course Kingdom Of Saradia.¡± She counted on her fingers, almost forgetting to walk in a straight line.


    Sien¡¯s eyes lit up in awe of the travels the elf had. ¡°You¡¯ve been to so many countries!¡±


    ¡°Took me a few years but it was worth it.¡± She proudly said, putting both hands on her hips.


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    ¡°How long did it take?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Around twenty years?¡± Celine answered with a light tone as if those twenty years were a few months for her.


    ¡°Twenty years?! You must have traveled since your birth!¡± Said surprised Sien as he tried to comprehend the time that extended his current lifetime.


    ¡°No. I began traveling once I turned eighteen.¡± Celine corrected the boy.


    Sam finally got interested in the conversation and got closer to them. ¡°Wait. Are you telling me you¡¯re almost my age?¡± Sam asked, surprised by the elf¡¯s age.


    ¡°I¡¯m thirty-nine years old. We elves live two hundred years, three hundred if we take really good care. We reach adulthood at the same time as humans but we grow much slower. That¡¯s why I¡¯m slightly smaller than you, Sien. Once I turn seventy I¡¯ll be as tall as Samuel.¡± Celine explained as Sien listened with interest.


    ¡°You¡¯re my age¡­ And you look so young¡­¡± Sam muttered under his nose, grabbing his face and feeling the rough skin and he could already feel wrinkles appearing on him from old age.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Said Celine, taking Sam¡¯s cry as praise.


    Upon reaching the forest, Celine took out a book and glasses. It wasn¡¯t because she had a bad sight. The glasses were magical. They allowed her to see more clearly the movement of mana. An item often used by researchers and magical engineers.


    Without any warning she went into the forest, often changing her path on a whim. After a few minutes, Sam and Sien didn¡¯t know where they were as they didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to their surroundings as the elf rushed forward without looking back and ensuring that her companions were close.


    ¡°Miss Celine¡­ Please¡­ Wait!¡± Sien said, trying to grasp every bit of air he could as they marched through the forest. Unfortunately for the boy, the elf was focused on her task, unconsciously ignoring everything else.


    They stopped once they reached some kind of pond. Sam and Sien sat on the ground, taking the rest that they desperately wanted since they entered the forest. Celine took out a vial and dipped it in the water. She sniffed the water, observed it under the light and shadow, and shook the vial. Lastly, she placed her hand above the vial and the water began to glow with a dim light.


    ¡°There is a lot of mana in the water. I¡¯ll better take more samples for the research and better data.¡± Celine took out four more vials. She filled two of them with water and two with dirt close to the pond. ¡°Let¡¯s continue. We found one source but there might be more of them.¡± Informed the elf as she began moving on to another location.


    They walked around the forest for another hour, finding two more pounds filled with mana. Some of the trees were resting in its presence and moved their roots toward the source, toward the pound filled with magic in it.


    ¡°That is a worrying amount of mana¡­ Let¡¯s head back.¡± The elf said being on a constant lookout, cautious but a little bit scared. ¡°Guys. I have one warning for you. I¡¯m not a battle mage so I¡¯m not the best fit for fights but I will assist you however I can.¡± Celine warned her companions making them draw their weapons.


    Sam remained vigilant, trying to find the thing that Celine was worried about. Sien stood right beside him, his hands shaking with fear of an unknown enemy lurking around. Celine chanted a spell in a language that they didn¡¯t understand. A burst of wind spread around them, making the elf look up.


    ¡°They are above!¡± She shouted as she pointed her wand toward the trees. On them, there were thin creatures the size of a child with gray skin, their bones visible through the skin, arms longer than the rest of the body, and many sharp teeth placed randomly around the mouth. Their eyes had a red glow to them in the darkness.


    ¡°Ghouls!¡± Shouted Celine with a glimpse of fear in her eyes, but she hid it very well from her companions.

 Elfen Researcher pt. 4

    One of the monsters hidden in the trees jumped down at the elf, its long hand extended forward to grab her and mouth open ready to bite on her flesh. Sam dashed toward the mage and with a wide arc he sliced the ghoul in half through its stomach with one clean cut of his new sword. Celine stepped away from the tree and began another chant. A thin layer of yellow glowing energy wrapped all of them.


