Kaladin Shadowheart’s POV

I let out an annoyed sigh and wiped the sweat from my face with my sheets. It wasn’t hot and the temperature inside my room was normal. It was just another day in my life and another day meant waking up after another nightmare.

Will these ever stop?

Is this how my nights are going to be for the foreseeable future? I mean, every once in a while would be fine, but… almost every night is too much. I’m going to develop gray hair before I turn twenty at this point. Well, natural gray hair without the mask on.

If my hair turned gray from stress and age and I wore my mask…what color would it be? Sigh…

I rolled out of bed and told myself I would make it later. I made a habit of starting my days by making my bed, just like how they trained me to do. I hated it, but it was an excellent way to wake up and begin the day anew.

But today, I just didn’t have it in me.

I feel like as time drags by here, I’m becoming more and more anxious. This is around the time where Dad could show up at the earliest. Any day now, he could just walk in that front door.

What am I even going to say to him? I…I…don’t know…

But until that day comes, I just need to continue moving forward. However, recently… I feel like I’ve taken a lot of steps back. It’s been almost a month since the incident with Tsarra. I was given a report by Mason Fields detailing what they had managed to find, and to say the least; it was next to nothing.

First, the assassin had somehow managed to escape capture, so making any kind of concrete connections to whoever is behind all of this is nearly impossible. Secondly, the girl who had stalked Tsarra had gone entirely braindead. At first, I thought it was because of me, but I’ve never heard of somebody losing their higher mental functions because of bloodlust before.

Sylvia hadn't even left for her trip before she came back and told me the girl was abusing Berserker Caps for some reason. I looked into her eyes, and I could see the disappointment there…but I said nothing at the time.

Berserker Caps were well known to soldiers and adventurers alike. They were essentially last-ditch suicide attacks in most cases. Eat a fungus cap and go out in a blaze of glory. Those who survived the ordeal were lucky, but the fungus itself wasn’t addictive, so repeated use made little sense unless you were in constant life or death situations.

So for a schoolgirl who is barely four years older than me to be mixing that stuff with other compounds and taking it makes no sense. The repeated use of Berserker Caps is well documented, and long-term usage of it includes incurable brain damage that not even a Grand Master light mage can hope to fix. Only Dark Elves are able to negate the effects of Berserker Caps, and even they can’t use the stuff repeatedly.

Something isn’t right about all of this. The attack on Ren and Lauren as well…

The failed assassination attempt on the two princess sisters has also hit a dead end, from what the report told me. The official ruling was that it was a mistake of the adventurers who stocked the dungeon for the test, but there should have been three routine checks before the students even entered the dungeon. A Drone Knight was not something somebody simply looks over or misses.

Anyone with half a brain would obviously see through this ruling. Instead, it was just a way to please the public and silence the rising voices whispering unconfirmed theories of a Tel’an’duth revenge plot. It’s also a way to silence the Prince’s drums of war.

I’ve worked with adventurers, and although some of them are scum, the Topaz and Amethyst team responsible for gathering the monsters had a successful track record with the guild. I highly doubt that they would make a mistake of this caliber, let alone be so careless as to get caught attempting to assassinate royalty. The lack of punishment from the kingdom goes to show that nobody believes they are actually at fault. Best to blame the nameless adventurers and attempt to find the real culprits behind the scenes.

Then there was whatever happened with Sylvia…

My internal clock was set to wake me up before the sun rose. So even on days like this one where I force myself to close my eyes for an extra hour, I still wake up before Sylvia. But apparently, not today.

Sylvia was in the living room bouncing her leg up and down on the couch. It was odd for her to be awake this early and for her to be so active. Whatever happened to Sylvia and the other girls' afternoon trip has created a rift amongst them in the class.

And me.

She explained to me that there was an argument and things got a little too heated on their way to lunch but outside of that I don’t know what happened. Ren stopped showing up for morning workouts, Jen is acting differently as well, and I haven’t seen Tsarra in the library in weeks.

I’ve attempted to speak to them individually, but they usually just blow me off and say they have something else to do. The only one who has maintained any semblance of normalcy to me is Lauren, and the second I mention their outing, she redirects me and refuses to elaborate on what transpired.

I just wish one of them would tell me the truth.

Typically I wouldn’t care about all of this drama, but it is negatively affecting Sylvia, something I don’t want to happen. It’s not that I don’t care about the others, as I see them as my friends as well. It’s just… different.

I’ll be spending a long time with Sylvia in the future if she does intend to join me on my journey home. Having her emotionally distant and down on herself like this isn’t ideal; honestly, it’s also starting to bother me.

I sighed and went into the kitchen to fetch some water. I could feel Sylvia eying me, but she hadn’t said a word to me yet. I have a terrible feeling she may have caused this rift. It appears that the relationship between the others hasn’t diminished at all… just their relationship with her.

