The wheels of an embellished caravan roared into the forest. To the animals hidden behind the shrouds of vegetation, it was only a strange blur. Its black wood and cloth helped keep it hidden in the darkness of the night. Much like the previous caravan which had broken down in the fight, it had a carriage space before the main body. However, this one was larger, as the body was used primarily to hold cargo.
The woman from earlier haughtily sat beside the driver in the front. On her face, was a black cloth torn straight from Exrite’s old shirt which helped hold her nose in place. Even with Inkshard’s healing magic, it would take a day or two for her nose to fully heal.
This caravan was hers – and she had much more of the powdered barrels than the man did. It turned out that they were both related to a trade deal with a client near the Capital who requested ‘explosive powder’. She had agreed to sell them ‘cheap’ to the man and have them sold at a premium to the person in the capital.
Any normal person would’ve thought that such a deal was perfect. But not this man. She explained that the barrels he took were paid with fake coins, and even showed them to the group. He didn’t deny any of it and claimed:
“It’s the spirit of black marketing. If you caught me, I would’ve paid you right.” He said nonchalantly and grinned.
The woman folded her arms and sighed as she stared off into the distance. As much as it bothered her, she was just glad to still be alive.
“You’re lucky that arrow missed and hit whatever that thing was. If those barrels weren’t so expensive, I would’ve blown you all up with a fireball.” She held no remorse in her voice and sincerely meant it.
Exrite quietly stared at her from the back. He realised that he had judged her far too quickly and almost fired a bolt into her head. The bandits that attacked with her were by pure coincidence, and she wasn’t related at all with them, contrary to what they all thought.
He broke into a frown and pat his newly grey-clothed stomach before turning to the Heroes.
They were quieter than usual, and their gaze seemed to aimlessly drift from their hands to each other. He didn’t want to blame them for being unable to do anything, but as ‘Heroes’, there was little excuse. However, they had a sort of kindness that he hadn’t seen in a long time, and it enforced how grim his homeland truly was.
With a gentle smile, he spoke to Haiyoto.
“Hey. Thanks for trying to stop me back then.” He quietly said as the boy recoiled from his trance and looked up at him.
“N-no… no. We didn’t do anything, and yet we’re supposed to be Heroes… “ He trailed as Frosty’s words came back to haunt him.
More than anything, he was frustrated that he couldn’t muster any courage to help them fight. His eyes moved back to Exrite’s stomach and chest where he vividly remembered the wounds and felt his stomach churn.
It was a miracle for him to even be talking, was what he thought – let alone alive.
“I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if you all weren’t there.” Lizen’s metal gauntlets crackled as they curled by her knees. “Your strength… it’s more fitting for a hero- “
“C’mon. Like sis said – Heroes aren’t born strong. Give it some time and you’ll be used to it. I know I did.” Khaos’ loud, bright voice shook Amy from her trance as she lightly smiled.
Lizen agreed. Despite living in this world, she had rarely seen anyone die. She was mostly accustomed to hunting monsters across the kingdom – never humans. In fact, there was rarely a case of murder inside of the major towns and cities. As a noble, there was only so much danger she could be exposed to.
But she didn’t crack like the two. It was bitter to witness such a gruesome scene, but she stomached it. Her biggest gripe was being unable to free herself from her paralysis.
She could’ve snapped the two back to their senses if she had been able to move.
“Your world – what was it like? Cause it looked like you’ve never seen a death before.” Frosty slowly asked.
“Nothing like this place, that’s for sure.” Amy sighed as she tilted her head. “Fighting happened far away from our cities – even from our countries, so we never really saw anything… like that.” Her eyes fell onto Exrite’s body where the arrow had surely struck.
A perplexed smile formed across her face as she slowly shook her head. During this, Haiyoto managed to find something funny and chuckled light-heartedly.
“Nothing like the movies and games, that’s for sure.” His smile was partly in self-ridicule.
Inkshard kept quiet while she sat in the thick of their conversation. Her gaze was discretely focused on Exrite’s dark-red eye as she remembered the words spoken to by her mother.
“If he starts to seem odd, let me know.” … huh? What does she mean by that?
As much as she wanted to ask Exrite up front on how he was feeling, she knew that there’d be no point – he would just answer with “I’m fine” or “don’t worry about me.”
Maybe it’s because he’s going to eventually lose that regenerative ability.
It was the only answer she could rationalise. When her gaze was caught by Exrite, he hummed quietly at her.
She held her arms out and yawned. “You know, with your… yeah, that thing you have – the way you fight now will only get you killed later.” Her words sent the others into confusion.
But Exrite knew exactly what she meant and showed her a wry smile.
If it weren’t for his curse, then he would’ve been killed by the first arrow. If that somehow didn’t, then the second one surely would. But in that moment, he didn’t have a choice – his crossbow would do little to the woman from afar, and he had no sword. He had to rely on his immortality to survive.