    ¡°This will protect you from their claws. You¡¯ll still feel the strength of their attacks though. Ghouls are weak, the strength lies in their numbers.¡± Celine explained their opponents'' weaknesses as she watched closely the creatures'' movement above them.


    One of the ghouls landed right in front of Sien. The boy swung his saber, staggered by the sudden appearance of a monster, he missed the attack. The ghoul attacked Sien with its claws, to which the boy only raised his arms to guard the face. The force of the attack pushed his arm and he felt it but his skin was unscathed. Sam rushed to his aid and decapitated the monster, its head flying away.


    ¡°Calm down Sien. With those shaky hands, you won¡¯t land a good blow. Breathe slowly.¡± Sam instructed the confused boy as he defended him from coming monsters, trying to sound calm while swinging his sword.


    Sien was able to calm down his mind but his hands were still shaking a bit at the sight of a horrifying creature. He didn¡¯t kill them with one strike like Sam, but he could land good hits making decent damage to the monsters, making them fall back or freeze for a moment out of pain.


    Sien had bruises all over his body from the constant attack from the ghouls. Sam and Celine were unscathed as they weren¡¯t hit. The elf hid behind the fighters but she assisted them by pushing some of the monsters away with a wind magic so they wouldn¡¯t be overwhelmed by their numbers. The exhaustion was slowly visible on their faces as more ghouls fell dead to the ground and more of them appeared in their place.


    ¡°There is no end to them!¡± Shouted frustrated Sien, breathing heavily as his saber felt like a heavy boulder that would crush his hands if he lost strength in his arms. ¡°Miss Celine! Do you know any offensive runes that I could use?!¡± Sien shouted, desperately needing something to fight against those monsters.


    ¡°Unfortunately no!¡± She replied as she pushed a ghoul that was about to jump Sien with a strong gust of wind.


    Sien slowly retreated back to the mage, waving his saber around so the monster wouldn¡¯t approach him but he was thinking of a way to use his artifact. He drew the rune that was used to make a small fire but he made it much bigger. It looked like he had a campfire in his hand. He pushed it against the ghoul that was the closest to him. It didn¡¯t kill the monster but it made it run away, screaming with pain as the flames ate its flesh. At that sight, the ghouls began hesitating. Keeping their distance away from the fire. Only attacking Sam who was a few feet away from them with only a sword in hand.


    ¡°Master! Come here! Let¡¯s stay close together!¡± Sien shouted being close to the elven mage, waving the giant flame to scare the ghouls, they hissed at him as he shoved the flames in their direction.


    Celine saw what happened with the burned ghoul and also made a fire at the tip of her wand. Much smaller than the one that Sien made but it was enough to make the monsters cautious. Sam joined them trying to be the group''s guard but he ended up being the one in the middle, guarded by the magic flames.


    They walked away, scaring each ghoul that got close enough with a fire. Since they were walking in one direction without any changes on their path back they quickly found a way out of the forest. The monsters didn¡¯t follow them after they left the area. They remained hidden between the trees, eyeing the group they fought.


    ¡°Let¡¯s warn the people about the ghouls. The guild might take immediate action.¡± Celine stopped her spell and took one last look at the monsters in the trees, making sure they weren¡¯t about to chase them.


    ¡°Good idea. Better if no one runs into them without knowing the danger.¡± Sam agreed, walking backward as he didn¡¯t want to turn his back to the forest full of monsters.


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    ¡°Master¡­ Can you lift me to the inn?¡± Asked Sien with a tired voice, dragging his body as he was exhausted. His blade cleaned off the blood by brushing it against the grass.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you walk by yourself? I also fought them off-¡± Sam wanted to urge the boy to walk on his own but he saw him flat on the ground, saber right beside him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much strength left¡­ I¡¯m¡­ tired¡­¡± Whispered Sien as he fell asleep right in front of them.


    ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that argument.¡± Sam picked Sien up and carried him on his back. The elf walked slightly behind him. Observing the boy. In the fight, he lost his coat and she noticed the emblem on his back.


    ¡°Are you guys bandits?¡± Celine asked, aiming the wand at Sam¡¯s and Sien¡¯s back.


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t know any offensive spells.¡± Sam calmly answered, still walking forward.


    ¡°I lied. Didn¡¯t want the risk of being attacked by you.¡± Cotiusly answered Celine, watching Sam¡¯s hands as if he were about to reach for his sword.