I care for Sylvia, and I know how she can sometimes be. She has a short fuse and is prone to exploding if set off. Our first few weeks together combusted into a fireball of emotional turmoil just because we took the wrong path in a dungeon. I had never yelled at somebody like that before in either of my lives… seems just like yesterday that went down.

It was the turning point for both of us, I feel. We both grew to understand each other a bit more after that. Instead of clawing at one another's throat and sleeping with one eye open, we finally began to form some kind of bond. A bond that has grown quite a bit.

Have I ever been this close to somebody?

I mean, I was close to Mom and Dad. They were my first ever parents despite living two lives. And my family, I miss them dearly, and not a day goes by when I don’t think about them. Then, there is Cerila, Grandpa, and Padraic. Irreplaceable people to me. People I’d grown very close to.

I wish I could include Nyx and Hades Squad into that list, but I know I can’t. That version of myself never did grow to understand them as I have with everyone in this life. But is my relationship with them the same as with Sylvia? No… I can’t say that it is.

“Voker?” Sylvia asked quietly.

“Good morning. You’re up early,” I said, trying to sound friendly.

Sylvia was dressed for an adventure for some reason. I was half expecting her to ask me to go out and do something with her, but the following words out of her mouth surprised me.

“I am. Voker, I’m leaving for a while,” she stated.

I put down my glass of water and just looked at her. “Huh?”

“Two nights, I’ll be gone. I’m going on an adventure with Veme,” she told me.

I scanned her face waiting to see some kind of reaction. I was expecting her to start giggling and tease me for believing her, but that never did come to pass. Sylvia was dead serious.

“You are going on an adventure? With Veme? Why… when did you speak to her?” I asked in disbelief.

“I ran into her and Bella at the market the other day. They said they would be in town for a while and asked if I wanted to join them. I had initially turned them down, but I went ahead and accepted their offer. Bella won’t be coming, so it will just be Veme and me. We are heading northwest to hunt some monsters, and I’ll be back before our rehearsal.”

“But… I mean…why? What if she attacks you or—”

Sylvia shrugged her shoulders and stared into the corner of the room. “I need a break from… everything. This school, these people, just… everything.” Then she turned her crimson eyes onto me. “If Veme or Bella were going to kill us, they would have done it in the dungeon. They could have easily sent a sword through my back while we were fighting if they wanted to or stabbed one of us in our sleep. They could have poisoned you and me on multiple different occasions. Then they told us they knew who you are, and yet here we are… if they were after us, nearly every bounty hunter and adventurer on this side of Keldrag Pass would be looking for you.”

“Even me?” I blurted out without meaning to.

Why did I say that? It was the first thing that came to mind for some reason…

Sylvia sighed and hid her face in her hands. One crimson eye peered out from in between her fingers. “Really? That was the one thing you picked out from that. I didn’t mean it like that… I just need a break from everyone, and you happen to be a part of that ‘everyone.’ It’s for two days, Voker. You’ll be fine, and so will I. Besides, I’m sure you want a break from me as well. We have been… well together… for over a year.”

“Not particularly… I don’t really mind being around you,” I said honestly.

Sylvia covered her eyes again, and the tips of her ears burned bright red. “Please…you are making this harder than it has to be. This is the part where you are supposed to agree with me..”

“Sorry…” I mumbled.

Sylvia took a deep breath and uncovered her eyes. Then, with a determined look, she met my gaze. “Either way, my mind is made up. I’ll be back soon, so don’t burn the place down… or die…or get in any fights… or do anything stupid…please,” Sylvia pleaded. “And can you put a shirt on for once…”

“I just woke up… and I won’t do any of that, so don’t worry. And I suppose if your mind's made up, then well… just come home safely… and tell Veme I said hi.”

Sylvia gathered her bag and tossed it into her storage ring. She started mumbling something under her breath, but I could only make out ‘maybe we should’. Sylvia put her hand to her face, and she secured her mask.

She took a deep sigh and gave me a small wave. “See you later, Voker.”

I returned her wave. “Yeah…see you later.”

Sylvia left the room and locked the door behind her. I caught myself staring at the door for far longer than I anticipated as a weird sensation tickled my heart and mind. I wasn’t really sure how to describe it. I scratched at my chest and just sort of felt empty inside.

Something was off.

And I knew I didn’t like it one bit. Maybe I should have asked to go along…I wouldn’t mind a short trip… perhaps I’ll have a little adventure of my own?

—

A quick stop at the guild and a two-hour carriage ride outside the capital, I found myself in a small forest. Most of the expansive woods around Vinovia had been deforested during and after the war. Lumber was and still is in high demand for Luminar.

The cities and forts on the border with Tel’an’duth are apparently still in need of repairs. So Luminar, with a decrease in the amount of lumber, has been heading into the mountains to mine for stone for building, which has its own host of problems.

