Lycan wiped the sweat off his forehead. He took an oiled rag and began rubbing it on the armour. This was the sixth and last set of armour he had to clean today. Back home, his family had servants to polish their armour. He knew the basics, of course. He had tutors to teach him how to prepare to become a squire, including armour maintenance.

Satisfied with his work, he called out to his Knight. "I'm finished, ma'am."

The Bhayangkara stopped sharpening her needles. She brought the needle close to her eyes and nodded before placing it back into her bun. She got up from her desk and made her way to the floor where Lycan was.

"Good, good," she uttered.

She then looked to the window outside and placed her hands behind her back, not saying anything.

A few moments later, a knock came from the door.

"Enter, Commander Zakri," she said.

The door opened, and the guard Lycan saw on his first day entered.

"How may I be of service, Madam Alez?" Commander Zakri asked.

The Bhayangkara did not answer. Commander Zakri finally noticed Lycan sitting on the floor surrounded by armour. The Commander took a quick glance at the armours and returned his glance to Alez.

"The armour is acceptable if we are out in the field," Commander Zakri commented.

Alez turned around to face the Commander and nodded. "Thank you, Commander Zakri. I always appreciate your opinions."

Taking her words as the queue to leave, the Commander nodded. "Very well, ma'am." And left.

Lycan was aware that this was all for show and had long since gotten used to this teaching method.

"I'll do better, ma'am," Lycan said.

"That's all I want you to do," replied Alez. She took a knife out of her desk drawer and exited her office. "Let's go, Lycan."

Alez led Lycan down a flight of stairs and into an empty room. She stood at the centre of the room.

"I assume you already know the concept behind blue fire?" Alez asked.

Lycan nodded.

"Good. Then I want you to attempt it." She pointed at a metal-covered section of the wall.

Not receiving any further orders, Lycan opened his palms and transmuted his flame. The flame struck the centre of the wall, and the metal glowed red.

"More," the Knight ordered.

Lycan poured as much strength as he could, but his fire remained orange.

"Concentrate it," Alez continued. "Bend it to your will. Force it."

Lycan tried to obey. He commanded the flames to remain together, not allowing them to drift apart. The pillar of flame began to condense.

"Tighter!" Alez yelled so her squire could hear him over the roars of the fire.

Lycan kept transmuting. His flames refused his command. They wanted to be free. Lycan tasted blood in his mouth, and his vision turned red. His arms stiffened, and looking down, he saw his veins bulging out of his skin.

"Do not stop!" Lycan heard Alez’s voice. Her voice was so soft, even though he knew she was yelling.

Lycan kept transmuting. And then his limbs froze, and his flame died. Lycan felt a thug on the back of his shirt, holding him steady. He tried to stand, but his legs gave out.

"Five seconds," the Knight said straight into his ear. "Steady yourself."

After regaining his breath, he felt strength return to his limbs. Looking back, Lycan saw that the commander held a stone against his neck. After five seconds, she let go, and Lycan managed to stand.

"What was that?" Lycan asked Alez, who was already making her way to examine the metal wall.

"Healing stones," Alez answered. Not bothered by the heat of the glowing metal, she ran a finger through the black soot.

"I've never seen or heard of one before," Lycan muttered.

"Only the Kingdom of Ronan knew how to make it. They took their secrets to the grave." Alez rubbed the soot on her fingers, frowning.

"Why did we not re-engineer it? It could save many lives?"

"We tried," Alez shrugged. "None succeed."

She looked up from her fingers and to her squire. "There's too much soot. You need to burn it all."

"I don't understand," said Lycan.

"When you shoot your flames, you focus on the ones you transmute from your tenaga. You did not attempt to burn what was already around you," Alez explained. "The air. The dust. Everything."

"No one ever taught me that," Lycan stated after a moment.

"Because ninety-nine per cent of flame elementalists will die if they attempt it," Alez smirked. "Congratulations. You're the one per cent," She flicked her head toward the metal wall.

"Let me try again," Lycan grunted. "I think I know what you mean."

"In a moment," Alez advised. "You'll need time to regain your strength." She took a sword from a rack on the side of the wall and tossed it to Lycan. "In the meantime. Show me how you are with the sword."

-------------

Mataram marched through the forest with a regiment. There were around fifty of them, and forty of them were rats. The rats of barrack 58 were immediately deployed the following day after he arrived. Everyone was silent, eyeing their surroundings. The Captain, an Earth elementalist, led the front, feeling for any traps or hidden tunnels.

Their orders were to clear tunnels close to the enemy outpost in preparation for an assault. The Captain raised his hands. He made several gestures that Mataram did not recognise and pointed in several directions. Buttercup signalled the squad to follow him.

They made their way to the right and stopped. The squad squatted low, and Mataram followed.

"There's a hidden tunnel entrance right there," Buttercup whispered. "We're going in and exterminating the mudmen inside," Buttercup explained, using the derogatory slur of the tribes.

Buttercup stood up and made some signs at the Captain, who responded with hand signals.

"He can't tell how deep it goes. But he thinks the entrances connect to the same tunnel," Buttercup explained.