    ¡°Why ask now? We accompanied you and assisted with the ghouls. Damn. We were the ones fighting them all while you stayed back.¡± Sam pointed out but there was no anger in his voice, he understood the elf¡¯s concern.


    ¡°The boy''s clothing. And the artifact itself. A nobleman traveling with a peasant? It¡¯s hard to believe. Did you rob someone who finished the dungeon?¡± Celine gave valid points but Sam didn¡¯t give an immediate answer.


    ¡°Before I answer. What¡¯s your stand on the royal families of Saradia?¡± Asked Sam, taking a quick look at the elven mage.


    ¡°Natural. Not my country, not my biggest concern. Although I heard that one of them is shady.¡± Quickly answered Celine.


    ¡°Which one?¡± Cautiously asked Sam.


    ¡°Don¡¯t remember the name but they had a purple banner.¡± Celine said with certainty.


    Sam stopped, making Celine flinch and take a step back. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll give you an answer. This boy is a nobleman, hiding from the crowd''s eye. His family was falsely accused and stripped of royal privileges. They think of his family like they are criminals. We are on the journey down south to get his brother¡¯s help as he might have some influence as a commander in the army.¡±


    ¡°And why are you accompanying him? For the money?¡± Celine asked, still having her wand ready to throw a spell.


    ¡°No. My master served under his father and he didn¡¯t believe the accusations since he knew the Lord personally. A kind man like him is innocent. By assisting the boy I repay my master for all he has done for me. No greed in my heart.¡± Sam answered, not even looking back at the elf.


    ¡°I heard a lot of bad things about Saradia¡¯s nobles. Selfish, thinking that they are the center of the world, looking at everyone from above.¡± Said a bit aggressively, Celine.


    ¡°He is different. If not for the mark and clothing, I wouldn¡¯t have guessed he is from the royal family. Even though I wore the clothes of a farmer he spoke to me with respect, like a human being to a human being. From my master''s tales, I know that Sien''s father was the same.¡± Sam finally turned around to face Celine to show his expression, his unhinged confidence.


    ¡°What mark?¡± The mage asked not knowing about the royal houses and how their lineage works.


    ¡°It should be visible because of the sweat. We hid his mark. Under his eye. He has three triangles. That¡¯s information that he is third in line in his family.¡± Answered Sam as he moved slightly to the side to make Sien¡¯s face more visible.


    Celine took a step to the side to get a better view of Sien¡¯s face. She saw the marks visible because of the sweat that destroyed the makeup. ¡°Okay. I trust you.¡± She said as she put away her wand.


    ¡°Just keep it a secret for a moment. We have another goal that we want to achieve on the way down south. To make Alk a better name. Good deeds that will show the true face of his family. A kind and generous face.¡± Said Sam with a slight smile, happy that the woman trusts him and out of pride for their plan.


    ¡°I might be able to help with that. I can tell that he assisted me with the research. Just mention his name in the rapport and that could spread a good word.¡± Simply stated Celine like it wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    ¡°Will you really do that?¡± Sam asked, surprised by how helpful this elf was.


    ¡°I¡¯ll gladly help the men that saved me today.¡± Celine answered with a kind warming smile.

 Festival Of Hate pt. 1

    ¡°Please, hand over this report to the guild. They should respond proprietary to the mana presence in the forest. You can expect a lot of more adventurers in your establishment.¡± Celine gave a piece of paper to the waiter responsible for guild duty. The man had concern on his face but it changed immediately once Celiene winked toward him and after he heard about more customers coming to their village.


    Sam and Sien waited for their new companion in front of the inn. They played ¡°rock, paper, scissors¡±. Clear annoyance was visible on Sam¡¯s face as he had been unable to win since they had started.


    ¡°Shall we begin our journey?¡± The elven mage said, informing them that she was ready to head out with a backpack on her back and a leather bag by her hip.


    The party headed out south to their next destination, a village near the mountains that is known for the passage between mountains with a skilled guide, Skalern. With this help, they will shorten their travel by a full five days of walking. If they are lucky enough they might catch the boat downriver to save even more time.