From what I understand and learned about in class, the capital is all but complete in its reconstruction efforts. The King and Queen made a decree that rebuilding the city would be a top priority, something they seemed to have delivered nearly thirty years after the war. The only portion of the capital still left in disarray is an area called the Old Nobles District.

It’s the district right before the palace and was the seat for the highest-ranking officials and families of the Brax Empire before its fall. Now it’s used as a reminder to those who believe they can fight against War God Maxwell’s reign, but that’s just the unofficial reason.

The quickest way to anger the populace would have been to spend crucial funds repairing the nobles’ old homes when a majority of the living districts were in shambles, even more so when nearly all of those nobles took up arms against the current ruler and ended up being purged.

If the books and lessons are anything to go on… Luminar had purged upwards of 70% of Brax nobility, including the entire royal family, excluding one member. The current Queen was the Ninth Imperial Princess of Brax, and rumor has it she sided with Maxwell long before the coup.

This same Queen made it known that the old Nobles’ District would be the last to be repaired, and a large swathe of the district was given over to the Shadow Clan. When the Dark Elves settled in The Vast Barrens, the Shadow Clan was one of the only clans that decided to continue to roam around the world. But with the end of the war and the Queen’s decree, it appears that they may finally be settling down.

Not that it matters much to me.

I rolled my shoulders and continued on my walk at a steady pace. There was no need for me to rush things right now. I had no obligations to fulfill. No pressing matters to attend to. All was well.

Well, it was supposed to be, at least.

Although this natural forest is doing wonders for that weird sensation in the back of my mind whenever I enter the school’s artificial one… this relaxing feeling doesn’t seem to be helping me untie the knot in my stomach. It’s starting to feel like pins and needles are poking me all around my body at all times of the day. It’s not physical pain as there is nothing physically wrong with me according to Sylvia.

It’s just all in my head. But it feels so real…

Every time I think about home or my father, my mind starts racing at a million miles an hour. That pins and needles sensation grows, and my stomach knots up. In more recent times… this news of assassination and something unraveling behind the scenes of this country is bothering me. At one point, I believed this place to be the safest place in the world for me, but that is slowly starting to melt away.

I feel that old voice deep down inside of me telling me to run, that things have been going too well for me. And I don’t like that voice.

Despite these growing concerns, I have no reason to acquiesce to that old voice. If I return to the City-States, I am straight back to square one, avoiding capture and living as an adventurer. Worrying that every day may be my last as I have no semblance of safety. The fact that I’ll have no support bogs down my mind and spirit.

Sylvia would also have a difficult time living like that all the time. And sure, we have each other, and the two of us can probably handle nearly any obstacles the City-States or bounty hunters would throw at us.

But we can still make mistakes. Sylvia isn’t equipped to handle fighting people like that. At least, I don’t think she is. And I could just leave her… but that isn’t an option I even want to entertain.

Sylvia and I may be strong, stronger than most but we can’t defeat an army or an endless wave of bounty hunters. And eventually, more skilled bounty hunters would begin to catch wind of us. Sure a bunch of Topaz or even Amethyst adventurers wouldn’t be an issue. The problem begins when Ruby and Amethyst adventurers start showing up with Sapphire and Emerald ranks in their parties.

And with my bounty, the odds of higher-ranked adventurers being involved would only increase.

But that’s all just theoretical nonsense. I have no plans of ever returning to the City-States, and at the very least, I would just hop on a boat, but that has its set of problems. I now know my father is out there in the world, looking for me, and he is coming to this nation next. Of course, this is if I am to believe Bowen, but I have no reason not to.

Bowen knows full well who I am now and if he saw fit he could mobilize at least two War Gods and himself to capture me. If the Professor, Bowen, and the Head of Security all came after me I have serious doubts that I could even defeat one of them. Even with Sylvia, we would be lucky to kill one let alone all of them, and escape in the process.

Once again, though… I have no reason even to be thinking about this stuff. Nobody has suddenly unmasked me or figured out who I am. I may have drawn more attention to myself these last few months than I had initially anticipated, but I don’t regret it. My time spent at Forward University has been…enjoyable.

Never in my life did I imagine myself going to a large school, meeting new people, and becoming friends with them. A few years ago, I would have never agreed to join a sports game with peers just to have some fun… it would have taken Cerila and Padraic days to convince me to do something along those lines…let alone find seven more people to play with.

Cerila and Padraic, huh?

It’s not that I’ve forgotten about them. It’s hard not to. I just can’t spare them those thoughts all the time, much as I can’t do for Hades Squad anymore. Whenever I think about them, it puts me in a bad mood. Or should I say it makes me sad? Depressed even? Of course, that doesn’t stop my stupid brain from forcing me to remember them…

Maybe lobotomizing people’s emotions and memories isn’t such a bad idea.

I take that back. I would prefer this struggle over being a husk of a person any day. This is real. This is what it’s like to be alive. And living is hard.

