The gang leader approached me, twirling his knife menacingly. Despite the intimidating sight, I felt an odd draw towards him, as if sinking in quicksand. A sudden insight struck me about the source of this feeling—it was his shadow artifact exerting its influence. But how could I possibly confront someone favored by the sphere?

“Don’t be an idiot!” Zer interjected, visibly exasperated with my hesitations. “Challenge him to a fistfight. Hurt his pride. Make him realize he’s nothing without that knife, just a worthless piece of shit.”

Zer resettled into his seat, eager to get this over with. If he had a beer in hand, it would have looked like a scene straight out of a bar brawl.

Unsure if these ruffians knew anything about pride but short on options, I decided to take Zer’s advice. Dropping my small knife, I called out to Eye, “Hey! Let’s see who’s really strong. Drop that blade. Are you gonna hide behind it like a scared kid behind his mom’s skirt? Are you more than just ‘Eye’ for having one good eye?”

“You jerk.” Eye spat, squinting his lone eye. “You think you’re tough? I could drink for a week and still beat the shit out of you.”

He flipped his knife, catching it by the blade, and tossed it onto the table with a clatter. I inwardly sighed in relief at his bravado or stupidity; the upcoming fight was to test which he actually had.

“Watch my eyes closely. They’ll be the last thing you see.”

“Your eye,” I corrected.

“What?”

“You meant, ‘Watch my eye’!” I explained.

That casual remark seemed to hit him harder than any physical blow. Eye charged at me, throwing wild punches. I dodged, slipping under his arm at the last second, landing a hit at the vulnerable spot where a soldier’s helmet guard meets the chainmail.

Staggering, Eye dropped to all fours, clearly disoriented. I wondered if this was really the same feared Eye, or if the aftereffects of his drinking were still impairing him.

“That’s it, beggar. You’re done for!” he growled, clumsily getting to his feet.

I assumed a left-side defensive stance, ready for whatever move he might make next, or so I thought.

As Eye’s fist arced towards my chin, I ducked on reflex, but a swift kick to my torso caught me off guard. He capitalized on the moment with a left hook to my jaw. The impact echoed loudly, spinning me around and painfully reminding me of his brute strength. Another hit like that could be the end of me.

I collapsed onto the stones, writhing in pain, then quickly rolled away, narrowly dodging a kick aimed at my head. “Wish I had your golden chainmail now,” I muttered to Zer, barely avoiding another kick.

“Remember, I used up all my strength in our mental battle,” Zer replied. “You’ve got to handle this one on your own.”

“You’re kidding! What if he kills me?”

“It’s possible. Keep your stance wide and use your whole body to dodge, not just your upper half.”

That advice was easier said than done. Eye came at me again, this time with a flying kick aimed at my head. I managed to block it with the edge of my palm, digging my feet into the ground to absorb the impact.

“Nice move, Crane Flight!” Zer exclaimed. “Your opponent knows his stuff.”

“What now?” I shouted, parrying Eye’s relentless punches and knee strikes.

“Hit him in the tendons and ligaments from behind. You know where to find them, right?”

“Got it,” I responded, narrowly evading another wide swing.

Eye was skilled, but his eagerness to finish the fight made him overextend his strikes. Spotting this flaw, I ducked under his punch and struck just below his knee. The joint gave a sickening crunch, bending unnaturally.

Eye screamed, a sound that filled the entire village, as he fell, clutching his injured knee.

“Finish him off!” Zer urged, sensing my hesitation. “You need that artifact.”

I pushed aside any thoughts of mercy, remembering the tormented faces of the villagers. Justice had to prevail.

With a heavy heart, I delivered a final, decisive blow, channeling all the sorrow and pain Eye had caused into it. He collapsed unconscious at my feet, and a sense of relief washed over me.

“Eat his artifact! Now! Before he wakes up!” Zer’s voice broke through my thoughts.

Startled, I asked, “Eat it? How?”

“Imagine grabbing something intangible. Take it and swallow it. Hurry!” Zer urged.

It was then I noticed the other bandits starting to emerge from the tables and nearby houses, their eyes fixed on us. That’s why Zer was so insistent.

I quickly moved to the fallen Eye, pressing my hand against his neck where, in the spiritual realm, his shadow wore a grimy beige collar. Grasping it, I felt his shadow twist and contort as if physically connected to the artifact. With a firm tug, the collar came free, and I placed it in my mouth, chewing on what felt like slightly thickened air.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

To anyone watching, my actions must’ve seemed bizarre, but the sensation of power spreading through my shadow was undeniable. Each bite seemed to slow time, revealing a mesmerizing spectacle around me.

Zer’s laughter echoed slowly as he clapped his hands in approval. The bandits charging at me with various weapons appeared to be moving through molasses, their legs struggling against an invisible resistance. Even the wind seemed to lose its vigor, lazily lifting the leaves in a slow dance above the village.

“S-t-r-i-k-e t-h-e-m d-o-w-n i-n y-o-u-r e-u-p-h-o-r-i-a!” Zer’s voice boomed, elongated and distorted, but his intention was clear.

Six bandits approached, their shouts and weapon swings lethargic and clumsy. A spear thrown my way moved faster than the rest, and I easily plucked it from the air.

In the army, they teach you to fight as a unit, think as a unit. And a unit is armed with spears and wide shields. The third line only has spears, using them from behind others’ shields. We have good discipline but weak personal training.

But now I was alone against a disorderly gang, their movements more beastlike than soldierly. The rush of combat filled me with an unfamiliar sense of power and clarity.

The first attacker fell as my spear pierced his eye socket, the force amplified by the newly absorbed artifact. I quickly retracted the spear, prepared for the next strike.