    While they were traveling Celine taught Sien the basics about the runes she knew about. Most of them were simple spells like making a fire, a source of light, or a gust of wind. Whenever they stopped to take a rest, Sien trained with his saber. He had two masters, one for swordsmanship and one for magic. Before he went to sleep he would always repeat all the runes he knew. That way he could quickly remember and draw them when needed.


    Sometimes he woke up Sam with a bright light, making him think that it was the middle of the day or making him cold with the constant gust of wind on his neck.


    Before reaching the village they found an elderly man lying down by the tree. Broken in half, the wooden cane was by the man¡¯s side. Sam and Sien rushed to the elder''s aid.


    ¡°Are you hurt anywhere? Were you attacked?¡± Asked Sam as he checked with his eyes if the man was hurt anywhere.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hurt. It¡¯s hard for me to walk without a cane and the main broke as you can see.¡± The man explained as he showed them his broken cane. It was made of old wood that slowly deteriorated over time.


    ¡°Were you going to the village by the mountains by any chance?¡± Asked Sien, seeing the mountains between the trees.


    ¡°Yes. In fact, I live there.¡± Answered the old man.


    ¡°We¡¯ll help you get back home.¡± Sien gave the old man a hand, helping him walk toward the village, he took the man over his shoulder and assisted him with walking. Sam had a genuine smile, seeing that his students took his teachings to heart. Celine only observed them and walked a few steps behind them.


    The mountains grew tall right in front of the party''s eyes. They passed a few lumbermen on their way. Each of them greeted the old man. When they reached the Skalern, everyone turned their gaze at them and the old man beside the group of adventurers. Some showed concern for his health to which he replied ¡°I¡¯m fine. My cane just broke.¡± As he lifted the remains of the cane for them to see.


    Skalern was a lively place. A lot of stalls selling wood or items for daily use made of wood like plates, cutlery, bowls, etc.. The village lived out of the wood they cut and processed. There weren¡¯t any major farms. Only small gardens that the villagers set up in their homes.


    The elder instructed where his home was and on the way, a woman ran up to them. Everyone thought it was a relative of his until she said ¡°Did something happen to you chief?¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m alright Julia. This young man helped me get back to the village.¡± Said the old man as he patted the boy on the back, letting him know that he could let him go as the woman extended her arm. He wrapped his arms around her arm and leaned against her for support.


    ¡°You¡¯re the chief of Skalern?¡± Asked a bit surprised Sam, blinking as he couldn¡¯t believe their luck.


    ¡°Indeed I am. Have been for the past twenty years. This place is not some small village as you can see.¡± The man waved his open hand toward the whole village, proving his point. ¡°What brings you to our humble place, if you don¡¯t mind me asking? Is it for the festival?¡± Asked the old man with a warm smile.


    ¡°There is a festival?!¡± The boy''s eyes widened with just a single thought of how fun a festival could be since he had only been to a small one in his village. Don¡¯t counting the ones in the capital where he had to be protected by guards and constantly being watched by them.


    The old man turned toward the sun to check the time. ¡°Yes. It begins tonight. Right after sunset.¡±


    ¡°Can we go?! Can we go?!¡± Asked Sien, turning to Sam with big eyes to convince his master, grabbing him by the coat.


    ¡°That depends on the guide. We have to reach our destination as fast as we can.¡± Said Sam, trying to sound as serious as he could to knock that idea out of Sien¡¯s head.


    ¡°The last guide of the day will probably leave in around an hour. But it doesn¡¯t make much difference if you go now or early in the morning. In the end, it will be a two-hour difference and you¡¯ll have to sleep two days in the mountains where the weather drastically changes.¡± Explained the chief of the village.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to reduce the time that we have to sleep on hard ground¡­ Let¡¯s take the one in the morning.¡± Said Celine with a tired face as she mentioned sleeping on the hard ground. She was tired of sleeping on the ground for the past few days. All she wanted right now was to get a proper sleep on a comfortable bed.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Sam finally admitted his defeat. Sien and Celine celebrated their victory by silently cheering. Celine didn¡¯t look like it on the outside but inside she was as happy as the young boy beside her.


    After parting ways, the group went to find the inn. The chief pointed them in the right direction. The establishment was built on the side of the mountain. Most of the building was made of stone carved into tables, stools, and railings for example. The dominating color of the building was purple with banners at the bar that had eagles on them. Those were the banners of Peresia House.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this place¡­¡± Whispered Sam as he looked around the place, a right hand rubbing his left arm as he had goosebumps at the sight of the banners.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Asked Sien as he didn¡¯t know much about other families except for their colors and symbols.