Damn, is it hard…

I dream about my final moments with Cerila regularly, maybe even every other night. I see her face all over again as I push her into the roaring abyss. I remember her carrying me through the jungle bleeding out all over her as she frantically attempts to evade Jessine.

I often think about Padraic and his family. The time when his mothers played a prank on me, giggling all the way. Or the time when I first met the white-haired Dwarf and how he sauntered up to us without a care in the world, completely disregarding everyone’s obvious disdain for us.

Looking back at it… maybe it wasn’t just Cerila who was disliked but me as well? I was and still am a one-of-a-kind… I’m a mixed Dark and High Elf that shouldn’t exist… sure people loved my father and respected my mother but…did that really extend to me as much as I thought it did? Maybe not.

With father on the way and…father on the way? Does that mean… if Cerila survived… is she with Mom? Or with Dad?

If it were Dad, she would have been traveling with him since she was twelve. I can’t imagine my parents letting her do that, especially after what would have transpired with my capture. My capture… my family…oh my…

Maybe they left Cerila behind with Grandpa… I’d rather not imagine that. If Cerila were to lose two families in her lifetime… I gripped my chest and let out a low growl as that pins and needles sensation poked my skin.

No…no…no…no need to think about all of this. I can’t change anything that has happened in the past, only what’s to come… I’m supposed to be on a trip to get away from everything not to stress about all these things I… ah man…

I straightened my back and stretched my arms high above my head. I took in a deep breath to steady my nerves, but the sensation of something gripping my heart didn’t recede. I was supposed to be on a break… this was supposed to be relaxing.

I found a nice tree to lean against and took a seat on the hard ground. Orange pine needles dug into my pants, and I swept them away with a bit of earth magic. I looked up into the orange canopy and into the afternoon sky. I tried another deep breath, but any attempt to relax just frustrated me more as I continued to fail.

I put my masked face into my hands and let out a deep sigh. With a quick thought, I placed my mask into my ring and rubbed my face aggressively. The warm liquid leaking from my eyes was rolling down my face in a small stream.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Gah…why am I crying…why does this suck so much. I hate this feeling…I hate all of this. I just wish I was home…

—

I took a long break underneath that tree until catharsis rolled over me like a warm, familiar blanket. I wish I could say I felt better but feeling nothing wasn’t what I wanted either. I wasn’t sure what I even wanted anymore.

But at the bare minimum, maybe I can salvage this absolute failure of an attempted outing with the completion of the quest. At least I’ll make somebody somewhere a little safer tonight.

When I went to the guild, I picked up an open quest to hunt some monsters in this forest. Despite it not being winter anymore, the trees were still the same here as when I first saw them coming out from the Iron Citadel. The tall white-barked pine trees were everywhere with their orange pine needle-like leaves. They crunched underneath every step as I made my way deeper into the area.

The significant deforestation brought on by Luminar’s needs brought to life a new problem for residents of this area. This is why the guild has removed all ranking requirements for hunting quests around Vinovia. It’s common knowledge that monsters live in forests so if those forests were cut down… the creatures that reside inside of them are going to have fewer places to hide.

I heard something rustle in the bushes next to me, and a small rabbit burst out from the underbrush. A passing thought of just obliterating it with magic crossed my mind, but that didn’t exactly sound very peaceful. I might have felt better if I let off some steam, but I didn’t want to make a habit of destroying things or people whenever I got like this.

I also realized that if I needed to go hunting, it would be awfully easy for me now. All I had to do was use lightning magic to give some a quick zap to my target and that would be the end of things. Lightning magic wouldn’t even be my only option.

Once the rabbit had escaped my vision, I decided I would do things the somewhat normal way and use a bow and arrow. I’ve had one sitting in my Spatial Ring since I liberated it from a certain someone way back when and I’ve found no uses for it. If I was hunting out of necessity then there was no need for me to use this thing.

I dipped my mind into the ring and pulled out the Sandervile short bow. It was just a really fancy short bow. It was made of a brown oak that had random engravings running across the limbs, and the grip was just some tanned leather painted black. I gave the string a tug and felt it lacking in power and proper maintenance, so I immediately set to work restringing it.

Probably because this bow was created for a young Human boy who most likely didn’t know how to use it.

The arrows were just basic run-of-the-mill iron arrows you could find just about anywhere as well. All in all… it was underwhelming, to say the least. I had been expecting more, considering the previous owner of my old bow. I mean his sword, which I am currently using, is above average in every single department. The fact my father had hand crafted my old bow for his first time, and it was leagues above this… I’d put money on it that this bow was a scam.

As long as it shoots arrows correctly, that’s good enough for me.

I nocked an arrow and let it loose straight into a tree. I winced slightly as my shot went entirely off course. I had been aiming for a piece of discolored bark, and I was tempted to blame the weapon for my failure, but I knew it was my fault. It seems that not using a bow for almost seven years and going through puberty within that time frame hinders one’s skill. Perhaps I should have practiced more…

After about three or four more shots, I decided that was good enough and began my journey once again. The monsters I was hunting were supposed to be a threat level of sixteen, so hardly a threat at all. What made these monsters a threat was how difficult it was to deal with them. If you found one then more were sure to follow. This would prove an adequate challenge for my diminished bow skills.