"It's my turn, innit?" Guppy darkened.

"Aye," Cutie nodded.

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

"I can go," Mataram cut in.

"You'll watch and learn," Eunuch told Matara, "unless you're that desperate to go home in a body bag."

Guppy patted his back, ensuring his tools were where he needed them. He made his way to where Buttercup pointed. "Ready," Guppy said.

Buttercup nodded and signalled the Captain. Mataram looked around. He could not see the tunnel entrance; he could only see grass and foliage.

"Now!" Buttercup barked. Several other knights also shouted the same.

Guppy jumped. Mataram watched as the ground beneath Guppy opened into a hole, and the man disappeared.

"Come on," Scissoring told Mataram.

The rest of the regiment formed a perimeter around the tunnel entrances. A few sorcerers made their way up on the trees. The Captain remained inside the perimeter, eyes closed and a hand on the ground.

Mataram heard a scream from one of the tunnel entrances, quickly followed by silence. The Captain raised his other hand and pointed at the entrance. Another rat dove in.

Outside, the forest was quiet. Only the sound of the wind and occasional animals filled the air. Mataram transmuted tenaga to amplify his hearing, and his eardrums nearly burst.

All at once, the knights in the tunnels screamed.

"Incoming!" One of the knights on the trees yelled.

Mataram looked up at the source of the yell. The knight jumped from the trees and swung her sword mid-air at an incoming blur. Her sword rang as it met the sword of an enemy knight.

A few more blurs appeared, and several of their knights were cut down where they stood.

"It's a trap!" The second in command yelled.

Mataram turned towards the Captain and found him dead with a knife sticking out of one of his eyes.

Mataram heard the flickering of leaves from his front and swung his sword. He heard a clang as his blade met an incoming knife. He transmuted the wind and stretched his palms. The foliage was blown back, revealing their enemies for a second. Rows of enemy Knights dressed in camouflage patterns and colours with weapons ready were rushing towards them.

An enemy knight came straight at Mataram, swinging his axe at Mataram's head.

Cutie came from the side and stabbed a dagger through the knight's neck. Blood spurted through the hole as the enemy dropped to the ground, choking.

"Protect the entrance!" Buttercup yelled. "I'm going in for Guppy!"

Without another word, Buttercup dove into the hole.

Mataram felt a hand grabbed his shirt and pulled him back. It was Cutie, and he was dragging him to stand by the hole where Guppy and Buttercup had entered. Scissoring and Eunuch were standing nearby, fighting off a pair of enemy knights. Cutie stabbed one of the knights through the back. Caught by surprise from the sudden death of his ally, the remaining enemy knight faltered. Scissoring and Eunuch took her down.

They formed a circle around the hole. "Six coming from there!" Mataram yelled, pointing in the direction of the footsteps he heard.

Cutie took the swords from the downed knights and tossed one to Mataram. "Better steel," he said.

Mataram caught the sword. It was heavier, but he could tell Cutie was right from a single glance of the blade. Six enemy knights appeared from the foliage, rushing towards them. Mataram met the blade of one of them. Using his other sword, he stabbed the woman's side. She screamed, and Mataram twisted the blade before ripping it out. Blood and organs poured out of her as she fell.

Turning to face the others, Mataram saw that Cutie was fighting two of them at once. Cutie was fending them off well, but the size difference gave him a reach disadvantage.

Mataram dried the eyes of the knights, buying a second for Cutie. When the knights inadvertently shut their eyes, Cutie took advantage and slipped out of their reach and sliced their necks.

Mataram turned to the other three enemies. Eunuch and Scissoring were fighting with their backs against each other. Blood was pouring down Eunuch's head, while Scissoring had a deep gash on her arm. Mataram rushed to help and dried the enemies' eyes. Mataram stabbed one in the chest, while Eunuch and Scissoring killed the other two.

"Retreat!" someone yelled.

Mataram saw it was the second in command rushing towards them.

"Guppy and Buttercup are still alive, I think," Mataram said between breaths. "I can hear them."

Eunuch nodded and pointed her sword at the second in command. "We don't leave our own behind!" She yelled.

The second in command looked outraged and hesitated. "Your deaths!" He finally yelled, turning away to join the other fighting knights.

"Where are they now?" Scissoring asked.

"Close to the surface. They are still breathing," Mataram explained. "I'll go in. I can navigate better."

Cutie approached them near the entrance. "Go," he said."You'll need this," he handed his dagger to Mataram.

"Thanks," Mataram said, accepting the dagger and handing his swords to Cutie.

After a nod, Mataram jumped down into the tunnel. The light immediately dimmed, and Mataram struggled to see. The smell of faeces and blood nearly caused him to vomit.

He heard a soft groan, and duck walked as fast as he could towards the source. As he got close, he saw a faint light around a corner that he reckoned came from Buttercup's match.

As he came closer, he saw Buttercup's head popping out of the bend.

"I'm here!" Mataram yelled.

Buttercup's head snapped to face Mataram, and his eyes went wide. Buttercup tried to speak and began shaking.

"It's Whore," Mataram said, trying to calm the man as he approached.

