Levin looked out the window, watching as the massive runic dome surrounding the mountain flickered out. He was amazed – for all his computer-aided talent at runesmithing, that level of sheer power was something he could only dream of replicating.

Outside, the Academy was abuzz like an anthill disturbed. The higher level acolytes, ones with enough Force to have endured Silla’s attack, went around helping revive their weaker compatriots. The Wisp rank mages were being coordinated by the Academy battlemages, ordered to assist in duties such as triage and emergency defensive repairs.

But one of the most important duties would certainly be tending to the central rune array – no way it would be in perfect condition after a pummeling by a Cloud rank mage, Levin figured. Master Pilip, as one of the relatively few runesmiths at the Academy, would likely be one of the busiest mages on campus right now. So Levin had some time to himself.

“The central rune array really is incredible,” Levin thought to himself. “And I’ll have to do something about it.”

Levin reached into his pocket, pulling out a blank wooden slip. Sabotaging the central rune array just like Lethridge would be impossible. Even if he pulled it off, the one hundred Wisp ranks would repel any attack the Mage Hunters could pull off. If Levin wanted to make a difference, he’d have to change the central rune array, but that would be far too obvious.

So he’d have to be clever instead. Levin picked up an engraving tool, carving lines into the soft wood with it. He had no ink, instead using the metal to simply leave grooves behind. The small piece took about half an hour to complete, but Levin hoped with practice he could finish much faster.

He had his Y-Link engaged as he worked, ensuring his lines were accurate and precise. With it came a familiar pressure against the back of his head, a result of the active simulations being run. It certainly didn’t help that he was also sending Cho over to the Mage Hunters to inform them of the attack by Silla. With everything that needed to be done, Levin had no choice but to grow accustomed to the persistent headaches.

Levin held up the carved slip in one hand, and in his other hand he held up his own identity token, comparing the two. As his Y-Link took precise measurements, the outcome was clear – the two slips were exactly the same. The only difference was the one Levin had just carved held no ink.

“Kirima was right, that we had a chance to help the slaves at the mine precisely because the central rune array didn’t resist us. So what could Uki do if I managed to sneak her entire army inside?” Levin thought, starting on a new blank slip.

He would have to brew the ink for these later. Even with Master Pilip gone, trying to brew in his lab was just asking for trouble. But with the small wooden slips, it would be easy to hide what he was doing if someone suddenly walked in on Levin. Even if caught, he could claim it was simply practice.

Suddenly, Levin felt as though a weight had been cleared from his mind. His simulations had ended, the calculations complete. And in its place, a new rune. Levin already had all the Chaos Buds from Lethridge, so all that was left was to brew the ink. The ink for the counterfeit identity tokens would have to wait – he would be spending his night on this.

“The first of my weapons to defeat Amaq is done. After this I just need to upgrade Cho’s runes and receive Bolt from Master Pilip.”

***

Takt stood in a small town a fair ways south of Inuvik City, outside a bustling shop with a column of smoke rising from a chimney near the rear. The sounds of conversation within were punctuated by the rhythmic sound of metal striking metal and the whoosh of flames.

Takt pushed open the door, revealing a room lined with weapons and armor of all kinds. The loud noises came through a door in the back, with only a small shick-shick of a knife carving wood coming from the room Takt stood in.

“Hello sir! What can I help you with today?” asked a petite girl, about ten or eleven, setting aside a knife and half-completed wooden carving as she focused on Takt.

“Hello, Fusa. I’d like to speak with your father,” Takt responded, examining the weapons on display at the same time.

“Oh! You know me?” Fusa asked in surprise.

“I do, but you’ve grown quite a bit since I last saw you. I’ve known your father since we were about your age,” Takt said.

“Let me go get him. Please wait a moment, sir,” she responded, heading through the door to the back room.

As the door opened, the conversation went from muffled to distinct, allowing Takt to clearly hear the person speaking.