And hopefully, I can’t miss if the group is big enough.

Once I was deep enough in the forest, and I hadn’t spotted any tracks of this monster, I decided to lay out some bait. These creatures were attracted to the smell of rotting fruit and grain. A few squished moldy berries ought to be enough to gather a few in the vicinity.

With my bait set, I climbed to the first branch of a tree with a solid vantage point and waited. The monsters on the poster were abominations of the highest order and I was not looking forward to seeing one in person. The only good thing about this monster was that it was… edible…by most peoples’ standards. I, for one, had no desire to taste it, but to each their own.

There was a small village not too far out, so I planned just to drop off all the meat there and catch a carriage back into the capital once I was finished. I would turn in the quest along with the horns as proof whenever I got around to it. It’s not like I was in need of cash, and this quest would hardly go towards ranking me up to Sapphire.

Relaxing and fun..relaxing and fun…relaxing and—oh god, what is that thing?

One of the most hideous creatures I had seen in a long time crawled forward on its front legs towards the pile of rotting berries. I had to take my mask off and rub my eyes free of the confusion as to whether the creature which only vaguely resembled a sheep was indeed crawling. Its black and gray fur was matted and filthy with years of grime. The smell of decay wafted towards me; if I weren’t comfortable with the stench after all these years, I would have upheaved my breakfast.

The creature had four dark brown horns sprouting from the skull that rolled in on each other, literally stabbing itself. The area around the tips was discolored with infection and was the most likely cause for the smell. And as if this thing hadn’t strayed further into hellish territory, a fifth appendage was growing directly out from its back, grasping at the air constantly with its c-shaped hand.

I am not only doing these villages a favor by killing this thing. I’m making the world a better place.

These monsters are attracted to large storages of grains and food, which many villages keep. All it took was a single one of these monstrosities to sniff out the supply, and an entire flock of these things would descend down on the poor village. And just because they preferred grains or fruits doesn’t mean these things are herbivores…no, not at all…

And as if on cue, more and more of the Ovyuns started piling on the bait. Once the food was taken over by the few, the rest in the back began fighting each other for a spot. The creatures headbutted each other as their gnarled horns cut deep furrows into their flesh. A sickly dark red blood trickled out from their wounds.

Well… I wasn’t going to use magic but…some things just shouldn’t be alive.

—

After cleaning up the earth barriers that acted as my arena, I set to work cutting off the horns from the deceased flock of Ovyuns. Most of them had died to my Fireballs or Earth Spikes from the barriers, which meant the horns were intact. I also hadn’t completely destroyed all of them, so there was still some meat left…

Why would anyone eat this… the burnt corpses somehow smell better than when they were alive.

It took me a significant amount of time to work through about twenty of these things when I just decided that I didn’t care to finish the rest. I piled the corpses into my storage ring, and the rest that didn’t fit I just burned. With a wave of my hand, I sent the ashes and remnants of my battle into the earth, hopefully, to never be uncovered.

I silently continued on my way towards the village. Dusk was nearly upon the forest as the shadows of the trees grew longer and the sun’s brilliant light began to fade. If I was to make it home in time, I had to pick up the pace to catch the—

Running?

My ears twitched as the sounds of something running in my direction came to me. At first, it was just the pounding of limbs against the forest floor, but as they got closer, I could make more out.

First, I knew the creature was running on two feet. They were moving frantically, taking unnecessary steps and crashing through the underbrush with no regard to stealth. It sounded like they were in a panic.

I maneuvered myself into their path, imagining it was a lone hunter or maybe even an adventurer that had been attacked because of my bait or the smell of burning flesh. But as the person came closer to me, I was able to pick up more footsteps, much heavier, as their armored boots broke the ground and crushed the pine needles. The shouts of frustration were also coming in now, and I just made out the jingling of chainmail and armor.

Is somebody being chased? The first person is slowing down considerably, and the chasers are nearly upon them. Should I…

I made the quick decision to hide instead as the first person was nearly right on me. I went stomach to the floor and hid in the thicket, waiting to see what was happening. If I could help it I would rather not get involved with another adventurer party or the authorities, even if my intervention was to their benefit.

All my previous thoughts vanished as my heart sank in my chest. A young Human man dragged himself through the underbrush, swaying side to side like a drunkard. He was carrying a large bundle that filled up his arms entirely. His thin, unhealthy arms were struggling to hold onto the weight as he fell to his knees, gasping for air that he couldn’t get.

He coughed and coughed, desperately trying to breathe, but the only thing he was getting out was a spray of blood from his mouth. His dark brown eyes were sunk deep into his skull, and he looked like he hadn’t bathed or eaten in months. His long black hair was disheveled and was falling out in certain places, while most of it was covered in dirt and tree branches.