Mataram's blood drained from his face. Buttercup laid on the ground with a hole in his belly. His organs were hanging out, and a lit match stick was poked on one of the organs.

Buttercup gritted his teeth. "Trap," he grunted. "Visioner."

That was when Mataram realised he had forgotten that he had heard two sets of breaths. He felt a sudden sharp pain inside his head. Buttercup must have thought it, too, because he screamed alongside Mataram.

The wind warned Mataram, and he fell backwards. A knife shot straight at where his head was.

"Kill me!" Buttercup shrieked. His eyes were wide and pleading.

Mataram did not hear footsteps approaching; instead, he felt the wind shifting. Mataram stammered backwards as a hand reached for the knife that had become stuck on the wall.

It was the enemy's visioner, floating in mid-air. They zoomed through the tunnel, blade first, but found themselves stuck before they could reach Mataram. Their knife was less than an inch away from Mataram.

Buttercup had bit down on the enemy's hair. It was only a moment, but it felt like a long time for Mataram. He met Buttercup's wide eyes. His eyes held anger and determination but also acceptance.

"Do it!" Buttercup's muffled yell echoed through the tunnel.

Something inside Mataram snapped, and he screamed. It felt as if his body and mind moved on its own. One moment, he saw Buttercup and the enemy struggling. The next, they were no longer there. Instead, there was only blood. Their bodies had burst, and not even an organ was left. Mataram's ears rang.

The blast must have pushed Mataram back as he felt two hands lifting him from the tunnel's entrance. He was lying flat on the ground.

"Whore!" He heard a woman yell.

Mataram felt a hard slap on his cheek.

"Where are they?" she asked. It was Scissoring, Mataram recognised once his vision recovered from the sudden light.

"Dead," he muttered.

Scissoring looked up and shook her head. "They're dead," she said.

Mataram turned to look at who she was talking to. Cutie and Eunuch were fending off three men.

"Shit!" Cutie swore. "Let's join the others; they shouldn't be far."

"Can you walk?" Eunuch asked, putting Mataram's arm around her shoulder and began lifting him.

Mataram nodded. "Yeah," he muttered.

As they retreated, Mataram saw that a handful of other rat squads had also stayed behind.

"Why are we abandoning them?" Mataram asked.

"We're rats," Eunuch grunted from Mataram's shoulder. "We don't abandon our own if we can help it. But we look after our squad first. "

Eunuch was wounded, Mataram could tell. He felt her blood seeping into his clothes.

Mataram opened his mouth, but Eunuch stopped him.

"I'm fine," she growled. "Just a scratch."

"I know," Mataram muttered. "The other rats. Tell them their squad mates are dead. There are no more breaths inside the tunnels."

Eunuch stared at Mataram and nodded.

"You're tunnel rats are dead! My wind sorcerer has confirmed!" Eunuch yelled.

A few of the rats swore, and most of them joined the retreat. A few stayed behind for reasons unknown to Mataram.

When they finally reached the main group, Mataram's blood boiled.

The second in command, now Captain, eyed them. "I want my orders obeyed," he bellowed. "Do you know how many men we lost?"

No one answered.

"Thirty," the Captain snapped.

Mataram eyed the group that had retreated earlier. There were eight of them. None were rats. The ones meant to protect them had left at the earliest opportunity.

Seeing that no one had anything to say, the Captain turned around and signalled to begin marching.

Mataram opened his mouth to snap back, but Eunuch spoke to him first.

"There's no point," Eunuch said.

"He abandoned us," Mataram seethed.

"And what do you want to do, hmm? He's a highborn and our commanding officer. There's nothing we could do to him." Eunuch's eyes narrowed at the retreating form of the Captain. "And there is nothing he could do to us. We're too precious. And they're not willing to do our jobs."

Mataram breathed, calming his anger. "How long did you know them? Buttercup and Guppy," he asked as they walked.

"Not long," Eunuch admitted. "I only arrived four days ago."

Mataram's eyes widened.

"But I know them well enough to trust them with my life," Eunuch continued and looked down. "And that they won't abandon me."

"Yeah, same," Mataram replied.

Eunuch nodded at Cutie, who was walking not far in front of them. "Cutie knows them more. They came together a few days before me."

"Damn," Mataram muttered. "That quick, huh."

Eunuch nodded. "That's why we don't use our real names. Same reason we won't talk about Guppy or Buttercup after today."

"Least said soonest mended," Mataram muttered the words he remembered.

When they got near the camp, it was getting dark. The camp lit like a bonfire. Screams and the clang of metals filled the air. They heard yells of orders and footsteps charging against one another in the camp from the distance.

Something fell from the sky in a loud thud. It was the body of an Akar knight. Her limbs were twisted in unnatural ways. Blood poured out beneath the body; a knife was planted into one of her eyes.

"Shit," Scissoring swore from close by, gripping her sword tighter.

Mataram looked up and saw sorcerers fighting above. Blades danced, and knives were thrown. Bodies were falling.

"Prepare for battle!" The Captain yelled. He had found a flag with Akar's banner and was now holding it up with one hand.

"Charge!"