He understood the notion of ‘first to strike is the victor’ – as the first strike was almost always the killing blow, which is why he liked to lurk and fire from afar.
But that was lost even before the fight began.
He nodded at Inkshard and pinched between his eyes. “Yeah – but this time was different. She shot me first, and there wasn’t much I could’ve done.”
The woman laughed at his response from the front and smiled.
“Like I said, you weren’t the target. But you can’t blame me for hitting you on the caravan of a thief, right?” Her head turned to him as she showed an intrigued face. “Say, why don’t you ditch these bunch and work under me after all?”
“Sorry, but that’s not happening.” He responded quickly. There were far more important things to deal with. No other deal or offer would ever outweigh the Children of Balance’s.
“C’mon. Aren’t you feeling guilty for almost killing poor me? I was in the right, wasn’t I?”
Exrite sighed. “I’m not the one who had an arrow lodged into them first. Besides, you can’t blame us for thinking you were with the bandits.”
“Aww. You’re no fun. Guess it’s just otherworlders and such who’ll help me out with the cargo.” She playfully hummed, sparking interest in Exrite.
Indeed, the explosive powder was something he was interested in. But more than that, it was the goal of the otherworlder client. With such a large number of explosives, they could be planning an attack in the Capital for all he knew.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Hey, just what is this stuff going to be used for anyway?” He was obligated to ask as he stared at the back of the driver’s head.
But he didn’t respond.
A moment passed, and the woman released a frustrated sigh before she struck him with a powerful punch to the arm.
“Wattle you numbskull, your monster’s talking to you!”
“Fucking-! Yeah, I heard, I heard! Look, there’s an otherworlder client who was willing to pay a fuck-ton of gold for a few barrels of explosive powder. Not sure what for, but they really wanted to get their hands on it.” He explained as moved his arm in small circles to combat the pain.
For some reason, the woman looked at him unsatisfied.
“Huh. You told him quite easily.”
“Cause I want to build trust.”
She crackled loudly at the irony of those words.
“Hey – real trust! I’m not stupid enough to steal from a Hero, let alone the priestess and her friends!”
“What, so you’re going to get them to buy from you, and flaunt that around, then make customers buy for a premium just because they did?” She perfectly read his mind in a mocking voice.
“Wait – why would we want to buy anything from you?” Frosty asked with some edge in her voice.
From the story they’ve heard so far, the woman was far more trustworthy than he was. She saw him as an enemy, more than anything.
The man laughed. “Connections. Pathfist allows the black market to thrive, and I can bring a lot of requested good here. I’ll even give you a discount for keeping my supplier alive!”
Frosty’s fist tightened beside her, teeth bared for the world to see. When the woman saw her, she tapped her elbow and sighed again.
“Distasteful, isn’t he? Almost makes you want to fire an arrow into him.” She poked his shoulder, causing him to shudder. “But, I guess I got my money, plus some extra coins. But the broken nose and stomach pain doesn’t cut it, I’m afraid. Priestess, think you’ll want to take a look at my wares in the Capital?”
Inkshard felt like she was being set up or blamed for that matter. The guilting didn’t work on her at all as she replied with:
“I’m afraid we won’t be needing any- “
“Shabby equipment, barely any bolts, a dead man’s shirt – want me to go on?” She cut in and spoke with a louder, sterner voice.
As much as they’d love to deny the need for equipment, she was correct. Frankly speaking, they were very underarmed. The driver sent a side-long glance at the woman and loudly cleared his throat.
“Hey, you’re taking my cust- “
“No one’s going to wait for three days just for wares. Might as well get them right there and then.” She cut in once again, this time over the man who now bitterly kept his mouth shut. “Only a moron would wait that long, unless it’s a bulk of materials.”
Her dark brown eyes moved across the back. There, she saw Exrite staring back with a much more appropriate face. It seemed like he was interested. But as for the man beside him, he was a bit more cautious.
“Sounds like there’s a catch to this.” Khaos said with a quieter voice as the woman pleasantly smiled.
“Nothing’s free. So, from the priestess’ companions, and… maybe the Heroes? Maybe not – I just want you to help me out with something.”
Frosty pushed herself against the smooth, wooden beam and aimed a fixed stare.
“We’re listening.” She sounded intrigued. Equipment was certainly something they needed, but it also wasn’t something they couldn’t get from the king if they asked – at least she hoped. More than anything, she would make for a good backup, just in case.
The woman chuckled and stared at the path ahead.
“Then meet me in my store in the Capital. You’ll find it along the northern streets, I’m sure.” She said, yawning afterwards with an overreaching stretch. “Call me Acacia. Better to know now than later.”
Their discussion ended there, and Exrite knew that immediately stopping by her store was not an option. There was only one goal on their mind for when they reached the Capital –
To meet with the king of Truebirth.
* * *
Hours have since passed, and the stars of the night sky were now in complete view. The road was smooth, and ahead they could see many caravans and carriages moving across an intersecting road made of stone.