The man was wearing nothing but dirty rags that were soaked through with dark red blood as an arrowhead poked through the fabric. The flesh on his neck was rubbed raw and festering with wounds. There was no doubt in my mind as to what this man was as I had seen many people just like him. I once looked…just like him.

A slave? In Luminar? Just a few hours outside the capital? What is going on?

The back footsteps caught up finally and the first person to exit the brush scowled at the downed slave and sent a kick straight into his back. The slave sprawled out onto the ground without even so much as a grunt as he lay there, bleeding from the arrow wound in his back.

And just when I thought my heart couldn’t drop further, I just stopped feeling anything. My ears started ringing, and my vision went fuzzy as I closely observed the assailant's gear. Three other men came into view to assist the fourth. The first three were wearing simple iron chainmail with various weapons in their hands, a short sword and shield, a crossbow for one, and a cudgel and shield for the third. But all four had one single identifier on them.

Purple tabards with a scratched-out insignia of Amon-Ra. Members of the Chapter of Despair. And they were being led by a Paladin.

The first man far outclassed the others in gear and presence. His half plate was connected to a Dwarven steel gorget and shoulder pauldrons. His tabard draped down the center of his chest and between his legs. I imagine the tabard once looked like a piece of art but now it was damaged and a relic of its former self. It had purple and gold stripes all the way down the faded fabric and covered his chainmail. Set in his sheathe on his back was a long sword, and he glared down at the slave with pure hatred in his swirling green eyes.

It’s him… I’d never forget that face. That’s the man who I saw when Bell opened the secret passage into the store in Ostela…

He spat on the man’s back and kicked him over, revealing the slave whose swirling eyes had gone still, the last vestiges of his life missing. Whatever the slave had been carrying had fallen to the ground underneath him, still wrapped up in that bundle of clothing.

It was then that I heard another set of footsteps. I hadn’t heard them until they got close as they pushed past the foot soldiers to look at the now dead slave. They gave the corpse a pitying look and wiped their orange and yellow hair from their face. The lanky tiger Beastman sniffed the air, and his cat eyes went wide as he scanned the bushes. It took only a moment for Artemius to spot me in the thicket.

“Voker?!—”

I didn’t let him finish his scream.

I bolted from my hiding spot, and with only thought, my cobalt gladius materialized in my hand. The men let out gasps and grunts of surprise as they immediately locked onto me. Unfortunately for them, my combination core was finished and racing towards them.

“What the—”

“Who are—

“It’s a mag—”

“Kill him!”

A bullet made of earth magic and propelled by fire magic sailed straight for the crossbow user. His chainmail didn’t stand a chance as the shot went straight through his chest. He fell to the ground, limp, and dead upon impact. A second Earth Spear was just about to impale the Paladin, but he kicked down with his armored boot, crushing the spell before it could finish.

I ignored the other two foot soldiers and Artemius for the moment and tried to kill the Paladin before he could catch his bearings. The man glared at me and stretched both of his hands towards me as I finished forming a spell core for Lightning Bolt. His face contorted into fear as he no doubt felt the bloodlust pouring out from me along with the power my spell core was about to unleash upon him.

“Holy Barrier!” he shouted frantically.

I knew better this time around and closed my eyes before the flash blinded me. My sword clinked off the golden shield of light. Unlike Martin’s barrier, this one was just a personal shield, which left the other three out in the open. Artemius was already trying to run away from me, but there was no way I was going to let him escape.

I sent out two spell cores of earth magic, and as anticipated, his cat-like reflexes made it a simple matter of dodging the first spell. The tiger Beastmen was mid-air as he jumped to avoid my attack. Thankfully, he was no monster or skilled combatant. The second spell formed a hand of earth and gripped the man by his torso, locking his arms above his head and suspending him in the air. Artemius thrashed about in the spell’s grip but to no avail.

In the few seconds it took me to deal with Artemius, one of the foot soldiers was striking at my head with his cudgel. I dodged underneath his wide swing and thrusted my sword straight through his sternum. The man let out a gasp of surprise, followed by a death rattle.

I had moved far faster than an average person could, especially someone they considered to be a mage. Mana was coursing through my limbs and my mind was clear of all thoughts besides what needed to be done.

These monsters need to be dispatched.

I spun on my heels to block the swing that was being directed at me. I was caught in the middle of my pivot as I blocked the giant long sword. Powered by a mana-enhanced strike, its weight sent shockwaves into my bones. The Paladin was sweating profusely, but I didn’t miss the intensity in his eyes. I sprang off the ground with my free hand and could hear his nervous laughter as he closed the distance on me with a quick step.

“A masked High Elf with a Cobalt Gladius that he pulled out from a Spatial Ring… what are the odds of that?” the Paladin chuckled while swinging wildly at me.

