{Lan! You need to wake up, LAN!} Lan heard the voice say in his mind as Tyr mirrored the words with an endless barrage of impressions into his thundering mind.

When he could finally force his eyes open, Lan found four pairs of legs. Looking up and around, he found five figures, four in front of him and one off to the side, looking out of the alley.

Slowly, the forms morphed into Lawrence, Ganin, Crin and one of the workers from the warehouse. The last person, Lan, couldn’t see fully, but their build looked familiar.

Ganin looked down at him with the same smile he always wore, as if he were looking down on everyone and everything. Lawrence looked like his face would split in two as he grinned with victorious manic energy. The last person, Crin, looked at Lan with something that made his skin crawl.

Of all the people who had worked for Dell, Lan had thanked the Lords and The Mother every day that he had never been left alone with Crin. And now, as the twitching weasel of a man looked at Lan with a hunger in his eyes, he knew he had been right to be thankful, for whereas Ganin had always treated his beating as punishing a disobedient dog. Crin had always watched from the side, clearly enjoying his suffering on a deeper level.

{Lan! You were attacked and knocked out}

‘Yeah.’ Lan thought back. Ganin had always carried a blackjack for this exact reason.

Lan moved his head as much as he could. He didn’t need it spelt out what these four had in mind for him.

‘Crin, hit him.’ Ganin said, just as it looked like Lawrence would say something.

Obeying, Crin kneeled next to Lan.

‘Hi Lan, it’s been a long time.’ he breathed, pulling out a foot-long silver rod with a viper's head carved at the end. Lan knew what it was, but still unable to move, he could do nothing as Crin touched him on the neck with it. The viper's mouth snapped open, and Lan’s mind went blank as lightning twisted every muscle in his body to near breaking.

Lan fought back a cry as Crin’s eyes seemed to dance at Lan's pain.

‘Remember that feeling?’ Ganin asked, pushing Crin out of the way and dropping to eye level with Lan. ‘It looks like I still have a lesson to teach you after all these years.’ Ganin added as he pressed his Fist to Lan’s head, allowing the teeth of the skull ring he always wore to cut into Lan’s skin like he had every time he had punished Lan.

{Lan that item…}

‘I know.’ He thought, cutting her off. ‘It paralyses the body while leaving all of the pain.’ he explained, noting that there was a reason his pain threshold was so high.

{… Right… here, this should help.} the voice said a moment before a rune countdown appeared in his sight.

‘Thanks,’ Lan smiled inwardly as he watched the runes count down from one minute. All he needed was a moment’s slip-up.

‘Come now. You remember that you could talk to me, right? The Lord wishes to hear you beg.’ Ganin looked to Lawrence. ‘You can start now if you want.’

Lan looked from Ganin to Crin and then Lawrence. He knew he should be worried; he knew that both Ganin and Crin were counting down the time left, so the moment it ended, he would be shocked again, adding another level of psychological torture, while in the meantime, they would try their best to level up his pain threshold even more.

Lan knew he should be worried… but after the Goblin Camp and the Summoned Hero, even without the Hunter Song, Lan found only humour coming up.

‘I would not want to be you right now,’ he grinned back at them. ‘Because when I get out of here, and I will get out of here, I will tear you all apart.’ Clearly, that wasn’t what any of them had expected him to say, and although Lawrence looked like he would burst a blood vessel, Ganin laughed, making Crin join him nervously a moment later.

‘You know I heard you have been training with your father. From your newly found confidence, I guess it was true. But don’t forget all the things I taught you. In some ways, I am more of a father to you than he is. You wouldn’t be the man you are today without me.’ Ganin grinned.

‘I am the man I am now in spite of you, and nothing of what you “taught” me holds a candle to what I have learned from my father, but don’t worry when I get out of here, I will show you what I have learned.’ Lan said, meeting Ganin’s eyes with a look that promised a reckoning. ‘All you have to do is wait…’ Lan checked the timer. ‘Forty-seven seconds.’

