Dreiki sighed, leaning on Ezo and distracting himself with the insignia that hung from his collar. It was a series of branching diagonal hatches at the center of which was a polished bronze flame.

Dreiki had a similar necklace under his shirt.

Savekio forged them for him as a gift on his birthday last year. Even though Dreiki had never asked for anything, Savekio had still given him something important. He wished he could have repaid Savekio for everything he did.

On the other hand, Savekio refused to tell Dreiki when his birthday was. And Dreiki didn’t have the foggiest idea of what to give someone who only had a few years left to live.

“Let’s eat dinner and get to bed early. That way we can leave earlier the next morning.”

Dreiki had cooked something passable for himself and Ezo. He didn’t know exactly what Savekio did to make his food taste so good, but Dreiki figured it was the difference in their experience.

The next morning, before the sun rose up, Dreiki was already out of the door. In his knapsack were several potions, some money, a change of clothes, some food, and a waterskin.

He carried magnesium dust, his handaxe, and a dagger on his hip. Ezo trotted close behind him, clearly excited to go to a new place.

Dreiki tucked his mouth under a red scarf he’d been gifted last winter. The early morning was cold and foggy. Dreiki couldn’t see more than twenty meters ahead of himself, but that was more than enough to know where he was going.

Dreiki didn’t care if he was early. He wanted to get there as quick as possible.

“Ready to keep up Ezo?”

Ezo let out a rattling bark.

“Alright!”

Haste.

Dreiki’s next step propelled him forward at blinding speed, the spell he’d had so much trouble with last year was now second nature to him.

Ezo was just as fast in his newly grown body, happy to finally have the opportunity to stretch its legs properly.

Dreiki slowed as he reached the walls of Punuuk. Standing before him was a dilapidated stone brick wall which had seen many battles, and far fewer renovations.

Surprisingly, there were no guards posted here. Dreiki had often heard they liked to extort travelers for money like highwaymen whenever someone tried to enter the city.

Strange.

Dreiki didn’t question it too much, letting himself in by scaling the walls. The day was still in its infancy, and Punuuk was a dismally sleepy town.

Muggers and thugs usually prowled the streets at night, but they were vampires in the way they seemed to fear the sun.

It was peaceful in these streets, but eerily so.

Then, a feeling washed over Dreiki for the first time in a year. A feeling he’d forgotten, but his body hadn’t.

He was being watched again. Ezo’s batlike ears flattened as he snarled at something in the distance.

At the edge of the fog, a tall slender figure cut its silhouette. Was it that smiling horror again? If so, he was ready this time.

And yet the silhouette wasn’t twitching like the horror. It reached for something. A weapon?

“Who are you?” He called out.

It noticed that it had been seen, slipping into the fog which now closed in on Dreiki.

This was no ordinary fog. Whoever was causing this fog was a water magic user, and could likely see right through it.

Haste

Took off into an alleyway, Ezo following close behind.

“Vault! Ezo!”

Ezo dashed out in front of him and braced, allowing Dreiki to step on its back and spring up to the roof. Ezo followed soon after, clearing the rooftop in a single jump.

Smokescreen

Dreiki knew that whenever someone tried to hide from you it was best not to search for them, but rather change the dynamic and level the playing field.

Dreiki poured smoke from his mouth. He’d long since learned how to see inside his own smoke, and Ezo’s hearing was unparalleled. Dreiki stayed silent, pinching magnesium in his pouch.

He trusted Ezo’s ears above his own. They’d trained for this.

After a minute of still silence, Dreiki’s patience won out. His pursuer changed positions, and Ezo picked up on it immediately. He nudged Dreiki’s leg in the direction of the sound.

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Boom Bolt

He lobbed a flame, hitting his pursuer dead-on with an ear shattering BOOM!

Ezo took off, tackling the figure with a vicious snap of its jaws. The figure yelped, trying to throw Ezo off, but the bat drake was too big to be tossed aside.

Dreiki slid in, hooking the figure’s ankle with his ax and sweeping their legs.

“Help! Help!” Their voice was young and filled with terror.

Dreiki got a closer look at the figure, who was only a few inches taller than himself, and nowhere near as tall as the figure he’d seen before.

It couldn’t have been a poacher, but then why had they been hiding in the fog from them? And why did they pursue him?

They were wearing a poncho with a series of scarves to conceal their face. They grabbed at his wrist, trying to pry him off.

That’s when he noticed it.

The mark of a Venator Knight was emblazoned on the back of their palm.

“Let me go you idiot!”

“Who are you?”

Dreiki saw fear rise in their eyes, but they weren’t staring at him, they were staring behind him. By the time he realized it, he was already too late. Dreiki felt something prick his neck. His hand shot up and pulled it from his skin. A small needle in his palm.

Poison.