A maniacal grin spread across his twitching face as I parried his blows. We locked blades for a moment. “And it’s you. That little mixed gutter Elf slave. I can feel your familiar hateful gaze from here, boy.”

“We found you,” he said slowly.

I went to punch him in the gut with my free hand, but he brought the pommel of his sword into my arm. He then swiftly uppercut me with his elbow to my jaw. I winced from the pain, but he hadn’t managed enough strength to break any bones. But I was still knocked back from the strike to my jaw.

My vision swam for a moment as the brute continued to swing at me. I attempted to deflect his thrust with my blade but failed, earning me a sword through the right shoulder. I gritted my teeth and unsummoned my sword, only to resummon it in my left hand.

I was about to retaliate with a free strike to his side when his partner finally joined the fight. I wasn’t fast enough to completely dodge his sword strike as the tip of his blade connected with my mask. Metal screeched, and sparks flew as the sword cut across my face. I wasn’t sure if I was unbelievably lucky or if the material my mask was made of was tougher stuff than I thought.

The foot soldier was attempting a follow-up strike when the earth beneath him began to crumble away. This soldier was no slouch, and the initial surprise attacks I managed on the first two weren’t going to work again. He dodged backward with the skills of a seasoned soldier, but unfortunately for him, that’s what I wanted him to do. Upon landing, the ground collapsed completely beneath him as he fell into the pit I had created.

The Paladin was on top of me again, and we continued trading blows once more. My right side was warm, with fresh blood pouring out from my wound. I wiped my hand across my bloody injury and tossed it straight into the eyes of the Paladin. He swept wide with his longsword; thankfully, I was able to block it. I was finally making some space between us as he frantically wiped my blood from his face. The soldier in the pit was also climbing out.

I extended my sword out to the side as the air around me warped with heat. The orange flames across my blades were consumed by a brilliant white and blue fire that condensed into a glass-like appearance across the sky blue gladius.

My Plasma Bolt soared off towards the man in the pit, and with no resistance, the spell went straight into his chest and out the other side. The following explosion caused a massive wave of blue fire and dirt to spread out in a cloud. Soil bounced off the Paladin’s armor and face. The maniacal grin of the Paladin had crumbled away as he watched me with fearful eyes. He pointed his sword at me, tip down, and it glowed with a misty yellow cloud.

A magic imbued blade?

“Judgment!”

A hammer made of white light left the point of his sword and came spinning at me at frightening speeds. I wasn’t sure if my Plasma Sword had what it took to stop that thing, and I couldn't make a barrier to stop it in time. Not that any amount of stone I could summon would bring that spell to a standstill.

I stood firm in the face of the incoming spell, and as the hammer was about to cave my chest in, the brilliant white light around the hammer bent and warped. The light hammer flew off into the distance, missing me entirely.

My spell core for another Plasma Bolt was finished. The air around my blade warped, and the intense inferno scorched my lungs. I aimed my blade right for the center of mass, and the Paladin frantically cast another Holy Barrier. The dome of light surrounded the man, but it hardly mattered as my Plasma Bolt crashed straight through the shield like a rock being thrown through glass.

He let out a yelp of surprise, but it was silenced immediately. He had managed to dodge the spell somewhat, but it was still enough to clear a hole through his heart. I didn’t spare this scumbag a second thought as I walked over to him and reached down to rip a piece of his tabard off. I stored it in my ring along with my sword.

I removed a few bandages from my storage ring and immediately went to work packing my wound. Of course, I would have to find a healer when I returned back to campus. Hopefully, Sylas hasn’t left for some kind of important event or vacation.

Artemius had stopped squirming in my spell’s grip as he watched me approach him with wide eyes. He tried mumbling something, but it only came out as a small whimper as my bloodlust blanketed him. I twisted my hand, and my spell reacted to my command, spinning Artemius around so his head was pointed towards the ground.

I sent a swift kick to his face, not hard enough to kill him but enough to break his nose. Blood gushed from his nose as he began choking on the crimson liquid as it spread through his sinuses and into his throat. His eyes started watering, and he tried letting out groans of pain but the blood flooding his mouth made it difficult. I crouched down, grabbed his weird-looking lion mane, and yanked him forward so we were face to face. Well, mask to face in this case.

“Choose your answers wisely. What is the Chapter of Despair doing here?” I asked slowly, enunciating my words so he would understand.

I then released him and spun him back around. He took a deep breath and began coughing up the blood that had made its way into his throat. He blew his nose, and only spurts of mucus-covered blood came out. He looked up at me with wet eyes and merely whimpered at me.

Pathetic. He is too afraid to even speak. I suppose I just need to replace that fear with something else.

I changed the spell core, and the grip around his body increased. Bones creaked with force. Then the sound of flesh being pierced filled the otherwise quiet forest, and Artemius let out screams of pain. I let the stone needles sit in his skin, making sure not to pierce too deep as to kill him. After all, I couldn’t have him dying on me.