Ganin’s eyes opened wide for a moment, and Crin clearly lost count as he looked at Lan like a trapper, realising the wolf in his trap may not be as restrained as he hoped.

‘Or was it fifty-five seconds… or thirty.’ Lan smiled. He had thought about not telling them, but he knew Ganin would never lose count. But now he not only knew Lan knew, but he was planning something and that little bit of anxiety would make the man slip up with a little more pushing.

Lan felt his head wrenched up as Lawrence grabbed his hair.

‘Don’t worry about the help.’ The noble sneered. ‘Worry about what I am going to do to you.’ he added, his eyes burning with a bitter black hate.

‘Forgive me… my Lord, I forgot you were here.’ Lan laughed. ‘but of all those gathered, you worry me the least.’

Lawrence's eyes flashed, and Lan gritted his teeth as he felt a blow that left a searing hot pain on his cheek. The pain was worse than he could imagine and made worse as he didn’t feel his Life Force dull the blow like it should.

‘Not laughing now, are you?’ Lawrence smiled. ‘see this?’ he said, pushing Lan’s chin up with the hand of the leather weapon. ‘this is an interrogation tool I got from a trip a few years ago. I can beat you with this all I want, and because it does not permanently damage you, your Life Force won't be saving you.’

Lawrence struck Lan again. ‘Well? Feel like running your mouth off now.’

Lan’s mind flashed with the pain, almost missing the taunt. Outside of his Life Force reaching zero, Lan had never felt anything that hurt as much as the slap.

‘Well! Not going to look down on your betters!’ The noble shouted, making Ganin turn to the lookout, who winced at the sound ringing down the alley. ‘Well!’

Lan looked up at Lawrence and realised how much he had gotten under the man’s skin. Seeing the fire in his eyes, Lan told himself he needed to be careful with his words. The wrong word or look could set him off.

So, with that in mind, Lan plastered a grin on his face and looked past Lawrence to Ganin as if he wasn’t even there.

‘I feel sorry for you, Ganin. You will get the worst of my revenge and don’t even want to be here.’ Lan said, dismissing Lawrence, whose jaw dropped.

‘You think so?’ Ganin said, shooting a look at the stunned noble.

‘Non-lethal weapons and a lookout. Dell told you you can’t kill me. If you do, he loses any chance at my family. Isn’t that right?’

Ganin shrugged smugly before Lawrence twisted Lan’s head to look at him.

‘We aren’t going to kill you, but you don’t need legs for Master Dell’s plans. Once I am done with you, Ganin is tasked with ensuring you never forget this night.’

Lan almost pointed out the flaws in the plan, the biggest being his family and what they would do when they found out and focused on pushing the noble.

‘Then how about you finish your little tantrum so the man can get to work.’ Lan shot back, watching as something snapped in the noble. As the blows rained down on Lan's head and face, he started to count, allowing the flashing to take everything from his mind but the numbers.

Suddenly, Ganin blinked and put a hand on Lawrence’s shoulder. ‘That’s enough… hey!’ he called when Lawrence didn’t stop his attack, making him pull the noble away just as the countdown reached five seconds. ‘Crin!’

With a jump, the smaller man rushed forward and shocked Lan again.

When his vision cleared, Lan grinned as he tasted blood in his mouth. ‘that was close, wasn’t it? A second later, things could have ended badly for you. Be careful because you won’t get another chance like that.’ Lan warned before Lawrence kicked him in the face, doing real damage.

[Hp 120 > 118]

Lan blinked at the reminder of the odd reactions unarmed attacks had on one’s life force. Depending on how strong the person was or how hard they hit, unarmed attacks could really rattle a person without denting the life force. Some reasoned that two people's life forces could in some way cancel each other out, Lan thought, unable to stop his mind from drifting.

‘You piece of trash! You… will… Learn!’ Lawrence shouted, breaking from Ganin and striking Lan again.

‘Keep it down,’ Lan laughed. ‘Unless you want someone to hear, you were stupid not to have taken me further away from the Guild.’

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

‘We know you have few friends in your so-called Guild.’ Ganin said.