“No, you fool! What use is strength if you don’t know how to use it!? We are craftsmen, not Chimera! We pride ourselves on our skill!” came the enraged voice of a middle-aged man.

The voice quieted down a moment later as Fusa entered the room, and she soon returned with the middle-aged man who had been the source of the shouting. He wore a smiling expression now, one of a salesman approaching a potential customer, but his smile quickly faded when he saw who stood before him.

His face took on a serious, hardened look as he turned away from Takt while picking up an axe from the wall, stroking it softly though his mind was clearly far elsewhere. After a moment he sighed, returning the axe to the wall.

“Aki! Toa! Get out here!” he shouted, and two young men, similar in age and appearance to Fusa, emerged from the room.

Seeing the expression on their father’s face, they tactfully remained quiet, examining the stranger to their store with unveiled interest. Satisfied with the attitude of his boys, the man turned to face Takt once more.

“I figured you’d be coming soon. It’s finally time, huh?” he said, and his three children immediately took on confused expressions.

“I know it’s been many years since we’ve spoken, Goro. I hope you’re still willing to honor our promise,” Takt said.

Goro closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. When he opened them again, they were filled with the light of passion.

“Of course I’m willing! If I wasn’t willing, how could dear Suhpa ever rest in peace?” he exclaimed.

“What does mom have to do with…?” Aki began to ask, but couldn’t find the words to complete his question as they choked up in his throat.

Goro turned to his three children, a light shining in his eyes that they had never seen before.

“Kids, this is Takt. You’ve all met him before, when you were very young,” he said with a hint of pride.

The three young adults formed shocked expressions, staring bug-eyed at Takt, who stood there solemnly.

“The Takt!?” Toa suddenly exclaimed.

Goro let out a hearty laugh at their reactions before he responded.

“That’s right, the Takt! Although, old friend, you’ve been gone for a very long time. It’s good to see you well,” Goro said, turning back towards Takt.

“It’s good to see you as well. I apologize for not keeping in contact – it would’ve put you and your family at risk. But the time has come that I need your skill once more,” he said.

“I never held it against you. Antigo changed us both, but I always held hope that you would remember our childhood promise,” Goro said. “Come with me.”

Goro led Takt and his children back into the workshop, where a smithy was alive with heat. He walked past a pair of half-completed blades, towards a wooden trapdoor set into the ground in the corner. From his neck he pulled a chain with a key, and used it to unlock the door.

A steep and narrow set of stairs led into the earth, and Goro lit a wall-set torch to illuminate the place. Amidst flickering shadows, Takt followed him down, stepping out into an expansive basement. The light of the torch caught purchase, reflecting off of hundreds of pieces of polished steel.

Shelves of weapons, filling every space of the region. Saved up over a lifetime of forging metal.

“If you’re here, it must mean you’ve kept your end of the promise,” Goro said.

Takt smiled. It was as if he could already taste the liquor that they would share after all this. “Thank you, old friend.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Goro guffawed, clutching at his belly. Behind him, his children looked around, stunned.

“There’s one more thing, Goro.”

“Oh?”

“Take a look at this,” Takt said, extending a small pouch towards the blacksmith.

Goro accepted the bag, which clinked noisily as the contents shifted. He opened the pouch, and a glittering, silver-white light entered his eyes. Goro began to shake.

“These… These are dragon scales!”

“That’s right. And you’re the only person I trust with them,” Takt said.

“Dragon scales!?” exclaimed Toa, as both he and Aki crowded around their father to gaze into the bag.

“Can you make armor out of them?” Takt asked.

Goro stared captivated, struggling to wrest his eyes away from the bag. After a moment, he pried himself away and met Takt’s gaze.

“Of course I can! With these, I’ll make the greatest piece of armor Trurok has ever seen! But… this amount is likely only enough for a single small piece,” Goro said, his voice containing a mix of excitement and disappointment.

Takt chuckled at his answer.

“That bag is only a small fraction of what we have,” he said teasingly, and Goro swooned.