Relieved expressions were shown unanimously. The warmth of the bright, pale light eased their bodies and mind. A pleasant cry erupted from the Heroes at the sight of the familiar path, and their enthusiasm proved contagious – even Frosty was relieved and smiling.
It was a miracle that no one had fallen asleep yet. Amy was constantly nodding throughout the past two hours, and Lizen struggled to keep control over her yawns. Haiyoto was the only exception, as the shock from their earlier encounter reverberated and consumed him in an ongoing reflection.
Wattle, the driver, cheered loudly with them and threw a fist into the air.
“Look at that, we made it safe and sound after all!”
Acacia hummed and poked his arm with the tip of a wooden pipe.
“Barely. I had to show an unsightly face to stay alive.” She complained and brought the smoking pipe to her mouth. “And now I look like an idiot with this thing on my face.”
The horses slowed their approach to the magnificently giant, stone-bricked road that spanned meters across. Hundreds of people of all sorts traversed the road. From hardy adventurers to casual travellers and merchants who were in the middle of visiting and leaving the Capital.
Surrounding the roads were grand oaks with wooden beams buried high into their trunks. Glass lights hung at the end of these rectangular beams, illuminating the entire road as if it were midday.
It came as a surprise to Exrite that so many people would be moving this late in the night. The crescent moon was almost at its highest peak, and the scattered stars and purple clouds shimmered in all their glory.
They followed the bustling path towards the Capital where a massive, stone archway was chiselled through the towering walls. It was a marvel in itself, as it exhibited great craftsmanship and beauty. Gold streaks laced the archway as fabulous gemstones were carved into the surrounding stone, making for a breathtaking sight.
Surprisingly, there weren’t as many Beastkin as they imagined, as well as any Demons amongst the crowd.
Exrite wondered if like Enthile, there too was a racial war in this kingdom. But when he remembered the demi-humans in Farshard and even those surrounding him – he warmly smiled.
He figured that it was probably because they were in a region furthest from the wars. If he remembered correctly, the far east of the continent was the Skathow region where the Human Empire resided.
The Beastkin came from Hemigale – a secluded, western region which was hidden behind impossibly thick forests. And that was only scratching the surface of whatever mysteries lay dormant in that place.
Then, there were the Demons of Demora, located in the far north. The only reason they’re rarely seen is because of the Scorched – a super massive desert that could even be considered a region, stood in their path.
Colight, which was furthest to the south and away from the racial wars, facilitated the birth of Demi-humans. Beastkin and humans could find common ground here and create future generations which eventually led to the Demi-humans of today.
It was something he remembered reading from his family’s library, during his down time of being their personal pin cushion, amongst other things.
When they passed through the wide, spectacularly bricked gate, a flashing light momentarily blinded them before a roar of chatter and footsteps danced in every direction. On the massively widened path, many people wandered around either drunk or with friends. It was midnight, yet it felt festive, like there was a celebration of some sort.
Even the Heroes looked around in a daze as to what was happening.
“It’s busy, even at night, but not this busy.” Lizen uttered, almost lost in the noise as Wattle and Acacia nodded.
“Must be something big then.” Wattle’s voice was low, but he seemed excited and looked around.
“Priestess, just what kind of news are you bringing to the king for this to happen?” Acacia was sharp with her words and knew that this had something to do with her visit.
People around them noticed Inkshard and were screaming her name and offering her words of flatter. It didn’t take long before their cries became chants which forced her to smile as she waved back at them.
“… I think you’ll find out soon enough.” The smile barely managed to keep its form as a bead of sweat dripped from the side of her face.
Exrite had a hunch of what it was and kept his arms folded. Far beyond the crowded path, another set of gates awaited. But these gates were heavily protected by many knights clad in pale armour, and the double layer of iron grated doors.
They without a doubt knew that beyond those gates, was where the king resided. And when they looked up to the moon – a towering, white castle stood with peerless beauty which surpassed anything they had ever seen. It was thinner than most castles but made up for it in sheer height. Even tiny whips of clouds hovered near the flat top of the castle, where a stone bridge harboured perhaps the biggest airship they had ever seen.
They were bewildered by the sight – and the noise and attention they garnered was miniscule in comparison to the behemoth of a castle, and the airship it boasted. The sigh which left Inkshard’s lips drowned in the noise as she too, moved her focus to the airship.
Her eyes immediately narrowed.
“Why is Pathfist’s ship here as well?” She refrained from making a grimace as her fists discreetly curl into tight little balls by her side.
Pathfist’s appearance wasn’t an issue to her. Their kingdom had nothing to do with the anger that suddenly swelled deep within the pits of her heart. Rather – it was directed at two specific individuals.
Individuals who were more than happy to lay waste to anyone in their brazen war path with Di-First’s vassal state of Di-lock, in the west.
With a silent gulp, only an utter of their names could leave her parched throat.
“Black Melody… and White Crimson.”