‘Maybe we will see if this is enough to save you.’ Lan said before clearing his mind as Lawrence started his assault again. Even though the pain had been blinding, the pain was pain, and after the third stunning, Lan barely flinched.

‘You know you would think that at some point, one of you would wonder why I am so calm. The truth is this isn’t even the second time I have been in a situation like this this month, which should worry you because you are third in terms of how serious I am taking this,’ He spat. ‘And you should be asking yourself if I got out of the first and second, what chance do you have.’ Lan choked out a rough laugh as Ganin eyed him warily.

After a while, the blows stopped, and Lan opened his eyes just as he was kicked in the face.

[Hp 118 > 116]

Recovering and looking up, he found Lawrence looking at him almost disappointedly.

‘Getting bored? Well, you tried your best. Really, you should blame Ganin. He taught me well.’ Lan laughed with a mock grin as Lawrence looked like he would hit him again but then stopped himself, a smile drawing on his face as he kneeled next to Lan as Ganin’s shoulders tensed.

‘You are right.’ He agreed, and Lan sensed a change in the man’s approach. ‘I have already wasted enough time on you, especially when I have a woman waiting for me.’ He smiled as Lan cocked an eyebrow at him. ‘It’s funny.’ Lawrence leaned in with a tone of mock camaraderie. ‘You never know what you will… “discover” about a woman like her when she lets you.’ He said with a victorious look in his eye.

And like that, the last piece fell into place in Lan’s mind. That was what all this was about? Eliza…?’ at the look, Lan knew it was. It was the same hate he had once held for the man before him.

Without thinking, Lan almost spoke, just managing to bite his tongue. Even if it was about a woman like Eliza, what he had nearly said would have been dishonourable not only to Eliza but himself, The Mother, his mother, and any woman he cared about.

Lan thought before looking at the countdown, to the triumph in Lawrence’s eyes, the tension in Ganin’s shoulders and back to the countdown.

With a promise to make an offering to The Lady and The Mother and to make it up to his mother and the others, he whispered, making Lawrence lean in as he told him of his and Eliza's past and the one way they had learned to rebel against her father and how much and often they had rebelled.

‘So you see, you aren’t discovering anything. You are just walking in my footsteps.’ Lan grinned more for the effect, even if he found watching the strangled fury making the veins bulge in the noble’s face a little funny.

Without thought driving his attacks, Lawrence struck Lan repeatedly until he was hitting him with the whip handle. When that wasn’t enough, he threw it away and began to punch Lan with all he had.

[Hp 116 > 112 > 108> 104> 100 > 96 > 92 > 88]

As his sight was jostled from left to right, Lan saw the seeds he had planted in Ganin’s mind grow and blossom. With over ten seconds left, he reached Lawrence, who, in a blind rage, pulled his arm free to hit Lan again. With five seconds left, Ganin picked the noble up.

‘Crin, get ready!’ Ganin called back to Crin, who stood there, unable to do anything, as Lawrence grabbed Lan’s hair and shirt and pulled him up. ‘Damn it, you need to let go.’ Ganin snapped, kicking Lan back down.

Lan didn’t even feel the kick as he saw Crin rush towards him with the rod just as the countdown hit zero. With a grin that said the wolf had gotten loose, Lan vanished.

‘Huh!? He’s gon-‘ was all Crin managed before Lan appeared behind him and brought his foot into the side of Crin’s head with all of his Silver Wind-empowered strength. Crin shot away like an arrow back up the alley, hitting the ground and sliding face-first to a stop.

Still in the air, Lan spun and aimed a kick at Ganin, and even though he managed to block the kick, he was sent sliding back. Allowing Lan to reorient and kick off the wall toward the fourth man.

The man’s eyes flashed with terror as Lan reminded himself to kick through the target and not at it before flipping forward once and snapping his foot down, dropping his heel on the man’s head and spiking him into the ground.

Leaving Lan and Lawrence alone for a moment.

Without a weapon and all alone, Lawrence looked around for help before letting out a shout and throwing a wild punch that made Lan’s training kick in as he landed, stepping out of his punch and delivering a blinding fast uppercut around the noble’s arm, snapping his head back.