“What is the Chapter of Despair doing here, Artemius?”

My voice sounded so off that something flicked in the back of my head. I barely recognized this voice, but I knew who was speaking. The way I spoke wasn’t who I wanted to be anymore. I took a step back and opened and closed my blood-soaked hands.

Relaxing…this is…sigh…

While looking down, I noticed a pack that had been abandoned in Artemius’s attempt to flee. It was the same pack that me and the others used to cross the border and into Luminar with. We had been transporting grain, but Artemius held something different at the bottom of his. At the time, I had ignored it so as to not cause a scene during what was a tense standoff but now…

As I hefted the bag up, I was surprised at its weight. Metal clinked around inside, and opening it up revealed multiple sets of collars made of a crimson red metal—Slave Collars… and Obedience Collars at that. I took one out and stored the rest while looking straight at Artemius, who I caught staring at me with a mix of frustration and fear.

“No! Please, I’ll—gah!”

I silenced his begging by opening up space around his neck and slamming his head into the stone spell. I forced the collar onto his neck and latched it shut. Artemius tried wiggling free, but I easily overpowered the small Beastmen.

Once the collar was successfully latched a slight slic sound was made, and a small red needle popped out from the collar. I placed my thumb onto it and pushed down, breaking the skin.

Huh, it’s just like Sylvia’s sword that one time…

The needle retracted, and Artemius let out a howl of pain as the flesh around his neck was pierced by the collar. At this point, I knew the deed was done. “I order you not to harm yourself. I order you not to pass out. I order you to answer all my questions. I order you to never lie to me.” Artemius continued thrashing around violently, but his neck twitched, and his eyes went hollow.

This is disgusting…but he is somehow worse.

“What is the Chapter of Despair doing here?” I asked once more.

“I do not know. I only recently got into contact with them,” Artemius droned off in a monotone voice.

“Why did you get into contact with them?”

“To provide them with Slave and Obedience collars.”

“Why did they contact you specifically?”

“I am a successful smuggler. My connections run deep, allowing me to easily sneak across Luminar’s border.”

“Who are your connections?”

“Ex-military officials and nobles of Brax that escaped the purge.”

Of course… doesn’t matter how thorough you are… rats always escape into the alleys.

“What are the names of your connections?” I asked.

“I do not know. I never talk to them face to face, only through correspondents and middlemen like the Chapter of Despair.”

Just a mule, huh…

“These correspondents, how do you get into contact with them?”

“Mostly drop-off points. Packages through the mail at designated times and places. Sometimes runners. Everything varies, but they always contact me first.”

I rolled my tongue in my mouth just to wipe some of the disgust off of it. I hated speaking this name aloud as much as I hated the man. “Where is Alnwar Strongfold,” I asked sharply.

“I do not know. We have never met,” Artemius droned off.

Damn it… that means he is around here. Alnwar almost never regrouped with his central unit, always hiding in the shadows, using his magic item to hide in plain sight. The Chapter of Despair is in Luminar…and they are plotting something.

“Where is the rest of the chapter?”

“I do not know. These four were the only four I knew. I was not allowed to meet others.”

“Surely you are at least somewhat aware of their general location?” I asked.

“They are here in Luminar. That is all I know for certain,” he responded.

“What were you doing in this forest?”

“Retrieving our slaves.”

Our slaves?

I walked back over to the slave and crouched down next to him. I closed his eyes. A crossbow bolt had pierced through his back and into his lung, collapsing it. The man had managed to run all the way here on pure near-death adrenaline with only one working lung while also being in this physical state. He must have heard my explosions earlier and came towards me… he was just too slow.

My ears twitched, and I heard the faint sound of someone’s shallow breathing. It was so quiet that I would have missed it if I weren’t paying attention. I had instantly thought it was the man who was breathing still somehow, but no… it was coming from underneath him.

I gently moved the body to the side and unwrapped the large bundle of random clothing and fabric. Inside lay a little Beastmen girl of about five or six. She was small… tiny for her age. Her little yellow and black dotted furry cheetah ears had been cut down by a knife and were drenched in dried blood…much like the rest of her. Her orangish-brown hair was nearly cut to her scarred scalp in some places. I could feel the intense heat emanating from her tiny body.

She has a terrible infection and is so dehydrated she can barely sweat. This child is about to die.

I spared the dead man one final glance and gave his body one final nod while scooping up the child into my arms. I would probably never know his name or his real intentions. But I liked to imagine he was doing something good for this child. I knew there was no life after death…only the void awaited him. I just hoped whatever entity governed that place… was at least kind to this person for his final act of selflessness.

Artemius gave me a hollow look, and I just ignored him. He let out a final gasp as his life was snuffed out by a stone spear. I left the bodies for the scavengers and the hopes that maybe another member of the chapter would find them.

I wanted them to know they weren’t safe. They didn’t find me. I found them.