He heard the muffled snarling of Ezo, his ears ringing. The world spun as he tried to remain conscious. His vision began to tunnel, muscles relaxing. Had Ezo not heard them approach?

Bloodboil

His magic surged into his blood, seeking out and boiling the poison from his body. Dreiki had initially developed the spell in case he’d caught an infection from an open wound, but he was glad it worked on poison as well.

“Ezo, get help. Let them take me.” Dreiki whispered as silently as he could before he pretended to fall unconscious.

He heard Ezo’s claws clack along the cobbles, bounding away.

A nasally voice piped up,“Fuckin’ rat. The thing bit me good.”

“Leave it alone. It was probably this kid’s pet or something.”

Dreiki was kicked hard in the ribs, and it took every ounce of willpower he had not to cry out.

“Who’s this little Noxa anyway?”

“Dunno, but if it wasn’t for him we would’ve lost my dirty little dove in the fog.”

Dreiki’s heart sank, hearing that.

“Kid was using some advanced magic. Check to see if he’s got any marks on him too.”

“Good idea.”

They lifted Dreiki’s shirt, spotting the black brand on his shoulder, “Well it looks like it’s our lucky day, Cowak. Pick him up, I’ll get the girl.”

Dreiki was hoisted over Cowak’s shoulder. He needed to maintain his bearings while they took him away. He focused on memorizing the steps and directions they walked in. The smells, the sounds. Anything he could use to keep a visual of where he was.

In preparation for meeting his mother today, Dreiki had studied a map of Punuuk to make certain he wouldn’t get lost.

By Dreiki’s estimation, they weren’t taking him anywhere within Punuuk. They were heading north through the streets and back alleys towards Yvian.

He was starting to have second thoughts about allowing himself to be kidnapped. But if he tried to escape here he’d be leaving behind the girl he’d unintentionally captured for them.

And Dreiki doubted he’d be able to find the girl if he escaped on his own. He needed to know where their hideout was.

Dreiki let his scarf slip as he bobbed along atop Cowak’s shoulder. He prayed they wouldn’t notice.

But what should he do now? When should he wake up? They were purposely avoiding guards and crowds, so he couldn’t call for help.

He might be able to knock one of them out if he was lucky, but he’d have to leave the girl behind or take a risk and try to knock the other one out too.

If he revealed that he could get rid of their poison at the wrong time, then they wouldn’t fall for it twice.

A plan formed in Dreiki’s head. They’d have to go past guards if they were going to get into Yvian. The guards who lined the walls of Yvian were all required to have the earth element. They could sense any tunnels below them or anyone trying to dig through it. The only way in or out was for the guards to use their magic to part the walls.

The moment they stopped at a checkpoint was Dreiki’s opportunity to escape and get help.

“Halt!”

The two xio stopped in their tracks.

“State your business in Yvian.”

Blazing thorns!

Dreiki’s body erupted with spiney jets of orange fire coating his body like thorns. Panicked, Cowak dropped him to the ground.

“Help! They’re kidnapping the two of us. They’re poachers!” he said as he dashed over to the guards, “Don’t let them take us!”

And yet the guards barely even moved.

What?

Cowak caught up to him in a blink, slamming a shin on his ribs.

Dreiki tumbled, gasping for air on the ground.

“Oi, Whitnik, your bloody poison wore off!”

“Not likely.” Whitnik said, standing shoulder to shoulder with Cowak, “The boy probably knows a bit of anti-venom magic. I thought it was weird how his scarf came loose like it did.” He raised his hand, showing Dreiki’s red scarf, “Thought you’d outsmart us?”

Dreiki glanced to the guards, “What are you doing? Help us!”

The guard sneered at him, “Shut your mouth, Noxa.” he turned to the two of them, “Who’s business is this, Whitnik?”

“The Jackal sends his regards this time. The girl is a special priority for our master.”

The guard nodded, “And the boy?”

What was going on? They were in on it?

“Help! Someone help! We’re being kidnapped!”

“No business, just a lucky find. We think he’ll be valuable stock for our master too.”

“Then silence the boy and be on your way before he causes any more ruckus.”

Dreiki grabbed a fistfull of magnesium and raised his palm to the sky. If the guards weren’t going to help him, then he’d make sure his mother and everyone else in Punuuk saw where he was.

Flare

A red beam of crackling flame shot up, only for a burst of wind to snuff it out before it reached its peak.

“We won’t be having that.”

Dreiki looked up, spotting a xio cloaked in inky black feathers. He snapped his fingers, and the air was sucked from Dreiki’s lungs in an instant.

He coughed, falling to his knees. There was no air around him, he couldn’t breath. He tried to summon his fire, but it was snuffed out in the vacuum.

His vision tunneled as The Crow landed in front of him.

Black.