    ¡°Is it about the rumors about the Peresia House?¡± The elf asked.


    ¡°You heard rumors. I heard the truth from my master. Alk House was the kindest, the rest were natural, and Peresia¡­ Greedy. It¡¯s all about money for them.¡± Answered Sam with clear hate in his voice.


    They were able to get two rooms at the inn. One for Celine and one for the boys. After leaving all their belongings in the room they went to the inn¡¯s restaurant. The menu had only a few dishes but everyone was able to find something to their taste. The waitress approached them and began writing their orders down.


    ¡°Is there an option to eat in my room?¡± Asked Sam, his eyes down on the table, as if he was doing anything but looking up at the banners.


    ¡°It is. But you need to give us something to hold off. Once you return the plates the item or the money will be returned to you. It''s just our policy.¡± The waitress explained.


    ¡°Are you a shut-in?¡± Asked a bit shocked Celine as she didn¡¯t take Sam as an introverted type of person.


    ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t like this place. I feel like I¡¯m in the enemy territory¡­ You can stay here if you want but I will eat in the room.¡± Sam picked up his order and left.


    Skalern loved the Peresia House because thanks to them the village was able to flourish. They invested a lot of money into this small place. The people took it as a kind gesture from the nobles but in truth, the Peresia Family invested in them for the money. They knew that they didn¡¯t have to pay much to some peasants in the mountains and the woodsmen didn¡¯t know that their job here was much harder than in any other village in the country. The royal family used them, and they did not know about it because they were limited by mountains from other lumberjack villages that made as much money as they did without any help from the nobles.

 Festival Of Hate pt. 2

    After finishing their meal Celine and Sien went to check on Sam. The boy first knocked and then opened the door without Sam¡¯s answer since it was his room too. Sam was sitting by the table, his food barely touched as he played with it more than actually ate.


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Asked concerned Sien as he noticed how much food was left on the plate.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I mean¡­ I just feel a bit off while being in here¡­¡± Answered Sam, stabbing the potatoes with a fork.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Maybe coming to a festival might brighten up your mood!¡± Said excitedly Sien as he ran up to Sam to grab his hand and drag him out of the inn.


    Sam pulled his hand away before Sien could even grab it and took his eyes away from his companions. ¡°No¡­ I''d rather stay here¡­ Wait to leave this village.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Okay¡­ Then¡­ See you later.¡± Said disappointed Sien as he slowly approached the doors, still looking at Sam who wasn¡¯t about to make eye contact. Before closing the doors Sien added ¡°If you get bored you know where to look for us.¡± with a last bit of joy he had.


    Sam took a deep breath and covered his face with his shaky hands. ¡°Sorry¡­ Sien¡­ I just can¡¯t bear to watch those Peresia lunatics¡­ I''d rather not destroy this festival for you¡­¡± Whispered Sam, an unpleasant feeling left in his throat after leaving Sien alone with Celine.


    Celine and Sien went to see the festival ground as it was being prepared. The festival area was square in shape with a platform in the middle. The view to the inside was blocked by the curtains but there were a lot of people inside judging by the noise and slightly visible shadows. All around there were food stalls and occasional games for kids. There were lamps shining in a purple and white light.


    The event began with a band playing an energetic melody on guitars and harps. Over time the music brought more people to the festival ground. Most of the stalls were busy with new clients. The ground was covered by rich aroma of spicy food and sweet honey.


    Sien really wanted to play one of the games. The elf knew that there was a trick behind every game but she didn¡¯t want to kill the fun for the boy and agreed to accompany him.


    The first game he played was to knock the wooden cups down using a very light ball. He had to make them all fall within two throws. The first throw to the base of the pyramid made of cups did nothing. The second ball he threw closer to the top making only three out of seventeen cups fall. The boy was eager to try one more time.


    ¡°Wait a moment¡­¡± Celine grabbed Sien¡¯s hand with a ball, freezing the ball to make it heavier. ¡°Here. Now you can do it.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s cheating.¡± Whispered a bit scared Sien so the stall owner wouldn¡¯t throw him out for cheating.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s wrong to cheat against a cheater.¡± Celine whispered, giving Sien a devilish smile.