At that moment, the door to Goro’s workshop blasted open violently, causing everyone inside to jump in surprise. They hurried up out of the basement, searching for the surprise visitor.

“Sorry, these talons aren’t great for opening doors,” came a voice out of a large metal bird.

***

“One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Six!” shouted Miki, each number accompanied with an outward thrust of his spear, the sharp end covered up for safety.

Behind him, a dozen and half or so men and women mimicked Miki’s movements, holding a variety of tools ranging from dull and aged iron spears or swords to large sticks that had clearly been picked up off the ground, and everything in between.

“Great job everyone! That’s our last set of the day!” Miki shouted, looking out with shining, hopeful eyes at the people gathered before him.

As he said that, the people gathered before him either doubled over or fully dropped to the ground, letting their practice weapons fall to their side as they struggled to catch their breath. Despite the exhaustion everyone felt as a result of Miki’s training regimen, everyone’s faces were positively glowing, energized by the hope of a better future, armed with the knowledge that the group they were assisting had already taken victory after victory from the most powerful organizations in Trurok.

Miki smiled widely as he looked at those before him, joy and pride swelling up within him as he saw each of them giving it their all and clearly willing to give even more.

“Look at these people, mages! You’ve created every single one of them, and now they’ll bring you all down!” Miki thought, seeing the same fire that fueled himself inside every person before him.

“Master Miki, could I ask something…” said one of Miki’s trainees, accompanied by two others.

Miki felt a sudden surge of pride and accomplishment at the word ‘master,’ but he quickly reminded himself of how much of the path of a warrior he had left to climb.

“Just call me Miki. What is it?” he replied.

“When will we get proper weapons, like them?” the person asked, gesturing towards the only two amongst Miki’s group of trainees wielding proper iron weapons, weapons they had brought on their own.

“Of course everyone will be getting real weapons! In fact, we even have someone who will be supplying magic artifacts!” Miki exclaimed, loud enough for everyone to hear, introducing a renewed vigor to an already determined group.

“And besides,” Miki continued, lowering his voice so only the three who had approached him could hear his next words. “Their weapons are poor. Definitely not good enough for an actual battle. We’ll be giving them upgrades, the same ones you guys will get.”

Between his declaration and his quiet explanation, the three who had approached him were very satisfied, talking excitedly amongst themselves as they returned to their training area.

While Miki’s trainees rested, another group suddenly appeared within their sight, emerging from the dense tree cover common to the area around Inuvik City and Academy. Miki immediately grabbed his trusty spear as he carefully examined the approaching group, but he soon dropped the weapon before rushing towards them.

“Yotti!” Miki exclaimed, giving his fellow Hunter a big bear hug.

“It’s good to see the training is coming along well,” Yotti said, returning the hug at the same time as he skimmed over the group resting from their training.

“Of course! Everyone is just as dedicated as we are!” Miki said energetically, releasing his companion from the hug to look over the people behind him.

“These are your newest recruits,” Yotti said, waving back towards the people Miki was already looking at.

“You all… are from the Indep clan!” Miki exclaimed.

“You know them?” Yotti said in surprise, but as he looked at the people behind him, he saw that they clearly recognized Miki too.

“Of course I do! They were the first slaves I ever freed! Back then, the Mage Hunters were just me, Takt, and Uki,” Miki answered.

“And we could never forget you, Miki. You gave us our lives back,” said a man at the front of the group.

“I’ve never even heard of the Indep clan,” Yotti said, mildly embarrassed but happy nonetheless.

“They were a tiny clan, and collapsed soon after we freed all their slaves,” Miki explained to Yotti. “I’m glad all of you are still willing to fight for us even though your original captors are long gone!” he exclaimed, looking back at the group before him.

“We owe you our lives. Even if it’s been many years, that hasn’t changed,” the man at the front answered, his resolve reflected amongst everyone in the group.

“Together, we can make a difference,” Miki said happily. “How many of you are good with a bow?”

“I’ve already had the ones with archery experience head towards Nano,” Yotti answered.