“Don’t aim for the head! Target the limbs, don’t maim them,” Zer instructed, his voice returning to normal as the artifact’s effects began to wane.

I incapacitated another bandit with a blow to his thigh. His comrade, distracted, was my next target. The intensity of the fight was thrilling, but it was abruptly interrupted by a sharp pain in my left arm – a shuriken had found its mark.

Who threw it?

Spotting the skinny bandit in a black bandana, decked out in throwing knives, I made a quick decision. Within moments, my spear pinned him against a table, his arsenal rendered useless.

I continued, now unarmed but feeling almost invincible. I sidestepped a sword attack and struck the assailant’s throat with my fist. He dropped his weapon, gasping for air as he collapsed.

The last bandit, seeing his companions defeated, yelled, “I’m out of here!” and fled.

“Not bad for a first time,” Zer observed. “Now, address the villagers. Tell them they’re free and ask for food and rest. I’ll mark the wounded and unconscious bandits.”

“Why tell them they’re free?” I asked, catching my breath.

“People love heroes, and you just saved them from this scum. So, what does that make you? Right. Their dumb hero,” Zer explained, bending over to brand Eye.

As the villagers cautiously began to emerge from their hiding places, they eyed me with a mix of awe and apprehension. Sitting at the table, I was ravenously devouring the food in front of me, driven by an intense hunger that stemmed from the recent absorption of my first artifact.

“You, good sir, from where have you come to save us?” asked the mayor, his voice trembling slightly as he glanced warily at the unconscious bandits strewn around.

“I…” I began, my thoughts racing about how to request supplies for our journey.

“Hey! Why did you start without me?” Blik exclaimed, leaping out of the shrubs with a long dress in hands.

“Your hand, it needs bandaging,” the mayor noted, observing my injury.

“He’s always finding trouble,” a familiar voice said from behind me.

Turning around, I was shocked to see Lara, my childhood friend. Dressed in light-brown travel clothes and carrying a backpack, she approached the table with a mixture of surprise, anger, and relief in her eyes.

“Lara, why are you here?” I asked, my mouth still full of food.

“First finish chewing, Rhys,” she chided, shaking her head. She sat next to me, eyeing the bandit pinned with a spear and the knife in the table with caution. “I have some bad news, and you have some explaining to do.”

“My lord!” the mayor called out. “Should we impale these before they come to?”

“No need. They won’t cause any more trouble,” I assured him, while observing Zer marking the bandits’ shadows. The mayor bowed and retreated into the village.

“Rhys, how did you end up like this? Not even a regular rogue but a wizard?” Lara asked, pulling out bandages and herbal compresses from her backpack and starting to tend to my arm.

While I focused on my meal, Lara placed something on the table that caught my eye. It was a wanted poster with a strikingly accurate portrait of me, accompanied by the words:

WANTED: DANGEROUS WIZARD!

REWARD: 100,000 bronze coins from the royal treasury.

Nearly chocking, I quickly flipped the poster over to hide it from the villagers, but not before Blik got a glimpse of it.

“Just like the emperor said,” he commented, popping another piece of fish into his mouth.

“After the black knight came showing your portraits, the soldiers turned Trest upside down, every single house,” Lara continued, her gaze now fixed on Blik. “They even brought royal mages. They read my thoughts. Rhys, what mess have you gotten into?”

I was still grappling with how to respond to Lara’s intense questioning when the mayor interrupted us again. “Pardon me, sir, but could you tell us the name of our savior?”

“Don’t. Tell,” Lara hissed under her breath.

Caught off-guard, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, a surreal image from my recent experience: “Uh… Baboon?”

The mayor, mistaking my confused response for a genuine answer, nodded and continued, “Well, Monsieur Baboon, our village often attends fairs and performs shows. As a token of our gratitude, we’d be honored to entertain you with a performance once we’ve taken care of...” He gestured vaguely toward the bodies.

“Oh, these folks… They did slit the throats of some rogues in their sleep,” Zer’s voice chimed in as he materialized beside me. Noticing Lara, he added with a hint of amusement, “Ah, your friend’s here too! Quite a fun time you’ve had, eh, Rhys?”

“Yeah, a real riot,” I replied dryly, gesturing towards the bandits who were beginning to stir, sitting up in a line against a wall. Among them was Eye, looking dazed and disoriented.

Zer surveyed the scene. “They’re now my subjects. I’ll leave them here to assist the village. Shame only nine could be salvaged; the others were too damaged.”

“Rhys? Who are you talking to?” Lara gave me a light smack on the head to snap me back to reality.

“By the way,” the emperor remarked, “she’s got a gift too. Let’s initiate her through the sphere. I bet she’ll make a great healer.”

Uh, we have a situation here, I thought, rubbing my nape as I flipped the paper over.

Zer chuckled. “Haha. A hundred thousand? That’s way too low. If only these idiots knew who’s walking with you.”

I winced as Lara jabbed at my freshly bandaged wound. “Damn you, Rhys! Who are you talking to?” she demanded.

“Lara, just... calm down, okay? I’ll explain everything. Just give me a minute.”

Before I could continue, the mayor approached us again with another question. “What kind of performance would you like to see, Monsieur Baboon?”

Blik, mid-bite into a piece of bread, perked up, his face lighting up. “Do you have anything about Zer Ilkaar?”

“About Zer the Bloody? Absolutely. We’ll prepare it right away.”

I gave Lara a resigned look. “Let’s just eat and watch their show. Might be interesting.”

Zer, seemingly pleased, took a seat at the table, a satisfied grin on his face as he watched the villagers carry away the bandit impaled by the spear. “Finally, a place where they remember me,” he mused aloud.