    ¡°How does he cheat?¡± Asked Sien with a confused frown as for him the game was clear, without any ways to cheat.


    ¡°The cups are heavy and the ball is light, making it hard to push them, and the structure was made in a way that is impossible to collapse with only two throws. You would need four at least. It won¡¯t guarantee you the highest prize but you¡¯ll earn something at least. So try it.¡± Celine pushed Sien forward so he would throw the ball before the ice melted completely.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°If you put it that way¡­¡± The boy¡¯s mind was completely changed once he heard about the possibility of winning a prize.


    Sien threw the ball pushing the base a bit further than the last time. With a second throw, he was able to make the structure collapse leaving only five cups on the table.


    ¡°Congrats¡­ You win this.¡± The man, clearly not happy with the amount of fallen cups, gave Sien a white mask. ¡°You can paint whatever you want on the mask.¡±


    ¡°Are there any runes connected to the painting?¡± Sien asked as he turned his head to Celine.


    ¡°There might be. I haven¡¯t tested them but it might be a good lesson about more advanced runes.¡± Celine answered with a shrug that was then changed into interest as she thought more about the possibilities of ruen usage, quickly writing it down in her book.


    ¡°Something as simple as painting is advanced?¡± The boy asked, waiting for Celine to answer.


    Once she wrote down what she wanted she turned to Sien and answered ¡°Yes. It would be a connection between two runes. Water runes and runes of color.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to learn that!¡± Declared Sien with a joyful shout.


    The next game that attracted Sien was a sparring match with a teenage boy who had an arena set up with a few quickly made wooden fences. He was wearing thick leather armor and had a wooden sword. All of this was made so everyone could spar without the fear of getting serious injuries.


    ¡°Looking for a worthy opponent for a friendly sparring match! Who is up to the challenge!¡± The boy shouted as he stood on the fence, high enough for everyone to see him. The tip of his wooden sword moved around and pointed at each passing person.


    ¡°I want to try!¡± Sien ran to the arena, thrilled to spar with someone who might be closer to his abilities than Sam.


    ¡°Certainly. Put on the leather armor and pick up one of those wooden swords.¡± Said the boy as he pointed toward three swords each of a different length.


    Sien took the sword that was of similar length as his saber. He swung it around trying to get used to the light weight. His opponent walked to the other side of the arena, waiting for him to get ready. Sien showed that he was ready by standing in front of the boy with a sword pointing toward him.


    ¡°May I know my challenger¡¯s name?¡± The boy asked.


    ¡°My name is Sien.¡± Answered a bit hesitantly Sien.


    ¡°Thank you for challenging me, Sien. My name is Peter.¡± Said the boy with a light bow.


    ¡°Good. The perfect opponent for a warmup. First I¡¯ll block some of his attacks and then try to attack him giving some space so the boy could block the attacks. I don¡¯t want to make him cry or have a bad time. It¡¯s a festival after all.¡± Peter thought out his next action as he approached Sien with his sword ready.


    They walked around, waiting for some attack but none of them moved first, the boy didn¡¯t attack because he wanted to make it more enjoyable for the kid rather than making it a one-sided fight, Sien waited for the attack as his master instructed. ¡°It¡¯s better to wait for your opponent''s first move so you can assess his strength.¡± The words were stuck in his head as he stood there, focused on his opponent.


    ¡°You can attack me first. I won¡¯t attack you at first. It¡¯s just a sparring match for fun.¡± Peter said thinking that Sien was hesitating out of fear. Scared of attacking someone much bigger than him.


    Sien nodded his head and approached the boy, throwing a first light attack that was blocked. The next attack was a bit faster making Peter flinch at the sudden movement but he blocked the swing without much problem. Sien slowly picked up speed trying to figure out the true strength of his opponent.


    ¡°While his attacks don¡¯t have much of a punch. His speed is amazing.¡± The arena master thought as he tried to keep up with Sien¡¯s speed. He had to give his most to block the swift attacks. One attack was able to land and they stopped the duel for a moment. ¡°Good! Now I will be attacking too. So expect some swings from me too.¡± Peter informed Sien so he wouldn¡¯t get scared by sudden attacks.