Before Lan could follow up, Ganin swung a punch that Lan blocked with his forearm, aiming a straight kick at the weak knee that his father had gifted the man, dropping the man to one knee as Lawernce staggered into the wall, and as he stumbled forward, Lan drove his knee into his gut.

Even though Lan saw the pathetic excuse of a noble as nothing, a part of him still hated the man for what he had done and taken from him, and Lan let that part of him out.

The noble doubled, his breath forced out in a puff, just managing to throw a punch that Lan slapped away before grabbing his face.

For a moment, Lan met Lawernce’s eyes, eyes filled with fear and hopelessness as the Silver Wind vanished and Lan slammed Lawrence's head into the wall, leaving him to slump to the ground as Lan turned back to face Ganin, turning his head just enough for the bolder like Fist to pass harmlessly by his face.

Lan weaved around the next attack, stomping on Ganin’s knee as he tried to tackle him. He wanted the man to understand what was about to happen, and he didn’t want the chance of it turning into a brawl to get in the way.

For that same reason, Lan didn’t use the Wisp Walk or the Silver Wind, even though he knew it would only take one good hit from the dangerous man to have him back to being tortured, and he could hear Tyr calling for him to fly with her. Meeting every one of Ganin's poorly aimed attacks with a strike to a vital point driven by nothing but the years of rage he had nurtured, Lan remembered Every bruise, every cut and broken bone, and would make sure Ganin would never forget them either.

In a desperate attempt to recover some ground, Ganin threw a string of punches that would have shaken any ordinary man, but seeing the all too familiar attacks, Lan could only grin as he danced around the blows, simultaneously landing mirroring strikes that sunk deep into the flesh and rattled bones before hitting the stunned Ganin with a right cross to reopen the scar across the man’s nose that his father had made.

As Lan landed a shot to Ganin’s liver, the man’s bad leg buckled, but before he could fall, Lan put his foot out, bracing his leg and making him stay on his feet.

‘If you don’t fight back, I will start thinking you like getting hit.’ Lan repeated Ganin's words to his twelve-year-old self, punctuating every word with a counter punch.

‘Come on, you are going to make me feel like the bad guy if you don’t fight back.’ Lan echoed the words that had haunted the mind of his fourteen-year-old self

Not even a moment later, Ganin staggered again, and Lan shot out a leg to stop him, but it had been a ploy as Ganin surged forward with a punch ready to take Lan’s head off his shoulders, but instead of retreating, Lan moved to meet him, and he saw the panic that flashed in the eyes of the man that had been the implement of his torment, as he grabbed Ganin’s arm twisted around and aimed his elbow at the man’s throat.

‘That’s enough!’ Lan froze as the Guildmaster’s command filled the alley, his elbow a moment away from crushing Ganin’s windpipe.

‘Boss?’ Lan turned, forgetting about Ganin and finding Mari with the Guildmaster.

‘What’s going on here?’ the Guildmaster asked as he looked around the alley. A question he wouldn’t have needed to ask about a minute earlier.

‘We were just walking down this alley when we were attacked,’ Ganin dropped his arms and smiled, all while he didn’t move his legs from the step he had taken.

‘That right?’ the Guildmaster asked, eyeing Ganin before turning to Lan, ‘ever seen anyone be attacked and set a lookout?’

‘Maybe looking out for help.’ Lan joked.

‘Lan was walking me home,’ Mari said with a frown. ‘Why would he start a fight?’ she added to the Guildmaster.

‘I don’t think anyone will care once they know a commoner knocked a noble out,’ Ganin added as he smiled over at Lan, showing blood-covered teeth and more composure than he had any right to retain.

‘Not as much as I or the Duke will care about someone attacking one of my hunters before the Campaign. Let that master of yours know that once he wakes.’ The Guildmaster warned, his threat only tempered by the fact that Lan had clearly gotten the upper hand in the end.

Ganin smiled and shrugged, still keeping his weight on his good leg. ‘And what about after the Campaign?’