“Ah, perfect! How has his training been going?” Miki asked in response.

“It seems he’s an even stricter teacher than you, Miki,” Yotti chuckled in response.

“Archery demands it,” came a voice from behind the group, catching the others off guard.

The gathered freedmen stepped aside, allowing a teenaged boy to walk out towards Miki and Yotti.

“Dammit Nano, why do you surprise us every time you speak!?” Miki exclaimed.

Nano simply smiled in response, the quiet boy not saying anything further. The two Mage Hunters flinched in surprise once more, however, as a large metallic bird swooped out from the trees behind Nano.

“Ah, Yotti, you’re here too. Perfect,” came a voice from the bird. “I have some updates to share.”

***

Nestled deep in the south-western highlands of the mountain range that stretches all around Trurok, a tiny village had erected simple yet functional log cabins that ran along the meeting ridge of two tall mountains. The inhabitants of this village had created a multi-tiered terrace that traveled up the near sides of both mountains that flanked their small settlement, and a few individuals could be seen toiling away in the fields, far fewer than normal.

Near the center of the village, inside one of the larger cabins, Jess stood, surrounded by the people of this village.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t join you in this fight,” said a man in the center of the group, holding a small baby in his arms.

Jess’s gaze lingered on the tiny child, before she looked around at the rest of the room. The people who stood before her looked back with sympathetic, apologetic eyes, but each without the tiniest indication they would fight.

Men and women alike stood around Jess, but what she noticed clearly was the grouping of couples within the room, each person here clearly one half of a marriage, many of the women pregnant, and a few others holding children of their own.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the life you’ve given us,” the original speaker said. “And a few years ago, we would have been willing to risk them in the fight to free Trurok. But since then, we’ve all found something we’re not willing to risk giving up. I hope you can understand.”

“Of course I understand,” she said, conflicted feelings rising up as she looked at the budding families around her.

“Us Mage Hunters, we fight for the future of Trurok, for the future of the people living in Trurok. Everyone who is willing to stand up to the mages of Trurok are people who’ve had their future taken away from them. You were like that when we freed you, but now you’ve made a new future for yourselves.

“If we demanded you come with us, we would be taking that future away from you. We wouldn’t be the Mage Hunters anymore. Truly, I’m happy for all of you, because the lives I see before me now are what we fight for,” Jess said, smiling at those around her.

“Thank you,” the man said, speaking for everyone present. “We’ll never forget what you all have done for us.”

Jess nodded in response to his grateful words, turning to leave. However, as she did, a single man and woman in the group were staring at each other somberly, coming to an unspoken agreement.

“Wait,” the woman said, as she and the man stepped forward.

Jess turned back in surprise, looking at the two of them as they stepped out.

“We’ll join you,” the woman said with determination, and the man nodded in agreement.

Jess opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, another person spoke up.

“Inuk, we should at least give them food and supplies,” said the woman standing beside the man who had spoken for the others.

Inuk turned to look back at the woman with a soft gaze as he cradled their child.

“Of course, you’re right,” Inuk said to the woman before looking back at Jess. “I can’t believe we almost let you walk away empty handed. Our village doesn’t have much, but we offer you all we have.”

Jess smiled ear to ear as she looked first at the couple who wanted to join them and then to the villagers willing to help supply them.

“Thank you so much!” she exclaimed.

Everyone pitched in to help gather, bundle, and load up food and spare clothing they had available to give, saddling it onto a pair of horses before handing the reins over to Jess. She and the couple waved goodbye to the village, leading the beasts of burden away from the village and down the mountain in the direction of Miki and Nano’s training camp.

The three of them had barely put the village behind them when a large metal bird suddenly dropped out of the sky before them, landing abruptly on a rock along their path. The man and woman yelped in surprise as they stared fixedly at the bird, unsure of what to do, but Jess reacted calmly.

“It’s a good thing you only just left, Jess. It would’ve been much harder to find you in the wilderness,” Levin said through Cho.

“Has something happened?” Jess replied.