‘He will still be one of my hunters.’ The Guildmaster locked Ganin with a look. ‘You can let your master know that too.’ He added, dismissing him and turning to Lan, who had Mari looking at his face. ‘Are you okay, son?’

‘Just fine.’ Lan spoke around Mari’s hands as she looked over his wounds. ‘The stupid whip hurt like hell, but I am fine.’ he answered before Mari showed him his reflection in a pocket mirror. Although the adrenalin pumping through his blood meant he couldn’t feel it, his face was covered in red marks and beads of blood where his skin had opened.

‘On second thought, I should go see a healer…’

‘Good idea… so are you done here?’ The Guildmaster asked, looking around, making Lan turn and look at the scene. Lawrence was still breathing but didn’t look like he would be waking anytime soon. Crin and the worker were still lying face down, and Ganin just smiled at them.

‘Yeah, I am done.’ Lan said with a surprising indifference as he turned and started out the alley.

‘You didn’t kill this one, did you?’ the Guildmaster asked as they passed Crin.

‘Hmm.’ Lan hummed as he kicked Crin, getting a pained moan. ‘No, he is… fine.’ Lan shrugged before stepping over the body. Just before they left the alley, Ganin’s legs finally gave out, and he fell to his knees, while Lan didn’t even turn to see the pillar of his torment crumble.

Lan breathed in the crisp air as they walked down the road; somehow, he felt good even after the adrenaline had faded. Noticing that the Guildmaster and Mari were looking at him oddly, Lan turned.

‘Everything alright? I can still walk you home, Mari.’

‘You seem to be in a good mood.’ The Guildmaster stated.

Lan thought about it. Although every punch had felt like a salve for the soul, and crushing Ganin without the man being able to lay a hand on him had made all the pain he had suffered worth it to his younger self. The truth was far more straightforward than that.

‘Well… although I wish I didn’t end up putting Miss Mari in danger, I am a little happy that I got to try out some of what I have learned.’ Lan smiled, making the two look at him as if he had grown a second head.

‘You really are a part of the Wild Hunt.’ Mari giggled as the Guildmaster huffed, clearly not liking his Guild being associated with reckless fools.

‘As long as you are okay,’ he sighed.

‘Oh, by the way, how did you find me?’ Lan asked Mari.

‘Well, when I got back and didn’t see you. I waited for a moment, but then your Wisp appeared and started glowing brighter until I followed her. Then she flew into an alley that a man was looking out of while I could hear shouting. Guessing there was something wrong, I went to get help.’

‘Thanks.’ Lan smiled. ‘You’re a lifesaver.’ Which was true. Lan didn’t want to think about how he would have explained knocking out a noble on his own. ‘and thank you too.’ Lan smiled as Tyr landed on his hand. She must have gone for help while he was getting the sense beaten out of him.

Tyr sent an impression of concern.

‘I’m just fine.’ Lan said before moving her close to her crystal.

‘Speaking of which, although you will be safe until the end of the campaign and even if self-defence, hitting a noble will not be looked on favourably by many.’ The Guildmaster spoke, and Lan couldn’t help but nod.

Even though he had the right to defend himself, some of the more dogmatic nobles would no doubt try to make an example out of him, and that was to say nothing of Lawrence’s father.

‘But we will cross that bridge when we come to it. As I said, you are one of my hunters.’

Hearing the Guildmaster's words left Lan speechless. The fact that the same man who had once seen him as little more than a lost fool now saw him as one of his own touched Lan.

‘Thanks, Boss.’

With the time being what it was, Lan decided bothering Lily wasn’t the best idea. Luckily, the Guildmaster said his healer would be up, and as one could expect, the healer of one of the heads of an adventurer’s Guild would be the head of one of the healers' guilds. Before she told him to shut up so she could work, Lan was able to learn that the healer’s guilds would sometimes hire freelancers if they had something to offer the guilds, like a speciality in a particular type of injury.

All in all, Lan felt like it had been a good night. That was until he saw the bill, which really hurt...